Up until this point, mobile advertising hasn’t exactly received acclaim for being overly creative or thought-provoking. As the article’s author points out, you have probably never heard anyone say, “I just can’t get that banner out of my head!”  

Now that mobile advertising is continually gaining momentum (research giant Gartner has predicted that worldwide mobile advertising spending is slated to grow 74 percent this year to $913 million (and then surpass $13 billion by 2013, with Asia leading the charge, followed by North America and Europe) it stands to reason that the medium will likely step up and improve creatively.

With more and more creative teams and brands utilizing or at least looking into mobile, this medium will likely (and hopefully) make some incredible progress over the next several years. Should be interesting to see mobile fleshed out by creative agencies.

Have you seen a mobile ad yet that really grabbed you – if so, tell us about it!

As a result of yesterday’s announcement regarding Balihoo’s Integrated Co-op Marketing solution, we were contacted by Sam Oches, Associate editor at QSR Magazine (great pub for the industry by the way) to discuss Co-op in QSR’s.  Had a great conversation with Sam this morning and I thought I would share a few of my notes as to why we believe Co-op is key for QSR’s: 

1. Local and regional specialization has been a major trend in the QSR industry in the past several years as national brands look to modify their menus to meet local tastes and demands.  However, local marketing technologies have not kept pace to allow the local QSR to effectively drive demand for these products.   
2. FDD (Franchise Disclosure Documents) often require QSR franchisees to allocate a certain percentage of their revenue to local marketing efforts, however QSR franchisors have historically not had any method which to have visibility into local marketing activities carried out by franchisees.  Using Balihoo’s Local Marketing Automation platform with Co-op functionality, a franchisor can run all of their local marketing dollars through the system and have a precise understanding as to how and when every local marketing dollar was spent (and the associated creative and results it generated). 
3. Co-op programs are an outstanding way for franchisors to introduce and encourage their franchisees to explore and experiment with new mediums (online, PPC, mobile).  Our platform gives them the ability to launch these types of programs with a comprehensive perspective on how they’re adopted and their success.
4. More and more food product manufacturers (think Kobe beef) are developing brands around their products that are then sold through QSR and other restaurants.  This platform gives them the ability to drive co-marketing activities with the local QSR’s to drive local demand generation. 

Looking forward to reading your article Sam! 

Both Ingram-Micro and Tech Data recently announced their Vendor Partner awards:

              -   Tech Data             

              -   Ingram

It’s interesting to note that Symantec won Tech Data’s “Sales and Marketing Innovator of the Year” award:  

“Symantec consistently demonstrates its commitment to putting the programs and resources in place to help its reseller partners grow their businesses. The company is a strong supporter of Tech Data`s Software Division and TechSelect SMB reseller community. Aligning their channel programs with on-site Tech Data resources, Symantec was able to drive incremental sales within targeted reseller accounts.”

Congrats to all noted award winners - it’s great to see vendors awarded for their commitment to helping their reseller and distributor partners grow their business.

 This post, Balihoo Announces Integrated Co-op Marketing Solution, can be read on our new blog by clicking this link.

In this article, ‘Three Ways to Leverage Existing Media Assets‘, the author, draws upon OMMA Global New York’s and the Future of Media Forum to outline three significant challenges that impact media companies’ bottom line:  

1. Creating profitable advertising revenue streams
2. Developing online subscription revenues sufficient to support media operations
3. Leveraging social media engagement

The author then outlines three ways to leverage existing media assets:    

1. Access content for specialized niche products
2. Extend customer relationships
3. Develop new advertising models, particularly ones that extend the brand experience

More than anything, this short article drives home how important it is to identify niche audiences and tailor unique messages (and/or unique products) for each audience. If you have done a decent job of identifying and connecting with your target audience – you have an opportunity to not only learn more about your customers but to provide additional services/products in the future.

Today’s media marketplace is challenging (to say the least) but there are still options that enable smart businesses to extend their reach and achieve profitability – they just require deeper research and careful considering and likely some trial and error.  As the articles author states, “There’s no magic formula for a media company to become profitable and competitive in the current market.”

Last Friday, I was able to enjoy being pampered at the salon. Some may call it a “haircut”,but this was no ordinary haircut. Not only was I able to book my appointment on their website (a much appreciated convenience), but upon arrival I was offered my choice of coffee, tea or water. While I waited for my appointment I was given full access to the latest and greatest in pop culture trash (you know the basics; People, US Weekly and the like). They made me so comfortable in fact, that I didn’t even notice that I had waited 20 minutes already. Why would I care? I had all I needed to slip into relaxation mode.

These days most companies are aware of this experiential phenomenon and focusing more on making the customer experience a positive and memorable one. There are subtle ways in which many businesses enhance the customer experience without the customer being aware of it. When you get your oil changed or car washed there is usually coffee and popcorn in the lobby for you while you wait. The same is true for most banks. Many clothing boutiques and department stores offer bottled water and other beverages while you shop, keeping you happy and spending money.

Another less obvious experiential tactic is the “husband chair” (my personal favorite). Ladies, I think you may know what I am talking about here. The chair or couch that you see so cleverly placed in the store lobby or dressing room area. While this magical chair provides solace for one’s mate, it allows a feeling of relief, freedom and ease for the shopper. Alleviating the pressure to hurry and get in and get out. No more having to ignore those slow, not so subtle sighs of frustration followed by “Ready? Let’s go. You said this was going to be quick”. When the “husband chair” is occupied there’s more time to shop and more money to be spent!

In the end, the customer makes their own decisions, but if you can make them as comfortable as possible you are much more likely to convert their visit or experience into a sale.The comfortable experience doesn’t always have to be an after-thought. At Balihoo, we offer quality solutions that are designed with ease of use in mind; providing comfort, and ultimately, piece of mind.

As a media planner and buyer my efforts are only effective if I know and understand my target demographic. Nielsen defines demographic as an “audience breakdown based on various characteristics such as age, sex, income, education, etc” (www.nielsenmedia.com/glossary/index.htm). I prefer to think of it as, who do I want to see/hear this ad.

A while back we were rolling out with a new client and with that came a new target demographic. The client was a group of medical professionals that had relationships with Nobel Biocare, a company that specializes in “restorative and esthetic dental solutions” (http://corporate.nobelbiocare.com/en/about/). What lay before us was a mountain of advertising opportunity but the question was still there, who are we going to target and how are we going to reach them.

So my media director pulled a few of us in a huddle room, cleared the dry erase board and said “It’s time for a day in the life.” “A Day in the Life”, as I soon found out, was a slick little exercise that forced me to think and act, like our target consumer. That thinking and acting part soon became more difficult than I expected because we identified our target consumer as a Woman 45-75, head of household, with an income of 100k or greater. I queried my database and derived that I match not a single one of those. But then I thought hey, I can do this, I know people that fall within those parameters. So I readjusted myself in my seat and started rambling off, to my surprise, a day in the life of a 45-75 year old woman. She wakes up gets the paper, turns on the morning news, goes to work listens to the radio, doesn’t go to work, goes shopping, plays tennis, meets for coffee etc etc.

We were in that room for a good hour and by the end we had built a pretty good profile of our target, what mediums were going to use and where we going to use them. In the end, the “Day in the Life” exercise built the foundation for implementing numerous successful media plans and ad campaigns.

So, next time you need to figure out a new target demographic, I encourage you to try the “Day in the Life” exercise, even if it does force you out of your comfort zone.

With the fanfare yesterday around the Windows 7 launch, Apple took the opportunity to break a series of new ads in their “I’m a Mac” series directly attacking Windows 7.  If you missed them, here they are:

Although I feel that the “I’m a Mac” schtick is getting a bit tired, I have to admit that I like these series of ads.  It’s advertising 101 - if you’re #2 in the market, directly attack the #1 player.  The spots are smart, quick, and focus in on creating FUD (fear, uncertainty, doubt) in the mind of the consumer considering buying a PC.  Good stuff.

That being said - it’s interesting that the local component is missing here.  Windows 7 has had a HUGE local presence, with launch parties being held locally across the country.  However, I walked into my local Mac store this morning and there was nothing about Windows 7 or any tie to this advertising campaign at all.  Where’s the continuity?

National brands NEED to embrace local - driving consistent, accurate, powerful communications through your local channels (whether resellers, distributors or franchisees) needs to be a focus of any national campaign.  Local is where demand is both driven and fulfilled and should be a key component of your strategy. 

Marketing obviously doesn’t get easier during a recession – according to the 2009 ANA/MMA Marketing Accountability Survey three-fourths of marketers had their budgets cut this year and two-thirds were expected to drive more sales with their newly lowered budget. The number one reported strategy for marketers who wanted to improve effectiveness without spending more was to switch up their marketing mix from traditional to digital.

It will be interesting to see how the average marketer’s media mix will change over the next several years (as the economy begins to improve). Over the past 16-months, marketers have noted that interactive marketing has proven to be more effective and efficient and are therefore moving their dollars from traditional media toward less expensive and more efficient interactive tools – enabling them to accomplish current advertising goals with less money.

 Also of interest, more than 50% of respondents reported that they had shifted spending away from brand-building initiatives and 38% were putting more spending in lower-cost media. While it makes sense for a brand with a solid, seemingly impenetrable image to take a step away from branding-building and focus their dollars elsewhere – neglecting to develop or deepen a brand that is relatively unknown or seemingly weak can destroy a company – especially in a down economy.

A new survey on media usage from the Opinion Research Corporation confirms what newspaper publishers have long feared: Americans are abandoning daily print newspapers in favor of online news. The OPC also found a slightly smaller decrease in the number of people turning to TV news. However, there were also some unexpected gains for traditional media, including a greater reliance on radio for news and information. The increase in online news consumption was led by disproportionately larger increases among a number of key demographics (including college-educated people (20%), Hispanics (21%) and people with  household incomes over $100,000 a year (23.1%)). As might be expected, adults ages 18-34 are now reportedly getting more of their news from online sources (22.2% increase). 

While newspaper readership is overall down and continues to fall as more people to turn to the internet, it is important to remember that are still many areas, markets and communities throughout the US where print newspaper is still a powerful medium.  In many rural areas, local newspapers are still considered to be one of the best places to advertise. While in more urban areas it may make more sense to advertise on a newspapers’ website.

Ultimately, where you should be advertising completely depends on your local market. How your current, past and potential customers consume media is all that matters when determining your optimal marketing mix. So take a look around you and note what media sources you, your spouse, children, neighbor, barber, etc. commonly turn to.