When I graduated from college with a degree in advertising and triumphantly announced that I was going to move to Boise, Idaho, I was met with many puzzled looks and bewildered responses. Common questions: “WHY would you move to such a small city ‘in the middle of nowhere’ right out of college?”, “I thought you were really passionate about advertising?”, ”Seriously!?”, “Do you have family there or something?”  

At Balihoo, many of my coworkers experienced similar reactions and comparable questions from friends and family; however, for most, the decision was made largely for the same reason: the amazing atmosphere and lifestyle that Boise provides (being able to enjoy outdoor sports of all varieties 365-days a year is pretty fantastic - as are the kind of people attracted to such a lifestyle)! National Geographic, CNN Money Magazine, Kiplinger, U.S. News & Report and MSNBC all agree.

Check out this quick video by the Idaho Department of Commerce (featuring our CEO, Pete Gombert and VP of Marketing, Shane Vaughan - plus some glimpses of our office):

 This post, Hyperlocal Competition Heats Up, can be read on our new blog by clicking this link.

 This post, It’s Called a ‘Co-op’ Because it Requires Coordinated Cooperation, can be read on our new blog by clicking this link.

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!

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.

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.”

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.

This post, Co-op or MDF: Who cares?, can be read on our new blog by clicking this link.

This day and age, it is generally accepted that if you own a local business you should have some form of an online presence - which for many businesses means maintaining a website. However, whether or not you should make that investment depends entirely on your unique situation - your market, location, product/service and competition all have to be considered before making that leap. 

This article dives into the why it might make sense for some businesses to invest in search listings over a new website.

The one message that this article really drives home is that your local business needs to be online in one form or another. Is yours?

Start by checking the following power players: Google Maps, Yahoo! Local Listings and Yellow PAges. You can create your own business profile on local directories such as SuperPAges, SwitchBoard and CitySearch. All of these local pages can be considered as “mini” business websites that require far less maintenance and overseeing.

Don’t forget that many of these directories allow customer reviews and ratings - encourage your customers to post reviews/ratings - Perhaps even consider holding an in-store raffle drawing for customers who rate your store or service!