Microsoft continues to gain share for paid clicks on Bing, but still lags far behind Google and other search engines, according to Efficient Frontier, which began tracking clicks a week prior to the official launch early this month. The stats released Tuesday suggest that Microsoft is holding gains on paid-click search ads. Justin Merickel, VP of marketing and new product development at Efficient Frontier, says Bing's click share rose 13% versus the week prior to launch, between May 25 and 31. Although Bing continues to lag Google and Yahoo, the numbers represent an incremental 5% lift above the first week. Although gains look promising, Bing's aggregate click share is less than 5% of the market. "It's too early to tell if Microsoft will continue to gain share or if they will fall back to prior levels," he says. "It will take a few months of data before advertisers can determine if it will change their strategy or budget." The lift could provide insight into where advertisers will allocate additional budgets in the coming months if gains are sustained. Efficient Frontier data last week also showed that Microsoft's paid-click share rose with the launch of Bing. It revealed a paid-click share lift of 8.1% for the week of the Bing launch, compared with the week prior. Merickel believes the features in Bing's "decision engine" -- such as the ability to drill down into specific categories and discover keywords -- contribute to the gains because it helps people more easily find relevant results. "People are searching and finding results and clicking to get the content," he says. It's important for Efficient Frontier to keep close tabs on changes with Bing, Merickel says, because the company needs to help clients make important budget allocation decisions for campaigns. Efficient Frontier manages more than $750 million for clients. Over the long term, Bing's percentage of the paid search market will influence whether to put the money in campaigns that run on Google, Microsoft or Yahoo, he says.
Video in rich media ads can make or break a campaign. The DoubleClick benchmark study scheduled for release by Google Wednesday suggests that rich media ad formats that contain video "overwhelmingly" outperform other types of creative media ad, such as images and simple animation Flash. The study, "The Brand Value of Rich Media and Video Ads," measures purchase intent, but not necessarily through the ad. Findings suggest that people who see a video in a rich media ad are more likely to make the purchase. Google commissioned the study because of the lack of information on how creative ad formats correspond and produce results for brands. The DoubleClick study tapped Dynamic Logic data -- market data from thousands of campaigns -- to determine the type of creative ad formats that produce the best results. Dynamic Logic serves up surveys to a consumer after they see a random ad, and correlates the results to whether or not they viewed the advertisement. Rich media ads containing video on average appear to increase purchase intent by 1.16%, compared with a controlled group that did not see an ad. Compare that with simple Flash at 0.26%, and there's a huge difference, says Ari Paparo, group product manager at Google. Although Google does not create the ad for clients, it does help with video encoding and help to track the information in the ads. "We do the technical work, not the creative," he says. Paparo points out that the study suggests that driving purchase requires advertisers to run more rich media with video and fewer simple Flash units. The fact that simple Flash ads dominate the Web ad content demonstrates "a misalignment" of ad formats when it comes to brands setting and reaching ad goals. Rich media with video drives success more than four times that of Flash. Interestingly, people who see rich media ads on average seem to favor the brand with the video, according to the study. Exposing audiences to one rich media ad with video seem to result in a 2.30% increase in favoring a brand. In contrast, simple Flash shows the poorest results -- 0.15% -- at driving favor for the brand. The study suggests delivering a rich media ad with video as the first ad exposure to the online audience, and when budgets are tight, switching to simple Flash or JPG/GIF formats to get positive results. Use DoubleClick DART for Advertisers to swap creative ads without having to send new ad tags to publishers. And don't let arbitrary ad-serving budget allocations, such as 15% of media, prevent you from running the most effective ad formats. Instead, factor media fees and rich media fees in together and optimize from there. Brand metrics were compared for more than 4,000 campaigns across a wide variety of industry verticals through 2008, as tracked via Dynamic Logic's MarketNorms marketing effectiveness database. Campaigns were included in the study if they met two criteria. The first: the assets included at least one of four ad formats: simple Flash, JPG/GIF, rich media with video, and rich media without video. The second: the questionnaire used standard MarketNorms branding questions.
Corporate Twitter experts Tuesday offered insights into how the social media service of-the-moment can be used for everything from celebrating funnel cake to selling coffee and breakfast wraps to calming irate cable TV customers. Panelists from companies including Six Flags, Dunkin' Donuts, and Comcast who were gathered at the OMMA Social conference highlighted Twitter's versatility as a marketing and customer service tool as well as its value in letting big brands connect informally with consumers. "We learned very quickly it's about individuals. It's really about that personal interaction" said Frank Eliason, director of digital care at Comcast, of Twitter. He drew hearty laughter when he described the cable giant as being known for its customer service. "I can't wait until people stop laughing at that joke," added Eliason, who oversees a team of 10 that tracks Twitter and thousands of other social sites and blogs on behalf of the cable giant. David Puner, communications manager for Dunkin' Brands Inc. -- better known by his Twitter handle, Dunkin' Dave -- has become the human face, or voice, of Dunkin' Donuts. Puner explained that the company, which now has 26,000 followers on Twitter, began experimenting with the service because people were already talking about the brand online. "We've seen it grow considerably since, and that's been nice," he said. His frequent tweets give people a connection to an "authentic voice" inside the company. But that direct interaction with consumers requires Dunkin' Donuts and other large companies to loosen up their usual standards for corporate communications. "With Twitter and social media in general, there really aren't any rules yet. It's still defining itself," he said. "You need to trust the one who tweets," he said. Billy Custer, social media agent for Six Flags, went even farther. "A certain amount of immaturity is even encouraged," he offered, acknowledging that he wasn't that far removed in age from the teens who flock to Six Flags' amusement parks and are active Twitterers. He went on to describe how the company has had success using Twitter for promotions like Funnel Cake Fridays, Twitter-directed treasure hunts, and ticket giveaways. A big part of Twitter's appeal for brands is getting instant feedback on things like product launches or external developments they need to know about quickly. "You can kill the focus group," declared Custer, alluding to Twitter's ability to constantly take the pulse of consumer sentiment. Puner agreed, saying that Dunkin' Donuts could use Twitter to ask whether followers like its new breakfast wrap and "get 30 people instantly telling you yes or no." In that regard, Eliason stressed the importance of Twitter search to track the social conversation for any relevant news affecting Comcast. That paid off recently in helping the company learn quickly of a local power outage that cut off Fox Sports Net's broadcast of a first-round playoff game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Philadelphia Flyers. Eliason said that within three minutes, Comcast knew the outage was caused by a lightning strike and not the result of an engineering problem, saving the cable provider time and resources. "Twitter search is your friend and can add huge benefits to a company," he said. Asked about the difference between Facebook and Twitter, panelists seemed to agree that Twitter is more open and faster for gauging consumer feedback. Dunkin' Donuts' Puner noted that the company had pulled back on the frequency of posting status updates on Facebook because members weren't especially receptive. "People on Twitter expect to hear from you. People on Facebook don't necessarily want to hear from you," he said. Eliason also pointed out that unlike Twitter, Facebook doesn't offer the ability to search status updates. However, Facebook last week said it had begun testing a real-time search engine for users' news feeds that could ultimately serve as a rival to Twitter search. The step is a tacit acknowledgement that Twitter has become the default place for searching real-time information online. On a separate panel, Don Steele, vice president for digital marketing at the MTV Networks Entertainment Group, expressed concern about whether brands and agencies have become too infatuated with Twitter as the "shiny new toy" of social media. "We're making sure we're not ignoring audiences and communities we've already built" on Facebook and other social properties, he said.
Last October, an online news site that covers the mortgage industry published a summary of loans held by the New Hampshire company The Mortgage Specialists. The Mortgage Specialists responded by suing the publication. The company argued that the document that had been posted on its site's "implode-meter" section, ml-implode.com, was confidential and that its release hadn't been authorized. The Mortgage Specialists asked for an injunction ordering the site to take down the loan summary and directing the site to disclose how it obtained the document. In March, New Hampshire judge Kenneth McHugh granted that request. The company behind the news site, Implode-Explode Heavy Industries, appealed to the Supreme Court of New Hampshire. This week, some outside free speech advocates weighed in on the side of the Web site. The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, Harvard Law School's Berkman Center for Internet & Society, and the Citizen Media Law Project have filed a friend-of-the-court brief arguing that the "implode-meter" is entitled to the same legal protections as news published by mainstream media companies. The groups argue that the judges' order violates free speech principles, and also runs contrary to New Hampshire precedent that allows reporters to protect their sources. "ML-Implode provides vital information to the public about matters of utmost public concern. Like any traditional media outlet, its newsgathering activities and publication of articles are protected under the First Amendment," the advocates wrote in court documents. The free speech groups argue that news media are entitled to publish any document that they come into possession of, provided that the news organization itself broke no laws in obtaining the papers. The injunction ordering the site to take down the document amounts to a "prior restraint" on publication; courts have said that such restraints on speech are often unconstitutional. The groups also argue that McHugh had no legal basis to ban posting the loan summary. "Publishing truthful, non-classified information of public importance, voluntarily provided by a third-party, violates no New Hampshire law," they wrote. McHugh also ruled that the site did not have "the right to protect the identity of someone who has provided it with unauthorized" information, but the groups argue that New Hampshire courts have held that journalists can protect the identity of their sources under some circumstances. The groups are now asking the state appellate court to rule that online publications can protect confidential sources to the same extent as traditional news media. "The medium in which ML-Implode offers its news to the public is irrelevant," they write. "It is the function of an organization, not the medium of publication, which defines it as worthy of a journalist's privilege." A lawyer for The Mortgage Specialists did not respond to Online Media Daily's request for comment.
WPP Group this morning unveiled plans for a research initiative with Microsoft to benchmark the "dynamics between search engine marketing and brand building." The effort, which is being spearheaded by WPP's Wunderman unit, will utilize proprietary research from Y&R's Brand Asset Valuator studies, as well as Wunderman's ZAAZ analytics and planning system. "Marketers are spending billions on search engine marketing, primarily as a direct response mechanism," David Sable, vice chairman-COO of Wunderman, stated, adding, "We think it's time to better understand how search builds brands differently than traditional media. The connection between brand-building and search marketing is at best, spotty and the research we will conduct may help shed light on how brands can tap into search as a brand and market share builder." Sable said the initiative is being driven by WPP's desire to understand the "next generation of search engine marketing," citing Microsoft's new Bing search engine, and how it will influence consumers and brands alike. The study will look specifically at the impact search is having on WPP's "blue chip" clients and consumers worldwide, and initial findings are expected to be released during a presentation at Advertising Week in September in New York. Details of the collaboration with Microsoft were not disclosed, but the companies said the research is intended to reveal: * The correlation between brand awareness and search efficacy * How search engines are changing consumer behavior * How social marketing impacts the search for brands * The connections between paid search and brand development
The Minnesota Supreme Court has cleared the way for the town of Monticello to proceed with its own broadband network. The state's highest court declined to review an appellate ruling, issued earlier this month, saying that broadband service is the type of utility that can be financed with bond revenue. Monticello administrator Jeff O'Neill said he expects the city will begin construction on a new fiber network within two weeks. The ruling is a blow to local telecom, TDS's Bridgewater, which had sued to stop the town from moving forward with its planned fiber network. Drew Petersen, TDS director of legislative affairs and corporate communications, said in a statement that the court's refusal to allow an appeal "will likely discourage other private enterprises from doing or expanding their business in Minnesota." Two years ago, residents of the small town of Monticello, population 11,000, voted to build a fiber network that would provide TV, telephone and high-speed broadband access. The city sold $26 million in revenue bonds to finance the project, but had to put the initiative on hold last May, when Bridgewater filed suit. Bridgewater unsuccessfully argued that the city could not finance the project with revenue bonds because broadband service isn't a utility. While the case was pending, Bridgewater upgraded its system in Monticello. The telecom now says that every resident of the city can access the Bridgewater fiber network, which offers speeds of 25 Mbps. But despite Bridgewater's upgrade, Monticello's O'Neill says the city believes the initiative remains feasible. "We think there's sufficient market out there to keep our system healthy," he said. "Our mission is not to make a big profit."
Hyatt Corp. is launching a mobile advertising campaign via Microsoft's mobile advertising relationship with Verizon Wireless, the companies announced Tuesday at Cannes. The mobile advertising display campaign, which will appear exclusively on Verizon customers' phones, is designed to drive people to register for the Hyatt Gold Passport frequent guest rewards program and encourage people to visit Hyatt's new mobile Web site using their mobile phones. Verizon Wireless customers will now have a faster and more convenient way to find Hyatt hotels, book rooms, view and change reservations, check in or out, receive special promotions, and access general information on the go when using Verizon Wireless' Mobile Web service, the company says. The combination of Microsoft's destination sites like MSN and Verizon Wireless' Mobile Web service provides Hyatt with the ability to work with both a large publisher and service provider through one simple platform, says Amy Curtis-McIntyre, senior vice president of brand communications for Global Hyatt Corp. The campaign includes both search and display ads, which will direct consumers to a mobilized version of Hyatt.com. Earlier this month, the upscale hotel chain launched its Hyatt Mobile functionality, which allows guests to find and book hotels, access and modify reservations, and check in or out through any Web-enabled mobile device. The Hyatt Mobile site is available on all mobile devices worldwide. The Hyatt Mobile site also provides special features for Hyatt Gold Passport members, and includes a way for guests to join Hyatt Gold Passport, view account details and reservations, and receive exclusive Gold Passport offers. The mobile site gives guests full access to information on all Hyatt hotel and resort locations worldwide. Mobile versions also are available for Hyatt Place hotels at Hyattplace.com and Hyatt Summerfield Suites hotels at Hyattsummerfieldsuites.com. The Andaz and Park Hyatt brand mobile sites are live at Andaz.com and Parkhyatt.com. Based in Chicago, Hyatt runs more than 370 hotels in 44 countries.
Meredith has got it all backwards -- which is not to say wrong. The publishing company is launching a print magazine based on its social site about cooking and food. Mixingbowl.com launched in February, and by March, the editorial staff was cooking up an idea for a print product. A sort of user-generated magazine, Meredith boasts that Mixing Bowl magazine "celebrates the everyday heroes of the American kitchen." Specifically, those heroes who are signed up for Mixingbowl.com. The print product features content inspired by the site, which is largely user-generated, such as favorite recipes and profiles of members that make the editors' "best of" lists. Available in supermarkets, mass merchants and bookstores nationwide, the launch issue has a distribution of 260,000 and comes out this month. The debut issue is not ad-supported, but the second issue, in January, will rely on revenue from ads as well as newsstand sales, says Jeff Myers, vice president/general manager, Meredith Special Interest Media. He sees Mixing Bowl magazine as both an "introductory vehicle [to the site] for folks and as a reward, an incentive and opportunity for recognition for those contributing members of the community." He tells OMD that Meredith is planning to do the magazine, at the very least, as a semi-annual or quarterly, but is undecided on what the frequency will be in 2010. That decision, he says, will be made "based on results at the newsstand as well as continuing community support." It's an unorthodox way to launch a magazine -- in every respect -- but these are hardly normal times for the publishing world.