LinkedIn in February made it easier for users to follow companies on the professional networking site through a button that businesses can embed on their Web sites. Now it’s helping companies target and track their followers with a new set of software tools. LinkedIn just introduced a service that allows businesses to tailor content sent to followers according to various criteria, including industry, seniority, job function, company size, non-company employees and geography. Those are among the same targeting categories available to third-party advertisers on LinkedIn through its self-serve ad solution. Companies will also have direct access to an analytics dashboard showing follower engagement metrics such as likes, shares, comments, and the proportion of those interacting with targeted content. The dashboard will also provide followers’ demographic data. The new Targeted Updates and Follower Statistics are rolling out initially with a small group of companies including AT&T, Dell, Microsoft, and Samsung Mobile before being offered more widely in the coming months. LinkedIn says it has more than 2 million companies in its network. The new services are free to members with a LinkedIn company page and are clearly aimed at helping it compete with Facebook and Twitter as a social marketing platform for businesses. The company declined to say how many of its 150 million users worldwide are following companies on the site. Based on a user survey, it only says 70% “follow or would follow” companies on LinkedIn. It also released data suggesting that followers are more active than its users in general. For example, followers are twice as connected as the average LinkedIn member and have joined twice the number of LinkedIn groups. Almost half (49%) say they are more likely to purchase products or services from a company that’s more engaged with its followers. About the same proportion (47%) say LinkedIn is a more appropriate social environment for getting company news and updates than other social sites.
Relying on one metric to quantify digital branding campaigns using multiple types of media, or trying to run too many formats in one ad, such as branding and direct-response, can contribute to failure, according to eMarketer analyst Lauren Fisher. Marketers must break the old habits of using one measure of success, Fisher said. The lead author of the report "Quantifying Digital Brand Ad Effectiveness" outlines challenges that quantify the effectiveness of digital branding campaigns. Benchmarking online branding performance based on offline measurements doesn't work. But as a variety of tools such as mobile are added to the branding coffer, some marketers still want to use traditional metrics -- such as TV and radio -- online. While there is no "foolproof set of metrics for best quantifying the influence of digital branding," the best choice calls for both "traditional brand lift measurement and digital-specific engagement metrics," Fisher said. This strategy will enable marketers to verify the campaign effectiveness within digital. In some cases, marketers should incorporate sales-related metrics gained through purchase and customer loyalty data to get a more complete view. For video, it might mean incorporating an engagement or a completion metric. A variety of data can help support metrics. Fisher points to a strategy that brands use when lacking access to or ownership of customer loyalty or purchase data. They will often use other digital touchpoints, such as coupon downloads and QR code scans, to build a better view of branding efforts. Companies will spend nearly $85 billion worldwide in online advertising during 2012, of which $12 billion will flow through mobile, according to GroupM. eMarketer estimates that marketers in the U.S. will spend $62 billion by 2016 for online campaigns. Of that total, ad dollars devoted to branding will account for $26.66 billion, or 43%. Marketers also have begun to find new ways to use ad formats and objectives for various campaigns, which can complicate metrics as the lines become blurred. For example, these numbers from eMarketer put search, email, classified and lead generation ad dollars into the direct-response budget, and display ad spending into branding.
Recognizing the rising prominence of online video, the Interactive Advertising Bureau has introduced updated specifications for marketers to improve their streaming media strategies. Marking the first major update to its in-stream video ad standards since 2008, the “IAB Video Suite” was developed by the bureau’s Digital Video Committee in partnership and its 45 member companies. One of the suite’s key specs is a Video Ad-Serving Template (VAST), which the IAB describes as a universal protocol for serving in-stream video ads, permitting ad servers to use a single ad-response format across multiple compliant publishers and video players. The goal of the updates is to give marketers the freedom to create better brand stories through video, according to Steve Sullivan, vice president, ad technology at the IAB. “These specs help creativity flourish by making it easier for companies to buy and sell video ad inventory, while allowing marketers to deliver in-stream interactive video ads with the confidence that consumers will always receive a consistent viewing experience across different media players,” Sullivan said. Other key specs include a Video Player-Ad Interface Definition (VPAID), or a common communication protocol between ad units and video players that supports rich ad experiences and detailed event reporting; and a Video Multiple Ad Playlist (VMAP), a new protocol that allows content owners to describe where ad breaks should be placed in their content when they do not control the video player or the content distribution outlet. Additional advancements include support for “skippable” video ads that will allow publishers to price models, based on ads that play to completion, as well as support for “pods” of multiple ads to be displayed in a single ad break. This allows for the creation of viewing experiences similar to broadcast television. With these most recent changes, the IAB is also offering support for the display of in-ad privacy notices recommended by the Digital Advertising Alliance Self-Regulation Program for Online Behavioral Advertising, along with the ability of a single ad to play seamlessly across different devices including iOS and Android mobile devices, as well as certain connected television platforms. After a healthy 2011, online video advertising is expected to enjoy continued growth through the year. Earlier this year, eMarketer estimated that online video ad spending would jump 40% in 2012 to $3.1 billion.
With the release of the new iPad last month, Apple shows no sign of loosening its iron grip on the tablet market for years to come. A new Gartner forecast projects the iPad will continue to dominate the category, with a 61.4% share of the global tablet market this year, based on sales of nearly 73 million units. That figure will more than double to 170 million units by 2016, or 46% of the tablet market. Gartner predicts overall tablet sales in 2012 will nearly double to 118.9 million units in 2012 from 60 million last year. Android-based tablets, including the Samsung Galaxy Tab and Amazon’s Kindle Fire, will more than double sales to 37.9 million from 17.3 million, or almost 32% share of the tablet market. Trailing far behind the iPad and Android will be Microsoft’s forthcoming Windows 8 tablet, expected to end up with just 4.1% of tablet sales by the end of 2012. "Despite PC vendors and phone manufacturers wanting a piece of the pie and launching themselves into the media tablet market, so far, we have seen very limited success outside of Apple with its iPad," stated Carolina Milanesi, research vice president at Gartner. She added that the recent launch of the new iPad, boasting a sharper screen and faster processor, suggests that things will not get any easier for competitors this year. Smaller, cheaper rivals like the Kindle Fire and Nook Tablet, which launched during the holiday season, had promising debuts but don’t pose an immediate threat to the iPad’s supremacy. The Windows 8 tablet, expected to roll out later this year, will not upend the market either. But Gartner believes the Microsoft device could get a boost from the corporate market. "IT departments will see Windows 8 as the opportunity to deploy tablets on an OS that is familiar to them and with devices offered by many enterprise-class suppliers," said Milanesi. "This means that we see Windows 8 as a strong IT-supplied offering more so than an OS with a strong consumer appeal." The research firm expects the Windows 8 tablet’s share to reach almost 12% by 2016. Gartner forecasts enterprise sales of media tablets will account for about 35% of total tablet sales sold in 2015. But these sales will not be clearly defined as traditional corporate purchases, with employees being able to get them through buy-your-own-device programs. That means that any manufacturers focused on the enterprise market will have to make sure their tablets appeal to consumers as well. BlackBerry-maker Research in Motion failed to appeal to either market last year with its release of the PlayBook tablet. The QNX platform that powers the PlayBook is only expected to capture about 2% of the tablet market this year. One major hurdle for RIM and other iPad challengers is the relative dearth of apps they offer compared to the Apple device, which has more than 200,000. Android too has been hobbled by the lack of tablet apps. Still, the Google platform is expected to gain ground on the iPad in the next four years, claiming about 37% share by 2016. That would leave it seven percentage points behind the iPad compared to a projected 30 points this year.
Siding against the ad network AdKnowledge, a federal judge has rejected the company's attempt to dismiss a lawsuit accusing it of duping consumers by helping to develop deceptive online ads. The legal dispute, which centers on "poster clubs," began last year when California resident Suk Jae Chang filed a potential class-action lawsuit against AdKnowledge and two other businesses, affiliate marketing company Tatto (now owned by Ozura World) and Wozo (which allegedly was operated by Tatto). Chang alleged that the two businesses worked together to create ads offering users a free poster for just a 99-cent shipping charge, but then enrolling them in paid "poster clubs" that sent people two posters every month for a $29.99 monthly fee. The companies allegedly obtained the financial information when Chang submitted it to pay the 99-cent mailing fee. "It is clear that defendants’ monthly membership in a poster club is not designed to be operated as legitimate business that could actually appeal to consumers," Chang alleged in the complaint, which accused the companies of violating federal and state laws. "Few consumers, if any, would ever elect to buy a $29.99 monthly membership to receive only two posters per month, particularly when those posters are arbitrarily selected by someone else." Users who accepted the offers for "free" posters also obtained virtual currency that could be used in games on social media sites. AdKnowledge allegedly enabled that offer through its Super Rewards program. AdKnowledge argued for dismissal before trial on the theory that Chang didn't allege any facts showing that AdKnowledge knew about the poster offer. U.S. District Court Judge Denise Casper disagreed. She ruled that dismissal would be premature, given that Chang alleged that AdKnowledge "partnered with" Tatto and Wozo. Casper added that questions about AdKnowledge's involvement required more evidence to resolve. News of the decision was first reported by Santa Clara University law professor Eric Goldman. AdKnowledge also faces a potential class-action lawsuit in federal court in California. That case stems from allegations by Web user Rebecca Swift that social gaming company Zynga, along with AdKnowledge and another company, tricked users into purchasing unwanted merchandise by offering "free" trial subscriptions. Swift alleges that she lost around $200 as a result of misleading ads that appeared in Zynga's "YoVille." She said that while playing "YoVille," she signed up for a "risk-free" trial of monthly shipments of a green tea supplement in order to earn YoCash -- virtual currency used in the game. U.S. Magistrate Judge Elizabeth Laporte in the Northern District of California last year granted Zynga's motion to send the case against it to arbitration. But Laporte did not send the case against AdKnowledge to arbitration. AdKnowledge recently appealed that decision to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.
Irish firm Betapond is making digital signage in retail environments personally interactive for mobile Facebook users, with an assist from Intel’s Core i7 Platform for digital signage. The Betapond product uses QR codes and SMS to connect a shopper’s smartphone with digital signage in the retail environment. Using the Facebook app, brand marketers and retailers can execute a number of promotions combining the digital signage and mobile social platforms. For example, they can offer shoppers the chance to win a prize for taking a short survey, download coupons, enter a treasure hunt, etc. Customers can also complete e-commerce transactions and post social recommendations from within the store. Afterwards, the brand marketers and retailers can continue to engage with participating consumers -- and eventually their friends -- through Facebook to drive additional traffic and sales. Of course, Betapond isn’t the only company integrating social and DOOH. Prominent practitioners include LocaModa, which has brought DOOH apps for Twitter, Facebook, Foursquare, and other social networks (location-based and otherwise) and a number of big DOOH networks nationwide. Last August, Visix, Inc., a digital signage software provider, unveiled a “Twitter Board” and “Twitter Bulletin” among its new DOOH options and creative services. This is just the latest in a series of DOOH adoptions for Intel, whose Audience Impression Metrics Suite has been integrated into a number of digital signage systems over the last couple of months. Late January, InWindow Outdoor announced a pilot program to create fixed “experience stations” in malls and hotel locations nationwide using Intel’s AIM. Around the same time, Provision Interactive Technologies announced that it was integrating AIM into its 3D holographic kiosk displays, and in February DS-IQ tapped AIM for its Retail Media Platform.
In yesterday’s MediaPost "Social Media Insider," David Berkowitz eloquently wrote of the recent purchase of Instagram by Facebook under the headline “Facebook Acquires Itself.” I recommend reading the article as it neatly summarizes why the purchase is less about the innate properties and value of Instagram, than about the fact the purchase was basically a defensive move on the part of Facebook. One can discuss the merits of Instagram till the cows come home and the subject of its market value would carry the debate long into the night. But market value isn’t the issue here -- it’s all about Instagram’s value to Facebook. Or more accurately, the cost of allowing it to continue. Not only is there the potential threat of a purchase by Google, Apple or one or two others, there is also the simple fact that Facebook has been remarkably slow to really capitalize on the fact that people continue to add more and more of their pictures to the billions the network already holds. I’ve no idea how many pictures are uploaded per minute, but its clearly a huge number. Yet it’s only relatively recently that Facebook has made any effort to reflect the obvious importance those pictures hold for users in the kind of user experience it offers. As a result -- and as David points out -- Instgram has stepped in and claimed some of that space. Not much, but enough to be a potential threat. But beside the defensive value that Instagram represents to Facebook (or to look at it another way, the cost of neutralizing a threat the company itself allowed to emerge) there is a more mundane reason that justifies the purchase. It’s the looming IPO. Facebook sits on a lot of cash and that’s not what the investment community likes to see. Capital is something to be utilized in the pursuit of value creation. While some of that can be focused on R&D and refining the product, it’s difficult to sell the investment community on a strategy that is insufficiently acquisitive. Being seen to make acquisitions that are clearly newsworthy and can be readily spun as a value-add for the business is a very smart move in itself. (And it's close enough to the IPO itself to ensure there will be no unraveling of the rationale before the shares are greedily swallowed up by the markets.) The fact that Instagram also heads off some potential problems for Facebook down the line is also a tick in the IPO box -– even if you do think those potential problems stem from the company being slow off the management mark, pardon the pun.
Measuring digital marketing efforts typically focuses on impressions, clicks, "likes" and conversions. Those metrics are important, but consider other key measurements for a more robust, well-rounded picture of your marketing campaigns and to determine next steps in driving marketing results. The digital marketing metrics that matter most include: Time You’re spending large amounts of time on your organization's digital marketing efforts, but when was the last time you actually calculated your team’s time allocations? Many marketing departments have never done this, yet it gets to the heart of your productivity. For example, is your team currently overcompensating on social media due to all the buzz, yet not allocating sufficient time to conversion optimization? Is your team allocating any time for longer-term, game-changing initiatives, or instead just working day-to-day? Awareness Have all of your priority audiences heard of you? Have you broken out your target audiences into multiple segments and measured your awareness among each? You may be well known among a certain group (e.g., married women) but completely invisible to another (e.g., single women). These insights should guide the allocation of your awareness-generation efforts. Mission Jim Stengel, former CMO of Procter & Gamble, recently launched a book, Grow, where he explains that companies aligned with a higher purpose fuel greater growth and create more valuable companies. At Patagonia, for example, every decision must pass an environmental impact filter. What's your company's mission? What do you believe in? What do your key audiences feel passionate about? How do you communicate your values, beliefs and passion? Are you tracking, measuring and reporting on your company’s commitment to your mission (such as gallons of oil saved, number of meals donated to the hungry, volunteer hours by staff) to demonstrate purpose. Intent The intent of someone reading your blog post could be vastly different than someone downloading your latest whitepaper, watching your YouTube video, or emailing your sales team. Are you truly satisfying intent? Perhaps you can offer a take-away for someone reading your blog, such as a downloadable whitepaper. Satisfy intent differently on your Facebook page by providing fans with exclusive behind-the-scenes access to your brand. Consider the intent behind each touchpoint and measure different, trackable deliverables accordingly. Sales and Behavior Revenue numbers are important, but measuring the behavior underlying the revenue (and the most profitable sources of revenue) is critical. What steps do your best prospects take? Track each step in the process -- not just final conversions -- then measure your conversion rate, cost per conversion and profit for different funnels, which will ultimately help you increase both sales and profits. Attribution Are you accurately measuring the value of each marketing component in your customer’s purchase path? Many marketers only consider the last click in the path but, typically, users come into contact with multiple brand touchpoints prior to a conversion, so measure the entire process. Attribution management and analytics software can help. Advocacy Many companies strive to grow Facebook “Likes," but it's more important to fully understand who actually likes you. Certain companies have relatively few Facebook “Likes” but generate huge amounts of business through word-of-mouth. Measure your advocates, word-of-mouth recommendations and customer satisfaction scores, and then go out of your way to give extra value to your advocates. In addition, test and measure specific ways to increase these advocacy numbers.