The Internet might eventually kill traditional broadcast radio, but marketers at neighborhood stores, as well as large companies like Nike and Lexus, now have tools to create a branded-Internet radio station, augment with topic-specific interviews, and subsidize airtime with jingles and four minutes of ads through Radionomy. It turns out that Europe-based Radionomy, which built a platform allowing anyone to create and program their own Internet radio station with licensed music from well-known artists, enters the U.S. market this week after attracting more than 13 million listeners in other parts of the world. Unlike Pandora, humans program the content monetized with ads -- about four minutes per hour. The number of radio station listeners determines the monthly income generated by ads sold on a CPM basis. Thierry Ascarez, vice president of business development at Radionomy, says some stations might have more than 500,000 listening hours per month based on a $5 CPM. "It's a Google AdSense for audio," he says. Helping to gain listeners to generate revenue, Radionomy built in social features, such as embedded players for Facebook and the ability to build a basic Web site to support the player and station. Listeners can share stations and music on Twitter and Facebook. In other parts of the world, Radionomy supports more than 6,000 stations and 92 million listening sessions monthly; 42 million hours of streamed music each month; and 50 new Radionomy stations created each day A version available in Europe, but not yet in the United States, allows brands to build their own radio campaign in five steps. Radio station producers can bring advertisers to the Radionomy platform. In the U.S., programmers pick from a list of prerecorded ads. The platform targets ads to listeners based on demographic and geographic location, based on the devices' Internet protocol address and other signals. A New York-based ad house sells the ads. Companies like Netflix and Walgreens have recently signed advertising agreement. Standards built into the software follow traditional broadcast radio rules. The tools built on the G2 platform, a new version of the service, offers custom options through Radio Manager, a Web-based dashboard centralizing functions needed to run an online station; Planner to assist producers create and manage their station; and new versions in iTunes for iPad and iPhone, as well as Facebook apps. A new version of the Android app and a desktop app will be available in November 2012. The feature will become available in cars with Internet access via directories like TuneIn. Ascarez said Radionomy works with traditional broadcasters in Europe because they view the technology as a gateway to increase listening audiences through a search engine and directory of music stations.
From true fanatics to casual viewers, TV remains the dominant channel through which consumers get their sports fix. One-half -- 49.8% -- of all sports fans say the television is still their primary source for sports information, according to a recent survey of 950 U.S. online adults by Burst Media. Still, more than a quarter -- 26.5% -- now cite content Web sites as their main connection to sports. Interestingly, among all sports fans, the divide between television and content sites is reduced significantly -- by 17.4% -- when it comes to which medium respondents say is the best for sports news and information, versus what they indicated was their primary medium. In fact, two-fifths -- 41.3% -- say TV is the best medium, while 35.4% say content sites are the best. What’s more, one third -- 35.1% -- of all sports fans report going online at least once per day for sports-related reasons, with far more devoted fans -- 66.8% -- making their daily pilgrimage to the Web. In the social media realm, one-third -- 34.7% -- of 18- to-34-year-olds frequently or very frequently use social media to comment on, tweet/retweet, share or link to online sports content and video. Only 15.2% of 35- to-54-year-olds -- and 2.5% of those age 55 or older -- say they engage in the same social activity. Tablets and smartphones are emerging as sports content consumption platforms, as 31.6% of all sports fans now report using tablets, and 45.7% report using smartphones to access online sports content and video. Sports fans are also tablet and smartphone multitaskers, as one-third -- 35.7% -- say they use tablets and/or smartphones to access online sports content while watching sports on television. Devoted sports fans are overwhelmingly -- 79.0% -- male, while the gender breakdown among casual fans is evenly split. Spanning socioeconomic categories, one half -- 50.6% -- of all devoted fans have at least a college degree, while 43.7 reside in high-income households.
The Internet might eventually kill traditional broadcast radio, but marketers at neighborhood stores, as well as large companies like Nike and Lexus, now have tools to create a branded-Internet radio station, augment with topic-specific interviews, and subsidize airtime with jingles and four minutes of ads through Radionomy. It turns out that Europe-based Radionomy, which built a platform allowing anyone to create and program their own Internet radio station with licensed music from well-known artists, enters the U.S. market this week after attracting more than 13 million listeners in other parts of the world. Unlike Pandora, humans program the content monetized with ads -- about four minutes per hour. The number of radio station listeners determines the monthly income generated by ads sold on a CPM basis. Thierry Ascarez, vice president of business development at Radionomy, says some stations might have more than 500,000 listening hours per month based on a $5 CPM. "It's a Google AdSense for audio," he says. Helping to gain listeners to generate revenue, Radionomy built in social features, such as embedded players for Facebook and the ability to build a basic Web site to support the player and station. Listeners can share stations and music on Twitter and Facebook. In other parts of the world, Radionomy supports more than 6,000 stations and 92 million listening sessions monthly; 42 million hours of streamed music each month; and 50 new Radionomy stations created each day A version available in Europe, but not yet in the United States, allows brands to build their own radio campaign in five steps. Radio station producers can bring advertisers to the Radionomy platform. In the U.S., programmers pick from a list of prerecorded ads. The platform targets ads to listeners based on demographic and geographic location, based on the devices' Internet protocol address and other signals. A New York-based ad house sells the ads. Companies like Netflix and Walgreens have recently signed advertising agreement. Standards built into the software follow traditional broadcast radio rules. The tools built on the G2 platform, a new version of the service, offers custom options through Radio Manager, a Web-based dashboard centralizing functions needed to run an online station; Planner to assist producers create and manage their station; and new versions in iTunes for iPad and iPhone, as well as Facebook apps. A new version of the Android app and a desktop app will be available in November 2012. The feature will become available in cars with Internet access via directories like TuneIn. Ascarez said Radionomy works with traditional broadcasters in Europe because they view the technology as a gateway to increase listening audiences through a search engine and directory of music stations.
From true fanatics to casual viewers, TV remains the dominant channel through which consumers get their sports fix. One-half -- 49.8% -- of all sports fans say the television is still their primary source for sports information, according to a recent survey of 950 U.S. online adults by Burst Media. Still, more than a quarter -- 26.5% -- now cite content Web sites as their main connection to sports. Interestingly, among all sports fans, the divide between television and content sites is reduced significantly -- by 17.4% -- when it comes to which medium respondents say is the best for sports news and information, versus what they indicated was their primary medium. In fact, two-fifths -- 41.3% -- say TV is the best medium, while 35.4% say content sites are the best. What’s more, one third -- 35.1% -- of all sports fans report going online at least once per day for sports-related reasons, with far more devoted fans -- 66.8% -- making their daily pilgrimage to the Web. In the social media realm, one-third -- 34.7% -- of 18- to-34-year-olds frequently or very frequently use social media to comment on, tweet/retweet, share or link to online sports content and video. Only 15.2% of 35- to-54-year-olds -- and 2.5% of those age 55 or older -- say they engage in the same social activity. Tablets and smartphones are emerging as sports content consumption platforms, as 31.6% of all sports fans now report using tablets, and 45.7% report using smartphones to access online sports content and video. Sports fans are also tablet and smartphone multitaskers, as one-third -- 35.7% -- say they use tablets and/or smartphones to access online sports content while watching sports on television. Devoted sports fans are overwhelmingly -- 79.0% -- male, while the gender breakdown among casual fans is evenly split. Spanning socioeconomic categories, one half -- 50.6% -- of all devoted fans have at least a college degree, while 43.7 reside in high-income households.
Marketers at mid-priced retailers and brands will miss a great opportunity to market products to affluent consumers during the holidays if they don't get off their duff and do a little research. Google Consumer Surveys and Harris Poll have partnered to develop a product that allows businesses to compare themselves to industry benchmarks before tweaking campaigns. I'll explain. Understanding the product and how consumers view it helps brands set prices, monitor brand awareness, design packages, and reach new audiences. I'm a little bit country, so while researching the possibility for new boots I realized a sizable discrepancy in prices for some items between two specific retailers. A tweak of a paid-search campaign would allow the one selling the boots for less money -- Boot Barn -- to reach a slightly different audience, at least in this instance. It turns out that Boot Barn's and Neiman Marcus' (NM) Web sites sell some of the same Old Gringo women's boots. The Boot Barn's $499.99 price for the Old Gringo Little G Embroidered Bootie runs about $35 less than Neiman Marcus' $585 price tag, even after factoring in the $50 gift card that comes along during special promotions. Then there's the Old Gringo Monarcha Colorblock Cowboy Boot, which sells at NM for $675. Boot Barn sells the same boot in different colors for $559.99. On the Web site NM calls it "our exclusive," but the only exclusive thing about this boot design is the color. The point -- here's the same boot at two completely different types of stores for a whopping $116 difference before subtracting the $50 NM gift card. NM won't have an ongoing promotion for these boots. Google's agreement with Harris Poll to build on its recently announced customer survey tool allows brands to create a custom online survey in minutes to discover what consumers think about everything from designs and messaging to price. Adjusting paid-search ads for Boot Barn to hit NM's demographics might mean asking questions about products across the Web that unlock premium content on publishers' sites. Publishers get paid as users respond to questions. Brands gain research input starting at 10 cents per response. The joint agreement allows brands to compare responses with competitors for a fee.
According to new research from Avid and Ovum, says George Winslow of B&C, broadcasters and media executives are generally optimistic about both their traditional businesses and the prospects of their new digital distribution channels. 75% of media executives believe online, social and mobile platforms actually drive audiences to watch more television content They identified the three drivers of their growth are increased audiences, multiplatform distribution, and growth in advertising revenues. Second Screens Grow First Screen (% of Respondents Who Agree / Strongly Agree)
Thanks to social media and smartphones, breaking news is recorded, posted and shared with a rapidity unheard of in days past. How would past historic events have been covered had social media existed? That’s the idea behind an online and social media campaign for Denver Museum of Nature & Science’s exhibition, A Day in Pompeii. The campaign launched on Aug. 24, the anniversary of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D. Created by Carmichael Lynch, the campaign consists of a website that allows users to experience the last 24 hours in Pompeii through the eyes of Pliny the Elder, in the lone existing eyewitness account. Using Google Maps, users can stroll through Pompeii, unearthing sculptures and pottery as one explores the ruins street by street. In addition to the site launch on Aug. 24,a Twitter feed belonging to Pliny the Elder debuted, reflecting hourly updates on the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. Within 24 hours, Pliny had more than 4,000 Twitter followers. Although he stopped tweeting, for obvious reasons, his Twitter followers increased to nearly 4,500. This modern twist on reporting a tragic event included tweets from Pliny like: “Woke up to violent shaking. The courtyard is full of ash and pumice” and “It’s daytime, but blacker than any night.” The exhibition runs from Sept.14 to Jan. 13. “The Museum's social media channels helped spread the word to their fans about Pliny the Elder's Twitter account and the campaign website,” said Dave Damman, Chief Creative Officer at Carmichael Lynch. “In addition, Pliny the Elder began to follow historians, volcanists and geologists on Twitter prior to his 24-hour tweeting, to build excitement in the Twittersphere.”
Excess weight is on my mind today. It could be because I started a 90-day Fitness Challenge. Or because I bought a FitBit for the challenge. Or because the FitBit told me my body fat is 29%. Or it might be because I got the 5.5 pound, 1-inch thick Restoration Hardware Source Book in my mailbox. Yeah, that’s probably it. So get ready for a litany of weight metaphors.... GOOD WEIGHT VS BAD WEIGHT I’m six feet tall and weigh 210 pounds. That’s not a problem. The problem is, I have 29% body fat when I should have around 15%. Same with Restoration Hardware. It’s not a problem that the company took hundreds of photos to create its Source Book. The problem is that nearly 100% of the use of those photos was in its print catalog and on website. No Facebook presence, no Pinterest profile and one-way communication on Twitter. I’m not the only one that needs to balance my activity level along with my sources of consumption. Restoration Hardware makes a critical flaw of being too lean-back, when the current age of marketing requires more involvement. BALANCED CONSUMPTION I burn about 3,300 calories a day. That means I can eat 2,300 calories a day and reach my target weight of 185 pounds by mid December. But, those 2,300 calories need to be a balance of carbs, fats and proteins. Otherwise, my body will fall apart. According to an article in the San Francisco Chronicle, the Restoration Hardware Source Book is estimated to have cost $3 per book package, while typical catalogs cost a third of that. One estimate is that Restoration Hardware spent “millions” of dollars on the mailer. In my opinion, that’s a lot of carbs. Let’s say it did cost $3. Imagine if the company had spent $2.50, which might equate to $400,000-$500,000. Spend some of those Source Book carbs on digital protein, and that’s a much healthier balance. $500k would go a long way toward creating strong Facebook and Pinterest presences — both highly visual and scrapbook-like social properties that encourage shopping. Restoration Hardware isn’t alone, though. I use the company as an example, not merely to pick on it. Plenty of companies spend millions upon millions on traditional advertising/marketing, but fail to earmark marginally significant budgets for social media. TRIM THE FAT, DROP THE POUNDS Of course, even brands with great social media presence could slim down — an interesting proposition when we always look for more: More fans. More followers. More Likes. More shares. However, there is plenty of fat in posts: Posts that don’t engage, that don’t serve the audience, that don’t really say anything at all. And plenty of extra weight in ghost fans: Fans who don’t interact, don’t log in, or aren’t even real. HOLD YOURSELF ACCOUNTABLE So, why, in the course of about 600 words, have I fully disclosed how painfully out of shape I am? Simply put: I’ve now fully committed, in a “no turning back now” way, to my 90-day Fitness Challenge. By setting a goal and proclaiming it in an accountable way, I now have all you good people to hold me accountable. Maybe you want to put more effort into social media. Or cut the fat of non-engaging social content. Or trim the weight of fans who don’t add value. Explain your 90-day challenge in the comments below, and we’ll hold each other accountable. Let’s see what we can accomplish in 90 days.
Head of Socialyse, MPG MediaContacts’ social media division Pilar Barrio shared findings that almost half of respondents (49%) now share their tablets with their family. Tablet use peaks between 6pm and midnight. It’s not replacing other media, it’s adding to other media, she said. Users of laptops typically spend about five hours and two minutes on their device, while smartphone users spend six hours, three minutes. Tablet users spent the longest time on their devices at six hours and 48 minutes. This was the same across all markets in the survey. More than half (51%) of respondents use a table to fill what would previously have been ‘dead time’, and tablets are used in equal measure for entertainment and life ‘administration’. But instead of some activities being squeezed at the expense of others, users increased the time spent on entertainment, researching and fact finding, chatting with friends, shopping and banking. Shopping in the physical world has been impacted, however. More than a fifth (22%) of table owners said they have shopped less in physical stores since getting a tablet. So, what does all of this mean for brands? According to Barrio and the study, there are three things brands need to remember: targeting consumers when they are relaxed means offering more immersive and content rich experiences, getting closer and personal building deeper connections and remembering to synch with other devices. Looking ahead, Kieron Bourke, Mobext managing director, proposed that being able to feel textures on devices will be tomorrow’s battleground for customer engagement.