• Whyfore Art Thou, Wireless?
    Whyfore Art Thou, Wireless? Wireless NewsFactor reports that the mobile Internet still has considerable appeal among users of wireless devices, according to a new study from Accenture, formerly known as Andersen Consulting. However, all five countries surveyed overwhelmingly viewed wired PC connections as the most viable option for accessing the Internet. Just 15 percent of the study's 3,100 respondents said they accessed the Internet using a wireless device, and less than 1 percent reported using it to make purchases. The United States had the highest rate of wireless purchasing, with 12% of wireless Web users actually making a …
  • Digital Upstages Online
    Digital Upstages Online Michael Pastore, Internet News, reported on a new Forrester study that found that, by 2005, traditional US companies will spend $63 billion annually on digital marketing, campaigns that integrate online advertising, promotions, and e-mail strategies, but that doesn't mean the end of the road for Internet-only campaigns. Online advertising alone will rise to $42 billion worldwide by 2005, according to Forrester's report "Online Advertising Eclipsed." “By 2005, traditional advertisers will embrace it, driving 84 percent of digital marketing,” said Jim Nail, senior analyst at Forrester. Traditional advertisers will augment budgets for later-cycle activities like …
  • Health: One, Environment: Zero
    Health: One, Environment: Zero Last week we reported on the location and interest in e-health web sites. It’s interesting to note that the January, 2001 issue of American Demographics reports on some penetrating studies that describe a target market whose hot button is product health benefits. David Lipke wrote the complete article for your review, but some of the conclusions are noted here. The Hartman Group, a Washington state based consulting firm, has found that recent studies show that health and wellness issues are increasingly more important in the green marketplace than environmental concerns. And, according to Hartman …
  • Speed Reading
    Speed Reading According to a recent release by Nielsen NetRatings, high speed internet access was up a whopping 148 percent in December 2000 compared to the year before. Nielsen noted that almost 12 million users accessed the Internet last year through an ISDN, LAN, cable modem or DSL connection, up from 4.7 million the previous year. Here’s how users are getting the message: (%of Total Active Internet Audience) +-------------------+---------+----------+ | | Dec. 99 | Dec. '00 | +-------------------+---------+----------+ | High-Speed Access | 6.4% | 12.0% | | Modem 56K | 42.2% | 59.4% | | …
  • ROA (Return on Advertising)
    ROA (Return on Advertising) Meg James, Staff Writer for the LA Times, reported in a recent article that media firms are having a hard time anticipating the right mix. Analysts say ad revenues at local television stations will be down about 12% during the first quarter of this year, and by as much as 20% in smaller markets. Radio stations that posted 35% gains during the first half of 2000 might see a 10% drop during the first six months of this year, according to some analysts. Wall Street analysts say gloomy reports are overblown. They say …
  • Ad Spending in Japan
    Ad Spending in Japan While several of our recent Briefs depict advertising expenditures in the U.S. as uncharacteristically sluggish at best, Reuters reports that Japan's total advertising spending grew 7.2 percent to a record $53 billion last calendar year. The advertising agency Dentsu Inc. said that this is the first spending increase in three years. The agency reported that financial firms, and those in the information and telecoms sector, had stepped up efforts to cultivate consumer demand and improve the brand image of products and services. Advertising spending by telecoms grew 33.6% for the year, followed by a …
  • Ups'nDowns at Magazines
    Ups'nDowns at Magazines The Wall Street Journal recently reported that, though a slowing economy may be widespread, the "glossies" are holding their own. In part, however, because results for the first three months of the year are already in. And, in part, because the article suggests that luxury-goods advertisers are immune to fluctuations. At the most, the article reports, some are moving away from expensive ads such as gatefolds. - Conde Nast, parent of Vogue and other glossy magazines, says advertising pages were up 2 to 3% - Hearst Corp., whose publications include Town & Country and Harper’s …
  • Real Performance
    Real Performance In a recent "Online Minute," the editor reported that advertisers are wont to "pay for performance." Here's some literal performance where you can highlight your client's name and logo! Endorsement spending on professional golfers has reached $400 million worldwide in 2001, according to Golf World interviews with industry leaders, agents and players, and the fastest growing piece of the endorsement pie is coming from nongolf companies, whose spending has increased more than 200 percent, one golf industry executive says. "As golf grows in popularity and as the television ratings go up, golfers will become more …
  • Not Your Father’s
    Not Your Father’s Alex Kuczynski, writer for the New York Times, recently brought us up to date on the spin-off of Modern Maturity. We reported the planning of “My Generation” awhile back, but if you’re aiming at the 45- to 55-year-old segment, you’ll be interested in some of the publisher’s philosophy and planning. This new publication is AARP's way of letting baby boomers know that it's hip to be old. And, as America's population ages faster, advertisers clamor to reach those older, fatter wallets. Hugh Delehanty, editorial director of Modern said the magazine planned to cede some of …
  • Qualitative or Quantitative?
    Qualitative or Quantitative? Jakob Nielsen’s Alertbox, reported in useit.com recently, suggested some specific criteria to decide when and how to use quantifiable data in evaluating usability alternatives. He suggests that usability is rarely measured because metrics are expensive and are a poor use of typically scarce resources. Generally, to improve a design, insight is better than numbers. However, collecting actual measurements is a natural next step and does provide benefits. In general, usability metrics let you: - Track progress - Assess your competitive position - Make a Stop/Go decision before launch - Create bonus plans Typically, …
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