Archive for October, 2008
Teens Online Buy Stuff, Prefer Reality Over Virtual Sometimes, And Have Concerns
From Tom Polanski, EVP, eBrand Media and eBrand Interactive
New research from OTX and The Intelligence Group studies teens’ online behavior, finding that teens are spending an average of 11.5 hours per week online, doing everything from instant messaging and visiting social networking sites to shopping and listening to music, but dispels myths that this group wants to do everything online. The study did find that 24% of teens are spending more than 15 hours a week online.
The study determined that teens chose reality over virtual reality in many aspects of their lives. Given the choice, teens prefer:
Real friends (91%) to online friends (9%)
To date someone from school (87%) over someone from the Internet (13%)
To shop in a store (82%) rather than shop online (18%)
To get their locker vandalized (63%) versus their homepage (37%)
To IM a friend (54%) instead of calling (46%)
Jane Buckingham, President, The Intelligence Group “… (the) report shows this group to be complex, sophisticated consumers and media users, just as we all are.”
Posted by Tom Polanski in Teen Talk on October 27th, 2008
Advertise To Workers At Work To Influence Purchases
The results of a new study, conducted by consumer intelligence firm BIGresearch, into the media and shopping behavior of consumers at work, finds that Americans are spending 60% of their waking hours at work, more than ever before. Marketing chiefs are rethinking their ad budgets and advertisers are preparing to meet a new, highly coveted, yet entirely untapped demographic on their own beige-carpeted turf.
At-work consumers research products online before purchasing, with 47.2% of them reporting having researched electronics online in the last 90 days during the workday before making a purchase in a store. And, almost ¾ of at-work consumers indicate they regularly or occasionally dine out or purchase groceries and beverages during the workday, says the report.
The survey looks at the unique shopping behavior of consumers during the workday, including the role of online search as a catalyst to retail purchase, grocery shopping, casual and fast food dining preferences, and new media consumption.
Posted by Tom Polanski in Marketing on October 21st, 2008
Dr. Robert Cialdini and 6 principles of persuasion
By Tom Polanski, EVP, eBrand Media and eBrand Interactive
I have long been a big fan of Dr. Cialdini. I originally became familiar with his work years ago through, “Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion”. It’s a must read. It gave me useful tools to use for marketing to others and taught me how to resist the marketing efforts of others.
Here is a reprint from a leading publication regarding his work and a new book he’s co-authored. It’s the cliff notes version of his original book which I referenced in the preceding paragraph.
SUMMARY: Influencing others isn’t luck or magic – its science. There are proven ways to help make you more successful as a marketer and an office politician.
We talked to a renowned expert on the science of influence and pulled excerpts from two of his books to demonstrate ways to make people say “yes” to your messaging and management. Includes links to scientific studies and takeaways to use at work or at home.
Robert Cialdini, Regents’ Professor of Psychology and Marketing, Arizona State University, has spent 30 years studying the ways people are influenced. He’s whittled his findings down to six key principles, found in the fifth edition of ‘Influence: Science and Practice’.
We interviewed Cialdini and also read through ‘Yes! 50 Scientifically Proven Ways to Be More Persuasive’, a book he co-authored with Noah Goldstein, a professor at the University of Chicago School of Business, and Steven Martin, Director, Influence at Work. The authors “relied entirely on the significant body of research from the study of social influence and persuasion” to suggest ways you can improve outbound messages and office interactions to get the results you want.
Posted by Tom Polanski in Marketing on October 14th, 2008
Conversion was the king – now it’s much, much more
by Gerry Bavaro
The financial crisis is top of mind among marketers across the U.S. Many are wondering what it all means for the advertising industry as a whole — and, importantly for us in search marketing, how we’ll be affected. Here is my take on how the changing macroeconomic environment will influence the evolution of SEM.
Conversion rate — king becomes God. Probably the most common question I’ve gotten from clients, prospects, and general marketers alike (even questions while on a panel at OMMA NY recently) is whether our clients have reduced their paid search spending in response to the current economic conditions. The answer continues to be “no.” We have not seen decreases in budgets. Instead, we’ve seen almost a 300% increase in landing page/Web site improvements being made to increase conversion rates, plus more formal landing page and ad copy testing.
It’s no secret that paid search is measurable, accountable, and a marketer’s profit center right now compared to other forms of media that do not perform as efficiently or possess its flexibility and control. We need to be careful, though. We’re spoiled by paid search — but at a time when consumers are tightening their belts on spending, looking for deals more than ever, and rising shipping and other costs of doing business are driving profitability down, campaigns must be more efficient than ever. There’s never been a better time for critical usability issues, messaging, and offers to be solved, changed, or tested across Web sites. Conversion is king, but will become God if you can acquire a marked increase in acquisitions or revenue at the same or decreased spend. For agencies and in-house teams alike, it’s always foolish to overlook how Web sites are performing in terms of converting visitors to desired customers; right now it can be the real difference between success and failure.
Posted by Tom Polanski in Website Optimization on October 7th, 2008