Social Media
Heidi Sullivan writes about the use of hashtags on Twitter, something that I’ve sometimes fought against since I think it clutters up already crowded space but which I’ve recently begun to rethink my stance on. Specifically Sullivan makes a point similar to what’s been floating around in my mind, that hashtags are the foundation of a new kind of online community, one that is different in presentation than traditional forums and message boards but which has the same ultimate purpose, to unite people around a single topic or conversation.
Todd Wasserman asks whether companies need a dedicated social media marketer, pointing out that most of those who would answer “no” see little ROI from having a single point person when it could just be farmed out to multiple individuals and folded into their existing duties. But the number of companies doing just that are growing so there must be some value in their role.
My former colleague Saurabh Wahi has four tips that will help you avoid social media disasters. Always good to have these basic ideas repeated since they’re easily forgotten amid rounds of hype about X, Y or Z.
Voce’s Ryan Lack writes about how SEO isn’t really a consideration in his experience but that he’s found good search placement is instead a by-product of good content and good design.
DiGiorno Pizza is launching a new campaign, part of which involves finding influential people on Twitter and offering to supply pizzas for “tweetups” – or in-person meetups of their Twitter followers – they organize.
Ford will put their Fiesta model in the hands of 100 influential 20-somethings and then let them create social, online content about it with no influence or editing from the company. This might be a new case study in the making.
Advertising
According to new third-party estimates, Google is still going to lose money on YouTube in 2009, but ad sales are projected to grow 20 percent on hosted videos. Some estimates are more favorable, but the big question is still how Google can get a sizable chunk of the TV advertising market.
An upcoming campaign from carmaker Nissan for their Cube vehicle grabs a lot of terminology from the online world in an effort to make the don’t-call-it-a-car attractive to a younger demographic.
eMarketer’s latest forecast of the online ad market says the web will account for 15 percent of spending by 2013. That’s still under the percentage of time people are spending online, but at least it’s growing.
A consortium of the biggest cable companies will finally launch their long-gestating addressable TV-ad system next month says AdAge. The system will allow advertisers to display different versions of the same ad to multiple demographics. But the roll-out is being hampered by a lack of uniform standards and the fact that the companies behind the system aren’t sure what to charge and don’t want to price themselves out of business.
Magazine publishers continue to push the boundaries of that advertising/editorial line in the sand as they look to bring in whatever ad income they can and keep advertising buyers happy. For the most part industry groups have remained silent on this or have found their limited regulatory power has no mechanism for enforcement of the previously agreed upon divide.
Agencies
Keith O’Brien has left his role as editor-in-chief at PRWeek to join social media agency Attention!. Congrats to Keith, whose first post on the Attention! Blog can be read here. PRNewswer has an interview with him where he explains the move.
Likewise, David Armano is leaving Critical Mass for a new venture in Austin, TX where he and other are hoping to change the entire business approach to social media and the consumer interaction transaction. Something to keep an eye on, to be sure.
Not only are traditional ad shops expanding into online media but digital-specialty shops are expanding into traditional media. Case in point: Razorfish just launched its first TV spot. By positioning themselves as more of a one-stop-shop they’re probably hoping to avoid appearing as an easily cut item for clients looking to trim marketing budget.
Media
The audience for online radio has doubled since 2005 and is even up 27 percent from 2008 levels. That’s good news not only for those that are broadcasting over the web but also for advertisers who are looking to reach that audience since, while they might be able to ignore the ad they see on a web page they can’t really do so with the radio stream they’re listening to.
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