pandora advertising
Despite our love of social media and engagement-driven marketing, display advertising isn’t going anywhere fast.
Analysts and Google CEO Eric Schmidt are in agreement that (display advertising) is the next major cash cow for them, estimating that display will account for more than $1 billion in 2010.
And that’s okay. But it means we need to do it better.
I’ve often heard (and even thought) that if you build an exceptional web property/mobile app with a ton of users, advertising will be a sufficient revenue model. The fact is, (most) advertisers aren’t stupid. Traditional banners have lost a lot of their effectiveness. Here’s how Pandora is making it work.
1. Pandora offers experiential advertising. Instead of only offering pay-per-click models, Pandora draws users into the brand experience. Users can interact with the ads: scroll over special deals, play a funny video, launch a station… And it’s all in a way that doesn’t irritate the user.
2. It spans platforms. From unobtrusive ads at the bottom of mobile, to music-infused blurbs between songs, on up to stations customized to your brand, Pandora meets consumers where they want to connect.
Pandora is offered via web browsers or downloadable desktop apps. Pandora also offers free mobile apps across platforms to offer their services and, of course, advertisements.
3. Each advertisement has custom dimensions. Face it: Users are virtually unresponsive to your banner ad.
Generally speaking, Nielsen’s eye tracking research typically showed that there are no fixations within advertisements. And users don’t fixate with design elements that resemble ads. In the early years of display advertising on Web pages, people ignored ads because they were usually totally irrelevant. Not only that, most banner ads were as creative as you’d get from a box of crayons and a drawing pad. (Even worse when the animated gif arrived and everything had to flash off and on just because you could). Source
Sure Pandora ads show up in (generally) the same places, but the shape, size, feel, and experience of each ad created is crafted to allow the brand to interact with the user in a completely custom way. Bottom line: They don’t look like “ads.”
4. They empower advertisers to use a medium users are already familiar with. Instead of using never-heard-of songs to avoid copyright, Pandora has brands associating products with the songs users are already singing along to.
There is nothing new for the user to learn or retain. Rather, the user is now able to connect a brand to something they’re already opting into engaging with.
5. They’re targeting based on on-the-fly user inputs. This means the user experience is customized as the user customizes and experiences the website!
Case in point: Clicking the “thumbs up” on a party-themed hip hop song changed my ad from the Ford’s “Sales Event” to Barcardi’s “Color your summer.” Those of you who can’t see the correlation between party-themed hip hop and Barcardi are in serious need of a vacation or a college student.
Learn more about advertising on Pandora. No, I’m not a compensated blogger.
How are YOU using these trends to purchase or sell advertising?
Seminar: Hope is not a strategy: Non-for-Profit Leadership in Transformational Times
Presented by: Mick Koster, Strategic Partners, spi-pcs.com
What’s happening in the non-profit marketplace? / How do we respond?
From Facebook:
“(Originally published on Wednesday, August 18, 2010)
If you’re like me, when you find a place you really like, you want to tell your friends you’re there. Maybe it’s a new restaurant, a beautiful hiking trail or an amazing live show.
Starting today, you can immediately tell people about that favorite spot with Facebook Places. You can share where you are and the friends you’re with in real time from your mobile device.”
This is pretty neat, but you don’t necessarily need (or want) everyone online to know where you are (or aren’t) located. Retain your privacy in 2 minutes with a few painless steps:
1. On the top right, click “Account” then “Privacy Settings”
2. This takes you to an overview of all of your settings. You’ll notice a new section “Places I check in to” (highlighted). Click “Customize Settings” just below this list.
3. You’re taken to a more detailed overview of your privacy settings. While you’re here, you might want to review your existing settings as well. Note the highlighted section and adjust your privacy preference with the drop down or checkbox on the right.
At minimum, I’d recommend making “Places I check in to” a “Friends Only” selection. If you’re interested in publicly sharing your location once you’ve opted to check in, keep the “Enable” box checked; if no, uncheck the box.
4. Just below this section is another option: “Friends can check me in to Places.” Do you trust your friends to responsibly tell the Internet where you are? Are you friends with people who may, for example check you into a bar during business hours or a strip club at any time? (As a joke, of course, because you clearly aren’t that kinda person!) Might want to disable this one. Your call.
Feeling lost? Try Facebook’s video instead:
My sister, Ashley, is embarking on a 10 week internship with MTV. It’s in fulfillment of a dream of hers and I’m very excited for her.
That said, let me rephrase that:
My little sister, a broke college student, is going on a 10-week UNPAID internship in NYC.
Ashley on the left, our brothers in the middle, me on the right
Ashley is (smartly) fundraising online.
If you donate over $10 to her campaign, I’ll spend 15 minutes evaluating your website. Donate over $50 and I’ll spend an hour.
The evaluation will highlight:
- Ideas on improving your conversion rate
- Usability considerations and best practices
- Ideas on content creation
- Ideas on qualified traffic generation
- Any other aspect of your site that might benefit from a strategical input
Interested? Head here to make your donation. In your donation message, use the hash tag #dreams and email me (hello at shaunanicholson dot com) your url.
*This offer expires September 15, 2010
More on my sister here– Ashley Nicholson: Sister, Artist, Awesomesaucer
I’m currently bridging the gap between data as a science and as an art, in order to tell a story and craft a strategy. At least, that’s how I summarized it in a tweet.
Digital strategy is sometimes a complicated idea. Let’s boil this down to basics. I’m assessing: web analytics, marketing and financial reports, market profile data, and more. The result is the calculated formation of how the client will present online and connect with target markets.
And it’s pretty awesome. Data paints a pretty clear picture, when you know how to put it all together.
That said, I apologize for the gaps in my updates. I’ll be sure to get blogging back on track as soon as I can. Thanks for your patience!
Ashley Nicholson: My sister, the artist
There’s always that one in the family: The artist who no one can perfectly peg. My sister is an artist.
As a child she was set on becoming a famous actress. She was great at tap dancing and always came up with the weird voices or impressions. She was a total fish and would beg me to come off the float into the freezing water (so we could have “tea parties” at the bottom of the pool).
Today she has a ton of fun as an extra in Michigan-made major movies like Harold & Kumar 3 & Reel Steel. Her goofy side shines as she stars in her own YouTube videos.
For too long into our adult lives, I avoided calling Ashley “an artist”. The term left me with a bad taste and I felt like it was a cop out for advancing into the real world. I was dead wrong.
When I quit my job to pursue entrepreneurship, I didn’t plan on working with Ashley. But as work piled up I quickly found the need for someone I knew I could trust.
Despite my skepticism regarding her talents, I have never heard Ashley doubt me. (I suppose I’ve always had the “older sister” mentality (i.e. I’m older, therefore I know what’s good for you.) Really, I was just being a jerk.) When I asked Ashley for help I didn’t realize what I was getting.
Living in a fantastical world of beauty — which can actually breed sensible design — is not the only characteristic of the artist. Visitors are drawn to her work and feel an emotional connection to it. The artist also acts as a muse for other designers. (SmashingMag)
Not only was Ashley a muse for my own work, she was a lot of fun to work with. She has a way of approaching things that I don’t always see. I think what blew me away the most was what a great leader she is. Ashley was responsible for managing teams, ensuring schedules and quality was adhered to. Once empowered with the permission to lead (really, once I got out of the way), she really shined. She was patient, direct, and responsible.
Bottom line: I’m incredibly proud of my little sister. She’s the kind of adult who’s comfortable in her own skin and ready to take a risk to pursue what’s in her heart. I hope more of you get to know her. She’s pretty remarkable.
Ashley Nicholson: Sister, Artist, Awesomesaucer from Shauna Nicholson on Vimeo.
Learn more about Ashley at AshleyENicholson.com.
Mobile marketing continues to be a strong field in retail marketing. Whether allowing consumers to access information and make purchases on the fly, becoming an industry resource, or simply entertaining a target market, the mobile platform is a relatively inexpensive way to reach more people, faster.
It should be said: Mobile marketing has really gone beyond mobile phones and now includes mobile computing and applications. The iPad only re-kindled mass interest in portable tablets.
Mobile marketing can include:
- SMS text messaging
- Custom applications
- Application banner advertising
- Mobile-friendly browser display
- Mobile social media engagement (example: FourSquare)
The challenge lies in creating mobile campaigns that work. You could be using effective channels but if your market isn’t targeted, the interface isn’t intuitive, or the content is bad, you won’t get the desired results.
What makes mobile marketing particularly interesting now is how mobile devices, eCommerce, and social networks are becoming more integrated each day. This poses new challenge for mobile marketing but at the same time makes it more effective. (More on this here: Mobile Marketing: The information business owners need)
The proliferation of cheap mobile devices, from phones to hand-held computing devices, has really made mobile marketing even more effective. The mobile user demographics are developing and shifting daily.
| Mobile Content Usage 3 Month Avg. Ending May 2010 vs. 3 Month Avg. Ending Feb. 2010 Total U.S. Age 13+ Source: comScore MobiLens |
|||
| Share (%) of Mobile Subscribers | |||
| Feb-10 | May-10 | Point Change | |
| Total Mobile Subscribers | 100.0% | 100.0% | N/A |
| Sent text message to another phone | 63.8% | 65.2% | 1.4 |
| Used browser | 29.6% | 31.9% | 2.3 |
| Used downloaded apps | 27.9% | 30.0% | 2.1 |
| Played games | 21.8% | 22.5% | 0.7 |
| Accessed social networking site or blog | 18.2% | 20.8% | 2.6 |
| Listened to music on mobile phone | 13.1% | 14.3% | 1.2 |
Source: comScore Reports May 2010 U.S. Mobile Subscriber Market Share
Now that there are more and more communication tools available, it is important to be creative and focused. Many campaigns are now interactive and require the greater participation of the company representative as well as the public.
“Bravo TV Markets Shows and Personalities – Bravo offered Foursquare user “badges and special prizes when viewers visit more than 500 Bravo locations. The locations will be picked by Bravo to correspond with select Bravo shows including The Real Housewives, The Millionaire Matchmaker, Top Chef, Kell on Earth, Top Chef Masters and Shear Genius.”
Why It Is Unique: Extending the relationship with a TV show and characters”Source and more case social location-based case studies here
Further, it crosses the bridge between “consumer” and “actively engaged consumer.”
How has your company “gone mobile”? If you haven’t yet, what tools are you (as a consumer) already using?
From LinkedIn: Social media policy essentials
I’m hearing social media horror stories from friends and peers, and all suggest that a social media policy is essential for any organization seeking a foothold in that space. What are your top tips, biggest surprises or best sources of direction for companies and agencies crafting social media policies?
- PR value
- community engagement
- brand interactivity
- search engine optimization
- traffic
- conversion rate
- referring traffic sources (and more!)
Business websites are meant to convert the traffic continually driven by our marketing investments. This means, after qualifying and convincing people to visit your website, we actually want them to do something once they arrive (make a purchase, complete a form, gather information, etc). Read more on conversion rates.
Getting to this point isn’t always easy. Achieving a good conversion rate starts at the very beginning:
| Building a website | Building a House |
|---|---|
| Understand your prospects: Profiling target market allows you to cater your business accordingly. We use this profile to dictate pretty much everything from the beginning. Not only do we seek out general information (age, gender, location), but habits as well (likes to purchase from a certain type of venue, uses a certain type of jargon when discussing industry business, etc). | Knowing who you plan on selling this home to will dictate a lot of things: Bigger family? More bedrooms and bathrooms. Elderly couple? Laundry facilities on a main floor. Tech savvy first time buyers? Let the interior designer know! |
| Plan the website structure (aka “information architecture”): Determining how to organize website content shouldn’t happen on accident. It takes careful consideration to determine where content makes sense and where users will look to find it. | An architect draws out the basic layout of the home. The kitchen is placed. Living rooms plan for fireplaces. Bathrooms are planned and organized. |
| Develop great content: Content should be written for the reader, not the organization writing it. This may mean nixing jargon or using images to help communicate complicated messages. It’s why I called step one “planning the website structure” instead of “information architecture planning.” Starting this early is usually a good idea, since it takes a lot of time writing, reviewing, and adjusting. | This one is a bit of a stretch, but maybe this will help: Literature is produced to describe the benefit of each room. You’re not buying a kitchen; you’re buying a place to create meal-centered memories. You’re not buying a living room; you’re buying a place to relax after a hard day at work or entertain friends on weekends. |
| Plan where things will go (aka “user interface planning”): Once we have a general idea of where the content will go on the website, we need to plan how it will be displayed on each page, or at least each page type. This plan is critical to plan exactly where the call-to-actions for each page will appear. The result is a template for designers to build upon. | Before an interior designer starts buying furniture, he or she plans what to buy and (at least generally) where it’ll go. |
| The website gets pretty (“graphic design”): Designers play a major role in bringing the website to life. Not only do they create a design to support the user interface, they ensure each call-to-action is easy to access, use, and implement. | Walls are painted, home accents are placed, favorite elements are highlighted with lighting choices and more! |
| Marketing starts: Website traffic-building campaigns are executed and the prospects visit the website. Website analytics let you know how many users visited the website, where traffic is coming from, and what they did once the got there. | The real estate agent invites prospective buyers in for a look. Prospective buys take the tour on their own! Home security systems (website analytics) let you know every time a prospect enters a new room, opens a door, or pushes a button. |
All of these things come together to improve website conversion rates, but end up improving other website analytics as well! Done correctly, bounce rates decrease, reoccurring (or baseline) website traffic increases, average time on site increases or levels out, pages per visit may increase.
What am I missing? What other methods have you used to improve conversion rates?
On the road getting work done with portable wifi
Working from the road can be a lot of fun. Mental breaks mean looking out the window, not (just) coffee. After a few road trips, I’m ready to share my must-haves for on-the-go productivity.
- Laptop: This one is pretty obvious. There are a ton of debates on the “best laptop for travel,” but it’s really a matter of opinion. Weight hasn’t been an issue on my road trips.
- Mobile phone: You don’t really need a fancy phone, but mobile email is a must. Keep your signature “Sent from my mobile device” free and you’re all set. You shouldn’t have to advertise for your phone and it’s not really relevant information. I’m not a fan of the phone I currently have, so I’m not recommending it. I’m interested in the new Evo (on Sprint), but have been happy with Verizon so am keeping an eye on the Droid X (which has gotten great preliminary reviews on battery life).
- Power inverter: Depending on the length of your trip and your battery capacity, you may need a power converter. Because any real road trip outlasts my laptop battery I went with the Black and Decker 200 Watt Power Inverter. On a previous trip I had a 100 watt inverter with no problems; unfortunately I had forgotten it and the store we stopped in only had the heavy duty stuff in stock.
Head’s up: I’ve heard of one horror story of an inverter surging someone’s laptop, but this was apparently when it was overloaded. We only plugged in two things at a time: the laptop and a phone charger. - Wifi: Many mobile providers are providing this nerdy gem. Because I already had Verizon for my mobile service, I went with the Verizon MiFi 2200. The pro of this one over others was it’s capacity for up to 5 computers at once, which is nice as I wasn’t the only one wanting to use it at times. The cons are speed and accessibility. We’re talking DSL speeds. That’s okay for now, I guess; it gets the job done. Accessibility is the same as my mobile phone; this was just fine until I found myself in the back woods of Alabama. (Luckily, a library was close!)
- DimDim: DimDim is a new collaboration tool I recently came across as an alternative to Go To Meeting. It’s browser-based and free. I was sold at this point. There are also a few additional paid features I don’t think Go To Meeting has, such as reporting. Because I’m really new to it I don’t have a ton of feedback just yet, but it’s already a must-have. Give it a try if you’re in the market; it doesn’t require a credit card to try it and the basic options are free anyway.
- Skype: Skype is the only thing I’m currently using for video chat. I like keeping it on screen while I’m reviewing a document with someone, particularly thanks to it’s quick screen sharing capabilities. That and, you know, it’s fun to show your fellow Skyper where in the world you are that day.
- Great bag: I usually use a backpack to carry around my “office” for a few reasons: It has organized pockets, is kind of fun, and is comfy while riding a bike (which is my favorite way to discover a new downtown area!).
From the Eunice Kelly Worthington Library
BONUS TIPS:
- Rockstar travel partner: Getting all of this done in the car would be impossible without the safe driving of a rockstar travel partner. This person not only has to deal with phone/Skype/Dim Dim calls, but the actual driving as well. Hint: Give that person unlimited controls of the radio. He or she deserves it (that is, when you’re not on a call).
- Keep a schedule: Working on the road can be a lot of fun, but it can also be a distraction. I quickly learned to set a work schedule–and communicate this work schedule–depending on where I was going. My schedule was dictated by a few different things: client and co-worker expectations, optimal workspace availability, and (of course) what was planned for the trip. Most people I worked with had no idea I wasn’t in Michigan.
- Check out libraries: I often found myself opting to work in libraries, when possible. It’s been pretty awesome seeing the different libraries around the country. Some of them are having major issues with funding and cutting hours as result. Some have never had a lot of funding to begin with and found their own solutions. From libraries with multiple floors and state of the art facilities to libraries built from converted double wide trailers and emptied out attics, touring and using these facilities has taught me a lot about the communities I have visited and the way the come together.
What are your tips for on-to-go productivity? Where have you visited?
