Social Media to Increase the Importance of Inbound Marketing

hubspot_pr2020_inbound_marketing.jpg

With the explosion of social media, the direction marketing flows is shifting from outbound to inbound. After all, with the ability of a company to have an infinite number of "findable" touch points in every corner of the internet, spending the bulk of marketing dollars on traditional outbound push marketing makes less and less sense.

As this shift continues, the practice of inbound marketing becomes ever more important. So what is inbound marketing? According to inbound marketing company HubSpot, it's a combination of "getting found" through SEO, blogging and social media; conversion through landing pages, lead tracking and lead management and analysis through marketing analytics, competitive analytics and lead scoring.

more »

by Steve Hall    Jun-10-09    
Topic: Opinion, Social, Tools, Trends and Culture



You Mean We Don't Have to Make 3,000 Versions of That Banner?

creative_optimize.gif

According to...yawn...worldwide data from comScore...zzz..., ACME ad network is now the...snooze...third largest in the world. Recently released technology provided by ACME...OMG...clearly differentiates ACME from their competitors. As the...yawn...first self-serve behavioral ad network that will...(wake me when this is over)...automatically optimize flash creative so lazy designers don't have to, ACME will...wait, what did that press release just say?

Did it say "automatically optimize flash creative" so lazy designers don't have to? Yes it did! Who is this press release from? Oh. Tatto Media. [Sorry, they all blur together after a while]

more »

by Steve Hall    Jun- 8-09    
Topic: Tools



Della Offends, Food Talks, Logos Wanted, Texting Pays Off

della.png

- Yawn. Twitter all aflutter over supposedly sexist Dell website.

- In what feels like the world's longest commercial, food talks about how great Dixie's new paper plates are.

- Got a great logo? Submit it to Wolda, an annual worldwide logo award competition.

- Premium Channels has introduced Premium Campaign Echoes, advertorial mentions that "echo" banner creative.

- Think you're the fastest texter out there? Check out LG's annual US National Texting Championship. You could win $50,000.

- The world's weirdest Coke commercial.

- Paste Magazine is on it's last legs and will launch a "Save Paste" campaign later today.

by Steve Hall    May-13-09    
Topic: Commercials, Industry Events, Strange, Tools



iGRP to Bring Online Video and TV Metrics Together

Television_Signal_Measurements.jpg

Social media types and those leading the charge toward the new world of advertising aren't going to like this one. YuMe, in partnership with MindShare, has introduced the iGRP or Internet Gross Rating Point, a metric allowing advertisers the ability to compare their online video metrics with their offline television metrics.

OK, OK, so it's really not that bad. After all, everyone wants to be able to measure, right? But many will say this is just forcing old metrics on a new medium that really deserves its own set of metrics.

more »

by Steve Hall    Apr- 7-09    
Topic: Research, Tools



Blurb Makes Book Publishing Easy For Creatives

blurb_jolie_odell.jpg

The intrepid and ever-present Jolie O'Dell discovers how Blurb allows designers, with or without design software expertise, to create stunning books of all shapes and sizes. Watch and learn.

By the way, Adrants publisher Steve Hall is involved with Blurb and Ammo Marketing on a project called Killed Ideas. We seek the best creative which, sadly, didn't get to see the light of day for various reasons.

by Steve Hall    Mar-20-09    
Topic: Publishing, Tools



FetchBack Gets Its 'Fetch' Back With Keyword Retargeting

MeanGirls1.jpg

OMG. Is that not the lamest headline referencing the lamest movie in which the lamest FTW-wannabe vernacular is beaten to death? But hey, every time retargeting company FetchBack makes an announcement, the Mean Girls simply have to come out and play.

So what's the big announcement? Wait, does it really matter? We got to write our pithy headline. Can't we just move on to the next story? Oh wait, you really want to know? OK so here it is.

more »

by Steve Hall    Mar- 2-09    
Topic: Tools



Influencers Ads Bring Social Networking to the Tired Ad Banner

popularmedia_influencer_ad.jpg

So you know who Facebook's ad program lets people recommend/endorse various product to their friends? Wouldn't it be great if that were possible across the entire web instead of just within Facebook? Well, as a DR ad would scream, "Yes! Now you too can get social! And you don't need Facebook to so it! Call now!"

OK, so how does it all work? PopularMedia has introduced Influencer Ads. Similar to rich media banners from the likes of Pointroll, Influencer Ads are large format ads but with social networking functionality added.

more »

by Steve Hall    Feb-13-09    
Topic: Online, Tools



Parker Persuades, Armano Rides Weiner, Alba Liquify'd

ubiquitous_persuaders.jpg

- George Parker's next opus, The Ubiquitous Persuaders will be out in January. Madison Avenue take cover.

- David Armano gets his wiener whistle (d?)

- Jessica Alba gets even more curvaceously hot courtesy of Photoshop's Liquify.

- The Webby Awards is out with a call for entries promotion for its 13th Annual Webby Awards. Five "internet video stars," including Obama Girl, will take part in individual videos hyping the event.

- Once again, AgencySpy's Matt Vanhoven gets up off the crapper to deliver another Week in Advertising.

by Steve Hall    Dec- 9-08    
Topic: Celebrity, Publishing, Tools



TremorMedia, ContentWatch Rain on Inappropriate Content's Parade

top_tremor_media2.jpg

Many people have derided the "blind network" practice in online advertising which, in a nutshell, gives an advertiser little or no control over where their ads appear. That's why you see Disney ads on porn sites and other similar non-sequitors.

Many people have lamented the occasional "odd" contextual ad placement which offers up placements such as ads for turpentine next to articles about teens who drank the stuff to terminate her pregnancy.

more »

by Steve Hall    Dec- 8-08    
Topic: Good, Online, Tools



ZunaVision Simplifies Insertion of Ads Into Videos

stanford_zunavision.jpg

Pre-roll. Post-roll. Overlays. As YouTube and other video services attempt to further monetize their offerings, each iteration is jusy as annoying as the previous one. Well, here's another. It might not be quite as annoying (if done right) as some of the other forms as long as you are fine with advertisements appearing in videos where, otherwise, a picture might be hung or a blank wall stands.

more »

by Steve Hall    Nov-24-08    
Topic: Tools, Video