TV v internet – ad spend figures compared

I performed a very brief analysis on the ad spend figures reported in the IAB’s recent H1 ‘09 announcement, in which it claimed online had overtaken TV. Thinkbox – the TV industry’s trade body – had been robust in its defence, quite rightly to some degree.

But my analysis shows that, when you compare the individual mainstream channels with their online equivalent (as Thinkbox thinks we should), it is the growth trend rather than the scale of spend that stands out. And that doesn’t look too good for TV –  or anyone else for that matter.

More at iCrossing’s Connect blog where the original post appears

The adult industry and paid content

A cracking article in the LA Times revealing the impact of free web content on the adult industry has all kinds of parallels with the challenges facing the ‘traditional’ content industry. My first thoughts on what the piece tells us about the future of content is here

Giving FMCGs the credit they deserve

After speaking at the IAB’s FMCG seminar, it struck me that ‘online’ continues to regard FMCG advertisers as ‘wrong’ for not committing as much to digital as other big-spending sectors. In fact, they have very good reasons for not doing so – the mission must be to help them understand the more fundamental shifts for which the internet has been the catalyst.

Full post here

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FTC misses ‘ruthless democracy’ of online content

My new Connect post offers comment on the FTC’s proposed move to legislate against bloggers who fail to declare their commercial interests, against the best interests of their readers. My view, essentially, is it’s understandable and has its merits, but that the battle for popularity on the web is so powerfully democratic as to render it meaningless.

Full post here

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Brand bidding in AdWords leads to higher CPCs and lower CTRs

Realising that ‘extracts’ might fall foul of Google’s duplication rules, I’ll write a very short precis in future of posts I write elsewhere, so…

My new Connect post looks at new figures from the IPA Search Group that show Google’s move to allow competitors to bid on brand terms has delivered higher CPCs and lower click-through rates – just what Google was hoping for probably.

Full post here

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Micropayments – has Murdoch backed the wrong horse?

Extract:

“Subscriptions and micropayments were always a lovely idea but the reason they didn’t work back at the start of the millennium were nothing to do with internet penetration or dial-up speeds – they were fundamentally to do with choice. Their content wasn’t better enough to choose over all the free stuff.

Now that Murdoch has put a stake in the ground, one has to reconsider but, bearing in mind that blogging (and now Twitter) has taken off since the last time we all had a bash, that choice (and the quality and accessibility of that choice) has risen even further.”

Full post here

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Agencies prove their worth at Internet World

Extract:

Agency folk were given the graveyard spots in the schedule – most spoke in the last or penultimate session of the day. And – save where they had Google, mobile or social media in the session title – they were the least well attended.

But, they were all worth waiting for and, for those less interested in the practicalities of running websites and online campaigns, by far the most inspirational. For strategic insight, these it seemed to me were still the people you’d need to see.

Full post here

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Ask not what your customers can do for you…

Extract:

“Even on the surface, it’s not hard to see how most of these tips for customer service can be ploughed directly into fast advice for how brands should think when seeking to engage in social media. For example, iCrossing’s basic model (understand your networks, be live in your networks, be useful to your networks), is much simpler but outlines exactly the same approach and applies whether you’re after direct sales or something softer.”

Full post here

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Vodafone-Twitter deal is a teen winner

Extract:

“For those with smartphones, which – until recently – was most of the people using Twitter, this was no real issue. Users have switched to applications on their phones (particularly their iPhones) or simply the mobile web to Twitter while on the move. But, for those with more basic phones, this was not so feasible.

That includes teens who – lately – have been discovering Twitter for themselves along with the beginnnings of the mass market as the service goes past tipping point. It is hard not to imagine the service being absolutely massive for this group, particularly if they can use SMS to send AND receive tweets.”

Full post here

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Twitter’s AdWords is coming…

Extract:

“No, what’s most interesting and the reason I think investors are going to get all of their money back and a whole lot more is the idea of e-commerce accounts. Twitter CEO Evan Williams told Techcrunch last Summer that charging e-commerce businesses per follower, per update or per sale [or per click?] was a possibility. In them there hills lie gold.

So, imagine Amazon. Book fans follow Amazon to learn about new books for sale and special offers – with links. Every time I click on one, Amazon pays Twitter a fee. The company would set up an account for each of its departments (clothes, houseware, games etc.) and sub-classifications (horror books, trainers, Xbox 360 games). Automated update systems – plugged into product inventories – will be built. Entire ‘update strategies’ will be conceived (when? how often? what copy?). And, of course, marketing strategy will begin to ask ‘how do we attract followers?’ rather than ‘how do we get to the top of search rankings?’.”

Full post here

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