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Is Inappropriate Video Content A Convenient Excuse? November 28, 2007

Posted November 27th, 2007 by Nigel Hollis

A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to listen to Jeben Berg, product marketing manager at YouTube, talk on the subject of how advertisers can best engage YouTube’s users. It reminded me just how many people engage with the site and focused my attention on an old issue. Many brands have fought the idea of advertising on YouTube because they fear being placed next to inappropriate content.
Everyone knows YouTube and how big it is — but even so, some of the statistics Berg threw out were mind-boggling. The site now contains hundreds of millions of videos, with an average of 8 hours of content being uploaded every minute. Every minute! And what is more, that content comes from only 2% of the site’s user base. These “creators” are at the heart of YouTube’s success and sit at the top of the user eco-system that includes “collectors,” who generate playlists for every topic under the sun, “critics,” who add their often irreverent and off-color comments to the content, and then finally the “consumers,” the silent majority who just watch the videos that have been posted.

Berg was keen to point out that YouTube is a platform, not a media company. He stated that YouTube makes no decisions over what is shown and said that it simply provides the means for people to express themselves. Of course, that has led to many advertisers expressing concern over placing their advertising in such an environment. It is all too easy for a brand’s ad to end up in close proximity to content deemed undesirable to the brand’s positioning.

In the course of the presentation, however, Berg addressed this issue directly by putting up an iconic image from the Vietnam War: Nick Ut’s photo, “Napalm Strike,” which shows terrified villagers fleeing from a napalm strike on the village of Trang Bang, Vietnam, in June 8, 1972. Berg asked why advertisers seem happy to advertise in newspapers and magazines that carry disturbing images like that one, and yet they shy away from doing so with video content. Is it really worse to have Tiffany’s and Armani ads appear next to pictures of bomb blast victims in Newsweek than to have videos created for Coca-Cola and McDonald’s show up next to Paris Hilton’s sleaziest on YouTube?

On reflection, the question seems justified. Is it simply that we are more comfortable with the juxtaposition of such images in static media because those forms of communication have been around so much longer? Or is it an excuse that advertisers use to avoid having to create content that will work in the free-for-all environment of YouTube?

Up to now I had accepted that concern at face value. Berg’s presentation certainly gave me reason to question that assumption.

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MediaPost, Accounts on the Move, November 26, 2007

How Much Involvement Will $1 Million Buy Me? November 26, 2007

by Gregory Wilson

Over lunch recently, an online publisher shared with me an RFP that he had received. The advertiser wanted to know how many impressions they could get for a million dollars.

The publisher looked at me and said, “See, they still aren’t getting it, are they?” When I asked what he meant by that, he said, “Broadband isn’t about building reach

It’s about building relationships. Broadcast is all about how many saw the advertising. Broadband is all about how much time they spend with the advertising.

“What advertisers should be asking is not how many impressions they can get for $1 million, but how much involvement they can get for that amount.”

“And you can tell them how involved viewers were in their advertising?” I asked.

“Absolutely,” he said.

He went on to explain how he had recently run a commercial for an advertiser on his site for six days. The commercial was two minutes and 20 seconds long. Rather than pre- or mid-roll, it was user-initiated, requiring the viewer to opt in.

Over the course of six days, he had 1,542 unique streams to this commercial. If an advertiser were buying reach or impressions, this sort of number would receive no more than a grunt at best.

But when you factor in that the average time spent with the two-minute and 20-second spot was one-minute and 50 seconds, well, it certainly impacts the “worth” of those 1,542 streams, doesn’t it?

After all, it means the advertiser received 169,620 seconds of time spent with his brand’s message. Or, 47 hours worth.

The cost to the advertiser? Three thousand dollars.

The publisher then asked me what I found to be a most interesting question. How much would it normally cost an advertiser to get 47 hours worth of time spent with his brand?

My answer was that there is no way of knowing, as advertisers aren’t asking for a measurement of involvement in their commercials. All they want are the number of impressions, regardless of whether the viewer is involved in the message or not.

Besides, in the intrusive methods deployed in broadcast, and now being adopted on broadband, there is no way of telling whether viewers are actually involved or not.
Yes, they are in the room, or in front of the screen, but involved? Who’s to say?

By allowing viewers to opt in to the advertising, this publisher was able to monitor the viewer’s intent rather than the advertiser’s intent. When viewers opted out, on average, after watching 78% of the message, he had an accurate measurement of time spent with the brand.

Now what’s interesting is that this publisher can still go and sell his site on a CPM or CPC basis. And, to media agencies, this will continue to be his strategy. After all, media agencies are paid to deliver eyeballs to, not involvement in, the message.

But he’s also starting to go directly to advertisers to talk about building relationships, rather than reach, on his site. He’s also letting advertisers know that he’ll help them optimize the different touchpoints across his site in an attempt to increase the amount of time that people spend with individual brands.

His logic, although quite simplistic, seemed difficult to refute. “There are only 24 hours in a day,” he said. So the more time a person spends with one advertiser’s brand, the less time that person has to spend with the competitor’s brand.

In this way, he said, “offering a good ‘return on involvement’ starts to offer the advertiser a pretty darn good return on investment.”

As for answering the question with which we started: How much involvement will $1 million buy?

If $3,000 was able to achieve 47 hours of time spent, then $1million should deliver around 15,666 hours of time spent with the brand.

Or, 652 days.

Which is why we feel that this just might be a question that more advertisers will soon be asking their media agencies.

And if they don’t know the answer — well, I happen to know a publisher who does.

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NBC Reorgs Local Media Into Single Div. November 26, 2007

NBC Reorgs Local Media Into Single Div.

Katy Bachman

NOVEMBER 26, 2007 –

NBC Universal joined ABC, CBS and Fox in recognizing the growing importance of multiplatform campaigns on the local level by reorganizing its local media assets into a single division, the NBC Local Media Division.

“The local media markets are a fertile area to go multiplatform,” said John Wallace, president of NBC Local Media Division, which includes NBCU’s TV stations, local Web sites and place-based networks. “We know there will be a transition period, but it will be evolutionary in the days and months ahead.”

Ninety percent of consumer transactions are at the local level, said Rich Lobel, one of three chief marketing activists for CBS’ local division (RIOT), which launched with a campaign for Dodge trucks and has since run campaigns for 1-800-Flowers and Comcast. “It’s a model more clients are going to demand,” he said.

The networks may be ahead of the curve on this, since not all media-buying shops are organized to handle these new units. “More clients want their agencies to come up with a local plan, and that means agencies need to start breaking down those silos between local media,” said Kevin Gallagher, executive vp and local activation director for Starcom. “It’s not about the individual medium. It’s about moving product in the market.”

Social networks, online games are a match November 26, 2007

The 41-year-old homemaker likes the shopping-and-partying game — where she operates a virtual nightclub and hosts parties — because it helps her interact with people, not provide escape from them as traditional games often do.

Social and gaming networks, once considered polar opposites, are cross-pollenating as online interactions replace prime-time TV and other, more traditional media experiences. Games like Kaneva are attracting players that games like Super Mario Brothers never did.

“I run around and act like a 40-year-old person. I have my little clan we hang with. What people will say is more interesting to me,” Hicks said of her preferred game. “As opposed to Mario, who’s only going to jump.”

Game developers say there’s money for both sides in this convergence. READ THE REST OF THIS USA TODAY ARTICLE BY CLICKING HERE

Negotiations Resume: MediaBytes 11.26.2007 November 26, 2007

THE WGA and AMPTP will resume talks this morning. Negotiations will occur in an undisclosed location and a press blackout is in effect. The WGA reminded writers to return to picket lines even as the new round of talks begins.

FIREBRAND will launch tonight on ION Television, offering users TV ads as entertainment. The show will seamlessly mix unpaid “entertaining” ads with paid spots from advertisers. Firebrand will be available on TV, cellphones and Firebrand.com.

THE FCC will vote tomorrow on Kevin Martin’s proposal to increase regulation over the cable industry based on his claim that the 70/70 rule is in effect. That argument came under increased scrutiny when Wall Street cable analyst Craig Moffett issued a report to FCC member Jonathan Adelstein. Moffett’s report is based on an extensive study of regulatory filings by cable companies and finds that cable penetration is around 60%.

FACEBOOK and ABC NEWS will team up to sponsor Democratic and Republican debates on January 5th. The partnership will also bring ABC News content to a special section of Facebook.com. Users will be able to track ABC reporters, watch video and participate in polls. The deal is reportedly a simple value exchange with no money changing hands.

EU REGULATORS have vowed to take a long, hard look at targeted online advertising. The Union’s Article 29 Working Party will add privacy concerns raised by online advertising to its agenda for the new year. The topic has gained increased attention since Facebook began Project Beacon, which tracks user purchases on third-party sites. Moveon.org began an anti-Beacon user group in protest and it was quickly joined by over 20,000 users.

* Get the story at Media30.com *

Marketers Enlist Mobile Phones as Utility Vehicles November 26, 2007

November 26, 2007
By Brian Morrissey

NEW YORK Beginning next month, the cold-and-flu wary will have a new weapon in their prevention arsenal: weather alerts sent to their cell phones courtesy of Vicks.

The messages are part of an effort by parent company Procter & Gamble to develop mobile applications, rather than use the cell phone as just another venue for media buys.

Other big-name marketers, like Coca-Cola and AT&T, have launched similar efforts. In some cases that means application development takes priority over mobile media buys, with brands using their vast distribution and marketing channels to promote the utilities.

“Consumers are used to ads on the Internet, on TV and in magazines,” said Carol Kruse, vp of global interactive marketing at Coke. “The mobile phone didn’t start out with ads.”

That’s leading Coke, P&G and others to test the increasingly popular concept of branded utility: tools advertisers can supply to help consumers perform tasks, rather than messages that interrupt. Think Nike+, the running-and-music system that enables runners to track and compare their training progress with others.

“At the end of the day, if they tap into why you own the phone, brands can figure out how they can help you deal with your life,” said John Hadl, CEO of Brand in Hand, a mobile marketing consultancy, which advises P&G on mobile strategy. “What can brands do for us that also ties in to the brand benefit?”

The move to create applications comes as surveys show consumers express wariness that their cell phones will turn into another source of ad overload. A Harris Interactive survey in the spring found various forms of mobile ad messages, from search result placements to banner ads, were rated “unacceptable” by more than 70 percent of respondents. Seeing a video clip from a nearby store was found “acceptable” by only 16 percent.

“Placing ads on mobile sites is just a media placement compared to finding the applications consumers want [in order] to interact with the brand on the go,” said Doug Levy, CEO of imc2, an independent digital agency.

Coke is making few mobile ad buys with providers like Third Screen Media, AdMob and other mobile ad networks. Instead, it is placing a big bet that it can provide utilities to consumers. Its first test case is The Yard, a Sprite-themed mobile social network it launched in June here and in China. It is in the process of rolling out the platform in Europe and other regions.

“The industry is still trying to figure out how to do that in a way that’s acceptable to consumers,” Kruse said. “We’re really focusing on providing fun and engaging experiences for consumers.”

The challenge for such applications is getting them to actually add value consumers can’t get elsewhere, according to Hadl. Just mimicking an existing utility won’t cut it. For makeup brand CoverGirl, for instance, P&G created a “ColorMatch” application that recommends shades based on complexion and clothing and accessories colors. Women would not have their computer with them at the store, making the mobile phone an ideal choice, he said.

In a more recent campaign, AT&T tapped the phone as a handy tracking tool for fans at last month’s Ironman World Championship triathlon in Hawaii. A mobile campaign gave spectators the chance to receive text message alerts when athletes passed one of 11 checkpoints. For a race that takes competitors anywhere from eight to 20 hours to finish, the service was a perfect fit, said Robert Tas, CEO of Active Athlete Media, which developed the program for AT&T. The athlete tracker attracted more than 15,000 sign-ups and 100,000 brand impressions. “It added value,” said Tas. “It wasn’t crap. It really made the experience better.”

The move to provide branded utilities on mobile devices and elsewhere is unlikely to eliminate media budgets. After all, consumers need to know about the tools before they can use them. MediaVest is buying mobile ads through Third Screen Media. Former AT&T agency GSD&M Idea City promoted the Ironman athlete tracker via Active Athlete’s network of endurance athletics sites. Sprite is leaning on the millions of bottles it sells per year (and its Facebook fan page) to raise awareness for The Yard.

Brands need to think of what they’re getting out of applications, said Scott Symonds, executive media director at AKQA, an independent digital agency. Unless an application lines up with a brand promise, it won’t do much good, he warned. AKQA used this litmus test earlier in the fall with a mobile campaign that suggested wine-and-cheese pairings to supermarket shoppers on behalf of Visa Signature. The campaign was designed to appeal to the Signature brand’s target consumer: the well-to-do who enjoy travel, dining and leisure activities. “Ideally we can do some twist or implementation that gives the utility a flavor or voice unique to our client brand,” Symonds said.

Another big challenge for mobile campaigns at this point, according to execs, is how to measure success. Comparing the value placed on interaction rates online to mobile is “apples to oranges,” Hadl said. “They’re both fruit, but one you bite into and the other you peel.” P&G agency MediaVest, part of Publicis Groupe, has hired Dynamic Logic, a campaign effectiveness research firm, to conduct a study of the effectiveness of the Vicks effort in driving purchase intent.

The mobile medium is still maturing and doesn’t provide many rich experiences, said Benjamin Palmer, CEO of The Barbarian Group, an independent digital shop. “There just isn’t too much of a mobile marketing medium right now other than alerts,” he said, something he expects will evolve with the popularity of the iPhone and as other handset makers come out with units that mimic its features.

“Right now mobile is in a utility-focused place,” said Symonds. “If we can provide brand utility and it’s still keeping with what the client’s theme is, we’ll trade a little messaging for utility.”

New friend request: Myspace, Facebook vie for teen users November 26, 2007

By Mariane Mandanas
VIBE Reporter
vibe@guampdn.com

Today’s teen lives in the age of technology, with cell phones, laptops, and MP3 players a must for everyday life. Among these tech essentials are social networking Web sites.

Mainly used to communicate, make new friends, and stay updated with one another, social networking Web sites have seen their popularity significantly increase over the past two years, according to BusinessWeek.com.

MySpace, the most widely used of these Web sites, has pioneered this movement, setting a new standard for how teenagers lead their social lives.

In 2006, MySpace was introduced to a new competitor — Facebook. Originally made for college students attending Harvard University, it quickly expanded its network to both universities and high schools across the world, according to a recent article by Forbes.com.

Each Web site, unique in its features and networks, attracts a large teen following — many of which use one or the other. As Facebook and MySpace increase in popularity by the second, both have made new improvements within their systems to attract more users.

Facebook and MySpace, like many other networking Web sites, provide users with a basic, user-friendly system in which they can type in their personal information, musical preferences favorite movies and many other things. This information is then submitted to a server and is generated into a profile for the user.

Both Web sites do not have much difference when it comes to this basic feature. Their main difference does not lie in the information users may input, but the way this presentation is presented in their profiles.

MySpace allows users to edit their profile’s Hypertext Markup Language, more commonly known as HTML, to change the way their profile looks. HTML is made up of a series of Internet codes than can be edited by the user to make pictures appear on their profiles or to make the colors and sizes of their fonts different from what the Web site would originally generate.

With HTML, teens like Academy of Our Lady of Guam senior Tasha Tydingco feel that they can express their individuality more on MySpace than on Facebook.

“HTML is easy to use once you get the hang of it — all you have to do is copy and paste from a Web site — and I like how it can let me add backgrounds and effects to my MySpace profile,” Tydingco says.

Facebook users are still able to express their individuality on their profiles through the thousands of applications. Though they are not as personal as MySpace’s fully customizable “Edit My Profile” option, these applications allow teens to “poke,” “tag,” “send a gift” or “dedicate a song” to one another.

With no limit to the number of applications a member can use, Facebook users have endless possibilities to go beyond the basic Facebook profile.

Privacy concerns

Despite the social nature of these sites, an issue that concerns many Web-savvy teens is privacy. While MySpace gives its users the option of making their profiles private, Facebook makes it mandatory.

According to Father Duenas Memorial School senior Gerald Cruz, Facebook also features a more effective filtering system for viruses, hackers, bugs, and Spam, compared to that of MySpace.

“MySpace profiles are easy to access even by people who don’t have accounts there. If your profile isn’t set on private, strangers can see everything on your profile. Facebook beats MySpace in privacy because you need an account to not just to look at profiles, but to look around the Web site,” Cruz says.

Sharing work

MySpace, with its less restrictive privacy options, has paved the way for a number of musicians, bands, clothing lines, and other individuals who want to share their work and gain popularity.

“MySpace lets you learn about new bands and artists who are just starting out and you can share that music with your friends. Once it gets around, they become more popular,” says George Washington High School sophomore Ryan Bongato.

A great number of bands and artists have thanked MySpace for their success. Locally and internationally, MySpace continues to serve as an outlet for artists to make their work known.

MySpace, the older of the two Web sites, is more active in the offline social scene. An avid sponsor of concerts, skate tours, book launches, plays, and other events, they have revolutionized the social scene beyond the Internet.

MySpace is also highly involved in the ongoing presidential election, streaming videos of the presidential debates from their Web site, and allowing users to share their thoughts on next year’s presidential hopefuls.

“I use both Web sites, but I think it’s great how MySpace is becoming more involved in the community and in more important issues. It gives us teenagers a reason to get off our computers and get more active,” says Tydingco.

Facebook Users Complain of New Tracking November 26, 2007

To All My Friends In The States November 21, 2007

Happy Thanksgiving!! Eh? Hosers

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