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Susan Gunelius

Susan Gunelius

Mobile Apps are Hot – Does Your Brand Have One?

A recent study by DM2PRO and Quattro Wireless reports that mobile apps are going to skyrocket in popularity in 2010, so while less than 50% of companies surveyed for the study invested in mobile apps in 2009, the majority plan to do so in 2010.  That’s a significant shift in investment strategy.

Most companies surveyed in the study claimed that they invest in mobile apps to increase customer engagement, connect with targeted audiences, expand their marketing reach, and keeping their brands in front of consumers.

Where are all those dollars being invested?  Check out the chart from eMarketer below to get an idea of where marketers in North America used mobile/social apps in 2009 to get an idea.

mobile_apps_sites

Facebook and iPhone apps clearly lead the pack in terms of where investments in branded apps are channeled, and I don’t suspect that will shift much in 2010.  However, it’s expected that more companies will invest in mobile apps than social media apps in 2010.

What is particularly interesting in this trend is the fact that there is more standardization in apps today, so investment costs are actually decreasing in many ways.  Hopefully, that will lead to more advancements in terms of capabilities and functionality.  ‘Plain Jane’ apps could be usurped very quickly as the world of mobile apps morphs before our eyes.

This is a fast paced environment, and the truth of the matter is that many brands may have trouble keeping up and staying relevant, particularly brands backed by large companies that have to wade through corporate bureaucracy to make decisions and move to action.  This could actually be a good thing for consumers though, as smaller companies that can move faster jump in and seize opportunities, but will those smaller companies stand a chance in the long run?  Or will we have a fast rise and faster plunge similar to the dotcom bust in the 1990s?

Regardless, it’s an exciting time to be a marketer!  Does your brand have an app yet?

Top Online Ad Networks Ranking Shows Big Growth for Microsoft

comScore released its December 2009 ranking of the top online ad networks, and the results might surprise you.  While Google dominates online search, the story is a bit different for online ad networks.

AOL Advertising ranks at the top of the list of online ad networks in December 2009 followed by Yahoo! Network and then Google Ad Network, mirroring the top three rankings in December 2008.  Note that the ranking measures the overall reach of each ad network.  Detailed results from the comScore press release are included in the chart below:

comscore_top_ad_networks_december_2009

Perhaps the more interesting statistic to review is the percent change in unique visitors that each of these ad networks reached from December 2008 to December 2009.  When you look at that data, you’ll notice that Microsoft Media Network US had a very good year in 2009 growing by 31%.  One can assume that the successful launch of Bing helped Microsoft in a lot of ways in 2009, including in growing the reach of its online ad network.

Another interesting piece of growth data is Google’s increase of 13% from December 2008 to December 2009 in comparison to the 8% growth by AOL Advertising and the 9% growth of Yahoo! Network.  Clearly, Google is continuing to grow its online ad network at a faster rate than its closest competitors.  Considering that the total Internet audience grew by 8% from December 2008 to December 2009 (according to the comScore report), Google, Microsoft, and several other ad networks are outpacing the organic growth of the overall Web audience.  That’s a good sign for the future for those ad networks.

The story to learn here is this: Google might seem to be the dominant brand and player online, but that’s not always the case when you look a little bit closer.  Furthermore, there is not one online ad network that is the go-to place for your online advertising dollars.  In reality, there are a number of choices that offer broad reach to help you spread the word about your brand.  Do your research and don’t be afraid to decide that the most well-known option might not be the best solution for your brand.  And never put all your eggs in one basket.

Tweet for Points – How Clever Brands Tie Social Media to Loyalty Programs

tasti_d-liteHow to effectively use Twitter and other social media tools to boost sales and brand loyalty?

That’s the million dollar question that has companies investing large sums of money on social media marketing efforts.  The recipe to success is still unknown, but while we wait for someone to crack the secret code, we’re able to experiment with a lot of really interesting social media marketing ideas.  One of the most interesting I’ve heard about recently is actually very simple, but it could prove to be very successful.

Tasti D-Lite is a frozen dessert chain.  In an attempt to boost both brand loyalty and brand awareness, Tasti D-Lite is running a program where members of the Tasti D-Lite rewards program can earn additional rewards points by connecting their rewards cards to their Twitter profiles.  Each time a participating customer makes a purchase with his rewards card, a tweet about Tasti D-Lite (along with a link to the brand’s Web site) is automatically published in his Twitter stream.  The program also works with the mobile social networking tool Foursquare.  Members can also post their own updates to their Twitter or Foursquare profiles (separate from the automated updates that occur when they make purchases) to earn additional rewards points.

I think this is a great social media marketing effort that integrates well with offline marketing activities for Tasti D-Lite, and it could work for a wide variety of brands and businesses (both large and small).  I like that the effort works to raise both brand awareness and loyalty at the same time.  It’s this type of creative thinking that reminds us that social media marketing is about more than just talking at people.  You have to engage them and give them something useful and meaningful to want to share and discuss further with multiple audiences.

This social media marketing effort by Tasti D-Lite could integrate seamlessly with ads in various media, special discounts, contests, and other promotions, event marketing, point-of-sale collateral, and more.  It’s a perfect example of creating a simple marketing effort that can grow to surround consumers with your brand messages.

Could you create a similar social media marketing effort for your brand?  It might not be that difficult to do, and the ‘rewards’ could be significant.

What do you think?

Source: BrandWeek; Image: Flickr

100 Social Media and Content Marketing Predictions for 2010

crystal ballSeveral weeks ago, content marketing expert Joe Pulizzi of Junta42.com asked top social media and content marketing professionals from around the world, including well-known names in the marketing field like Seth Godin, John Jantsch, and David Meerman Scott (and me!) to answer one question:

What is your prediction for how brand marketers will create and distribute their own content in 2010?

Joe received 100 social media and content marketing predictions from the professionals he sent his question to, and the answers are enlightening, varied, and very telling.  Here is the prediction I contributed to the list:

My prediction is that online video will continue to grow as more marketers recognize its growth potential and attempt to leverage it.  With that said, the success of those efforts is questionable.  Until marketers embrace engagement marketing rather than interruption marketing and truly add value and build relationships by speaking with consumers rather than speaking at them, social media and content marketing efforts will continue to be popular but not deliver the big returns companies hope for.  Furthermore, the success of social media and content marketing comes from transparency and a willingness to give up control — two things that executives have yet to buy into.  I expect 2010 to be filled with more of the same conversations and struggles between marketers and the individuals in the C-suites.  We can’t give up trying to bring those execs over to our side though!

Creating amazing content online represents one of the biggest opportunities for brands to raise awareness, purchases, and loyalty.  It’s an opportunity that didn’t exist a decade ago or even 5 years ago.  Remember, Twitter only debuted in 2007!  The social Web offers a way to build relationships, interact with customers, and create a band of vocal brand advocates and brand guardians that can catapult a brand to superstardom (think Harry Potter — if you’re not familiar with the story of how the social Web helped that brand, check out my book, Harry Potter: The Story of a Global Business Phenomenon for all the details).

Are you leveraging the social media and content marketing opportunity?  Check out the 100 Social Media and Content Marketing Predictions for 2010 compiled by Joe Pulizzi.  Can 100 experts be wrong?

Image: Flickr

Google and Apple Face Off

google_nexus_oneTuesday, January 6, 2010 marked an important date in the ongoing battle of brand supremacy between Apple and Google.  That was the day that both companies made major announcements which represent a shift in the mobile phone market — the effects of which won’t be fully realized immediately.

On January 6th, Google announced it was entering the mobile phone retail business with its new Nexus One phone from HTC, which is only available through Google’s new online store.  On the same day, Apple announced it was entering the mobile advertising game by acquiring mobile advertising company Quattro Wireless.

While neither announcement is an instant game changer, they do foreshadow things to come.  It’s been speculated in The New York Times that Apple’s interest in mobile advertising is probably less about competing with Google in the mobile advertising market than it is about finding a way to monetize its popular apps with developers by giving them a way to generate income (since apps are currently available for free download).

Similarly, Google claims not to want to become a major player in the handset market.  Instead, according to a separate article from The New York Times, Google’s hope with its new online store and the Nexus One is that more people will have access to handsets running its Android software.

As we watch this battle play out with both major players, Google and Apple, seemingly pursuing very different paths to reach their goals, it’s interesting to wonder how this will end.  Can any other company compete with Google and Apple in the future?  RIM’s BlackBerry still holds a sizable chunk of the business market, but with the new extensions Google and Apple are bringing to the mobile market, it makes one wonder what the industry will look like in 5-years (or sooner).

And how will the landline market be affected?  I’ve read multiple predictions over the past few weeks that traditional home phones are nearing the end of their lifecycle.  How soon will that prediction come true?

It’s an exciting time, particularly since consumers continue to get some great new products from the frenzied competition that really do make their lives easier.

What do you think?  iPhone or Droid?  What’s your prediction for the future of the mobile market?

Image: Flickr

Landor Associates Releases Annual Brand Survey Results

2009_calendar_SeptLandor Associates conducts a survey each year to learn more about what marketers and consumers think about brands, branding trends, and more.  The 2009 survey results are in, and they definitely reaffirm what most marketers have believed to be true throughout the year.

For example, the most coveted brand of 2009 and the past decade according to the survey results is Google.  Given the fact that in the first decade of the 21st century, Google became the search engine, launched a Web browser, rolled out dozens of free applications and acquired even more, it’s no wonder that Google is so strong.

Furthermore, survey respondents identified the digital era as the one thing that impacted their lives more than anything else over the past decade.  Again, this is not surprising considering the fact that the social Web was really just starting to catch on in the beginning of the decade.  Look at where we’ve gotten so fast.  Today, we rely on the quick spreading of information and discussing that information via the tools of the social Web like blogs, Twitter, Facebook, and more.  Major news events have even been covered in greater depth through the social Web than through traditional media (think of the death of Michael Jackson, which broke on the TMZ.com blog or the spreading of information from inside Iran after the 2009 Iran Election via Twitter).  The world changed significantly during the first decade of the 21st century thanks to the social Web.  Interestingly, the survey also found that 75% of respondents preferred Facebook over other social networking tools.

Some of the most important issues to survey respondents during the past decade include the environment and green issues as well as the economy, both of which directly affect their buying habits and lifestyles.

While none of these findings are new revelations, they do reaffirm marketers’ views that digital and social media are integral components in the future of branding and marketing.  If you don’t already have a digital and social media strategy for your brand, make 2010 the year that you get on board before you find your brand left behind.

Image: Flickr