October 21st 2009
Google’s engineering VP Vic Gundotra may not be bullish on mobile applications, but that doesn’t mean that his employer isn’t serious about cellphones.
Just after announcing its plans to go it alone with the Android phone, Google has made another step into the mobile marketplace. The search giant already extending its AdWords network to mobile devices. Now you can get mobile measurement through Google Analytics.
What does that mean for brands? Better measurement and actionability on campaigns across platforms.
As part of an upgrade to Google Analytics announced today, Google is introducing a numer of useful enhancements, including the ability to track traffic to both mobile sites and applications, and explanations of what device is being used. Meaning that marketers will be able to track digital campaigns across web and mobile platforms.
During the company’s third-quarter earnings call this week, CFO Patrick Pichette said mobile searches were up 30% this quarter from the same period last year, calling the current shift to smartphones “transformative.”
According to AdWeek:
“The mobile-tracking features are part of a broader update to Google Analytics that includes the ability to set and track engagement goals, add customized audience segments, track unique visitors for segments and set ‘intelligence alerts.’”
Amy Chang, group product manager for Google Analytics, says that this move into mobile is just a step in the right direction. And while there is a lot further to go, “The idea is to give advertisers the actual data they need to make better decisions.”
As consumers start engaging in more activities on their mobile devices like this, it will be important to track their activity there.
In addition, Analytics Intelligence will now provide automatic alerts when there are significant changes in the data patterns of site metrics and dimensions on a daily, weekly and monthly basis. With these changes, Google is not only making it easier to track effectiveness of campaigns, but also helping its customers make changes that can increase the ROI of their campaigns. Those are all good things.
October 13th 2009
Facebook’s growth, it seems, is limited only by the scope of Mark Zuckerberg’s ambition. It began as a social networking site trying to keep up with MySpace, but Facebook is now circling its own orbit.
All that’s stopping Facebook from becoming the pre-eminent news publisher for its 300m users is Zuckerberg’s desire to do it.
In an interview with The Wall Street Journal in 2007, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg alluded to a new stage to transform Facebook from simply a social media site into a diverse platform. He said that in future iterations, users would see “real stories being produced” on their Facebook feeds.
The obvious question is, would Facebook want to get into the news business? It’s clear today that it’s not exactly profitable. Or is it that this current business approach is no longer profitable?
Though it’s unclear it would be a prudent decision, Facebook now has the tools to make an impact on the news industry
The people running Facebook with Zuckerberg clearly know something the others do not. It’s still a privately held company, with no immediate plans for an IPO, and it’s actually making money.
In a blog post Zuckerberg announced that Facebook went into profit this year, a year earlier than expected. What this means is Facebook, a service that more than 300 million people use free of charge, has suddenly turned a profit via revenue produced primarily from advertising, in the middle of a recession.
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September 21st 2009
Yahoo may be getting out of the search business, but now Google is gunning for the company’s stronghold: display advertising.
The search giant announced the DoubleClick Ad Exchange Friday, which will function like a stock exchange for display advertising online. Google is hoping that this auction market will help automate the process of buying display ads and break the code for display the way that Google tapped into the search market.
Google may have 70% of the search market, but in display it has a paltry 1.3% of ad views. Will the DoubleClick Ad Exchange change all that?
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September 16th 2009
Do you believe the economy is now ready to recover or that we’re in for a double-dip recession? Have you been worried about your business’s survival? Are you simply looking forward to consumers becoming happier to spend their cash again?
Whatever your opinions and concerns, it’s time to give some very real thought to your online marketing strategy and what you will do once the economy does finally pick up.
So how can you ensure your organisation is ready to market online within a recovering financial environment? Well, here are a few areas I think are important to look at. As always, if you have any to add then please use the comment facility and share your advice.
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August 24th 2009
Stonewall + Media, the digital media agency, was recently appointed by Dial a Nerd, the computer support company dedicated to homes and small businesses, to assist them in increasing brand awareness, encourage more traffic to the website and promote their computer hardware and software sales division.
The challenge for Stonewall + Media was to apply a combination of digital tactics that would optimally position Dial a Nerd in a digital landscape that had direct access its target market, namely small business owners, professionals, men and women over 60, tech-savvy students and young moms. Incorporating interactive Rich Media, applying aggregate trends and using larger creative sizes and overlay banners helped to create a bolder presence and emphasize branding and direct response. In order to make precise optimization decisions, Stonewall + Media were able to identify all touch points the user engaged throughout the campaign allowing them to better determine the brand’s overall exposure.
Says Aaron Van Schaik: ‘It’s very pleasing to see that, in practice, the strategies we employ in our digital media campaigns are as successful as they are. In this case the Dial a Nerd campaign returned figures that are four times the industry average in terms of CTR’s (Click Through Rates) proving that the way Stonewall+ Media approaches digital media is effective and provides our clients the benefit of well conceived and executed strategies.’
Dial a Nerd is a national company with multiple branches in Johannesburg, Pretoria, Cape Town and Durban. Each branch has mobile technicians that are able to repair, build, upgrade or even replace PC`s at the customer’s premises. The company has been servicing thousands of personal computers since 1998, and has helped many small businesses and home users get up and stay up with the hardware and software solution that suits them best. Another division of the company called, Dial a Nerd Business, specialises in advanced network support for clients requiring business solutions.
Says Grayson Rainier, Marketing Manager of Dial a Nerd: ‘It’s been a great pleasure working with Stonewall + Media. We have been particularly impressed with the manner in which they handled our serving and tracking requirements when carrying out this campaign. Having them involved from day one ensured us that the eye catching Rich Media banners they created were not lost in the mass of online advertising. Through the tracking analysis applied they were able to provide us with key insights into how the market was interacting with our adverts and in areas where the ads were not performing Stonewall + Media were quick to derive a solution.”
Functioning as an independent digital media agency, Stonewall + Media meets the ever-growing, industry-wide need for integrated digital media services that is not only consistent with its international counterparts but is forward thinking in its service and delivery.
