Monday, June 29, 2009

America Needs a Tagline

by Colin Booth, Senior Copywriter

I want to be the first to wish happy birthday to one of the most influential brands in the world. So here goes... “Happy Birthday, America! You look fantastic for 233. It’s like you haven’t gained a state in over 50 years.”

Let’s face it, the United States is a brand. A pretty impressive one, too. It’s red, white and blue palette has inspired thousands of copycats – both large (Pepsi) and small (Liberia). It has a logo (See Fig. 1) to rival Nike and McDonald’s. It even has a mighty, majestic mascot. (See Fig. 2).

Fig 1. Nearly as recognizable as the Swoosh and Golden Arches.

Fig 2. Now available for boat christenings.

What America doesn’t have is a tagline.

“Land of the free, home of the brave”? Iconic, yes. But lyrics, not a tag. And “Uncle Sam Wants You!” is more a slogan for an acquisition campaign (the draft).

A tagline would be an essential tool for America. It would sum up all the nation stands for in one tasty, snack-size phrase and mark every interaction between the brand and its consumers... tax returns, Air Force One, presidential pardons, commemorative plates, Michael Phelps’ Speedo. The reach is endless.

With the big 233 fast approaching and our national brand managers engaging in a bit of rebranding, I can’t think of a better time to give our nation a tagline. So let’s get to it.

Sure, we could just sit in a room and spit out some random taglines...

America. Get Your Jonas Brothers Here!
America. We Google Ourselves Sometimes.
America. Mexico’s Hat.

Fun? Yup. An embodiment of the brand? Nope. And as the written calling card for a brand, a tagline must epitomize the brand’s promise and accurately reflect its image.

Let's start with the promise, which is an honest, meaningful outcome consumers can always expect from a brand experience. History has created many promises worthy of the American brand. But we gotta pick one. After ruling out One nation under God (inappropriate given the brand’s many and diverse consumer segments) and Land of opportunity (a noble ideal but perhaps a bit of an overpromise in these unsure times), I landed on A nation of the people, by the people, for the people.

This promise ladders down perfectly to America’s product (democracy) and is inclusive of all consumer segments. Just as important: it’s a promise the brand can realistically fulfill. After all, everyone has the right to vote, the chance to pursue their dreams and over 178 channels to choose from. (Yes, I'm making broad strokes and grossly oversimplifying, but this is a marketing blog... so humor me.)

That takes us to image. How does the brand want to be perceived? How is it perceived? If America’s recent rebranding efforts are any indication, America wants to shed the current market perception for a new “smart-popular-guy-who-is-down-to-earth-enough-to-stick-up-for-drama-kids-and-rap-with-computer-geeks” image. In short: Hip, accepting, smart.

Can the brand pull off this personality shift? Well, the new administration tweets (hip), initiates dialogue with sworn enemies (accepting) and hires one half of Harold and Kumar to work in the White House (smart). So, yes, it can.

Now that we have a promise (of the people, for the people, by the people), a product (democracy) and some brand personality (hip, accepting, smart), it’s time to rally the brainstorming troops here at AMP. After a few sessions, some potential winners surfaced...

America. Putting the U back in the USA.
America. Talk to me, world.
America. Life, liberty and fist-bumps.

Some nail promise but miss on personality. Or vice versa.
But none hit on all points.

Then someone (Hi, Kevin!) came up with this little nugget:
America. Not as _________ as you think.

We tried filling the blank for awhile but soon realized everyone had their own blank-filler, and no one was more right or wrong than the next. Then it hit us: Who are we to fill that blank?

American democracy empowers us to elect our own officials and create our own laws ... arguably the first examples of user-generated content in marketing history.

So why not apply that same spirit to America’s tagline? Why not let people – across the country and the world – fill in the blank for themselves?

A tagline customized of/by/for the people hits the brand promise on the head. And in this YouTube and Twitter-ific age – as consumers take more ownership of brands than ever – this tagline doesn’t just say “hip, smart and accepting”, it lives it, breathes it and gargles with it every morning. And it shows that the brand is changing, or at least trying to change perception, for the better.

The only tweak it needs is a flip from the negative to bring in some of the hope that got our President elected. So Happy B-day, America. Here’s your new tagline:

America. More _________ than you think.

In celebration of the 4th, I’m going with: America. More fireworky than you think.

OK, your turn. It’s your brand, your nation. Give it a tagline. We’d love to hear your take...
Read more!

Friday, June 26, 2009

What is Twitter doing?

by Ally Moehring, Integrated PR Strategist
If only I could tell you in 140 characters or less…

The post Ashton/Oprah effect numbers are in and according to Quantast, Twitter more than tripled in size in the three months between February and May – up from 7 million users in February to nearly 22 million users in the month of May.
While the numbers are overwhelming, what is even more noteworthy is how the demographic continues to change. Much has been said of Twitter being a platform that the Gen Y/College demographic has not adopted, but the latest numbers show that 18 – 34 year-olds are the top age demographic in the space and even 12 – 17 year-olds are slowly starting to dive in (5% of users, up from 1% in February), so Twitter is starting to trend younger – great news for marketers who would like to use Twitter to reach Gen Y. Twitter has also been readily adopted by women and African-Americans; Twitter users are most likely to visit fashion and cosmetics, women’s interest and African-American interest websites, in order of affinity.

While Twitter still has an engagement problem – only 1% of users are addicts and 27% are regulars (compared to Facebook where 12% are addicts, 54% regulars), people are starting to catch on. Twitter has plans to re-design its homepage this month to shift focus away from its purist intended use – a microblogging service allowing you to tell people what you are doing in 140 characters or less - to what its "addict" and "regular" users are really going there for - to follow, whether it's Ashton, Demi, and Perez, or CNN Breaking News, the most active users are taking advantage of how Twitter allows them to interact with people, brands, and media that are otherwise fairly unreachable.

It will be interesting to see if these numbers of addicts and regulars goes up as a result of the homepage re-design in the next reporting period. Ask any addict to “explain” Twitter and you will understand why a re-design is in order - I think we will see more and more people will stick around if done right!
Read more!

Thursday, June 25, 2009

Conversations with Consumers

Intercepts conducted by Kristin Schue and John Taubeneck

Every month we hit the streets to talk to consumers. This month we interviewed 16 individuals between the ages of 22 to 49 years old. Sticking with this month’s theme, we asked about how they are learning about new products, what product samples they have recently received and what influence that sample had on purchase intent, what is their favorite commercial and finally, we asked what exactly they were doing on YouTube. Here is what we heard.

Word of mouth and internet tied as the best way people learn about new products and services, beating out television and magazine advertisements.

“I trust what my friends say about a product much more than an advertisement on TV.” – Karen, 49

Our respondents had received all types of product samples in the last six months, from DVDs to perfume, energy drinks, beauty products, pens and even free underwear! While all respondents admitted to using the free products, many said it wouldn’t influence them to go out and buy the product on their own.

“I got a free energy drink because they were handed out on the street. It was disgusting and I would never buy it. Would I try another energy drink? If it was free, definitely!” –Tara, 42

When asked what the best commercial the consumers had seen lately, many respondent’s response was “The Heineken commercial with the beer closet for the guys and the shoe closet for the girls.”

“I love beer commercials and this one was very creative.” – Ruchir, 24

Respondents use You Tube to watch funny videos that they heard about from friends.

“My friends always send me hilarious videos.” – Alex, 28

Read more!

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Careful With That Axe...

by Angelika Kazakaitis - Planner, Consumer Insights

Retailers are drastically slashing prices to move more products out of stores. Just last year, brands such as Saks Fifth Avenue, Nordstrom, Zale, and Gap were already offering discounts to dig deeper into consumers’ pockets. Pottery Barn even offered discounts up to 75% and the slashing continues.

While sales are appealing to consumers, especially in this economy, brands should be careful about their marketing initiatives. If you start giving away your products consistently at a discounted price, a brand can start to look cheap, and have a hard time overcoming price perception issues in the longer term. There are still ways to offer value without big price cuts.

Source: D'Innocenzio, Anne. "Slashing Prices A Risk for Retailers." Ajc. 4 Sept. 2008. Associated Press. 18 June 2009.
Read more!

Monday, June 22, 2009

Digital Marketing – The One Pool Approach

by Karen Macumber, SVP Media Services
With every step forward we should first take two steps back to see what we’ve learned. So as we look at digital marketing, let’s first take two steps back.

Step one, the start of the internet. As the first websites were being developed a brand new concept was introduced – the idea of a “content pool.” Suddenly one “pool” of content could be sliced and diced and then generated dynamically based on what the reader wanted to see. It was no longer necessary to do flat page layouts. The unique value proposition (UVP) of internet publishing was established – customized dynamic content – and the internet exploded.

Step two, the growth of social media. As web publishing technology became free and easy to use, and broadband became commonplace at home, consumers became web publishers. The definition of “mass media” changed. Wikipedia became the new encyclopedia and YouTube became the newest TV network. The UVP of digital publishing was established – media by the masses for the masses – and digital publishing exploded.


So what have we learned? Once you remove the artificial barriers it becomes easy to establish the UVP for something and then watch it grow. So it stands to reason that if we remove the barriers that currently exist in digital marketing, we should be able to quickly identify the UVP and watch it grow.

Why separate earned from paid media – social from commercial content – or advertising from search? Why can’t we approach digital marketing with one “budget pool” to leverage one “media pool”? That’s the true UVP of digital marketing – one budget and one strategy can cut across all digital media channels to effectively engage your target.

So I challenge you to take this approach. Establish one budget for digital marketing. It doesn’t matter what percentage goes to PR versus search – or how much effort is placed on social media versus display advertising. It is about maximizing the impact of those dollars based on how your target consumes (and publishes) digital content. If they start with search then make sure you have a solid SEO and SEM program (including mobile) in place first and then consider social. If they spend hours on Facebook and Twitter then join the conversation on their terms and then think about advertising. If you are a direct marketer create an affiliate program across the web, mobile and On Demand TV.

In digital marketing, one plus one equals success.
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Friday, June 19, 2009

Fun Facts

by Allison Marsh - Vice President, Consumer Insights
Every month we survey The Pulse, our network of high school and college students.This month we had over 80 responses. Here is what we learned:

Samples, Samples and more Samples
Just about a quarter (24%) of the Millennials we surveyed have received a free sample in the last 6 months. Product samples ranged from tampons to shampoo to energy drinks. An overwhelming 60% of respondents tried the sample and another 15% stated that they plan to try it. Whether or not that trial leads to purchase is still a question that we are trying to uncover, we weren’t able to get a conclusive answer this time around, but our hunch is that it depends on the product category (yes, we know that is a cop out, which is why we are still trying figure out a better answer).

Oh and one more thing... most respondents remember getting their free sample in the mail (see chart below). But that could mean a couple of different things. For example, did they request the sample to be sent to them online? This is yet another thing that we are planning to dive deeper into.



Mobile Coupons and Cell Phone Purchases
As Steve McCall talked about in his post on Monday, mobile shopping is a trend that we have been tracking. We wanted to learn a little bit more about what the digital natives (i.e. high school and college students) think about this trend.

When it comes to mobile coupons awareness levels are low. Just 14% of respondents stated that they had actually heard of mobile coupons and of that group only 9% stated that they have used a mobile coupon. With added support from large retailers, we believe that these numbers will grow. Right now it is still a tactic that is very much in its infancy but one we will continue to watch.

When it comes to mobile purchases, the numbers are slightly higher. 15% of respondents stated that they have used their cell phone handsets to make a purchase. As seen in the chart below ringtones top the list, but interestingly clothes come in second. As comfort levels increase, we expect larger and more frequent purchases to be made with cell phones.



We survey our Pulse Network every month. Let us know if you have any questions you want us to ask, and we’ll be certain to field them.
Read more!

Thursday, June 18, 2009

Virtual Insanity

Will Augmented Reality Be the Next Big Thing?
by Ellis Watts - Manager, Strategic Marketing



Remember that scene in The Empire Strikes Back when Darth Vader cuts off Luke’s hand? That was awesome. But there was another scene in Star Wars where Princess Leia sends Obi Wan Kenobi a holographic distress call. The first time I saw that scene I thought how cool it would be if someday we really had technology like that. Well, we do now…sort of. Meet “augmented reality”.

Augmented reality is a technology that merges the real world with computer-generated data. The augmented reality is displayed on a computer screen that shows the real world captured by camera then overlaid with computer graphics. From there, the user can interact with and manipulate the virtual content that is being displayed on-screen.

Will augmented reality be next big thing? Well, that all depends on how well advertisers can identify meaningful ways to use the technology.

Here are a handful of brands that have developed clever ways to implement augmented reality:

USPS - Virtual Box Simulator



Unsure what size box you need when shipping a package? Fire up the handy Virtual Box Simulator to correctly size the box needed to ship your junk. This is a great application that fits well with the brand and provides a real benefit to customers.

Topps – 3D LIVE



Baseball cards have always sought to appeal to fans beyond the traditional card-collecting experience. In the past we’ve seen jigsaw puzzles, stickers, even brittle pieces of tasteless bubblegum. 3D LIVE brings a mini-game experience to fans that lets them control avatars of their favorite players.

Wikitude



This takes tourism to another level by allowing users to overlay a map and use their mobile device (presently Android mobile platform only) to display points of interest “seen” by the device’s camera.

PS3 - EyePet



Aside from being able to shower your pet in virtual cookies or dress it up to look like Erik Estrada, users have the ability to create objects with which their pet can play. At this point users are limited to a few basic things that they can create, but it opens the possibility for even more customizable interactivity with the medium for future applications and games.

Similar to the viral video phenomenon a while back, this is another innovative messaging vehicle for brands but it must be compelling and provide a real benefit/value to maximize impact. Imagine an application from IKEA that could help you virtually layout new furniture in your living room. What if Target could help students virtually decorate their dorm rooms when they move to college? What about a new sneaker from Nike that you could virtually try on and walk around in? Imagine SONY providing 3D step-by-step instructions to help you setup your new home theater system.

The possibilities are endless; we just need to think outside the virtual box. How can your brand help augment reality?
Read more!

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

@FructisRocks: A Social Media Experiment

by Lizzie Manganiello, Integrated Publicist
What do hippies, hipsters, Garnier Fructis, and Twitter all have in common? Bonnaroo ‘09.

In 140 characters or less, Bonnaroo is: a farm fest ft. 80+ acts. A place where hippies sing along w/ Snoop and hipsters dance to Phish; where cleanliness and clothing are optional.

So how did Garnier Fructis and Twitter fit into all of this? In addition to sponsoring free hair washing at the Bonnaroo salon for the third year in a row, Garnier kicked it up a notch and decided to reach out to Bonnaroo-ers in the Twitterverse on a more personal level, providing them with real-time tweets of what was happening both inside and outside the Fructis salon. (And yes, I’m fully aware that the use of the word Twitterverse validates me as an official Twitter geek. At least I didn’t use “tweeple”…)

Whether it was encouraging them to stop by and pick up some swag, talking about Snoop Dogg’s hair, or meeting up at the late-night Girl Talk set, followers of Garnier’s Twitter page were appreciative of the live on-site updates and personal interaction:

ripsy@FructisRocks Thanks so much for all the love! See ya in '10!

kristinalustig@FructisRocks it was awesome meeting you at 'Roo... I used some of my free stuff today and it works beautifully. :-D

I guess I will have to come check you out because of your personal response. Effective social media marketing!

And while it felt a little like online dating (or what I would imagine online dating to feel like) as people identified themselves by their handle, it was a great way to provide Garnier Fructis’ consumers with a brand interaction unlike anything they’ve experienced before. Having a name and a face they could relate to blurred the line between an experiential marketing campaign and a couple of music enthusiasts bonding over an experience of a lifetime. And the result? Well, you can see for yourself: www.twitter.com/FructisRocks...

“The good, the bad, and the ugly: Garnier Fructis’ Twitter station saw it all!”


Read more!

Monday, June 15, 2009

Influences on Purchase Decisions

by Allison Marsh, Vice President Consumer Insights
Understanding the impact of different marketing tactics is critical – especially today. ROI is something that we talk about daily. However, determining exactly what that impact is, or defining ROI can be a bit of a grey area. For example, take a look at the following chart. We asked consumers how frequently different tactics impact their purchase decision. Over 80% stated that coupons and sampling influence their purchase decisions. These numbers are self-reported behaviors – not actual behaviors. Put differently, these numbers do not correlate with industry benchmarks for things like coupon redemption rates, which ranged between 2.6% and 1.82% in 2007 according to CMS, a promotional logistics company. But isn’t it important to know that consumers believe these tactics influence their purchase decisions? We think so, what do you think?

Read more!

Buy or Cell?

by Steve McCall - Vice President, Strategic Marketing
Imagine a world without wallets, money, cashiers, or anything else slowing you down from buying stuff (read in summer blockbuster movie trailer voice for full dramatic impact). Instead of greenbacks, duckets, dolla dolla bills, wampum, cash money, or your monetary expression of choice, all you will need to pay for your stuff will be your cell phone. I’m not making this up – this is not part of a futuristic Hollywood screenplay where Bruce Willis saves the economy and the world with his cell phone, although that would be AWESOME. Someone somewhere please make this happen. The reality is that with a growing emphasis from brand marketers on shopper marketing tactics, the increasing number of consumers with smart phones (roughly 15% of the cell phone population), and the rise in mobile online shopping in its current format, this day could actually be coming to a store, or theater, near you sooner than you think.

The big picture idea here is that brands will be able to serve you offers directly to your phone via in-store signage using a technology called Near Field Communication, and customize the offers based on your past purchasing history, as well as your location in the store. When you go to purchase the product(s) you will be able to hold your phone up to a scanner at the register to both redeem the branded value offers, as well as pay for your products. Pretty Jetson. And perfect for a generation that has never clipped a coupon.

There are a myriad of things currently happening in the mobile retail space that seem to indicate we could see this in the next few years. The first is the advancement of mobile couponing. A recent study by Juniper Research suggests that by 2013 over 200 million consumers will receive and redeem coupons via their cell phones worldwide. Retailers like Kroger and Stop & Shop have tested in store mobile couponing models, and now ShopRite in conjunction with Unilever are jumping into a test program as well.

The second big evolution is the growing market of mobile shopping. According to a recent Nielsen Mobile poll, approximately 9 million US mobile phone subscribers reported using their handsets to pay for goods or services. Victoria’s Secret is the latest brand to launch a mobile e-commerce site that enables people to “get sexy anywhere”. I guess you never know where or when you need to get sexy, so it seems like a smart, sexy idea. And I know about this only because of all the press they’ve received, I SWEAR.

So the natural evolution of mobile shopping would be paying at retail with your phone. Consumers are already somewhat pre-accustomed to this behavior pattern with the prominence of Speed Pass for gas/convenience stores, and a number of different transit passes, such as EZ Pass, providing contactless payment. Security will certainly be a big hurdle to clear, but consumers eventually got over their fear of ordering stuff online, so I would imagine with some time, great marketing, and maybe Bruce Willis it could happen.


Read more!

There is Such a Thing as a Free Lunch

by Gary Colen, President
Looking for a guaranteed way to get your product in consumers’ hands? Give it away for free.

In the wake of May’s KFC grilled chicken riots, I’ve spent quite a bit of time pondering the tenet of “free” as a promotional strategy. Free has always been (and always will be) a strong tool to excite consumers, but in the wake of continued economic distress, we’ve seen a recent resurgence of “give it away” marketing. Coldplay has announced they'll give a free album to all concert attendees. FedEx recently offered free printing of resumes. Burt’s Bees is giving away 25,000 lip balms to celebrate their 25th Burt Day. Friendly’s is even giving away free ice cream.

We’re seeing free being met with great fanfare and consumer appeal, but does it lead to success? Understanding that success looks different to every brand based on their objectives, when free is executed well (read: strategically), it doesn’t mean free of profit. It means free to succeed.

Let’s take a quick look at two examples from this year of how free was done right and done wrong – Denny’s and KFC.


  • During the Super Bowl, Denny's promoted an offer giving away free Grand Slam breakfasts via a 30 second TV spot. In preparation for the rush, they extended store hours, overstocked on eggs, rallied the staff and ended up feeding roughly two million people. The hard cost: $5 million dollars on food. The amazing news: they broke even less than a month later thanks to day of drink sales and coupon redemptions, and more importantly, they cashed in on nearly $50 million in free advertising and mostly positive reviews!

  • KFC had all the pieces in place to utilize free to create tremendous momentum for their grilled chicken launch: a new product offer, coupons for a free meal and, the ultimate kicker - an endorsement from Oprah. However, KFC underestimated the power of free. Not all their franchises honored their own coupons. Employees weren't trained to handle the demand. They ignored the risks associated with free and were ill-prepared for the response. After two days of lines, and a lack of legs and thighs, all they had to show was negative buzz and disgruntled clientele.

So, what’s the next big idea to harness free? How can we deliver trial and ROI, drive profitability and grow brands without the grilled chicken backlash?

Read more!

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Deciphering the Greek of Sampling Online

by Victoria Shaw - VP, Integrated Public Relations
I rarely make a shopping run to my local Trader Joe's grocery without trying their sample of the day. So last week when they offered me some Greek Tzatziki Sauce paired with my favorite pretzel slims it was a no-brainer. Yes, I bought a tub of it on the spot, devoured it at home and Tzatziki Sauce now owns a permanent spot on my grocery list.

A perfect case in point of a brand using sampling to effectively create trial which in turn drives purchase and eventually advocacy. So what can we learn from Trader Joe's Tzatziki sampling tactic? And how could we even improve it?

The biggest lesson here holds true for all sampling - find your people and get their attention! Seek out those who are pre-qualified and generally inclined to try your product and then be at the right place and right time to capture their interest. Tzatziki worked for me because it was paired with something I purchase already, it met my requirements at the time, and I was in a mind-set to try and purchase new foods.

But what if I hadn’t been in Trader Joe's that day, how could they have connected me to my new favorite Greek sauce? Like many folks, I spend a lot of time online. So is Tzatziki online too? Turns out it is. (Try a quick Google search and you'll find people talking about the sauce on sites and blogs.) This is a good start for getting the word out but not enough to reach a larger group – and it wasn’t enough to reach me.

So how can a brand use the digital space to spread the word and reach even more consumers that fit their target profile? Simply by giving samples out and facilitating conversations!

At its core 'Digital Influencer Sampling' is about finding your people and getting their attention. The people involved in this sampling method are bloggers, posters, contributors and editors. And the best way to get their attention – and this should come as no surprise – is to simply reach out to them. In a nutshell what holds true for offline sampling holds true for online sampling: step one, find your people, step two engage them, and step three give them your goodies for free to encourage trial.

There is a lot of nuance at this point in the discussion that comes into play and ultimately makes the difference between a great digital sampling campaign and an ok one. From selecting your influencers to how you communicate through keeping the conversation alive. And the job of a great agency and smart brand is to properly facilitate all that with the aim at growing relationships past 'hello' and into the stages of brand advocacy.

But once that dialog has begun most 'digital influencers' are like those consumers at Trader Joe's – hungry to engage, try something new and willing to spread the word about what they like. And when all goes well, that small group of Tzatziki fans chatting online will grow into a larger one and soon they'll have reached me and other target consumers like me who are waiting for someone to connect the dots and get something new into their hands to try and fall in love with.
Read more!

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Online Product Sampling?

by Katie Desmond - Senior Producer, Interactive
At first it may seem like an oxymoron; how can a company possibly put an online sample in consumers’ hands? While technically the trial doesn’t occur online, driving consumers to the web to request samples lays the foundation for a much longer consumer engagement than traditional hand-to-hand sampling. Not only does online sampling afford brands a chance to deliver samples, but it also allows brands the ability to capture contact information for future offers and more sampling!

Dove is a great example of a brand doing an excellent job in this space. The process to sign up on their site and request your choice of samples is very easy, and they offer a revolving variety of shampoos, lotions and soaps. They have won me over in the past by giving me the opportunity to try their products, often resulting in my own personal Dove purchase.

Not only is online sampling great for brands, but we see time and time again that consumers love it too. For our LifeStyles client we periodically offer samples and often it takes just 48 hours for us to “sell out” of samples! It’s a great way for consumers to try their products, and at the same time, LifeStyles receives thousands of new email addresses for future marketing initiatives.
Looking for a free sample? Check us out at www.lifestyles.com and sign up for the e-newsletter to get your hands on one of latest offerings from LifeStyles Condoms.

What are your thoughts on sampling? Do you think it is a great investment or a waste of money? What products/brands do you wish you could try? Let us know what you think!
Read more!

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Big Money for Shortcake?

by Adriann Fonstein - Consumer Strategist, Insights
I’ve been a fan of nostalgia marketing for as long as I can remember. Whenever I hear the trend might rise to the top, I spread the word to help make it happen. The other day, I read an article in my daily AdAge email called “Licensors Play to Consumer Nostalgia for Days Gone By.” It’s a long title, but in short, it talked about how licensing properties from years gone by have always been on the table, but no one has really picked them up. The author believes that this year properties like Strawberry Shortcake and a few of her 80’s pals stand a chance against today’s tween-powerhouse properties like Hannah Montana and the Disney Princesses. I optimistically agree with him for two reasons - both are linked to the recession. First, it’s a lot less expensive to license properties that already exist than to create new ones. Two, people need an escape from the scary reality that is today. Remembering cartoons from years that brought economic booms provides a little respite from the declining economy of today.



Will Nerf footballs and lunchboxes with coordinating thermoses be revived? Will this go at nostalgia marketing live beyond the end of these tough economic times? If you don’t think so, hurry up and get your tickets to the new Gidget movie threatening its debut in 2010. I’ll go with you if you’re too embarrassed to ask someone else.

http://adage.com/article?article_id=137063

Read more!

Monday, June 8, 2009

Thankfully It's Not Pay Per Minute...

by Jason Rivera - Director, Consumer Insights

Nielsen Online just shared some stats about the amount of time being spent on top social networking sites. In the US alone in April ‘09, we spent a collective 13.9 billion minutes on Facebook! 13.9 billion!!! That’s a 700% year-over-year increase from last April.

How long is that in conceivable time, you ask?

13,900,000,000 / 60 minutes = 231,666,666 million hours

231,666,666 / 24 hours = 9,652,777 days

9,652,777 days / 365 days = 26,446 years of time spent in just one month

26,446 years ago, Neanderthals and Woolly Mammoths ruled the earth (for real). It’s amazing that humans can pass that much time on one website in one month. What does it mean? Well, there is the old saying of go where your audience is…

Source: http://blog.nielsen.com/nielsenwire/online_mobile/time-spent-on-facebook-up-700-but-myspace-still-tops-for-video/ Read more!