As everyone catches up on the long list of $3Million ads from Sunday night’s Super Bowl, Twitter is still a buzz with commentary about an ad by Groupon.

The controversial ad focuses on the subject of Tibet and features Timothy Hutton talking about the country’s troubles, while pointing out that consumers can still grab a half price Tibetan fish curry in Chicago via a Groupon daily deal.

The intention of course was to create awareness, but was selecting such a politically sensitive issue and matching it with the best way to grab consumers’ attention?

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Advertising is about showing the right message to the right person at the right time and with the ability of online marketers to track an individual’s buying behaviour, advertising has never been more targeted.

Behavioural targeting uses information collected via web analytics to determine which advertisements to display to which individuals.

Tracking technology provides detailed information on web user’s browsing behaviour, such as their searches, site visits, page views, clicks and purchases, which is then used to increase the effectiveness of marketing campaigns.

The basic premise is that relevance means greater consumer interest and therefore better advertising returns.

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Filed under: Advertising, All, Customer Behaviour, Customer Experience, Internet Marketing, Segmentation, Strategy, Web Analytics Tagged: Advertising, Behavioural Targeting, Internet Marketing, Marketing Strategy, Social Media, Web Analytics ]]> http://melissahow.wordpress.com/2011/02/06/targeting-and-segmentation-in-todays-terms/feed/ 0 Marketing Wise http://melissahow.wordpress.com/2011/02/02/the-top-5-secrets-to-seo-copywriting/ http://melissahow.wordpress.com/2011/02/02/the-top-5-secrets-to-seo-copywriting/#comments Wed, 02 Feb 2011 04:35:02 +0000 MELISSA HOW http://melissahow.wordpress.com/2011/02/02/the-top-5-secrets-to-seo-copywriting/ ]]>

Many marketers mistakenly assume that writing copy for the web follows the same principles as all other communications copywriting. Well BIG no! The copy on your brochures and shareholder reports will not do the trick, and taking the easy road of wacking the copy you have on hand up on your website equals fail.

Customers behave differently online.

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Filed under: All, Copywriting, Internet Marketing, SEO, Websites Tagged: Copywriting, Internet Marketing, Search Engine Marketing, SEO, Website ]]> http://melissahow.wordpress.com/2011/02/02/the-top-5-secrets-to-seo-copywriting/feed/ 0 Marketing Wise http://melissahow.wordpress.com/2011/01/29/the-good-and-bad-of-facebooks-latest-security-features/ http://melissahow.wordpress.com/2011/01/29/the-good-and-bad-of-facebooks-latest-security-features/#comments Fri, 28 Jan 2011 22:46:21 +0000 MELISSA HOW http://melissahow.wordpress.com/2011/01/29/the-good-and-bad-of-facebooks-latest-security-features/ ]]>

To coincide with Data Privacy Day, an international effort by governments, businesses and advocacy groups to raise awareness about the importance of staying in control of personal information, Facebook announced its latest developments to protect users’ online security.

Just one day after Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s Facebook page was hacked, the social network has followed Google’s lead to implement HTTPS protocol, also known as SSL encryption, the most common form of web security. Until now Facebook has only used HTTPS on its login page, where users’ type in their passwords, but the roll out over the next few weeks means that users’ activity will also be encrypted.This post has moved.

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Users of the Philips Sonicare toothbrush were asked to audition for a TV commercial. Customers seeking their 30 seconds of fame raved about their electric toothbrushes unawares of the concealed cameras filming them from the moment they stepped into the studio.

A Facebook page dedicated to “The Philips Sonicare Experiment” has already attracted more than 20,000 fans. Edited films of the fake auditions and behind-the-scenes footage can be viewed on the Facebook page along with other promotional content.

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With Google’s offer of $6 billion to buy social commerce sensation Groupon rejected, the search giant reveals that it has plans to launch a Groupon competitor in an effort to further develop its service for local businesses and boost its already major advertising networks AdWords and AdSense.

It’s a market that Foursquare and Facebook all target, but none of them have figured out the formula like Groupon who has built an impressive array of relationships with thousands of local advertisers in hundreds of metropolitan areas (Mashable).

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One of the biggest challenges marketers face is accountability of the kind that monetises returns from specific channels in finite ways. Most campaigns usually involve multiple media and at the very least a series of touchpoints that lead customers from first impression through to purchase.

The web was somewhat game changing with analytics giving marketers the tools to track customers’ footprints so far as they remained online, though the challenge still remains when it comes to joining the dots between online promotion and offline sales in some fool proof accounting kind of way.

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Filed under: All, eCommerce, Facebook, Foursquare, Internet Marketing, Social Media, Strategy, Web Analytics Tagged: Facebook, Foursquare, Social Commerce, Social Media Marketing ]]> http://melissahow.wordpress.com/2010/11/25/how-social-commerce-connects-the-dots/feed/ 1 Marketing Wise http://melissahow.wordpress.com/2010/11/23/myspace-and-facebook-mashup/ http://melissahow.wordpress.com/2010/11/23/myspace-and-facebook-mashup/#comments Tue, 23 Nov 2010 06:07:37 +0000 MELISSA HOW http://melissahow.wordpress.com/2010/11/23/myspace-and-facebook-mashup/ ]]>

Facebook and MySpace have joined forces in a partnership which allows users to link Facebook content to their MySpace profile.

By linking the two services users can receive customised, entertainment-based updates on MySpace based on their interests, likes and preferences on Facebook.

Named ‘Mashup with Facebook’, the ‘Connect with Facebook’ button appears underneath the sign-in box on MySpace and allows users to log in to their Facebook accounts through their MySpace page.

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Combine PR, SEO, social marketing and branding and you’ve got content marketing.

Content marketing is an effective technique for building and strengthening relationships with customers. By creating and sharing helpful content with your target market you can become more visible on the web, add value to your core offering and in turn build value into your brand.

There are a few rules to consider when venturing into content marketing and the purpose is engagement, so don’t think that spruiking about your products, company or staff Christmas party will get results. It’s all about the interests and needs of your customer not about you.

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Filed under: All, Blogging, Branding, Copywriting, Email Marketing, Public Relations, SEO, Social Media Tagged: Blogging, Content Marketing, PR, SEO, Social Media Marketing ]]> http://melissahow.wordpress.com/2010/11/22/10-steps-to-better-content-marketing/feed/ 1 Marketing Wise http://melissahow.wordpress.com/2010/11/13/the-extraordinary-power-of-one-simple-word/ http://melissahow.wordpress.com/2010/11/13/the-extraordinary-power-of-one-simple-word/#comments Sat, 13 Nov 2010 00:22:19 +0000 MELISSA HOW http://melissahow.wordpress.com/2010/11/13/the-extraordinary-power-of-one-simple-word/ ]]>

A study published in the Journal of Advertising reveals that a sentence containing the word ‘Trust’ in an ad dramatically changes customers perceptions and response.

Researchers found that placing the following statement at the end of an ad for an auto service company caused their scores on specific areas of performance to jump as much as 33%, writes Roger Dooley.
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