eMarketer

Generation X marks a sweet spot

Generation X’ers — Americans between the ages of 32 and 43 — are plugged in and glued to their PCs. They can be a dream target for digital marketers, as long as those marketers understand Gen Xers’ quirks.

According to a December 2008 study from the Pew Internet & American Life Project, 88% of these 83.4 million people use the internet. In August 2008, Forrester Research reported that Gen Xers spent at least 8 hours of personal time online per week.

They are both cost-conscious and interested in niche products sold in a “real” and straightforward way, making online comparison shopping a popular pastime. The BlogHer and Compass Partners “2008 Social Media Study” found that 74% of Gen X female internet users buy products online, while 80% use the Internet to research products and services.

But, researchers say, this demographic is skeptical of traditional advertising.

How can online marketers be heard?

“For Gen X, the internet is a resource,” said Lisa E. Phillips, senior analyst at eMarketer, who focuses on demographics. “Effective marketing is marketing that helps them research. It’s relevant and has a value proposition up front.“

Those of you who are regular readers of The Lunch Pail are aware that we try and pay special attention to good research that is published about the online and direct marketing industry, since direct digital marketing is a natural fusion of the best qualities in both. Good research comes from a variety of sources, and links to eMarketer, Aberdeen, and others appear often in this space to back up assertions about changes in the industry and the growing discontent within the marketing community about the fragmented world of software providers.

Some of the best research published anywhere comes from Forrester Research. The depth and quality of the insight provided by the group of researchers at Forrester is unmatched. That’s why the recent survey findings published by VP and Principal Forrester Analyst Bruce Temkin are alarming, and perfect to review on Christmas Day. His recently published report is entitled, Consumers Expect Poor Service Experiences, and it delves into to the all-important topic of consumer expectations for getting an issue resolved. He examines 10 different industries and the expectation level of consumers in those industries for resolution to a problem.

Apparel could pat itself on the back with the highest ranking customer expectations when it comes to resolving complaints. But, the highest percent of customers – in any industry – only expect their complaint to be heard and resolved 54 percent of the time. Not surprisingly, health insurance policies have the lowest ranking expectations at 30 percent.

On Christmas Day, let’s consider the importance of providing great customer service year-round. Just think, perhaps those service rating indexes could leap a few percentage points!

Found at http://www.enterpriseirregulars.com/8020/five-failure-predictions-for-2010/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

By Michael Krigsman on December 21, 2009

To be continued at http://www.enterpriseirregulars.com/8020/five-failure-predictions-for-2010/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

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December not only means packed shopping mall parking lots and holiday office parties but also the seasonal ritual known as next year predictions. In a year that began with the inauguration of a president who ran a ground-breaking online campaign to social platforms such as Twitter and Facebook, exploding with year-over-year growth numbers, 2009 was quite a year for new media.

As for me, I’m thinking that 2010 will be 2009 on steroids, especially when it comes to search. “Building communities” and “engagement” via Twitter and Facebook were key 2009 buzzwords and activities. But as 2009 is drawing to a close and with this year’s successful launch of Bing and Google’s roll out last week of integrating real-time search into results and Google Goggles, a search by images feature for Android 1.6+ phones,

my prediction is that 2010 will be the year where search is ramped up to an even higher level. SEO budgets in businesses are on target to be bigger next year and I predict we’ll see search become less a function of going to a portal such as Bing or Google, but instead, being built into applications making for a seamless search experience for users. As a consequence, as Facebook pages and Twitter tweets will rise to the top of search results, businesses will need to commit more staff resources and budget into their social media efforts. Having the intern in charge of the Facebook page and Twitter feed will no longer make good business sense.

Here are some predictions from around the new media community:

Geoff Ramsey, eMarketer:

While media dollars have imploded, media consumption will continue to explode.

“Due to increasingly empowered consumers and further advances in technology, look for media to become more:

• Distributed—the same content will pop up in multiple locations, formats and channels.
• Personalized—media will be tailored to reflect what consumers have watched, read, experienced and shared.
• Contextualized—when and where consumers get their information will dictate its content and format, and that, in turn, will shape how they interact with and share it.

Each of these trends will lead to more precise targeting, which will also reinforce trend No. 2, the stagnation of media spending.”

David Armano, Dachis Group (Armano has recently joined the PR firm Edelman)

Mobile becomes a social media lifeline
“With approximately 70 percent of organizations banning social networks and, simultaneously, sales of smartphones on the rise, it’s likely that employees will seek to feed their social media addictions on their mobile devices. What used to be cigarette breaks could turn into “social media breaks” as long as there is a clear signal and IT isn’t looking. As a result, we may see more and/or better mobile versions of our favorite social drug of choice.

Sharing no longer means e-mail
The New York Times iPhone application recently added sharing functionality which allows a user to easily broadcast an article across networks such as Facebook and Twitter. Many websites already support this functionality, but it’s likely that we will see an increase in user behavior as it becomes more mainstream for people to share with networks what they used to do with e-mail lists. And content providers will be all too happy to help them distribute any way they choose.”

Pete Cashmore, Mashable:

Cloud computing

“Cloud computing was very much a buzzword of 2009, but there’s no doubt this transition will continue. The trend, in which data and applications cease to reside on our desktops and instead exist on servers elsewhere (“the cloud”), makes our data accessible from anywhere and enables collaboration with distributed teams.

The cloud movement will see a major leap forward in the first half of 2010 with the launch of “Office Web Apps,” free online versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote released in tandem with Microsoft Office 2010.”

Sarah Rotman and James McQuivey, Forrester Research:

Growing Popularity of eReaders

(As quoted in InventorSpot.com)

“According to Sarah Rotman and James McQuivey, of Forrester Research, eReaders will be another place for app growth. ‘”As anyone with an iPhone knows, apps are where the magic happens: They make the device infinitely more useful.” Rotman and McQuivey said they ‘wouldn’t be surprised to see Amazon launch a Kindle app store, too, including anything from a social-reading app from Goodreads to an enterprise app fro Microsoft or Oracle would make e-readers vastly expand the possibilities for consumers and businesses.”‘

Joel Postman, Social Media Today:

Augmented Reality Applications Will Start to Go Mainstream

“Augmented Reality (AR) is the ability to place computer-generated information, such as text and labels, on top of live real world data, such as video from a smart phone. Most AR applications in 2009 were quaint curiosities designed to demonstrate the AR concept. It took a lot of hacking and ingenuity to make these a reality since most consumer platforms lagged (but not by much) in features (think video finally coming to the iPhone) required for AR.

A few AR applications have been rolled out by progressive marketers and other organizations this year, but 2010 will be the year AR explodes. Expect to see applications from major corporations, municipalities, and institutions of higher learning. Some of the most interesting applications will be outside of marketing and promotion. These might include real time campus maps and guided tours; theme park guides; capital equipment location and inventory; and even applications in which the operator makes computer-based notes on top of realtime images, which would be useful for things like home inspection and insurance claims estimating.”

Forrester Research just published their latest  Interactive Marketing Forecast Report. It looks like the shift that we have all been talking about is moving into full gear this coming year. Read the White paper and survey results to understand the trends behind the numbers.

Click here to download the report:

http://www.omniture.com/offer/702?offer_version=0&cms_site_lang=1&s_cid=26080&&ct=email&cp=acquisition

Research Summary:

Predictions for SEM, Social, Mobile, Video and More! Complimentary White Paper This year marketers are shifting budget from traditional to interactive media, and for good reasons. Forrester Research surveyed marketing executives from firms with more than 200 employees across multiple industries to further explore the circumstances behind the move to interactive marketing. In this white paper, Shar VanBoskirk, Vice President at Forrester Research, explains the factors behind the decline in traditional marketing and shows the reasons why current marketing professionals are investing in interactive marketing efforts. It is predicted that by 2014 interactive marketing will near $55 billion and represent 21% of all marketing spend. Forrester Research examines the effects that the cannibalization of traditional media will have on current advertising budgets, agencies, and publishers.

Download this white paper to see how you can stay ahead of the quick growth of interactive marketing.

http://www.omniture.com/offer/702?offer_version=0&cms_site_lang=1&s_cid=26080&&ct=email&cp=acquisition

Blog Post:  Warren Raisch, Social Media Marketing Success Stories, SEM, Online Marketing Post: December 14, 2009

Forrester Research just published their latest  Interactive Marketing Forecast Report. It looks like the shift that we have all been talking about is moving into full gear this coming year. Read the White paper and survey results to understand the trends behind the numbers.

Click here to download the report:

http://www.omniture.com/offer/702?offer_version=0&cms_site_lang=1&s_cid=26080&&ct=email&cp=acquisition

Research Summary:

Predictions for SEM, Social, Mobile, Video and More! Complimentary White Paper This year marketers are shifting budget from traditional to interactive media, and for good reasons. Forrester Research surveyed marketing executives from firms with more than 200 employees across multiple industries to further explore the circumstances behind the move to interactive marketing. In this white paper, Shar VanBoskirk, Vice President at Forrester Research, explains the factors behind the decline in traditional marketing and shows the reasons why current marketing professionals are investing in interactive marketing efforts. It is predicted that by 2014 interactive marketing will near $55 billion and represent 21% of all marketing spend. Forrester Research examines the effects that the cannibalization of traditional media will have on current advertising budgets, agencies, and publishers.

Download this white paper to see how you can stay ahead of the quick growth of interactive marketing.

http://www.omniture.com/offer/702?offer_version=0&cms_site_lang=1&s_cid=26080&&ct=email&cp=acquisition

Blog Post:  Warren Raisch, Social Media Marketing Success Stories, Interactive Marketing Post: December 14, 2009

Forrester Research Interactive Marketing Predictions

Forrester Research just published their latest  Interactive Marketing Forecast Report. It looks like the shift that we have all been talking about is moving into full gear this coming year. Read the white paper and survey results to understand the trends behind the numbers.

Click here to download the report:

http://www.omniture.com/offer/702?offer_version=0&cms_site_lang=1&s_cid=26080&&ct=email&cp=acquisition

Research Summary:

Predictions for SEM, Social, Mobile, Video and More! Complimentary White Paper This year marketers are shifting budget from traditional to interactive media, and for good reasons. Forrester Research surveyed marketing executives from firms with more than 200 employees across multiple industries to further explore the circumstances behind the move to interactive marketing. In this white paper, Shar VanBoskirk, Vice President at Forrester Research, explains the factors behind the decline in traditional marketing and shows the reasons why current marketing professionals are investing in interactive marketing efforts. It is predicted that by 2014 interactive marketing will near $55 billion and represent 21% of all marketing spend. Forrester Research examines the effects that the cannibalization of traditional media will have on current advertising budgets, agencies, and publishers.

Download this white paper to see how you can stay ahead of the quick growth of interactive marketing.

http://www.omniture.com/offer/702?offer_version=0&cms_site_lang=1&s_cid=26080&&ct=email&cp=acquisition

Blog Post:  Warren Raisch, Social Media Marketing Success Stories, SEM, Online Marketing Post: December 14, 2009

This was in my mailbox this morning, courtesy of the Forrester Blog for Market Research Professionals.

When you regularly have conversations with your colleagues about social media activities, the platforms, and the impact on consumers you might find this ‘Conversation Prism’ graphic useful. Brian Solis and Jesse Thomas of JESS3 built this helpful chart that shows the activities and the networks that make the Social Web.

On December 1, 2009, Forrester Research announced the acquisition of Strategic Oxygen from Monitor. Strategic Oxygen provides marketing professionals with data to help target marketing campaigns more effectively. While of interest to Technology Product Management & Marketing Professionals, it will be a separately-priced offering and not included in that RoleView. 

This acquisition is of little interest to analyst relations (AR) teams as Strategic Oxygen does not track IT or telecommunications markets nor does it advise enterprise technology buyers on products from vendors like Accenture, Cisco, IBM, or SAP.

In a case of bad luck from a publicity point-of-view, Forrester announced the acquisition on the same day that Gartner acquired AMR Research. The Gartner acquisition overshadowed the Forrester announcement, but that does not mean that Forrester’s M&A move is less significant. Rather, it provides important insights into Forrester’s strategy.

The first insight is that M&A continues to be an ongoing tool for Forrester even though it has been quiet on that front since the JupiterResearch acquisition in July 2008. Forrester is sitting on approximately a quarter-billion in cash, cash equivalents, and short term investments. It also generates very good cash flow from operations so it definitely has the resources for an aggressive M&A strategy. Forrester simply takes a conservative approach to M&A to ensure a high level of success.

The second insight is that Forrester continues to look beyond the IT organization. Forrester did not have a significant presence in the IT organization prior to closing its acquisition of Giga in early 2003. The Giga acquisition gave it a substantial footprint in the IT organization, likely making it the number two end user advisory firm after Gartner. While Forrester’s end-user clients provide a steady revenue stream, it has done its recent primary investment in expanding its services for marketing professionals with the acquisitions of JupiterResearch and Strategic Oxygen.

The third insight is that Forrester continues to appreciate the value of data. Because of the leverageable nature of data – create once, sell multiple times – data can be a high margin business. Forrester takes a different approach with its data business in that it does not count boxes like a market research firm.  For example IDC generates IT and telecommunication market share numbers, which are useful primarily to product marketers in technology companies. Forrester, on the other hand, creates numbers that are useful for marketing professionals inside and out of technology.  Their Consumer Technographics is an example.

 A fourth insight is that Forrester is continuing a pricing and packaging approach that pushes á la carte pricing with an increasing number of separately-priced services instead of the basic “all you can eat buffet” approach of the old WholeView model.

Insight number five is that Forrester likes acquisitions that have relatively little overlap with its existing research and services. JupiterResearch was an exception as it did overlap with what Forrester already offered.  However, social media is such a hot topic Forrester acquired JupiterResearch to expand its offerings quickly just to keep up with demand.

The last insight is that Forrester likes acquisitions whose services can be immediately sold through its existing sales channel.  This allows them to quickly monetize the new offerings without extensive sales training.

SageCircle Technique:

• Clients and prospects should evaluate each analyst firm acquisition and new service offering carefully to determine what is the true business value of the incremental service
• Analyst firm M&A activity may change the analyst ecosystem enough to require a review of AR teams list of relevant analysts.  Periodic review of analyst lists is always important, but an acquisition might accelerate the need.

Bottom Line: Members of the analyst ecosystem should plan on Forrester (and other firms) making additional smart acquisitions. Depending on what your role is – competitor, vendor AR, enterprise client – the impact on your plans will be different as Forrester’s moves will affect each group differently.

Question: What do you think of Forrester’s latest acquisition?

You’ve probably heard these terms buzzing about, but what do they mean and how do they apply to you?

First – welcome to Generation Y. Over the next few years the baby boombers generation will be retiring and in their place will fill the new generation in the work place who will be expecting the tools they use at home to be available where they work.  This generation are currently avid users of social media with a large percentage of them acting as content creators.

So, Enterprise 2.0 – what is it?

Enterprise 2.0 makes use of Web 2.0 technologies such as wikis and blogs inside the corporate intranet. Enterprise 2.0 is the concept of using tools and services that employ Web 2.0 techniques such as tagging, ratings, networking, RSS, and sharing in the context of the enterprise. If you look at companies websites you can see corporate blogs inviting consumers to comment and discuss their content.

Enterprise 2.0 tools and services take advantage of social software features such as social bookmarking and linking, tagging, rating, user commenting and discussion, open creation and editing policies, syndication via RSS feeds, and so on. These tools also incorporate sharing and networking to invite and encourage collaboration and contribution.

A report by Forrester Research is predicting that by2013 the enterprise spending on Web 2.0 technologies will result in a market of $4.6 billion – this will be a result of an increase in spend on social networking tools, mashups and RSS – with a high percentage of this money going to the major software vendors.

Enterprise 2.0 and Web 2.0? Huh?

Enterprise 2.0 and Web 2.0 are two different concepts that are build on similar foundations. A great example of this are the evolution of blogs, the excerpt below gives a great overview of how they have shifted from Web 2.0 to Enterprise 2.0

…blogs have been around much longer than the term Web 2.0, they are one of the finest examples of what Web 2.0 is all about. Before blogs, some people published personal Web sites. These were static pages that usually provided biographical information about the owner of the Web site and potentially some photos of his or her family and pets, along with a page containing information on how to be contacted. All of this information is one-way and static. There is no room for interactivity, and as a result, the content becomes dated and useless before long. Once people have seen your photos the first time, they are not likely to feel the need to see them again. If you put new photos on the site, your visitors have no way of knowing you have done so without revisiting the site.

Enter Web 2.0 and blogging. Most popular blogging platforms such as WordPress, Moveable Type, and Blogger allow for the creation of “pages” where you can put biographical information (and easily update it as it becomes outdated) and “posts” where you can write your articles and express your opinions. But blogs are much more than an easy-to-use content management system. Blogs automatically syndicate your content using RSS feeds so that people can “subscribe” to your Web site using an RSS reader and receive timely updates whenever you publish new content. Blogs allow your visitors to comment on your posts, allowing interaction and discussion about the topics at hand. Also, features such as trackbacks and pingbacks notify you when someone has mentioned your blog post on his or her Web site or blog.

The Enterprise 2.0 view of blogging is slightly different. A corporate blog will often be a multi-user blog with multiple authors and contributors, or it will be a platform made up of many different blogs, each individually owned by a different person in the organization. Also, corporate blogging is not so much an extension of any prior concept. Sure, many companies posted bios for their employees on their Web sites in the past, but these were rarely controlled by the employees themselves. Blogging opens the door for employees to express their thoughts on the products and services they are working on and to interact with the community on any new ideas they may have for these products and services.

Web 2.0 is moving fast,  Generation Y consider email as passée, Boston College stopped giving out email addresses to freshmen as they already have well established digital identities before they’ve made it to college.

Moving forward, Enterprise 2.0 will be in the form of products and services that are specifically targeted at businesses. Major vendors such as Microsoft, IBM have and are releasing Enterprise 2.0 platforms and products. Enterprise marketing tools have also expanded to include Web 2.0 technologies. For example, money spent on the creation and syndication of a Facebook app, a web site or social network widget could be considered Enterprise 2.0. However, pure ad spending, including those spent on consumer Web 2.0 sites, will not count as Enterprise 2.0.

I’m not allowed on facebook!

Social networks such as facebook, MySpace, Bebo have taken the world by storm with millions of users across the globe signing up to have a digital presence.  These networks are the essence of what Web 2.0 is all about but many companies/organisations look at these as a time waster, distracting employees from their 9-5 job and have resulted in banning access to them whilst in the work place.  Although in part this may be correct, they’re over looking an important aspect of  them…..connecting.

These sites allow people to connect to others, build networks of friends, colleagues, clients, prospects and other companies – any of which could lead to a potential sales lead. Potential loss of productivity is still high though, so along came business social networks such as LinkedIn and PairUp. A LinkedIn profile is much like a CV, detailing employment history and allowing others to recommend you in the style of a referal.  One of it’s most important roles is recruitment. Hiring new staff can be time consuming and expensive, LinkedIn allows you to get in touch with the right people.

Enterprise 2.0 has been slow to grow because companies have been afraid that’s its just another fad that would die out as quickly as it came on-board.  New companies have and will grow from Enterprise 2.0 and Web 2.0 but only time will tell to see how long these will last but Enterprise 2.0 will be making its way rapidly into the business market now that the major software vendors are offering technologies for for an Enterpirse 2.0 work space.

What’s your experience of Enterprise 2.0? Can  you see movements within your company?

Ever suffer from “wrap rage”?  You know, you get the item you ordered online and it takes a toolbox and Herculean effort to open the clamshell package.  The wire ties stab your fingers and the thousands of yards of tape could have held the space shuttle together.

Well, Amazon has solved the problem for Moms.  They introduced Frustration-Free Packaging for this holiday season.  And have won a place in Mom’s hearts by focusing on the things that are important to us.

Marketers that pay attention to detail are always important to Moms.  We care about reusable bags, limited packaging, environmentally safe products, kid-safe products and social responsibility.  And marketers are rewarded for their efforts by Mom loyalty.

For the 2009 holiday season, Amazon is likely to benefit from positive online shopping trends. Forrester Research estimates that online retail sales during the holiday shopping season in the U.S. will reach $45 billion, up 8 percent from a year ago. During the 2008 season, online retail sales grew 5 percent, despite the recession. The National Retail Federation is forecasting a 1 percent decline in overall holiday sales.

While online sales are still less than 5 percent of overall retail sales, online is growing fast.  And much of the growth can be attributed to improvements in the online shopping experience.

And here is where Amazon shines.  The customer experience is so superior to other retailers.  The things that Moms appreciate include:

• Easy check out with one-click shopping
• Recommendations
• Previews of books and music
• Same Day Shipping in some cities
• Competitive pricing
• Wish Lists (my daughter’s personal favorite)
• And now Frustration-Free Packaging!

Oh, by the way, Amazon is America’s largest online retailer.  Fifty-one percent of all Amazon customers are female and 37 percent of customers have children under age 18 in the home.

Oh no, oh yeah: Consumers Expect Poor Customer Service says Forrester http://ping.fm/Ixohn

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In a recent post about the Social Media revolution in the always interesting blog by Brian Solis, we are introduced to this concept of “distributed participation”. The post echoes the results of a Forrester Research study about the use of social technologies in 2009. Not surprisingly the growth of usage is not stopping with only 18% of US adults not taking part in the social game.

Taken from www.briansolis.com

But the real interest lies in the qualitative conclusion that “now is the time to build social marketing applications and that Interactive marketers should influence social network chatter, master social communication, and develop social assets – even if their customers are older”. That’s distributed participation.

As Solis states, it’s about strategic engagement focused on listening and research. We have to listen to the conversations because they take place even if we don’t listen or take part. “We are either part of or absent from the decision making process”.

In the PR world we have always prouded ourselves for “knowing” the media. We should embrace, engage and take part in the new media because it will empower our services, our capabilities and our results.

On 18 Nov, I joined more than 600 other publishing peers for an Aptara webinar on “eBook Readers and Standards…Where to Now?” The presentation looked at the rapidly unfolding eBook market, and how publishers are struggling to adapt as competitive and consumer pressures demand that their titles be compatible with the multitude of new eBook applications and eReaders coming to market. For those working on the development of a successful eBook production strategy, this presentation gave a clear position on where the market is today and will be tomorrow.

The presenters were Sarah Rotman Epps, Forrester Research’s eBook Market Analyst, and Michael Smith, Director of the International Digital Publishing Forum (IDPF), which manages the EPUB standard. Here are some highlights:

From Sarah Rotman Epps on a Forrester Research survey completed in the third quarter 2009:

• Q2 2008, 37% had never heard of an electronic book device; in Q3 2009, that number dropped to 17%
• US eReader outlook:
  • Sell-through of 3 million units in 2009
    • Amazon 60%
    • Sony 35%
    • Others less than 5%
  • 40% of 2009 sales (1.2M) in Q4, with 900,000 in November/December holiday season
  • A conservative estimate for 2010 would be for sales to increase from 6M (2009) to 10M units
• What’s coming in 2010:
  • First eReaders not using E Ink screens
  • New screen sizes, color, and non-E Ink video
  • New category-bending devices: dual screens, web tablets, smartphones better optimized for reading
  • More competition: B&N, others
  • Global growth
  • 2007 is to eReaders what 2001 was to MP3 players
• US consumers:
  • 3% now use their desktop computer to reader eBooks
  • 2% use their laptop computer
  • 1% use an eReader device, such as a Kindle or Sony Reader
  • 1% use a netbook
  • 1% use a mobile phone or PDA
• Of consumers who say they are interested in eBooks, the value they saw included:
  • Take up less space: 54%
  • Can access multiple books on the go: 47%
  • Can adjust text size: 37%
  • Better for the environment than print books: 37%
  • Can read in dark/low light: 37%
  • Cheaper than print books: 35%
  • Easy to search: 26%
  • Easy to look up a word in a dictionary: 22%
• When asked how interested they would be in reading different forms of media on an eBook reader, consumers who were very interested replied:
  • Books: 29%
  • Magazines: 15%
  • Newspapers: 14%
  • Textbooks: 11%
  • Wikipedia: 9%
  • Comics: 7%
  • Blogs: 4%
• What should book publishers take away from the survey:
  • Stay “device agnostic”
  • The features that matter when it comes to content:
    • Ability to reflow content and look good on any device
    • Ability to sync up content across multiple devices
    • Ability to share content with a friend
• What will eBooks mean for a publisher’s bottom line?
  • Expect small revenues from any one channel, but expect growth over time across devices
  • Could be incremental, but much will be replacement
    • Plan for a smaller business
    • But potentially still a profitable one as you cut back print operations over time
  • New opportunities
    • Subscriptions
    • Incremental content sales
    • Advertising

From Michael Smith’s presentation:

• Industry predictions:
  • Continued growth of eBooks and eReaders as they become more mainstream
  • Younger generations (digital natives) begin to read electronically for pleasure
  • Hockey stick sales growth: 2010-2011
• eBook wholesale numbers:
  • 2009: $109,900,000 (Q1-Q3)
  • 2008: $53,500,000
  • 2007: $31,800,000
  • 2006: $20,000,000
• eBook formats: What’s right for your content?
  • Final form content vs. digital reflowable text
    • PDF vs. EPUB
  • How will content be consumed?
    • Web
    • Mobile
    • E Ink Display
• Current standards landscape
  • EPUB is an open and non-proprietary standard
    • Key to healthy eBook ecosystem
    • PDF is an ISO Standard
    • DAISY, ONIX, ISBN, XML, XHTML, CSS all important
  • Others promoting non-EPUB formats
• What’s pivotal to pervasive EPUB adoption?
  • Publisher adoption — Critical mass of content
  • Consumer adoption — EPUB prefect for small screen apps
  • Continuous evolution and improvements — EPUB Maintenance Working Group + EPUB 3.0
• Future of EPUB — Not a matter of “if,” but how fast it will become the dominant format/preferred standard
  • Continued worldwide adoption of EPUB with strong push throughout Europe, China and Japan
  • Move from primarily trade titles into Science/Technology/Math and then Higher-Ed
  • Continued growth in Library markets
  • Adoption of EPUB format to be a factor in rise of accessible titles available for Print Disabled community

In the US, 25% of internet audience (50 millions) passes through a shopping engine.
Close to 75 % of traffic goes to the TOP 7 websites.

If you’re looking to increase your ROI, this research identifies key insights that will sharpen your marketing decisions.

Throughout the presentation, Matthieu Dejardins explored the following questions/points:
- Why shopping engines?
- Who are the Comparison sites users?
- Shopping engines challenges
- Pre-launch checklist & what does it takes?
- Top 10 Data Feed Optimization Tips
- Vertical Segment for search engines
- Which CSE? Amazon & bing opportunities
- Which results to expect?

Forrester’s Sean Corcoran asks this rather existential question of us all:

“The agency model was built during a time when there were only a handful of channels in which they could push one way messages en masse. Does that model still work in a time when nearly a quarter of online US adults now create content online? Many more questions begin to arise as we open Pandora’s Box: Can one agency do it all? Are holding companies the answer? Can digital agencies compete with them and lead brands? Do marketers rely on agencies like they used to? Should marketers consolidate their agencies or de-centralize to dozens of agency partners? Are technology providers and crowd sourcing legitimate threats? Where is this all going?

via The Future of Agencies: What Do You Think?

Where to start? Well, probably with the caveat that while everyone has an opinion and best guess on where things are going, no one knows for sure. What some people predict as being a revolution may turn into the status quo – after all, Forrester says that:

64% of marketers continue to allocate budgets across marketing disciplines based on historical spending

So this is just that, my best guess.

Secondly, the question seems to focus on the rise of the digital agency and presumes that “online” in general, and social media specifically, will impact on the client-agency dynamic. Just a note to say that while digital, online and social are all increasing in importance, we need to remember that we are not going to be recommending an online campaign for the sake of it (remember my “Foundation of all exceptional marketing programmes” post on the need to match the tactics to the audience).

However, if this new discipline of social media, which we have all embraced so heartily is to drive change, here’s what I see happening. Hint: it’s about integration.

No one marketing discipline has the right to “own” social media with the client. There are too many smart people working in the agency world for that to happen – and all of us can bring something new to the table. Strategic planners can derive great insight from the target which can feed into the overarching creative concepts. Advertising can bring scale to the campaign, reaching many with a large funnel, driven by insight. Media planners can ensure the right message gets to the right people through the right, and appropriate channels. Public Relations can support the core message and earn media which earns the consumer’s trust. Digital agencies can build sophisticated communities or destinations to aggregate, enhance and ignite conversations. Direct marketing can ensure no one gets left behind and provide online/offline integration. Point of Sale can reinforce messages to the consumer AND draw them into the funnel.

Even social media agencies/practices like com.motion can bring something to the table in the form of enabling and adding to the insight that drives the campaign. We can represent the end user by feeding in strategic recommendations and tactical executions which we know will tesellate with their interests and habits. We can manage the community and bring continuity to the micro-interactions stakeholders have with organizations online. We can earn online media from a rapidly fragmenting pool of key influencers

Yes, social media specialists have a role in social media marketing

So that’s it. Same same but different. The rise of social media and digital marketing means that we now have another channel to collaborate on and around with our agency partners. For the brand or marketing manager, it means that incumbent agencies should clear some room for one more seat at the table – if appropriate for the communications goals, objectives and strategy. This is a good thing. The more smart, passionate people who can contribute (constructively) to a campaign, the better.

It also means there is another, more important role up for grabs, transcending the digital/social media debate. It means there is a role for a marketing integrator to oversee how the supporting agencies collaborate.

What do you think? Where do you think the agency is going?

Funciona, é claro. Eu mesmo, jogando Need For Speed Undercover tive mais certeza ainda que nasci para ter um Mustang.

Daniel Pinheiro

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É bem mais que diversão

Cada vez mais empresas investem nos jogos online para se aproximar de seus consumidores — e, com isso, fortalecer a própria marca

Por Lucas Amorim | 12.11.2009 | 00h01

Fonte: EXAME

No dia 23 de agosto, no exato momento em que a seleção brasileira feminina de vôlei conquistava, no Japão, seu décimo título mundial no tradicional torneio Grand Prix, as jogadoras do time eram transformadas em personagens de jogo de videogame. Na sede da Olympikus, localizada na cidade gaúcha de Parobé, as atletas habitualmente simpáticas e bem-humoradas, ganharam traços rústicos e cara de poucos amigos. Batizado de Super Vôlei Brasil, o jogo está desde então disponível de graça na internet — e já atraiu mais de 2 milhões de visitantes. Cada partida, que pode reunir até 12 jogadores ao mesmo tempo, dura em média 20 minutos — ou 40 vezes o tempo de um comercial na TV. “Os jogos são mais do que simples diversão. Eles proporcionam uma exposição muito maior da marca aos amantes do esporte”, diz Marcio Callage, gerente de marketing da Olympikus, fabricante de artigos esportivos do grupo Azaleia e principal patrocinadora da seleção brasileira de voleibol feminino. “Já estamos trabalhando numa nova versão para o ano que vem.”

Assim como a Olympikus, empresas como Unilever, Grendene e Procter& Gamble têm trabalhado no desenvolvimento de jogos online para reforçar o apelo de suas marcas junto aos consumidores. A estratégia pode ser explicada pela necessidade de ganhar relevância entre um público jovem, cada vez menos exposto à mídia de massa. Nesse sentido, os games despontam como uma oportunidade nova — e lúdica — de contar histórias, apresentar produtos e forjar um relacionamento único entre as empresas e seus consumidores. Recentemente, a fabricante gaúcha de calçados infantis Bibi adotou os jogos como forma de comunicação. Em outubro, relançou o “skatenis”, tênis com rodinhas no solado que havia feito um enorme sucesso entre a garotada em 2006. Para utilizá-lo, é necessário que as crianças vistam equipamentos de segurança e evitem descer ladeiras ou escadas. O problema é que explicar tudo isso no curto intervalo de um comercial de TV é quase impraticável. Em outubro, os executivos da Bibi lançaram um jogo com o produto no site YouTube. Pelo plano original, o joguinho deveria aumentar as vendas de Natal, mas o retorno veio antes. “Vendemos 30 000 pares em um mês, sem nenhum outro tipo de publicidade”, diz Camila Kohlrausch, diretora de marketing.

Uma das pioneiras no uso de games foi a Burger King. Em 2006, a rede de lanchonetes lançou nos Estados Unidos três joguinhos para o videogame Xbox, vendidos a 3,99 dólares cada um numa promoção com os sanduíches. Em apenas três meses o Burger King vendeu 3,5 milhões de lanches e seu faturamento aumentou 41%. Desde então, outras companhias em todo o mundo vêm usando estratégias semelhantes — ainda que com resultados menos expressivos. A fabricante de energéticos austríaca Red Bull, por exemplo, lançou em agosto um jogo de motocross para o iPhone. O aplicativo já foi baixado 630 000 vezes, o que o torna um dos games mais populares entre os usuários do celular. Em sua incursão mais recente pelo mundo virtual, a Red Bull trouxe para o computador competições como corridas de avião, patinação no gelo e campeonatos de carros fabricados no fundo do quintal. “A Red Bull quer que sua marca seja referência em esportes radicais, mesmo que o internauta nem precise sair de casa para perceber isso”, diz Israel Mendes, diretor de criação da Aquiris, uma das maiores empresas de games do Brasil.

Embora pareça relativamente simples (o número de empresas especializadas nesse tipo de programa cresce a cada dia), desenvolver um jogo que transmita alguns dos principais atributos de uma marca exige um cuidado quase obsessivo com os detalhes. Entender o público-alvo é crucial. “Não pega bem, por exemplo, desenvolver um jogo da memória para um grupo de executivos de alto nível”, diz Tiago Ritter, sócio da W3Hauss, empresa por trás do projeto da Bibi. Além disso, é preciso encontrar o ponto de equilíbrio entre a qualidade do jogo e a apresentação da marca. Não adianta criar um game simplesmente divertido se ele não contribuir para melhorar a imagem da empresa. “A brincadeira tem de ser envolvente, mas deve ter conexão com o negócio. Do contrário, as chances de sucesso serão mínimas”, diz Fernanda Jesus, sócia da Gringo, uma das pioneiras no desenvolvimento desses jogos no Brasil. Os responsáveis pela marca de desodorantes Axe, da Unilever, entenderam como poucos esse raciocínio. De 2008 para cá, criaram três jogos. O mais recente, batizado de Get Them Back (“Tragam-nas de volta”, em português), foi lançado em setembro. O objetivo lúdico do jogo é recuperar mulheres supostamente perdidas para um astro da música. O objetivo comercial é fazer parte de uma campanha publicitária que inclui anúncios de TV. Para tornar a história mais verídica, o vilão ganhou um perfil no site de relacionamento MySpace. “Em dois meses, o jogo deve atrair 250 000 pessoas”, diz Guilherme Mortensen, gerente da marca Axe.

Apesar de todo o frenesi criado em torno dos joguinhos, ainda é muito difícil — para não dizer impossível — medir o retorno que eles trazem para a empresa, tanto em termos financeiros quanto em benefício para a marca. Embora o custo de desenvolvimento desses games seja relativamente baixo — cerca de 600 000 reais — , esses aplicativos normalmente servem de apoio a uma campanha mais ampla, ancorada em veículos tradicionais. “Não dá para desvincular as duas coisas”, diz o americano TJ Keitt, analista da consultoria Forrester Research, especializada em internet. “Como se trata de algo muito novo, os efeitos só vão aparecer no longo prazo.” Se medir o sucesso de uma iniciativa dessas é algo complicado, o fracasso, por sua vez, costuma ser cristalino — e imediato. Em outubro de 2007, a Toyota lançou um jogo de corrida para o Xbox 360 para promover seu novo carro, o Yaris. A recepção em blogs e outras comunidades virtuais foi tão ruim (os usuários reclamavam que os comandos não funcionavam direito) que a montadora retirou o jogo do mercado apenas um ano mais tarde — o carro, por outro lado, foi sucesso de vendas. Para especialistas, apesar dos riscos, o potencial de crescimento dos games é enorme. Segundo a consultoria americana NDP, 11% das grandes companhias já incluem esse tipo de passatempo na estratégia de marketing — ávidas por conquistar os 72% de consumidores que costumam brincar com jogos online. A fase da brincadeira, definitivamente, ficou para trás.

Tenemos el placer de presentaros el próximo día 25 de noviembre un evento de lo más interesante y gratuito, se trata del “Mobile Marketing, a strategic imperative” organizado por Forrester Research, la asociación Mobile Marketing Association y Telefónica.

El evento tendrá lugar de 10 a 13h en las instalaciones de Venue en Telefónica, Distrito C – Edificio Central C/ Ronda de la Comunicación s/n 28050 Madrid

La agenda del evento es la siguiente:

10:00-10:30 Café y networking (tiempo antes de la presentación).

10:30-11:15 Forrester Research: Senior Analyst Thomas Husson, Making the Most of Mobile Now and in the Coming Years

11:15-11:45 MMA: Salvador Carrillo, Presidente de Mobile Marketing Association de España y CEO de Mobile Dreams Factory, El marketing y la publicidad móvil en España. Situación actual y perspectivas de futuro

11:45-12:00 Espacio para Networking

12:00-12:30 Invitado especial: Enrique Burgos, Director of Relationship Marketing en UNIDAD EDITORIAL, El móvil como herramienta de fidelización de clientes

12:30-1:00 Telefónica: Susana Rodríguez Urgel, On-Line Channels and Mobile Commerce Manager, Mobile Marketing: una REALIDAD para Telefónica

¡Regístrate desde aquí!

Cómo llegar al evento en transporte Público

You read the headline correctly; Forrester and Gartner should never be considered Tier 1. Yes, yes, Gartner is the industry behemoth and Forrester is likely the number two firm for enterprise end users, but that does not make them automatically Tier 1 for the purpose of creating a ranked and tiered analyst list. 

In the analyst list methodology that SageCircle has developed, analyst firms should not be given an automatic “tier” because what should be ranked is analysts, not firms. Ranking should be done based on a set of criteria (e.g., industry visibility, research coverage, client base, and so on) related to the vendor’s and AR team’s objectives. After a ranked list is created, then AR draws lines on the list to split the list into groups (e.g., Tier 1, 2 and 3, or strategic, important, and secondary or whatever you want to call them) that will define the types the service level (e.g., 1-to-1, 1-to-many or none-to-many responses) the AR team will give each analyst on the list. Tiers and service levels are created based on AR resources (i.e., the bigger the AR team the more Tier 1 analysts can be supported). While the characteristics of the firm will contribute to the data for ranking, merely working at Forrester or Gartner should never guarantee an analyst that they will have Tier 1 status.

SageCircle strategists frequently see analyst relations (AR) teams give Tier 1 status to analysts of the Big Two, even if their true relevance should place them much farther down on the ranked list. This can lead to AR misallocating resources by putting too much emphasis on some analysts while not having sufficient resources to brief or respond to other analysts. Remember, depending on the market and the analysts, a single practitioner or boutique can have just as much influence as the Big Two.

SageCircle Technique:

• Develop (or use SageCircle’s) analyst list management methodology that uses a mix of weighted criteria
• Work with your internal stakeholders to set the criteria and weights as well as obtain buy-in for the final ranked list
• Set service levels based on AR resources
• Be disciplined – but diplomatic – about adhering to service levels even when you are directly contacted by lower ranked analysts

Bottom Line: Few if any AR teams have the unlimited resources required to support every request from every analyst. AR needs to develop a methodology for ranking analysts based on relevance to the company’s objectives. Then AR needs to split the ranked list into groups with the sizes of the groups based on the resources AR has available. Finally, AR needs to ensure that its internal stakeholders are in agreement with the ranking methodology and service level framework so that AR will not have problems adhering to the service levels when an analyst calls an executive to complain about their treatment.

Question: AR – How do you rank and tier your analyst list?

Online business optimization firm Omniture commissioned Forrester consulting to research the current state of online marketing and its measurement. The study evaluated how well marketers were maturing their approach to online marketing.

What is their approach to online programs? What skills are marketing executives prioritizing now and in five years? What challenges inhibit further advancement? And what technologies, if any, do they rely on to help with online marketing management?

Download NOW: http://www.cmo.com/sites/default/files/OmnitureTLP_FINAL_8_3_09.pdf

General News

Analyst Twitter Directory – On November 5 and 7, SageCircle added a total 70 analysts to the directory and changed the entries of seven.

Forrester Research has released its 10Q for 3rd Quarter 2009. There will be an analysis by SageCircle on Monday, November 9th.

People on the Move

CMS Watch – Apoorv Durga (Twitter, blog) joined covering portals and content management.

Forrester – Natalie Lambert (Twitter) departs to join Citrix.

Gilbane Group – Ted Treanor (Twitter) joined covering digital publishing strategies.

Send SageCircle Your News Tips

Are you or people you know on the move? Are there changes at an analyst firm to follow? Please let us know and we’ll post the news in future editions of Analyst Ecosystem Update. Send the information to info [at] sagecircle dot com.

The holiday season must be just around the corner. At least I hope it is… or that snow outside my office window is a huge bummer. But, while the weather is getting colder, the economy appears is in the beginning stages of a thaw. However, according to some industry analysts, the impact of a thaw may not be felt in time for the fast-approaching holiday season. Despite some cautious forecasts there is reason for guarded optimism in the online retail world.

First, some perspective. Last holiday season overall retail sales declined 2.4 percent. Despite the negativity of last holiday season some retailers, like Macy’s and other leading department stores, are already adjusting earnings forecasts upward.

The news of upticks in some earnings forecasts was followed closely by the forecast from the National Retail Federation (NRF). The NRF predicts that overall holiday retail sales will decline by roughly one percent this year.

But, there is good news as of November 3, 2009.

When considering only the online retail sector, Forrester Research is forecasting an eight percent increase. According to the report, online retail remains a bastion of hope for the economy and the retail industry as a whole. The eight percent forecasted growth is higher than last year’s actual growth of five percent. In the online retail world, the economy has thawed and consumers are spending.

Part of the explanation for the growth from some analysts is a solid percentage of incumbent online shoppers shifting more time and resources to online spending. A recent study from the e-tailing group proves the shift. According to the study, in 2008 44 percent of holiday purchases came from brick-and-mortar stores while 49 percent of holiday purchases were online. It was the first time the Web had ever been responsible for a larger percentage of sales than traditional channels.

With forecasts for online retailing increased this holiday season, and the growth forecasts of the online retail sector only getting better, marketers must ensure all of the necessary tools for direct digital marketing are in place to maximize the increasing value of the online channel. As consumers willingly adopt new technologies in the name of added convenience, marketers must be properly positioned to leverage addressable channels. Great direct digital marketing campaign execution this holiday season will make an already strong sales performance stronger.

“Progressive Targeting Boosts Lord & Taylor’s ROI” (MediaPost)

Rocket Fuel has partnered with Morpheus Media to drive sales, loyalty and brand engagement for Lord & Taylor. The fledgling hybrid ad network that launched earlier this year helped to triple the retailer’s campaign goals from the first to the second for online sales of women’s fashion, apparel and accessories by analyzing behavior, social, contextual and search data.

“Study Predicts Online Holiday Sales Boost” (WWD)

A Forrester Research Inc. report predicted Monday that online retail sales in all categories except travel will reach $44.7 billion during November and December, an increase of 8 percent over 2008. “Despite the lingering effects of the global financial crisis, the online space remains the retail industry’s growth engine,” the report said.

“Luxury Goods Maker Gets Creative in Hard Times” (Khaleej Times)

For the Philippe Charriol Group, a Swiss jewellery and leather goods maker, the economic downturn has prompted a return to basics — and an eagerness to innovate. Pummeled by a worldwide decline in sales of at least 30 percent, the family-owned firm has started to offer its customers products that are both cheaper and more traditional in design, said Philippe Charriol, its founder and president.

“Lincoln Center Names Fashion Week Director” (WWD)

Lincoln Center, which will host Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week starting in September, has named Stephanie Winston Wolkoff as director, fashion week. Winston Wolkoff, who previously was Vogue’s director of special events, will start Jan. 1. Beginning with the spring 2011 collections, Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week will relocate from Bryant Park to Damrosch Park at Lincoln Center.

Image Source: http://students.ou.edu

We here at Inovis are pleased to announce that we have been cited as a “Leader” in the B2B Service Providers category in the most recent edition of “The Forrester Wave™.”

Forrester Research made their selections of key B2B service providers based on product fit, customer success, Forrester client demand, and also according to rankings of 85 criteria across current offering, strategy and marketing presence categories. Based on these scores, Forrester selected 12 B2B providers from a market of more than 50 vendors.

Inovis was cited as a Leader overall and received the highest score in the current offering category. The report’s criteria focused on vendor capabilities in networking services, communication services, community management customer support, disaster recovery, delivery alternatives, managed services, hosted support for application integration, process integration and the availability of integrated managed file transfer (MFT).

For more information on Forrester Wave’s selection of Inovis as a leader in the B2B Service Providers category, you may view the press release here.