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s.mueller

CTRs no longer decreasing

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CTRs or Click-Through Rates are one of the most commonly used measuring methods to analyze how efficient your online advertisement is. It delivers the exact percentage of users who upon having possibly seen your ad (impressions or also the total number of times the ad has been displayed) and the actual number of users who have in fact clicked on your ad.
For quite a time this this KPI has been declining and on average lay somewhere around 0.09%. That means of a thousand times your ad has been displayed only 0.9 people clicked it. Or in other words, in order to get one click on your ad, you have to display it 10,000 times.
According to a recent study by Media Mind called Standard Banners – Non-Standard Results, the CTR is no longer decreasing but has remained constant at 0.09 %. This is quite a good sign as online display advertising suffers the same phenomenon as advertisement in general does: the more ads we are being confronted with the less time we have for each and thus the less well we perceive them or in this case click on them. Let’s wait and see if 0.09 becomes a golden rule or if there is even room for more.

Here is a graphic from above mentioned study published by emarketer – one of the #1 sources on the web:

Here is the link to above mentioned study: link

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s.mueller

The competition among electric vehicles is just starting…

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Here is a very recent commercial for the Nissan Leaf in U.S. featuring a trained polar bear. Obviously the only trained polar bear available… However, TBWA produced a really nice story dealing with the causes of the climate change which in this case force a polar bear to leave his natural environment. His journey takes him through typical scenes of American landscape (even the inner city) and lastly to a typical U.S. suburb where he finally encounters something he can relate to, something that may not be as truly natural as he is, but that respects nature and helps to preserve it – the Nissan Leaf.

While electric vehicles until today have been luxury goods such as the sporty Tesla Roadster or the little cheaper Prius and Honda Insight, the new EVs will hopefully be more affordable and more efficient. When critical volumes are reached, electric vehicles may even bring in more profit than their gas-powered brethren. It remains open when the final big bang comes and every manufacturer will have his EV on the road. As of today, Opel, Renault, GM, BMW and many more already have promising vehicles in the pipeline. And time is on their side. Day by day, technological advances are being accomplished: better batteries, faster charging, more charging stations, less weight, or completely new concepts such as the E-REVs Opel Ampera or the Chevy Volt.

We may not be able to imagine a world dominated by electric vehicles but the time will come.

And other than hybrids which usually take more gas than high-tech diesel engines, electric vehicles definately consume less.

One thing is for sure: this new segment will require large marketing budgets. Not only because the technologies require explanation. But as Nissan show its not only about tech stuff….

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s.mueller

Bounty Rap: A fresh breeze in the paper towel industry

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How to promote paper towels?

Well advertising arguments usually revolve around the same old „soaks up more“ or „more tear-resistent.“
As boring or common as these products might seem at first glance, they represent an industry of attractive proft margins and increasing sales. In the U.S. the big players are Procter&Gamble, Kimberly-Clark and of Georgia-Pacific. In Europe these players are accompanied by SCA and Meta Tissue. The European market alone accounts to EUR 8.5 bilion and makes up one fourth of the global market for hygene tissues. In Germany the consumption of such tissues sees a strong growth and accounts to a stunning 13kg – not per household but per capita!

In Europe and supposedly in the U.S. too, the market can basically be split up in two segments: the low-priced products and the premium ones. Prices differ greatly. A premium brand such as Bounty or Zewa can easily cost twice as much as a low-priced ALDI or Wal-Mart version (although often the production facilities they come from are the same. Have a look at the ZIP Code!).

While the cheap products sell by the price, the expensive ones have grown into strong brands that need to be cultivated in order to maintain their position and of course survive the strong competition. I personally love paper towels because you can use them for anything and once used you can simply throw them away. Organizations such as the WWF of course see these products critically as the production not only consumes a lot of cellulose but also a lot of water. But for many consumers convenience still plays the bigger role and this explains why sales for the premium brands remain strong.

Back to the commercial. Bounty (by Procter&Gamble) here took the old approach of enumerating the benefits into a new look. No longer showing household scenes and mothers cleaning up after their children, the ad seems to address children directly. Although the scene shows a class-room, the students to me look like in their 20s. Maybe it is rather a college class-room than a school class-room (although the name of the school „Central High School“ is displayed). It could in fact address college freshmen many of whom are now for the first time confronted with having to clean their own dorm themselves. And this is where paper towels come in handy. Which brand to purchse if you never before bought cleaning utensils? Ah wait there was that fun commercial for Bounty! Yes, this is how it works…

Overall I must admit I like the fresh approach and I am sure the campaign will be worth its spendings.

Here is a helpful article by RISI, the leading information provider for the global forest products industry, to get a better insight into the market for paper tissue

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s.mueller

Quelque chose en francais – trouvé par SOM

Voila une presentation par l‘ agence Vanksen qui s’appelle „10 Best Practives en Marketing 2.0 – Conference BuzzTheBrand 2009. J‘ ai choissisez cette presentation parce qu’elle explique très bien le link de une marque forte et le phenomen „Buzz“.

10 Best Practives en Marketing 2.0 – Conference BuzzTheBrand 2009 – Agence Vanksen (Digital/viral/advertising)

View more presentations from Vanksen.
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s.mueller

Ford Spending 25% of Marketing on Digital and Social Media

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Ford goes digital!

Ford Motor Co. this year will spend 25% of its marketing dollars on digital media, more than twice the amount spent by the industry.

Read more at BusinessWeek The Auto Beat

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s.mueller

Want Teens to Notice Your Product Placement? Use the Web

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fastcompany.com:

Teens and college students are skipping or tuning out traditional advertising more and more, minimizing screens or muting the volume. Being able to be part of the content youth consume or even creating branded content is one way brands can make sure their product is seen, and advertisers are spending millions of dollars to ensure that happens. The problem, as our research shows, is that even when teens and college students do notice product placements, it doesn’t necessarily change their feelings about that product.

Product placement aimed at kids and teens is not new. Toy companies began placing their products on children’s TV shows back in the 1950s on programs like Romper Room, you might have noticed the queen bees of Gossip Girl using Verizon phones like the LG Chocolate, the orange EnV, or Motorola Krzr–all part of an integrated deal with the wireless carrier. For many marketers product placement remains a viable way to create brand awareness among young people–but with this generation having been marketed to on multiple screens pretty much since birth, does product placement even work?

The answer is yes, but not in the way marketers are hoping. We found that 72% of teens and 77% of college students notice product placement, and the top three products they notice on television shows are beverages, cell phones, and cars. But only one in seven report that those product placements have any effect on their perception of the brands.

But it turns out there is one „product“ teens and college students say they not only notice but actively pursue: Web sites. 38% of teens and 26% of college students noticed Web sites in a TV show or movie. And 53% of them reported going online to check the site out.

Web sites

So while we don’t have tangible evidence that the products youth notice most are having much of an impact, we do know that getting your Web site featured on a popular TV show or in a film is a great way to drive youth awareness, not to mention traffic. Maybe we’ll start seeing fewer soda cans on TV, and more characters playing a game on the soda maker’s Web site.

About Youth Pulse, Inc.
Ypulse is the leading authority on tweens, teens, collegians, and young adults, providing news, commentary, events, research & strategy. Our integrated platform comprises www.ypulse.com, a daily newsletter, conferences and an online research community: www.surveyu.com.

Here s the link to the article on FastCompany.com:

http://www.fastcompany.com/blog/anastasia-goodstein/youth-pulse/when-using-product-placement-reach-youth-web-sites-stand-out

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s.mueller

Ford focusing on consumer generated advertising (to increase authenticity?)

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The following article has been posted by David Kiley on BusinessWeek’s „The Auto Beat“ and deals with Fords renewed focus on its 2007 „Drive One“ campaign where they invited consumers to try their cars and share their experiences with the rest of the country.

Advertising: Ford Turns Back To Owners To Tell Its Story

Posted by: David Kiley on October 08

Ford Motor Co. is sticking with its “Drive One” ad campaign launched in 2007, but infusing a little more emotion into the effort. But don’t expect to see people gushing on camera about their Ford.

The automaker is at an interesting crossroads. It clearly has momentum in the marketplace after being the only one of the three Detroit automakers to escape Chapter 11 and government bailout in 2009. Sales of Ford cars and trucks have fallen by 21% to 1.058 million units in the first nine months of 2009, but the brand’s market share rose to 13.5% from 12.5%. The Ford brand’s drop was less than the nation’s top-selling Toyota brand’s 26% drop in sales.

But there is a feeling inside the company that, despite the terrible economy and resulting calamity in the auto industry, Ford’s time is now.

For the past year, the company has been focused on pitching very rational messaging: fuel economy, quality, technology like its Sync telematics system. Ford’s top marketing executive Jim Farley says the strategy has been to keep giving the public rational reasons they need to consider, care about and buy a Ford.

As Ford’s own research shows, too few people associate the feelings of “cool” and “savvy” with the purchase of a Ford. It has to change that, and accelerate its efforts, if it is going to fully take advantage of the present weakness of GM, Chrysler and even Toyota.

The slogan, “Drive One,” has been met with a mostly tepid reaction from the public. It ties into CEO Alan Mulally’s mantra that he has driven into the company—“One Ford.” That refers to the idea every employee must embrace that it is one worldwide company and brand, not a portfolio of companies the way it used to be: Ford North America, Ford Europe, Ford Asia-Pacific, Jaguar/Land Rover, Volvo.

But there hasn’t been a lot of blood flowing to the campaign, or the slogan itself.

The new push on “Drive One” includes several interesting pieces. First, the automaker will begin this week running what will eventually become at least 45 15-second ads on TV and the Net which show real people engaging and talking about some aspect of a Ford. These ads will be overlaid the usual packet of 30 and 60 second ads for models, as well as dealer advertising.

The look, energy and voice of these 15 second ads seem just right. Ford has momentum both in sales and perception, and these very honest and engaging ads come off as breathing some new wind into the sails.

The article can be found at: http://www.businessweek.com/autos/autobeat/archives/2009/10/advertising_for.html

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s.mueller

Opel to change its claim – once again…

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Amidst all the confusion about the future of Opel, the marketing experts of Interbrand have been asked to develop a new claim for the shaken automaker Opel. According to today’s article on www.ftd.de, the new claim was inspired by the shirts Opel workers used to wear while protesting for a soon and satisfying concept for Opel. „We live cars“ may see its official debut at the IAA in Frankfurt which will open its gates on September, 17. The new claim is expected to be accompanied by a remake of the Opel Blitz brand mark.

I argue that claims should show the same consistency as the brand as a whole. Too many quick and not well thought of changes weaken a brand’s perception in the eyes of the consumer. In the ideal long-run marketing strategy all is in line: The logo, the claim and the values a product represents. BMW for example has only slightly changed its logo over the years, and for centuries, driving pleasure has remained the central element of any BMW communication. The same consistency can be found in their cars: Whether a 635 CSI, a 2002, or the latest X1, sportiness and pleasure are still central facets of the BMW brand.

To me personally, Opel represents German automobile history. Not in the negative sense. There is still a lot of sympathy for this brand. And in recent times, this has been paired with fair value and decent quality. With the Opel Insignia and the new Astra, asthetic design also returned, and paved the way for a new generation of Opels. Given, there will we one.

As it looks now, GM has discovered that within its corporation Opel is a diamond in the rough that might also lay the foundation for a GM future. But I am convinced many people at Opel are tired of the ignorant and self-aggrandizing GM managers…

The dream: Let Opel take over GM and clean up this American mess of a carmaker.

Link to the cited ftd article:
http://www.ftd.de/unternehmen/industrie/:markenauftritt-opel-mit-neuem-spruch-und-neuem-blitz/50006452.html

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