More daylight = more earthly ads
Daylight savings time happened this past weekend. And while we’re still getting used to waking up an hour earlier, we’re certainly enjoying the longer hours of sun. As spring nears, we expect to see a surge of earth-related advertising. Here are just a few that have already popped up:
- PBS will premiere it’s full length documentary, “Earth Days,” on Facebook.
- TWBA Brussels has made a very cozy video ad aimed toward making natural gas seem warm and fuzzy.
- Airfree Air Purifiers, via their Dubai based agency, has produced a beautiful print ad composed of the prettiest germs I’ve ever seen.
Add comment March 16, 2010
Doing display banners right
This blog has frequently dinged display banners for:
1. Lacking any meaningful functionality which encourages user interaction.
2. Being a lazy leap from the display banner ads of old.
3. Being sold on a pricing model that doesn’t deliver meaningful returns for advertisers.
The Intel ad today in the New York Times gets two of three right. In a clear and concise way, it places Intel’s new products against a rich history of innovation. Go ahead and check it out.
Add comment March 15, 2010
How Ford Got Social Marketing Right
How the times change. A year ago, we were praising Japanese car makers with being able to cure every problem in the world – from the energy crisis to the common cold. And that perception has changed faster than a Toyota vehicle tailgating you in your rearview mirror.
And now its is the American car company Ford that seems to be rejuvenating the spirit of innovation that at at deeper level, we used to (and would still like to) associate with the car industry.
Ringing out the old
An incisive article by Grant McCracken on how Ford got social marketing right. The automaker engaged culturally sensitive consumers to unleash a force that bounced back with exponetially greater goodwill for the brand.
To quote from the article:
The digital space is an economy after all. People are creating, exchanging and capturing value, as they would in any marketplace. But this is a gift economy, where the transactions are shot through with cultural content and creation. In a gift economy, value tends to move not in little “tit for tat” transactions, but in long loops, moving between consumers before returning, augmented, to the corporation. In this case, adventures inspired by Undercurrent and Ford return as meaning for the brand and value for the corporation.
Add comment March 12, 2010
Freedom from paper coupons?
As if the ability to scan a barcode from your mobile device and board a plane isn’t enough. Target recently announced mobile coupons that are scanned right from your cellphone screen at the time of purchase and work on any phone with a web browser. They’re not the first to liberate consumers from having to remember to bring the coupons they printed or clipped to the actual store (I can’t count the number of times I’ve forgotten to bring my 10% Bed Bath and Beyond coupon with me) – but they are the biggest retailer to date to offer such robust mobile coupon capabilities.
Here’s how it works:
1. You sign up to receive SMS from Target by either going to http://m.target.com or by texting COUPONS to 827438 (TARGET)
2. Once a month, you get a text message with a link to multiple offers.
3. You bring your phone to the register and get your coupon scanned.
It sounds pretty straightforward. The media has, of course, pointed out a few shortcomings: the offers aren’t customized, and they don’t appear when you’re near a Target store – but I think it’s a decent start.
Read more at the Wall Street Journal.
Add comment March 11, 2010
News Round Up: Peace prizes and wired backpacks
The internet is in the running for the Nobel Peace Prize. The prize is to be awarded to the person (or organization) who “has done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses.” Is it a publicity stunt, or does it actually have merit?
Do you trust your friends more than you trust cable news? CNN is nervous about your answer to that question. The news giant sees Facebook as a bigger threat than Fox News.
As Spring nears, Google has come out with a great excuse for us to dust off our bikes. They’ve just announced the addition of bicycle directions to Google maps. Pedestrians beware.
The coolest thing to happen to bags since the camel back – Kyte develops backpacks that can stream live video.
Add comment March 10, 2010
Pay for Results
An article in today’s ClickZ mentions how Mediaforge lets advertisers pay only when a consumer makes a purchase.
Any movement up the ROI ladder is a welcome development. But it’s important to stress a key difference.
Ads like those served by Mediaforge and CPA campaigns charge advertisers for sales. But they can be limiting in terms of campaign reach. This is where CPL (cost-per-lead) advertising can make a difference. In a CPL ad, advertisers collect basic consumer information like first name, last name and email (as opposed to a credit card number). This helps increase the scale of the campaign — since more consumers are willing to share basic contact information. It also opens the door for a long term engagement with the consumer – via email, on social networks, Twitter, etc.
Whichever way you go, it’s important to insist on transparency. Advertisers should know exactly where their ads are running, and consumers should know just exactly what they are singing up for.
Add comment March 8, 2010
Webinars: Watch the last one; Register for the next one
If you missed last week’s webinar: “Accountable Social Marketing and CPL Benchmarks,” you can check out a recording of it here.
We’d also love to have you join us for the next webinar: “Increasing CPM Revenue with Performance Advertising.”
According to the IAB, performance marketing represented 58% of all online ad revenue in H1 2009. As advertisers continue to demand ROI, publishers like Monster.com, Orbitz.com and Planning Family are using CPL advertising to monetize untapped revenue streams and up sell more expensive CPM inventory.
Join us for an exclusive webinar and learn:
• How major publishers are incorporating CPL advertising to tap into the rapidly growing demand for ROI.
• What advertisers are willing to pay for marketing leads across major industry sectors including retail, travel, CPG, technology, health, and more.
• How PlanningFamily.com used CPL advertising to first prove the value of its audience and then upsell more expensive CPM placements.
Presented by:
Evan Adlman, VP of Strategic Development, Pontiflex
Seating is limited. Sign up now.
Add comment March 3, 2010
Snow Day…
It’s the second major storm to hit New York this month. Kids are home from school, most people are warm and cozy in their apartments, the Pontiflex team is eating pizza (without a wait!) at the famous Grimaldi’s.
And now.. back to work!
Add comment February 26, 2010
How To Make Your Company Stand Out in the Start Up Crowd
Pontiflex CEO and Co-founder Zephrin Lasker spoke to Heather Leonard at Business Insider about how you can make your company stand out in the start up crowd.
Add comment February 24, 2010
Common Powerpoint Mistakes
From today’s Boing Boing – this is so true, and I wish it weren’t.
Add comment February 23, 2010
