Happy 2012 + Thoughts On Digital Marketing

Happy 2012

Here is a list of few key things to watch out for.

1. How to leverage social networks for marketing. Facebook, Twitter, Google+ have got the consumer traction. How to leverage them for marketing is still to be discovered. Nothing so far has caused the disruption like what "Pay per click" did to search engines initially

2. Marketing automation. Consumers read what you have to say in your ads and website - but believe and take decisions based on what they hear online :). The good thing is everything happens online. These systems will need to get more integrated with consumers

3. The lines between Marketing and Customer Service is getting blurred. A disgruntled customer or a happy customer both can impact your brand - much more than your ads do

Cheers!

Groupon: More money, To diminish more value?

I just read about Groupon raising $950 Million. Great news for Groupon. I was thinking more on the underlying impact for marketers - and that bothered me.

Groupon helps sell more by offering significant discounts, in return for volume. Many marketers discount products and services, to acquire a customer. In essence - it is diminishing value, as the marketer faces a short term hit on profitability, and perhaps a loss in many cases. Agreed?

Now with $950 Million in the kitty, Groupon will aggressively do more of what it does - diminish value for more marketers! In the end customers win, but its a circle, it will catch up soon. Are we looking at a bubble? Or is there enough profit buffer amongst producers, that this will just scratch the surface?

Obviously a very contrarian view - am i alone?

Wishing all a super successfull 2011!

Ok, a bit late as we are into the 2nd week. But then the new year is still fresh in all our minds.

Somehow, the transition from 2010 to 2011 did not have the usual gap. Perhaps the environment was so stressed that people were busy at work even on 31st. Never before were so many of our clients available at office during the last week!

We seem to be all set for exciting times for digital marketing in 2011. With more and more users getting connected via the internet and mobile, and marketers finding that $$ are better spent on digital. With potential, there does come the pressure to deliver on the promises.

Here are a few key trends related to the digital marketing industry, that I feel will be key to our industry overall.

Adapt: The crazy growth of Facebook and Twitter, clearly indicated the presence of large vacuums in what users need in the new digital ecosystem. A similar vacuum exists for marketers - to leverage these. And the best part is - we will not know what it is - till it is out there! So every agency needs to keep innovating and investing to discover better methods to leverage these for marketers.

Educate: Any new method or technique, needs significant research and investments in the areas of defining models and then creating a system to educate practitioners and users - overall. Else, it will not overcome the proverbial "chasm" that exists before widespread adoption.

Share & collaborate: This is the only way, we agencies can help increase the pie. Rather than fighting over a small pie, lets grow the pie.

Happy 2011!

Position2 Newsletter: December 2010

Content Overload - the Challenge for Companies Monitoring Social Media  Finding ways to handle the deluge of Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and YouTube conversations circulating on your brand is a challenge. To fully understand this, the Brand Monitor™ team at Position² analyzed social media conversations on Amazon, Best Buy, Dell, eBay, and Walmart®. Here's what we found. Read More »

Understanding the Online Sales Cycle Using Google Analytics  The Holy Grail of Web Analytics: an online sales cycle deep dive, tracked through Google Analytics, reports the impact of PPC and organic search. This includes interesting data points on the time taken to convert visitors, depending on your website entry path. Read more »

Airtel Brand Revamp: Social Media Response  The largest telecom service brand in India, Airtel, launched a much-hyped $65 million revamp of its brand identity. Right after the launch, Airtel social media conversations increased drastically. Read on for a detailed analysis of how they fared. Read More »

Futurewatch Series - 1

Well, they say it all started with barter. Where one man's produce was another's need. I made shoes, you made food - lets' exchange. Then it extended to a local community. Then appeared currency. Travel made it possible to expand your market. Then competition created advertising.

Ad for Coca-Cola, 1890s

 Advertising & marketing became an integral part of a business - as it had to identify customers to buy its product at the right price at the right time - this is important, if there was no constraint on price or time, a business could hypothetically wait for all inventory to sell on its own,  a.k.a monopolies!

And now, the internet's happening. Suddenly - every business has a market, distance does not matter. Technically all of what a business produces will find a buyer - somewhere - made easy by the internet


Do we still need advertising & marketing. We just need production and distribution. Ah yes - perhaps a few decades out - so we are safe

Quick thoughts: Google Instant

My initial thoughts - Google Instant does not make sense. Google suggest was perfect, as it led people to potential search terms.

For those people who havent read about it, Google has launched a new service called Google Instant - where  search results start popping up as the user types in their search terms. This is an extension of Suggest - where the search box, suggested keywords based on what users typed.


Use case 1. Type "a", and you will get Amazon, and you could be searching for any keyword that begins with a.

Problem for user: Hey,  this is not what I want, do not disturb me as I type!
Problem for advertiser: Amazon ads will be shown to all people who search for a term that starts in "a". That's an exponential increase in impressions - wasted impressions. lower CTR, lower quality score.

And then, I may be completely wrong - only time will tell. :)

Measuring advertising effectiveness using social media

Offline advertising that is...

If they like it they will talk about it. If they hate it, they will. Conversations are happening in social media. read what people are saying about your ads, products and marketing.

Well, you say, we had panels and research. But werent you aware of research bias. when you can silently listen in, why not?

You could do Google alerts. Or then there are platforms like Radian 6, Trackur, and Position2 Brand Monitor...among many

New Year, New Name, Same old thinking head

Today is Vishu, celebrated as the beginning of a new year across the south Indian state of Kerala, where I come from.

I am thrilled to start with a new name and focus for my blog. I have been writing here since 2007, but, as you can see, not too many posts to brag about.

I've been part of the digital marketing industry since pretty much the beginning. Being an engineer, with a flair for creative thinking, it cannot get any better! Though I have been based out of India, this industry is truly global, and except for the initial years when we started Webshastra (now Position2), most of our clients were global.

Advertising, for me, is losing its worth. The means as becoming an end. People do ads to win awards! Clients boasted about their advertising spends, media even awarded top advertisers. Think about it, getting an award for spending more?

As part of the change in name, I intend to focus my blog to share more experiences from my work, clients, and my thoughts in this amazing art (+science) of digital advertising.

Enjoy! and please do share your views. We may not agree, but a POV is a POV

Google like ads on Twitter?

I just read through an article on this at All Things Digital.

Reminded me of the way people try to fit in existing familiar models, to try and predict how new systems would work. Greek? well, when the 'talking movie' was introduced, few believed that it could replace silent movies!

Here is an interesting excerpt:

All of this changed in 1926 when Warner Brothers, in conjunction with Western Electric, introduced a new sound-on-disc system. In this system, sound effects and music were recorded on a wax record that would later be synchronized with the film projector. In order to exhibit this new technology, Warner Brothers released "Don Juan", the first motion picture to have a pre-recorded score and synchronized sound effects. Although "Don Juan" proved to be a box-office hit, many movie studios still refused to adapt to talking picture technology, believeing that "talkies" would never replace silent pictures. (More here)

The point I wanted to make was, Twitter needs to find a model, based on how it functions, and that definitely is not like Google. I did post a comment there, and the same is reproduced here.

We are dealing with 2 highly different systems. While Google is more an entry point for people searching for content. Twitter is more of a system to help people follow folks who they percieve as experts, and be in the know.

In Google, the ad serves a purpose, so it is successful. In Twitter, an ad like Google is anything but a distraction.

Having said that, the best thing Twitter can leverage is fan following. Sort of like endorsements in the real world. People with the highest following, can be contacted to promote products - essentially endorse them.

Is it unethical? Not really. Celebrities do endorse products.

Watch this space...

Cheers, Vinod

Position2 Newsletter: Issue 2, March 2010

Heres' our second issue. And along with the link, here is a summary on what to expect. Happy reading!

In This Issue:

- Social Media Buzz Article 1: Google Buzz: Facebook Killer?
- Social Media Buzz Article 2: Flying Tweets: Kevin Smith vs. Southwest Airlines
- Brand Conversations: Tracking The Buzz On Apple's iPad
- SEM Insights: The Power Of The Funnel

Click to view newsletter

Position2 Newsletter: Issue 1, Feb 2010

Happy to present the first issue of our in-house newsletter. We have had many knowledge sharing initiatives in the past - these included events like Search Engine Marketing round-tables that we organized in the US, Mumbai, Bangalore and Singapore.

Click to view newsletter

This one came out in February, and I will be posting them here on a regular basis. I will post the second issue for March, right here in a while.

If you want to get it on a regular basis, you could sign-up at our website (www.position2.com)

Happy reading!

Vinod

Short Update: Favorite inventor, back in news

Ray Kurzweil talks about targeted advertising! Read about it here

MOP 5 Time to wake up, India

This time its a book. It was a book I had with me for a while before I read it. I had three copies actually, 2 of them signed by the author. I started it a few weeks back, and frankly, after many years, I have come across a big fat book, that I don't want to keep down. It has the power to draw you in. And specially if you are an Indian, you just can't help it.

Nandan Nilekani's book, Imagining India, is a must read for every Indian. Like Tom Friedman says, Nilekani is a great explainer!.

Initially I thought this book was about business. I was pleasantly surprised, this book is all about India, how we are, why we do certain things, and where we are headed and ideas that will help us. It has anecdotes and mentions on our history, culture, politics, religion, and just about everything that we see around us. All set in a casual, but genuine tone. Here is a random excerpt. (I just can't help but share it. It is just a random page I picked, and in no way is my endorsement of the policy or the political party involved ;))

"The big fear for the states about moving towards VAT was that it would reduce their independence, and the centre would appropriate their revenue and tax collecting powers. The UPA govt. took up VAT reforms where the NDA govt. left off, but the challenge in convincing the states remained. Dr. Shome tells me, "Chidambaram met the resistance from some states against VAT by offering to compensate them for any losses... At the meeting, I was sending him memos to stick to a 12.5% compensation. But he looked up and offered 17.5%! He then passed a paper to me, which said, Partho, sometimes in life, you have to take risks". These guys have their bit of fun too!

The book is set with numerous examples and interesting tidbits like how politicians were wary of Rajiv Gandhi and his team of computer boys, which included advisors like Sam Pitroda. Sam apparently told Nilekani, that he saw his first phone when he went to the US. We all know how that spark ignited the telecom revolution in our country.

The book inspires the optimist, and has the power to pacify and reason the pessimist in every Indian. Once you read this, your perspective on the pothole that you curse changes. You suddenly feel, you need to do your bit too. Not necessarily in repairing that pothole, but in the overall development of our country. The potholes are but an effect. Its the cause that needs to be mended.

And I take pride in the fact that Mr. Nilekani is no stranger. I had the opportunity to meet him along with Rakesh Varma and Kiran Gopinath, when we were on the road (literally), trying to raise funds to set up Webshastra. He gave us time at his office in Infosys, some advice, and also invited us to join a state Govt. seminar on IT, which was attended by the then CM, S M Krishna. Back then it was some advice and good wishes, now it is an inspiring book that has shifted my thinking. Thank you once again.

MOP 4 - A whack on the head

This is fourth in the series of Mind Opener Posts, I'd like to share.

The whack on the head is severe when someone close is involved!

Neethu is my niece, and this is her story.

Neethu came to Bangalore to enrol for a 6 month vocational training course at EnAble India, a charity that assists people who are challenged.

She was born blind. She has never seen how the world or even she looks! But she was a free bird. I picked her from the bus station and much to my surprise, rather than being apprehensive and nervous like most others, here she was singing in the car, trying to learn what was around, all excited about being in Bangalore. I have yet to meet a more optimistic and cheerful person.

It's not going to be easy, she stays in an apartment close by, she will need to walk across unaided. She will be staying with people she has never met. I was apprehensive when I went to hostel the very first time. And here she is, all by herself from the very first day.

I got my lesson. There's no room for complaints or excuses - play life like a game, using what you have. Play and enjoy or spend the rest of your life complaining! It will get you nowhere.

My best wishes to Neethu, I know she will make her mark one day!

A Tribute To Michael Jackson

I heard the news early today from my wife, Manju. As a big fan of Michael Jackson when I grew up, I am sharing my virtual experiences (we never met), of Michael Jackson and his music.

One of the first tapes I ever owned was "Bad". I still have the CBS audio cassette with me. I have bought all his albums since then. I am a natural smooth mover (really!) and love to dance, though i never learnt dancing or pursued it on a professional scale. Me and my sister used to dance MJ steps pretty well, we would go on for hours! I am a bit sad with my shape today, but with a little bit of effort, I think I can manage a few of his trademark moves even today! Save the zipper ones ;-). This continued for quite a while. I had a black cap (during college) on which I had "Bad" written in gold - in the same style as in the album.(We didnt have Myntras and Printos then!). I would frequently wear black leather shoes and white socks. I have graduated to color co-ordinating them with my shirts now!

And then, It was amazing luck to get premium front row tickets for the only MJ concert that took place in India, this was in Mumbai in 1995/96 (not sure of the year). Its amazing how things fall in place. A close friend, Iona Stanley, got me free passes as she worked with Wizcraft, the organizers of the event. That was 90 minutes of non-stop electrifying magic. He didnt take a break thru it at all! Full of goose bumps and the occassional tear. (Big men do cry!). Thank you Sabi (Iona). Atleast, I could see him live in concert!

Michael Jackson connected with his dance, his music and his fans in a way that is very intense & magical. I recall reading a quote of his, in the jacket of one of his tapes, where he talks about how he feels when he dances. He felt connected with a divine force, with the universe around him, it is like ecstacy for lesser mortals like us, and nirvana for the gurus!

I believe this is true for anything one does. And when people show that intensity in whatever they do - they connect with some force that drives them to create magic. Success just has to come to them. Some part of this phenomenon is covered in books like Blink. Sports, music, business - whatever. It is about passion, about super devotion to what you do. You enter so deep that it gets magical. MJ felt that in his dance and his music. And it is that power that connected him to his fans wherever they were. One of them, like me, in a small town in India!

Incidently I just spent a few hours watching some of his videos last sunday. Was it just a coincidence? I just get carried away with these small things. There are too many, and too often! BTW, heres' a killer one, I just got a call from Manju - as I write this, and I just realize that her name has the letters, M and J in them, don't laff folks, everything is connected. If you like stuff like this, you will enjoy Steve Jobs' Connecting The Dots speech at Stanford and Dr Jill Bolte Taylors' experiences following a brain injury. There's the scientific explanation for sceptics!

Dear Michael Jackson, Rest in Peace, you will continue to live in my heart through your music. Thank you for being part of my ride through the universe!

Back to deep dive into Position2, thats' my dance!

Global Village Really!

I was pleased to see a reference to "Kumbh Mela" in Seth Godins' blog. The world is getting smaller! Visit the blog

Another key milestone in the Position2 ride!

This week we launched a full suite of products that are designed to help marketers use the internet more effectively. At the core of the solutions is our framework of Surround & Intent Marketing (SIM).

A very common sense approach to solve marketing challenges in a medium that suits itself for it.

We are confident our clients will see amazing results!

Read more about this at www.position2.com

MOP 3: Appreciation is to people what water is to flowers. Pour it on and watch them grow.

I have this amazing desk calendar that just seems to know what i need to every week. It motivates, advises, punishes, and more than anything else - teaches!.
The title of this post is what it was for this week. (02/02)

In difficult times like these when there is overall pressure in organizations and people - what really keeps everyone going are optimism, confidence, a strong sense of duty, passion. And for someone who has the responsibility to motivate a group - this is good advice!

This is the time for digital

Are the advertising gurus listening? Interesting video by Sir David Ogilvy.

Resource for Social Media Marketers

If you are a social media marketer, you need to read Groundswell and also look at the resources available online. Click for the Groundswell site