Archive for April, 2010
Why Apple is winning the smartphone war while Nokia plays catch-up
Apr 30th
Smartphone owners of handset brands including Apple, BlackBerry and HTC are more likely to stick with the same brand when purchasing a new handset, according to new research from YouGov, but why are these devices so special?
Apple owners have the highest level of loyalty with 81% of users expected to buy the brand again. In contrast, LG, a traditional handset brand, comes bottom of the pile with only 10% of users saying that they would buy the brand again.
Remember back in the 90s, and even at the start of the millennium, when you swore you’d never use anything other than a Nokia because of its simplicity and easy usability? Now Nokia is being dubbed out of date.
Traditional mobile phone brands, such as Nokia, Sony Ericsson, Samsung and LG, do not fair well when it comes to loyalty and according to YouGov, and need to update their features in order to stay in the mobile handset game.
Russell Feldman, research manager in YouGov’s Technology and Telecoms team, says that the traditional phone brands have a battle on two fronts. “Firstly, the number of smartphone owners is growing at a very fast rate and the transitional gold rush to this new technology means traditional handset brands face tough competition from new and exciting brands. Read the rest of this entry »
MARKETING NEWS BITES: Google’s new search ads, Apple’s pricing and Avatar becomes the most pirated DVD..ever
Apr 30th
A round up of new from around the web:
Google is experimenting with a search results box that inserts major brands atop regular search results for product-related queries. They’re not ads, and they’re not regular search results. Companies are listed in search results for queries, all of which are well-known brands like Canon, HP, Ford, and Verizon. CNET
Apple is aiming to charge close to $1 million for ads on its mobile devices this year and perhaps even more to be among the first, ad executives say. Apple is hitting the road to showcase its new mobile-device advertising capability, dubbed iAd, and has indicated it could charge as much as $10 million to be part of a handful of marketers at the launch. AllThingsD
Google has weighed in to the ongoing debate about the Federal Communications Commission’s powers to make and enforce net neutrality laws. It says “minimal oversight over broadband networks is essential.” TECH.BLORGE
There’s no doubting that Avatar has been a phenomenal success on Blu-ray, breaking every record in its path, but this success has meant it has earned itself the dubious title of ‘the most pirated Blu-ray film ever’. According to TorrentFreak, since Avatar’s release BitTorrent sites have been awash with torrents for Avatar, with the film clocking 200,000 downloads in the first four days. Tech Radar
The new trend driving business on Facebook
Apr 29th
In case you needed reminding of Facebook’s phenomenal power and growth, the social networking site has just made its debut on the BradZ Top 100 most valuable brands list. Its value? More than £3.6 billion.
As tech brands dominated the first three spots in the list, it has become more apparent that this sector and such names including Microsoft, IBM and Apple are deeply embedded within the daily lives of the everyday consumer.
So how can marketers cash in?
The world of internet marketing is changing with new services popping up all over the web-based horizon, which promise to allow business to reach their target audiences faster in the social media realm.
I feel like a broken record when I say “social media is where it is out,” but it really is and it needs to be constantly said because there are still thousands of brands out there that think the likes of Facebook simply isn’t a good fit for their company. But having a presence is a necessity for any business that wants to connect with customers on a deeper and more engaging level.
Facebook is the largest social networking platform on the web, and it’s also one of the single top performing, most visited websites of any kind.
This means that there is a huge opportunity for users to use the service as a networking platform. If done correctly you can tap into an atmosphere filled with potential prospects and partners.
Getting noticed and standing out in business isn’t easy. Facebook is no different, and if you are going to use it to promote your business you’re going to have to figure out a way to make some waves. Read the rest of this entry »
MARKETING STUNT OF THE WEEK: Pizza Express’ political debate
Apr 29th
The general election in the UK has gone from being about freaky billboard ads, from being about Twitter debates to Facebook polls. Now it’s turned up on pizza in this week’s Marketing Stunt of the Week.
Prudence Staite, a food artist, has cooked up a series of political pizzas based on the three party leaders.
Chefs at Pizza Express have also created a People’s Pizza to reflect the big issues of the campaign.
The Gordon Brown pizza includes fiery chilli and ground beef, while David Cameron is represented with cheese and rocket.
Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg gets fresh tomato and spicy sausage on his pizza.
The toppings include caviar, representing the debate about class and equal opportunities, and dough balls for the national deficit.
MARKETING NEWS BITES: Apple’s 4G iPhone to launch June 7, RIM unveils BlackBerry 6 and Microsoft’s next generation Messenger
Apr 29th
A round up of news from around the web:
Apple is expected to formally debut its next-generation iPhone at a developers conference on June 7, the start of its five-day Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco. The annual event has become a stage for Apple to unveil software updates, particularly for iPhones that star in the company’s line-up of popular mobile gadgets. AFP
Research in Motion has unveiled the new features in BlackBerry 6, saying the update to the BlackBerry operating system will arrive in the next quarter. The new OS — described by RIM co-chief Mike Lazaridis as its “the biggest step forward” — was shown to an audience of BlackBerry partners, developers and users at the company’s Wireless Enterprise Symposium in Orlando, Florida. ZDNet
AOL is to sell its ICQ instant messaging service to Digital Sky Technologies, the Russian internet company, for $187.5m, or less than half the $400m it paid for ICQ in 1998. The disposal came as AOL yesterday reported a 58 per cent decline in first quarter net profit and a 23 per cent drop in revenue year-on-year. Financial Times
Microsoft has announced the next generation of Windows Live Messenger, promising better sharing and interactivity. The onus of the Messenger redux is very much about creating richer and more meaningful conversations through the service, adding things like social-network integration and better video and photo sharing. Tech Radar
New figures reveal that that 66.7% of US Internet users—147.5 million people—are watching video online each month. By 2014, that figure is forecast to rise to 77% of Internet users, or 193.1 million people. eMarketer
What SEO can do for you
Apr 28th
In this guest post, Techistan’s Susan Kennedy explains why your SEO strategy commands your constant attention.
Wikipedia defines search engine optimization as the procedure of raising the levels or traffic quality (traffic being visitors) to a website from the natural unpaid search engine rankings. In reality there are a lot more facets to it than just that.
SEO is generally split into two camps:
1) Page optimization;
2) Off page optimization.
Search engine optimization must be continually worked on. But why would you need to do that? To stay ahead of your competition by coming higher than them in the rankings list.
No matter what you think of them, Google are the king of the search engines. Everyone wants to get to the top of them. According to the Cornell eye tracking study the site listed in the No. 1 position in Google gets 50% of the clicks. The site listed in number 10 gets a meagre 2%. More clicks = more traffic. More traffic = more sales. That is if you have what the customers are looking for. Read the rest of this entry »
MARKETING NEWS BITES: Android and iPhone go head to head, Twitter’s phenomenal growth and Hulu’s UK ambitions canned
Apr 28th
A round up of news from around the web:
Challenges are mounting to Apple’s iPhone with rival handsets from Google and BlackBerry ready to hit the shops. The Nexus One, dubbed the “Google phone” before its launch, will be available through Vodafone from Friday and will be free on a £35-a-month two-year contract. The Times
Twitter usage exploded in 2009 with traffic growing from a few million unique monthly visitors early last year to over 20 million by June. However, traffic has since reached a plateau, but other usage metrics continue to show high levels of engagement in early 2010. Adweek
Google has threatened an Aussie web entrepreneur because it says the name of his project is too close to its own. The name of the website in question is Groggle – grog being slang for alcohol. Founder Cameron Collie says the site is designed to help users find the cheapest price of alcohol — or “grog” — in their suburb. ZDNet
Four US senators want Facebook to make it easier for its users to protect their privacy as the website develops new outlets to share personal information. The call for simpler privacy controls came in a letter that the senators planned to send to Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg – they include Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y.; Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo; Sen. Mark Begich, D-Alaska; and Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn. Stuff
Hulu’s plans to expand to the United Kingdom appear to have been abandoned, meaning the service will likely remain exclusive to the United States for the immediately foreseeable future. The Telegraph
WORST PLACED WEB ADS: Coffee with an extra shot
Apr 28th
This week’s worst placed web ad is one that was seen on Yahoo! News site.
Have you seen any ads while surfing the web that seem ironic or just plain wrong to you? Please send them in to melvnews@yahoo.com or comment below.
Google changes the way it works with agencies
Apr 27th
As the advertising industry has grown and evolved, so too has Google’s relationship with advertising agencies.
The search engine giant has said on its blog that it has made changes to help advertisers with its AdWords platform.
Google is also making it easier for advertisers to find certified agency partners to work with them on digital advertising.
The site is retiring its long-standing Google Advertising Professionals (GAP) program and replacing it with a new Google AdWords Certification program for those managing AdWords accounts on behalf of advertisers.
The new program provides agencies and their employees with more up-to-date, comprehensive, strategy-focused training and certification on the latest tools and best practices for managing AdWords accounts, including:
•New training materials to help agencies better understand recent changes in search marketing and AdWords functionality, available via webinar series, learning center, or on-site training at Google
•More challenging certification exams to test practical application of knowledge and best practices (rather than simple recall of knowledge)
•Advanced-level exams to highlight competency in search, display, reporting and analysis
•A redesigned Certified Partner badge, which includes a “Click to Verify” element so advertisers can view the partner’s profile page for additional information.
Google Certified Partners can opt in to Google Partner Search, an online, searchable directory that helps advertisers identify Certified Partners that meet their criteria.
To show up in advertiser searches through Google Partner Search, agencies must opt in and fill in details about their core attributes and capabilities. Searches can be filtered by location, agency experience within a particular budget range, the types of services provided and the industry verticals an agency serves.
Advertisers can then evaluate the list of Certified Partners that meet their criteria and contact the partners who seem best suited to their needs.
Google has also introduced new pricing.
MARKETING NEWS BITES: Gizmodo raided, Google fined for defamation and digital music sales save the day
Apr 27th
A round up of news from around the web:
It has now emerged that Gizmodo bought the stolen iPhone that it claimed to have found in a bar for $5,000. Gizmodo got a huge scoop and some 3.6 million visitors to its site, but they are now facing criminal and possibly civil liability issues. The police have now raided a Gizmodo editor’s home and have seized property. TechCrunch
Google has been fined $8500 in Brazil after an anonymous internet user posted defamatory messages on one of its sites against a priest, calling him a “paedophile”. A court in the state of Minas Gerais ruled in favor of the 54-year-old priest, identified by his initials J.R., after rejecting Google’s argument that the US web giant was not responsible for what users posted on its Orkut social networking site. O Globo Daily
Israel has ended its ban on Apple’s iPad tablet computer, imposed over concerns its wireless signal could be disruptive. Israel’s Communications Ministry says that after a technical review, officials have decided to allow the popular device into the country. Israel banned iPad imports earlier this month, after fears that the powerful gadget’s wireless signals could disrupt other devices. AP
Susan Boyle, Lady Gaga and Take That helped the British music industry to grow in value for the first time in six years, according to official sales figures. Record labels, which have faced a slump in CD sales and a long-running battle against internet piracy, experienced a rise in income from music sales from £916 million to £929 million in 2009 – the surprise increase marks the first time that the growth in income from digital services has outweighed the decline from sales of CDs. The Times
Although three-quarters of marketers use third-party mobile networking applications, most do not create their own customized apps or use mobile advertising, according to a new survey from SocialMediaExaminer.com. As mobile smartphone usage rates dramatically increase, so does the potential for specifically aiming marketing programs at smartphone users. A sizable majority of marketers (75%) currently employ third-party mobile networking apps, such as Facebook on the iPhone, to interact with their fans. Marketing Vox
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