5 Marketing Predictions For 2012.

January 4, 2012

Keeping track of the ever-changing course leads to new success.

Marketers start your engines; if 2011 was any indicator (and surely, it was), 2012 is going to be a stellar year. Digital media, social media, the livelihood of traditional media — my Vertical Marketing Network colleagues and I wound down last year reflecting on these trends and more. And while we’d be remiss to predict whether this will be the year Google+ makes headway on Facebook, or whether 2012 will be the year QR codes really connect with the consumer consciousness, it’s hard to ignore what’s being said. It’s also safe to assume that certain talking points from yesteryear will build momentum going into the future, and they could help redefine what it means to be a marketer now. To ready you for the new year, Blogging Out Loud spent the waning weeks of 2011 compiling the below list of trends that we think will matter most in the coming days and months. Are you on your mark?

Maybe I’m just blogging out loud, but it seems as if successful marketing doesn’t necessarily mean winning the race, but rather, success means keeping pace with the ever-changing course. A new year is the perfect time for a tune up.

With that in mind, here are the top 5 marketing predictions for 2012:

1. Mobile Money Makes Sense — Sure, mobile money apps were a marketing hit in 2011, but 2012 will really be their year. While apps like Google Wallet and the AT&T/T-Mobile/Verizon-backed Isis allow consumers to shop — and pay — with the aid of their smartphones, other apps — like Mint — aim to help consumers keep money in the bank. Consumers are buying it; marketers should, too.

2. Pictures Make a Push – Pinterest — the bulletin-board themed social networking site — has generated a lot of, well, interest, from curious Facebook users, media writers and venture capitalists, who’ve invested $27 million in the project. In August 2011, the site had 1.2 million users. Today, it has over 4 million, and they are changing the ways consumers — and brands — share visual information.

3. Apple Turns Square  — Rumors popped up late last week that 2012 could see the release of Apple’s “iTV”, which could drastically rock the way content is distributed. As of press time, the rumors remained just that, but the potential for the medium is as exciting as it is vast. And knowing Apple, it will have major cultural impact, to boot.

4. Brands Branch Out — Many are speculating 2012 will see the face-off between the world’s largest social network and the world’s biggest Internet company get serious. With 800 million users worldwide, we think Facebook still rules the numbers game — especially for brands and businesses. But Google’s trying to change that, and some think it can ultimately succeed. Whether or not that’s true remains unseen. But for marketers, the implications are clear: it’s never a bad time to expand your social circle beyond the obvious Facebook and Twitter, even if it means learning other lingo. Circles, anyone?

5. Optimism Reigns Supreme — Between this summer’s Olympic games in London and the upcoming Presidential election, opportunities will abound this year for marketers to tap the emotions and excitement of the public. Consider now how you can be involved, and plan something meaningful. Affiliations aside, events such as these rally people. For consumers, they inspire passion, and for brands, they create opportunities. Be aware.

And be ready. These are just a few of the many exciting changes we’ll see this year. Hopefully, they’ll fuel your thinking for a better — and more profitable — 2012. See you at the races!

Brought to you by Vertical Marketing Network, a Leading Integrated Marketing Agency.
Photo: ph-stop

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Posted by JJ Nelson

5 Marketing Hits & Misses From 2011.

December 13, 2011

Not every trend turns out to be a hit, but even this "misses" can inspire. From Foursquare and Google+ to digital media and mobile money apps, 2011 was good for brands and marketers.

Deeper discounts, QR codes, web video. Many of the trends that emerged this year will continue to bewitch consumers and inspire marketers in 2012, while many we’ll be happy to take a break from (fingers crossed) in the coming weeks and new year. At the top of that list is Facebook, the social networking party that’s become so big it can no longer be described as one party, but rather several miniature mixers inside one gigantic rec room, albeit a virtual one. Google+ continues to attract consumer attention; Google boasts that its social media answer to Facebook attracted more followers this year than LinkedIn and Twitter combined, which sounds more impressive than it is. At press time, user numbers looked like this: Facebook: 800 million, Google+: 43.3 million (as of mid-October), LinkedIn: 135 million, and Twitter: 380 million. For my colleagues and me at Vertical Marketing Network, a little competition is a good thing, and no matter the social network, brands and businesses will continue to log on and engage. After all, it seems engagement is the marketing buzzword of the moment. Whether it’s in stores, online or via television, marketers are forever challenged to connect with their brand demographic in meaningful and authentic ways. And with so many tools at our disposal, we have plenty to look forward to.

Maybe I’m just blogging out loud, but it seems like yesterday’s micro trends are tomorrow’s everyday occurrences. Marketers can learn plenty from cultural hits and misses, and possibly influence a little sway.

Below, Blogging Out Loud’s Top 5 Marketing Hits & Misses from 2011 (OK, maybe not misses, but we’ve certainly had our fill):

Hit: Foursquare – The darling of the location-based social networking scene has redefined what is means to “check-in” and check businesses out. More than 10 million users can’t be wrong.

Miss: Google+ – No matter that they say (see above), the little social network that could has a long way to go before playing with the big boys.

Hit: Digital Media – Television may still be the preferred medium for old school adverts, but this year saw online advertising outnumber print for the first time ever. And it’s going to continue.

Miss: Augmented Reality – Not so much a miss, but rather: Let’s stop predicting its future and make AR what it’s going to be — not just the Next Big Thing, but the future.

Hit: Mobile Money – New mobile apps enable consumers to shop with ease and empower small businesses to operate like big ones with little to no cost. Will mobile money render the paper stuff a thing of the past?

Miss: Recession Marketing – Since we’re in the midst of the biggest holiday shopping season in recent memory, let’s stop talking “recession” and adopt a new and necessary sensitivity to the needs of average consumers.

Hit: QR Codes – Since we explored their potential a mere 3 months ago, Quick Response codes have gone from being “those bar code thing-ys” consumers barely understand, to stand-alone advertisements that connect brands and consumers on multiple levels, all with the help of a smartphone.

Miss: QR Codes – Still, has anyone seen a campaign that really truly works? And, more importantly, just how many consumers are using them?

Hit: Crowdsourcing — Thanks to the Internet and social media, never before have consumers had so much influence over brands and businesses. The trend will surely continue, but how will it shift?

Miss: Green Marketing – Everybody wants to save the planet, but we still have a long way to go in reducing media waste. Have any green campaigns caught your eye?

Blogging Out Loud will return Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2012. From our family to yours, happy holidays and best wishes for a safe and prosperous 2012.

Brought to you by Vertical Marketing Network, a Leading Integrated Marketing Agency.
Photo credit: Stock photo

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Posted by JJ Nelson

Back Talk: What Can We Learn From Small Business?

December 6, 2011

Many small businesses do things differently than big box retailers. Do marketers have something to learn from them? Chime in below in the comments section.

By all appearances, the holiday shopping season keeps getting bigger and better; by lunchtime on Cyber Monday, news of this year’s record sales numbers were circulating widely to the tune of “For the Love of Money.” But the Ghost of Christmas Future is singing another carol. It’s message: think small business. While the National Retail Federation was reporting a record $52.4 billion in spending over the four-day Thanksgiving weekend (that’s Thursday through Sunday), and Cyber Monday sales were up 15% over last year, the American Express-sponsored Small Business Saturday was celebrating its own tiny victories. This year’s event, which encourages consumers to shop local, saw the credit giant offering card members a $25 credit for any $25 spent at qualifying small businesses nationwide, and the event’s Facebook page boasted 2.6 million “likes,” more than double last year’s numbers. In the spirit of the season, leading software developer Intuit finally jumped on the e-commerce trend; yesterday, the company announced Intuit SimpleStore for Facebook, which allows small business owners to accept debit and credit payments via the social network, and perhaps more impressively, automatically syncs a merchant’s website with its Facebook page. In August, the company partnered with Verizon Wireless to sell its smartphone credit card reader GoPayment, another nod for small businesses.

Maybe I’m just blogging out loud, but it seems like Small is the new Big. With more ways for small businesses to engage consumers, marketers best take stock and adapt accordingly.

Which prompts the question: What can marketers learn from small businesses? Has a recent campaign or effort inspired your marketing mind?

Brought to you by Vertical Marketing Network, a Leading Integrated Marketing Agency.
Photo credit: Emily Carlin

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Posted by JJ Nelson

5 Social Media Platforms Worth Thanksgiving.

November 15, 2011

Top brands go online to promote their name, spirit of the season.

The Thanksgiving "place mat" of social media platforms is as varied as our celebrations. Below, Blogging Out Loud shares 5 platforms worthy of Thanksgiving and your marketing consideration.

For the next 10 days, many U.S. consumers will forgo visions of sugar plums in favor of Thanksgiving, that delicious kick off to the holiday season’s biggest shopping events — Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Both in stores and online, social media is proving to be Santa’s preferred little helper, with smart brands promoting coupons, incentives and sales via Facebook and Twitter. According to a recent study by the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth Center for Marketing Research, 58% of Fortune 500 companies have an active Facebook presence and 62% are utilizing Twitter. Still, some surprising brands are turning to social media to promote both their name and the spirit of the season. John Deere, long associated with farming and, in recent years, trucker caps sporting their iconic green and gold logo, has used social media to launch Project Can Do, a food drive of sorts in which 300,000 cans of food will be used to construct a model of a John Deere tractor before turning to stock a food bank in Illinois. The campaign — designed to raise awareness of the role farmers and ranchers play in producing healthy food for the growing population — largely uses Facebook to engage both consumers and the agriculture businesses it celebrates. The brand’s Facebook page features a “design a can app” and other features such as live streaming, photos and forums to engage farmers, who John Deere notes, are eager to engage consumers in new ways. That “can-do” attitude inspired my Vertical Marketing Network coworkers and me to consider other social media platforms that celebrate the season’s most social holiday.

Maybe I’m just blogging out loud, but it seems like the potential of social media is as diverse as the brands the consumers who use them. A greater number of platforms can only mean more ways to inspire and engage.

Below, 5 social media platforms worthy of your Thanksgiving and marketing consideration:

1. The Ever-Expanding Twitter-sphere – Social media’s equivalent of a chat room has reached more than 100 million global active followers, with an additional 400 million unique monthly browsers, up 70% since the beginning of the year. Just as impressive, 55% of Twitter’s active users rely on cell phones to engage.

 2. Tumblr, minus the “e” – The micro-blogging site is said to be the best thing since WordPress, and millions of users agree. Brands are starting to jump on board, too.

3. Sonar Power – Our favorite new mobile app  shows hidden connections we share with strangers nearby. Whether they be friends, friends of friends or like-minded strangers, Sonar connects consumers using shared connections, such as mutual Facebook friends and fan pages, common Twitter interests and more.

4. The Plus-side of Google+ – Social media’s NBT hasn’t proved to be quite that, logging 40 million users to Facebook’s 800 million. Still, Google+ and its +1 feature are maintaining interest and redefining the ways consumers talk about media contact. No wonder experts say the battle’s not over.

5. Vimeo, for other video – Just like Google+ is no Facebook, Vimeo is no YouTube. Last week, the video-sharing website reported 150,000 paid subscribers, making it the 13th online video destination according to comScore. Still, the platform continues to draw a highbrow creative audience who share an interest in both video making and community.

Now that’s something marketers should be thankful for.

Brought to you by Vertical Marketing Network, a Leading Integrated Marketing Agency.
Photo credit: Care Networks

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Posted by JJ Nelson

Mobile Money Goes Mainstream.

August 30, 2011

New applications promise to change the ways we spend forever.

Forget cash. Soon-to-be-released platforms from Google, Isis, Visa and others will allow consumers to leave their cash, plastic and coupons at home, and spend and save with the wave of a smartphone.

After last week’s smattering of seasonal storms, “change” is a term likely to remain closely associated with the climate. That is until next month, when Google is expected to release its highly anticipated Google Wallet application, one in a series of apps from commerce and media outlets rumored to be coming soon to a smartphone near you. Smartphone use and m-commerce continue to grow rapidly; recent numbers from Forrester Research suggest U.S. m-commerce will reach $31 billion by 2016 (that’s quite an increase from the $2.2 billion Americans spent on m-commerce in 2010). For brands and marketers, the only thing more exciting than this projected growth is m-commerce’s imminent makeover, as Google, Isis (a joint venture between AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon) and even Visa prepare to unveil platforms that will allow consumers to abandon cash, plastic and coupons completely, in favor of their trusty smartphones. In its early stages, m-commerce was an alternative to home computer and in-store shopping, allowing smartphone consumers to browse and make purchases by either surfing the web or using site-specific applications, such as those from eBay and Fandango. But this new wave of technology, and the new face of mobile money — which will allow consumers to do all that, and more — promises to redefine the ways in which consumers spend forever. And while the effects on marketers remain to be seen, one thing is certain: change is taking us all by storm, and smart brands and marketers should get prepared.

Maybe I’m just blogging out loud, but it seems as if mobile money enables brands to shine and consumers to spend in new and exciting ways. Tech-savvy marketers should make the most of changing technologies.

The fact that much of that change has yet to be seen hasn’t stopped my Vertical Marketing Network coworkers and I from buzzing with anticipation. When Google revealed its Wallet app in the spring, it merely promised the service was coming soon; rumors have pinned “soon” as September. Google’s recent acquisition of Motorola certainly seems a relevant precursor to the company’s ambitious mobile technology rollout. In addition to buying Motorola Mobility, which runs Google’s Android operating system, Google plans to manage Motorola Mobility separately and keep Android open for use by competing mobile brands. This, no doubt, was part of what inspired the Isis venture, which will launch in Austin and Salt Lake City in early 2012. Like Google Wallet, Isis technology will allow consumers to pay for goods using their smartphones; abandon their cash, cards and coupons; set up alerts for online deals; and track their spending. In addition, Google Wallet plans to offer businesses various types of purchase data, and plans to incorporate location-based advertising and personalized promotional content. And Google’s not just stopping there. Two weeks ago, the company announced the expansion of its Google+ social network to include gaming applications, which drum up interest as well as dollars. No doubt this onslaught of change will redefine the landscape, be it mobile, monetary, online or otherwise.

Finally, change to be excited about.

Brought to you by Vertical Marketing Network, a Leading Integrated Marketing Agency.
Photo credit: AMagill

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Posted by JJ Nelson

Kidfluence: A Marketing Challenge.

May 24, 2011

Modernity dictates the ways marketers approach future buyers.

Kids have purchasing power and influence the way their parents spend. Marketers should not deny this demographic.

Children are not only bundles of joy, but also an undeniably important marketing demographic, with a purchasing power estimated to exceed $30 billion each year. They have sway over their parents’ spending (one estimate suggests children between the ages of 8 and 12 influence their parents to spend some $150 billion a year), and – perhaps most importantly – they are the consumers of the future. With research from the Center for a New American Dream suggesting 6-month-old babies can form mental images of corporate logos and mascots, and brand loyalties can form as early as age 2, marketers would be remiss to dismiss the power of “kidfluence.” But targeting children today isn’t so much the issue as the ways in which they are targeted. It’s not just shaping tomorrow’s consumers, but also the future of marketing.

Maybe I’m just blogging out loud, but it seems like, when marketing to children, the line between careful and careless is fine. Savvy brands exercise accountability, and they show children and their cash wielding, gatekeeping parents R-E-S-P-E-C-T.

When a marketing campaign goes awry, the media’s quick to point fingers at the brand and the advertisers and marketers who support it. When Abercrombie & Fitch introduced a padded swimsuit top for pre-teen girls, parents across the Internet expressed emotions ranging from outrage to sadness. The same occurred when Sketchers unveiled its most recent Shape-ups line, targeted for girls young enough to still be wearing Velcro. But statistics suggest we long ago passed the blame game of marketing to children and are now toying with the inevitable consequences of modernity. Today’s young people are “connected” – to brands, ideas, news and each other – in ways like never before. Not only would it be foolish for marketers to ignore them, it’s seemingly impossible. But like my Vertical Marketing Network colleagues often say, accessibility does not negate accountability. Manufacturers and marketers need to put children and the needs of children first in order to succeed. And they must act responsibly. The Kaiser Family Foundation says young people are multitasking their way through a wide variety of electronic media every day, juggling iPods and SMS with cell phones, television and the Internet. It’s estimated that young people cram 8.5 hours of media exposure into 6.5 hours of each day, every day, meaning they spend more time “plugged in” than they do in school. Cell phones and credit cards are no longer just for mom and dad; credit cards are frequently featured in games for kids, as well as toys such as Barbie, and we already know that Smartphones are creating a new kind of m-commerce. The Internet – it seems – is to young people today what television was for Generation X. The challenge for brands and marketers alike is to employ these various tools without sacrificing their product image and compromising their relationships to consumers both young and old. One noteworthy example of a brand doing just that is Los Angeles-based Jr Imagination, which recently launched the mobile application Creative Genius On-The-Go! Featuring some 150 scenarios that challenge young people to think creatively and critically, it’s getting rave reviews. Kids love it because it’s fun, and parents love it because it enhances their children’s lives.

A marketer who truly understands a child’s needs and a parent’s concerns is a marketer on top of their game. In a way, good marketing is a lot like good parenting – not without challenge, but full of reward.

Brought to you by Vertical Marketing Network, a Leading Integrated Marketing Agency.
Photo credit: D Sharon Pruitt

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Posted by JJ Nelson

Back Talk: Will Interactivity Render TV Dead?

March 8, 2011

Like the consoles of yesteryear, has traditional TV advertising gone to seed? With more screens vying for consumer attention, will the industry survive?

Smartphones are now outselling computers, and the iPad is the hottest selling single electronic device. DVRs are being utilized at skyrocketing rates, as viewers fast-forward past commercials. Even television broadcasts are directing viewers to computer screens during commercial breaks for special behind-the-scenes features and interviews (ABC drew major flack last week from advertisers for encouraging Academy Awards viewers to do just that).

Maybe I’m just blogging out loud, but where does all of this convergence leave television? Is traditional network TV advertising starting a death march, or will it always play an important role in reaching large masses of consumers?

Tell us what you think of the future viability of network television.

This week, Blogging Out Loud and Vertical Marketing Network introduce a new feature, Back Talk, and we hope it inspires you to get involved in the conversation. Marketing is a complicated and varied business, and it’s inspiring to think out loud and blog things out. So, don’t be afraid to chime in.

Brought to you by Vertical Marketing Network, a Leading Integrated Marketing Agency.
Photo credit: kruder396

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Posted by JJ Nelson

Point. Click. Promo.

February 8, 2011

Web exclusives extend brands, inspire word of mouth marketing.

Online discounts and exclusives are just a point and click away for brands and consumers alike. Mobile coupons and deal-a-day websites continue to define "Generation Q."

In a world where “Let’s Make A Deal” websites have taken to advertising during the Super Bowl, marketers can rest easy knowing that no matter how much socializing has and will continue to change, consumers — whether Web savvy or otherwise — will always love to feel like they belong to the in-crowd and get a bargain in the process. How else can we explain the seemingly overnight sensation that has redefined the coupon: Groupon? In two years time, the deal-of-the-day website has spread its paper-saving wings globally, servicing some 27 countries and an estimated 44 million subscribers. In North America alone, Groupon has established itself in 150 markets. Groupon’s much-talked about Super Bowl spots featured formerly famous celebrities Cuba Gooding Jr., Elizabeth Hurley and Timothy Hutton hocking example deals ranging from entertaining (whale watching) to luxurious (body waxing) to practical (lunch specials). Groupon’s biggest competitor, LivingSocial, is considerably smaller but made headlines late last year when Amazon invested $175 million, not only a sign of support for the company’s founders — creators of Facebook’s popular Visual Bookshelf application — but for the steal slinging industry, as well. LivingSocial’s Super Bowl spot’s message might as well be a pitch for discount shopping in general: “LivingSocial changed my life; it can change yours, too.” As I noted last year, coupons may no longer be for clipping, but that doesn’t mean brands aren’t targeting “Generation Q” online and on the mobile go.

Maybe I’m just blogging out loud, but it seems like it pays big to offer online exclusives and discounts. Web-based promotions reward existing customers, attract new ones and create instant (and free) word of mouth marketing campaigns.

My Vertical Marketing Network coworkers and I find that opportunities for brands and consumers hungry for deals abound, and it’s not just websites such as Groupon and Living Social (or even location-based social networking sites such as Facebook and Foursquare, which also offer businesses opportunities to engage consumers) that are making headlines. In December, The New York Times reported on digital coupons, both the kind consumers receive via email and coupons Smartphone users can take advantage of via mobile applications such as GroceryiQ and Grocery Gadget (there are others), which can do everything from allowing Smartphone users to save coupons in a mobile app for later to alerting consumers to deals nearby. According to the CEO of Coupons.com, more than 3 billion coupons are redeemed in the United States each year. Of those, half are from FSIs, and roughly 10 percent were distributed online. That may sound like a small number, but when you consider that in 2006 online coupon redemption was roughly 1 percent, it puts things in perspective. And of course, that number is expected to grow as new technology takes the paper out of the coupon business completely. Interestingly, The Times reports that the demographics for digital coupon users “skew younger and also more male,” which changes the ways marketers tend to think about bargain shoppers. Heavy coupon users — defined in The Wall Street Journal last year as consumers who redeem 104 or more coupons within the span of six months — “tend to be females under the age of 54 with college degrees and household incomes above $70,000.” Similarly, Groupon’s average subscriber is between the ages of 18 and 34, female, single, and makes more than $70,000 a year.

Why, then, did both Groupon and Living Social head to the Super Bowl? Surely, it was not only to keep up with each other, but also to extend their brands in a way that blocks and tackles a whole new audience. Offline media — and mediums, such as coupons — have cultural significance, but the action…the action is all in the ether.

Has a particularly smart Web or mobile-based promotion caught your eye? Share it with us in the comments section.
Brought to you by Vertical Marketing Network, a Leading Integrated Marketing Agency.
Photo credit: Clip art

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Posted by JJ Nelson

Web Video: See And Be Seen.

January 11, 2011

Consumers use social media to share their — and your — videos.

Home movies aren't what they used to be. Websites ranging from Facebook and Twitter to Vimeo and YouTube are empowering consumers to share video content. Is your brand in the mix?

Ever notice how hard it is to turn off your inner marketer? In the waning days of 2010, it wasn’t New Year’s parties that had my mind buzzing; it was web video, and not just spots like this one, featuring YouTube “phenomenon” Keenan Cahill. Admittedly, Cahill’s videos — in which he dances and lip-syncs to popular music songs — are attention-getting. After his November 2010 appearance on “Chelsea Lately”, during which comedienne Chelsea Handler aired a clip of Cahill’s then-latest Web video featuring a guest appearance from the rapper 50 Cent, hits for said video skyrocketed from 9,000 to 3.2 million views in two days. Numbers like these are impressive, and demonstrate the limitless creativity of the consumer and reach of the medium. Even more persuasive are the statistics from the video-sharing website. In 2010, YouTube topped 1 billion subscriptions, had more than 2 billion views daily and claimed that 24-plus hours of video content was uploaded per minute. In 2011, marketers will witness nothing short of a Video Invasion, and we’re not the only ones who think so. Forrester Research has concluded that online videos are five-times more likely to get a top Google ranking over text pages, and a few weeks ago it was reported that Facebook is second only to Google in driving video traffic online. Simply put, web video is begging to be seen and heard, and wise marketers want in on the broadcast.

Maybe I’m just blogging out loud, but it seems as if there’s some “un-taped” potential in web video. With more consumers acquiring video-capable Smartphones and more social networking sites pushing video features, brands should consider how to see and be seen.

There are countless ways savvy brands can utilize web video. Some of the most obvious include making any video content they do have available online. Set up a YouTube channel, and share web videos not just on Facebook, but also on Twitter, which last year gave users the ability to view web videos in their Twitter feeds, instead of having to click through a link to another site. Vertical Marketing Network and client James Hardie proved to be ahead of the game when they asked consumers to get creative in 2009, running a contest for “Hardie Home” owners to show off their James Hardie siding by submitting YouTube videos that answered “Why I Love My Hardie Home.” Here’s how it worked:

And because I know you want to know, here’s the winning submission.

It’s as if entertainment and information have joined forces for not just the brand’s benefit, but also the consumer’s, as well. Everybody plays, and everybody wins. Moreover, marketers should also consider this: within the last few months, promoted videos on YouTube hit 500 million views. Promoted videos are exactly what they sound like: paid video advertisements, and YouTube claims that since launching them two years ago, “thousands of advertisers have taken advantage of this ad format to entice likely customers with videos about everything from smoked brisket recipes to magnetic jewelry to sneakers. Politicians and political activists have used promoted videos to argue for a proposition or against an issue. And large companies have reached wide audiences with movie trailers, recipes, and ideas for Halloween.” Not only that, but in the last year, there’s been a more than six-fold increase in the number of times viewers have clicked to watch a promoted video.

Whether it’s your idea or that of a loyal consumer, web video can extend your brand “virtually” everywhere. Go ahead: push play.

Brought to you by Vertical Marketing Network, a Leading Integrated Marketing Agency.
Photo credit: John Kratz

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Posted by JJ Nelson

7 Marketing Projections For 2011.

January 4, 2011

Trend watching is essential for savvy businesses looking to grow.

Based on past years, it's easy to look into the future and project some marketing trends for 2011. Coupons, mobile apps and social networking are still on the radar, and is another marketing must: adaptability.

It’s been said that “A new year’s resolution is something that goes in one year and out the other,” and in a way, the same could be said for New Year’s predictions. After all, new ideas and trends don’t simply appear on Jan. 1, run amok for 365 days and disappear when the ball drops on Dec. 31. No, fortunately for brands, consumers and all points in between, the marketplace is a little more organic and, in that, a little less predictable. But that doesn’t stop savvy marketers from staying abreast of the ebbs and flows of current trends. Last year, my Vertical Marketing Network colleagues and I spent a good deal of time identifying industry trends, ranging from coupons to mobile applications, from social networking to good ol’ fashion word of mouth marketing campaigns. As we head into 2011, we’re inclined to make some projections — not predictions — based on what’s happening now.

Maybe I’m just blogging out loud, but it seems like adaptability is the spice of life. If the only thing we can rely on is change, then it behooves brands to follow the current, to keep current and not miss an opportunity for growth.

With this in mind, here are seven trends worth watching in 2011:

1. Even Deeper Discounts — Last year, the emerging class of online coupon junkies was christened “Generation Q”, and the marketplace will continue to be theirs in 2011. In 2010, the popular e-newsletter Daily Candy launched Swirl, an online sample sale site offering clothing and accessories from the established and emerging designers at up to 80 percent off, kind of like Groupon for the fashion set. Meanwhile, the real Groupon went global, and location-based social medias such as Facebook Places, Foursquare and Gowalla are giving savvy brands and businesses myriad opportunities to connect with discount-seeking consumers.

2. Mobile Madness — Goodbye e-commerce, hello m-commerce. In early 2010, ABI Research projected that by 2015 shoppers globally will spend an estimated $119 billion on goods and services purchased with their mobile phones. In the U.S. alone, 2010 numbers pushed $2.2 billion. From entertainment to shopping to social networking, smart brands are engaging Smartphone users. Are you?

3. Virtual Advertising, Virtually Everywhere — It was close, but in the end, online advertising spending hit $25.8 billion in 2010, while newspaper ad spending totaled $25.7 billion (interestingly, it’s been noted that $3 billion of the 2010 newspaper take is actually online). It goes without saying that consumers are participating in the virtual marketplace, but is your brand? And if not, why?

4. Channel Surfing — Consider, if you will, the Internet to be like a giant TV, with more channels than Time Warner Cable could ever dream of. Now think of your businesses, and the way you can use this tool to your advantage. Company Web sites, Facebook Fan pages, Foursquare promotions, Twitter feeds and blogs (such as this one) are various “channels” through which forward-thinking businesses can engage existing and potential consumers. Services such as AdKeeper aim to work toward everyone’s advantage. Or, consider partnering with a like-minded agency. Surf around; just don’t forget to hit the “recall” button.

5. Video Invasion – Web sites such as YouTube and Vimeo are already household names, but a handful of agencies are making them marketing resources, as well. Heading into 2011, Web video is all the buzz, and for good reason; Forrester Research recently concluded that online videos are five-times more likely to get a top Google ranking over text pages, and two weeks ago it was reported that Facebook is second to only Google in driving said traffic. More than 500 million users can’t be wrong.

6. Heightened Consumer Awareness — The Internet’s not always fun and games. In the last few weeks, we’ve seen two lawsuits filed against Apple and four mobile application developers for alleged violations of computer fraud and privacy laws, and a recent Gallup poll suggests as many as 67 percent of American consumers do not want to be tracked by online advertisers. Across the pond, U.K. commercial broadcasters will launch an awareness campaign in February that alerts TV audiences to product placement. The takeaway for marketers is clear: the discerning public wants honest advertising and products they can trust.

7. Up In The Air – Web video may be all the rage with consumers, but it’s cloud computing that’s got tech junkies talking. Simply put, cloud computing refers to running computer programs on off-sight servers (for example, Apple, Google and Microsoft), places where people — consumers — can run applications and programs without downloading software. Google Documents is a good example of cloud computing, as is the recently launched Google Chrome OS. If it sounds confusing, it’s because it is. Cloud computing is redefining the way people interact with technology — and each other. What this means for businesses remains to be seen, but one thing is certain: the newest generation of consumers is growing up with a whole new Internet and the marketplace has only one option: adapt.

Brought to you by Vertical Marketing Network, a Leading Integrated Marketing Agency.
Photo credit: mort3s

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Posted by JJ Nelson

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