Factōids.
When we have something to say, and we often do, we don't keep it to ourselves. Enjoy our thoughts on the current state of marketing.
Making Solar Simple
March 28th, 2012Our dear friends at Luminalt - a San Francisco based Solar Installer, have added several videos to their repertoire, including one that shows just how simple it is to go Solar.
We definitely urge you to check it out here!
Millennials Plugged In: For Better or Worse
February 29th, 2012Here’s a word I couldn’t have made up in 1992: hyperconnectivity. I think it would have really impressed my sociology professors in the day. Today, it is not only a word, but also a state of being so prevalent that Pew did a study to shed light on potential consequences to the hyperconnected lifestyle that many 21st century millennial Americans live.
Teenagers today are growing up in an unprecedented environment of hyper-inter-connectivity. According to recent data collected by the Pew Internet Project, 95% of teens 12 to 17 are online, 76% use social networking sites and 77% have cellphones.
The Good
Optimists feel that young adults brought up from childhood with a continuous connection to each other and to information will be nimble, quick-acting multitaskers.
The Bad
Some experts in this survey also predict that this generation will exhibit a thirst for instant gratification and quick fixes, a loss of patience, and a lack of deep-thinking ability due to what one referred to as “fast-twitch wiring.”
The Reality
Technology isn’t going anywhere. One respondent believes that Millennials will start to see the value of deeper thinking: “Long-form cognition and offline contemplative time will start to be viewed as valuable and will be re-integrated into social and work life in interesting and surprising ways.”
Stay connected to find out more.
Valentine’s Day: A Day For Love, Guilt, Silence, Anger, and, of course, Travel
February 13th, 2012Expedia conducted a down and dirty study of American behaviors surrounding Valentine’s Day. Commissioned by Expedia and conducted online by Harris Interactive among 2,236 U.S. adults aged 18 and older, the “Expedia® To the Rescue” study revealed that among those who celebrate Valentine’s Day, planning is often done within a few days of the holiday, with imperfect results. Nearly half (46%) of U.S. adults report that they have had loved ones who had forgotten the date entirely, or canceled plans. 33% of the forgotten admitted to reacting through a variety of means. These include:
- The Guilt Trip
- 10% reported that they “tried to make [their significant other] feel guilty for not caring enough.”
- 3% reported planning an actual Guilt Trip with friends – they took matters into their own hands and made travel plans, leaving their significant other behind.
- The Silent Treatment
- 8% went the silent route.
- The Boycott
- 8% stopped planning or celebrating Valentine’s Day in future years.
- The Temper Tantrum
- 4% “lost my cool/composure/temper.”
- The Friends Night Out
- 10% spent the evening with friends instead, leaving their significant other behind.
We recommend a combo Silent Treatment/Boycott reaction. Why just put it behind you?
Expedia, on the other hand, suggests travel; reporting 27% of U.S. adults have given the gift of travel in the past and 58% of those who celebrate Valentine’s Day would “definitely or probably” take advantage of an inexpensive getaway deal for Valentine’s Day with a week or two weeks’ notice, if they hadn’t already made other plans.
That sounds good, too!
Your Mom was Right- Turn Off the Light!
February 8th, 2012Six in ten (61%) Americans describe themselves as knowledgeable about energy issues, including sources of electrical power and energy efficiency, according to results of a Harris Poll. This is relatively unchanged since 2009 when 59% of Americans described themselves as knowledgeable about energy issues.
Knowledge Varies by Region, Gender
Energy knowledge varies by region and age with Americans in the East (67%) and West (64%) and those older than the age of 65 (65%) most likely to say they are knowledgeable. Three-quarters of men (75%) say they are knowledgeable about energy issues, while less than half (47%) of women say the same.
Most See Solar, Wind Benefits Outweighing Risks
When it comes to sources of energy, the public indicates that the benefits outweigh the risks for wind (75%) and solar power (77%). Natural gas (64%) and geothermal (52%) resonate as beneficial while there is less certainty about the benefits of nuclear (42%) and coal (38%). These views compare to 2009 when at least two-thirds of Americans said that when used, the benefits of solar (82%), wind (78%) and natural gas (66%) outweighed any associated risks.
In 2009, two in five Americans (42%) said the risks of using coal outweighed the benefits while 36% believed the benefits outweighed the risks. Further, almost one-quarter of Americans (22%) said they were not at all sure. Today, that view has not changed very much as 38% say benefits outweigh risks, but 43% believe the risks outweigh the benefits; those unsure has dropped to 19%.
In terms of nuclear power, less than half of Americans (42%) say the benefits outweigh the risks of nuclear energy while 21% are not at all sure and 37% say the risks outweigh the benefits. This poll was taken before the recent earthquake-related nuclear plant crisis in Japan. In 2009, the view on nuclear power was similar, as 44% of Americans said the benefits outweighed the risks and 34% believed the risks outweighed the benefits.
Turning Off Electricity Most Popular Conservation Tactic
Eight in ten Americans (84%) say they turn off lights and appliances when not in use to conserve energy. Americans are also replacing incandescent bulbs with fluorescent bulbs (60%), using power strips (60%), using low-wattage bulbs (56%), purchasing Energy Star appliances (53%), and reducing hot water usage (51%).
However, when it comes to more complex tasks such as weather stripping, sealing gaps and installation of products, the responses drop to between 29% and 38% for each behavior. Even fewer (11%) conduct home energy evaluations or audits. The overwhelming majority of respondents take at least one energy-conserving measure, as only 5% say they engage in none of these activities.
46% Worry about Energy
The US public is more concerned today than a year ago about “the availability and affordability of energy,” according to a Gallup poll. Forty-six percent of Americans now say they worry about this a great deal, up 21% from 38% in March 2010. Gallup historical analysis shows today’s level of concern is not extraordinary (the high in the past 10 years was 48% in 2006), but is roughly tied with other high points seen since 2001.
Sources: Harris Poll conducted February 2011; ComScore 2012
“Yes, Here Are My Coupons” Proudly Said by 80% of Americans
February 2nd, 2012In these times, the latest findings from the NCH study of coupon use are not surprising to us. 80.6% of consumers reported using coupons sometimes (33.2%), very often (34%), or always (13.4%) in 2011, with a further 14% saying they used them, The proportion reporting using coupons at least sometimes in 2011 represents 3% growth from 78.3% in 2010, and has risen every year since 2007, when it was 63.6%. By contrast, the 5.4% of consumers in 2011 who said they never use coupons is the lowest since 2007, when it stood at 10.6%.
40% of us use coupons
37.2% of 2011 respondents who compared their current-year use of CPS coupons to their prior-year use said they used more coupons than in the previous year, marking an 11% rise from 33.4% in 2010 and a 62% jump from 2007’s pre-recession level (22.9%). Of note, though, 1 in 10 reported using less coupons in 2011, the highest proportion since 2008 (11.2%).
90% of us do a little pre-shopping homework
Data from the study indicates that 90.9% of consumers in 2011 planned a shopping list with coupons before a store visit, up 2.5% from 2010 and a more substantial 16% rise from 2007 levels. According to a survey released in January 2012 by SymphonyIRI, half of shoppers in Q4 2011 reported using a store circular to make a list prior to going to the grocery store, while 42% used coupons to make a list.
Internet Use Up
Meanwhile, according to the NCH study, 64.1% of coupon users in 2011 searched the internet for coupon savings either sometimes (26.4%), very often (22.1%), or always (15.6%), representing a 27% increase from 2010 respondents using the internet with that frequency. In fact, the proportion reporting always using the internet to search for coupon savings more than doubled, from 7.4% to 15.6%. By comparison, those saying they never use the internet fell from 22.2% to 15.4%.
Data from the SymphonyIRI survey indicates that 39% of shoppers reported downloading coupons from manufacturer websites in Q4 2011, with other popular digital media usages including downloading coupons from retailer websites (37%) and downloading coupons from couponing sites (35%).
So, what is the “so what” factor here: For many CPG brands, couponing is should be a critical part of any brand and DR effort….your customers are looking for it.
What’s in a .Name?
January 9th, 2012We’re guessing more than the current $14.95 per year.
As many of you know, starting on January 12, brands can apply to own their share of gold. As a reminder, (because who doesn’t’ know what gTLD are), a gTLD stands for Generic Top-Level Domains. Current top level domains you are familiar with are: .com, .biz, .org, .co And, this month, ICANN is expanding gTLDs to businesses. What does this mean? .facebook, .xerox, .mcdonalds could be – and most likely – will be common place.
Register Early
We know you’re busy, however, you have spent many late nights building your brand. The registration process if fairly straight-forward. Just go to http://newgtlds.icann.org/en/ for information and to register.
Registration Fee (ouchie)
To purchase a top-level domain, many experts believe you will have to pay northward of $500,000, including the initial application fee and technology costs.
Put April 12, 2012 in Your Calendar
Applications for a gLTD are accepted from January 12-April 12, 2012. Within two weeks of the close date, ICANN will publish information about every received/completed application. It is HIGHLY important that you review the entire list to identify if anyone is infringing upon your trademark. If you believe someone is using your brand name inappropriately, then starting in May you will have an opportunity to object to the application directly to ICANN.
Of course, you can always (at any time) register your brand directly with ICANN’s trademark clearinghouse. In doing so, you do not have to purchase a gTLD to protect your name. ICANN will automatically reject anyone who attempts to use your registered name. For example, Microsoft will not have to register .microsoft if it chooses not to.
Name Auction
As we know, some brands have very similar names (think Caesars Entertainment and Little Caesars Pizza). If both brands want to buy the gTLD of .caesars, then there will be an auction. The auction will be held in private between the two companies.
But Wait, There’s More: Second Level Domains
This is the section of a domain name before the dot. Trademark holders who have registered with the clearinghouse get the first opportunity to purchase a second-level domain on new gTLDs . (ford.trucks, american.airlines, sony.playstation for example).
By registering with ICANN, if another brand buys a second-level domain which may infringe on your rights, they will notify you.
Now, let the games begin!
CMO’s ROI KPIs
January 6th, 2012Even the largest of brands need to have a functional, well developed local marketing strategy to aid in driving ROI. Here is how senior marketers/CMOs rate the ROI weight of local marketing tactics.
Click for the full-size image.
“Rumors of My Death Have Been Greatly Exaggerated” says Email Marketing
January 5th, 2012Do you remember email marketing? More importantly, do you recall conversations in your office about how email marketing is dead, and is so 2004? Well apparently, nobody told consumers about the death of email marketing. Open rates rose in Q3 of 2011 to an amazing 23.8% – that’s a 7.8% increase from the same time period in 2010. What’s more amazing is that the effective click-through rates also increased +5.76% in Q3 2011 vs. Q2 2011.
Speaking of click rates, in Q3 2011 there were massive differences based on category:
- CPG: 8.1%
- Financial Services-General: 6.9%
- Retail-General: 6.6%
- Financial Services-Credit Cards/Banks: 6.1%
- General Consumer Services 4.8%
- Travel/Hospitality Travel Services: 4.5%
- Retail-Apparel: 3.8%
Of course, before a consumer clicks on a marketing message, they must first open the email. Again, strong open rates were seen in Q3 2011:
- CPG: 43%
- Consumer Publishing: 36.9%
- Financial Services- Credit Cards/Banks: 38.6%
- Financial Services-General: 32.5%
- Consumer Services-Telecom: 31.1%
- Retail-General: 27.8%
Mobile Email’s Amazing Growth:
As you know, we have reported on the growth and the importance of mobile email marketing as a part of the overall marketing mix. From April-September viewing email on any mobile device increased 34% from October 2010-March 2011; and even more impressive, accounted for 23% of all email views. Most impacted by the increase in mobile viewing is Webmail (down -11% to 44% of all views) and desktop (down -9% down to 33% of all views) respectively.
In terms of mobile device growth, no other device saw quite the jump in email viewership than the iPad. Email views on the device jumped by 12% between March (when the iPad 2 launched) and April – and then grew 73% between April and September.
Days of Our Email
In looking at the dip of desktop email viewership, it is not a surprise that Saturday and Sunday are the least popular days for consumers to view email. Conversely, desktop email viewership is highest Monday-Friday: i.e., when consumers are at work.
Mobile and Webmail viewership is highest on the weekends.
Other Email Tidbits:
- Non-bounce rates remained strong at 96.5%, while average volume per client increased by 14.9% from Q3 2010
- Outlook accounted for 63% of desktop email opens, more than double Apple Mail’s share (31%)
- Webmail views were highest among the finance (49%), shopping (48%), and travel industries (45%), while desktop views were highest among the software (48%) and automotive (47%) industries
- Mobile views were largely consistent among industries, with the highest rates seen in the entertainment (27%), social networking (27%), and publishing (26%) industries
Source: Email Experience Council “Q3 2011 Email Trends and Benchmarks”, Return Path, Knotice, Internal Oōtem data
CMOs are Less Direct (by 4%!) this Holiday Season
December 16th, 2011As you know, more and more often, brands want to “know” which media vehicles are driving conversions – especially in Q4. Therefore, it may be surprising to you that nearly 75% of CMOs will decrease their digital investment by 4% in Q4 2011 compared to the same quarter in 2010. According to a November 2011 BDO USA survey, CMOs representing the top 100 brands in the US will have a marketing mix consisting of print advertising (44%), broadcast (27%), outdoor advertising (including billboards – 5%) digital (which includes search, social and display) and 2% to other tactics.
Finally, 65% of CMOs report their 2011 holiday marketing and advertising budget is about the same to +0.4% compared to 2010.