Category: Uncategorized

Twitter, the massive social network is implementing a new marketing/advertising strategy that will bring big money into the company.

Twitter will now offer the opportunity for companies to be able to buy ads to promote their accounts. Advertisers will soon be able to pay for Twitter to suggest that people follow their accounts. Next year, Twitter advertising will expand to small businesses, which will be able to place ads using a self-serve system.

“We feel like we’ve cracked the code on a new kind of advertising — advertising that starts out as organic content.”

He was referring to Promoted Tweets and Trends, the ads that companies like Starbucks and Virgin America buy on Twitter and that show up as the top Twitter post when people search for related words, or on the list of trending topics.

Advertisers pay anytime someone interacts with the Twitter post, by clicking on a link, forwarding the post to friends or replying to it. People click on these ads 5 percent of the time, Mr. Costolo said.

Companies will now also be able to buy ads to promote their accounts. Twitter suggests accounts that people should follow, based on their interests, and will use the same algorithm to suggest accounts that advertisers pay to promote.

That way, businesses have the chance to get their posts in front of followers through their free accounts every time they post, not just through ads, and people are choosing to see the posts.

I think this article is clearly showing a trend of big companies like Starbucks trying to reach consumers through social networking. Social networking has become a phenomenon where millions of individual keep connected, informed, entertained. Thus companies are starting to experiment with advertising via this social networks like Facebook and Twitter as it maybe be an easier, faster and more effectice way to reach consumers and potential consumers. 

Is this the start of a new way of marketing advertising where companies will shift their marketing strategies to online advertising using search engines, social networking, etc?

Cheers people,

M&M

Is this idea of watching consumers through a billboard with a built-in camera creepy or is this just technology reaching out for the world?

But what is this digital billboard? What does it do? Who is using it? Am I being watched everytime I go shopping?

First of all, dont worry these digital billboards will not be staring at you the next time you are shopping in Pacific Centre or Metrotown, at least not yet! They are not being used in Vancouver yet, the system is just beginning to be tested in Japanese shopping centres.

The cameras installed in the billboards can instantly identifies a shopper’s age, gender and ethnicity as they walk past. The accuracy of the system to identify shoppers is between 85%-90%. The facial-recognition system, called the Next Generation Digital Signage Solution, then offers consumers a product it thinks is suited to their demographic. It is being developed by NEC, a Japanese electronics company.

A question I would like to raise is; is this marketing approach invading privacy? 

I think this is a great approach to influencing consumer behaviour as the billboards suggest products, brands, etc based on your consumer profile (age, gender, ethnicity). I dont think this is invading privacy of individuals, only would I think so if the images where stored, but apparently they are only used to capture the data and then deleted. 

As a response to my question we also have what the experts in the company making this system said. NEC insists there is little to fear: “As our system does not store any images – it stores only the analysed results [viewers’ age and sex] based on those images – we feel there is no privacy issue.”

This technology shows how marketing is developing to a point where company’s want to attract consumers right away. Markets are more competitive than ever and this technology can be an advantage for companies who put it on use as they can have potential consumer’s information in seconds.

So far, the ad panels have so far caused little concern in Japan, where there is less sensitivity to big business keeping tabs on citizens; but NEC now plans to introduce them abroad, and western consumers may be more resistant.

To wrap this up, my question to you is:

HOW WOULD YOU FEEL BEING WATCHED WHEN YOU SHOP?

M&M

As you may imagine this article caught my attention right away when I saw the word FREE!

This article talks about how in Brazil a new way of advertising is being used by many companies. This new way of what we would call advertising is called TRYVERTISING! You might be asking yourselves how this is done?

Basically the success of this new idea in marketing takes place in FREE SAMPLE STORES! Consumers can access these stores by paying an annual fee! Costumers/consumers enjoy the experience of trying, sampling  and using products that have recently been launched to the market or soon to be for FREE! 

WHAT CONSUMERS GET

 Joining a store formally entitles them to take home a number of different products each month. They have to fill out online surveys about the products they test and that entitles them to take part in raffles and earn “extra points” toward additional benefits.

WHAT COMPANIES GET

On the other side companies interested in showing their products hire shelf space for two weeks and pay for access to survey results. Fees could vary between $2,700 and $5,600, the stores said. For companies, free sample stores offer a low-cost research tool for their launches, a technique known as “tryvertising.”  Companies can know what customers think of their new products and therefore; are betting on these Free Sample stores as a way to create ties with a new wave of consumers, better understand their tastes, and prelaunch or redesign their products.

Interesting article!, I have posted the link on my blog and at the end of this post if you are interested in reading more about this marketing strategy.

I found this article on TRENDWATCHINIG.COM! Website which was mentioned in class as a resource!

Have a great day everyone,

M&M

http://www.trendwatching.com/about/inmedia/articles/2010_brazil_bets_on_free_sample_sto.html

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