Viral, mobile campaigns up
Marketers opt for lower-cost tactics to engage customers and prospects
12/8/2008
Kate Maddox
As marketers slash budgets in the face of a worsening economy in recession, they are taking advantage of lower-cost, engaging and dynamic online ad technologies to reach customers and prospects.
Advertisers will have an array of sophisticated online tools and technologies at their disposal in 2009, from interactive banner ads to viral video campaigns and mobile applications.
Last month, rich media technology company EyeWonder Inc. partnered with streaming media company Akamai Technologies to deliver the first in-stream ads using Microsoft Corp.'s Silverlight rich Internet application software.
The ads are running on www.nymag.com/ rogan, and feature webisodes in which fashion designer Rogan Gregory goes missing during New York's Fashion Week.
During the webisodes, users can interact with product placements and tickers from various advertisers. For example, users can click on a ticker running below the video for Continental Airlines. Without leaving the webisode, users can book a flight within the window.
“Viewers benefit because they decide which advertising they want to see and the length of time they want to see it without disrupting the video they're watching,” said Ricky McClellen, CIO of EyeWonder. “Publishers are able to monetize their content and create new advertising space.”
MORE VIRAL, MORE BUZZ
Marketers will likely also use more viral e-mail campaigns next year to engage users and create buzz around their products and services.
“Video e-mail is something we are having success with,” said Chris Lindau, creative director at Ogilvy, New York. “If you get people to open an e-mail and see a video, they will sit with it longer.”
Ogilvy has created a few video e-mail campaigns for IBM Corp., including “IBM Storage Scavenger Hunt Game,” aimed at storage professionals, and “Lost in Space,” aimed at software developers.
Lindau said Ogilvy is now working on video e-mail campaigns for other clients, which he declined to name.
Andreas Combuechen, CEO-chief creative officer of Atmosphere BBDO, New York, said mobile marketing applications will take off in 2009. “We are seeing a rise, especially among the b-to-b audience, in the use of mobile devices,” he said. “Everyone says [2009] will be the year for mobile, given network speed and new handsets out there. The iPhone had led the way, but applications will move over to other devices.”
Combuechen said Atmosphere is currently exploring mobile marketing applications with its b-to-b clients, including FedEx Corp. and Hertz Corp. For example, using geo-targeting technology, FedEx Office could help mobile users find nearby stores and give them relevant offers, and Hertz could tie inventory levels to business travel, he said.
“From a marketing perspective, it's not so much about paid media, but more about finding the right intersection of brand and technology in an application that creates a behavior around a brand,” Combuechen said.
Another important area the agency is exploring is social networks for b-to-b clients.
“There are huge questions to be answered, such as how do we really use social networks and help companies forecast customer advocacy for a product and service,” Combuechen said. “How do you build applications that are branded and engage people in behavior that is relevant to the brand?”
Atmosphere BBDO recently introduced an online campaign for Citigroup's Citi Cards that had a Facebook application as part of the effort. “We will see what the data show us,” Combuechen said of the analysis of that effort.
STRATEGIC USE OF TECHNOLOGY
Marketers are also being more strategic about their use of existing technologies in an effort to streamline production and improve marketing efficiencies.
“Some of this stuff has been around for a year or so, but agencies are being more creative in using the technologies,” said Courtney Buechert, president of online agency Eleven, San Francisco. “We want to "uncomplicate' the technologies and apply them in a more strategic way.”
For example, Eleven created an online ad for Al Gore's Alliance for Climate Protection's “We” campaign that allows users to sign a petition within a banner ad without leaving the Web page they're on.
“We created widget-level functionality within the banner ad to allow the petition signing, which is much less expensive to administrate and eliminates a major barrier—the user leaving the site. I think you'll see more of that,” Buechert said.
Another important trend for online advertisers next year will be dynamically generated ads, he said. “Online advertising used to be like old-school print advertising, where you had to build every ad to every size and send out dozens or hundreds of insertion orders for online ads,” he said.
Now, Eleven uses Adroit by DesignBlox, as well as other software, to create ads dynamically for clients. “One profound effect is that it saves an unbelievable amount of production money and time,” Buechert said. M
Advertisers will have an array of sophisticated online tools and technologies at their disposal in 2009, from interactive banner ads to viral video campaigns and mobile applications.
Last month, rich media technology company EyeWonder Inc. partnered with streaming media company Akamai Technologies to deliver the first in-stream ads using Microsoft Corp.'s Silverlight rich Internet application software.
The ads are running on www.nymag.com/ rogan, and feature webisodes in which fashion designer Rogan Gregory goes missing during New York's Fashion Week.
During the webisodes, users can interact with product placements and tickers from various advertisers. For example, users can click on a ticker running below the video for Continental Airlines. Without leaving the webisode, users can book a flight within the window.
“Viewers benefit because they decide which advertising they want to see and the length of time they want to see it without disrupting the video they're watching,” said Ricky McClellen, CIO of EyeWonder. “Publishers are able to monetize their content and create new advertising space.”
MORE VIRAL, MORE BUZZ
Marketers will likely also use more viral e-mail campaigns next year to engage users and create buzz around their products and services.
“Video e-mail is something we are having success with,” said Chris Lindau, creative director at Ogilvy, New York. “If you get people to open an e-mail and see a video, they will sit with it longer.”
Ogilvy has created a few video e-mail campaigns for IBM Corp., including “IBM Storage Scavenger Hunt Game,” aimed at storage professionals, and “Lost in Space,” aimed at software developers.
Lindau said Ogilvy is now working on video e-mail campaigns for other clients, which he declined to name.
Andreas Combuechen, CEO-chief creative officer of Atmosphere BBDO, New York, said mobile marketing applications will take off in 2009. “We are seeing a rise, especially among the b-to-b audience, in the use of mobile devices,” he said. “Everyone says [2009] will be the year for mobile, given network speed and new handsets out there. The iPhone had led the way, but applications will move over to other devices.”
Combuechen said Atmosphere is currently exploring mobile marketing applications with its b-to-b clients, including FedEx Corp. and Hertz Corp. For example, using geo-targeting technology, FedEx Office could help mobile users find nearby stores and give them relevant offers, and Hertz could tie inventory levels to business travel, he said.
“From a marketing perspective, it's not so much about paid media, but more about finding the right intersection of brand and technology in an application that creates a behavior around a brand,” Combuechen said.
Another important area the agency is exploring is social networks for b-to-b clients.
“There are huge questions to be answered, such as how do we really use social networks and help companies forecast customer advocacy for a product and service,” Combuechen said. “How do you build applications that are branded and engage people in behavior that is relevant to the brand?”
Atmosphere BBDO recently introduced an online campaign for Citigroup's Citi Cards that had a Facebook application as part of the effort. “We will see what the data show us,” Combuechen said of the analysis of that effort.
STRATEGIC USE OF TECHNOLOGY
Marketers are also being more strategic about their use of existing technologies in an effort to streamline production and improve marketing efficiencies.
“Some of this stuff has been around for a year or so, but agencies are being more creative in using the technologies,” said Courtney Buechert, president of online agency Eleven, San Francisco. “We want to "uncomplicate' the technologies and apply them in a more strategic way.”
For example, Eleven created an online ad for Al Gore's Alliance for Climate Protection's “We” campaign that allows users to sign a petition within a banner ad without leaving the Web page they're on.
“We created widget-level functionality within the banner ad to allow the petition signing, which is much less expensive to administrate and eliminates a major barrier—the user leaving the site. I think you'll see more of that,” Buechert said.
Another important trend for online advertisers next year will be dynamically generated ads, he said. “Online advertising used to be like old-school print advertising, where you had to build every ad to every size and send out dozens or hundreds of insertion orders for online ads,” he said.
Now, Eleven uses Adroit by DesignBlox, as well as other software, to create ads dynamically for clients. “One profound effect is that it saves an unbelievable amount of production money and time,” Buechert said. M
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