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Old Spice Reaps Rewards of Viral Campaign

posted on July 28, 2010

old_spice_isaiah_mustafaSometimes an ad for a product is so clever that you remember the ad but not the product. Not so with Old Spice’s new “Smell Like a Man, Man,” campaign which went viral earlier this year. According to a Nielsen report which was noted in Brandweek, sales of Old Spice Body Wash have jumped 55% in the past three months and 107% this past month.

“Gary Stibel, CEO and founder of The New England Consulting Group, said his data also shows a lift for Old Spice. “We think that Old Spice is up. We don’t think it’s up in the double digits, but it’s up meaningfully, and we think it’s driven 100 percent by marketing.”

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Search Engine Strategies San Jose is No More

posted on July 28, 2010

I have good news and bad news.

First the bad news: Search Engine Strategies San Jose is no more. :-(

Sucka!

That’s cos the good news is that the event has been renamed SES and the location changed to San Francisco! I so got you with that one, didn’t I?

Well, there’s more. SES is now part of the broader Connected Marketing Week which runs from August 16-20 at the Moscone Center in San Fran. Connected Marketing Week features five full days of themed subjects on search marketing, micro-blogging, social media, international online marketing, ad networks and exchanges, and much more. Each day will include panels, events, and networking opportunities for all involved.

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Consumers Say Family Recommendations Are Not Enough

posted on July 28, 2010

A new survey by Cone says that four-out-of-five consumers will go online for a recommendation when they’re interested in buying something–even after it’s been recommended to them by a friend or family member. Looks like blood isn’t thicker than water these days. Not when it comes to parting with hard earned cash. And it doesn’t have to be a lot of cash, either.

The survey found that cost wasn’t a big factor in the decision to verify product claims. 82% said they would do research online before buying a car, but 72% said they’d check the reviews on movies and restaurants before heading out. Once they find what they’re looking for online, 80% of those polled said that a positive recommendation would reinforce their intent to buy. It’s interesting to note that only 68% said a negative review would stop them from buying a product or service. That may be the result of our tendency to want validation for our own ideas. Dad likes it, the guy online likes it and so do you, equals, you’re a smart decision maker.

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Would You Pay to Use Twitter?

posted on July 28, 2010

Whenever research is brought forward that merits one of those “Is that right?!” responses it’s worth looking into. I guess it’s the Internet’s equivalent of riding by a car wreck, you know you shouldn’t look but you do anyway.

Well, a study by USC’s Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism shows that despite the immense popularity of Twitter there are 0% of people surveyed who would pay to use the service. Yup, zero percent. It’s certainly the kind of statistic that turns head but can it be true?

The study was brought to my attention by a post on the HubSpot blog so I decided to look a little deeper. Since I am a sports fan, my first reaction was the hope that USC’s journalism school is more reputable than its athletic department but I got past that pretty quickly ;-) .

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Plugin Shows You Just How Much Google is Spying on You!

posted on July 28, 2010

Do you wear a tin foil hat whenever you browse the web?

Are you worried that Google knows more about you than any fictional “big brother” ever could?

Well, there’s a browser plugin that you will love–and will likely tip you from slightly paranoid to full-blown insane!

Basically, once installed, Google Alarm notifies you–visually and with some annoying horns–whenever you visit a page that has some kind of Google fingerprint on it. Google Analytics, DoubleClick ads, YouTube videos–you name it!

Of course, half the web has been touched by Google in some way, so install at your own peril. :-)

(Via)

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“Do Not Track” List Discussed by FTC Chairman

posted on July 28, 2010

Don’t think that just because Facebook has managed to not completely trample people’s privacy as of late that there is not more activity around the subject. In fact, forces in Washington, this time the FTC (Federal Trade Commission), are speaking at ‘hearings’ that are looking into this issue right now with talk of a “do not track” list. This is not the first time the subject has been raised (2007 it got some attention) but in light of recent online privacy ‘dust-ups’, this idea may have a real chance to develop.

MediaPost reports

The Federal Trade Commission is considering proposing a do-not-track mechanism that would allow consumers to easily opt out of all behavioral targeting, chairman Jon Leibowitz told lawmakers on Tuesday.

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Study Says Location-Based Social Network Users are Small but Mighty

posted on July 27, 2010

iphone_friends

I’m at the bank depositing money.

That’s a real tweet I saw this week and it was followed by a Foursquare link showing the exact bank. According to new research by Forrester, that tweeter was probably a young adult male with a college degree and he’s one of only 1% of online users who actually do this kind of thing.

From my experience, it seems that half the people I follow on Twitter use location-based tweets, but the data says that only 4% of online adults have even tried geolocation and only 1% uses it on regular basis. Really?

The study also says that 70% of the users are between 19 and 35 and 80% are male. Again, not my experience, so apparently I have unusual friends.