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Trackur’s Social Media Monitoring Dashboard Gets a Sexy Facelift

posted on June 4, 2012

Just because Trackur is one of the largest and most talked about social media monitoring tools on the web, that doesn’t mean the company has been resting on its laurels.

You may have noticed that I’ve been somewhat of an absentee landlord here at Marketing Pilgrim, but there’s good reason for that. Today, Trackur announces its brand new user interface…and it’s sexy and it knows it!

For the past 6 months, we have been hard at work coming up with a new UI that would take Trackur’s social media monitoring dashboard to the next level. We wanted it to remain simple and quick to use, but at the same time, we wanted to push the design dial all the way up to 11! ;-)

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Huh? Oracle Buys Vitrue for Just 3x Revenue?

posted on May 23, 2012

What just happened?

I thought the words “social media” and “huge valuations” went together like “Facebook” and “privacy issues?”

I was under the impression that we lived in a bubble world where any company that touched social media was afforded a valuation that would make even VCs blush. So how come social media marketing platform Vitrue just sold to Oracle for a reported measly three times revenues?

OK, so it’s not an official valuation, but TechCrunch tends to be “in the know” when it comes to these things…

TechCrunch has discovered and confirmed that software giant Oracle has bought social marketing platform Vitrue for $300 million. [Update: A press release has confirmed the buy at an undisclosed price, though we know it to be $300 million.]…Vitrue, according to a source, was on course for revenues of just under $100 million this year.

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Google’s Brand Value Slips Again, While Facebook’s Soars 74%

posted on May 23, 2012

Frank’s taking a needed break today, so you’re stuck with me. Remember me?

Of course, it doesn’t take much to get me back in the saddle, especially when a report is released about branding. ;-)

MillwardBrown has released its annual BrandZ Top 100 Most Valuable Brands in 2012. Among the findings are two little nuggets that caught my attention.

First up, news that once again Google has slipped in its rankings. Just two years ago, Google was the top brand on the list, but this year its gradual decline continues, with a drop to #3. I know, I know, that’s still pretty impressive, but a drop two years in a row sure does look like a trend to me. In fact, Google is dangerously close to being overtaken by McDonalds!

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77% of Consumers & 82% of Employees Trust a Tweeting CEO

posted on March 29, 2012

A new study from BRANDfog (via eMarketer) might explain why employees are up in arms over (inflated?) reports that hiring managers are asking for Facebook credentials.

It seems that it could boil down to a complete lack of trust in any company executive that doesn’t “get” social media. According to employees surveyed, 82% of them have more trust in a CEO that engages in social media.

That would suggest that an open, transparent CEO–one who is not afraid to be in the trenches–lifts employee moral and also the bottom line:

The majority of BRANDfog survey respondents (77%) are more likely or much more likely to buy from a company whose CEO uses social media to clearly define company values and leadership principles. And 94% said C-suite social media participation enhances a brand image.

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Why Apple’s New iPad is a Branding Home Run!

posted on March 8, 2012

Like thousands of other tech geeks, I tuned in to catch yesterday’s announcement of the new iPad.

Notice it’s simply being called an iPad?

Not the iPad 3, not the iPad 2S, and not even the much rumored iPad HD. While that has led to some mockery by other tech bloggers, I’m here to explain why Apple has saved itself a ton of marketing headaches by simply calling the latest iteration of its tablet, iPad.

Actually, it might be easier to just demonstrate why this is such a good idea:

2013 = iPad 4
2014 = iPad 5
2015 = iPad 6
2025 = iPad 16!!!

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Epic Video: Microsoft Attacks Google’s “Googlighting Stranger”

posted on February 21, 2012

This is the cheesiest–and most awesome–video I’ve seen in a while.

The fact that it happens to be Microsoft in a full on attack* of Google Apps, means that I have the perfect excuse to share it with you:

And, I’m laughing because I’m a Google Apps user. ;)

* Bonus points for using YouTube to host it!

(Hat-tip)

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Are You Ready for Mobile Facebook Ads? Here They Come!

posted on February 21, 2012

Apparently, when Facebook filed its plans to go public, analysts saw nothing but “red flags” that the social network had thus far failed to monetize its 425+ million mobile users…

The disclosure sent up red flags for analysts, because the company also said it does not “currently directly generate any meaningful revenue from the use of Facebook mobile products, and our ability to do so successfully is unproven.”

Talk about a “glass is half empty” attitude. For me, that looks like a huge opportunity for Facebook and I suspect that the dire warning was nothing more than the obligatory pessimistic statements needed when making any financial statement.

Anyway, it appears Facebook’s ready to give mobile advertising another crack with a major announcement in New York on February 29th.