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Macromize Your Brand with an Immersive Experience |
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Read the Back of the Box
By Jarvis Coffin, President and CEO, Burst Media
Yahoo! recently bought Associated Content (for a price tag of $90 million according to ADOTAS), giving it access to more than 350,000 freelance writers that gin-up stories from "neighborhoods" across the country. The move is clearly aimed at AOL's content-assembly-line initiative which plans to roll out stories based on search algorithms.
Polite Internet society would have us regard the content mill phenomenon as democratic: picture thousands of freelance journalists with keyboards at the ready to do the informational bidding of the masses. Except that if democracy has proven anything over the years it's that people aren't that naive. Content milling is about the advertising. People be damned.
Audiences aren’t algorithms – they’re people, and the Internet already spills over with the authentic voice of the people who provide engaging content online. It doesn't need the help or contempt of a bunch of media barons. Nor does online advertising, which to bear fruit must be planted in authentic and favorable conditions.
Both consumers and advertisers demand content authenticity. Consumers are more likely to be loyal engaged audiences on sites with authentic, original specialty content, versus sites featuring search-dictated, manufactured content. This loyal audience is what brands seek and can only be found on sites with authentic content.
Authenticity is food to advertising, and advertising's roots are starved already by the factory farming and overcrowding of traditional media.
We've moved on. It's not about the content factories any more. It's about gardens in the yard: homegrown, nothing artificial - publishers like those represented by Burst. And if you want to check the “nutritional” value of what you’re consuming, just read the back of the box.
Have a great summer!
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In Brands She Trusts
By: Mark Kaefer, Marketing Director, Burst Media
eMarketer recently proclaimed perception is everything when it comes to targeted online advertising and meeting the expectations of women. Make sense, right? But when it comes branding, perception isn’t everything – it’s the only thing! And more often than not in brand advertising, perception is reality.
Citing a March 2010 study by Q Interactive, the eMarketer piece – called “Women May Welcome Targeting”* – drove home the finding that U.S. female Internet users not only have positive perceptions of targeting, but they actually want to see more in the way of targeted offers from trusted brands. They noted that nearly two out of every three women polled said it was “cool” when they saw an online ad tailored to their interests – and more than half said they have formed relationships with brands and websites. Taking it further, nearly two out of five respondents called brands “good partners” that send relevant (and useful) information.
Trust is the foundation of any solid relationship – and brand advertisers clearly have a distinct opportunity to instill a sense of trust and build positive perceptions online in the minds of female consumers. Case in point: last year, a Burst survey# similar to the Q Interactive study found that more than two-thirds of women use the web as their primary way to search for information to help run the household – and more than three out of five said the web is the go-to place to search for information about products that they might purchase.
In its article, eMarketer suggested that brands can foster good relationships with women by offering deals such as coupons, discounts, etc. and following up by providing valuable information. This is in-line with what we’ve found: more than two-thirds of respondents last year said they would print and redeem an Internet coupon for a product they’d be interested in purchasing, and three out of four women said they would redeem an Internet coupon.
Burst can facilitate your brand’s online relationship with women. We provide marketers with innovative creative and rich media – and that provides users with things like a hassle-free experience of printing coupons and promotions directly from a banner ad, or sending special promotional offers to their email addresses for future use. And by leveraging our targeting capabilities including geographic, demographic and behavioral-based targeting, brands can help secure a “cool” perception with target consumers.
See how Burst can help you develop a winning relationship with your target audience – contact us today!
*”Women May Welcome Targeting,” eMarketer, May 14, 2010
#”Women Depend on the Internet to Spend and Save,” Burst Media, March 2009
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Macromize Your Brand with an Immersive Experience
By: Noreen Hafez, Director of Product Management and Marketing
One of the best ways a brand can gain a 100% share of voice is to use a large ad that takes over a page, like an interstitial. But then what? You have the user’s attention for about 10 seconds before the unit disappears, or the visitor identifies the unit as an ad and quickly finds the “close” button and clicks away to continue their web browsing.
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This custom, exclusive ad unit gives you command placement and offers an extensive amount of additional interactive media to help you tell your story. The Macrostitial allows you to showcase your product and inform your audience of your offerings. You can incorporate videos, display, audio, photo galleries, images and content that is served immediately upon interaction. The Macrostitial also promotes sales conversion through well positioned calls to action, and it empowers community and social interaction via Facebook, Twitter and other social sharing platforms. Bottom line? Advertisers who are looking to promote themselves using the rich Macrostitial feature set can count on it to deliver their message in a clear, stylish and actionable way.
The next time you’re looking to launch an interactive, high impact campaign that captures people’s attention and keeps them engaged, the Burst Macrostitial should be at the center of your campaign.
Learn more about the Burst Macrostitial here, or contact your Burst Network Account Executive for more information.
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Engage Consumers “In the Moment” with Mobile Advertising
By: Noreen Hafez, Director of Product Management and Marketing
Extend your display advertising to the mobile web and reach consumers throughout the day, wherever they are – and whenever they’re ready to act on your offer. Burst Media’s partnership with NAVTEQ Media Solutions, a Nokia company, enables you to align your messaging with brand-safe content, while simultaneously allowing you to reach your audience with location-based mobile advertising. By giving you the ability to pinpoint ads to your target consumers while they’re engaged with mobile content, location-based mobile targeting is a great way to complement and leverage your online display advertising campaign. You can target customers within 3-5 meters of any location, segment your messaging any time of the day and marry your ad to relevant mobile content – all the while without requiring the consumer to leave their mobile applications. So how can you put mobile to work to create a compelling campaign? Interactive display ads, for example, can prompt a visitor to enter her/his mobile number to automatically send a map location to your nearest store, coupon downloads or discount bar codes redeemable at your nearby physical location. Concurrently, as part of the same campaign, you can also send an offer to customers exactly when they’re within a designated radius from your store. Using NAVTEQ’s LocationPoint™ Advertising, which operates within GPS navigation devices and various mobile applications, advertisers can target customers within their location and serve up a call to action, such as Click to Coupon, Click to Route and much more. |
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Together with NAVTEQ’s premium mobile ad network, Burst empowers advertisers to maximize their media spend, drive brand awareness, increase sales and acquire new users.
Ask your Burst Media sales representative today how you can reach your audience when they’re most likely to be engaged and ready to make a purchase or visit your location – contact us to learn more!
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Knowing is Half the Battle
By: Mark Kaefer, Marketing Director, Burst Media
As a kid growing up in the ‘80s, I was enamored with the GI Joe cartoon. At the end of every episode, one of the good guys would always issue a PSA – covering things like what to do when you’re lost – and each segment would end with the same memorable statement:
“Knowing is half the battle.”
When it comes to the grown-up world of online advertising, I admit there are times when I feel a little lost with all the information I need to sort through to do my job well. You can probably identify with the feeling of trying to take a sip of water from a fire hose when you start work in the morning and face an onslaught of daily industry newsletters, marketing solicitations, RSS feeds and tweets from self-proclaimed gurus.
Given the business we’re in and the number of years we’ve been in it, Burst has the unique position of sitting on top of hordes of data covering all sorts of online behaviors and consumer habits. And while the phrase “data analysis” just sounds like work in and of itself, arming our customers with the knowledge of strategic insight – along with practical tips for daily application – is very much on the frontlines of what we do.
In the spirit of sharing knowledge, I encourage you to check out Online Insights, Burst’s complimentary monthly research series that highlights trends in online media and eCommerce and presents them in easily digestible chunks.
Our latest Online Insights, issued at the end of June, covers the impact of smart phones, tablet computers and netbooks on the daily life of their users, as well as consumers’ perceptions of advertising within these gadget and mobile platforms.
Check our reports out for yourself – visit our Online Insights page today and get our thinking on the emerging topics that ultimately affect what we do each and every day.
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Bursting With News to Share
By: Pamela Sosnowski, Marketing Communications Specialist, Burst Media
Burst Media has been cranking up the noise with new product offerings, partnerships and research findings – and below are a few select hits from our spring/early summer media coverage.
The May 2010 issue of Online Insights – Summer Travel in 2010 – generated lots of buzz just in time for Memorial Day, the unofficial start of summer:
- MediaPost
Most Vacationers Stay Connected To Internet, Digital, Social Media - Hotel Business
Summer Travel Looks Stronger: Survey - BizReport
Americans Planning For More Summer Travel This Year
Our June 2010 issue of Online Insights – Left to Their Own Devices – discovered that Internet users could not live without their mobile devices:
- MediaDailyNews
Gadgets R Us: Dependence Reigns, So Does E-Product Research - Adweek
(Mostly) Happy to Be Connected - Mobile Marketing and Technology
People Can’t Live Without Their Gadgets
Burst Moms Spotlight Sites give advertisers exclusive access to sites that cater to “CEO Moms” and key household decision makers:
- Marketing Vox
Burst Media Spotlights CEO Moms - Boston Business Journal; San Francisco Business Times
Burst Media’s Online Ad Plan Targets Moms - ClickZ
CPG Media Buyers Ready for Online Grocery Shopping to Boom
Jarvis Coffin, Burst’s President and CEO, spoke with a few industry publications about his take on our industry’s current state of affairs:
- Forbes.com
Digital Advertising’s Chaotic Evolution - BizReport
3 Tips to Reduce Ad’s Value Erosion - MarketingVox
Retargeting Ad Tech Attracts Money, More Interest
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Publisher Spotlight
By: Caitlin Quaranto, Manager of Publisher Services, Burst Media
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A Burst Media publisher since 1999, AmericanDreamCars.com is a car collector’s dream site, showcasing free photo ads of collector cars including muscle and street rods. The site attracts and audience that might be looking for a super rare 1925 Autocar truck or maybe a 1985 Lamborghini Jalpa. |
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Need help planning the big family vacation? Want to entertain the kids with endless hours of summer activities? Jump online to FamilyTravelForum.com to begin the family fun! FamilyTravelForum.com is a community site where those who have kids and still want to travel can come together to receive helpful advice. |
Contact your Burst Account Executive today and we’ll develop a custom network for you to reach the important audiences these sites represent.
News@Burst Contacts & Credits
If you would like to learn more about Burst Media, please locate our inquiry forms from our contact page.
For submissions or feedback to the editor, please contact Mark Kaefer, at news@burstmedia.com.
Co-editor: Pamela Sosnowski, Marketing Communications Specialist
Designer: Sarah Merlin, Web Designer
© 2010 Burst Media All Rights Reserved
