Minnesota Twins Advertising

When I go to the front page of the Official Site of the Minnesota Twins, A continuous video film is played int he top right corner of your screen. For any Minnesota Twins fan, it is hard to look away from, as it shows the Twins biggest plays of the most recent plays. You're able to switch between videos, however after clicking the clip, you are directed to another website where you are greeted by a Panasonic television showing you clip, along with a dove soap commercial before the clip. This is a great example  of getting customer interaction with the website, as explained in Roberts chapter 6. Video improves brand metrics and lifts purchase events, which in this game would be home tickets to a twins game at the new target field, or twins gear.

Customer interaction is also a great way to show advertising, as advertising takes a rear seat as you continuously choose clips of twins highlights to watch.

Strong Growth for Local Online Advertising

The article points out that the growth of online local ad spending will mean that a greater slice of money spent on traditional advertisement spending will decrease. By 2014, BIA/Kelsey expects nearly one in four local ad dollars to be spent on digital marketing.
"The strength and popularity of certain media over the enxt five yeras in the local media marketplace will dramatically affect the distribution of advertising spending for many of the advertising categories," said Tom Buono, CEO at BIA/Kelsey.

My take on this eMarketer article is that if the advertisement spending increases for web based advertising, expect search engines like Google and Bing to only expand as they continue to make more and more money off search engine based advertising. Sites will have more advertisements  and the web may become ad happy, but as Figure 5-2 in Roberts chapter 5 points out, more and more advertisement money will be funneled to web site spending on ads, and more and more people are using the internet as years pass in each category. I expect the internet market to grow even more as online spending for marketing increases as the years go by.







eMarketer Strong Growth for Local Online Advertising

SPAM Review

As I go to SPAM's website for the first time, I keep in mind that I've never purchased or tasted a SPAM product. I'm greeted by a quick pop in which informs me to click a link if I'd like to print off coupons, recipes involving SPAM, and how to upload my own recipes. I didn't even know recipes included SPAM so that was a new one for me. After I clicked out of the pop in, the front page greets me with recipes of what I would like to mix SPAM with, whether its egg, tomato, macaroni, or potatoes. Each choice will give you four different recipes along with pictures of what the main dish would look like.

Now SPAM to me has a stereotype. SPAM was the product that you can keep in your food stock in case the power went out for an extended period of time. I was unaware that people mixed SPAM with other food products to make food dishes, from SPAM and scalloped potatoes, to SPAM with macaroni and cheese, to morning egg and SPAM burritos. The website is very interactive, which is one great key point that Roberts Chapter 4 pointed out. An internet marketing program has three action objectives. To get the visitor to remain on the site longer, to entice visitors to request additional information, and to make sales.

SPAM's website accomplishes keeping visitors on their website through interaction. The website asks you what kind of food you prefer eating, and how you can mix spam with that choice. Very cool. SPAM also entices its consumers to request additional information by looking through a list of recipes to print off from the manufacturer and from other consumers. Finally, SPAM attempts to achieve sales , whether first time consumers or previous purchases, by offering coupons for their products from the moment you enter the website URL in.

In conclusion, other food manufacturers could take  key points from SPAM's website in order to increase their customer base, retain customers, and create the highest possible customer lifetime value.

SPAM's Website.

Social Media Working Better for Retention Than Acquisition

Social media marketing has been around for years and as marketers tackle the best ways on how to push their brands onto social media, it is emerging that marketers' top goals are brand awareness and creating customer loyalty. Customer acquisition is sought to be as less important, as viewed by the chart below

Data gained through July 2010 shows that customer acquisition is taking a backseat for marketing on social media, at 19%. In Roberts chapter 4, direct marketing strategies are discussed on how customers are acquired. It all begins with the acquisition stage, as the customer makes a single purchase, engaged in a demonstration or sample, but is not yet committed to the brand. I can understand why Marketers have their objective as brand awareness or customer growth, as it could be more of a difficult task to create customer acquisition through marketing online. When a consumer views an advertisement on their social media website that they are not familiar with, the first notion they make is if the product is relevant to their needs. If the product is not relevant to their need, then the consumer shuns the ad. If the product is relevant to their need, they will compare it to what they currently use, but if they see no real relative advantage to purchasing the new product, then the consumer has the choice to also ignore the ad, unless they wish to see out more information.

As I use my common sense, I agree with marketers intentions of establishing loyalty of the product. As a consumer purchases a product, they must be reassured that they made the correct purchase. It makes the consumer feel better about their purchase seeing advertisements of their product. Lets take the iPhone 4. If the consumer purchase the product, and views iPhone 4 advertisements on why the iPhone is better than the competitors phones, they are reassured they made the correct purchase, which creates loyalty, and even a repurchase in years to come.

Brand awareness is another great goal to have. As you put your product online, the more times a consumer views it, the more it gets memorized into their head. When a person becomes in need of the product, they will first remember the product that they've seen the most by advertisement. This could be your product.


The eMarketer article continues to explain how budgets of customer acquisition have doubled twice between 2008 and 2010, the spending in customer acquisition is lower than the spending in customer growth and loyalty, and brand awareness.

In conclusion, the spending for customer acquisition is an inexpensive marketing channel for small businesses, and is utmost the primary goal as they try to establish themselves. However, the spending of large companies overshadows customer acquisition attempts with attempts to create customer growth and loyalty.


Social Media Working Better for Retention than Acquisition

McDonalds

What do you think about when McDonalds comes to your mind? Fast food? Dollar double cheeseburgers? High calories? Unhealthy food? These are all stereotypes that come to my mind . After I went to McDonalds website for the first time ever, I see a new ball game McDonalds is trying to play. Their main advertisement in flash format features the new Angus Snack Wrap. McDonalds has taken the 1/3 pound Angus burger and made it into a wrap, filled with vegetables, pickles, tomatoes, cheese, and sauce. It seems that McDonalds is attempting the healthy approach to fast food.

Next, There are hyperlinks on the main page that advertise how McDonalds has Chefs.

<---This cant be real!!

I really don't understand how a low budget fast food restaurant has chefs. Maybe the times have changed. Maybe McDonalds wants to get rid of their fat food name. 

One link that I approved of was viewing how McDonalds makes their Iced Coffees for their McCafe. As a coffee fanatic, I drooled over pictures of coffee beans all the way to the topping of the whipped cream for the Mochas. 

Overall, I feel that McDonalds has changed their ways. Advertising that they have Chefs on their website, investing and creating the McCafe, and moving to make new snack wrap options have all tried to appeal to the "health-aware" population. For those who are coming to the McDonalds website for information on their food will find great value. The addition of reading information on the website such as promotions on new food products, the food menus to decide what to order, nutrition guidelines to determine what to eat and what not to eat, and being able to search for McDonalds locations within 40 miles of you will help increase customer value and convenience for the customer.

The influence on mobile devices in social media's future

The Influence of Mobile on Social Marketing's Future

As more and more smartphone devices help put the world wide web into more and more American hands, there is speculation that mobile technology will play a larger role in all forms, including social media.

In a survey, 17% believed more usage of social media for mobile platforms would be noticed, and 12% cited an uptake in mobile location-based social networking, as seen by the following chart.

The biggest marketing opportunity in the mobile industry lies with the ability to use location data to bring consumers timely messages when they are already nearby and possibly considering a purchase. With these tracking opportunities, Social media by mobile will bring in marketing opportunities. People that are using their  mobile device while in town will be catered by marketing opportunities quickly. A person might be undecided on a purchase, and these advertising opportunities brought to you by your smartphone can sway the consumers opinion. Information is a powerful driver and is the greatest value a consumer can have when they make decisions.The information that is received through the smartphone is delivered in a quick, speedy manner, as characterized by internet marketing driver three.