Giving, Getting and Cause Marketing

Giving and getting, two words used interchangeably throughout the holiday season. This is the time of year when people, more so than any other time of year, think about what they can do for others. Cause marketing to the rescue! This year, some of the same ones return, while others are venturing into the mix. Some are focused more on giving, while others are more about giving to get something in return. Examples of the first kind from this year are listed in a recent USA Today article and are as follows:

- Hasbro and generationOn: Every time a child or teen pledges to volunteer with youth service organization generationOn, Hasbro will donate a toy through Toys for Tots up to 100,000 toys.

Wal-Mart - Wal-Mart is empowering consumers to nominate non-profits and show the good being done in their local community, with winning non-profits receiving a portion of a $1.5 million grant this holiday season. Through November 30th they’re excepting submissions to their “12 Days of Giving” Facebook campaign with winners being announced daily from December 12th to December 23rd.

-Macys continues its involvement with Make-A-Wish Foundation, with $1 donations going to Make-A-Wish Foundation for every letter to Santa dropped into its red mailbox. Part of its “Believe” campaign.

-JCPenney teams up with the Salvation Army for the third year in a row with its “Salvation Army Angel Giving Tree Online” campaign, allowing shoppers to provide children and seniors in need with Christmas gifts. This year consumers also have the option to make a mobile or iPad donation.

Unfortunately, there are also some causes that feel the need to provide rewards in return. USA Today’s Christie Garton covers these and hints at the interchangeable meaning of giving and getting, as the focus on “what’s in it for me?” begins to take on a more tangible feel http://usat.ly/vXYVs0. Two of the websites she names focus on this kind of cause marketing. Charitybuzz.com calls its campaign “Gifts That Give Twice Holiday Auction”. Here people bid on celebrity experiences, like hanging out with Jonah Hill or meeting Christina Aguilera, and proceeds support various non-profits around the world. Another, from eBay called “eBay Celebrity” is similar, with people bidding on dream holiday gift options like meeting Brad Pitt. Kind of makes you rethink what charitable giving should be all about, which is another way of saying this kind sounds more selfish than selfless. There is a saying that points out you should give expecting nothing in return, but these examples are just giving in order to get something. Not the type of cause marketing I’d like to be associated with, and I would hate to see cause marketing continue down this route. It shouldn’t take bribing people with a reward to prompt them to donate. The only type of rewards cause marketing campaign that should exist is one that’s tied to an existing element of the company, like Coca-Cola.

Coca-Cola is getting into the act by capitalizing on their iconic use of polar bears, promising $1 million to World Wildlife Fund upfront and matching up to $1 million in additional donations made with package codes through March 15, 2012 http://bit.ly/vmelTx. Naturally this involves the MyCokeRewards Program, but here it makes more sense. With Coca-Cola you’re getting something good for supporting actual good works, the difference here is that Coca-Cola’s campaign is more about good works with rewards being a bonus. Giving and getting shouldn’t be interchangeable here, the first shouldn’t automatically beget the other. It’s time to bring cause marketing back to its roots, which is using creativity and creative campaigns to motivate people to give. Doing good should reap its own rewards; any other rewards should be a bonus and not a focal point to justify these actions. Whether you’re a consumer or a marketer, don’t take the ’cause’ out of cause marketing. Support cause marketing for what it is, the chance to utilize your skills, in one case, and your pocketbooks, in both cases, to do some good in the world. Ultimately, a way for everyone to give back and feel good in return.

Mobile Devices Ring in Holiday Shopping

It’s that time of year again. The day before Thanksgiving, everyone eagerly awaiting turkey with all the trimmings. Then the aftershock hits, otherwise known as Black Friday. A do or die day for retail, and this year is no exception as many stores open at midnight or earlier to reign in as many shoppers as they can. Well, all I have to say is that those stores better have the same deals available on their websites starting at the same time, because this year belongs to mobile shoppers. A recent report by ComScore, Inc. found that smartphones and tablets drive nearly 7 percent of total U.S. digital traffic http://bit.ly/rNh9Qo. A fact that isn’t to be ignored. Additional findings of theirs explain why it’s so crucial to tap into and target this market during the upcoming holiday season.

1) Increased WiFi and broadband adoption has increased connectivity: In August 2011 more than 1/3 of U.S. digital traffic from mobile phones used WiFi and tablets are using broadband more and more to connect. 

2) Half of the total U.S. mobile population uses mobile media: The mobile media population is composed of those who browse, access applications and download content, and it grew 19% this past year to more than 116 million people as of August 2011.

3) Nearly half of tablet owners made or completed a purchase on their tablet: In fact, tablet users have used their devices more often during every point of the purchase process. Initial planning, product and store research, price comparisons and purchases have all seen more tablet traffic. During September 2011, more than half of tablet owners looked up product or price information for a specific store and read customer ratings and reviews.

Even eMarketer is forecasting a 50% increase in mobile shopping due to the higher number of smartphones owned  http://bit.ly/tQQ9px. According to a PayPal survey of smartphone and tablet users mentioned in the same article, holiday “m-commerce” could crack the halfway mark. 60% thought they would be shopping from home this year, a large increase over last year where only 17% of the then smaller crowd intended to make a purchase. Buying has risen to nearly 1/3 of mobile phone users, and a Mojiva survey from this article lists the merits of this “m-commerce” that more will be turning to this year. Product information, coupons/sale information, product reviews, store information and buying products were deemed as types of holiday shopping info that mobile devices would be useful for as of August 2011. Why is all of this important? Because shoppers are willing to spend big bucks. 40% would be comfortable spending more than $50 in a given transaction while PayPal found that 24% of those they surveyed had already spent more than $100 on their last purchase.

Other sources agree with what these have to say. Razorfish’s Paul Gelb noted how much smartphone sales were outpacing PC sales and predicted that it won’t be long before mobile ad spending overtakes TV ad spending http://bit.ly/sWqrbz. An incredible feat considering TV ad spending currently brings in $59 billion as of last year, according to Fast Company’s E.B. Boyd. It has been a process, getting shoppers to increasingly turn to mobile phones for shopping support and purchases, but this year it’s more likely than ever to make a large dent on holiday shopping. That’s why it’s more important than ever to have your websites geared towards making shopping convenient for mobile and tablet shoppers. Besides, why go out and shop, battling crowds and such, when you can shop from your couch in your pjs? Happy Thanksgiving everyone, and a Merry Black Friday to you too!

Ready for Social Display Ads?

Ready or not, here they come. Google+ has introduced a social layer to display ads on their Google Display Ad Network http://bit.ly/thvrHU. An extension of what started at the beginning of the year, Google+ has added a +1 button to its search ads. This move allows users to endorse those ads  by clicking the +1 button, displaying that endorsement and their profile picture to their connections. Images in Google search of connections who have +1′d an article or web page are common, now the same thing will apply to search. When the ad loads, images of connections who have “endorsed” the ad will be displayed along with a count of how many others have done the same. After 10 seconds it will fade away from the bottom of the ad. Google’s +1 display ads aren’t unlike Facebook turning ‘likes’ into social sponsorships that are displayed and known as “Sponsored Stories” within a user’s newsfeed. So, what effect do they have? For advertisers it’s a good thing, in the sense that it appears to show more interest and indicate which ads are more relevant to their target audience based on their clicks. Plus more click-throughs equal more money for agencies. However, as I have spoken about before, there is more to declaring interest than clicking on a button. When it comes down to the bottom line, and money is always the bottom line, actions are what translate into product sales. Just because a clicked button indicates interest and intent to purchase does not 100% of the time add up to definite and prolonged interest and engagement. Additionally, people may not fully understand that by clicking that ‘like’ or ‘+1′ button they are endorsing and/or sponsoring something.

Their true motivations for clicking it are to express to the brand that they support or like it. Whether they continue to isn’t often measured, because we often don’t follow-up beyond measuring overall clicks. I have yet to see a list of clicks broken down into clicks per specific users, probably because you can’t click twice on something to +1 or ‘like’ it. A major flaw of the system. Especially since 60% of agencies cite brand recall and intent to purchase as the most important measures of online success http://bit.ly/vDVBD5. Clicks and conversions are still key, but how do you measure ongoing engagement, brand recall, or an audience from that? The last part of that especially baffles me because clicks make it seem like your audience is growing but how do you know that even half of those people are still part of your audience? Another alarming component is that for 57% of agencies, the majority of their display objectives are building their brand while only 11% cite ad creative as critical to the campaign’s success http://bit.ly/vDVBD5. The way I see it, ad creative and display objectives aren’t two separate things. It takes ad creative to build a brand in the first place. People need to be interested in the brand to try it and they usually have to try it to like it. Where does that come from? Ad creativity. Is it any wonder that the best Superbowl ads are often aligned with the leading brands? All food for thought. I wouldn’t be so quick to jump on the bandwagon with social display ads. Like anything it is something to be entered into thoughtfully, and what I’m seeing is “let’s exploit word of mouth online to get more click-throughs.” Yet it’s not about click-throughs, it’s about consumers’ relationship with the brand right? If it really is about consumers’ relationship with the brand, we may need to reexamine this preoccupation with click-throughs. Are they good? Yes. Are they the best indicator of ongoing engagement? No. They are just one piece of the puzzle and need to be treated as such.

The New Face of Search

Search is changing the way we look up information, find information, and even share information. Recently, Google activated a new algorithm that delivers the latest and most relevant information for news stories, recent events and reviews http://tcrn.ch/t7u1sd. The new algorithm is the result of two updates, its “Caffeine” update last year helped Google index content faster and this year’s “Panda” update decreased content farm rankings. Thus, the most recent news results are being featured more prominently, and not as many low quality SEO-optimized ones are taking up space at the top. Search is also becoming more social as Bing has integrated Facebook and Twitter into its results http://bit.ly/vIW5ue. Friends’ ‘likes’ show up under search results, you can get friend recommendations while shopping, and Bing will notify friends in the area of your trip’s destination. LinkedIn now has LinkedIn Today, a feature that brings together the most-shared headlines related to multiple industries by members of the network http://bit.ly/vDzXOO. LinkedIn Today allows you to see what your connections are reading, tweet trending news, post it to your LinkedIn groups or email it to your connections, and even see the professional backgrounds of those sharing stories. All of these set the bar higher for search, what it can bring to those seeking information as well as the way search is utilized. Aside from its benefit to news, current events and recent reviews, it could even play a part in this upcoming holiday season.

Take Black Friday for instance. People looking up deals won’t have to type in Black Friday 2011, because Google will already know that’s what is meant. Then they can jump on Bing and see which deals their friends are tuned into, as well as learn about additional ones their friends are going for that may be of interest to them also. This can also turn into the organization of a group shopping trip. Marketers and advertisers can utilize this by posting frequent updates about deals, to make the best use of Google’s algorithm, and stores can keep customers informed as to what deal items are still in stock. A one-click buy button could even be added which takes you right to the checkout page to purchase the item while the deal is in effect. If it could do all this for Black Friday, just think about all of the opportunities during the rest of the Christmas shopping season. It’s a win-win, the customer is informed and can communicate with others all on the same device, and merchandise sells because more people are aware, informed, and enticed. How can you take advantage of this to benefit your holiday season? First, make sure to post frequently so that you keep customers in the loop and your search results at the top. If they see yours first it’s more likely to be the one they choose. Next, be sure that your Twitter and Facebook presence is as frequent as any posts on your website or other websites. A consistent and frequent presence ensures that you and your product are where your customers are searching, and allows for sharing to occur. After that, be vigilant and involved in the conversation. This is the time of year where great customer service matters even more. A great impression now could make you their go-to option the rest of the year too. The new face of search opens up a multitude of opportunities, this is only one of them, and they are ripe for the taking. The only question is, who will use it the best and come out on top? As to that, I say good luck and stay tuned.

QR Codes: Getting a Quick Response

QR codes may be known as quick response codes, but they have yet to spark a quick response on either side. NPR’s Sami Yenigun references comScore, which claims that only 6 percent of mobile subscribers use the technology and that they’re mainly white, wealthy males http://n.pr/sV5Jmm. In the same article McKee Floyd, director of brand development for Sweetgreen (a popular DC restaurant), states that “the issue I have with QR codes is that marketing is a little bit like telling a joke, and the longer the joke, the better the punch line has to be — and [using] QR code is a really long joke,” http://n.pr/sV5Jmm. The first indicates that subscribers aren’t getting it, and the second indicates that QR codes aren’t delivering a quick response. Either way you look at it, there are issues with QR codes. B.L. Ochman discusses why QR campaigns fail, listing the following reasons http://bit.ly/tqxuzd:

1) Unreadable codes on billboards, too high up for people to scan and ads on subways where there’s no cell reception. Simple solution, think about placement just like you would any other ad.

2) QR codes in TV ads, blink and it’s gone, goes by too fast to get a scan. Again, the solution is the same as above.

3) No instructions, not many people know what it is let alone how to scan it. One way to tackle this may be to include a free bar code app with each smartphone along with an instruction booklet, CD, video or podcast of some kind.

4) Using a proprietary code so that people have to download an advanced scanner. No one’s going to download an advanced scanner for something they don’t understand. If it doesn’t work the first time, then you’ve lost some valuable customer interaction. Solution? Don’t do it.

Oliver Williams, founder of online marketing agency Oliver Digital, claims that the current audience is why it’s not catching on fast. Perhaps he has a point, white, wealthy males are not the greatest connectors or salesmen (if you don’t know I’m referencing Malcolm Gladwell’s The Tipping Point here). Connectors have ties to many people and bring about connections and relationships between them, while salesmen have charisma that influences others’ decisions. The 18-24 demographic, however, is and they apparently don’t make up comScore’s 6% of mobile subscribers that utilize this technology. Then you have Floyd, whose position I discussed above. Both agree that Near Field Communication, NFC, could replace QR codes. NFC is a system of payment where tapping your phone on a plate near the register, instead of swiping a debit or credit card, files your payment with the restaurant and the bank (who gets a percentage of each transaction). They mention that by the time people figure out QR codes they will have already come to pass and NFC will remain. I disagree. QR codes have deals and discounts attached, while NFC is merely a form of payment. It is the stripped down and repurposed version of a QR code without any of the features that draw people to a QR code in the first place. Besides, how is something completely different a replacement?

I believe that B.L. Ochman is on to something smarter by suggesting that QR codes just need to be used smarter and used correctly. Instances where a QR code is helpful is at the Point of Purchase or Point of Sale (POS). By providing it in the store, and not away from the store, customers can access deals where they are. Now that’s a recipe for a quick response. There was even one instance mentioned in the comments of B.L. Ochman’s article involving a real estate sign that sent the MLS listing to your phone with a 1-button-click to send a message to the realtor requesting more information. These are smart, they provide instant gratification and their placement makes sense. Perhaps if we think more about how we use QR codes and resist letting creativity get in the way of practicality, QR codes just may have a chance. Regardless, QR codes are a valuable tool, and, if used correctly, they can bring great rewards.