The Evolving Marketer

Check out a great new post from AJ Gerriston about the evolving marketer, and how social media is changing the world as we know it.

The Evolving Marketer - More Transparent or Better Concealed?

The Possibilities of Video Game Advertising

I have been recently reading a lot of interesting articles about the emerging video game advertising industry, and thought I would take some more time to explore it today in this post.

To put it simply: Video game advertising is using computer and video games as a medium to deliver advertising. Great, but what does that mean? What so many people do not realize is that by utilizing video game advertising techniques Boston Advertising Agencies are able to reach a typically difficult to reach demographic: young affluent males ages 18-34.

Did you know that video games have the 4th highest reach for teens and heavy gamers (following TV, internet and radio), and a recent article published by cnn.com stated that 97% of America’s youth play video games in some form? I didn’t either – but knowing that, just imagine the possibilities that this mostly undiscovered industry holds.

What this all means for Boston Advertising Agencies is huge market potential. The video game industry itself is growing at an unprecedented rate, with global sales rising from $6.6 billion last year to 14.4 billion by 2012.

To make things even more interesting; the latest forms of in game advertising allow Boston Advertising Agencies to tailor their message to geographic location, and further to time zone, allowing for the delivery of time sensitive messages (think TV shows and movie premiers).

In terms of evaluating the success of a video game advertising campaign - information can be sent back to the agency from the player’s machine in order to calculate how effective the advertisement placement is for the viewer.

The market is growing at a fascinating rate, and is presenting a huge amount of opportunity to be taken advantage of by Boston Advertising Agencies. The potential here is amazing, and it will not be long before agencies start emerging that specialize in solely this form of advertising. It is definitely a very interesting industry that should be definitely be watched and paid very close attention to.

451Heat from 451 Marketing

451 Marketing, The Leader in New Media Communications, announced their new blog 451Heat this week. There is some really great information up there, check it out: www.451heat.com

Great Info...

For all you new media fanatics out there - check out this great presentation that I saw last night given by AJ Gerritson of 451 Marketing:

http://www.slideshare.net/guestd8c007/acgboston-presentation-706075/

A virtual community, for our purposes, should be described as a meeting place for consumers. It is a place where consumers go to meet with peers and communicate via text, audio, video, or all of the above. One of the more popular and better known is Google’s Gmail application. Essentially, it is just yet another way for people to communicate and connect, very similar to social networks.

I won’t go into much more detail about what the community is, but more about how one could use it for business. Much like social networking sites, people spend a good amount of time in their virtual communities, making them a common form of communication. This means one very important thing for businesses: because it becomes a primary form of communication, a great deal of information is viewed and passed along.

Some Boston Advertising Agencies are starting understand how important and effective this is, and are beginning to use it to their advantage. Take Gmail for example: have you ever noticed when you are emailing someone about restaurants, for example, ads for restaurants in your area appear on the right hand side of the screen? Google uses geo-targeted ads to reach consumers in an extremely effective manner, and Boston Advertising Agencies who are taking advantage of this are extremely far ahead of the curve.

There are many other popular virtual communities such as YouTube and SecondLife, both of which utilize many of the same tools and technology as Gmail. The opportunity for Boston Advertising Agencies to take advantage of this is huge, and its benefits are only beginning to be discovered and utilized to their fullest capability.

Going.com: The Social Media Website for Having a Social Life

As we know, with the rise of Web 2.0 came the introduction of social networking. The more popular social networks including Facebook and MySpace have a variety of features and share a similar primary purpose of brining together friends from all across the globe. We also know that websites like these are creating great opportunities for Boston Public Relations Agencies to get their messages out to mass amounts of people almost instantly.

In addition to the few general social networking sites that everyone knows, there are many more specialized sites that appeal to certain groups of people. One such website is Going.com, which focuses on places to go and things to do in the city of your choice. On Going.com, members create personal profiles with their city and list their different interests. Next, you can either search through events in your city of choice or post new events of your own. Search categories include nightlife, culture, music, bars, restaurants, museums, galleries, etc…. You are able to click on events from the categories you like, see who else is attending them, invite friends, write about your experience there, and also rate the event in general.

The purpose of Going.com is to make people more aware of what is going on in their cities, and to take advantage of all it has to offer. We all know that everyone has very busy schedules, and that finding something to do on the weekend can sometimes be a challenge, but in this new social network no one will ever have to struggle when it comes to a social life.

Websites like these mean great things for Boston Public Relations Agencies, as it allows them an entirely new and unique medium to reach people. One of the greatest aspects of Going.com is that it sends out email alerts to its subscribers about upcoming events… talk about a quick and easy way for Boston Public Relations Agencies to publicize their events.

Differences between Advertising and PR

What are some major differences between Advertising and Public Relations? Understanding the differences between advertising and public relations is important to Boston Marketing Agencies. Boston Marketing Professionals see the importance of both Public Relations and advertising and know when and where to use each of these processes.

Boston Advertising Agencies are interested in when and where to pay for ad space for a client’s product or service. Advertisers have creative control over their ad space because they pay for placement in an outlet. Additionally, advertisers can run their ads for as long as their budgets allow, which allows advertisers to reach an audience several times.

Public Relations firms in Boston are continually looking for the best outlet to pitch for coverage of their client’s product or service. Boston PR Professionals are interested in free media coverage. They often do not have the creative control that advertisers have because reporters decide if and how they want to present the information they receive. Publicists use third parties to deliver a message because consumers trust media outlets for credible information.

Web 2.0 offers several opportunities to advertisers and PR professionals. The Web 2.0 revolution enhances creativity, information sharing and functionality of the Internet. Some of the most popular tools that Web 2.0 presents for PR Professionals and advertisers include social networking sites, wikis, blogs and video sharing sites. These new outlets offer creative ways for Boston Marketing Professionals to reach mass audiences.

Social Media Marketing

One of the greatest tools that all these new technologies I have been discussing have given the Boston Marketing and Digital Agency worlds is that of Social Media Marketing.

Social Media Marketing involves a variety of methods of marketing, including a number of social media websites which bring in large amounts of traffic of interested customers, and proving them the opportunity to communicate with one another in ways that were once unimaginable. This innovative way of reach out to the masses, through Social Media Marketing, has without a doubt become one of the most efficient ways for companies to learn and understand more about their customers.

Social Media Marketing allows for every single customer to have an opinion, voice it, and respond to others. The anonymity of the internet gives those who take part in online conversations via blogs and other social networking sites the freedom to be honest. This honestly allows businesses to make improvements that will add to profits and overall sustainability.

Traditional PR vs. PR 2.0

The online and marketing worlds aren’t the only two affected by this industry wide shift to Web 2.0; the world of Boston Public Relations Firms is undergoing drastic changes as well. What has resulted is PR 2.0, and its reach is spanning far beyond imagination and into the internet and blogosphere.

As a result, Boston Public Relations Agencies are using traditional PR tactics less and less, and are shifting to incorporate all the new technology available to us by Web 2.0. This shift from traditional PR to PR 2.0 has been brought about not because traditional PR isn’t an effective means of reaching people, but because Web 2.0 has given us much better tools to do so.

Traditional PR tactics include paper press releases, and print wire services, but PR 2.0 includes many more effective tactics such as blogs, social media new releases, social networks, social bookmarking, etc… The reach of PR 2.0 is clearly far greater, and more effective; it’s no wonder why Boston Public Relations Agencies are taking advantage of

Web 2.0 and New Media

In addition to discussing how the world of marketing has changed, I thought today I would talk a little bit about what brought about that change: Web 2.0

While most people have probably heard about Web 2.0 and Public Relations 2.0, I’m guessing that not everyone knows about all the different applications they include, and also all the benefits they have for businesses across any industry.

Take Real Simple Syndication (RSS) feeds for example. This technique of Web 2.0 used by many digital agencies publishes updated works from a website of your choice, such as blog entries, audio clips and videos, onto your homepage so you can have easy access to them. When new information from the blog or website you chose is published, it will appear on your homepage for quick and easy access. Many public relations professionals are using RSS feeds, as they can let them know what is going on with their clients and competitors all at one glance. RSS feeds are a quick and easy way for companies to share information online with their consumers, and also allow the consumers to filter through information so they are getting only the information they care about.

Other great Web 2.0 tools are blogs and social networking sites. Blogs provide an outlet for anyway who has an opinion to share it on the internet, and have become more and more popular as the benefits of using them are endless. Social networking sites like LinkedIn and Facebook allow people to communicate, share music and videos, and network.

With extremely easy access, and world-wide reach Web 2.0 is allowing companies to extend to customers they could never have reached before. As a result, new forms of marketing, public relations, and advertising are being embraced by Boston Interactive Agencies like never before, and are creating more and more opportunities every day.

Changes in the World of Marketing

The only constant thing in the world is change, and the worlds of Marketing and Public Relations are reaping the benefits of the changes made. As technology has improved over the years, more and more businesses have begun to implement those technological advances in order to thrive. In the new age of internet and the many ways in which it can be used, firms around the world are beginning to use every aspect of it to their advantage. One advantage to Boston Marketing Firms and Boston Public Relations Firms is using Web 2.0. As a business tool, Web 2.0 is a great way to get customers involved in expressing their opinions regarding the products that is being sold to them. Customers want to feel engaged in products and companies they are investing their time and money into, and blogs and social networking sites have become an extremely popular and effective way to do so.

On the flip side, Boston Marketing Firms and Boston Public Relations Firms are benefiting a great deal from the advantages that stem from Web 2.0. While customers have been making use of the opportunity to talk with fellow customers from all over the world, companies are now being given the chance to listen to a larger number of people in a shorter time. With the ability to get feedback from customers of every demographic, companies are able to make quicker adjustments to the needs and concerns of their customers. More importantly, Web 2.0 is positively affecting companies in more ways than just being profitable. Companies and their employees are both benefiting from the use of Web 2.0 in the workplace. In an unconventional method, employees much like customers, are now able to feel more engaged in their work environments. They are now feeling more creative, and can now communicate more efficiently and effectively with issues of concern. Web 2.0 in the workplace is making for a better means of communication between management in the same way that communication lines are being opened between customers and businesses.

Innovations in Mobile Marketing

When you hear the beep that you have a new text message it might not be from your best friend anymore. Instead, the message could be a Mobile Marketing tool sent by advertisers and marketers that you agreed to receive texts from. How do you know that the text messages are not spam? That is the power of Mobile Marketing; the consumer controls this form of communication by giving consent to receive text messages. This is different from most other marketing techniques in which businesses control the information they disseminate to consumers.

More and more companies are turning to Mobile Marketing to reach new and existing customers. Recently, QuickMobile, a mobile technology and services company, released a Version 2.0 as part of its Contextual Mobile Marketing Platform. By using QuickMobile, companies can send text, audio, video and graphics to mobile phones. Some new features of this program are Mobile Polling and Mobile Results in addition to enhanced security and preferences. Mobile Polling allows presenters to create and ask questions to audiences in real time and have them answer the question on their mobile phone. This interactive tool will add a new dimension to how presenters can keep audiences’ attention and collect data at the same time. The other new device, Mobile Results, allows Mobile Marketing Firms to track their activity in order to test its effectiveness.

With new tools are created all the time for Mobile Marketing Firms and Interactive Agencies, this technique is growing in popularity among companies. The fast and direct communication it provides to consumers appeals to businesses looking for innovative ways to reach their target audiences. Shopping, for example, can also be done through Mobile Marketing, with new innovative technologies that allow shoppers to engage in text ordering, as well as receive text messages about different upcoming promotions of the respective store.

All the new media technology involving Mobile Marketing is revolutionizing how consumers complete their every day tasks and activities. As the future unfolds, Mobile Marketing will continue to grow as a front-runner in new media communications.

Interactive Marketing

I thought I would start this blog to write about the different aspects of the marketing industry today, and how it is changing to drastically. I currently work at a Boston Marketing Agency where we are focusing our efforts on new media, and all that it has to offer.

I've decided to start this blog out with a post about Interactive Marketing, more specifically, mobile and viral marketing.

Mobile Marketing is a fantastic way to get information to people quickly and effectively. You won't walk down the streets of Boston, or anywhere for that matter, anymore without seeing someone with a cell phone, or a Bluetooth, attached to their ear. Mobile Marketing now has 2.5 times the reach that television has, and with the rise in popularity of Blackberries and iphones, the potiential of Mobile Marketing is remarkable. People today now have fewer and fewer reasons to log onto a computer, as most phones now come equipped with technology that lets you do everything you would on your computer in the palm of your hand. Similarly, the popularity of SMS text messaging has increased dramatically, and companies that are ready to take advantage of this and start evolving their marketing campaigns to include Mobile Marketing will undoubtedly be more sustainable than their competition.

Viral Marketing has transformed the marketing industry, as it has proven to be a more than effective way of reaching people. I don’t know if anyone remembers the movie Cloverfield from last year, but due to their limited budget they relied heavily on viral marketing to get the word out about the movie. Before the movie was released there was no official title or commercials with any soft of plot line, but the short video that did exist was published all over the internet. There were even MySpace pages of the fictional characters from the movie. The fact that there was no traditional marketing for the movie did not matter one bit; viral marketing alone grossed the movie around $40 million.

At the Boston Marketing Agency I work for, we have used viral marketing for many of our clients. Below is a link to a video we published for our client Hollister Staffing, one of the best places to find Boston Jobs:

I think that’s all for today, thanks for reading!