Being Peter Kim

links for 2008-04-27

• mocoNews.net: Trust In Ads Correlates To Control (Hence Mobile Banner Ads Not Trusted)
  Give consumers what they want - control. (not ads) Mobile marketing is much more than advertising.
  (tags: pressquote mobile)

links for 2008-04-26

• The New Yorker: Up and Then Down
  "Loading up an empty elevator car with discarded Christmas trees, pressing the button for the top floor, then throwing in a match, so that by the time the car reaches the top it is ablaze with heat so intense that the alloy (called “babbitt”) connecting the cables to the car melts, and the car, a fireball now, plunges into the pit: this practice, apparently popular in New York City housing projects, is inadvisable."

Searching blog trends

There's finally an alternative to Nielsen's Blogpulse.  Not that there's anything wrong with Blogpulse - it's a handy, free tool for searching trends in the blogosphere.  And there have always been other ways to get at the information (without paying for it) - Google blog search or Technorati in particular.  But Blogpulse delivers a simple results graphic with rudimentary tools for controlling date range and drilling down into results.

Now from Belgian brand monitoring firm Attentio comes Trendpedia - a tool to search blog trends with a bit of zeitgeist thrown in as well.  (Now available out of beta.)

I ran a quick search on the first topic that came to mind after a long three-day weekend (it was Patriots Day, for those of you not in MA, ME, or WI - commemorating the ride of Paul Revere in 1775).  The topic just happened to be the drama around the New York Yankees young pitching staff. 

The results from Blogpulse vs. Trendpedia:

(I admit that the first search I ran was for Joba, "Ian Hughes," and "Phil Kennedy."  Oops.)

From what I can tell, it looks like Blogpulse is on autopilot - a "2005 year in review" feature lives on,  the copyright at bottom is 2006, and latest news is from April 2007.  Maybe a tell-tale sign of the revenue generation potential from a free blog trend search engine...?

The Greening Of Direct Marketing

Close your eyes and think back to last Christmas.

Actually, open them again so you can read the rest of this post.

Do you remember the piles of catalogs you receive every holiday season?  For window treatments, electronic gadgets, preppy clothes?  Ever get the sense that all that mistargeted mail was bad for the environment?  Well, you're not alone - once again, consumers are ahead of brands, agencies, and institutions in thought and deed...

New research from my colleagues Dave Frankland and Sarah Glass illustrate the "green-ness" of today's direct marketing practices.  And the results aren't good news for the ozone layer.  Some marketers are taking steps in the right direction (see picture above) - but we've got a long way to go.

Forrester clients can access the entire "Direct Marketing Needs A Green Wake-Up Call" and everyone can read highlights and commentary in Ad Age.

Three key applications for brand monitoring

I just had another piece of Forrester research publish - this one on brand monitoring.  Lest you think I went on a Kerouac-ian benzedrine + caffeine writing tear...I didn't (but what's the frequency, Kenneth?).

As you may know, I've been following the brand monitoring market for a couple of years and since publishing the Q3 2006 Forrester Wave on the space, it's clear that the market has shifted.  That's why I plan on updating the Wave in Q3 2008.

In the meantime - it's clear that not all brand monitoring firms are created equally or should be used for the same purposes.  But marketers who don't work to understand the differences before sending out an RFP or running a pilot are in essence using Plinko as their selection process.

I believe that three primary applications of brand monitoring have started to surface, based on buyer goals, vendor capabilities and intent, and business needs.  Clients can read the full research, "New Uses For Brand Monitoring," which explains how and why the three applications matter.  The summary:

J.D. Power and Associates acquired brand monitoring firm Umbria, combining industry-focused consumer satisfaction and rankings with consumer-generated media (CGM) insights. The deal highlights the use of brand monitoring as a key input to formulating marketing, brand, and product strategy. Interactive marketers and social media strategists interested in using brand monitoring must choose a tool based on business objectives, recognizing that the market now addresses three distinct applications: 1) mining customer insight to formulate strategy; 2) quantifying social media to compare with other metrics; and 3) identifying influencers in order to participate in online conversations.

Much deeper analysis forthcoming later this year.  In the meantime, Forrester clients - feel free to set up an inquiry via your account manager to learn more.

P.S. I think our Forrester Marketing Blog Feedback Survey is still open...

Guerilla allergy marketing - effective?

  1-800-4-ZYRTEC 
  Originally uploaded by Pete Kim.

Seen on the streets of Boston.  Amanda mentioned this on Adrants.  Wonder if the pulled tab was a prospect or PR?

Cheap.  Effective?

Calling the number sends you to what's essentially a 40-second radio commercial.  "For more information visit zyrtec.com."

At least it's different, I guess.  Let me wait two hours and see if I feel anything.

links for 2008-04-15

• MediaPost: Study: Biggest Barrier To Mobile Ads Is Unfamiliarity - 04/14/2008
  A follow up to my recently published report...
  (tags: mobile marketing pressquote)

An Agency's First Step To Getting "Connected"

When queuing up this entry, I noticed that there's no category for "agency" related posts.  That's OK because Mary Beth Kemp, my colleague and co-author of The Connected Agency report, has taken the lead on a new Forrester blog called Agency Futures.  So I'm cross-posting this, there.

A lot needs to happen before agencies get Connected.  The clear first step for most shops is building digital acumen.  So I've published a new piece called "Agencies Must Build Digital Skills To Survive" - pretty much to the point, eh?

Here's a [long] excerpt:

Traditional advertising agencies -- marketing services providers that have built global brands through mass media -- need to prove their digital mettle now more than ever. Although late 90s startups like Scient, Viant, and ZEFER flamed out, firms like Critical Mass, Organic, and Avenue A|Razorfish have risen high above the dot-bomb wreckage and are well-positioned for success today.

Clients are shifting business to digital shops, and consumers have turned away from media channels that built the agency industry and toward emerging Internet media. Ad agencies must build new interactive competencies quickly in order to succeed. How? They must build digital skills with a three-tiered approach of establishing digital commitment at the executive level, retraining existing staffers, and building a pipeline of future talent.

So what's the secret to success?  Hire a chief digital officer?  Tell all your staffers to get on Facebook?  Go 2.0 with your web site?

Maybe all that and more...

P.S. Our Forrester Marketing Blog Feedback Survey needs your feedback just like that first cup of coffee Monday morning.

links for 2008-04-13

• Brandweek: Report: Mobile Marketing Shows Promise
  A follow up to my recently published report...
  (tags: mobile marketing pressquote)

US Mobile Marketing: Easier Done Than Said

Confused about mobile marketing?  Don't be.  If you're an interactive marketer, you probably already know more about the channel than you think.

Forrester clients can learn more in a piece of research we published yesterday.  Here's the executive summary:

Eighty-three percent of marketers believe that mobile marketing will grow in effectiveness over the next three years. But although US marketers see the channel's growth potential, a technical acronym soup and low levels of current adoption among many mobile marketing formats await early entrants. So to test the new medium while managing these early risks, US marketers should apply lessons learned from other digital channels to launch effective mobile campaigns. Also key to success: targeting the small but influential base of consumers who have already experienced mobile ads.

So let's move from talking to doing already!

P.S. If you have a moment, I'd welcome your feedback via the Forrester Blog Feedback Survey.

Survey: Your feedback Wanted

We (some Forrester analysts) are fielding a series of surveys on our blogs to get a better sense of readership with the intent to write better content.

If you're a reader of Being Peter Kim, I'd appreciate if you could take a quick spin through our survey.

"Ours" meaning that it's being posted by Jeremiah, Charlene and Josh, and on the marketing team blog as well.

Thanks!

At Forrester's Marketing Forum

I'm at Forrester's Marketing Forum in Los Angeles today.  And again, I'm up at 4 am local - is this technically jet lag?  I won't be doing a lot of blogging or tweeting because my schedule's full.  However, you can get updates from a variety of sources:

- Forrester's Marketing Blog, which has an embedded Meebo chat
- Twitter - not just me, but also Jeremiah, Charlene, Josh, Adam, Amy, Rodney, Nick, Michelle, Barbara, Jeremy, and others
- Blogs:  Jeremy Pepper, Rodney Rumford, Jennifer Jones, Marianne Richmond
- Photos on Flickr

If you're here and see me around, please say hi!  I'll be doing Q&A this morning after Brian's keynote speech on engagement, doing intro and Q&A for Emmanuel Brown from Nike Jordan Brand, and running a track session this afternoon with BzzAgent's Dave Balter and JD Power/Umbria's Janet Eden-Harris.

And if you're here...what kind of attendee are you?

If you have a second, please tell me more about yourself.

Umbria acquired by J.D. Power

Congratulations in order this morning to Janet, Howard, and the rest of the team at Umbria.  The brand monitoring firm was acquired today by J.D. Power & Associates, the customer satisfaction research company.

The significance of this acquisition lies in the acquirer - McGraw-Hill/JDPower is different type of company than Nielsen and TNS - and will use brand monitoring differently.  One thing in common - another brand monitoring brand name disappears.  Umbria will be folded into their new parent company, while Buzzmetrics/Intelliseek have disappeared into Nielsen Online and Cymfony now operates as part of TNS media.

I have a short research piece publishing soon for Forrester clients.