new media age Effectiveness Awards

new media age Effectiveness Awards(NMA Awards) is called Interactive Marketing and Advertising Awards before 2009. The major aims of the awards are to promote use of new media in UK and demonstrate the power of online and digital media to the wider business world.

There are three groups of categories, business, marketing and platform, within the awards that the businesses or organizations can enter. The business and marketing category are classified according to their business fields and target audiences. What I want to talk in detail is platform category. Participates must be able to demonstrate the most imaginative, innovative and successful use of the particular interactive medium, using the unique qualities of those medium to maximum effect. The awards in this group include the Best use of Affiliate Marketing, Email, Search, Video, Viral Marketing, Social Media, Mobile and Web.

Winners' profile of NMA

Therefore, the formats of interactive ads are not limited to banner ad, sponsorship or pop-up. For example, the totaljobs.com hot the Best use of Search as they are good at keywords management. Job seekers can find out their target more easily and the cost per click can also be decreased.

Also, the winner of 2009 Best use of Affiliate Marketing, Crimbobingo, provides a platform for people to create online communities and playing online game. It encourages more people to be members and increases the traffic to merchants, ultimately increases the sales. Hence, the current trend of interactive advertising may be towards using multi-platforms. Interactive advertising not only produce the “interaction” between senders' ads and receivers, but also the “interaction” between different interactive platforms.

Post by Edgar Chan
Student No.: 08822167S

Interactive Ads should be always come with Creativity

Influence by my previous study, multimedia design, I often roll over or even click though display (interactive banner) advertising. I will expect some of the advertising can show some creative idea and give surprise to me. Although there is research shown this kind of display advertising has the least effect on generating direct sales. The performance on brand awareness is the most significant. So what are the main factors influencing campaign performance in interactive advertising? Atlas suggests that Ads creativity, media placement, offer and incentive are.

Coca-Cola is one the companies that make me associate with online interactive advertising creativity. They will use integrated marketing tools in every new products or seasonal campaigns. TVC, print ads, outdoor ads, spokesperson, and internet marketing are integrating to maximize the performance. From cartoon character “Qoo” to latest spokesperson Joey Yung are appeared in interactive advertising in Hong Kong.

click image to see the ad

One of the Coca-Cola display ads found on bannerblog.com.au that placed on Yahoo (http://kr.yahoo.com/) in South Korea is creative. It fulfills part of Ogilvy article suggested on Internet advertising creative tips. Start with brand awareness to capture audiences’ attention, increased the reach, then entice people to interactive / play with it. And trigger emotional bonds between Coca-Cola and the audiences with rich media animation. Bring out “Open Happiness with Coke Phone, Open and share it with your friends!” message. Finally increase the click through rate to target site Coke PLAY.

Post by Alvin Chan

Student No.: 08827661S

Not only Creativity, but also Placement, another major element in Interactive Ads

Before that, I believe that Ad creative is the only way to achieve success in interactive advertising. In fact, there is another significant factor influencing the outcome we have mentioned. An interesting 10-week study was done by Atlas, the Coefficient of Variation shows that conversion rates (includes purchases, site registration and nail subscriptions) influence more when compare different placements with different Ads creativities (in 2.00 to 0.33).

Based on this finding, we understand that select suitable media placements in a campaign are the most important thing. Similar with previous Apple iPod promotional campaign, they place interactive banners on the upper side of popular web portals (sourced from http://www.bannerblog.com.au/):

click image to see the ad

ESPN, Sport lovers (iPod provide different kind of sport games on App Store),

click image to see the ad

click image to see the ad

MTV, Yahoo! Games, Music lovers and Games lovers (promote App Store download games function to iPod current or future user) ,

click image to see the ad

and NYLON, fashionable person (iPod nano chromatic design for different fashion trend mix and match) which can reach iPod target group segmentation. To find a well-establish web-site and test acceptance of audiences is the first step to succeed.

Another interesting research had done by Dynamic Logic (http://www.dynamiclogic.com/na/research/btc/beyond_the_click_june2005.html) proposes interactive advertising should be spent on relevant site when marketers want increasing consideration or purchase intention with their brands. It will only increase brands or product awareness if displays Ads are placed in other web sites.

Post by Alvin Chan
Student no. 08827661S

"Incentive" is also important

As mentioned in the previous articles, a creative design and appropriate placement of an online advertisement are the important factors to make an ad be more effective, if you are going to place an ad on the Internet, there is one more thing that you should consider, that is “incentive”.

Appropriate incentives are used to achieve click-through. Banner advertisements with offers such as prizes or reductions can achieve higher click-through rate.

Click-through a banner ad leads through to a destination site which gives audience more detailed information on an offer. Let’s see the following example – B&Q.

↑ Although the advertising message is clear and easy to understand, it is just a banner ad which cannot be linked to its official website. In my opinion, if it could be click-through to the B&Q website to see the product information, it may induce target customer to visit the shop.

Let’s see one more example. The following is IPSA’s banner ad which is placed on Windows Live Messenger.

↑ A “Call for Action” button is also important and it could draw the audiences’ attention to click-through a banner.


Besides, the incentives “learn more about the make up and get a sample for free” could solicit audience’s response to visit the shop. By the way, a button for registration in the website is also an effective way to capture customer data. Therefore, the mix between online and offline spend could maximize the reach, brand awareness, and purchase intent etc.



Post by Isabel Li
Student No. 08849106S

The goals of Interactive Advertising

According to Cartellieri et al (1997), there is a wider range of goals for online campaigns including:
1. Delivering content: A click-though on a banner advertisement leads through to a destination site that provides more information.
2. Shaping attitude: An advertisement that is consistent with a company brand can help build brand awareness.
3. Soliciting response: An advertisement may be intended to identify as a start for two-way communication and encourage a user to type in an email address.
4. Encouraging retention: The advertisement may be placed as a reminder about the company and its service.

adidas Hong Kong created an online campaign in order to enhance her brand awareness and personalize its “Impossible is Nothing” theme among sports lovers.
1. adidas creates banner ads on MSN homepage, the ads is used to drive traffic to the branded web site blog on Windows Live Spaces (http://adidasiin.spaces.live.com/). The blog updated the detailed theme campaign information.
2. adidas invites users to share their own stories on the blog. The most favorite story will bring the prize for the user.
3. adidas official web site (http://www.adidas.com/hk/homepage.asp) shows the strengthen positive brand attributes among users. The users can register as adidas members to get the update news by email.

4. After the online campaign, the brand attributes of adidas is increasing included online ads awareness, message association, purchase intent…etc. The adidas online campaign is very successful that adidas can enhance brand affinity through its theme, reach current and new customers and also increase sales of adidas products.

Post by Ellen
Student no: 08849038S

Purchase ad placement

Digital media used as one of the channels for marketing is very popular in Hong Kong. Some media will be purchased on a specific site for their target customers. Banner advertising is purchased for a specific period. Traditionally, the most common payment is according to the number of customers who view the page as a cost-per-thousand (CPM) ad or page impressions. The other options will be agreed to per-click-through or per-action.

Recently, Citibank promote Octopus Citibank Credit Card on Apple Daily (http://hk.apple.nextmedia.com). They purchase two banner ads at the local news homepage to attract customers to apply their credit cards.






























Actually, Apple Daily has an update online advertising rate card for different types of banner ads. Take Citibank as examples, the left side banner site is called “Super Banner” while the right side is called “Large Rectangle”. According to the rate card, the payment will be $100 to $120 per 1000 views at Local News pages. Of course, if the advertiser has a specific target customer group, like female, premium channels for females will be selected and the rate will be $8000 per day fixed.




























Some advertisers may request more creative ad, they can choose crazy ad like the below.















This special adv is more expensive because the ad can be kept at the pages wherever you scroll up and down. According to the rate card, the ad is $30,000 and $15,000 per day fixed at local news and premium channel page respectively.

Post by Ellen
Student no: 08849038S

"Play" now – Game banner adv

Interactive advertising is an art which delivers complete and compelling message to buying target audience by creative means of various internet media, based on sound marketing principles.

click to launch "This is Huge"

Lead generation

"This Is Huge" campaign by Yahoo! Music successfully demonstrated an interactive e-banner by the strategy of “Lead generation”. It is a term which refers to the creation or generation of prospective consumer interest or inquiry into a business' products or services. The key is to identify the most likely prospects and then educating and qualifying them before deploying more expensive sales resources. The education benefits the buyer; qualification benefits the seller.

Targeting

“This is Huge” has built instant credibility and popularity with 18- to 24-year-old music lovers by a “Minipops” interact and fun animation, which shows the user the diversity of fresh new music available. Moreover, the function of “TRY IT FREE” has been an effective "Call for Action" in leading users to the Yahoo! Music page and the page to sign up as members.

It is reported that the campaign drove a 50% lift in the core audience—18 to 24-year-olds and click-through rates on banners nearly tripled from previous campaigns. Here, a strategy called “Concentration” is adopted, which involves identifying and creating situations that concentrate well-matched candidates into a broadcast-effective set.

References:
Lead Generation for the Complex Sale by Brian J. Carroll
The Online Lead Generation Glossary

Post by April Chan
Student ID: 08842180s

Unified Language – Game Banner Ad

“Great advertising doesn't ask what the ad will get from consumers. Rather, it asks what the ad can give to them.” By Kevin Carney, ClickZ

An effective form
Game banner ad becomes a gift to viewer since the traditional forms of advertising have been so overdone and people would instinctively ignore them. Game banner ad enables more convenience to the user that interacts with the brand by remaining the same website. More, game, what an unified language to all people in www world, applicable anywhere anytime, it’s actually providing a higher success rate for the advertiser.

Engagement
Based on the interest of consumers, the marketer delivers a message that evokes emotion and wraps the brand in the positive association. While it may perform so-so in making user purchase at the second, it successfully empowered consumers, which is more than simply allowing consumers to customize and personalize. This kind of engagement strengthens the emotional, psychological or physical investment a customer has in a brand, hence enhances the impression in user mindset.

“Pictureka: Stinky Things!” a game banner ad carried out to spread awareness of “Pictureka” personality. With a simple “picture hunt” game play, deliver user a relevant and positive experience of the brand and her characters that would stick with them long after they have surfed on.

It’s Starting to Go Viral
Interactive Game banners attract viewers without sales message and incentives but joy and fun; they blur the lines between advertising and entertainment; they accomplish something a standard message usually is unable to. What is more, an interesting game could drive people to share and talk, a creditable promotion eventually forms.

Launch "Pictureka: Stinky Things!"

References:
'Making Banner Ads Cool Again' - Mike Masick's Article
'Extreme Makeover: Banner Ads Edition' - Jayson Fittipaldi's Article

Post by April Chan
Student ID: 08842180s

The Advantages of Interactive Advertising

Nowadays, interactive advertising becomes one of the popular advertising techniques, do you know why?

Interactive advertising - It is different from the traditional media that involve one-way communication which is highly unfocused, this new media allows marketers to establish an two-way interaction with target audience.

Interactive advertising provides several advantages for marketers. According to Chaffey (2009), he mentioned that the advantages of interactive advertising include...
1. Direct response: Interactive advertising can generate an immediate direct response via click-through to a website.
2. Enhancing brand awareness and reach: The visual imagery of an interactive ad can generate awareness about a brand, product or need.
3. Targeting: Media buyers can select the right site or channel within a site to reach the audience. Audience can also be targeted via their profile through serving personalized ads, or ad in email if visitors have registered on a site.

Recently, McDonald's introduced its new promotion campaign "Kitty Lab" through the use of interactive media – Banner advertising. The banner ads are placed on the Yahoo! homepage and Windows Live Messenger which could generate direct response, enhance the awareness about the campaign, and it could also reach their target audience effectively.

↑ The message in the banner ad "Visit Kitty Lab and get a full set of Hello Kitty" creates interaction and generates an immediate response to click-through the McDonald's website.

↑The banner ad with animation and enlargement placed on Windows Live Messenger could also induce the target audience – youngsters to click into the website.

Post by Isabel Li
Student No: 08849106S

Reference book:Chaffey, Dave, Richard Mayer, Kevin Johnston, and Fiona Ellis-Chadwick, Internet Marketing – Strategy, Implementation and Practice, 4th edition, Financial Times & Prentice Hall, 2009.

2Ws of Interactive Advertising

"The Internet provides the means for "interaction" between buyers and sellers to such a degree that some have suggested this is the defining characteristic of the Internet" by Leckenby and Li

The customer has now come to include several generations of technology savvy consumers. They entitle to have what they want it, when they want it and where they choose to have it. Majority of consumers will eventually be highly interactive oriented. Actually, we all nowadays cannot avoid getting in touch with interactive advertisements in the Internet.

What?
Interactive advertising is quite a broad term. In general, the Internet provides the means for “interaction” between buyers and sellers (Leckenby and Li, 2000). In the same way, interactive advertising means there is interaction between the sender and receiver of the ads. Actually, all forms of online, wireless and interactive television advertising, including banners, sponsorships, e-mail, keyword searches, referrals, interstitial, pop-ups, websites and interactive television commercials can be categorized as interactive advertising.

Why?
Interactive advertising could be used for content delivering, transaction enabling, attitudes shaping, response soliciting or retention encouraging. I think interactive advertising attach importance to creativity as people always pay attention to creativity. For example, Nike’s NIKEiD provides a platform for customers to match the colours of the sports requisites. Both the marketers and customers are creative.

The typical formats of interactive ads mainly include banner ads, sponsorship requests and pop-ups/interstitial webpages. Advances in the Internet technology have enriched the design of webpages. This blog has shown / will show you how diversified in interactive ads are.

Posted by Edgar Chan
Student No.: 08822167S

Tactics or a true lie ?

Online advertising is often appraised of its sky limit creativity. Breaking from constraints of traditional media, online advertising give marketers a boundless horizon to ride as free as we can.

Nevertheless how we can draw an ethical line draw to distinguish between creativity and responsibility ?


An advertising agency name as Droga produced a short video and up-hosted on YOUTUBE. The video featured a guy who was riding a bike along the journey similar as he was playing a musical game. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NlMYWuGUZlM

The video was intended to promote a video game product known as “Guitar Hero” for ActiVision. But the video which was not like a conventional TV commercial, it never “promote” the core product literately. The promotion somehow was so successful that it attracted hundred thousand clicks to watch the video.

What is the problem ?

The major concern was Droga had broken the Integrity of the 5Is principle of CRM (Peppers and Rogers) . They deliberately packaged a commercial material to broadcast online but presented it nothing similar to an advertisement. This was a betrayal to trust and irresponsible to the audiences.

However there were also supportive opinions that Droga was using a legitimate tactics to broadcast an user generated content on an internet platform. Unlike newspapers or magazines which required advertisers to identify clearly an advertisement to readers, YouTube never claim responsibility to the content up-hosted to be true or truthful.

Besides, the video did not provide exaggerated or untruthful content description about the product “Guitar Hero”. This was entirely a marketing creativity to create emotional affiliation of audience to Guitar Hero.

In conclusion, if we default web content should be the reality it represents, we definitely would feel disappointed. There is nothing claim to be unbiased, truthful, nor should the content providers feel obliged. The internet as a content platform always has no hard lines between reportage and fantasy. Everything in VR we should always digest with doubts.

References:
Strategy, Implementation and Practice, 3rd edition, Financial Times & Prentice Hall, 2006. Chaffey, Dave, Richard Mayer, Kevin Johnston, and Fiona Ellis-Chadwick

Posted by Jonathan Lau

Student No: 08834652S

Behavioral Targeting - a problem of online privacy

Behavioral Targeting aims at locating the most relevant prospects from millions of active web browsers. Advertisers are moving from contextual targeting to more focusing to specific target customer group online.

Behavioral targeting works by ISP or search engines gathering the activities of the web surfers and resell to advertising agencies for deeper data mining of users’ profiles for the use of future promotion.

(An example of Metro Radio email advertising)

What is the ethical problem?

According to a survey done by Truste (posted in MediaPost during March 2008) , majority of people realized that ISP or search engines tracks their Web browsing behavior for purposes to sending them targeted advertising materials. Half of the respondents said they were not comfortable with this practice, even though the information did not contain personal information such as names, age or address etc. More important was majority of Web users told researchers they felt the irrelevant ads ‘intrusive and annoying.’

The argument behind is IP address should be respected as a kind of personal information similar as telephone number. When somebody who is not willing to expose their tracks online, they certainly would feel being intruded and have a bad feeling to the irrelevant advertising materials reaching them.

Some ISPs such as AT&T requires an “affirmative consent” from users to allow the ISP using their information for future tracking and targeting. However it is always overlooked by web surfers as they just quickly click to consent the choice to begin browsing.

Online privacy on the whole is not easy to tackle. On one hand we need to protect the privacy of web users, but on the other hand the ISP or search engines do own the data. Perhaps Permission marketing equipped with incentive schemes is a solution to the issue.

References:

The Ethics of Behavioral Targeting by Wally Snyder Jul 16th 2008 <http://www.aafblog.org/blog/>

Strategy, Implementation and Practice, 3rd edition, Financial Times & Prentice Hall, 2006. Chaffey, Dave, Richard Mayer, Kevin Johnston, and Fiona Ellis-Chadwick

Posted by Jonathan Lau

Student No: 08834652S