And We're Done!

Congratulations everyone!  With that last tasty post we have successfully reached the end of our Internet Marketing journey.  Thanks for following along and well done on your own blogging endeavors!

At Least Monopoly is Going Again...Anyone Have Boardwalk?

There's an article over at eMarketer.com called In Institutions We Trust, or Not which brings up some interesting points regarding how much trust people have in certain entities. It specifically notes such disparate things as trust in government and social networking. “Only 16% of respondents said online social networks were “completely” or “very trustworthy.” This is mainly due to privacy concerns and the understanding that corporations do not have our best interests in mind, they have their own interests.

I also think this can be attributed to people being more informed via the power of the internet and thus not trusting everything they read there. A great example can be seen on the McDonald's website by comparing this image:

And this image:

I daresay most of use are reasonably informed enough about the McDonald's experience to expect more of the latter than the former.

While it's obvious why McDonald's would want to project an image of quality it strikes me as a further departure in image from their roots. I want two all beef patties-special sauce-lettuce-cheese-pickles-onions-on-a-sesame-seed-bun, squished unceremoniously in a box. Instead they are trying to sell me a gourmet patty resting on verdant fields of lettuce and artisan bread, which I'm pretty sure I can get better elsewhere. Consider me unconvinced.

Tide: Targeting the X Chromosomes

Now I don't mean for this posting to come off with a sexist overtone and imply that only women do laundry, so just note that I spent the better part of my youth getting smacked around by my older sisters so I have little illusion regarding male superiority.

With that said:

According to a the recent article Good Experiences Motivate Women to Share Product Info from eMarketer.com, “92% of women turn to friends and family for product information, making word-of-mouth their top source.” A large majority of female internet users also said they are likely to share information on the web and “In every product category studied, sharing good experiences, and often a desire to help other consumers make smart purchases, came ahead of sharing bad experiences as a word-of-mouth generator.”

Tide is making excellent use of this phenomenon on their website via the StainBrain link. Clicking this leads to a page in which users can find solutions to common stains broken down into numerous categories, as well as post their own solutions.

Clicking on a stain like chocolate leads to a further page in which these solutions submitted by other users, as well as an official one from Tide, are displayed. And all but one of these solutions was submitted by a woman (unless Wayne M. isn't a dude), and most utilize Tide in some way.

This offers other women (and men of course, but the study wasn't on us and we'd probably give up and buy a new shirt anyway) a place to share and receive positive word-of-mouth regarding Tide and the solutions it offers, further enhancing their brand image outside of a traditional forum which may play host to negative views (this is the internet after all).

SPAM: Keeping your personal info in a can too.

Before taking this internet marketing class I had never actually read a website's privacy policy, so it seemed to me that the one for the SPAM site was really long, and it it actually is pretty lengthy when compared to McDonalds or Target.

It is also pretty in depth in exactly what is told. For instance, McDonals says rather tersely, “Like most web sites, McDonald's uses cookies for a variety of purposes in order to improve your on-line experience.” By comparison, SPAM provides a half page list of scenarios under the heading “How Does Hormel Foods Use Your Personal Information?”

They are also the only site I saw that expressly commented on the idea of consent, namely by using the site you are consenting to the collection of information. In fact they clearly spell it out in all caps for emphasis: “IF YOU DO NOT CONSENT TO THE COLLECTION, USE AND DISCLOSURE OF YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION AS SET FORTH IN THIS PRIVACY POLICY, PLEASE EXIT AND DO NOT USE THIS SITE.”

Wonga! I think the reason for such an in depth and expressive privacy policy can by found by clicking the link right next to the privacy policy which will lead you to the article SPAM® Brand and the Internet.

In this article Hormel clearly puts out it's position against the practice of spam and making the distinction of always referring product in capital letters as SPAM. (Though they won't officially acknowledge meaning in the acronym.) While the article may state that they do not object to the slang use of the term spam, I can't help but think they'd be happier without the negative connotation and have merely given up since everyone in the world already uses it. Hence they seem to be responding head on to people's fears of SPAM spam by making the longest, most in depth privacy policy ever.

Halloweekend: Uninspired name but effective strategy for the best holiday ever.

One of my biggest pet peeves is seasonal advertising. Seriously. The next advertiser that invites me to “fall (or spring) into savings” gets it right in the tooth! Other egregious offenders can be seen in in the seasonal holiday subcategory with such stretches of grammar and spelling as Outback's “Red, White, and Bloomin” (shudder) or Target's current “Halloweekend” promotion.

But I can't fault Target for trying. Halloween is the greatest holiday in the history of all holidays and is arguably the only one that is even more fun as an adult than as a kid, and adults have money to spend. This is addressed in the October 13^th, 2010 article Will Halloween Spook Consumers? from eMarketer.com which shows total spending on Halloween this year in the US is on track to reach $5.8 billion. (Unfortunately the $.8 billion comes from the cheapskates who hand out the dubiously named “candy corn” instead of real treats.) This averages to about $66.28 per person on candy, decorations, costumes, and party supplies.

While the name is questionable, Target's approach is spot on. The website is fully integrated into their “Halloweekend” theme with a large promo banner taking up most of the main page. Directly linked from the banner is the whole array of costumes offered, conveniently organized by category. 40% of adults plan to dress up this year (buying a costume is cheating, more on that later) and a considerably larger number of kids and costumes seem to be the main shopping item so Target is wise to feature it.

However, clicking on one of the costume links also provides further insight into how well Target thought this through. At the bottom of the costume page there are also images and links to items under the heading “Halloween Party Planning”. According to the article 33% of adults plan to hold a party while 50% plan to decorate their homes and yards, so this content is well targeted.

I also can't help but notice they are also offering free shipping on costumes over $50. With the average spending on total Halloween purchases being $66 Target can potentially capture almost all of a person's planned spending with this offer, and possibly drive some higher.

So there we go. Target's doing a good job and Halloween is only two weeks away! Get working on those costumes people! And for those who don't have an idea yet I am awarding extra points for hilarity and cultural timeliness to anyone who can pull off the Tiger Woods “Cigar Guy”.

What I do when I ought to be doing homework...

One of the few holdovers from my wasted youth is a love of all things videogames. Every guy needs a hobby and there’s nothing better than being able to unwind into mindless escapism for a few hours. (Or, if the wife is out of town on business, a marathon weekend of gaming decadence recalling the halcyon days of caffeine fueled adolescence!)

One of the enablers of this questionable addiction is gamespot.com. I have a theory that the retail website gamestop.com was so named specifically to market to the dyslexic crowd, but I digress.

Gaming is a huge industry, and the news and information sites that have sprung up around it for the most part reflect its increasing importance as an entertainment medium. As such Gamespot scored an impressive 95 from the Hubspot website grader’s criteria. As such I had relatively few recommendations.

First, fix the RSS feed. As a video game news site there are always new stories and headlines that would be excellent to send via RSS. Gamespot does indeed support an RSS feed, though it is not very obvious as a tiny button way down at the bottom of the scroll. There is also apparently something wrong, as it was not detected by this website analysis.

Secondly would be a sign up form or at least better attention given to the ability to do so. Gamespot does have the ability to register an account with the site, however this is only through a link to a form off the main page, and also not clearly denoted with its tiny link in the top right. A more prominent display inviting account creation would be helpful, more so than having the account creation form right on the main page.

Finally, fewer images on the main page would help with navigation. Currently it is covered with a giant ad for Best Buy and several smaller accompanying banners cluttering up the useful space.

If I Flip My Jeep In the Mountains the Internet Will Save Me!

On page 237 of Internet Marketing 2nd ed. by M.L. Roberts we are introduced to the “Pillars of Strategic Customer Care”, specifically the use of technology in strategic customer management. One of these helpful tech goodies is the use of streaming media in providing customer satisfaction through tech demos and question/answer videos.

The jeep website makes excellent use of streaming video as can be seen by clicking the “4x4 Basics” button near the top right. This provides an excellent series of streaming videos and flash-enhanced information from topics as basic as how 4-wheel drive works in different Jeep vehicles all the way to detailed towing specs and an off road driving guide for the adventurous.

Of course clicking elsewhere on the site can lead you to considerably less helpful videos...

Target: If I Close My Eyes I Can Pretend It's Macy's

According to the September 30, 2010 article Giving Affluents the Luxury Treatment Online from eMarketer.com, affluent customers (defined as people who make more money than I ever will) make up a disproportionately large share of online retail spending growth compared to their more numerous proletariat counterparts.

Further along in the article it brings up the point that “Few online retailers are taking advantage of personalized product recommendations and other online tools that would reflect their understanding of their customers’ wants and needs” and that affluent shoppers “expect retailers’ websites to replicate the same shopping experience they offer in their stores”.

While Target is not necessarily considered a luxury retailer it is definitely perceived as a step above its direct competitors and wealthier patrons do seem to shop there. (Last I checked you don't get rich by spending more than you have to.) Target's web site seems to be doing a good job of meeting or exceeding the experience demanded by theses discerning customers.

Target.com takes excellent advantage of many internet commerce strategies that have shown success at improving the customer experience which can woo these moneyed shoppers. On each item page are recommendations regarding what other people who looked at the same item bought (gotta keep up with the Joneses) as well as product reviews from other customers. This is further enhanced when an item is added to your cart as a confirmation window pops up which also contains items bought by similar customers.

In terms of replicating the shopping experience offered in the store I'd say the website improves upon it in several ways. First of all there are no lines, as is true of all online shopping so the wealthy do not need to mingle with the “help”. And detailed information on all products is fully available on each products page. An affluent shopper used to dealing with professional and knowledgeable employees at a high end shop are not likely to find that experience in a retailer like Target, so having all the info they need online is a definite improvement.

Dare I say it? Target seems to be on target with their website!

 

Generic Blog Entry Title for Generic Twins Website

OK, I admit I'm a fair-weather Twins fan, in both instances of the term now that they decided to build an open-air stadium in one of the coldest and least predictable weather states. (The Duluth news has about a 50% accuracy rate, and you can only blame the lake so many times.) But for the sake of analysis I decided to sign up for a My MLB.com account via the Twins website.

First things first. The Major League Baseball...league must exercise some sort of control over acceptable websites for affiliated teams as they are all hosted via MLB.com. For instance if you go the the Milwaukee Brewers site it is identical to the Twins site except for the logos and colors. I don't know enough about the politics or rules involved so I won't comment other than to say it seems counter-intuitive to brand building for each team if all their websites are the same.

On page 187 of Internet Marketing 2nd ed. by M.L. Roberts permission marketing is discussed, specifically the option to opt-out or opt-in to further communications when providing information. “Opt-out...is an improvement over spam, but it does not represent a high level of commitment...” That being said, signing up for My MLB.com has done the exceedingly difficult task of checking the “I would like to receive newsletters and promotions from MLB.com and their partners.” box for me under the assumption I would want to and may have forgotten. It seems the bare minimum is OK for the MLB.

A further example of this seeming lack of commitment from a marketing perspective can be seen on the following screens of the sign-up. While address and contact information is marked as required, gender and information about you as a fan (games attended/watched, favorite team/player, etc) are all available to be selected but are not considered required information. It seems odd that the MLB would actively try to update their contact list via an opt-out format and required contact info, but not more actively seek personalization and targeting information for use by them and the teams. It's almost as though they just want to send me newsletters and e-mails regardless of if they are relevant.

Moving on, a person can at least select what newsletters they would like to be sent (a ton to choose from with the generic shop and ticket ones already selected of course) and what format. Maybe I'm just lazy or not committed enough, but shouldn't they have required me to submit my favorite teams already and automatically signed me up for those letters instead? On page 191 of the text one of the guidelines for e-mail and online marketing in general is to “make it easy for the readers to take action” in some cases by proactively taking the action for them.

Target Celebrates "Shameless Promotion Month" (Yes it's a real observance)

In the September 21, 2010 article Consumers Want More Cause Marketing from eMarketer.com, 81% of surveyed consumers stated they would buy a cause related product and 78% stated they would change their shopping behavior in response to cause related marketing.

With that in mind lets all take time to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month and the power of dreams with the help of Target's “Dare. Dream. Do.” diversity program/corporate thingy brought to you by such luminaries as Enrique Iglesias!

<--Look into my eyes and feel the diversity!

While I can't entirely figure out what this is all about, one of the statements from the associated page on Target.com should bring Target's purpose to light. “By developing relationships with minority and women-owned vendors and suppliers, Target invests in the success of businesses across

the country.”

Notice the underlined part there and consider this statement from the eMarketer article by Alison Dasilva: “Cause branding is a prime opportunity for companies to extend beyond their traditional market and increase exposure to potential new consumers.”

So looking past the corporate-speak, this program is, at its core, just another marketing vehicle for Target to attract customers, in this case Hispanic ones. And people that like Enrique Iglesias.

Target may also have genuinely altruistic motives in celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month, but I tend to have a rather cynical view toward corporate programs like this as they are rather self-serving. After all, September is also National Chicken Month, National Head Lice Prevention Month, National Piano Month, and National Mushroom Month, but I don't see any matching programs on the website.

Is more than one SPAM post considered Spamming?

On page 98 of Internet Marketing 2nd ed. by M.L. Roberts we are reminded of the fact that unlike physical items, information is not destroyed when it is consumed. “In fact, on the internet useful information is often shared...thereby increasing its value.”

The recipe exchange on the SPAM website is an excellent example of how information can increase in value for the company through the sharing of recipes among different consumers, who in turn share them with their own acquaintances. (I hesitate to say friends as I'm not sure what relationship I'd have with someone who gave me a SPAM recipe on purpose.) The effect this can have should be fairly obvious. More people hearing about SPAM in theory leads to more SPAM sales, not just from people that visit the site but from those they share recipes with.

This is also a good example of the community aspect of interactive brand building as outlined on page 157. People who really love SPAM (they do exist) finally have an outlet for their creativity to an audience that actually listens to them and shares their experience and opinions. This can strengthen the SPAM brand image among these members, who in theory will preach to the unconverted through their recipes.  Again, this increases the value of the information, namely the recipes.

This forms a solution to another problem that I perceive...what does a person do with SPAM? Most people have a general idea of what SPAM is, (sort of) but once it comes schlorping out of the can to sit quivering upon our plates, I daresay most of us are at a loss as to what to do other than fry it beyond recognition in a vain attempt to convince ourselves it tastes like bacon.

And so I present for your consideration something that I thought was a joke but turns out is actually real and pretty big in Hawaii:

SPAM Musubi

McDonald's: I'm not lovin' it

Usually the only reason I'm yawning at McDonald's is because I got up early enough on the weekend to get a McMuffin before they stop serving them, but my first impression of their website is pretty snore inducing from a marketing perspective.

Based on information in the Sept. 7, 2010 article Can Marketers Catch Up with Millennials? from eMarketer.com a large percentage of “millenials” (young adults, ages 18 to 34) have generally favorable attitudes towards advertising, to the point of saying they “click more often on all types of online ads”. A large majority, 78%, also say that they actively engage in social media and blogging.

With that in mind, where is the ability to “share” the site via social media? (If one were to bother anyway.) It's way up in the right hand corner in tiny font, gray on black, and tiny icons in the bottom left that I actually didn't notice until I was writing this sentence. It could be argued that anyone that really wanted to link their Facebook to McDonald's would go a little out of their way, but as an impulsive action there is little to entice an everyday visitor to click and add one more piece to McDonald's online social presence.

Also a minority, only 43% of millenials, choose to opt out of mailing lists for targeted e-mail advertising and yet where is the McDonald's Fan Club or loyalty program or pop up prompt? Under “promotions”? Nope. “Contact us”? Nope. The ability to sign up for offers or promotions is in a tiny gray text at the bottom with the uninspired title “subscribe/unsusbscribe”. To what a person would subscribe isn't really known until they click.

As much as their television ads annoy me, (ba daba ba daaaa) they at least seem targeted to a more youthful demographic. By comparison the website seems bland, uninspired, even (gasp) corporate. As a final insult, while only 33.5% of millenials feel that advertising to kids is wrong, just try to find Ronald McDonald, arguably one of the most recognizable icons in the world, anywhere on the McDonalds site.

In the next election Mayor McCheese better run on a platform of advertising reform.

Four Characteristics of Spam (And I don't mean canned, meaty, salty, or mysterious)

Reluctant as I am to sing the praises of Spam, I do have to point out that the website is an excellent example of all four important “I” characteristics of good internet marketing as described in Internet Marketing 2^nd ed. by M.L. Roberts (P. 82).

The site is interactive. When you first navigate to the page you are immediately greeted by a box superimposed over the page inviting you join the Spam recipe exchange. Here Spam connoisseurs can share their favorite Spam based recipes, rate them, and vote for favorites.

It is information driven. Visitors to the site can register for their own recipe, shopping, and fan club account. Combined with the ability to shop for Spam products directly from the site Hormel has access to a wealth of information from popular flavor buying trends, customer demographics, and preferences.

It is immediate in nature. Customers can access direct contact information, shipping, nutritional info, and even order Spam products all from this one site, 24/7.

Finally it is involving. Potential and current customers can print out coupons directly from the site to purchase Spam products and the recipe exchange section can entice potential customers via the desire to try new recipes.

So there we have it, clearly Spam has all the ingredients for successful internet marketing. If only we could figure out what the actual ingredients of Spam are...

Lots of People Like Target, Just Not Enough To Be Friends

According to the September 10th, 2010 article How Social Media Is Changing Brand Marketing from eMarketer.com, 52% of brand representatives feel that social media provides an opportunity to reach new customers but only 35% agreed that it would help build loyal customers.

I think those numbers should be the other way around.

Take Target for instance. Obviously they have both a large brick and mortar presence (1,750 stores in 49 states according to their website) and a large online presence. They also have a Facebook page with many features and applications tied to shopping and store information. However, all of that is available, and more useful, on the actual Target site. On Facebook, one thing to notice is this number: 1,739,406, the number of people that “like” Target. (Apparently public entities can only have “likes” but not friends...seems lonely.)

The current population of the United States on census.gov is 310,223,562. In other words, if Facebook is to be believed, only .56% of the United States likes/shops at Target. (Or only .35% of the Facebook population.) Obviously that's an oversimplification and also not true with that many stores in that many states. As such it would be safe to assume, as I do, that most of the people who “like” Target on Facebook are already among the ranks of their existing customers, and a new customer looking to buy something would use Target.com, not Facebook as the starting point of their relationship.

Clearly if someone has gone through the effort of “liking” Target on Facebook they already have some form of relationship with the company. As such I believe that a greater use of Facebook would be in further interaction with customers to maintain their loyalty and “like-ship” rather than focusing on new customers.

The Things We Make, Make Us. Thus I Am Made of Postings About the Jeep Site.

OK, in the interest of transparency I'll be up front with you. The thing that impresses me the most on the Jeep website is when you hover the mouse over the tab for the different vehicle models at the bottom and a funny little graphic of the vehicle climbs/drives up over the menu. “But that's stupid and ridiculous! Why would that impress you the most Keith?” Shut up, that's why.



On a more academic note the Jeep website seems to encompass some of the ideals in the “value chain” and drivers of internet economy as discussed in the text Internet Marketing by M.L. Roberts.



For instance:



In the value chain the text cites Dell as a prime example creating a value chain in internet space (p. 36) with it's streamlined model of customer ordering and manufacturing to order. While Jeep hasn't gone that far, the website does offer customers the capability to select and customize a vehicle while receiving estimated costs in real time. They can then search new or used inventory for a matching vehicle or request a quote to order or lease it.



Jeep did not pioneer this concept, but it is an example of one of the main drivers of Internet economy; namely that consumers now have the power in the information rich internet environment (p. 24). In the past if I wanted to order a Jeep I would be reliant on my local Jeep dealer and the “expertise” of a professional, and likely high pressure, salesperson. Now potential customers can do all the research and preparation online without pressure or hassle. Without this convenience, I might have ended up getting annoyed by a salesperson and bought a Subaru instead.



Also there are funny little Jeep graphics, and quite a few more advanced features but I imagine that's covered in a later chapter.