Internet Marketing Blog

The American Academy In Rome and NPR Radio Discuss The Newsroom

(No Ratings Yet)

 Loading ...

Earlier this afternoon, The American Academy in Rome and National Public Radio held a livestream discussion from the Villa Aurelia in Rome, titled “The Future of News In The Digital World.”  Christopher Celenza, Director of The Academy, was the moderator while Vivian Schiller, President and CEO of NPR, and Sylvia Poggioli, NPR Senior European Correspondent fielded questions from online followers and a live audience.  The women discussed several intriguing topics that I’ll outline below this paragraph, while explaining the unique value of NPR to its audience in the present and future growth potential.  

On NPR:

NPR is a private, not-for-profit news organization that has a unique relationship with the national and international media industry.  This is due to the optimization of local research and production within the communities in where content is accesible, be it through podcasts or radio.  NPR has multiple sources of revenue with this connection and can withstand economic capriciousness.  According to Ms. Schller, the news industry lost 1.6 million reporters while surveys indicate that 70% of participants feel that the news media is overly biased while 71% are also confused about the intention of their content.  These sentiments have allowed NPR to leverage their strong public trust into a growing market share of European followers, especially since the Gulf War of 1999.

On European cyberspace use:

Both news executives have seen some growth in the European market, with success stories in the former Yugoslavia as one example in gaining radio followers.  European news corporations are also more reliant on sales and advertising revenue than the States, while providing more partisan content.  Governments offer cheap utility rate subsidies for news media, which assists with corporate stability.

They, however, discussed a couple of impediments to accelerated growth in Europe’s future.  Consistent web usage in traditional Western European powers is largely limited to mobile devices, affecting browsing time and online advertising growth potential. Northern Europe, especially in Denmark, has nearly double the cyberspace traffic of Germany. Secondly, the government subsidies allow for greater hegemony over content and distribution, which is nonexistent Stateside. Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi owns a large share of Italy’s media networks and been able to defray a term filled with various scandal. President Nicolas Sarkozy deftly used French media to portray his innocence in the Bettencourt situation.  In short, the European media landscape is embracing a digital future, but at a slower pace.

NPR’s Digital Outreach and Influence:

As a purveyor of civic information, NPR has been inventive in their news outreach.  Both executives also go into more depth in their discussion on the network’s strategy. They have used interactive marketing with several key issues to solicit feedback which could ultimately lead to policy development. During the election of 2008, their digital section created a Google Maps application and offered a Twitter stream for users to share polling issues.  Social media users also wrote their thoughts on the Facebook fan pages when news of the Haiti earthquake reached the newswire.  Planet Money, a finance blog covering local business measures, was instrumental as a hub for local demographics during the financial crisis of 2008, and visitors remain strong to this day.  Some concern has grown about the behavior of online visitors to NPR being somewhat belligerent and sophomorific, but the moderators keep control.

NPR’s livestream shows the inventiveness of their leadership.  The unique bond with local communities allowed NPR to make a seamless transition into the hyperactivity of digital media.  They have a stronger pulse on the audience and can tailor programming to meet their listening demands.  The executives also feel that the mobile industry will be a natural transition for the network, as smartphones gain sophistication.  NPR breathes life back into the radio, when once we all thought video won.

Posted by Abdul Fattah Ismail
Posted in Blog Marketing, Business News, Content Marketing, Interactive Marketing, Marketing, blog | No Comments »
Tags: abdul fattah ismail, american academy in rome, Blueliner, Blueliner Marketing, digital media, digital media agency, internet marketing ny, national public radio, new york social media agency, npr american academy in rome livestream, npr livestream, social media

Cyberhealth Search, M.D.

(No Ratings Yet)

 Loading ...

Once upon a time, not too long ago, we visited the doctor to keep us from eternal woe. Your doctor could have been John or Jack Doe, for all we cared. In the new millennium, things are a little different. We have a national health care plan, although the possibilities of redemption will be told on a future date.  Healthcare consumers are going online to access information and services.  Insurers such as Aetna and Oxford have comprehensive statistics and resources for patients.  Couriers and freelancers have a long-running joke that WebMD takes their temperature.

These elements have forced consumers to become more empowered with personal health care.  Pharmaceuticals have acted accordingly, securing record profits with aggressive online campaigns and sharp website design with comprehensive facts.  According to a 2009 study by Harris Interactive, 78% of US Internet users searched online for health information.  Social media definitely integrates the personal health experience into a far more communicative, enlightened venture than its clandestine past.

It begs to ponder the value of search in our medical experiences.  We can access information from endless sources, but it’s difficult to separate the wheat from the chaff without a specialist.  In turn, the specialist loses value if he or she is inaccessible to citizens who need their routine services.  Specialists also lose value with informed patients, and must be willing to engage in critical discussions to ensure a healthy relationship.  The medical field, unlike others, has been slow to embrace mobile technology in supporting operations.  You may love the WebMD Sports Injury Reports on Fox, but if you’re covered, go see the doctor.

Posted by Abdul Fattah Ismail
Posted in Flash, Interactive Marketing, Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Website Design, blog, online advertising | No Comments »
Tags: abdul fattah ismail, aetna insurance, Blueliner Marketing, harris interactive market research, healthcare, internet marketing nyc, new york social media agency, online advertising, oxford health care, pharmaceutical websites, web md

Minor Leagues Create A Digital Platform for Ad Buyers

(No Ratings Yet)

 Loading ...

The summertime is perfect to hit the old ballparks. A beer and hot dog represents the national pastime and The Great American Experience for a reason.  As many live on a tighter budget, minor league affiliates are becoming an attractive option.  Youngsters also have an easier time to get acquainted with players. MiLB is a formidable organization with a loyal fan base ripe for marketing strategy.  They took a huge step forward by using a new digital-buying platform that centralizes the advertising menu for sponsorship. Major League Baseball Advanced Media is a principal in the partnership, and their.  I spoke a little ago about web advertising in need of a menu purchasing scale with traditional buyers, and this could be a nice benchmark.  Teams have great flexibility with their individual websites.  This new platform gives them the ability to control individual content and advertising space coupled with placing national advertisers on the parent site of MiLB.com.  This labyrinthe, unified approach allows them to reach overlooked markets in the less populated regions such as the Appalachians.  Here’s a list of some major advertisers that have joined on since the platform’s inception:  Lance Snacks, Carvel Ice Cream, PepsiCo, and Thomas The Tank Engine (children’s story).  Swing, ad buyers!

Posted by Abdul Fattah Ismail
Posted in Business News, Interactive Marketing, Marketing, blog, online advertising | No Comments »
Tags: abdul fattah ismail, Blueliner, Blueliner Marketing, milb.com, minor league baseball, mlb advanced media, new york interactive marketing agency, online advertising agency, web marketing agency

I Collect Fans. Therefore, I Invest.

(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

 Loading ...

As social media websites like Facebook gain over hundreds of thousands of users, business principles must be assessed. Corporate entrants onto Facebook have created fan pages to inform members of their brand, its qualities, and promotional opportunities. Some brands have entered social media with widgets on the home site, with ambitions to gain a new generation of followers.  The value is in the volume.  Unfortunately, those fans remain static due to the misconception that Facebook users do not seek engagement from brands.  Therefore, product development loses a golden opportunity to leverage new customers, due to anxiety and false predications.

Some corporations move with the opposite mindset.  As genuine investors, they cultivate fans that are secured into an digital source for assets.  Chris Perry of Advertising Age comes up with ten fundamental principles for brands to leverage their social media fans and become an online investor.  I’ll draw out a few key statements.

1) What “Like” Means – Understand what an individual “liking” your brand says about them today, and set goals for what it should say about them tomorrow.  Your core base will come easily.  They were already fans of the brand and this is why they have “liked” your page – the brand has not added these fans, it’s simply assembled them.  It’s expanding and winning new audiences that pays dividends.

2) Put your fans to work – The sheer numbers of fans have clout only when put to use.  Powerful investor brands activate their audience as advocates.  Put those who like you to work by giving them reasons to interact with the brand and provide a platform where their enthusiastic support is amplified to their networks.  Facebook is a great place for activities.  Give your audience things to “like”, to use, to share, to post, to comment on.  Reward them as appropriate for your industry, segment, restrictions, budget and product – with applications, activities, social currency, exposure, affirmation, discounts, access, entertainment, responsiveness and respect.

3) Listen to your fans and respond to what you hear – Your Facebook community is a great source of research, product innovation ideas, consumer advocacy, customer service, and validation.  Monitor consistently and seriously, and be willing to stop and listen at every point and to change and respond and reset expectations when you identify new challenges and opportunities.  Understand that outside forces can impact your standing online so keep an eye out to mitigate risk and to anticipate if activities have impact on your perceived value.  Pay close attention to audience responses and be nimble in your response.  Be mindful of privacy and transparent with marketing.

Click the “Like” button for more insight.

Posted by Abdul Fattah Ismail
Posted in Business News, Marketing, Mobile Marketing, Social Media Marketing, blog | 1 Comment »
Tags: abdul fattah ismail, Blueliner, Blueliner Marketing, facebook, facebook fans, Facebook marketing, online marketing agency, Social Media Marketing, web marketing in nyc

Women Dig The Plug-In

(2 votes, average: 3.00 out of 5)

 Loading ...

In a world where everyone is always online through social media, e-mail, and smartphones, some run for the lakes and oceans to escape.  Others simply pick up a good novel and read on the sofa.  Despite their best intentions, some are too obsessively attached to get away from the grind of constant interaction, especially if your office demands the pace.  It’s too facile to call it an addiction, but women, according to a recent study, are not letting go easily.  

The Oxygen Media Insights Group conducted a study showing that young women between the ages of 18 and 34 stay close to their family and friends around the clock.  A June survey from Burst Media showed that women between the ages of 35 and 54 feel disconnected when they are not online.

Women tend to use their mobile phones as a centerpiece of their family’s livelihood. Calendar applications help the suburbanite keep track of their son’s basketball practices and daughter’s softball tournaments.  They also keep them alert about monthly teacher conferences.  We could carry on with the access to weather reports and traffic updates.

Marketers have a golden opportunity to target this demographic with quality advertising that proves beneficial on several ends.  If women don’t feel that a product or service will benefit their family on a holistic level, then it will prove a lost cause.  Grocers, discount retailers, and oil companies are just a few industries who should listen to women. They will learn a thing or three.

Posted by Abdul Fattah Ismail
Posted in Business News, Content Marketing, Marketing, Mobile Marketing, blog, online advertising | No Comments »
Tags: abdul fattah ismail, burst media, marilyn monroe on phone, mobile marketing agency, online advertising, smartphone studies, web marketing agency, women's internet research

Chic. Interactive. Modern. Calvin Klein.

(No Ratings Yet)

 Loading ...

This week, seminal fashion label Calvin Klein has posted two pixellated advertisements, known as QR codes, in New York and Los Angeles, with the title “Get It Uncensored.”  Those citizens with smartphone capability can take a picture of the ad, which is followed with a 40-second clip and links to share through social media streams.  Normally, you’ll see these codes on a much smaller scale, like your monthly GQ or Vogue issue.  Calvin Klein, despite the struggles of apparel sales, continues with their traditional risks in advertising strategy. As a result, they offer a peak into the future.

The advent of location-based software, the Old Spice guy’s personal video responses, and Lego’s augmented reality boxes demonstrate a shifting, lawless era of interactive marketing.  They are being redefined by the quarter and demonstrate viewer participation at unprecedented levels.  The dimensions of this participation are so unclear that one could be within a universe where tangible senses are stimulated but stulted at the same time.  Before too long, you will see location-based augmented reality QR codes at your local transportation stop. You may also just get exhausted and fall asleep on the train.

In New York,  one ad is located on Lafayette and Houston by the BP gas station, while the other is on 20th street and 10th avenue in Chelsea, near the High Line. For my cohorts in LA, it’s on Sunset and Havenhurst in West Hollywood. They will be pulled on July 15th, so go snap. Quick. For the uninitiated, here’s an image of the billboard.

Posted by Abdul Fattah Ismail
Posted in Business News, Interactive Marketing, Marketing, Mobile Marketing, blog | No Comments »
Tags: abdul fattah ismail, Blueliner, Blueliner Marketing, calvin klein advertising, calvin klein qr billboards, new york interactive marketing agency

David Houle Deals With Digital Immediacy and Future Overload

(No Ratings Yet)

 Loading ...

This here is the latest from David Houle, Futurist Contributor, on Oprah.com, who discusses how to handle information from all our sources, be they analog or digital.  He also draws a timeline of how fast we’ve transcended space and time in terms of human communication in less than two centuries. In his mind, the speed of technological development has outpaced human physiological development so much that we are struggling to keep up.  For those who want knowledge of our transient times, please click on the photo for more.

Posted by Abdul Fattah Ismail
Posted in Business News, Interactive Marketing, Marketing, World, blog | No Comments »
Tags: abdul fattah ismail, Blueliner, Blueliner Marketing, contributor, David Houle, future, futurist, Houle, Oprah, Oprah Winfrey, Oprah.com

China Wants Personal Browsers

(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

 Loading ...

With the Google standoff drawing to a halt for now, the Beijing regulators turn towards a different, but possibly more divergent task.  According to a newswire from the Associated Press, China now seeks to reduce anonymity in their cyberspace domain.  One of the steps is to require citizens to give their real name when buying mobile technology or entering a browser.

Clearly, this will affect the celestial exchange of information that Google envisions to procreate between academic professionals and students discussing their scholastic journals combined with the expanding portfolio of media services.  Much of the publicity generated from this standoff can only serve to bring a stronger spotlight to security breaches.  Our federal government has taken steps to provide stronger protocols in the name of ecommerce transactions, but has largely laid off regulating public forums.  The roots of this different viewpoint of cyberspace regulation lie in geographical and cultural differences that have been probed with more depth on other information sources.

I will say that despite China’s antipathy towards viral expression, conversations are still being shared about censorship and geopolitics.  They can’t stop the legion of offshore development that transcends national boundaries, real or imagined.  As a growing economic power, China will be depended on as a conduit of digital development due to the growing educated populance.  Many engineers and software developers need to access information anonymously in order to conduct sensitive research.  They will be better off if they accept this position of responsibility rather than pretend that the secret society is still in play online.  Chairman Mao is not walking through the door.

Posted by Abdul Fattah Ismail
Posted in Business News, Click Fraud, Interactive Marketing, Marketing, World, blog, online advertising | No Comments »
Tags: abdul fattah ismail, associated press china, Blueliner Marketing, click fraud security, google china controversy, internet privacy, new york click fraud agency

Save Online. Save Offline.

(No Ratings Yet)

 Loading ...

I discovered an article this morning on MediaPost discussing a new category of consumer dubbed “the Xtreme Shopper.  According to the piece, a full 31% of the population falls into this category.  One could argue that some of this activity results from the global economy’s overall decline, which led a Financial Times columnist to speak of the white elephant in the room.

For our purposes as a marketing source, we’ll scale back to analyzing industry development.  I recently wrote about public forum sites such as Yelp fueling local merchant revenues along with e-commerce campaigns.  Those merchants with a strong website can offer a campaign with longer reach, tailored to different sectors.  Commenters with a deep viral presence tend to possess insider information on promotions and share them with preferred members.  If they have a mobile application that tracks your point in space, then everything can escalate for marketers to seek these knowledegable buyers.

A study conducted for the piece had some striking variances.  The aforementioned 31% of the population did not have wide income or age discretions.  They simply use all the interactive media available to seek the best bargains.  Then marketers can assess their shopping habits through data analysis and deliver premium value, knowing that the xtreme shopper demands premium service.  All in all, the golden rule must be kept in mind.

Posted by Abdul Fattah Ismail
Posted in Business News, Marketing, Mobile Marketing, blog, eCommerce | No Comments »
Tags: abdul fattah ismail, Blueliner Marketing, eCommerce, financial times, mediapost, new york e-commerce agency, xtreme shopper

Tweet The Old Spice Man, Ladies.

(No Ratings Yet)

 Loading ...

This summer, some ladies are looking for a man that smells good and can do it all. He can swan dive, fix a flat tire, bake a cake in a kitchen that he built with his bare hands, and has a thirst for adventure.  The actor who stars in the YouTube channel, Isaiah Mustafa, will be answering your questions and desires on the page until tomorrow afternoon. You can find out if he’ll jump into a bed of diamonds, watch Elizabethian films, or ride with you on horseback in New Hampshire.  

A traditional social media widget is on the Channel page allowing fans and followers to unlock media content and promotional emails.  It’s an ingenious brew of online advertising, social media, and video campaigning.  The copywriters can raise a glass amongst one another for the witticisms.  The industry for men’s personal care is growing between Gillette, P&G, and other rival brands.  I think that if Old Spice can maximize this actor, they have a web magnet on their hands.  If you need a date for the Philharmonic tonight, use this guy as a blueprint.

Old Spice Channel

Posted by Abdul Fattah Ismail
Posted in Business News, Content Marketing, Interactive Marketing, Marketing, blog | No Comments »
Tags: abdul fattah ismail, Blueliner Marketing, ew article old spice guy, men's personal care industry, new york interactive marketing agency, old spice channel, old spice guy, online advertising, social media widgets, video campaigns, YouTube