I was recently looking for a new speaker stand for my iPod. It would never even occur to me to go into my local electronics store to see what was available and what might be right for me. I do what I always do when researching a new product. I go to Google. Once I do my research on the Internet and decide what I want - THEN I may go to a brick and mortar store to buy it.

Seems…

...continue to read "How Online Searches Affect Offline Sales"

More than any other brand, Dunkin’ Donuts has popularized iced coffee in the United States. So when a friend reminded me of their “free iced coffee” promotion happening today (Thursday, May 15, 2008), I was a bit surprised that I hadn’t seen or heard any ads for it. No radio commercials. No TV spots. Not even a subway ad or billboard.

Were they doing this purely by word-of-mouth, as a “thank you” to loyal customers who would then tell their friends…

...continue to read "Yes, Googlers, Dunkin Donuts Has Free Iced Coffee"

Social technologies have changed much more than our marketing strategies; they’ve changed us.

Social technologies have changed how we gather and share information. They’ve changed who we meet, where we meet, and, sometimes, how we meet. They’ve changed how we buy, what we buy, and where we buy. They’ve changed what, how, and how much we know about the people around us. And while social technologies may not have changed what it essentially means to be human, they’ve certainly amplified, at once,…

...continue to read "Podcast Interview: Forrester’s Josh Bernoff on How to Profit from the Social Media Groundswell"

The news that Borders is considering putting itself up for sale should come as no surprise.

Although the company used last week’s announcement that they’re seeking a buyout as an opportunity to blame a tight credit market and competition from discount chains like Wal-Mart, Borders‚ disappointing performance stems from a failure to take e-commerce seriously.

For Borders not to have an exclusive online presence in this day and age boggles the mind. The homepage is a drab catchall for store locations, gift cards, and company…

...continue to read "The Demise of Borders Books: Death by Internet"

I don’t have a strong allegiance to any one yogurt brand. I enjoy yogurt and eat it fairly often, but I usually bounce between brands. Recently, though, Stonyfield Farm had a unique opportunity to convert me into a full-time customer.

Right there on the lid was this note:

“Profits for the Planet — You can’t have healthy food or healthy people without a healthy planet. That’s why we give 10% of our profits to efforts that help protect and restore the Earth.”

Wow,…

...continue to read "How to Drive Customers from a Yogurt Lid to a Website"

This year’s Super Bowl ads once again found us scratching our heads. If you’re going to spend $2.7 million for 30 seconds of air time in order to send people to a website, why not sell them your product once they get there?

In this screencast, we’re going to show you how two brands — Tide to Go and Under Armour — continue to miss out on converting browsers into buyers, even after the post-game traffic surge is over. Depending on…

...continue to read "Screencast: How the Super Bowl Ads FUMBLED Online"

Once again, GoDaddy saved its biggest ad blitz for the Super Bowl. And once again, the goal was to drive as many viewers as possible to the end zone: GoDaddy.com

This year — as they did in ‘06 and ‘07 — GoDaddy had to make an adjustment after having their original commercial rejected by the network censors (a Super Bowl tradition for them). But unlike the past two seasons, they didn’t run a watered-down version of the rejected ad. This time, in lieu…

...continue to read "GoDaddy’s Hail Mary TV-to-Web Strategy"

We’re excited to announce that today at 2pm (EST), Seth Godin — author of the most popular marketing blog in the world, Permission Marketing, Purple Cow and many other bestsellers — will join us to discuss his latest book, Meatball Sundae.

What’s a “meatball sundae,” you ask? In addition to something you probably shouldn’t eat, it’s an analogy for what happens when product development, management, strategy and tactics are out of sync with today’s “new marketing” era. But Seth will explain all of that…

...continue to read "Podcast: Seth Godin on His Latest Book, “Meatball Sundae”"

“So… That not kosher?”

Isn’t it bad enough that my people can’t even agree on how to spell the holiday?

One might expect Balducci’s, the fine food emporium, to know better. After all, they wrote the we’re-not-taking-sides-but-you-should “holiday” menu(s)*:

Balducci’s has everything you need to create a magnificent holiday meal, no matter which holiday you celebrate. Whether it’s an informal Chanukah get-together, an elegant Christmas feast, or even a glamorous New Year’s Eve fete, with our Holiday Entertaining Menu and Ordering Guides…

...continue to read "Pardon Me, Do You Have Any Hanukkah Ham?"

Just a quick note to let you all know that we’ll be covering ad:tech New York this week. There will be a lot of great panel discussions and keynotes on all things new media. So, be sure to check out the official ad:tech blog and GrokDotCom for reviews conversations about hot topics in marketing optimization.

We’re a tad biased, but this really is a great city to play host to ad:tech’s 10,000+ attendees (if you can believe it). For better or for worse, New York is a giant…

...continue to read "GrokDotCom @ ad:tech"