This is a good thing because it is less of a wasted ad impression because it has some relevant information.  My personal goal around ads I see is to never see an advertisement for something I do not want.  By placing an ad for something I want, may have already purchased, or bailed from a conversion funnel in the past creates a higher affinity to that product.

Many people are afraid of this technology, mainly because it appears at first glance to be an invasion of privacy, but in reality it makes for a much better experience when faced with the fact that advertisements are a integral part  of the web ecosystem.  Smarter ads that can convert to sales are the best way to keep the content free.

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Retargeting? Yes please.

In the last few years the research behind sentiment analysis has ranged from thumbs up\thumbs down and emoticon faces to more advanced methods.

A few companies mentioned in the article above are trying to sort out the signal from the noise like Tweetfeel, twendz, and twitrratr and others like Trendrr (can I buy a vowel please alex). Each has their own way of parsing data, mainly Twitter data, to mine the conversations for sentiment.

In the larger universe of analytical tools you have companies like BuzzLogic, TechRigy, Radian6, Visible Technologies, Viral Heat, and a bunch of new startups all trying to solve this marketers puzzle.

At the low end these services cost $10.00-$20.00 per month and on the high end thousands. Depending on what you are tracking, how far back you want to go, and how hands on of a solution you need, someone is building a sentiment analysis tracker for your.

The goal here is to track beyond mentions. For example, if your brand is mentioned 2,654 times – how do you know what the sentiment of most\some\all of those messages are? Where are conversations happening about your brand in the first place? How can you respond back to solve problems, answer questions, and apologize where necessary?

In thinking about the sentiment analysis market, I am trying to frame thinking 5 years out when brands will themselves have more conduits to their customers. Will systems still exist that brands do not know about and are not tracking? Or will the convergence of connectivity mean a more aware corporate culture that does not need to use yet another tool in their arsenal. Perhaps 5 years is too short of a timeline, but certainly they will have a grasp on this in 10-20 years.

I am curious to know what tools I should be looking at and how people are solving brand tracking probelms today. Let me know if you have ideas in the comments below.

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Sentiment Analysis

Since starting this blog I have been getting an increasing amount of PR firms pitching various products, promotions, companies, and more. My information is easy enough to obtain, or you can even fill out a form and I like being this reachable.

Lately it seems that the quality of these email “pitches” has gone down. It is not that I write about them in the first place, but it is as if they do not even read blogs to begin with (let alone actually reading this blog).

It is possible that I have been writing long enough simply to have my email on some PR blast lists (annoying) but even if this is the case, the quality “requests” have gone way down.

Below is my list of greatest offenders, offenses, and examples of what not to do.

1. Ridiculous news story happens and CEO of X Co. would be happy to discuss it
2. New product announced that has literally NOTHING to do with my blog or audience
3. Interview available with person X but no context given for a reason
4. Product or service announcement with no link and usually 8-10 paragraph description
5. Feature launch for a company I did not know existed – PR firm looking for a follow up article
6. Paid links in an article
7. Paid links on the homepage
8. So called “sponsored” posts – pay per post
9. Outreach by a unqualified individual
10. Mail merge failures
“Hi :namefield: I enjoy your :variable: blog, and wanted to discuss….”

I can’t tell you how many times I get an email with something from the list above. I sometimes write back to give advice or feedback on the so called “outreach” and offer tips (seriously) and I have never ONCE heard back. I know these folks get the emails as I have feigned interest in later emails and gotten a response.

Either way this is simply a rant on the state of outreach and the so called “social media experts” that are everywhere.

Like always the personal and eloquent connections and outreach work 10X better than spray and pray but I have to assume there is some success rate as the volume of these inquires is increasing.

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Outreach, PR firms, and Blogging

Most people think that a cookie is a delicious treat – not a file on your computer that tracks where you have been, what you are doing, and other attributes about you. Behavior is what you do – not something quantified in a profile.

That is why with the recent announcement by Google to provide “more interesting advertising” you only see the mention of cookies twice towards the end of the post and behavior not mentioned once. The reason for this is because at the end of the day that is what people want – more relevant ads, without knowing much else.

From the post:

That’s why Google has worked hard to create technology that makes the advertising on our own sites, and those of our partners, as relevant as possible. To date, we have shown ads based mainly on what your interests are at a specific moment. So if you search for [digital camera] on Google, you’ll get ads related to digital cameras. If you are visiting the website of one of our AdSense partners, you would see ads based on the content of the page. For example, if you’re reading a sports page on a newspaper website, we might show ads for running shoes. Or we can show ads for home maintenance services alongside a YouTube video instructing you on how to perform a simple repair. There are some situations, however, where a keyword or the content of a web page simply doesn’t give us enough information to serve highly relevant ads.

This is a great way of introducing the idea of controlling your interest meter or define to Google exactly what you are interested in. You can do this if you are logged into your Google account at the Ads Preferences Manager (must be signed in to see full features)

Via this interface you can add interesting categories and topics that give Google a better idea of what to show you. Since you are going to be seeing ads anyway, you may as well have them tailored towards what you want, and exclude more of what you don’t want.

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Relevancy in advertising (not cookies or behavior)

DIY advertising has come a long way. Checkout links below to see a DIY SEM ad solution from Wal-Mart.

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AdWords AdBuilder – Build your own Google Display Ads

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My Agenda:
Looking forward to a number of Web 2.0 sessions – All Week
Will not miss the @ShakeShack event – 09/16/08
I will also be going to OMMA later this week.
+More

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Web 2.0 Expo Week

1. Can you tell me about your background and a little bit about LookSmart?

LookSmart is a pay-per-click (PPC) advertising technology company that leverages and licenses its AdCenter platform to operate high-quality search and contextual advertising networks. LookSmart does not own or operate a consumer search engine, such as Yahoo! and Google. We provide companies like Ask, and eZanga with customized ad serving solutions via the AdCenter platform. The AdCenter is a fully white labeled ad serving platform delivered to global publishers and ad networks with managed services that collectively create opportunities for text-advertising revenue. Through our extensive, monitored ad network, which includes syndicated publishers and search partners like CNET’s Search.com, Kontera, Adhere Interactive, InfoSpace (Dogpile, Webcrawler) and many others, LookSmart offers advertisers the ability to engage more audiences. The company has been managing large, complex ad networks for 12 years and averages monthly search and contextual queries of 22 billion as of May 31, 2008.

As for me, I have been in the Internet and online advertising business for more than 10 years and have spent 26 years as an entrepreneur. I founded and built Network 1.0, which sold to Softbank in 1996, and formed Softbank Interactive Marketing along with Ziff-Davis Publishing Company and Interactive Marketing Inc. I also built RealNames, which worked very closely with Microsoft and provided direct address-bar navigation. As CEO and president of LookSmart, I have been very focused on building upon and growing LookSmart’s current position in the Search Advertising Network space.

2. Why should SEM’s look at alternative search engines?

Successful SEMs buy search advertising media for their clients in order to achieve a positive return on investment. In some cases, the SEM buys millions of keywords for a single campaign and measure the effectiveness of the price paid for each keyword on a daily basis. The major search engines provide SEMs with a significant amount of “inventory,” but often the prices required to win the auction are high, which affects the economics of the campaign. Alternative search engines are a logical way to expand those buys at more reasonable prices, but because those search engines have limited traffic, therefore, the time required to buy, manage and monitor campaigns on those engines is a significant drain on SEM resources. Search advertising networks, which aggregate niche search players into a single “one order, one bill” system, overcome the resource management hurdles and allow search marketers to spread traffic risk for their advertisers across multiple channels – to help manage risk in a consolidating market. At LookSmart, we work hard to take the pain away from the process and to deliver superior results. We do this through technology with our widely-adopted API and ability to quickly load millions of keywords into our system and through close relationships with SEMs, to manage their campaigns on our network with best-in-class, human-driven service.

3. What strategies and best practices can a marketer employ to get the most benefit out of using a multitude of different search engines to advertise on?

One of the best strategies for marketers to adopt is to keep an open mind and to not let the perceived challenges of “going beyond Google” dissuade them from exploring available options in the marketplace. From our perspective, the most successful marketers leverage their own search advertising technologies, by integrating those technologies into the search networks. Therefore, search marketers should look for search advertising networks that can make the integration easy for them. Search marketers should depend upon the search network to “do the heavy lifting” associated with campaign management and optimization. At LookSmart, we have been very successful in delivering an open API to the search marketer, so they can easily and quickly leverage our scale and results using their own proprietary tools. In addition, we have a commitment to continuous improvement of the customer’s results on our network. Our commitment is backed by a dedicated team of optimization professionals, who build “custom distribution channels” for the advertiser, and work closely with the advertiser to manage and optimize the performance of their campaigns.

4. What is the latest “flash in the pan” meme in search marketing?

The industry has been buzzing about various pricing models, including CPA (cost-per-acquisition) and Cost Per View (CPV). The CPA model is based on the advertiser only paying when a desired action is made by the user, typically a purchase. As budgets are tightening, the idea of a CPA has been bounced around to maximize campaign costs because the publisher takes most of the risk out of the equation for the marketer. While LookSmart adheres to a CPC (cost-per-click) model, it does provide a personalized approach for advertisers that allows SEMs to maximize the ROI of their campaign while allowing publishers to be fairly compensated for hosting ads. For its part, LookSmart will suggest keyword expansions and optimized keyword CPCs to increase performance and tailor traffic to custom-fit each campaign to help customers reach strong ROI.

5. What is LookSmart doing differently from other alternative search engines?

It is important to underscore that LookSmart is not a consumer search engine, but rather a search advertising network. As a search advertising network, LookSmart delivers quality results in an extensive, monitored environment for advertisers. What makes us stand apart is our long-standing commitment to the quality of our network. LookSmart is one of the five founding members of the IAB click measurement panel and has a continuing dedication to safeguarding against click fraud. In fact, LookSmart was one of the first ad networks to make a major move to root out click fraud in 2004. That was a major step for our company, but one that was worth taking to ensure the quality of our network. We have remained committed since that time, and have grown because our customers have grown and taken us with them. Battling click fraud remains an ongoing effort for us, and we have improved continuously over the past four years. We have continually refined our testing practices including cutting traffic from our network that doesn’t perform for the advertiser, while at the same time adding new partners to the network to ensure its quality and forward growth.

6. What is one area or vertical LookSmart is concentrating on?

LookSmart focuses on a number of areas, from travel and telecommunications to sports and entertainment, but no matter the vertical, LookSmart is focused on growing our share of paid clicks in the Search Advertising Network market. Our dedication to quality, something we are always focusing on, will help us in this endeavor.

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Interview: Ted West – SES 2008 San Jose

Social Media has been a hot topic this year. Why should marketers enter this space and what is the key benefit?

Facebook just announced a year over year traffic increase of 40%. Any major brand would be so lucky to have this big of a jump to their site. Marketers should enter the social media space because you always need to fish where the fish are.

The key benefits are 1) could introduce your product to a new audience 2) low barrier to entry 3) valuable/real time customer feedback 4) helps differentiate your brand since some brands have been slow to move in this space 5) Social Media is here to stay so the sooner you start learning and adjusting the better off you will be in the long run.

Unlike SEM (or even SEO), SMM seems to be lacking in measurable metrics that marketers can tie directly back to ROI. What do you say to marketers who feel uncomfortable putting money into a form of marketing that they can’t prove is giving them a proper ROI?

Sometimes you need to look at the other side of the coin: What is the potential cost of not doing anything? How vulnerable are you to competition if you don’t do anything? There may still be hesitancy even if the competitors are embracing new technology, the key is to start small and get a few wins rather than trying to build the “perfect thing” from the start.

It seems like every week there’s a new “hot” social network that everyone raves about–what key factors should a marketer look for when deciding which social media properties to target?

Which properties align with your demographic and psychographic? If you sell walking canes then you probably don’t need to be on MySpace. Figure out which media has the best chance to be around for the foreseeable future. Also, figure out what assets you already have that you can leverage. Do you have a lot of original video content or do you have a huge user base that wants to connect. This will help you select the right medium. Also instead of trying to be on all social places at once. Start with the one that has the best chance for success for your product/brand and then grow channel by channel from there. This is very similar to search; everyone starts with Google then expands to Yahoo, MSN, Ask, Kayak, etc.

Facebook’s advertising platform seems to have fallen far short of expectations. Is it worthwhile for marketers to advertise on Facebook or are they better off spending their money elsewhere?

You should definitely test this as it is very easy to get up and running. From there you can determine your returns and go from there. Many brands have found more success sending their Facebook ads to a Facebook Fan Page rather than to their on site.

While we hear about many marketers making huge ground by marketing through social media (such as those addressed in the panel), far more fail than succeed. Is SMM really something that you can guarantee will be successful if “done right” or is it luck-of-the-draw to a certain extent?

Nothing is guaranteed – intelligence, enthusiasm and luck will take you a long way in life.

Twitter is becoming increasingly popular, despite its many troubles. Do you see Twitter as a viable platform for marketers in the future?

It already is a viable platform as JetBlue, Comcast, Whole Foods, etc. have proven. If you are a big brand and you aren’t already doing so, you should immediately start following what people are saying about your brand. In the past we had to pay research firms for this type of data on our customers – now it is free and real time! A good tool for this is found at http://search.twitter.com.

If you had to guess, what would you say is the “next big thing” in Social Media Marketing?

The two next big things in my mind are advancements in mircropayments and search results incorporating the social graph (socialommerce™).

#1: Micropayments will allow users to easily transfer money between each other even in amounts less than twenty cents.

This might introduce micro-branding. For example on Facebook users can send each other gifts. This typically costs the user a $1. 100% of this goes to Facebook. Today companies like Skittles often sponsor these gifts (Teddy Bear, Skittle). While it’s nice that the user receives a gift they would probably be happier if they also received fifty cents along with their gift icon. This will happen in the future. It’s similar to the concept that MSN is introducing with their Live Search Cashback.

#2: Here’s a real world example of what the future of socialommerce holds:

Jim and his wife just had their third child. With this addition, his two sedans won’t cut it anymore, so he’s in the market for a bigger vehicle. Having vowed to himself and his friends that he’d never own a minivan, he’s in the market for an SUV or a crossover vehicle.

Jim is dreading the hours of searching on the Internet to find a vehicle that suits his needs. He’s dreading even more having to leave work early to visit the car dealerships to test drive his array of selected vehicles and then begin the haggling process. Jim is also fearful that he may make a mistake even after all of his diligent research.

The majority of these pains will become things of the past with socialommerce. Here’s why:

Jim performs a search on his favorite social network – he types in “buying a car.” Rather than receiving a bunch of irrelevant ads for car trader sites he discovers the following:

* 23 of Jim’s friends have purchased a car in the last year
* 16 of his friends are married with two or more children
* 14 purchased an SUV or crossover
* 9 purchased the same vehicle

Jim respects the opinions of the nine people who purchased the same vehicle, so he clicks to find out more, and gets the following information:

“I test drove Crossover X and Crossover Y. Crossover Y was the much better feel and it was easier to get into the back seat. Couple that with the fact that it gets 3 more mph to the gallon and it was a no-brainer.”

Listed alongside the qualitative reviews are certain data points for each friend: price, vehicle, options, lease or finance terms, color, etc.

What does this mean for brand marketing? Well, it means that companies and marketers better start spending more time listening to their customers and potential customers and less time spending hours upon hours figuring out their next award-winning – but “no-customer-getting” – 30-second television commercial. Your power consumers are going to take ownership of brands, and their referral power is now on steroids.

Just as important as listening to the customer is acting on the information received and working with the product team to make quick adjustments. These certainly aren’t new constructs, but in the age of Web 2.0, your brand will experience a quick death if these constructs aren’t adhered to.

For more information checkout Erik at SES 2008: San Jose during the social media track;

Marketing to and through social networks means humans are hot again. Not as directory editors; it’s Web 2.0, and your customers are in control. The old-fashioned media buy has gone bye-bye. Social media marketing is fast emerging as a must-have in search strategies. Learn about the social search revolution, and hear case studies of how marketers have successfully promoted brands and products with it.

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Interview: Erik Qualman – SES 2008 San Jose Q&A

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In their own words Ad Planner is …

a research and media planning tool that connects advertisers and publishers. When using Google Ad Planner, simply enter demographics and sites associated with your target audience, and the tool will return information about sites (both on and off the Google content network) that your audience is likely to visit. You can drill down further to get more detail like demographics and related searches for a particular site, or you can get aggregate statistics for the sites you’ve added to your media plan.

This service seems to go right up against many others that exist right now, but being free provides a major advantage to media planners. I applied to the Ad Planner service today and hopefully will be able to do a deep dive soon.

As a media planner in a former life I can tell you that a condensed consolidated ad planning tool for websites is something that no one has been able to deliver – yet. The halo effect that happens with Google products is seeming to permeate to Ad Planner as the reviews and opinions continue to roll in.

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Google Ad Planner

I’ve been travelling a fair amount lately and I’m beginning to get a little too familiar with the different airlines, airports and even gates. I am now starting to base my travel decisions on which airport and airline has the fastest and most comfortable security and boarding process.

Most Comfortable Experience

Delta at La Guardia is my preffered airline for business travel. The airline have adequate security lines, a comfortable modern terminal, and much bigger, newer planes. If only they had live Direct TV and a better online booking experience, I might call them my favorite.

Best All Around Airline

Personally, I think JetBlue has done the best job overall. They have managed to differentiate themselves from the rest of the pack while creating a very desirable brand. Some of the highlights include: newer planes, better service, cheaper flights, live TV, more legroom, and best of all, you can book one-way or return from a different airport without a surcharge. The also have the most customer friendly, intuitive website which should be a prerequisite for all airlines these days.

Not too long ago, I was delayed on the runway with JetBlue for 3 hours at JFK (as were all planes). Before I could even think about calling customer service, there was a $100 voucher in my email. Instead of leaving a bad taste in my mouth, JetBlue won me over

The only problem with JetBlue these days is that their JFK terminal is overcapacity. There are seriously long security lines. The good news is that there will be another new terminal expansion before the end of the year.

Lastly, from a marketing perspective I believe that JetBlue has done the best job of creating a fantastic desirable brand remarkably, without wasting a fortune on traditional advertising. JetBlue has mastered the e-marketing – from its well-timed promotional emails and refined mobile site to its easy-to-use online booking function. I would love to read a marketing case study on JetBlue.

The Worst Airline

I try to stay away from American Airlines as much as possible – I’m not really sure how or why they are still in business (must be the name). This airline takes the cake in all categories: they have the worst lines at the airport, the oldest rundown planes, horrendous customer service, a website from 1998 and the worst in-flight routine. There’s nothing like looking out the window and seeing paint peeling off the wing.
I recently showed up to La Guardia airport for a business trip to Atlanta. After a 45 minute security line, I found out my flight was cancelled. The re-routed me through Chicago and I had to cancel all my meetings for the day. When I asked what my other options were, the gate agent told me to call the 1-800 number (which had a 32 minute wait at 7:45 am) thus ensuring that I will NEVER fly American Airlines again unless I absolutely must. A simple email this morning teling me that my flight was cancelled and what my options were would have gone a long way.

In the ultra competitive air travel market, I really don’t understand how American Airlines could be so poor.

Other Airlines

I hear great things about Southwest and Virgin America. I would love to try them some day.

On another note, Thai Airways has the best food I’ve ever had on an airline. Believe it or not, their pad thai, green curry, and red curry rivals that of many well known Thai restaurants in New York!

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The Best & The Worst Airlines 2008