October 18, 2001

  • Thought

    The battle to use mass advertising metrics online continues.

    Tom Hespos’ ClickZ article about the New York Times offering “session” ad buys rather than impressions is very interesting.

    Basically I’m against mapping frequency, reach, GRPs and other mass ad concepts onto the Internet because they were initially created as crude approximations to overcome the lack of exactness that the Internet should provide marketers with. I’d rather see us use DM pricing models for most online advertising.

    Still, I do understand that some marketers want to use the Internet as a branding tool and studies have found online ads are in fact an effective way to brand. So the NYT new model of allowing one brand to “own” a session (one unique user travelling through five pages of the NYT site) offers a unique way of measuring the “brand exposure” provided by the site. Since ALL ads the user sees on ALL the pages of a given session belong to one brand, it is hard to see how the user could miss the message.

    It’s also good to see that publishers have not given up on innovations that aren’t anti-reader (see previous anti-pop-up ad rants).

  • Thought

    Word of mouth is a powerful tool.

    Last week I posted my “Big Red Fez homework” comments on the AIMS Discussion List (see below for BRF details). I included an Amazon.com associate link so that I could track the effectiveness of my recommendation.

    Here is how we did in the three days after the posting was published:

    1. ADL sent to 3200 AIMS members includes link to Godin book.

    2. 49 people clicked on the link (5 people clicked more than once).

    3. 21 people bought the book and downloaded it.

    4. To date no one has sent me their homework.

    That means I had a 1.7% clickthrough, and a 43% buy/browse ratio. Not bad I’d say. I made US$2.02 in referral fees by the way.

  • Thought

    The IAB has published a useful guide to some of the more common industry terms.

    You can find it here.

September 28, 2001

  • Thought

    VeriSign may also be a player in authentication services according to this article on CNET.com.

  • Thought

    The Sun Microsystem’s backed “Liberty Alliance Project” appears to be an open-source counter proposal to Microsoft’s Passport. I say “appears” because at this point not that much is know about the details of either system from a practical perspective.

    This InfoWorld article gives a good overview of the announcement of Liberty by Sun and its partners. It also makes the obvious conclusion that this is still largely vaporware.

    While it is still too early to tell what will come of these “universal log-on” services, it is important for us to watch this area develop. The proliferation of log-on schemes and user ID/password combinations is one hindrance to web usability that would be nice to do away with. Authenticated surfing may not please privacy advocates, but it should make content sites happy if they can start offering the bulk of currently free content as “free when authenticated” in the future. A lot of the “1–1 Marketing” hyperbole comes closer to reality when you can recognize people and their associated profiles on each visit. If Passport and/or Liberty succeed, I predict that we won’t see ANY content sites that offer more than headlines without authentication.

September 26, 2001

  • Thought

    It’s always good to get straight forward tips on keeping the user front and centre in all business thinking.

    IBM’s developerWorks has a good article on how to respond to usability complaints called

    The cranky user: What’s with the attitude? If you have to deal with feedback on your site, this is worth a review. (I’m tempted to see how Peter “Cranky User” Seebach would respond to some harsh words about this article, but I couldn’t think of much to complain about!)

  • Thought

    It is understandable that people will grab at any solution to a complex problem, but sometimes we create unintended results in our race for quick fixes.

    Case in point is the current move to limit personal freedoms, particularly on the Internet. Talk of Carnivore and Echelon — once considered urban legends — is now common and often positive. New legislation looks at enhancing the amount of information officials can collect without warrants and talk of national “identity” cards is being raised in the US and Great Britain.

    Add to this biometric surveillance and you have the makings of a very dangerous loss of freedom of movement — online and off.

September 11, 2001

  • Thought

    It’s time to look at the big picture for e-commerce, not just the profitability of e-business divisions.

    This editorial called “The Bottom Line on E-Commerce” in Interactive Week makes two good points about Bricks and Clicks e-commerce.

    1. E-Commerce is starting to become profitable for those doing it right. Examples include 1–800-Flowers.com, Ameritrade, eBay, Expedia, Homestore.com, Monster.com, Northwest Airlines, Office Depot, Priceline.com, Register.com, Travelocity.com and United Parcel Service.

    2. Profits from online ventures may not be the best way of looking at online success for Brick and Click retailers since e-commerce also has positive and in many cases measurable impact on offline sales and service costs.

September 7, 2001

  • Thought

    Andy Fould’s “Leader Of The Free World” page is an indicator of the power of the Internet as a voice for political satire and protest.

    Given the ability for any Tom, Dick or Andy to put up a web site sure to irritate those currently in power, it can only be assumed that political dissent in one form or another will be around for awhile.

    The extra great thing about political satire on the web is all the exposure one’s opinions get once the “viral aspect kicks in” (I keep hearing people saying that.)

September 6, 2001

  • Thought

    Move over Viral Marketing, “False Memory Marketing” is the next trend.

    This extremely disturbing article in the Guardian points out that marketing can actually create false memories in consumers. Consumers “remember” using products that didn’t previously exist or having other childhood experiences because of advertising or product branding. For example, consumers report drinking bottles of Stewart’s root beer in childhood when it’s only been bottled for the last ten years. The bottles are marketed as “original”, “old-fashioned” and “Since 1927.”

    Scary quote:

    “This brings forth ethical considerations. Is it OK for marketers to knowingly manipulate consumers’ past?

    “On one hand, the alteration will occur whether or not that was the intent of the marketer given the reconstructive nature of recall.

    On the other hand, there are ways in which the marketer can enhance the likelihood consumer memories will be consistent with their advertising messages. At the very least, consumers ought to be aware of that power.”

    Then again, maybe this isn’t news. I vaguely remember reading this same article when I was young. Someone, please reassure me that “Joe Louis” existed before 1975!

August 30, 2001

  • Thought

    People like the Internet even if venture capitalists don’t.

    This CNET article discusses a recent Gartner Dataquest survey that found that 65% of American homes now use the Internet on a regular basis and almost 25% of those households are on broadband connections (primarily cable).

    Further, 91% said that they intend to stay connected which Gartner took as a sign that the Internet is now an essential part of the American home.

    It’s clear that consumers love the Net and businesses need to understand that despite the anti-hype, this channel is not going away.

August 29, 2001

August 24, 2001

  • Thought

    The print version of the newly minted Business 2.0 gets two big thumbs up.

    The magazine has taken the best of eCompany Now (which was getting pretty darn good on its own over the last few issues) and the best of Business 2.0 (always a favourite) and put them together into a really nice package. My understanding is that we’ll see a bit of a redesign happening this fall, but for now it looks pretty much like eCompany with Xplanations inserted.

    One article that really jumped out and made me think a bit was this one called “Why So Many People (Not You, Of Course) Made So Many Brain-Dead Investments (And How Not to Make Them Again)”. While the article is really about the markets, I think it is also important reading for those of us working on strategic partnerships, business development and strategy building. It is very easy for these same flaws in logic to infect our thinking about business decisions as well as stock picking. Consider it a must read for Internet strategists.

August 22, 2001

  • Thought

    Autodemo has a cool technology for online site demonstrations.

    I was checking out the DVD of “The Straight Story” when I noticed an option to get an automated demo of Amazon’s 1-click ordering system. Since this was new and I always find Amazon to be on the cutting edge of customer experience (note that I didn’t say cutting edge of technology), I clicked the link.

    The demo worked as advertised and didn’t require any downloads (it’s all Flash-based).

    I think we’ll see more of this type of technology evolving as companies focus on improving usability as a way of increasing sales. Now we have to hope that people won’t take to creating hopelessly complicated technologies and then using demos to cover-up their poor design.

    (The Straight Story is an outstanding film by David Lynch, although you would never know it was a Lynch film).

  • Thought

    While the expression “the Internet changes everything” might be out of fashion, I keep running into things that I can’t imagine existing in a non-Net world.

    Today’s proof that The Internet Changes Everything is a site from the UK called “What should I put on the Fence?” which is at (what else) whatshouldiputonthefence.com.

    Here we have what some would consider a stereotypical British eccentric who has become a bit obsessed with the fence where he used to lock up his bike.

    The site is a one man effort providing statistics on how long various items stay on the fence after he chains them on. The people who own the building are going crazy trying to keep up with “the fencemaster.”

    What is really fascinating is that many people are following his “adventures” on the Net and making requests for various items they’d like to see on the fence. People are now starting to visit the fence in question as a tourist spot. Some are adding their own items.

    I can’t imagine how the world could get involved in one man’s fight to chain things to a fence without the Net. Seriously, find an hour or so and dive into the mind of another person. Fascinating and scary.

August 21, 2001

  • Thought

    We should all take a moment to mourn the passing of the Industry Standard magazine this week.

    Of all the dotcom casualties, I find this one hitting hard. The Standard was always one of the better sources of information on the Internet industry and I’ll miss its no-nonsense style.

    The San Francisco Chronicle can fill you in on all the sad details…

    Industry Standard Joins The Dot-gones

August 16, 2001

  • Thought

    E-mail marketers need to consider how the fight against spam may in fact be hurting their ethical e-mail campaigns.

    Editor And Publisher has a really good article called Spam Fighters Block Legit E-mail that gives real world examples of what can happen to a perfectly legitimate e-mail as it winds its way through increasingly strict filtering systems on the web. Definitely worth a read for anyone managing an opt-in list.

  • Thought

    Maybe I should pick up a Pepsi with those Lifesavers…

    The new issue of the revamped Business 2.0 (merged and melded with eCompany Now) has a great article on Pepsi’s use of the Web (and Yahoo) in their PepsiStuff promotion.

    I think we’ll see more of this online/offline promotion blending as it lets the web do what it’s good at — instant access, database building, cheap content distribution — and let’s offline promotion do what it is good at — build brand, increase trial and impulse purchases, and create word of mouth.

    I also thought it refreshing (pardon the pun) that Pepsi didn’t start sending the 3.5 million people who registered the Pepsi corporate newsletter, but rather built another great promotion around voting on the all-time best Pepsi ad. 320,000 people watching your ads online is not bad!

August 14, 2001

  • Thought

    Not enough people think of web design as software design.

    This article on adobe.com called “Style vs. Design” is a rather personal rant on the need for a better understanding of what “style” is for, and what “design” is.

    Here’s a quote:

    “Most of all, I worry about Web users. Because, after six years of commercial Web development, they still have a tough time finding what they’re looking for, and they still wonder why it’s so damned unpleasant to read text on the Web — which is what most of them do when they’re online.”

August 7, 2001

  • Thought

    This CNET Article gives more details on the increasingly antagonistic approach to marketing that is developing online.

    One of the biggest issues I see with these applications that “enhance” the browsing experience (thereby offering new ways to advertise) is how the consumer actually gets the application in the first place. If the application is unknowingly downloaded as spy-ware along with a wanted application and then is very hard to get off a user’s hard drive, is it really ethical to support such applications? The fact that Gator is happy being known as “hijackware” says something about their feelings towards consumers I think.

  • Thought

    MarketingSherpa has a nice case study on Norm Thompson that is worth checking out. This is a good example of how direct marketing discipline can really help the overall development of a Net Marketing and e-commerce strategy. These guys took their time and did things right. They measured everything and focussed on adding value and creating loyalty instead of following trends and making a quick buck of newbies. Well done.

August 4, 2001

  • Thought

    Dan Gillmor of the Mercury News wrote an article on “lessons learned” from the first wave of e-commerce called “Don’t write off Internet commerce.”

    I agree with the five points he raises — especially the first one about the Net adding value to retailing. I think this is an under-played aspect of the value of the Net. Especially when you consider that research suggests that 2/3 of web-influenced purchases happen offline.

    I’d add that when looking at the likely success at e-tail of various products, it is important to assess the amount of information needed to make a purchase, the real-world availability of the product, and the desirability (demand) for the product. If information need and desirability are high while real-world availability is low, I think you’ve got a potential winner. At least from a sales standpoint. To make the business a success you’ll want to add high gross margins and low cost to ship. A unique branded product doesn’t hurt either!

August 3, 2001

  • Thought

    The Globe & Mail was nice enough to let people know about the results of the recent AIMS poll in this article: “AIMS Poll Finds Optimism Amidst Dot-com Gloom.”

    If I sound pleasantly surprised in the article, it’s because I was. The poll shows that the “meltdown” is not quite as bad as it seems. The Net ain’t goin’ anywhere folks, so let’s just get back to making it an amazing thing and not worry about the doom and gloom.

August 1, 2001

  • Thought

    Junction City is running a nice little parody campaign (I hope) to get John Cusack to be the President of the United States of America.

    In addition to their solid arguments for John in the White House (“He made the tough decisions in Grosse Pointe Blank. He couldn’t be bought in Eight Men Out.”), I’d add “He had a really great record collection in High Fidelity and it would be good to have some soul in the Oval Office.”

    Of interest to marketers is the “Spread the Word” page. Remember, you saw it here first.

  • Thought

    The AIMS event yesterday was well attended and I was happy to see that we had an active and vocal crowd.

    As moderator of the panel it was pretty hard for me to get an accurate read on the overall value of the session and I’d like some input on what we can do better for the next panel. If you have thoughts, please drop me a line.

    Thanks to Farhan, Kevin and Nancy Lee for making the panel a pleasurable experience for me.