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November 30, 2008

Retailers E-mail Coupon Alerts

Be on the lookout this season for direct marketing efforts from major stores. USA Today reports on retailer e-mails sent to consumers: “They’re cheaper and quicker than print inserts or direct mail for reaching millions of shoppers. E-mail messages’ average cost is about $7 per consumer response, vs. $48 per response for traditional direct mail. And retailers can craft and send a promotion in about half the time it would take to print and distribute traditional messages.”

Opt-ins and e-mails that play holiday jingles are some of the ways companies like Home Depot, Gap and Saks Fifth Avenue are looking to boost shopping this holiday. Read the full USA Today feature ‘Retailers use (cheaper) e-mail to send shoppers coupons’ here.

Posted by staff at 01:46 AM
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November 28, 2008

Twitter As A News Source?

The social media activity on Twitter surrounding the incredibly tragic situation in Mumbai is being recognized for providing updates through the crucial hours during and after the attacks. TechCrunch debates the battle of Twitter as a reputable source of information.

Posted by staff at 10:52 AM
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Giving Thanks for the ‘Rickroll’

Millions tuned in to watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, but some may have wondered why Rick Astley was performing his old hit “Never Gonna Give You Up” aboard a Cartoon Network float. Those of us in on the Rickroll were genuinely and pleasantly caught off-guard. Read the full story over on CNET.

Posted by staff at 10:25 AM
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November 19, 2008

iPhone, Google Phone and Now ‘Facebook Phone’

UK mobile company 3 is launching a new phone, INQ¹. Pronounced, “ink one,” the phone has combined Facebook, Skype, Windows Live Messenger and Last.fm, all now accessible in the palm of your hand.

According to INQ¹’s Web site, “You can have Facebook on your mobile like never before. You get Facebook alerts direct to your mobile. Status updates straight to your contacts and loads more.”
The ‘more’ includes free IM, RSS feeds and Skype-to-Skype calls. Check out the buzz surrounding the phone and plans for INQ² here.

Posted by staff at 10:04 AM
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November 18, 2008

Tell Obama What You Want from Our Chief Technology Officer

Visit ObamaCTO and vote for what you feel should be the newly appointed position’s top priorities, or suggest a topic of your own. Topics range from ‘ensure the Internet is widely accessible & network neutral’ to ‘allow the public to comment on all legislation.’

Posted by staff at 12:29 PM
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Cost of Starbucks Free Election Day Giveaway

By Nichole Mrasek

Many companies conducted promotions on Election Day, giving away free items for patrons that voted. Ben & Jerry’s promoted a free ice cream scoop, Krispy Kreme offered a star-shaped doughnut and Starbucks gave away a free tall brewed coffee. With all these free items, just how much does a company actually spend on a free promotion?

AdAge reports, “John Moore, a former Starbucks marketer, estimated that between 12% and 15% of customers are drip-coffee drinkers, and that each of the company’s 7,100 locations serves about 800 people a day. Those figures would set a conservative giveaway estimate at 568,000. Starbucks’ cost per cup is about 30¢, according to several executives familiar with the matter, which would put the cost of the giveaway at about $170,000.”

Speculators agree that $170k for the java giant is a very small cost, and considering many consumers purchase more than just coffee – an estimated one in six – Starbucks’ profit loss was not truly a loss at all. The company gained exposure around Election Day, while brewing up impressive buzz.

Posted by staff at 09:56 AM
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November 16, 2008

MySpace Undergoes Redesign

Ready to bring in a new year and a new look, MySpace is boasting the biggest upgrade in its 5-year history. Hoping to appeal to more than the teen crowd, MySpace executives are looking to make the social network more “suitable” for families, employees and other target audiences. The company is even looking to reach 50 and 60-year-old crowds.

USA Today reports, “The ongoing changes can’t help but expand MySpace’s appeal to an older crowd and, by extension, more advertisers in the fiercely competitive multibillion-dollar online-ad market. A cleaner interface and functions underscore the maturing of the site to further appeal to an older demographic.”

Look for increased promotion around the new changes early next year. Read more on MySpace changes here.

Posted by staff at 10:24 AM
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November 13, 2008

Barack Obama’s Win with Online Campaigning

Political campaigns, such as Howard Dean’s 2004 presidential run and Ron Paul’s stint this year, have certainly used the Internet as a communications medium, however Barack Obama’s campaign capitalized on a variety of online facets, taking his online campaign to the next level. “By bolting together social-networking applications under the banner of a movement, they created an unforeseen force to raise money, organize locally, fight smear campaigns and get out the vote that helped them topple the Clinton machine and then the Republicans,” says David Carr of the International Herald Tribune.

Analysts attribute social media to the transformation of a once unknown political player into the President-elect. Online conversations with potential supporters and voters carried through to offline activities. For many who once signed up for Obama e-mail alerts, even if was simply because they had never heard of them before, are now in a database that will foster a continued relationship with Obama.

The multilogue is in action, "People will continue to expect a conversation, a two-way relationship that is a give and take," said Thomas Gensemer, managing partner of Blue State Digital, the company that aided in Obama's digital outreach. "People who were part of the campaign will opt-in to political or governing tracks and those relationships will continue in some form."

Read the full feature “Electoral triumph built on a Web revolution” here.

Posted by staff at 12:40 PM
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November 10, 2008

Mobile Shopping from Sears

Online shopping is always popular with consumers, and this holiday, Sears offers shoppers an easy way to purchase without the hassle of waiting in line. Customers can simply go to Sears2go.com or text “SHOP” to a number from their mobile phone or PDA.

The Wall Street Journal reports: “While it was possible in the past to shop on Sears.com from a mobile device, the experience was slow and frustrating for shoppers,” said Ravi Acharya, Sears Holdings’ director for eCommerce. “Sears doesn’t expect a significant sales boost from the new service for now, but ‘it’s a great starting step for us on the mobile front — we will measure it on a daily basis.’”

More from the Wall Street Journal here.

Posted by staff at 01:37 AM
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November 07, 2008

Zappos Utilizes Social Media to Address Company Layoffs

At a time of economic uncertainty, Zappos CEO took a bold stand and addressed Zappos employees and consumers when it announced layoffs in the company recently. Rather than issuing the standard press release, CEO Tony Hsieh took to social media by discussing the layoffs on the Zappos CEO and COO blog and Twitter.

“Tony showed that accessibility, transparency, and authenticity are even more revered during bad times than good,” according to Twittermaven. Zappos is applauded for participating in social media and not resting idle on sites.

Read more on the impressive brand strategy here.

Posted by staff at 12:20 PM
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November 01, 2008

Tools to Help PR Professionals Navigate Social Media

By Nichole Mrasek

No profession is more impacted by the growth of digital media than journalism and the public relations business that works in concert with media. So it’s no surprise that communications technologies are quickly adapted into the PR/Journalism mix. Mashable’s “10 of the Best Social Media Tools for PR Professionals and Journalists” provides a glimpse at some of the top sources that help bridge the online-offline gap.

A few highlights include:
Help a Reporter Out (HARO): Online service that e-mails member queries from journalists.
Journalisted: Source for information on journalists; provides updates on their latest articles.
Media People Using Twitter: Site dedicated to journalists on Twitter.

I encourage you to take a deeper look into the sites from this feature, as they will ensure you are keeping a smart eye on the industry trends.

Posted by staff at 12:26 PM
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