Advergame

Using online games to communicate brand messages and promote products. This can be done with product placement, in-game advertising or creating branded games to be hosted on the brand site. All of these methods instil brand recognition techniques while providing entertainment to the user.

RSS Feeds

More commonly used RSS or Really Simple Syndication feeds provide screen alerts and updates on new blog or site information to subscribers who request timed information on news topics or similar. The alerts can arrive on screen or arrive in downloadable format.

Pre-Roll

Pre-roll video ads are video adverts which appear before the desired content in an online video. The duration can be of any length but should be conducive to maintaining the viewers attention before the desired content begins playing.

Podcast

A podcast is a series of audio and/or video content that users may subscribe to or download. These can feature interviews, news segments or webisodes.

The potency of social media shows no sign of weakening. It’s fascinating to witness how social networks are changing both peer to peer communication methods and online behaviours. The latest news to filter through is that Facebook and the likes are killing online porn usage. Online searches for porn material are diminishing fast. The social networks are so time consuming that it seems our need for porn has become satiated. Essentially, we aren’t as bored as we once were while online. We’re not sure if this is a healthy turn of events although it really depends on your definition of healthy. As expected, we’re bang on trend with our social media strategies and we know how to keep consumers lusting for social media, the sole aim to benefit brands. That’s not to say we’re anti-porn. Ahem.

Frances Macken

The latest Hoffering

The reign of David Hasselhoff has thrown up some unexpected moments of glory. There was the ‘Looking for Freedom’ number one hit in the German charts (1989). He also played himself in the Spongebob Squarepants movie. Now ‘The Hoff’ has launched his very own social network. Sign up at the following link and share your favourite memories of the star with new friends from all over the world:

David Hasselhoff’s Social Network

IMDB goes one even better

One of the all-time reliables on the net is IMDB, the biggest online movie resource worth checking out. Amidst the thousands of reviews on every movie you’ve ever heard of, there’s movie news, awards updates and now, they’ve added video to the site too. Over 6,000 pieces of video have been uploaded to the site from IMDB’s partners Amazon, independent filmmakers, CBS and others.

Students of Fortune

Homework doesn’t have to be a tear inducing, teeth pulling exercise any longer. There’s a new site online where students can pay to have their most difficult homework answered by experts Other students, lecturers and even teachers are assisting bamboozled students with their Math and Science homework, amongst other subjects. It comes a little late for those of us who had to battle through Peig Sayers.

Students of Fortune

Guys Who Smell Like Girls

Women often wonder where that bottle of fancy shampoo disappeared to from the bathroom. Or how that expensive face cream was used up so fast. The truth is, it’s the bloke in your life who nicks all your products, whether he’ll admit to it or not. This new Axe ad makes a memorable point about why men shouldn’t use women’s soap.

Axe Furry Friends Ad

Wool Boy

Pot Noodle in the UK are becoming decidedly more experimental. A new series of webisodes detail what can happen should you eat too much of your favourite flavour. This episode highlights the unusual case of a young man who turns into a sheep having overly indulged in Lamb Hot Pot flavour Pot Noodle.

Pot Noodle Wool Boy

Model Live Bebo Series

Vogue TV and Bebo have come together to launch a series of webisodes tailing 3 young models as they go about their daily lives. This riveting series gives a realistic insight into the lives of the models, the pressures and thrills of the fashion world. Viewers can comment on the series by leaving comments on the Bebo page and also receive updates if a new episode or photo has been uploaded.

Model Live

Exotic and mysterious things are known to come from the East. One of the newest marketing tools to originate in Japan is the QR (Quick Response) code. These codes look like a selection of small blocks clumped together in a pattern. What we have here is a highly complex design which can hold masses of information such as URL’s. You could call it a second generation barcode. If you’ve got the correct reader programming on your mobile phone you can scan the code and be redirected to a .mobi site or your business card. It’s free to generate a QR code and it can hold up to several hundred times more information than a barcode. In Asia these are commonly placed on all outdoor advertising. Fast food restaurants are using the codes on their packaging where people can access nutritional information and other detail. The codes create a buzz amongst youngsters, especially if they can view a movie trailer, link to a cool .mobi site, download a ringtone or watch a cool animation. The Sun newspaper in the UK has now set up QR codes to launch their website on a mobile phone. Talk to us today if you want to start incorporating QR codes into your campaigns.

Frances Macken

Take the bus. Darn your socks. Grow your own vegetables. There’s lots of ways to save money. And that includes advertising digitally. Smart and responsible marketers know that digital advertising is the most economically advantageous method to promote their brand in times of financial uncertainty. By turning a negative into a positive, it becomes a massive opportunity for marketing managers to put the feelers out and test their digital capabilities.

While the recession rears its ugly head, the digital domain remains unaffected and is, in fact, flourishing. Those with less cash to socialise are spending more time on social networks. Those with less cash to shop on the street are shopping online instead. People are reading newspapers online instead of picking up a copy at the newsagents. They spend time online to compare prices and review goods before they purchase. Wherever they go, your brand needs to be there too. The visibility of your brand online has never been so crucial to your success. If you’re not there you may as well not exist.

Think about what people buy more of when they start tightening the purse strings. They purchase more FMCG goods as they are eating out less and spending less money on luxury foods. They want value for money, they want cheaper goods, they buy cheaper clothes, cheaper cars and go on cheaper holidays. If this is your specialty, now is the time to make an impression.

In the US, digital marketing spends are set to increase despite the recession as its measurability is second to none. As companies experience financial difficulties, they have to boost their advertising but in an accountable way. When you’re asked to justify how you’ve spent your marketing budget, you’ll have the stats to prove both interactions with your brand and conversations about your brand.

Frances Macken