Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Short Takes: 3.18.08

Here are some interesting XM and online marketing news items and links for your perusal:
  • Scion is launching a cool tech-based experience in New York. Digital billboards in storefronts will show the Scion, and as consumers approach, the cars on screen will move farther away from them. Says the creative director for agency, Attik: "The more we can involve people in the marketing, the better. It's just more memorable."

  • It's a little ironic that I ran across this Wall Street Journal article tonight, considering I just criticized the auto industry for too often producing generic and ignorable advertising. Ford is attempting to win back customers who no longer will consider US-made cars. Says the article, "Traditional advertising campaigns have had little impact on consumer perceptions of the Big Three." So, Ford is going to work in collaboration with their dealers to build a grass-roots "army of Ford brand advocates" with the goal of making consumers "feel something" about Ford. It's been a long time since I've heard something out of Detroit that made me feel like an American automaker might mount a successful charge against the imports!

  • Reading the financial headlines will dampen your mood, but the picture continues to look rosy for Internet marketing. A new eMarketer report says, "Despite the economic rough patch, US online advertising will continue to grow through 2008. Online ad spending will rise by 23%." The report claims that search marketing will grow by 40% in 2008, but I am beginning to wonder if money can continue to flow into search strategies considering the fierce competition and inflation in PPC costs that most online marketers are seeing, even if they're buying "long tail" search terms. The report also indicates that rich media and video advertising is set to grow as a percentage of online ad spending, rising to 18.5% in 2012 from 10.2% in 2008.

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