What is the future of our ad industry?
"The house that advertising built was consumer packaged goods. They taught that detergents and soaps could be wrapped in emotion. You were a better mom, you were more American, you were a more elegant European if you used a certain type of hand soap. This is the house that advertising built. Last year [in] the house that advertising built, almost 90% of all CPG brands lost share, and two thirds lost revenue. Why? Because advertising sucks. And if you're wealthy you can opt out of advertising. We are now downloading "Modern Family" and paying two bucks for it from iTunes soley so that we can avoid the advertising. Advertising is becoming a tax only poor people pay."
Good talk by Scott Galloway, NYU Stern professor and founder of L2.
Sunday, March 20, 2016
Monday, April 26, 2010
seo your face
Am taking a class on SEO (search engine optimization). We've gone through the ins and outs of the biggest components of Google's search algorithm. Nobody knows exactly what goes into Google's "secret sauce", but there are some key rules, which I won't go through in detail (but which you can check out here).
In essence you need to figure out a few terms that you want your site to be associated with via search. The bigger your site, the more terms you can target. But you need to "tag" both content and HTML with those words, so that Google gets a good idea of what your site is about. (It obviously isn't this simple but am choosing this to segue to my main point!)
It makes sense to focus your website or blog content, just like you would do for any publication, film, radio or TV show. But going through the rules made me uncomfortable. SEO includes a good level of "stuffing" your content with your keywords. Which means that if you want your site to come out in a search for "travel deal", you would need to work that phrase into as much of your content as possible, without turning Google off by your persistence in wanting to be found for "travel deal" (that's "travel deal" by the way, not "travel dealS"; plurality apparently makes a difference!). That makes a lot of sense. It's a balancing act. Leave them wanting more? Nobody wants the cow when they can get the milk for free?
Coincidentally, my first SEO class was held just days after the 140 Conference, where @1000timesyes guy talked a lot about the detrimental effects of Google ranking and SEO on good writing - "Good writing dies at the hand of search engine optimization."
I know I need to focus my content somehow, but how about finding my own voice? How about writing about topics that make me feel something, instead of writing about "onsite computer repair", if that is my targeted key term? How about inspiration and chance and maybe even touching someone with something that doesn't make any sense except to you and that other person in the world?
Alas we need to play by the rules, Google's rules. Because search, is reality.
In essence you need to figure out a few terms that you want your site to be associated with via search. The bigger your site, the more terms you can target. But you need to "tag" both content and HTML with those words, so that Google gets a good idea of what your site is about. (It obviously isn't this simple but am choosing this to segue to my main point!)
It makes sense to focus your website or blog content, just like you would do for any publication, film, radio or TV show. But going through the rules made me uncomfortable. SEO includes a good level of "stuffing" your content with your keywords. Which means that if you want your site to come out in a search for "travel deal", you would need to work that phrase into as much of your content as possible, without turning Google off by your persistence in wanting to be found for "travel deal" (that's "travel deal" by the way, not "travel dealS"; plurality apparently makes a difference!). That makes a lot of sense. It's a balancing act. Leave them wanting more? Nobody wants the cow when they can get the milk for free?
Coincidentally, my first SEO class was held just days after the 140 Conference, where @1000timesyes guy talked a lot about the detrimental effects of Google ranking and SEO on good writing - "Good writing dies at the hand of search engine optimization."
I know I need to focus my content somehow, but how about finding my own voice? How about writing about topics that make me feel something, instead of writing about "onsite computer repair", if that is my targeted key term? How about inspiration and chance and maybe even touching someone with something that doesn't make any sense except to you and that other person in the world?
Alas we need to play by the rules, Google's rules. Because search, is reality.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Saw this video on the digital buzz blog, about the evolution of Google. It's amazing what they have accomplished in the last decade+.
But the other feeling that I got from this video is that Google probably knows us more intimately than many of our friends and family via our online patterns. Imagine. You use Google Mail, so they know your closest friends, their e-mail addresses and the deeply personal things that you tell only your closest friends - whether you're thinking of quitting your job or maybe that you hooked up with a stranger. You stay logged on to GMail so they can keep track of your searches too. Are you shopping, looking for a vacation location, or are you surfing for movie reviews? Who are you cyber stalking? They know it all. Your calendar is also on Google so they can pretty much tell what your social life looks like, or your business development strategy via client meetings. They even know that High School Musical is a guilty pleasure because I've watched virtually all of the videos on YouTube!
And more recently with the launch of their cloud computing software, they can even keep tabs on our work documents and spreadsheets. They've got Picasa, GTalk, Google Reader, Google Analytics... and soon they'll be on mobile, too.
It just scares me to think that any one entity could hold that much information about me. Just look at Google Dashboard to see the breadth of what they have collected about you.
But the other feeling that I got from this video is that Google probably knows us more intimately than many of our friends and family via our online patterns. Imagine. You use Google Mail, so they know your closest friends, their e-mail addresses and the deeply personal things that you tell only your closest friends - whether you're thinking of quitting your job or maybe that you hooked up with a stranger. You stay logged on to GMail so they can keep track of your searches too. Are you shopping, looking for a vacation location, or are you surfing for movie reviews? Who are you cyber stalking? They know it all. Your calendar is also on Google so they can pretty much tell what your social life looks like, or your business development strategy via client meetings. They even know that High School Musical is a guilty pleasure because I've watched virtually all of the videos on YouTube!
And more recently with the launch of their cloud computing software, they can even keep tabs on our work documents and spreadsheets. They've got Picasa, GTalk, Google Reader, Google Analytics... and soon they'll be on mobile, too.
It just scares me to think that any one entity could hold that much information about me. Just look at Google Dashboard to see the breadth of what they have collected about you.
Not that Google cares about an individual like me. But the scary though is, what if they did?
Friday, November 6, 2009
improving our online outreach during times of distress
When Ondoy hit I was, very fortunately, safe in a house that didn’t even experience a black out or power fluctuations. It was only on that Saturday afternoon, when I started seeing frantic photos, videos and status updates on Facebook, that I realized that something was really wrong. I stayed tuned to my social network that weekend to keep in touch with what was happening, not once checking the news.
People were calling for help and sharing ways to reach out. Facebook and Twitter were abuzz with shoutouts and calls-to-action. Very quickly, the links to Google Maps (with updates on the flooded areas) and Google Spreadsheet (with the ways to help) were spread via social media.
No doubt that citizen journalism and volunteerism were able to exceed the efforts of traditional mass media outlets. Real-time updates and responses, more credible because they were done by people in my immediate online network.
Unfortunately the Philippines has become a sort of hotbed for tropical depressions (after Ondoy there was Pepeng, and several others) and we could easily be hit by another catastrophic storm.
So how about next time? Is there anything we can do to improve our online outreach? Is there anything that can be improved on the design or user interface side?
Came across an interesting article that addresses this on Threeminds. (The title makes it sound like it is about design, but it is more about content and use of the right platforms. Still, very helpful.):
There is no denying that Google's efforts are admirable and for a great cause. So it's hard to suggest that the site they developed to rally people around the Typhoon Ondoy cause could benefit majorly from improved design and usability. Normally, as marketers, we get the benefit of a specific demographic we are trying to address and for a defined product. In the case of large scale disasters, the demographic really is everyone, and the emotions you are trying to illicit is everything from awareness to action.
Knowing the need for action is great and the design challenge is real, I sent the site around to some colleagues. Together, we tried to come up with a few of best practices for making cause-based sites more effective...
1. Provide clear direction on needs, goals, and progress. Help users understand where the need is the greatest.
2. Use stories, not numbers. Stories make the user feel closer to the cause, while numbers often do the opposite.
The current Ondoy page isn't organized to elicit a reaction... not emotional or actionable. With so many charity stories and good causes out there competing for attention, incorporating a story of an actual person affected does more good than stats and charts. People need to be moved and then lead to action.
3. Harness the power and reach of social media to generate interconnectivity and spring users into action.
Google has seem to forgotten the "share this" button. No tweet this, no Facebook that. While links are simple and becoming ubiquitous, that simple addition could have made all the difference. Google could have also considered something like http://micro.ilist.com/ for quickly bringing folks together, especially now that Twitter is rolling in geolocation data.
It works best for big events, not one-off needs, but it is still an interesting way to connect at a personal level, those who have with those who need.
- Marta Strickland
{Original post here.}
People were calling for help and sharing ways to reach out. Facebook and Twitter were abuzz with shoutouts and calls-to-action. Very quickly, the links to Google Maps (with updates on the flooded areas) and Google Spreadsheet (with the ways to help) were spread via social media.
No doubt that citizen journalism and volunteerism were able to exceed the efforts of traditional mass media outlets. Real-time updates and responses, more credible because they were done by people in my immediate online network.
Unfortunately the Philippines has become a sort of hotbed for tropical depressions (after Ondoy there was Pepeng, and several others) and we could easily be hit by another catastrophic storm.
So how about next time? Is there anything we can do to improve our online outreach? Is there anything that can be improved on the design or user interface side?
Came across an interesting article that addresses this on Threeminds. (The title makes it sound like it is about design, but it is more about content and use of the right platforms. Still, very helpful.):
When Good Design Could Save Lives
"On September 26, 2009, Typhoon Ondoy brought a month's worth of rainfall to Metro Manila and nearby areas in just a few hours, causing severe flooding which resulted in the loss of many lives and the displacement of hundreds of thousands of people. 8 days later, Typhoon Pepeng struck the northern regions causing more damage. This site compiles relevant information about the disaster, including a volunteer-maintained map of persons needing rescue and a list of relief organizations accepting donations, so that more help can be provided where it is needed."There is no denying that Google's efforts are admirable and for a great cause. So it's hard to suggest that the site they developed to rally people around the Typhoon Ondoy cause could benefit majorly from improved design and usability. Normally, as marketers, we get the benefit of a specific demographic we are trying to address and for a defined product. In the case of large scale disasters, the demographic really is everyone, and the emotions you are trying to illicit is everything from awareness to action.
Knowing the need for action is great and the design challenge is real, I sent the site around to some colleagues. Together, we tried to come up with a few of best practices for making cause-based sites more effective...
1. Provide clear direction on needs, goals, and progress. Help users understand where the need is the greatest.
"I often feel a little helpless when massive events like this happen, if for no other reason than I don't even know where to begin helping. Is sending cash the right thing, do rescue workers need provisions that can't be locally sourced, etc?" James VreelandThe current page leaves the user with too many questions. What's already been donated? What are the areas of need? What could my money be going towards? Is there something that needs to be donated besides money? Giving user a list of numbers to call only makes them feel overwhelmed, not motivated.
2. Use stories, not numbers. Stories make the user feel closer to the cause, while numbers often do the opposite.
The current Ondoy page isn't organized to elicit a reaction... not emotional or actionable. With so many charity stories and good causes out there competing for attention, incorporating a story of an actual person affected does more good than stats and charts. People need to be moved and then lead to action.
3. Harness the power and reach of social media to generate interconnectivity and spring users into action.
Google has seem to forgotten the "share this" button. No tweet this, no Facebook that. While links are simple and becoming ubiquitous, that simple addition could have made all the difference. Google could have also considered something like http://micro.ilist.com/ for quickly bringing folks together, especially now that Twitter is rolling in geolocation data.
#ihave a spare bedroom for up to 3 nights
+
#ineed a place to sleep, my house burnt down
It works best for big events, not one-off needs, but it is still an interesting way to connect at a personal level, those who have with those who need.
- Marta Strickland
{Original post here.}
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Philippine website data by Alexa
I check Alexa every so often to check out the site trends in the country. Hadn't checked in a few months but found a few things interesting:
- Facebook has reached the "mass"es. While Yahoo!, Friendster, Google and YouTube have been in the top five for quite some time, there is a new site at #5: Facebook! Wonder how this corresponds to the present number of Filipino users on Facebook... since I heard last year that there were fewer than 1M people on the network.
We can also get a few clues about our most popular online activities:
- Search: Yahoo (#1), Google.com.ph (#3) - Though not sure if these rankings include Mail, Answer, Docs, etc pages.
- Social networking: Friendster (#2), Facebook (#5) and Multiply (#7), Tagged (#15).
- Media sharing / viewing: YouTube (#4), Imeem (#17 - though I guess this counts as a social networking site as well!)
- Blogging / Blog reading: Blogger (#8), Wordpress (#13)
- Photo sharing / viewing: Although Photobucket (#12) is apparently more popular than Flickr (#18)
- Do targeted web banners work? Travian.ph (which seems like some kind of MMORPG) is #14 today. I see the Travian banner ads on so many video streaming sites like Surfthechannel and Yidio, but I've never clicked. Interestingly enough, the messaging is always properly targeted and written in Tagalog! Maybe that strategy is working.
- Microblogging is on the rise. Twitter now #27 & Plurk at #54.
- Local sites in the Top100: Inquirer is still the highest ranked (#37), followed by Philstar & (#57), PEP (#61), GMA (#63), PEX (#65), Smart (#78) >> We are still interested in the news and gossip but apparently we are now interested in telecom info as well.
- Hardcore gaming sites seem to have declined... Levelupgames (#40), Garena (#60), Egames (#70), while casual games seem to be more popular - Y8 (#8), Zynga (#34).
- New search engines. Some people are using Bing (#48) and some people are stalking using Spock (#64)!
- What other content are we looking for? Onemanga (#19), Friendster-layouts (#23), MP3codes (#58), deviantART (#66), Reference (#68), MetroLyrics (#92)
This must of course be taken with a grain of salt, since Alexa can only generate data from users who have downloaded their toolbar.
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