Twice in the past few weeks I have registered on websites to view their exclusive content. In both instances, I was told via pop-up and a followup email that my request was in a queue awaiting the publisher's permission to access content. Whaaat?
The sites? Hulu + for iPad, and Flipboard for iPad.
Hulu + subscription would allow me to watch TV shows and video while connected to the internet, and Flipboard is a new magazine-style content aggregator that in addition to providing news and features scraped off other sites, also allows consolidation of Facebook and Twitter account feeds. The latter feature was the hook that I chomped on.
Both have been heavily promoted with enticing PR campaigns and I was looking forward to checking them out, so I downloaded the apps and registered.
And now I wait for the gatekeepers at Flipboard and Hulu to grant me access to the info they invited me to join to see.
Lesson for other website developers. If your site is not ready for prime time, do not tease visitors into registering until you can deliver on the promise.
Monday, July 26, 2010
Ads Online Gaining Acceptance
From our friends at the Center for Media Research, comes this post:
According to research conducted by Frank N. Magid Associates with Magid Media Futures 2010 study, half of respondents now watch online video weekly or more often, an increase from 43% in 2009. Viewers aged 18 to 24 accounted for the greatest increase in weekly online video viewership. Consumers also said they expect to watch more video online over the coming year.
Erick Hachenburg, CEO of Metacafe, says that "... the dramatic increase seen over the last year in viewership from the coveted 18 to 24 year-old demographic raises the stakes for online video ad spend... these consumers are the ‘entertainment drivers' that define pop culture and determine breakout hits in the social media world... "
Short, professional videos accounted for eight of the 10 most popular video genres, including music videos, movie previews, clips of TV shows, sports and comedy. More than 25% of consumers overwhelmingly said watching short, professional videos online is just as entertaining as watching full-length TV shows on television. Ads in online video content are also increasingly seen as equally or more acceptable than TV ads.
Attitudes Toward Online Video Ads (% of US Online Video Viewers, May 2010)
Agree That: % of Respondents
Ads in Online videos more acceptable 7%
Ads in Online videos just as acceptable as ads in TV shows 48%
Ads in Online videos less acceptable 24%
Not sure 22%
Source: Magid Associates, "Media Futures," June 2010
Mike Vorhaus, President of Magid Advisors, said "... the findings represent an important shift in behaviors and attitudes over last year... professionally produced short-form content preferred by the majority of respondents further solidifies this entertainment genre... "
The research for trends and insights into consumer behavior, and response to online video content and advertising, yields these key findings:
• Half of Internet users now watch online video weekly or more frequently, up from 43% in 2009
• Viewers aged 18 to24 have the most voracious appetite for online video, with 85% of males and 68% of females now watching online video weekly
• Time spent watching online video is expected to grow by 5% over the next 12 months
• Three out of four respondents watch some type of short professionally produced videos online regularly, with the highest percentage among 18 to34 year-olds (83% of males and 75% of females)
• Short professional online videos rival TV shows in entertainment value, with 31% of respondents finding them equally or more entertaining than watching full-length TV shows on a television
• 63% of online video viewers regularly watch music videos, movie previews, clips of TV shows, sports content or video game content
Millennials, the biggest fans of online video, were also the most comfortable with the ads. Nearly a fifth of men ages 18 to 24 thought online video ads were more acceptable than TV ads; 10% of women the same age agreed. Older users tended to view the two as equivalent.
Younger viewers may feel so positively toward online video ads because they realize how few there are in comparison to television commercials. Two-thirds of cross-platform TV viewers told comScore in December 2009 that watching online was better because there were fewer ads, but the same study indicated users would tolerate more interruptions.
According to research conducted by Frank N. Magid Associates with Magid Media Futures 2010 study, half of respondents now watch online video weekly or more often, an increase from 43% in 2009. Viewers aged 18 to 24 accounted for the greatest increase in weekly online video viewership. Consumers also said they expect to watch more video online over the coming year.
Erick Hachenburg, CEO of Metacafe, says that "... the dramatic increase seen over the last year in viewership from the coveted 18 to 24 year-old demographic raises the stakes for online video ad spend... these consumers are the ‘entertainment drivers' that define pop culture and determine breakout hits in the social media world... "
Short, professional videos accounted for eight of the 10 most popular video genres, including music videos, movie previews, clips of TV shows, sports and comedy. More than 25% of consumers overwhelmingly said watching short, professional videos online is just as entertaining as watching full-length TV shows on television. Ads in online video content are also increasingly seen as equally or more acceptable than TV ads.
Attitudes Toward Online Video Ads (% of US Online Video Viewers, May 2010)
Agree That: % of Respondents
Ads in Online videos more acceptable 7%
Ads in Online videos just as acceptable as ads in TV shows 48%
Ads in Online videos less acceptable 24%
Not sure 22%
Source: Magid Associates, "Media Futures," June 2010
Mike Vorhaus, President of Magid Advisors, said "... the findings represent an important shift in behaviors and attitudes over last year... professionally produced short-form content preferred by the majority of respondents further solidifies this entertainment genre... "
The research for trends and insights into consumer behavior, and response to online video content and advertising, yields these key findings:
• Half of Internet users now watch online video weekly or more frequently, up from 43% in 2009
• Viewers aged 18 to24 have the most voracious appetite for online video, with 85% of males and 68% of females now watching online video weekly
• Time spent watching online video is expected to grow by 5% over the next 12 months
• Three out of four respondents watch some type of short professionally produced videos online regularly, with the highest percentage among 18 to34 year-olds (83% of males and 75% of females)
• Short professional online videos rival TV shows in entertainment value, with 31% of respondents finding them equally or more entertaining than watching full-length TV shows on a television
• 63% of online video viewers regularly watch music videos, movie previews, clips of TV shows, sports content or video game content
Millennials, the biggest fans of online video, were also the most comfortable with the ads. Nearly a fifth of men ages 18 to 24 thought online video ads were more acceptable than TV ads; 10% of women the same age agreed. Older users tended to view the two as equivalent.
Younger viewers may feel so positively toward online video ads because they realize how few there are in comparison to television commercials. Two-thirds of cross-platform TV viewers told comScore in December 2009 that watching online was better because there were fewer ads, but the same study indicated users would tolerate more interruptions.
Friday, March 12, 2010
US advertisers to spend more on eMedia than print in 2010
We've crossed the Rubicon and there is no going back.
Research firm Outsell predicts that thanks to a 9.6% increase in digital advertising in 2010, US advertisers will for the first time ever spend more advertising on the web, search marketing, eNewsletters, social media, direct-to-customer communication, and mobile web than on traditional print magazine and newspaper advertising.
Significant? A game-changer for those of us who straddle the worlds of eMedia and Print media? No doubt. But also, no surprise. The momentum has tilted in favor of eMedia for the last 10 years, growing faster and picking up speed every year.
Thankfully for traditionalists, the value of print is still strong, borne out by Outsell's optimistic prediction that print advertising, too, will see an increase this year--of almost 2%. That's good news for publishers who have been slashing costs associated with our magazines, journals and newspapers to offset the declines of previous years.
My gut tells me that eReaders like Apple's new iPad will push the margin between print and eMedia even wider. I also think that colorful, graphic-rich devices like the iPad, Sports Illustrated's Tablet, Hearst's Skiff, and an new HP tablet, all due out soon, will either force current eReaders like Kindle and Nook to upgrade to magazine-like layout, navigation and multimedia or be kicked to the curb by the sexier newcomers.
And what of mobile reading? If you've tried it, it's not ideal for obvious reasons. Mobile works best for quick bites of information, not for a leasurly perusal of a magazine. And the advertising community--main source of revenue for all media--is voting with their feet, planning to spend 16% less on mobile this year than last. Maybe the financial model for mobile media is paid subscriptions or sponsored content, but ads just don't move me on my phone.
Conclusion: 2010 is a bounce-back year for most media and we need to take full advantage of the increased attention we are getting from advertisers to strengthen the bond with our readers to ensure a successful future, whatever the medium we employ.
Research firm Outsell predicts that thanks to a 9.6% increase in digital advertising in 2010, US advertisers will for the first time ever spend more advertising on the web, search marketing, eNewsletters, social media, direct-to-customer communication, and mobile web than on traditional print magazine and newspaper advertising.
Significant? A game-changer for those of us who straddle the worlds of eMedia and Print media? No doubt. But also, no surprise. The momentum has tilted in favor of eMedia for the last 10 years, growing faster and picking up speed every year.
Thankfully for traditionalists, the value of print is still strong, borne out by Outsell's optimistic prediction that print advertising, too, will see an increase this year--of almost 2%. That's good news for publishers who have been slashing costs associated with our magazines, journals and newspapers to offset the declines of previous years.
My gut tells me that eReaders like Apple's new iPad will push the margin between print and eMedia even wider. I also think that colorful, graphic-rich devices like the iPad, Sports Illustrated's Tablet, Hearst's Skiff, and an new HP tablet, all due out soon, will either force current eReaders like Kindle and Nook to upgrade to magazine-like layout, navigation and multimedia or be kicked to the curb by the sexier newcomers.
And what of mobile reading? If you've tried it, it's not ideal for obvious reasons. Mobile works best for quick bites of information, not for a leasurly perusal of a magazine. And the advertising community--main source of revenue for all media--is voting with their feet, planning to spend 16% less on mobile this year than last. Maybe the financial model for mobile media is paid subscriptions or sponsored content, but ads just don't move me on my phone.
Conclusion: 2010 is a bounce-back year for most media and we need to take full advantage of the increased attention we are getting from advertisers to strengthen the bond with our readers to ensure a successful future, whatever the medium we employ.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
The email signature phenomenon
Look Familiar?
Michael DeLuca l President l Meister Media Worldwide
Office Direct: (440) 555-5555 l Mobile: (216) 555-5555
37733 Euclid Avenue l Willoughby, OH 44094
This email signature style has gone viral. Everywhere I look, folks are using this format to give their emails, both business and personal, a snappy, sophisticated look.
I wish I could take credit for creating it, but I can't. I first saw it in 2004 or 20055 in an email from Mark Willis, a friend who worked at the Cincinnati advertising/marketing/pr firm Northlich. I immediately appropriated it and have been using it since. If I'm not the creater, maybe the propogator, though. Makes me wonder: did Northlich create it or appropriate it, too?
It's appeal must be universal, because wherever I work, people who were using another format or no format at all in their email switch to this format or slight variations thereof. Likewize as I meet new folks and develop email relationships, I often find their subsequent return emails suddenly sporting the new signature style.
I've seen entire corporations like it so much they have mandated their employees adopt it.
Don't get me wrong. I like it. I just wonder what is so special about it that is seems to be sweeping the emailing world. I've not seen another signature style that has been copied like this one, and wonder if we might try to come up with one and watch it spread!
Has anyone else noticed this phenomenon?
Michael DeLuca l President l Meister Media Worldwide
Office Direct: (440) 555-5555 l Mobile: (216) 555-5555
37733 Euclid Avenue l Willoughby, OH 44094
This email signature style has gone viral. Everywhere I look, folks are using this format to give their emails, both business and personal, a snappy, sophisticated look.
I wish I could take credit for creating it, but I can't. I first saw it in 2004 or 20055 in an email from Mark Willis, a friend who worked at the Cincinnati advertising/marketing/pr firm Northlich. I immediately appropriated it and have been using it since. If I'm not the creater, maybe the propogator, though. Makes me wonder: did Northlich create it or appropriate it, too?
It's appeal must be universal, because wherever I work, people who were using another format or no format at all in their email switch to this format or slight variations thereof. Likewize as I meet new folks and develop email relationships, I often find their subsequent return emails suddenly sporting the new signature style.
I've seen entire corporations like it so much they have mandated their employees adopt it.
Don't get me wrong. I like it. I just wonder what is so special about it that is seems to be sweeping the emailing world. I've not seen another signature style that has been copied like this one, and wonder if we might try to come up with one and watch it spread!
Has anyone else noticed this phenomenon?
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
