Video and Social Media: It Will Never Catch On. What?

http://tinyurl.com/dazjhm

Great report released last month from Nielson Online: Social Media And Video Site Engagement Reshapes The Web.

It's always amazing when you see big studies of how people use the internet, but this one had a few points of particular interest. Click on the link above to read the whole summary or just browse a few of the nuggets we picked out of it here:

- US web users watch video online an average of 6 minutes per day
- US active digital media universe: 167 million
- Americans spend a little more than 2 hours per day online
- Member communities (blogs, Facebook, Twitter, etc.) surpassed email in February of 2009 in terms of user time on task
- Between February 2008 and 2009, total minutes of users engaged with online video grew 71%
- Women aged 40-50 in the home are the fastest growing demographic of Facebook
- Close to 50 million US mobile phone users access the internet from their phone monthly

If you think your audience isn't engaging in social media/member communities, think again. And if they really aren't doing it today, they'll be doing it tomorrow. However, just throwing a page up on one of these sites won't get you success. Marketers, Nielsen notes, are facing tough challenges finding ways to truly reach and engage users in these spaces.

Oddly, no analysis on why pics of my high school hair get such sarcastic response on Facebook.

Seth Godin Video From TED

Seth Godin of writing/marketing/email/online marketing fame from February of 2009 TED. Fantastic stuff.

Campaign Optimization: Advertising Age Article

http://adage.com/smallagency/post?article_id=136770

Great article today from Milan Martin on Ad Age's Small Agency Diary.

An interesting point here is that tracking - with all its positives - has an inherent negative as well: Every once in a while, you're going to throw an air ball. And the stats you've set up to illustrate your brilliance when the campaign works become the hecklers in the front row that won't let your misfire go unnoticed.

BUT, if you establish trust with the client and they know you've put proper metrics behind the idea and recommended it in their best interest, things usually work out. Sure, you may have to take an earful, but if you spend any time in this business at all, it shouldn't be the first, and will definitely not be the last. If you don't have those conversations, you're not working hard enough to move your client's business forward.

Grin and bear it.

Why We Love Advertising

Every once in a while you come across something so inspired, you just can't stop watching. This is one of those things. Brilliant all around.

Evolve Or Die

http://www.ignitiongroup.com/images/stories/freedownloads/evolve_or_die_marketingprofs.com.pdf

Tim Williams has written a lot of great articles, books, and whatnot. Most of them are right on the money. This one is no different.

Agencies - ours included - face a lot of changes these days. Sure, the economy stinks and all that comes with that, but those who plan to stick around need to see that there are other challenges as well. Namely, that the advertising business isn't what it used to be.

Evolving isn't a choice if you want to survive. It's a necessity. We've seen it in our own business and it will only get faster in the future. For those not on board ... frankly, you're missing all the fun.