I heart interactive

Found a great resource today in SpringWidgets.com. The website allows you to pretty easily create, distribute, and track your own countdown and feed banners. Take a look at the widgets I created in about 20 minutes here. While there are many other banner automation wizards on the web, SprngWidgets does an exemplary job at making the distribution process a breeze. Whether you want the widgets integrated into Facebook, MySpace, Blogger, Mac Dashboard, or you just want the HTML or Javascript code to customize the integration, SpringWidgets has you covered.

Users can easily click on the widget and select their preferred distribution method and the widget takes care of the rest.

Jul 14, 2008 | Add Comment

One of our developers at Phenomblue posted a cool little Adobe Air app to use as a real time play list for WOXY.com.    WOXY is an independent Internet radio station playing all the latest and classic Indie rock.  It's by far my favorite radio station and we actually stream it through our office all day over the PA system.  Anyway, check out the widget here.

Jul 09, 2008 | Add Comment

I have been in this business for a long time and have had huge success marketing to all types of consumers through  interactive avenues and new media.  One of the miss-conceptions I hear most when pitching new clients is the idea that the older consumer base in America is techno-illiterate and that marketing to them through online channels is not only ineffective, it's a total waste of time.  In fact, the opposite is true.

Older Americans continue to be some of the most aggressive adopters of the Internet and online information consumption.  A recent study by the Center for the Digital Future at USC's Annenberg School for Communication and AARP shows that 76% of Americans over the age of 50 say the Internet is a main source of information for them , up from 50% just 5 years ago!  That's an amazing adoption rate that any product manager would love.

This trend is validated in the market place with media buys and interactive advertising seen in places usually considered more reserved and traditionally print (offline).  Take the Pharmaceutical industry for example, the online trends identified in the Annenberg article nearly mirror the increased interest in the medium by many big Pharma advertisers.  Go back 5 years and you'd be hard pressed to find anyone executing major interactive initiatives online in the Pharma space.  Fast forward to 2008 and the industry looks completely different.  Not only are Pharma advertisers embracing cutting edge interactive campaigns, but they are heavily engaged in medium defining movements like social networking and mobile web communications.

Alli, a GSK branded OTC weight loss drug, recently launched a campaign around shedding pounds with the help of the community.  The Alli community of course.  Alli Circles is a way for people to share stories and experiences in loosing weight throughout a connected community of support.  Very Cool.

The Annenberg study also suggests that among Internet users 50+ who are members of online communities, 58% log in to their online community daily or several times a day, compared with 47% of members under 20.  This makes the Internet not only a brand message platform for older American's but a long term engagement tool for retention and constant communication.  It's no secret that as American's get older, they tend to fall into patterns more and buying decisions become much more loyal than younger influential consumers.  It's also no secret that as we get older, we tend to want more community interaction, but are less inclined to leave the house :)  Hello Internet.

The bottom line is that the older demographic in this country is a viable market for the Internet.  Again, it's all about the idea and the creative behind the campaign, but online can work wonders for the aging demo.

Check out the full Annenberg article for some more killer data.

Jul 08, 2008 | Add Comment

I am constantly asked by clients, colleagues, and other industry professionals about SEO and even more so about the importance of SEO expertise in the future of online marketing campaigns. My answer always reflects the ideals of track back links, referral websites, and genuine content as the best way to win the organic search game. When it comes down to it, you either produce compelling, relevant content or you don't. If you don't you better have the cash to make up the difference.

In pursuing the LinkedIn forums for insight into what questions are being asked in the interactive marketing industry, I found this answer from an SEO professional that sums up my responses. I thought it was well said..

From LinkedIn..

"I'm a SEO too. But the truth about SEO is that it's days are counted.

The latest development in search engine technologies will cause many of SEO-pimped websites go down in SERPs ... and this will probably happen very soon.

All you need are true, honest backlinks to the pages you would like to be ranked high.

The best SEO these days is simply to be interesting and useful to web users, editors and bloggers. The best longterm thing you can do about this is hire someone who can write and produce great content, who understands the blogosphere.

He/she will come up with a program for your company or for your brand that will produce a lot of back links and traction.

So you actually don't need a programmer but someone who knows a lot about the web atmosphere, web sponsorships, contextual advertising, is a good writer and has a background in marketing or pr.

These people are scarce these days. And very wanted."

Jul 07, 2008 | One Comment

Over at Phenomblue, we updated our website recently. The site is built on the Adobe Flex framework with a bunch of CMS stuff built on Microsoft .NET framework with a SQL Server back end. Check out the Phenomblue Blog for more info, or just click through to the new site.

Jul 06, 2008 | Add Comment

Have a BlackBerry? Who are we kidding, who doesn't right? Anyway, do you Twitter more than you would admit in public? If you answered "Yes" to both questions, QSMS is a new piece of software (free I might add) that allows you apply a shortcut to the letter "Q" to send a text message similar to how "C" is a shortcut for composing an email message. You can download the software here.

As with the compose shortcut (and any shortcut for that matter), the "Dial from home screen" option must be disabled in the phone options.

Jul 06, 2008 | Add Comment