Marketing Weblog

Hace ya tiempo que el navegador más alternativo al Internet Explorer de Microsoft, Mozilla Firefox, provee la posibilidad de bloquear la publicidad en Internet sustituyéndola por espacios en blanco.
El tema es que no había una actualización de este plugin, llamado Adblock, desde 2003, cuando fue desarrollado para acabar con los molestísimos pop-ups que Google también pensalizó con el famoso bloqueador de su barra conduciendo a su desaparición.

Pero ahora se lanza una nueva versión llamada AdBlock Plus que presenta dos novedades fundamentales:
La primera es que ya no aparecen espacios en blanco en lugar de la publicidad sino obras de artes de jóvenes artistas contemporáneos.
Y la segunda, más allá de la mera estética, resulta mucho más relevante: ya no se bloquean sólo los formatos más intrusivos sino todos en general, incluyendo la publicidad contextual (téóricamente mejor recibida por el usuario) como la de Google AdSense.

¿Cómo reaccionarán los usuarios? De momento se están produciendo unas 150.000 descargas de AdBlock Plus a la semana…. ¿Pensáis que da una medida del cambio en la actutid del navegante hacia la publicidad online?

Un abrazo

Manuel Angel Alonso Coto

Mercedes parece ser el único que está sacando partido de la extrema rivalidad entre ambos pilotos que tantos quebraderos de cabeza le está dando a la escudería McLaren a su jefe Ron Dennis. No hay más que ver el nuevo anuncio que acaba de empezar a ser emitido en todos los canales televisivos:

Veremos si continúan rentabilizando el 40% de su inversión en el equipo de F1 McLaren-Mercedes y le sacan el mismo partido que al comercial que ya hace meses que protagoniza Fenando Alonso para publicitar la remozada clase C, mucho más descriptivo y menos creativo, pero trmendamente efectivo. Según ha hecho público la marca alemana, el 94% de los compradores españoles del modelo recuerda perfectamente el anuncio como influyente en su decicisión de compra.

Un abrazo

Manuel Angel Alonso Coto

If you are living in Spain and read the newspapers, you would probably have heard about and seen the last edition of El Jueves, a satiric magazine. The first page of this edition shows a comic of Prince Felipe and Princess Leticia making fun of a birth law recently approved.

Why should you heard about and seen it? Because the General Attorney of Spain decided to sue the magazine and got a law order for stopping its sales and for retiring all the units available in the Stores.

As you can imagine, the intention of the Attorney was to limit the circulation of this magazine as it considered to be disrespectful for the Spanish Monarchy. The result? Exactly the opposite to what he had in mind: All media has written about it and everybody in Spain has heard about it and seen the forbidden comic.

The intention of this blog is not to question whether the General Attorney was right or not when suing the magazine, but to point out the real publicity effects that it got.

I saw something similar some years ago in Chile, when Playboy was to launch there its Pay TV Channel. At that moment the Chilean Catholic Church made a big scandal of it, pointing out that it was in contradiction with the catholic values. Again a big noise was made with the issue, and the advertising got was truly amazing. In the end, it turned out to be one of the most successful launches of the Pay TV Channel in the World thanks to its retrievers.

Thus, WHEN YOU FORBID SOMETHING MAKE SURE YOU UNDERSTAND ITS EFFECTS: A BIG PUBLICITY WILL BE GENERATED.

Think different!

Ignacio Gafo

In order to promote the new Simpson’s film we all can enjoy from today, a giant 180ft Homer Simpson brandishing a doughnut was painted next to the well-endowed figure of the Cerne Abbas giant, a famous fertility symbol which is carved in the hillside in Dorset (England).

It has been painted with water-based biodegradable paint which will wash away as soon as it rains. But as the weather remains strangely dry these days en England, a lot of protest has been arisen between local villagers

Ann Bryn-Evans, joint Wessex district manager for The Pagan Federation, said: “It’s very disrespectful and not at all aesthetically pleasing. “We were hoping for some dry weather but I think I have changed my mind. We’ll be doing some rain magic to bring the rain and wash it away.”

Anyhow, a good an innovative way to gain awareness.

Best regards.

Manuel Angel Alonso Coto

Siempre se ha dicho que aquel que lanza algo el primero al mercado tiene una gran ventaja; pero poco se ha hablado de la importancia que tiene el sorprender a tus competidores adelantándote a ellos.

Esto es exactamente lo que ha hecho El Corte Inglés, adelantándose durante dos meses a lo que suele ser la tradicional campaña de Vuelta al Cole o Back 2 School.

En concreto, la campaña que ha lanzado en varios medios (fundamentalmente prensa e Intenet) dice lo siguiente:

Reserva ya tus Libros de Texto

En El Corte Inglés, ya puedes reservar tus Libros de Texto del próximo curso y beneficiarte de un 25 % de descuento en los libros de Primaria y Secundaria y un 5% en los de Educación Infantil y Bachillerato entregando, del 1 de junio al 31 de julio, el Resguardo de Reserva que podrás obtener en los Departamentos de Librería de nuestros centros comerciales o si lo prefieres, también puedes imprimir el formulario desde aquí, rellenarlo en casa y entregarlo en el centro.
________________________________________
• Además, con la Tarjeta de Compra de El Corte Inglés, podrás llevarte tus libros y empezar a pagar a partir del 30 de noviembre de 2005.

De forma que:

1. Se adelanta a toda su Competencia. Competencia que con gran dificultad va a tener capacidad de respuesta.
2. Gana en impacto. Puesto que hace publicidad de algo novedoso en un momento novedoso. A diferencia de lo que ocurriría en Septiembre, donde sería uno más.
3. Fuerza la compra. Introduce un incentivo temporal (promoción) para animar a todos sus potenciales clientes a comprar ahora y no en Septiembre.

No sé los resultados que tendrá, pero a priori parece algo bastante bien pensado y planificado.

¿Alguna experiencia semejante? ¿Tiene esto sentido?

Think Different!!!

Ignacio Gafo

The other day I read an article from The New York Times that analyzed the future evolution of Internet Sales in the USA. I found it extremely interesting as it could be a great reference about the volume and evolution that Internet Sales could take in other countries.

These are main points covered in the article:

- Internet sales are not growing that fast anymore. The expected growth for 2007 is only 11% compared to 40% one year ago.
- In terms of volume, we speak about 86.500 million US$, or 5% of the amount of sales done through offline retailers.
- PC Manufacturers like Dell and online agencies like Expedia have either started to sell their products through retailers like Wal-Mart or through physical stands.
- E-bay only increased its internet sales in the first quarter by 1%.
- Expected weight of Internet Sales in 2011 will be only 7% of the total.
- Reason for this? On the one hand, you can find an improvement in the service given by the physical retailers On the other hand , there are social factors such as the need of shoppers for interactivity and human contact.

Whatever the reason behind of the slowdown, it looks that Internet Sales will not as far as what was expected in the beginning. Even perfect industries for internet sales such a s books, accessories and clothes are slowing down.

Some new models that combine Internet and physical shopping (Clicks & Bricks), are starting to arise and could be a good fit that takes the best of both models.

However, it looks like Internet Sales will reach to a maximum in the coming years and stay there!

Do you agree? Comments are welcome.

Best.

Ignacio Gafo

Advertisers are asking for intelligent advertising. Web users want to be seduced and informed. Those working in big traditional advertising agencies are resistant. They still refuse to jump in the game. So the industry is completely atomized and mainly consists of small independent agencies specialized on a few e-advertising tools (rich media adsm, search engine marketing, avatar marketing, …). But, why?

1: I DON’T WANT THINGS TO CHANGE… Traditional agencies treat consumers well. ‘Come and sit down. Stay quiet. Listen. I’m going to tell you a story. Yes, the same story that you love to hear over and over again.’ The refusal to accept that consumers will change doesn’t go well with this scenario. This type of resistance is profound and expresses the conservativeness of traditional advertising which even comes through in its name.

2: I’M RETIRING SOON, I DON’T NEED TO GO THERE. The vast majority of agency bosses are baby boomers close to retirement. Traditional agencies should be taken over by a new generation or even better learn to work side by side. Traditional agencies that don’t take the digital route will be worthless tomorrow.

3: I TRIED IT ONCE AND IT DIDN’T WORK. It’s a new world and trial and error is part of the equation. Happily, we can carry out real-time check-ups. And considering it’s new, traditional clients/agencies will come across. Next time, it will go better.

4: TECHNOLOGY IS TOO COMPLICATED. Sure. It’s hell. There are bugs, bytes, CTR, CPC, ROS, plug-ins, opt-ins, bandwidth, leaderboards, … But there are technicians that take care of all the technical staff. You can not escape from technology the same way you can not escape from the future.

5: TV WORKS! Yes. It’s true. There has been nothing, even today, that reaches as many people in as little time. But TV is efficient in a frequency of one. We change a banner as soon as it loses its efficacy for any given consumer. A TV spot runs, no matter who’s sitting in front of it. And the client pays. Let’s see what happens when digital TV comes…

6: WEB LASTS TOO LONG. Done. Next! Trad advertising often works like sausages factories. Agencies rarely get involved after delivery. The accountability of the web is the opposite.

7: TRADITIONAL ADS ARE GLAM. When an advertiser walks into a social situation, he likes to talk about the ad spots he’s done. Agency creatives like to shoot commercials outside. It is so much more glam than measly pixels. But Cannes submissions are evolving: less and less film, more and more cyber creations…

8: TRADITIONAL ADVERTISING PAYS. Yes, it’s easier to sell, and it’s also easier for an agency to make profit from it. Justifying a revenue rate 14.65 % is easy for a million dollar traditional campaign. A few weeks of work is fast and carried out well for $146, 500. Agency revenues depend on easy commissions.

9: TV IS EASY TO SELL. Seth Godin said recently « Nobody ever got fired for putting TV in the plan ». It’s easier to sell a production set than a site map.

10: WHAT WEB? WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? « I wasn’t aware of this thing, this digital thing, I had no idea it was so huge… ». Are they guilty of being ignorant or just plain clueless? Anyone working in communications has no right to plead lack of curiosity of intellectual laziness.
I hope the funny approach of these ten reason help those of you reading them and working in traditional advertising get closer to digital advertising so you advance into what will be the future: blended advertising. Soon there won’t be digital or traditional advertising but plain advertising. Big modern agencies like Media Planning Group are already creating not only integrated campaigns but integrated key account managers that sell traditional and digital solutions altogether. When will be your traditional agency doing so?

Best regards

Manuel Angel Alonso Coto

Hasta ahora las planificaciones globales de las campañas de e-advertising se han hecho en base a los contenidos, en función de la hipótesis de que un usuario que está navegando actualmente en un contexto de contenidos tiene un interés concreto en él. Esta forma de planificar ha conducido a que quien comercializa viajes se anuncie en webs de viaje o quien vende coches lo haga en sites del motor…

La propuesta del behavioural targeting parte del análisis del comportamiento del usuario mientras navega por la red para conocer sus intereses usando patrones de clicks, consultas en buscadores y otros datos de preferencias. Los estudios demuestran que las planificaciones por behavioural targeting funcionan mucho mejor que las fundamentadas en contenidos.

El behavioural targeting beneficia a todos los agentes del mercado. A los primeros a los anunciantes que ven cómo sus resultados mejoran espectacularmente: incrementos del 792% del brand awareness, del 500% en conversiones, del 300% en CTR y del 48% en compras online. Pero también salen beneficiados los soportes y editores web que son capaces de valorar mejor comercialmente sus audiencias para los anunciantes y, por supuesto, los usuarios finales, que reciben una oferta publicitaria mucho más afín a sus intereses reales.

El sistema funciona a base de cookies que, instaladas en los navegadores de los usuarios, recogen la información de navegación para construir los perfiles de los usuarios; con los datos del perfil y buscando en las bases de datos ya construidas comportamientos similares, es fácil hacer recomendaciones relevantes a la navegación del usuario en tiempo real.

Este tipo de targeting, que funciona sin problemas en modo multiplataforma, sólo ha encontrado hasta ahora para evolucionar el problema de la protección de datos; hay que tener cuidado con el tipo de proveedor de behavioural targeting que se selecciona para que esté garantizado según ley vigente (LSSI y LOPD) el total anonimato de los usuarios, estando identificado cada usuario por un número que le identifica cada vez que aparece asociado a una web, debiendo ser técnicamente imposible remontar hasta sus datos personales.

En USA un 74% de los anunciantes digitales realizan algunas de sus planificaciones según este modelo que ahora acaba de llegar a España; ¿qué futuro le veis?

Un abrazo

Manuel Angel Alonso Coto

The eagerly awaited new album by Prince, Planet Earth, is being launched as a free CD with a national Sunday newspaper in a move that has drawn widespread criticism from music retailers.

“Prince is running a campaign to give music back to the fans and we are delighted to be involved,” the MoS editor, Peter Wright, said in yesterday’s paper. The Mail on Sunday will give away Prince’s brand new album Planet Earth free on July 15, despite music industry outrage.

The paper, which sells more than 2m copies a week, will be ramping up its print run in anticipation of a huge spike in circulation but would not reveal how much the deal with Prince would cost. One music store executive described the plan as “madness” while others said it was a huge insult to an industry battling fierce competition from supermarkets and online stores.

The paper urged readers to order their July 15 copy of the paper from newsagents has set up a special microsite for the promotion.

Prince, whose Purple Rain sold more than 11m copies, also plans to give away a free copy of his latest album with tickets for his forthcoming concerts in London. The singer had signed a global deal for the promotion and distribution of Planet Earth in partnership with Columbia Records, a division of music company Sony BMG. A spokesman for the group said last night that the UK arm of Sony BMG had withdrawn from Prince’s global deal and would not distribute the album to UK stores.
It is clear that illegal copies and Internet downloads are threatening a music industry which has not had a firm reaction yet. Do you think Prince’ methods are a real solution or is he only trying to annoy an industry he’s been fighting for years (remember when he used to appear on stage with the word “slave” written across his face to protest against his distribution contract)?

Best regards.

Manuel Angel Alonso Coto

This blog is about Spanair, a spanish airline, and a smart marketing policy they have in place.

You will always hear from me that successful marketing policies must have these elements:

1. Be consistent with your positioning and reinforce it
2. Be well perceived and valued by your target group
3. Have a good return on investment

In the case of Spanair, they differentiate themselves from their main competitor, Iberia, through service. Something they make tangible among other things with their Punctuality Commitment. This commitment consists on giving for free to the passengers the flight they are taking, if there is a delay over 15 minutes under their responsibility.

Amazing, right? The customer feels pretty sure that the company is up to its commitment. Moreover, in case they are not up to it, they will compensate you. So even in this case you will not be annoyed and keep loyal to the company.

Does it make sense from the point I have raised? Let me go through them:

1. It is indeed consistent with the positioning and reinforces it.
2. It is highly appreciated by their customers, that perceive the commitment of the company and get a flight for free in case there is a problem.
3. And last but not least, does it have a good return on investment? Yes it has! And here comes the smartest part of the policy.

Let me go back to their commitment. They will:

1. Compensate you if there is delay for which they are responsible. I do not know the statistics but I am pretty sure that most of the delays are not responsibility of the airline but of the airport, weather, etc. Thus if there is a delay that it is not their responsibility, they will inform you about it, you will not get angry with Spanair but with someone else, and will not cost anything for the company.
2. Compensate you with you a one way ticket…considering that:
a.You have two months for using it
b.You cannot transfer the ticket to anyone else
c.You must have the flight invoice for getting it

Therefore:

1 It is very unlikely that you get the compensation.
2. If you are compensated it is not that easy that you can benefit from it.
3. You will find that it is usually cheaper to get a two-way ticket than a one-way one (you usually go and return from one place).

Add to this that a high percentage of the passengers during the week are business ones, and you can guess that only a very small percentage of the passengers that get compensated, do use the compensation given.

I will share my personal experience. I have to say that the service given at Spanair is really good but I do suffer delays with them because I am a heavy traveller. I have got in the last year around ten compensations, and have not used yet any of them!

Who said that you need a lot of money to run successful marketing campaigns? Here you have an example that shows you that you don´t!

Best.

Ignacio Gafo