Billed as "AdSense High-End", Google is now letting advertisers create ads specifically for "high-end" phones like the iPhone and Android-capable devices. While that is a natural evolution of the AdSense platform, Google's explanation as to why is quite interesting:
With the growth in popularity of high-end mobile phones with full (HTML) Internet browsers, like the iPhone and phones running Android, advertisers are increasingly extending their campaigns to mobile devices. Because these devices offer a rich content experience similar to desktop, advertising on them is a natural extension for many advertisers.
... In other words, the mobile web is really the traditional web. Experiences and applications are becoming richer - and will continue to do so as devices and HTML / HTML5 allows for it. And therefore, the advertising experience will also become richer and more effective.
It's not so-much an advertisement inside of an advertisement - rather, the right way to think of it is like the new Facebook formats: an advertisement that allows viewers to engage directly within the unit.
While watching ESPN this morning, a commercial aired for a new show on the Golf Channel. The unique part was that the 'footer' of the screen had a large option for viewers to 'opt-in' to automatically record the show via the DVR.
This is the television equivalent to "becoming a fan" on Facebook: by opting in, I effectively begin a relationship with the Golf Channel, who is willing to pay a steep premium for that sort of engagement and data to Comcast. Rather than buying demographic based eyeballs, the Golf Channel will understand true conversions, viewership funnels and all within a data-driven / predictable model.
... And as a consumer, I loved it. Anytime the advertiser, consumer and middle layer all win, it's a success.
About a month ago, TechCrunch reported of local offers being issued through Foursquare specifically to mayors. It is a powerful example of in-application monetization that both enhances the experience (users are motivated to become mayors) and the advertiser experience (local businesses are able to connect directly with influential users).
Well, this week, I spotted my first local offers in the Foursquare mobile app. Because I am mayor of a nearby location, I was offered $2.00 off at The Marsh for a show that evening. And if I am mayor of The Marsh, drinks would also be free.
The offer is compelling for a couple reasons:
- it is contextual based on location and neighborhood
- there is an offer specifically for me... and users always love coupons / deals
- the UI is excellent. Within the normal application experience, I get a clever alert both in the header and the footer. Eye-catching and well-explained
Interesting to see if similar experiences and local offers make their way into other social & local applications like Yelp.
Penenberg: Marketing to one's social graph offers a number of huge advantages. Why is that?
Zuckerberg: I think the basic idea here is that there is a phenomenon in peoples' interaction. The message that you get, in a lot of ways, is actually less important than who you get it from. If you get it from someone that you trust a lot more then you'll really listen to it. Whereas if you get it from someone you don't trust you might actually believe the opposite of what they said because you don't trust them. I think that's the basis of the value that people get on the site. I go to someone's profile and see that they like this band. That means more to me than if I just saw a billboard for that band. We figured that in the really organic way to make money and sustain the company, that these interests would be aligned.
I write a lot about Facebook and the importance of fan pages and engaging with those fans. Just as the content on the Facebook Pages is critical to the interaction, so is the page itself. Facebook allows brands and page-owners to customize the pages with:
- custom layouts
- content modules (called 'boxes')
- applications
- and custom FBML
If you put all of those together, you are able to create highly engaging, rich experiences that maintain branding and messaging while on Facebook.
For Dogpatch Labs, we are using the Dogpatch Labs Facebook Page to manage content, events and (of course) fans. We used Sprout (a Polaris portfolio and San Francisco company) to build our custom Facebook page. Sprout has a tool to create and manage pages efficiently and within the FBML environment. The page pulls in dynamic content from Twitter, our blog, the event stream, etc.
Meet Woody: TGI Friday's clever / bizarre entrance into the world of social media... and in particular, Facebook. Woody has his own series of television advertisements and Facebook page (825,000 fans and growing). And Woody is a covert spokesman for TGI Friday's.
The entire campaign is aimed at getting Woody / TGI Friday's 1,000,000 Facebook fans; and if that happens, all fans who provided their email address, will get a coupon for a free burger.
It is a fascinating approach for a few reasons:
- first, it is the most obvious Facebook / television campaign - and it is geared specifically around becoming a fan
- second, there is a stated goal of the number of fans: 1,000,000.
- third, the marketing spend (specifically their television campaigns) is aimed at creating long term marketing relationships: email addresses, Facebook fans, etc. This is about engagement and sustained relationships.
- finally, it is a bold move towards free samples and yet another example of consumer goods giveaways on Facebook
Woody's TV commercials:
More about Woody from Facebook:
About Woody: Woody was born at the stroke of midnight one Thursday-to-Friday morning along the Arizona/California border. From that moment on, he has dedicated his life to spreading his love of T.G.I. Friday's and all things red-white-and-meaty. Through the years Woody has become one of the leading online flair collectors in the world, and made many friends along the way. His love of Friday's is second to none, only to his own. And Woody would do anything to prove his passion for his home away from home - T.G.I. Friday's Restaurants. As luck would have it, someone pretty high up on the totem pole at Friday's hears of Woody. Long story short, they decide to take Woody up on his claim with a little bet: If Woody can get 500,000 fans on here by September 30th, they can all get a free Jack Daniel's(R) Burger! In Woody's words, "It'll be friggin' Octo-Burgerfest!' So become a fan of his, and help make free burger history. It'll be a dream come true for him.
The ad is for a "Free Can of Rockstar" Energy Drink by becoming a Facebook Fan and inputting your address. A couple things are of note:
1. The free Rockstar drink is tied to becoming a fan on Facebook. The fan acceptance actually is done in the background (when you click 'Get Free Sample', you are automatically a fan)
2. Facebook knows enough about you that the registration process is super easy. My city, address, name, etc are all automatically input.
3. You can virally share the free Rockstar drink... and this is a natural act as people love to gloat about savings and goodies!
4. This is done in conjunction with 7-Eleven... so the relationship and promotion are still significant for 7-Eleven, but the Facebook relationship is entirely with Rockstar
Last week, Facebook unveiled their new Facebook Widgets suite with badges and boxes for profiles, fan pages, and photos. It is yet another indicator of Facebook focus on pages and off-Facebook.com activity. The widgets include light customizations (I assume more will come) and can be installed directly to Blogger and Typepad or via javascript. For brands and bloggers who are promoting their Facebook presence (and trying to grow a Facebook community) - these widgets are powerful additions to blog sidebars or footers.
You can tell that widgets are strategically important to Facebook because they are using their most valuable real estate to promote the new tools: the header of the logged-in user homepage:
Below are examples of a few of the new Facebook widget formats. You can also find a few in my blog's sidebar:
