Online advertising typically brings in less than 20% of a newspaper’s advertising revenue reports the economist. On the morning of September 3rd 1833 a new kind of newspaper went on sale on the streets of New York. With its mix of crime reports and human-interest stories, the Sunwas intended to appeal to a mass audience, and its publisher, Benjamin Day, made it cheap: at one penny, it was one-sixth of the price of most other papers.

The most popular newspaper in America at the time, according to Mitchell Stephens, author of “A History of News”, was New York’s Courier and Enquirer, which sold 4,500 copies a day. Day’s new “penny paper” appealed to people who had not bought newspapers before. Within two years the Sun was selling 15,000 copies a day.

In hindsight this was a turning point because it introduced a new business model to the industry. The Sun’s large circulation attracted advertisers, and the resulting revenue enabled Day to keep the price of the newspaper down and its circulation up. Instead of relying mostly on selling copies, newspapers came to depend mostly on advertising. It was a great deal for all concerned: readers got their news cheap, advertisers could reach a large audience easily and newspapers could afford to employ professional reporters instead of relying on amateurs.  See the full article here. Image from the economist.

Levi’s is postponing the UK premiere of its global ‘Go Forth’ ad due to a sequence in the film that features a young man confronting a line of riot police, which based on the recent #londonriots would be deemed to be inappropriate.

The scene from the brand’s first global campaign appears 47-seconds into the ad. It launched on Facebook on Monday and was due to run on UK television and in cinemas later this month. See the video here. [There are various language options] 

How do you startup a successful dating site, consultancy, blog and create a series of children’s books? Impossible right?  I had the pleasure of being interviewed by Howard Kington from startupremarkable.com

In this interview I discuss what it takes to have a portfolio career and how to act on your entrepreneurial impulses as well as sharing the methodologies I uses to get so much done. The video is a very grainy in parts. You can check the video out below.

New research from Google addresses the much debated issue about advertiser relevance. The results from the study which examined more than four hundred advertisers, show that on average, when search ads are paused, 89% of paid clicks are lost and not recovered by organic clicks.Watch our short video for a brief overview of the study and its highlights.

If you would like to read the full study, please download it here.

A new Facebook page offers businesses a how-to guide to marketing and advertising on the social network.

Facebook for Business is a basic subsite that outlines a step-by-step process for launching a marketing plan, and includes both paid and earned media opportunities that businesses can leverage.  Facebook breaks down the process along these lines:

1. Build a presence
2. Engage your community
3. Get the word out

Familiar tools such as pages, ads, sponsored stories, deals, places and social plug-ins are all mentioned as resources businesses can incorporate into their Facebook presence to boost their image and drive traffic.

The Facebook page further breaks down each of these tools into easily digestible steps, making it easier for a reader to understand how to get each tool up and running.

The Facebook for Business site follows another initiative launched in the spring, Facebook Studio, that also helped explain advertising on Facebook.

The reason for this is unclear, then again with all the hype about Google Plus it is not surprising

There is a lot of talk about the mobile apps and the mobile web. What people forget to realise or rather ask is whether their business’s actually needs such a technology.

Below is an interesting presentation from from google that talks about the 4 main ways of making money from your mobile app. It’s a bit long [37:04 minutes] and the presenter is not exactly Steve Jobs, however it’s well worth a watch.

Interesting presentation from Ian Carrington Googles UK sales director who spoke at the Google THINK Mobile event in early July. The presentation is quite long [Nearly 30 mins] however there are some interesting insights and findings.  What the presentation again. See below.

1. Seo Providers
2. Games
3. Internet Marketers
4. Food Providers / Retailers
5. Creative companies like 99 Designs etc..

Internet advertising revenues hit $7.3 billion in the first quarter, setting a new record, the Interactive Advertising Bureau reports.The figure is a 23% jump over Q1 2010, which had been a first-quarter record as well.

In April, the IAB reported that online revenues for 2010 were $26 billion, a 15% jump over 2009, which had seen a 3.4% drop during the recession. The big category movers for the year included sponsorships, which grew 88%. Classified advertising also rose 15% over 2009. The lion’s share of digital advertising revenues continue to come from search, which accounted for 46% of such revenues last year. first published via Mashable.com

Hot on the heels of Lynx who’s main target audience is young men.  The deodorant brand Axe has launched the Multiple Girlfriend Facebook app. I’m not too sure if the women of the world are going to be enthusiastic about it, however one thing is for certain sex and perhaps even in this day and age, sexism sells.

Interesting work by Young & Rubicam New York for Bacardi. I like the idea of a brand that tries to evolve (or maybe sometime simply change) the way it communicates exploring a new tone of voice an an unusual treatment. Overall this Tv commercial is rather unexpected.

It reminds me a bit of Diesel meeting Old Spice. Maybe it’s a bit too slow in the execution and rather cryptic in the message (the idea behind it to encourage humans to ditch technology and get together over a rum or two) but definitely very nice to watch. via adverblog.com

Around the world, smartphone adoption is the trend, and with it, greater mobile internet usage. The EU-5 is no exception, and eMarketer expects the number of mobile web users in the UK, France, Germany, Italy and Spain to double between 2010 and 2015.

This year, more than 58 million residents of the EU-5 will use the mobile internet at least monthly, according to eMarketer estimates. That will represent less than a quarter of the population.

“Greater use of browsers and apps, in addition to the already widespread use of text messaging, mean enhanced opportunities for marketers to engage customers at every stage of the purchase process, from building awareness all the way through to after-sales service and customer relationship management,” said eMarketer principal analyst Noah Elkin, author of the new report. the full report, “Western Europe Mobile: Trends, Case Studies and Best Practices.”

also answers these key questions:

• What are the most significant characteristics of the European mobile market?
• How are the attitudes of European mobile consumers evolving?
• To what extent is mobile marketing changing as the endgame shifts from promotion to transaction?
• What will the impact be as more industries leverage mobile to engage with consumers?
• How will debates about consumer privacy and the rise of permission-based marketing affect mobile advertising strategies?

To purchase the report, click here. Total Access clients, log in and view the report now.  First published via emarketer.com

A few days ago I decided that I was going to watch Television. I know how novel I hear you say. Well to me it was, as I am a child of the internet. Well more a large child/man who consumes most of his content via the internet. So on this night of nostalgia I found myself watching a documentary about elephants. However, for me it wasn’t the decomposing two tonne carcass that got me thinking it was the adverts in between the programme that I was fascinated by. One in particular was the new The Lynx effect Lynx Exite TV Advert. See below.

As I watched the falling angels from the sky I wry smile crept across my face at the genius that was the brand that had come up with this idea.  Like the Tango ad of the 90′s [With a very young looking James Corden] three things became clear and could be learnt and used in a business capacity.

Men love beautiful women. By targeting Maslow style base needs it is clear that you can exploit and get money from this target demographic by positioning your brand in a way that allows the “Everyman” the feeling that he is a god like being.
Creativity is key. [Watch the Sony Bravia Bouncy Balls Ad ] In order to succeed in an ever competitive business environment, one has to think outside of the proverbial box and offer your customers something that they have not had before.
Think viral. In a post from back in 2009 we showed you how to become viral in 6 simply steps
The summary below.

Give away products and services
Provide effortless transfer to others
Your message scales easily from small to very large
Your message exploits common motivations and behaviours
Utilizes existing communication networks
Takes advantage of others resources
This I believe is the key to any business’s success. Don’t get me wrong, there are many additional factors that make a brand successful, however on a quiet Tuesday night whilst watching a decomposing elephant that’s all that was going through my mind and that of the Hyaena as it stuck it’s head up the elephants you know what!

So do you agree? Let us know your thoughts and don’t forget to.  For more great Lynx effect adverts you can visit their youtube channel

Interesting infographic that shows that suggests that online video viewers’ attitudes of TV are changing. Today, 66% of online video viewers watch more online video now than they did a year ago. Among online video viewers 35% claim that online video has cut into their TV viewing. Perhaps most importantly to marketers, consumers skip more ads when watching TV than when watching online video. So, why aren’t brands accessing online video ads more?

See full infographic below.

Renault has brought back the “Va Va Voom” for its Clio ads with a racy spot featuring Thierry Henry, Rihanna and Dita Von Teese.  The clip begins with the words “What is Va Va Voom?” appearing on the screen, followed by a montage featuring Hollywood film stars Marlon Brando and Audrey Hepburn.

Von Teese is shot stripping her underwear off while being watched by a number of onlookers, including Henry, who has appeared in several Clio ‘va va voom’ ads from 2002 onwards.  Music extracts in the ad include David Bowie’s ‘Space Oddity’ and Rihanna’s ‘S&M’ single.  Phil York, marketing director at Renault UK, said: “We’ve filmed a brand new Renault Clio ‘Va Va Voom’ ad because the campaign is still so popular after five years off the air.”

Is this a clever marketing strategy, or just a cheap way of reviving a brands former glory? less us know. Leave a comment below.

This article was first published on campaignlive.co.uk

Women may not be able to control the larger economic scenario, but they can improve how they feel about themselves and their lives. That’s the basic thinking behind a pronounced personal renewal or “me-covery” post-recessionary trend among American women, according to a new national survey conducted by specialist marketing firm Saatchi & Saatchi Wellness and Time Inc.’sHealth brand.

The new emphasis on taking control and responsibility for personal well-being and happiness and reevaluating old choices represents a major shift in women’s attitudinal and behavioral patterns within a markedly short time frame.

In 2009, a similar national survey of adult (18+) American women by Saatchi & Saatchi Wellness focusing on the economy’s influence on wellness issues found that their primary wellness goals were “holding it together” and “surviving the day.”

The attitude/behavior shifts have important implications for numerous product/service categories and brands, including food and beverages, restaurants and personal care and beauty, according to the research sponsors.

For one: Women are “re-investing in their health and wellness,” points out Health publisher Dave Watt.

While 92% of the 800 women surveyed (representative of U.S. adult females as a whole) still feel negatively affected by the economy and 10% feel more affected than in 2009, 64% say that they are committed to making a positive change and taking better care of themselves by eating right, staying physically fit, “looking good to feel good” and having fun.

Given female consumers’ more positive overall attitude and focus on self-empowerment, physical and emotional health and making “real changes” in their lives, “marketers should reexamine the ways that they are talking to and engaging with women,” stresses Saatchi & Saatchi Wellness chief strategy officer Johanna Skilling.

The indicators point to longevity for this lifestyle shift among American women, adds Ned Russell, managing director for the marketing firm.

The major take-aways for marketers:

• “Taking responsibility” has made health and wellness women’s #1 priority. This includes taking steps to prevent health problems and making a commitment to manageable health/fitness goals.

• “Reevaluating choices” reflects renewed confidence and includes increased emphasis on value-driven purchases. Value is defined as offering benefits worth the money, meaning that price alone is not the dominant purchasing factor.

• “Welcoming the right kind of support” means that women are seeking sources of inspiration and motivation, as well as meaningful rewards that mesh with their new lifestyle priorities.

Specific survey findings confirm upswings in purchases of health-related and beauty products, as well as shifts in the retail formats in which women are purchasing these products:

• 54% of adult female respondents report buying more healthy food overall, and 47% say that they’re buying organic foods more often, despite these foods’ higher prices.

• 74% of those most affected by the economy report that they are buying less fast food than in 2009 (up from 41% indicating fast-food cutbacks in the 2009 survey).

• 48% report being committed to working out more on their own and gaining inspiration and motivation through online music downloads, workout videos and interactive gaming systems. More than one-third (37%) report working out at the gym more often.

• 86% report engaging in more online health research (up 47 points from 2009) and 79% say that they’re now seeing their doctors regularly (up 21 points).

• 64% are buying prescription medication (up 16 points from 2009) and 48% are buying more vitamins (up 27 points). Also, 16% are buying more over-the-counter remedies and 14% are using alternative/homeopathic remedies.

• About half are buying more hair care (47%), skin care (45%) and oral care products (51%), and nearly half say that “value for money” and “product quality” are the key brand characteristics influencing their purchases in these categories.

• 52% say they are “committed to having more fun,” 35% report that they are currently considering a vacation, and 24% report using products to enhance their sex lives (up 17 points since 2009).

• 70% now say that they buy skin care/beauty products primarily in drug stores, grocery stores and mass retailers — up 25 points from 2009. Just 6% report they are buying more luxury/high-end cosmetics than in past year

via mediapost.com

Generational changes and economic turmoil are helping to upend traditional gender roles. Male-dominated industries such as manufacturing and construction were hit particularly hard during the recession, challenging the notion that men are the family breadwinners. Meanwhile, research suggests dads are spending more time at home and playing an increased role in family life.

Half or more of dads polled by Yahoo! in October said they had taken an increased role in decision-making over the past year with regard to a number of categories such as baby products, toys, household products, apparel and CPG. Notably, fathers indexed higher in these categories than men in general; the research suggests that having kids affects the purchases of both moms and dads in similar ways.

via emarketer.com