One page sites have been around for awhile but it’s this year that I’ve really seen them take-off in numbers.

Here’s why I love them and recommend using them:

• Easy to navigate
  Everything is hosted on one page so there’s no need for breadcrumbs. This event site from the Bay Area Humane Society makes it simple to get the information you need quickly and easily.

• Great for mobile viewing
  The best sites are those that have a mobile version, but for those that don’t one page sites are really easy to navigate on your PDA.

• Ideal for big and small sites
  While initially one page sites were great for short content, recently I’ve seen some built to accommodate heavier messaging and image. Some great examples include this portfolio site from Phil Renaud and this business site for Tower Inspection. If you click through to the site, you can see some of the creative aspects of their navigation.

What do you think about one page websites? Have you used them? Seen any really good ones?

I hear it time and time again from clients, “Just take our magazine ad and re-size it for the banner ad.”  UGH!

If you are not going to speak to your consumer in the manner in which they are listening, why do it at all?  They probably won’t hear you. And if they don’t hear you, they aren’t going to do what you want them to do. And isn’t whether or not they do what you want them to do how you calculate, say it with me, ROI?

Yes, magazines are a great way to reach an audience with specific interests, incomes and tastes.  But because of that, the magazine reader is in a very receptive mode to the content and messages being shared within the publication.

It’s just not the same with an online consumer.  They’ve got lots of things going on not only in their mind, because they are looking for something specific, but also because there is a lot of noise.  Slapping up a static magazine-type of ad just isn’t going to work.

Here’s some things to think about when it comes to online marketing:

• Banner Ads:

Make your message dynamic & interesting by incorporating rich media, in-banner questionnaires, etc. Something, ANYTHING, to grab their attention. Check out this funny banner ad by Pringles.

Send your consumer directly to the place where they can find the information and create custom landing pages to test your messaging.

• Email:

Whether you use an interest list or a purchased list, these consumers have said, “Yes, please let me know about your offerings.”  Don’t send them junk that doesn’t apply.  You want them to click through, be engaged & even spread the word – not unsubscribe!

• Social Media:

This is not your personal Facebook page where you constantly talk about yourself.  You’ve got to have a strategy to get your fans engaged.  Creating a page and uploading an ad or two does you no good.  If you’re not going to do it right, don’t do it at all.

So what do you think?  Can an ad designed for print work in an online application? What other best practices can you recommend for online marketing?

Chances are you’ve seen Nabisco’s latest campaign for Wheat Thins, “The Crunch Is Calling,” as the spots are online, in movie theaters and on TV. So, what’s so special about Wheat Thins? The snack cracker may not be special but the brand’s use of consumer driven content is special.

Prior to social media, advertisers would offer a vague print ad or minimalist teaser TV spot, encouraging website visits for “interactivity.”   However, these campaigns lacked real consumer interaction within the content.  “The Crunch Is Calling” is different because the content is driven by the social media user, giving the user a role in the brand’s promotion. Why did Nabisco embrace social and consumer driven content? A Brand Manager within the company noted, “We set out to reinvent Wheat Thins.” Looks like the company wanted something new as the social media tactics scream, “We’re not your grandma’s snack cracker.”

The campaign concept is simple. Nabisco brand reps mine Twitter for positive Wheat Thins tweets and surprise the author with a product delivery and a good amount of hoopla (reaction is captured for TV spots).  Winners are featured in the tweet-based spot. As an extension of the campaign, a “Crunch Den” tab on Facebook streams Wheat Thins themed tweets and a branded YouTube channel hosts fan comments giving the campaign a 360-degree feel. The social media efforts keep the marketing alive as users discuss comments.

Social media usage also gives the brand access to real time info without the costs and effort normally associated with focus groups or similar market research. It’s too early to know ROI for the “Crunch” campaign as spots initially dropped in July, however the campaign’s creativity has resulted in buzz and additional campaign reach online.

A quick glance around the social media sphere reveals a list of corporate users not limited to food and beverage brands.  Video game development company, Eat, Sleep, Play’s founder releases concepts and art via his personal blog to gauge player reaction in lieu of focus group, as he too is eager for consumer comments.   Behind the scenes photos drive enthusiasm and help strengthen the fan base as gamers are allowed to interact with the product before it is in home.  Marketing messages may not be driven by the consumer as with Wheat Thins, but blog reviewers react and share content which then could effect the final package product (thus ultimately creating content which impacts the company).

I’ll stay tuned to find out the social media efforts effect Wheat Thins’ sales numbers and how other companies are embracing consumer driven content to further their brand.

There are many components that are associated with a start-up. Getting your name out there is one of the most challenging.

I think a great way start-ups can help market themselves and, in turn, help their business grow, is to add a charitable component to their marketing plan or their company’s mission. It’s something that is pretty easy to do and the return can be both financially rewarding and beneficial to the charity/charities they select (which I hope is the main reason why a company will do this).

Marketing your company as having a charitable component can open up so many doors. You tap into a market of consumers you might not have ever reached without the charitable piece. You are more likely to increase your chances of editorial coverage, because you have that different angle on your brand than your competitors. The media might give you a break on your cost or throw in a few free runs because they know you are doing something for a good cause. Most importantly, it will cause people talk, and even though people think it might not be as effective as it once was, word-of-mouth advertising is huge.

Recently, I came across a bunch of start-up companies on Trend Watching’s 2010 Innovation Insanity list of the most promising new brands. On this list, there are a lot of start-ups that involve a charitable component to help market themselves, which is great. Here are a few of my favorites.

1) How many people, like myself, hate those $2 service fees for using a non-bank ATM? Choose Change ATM in the USA has come up with a solution. Every time you use one of their ATM’s, they will donate $1 to the cause or charity you choose, which you select during your transaction. Love, love and love! Even though technically, they are making $1 off my transaction, I think it’s great that another $1 is going to a charity I believe in. Who can’t spare a dollar? My only complaint is they don’t say anywhere on their website where these ATMs are located. Hard for me to use it, if I don’t know where it is.

2) Stop buying plastic water bottles. Give Me Tap in the UK has come up with a program where people buy a reusable aluminum water bottle, and then they can go to restaurants and cafes and refill them for free with clean tap water. You can find locations via your phone. They also donate 70% of the profits to fund water aid in Africa. Cool concept. I wonder how many people have these water bottles with them at all times, how clean the tap water really is (does Give Me Tap test their water prior to allowing them to be a certified partner?) and do the restaurants and cafes allow you to clean your water bottle prior to refilling?

3) Purchase wine, donate water. So many people are involved with wine clubs or purchase wine online. Well, Cellar Thief has created an idea that when someone buys a select wine off their site, they will donate 100 days of clean water to Charity Water, a company they have partnered with. This is so easy. You buy the wine, they donate the water. I do applaud them for being involved in the social space. As they have a good amount of Twitter followers, they should be more active, as their last tweet was in the middle of July.

4) School uniforms can be expensive, especially in underprivileged  countries. FIGS in California will donate a school uniform to an African child in need for each tie that is purchased on its website. The ties though, run around $100 and I have to purchase via PayPal. It makes me a little uneasy about buying a tie via PayPal and makes me question how I know if a uniform was actually sent to a child. They really need to allow people to purchase on the actual website.

All and all, great job you four! I am glad to see that you have used a charitable component to help market yourself.

What other start-ups do you think should add a charitable component to their strategy to help their business grow?

There’s a common misconception that you can make an e-blast, video or other social media piece viral.

Not true.

You can only create a great piece of creative and promote the heck out of it in the HOPES that it goes viral. Your target audience is the only one who can take action by forwarding it to friends, talking about it with co-workers, etc.

That said, I wanted to share an e-blast that was sent to me recently from juice giant, Jamba Juice. In my opinion, this is an example of viral marketing that works. Take a look and see if you agree.

First off, the title intrigued me “New Cheeseburger Chili Smoothie.” I receive emails from Jamba all the time, but this was so weird, I HAD to open it to see if it was for real.

The format of the email was the same as the other ones I receive so that looked legit. And even after I watched the video I still didn’t know for sure if it was real. They peaked my curiosity so much that I had to visit cheeseburgerchill.com to find out if it was for real (which, of course, was their intention).

Turns out, the burger shake was a hoax (thank goodness). The whole ploy was a reaction against McDonald’s recent venture into the smoothie business. If you’ve seen the burger chain’s recent TV spots (see above), you know what I’m talking about. A great stunt that had a really good strategy behind it. Genius.

Even better? After you read the message on the landing page there is an option to forward it to a friend, post it on multiple social media sites AND (here’s the best part) get $1 off your next smoothie. A pretty nice little reward for reading all the way through to the web page, huh?

As an advertiser, I consider myself keen to most marketing ploys—much like a white v-neck at a wet t-shirt contest, I feel I can see through most of them. But I fell for this one, even sending it out to multiple friends and doing a blog post about it.

So did it go viral?

Did I like it enough to send it to my friends? Check.
Did I talk about it with co-workers? Check.
Did it make it make me interact with their brand for a considerable length of time? Check.

The “Cheeseburger Chill” YouTube video has been viewed 203,336 at the time of this blog post. Not many if you compare it the over 16 million views of the kid on laughing gas, but a pretty good start considering it only debuted two weeks ago.

What do you think makes a piece of media go viral?

If you happened to be on Twitter this weekend and follow the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (@LACMA) you may have thought their account was compromised – and you’d be correct. With tweets stating such things as, “My new sculpture is displayed in the 2nd floor men’s room. It’s made of feces & shaped like a big poo. #Rainn,” it’s hard to imagine that the institution’s director gave the thumbs up on a free-for-all of tweets. However, there was a method to the (sometimes disgusting) madness. It was actor, Rainn Wilson’s turn to take over the Museum’s Twitter account for the weekend as part of “Cell Phone Stories,” a summer-long “series of narratives and essays circulated exclusively via mobile phone technology.”

As a new initiative for LACMA, the series is overseen by artist, Steve Fagin.  Wilson is among the list of writers, fashion designers, artists and critics all scheduled through September 6 to mix things up on Twitter.  Though Wilson’s specific series was titled “I Hate LACMA” and his tweets offered a list of reasons to never go to LACMA, he happens to be a member of the Museum and has spoken highly of the institution.  He also happens to be a major player in the Twittersphere, with almost 2 million followers on his own account.  While I can respect an institution that doesn’t take itself too seriously, I’m still a bit baffled at how his tweets would lead to foot traffic. I suppose if anything, Fagin must have been optimistic about a new set of eyes and followers carrying over from Wilson’s to LACMA’s account.

If I were to plan a Twitter hijacking for one of my clients, here are the items I’d check before approving:

1)  Audience: who are my donors, supporters and greatest demographic? Will an initiative such as this lead to quality content my current followers will appreciate?

2)  Sample tweets from appointed “guest” tweeters: There needs to be some control over the content and the director should probably be aware of what to expect, both from the guest tweeting and the reaction of the brand’s current followers. Art writer for the popular blog Modern Art Notes, Tyler Green, put this stunt on the worst idea of the weekend, saying LACMA should have pulled the plug early on.

3)  Goals for an initiative such as a Twitter Hijacking: Is LACMA looking to stir things up and create controversy to gain publicity? Are they trying to drive foot traffic and sales? As noted in any other social media guides we’ve provided, always have a clear idea of your goals and objectives.

Do you think LACMA’s onto something allowing guest tweeters to take over their account? Or do you think, even with an increase in followers and interactions, that this may hurt the institution’s reputation over time?

In the past, we’ve given quite a few tutorials on how to best utilize Facebook or what to measure when reporting on Twitter, but we haven’t really broke down our recommendation for how to go about creating a fully-integrated, well-researched social media campaign.

While it may seem we’re going to back to basics, this list of to-dos can also be applied when you feel that your current social media strategy is getting stale.  I also believe that it should be integrated into your social media plan to reevaluate every six months to ensure that you’re best utilizing your social media budget.

1)  Right off the bat, when beginning a new campaign or revamping, you’re going to want to spend some time listening – where are people talking about your brand?  What platforms are they using?  What types of feedback are you getting – good or bad?  What confuses people and where can you implement customer service to streamline the process?

There are numerous tools to use to measure and evaluate your brand mentions.  Social Mention, Google Buzz and Vocus have all incorporated a tool where you can either log in or have an email sent listing all the platforms that are mentioning your brand (by keyword).  You may find right off the bat that the all-encompassing Facebook strategy you’ve been working on isn’t actually where all the chatter is about your brand.  Perhaps your customers are still using forums to talk about you.

2)  Now that you know where people are discussing your brand, what’s the chatter surrounding your competitors.  What’s interesting is organizations that you may consider your greatest competitors may have no social presence whatsoever – this makes for an even greater opportunity for your brand to capitalize on.    You also may find there are organizations that you had no idea were competitors.  If their campaign is successful, there’s no harm in incorporating some of their successes into your own campaign – just make sure to make it your own.

3)  Once you’ve done your research, it should be clear what platforms you should be using to speak to your current customer base and if it makes sense to join additional networks.  While numerous companies will only focus on Twitter and Facebook, think of what your brand offers.  If it’s a consumer product or service that you find customers don’t know how to use, perhaps YouTube is a platform you use for tutorials.  Are most of your mentions coming from FriendFeed or a particular blog or forum?  Perhaps start there and once you’ve established a presence there, let your customers know that you’re also on Facebook and Twitter and have your own blog.  If you’re looking for foot traffic, create a social loyalty program with FourSquare.

4)  While you may want to dive right in and begin making updates and tweeting to your loyal customers, you should first create a six-month plan and outline goals you have for social media: Do you wish to increase sales on-site?  Do you wish to increase website traffic?  Or are you hoping that you can give your customer service phone line a break?

Once these goals are outlined, the rest of your plan should be fairly simple to fill in.  I can’t stress enough how important it is to have quality content on your pages.  If you insist on having a presence, make it a strong one.  Before you begin interacting or creating your own Facebook tab with FBML, bullet out what initiatives you have monthly, and always check back to remind yourself of your overall goals.

5)  Measure, analyze and report your findings, both successes and failures, to learn what works and what doesn’t within the realm of your brand’s offerings.  Gather screen grabs from fans and followers raving about your social media campaign, or a conversation you had online convincing an individual to visit your venue.  When your client asks for the value of social media (which they will), these will be key in demonstrating the power and value in a successful social media campaign.

Do you think there are any other basics companies should remember when creating or revamping their social media plans?

“Advertising is about making an arresting image and getting people to stop when they’re flicking through a magazine, so they look at what you’re telling them about, whether they’re attracted or repelled by what they see.”  – Tom Ford

Good advertising makes you stop. It makes you look. It makes you remember. The extraordinary that captivates us. Inspires us. As I contemplated what to write about for this post, it suddenly dawned on me that sometimes just sharing really cool stuff is important. So today, I’m doing just that. Enjoy!

New York: The KNARF advertising agency created the “Push The Envelope” campaign for the School of Visual Arts in which images of envelopes with custom-engraved push-plates were installed on the doors so students literally “Pushed The Envelope” while entering and exiting. What I love about this concept is how engaging it is.

The Netherlands: Y&R Not Just Film created an advertising campaign for Interbest Outdoor to help promote ad space. Instead of simply throwing up a phone number and saying ‘Space Available’ or ‘Advertise Here’, Interbest took it 10 steps further by using their available ad space to do intriguing and somewhat disturbing self-promotion. Brilliant.

Tokyo, Japan: A giant mirror with Indivi clothes printed on it was built to allow shoppers to stop and see what they would look like in the brand’s clothes. This is yet another example of an advertising campaign that interacts with the consumers. Here, one can really see what the products look like on them without stepping foot in the door. Love it.

Hong Kong: A cost-effective advertisement for a yoga school showcasing the prowess of a yoga practitioner on the flexible stems of a soft drink straw. This campaign represents limitless boundaries in my opinion. We can advertise on anything, really. So creative.

These are just a few examples of how inspirational advertising can really be. Everyday, Ad agencies around the world are developing new and different ways to reach their client’s consumers. Just when you thought a campaign couldn’t get any more creative.

We have many opinions and blog posts at Bailey Gardiner about Foursquare. Most people get the basics of how to use the tool to check-in and how companies are getting creative with Foursquare offers. I’d like to continue the conversation on this tool, by sharing some of the new functionality that Foursquare has unveiled since its launch, as well as, a few of my Foursquare don’ts.

New functionality for users:

1. Find out what is “Trending Now.” By simply looking at the “Places” around you, you can see where the people are. These don’t have to be your linked “friends.” For example, I just saw that Hash House is trending. There must be something great going on there today, maybe I should check it out…
2. You can now see who is “Staff” at any given venue. If you are a marketer, and you manage a venue, you can mark yourself as staff and therefore users know the venue is being managed by someone and that the company is engaged in social media strategy.
3. The “History” section got an update. You can now easily add a category to a venue and see which of your friends checked in at the same venue.
4. The sign-up page was re-designed, making it even easier to sign-up and to see who of your Twitter followers and Facebook friends are using the platform. The ease of this new sign-up form is likely part of the reason Foursquare has seen such a huge growth in users, recently hitting the 2 million user mark.
5. Users now have the ability to opt-out of being a part of the business dashboard. For those who want to keep their check-ins private to business owners, they have that option. However selecting this would be a detriment to many users as they  may be unable to capitalize on special offers/promotions.
6. When you check a venue on the site, you can no longer see the profiles of those who have recently checked in. Now Foursqaure only reports a number, a move that is in no doubt meant to have users feel like their privacy is being protected.

So what do all these changes mean for marketers?

Trending now, accessibly to staff members, improved history, easy signups and upgraded privacy, all make for a better user experience, and are all part of the reason the platform ms growing so exponentially. It’s important for us as marketers to be aware of these changes and adjust our strategy. (Hint, you can no longer tweet at just anyone who checks into your location.)

Foursquare Check-In Here Window Cling, courtesy Foursquare

It is also more important than ever to claim your location with the Foursquare team, so that you’ll have access to the additional analytics provided by the business dashboard.

Finally, from a fulfillment stand-point, it is good for marketers using Foursquare specials to keep an eye on the growth of the platform to ensure they are still able to fulfill their offer. As Foursquare becomes more and more popular, special promos may have to be adjusted or simplified.

And last but not least, some Foursquare don’ts:

As the platform continues to grow and evolve, we’ll see more and more newbies jumping on board. If you are just getting started, here are a few of my Foursquare Don’ts.

• Don’t use your home address to check in. Let’s avoid crazies and stalkers.
• Don’t cheat. Only check-in somewhere if you are really there.
• Don’t auto-sync with Twitter. Don’t clog your Twitter stream with where  you checked-in. Leave this feature as a manual selection so that you can Tweet something about your check-in when it is appropriate.
• Don’t auto-sync with Facebook for the same reasons as above.

The 2010 Census and American Community Surveys are well underway. The first Census was conducted in 1790 when the US population was just under 4 million and in this Census, the 23rd Census of the United States, it is estimated that the population will be just under 310 million. Given that the last Census was in 2000, there will be a lot of change and new information that marketers will use to better communicate their products, speak to their audiences and concentrate their efforts.

2010 US Census, Image Courtesy US Census.

Outside of marketing, the overall effects of the Census include how federal funding will be used, which includes budgets for (per the US Census Website):

• Hospitals
• Job Training Centers
• Schools
• Senior Centers
• Bridges, Tunnels and other Public Work Projects
• Emergency Services

In addition to community support, many organizations use this data to advocate for causes, rescue disaster victims, prevent diseases, research markets, and locate pools of skilled workers. The Census will also determine the number of seats each state receives in the House of Representatives in 2012.

Directions Magazine recently published some initial projections of the 2010 Census based on the American Community Survey. Some of the biggest insights and changes include:

• 309 million people (up 10% from last census in 2000)
• 1/3 of the population is from immigration
• The population is aging (median age is up)
• Hispanic population is up about 40% (especially among younger Hispanics)
• Asian/Hawaiian/Pacific Islander population is up 33%
• African American population is up 10%
• Household composition changing from the traditional living arrangement of married couples with children under 18
• Household incomes roughly the same as 2000
• Women made the biggest gains in education and contribution to household income

These are some pretty big changes and will affect the way that we market our products and the makeup of our audience.

According to the US Census, details will be published:

• December 2010: Population counts by city
• February/March 2011: Population by race and Hispanic ethnicity for Persons 0+ and for Persons 18+, without any age or sex detail
• Summer 2011: Complete age/sex counts on a state-by-state basis and the data on marital status and household relationships.

Click through to this map to get up-to-the minute completion rates for the 2010 Census:

Real Time Completion Rates for the 2010 US Census, Image Courtesy the US Census.