You may have heard a thing or two about Pinterest in the last few months. The social bookmarking site that allows brides, party planners, hoarders and marketers alike to collect and share things online is now making its way into the mainstream and causing businesses to pay attention to this oh-so-addicting thing we call pinning.

I’ve read a number of blog posts within the past week contributing to my thoughts on why consumer marketers should quickly pay attention to Pinterest. Here are a few of the best reads:

Pinterest Drives More Traffic Than Google+, YouTube and LinkedIn Combined

Zoe Fox published a post on Mashable this week calling out just how quickly Pinterest has grown, beating Google+, LinkedIn and YouTube in percentage of referral traffic in the month of January according to a Shareaholic study. Fox goes on to list a number of other revealing stats about referral traffic trends.

Pinterest Becomes Top Traffic Driver for Retailers

Mashable also reveals the power of Pinterest for retailers in the form of an infographic this week.  The post goes on to describe the massive growth in unique visitors Pinterest saw from September to December 2011 - the social site saw a 429 percent increase within the four month period, and also jumped 389 percent as a top traffic referral for several apparel retailers from July to December 2011. Not too shabby.

4 types of businesses that should be on Pinterest

PR Daily goes on to list other industries that can and should take advantage of Pinterest. Implementing a solid pinning strategy can be useful for not only retail, but also cause marketing, small businesses, media and even corporate brands – so long as there is a strategy and regular content in place. Let’s use TIME Magazine as an example, the media outlet showcases not only its past covers but also staff members, gift guides, style, fashion and TIME recommendations (PR people, are you thinking what I’m thinking?).

My prediction is that we will notice an influx in “strategic pinning” in 2012. Smart marketers will utilize the platform when the time and brand is right. How are you pinning?

I recently went to the San Diego Auto Show and it was awesome!  I remember my dad dragging me along to the Los Angeles Auto Shows as a kid.  Aside from the time I got to spend with him, I never had an interest in any of the cars or what was going on. 

The San Diego Auto Show changed my mind.

My car is 9 years old now and I’m starting to think – maybe I should get a new car?  I definitely have a couple of years left on my 2003 eclipse, if I want them.  But seeing all the new cars made me seriously think about making a purchase.

As a person who has worked in media my entire life, and has worked on many car lines, I am now seeing the ads on TV as a consumer rather than a media specialist and it’s a completely different experience.  I used to look at the pods the ads were running in and what stations and programming the spots were running in.  I analyzed the categories auto ads were placed next to, and what kind of separation auto ads had from each other.  I looked to see which ads were local and which ones were national.

Since the Auto Show, I  see these ads with a different eye.  Of course, I still look at the creative and where the ads are running.  But now I’m looking for the offer. I’ll watch to see which company has zero down and zero interest for 60 months.  I’ll look at what the payments are on different car lines.  I’ll look at the luxury brands and think “perhaps some day I will buy one of those.”  I’ve even gotten out the calculator on my phone to try to figure out what I can and can not afford.  And now as a consumer, I watch the whole ad and I’ll look for every piece of information I can find.  I try to find out what the features of each car are such as the gas mileage and monthly cost.

And now, with some of the new media technologies, I don’t just have to watch an ad on TV to get the information I want on a car.  I can click my cable On Demand and search the auto section to see what cars they have featured.  Online I can visit the Hyundai (or any other car line) website, then leave their site and be served a Hyundai ad as I click around on other sites (this is retargeting).

We all know that cars, especially new ones, are big ticket items.  Now I see why Auto is usually the largest spending category.  I understand the importance of good creative in advertising and I also understand why putting in an offer is also important. As a marketer I’ve learned that when you are a consumer you want to see an offer, you want as much information as possible – I will definitely keep this in mind when I am putting together media plans moving forward.

I watch every auto ad and I don’t care if they are placed right next to each other.  I watch them differently than I did before I was considering buying a car.

I’ve heard many people say that people who go to auto shows are likely to buy a car within 6 months of their experience there.  That may be true, we’ll see what happens.  Until then, I’ll not only be watching auto ads as a media buyer/planner/supervisor,  I’ll also be watching as a consumer.

The group buy phenomenon is hard to miss. As the economy continues to challenge consumers, shoppers are feeling recession fatigue. Consumers still want to spend and still want quality, just not at a high cost. Value – not to be confused with cheap product or low prices – has become exceedingly important.  Value-driven group buys have changed the way we purchase. There’s no going back, so embrace or surrender. While a group deal may not be fit for every business, the value-driven economy is unavoidable. Here is a quick list of things to consider before jumping on board the group buy bandwagon:

• Does your brand fall under any of the categories below that dominate groupon-type deals?
• Do you have the manpower to fufill an increase in demand for your product and/or service?
• Are you willing to educate your employees on how to properly execute the deal all the way through for an exceptional in-store or online experience?

In the end, a successful group buying experience does not end once it’s published online. Smart marketers who leverage the power of group deals, use the promotion as an opportunity to create new customers, gain loyal fans and ultimately bring people back to the store or online in the future to hopefully, spend more money – maybe even at full price.

To further articulate this idea, we give you a pretty rad infographic brought to you by our very own Sus Bandish. Enjoy…

I haven’t blogged for a while.  Been busy busting out strategy to integrate a campaign properly in the digital space.  Clients are always looking at agencies to provide ROI.  Traditionally we as an industry have used campaign microsites as a landing portal to showcase results, create brand interaction and online engagement.  And yes, we will continue to do so, but as many of you know this has evolved to a much more interactive space.  Especially with the advent of Facebook and its capabilities to act as a microsite and database builder.

I love when you see a beautiful marriage of social networks, video, user-generated content and a well branded landing portal.  This drives brand interaction and fosters a relationship with consumers.  I was listening to Pandora the other day and was served an ad for Budweiser’s Band of Buds.  A very nice ad execution with a good promotional sweepstakes call to action incentivizing me to click on their banner to find out more.

Where did it lead me?  Right here.  This bad ass microsite uses video to explain Budweiser’s promo and drive users to get involved.  The entire site is driven around a competition showcasing your “crew” and submitting your profile online.  Check out how much user generated content they have driven as a result of effective content.  Now take a look at their Facebook page, they have developed many custom tabs around their various marketing strategies and promotions.  Lots of user interaction and commenting from their fans helping to promote the brand, their product and promotions.  You can login to the microsite through Facebook, start your own crew page on Facebook and then have it displayed on the microsite for users to vote your crew up the ladder.  Oh, and guess who markets this promotion?  The people who sign up, duh. Got to ask your FB friends to vote for you to win.  Why not use your brand advocates to market your promotions and products, right?  Got to love that social database.

Example number two was sent to me by our very own Sayamon Riddang. This microsite also uses video to communicate their PSA.  The development of their character “Rip” in the social space and through the brand site has driven interaction with all of their social channels, messaging and brand.

Weird right?  The videos and microsite act as an entry point for you to engage further with Rip the Drip on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.  This allows for messaging to continue on beyond the microsite and develop a further relationship with the user.  Now I can get all my water saving tips from Rip on whatever medium I prefer, giving me a better user experience for interaction with the campaign.

As digital communities continue to evolve and grow, brands have a unique opportunity to talk to their audience through multiple touch points in the online space.  The big goal is to garner online interaction and convert that engagement into real world results.  Will you help save water after interacting with Rip and the Shelton Group campaign microsite?  Will you buy more Budweiser after you and your buddies enter the Band of Buds competition?  These are the true ROI indicators for measuring any successful campaign.

We know if you can drive affinity for a product, brand or message, you are more likely to influence behaviors and consideration sets of consumers.  Marketers have been doing this for years in other channels, and it’s fun to see how the use of digital technology and community building can effectively move the needle for campaign effectiveness.  A microsite has more power now than ever to extend its reach into communities and build brand advocates.  Remember to always execute a seamless branding and campaign experience across all platforms.

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been watching patiently as press releases and articles accumulate in my mailbox regarding the recent trial launch of Google’s new social network, Google+. There’s been speculation upon speculation about whether the site will trump Facebook’s monopoly within the online world – or simply make a splash for a brief moment in time. My observation in getting to know the new online space, is that Google+ is ultimately a positive adjustment for Facebook and social media all in all. The new platform will challenge Facebook and other networks to continue to grow and evolve.

Among the many similarities that both Facebook and Google+ share, there are a number of improvements I like about the new platform – things that ultimately make online social interaction easier for the consumer and let’s not forget, marketers as well.

1. Choose your content

One of the most notable functions about Google+ I enjoy from a personal and business perspective is the ability to choose which content I want to share with certain people. Google+ “Circles” allows the user to categorize their connections into groups such as family, friends and even create your own circles such as industry people, clients, etc. On the marketing front, I find this element very intriguing because companies can filter which information to share with various target demographics.

2. +1 Tips from people you trust

It’s a well known fact, people make purchasing decisions with information from those they trust. Google accomplishes many things with the +1 recommendation function. Not only is this an excellent option for the consumer, but as a marketer +1s provide an opportunity for brand loyalists to promote a product, service and/or event organically, building credibility for the brand on a more personal note. In turn, marketers can implement strategy to build brand awareness to spark conversation and ultimately drive sales by targeting specific individuals through search.

Another tactic we may see pop up in this interim period, is individual employees speaking on a brand’s behalf. Building a personal connection with consumers in order to build awareness regardless of the restrictions for businesses.

Now, there’s a reason Google does not want to see major brands on the network just quite yet – it’s crucial in this beginning phase to build trust among consumers before introducing marketing capabilities for companies. I do believe, however, that Google+ will eventually roll out enticing advertising and analytic opportunities for marketers. In fact, one of the first questions prompted when signing up for my account, was will I approve Google to use my information for advertising purposes? More privacy than Facebook? Not so sure how long that will last.

3. Consolidating online tasks into one platform

One of the other enticing perks to Google+ is the ability to access one’s email, social networks, search and even video chat without having to log out and switch over to another platform. Google+ combines most of the major tasks people want to accomplish online, and even if it’s a matter of small convenience, this is something that most people want – to consume and share information quickly. I do foresee, however, Google+ struggling with critics on the other hand, who do not want their social networks tied to email and search. My prediction is this information will inevitably be accessible for marketers – which will lead to more targeted ads, but relevant information.

Until then, what are your thoughts about this social network evolution? Will Google maintain untainted and non-commercial? Or allow brands to tap into its social/search gold? Seems likely that the latter will prevail.

Today Mashable broke the news about the partnership between Klout and brands on Facebook – where content shared on a particular Facebook page can be dictated by the individual fan’s Klout score. Mashable writes, “In Involver’s (the company creating the app) Klout interpretation on the gate model, a Facebook user’s Klout score will determine what type of Facebook content you see and what perks, if any, you get.” Audi is the first to roll it out.

As I read the article, many questions came to mind which were also reflected in the comments from other readers of Mashable:

• Who decides what a “good Klout score” is?
• Is Facebook Klout as accurate as Twitter? Many people privatize their profiles so is Klout able to access this and rate users fairly?
• Will this trend burst out of control losing relevance as more and more brands hide content until fans get their Klout scores?
• Will potential brand fans become irritated if they’re only gained access to information by enabling another application?
• What if the simple Klout score given to a fan isn’t reflective of their influence in a particular industry topic?

The announcement was made relating to a trial run with Audi where users are led to believe that only if their Klout is high enough, they’ll receive the Audi wallpaper or ring tone, but looking through their comments, Audi is apparently rewarding everyone, which may not be the best way to roll out the new initiative.

While I’m excited to see where this trend goes, I do hope that brands using this initiative to share their Facebook content are able to have more control in dictating who receives what. My personal recommendation would be for Klout to be cautious of the brands they partner with. Groupon only approves deals from brands if the value is in line with what subscribers want. Being selective will help this initiative stay relevant.

I also believe brands should be able to tap into the specifics of a person’s Klout score. We social media pros always discuss what’s important in social measurement and it’s not just one number of followers, fans, subscribers – it goes deeper than that and for Klout, I’d recommend my clients look at rewarding only Klout users that are influential in few topics (shown in the “influential about” part of Klout profile).

I’d like to see success stories from this initiative, but I also believe Klout and Facebook have some fine tuning to do to make this worth while. What are your initial thoughts?

• E=MC2
• Pi=3.14159 26535…
• V=RSVP+N

The first two formulas should be familiar to you (at least I hope so). Anyone want to guess what the third formula represents? Continue reading my post for the answer…

Last week, the team at Bailey Gardiner had the pleasure of hearing insights from Paul Leinberger, Ph.D. and senior vice president and director of The Futures Company (formerly known as Yankelovich MONITOR, the longest running study of American consumer behavior).

It was two hours of pure geek heaven, chock full of statistics and an inside look into the consumer psyche to show us how and why consumers are spending money. From it we gained a ton of useful information that actually relates to our clients, colleagues and you. For this particular post I decided to focus on what he called the most important takeaway.

Dr. Paul began by explaining that a human’s value system is innate and it takes a pretty significant act to change even one of those values. In fact, the United States only experiences a value shift every few decades and wouldn’t you know it; we’re living through one right now.

“We’re at a watershed moment. The era of consumers living beyond their means is at an end.” Jay P. Feldman, Economist, Credit Suisse (April 30, 2008)

An interesting thing happens when our values change. Our attitudes about the world around us change. We’ve seen this first hand. The beginning of the recession marked a value shift in that people vowed to never again live a life of extravagance the way they did prior to 2007.

With economic uncertainty came a re-prioritization and a change in consumer behavior. Consumers began moving away from the fancy cars, big homes and expensive vacations to spending time with family, focusing on saving money and caring about the world they were leaving behind for their children and grandchildren.

Today, consumers are more mindful about what they purchase and limit their exposure to risk by being responsible about the brands they align themselves with.

Consumers are making smarter decisions about how they spend their hard earned dollar and remaining vigilant with each purchase they make in order to avoid buyer’s remorse.

Nearly three quarters of respondents in the 2009/2010 Yankelovich MONITOR survey said the economic downturn has helped them prioritize what’s important in life. The challenge brands face is that consumers are not only trading off within categories (e.g., MAC vs. Bobbi Brown vs. Maybelline) but across categories (e.g., lipstick vs. a glass of wine vs. a new dress). Meaning, it’s not just about which restaurant I’m going to bring my family to on Friday night, but how I’m going to shift my spending that week in order to feel good about my decision.

All of these factors combined with a person’s influential network (another topic for a different post) defines how they perceive value. Did you catch that? I just gave the answer to V= RSVP+N.

Value = Responsibility, Smart, Vigilant, Prioritization + Network

This new definition of value has had such an effect on consumerism that it’s changed the way brands market to consumers, how consumers interact with brands and has even shifted how people feel about (close your ears P&G) generic brands.

Now it’s your turn to sound off. How have your attitudes about the world changed your purchase behaviors? Are you spending more or less now than you did this time last year? Are your purchases based on impulse or are they carefully considered?

For those of you who’d like to hear about this new definition of value straight from the horses mouth, check out this short video interview that Indra did with Paul:

The main objective in a marketing campaign is to grab the consumer’s attention. There are all sorts of ways to accomplish this, including a tried and true favorite – controversy. A controversial ad campaign compels people to react and usually results in lots of buzz, both positive and negative. Some of these controversial campaigns work well. Others, not so much.

The most common mistake we see with controversial creative is that the campaign doesn’t match the brand it is trying to advertise. And controversy just for the sake of controversy is generally not well received. Allow me to illustrate my point:

I came across this interesting campaign while checking out Chill Out Point, a blog that discusses interesting advertising campaigns and the art and design industry. Even though this campaign is a few years old, I had never seen it before and it really caught my attention. It is the Obesity is Suicide advertising campaign created by Brandon Knowlden, an art director from Struck Creative.

I have to commend Brandon on the creative. These ads certainly garnered an emotional reaction from me. After looking at all these ads side by side, I wondered, what in the world was the point of these ads ? My initial thought was that they must be for a public service campaign for The Obesity Society or The American Heart Association. The creative was perfect for a campaign like that – very controversial and in-your-face, the ads drove home the message that eating poorly is essentially killing yourself.

When I saw what these ads were actually for, I became upset. This was far from a public service campaign aimed at informing people about the risks of obesity. Instead the campaign directed people to a website for William S. Peters, M.D., a doctor who performs bariatric surgery (a procedure where the size of a person’s stomach is reduced so they eat less). When I thought these ads were encouraging people to get healthy by eating right, the bold, in-your-face message was appropriate. But when I realized that in actuality, these ads were threatening people with death by obesity (while offering a solution that had nothing to do with living a healthy lifestyle) I was a little shocked.

Upon further research, I was relieved to read that these ads never ran anywhere. In fact, it turns out that the doctor was in no way associated with these ads at all. Brandon had created these ads for his own portfolio and without the doctors knowledge. However, it’s still a perfect example of how creating a controversial campaign that is inappropriate for your brand can have a negative effect. Both Brandon and the doctor pissed a lot of people off and were openly criticized for their lack of tact.

Overall, the creative was compelling, intriguing and definitely controversial. And if Brandon’s only objective was to create a name for himself, he likely succeeded. But, it is also a good reminder for marketers about the importance of matching the creative to the brand.

Everything aside, it is sad to see such a compelling concept go to waste. With all the buzz about these, I do wonder if a more appropriate client (er a public service company) will ever pick these ads up. What do you think?

When beginning work on a new campaign, two of the most crucial things you need to determine before starting is who your target audience is and what you want them to do (your goal). The answers to those two questions will inevitably drive the thought process behind the concept.

The final creative will vary based on the client’s needs/goal, budget and brand category; and of course the creative team that concepts and executes the pieces. These elements will also drive the strategy behind what medium(s) you use to convey this message and when.

For certain brand categories such as alcohol, appliances and jewelry, for example, certain media buys make perfect sense and should be obvious to anyone working on that account — from account coordinator to media planner to creative director. It drives your message (what you want them to do) right to your target audience. The obvious media buys per category are:

Alcohol: Commercials during sporting events, billboards by liquor/grocery stores, print ads/coupons in college newspapers.

Appliances: Commercials during food/home improvement shows, print ads in home improvement/lifestyle publications, direct mail (for sales).

Jewelry: Commercials during romantic holidays (during male-oriented shows) or movies, print ads focusing on weddings and engagements, or Facebook advertising directed towards men who are in are a relationship.

All campaigns, despite the product, incorporate some of the obvious media buys that are perfect for that brand. Those will reach your core target audience. It’s the strategic buys that go outside the box that reach those potential new consumers that are within your target audience as well as some that don’t currently fit your demographic that can truly bring you the return on the investment you are looking for.

The other night, while watching a 10:30 p.m. episode of Sex and the City on the Style Network, a commercial ran that really caught my eye. It wasn’t a brand you would expect to see during a show about women, sex and dating. The :30 commercial was for Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes.  Cereal commercials (which frequency has increasingly declined over the last ten years due to so many imitation brands coming out) as a whole have always been geared towards kids and families. That’s because it’s a cereal that has been known for kids or a family to eat in the morning. Lets just say Sex and the City is not a show families watch together.

At first glance, it seemed as if this had been a mistake — either the media buyer had bought the wrong time slot or the station ran this commercial by mistake. Then the reasoning behind this particular buy became apparent. Frosted Flakes were an extremely popular cereal while I was growing up. We all knew the “They’re Great” tagline and the Tony the Tiger theme song (which shockingly I still do remember).

Their marketing agency wasn’t trying to reach their already core audience or potential new consumers, they were trying to reach those that consumed this product back when they were kids. Very smart. See, my generation is now at the age where they themselves may have children. This brand resonates as childhood memories with these adults and parents want their children to experience things they did when they were their age.

Now, why show this during Sex and the City?

1) It’s 10:30 p.m. – the kids are asleep so you don’t have to worry about them seeing anything inappropriate.

2) It’s demographic skews highly female. In a family, the female makes the bulk of the grocery purchasing decisions.

3) It reaches their desired age range: 24 to 34.

I’m curious to see if these types of buys for Frosted Flakes pop up during other shows that resonate with this type of audience. What do you think? Are there any other brands that you’ve seen lately that don’t necessarily fit the obvious media buy, but resonate with a childhood memory or something you used to consume/purchase?