DG FastChannel, Springbox’s parent company, served up the commercials that played during the 2010 Super Bowl. More specifically, DG’s role was to digitally transmit the commercials to the individual broadcasters. That got me wondering about this, that and the other but mostly about ROI and web traffic stats on those top-dollar spots.

For just under a few million dollars and 30 seconds of airtime, you can jumpstart next month’s sales by 11%. That’s 250 times greater than that of a regular TV ad. Admittedly, that’s the high end, and those numbers are variable of course, based on a brand’s industry, strategy, maturity and other factors.

Automotive ads are particularly effective, with an ROI that’s almost twice that of an average TV spot. Speaking of auto ads, Honda touted its Accord Crosstour during the Super Bowl and pointed to a website that Springbox had a hand in: You can read more about our rockin’ Flash Developer Matt Skoog and the technology behind our Crosstour Flash module here.

I was, however, mostly interested in how the commercials affect brands’ web traffic. As it turns out, the Crosstour page views increased by 14% from one 30-second slot. Not too shabby, but surprisingly it was actually at the low end of the auto ad/pageview ratio. (CarsDirect suggests that may be because the actual vehicle only made a brief appearance and at the tail end of the commercial.) But, Hyundai’s Sonata traffic increased by a whopping 166%, from three 30-second ads. That looks like a win, but time will tell how that translates to actual vehicle sales.

Most sources agree that Super Bowl advertisers primarily strive to drive viewers to their websites these days over physical locations. There are even big players (Pepsi) who decided to forego the Super Bowl scene altogether this year and instead put that chunk of change toward internet campaigns. Double score for the interactive industry!

 

It’s no secret that the social revolution has completely changed communication, marketing and — let’s face it — life as we know it. It is now commonplace (even natural) for us to live out loud on the World Wide Web and leave a trail of lifestreams as we go. We look to the social sphere as our outlet for entertainment, information sharing, recommendations, connecting with long lost friends. It’s a no-brainer that, if folks are willing to use social media for all of these activities inherent to daily life, the next step in this crazy game is social commerce.

It’s clear that consumers are already willing to at least consider making purchases in their respective social worlds — especially if there is a special incentive to do so. On the flipside, companies in the social space are eager to take engagement with their customers to the next level and monetize their social marketing programs by introducing conversions to the mix. Some trailblazers are already taking this leap, and the formula for success is still being determined. As we dive into the world of social ROI, here are some best practices we bequeath to our clients to help them pioneer this new frontier.

Create a value proposition. If consumers want to shop on your website, they will go to your website. Social shopping should be a unique experience that provides exclusive benefits for participation, such as elite discounts, product offerings and VIP benefits. If customers receive a reward they cannot find anywhere else from the experience, it is likely they will partake.

Set reasonable and measurable goals. Consider creating a pilot experience with a limited product selection rather than your entire product line. Continuously optimize the program based on user participation and conversion. And articulate clear success metrics up front that promote a long-term goal and can be consistently monitored. It is in this way you’ll be able to keep your eye on the prize a midst of sea of social clutter.

Be “one of the guys.” Don’t forget that the primary reason consumers use the social sphere is to connect with people. As a brand in that space, you should have a humanized identity that folks can relate to. You want to be the cool kid at the party with the new sneakers that everyone wants to know more about, not the awkward stranger in the corner trying to sell a ShamWow out of a briefcase. Make it easy and attractive to your consumers to participate in your experience, and be sure to respond to them when they reach out to you. Use native functionality so you blend seamlessly into the user’s daily experience.

We’re still trying to crack the code for success in social commerce, but we’ve got at least a few of the numbers down.

 

You may have noticed something new the last time you googled. Perhaps you were looking for a review of this weekend’s blockbuster, the score of yesterday’s playoff game or  when that new restaurant down the street starts serving dinner, and there it was … a real-time search result.

In case you still don’t know what I’m talking about, here’s a screen shot:

Whether it’s breaking news, an eyewitness tweet, a new blog post or a fresh status update, real-time search is every search engine’s hope to make all of their results both relevant and instant. Partnering with the big names in social media -- Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, et al — Google, Bing and the rest of the search giants hope to bring an always-changing, always-popular, always-relevant aspect to their results pages. But what does that mean if you want your company or brand to be included in the results?

Social networks are more important than ever. If you’re not currently on social networks, you’re missing one of the best ways to have conversations with your customers. On top of that, now you’re also missing opportunities to connect with potential customers who look for you on popular search engines. The social networks presented in real-time search results have been given greater importance and staying power, and this should be reflected in your marketing plan.

SEO everywhere. People/companies who use social networking outlets should now become more concerned about their word choice. Having the right phrase in your last tweet or Facebook status could launch you directly onto the first page of Google. Not to mention, having posts about topics that aren’t directly related to your field will now help you reach an entirely new audience.

Stay relevant. Keeping current and relevant with your messages and messaging will be crucial. According to Google Fellow Amit Singhal, the characteristics that Google looks for in relevant real-time searches are author quality, probability of relevance and query hotness. Providing frequent, quality posts to all of your social networking outlets allows you to hit all three of these points.

Real-time search is just getting its sea legs, and users are just starting to understand what it is and how to use it. But if you position your company correctly and learn to use real-time search in your favor, you could be on the ground floor of the next boom in search.

These days there’s an app for absolutely everything (if you haven’t already heard). AT&T’s free Mark the Spot app for the iPhone brings the country’s app obsession to a new arena: Customer Support.

Customers use Mark the Spot to report dead zones and locations of poor audio quality to AT&T. So when you’re on your phone and the call drops (and you embarrassingly find yourself talking to, well, yourself), just pull up the app and report it.

The AT&T application is an interesting take on customer support crowdsourcing and proactive PR. For marketers, there are plenty of reasons to crowdsource for customer support information.

Show your attentiveness: You know the old saying that the customer is always right? It still holds up today. When you allow customers to participate, you affirm your commitment to them and strengthen your brand’s relationship with the public.  

Increase transparency: Audiences are all-too-familiar with the bravado and over-promises of companies’ marketing claims. And odds are they’ve spent several hours of their lives on hold with customer service. Apps such as Mark the Spot not only let users control the pace of the customer support experience — they show that while your company isn’t perfect, you’re doing your best to improve the customer experience.

Foster dialogue: Online, conversation is the name of the game. Applications can provide customers with new, easy-to-use forums to share their thoughts and opinions with companies. Candid customer feedback is an invaluable asset for companies as they evaluate their product lines and develop new offerings.

Slash costs: An obvious one, but still important. Compared to the costs of staffing a call center, applications are a cost-effective way to gather and document customer feedback.

In a do-it-yourself era, customers are willing and able to help — especially when their efforts will result in improved products and services. Marketers should take note. 

 

It’s a situation most brand managers would kill for: a small business evolves into a global success — consistent products and experiences, stores on every street corner in the world. The brand played all its cards right, and the market graciously rewarded its business model. But looks can be deceiving and, after time, the public starts to see the brand as too big, too popular and too polarizing.  Some swear off the company altogether.

What’s a brand to do? Go undercover — at least that’s what Starbucks is doing. The captain-of-industry coffee titan is opening new stores in the Seattle area sans Starbucks branding. Customers walk into 15th Avenue E Coffee and Tea (in fact, the bizarro Starbucks) and are greeted by what the designer of the project calls a "true reflection of the neighborhood": organic, raw and mercantile. Not a Starbucks logo to be found. What seems to fly in the face of accepted branding rules is evidently gaining popularity.

This new brand nihilism meme even spills into fashion. The clothing brand Freshjive, recently announced that it will no longer print its logo or name on its products. The brand’s founder and designer states that when he sees kids wearing company logos it reminds him of a tribe or a gang.

Have people grown tired of being walking advertisements? Do consumers want to cut ties with corporate personalities? Probably not. Starbucks is the most popular brand on Facebook. It’s interesting to see the brand develop the beginnings of a dual identity: on one hand embracing social media to expand its reach in the virtual world, and on the other hand covering up its identity in the brick-and-mortar world to attract jaded customers.

Do marketers really think this will work? If redesigning your logo or changing your name doesn’t change the public’s perception of your brand, what happens when a brand sheds its identity altogether? Will the public be able to distinguish the brand from its competition or even know that it’s still there?

What do you think?