Cobalt Bridge

So yesterday I’m on a news-related web site and notice a banner ad for Golfsmith in the margin. I’ve actually been thinking about acquiring a new used driver, so I clicked on the ad. The Golfsmith site popped up in a new window, I poked around a bit, suddenly remembered that (A) A new golf club is not currently in the budget and (B) I hardly ever actually get to go out a play golf anymore, so I closed the window and went back about my business.

I left that particular news site by following an interesting link. When that new site loaded, I was a little startled to find that all of the banner ad windows were occupied by Golfsmith ads.

Indeed for the rest of the day, many of the web sites I visited were populated with Golfsmith. I was experiencing something called “re-targeted ads.”

Now that I think about it, I have been seeing a remarkable number of Overstock.com ads for men’s watches with black straps in windows ever since I visited that site a few weeks ago and browsed some men’s watches with black straps. I didn’t buy because (A) I realized that a new watch isn’t in the budget right now, and (B) I already own 14 watches.

Today the New York Times has a piece on this practice and the technology behind it. It’s headlined, “Retargeting Ads Follows Surfers to Other Sites.” An excerpt:

While the technique, which the ad industry calls personalized retargeting or remarketing, is not new, it is becoming more pervasive as companies like Google and Microsoft have entered the field. And retargeting has reached a level of precision that is leaving consumers with the palpable feeling that they are being watched as they roam the virtual aisles of online stores.

So is it possible to harness this technology with making prospective customers feel like you’re stalking them? John Batelle of Searchblog thinks so. Check out his article titled “How to Keep Re-Targeted Ads from Creeping People Out.” (via BusinessInsider.com)

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In a number of recent discussions on the integration of mobile into the media mix for our clients, we usually hear a “huzzah!” over it’s inclusion. Still, it’s difficult to get everyone to see how it really fits, let alone how it will perform. I came across this helpful opinion article that explains how mobile’s use in advertising planning is on the rise as its use becomes clearer. This, along with the recent news that social media’s overall use is growing, paints a pretty picture of a rapidly evolving media landscape.

As the author, Bob Walczak of Ringleader Digital points out, “No longer is mobile viewed as an experiment or a one off. Mobile is finally being approached strategically as part of a digital experience and brands and customers alike will benefit from consistent messaging and creative.”

As mobile’s role becomes clearer, it’s important to understand that, as Bob concludes, “The industry is no longer broken down into mobile and online – it is merely digital media with different access points offering a variety of unique experiences for a brand to connect with a consumer.”

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Marketers, promoters and sellers are obsessed with social media for good reason. Traditional advertising is increasingly being filtered out or ignored by media consumers.

Even online advertising  is an increasingly dicey proposition. Banner ads, pop ups and pop unders are all on the wrong end of the diminishing returns curve.

Practitioners of PR are still largely stuck in the old paradigm of “rent a list and bombard it with releases.” They have just moved from paper and faxes to emails. It’s still just “spray and pray.”

What holds the promise of real power and impact is authentic buzz and referrals emerging organically from social networks. The problem is that ham-handed attempts to co-opt these networks for marketing messages are scorned as spam or trolling.

I’m convinced there are some methods and strategies that can tap the power of social networks consistently and reliably. I plan to deploy some of these in these in the–admittedly selfish–cause of promoting my upcoming book. After all, the cook should be willing to eat his own recipes and you shouldn’t trust a doctor who doesn’t follow his own advice.

I’ll let you know how it goes. By the way . . . coming soon! You can pre-order your copy now at your favorite online bookseller.

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