Effect of Politics and the Olympics in 2012

We’re not about to predict who wins election this fall or who takes home a gold medal, but all indications point to a busy year in advertising.

• In 2012, political advertising is expected to reach nearly
  $2.5 billion
• That’s an increase of 40% from the last Presidential election
  cycle of 2008
• Ad spending on the Olympics is predicted to reach $642 million
• That’s an increase 7% over the 2008 Olympics

What Does This Mean To You?

Speaking strictly from a marketing and advertising stance, it’s going to become much harder to get the attention of prospective customers. Candidates, Political Action Committees and Political Parties buy up much of the inventory on local media. Since broadcast media is purchased on a supply and demand basis – less inventory means more expensive advertising time. Also, there are rules regarding Federal candidates receiving the lowest rate on broadcast rate cards. This means broadcast outlets are less likely to cut deals in advance of the political season. The Olympics brings about it’s own form of challenges. The network carrying the events cut the amount of local programming available and the commercial avails open to local affiliates. Advertisers that want to keep their spots are shifted and often pay higher rates.  Also, in many top 20 markets, national advertisers buy local spots to ensure their messages are seen. This not only adds to the cost but the clutter for local advertisers. With all that being said, you still need to tell your story and have consumers get your message. For more information on how to effectively and efficiently keep your business top of mind, please contact your Orlando Sentinel Media Group representative or:
Al Fiala
Advertising Research Supervisor
407-420-5702
afiala@orlandosentinel.com

Source: Emarketer

Mobile Couponing in 2012

We all hope that the economy improves in 2012, but that doesn’t mean that consumers willjust stop being concerned about saving money.  In fact, mobile couponing is projected to have its biggest year on record.

• In 2012, 28 million adults are expected to use mobile coupons
• That’s an increase of 45% over 2011
• Nearly 90% of all mobile coupons are expected to be received on a smart phone
• The number of smart phone owners using mobile coupons is will grow 65% in 2012

What Does This Mean To You?

Mobile Couponing can take on many forms.  Emails, QR codes, permission based SMS campaigns and apps are just a few solutions for mobile couponing. Although there are many channels, the thing to remember is that consumers are using them.  When it comes to delivering mobile coupons, it might be beneficial to speak to an expert.  There are rules that govern how you initiate digital contact with a consumer.  Whatever you do, do not spam prospective customers.  The results will not be good.  Many times your businesses reputation will help you gain customers, getting a reputation as a business that sends spam will hurt business.  For more information on successful mobile couponing strategies, please contact your Orlando Sentinel Media Group representative or:
Al Fiala
Advertising Research Supervisor
407-420-5702
afiala@orlandosentinel.com

Source: Emarketer

Social Media In 2012

Yesterday’s post talked about what initiatives Chief Marketing Officers planned to increase doing. Social Media was their top answer. The number of people engaged in social media continues to climb and the number of networks is growing as well.

• Two-thirds of U.S. Internet users are expected to use social networks in 2012 – that’s an increase of 10 million consumers
• The number of Hispanic social networkers is expected to grow. In 2012, 68% of Hispanics are projected to use social networks
• The percentage of Asians who use social networks is predicted to grow to 68% as well
• African-American participation in social networking is project to climb to 67%

What Does This Mean To You?

Targeting prospective customers is important. If you are ignoring some ethnic segments of consumers because you think they may not be social networkers, you could be missing potential revenue. There is also evidence that older consumers are also using social networks and are more open to ads on social media. Your company’s social identity is important. It can deliver new customers and strengthen loyalties with existing ones. For more information on how to optimize your social presence, please contact your Orlando Sentinel Media Group representative or:
Al Fiala
Advertising Research Supervisor
407-420-5702
afiala@orlandosentinel.com

Source: Emarketer

Where The Growth Will Be

Recently, a study was released based on the insights of Chief Marketing Officers of companies worldwide.  They were asked where they what initiatives they planned to increase for their organizations.  The top 4 responses were:

• Social Media: 82% of chief marketers said that their businesses would become more heavily invested in social media
• Customer Analytics: 81% indicated that they planned on learning more about their customers
• Customer Relationship Management: 81% also planned on improving internal processes to become more knowledgeable about their customers
• Mobile Applications: 80% said that mobile would be something they will invest more into during 2012

What Does This Mean To You?

Take cues from these marketing experts.  It’s not just the vehicles they plan to use, it’s the big picture.
Become more engaged with your customer: Social media gives you a chance to create a closer relationship with consumers.  Make sure that you are providing them with content that they want to receive.
Knowledge is power: Learn as much as you can about your customers.  It doesn’t matter whether you are a retail store or a B2B firm, what you know about your customers can play a huge role in how successful you will be.
Make it more convenient for you customer: Mobile is about making things easier for your consumers.  They are using mobile sites to research, discover, learn and purchase.  If you don’t have a mobile site, you need to have one created. Standard sites on mobile devices are not something that mobile users tend to like.  If you have a mobile site, what is its function? Are you using it for more than just branding?  How easy is it to make a purchase?  Just like you prefer to deal with suppliers and vendors that make your life easier, consumers want the same thing.  There are a lot of initiatives you can focus on in the new year,  make sure you don’t miss the forest through the trees.  For more information on how digital solutions can strengthen your bottom line, please contact your Orlando Sentinel Media Group representative or:
Al Fiala
Advertising Research Supervisor
407-420-5702
afiala@orlandosentinel.com

Source: Emarketer; IBM

Looking Ahead to 2012

This week, our posts are going to focus on some of the top digital trends for
the future. At the beginning of this year, much of the research pointed to
2011 being the year mobile took off and that research proved correct.  All
indications are that mobile will continue to grow, fueled by device sales and
their expanding role in our everyday lives.

• In 2012, the number of smart phone owners in the U.S. is expected to grow by nearly 20% to over 107 million users
• The number of E-reader users is anticipated to grow by 40% to 46 million owners
• Tablet ownership is predicted to have the biggest jump – 62%, putting the number of tablet owners at 55 million in 2012

What Does This Mean To You?

Mobile commerce is going to become even more important next year. The holidays showed us that consumers have embraced mobile shopping and the companies that took advantage of mobile did well. One recent survey showed that nearly half of consumers who used tablets to shop over the holidays plan to continue the practice in the new year. Smart phones and tablets offer you a wealth of choices on how to get your message to your customers. For more information on monetizing a mobile revenue stream, please contact your Orlando Sentinel Media Group representative or:
Al Fiala
Advertising Research Supervisor
407-420-5702
afiala@orlandosentinel.com

Source: Emarketer

Buying Online Versus Buying In-Store

What makes customers choose between going into a store to make a purchase versus buying it online?  A recent report sheds some light on how people make purchase decisions and the factors behind them.

The top 2 reasons for going to a physical location to make a purchase were rather obvious

• Three-quarters of buyers wanted to actually see the product
  before they purchased it
• 44% went to a physical location because they needed the item
  right away.

The third reason was shipping charges, over 40% of consumers wanted to avoid shipping charges

• Nearly two-thirds of online consumers abandoned their digital shopping carts when shipping charges were to high
• Over half said that free shipping was the most important reason they shopped online
• Nearly three-quarters said it was one of the top two critical features when making a purchase digitally

What Does This Mean To You?

While driving customers to your brick & mortar location does give you the ability to extend purchases to other items and create buyer affinity. Your online store expands your area of influence and allows you to create a larger customer base.  Having a digital store is a necessity.  Make it more comfortable for buyers to shop online by having more product visuals and deeper descriptions.  Timeliness will always be a factor, but you might be able to mitigate that with expedited shipping options.  As for free shipping, this is something you may want to look into.  It might not be cost effective to offer free shipping on all items, but maybe during the holidays (Free shipping was the number one online store determiner during the holiday) or on premium items. You can still drive additional traffic to your physical location digitally through email offers, digital coupons or SMS messages that are only good in-store.

We’d also like to wish everyone a happy & safe holiday season.

For more information on driving traffic to your digital or physical location, please contact your Orlando Sentinel Media Group representative or:
Al Fiala
Advertising Research Supervisor
407-420-5702
afiala@orlandosentinel.com

Source: Oracle; Marketingcharts.com

What Customers Want From Online Retailers

E-commerce continues to grow.  In fact, this holiday season has been the busiest online buying period to date.  As more and more businesses offer
online shopping, digital customers are creating loyalties with the stores
that give them what they want.  A recent study from Oracle details what online shoppers are looking for.

• Nearly 40% wanted more detailed and visual product information
• Nearly 30% wanted improved site search options
• One in five wanted easier access to customer service representatives
  such as live help, click to call
• 17% wanted better design, site navigation and easier checkout

What Does This Mean To You?

Consumers are not just becoming comfortable with shopping online,
they are almost expecting the ability to make purchases from your site.
Look to these customer “wants” to make sure you become an online
shopping destination of choice.  Make sure your product images are clear
and it might be a good idea to have more than one image per product.
Check to see how easy it is to find things on your site, test with other people.  Make it easy for them to ask questions and get answers.  Being responsive
to customers is important.  In today’s social environment, companies that
listen to their customers thrive.  For more information on how to maximize
your ecommerce solutions, please contact your Orlando Sentinel Media Group representative or:
Al Fiala
Advertising Research Supervisor
407-420-5702
afiala@orlandosentinel.com

Source: Oracle; Marketingcharts.com

Social Media Influencing Holiday Shopping

Social media continues to change the way we shop, buy and research things.  Now it looks like it has altered the way we find out what holiday gifts to buy.
Recent research tells us that:

• Recommendations of social media users are twice as likely to lead to holiday purchases
• Two-thirds of social media users made a Black Friday or Cyber-Monday purchase as a direct result of social media interactions with friends or family
• 86% of social media users made or received a holiday gift recommendation

What Does This Mean To You?

How is your business using social media?  Does your site allow for social sharing?  As consumers find new ways to use social media, you need to respond, adapt and engage to have success through these networks.   Consumers want more and the businesses that provide it to them will see greater results.  For more information on how you can achieve social media success, please contact your Orlando Sentinel Media Group representative or:
Al Fiala
Advertising Research Supervisor
407-420-5702
afiala@orlandosentinel.com

Source: Mr. Youth

Shopping Via Tablet Over The Holidays

Recently, we featured a post on tablet shopping over the Black Friday weekend. Now, there is a study detailing how prevalent shopping on tablets will be  through the entire holiday season. In fact, nearly 90% of tablet owners plan to use their device to shop during the holidays.

• Tablet shoppers are predicted to spend an average of $325 with
  the device
• Half will browse the clothing category, 38% will buy clothes with their tablet
• 38% will also buy toys
• 33% chose to shop on the tablet because of it’s convenience
• 24% preferred to use tablets because of the user experience
• Over half of tablet shoppers consider themselves “savvy shoppers”, 14% see themselves as spontaneous shoppers and just under 10% describe themselves as luxury spenders
• Over half of male tablet shoppers think they will spend $200-$500 while using the device, under 40% of female owners thought they would spend between those amounts

What Does This Mean To You?

Consumers aren’t just making purchases on their tablets today; it’s something they plan to do in the future as well. Nearly half of tablet shoppers plan to use their device more next year for shopping. Just 19% of smart phone owners plan to use their phones more for shopping. Tablets are a great environment to display everything you have to offer. In-app ads, search and even mobile email are terrific ways to get tablet owners to shop on your site. For more information on how to get better results with tablets, please contact:
Al Fiala
Advertising Research Supervisor
407-420-5702
afiala@orlandosentinel.com

Source: Mobile Commerce Daily; ZMags

Holiday Shopping Not Done Yet

Well, its holiday crunch time and some shoppers might be a little more frantic than others.  A new report just released tells us that as many as 37 million consumers haven’t even started shopping and fewer than 8% say they have checked all the things off their list.

• Nearly half of those with gifts left to purchase, plan to buy online
• 44% will be braving their favorite department store
• 36% plan to shop at a discount store
• Just under a quarter will be visiting an electronics store

What Does This Mean To You?

Never underestimate a person’s propensity to procrastinate.  Just because we are in the stretch run of the holiday buying season, it’s not the time to ease up on your message.  If your web site or mobile entity offers online shopping, promote it.  Also let consumers know about special hours or services like gift wrapping you may offer.  The holidays are a crazed time and anything you can do to make it more convenient for shoppers will help set you apart.  Also, consumers tend to remember the stores that made life easier for them.  Going the extra mile for the holidays could pay off in loyal shoppers in the new year.  For more information on how to create extra traffic to your business, please contact your Orlando Sentinel Media Group representative or:
Al Fiala
Advertising Research Supervisor
407-420-5702
afiala@orlandosentinel.com