Author Archive - Anthony Iaffaldan
Is Search Recession-Proof?
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Written By Anthony Iaffaldano | April 15, 2008 | Share This
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At this point, I think most of the civilized world has established that the U.S. economy is heading into a recession.
The signs are starting to crop up in the advertising world: Companies are starting to make hard decisions, like Gawker which announced yesterday that it was dumping three blogs, including Wonkette, in a cost-cutting effort. Cautionary commentaries are beginning to crop up in most advertising publications, like this one, advising media buyers how best to weather the storm.
So how about search marketing? Has the panic of a down market set in yet? Not exactly. In fact, as we continue to inch towards the abyss, SEM may prove to be the most recession-proof of all ad formats.
In an article he penned for Search Engine Watch, Reprise Media’s Managing Partner
John Wanamaker famously said, “Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is I don’t know which half.” He would have loved search marketing, because it is one of very few kinds of media that provides visibility into the wasted half. Furthermore, it is arguably the most accountable of all advertising media. By virtue of robust reporting from search engines, sophisticated web analytics, and back-end tracking systems, advertisers can see exactly where their money is going in a paid search campaign: what keywords are converting into sales or page views, and what’s not working.
Google Blackout?
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Written By Anthony Iaffaldano | October 4, 2007 | Share This
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A friend e-mailed a link to a very peculiar site this morning - a stark, black page, filled with a giant white number that appears to be counting off seconds. Theres nothing else on the site no links or meta info in the code.
In fact, the site is entirely nondescript other than the counter clock, a familiar favicon and a title tag that reads, simply, “Google Blackout”:
Curious.
Somewhat intrigued (OK, more bored than anything as long as were being honest here), I poked around a little. A quick view of the source code didnt provide much info.
Ditto the WHOIS data, where I hit the Private Registrant wall thanks to Dreamhost:
Domain Name: googleblackout.com
Registrant Contact:
googleblackout.com Private Registrant
googleblackout.com@proxy.dreamhost.com
DreamHost Web Hosting
417 Associated Rd #324
Brea, CA 92821
US
+1.2139471032
Based on the number of seconds left (roughly 7,640,000 at the time of this writing) the countdown should end right at 1/1/08.
I poked around the search blogosphere, and didnt find any other mention of the Google Blackout site, which led me to start speculating.
There are any number of things it could be:
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- Some sort of unannounced Google PR stunt (perhaps leading up to the launch of the Google Phone, which is expected by some to be released in Q1 08?)
- The workings of an overzealous energy zealot?
- An utterly geeky new A.R.G.? Google has been known to dabble in the gaming stuff before, with the Davinci Code & Bourne Ultimatum.
- A new search competitor thats looking to generate some Google-killer buzz for itself while in stealth mode?
Or how about:
- A really big waste of time for a search geek with a computer?
Just for kicks, I turned off Javascript to see what that would do to the countdown clock. After a refresh, I was surprised to see a new series of numbers and symbols like GPS coordinates.
37* 25′ 38″, -122* 5′ 57″
A quick search at http://boulter.com/gps/ turned up the answer - these are the GPS coordinates for Googles Mountain View office.
What’s more, the source code now includes a link in the header to a Technorati search for Google Monopoly
Doesn’t sound like the kind of thing the folks at Google would plant in a promo page.
So what do you all think it is? Anyone have any idea what those non-Java characters could mean?
Google Continues to Test Navigation Variations
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Written By Anthony Iaffaldano | March 26, 2007 | Share This
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We’ve been following Barry’s thread at Search Engine Land about Google’s navigational tests over the past few days. For those not familiar with the story, Google appears to be testing ways to better merchandise their entire complement of search solutions on their main reply page. Well it seems that they’re not done yet, as a […]
We’ve been following Barry’s thread at Search Engine Land about Google’s navigational tests over the past few days. For those not familiar with the story, Google appears to be testing ways to better merchandise their entire complement of search solutions on their main reply page. Well it seems that they’re not done yet, as a member of our team found yet another variation of their ongoing tests this morning.
Seems like Google’s throwing a bunch of different stuff out there right now to see what sticks.
Most of the examples we’ve seen have been of a small box above the sponsored listings that contains the links that are typically right above the search box. It looks something like this:
However, we’ve also seen some results pages on this end that include a few related search links alongside the general navigation cues. Check out this search for “George Washington”
Google has been testing various ways to present these types of related search results for months now. While similar “related search” links are currently displayed at the bottom of the SERP, we’ve also seen variations where Google will include 1-3 results for a related but distinctly different search term actually imbedded into the main results.
So what should we infer from the continued testing? Does this test suggest that people were confused by the change in search term halfway down the reply page?
Further Reading:
- Google Testing Search Product Offerings (PPC Blog)
- Google Testing New Alternative Search Navigation Links (Search Engine Roundtable)
Yahoo to Create “Brand Universe”
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Written By Anthony Iaffaldano | January 31, 2007 | Share This
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According to an announcement on Tuesday, Yahoo is planning to create 100 mini sites surrounding popular entertainment brands. Each site will focus on a single TV show, video game, or other element from popular culture, and will include Flickr, del.icio.us, Yahoo News, message boards and Yahoo answers content. Called “Brand Universe”, the sites are meant to attract existing and potential fans. As Vince Brody, head of games, entertainment and youth at Yahoo told the
“We don’t connect the dots for our users around those brands. Brand Universe is designed to fix that problem. What we are really trying to do is create environments where fans of brands can hang out when they are online.”
Yahoo has already launched a sample site at wii.yahoo.com.
Discussion:
- Yahoo’s Branded Universe Unfolding (PaidContent.org)
- Yahoo Building 100 Social Media Powered Entertainment Sites (Search Engine Journal)
- We Recognize the Ad Potential, but Mesothelioma Universe…mmm, no (Good Morning Silicon Valley)
OMMA Agency of the Year Awards Ceremony
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Written By Anthony Iaffaldano | January 18, 2007 | Share This
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Last night we attended the OMMA Agency of the Year Awards held at NYC’s Yale Club. Reprise Media was honored to accept OMMA’s recognition as the 2006 Search Agency of the Year. Here’s the full OMMA article, here’s our post about the award, and finally,
Here’s proof that it’s real:
Thanks again MediaPost, we […]
Last night we attended the OMMA Agency of the Year Awards held at NYC’s Yale Club. Reprise Media was honored to accept OMMA’s recognition as the 2006 Search Agency of the Year. Here’s the full OMMA article, here’s our post about the award, and finally,
Here’s proof that it’s real:
Thanks again MediaPost, we had a blast. The lamb chops were awesome…
AOL Bids for Swedish Online Ad Broker
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Written By Anthony Iaffaldano | January 16, 2007 | Share This
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AOL has agreed to buy Swedish ad firm, TradeDoubler, for $900 Million. TradeDoubler will help fund AOL’s operations in Europe, to make up for lost revenues after AOL’s transition from a paid to free service. From the New York Times,
“TradeDoubler…works on behalf of online marketers, gathering ads and offering them to Internet media owners and other Web sites, which can choose which ones to run. An electronics retailer, for instance, could select advertising from a computer maker, and the companies would share revenue from any online transaction that resulted from clicks on the ads.”
Not everyone is optimistic about the agreement - Alecta, a swedish pension fund and 10% stakeholder of TradeDoubler, claims that the agreed sum is too low. The ECommerce Times points out that AOL’s offer is likely to start a bidding war.
Discussion:
- AOL’s $900MM Bid for TradeDoubler.com Hits Obstacle (Marketing Vox)
- AOL Bids $900 Million for European Online Marketer TradeDoubler(DMW Media)
- AOL Says Holds Firm on TradeDoubler Bid (Reuters)
Wikiseek Promises to be Wikiasari Killer!
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Written By Anthony Iaffaldano | January 16, 2007 | Share This
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Wikiseek (not Wikiasari) is a new engine from SearchMe that returns results from Wikipedia and Wikipedia-linked pages. Like a good 2.0 startup, Wikiseek comes with browser plugins, smart filters, and a tag cloud. Wikiseek was supposed to be announced on Wednesday, but TechCrunch spilled the news a day early. From the Wikiseek About page:
“The contents of Wikiseek are restricted to Wikipedia pages and only those sites which are referenced within Wikipedia, making it an authoritative source of information less subject to spam and SEO schemes.
Wikiseek utilizes Searchme’s category refinement technology, providing suggested search refinements based on user tagging and categorization within Wikipedia, making results more relevant than conventional search engines.”
As a service built with the help and permission of Wikipedia, Wikiseek will donate most of their ad revenue from paid listings to the Wikimedia Foundation.
Discussion:
- Wikiseek Launches, Not To Be Confused with Wikiasari
- If It’s Not Lost, You Can’t Search For It
- Wikiseek: Leveraging Wikipedia for Web Search, Poorly
- Wikiseek, Wikiasari, Why Have Both?
OMMA Magazine’s Search Agency of the Year 2006
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Written By Anthony Iaffaldano | January 4, 2007 | Share This
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(Warning: Shameless Post Alert)
Searchviews is proud to announce that Reprise Media has been named OMMA Magazine’s Search Agency of the Year! From the OMMA article,
“To be the best in a crowded space doesn’t merely require the best technology and the biggest sales team, though they can’t hurt, but it does require thoughtful leadership, something that Reprise Media has shown in spades.”
We’d like to thank our clients, our brilliant team, the search engines, OMMA of course, all of the support from media bloggers, the late night delivery guy …
Okay okay. Seriously though, after all the hard work we’ve put in over the last year, it’s nice to know that we must be doing something right. Everyone at Reprise Media is thrilled to be recognized by OMMA. Please check out the full article, here: Toast of the Town: Best Search, or if you’re interested in more laudatory remarks, check out our press release here: Reprise Media Named 2006 Agency of the Year: Best Search
Review of Search Marketing Agencies, Q4 2006
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Written By Anthony Iaffaldano | November 29, 2006 | Share This
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Last Tuesday, Forrester Research released their annual WAVE report of Search Engine Marketing Agencies. Of the 56 companies invited to participate, only six made it through the final review. As Forrester writes, they focused on “Search Marketing Agencies that provide a balance of paid and natural search services (and service integration) and that serve enterprise clients.” As one of the fortunate six, Reprise Media spent several months working with Forrester to provide a comprehensive overview of our company. The report included a review of 56 criteria, conversations with our executives, conversations with customer references, technology demonstrations, evaluations of natural search results and paid search ads for our reference accounts, and an analysis of supporting documents.
Okay, so “comprehensive” may be an understatement, but the survey really forced us to reflect on what we do (and don’t) offer as a Search Marketing agency. While it was a lot of work to participate, it’s fascinating to see your entire company reduced to a graph that so plainly states “current offering” over “strategy” - kind of like watching your own autopsy and thinking, “when did I eat that?” We’d like to commend Forrester for conducting such a thorough and informative survey. It certainly helped Reprise Media clarify our own business development, and will hopefully shed some light onto the vastly difficult task of differentiating search marketing agencies.
That being said, here’s a sample of Forrester’s review of Reprise Media:
“Reprise Media is search marketing’s biggest breakout star. Its paid search bests others due to its strong testing and QA capabilities, as well as its ability to deliver distinguished paid search ads. The open architecture of its PROSuite search management platform makes Reprise Media a valid solution for marketers seeking to integrate their paid search programs with other marketing efforts… Reprise Media is innovative, profitable, and strategically focused, making it the biggest competitive threat and the best-kept secret in our study.”
(patting ourselves soundly on the back) Forrester continued a more detailed assessment in a vendor-specific analysis report. You can read the whole thing here, but in sum, it elaborated on:
Our evaluation found this relative newcomer to be a Strong Performer that fits innovative marketers - or other agencies - seeking an avantgarde paid search partner that:
- Integrates with third-party data and applications
- Flexes to meet marketer and agency clients
- Focuses its strategic vision on search
- Has an understated market presence
Forrester finished with their opinion,
“The company’s “garage band” feel may be off-putting to some conservative companies expecting a highly traditional approach, but client references tell us that larger vendors focus too much on the “polish,” while Reprise listens to their needs and delivers solutions… Reprise will be incumbents’ biggest competitive threat and the best integrated search solution as it beefs up its business development and SEO capabilities.”
Even though “garage band” may be a subtle reference to our t-shirts and tennis shoes at work, we’re really happy with the results. When you’re mired in the day-to-day, it’s hard to objectively measure strengths and weaknesses. Looking at our company laid out so plainly on Forrester’s proverbial operating table, it’s clear that we’ve got a lot going for us - and a lot to live up to.
The full Forrester report is available to Forrester subscribers on their website. The Reprise Media review and press release, in the meantime, can be downloaded from THIS PAGE of our website.
Bono’s (Red) Campaign is Cross-Media Magic
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Written By Anthony Iaffaldano | October 13, 2006 | Share This
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Yesterday Oprah and Bono shared headphones for the launch of Apple’s Red Nano. As the latest brand to get on board with ‘Product (RED)‘, Apple joins Motorola, Armani, Gap, American Express and Converse in the fight against Aids. For every Red iPod purchased, Apple will donate $10 to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Here in New York, the 5th Ave Apple store even got all dressed up for the event (see photos on Flickr).
Product (RED) is the brain child of Bono and Bobby Shriver (Chaiman of DATA - Debt, Aids, Trade, Africa). The (RED) manifesto spells out the project:
“As first world consumers, we have tremendous power. What we collectively choose to buy, or not to buy, can change the course of life and history on this planet…(RED) is not a charity. It is simply a business model. You buy (RED) stuff, we get the money, buy the pills and distribute them. They take the pills, stay alive, and continue to take care of their families and contribute socially and economically in their communities. If they don’t get the pills, they die. We don’t want them to die. We want to give them the pills. And we can. And you can. And it’s easy. All you have to do is upgrade your choice.”
To learn more about the Global Fund, and where Product (RED) money is going, check out their site.
Like their business model, the marketing strategy of Product (RED) is seamlessly executed. The firms behind the (RED) brand, Wolff Olins and Buzztone, have managed to roll social networking, shopping, philanthropy and celebrities all into a brilliant cross-media campaign. As the Chicago Tribune writes, ” The key to Product Red is that it’s not just a cause, it’s a brand. Combining style with an altruistic message gives immediate status to a product especially when it’s endorsed by stars.” And, speaking of stars, everyone who’s anyone seems to have joined (RED) in a free-for-all of celebrity/brand mashups. Kate Moss is on the (RED) cover of the Independent, Steven Spielberg is on the back of today’s New York Post and Chris Rock graces (RED) pages of the New Yorker. The viral success is already showing on the (RED) blog and (RED) Myspace page, which boast 36,777 visitors and 268,806 friends, respectively. Sales aren’t bad either - so far the project has raised over $10 million for the Global Fund, with sights on $500 million annually as their product line expands to higher ticket items (like cars).
One reason Product (RED) has done so well virally, is the visibility they’ve generated from a massive international cross-marketing push. They’ve hit all the major media channels, and do a great job of keeping a consistent brand throughout. I’m suprised, however, at their evidently weak search marketing efforts. They’re running paid ads for “red aids” and “bono”, but not for any of the celebrities or red products (not even “red ipod”!). Granted, they do show up fairly well in natural search results for “red” and “product red”, with their partner sites showing up in #1 spots for brand-specific terms (eg. “red ipod”, “gap red”).
Above all, however, I’m extremely impressed with the response (RED) has gotten on Myspace. Their network is currently increasing at a pace of about 12,000 new friends per hour. Thousands of teens and young adults have submitted comments to show their support, many of them sharing personal stories about their (RED) products or celebrity sightings. If nothing else, (RED) on Myspace shows just how receptive Gen-Yers are to cause marketing, and the potential of social media for non-profit organizations. (see our previous post: Social Media for Social Change)
So, kudos to everyone involved in Product (RED), this is one terrific project. As for myself, I’ve got my eye on that hot little iPod… it would match my Christmas stocking perfectly!