Marketing Pilgrim Published: "Consumers Get Wiser to Behavioral Targeting Ways" plus 4 more

Consumers Get Wiser to Behavioral Targeting Ways

Posted: 17 Aug 2011 05:19 AM PDT

There is a clothing store, Syms, that has forever had the tagline for their advertising "An Educated Consumer Is Our Best Customer". A noble idea indeed and one that implies that the more a consumer knows about what they are looking to do the better decisions they will make. In the retail industry, that can make a lot of sense and can help the right retailer.
Now, take that same mindset to the behavioral targeting world and there may be some consternation at the idea of a consumer knowing just how much advertisers know about them. This semi-secretive agenda is the game that behavioral advertisers and providers have to play all the time because the perfect world for them would be one where the consumer doesn't know squat about what an advertiser knows about them and doesn't care.
A recent Harris study as reported by eMarketer shows that consumers are indeed becoming more educated.

This continued educating of the online consumer is also starting to shape their views of the online advertising world and just how they interact with it. The following chart shows just how widespread the "I'm not giving information to you" mindset is spreading.

As this awareness continues to grow it is likely so will the sentiment to keep things as private as possible even if that privacy is a mere illusion (which let's face it, it is). Advertisers are going to need to be much more aware of the level of consumer knowledge about just how they get their messages in front of the right people at the right time.
Would you say that in the behavioral targeting world, an educated consumer is the best customer?

Google's Search Sitelinks Expand Considerably

Posted: 17 Aug 2011 04:25 AM PDT

Google has been busy as of late with the introduction of Google Related and now its rolling out of an expanded version of sitelinks.
Google's Inside Search blog gives a quick history of sitelinks in search results that really shows how different the new approach is.
The first generation from 2006 looked like this

More recently, an expanded list of links in two columns has been more the norm.

Now, with the new announcement you get this.

The inclusion of URL's and snippet text use almost looks like paid ads. I wonder if this is a way to get people more used to clicking on this kind of result thus making them more likely to click on paid search which is where Google makes its coin?
If you look at the example showing the "new and improved snippets I have circled what a paid ad looks like in certain situations above this new enriched sitelink result. It simply looks like the old sitelink ad which because of the continued lightening of the background color for paid ads looks very much like an organic result if someone wasn't playing very close attention (which most don't and Google banks on that).
Google prattles on about its improved algorithm to give the best choices for these sitelinks but there is no way for the site owner to suggest what might be best for them. No surprise there. Here is what Google says about this algorithmic tweak.

In addition, we're making a significant improvement to our algorithms by combining sitelink ranking with regular result ranking to yield a higher-quality list of links. This reduces link duplication and creates a better organized search results page. Now, all results from the top-ranked site will be nested within the first result as sitelinks, and all results from other sites will appear below them. The number of sitelinks will also vary based on your query—for example, [museum of art nyc] shows more sitelinks than [the met] because we're more certain you want results fromwww.metmuseum.org.

Personally, I think this is overkill but that's just my opinion. The results shown for a direct search of "Marketing Pilgrim" are various blog posts, a few areas of the blog and even a profile of a writer but one that contributes very infrequently. So as for Google's algorithmic improvements there appears to be a need for some serious tweaking.
What's your take?

Google Related: Business Friend or Foe?

Posted: 16 Aug 2011 01:56 PM PDT

Today Google unveiled its new extension for Chrome called Google Related. The option is also available as a new feature for Google Toolbar for Internet Explorer.
This is a pretty big deal for those SMB's that are paying attention these days. Watch the Google provided video here.

While the additional information is striking for the end user it can be a web site owner's worst nightmare. Why? Well, Google's Related Places from their Place Page data is put front and center for your visitor to see. Now we are seeing what Google had planned for some of the information they recently stripped from their place pages.
Now, more than ever a businesses website better keep a visitor's attention. Right now, not all sites are seeing the extension pop up but in the local space it looks like it is the vast majority of sites are seeing the bar with this additional information. Even Wikipedia pages get the "related treatment".

Now the competition isn't just in the SERP's but it can come up on you're your own website! I liken it to being in a store that is running ads for their competitors on big screens while you try to shop at the store. Not ideal for a businesses in most cases.
Also, if you have a dicey history with reviews those little buggers can show up on your site in a manner of speaking. Once again, if this doesn't make an SMB get on the ball maybe nothing will.
It's important to remember that this information will not be ubiquitous because not everyone will be using these tools. For those that do, and let's face it most searchers who are tech savvy are influencers, it provides a whole new experience and a way to always be comparison shopping.
Not sure how I feel about this one yet. For the end user it could be like hitting the information jackpot while for a business it could be like a punch in the gut. Of course, there are all stops in between as well.
What's your take?

Yahoo, Facebook Team Up to Prove it's a Small World After All

Posted: 16 Aug 2011 01:15 PM PDT

If you've ever played the Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon game, then you already understand the mission of Yahoo's new initiative, "The Small World Experiment."
By teaming up with Facebook, Yahoo is attempting to prove that there is always less than six people between any two random people in the world.
Here's how it works. Go to Yahoo Research and click to become a Sender. You'll have to agree to some legalese, then you'll be matched up with a stranger. I was given a man with a tech background from Tel Aviv who now lives in France. Next, you choose one person from your Facebook friends whom you think is most likely to know or get you closer to this person. I went with the most globally-oriented person on my list since I know I have to cross an ocean to make this connection.
From there, you'll be asked to fill out some drop-downs regarding how you know the person and why you chose them. Then you send the message to your friend and hope that he doesn't break the chain. (You may include warnings of an evil curse if they do so.)
At some point, I imagine, I'll get a message saying whether or not I was successful. Eventually, Yahoo will let us all know if the Kevin Bacon theory works for the whole world or just Hollywood.

Marketing Pilgrim's Social Channel is proudly sponsored by Full Sail University, where you can earn your Masters of Science Degree in Internet Marketing in less than 2 years. Visit FullSail.edu for more information.

What does this have to do with marketing? A whole lot, actually. Social media marketing is based on the idea that connections grow exponentially as you move outward from the inner circle. If this study can prove that a housewife from Iowa can be connected to a professional gambler in Monte Carlo in less than six steps, then targeting becomes less important. It becomes a case of put it out there because you never know who is going to see it in the end.
Disney's been saying it for years and soon we may have the truth, that it is indeed a small world after all.

Small Gains for Small Business

Posted: 16 Aug 2011 12:52 PM PDT

Small business owners aren't optimistic about the future and they said so loud and clear this past July. The National Federation of Independent Business reports a larger than usual decline in their Optimism Index after what was already a downward spiral going back three months prior.
Given the state of the economy, their dim view isn't surprising but comScore has some good news to share. Over the last three quarters, small retailers have taken home a larger piece of the e-commerce pie.

Not a staggering gain, but at this point, any gain is good news and this is the first good news since they had a 37.2% share back in Q4 2009.
The top 25 retailers have a lot of advantages over the mom and pop shop. They move more goods so they can afford to offer lower prices and advertise more. What they don't have is personalized service and that's what's keeping the small retailer afloat.
For example. I've recently returned to scrapbooking. Three years ago, there were four scrapbook stores within twenty minutes of my house. They're all gone. So I head to the big box store – Michaels – where I was promptly overwhelmed. Then I found several small retailers online who put together kits. They match the paper to the stickers to the embellishments and I'm in. Even if I have to pay a little more because they did the hard work for me.
I also wonder how the demise of several large chains is affecting the balance between the Top 25 and the small retailer. Tall Mouse, the other large craft chain in my area is out of business leaving Michaels with no competition. Borders is nearly gone, leaving Barnes and Noble as the only big box option. There are a dozen large storefronts standing empty in my area. Mervyns, Circuit City, Blockbuster, you may not be mourning the loss but each of those stores represents twenty to fifty people that are now out of work. Those people now don't have the money to shop, the remaining stores lose money and so on and so on.
The Sunday LA Times had an article about a small shingle business who is in the black for the first time in a long time. They have so much business, the owner needs to hire more help but he's afraid to. The past has taught him that this upswing might be short-lived, so he struggles to get it all done shorthanded, which could result in bad customer service and, in turn, a loss of customers. It's a living example of the Optimism Index vs comScore's uplifting data. How do we get around that? How about a little Laws of Attraction. Believe that you'll always have as much money as you need and the universe will make it so, but having a good marketing plan doesn't hurt either.