MarketingInsideOut.com

Generally Google acts.  Others react.  So I find it intriguing to watch Google in reactive mode to rival Microsoft.

I discovered today that Google has added demographic targeting to AdWords in response to Microsoft U.S. beta launch last year of adCenter which received an A grade preview from Search Engine Lowdown (and is getting some good reviews from the pilot).  adCenter is reported to have fairly good demographic targeting abilities — with geo-targeting capability (allowing advertisers to focus efforts down to the local, city level); demographic targeting (by age and gender); time targeting (e.g., bidding a bit more during business hours); and bid matching (on exact, phrase and broad keyword matches). Two of the negatives: no content targeting, lack of Firefox compatibility.

Now, according to the AdWords help site, you can now “pick your preferences in up to three different demographic categories. The system will analyze your preferences and create a list of available Google Network sites that are popular with that audience.” Demographic site selection is currently available only for site-targeted accounts. Google is getting the data from comScore Media Metrix and is currently only available for targeting the U.S.

Hummm.   I guess we’ll have to watch the stats to see what happens.  According to Nielsen/NetRatings, as of December 05, Google controlled 48.8 percent of the search market, followed by Yahoo at 21.4 percent and MSN at 10.9 percent.  But I bet MSN is hoping adCenter will help it gain ground on Google and Yahoo.

It’s Monday Morning at the agency, you’re staring at your computer screen, but the words won’t come together.  Perhaps you’re self-conscious about not having done any research or “brainstorming” on your topic (Purdue University).  Or you feel pressure to be “perfect” for a new client, resulting in “fear of failure, self doubt, and depression” (Jean and Veryl Rosenbaum, The Writer’s Survival Guide). Maybe you’ve reached a “technical impasse…where you know something is wrong, but can’t identify it” (Michael Banks).  These are a few symptoms of writer’s block, a non-clinical condition sometimes faced by copywriters who toil in the vineyards of advertising and public relations.

Unlike the weekend hangover, which can be subdued with medication or a little “hair of the dog,” sufferers of Monday morning writer’s block who are desperate for a cure may look for ethereal remedies.  For example, one might evoke the patron saint of copywriters, Lucia of Syracuse, to provide inspiration.  You may recall Lucy as the saint whose memory was celebrated in the 1994 move, “The Ref,” by a dysfunctional family sitting around their Christmas dinner table with wreaths of lighted candles on their heads.

If wearing a headpiece of lighted candles doesn’t appeal to you, there’s always the patron saint of advertising and public relations – Bernadine of Siena (not Jerry Della Femina as many believe).  Bernadine was an Italian friar whose legendary powers of persuasion cast him forever in the role as protector and guardian of all those associated with advertising, public relations and uncontrolled gambling (http://www.catholic-forum.com/saints/patron00.htm). 

Absent divine intervention, there’s this worthwhile advice from Michael Banks in his “Two Ways to Block Writer’s Block”:

• Start another writing project.  This foils frustration over not accomplishing anything and gives you the break you need.
• Write the parts you know how to write first…you’ll eventually gain a viewpoint or an insight that will help you work out the problem.  At the same time you’ll avoid compounding your problems and extending the “block” with frustration.

And when deadlines permit, it’s always a good idea to “sleep on it.”  This approach allows you to come back the next day with a fresh perspective and renewed enthusiasm for the project.  Plus, you don’t end up with melted candle wax in your hair.

Funny cuz it seems all too plausible.

Check out the film short at IFilm. 

It’s worth watching.

It’s going on two hours in the meeting when an aroma floats through the room…all heads turn in a pavlovian response, “I smell cookies!  Who’s got ‘em?  You gonna share?”

“No really I don’t have cookies, it’s my phone.”  Yes…really.

First there were ringtones. And if those weren’t annoying enough…now there’s smelltones. 

A Japanese company, Ketai Kun Kun, has developed small aroma packets that attach to customized cell phones. When you receive a call or get an email,  a “micro scent generator” attached to the phone triggers a burst of fragrance. So, instead of hearing that ringtone, you smell it.

I can just see the marketing implications, can’t you? A whole new industry could emerge…scentvertising.  At 11:30 am you get a text message promotion from the chicken joint on the corner complete with the smell of roast chicken to entice you.  For me, certain scents have always triggered memories and apparently there’s a scientific backing to smell and memory. 

What’s next…