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| Visible Technologies CEO Adam Selig on Online PR | ||||
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In this issue: 1. Visible Technologies CEO Adam Selig on Online PR 2. The Watercooler... this week's blog stories 3. UPDATE: Internet Statistics Compendium (September 2006) 4. REPORT: Web Analytics Buyer's Guide 2006 5. JOBS: Internet and e-commerce jobs 6. Top forum post: Site visits / online ad revenue generation 7. Top forum post: Contextual ad CPMs |
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| 1. Visible Technologies CEO Adam Selig on Online PR | ||||||
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WPP’s recent investment in reputation tracking firm Visible Technologies was a good sign that firms are recognising the huge impact blogs and social networking sites can have on their brands. We spoke to Visible's CEO Adam Selig about the risks and rewards of online PR campaigns, as well as what the ad giant’s investment will mean for his company. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- How well have PR companies and clients reacted to the challenges and opportunities of online PR? Until recently, not very well, but we have seen a real difference over the past year or two. More PR professionals, both on the agency and client side, are treating the web with the same level of importance as other mediums. A big factor has been some of the new tools and technologies that have made it easier for marketers to get more business intelligence out of what’s going on online, particularly in this ‘consumer-generated media’ space. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Can you name one stand-out example where online reputation monitoring and PR could have benefited a company or helped it avoid brand damage? Yes, I could give one example, but I think you have to look at this area from a number of different perspectives to see all of the possible benefits. Companies can protect and defend against those who might negatively target their brands by actively engaging in these communities. One example is Kryptonite, a manufacturer of bike locks, who was caught off guard when the online community raised issues about their products. The info quickly spread all over the web and then hit the traditional media outlets. Companies can also take a more positive, buzz building approach. One example here is New Line Cinema who found a unique way to tap into the online community to build momentum for its recent release of ‘Snakes on a Plane’. On opening weekend in the US, Snakes finished number 1 in the box office. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- What are the main tools and approaches firms should adopt for online reputation monitoring? From an approach standpoint, smart marketers know they must actively engage in the online medium. If they are only reactionary, then they will be overwhelmed with information when something occurs. To stay engaged and on top of the information, they can no longer use manual monitoring of the web. With consumers shifting their news consumption to the internet and the addition of the 50 million plus blogging community, it now takes a thorough understanding of the best techniques and technologies to help companies turn this data into actionable business intelligence. One of our solutions, TruView, allows companies to strengthen their brand image in search engines. This ensures that people going online will find the most accurate information about our clients and their brands. Without a proactive effort in this area, negative or untrue information may be seen by millions of consumers. In addition, information is evolving rapidly and companies need to compare service providers and look at firms that can mine the most data in the fastest possible fashion, so they act on it in real-time. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- How big an impact can blogs and online communities have on firms' bottom line, compared to TV, newspapers and other traditional media? Online communities, such as blogs, podcasts, consumer review sites, newsgroups, and other forms of consumer-generated media, can have an enormous impact on a company’s bottom line. Reports have shown that companies have either earned or lost millions of dollars (sometimes tens of millions) based on how they influenced perceptions in online communities. We believe that many companies are still learning this lesson the hard way, and we’ve only seen the tip of the iceberg on what’s coming down the line. That’s not to say that the other forms of mainstream media are not still important. Online is an incremental channel.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Why should firms choose a stand-alone agency for online monitoring, rather than an existing agency or their in-house PR department? While some agencies and in-house PR departments have skills in these areas, for the most part they have not or can not afford to make the ongoing technology and manpower investments needed to keep pace with the rapid changes in the online world. For example, just a few years ago we were monitoring just a few million sites and now we data mine twenty times that amount. Also, with the rise in popularity of new sites like YouTube and Facebook, new types of media must be tracked. A traditional agency or in-house department can not possibly keep up. Brands really need to partner with a firm, like Visible Technologies, that specialises in solving these challenges around-the-clock. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- What work are you already doing with WPP? It was only a few weeks ago that we announced our strategic partnership with WPP, and we are in the process of integrating our solutions into several of their brands. With that said, we have already helped provide solutions to a number of their client relationships through their public relations firms. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- How will you be using the WPP deal to expand your client base? WPP is a global communications firm and we already working hand-in-hand with many of their agencies to integrate our Internet solutions into their core product offerings. Our solutions, TruView (an online reputation management solution) and TruCast (a consumer generated media engagement solution), allow WPP’s agencies to strengthen their relationship with their clients by providing leading edge solutions in online brand management. Visible, in turn, gets high level introductions to clients who require our services. Our client base will grow if WPP agencies and their clients see the additional value of our service, and we believe they will. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Will you be working alongside the WPP/Liveworld joint venture? Eventually we plan to support as many of WPP’s partners as possible. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Is there a danger of a backlash against seeding on online communities? Social networking sites are incredibly smart. Companies and brand that do not engage in “real” conversations will be called out quickly and probably painfully. Our experience is that companies who understand their brand value and earnestly promote them in the space will be rewarded. Visible Technologies firmly believes that companies who “seed” these communities for pure publicity sake risk backlash, although we see that happening all the time. Everybody wins if the medium is used to engage in honest and open discussion. The most effective way to leverage a brand within social networking sites is to become part of the community and utilise the relationships to foster meaningful dialogue that will enhance your business goals. There’s nothing wrong with establishing a community on YouTube to support a new product or creative initiative. For instance, GM recently launched its own Flickr photo sharing account with tags on all their automotive product photos as a way to increase brand visibility. GM is being proactive in the space and doing so in an open and honest way. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Will you be using the investment for further product development? And do you have plans for a UK or European office? We are always working on product development with an eye on the future. We have specifically developed our solutions in Unicode so they can be utilised in all languages. As of June 2006, only 39% of all blogs and comments are in English and that percentage should continue to decline. Visible Technologies plans to be able to serve this global need, and with WPP headquartered in London, the UK and Europe are likely initial steps for our international plans. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Adam talked to Richard Maven ( richard@e-consultancy.com ). |
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| 2. The Watercooler... this week's blog stories | ||||||
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On the radar this week...
Business development strategies for digital agencies
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| 3. UPDATE: Internet Statistics Compendium (September 2006) | ||||||
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Our lovely guide to the facts and figures you need to know to help you win that pitch or build up a business case. New data on social networks, blogging, online retail spending, online user behaviour, and so on. 159 pages, 250+ sources. A real timesaver.
View White Paper / Report » |
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| 4. REPORT: Web Analytics Buyer's Guide 2006 | ||||||
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It's here, folks. E-consultancy's analysis and research of the web analytics sector will help you figure out how and whom to choose. Includes profiles of 17 web analytics vendors. 213 pages. A real time-saver, and highly useful to anybody evaluating analytics tools / companies.
View White Paper / Report » |
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| 6. Top forum post: Site visits / online ad revenue generation | ||||||
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"Is there a rule of thumb about the number of visits to a site required before one can seriously contemplate trying to encourage advertisers to place ads? I am just looking for very vague ideas, but appreciate that there are many variables at play..."
View Forum Message » |
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| 7. Top forum post: Contextual ad CPMs | ||||||
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"Hi can anyone give me a steer on what to pay for contextual ads and on what size of user base these would relate to?"
View Forum Message » |
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