Gasta Shopping Channel record sales for July :
Did you know that a whopping 83% of consumers say that customer reviews influence their online purchasing decisions? Or that... 70% of online shoppers actively seek out customer reviews before they buy
More than half of US online shoppers surveyed, read user reviews as part of their product research
Nearly 9 of 10 US online buyers read reviews at least "some of the time" before making a purchase
Friday, 21 August 2009
Wednesday, 19 August 2009
Gasta SearchMatch model proving a winner in Downturn
Gasta SearchMatch time slots proving classic traditional models work best
Search engine optimization is the practice of targeting the search engines with keyword-rich content so that your blog posts, web pages, and other online content has a chance to rank well for the keywords and concepts that are important for your business. But how do you do it? Gasta.com has developed a simple anti click abuse systems that goes back to the traditional web value. Pay for a first place listing.
Modern Day SEO is not easy, even if you know how to write search engine friendly content, you have to compete against other businesses in your niche targeting the same keywords. You could try to find the gaps in the market and target those keywords that no one else is going after. But are those keywords valuable? That’s a decision you have to make.
The key to optimizing your web pages simply,are to find the Gasta keywords that are just right for your business. They may or may not be the most valuable keywords for your niche, but they are the perfect fit for your business and the customers you want to target. Then, once you identify the perfect keywords, you build pages that are designed to rank well and deliver targeted traffic to those pages consistently.
With Gasta.com there is no PPC so therefore no click spam, every click is already paid for in your time slot, time slots run for 3 months, 6 months, or one year.
The time slots allow marketers to have a summer campaign or a winter campaign, for intsance you could target the music festival season, or christmas. This model was developed by gasta.com in the late nineties to better organise and manage ad revenues.The model has won great recognition and developed Gasta.com as a great brand. Now with an online shopping channel and a great video search all of which have there own advertising platform in SearchMatch the sky is the limit.
Search engine optimization is the practice of targeting the search engines with keyword-rich content so that your blog posts, web pages, and other online content has a chance to rank well for the keywords and concepts that are important for your business. But how do you do it? Gasta.com has developed a simple anti click abuse systems that goes back to the traditional web value. Pay for a first place listing.
Modern Day SEO is not easy, even if you know how to write search engine friendly content, you have to compete against other businesses in your niche targeting the same keywords. You could try to find the gaps in the market and target those keywords that no one else is going after. But are those keywords valuable? That’s a decision you have to make.
The key to optimizing your web pages simply,are to find the Gasta keywords that are just right for your business. They may or may not be the most valuable keywords for your niche, but they are the perfect fit for your business and the customers you want to target. Then, once you identify the perfect keywords, you build pages that are designed to rank well and deliver targeted traffic to those pages consistently.
With Gasta.com there is no PPC so therefore no click spam, every click is already paid for in your time slot, time slots run for 3 months, 6 months, or one year.
The time slots allow marketers to have a summer campaign or a winter campaign, for intsance you could target the music festival season, or christmas. This model was developed by gasta.com in the late nineties to better organise and manage ad revenues.The model has won great recognition and developed Gasta.com as a great brand. Now with an online shopping channel and a great video search all of which have there own advertising platform in SearchMatch the sky is the limit.
Sunday, 9 August 2009
FAQ on Gasta white label solution
FAQ on Gasta white label solution
How will our branded site receive traffic?
a) Case 1 - A new domain with no existing traffic or index on Google
· As a Gasta Partner you will be connected with 200 active sites on the Gasta Network that have over 110,000 indexed pages in Google
· Our network will cross promote you internally across all our sites (http://gasta.com/ads/adnetwork)
· Gasta serves between 250k to 500k searches a day <-- We will push you domain
· You domain will be picked up and indexed on Google within 24-72 hours of launching
· Case example Gasta.cn <- when initially launched it was index with over 12,000 pages on Google with 6 weeks
b) Case 2 - Existing domain
· You can bring in an existing domain
· As previous applies.
Will we need to SEO the site our selves
· No, our sites are completely SEO optimised using our platform. The only thing we start out doing is creating a dictionary of keywords that describe your site (see - baroneracing.com HomePage) - this leverages and helps search engines both understand and create an index for you site.
· Our system takes care of the rest - for example Google SiteMaps, Meta Titles etc.
· We can provide you with a complete admin interface that allows you to tweak and add keywords and SEO mark-up or we can care-take this for you.
Who will host it?
· We can will host it - however we can offer to install the site on your own server if you wish.
Can we customize the links on the home page
a) Standard implementation (eg. baroneracing.com or gasta.com)
· Yes, the home page is completely customisable.
· The standard layout will allow you to change the keywords (tabbed directory) and ALL text on the home page.
· This is controlled from your admin area, or care-taken by our support team.
b) Custom implementation
· We can 100% create a customised homepage for you - alternative designs or new features as you request
Will there be adsense ads in our result page
· You can turn ads on and off via the control panel.
· If you wish to have adsense (or any other simliar third party ads) you can control them from you control panel.
· Your ads, your revenue, your option.
Note: On Ads
· The Gasta White Label has it's own version of adsense built in. We call these 'InstantAds' and 'SearchMatch'.
· Using the example http://gasta.com/Search/casino
o Draw you focus to the top left logo and the grey bar - directly below this is 'SearchMatch'.
o Now to the right column and at the top - notice your ad - this is 'InstantAds'.
· You can control the number of ads you wish to display in each unit via the admin.
· Both ad types can cross pollinate with each other.
· The Ad scope (this is how the system decides what ads to be displayed) can be set to 'exact' or 'universal'
o 'exact' is a direct keyword or contextual match
o 'universal' - display an exact match first (if available) and always display 'ad stock' regardless.
In addition
· You can sell you ad space if desired directly.
· You can create your own network of related sites.
· You can export you ads to existing sites (similar to Google Adsense)
· We can sell ad space for you.
· Turn the feature off.
I would suggest that the ads system be filled with a library of your corporate and associated network services and set to universally be displayed.
Gasta white label solution comes in three partnered solutions.
Basic
· We retain control of all Ads and Revenue including Google, SearchMatch, InstantAds and other third party campaigns
· Only the logo and keywords can be customised
· Branding and Copyright remains as part of the Gasta Network
Partnered
· As part of the Gasta Search Network all advertising revenue sold to third parties via your domain is split evenly on SearchMatch & InstantAds.
· All third party advert revenue (eg. Google Adsense, Trade Doubler etc.) on your site is 100% is retained by your company.
· You will receive a 50% discount on all adverts you place across the entire Gasta Network.
· Ad revenue sharing is completely optional. You may turn the ad system off.
· Initial set-up cost
Dedicated
· 100% Control of Ad system and 100% retained Advertising revenue
· 100% Branding as Your Company
· Create your own Exclusive Ad Network and Ad Content.
In addition we can provide you with a completely bespoke design. We can offer to redesign the home page or results page to suit your company needs.
How will our branded site receive traffic?
a) Case 1 - A new domain with no existing traffic or index on Google
· As a Gasta Partner you will be connected with 200 active sites on the Gasta Network that have over 110,000 indexed pages in Google
· Our network will cross promote you internally across all our sites (http://gasta.com/ads/adnetwork)
· Gasta serves between 250k to 500k searches a day <-- We will push you domain
· You domain will be picked up and indexed on Google within 24-72 hours of launching
· Case example Gasta.cn <- when initially launched it was index with over 12,000 pages on Google with 6 weeks
b) Case 2 - Existing domain
· You can bring in an existing domain
· As previous applies.
Will we need to SEO the site our selves
· No, our sites are completely SEO optimised using our platform. The only thing we start out doing is creating a dictionary of keywords that describe your site (see - baroneracing.com HomePage) - this leverages and helps search engines both understand and create an index for you site.
· Our system takes care of the rest - for example Google SiteMaps, Meta Titles etc.
· We can provide you with a complete admin interface that allows you to tweak and add keywords and SEO mark-up or we can care-take this for you.
Who will host it?
· We can will host it - however we can offer to install the site on your own server if you wish.
Can we customize the links on the home page
a) Standard implementation (eg. baroneracing.com or gasta.com)
· Yes, the home page is completely customisable.
· The standard layout will allow you to change the keywords (tabbed directory) and ALL text on the home page.
· This is controlled from your admin area, or care-taken by our support team.
b) Custom implementation
· We can 100% create a customised homepage for you - alternative designs or new features as you request
Will there be adsense ads in our result page
· You can turn ads on and off via the control panel.
· If you wish to have adsense (or any other simliar third party ads) you can control them from you control panel.
· Your ads, your revenue, your option.
Note: On Ads
· The Gasta White Label has it's own version of adsense built in. We call these 'InstantAds' and 'SearchMatch'.
· Using the example http://gasta.com/Search/casino
o Draw you focus to the top left logo and the grey bar - directly below this is 'SearchMatch'.
o Now to the right column and at the top - notice your ad - this is 'InstantAds'.
· You can control the number of ads you wish to display in each unit via the admin.
· Both ad types can cross pollinate with each other.
· The Ad scope (this is how the system decides what ads to be displayed) can be set to 'exact' or 'universal'
o 'exact' is a direct keyword or contextual match
o 'universal' - display an exact match first (if available) and always display 'ad stock' regardless.
In addition
· You can sell you ad space if desired directly.
· You can create your own network of related sites.
· You can export you ads to existing sites (similar to Google Adsense)
· We can sell ad space for you.
· Turn the feature off.
I would suggest that the ads system be filled with a library of your corporate and associated network services and set to universally be displayed.
Gasta white label solution comes in three partnered solutions.
Basic
· We retain control of all Ads and Revenue including Google, SearchMatch, InstantAds and other third party campaigns
· Only the logo and keywords can be customised
· Branding and Copyright remains as part of the Gasta Network
Partnered
· As part of the Gasta Search Network all advertising revenue sold to third parties via your domain is split evenly on SearchMatch & InstantAds.
· All third party advert revenue (eg. Google Adsense, Trade Doubler etc.) on your site is 100% is retained by your company.
· You will receive a 50% discount on all adverts you place across the entire Gasta Network.
· Ad revenue sharing is completely optional. You may turn the ad system off.
· Initial set-up cost
Dedicated
· 100% Control of Ad system and 100% retained Advertising revenue
· 100% Branding as Your Company
· Create your own Exclusive Ad Network and Ad Content.
In addition we can provide you with a completely bespoke design. We can offer to redesign the home page or results page to suit your company needs.
Saturday, 8 August 2009
Gasta web 2.0
About Gasta
Started in Belfast, Northern Ireland in 1998 Gasta is a global search engine and web directory. Translated into six Languages, Gasta has now launched search engines in Spanish, Italian, Japanese, Chinese, French, & German,
Gasta has now launched SearchMatch paid inclusion programs for all 400 of its search engines and sees paid listings as the future of Internet marketing enabling and empowering advertisers to bid on niche contextual Keywords and phrases that are directly related to their business. Gasta organic growth of traffic extends the long tail of keywords and adds added value to all our client campaigns.
Platform
Gasta is written in MVC Asp.net, C#, and XML, Jscript,
Social Marketing Services
Gasta now offers the ability to share web search results, videos, news items, images, and Blogs with your chosen social networking partner site, Gasta now has social marketing links with FaceBook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Stumbleupon, Bebo, and Digg. This service not only offers an added value to our users but also greatly assists our advertisers with their social marketing and brand awareness campaigns.
Geo Targeting
Gasta automatically includes effective Geo Targeting of advertising across regions so the user searching in Dublin receives adverts from Dublin and UK Regions and the user searching in New York receives inventory from USA regions.
More than 97% of gasta.com users live and/or work in the regional search areas the index is aimed at. This offers an extremely focused way of targeting prospective customers. Localize to globalize. With Gasta.com you the advertiser only pay for the traffic you receive. Gasta.com has a unique featured Site scheme allows you to directly gear expenditure to traffic. This is the most cost effective method with no wasted clicks.
Diverse User Base
Gasta.com search results are rendered by a network of Search Partners ranging from major Internet brands to organizations who specifically address the Region. Gasta has also implemented social marketing tools on all search results to share video, news, images, blogs, and web results as well as the actual SearchMatch ad itself. A unique service for a search engine.
Gasta.com has a more focussed appeal because it is targeted directly to a local audience
Ad Management
24/7 Ad Campaign Management access your account and manage your listings 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, with the gasta.com Management and bid System
Gasta white Label solution
The Gasta Hosted white label solution can be launched in a matter of minutes and offers a variety of solutions and ad platforms to Partners. These search engines can start earning revenues as soon as they are launched with a variety of monetisation features such as preloaded Google Adsense and SearchMatch and InstantAds platforms. Gasta has now launched white label partner sites in India, USA, and Australia. We are currently seeking regional partners in China, Singapore, and Latin America.
Partners
Gasta partners include:
Services: Microsoft Bing, Google, Miva, ABC Search, Adify, BT, Mirago UK, Admeld, Adconion,
Social Marketing: LinkedIn, FaceBook, Twitter, Digg, Stumbleupon, Bebo,
Content : BBC, Irish Times, Irish News, Belfastmedia group, FlashSeek,
Francis Higgins
bizz@amiwired.com
Started in Belfast, Northern Ireland in 1998 Gasta is a global search engine and web directory. Translated into six Languages, Gasta has now launched search engines in Spanish, Italian, Japanese, Chinese, French, & German,
Gasta has now launched SearchMatch paid inclusion programs for all 400 of its search engines and sees paid listings as the future of Internet marketing enabling and empowering advertisers to bid on niche contextual Keywords and phrases that are directly related to their business. Gasta organic growth of traffic extends the long tail of keywords and adds added value to all our client campaigns.
Platform
Gasta is written in MVC Asp.net, C#, and XML, Jscript,
Social Marketing Services
Gasta now offers the ability to share web search results, videos, news items, images, and Blogs with your chosen social networking partner site, Gasta now has social marketing links with FaceBook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Stumbleupon, Bebo, and Digg. This service not only offers an added value to our users but also greatly assists our advertisers with their social marketing and brand awareness campaigns.
Geo Targeting
Gasta automatically includes effective Geo Targeting of advertising across regions so the user searching in Dublin receives adverts from Dublin and UK Regions and the user searching in New York receives inventory from USA regions.
More than 97% of gasta.com users live and/or work in the regional search areas the index is aimed at. This offers an extremely focused way of targeting prospective customers. Localize to globalize. With Gasta.com you the advertiser only pay for the traffic you receive. Gasta.com has a unique featured Site scheme allows you to directly gear expenditure to traffic. This is the most cost effective method with no wasted clicks.
Diverse User Base
Gasta.com search results are rendered by a network of Search Partners ranging from major Internet brands to organizations who specifically address the Region. Gasta has also implemented social marketing tools on all search results to share video, news, images, blogs, and web results as well as the actual SearchMatch ad itself. A unique service for a search engine.
Gasta.com has a more focussed appeal because it is targeted directly to a local audience
Ad Management
24/7 Ad Campaign Management access your account and manage your listings 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, with the gasta.com Management and bid System
Gasta white Label solution
The Gasta Hosted white label solution can be launched in a matter of minutes and offers a variety of solutions and ad platforms to Partners. These search engines can start earning revenues as soon as they are launched with a variety of monetisation features such as preloaded Google Adsense and SearchMatch and InstantAds platforms. Gasta has now launched white label partner sites in India, USA, and Australia. We are currently seeking regional partners in China, Singapore, and Latin America.
Partners
Gasta partners include:
Services: Microsoft Bing, Google, Miva, ABC Search, Adify, BT, Mirago UK, Admeld, Adconion,
Social Marketing: LinkedIn, FaceBook, Twitter, Digg, Stumbleupon, Bebo,
Content : BBC, Irish Times, Irish News, Belfastmedia group, FlashSeek,
Francis Higgins
bizz@amiwired.com
Friday, 7 August 2009
Gasta SearchMatch
Your Customers Are Online: Can They Find Your Website?
The search world is fluid; keywords, rankings, links and more change everyday, and define your brands online success or failure. Help your customers find your products and services by effectively promoting your online brand with proven techniques. A recent Datran Media survey found 57% of marketing executives identified search marketing as one of the strongest advertising mediums for their company. Another 54% indicated that they have increased budgets for search while decreasing offline and direct marketing efforts.
Gasta SearchMatch™ now offering the best value for European keyword advertising across 200+ internet search engines. Get your niche targeted keywords now with a unique Instant Ad Free/
Social Marketing Services
Gasta now offers the ability to share web search results, videos, news items, images, and Blogs with your chosen social networking partner site, Gasta now has social marketing links with FaceBook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Stumbleupon, Bebo, and Digg. This service not only offers an added value to our users but also greatly assists our advertisers with their social marketing and brand awareness campaigns.
The search world is fluid; keywords, rankings, links and more change everyday, and define your brands online success or failure. Help your customers find your products and services by effectively promoting your online brand with proven techniques. A recent Datran Media survey found 57% of marketing executives identified search marketing as one of the strongest advertising mediums for their company. Another 54% indicated that they have increased budgets for search while decreasing offline and direct marketing efforts.
Gasta SearchMatch™ now offering the best value for European keyword advertising across 200+ internet search engines. Get your niche targeted keywords now with a unique Instant Ad Free/
Social Marketing Services
Gasta now offers the ability to share web search results, videos, news items, images, and Blogs with your chosen social networking partner site, Gasta now has social marketing links with FaceBook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Stumbleupon, Bebo, and Digg. This service not only offers an added value to our users but also greatly assists our advertisers with their social marketing and brand awareness campaigns.
Gasta SearchMatch
Your Customers Are Online: Can They Find Your Website?
The search world is fluid; keywords, rankings, links and more change everyday, and define your brands online success or failure. Help your customers find your products and services by effectively promoting your online brand with proven techniques. A recent Datran Media survey found 57% of marketing executives identified search marketing as one of the strongest advertising mediums for their company. Another 54% indicated that they have increased budgets for search while decreasing offline and direct marketing efforts.
Gasta SearchMatch™ now offering the best value for European keyword advertising across 200+ internet search engines. Get your niche targeted keywords now with a unique Instant Ad Free/
Social Marketing Services
Gasta now offers the ability to share web search results, videos, news items, images, and Blogs with your chosen social networking partner site, Gasta now has social marketing links with FaceBook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Stumbleupon, Bebo, and Digg. This service not only offers an added value to our users but also greatly assists our advertisers with their social marketing and brand awareness campaigns.
The search world is fluid; keywords, rankings, links and more change everyday, and define your brands online success or failure. Help your customers find your products and services by effectively promoting your online brand with proven techniques. A recent Datran Media survey found 57% of marketing executives identified search marketing as one of the strongest advertising mediums for their company. Another 54% indicated that they have increased budgets for search while decreasing offline and direct marketing efforts.
Gasta SearchMatch™ now offering the best value for European keyword advertising across 200+ internet search engines. Get your niche targeted keywords now with a unique Instant Ad Free/
Social Marketing Services
Gasta now offers the ability to share web search results, videos, news items, images, and Blogs with your chosen social networking partner site, Gasta now has social marketing links with FaceBook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Stumbleupon, Bebo, and Digg. This service not only offers an added value to our users but also greatly assists our advertisers with their social marketing and brand awareness campaigns.
Monday, 3 August 2009
Gasta.com: Using Long Tail Keywords to Your Advantage
Gasta.com: Using Long Tail Keywords to Your Advantage
A keyword is a simple word or phrase that is typed into the search engine by a user looking for information. For example if a searcher was looking for information on family photography tips, they might use some of the following common search terms.
"family photography photography tips taking photos"
If you used a keyword research tool like Wordtracker, you would discover that these phrases are very popular search terms. In fact, if you built a web page that focused on any of the keywords above, you would have a very difficult time ranking in the top 10 on Google's search results page?
Why? Because the competition for general keywords can be fierce. Keyword competition is defined using the term Supply. If a keyword phrase as a high supply, it means that there are many web pages out there that are using this keyword. The higher the supply, the more the competition.
Long Tail Keywords are simply the longer and more targeted phrases that people type into the search engines. In our photography keyword example above, we looked at a few very general competitive keywords. Here are some long tail keywords relating to photography.
"night time photography tips eliminate blinking from photos removing red eye from photos"
Do you see the difference? Long tail keywords are much more targeted to a specific sub topic. The nice thing about discovering long tail keywords in your particular niche is that they typically have a much lower level of competition, so it is easier to rank in the top ten in the search engine results.
Another advantage is that long tail keywords bring in much more targeted traffic. While the keyword 'family photography' may be a very competitive keyword for photography sites, the traffic brought in by such a keyword will be pretty broad.
By comparison, someone finding your site through the long tail keyword 'eliminate blinking from photos' is looking for specific information. If you can provide that information, you stand a much better chance of building trust and confidence with this visitor and converting them to a newsletter signup, registration or purchase.
Someone that gets to your site via a long tail keyword is typically ready to pull the trigger on some type of purchase or action. We say that they are "late" in their buying cycle. In addition, you'll find it easier to achieve a top ten ranking at the search engines for long tail keywords.
By sprinkling them into your page copy, you are more likely to pull in traffic that converts at a higher rate. The downside is that long tail phrases will typically not generate the high traffic numbers of more general keywords. But remember, the more general keywords are much more competitive.
If you use an analytics package like Google Analytics, you'll actually be able to see the types of long tail keywords that people typed in to get to your site. While long tail keywords can make up 50% or more of your traffic, many of them will only be one-time traffic generators.
So then, is it possible to research and target long tail keywords when writing your web pages? The answer is 'yes' and 'no.'
First off, if you write good original content that is genuinely helpful to your target market, you'll automatically weave in long tail keywords without even trying. As your page content grows, visitors will get to your site through more and more of these long tail phrases. In other words, the tail will grow longer and longer. In fact, you'll find visitors getting to your site using search phrases that you would have never thought of yourself. This is the value of focusing each of your content pages on a specific topic that provides valuable information to a narrow target audience.
Read Long Tail Keywords for additional tips on using the long tail to rank higher in the search engines and generate targeted traffic.
All hail the long tail!
A keyword is a simple word or phrase that is typed into the search engine by a user looking for information. For example if a searcher was looking for information on family photography tips, they might use some of the following common search terms.
"family photography photography tips taking photos"
If you used a keyword research tool like Wordtracker, you would discover that these phrases are very popular search terms. In fact, if you built a web page that focused on any of the keywords above, you would have a very difficult time ranking in the top 10 on Google's search results page?
Why? Because the competition for general keywords can be fierce. Keyword competition is defined using the term Supply. If a keyword phrase as a high supply, it means that there are many web pages out there that are using this keyword. The higher the supply, the more the competition.
Long Tail Keywords are simply the longer and more targeted phrases that people type into the search engines. In our photography keyword example above, we looked at a few very general competitive keywords. Here are some long tail keywords relating to photography.
"night time photography tips eliminate blinking from photos removing red eye from photos"
Do you see the difference? Long tail keywords are much more targeted to a specific sub topic. The nice thing about discovering long tail keywords in your particular niche is that they typically have a much lower level of competition, so it is easier to rank in the top ten in the search engine results.
Another advantage is that long tail keywords bring in much more targeted traffic. While the keyword 'family photography' may be a very competitive keyword for photography sites, the traffic brought in by such a keyword will be pretty broad.
By comparison, someone finding your site through the long tail keyword 'eliminate blinking from photos' is looking for specific information. If you can provide that information, you stand a much better chance of building trust and confidence with this visitor and converting them to a newsletter signup, registration or purchase.
Someone that gets to your site via a long tail keyword is typically ready to pull the trigger on some type of purchase or action. We say that they are "late" in their buying cycle. In addition, you'll find it easier to achieve a top ten ranking at the search engines for long tail keywords.
By sprinkling them into your page copy, you are more likely to pull in traffic that converts at a higher rate. The downside is that long tail phrases will typically not generate the high traffic numbers of more general keywords. But remember, the more general keywords are much more competitive.
If you use an analytics package like Google Analytics, you'll actually be able to see the types of long tail keywords that people typed in to get to your site. While long tail keywords can make up 50% or more of your traffic, many of them will only be one-time traffic generators.
So then, is it possible to research and target long tail keywords when writing your web pages? The answer is 'yes' and 'no.'
First off, if you write good original content that is genuinely helpful to your target market, you'll automatically weave in long tail keywords without even trying. As your page content grows, visitors will get to your site through more and more of these long tail phrases. In other words, the tail will grow longer and longer. In fact, you'll find visitors getting to your site using search phrases that you would have never thought of yourself. This is the value of focusing each of your content pages on a specific topic that provides valuable information to a narrow target audience.
Read Long Tail Keywords for additional tips on using the long tail to rank higher in the search engines and generate targeted traffic.
All hail the long tail!
Friday, 24 July 2009
5min Raises $7.5 Million to Fuel its Video Syndication Network
Globespan Capital Partners and Spark Capital Invest in Series B Financing
NEW YORK, July 23 /PRNewswire/ --( )5min (www.5min.com), the leading syndication platform and destination for vertically focused broadband lifestyle, instructional and knowledge videos, today announced that it has secured $7.5 million in Series B financing. Led by new investor, Globespan Capital Partners, the round also includes existing investor, Spark Capital. Globespan Managing Director Jonathan Seelig will join 5min's Board of Directors.
5min syndicates its content through its semantic video engine, VideoSeed, and its proprietary video player to websites such as Answers, wikiHow, Wikia and Articlesbase and hundreds of vertical sites. The 5min platform collectively reaches a potential audience of over 200 million monthly unique visitors, and of this group, 14 million people watch at least one video per month. 5min has also built a multi-vertical content library of over 100,000 professionally produced videos through partnership with media companies such as Hearst Corporation's UGO Entertainment, Elle, Car & Driver, The Doctors, Pet Side, Britannica, Ford Models, Kiplinger, Big Think, WatchMojo, Road & Track, Woman's Day and more.
"While 5min has become the largest 'how-to' video destination site," says Ran Harnevo, CEO and co-founder of 5min, "we've also developed the only video platform that leverages a huge category-specific library to semantically syndicate the most relevant content to passionate audiences across the Web, wherever they exist. We provide every site publisher with professionally produced content, a video technology platform, and a full video monetization solution - all in one free offering."
With the financing, 5min will continue to grow its VideoSeed Semantic Syndication platform, which allows virtually any Web property to inject contextually relevant content, and a source of revenue from day one. The platform essentially creates scalable TV channels for brand-safe content across major categories--including, business, food, health, home, garden, sports, technology, travel and more--and will continue to scale with the new round of capital.
"5min is 2009's answer to the impact of cable on broadcast TV in the 1970s and 1980s, bringing advertisers the opportunity to sell into specific categories with ads that reach an engaged vertical audience across a wide range of Web sites in a single purchase," said Seelig. "A brand can essentially sponsor an entire niche of targeted, enthusiastic consumers."
"5min has beaten all of its milestones since we led the A Round, which include rapid growth in revenue, video views and syndication and content partners," said Spark Capital General Partner Alex Finkelstein. "We are very pleased to have Globespan and Jonathan Seelig join Spark as investors in 5min."
About 5min
5min is the leading syndication platform for lifestyle, knowledge and instructional videos, reaching over 200 million monthly unique visitors. As a destination site, 5min.com is the top "how-to" video site with more than 3.5 million unique visitors each month. 5min's library features short-form videos from some of the world's largest media companies as well as the most innovative independent producers. Video recipes, yoga and fitness routines, tech tutorials, DIY projects for home and garden, health videos on specific conditions, beauty and fashion tips, video game walk-throughs and much more. Go to http://solutions.5min.com for more information.
About Globespan Capital Partners
http://www.gasta.co.uk/Search/5min Partners is a leading global venture capital firm with over $1 Billion under active management. Globespan takes a balanced approach to investing with multi-stage investments in information technology and cleantech companies. Our investment team has a proven track record based on partnering with management teams to build strong, successful companies. We have significant experience and relationships in Asia which allows us to provide our portfolio companies access to global markets. With offices in Boston, Palo Alto and Tokyo, we invest in companies all across the U.S. and in Japan on behalf of a global base of limited partners. More information about Globespan Capital Partners is located online at www.globespancapital.com.
About Spark Capital
Spark Capital is a venture capital firm with investments focusing on the conflux of the media, entertainment and technology industries. The partners of Spark Capital carry diverse expertise in media and technology industries with proven track records identifying and actively building market-leading companies in sectors including infrastructure (Qtera, RiverDelta, Aether Systems, Broadbus and BigBand), networks (College Sports Television, TVONE and XCOM) services (Akamai, thePlatform, Admeld) and digital media (Twitter, Boxee, 5min). With a deep network that spans technology and media, investing and operations, Spark Capital provides world-class entrepreneurs and revolutionary companies with the resources to succeed in today's marketplace. Spark Capital has $622 million under management, and is based in Boston, Mass. To learn more, visit www.sparkcapital.com.
NEW YORK, July 23 /PRNewswire/ --( )5min (www.5min.com), the leading syndication platform and destination for vertically focused broadband lifestyle, instructional and knowledge videos, today announced that it has secured $7.5 million in Series B financing. Led by new investor, Globespan Capital Partners, the round also includes existing investor, Spark Capital. Globespan Managing Director Jonathan Seelig will join 5min's Board of Directors.
5min syndicates its content through its semantic video engine, VideoSeed, and its proprietary video player to websites such as Answers, wikiHow, Wikia and Articlesbase and hundreds of vertical sites. The 5min platform collectively reaches a potential audience of over 200 million monthly unique visitors, and of this group, 14 million people watch at least one video per month. 5min has also built a multi-vertical content library of over 100,000 professionally produced videos through partnership with media companies such as Hearst Corporation's UGO Entertainment, Elle, Car & Driver, The Doctors, Pet Side, Britannica, Ford Models, Kiplinger, Big Think, WatchMojo, Road & Track, Woman's Day and more.
"While 5min has become the largest 'how-to' video destination site," says Ran Harnevo, CEO and co-founder of 5min, "we've also developed the only video platform that leverages a huge category-specific library to semantically syndicate the most relevant content to passionate audiences across the Web, wherever they exist. We provide every site publisher with professionally produced content, a video technology platform, and a full video monetization solution - all in one free offering."
With the financing, 5min will continue to grow its VideoSeed Semantic Syndication platform, which allows virtually any Web property to inject contextually relevant content, and a source of revenue from day one. The platform essentially creates scalable TV channels for brand-safe content across major categories--including, business, food, health, home, garden, sports, technology, travel and more--and will continue to scale with the new round of capital.
"5min is 2009's answer to the impact of cable on broadcast TV in the 1970s and 1980s, bringing advertisers the opportunity to sell into specific categories with ads that reach an engaged vertical audience across a wide range of Web sites in a single purchase," said Seelig. "A brand can essentially sponsor an entire niche of targeted, enthusiastic consumers."
"5min has beaten all of its milestones since we led the A Round, which include rapid growth in revenue, video views and syndication and content partners," said Spark Capital General Partner Alex Finkelstein. "We are very pleased to have Globespan and Jonathan Seelig join Spark as investors in 5min."
About 5min
5min is the leading syndication platform for lifestyle, knowledge and instructional videos, reaching over 200 million monthly unique visitors. As a destination site, 5min.com is the top "how-to" video site with more than 3.5 million unique visitors each month. 5min's library features short-form videos from some of the world's largest media companies as well as the most innovative independent producers. Video recipes, yoga and fitness routines, tech tutorials, DIY projects for home and garden, health videos on specific conditions, beauty and fashion tips, video game walk-throughs and much more. Go to http://solutions.5min.com for more information.
About Globespan Capital Partners
http://www.gasta.co.uk/Search/5min Partners is a leading global venture capital firm with over $1 Billion under active management. Globespan takes a balanced approach to investing with multi-stage investments in information technology and cleantech companies. Our investment team has a proven track record based on partnering with management teams to build strong, successful companies. We have significant experience and relationships in Asia which allows us to provide our portfolio companies access to global markets. With offices in Boston, Palo Alto and Tokyo, we invest in companies all across the U.S. and in Japan on behalf of a global base of limited partners. More information about Globespan Capital Partners is located online at www.globespancapital.com.
About Spark Capital
Spark Capital is a venture capital firm with investments focusing on the conflux of the media, entertainment and technology industries. The partners of Spark Capital carry diverse expertise in media and technology industries with proven track records identifying and actively building market-leading companies in sectors including infrastructure (Qtera, RiverDelta, Aether Systems, Broadbus and BigBand), networks (College Sports Television, TVONE and XCOM) services (Akamai, thePlatform, Admeld) and digital media (Twitter, Boxee, 5min). With a deep network that spans technology and media, investing and operations, Spark Capital provides world-class entrepreneurs and revolutionary companies with the resources to succeed in today's marketplace. Spark Capital has $622 million under management, and is based in Boston, Mass. To learn more, visit www.sparkcapital.com.
Talking to your teen about dating
Talking to your teen about dating
Dating is an important aspect that you need to deal with while parenting your teen. You need to share a friendly relationship with your teen so that he or she is willing to listen to your advice regarding dating. When you see the indicators that your teen is ready for dating, have a talk with him on the subject, and consider a few important points before you broach the topic.
The following tips may help you talk to your teen effectively about dating:
1. Choose a good time to talk to your teen when you are in a good mood, and so is he, and both have sufficient time at hand.
2. Do not give the impression that you are going to preach some lecture on morality. Be a friend to your teen and arouse his or her keenness and interest to discuss the subject with you.
3. Communicate to your teen that a discussion does not mean a license to go ahead and date. Let him or her know that your discussion is meant to reassure both of you that you have correct ideas and information about dating.
4. Inform the advantages and disadvantages of dating, in terms of the monetary costs involved, the amount of time that will be required for it, and the positive benefits of dating too and understanding the opposite sex more closely.
5. Make it clear to your teen that dating or any other activity must not be pursued merely because “others are doing it, so I too must do it.” One must take an individual stand on everything, and go according to one’s own thoughts on such issues.
6. Convey to your teen that like with all privileges, dating too comes along with a sense of responsibility. The family values and social values and practices must be held high in anything that you do, including dating.
7. Be an active listener, and allow your teen to respond to your advice. Allow him or her to ask questions, make comments and come out with any thoughts freely so that you can address the issue more clearly for the teen.
8. Let your teen know that you are solidly behind him or her in everything. Assure your teen that in case any difficulty or problem that may arise, he or she must have the confidence to share the situation with you, instead of hiding it and complicating the matter beyond control.
9. Discuss sex frankly during your talk on dating. There is no advantage in avoiding the issue, and rather educate your teen about the perils of sexual diseases and unwanted pregnancies.
10. Overall, let your teen understand that dating is normal, natural and pure fun. With some thoughtfulness, teens can enjoy dating creatively and have lots of healthy fun that they actually deserve.
BIO: Bizymoms has been helping women work at home for over a decade and now provides information on everyday matters and important issues. Our People and Relationships section provides you with information and tips on keeping all of your relationships thriving.
Dating is an important aspect that you need to deal with while parenting your teen. You need to share a friendly relationship with your teen so that he or she is willing to listen to your advice regarding dating. When you see the indicators that your teen is ready for dating, have a talk with him on the subject, and consider a few important points before you broach the topic.
The following tips may help you talk to your teen effectively about dating:
1. Choose a good time to talk to your teen when you are in a good mood, and so is he, and both have sufficient time at hand.
2. Do not give the impression that you are going to preach some lecture on morality. Be a friend to your teen and arouse his or her keenness and interest to discuss the subject with you.
3. Communicate to your teen that a discussion does not mean a license to go ahead and date. Let him or her know that your discussion is meant to reassure both of you that you have correct ideas and information about dating.
4. Inform the advantages and disadvantages of dating, in terms of the monetary costs involved, the amount of time that will be required for it, and the positive benefits of dating too and understanding the opposite sex more closely.
5. Make it clear to your teen that dating or any other activity must not be pursued merely because “others are doing it, so I too must do it.” One must take an individual stand on everything, and go according to one’s own thoughts on such issues.
6. Convey to your teen that like with all privileges, dating too comes along with a sense of responsibility. The family values and social values and practices must be held high in anything that you do, including dating.
7. Be an active listener, and allow your teen to respond to your advice. Allow him or her to ask questions, make comments and come out with any thoughts freely so that you can address the issue more clearly for the teen.
8. Let your teen know that you are solidly behind him or her in everything. Assure your teen that in case any difficulty or problem that may arise, he or she must have the confidence to share the situation with you, instead of hiding it and complicating the matter beyond control.
9. Discuss sex frankly during your talk on dating. There is no advantage in avoiding the issue, and rather educate your teen about the perils of sexual diseases and unwanted pregnancies.
10. Overall, let your teen understand that dating is normal, natural and pure fun. With some thoughtfulness, teens can enjoy dating creatively and have lots of healthy fun that they actually deserve.
BIO: Bizymoms has been helping women work at home for over a decade and now provides information on everyday matters and important issues. Our People and Relationships section provides you with information and tips on keeping all of your relationships thriving.
Monday, 25 May 2009
Gasta Tech News: Bing News
Microsoft Aims Big Guns at Google, Asks Consumers to Rethink Search
Here's Why an $80M Ad Effort for a Search Engine, Bing, Makes Some Sense
Microsoft has used attack ads to go after Apple, and now it has Google in its sights.
The software giant is set to launch an $80 million to $100 million campaign for Bing, the search engine it hopes will help it grab a bigger slice of the online ad market. That's a big campaign -- big compared with consumer-product launches ($50 million is considered a sizable budget for a national rollout) and very big when you consider that Google spent about $25 million on all its advertising last year, according to TNS Media Intelligence, with about $11.6 million of that focused on recruiting. Microsoft, by comparison, spent $361 million. Certainly Google has never faced an ad assault of anything like this magnitude.
JWT has been tapped for the push, which will include online, TV, print and radio. Another sign of the campaign's size: At a time when most agencies are laying people off, JWT added creatives on the Microsoft business last week.
People with knowledge of the planned push said the ads won't go after Google, or Yahoo for that matter, by name. Instead, they'll focus on planting the idea that today's search engines don't work as well as consumers previously thought by asking them whether search (aka Google) really solves their problems. That, Microsoft is hoping, will give consumers a reason to consider switching search engines, which, of course, is one of Bing's biggest challenges.
"If you grab the average user off the street and ask them, 'Does search suck?' I think they'd say no. They don't know what else can be done," said Shashi Seth, a former Google executive who is now chief revenue officer at Cooliris. "They think search does a pretty good job, and if you could prove otherwise with a product that's differentiated, people will sit up and take notice."
Case for refinement
Indeed, data show that about 65% of people are satisfied or very satisfied with online search. But Microsoft sees an opening on its own proprietary search data: 42% of searches require refinement, and 25% of clicks are the back button.
That's why Mr. Seth likens the Bing marketing challenge to that of the Apple iPhone before it was introduced. Most people, pre-iPhone, didn't know they were missing a multi-touch screen, or an application that would enable them to detect what song was playing wherever they were. But Apple, through its ads, showed how markedly different the experience was and created a new de facto standard for phones.
Many will argue that no amount of advertising Microsoft throws at the product will make a difference -- the quality of search results is the only thing that matters. And that may have once been true; after all, Google built its brand on the back of a great user experience, results that were markedly better and zero ad support.
But that's not necessarily true anymore, as the quality of search engines has approached parity. Sure, there are no switching costs, and it's easy to simply type in a new web address should a better engine come along, but the psychological pull of the leading brand in the space overrides those factors for many consumers.
Consider that Google has conducted internal tests, according to people familiar with them, in which the company put its logo and treatment on another engine's search results. Users still prefer the results with the Google logo, even if they're not Google results. Or consider that a revamped Ask.com made its debut in 2007 to a glowing review from The Wall Street Journal's Walt Mossberg, who said it "holds its own with Google, and even beats the champ on some searches." Two years later? Ask's share of search is down 28%.
'Better mousetrap'
"I don't think they can win this game with a better mousetrap," said Allen Adamson, managing director of Landor Associates, New York. "They have to compete with Google on a brand front -- there's no other way to skin this but go head on against the Google brand."
Obviously Microsoft has not shied away from "going head on" in its Windows campaign. Its chief attack on Apple -- that it's too expensive and not worth the high price -- is showing some signs of working. Apple's value perception among 18- to 34-year-olds has dropped significantly since the campaign launched in late March, which might be a testament to the right message at the right time.
Still, advertising isn't a panacea, as even the most self-absorbed ad man knows, especially when it's not the right advertising. Ask.com famously spent $57 million in 2007 to market its engine, and another $22 million last year, according to TNS. The 2007 campaign was an oddball execution from Crispin Porter & Bogusky that touted "the algorithm" -- a concept unlikely to grab anyone not already entrenched in the world of digital marketing. What Microsoft needs to do is go after people who don't know and probably don't care what an algorithm is.
And all the advertising in the world only works if the product backs it up. People who've seen the Microsoft product suggest it's useful and has some nifty filtering tools, even though it's not a markedly different-looking interface, at least for text search (some of the multimedia search results, however, do look quite different from how Google currently displays them).
"It doesn't take a lot to switch people from one type to another and usually it's a unique feature that gets people excited," said David Karnstedt, CEO of Efficient Frontier and former head of sales for Yahoo. He reflected on his days at AltaVista, which Google supplanted. "Google got people excited because it got people and places right early on. That got people to really start to switch, and once developed the habit of using Google, it was hard to get them to switch back."
Here's Why an $80M Ad Effort for a Search Engine, Bing, Makes Some Sense
Microsoft has used attack ads to go after Apple, and now it has Google in its sights.
The software giant is set to launch an $80 million to $100 million campaign for Bing, the search engine it hopes will help it grab a bigger slice of the online ad market. That's a big campaign -- big compared with consumer-product launches ($50 million is considered a sizable budget for a national rollout) and very big when you consider that Google spent about $25 million on all its advertising last year, according to TNS Media Intelligence, with about $11.6 million of that focused on recruiting. Microsoft, by comparison, spent $361 million. Certainly Google has never faced an ad assault of anything like this magnitude.
JWT has been tapped for the push, which will include online, TV, print and radio. Another sign of the campaign's size: At a time when most agencies are laying people off, JWT added creatives on the Microsoft business last week.
People with knowledge of the planned push said the ads won't go after Google, or Yahoo for that matter, by name. Instead, they'll focus on planting the idea that today's search engines don't work as well as consumers previously thought by asking them whether search (aka Google) really solves their problems. That, Microsoft is hoping, will give consumers a reason to consider switching search engines, which, of course, is one of Bing's biggest challenges.
"If you grab the average user off the street and ask them, 'Does search suck?' I think they'd say no. They don't know what else can be done," said Shashi Seth, a former Google executive who is now chief revenue officer at Cooliris. "They think search does a pretty good job, and if you could prove otherwise with a product that's differentiated, people will sit up and take notice."
Case for refinement
Indeed, data show that about 65% of people are satisfied or very satisfied with online search. But Microsoft sees an opening on its own proprietary search data: 42% of searches require refinement, and 25% of clicks are the back button.
That's why Mr. Seth likens the Bing marketing challenge to that of the Apple iPhone before it was introduced. Most people, pre-iPhone, didn't know they were missing a multi-touch screen, or an application that would enable them to detect what song was playing wherever they were. But Apple, through its ads, showed how markedly different the experience was and created a new de facto standard for phones.
Many will argue that no amount of advertising Microsoft throws at the product will make a difference -- the quality of search results is the only thing that matters. And that may have once been true; after all, Google built its brand on the back of a great user experience, results that were markedly better and zero ad support.
But that's not necessarily true anymore, as the quality of search engines has approached parity. Sure, there are no switching costs, and it's easy to simply type in a new web address should a better engine come along, but the psychological pull of the leading brand in the space overrides those factors for many consumers.
Consider that Google has conducted internal tests, according to people familiar with them, in which the company put its logo and treatment on another engine's search results. Users still prefer the results with the Google logo, even if they're not Google results. Or consider that a revamped Ask.com made its debut in 2007 to a glowing review from The Wall Street Journal's Walt Mossberg, who said it "holds its own with Google, and even beats the champ on some searches." Two years later? Ask's share of search is down 28%.
'Better mousetrap'
"I don't think they can win this game with a better mousetrap," said Allen Adamson, managing director of Landor Associates, New York. "They have to compete with Google on a brand front -- there's no other way to skin this but go head on against the Google brand."
Obviously Microsoft has not shied away from "going head on" in its Windows campaign. Its chief attack on Apple -- that it's too expensive and not worth the high price -- is showing some signs of working. Apple's value perception among 18- to 34-year-olds has dropped significantly since the campaign launched in late March, which might be a testament to the right message at the right time.
Still, advertising isn't a panacea, as even the most self-absorbed ad man knows, especially when it's not the right advertising. Ask.com famously spent $57 million in 2007 to market its engine, and another $22 million last year, according to TNS. The 2007 campaign was an oddball execution from Crispin Porter & Bogusky that touted "the algorithm" -- a concept unlikely to grab anyone not already entrenched in the world of digital marketing. What Microsoft needs to do is go after people who don't know and probably don't care what an algorithm is.
And all the advertising in the world only works if the product backs it up. People who've seen the Microsoft product suggest it's useful and has some nifty filtering tools, even though it's not a markedly different-looking interface, at least for text search (some of the multimedia search results, however, do look quite different from how Google currently displays them).
"It doesn't take a lot to switch people from one type to another and usually it's a unique feature that gets people excited," said David Karnstedt, CEO of Efficient Frontier and former head of sales for Yahoo. He reflected on his days at AltaVista, which Google supplanted. "Google got people excited because it got people and places right early on. That got people to really start to switch, and once developed the habit of using Google, it was hard to get them to switch back."
Tuesday, 19 May 2009
Gasta Shopping:The Next directory
Bringing middle-market clothes to the home shopper for the first time, it promised delivery within 48 hours. The Next directory was the brainchild of one of the giants in the British retail scene, George Davies, then CEO of Next, and it paved the way for the mail-order and online shopping boom as we know it today.
But it was not all plain sailing. As Simon Wolfson, CEO of Next today, ss it celebrates it's 21'st birthday, reveals: “For the first three or four years, it didn’t make money. What went wrong was a divergence from the Next retail chain, which was a must-go destination on hundreds of high streets all over the country. Next Directory had the same spirit, the same quality, but was more fashionable, less accessible.”
The turning point came in 1992 when Next Directory and Next retail merged, both offering the same aspirational clothes that were good quality and of great design. Next Directory, like its high street namesake, was for a long time renowned for its “working wardrobe” – a look epitomised in thousands of black and navy trouser suits beloved of the young career woman on a budget. But its latest high- summer collection, inspired by Woodstock, is a perfect illustration of how it embraces a more laid-back image, too.
The directory has continually expanded, with a greater emphasis on casualwear, menswear, babies’ and childrenswear, swimwear, party wear, together with homewares, furniture and all the items that reflect the changing lifestyle of the core customers, generally aged between 25 and 55.
Launched in 1999, online shopping meant that the entire book could be viewed on the internet. Today, a copy of Next Directory is in one in every 12 households in Britain. More than three million “books” are printed four times a year, making it the biggest-selling book in Britain – possibly outselling the Bible – and the biggest fashion e-tailor in Europe.
What Next? Simon Wolfson believes online business will continue to grow, but he does not envisage people wanting to relinquish the directory itself.
“Customers like to flick through the pages. It is like being able to shop straight from a great fashion magazine – at prices you can afford.”
But it was not all plain sailing. As Simon Wolfson, CEO of Next today, ss it celebrates it's 21'st birthday, reveals: “For the first three or four years, it didn’t make money. What went wrong was a divergence from the Next retail chain, which was a must-go destination on hundreds of high streets all over the country. Next Directory had the same spirit, the same quality, but was more fashionable, less accessible.”
The turning point came in 1992 when Next Directory and Next retail merged, both offering the same aspirational clothes that were good quality and of great design. Next Directory, like its high street namesake, was for a long time renowned for its “working wardrobe” – a look epitomised in thousands of black and navy trouser suits beloved of the young career woman on a budget. But its latest high- summer collection, inspired by Woodstock, is a perfect illustration of how it embraces a more laid-back image, too.
The directory has continually expanded, with a greater emphasis on casualwear, menswear, babies’ and childrenswear, swimwear, party wear, together with homewares, furniture and all the items that reflect the changing lifestyle of the core customers, generally aged between 25 and 55.
Launched in 1999, online shopping meant that the entire book could be viewed on the internet. Today, a copy of Next Directory is in one in every 12 households in Britain. More than three million “books” are printed four times a year, making it the biggest-selling book in Britain – possibly outselling the Bible – and the biggest fashion e-tailor in Europe.
What Next? Simon Wolfson believes online business will continue to grow, but he does not envisage people wanting to relinquish the directory itself.
“Customers like to flick through the pages. It is like being able to shop straight from a great fashion magazine – at prices you can afford.”
Tuesday, 10 March 2009
Gasta News: Gasta Gearing up for Mobile advertising
Enter the Mobile Shoppers
You may not have the marketing dollars to spend on an event such as Super Bowl Sunday but you can play the same game the big spenders are playing. Think of the elements of a Super Bowl ad -- compelling creative for a captive, interested audience -- and take them on the road. Any existing event with an audience -- a concert, a sporting event, a trade show -- can offer the opportunity to reach individuals with compelling content, through a highly personalized medium: the mobile phone.
Consider concerts -- they occur year-round and cause a firestorm of blogging and Twittering -- not to mention the sheer enthusiasm and loyalty of concert-goers that just can't be beat. Alt-hipster icon Beck was an early adopter of engaging his fans through mobile devices -- during his 2005 tour, in the period between the opener's set and Beck's headlining slot, the JumboTrons urged fans to text photos and messages that would be displayed on the board. Fans opted into the process, got a chance to see themselves on screen, and Beck had a large mobile database.
In-event advertising has evolved quickly to provide users and marketers alike with what they need. If you've been to an NBA game in the past 20 years, you probably were part of a "high points" promotion -- if your team scores 130 points (or, during the offense-challenged 1990s, 110 points), everyone gets a free chalupa the next day at a local taqueria. Now, there's some brand awareness that's being built for the taqueria, certainly; but what are the odds that more than a few of the fans will (1) still have their ticket stub and (2) remember to bring it to work the next day?
With mobile, all that changes. The same taqueria can offer up the same program to participants who send a text message to a short code displayed when the magic number is hit. They can sweeten the offer with a drawing for upgraded tickets at a future game. And they can send a reminder and a mobile coupon right around lunchtime the next day.
People are much more likely to volunteer their information via text message when they're experiencing full-on sports fever -- and act on a reminder 24 hours later -- rather than remembering to dig out a folded ticket stub at noon the next day at work. Mobile works to build loyalty for the league, the team and the restaurant -- particularly when fans opt in to receive future messages and offers.
Concerts and their associated sponsors -- brands and broadcasters -- are now taking full advantage of this trend as well. Take for example Los Angeles radio station 102.7 KIIS FM. When the station sought to promote its annual blowout concert, Wango Tango, it turned to mobile marketing. KIIS asked listeners on-air to text the word "wango" to a shortcode; in return, the listeners received a text message from KIIS with information on a contest they could enter to win free tickets to the concert. More than 20,000 people responded to the mobile call-for-action. During the actual concert, attendees could also text to win seat upgrades, or text a shout-out to their friends that would be displayed across the screens by the bottom of the stage.
The real financial benefit, however, was that KIIS was able to sell advertisements via mobile to reach the enthusiastic crowd that was texting back and forth. Ultimately, Wango Tango attendees were given a much richer brand experience with KIIS thanks to the mobile campaign. By being able to communicate directly with brand ambassadors on a one-to-one level, they were truly connected to KIIS and its sponsors.
The power of mobile marketing is indelibly linked to the level of comfort people have with their cell phones. They carry them around all day, they choose to use them, and will look at any messages they receive, even if it's only for a moment. By choosing to respond to an ad by text, they're actively participating in a discussion with your brand. TV commercials assault viewers who don't have a choice but to fast-forward or sit through them and internet ads take up bandwidth and block paragraphs of the article they're reading. With mobile, you are quickly and effectively interacting with engaged users.
So how do you execute a mobile campaign at an event? It's simple, really. Think about ways to engage the audience. Shout-outs are popular for passing the time until live action begins. You can give away product through calls to action via text. Or you can offer an upgrade to the front row. You can even poll the group on whether the home team will win or the artist will play his or her newest hit first or last. The possibilities are numerous.
Ultimately, mobile ads provide a service or tangible benefit to consumers. The potential exists to create "must-see" mobile content that could eventually rival big event TV ads -- they're playful, engaging and uncomplicated. They're everything you want your brand to be.
Jeff Hasen is the CMO at HipCricket.
You may not have the marketing dollars to spend on an event such as Super Bowl Sunday but you can play the same game the big spenders are playing. Think of the elements of a Super Bowl ad -- compelling creative for a captive, interested audience -- and take them on the road. Any existing event with an audience -- a concert, a sporting event, a trade show -- can offer the opportunity to reach individuals with compelling content, through a highly personalized medium: the mobile phone.
Consider concerts -- they occur year-round and cause a firestorm of blogging and Twittering -- not to mention the sheer enthusiasm and loyalty of concert-goers that just can't be beat. Alt-hipster icon Beck was an early adopter of engaging his fans through mobile devices -- during his 2005 tour, in the period between the opener's set and Beck's headlining slot, the JumboTrons urged fans to text photos and messages that would be displayed on the board. Fans opted into the process, got a chance to see themselves on screen, and Beck had a large mobile database.
In-event advertising has evolved quickly to provide users and marketers alike with what they need. If you've been to an NBA game in the past 20 years, you probably were part of a "high points" promotion -- if your team scores 130 points (or, during the offense-challenged 1990s, 110 points), everyone gets a free chalupa the next day at a local taqueria. Now, there's some brand awareness that's being built for the taqueria, certainly; but what are the odds that more than a few of the fans will (1) still have their ticket stub and (2) remember to bring it to work the next day?
With mobile, all that changes. The same taqueria can offer up the same program to participants who send a text message to a short code displayed when the magic number is hit. They can sweeten the offer with a drawing for upgraded tickets at a future game. And they can send a reminder and a mobile coupon right around lunchtime the next day.
People are much more likely to volunteer their information via text message when they're experiencing full-on sports fever -- and act on a reminder 24 hours later -- rather than remembering to dig out a folded ticket stub at noon the next day at work. Mobile works to build loyalty for the league, the team and the restaurant -- particularly when fans opt in to receive future messages and offers.
Concerts and their associated sponsors -- brands and broadcasters -- are now taking full advantage of this trend as well. Take for example Los Angeles radio station 102.7 KIIS FM. When the station sought to promote its annual blowout concert, Wango Tango, it turned to mobile marketing. KIIS asked listeners on-air to text the word "wango" to a shortcode; in return, the listeners received a text message from KIIS with information on a contest they could enter to win free tickets to the concert. More than 20,000 people responded to the mobile call-for-action. During the actual concert, attendees could also text to win seat upgrades, or text a shout-out to their friends that would be displayed across the screens by the bottom of the stage.
The real financial benefit, however, was that KIIS was able to sell advertisements via mobile to reach the enthusiastic crowd that was texting back and forth. Ultimately, Wango Tango attendees were given a much richer brand experience with KIIS thanks to the mobile campaign. By being able to communicate directly with brand ambassadors on a one-to-one level, they were truly connected to KIIS and its sponsors.
The power of mobile marketing is indelibly linked to the level of comfort people have with their cell phones. They carry them around all day, they choose to use them, and will look at any messages they receive, even if it's only for a moment. By choosing to respond to an ad by text, they're actively participating in a discussion with your brand. TV commercials assault viewers who don't have a choice but to fast-forward or sit through them and internet ads take up bandwidth and block paragraphs of the article they're reading. With mobile, you are quickly and effectively interacting with engaged users.
So how do you execute a mobile campaign at an event? It's simple, really. Think about ways to engage the audience. Shout-outs are popular for passing the time until live action begins. You can give away product through calls to action via text. Or you can offer an upgrade to the front row. You can even poll the group on whether the home team will win or the artist will play his or her newest hit first or last. The possibilities are numerous.
Ultimately, mobile ads provide a service or tangible benefit to consumers. The potential exists to create "must-see" mobile content that could eventually rival big event TV ads -- they're playful, engaging and uncomplicated. They're everything you want your brand to be.
Jeff Hasen is the CMO at HipCricket.
Friday, 6 March 2009
Gasta News: Child safety Online
social Nets’ Child Safety Pledge: Five Ways To Prevent Cyber-Bullying
Marshalled by the European Commission, 17 web and social network providers have agreed to a five-point plan to protect under-18s online. Signatories are Arto, Bebo, Dailymotion, Facebook, Giovani.it, Google/YouTube, Hyves, Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT) Europe, MySpace, Nasza-klaza.pl, Netlog, One.lt, Skyrock, StudiVZ, Sulake/Habbo Hotel, Yahoo (NSDQ: YHOO) Europe and Zap.lu. They agreed to limit children’s exposure to cyber-bullying and grooming by…
—Providing an easy to use and accessible “report abuse” button.
—Making sure under-18s’ profiles are set to “private” by default. “This will make it harder for people with bad intentions to get in touch with the young person,” the commission says.
—Ensuring under-18s’ private profiles are not searchable either on the websites or via search engines.
—Guaranteeing that privacy options are prominent and accessible at all times, so that users can easily work out if just their friends, or the entire world, can see what they post online.
—Preventing under-age users from using their services - eg. if a social networking site targets teenagers over 13, it should be difficult for people below that age to register.
The measures must be implemented by April. More info at the commission’s site. To mark its Safer Internet Day, the commission has produced an awareness campaign...
Marshalled by the European Commission, 17 web and social network providers have agreed to a five-point plan to protect under-18s online. Signatories are Arto, Bebo, Dailymotion, Facebook, Giovani.it, Google/YouTube, Hyves, Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT) Europe, MySpace, Nasza-klaza.pl, Netlog, One.lt, Skyrock, StudiVZ, Sulake/Habbo Hotel, Yahoo (NSDQ: YHOO) Europe and Zap.lu. They agreed to limit children’s exposure to cyber-bullying and grooming by…
—Providing an easy to use and accessible “report abuse” button.
—Making sure under-18s’ profiles are set to “private” by default. “This will make it harder for people with bad intentions to get in touch with the young person,” the commission says.
—Ensuring under-18s’ private profiles are not searchable either on the websites or via search engines.
—Guaranteeing that privacy options are prominent and accessible at all times, so that users can easily work out if just their friends, or the entire world, can see what they post online.
—Preventing under-age users from using their services - eg. if a social networking site targets teenagers over 13, it should be difficult for people below that age to register.
The measures must be implemented by April. More info at the commission’s site. To mark its Safer Internet Day, the commission has produced an awareness campaign...
Gasta News:Research
Men Are From iPlayer, Women Are From Google:
The UK internet’s already rather balanced gender composition will edge even closer to 50/50 toward 2013, a new eMarketer report says. But the sexes use online media in slightly different ways, it says - men are more likely to use VOD and women show a greater proclivity toward search engines…
From the report: “It is noteworthy that men access some categories of content - including music, multimedia, podcasts and RSS feeds - more frequently than women. The proliferation of online TV and video offerings, including the BBC iPlayer, has given all internet users in the UK further incentives to view content on the web, but men take more advantage of these options.
“When shopping online, men often gravitate toward specialty sites to research products and services, while women head to search engines. Men in the UK have also demonstrated greater engagement with the mobile web than women.” The report, compiled by a woman, also says British men “may” be using the web more during the economic downturn as they tend to be breadwinners.
There’s little quantitative analysis to back up the claims in the part of the report we received, which does say the UK internet is made up 51.1 percent by men and 48.9 percent by women.
The UK internet’s already rather balanced gender composition will edge even closer to 50/50 toward 2013, a new eMarketer report says. But the sexes use online media in slightly different ways, it says - men are more likely to use VOD and women show a greater proclivity toward search engines…
From the report: “It is noteworthy that men access some categories of content - including music, multimedia, podcasts and RSS feeds - more frequently than women. The proliferation of online TV and video offerings, including the BBC iPlayer, has given all internet users in the UK further incentives to view content on the web, but men take more advantage of these options.
“When shopping online, men often gravitate toward specialty sites to research products and services, while women head to search engines. Men in the UK have also demonstrated greater engagement with the mobile web than women.” The report, compiled by a woman, also says British men “may” be using the web more during the economic downturn as they tend to be breadwinners.
There’s little quantitative analysis to back up the claims in the part of the report we received, which does say the UK internet is made up 51.1 percent by men and 48.9 percent by women.
Thursday, 5 March 2009
Gasta.com : New shopping channel open for business
The Gasta European Search Engine Network has today launched a new shopping channel across all 250+ domain and partner sites. The shopping channel also offers a shop buy comparison option and is powered by Kelkoo.
The Gasta shopping channel will initially be rolled out on the 12 main core sites of the Network including www.europasearch.com.
Saskia Turner the European head of marketing for the Gasta Search Engine Network said "This is a powerful and innovative development to extend the reach and delivery power of the Gasta Search engines, with our network of over 250 web titles it is critical that we continue to meet the search needs of our many users and search marketing requirements".
The Gasta Search engine Network also boasts two digital Advertising platforms and a hosted white label solution that stretches across Europe to USA, China, and Japan.
The Gasta shopping channel will initially be rolled out on the 12 main core sites of the Network including www.europasearch.com.
Saskia Turner the European head of marketing for the Gasta Search Engine Network said "This is a powerful and innovative development to extend the reach and delivery power of the Gasta Search engines, with our network of over 250 web titles it is critical that we continue to meet the search needs of our many users and search marketing requirements".
The Gasta Search engine Network also boasts two digital Advertising platforms and a hosted white label solution that stretches across Europe to USA, China, and Japan.
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