How do you choose the right targeting mix to meet your advertising goals?

Le’ts shed some light on some of the major categories of targeting and focus on what they have to offer for different companies and objectives.

Demographic Targeting – Age, Gender, Geography

Online, the demographics used most often for targeting are age, gender and geography. Sometime additional factors like income will come into play.  Many times this type of targeting is based on the geral demographic profile of a site or specific info provided by users during the registration process.

When to Use It

Mass Market campaigns use demographic targeting sucessfully to meet both awareness and persuasion goals.  It is less likely to be useful for other types of categories, except when specific products are used primarily by a particular demographic.

Geographic Targeting

This type of targeting can be based on a number of different factors like a user’s IP address or registration info.   User supplied info is generally accepted as more accurate (may not always be available).  Most geo targeting is IP-based.  My company, Cox Media Group, used the Yahoo! platform for advanced targeting and I have to say the functionality is amazing.  The geo targeting used by Yahoo! is based on three  key factors:  Universal Location Manager (user identifed default location), IP (location of internet connection – not always accurate as servers are many times based in an entirely different state than the user), and Registration Location(user defined location at registration).

Contexual Targeting – Site-level, section-level or content-level)

This is a popular option for online advertisers in it’s ability to reach people who are in the market for their products.  Context based targeting includes beauty ads and beauty sites,  sporting goods ads on sports sites, tax software ads on finance sites and so on.

Contexual targeting is very common on the large Google content network – for example, a coffee ad can be place on a page in which coffee is being discussed.  Combining text-focused targeting with placement on specific sites is also possible, though this approach is more appropriate when you are more concerned about the mindset of the user rather than the website you are on.

When To Use It

CT can helpincrease the chances of reaching people who are in the market for a specific product.  However relevant contexual sites may be hard to find for some categories like telecommunications.  Best for durable goods and services.

Behavioral Targeting – Surfing and Search Behavior

Behavioral targeting – the practice of delivering ads in response to users’ online activity–is becoming more and more common as a form of premium targeting.   Behavioral targeting is practical only when using ad networks or websites like Yahoo! that can serve ads across a rich web platform in which many types of functionality, content and therefore behavior can be observed.

Simply put, behavioral targeting techology monitors a users web / search behavior and surfing habits and serves ads accordingly.  For example, someone who recently visited a car site or section will be served with a car ad.  Cool, huh?

When is BT appropriate?

For a brand building campaign, BT  or timing of the ad placement may not be important.  However, in categories like travel or retail, a consumer may progress from resarcher to purchaser in a very short space of time.  For this to be effective, the profiles must be updated frequently to ensure relevant ad delivery.  No point in delivery a vacation ad to someone who just booked their trip to Hawaii.

Privacy and BT

We are all very conflicted about privacy and the internet as you can see from the constant stream of news stories related to online tracking,  facebook, open graph, etc. etc.  Some appreciate ads that are relevant and personalized.  Others have qualms about their online behavior being tracked (makes you wonder about their surfing habits).  Overall, there will always be different perspectives on this issue, but as long as behavioral targeting is used sensitively and adheres to industry guidelines on privacy, the benefits should gradually be appreciated.

In Summary

Online advertising offers exceptional targeting opportunities, but also challenges marketers to balance potential complexity with practical and cost effective implementation.  Good creative and a stringent optimization plan are keys to a successful campaign.

Any questions?  Interested in online advertising?  Contact me!

Information provided by Millward Brown, “Targeting Online Ads:  Aim for the Bulls-Eye or Focus on Hitting the Target?”

Seeding branded currency into circulation has been done before as an initiative to promote TV shows, city tourism, casinos, banks and financial Web sites.

Creative usually consists of a sticker that covers Washington’s face or sits aside it. Space is limited, so copy is short and sweet, often including a URL, a contest code or a snappy line about the promotion.

Minyanville, which creates branded business content that educates and entertains adults and children about the world of finance, is seeding thousands of specially branded dollar bills into circulation as part of its “Get Positive on Money!” campaign. The company aims to educate the public on money management, especially in this down economy.

Minyanville-branded dollar bills will circulate for six months. “Get Positive on Money,” reads copy around the Treasury seal. To the left of the seal is Minyanville’s Web address and to the right it states, “Turn $1 into $100.”

Minyanville created a microsite for those who receive a branded-Minyanville dollar, enabling users to enter the bill’s ten-digit serial number to see if their bill is worth $100. Six circulated bills are worth $100.

“Get Positive on Money is Minyanville’s way of easing people out of their economic funk by motivating them to understand what to do with their money and make them more comfortable with finance,” said Kevin Wassong, president of Minyanville Media. “People are scared and good, trusted, truthful financial insight is hard to come by. We want them to know that the beginning of a strong financial future is not that far away.”

Browse the microsite and you’ll notice a Google Map of locations where Minyanville-branded money was found. Most states have at least one entered bill. Even Hawaii has seen Minyanville money; Alaska, not so much.

“If people don’t win $100, we hope they’ll spend the bills so they will continue to circulate,” added Wassong. “Minyanville is doing its part to stimulate the economy. We will come out of this feeling ‘successful’ if we learn that even some of the Get Positive on Money participants came out of this economic turmoil a little bit more comfortable with their financial future.”

Take that, recession.

You see something you like – you instantly redeem via phone.  I love it.

Full Article via MediaPost.com

HPNOTIQ, the blue liqueur made of vodka, natural tropical fruit juices and cognac, launched a unique online campaign targeting 21-34 year-old women planning get-togethers.

In the process, the company became the first sponsor of a sharable Evite widget, paving the road for a new ad medium for the invitation-sending Web site.

The Hauser Group created HPNOTIQ’s campaign on Evite.com, which featured the sponsored widget, an event invitation template and interactive banner ads.

The HPNOTIQ-branded event invitation template contained pop-up recipes for five HPNOTIQ drink mixes, while rich-media banner ads, driving users to HPNOTIQ.com, matched women with the best HPNOTIQ cocktail based on clothing preferences, among other traits.

The brand’s goal was to position itself as the perfect drink for a girls’ night out.

The widget was a smart marketing tool because it can be shared on social networking sites like Facebook, MySpace and Friendster, serving as a real-time event countdown that’s emblazoned with HPNOTIQ’s brand identity.

The campaign took the Hauser Group three months to create, one month to produce and stayed active for five months.

“When building this first-ever countdown clock widget and invite for Evite, we worked through a few technical programming issues to ensure its exportability to social networks like Facebook and MySpace,” said John Padgett, vice president/media director of Hauser Group.

“The Evite/IAC group was highly collaborative in working out the kinks, and the HPNOTIQ invite was an overnight success as hosts selected it as their invite of choice, and then further spread its use and visibility by posting it to other social sites,” concluded Padgett.

Offer online enrollment through Facebook, of course.

Read Full Article on mediapost.com

Florida has oranges and key lime pie. Maryland has crab cakes. Idaho has potatoes. And Wisconsin has cheese. Get ready for imagery guaranteed to make your mouth water, unless you’re lactose-intolerant.

If you’re a fan of reality cooking programs like “Top Chef,” then you’re familiar with a task commonly given to contestants: turning a classic comfort food into a highbrow gourmet meal.

Shine Advertising, agency of record for the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board, promoted Wisconsin cheese by reinventing the grilled cheese sandwich with the Grilled Cheese Academy.

The Web site showcases a whopping 30 grilled cheese sandwiches made with various Wisconsin cheeses. Clicking on the sandwich directory gives you the sandwich name and type of Wisconsin cheese used, but clicking on the numbers provides foodies with money shots of delicious sandwiches and detailed links to recipes. My favorites are Buffalo Bill (#5), Appleton (#13) and Lisa Marie (#19).

The site was concepted and created in three months and uses Facebook Connect so visitors can post their grilled cheese recipes to the Grilled Cheese Academy Gallery along with their Facebook pages.

The Grilled Cheese Academy is a follow-up to the Cheese & Burger Society, an equally eye-catching site created last year by Shine that pairs Wisconsin cheeses with beef patties and various accoutrements.

This year’s site is being promoted through Google AdWords, Facebook ads and a sponsorship of Tasting Table’s national, Chicago, Los Angeles and New York e-newsletters.

Members of Shine, the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board, and Chef Tory Miller created the 30 selected recipes. To date, more than 100 additional recipes have been added to the academy gallery.

“Our biggest challenge was making sure we created recipes that were interesting enough to captivate an audience — yet easy enough to make, that they are not intimidating,” said Mike Kriefski co-founder and creative director of Shine. “The ultimate goal of this site is to increase awareness of Wisconsin Cheese as being some of the best cheeses in the world. Given the newness of this site, it’s still too early to say whether this tactic has ‘moved the needle,’” concluded Kriefski.

Yogi Tea launched an online campaign guaranteed to brighten the day of countless tea lovers.

Yogi created a well wishes microsite (http://www.yogiproducts.com/wellwishes)  where consumers could send online inspirational messages, written on a tea bag, to friends and loved ones. In addition to the customized e-card, recipients get a pair of Yogi tea bags in the mail.

Eight themed well-wishes tea sets are available: Healthy Glow, Rest, Energy, Immunity, Nurturing Mother, Purify, Deliciously Intriguing and Relax.

Senders can craft unique messages to friends or select from 18 existing options ranging from, “Hope you get your groove back,” “Laughter is healthy” to “Stay well” and “You’re a breath of fresh air.”

The campaign was inspired by online conversations Yogi employees followed online, namely women sharing tips, recommendations and remedies on Twitter and Facebook.

Yogi wanted to take this idea a step further by including actual tea samples with users’ well wishes.

More than 36,000 well wishes have been sent to date. Maxwell PR developed and executed the campaign.

Once users create an online greeting, they can explore a group of tea trees with clickable leaves, allowing visitors to read all well wishes.

When sending customized well wishes, however, senders are given the option to render their messages private or available to read on the trees. There’s a limit of one well wish per home address.

According to Melanie Haliburton, Director, Yogi Brand, the cost of sending tea to users has been comparable to past direct mail sampling programs used.

“Yogi wanted to raise awareness of the brand among its core LOHAS (Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability) consumers while expanding its consumer base,” said Haliburton. “Guided by Yogi’s ‘Flavor with Purpose’ brand promise, Well-Wishes was designed to drive trial, generate online buzz and showcase Yogi’s herbal and wellness expertise by featuring a variety of flavorful and functional teas.”

For many people, shopping is as much about socializing as it is about buying something — a chance to run into neighbors at the farmers’ market or spend time with a friend at the mall. And people who go shopping with a friend inevitably ask advice before buying. But it’s hard to do that when online shopping.

Now, Amazon shoppers who connect their Amazon and Facebook accounts transport their Facebook friends to Amazon — and can get recommendations from those friends on what to buy.

Read Full Article on NYTimes.com

Of those shoppers who purchase offline, 57% say pricing is one of the main motivators for purchasing online, followed by free shipping at 57%, promotions and discounts at 50%, and item availability at 32%.

The study also made recommendations for marketers. Pricing factors tend to attract online shoppers, but the inability to see, touch, and feel the product tends to discourage shoppers. Retail sites become an opportunity for marketers to showcase CPG items not only through text, but video and other forms of media.

Read the full article via Mediapost.com