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April 2013 social media marketing roundup

posted by Public Relations

It’s time for another monthly roundup of social media news. From Foursquare updates to an introduction to Facebook Home, keep reading for a quick overview of the latest social media changes and what they mean to marketers.

Foursquare updates will offer data to advertisers

Foursquare has done marketers and business owners a solid.

Now when users launch the Foursquare app on their phones, the first thing they’ll see will be the option to explore the opportunities around their current location. This will include showing current business specials nearby. The Explore update features a quick way for users to see what’s interesting around them and a much easier-to-navigate search and filter option.

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March social media news you may have missed

posted by Public Relations

Social media changes every day and it’s hard to keep up with the latest news and trends.
We know it’s hard.
We sympathize.
We’re here to help. We organized all the social media news you need to know from the month below. Now go catch up!

Who’s Pinning What?:: Pinterest Introduces Web Analytics

All you Pinterest addicts, businesses and marketers, rejoice! Pinterest has (finally!) introduced Web analytics. Pinterest analytics have been launched in accordance with the new look of the website. The Web analytics feature allows brands (well, actually anyone) with a verified website to see the stats.

Overview of Analytics Features:

• Track pinning activity::

See how many people are pinning, repinning, viewing and clicking on your content. Select a custom timeframe to track changes over a period of time.

• Find out what pinners find interesting::

Discover which pins get the most repin action, who is pinning them and what other content these same pinners are pinning.

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Media Spending Never Sleeps

posted by Accounts

Late night just got a little more crowded in 2013. Jimmy Kimmel and his blossoming talk show, Jimmy Kimmel Live! bumped the ever-present Nightline to claim the coveted 11:30 p.m. time slot. So what’s the big deal? The show is only moving up one half-hour. But look at who he is now head-to-head with every night competing for engaged eyes – Jay Leno, David Letterman, Conan O’Brien and the dynamic duo over at Comedy Central, Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert.

I happen to like Jimmy Kimmel and so do a lot of people in the 18-49 age demographic. But can the time slot attract and hold onto more viewers? What does this mean for ad spend spread across the major networks and basic cable? From a media buying perspective, inventory is available now to reach this new demographic where it didn’t exist before.

The entire late night spectacle intrigues me and so I did some research to see what it was like during a simpler time when there was one King of Late Night.


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A look at Super Bowl ads, past & present

posted by Design

Last night’s big game gave people a lot to talk about, but as always, offices everywhere are abuzz about everyone’s favorite (and least favorite) Super Bowl commercials.

Here at thunder::tech headquarters, we decided to take our day-after analysis one step further with our look at some of America’s favorite brands. Check out our department managers' takes on some of this year's commercials - and their counterparts from five (and, when applicable, 10) years ago.

• Budweiser
  
• Pepsi
• Go Daddy
• Tide

Budweiser – Melanie Eyerman, Communications team manager

The iconic Budweiser Clydesdales first appeared in the “Extra Point” Super Bowl commercial in 1996 and have been a staple in the big game ever since.

In the 2003 and 2008 spots, Budweiser humanized the horses, a zebra and a dog to give them a personality and get a good chuckle from viewers. From a zebra “under the hood” for the official review in the Clydesdales football game to a Dalmatian training a horse through a Rocky-inspired montage, Budweiser created memorable ads that they hoped would inspire us all to buy from the King of Beers.

What Budweiser didn’t do was slap us in the face with too much branding; something Budweiser has been sensitive to in the past (see the 9/11 Clydesdale commercial), but some could argue the Clydesdales themselves are recognition enough. There also wasn’t a strong call to action in the ads either. It seems they were just hoping to generate overall awareness, not encourage the viewer to further engage with the brand.
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A Short Lesson in Reflection

posted by Design

A month ago a story made the rounds in the advertising world that shook up quite a few folks. Linds Redding, a New Zealand-based art director, was diagnosed with inoperable cancer. While that’s horrible, what really got people talking was an essay he wrote months before he died titled, “A Short Lesson in Perspective.”

In his essay, Redding looks back at his career and asks “was it worth it?” Redding’s answer is an unequivocal hell no.

I encourage you to read the entire essay, but this pretty much sums up his attitude about today’s advertising industry:
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