Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Chart of The Week

Our chart this week comes from Marketing Sherpa and details consumer company priorities for 2009. Email, SEO and paid search have the highest ranking. Display ads take the hit this year.



Join the discussion on the AMA Pittsburgh blog by submitting your topics or comments. See you at the Winter Mixer tomorrow.

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Recognizing What We Can Control

More bad news today regarding the economy. The unemployment ranks grew once again. You may be sitting at your desk worried about your own fate. Today's post comes to us from Neal Griebling of Future Design Studio and the topic is dealing with your fears.

These are extraordinary times and even the so-called economic gurus admit they are not sure how things will play out. It is natural to feel stress, anxiety, and fear in such an environment. Our fear also generates paralysis and resistance to taking any sort of action. We are prone to hunker down, do nothing and wait for conditions to improve. However, we cannot allow our fears and resistance to drive our career bus.

The first step we need to take is to Recognize what we can control and what is outside our control. Face it, most things are outside of our control: what will happen in the housing and credit markets, how global competition will erode American trade performance, how your company is positioned to withstand the loss of key customers. Well, what can we control? I would suggest it’s our attitudes and our behavior. We can choose to forget about past mistakes and refuse to indulge in doomsday scenarios of the future. Remaining grounded in the present allows us to focus all of our internal and external resources on what’s in front of us.

Neal Griebling
Future Design Studio
www.futuredesignstudio.com

Join the discussion on the AMA Pittsburgh blog by submitting your comments or topics.

Monday, January 26, 2009

Don't Forget - Winter Marketing Mixer

Pittsburgh may be back in the deep freeze, but that is no reason to come warm up at the AMA Pittsburgh Winter Mixer. It is this Thursday and starts at 5:30 at McCormick and Schmicks, 301 Fifth Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15222. $20 gets you 2 drinks, food, entertainment and an evening with your marketing colleagues. Register in advance at http://www.amapittsburgh.org/. See you there.



Thursday, January 22, 2009

Priorities for B-B Marketers

It is time for our first chart of 2009. This one comes from Marketing Sherpa. Sherpa surveyed top B-B firms to determine priorities for 2009 and then mapped these against complexity.

Join the discussion on the AMA Pittsburgh blog. Submit your comments or topics.

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Jazz It Up at the First AMA Mixer 2009

Please join us at our first AMA Pittsburgh Marketing Mixer of 2009
sponsored by Port Authority.


A $20 ticket gets you two drink tickets, food, live jazz piano, and an evening of networking and fun with your peers! Members, prospective members, and guests are welcome to attend.


Thanks to Our Sponsors:

HJ Heinz Company
Pipitone Group
PPG


Thanks to Our In Kind Sponsors:

JA Interactive
Hughies Audio-Video

Pittsburgh Business Times
proSource


For more information visit our website http://www.amapittsburgh.com/

WHEN
Thursday, January 29, 2009 5:30 PM - 7:30 PM
WHERE
McCormick & Schmicks
301 Fifth Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15222

Thursday, January 15, 2009

A Word on the Transition to Digital Marketing

Saw this in WOMMA today and boy did it stick in my head:

The Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA) has warned that advertising agencies face growth of just 1.2% a year by 2016 if the industry fails to tackle the changes to the media created by sites such as Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter. The IPA warned that not enough agencies are adjusting to the online world. In its worst-case scenario, the resulting decline in paid-for advertising space could see $23 million of revenues lost by the industry by 2016, if agencies fail to create new products and services to cater to the social media world.

Join the discussion by submitting your comments or topics to the AMA Pittsburgh blog.

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Early 2009 Trends in Web Marketing

Some interesting web marketing trends are emerging early in 2009. The economy has influenced several. Another factor in the development has been the continued shift to digital marketing. In fact, it seems to be on every one’s minds. The American Marketing Association have two webinars scheduled for later this month on the subject.

Trend: Shift to Pay for Play

There is a rumble out there that online publishers will again search for a pay to play model as advertising curtails. This is not a new model, but the prevailing attitude on the web is content should be free. Due to economic issues, publishers must now search for additional revenue and pay per play if accepted is a sustainable model. Also related to this trend, is the emergence of micropayments once again. Micropayments allow a small charge for content.

Trend: Emergence of Alternative Media

This trend is partially influenced by the emergence of digital media and partially by the economy taking its toll on traditional media outlets. Several newspapers are struggling for survival and experts predict that more will fall victim to the slow economy. Newspapers have failed to create a digital revenue stream other than advertising. This has lead to the trimming of staffs and that means less news reported. Blogs and other online media outlets are going strong. As they gain more credibility, PR will shift focus to these alternative outlets.

Trend: B to B Looks to Blogs

Businesses are starting to discover blogs. Industrial brands have begun to look to blogs as their second foray into web marketing. Their first was SEO which may or may not have included some pay per click. These brands have begun to realize the benefits of distributing content via blogs and the added SEO benefits.

Trend: Twitter Marketing Campaigns

Twitter is still looking for their own sustainability and revenue streams. However, the service is about to become inundated by marketing campaigns. First it was My Space and then Facebook took some thunder by doing it better. Now Twitter is poised to be the marketing flavor of choice.

Friday, January 9, 2009

5 Potential Popular Online Marketing Themes

Some potential themes that should be popular in online marketing during 2009.

1. Sustainability - Green marketing has been en vogue for several years. Sustainability takes it to the next level. Searchers will look to find more information on how they can be more green, but also save money in the process. 2009 will see them support companies that do the same and/or help them achieve this goal.

2. Financial Planning - This one is obvious after the events in 2008. 2009 will prove to be challenging as well. Can your brand fit with ways, tips, improvements, etc. for financial topics.

3. Career Tips - There will be many more people hitting the job boards and alternate sites in search of jobs or other career tips. Planning ahead can help these future seekers. Tips on networking, alternative education, certifications, and job seeking tips will be in demand. Can your brand engage with these people.

4. Games - Did you notice that games did not take a dip? In fact, GameStop reported great numbers. There is a common thread to human nature, we all like to be diverted from the real world. I expect this thread will be pulled often in 2009. Games are a favorite diversion. Can your brand get mind share by offering a game?

5. Entertainment - Same theory as #4. If your brand can fit (And you will be surprised that most can) with forms of entertainment, then you can use these vehicles to keep mind share. Online videos that entertain will continue to be popular on free outlets. Growth will continue in 2009, as I expect other avenues may decline such as pay tv.

Join the discussion on the AMA Pittsburgh blog by submitting your topics and comments.

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

Twitter Comes of Age

Interesting piece of news today. Twitter has grown up and by an interesting yardstick. Twitter has reached a critical mass, catching the attention of spammers. It is a shame that we have to measure viability by this measure, but you have not made it until you attract this kind of attention. Just ask My Space and Facebook.

Marketing Vox reports that users receive a direct message from a follower, bearing this or similar bait: “hey! check out this funny blog about you…”, followed by a link to a webpage.

After clicking on the link, victims are presented with a false Twitter login page. Usernames and passwords entered on the page become vehicles for spammers to distribute similar messages. A second scam jijacked some high profile accounts such as President-Elect Obama.

Twitter is tightening its security in response to the hackers. Users that fell victim to the phishing scheme can reset their password on Twitter.