By listening closely to consumers, brands can transcend and transact

Show Some Respect...

Many are biding their time by tinkering with what didn't work last year. Case in point: If you think of advertising today, the "Shamwow," dancing cowboys and "You've Just Won" banner ads seem to dominate—very stupid sells, I would argue. The message to consumers has become increasingly disrespectful and is the ad businesses' equivalent to the current panic selling happening in the stock market. Fear makes us act, even if the action isn't logical.

The concept of "listening" has made it beyond conversations within ARF meetings. Case in point: our First Lady is taking a "Listening Tour" around America. Listening is finally getting the respect it deserves, for good reason. True listening allows marketers to adjust messages to make them relevant and, yes, respectful to the consumer. And listening to consumers has never been more important, since their needs and priorities change constantly. Last year's media plan might as well be 100 years old. Brand loyalty declines due to lack of relevance; a direct result of not listening.

So how do we achieve Respect Marketing when budgets and CPM are shrinking? Instead of letting these conditions turn consumer conversations into brash, unwanted, one-way pitches, we need to really stop and listen to our consumers today. Is the message or program that we're offering respectful and of value? Are we adjusting our actions and messages to tap into core human needs? Are we appealing to consumers' desires to do good, win, connect with others and express themselves? Or even more simply, would anyone like to see this?

In the end, it's not about the size of our ad budgets or CPM rates. And it's certainly not about repeating last year's mistakes again and again. It's about listening and respecting the changing consumer by participating in their conversation. In doing so, you create a customer for life who will continue to return to your site or buy your product.

By respecting consumers, you are instilling in them a desire to reward marketers and publishers with their loyalty and, ultimately, their dollars.

Written by Peter Daboll is CEO of Bunchball. Posted on behalf of Bunchball.

Bunchball's Founder & CEO - Follow Up Interview on Social Media

Thank you Rajat Paharia, Founder & CEO, Bunchball for providing your comments!

What is your advice to brands who want to participate in the social media (i.e., companies social networking sites, posting comments on third-party blogs, etc)?

I would tell brands to broaden their definition of consumer connection to go beyond advertising. Just thinking about advertising on a small group of narrowly defined Social Media sites will not solve the problem. The question they should be asking is: "How can I connect with and engage my customers ON THEIR TERMS?" That is, in a meaningful and relevant way that also achieves my Brand objectives. Many brands are still locked into the belief that they should push more and more impressions at consumers who don't want them. That model is broken. Using social media as just another source of inventory or eyeballs misses the point entirely. I believe Brands should focus on engaging with their consumers, not on ad delivery; and these new approaches to driving engagement are not only preferable, they are essential for the brand's success. They also drive superior ROI.

How can the effectiveness of the social media advertising be improved (form the publishers' perspective)?

I believe that many advertisers forget the context and intrusiveness of advertising when consumers are involved in certain activities. Is it really appropriate for Tide to try to be someone's Facebook friend? The effectiveness can be improved if the Brands find ways to be relevant to the conversation. If they are intrusive or irrelevant, they will do more damage than doing nothing. If brands find ways of participating with consumers in areas that they feel passionate about, eg. social causes, then the brands create positive association and benefits while tapping into their consumers core needs. That process builds strong consumer loyalty far beyond just the delivery of the brand message through and ad.

BUNCHBALL ANNOUNCES SIGNIFICANT ADDITIONS TO CLIENT LIST

Bunchball, creator of the consumer engagement and interaction platform “Nitro,” announced today the addition of Comcast, Exent, Piczo, Ultimate Movie Site and Meredith to their client roster.

“The diversity of our client list demonstrates the cross-vertical appeal of Nitro,” said Peter Daboll, CEO of Bunchball. “Traditional brands like Meredith understand the critical need for innovation in marketing, and the power of engaging with consumers using Nitro. By the same token, cutting-edge gaming companies like Exent recognize the super-charge Nitro can give their customers in harnessing the connection to and relationship with their users.”

Marketers worldwide are being faced with declining ad performance, increasing costs and dramatic budget reductions. In this challenging environment, clients are recognizing Bunchball’s ability to change the marketing game for brands and consumers.

“The trend toward building relationships with consumers by creating compelling activities on a site that enlist people’s feedback and loyalty is one that will continue to turn traditional marketing on its head and create real opportunities for brands who are trying to differentiate and be cost-effective in a tough financial climate,” said Kurt Scherf of Parks Associates. “Bunchball is well-positioned to fill this need for brands of all types and sizes and has shown an impressive track record thus far.”

Nitro in Action

Comcast turned to Bunchball and Nitro to increase page views, time on site, logged-in users, and overall customer engagement on the Comcast.net portal site, one of the most heavily trafficked sites in the United States.

"The Nitro product launch was a great experience. A collaborative effort between the teams, Bunchball proved to be knowledgeable and proactive throughout the integration,” said Jean-Claire Fitschen, Sr. Product Manager, Games, Comcast Interactive Media. “Since launch, the program has been successful and can be tied back to metrics-driven results (like high member conversion and page views per unique) which is essential for internal communication."

Better Recipes, a Meredith property, is an ever-expanding online cookbook of recipes for any meal. Meredith implemented Nitro on Better Recipes to incent users to create and rate the site's core content, recipes. Users earn Kitchen Bucks by participating and can use them to customize a virtual kitchen, which provides Meredith with revenue-generating virtual item sponsorship opportunities. Meredith also anticipates that the increased engagement and time spent with the Better Recipes and Better Homes and Gardens brands will increase subscriptions to the print Better Homes and Gardens magazine.

Piczo empowers teens worldwide to creatively express themselves, build personal communities, and share experiences with their friends in a safe environment. On Piczo, Nitro's activity-tracking and self-expression widgets are being used to build customer loyalty and lock-in, increase page views and ad impressions, and drive additional revenue through branded and sponsored virtual items targeted specifically to their teen demographic.

Exent is a global leader in delivering video games over broadband, with customers including Verizon, Orange, and Virgin Media. Exent views Nitro as a value-add for their distribution network partners, as it encourages users to spend more time playing games, and to play more often. By wrapping their game catalog in the same game mechanics that resonate so strongly with their end users, Exent is using Nitro to increase the value of their service to their customers and increase engagement among their end users.

About Bunchball

Bunchball enables brands to cost-effectively measure and drive consumers' most valuable behaviors. Bunchball's customers range from startups to multinationals, including Hearst, NBC and Comcast. Bunchball’s proprietary engagement engine, Nitro, plugs seamlessly into a brand’s web site, enhancing online communities, and promoting consumer interaction and loyalty while driving revenue. Based in Redwood City, California, and founded in February 2005, Bunchball’s investors include Granite Ventures and Adobe Systems Incorporated.

For more information, visit Bunchball online at www.bunchball.com.