digital media agency

I was asked to speak to the Ad Fed Club of Amarillo about how people consume media online and how advertisers can reach them effectively and affordably. I have given this speech at the American Ad Fed Winter Leadership Conference, the Austin Ad Fed and the For Worth Ad Fed luncheons and now I’m on my way to the panhandle of Texas.

I’m excited to visit Amarillo and look forward to a great lunch with the folks out there. I’ve been singing George Strait all morning while I’m packing for my afternoon flight, so I may or may not be wearing Wranglers and boots when I get back to Austin.

We spend a lot of time educating our clients on the best ways to spend their digital dollars. There are tons of new ways to reach out and engage customers, generate new leads and meet their marketing goals, however just as the client expects ROI so do their customers.

Here is a perfect example of using something new, Chili’s offered free chips and salsa to people that check in using Foursquare. We think this is going to be a great way for retail outlets to reward their fans in the very near future. As location-based check in services and smart phone penetration increases, these types of offers are going to be affordable and commonplace not only with companies like Foursquare, which took off like a rocket during SXSW Interactive in Austin last year, but also with Gowalla and Facebook’s new “places” check in feature.

We have a lot training to do in the retail space before these types of offers don’t backfire on the advertiser. For example, point of sale systems need to be upgraded to accept non-traditional coupons. There is also a big training curve for servers or retail staff that must occur. These are big upfront expenses for large chains like Chili’s. You don’t just send out a memo from corporate to give away free chips and salsa to customers and expect it to go flawlessly.

Kate Buck Jr excitedly tweeted “Free chips and Salsa” as she checked in on Foursquare to her local Chili’s. Clearly, Kate was expecting a special offer.  When she showed her phone to her server, he/she replied that the coupon really needed to be printed. Really? This wasn’t just a missed opportunity, it created negative buzz—the opposite of what the company was trying to achieve.

Do you think she’ll return if she sees another “deal” for that restaurant on Foursquare? Will her nearly 28,000 followers? Probably not. Some companies “do” check-ins right: They train their employees to track check-ins, customers simply have to show up and mention the “deal” on Foursquare, and not only is the coupon honored, but the company or retailer has a method of tracking ROI when they offer deals on check-in applications.

We ran a campaign late last year for a retail client that asked users to print out a coupon because of this very problem. The point of service (POS) system could not recognize any “code” or result that could be delivered on a smart phone. While we were enthusiastically prepared to launch something creative like SMS short codes and location based check-in services offers, we had to conclude that the idea just wouldn’t work. It would be a logistical nightmare. The client was a little disappointed that they couldn’t be “sexy” with something new, but appreciated how well thought out our strategy was for their campaign.

Sometimes the answer really is, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” for an advertising campaign. Think of all the training of staff and confusion and hurt feelings (and potential damage to credibility) we saved our client. Poor Chili’s…if only they had called us first.

Lesson learned, hopefully. The takeaway here for companies eager to jump on the “check-in deals” bandwagon is to think your strategy through first. If you don’t have a way to train staff to honor a coupon, a method to avoid abuse of a deal, a method to track ROI for offering that coupon—whether your goal is to bring in new customers or bring back old ones—put on the brakes and think it through. Check-in deals can be a great tool for your business, but only if it’s done right and with foresight.

I’m having a great time at iMedia’s Breakthrough Summit this year. It never ceases to amaze me at the speed in which new technology presents us with so many new and exciting ways to reach our client’s audiences. First of all, it is a special honor for me to even be in the room with the attendees. VP’s of Ogilvy & Mather, Brand Managers for Kraft and Best Buy, and the media buyers for some of the world’s leading brands. I feel smarter just being here.

This year’s focus has been on “Mobile” and I have to admit, I’ve long been a naysayer when it comes to spending a lot of money on mobile. I still believe it isn’t right for every client, but I have to fess up that I’ve changed my mind about mobile on some levels.

In addition to Mobile, here are a few things on the list that I can’t wait to share with our clients (and prospective clients) that I believe will help them generate great results on their upcoming campaigns.

• Mobile “Location” Advertising–Both in GPS systems and on mobile devices, this technology serves relevant ads to a relevant audience when a user is nearby. Wow! Can  you imagine looking for an ATM and having a map pop up and tell you your bank has one nearby? Or how about for political candidates using it to advertise early voting locations? Those are examples for the types of clients we work with but the possibilities for retail, travel, entertainment clients are outstanding. I look forward to the opportunity to include this in an conversation with you.
• Mobile “Click to Call” Advertising–Just like it sounds, mobile ads can now include a “click to call” or “click to email” option within the banner itself. Talk about getting an immediate response from your media. I love this idea.
• Music Video Content Advertising–I especially like this for awareness campaigns trying to reach the young male audience. The fact that it can be targeted like nobody’s business also impresses me.
• In-Game Content Advertising–What if your food brand could be the ingredients in a game where you run your own bakery? Kooky, I know, but what if I told you Moms 25-40 were playing these games for 45 minutes on average. Still Kooky?
• Original Content Production–I enjoyed the vendors that talked about creating original content and distributing that content for your client. My first thought was, “That would cost a million dollars.” But, I was pleasantly surprised at the affordability.
• Reaching the Frequent Traveler–There are now ad platforms that reach travelers in airport by sponsoring wi-fi hotspots, wrapping display around wi-fi and OOH (Out Of Home) video displays inside airports. As a frequent business traveler I actually pay attention to these ads out of sheer boredom.
• Social Media Apps Advertising–I really liked this idea for the hard to reach male 18-34 demographic. What a great tool to use in-content advertising geo-targeted and reach an audience for an awareness campaign.

All in all, iMedia this year has given me great additions to the toolbox for our client solutions. I still believe my favorite quote is “Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.” I apply that logic to a lot of the latest technology and drill down targeting capabilities with online advertising, however, there are some exciting new ways we can reach your audience with affordable solutions that make sense.

I cannot wait to talk to you about them. What are you waiting for? Let’s schedule a meeting.