Social Media | Social Networking and New Markets

Can IPL5 make a comeback for advertisers?

January 17, 2012 Leave a comment

After four editions of the IPL that went successfully for advertisers, the last one saw a decline of 40% in average viewership from 5 to a little over 3 in TRP ratings. With 160 mln viewers expected this year again across the 70 odd matches, the sponsors may not lack visual display opportunities but add on advertisers esp those who pay match day list prices may not be willing to keep the budget for IPL5. that’s still 5 mln people per game in this countruy of 1.1 bln with 500 mln Tv Sets (300 mln TV households )

Global sports brands like the Superbowl will also be looking at lower aud

Image via Wikipedia

ience participation this year , even the NBA restricted to a smaller schedule. Only the premier league has managed the usual 200 mln plus audiences other than a disappointing Liverpool year for Stanchart, and the Top 3 moving down, viewership kept up nby new teams like QPR and our own Venky’s Blackburn.

Chennai of course will not be primary this year both Srikanth and Dhoni having stolen sponsor dollars with their non performance outside India and irreparably damaged the Superkings brand for some. There will still be Indians, Gayle force , unless he has retired, Royal Challengers and others.

Sponsors and ad buyers may also split budgets from the IPL 5 this year in favor of the Diwali F1 extravaganza and SET MAX might not hang on to list prices on the card for long. Last year the rates had jumped between 500k to 900k per 10 seconds, from 300k per 10 seconds in the opening year. Superbowl spots still retail for a $1 mln per spot

The latest edition of the IPL starts two months after Superbowl Sunday.

Also read our Superbowl opener for Marketers
Are you ready for Indy? | Superbowl XLVI | Social Media and New Markets http://bit.ly/villendy

BCCI: Billionaires Control Cricket in India (thehindu.com)
‘IPL not responsible for poor India show’ (cricketnext.in.com)
Cannavaro, Pires, Fowler, Crespo, Okocha all likely to be a part of India’s football IPL (tribalfootball.com)
The Ipl 2012 Pledges And Requirements (microphone-film.net)
IPL 2012 Live: Will Chris Gayle Play For Bangalore? (sbnation.com)
IPL V starts on April 4 in Chennai (thehindu.com)

Filed under Lifestyle Brands, Marketing, Sports, Sports Marketing Tagged with Chennai, Dhoni, Diwali, India, Indian Premier League, IPL, Iran Pro League, Royal Challengers Bangalore, SET MAX, Social Media, Srikanth, Venky, Wikipedia

Still worried about your location data – think about funding Foursquare

April 24, 2011 2 Comments

Image representing Dennis Crowley as depicted ...

Image by DennisCrowley.com via CrunchBase

This is not to ridicule the outcry against Apple and Google tracking their users’ locations (after all, Apple is also adding cloud based video services and the iPhone 5 may be much faster) but the location based services and local services like Groupon and the Google afterthought in the field are set to burn up the competition and create a mass momentum that may in fact propel a new set of social media and brand services that make it impossible to serve the customer without meaningful location data. This latter solution may even be preferred by those in the building that are entrepreneurs and owners of small businesses and trading outfits like food stalls, pizza companies that are really benefiting from the social media visibility of their brands/businesses. Meanwhile Google is probably depending on location services as it scales Latam business to twice its size this year (just 2-3% of GOOG revenue)

As of now, four square is about to hit the $5 billion valuation soon as the pe funding round envisaged by 4sq looks at pricing it for $500 million.

In the latest sign of the Internet gold rush, location-based service Foursquare Labs Inc. is looking to raise fresh funds at a price that would value the three-year-old start-up at as much as $500 million, people familiar with the matter said.

That valuation could be a stretch for Foursquare, which gives users the ability to get deals or connect with friends by “checking in” wherever they are, but so far pulls in little revenue, the people said.

Chief Executive Dennis Crowley is leading the effort and would like to raise $20 million to $40 million

Read more: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703387904576279380019110022.html#ixzz1KRQ3hKVh

Image representing Apple as depicted in CrunchBase

Image via CrunchBase

Why Foursquare needs another round of funding (venturebeat.com)
Will Kleiner Perkins Fund Foursquare Now That Pelago Is Gone? (businessinsider.com)
Why did Foursquare executives just check in at Apple Inc? (9to5mac.com)
Ask Maggie: iPhone 5 rumors and iPhone-tracking woes (news.cnet.com)
SimpleGeo Makes Location Data Free, Complicates Smartphone Tracking Worries (fastcompany.com)
Foursquare Seeks New Fund Raising at $500 Million Valuation [Voices] (voices.allthingsd.com)
Foursquare Upgrades Its Business Tools With New Specials, Better Analytics (e1evation.com)
The Games Businesses Play with Customers (briansolis.com)

Filed under Digital Media, Facebook, Lifestyle Brands, Marketing, Social Media, Twitter Tagged with Apple, Business, Dennis Crowley, Facebook, Foursquare, Google, Social Media, Twitter

Going Social is not about virality | Advantage social

November 23, 2010 Leave a comment

Image via CrunchBase

It gives one a nice smart winning feeling just talking about one of those age-old rivalries in Marketing esp after the touch and go ( mostly go, no touch with reality) viral attempts by big time brands like Amex and News Corp ( see Advantage Brands on the ugly viral mash )

We have earlier asked brands to concentrate on he social media focal point wholesomely as well, as most of our discerning readership would have in myriad statuses and local discussions always a nice point to be made). Lo and behold the ones that count have engaged in battle from the brands namely Pepsi and Coke have finally been competing head to head on rival social media platforms/ agents i.e. Foursquare hosting Pepsi promotions for Gym rats badges and the now popular SCVNGR hosting Coke challenges Zynga and Facebook would be happy to add such brand rivalries esp. if between the soapy suds of Unilever/Dove and P&G or Oprah( i know we have seen the last of her) and Conan or Jay Leno and Conan or when Honda’s competitors grasp the chance to get on with it on Facebook as the auto brands revv up for a fight.

And yes, this is another strict warning to those of our colleagues still producing viral videos..Get a life, dude! (nope, that is not just swagger and flimsy, it is the real positioning statement Social media has made against the Viral mash that has dominated the notorious internet till date)

Location-Based Cola Wars: Pepsi, Coke, Foursquare and SCVNGR (readwriteweb.com)
Afraid of Social Media? (and Other PR Blog Jots) (mediabullseye.com)
Texas Hold’em Poker – Apps Using Social Media Brilliantly (thoughtpick.com)
New Research Benchmarks Best Practices in Social Media Marketing (prweb.com)
Wooga: Virality is Dead, Long Live Engagement (insidesocialgames.com)

Filed under Social Media Tagged with Brand, Coca-Cola, Facebook, Jay Leno, Pepsi, SCVNGR, Social Media, Zynga

Making social media a focal point for your brand | Advantage social

August 7, 2010 Leave a comment

How brand spend is shooting the moon for Facebook

We just finished connecting the dots on how the facebook’s like button is catching up as any brand’s main character. Having defended and hoped for FB and Twitter to make 30% of global budgets for brands, it was great to hear

One year of display ads and social apps, and Facebook’s commercial graph is skyrocketing. Here’s the Warc push posting FB COO Sheryl’s take as planning season gets underway for 2011

According to Sheryl Sandberg, the company’s chief operating officer, the outlay of several key clients has expanded at least ten times over during the last 12 months, and often doubled this rate of growth.

“Two years ago the big brands were experimenting with us. They started buying with us a year ago. Now, they’re going big,” she said.

“A movie studio last year that did three movies with us; this year, if they’re releasing 12 movies, they’ll do ten of them with us. A company that did one product launch with us; this year, they’re going to do half of their product launches.”

The cost of purchasing inventory has remained largely static, despite the fact Facebook’s audience stands at more than 500m netizens, Sandberg added.

Prices may rise as the site enhances its “value” to marketers, having leapfrogged Yahoo in terms of the number of display ads served the US, leading the sector on a share of 16% in Q1 2010, according to comScore.

The Chase campaign on Facebook. the like button shows 3 million subscribers!

Coca Cola, Adidas and JP Morgan Chase have been publishing the paper for Facebook budgets for their brands.

Meanwhile, Unilever has also found an exclusive outlet for its brand spend innovation getting large inventories on the iPad platform for its bouquet and spending $300million in a multi modal deal with Time Warner, covering Online, print and TV. Sounds juicy, right! yup that’s the one led by the Mad Men spoof

Filed under Marketing, Social Media Tagged with Brands, Chase, Community giving, Dove, Facebook, HP Alliance, non-profits, Social Media, Unilever

Facebook results show social user volumes | Advantage social

June 21, 2010 Leave a comment

Attacking Google – Pt. I

While the Facebook crowd has developed its own fangs, social business is here to stay with Facebook users celebrating Facebook’s mega results with great aplomb. Ahead of our own estimates at $500m and even more optimistic estimate at $650 million, Reuters reports Facebook as having completed the first round of its internet conquest with $800 million in revenue, tons in profit nd fallen faces and fuming engines at Google. The social web has declared war on the Google dominated ARPANET and life is new and rosy for users with minutage on Facebook increasing significantly every month without any dent in the pocket. We are still looking for turning points that bring out collaborative marketing as a commercial success having rejected subscription models and advertising based models. Zynga however estimates year 2 will not be as rosy enough for it. Shares of Facebook are trading at select online portals featured here earlier.

(Reuters) – Facebook’s financial performance is stronger than previously believed, as the Internet social network’s explosive growth in users and advertisers boosted 2009 revenue to as much as $800 million, according to two sources familiar with the situation.

MEDIA

The company also earned a solid net profit, in the tens of millions of dollars last year, one of the sources said.

That growth in profit and revenue underscores how Facebook is increasingly making money off its 6-year-old service, which ranks as the world’s largest Web social network with nearly half a billion users.

That sort of performance is likely to whet the appetites of investors keen for a public share float, despite the company’s insistence that an IPO is not a near-term priority.

HOLY KAW!

Filed under Lifestyle Brands, Social Media Tagged with Digital, digital web, Facebook, social, Social Media, Twitter, Web 2.0

Soccer Aid for Social Champions | Advantage Sports

June 7, 2010 1 Comment

Live Aid Pioneers inspired Robbie Williams to start this charity game for the English Team vs the Rest of the World. Every year it raises $3 million dollars though yesterday’s game saw Rest of the World team beat England at Old Trafford. The Soccer Aid game includes quiz shows etc and is held biennially, the next in 2012 and then on the eve of the 2014 Rio World Cup.

SA is generating revenues form second tier national sponsors and some more local sponsors while FIFA agreements have been discussd earlier in a April preview.

Football Clubs still value at more than $500m for the top 3-4 clubs but most from Italy and Spain ( Inter Milan / Barca )

New infrastructure in Jo’burg includes revamped Soccer City and Ellis Park stadiums at a cost of R$ (ZAR) 1 billion each and redesigned slums near the Ellis Park area..A dozen odd stadiums with a min capacity of 50K will play host starting Friday

Coca Cola is continuing the Open Happiness campaign at least in Asia during the Cup with a lot of pubs in the region stymied by the midnight games

Filed under Marketing, Sports, Sports Marketing Tagged with Carlsberg, Coke, Fifa, SA Airways, Soccer, Socia, Social Media, World Cup

And the winner is – digital! | Advantage Social

April 26, 2010 Leave a comment

Well, pioneers will say we are late in the gainsaying. No we were not the naysayers. No it is not a holy jehad. No, Pope Benedict has no request to bless this revolution. No it is not the Book of Judas. No selling religion hasn’t gone digital. Phew, that’s another billion. Close. As April draws to a close, statistics say Twitter would have added 1 more billion to its 16 billion kitty from SMS alone.

Yes. And that news on the twitter blog is a good one, a great one and one that makes me wish I was a Cloudhopper. Twitter has finally started using the cash in the vain hope that it is ahead of the monetization of internet curve and thus people wil eventuually pay it in enough premium to cover now the third year of back breaking costs. The Cloudhopper purchase closely follows Tweetie and makes its Third party developers an integral part of Twitter.

We have said it before and we will say it again. It is time that all the tweeting , now available in the Library of Congress archives are a blessed source of will and wisdom that are sure to turn the world of digital media, social media and advertising in a tizzy.

Online advertising has also scored a neat $23 billion in advertising in 2009 according to a hat tip from the New York Times. 47% growth in Display ads, 38% in Video ads and search is still around. Well next year hopefully it will be Twitter’s promoted tweets there with a meaningful percentage and from our personal predictions, the search category would have mrphed into other pieces., incl the Apple iPad platform and maybe once Tweets count someone would have a percentage for Facebook as well.

Why am I rambling about that? Because a lot of people incl Accenture and Mckinsey have employed pioneers, our valley has gone down hooking them up and they all wanted to see a little more digital in our life. And that’s all Marketing, right! All those solo moments without advertising would also be sponsored by your refrigerator maybe. But the point is that magazine advertising scored less than $20 billion in the same year in the US. And that is where we plan to use everyone’s common decision. We think Marketing Budgets will be at least 30% Digital in a few years. And for the World’s Top 100 brands, more of that would be social and of course meaningful sponsorships would be most of the other stuff. See?

Filed under Digital Media, Marketing, Social Media, Twitter Tagged with Digital, Digital Media, Facebook, Online Advertising, Social Media, Twitter

Some interesting April developments from around the web | Advantage Brands

April 19, 2010 1 Comment

You guessed it. Fatigue. Advantage zyaada has penned a dozen articles today on the Finance and Economy subjects with a lot of Goldman Sachs and some other Banks popping up. (and the volcanic Ash) do check out the depth and field of vision at ADVANTAGES.US

Also Twitter Chirp kind of boxed forward movement with a lot of developer stuff going around including new developer agreements for using Twitter marks and user data.

Facebook is going the other way on F8, a lot of developer stuff about bringing back the toolbar swing for lulling users and adding a like button to every site you care about. Next you know we would be going Giga Om discussing proprietary standards, integrating internet in LED Televisions and all that gizmodo stuff about a tablet for the competitor.

Coming back to marketing and social media, I am also wary of posting more about Social media usage..most of the stuff is unscientific and definitely counterproductive to using th great examples that cannot arise daily.

There has also been a lot of discussion about Twitter’s 100 million users and Facebook’s 400 million active users. I don’t wabnt to discuss it for my brand. What I know is irrespective my social media effectiveness thru Twitter is in 1000s of clicks/other digital actions of Web 1.0. Facebook’s business effectiveness for my brand is zilch. It is some sort of a hygeine factor now to be on visually appealing Facebook pages. It is much more personal for the user and he does not like to be disturbed, though he can be targeted much more incisively right now on Facebook. Maybe for selling Tag Heuer watches and Bugatti Sports Cars or Armani and Kim Kardarshian fashion accessories..

In the meantime, the web’s other social acquisition account aggregator and advisor Mint has extended its offering to almost all American banks as according to the site an average American uses 11 different banking institutions and unless he can get them all in one place…

The other social revolution on the town square Foursquare recently celebrated Foursquare Day with near million members

Of course last but not the least it’s fashionable in Twitter universe also to hate “Promoted Tweets” and to call/not call them advertising based on whether you are User or Twitter

I would recommend however, that all the developments be not taken in isolation but as a whole picture serious thought be given to being brand leaders in shifting the marketing budget emphasis from print and TV to social media and not “online advertising”

Filed under Apple, Digital Media, Financial Services, Marketing, Social Media Tagged with Advertising, Branding, Business 2.0, Digital Media, Marketing, Social Media, Web 2.0

It’s Facebook F8 vs Twitter Chirp | Advantage social

April 2, 2010 2 Comments

Facebook vs Twitter series 31/800

Facebook Developer Garage and probably many others would soon be targeted by marketing vuffs for the events they are. When the F8 is held later this month followed by Chirp on Twitter, the Location and Like arguments of Facebook will hit another crescendo and Twitter ‘s @anywhere will go gaga about the liking of all that you browse with the Like button from Facebook vs the social knit experience of @anywhere. What can we say – It’s a wonderful life. It actually could also make for more than a few lighthearted moments on the social boards, esp. if they start calling in landed celebrities and not so busy political movements to these dias’ or platforms. We have decided to call Social browsing, the time spent on Facebook Twitter and any remaining social networks, soon to include significantly your time on Amazon and the newspaper sites as @anywhere goes live and iPad gets more user friendly.

This social browsing, may perhaps not spearhead anything more commercial than its current state in the discernible future as some stronger brands start taking their social visibility more seriously with Cash approved during FB and twitter’s Celebrations last festive season ( The period Oct 2009 – Dec 2009 was the hottest for both the surviving networks) The next layer of recommendation engines incl. Foursquare may well be significant players on the iPad and maybe even a new reinvented Kindle, but the dollars would come from the brands and not the cognoscenti and the twenty somethings browsing their working time away.

It’s tiring really. Without its commercial value, any invention is only useful to its inventor and the social web would have to do more than press F8 to sing all the way to the bank.

Filed under Digital Media, Facebook, Marketing, Social Media, Twitter Tagged with Chirp, F8, Facebook, Social Media, Twitter