Marketing Pilgrim Published: “Twitter to Take TweetDeck?” plus 3 more

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Twitter to Take TweetDeck?
Facebook Courts Ad Agencies
Geolocation Users Want Connection Not Coupons
What’s Next? Marketing to Match Your Mood

Posted: 18 Apr 2011 11:04 PM PDT

It's no wonder that Twitter has told developers that the future is not in developing third party apps to manage Twitter activities. It's no wonder because it looks like Twitter is about to buy TweetDeck for about $50 million which is reportedly $20 million more than Twitter's sudden soon to be rival UberMedia was offering.

SAI reports

We had asked sources close to the situation about the TweetDeck-UberMedia deal a few weeks ago, and we were told both companies were still talking.

Apparently Twitter saw an opportunity to swoop in and trump the deal.

Why would Twitter want to get TweetDeck away from UberMedia?

TweetDeck is one of the more popular independent third party Twitter applications out there. It accounts for around 13% of all tweets sent out, and is generally the preferred app for Twitter “power users.”

Imagine if UberMedia had gotten their hands on the tool that is responsible for 13% of the tweets that go out. Twitter might lay an egg out of concern that the long hard road to revenue has taken too long and thus left the door open for another player to come in and do what Twitter seems to avoid like the plague, which is making money.

This entire ‘Twitter needs to make money’ story is getting so old that you almost hope that someone comes along to challenge them and maybe figure out what all of these great minds can't seem to.

Here are some questions for our readers to consider and comment on. Do you think that we are stuck with Twitter and Facebook as the social media kings in the same way we are with Google? Will there be anyone able to touch them? More importantly how willing would you be to change to another service if it were better than either Twitter or Facebook?

What would it take to make you switch to another service? In the end though are Twitter and Facebook somewhat bulletproof even with the specter of MySpace's spectacular flameout so fresh in the minds of many?

Facebook Courts Ad Agencies

Posted: 18 Apr 2011 09:45 PM PDT

Facebook has gotten real big, real fast. Apparently they have gotten big enough organically that are turning some of their sights to the industries that can help them with the application of the platform. It's more than just numbers when you go after building relationships with ad agencies. Now it's about money.

By deciding to educate the professionals working on the behalf of brands through the Facebook Studio, Facebook is doing the right thing by courting the group that will likely take Facebook to the next level from a marketing tool perspective. Of course, that doesn't mean they will do the best or most creative work but ad agencies own the relationships with major brands and major brands mean cash.

AdAge reports

Facebook executives say this move is a first step in a give-and-take dialogue between Facebook and the creative advertising world. Until now, Facebook has been mostly hands-off with agencies, letting them navigate the frequently changing Facebook waters without a compass.

“We need to do a better job of engaging with agencies,” said Blake Chandlee, head of Facebook’s newly formed agency relations team, adding that the site will focus on best practices and highlight quality campaigns uploaded by the creators of the content. Of course, users will be commenting and clicking that like button, so the most talked-about work will get the most attention. Facebook wants the people with the advertising smarts to take the lead. “So far we’ve felt like they’ve been pulled along,” Mr. Chandlee said.

A surprisingly honest assessment coming from Facebook who regularly shelves honesty for whatever it is they need.

Facebook will be running events with the next one being May 12th in New York. The idea of drawing closer to the advertising agency world is one that has been missed to a large degree by the search world (unless of course you spend gobs of money on paid search then you get to talk to actual humans). So far the agency world is responding well to Facebook’s overtures (like they have been asked to, I suspect)

Agencies are interested to see what happens, and ultimately want more. “Beyond the studio, which is a great first step, we’re looking to Facebook to open the kimono more in areas like product development to bring smarter, more integrated programs to our clients,” said Sarah Hofstetter, senior VP at 360i, who has worked with Coca-Cola, Kraft Foods and Bravo.

“The tools and products Facebook develops, which spread information about their platform, will not only help it seem less daunting, but encourage brands to further utilize the platform as well as experiment with it,” said Jasmine Summerset, strategy supervisor at Pereira & O’Dell.

Of course, it's real early to be giving out gold stars to Facebook for its progressive stance with the creatives of the world. We'll have to sit back and see how this unfolds because like anything else the idea has potential but how it's actually implemented will be the proof.

What's your take on the Facebook outreach?

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Geolocation Users Want Connection Not Coupons

Posted: 18 Apr 2011 03:52 PM PDT

We know that social media users love their coupons and deals, but according to a new study by White Horse, this is not their primary interest when using a geo-location based social network tool.

Take a look at the chart below. You’ll see the “connecting to other people I know or could meet” was the primary reason for using a geolocation service. 41% of the people chose that answer with the next highest (21%) going with “Finding a place liked by people I trust.” Getting discounts and winning virtual prizes rated very low on the scale.

Of those surveyed, nearly half of the respondents said they use Facebook Places. Foursquare and Google Latitude each got around 25% of the pie. The good news / bad news for geo-location marketers is that even though 57% of smartphone users are aware of such applications, only 39% use them. And you already know the biggest reason they aren’t using them — privacy concerns.

It’s easy to dismiss privacy concerns as paranoia. Of the thousands of people who give away their location via a social media service, how many will actually suffer for it? Not many. . . or is that what we like to think?

Have you heard about “If I Die?” It’s a Facebook app that allows you to record a message which is handed over to a trusted friend who will post it when you pass (assuming you go before they do or Facebook does.) To promote the service, AdAge says that the app company is using location Tweets to track down people in public places. They then call that person and suggest that now would be a good time to record that final message. If I hadn’t read it in AdAge, I’d assume that story was an urban legend from Syfy’s new series.

Getting back to the Lost in Geolocation Report, the second biggest reason people don’t use geo-location is because they don’t see the benefit. No benefit? That means marketers aren’t doing their jobs right. Simply listing your company with Foursquare or Places isn’t enough and apparently, adding a coupon isn’t the answer either.

If White Horse’s report is right, then the trick is to play into that concept of “social connection.” Remember when we talked about the new Facebook Deals program? That’s the perfect melding of deal, geo-location and social connection.

Here’s an example from the report:

An outdoor retailer might provide coordinated guidance for local hikes or environmental projects, for instance, while a bookstore might offer news of nearby events and signings. Content that brings people together, whether delivered through a mobile website or a custom app, ultimately provides a better connection than a shallow endorsement of check-ins.

That last sentence is key. Geo-location is about more than just check-ins and it’s not just for restaurants and retail stores. I love TV and movie production. When I’m in Los Angeles, I’d love to have an app that looks at my location and tells me what was filmed on the surrounding streets. That would be worth giving up my private information. That would be a benefit to me.

What would benefit you? What would benefit your customers? That’s the your homework for today. Before you get started, head over to White Horse and download the full Lost in Geolocation Report. It’s free as long as you don’t mind giving them some of your personal information.

What’s Next? Marketing to Match Your Mood

Posted: 18 Apr 2011 01:09 PM PDT

It’s just another manic Monday, which means I’m in the mood for chocolate, Ramen noodles and movies that don’t make me think. The last thing I want to do is cook, so this would be a great time to show me an ad for a pizza delivery service that includes fresh-baked, chocolate chip cookies with every order.

Imagine if you could match marketing to mood. Actually, you may not have to imagine for long, because the experts say it’s coming soon.

Moodagent is one step in that direction, it’s a mobile phone app that delivers a playlist of music based on your chosen mood. The program uses a variety of criteria to slot songs into emotional compartments such as happy, angry and sensual. For some odd reason my husband thinks “wistful” should be one of the choices, but what would it play? “Rainbow Connection” and “Breakfast at Tiffany’s?”

It’s a cool concept, because we’re emotionally connected to music, so perhaps, instead of choosing the blues when you’re blue, you could choose “happy” and it would cheer you up.

Now imagine that concept extended into advertising. Peter Berg Steffensen, CEO of Syntonetic (the makers of Moodagent) offers up an example;

“You could be listening to Bob Marley's 'Sun is Shining' and an ad recommends a chilled relaxing beer or a groovy holiday destination. Through our deeper understanding of the intrinsic link between music and mood we empower powerful and emotional connections between brands and their fans."

It’s a great idea, but how could we make it work on a larger scale? Maybe all cell phones could come equipped with a mood ring-type interface that picks up your mood when you handle the phone. Then your mood is broadcast out just like your geo-location and the matching mood ads are returned to your phone.

Angry at your boss? Check out Monster.com for a new job or buy a voodoo doll online. Feeling sexy? May we suggest a romantic dinner for two at a local restaurant and Nine 1/2 Weeks from Netflix?

What do you think? Do you have a product would sell better with mood-based marketing? We’d like to hear about it.

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