http://www.creativematch.co.uk/blogs/LichfieldMarketingAgency/ What this blog is all about en-us Fri, 12 Mar 2010 14:07:09 GMT Wed, 21 Oct 2009 10:19:45 GMT CF Blogger by DayDream Inc http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss enquiries@precismarketing.co.uk enquiries@precismarketing.co.uk http://www.creativematch.co.uk/blogs/LichfieldMarketingAgency/front.cfm?action=display_blog&bid=769BFDF8-1185-BAC1-E98794B88A2E4003 I love the latest coke ads, I really thought they captured the spirit of summer. Now they are launching a year long social media campaign, which looks inspired. Coca-Cola is sending three young people around the World, visiting 206 countries where the product is sold, to discover what makes the world happy. In what may prove to be an inspired social media campaign, the secret of happiness will be shared with the entire world through social media sites Facebook, YouTube, Twitte and Flickr. Adam Brown, director of digital communications at Coka Cola has described the campaign as a year-long reality tv series without the tv. I'm really looking forward to seeing how this pans out. Advertising Agency Online Advertising Wed, 21 Oct 2009 10:19:45 GMT http://www.creativematch.co.uk/blogs/LichfieldMarketingAgency/front.cfm?action=display_blog&bid=769BFDF8-1185-BAC1-E98794B88A2E4003 http://www.creativematch.co.uk/blogs/LichfieldMarketingAgency/front.cfm?action=display_blog&bid=0A95D1BD-1185-BAC1-E9F25C7082E3259B Internet ad spend has finally overtaken television advertising in the first half of 2009, a report from the IAB & PWC reveals. The advertising report, based on figures from the Advertising Association and WARC shows that Internet advertising is the only advertising sector to grow in the first half of 2009, reaching the grand sum of £1.75bn ad spend. The next big question for me is – when will mobile device advertising outstrip pc’s? At AdStorm we are seeing significant growth rates in mobile device traffic to all the websites we manage – which will presumably be reflected in future advertising trends. The half year's 4.6% growth includes PPC advertising, Banner Advertising and Online Classifieds all grouped together but sits against the backdrop of an overall 17% reduction in advertising spend. According to Guy Phillipson, CE of the IAB, the recent recession has caused advertisers to seek out the certainty provided by Internet advertising, which is more measurable - causing the Internet to overtake TV ad spend 6 months earlier than expected. The greater measurability of Internet advertising, individual targeting, and greater divisibility of ad impressions naturally makes it more accessible to small advertisers than other advertising media. Consequently, the more targeted conventional ad types were hit hardest with print media - including classified ads, directories and display ads suffering falls between 20% and 35% since the previous period. But it's not all one way traffic.  These figures also conceal the fact that print advertising is still the largest sector with 29% of the total ad spend. Classified and display advertising are counted separately in these figures – unlike online, where classified advertising and display advertising are all added together. AdStorm Advertising Agency Wed, 30 Sep 2009 10:54:01 GMT http://www.creativematch.co.uk/blogs/LichfieldMarketingAgency/front.cfm?action=display_blog&bid=0A95D1BD-1185-BAC1-E9F25C7082E3259B http://www.creativematch.co.uk/blogs/LichfieldMarketingAgency/front.cfm?action=display_blog&bid=E6B5EC00-1185-BAC1-E9965168E0152F1B Yahoo! today announced a worldwide advertising campaign to coincide with the launch of its new home page. According to Elisa Steele, Yahoo!’s chief marketing officer, Yahoo! hopes to be where an individual’s world meets the larger World. In theory Yahoo! is the most popular website in The World, but this does not seem to be reflected on the ground in the UK - where I don't think I know of anybody who actually uses Yahoo!  At AdStorm Advertising Agency We manage Pay Per Click Advertising on Google, Yahoo! and Facebook among others and the volume of traffic available – and, in our judgement the quality – is way lower on Yahoo! than on Google. The only saving grace is that the volume of traffic is so low that many advertisers overlook Yahoo! altogether, reducing the competition for keywords thereby providing some good value for money. In a key aspect of Yahoo!'s new website, it has opened up its home page to rivals such as Facebook and Hotmail – which is surely an admission that these third party social media solutions are in greater demand than its own. This may yet bring a strategic advantage over Google, which only lets users customize their iGoogle home page but doesn’t provide any external links on the core home page - unless of course keywords or phrases are entered and searched for, in which case organic search results and online advertisements are shown. Yahoo!’s apparent prior vision - that of providing an all-encompassing range of interactive content has surely now been superceded by rivals Google and Facebook, Twitter and a range of emerging sites. Yahoo seems to be repositioning itself as a portal from where "best of breed" soultions can be accessed. Online Advertising Wed, 23 Sep 2009 11:42:45 GMT http://www.creativematch.co.uk/blogs/LichfieldMarketingAgency/front.cfm?action=display_blog&bid=E6B5EC00-1185-BAC1-E9965168E0152F1B http://www.creativematch.co.uk/blogs/LichfieldMarketingAgency/front.cfm?action=display_blog&bid=AAA4E415-1185-BAC1-E9AB32B9279A72CE Hey, I logged on to Creativematch today and found it's all a new colour and layout.  I LOVE the new Skin for Creativematch.  Good work! Advertising Industry Wed, 15 Apr 2009 16:38:34 GMT http://www.creativematch.co.uk/blogs/LichfieldMarketingAgency/front.cfm?action=display_blog&bid=AAA4E415-1185-BAC1-E9AB32B9279A72CE http://www.creativematch.co.uk/blogs/LichfieldMarketingAgency/front.cfm?action=display_blog&bid=48B250CE-1185-BAC1-E9FF94FCD0736448 This week our new buy lanyards website www.lanyardpass.co.uk went live. We always think of them as lanyards, but does the layman know what a lanyard is?  I asked my girlfriend and she hadn't got the foggiest.  "Oh, a 'strap' or a 'neck strap'" she said when I explained that a lanyard is a cord that goes around your neck to hold a pass. Anyhow, the site provides online lanyard prices and the ability to buy lanyards almost instantly with just two clicks. There's a lanyard configurator and we allow further options if the end-user calls us up. There's a new lanyards news release about the new site which can be read here - or should that be a "neck strap news" release? Lanyards Fri, 27 Mar 2009 16:10:26 GMT http://www.creativematch.co.uk/blogs/LichfieldMarketingAgency/front.cfm?action=display_blog&bid=48B250CE-1185-BAC1-E9FF94FCD0736448 http://www.creativematch.co.uk/blogs/LichfieldMarketingAgency/front.cfm?action=display_blog&bid=1FBD6BF8-1185-BAC1-E9333869C3B403AA Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 st1:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} On Friday last week, Google opened up AdWords, its pay per click advertising platform which displays sponsored listings alongside search results, to gambling organisations in the UK registered with the Gambling Commission as well as any company in Europe provided they are registered with their national gambling regulator. This follows a UK government ban on gambling websites from outside of the European Economic Area advertising in the UK, which hit the operations of famous bookmaking brands William Hill, Bet Fred, and Littlewoods. The question is, if we disagree with gambling morally, do we have a duty not to accept advertising customers in the gambling sector?  I definitely have mixed feelings about this one.  On one hand, I don't want to promote gambling but on the other, if I make a moral stand then I'm just making it easier for less moral people to take the business and prosper. The only answer I can come up with is to compete in the marketplace as per the law of the law of the land, while trying to get the right laws in place in the first place by the mechanisms of democracy. Pay Per Click Advertising Online Advertising Tue, 21 Oct 2008 14:09:47 GMT http://www.creativematch.co.uk/blogs/LichfieldMarketingAgency/front.cfm?action=display_blog&bid=1FBD6BF8-1185-BAC1-E9333869C3B403AA http://www.creativematch.co.uk/blogs/LichfieldMarketingAgency/front.cfm?action=display_blog&bid=ADC864CD-1185-BAC1-E99F0AA3F43CCC3F Those involved with search engine marketing will be aware of the launch of Cuil earlier this year, the search engine claiming to have a bigger index than Google.  However something is amiss.  If you search for "Advertising Agency", which on most search engines will show a listing for the AdStorm Advertising Agency, except on Cuil you will see the AdStorm logo, alongside a listing for a completely different advertising agency.  Apparently this is a problem across the board, and not just on "advertising agency" searches.  Some people think they are displaying the wrong images.  I beg to differ.  Surely they are displaying the correct images but the wrong listings! AdStorm Advertising Agency Mon, 29 Sep 2008 11:05:03 GMT http://www.creativematch.co.uk/blogs/LichfieldMarketingAgency/front.cfm?action=display_blog&bid=ADC864CD-1185-BAC1-E99F0AA3F43CCC3F http://www.creativematch.co.uk/blogs/LichfieldMarketingAgency/front.cfm?action=display_blog&bid=9465BF83-1185-BAC1-E9B1E75428C38CBE Today's report about Channel 4 job losses and the slashing of £100m projected expenditure from its accounts, reflects the continuing move of marketers towards marketing online.  Traditional media have been fine while the economy is strong, and online media have been growing.  But as the UK economy begins to wind down a bit, expect to see the conventional media reporting losses in their annual accounts. I would advise all agencies to tighten their belts and keep tabs on their debtors to make sure the amount of money they's owed doesn't get out of hand. Accounting Wed, 24 Sep 2008 12:46:48 GMT http://www.creativematch.co.uk/blogs/LichfieldMarketingAgency/front.cfm?action=display_blog&bid=9465BF83-1185-BAC1-E9B1E75428C38CBE http://www.creativematch.co.uk/blogs/LichfieldMarketingAgency/front.cfm?action=display_blog&bid=4C640EC3-1185-BAC1-E976E9C558D42222 In our business village there's a company built entirely on driving affiliate traffic to merchant sites, related to the travel industry.  I think one of their biggest customers is Microsoft Expedia. In fact we've even designed some websites for them. Recently they said that their (many thousands) of small sites that capture organic search traffic are performing well in terms of generating affiliate revenue, so we decided to look into this field.  We also had some home learning websites (Home Course and ASET Course) that we developed for a customer project that never happened. So we developed a range of high quality content on the subject of home learning and included Google AdSense advertising as well as Affiliate links.  The results???  Well we appeared top on Google for a niche keyword, sold a couple of courses, and paid for our hosting!!!  So not a total waste of time. We may even drive traffic to the sites with Google AdWords. Online Advertising Wed, 10 Sep 2008 13:12:17 GMT http://www.creativematch.co.uk/blogs/LichfieldMarketingAgency/front.cfm?action=display_blog&bid=4C640EC3-1185-BAC1-E976E9C558D42222 http://www.creativematch.co.uk/blogs/LichfieldMarketingAgency/front.cfm?action=display_blog&bid=AD2843F8-1185-BAC1-E95D623C6F1A1118 A key way of attracting new customers these days, is by bringing them to your website.  Gone are the days when everybody attends trade shows to identify new suppliers, collecting details and maintaining a cabinet full of brochures.  A popular process now is to carry out a search on Google, Yahoo and MSN, visit supplier websites and longlist, or sometimes even shortlist directly from there. To best capitalise on this, it is essential to advertise online, and to provide the best content possible on your particular subject, in order to have a chance of appearing in the organic search results.  There are various ways of doing this.  For example, UK-based accounting software vendor Lakeview Computers provides an Accounting Software Glossary, which many Internet users will find useful.  We provide our directory of marketing services companies, and the managers of www.brochure-design.eu recently introduced a range of services, such as their Graphic Design Forum. This kind of content provides useful services to end-users, who discover the content through organic search, and end up developing a relationship with your brand.  Then, when they search on the Internet, they already know your website and are more likely to visit it. Google and other search engines are committed to providing high value, relevant listings to their customers, so it's essential to design your content with genuine value in mind.  Aim to make your site the very best site on the Internet, on its particular subject. Rob, AdStorm Advertising Agency Accounting Sun, 10 Aug 2008 15:07:21 GMT http://www.creativematch.co.uk/blogs/LichfieldMarketingAgency/front.cfm?action=display_blog&bid=AD2843F8-1185-BAC1-E95D623C6F1A1118 http://www.creativematch.co.uk/blogs/LichfieldMarketingAgency/front.cfm?action=display_blog&bid=ACE6BACF-1185-BAC1-E9BE17362FE65DDA Anybody who runs an online directory or blog will know about the pitfalls of spam, and will know how ruthless spam bots can attack your site, usually promoting porn, pharmaceuticals, or pyramid selling "get rich quick" scams. When attacked by robots, the volume of spam can be quite overwhelming - bringing your site down at worst, and at the very least, introducing an unnecessary source of frustration. At AdStorm we run a handful of directories, such as the Accounting Software directory, and the Marketing Agency directory. (Feel free to add your listing, by the way) .  All of these have at various times been the subject of attacks from spam bots, so we looked into the field of human verification software to make sure a real person is submitting info to the sites. We found that Captcha was an easy, free software to install. There are pre-existing plugins for Wordpress and MediaWiki, and a php version that's easy to use.  We have now managed to virtually eliminate the problem of spam on our websites. Advertising Industry Sun, 10 Aug 2008 13:55:47 GMT http://www.creativematch.co.uk/blogs/LichfieldMarketingAgency/front.cfm?action=display_blog&bid=ACE6BACF-1185-BAC1-E9BE17362FE65DDA http://www.creativematch.co.uk/blogs/LichfieldMarketingAgency/front.cfm?action=display_blog&bid=9B3BA082-1185-BAC1-E998530787BF71E7 I recently discovered a great free service from BT where you can advertise your company online for free.  Here's AdStorm's entry by way of an example - Advertising Agency.  It's called BT Tradespace and they offer companies the opportunity to publish a mini website advertising your business, the products you offer, you can write a company blog and various other details - great in particular for small companies or for designers / freelancers maybe who don't want to go to the expense of developing their own website but want some kind of presence to advertise themselves online. AdStorm Advertising Agency Tue, 29 Apr 2008 17:29:46 GMT http://www.creativematch.co.uk/blogs/LichfieldMarketingAgency/front.cfm?action=display_blog&bid=9B3BA082-1185-BAC1-E998530787BF71E7 http://www.creativematch.co.uk/blogs/LichfieldMarketingAgency/front.cfm?action=display_blog&bid=0608B45B-1185-BAC1-E906E7E03215358F It's generally easier to advertise a niche product, as you can go directly to the most relevant target. But to source a niche product - is it more difficult than sourcing a generic one? We are currently hiring for an Online Marketing Executive Job and have found that advertising, which for a generic marketing project manager brought in tens of enquiries, is only bringing them in one or two at a time. I guess with the economy running at full employment it's natural that human resources will not be easy to come by. Or maybe it's just the time of year. If you know anybody looking for such a job, get in touch via the details on our website: Advertising Agency AdStorm Rob Online Advertising Mon, 31 Mar 2008 18:10:43 GMT http://www.creativematch.co.uk/blogs/LichfieldMarketingAgency/front.cfm?action=display_blog&bid=0608B45B-1185-BAC1-E906E7E03215358F http://www.creativematch.co.uk/blogs/LichfieldMarketingAgency/front.cfm?action=display_blog&bid=CD42C947-1185-BAC1-E9E9A3E7ABE0D7D9 My car was in the garage last week and I was wondering why it is that mechanics cars always appear to be in need of attention. Well I would be a hypocrite to criticise as it's been a case of the Cobbler's shoes for AdStorm recently too.  We rebranded just over a year ago from Precis Marketing Ltd, but our old marketing agency website has continued to be our main source of leads until recently.  For nearly a year we've been so busy with selling new business and completing client work that the new AdStorm website, here: Advertising Agency, was nothing more than a holding page.  But finally, we've begun the process of developing new content, ramping up the Google advertising and the leads have started coming in. Initial new pages cover Online Marketing, Email Marketing and Digital Brochures. AdStorm Advertising Agency Thu, 20 Mar 2008 17:35:49 GMT http://www.creativematch.co.uk/blogs/LichfieldMarketingAgency/front.cfm?action=display_blog&bid=CD42C947-1185-BAC1-E9E9A3E7ABE0D7D9 http://www.creativematch.co.uk/blogs/LichfieldMarketingAgency/front.cfm?action=display_blog&bid=D660DF2A-1185-BAC1-E9E7F0E0C777B42B According to Brand Republic, Microsoft is today thought to have offered $44.6bn to buy Yahoo!, which represents a 62% premium over Yahoo!'s current share price. The gloves have been well and truly off for some time now in the battle to dominate digital online media, and Microsoft is beginning to flex its financial muscles, having recently acquired rights to third party advertising on Facebook and also having recently signed a deal to handle advertising on the Wall Street Journal. The question is, how important will online marketing ultimately be?  Is Yahoo!, really worth nearly half of the value of News Corporation? Advertising Industry Fri, 01 Feb 2008 19:02:28 GMT http://www.creativematch.co.uk/blogs/LichfieldMarketingAgency/front.cfm?action=display_blog&bid=D660DF2A-1185-BAC1-E9E7F0E0C777B42B