Government Budget sparks surge in tax and benefit searches
On 22 June 2010 the new Chancellor, George Osborne, delivered an Emergency Budget aimed at reducing the British deficit. The key themes of the Budget were to increase taxes and freeze benefits, including a rise in VAT from 17.5% to 20%, a rise in capital gains tax for high earners and a three year freeze on child benefits.
Given the importance of the Budget to household finances in the UK, it wasn't a big surprise to learn that the Budget fuelled consumer searches immediately after the Chancellor's announcement. On the day of Mr Osborne's speech, 1 in every 179 searches in the UK was related to the budget.
The two principle areas of search for UK internet users were for taxes and benefits. Searches for term variations of 'government benefits' doubled in the week of the Emergency Budget but despite this spike, benefit-related searches actually decreased this quarter compared to the same time last year.
Searches for taxes on the other hand increased by 11.5% for the quarter ending June 2010 compared with the previous quarter (ending March 2010). In comparison with the same quarter in 2009, tax-related searches increased by 28%.
As one of the main features of Mr Osborne's Emergency Budget, 'capital gains tax' was the most prominent tax-related search term of the quarter. Council tax and VAT were also popular search terms followed by income tax and national insurance.
Find out more about the Hitwise Financial Services Quarterly Review.
With the unveiling in June of the Universal theme park, the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, the movie trailer for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, and the release of Lego Harry Potter: Years 1-4, it's fair to say that Harry Potter fever is casting a spell over online audiences again.
Of the 32 million distinct search terms that UK internet users typed into search engines over June, nearly 16,500 of them contained the term 'harry potter', meaning 1 in every 2,000 search terms was Harry Potter-related. Such was the popularity of the fantastic boy wizard that 'harry potter' was a more popular search term than 'ipad', the second most popular Apple iPad related search term.
These three Harry Potter events accounted for the majority of the search traffic and search terms. Of the top 20 Harry Potter-related search terms, five were related to the new theme park in Orlando, four were related to the Lego game and three were related to the new movie.
Despite having the fewest search terms, search traffic for the seventh Harry Potter movie was the highest in volume terms, accounting for over 8% of Harry Potter searches. Searches for the Universal theme park accounted for over 5.7% and the new Lego game took 3.8% of the market share of related searches.
Times Paywall traffic loss less than expected
The Times' recent controversial move to take their content behind a paywall and charge online consumers to read their content has attracted a lot of attention. As the first general news content provider to charge for its online content, there has been ample speculation about consumers deserting The Times in favour of free online content.
Since the paywall was erected, The Times has lost two thirds of its market share of visits. In the weeks before the paywall went up, www.thetimes.co.uk received an average of 4.29% of all visits to the News and Media - Print category. By the week ending 10/07/2010, The Times' market share of visits had dropped to 1.43%, just 33% of where it had been five weeks previously.
The latest data for the week ending 17/07/2010 shows that The Times' market share of visits has dropped off further still to account for 1.37% of the News and Media - Print category. The rate of decline is slowing however and the data suggests traffic to The Times' website is stabilising.
Despite the decline in traffic, The Times' website is still ranked higher than the Financial Times, its nearest competitor in the pay wall market. The FT has received deserved praise for its financial model, with one journalist suggesting they had "unlocked the secret of eternal profitability". If The Times can match that feat with its paywall then the exercise has been a success.
Time will tell if The Times loses further internet traffic and when the introductory offer of "£1 for the first 30 days" expires perhaps consumers will search for their news content from other providers. So far though, The Times seems to be doing just fine. For now Mr Murdoch's gamble has paid off.
marketing.uk@hitwise.com.
Showing posts with label Gasta ads. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gasta ads. Show all posts
Friday, July 30, 2010
Wednesday, June 02, 2010
Gasta Tech A viral strategy for using paid search
Gasta Tech A viral strategy for using paid search
By Seth Sarelson
March 12, 2010
* Each paid search click for a multi-channel merchant is more valuable for in-store revenue than for online revenue
* A coupon that's no better than your competitors' coupons or your standard everyday coupon isn't going to go viral
* Add a sense of urgency to your campaign by having a short-term expiration date on your coupon
Paid search has, and continues to be, one of the most effective ways of driving online sales. What you may not know is that paid search may actually be much more effective at driving in-store sales than it ever has been for ecommerce.
Co-author Jonathan Treiber is CEO and co-founder of RevTrax.
Data from a comScore and Yahoo study (PDF) actually suggest that consumers exposed to only search spent $16 in store for every $1 they spent online. Analysis of cross-channel conversion data by RevTrax has yielded the same conclusion -- that each paid search click for a multi-channel merchant is far more valuable for in-store revenue than it is for online revenue.
Given this data, it's no surprise that marketers are looking more and more to paid search as an incredibly cost-effective tool to drive in-store sales via use of a printable coupon. By combining paid search with consumer-initiated social media and email to facilitate virality, marketers can set the stage to make a big impact at a low cost in a way that is impossible with other marketing strategies -- especially print.
Here are five tips to help you use paid search to make your coupons go viral:
1. Dig deep. Give a high value offer. A coupon that's no better than your competitors' coupons or your standard everyday coupon isn't going to go viral. If you want to go viral, you're going to need to push your limits and create an extraordinary offer.
2. Search + social media + email = viral. Each time a consumer prints your coupon, you'll want to prompt him or her to either A) share the coupon via social media, B) email friends, or C) both. A social media interaction that's generated by a consumer recommending your coupon to friends is far more valuable than anything marketers can do on their own. You can easily accomplish this by adding a social media widget on the page where consumers print your coupon.
3. Offers should expire quickly. Add a sense of urgency to your campaign by having a short-term expiration date on your coupon. If consumers know that your coupon expires in several days, they'll engage more quickly than if it was outstanding for a month before expiring.
4. Measure thoroughly, optimize frequently, and repeat. You should know which keywords are generating the greatest numbers of clicks, prints and, ultimately, sales. The same keywords that generate the heaviest click volume aren't necessarily the ones that generate the most coupons printed and in-store sales. There are technologies available to help you measure the full conversion funnel from paid search ads to in-store sales for each individual keyword to optimize your bidding. Also, the more frequently you measure the data (i.e., daily versus weekly), the quicker you can optimize bid-management and drive better results.
5. Geo-target. Run campaigns with a tight radius around each store. You probably have a good sense for how far consumers will travel. Optimize your campaigns by setting a geographic radius around each store if possible. If you have too many stores or this is not possible, at least make sure that you exclude regions where you do not have a physical presence.
In addition to the things you can do right, there's one big thing to avoid:
Don't make the consumer jump through hoops. It's one thing to ask a consumer to give a name or email address to build your database. Do not ask the consumer for endless amounts of registration data that you won't use. Also, do not force the consumer to download software to print the coupon. These roadblocks are the killers of conversion rates and viral marketing. The rule of thumb is that keeping it simple will keep your customers happy.
As marketers make the transition from traditional media to search and other types of digital media to drive in-store sales, it's critical that marketers utilize best practices to increase ROI and make it easy for consumers to engage and share coupons with friends. When executed correctly, a search campaign driving traffic to a printable coupon can be one of the most effective and targeted ways to generate in-store sales with incredibly high ROI.
Seth Sarelson is COO and co-founder of RevTrax, where co-founder Jonathan Treiber is CEO.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Gasta WHITE LABEL Tech Update
Gasta search network: Don’t think about it, just do it!!
Getting into the hearts and minds of web searchers requires building needs and becoming indispensible. It requires clean, accurate, and relevant results. The real secret sauce of the next generation of search will contain a multitude of ingredients that serve time, need, convenience, and desire. To bring them in, you have to be more compelling. To keep them, you have to be clever, and what Gasta.com has done is clever.
Gasta.com is getting ready to launch it biggest search innovation yet. Launched in 1997 the search engine network has been completely overhauled using the new Microsoft MVC platform, and this version of Gasta is the best yet with a lot of new Social Networking and Social marketing options.
You can now share search results straight to Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Hi5, and a variety of other social networks. The results are faster (85% of sites are slower than Gasta). You can share Videos, News, Images, Blogs, and Adverts. Yes with Gasta.com new SearchMatch™ Platform you can send a link from your advertisement to a social network site, hence the role of the open networker and the key Influencer is utilized in your campaigns, simple.
As well as this Gasta now offers comparison shopping and seamless geo-ip targeting. The InstantLink directory is dropped but the keyword suggestion tool and suggested search tool is almalgamated into the SERp. This platform rewrite comes at a critical time for European Search industry as the European Interactive Advertising Association (EIAA) has just released figures that show, Up to 70% of European advertisers intend to increase online ad spend during 2009, as budgets continue to shift as a result of the recession.
Gasta’s focus on niche, long tail keywords that match your services, and a cost effective pricing with no PPC, are exactly are what is needed bring eyeballs to your 'online window shopping experience'.
Whatever the approach to media might be, it's clear that a shift is in order. Not just a shift in creative focus or emotional triggers, but a shift in how we approach the most important aspect of the search: the people behind each need-defining query. To this end Gasta.com web3.0 has been worked out leveraging the DigitalDesign outlook strategies, leading into 2010.
1. Advertising networks that can effectively leverage social information will
become marginally more important.
2. Widgets, as vehicles to carry a message effectively within and across various
social media environments will become more popular.
3. Exchanges or clearing houses will arise to provide compensation in some form
(e.g., cash, rewards, points, status) for users.
4. Niche social media will become attractive places for brands to engage in SIM
because relevance can be increased.
5. Gasta: A hosted search white label solution in Action.
Gasta 3.0 will be launching at the end of this month. Mysearchmachine.com is an ongoing project of the Gasta search network
“Tell them and show them the great things they'll find. Great creative might actually get them there, but as history has taught us, it's hard to keep them when it's so easy to switch. Don't give them a learning curve, and for heaven's sake, please don't make them think”.
Getting into the hearts and minds of web searchers requires building needs and becoming indispensible. It requires clean, accurate, and relevant results. The real secret sauce of the next generation of search will contain a multitude of ingredients that serve time, need, convenience, and desire. To bring them in, you have to be more compelling. To keep them, you have to be clever, and what Gasta.com has done is clever.
Gasta.com is getting ready to launch it biggest search innovation yet. Launched in 1997 the search engine network has been completely overhauled using the new Microsoft MVC platform, and this version of Gasta is the best yet with a lot of new Social Networking and Social marketing options.
You can now share search results straight to Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Hi5, and a variety of other social networks. The results are faster (85% of sites are slower than Gasta). You can share Videos, News, Images, Blogs, and Adverts. Yes with Gasta.com new SearchMatch™ Platform you can send a link from your advertisement to a social network site, hence the role of the open networker and the key Influencer is utilized in your campaigns, simple.
As well as this Gasta now offers comparison shopping and seamless geo-ip targeting. The InstantLink directory is dropped but the keyword suggestion tool and suggested search tool is almalgamated into the SERp. This platform rewrite comes at a critical time for European Search industry as the European Interactive Advertising Association (EIAA) has just released figures that show, Up to 70% of European advertisers intend to increase online ad spend during 2009, as budgets continue to shift as a result of the recession.
Gasta’s focus on niche, long tail keywords that match your services, and a cost effective pricing with no PPC, are exactly are what is needed bring eyeballs to your 'online window shopping experience'.
Whatever the approach to media might be, it's clear that a shift is in order. Not just a shift in creative focus or emotional triggers, but a shift in how we approach the most important aspect of the search: the people behind each need-defining query. To this end Gasta.com web3.0 has been worked out leveraging the DigitalDesign outlook strategies, leading into 2010.
1. Advertising networks that can effectively leverage social information will
become marginally more important.
2. Widgets, as vehicles to carry a message effectively within and across various
social media environments will become more popular.
3. Exchanges or clearing houses will arise to provide compensation in some form
(e.g., cash, rewards, points, status) for users.
4. Niche social media will become attractive places for brands to engage in SIM
because relevance can be increased.
5. Gasta: A hosted search white label solution in Action.
Gasta 3.0 will be launching at the end of this month. Mysearchmachine.com is an ongoing project of the Gasta search network
“Tell them and show them the great things they'll find. Great creative might actually get them there, but as history has taught us, it's hard to keep them when it's so easy to switch. Don't give them a learning curve, and for heaven's sake, please don't make them think”.
Thursday, February 04, 2010
Gasta Tech Update: Gasta and Those Other Ad service companies.
Gasta Reach climbs 769% in two months.
Why we need to realistically differentiate ad networks
Gasta.com search network star continues to shine in Europe.
A while ago, I wrote a piece on how ad networks can differentiate themselves. For those who weren't following along, the lack of differentiation among the rapidly increasing number of ad networks is a major complaint for agency media buyers.
This piece spawned an interesting conversation. Many of the potential differentiators I pointed to were non-starters for some of the ad networks. Some of the ad network sales reps who privately emailed me or talked to me about the piece indicated that, for their company at least, it was difficult to stake out an "ownable" position given the attributes I had focused on.
For example, I talked about technology and targeting as two important potential differentiators. That's fine if you happen to be a network like Advertising.com, Centro, or 24/7 Real Media, which have invested in their own proprietary technologies over the years and have thus reaped the benefits. But what if you're one of the many networks that have outsourced its ad serving or targeting technology to third-party providers? It's tough to own a unique position if others have access to your technology, right?
For reasons we've discussed recently, reach and transparency are becoming less ownable as well. Ad networks are more fluid with respect to available inventory every day, and so many ad networks will be less able to provide a clear picture of precisely where ads will or will not run. Don't even get me started on reach.
That leaves us with performance, which means different things to different marketers (as ValueClick is so fond of showcasing in its trade campaigns), and editorial environments as potential stakes in the ground for ad networks. Given that DR and brand advertisers alike tend to have custom performance metrics, and that they tend to keep results close to the vest, it's difficult to make performance a believable and ownable differentiator.
In terms of the editorial environment, this is where I think ad networks can make the most difference. Advertisers want to know that networks are protecting their brand from inappropriate editorial environments, and they also want to know that they're comfortable associating with the various publishers contributing inventory to the ad buy.
Some premium publishers have indicated their desire to work with fewer ad networks, or even no ad networks at all. Their willingness to actually cut ties, though, remains to be seen in most cases, since cutting relationships with ad networks often leaves ad revenue on the table.
If these premium publishers do act on this stated desire, though, the opportunity exists for premium networks to give agencies and advertisers access to inventory they wouldn't otherwise be able to get. And as I've said before, if an ad network has unique access to inventory, it will likely prosper.
Develop a reputation for consistently delivering premium inventory on an exclusive basis, and you've got an ownable position that can set you apart from the rest of the pack.
Tom Hespos is the president of Underscore Marketing and blogs at Hespos.com.
Why we need to realistically differentiate ad networks
Gasta.com search network star continues to shine in Europe.
A while ago, I wrote a piece on how ad networks can differentiate themselves. For those who weren't following along, the lack of differentiation among the rapidly increasing number of ad networks is a major complaint for agency media buyers.
This piece spawned an interesting conversation. Many of the potential differentiators I pointed to were non-starters for some of the ad networks. Some of the ad network sales reps who privately emailed me or talked to me about the piece indicated that, for their company at least, it was difficult to stake out an "ownable" position given the attributes I had focused on.
For example, I talked about technology and targeting as two important potential differentiators. That's fine if you happen to be a network like Advertising.com, Centro, or 24/7 Real Media, which have invested in their own proprietary technologies over the years and have thus reaped the benefits. But what if you're one of the many networks that have outsourced its ad serving or targeting technology to third-party providers? It's tough to own a unique position if others have access to your technology, right?
For reasons we've discussed recently, reach and transparency are becoming less ownable as well. Ad networks are more fluid with respect to available inventory every day, and so many ad networks will be less able to provide a clear picture of precisely where ads will or will not run. Don't even get me started on reach.
That leaves us with performance, which means different things to different marketers (as ValueClick is so fond of showcasing in its trade campaigns), and editorial environments as potential stakes in the ground for ad networks. Given that DR and brand advertisers alike tend to have custom performance metrics, and that they tend to keep results close to the vest, it's difficult to make performance a believable and ownable differentiator.
In terms of the editorial environment, this is where I think ad networks can make the most difference. Advertisers want to know that networks are protecting their brand from inappropriate editorial environments, and they also want to know that they're comfortable associating with the various publishers contributing inventory to the ad buy.
Some premium publishers have indicated their desire to work with fewer ad networks, or even no ad networks at all. Their willingness to actually cut ties, though, remains to be seen in most cases, since cutting relationships with ad networks often leaves ad revenue on the table.
If these premium publishers do act on this stated desire, though, the opportunity exists for premium networks to give agencies and advertisers access to inventory they wouldn't otherwise be able to get. And as I've said before, if an ad network has unique access to inventory, it will likely prosper.
Develop a reputation for consistently delivering premium inventory on an exclusive basis, and you've got an ownable position that can set you apart from the rest of the pack.
Tom Hespos is the president of Underscore Marketing and blogs at Hespos.com.
Saturday, December 05, 2009
Gasta Property Search: Google to launch property app/
Google is set to launch a property dimension to its UK mapping system.
The new service will allow both estate agents and private sellers to put their property as an overlay on Google Maps.
The plans were outlined at a conference called Estate Agency Events last week, although Google has declined to give official confirmation.
Shares in the property portal Rightmove fell more than 10% as news emerged, the sharpest faller in the FTSE 350 index of companies for the day.
The new service is expected to launch next year and would be similar to a service Google launched in Australia.
Sarah Beeny
Sarah Beeny says Google will level the property playing field
That site allows estate agents to list properties for free, with pictures taken from its Street View service and listing details on a map.
Speaking to BBC News, Edward Mead - sales director for Douglas & Gordon estate agents - said that the new system would be a win-win situation for both Google and estate agents.
"The technology to do this is already in place and estate agents are a little busier these days, although transactions are still fifty per cent down on what they once were.
"So this service, which is free, will appeal to estate agents' cost-cutting nature and given that sixty per cent of agents are one-off traders, this will have serious appeal."
Mr Mead said that Google's head of property and classified team, Ben Wood, briefed 30 of England's top estate agents at Estate Agency Events last week, telling them everything about the system, other than an official launch date.
'Hurt estate agents'
But Sarah Beeny, who presents Channel 4's Property Ladder and also runs her own home sales property site Tepilo, told BBC News that the service could well damage estate agents in the long run.
"It will hurt estate agents and it will hurt property sites like Rightmove.
"If it does what Google says it will, then it brings the buyer and seller closer together and that could mean removing blocks in the way, and that could mean no longer having to pay extortionate fees to estate agents.
"It will certainly blow Rightmove out of the water. You can only get your property listed on that site if you are an estate agent - what Google will do is level the playing field and they are doing it for free," she said.
For sale signs
The site would directly link property buyers with vendors
The news shook traders on the London Stock Exchange. At one point, shares in online property portal Rightmove fell by 13% over concern about competition from the world's biggest search engine, although a late afternoon rally saw them close 10% down at £4.95 a share.
The firm remained bullish, despite the news.
Speaking to BBC News, the company's commercial director, Miles Shipside, said his business was still strong and the site was still getting lots of traffic.
"It remains to be seen what actually happens," he said.
"Google is a big name, but they don't always manage to follow things through on a local level.
"We only list property with estate agents due to UK legislation. Agents offer very good value and charge very competitive rates compared to the rest of the world.
The new service will allow both estate agents and private sellers to put their property as an overlay on Google Maps.
The plans were outlined at a conference called Estate Agency Events last week, although Google has declined to give official confirmation.
Shares in the property portal Rightmove fell more than 10% as news emerged, the sharpest faller in the FTSE 350 index of companies for the day.
The new service is expected to launch next year and would be similar to a service Google launched in Australia.
Sarah Beeny
Sarah Beeny says Google will level the property playing field
That site allows estate agents to list properties for free, with pictures taken from its Street View service and listing details on a map.
Speaking to BBC News, Edward Mead - sales director for Douglas & Gordon estate agents - said that the new system would be a win-win situation for both Google and estate agents.
"The technology to do this is already in place and estate agents are a little busier these days, although transactions are still fifty per cent down on what they once were.
"So this service, which is free, will appeal to estate agents' cost-cutting nature and given that sixty per cent of agents are one-off traders, this will have serious appeal."
Mr Mead said that Google's head of property and classified team, Ben Wood, briefed 30 of England's top estate agents at Estate Agency Events last week, telling them everything about the system, other than an official launch date.
'Hurt estate agents'
But Sarah Beeny, who presents Channel 4's Property Ladder and also runs her own home sales property site Tepilo, told BBC News that the service could well damage estate agents in the long run.
"It will hurt estate agents and it will hurt property sites like Rightmove.
"If it does what Google says it will, then it brings the buyer and seller closer together and that could mean removing blocks in the way, and that could mean no longer having to pay extortionate fees to estate agents.
"It will certainly blow Rightmove out of the water. You can only get your property listed on that site if you are an estate agent - what Google will do is level the playing field and they are doing it for free," she said.
For sale signs
The site would directly link property buyers with vendors
The news shook traders on the London Stock Exchange. At one point, shares in online property portal Rightmove fell by 13% over concern about competition from the world's biggest search engine, although a late afternoon rally saw them close 10% down at £4.95 a share.
The firm remained bullish, despite the news.
Speaking to BBC News, the company's commercial director, Miles Shipside, said his business was still strong and the site was still getting lots of traffic.
"It remains to be seen what actually happens," he said.
"Google is a big name, but they don't always manage to follow things through on a local level.
"We only list property with estate agents due to UK legislation. Agents offer very good value and charge very competitive rates compared to the rest of the world.
Gasta Tech Update: Microsoft and Yahoo have closed the deal.
Gasta sources say WebProNews received an email from a Yahoo representative saying that they have "finalized and executed the definitive Search and Advertising Services and Sales Agreement and License Agreement in accordance with the letter agreement announced in July."
Statements from the two companies are as follows:
“Microsoft and Yahoo! believe that this deal will create a sustainable and more compelling alternative in search that can provide consumers, advertisers and publishers real choice, better value, and more innovation.
“Yahoo! and Microsoft welcome the broad support the deal has received from key players in the advertising industry and remain hopeful that the closing of the transaction can occur in early 2010.”
Original Article: Kara Swisher of Boomtown, who is normally a pretty reliable source of industry scoops, is reporting that Yahoo and Microsoft may be very close to finally signing their much-anticipated search and advertising deal. According to Swisher, though she has not received confirmation from either party, the two companies may have their agreement in place by the end of the week.
"If all goes well, the various Microsoft and Yahoo execs–who have been ferreted away over the last weeks busy dotting all the i’s and crossing all the t’s on the massive document–could even turn in their deal homework to their bosses for signature by the end of the week," says Swisher. She cites "sources close to the situation" as the basis of her lead.
The deadline for completing the agreement was October 27, but both companies basically chalked up the lack of completion to the size and complexity of the document. They want to make sure all of the details are in there and are clear.
The deal isn't just waiting on the two companies to finalize a document, though. It also requires the approval of a bunch of government regulators, and not just in the U.S.
"And, several sources said those government approvals are now nearing completion at the Justice Department, even though the Federal Trade Commission might still ask for more assurances on privacy issues related to online advertising and consumer data issues," writes Swisher. "International regulatory approval is another story, especially in Europe, which could further delay the implementation of the partnership, since it is unlikely the pair would move forward without clearance globally."
Statements from the two companies are as follows:
“Microsoft and Yahoo! believe that this deal will create a sustainable and more compelling alternative in search that can provide consumers, advertisers and publishers real choice, better value, and more innovation.
“Yahoo! and Microsoft welcome the broad support the deal has received from key players in the advertising industry and remain hopeful that the closing of the transaction can occur in early 2010.”
Original Article: Kara Swisher of Boomtown, who is normally a pretty reliable source of industry scoops, is reporting that Yahoo and Microsoft may be very close to finally signing their much-anticipated search and advertising deal. According to Swisher, though she has not received confirmation from either party, the two companies may have their agreement in place by the end of the week.
"If all goes well, the various Microsoft and Yahoo execs–who have been ferreted away over the last weeks busy dotting all the i’s and crossing all the t’s on the massive document–could even turn in their deal homework to their bosses for signature by the end of the week," says Swisher. She cites "sources close to the situation" as the basis of her lead.
The deadline for completing the agreement was October 27, but both companies basically chalked up the lack of completion to the size and complexity of the document. They want to make sure all of the details are in there and are clear.
The deal isn't just waiting on the two companies to finalize a document, though. It also requires the approval of a bunch of government regulators, and not just in the U.S.
"And, several sources said those government approvals are now nearing completion at the Justice Department, even though the Federal Trade Commission might still ask for more assurances on privacy issues related to online advertising and consumer data issues," writes Swisher. "International regulatory approval is another story, especially in Europe, which could further delay the implementation of the partnership, since it is unlikely the pair would move forward without clearance globally."
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Gasta Tech: Bing taking on Google news
Microsoft Offers To Pay News Publishers to Pull Content from Google
The next battle in the search wars could be over access to news content. The FT reports that Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT)—which has made increasing the market share of its Bing search engine its top online priority—has reached out to “big online publishers” in order to get them to pull their sites from Google (NSDQ: GOOG). Among the parties currently in discussions with Microsoft is News Corp. (NYSE: NWS), which has very loudly threatened to block search engines from crawling the content of its newspapers.
Unclear how far along these discussions are, although TechCrunch also reported a week ago that Microsoft had a meeting with representatives from top British papers, including the Financial Times, about giving their content “premium positions” on Bing.
This report seems to take that a step further since not only would Microsoft presumably be giving the content of its partners better play, it would also be paying to ensure that their content could not be found directly via the search engine of its arch-rival.
That would give Bing bragging rights to something Google does not have. Its other attempts at doing so haven’t been as successful. For instance, after it announced a deal with Twitter to feature Tweets from the microblog in real-time, Google followed up with its own agreement hours later.
For the newspapers, of course, the question is whether Microsoft’s dollars can make up for the loss of traffic that Google generates for them.
Online publishers would likely demand top dollar. Asked about the possibility last week, News Corp. CEO Rupert Murdoch said he wasn’t convinced even Microsoft could afford it: “If they were to pay everybody for everything they took, from every newspaper in the world and every magazine they wouldn’t have any profits left.”
The next battle in the search wars could be over access to news content. The FT reports that Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT)—which has made increasing the market share of its Bing search engine its top online priority—has reached out to “big online publishers” in order to get them to pull their sites from Google (NSDQ: GOOG). Among the parties currently in discussions with Microsoft is News Corp. (NYSE: NWS), which has very loudly threatened to block search engines from crawling the content of its newspapers.
Unclear how far along these discussions are, although TechCrunch also reported a week ago that Microsoft had a meeting with representatives from top British papers, including the Financial Times, about giving their content “premium positions” on Bing.
This report seems to take that a step further since not only would Microsoft presumably be giving the content of its partners better play, it would also be paying to ensure that their content could not be found directly via the search engine of its arch-rival.
That would give Bing bragging rights to something Google does not have. Its other attempts at doing so haven’t been as successful. For instance, after it announced a deal with Twitter to feature Tweets from the microblog in real-time, Google followed up with its own agreement hours later.
For the newspapers, of course, the question is whether Microsoft’s dollars can make up for the loss of traffic that Google generates for them.
Online publishers would likely demand top dollar. Asked about the possibility last week, News Corp. CEO Rupert Murdoch said he wasn’t convinced even Microsoft could afford it: “If they were to pay everybody for everything they took, from every newspaper in the world and every magazine they wouldn’t have any profits left.”
Hitwise on Gasta.com
HitWise on Gasta.com
With the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa still over 200 days away from its opening match, UK Internet traffic to www.fifa.com has already hit a three year high. For the week ending 12/09/09, the FIFA homepage jumped 3,643 places, ranking #484 among all websites.
A significant contribution to the spike in traffic occurred after the home match between England vs Croatia on 09/09/09, where England won 5-1 securing their spot in the World Cup. On the same day, the FIFA homepage soared to number 1 in the Sports - Football Category, picking up 1 in every 28 visits. The BBC was the biggest recipient of downstream traffic, with BBC Sports, BBC homepage and BBC News collectively picking up 6.33% of all traffic from www.fifa.com.
News In Brief
Searches for climate change and energy efficiency
With environmental concerns becoming increasingly important, it comes as no surprise that climate change was chosen as the topic for Blog Action Day '09. To look at climate change related searches online in the UK, two Hitwise search term portfolios were consulted: Environmental Concerns (searches for information about climate change e.g.'global warming' and 'carbon footprint') and Energy Saving/Efficiencies (searches relating to the practical steps people are actually making to combat climate change by consuming less energy e.g. 'loft insulation' and 'solar panels').
Based on volume of searches for these portfolios over the last two years, there are currently four times as many UK Internet searches for the Energy Saving/Efficiency portfolio as there are for Environmental Concerns. This gap has widened over time and reflects the gradual shift in attitudes towards climate change over the last few years; from people looking for information in order to understand the issues to more practical searches related to changing behaviours.
Increases in searches for the Environmental Concerns portfolio tend to occur as a result of climate change or global warming being in the news. The most recent increase was driven by two events: the Climate Camp protests and the upcoming intergovernmental climate change conference in Copenhagen. During these peaks, much of the search traffic goes to News and Media websites, but in general the largest recipient of traffic goes to information sites such as Wikipedia and the government's Act on CO2 campaign.
Searches for the Energy Savings/Efficiencies portfolio are less driven by news than seasonality. The most popular terms in the portfolio relate to heating homes or making them more efficient, with 'underfloor heating', 'cavity wall insulation', 'double glazing', 'heating oil prices', 'electricity prices' and 'winter fuel allowance' making up some of the top 10.
Read the full article.
How do people search for travel in the UK?
In the UK, Travel websites rely on search engines for two-fifths of their traffic. During August 09, the top 1,000 search terms sending traffic to websites within the Travel Category were categorized based on the type of things people were searching for, including Agencies/Holidays, Airports, Attractions, Car Hire, Cruises, Ferries, Flights, Hotels/Accommodation, Maps/Directions, Places, Train/Coach, Travel Material and Travel Review.
Looking at the UK data, it is a fairly evenly distribution across the categories, with Agencies/ Holidays the most searched for category. There are a large number of generic searches in this category ('holiday deals", 'travel agents', 'spa breaks') as consumers start their holiday research from a general base. Of all the markets, the UK also had the largest proportion of travel review sites (3%) - primarily branded searches for Tripadvisor when compared with the USA, Canada and Australia.
Methods of transport were heavily searched for in the UK, with Flights and Train/Coach searches each accounting for 16% (however flights were less searched for when compared to the other regions). A quarter of searches for trains and coaches were generic, relating to train times and tickets. The UK also has the largest number of ferry searches, mostly for French destinations.
People in the UK make the highest number of airport searches when compared with the other markets, with the regional airports featuring prominently. 'manchester airport' was the most searched for airport term (followed by Bristol, Gatwick, Heathrow and Birmingham airports). One key variation on airport searches is for airport parking, particularly for the big airports such as Gatwick and Heathrow.
This analysis was taken from a recent Global Travel Update Webinar and blog post, which in addition provides equivalent analysis for the US, Australia and Canada, looking at flight searches to and from the UK, most popular destinations in each country, top airlines and travel brands, plus the impact of social networking.
With the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa still over 200 days away from its opening match, UK Internet traffic to www.fifa.com has already hit a three year high. For the week ending 12/09/09, the FIFA homepage jumped 3,643 places, ranking #484 among all websites.
A significant contribution to the spike in traffic occurred after the home match between England vs Croatia on 09/09/09, where England won 5-1 securing their spot in the World Cup. On the same day, the FIFA homepage soared to number 1 in the Sports - Football Category, picking up 1 in every 28 visits. The BBC was the biggest recipient of downstream traffic, with BBC Sports, BBC homepage and BBC News collectively picking up 6.33% of all traffic from www.fifa.com.
News In Brief
Searches for climate change and energy efficiency
With environmental concerns becoming increasingly important, it comes as no surprise that climate change was chosen as the topic for Blog Action Day '09. To look at climate change related searches online in the UK, two Hitwise search term portfolios were consulted: Environmental Concerns (searches for information about climate change e.g.'global warming' and 'carbon footprint') and Energy Saving/Efficiencies (searches relating to the practical steps people are actually making to combat climate change by consuming less energy e.g. 'loft insulation' and 'solar panels').
Based on volume of searches for these portfolios over the last two years, there are currently four times as many UK Internet searches for the Energy Saving/Efficiency portfolio as there are for Environmental Concerns. This gap has widened over time and reflects the gradual shift in attitudes towards climate change over the last few years; from people looking for information in order to understand the issues to more practical searches related to changing behaviours.
Increases in searches for the Environmental Concerns portfolio tend to occur as a result of climate change or global warming being in the news. The most recent increase was driven by two events: the Climate Camp protests and the upcoming intergovernmental climate change conference in Copenhagen. During these peaks, much of the search traffic goes to News and Media websites, but in general the largest recipient of traffic goes to information sites such as Wikipedia and the government's Act on CO2 campaign.
Searches for the Energy Savings/Efficiencies portfolio are less driven by news than seasonality. The most popular terms in the portfolio relate to heating homes or making them more efficient, with 'underfloor heating', 'cavity wall insulation', 'double glazing', 'heating oil prices', 'electricity prices' and 'winter fuel allowance' making up some of the top 10.
Read the full article.
How do people search for travel in the UK?
In the UK, Travel websites rely on search engines for two-fifths of their traffic. During August 09, the top 1,000 search terms sending traffic to websites within the Travel Category were categorized based on the type of things people were searching for, including Agencies/Holidays, Airports, Attractions, Car Hire, Cruises, Ferries, Flights, Hotels/Accommodation, Maps/Directions, Places, Train/Coach, Travel Material and Travel Review.
Looking at the UK data, it is a fairly evenly distribution across the categories, with Agencies/ Holidays the most searched for category. There are a large number of generic searches in this category ('holiday deals", 'travel agents', 'spa breaks') as consumers start their holiday research from a general base. Of all the markets, the UK also had the largest proportion of travel review sites (3%) - primarily branded searches for Tripadvisor when compared with the USA, Canada and Australia.
Methods of transport were heavily searched for in the UK, with Flights and Train/Coach searches each accounting for 16% (however flights were less searched for when compared to the other regions). A quarter of searches for trains and coaches were generic, relating to train times and tickets. The UK also has the largest number of ferry searches, mostly for French destinations.
People in the UK make the highest number of airport searches when compared with the other markets, with the regional airports featuring prominently. 'manchester airport' was the most searched for airport term (followed by Bristol, Gatwick, Heathrow and Birmingham airports). One key variation on airport searches is for airport parking, particularly for the big airports such as Gatwick and Heathrow.
This analysis was taken from a recent Global Travel Update Webinar and blog post, which in addition provides equivalent analysis for the US, Australia and Canada, looking at flight searches to and from the UK, most popular destinations in each country, top airlines and travel brands, plus the impact of social networking.
Friday, October 23, 2009
Gasta Tech News: Social Media and Search engines
SOCIAL MEDIA BEST PRACTICE FOR SEARCH ENGINE RANKINGS By Chris Crum
A while back WebProNews compiled a list of five tips for getting found in real-time searches, which basically boils down to staying in the conversation for relevant topics that people are searching for. The tips were:
1. Use keywords
2. Talk about timely events
3. Have a lot of followers
4. Promote conversation
5. Include calls to engagement
I elaborated on each of these in the previous article. Social media is viral by nature, and real-time search is nothing more than putting things in chronological order. You have to keep people talking to stay relevant "right now."
That said, we don't know all the details about how Google and Bing will be integrating its Twitter and Facebook results into the rest of their results yet. Bing has made available a beta tool for people to mess around with for searching tweets with the search engine. "You can now search for what people are saying all over the web about breaking news topics, your favorite celebrity, hometown sports team, and anything else you use Twitter to stay on top of today," says Paul Yiu of Bing's Social Search team.
A while back WebProNews compiled a list of five tips for getting found in real-time searches, which basically boils down to staying in the conversation for relevant topics that people are searching for. The tips were:
1. Use keywords
2. Talk about timely events
3. Have a lot of followers
4. Promote conversation
5. Include calls to engagement
I elaborated on each of these in the previous article. Social media is viral by nature, and real-time search is nothing more than putting things in chronological order. You have to keep people talking to stay relevant "right now."
That said, we don't know all the details about how Google and Bing will be integrating its Twitter and Facebook results into the rest of their results yet. Bing has made available a beta tool for people to mess around with for searching tweets with the search engine. "You can now search for what people are saying all over the web about breaking news topics, your favorite celebrity, hometown sports team, and anything else you use Twitter to stay on top of today," says Paul Yiu of Bing's Social Search team.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
GastaTech News: Spotify thinks big on music as a utility
By Robert Andrews
twitter @robertandrews
You can’t say Daniel Ek doesn’t think big. “We can increase the number of transactions that happen on the internet to trillions,” the CEO of the most talked-about digital media startup said in a London keynote on Wednesday.
Ek communicated his desire to “package” music with mobile tariffs, ISP bundles, cable plans and with devices including TVs - a broad long-term vision that’s often overlooked amid the current Spotify hype.
“The key for us is getting music in to people’s existing billing habits,” he told Screen Digest’s Future of Online Media Distribution seminar.
“If we can transcend it so that, maybe you don’t actually have to pay for the music, it’s included in your data plan with your carrier or ISP or cable operator; it might be when you buy a new product, a TV screen, that you get one year of music included ... devices like new Samsung TV screens, where they’ve got Linux built in, which allows you to do software on it - they’ve got YouTube built in, they might have Spotify built in.”
Spotify has inked one such deal - announced last week with Sweden’s Telia broadband, mobile and TV operator - and another looks likely with phone carrier 3 by virtue of parent owner Li Ka-Ching’s investment in the music service. Spotify’s business development staff will need to strike more such partnerships to give it the kind of industry-changing breadth Ek envisages.
The U.S. roll-out targeted for Q3 or Q4 is now scheduled for Q4 or Q1 2010, however, Ek later told paidContent:UK.
“If we can go to trillions, just think about the easy math,” he told the crowd. “What about one percent of those converting in to paid subscription, or becomes a paid download, or decides to buy a concert ticket? That’s how we grow the music industry to a $40 or $50 billion industry, by getting it to work on people’s favourite devices.
“We want to create a platform where the (Spotify) brand stands for ease of use and people actually build their library using Spotify and feel this is an experience - and, through their carrier, can access that experience.
“That’s the key for Spotify to make this model work. It’s not about ad-supported music, it’s not about subscription music, it’s not about downloads - it’s about all of those models in one.”
A one-percent premium conversion rate sounds awfully small (Chris Anderson’s Free book postulates an ideal freemium conversion of five percent; Ek told a recent event Spotify’s premium ratio is “not double digits yet, but we think we can get there”). Speaking from Screen Digest’s stage on Wednesday, Ek clarified that he meant one percent of “transactions”, which seems to mean plays or impressions across devices…
“Any freemium service should be very satisfied with around a 10 percent conversion rate,” he said. “Spotify aims to be on the higher end of that, higher than most other freemium services.
“Already today, we are proving we are at the higher end of that scale. We think we can actually accelerate that even further. Ultimately, we have a much better position that most other freemium services - the content that we offer is so much better.
“Looking at other freemium services like Flickr and Skype and so on, the differentiation (with Skype) is merely whether you make a paid phone call (Skype-Out) - you could argue that the experience you get talking to someone on a computer (Skype-to-Skype) is better. With Spotify, the portability aspect really separates the two services. You’ll see stuff on the social end as well that will lend itself to more paid users.”
Stats...
—Users are averaging 72 minutes a day listening to music - that’s massive consumption.
—Ek said Spotify today has six million users.
—It’s adding 30,000 to 50,000 new users each day.
—“We could’ve grown it much quicker” - on the day it opened to users without invites, the service added 180,000.
—The iPhone app has been “an enormous success”, growing premium subs “by a big number”.
—Ek said Nokia (NYSE: NOK) and Samsung are the world’s largest MP3 device makers - “yet no-one actually uses them to play music on” - transferring his library to his Nokia took him 35, Ek said.
“The key now,” Ek said, “is ... offering even better reasons for people to become a subscriber.
“The truth is, if we only have ad-supported users, the model won’t be sustainable - if we only had paid users, the model won’t be sustainable either - f you look at the history of paid services, none of them really caught on. The key here is the balance of both.”
twitter @robertandrews
You can’t say Daniel Ek doesn’t think big. “We can increase the number of transactions that happen on the internet to trillions,” the CEO of the most talked-about digital media startup said in a London keynote on Wednesday.
Ek communicated his desire to “package” music with mobile tariffs, ISP bundles, cable plans and with devices including TVs - a broad long-term vision that’s often overlooked amid the current Spotify hype.
“The key for us is getting music in to people’s existing billing habits,” he told Screen Digest’s Future of Online Media Distribution seminar.
“If we can transcend it so that, maybe you don’t actually have to pay for the music, it’s included in your data plan with your carrier or ISP or cable operator; it might be when you buy a new product, a TV screen, that you get one year of music included ... devices like new Samsung TV screens, where they’ve got Linux built in, which allows you to do software on it - they’ve got YouTube built in, they might have Spotify built in.”
Spotify has inked one such deal - announced last week with Sweden’s Telia broadband, mobile and TV operator - and another looks likely with phone carrier 3 by virtue of parent owner Li Ka-Ching’s investment in the music service. Spotify’s business development staff will need to strike more such partnerships to give it the kind of industry-changing breadth Ek envisages.
The U.S. roll-out targeted for Q3 or Q4 is now scheduled for Q4 or Q1 2010, however, Ek later told paidContent:UK.
“If we can go to trillions, just think about the easy math,” he told the crowd. “What about one percent of those converting in to paid subscription, or becomes a paid download, or decides to buy a concert ticket? That’s how we grow the music industry to a $40 or $50 billion industry, by getting it to work on people’s favourite devices.
“We want to create a platform where the (Spotify) brand stands for ease of use and people actually build their library using Spotify and feel this is an experience - and, through their carrier, can access that experience.
“That’s the key for Spotify to make this model work. It’s not about ad-supported music, it’s not about subscription music, it’s not about downloads - it’s about all of those models in one.”
A one-percent premium conversion rate sounds awfully small (Chris Anderson’s Free book postulates an ideal freemium conversion of five percent; Ek told a recent event Spotify’s premium ratio is “not double digits yet, but we think we can get there”). Speaking from Screen Digest’s stage on Wednesday, Ek clarified that he meant one percent of “transactions”, which seems to mean plays or impressions across devices…
“Any freemium service should be very satisfied with around a 10 percent conversion rate,” he said. “Spotify aims to be on the higher end of that, higher than most other freemium services.
“Already today, we are proving we are at the higher end of that scale. We think we can actually accelerate that even further. Ultimately, we have a much better position that most other freemium services - the content that we offer is so much better.
“Looking at other freemium services like Flickr and Skype and so on, the differentiation (with Skype) is merely whether you make a paid phone call (Skype-Out) - you could argue that the experience you get talking to someone on a computer (Skype-to-Skype) is better. With Spotify, the portability aspect really separates the two services. You’ll see stuff on the social end as well that will lend itself to more paid users.”
Stats...
—Users are averaging 72 minutes a day listening to music - that’s massive consumption.
—Ek said Spotify today has six million users.
—It’s adding 30,000 to 50,000 new users each day.
—“We could’ve grown it much quicker” - on the day it opened to users without invites, the service added 180,000.
—The iPhone app has been “an enormous success”, growing premium subs “by a big number”.
—Ek said Nokia (NYSE: NOK) and Samsung are the world’s largest MP3 device makers - “yet no-one actually uses them to play music on” - transferring his library to his Nokia took him 35, Ek said.
“The key now,” Ek said, “is ... offering even better reasons for people to become a subscriber.
“The truth is, if we only have ad-supported users, the model won’t be sustainable - if we only had paid users, the model won’t be sustainable either - f you look at the history of paid services, none of them really caught on. The key here is the balance of both.”
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Gasta.com tech news: Virtual coupons for mobile savings
By Bob Bentz president of Advanced Telecom Services.
Mobile coupon growth
The mobile phone is quickly becoming the go-to medium for couponing. As mobile advertising struggles to gain acceptance, it is chipping away at the 300 billion paper coupons issued every year in the U.S.
A recent study by Scarborough Research found that virtual coupons sent via text message are making strides and are a significant force to be reckoned with. Coupon distribution in the U.S. is still dominated by the old-fashioned insert in the Sunday newspapers, with 51 percent of us still obtaining our coupons there.
Here's a breakdown of what percentage of U.S. consumers get their coupons from each medium, according to Scarborough Research:
* Sunday newspaper: 51 percent
* In store: 35 percent
* Direct mail: 31 percent
* Loyalty programs: 21 percent
* Circulars: 20 percent
* Weekday newspaper: 17 percent
* Product packaging: 16 percent
* Magazines: 15 percent
* Email/text messages: 8 percent
* Websites: 7 percent
Advertisers are always seeking the young and affluent, and mobile coupons pinpoint this market, which is usually full of early adopters. College graduates are 51 percent more likely to get their coupons from their mobile phone. Not surprisingly, mobile coupon users also tend to be young adults, with those 18 to 24 years old being 14 percent more likely to take advantage of them. Mobile coupon users are also decidedly female. And according to a study by Juniper Research, mobile coupons are expected to grow by 30 percent in the next two years.
Getting started with mobile coupons
The best markets to test mobile coupons are those with young populations. Atlanta, Austin, Chicago, San Diego, and Washington, D.C., are the best big city test markets, while college towns, like Blacksburg, Va., also make great test areas. Providence, R.I., leads the way in mobile penetration, with 12 percent of its residents using mobile or email coupons
Some mobile marketing sites, such as 84444.com, also allow for each mobile coupon to have a unique tracking code associated with it. With the code, advertisers can determine which customers redeemed the mobile coupons.
Big brands, including Subway, have embraced mobile coupons because the brands can reach their target audiences when those audiences are most likely to buy. Subway sends text messages to its opt-in database just before lunch time, when workers are deciding where to go for lunch. If they receive a mobile coupon, the decision is almost made for them.
Most mobile coupons start out with the brand creating a database of opt-in users. At Subway, for example, posters are hung near the line at the restaurants. When a customer is waiting in line, the only medium at his disposal is his cellphone. By sending a text message to a short code (for example, texting DIETCOKE to 84444), he can immediately receive a text message that either enters him in a sweepstakes or provides a discount coupon.
This is where the fun starts for brands. Once a brand has an opt-in database and an existing relationship with a consumer, it can send text messages to that consumer in the future.
A consumer may opt-out of any mobile marketing campaign simply by replying "stop" to the text message received. According to Anthony Wayne of the Text Message Blog, the opt-out rate for mobile coupons is only 3 percent.
"There's a fine line between sending enough and sending too often," Wayne said. "If you overdo it, and don't send anything of value, consumers will tire of your messages and opt-out more often."
Coupons go green
With more and more companies going green, mobile coupons fit the bill. Most of your mobile coupons won't end up in the landfill, but will ultimately be erased by the consumer's cellphone.
And, that's good for all of us, whether we are coupon users or not.
Mobile coupon growth
The mobile phone is quickly becoming the go-to medium for couponing. As mobile advertising struggles to gain acceptance, it is chipping away at the 300 billion paper coupons issued every year in the U.S.
A recent study by Scarborough Research found that virtual coupons sent via text message are making strides and are a significant force to be reckoned with. Coupon distribution in the U.S. is still dominated by the old-fashioned insert in the Sunday newspapers, with 51 percent of us still obtaining our coupons there.
Here's a breakdown of what percentage of U.S. consumers get their coupons from each medium, according to Scarborough Research:
* Sunday newspaper: 51 percent
* In store: 35 percent
* Direct mail: 31 percent
* Loyalty programs: 21 percent
* Circulars: 20 percent
* Weekday newspaper: 17 percent
* Product packaging: 16 percent
* Magazines: 15 percent
* Email/text messages: 8 percent
* Websites: 7 percent
Advertisers are always seeking the young and affluent, and mobile coupons pinpoint this market, which is usually full of early adopters. College graduates are 51 percent more likely to get their coupons from their mobile phone. Not surprisingly, mobile coupon users also tend to be young adults, with those 18 to 24 years old being 14 percent more likely to take advantage of them. Mobile coupon users are also decidedly female. And according to a study by Juniper Research, mobile coupons are expected to grow by 30 percent in the next two years.
Getting started with mobile coupons
The best markets to test mobile coupons are those with young populations. Atlanta, Austin, Chicago, San Diego, and Washington, D.C., are the best big city test markets, while college towns, like Blacksburg, Va., also make great test areas. Providence, R.I., leads the way in mobile penetration, with 12 percent of its residents using mobile or email coupons
Some mobile marketing sites, such as 84444.com, also allow for each mobile coupon to have a unique tracking code associated with it. With the code, advertisers can determine which customers redeemed the mobile coupons.
Big brands, including Subway, have embraced mobile coupons because the brands can reach their target audiences when those audiences are most likely to buy. Subway sends text messages to its opt-in database just before lunch time, when workers are deciding where to go for lunch. If they receive a mobile coupon, the decision is almost made for them.
Most mobile coupons start out with the brand creating a database of opt-in users. At Subway, for example, posters are hung near the line at the restaurants. When a customer is waiting in line, the only medium at his disposal is his cellphone. By sending a text message to a short code (for example, texting DIETCOKE to 84444), he can immediately receive a text message that either enters him in a sweepstakes or provides a discount coupon.
This is where the fun starts for brands. Once a brand has an opt-in database and an existing relationship with a consumer, it can send text messages to that consumer in the future.
A consumer may opt-out of any mobile marketing campaign simply by replying "stop" to the text message received. According to Anthony Wayne of the Text Message Blog, the opt-out rate for mobile coupons is only 3 percent.
"There's a fine line between sending enough and sending too often," Wayne said. "If you overdo it, and don't send anything of value, consumers will tire of your messages and opt-out more often."
Coupons go green
With more and more companies going green, mobile coupons fit the bill. Most of your mobile coupons won't end up in the landfill, but will ultimately be erased by the consumer's cellphone.
And, that's good for all of us, whether we are coupon users or not.
Saturday, August 08, 2009
About Gasta web 2.0
About Gasta
Started in Belfast, Northern Ireland in 1998 Gasta is a global search engine and web directory. Translated into six Languages, Gasta has now launched search engines in Spanish, Italian, Japanese, Chinese, French, & German,
Gasta has now launched SearchMatch paid inclusion programs for all 400 of its search engines and sees paid listings as the future of Internet marketing enabling and empowering advertisers to bid on niche contextual Keywords and phrases that are directly related to their business. Gasta organic growth of traffic extends the long tail of keywords and adds added value to all our client campaigns.
Platform
Gasta is written in MVC Asp.net, C#, and XML, Jscript,
Social Marketing Services
Gasta now offers the ability to share web search results, videos, news items, images, and Blogs with your chosen social networking partner site, Gasta now has social marketing links with FaceBook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Stumbleupon, Bebo, and Digg. This service not only offers an added value to our users but also greatly assists our advertisers with their social marketing and brand awareness campaigns.
Geo Targeting
Gasta automatically includes effective Geo Targeting of advertising across regions so the user searching in Dublin receives adverts from Dublin and UK Regions and the user searching in New York receives inventory from USA regions.
More than 97% of gasta.com users live and/or work in the regional search areas the index is aimed at. This offers an extremely focused way of targeting prospective customers. Localize to globalize. With Gasta.com you the advertiser only pay for the traffic you receive. Gasta.com has a unique featured Site scheme allows you to directly gear expenditure to traffic. This is the most cost effective method with no wasted clicks.
Diverse User Base
Gasta.com search results are rendered by a network of Search Partners ranging from major Internet brands to organizations who specifically address the Region. Gasta has also implemented social marketing tools on all search results to share video, news, images, blogs, and web results as well as the actual SearchMatch ad itself. A unique service for a search engine.
Gasta.com has a more focussed appeal because it is targeted directly to a local audience
Ad Management
24/7 Ad Campaign Management access your account and manage your listings 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, with the gasta.com Management and bid System
Gasta white Label solution
The Gasta Hosted white label solution can be launched in a matter of minutes and offers a variety of solutions and ad platforms to Partners. These search engines can start earning revenues as soon as they are launched with a variety of monetisation features such as preloaded Google Adsense and SearchMatch and InstantAds platforms. Gasta has now launched white label partner sites in India, USA, and Australia. We are currently seeking regional partners in China, Singapore, and Latin America.
Partners
Gasta partners include:
Services: Microsoft Bing, Google, Miva, ABC Search, Adify, BT, Mirago UK, Admeld, Adconion,
Social Marketing: LinkedIn, FaceBook, Twitter, Digg, Stumbleupon, Bebo,
Content : BBC, Irish Times, Irish News, Belfastmedia group, FlashSeek,
Francis Higgins
bizz@amiwired.com
Started in Belfast, Northern Ireland in 1998 Gasta is a global search engine and web directory. Translated into six Languages, Gasta has now launched search engines in Spanish, Italian, Japanese, Chinese, French, & German,
Gasta has now launched SearchMatch paid inclusion programs for all 400 of its search engines and sees paid listings as the future of Internet marketing enabling and empowering advertisers to bid on niche contextual Keywords and phrases that are directly related to their business. Gasta organic growth of traffic extends the long tail of keywords and adds added value to all our client campaigns.
Platform
Gasta is written in MVC Asp.net, C#, and XML, Jscript,
Social Marketing Services
Gasta now offers the ability to share web search results, videos, news items, images, and Blogs with your chosen social networking partner site, Gasta now has social marketing links with FaceBook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Stumbleupon, Bebo, and Digg. This service not only offers an added value to our users but also greatly assists our advertisers with their social marketing and brand awareness campaigns.
Geo Targeting
Gasta automatically includes effective Geo Targeting of advertising across regions so the user searching in Dublin receives adverts from Dublin and UK Regions and the user searching in New York receives inventory from USA regions.
More than 97% of gasta.com users live and/or work in the regional search areas the index is aimed at. This offers an extremely focused way of targeting prospective customers. Localize to globalize. With Gasta.com you the advertiser only pay for the traffic you receive. Gasta.com has a unique featured Site scheme allows you to directly gear expenditure to traffic. This is the most cost effective method with no wasted clicks.
Diverse User Base
Gasta.com search results are rendered by a network of Search Partners ranging from major Internet brands to organizations who specifically address the Region. Gasta has also implemented social marketing tools on all search results to share video, news, images, blogs, and web results as well as the actual SearchMatch ad itself. A unique service for a search engine.
Gasta.com has a more focussed appeal because it is targeted directly to a local audience
Ad Management
24/7 Ad Campaign Management access your account and manage your listings 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, with the gasta.com Management and bid System
Gasta white Label solution
The Gasta Hosted white label solution can be launched in a matter of minutes and offers a variety of solutions and ad platforms to Partners. These search engines can start earning revenues as soon as they are launched with a variety of monetisation features such as preloaded Google Adsense and SearchMatch and InstantAds platforms. Gasta has now launched white label partner sites in India, USA, and Australia. We are currently seeking regional partners in China, Singapore, and Latin America.
Partners
Gasta partners include:
Services: Microsoft Bing, Google, Miva, ABC Search, Adify, BT, Mirago UK, Admeld, Adconion,
Social Marketing: LinkedIn, FaceBook, Twitter, Digg, Stumbleupon, Bebo,
Content : BBC, Irish Times, Irish News, Belfastmedia group, FlashSeek,
Francis Higgins
bizz@amiwired.com
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