Just got back from Tenerife. Had a great holiday…and wow, lovely sunsets 
(click image for full-size version)
Tenerife
Online Display Advertising: CTRs & ROI
There’s quite a lot of buzz in Online Display Advertising at the moment about the obsession with the click through rate (ctr) and maybe the death of it.
Do higher CTRs = better ROI?
My blog post on Swamp’s website looks into the research so far in this area:
Lego-tastic: Lego MP3 Players, iPod Docks, USB Hubs
I spotted these little beauties on Technabob. If you love Lego, they why not get a Lego MP3 Player or iPod Docking Station?
Ok, they probably aren’t officially sanctioned, but they ARE cute…
Homade’s LEGO-esque MP3 players hide their controls into the raised dots on the surface of each block.
…and just in case that didn’t fullfill your Lego fix, there are USB Hubs by Systown (available only in Korea at the moment):
Twitter: 40% inane
An amusing visualisation on the average Twitter accounts, the average 100 tweets and the peak hours:
Engagement Objects
Engagement objects, in particular video, are thought to be of crucial importance when it comes to organic and universal search.
What is an Engagement Object?
An “Engagement Object” is an element or multimedia component that you can add to your website that is engaging and causes users to interact with your website.
Since Google’s introduction of universal search and the increased use of engagement objects across websites, it is thought that Google has increased it’s number of algorithm variables to 200, most of which can be attributed to these engagement objects.
Basically, if your website has engagement objects on it (video or mp3), it is going to have an opportunity to rank better.
See ReelSEO’s interview with Bruce Clay about this subject at: http://www.reelseo.com/engagement-objects-seo/
A mixed week for Online Video Advertising
The bad news is that the development of a standard metric for online video content has been delayed. It seems that the current turmoil in the broadcasting industry is delaying the development of the metrics, despite growing pressure from advertisers and media agencies for greater measurement. Apparently, the process has stalled as the group waits for broadcasters to put forward sample data.
The good news is that it turns out that consumers quite like online video advertising!
A study by Tremor Media of more than 5,000 Europeans found 58% thought online ads entertaining, with 70% admitting they thought it was acceptable to have a short ad before the programme online.
The research also found that people were more accepting of online video ads than they were of traditional advertising — 23% of people were extremely bothered by traditional TV ads, compared with just 12% for online video advertising.
It’s nice to hear news like that after everyone seemingly associating online advertising with pop-ups. Any time I tell people what I do for a job, I hear pretty much the same reply “do you do those annoying popups?”.
In the study, the most accepted form of advertising overall was cinema ads (which annoy only 8% of people). The most negative esponse was towards those aforementioned pop-up ads (which bother 60% of people).
In a final stab in the back for TV advertising, the study found that consumers prefer bespoke ad content for online video. 18% said they enjoyed online video ads and found the creative to be better than TV ads. It’s easy for agencies to be lazy and stick the TV ads online, but it’s much better to create something a little different for online.
(source: NMA)
Anna Wintour “gets the internet”?
I’m always quite dissapointed with magazine’s online versions. The Women’s Fitness magazine site is a typical example of a poorly planned and built website. I love the magazine (don’t laugh! it’s actually interesting!), hate the website.
Condé Nast have never been the front-runners in the race to create great websites. In Gordon Macmillan’s post Anna Wintour gets the web, he tells us that consultants McKinsey & Co have been looking at the web strategy for Condé Nast. He quite rightly points out the folly in Condé Nast’s reliance on generic urls (e.g. Style.com for Vogue)…basically trying to be all portal stylee.
Apart from the points about digital marketing, I was amused by the thought of Anna Wintour using the Internet. For such a fashionable lady, to me she seems quite set in her ways. I think it’s the un-changing bob of a haircut. I wouldn’t have thought she’d like change…the Internet.
However, it seems I’m wrong. Condé Nast insiders have told The NY Observer in recent weeks that “Anna Wintour is beginning to ‘get the web’”.
Hmmmm….I’ll be watching this one with baited breath 
Paid Search Rap
Happen Upon found this Paid Search Rap and I thought it was really quite amusing…(yes, because I’m a geek):