Strategy

As marketing continues to evolve, we as an industry are being asked to assign value to the actions that our advertising campaigns are driving. As we log and analyze these actions, we begin to assign value to them based on their impact on our overall branding objectives. It is important to not only focus on macro conversions, but also look at the micro conversions – the day-to-day activity that takes place to move your customers through the purchase funnel.
Continue on to read a brief tutorial on conversion tracking for the brand marketer…

Rocky Gunderson, formerly a founder of digital place-based media company SeeSaw Networks, recently opened a consulting company called SierraRock, where his many projects include bringing an innovative new healthcare application to market; helping a content management company expand its U.S. presence; and working with a manufacturing applications company to more effectively define its business strategy.

The most exciting change in the world of outsourcing has been the increased focus on services that are based on expertise augmentation and a genuine return on investment (which is why so many people want to use a different terminology).
And when we get into areas right at the cutting edge of revenue generation for clients, such as marketing and media, where clients need access to capabilities they may not currently have to gain a competitive edge, we can see where the future lies for the business services industry. One of our most talented analysts, Reetika Joshi, has been investigating the world of digital media and its major potential for third party services…

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A recent Digiday article titled, Why Agencies Will Double Down on Strategy, highlights how agencies are increasing their focus on strategy to help clients gain deeper insights into digital opportunities. According to a study conducted by agency-client relationship experts, RSW/US, 76% of agencies now provide strategic services, up from 59 percent in 2009; however, only 16 percent of marketer clients surveyed, say they make use of them. This indicates that there are still hurdles that need to be overcome.

On May 30th, the venture capitalist Mary Meeker released her latest “Internet Trends” report. The presentation is packed with fantastic stats and charts that are destined to find their way into marketing decks over the next quarter. The presentation does an amazing job of outlining the state of the internet, as well as highlighting the changes that mobile devices and increased connectivity are having on consumer behavior. With a key focus on mobile, the report outlines the massive opportunity that these devices present for advertisers. The report also makes the case that it will simply take time for advertising dollars to follow the massive number of eyeballs that are increasingly moving “mobile.”

Digital is evolving with the progression of new screens, devices, and technologies. When Charles Darwin developed his theory of evolution, he coined the phrase “survival of the fittest.” In this competitive, digital media environment, evolution is best described by the phrase “survival of those who execute best.”

The Makegood recently wrote a very candid article describing how agencies are unfortunately positioned as “yes, men” to their clients. Agencies today are becoming victims of the ever-changing landscape, which is causing them to be more reactive vs. strategic and proactive.

Expectations are high and marketers are pressured to prove the value of their campaigns. According to eMarketer, marketers are relying on different metrics, such as CTR, brand lift, GRP, view-throughs, etc., which are leveraged in various ways. So, how should success be measured?