Surf Expo – Orange County Convention Center
Orlando, Florida
Friday, August 21 at 2:00

ECOMMERCE STRATEGIES FOR MULTI-CHANNEL SUCCESS
In this seminar you will learn everything from the state of retailing online to driving web traffic, search engine marketing and POS integration. The digital channel is retail’s new growth engine and you must master this domain in order to be a successful retailer. Learn ten things that you can do to improve your ecommerce website.

The Internet is the major source for attracting businesses and providing millions of users with unlimited amounts of useful information through multiple media channels. The skyrocketing growth statistics for specific social media and blogging sites have become a valuable resource for the already millions logged in while also being surged with new users daily.

Social media giants such as MySpace, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and  blog sites (WordPress) have captured a large percentage of these Internet users while allowing them to dictate the direction of the user provided content. Today, Internet users are dedicating much of their day finding, befriending, fanning and following once they discover how easy it is to use these sites. The online social media and blogging communities continue to thrive while each user is exposed to more and more information through friends, colleagues and business web pages.

As Internet users continually post an increasing amount of information on blogs and websites, it seems as though it has become diluted in an endless sea of content. This is why businesses are constantly driven to find new, witty tactics and visually stimulating marketing solutions to gain greater exposure for their products and services.

Businesses are turning to video marketing on YouTube to quickly capture users that watch videos from their home and business computers, as well as the ubiquitous mobile devices that can now support video streaming.

YouTube users select videos that are characterized to them as educational, entertaining or informational, but not commercially-driven. Think of this interactive channel as an alternative and effective source in providing useful, and in some cases humorous, information to capture your audience’s attention. The benefit of displaying these videos provides businesses with another valuable capability of directing and driving qualified users to their website.

This traffic driven to websites ultimately offers valuable leads and potential sales! The advantage of submitting these videos through YouTube (since YouTube is owned by Google) is that once they are uploaded, they automatically go into Google’s search engine and can result in rising awareness for your company throughout the Web.

Keep in mind that many of the same policies and guidelines apply to videos as they would with your website’s content on Google’s search network. Finally, remember it is important to include your company name, web address and a good combination of relevant keywords to attract the right consumers to your offerings.

Interested in joining the latest YouTube craze?

To do this, you simply click the YouTube upload button on the homepage and sign in. Immediately upload, tag, and share your videos with the YouTube community. For the best results, embed your uploaded video from YouTube onto your website in order to spare your own website’s bandwidth while providing maximum brand exposure. Who knows, you may enjoy benefits that you were only dreaming of! Remember to speak to the point and always keep it clean, clear, and concise!

On Monday, General Motors launched a new ad campaign and website to promote the RE: Invention of GM.  This new campaign coincides with the seemingly inevitable Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing which also occurred on Monday. In a very apparent and smart move, the new television commercials directly address many concerns that consumers have with the recent bankruptcy.  Coincidentally enough, the first time I saw this commercial, was near a recent news segment about the GM bankruptcy filing.

The commercial can be seen below and includes iconic American imagery and an honesty that they are hoping will resonate with all Americans.  It is the great American dream in a 1-minute commercial spot.  There is the element of defeat, the one-in-a-million odds for success, to illustrate how GM can no longer continue with their past business practices of many weak brands and an inferior cost structure.

The message of hope provides solutions on how GM plans to give rebirth to the American car. Clearly and concisely GM states how it will change for the future of their company.  By focusing on few stronger brands and models, increasing efficiency, striving for better fuel economy and developing new technology, GM hopes that they can re-emerge as a strong contender in the automobile industry.

The conclusion of the advertisement encourages a focus on success, reinvention and Chapter 1.  For GM, this is a great opportunity to streamline their business to reinstate themselves as a powerhouse in the American automobile industry.  While many Americans and news channels focus on Chapter 11, GM is focusing on Chapter 1, the beginning of a new era of innovation for General Motors.

Feel free to browse the new GM micro-site for their Reinvention of GM campaign to further explore how GM is connecting with their customers.  They are reaching out to answer customer questions and begin a conversation about the reinvention and recent court filing.  While we all hope the best for this American company, it will be interesting to follow how this positioning and conversation will affect American and world-wide consumers.

Amazing! Barely looking half her age, Barbie just turned 50! Originally marketed as a teenage fashion model in 1959, this popular fashion icon toy has undergone 5 decades of facelifts and wardrobe changes.

Despite a sales slump of 20 percent, Mattel is investing in an extravagant marketing campaign in honor of Barbie’s milestone birthday. They’re hoping the multimedia campaign will increase sales by reaching out to 3 generations of consumers.

Though Barbie’s actual birthday was March 9, Mattel will promote the 50th anniversary campaign throughout the remainder of the year. Not only does Barbie the doll get a makeover with the 2009 Golden Anniversary Barbie, but the official website also has a new look and feel.

By partnering with other companies and brands, Mattel extends marketing beyond the basic media relations and aims to touch everyone from brick and mortar stores to online events and much more! Here’s a small sampling of some of the promotional campaigns seen in honor of our plastic symbol of pop culture:

Mercedes Benz Fashion Week

Barbie marketers tag teamed with Mercedes Benz for a Broadway Runway Show produced during the coveted fashion week. With a live broadcast of the show on Barbie.com, viewers witnessed a beautiful runway in which 50 designers showed off Barbie-inspired collections.

Limited Edition Barbie VW Beetle

In celebration of the big 5-0, Volkswagen of America created 13 hot pink Beetle convertibles. The limited edition car is fully equipped with rhinestones, paint that sparkles and a motorized vanity.

Facebook Page

The Barbie Facebook page shares Barbie’s secrets, favorite things, messages and a regularly updated status.

Malibu Dream House

On the eve of Barbie’s birthday celebration, interior decorators spruced up a 3,500-square-foot villa overlooking the Pacific Ocean. After 6 months of planning, this Dream House became a Real House that hosted Monday’s 50th birthday bash. One word to describe the dream house: PINK! Decorators thought of everything when decorating for the 11.5” doll. This fantasy land was complete with wall-to-wall pink carpeting, 50 pairs of pink heeled shoes lining the closet, an original Andy Warhol portrait of Barbie and much more!

Bloomingdale’s

Bloomingdale’s in New York is uniting with Mattel to promote the Barbie celebration. This retail partner dolled up the store to feature amazing window décor honoring Barbie, an in-store display of 120 historic Barbie dolls, and a 242-square-foot in-store Barbie boutique that highlights accessories, apparel, and dolls.

Jeopardy

Contestants were put to the test on Monday, March 9th as Jeopardy included a whole category dedicated to Barbie. Trivia questions such as Barbie’s history, favorite designer, and favorite shoes were presented on the show.

Barbie Candy Bar

Partnering with Dylan’s Candy Bar, the creation of a sassy and all girl candy line is scheduled to make an appearance in early April. This candy line will include fun chocolate assortments, such as a shoebox of “The Perfect Pair of Chocolate Heels.”

It was the finale heard around the world.  ABC’s “The Bachelor,” Jason Mesnick, chose Melissa Rycroft. Then in the after-show special, he broke off the engagement (GASP!) and gave another shot to runner-up Molly Malaney (GASP!).

The finale marked the end of the 13th season for the series, which has also spawned another show, “The Bachelorette.”  Early seasons of the shows picked up millions of viewers, often being the most watched shows on their respective nights.  But in recent years, viewership has lagged.  Until now.

The much hyped finale aired on Monday, March 2 before 14 million viewers; over 16.5 million stayed tuned to watch the after-show special.  But the marketing didn’t stop after the show aired. All week news reports have swirled with rumors that the show is fake, leaked emails between Melissa and Jason, reactions from the show’s host and producers, and the list goes on.  Even here in our office, heated conversations filled with gasps and screams filled the production area.

Fake or not, there is no getting around the fact that some brilliant (and fairly new age) marketing has gone on here.  Reality TV and our country’s obsession with celebrity culture have opened up a new channel for entertainment marketing.  Rumors run rampant in Hollywood about every celebrity, some of which are completely made up (even by the celebrity’s publicist) as a way to get back (or remain) in the public eye.

The lightning speed of the Internet rumor mill on social media networks and blogs fans the flames. During the controversial finale, angry fans and gossip bloggers flooded Twitter and entertainment blogs to rant about the bachelor’s decision, perhaps leading to the jump in viewers for the after-show special.

My guess is that the upcoming seasons of “The Bachelor” and “The Bachelorette” will continue to ride the high that this finale has produced (producers announced the new bachelorette for next season — a reject from this season’s “Bachelor”). The show has a lot to live up to now -– viewers will now expect more sudden twists & turns, and of course more broken hearts.

Today our nation’s teens are paying attention to the issues with our economy and our new president more than ever before. Recently Scarborough Kids Internet Panel released the findings of a new study that indicates America’s youth population is highly interested in the state of our economy and very optimistic that President Obama will help resolve these economic issues. As many as 75% of those surveyed felt that Obama will help solve our current economic problems.

Many teens are seeing for the first time the impact an economic downturn can have on their lives. Teens surveyed say they have had to quit playing a sport, missed doctors’ appointments and changed their eating habits due to the economic pressures their families face. These experiences are leading to an increased interest in politics and government affairs — 81% of teen surveyed are interested in understanding more about the causes of our current economic issues. Today kids are turning to parents and teachers to learn and understand more about our country’s issues. In fact 47% want to talk more to their parents about these issues and 64% are discussing the downturn with their teachers.

What does this mean for those of us marketing to teens and their families? It is good news. This data gives us a window into what Americans are facing on a daily basis and helps give us a better understanding of how to talk to them. It helps us speak their language and develop innovative products designed to fulfill needs and be budget friendly.

Additionally, today’s messaging needs to be smarter and more aligned with what the target audience is looking for. No longer are consumers buying on a whim — price and need are of the utmost concern. Marketers need to be aware of this and focus their messaging accordingly.

Marketers can take this opportunity to stay top of mind with their consumers. Though buyers may not be able to afford their favorite brand right now, staying in front of your audience with consistent messaging will put in the right place when consumers are ready to resume their typical buying habits.

How many email marketing messages do you receive every day? You probably don’t even think about it as you hit the delete button. Every day, I delete more marketing messages than I can count, and most of them don’t hold my attention for longer than it takes me to remove them from my inbox.

The messages I’m most likely delete are the canned form emails — messages that have clearly been sent to every single person on the marketer’s list with no discernible difference.

When the message is personalized, I’m more likely to take notice. I’m not just talking about adding my name to the subject line or addressing the email to me personally (though that should be the very least you do). I’m talking about personalized marketing messages that address my needs directly.

Case in point: I order heartworm prevention medication for my dog, Howie, through 1-800-PetMeds every 6 months. Their successful use of email marketing is one of the reasons I continue to refill his prescription through them.

Every 6 months, I receive an email reminding me that it’s time to order Howie’s medication. The email message isn’t just a reminder, though. It’s a refill link. The details for my completed order are listed, including my subtotal, shipping address, and last four digits of my credit card. All I have to do is click the link, and my refill order is placed. Click through to enlarge the image:

The email isn’t just a reminder that 1-800-PetMeds wants me to order from them — it’s a useful reminder that it’s time for me to reorder for my dog, Howie. Because it’s personalized and useful to me, I’m less likely to delete and more likely to take action.

They don’t stop there, though. Periodically, I receive messages that offer solutions to common health problems for pets. The most recent asked in the subject line, “Does Howie have bad breath? If so, it could mean poor health.” Thankfully, that’s not a big problem for me, but seeing my dog’s name in the subject line linked to possible health problems sure gets my attention.

Bottom line: don’t just use email marketing to remind your customers that you exist. Use it to offer your products or services to solve their problems. Be creative with personalization, and you’ll see more conversions and fewer deleted email messages.