Below the Line

I am who I am because of Google

I've noticed a new call to action: "search online for". For instance, the radio ads promoting Orange's "I am" campaign in the UK close with "search online for 'I am'" and Channel 4 TV ads simply display a search symbol with the text "search for Channel 4".

This is a departure from giving customers a web address to remember, or certainly giving them a toll-free number to call. It is also recognition that search is the thing. Most web surfing experiences these days begin with a search engine - so why not make your call to action relevant to the user experience?

There are a few side benefits of this approach. You can, to some extent, control what your customers and prospects are searching for. This means you'll be more likely to connect with those people, i.e. they won't get led astray by other competitors and unrelated companies who show up for your keywords, or keywords you haven't anticipated. It also means that you have a better chance of controlling your pay per click (PPC) costs. You don't have to guess what keywords your customers are most likely to use. You do, however, have to make sure that you show up on page one of all search engines. 

Another benefit is that you can separate out campaign traffic from general brand traffic. Customers searching for their nearest Orange store could search for "Orange," "Orange mobile phones" or "Orange Chelsea", while customers searching for the campaign can do as they've been instructed and search for "I am".

It also means that you can use less attractive URLs. The "I am" URL is www.i-am-everyone.co.uk. So on the radio, it would be "visit us online at 'I dash am dash everyone dot co dot uk'." It doesn't make for very punch ad copy.

Finally, using "search for" as a call to action aids in a brand being able to "own" a word or phrase. If Orange wants its customers to associate the brand with "I am", telling them (on the radio) or showing them (in print or on TV) is not nearly as powerful as getting them to type the message into their web browser - this helps fix the term in their mind as being associated with that brand.

Below are the search results for "I am" across Google, Yahoo!, MSN and Ask. As you can see, not only does Orange have two PPC ads per search engine, they are in the top 10 natural search results for each. (Click on the image to see the details.)

Interestingly, Channel 4 did not run PPC ads; their number one natural search result must have given them confidence. Things change fast in search, however; I hope they are checking their search rankings frequently.

Rumours of Facebook apps' death have been greatly exaggerated

Back in April, New Media Age* reported that branded apps on Facebook were struggling to attract users. While I do think that any brand getting ready to jump on the bandwagon must offer something truly unique, engaging and relevant to make any headway, branded apps still hold possibilities on Facebook.

Though the initial investment to create and promote an app, according to NMA, is anywhere between £2k and  £30k, brands should take a long-term view. Perhaps this is why Facebook is now reporting on monthly active users, rather than daily active users. Do you really care if your users are interacting with your app every single day?

Take a look at how the apps NMA reported on are doing now (below). MTV, which looked like a loser at 115 daily active users, looks to have gained a following. Even if you assume it was 115 different people each day over the course of the month (say 3,450 daily users), they have experienced a 50% jump in numbers in six+ months.

Other apps, such as Woolworths' Catapult Game and Handbag.com have failed to gain ground.

The lesson is that, while Facebook apps may be a risk, don't give up on them (or fire your agency prematurely!). Some may take time to gain a following. 

*NMA's site requires registration.

£30 of free Google AdWords

Since my post on feeding the Google machine has been quite popular, I thought I'd post the latest voucher code for Google AdWords.

Just go to the AdWords site and enter the promo code: 3GXH-KG9U-YGNK-R9PK-NJS.

This is for new accounts only in the UK and Ireland. You may have to pay a £5 activation fee. Offer expires 31/12/08. I don't know if this is a unique code, so it might only be available to the first person who tries - first come, first served! Report back if you've tried unsuccessfully to use it.

Enjoy!

Oops! Sending the apology e-mail

It starts with an early a.m. phone call from the client. Then you get that sinking feeling in your stomach. You go online as soon as you can get to a computer to confirm it: yes, there was a mistake in the e-mail. So, what do you do? First, put it in perspective. A friend of mine who worked for a mobile phone company used to say “we’re not saving lives, we’re just selling phones”. So, unless the flawed e-mail you sent could actually prevent you from saving lives, relax.

Then decide quickly how you’ll address the mistake. If you have to re-send the e-mail, the best thing to do is just come clean and admit you’ve made a mistake. After all, it doesn’t hurt to remind customers from time to time that there are humans on the other side of those e-mails they receive. Here are some examples of “Oops” e-mails I’ve received.