brands | Internet Marketing Blog

Q&A: Frank Rose on digital storytelling and media immersion

Frank Rose is the author of The Art of Immersion: How the Digital Generation Is Remaking Hollywood, Madison Avenue, and the Way We Tell Stories and a contributing editor to Wired.

Last week, he gave one of the keynotes at Ad:tech Sydney, based upon digital storytelling and why marketers need to surrender the idea that brands control their messaging. I was able to catch up with him afterwards, where he generously expanded his thoughts on this complex topic.

by Jake Hird 19 March 2012 02:00am 1 comment

How does Pinterest make money?

The third and final part of our series on Pinterest brings us to the making-money part of the story.

After all, that's what separates a “cool feature” from a business. And by Pinterest's own admission, they're still figuring out their business model. And a sceptical as I am by nature, my response is "so what?"

Twitter looks like a viable social media titan, but does anyone think they've cracked the code on their revenue model? And with just over 20 staff, and 10 million users - with brands now running campaigns on Pinterest, there's a difference between "not having" a model, and waiting to select the right business model.

by Dave Wieneke 15 March 2012 10:31am 7 comments

Visibli wants to help marketers better segment their Twitter followers

Between Facebook and Twitter, marketers have access to hundreds of millions of consumers around the world.

That, for obvious reasons, has helped make social media one of the hottest areas for marketing investment in the past several years.

But social media marketing isn't without its challenges. Audience doesn't always equate to reach, and reach doesn't always produce ROI.

by Patricio Robles 09 March 2012 09:30am 0 comments

With IPO looming, Facebook reminds brands: all your fans belong to us

Many brands have spent the past several years getting consumers to 'like' them on the world's most popular social network, Facebook. And for a seemingly good reason: when it comes to location, location, location in social, you can't beat Facebook, which may surpass the 1bn registered user mark this year.

But after a recent lavish event Facebook held for brands in New York, brands may be asking whether Facebook is working for them, or they're working for Facebook.

by Patricio Robles 05 March 2012 13:01pm 4 comments

11 ways to use Pinterest as a brand

It's official. Everyone’s gone Pinterest mad.

Analysts are debating its long-term value, retailers are seeing increased referrals (suggested to be at higher levels than Facebook) – and even the Metro is getting involved, with a full page spread in yesterday's paper.

But at a practical level, what’s the best way to get involved? Should you? Is there any best practice yet?

The site is (relatively) young, so people are still learning, but we’ve compiled some of the best ways to use Pinterest as a brand - with examples of those already doing so in each case.

by Vikki Chowney 28 February 2012 12:06pm 7 comments

Brand squatting on Pinterest affects 90% of the world’s top brands

Just five of the world’s top 50 brands have claimed their profiles on Pinterest, the latest social platform to claim the hearts and minds of the digerati.

I looked through Interbrand’s list of 100 brands, stopping at the halfway mark, to see whether social media marketers were adopting Pinterest in their droves. On the face of things, they’re not.

Of the 45 brands yet to create official Pinterest accounts - assuming that they do - only one is still available. The rest have been claimed by individuals with a bona fide claim to the username, or have been bagged by brand squatters.

by Chris Lake 22 February 2012 13:46pm 6 comments

Can f-commerce work for retailers?

Thanks to the sheer size of the audience alone, it's clear that f-commerce has potential for retailers, but some brands are now deciding that the returns aren't worth the effort.

So, does this mean f-commerce won't work for retailers or are they simply not trying hard enough?

I've been speaking to some retailers using Facebook, as well as looking for examples of f-commerce working for small businesses.

by Graham Charlton 22 February 2012 11:53am 5 comments

Google+ brand pages: 20 of the best photo strips

Google+ is growing rapidly: business pages are taking hold, and the platform is becoming a viable marketing channel for larger brands at least.

It's definitely short of room to manoeuvre when it comes to how your profile looks however. Each page is locked down to the same structure (for now), and so at the moment there's not a lot you can do.

Thinking creatively is therefore tough, in fact, it focuses almost solely around the photo strip that resembles Facebook's Timeline banner. I'm not talking features (rich content, engaging conversation and hangouts galore just about cover that), I'm talking design.

As such, we've compiled 20 examples of brands that have managed to stand out from the crowd with the little they have to work with.

by Vikki Chowney 17 February 2012 10:30am 9 comments

Websites crucial to CPG brands: report

Major CPG brands spend eye-popping sums of money every year across multiple channels trying to convince consumers to buy their products when they walk into the supermarket.

When it comes to how that money is spent, you're probably more likely to think about high-profile television campaigns than you are to, say, websites. After all, a funny television ad for a cereal probably seems more appealing than a cereal website.

by Patricio Robles 31 January 2012 09:47am 1 comment

Twitter set to roll out enhanced brand pages

In the world of social media, many brands are doubling down on their investments. And when it comes to those investments, much is being focused on a few popular services.