brands | Internet Marketing Blog

Should marketers pay attention to Google+?

Is the third time the charm? Google is certainly hoping so following the beta launch of its latest attempt at building a social network, Google+.

And that hope may not be entirely misplaced. Many of those who have Google+ accounts have positive things to say about the search behemoth's social network.

Perhaps that's because Google has learned from its mistakes, or because it may have been heavily 'inspired' by Facebook.

by Patricio Robles 30 June 2011 16:20pm 6 comments

Twitter search: deconstructing TwitRank

Earlier this week, Twitter launched an update to its search functionality. One of the goals: make it "easier to find and follow accounts based on your interests." As detailed on the Twitter blog, "When you search for a topic, you can now discover accounts that are relevant to that particular subject."

Given Twitter's popularity as an online marketing tool, the company's search update necessarily has implications for brands looking for more love on the site.

After all, if your company sells cookies, having your account recommended to Twitter users searching for "cookies" is a desirable thing.

by Patricio Robles 08 April 2011 12:01pm 2 comments

What does the future hold for f-commerce?

Yesterday afternoon, I had serious WTF moment as I read an article titled “Facebook has limited future in e-commerce”.

The basis of the piece was more of a news-feature than opinion, founded around a piece of research from Shoppercentric. I really feel that the conclusions that have been drawn seem to be fairly short-sighted.

by Jake Hird 04 March 2011 13:09pm 15 comments

The Cap Code and social media: the experts' view

The expansion of the ASA's Cap Code came into effect yesterday, and the new rules cover not only paid advertising, but marketing messages on brands' own websites as well as communications on social media sites.

The new code does raise a number of potential questions for brands and marketers, so I've been asking a number of industry experts for their views on the changes.

by Graham Charlton 02 March 2011 14:05pm 0 comments

Will a lower minimum boost Apple's iAds?

When it comes to reaching consumers, it's hard for advertisers to ignore the iPhone and iPad. The former is arguably the world's most loved smart phone, and the latter has single-handedly created a viable market for mainstream tablet computing.

The popularity of these devices has put Apple in an enviable spot. A spot that it is trying to exploit with iAd, its iPhone and iPad advertising platform. Getting involved with this new advertising platform, however, comes with a hefty price tag: a $1m commitment.

by Patricio Robles 24 February 2011 12:03pm 1 comment

Six reasons why your brand should hop on the API bandwagon

The monolithic brands of the industrial age are giving way to the distributed, participative and democratized brands of the digital age.

In this post, I'll explain how APIs can take your brand in promising new directions by harnessing the power of the community...

by JD Lasica 21 February 2011 15:03pm 5 comments

Does Google Instant have a brand bias? Maybe not, but...

Since Google launched Instant, there have been numerous claims that Instant has a bias towards brands. In October, for instance, Siddharth Shah of Efficient Frontier Insights observed that "of the 26 letters in the alphabet, 21 have brands as the first suggestions."

Based on this, he suggested that Google Instant is "going to make brand key words more expensive, increase impression volumes by 30% - 40%."

by Patricio Robles 14 December 2010 09:09am 6 comments

Does your Facebook campaign break the rules?

In the world of social media marketing there are some great examples of really innovative campaigns - and plenty of lazy copy-cats too. But in our clamour to measure, incentivise and prove that all-important ROI metric, are marketers putting their clients brands at risk by breaking Facebook (or other sites) terms and conditions?

by Henry Elliss 26 November 2010 09:21am 19 comments

Social media: nothing new under the sun?

Social media is changing marketing. Or so we're told. But are marketers really just fooling themselves?

In an insightful AdAge piece, strategist Jonathan Salem Baskin argues that when it comes to marketing and social media, there's nothing new under the sun.

by Patricio Robles 23 November 2010 16:38pm 9 comments

How far should Google go with its 'brand' boost?

Google loves brands. Google's Vince update was referred to by many as 'the brand update' because major brands seemed to benefit most from it.

That Google would seek ways to incorporate 'brand equity' into its algorithm is not entirely surprising. After all, in many cases, there's an argument to be made that the websites of recognized brands are more likely to offer Google's users what they're searching for when it comes to particular queries.

by Patricio Robles 02 November 2010 09:35am 6 comments