Advertising Trends for 2009
December 24, 2008 by Benjamin Christie · Leave a Comment
Recently I sat down with Mark Pollard and during the discussion he pointed me to guest blog he did over at Talking Digital Blog called 9 trends to look out for in 2009. This is one of a few industry players who’ve written their opinions of 2009 and the trends. Make sure you check out them here.
Inspired by Mark and the team at Talking Digital Blog, I’ve written my Advertising Trends for 2009. Mine aren’t as wide reaching as the ones on Talking Digital. I’ve tried to keep them related to the space that Gourmet Ads works in (food, wine and beer advertising) as well as reducing the focus on the downturn in economy. So here are my 9 Advertising Trends for 2009;
1. TV Budgets going to Online
Advertising budgets allocated for TV & Print will finally begin to be allocated to online. Ok, so everyone says this from year to year, but 2009 will be the year. This will be mainly driven by company management who will be required to show a return on investment in advertising during the economic downturn. Stupid and willy nilly advertising spends that can’t be measured will be the first thrown out the window.
2. Testing (or smarter media buying)
This is something that’s we’ve seen as a company during the 4th Quarter in 2008. Savvy media buyers are not just buying huge media buys upfront for their clients. Media buyers have been buying small campaigns of say $5000 with a series of different creative to see what best performs on a network. Once they know what creative works with a given audience, they’ll do another media buy which they know will perform as they require. I think given the economic situation we’ll see more testing campaigns during 2009, especially for companies that are advertising online during 2009 for the first time.
3. FMCG & CPG will embrace online
FMCG & CPG companies have for a long time resisted moving their advertising online. This is because they’ve felt it’s been difficult to reach consumers. Research has shown that in economic downturns consumers tend to buy “no name” or “private label” products to save money. Companies like Kellogg’s who’ve been through a number of recessions actually increase their advertising to ensure that their brands are top of mind when consumers are in the supermarket or grocery aisles. With this in mind I think we’ll see companies companies in the food space like cereals, pastas, tinned foods etc as well as dishwasher and cleaning goods start to advertise online in 2009.
4. Companies Buying Direct
In an effort to save money, medium sized businesses will start buying their advertising directly and avoid advertising and media buying agencies. Even though the majority of Gourmet Ads advertising campaigns come from advertising agencies and will continue to be, I think during 2009 (particularly though the 3rd Quarter) we’ll begin to deal with more companies direct.
5. Advertising doing Discounts & Coupons
No brand wants to be known as a “discounter” but given the state of the economy brand advertisers will begin running advertising with discounts, offers and deals. Companies that need to track ROI will also begin using or offering online coupons for consumers to print for redemption in supermarkets and grocery stores. This wont be something that is restricted to CPG or FMCG products, we’ll see it across a range of industries.
6. Less creative more straight to the point advertising
There is a lot to be said for actually saying what the deal is with the online advertising twisting, rotating, spinning or rolling. Related to my 2nd point above about testing, I think you’ll see more advertising that just gets to the point and says the message.
7. More companies hiring Online Marketing Managers
As companies finally decided to embrace online they’ll begin to need internal experience to either work independently of agencies or work in tandem. We’ve already seen a number of out clients in the 4th Qtr hiring Online Marketing Managers or Interactive Managers to take the pressure off the marketing manger. Not only will Online Marketing Managers be responsible for media buying and planning, but they’ll be responsible for strategising and ensuring that their product is translated to online to drive brand awareness and sales.
8. More Vertical Ad Networks
Throughout the US there are Vertical Ad Networks covering nearly ever niche. During 2009 I believe there’ll be a number of Vertical Ad Networks just like the Gourmet Ads network pop up all over the world providing advertisers a smarter avenue to reach their target markets. We’ve already seen in Australia, AdTorque which is another Adify powered automotive network. I predict that travel, finance, business, IT and other niche areas of will become a focus. With this increase in Vertical Ad Networks, we’ll also see advertising agencies understand the difference between Vertical Advertising Networks and Horizontal Advertising Networks, something that some agencies battle to understand.
9. Google will begin to acquire vertical advertising networks
I don’t think I need to add any more comments here…
10. Gourmet Ads launches new verticals networks
As mentioned in our 2009 media kit, we’ll be launching three new verticals during 2009. These will in BBQ, Restaurants and Coffee.
Austrade EMDG
December 15, 2008 by Benjamin Christie · Leave a Comment
Recently one our Australian Winery clients who uses Gourmet Ads to advertise their Australian wines in America told us about a government grant system called the export market development grant or EMDG. Administered by Austrade (Australian Trade Commission), the EMDG is a grant which supports Australian companies in their marketing activities offshore (or in market).
Every year the selection criteria for the EMDG changes, but principally this is how it works. Australian companies can apply for the grant at the Austrade website after they’ve spent the required amount to qualify for the grant (this year it’s A$10k). Then the amount over and above the threshold, the government will allow you to claim up to 50% of your approved in market spending each year for a period of up to 8 years.
The EMDG grant isnt just for wine companies, its for all Australian companies that are exporting. The benefit for Australian companies is once you’ve been accepted to receive the EMDG you can effectively increase your marketing by 50% giving you greater reach.
Make sure you checkout the Austrade website for selection criteria, visit www.austrade.gov.au/exportgrants/
Holiday Season Advertising
October 24, 2008 by Benjamin Christie · Leave a Comment
Here in Australia the holiday season doesn’t really start till nearer to Christmas Day, but for our American Advertisers, the Holiday Season kicks off in just a few weeks with Thanksgiving on the 27th November.
Major advertisers (particularly those who use advertising agencies) have already booked their holiday season advertising (including their Christmas Advertising), but for most small businesses and online retailers they haven’t so it’s important to make sure you book your advertising as soon as possible.
As holiday season advertising space starts to book up, CPM rates tend to increase closer to holiday dates, so its best to get in early. Plus this year we’re already seeing companies which use traditional mediums like TV, Radio and Outdoor beginning to shift their advertising to online for the first time.
There is no doubt that year after year, the holiday season is the busiest time for online retailers, so if your not advertising, you’re definitely missing out on sales. Apart from booking advertising campaigns, it’s essential to have key messages in your advertising creative which help consumers towards your online store. Make sure you use phrases like “Free Shipping”, “Flat Rate Shipping” and “Overnight Shipping” which are familiar with consumers.
Finally don’t forget about key dates after Thanksgiving and Christmas Day when consumers are looking for bargains. Add to these days like Black Friday (the day after Thanksgiving) and Cyber Monday (the Monday after Thanksgiving) are also days to intensify with your online advertising.
If you haven’t booked your holiday season advertising, then Contact Us for a customised proposal.
Online Branding Campaigns
October 12, 2008 by Benjamin Christie · Leave a Comment
Many online marketers believe that the only metric to measure the success of an online campaign is the click through rate. This can certainly be true for advertising campaigns which need to take viewers to their website or landing page to engage with them, i.e. download a coupon or register for updates. But click through rate isn’t the only metric for measuring the success of an online advertising campaign.
Branding Campaigns tell the audience about a product as well as how they can buy the product and are in many ways very similar to a traditional print, radio or TV campaign. The key concept in running an online branding campaign for your food, wine or beer brand is that if you put a positive message about your company in front of enough people for enough time, they will think about your company when they’re ready to buy.
Online Branding Campaigns especially suit products in the FMCG (fast moving consumer goods) space like beverages, groceries, tea/coffee, frozen products, spreads, cereals, pasta and kitchen cleaners to name just a few. In just a few frames of a flash advertisement you’ll need to get across the unique selling point of your product, which could be that it’s cholesterol free, organic or even easy to prepare. You’ll also need to mention where you can purchase the product.
So what’s the ultimate metric for a successful online branding campaign? That’s easy. Sales of your product.
You’ve got your targets to make, so why not undertake a wide reaching online branding campaign for your food, wine or beer brand. Contact us for a proposal.
Christmas Advertising
October 12, 2008 by Benjamin Christie · 1 Comment
Christmas is not only a great time for sales of gifts, but is also considered the peak season for sales of retail products such as beer, wine and food products in supermarkets and liquor stores. To ensure that your product stands out on the shelves it’s important to book a Christmas Advertising campaign which reaches consumers, engages with them and creates a relationship well before they reach the store. The campaign could even talk about the price or specials that you are running.
The ideal Christmas Advertising strategy is a two month campaign starting on the 1st of November and running till after New Years day. This will give maximum exposure of your product in the market place and if booked early enough will be cost effective as media often books up quickly or becomes expensive at this time of year.
Looking at Google trends from last years festive season, searches for Christmas related recipes absolutely peaked during this time driving increased traffic to recipe websites and food blogs. The same can be seen in the wine space
with grape varieties being highly searched.
Here is a search for turkey recipes which shows the intense amounts of search during this time.
There is a similar trend for “Champagne” searches around Christmas and New Years Eve.
These are consumers that are looking for products and haven’t made a decision on the brand yet. So it’s a great time to run an advertising campaign to capture, influence and engage this audience online.
If you are looking at having your products advertised to our Food Audience or Wine Audience, and haven’t yet booked your Christmas Advertising campaign yet, contact us for a proposal.
