Public Relations – Pay Per Clip? Pay Per Play? Pay Per Something…

 

I ran across an Inc.com article today labeled Goodbye, Retainers. It’s an interesting piece about a company using results-based public relations, or paying only when their PR firm lands them different forms of media press. It’s not a new idea, but there is a newer twist to it.

The ”pay-per-clip”, or “pay-per-play” concept is partially based on advertisers already knowing how to track their online campaign results through pay-per-click advertising. In a way, this is a similar tactic to track offline results from PR firms.

This can be compelling, especially for localized companies who have a decent PR budget.  However, there is a core difference between the offline and online counterparts:

The pay-per-clip or play is still “push” marketing where you place an advertisement in front of targeted consumers. Pay-per-click is still “pull” marketing where online users are searching for your products or services. This isn’t a good or bad thing, but more or a “what it is” thing and should be noted.

As it’s compelling to some, it’s also considered commission PR to others, kind of like pay-per-click services who guarantee top rankings in search engines for select terms, without thinking of customer conversions. My guess is there are those who are very good at this PR model, and those who say they are.

Two St. Paul Events – VISI and MIMA

November 02, 2006 brings us two events worth mentioning, and you can make both of them:

1): To celebrate the newly expanded VISI data center in St. Paul, they are offering an open house and educational sessions on winning strategies for the technological future. You can choose to attend two of four sessions, including a search engine optimization session from Lee Odden, President of TopRank online marketing.

VISI has hosted Localmn for almost three years now, and I can’t say enough good things about them. I look forward to meeting the people who make it tick.

Cost: Free with online RSVP
Registration Info:

2): MIMA is helping promote an event regarding the social web at the U of M’s St. Paul campus. Computer Science and Engineering Professor John Riedl will be discussing Google’s recent Acquisition of YouTube, the popularity of social networks, and even multiplayer online games.

Cost: 10 dollars
Registration Info:

VISI is offering both afternoon and early evening sessions, so you can catch that in the afternoon and the U of M social web presentation at 7:00pm.

MTV and MSN to Promote Windows Live Local Search

MediaPost Article:

MTV and MSN’s Windows Live Local Search are partnering up to promote Quad Squads, mtvU reality series’ that takes rival colleges, and has them compete to create niche marketing strategies for larger brands such as Snickers and Amp’d Mobile. This series is between the University of Illinois and Indiana University and is reportingly starting Wednesday.

The challenge is to promote MSN’s Live Local to their respective University peers. To quote the MediaPost article above, “you have the target market doing the marketing for the company”. The show could be addicting, kind of like the Brawny Academy.

mtvU isn’t the biggest media outlet around, but it’s slick and targets the college-age audience. Maybe this can give MSN a buzz since Yahoo and Google have a much bigger local search share.

I know, this picture doesn’t have to do with the MTV/MSN promotion, but it’s the last time I actually got into MTV (does that date me?). I lived in the Seattle area during that Real World season and it was cool to see the episodes, recognizing almost everywhere they went (like the Pike Place Market sign in the background – although I don’t see the Rachel – the bronze pig in that picture).

Citysearch and Mobile Search

This didn’t take long, although they were already putting the finishing touches on it. Since a recent Citysearch post about an upcoming re-branding effort, they have now launched a new SMS-based mobile search feature. Just text a search term.zipcode (pizza.55401), and send it to CS411 (27411). I just figured they always had something like this.

I did try the standard “pizza” search and found some pretty relevant results along with their “best of” 10-point rating system.

Many visitors might search for a health club when in town, so I did a text for gym.55401 and sent it off. The first mobile result that came back was a 9.9 rated personal training studio that happens to have over 20 raving reviews on the Citysearch site.

That might not be the most relevant result for a visitor searching for a gym, but it kinda’ makes me want to join. It’s only 6 blocks from here… and I sit at a computer for much of the day. The 2nd and 3rd (of 4) results were for standard health clubs in downtown Minneapolis. The 4th was for a yoga studio just outside of downtown.

Hat tip to the SEW Blog.

Citysearch Revisited

In November 2004, I wrote on how search engines and Internet yellow pages (IYPs) were really starting to work well with each other. Included was a chunk on Citysearch and how their listings were constantly visible in Google search results (also noted in a blog post a couple months back). In fact, the three examples given are still prevalent in Google (and often Yahoo) today:

pizza joints in Seattle
day spa Miami
martini bar Minneapolis

Martini Blu has been a pretty constant result the whole time, which can probably contribute to the over 40 mixed user reviews dating back to October, 2002.

Citysearch hasn’t always been the buzz regarding user-generated media, but they’ve been visible the whole time. The Local Onliner’s Peter Krasilovsky talks with new EVP Scott Morrow about what’s in store for the future.

In a nutshell, we can look forward to a more local look, ramped up editorial efforts, new third party content providers, and a renewed focus on user-generated content.

My nickel is on Citysearch having a very good 2007. They already have the content and visibility. There’s a reason that IAC chairman and CEO Barry Diller says their (content) quality puts everyone else to shame. It’s not because of ask.com.

User-Generated Local TV Commercials?

Doritos and Yahoo Video are now partnering up to offer users the chance to create a Doritos commercial, with the winner getting a TV ad spot during the Superbowl. There are some pretty funny commercials so far and it will undoubtedly turn out to be a really good campaign.

With the ease and popularity of user-generated media, thanks to outlets like Yahoo Video and a particular Google acquisition, this could create a nice opportunity for local businesses. For one, it cuts down production costs. More importantly, it could give businesses a great viral buzz from just one 30-second TV spot.

Auto dealerships could be an example. We’ve all seen the bad local commercials from them. They could be cheesy, highly discounted ads produced from a local station, or cookie-cutter national ads with a quick local blurb at the end. A user-generated contest could develop an effective commercial in return for… well, a new car.

I like new cars.

There are other new-media options out there for local TV commercials such as Spot Runner, which has mixed reviews. My opinion? I’d rather own the ad myself, but it’s better than this bad still shot:

Hat tip to Greg Sterling from Screenwerk and to the SEW Blog.

Using Online Reviews to Help Local Radio Ads

A recent Philly.com business article writes on how a new Famous Dave’s franchise owner is using the Web to make his local radio ads more effective. He uses Spot Q, a service provided by Philadelphia radio station B101 that entices the station’s allegiant faithful to listen to ads online and rate them.

He was supplied 6 canned ads by the Minneapolis-based restaurant chain and told to pick one. None of them really stood out or tested all that well, so the station then offered to produce a commercial for him that was more local. It tested better and he gets a better advertising return. The radio station understands this helps their listener retention, too, as they state “bad ads make people go away, just as a bad song” does.

Incorporating this concept helps measure “push” marketing campaigns such as radio ads with “pull” marketing, such as search marketing and using online ratings and reviews. It makes sense. Why not have your actual target audience tell you what they think before they hear it on the radio?

Not to be outdone by greedy independent radio stations, corporate rock giant Clear Channel (by the way, At The Drive-In and Ministry rock. Nickelback does not.)  is said to have a “less-is-more” campaign by serving up shorter, more effective ads. This helps the radio advertiser by cutting a 60 second ad in half, and then being charged more than half for it.

Local Search White Paper

Telemapics, LLC has just put out a free PDF local search white paper. It’s a pretty objective and comprehensive 62 page paper with information of where local search is now, where it’s headed, opportunities and limitations, market and future, and ends with “the arms race among the big three (Google, Yahoo, and MSN)”.

Press Release:

One nice thing I took from this is the separate section for problems and errors in the current local search market, and the detailed examples to go with it.  It’s a good read for people in the local search marketing industry, and a fantastic read for those who want to learn more about it.

Working in the 70s – Forgot Laptop

I was excited going to work at FL this morning because I had a bunch of new office gizmos from last night’s MIMA Summit. One problem – I forgot to bring my laptop.  When I got there, I arranged my new toys (the VISI juggling balls/hacky sacks rock), had a phone meeting with my boss, and then colored with crayons for about a half hour (Christy and Kyle have originals to prove it). I then got bored and went home to get the laptop.

It made me wonder what office professionals did before the Internet, or even computers for that matter. In the mid-to-late 70s, I occasionally got the treat to go visit my Dad at work. I wasn’t sure what he did. His office was nice, but I was busy, well, coloring.

He was (still is) an accountant, so I imagine that he had ledger sheets and a cool, new automatic pencil sharpener at his desk.  Maybe he’ll be nice and scan/email me a picture of him working back then to replace the picture above.

Official New Name of Localmn

More of an FYI, but the official name has changed from Localmn Internet Marketing to Localmn Interactive Marketing… and the State of Minnesota makes another whole 25 dollars because of it.

The reason is that the localmn concept started in 2003 with the premise of taking such as global presence as the Internet, and making it local where online users get off the computer and physically “interact” and buy from local businesses. So, I’m sticking with it.