OTOinsights

Desktop Applications, Screen Mates, Widgets, Gadgets, Modules, Oh My!!!

Consumer control of media continues to shatter old paradigms of content publishing and distribution.   More and more enterprises are exploring disaggregated media strategies that embrace the web as a platform for services and allowing consumers of information to install, embed, and/or configure small executable applications that are customized to fit into very individualized and personalized media portfolio.  From Branded Desktop Applications such as Southwest Airline’s Ding! to Apple’s iPhone Mobile Widgets, the marketplace is heating up with new and innovative solutions to answer the consumer cry for rich, modular, and customizable streams of content and information. 

Last week, One to One Interactive and MITX hosted the second Digital Marketing Series event that explored these emerging platforms, case examples of successful deployments, and best practices.  Participating in the session was Chris Heitmann, EVP One to One Interactive & Managing Director of OTOlabs, Stephen DiMarco, CMO of Compete.com, Nick Quagliara, M.S. IU School of Informatics, and Dan Gallagher, VP Audience & Architecture of NetworkWorld. 

The presentation and survey data that was discussed at the session may be downloaded here:

Speakers' Presentation (PDF, 11MB)
Compete Disaggregated Media Survey (July 2007)

Special thanks goes to Jeffrey Bardzell, Ph.D. and Shaowen Bardzell, Ph.D. for their valuable contributions.

One to One Interactive Acquires Quantemo

On Monday, April 16th, One to One Interactive formally completed its acquisition of the Quantemo Usability Lab.  The Quantemo lab, its brand and technology platform will be incorporated as the foundation for a new neuromarketing research offering that is currently under development at One to One's professional services division OTOi. 

The Quantemo acquisition is One to One's latest step in marrying science and marketing.  This past year One to One has engaged in a number of bio-measures studies (see: Bio-Measures Able to Predict with 77% Accuracy an Online Communities Rating of Viral Video Content) that have sought to analyze the physical responses test subjects experience when exposed to certain media stimuli.  This data has in turn been used to predict, with high levels of accuracy, consumer behaviors across a variety of media channels and platforms. 

"We're excited to evolve the Quantemo technology to measure engagement across a number of emerging digital platforms, including social networks, blogs, podcasts, widgets, online video, rich media advertising, and virtual worlds such as Second Life.  Furthermore, we intend to extend the offering to measuring traditional offline marketing channels, our aim is to harneess the accuracy afforded to us by neuro-research to optimize our clients' marketing programs so that they are as relevant and engaging as possible in this new consumer controlled media landscape." - Jeremi Karnell, President

To date, the field of neuromarketing research has been predominately defined by researchers who use functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) to scan the brains of test subjects as they look at various products and advertisements.  The information gleaned from neuromarketing research is intended to provide deeper insight into the human brain for purposes such as more effective advertising and brand loyalty campaigns.  A significant barrier to the evolution of this research method has been both the high costs involved in a typical fMRI study as well as the method itself which limits research studies to only take place at the university or medical research facilities that house the large and expensive fMRI hardware.  One to One, through its acquisition of Quantemo, seeks to help expand the field of neuromarketing research by incorporating newer and less costly methods that measure skin conductivity, respiratory rates, heart rates, and EEGs as both an augmentation to and proxy for fMRI studies.

“I am very pleased to see One to One Interactive  taking Quantemo ™ to its full potential , with a state-of-the-art facility  in Boston and increased resources for very scalable study options. The future of digital marketing relies heavily on understanding and improving the user experience, and Quantemo™ has a unique position in the field of online research as the first method to objectively assess user emotions and mental effort. One to One Interactive and Quantemo will provide enormous mutual benefits that will ultimately help clients in terms of availability, scale and methodology.”  Theodore Agranat, Quantemo Founder

OTOi's neuromarketing research facility will be located at its corporate headquarters in Charlestown, MA.  The facility will include state-of-the art eye tracking, neurological and biological feedback platforms  as well as video and click-stream capture and analysis capabilities.  The facility will be used both for client-based studies as well as independent research conducted by OTOi.  OTOi's neuromarketing offering will also boast a mobile lab capability that will allow for research to be conducted at any location.

Forrester Research Points to OTOinsights

Thank you Brian Haven, Senior Forrester Research Analyst, for pointing to OTOinsights  in a recent report titled "Interactive Marketing Channels to Watch in 2007" as an example of how marketers should leverage their email and RSS content to support their initial steps into the blogsphere. 

Brain writes:

" Make your first strides into social media with RSS and blogs:  Last year, we said holding off on social media was OK>  But rapid consumer adoption of these channels indicates that the time is now to enter this space.  How to dive in?  RSS is relatively simple first step for marketers with mature email marketing programs in that initial RSS feeds can consist of repurposed email content.  Likewise, email or RSS content can also create initial blog posts.  For example, interested users can find insights from interactive agency One to One Interactive from its blog, via RSS, or in email alerts."

In addition to leveraging existing e-mail/RSS content to support initial blog initiatives we would like to add to Brian's advice by recommending that marketers actively educate their internal constituents on their company's corporate blog strategy and, when appropriate, seek regular contributions from their staff as a way to begin generating new and more relevant content.  Additionally, marketers would be well served by incorporating social bookmarking (like De.licio.us) into their blog strategy as a way to augment their existing content with complimentary content on the Web authored by external sources.

Don't Underestimate Microsoft

An article published in today's MercuryNews.com  titled "Hooked On Google" by Elise Ackerman explores whether or not Microsoft still has a fighting chance in todays changing technology/media landscape.  When compared to the enormous success  the likes of Google has experienced over the last couple years, the picture indeed looks grim.  Ackerman points out in his article:

"Microsoft's page views, an approximation of how long visitors spend at its sites, was down 12 percent in December to 18 billion, according to the research firm. Google's page views were up 90 percent to 13 billion.

Microsoft has steadily lost ground in search, despite developing its own search engine in 2004. As of November, Microsoft's share of Internet searches has fallen to 8 percent. Two years ago, when MSN search was released in beta, Microsoft share's of U.S. searches stood at 14 percent, according to Nielsen//NetRatings.

Microsoft's Internet slide is reflected in its online sales. During the quarter ended Sept. 30, sales for the online business unit were $539 million, down 5 percent in a year. Google, in cruel comparison, reported revenue of $2.69 billion, an increase of 70 percent."

In fairness, Ackerman does offer that despite the above situation Microsoft has had a rather active 2006 by introducing a "slew of online offerings":

"In addition to the widely praised Virtual Earth, an exact 3-D representation of major cities, there were three new search services, a new portal, online video, classified ads, mobile e-mail and social networking. And perhaps most importantly, there was new adCenter software released in May that was supposed to help Microsoft make more money from its online offerings."

However, I think this misses a more important point why Microsoft should not be underestimated. 

Reason 1: They are the only major operating platform that cuts across desktop PCs (Microsoft OS), Mobile Phones/PDAs (Microsoft Mobile), TV (Microsoft iPTV) which both Verizon and Comcast are deploying across their massive Fiber and Coaxial nets, and Game Consoles (Xbox & Xbox 360).

Reason 2: Due to the reach across their installed platform base detailed above, Microsoft is in an enormously unique position to be one of the first companies to have a viable cross channel digital media offering.  From behavioral targeted web, e-mail and search  properties, to instant message, in-game  (via their purchase of Massive Inc. last May), mobile  and interactive TV advertising the folks in Redmond seem to be slowly transforming themselves from a software company to a media company.  Even though it does not exist now, it does not take one to imagine Microsoft's plans for using adCenter as the hub of their emerging cross channel media universe.

Reason 3. One word: PASSPORT.  Microsoft Passport accounts are central repositories for a person's online data and can include personal information such as birthdays and credit card numbers. They can also act as a single key to access many online accounts.

Microsoft uses Passport authentication for its Hotmail e-mail service, MSN Messenger instant messaging service, XBox Live Service, and Mobile Services. Several online retailers, such as eBay, Canon, Expedia and Starbucks, also use Passport authentication. Microsoft estimates there are 200 million active Passport accounts. 

It does not take a rocket scientist to guess that Microsoft will use this Central Customer Information (CIF) file to help deliver more personalized content/advertising to its opt-in customers as its able to understand their behaviors and activities across digital media platforms.

Its important to note...that I am hardly a fan of Microsoft.  Indeed, I have switched my work computer to the Powerbook just a couple of months ago.  I am a huge fan of the iPod (with exception to their Nazi DRM platform) and also plan to be one of the first to buy an iPhone when it is released.  I also do not proclaim to have a crystal ball that give me any special insight that the points made above will make a lick of difference.  All I am doing is agreeing with Gartner analyst,  Allen Weiner, when he states at the bottom of Ackerman's article: Don't Underestimate Microsoft.

Jeremi Karnell-President, One to One Interactive

 

Trendwatching.com | Top 5 Consumer Trends for 2007

Minority Report Becomes Reality

Jeff Han is a research scientist for New York University's Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences. Here, he demonstrates for the first time publicly his intuitive, "interface-free," touch-driven computer screen, which can be manipulated intuitively with the fingertips, and responds to varying levels of pressure.

Pentaho BI Open Source Solution Continues to Grow

Since 2002, a group of executives from companies including Hyperion, SAS and Cognos have been developing a series of interoperable open source packages that provide a full range of Business Intelligence (BI) offerings.  As of November, SourceForge.net reports over 500,000 downloads of Pentaho's software from their servers alone, and Pentaho estimates over 2.5 million total downloads in the past 2 years which may not seem like a large number in the grand scheme of things, but is akin to a landslide when compared to the number of operational licenses sold and managed by the proprietary BI players. 

In 2006, Pentaho was named to Red Herring's list of 100 privately held North American companies that are innovating the technology landscape.  They also made the Red Herring 'Open Source 20' list in August and were highlighted as the most popular open source BI suite by Intelligent Enterprise magazine. 

Also launched this year was Pentaho's Partner Program, with nearly 30 implementation and hosting companies already signed up.  They also formally joined IBM's partner program in October and partnered to demonstrate a join IBM/Pentaho solution at the "Information On Demand" conference. 

Press has been very favorable, including clips such as:

"Pentaho is well-positioned for the high-growth performance management market, which is poised to reach $23 billion this year. Some important wins include Abbott Labs, Divx, and Orbitz. To compete in a market of very big players, Pentaho will have to continue to snag large customers, but Chairman Andre Boisvert, an enterprise software veteran, can open a lot of doors for this fledgling." Source - Red Herring August, 2006

"After a lengthy development, and some initial market skepticism, Pentaho BI certainly seems to be gaining steam and followers. It's already listed as one of the top one hundred projects hosted on the Sourceforge.net nexus, a website that lists around 120,000 open source projects. The ranking is based on the number of downloads and activity." Source - Computer Business Review Online April, 2006

Pentaho has also made numerous enhancements and additions to their suite this year including integration with Google Maps for enhanced geographic analytics, rollout of Mondrian 2.2 including a wizard-driven business cube creation engine, and acquisition/integration of the Weka open source project which adds a rich new layer of data mining offerings developed by the University of Waikato in New Zealand.

To learn more about Pentaho's free* suite of products, check out their website.    

*Software is free, licensing for professional use will run $20k-50k which is 10% of the fees for the bigger proprietary players

Five Corporate Blogging Success Factors

Dr Walter Carl, the students in his Advanced Organizational Communication class (Spring 2006) at Northeastern University and John Cass and his colleagues at Backbone Media, recently published a research paper that seeks to uncover reasons, conditions, and factors that make a corporate blog successful. 

The research team interviewed twenty corporate bloggers from companies of varied size and industry, and asked each blogger a series of standardized questions.   After careful review, the research team identified five factors for a blog's success:
1. Culture
2. Transparency
3. Time
4. Dialogue
5. Entertaining Writing Style and Personalization

One to One Interactive launches Comcast into In-Game Advertising

OTOi, the digital marketing agency division of One to One Interactive, has recently launched an extensive in-game advertising campaign for Comcast's new Game Invasion High Speed Internet Product.  Via the Massive Incorporated video game ad network, Comcast is able to reach there target of male 18-34 hard-core gamers in a contextual way, adding to the realism of the game while simultaneously creating pervasive brand awareness.  Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games (MMORPG), First Person Shooters, and Sports categories made up the buy.  Rainbow Six 4, Splinter Cell 4, Swat4, Anarchy Online, And1 Streetball, MLB 2K6, and Tony Hawk AW are just some of the titles where the Comcast messaging appears.  Some screen shot provided below:

 

 

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