Watch Me Now!

In the past few months I have noticed an increase in popularity in social media tracking services, such as Foursquare, where people are "checking-in" places and then sending their location to other social media outlets.  It seems like everywhere you look, someone is telling you that they are at the mall or at their favorite restaurant.  New companies are coming up with other activities to track and share; it seems as though no activity will remain undocumented!  AdvertisingAge recently published an article that gives us some idea of what's to come in next few months.

At the moment, Facebook doesn't offer a check-in application for viewership of TV and movies, so TVGuide online has swooped in and taken the initiative.  Starting in October, they will offer a check-in feature that utilizes Facebook technology.  When TV enthusiasts visit TVGuide.com, they will be able to click a button and share with social media outlets what they're watching.  Networks and movie studios have partnered with social outlets to offer rewards to those that use the check-in feature.

How long do you think it will be before Facebook jumps in?  Facebook has recently launched its version of Foursquare, called Places.  At the same time it also acquired a fairly new company that offered the same services.  At the moment, Facebook claims that is has no plans to release a TV and movie check-in app, however networks are claiming the contrary.

So how can this TV check-in feature be of any benefit?  It seems like most people take it upon themselves to post what they are doing at any given moment on the social media outlet of their choosing.  Among those posts there are often comments about their new favorite movie, or quotes from a TV show they are currently watching.  Is a formal button to click really necessary to tell everyone what you're watching? 

Well, if Facebook does eventually start its own app to track TV and movie watching, it has the potential to track millions of users; the smaller independent sites can't even compare with this number.  The database Facebook could create with all of its users' watching preferences could be incredibly useful.  Companies such as Netflix could tap into the preferences and use the data to suggest rentals to their existing customers.  Companies that offer DVR services could use the data to help customers manage their recordings and suggest shows they may like.  Tracking viewing habits and preferences has great potential benefits not only for companies such as these, but also for the customers.

So next time you're watching TV, consider grabbing your cell phone and checking-in on TVGuide.  Someone has to care about what you're watching, right?

Cookies - Not So Sweet Anymore?

I think it's safe to say that we have all had some kind of interaction with website cookies, whether they were used to direct certain advertising our way, or to keep some of our profile information while we visited a site.  Have you considered how you feel about these cookies?  Some feel it's an invasion of privacy and they continuously delete them from their computer.  Others barely acknowledge their presence and go on with their usually online activities.  One question comes to mind, and continues to be strongly debated: Are cookies an invasion of privacy? 

Being a marketing student, I can see both sides of the argument. 

At times I feel like Big Brother is watching me, and I'd rather cookies did NOT track my every move.  In addition, many other people do not even know how cookies work, or that they exist for that matter.  They don't even have a fighting change against cookies - they couldn't delete them even if they wanted to; they are being tracked whether they like it or not. 

On the other hand, looking through a marketer's eyes at the uses for cookies, I can see how theycan provide many advertising benefits.  They allow advertisements to be directed toward more appropriate audiences and can help companies use their dollars more efficiently.  Or do they? 


An article published in Advertising Age brought up some thoughts about the limitations of cookies.  I agree with the perspective that advertisers don't necessarily need the user's entire profile that cookies provide.  Rather, data taken from a company's own ad media and web site data might be more useful.  Analyzing this kind of data can help a company better find prospective customers.  According to the article's author, studies show that advertising based on creativity can much more effective than advertising aimed at certain demographics.  I tend to agree; a more creative ad will catch my attention, whether I am interested in the product or not.  Will the use of cookies eventually crumble?

Twitter Ad Space - Recycled

I recently came across this article in Businessweek that discusses the "promoted tweets" Twitter began selling in April.

Now I should probably first admit that I don't have a Twitter account.  Given that I'm a Marketing student and interested in Internet Marketing, I should have broken down by now and gotten one.  However there is just something that is holding me back...maybe it's that I don't care to read about what kind of sandwich Ashton Kutcher ate for lunch.  I know, I know, there are many more productive uses for Twitter and it can offer Marketers critically important information.  I'll sign up soon...

Back to the article.  Many big names, such as Starbucks and Red Bull, are using Twitter to post ads that appear to users when they search for certain key words on the Twitter.  When someone searches for Starbucks, a paid tweet will be thrown in amongst tweets form other users.  Now there are an abundance of websites, such as TweetDeck, that stream in messages from a variety of social networks to the user's browser.  With those streaming messages comes more space for these other websites to sell ad space.  Twitter recently mandated that these websites could no longer sell ad space within tweets, but they could still use ad space surrounding the tweets.  Since websites like TweetDeck are just starting out, it appears that they can't really argue with the declaration make by Twitter.  I can guess who would win.  As a result, these sites will have to rely less on feeds from Twitter in order to survive.  Who knows what Twitter will mandate next.  So what are your thoughts on this issue?  Do you think that ads sandwiched between tweets are more effective that ads above or below tweets?  

One reason Twitter gave for making this rule is that the "paid tweets on other sites could hinder efforts at innovating or creating the best user experience".  (Dick Costolo, Twitter Operating Chief).  I think it has less to do with creating the "best user experience" and more to do with prime ad space.  After all, advertising dollars are crucial to the success of Twitter.  It seems as though Twitter is using its power to stake it's claim, and rightfully so.  With more and more sites coming out that consolidate messages from social networks, it's becoming a battle to get ad dollars.  This concern over third party ads will continue to be a hot topic in the coming months.  I'm expecting more regulations will emerge in just a matter of time.