The Cult of the Snuggie threatens to take over America!  Or at least, a substantial number – four million –  late-night couch spuds, according to Maria Puente recently in USA Today.

Snuggies went on sale in August, began TV advertising in October and started shipping to retailers in December and have sold four million, count them four million to date.

“Snuggie got the highest rating ever for any product, even (among) people who had to wait,” said Scott Boilen, president and CEO of Allstar products Group of Hawthorne, N.Y., which conceived and markets the China-made Snuggie.

The Snuggie, an oversized fleece blanket with sleeves, stars in an ubiquitous TV ad so cheesy it’s practically art, and apparently wildly entertaining.  The ad shows people wearing Snuggies at a sporting event, cheering and high-fiving each other while dressed …  sort of like medieval monks.

Bolen said, “Every once in a while, a product transcends advertising to become part of pop culture.”

Indeed, Snuggies seem to be everywhere.  See them on Facebook – nearly 250 groups, pro and con; one fan club lists 5,999 members.  Watch them on YouTube – nearly 300 parody videos posted, including one titled “the Cult of the Snuggie,” with 146,00 views as of Tuesday.

Jay Leno makes fun of them: “Lard-ass quilt was the original name!  Why not just put your robe on backwards?”  Ellen DeGeneres spoofed them, trying one on during her show.  Fox News spotted someone wearing a Snuggie in the crowd at President Obama’s inauguration.  (more…)

What kind of online advertising should you use:  search or display?  Marketing experts agree that if you really want to drive targeted traffic to your site, build brand awareness and increase sales, you should be using both.  When you tie search ads, display ads and your landing pages together with a consistent message, the mixture can help your advertising resonate with users and drive site traffic and sales to a whole new level.

Here are 5 tips that you can use to integrate your Sponsored Search ads with display ads:

1. Know your target audience.  Who do you want to target?  What are their needs?  Which words should you use in your ad copy to get them to click on your ad?

2. Determine the goals of Sponsored Search and banner ads.  Pay-per-click ads are primarily used for generating leads, while sales and banner ads lean toward branding and support other search marketing strategies.

3. Write the search ads first and then expand.  Once the search ad copy has been written, your graphic designer will have a better idea how to craft your banner ads.

4. Target your ads for the same places.  This way, visitors can find your ads via search, read reviews and see your banner ad in the same page.

5. Test, and then test again.  Be creative and don’t be afraid to try different things.  Some ads that you think will be very effective might tank, while other ads you think will be worthless might just take off.

Directing Response, a resource for direct response marketers, producers and media buyers, is produced by Teddy Parker, Executive Producer for ChopShop Direct.  She can be reached at 949-838-0355 or via E-mail at teddy@chopshopdirect.com.

While the economy is still in flux with a number of issues still facing the average consumer, the DR market may see some stability and even some growth in 2009.  A year of stability is just what the market needs.  Stability will allow businesses the time to examine where they are, create efficiencies and increase productivity.  

Cory Treffiletti, a writer for Media Post, has some very interesting predictions for 2009 that DR marketers might be wise to explore.

1. 9% to 10% Growth in the Second and Third Quarters.
According to Cory, first quarter revenue is going to be down but the second and third quarters will be stronger with as much as a 9-10% growth.  Consumers were tight fisted over the holidays, however, in the spring and summer, assuming oil prices remain stable and housing prices have not continued to drop any more, consumers will begin to “live a little” once again.

2. Where the audience plays is where the music goes.
The record industry is finally going to “get it” and start embracing the scattershot online music model.  There is no centralized model for creating and distributing music anymore.  Record companies have to be multifaceted and respond to the “wisdom of the fans.”  Where the audience plays is where the music goes and that’s the only rule that will survive.

3. Mobile ad spending will expand in the 30% range – at least.
Mobile growth will far outpace that of online display; search and standard models will start to take hold.  The various models for marketing in a mobile environment are stabilizing as a result of the application and the broadening video spaces.  In addition, the audience already exists here and is expanding.  That means more eyeballs and launching a mobile campaign will be much easier, which translates to higher growth.  Mobile ad spending will expand in the 30% range, at least.

4. There will be a shakeup in visual search results.
Some companies are already going there.  Companies like SearchMe and Cooliris (iPhone app) are extremely interesting and Google will test out some component of visual search results in 2009.  This model is just too attractive to the eye to be overlooked – as well as being extremely powerful in a mobile environment.

5. Ad Network consolidation will occur.
There are simply too many networks competing for the same inventory and not telling a new story.   By year’s end consolidation will occur and one-third of current ad networks will be out of business.  There is room for innovation in the model but these numbers will go down.

Only time will tell if Cory’s predictions are on target.  If they prove out, 2009 will be a stable and possibly very profitable year for DR marketers.  Happy New Year!

Directing Response, a resource for direct response marketers, producers and media buyers, is produced by Teddy Parker, Executive Producer for ChopShop Direct.  She can be reached at 949-838-0355 or via E-mail at teddy@chopshopdirect.com.

It’s easy to ignore the role marketing plays in shaping nations.  Marketing not only affects what people consume, but also what is produced.  Marketing, like it or not, shapes our political process.  Marketing guides selection of politicians, then impacts the way politicians govern once elected and in office.  The truth is marketing can be more impactful than any legislation.  Just look at how the financial markets react to a change in consumer confidence.

The government, the economy and the brand they are associated with - the United States itself -  have taken a beating recently.  What role can, will or should marketing play?  In 1678, John Locke wrote:  “He, therefore, that would govern the world well had need consider rather what fashions he makes than what laws, and to bring anything into use, he need only give it reputation.”

Consider a recent example that we have seen play out: Congress struggles to get legislation passed for higher MPG standards; meanwhile, celebrities start driving hybrid cars and “An Inconvenient Truth” sweeps across the nation, public perception begins to change, and people take action (even before gas prices went through the roof).    And the most obvious recent example is the presidential election – marketing played a large role in influencing voters.

Smart marketing can improve our political process, restore consumer confidence and improve the overall consumer experience.  Marketing means a lot more than convincing people of a position.  To quote the American Marketing Association, “marketing is the activity, set of institutions and processes for creating communicating, delivering and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large.”

Directing Response, a resource for direct response marketers, producers and media buyers, is produced by Teddy Parker, Executive Producer for ChopShop Direct.  She can be reached at 949-838-0355 or via E-mail at teddy@chopshopdirect.com.

Marketers are being encouraged to go mobile before it moves away from them.  With only about 20% of online advertisers dabbling in mobile marketing, most are still content sticking with the wired Web.

Holding marketers back from mobile are a number of factors including consumer reticence, limited reach, insufficient measurement and a simple lack of familiarity with the medium.  But marketers are being advised to experiment before mobile becomes a more established ad platform.

In terms of campaigns, that means looking first to text-based ads, since text messaging is the most common mobile data activity with 51% adoption.  Tactics such as mobile banner ads, coupons, short codes, multimedia message services and video spots are also recommended.  As a portable medium, mobile also offers marketers unique opportunities for location-based targeting.  Recent developments such as Nokia’s acquisition of digital mapmaker Navteq are seen as a step toward increased geo-targeting.

Despite tougher economic conditions this year, analysts don’t expect marketers to cut their mobile budgets much, if at all.  Mainly, that’s because they’re already so small – estimated at just 1% of online advertisers’ spending.

Marketers should realize that there’s not as much financial risk, and brands that have no mobile experience can ease in to find out how things work.
Directing Response, a resource for direct response marketers, producers and media buyers, is produced by Teddy Parker, Executive Producer for ChopShop Direct.  She can be reached at 949-838-0355 or via E-mail at teddy@chopshopdirect.com.

It’s nearly impossible to attend a DR industry event these days without perpetually hearing questions about the fate of the economy, and how it’s likely to impact budgets, revenues, etc.

But over five hours at a recent DR event, the “e” word wasn’t mentioned once.  There wasn’t a peep about how oil prices and other macro-economic factors would trickle down and negatively affect direct marketers.

In fact, many e-mail marketers are feeling rather optimistic about their position in the direct marketing food chain these days, arguing that their methods are both cost effective and ROI positive – a perfect storm for a recession.

Nonetheless, Q Interactive CEO Matt Wise said it remains “a constant challenge” to educate marketers about the benefits of e-mail marketing.  Many remain skeptical because of the  “spam” stigma that persists, while others have little money left after spending on Google and site-specific, ad-network banner ads.

Economic impact or not, Wise said that there are only a few “below-the-radar” players.  Growth there, he said, could increase e-mail’s share of the overall Internet marketing mix, above the IAB’s 2% estimate.  In recent years, the actual dollars have risen, but share has dropped.

Credit Suisse published its global advertising forecast for 2008 just a few days ago and, not surprisingly, the Internet was tabbed as a growth leader.  They predict a 24% rise in Internet advertising spending for 2008, on top of a 27% increase over last year.

So, DR marketers should be utilizing e-mail to a greater extent for their clients as it may yield higher ROI in a “down” economy.

Directing Response, a resource for direct response marketers, producers and media buyers, is produced by Teddy Parker, Executive Producer for ChopShop Direct.  She can be reached at 949-838-0355 or via E-mail at teddy@chopshopdirect.com.

Agencies and marketers alike agree that the “social” aspect of social media is changing marketing dynamics.  Because of person-to-person interaction within social media, word-of-mouth is becoming more amplified, more obtainable and more measurable.

Brands are looking to their agencies for entree into social media.  The big question is do agencies have the know-how to provide this service?  These and other related questions have been featured in a series of articles by Joe Marchese, President of socialvibe.  Achieving word-of-mouth means making a brand culturally relevant, finding out where your brand intersects with people’s lives and how you can increase the meaning of your brand to those people.  Trying to understand how people will behave toward your brand in social media is no different from trying to understand how people will behave toward your brand in the real world.

Social media is a valuable tool for assisting marketers, agencies and brands to answer the question, “ what will make a brand relevant.”   And it offers a tremendous platform for spreading a brand’s message as that brand achieves greater relevance.

It would appear that agencies will have to do more and be more for their clients.  Any client who already feels less than “well-served” is likely to look elsewhere.  Agencies (the good ones) will need to evaluate the ever-expanding needs of their clients, and whether or not they can meet those needs and deliver adequate service.  Make no mistake, a shake-up is coming and the agencies that “work” social media will benefit most.

Some of the best agencies are hungry to take on the challenge of building the brands that shape our lives.  Unfortunately, the current brand-agency relationship isn’t set up for the task of building social networks, servicing a client’s existing social media nor compensation commensurate to do it.  If it’s true that a brand’s participation in social media means much more than simply buying media and blasting the “big idea,” can agencies fill this role?

As Mr. Marchese points out, agencies can fill this role and must fill this role to survive.  Unless agencies participate in social media, their role as brand gatekeepers will eventually end and their services will become nothing more than a commoditized function performed by Google and Microsoft.  The future for agencies goes beyond knowing how to get in front of the right people. Agencies need to know how to talk and listen to those people, then shape the brand and its message.

As a marketer or brand developer it is becoming more critical than ever to ask the all-important question: What is my agency building for me?

Directing Response, a resource for direct response marketers, producers and media buyers, is produced by Teddy Parker, Executive Producer for ChopShop Direct.  She can be reached at 949-838-0355 or via E-mail at teddy@chopshopdirect.com.

The world’s most respected beauty industry trade show served as the backdrop for the launch of a new website for this massive and growing industry.  Salonity, LLC officially debuted its new website, SalonGalaxy.com – a site that offers all of the online products of this dynamic market, in one place.

SalonGalaxy.com provides a social network for beauty professionals anchored by free profiles for stylists, salons and products.  With over 1.6 million licensed cosmetologists in the United States, plus more than 650,000 registered salons and day spas, the industry provides fertile ground for developing this kind of a market-specific social network.

“The beauty industry is massive and virtually recession-proof – our investors agree this is an exciting space in which to operate,” says SalonGalaxy.com founder and manager, Arthur DiGiacomo.

For marketers and media buyers working with beauty products, SalonGalaxy.com offers a new and exciting venue for showcasing new products.  Marketers will have direct access to beauty industry veterans, leaders in internet and technology architecture and marketing, all in one place.  Savvy marketers know the “word of mouth” power and qualified leads that can come from such an excellent social network.  As one professional in the direct response market put it “it’s the internet equivalent of a Tupperware party.”

Directing Response, a resource for direct response marketers, producers and media buyers, is produced by Teddy Parker, Executive Producer for ChopShop Direct.  She can be reached at 949-838-0355 or via E-mail at teddy@chopshopdirect.com.

The Mobile Marketing Association is expecting that new guidelines for mobile video and TV marketing will be completed by October of this year.  These guidelines include revisions for display and messaging, aspect ratios and banner dimensions, maximum file sizes and formats, among other specifications.

The Mobile Marketing Association will include recommendations for situations where the consumer is disrupted by a click-through ads for applications and games that display before the launch or exit of application, be queued until the end of the application or avoided altogether.

With guidelines in place, consumers can expect to see more advertisements on mobile phones.  The United States remains the largest market for mobile advertising, although it lags both Europe and Asia in terms of cell phone sales.  EMarketer estimates the total U.S. market for mobile advertising will reach $6.5 billion by 2012.

The Mobile Marketing Association has five global working groups representing mobile web, downloadable, text, MMS and video and television.  The MMA will release a paper that explains the options and how to buy mobile advertising in order to help companies understand the metrics and available resources.

Directing Response, a resource for direct response marketers, producers and media buyers, is produced by Teddy Parker, Executive Producer for ChopShop Direct.  She can be reached at 949-838-0355 or via E-mail at teddy@chopshopdirect.com.

Marketers are keeping an eye on the organic clothing.  Thanks to some major brands, “green” clothing is poised for a breakthrough year.  And the year’s biggest surprise may be that mass-merchandisers have the largest share of the market - they sold 30% of all sustainable clothes last year.

Stores like Barneys and Nordstrom are trying to stake out leadership positions in this growing market.  The fastest growing categories include infant wear, “green” wedding dresses, office appropriate attire and specialty garments such as medical scrubs.

The popularity of organic cotton has been meteorite.  Global sales came in at $250 million in 2001 and hit $2.1 billion in 2007.  Marketers working within the apparel industry would do well to watch this market closely.

Directing Response, a resource for direct response marketers, producers and media buyers, is produced by Teddy Parker, Executive Producer for ChopShop Direct.  She can be reached at 949-838-0355 or via E-mail at teddy@chopshopdirect.com.