FetchBack

"I just want to thank everyone who made this day necessary." - Yogi Berra

For the past, ohhhh year and half, I have been the voice of FetchBack; something I have been proud to do, and have enjoyed more than you'll know. But as most things in life, situations change, and new opportunities arise. 

That being said, it is time to pass the FetchBack blog on to someone new, so please let me introduce Tim Flynn! He'll be updating the blog and making sure that everyone is kept in the know about what is going on at FetchBack!

As an introduction, I asked Tim five quick questions to help you all to get to know him better. 

Question 1
 Ann: Mothra versus 'Clovie' from Cloverfield - who would win?
 Tim: I say Mothra. He has the advantage of flight.  That's huge.

Question 2
 Ann:. if you could be any condiment, which one would you be and why?
 Tim: Ketchup.  Why?  It goes so well with so many things - and it doesn't need a million different flavors, like mustard.

Question 3
 Ann: How much wood could a wood chuck chuck, if a wood chuck could chuck wood?
 Tim: "Back in '82, I used to be able to chuck wood ohhhh... about a quarter mile" (bonus points for naming the movie that is from)

 Question 4
 Ann: Why did you choose FetchBack?
 Tim: I heard good things from people about FetchBack - friends, former coworkers, etc.  It looked like a cool place to work, and is in an exciting field.  I really liked how the personality of the team jumps out at you, especially from the job descriptions (80's trivia, must like dogs, etc.)

Question 5
 Ann: What has impressed you most about the FetchBack family to date?
 Tim: Ann. (quoth Ann: 'Tim is wise)  Definitely the people and the energy in the office.  Everyone is friendly, and genuinely happy to be here.  I like the creativity, the collaboration, and the openness to new ideas. I really like that speaking up is encouraged!
 

So, Tim is obviously AWESOME (especially based on his answer to question #5!). You can reach Tim at Tim@FetchBack.com.

Thanks again to everyone for reading the blog and keeping up with FetchBack! It's been great :) 

Until next time -

Ann 

Super Bowl Ads and Retargeted Ads are actually quite similar...

Yesterday marked the annual tradition of picking apart the super bowl commercials.

Which was the best?
The funniest?
Which had you scratching your head?
Who totally missed the mark? 
Why did men seem to not have pants on in 1/2 of the commercials this year? Anyone?

Though all of these are important questions, and definitely focus on the fun side of marketing, I found myself thinking, "How are these brands going to measure their investment on their 90, 60, or 30 seconds of marketing?"

The truth is, they won't.... or rather, they can't.

There is no set measurement tool for SuperBowl commercials; unless you have a specific promotion, like Denny's free Breakfast offer this year, or a unique URL to which you drive traffic.

The truth of the matter is that TV commercials, during the super bowl and not, are the same in spirit as display advertising, online. The main difference is that online you have a world of information to better target your ad placements, versus showing all men in the 18 - 29 age demographic the new sandwich commercial.

In our industry, the View Through Conversion is gets a bit of a bum reputation as it is the hardest to measure touch point online; which is true. It's not easy to prove that because a person viewed your Ad is what propelled them to purchase. This is why Analytics are imperative for any online display campaign. 

If you've been following FetchBack, you are aware that we are very focused on metrics, analytics and transparency. What we've learned over the past three years is that analytics not only help the customer understand the ins-and-outs of their campaign, but they also allow the team at FetchBack to know how best to optimize your campaign for the greatest results. In respect to view through conversions, we allow our advertisers to assign weight to how much influence they believe that impression had the customer conversion; something that is not found in the retargeting universe. 

Have you checked out the view through conversion manager? If not, login to FIDO and take a peek. If you are reading this and are not a client of FetchBack, get in touch with me and I'll get you set up with a demo!

Selecting the right Partner

Not sure if anyone has noticed; but this is an exciting time in the world of online advertising! Display advertising is poised to grow by leaps and bounds through 2013 to a $1.9 billion industry (based on BIA/Kelsey study), more and more companies are entering the BT field, and it seems like each day new advances in the world of retargeting are announced.

With all of these advances and interest in retargeting, it has to be a tough feat to ensure that you have selected the right retargeting provider. Here are five tips to keep in mind as you evaluate the various solutions available:

1. Analytics

How detailed are their analytics? Are they simply emailing you reports, or are you able to look at your campaign performance at any time? How detailed are their analytics? Are they using those analytics to simply report or to optimize? You can't optimize what you can't measure.

2. Advanced Targeting Capabilities

Is the retargeting provider able to target prospects based on where they are located? Based on what products the consumers viewed while on your site? What about possible up-selling capabilities? Retargeting is a dynamic service so be wary of providers that offer 'simple' and one size fits all solutions.

3. Length of Agreement

Does your provider require you to enter into an agreement with more than a few days notice to cancel? How much flexibility does the partner allow you to have? Anything more than a 3 day 'out' should raise caution flags.

4. Strategic Planning

How much experience does the vendor have with retargeting? How do they tie that into your other online marketing efforts? Retargeting is not a one-off solution, but rather should have a detailed plan and strategy that fits with your overall marketing efforts online.

5. Dedication to privacy initiatives

Washington is currently debating what steps to take in the online BT privacy debate. There is a strong probability that choice and transparency will be the first two items addressed by the FTC. What is the provider doing to be prepared for the possible legislation that is coming down the pipe? How can you be assured you are with a partner that will do the right thing for you and your customers?

Retargeting is one of the highest performing types of online advertising. Just be sure you have done your due diligence before selecting the partner that is right for you!

Cyber Monday + Retargeting = a Perfect Match

Happy Cyber Monday! Today is a day where hundreds of thousands of people will take advantage of deals found on e-commerce sites. It's the day where those (like me) that avoid the crowds at the stores over the weekend can feel a part of the holiday-sale season by taking advantage of steep discounts and free shipping offers - from the comfort of my home or office.

I don't know about you, but I opened up my email this morning to a flurry of offers - it seems as though any site I have ever purchased from sent me an email touting some pretty impressive deals. I did click through most of those emails to see what the on-site offers were, but I did have to leave the sites after a quick look (as I can't imagine my boss would appreciate me spending the first few hours of my day Monday sitting at my desk, shopping).

So let's say I first starting visiting those sites around 8am this morning. It's now 9:45am, and I have been online most of the day reviewing industry happenings over the past week, and even now I'm online while I type this blog through our web-based blog service. Later today I'm sure I will check my email again, go check out the news headlines, or go check out how horrendously my Fantasy Football team played this weekend. While I'm on the internet, I know I'll see various display ads -  and I'll bet that my 10% of those ads will be relevant to sites I visited earlier today.

Everyday is a day full of competition for online marketers. A click of the mouse is what can separate your biggest competitor from you, and it's no small feat to woo a consumer to purchase from you and not them.

Data has shown that nearly half of all consumers will return to a Website within one hour of viewing a retargeted ad for that site. One hour! This can be because the ad contained an offer so good the consumer couldn't pass it up - or, even more likely, the retargeted ad reminded the consumer to go back to the Web site they were on previously. Think of the retargeted ad as a friendly reminder that says "Hey! You were here earlier and you didn't purchase... don't miss out on this killer deal!"

It is my humble opinion that in addition to email, every marketer should be utilizing online retargeting this, and every, Cyber Monday. It's the easiest and most effective way to make sure that the traffic that you spend oh-so-much money on to visit your site, actually converts and becomes a life-long customer.

BT is everywhere... and I don't mind.

Obviously, as a FetchBack employee, I work in the Behavioral Targeting (BT) field, but even if I didn't, I'd still be a fan of having a more relevant online experience. I haven't had any kool-aid; this thought came to me yesterday evening as I was playing around online.

About two weeks ago, I got engaged (YAY!) and as most new brides-to-be I spent a stupid amount of time online, looking at wedding blogs, wedding sites, wedding this, wedding that -- for inspiration as well as to connect with other brides to get their ideas on how to throw together a wedding.

So, during my web surfing, I went to my facebook page. I noticed that the three ads on the left spoke to me directly:

 
I have been searching for a good MBA program, and I noticed that Argosy University showed me an ad - most likely as my 'behavior' indicated that I am in market for a degree. I also noticed a bocce ball set ad - I believe that was contextual as I had a 'wall conversation' with a friend about bocce ball... and then at the bottom you can see an ad focused around a wedding contest - which definitely was focused to me due to my previous behavior and searches.

All three relevant, and all three did catch my eye.

Later that evening, I visited fftoday.com to see who I should play this week in our office Fantasy Football League (but what does it really matter because I lose every week... but I digress...) and lo and behold at the top of the page was an ad for David's Bridal... something that definitely stood out to me, as I was on a sports Web site, definitely not the place one would expect to see bridal ads...

 
These are just two examples of similar types of ads I saw as I surfed the web. And with each experience I found myself liking the fact that my web experience was customized to me - suggesting items / services / retailers that I may be interested in. And most advertisers do it subtly enough that I don't find to be too much or creepy.

Take a look as you surf the web - would love to hear your thoughts / experiences.

Privacy Debate: EU Opt-In developments, and Domestic happenings

In June 2009, FetchBack CEO Chad Little wrote a piece that appeared in iMediaConnection about what an Opt-In world would look like. (http://www.imediaconnection.com/content/23475.asp) At the time, I don't believe that many in the online community believed that legislation would pass, anywhere, that would restrict cookies to being placed on a browser ONLY if the consumer explicitly said 'yes' to those cookies. Chad's piece was an interesting look at what the online landscape would be like, for advertiser and consumer alike, should legislation that aggressive be passed.

Interestingly (and surprisingly) enough, last week the EU Adopted a law that all cookies are to be placed ONLY when consumers opted in to receive those cookies (you can check out the story here: http://www.clickz.com/3635624). In the next 18 months, that law is to be implemented across the EU, with varying degrees of restriction based on the country you are in. Talk about a nightmare for advertisers, publishers, networks and consumers alike!

Publishers will most likely have to charge higher premiums for less effective display ads, some free sites will now have to charge subscription fees, and the display ads you see online will become more intrusive and loud; and all of these changes will be necessary in order for sites to stay profitable and survive. It will definitely be interesting to see how events develop over the next year and half for both advertisers, service providers and consumers alike.

For those who aren't following the privacy debate, this week marks the beginning of conversations here in Washington surrounding online privacy  (http://www.clickz.com/3635675).  In the midst of all of this movement, I noticed a report today on BizReport.com that states that 80% of Americans would not pay for online content. If Chad's predictions are correct, those 80% of Americans will be upset, to say the least, when their favorite news site, celebrity gossip site, wedding site, etc begin to charge a $10 monthly premium to get the same content they used to have access at no cost.

I wholeheartedly agree that regulation is necessary, especially if a company is dealing with sensitive information about a person's financial, medical, credit, etc status... just not sure that an 'opt-in only' rule is necessarily the best route to go.

Definitely am interested in hearing your thoughts on this topic...

Marketing in the Land of the Blind...

True Blood is a show on HBO that happens to be one of the few programs I watch regularly. This past season, the town was overrun by an evil force which caused the townspeople to act straight up bananas. They were running around the town basically naked, talking crazy and acting as though they have no sense about them at all. Only a few of the townspeople are unaffected – mainly because they are not quite fully human. (You know, they are your everyday run-of-the-mill shape shifters, telepaths, vampires, etc) Two of the unaffected towns people, Andy (the alcoholic cop that is always fighting for redemption) and Sam (the shape shifter that appears to be at the center of why this evil force has come to town) are caught in the middle of the madness – and Andy is realizing that Sam may understand more about the situation than he does. The following is a snippet of their conversation:

Andy: “One time (my nanny) told me this story that in the country of the blind, the one-eyed man is king. I think she told me that because she thought I was one of the blind, but... You got the burden of being the one-eyed man. I envy that."

Sam: “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Andy: “I don’t either.”

As a fan, I won’t use this forum to get into how meaningful that exchange was to the plot – but have to admit that Andy’s statement made me think about the state of online marketing today…(and yes,  I’m a super nerd and I tend to apply EVERYTHING to online marketing… )

Think about how many of those in online marketing jump on trends, marketing efforts, social media experiments, viral media blitzes, you NAME it – and do so without really thinking about how they can prove the value in those efforts. You could be spending time and money on an effort that produces a return of 1%, 5%, or even worse -35%, and not even know it. Talk about blind marketing…

Innovation is necessary, and being an early adapter to new technologies can pay off big. So in the ‘land of the blind’ in the online world, how do you become the ‘one eyed man’?

The key is to find a way to measure success. Before you start ANY new initiative, know how you can measure the success of that initiative. Some are the typical growth in sales, conversion rates and increased site visitors – but measurement gauges can also be if your customer retention rate or even if your mentions on twitter increase… it really can be anything!

Ahhhh but back to Andy – his words “You get the burden of being the one-eyed man” are so true… it is not always easy, or fun, to put a measurement value on any effort. That’s because you now have a way to see if you succeeded or failed – and no one likes to be accountable... but those that are, typically excel in their given field. Those that are blind don’t necessarily fail... but then again, how can they know how they are doing without a measurement system?  So when you are challenged by your RS at FetchBack (or anywhere) to set goals and measurements for your campaigns, know that we do it so we can both be the ‘one eyed’ folks.

The Terrible Twos

Recently, we celebrated our 2nd Birthday - Happy Birthday to us!

We're happy to report that, for the most part, we've avoided the dreaded Terrible Twos. We typically do not throw temper tantrums, we keep our whining down to a minimum, and we tend not to start crying hysterically at any given moment (for the most part).

FetchBack has experienced incredible growth over the past two years - not only in size of our team (we currently have just under 30 employees!), but we have also grown in our understanding and strategy for retargeting moving forward. When FetchBack was founded, retargeting was a concept that we had to explain to some ad networks in order to figure out how to purchase media for it. Nowadays, retargeting is something that most online marketers would say is essential to their marketing mix.

We just launched FIDO 2.0 for our clients, we've had to add more desks and cubes to our loft, and we now have a rule that each Friday our fridge has to get cleaned out. It's so exciting to be part of a small start up that is now growing into it's own, while realizing that we are able to provide incredible value for our clients. (As I write this we have delivered $64.5 Million Dollars in Revenue for our clients!)

Cheers to our first two years! Can't wait to see what the next two years hold...

Too much of a good thing... can just be too much!

My Junior year in college was one of the toughest for me - I had a heavy class load, and the classes I enrolled in were some of the toughest for my major. I spent a lot of time in the library, joining group study sessions, doing whatever I could to make sure that I didn't fall behind.

You'll appreciate my dismay when three days before fall finals I got very very very sick... I had gotten the flu. My body would barely get out of bed, let alone my brain recall learnings over the semester or allowing me to concentrate enough to study. So what did I do? I started taking any sort of over the counter medication, holistic medicine, and old school remedies I could find. I had to get better for finals! This included some Zinc Lozenges that had 100% of my daily dose of Vitamin C, and about 4 quarts of Orange Juice in about 18 hours. I'm going to skip over the next horrific events... but long story short I don't recommend anyone drinking 4 quarts of Orange Juice on an empty stomach. It was the sickest I've ever been... and my doctor couldn't get over the mass amounts of Vitamin C and citric acid I must have ingested. I was 20 times sicker than I was before. My intentions were good - to take good vitamins and flush out the virus... however I should have listened to my doctor and not gone nuts with the self medicating and I would have been in much better shape for my finals.

A lot of marketers take the same approach, if you think about it. They assume, marketing initiative 'X' works, so lets do that A LOT. This is what happened with emails - until consumers complained and said "NO MORE" when their in-boxes were full. The last thing you want to do is advertise to a consumer to the point where they say "Back off." Lately I have seen a lot of consumers online (via twitter, comments on blogs, blog posts) lamenting the fact that they are inundated with ads from a specific advertiser, and wishing that the ads would just stop! They aren't upset that they are being Retargeted, it's the fact that they are seeing the ads everywhere, all the time! Retargeting is one of the most effective forms of online advertising, but only when it's done right.

This is where frequency capping comes in - it is so important that when you implement a Retargeting campaign to make sure you have a cap on how many ads per day / per week you want to show a consumer. Over doing it with any form of advertising can possibly turn off customers, to the point that you may not get them back.

Take it from me... to much of a 'good thing' can lead to bad results. When advertising/marketing to consumers, trust the experts to help you determine best practices / frequencies, etc... and even though it's hard to hold back when you see something working, it's definitely worth it.

And now for something completely different....

It's Friday, it's been a long week. I was writing a blog post about the importance of having good display creatives for a Retargeting campaign, but my brain just wouldn't think. It's probably due to the gorgeous weather outside and the chocolate peanut butter Easter eggs dancing in my head....

So rather than force anything... I'm going to share some of my favorite math answers.

These kids are smart -- reminds me of high school calculus when I invented 'Ann Math'. Story for another time.

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Have a great weekend!