For Interactive Marketing Professionals

Social Media Marketers: Don't Ignore IM

by Christine Spivey Overby, September 18, 2009

Instant messaging (IM) is one of the most widely used activities among European online users. IM usage is not just restricted to youths and teens but is also popular among older age groups such as 35- to 44-year-olds. IM users are also more active online . . .

For Interactive Marketing Professionals

Does Mobile Marketing Matter Yet?

by Christine Spivey Overby, May 4, 2009

Mobile promises new ways for marketers to connect with their customers — like branded applications, video, and even on-the-go transactions — eventually. But in the short term, the recession will limit marketers' mobile ambitions. We recommend that most . . .

For Interactive Marketing Professionals

2009 North American Interactive Marketing Predictions

Interactive Channels Will Be An Unapologetic Part Of The Marketing Mix

by Christine Spivey Overby, February 6, 2009

In North America in 2009, interactive marketing will assume an unapologetic — and, in some cases, central — role in the marketing mix thanks to both the ascendance of digital media and the inherent measurability of interactive channels. Tactics like search . . .

For Interactive Marketing Professionals

Topic Overview: Interactive Marketing In A Downturn

How To Justify Your Digital Budget When The Market Is Low

by Christine Spivey Overby, November 19, 2008

In these uncertain times, marketers expect to cut 3% of their overall marketing budgets. As an interactive marketer, how do you protect your digital budget and ensure funding for future campaigns? By constructing a business case of both numbers and success . . .

For Interactive Marketing Professionals

An Interactive Marketer's Introduction To Web Site Imagery That Builds Brands

by Christine Spivey Overby, September 19, 2008

Web site imagery builds brands when it is both helpful and engaging. Interactive marketers should work with their customer experience counterparts to ensure that Web site imagery supports brand attributes and follows basic design principles such as contrast, . . .

For Interactive Marketing Professionals

An Interactive Marketing Introduction To The State Of Consumers And Technology, 2008

by Christine Spivey Overby, August 8, 2008

Consumers of all ages increasingly spend more time engaged with technology. In this graphical analysis of Forrester's North American Technographics® Benchmark Survey, 2008, Interactive Marketers can see where consumers spend their time, which technologies . . .

For Interactive Marketing Professionals

How To Justify Interactive Marketing Investments

A Forrester Success Imperative Primer

by Christine Spivey Overby, July 11, 2008

It takes logic and emotion to sell digital campaigns to your boss. Smart interactive marketers do so by constructing a rich business case of both numbers and success stories. In this document, Forrester details how to justify interactive marketing investments . . .

For Marketing Leadership Professionals

Boomer Women = Big Money For Marketers

Integrated Campaigns And Social Media Resonate With Female Boomers

by Christine Spivey Overby, August 21, 2007

Often overlooked by marketers in favor of their younger counterparts, Boomer women's deep pockets can enrich marketers' coffers. How much are they worth? Nearly $300 a month. Boomer women spend more money in all channels than women from all other generations. . . .

For Marketing Leadership Professionals

Want To Nurture Next-Generation Marketing Skills?

Refresh Your Recruitment, Training, And Retention Tactics

by Christine Spivey Overby, August 7, 2007

Marketers must focus on building expertise in social media and marketing analytics in order to better serve customers. By adding new tactics to existing recruitment, training, and retention efforts, marketers can create the right mix of next-generation . . .

For Marketing Leadership Professionals

Case Study: Wachovia Embraces Scientific Measurement

by Christine Spivey Overby, July 17, 2007

Wachovia has built a culture of accountability by nurturing an expertise in statistical analysis and predictive modeling. Marketing leadership professionals can glean a host of measurement best practices from Wachovia including how to make the models . . .

For Marketing Leadership Professionals

Case Study: Allstate Masters Marketing Measurement

by Christine Spivey Overby, June 4, 2007

At the US insurance giant Allstate, senior marketers have created a world-class measurement approach by focusing on both scientific methods and effective communication of measurement outcomes. But the secret to Allstate's measurement success lies in the . . .

For Interactive Marketing Professionals

Vendors Ease Mobile Marketing's Growing Pains

At CTIA 2007, The Wireless Industry Commits To Mobile Marketing

by Christine Spivey Overby, May 21, 2007

The audience for mobile campaigns now tops 37 million, but interactive marketers are still more likely to experiment with PC-based emerging channels — many of which have smaller reach. What's holding marketers back? A host of perceived and real challenges . . .

For Interactive Marketing Professionals

Case Study: American Cancer Society Tackles Mobile Search Marketing

by Christine Spivey Overby, March 29, 2007

The American Cancer Society (ACS) — a seasoned interactive marketer — saw mobile as an additional channel to connect people to its resources. The organization used targeted mobile keyword buys and a streamlined mobile site to boost donations and clinical . . .

For Interactive Marketing Professionals

Best Practices: US Mobile Marketing

The Best Mobile Campaigns Embrace The Medium

by Christine Spivey Overby, March 29, 2007

With 76% of US households owning at least one phone, mobile is a seductive channel for US marketers. But consumers' preconditioned skepticism to mobile ads means that marketers must design campaigns that respect the medium and deliver value to targeted . . .

For Interactive Marketing Professionals

Case Study: Zagat Tests The Right Mobile Advertising Options

by Christine Spivey Overby, March 29, 2007

Zagat Survey needed to reach mobile power users — a relatively small group — to market ZAGAT TO GO, a mobile product featuring its restaurant and nightspot reviews. To do so, it explored several mobile marketing mechanisms to home in on the ideal mobile . . .

For Interactive Marketing Professionals

Case Study: Pfizer Proves That Mobile Marketing Isn't Just For The Young

by Christine Spivey Overby, March 29, 2007

Facing the challenge of building awareness among hard-to-reach consumers, Pfizer added mobile to its Lipitor marketing mix as a way to extend reach. The offer: text-based mobile coupons for a free trial of Lipitor. How did Pfizer persuade Boomers and . . .

For Interactive Marketing Professionals

Case Study: Time Inc. Shows The Value Of Mobile Direct Response

by Christine Spivey Overby, March 29, 2007

Time Inc., an early adopter of mobile marketing, has gleaned numerous best practices from not only its own mobile marketing efforts but also those of its advertising partners. Among these best practices: Leverage mobile as a direct response mechanism, . . .

For Marketing Leadership Professionals

Net Promoter Scores: Good, But Not Enough

by Christine Spivey Overby, February 2, 2007

Net Promoter has become a popular way to measure customer satisfaction and loyalty. But, as with any single measurement, it doesn't tell the entire story. To put a Net Promoter Score — or any customer metric — into action, companies need to analyze it . . .

For Marketing Leadership Professionals

Is The US Ready For Mobile Marketing?

Consumers Are Ready — So, Marketers Should Be, Too

by Charles S. Golvin, Christine Spivey Overby, December 27, 2006

The near ubiquity of mobile phones and accelerating consumer acceptance of applications other than voice make mobile a powerful new channel for marketers. When done right, mobile campaigns yield high response rates and increase consumer engagement. Still, . . .

Humanizing The Digital Experience

Insights From C-Level Keynotes At Forrester's Consumer Forum 2006

by Christine Spivey Overby, November 20, 2006

Mainstream consumers are going online in droves, demanding digital experiences that are intuitive, engaging, and relevant. What happens when experiences don't measure up? Consumers take their business elsewhere or, worse, they use new social channels . . .

Global Extended Internet Forecast: 2006 To 2012

Vendors Must Focus On Business Processes To Win RFID And Sensor Deals

by Christine Spivey Overby, Ellen Daley, Andrew Bartels, September 20, 2006

Cross-industry investments in Extended Internet technologies — such as RFID and sensor networks — drive what will be an $11.6 billion global market by 2012. Vendors looking to capture a piece of this market must abandon generalist sensor and RFID messaging . . .

The Extended Internet Voyage

Process — Not Technology — Innovation Drives RFID And Sensor Adoption

by Ellen Daley, Christine Spivey Overby, September 19, 2006

A host of business pressures — coupled with more mature RFID, wireless, and sensor technologies — will spur mainstream companies to adopt Extended Internet technologies. Expect businesses to deploy the Extended Internet in three phases: 1) tactical deployments; . . .

Coty Humanizes The Consumer Experience

How Coty's "Living Media" Approach Brings Its Brands To Life

by Christine Spivey Overby, September 13, 2006

In an age of media fragmentation, ineffective advertising, and disloyal consumers, marketers need a new approach for building brand relevancy. Coty, the fragrance and cosmetic company with brands like Lovely Sarah Jessica Parker and Rimmel London, does . . .

CPG Sites That Deliver Brand And User Value

How Brand Factors Influence A Site's Consumer And Business Goals

by Christine Spivey Overby, June 29, 2006

Consumer expectations vary across consumer packaged goods (CPG) Web sites, often based on the consumer's relationship and history with the brand in other channels. As such, CPG marketers should analyze several brand and category factors to help identify . . .

The Slow Burn Of Trade Promotion Management

A Forrester And TPMA Study On The State Of TPM And Enabling Technologies

by Christine Spivey Overby, June 29, 2006

In the face of increasing financial and regulatory pressures, consumer products (CP) manufacturers must rethink long-standing trade promotion management (TPM) practices. So, how are firms doing? To benchmark the state of TPM and technologies, Forrester . . .