Banner ads aren't going down without a fight. Marketers and publishers have been hearing for awhile that display ads are not nearly as effective as search. And in terms of click through rates, they aren't.
But just because people aren't clicking on banner ads, it doesn't mean they aren't working. That's long been the cry of display ad sellers, and now comScore has come out with a study that shows how display contributes to sales, even if consumers aren't immediately clicking through to purchase.
Partnering with the Online Publishers Association, comScore has published "The Silent Click: Building Brands Online." The news will be welcomed by companies like Microsoft, which in particular has been trying to pull its display business out of the strangle hold of click throughs with the launch of engagement ads.
It may be fashionable to disparage display — just last week Barry Diller was ringing the death knell of banner ads, saying: “We’re all at the earliest period of display advertising, which has been standardized into formats where people can say, ‘I know what to ignore.’"
But withholding clicks and ignoring ads are not the same thing. Display ads still make up 20% of the $32 billion online advertising spend. And according to ComScore, display ads contribute to the online ad spend, even if consumers aren't clicking on them.
The study looked at 80 of the biggest branding campaigns across 200 of the most trafficked sites over a month’s time, and found that of the people exposed to display ad campaigns:
- One in five conduct related searches and one in three visit the brands' sites
- Users spent over 50% more time than the average visitor to these sites and consumed more pages
- Users spent about 10% more money online overall, and significantly more on product categories related to the advertised brands
- Higher income audiences visited the advertisers’ sites
According to Pam Horan, president of the Online Publishers Association:
"To date, measuring a brand campaign meant relying on the click, a metric more appropriate for direct response advertising. In order to understand the value of the audiences that display advertising attracts, our study helps marketers think about real behavioral measures designed to move the needle."
The inherently measurable nature of the Internet has helped advertisers get more bang for their buck online, but in many cases, finding out what to measure is the most important metric. Getting advertisers and consumers to think outside the clickthrough box is a step toward rehabilitating display. But once you throw out the current metric for measurement, you get to the next question. How do you charge customers who are accustomed to paying for ads based on clicks when clicks don't matter?
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Yoga DVDs
We just updated our Yoga DVD page with popular titles for all levels - including beginner's yoga and power yoga.
You can view the page at: http://www.netsweat.com/Pilates_Yoga/yoga_DVD.html
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Doping Raid At Belgium Bodybuilding Championship
The AP is reporting that the Belgium bodybuilding championship was canceled after doping officials showed up. (Editors note: there is a more complete article on Yahoo.)
The sport, unfortunately, continues to be rampant with steroid abuse. Though there are natural bodybuilding contests that ban illegal use of drugs, there still continues to a be large contingent of competitors who rely on steroids and other pharmaceuticals to bulk up.
We'd like to see ALL sports and competitions do more to stop the illegal use of drugs. While there will always be some athletes seeking an artificial advantage, enforcing tough rules at the stop of sports will help to deter those at lower levels - especially teenagers - from using drugs.
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New Mothers Vote Proactol™ The 1# Choice For Natural Weight Loss
Have you just had a baby and are wondering how to lose those extra lbs? Becoming a mother and watching your baby’s first smile is an amazing experience for all of us. But finding the time to eat properly and lose your post pregnancy weight can often be a struggle. Visitors to our website seeking a natural solution to their post pregnancy weight have tried and tested a clinically proven product that can naturally supplement your weight loss and allow you to spend the time you deserve with your baby.[...]
Source: weight-lost.us
Swine Flu and the Gym
In light of the news about swine flu, we're going to republish advice we have about protecting yourself against cold viruses at the gym. The same advice also helps reduce your risk of catching the flu, or any other bug that is making it's rounds.
The old rule of washing your hands and avoiding wiping your face with unclean hands or towels is your best defense. When using equipment, wipe it down both BEFORE and after your workout. Most gyms have wipes or spray bottles and towels. Use them. A small bottle of hand sanitizer in your pocket also can help.
If you need to wipe sweat off, use your sleeve or a towel that you brought in. Make sure the towel is sitting on a piece of wiped down equipment.
If you generally take water or sports drink with you, pour it into a bottle with a nozzle or straw. Open the bottle with your teeth or clean hands. Wet surfaces spread disease much faster than dry surfaces, hence the need for caution.
Finally, if you're sick or feeling a bit under the weather, stay at home. You'll recover faster. Plus, it's simple courtesy to everyone else at the gym.
None of this will guarantee that you won't get sick, but it will help. A healthy diet and plenty of rest is also good.
And call your doctor if you are experiencing flu-like symptoms.
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UniqueHoodia Review - Powerful Appetite Suppressant for Fast Weight Loss
... If you find that diets simply do not work for you as they never satisfy your appetite then we have the answer to your problems. If you feel your biggest problem is not what you eat but how much of it you consume then UniqueHoodia™ is the product for you. Hoodia is well documented for it's power at reducing your food cravings, however it is much more then just an appetite suppressant.[...]
Source: weight-lost.us
5 reasons Google should worry about Bing
Google commands a dominant share of the search market and there's no sign that this will change anytime soon.
But should it be worried about Microsoft's recently-launched 'decision engine', Bing?
Here are 5 reasons why Google should be worried about Bing:
- Bing is decent. While Bing may not be revolutionary, it is decent. And given the impression many of us have about Microsoft, 'decent to good' is pleasant surprise.
Case in point: although I still use Google by habit, I've been making a conscious effort to use Bing. That's something I wouldn't be doing if I thought the product was shoddy; this represents the first new Microsoft product I've started using on a somewhat frequent basis in a long time.
- Bing still has momentum. According to comScore, Microsoft's gains with the launch of Bing were not a spike event. While Bing's long-term momentum is hard to predict, Google obviously would have hoped that Bing's gains would have done a Wolfram Alpha and evaporated overnight.
- Microsoft is willing to invest. Yesterday, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer stated that he was willing to invest 5-10% of Microsoft's operating income in search for the next 5 years. Based on Microsoft's current operating income, this would amount to an investment of up to $11bn. He likened this strategy to the company's investment in the Xbox gaming console, which has paid dividends.
Is this a smart move? It could turn out to be a huge failure but that really doesn't matter. If you're Google, you don't want to see a cash-rich competitor gaining confidence and investing billions of dollars in taking you out.
- Google is scrambling to improve its messaging. In my opinion, Google's Achilles heel is the fact that it often fails to market its product well to users. Even in search, the fact that Bing was praised for features that Google also has demonstrates that Google has largely been thriving from user habit and its brand.
Bing has been a wake-up call and make no mistake about it: the fact that Google is now eager to remind users about all of its search features is acknowledgment that Google recognizes it has been complacent in this area.
- Google is no longer the underdog. Google is a great company and has a wonderful brand. But it's the search market's 800-lb. gorilla. Naturally, it's hard for Google to please everyone and increasingly, its interests conflict with those of users, customers, regulators and other stakeholders.
Few are still under the spell of the company's do no evil' mantra and most recognize that Google is a lot like any other multi-billion dollar multinational corporation. In its battle with Microsoft, that means that Google can't rely on the kind of built-in underdog support that it has received in the past.
All of these things highlight why Google should be concerned about Bing but Microsoft should be careful too: if it does too good a job, it may just awaken a sleeping giant. Google is still an innovative company with distinct advantages over Microsoft and Redmond should remember that.
Photo credit: betancourt via Flickr.
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Don King Boxing Is A Knockout
Wii Sports Boxing was the first game to show off the calorie-burning potential of the Nintendo Wii. Anybody who has ever played it can attest that the game is a workout.
The problem was that there has really not been any other good boxing game, until today. Don King Boxing
takes the Wii to a whole new level.The game incorporates the Remote, the Nunchuk and the Wii Balance Board into what appears to be a realistic version of boxing. Want to dodge left? Lean left. What to throw a jab? Punch. Need to duck? Bend your knees.
We've long been fans of boxing on the Wii, because it makes you constantly move your entire body. Not to mention that punching an avatar is great way to relieve some stress. Out of the 3 game released this week, Don King's Boxing is the one we recommended buying first.
Just remember to keep your hands up. :)
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