Internet Marketing and Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC)

I have been studying IMC for a while now, and am continually shocked to see that Internet Marketing elements: blogging, search engine optimization, making a site user friendly etc. are not addressed more.  The whole concept of IMC is to have all of the marketing communications elements speak to the customer with "One voice", and having a website or blog that does not speak in that voice is deterring from the overall IMC goal.

When I searched the Internet on this subject, all I could find through several sources and clicks were sites like this:  

http://www.homemediakit.com/

Or suggestions like this:

Internet Advertising Marketing Guide

Learn a Little About Banner Advertising on the Internet

Crash Course in Web and Internet Marketing

Listed on http://cob.jmu.edu/flahertb/merlot/imcresources.htm#IMC

There needs to be more Internet marketing addressed within the field of Integrated Marketing Communications and how to do so.  

Any Suggestions?

Internet Marketing and the 2008 Election

After the history changing victory for Barak Obama last night, the progress in this election has not stopped at the candidates themselves but in how they were able to reach the American voters. Digital technology has played an important role in how the public was able to view the candidates, through digital extentions on the television networks, and with the use of the Internet.

When CNN last night had a hologram news reporter and beamed her in and out of the studio, that was pretty exciting - something we haven't seen before. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ynews/20081104/pl_ynews/ynews_pl132

It is also noteworthy that the candidates were able to use Internet marketing and technology to spread their messages more than ever before. “The year campaigns leveraged the Internet in ways never imagined. The year we went to warp speed. The year the paradigm got turned upside down and truly became bottom up instead of top down.” This is true especially for Barak Obama, who used Internet marketing to raise huge amounts of money for his campaign as well as communicating with the American public through Internet advertisements, blogs, and his website etc.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/04/us/politics/04memo.html?bl&ex=1226034000&en=ed50bf72c5e6eaea&ei=5087%0A

Barak Obama was even reaching voters through mobile technology - text messaging updates on the campaign trail - a technology that has also not been used before. http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/08/22/advice-for-mobile-marketers-courtesy-of-obama/

So, what do we take away from this? Using Internet marketing can be an effective method to reach your target, and for Obama it helped him clench a victory and become the President-Elect of the United States of America. Pretty cool!

Internet Marketing to Generation V

I just found a cool posting about how Internet marketing is the best way to reach 'generation V', which they say is people born between 1982 and 2001. Because this generation is so tech savvy and open to change, the best way to get in their heads and get them to make purchasing decisions is through Internet marketing.

http://www.businessfeet.com/internet-marketing-news/items/internet-marketing-for-millennials-1224165300.html

One of the links through this article goes on to explain how companies thus far have ignored this generation and have not been tailoring messages etc. to generation V.

“The Four C’s—convenience, customisation, community and cool—drive millennial purchasing behaviour,” says Shaun Young, senior editor, Industry & Management Research at the Economist Intelligence Unit
http://www.eiuresources.com/mediadir/default.asp?PR=2008101503

Getting further into this:

"Unlike previous generations, Generation Virtual (also known as Generation V) is not defined by age — or gender, social demographic or geography — but is based on demonstrated achievement, accomplishments and an increasing preference for the use of digital media channels to discover information, build knowledge and share insights. The definition of Generation V derives from the recognition that these common behaviors, attitudes and interests are starting to blend together in an online environment.Unlike previous generations, Generation Virtual (also known as Generation V) is not defined by age — or gender, social demographic or geography — but is based on demonstrated achievement, accomplishments and an increasing preference for the use of digital media channels to discover information, build knowledge and share insights. The definition of Generation V derives from the recognition that these common behaviors, attitudes and interests are starting to blend together in an online environment. (http://www.gartner.com/it/page.jsp?id=770914)."

Very interesting as I am a member of the virtual generation, Generation V.

Learned tons about Internet Marketing/Advertising today

So, I just spent about six hours learning about the technical aspects of Internet marketing/advertising and how Publishers (of the sites) can sell ad space to make money.

We started with the basics, Standard ad units: Skyscrapers (160x600 pixels), Leader board/banner ads (728x90) and Rectangle (300x250). We then got into the more customized complex ads: Video, rich media (any ad that lives beyond the physical boundaries of a standard ad unit) and discussed the companies that make them possible such as Point Roll and Ad Blaster.

Similarly to broadcast measurement, Digital measures impressions through a third party, either Nielsen Net Ratings or Com Score media metrics.

Some additional terms we discussed:

CTR - Click through rate - clicks/impressions (click counted when user clicks an ad)

CPA - Cost per acquisition - revenue/ (impressions/1000)

Companion Ad - standard graphic ad unit shown in tandem with video

Overlay - runs on top of video while it is playing

We discussed so much information, it is hard to compile into a simple entry. There are some really helpful links for the Internet marketer that help explain how all of this digital ad sales stuff works:

www.clickz.com
www.mediapost.com
www.admonsters.org
www.iab.net
www.imediaconnection.com
www.marketingvox.com
www.mediabistro.com

The IAB (Interactive Advertising Bureau) - helps to regulate and define terms used in digital advertising and media. The whole idea of selling online advertising space is changing so much everyday, there is little standardization and regulation, but this is an organize that does do so. As a publisher, on the sales side, www.imediaconection.com was recommended. Happy learning!