Selflessness & Service 09/20/2010
Posted by mritsema in advertising, business intelligence, ibm.Tags: Business, IBM, Leadership, Management, Technology
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Last Wednesday, September 14th, 2010, I went to Kent Country Club in Grand Rapids, Michigan to hear August Turak speak for the American Marketing Association (AMA) West Michigan. I went because he was speaking about his recently published Business Secrets of the Trappists in Forbes.com. This four-part series topped the charts as Forbes’ most highly rated article. August draws on his experience as the protégé of the man who founded the IBM Executive School, 14 years working alongside the Trappist monks of Mepkin Abbey, and over 30 years of business experience. I had to hear this guy.
August Turak and The Trappist Monks
August delivered a metaphorical message about transformation as it relates to movies, marketing, business and life. I found the message compelling. Do you know that a MegaTrends 2010 is spirituality? August spent a lot of time developing our attraction to movies like Avatar. He discussed Joseph Campbell’s book The Hero with a Thousand Faces, which lays out the spiritually transformational journey of life. It is the journey from selfishness to selflessness. It is this fundamental human condition – reflected in the movies and books that we love – that is the longing for transformation. August Turak says:
“It’s in our own self-interest to forget our self-interest.”
Then came the tie to business and marketing. There are 3 transformations in life, marketing or business – a change of:
- Condition
- Circumstance
- Being
Pepsi’s marketing hit the change of condition with “refreshing,” then hit circumstance with “think young.” Coke nailed it with their successful commercial – some of you may not recall – 4 decades ago, “I want to teach the world to sing in perfect harmony …” – sung on the mountaintops of life. A lofty goal suggesting a change of being. I saw that commercial, with our family, 15 years ago at the World of Coca-Cola tour on the way to Florida. Wow, did that bring back memories.
And what do you deliver to your customers? Do you deliver a change of condition, circumstance or being? The question I have is:
“How do we convey that we do more than fix or improve – we fix and improve life or business?”
August’s message reminded me of the book, The Go Giver. How do we move from selfishness to selflessness? How do we convey the selfless transformational overarching mission that includes a culture of excellence, integrity, faith, trust and performance? Suggestions, ideas, comments? Bring them on.
That, it appears to me, is the challenge of life, business and marketing.
Michael Ritsemai3 Business Solutions, llc
Google Analytics: AdSense Reporting, Visualization Tools, & More 10/22/2008
Posted by thaadsma in advertising, analytics, google, web.add a comment
Google Analytics Upgrade: AdSense Reporting, Visualization Tools, & More
“A day after announcing a slight touch up, Google Analytics is rolling out what it calls a “significant upgrade” to its feature set. The new tools include AdSense integration, “Motion Charts,” advanced segmentation, an API, custom reports and an updated user interface to highlight these new tools better. Google is calling this an “enterprise class” upgrade, but the new reporting tools will be free and available to all Google Analytics users.”
Place your television ads with Google TV Ads (!) | Inside AdWords : Google 05/01/2008
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Inside AdWords: Place ads on television with Google TV Ads
Cool! But I think we’ll start to see more YouTube-grade commercials on commercial TV from here on out.
On second thought: could they possibly be worse than our local auto dealer ads? ;^)
“We’d like to introduce Google TV Ads, a flexible, all-digital system for easily and efficiently buying more accountable and measurable TV advertising. The program, which has been an invitation-only beta test since June 2007, is now available to all US-based advertisers…
…How does it work?
First, you’ll need a TV commercial. If you don’t have one yet, check out Google’s Ad Creation Marketplace, where you can connect with industry professionals who provide script writing, editing, production, and voice-over talent at an affordable package cost. It’s free to search for specialists and send them requests for project bids, and you aren’t under any obligation to work with them until you accept a bid. To celebrate our launch, for a limited time Google will cover the cost of creating your TV ad through our Ad Creation Marketplace, up to $2,000. Learn more about this special offer.”
Online Ads Hit $50 Billion By 2011; Local Reaches $9 Billion By 2012; Pre-Roll, Embeds Gain In ‘08 | paidContent.org 01/19/2008
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“With all the doom and gloom hovering over the economy right now, analyst reports heralding brighter days for the future of internet ad spend continue to be released. Below are three separate reports offering prognostications for online ad spending from a general perspective, another with a strictly local viewpoint and, lastly, an examination of streaming media.”
Click the link above to read all the good revenue news.
Meet Google: Search Giant, Monopolist Extraordinaire 01/09/2008
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Google Watch | Google vs. Microsoft | Meet Google: Search Giant, Monopolist Extraordinaire
“Microsoft also articulated (Word doc) how the combination of Google’s vast ad networks with DoubleClick’s publishing tools will give the company overwhelming chunks of the market.
In fact, I owe Microsoft thanks because I learned more about what Google’s position in the market will look like once it tucks in DoubleClick from Microsoft than from what Google offered.
But the best part of these documents is not the detail, it’s the prognostications that could shed light on just how ingenious (and perhaps, insidious) Google’s ad plans are with DoubleClick…”
Microsoft Sees Olympic Gold and Silverlight 01/09/2008
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Microsoft Sees Olympic Gold and Silverlight
We’ll never have to suffer through another Bob Costas “human interest” story again!
“NBC will deliver NBCOlympics.com on MSN, and the video, more than 3,000 hours of free, live and on-demand content, will be powered by Silverlight, Microsoft’s cross-browser, cross-platform plug-in for delivering high-quality video experiences on the Web.
“We’ll take the 3,600 hours of all the different events and we’ll make it available live, on demand, and let you customize,” Gates said of the Olympics content.
The deal with NBC around the summer Olympics is a good win for Microsoft. “
Could Google’s Android Be the Cell Phone Savior? 11/08/2007
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Could Google’s Android Be the Cell Phone Savior?
And now for a completely different opinion:
“The U.S. mobile market today gives companies two less-than-ideal alternatives when trying to create mobile functionality. It can either go the app approach or the browser approach.
The app approach forces the consumer to download—or to have pre-installed—a small applet onto the phone. The chief pro: The final result should look exactly as the designers intended. The chief con: It limits the audience size to those whose OS and platform are compatible with the applet.
The browser approach is almost the opposite….”
Google Customers = “Programmed Drones?” 11/07/2007
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Google Customers = “Programmed Drones?”
This may turn into a nice flame war between Google and Ziff Davis, publishers of CIO Insight:
“Android is more evidence of the Google attitude and mimicking of Microsoft of 15 years ago. For Android is an empty promise—the worst kind of vaporware. The company has a code name, a promised product, a late 2008 delivery date, a list of partners and almost no details. Either in its arrogance Google refuses to share details or else it has none to share. I say both are right.
Android is the worst kind of FUD (fear, uncertainty and doubt) announcement. The timing is the giveaway: days after OpenSocial and right before Facebook announces its advertising platform. More broadly, Google has given enough lead time before next year’s FCC auction to create doubt about the company’s intentions. The lack of real Android information further feeds uncertainty about the extent of Google’s mobile intentions. “
Microsoft to Pay $240 Million for Stake in Facebook – New York Times 10/24/2007
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Microsoft to Pay $240 Million for Stake in Facebook
- New York Times
Well, this sure shakes up the advertising and web platform market. Facebook has made noises about wanting to be a web-based OS and development platform, but they won’t get there alone. It is surprising that they seem to want to get there with Microsoft!
With Google and Yahoo! rounding out the major players, this MS/Fb alliance injects some needed competition into the the online advertising world. Google’s advertising platform has seen staggering growth without a corresponding innovation in advertising tools and services. Maybe this deal will prod Google into providing them. Yahoo? Maybe them, too.
Competition is a very good thing, indeed.
CNET News.com | Google to offer free Web service 11/14/2005
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Google to offer free Web service | CNET News.com: “Google is set to launch on Monday a free Web analytics service that will let companies see exactly how visitors interact with their Web site and how their advertising campaigns are faring.
The free hosted service, which will be available in English and 16 other languages, is based on technology from San Diego-based Urchin, which Google acquired in March.
Urchin’s products previously cost $495 a month and were reduced to $199 a month by Google. The full-featured analytics applications based on Urchin’s technology replace the simple tracking tool that’s now available with Google AdWords.”
CNET News | Microsoft’s ad pitch underpins Net moves 11/14/2005
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Microsoft’s ad pitch underpins Net moves | CNET News.com: “Microsoft’s grand ambitions for free services rest on one thing: its ability to get to know you better.
The company has outlined a whole host of things it would like to offer as part of its ‘Live’ services effort. But it needs to make more money selling ads to make the push pay off.
To do this, it’s betting on personalization as the way to boost its online ad sales. The centerpiece of the strategy is something called AdCenter–a tool that Microsoft has been developing for more than a year as a way to serve up ads tailor made for the user that is receiving them”
ClickZ Experts | Strategic Advertising Issues: CLUTTER 02/11/2005
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ClickZ Experts on Strategic Advertising Issues: “This explosion of information and applications on the Web has led to a conundrum. In a word: clutter. We may know what we’re looking for and that it’s out there, somewhere. We may even have found it in the past. But we can never seem to find it when we need it. Applications are difficult to remember and use. Information is difficult to find. Moreover, the two don’t integrate, so making use of the information even if you do find it is hard. Witness our ‘dependency’ on search.
Still, the quest for new and better ways, and thus the evolution, continues. In the middle of the Web’s second decade, a third wave of innovation is occurring. Having moved from document access to application access, the third wave is about simplicity, context, and unification. How does the consumer Web become fundamentally easier to use? That’s the next burning question — and challenge.”
Seth’s Blog: So, what will it take to succeed?: "I… 02/10/2005
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Seth’s Blog: So, what will it take to succeed?: “If it’s not money or brilliant programming (see below) what will characterize the success of tomorrow’s Net?”
Silicon Valley Watcher: Scoop! Google to provide A… 01/22/2005
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Silicon Valley Watcher: Scoop! Google to provide AdWords API to Advertisers: “Google is about to announce technology that will allow its advertisers unprecedented levels of control over when, where, and who can view their advertising on Google search pages and those of Google partner web sites.
For the first time, the search giant will provide its advertisers with an application programming interface (API), which will enable them to link their computer systems with Google and control parts of the mammoth Google ad delivery system. The API will allow advertisers to self-administer the delivery, the timing and the price they will pay for their text ads.
This raises the bar in the online advertising market as Google turns to technology to try and outwit and pull ahead of media savvy competitors such as Kanoodle and others. Kanoodle says its average click-through revenue is twice as much as that of Google’s because it gives online publishers greater control over what types of advertising is displayed, at which times, and is better matched to page content or search terms. “
John Battelle’s Searchblog | Majestic on GOOGLE: Brother can you spare a dime? 12/10/2004
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John Battelle’s Searchblog: Majestic on GOOGLe: Brother, Can You Share a Dime?: “Today’s insights have to do with Google. My headline? On average, Google gets nearly a dime for every search it serves in the US. A recent report from Majestic, based on proprietary Comscore data as well as Majestic’s own panels and other sources, notes:
- 98 percent of GOOG revs are from paid search. 65% of revs are domestic.
- Q3 domestic growth driven by 7% quarter to quarter increase in paid introductions (paid clicks), to 964 million, and a 2% quarter to quarter increase in average price per click, to 5%.
- Average CPC: 54 cents, up a cent quarter to quarter.
- Revenue per query grew 8.3% quarter to quarter to nine cents. (That’s right, every search we do on Google makes them nearly a dime, on average).
- Overall US searches grew 6% quarter to quarter, Google powered searches grew by .2%.
- In Q2, 51.9% of all searches on the Google Network included at least one paid listing.
- Of those, 32% include at least one paid introduction.
That’s nearly 17% of all searches ending up with a click on a paid link. “
Google to Bloggers: Get Your Ad Share 08/26/2004
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Google to Bloggers: Get Your Ad Share:
“Google Inc. is making it easier for Webloggers to earn extra cash, while expanding the reach of its search-based advertising.
Its Blogger service this week put out a call to bloggers to share in advertising revenues by joining Google’s AdSense program, which displays advertisements targeted to the keywords in a site’s content. Through AdSense, Google returns a portion of the pay-per-click fees back to the site publisher. “
g-metrics.com: Watch the googlecount* of your favorite site 08/13/2004
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g-metrics.com: “Watch the googlecount* of your favorite site or ‘keyword’:
- Is your blog getting more referers?
- How many pages are talking about your favorite subject?
- Are there more web pages about Linux or Windows? Oranges or Lemons?”
