Monthly Archives: April 2012

[STUDY] How has Timeline changed the way we see brand pages?

When Facebook launched Timeline for brands last month, it wasn’t just marketers’ social media strategies that got turned upside down.

The new format also changed the way consumers experience brands on Facebook.

In a webcam eye-tracking study for Mashable by EyeTrackShop, participants spent less time looking at Wall posts and ads and more time looking at the cover photo on brands’ timelines than they did on their old Facebook Walls.

“The new Facebook Timeline limits the effective branding space, and the top portion of the page must be effectively utilized,” suggest the study’s authors.

EyeTrackShop recorded eye movements of 30 participants as they were shown brand profiles… Read more

Full article from news.yahoo.com

Window Shopping… Redefined!

Giving a new meaning to the phrase ‘window shopping,’ Bloomingdale’s has replaced its traditional window displays with interactive sunglasses shops. Now, instead of merely looking at sunglasses in a window, passerbys can virtually try them on.

The Lexington Avenue, NYC Bloomingdale’s features six interactive windows; each window is dedicated to a different designer (Marc Jacobs, FENDI, Roberto Cavalli, Miu Miu, and Gucci) and showcases four pairs of sunglasses. The interactive window displays are LCD screens that identify the position of your eyes when you stare at the screen. When shoppers position themselves in front of the window (an oval on the screen helps direct you where to stand), a pair of glasses appear as if they were on the bridge of their nose. Shoppers can see what the glasses look like from the head-on view and in-profile, and can ‘try on’ all four sunglasses at each one of the windows.

When a shopper finds a pair of sunglasses they like, they can… Read more

Full article from psfk.com

Mother’s Day shoppers to spend $18.6B

The National Retail Federation says that despite rising gas prices, Americans are eager to spoil mama this year, with the average celebrant spending $152.52 on gifts, up from $140.73 last year. About 75% intend to spend as much or more than they did last year, bringing total spending to an estimated $18.6 billion. Those in the 18-to-44 age bracket are most likely to celebrate the holiday, as are those who live in the South.

By far, the most common purchase is a greeting card, with 83% of the sample planning to buy one, followed by flowers, the choice of 66%, and some sort of pampering service, such as a spa day, a facial or a massage, selected by 58% of those included in the survey. And 54% will take mom out for a meal, making it a good day for the thousands of restaurants cooking up special Mother’s Day events and menus. (The poll was conducted by BIGResearch, and included more than 8,700 adults.)

Retailers can also expect to do well, with nearly one-third of their customers intending to… Read more

Full article from MediaPost.com

YouTube announces Google AdWords for Video

When it comes to consumer technology, the only thing hotter than mobile apps is Internet video, an area that has seen explosive growth in the last few years. Now YouTube has introduced a familiar framework designed to allow advertisers to capitalize on this video boom, dubbed Google AdWords for Video.

The program was soft launched last September for a select group, but now Google AdWords for Video is available to all and it essentially follows the same logic as Google’s text-based AdWords. What that means is that keywords will allow a company’s video ad to appear during relevant video searches, companies only pay for the targeted video ads that people actually view, and they have access to detailed information about how, when, and where their ads were viewed… Read more & watch a DEMO VIDEO of the new AdWords for Video service

Full article from pcmag.com