ONLINE: Meet the New Idiot Box.

Among the many ignoble monikers that television has endured over the years is "idiot box." Well, it appears the computer may soon be jostling for this low-and-mighty position. According to eMarketer, the estimated number of online US viewers is expected to increase almost 30% in the next three years, to 157 million people by 2010. Clearly, advertisers and their agencies will need to account for the growth of this medium when developing strategic media plans.

That's it. Gotta run. There's a program on my computer I've gotta catch.

Source: Marketing Management, NOISE

INTERNET MARKETING: Improving Your Clickthroughs.

Are there ways to improve the effectiveness of your e-marketing? Some new research from Silverpop Systems suggests, yes. Here are some excellent tips based on a recent study:

1. PUT YOUR NAME IN THE SUBJECT LINE. This simple suggestion can increase up rates up to 12%.
2. IMBED TEXT-STYLE LINKS. A text link, versus an image link, averages nearly 3% better.
3. NAVIGATION BARS. If you include navigation bars in your eblasts, note that business-to-consumer scores better on the left, while business-to-business navigation bars generate better response when at the top.
4. FORMAT. Again, there are differences. Business-to-consumer e-blasts perform better in a newsletter format, while business-to-business messages deliver higher clickthroughs as postcards.
5. LINKS. The study also showed that the magic number of links for high click rates appears between six and 10; any more begins to detract from results.

Source: Marketing Management, NOISE

ADVERTISING: The Leap From 30 Seconds to 22 Minutes.

Over the years, there are numerous examples of advertising campaigns so connective, they've entered mainstream American culture.

Kleenex and Xerox are brand names that many folks have used, or still use, as a noun or verb. Expressions such as "I can't believe I ate the whole thing" or "it's Miller time" or countless others become part of everyday conversation. But it isn't often — in fact, this is really the first time — that the potential exists for a 30-second commercial to make the leap to a 22-minute prime time sitcom.

Introducing "Cavemen," or another name to be determined, if ABC programming executives follow through and actually air the pilot that they've ordered of the famous and incredibly cool Geico Neanderthals (in this case, three of 'em) struggling to make it through another day of civilization in Atlanta (isn't that something of an oxymoron itself?).

Will it happen? Who knows? Will it be successful? Who cares, really? The bottom line for the parent insurance company is that since 2004 when the Cavemen first appeared, Geico market share in a very competitive industry has increased almost 30%, which suggests that something's clicking and working.

Congratulations to the Martin Agency and Geico Insurance. Stay tuned, so to speak.

Source: Newsweek, Wall Street Journal, Others, NOISE

INTERNET MARKETING: TV Online Outperforms TV Offline.

Maybe we should add another criterion to the reach and frequency goals of television advertising. Like impact.

Because if impact were in fact measured, it now appears that TV commercials presented online perform far better with viewers than the medium for which they were created. Here's the skinny from Millward Brown research of more than 3,000 viewers that studied a network program on the competing platforms of television viewing and internet viewing:

1. Compared to traditional television, web spots increased attention by 53%.
2. Compared to tradtiional television, web spots increased awareness by 52%.
3. Compared to traditional television, web spots increased consideration by 27%.
4. Compared to traditional television, web spots increased favorability by 26%.
5. Prompted recall of brand advertising was 400% higher for web spots.

While all this should encourage every marketer to upload their TV to their website and integrate it all of their e-marketing, the downside to webmercials is the significantly smaller audience they deliver.

In other words, reach and frequency.

SOURCE: Adweek, NOISE