The Media Supermarket

Another whopping announcement by the (search?/advertising?) giant. They are firing toward more and more enriching partnerships and innovations in newer fields of advertising.
They are now beta-testing their radio advertising, which is supposed to be powered by better reporting capabilities for advertisers. At the same time, they are also testing their cost-per-action advertising model.
Now, they are partnering with Doubleclick, which has on of the most extensive databases of online advertisers, and very powerful targeting and reporting tools and metrics. They were even pressured after partnering with Abacus Direct for fears of abusing their combined data.
The main theme in Google’s announcement, was the integration of search and display advertising. Doubleclick seems to be the master of banners and the more visual ads, and as we know Google mastered what they pioneered, which is mainly search, and eventually contextual advertising.
This move is supposed to prove useful for advertisers who will have access to better performance measures, and improved tools to manage their campaigns. Publishers will probably have more variety and relevance in the advertising options available for them.
A fast webcast was made today where the top executives of both companies summarized their decisions, and answered some questions.
Although the deal was signed, the total integration and finalization is supposed to take place by the end of this year. Partly, due to some regulatory reasons, and making sure they comply with all antitrust laws and regulations, which is not yet final by the way.
Google was not the only bidder for this company, and some other giants were also bidding, actually the giants, according to Slashdot. Yahoo! and Microsoft were the main players, but Google seems to be the coming undisputed giant of all forms of advertising, since these two lag way behind Google in their search and advertising programs.
Asked why this was the timing for the deal, and not before, Eric Schmidt CEO of Google said that they simply underestimated the size of the display ad business, and realized the great opportunities it promised.
By the way, this is the highest amount that Google paid for a company, and they paid in cold hard cash, $3.1 Billion!

google doubleclick

is a master of none”, they say.
I say, “a Jack of all trades is a master of some”.
How can anyone master anything if they are not very good at the components of that “thing”?

Getting to know the Web in its second version was quite interesting, to say the least. Addictive, to be more exact. The intellectual challenge that I need to have on an ongoing basis is one thing. Being a long tail person myself also magnified the effect, since Web 2.0 has more space than any person can imagine, and there is something for everyone in it.
This report includes a heavy explanation and analysis about what makes a great Web 2.0 application / website, and what are the main practices these organizations are applying. The report is prepared by O’Reilly Media, the inventors of the word “Web 2.0″, and it summarizes the findings of the conference held at the end of 2006 regarding this new phenomenon.
Watch out, this is only for the heavy readers, I shared it with some colleagues of mine (Internet professionals) and they struggled with the material in it.
Full of structured examples and live citations it can actually be so much fun to go through all the examples in light of the principles discussed and thinking about how to apply them.
It’s an absolute must-read for the dedicated Web professional trying to make sense of all the chaos and turmoil going on.
A lot of presentations and interviews are available here for that conference and other conferences by O’Reilly. Highly recommended.

Let’s start first by defining some aspects of the Web, and the people who use it.
The Web is a different medium than the mainstream media in several ways.

1. Power to the users (once named surfers): Users choose what they want to read on the Internet. On TV, although you can choose which channel to view, you are stuck with whatever you are presented with.
2. Interactivity: Not only is the web an interactive platform, it gives us the full range of choice between being totally passive, and just reading or viewing what’s on there, and being totally active by logging in, writing, commenting, etc. We can also have any of the choices in between those two extremes. Even in the most passive of choices, you still have to click through to different pages to continue browsing, while on TV, you can just sit there till you sleep.
3. Person of the year 2006: More and more power is gained by the web, which is in its second version, and most Web 2.0 citizens want thier voices heard. The Web is emerging as an alternative underground tool where people who don’t have access to huge mainstream media can find a way to express themselves and reach out to people.

The highly active users of the Internet are fed up with celebrities spamming thier lives, and looking for alternatives. They are also keen on becoming celebrities themselves. The long tail shows that there will be lots of small celebrities, who are enabled through Web 2.0 technologies.

The Web is for people who want to look for their own personal preferences. People who don’t need to watch tonight’s show just because everyone else is watching. Furthermore, it is for people who want to contribute, share, and make their voice heard.

Therefore, having a celebrity endorse a site or a web service might alienate these people. They want to be celebrities, not just see them. Mainstream celebrities are symbols of the media that these people are moving away from.

When might celebrities be useful?

1. When they are Internet celebrities: Of course! These celebrities can easily be identified with by the users, and they aspire to be like them in some way or another.
2. When online and offline merge: The line between mainstream and web applications and media is blurring, and this strategy might work for programs or channels that have both aspects to them. Luvoo is endorsed by Carmen Electra, and it is a TV show based on their matchmaking website.

I’ll be checking this theory myself with a project I’m currently working on. Although I’m conviced that Internet users have the power to promote the people they think are popular, I will keep an eye on examples where this is and isn’t working.

Many times I see meaningless ads formatted and written in a tone that does not touch any aspect of our lives. Often times, these are poorly translated ads, that were translated by the dictionary, not by culturally-aware human beings.
Not only do these ads fail at conveying the right message, they sometimes backfire in certain societies.
Here are some tips to take into consideration while translating an ad or any other form of copy, written, audio, or visual:

1. Don’t translate!: yes, you read it right. The first thing you DON’T want to do, is take a dictionary, and go word-for-word, or sentence-for-sentence. While this might work well with normal prose, it is quite dangerous with ads. What makes this process more delicate, is the limited space usually provided for advertisements. You usually don’t have enough space to go around idioms and phrases, and you have to create something that fits. Don’t translate, transcreate. Here is an article that sites different instances of successful transcreation in literature and art.
2. Think culturally: Thinking about the cultural implications while you write the new copy is necessary to make sure you get your message to the people. There is a website that talks about similar stuff, but the name of the website is the key for this tip: Don’t make me think! This site talks about the Internet users’ experience and how it must be improved by being simple, to the point, and easy to understand. When you write a transcreated ad, don’t make your audience think.
   
3. Find the corresponding idiom: Many times, smart ads make us of certain idioms or puns on certain words. This is where you are really transcreating. The pun cannot be translated, and the idiom might and might not have a counterpart in the target language. In this case, you should find the idioms that are used in the target language and find ways in which they can click with the audience.
4. Test: You should always ask regular non professionals to see the ad and check their reaction. This is also a tip for writing regular ads for your own audience also. Many of us get swayed with the greatness or beauty of a certain pun, or fall in love with a certain idea, that we forget that we are writing to certain people, and even forget that they need to understand! This is an example by Olay.
   
5. Check the positioning: An American diapers brand had a commercial showing how easy it is to use their diapers, and how much it saved time. The same ad was adapted for the Far East, and it backfired, as those mothers came through as uncaring. “Why would a mother want to spend less time caring for her babies?” If you don’t take this into consideration, you will do the opposite of what you actually want.
6. Let the people decide: Another safe (and free) method of doing this, is by passing the concept to your target audience and seeing how they deal with it. Post a thread on a forum, and discuss your brand or message. Observe what words people use to describe certain concepts. You will be surprised at how differently people use words for concepts. Try to check if they are using any cultural references or similarities. This is the language they are most comfortable using. Use it in your ads.

The main idea is that you should take the concept, and work with it. Giving it a fresh and local touch, and making sure your audience understand and like it at a glance.

As advertisers globalize, they will need to focus on local partners who understand the culture, instead of just copying and pasting their offices to new locations.

translation

I enjoy writing, I love to learn, Web 2.0 stuff is just irresistable, and it’s great to be able to make money out of all this.
So I’ve decided to learn everything there is to learn, reach out as close as possible (to people) and earn some bucks:)
It’s been a while since I’ve been learning about the basics, trying many things, facing a lot of frustration, and feeling the exhilaration that comes with this great medium.
Last week, I bought “Six Figure Blogging” a course by Darren Rowse and Andy Wibbels. I am seriously considering exploring all the related materials there is to learn and implement.
I’m half way through, and had some important things considered and changed in this site. It seems promising, more interesting and fun.
I’ll share my thoughts on the course when I finish and implement it.
What’s next?
Joel Comm’s “What Google Didn’t Teach You About Making Money With AdSense”. Lots of great resources come with it; a one-month free entrance to the coaching club, some exclusive downloads and software. Didn’t read it yet, but it seems really advanced and fun to read.