Say what you want about viral videos like Call Me Maybe but the fact  is, these things are cash cows. And no, we’re not just talking about the publishers who rack in a lot of pay per click dollars for their views. Businesses or brands that take advantage of the popularity of these videos also stand to generate tons of buzz, exposure, and yes, revenue.

The next time you find yourself watching the hottest YouTube sensation, think about how you can incorporate it into your marketing or advertising campaign. Be bold. And be there early. It’s best to ride on an Internet meme’s fame while it’s at its peak.

Want to know how others did it? Below are some examples of how big brands used viral videos to their advantage:

Abercrombie & Fitch Uses Call Me Maybe by Carly Rae Jepsen

When Carly Rae Jepsen’s single Call Me Maybe became a viral hit last summer, everyone from Jimmy Fallon to President Barack Obama (baracksdubs) covered the video with their own versions.

Brands, of course, didn’t get left behind. Take Abercrombie & Fitch, for example. “To celebrate the song’s Summer popularity, A&F asked its hottest guys from its Flagship stores all around the world to have fun with the song—film it on their phones and to do whatever came naturally.” The result? Sixteen million views and tons of girls who couldn’t peel their eyes of their screens. Check out the video here.

Samsung Uses Overly Attached Girlfriend Meme

You remember Overly Attached Girlfriend, right? That girl who gave us the creeps while singing Bieber’s Girlfriend single? Well, we’re not quite sure if she got her guy, but we do know that she caught Samsung’s attention.

The tech company recently struck an ad deal with Laina Walker (Overly Attached Girlfriend herself) to star in its new SSD 840 commerical. In the ad, she embodies your computer who’s feeling a little neglected. Just like in the video that made her famous, Walker gives viewers the crazy eyes while throwing in some passive aggressive threats (i.e. “accidentally” leaking your search history). Watch the official ad here.

AdTech Goes Gangnam

In honor of ad:tech, BlueKai spoofed Pys’ worldwide hit, Gangnam Style. The parody had the same craziness and hilarious dance moves, but on top of that, it also had some geeky subtitles about the online advertising realm (“Heeeyyy sexy data!”). And in lieu of “Gangnam Style” you’ll hear “Oppan AdTech style” instead!

Watch the hilarious spoof here and see if you can relate. (You kind of have to be in the Internet advertising realm to be truly amused by the parody, but check it out even if you aren’t a digital marketer to get a glimpse of just how crazy ad people can get!)

Your Turn

Got any parodies to share? Have you spoofed any Internet memes lately? We’d love to see them! Post them in the comments below and we might just help you spread the word!

Related articles

• Advertisements and Elections
• The Beginner’s Guide to Making Money as an Online Publisher
• AdMedia Launches Advertising.net and Monetize.com to Help Advertisers and Publishers Reach Customers and Generate Revenue

Admedia Services & Resources

effective online advertising || local online advertising || interstitial ads || online advertising software || admobile || online advertising ppc || cpv advertising || online advertising market || online video advertising

Despite the not-so-ideal weather last week, AdMedia, together with thousands of other digital marketers and technophiles still had a blast at ad:tech NY!

Cross Channel Advertising: Industry Approved!

Being one of the most anticipated events in the industry, ad:tech New York was packed with individuals eager to network and connect. We met with numerous advertisers, publishers, and media buyers and got a chance to demonstrate how Cross Channel Advertising can help businesses and individuals gain more customers.

A lot of people agreed that our Cross Channel Advertising network is the most comprehensive one on the web, because it can reach users through multiple channels, including search, display, email, social, mobile, and more. No other ad network offers this many channels, which makes AdMedia the most ideal advertising partner online.

Beyond Business: Giveaways and Swag

Of course, no trade show would be complete without giveaways and swag. The AdMedia team really shined in the swag department thanks to our famous hangover kits! People loved them, and we even got a #bestschwag shout out from Aerospike!

On top of that, AdMedia gave away a bunch of gadgets including iPads and iPods to a few lucky individuals who stopped by our booth.

Check out the photos below to get a glimpse of all the ad:tech fun. And be sure to catch AdMedia at other tradeshows and conferences! We will be posting information about upcoming industry events so subscribe to our blog or like/follow our social media pages to be the first to hear about AdMedia news, tips, and resources!

Related articles

• ad:tech New York, Here We Come!
• Three Cross-Channel Advertising Questions Answered
• DMA2012: What happened in Vegas…
• AdMedia Launches Advertising.net and Monetize.com to Help Advertisers and Publishers Reach Customers and Generate Revenue

Admedia Services & Resources

online local advertising || ads network || what is retargeting || interstitial ad || contextual affiliate || online advertising ppc || ad-media marketing || in text advertising || online advertising market || online video advertising

Whether through the use of ad networks or directly through their own parties, the candidates in the Presidential race put out advertisements all the time giving themselves a positive outlook while discussing the negatives of their opponents. In the race between President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney, it appears that Obama has dominated the advertising world. However, Romney is making a push as we are now at Election Day 2012.

According to AdWeek, Obama’s ad campaigns have been outspending and possibly outperforming Mitt Romney in the digital world.

An ad search and analytics company called Moat has come up with the data in its Top 100 advertiser ranking that shows, based on total ad volume, Romney was well behind Obama and he didn’t even break into the top 100 advertisers in the U.S. for online display until last month. In the month of September, Mitt Romney was not on the list while his opponent, Obama, was 16^th.

As of now, Obama is number 2 and Romney is number 5.

So, does advertising really help the presidential election? Well, if AdAge.com’s poll means anything, Barack Obama would be the next president by majority. However, that was only 1,724 votes compared to the millions that will be put in tonight.

If online advertising displays have anything to say about it, Obama has been outperforming Romney in that category, but what effect will it have on the actual election itself? Should Obama win, would it prompt a higher volume in online advertising in the future for presidential candidates or would it hold no weight over how campaign ads are put out in the future?

We’ll find out tonight if online advertising could have an impact on how well a presidential candidate does in the election. If you have had your opinion swayed at some point by an online campaign ad, we would love to hear about it.

Admedia Services & Resources

online advertising network || online advertising rates || cpa cost per action || xml search feed || text advertising || text banners || ad-media marketing || online radio advertising

 

Hopefully you all had as fun a Halloween as we at AdMedia did. The holiday brought out many of the creative minds in our office as they displayed costumes of all different kinds. No matter where you went in the office, there was someone in some costume as they all attempted to win the AdMedia Halloween Costume Contest.

At the end of the day, the winner of the contest was awarded a new generation iPod Nano!

All of the employees took time during the day to input their vote for who they thought came in with the most creative/scary/funny costume and the choice was clear for our wonderful employee Janaki who came in with this awesome costume that featured a way to look through his body!

All in all, the employees at AdMedia had a great Halloween and got a great chance to show off their creative sides.

Admedia Services & Resources

effective online advertising || text banners || online advertising costs || publishers advertising || local online advertising || re-targeting || internet online marketing advertising business || online video advertising || online advertising sales

Data plays a huge part in advertising decisions. Sure, a good ad network can give you all the tools that you need, but your choices on how to use those tools are what will really make or break your campaign. When deciding on what ad type to serve up, what copy to write, and where to display them, you should always refer to what your research is telling you.

Yes, gathering data is crucial when you’re in the ad business. However, it isn’t enough. Data can only go so far. Test results and statistics have their limitations and sometimes, you need to go beyond the numbers to pull off a successful campaign.

Case in point: BIC’s ill-advised effort to market to the female demographic. A few months ago, the pen company unveiled BIC For Her (yes, that is the actual name of the product), a pen specifically designed for women. It features an “elegant design – just for her” and even has a “thin barrel to fit a woman’s hand.”

Needless to say, the sexist nature of the product drove women (and even males) to react via social media. Numerous users wrote hilarious, sarcastic reviews on Amazon. What’s more, since the guys at BIC didn’t secure the bicforher.com domain and @BicForHer Twitter handle, Bic For Her parodies invaded the Twitterverse and blogosphere.

Now, we can go on and on here and make fun of BIC, but it would be so much better if we let Amazon users tell you themselves. Here are some of the best and most hilarious reviews we’ve seen:

I love BIC Cristal for Her! The delicate shape and pretty pastel colors make it perfect for writing recipe cards, checks to my psychologist (I’m seeing him for a case of the hysterics), and tracking my monthly cycle. Obviously, I don’t use it for vulgar endeavors like math or filling out a voter application, but BIC Cristal for Her is a lovely little writing utensil all the same. Ask your husband for some extra pocket money so you can buy one today! –E. Bradley

I’m a powerlifter and when I wrote my workouts with these my lifts all plummeted. And they gave my boyfriend man-boobs : ( – EntMum

I am so thankful my daughter will never know a world without pens for women. Hopefully Crayola will catch on and start making crayons for girls.-ASC

Yes, BIC definitely fell into a social media pickle due to their misguided marketing attempt, and led people to ask, what in the world were they thinking?

Well, David Vinjamuri at Forbes had a very interesting answer to that. According to him, BIC’s blunder is “what happens when you try to build your brand by looking at it through the lens of data rather than from the perspective of your consumer.”

Vinjamuri continues with this imaginary scenario of a brand group presenting their idea to the higher ups:

Female ABM (Assistant Brand Manager):  Our share among women is lagging.  We’re losing on both coasts to SnazzyPen: which targets women.  We need a stronger offering.

Female Brand Manager (showing board of concept drawings):  Here are some designs that did extremely well in testing.  Top two box purchase intent is very high for women.

Female Group Product Director:  Right – we think we can blow these out in Wal-Mart and Target at back-to-school.

Male VP:  Great, but these are way too generic.  You can’t even tell who they’re for!  The trade is never going to cut these in if it isn’t clear that they’re for women.  Why don’t we call them “Bic for Her?”

Female ABM: [looks queasy]

Female Brand Manger: [Shifts nervously, looks for support from Group Product Director]

Female Group Product Director: [Confident that “Bic for Her” will fail in Concept testing]:  Absolutely, that’s a great idea.  We’ll get right on that.

Male VP: [Nods, satisfied]

[read the full article on Forbes]

So was BIC too busy looking at the numbers to be sensitive to its customers? We of course, don’t know that for sure. However, it does teach us the difference between thinking that you know what your customers want versus actually knowing them.

Research, data, and surveys are great and all, but remember that it’s important to get a holistic view of who your customers are. In order to be successful in marketing and advertising your brand, you need to get to know your target audience inside and out, sometimes even better than they know themselves.

Related articles

• Enhance Visitor Browsing Experience and Boost Revenue Using XML Feeds
• AdMedia Hits 86 Million Unique Monthly Visitors
• Three Cross-Channel Advertising Questions Answered

Admedia Services & Resources

effective online advertising || text banners || online advertising costs || publishers advertising || local online advertising || re-targeting || internet online marketing advertising business || online video advertising ||

Leading Ad Platform Unveils Two New Sites to Help Deliver Better Advertising and monetization Options for Advertisers and Publishers Alike

LOS ANGELES, CA–Oct 23, 2012- AdMedia, the leading provider of performance-based advertising solutions today unveiled Advertising.net and Monetize.com, two new websites to help advertisers and publishers gain more exposure and generate revenue. Advertising.net focuses on the needs of advertisers while Monetize.com features various monetization options for publishers.

While the two websites cater to different audiences, their common denominator is the fact that both of them offer comprehensive solutions when it comes to reaching users and generating revenue.

“Users nowadays are consuming content through multiple channels — there’s display, video, social, mobile, and more,” said AdMedia COO Avi Ni. Bibi. “We want advertisers and publishers to be able to tap into every single one of these channels so that they can meet their ROI and revenue goals.”

Advertising.net

Advertising.net features AdMedia’s Cross Channel Advertising solution, which helps advertisers connect with users through multiple channels, including Search, Display, Video, Email, Social Media, and others. Cross Channel Advertising allows businesses to reach users even when they’re visiting other websites, checking their mail, or browsing the web through their mobile phone.

The platform lets them deploy and remarket ads across several websites, programs, and devices, giving advertisers the best and widest reach possible.

Monetize.com

Monetize.com, on the other hand, lets publishers make money off their content and creations through the site’s numerous monetization options. It focuses on the needs of various types of publishers, and gives them multiple ways to earn money.

Monteize.com helps bloggers, photographers, and even programmers generate revenue through their websites, photos, videos, apps, and more.

AdMedia’s Edge

Aside from offering the most comprehensive solutions for advertisers and publishers alike, AdMedia has an extremely wide reach. Its network spans over 98% of the web, and it draws over 86 million unique visitors per month.

For more information, or to get started with AdMedia’s solutions, visit www.admedia.com.

About AdMedia

A performance based advertising network, AdMedia has been providing Advertisers and Affiliates with marketing solutions since 2007. AdMedia connects advertisers to consumers across many channels, including industry leading email, domain, social and search networks. More than 60,000 advertisers utilize the AdMedia network to advance their offers. A privately held company headquartered in Burbank, AdMedia has domestic offices throughout the state of California. Connect with AdMedia on the web at www.admedia.com, on Facebook at facebook.com/AdMediaCommunity and on Twitter at Twitter.com/Ad_Media.

Ask any consumer or Internet surfer out there. Being interrupted while they’re peacefully browsing the web would be one of their biggest pet peeves. Obtrusive ads that come out of nowhere or disrupt a person’s browsing experience is a no-no in the online advertising realm.

Being too “in your face” with your advertisements can do more harm than good. Sure, it may get you some clicks at first, but in the long run, it can ruin customers’ perception of your brand or website.

Fortunately, the web also offers a variety of unobtrusive ad choices. Whether you’re an advertiser who wants to get more customers or a publisher who wishes to make money off a website, there are several user-friendly advertising solutions at your disposal.

Inline text ads are a great example of such advertisements. Inline ads, (also known as Intextual) appear as underlined keywords in a body of text. The Intextual system scans a page and selects relevant keywords to highlight, ensuring that advertisers and publishers alike get the most clicks possible. The actual ads only show up when the user hovers over these underlined words and they disappear after a few seconds, unless the user interacts with them.

What’s more, publishers have the option of adding social media buttons and a search box to the ad, to give it more functionality. Intextual ads also have a close button, so users can manually get rid of them if they want to.

Convenient Space-Savers

Aside from being unobtrusive, In-text ads are great space-savers, and are ideal for content-heavy websites. Since they’re incorporated into the text, they save space and won’t disrupt the flow of a site’s content. This is a big boon for publishers because it allows them to earn ad revenue while still keeping the readability and layout of their site.

In addition, inline ads actually complement a website’s content, and serve as a helpful tool for people that wish to learn more about what they’re reading. The Intextual system is smart enough to only highlight the most relevant and clickable keywords to ensure that users to don’t encounter irrelevant ads while browsing the page.

Advertisers on the other hand, won’t risk being seen as obtrusive by consumers. Intextual gives companies a chance to advertise in a subtle and tasteful way, thus allowing them to make a good impression with potential customers.

Customizable

Full customization is another great feature of in-text ads. If you’re a publisher, you will be able to control the look, feel, and behavior of the ads to make sure that they fit well with the design of your website. Feel free to choose the color and size of the ads in order to give your visitors a seamless experience while browsing your website.

Advertisers on the other hand will also benefit from this. Want to show images with your ads, or do you prefer a plain text format? Either way, intextual ads can make it work for you.

Related articles

• Why In-Image Advertising is Worth Looking Into
• How to Get Around Users’ Ad Blind Spots
• Enhance Visitor Browsing Experience and Boost Revenue Using XML Feeds

Admedia Services & Resources

cpa cost per action || internet online marketing advertising business || local pages || online advertising ppc || online video advertising || online advertising networks || online local advertising || text banners || online radio advertising || re-targeting

…Was so awesome, we couldn’t let it stay in Vegas.

Earlier this week, the AdMedia team headed to Sin City for the Direct Marketing Association Conference & Exhibition which was held at the Mandalay Bay. The show was packed with the best marketers in the industry, and we felt right at home.

Adding Value to Marketing Campaigns

Practically all the attendees that stopped by our booth agreed that AdMedia’s Cross Channel Advertising platform and Remarketing solutions would be able enhance their marketing campaigns. Not only would our platform let them deploy their ads to multiple channels, but with our help, marketers could track and monitor the effectiveness of their campaigns more easily.

It was really great to be able to connect with people who really knew what they were talking about and who understood the value that AdMedia brings to the table. Aside from our advanced approaches and wide reach, we help marketers and advertisers make the most of the media that they’re already utilizing. The people that we spoke to were really pleased to know that AdMedia can help them meet their ROI objectives.

Goodies and Gadgets

The people at DMA2012 really meant business. But then again, we WERE in Vegas, so we still made it a point to inject some fun into our booth. Aside from our usual iPod and Nexus 7 giveaways, the AdMedia team also gave out Hangover Kits to attendees. These kits were filled with hangover remedies to aid those who partied a little too hard in Vegas.

Needless to say, the AdMedia Hangover Kits were a HUGE hit and people just couldn’t stop talking about them!

On the whole, AdMedia had a BLAST at show, and we would like to thank the Direct Marketing Association as well as all the attendees for making it happen. You guys were great and see you next year!

A few decades ago, the word “publisher” would’ve probably put an image of a printing press in your head. Back then, the act of publishing lay in the hands of newspaper proprietors while consumers or “regular people” were only there to… well, consume.

Fast forward to the present. We now live in a time where publishing power doesn’t just lie in the hands of periodical and magazine proprietors. In this day and age, if you have something to say and if you have the right tools, you can call yourself a publisher and you can make yourself be heard.

The fact that just about anyone can publish something and put themselves out there is pretty great, but what’s even more awesome is that being an online publisher doesn’t just stop with writing articles or blog posts. Contrary to popular belief, you can produce videos, images, apps, and more, and still call yourself a publisher.

Read on below and get a more detailed look on the different monetizing options that you have at your fingertips:

Blog posts – If you have passion for the written word and want to put your opinions and talents out there, then blogging could be for you. Simply create a site using a blogging platform (popular ones include WordPress, Blogger, and Tumblr) and start writing away!

You can choose a specific area of expertise and just write about relevant topics. For instance, if you’re a food lover you can set up a food blog about your delectable adventures. Another way to blog is by documenting your life and the lessons that you’ve learned. If you’re living a pretty interesting life and don’t mind sharing it with the world, you can use your blog as an avenue to publish your thoughts and experiences.

Images and Videos – Still want to be heard but don’t have a flare for writing? Then why not get in front (or even behind) the camera and start shooting! Document the world around you by either taking photographs or producing videos. Tell stories through images with the use of your camera. You don’t  even need to have anything too fancy. Nowadays, even your good ol’ smartphone will do.

Toolbars and Apps – If you’re more of a programmer and know how to code, consider using your skill to create apps or toolbars that people need. There are high demands for tools that make users’ lives easier. Find a specific need, zero in on your market and start building a product that people can download.

Easier said than done? Definitely. But think about the rewards that you can achieve and the people that you’ll be able to help once you find that money-making idea and build a “hit” product.

Monetize them

You can monetize your blogs, images, videos, and programs by placing ads on your content. Don’t worry, you don’t have to be an advertising guru to do this. Simply get in touch with an ad network and set up a campaign. Choose your ad types and customize their look and feel to make sure that they seamlessly fit into your content.

Yes, the web has opened up an array of channels that you can use to publish your way to more success and revenue. Online advertising for publishers is easy to get into and while you may not be a gifted writer, multi-channel systems allow you to use other skills (e.g. photography, programming, videography) to produce something worth monetizing.

Image credit: SEOPlanter on Flickr

Related articles

• Three Cross-Channel Advertising Questions Answered
• The Secret to Successful Remarketing is Utilizing Various Channels
• Why In-Image Advertising is Worth Looking Into

Admedia Services & Resources

internet advertising solution || cpa solutions || online video advertising || text advertising || re-targeting || text banners || overlay ads || interstitial ads

The AdMedia team couldn’t be more thrilled to be attending ad:tech NY, and we are super excited to connect with fellow digital marketers and technophiles! You’ll be able to find us at booth #2018—don’t forget to swing by and say hi!

What We Have In Store

We have tons of games and giveaways in store for attendees, so be sure to stop by our booth. (Again, it’s 2018!) From awesome new gadgets to trade show materials that can assist you at the conference, we’ll be giving out a lot of great stuff that you don’t want to miss.

Of course, it’s not just about trade show swag though. We’ll also be giving ad:tech attendees exclusive insights about our cross-channel advertising offers that can help you increase customers, sales, visitors, and/or revenue. Whether you’re an entrepreneur who wants to put the spotlight on your business, a marketer who wants to gain more exposure, or a blogger who wishes to monetize your website, AdMedia has something that you (and your audience) will love.

Don’t miss this opportunity to get a special look at our multi-channel products and services that are designed to help you reach your target audience through numerous channels, including search, social, display, mobile, apps, and more.

Got any advertising, marketing or SEO questions? You’re more than welcome to chat up our reps at the booth. We would be thrilled to answer any of your concerns and show you the ropes.

Why Attend?

This two-day event is packed with informative sessions and major networking opportunities. The trade show gives you access to over 35 interactive breakout sessions, and you’ll even get to see some of the hottest startups go head to head in a series called Startup Spotlight.

Last but not least, ad:tech gives you a chance to mingle with some of the best marketers in the industry, allowing you to gain valuable connections that can help bring your online strategy to the next level. That alone is reason enough to swing by!

Save the Dates

ad:tech will be held at the Javits Center in New York on November 7-8 2012. To register or to get more information, you can visit the event’s official website here.

Hope to see you in NYC next month!