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May

29

Google Wave – Very Cool

Posted by Brian Bowman, CMO, Reply.com
Filed Under Interesting Companies, Social Media | Leave a Comment 

If you haven’t heard about Google Wave yet (just released yesterday) and have the time—this is a fantastic product video of a disruptive piece of technology that will forever change email, IM, social networking, groups, Wikis, and more… In short, Google Wave is a real-time communication platform.

For lots of details on the technology, you can check out Mashable’s post.

May

21

Top Search Providers and top Ad Networks

Posted by Brian Bowman, CMO, Reply.com
Filed Under Ad Networks, Click Marketplace, Enhanced Clicks, Online Marketing, Search | Leave a Comment 

According to Neilsen, these are the Top 10 Search Providers for April 2009 (US Only).  Based on our internal online advertising experience, we have found that as we purchase ads from lower ranking sources, the quality decreases and bounce rate increases.

RANK Provider Searches (000) YOY Growth %of all Searches
  All Search 8,608,488 4.40% 100.00%
1 Google Search 5,510,366 7.80% 64.00%
2 Yahoo! Search 1,406,416 -2.80% 16.30%
3 MSN/Windows Live Search 852,998 7.20% 9.90%
4 AOL Search 321,205 -8.80% 3.70%
5 Ask.com Search 181,617 5.90% 2.10%
6 My Web Search Search 59,110 3.60% 0.70%
7 Comcast Search 45,338 -1.80% 0.50%
8 Yellow Pages Search 37,160 N/A* 0.40%
9 NexTag Search 22,845 3.90% 0.30%
10 Dogpile.com Search 17,010 3.10% 0.20%

Source: Nielsen MegaView Search
*A year-over-year comparison is not possible because of a definitional change to yellow Pages Search.

According to comScore’s April 2009 rankings, here is the list of top Ad Networks.

comscoreadnetworksapril2009.png

Niche Ad Networks Emerge for Audience-Specific Targeting

As ad networks have expanded reach, a new networks surface that are targeted to pyschographics or behavioral segements.  The reach of these new ad networks are small by comparison to the above list but they are highly targeted which helps advertisers reduce wasted ad impressions.

  • For example, Snap Shots Network, delivers ads to users of Snap.com’s Snap Shots. The network reached more than 18 million U.S. Internet users in March.
  • Widgetbucks Network delivers contextually relevant ads through a widget, with a reach of 9.5 million.
  • NeoEdge Game Network, delivers ads through games, had a reach of nearly 1 million.
  • HispanoClick by Batanga (Hispanics)
  • Indieclick (young influencers or “tastemakers”)
  • The Heavy Men’s Network (men).
Selected Niche Ad Networks
March 2008
Total U.S. – Home/Work/University Locations
Source: comScore Media Metrix

 

Independent if you are buying PPC text-based advertising or display media via an Ad Network, targeting is critical.  Reply! offers precise geo-targeted and category-specific Enhanced Clicks and also provides the added benefit of equalizing quality by running consumers through a two-click process. If you are actively enaged in purchasing advertising online, check out our solution, quality and conversion metrics.  We would love to hear from you once you do.

May

15

GM Cuts 18% of their Dealer Network

Posted by Rudd Lippincott, Director, Retail Automotive Operations
Filed Under Autos, Economy | 2 Comments 

In the September 15th, 2008, Commemorative Edition of Automotive News, we celebrated GM’s 100-year anniversary.  Keith Crain, Publisher and Editor-In-Chief, said, “General Motors has magnificent heritage.  It will be fascinating to watch its second hundred years.”  Crain couldn’t have said it any better.  GM today sent out 1,100 FedEx letters to dealers, apparently stating, “We do not see that GM have a productive business relationship with (your dealership) over the long term,” according to a copy of the letter that the Associated Press received.  This comes one day after Chrysler closed 789 of their stores.

These cuts are only a portion of the 2,600 stores reportedly expected to close, which means we have yet to see the worst for GM.  In addition to the closings, 470 Saturn, Hummer, and Saab dealers are awaiting their fate as GM plans to sell these brands.  Chapter 11 for GM seems inevitable, although we’ll have the final ruling on June 1.

What will the next hundred years look like for GM?  Will there be a 200-year anniversary Commemorative Edition of Automotive News?  I certainly hope so.

My thoughts are with all the hundreds of thousands of people that were directly affected by the Chrysler and GM closings, but the questions that have always been in the back of my mind even before all this happened is, ‘Why did the domestic brands allow the gross over-saturation of their dealerships?  How did GM allow 25 Chevrolet stores (which was close to 40 only two years ago) to be opened in a 25-mile radius of Chicago?’  I can’t be the only one thinking this.

I agree with Keith Crain, but I think it will be more fascinating to watch the next five years, and I hope for nothing but the best for GM and all automakers.

Let’s hear your thoughts.

May

15

789 Chrysler Dealers Told To Close Their Doors

Posted by Rudd Lippincott, Director, Retail Automotive Operations
Filed Under Autos, Click Marketplace, Lead Generation, Lead Marketplace | Leave a Comment 

While there have certainly been rumors flying around our office (and probably yours, too), it became fact yesterday: Chrysler announced that 789 of their 3,188 dealers nationwide will be forced to close.  This is a 25% reduction in their retail network, and I’m guessing it represents close to 40,000 people losing their jobs.  Once the list became public (click here for a PDF copy), I immediately printed it out.  All forty pages, stacked higher than any other stack of papers on my desk, now stares me in the face with a big black binder clip holding it all together…this report is too large for a staple.

It’s been stated that between Chrysler and General Motors, the two automakers will close roughly 3,000 stores nationwide.  I guess that means when I print out the General Motors list, I’ll need to take it to Kinko’s and have it spiral-bound.

This is, without a doubt, a sad day in history.  My heart goes out to all the dealers and their families that have been impacted by this announcement.  As I scrolled through the list, I spotted at least two dealers on each of the forty pages with which I’ve spoken at one point or another over the past five years, and I’m shocked at some of the names on this list.  On an afternoon conference call with a business partner of Reply!, we learned that this company’s largest local advertiser (a Chrysler dealer) was also shut down today.

So what does this mean for us?  In my opinion, it means the auto industry is approaching rock-bottom—and I say that in a positive way.  With all the stores that have closed—and all that will be closing—the domestic dealers left standing should be healthier.  I am also hopeful that the remaining dealers embrace performance-based advertising and invest in media where they can measure the return on their investment.  At the very least, consumers know they can get a good deal on a new car right now and demand for consumer leads should be maintained, as dealers will fill in the gaps to service new consumers.  More consumers buying means more dealers selling, and that’s a step in the right direction.  We look forward to providing dealers with a highly-measurable online marketing platform for the acquisition of locally-targeted Enhanced Clicks™ and leads.

I could continue sharing my opinions, but I’d like to hear yours.  Please share your comments with us.

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