Archive for June, 2011

Local + Mobile

Thursday, June 30th, 2011

Hyper-local is the next big thing

Following up on yesterday’s post from Cristina Pansolini, we’ve got some more great insights coming out of Digiday’s Local conference here in NYC last week. Today, Strategic Planner Charles Lodge offers his take on the synergy between local and mobile, and what it all means for the industry.

Local marketing has shifted from traditional channels into digital channels that offer powerful solutions for brands to reach local consumers.  Mobile, social and other local digital advertising technologies and platforms are quickly becoming a must, and  brands are seeking higher ROI and one-on-one connections with consumers.  As technology moves off your desk and into your pocket, social and local media are giving advertisers the opportunity to enhance a “clicks to bricks” model with localized calls to action.  By combining behavioral and geographic tracking, communication is becoming localized down to the city block, driving real foot traffic to real brick and mortar stores.  However, with this change in communication venues we’re also seeing a change in the rules of advertising; social and local media is about giving people knowledge, not a compelling argument.

LOCAL AND MOBILE GO HAND-IN-HAND
Local advertising, by definition, is opening a golf magazine and seeing ads for golf equipment. But these days we can deliver content relevant not just to a publication or network demo, but to location, activity, interests and even mindset.  This progression of media into local atmospheres is directly in line with the appearance of new mobile technology, and “local” and “mobile” absolutely go hand in hand.

In 2003 brands were asking their agencies to help them have a greater digital presence. In 2007 they were all trying to connect with consumers in various online social spaces. This year they’re striving to connect with their consumers on a local level.  In the recent past there were generally two ways to find your target consumer’s location — a computer’s IP address or a mobile device’s GPS locator. That’s not the case anymore.  The rise in mobile coordinate-based services, such as GoogleMaps, gives context to location-based searches, adding a third means of specializing your targeted content.

GOOGLE MAPS
GoogleMaps has become the pillar of Google’s local strategy; regular users use it an average of 25 times a month . . . literally telling advertisers where they are and where they’re going.  And now, pairing Google with a GPS device, allows users to search by a destination (IE: “Saatchi & Saatchi”) instead of an address (IE: “375 Hudson St”) which is both user-friendly and creates an opportunity for advertisers to know not just where their consumers are . . .  but what they’re doing while they’re there.  This flood of location data is a valuable tool for advertisers; while we have always known that our communication will reach someone, we have seldom had any guarantee that our ads will be relevant to the viewer.  With more surgical installations of communication we are expected to produce better returns on investment, and contextual targeting can ensure that the media space we buy will match up with the target demographic.

LOCAL CALLS TO ACTION
The recent growing demand for “deals near me” has gone hyper-local in the daily deal ecosystem (Groupon, LivingSocial, etc.). 51% of consumers say they are willing to share their location in order to be exposed to ads relevant to their position. The CTA surrounding all of local media placement is providing consumers with real-time information about deals in stores near their current location.

And we’re finding that if you can get location specific you get real results—deals near me offerings have better than a fifty percent buy rate. While the next step may be a digital overhaul of the Sunday circular, right now the best way to get a good ROI out of local media strategies is to connect consumers with local discounts that are actually local—not deals in their county, but on their street.

SHRINKING YOUR WAY TO GREATNESS: BIG RETAILERS ARE PLAYING SMALL BALL
Online video content is becoming a more reliable and effective way to communicate with your target consumers and a recent trend of localizing online content has proved efficient at generating specialized messages and increased returns.  Schwinn and Lowe’s have both learned how a national campaign can hit local parameters, embracing strategies aimed at giving extra incentive—depending on location—for consumer-action.

Schwinn has over 6000 different spots in rotation, and each gets neighborhood-specific, using various calls to action within their creative, such as referencing the particularly high gas prices of one town, or the bike-friendly nature of another town’s streets.  Lowe’s, on the other hand, uses local factors like the weather to determine what sort of spots to run in a location. If it is raining out, Lowe’s will play a spot about what great deals they have on interior home design materials. If it’s sunny, they’ll talk about deals on exterior paint and lawnmowers.  With the examples we saw at DigiDay, only the voiceover was specific to each spot, exemplifying the elasticity of a national message, portrayed on a very local scale.

Lastly, and this is probably the best part, part of the model of this form of advertising includes the ability to test the effectiveness—beyond click-through rate—of these personalized spots versus traditional TV buys.

AND IN CLOSING
We “check-in” or “allow” nearly every day of our lives—some more than once a day—and advertisers and marketers stand to gain both a huge return on their investments and great insight into the way consumers move, shop and communicate with brands and each other. While any business stands to increase profits by creating local buying-incentives, the learning we stand to acquire during this time creates huge potential for the streamlining of future brand strategy.

The “big idea” of localized media is to drive foot traffic into real stores, but we are responsible for the lifeblood of our brands and we have the creative license to designate what our brands do for consumers.  If we can take what we learn from contextual targeting and plant that within a national brand’s strategic direction, not only our media buys, but also the gravity of our communication will benefit greatly.

Category: Digital & Interactive, Events, Strategic Planning

Digiday Local

Wednesday, June 29th, 2011

The first of two posts on the importance of getting local

Cristina Pansolini is our resident social media & public relations intern this summer. Along with a few other young professionals, she trekked to the Marriot in Times Square last week to attend the Digiday: Local conference. She was kind enough to share some of the key takeaways from the events for us below. Also, be sure to check back tomorrow for more insight into the emerging hyper-local sector from SaatchiNY planner Charles Lodge.

Digiday Local was all about … well, being local! Held at The Marriot Hotel in Times Square on Thursday, June 23rd, a few of our SaatchiNY employees had the pleasure of hearing business owners and industry experts give their opinions and stats on why localizing your business is so important. With digital marketing rising to the top, too many businesses forget the little people—their neighbors. That being said, here’s a breakdown of tips from the presenters.

STATE OF LOCATION
David Staas discusses the most important trend of digital media: the convergence of devices. Smartphones have skyrocketed, reaching 468 million worldwide in 2011. Consumers have the world at their fingertips, and Staas insists you can capitalize on by staying local. In order of importance to consumers, apps should feature store locations, points of interest, check-ins, reviews, and connectivity with others.

About 51% of consumers are willing to share their location to receive more relevant advertising, so why not use this data to drive sales? With 57% of consumers more likely to engage with location based advertising and 31% of consumers researching on their phones, hyper-localization is a must. Those same people are willing to spend more than $100 on their phone for any single transaction. In fact, 43% of the “On the Go” audience purchases deals digitally at least once a month. Foursquare’s location-focused software is clearly onto something.

PATCH.COM
Warren Webster is the president of Patch.com, a site that offers multiple hyper-localized websites for towns with unique, engaging content. Globalization has weakened the connection to local stores, while social media has made where your friends are irrelevant. In short: there’s become a disconnection to where we actually live. Webster explained his theory on why localizing is the best business plan through using what he calls the 80 – 80 – 80 rule. It’s based on the following stats: 74% of decisions are made by influencers, 80% of purchasing decisions are made by women, and 80% of purchases are local. He is also careful to mention that  there is absolutely no short cut to hyper-localization.  You have to have your feet in the neighborhood, experiencing it first-hand. Here’s three tips for localizing:

  1. Direct response marketing now has to be the norm
  2. Simple user experience for consumers AND advertisers
  3. “360” is to be expected – everywhere a consumer turns, they should be seeing something

LOCAL VIDEO ADVERTISING
EyeviewDigital offers localized video advertising, which is really cool. Example:  of this highly useful advertising tool would be a Toyota commercial in which at the end of the commercial, the speaker says, “Now at your local car dealer” and the address of the closest dealer to the viewer shows up on the screen.

HYPERLOCAL + LOCATION BASED STRATEGY
To create complete dossiers on individuals, you have to deliver content + advertising specific to their interests relative to their location, activity, and mindsets as its happening in real life. How?

  1. Start to profile locations
  2. Start to profile people in those locations

There were two dissenting opinions on this strategy. Some experts think that location is behavioral. By learning where they are going and finding their behavioral patterns, you have accumulated valuable data. The other side argues that behavior does not matter; only location does. One professional was quoted as saying, “If someone walks by a Starbucks, you don’t need to know that they are 34, a doctor, have 3 kids. All you need to know is that they might buy coffee.”

The Digiday: Local event was a great learning experience. Local attention is sometimes forgotten in such a globally communicated digital industry, and these panelists work hard to give tips and information on why you should pay more attention to your neighbors.

Category: Digital & Interactive, Events, New York

The Awkward Interns: Smelly Lunch

Tuesday, June 28th, 2011

Awkward Interns is an ongoing summer series featuring the funniest (and most uncomfortable) intern-related stories from the world of advertising. Are you an intern with a story? We want to hear about it! Are you a seasoned veteran who STILL cringes at something that happened during your first summer and advertising? We’d love to hear that too! All entries are anonymous and welcome. All you have to do is email us your story. Below is our second story in the Awkward Intern series. [Editor’s note: all of our awkward interns will be referred to as John or Jane, gender dependent]

Fact: it’s especially hard for interns to bring a packed lunch to work. The small apartments or dorm rooms we call home for the summer aren’t exactly “kitchen” friendly. In total honesty, our limited fridge space to stock cold beer and our limited cabinet space is often used to stock warm beer. Yes, our nutritional priorities are skewed. But so are America’s.

Result: we buy our lunches. We also look to spend the least amount of money doing so. Unfortunately, in some occasions, you really get what you pay for.

THE SET-UP
This story is about John, who recently bought lunch from a Mexican food truck. $4 beef tacos to be exact. But what he saved in cash, the office paid for in stank.

Upon returning to his desk, tacos in hand, he opened the Styrofoam container, unleashing one of the worst smells I’ve ever encountered. Here are three scenarios comparable to this smell:

  • The woman on the airplane who unpacks a warm egg salad sandwich from her purse and then leaves the cellophane, coated in yellow mayonnaise, in a ball on the tray table.
  • Coming back from a long weekend, opening your fridge and discovering week-old Chinese leftovers inside. And not the steamed chicken with vegetables in a brown sauce. More like Lucky Kitchen’s pork fried rice and spare ribs.
  • The man on the subway whose sweaty armpit your head is pressed against during your commute home in the summer.

Now multiply these experiences by tuna fish and a porta-potty. That puts you in the ballpark of the smell we’re talking here. It was so bad that I (John’s office neighbor) left in search of fresh air. When I came back Joe was gone, and stayed gone for nearly half an hour. Why was he gone for so long, you ask?

CAUGHT IN THE ACT
Realizing his mistake in buying such a stinky lunch, John went into the bathroom to throw out the food in the garbage. When he was about to leave the bathroom, a man from inside a stall yelled “Jeez! What is that smell?!” To make matters worse, the voice was coming from his supervisor. Trying to save face, John quickly reached back into the trashcan and retrieved the Styrofoam box.

ON THE RUN
He THEN walked around the office, garbage in hand, looking for somewhere discreet to dispose of it. Everywhere he walked people turned their heads, made faces, or audibly asked what smelled so awful. He was finally left with no choice but to leave the building to find a trashcan outside . . . three blocks from the building on.

Category: Awkward Interns, New York

Saatchi Eats: The Dutch

Monday, June 27th, 2011

Introducing our new SAATCHI EATS series—a casual insider’s guide to cool food finds around the neighborhood.  Each feature we’ll let you know where we went, what we had, and how it was. And if you have any personal favorites in the Hudson/Houston area, or would like to contribute to the series, we’d love to hear from you! Just leave us a comment. Our first installment comes from Travis Lau & Aisha Washington.

This Week: THE DUTCH

The ravioli was delicious

We arrived around 12:30pm, without a reservation, but were quickly whisked to bar seats overlooking Prince Street.  The staff was friendly and the casual American setting was an appreciated break on a Monday afternoon.

A fresh-baked loaf of what seemed to be scallion/jalapeno cornbread, with whipped butter, arrived right after we ordered.   Following that came our fresh red and yellow beet salad with smoked egg, which was light and well complimented by the accompanying dill sauce.  For entrees we had the smoked ricotta ravioli with tomato and soft herbs, as well as the burger with cheddar and Orwarsher’s bun.  The ravioli was buttery and full of flavor, and had a nice, homemade, doughy texture to it. Delicious. The burger was cooked appropriately medium rare as requested, and came with a delicious “secret” sauce for a unique flavor that would’ve been spoiled by any other condiments.  Another in our party had the house-smoked turkey sandwich with avocado and green sauce.  It looked amazing.

Overall, the experience was perfect for a nice afternoon out of the office with friends but would also be a great spot to take clients.  It was a Monday afternoon so we can’t report on the drinks, but it’s definitely on the list for a follow up visit!

From the Website:

The burger, complete with pan serving tray & fries

The Dutch is an American Restaurant, Bar and Oyster Room inspired by local cafés, country inns, corner taverns, neighborhood bistros, seaside shacks, roadside joints, old school dining halls and the same mix of cultural influences that make New York City great. Our menu features choice meats, fish and shellfish, local produce and lots of honesty. The Dutch is brought to you by Chef Andrew Carmellini, Josh Pickard and Luke Ostrom.

Where it’s At:
131 Sullivan (Between Prince & Houston)

When it’s Open:
Monday – Friday; Lunch:  11:30am – 3:30pm / Dinner & Late Night: 5:30pm – 2am

Average Appetizer Price (Lunch):
$12

Average Entrée Price (Lunch):
$18

Insider tip(s):
Fresh pies made daily! And check out the oyster bar upfront.

Category: New York

Saatchinspiration: Links You Should Give A S#*t About

Friday, June 24th, 2011

BILL GUARD

According to BillGuard, 9 out of 10 people don’t bother to check their credit card bills and statements regularly. (Guilty.) Their research shows that consumers who don’t, on average, lose more than $300/year to unwanted charges. Here’s where BillGuard comes in – They’ll scan every transaction by more than 100 automated tests so that you don’t have to, letting you know if anything unusual stands out. And the best part? It’s free of charge.

ANIMALS BEING DICKS

Ninja Squirrel

Our new favorite Tumblr this week features animals who clearly have no manners whatsoever.

SMART COVER APP

Just when you think it’s all been done before, someone like Evernote comes along. In their latest iPad app, Peek, they actually use the smart cover screen flap as a (crucial) part of the app. As you may know, the iPad 2 smart cover actually puts the iPad to sleep when it’s closed and awakes it when it’s open, so Evernote tapped into this feature to revolutionize the flashcard app.

TYRANT ALARM CLOCK

If you really, really can’t get up in the mornings, this alarm clock might just be for you. The Tyrant clock syncs up with your cell phone and randomly calls someone every 3 minutes after you were supposed to wake up. It displays in a large font the name of the person who you’re calling, which makes it even more scary, right?!

CAN YOU DRAW THE INTERNET?

We know, we know. Internet Week NY has come and gone and you’re missing it dearly. Have no fear, you can still hold a piece of it close to your heart. You see, IWNY teamed up with  the Mayor’s Office of Media & Entertainment along with the NYC Department of Education and asked students, creatives and “established artists” all over the world if they could draw the internet. And now YOU can purchase these limited edition works by their featured artists Shelter Serra, Douglas Rushkoff, Shaun Friesen, Seth Indigo Kerns and Josh Harris at ArtWeLove.

SOCIAL FLIGHTS

Why fly Delta when you could charter your own private jet with friends going to the same place for a comparable cost? OK, but can it really be that easy? Social Flights promises the simplicity and ease of use. You decide for yourself (and let us know all about it!)

AN INVITATION TO HANG
I met Chase a few years back and have since then been following his artistic endeavors through Twitter. It’s a great project.

VHX.TV
Introducing your personal Internet TV station.

Category: Links

King St. Q&A w/ Jay Dougherty

Friday, June 24th, 2011

Jay w/ a 1943 Martin D-28 at the Telluride Bluegrass fest

For this week’s King St. Q&A we caught up with Jay Dougherty, editor, cameraman and all around great guy.

WHAT DO YOU DO AT SAATCHI & SAATCHI?
I’m a video editor, cameraman, catch-all production guy.

WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST JOB?
I guess the real first gig was making my bed as a kid. The first time I got paid from someone other than my parents was putting newspapers together at a place called Benny’s Luncheonette in Brooklyn.

WHAT LED YOU ON THE PATH YOU’RE ON TODAY?
In college I worked for NBC as a camera man and I liked the idea that what you worked on during the day could be on TV that night.

WHAT ARE YOUR LOVEMARKS?
Martin Guitars & Ukuleles, Trader Joe’s, Toyota, Antique Roadshow on WNET

WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE AD (ALL TIME OR CURRENTLY)?
So many. We see all the best ads here at Saatchi & Saatchi, but I really love this one print ad from an NYC ad show a few years back. Simple yet effective.

IF YOU NEVER HAD TO WORK AGAIN, WHAT WOULD YOU WANT TO DO?
Something to do with antiques or historical renovation/preservation. I love old stuff.

FAVORITE PLACE YOU’VE BEEN TO?
New Orleans –  the greatest city in America. Great food. Great music. Great people.

WHAT’S YOUR MOST PRIZED POSSESSION?
I’m fond of my 1969 Martin Ukulele. It sounds great and never goes out of tune.

DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE YOUTUBE VIDEO?
Being a singer, I’m always learning new (old) tunes. Some of my favorites are

Red Foxx singing Tis Autumn

Rebecca Kilgore doing Them There Eyes (swinging!)

and Eva Cassidy doing You’ve Changed (wow!)

WHAT’S SOMETHING YOU MAKE REALLY WELL?
I’m pretty good with BBQ . . . some say I’m the best on my block!

WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE WARM-WEATHER NYC ACTIVITY?
All the live music around the city. You can’t beat it.Celebrate Brooklyn, Hudson River Park, Lincoln Center Out of Doors, Madison Square Park.

WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE LUNCHTIME SPOT NEAR THE OFFICE?
I brown bag it most days, but when I don’t I like Village Natural and Alexandra (their chef did 7×7 last year),

WHAT’S YOUR GO TO KARAOKE SONG? (COME ON, WE KNOW YOU HAVE ONE).
I don’t do Karaoke; it’s more fun to sing with a band. When I’m singing with my big band I love doing Cole Porter’s “I’ve got you under my skin.”

WHAT’S THE BEST MEAL YOU’VE EVER HAD?
Recently my mother-in-law (who’s a fantastic cook) made a salmon chowder that was so good I couldn’t believe it. I was so floored that I called her up to say it was the best thing I’d eaten in over ten years!

WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE TV SHOW AS A KID?
Batman, starring Adam West and Burt Ward.

WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE CREATIVE PURSUIT?
I’m a singer and I perform with a few groups. One is called Swingtown in Maplewood New Jersey. It’s a 20 piece big band. Come out and see our next gig on Friday July 1st at 7:30. We’re playing Downtown after Sundown in South Orange, NJ.

WHAT BLOGS/MAGAZINES/BOOKS/PAPERS/WEBSITES CAN YOU NOT LIVE WITHOUT?
Hudson/Houston. I really enjoy learning about the folks who work here and all that other cool stuff. Also The NY Times, YouTube, Vintage Guitar Magazine & WWOZ radio out of New Orleans.

WHAT’S THE LAST GREAT EVENT YOU WENT TO?
A concert with Hot Club of Cowtown (Cowboy Swing) and Frank Vignola (jazz Guitar). Great double bill in Chatham New Jersey. They’re both great groups, but when the jammed together at the end of the show (they’d just met for the first time that day) they raised the roof. The place went crazy! Standing O!

WHAT’S THE BEST PIECE OF ADVICE YOU’VE EVER RECEIVED?
“Keep your nose clean and stay out of trouble.” That one came from Brother Jerome on my first day of high school.

“Enthusiasm is contagious.” Neal Foard

WHAT’S YOUR GREATEST NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE STORY?
Well, we’ve had many here at Saatchi, but when I think of “Nothing is Impossible” the first thing that comes to mind is my wife Nancy – the hardest working person I know. She’s an architect and runs Studio 1200, a woman owned architecture and design firm. Even in these slow economic times her determination and hard work are producing results. Constant phone calls, meetings and networking. That perseverance keeps the phone ringing and business coming in the door. Nothing is Impossible. She wrote the book!

Category: King St. Q&A

TV Has Staying Power

Thursday, June 23rd, 2011


Cheever Says Internet Is `Raising the Bar' for… by Bloomberg

Hot on the heels of her last TV interview, SaatchiNY Chief Strategy Officer Claudine Cheever was back on the airwaves again Tuesday morning. This time around she was talking the changing role of television in advertising, what the future holds for digital and the possibility of print dying off in the future. As always, she came off lovely and clever. Check out the video at the top of the post!

Category: Film & Television, Media, Our People

Sources of Inspiration: Taschen

Wednesday, June 22nd, 2011

Louis Hess is an Art Director/Designer w/ INKLAB at SaatchNY. This is the second of his quarterly feature called Sources of Inspiration. Each post will feature points of inspiration, highlighting great resources for sparking the creative mind.

Taschen is a publisher of painting, design, fashion, architecture, and photography books founded by Benedikt Taschen from Cologne, Germany in 1980 and a Lovemark of mine. Most of their breathtaking reproductions are available at reasonable prices but they have also published one of the most expensive books in publishing history, the $15,000, 75 pound, 700 page GOAT (Greatest of All Time), a tribute to the American boxer Muhammad Ali which Der Spiegel called “the biggest, heaviest, most radiant thing ever printed in the history of civilization.”

Below are a few tomes in my collection and short description of them from Taschen. Filled with hand drawn typography and painstaking meticulous illustrations—it’s a great reminder that nothing is impossible when it’s a labor of love.

Andreas Cellarius—Harmonia Macrocosmica

This collection of celestial maps by Dutch-German mathematician and cosmographer Andreas Cellarius (c. 1596 – 1665) brings back to life a masterpiece from the Golden Age of celestial cartography. First published in 1660 in the Harmonia Macrocosmica, the complete 29 double-folio maps and dozens of unusual details reproduced here depict the world systems of Claudius Ptolemy, Nicolaus Copernicus, and Tycho Brahe, the motions of the sun, the moon, and the planets, and the delineation of the constellations in various views.

Atlas Maior—Robert van Gent

Atlas Maior

The finest and most comprehensive baroque atlas was Joan Blaeu’s exceptional Atlas Maior, completed in 1665. The original 11-volume Latin edition, containing 594 maps Covering Arctica, Europe, Africa, Asia, and America, Blaeu’s Atlas Maior was a remarkable achievement and remains to this day one of history’s finest examples of mapmaking.

Walter Ford—Pancha Tantra

Pancha Tantra

At first glance of Pancha Tantra, Walton Ford’s a large-scale, highly-detailed watercolors of animals may recall the prints of 19th century illustrators John James Audubon and Edward Lear, and others of the colonial era. But a closer look reveals a complex and disturbingly anthropomorphic universe, full of symbols, sly jokes, and allusions to the ‘operatic’ nature of traditional natural history themes.

Jean Baptiste Marc Bourgery Atlas of Anatomy

Atlas of Anatomy

In 1830, having received his doctorate in medicine three years prior, Bourgery began work on his magnificent Atlas of Anatomy in cooperation with illustrator Nicolas Henri Jacob (1782–1871), a student of the French painter Jacques Louis David. The first volumes were published the following year, but completion of the treatise required nearly two decades of dedication; Bourgery lived just long enough to finish his labor of love, but the last of the treatise’s eight volumes was not published in its entirety until five years after his death.

Albertus Seba Cabinet of Natural Curiosites

Natural Curiousities

Albertus Seba’s Cabinet of Natural Curiosities is one of the 18th century’s greatest natural history achievements and remains one of the most prized natural history books of all time. Though scientists of his era often collected natural specimens for research purposes, Amsterdam-based pharmacist Albertus Seba (1665-1736) was unrivaled in his passion. His amazing collection of animals, plants and insects from all around the world gained international fame during his lifetime.

If you’re interested in seeing more of Taschen’s amazing work, be sure to visit their New York store at 107 Greene Street.

Category: Creative, New York, Our People