After a year of remarkable special Google logos, the company is ending 2011 and welcoming 2012 with a simple logo for New Year's Eve. Here's a look at it, as well as a look back as some notable Google "doodles" this year, including the popular Les Paul guitar interactive logo and the singing/dancing Freddie Mercury tribute. New Year 2012 There's no animation as with the Google Happy Holidays logo from last week, just the Google letters themselves celebrating the start of New Year 2012. Below, some of the notable special logos -- or "doodles" as Google calls them -- that appeared in 20 [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Consumer | Features & Analysis | Google: Logos & Doodles | Top News

For years, affiliate marketing has provided a steady stream of traffic and sales to online merchants while publishers reaped healthy yet steady commissions. As a staple in the online marketing toolkit, the affiliate channel continues to play a critical role in driving brand awareness and online revenue. And that role is about to expand significantly as the affiliate channel is projected to reach $4 billion by 2014. There are several factors driving the increased interest in performance marketing. The three biggest drivers are the rise in affiliate deal sites, advances in technology and the [...]

Related Topics: Affiliate Marketing | Affiliate Marketing Column | Channel: Retail | E-Commerce

Here's our daily recap of what happened in online marketing today, as reported on Marketing Land and other places across the web. From Marketing Land: Dueling Mobile User Numbers: Android vs. Apple vs. FacebookIn the battle of mobile users, Facebook trumps both Apple and Android — although those aren’t “apples to apples” comparisons. One analyst is now estimating that Facebook has 300 million active users of its mobile apps (vs. 800+ million total users) on a global basis. However that’s a smaller mobile number than Facebook itself reports [...] E-Retail [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Other | Marketing Day

In the battle of mobile users, Facebook trumps both Apple and Android -- although those aren't "apples to apples" comparisons. One analyst is now estimating that Facebook has 300 million active users of its mobile apps (vs. 800+ million total users) on a global basis. However that's a smaller mobile number than Facebook itself reports overall, which is 350 million. Accordingly, 43% of Facebook's users access the site via mobile devices. Those who access Facebook via mobile devices are also the heaviest and most engaged Facebook users. The same analyst, Benedict Evans, estimates that [...]

Related Topics: Amazon | Apple | Apple: iPhone | Channel: Retail | Google: Android | Statistics: Market Share | Statistics: Mobile Marketing | Top News

ForeSee Results, which surveys consumers about their online experiences and customer satisfaction, released another "E-Retail Satisfaction Index" following the xmas holiday online shopping frenzy. (As an aside, comScore reported this week that holiday e-commerce was up 15 percent vs. last year to $35.3 billion.) ForeSee Results uses the methodology of the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) to calculate its scores. Among the key findings were the following: Amazon emerged as the top company in the "E-Retail" category, with 88 points vs. the category average of 79. Apple scored a [...]

Related Topics: Amazon | Channel: Retail | E-Commerce | Statistics: Market Share | Statistics: Online Behavior | Statistics: Popularity & Usage

In case you hadn't noticed, 2011 was the long-awaited "year of mobile." It was the year that consumers made the mobile internet mainstream and marketers finally made mobile a priority (at least in terms of their rhetoric). In 2012 most of the trends and developments that we saw this year will only accelerate. Those who didn't fully pay attention this year will begin to realize in 2012 that mobile is not merely a small-screen extension of the PC web, but a parallel universe that increasingly operates as an alternative to the "fixed internet" for many people. So without further ado her [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Mobile Marketing | Mobile Marketing | Mobile Marketing Column

Earlier this week, TechCrunch writer MG Siegler's Google+ profile pic vanished without explanation. The profile picture featured MG looking away from the camera with middle finger extended (seen here).  After thinking it may have been a bug, the photo was uploaded again, and once again removed - this time with the following message from a Googler: As the first point of interaction with a user’s profile, all profile photos on Google+ are reviewed to make sure they are in line with our User Content and Conduct Policy. Our policy page states, “Your Profile Picture cannot include mature or o [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Social Media | Google | Google: Accounts & Profiles | Google: Google+ | Top News

Here's our daily recap of what happened in online marketing today, as reported on Marketing Land and other places across the web. From Marketing Land: Email Marketing In 2012: How To Stay Ahead Of The PackAnyone in interactive marketing knows there’s no shortage of potential elements to focus on, but what are the key drivers of success in the current email marketing environment? Social is now an undeniable part of the interactive marketing mix — how does it best work with email? To answer these questions and more, and help [...] Google+ Passes 62 Million Users, Estimated T [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Other | Marketing Day

Anyone in interactive marketing knows there's no shortage of potential elements to focus on, but what are the key drivers of success in the current email marketing environment? Social is now an undeniable part of the interactive marketing mix -- how does it best work with email? To answer these questions and more, and help marketers achieve as much as possible from their efforts in 2012, we tapped some well-respected email marketers for their thoughts. What follows are their insights on what will be most important in the coming year.   Andrew Kordek, Co-Founder And Chief Strategist At [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Email Marketing | Email Marketing | Email Marketing Column

A flurry of activity has circled Google+ as of late, and the effects are beginning to show.  TV commercials, enhancements and cr oss promotion on Google products have helped Google+ flourish in the month of December.  Paul Allen, the self proclaimed "Google+ unofficial statistician," has pinned the Google+ user base at 62 million as of December 27th. This is lift of 12 million visitors within the month of December, and has Google+ posed for the largest month-to-month volume increase since October 1st.  This means that nearly 1/4th of all Google+ users (24%) have joined in the month o [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Social Media | Google | Google: Google+ | Top News

Here's our daily recap of what happened in online marketing today, as reported on Marketing Land and other places across the web. From Marketing Land: Infographic: All Visitors Aren’t Alike, So Why Target Them That Way?Still showing everyone the same version of your web site? All visitors are not the same. Some are new. Some are on tablets. Some might be near your bricks-and-mortar stores. So why not target them in more appropriate ways? The infographic below from from the folks at Monetate gives an example of how a fictional web [...] Google+ Holiday Commercials With The Muppet [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Other | Marketing Day

Still showing everyone the same version of your web site? All visitors are not the same. Some are new. Some are on tablets. Some might be near your bricks-and-mortar stores. So why not target them in more appropriate ways? The infographic below from from the folks at Monetate gives an example of how a fictional web site's traffic might appear, as broken down into various visitor types. With that concept in mind, some of the ways you might target are shown, good food-for-thought: Want the infographic for yourself? You'll find it here: Infographic: Personalize Your Website to Create a Un [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Analytics | Infographics

Over the holiday break, Google did some serious traditional TV advertising to help promote Google+. CNet said this showed how desperate Google is to get people onto their social network - that they would go this far to promote the social networking site. As Steven Levy writes, despite Google using traditional advertising means, they still do it in an untraditional way. In one of the holiday commercials, they features The Muppets participating in a Google+ Hangout. The use of the Muppets in this commercial goes deeper than using likable characters that people can relate to. It [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Industry | Google: Google+ | Google: Marketing | Top News

Its been a busy year for StumbleUpon.  2011 brought about a new logo, site and channels to StumbleUpon.  It also brought a great deal of stumbles and user searches which they shared with us in their "2011 in Stumbles" post. The graphic below shows some monumental current events that have impacted the way users Stumbled in 2011 (including a 199,500% increase in queries for Steve Jobs): In the spirit of the new year, StumbleUpon put together the Best of 2011 StumbleUpon channel for users to stumble through. The top terms inputted into the explore box in 2011 were: love [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Social Media | Social Media Marketing

There may be no area in interactive marketing that's moving as quickly as Social Media Marketing. Facebook seems to launch new functionality and interfaces every couple of weeks, and niche social networks like Pinterest seemingly spring to prominence out of nowhere. To get a sense of where we are and where social media is heading -- both from the consumer behavior and the marketer side, we sought input from four different experts, all of whom come at social media from a different perspective.   Sree Sreenivasan, Dean of Student Affairs & Professor, Columbia Journalism School [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Social Media | Social Media Marketing | Social Media Marketing Column

As we toast the New Year, we shouldn’t pat ourselves on the back when it comes to making smart marketing decisions based on data in the display marketplace. In fact, I’ll go as far as to say that much of the industry has focused on unsustainable business models, some risking their brands for short-term payoffs. On top of that, we’re just dabbling. We’re not truly serious about data as a pillar of marketing and, where it's being used, much of what's being done is wrong. In talking to direct marketers and agencies alike, almost all data is coming from one of two places: the mar [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Display Advertising | Display Advertising | Display Advertising Column | Yahoo

Here's irony. Apple has been airing a nice TV ad showing Santa being helped on his Christmas Eve journey with the use of Siri. But while Siri can locate where Santa Claus needs to go, it can't help you find Santa. I noticed this when doing my annual round-up of Santa tracking tools. For fun, I tested asking "Where's Santa" by voice to both my iPhone 4S and my Droid Charge running Android 2.3: That's Siri on the left, saying "I don't know who 'Santa' is." On the right, Android interpreted my search as a request to find Santa on a map which, because of the way Google Maps For Mobile is [...]

Related Topics: Apple: Siri | Channel: Mobile Marketing | Google: Android | Top News

Here's our daily recap of what happened in online marketing today, as reported on Marketing Land and other places across the web. From Marketing Land: Boston Celtics: The First Pro Team To Advertise Twitter On Their Home Court?Did the Boston Celtics just become the first pro sports team to advertise Twitter on their home court/playing surface? That seems to be the case, thanks to the addition of the @celtics Twitter handle that showed up on the parquet floor during Wednesday night’s pre-season basketball game against the Toronto Raptors. Peter Stringer, the Celtics’ [...] [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Other | Marketing Day

Did the Boston Celtics just become the first pro sports team to advertise Twitter on their home court/playing surface? That seems to be the case, thanks to the addition of the @celtics Twitter handle that showed up on the parquet floor during Wednesday night's pre-season basketball game against the Toronto Raptors. Peter Stringer, the Celtics' Director of Interactive Media, posted the photo on Twitter Wednesday and wondered if any NBA or pro sports team had put its Twitter username on their home court (or playing surface). Is this a first in the NBA? Or pro sports? @Celtics is of [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Social Media | Features & Analysis | Social Media Marketing | Top News | Twitter | Twitter: Accounts & Profiles

Google sites are the most visited among U.S. internet users, but Microsoft has passed Yahoo as the second-most popular web property according to the latest comScore Media Matrix report. It covers web activity during November 2011. As you'd expect, shopping sites were prominent in the top gainers for the month, with web traffic to toy and electronics sites up 34 percent and 28 percent, respectively. But overall for the month, Google sites held their collective top spot again. The news is right below Google, where Microsoft sites passed Yahoo to be the number two web property during Novemb [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Strategy | Google | Microsoft | Statistics: Popularity & Usage | Top News | Yahoo