From Twitter to Facebook, to Google+, to YouTube, to Foursquare and more, social media use is the hottest thing in marketing. But does it really work? Brands and businesses are certainly making a stronger push than ever on social media, which makes sense — that’s where the people are. Figuring out just how much social media marketing returns on investments of time and money, however, is harder to do. Facebook marketing company Pagemodo recently pulled research from sources around the web to produce the infographic below, looking at just how much faith marketers have in social media. The aggregated data shows a sense of conservative optimism. 64% of business owners say social media marketing is a promising tactic and they believe it provides returns — ... Continue reading →

Germany is receiving a lot of attention in the media, with many of the headlines focused on the country’s strong economy compared to its neighbors. But the country is not only Europe’s largest exporter, it is also home to the largest base of consumers in Western Europe—consumers who are increasingly connected and who interact with a wide variety of media, ranging from TV to social networks. According to BITKOM, the Federal Association for Information Technology, Telecommunications and New Media in Germany, traditional media still has a long reach in the country. In March 2012, 99% of the population ages 14 and older watched TV, followed by usage of radio, magazines and newspapers at 94% penetration each. However, the internet was not far behind, with more ... Continue reading →

WPP, one of the world’s largest advertising concerns, has entered into a partnership with Microsoft that will allow both companies to place and sell digital ads for the brands and publishers they work with, the companies said Wednesday. Financial terms were not disclosed.The three-year agreement will make the Microsoft Advertising Exchange the exclusive third-party digital advertising exchange for Real Media Group, a division of 24/7 Media, a WPP digital advertising technology company.Brands in the WPP family will now be able to advertise on Microsoft-owned Web sites like the MSN portal, Hotmail and Skype, and Microsoft and its advertiser partners will have access to the brands and content publishers that partner with WPP.“We’re just making a more direct connection between the advertiser and the publisher,” said ... Continue reading →

CINCINNATI: Procter & Gamble global external relations officer Chris Hassall will retire June 30 after working at the company for nearly three decades. P&G will reorganize its communications function with his departure. Hassall will move to China to teach MBA and executive MBA business students at Sun Yat-Sen University. He will also learn to speak Mandarin Chinese, which he said could lead to “opportunities for the future.” Hassall replaced Charlotte Otto as P&G's global external relations officer three years ago. ... Continue reading →

Consumers may appreciate successful TV ad campaigns with interesting creative, but many still treat a commercial break as a great time to grab a snack or do some other quick chore away from the screen. Online, however, a video ad that pleases is one to be shared socially—and research indicates consumers are doing just that, and watching such ads more than ever before. According to data released in April from social video measurement firm Visible Measures, views of social video ads served to English-speaking audiences increased to almost 1.33 billion in Q1 of this year, a 78% rise over Q4 2011. The measurement company noted that Q1 is typically a busy time of year for video ads shared socially, as many internet users turn online ... Continue reading →

Brands have been creating company pages on Google+ since November 2011, and consumer engagement with brand content seems to be picking up. In May, Simply Measured released its report tracking brand page adoption and engagement by looking at the pages for Interbrand’s Top 100 companies—64 of which have verified pages on Google+. Additionally, more consumers are adding these companies to their Circles. As of May 7, 2012, at least 5,000 people had added 35% of these Top 100 brands to their Circles, up from 21% as of February 7. Additionally, 22% of brands had been “Circled” by more than 100,000 people, an increase from 13% in February. Video posts continue to be the most popular type of content on Google+ brand pages, according to Simply ... Continue reading →