That's my spin on the current state of Web sites ... ads are actually everywhere ... and I am stuck in the middle with <fill in appropriate little dab of content>. Seriously, I am tired of ads. I get the point and may end up putting some on this blog (the point = $) but I hope I can hold out at least for, ummm, 3 months.
The ad that started this: a Sony Vaio ad on the Macworld site!
That's like ...
Does that mean I'm missing the audience?
Or does that mean I'm reasonably assessing the audience?
I think the latter ...
The key with competitive placement is not to offer a competitive product where it won't be heard ...
the key is to find the place where it will be!
I don't think Mac users will hear Sony when on the Macworld site. And who uses the Macworld site?
It's bound to be Mac users with an occasional "I'm thinking about a Mac" person.
Sony Vaio is certainly an option for someone who is looking for an ultra-portable ... but not if they're currently a Mac user ... those folks are going to stick with or upgrade to another Mac.
I just don't see a switch happening!
I certainly can see a switch from a Dell to a Vaio ... or from any other PC brand ...
And yes, I'm one of those PC users that searched and shopped and now I have a Mac!
I even drove a very long way to be able to test-drive both the Vaio and the Mac in one afternoon, under one roof (at one very expensive mall).
I had FUN on the Mac (and it's light-weight).
The only thing the Vaio had going for it was the weight, or lack thereof.
So how does any of this relate to Web Analytics? (you know it must since I'm writing about it ...)
It's important to monitor your marketing campaigns, no matter what the source. In fact, all of the major reporting tools allow you to track campaigns by source as well as other dimensions (creative, channel, etc.). I think that most marketers get this -- and are effectively using the reporting tool to complete the basic analysis. I think the place where marketers may need help:
- how to streamline the campaign setup process
- how to select which type of campaign is most effective
- how to integrate the analysis of offline and online campaign data
But, I could be wrong ...
Soon, I'll add more thoughts on the 3 ideas mentioned ...