Hasta La Creative!

Martin Weigel has been Head of Planning at Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam since 2009. He has some strong ideas to share about the business. Like this one: When we succumb to the fantasy that we can professionalise creativity, that we can extract the play, unpredictability, and human element out of the process, that it can be treated […]

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Are you “watching TV” when you’re streaming your favorite episodic content? Does it matter what we call the screen or box where content is consumed? According to a new study from Hulu and Tremor Video, a provider of software for video ad effectiveness, 84 percent of adults aged 14-50 equate “watching TV” with devices such […]

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U.S. agency revenue rose 4.4% to $48.3 billion in 2016, according to Ad Age Datacenter. All major agency disciplines grew last year, led by healthcare, up 7.6%. Promotion gained 5.4%, boosted by experiential marketing. The data-centric field of CRM/direct marketing rose 4.5%. PR increased 3.2%. Also, U.S. ad agency employment in December reached its highest […]

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One of the reasons I enjoy being a guest on The BeanCast is Bob Knorpp’s expert presentation and handling of important marketing topics. This week’s show is a classic. We begin the hour with a robust exchange about the disconnect between what marketers think customers want from digital experiences and what customers actually want. From […]

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As business owners you’re always looking for that next “thing” that will take your business to the top. Whether it’s a new product or service idea, a streamlined process of business operations, or new marketing strategy to improve your brand’s online presence, they key to a successful business is being the innovator. While all of […]

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Business results. ROI. Clients love it; ergo, agencies must provide it to remain essential. Enter the Warc 100, an annual ranking of the world’s 100 best campaigns and companies, based on their performance in effectiveness and strategy competitions. The rankings are compiled based on the winners of 87 effectiveness and strategy awards from around the […]

The post Tame Your Lion And Pencil Worshipers, Effectiveness Is The New Black appeared first on AdPulp.

The agency business in being pounded by a sea of rough and tumble changes today. Agencies are struggling to get lean and nimble, and MBA-toting bean counters are key to this reformulation. Unpopular though they may be, agency CFOs are nevertheless in high demand, says Jay Haines, CEO of global executive-search firm Grace Blue. One […]

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I always feel like I’m straddling both sides of the marketing equation. Because I’m a consumer, too, and often things hit me like a consumer, not an advertising copywriter.

The increasing ability of marketers to collect reams of information is particularly concerning to me. Not because they can, but because they simply don’t know what to do with all the information and can’t be trusted to use it wisely.

Most marketers, however, don’t employ the human intelligence portion that makes data collection a truly remarkable tool. The reality is marketers will always default to whatever’s easiest. Right now, collecting vast amounts of information that never reaches human eyeballs is the cheaper, efficient way to go. It’s always better to abdicate responsibility when information is used maliciously.

It would take an actual movement, not some BS marketing movement, for consumers to rise up and say, “We don’t want this intrusiveness.” I’m not holding my breath on that. As a society, we trade our personal information for convenience every day. Consider it the Terms and Conditions of living a modern life.

It’s the subject of my latest column on Talent Zoo.

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More than 50 percent of consumers who own smartphones used them to scan at least one quick response code in 2012 alone, according to eConsultancy.com. Studies have confirmed that quick response codes have become one of the newest marketing tools available that can effectively connect prospective consumers to brands and manufacturers. Viewed by many as a major upgrade and enhancement of the standard bar code design and structure, it is very easy to assume that all of these codes are exactly alike, especially since they share key similarities. However, there are actually several different types of codes that have been used by different companies and brands over the years.

Model 1 and 2 Code

The original quick response code is known as the QR code. At its largest size, this particular code is capable of storing close to 1,200 numerals. When Model 2 was released, it was evidently clear that it was an enhancement and overall upgrade from the original structure. Instead of reaching the maximum size of 73 x 73 modules, Model 2 QR codes were capable of being extended to 177 x 177 modules and retained over 7,000 numerals.

Micro Code

Although the Model 1 and 2 codes are able to retain a substantial amount of information within them, the overall size of the actual code does not provide very much flexibility. Therefore, the Micro code was developed as an alternative. Since it was capable of hosting only one detecting pattern for its integrated orientation, business owners and marketing specialists were able to print it much smaller than even before. Even though it is very small, it can still hold a maximum of 35 numerals within it.

iQR Codes

The “I” class of QR codes was the very first to have a versatile design that could either be generated as a square or a rectangle. Therefore, business owners and marketing specialists were able to have more flexibility when it came to discreetly featuring these codes within their advertising and promotional materials. For example, a rectangular code is big enough to be clearly visible to the average consumer but small enough to not become a visual eyesore. Theoretically, the maximum size (422 x 422 modules) can retain close to 40,000 numerals, according to QRCode.com.

SQRC Codes

One of the major differences of the SQRC code design is that it comes with a reading restricting function that efficiently stores confidential information. For obvious reasons, this is definitely not something that you would want to place on your marketing materials or promotional advertising. However, it is an efficient way to relay important information to your employees. Even though the structure and formatting of the code is different than other codes that are designed for public use, the visual appearance of these QR codes is exactly the same.

LogoQ

The final type of QR code that is currently being used right now is known as the LogoQ. This particular code has the most distinct look and appearance out of all other types primarily because of the logo that is engrained within the center of the colorful code. Instead of sticking to the usual pattern of black and white pixelated lines and boxes, the LogoQ can consist of logos, illustrations and even letters as well. Even though it may seem that these codes are the easiest to hack, breach and compromise, they were designed with proprietary logic which essentially prevents those cybercrimes from occurring.

Same Appearance, Different Codes

Therefore, it is clear that not all QR codes are the same even though the majority of them are very similar in appearance. Before you embark on a journey and decide to use them for your own brand marketing strategies, it is imperative for you to understand the differences and select the code type that is the most suitable fit for your specific needs.

This is a guest post.

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Digital advertising will account for 22.7% of all worldwide ad investments this year, or about $117.60 billion — up 13% compared with 2012, according to estimates from eMarketer and Starcom MediaVest Group.

I’m not certain this is a good thing. Unless, brands and their agency partners clearly know what they’re doing with all that money.

 
I posted this new Adobe commercial from Goodby Silverstein & Partners on my friend Bob Hoffman’s Facebook wall. Hoffman is a champion of common sense and logic in the face of much digital advertising speculation. Recently on his Ad Contrarian site, he pointed to a Solve Media study that claims 46% of the viewership reported by websites seems to be fraudulent. That’s a lot of ghost traffic.

As someone with feet in both the media and marketing worlds, I can say it’s not all that simple to say exactly how many people are visiting your site, where they’re coming from and if they are real people or not. Yes, there are tools aplenty, but tools are biased. How you choose to measure something impacts the data and flavors the results.

If we can’t trust the data, or the people who willfully manipulate it, what or who can we trust in terms of getting value for our ad dollars? We can’t trust the traditional ad guys who are invested in making TV. We can’t trust the digital demigods either. This is not a good situation for the ad business, nor for the clients who need to trust someone to help them reach their communications objectives.

My take is create a media plan that makes sense for your particular business situation. I often drive by a large lot of shiny Airstream campers, and I think here is a company that desperately needs well-made TV to tell the story of weekends in the mountains. Naturally, a client like this would also be well advised to develop its digital assets. Thus, the divide between TV and digital is a false divide. Companies need to spend on both TV and digital and apply the best metrics available to each, while keeping in mind that persuasion is an art.

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