Flu Knew?

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Reading the New York Times over lunch I discovered that Google has developed an interesting way to track the flu.

The New York Times story outlines how Google has spent the last year analyzing search trends to help indicate where and when the flu is breaking out. The theory being that people will increase searches on flu-like terms when they have flu-like symptoms.

Google Flu Trends also indicates where and when the flu is hitting a week to 10 days faster than what is currently available from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

What's this got to do with Consumer Package Goods? As you likely know, search ads work so well because they are solution based. When I'm searching for information on a sore throat, a cough drop or TheraFlu a search ad is very likely to be useful and helpful, bringing an answer to my search query and one step closer to some relief from my sickness.

Now CPG brands that are helpful to someone suffering from the flu can geographically target to regions that are likely seeing a sharp rise in flu suffers. That's nothing to sneeze at.

Posted by Rich Godwin, Head of Industry CPG West

YouTube - CPG Brands continuing innovation.

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Oreo's is running on the homepage of YouTube today. They have a fun new video promoting the ongoing DSRL campaign. Featuring Serena and Venus Williams and the last 2 Super Bowl MVP's, Eli and Peyton Manning perfectly timed with the start of the NFL season and the US Open.



This much star power timed so perfectly should return huge viewings for Oreo.

You might not have seen another CPG campaign on YouTube that is getting a lot of buzz too.

Clorox's Greenworks posted The Reserve Graffiti Project on YouTube in early June, and it has 500,000 views and has received a lot of media attention. We are seeing lots of smart and innovative ways that CPG brands are testing and experimenting with YouTube, and we want to share them with you.




Rich Godwin Team Manager

The Branding Value of a Search Impression?

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

We are often asked and have long wondered "What impact does a search result have on branding for cpg?" Our answer has often been....vague.

To uncover the answer we recently commissioned a study with Media Screen.

Search is a known winner for direct response, and we wanted to prove that search has value as a branding tool too! The study measured the branding impact of paid search ads on organic search terms for four CPG product categories; cosmetic, beverage, food/snack and household/laundry.

In the study respondents were then asked to complete a brand survey to measure the brand impact on aided awareness, unaided awareness, purchase intent and purchase consideration after being exposed to search results.

Our key findings were what we had expected - when the test brand appears in paid search positions, unaided awareness and purchase intent increase for that brand.

The survey also took into consideration the impact on competitive brands. It was concluded that when the test brand appears in paid search positions, unaided and aided awareness decrease for other brands.

Yahoo! recently commissioned a similar study with Media Vest. Their study confirmed our finds that a sponsored search link has a positive impact on unaided awareness.

"What this study actually proves is that search moves the branding needle for CPG," Yaakov Kimelfeld, senior VP-analytics for MediaVest said, "It's really good news for brand marketers, because there are really strong efficiencies they can find in search marketing."

If you are interested in learning more about the results of the study, let us know!

Amy Chauvin CPG Bay Area

Choose your own YouTube adventure

Friday, August 22, 2008

People are watching hundreds of millions of videos a day on YouTube and uploading hundreds of thousands of videos daily. In fact, ten hours of video is uploaded to YouTube every minute. The distribution platform has democratized the ability of the average person broadcast information globally. YouTube hosts communities for everyone, including those interested cooking, fitness, beauty, and music.

Lately, a new breed of interactive videos have been popping up all over YouTube. These videos leverage the platform's video response and annotation features to create interactive stories and games.



This series of videos allows viewers to interact by choosing which which video to watch next. Your task is to hunt for Sparta the missing cat. The embedded video gives you an idea of the concept, but you must visit YouTube to start your journey. Can you find Sparta the cat?

Other interactive videos, like shell cup and magic tricks, have popped up as well. These interactive videos create another opportunity for video watchers to engage beyond commenting and rating videos. Who doesn't like to choose their path or to control the outcome of a story or game? The Choose Your Own Adventure concept was wildly popular in children's books of the 1980s and 1900s. Could it be time to for a revival in video form?

CPG advertisers can leverage interactive videos to interact and engage consumers in a new way. Contact us if you are interested in learning more or need help brainstorming creative ways to use interactive video.

Posted by Vannie Shu Bay Area CPG Team

Walk a mile in my old shoes

Friday, August 01, 2008

Rich Godwin
CPG Team Manager

We have quite a few former brand managers on the CPG team at Google. Kraft, Guinness, Unilever, Boston Beer, to name some of our former employees. It's only natural that we discuss old campaigns, brand launches, big successes, and not quiet successes!

Today iMedia Connections features an article by our National Industry Director, Kevin Kells titled What Digital Taught A Google Exec about Branding, perhaps it should have been titled "If only I could do that again!" What Brand Managers hasn't wished for a marketing mulligan or a "do over" time machine!

Kevin does a really nice job (hey, he's my boss) of pointing out how even his big successes could have been grander had he had a digital toolbox to work with back in his brand managing days. The story makes a solid case for how the pillars of marketing; Brand building, Storytelling, and Insights are strengthened with a digital playbook.

On Tuesday Aug 5th Kevin is speaking as a keynote presenter at ad:tech Chicago, the topic is Welcome to the Age of Performance Marketing. Hope you can catch Kevin in Chicago. If not let us know, we are always ready to discuss how digital can strengthen your CPG brand plan.

Food Court Musical - the beauty of YouTube

Wednesday, April 02, 2008

Rich Godwin
CPG Team - Bay Area

Have you seen the Food Court Musical? It's from ImprovEverywhere To me this video again speaks to the power of YouTube and how individuals can show case their talents like never before. Watch it and enjoy.

Whopper Freakout

Sunday, January 20, 2008

Posted by Emma McKeithen, Account Manager

It's a holiday weekend for some of us and thus a good time to catch up on laundry, errands, and the Whopper Freakout. You've probably seen the commercial - on track to become one of the best-recalled ads of the last five years, according to AdAge. The ad, created by Crispin Porter + Bogusky, sets up a compelling scenario: how would people react if Burger King stopped selling Whoppers? The ad's teaser footage of real people being confronted with the news drives to an eight-minute documentary on WhopperFreakout.com. According to ComScore, the site drew 250,000 unique visitors in December and has had over 1.5 million video views since being posted.

Although not CPG, it's funny, compelling, and drives home the power of consumer brand loyalty. Confronted with the news that their favorite burger is discontinued, perhaps forever, consumers get nostalgic, passionate, and, in some cases, close to a conniption.

From good to great

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Posted by Emma McKeithen, Account Manager

In the last year we've seen a lot of success with campaigns in the Content Network, and we've heard from you that content campaigns are increasingly driving more clicks, more efficiently, than ever. We've blogged about best practices in our Content Network before, but for those of you who need a refresher, it encompasses thousands of sites and and multiple ad formats (text, banners, video, gadgets). Ads can be targeted automatically, using our keyword content targeting, or manually (you hand-pick individual sites or groups of sites).

We think a major part of the increased success is due to advertisers developing better structure and execution for their campaigns. Account managers and advertisers have learned what works well and are setting up strong, targeted campaigns from the get-go. And the sites themselves have changed: we're adding better sites and improved placements every day.

Jeremy Mayes had a great post a few days ago -- here are his thoughts on what makes the Google network great.

Is your site a secret garden?

Thursday, January 10, 2008

Posted by Emma McKeithen, Account Manager

A new survey from Prospectiv, a lead-generation company, further indicates that consumers are actively looking for information on CPG products online. Some 70% of respondents said that they seek information on the Internet before purchasing. Most people preferred researching CPG products via branded e-newsletters or search. The real takeaway, though, was that although consumers trust and prefer branded CPG sites for product information, 67% said they often cannot find them.

Considering how many sites are out there, this problem isn't surprising: consumers simply aren't aware they exist.

Say that a consumer has heard that antioxidants protect the body from free radicals and wants to learn more about which foods are a good source before she heads to the grocery store. She might already be signed up for a newsletter, but more likely she'll do a search. If CPG sites for pomegranate, green tea, and chocolate products come up in the natural or paid results, she's likely to go to these sites for more information (and ideas on what to pick up on her next shopping trip). Fully 40% of respondents said that the Internet influences daily purchase decisions -- "a number that's kind of astounding," according to Jere Doyle, Prospectiv's president/CEO.

We strongly believe that when people are searching, it's as if they are raising their hands to ask a question in hopes of getting an answer. Is there a better time to engage a customer if you have the answer they are looking for on your site? That's the beauty of search advertising: you are providing a solution to a current or interested customer. It's not an ad; it's a solution.

CPG sites are some of the best out there. They're rich in product and health information, lifestyle and recipe tips, and ideas and activities for families. But they are also walled gardens, and marketers need to find ways to open the gates for visitors. Whether it's optimized search, a YouTube channel, or offline media that drives consumers online, it's important to give people the tools to find and spend time with your brand -- before they head to the store.

Bizarro

Friday, December 21, 2007

Rich Godwin - West Coast CPG Manager
December 28, 2007

A recent Bizarro.

Great start to this Ford campaign!

Friday, December 21, 2007

Rich Godwin - West Coast CPG Manager
December 28, 2007

Almost every day I checkout the front page of YouTube, just to see who has the featured roadblock ad position. Today's ad grabbed me from the start, and I had no idea who the advertiser was.

Watched it three times, emailed it around to the team. -- and sat back and thought about the direction of digital advertising. This feels like a nice step forward for digital marketing. A fun story, making a statement, buzzworthy, and certainly very different from what is currently happening in this space.



So far Ford has 2 spots posted on YouTube and more to come if you look at BFTrules.com. Sort of reminds me of Miller's Manlaws and the always brilliant Bud Lights Real Men of Genius.

The man behind the curtain.

Friday, December 21, 2007

Rich Godwin - CPG Manager - West Coast
December 21, 2007

Hey, our fearless leader and Industry Director, Kevin Kells, was interviewed in the latest issue of Brandweek. Kevin discusses the progress Google is making with CPG clients.

Kevin is a great guy -- funny, smart, and passionate about digital media and cpg. Hope you get to meet him soon.

Monkey Business....sort of....

Friday, December 14, 2007

December 14, 2007
Rich Godwin - West Coast CPG Pod Manager

Who doesn't love this? It's a wonderful video from Cadbury Schweppes that launched in the UK last summer and it has taken on a viral life of it's own. The Financial Times offers a super recap of the back story and the business success of this ad. It's well worth reading and of course watching again! Cadbury Schweppes America Beverage has recently posted a successful viral video for Dr Pepper too using YouTube star TayZonday.

Burning question still goes unanswered however...is that really Phil?

Searching for turkey & all the trimmings

Monday, November 19, 2007

Posted by Jenny Liu, Sr. Account Planner CPG New York

On November 16th, Hitwise hosted a Food & Grocery Webinar in anticipation of the upcoming holiday season. The focus was on search activities around holiday dinners and party planning.

According to Hitwise, the top searches related to turkey leading up to 11/16/07 were:
1. turkey
2. deep fried turkey
3. turkey recipes
4. turkey pictures
5. map of Turkey
6. turkey crafts
7. Wild Turkey Zone
8. Thanksgiving turkey
9. how to cook a turkey
10. Thanksgiving turkey recipes

If you're a food advertiser, here are some tips for running a search campaign on holiday-related keywords:

- Include negative keywords in your campaign like "map" or "country" to avoid capturing traffic from users looking for information about the country of Turkey.
- Preliminary search patterns in 2007 show the keyword "deep fried turkey" surpassing that of "turkey", indicating the growing popularity of this (delicious!) variation.
- The seasonal trends behind the search for "green bean casserole" and related terms show that it is a popular side dish not only for Thanksgiving but also for Easter.
- Prime rib is the #1 prepared protein searched for around Christmas.
- Users are almost as likely to search for "dressing" as they are for "stuffing". Be sure to take account of these regional usage differences, and include both keywords in your campaign.

Looking back to December 2006, we see:
- Desserts had the greatest share of holiday-related search terms, so tantalize people with text ads about your best pie, bread, cookies and cake recipes!
- The #1 cookie term searched was "Christmas cookies".
- The top three edible gift terms in Q4 2006 were: 1) gift baskets 2) wine and 3) candy.

Here's to all the delicious masterpieces you'll help folks make, bake, create and give this holiday season.

Hitwise also noted another turkey day trend that's emerged over the last few holiday seasons in a recent LA Times article: after the tryptophan wears off, people are going online and planning their brick-and-mortar shopping strategies for Black Friday and the weekend. The greatest amount of online traffic (searching and visiting, though not necessarily buying) actually happens on Thanksgiving Day itself. Hitwise also found that savvy consumers and retailers have started leveraging the term "Black Friday" -- searches on "Black Friday ads" are up 91% over last year.

Update: Added new final paragraph on 11/21/07

Consumer reviews influence purchase decisions

Thursday, November 01, 2007

Posted by Jenny Liu, Sr. Account Planner CPG New York

A recent study by Deloitte's Consumer Products group showed that 62 percent of consumers read online product reviews by other consumers. More than eight in 10 say their purchase decisions have been directly influenced by the reviews, and seven in 10 of those who read reviews share them with friends, family or colleagues, thus amplifying their impact.

A few years ago, if someone said "product review", cars and electronics would have come to mind. But today, product reviews cross all categories, including CPG. Part of that has to do with how many different product selections are on the shelf these days. Lotion can no longer just moisturize; it may prevent aging, be long lasting, environmentally sound, and aromatherapeutic. Toothpaste no longer only keeps teeth clean; it should whiten, cater to sensitive teeth, and help strengthen the enamel all at the same time. Children's snacks must be trans-fat-free, wholesome, nutritious, and support healthy eating habits. The "asks" people have for their brands are growing in number and complexity year after year.

Then, when the brands don't perform as expected, buyers may feel disappointed or betrayed. Online product review sites and blogs are among the first places they feel they can vent, or they may feel a duty to warn others. On the flip side, when a brand exceeds expectations, consumers are elated and can't wait to be the first to share a recommendation about their new finds.

This use of online space as a platform for personal opinion about products is an illustration of how consumers are becoming increasingly empowered. An opportunity exists for CPG marketers to capitalize on this new reality as a marketing vehicle, or even as a way to collect research and product performance feedback.

Boomers embracing mobile technology

Friday, October 05, 2007

Posted by Ana Maria Lopez, Account Planner, CPG New York

A new study report from InsightExpress, as reported by MarketingVox, argues that baby boomers' media usage and behavior, including for mobile technology nearly mirrors that of younger consumers. In this study, about 80% of consumers reported owning a mobile device, and the spread of mobile adoption was relatively equal across generations:

- Gen Y (ages 18-24): 85%
- Gen X (25-44): 82%
- Younger baby boomers (45-54): 80%
- Older baby boomers (55-64): 79%

More details here.

Is Labor Day the real New Year's Day?

Wednesday, September 12, 2007

Posted By: Jenny Liu, CPG Sr. Account Planner

The San Francisco Chronicle noted on Sept. 2, "This is the Labor Day weekend, the traditional end of summer, a date as important as New Year's Eve. It's the beginning of one part of people's lives and the end of another, the end of vacation and the start of serious work.

This line of thinking may be what led "The Today Show" to raise an interesting question: Is Labor Day the real New Year's Day? We don't know about you, but our world tends to change far more on the day after Labor Day than it does on January 2.

For example, consider these post-Labor Day changes:

• Schedules and routines: Kids are back in school; commuting times go up
• Eating and shopping: Back to school clothes shopping, groceries for more school lunches, and soon, holiday gifts; even your local drugstore already has a full Halloween aisle
  
• Time allocation: Less leisure time, more time for school and work activities
• Media consumption: Fall TV show debuts, football season underway in earnest, web usage upTravel: Less time at summer homes and vacation spots; more time at home
• Fitness: Exercise programs; health clubs see membership spikes
• Home Projects: Consumers resolve to repair, remodel and redecorate
• Weather: Summer heat and storms give way to cooler temperatures, shorter days and earlier sunsets

Labor Day is a big landmark for CPG marketers because you are most likely waiting to see how your new launches performed during Back-to-School, and anticipating Super Bowl and Holiday periods. In a few short months, you'll be in Brand Review mode, making sense of Sales per Point of Distribution and Household Penetration. And then -- with barely enough time to glean insights from 2007 learnings, you'll be developing brand plans for 2008. Traditionally, brand plans are crafted about a year in advance, and media buys are executed way ahead of time too - the process doesn't really lend any flexibility to brands or marketers, or permit last-minute changes.

What we like to point out, of course, is that whether your buys are online, in TV or audio, Google is a flexible partner. We can execute on your plans within a 48-72 hour time frame, and the messaging can be very current, reflecting precisely what's going on with consumers and the industry at the moment. To give your CPG brands a little room to breathe, we encourage all of you to consider setting aside a little Google Flex account in 2008 to accommodate any last minute brand initiatives. Contact your account manager or account executive for more details.

Back to School Recap

Monday, August 20, 2007

Posted By: Ana Maria Lopez, CPG Account Planner

The 'back to school' season is in full swing, yet this year's shopping season is off to a late start. According to the Annual NPD Back-to-School Survey, only one-fifth of consumers were planning to start their back to school shopping before August, compared to 30 percent who were planning to start shopping before August last year. However, the late start this year does not mean families will be spending less in 2007. According to the National Retailer Federation (NRF), consumers will spend an average of 13% more than in 2006. So who's going to be this season's big winner? Researchers expect the electronics category to gain the largest increase in sales this year. "Electronics have evolved from luxuries to necessities, not only for college students but also for their younger siblings," NRF President and CEO Tracy Mullin said in a prepared statement. "While some students may be pleading with mom and dad for an iPod or a cell phone, parents are also investing in desktop or laptop computers, educational software, and printers to support their children's learning."

In terms of shopping preference, about 21% of parents plan to shop for back-to-school items online, compared with 15.2% last year. Parents between the ages of 18-34 are the most likely to shop online for their children, according to the NRF. Almost one-third of parents in that age group plan to search for back-to-school in terms of the Web.

In response to this shift, many retailers have used innovative marketing tactics to reach kids and their parents, both offline and online, by taping into the kids' 'inner rock stars.' JC Penney and Staples are two retailers that have launched innovative integrated advertising campaigns to showcase their back-to-school offerings. Parenting companies like the Family Education Network have created a 'back-to-school' site featuring an updated online calendar for planning for the new school year, with information ranging from the latest trends in fashion and school supplies, to information on energy-enhancing lunches and healthy-eating strategies for children, and how parents can plan tasty and nutritional brown-bag lunches.

Here's a recap of the most notable initiatives this season:

Staples: Staples hosted its first-ever Back-to-School Supplies Fashion Show to highlight the season's trendiest products, colors and patterns; event spotlights organization and style while benefiting Boys & Girls Clubs of America. The offline experience was supplemented by the "Rock Your Locker" Interactive Online Experience for Teens

• Visitors to http://rockyourlocker.com/ are offered the opportunity to enter a sweepstakes for the chance to win 1,500 prizes every day


• "Giving back" prizes are incorporated as well, helping students put on their philanthropic hats with the chance to win donations in their names to charities of their choice


• In addition, the "Rock Your Locker" web site has interactive features such as a "rock your personality" quiz

JC Penney: JC Penney launched Online Reality Show to "Flip" fashion tips between teen subcultures

• The show takes teens out of normal social situations and puts them with a different group, leading to the sharing of fashion secrets and such. The series is supposed to illustrate the diversity of JC Penney's offerings.


• New episodes will appear on http://www.jcpenneybts.com/ weekly for eight weeks. The site also features character profiles and more, including fashion advice.


• Online video was seen as the best way to connect to the teen demographic since that's what they spend an increasing amount of time consuming.

Family Education Network: Back-to-School calendar with parenting advice, articles & quizzes for kids; parents can enter Family Education Network Back-to-School Shopping Spree Sweepstakes to win $4,000

• Every weekday, parents can visit http://www.familyeducation.com/home/ and check the Back-to-School calendar to find new articles, slideshows and quizzes for getting a jump on the school year


• They can enter the 2007 Back-to-School Shopping Spree Sweepstakes daily to win up to $4,000 in American Express travelers Checks, for stocking up on clothes and school supplies

Crayola & Wal-Mart: Making back-to-school shopping simple by enlisting teacher consultants to provide expert back-to-school shopping advice

• Crayola & Wal-Mart joined together so every child heading back to class on the first day of school is equipped with the right teacher-requested school supplies an is "dressed for success" for the school year


• "The frenzy and pressure related to buying back-to-school supplies is very much like holiday shopping. It's all about finding the "must-have" supplies on school lists," says Nancy DeBellis, Crayola director of education. "Wal-Mart and Crayola know the stress this puts on parents, which is why we joined forces to simplify the experience."


• Stores hosting teacher consultants can also be found through the retailer's http://www.livebetterindex.com/ web site.

OfficeMax: Teachers can earn $500 for their classrooms through OfficeMax's new Back-to-School Bonus Program

• New MaxPerks for Teachers Bonus Program Designed to Minimize Teacher Spend on School Supplies
  "According to Adopt-A-Classroom*, teachers in America today spend an average of $1,400 a year out of their own pockets for classroom supplies -- about $4 billion that's not funded by the education system," said Ryan Vero, executive vice president of marketing and chief merchandising officer for OfficeMax. "Teachers make a substantial financial sacrifice to create meaningful learning environments. We designed our Back-to-School Bonus program to show our ongoing support to help teachers achieve their lesson plan goals and to alleviate some of the financial burden."


• Teachers simply enroll in MaxPerks for Teachers at http://www.officemaxperks.com/, create a back-to-school shopping list for their students, and then distribute the list to students and their parents by email or by handing out printed copies. More than 5,000 teachers have already signed up for the new Back-to-School Bonus program

How to YouTube

Thursday, August 16, 2007

By: Rich Godwin, CPG Team Lead

YouTube continues to evolve and expand in all sorts of interesting ways.

We've been talking for a while about how do it yourself and "how to" videos are taking off, allowing individuals to share their expertise in various subjects with the world. From how to bake Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies to how to do a perfect push-up, people are sharing with the world what they know about and love.

ABC News did a nice feature on beauty tips and the emerging "how to" category for beauty on YouTube, with many of these videos getting tens of thousands of views! We feel strongly that CPG brands can contribute here too. Bring your expertise in cleaning, cooking, pet care, beauty, wine ... there are endless ideas and ways CPG companies can connect and engage with existing and potential customers in your category.

Online Video is Incremental to TV - Not Detrimental

Monday, August 13, 2007

Posted By: Ramin Oskoui, Account Planner - MBA Intern, CPG Team

According to a new report released by eMarketer (subscription required), the interconnectedness between TV and the Internet will play a leading role in how the market for online video evolves.

The report states that Internet video will establish itself in the content mainstream, right alongside TV. According to eMarketer projections, by 2011 there will be 200 million broadband Internet users. Of them, 91%—or 183 million—will watch online videos.

Online video's positive effect on consumers’ purchasing decisions

Along with their greater level of engagement in content and advertising—the so-called "lean-forward" mode of the Internet as opposed to the "lean-back" style of couch-potato TV viewing—Internet video watchers tend to be active buyers who act on advertising and content they experience online. Streamers and downloaders of TV network online video are likelier than other Internet users to buy products advertised on the content they watched on the Web.

As video content proliferates online, social media sites, TV networks, Internet portals and online stores are fighting for their share of the pie

So far, Google’s YouTube commands a sizable lead over other online video Internet destinations, including social networking leader MySpace, network sites and portals such as AOL, MSN and Yahoo! Video. A July 2007 comScore Video Metrix press release cited Google sites (YouTube and Google Video) and Fox Interactive Media (the parent of MySpace) as the top online video properties ranked by both unique streamers and reach.



















A Nielsen/NetRatings NetView study that tracked unique visitors over a four-month period from January through April 2007 showed that YouTube and Google Video (which the research firm ranked separately) took the No. 1 and No. 2 slots in every month during that time frame. MySpace ranked third, also retaining that spot throughout the survey period.ranked third, also retaining that spot throughout the survey period.




















According to the eMarketer report, brand marketers in virtually every industry and discipline—from financial services to packaged goods to wireless communications—are capitalizing on this opportunity by creating and repurposing video ads that connect well with the online video audience. As this audience is expected to grow to 183 million viewers in the US by 2011 (up from 114.3 million in 2006), Internet users will increasingly turn to video content as an integral part of their media experience, whether they are catching up on the latest news, getting a sneak peek at an upcoming film, rocking to the latest music videos, checking their local weather forecast or just having a laugh. In the same way as television has offered every conceivable form of programming over the past 50 years with ad support as a backbone, the web is emerging as an equally flexible media channel where content owners, site publishers, marketers and consumers can find what they need.