Cool insights on Forbes from our friends over at Prosper I&A: Neuromarketing.

"Marketers are being forced to seek new models such as those based on Neuromarketing which focus on individuals and how the various choices they are faced with can be shifted or influenced at multiple “scales” of behavior (e.g. individuals, group or market/society). Much of this will happen as part of the science of influence."

The problem is (as with most advertising) investing in this marketing medium without a specific strategy is simply flushing away your advertising dollars. The absolute WORST thing you can do is repurpose an existing television spot as a Pre-Roll. Even if it's a good TV spot (I'll have to ask you for proof of that), the things that may have made it effective on television could actually work against it when used as Pre-Roll advertising.

Having an unskippable Pre-Roll (as so many media companies do) might lull you into thinking your ad was effective, after all, it got all those views, right? What choice did the audience have but to endure the spot in order to access the content they wanted?

Many Pre-Roll ads on YouTube force the advertiser to be creative AND effective. Though some Pre-Rolls on YouTube are forced on the video viewer in their entirety, many o them allow a user to skip after just five seconds -- and if you can hook a viewer in that short amount of time, you may just have a chance to make an impression on them.

One of the best ways to make a connection with another human being (in any medium) is through the use of humor (sales guru Jeffrey Gitomer famously says "if you can make 'em laugh, you can make 'em buy"). 

Geico is a great recent example of using humor and the unique Pre-Roll ad position to grab a viewer's attention (even if only for a few seconds.) In Remerge's opinion, the only thing really missing in these vignettes is a clear call-to-action. It's a YouTube Pre-Roll ad, so you know it's clickable, but the only thing beyond the micro-skit is a logo. The Ad Agency will wimp out by saying these are "branding and awareness" spots, but that's a cowardly to be used when someone asks the obvious follow-up question "sure, they're cute and funny, but how much more insurance did Geico sell?) Remerge would be happy to share (read as: SELL) our ideas with Geico for increasing the actual profitable ROI performance of these Pre-Rolls -- just give us a call.

In the meantime, take a look at the Geico Pre-Roll ad examples below and tell us if you'd ever click the "skip" button within those first few precious seconds of engagement.

Fifty Shades of Grey – when most hear that expression, they think of the steamy, sultry, sexy, erotic romance novel (and now a movie) written in 2011 by E.L. James. When I think about Fifty Shades of Grey, I think about businesses and marketing. (I know… I should really get out more, no?)

However, based on our experience at Remerge, we see the Fifty Shades of Grey within companies large and small when it comes to marketing messages, target customer, media buying, digital strategy, and more. Nothing appears to be black and white, no matter how successful the business may or may not be. 

In one such instance we were meeting with a client that told us confidently: “I do all kinds of marketing!” As the client rattled-off each form of “marketing” they were doing, I wrote each down on an index card and placed it on the conference table in front of us. Before too long there was a jumbled pile of cards including things like: Newspaper Ads, Radio Spots, Web Site, YouTube videos, Email Newsletter, Blog, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google Ads, etc.

The client appeared a little put-off when I observed: “That’s not marketing, that’s a mess…” While nobody wants to hear their marketing efforts are proverbial farts in a windstorm, it was pretty easy for the client to recognize when all of these things were written down and presented visually on a table.

There was no “Black and White” strategy behind all of this effort… merely, Fifty Shades of Grey.

By explaining the importance of integrated marketing - using these tools together like an orchestra - we could see the client’s initial tension start to lift. We first defined who the “real customer” was, and then, how to use these tools to better engage that customer.

Sliding the cards around the table we demonstrated how radio could be used to invite customers to a website (landing page) with a YouTube video to better explain the clients offer! Action points on the landing page could, at the very least, increase subscriptions to their Blog, Twitter, Email Newsletter, etc… if not lead directly to a conversion or sale.

Brian Williams was touted as the most trusted news anchor by over nine million people who watched him host NBC Nightly News. Now, that trust is teetering as Williams admitted misleading the public about a scary helicopter landing he was involved in while reporting in Iraq… that never happened.

The result? Williams has taken himself off the air, and there are now questions popping up everywhere about what other stories Williams may have just 'made up' along the way.

So, what does Lyin’ Williams have to do with your business and marketing? Today, everything. Regardless of whether Williams returns to the anchor chair or not, the Williams story demonstrates how fickle loyalty can be and how quickly damage can spread in the ever-connected world we live in.

Millennials now outnumber Baby Boomers as the largest generation with spending power.

With Millennials trust is everything, because less than 20% of them agree with the statement: “most people can be trusted”. They’ll choose trust over convenience; trust over price; trust over practicality. And when their trust has been violated, they’ll be the first to let the public at large know about their grievance through every social channel and connection they have!

This is something we tell business owners about on a regular basis: Your word matters – now more than ever. Don’t make wild claims you cannot clearly back-up, in business or in advertising. Whatever quick payoff you feel you can gain will ultimately bite you in the ass once your “embellishment” is made public. And, in a lot of cases, you’re the last one to know the public knows... making damage control and recovery all the more difficult.

John Wooden famous quote applies: “Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are.”

It's better to be different than it is to be better. Left Shark has gained a lot of attention since performing as a backup dancer during Katy Perry's performance during the halftime show at the Super Bowl. Appearing to be wildly out-of-step with everyone else, Left Shark quickly became an internet sensation. Internet opportunists jumped on the Left Shark bandwagon cashing-in with sales of T-shirts, figurines, etc. In fact, Left Shark has become such a buzz on the web Katy's lawyers are now saying enough.

That's quite a lot of attention for a dancing shark! Particularly since the whole exposure to Left Shark is merely days old.

What lessons can be taken from this latest digital/social sensation? How does it apply to your marketing specifically or your business in general?

As I mentioned at the start, it is better to be different. People notice different. People are looking for different. Different is memorable. There is something different about being different. I'm reminded of a line in a Butch Walker song: "You are not like the others that all are the same."

So many marketers and business owners focus on how they’re better! Better pricing, better service, better product, better… blah, blah, blah. They forget that it’s the customer that decides what they think is better – and they do that by comparing difference between you and your competition.

I feel for Right Shark – probably did everything right! Every step, fin-flap, and twerk was on the mark! Problem is, nobody is talking about Right Shark. Nobody cares if Right Shark was better.

So, as you look ahead for 2015 and plan your next big thing – consider Left Shark… go ahead, dance wildly out-of-step. Be different! Your business success may depend on it. And if you need some ideas for building a Left Shark strategy, you know we're always just a phone call or email away. 

By now you must have some awareness of the benefits of using Content Marketing to reach, engage, and convert your audience of customers and prospects, but businesses like yours are now starting to understand the power of content marketing can be used internally to increase employee engagement and job satisfaction.

This article tells how uber-brand Nike has started using videos produced exclusively for use inside their offices to keep employees up-to-date and feeling involved about the myriad corporate events they produce. But this effective internal marketing technique is being used by companies of all size, global, national, and local.

Remerge client NiSource used a similar method that employed Sketch Videos to get their associates excited about the launch and expansion of services of their new Help Desk. Your company could use the same technique for new employee orientation, explain your health care plan, promote your employee events, and to reward and recognize promotions and outstanding achievements by your team members.

When Tonya & I started Remerge back in early 2007, we kicked-off the company with a whirlwind tour or radio stations throughout the Midwest (30 stations in 30 days).  The very first slide we showed during our presentation looked like this -

Our slide clearly demonstrated that the radio industry (blue) had flat-lined as a $21 billion industry, while momentum and innovation were driving breathtaking growth for digital ad revenue (red). Our question to radio broadcasters was rather simple and straight forward: “How long before digital out performs traditional?”

Most broadcasters at the time, and many to this day, dismissed the obvious. At best, they paid digital lip service. While Clear Channel has used their broad reach to drive interest in the iHeartRadio app, there is still very little serious planning going on within the radio industry to confront new realities, and/or offer new solutions.

Radio revs for 2012 were at $17 billion, up 1% from 2011 – with the largest growth coming from… you guessed it… digital at 8%. While "up" is good, the industry is still down nearly 20% since we first did out presentation above.

Now comes a bit of info that should be slightly more disturbing to broadcasters… and it’s not merely the presence of Pandora, Spotify, Google’s new streaming solution, or Apple’s plans to join the streaming arena. Harris interactive just released the results of a study of over 2000 adults (not kids)… and 6 out of 10 feel terrestrial radio will be gone in 5-years.

Whatever challenges radio may have, their lack of attention to problem solving is certainly not helped by public perception believing radio is quickly becoming irrelevant... a feeling so strong, that 60% would predict an end to radio in 5 years!

Significant change is coming to the radio industry with or without their input. It appears peddling faster is no longer an option… radio needs to start shopping for a motor bike.

The problem with most advertising copy is that it all sounds alike. You can basically insert any business name from any industry into any ad and it comes out sounding exactly the same way -- like a bad cliche.

One of the most common questions I get asked (which usually turns into a debate) is on the topic of Search Engine Marketing and Optimization.

It is inevitably asked by someone who has most likely already invested in this kind of marketing and the influx of traffic and orders they were promised by the SEM/SEO company don't seem to be manifesting.

When someone works with Remerge Media to improve their organic position in the search results or increase order conversion from search traffic, we start with our philosophy:

Remerge provides basic best-practices advice on traditional search engine optimization and paid search strategies.  SEO is more art than science, and the algorithms put in place by the most popular search engines are constantly in flux (they keep changing the rules!)  

Some SEO companies use techniques that tie you to them beyond what you'd imagine from your original conversations. In a rush to deliver noticeable results in a short period of time, they create additional landings pages using domain names and URLs and mirrored sites that LOOK like yours, but don't belong to you.  While those pages might have your contact info on them today, what do you think happens to these SEO-company owned pages the day you decide to cancel your contract? It's possible your most-hated competitor's information will now appear on those pages you've been paying to have pushed up in the search rankings!

Paid Search (SEM) is pure pay-for-play. In my opinion it's a more honest business transaction than most SEO contracts. SEM runs on auction-based business model -- if you bid the highest amount to pay in exchange for a click, your ads will be featured more prominently than anyone else. The twist is that you can always be outbid by a competitor (and some businesses you wouldn't even consider a competitor are also bidding against you!) You receive benefit so long as you keep paying. Once you turn off the dollars, they turn off the ad links.

SEM can be effective for short-term (or long-term) advertising campaigns, but it is a poor strategy for creating a trustworthy brand based on delivering customer-value.

And none of the information above even begins to broach the subject of all the "black hat" techniques (practices that will cause search engines to penalize a website if they are caught subverting their system) that many less reputable (and many so-called reputable) SEO/SEM companies use without telling their clients.

Rather than trying to manipulate or game the search engine's ranking algorithms, Remerge focuses on content-based SEO strategies that stress the creation of customer-focused, value-based information which your prospects are seeking out through their use of the search engines in the first place.  

At its core, our philosophy is to let the search engines focus on what they do best -- finding information for the user -- and let our clients focus on what they do best -- solving problems for their customers. 

What would local TV do if the networks decided they no longer needed local transmitters? Where would the TV programming come from? How would the local CBS, NBC, ABC, or Fox TV stations make money?

I know I've tortured many friends and colleagues over years and beers wondering aloud these very questions.

Well, it looks like we may get the answers sooner rather than later if this article on Forbes.com today is accurate. It seems that at least two of the four big TV networks are actually entertaining life beyond the airwaves.

Hey local TV - how big is your Doppler? Yeah, no one cares.

Many people are realizing an overall savings in their marketing expenditures by utilizing less expensive and higher-returning digital strategies, but are you taking the money you're saving and putting it back into your business?

A recent study finds that most businesses are doing exactly that -- and continuing to increase the results delivered from their established marketing budget by not redirecting the initial savings away from overall marketing efforts...

Many companies are reinvesting digital marketing savings Many marketers are using the money they've saved by marketing via digital platforms to invest in additional digital marketing, according to a Gartner survey of 250 large U.S. companies.

Media companies spent an average of 12.7% of their total revenue on marketing and assigned 3.9% of total revenue to digital buys, leading all other sectors. The same marketers say they expect to increase total marketing spending by an average of 6% in 2013, with the media sector projected to have the largest increases, according to Gartner.

MRC looks to create digital ad standards. The digital advertising space is evolving so quickly that it’s sometimes tough to keep up. The Media Rating Council is no different than everyone else, recently recognizing that it hasn’t published standards on how to measure ad impressions within streamed content. The organization is forming a team from both the buy and sell side to work with it on writing measurement guidelines over the coming months. ~Inside Radio 3.21.13

Hmm... where to begin? Let's work backwards. What will be the value of the defined measurement guidelines to be delivered "in the coming months" within a space that is "evolving so quickly that it's sometimes tough to keep up?" What will be the baseline for such definitions - how things have been working, how things are working at the time they finish, or how they anticipate things working in the future? Perhaps a good first step would be for the MRC to remove "rating" from their name. Netflix recent success with "House of Cards" has brought new revenue though new subscriptions. Add to that a ton of critical acclaim, positive publicity, and earnings estimates from  NASDAQ, Zacks Investment Research, and Yahoo Finance projected to be 293% in 2013 - do you think Netflix really gives a hoot about ratings? I realize I do not have the power of a full council of digital ad buyers and sellers backing me up here... but the biggest "impression" I'm left with: you can make a crap-load of money when you stop worrying about old media ratings and instead focus on new media realities.

"Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is I don't know which half." This old chestnut which has turned into a cliche to epitomize how difficult it is to reach potential customers using traditional advertising has been attributed to several people, one of the most notable being John Wanamaker.

Wanamaker was one of the USA's most successful merchants and is considered by some to be the father of modern advertising and a marketing pioneer. He opened the first department store in Philadelphia and created the money-back guarantee which is standard practice to this day. Wanamaker is also credited with being the first retailer to place a half-page newspaper ad (1874) and the first to place a full-page ad (1879.)

The one thing Mr. Wanamaker was NOT, was a client of RemergeMedia.com.

Remerge wasn't around back then, but if they were, John Wanamaker would have not only known which half of his advertising wasn't working, he'd would have also received better results from the half that was working!

Remerge Media can't help Wanamaker (he died in 1922), but we can help you!

Countless times we sit with a client that tells us they need to “capitalize” on Facebook. They are almost obsessed with the notion that Facebook holds some magical key to their success. “That’s where everyone is at…” they exclaim. “We need a solid Facebook strategy…” they insist. I’m almost equally amused by businesses that point to the number of “Likes” they have as some measure of accomplishment. I guess on some level they should be congratulated… you assembled an impressive number of people who clicked a “Like” button… nice job! So, is Facebook really the key to your success in today’s world? Is amassing the largest number of “Likes” going to set you apart from your competition? Or, is it more about what you’re going to do to convert the people who like your business into people that love your business? Mac people don’t LIKE Apple products… they LOVE Apple products. McDonald’s tag line isn’t “I’m LIKIN’ It.” Men’s Warehouse doesn’t attract businessmen to buy a new suit by guaranteeing “You’ll LIKE The Way You Look.” It isn’t about seeing how many people will like you on Facebook… it’s what you do to interact with your customer – in any setting, on any level – that expresses to them how much they matter to you. Responding to a question I have on Twitter is going to impress me far more than merely posting your latest sale on Facebook. If you merely want people to “Like” your business, then you have a strategy built on mediocrity – a willingness to accept being average. If, instead, you focus on doing things that other businesses don’t – things that make people LOVE your business… I’m willing to bet that will mean more for the growth of your business and your bank account over the long haul. So by all means invite people to Like you on Facebook – why not?  Just make sure you have a plan to make them LOVE you in person.