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The Marketleap Report
Volume II, Episode X,
May 21, 2002
Star Wars - Why Fight the Force?
By Keith Boswell
The force gripped my throat, feet
dangling in the air like a Rebel Commander, and held
me hostage these past few weeks. My anticipation for
the new Star Wars movie loomed over me like a Dark
Lord's shadow. Marketing, search engines and other
realms fell from my mind, clouded by something bigger...elusive.
Those who know me know my mind became an imagination
machine the night I saw the first Star
Wars as a kid.
So I have fallen silent, waiting,
lurking for a moment to jump back into my mind once
I got the dose. Opening weekend has come and gone.
Twice we stood in long lines with others smiling.
I noticed the strange sensation I enjoyed standing
in line, waiting for a movie.
I still remember the fervor of the
public when Empire Strikes Back and Return of the
Jedi opened. I have fond memories of standing in line
with my parents and brother, wrapped around the block,
as we watched others leave with smiles on their faces
and waited patiently for our turn.
That's marketing. I've been hooked
on a Saturday afternoon, spaghetti western, sci-fi
epic my whole life. It's hard to explain. Critics
lambaste it for dramatic lulls and loose plot. But
when you consider Lucas is making the most extravagant,
independent films of all time just to tell a story
he wrote, you can relax and enjoy what he's doing.
Episode I has been roasted as not
living up to the legacy of the previous Star Wars
trilogy. Lucas's biggest obstacle was the films underperformance
with the college market. Many believed that audience
would carry the film past Titanic and make it the
highest grossing film ever.
Unfortunately, college kids and some
fans just weren't feeling the love. As if story foundation
wasn't necessary. Just show us big ships jumping into
hyperspace with streaking lights and we're good to
go. (Growling, sarcastic Wookiee sound here)
For Episode II, Lucas began to employ
more sophisticated viral techniques online to attract
college age and thirty-somethings back to the theatres.
Check out the sites below and you'll
see what I mean. Each of the sites has a flyer associated
with it that was plastered all over college campuses,
bus stops, stores and more all over the world. Lucas
is using guerrilla ideas and tongue in cheek humor
to create an excitement that a 30 second TV spot cannot
generate.
Lucas is taking lead from other
viral campaigns like AI and applying them to a
story already familiar to the world. By leading with
a smile and something slightly grassroots in feel,
a connection to the magic of escaping through a movie
can be remembered and not beat upon as some great
intellectual pursuit.
Some movies challenge the mind and
the spirit. Others simply seek to show a different
world, not readily available anywhere else. Marketers
have to assess their material and audience and determine
the right message that will turn interest into action.
This weekend I was lucky enough to
get a little of both. The new movie filled the spirit
and piqued interest in how a story I love will all
come together.
How about you valued readers? Did
you see the new Star Wars movie this weekend? If so,
how much did you know going in and where did you see
ads or marketing for the movie?
Responses
to the last Marketleap Report:
In the last report, I delved into
the realm of search engine marketing, establishing
the idea that paid-placement is not the same as search
engine marketing. I received an interesting response
that highlights some of the ongoing misunderstanding
of what good search engine marketing firms perform
for their client. The letter we received from Rod
though is a great analysis of what marketers should
be focusing on instead of simply placing number one
for a search result.
Dear Marketleap,
A few months ago Double Click reported that their
conversion of impressions to clicks had doubled
over past year. Although this sounds' impressive
0.42% up to 0.84% isn't much of a marketing feat.
Consequently, their market share has also dropped
by half and recently at an E-Business conference
when a participant asked about ROI, the response
given was "you can't look at it that way".
I start here because...media sellers
developed a business model, which does not perform
a reasonable marketing objective for the vendor.
Along came search engines (pay to
play or inclusions) and many SEO companies, both
offering a magical solution to repositioning of
Double Clicks (and others) market shares however,
neither of these truly address the underlining problem.
Reaching number one or buying number one is not
a reasonable marketing objective.
In traditional marketing, a company's
successes relies on market appeal of their products
and services. Ultimately all three of the above
business models which may or may not drive traffic
are a "marketing pitch" and generally
speaking nothing more.
Although search engine optimization
offers much more than pitching, this industry segment
currently replies on "tips, tricks and site
manipulation and far less about market appeal. Impressions,
clicks, traffic, hits sessions and visits do not
resemble sale conversions, forecasts and ROI. This
isn't marketing however, they do "vaguely"
entice the vendor to see it that way.
The four principles that marketing
encompasses are, "AWARENESS, INTEREST, DESIRE,
ACTION. If a company (media sellers, SEO companies
and/or the vendor's own web site) caters to a market
but lacks the capacity to delivery on any one of
these principles, there will be limited returns
and virtually no real ROI. (Note: Without using
other marketing tactics to cover the failures in
these specific strategy).
Search engine optimization strategies
and even pay to play can assist marketing objectives
but marketing must drive the process. If implemented
correctly, all the aspects that induce top level
listings will also induce a competitive advantage
across a wide array concerns, such as:
- Brand Awareness and Image Development
- Market Share and Company Reach
- New Market Penetration
- Measurable ROI
- Customer Relationship and Management
(CRM)
- Informed Business Management
As the usage of the Internet spreads,
consumers turn to search engines to guide their
travels. Studies consistently show that 85% of web
users find what they are looking for through search
engines. Search engines help make sense out of the
vast expanse of web pages available for browsing.
It must also be clearly understood that search engines
do not provide a new repository for existing customers
but monumental opportunities to develop "new"
relationships (when people know you, they just go
to you).
By virtue of the Internet's interconnectivity
a search engine automatically delivers new "awareness"
and "interest".
Example: a search visitor inputs
a search term "vacation packages" into
the query box. A list of results appears showing:
- Your company's listing is within
the user's search depth ("awareness")
- The displayed information is
read and has an appeal to the user, the user clicks
through ("interest")
- This person is now targeted and
a potential customer
Today's SEO and pay to play strategies
stops right there. However, the focus at the vendor's
web site must still create the "desire"
to "act". All of the above companies help
entice a visitor to "come in"...but this
is not an added value objective. Just a license
for the vendor to fail and move back to more familar
"traditional" media. These companies (not
all but most) only develop market positioning and
fail to tell the vendor (or don't know) about market
appeal.
SEO companies are the worst offenders
because they physically manage the vendors web site
reconstruction.
In general, companies that develop
sound marketing principles into their online strategies
will succeed online.
The rest...well, you tell me?
Please note: this is not a pug at
SEO or pay to play. It is still a very young niche
industry, too broadly focused and not mainstream.
SEO has the best chance at being
the first marketing medium that can guarantees ROI.
Nowhere else can you cater to a market need, develop
awareness and interest, create the desire to act
and watch this entire process unfold so that you
can decision-make on the fly.
With Regards
Rod
Search engine marketing has become
sophisticated enough to focus on the elements that
Rod feels the industry currently misses. Desire and
action are critical components to successful search
engine marketing. Desire is a leading driver of interest
in someone performing a search. The companies that
target specific search points enable those looking
to take action to find them more easily.
Robust search engine marketing campaigns
target some pages for placement because of the value
of their content. These campaigns also target other
pages containing critical conversion points so a company
can track actions that have specific value to their
organization.
These might include filling out an
information request, signing up for a newsletter,
signing in for member services, etc. These critical
action points in a website mean marketers can begin
to track real ROI. They can see how search engine
marketing impacts traffic to these real conversion
points.
Reliable SEO companies understand
all of this while assisting their clients in managing
their website. Some of these SEO companies also understand
the diverse components of marketing and help their
client find success in all critical arenas.
Another reader sent in feedback about
paid placement and their experience with it. The message
suggests that for the money, longer-term SEO strategies
are a better investment over paid placement.
The only paid-placement effort has
been with Google Ad-Words. While the system is simple
to manage, the cost per visitor received was higher
than hoped for. We have not determined if paid placement
is of strategic value at this point - a very limited
budget makes it unattractive at this point.
Fred
Search engines are a newer element
in the bigger world of marketing. Bridging IT skills
with marketing savvy, good search engine marketers
enable their clients and employers to cast a net out
on the web large enough to find and convert their
audience into customers.
I'd also like to ask our readers for
some assistance. We are always looking to improve
the value of this newsletter as well as find a larger
audience. Two things then that I ask of you.
One, will you forward our newsletter
to friends or colleagues that you think would benefit
from or enjoy it? I would greatly appreciate it. We
have a convenient feature on the web site and HTML
version of the newsletter that automates this process.
Second, give us your feedback. What
more would you like to see from us? What topics are
you interested in but finding it difficult to learn
more about? Send email to:
report@marketleap.com |
