MarketingMonitor: 26 June 2001, Vol. II, Issue 4

June. 26, 2001 Vol. II, Issue 4
Please forward this issue WITHOUT cutting. Thanks!

Free subscriptions at: http://www.chinwag.com

1) Intro

2) News: Ad rates get a makeover and gold makes a comeback

3) Case Study: Hoovers talks down jargon and builds up traffic

4) Info: About the publisher

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INTRO
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INTRO

This week we look at campaign designed for the business information
site Hoovers involving a jibe at wordy business types, an online
game and a bit of email marketing. Plus news on the changing rates of
online advertising

Last week we mentioned a change of name for MarketingSherpa and asked
for readers to throw any suggestions in our direction. Any more ideas,
please send them to [email protected] for a chance to win booze or books.

If you think you've got a magnificant marketing case study that other readers
would find useful, contact the editor at [email protected].

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NEWS
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* Time to Rethink Online Ad Metrics?

Digital agency Avenue A have been working with Yahoo! on research to back
up the growing argument to redefine the measurements used in online advertising
sales.

The click through model is increasingly viewed as inadequate, failing to
take into account the brand building impact of online adverts. According
to Media Week, Avenue A worked with Yahoo!, Avenue A took a close look at
a campaign run online for client, The Carphone Warehouse. Avenue A looked
at how online sales were being driven and found that 92% of sales were
initiated via non-click through methods such as search engine requests and
hitting the URL direct. But the ads did lead directly to a high brand
recall rate of 45%.

With media owners like Yahoo! taking the lead, it looks like the long overdue
reworking of online advertising metrics could be making progress.

* All That Glitters - A Workable Online Currency?

If you've got some dirty money that needs laundering, the internet could
become the coin-op of the criminal world. Or so suspect the US Treasury at
the news of the latest e-commerce payment system devised by GoldMoney.

GoldMoney have developed the GoldGram, the latest online 'currency'. But this
one goes back to basics as it's based upon the value of gold bullion. The user
literally buys pieces of gold which are held in locations around the world with
each GoldGram representing a gram of gold.

Being universal, the currency has the advantage of allowing users to avoid large
charges with transaction fees for GoldGram standing at $1 per transaction. The
GoldGram looks like a stable currency that could win the online consumer's trust.

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CASE STUDY: Hoovers
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* Hoovers UK: Straight talking game gets the message across for key business
information site

Ever sat in a company meeting and felt dis-empowered as you watched others
leverage the low hanging fruit whilst you blue-skied, attempting to envisage
you're own win-win situation? Confused? You're not alone. Convoluted and
unnecessary business language costs companies millions of pounds each year
in lost sales and wasted marketing campaigns. And if you've ever sat in a
jargon-fuelled business meeting, you'll know the lack of plain English is
just plain annoying.

## STRATEGY

This sentiment was at the heart of the marketing campaign devised by PR agency,
Gnash, for their client, Hoovers.co.uk, a business information site that carries
company details along with news and other resources across a range of industries.
The campaign was designed to raise awareness of the Hoovers site but sside from
generating traffic, Gnash also wanted to reinforce the no-nonsense, straight talking
brand values of Hoovers.

Gnash decided to create an online game called Death by Jargon in which contestants
are viciously punished for using jargon in business situations. The aim was to
create a game that would be entertaining enough for people to forward the game
page link via email to their friends and colleagues.

## CAMPAIGN

The Death By Jargon gameshow was held on a microsite linked from the Hoovers homepage.
The microsite included extra features such as 'Humiliate a colleague' where
businesspeople could submit the names of jargon-loving colleagues and the jargon
they use most. Another feature was 'Jargon Offender of the week' - the week's classic
quote. Users could also submit their favourite piece of dodgy lingo to the 'Death Row'
section with the chance to win a prize.

Targeting potential Hoovers readers, Gnash headed for the email newsletters of
publications including the Wall Street Journal Europe, London Business School,
First Tuesday and Industry Standard Europe. Aside from links within targeted
newsletters, the game was also announced to a number of Gnash PR's contacts
with the number of promotional emails sent totalling 90,000. Death By Jargon
was also given lead position on the homepage of the Hoovers UK site.

## RESULTS

The email campaign produced a high response rate with 1,600 users hitting the
game on the first day of the campaign. During the month after launch, the
game received 30,000 page impressions and overall the Hoovers site saw a
150% increase in unique users.

## ASSESSMENT

For the brand, the campaign was successful in promoting the link between Hoovers
and a no-nonsense approach to business information - along with The Guardian,
The Independent and the Daily Telegraph , the game was also noted by the
Financial Times.

Gehan Talwatte, MD of Hoover's Online Europe felt that the campaign went
beyond expectations and was pleased with results, linking the success to
choosing the right topic at the right time:

"I think the campaign's success can be attributed to the fact that this
topic has touched a chord among people in the workplace. [Jargon] is
creating a code that only a small group of people understand and people
are objecting to it. People have responded to our campaign because it has
given them a place where they can name and shame their colleagues for using
jargon, where they can celebrate being jargon-free."

Related links:
http://www.hoovers.com/uk
http://www.deathbyjargon.com
http://www.gnash.co.uk

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