Social Media Pays: People More Likely to Buy from Brands they Follow

A new study from market research firm Chadwick Martin Bailey and iModerate Research Technologies shows that social media might actually pay off —in real dollars in addition to the traditional branding and influence lift. The survey of over 1500 consumers showed that they were more likely to buy from and recommend brands they follow on Twitter and Facebook. 51% of those surveyed said they were more likely to buy from a brand after following them on Facebook; 67% said they were more likely to buy after following on Twitter. Brands also got a boost in recommendations: 60% of Facebook fans and 79% of Twitter followers were more likely to recommend a brand to their friends. This is only natural, says eConsultancy : The most popular reason people follow brands in social media is to receive discounts. But there were also many people who responded that they follow as a customer of the brand and to show their support of it. On Twitter, that reason was less popular. Only 2% of respondents followed a brand to show their support. More often, they are looking for discounts, new information and exclusive content. That makes a lot of sense, as Facebook’s fan ability is more geared toward letting users express their appreciation for something. And here’s our grain of salt: this is a survey. This only shows what people think they’re doing. It may be that people don’t want to admit they’re only following Nike to look cool. However, with questions like these, I’d assume there’s at least a little boost for the brands in terms of dollars and recommendations. What do you think? Are these people accurately reporting their spending and recommendations?

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Social Media Pays: People More Likely to Buy from Brands they Follow

Display Ad Spend Up in 2009 Despite Q4 Dip

Display ads in the Internet space are always an area of lively discussion. Do they work? How should their effectiveness be measured? What is the real value of a display ad? You can insert your question here. One tried and true measurement for the medium though is just how much is being spent on display ads especially when held up against historical numbers. A press release about a report from Kantar Media and shared with us by TechCrunch shows that the world of display ads vs. it’s competition is doing alright overall. The curious number is why there was a slip in the 4th quarter spending because it is the biggest buying season in every year no matter how far the economy has slid down the crapper. Maybe there was a shift to more search at that point? I don’t know. This next chart though takes an interesting look at particular sectors and their overall advertising spend. Looking at the only sectors of this report to show an uptick in spending, I would have to conclude that during bad economic times people talk on the phone while taking alternate mouthfuls of Doritos, Milk Duds and Prozac. That last bit of data was extremely unscientific in its analysis but I stand by the observation nonetheless. So now, that we have an idea of what has happened what do you think will happen with the rest of advertising for the year? Will this year see a rebound? Will traditional channels continue to decline? Where will the display ad number be for 2010? Let’s hear it.

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Display Ad Spend Up in 2009 Despite Q4 Dip

Google’s “Nexus One” Infringes Existing Trademark

According to analysts, Google’s Nexus One phone isn’t selling too well . In fact, its 135,000 units sold is way off the 1 million iPhone’s sold during its launch. Still, there’s good news for Google. It was just denied a trademark for Nexus One , because it’s too similar to one that’s already being used by Integra Telecom. “Registration of the applied-for mark is refused because of a likelihood of confusion with the mark in U.S. Registration No. 3554195,” the trademark office wrote in its March 9 ruling. OK, so that’s not good news, but if Google decided that entering the mobile hardware business was a bad move, it now has an excuse to pull out–hey it worked for China ! Meanwhile, back in Portland, Oregon, Integra is obviously delighted with the USPTO’s decision: “We appreciate that the PTO is protecting our trademark rights. Integra has over $60 Million in annual revenue associated with our Nexus brand and it represents millions of new revenue for the company each year. Google hasn’t contacted us since the PTO issued its objection but we hope we can work together to achieve our respective business goals.” Let me translate that last sentence for you: Google hasn’t contacted us since the PTO issued its objection but we’re looking forward to either big fat licensing fee or being acquired by them for a ridiculous multiple! So, what’s next for Google? It is likely too early to pull the plug on the Nexus One, but a rebranding or licensing deal is on the horizon with this decision. ( via )

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Google’s “Nexus One” Infringes Existing Trademark

Top 10 Signs You Spend Too Much Time on Twitter

Even if you don’t watch David Letterman, you’ve seen his infamous Top Ten lists before. A couple of nights ago, he took on Twitter addiction. Enjoy! ( hat tip )

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Top 10 Signs You Spend Too Much Time on Twitter

Study Predicts Mobile App Market Will Show Significant Upward Mobility

Apps is now one of those words that has taken on its own meaning in the American lexicon as most people who use it are referring to the apps for mobile devices. Why not since the market is growing at a serious rate because it makes having a handheld device much more interesting than just being a phone and a way to connect to the web. A study suggests that the growth will be unprecedented in the very near future with bold predictions of billions of dollars being generated in the apps market. Mashable reports on the study which I will allow you to read about before I say anything further. Lithuanian-based GetJar, an independent mobile phone application store with over 60,000 mobile applications for major mobile platforms such as Android, Symbian and Windows Mobile, commissioned a study that predicts a huge surge in the number of mobile app downloads and the overall size of the mobile app market. According to the study, created by Chetan Sharma Consulting, mobile app downloads should jump from 7 billion in 2009 to almost 50 billion in 2012. By this time, the market will be worth 17.5 billion dollars, the study predicts, despite the expected lower price of mobile apps, which should drop from the current average of 2 dollars per app to 1.5 dollars in 2012. I bet you can guess where I am going carrying my red flag. Yep, the source of the report is someone who has a vested interest in making the market look ginormous. Also, the information is somewhat appnostic (that’s just another cheap attempt to turn a phrase to describe an app agnostic) because this particular company from Lithuania (red flag number 2?) can’t do anything with Apple apps so they have a vested interest in pumping up the Android and others app market hopes as well. The apps industry is going to grow. There is no need to commission anyone to make that prediction. It’s a no brainer. As to how big will it get? It’s anyone’s guess and the real intrigue as we move forward is the growing intensity of the battle for the platform of choice between the iPhone and Android devices. Any predictions on who wins that one? Pilgrim’s Partners: SponsoredReviews.com – Bloggers earn cash, Advertisers build buzz!

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Study Predicts Mobile App Market Will Show Significant Upward Mobility