Ask MetaFilter posts tagged with advertising

Where Should I Promote Mac Services in NYC?

dmaterialized — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 09:08:45 -0800

Know any well-frequented bulletin boards / community posts in the NYC (Manhattan and Brooklyn) area? I teach software like FCP and Photoshop, fix Macs, and tutor people in how to use them. I've been running an independent consulting business for around 7 years, but I need some more good places to put up advertising (flyers put up around the city disappear sometimes within an hour). My rates are very reasonable but are not "cheap", so preferably bulletin boards in somewhat affluent areas preferred (but at this point, what part of NYC isn't gentrified...?) And, if anyone has any other NY-specific advertising ideas, I'm all ears (word of mouth has been my best friend).

I miss school

barrakuda — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 06:49:07 -0800

Are there any reputable online degrees? I'm mostly interested in doing an online degree in web design or marketing/advertising. I already have traditional B.A. and M.A. degrees in a different field (international affairs and economics). The online degree therefore would not constitute an integral part of my CV but would be an addition. I am looking for programs where I would genuinely learn as opposed to obtaining a piece of paper (diploma). Can you recommend any schools or programs in particular? Are there any recognized rankings of online degrees?

Ways to market a website

blueplasticfish — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 10:38:12 -0800

What are some good ways to market a website? Recently I have helped launch another website onto the World Wide Web. I won't name the site here (to avoid spam accusations), but the site enables people to make Ken Burns-like slideshows with custom music and background themes.

Our target, though not limited to this, is women between the ages of 20-40 who like to share photos of their family online. The goal was to make creating a slideshow an easy, drag-and-drop experience, and to create a clean and cinematic slideshow. We felt a lot of the slideshows available on the web were either boring, hard for the non-tech savvy to create, or filled with too much distracting clutter.

We've gotten on local TV and have had a positive response thus far, but we are struggling to figure out some cost-affective (read cheap) ways to market the site on the web. We are on Facebook and AdWords, but we are looking for other creative ideas to market our site.

We realize that there are a million photo/slideshow sharing sites out there, but really think that our differentiation contains value.

I'm looking for ideas outside of SEO, ad driven, blogs, etc., and more for something that will resonate with our target audience. Perhaps something more grassroots.

You thoughts and ideas are much appreciated :)

Is this small business worth a punt?

hatmandu — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 04:25:37 -0800

I have the opportunity to buy a niche website. Is it worth it? Negotiations have got the price to $750. It's a niche site offering an offline service, not directly the same as but at least related to some of the work I do, so in theory it might offer a way to look for new clients. The owner has about 100 or so past clients in his database. The site gets only about 65 unique visitors a month, from which about 2 give business, making about $300 or so monthly. Those uniques generally come from search engines, in which the site is well indexed and even appears at the No 1 slot for some keywords which it's not implausible some customers might enter.

So, I wasn't planning to spend $750 on anything beforehand, and at the moment have declined ($500 would be much more tempting, but it's very unlikely he'd go that low). But could this be worth a punt in order to rope in extra business, and make some small money on its own accord (with fairly low effort)? Or would $750 be much better spent on advertising, for example? (Or not spent at all?) What would you do?

Legal possibilities for copying art's style for advertising?

Anonymous — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 13:20:48 -0800

In Alberta, does my business have the right to use/copy the "style" of a piece of artwork that we already paid to use when commissioning new artwork from a different artist? My retail shop's front awning features a large, prominent mural-type image. When it was originally installed, a local artist was paid to produce the image but my shop doesn't own the image - we've used it a very small number of times for stationery and advertising purposes, but each time we want to use the image in a new form we have to pay a licensing fee.

The original artist is talented but he's personally difficult for us to work with, and we can't even come close to affording his services for all the web & print work we have in mind for an upcoming campaign. I've approached other artists who are able to work within our budget, but I'm concerned about the legality of asking for artwork that deliberately and closely mimics the style of the existing store-front artwork.

I have no intention of completely snubbing the original artist on this matter, but his confrontational and profit-hungry nature mean I have to be sure of my footing before he catches wind of this.

For reference: The original image is a mural with the theme of "people enjoying food" - it has a few stylized painted people standing around with foods and foody images scattered artfully throughout the background and foreground. I'm not interested in copying the existing image, but I would like artwork that features painted people and food of a distinctly similar style so as to provide a continuity in the shop's image. The original artist is not well-known (to my knowledge) and the style isn't ground-breaking-ly unique or anything, so I doubt he could claim we were trading on his name or trademark, but since we don't own the original image, I'm afraid it could be inappropriate for some other reason.

Any advice, experience or (inexpensive) legal resources you could offer would be terrific. If it does come down to "Call a lawyer and pay him to research this", then I can arrange that.

How much can an obvious typo cost?

amicamentis — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 16:46:01 -0800

Are there any consequences for advertising a product as .99 cents as opposed to 99 cents? Recently, I have seen many stores (mostly convenience stores) selling things like soda, burritos, etc. for .99 cents. Obviously, they meant 99 cents. But would you be able to ask for a hundred of said burritos and refuse to pay more than 99 cents because they were advertised as less than a penny?

Would it make a difference if the advertised price of .99 cents was in, say, a newsletter rather than a hand-printed sign taped to the window?

Can you tell how much revenue a website has?

Charmian — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 07:44:33 -0800

I was discussing with someone a certain website, which they say has revenues of at least $20 million a year. They made a claim that by looking at the ad rates of the ad network the website is using, the number of ads per page, and the traffic of the website (via things like Quantcast; it's in the Alexa top 500), it is possible to make a rough revenue estimate without access to any internal data. Is this so? If so, what formulas are used?

Is there a specific term to describe an advertising slogan that actually makes you less sure about that aspect of the product?

HeroZero — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 11:01:12 -0800

Is there a specific term to describe an advertising slogan that actually makes you less sure about that aspect of the product? Examples inside. - Vegan soy cheese often advertises that it has "excellent melting properties," when in fact that message is a guarantee that the cheese will not get gooey and delicious but just separate into a puddle of slime. At least, I assume that's the case; I've never bought the stuff.
- "Crush-proof boxes" for cigarettes are easily crushable.
- Classroom bulletin board paper is often advertised on the box as being "fade-proof" when in fact the brightly-colored paper is usually looking pasty by October.

I'm sure there are many other examples.

I'm not so concerned with the idea that the advertisers are lying -- I mean, we all know that -- but am more interested in the fact that advertising these elements actually draws the consumer's attention to the negative quality that the advertisers are trying to cover up. For instance, I would think I would be much more likely to try some vegan cheese if it didn't advertise its excellent melting properties.

Is there a term for this phenomenon? I'm looking for something more specific than "irony" or "lying" if it exists. Thanks!

Info for seling a pair of skis?

el_lupino — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 00:29:12 -0800

What information should be included in an ad selling a pair of skis? I'm packing up stuff before we make a big move and looking to sell a few things on craigslist. We have a pair of skis - a few years old, but never used or even removed from their shrink wrap. I am below the level of clueless newbie when it comes to skis and skiing, never having set foot on a slope or strapped on a pair of skis. If you were buying a pair of skis (no boots, bindings, etc.), what information would you want upfront and what would you think a reasonable price range, assuming they're decent but not top of the line skis?

Besides getting it tattooed on my forehead.

Breo — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 20:00:56 -0800

What are some good ways to spark public interest in a website? A friend of mine has recently created a website that I really enjoy using and am quite proud of him for creating. I want to show my support by helping him get the word out about the website. Are there any great (possibly free) ways to go about this? For example, websites I could post some information on, etc.? It's a website that could be used by potentially anyone, and completely free, so there's not a specific market I'd need to target (I'd post the name of it but didn't want this post to sound like an ad itself). This might be a shot in the dark but since there are so many creative and net-savvy individuals on here I figured i'd ask. Any ideas would be appreciated, thanks.

Do you use Yelp?

Echidna882003 — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 18:26:54 -0800

Seeking advice on using Yelp to help drum up business. We pay nothing now, and get a bit of traffic from it, we're wondering if we paid $150/month with a year contract, would we substantially increase that traffic? What has your experience been with Yelp, either as a user or a business?

I need essays on langage in advertising!

913 — Fri, 30 May 2008 12:27:43 -0800

Can anyone direct me toward an essay [preferably vetted] on the use of language in advertising/media? I really enjoy the work of William Lutz so anything that is remotely similar would be great, however I do not have any restrictions.

Bring it on, please.

Toronto employers of insight/strategy/planning people?

Kololo — Thu, 22 May 2008 14:29:05 -0800

I live in Toronto, and I want a new job. I currently create 'consumer insight-led innovation strategies' for the marketing department of a major retailer. I want to continue to work in the strategy, planning, consumer insights, trend forecasting, and/or consulting type of roles, but I want OUT of the big corporate cube farm. Please use your fantastic insider knowledge to tell me about the fantastic place to work that I don't know about yet. Ideally, I'd love to be in an ad agency, branding agency, or boutique consultancy. Or elsewhere that has a non-"corporate" culture.

Tips & hints for getting the job are welcome, in addition to suggestions for great potential employers.

Getting into account planning?

AceRock — Tue, 20 May 2008 13:16:46 -0800

How to get into account planning? Can anyone offer advice on how to get into account, strategic or brand planning (advertising)? I've been having trouble finding internships and entry level positions at agencies around here in Chicago, and I'd like to get some experience in it before committing to ad school. It appears that there is no clear cut path to becoming an account planner... so any ideas or strategies for breaking in would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Vanity URLS or backslashed directories?

Davidissimo — Fri, 16 May 2008 09:28:59 -0800

Which is better? A vanity url or a backslashed url. For instance, www.awesometown.com or www.mycompany.com/awesometown Mind you, this is an advertising question. With a product/property it seems smarter to use a vanity url for name recognition, but I understand diluting the brand is a bad idea. What's the best practices you've seen or opinions?

Ad-based Economies

Non Prosequitur — Sun, 11 May 2008 11:04:57 -0800

Are there industries that are as dependent on advertising revenue as The Media and (Free) Web Apps? I can't shake a prejudice I've acquired recently of thinking of ad-based revenue as "fake revenue".

It was precipitated by looking at the Adsense reports for a firm and realizing that they were basically running on nothing. If they'd spent as much time writing random blogs as they had making technology they'd probably have higher revenues (if their plan is just to slap on AdSense.)

(I realize that a lot of these firms roll out speculative sites/applications rather than safely profitable ventures just to see what catches on, and that doing custom ad sales can be better than using automated ad networks.)

But I still feel that unless you're pulling in 'customer money' or real affiliate money somewhere in the flow you're heavily dependent on something that's pretty shaky (advertising budgets: whimsical because of how they flow in and out of particular media, and ebb according to the macroeconomic context.)

Is pulling money from showing banner ads just as 'solid' as pulling money from customer pockets in terms of what firms outside of the internet sector do? (Or, Do you know of any resources I could read to explore the idea of Ad/Sponsorship-based Economics?)

What ad campaigns have been adapted into feature films?

PM — Sun, 04 May 2008 23:22:23 -0800

I just saw the trailer for the ostensibly terrible Cameron Diaz and Ashton Kutcher vehicle, "What Happens in Vegas." Can anyone tell me if this is the first time that an ad campaign has been adapted into a feature film? I'd also like some background information about the ads themselves. Who is responsible for them? Where and when did the expression "What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas" originate?

Can I Make a Little Money Yet?

miss tea — Sat, 03 May 2008 15:48:29 -0800

What sort of readership for my blog would be enough to start offering advertising? I have a blog which I've maintained for about a year. My readership is continuing to increase, and I'd love to get a little extra cash from it. How do you know when your readership is large enough to warrant adding advertising?

(I am thinking the Google text ads.)

I want to run my own web classified ads

furtive — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 16:10:49 -0800

Looking for free online classified ad software/web application similar to Craigslist, etc. that I can host myself. Ideally I'm looking for something ready made that works on a LAMP stack although I'm fine with python or ruby/rails too.

Simplicity is key, buy/sell/trade/give away with email confirmations. Photo uploads would be nice too. No shopping carts needed.

How do freelance PPC managers charge?

generichuman — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 12:22:13 -0800

How do Adwords/PPC professionals charge to manage a client account? I can't get a straight answer. I do a lot of PPC management work in-house. I've just been floated the chance to manage a small client's PPC campaign, on a freelance basis. (Yay! Freelance work!) They're a small company, just starting up, with a relatively limited budget.

So, experienced freelance online marketing managers, how do you charge? Flat rate? Monthly retainer? Up front purchase? Percentage of client spend?

I've done freelance work before, but always content management or copywriting. I have no idea if there's an established practice for PPC management.

Using a monitor to advertise

zzazazz — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 08:22:54 -0800

We are looking to purchase a flat screen monitor or television that can cycle through files so we can advertise programs at a library. We want to be able to hook a flash drive up to it and use word documents. Any suggestions? Essentially we want to do this without having to ask our IT guys to hook up another PC for us.

Best/Worst Viral Ad Campaigns

Prevailing Southwest — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 13:49:36 -0800

I'm researching viral marketing campaigns, and I'm looking for some of the best and worst examples out there. I'm not having any trouble finding examples, and yes, I agree that the term and the medium are both getting a little played out. (There are spoofs of ads and even spoofs of spoofs at this point elbowing each other for some room in the "viral" landscape.)

To clarify, I'm NOT looking for a list of YouTube videos that "went viral" (Diet Coke & Mentos, water skiing squirrel, monkey smelling finger), and I'm NOT looking for funny TV commercials that happened to get passed around the web (Bud Light ads).

I'm looking for the best and worst examples of non-traditional, internet based marketing campaigns - advertising beyond the 30 second spot. Some of the best/biggest examples I have are:

Dove Evolution
Subservient Chicken
BMW's "The Hire" short film series

I'd also really appreciate help identifying some of the worst viral campaigns ever to crash and burn their way across your screens, as the failures tend to fade away pretty fast.

Automatically attach footer advertising to e-mail via SMTP gateway

doomtop — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 11:09:40 -0800

Automatically attach footer advertising to e-mail via SMTP gateway I'm looking for a way to automatically attach some copy to the footer of e-mail that gets sent out from our e-mail hosting service. We use Google Apps for ISP and give Google Apps accounts to our customers under our own domain name. I'd like to pay for a service that lets me set an SMTP gateway for our Google Apps account that automatically attaches the footer text to any e-mail sent out from within our system.

Does anyone know of a service that offers this or anything like this??

Where can I find footage of the New Zealand America's Cup "Loyal" campaign ad?

media_itoku — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 15:31:52 -0800

I'm looking for a video clip of the "Loyal" TV ad campaign that ran in New Zealand during the America's Cup against Alinghi last year. There are plenty of copies of the original Dave Dobbyn version but I'm looking for the one with NZ'ers holding hands across the nation etc. YouTube and Goo have failed me. Any clues?

How do I advertise my niche Podcast?

Del Far — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 11:17:43 -0800

Whats the best way to advertise and get the word out on my very niche comedy news/talkshow podcast so that it winds up being listened to by the right audience of interested people? I've currently done about 6 episodes. From my Talkshoe host I know that I've had around 47 people download my last podcast, since I recorded it in Febuary. I've posted links and updates about it on Improv forums like Improv Resource Center and Yesand.com but it obviously doesn't bring in that many listeners. I would definitely like a larger audience and I would like much more interaction between me and my listeners, I've only received about 2 emails from listeners and that was waaay back around my first and second episode.