Archive of thenextweb.com
Written on 24th June 2009
4 COMMENTS 
Martin Bryant, Co-founder, Social Media Café Manchester
Figures released today reveal that it’s online media sites that are the main benefactor of Twitter’s phenomenal growth over the past year. Hitwise UK’s figures reveal that while Twitter users love to click on links to entertainment, social networks and news; retail sites are barely on their radar.
During May this year 55.9% of UK traffic from Twitter went to content-driven online media sites whereas only 9.5% of traffic went to retail. This difference is in stark contrast to traffic from Google UK, which was much more evenly distributed among different types of site.
So why is Twitter so beneficial for media outlets and not so good for retailers? The answer lies in the type of community Twitter has developed. Twitter users love to share news, interesting blog posts and funny videos but ‘selling’ is still seen as a dirty word. (more…)
Written on 16th June 2009
5 COMMENTS
Keith, Network Consultant, Social Media Fanatic
Facebook vanity URLs have been around for just over 72 hours but we are already seeing a major brand capitalize on their Facebook URL for an advertising campaign. Volkswagen (VW) has released a series of TV ads that in addition to highlighting their vehicles points viewers to facebook.com/vw. This is the very first instance that we are aware of a marketing strategy that utilizes the a brand’s Facebook page instead of the companies main website, VW.com.
(We would embed the video but Facebook doesn’t like sharing outside of their walled garden, click the screencap below to view the video within Facebook.)
The social network integration goes a step further with a “Meet the Volkswagens” Facebook app
(more…)
Written on 19th May 2009
2 COMMENTS
Zee, Editor in Chief at The Next Web, Principal at WeDoCreative.
Peashoot is a spanking new social media app with a funny name but great ambitions.
Developed by Jon “Yongfook” Cockle, a young British/Singaporean developer/entrepreneur with an already impressive pedigree. As well as being the man behind the much publicized open source lifestreaming application Sweetcron.
Yongfook also started a recipe social network called Open Source Food in 2007, named in the top 50 best websites of 2008 by TIME magazine, it was acquired by Tsavo Media last year and renamed Nibbledish.
So what’s this Peashoot all about?
This latest venture, as part of Yongfook’s new company Egg Co., aims to make it possible to track your social media campaigns across the web. In many respects its currently similar to the offerings of URL shortening services such as bit.ly and (still in beta) awe.sm but with a much more pleasant and professional UI – as we point out later however, there is a great deal more to come.
How does it work?
To start with, enter the URL of the link/product/site/service you are looking to share and keep track of. Peashoot will then provide you with a short URL to share wherever you please.
Once you’ve begun sharing you can track exactly where and when the link have been clicked via a real time report page. Peashoot also highlights on a graph (using little flags) spikes of traffic and indicates why these occurred. The traffic spikes may be the results of a blog post of some sort, a popular twitterer’s share or a post on Friendfeed – Peashoot helps you discover which. (more…)
Written on 17th April 2009
0 COMMENTS
Boris Veldhuijzen van Zanten, Serial Internet Entrepreneur
Ruigrok | NetPanel, research partner of The Next Web, conducts online research to measure webusage of consumers. Every year, results are compared to the year before to discover or uncover trends on the usage of the web. What kind of websites and applications do we use, in an active or more passive way? How active are we on online networks and mobile internet?
And, with all of our personal information we leave on the web, how do we think and act on behalf of our ‘online identity’? How do we spend and earn money online? And how do we feel about the usability of websites in general? And more..
The complete report of The Next Web 2009 will be available online (in Dutch) by the end of April. This report will contain target groups (women verses men, young versus old etcetera).
Written on 21st January 2009
0 COMMENTS
Ernst-Jan Pfauth, editor in chief
About a month ago, a nine-year old girl from India became the world’s youngest Microsoft Certified Professional. Sadly for her, she got dethroned by the “Mozart of Computers” – an eight-year old boy from Macedonia. His Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski gave him a 15-machine computer lab to unleash his brilliancy on.
Is this, combined with the horrid Songsmith ad, some new strategy from ad-agency Crispin Porter + Bogusky? Microsoft gave the $300 million consumer-branding campaign to this ubercool agency, whose claims to fame are its controversial ad campaigns for the Mini Cooper, Burger King, Molson and a recent mock porn movie made for Virgin Atlantic’s business travelers.
One thing is for sure, every time some kid breaks a Microsoft record, a good wave of free publicity rolls around the blogosphere. Let’s see what they come up with next. Maybe a five-year old kid who makes Madonna look like an amateur, thanks to Songsmith?
Written on 4th January 2009
5 COMMENTS
Martin Kloos, Web Strategy Consultant
Every month, The Next Web Blog picks three relevant books for you to read. The teasers are short, the pro’s why to read are relevant. This month we’re discussing Twitter means business written by Julio Ojeda-Zapata, Outliers written by Malcolm Gladwell and Myspace Marketing written by Sean Percival.
twitter means business: how microblogging can help or hurt your company
I covered a book on Twitter last month and after seeing an excellent slideshare presentation on Twitter for Business (not related to this author) I was keen on reading Twitter means business: how microblogging can help or hurt your company written by Julio Ojeda-Zapata (website). First thing I noticed that the book not only covers the glory and success of Twitter, it also explains how it could hurt your business. I really like this down-to-earth view on the topic. The book itself is an explanation of Twitter and elaborates through “Twitter lessons” how and why you should use Twitter for business. With this focus it clearly distinguishes itself from other books dedicated to the phenomenon. Much of the book is focused on specific cases like Dell, Comcast and Zappos and more general organizations using strategies like listening, speaking, engaging and evolving on Twitter. Two funny things about this book: for one the author itself was one of the best examples. Second the author respects Twitter language in his book by addressing both real names as well as Twitter usernames.
Outliers: The story of success
I don’t know how I could have missed the new book of Malcolm Gladwell last month… Outliers became an instant best-seller after its launch hitting Amazon’s Best of the Month in November 2008. Outliers: the story of success tries to answer the question why some become extremely succesfull, deserved or not, and others don’t. Gladwell argues that outliers rise on a “tide of advantages” like ethnic background, when and where you were born and other factors together with some luck to become truly successful. In his book, he talks about things as the 10.000 hour rule, Harlan Kentucky, and Rice paddies and math tests. As we are used from Gladwell, not (entirely) scientific but well researched and full of interesting and fun trivia make it a nice read.
MySpace Marketing: Creating a Social Network to Boom Your Business
After a book on Marketing on Facebook was launched in September 2008, Sean Percival is now publishing a book on Myspace Marketing: Creating a Social Network to Boom Your Business in Q1 2009. Not the first of it’s kind, but the contents of the book as well as the topic itself is absolutely relevant for organizations. With for instance 6mln+ members on Dutch social network Hyves, these social networks are a marketers heaven and the question how to effectively market those target audiences is more relevant (as well as more difficult) then ever. The book itself covers all the basics you would expect in a book on marketing: from an introduction to Myspace and an assessment whether your business is right for Myspace to a practical, step-by-step guide on how to market on Myspace. With inspiring mini case studies, the book shows you the tactics that work. However, the accompanying Ning Network could use some work though…
Written on 1st December 2008
22 COMMENTS
Boris Veldhuijzen van Zanten, Serial Internet Entrepreneur
I never liked the term Viral Marketing. It just sounds like bad karma. Viruses are associated with diseases and death. Do you want to associate your product or service with that?
It also sounds too easy. All these marketeers being asked for, or offering, a quick ‘Viral Campaign’ by clients. That is like asking for a quick number one music hit or a quick successful start-up. Wishing for it doesn’t make it so.
Anyway. I have found a better word: Reverberate
Reverberating, according to my dictionary, means: To resound in a succession of echoes; reecho
I like that! This is exactly what a good marketing campaign does. It reverberates through the blogosphere, on Twitter and offline. With every reecho of your message a new echo is born. You can hear the whispering bouncing off the walls in dark alleys. Your message, reverberating from individual to individual. Constantly changing in form, just like a real echo. The underlying message, the concept, always strong and carrying your echo, but maturing as it passes along.
Just like an echo your marketing campaign will die out, eventually. That isn’t bad. It will be replaced by your actual product or service. People will be prepared for it because they have heard the echo. Maybe not even conscientiously. They might not even know they heard the echo. But they did, and they recognize it.
Forget Viral. Aim for a message that will reverberate.
Written on 30th November 2008
2 COMMENTS
Ernst-Jan Pfauth, editor in chief
In one of his latest email newsletters, Mahalo CEO Jason Calacanis predicted that the economic downturn will boost social media. In an age where experiences are more important than expenses, social media advertising will flourish, Calacanis wrote.
Advertisers will start cutting print, outdoor, TV, and radio (probably in that order) in favor of the internet’s action-based offerings such as CPA (cost per acquisition), CPL (cost per lead), and CPC (cost per click).
Conversation Agent Valeria Maltoni foresees the same. Since 2006, she has been active in the social media marketing scene because she noticed “the line between marketing and public relations would be blurring considerably with greater adoption of social media”. Maltoni thinks the profession has matured and that it’s about time for an award:
It’s not all talk anymore. Social media is becoming part of our language and behavior – as customers first, as professionals a close second. The terminology may or will change, the dynamics remain. It’s extreme personalization driving it – listening, having a voice, making a difference to the final results.
With all of this in mind, if it doesn’t hurt too much, I think it would be interesting to propose how I would do a list from which to nominate the Social Media Marketer of the Year.
Maltoni isn’t thinking about just a posh show which is all about good PR – she really wants to make an effort. There must be a handpicked panel of judges who would study a collection of metrics and evaluations: “Together, we’d choose metrics that are less open to personal judgment”. Since social media is all about opinion, Maltoni doesn’t want to rule out the subjective judgments completely. She goes on by summing up some possible parameters – like RSS counts, number of blog comments, ROI, and Quantcast reach.
I think Maltoni’s idea deserves some more attention than just three comments – that’s why I wrote this post. If we could come to a solid system with which we can choose the social media marketeer, we will not only have a good party – but also an interesting way of calculating one’s success. Click here to post your selection or join the discussion in the comments.
Written on 28th November 2008
2 COMMENTS
Zee, Editor in Chief at The Next Web, Principal at WeDoCreative.
“Pomegranate??” you’re thinking.
“Yes, Pomegranate” I reply.
The Pomegranate is a phone which puts the iPhone in it’s place, shows the blackberry what emailing is all about and makes Nokia’s Vertu shameful of it’s looks. The Pomegranate NS08 Phone, shaped like a the most beautiful tear from one’s eye yet carries features and design we can only smile about…
It’s the ultimate emailing device, web browser, photo/video camera, media player, navigation device, PowerPoint projector and – wait for it- it will even brew you your coffee!
If I sound like i’m really laying it on thick here and there’s no way you wouldn’t have already heard of the device…well, it’s true.
The Pomegranate NS08 phone unfortunately doesn’t exist and if you’ve visited the site already you’ll find it’s all a whacky viral campaign for Nova Scotia (the Canadian province!).
How they’re related? Well the first line says it all…”Having everything you want in a phone, may be a stretch…But a place that has everything, definitely exists.”
I personally think it’s a wonderful piece of viral marketing. It’s a piece that’s bound to cause a stir across the web and with any luck, it’ll have people visiting Nova Scotia not only for what it has to offer but also to find out who could have created such an innovative piece of viral marketing! :)
(Thanks to Dave Pook on Friendfeed for the heads up.)
Written on 27th November 2008
3 COMMENTS
Zee, Editor in Chief at The Next Web, Principal at WeDoCreative.
A study commissioned by The Internet Advertising Bureau and completed by Internet market research firm Nielsen Online has demonstrated the strength of brand building online.
The study measured the impact on Kellogg’s Sultana Bran by tracking the responses of two separate groups, one that had been targeted using Kellogg’s full marketing force including it’s online ads and the other the same but without online ads.
The results will be good news for online advertising agencies as they highlighted favorable sentiment, propensity to purchase, a boosted brand recall and a higher willingness to recommend the product. The study has defintely taken steps towards disproving marketers who believe the internet is useless to brands looking to expand and enhance their brand image.
The next step for the Internet Advertising Bureau is to conduct further studies to learn which types of advertising seem to reap the most benefits. The bureau’s chairman, Paul Fisher, quoted in the SMH says “It should make TV people sit up and think about how they can get the maximum impact for their clients.”
An article in the Economist published today also highlighted the stability and potential growth of online advertising in 2009. The article highlights the fact that the web has changed greatly over the last few years particularly from an advertising standpoint. Nowadays, search engine advertising and interactive rich media ads play a far larger role than in earlier on in the decade – accounting for over 70% of ads online. Thanks to this, tracking performance is far easier than it once was and in doing so, makes ads online a much more concrete investment.
This week, Market-research firm eMarketer predicted that online-advertising spending in the US will increase by 8.9% in 2009, search advertising alone will grow by 14.9% and rich-media ads by 7.5%.
So maybe not such a bad year ahead for online advertising after all…?
The Next Web Blog is closely associated with The Next Web Conference which is held annually in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. At this event speakers from all over the world come together to talk about, and show off, the future of the Web. (More info 
