7 Habits of Great Online Marketers

There are some common characteristics of well-planned, well-executed online campaigns. So says Ari Bluman of 24/7 Real Media (Courtesty of IMedia's newsletter.)

Habit #4 is: "Match your creative to your offer and target audience, and don't sing on one note. If you send the wrong message or bore your audience, you'll get the wrong result. Get the creative right. Make sure your message says what you want said, in a way that will be effective with your audience. Make it clear, and make it concise. Don't let artistry blind you to irrelevance. Vary what you say and how you say it, too: successful campaigns generally ring the changes, with multiple messages or variations on one main message, delivered in multiple sizes."

Me: We have certainly found this to be true. It's one of the key reason I think our Saxon Homeschool curriculum promotion worked so well.

Radio Trends: Satellite Radio

All of us with an interest in Christian radio continue to carefully watch trends such as satellite radio, pod-casting and wide-area wi-fi.

On the satellite radio front, here's a recent WaPo article on the ongoing battle between XM and Sirius.

One noteworthy paragraph:

A recent NPD Group survey found that more people still listen to downloaded music than satellite radio. But the satellite radio audience is likely to grow as deals the two companies have made with automakers start to generate a critical mass. April Horace, an analyst for Hoefer & Arnett Inc., estimates the total number of satellite radio subscribers will reach 20 million in five years.

Re: Re: Classic?

On the other hand...

I think a strong case can be made for extending the "Classic Rock" era through 1982--to pick up Dire Straights, Journey, Van Halen, REO Speedwagon, et al.

This may also be appropriate because I believe MTV launched in 1982 and pretty much changed everything (see "Dark Ages" in the previous post.)

Re: Classic?

Chris, I've given this some serious thought and am now prepared to issue a ruling. (Tell the boys down at the Bureau of Standards, Weights and Measures to have pen and paper handy):

"Classic Rock" is music (a) released between 1968 and 1978, AND, (b) was best played loud, AND, (c) was incomprehensible to anyone over 35.

This definition disqualifies Leo Sayer, Barry Manilow, Mac Davis, and Vicki Lawrence on criteria (b) and (c.) It disqualifies all "Hair Bands" (Def Leppard, Poison, Lover Boy, Motley Crue, and the ones that prompted your post) on criterion (a).

I suggest the following classification system:

1955-1958 Embryonic Rock (Buddy Holly; Bill Haley)
1958-1968 Early Rock (Elvis, Early Beatles, Early Stones)
1968-1978 Classic Rock (Doobies, Bad Company, Nazareth)
1978-1988 New Wave/Hair Band Era (The Cars, The Knack, The Clash)
1988-Present The Dark Ages

So let it be written...

"Classic"?

My son is going to be 9 in November, which doesn't exactly trigger my feelings of youth. I am only 32 but I had a disturbing experience recently flipping on the local classic rock station only to hear songs from when I was in high school. Since when is Guns N' Roses' "Paradise City" classic rock? I would question categorizing anything by Queensryche, Skid Row or Whitesnake as classic. The Beatles are on the oldies station now. That used to be what I considered as classic. It is only a matter of time before we'll hear "Whole Lotta Love" in the dentist's waiting room. We're getting dangerously close to needing a new category. Perhaps "primitive rock" or "antediluvian hits"?

Counting Radio Listeners

The folks at Arbitron have been testing a new People Meter-type radio ratings service down in Houston. What are the implications for radio stations and advertisers if this new system is adopted nationwide?

The Radio Adverstising Bureau asked Forrester Research the same question.

Your Guide to the Karl Rove Thingy

"What's the big deal with Karl Rove that has everyone's knickers in a twist?"

My wife asked me that question this weekend (ok, I embellished the part about the knickers.) As I tried to provide a coherent answer, I realized that someone needed to create a simple, chronological breakdown of this faux-scandal.

Today...National Review Online's Cliff May to the rescue. Here are your Cliff's notes on RoveGate...

NEWS OF THE WEEKEND IN REVIEW [Cliff May]
1) Bob Novak's column said Valerie Plame worked at the CIA -- but not that she was any kind of secret agent. Novak says he wasn?t told that, didn?t know that and if he had known he would not have named her in the column. .

2) Joe Wilson has now admitted that, in fact, Plame was not undercover when Novak named her.

3) Plame's supervisor at the CIA has now said -- on the record -- that Plame told friends and family she worked for the CIA. She was not hiding that fact, or at least not hiding it well.

4) The first one to say that Plame, Wilson's wife, was a secret agent -- a ?top-secret operative? -- was David Corn in the left-wing magazine, The Nation, based on his conversations with Joe Wilson. Corn also first raised the idea that a crime had been committed, that people in the Bush administration committed the crime, that they did so not because they had anything against Plame but rather as a bank-shot way to punish Wilson.

5) Joe Wilson did not tell the truth when he denied that Plame, his wife and a CIA official, helped him get the Africa assignment; a bipartisan Senate committee has established that.

6) Reporters heard rumors about Plame arranging Wilson?s trip to Africa. Cooper asked Rove about it. Rove said he?d heard the same thing ? perhaps from another reporter.

7) So Rove was telling the truth to a reporter. That may be an unusual event in Washington but it is probably not criminal or scandalous.

8) The real scandal ? ignored by the MSM -- is that on a major issue like whether Saddam Hussein was seeking uranium in Africa, the CIA didn?t have a single spy or experienced investigator to assign. Perhaps they were all busy with sensitivity training or were in Spanish language classes. So the CIA instead assigned a retired career diplomat known for his antipathy toward the administration. It did that based on the recommendation of his wife who had already come to the conclusion that Saddam buying uranium in Africa was ?crazy.?

9) Evidence continues to suggest that Saddam was indeed seeking uranium in Africa, which is why British intelligence stands by that conclusion. In particular, the British expressed concern about a secret1998 Iraqi trade mission to Niger. Why was that suspicious ? not only to the British but also to the Prime Minister of Niger? Because Niger is an impoverished, land-locked desert nation with little to sell ? except uranium. Wilson learned about this trade mission, too., It set off no alarms for him but it did for others at the CIA who disagreed with his analysis of his own information collection.

10) Read today?s pieces by Andy McCarthy and Mark Levin and John Podhoretz's Corner post from this morning for more news and insights.

Which Typeface?

As our clients know, I have some strong opinions about typefaces and fonts. In printed materials, type matters (if you want them to be read.)

Over the years, the abundance of research has shown that "serif" fonts, such as Times and Garamond, are much more readable than "san serif" faces such as Ariel and Helvitica (see this for example).

However, most designers strongly prefer san serif fonts because they look more contemporary and modern. Of course a designers nature is to be concerned with how things "look." Nevertheless, when it comes to long "body copy" on paper--serif is the way to go.

But what about on the computer screen?

Where email and web pages are concerned, it turns out that just the opposite is true! Here are some folks who have done the research...

http://www.beadesigngroup.com/blog/archives/2004/07/serif_vs_sans.html
http://www.wpdfd.com/wpdtypo5.htm
http://www.wilsonweb.com/wmt6/html-email-fonts.htm

Reporting Live from Bookworld

I am currently at the Christian Booksellers Association convention in Denver. The annual tradeshow for all things involving Christian publishing.

Walking around the convention hall I am reminded of Solomon's observation in Ecclesiates, that there is "no end to the writing of books." Scores of publishers are bringing out thousands of new titles this Fall, each hoping that they have the next Purpose Driven Life, Prayer of Jabez, or Left Behind series in their lineups.

As the longtime presence of the above titles on the mainstream bestseller lists attests, the Christian audience is a huge market in this country. That has not gone unnoticed by big-dog secular companies such ans Time-Warner, et al. (Which is why nearly every Christian music recording label has been "acquired" by one big secular conglomerate or another.)

More reports to come!

Re: Chicken Wings

You're supposed to eat the celery? (I thought it was for making littles corrals for the chicken bones so they don't mingle with the un-eaten wings.)

Welcome, Christopher. Great first post!

Initial thoughts

I have had few honors in my life as great as when I was asked to be a contributor to The Hangar. I did meet Richard Kiel once (star of Eegah!, The Human Duplicators and The Phantom Planet) at a religious broadcasters convention. Nonetheless, I take this privilege very seriously and it is with great trepidation that I post my inaugural entry. After much deliberation, I have purposed in my heart to avoid trying to make a big splash and simply discuss hot wings. Yes, hot wings, there is nothing like them. In my book, hot wings are the greatest food ever created on God?s green earth. If stranded on a desert isle I would be far beyond content with an endless supply of hot wings. But today I come to you with a request: ?Please stop dipping them in the bleu cheese dressing.? Ladies and gentlemen, I implore you, just eat the hot wings. The bleu cheese dressing is for the celery.

I had the privilege of growing up in Fort Lauderdale, home of the greatest hot wing establishment Wings ?N Things. I was hoping to include a link to their website, but had difficulty finding it (apparently wingsandthings.com is a creepy taxidermy site). I even called down to Florida to ask them, but they don?t have a website. How good do you have to be to not even need a website! However, since moving away from Ft. Lauderdale 12 years ago, I have yet to find anyone who makes hot wings with such excellence as my beloved Wings ?N Things. I do a bit of traveling for business, so any recommendations from your neck of the woods would be greatly appreciated (breaded hot wing entries need not apply).

One more 4th of July Thought...

Our friend, Stephen Mansfield, author of the recently released book, The Faith of the American Soldier, has a moving post on his blog about the reaction he's getting as he tours the country promoting the book.

Please read it...

It happens almost every day. At a book signing or a speech or a television appearance, they find me. They are veterans of one of America?s wars or they are the mothers of soldiers in Iraq. Some are just back from Afghanistan and some are still haunted by Vietnam.

They approach me because they want to thank someone for honoring the valor of our soldiers. There are others far more worthy of this gratitude, but I am available so I listen to them as though receiving for our generation.

A mother starts to tell me what it means that I encourage prayer and understanding of her child in Iraq and she cannot finish her sentence. She collapses in tears in my arms. A Vietnam vet who got nothing but suspicion after he risked his life at his country?s bidding approaches me slowly. He wonders if I will honor him as I have the young who fight for us now. I do. In fact, I let my mushy side emerge and I give him a big hug and thank him for his service. When I let go, he tightens his arms around me. I realize it may be the first time anyone has told him what his country should have shown him time and again. He walks away wordlessly, tears streaming.

A father walks up to me, tries to speak, breaks into tears and then just opens his wallet to a picture of a khaki-clad young woman holding a two-year old child. This father is raising this child while his daughter is serving in Afghanistan. He cannot talk about it. He points to my book, puts his big hand on my shoulder and as he does I notice the tattoo that tells me he has known the taste of battle. He stands there, his big hand squeezing my shoulder, trying to tell me something that is too deep. He gives me a hard pat and walks away. I get it though. God, do I get it.

I must say this to the thousands who read this blog. I don?t care if you think we should not be in Iraq or Afghanistan. What I care about are the soldiers who are doing their nation?s bidding. If we treat them as we did the Vietnam generation it will be the ultimate statement of our moral poverty as a people. Love them. Honor them. Thank them. They didn?t start the war but they are fighting it well and they are long from being done. Let?s not help create another generation of haunted veterans. We are better than that and, more importantly, the sacrifices of our countrymen abroad call for the best we have to give.

More soon.

A Briton Writes of America on the 4th

Here's the final paragraph of an amazing essay featured in today's edition of my favorite European newspaper, The Scotsman:

"Could the United States be doing better? Wrong question. If not America, then who? No-one, that's who. At its best, America and American ideals remain, in Lincoln's famous words, "the last, best hope of mankind". The United States still believes in a place called hope. As it celebrates its 229th birthday today, we should too."

Entire piece here...

Happy Independence Day

Today I am celebrating the freedom we all enjoy?purchased, defended and preserved through the sacrifice of patriots through the generations?by working.

That's right. I'm working today and happy to be at it. Grateful to have meaningful work that I love, in a country that still offers the freedom to pursue my happy dreams--including the freedom to fail in the trying. (I understand what apparently many of my fellow Americans and the vast majority of Europeans do not. Namely, that you can't be both "free" and "taken care of.")

May God preserve our nation and raise up new generations of Americans who value freedom above security.