From Say Daily: Page Views Are Dead, Long Live Engagement

You try to frighten me. Admit so, sir. This is some new form of torture.

- Alex in Stanley Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange

For the last 10 years, media watchers and content creators have been talking about how consumers are time-poor, and advertisers have to fight that much harder to get the attention of consumers. And yet media is not sold based on how much time people spend engaging with the content. I'm not talking about buying a 30-second TV spot, or a 15-second radio ad here. I'm talking about people reading an article and taking the time to comment on it or share, people playing a game and posting a high score, or watching a video – again and again.

Advertisers are still, despite all the research into online habits, buying into supposed impact strategies. The worst of these are homepage takeovers (often found on content site homepages – the traditional portals and media properties). Never mind that the average time spent on these content pages can be fractions of a second. If you go to MSN's homepage, you're probably there to go to Outlook (formerly Hotmail), similarly with Yahoo! or AOL. If you're on a showbiz gossip site like MailOnline, TMZ or DigitalSpy, you’re busy scanning down the page for headlines or images that catch your eye.

And this is where the false logic of numbers comes into play. The unique visitor scores for these kinds of home pages will look reassuringly high, even though there's little quality time spent with the content. Advertisers like the idea of a campaign that's “impactful” (even if it isn't a real word), and by “impactful' they mean big. [Read more at Say Daily's The Week in Venn]

From Say Daily: What Advertisers Can Learn From the Top Personal Brands

When you brand yourself properly, the competition becomes irrelevant.

- Dan Schawbel, Millenial Branding

We can all learn a lot from people, not just companies, when it comes to building a brand. The personal brands of celebrities can really teach us a lot about what it takes to be successful in the advertising world today - and tomorrow. Here are a few examples of what some really well-crafted personal brands can teach us:

1. Transparency gives your brand more authenticity. Louis C.K., the famous comedian that sells out shows and has attracted a massive following online and off, knows a lot about transparency. He doesn't play by the traditional entertainment rules and recently released an exclusive comedy special on his website for only five dollars. He asked his fans to not steal the video and put it on illegal websites. His willingness to interact with his fans and be upfront about everything made it a huge success. He posted a screen shot of his PayPal account which showed that the special made over a million dollars. The relationship he has with his fans is that as long as his products aren't stolen, he will continue to produce great content. Advertising agencies should be mindful about how much they spin and deceive others through the media. If you're honest and genuine, you become a likeable brand.

[Read more from The Week in Venn on Say Daily]

Spotlight: To the dogs (and cats, and tapirs)!

Each week, we scout for great posts in our Typepad Showcase that fit a particular theme and are guaranteed to inspire. This week, we've rounded up some of Typepad's best animal loving bloggers for a fun Friday trip to the zoo (and the dog park)! Click through each photo and visit, stay awhile, and try to stop yourself from saying awwww! We bet you can't.

Let's go!

The Washington Humane Society (WHS) Field Services Officers have seen it all, and still every day holds never-before-seen situations. Check out the first in their new monthly series of stories from the field:

Every dog lover has wondered at one time or another just how - and what - dogs think. Luckily, Rolling Dog Farm brings us a truly amazing look into the subject via the New York Times:

The Pet Blog Lady is at it again! She recently had the singular opportunity to send interview questions to the one and only (Twitter and YouTube famous!) Loca the Pug, who lives in Belfast, Ireland:

And finally, our good friends at Zooborns bring us more news of Salzburg Zoo's new baby South American Tapir. Here's a clue - it's a girl! Tune in to the zoo's webcam, and submit your own girly name suggestion for baby tapir!

We hope you enjoyed this week's roundup of fantastic Typepad blogs! Check out more great blogs from animal lovers right here. Interested in joining the Typepad Showcase? Submit your blog today - you might just see yourself in the spotlight!

From SAY Daily: Using Storytelling to Ignite Word-of-Mouth Marketing

Storytelling is by far the most underrated skill when it comes to business.

Gary Vaynerchuk, master marketer and entrepreneur

Even before social media and the Internet were glimmers in Al Gore's eye, "word-of-mouth marketing" was important to brands. That's because people have had conversations about brands since the dawn of time. I still remember, when I worked at a sporting-goods store in high school, my manager telling me that a customer will tell two people about a positive shopping experience but will tell seven people about a bad one. I can't say how valid those numbers are, but the gist rings true: Conversations between consumers about brands are far more influential than any advertisement has been or ever will be.

If you don't believe me, just ask Nielsen. Its 2012 survey of global trust in advertising, which asked consumers what influenced their purchase decisions, found that 92 percent of respondents trust (completely or somewhat) recommendations from people they know. Even if they don't know someone, they still trust that person's opinions more than any other kind of advertising (70 percent trust consumers' opinions posted online). A distant third was editorial content (owned media). So there's no question that while paid, owned and earned media are partly responsible for growing awareness and loyalty, they are no match for the influence of people. [Keep Reading The Week in Venn]

Spotlight: Four great blogs that will make you want to get organized!

Each week, we scout for great blogs in the Typepad Showcase that fit a particular theme and are guaranteed to inspire. This week, we've hand-picked four great Typepad blogs that will make you want to get organized. Each of these blogs is guaranteed to captivate, inspire, and make you think - and get ready to start your spring cleaning. Click through the photos below to visit each blog, and see why we think they're fantastic.

Let's go!

Amy is organizing fabric and findings at nanaCompany:

Bari J offers up some fabulous spring cleaning printables for a mere $4.95!

Delightfully Domestic's Ashley tackled her entire apartment:

And Suzanne from Notes from the Patch has cleaning her gas oven burners down to a science:

We hope you enjoyed this week's roundup of fantastic Typepad blogs! Check out more great Typepad blogs right here. We'd love to see your blog in the Typepad Showcase, so go ahead and submit it today - you might just see yourself in the spotlight!

From SAY Daily: Game On: The Rules of Online Ad Engagement

Reality is broken. Game designers can fix it.

Jane McGonigal, Director of Game Research, Institute for the Future

If you're wondering what engages people consider this: Globally, there are now 1 billion people on the planet who play games for at least an hour a day. And that number is climbing fast with the growing adoption of smartphones and tablets. In fact, Jane McGonigal, director of game research at the Institute for the Future argues in her wildly popular TED talk, we should spend more time playing games too. Games like World of Warcraft give players the opportunity to save worlds, and the incentive to learn the habits of heroes – as well as solve big real-world problems.

Gamification, the process of applying the best elements of gaming to real-world, non-game situations, is also incredibly effective at creating behavioural change. A classic example is Volkswagen's Fun Theory experiment from 2009. By turning a set of subway stairs into piano keys, researchers were able to encourage 66 percent more people to use the stairs over the escalator. More recently and relevantly to digital media, a new Gigya study of billions of user actions with partners like Pepsi, Nike, and Dell, showed that adding gamification to a site boosts engagement by almost a third.

It’s no wonder then that brands have been quick to consider game mechanics to solve an advertising challenge: increasing ad engagement. And it hasn't been just the usual suspects like Pepsi and McDonald's who are trying it either. In 2011, Clarins launched a Facebook game aimed at women which involved managing a successful beauty salon and Aldo created the brilliant Aldo Shoe Paradise. But brands can play games in more places than just Facebook. 2013 was the year that gamification went big in social media and Superbowl ads, proof positive that this is no passing fad. [Read more at SAY Daily]

Spotlight: A Hippity Hoppity Easter

Each week, we scout for great posts in our Typepad Showcase that fit a particular theme and are guaranteed to inspire. This week, we've rounded up some of the best of Typepad's bloggers for an Easter craftacular! Click over and visit, stay awhile, and soak up the atmosphere in these great Typepad blogs.

Let's go!

Amanda Rose & Co. are putting a unique spin on classic Easter eggs with Sharpies!

Check out Bloesem Kids for tips on a perfectly picturesque Easter:

Mustard Seeds' Janna has rounded up everything you'll need for a great Easter, from recipes to music.

And One Crafty Mumma brings us the cutest Easter ever with crochet bunnies!

We hope you enjoyed this week's roundup of fantastic Typepad blogs! Check out more great crafty finds right here. Interested in joining the Typepad Showcase? Submit your blog today - you might just see yourself in the spotlight!

From SAY Daily: Exploring the Future of Digital Media

The future is here, it's just not evenly distributed.

William Gibson

If you're a frequent reader of SAY Daily, you'll know that each quarter we cover an important theme in media and marketing. This time it's different. This week we introduced Say Quarterly, a new digital publication for everyone who needs to connect with people, whether at the office, on a website, as an editor or as a marketer. There is just too much media today — too much competing for our attention. Worse, too much of it is bland, uninteresting or uninspiring — and too easy to tune out. If you want to be noticed by your readers, customers or peers, you have to take a stand (for better or worse). You need a point of view.

There is no fence-sitting when it comes to Mike Bloomberg or Chris Christie. They are polarizing, but people listen, and more important, people join the conversation when these two men take a position on an issue. People rally passionately behind causes they identify with that are clearly articulated. The same is true of the loyal followings that have propelled great magazines, TV shows and digital media brands. FOX News, Girls and Jon Stewart have all built passionate audiences by unapologetically tackling issues from their unique perspectives.

Simply put, point of view is brand. And it's more important than topic. The people you enjoy spending time with usually share your point of view. And when you share a point of view with someone, you can talk about anything. That's true whether you create content, consume it or advertise with it. (Read More at SAY Daily)

Spotlight: What's Cooking? Tomatoes!

Each week, we scout for great blogs in the Typepad Showcase that fit a particular theme and are guaranteed to inspire. This week, we've hand-picked four great Typepad bloggers who are cooking with tomatoes and want to show you how they do it. Click through the photos below to visit and see why we think they're fantastic.

Zach and Clay from The Bitten Word are cooking up some Stewed Scallions and Tomatoes:

Steve at Oui, Chef is roasting tomatoes for a Tomato-Basil Tart with Sharp Cheddar:

Mountain Masala's Craig Mitchell teaches us how to make Tomato Powder:

And finally, Chef Pinod whips up a gorgeous vegetarian Paneer Shashlik:

We hope you enjoyed this week's roundup of great Typepad blogs! Check out more fantastic foodies right here. We'd love to see your blog in the Typepad Showcase, so go ahead and submit it today - you might just see yourself in the spotlight!

Join the Typepad Advisory Panel!

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We can see you nodding enthusiastically, so get on board!

We all know that Typepad is the best blogging service around, and in order to keep it that way, we need your help. That's why we're forming a new advisory panel made up of Typepad bloggers like you, powered by enthusiasm, dedication, and the zeal to get things done.

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Then our Typepad Advisory Panel may be perfect for you. If you don't meet all of the criteria above, don't worry! Enthusiasm, consistent blogging, and a desire to make Typepad the best it can be are the most important factors.

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