Brand Strategy

It Takes a Village

Thu, 03 Nov 2011 08:00:00 -0500

This white paper discusses primary research I did in conjunction with the Ad Club at Media Innovation Day on September 22, 2011.

Understanding The New Male Household Shopper

Sun, 18 Sep 2011 08:00:00 -0500

Men are undertaking an unprecedented level of responsibility in managing their households. Researchers project that they could be taking on an equal share of household responsibilities and childcare by about 2050. Check out our white paper that explores this noteworthy trend:

How Far Reaching is the Impact of Diversity in the Workplace?

Thu, 02 Jun 2011 04:30:00 -0500

This Diversity Impact Index considers the current initiatives that companies host to promote diversity within the workplace, within the community, as well as the level of relevancy diversity initiatives have on employees' professional satisfaction.

Calling all Female Financial Advisors

Wed, 18 May 2011 09:00:00 -0500

Right now, only 30% of Financial Advisors are women out of 300,000+ advisors in the United States, yet 60% of all working women are responsible for making major financial decisions at home.

Cutting the Cord on your TV Set

Tue, 17 May 2011 07:00:00 -0500

Well, maybe not just yet.
It’s interesting to note, though, that for the first time in nearly 20 years, the number of homes in the United States with television sets has actually dropped.
The Nielsen Co., which takes TV set ownership into account when it produces ratings, now estimates that 96.7 percent of American households now own sets, down from 98.9 percent previously.

The Perils of Old Media

Wed, 13 Apr 2011 11:00:00 -0500

Long lead times create problems for magazines in a real time world

Women test driving at the auto dealership and men pushing the grocery cart

Mon, 04 Apr 2011 11:00:00 -0500

Recently, Ad Age reported on the results of a Yahoo study stating that more than half of men now believe they’re in charge of the grocery cart! But, why are they there and what are they thinking?

Trading Perfection for Rubber

Mon, 28 Mar 2011 19:40:00 -0500

In a national survey of 250 women a&g’s strategic planning group found that the majority of professional women believe it is important to take risks in order to succeed in their careers, but 39% report not having taken many risks in their careers. Catherine Sheehan explores the disconnect.

Is Paying $1.5 Million for a 30 second commercial (March) Madness?

Wed, 23 Mar 2011 06:30:00 -0500

Advertisers are paying $1.5 million for a single TV spot on the NCAA Men's Basketball Championship Game. Are they getting their money's worth?

Behavioral Advertising: Do You Have An "Iconic" Strategy?

Tue, 08 Mar 2011 14:00:00 -0600

The Digital Advertising Alliance (DAA) has released guidelines for including an Online Behavioral Advertising (OBA) icon on behaviorally targeted ads.

Own It

Tue, 08 Mar 2011 13:00:00 -0600

Using sponsorships and corporate partnerships to create comprehensive media and ownership opportunities for clients in a cost-efficient way.

Chrysler Has Come a LONG Way

Fri, 11 Feb 2011 14:00:00 -0600

Most of us are aware of how expensive a 30-second commercial spot was during the Super Bowl this past Sunday ($3 million), so the first question that came to my mind when I saw the 2 minute Chrysler commercial titled "Born of Fire" was, are they (Chrysler and their ad agency Wieden+Kennedy) out of their mind?

Super Bowl Insights [LIVE]

Sun, 06 Feb 2011 20:08:00 -0600

We've got the results of our mobile survey here. Check this page throughout the big game for deep insights into multigenerational opinions of this year's Super Bowl commercials.

Deja Vu All Over Again

Thu, 03 Feb 2011 08:28:00 -0600

2011 is shaping up to be the year of the Social Media Bowl. With the big game fast approaching, marketers are working hard to generate pre-game buzz for their clients. This year, the buzzometers flavor du jour is social media.

From Super Bowl Spectator To Facebook Fan

Wed, 02 Feb 2011 10:38:00 -0600

The 2003 Terry Tate commercial for Reebok that I referenced earlier was viewed over 7 million times onReebok’s website (and millions of times more on YouTube); and the office enforcer has 31,102 fans on Facebook. In an age when brands are increasingly trying to leverage paid media into owned and earned media a Super Bowl commercial can be the perfect platform because of the massive reach it provides.

Where are they now?

Tue, 01 Feb 2011 14:21:00 -0600

As we begin to see teasers for 2011 Super Bowl ads from the likes of Anheuser-Busch, Hyundai and Audi—brands who are already campaigning for viewers interest—we wanted to take a look back at the “most meaningful” ads of our 2010 Super Bowl Survey to see what how meaningful-ness played into the brands’ performance over this past year.

8th Annual Meaningful Messages Super Bowl Survey

Mon, 24 Jan 2011 11:49:00 -0600

Although our beloved New England Patriots didn’t make it past the playoffs, we at Allen & Gerritsen are watching a play-off season of our own: Super Bowl advertising trailers and the marketing events that surround the big game.

Trade Magazines

Thu, 20 Jan 2011 13:40:00 -0600

It’s with a twinge of sadness that we leave behind the shuttered trade magazines of 2010. Among this group were some well known titles, including the following from Reed –Elsevier’s stable”:

Interactive Video is Here!

Fri, 12 Nov 2010 05:30:00 -0600

In the past few months, we've seen the online video industry take a few serious steps forward. At a&g, we talk a lot about personalized media and non-linear storytelling, so we're thrilled to see those two trends leading the charge in online video. Here's a quick recap of what's been happening.

Today’s Emerging Technology Visionaries

Wed, 13 Oct 2010 12:30:00 -0500

Last week, Allen & Gerritsen hosted a kickoff event “GeoM” for Boston’s FutureM. FutureM was a collaborative multi-location conference offering participants the opportunity to tap into the freshest thinkers in marketing, media and technology (Think SxSW with a New England accent).

Recap of a&g’s Geo-location Summit

Tue, 12 Oct 2010 08:00:00 -0500

As part of #FutureM week in Boston, Allen and Gerritsen hosted a half-day summit on the future of location-based services. The event brought together the leading platforms, thinkers and strategists in the location space.

Whrrl Comes to Android

Mon, 11 Oct 2010 08:00:00 -0500

Today, personalized discovery platform Whrrl released its much-anticipated Android application. Thus far, Whrrl has only supported an iPhone application and a mobile web app. Despite its lack of smart phone market penetration, Whrrl has managed to secure about 400,000 users. Pelago, makers of Whrrl, have been hard at work perfecting the personalized recommendation model.

Social Media Metrics

Mon, 20 Sep 2010 09:30:00 -0500

You’ve been in the business for a while. You’ve seen a lot of changes. You’ve been sticking your toe (or perhaps a leg) in social media. You’re a marketer so you need to be flexible, innovative and willing to try new things, but deep down inside you’re wondering what this social media stuff is doing for your business. You know you “have to be there,” but you’re always thinking about what else you could have done with the money.

Seven Gaming Mechanics to Use in Your Repeatable Owned Media Experience

Mon, 20 Sep 2010 08:00:00 -0500

At a&g, we preach a paid-earned-owned media philosophy. We find that owned media is the part of that philosophy that most people struggle to understand. Moreover, we find that making owned media as addicting as Farmville is a larger challenge. After all, games are addicting; websites (typically) are not.

Do clients want their agencies stuck in (media) neutral?

Wed, 18 Aug 2010 13:30:00 -0500

How many agency websites state, "We're Media Neutral," or, "We're Media Agnostic?" Perhaps too many...

4 Things Going Social in 2010

Mon, 09 Aug 2010 08:00:00 -0500

People may not be passionate about everywhere they go. Maybe that’s why according to Forrester Research, 96% of adults do not check-in and broadcast their locations with their mobile phones. However, many people are passionate about what television shows and movies they watch. And increasingly, more people are spending time watching TV and movies online, or multi-tasking on their laptops while they watch. Maybe that’s why popular TV shows regularly reach trending topic status on Twitter.

a&g's Location-Based Services Cheat Sheet

Tue, 03 Aug 2010 08:00:00 -0500

We have been a little obsessed with the possibilities of location-based social networks and gaming platforms lately so we decided to check ourselves instead of checking in. We hope you enjoy this tongue-in-cheek look at the LBS space. As always, if you have questions about how to activate with this stuff, drop us a tweet (@schneidermike or @EricLeist), leave us a comment, or contact us here.

a&g Goes On The Hunt with SCVNGR

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 08:00:00 -0500

If you compare all location-based services to Foursquare, you need to stop right now. The user experience on SCVNGR, an application for virtual scavenger hunts, is entirely different from those on other location-based services. Yesterday, The Ad Club hosted a SCVNGR hunt for local advertising and marketing professionals to find the judges for the The Hatch Awards. Eight a&g employees joined the hunt in downtown Boston.

Reflections on MITX's Location-Based Services Panel

Thu, 22 Jul 2010 08:00:00 -0500

Our own Mike Schneider moderated this week’s MITX panel discussion titled “To Check-In or Not To Check-In? The Opportunities of Location Based Social Networking.” The panel consisted of Pegshot co-founder Phil Thomas Di Giulio, Yelp Boston Marketing Director Leighann Farrelly, and Wayne Sutton, Business Development & Marketing Strategist for TriOut.

Where Art Thou?

Tue, 18 May 2010 09:00:00 -0500

Foursquare just passed the million user mark with 40 million check-ins. This explosion of location-based social networking is generating a wealth of data that can be used for smarter marketing. With the availability of data, arises the need to integrate, synthesize and ultimately visualize this data to derive patterns and relationships and most importantly, insight.

Putting the "C" back into "C to B"

Wed, 07 Apr 2010 08:30:00 -0500

Let me ask you some simple questions about your current marketing efforts...

1. Have you talked to your target audience recently about what’s on their minds?

2. Are your Facebook fans more valuable customers than those on your email list? How much more?

Chevrolet's SXSW Interactive Test Drive

Tue, 23 Mar 2010 08:00:00 -0500

This year major brands had huge presences at SXSW Interactive. Three put themselves out there in a big way, but one of them went the extra mile to entangle themselves in the very fabric of SXSW this year. Very few people came away from this year's conference without a Chevrolet story or experience. They understood that the people at the conference were a channel for them and they gave social media influencers like Joe Jaffe, CC Chapman, Shira Lazar compelling content for their followers. AOL sponsored. Pepsi sponsored and dipped their toe in, but Chevrolet really test drove earned media. AOL and Pepsi both had giant experiences, but fell short.

For Our Multi-National B2B Clients, Success Hinges on Careful Examination of Cultural Context

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 14:00:00 -0500

A recent business trip to Bangalore revealed that the very thing that brings multi-nationals to India can present it own challenges when selling in India.

Sensory Marketing

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 16:30:00 -0500

Looking for a medium to make an emotional connection with your audience? Perhaps you’ve been thinking in terms digital, traditional or even event vehicles? Well, there’s another channel right under your nose. Welcome to Scent Marketing.

Basil Dixon Recounts the 4A's Transformation Conference

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 15:00:00 -0600

The 4A’s Transformation Conference just ended in San Francisco. For the first time the association’s Leadership Conference was combined with its Media Conference. So what did we learn?

The Case for Share of Awareness

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 14:30:00 -0600

One predictable byproduct of the recent advertising recession has been the spate of somewhat self-serving white papers (from agencies) on why advertisers should maintain their budgets. Increasing a brand’s marketing budget is certainly helpful in spreading awareness, but it’s not just about paid media anymore.

What's in a Name?

Fri, 19 Feb 2010 04:30:00 -0600

Telescopic Explosion Mascara. This is the name of the product that was being featured in the: 30 TV spot that interrupted whatever slice of network or cable broadcasting that I was semi-engrossed in. I’m not sure what I was watching at the time. But no doubt I was drawn in to some programming that boasted women 25-54 as part of its demo. Otherwise I never would have had the opportunity to even know that something called Telescopic Explosion Mascara even existed.

Allen & Gerritsen’s 7th annual Meaningful Messages Super Bowl Ad Survey

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0600

Allen & Gerritsen’s 7th annual Meaningful Messages Super Bowl Ad survey ranks commercials by performance, not popularity. The survey gets to the heart of the matter: “Do you buy it?” In other words, do the ads have meaning and will you be persuaded into buying the product advertised?

Andrew Graff Walks Us Through the Anatomy of a Super Bowl Ad in Boston.com

Fri, 05 Feb 2010 07:30:00 -0600

GoDaddy.com has turned heads over the past few years with its raunchy, random Super Bowl advertising. To its credit, GoDaddy.com has stood out against behemoth advertisers - but do consumers know what product or service is being sold? Andrew Graff takes readers on a tour of a brand’s advertising objectives and motivations when it comes to the Super Bowl.

Do You Buy It?

Wed, 03 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0600

It’s that time of year again, when speculation runs rampant around which brands have abstained, which submissions are too risque or too conservative, and which have sunk a production budget that would make Cameron Crowe blush. This, of course, is Super Bowl season and the game is what happens in-between these breathlessly anticipated spots.

MediaPost Recognizes Allen & Gerritsen's Proprietary Holiday Shopping Satisfaction Survey

Tue, 12 Jan 2010 15:00:00 -0600

Allen & Gerritsen polled 400 consumers during the week after Christmas in an effort to understand how the economy effected shopping habits and holiday celebrations. Delving into issues of budget management, shopping channels and overall gift satisfaction, Allen & Gerritsen uncovers provocative insights for the retail industry.

Allen & Gerritsen's Post-Mortem Holiday Survey

Tue, 12 Jan 2010 14:30:00 -0600

Watertown, MA (January 12, 2010)— Retail stores still trump online stores as the go-to holiday destination, but online retailers are delivering higher customer satisfaction, according to a post-holiday survey of 400 people conducted by advertising agency Allen & Gerritsen (a&g).

Allen & Gerritsen Releases Its Holiday Shopping Satisfaction Survey

Tue, 12 Jan 2010 00:00:00 -0600

One might say 2009 was a year of budget cutting and economic pressure. That got us thinking - how did the economic situation effect how people shopped and celebrated the holidays this year, how did they manage their budgets, and how satisfied were they with the gifts they received?

Digital Predictions for 2010

Thu, 17 Dec 2009 08:00:00 -0600

MITX recently gave some industry colleagues and I a chance to speak on behalf of the Agency and cite predictions for the Digital space in 2010. So I broke out the tea leaves, tarot cards, crystal ball and my old Oracle ID badge.

The Boston Business Journal Takes a Look at Advertising Agencies' Contribution to Product Development

Mon, 14 Dec 2009 13:30:00 -0600

Advertising agencies are increasingly adding value for their clients as product development partners. With access to tremendous consumer research and insight, agencies may find product design to be a key service offering in the future.

Paul Allen Weighs in on MediaPost about Billy Mays and the Worst Case of Selling Past the Close

Thu, 03 Dec 2009 11:00:00 -0600

Allen & Gerritsen Chairman, Paul Allen, shares his thoughts on Billy Mays infomercials still airing after the pitchman’s death and what that says about Mays’ legacy and the ad world’s selling tactics.

"A Toy State State of Mind"

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 18:00:00 -0600

In an effort to raise brand awareness in time for the holiday season, global toy company, Toy State, marketing toy vehicles under the brand names Road Rippers and Caterpillar, teamed up with Allen & Gerritsen to create an advertising campaign and brand mascot that cut through the clutter.

The Advertising Ecosystem

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 10:30:00 -0600

For all of us working in marketing, one of the most critical issues we face is quantifying our discipline's contribution to the business goals of our organization. To answer this question, however, we first need to ask: "How does (insert company name here) define success?"

How Green are Your Customers?

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0600

We’ve used this space in past blogs to talk about the growing green movement. From a pure marketing sense, we can’t emphasize enough that, as a company, if you haven’t been asked what you are doing in this space…you will be asked soon. And those questions aren’t going away. Most importantly, it will begin to have a dramatic affect on your business if you can’t articulate or demonstrate efforts here in a real, credible and genuine way.

Reloaded.

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 04:30:00 -0500

The Boston Celtics are reloaded and ready to re-capture another NBA championship. Their new marketing campaign, created by Allen & Gerritsen, will launch tonight on Opening Night of the Celtics' season.