Happy Holidays from Launch Interactive! We wish all a happy and healthy holiday, and good luck in the New Year!

In the meantime, we’ve dug out our old photo albums and are reminiscing about our favorite holiday memories. Check out our holiday greeting and help us figure out, who is who!?

Click here to view our e-card.

I think it’s safe to say that we can go ahead and etch this into stone:

Launch survived the year 2009.

This year proved to be a challenging one as new and existing clients struggled to keep an interactive perspective on their marketing budgets. All and all, we pushed through projects, knocked on doors, soared in wowing clients, waved goodbye and hello to clients, pitched our hearts out, and pushed through each day.

Just keeping the projects flowing was a huge accomplishment considering the economic state of the outside world. But interactive seemed to take and upswing as many of our clients realized that going online is an affordable and organic way to approach getting the word out. We’d have to agree it’s the way to go. Although some of our projects included the smell of freshly-printed paper.

It’s true that many of our projects humbled us and some inspired us, but somewhere along the way we realized a few things…

Read More…

A few months ago, I gave a presentation to the local PHP group on CouchDB. For some background information, see my previous blog post about CouchDB and key-value data stores. Today I would like to provide a little more information on CouchDB along with a few examples.

CouchDB uses a RESTful API for queries and returns information in JSON. In my database, I set up an example database named phpug that models how CouchDB may be used to store events for an events calendar. I populated the database with random events occurring between 2009 and 2012 and belonging to a few different categories. Here are some example queries.

When no parameters are sent to the database, it returns a welcome message and the version.

URI: http://db.exampledomain.com/
Response:

{
	"couchdb":"Welcome",
	"version":"0.8.0-incubating"
}

When a database is added to the URI, statistics for that database are returned.

URI: http://db.exampledomain.com/phpug
Response:

 {
	"db_name":"phpug",
	"doc_count":0,
	"doc_del_count":0,
	"update_seq":0,
	"compact_running":false,
	"disk_size":4096
}

Finally, when an id is added to the URI, the document associated with that identifier is returned. Note the _id and _rev fields. The _id holds the identifier for the document. This can either be set or automatically generated. In this case, the populate script I used created the id. _rev denotes the revision of the current document.

URI: http://db.exampledomain.com/phpug/meeting-2009-09-24
Response:

 {
	"_id":"meeting-2009-09-24",
	"_rev":"4184112083",
	"location":"Kelly's",
	"time":"19:00",
	"date":"2009-09-24"
}

Views are an important way to bring back specific data in CouchDB. They could be considered somewhat equivalent to the WHERE clause in SQL. The following view was setup to bring back data by date and type (I have only included one meeting type in the example below) as well as provide a count of events in the database.

{
	"date": {
		"map": "function(doc) {
			emit(doc.date, doc);
		}"
	},
	"meetings": {
		"map": "function(doc) {
			if( doc.category == 'Meeting' ) {
				emit( doc.date, doc );
			}
		}"
	},
	"counts" : {
		"map": "function(doc) {
			emit( doc.date, 1 );
		}",
		"reduce": "function( keys, values ) {
			return sum(values);
		}"
	}
}

Bring back all results sorted by date:

http://db.exampledomain.com/phpug_calendar/_view/cal_views/date

Bring back results for a specific day (February 10, 2009):

http://db.exampledomain.com/phpug_calendar/_view/cal_views/date?key=”2009-2-10″

Bring back results for a range (2010):

http://db.exampledomain.com/phpug_calendar/_view/cal_views/date
?startkey=”2010-1-1″
&endkey=”2010-12-31″

Bring back first 5 results from the previous results:

http://db.exampledomain.com/phpug_calendar/_view/cal_views/date
?startkey=”2010-1-1″
&endkey=”2010-12-31″
&count=5

Get second page of results (from past two examples)

http://db.exampledomain.com/phpug_calendar/_view/cal_views/date
?startkey=”2010-1-1″
&endkey=”2010-12-31″
&count=5
&skip=5

(It is more efficient to keep using count and startkey_docid than skip=5 for large datasets)

Get the first 5 meetings

http://db.exampledomain.com/phpug_calendar/_view/cal_views/meetings
?count=5

Get the number of events on a specific day

http://db.exampledomain.com/phpug_calendar/_view/cal_views/counts
?key=”2009-2-10″

I have glossed over a few details such as the purpose of _rev, and how map/reduce/rereduce works, but this time I just wanted to show a few examples of how CouchDB works. For all the details, head over to the CouchDB site where there is plenty of documentation on how everything works.

Many of you have watched the “Did You Know” viral videos on YouTube. Recently, the creators of those earthshaking social media pieces have released a new one related to the growth of Social Networking in comparison to the Industrial Revolution. The information in the attached piece will rattle your brain. Enjoy!

Recently, I built a Google AdWords campaign for a small (fewer than 50 pages) advertising client website with a B2B focus. Let me tell you what I discovered about the relationship between key phrases and site or landing page content.

For most consumers, and businesses, Google is The One, because it was first to figure out how to return the best, most relevant search results, including those attached to pay per click text ads and sponsored links. Google’s algorithms have become incredibly precise in their assessment of web content to the benefit of consumers - and of course, to Google itself.

So, back to the campaign I built for a small site. In terms of SEO, the site does some things very well:
- customized page titles and meta descriptions were written specifically for each page
- the site has over 300 legitimately created inbound links from clients and partners
- the site has a Google page rank of 4 (on a scale of 1 to 10 – high for a site of this size)

However, the site’s SEO weaknesses were exposed by the Google AdWords campaign created for it. This was a reminder that Google rewards quality content – and quality is based on relevance.

The key phrases I created for the campaign’s six Ad Groups were highly relevant to the page title, meta description and meta keywords. The text ads that I wrote for each ad group included as many key phrases as possible.

But the page content itself did not include many of these key phrases.

The page text was full of happy talk and beauty text. There was not a bulleted list of company products or services to be seen. Neither was there repetitive use of terms. Images did not have alt text containing those key phrases.

As an experiment, I activated the campaign and monitored the Google Campaign Management tool’s reaction.

For the first day or so, there were no red flags raised by the key phrases. After the campaign was live for a few days, CTR data started to flow in. Key phrases that I had assumed were good displayed an error message – “Rarely shown due to low quality score.”

When the icon beside this error message was moused over, a pop up window revealed a low quality score, detailing two separate components of its failure.

Your keyword isn’t triggering ads to appear because your bid is likely below the first page bid estimate. The first page bid estimate approximates the cost-per-click (CPC) bid needed for your ad to reach the first page of Google search results, based on your keyword’s Quality Score and recent advertiser competition.

The second component of the error message addressed key word quality, and assigned a quality score and reasons for low quality score. This is an actual result from the campaign:

Quality score - (a link to a Google.com help page to learn more about the topic)

• 2/10 (on a scale of 1 to 10)
• Keyword relevance: Poor
• Landing page quality: No problems
• Landing page load time: No problems

So, the most important criterion for this key phrase is relevance.

A second “reaction” to the key phrases started to flow in after 10 days of testing the campaign. The overall rank for key phrases was dropping - the average page display was pushing down. None of these key phrases in trouble were displaying on page 1 search results. According to Google,

If your average ad position has dropped, it’s probably a sign that users are finding competing ads more relevant to their needs, or that other advertisers have raised their cost-per-click (CPC) bids for those keywords.

I adjusted my bids upwards for some of the key phrases, with poor results.

Beware, if you don’t adjust the content on your pages, even bidding up towards a top position won’t help. You’ll pay more for each click through, but your text ad will still display on a page other than the first, and eventually, the poor position simply means fewer impressions.

Make pages whose content supports use of key phrases. If the page is already made and doesn’t relate, then go back and re-work the page text, image alt text and metas.

If you can’t adjust the page, create a landing page that IS relevant.

Google Adwords explains quality evaluations:

…we built the AdWords system to reward and promote the most effective and well-targeted ads within our system. This helps maintain, or even increase, the value of an AdWords ad to both advertisers and users.

We’ve found that the best way to maintain our goal is to build quality evaluations into AdWords pricing. One of our primary tools is quality-based pricing, which means we charge lower cost-per-clicks (CPCs) for more relevant ads and higher CPCs for less relevant ads.

Google’s focus on quality can keep costs low for advertisers, and satisfaction high for consumers, who know that clicking through on a Google text ad will take them to a page that answers their search for information, service, or product.

Congratulations to Elizabeth Lester, President of Launch Interactive, for being chosen as one of the Top 40 Under 40 professionals  in the Hampton Roads area, by Inside Business.  Elizabeth will be honored this evening, along with the other 39 winners, for showing success not only in the workplace, but the community as well.

This is the 11th year Inside Business has compiled this list and honored those businesspeople that really make a difference.  Check out this special interview with Elizabeth and learn a little bit more about how she juggles her success, volunteer work, and life. Elizabeth Lester: Top 40 Under 40

Congrats again E. You’ve always been at the top of our list!

So a few months have passed since my training at VCU BrandCenter, and I’m still sorting through all of my experiences I had there. It was a whirlwind tour of zealots, speakers, advice and homework. But I did learn one very important lesson. Documenting it here will help me define a very important detail about Launch Interactive.

The first night was the welcome reception. We all moved in small shifting pods of handshakes and introductions. As I made my way through nametags and small talk, I noticed a trend. You were no longer a name or from an agency. You were a representaton of the brands you worked on. So here I was in a room full of Chevy, Lexus, Frito Lay and Phillip Morris. Needless to say, I was a little humbled.

But over and over I introduced myself as the brands that no one knew. I found myself strangely uncomfortable about these new personifications. And I was ashamed that I was feeling somewhat less important. Why was I feeling this when I really share a personal connection with the brands I take care of?  I mean, I own four  STIHL power tools, and all family picnics have historically included Taste Unlimited’s sandwiches? Regardless of their public recognition, I carry a large amount of pride and ownership in the brands I work on. They are like family to me. So I truly felt like I had let my team, clients, and brands down. I was entrusted to care for and nurture, and although I did love them, I didn’t hold them up when faced with some of the other brands. I was a horrible babysitter and  Creative Director.

But I had a revelation a few days later.  Over and over my new cadre revealed insights on their struggles with babysitting the brand kings and queens. It seems that the larger the cultural impact and esteem, the larger the gap. They knew their brands and studied them, but rarely had the opportunity to interact with them on a more personal level. There voices were filtered through a line of upper managment. Regardless of the hours they put in, or the ideas they came up with, they were always on the other side of the red carpet.

It was from that moment on that I realized that the brands I took care should have just as much cultural impact because I believed in them. My fame and glory will never come from brand dropping, but from building the success of the brands who might be getting lost in the shuffle. Launch is a small agency, and we don’t always take care of the “popular” brands. But that’s who we are. We are the caretakers to every client that we have. And every member of our team works every day on building relationships and partnerships. There are no dividing lines or filters of management.

We are a personification of our clients and their brands.

Check out this sneak peak of the video we are shooting for The Roosevelt Hotel - New York, featuring comedian Frankie Hudak.

Think of all of the friends and family you have. Chances are you know interesting details about them and even play a character in their life story. We all share common interests, belief systems, and experiences. These are all pulled together into small historical snippets that we associate with every person we know.  The more information we can store, the closer we are to determining an opinion about them.

This same phenomenon happens with brands. The rules of marketing are changing at a rapid pace, and you’d better get your story straight if you want to survive. It used to be true that you had a good amount of control over the perception and the story. But in the digital shift, you don’t own your reputation. Do you really know what people are really saying about you? It’s your current, past and future consumers that have the helm. Terrifying thought? Not if you have a solid foundation and awareness. This is the perfect time to get back to basics and trim, sculpt and preen your brand.

So what makes a good story? Let’s think cave paintings. Some believe these prehistoric scribbles document the first records of visual communication. Several are similar in theme and tell a very clear story - Man hunts animal. What would your company’s cave painting be? I’m not talking mission statements here. I’m talking bones, foundations, and guts. What is your history? How do you survive? In a line up, how would you stand out? In most cases, companies THINK they know the answers, but reality is, they don’t.

So you really need to do some soul searching - several souls actually. It’s true the saying “There always two sides to a story”. In order to really examine your brand, you have to find out several sides - and directions. If you are a large company, you can invest a good budget into research. If you are a smaller company with smaller resources, you can do your own legwork. The below exercise is a good place to start.

Read More…

The weather was beautiful this past weekend, so on Sunday, my daughters (ages 8 and 6) and a friend decided to set up a lemonade stand on the sidewalk in front of our house.  I was all for this activity, so that they would stay outside and keep busy.  While they made signs, I ran to the store and bought cups, Country Time lemonade mix and ice. It was fun to watch my daughter and her friend sort out how to best arrange the table, where to put the ice, how to hang the signs, where to keep the money, etc. It reminded me of two business owners who wanted to make their mark on the business and end up squabbling over the little things.

What these girls really needed to focus on was drumming up some business and getting people to BUY their lemonade!  By the time they were set up it was after 3:00 and the pedestrian and bike activity on the street was dying down.  I explained to the girls that they couldn’t just sit there and wait for people to come to them — they needed to do some advertising to let people know about the lemonade stand.

So they made a some flyers and my daughter’s friend “Kate” had the idea of riding bikes around the neighborhood telling people to come by. “That’s great!” I said, “but make sure someone stays here to watch the stand in case a customer comes by.” Of course the six year old was left behind to conduct the real business, while my 8 year old and Kate rode off on their bikes. They came back shortly, and needed some lemonade — I said, “Don’t drink all of your product, or you won’t make any money.”

“We’re not,” said Kate, “we found some customers and we need to take them some lemonade.” Kate had determined the best way to get people to buy the product was to knock on doors. Which they did and actually sold lemonade door to door. While I’m not a big fan of door-to-door sales, this strategy seemed to be working for them. I made a few calls to neighbors and eventually some people made their way to the lemonade stand and the girls made a total of $6.75. Not bad.

As I reflected on the day, I realized my children had learned a good lesson that Sunday afternoon, a lesson many business owners struggle with. You can have a great product and a great location, but unless you market your product/service, what’s the point? You can’t wait around for customers to come to you. You can’t even shout your message out and expect people to hear it. You need to take the product to the customer. You need to make it convenient for your customer and you need to focus on SELLING your product to make money.

Next business lesson for my daughters: paying your suppliers for your product.