News

• Preparing for Life After Flash

  December 13, 2011

  Sean Shoffstall, VP Innovation and Technology

  I know it’s wrong to celebrate the downfall of another person. But if it’s just a software application, I figure it’s OK. So….hooray. Mobile Flash is finally dead.

  Just weeks ago, Adobe announced plans to stop developing its Flash Player plug-in for mobile browsers. The company will instead be focusing on alternative application packaging programs and the HTML5 protocol.

  As soon as I got the news, two thoughts popped into my head. First and foremost, my iPhone and I would like to know, what took Adobe so long? And second, how long will Adobe Flash even be around if Adobe is pulling it off mobile devices and suggesting that HTML5 is the way forward?

  Proving Steve Jobs Right
  If Flash does disappear entirely, Apple customers won’t be any worse off. The truth is, Adobe has never really delivered a mobile version of Flash that, well, worked.

  In fact, the late Steve Jobs famously banned Flash from iOS devices. Sharing his Thoughts on Flash, Jobs remarked, “Though the operating system for the iPhone, iPod and iPad is proprietary, we strongly believe that all standards pertaining to the web should be open. Rather than use Flash, Apple has adopted HTML5, CSS and JavaScript – all open standards.”

  Jobs went on to point out that it doesn’t matter that iPhones can’t view Flash videos because most of these videos are also available in the superior H.264 format. And it doesn’t matter that iPhones can’t play Flash games, because there are tens of thousands of free games in the App Store.

  And then he mentioned that Flash crashes Macs. Smack!

  Steve Jobs may have left us, but today, Adobe is practically admitting he was right.

  What Comes Next?
  Standards come and go. Remember Shockwave? It slowly faded away. Will Adobe simply allow Flash to do the same?

  If so, what will come next? Will Adobe fully embrace HTML5, simply come back with a modified version of Flash, or go in a different direction entirely? Will website developers use HTML5’s support for semantic markups to dramatically enhance the accessibility of websites? Will they tap into its features for enhancing SEO? For preventing piracy?

  And with HTML5 as the new web standard, which other technologies may be on the chopping block?

  We’d love to know what you think. Please take a moment to share your thoughts below about the demise of Flash, the rise of HTML5, or the future of web technology. 

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  Sean Shoffstall, VP of Innovation and Technology Social media, search and metrics are the driving force behind today's online marketing. Sean specializes in driving the best results for clients in all aspects of their business. He gives them a solid platform to build key learnings in all online media through proven metrics and testing strategies, and by leveraging years of best practice learnings from the top companies online. Email Sean.

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• In Case You Missed It: "Power of eMarketing Conference" Recap

  June 30, 2011

  Sean Shoffstall, VP Innovation and Technology

  Did you catch the Power of eMarketing Conference in San Francisco?

  On April 19 and 20, I had the privilege of speaking on three panels at the conference. Naturally, social media and SEO were the hot topics of the day. But the conversation also trended toward lead nurturing and how to drive conversions from your social conversations.

  Here are a few quick thoughts on the three panels I participated in.

  Don’t Stop at CAN-SPAM Compliance
  On the morning of April 19, I was on a panel with a Director of Compliance for a large corporation. The conversation focused on best practices in subject lines and email formatting, and how they apply to spam traps. These three ideas really resonated with the audience:

  1. CAN-SPAM compliance is the bare minimum. If you want to avoid spam filters and get your message delivered, you need to go much further.
  2. Keep subject lines short and sweet, yet descriptive and honest. Remember that if your subject line is longer than, say, 70 characters, it will only be partially visible in a preview pane or mobile device.
  3. Image-only emails not only provide a bad user experience (most of your clients probably set “images off” as a default), but are also a spam filter trigger.

  
   “You Can’t Handle the Truth” About Email Content
  For my second session on April 19, I shared the stage with Loren T. McDonald from Silverpop. The conversation was much more detailed. In fact, I felt like we were two old war buddies sitting up on stage reminiscing about battle scars and answering questions. We covered deliverability, content creation and relevancy, frequency, and, of course, CAN-SPAM.

  We even had a “You can’t handle the truth!” moment when an audience member complained that he didn’t have any content. We spent the next 5 minutes covering all the different ways you can generate content.

  If you face a similar problem, look at these simple facts:

  1. If you sell products or services, you have content. Go to your people who know the product best. Interview them and create a top 10 list.
  2. If you have customers, you have content. See point #1.
  3. You can repurpose existing content to create new content. If you’ve captured a video, do a write-up about it for your newsletter. If you’ve published a popular blog post, make a web clip summarizing the top points. If your CEO is giving a presentation, have him or her write an article about the subject.

  
  Protecting Your Online Reputation
  Our session on email and branding covered everything from tone and voice to email and newsletter design. Across the board, everyone agreed that having a consistent tone and communicating and fulfilling on your customer’s expectations is key. There was some disagreement about using comical versus professional tone, and about how often to send communications. But much of that hinges on whether you’re writing B2B or B2C emails.

  Here are some of the high points, which may seem obvious but are easy to overlook:

  1. Naming your constant communications helps boost deliverability and open rates. So, name your newsletters, webcast series, and any regular postings (especially your blog).
  2. The fastest way to lose the branding battle is to do a bait and switch. Be consistent, and deliver what you promised.
  3. Protect your online reputation. Don’t spam, don’t incite flame wars, and keep the conversation on topic.

   If you were at the Power of eMarketing Conference, I’m glad you could join us.

  If not, there will be another conference coming up in October in Rhode Island. Ozone Online’s Joel Lockwood and I plan to participate. It’s always good to get out of our bubble and swap best practices with others who are in the trenches.

  See you there?

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  Sean Shoffstall, VP of Innovation and Technology Social media, search and metrics are the driving force behind today's online marketing. Sean specializes in driving the best results for clients in all aspects of their business. He gives them a solid platform to build key learnings in all online media through proven metrics and testing strategies, and by leveraging years of best practice learnings from the top companies online. Email Sean.

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• Is print still a viable part of the marketing mix?

  August 9, 2010

  Sean Shoffstall, Director of Product Marketing
  
  I believe the answer to this question is obvious – and yet you’ll hear a wide range of opinions depending on who you ask. This is a hot topic within the Marketing Communications Group on LinkedIn, with people all over the world chiming in. Of course, the answer ultimately depends on your marketing needs.

  I think a more useful question to ask is, “How can you integrate print into your marketing mix?” Print has reinvented itself to remain a viable marketing tactic in the digital age. It’s just too bad more marketers don’t realize this.

  Today, as part of an overall marketing strategy, you can deliver personalized direct mail messages to your customers and give them an experience similar to a personalized email message. If you marry the digital piece with Personal URLs (PURLs), driving recipients to personalized landing pages, they can receive relevant offers and information, from multiple channels, in a real-time manner.

  Like email, digital direct mail relies on knowing your customer segments. In either medium, if you send out the same generalized message to a 20-something college student and a 70-year-old retiree, both will probably judge your message as irrelevant and ignore it. So, you must know your segments and send them targeted messages. Print also gives you an opportunity to provide someone with a true tactile experience. This can be anything from a complex, pop-up-book style message (see, even print has pop-ups) to a C-level mailer printed on fine linen paper.

  Our other print friends, the magazine ads and bus stops, needn’t worry about becoming irrelevant. They can be part of the mix too. With QR Codes (2d bar codes) and digital printing, we can now drive and track responses from specific display placements. Working with the right publishers, you can also conduct A/B/n testing with your offline ads and start seeing results in your online analytics program the day a campaign drops. The same testing rigor applies online and offline: always test your creative, placement, and copy to drive higher response rates.

  Lastly, remember that in today’s online/offline world, it’s all about integrated marketing. We incorporate social media with our email campaigns, use telemarketing to follow up on trade show leads, and send an up-sell email after someone purchases from a store. Print can be a part of the introductory messaging, the follow-up response, or anything in-between.

  MINI (maker of the Cooper, not the mouse) does a great job of integrating the follow-up experience with email and direct mail. After you purchase your new sport go-kart, MINI continues the experience by sending you a personalized print media kit that keeps you involved with their brand. Shortly after, they start email campaigns that mirror the dynamics and quirkiness of the printed kit and keep that brand experience going.

  So is print viable? Most definitely – and with a digital marketer’s touch, it can be more effective than ever and give you greater insight through detailed tracking. So, roll the presses!
  

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  Sean Shoffstall, VP of Innovation and Technology Social media, search and metrics are the driving force behind today's online marketing. Sean specializes in driving the best results for clients in all aspects of their business. He gives them a solid platform to build key learnings in all online media through proven metrics and testing strategies, and by leveraging years of best practice learnings from the top companies online. Email Sean.

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• Aprimo Launches New Corporate Website

  February 15, 2010

  Jon Anderson, Creative Director
  Tony Molinero, Sr. Art Director

  
  Ozone is pleased to announce the launch of Aprimo’s (Industry Leaders in Marketing Automation Software) corporate website. The website was retooled as part of an overall rebranding effort for 2010.

  In partnership with Mobium, Chicago, Ozone developed a conceptual platform on which to build site. The concept of “marketing revolution” was used to break through the typical sedate tone in the category and call more attention to the constant upheaval and change in the marketing world. 
  
  Ozone was involved in all aspects of the project from planning, strategy, UI design, creative to content and development.
   

   

  
  

   

   

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  Jon Anderson, Creative Director For 14+ years Jon has worked on a wide range of projects in B2B and B2C markets on both the agency side and within corporate marketing organizations. Throughout his career he has helped clients of all shapes and sizes make significant strides in growing their businesses including: VMware, Wells Fargo, PeopleSoft, Autodesk, IBM, Yahoo, Apple, Nivea, Hansens and Comcast. Email Jon.

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• Aprimo Launches An Integrated Lead Gen Campaign

  January 8, 2010

  Joel Lockwood, CMO

  Congratulations to Aprimo for a successful Q4 launch of their Aprimo Marketing Studio campaign. With 11 years of marketing automation services experience, Aprimo makes a big splash into the world of SaaS with a new version of their leading marketing tool.
  
  
  Ozone was please to be involved in the development of strategy, media, creative and development of an extensive campaign including: emails, landing pages, banners and print. Early returns have generated a response rate well above national averages.

  
  
  Sign up for regular updates from Ozone.

   

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  Joel Lockwood, Partner, President Joel brings over 20 years of marketing experience to Ozone Online. He has held executive marketing positions at large corporations such as Computer Associates, Sun Microsystems, Netscape and America Online, as well as several successful start-up companies. Joel excels at helping Ozone’s clients sync their online campaigns with their corporate marketing objectives. Email Joel.

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