Olympics Post - Be Social from India

The Games of the XXX Olympiad are beginning their second week, and sadly, my Olympics-themed series is rounding the curve with the end in sight. To coincide with the festivities in London, I wanted to commemorate the special event on my blog. So, to create an international dialogue about the evolution of social media, I have invited experts to answer questions and share their insights. In the words of Vala Afshar, "Don't do social, be S.O.C.I.A.L., which means be sincere, open, collaborative, interested, authentic, and likeable." Tune in every couple of days to see which country will be represented and who will be featured. And if you comment during the Olympics on Twitter or elsewhere in social media, don't forget to use the hashtag #London2012.

Today's expert is Pervara Kapadia, a social media expert based in Mumbai, India. You can connect with Pervara on Twitter @PervaraKapadia.

Which social network is most popular in your country?

With over 51 million users, India ranks as the third largest market for Facebook. Twitter is also a popular site.

How are your country’s legislators dealing with the privacy issue resulting from social media?

At a corporate level, people are developing policy and procedure manuals, but at the national level, privacy legislation is still in development.

How are major businesses in your country using social media as a marketing tool to promote products or services?

The largest brands in India are Tata Docomo, Fastrack, Kingfisher, Vodafone Zoozoos, and Nokia India. These brands are leveraging social media to connect with customers and obtain feedback.

What is the most valuable social media advice you can offer?

It’s important to focus on relevant content as well as frequency.

In what ways will smartphones and tablets further evolve in your country?

According to a Gartner report from earlier this summer, four significant forces will shape businesses in India during the next five years: IT, mobile, cloud, and social media. The adoption of new technologies will be driven by individuals who are young, well-educated, and tech-savvy.

NEXT POST WILL FEATURE AUSTRALIA.

Google Shopping Hangouts on Air Recap

Last month we announced a series of Hangouts on Air designed to help guide small and medium sized businesses through the transition to Google Shopping. We appreciate how many of you took the time to join the Hangouts and wanted to make the sessions available for those who were not able to attend live.

Session 1: Google Shopping Introduction and Overview
Our first Hangout on Air provides an introduction to Google Shopping, including an in depth overview of the changes. Watch it here.

Session 2: Introduction to Merchant Center
Session two provides an introduction to Merchant Center and walks through best practices for getting started. Watch it here.

Session 3: Creating and Optimizing Product Listing Ads
The third Hangout in our series guides you through the creation of Product Listing Ads and covers best practices for optimizing your performance. Watch it here.

Session 4: Google Trusted Stores Overview and Setup
Our final Hangout on Air covers Google Trusted Stores and walks through how your business can participate. Watch it here.

We hope you find these sessions useful as you transition to Google Shopping. You can find these videos and all future Google Shopping videos hosted on our YouTube playlist.

Posted by David Kaufman, Google Shopping Team

Hispanic Affluence by State - Implications for Marketing

The American Community Survey (ACS) of the US Census Bureau provides important insights into the lives of Americans. Friends of mine frequently ask me about the level of affluence among US Hispanics. Those households with incomes of $75,000 or higher are generally considered to be affluent. What states have higher percentages of affluent Latinos?  How do Latinos compare with the overall population in terms of affluence across States?

In order to try to answer these questions I obtained 5 year estimates from the ACS (2006 - 2010) for household income and compared Hispanics with the overall population by State, then created an index of Latinos as a percentage of the overall population in terms of household income. The latter index I thought would help us visualize which States have a larger gap as compared with others.

The following Table contains the States, including the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, with the lowest disparities in terms of the percentages of Latino households with incomes of $75K+, compared with the corresponding percentages for the overall population for each State.  The last column represents an index of disparity.  The larger the index the better, comparatively, Hispanics do in that State.  The index was created by dividing the Latino percentage over the overall percentage of those with household incomes of $75K +.



The above table shows that the States with lower disparities of percentages of households with incomes of $75K per year or more are either those that have generally lower incomes, or those that have unusual economies with higher incomes overall such as Alaska, and Hawaii. Regardless of overall economic trends in these States, it is interesting to observe that Hispanics are generally doing quite well across the board as the proportion of affluent Latinos suggests that generally about 25% of their households earn significant incomes.

The table below shows the States with the largest disparities.




The States with the largest disparities between Latinos and the overall population show a trend similar to that in the above table. In States with higher proportions of high earner households overall, Latinos tend to do proportionally less well, for example California, Arizona, Delaware, Texas and Utah. At this lower end of the disparity distribution, however, even those States that have lower proportions of affluent households also show a sharp contrast when compared with their Hispanic household component. These States are exemplified by Alabama, South Carolina, Tennessee, Montana, Kansas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Idaho.

The big lesson is that generally speaking Hispanics seems to be doing quite well in terms of having a relatively high representation of high earning households overall.  There are gaps that are due to economic conditions and opportunities but for marketers, the lesson is clear. High earning Latino households are abundant and their significant presence points to their potential for enhancing the bottom line of many marketers that realize their potential. Be these opportunities cars, homes, recreational vehicles, vacations, travel, education, restaurants, etc. savvy marketers can start taking action when they see that they may not be culturally addressing an important part of the potential customer base.

Olympics Post - Be Social from Sweden

With the Games of the XXX Olympiad nearing the halfway mark, my Olympics-themed series has also arrived at the halfway mark. To coincide with the festivities in London, I am featuring experts from around the world who will share their insights and answer questions about social media. In the words of Vala Afshar, "Don't do social, be S.O.C.I.A.L., which means be sincere, open, collaborative, interested, authentic, and likeable." Tune in every couple of days to see which country will be represented and who will be featured. And if you comment during the Olympics on Twitter or elsewhere in social media, don't forget to use the hashtag #London2012.

Today’s expert is Mattias Gronborg from Stockholm, Sweden. Matt is co-founder of iGoMoon, a social media training company, and an online branding consultant at MattGron Media Lab AB. You can connect on Twitter @MattGron. While networking through social media is rewarding, it’s even more rewarding when you actually meet in person. Matt recently visited California, and we were able to meet face-to-face.

Which social network is most popular in your country?

Facebook is the most popular. Currently, there are 4,637,500 Facebook users in Sweden, which makes us #37 in the ranking of all Facebook statistics by country. The population in Sweden is approximately 9,500,000, so Facebook’s penetration of the Swedish population is 51%.

How are your country’s legislators dealing with the privacy issue resulting from social media?

While this is not my area of expertise, I can tell you that Sweden is a quite open and transparent country regarding privacy matters. For example, if I have your vehicle’s license plate, it is not hard to find out more about you, such as, your address, relationship status, how much you pay in taxes, etc. Of course, Sweden has a Personal Data Act to protect people from having their privacy violated. My experience is that people in Sweden don’t care very much about privacy in social media, but that day will come.

What three ways are major businesses in your country using social media as a marketing tool to promote products or services?

My experience is that most of the major businesses are still in a push mode. They are doing social, not being social – especially with the big four: Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and LinkedIn. Many businesses enter the social media sphere through a Facebook page or a social media campaign with hopes of reaching some kind of a viral status. The more savvy ones are trying to create a dialogue with the end users of their products and services. The three most common goals are to create awareness, increase leads and sales, and improve customer support. I can tell from my field experience that the two biggest challenges are knowledge and resources. The problem is that many of today’s executives responsible for marketing grew up in a less-complicated marketing world – sadly, many of these people might not know enough to ask the right questions to form a successful social media plan, which is not good for their bottom line.

What is the most valuable social media advice you can offer?

You learn social media by doing. Roll up your sleeves and be social. Be honest about your liabilities and assets when it comes to your skill sets. And treat social media as a journey not a destination.

In what ways will smartphones and tablets further evolve in your country?

Sweden has a smartphone penetration around 35%, although I have heard some higher numbers. Based on statistics, we can see that smartphone usage and data consumption will only rise. So companies must pay attention and adapt faster. Since mobile is the future, the first step that brands can take is to make sure that their websites and blogs are modified for screen size, tablets, and smartphones. A cost-effective way to bridge this gap between web and mobile users is responsive web design. I see how companies in Sweden have a tendency to spend too much money on mobile apps because they think they should have them – but they may not.

NEXT POST WILL FEATURE INDIA.

All Politics is Local: Introducing Congressional District Targeting for Google AdWords

Originally posted to the Politics & Elections Blog

In his autobiography, Former House Speaker Tip O’Neill famously said “All politics is local”. With all 435 seats up for election in brand new Congressional Districts this November, that adage rings even more true for House candidates running this fall. Through the redistricting process that takes place every 10 years, every district takes on a new shape - with new voters. This makes reaching the right voters with the right message even tougher.

Starting today, in addition to targeting specific zip codes, we’re enabling an even more useful solution that allows political campaigns to reach voters within a specific Congressional District.

Say you are running for Congress in the 6th District of Maryland - which features a highly publicized race between Ten-term incumbent Rep. Roscoe Bartlett and Montgomery County businessman John Delaney. The 6th is located in western Maryland, and has been a longtime GOP stronghold, but was drastically reshaped by redistricting which has made it more competitive.

Barlett and Delaney’s campaigns are waging a battle in the oddly shaped district that has voters in many zip codes, towns and communities looks like this:

(This map embedded above is courtesy of data from Azavea)

As campaigns know, reaching these households in an effective manner with traditional means takes time and - importantly - valuable resources. This district is a great example - it includes voters who live in the Washington D.C. media market. But, as you can see from the map, buying TV ads in DC won’t reach your voters in the 6th District.

Now, with congressional district targeting in AdWords, campaigns can quickly and easily target their search, display, mobile and video ads *solely* within that particular district’s border. You can start by heading into AdWords and selecting your District number from the location menu populated with district information in simple Google Maps format, prepared by Azavea. Build your ad and you’re on your way.


We’ve built a sizable team that is working around the clock to help all candidates get the most from their online advertising efforts. Congressional District Targeting in AdWords is just one more way that we’re working hard to deliver better ads for users and voters and better tools for political campaigns.

By working across all four screens, digital ads are highly accountable, precise, and continually evolving. Google’s complete solution helps thousands of political campaigns in all shapes and sizes make the web work for them. Our products are designed to work together, enabling campaigns do more with less online. Head over to the Four Screens to Victory site to learn more about how your campaign can win the moments that matter.

Posted by: Charles Scrase, Google Politics & Elections Team

Olympics Post - Be Social from Canada

Thanks to Google Doodles, archery, diving, fencing, gymnastics rings, and field hockey have been in the limelight. With the Games of the XXX Olympiad well underway, many medals have been awarded. My Olympics-themed series is also well underway. In the words of Vala Afshar, "Don't do social, be S.O.C.I.A.L., which means be sincere, open, collaborative, interested, authentic, and likeable." To coincide with the festivities in London, I am featuring experts from around the world who will share their insights and answer questions about social media. Tune in every couple of days to see which country will be represented and who will be featured. And if you comment during the Olympics on Twitter or elsewhere in social media, don't forget to use the hashtag #London2012.

Today, two experts are chiming in from Canada. Kim Lavigne is a social media manager at A Major Media and also a songwriter in Quebec, Canada; and Ray Hiltz is a social media strategist and owner of Communications NewRayCom in Montreal, Canada. You can connect on Twitter with Kim @freedomwalker77 and with Ray @newraycom.

Which social network is most popular in your country?

Both Kim and Ray agree that Facebook is the most popular social networking site in Canada.

How are your country’s legislators dealing with the privacy issue resulting from social media?

From Ray:  We have privacy laws, and in fact, in 2009, Canada was the first country to take on Facebook for playing loose with personal information. Evidently, they came to an agreement. We also have the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA), which is scheduled for review this year, and there is hope that the government will strengthen it, as concern has been expressed by the privacy commissioner that too much personal data is collected and distributed by social media sites.

What three ways are major businesses in your country using social media as a marketing tool to promote products or services?

From Kim: To promote products with contests, ads, and free services.

What is the most valuable social media advice you can offer?

From Kim: Social media was meant to be social…engage in conversations with people and be social.

From Ray: Don’t think of social media as strictly a marketing tool. When you are planning a social media strategy, make sure it dovetails not only with your marketing plan but also with your overall business strategy.

In what ways will smartphones and tablets further evolve in your country?

From Kim: Improvements in speed and memory will greatly impact future iterations of these devices.

From Ray: While 40% of the 20 million Canadians who use mobile devices use smartphones, Android is the preferred operating system. (Apple, what are you doing about that news?) I see enormous growth as the Federal government moves to deregulate the telecommunications industry, which keeps costs artificially high.

NEXT POST WILL FEATURE SWEDEN.

Find Your Greatness

I absolutely love the Olympics!

As a runner, as a fan and as a world citizen … the Olympics are a radiant flower that blooms for only 3 weeks every 4 years.

The true blessing, as an American, is that this 3-week festival of competition and world-togetherness offsets and provides a distraction from our own American, poo-slinging political environment.

But lets focus back on the Olympic competition.  Not between the USA and China, not even between the finely honed athletes, but the competition of sports apparel brands.  As a marketer, I’m as enthralled by the Nike/Adidas competition as I am in the marathon competition between the Kenyans and the ... ahhh … well … OK, they really don’t have competition.

Here’s a link to Nike’s Find Your Greatness campaign.

Quick question:Is Nike an official sponsor of the London Olympic Games?

Answer: It doesn’t really matter!  But no, they’re not. 

Last week, Ad Age reported that an online survey found that 37% of those surveyed identified Nike as an Olympic sponsor (compared to 24% for Adidas, a real sponsor).  Add to that, in the last week, Find Your Greatness landed as #1 on the Viral Chart with 4.5 million views compared to Adidas’ 2.9 million views with their Take the Stage campaign.

In short, Nike has hijacked the London Olympics.  Without mentioning the games or paying the $40 million+ sponsorship price tag.  They did it by focusing solely on emotion.  They’ve tapped into the consumer’s reality.  One I’ve related to since I first started running in 4^th grade … I’ll never be an Olympian, but I love being an athlete!  I’ll never compete internationally, but I can’t listen to the National Anthem without picturing myself on a podium.  Admit it, most of you know exactly what I’m talking about … and Nike identified it … put it into words and images … and made us feel it!

So, what can WE do as marketers without Nike’s marketing budget or rock star ad agencies?  We can learn from their strategy of tapping into emotions.  It sounds idealistic, but the truth is that emotions sell better than product or price.  Take Find Your Greatness, for example.  We’re not selling shoes or shorts, but our financial consumers want to find their greatness at home, right?  They can’t buy a car, move into a home, pay for groceries, hope for retirement or insure their property without us. 

How can you help your community find their greatness?

Take care and enjoy the remainder of the games.

Eric