In the coming years, category experts and superfans are going to be core to successful marketing strategies. Given this, I am always on the lookout for interesting tools and platforms that will likely attract enthusiasts. It stands to reason that such communities need to be on the radar of brands that are about more than just "click to buy now."
Favit provides a platform for enthusiasts (and brands) to receive and share content of all forms in a single, blog-like flow. When an enthusiast -- or a brand -- joins, they are invited to connect all of their favorite feeds to a Favit stream, plus thir Twitter and Facebook accounts. This unified stream presents the aggregation of all this content. This is no ho-hum RSS reader -- rather it presents the content as you would see it on a web page, and also integrates updates from FaceBook and Twitter friends so you get all your content in one place.
Well, actually, the power is in NOT getting it all in one place, at least in my view. You can organize feeds and people into separate streams, so that, for example, your business websites and blogs go to one Favit stream, and your hobbyist stream and friends into another. And family into a third, etc. That makes a stream a better and more organized read for you, but it has other beenfits as well. Because other Favit users, and your friends, can follow your enthusiast stream and benefit from your expertise. This takes a personal experience and grows your social capital by making it available to others.
Y'all know I love a sizzle vid, so here you go...
So how is this most relevant to brands? I think in two ways. First, Favit gives us the opportunity to follow super influencers who are on the pulse -- or indeed are creating the pulse -- of a category or lifestyle. Second, the platform provides an opportunity for a brand to connect itself with lifestyle content and experts through a Favit stream. By identifying and Faviting the best lifestyle content available on a particular topic, the brand can become an"expert" that enthusiasts look to for news, ideas, and indeed recognition.
Now, obviously, you could build a web site that did this, or do it in an area of your current web site. But housing the stream on Favit might give it more power and credibility. And it will certainly take less time and money. Favit is earning raves for the quality of the visual experience it provides, even during its beta. They've clearly spent a lot of time and effort to create something any enthusiast can leverage and enjoy.
Favit is based in Bulgaria, but their service is open to North Americans. Mnogo blagodarya, guys and gals!
Friday, April 1, 2011
Start-Up Watch COD: Checkpoints takes check-in rewards to grocery, pharmacy, toy stores, electronics stores…
Thanks to ad:tech for publishing this first.
Yesterday I wrote about shopkick, one of the check-in apps that has been gathering significant retail and consumer attenton. Today, I want to tell you about another leader in this space: Checkpoints.
Checkpoints is an iPhone/Android app that lets a consumer check in at virtually any retail store, and earn points by locating and scanning items with their cell phone camera.
Advertisers can target offers at particular chains, markets, even individual stores. Once in the store, the app generates a list of products that can be scanned for points, organized by category. So, for example, a retailer could give me a discount at Safeway of a certain value, and a different discount at Lucky. Subject to fair trade laws, of course.
To give the app a test run I took it to my Safeway and fired it up. It confirmed my location in about 15 seconds, and then told me about 32 products I could scan for points. As a result, each of these products was very much in the forefront of my awareness. Checkpoints call this effect a “virtual endcap,” analogous in impact to an end aisle display.
Gotta tell you, I think the “virtual endcap™” is an apt description. Checkpoints got me to pick up (and buy) brands I don’t ordinarily consider, and introduced me to new SKUs from venerable brands I already purchase.
Here’s their official flick:
When you scan the item, the app gives you a special offer triggered by the scan. This could be a discount, a sweeps entry, an offer on a complementary product, or advice on which product might be ideal for the consumer’s needs. Thee app also offers the opportunity to deliver a FB update that you have scanned the item and gotten an offer.
To reward more frequent scanning, the app also offers a virtual coin redeemeable for special game play. For example, after I scanned Huggies, I got a free spin on a slot machine that earned me more points.
While the service is by no means limited to Grocery only, the system appears to be very well suited to CPG. At the time of this writing, there were scannable items from Unilever, Del Monte, Soy Joy, Energizer, Frito-Lay, Tyson, and others. They also offered points and discounts at specific retailers like Kmart. Certainly the well organized interface made the product VERY easy to use in an environment like a Food/Drug/Mass store with thousands of SKUs. They have many clients outside of CPG as well.
Checkpoints says it offers consumers check-ins at more than one million retail outlets. Points can be redeemed for gift cards, air miles, merchandise, and charitable donations.
Few doubt that we are going to be seeing a lot more activity in shopper marketing through the mobile phone. The ease of use and versatility of this application may drive strong success in the future. Getting a greater share of mind space is particularly relevant in many categories, not least CPG. A particular item is competing with tens of thousands of other items in a grocery store. And buying a feature or a display – when you can get one – is an unbelievably expensive proposition. I think another interesting use would be to increase velocity for products that are struggling with particular retailers. For example, I have worked on several brands that had strong sales in some chains, but slow starts in others. This kind of program can be fielded very quickly and in a very targeted manner.
That’s cool. Check out this free app on iPhone or Android.
Yesterday I wrote about shopkick, one of the check-in apps that has been gathering significant retail and consumer attenton. Today, I want to tell you about another leader in this space: Checkpoints.
Checkpoints is an iPhone/Android app that lets a consumer check in at virtually any retail store, and earn points by locating and scanning items with their cell phone camera.
Advertisers can target offers at particular chains, markets, even individual stores. Once in the store, the app generates a list of products that can be scanned for points, organized by category. So, for example, a retailer could give me a discount at Safeway of a certain value, and a different discount at Lucky. Subject to fair trade laws, of course.
To give the app a test run I took it to my Safeway and fired it up. It confirmed my location in about 15 seconds, and then told me about 32 products I could scan for points. As a result, each of these products was very much in the forefront of my awareness. Checkpoints call this effect a “virtual endcap,” analogous in impact to an end aisle display.
Gotta tell you, I think the “virtual endcap™” is an apt description. Checkpoints got me to pick up (and buy) brands I don’t ordinarily consider, and introduced me to new SKUs from venerable brands I already purchase.
Here’s their official flick:
When you scan the item, the app gives you a special offer triggered by the scan. This could be a discount, a sweeps entry, an offer on a complementary product, or advice on which product might be ideal for the consumer’s needs. Thee app also offers the opportunity to deliver a FB update that you have scanned the item and gotten an offer.
To reward more frequent scanning, the app also offers a virtual coin redeemeable for special game play. For example, after I scanned Huggies, I got a free spin on a slot machine that earned me more points.
While the service is by no means limited to Grocery only, the system appears to be very well suited to CPG. At the time of this writing, there were scannable items from Unilever, Del Monte, Soy Joy, Energizer, Frito-Lay, Tyson, and others. They also offered points and discounts at specific retailers like Kmart. Certainly the well organized interface made the product VERY easy to use in an environment like a Food/Drug/Mass store with thousands of SKUs. They have many clients outside of CPG as well.
Checkpoints says it offers consumers check-ins at more than one million retail outlets. Points can be redeemed for gift cards, air miles, merchandise, and charitable donations.
Few doubt that we are going to be seeing a lot more activity in shopper marketing through the mobile phone. The ease of use and versatility of this application may drive strong success in the future. Getting a greater share of mind space is particularly relevant in many categories, not least CPG. A particular item is competing with tens of thousands of other items in a grocery store. And buying a feature or a display – when you can get one – is an unbelievably expensive proposition. I think another interesting use would be to increase velocity for products that are struggling with particular retailers. For example, I have worked on several brands that had strong sales in some chains, but slow starts in others. This kind of program can be fielded very quickly and in a very targeted manner.
That’s cool. Check out this free app on iPhone or Android.
Start-Up Watch COD: shopkick rewards retail visiting, browsing and buying
Thanks to ad:tech for publishing this first.
There are a lot of mobile shopper marketing initiatives out there today, but most are focused on the very bottom tip of the buying funnel. Essentially, influencing brand choice and making it easier to buy.
Nothing wrong with that approach. As a matter of fact, for a lot of companies and a lot of situations, there’s a lot right about it. But are there other ways to help retailers and brands other than delivering instant coupons?
The people behind shopkick envisioned something different. Instead of focusing on delivering cents- or dollars-off promotions at the point of shelf, shopkick rewards consumers simply for visiting a store and locating products on the shelf. And while price promotions are PART of their offering, their overall program is geared toward making visiting stores and learning about products more fun and rewarding. They ask, ‘why shouldn’t people be recognized and rewarding simply for making a trip to a store?’
Shopkick shares a lot of characteristics with Four Square and Gowalla. Users download the iPhone/Android app and open it to a points interface that rewards consumers with “kickbucks” for several kinds of actions:
1.“Checking in” at a store. Review a list of nearby businesses and click on their listings to earn points. In my location (Oakland, CA) there were dozens of listings of small businesses, for which I could earn a couple of points simply by tapping their listing and examining a discount offer on a good that they sold. Many of these offers were for Kraft and Unilever products sold at the stores. To claim the points, you scan the UPC by taking a photo with your smart phone.
2.Walking into a participating retail chain. Simply by going to one of its participating retailers, the consumer earns kickbucks. The brand has signed up an impressive set of major retailers even this early in its existence, including Best Buy, Crate & Barrel, Macy's, American Eagle, Sports Authority, Target, Wet Seal and major Simon malls, in 18 major markets.
3.Scanning/Sampling items. As preliminarily discussed in point one, consumers get additional points by scanning items available in the store. These point totals tend to be far higher than for items in nonparticipating stores, but then the retail prices of these goods tend to be higher as well. An example is an offer from Macy’s that gives the user 100 points for getting a sample of D&G Light Blue Cologne. After getting the sample, the clerk lets the consumer photograph the UPC.
4.Referring new members. Users can also earn significant kickbucks by getting their friends to sign up for shopkick. To get points, you need to communicate a special code to your would be referrals.
Here's the sizzle vid. Note, it's also available for Android.
In addition to enabling the consumer to earn kickbucks, the application also delivers discounts on purchases within the participating stores at which you check in. For example, you might get 20% off apparel purchases or a $5 discount on a movie DVD.
It’s very easy to rack up points quickly. But what are these kickbucks, anyway? Well, a lot. The app offers a variety of gift cards for points, Facebook credits, plus luxury items like Coach purses and flat screen TVs for significant point counts. There’s even a Princess cruise trip available for points.
Many members, however, use to give to charity. Users can redeem their points for actual cash contributions to more than 30 charities that participate with the service.
For a retailer, the value of shopkick is immediately apparent. More traffic, and likely more sales through its innovative rewards for locating and sampling products. For product brands, shopkick can be used to help grow demand for goods – via discounts and the awareness and purchase intent that comes from locating and interacting with a good in order to scan it.
For me, a big part of the shopkick appeal is the play value and the INDIRECT rewards system that drives it. By indirect I mean you aren't necessarily paying less for something right at this very second.
As a brand marketer, I am increasingly concerned about the discount culture that we are cultivating through both offline and online promotion. While there are certainly brands that are selling a lot of goods at full value still, many many more have fallen into a trap of discounting the VAST MAJORITY of their purchases. That is LITERALLY diminishing the value of brands.
I am by no means opposed to promotion, but the goal of a promotion should be about more than just lowering the retail price of a good on an ongoing basis.
And that’s what’s different about shopkick. Many of the activities that shopkick rewards are not in the form of immediate discounts but rather in the points or kickbucks system – a system that is based upon delayed gratification. It gives a retailer or a brand a way to grow sales and traffic without simply cutting prices.
As we saw earlier shopkick had an impressive list of participating national retailers. Their consumer uptake is also impressive. In February of this year, they announced that more than 100 million checkins had been recorded.
There are a lot of mobile shopper marketing initiatives out there today, but most are focused on the very bottom tip of the buying funnel. Essentially, influencing brand choice and making it easier to buy.
Nothing wrong with that approach. As a matter of fact, for a lot of companies and a lot of situations, there’s a lot right about it. But are there other ways to help retailers and brands other than delivering instant coupons?
The people behind shopkick envisioned something different. Instead of focusing on delivering cents- or dollars-off promotions at the point of shelf, shopkick rewards consumers simply for visiting a store and locating products on the shelf. And while price promotions are PART of their offering, their overall program is geared toward making visiting stores and learning about products more fun and rewarding. They ask, ‘why shouldn’t people be recognized and rewarding simply for making a trip to a store?’
Shopkick shares a lot of characteristics with Four Square and Gowalla. Users download the iPhone/Android app and open it to a points interface that rewards consumers with “kickbucks” for several kinds of actions:
1.“Checking in” at a store. Review a list of nearby businesses and click on their listings to earn points. In my location (Oakland, CA) there were dozens of listings of small businesses, for which I could earn a couple of points simply by tapping their listing and examining a discount offer on a good that they sold. Many of these offers were for Kraft and Unilever products sold at the stores. To claim the points, you scan the UPC by taking a photo with your smart phone.
2.Walking into a participating retail chain. Simply by going to one of its participating retailers, the consumer earns kickbucks. The brand has signed up an impressive set of major retailers even this early in its existence, including Best Buy, Crate & Barrel, Macy's, American Eagle, Sports Authority, Target, Wet Seal and major Simon malls, in 18 major markets.
3.Scanning/Sampling items. As preliminarily discussed in point one, consumers get additional points by scanning items available in the store. These point totals tend to be far higher than for items in nonparticipating stores, but then the retail prices of these goods tend to be higher as well. An example is an offer from Macy’s that gives the user 100 points for getting a sample of D&G Light Blue Cologne. After getting the sample, the clerk lets the consumer photograph the UPC.
4.Referring new members. Users can also earn significant kickbucks by getting their friends to sign up for shopkick. To get points, you need to communicate a special code to your would be referrals.
Here's the sizzle vid. Note, it's also available for Android.
In addition to enabling the consumer to earn kickbucks, the application also delivers discounts on purchases within the participating stores at which you check in. For example, you might get 20% off apparel purchases or a $5 discount on a movie DVD.
It’s very easy to rack up points quickly. But what are these kickbucks, anyway? Well, a lot. The app offers a variety of gift cards for points, Facebook credits, plus luxury items like Coach purses and flat screen TVs for significant point counts. There’s even a Princess cruise trip available for points.
Many members, however, use to give to charity. Users can redeem their points for actual cash contributions to more than 30 charities that participate with the service.
For a retailer, the value of shopkick is immediately apparent. More traffic, and likely more sales through its innovative rewards for locating and sampling products. For product brands, shopkick can be used to help grow demand for goods – via discounts and the awareness and purchase intent that comes from locating and interacting with a good in order to scan it.
For me, a big part of the shopkick appeal is the play value and the INDIRECT rewards system that drives it. By indirect I mean you aren't necessarily paying less for something right at this very second.
As a brand marketer, I am increasingly concerned about the discount culture that we are cultivating through both offline and online promotion. While there are certainly brands that are selling a lot of goods at full value still, many many more have fallen into a trap of discounting the VAST MAJORITY of their purchases. That is LITERALLY diminishing the value of brands.
I am by no means opposed to promotion, but the goal of a promotion should be about more than just lowering the retail price of a good on an ongoing basis.
And that’s what’s different about shopkick. Many of the activities that shopkick rewards are not in the form of immediate discounts but rather in the points or kickbucks system – a system that is based upon delayed gratification. It gives a retailer or a brand a way to grow sales and traffic without simply cutting prices.
As we saw earlier shopkick had an impressive list of participating national retailers. Their consumer uptake is also impressive. In February of this year, they announced that more than 100 million checkins had been recorded.
Start-Up Watch COD: Chango: Is it time for you to start Search retargeting?
Thanks to ad:tech for publishing this first...
Ask virtually any marketer what the most effective marketing tactic they use is, and chances are they’re going to say Search. After all, if you can deliver a message when people are actively seeking info about your product – or even better, looking for a place to buy it – then the odds are pretty darned fine that you can make a sale.
It’s bottom of the funnel “I am ready to buy stuff” in many cases, which has great impact on DR response rates.
The issue with Search, though, has often been scale. Even with the tremendous reach of search leaders like Google and Bing/Yahoo, there is a limit to the number of people actively searching for your product today. Ergo, there a limited number of search results pages on which to appear. Add to that a CPC battle royal for top placement on those pages and the walls on search volumes close in.
The question is: How do you leverage the effectiveness of search related marketing across more prospects and customers?
A company called Chango has one interesting answer. They are focused on “search retargeting,” or the ability to target ads to searchers AFTER they have left the results pages of Google or Bing.
You visit Bing and search for an item. You get your results and off you go. That’s where Chango kicks in, delivering ads to you related to the category you searched for. These may appear on contextually relevant pages or on general interest pages. Because the focus here is on qualified audience first.
To use Chango, a brand imports its set of keywords to the platform, and Chango serves dynamic display ads to people who have recently searched for one or more of those terms. Whether or not you were the number one ranked sponsored search result on the page, Chango gives you the opportunity to powerfully communicate your offering to those searchers across the web. Chango can also accommodate multiple landing pages and the like.
Here’s their CEO telling their story:
With Chango, you don’t need to create banner ads for each keyword. Rather, the platform combines your search text with images that you upload, creating graphical ads using clean and clear templates.
To deliver ads against these searchers, Chango purchases qualified inventory on the major ad exchanges.
Publishers partner with Chango to increase the value of their inventory. Chango pays them on a CPC basis, and because the search retargeting yields highly targeted audiences, the pubs can drive higher yield from these impressions. Because Chango ads appear in the graphical ad spaces on a page, they can be used in conjunction with contextually targeted Ad Sense programs.
We all know that Search data is very valuable for bottom of the funnel efforts. With Chango, those efforts can be scaled up to reap more of that value.
Cheers? Jeers? Tweet 'em to @CatalystaJim
Ask virtually any marketer what the most effective marketing tactic they use is, and chances are they’re going to say Search. After all, if you can deliver a message when people are actively seeking info about your product – or even better, looking for a place to buy it – then the odds are pretty darned fine that you can make a sale.
It’s bottom of the funnel “I am ready to buy stuff” in many cases, which has great impact on DR response rates.
The issue with Search, though, has often been scale. Even with the tremendous reach of search leaders like Google and Bing/Yahoo, there is a limit to the number of people actively searching for your product today. Ergo, there a limited number of search results pages on which to appear. Add to that a CPC battle royal for top placement on those pages and the walls on search volumes close in.
The question is: How do you leverage the effectiveness of search related marketing across more prospects and customers?
A company called Chango has one interesting answer. They are focused on “search retargeting,” or the ability to target ads to searchers AFTER they have left the results pages of Google or Bing.
You visit Bing and search for an item. You get your results and off you go. That’s where Chango kicks in, delivering ads to you related to the category you searched for. These may appear on contextually relevant pages or on general interest pages. Because the focus here is on qualified audience first.
To use Chango, a brand imports its set of keywords to the platform, and Chango serves dynamic display ads to people who have recently searched for one or more of those terms. Whether or not you were the number one ranked sponsored search result on the page, Chango gives you the opportunity to powerfully communicate your offering to those searchers across the web. Chango can also accommodate multiple landing pages and the like.
Here’s their CEO telling their story:
Search Retargeting 101 from Chango on Vimeo.
With Chango, you don’t need to create banner ads for each keyword. Rather, the platform combines your search text with images that you upload, creating graphical ads using clean and clear templates.
To deliver ads against these searchers, Chango purchases qualified inventory on the major ad exchanges.
Publishers partner with Chango to increase the value of their inventory. Chango pays them on a CPC basis, and because the search retargeting yields highly targeted audiences, the pubs can drive higher yield from these impressions. Because Chango ads appear in the graphical ad spaces on a page, they can be used in conjunction with contextually targeted Ad Sense programs.
We all know that Search data is very valuable for bottom of the funnel efforts. With Chango, those efforts can be scaled up to reap more of that value.
Cheers? Jeers? Tweet 'em to @CatalystaJim
Start-Up Watch COD: New West and the next generation of local media
Thanks to ad:tech for publishing this first.
We live in an era where newspapers continue to fall in circ and close. We sorely need a new media model that can fill the void in local and regional news coverage. While on some level we all have access to more news than ever through the Internet, there really isn’t a proven model yet that can perform the vital public service that local media once provided.
There are certainly some being tested. AOL’s Patch, for example, provides local news via a special page each for hundreds of communities – each with a local editor in place in the community it serves.
Another model I’d like to tell you about is that of New West, a start-up based in Missoula, Montana which has just received its second round from Flywheel Ventures of New Mexico. New West was formed to serve the local and regional needs of the Rockies by combining professional journalists, bloggers, photographers, and community members in a digital offering that serves local news and information needs as well as those of the region at large.
It couldn’t come at a more opportune time. Lots of small local papers in the Rockies have gone under – and with them the important community information and advocacy that newspapers have traditionally provided to the communities they serve.
The editorial remit of New West is to analyze the top news in a six-state region with a focus on stories that affect the region as a whole, and deliver these in a manner that shows a unique regional perspective. Soon, the publication will debut six state-specific pages to cover the issues unique to each of those areas. Finally, the publication is working in partnership with FWIX to deliver localized news feeds for a reader’s location.
Sharing content across media outlets is of course nothing new to the newspaper business. AP and UPI were built on this very concept, and continue to provide an important set of news and information for offline and online media alike.
But New West is vertically integrated, based upon the compelling idea that there are news and issues unique to the Rockies that are best covered by people who are part of the region. Essentially, that there are a Rocky Mountain outlook and lifestyle that are unique, and fundamentally underserved by the national and international news syndicators. That there are critical regional issues of great importance to residents. Issues like:
• Regional politics
• Development
• Tourism and the “snow industry”
• Agriculture
• Water
• Energy
The Rockies are fascinating socioeconomically, and certainly the realities of daily life are rather different from those I experience in urban Oakland. By celebrating and working to protect that daily life, New West hopes to drive greater cohesion in a ruthlessly independent population.
In addition, New West seeks to help advertisers reach and connect with the demographically comfortable, culturally aware, and fundamentally active readership. Further, the audience stats for the site are rather impressive:
• 84% College grad
• 93% vote in local and national elections
• 20% CEO/President/Chair/Owner
• 31% Manager/Director/Supervisor
Stats better than many of the "go-tos" we traditionally choose when we want to reach an elite audience. Indeed, you would probably be shocked at the number of VC leaders that call Montana their second home.
In addition to IAB standards, the site offers interstitials, rich media experiences, sponsored content, and deep brand integrations.
One of the things that is clear based upon their editorial mix is that Westerners are anxious to be a part of this new company and model. The number of authors who post to the site, the number of business leaders who contribute, and the number and depth of community participation in the content are remarkable.
In addition to the website, the company has wisely chosen to develop multiple revenue models, including an events business and a web development shop that helps supplement revenue and incomes as the publication continues its growth trajectory.
The site itself has received a great number of industry accolades, including this from the New York Times.
By just about every measure New West, the online magazine, is a success: It features great writing and reporting, presented via a smart blend of magazine and bloglike articles covering the Rocky Mountain states. Traffic is growing. Critics are raving.
I like their pluck, and their commitment to doing well by doing good – helping community members and advertisers capitalize on the unique attributes of Rocky Mountain life.
Cheers? Jeers? Tweet 'em to @CatalystaJim.
We live in an era where newspapers continue to fall in circ and close. We sorely need a new media model that can fill the void in local and regional news coverage. While on some level we all have access to more news than ever through the Internet, there really isn’t a proven model yet that can perform the vital public service that local media once provided.
There are certainly some being tested. AOL’s Patch, for example, provides local news via a special page each for hundreds of communities – each with a local editor in place in the community it serves.
Another model I’d like to tell you about is that of New West, a start-up based in Missoula, Montana which has just received its second round from Flywheel Ventures of New Mexico. New West was formed to serve the local and regional needs of the Rockies by combining professional journalists, bloggers, photographers, and community members in a digital offering that serves local news and information needs as well as those of the region at large.
It couldn’t come at a more opportune time. Lots of small local papers in the Rockies have gone under – and with them the important community information and advocacy that newspapers have traditionally provided to the communities they serve.
The editorial remit of New West is to analyze the top news in a six-state region with a focus on stories that affect the region as a whole, and deliver these in a manner that shows a unique regional perspective. Soon, the publication will debut six state-specific pages to cover the issues unique to each of those areas. Finally, the publication is working in partnership with FWIX to deliver localized news feeds for a reader’s location.
Sharing content across media outlets is of course nothing new to the newspaper business. AP and UPI were built on this very concept, and continue to provide an important set of news and information for offline and online media alike.
But New West is vertically integrated, based upon the compelling idea that there are news and issues unique to the Rockies that are best covered by people who are part of the region. Essentially, that there are a Rocky Mountain outlook and lifestyle that are unique, and fundamentally underserved by the national and international news syndicators. That there are critical regional issues of great importance to residents. Issues like:
• Regional politics
• Development
• Tourism and the “snow industry”
• Agriculture
• Water
• Energy
The Rockies are fascinating socioeconomically, and certainly the realities of daily life are rather different from those I experience in urban Oakland. By celebrating and working to protect that daily life, New West hopes to drive greater cohesion in a ruthlessly independent population.
In addition, New West seeks to help advertisers reach and connect with the demographically comfortable, culturally aware, and fundamentally active readership. Further, the audience stats for the site are rather impressive:
• 84% College grad
• 93% vote in local and national elections
• 20% CEO/President/Chair/Owner
• 31% Manager/Director/Supervisor
Stats better than many of the "go-tos" we traditionally choose when we want to reach an elite audience. Indeed, you would probably be shocked at the number of VC leaders that call Montana their second home.
In addition to IAB standards, the site offers interstitials, rich media experiences, sponsored content, and deep brand integrations.
One of the things that is clear based upon their editorial mix is that Westerners are anxious to be a part of this new company and model. The number of authors who post to the site, the number of business leaders who contribute, and the number and depth of community participation in the content are remarkable.
In addition to the website, the company has wisely chosen to develop multiple revenue models, including an events business and a web development shop that helps supplement revenue and incomes as the publication continues its growth trajectory.
The site itself has received a great number of industry accolades, including this from the New York Times.
By just about every measure New West, the online magazine, is a success: It features great writing and reporting, presented via a smart blend of magazine and bloglike articles covering the Rocky Mountain states. Traffic is growing. Critics are raving.
I like their pluck, and their commitment to doing well by doing good – helping community members and advertisers capitalize on the unique attributes of Rocky Mountain life.
Cheers? Jeers? Tweet 'em to @CatalystaJim.
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