New Study Finds Global Executives Struggling to Find Sweet Spot with Social Media

New York (Profitable.com) Becoming social is an imperative for brands today, and while many are embracing the digital revolution, substantial improvements are yet to be made to build a brand with a distinctive social identity, according to a new global Weber Shandwick study in partnership with Forbes Insights.

“Socializing Your Brand: A Brand’s Guide to Sociability” offers brand and communications executives with a starting point for developing their own best-in-class practices when creating an authentically social brand. The research was conducted online among 1,897 senior executives from high revenue companies across 50 countries in North America, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Asia Pacific and Latin America.

According to the study, global brand executives believe that sociability is growing rapidly as a contributor to a brand’s overall reputation, from 52 percent today with a projected estimate of 65 percent three years from now. Yet, a large majority (84 percent) report that their brand’s sociability is not yet up to world class brand standards, despite the fact that nearly all of them (87 percent) say they have a social media brand strategy.

What does it take to be among the elite set of world class brands? The study found that being a world class social brand means interacting with target audiences and creating original content that heightens the interactive experience, going beyond broadcasting news, deals or events. World class brands get their communities of interest engaged and develop meaningful ties over shared passions or commonalities. They demonstrate a genuine interest in what their audiences say and listen carefully to responses. World class sociability rests on the collaboration of the entire organization to integrate the brand personality across all communications channels. World class sociability also means that brand managers are prepared to accept all the risks that come with the rewards of venturing into this new era of customer engagement.

“There is a disconnect between theory and reality when it comes to socializing a brand. All too often, brand managers clamor for the latest and greatest application and new technology, bypassing the need for clear business objectives, a true social orientation and programs that deliver real value to brand communities. To be a fully socialized brand, leaders need a new blueprint; one that factors in both proper internal structure as well as external programming that help people be informed and identified with brands they engage online,” said Chris Perry, president of Digital Communications, Weber Shandwick. “Organizations need to break down silos, operate strategically and integrate all marketing communications. Only then can a brand successfully and seamlessly engage in a real social dialogue.”

Socializing Your Brand – The Risks vs. The Rewards

Global brand executives consider that the rewards of using social media outweigh the risks, by more than a 2-to-1 margin. Among the rewards of social media, global brand executives count strengthening customer loyalty, improving brand recognition, helping locate new customers and prospects and improving customer service.

“While there are inherent risks in socializing a brand, it is no longer an option to go without a social presence. Now, more than ever, executives need to harness this opportunity to connect with customers, facilitate a conversation and encourage feedback. Their reputations and livelihood depend on it,” said Leslie Gaines-Ross, chief reputation strategist, Weber Shandwick.

Nine Drivers of Leading Brand Sociability:

For more information, please go to our infographic and executive summary at www.webershandwick.com/socialbrands

It’s not the medium — and it’s more than the message: World class brands are much more likely than the average brand to create original content. 45 percent of them create content specifically for social media purposes, compared to 28 percent of all global companies. World class brands depend upon much more than just the medium to make themselves social.
Put your brands in motion: World class companies do more than build an inventory of social media tools. They apply their tools in more social ways than the average global company. For example, they are 44 percent more likely to offer brand-related mobile content, 43 percent more likely to participate in “check-in” apps, 41 percent more likely to do proximity marketing and 40 percent more likely to have their own branded YouTube channel.
Integrate or die: World class organizations are much better integrators of brand personality — they are nearly twice as likely as other organizations to have a consistent brand personality across all social and traditional media channels and are much more likely to include a social media element to their traditional print or broadcast messaging.
Make social central: 61 percent of world class brands have a dedicated social media strategist or manager, vs. 41 percent of all global brands. According to one global executive respondent, “The most important thing we can do is to centrally plan social media activities across all channels to amplify key messages.”
Listen more than you talk: World class companies fine-tune their messages to customers and integrate what is on their fans’ minds into their brand stories. Nearly twice as many world class brands have changed a product or service based on fan recommendations compared to the average global brand.
Count what matters — meaningful engagement: World class brands place more weight than other brands on their number of contributors when measuring social media effectiveness. Social contributors are ranked #1 by world class companies but #6 by other companies as a key metric.
Think global: Executives managing world class brands consider global reach as important as customer service as a driver of corporate reputation while the average global executive ranks global reach last.
Go outside to get inside: World class companies are nearly twice as likely as average global companies to engage outside support to measure their brand’s social performance.
Be vigilant: To protect their social brand integrity, world class brands are always on high alert. They are 85 percent more vigilant since Wikileaks has been in the news and are 58 percent more likely to be concerned about privacy violations.

Brand Sociability Ranges Cross Continents

“Socializing Your Brand” found relatively few differences across regions. Weber Shandwick and Forbes Insights believe this is due to the globality of social media and, although some geographies are more technologically developed than others, they all embrace the same opportunities and face the same challenges of using social media to connect with customers in a meaningful way.

The most pronounced regional differences are:

North American companies are most likely to have integrated their social media brand strategies into their overall marketing or communications strategies (73 percent vs. 54 percent in EMEA, 60 percent in APAC and 62 percent in Latin America).
While EMEA organizations are just as likely as those in other regions to have a centralized social media function, they are the least likely to have a dedicated social media strategist/manager (62 percent vs. 77 percent in North America, 70 percent in APAC and 78 percent in Latin America).
APAC brand executives are significantly more likely than executives in other regions to report difficulty quantifying social media results/gauging ROI (27 percent vs. 19 percent in North America, 17 percent in EMEA and 14 percent in Latin America). In fact, this is APAC executives’ number one barrier to using social media more extensively. APAC is also the most likely region to cite lack of talent to effectively implement social media as a barrier, which could be a reason for or byproduct of ROI challenges.
Latin American brand executives expect the most from their brand’s online sociability. On average, they project in three years that 72 percent of their brand’s reputation will be attributed to its online sociability. This is higher than what executives in other regions expect (65 percent in North America, 63 percent in EMEA and 66 percent in APAC).

“Collectively, brands are re-defining marketing models for a super-social media environment. Whether it’s to reach employees, customers or media, social communications is a powerful, unstoppable market force. Communications and marketing executives and are now well aware. The question is how to use this power to maximum advantage,” said Perry.

About The Survey

Weber Shandwick partnered with Forbes Insights to identify what makes brands social – and how. The research was conducted via an online survey in Spring 2011 of 1,897 senior executives from high revenue companies across 50 countries inNorth America, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Asia Pacific and Latin America. Executive respondents were selected for their personal involvement in marketing, communications or public relations strategy and utilization of digital channels as part of that strategy.

About Weber Shandwick

Weber Shandwick is a leading global public relations agency with offices in 74 countries around the world. The firm’s success is built on its deep commitment to client service, our people, creativity, collaboration and harnessing the power of Advocates – engaging stakeholders in new and creative ways to build brands and reputation. Weber Shandwick provides strategy and execution across practices such as consumer marketing, healthcare, technology, public affairs, financial services, corporate and crisis management. Its specialized services include digital/social media, advocacy advertising, market research, and corporate responsibility. In 2010, Weber Shandwick was named Global Agency of the Year by The Holmes Report for the second year in a row; an ‘Agency of the Decade’ by Advertising Age, Large PR Agency of the Year by Bulldog Reporter, a Digital Firm of the Year by PR News, and Top Corporate Responsibility Advisory Firm by CR Magazine. The firm has also won numerous ‘best place to work’ awards around the world. Weber Shandwick is part of the Interpublic Group (NYSE: IPG). For more information, visit http://www.webershandwick.com.

About Forbes Insights

Forbes Insights (www.forbes.com/forbesinsights) is the custom research practice of Forbes Media. Forbes Insights’ research covers a wide range of vital business issues, including: talent management; corporate social responsibility; financial benchmarking; risk and regulation; and doing business in emerging markets.

Jennifer Norton
Weber Shandwick
212.445.8314
jnorton@webershandwick.com

Rachel Manfredo
Weber Shandwick
212.445.8171
rmanfredo@webershandwick.com

New Study Shows Some Facebook Uses Could Positively Effect Student GPA

Lock Haven, Pennsylvania (Profitable.com) Results of a study released last week in Computers in Human Behavior by Dr. Reynol Junco of Lock Haven University, Pennsylvania, show a positive correlation between college grade point average and Facebook use when students use the social network for information collection and sharing.

Study participants included 1,839 college students, each of which were U.S. residents and admitted through the regular admissions process at a four-year, public, primary residential institution. Data collected and examined centered around the relationship between multiple measures of frequency of Facebook use, participation in site activities, time spent preparing for class and overall GPA. GPA data were gathered from the university registrar.

Results reveal that the social network’s use positively related to GPA when that student used his or her time on the site mimicking educational behaviors, such as sharing links or gathering information. The time a student spent on the social network only weakly correlated to the time he or she spent preparing for class.

As with excessive offline socializing, Facebook social activities, such as chatting and updating one’s status, were negatively related to either GPA or time spent preparing for class. The author observed a negative relationship between time spent on Facebook and GPA, with students who invested 279 added minutes on Facebook per day than average also earning an overall GPA .37 points below average. But the relationship between time spent on Facebook and grades could not be explained by students spending less time studying.

“While further study is necessary, these results do help educators understand which Facebook activities could prove problematic and which were beneficial, when to target interventions around comparable online and offline behaviors like excessive socializing, and the possibilities of using Facebook to enhance student learning and engagement,” Junco explained.

Educators have an opportunity to transform activities in a manner that fully leverages those individual features that promote positive academic outcomes, Junco concluded. For instance, because research indicates a positive correlation between communication and gains in academic performance, faculty members could foster online course-related discourse via self-administered Facebook groups.

Dr. Rey Junco’s full study, “Too much face and not enough books: The relationship between multiple indices of Facebook use and academic performance”, is available online at http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0747563211001932. Media representatives may contact the author for interview requests.

About The Author

Dr. Rey Junco is a social media scholar whose primary research interest lies in using quantitative methods to analyze the effects of social media on student psychosocial development, engagement, and learning. Rey earned his doctorate in education in counselor education from Penn State University. Rey also earned his master’s degree in clinical psychology from Penn State where he studied and conducted research in neuropsychology. He holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from The University of Florida where he studied and conducted research in neuroscience. He is currently a Professor in the Department of Academic Development and Counseling and the Director of Disability Services at Lock Haven University.

Global Strategic Management Institute Brings Social Media Strategies Summit to Las Vegas in 2012

Following our successful 2011 Social Media Strategies Summits in San Francisco, Boston and London, with speakers from Facebook, Twitter, Zappos, Dunkin’ Donuts, Celtics, Samsung, NCAA and much more, GSMI is excited to host its first Social Media Strategies Summit of 2012 in Las Vegas Nevada. Whether your organization is just starting out or in the forefront of social media marketing the Social Media Strategies Summit will take your social strategy to the next level. Through hands on workshops, case studies and keynotes, our Las Vegas event will provide attendees with emerging strategies, tactics and the do-s and don’ts of social media marketing.

What: Three day summit with over fifty learning sessions, nine interactive workshops, keynotes, parties and plenty of time for networking.

Speakers include, innovators, celebrities, authors, award winners and thought leaders including, author, HARO founder and Vocus Small Business Evangelist Peter Shankman, Vice President of Brand Strategy at The Weather Channel, Derek Van Nostran, Director of Social Media for Salesforce.com, Marcus Nelson, Zappos’s Social Engagement Scientist, Graham Kahr, Executive Director of Social, Mobile and Product Solutions Sales at Yahoo!, Patrick Albano, and much much more!

When: February 7, 2012: Workshops
February 8 & 9, 2011: Summit

Where: Mirage Casino-Hotel, 3400 S. Las Vegas Blvd., Las Vegas, NV, 89109

Who: Chief Executive Officers, Chief Marketing Officers, Chief Branding Officers, VPs, Directors and Managers of: Marketing, Branding, Business Strategy, Customer Relations, Social Media, Media Sales, Public Relations, Online Community Managers, Social Media Assistants, Social Media Strategists, Business Development, World of Mouth Gurus, Community Marketers, bloggers, journalists, ghost writers.

How: Detailed information about workshops and summit, including package details, prices and keynote speakers can be found at: http://www.socialmediastrategiessummit.com

More information about Global Strategic Management Institute and Social Media Strategies Summit can be found at: http://www.gsmiweb.com

About GSMI

GSMI is dedicated to creating rich environments for learning, networking and ensuring their attendees have great experiences. GSMI hosts dozens of summits, around the world, each year. They are leaders in their industry and strive to always provide the best, most relevant, speakers, quality workshops and the right environment to both network and learn.

Business Etiquette Tips for Social Media: 12 Tips From Georgia Business Etiquette Expert Lydia Ramsey

Business people use social media networking to build their careers, promote their business and grow their reputations. But they might be doing more harm than good if they violate the etiquette of social networking.

“As with e-mail, cell phones, and other technological devices, we got the technology first and we have backed into the rules for using it with courtesy and consideration,” says Ramsey, a Savannah, Georgia-based social media etiquette expert and president of Manners That Sell (http://www.MannersThatSell.com).

“The world of online networking is new to most of us, but there is little difference in connecting with people online and offline. The same basic tenets hold true. Trust and authenticity remain high on the list,” says Ramsey, who conducts seminars on business etiquette to corporations throughout the Southeastern U.S. as well as around the world.

Here are Lydia’s 12 tips on the etiquette of social networking for becoming a polished professional.

Fill out your online profiles completely with information about you and your business. Use your real name and your own photo. Your cat may be adorable, but unless you are a veterinarian specializing in the care of felines, don’t get cute.
Use a different profile or account for your personal connections. Business and pleasure do not mix in this medium.
Create a section on your main profile detailing who you are seeking to befriend. Everyone need not apply.
Offer information of value. Don’t talk just about yourself and your company.
Don’t approach strangers and ask them to be friends just so you can try to sell them on your products or services. You will quickly lose credibility and friends.
Pick a screen name that represents you and your company well. Don’t call yourself “Loser1″ unless you want to be known by that.
Don’t send out invitations to play games or other timewasters for those using the site.
Don’t put anything on the Internet that you don’t want your future boss, current or potential clients to read.
Check out the people who want to follow you or be your friend. Your mother was right when she said that people will judge you by the company you keep.
If someone does not want to be your friend, accept their decision gracefully.
Never post when you’re overly tired, jet lagged, intoxicated, angry or upset.
Compose your posts, updates or tweets in a word processing document so you can check grammar and spelling before you send.

“People are connecting with, listening to, following and collaborating with each other online at a rapidly increasing rate,” says Ramsey as she consults on business etiquette. “By following my 12 rules for social media etiquette, business people will position themselves for much better results in the marketplace.”

About Lydia Ramsey

Lydia Ramsey is an international business etiquette expert. She is the president and founder of Manners That Sell, a firm based in Savannah, Georgia, offering seminars, keynote speeches and executive coaching to corporations, associations and universities. She began her career as an etiquette consultant over three decades ago.

Lydia is the author of several books including “Manners That Sell – Adding the Polish That Builds Profits,” and “Lydia Ramsey’s Little Book of Table Manners” as well as the co-author of “Success Tweets for Creating Positive Personal Impact.”

She has produced four training videos, including “Dining for Profit,” which was featured in the Wall Street Journal as one of the top four training videos on business dining. She served for over seven years as the business etiquette columnist for The Savannah Morning and was hired by The Voice of America China Department to write scripts on business etiquette which are broadcast to China, Thailand and other countries in the Far East. Her business travels have taken her as far as India and theMiddle East. She brings a global perspective to business etiquette while preserving Southern traditions.

Lydia is a popular media figure and has been quoted in numerous national television and radio media outlets.

For more information about Lydia and her expertise, please visit http://www.MannersThatSell.com.

Contact:
Lydia Ramsey
Lydia@mannersthatsell.com
912.598.9812

OnFast Launches Social Media Tools for Restaurants

OnFast launched its service to the Restaurant industry today. Their suite of social media tools help restaurants market themselves across social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Additionally, OnFast’s Painless Blogging tool supplies professionally written documents containing search engine optimized keywords for the restaurant industry, which makes it easier to create blog posts and automatically update social networks.

“Most restaurant owners don’t have a lot of time to keep their social networks up to date. OnFast is a simple way to quickly manage social networks, including blogs, all from one easy to use dashboard,” remarked OnFast President Christopher Shepherd.

OnFast’s Social Coupon tool provides restaurants the ability to offer discount and promotional coupons to their customers, without any per coupon charges. These coupons are automatically posted to social networks and blogs, or can be exported for email campaigns. Current daily deals can also be listed directly on the restaurant’s website or Facebook page using OnFast’s proprietary coupon feed and Facebook Coupon App. OnFast’s easy to use Campaign Planning Calendar allows restaurants to quickly plan and schedule their future marketing efforts. Tracking the results of marketing campaigns is straight-forward, helping restaurants achieve their visibility goals at a glance. These features allow restaurants to efficiently leverage social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, in just a few minutes a week.

OnFast is accessible world wide via a web browser or mobile device at http://www.onfast.com/restaurant.html. OnFast offers its innovative social media tools as an affordable flat-fee monthly subscription, with no contracts, no per-coupon charges, and a no-risk 30-day free trial.

Founded in 2010 by serial Internet and travel technology entrepreneur Aaron Shepherd, OnFast is a cloud-based software as a service (SAAS) provider for the online coupon and social network marketing space. OnFast’s management team brings more than 30 years of experience in the software and Internet industries to provide customers with innovative and effective technologies. OnFast is headquartered in Naples, on Southwest Florida’s Gulf Coast. OnFast customers can learn more and sign up for the service at http://www.onfast.com/restaurant.html.

For more information contact Christopher Shepherd christopher(dot)shepherd(at)onfast(dot)com at 866-MYONFAST (866.696.6327). Follow us on Twitter: @OnFast. Connect with us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/onfast. Check out our blogs at http://blog.onfast.com and http://tech.onfast.com.

OnFast is a registered trademark and other OnFast product names, service names, slogans or logos referenced in this document are registered trademarks of OnFast, LLC. All other company, product or service names referenced in this website are used for identification purposes only and may be trademarks of their respective owners.

Jollybuzz Launches Real Big in the Social Networking World Offering a Fantastic Mix of Business and Pleasure; Next Best Thing Standing Up to Facebook and Twitter

Jollybuzz Inc., (http://www.jollybuzz.com) emerges to be the exciting and newest cool in social networking. Powered by a revolutionary platform that was conceived, modified and polished for years, Jollybuzz was soft launched a few months ago for operational stability, functional effectiveness, ergonomics; and then voila, a new hub for real social integration and business networking was born!

A welcome quote on the homepage says “Jollybuzz is here to take away the boredom in social networking. It enables users do more than just sharing photos, music, videos and writing on walls … Jollybuzz is truly for sharing with real people and giving users ultimate resources to reach out. Members share and help each other get the best out of their dreams.” This networking system aims at providing a fine blend of cutting edge products and services that are useful in every sense.

With social media constantly improving and shaping the way people use the internet, Jollybuzz takes social networking up a notch by remodeling key elements that helps users connect more seamlessly with friends, family and cliques (private and public). Meeting new people and matchmaking are also now more exciting as people search is more flexible like in a dating system where members can search profiles by variables of interest.

Everybody can be the boss they really are on Jollybuzz because users can create and sponsor personal and private groups and clubs to relate with individuals with a common interest, passion or hobby. When a user picks an area of interest, searching and connecting with others or starting a network are just a couple of clicks away.

Members could also post products to the store and start selling or advancing their businesses online with premium business listing which features Google maps that directs customers straight to their doorsteps. The online store on Jollybuzz creates a shopping mall feel where users can browse, find and buy whatever they find interesting without visiting several other sites. Sellers also get the freedom to choose where they receive their payments directly from the customers.

The social networking industry being as dynamic as it is, it is wise to carve a niche rather than try to replace another system. With this insight, Jollybuzz rather than play down other players, weaved into its system a tool that helps users update their Facebook, Twitter and Jollybuzz status updates at once! This synchronized status updates can be set to update immediately or at a later time when members might have left their computer.

“Jollybuzz is a futuristic brand backed by awesome developers who constantly experiment on various components and ideas of the web with a view of bringing the best of what can be enjoyed now while looking ahead,” says Pam Martin, Planning Dept.

This is a brand new social experience that is also rewarding. Each action on the site is rewarded with points and members can optionally become affiliates where they easily earn commissions (in %) for paid membership upgrades of their referrals. “Having fun and making some quick cool cash at the same time sounds good to me!” says Pacesetter, Jollybuzz director.

Taking social networking to a whole new level, Jollybuzz is now publicly available and is steadily recording wide acceptance because it offers a lot more easy ways to keep in touch with or meet like minded people and it makes social and business networking more exciting and fun.

Whether using a PC or a mobile phone, Jollybuzz instantly connects users to a world where they will find all their friends and other people of like minds with whom there exists a shared basic interests. Members can choose to do private one-on-one chat or do group chats. Video chat and video commenting is also available for use to interact and express thoughts and opinions. Members can discuss in forums, attend events write on walls, upload and share files, post blogs, pictures, music, videos and create polls.

For most people, “life is a race, a struggle and a competition. Having the right tools and equipments would surely gives the user an edge. Jollybuzz is the next best thing in social and business networking which facilitates its members to create their own network of friends. This project is work in progress as mobile apps for android and iphones are incubating and almost ready for use. Desktop apps are also part of package designed to make this idea of social networking truly fun.”

Pacesetter Olayinka a company director said, “Success was a basic ingredient in the conception of Jollybuzz and it is only a matter of time for true quality to prevail.” With these words, people from all over the world are invited to be part of this global community that connects real people with other real people in a serene online atmosphere where there would have unlimited fun doing what they like to do online. Be part of the success story! (http://www.jollybuzz.com)

About us

Jollybuzz Inc., is a division of Inxale International Ventures Ltd, a company which has been operating in the information and technology field for some years now serving as consultants to and supporting marketing firms. This parent company’s philosophy is inspirational to all as it states succinctly: “reach beyond your dreams!”

How Google+ Can Help Your Job Search

Google+ has joined Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and BeKnown as the latest social media tool in the job seeker’s arsenal. According to a new report on CareerCast.com, Google+ allows you to keep your social life separate from your professional life and is a great way to connect with potential employers and find job leads. However, this hot new tool is still in beta so it’s only available by invitation from people who have already joined.

If you’re lucky enough to score an early invite, Google+, unlike other social media sites, allows you to control which parts of your profile each of your connections sees.

“Through the use of ‘Circles,’ Google+ allows you to choose who sees each of your posts, photos, and videos,” explains Tony Lee, publisher, CareerCast.com. “You can also add potential employers and contacts to your circles without needing them to ‘friend’ you back.”

Another highlight of Google+ is the ability to edit your posts once they are published. Even one of the site’s drawbacks – your newsfeeds or “Streams” can be re-shared with friends outside your circle – can be overcome with a tool that allows you to disable re-sharing of posts.

“Hangouts” is Google+’s version of group video chat, which can potentially be very useful for long-distance interviews. Being able to do a video interview with a recruiter or hiring manager from the comfort of your home can be a huge savings and timesaver.

The “Sparks” feature of Google+ is a feed of current news stories related to interests that you select.

“Keeping abreast of company and industry news is a great way to find leads and research employers before an interview,” says Mr. Lee.

Google+ is still developing its company-specific pages, so for now, it’s best to research a company on other services. For job seekers, the bottom line is that no matter what social media network you are using, make sure you maintain control of your brand across the Internet. Take some time to surf the web and see what a potential employer might find about you. Not taking control of your brand could cost you in a big way.

For more information or to read the full report, visit http://www.careercast.com/career-news/how-google-plus-can-help-your-job-search.

Low Customer Satisfaction for Facebook Opens Door for Google+

The social media market is primed for a new player that allows users to connect with friends, according to the 2011 American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) E-Business Report, produced in partnership with customer experience analytics firm ForeSee Results. Despite a small improvement this year, Facebook (+3% to 66) is the lowest-scoring site, not only in the social media category, but of all measured companies in this report. The survey was conducted last month, before the widespread introduction of Facebook’s biggest competitor, Google+, but Facebook’s low score indicates that Google+ could easily pounce and gain market share if they can provide a superior customer experience.

“We don’t know yet how Google+ will fare, but what we do know is that Google is one of the highest-scoring companies in the ACSI and Facebook is one of the lowest,” said Larry Freed, president and CEO of ForeSee Results. “An existing dominance of market share like Facebook has is no longer a safety net for a company that is not providing a superior customer experience.”

Facebook is just one story emerging from today’s report. The ACSI E-Business Report covers three categories of e-business: social media, portals and search engines, and online news. This is the twelfth annual report of its kind, allowing companies and analysts to track the performance of these organizations over time by a critical metric: customer satisfaction.

Social Media: Wikipedia (+1% to 78) takes the top spot, while YouTube (+1% to 74) comes in a distant second. MySpace drops from this year’s Index because there were not enough users to create a statistically significant sample. Overall, social media is one of the lowest-scoring industries measured by the ACSI—only airlines, newspapers, and subscription television services score lower.

Search Engines and Portals: Google leads the search engine and portals category (up 4% to 83), but Bing follows closely, jumping an impressive 7% in one year to 82. Anything over 80 is generally considered an excellent score. Bing has grown in market share over the last year and makes up roughly 17% of the search engine market, up from 9% last year.

“While Google+ is the challenger to Facebook’s established dominance in the social media sphere, in the search engine wars, Google is king and Bing is hoping to be a contender,” added Freed. “Last year, Google’s customer satisfaction score was three points higher than Bing’s. This year, that gap narrows to one point. Bing is showing it can challenge Google in terms of revenue, market share, and the customer experience.”

News Websites: FoxNews.com (82) has a strong lead on the news and information category and is five points ahead of the next highest-scoring site, ABCNews.com (+3% to 77). HuffingtonPost.com (69) debuts at the bottom of the industry. Satisfaction with NYTimes.com drops 4% this year to 73. The study was conducted during the same time the site began to implement their metered paywall, but it remains to be seen whether satisfaction will rebound as customers adjust to the new business model.

“E-business is still relatively immature in many ways, often more interested in technology than in satisfying customers,” said Claes Fornell, founder of the ACSI and author of The Satisfied Customer. “As competition gets tougher, this is likely to change, and the successful companies are going to have powerful cause-and-effect customer satisfaction measurement systems. The losers will be the companies that underestimate the power of a dissatisfied customer and fail to upgrade their current measurement systems.”

For more analysis and complete historical scores, please visit www.theacsi.org or www.ForeSeeResults.com.

About the ACSI

The American Customer Satisfaction Index is a national economic indicator of customer evaluations of the quality of products and services available to household consumers in the United States. Data from interviews with approximately 70,000 customers annually are used as inputs into an econometric model to measure satisfaction with more than 225 companies in 47 industries and 10 economic sectors, as well as more than 130 federal government departments, agencies, and websites. Results are released on a monthly basis with all measures reported using a 0-100 scale. ACSI data have proven to be strongly related to a number of essential indicators of micro and macroeconomic performance. For example, firms with higher levels of customer satisfaction tend to have higher earnings and stock returns relative to competitors. Stock portfolios based on companies that show strong performance in ACSI deliver excess returns in up-markets as well as down-markets. And, at the macro level, customer satisfaction has been shown to be predictive of both consumer spending and gross domestic product growth.

Founded at the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business, the Index is produced by ACSI LLC and supported in part by ForeSee Results, corporate sponsor for the e-commerce and e-business measurements.

About ForeSee Results

As the leader in customer satisfaction measurement, ForeSee Results captures and analyzes voice-of-customer data to help organizations increase loyalty, recommendations and marketing value. Using the methodology of the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI), ForeSee Results identifies improvements across all channels and touch points that drive customer satisfaction. With over 60 million survey responses collected to date and benchmarks across dozens of industries, ForeSee Results offers unparalleled expertise in customer satisfaction measurement and management for clients around the world.

ForeSee Results, a privately held company, is located in Ann Arbor, Michigan and on the web at www.ForeSeeResults.com. Connect with ForeSee Results at (www.ForeSeeResults.com/connect.html).

Social.com Sells for $2.6 Million, Taking the No. 1 Spot for 2011 Reported Domain Name Sales

The sale of the domain name Social.com closed this week for USD $2.6 million, setting the record for reported 2011 domain name sales. Marksmen, Inc.’s domain sales arm, NameQuiver, co-brokered the sale at the Moniker premium domain auction held at the recent DOMAINfest® Europe event in Barcelona, Spain. The sale was widely anticipated by domain name industry veterans, who correctly predicted an impressive price for the name.

Brokers considered Social.com a category-defining domain name at a time when social media has become the single largest growth sector on the Internet. “The sale of Social.com undoubtedly represents marketing millions,” said Cyntia King of NameQuiver, who helped engineer the sale.

To facilitate the sale, Marksmen was able to combine its expansive list of client contacts built over the last 13 years as an industry leading intellectual property investigation company with the auction marketing and sales expertise of Moniker and SnapNames to create massive interest in the domain. Industry media coverage intensified when the auction was switched to an online, rather than live, event.

The final sale, to an undisclosed buyer, was negotiated privately after an initial multi-million dollar offer. “We’re very pleased with our partnership and Moniker’s ability to attract a buyer for Social.com, culminating in this successful outcome,” said Ken Taylor, CEO of Marksmen, Inc. “We look forward to continuing to use our unique position in the industry to connect premium domain names to our clients and other end-users via auctions and private brokering.”

About Marksmen

Founded in 1998, Marksmen is a world leader in IP protection services, including trademark clearance and enforcement investigations, determining business method patents and processes, establishing and locating prior art, due diligence, worldwide on-ground investigations, litigation support and Internet related infringements. Additionally, Marksmen negotiates for the purchase or sale of IP rights internationally and monitors the Internet for both Web content and domain name registrations.

Personal Word-of-Mouth, TV Still Inform Cause Engagement Most Among Generation Y

Despite the growing popularity of social media as means of engaging with causes today, younger Americans still look to personal communication with friends and family as well as traditional media when learning about and telling others about causes. New findings from the Dynamics of Cause Engagement study show that while Generation Y is significantly more likely than its older counterparts to utilize social media to learn about causes, more than 4 in 10 Americans age 18-29 still get their information from family (48%), friends (46%) and TV (45%). The survey was conducted among adults age 18 and over in late 2010 by Georgetown University’s Center for Social Impact Communication and Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide, and explored overall trends in cause involvement and the roles of a variety of activities and tools in fostering engagement with social issues.

Offline Exchange Still Vital

Face-to-face, offline conversations appear to still be the way information about causes is most often relayed among Americans of all generations, according to survey data. Nearly two-thirds of Americans (62%) report that being told in person is the way they are typically informed of causes and social issues in which others want them to be involved. Even among generations Y (ages 18 to 29) and X (ages 30 to 45), who are significantly more likely than older generations to report being sent messages or invitations via social media or text messaging, more than half (56% and 59%, respectively) report this face-to-face engagement.

Social Media: Beliefs vs. Actions

Americans are in agreement that they can make a difference by supporting causes; however, they disagree in their perception of the extent to which social media can help accomplish this. When it comes to showing support for causes, generations X and Y subscribe more readily than Baby Boomers (ages 46 to 60) and the Silent Generation (age 61 and over) to the beliefs that social networking sites like Facebook help increase visibility for causes and help them get the word out about causes more easily. Generations X and Y also are significantly more likely to report that they would support a cause online rather than offline (36% and 37%, respectively).

However, social media continues to remain relatively low on the list of ways Americans — younger generations included — typically support causes. While Generation Y is more likely than older generations to make use of promotional social media tools (e.g., blogs, icons on social profiles, and cause groups) these still rank below more historically prominent types of engagement (e.g., donating, talking to others about social issues, volunteering and signing a petition).

Different Drivers of Online Cause Fatigue

Social media users or not, study findings across all generations point to the potential for online cause overload. More than 7 in 10 report that emails about causes sometimes feel like spam. The Silent Generation — who are significantly more likely than younger generations to be told about causes by email — also are significantly more likely to say they receive too many emails about causes (55%). Generations X and Y are significantly more likely to believe that everybody “likes” causes on Facebook and that it doesn’t really mean anything.

Shared Support for Social Issues

Americans of all ages are generally in agreement about the causes in which they are most involved, with supporting our troops and feeding the hungry at the top of the list. Health-related issues, such as heart disease and diabetes, garner stronger involvement from Baby Boomers and the Silent Generation, while global warming ranks slightly higher among generations X and Y.

Looking ahead to the remainder of 2011, Generation Y believes that gay marriage will be the most prominent cause (28%), followed closely by supporting our troops, bullying and global warming (26% each). Older Americans (Generation X, Baby Boomers and the Silent Generation) are in agreement that supporting our troops will remain most prominent (31%, 39% and 50%, respectively).

About the Survey:

Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide and Georgetown University’s Center for Social Impact Communication developed the study with the objectives of showcasing trends in cause involvement and evaluating the role of a variety of activities in fostering engagement. An online survey was conducted by TNS Global among a nationally representative sample of 2,000 Americans ages 18 and over. The survey was fielded November 30 to December 22, 2010, and has a margin of error of +/-2.2% at the 95% confidence level. Throughout this report, an asterisk ‘*’ next to a number indicates a significant difference from the corresponding audience at the 95% level of confidence.

Generation Definitions:

Gen Y (Ages 18 to 29)
Gen X (Ages 30 to 45)
Baby Boomers (Ages 46 to 60)
Silent Gen (Age over 60)

Additional key findings will be released in upcoming weeks:

June 30 – Cause Involvement and Behavior Change

About the Center for Social Impact Communication

Georgetown University’s Center for Social Impact Communication (CSIC) is the nation’s leading educational resource on social impact communication. Launched in 2008 and housed in the Master of Professional Studies program in Public Relations and Corporate Communications, CSIC aims to elevate the discipline by pioneering industry standards in responsible communication practices and by educating and inspiring the professionals who lead the way in creating positive social impact through their work. For more information, visit csic.georgetown.edu.

Twitter: @georgetowncsic

About Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide

Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide (Ogilvy PR) is a global, multidisciplinary communications leader operating in more than 80 markets. For more than two decades, Ogilvy PR has been at the forefront of social marketing—advancing personal and public health and safety and broader socially desirable goals via communications initiatives. We have developed numerous social marketing campaigns to successfully raise awareness, educate and prompt action regarding some of today’s largest and most complex issues, ranging from cancer to cardiovascular health, substance abuse to homeland security, youth violence prevention to disaster preparedness, and much more.

Named Large Agency of the Year by The Holmes Report and PRNews, Ogilvy PR is a unit of Ogilvy & Mather, a WPP company (NASDAQ: WPPGY), one of the world’s largest communications service groups. For more information, visit ogilvypr.com and smexchange.ogilvypr.com

More Restaurants Serving Up Social Media Offers, Deals

Technology has changed the way people communicate with each other. These advances have made the world a smaller place. Information in every form can be held right in your pocket and social media services are on the front line of this massive information push.

According to Packaged Facts, a leading market research publisher, 31% of frequent diners use computers to place their orders, while another 21% use their cellphones or other portable device.

But many restaurants today are still left sitting at the cutting board trying to figure out a successful recipe for social marketing, while the early adopters are reaping the rewards of a lucrative, successful social media push. It can be the icing on the cake if it is handled correctly, and it can leave a bad taste in your mouth if your social media recipe lacks the flavor it needs to spread like a nice cream cheese.

People are hungry and they are hungry for much more than food. They want to feel connected and social media allows them to feel as if they are a part of the whole restaurant family.

RestaurantNews.com has released a report which takes a look at how more restaurants are using social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter to grow their business.

The full report can be found at:

http://www.restaurantnews.com/restaurants-serving-up-social-media-connections/

About RestaurantNews.com

RestaurantNews.com has been providing the latest online restaurant news for over twelve years. RestaurantNews.com offers press release services and exposure for restaurant owners and operators looking to market their restaurants. For diners, RestaurantNews.com offers current and upcoming restaurant deals, specials and promotions.

For more information about RestaurantNews.com, please visit http://www.RestaurantNews.com.

Social Media and Compliance: What Companies are and are not Doing!

Social Media – it IS all the rage! So, to find out what effect the social media explosion is having in the workplace and how companies are responding to its use, the Society of Corporate Compliance and Ethics (SCCE) and its affiliated Health Care Compliance Association (HCCA) fielded a survey among compliance and ethics professionals. This is the second survey SCCE and HCCA conducted on business’ response to social media – the first survey was conducted in 2009 – and the research was designed to track how business has responded to the explosion of social media usage.

Survey respondents reported that discipline of employees for their activities on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn is on the rise. According to the survey results 42% of respondents reported that their organization has had to discipline an employee for behavior on these sites. That is up significantly from 24% reported in 2009.

Policies for Social Media Use Away from Work

Yet, while headlines tell of employee firings for Facebook or Twitter rants or privacy violations, only about one-third of survey respondents report that their organizations have adopted policies specifically addressing the use of social media sites outside of work. The data reveals an increase from 10% in 2009 to 31% in 2011 of respondent who report that their employer has specific policies for social media use when away from work.

Social Media at Work

Companies often set site-specific policies for workplace access to social media. Forty-seven percent reported that “anyone” may access LinkedIn, while lower numbers are reported for Facebook and Twitter – 32% and 31% respectively – and 35% of respondents companies allow no access to those two sites at work. It is interesting to note here that “for profit” companies are more likely than “non-profits” to allow access to LinkedIn. Health care companies (40%) were far less likely to allow access than industry as a whole (77%).

Monitoring Social Media Use

In 2009, passive systems for monitoring social media policies – acting when appraised of an issue – was used by 32% of respondents and yet, despite the exponential growth of Social Media use, the availability of monitoring solutions, and the increase in company policies that restrict its use, passive system are now relied upon by 48% of respondents.

“Business has clearly awoken to the risks and opportunities posed by social media. The increase in business usage of social media sites has been accompanied by increased efforts, at least on paper, to control employee activity inside and outside of work,” said Roy Snell, Chief Executive Officer, SCCE and HCCA. “However, reliance on informal monitoring methods and lack of clear owners of monitoring suggest that many companies have a long way to go in ensuring that their policies are followed,” said Snell. “At the same time we must be very careful not to stifle one of the most effective business tool we have, social media.”

For the complete survey results, click here:

HCCA: http://www.hcca-info.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Surveys&Template=/surveyform.cfm&survey=2011SocialMedia

SCCE: http://www.corporatecompliance.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Surveys&Template=/surveyform.cfm&survey=2011SocialMedia

About the HCCA

The Health Care Compliance Association (HCCA), established in 1996 and headquartered in Minneapolis, MN, is a non-profit professional membership organization made up of compliance and ethics professionals working in the health care industry. HCCA is dedicated to improving the quality of compliance. Visit HCCA’s Web site at www.hcca-info.org. Tel: 888/580-8373.

About the SCCE

The Society of Corporate Compliance & Ethics (SCCE) is headquartered in Minneapolis, MN. Its mission: SCCE exists to champion ethical practice and compliance standards in all organizations and to provide the necessary resources for compliance professionals and others who share these principles. Visit the SCCE Web site at http://www.corporatecompliance.org, Tel: 888-277-4977. Society of Corporate Compliance & Ethics is located at 6500 Barrie Road, Suite 250, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55435. E-mail: helpteam@corporatecompliance.org.

Toolkits Dominated the Cybercriminal Scene in 2010

CUPERTINO, Calif. (Profitable.com) Wannabe cybercriminals were able to execute attacks with impunity and relative ease thanks to toolkits, pre-written software programs designed to steal information, rendering 2010 “The Year of the Toolkit” according to Trend Micro threat researchers. Toolkits proliferated through mass social media sites like Twitter throughout the year.

“While [toolkits] have always been a part of the cybercrime underground, in 2010 they flourished and became an even bigger part of the overall threat landscape,” stated Trend Micro’s 2010 threat round-up report. “Toolkits allow cybercriminal attacks to be conducted with far less effort and time, the effects of which can be seen in the explosive growth of threats in 2010.”

United States, India got spammed the most

The crackdown of Spamit operations in October 2010 led to a decline in spam between November-December, a time when holiday spam is usually on the rise.

While overall global spam volume decreased, the U.S. received the most spam with India coming in second, due to the country’s growth in Internet usage and its use of English in most forms of formal communication. The countries that received the least amount of spam were Argentina and Israel.

Europe experienced the highest spike in spam, frequently written in Spanish and most of which were online casino and gambling themed due to the region’s more lenient gambling regulations. And Russia, a country where sending spam is not yet a criminal offense, was the top spam generator during Q4 2010.

Most spam were pharmaceutical and health-care related

If you have an email account, chances are you received plenty of pharmaceutical and other health-related spam, which Trend Micro threat researchers said made up the majority of the spam tracked throughout the year. Throughout 2010, spammers also used email to disguise phishing and malware attacks that hit popular social networking sites, another hotbed for cybercriminals due its prolific communities of users.

United States, China had the most malware infections

More than 80 percent of the top malware that caused the most infections in 2010 arrived via the web. The majority of malicious URLs and, consequently, victims of malware infections in 2010 were found in the U.S. and China. Russia was also a significant source of spam that contained embedded malicious URLs.

Mobile threats target different platforms, both old and new

During the summer of 2010, Trend Micro threat researchers discovered malware targeting the new Android OS and applications. By August 2010, the DroidSMS appeared, a malicious text message sending an application disguised as Windows Media Player. A week later, another application designed to send a user’s GPS location via HTTP POST came to the scene.

Trend Micro also discovered other malware targeting older smartphone OSs like Symbian. Cybercriminals are always on the lookout for any form of monoculture to serve as a large base of possible targets for scams or malware attacks. For example, the growing popularity of Android OS in smartphones, along with the OS’ open source code and vulnerable applications, has already contributed to an increase in attempts that target the OS.

Cloud-based protection from Trend Micro

The Trend Micro™ Smart Protection Network™ provides the infrastructure behind many Trend Micro products and delivers advanced protection from the cloud, blocking threats in real-time before they reach you. By the end of 2010, the Smart Protection Network was seeing 45 billion queries every 24 hours, blocking 5 billion threats and processing 3.2 terabytes of data on a daily basis. On average, 102 million users were connected to the cloud network each day.

The Smart Protection Network uses patent-pending “in-the-cloud correlation technology” with behavior analysis to correlate combinations of web, email and file threat activities to determine if they are malicious. By correlating the different components of a threat and continuously updating its threat databases, Trend Micro has the distinct advantage of being able to respond in real time, providing immediate and automatic cloud protection from email, file and web threats.

For the full threat report, please visit: http://us.trendmicro.com/us/trendwatch/research-and-analysis/threat-reports/index.html

About Trend Micro:

Trend Micro Incorporated, a global leader in Internet content security, focuses on securing the exchange of digital information for businesses and consumers. A pioneer and industry vanguard, Trend Micro is advancing integrated threat management technology to protect operational continuity, personal information, and property from malware, spam, data leaks and the newest web threats. Visit TrendWatch to learn more about the latest threats. Trend Micro’s flexible solutions, available in multiple form factors, are supported 24/7 by threat intelligence experts around the globe. Many of these solutions are powered by the Trend Micro Smart Protection Network, a next generation cloud-client content cloud security infrastructure designed to protect customers from web threats. A transnational company, with headquarters in Tokyo, Trend Micro’s trusted security solutions are sold through its business partners worldwide. Please visit TrendMicro.com.

McAfee Labs Unveils 2011 Threat Predictions

McAfee Labs Unveils 2011 Threat Predictions SANTA CLARA, Calif. (Profitable.com) McAfee, Inc. (NYSE:MFE) today unveiled its 2011 Threat Predictions report, outlining the top threats that researchers at McAfee Labs foresee for the coming year. The list comprises 2010’s most buzzed about platforms and services, including Google’s Android, Apple’s iPhone, foursquare, Google TV and the Mac OS X platform, which are all expected to become major targets for cybercriminals. McAfee Labs also predicts that politically motivated attacks will be on the rise, as more groups are expected to repeat the WikiLeaks paradigm.

“We’ve seen significant advancements in device and social network adoption, placing a bulls-eye on the platforms and services users are embracing the most,” said Vincent Weafer, senior vice president of McAfee Labs. “These platforms and services have become very popular in a short amount of time, and we’re already seeing a significant increase in vulnerabilities, attacks and data loss.”

McAfee Labs Threat Predictions for 2011:

Exploiting Social Media: URL-shortening services
Social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook have created the movement toward an “instant” form of communication, a shift that will completely alter the threat landscape in 2011. Of the social media sites that will be most riddled with cybercriminal activity, McAfee Labs expects those with URL-shortening services will be at the forefront. The use of abbreviated URLs on sites like Twitter makes it easy for cybercriminals to mask and direct users to malicious websites. With more than 3,000 shortened URLs per minute being generated, McAfee Labs expects to see a growing number used for spam, scamming and other malicious purposes.

Exploiting Social Media: Geolocation services
Locative services such as foursquare, Gowalla and Facebook Places can easily search, track and plot the whereabouts of friends and strangers. In just a few clicks, cybercriminals can see in real time who is tweeting, where they are located, what they are saying, what their interests are, and what operating systems and applications they are using. This wealth of personal information on individuals enables cybercriminals to craft a targeted attack. McAfee Labs predicts that cybercriminals will increasingly use these tactics across the most popular social networking sites in 2011.

Mobile: Usage is rising in the workplace, and so will attacks
Threats on mobile devices have so far been few and far between, as “jailbreaking” on the iPhone and the arrival of Zeus were the primary mobile threats in 2010. With the widespread adoption of mobile devices in business environments, combined with historically fragile cellular infrastructure and slow strides toward encryption, McAfee Labs predicts that 2011 will bring a rapid escalation of attacks and threats to mobile devices, putting user and corporate data at very high risk.

Apple: No longer flying under the radar
Historically, the Mac OS platform has remained relatively unscathed by malicious attackers, but McAfee Labs warns that Mac-targeted malware will continue to increase in sophistication in 2011. The popularity of iPads and iPhones in business environments, combined with the lack of user understanding of proper security for these devices, will increase the risk for data and identity exposure, and will make Apple botnets and Trojans a common occurrence.

Applications: Privacy leaks—from your TV
New Internet TV platforms were some of the most highly-anticipated devices in 2010. Due to the growing popularity among users and “rush to market” thinking by developers, McAfee Labs expects an increasing number of suspicious and malicious apps for the most widely deployed media platforms, such as Google TV. These apps will target or expose privacy and identity data, and will allow cybercriminals to manipulate a variety of physical devices through compromised or controlled apps, eventually raising the effectiveness of botnets.

Sophistication Mimics Legitimacy: Your next computer virus could be from a friend
Malicious content disguised as personal or legitimate emails and files to trick unsuspecting victims will increase in sophistication in 2011. “Signed” malware that imitates legitimate files will become more prevalent, and “friendly fire,” in which threats appear to come from your friends but in fact are viruses such as Koobface or VBMania, will continue to grow as an attack of choice by cybercriminals. McAfee Labs expects these attacks will go hand in hand with the increased abuse of social networks, which will eventually overtake email as a leading attack vector.

Botnets: The new face of Mergers & Acquisitions
Botnets continue to use a seemingly infinite supply of stolen computing power and bandwidth around the globe. Following a number of successful botnet takedowns, including Mariposa, Bredolab and specific Zeus botnets, botnet controllers must adjust to the increasing pressure cybersecurity professionals are placing on them. McAfee Labs predicts that the recent merger of Zeus with SpyEye will produce more sophisticated bots due to improvements in bypassing security mechanisms and law enforcement monitoring. Additionally, McAfee Labs expects to see a significant botnet activity in the adoption of data-gathering and data-removal functionality, rather than the common use of sending spam.

Hacktivism: Following the WikiLeaks path
Next year marks a time in which politically motivated attacks will proliferate and new sophisticated attacks will appear. More groups will repeat the WikiLeaks example, as hacktivism is conducted by people claiming to be independent of any particular government or movement, and will become more organized and strategic by incorporating social networks in the process. McAfee Labs believes hacktivism will become the new way to demonstrate political positions in 2011 and beyond.

Advanced Persistent Threats: A whole new category
Operation Aurora gave birth to the new category of advanced persistent threat (APT)— a targeted cyberespionage or cybersabotage attack that is carried out under the sponsorship or direction of a nation-state for something other than pure financial/criminal gain or political protest. McAfee Labs warns that companies of all sizes that have any involvement in national security or major global economic activities should expect to come under pervasive and continuous APT attacks that go after email archives, document stores, intellectual property repositories and other databases.

For a full copy of the 2011 Threat Predictions report from McAfee Labs, please visit: http://www.mcafee.com

About McAfee

McAfee, headquartered in Santa Clara, California, is the world’s largest dedicated security technology company. McAfee delivers proactive and proven solutions and services that help secure systems, networks, and mobile devices around the world, allowing users to safely connect to the Internet, browse and shop the Web more securely. Backed by its unrivaled Global Threat Intelligence, McAfee creates innovative products that empower home users, businesses, the public sector and service providers by enabling them to prove compliance with regulations, protect data, prevent disruptions, identify vulnerabilities, and continuously monitor and improve their security. McAfee secures your digital world. http://www.mcafee.com

NOTE: McAfee is a registered trademark or trademark of McAfee, Inc. or its subsidiaries in the United States and other countries. Other marks may be claimed as the property of others. The product plans, specifications, and descriptions herein are provided for information only and are subject to change without notice. They are provided without warranty of any kind, expressed or implied.

Last Minute Gift Giving Goes Digital

Last Minute Gift Giving Goes Digital Gift cards continue to top gift wish lists this holiday season with 57 percent of people asking for them, according to a recent study by National Retail Federation. While the wish is the same, the method for giving has shifted. Mobile and social media gifting has never been more popular and 2010 is poised to be the first digital holiday season with mobile purchasing, delivery and in-store redemption expected to ease holiday shopping for nearly half of holiday revelers. In fact, 45 percent of young adults 18-24 are planning to use their iPhones, Android devices and other smartphones to look for gift ideas, compare prices, find items in nearby stores and share their gifting experiences with their Facebook friends. We even saw Cyber Monday sales that were reportedly higher than Black Friday, furthering the digital holiday trend.

And now, for the first time, multiple retailers are offering the easiest last-minute gift option: virtual (email) and mobile gift cards with a social media component. Transaction Wireless™ (TW), the leading provider of virtual and mobile gift cards, is working with a number of popular retailers to provide email and mobile gifting services on corporate websites as well as big brand Facebook Pages. Key clients include AMC Entertainment, American Eagle Outfitters, Aerie and 77 Kids, Applebee’s, Bass Pro Shops and SpaFinder.

With so many of us waiting until the last minute to purchase holiday gifts and our society becoming more and more mobile and immediate, digital gift cards offer the ultimate convenience as they can be delivered to almost any Internet enabled mobile devices from just about anywhere, anytime. Imagine saving that mall trip – and its long lines and parking hassles – and purchasing everything from movie tickets, dinners out, fishing gear or massages right from the comfort of home or on the way to a date night.

“Mobile devices are a lifeline for 18-24-year-olds and we know gift cards top their holiday wish list,” said Tom Niedbalski, vice president, Transaction Wireless. “We’re able to offer our retail clients a digital gift card service that is relevant and compelling to their digitally connected consumers. People will store their gift cards on their always-with-them cell phone and use them at their convenience, either in store or via their cell phone. Transaction Wireless takes the plastic gift card to the next level, offering easy to use multimedia tools to personalize their gift cards including video and pictures included for a one-of-a-kind gift message. Each gift card is also accompanied with an email receipt, which could be used for wrapping if you crave the gift opening experience. Plus, sharing what you received with friends is even more fun with the social media aspect of our virtual cards.”

Transaction Wireless’ patented wGiftCard application enables the easy, safe purchase of virtual gift cards directly from any mobile device and the Company’s wSocial application enables social gifting utilizing retailers’ Facebook Page. The cards are safely stored on the mobile device, helping to ensure gifts will be used rather than lost or forgotten. Customers can redeem gift cards either online or in retail outlets and gift givers can express themselves by personalizing mobile gift cards with customized messages, video and pictures.

About Transaction Wireless

Transaction Wireless (TW) enables retailers and brands to connect and engage with their consumers through the power and reach of virtual, mobile and social gifting, and to become part of their evolving digital world, through any PC or mobile device. Transaction Wireless’ patented, ‘cloud gifting and marketing’ technology platform supports a customizable, scalable suite of digital gifting and marketing applications for today’s online, social and mobile mediums. The Company is headquartered in San Diego, California and counts AMC Entertainment, American Eagle Outfitters, Applebee’s, SpaFinder, Bass Pro Shops and Hallmark Business Connections, as some of its current clients. More information can be found at www.transactionwireless.com.

1 in 4 US Social-Media Moms Report Purchasing Kids’ Products Based on Online Recommendations

NEW YORK (Profitable.com) According to a new study commissioned by Child’s Play Communications from The NPD Group Inc., a leading market research company, 79% of all moms in the U.S. with children under the age of 18 are active in social media. Of these moms, about one in four (23%) said they have purchased a children’s product as a result of a recommendation from a social networking site or blog.

“Social Media Moms: How Networking Impacts Purchasing Behaviors” probes into the behaviors and opinions of active social media moms, defined as moms who currently belong to a social networking site and/or write, read or comment on blogs. Based on responses from a sample of more than 2,000 active social media moms, it is evident that online recommendations have even more impact among the most frequent social media users: 43% of active social media moms who use these sites on a daily basis have purchased a children’s product as the result of a recommendation from these sites.

According to Stephanie Azzarone, president, Child’s Play Communications, “We specialize in connecting companies with moms and know from our experience how social media can influence their purchasing decisions. The NPD research validates that and provides new insight into the process. Clearly, moms nationwide are making purchasing decisions as a result of the information and advice other moms are providing through social media.”

Active social media moms who purchased a children’s product based on a social media recommendation said that, on average, they did so five times in the past year. More than half (55%) of these moms said they made their purchase because of a recommendation from a personal review blog and 40% from a Facebook recommendation.

“Social media has become an enormous influence on purchasing, and savvy marketers have certainly begun to embrace this vehicle when messaging to moms,” said Anita Frazier, Industry Analyst for The NPD Group. “But many marketers have yet to fully realize the potential of social media and the power of peer group recommendations, which means more opportunities are on the horizon.”

The NPD Group fielded an online survey to members of NPD’s online panel and to members of the Child’s Play Communications online panel. The two different sources provided data to create both a holistic view of U.S. moms and their interaction with social media, as well as a deep-dive into the behaviors and preferences of social media moms.

The NPD Group, Inc.

The NPD Group is the leading provider of reliable and comprehensive consumer and retail information for a wide range of industries. Today, more than 1,800 manufacturers, retailers, and service companies rely on NPD to help them drive critical business decisions at the global, national, and local market levels. NPD helps our clients to identify new business opportunities and guide product development, marketing, sales, merchandising, and other functions. Information is available for the following industry sectors: automotive, beauty, commercial technology, consumer technology, entertainment, fashion, food and beverage, foodservice, home, office supplies, software, sports, toys, and wireless. For more information, contact us, visit http://www.npd.com/, or follow us Twitter at https://twitter.com/npdgroup.

Child’s Play Communications

Child’s Play Communications specializes exclusively in public relations, social media and word-of-mouth communications for products and services targeted to moms. Based in New York City, the agency has launched an exciting array of proprietary services to engage this influential market through traditional media, social media and word-of-mouth communications, including the award-winning Team Mom™, the agency’s own network of mom review-bloggers. Recent company awards have included PR Innovation of the Year (2009) and Social Media Innovator of the Year (2010). For more information, call (212) 488-2060 or visit www.childsplaypr.com.

Marketers Show More Interest in Lead Quality, Search Engine Marketing

CLEVELAND (Profitable.com) Steady budgeting and a priority on lead quality over quantity highlight the results of this year’s Marketing Budget Trends white paper, an annual study of business-to-business marketing trends conducted jointly by Goldstein Group Communications and Hearst Business Media.

Those are two of the trends identified in the study, conducted during November, 2010. Survey authors said the survey respondents pointed to fewer dramatic changes in their approach, and more to 2011 activities that seek to take advantage of the changes put in place during the recent economic upheaval.

“The past few years have seen once-in-a-career shifts brought on by the global economic collapse and the emergence of new tools such as social media,” said GGC President Joel Goldstein. “So it’s not surprising that prior surveys reflected rather significant changes in marketing against this backdrop of uncertainty and new media. Now, though, based on opinions from those who responded, 2011 may just be a year of steadied progress rather than wholesale re-configuration of marketing. From steadier budgets to more uniform responses to questions about future initiatives, marketers seem to be in a mood to implement recent decisions rather than searching for new answers.”

Survey highlights included a variety of key trends for 2011 marketers:

B-to-b marketers expect consistency or improvements in budgets for 2011. When asked how spending would change next year, 44% reported no change to budgets, a full 11 points higher than a year ago. Continued recovery is still forecast by many, with 27% projecting an increase and just 6% pointing to budget decreases.
The ratio of online-to-traditional spending settled in at 51% traditional to 49% online; two years ago, 60% of budgets were spent on traditional tactics such as literature/catalogs, direct mail, trade shows, print advertising, etc.
Web development, online advertising and search engine marketing will consume 38% of budgets in 2011 and are the clear priority of decision-makers as they’re crafting spending plans for the coming year. ”Marketers seem to recognize that Google, Yahoo and Bing have become the front door for purchase decisions today, and that search engine presence is a key driver to getting their company’s fair share of sales,” Goldstein noted.
Even in the face of complaints marketers hear about email fatigue, spending on email is predicted to maintain the same share of budget (7%) in 2011 that it occupied in 2010; 21% of marketers even plan to increase email spending in 2011.
Quality trumped lead quantity in this year’s survey, one of the more dramatic changes seen from last year. While last year the need for greater lead volume outpaced improvements in lead quality as a top priority, that order was reversed this year.

“Many marketers discuss the priority they place on lead generation, yet the bulk of their advertising spending remains centered on impressions or brand awareness buys,” noted William Barron, VP Publishing Director, Hearst Electronics Group. ”Vertical search engines, such as those offered to the electronics engineering industry via EEM.com, exist to drive qualified leads to client sites. However, companies are still struggling with plotting the uninterrupted path from lead to order, something that’s always been easier said than done.”

The study was conducted via email during November, 2010 to a national database of marketing decision makers. Eighty-four people responded, ranging from CEOs (25%) to Marketing Communications (21%) to Marketing professionals (36%). Company revenues in the study were evenly distributed, with 16% reporting revenues above $151 million, 12% from $51-150 million, 26% from $11-50 million and the remainder less than $11 million.

For a copy of the results on 2011 Marketing Budget Best Practices, with results of the complete survey, contact Joel Goldstein, Goldstein Group Communications, at jgoldstein@ggcomm.com, or at 216-509-3119, or visit www.ggcomm.com.

About Hearst Electronics Group

Hearst Electronics Group is the largest publisher of product information to the electronics industry. Its directories, e-newsletters, web sites, magazines, webcasts, inventory access tools, and databases are invaluable resources for engineers involved in product design. Hearst Electronics Group is part of Hearst Business Media (HBM), an operating group of the Hearst Corporation.

About Goldstein Group Communications

Goldstein Group Communications, a technology b-to-b agency, brings an unusual combination of corporate communications management and engineer-level writing capability to its national client roster. With deep experience in electronics and industrial markets, the agency is able to draw on its skills to articulate with impact and clarity the technical advantages its clients bring to their customers. Unlike other agencies, staff members for the most part have built their careers on the corporate side of the desk, rather than as agency executives, a perspective that results in a higher level of accountability and measurability in the agency’s programs.

Social Media Users Okay with Advertising

NEW YORK (Profitable.com) Social media users in the U.S. find advertising is a fair price to pay for using social media sites and features. Fifteen percent are more inclined to buy brands that advertise in social media, representing slightly more than 30 million people 13-80 years old. Social media site ads also drive brand exploration, with 25% more inclined to find out more about brands that advertise on social media sites. When coupled with the fact that social media use has reached almost universality, marketers may consider the medium as more than a listening tool.

These are among the key findings of a major social media study being conducted as a venture between Knowledge Networks and MediaPost Communications.

Called The Faces of Social Media(SM), the syndicated study shows that a majority (59%) of social media users say ads are a fair price to pay for social media sites and features. The fifteen percent who are more inclined to purchase from brands that advertise on social media sites compares favorably with levels found among HDTV viewers and VOD users.

Advertisers may find those with smartphones to be more receptive to their messages, and an intersection exists with social media that is worth further marketing exploration. Of 13- to 54-years-old smartphone owners who have apps on their phone, almost a third (32%) say they are more inclined to purchase the brands that advertise or have marketing messages in the app. And almost three quarters (70%) of them say ads are a fair price to pay compared to social media’s 59 percent.

Ads within apps also appeal to smartphone owners between the ages of 13 and 54, with 40 percent saying that ads they see while using their smartphones are usually relevant to their “needs and interests.”

The social media listening / targeting pool for marketers has also gotten more comprehensive. Frequency of use of social media has grown in the past year, with a quarter of teens and adults using social media daily, which represents 20 percent of the American population. Overall usage has increased, with 82 percent of the teen and adult population using social media, an increase from 69 percent in 2009, the study found.

Past-year social media growth is attributable to more GenXers (those between ages 32-45) and Boomers (46-65 years-old) joining in. For GenX, usage from 2009 to 2010 increased from 70 to 85 percent. Usage among Boomers increased from 54 to 76 percent. Among Millennials/GenY — those 13- to 31-years-old — usage grew from 84 to 91 percent over the last year.

“We have learned that as social media usage has become nearly universal, its influence on inclination to purchase cannot be ignored,” said Patricia Graham, Chief Strategy Officer of Knowledge Networks. ”Yet, we also see that the level of social media influence on categories varies widely, and that is what The Faces of Social Media additionally examines.”

There were no dramatic changes in the impact of advertising within social media over the last year. Similar proportions said “ads are a fair price to pay for social media sites/features” in both 2009 (63%) and 2010 (59%). Social media users who are “more inclined to purchase from brands that advertise on social media sites/features” also remained constant, with 16 percent in 2009 and 15 percent in 2010.

“Marketers can expect more impact reaching social media users via mobile, based on these new findings,” said Chuck Martin, Director of the Center for Media Research at Media Post Communications. “As more people move to smartphones, there will be an increased opportunity for advertisers to improve their reach to consumers with increased relevance.”

The Faces of Social Media study comprised interviews with 2,242 people from KnowledgePanel®, the Knowledge Networks online panel representative of the U.S. population. The 13- to 80-year-olds were surveyed to measure their usage of social media.

The intent of the ongoing study is to measure the social media landscape and determine the influence of social media on 39 specific product categories. These include banking services, car rental, casual dining restaurants, clothing, personal care products, programs on TV, sports drinks, travel planning, among others. The categories also included Walmart and Target, as well as Super Target and Walmart Supercenter.

The study defined social media as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Myspace, and other similar sites and services. The comparisons with 2009 social media users and to smartphone app users are based on studies previously published by Knowledge Networks in its How People Use® media and are based on people 13- to 54-years-old.

MediaPost Communications is an integrated publishing and content company whose mission is to provide a complete array of resources for media, marketing and advertising professionals. Since 1996, Mediapost.com has been the largest and most influential site on the Internet for media executives, providing news, blogs and directories to help its community of more than 100,000 members better plan and buy both traditional and online advertising. MediaPost’s Center for Media Research provides a dependable source of research material.

Knowledge Networks is passionate about research in marketing, media, health and social policy — collaborating closely with client teams throughout the research process, while applying rigor in everything we do. The company specializes in innovative online research that consistently gives leaders in business, government, and academia the confidence to make important decisions. KN delivers affordable, statistically valid online research through KnowledgePanel® and leverages a variety of other assets, such as world class advanced analytics, an industry-leading physician panel, an innovative platform for measuring online ad effectiveness, and a research-ready behavioral database of frequent supermarket and drug store shoppers.

Contact:

Patricia Graham
pgraham@knowledgenetworks.com
312-416-3660

Chuck Martin
chuck@mediapost.com
603-750-3020

Small Businesses Uncertain About Social Media Use for Reaching Customers

NEEDHAM, Mass. (Profitable.com) Small businesses are unsure about the impact of social networking on reaching customers, according to a recent survey from RatePoint, a leading provider of customer reviews, testimonials and online reputation management services.

The survey revealed that while 36 percent of small businesses agree their customers spend time on social networking sites, 27 percent are undecided and 20 percent disagreed that their customers were spending time on social networks.

Research from eMarketer(i) shows an estimated 57.5 percent of all US Internet users, or 127 million people, will use a social network at least once a month in 2010. By 2014, nearly two-thirds of Internet users will be on board.

In addition, Forrester(ii) reported, “While young people continue to march toward almost universal adoption of social applications, the most rapid growth occurred among consumers 35 and older.”

“Social media use is no longer limited to one demographic, everyone is adopting,” said Neal Creighton, CEO and co-founder of RatePoint. “While many small business owners are uncertain, big brands are investing heavily in social media. Social media can be a great equalizer for small businesses to compete alongside larger brands and SMBs are missing out if they are not involved.”

Small businesses also are conflicted about the use of social media for businesses, according to RatePoint’s survey:

My customers want to hear from me on social networks: 25 percent agree, 36 percent disagree, 20 percent undecided
Social media is a quick way to connect with prospective customers: 35 percent agree, 28 percent disagree, 22 percent undecided

Small businesses who are proactively using social networking to reach customers are finding a strong return. Of the SMBs who indicated they will be using social media as the main tactic to drive new customers to their business in the next 12 months, 70 percent said they do so because social media is the least expensive option.

“SMBs often think managing social media is time and resource-intensive, but many SMBs have found tools to help them make the process more efficient and effective,” Creighton said. “SMBs need to talk to customers via social media so they can find how to meet customer needs, build relationships and make sales.”

To assist small businesses in beginning a social media presence, RatePoint has released a new eBook, “A Social Media Guide for the Skeptical Small-Business Owner.” Small businesses interested in tips for getting started in social media can go to http://www.ratepoint.com/ebooks/social-media-guide-for-the-skeptical-small-business-owner/ for a free download.

RatePoint surveyed more than 150 small businesses, the vast majority five employees and under, in August 2010 about opinions on topics such as social media and online reviews.

About RatePoint Inc.

RatePoint Inc., the leading provider of customer reviews, testimonials and online reputation management services, helps businesses protect and build their online reputation, allowing businesses to harness the power of credible customer feedback and leverage it into a sales, marketing and customer service asset.

RatePoint’s easy-to-use, Web-based communication services include customer feedback tools to collect business reviews and product reviews as well as email marketing, survey and dispute resolution capabilities to provide small- and medium-sized businesses with the ability to collect, manage and promote customer feedback directly from their website. For more information, contact us at: 888-777-1636 or visit: www.ratepoint.com.

Social Media Users Want Respect, Privacy

ROCHELLE PARK, N.J. (Profitable.com) Strativity Group announces today the release of the 2010 Social Experience Study. The study was designed to discover trends in social media as perceived by consumers and the role of social media in the overall ecosystem of consumer communication and service.

“The key message we heard from consumers was that social media is first and foremost considered private space. Akin to being a guest in someone’s house, companies need to adapt their behaviors and approach to social media by demonstrating respect to consumers. Additionally, the majority of consumers do not see social media as replacing existing channels. This is merely a complementary channel,” said Lior Arussy, Strativity President.

Key Findings:

Current Usage of Social Media

73% of consumers described their experience in social media as personal, utilizing sites such as Facebook and MySpace
70% of consumers stated lack of time as an obstacle to further social media engagement
59% of consumers stated privacy as an obstacle to further social media engagement
58% of consumers stated too much junk and advertising as an obstacle to further social media engagement
Banks, employers, grocery stores and cell phone companies were the companies participants most engaged with through social media
The majority of consumers rejected the notion of using social media for traditional interactions with companies such as marketing, sales, or customer service

The Future of Social Media

Sales, discounts and fun activities ranked highest in customers’ preference for social media engagement with companies

Study Overview

Participants: 930 consumers from North America
Study was a web-based questionnaire following the customer strategy phases.
The survey was conducted from May 1, 2009 through June 30, 2009.
The study was conducted in partnership with Customer Service Experts, Inc., a leading customer experience firm.

To receive a complimentary copy of the study, please click here and provide the requested information.

The study results will be discussed in the upcoming CEM Certification events in Scottsdale, AZ, October 4-6, 2010 and London November 15-16, 2010 www.CEMCertification.com

Strativity Group

At Strativity Group, Inc. we do more than customer experience research and strategic planning. We take a strong, multi-disciplinary approach to customer experience strategy design and implementation. Through proprietary research tools, strategic analysis, business planning and customer experience innovation design, we help our clients operationalize profitable customer experience strategies. We measure our success by a single method: execution.

Strativity Group, Inc. works with both Global 2000 companies as well as emerging businesses around the world. Our clients include Nokia, Computer Associates, SAP, American Management Association, Seagate Technology, Honeywell, Siemens, Dimension Data, FedEx, CATIC, Circle K, University of Pennsylvania, The Fund, Capital One, Jacada, Wyeth, Sage, Herbalife, Akibia, National, Lockheed Martin, Crown Plaza Hotels & Resorts and Nordea.

About Customer Service Experts

Customer Service Experts, Inc. (CSE) was created with a vision to improve the customer experience by focusing on the internal team and their direct link to customer satisfaction. CSE’s approach helps clients improve service from “the inside out” with a primary focus on executive leadership providing the proper support and tools for the frontline employees and managers to succeed. CSE’s strategies have benefited clients with both B2C and B2B engagements in a variety of industries including: retail, airport, hospitality, healthcare, education, government, financial, service and food and beverage.

Study Shows Marketers Plan to Spend More on Social Media Programs

More Than 87% Will Increase Investment in the Next 12 Months

NEW YORK (Profitable.com) The Pivot Conference today released findings from its survey of 137 brand marketers and ad agency professionals that point to a significant investment in social media marketing programs in the next 12 months. Of the marketers surveyed, about two-thirds (63%) have already implemented social media marketing programs, and 87% plan to increase that investment in the next 12 months. Of the 37% of marketers that are not currently investing in social media, 62% plan to invest within one year.

Based on measurement, analysis and goals for their programs, 89% of those surveyed said their social media marketing programs have been successful, and of that, 30% cited that programs were very successful, e.g. generated more sales or improved customer relations. On the other hand, 11% of the marketers surveyed said they were unable to tell whether their programs were successful.

“While the technology and tools are there, social media is still uncharted territory for many marketers,” says Chris Shipley, executive producer of Pivot Conference. “The survey results indicate that they are planning to spend money but are still looking for guidance on how to spend their budgets, how to track ROI and the best ways to engage with key customers.”

Social Media Marketing Is a Small Portion of Total Budget But Spending Is Likely to Increase

Despite the relatively low cost to implement social media programs, 74% of marketers surveyed said that less than 20% of their online marketing resources, including budget and staff to manage them, were devoted to social media programs. And yet, 87% stated plans to increase their investment in social media marketing programs in the next 12 months.

Who Is the Target Customer?

75% of the marketers surveyed are targeting the “always-on” consumer, described as “hyper-connected” because of their frequency of engagement with the Internet and mobile devices.

36% stated that the demographic is a primary target, and 39% stated it as a secondary target.
Survey respondents believe that 50% or more of 18-34 year old consumers are “always-on.”

When asked their opinions about “always-on,” 18-34 year old consumers, the majority of surveyed marketers agreed:

When marketing programs are formatted and delivered in a way 18-34 year olds find engaging, they are susceptible to branding or re-branding. (71%)
Their attention span for marketing/advertising is shorter than previous generations. (70%)
They often have different motivations than previous generations, such as green or socially conscious interests. (67%)
They have the potential to be more influential than consumers who are not always-on. (62%)

The study indicated that just over half of the marketers surveyed (57%) are seeking active engagement with customers using social media platforms. Another 30% are exploring customer involvement with caution or have not yet formalized how to engage with those customers using social media.

Where Customers Go, Marketers Follow

In keeping with the online habits of 18-34 year old consumers, the most popular Internet/mobile platforms that marketers are currently using include:

Search engines (i.e. Google) – 89% using
Social media sites (i.e. Facebook) – 84% using
Micro-blogging/presence applications (i.e. Twitter) – 72% using

Emerging platforms in which marketers are planning to increase investment include:

Mobile apps (i.e. iPhone) – 39% currently using; 42% plan to use
Location-based services (i.e. foursquare) – 23% currently using; 35% plan to use
In-game advertising (i.e. FarmVille) – 5% currently using; 23% plan to use

Methodology

The online survey was conducted by Extra Mile Audience Research on behalf of the Pivot Conference between June 29 and July 30, 2010. The invitation to participate in this online survey was sent to corporate marketers and ad agency professionals via email and through social media channels. 137 responded to the survey.

To request a copy of the report, please visit: https://pivotcon.wufoo.com/forms/pivot-survey-request-form/

About the Pivot Conference

The Pivot Conference, taking place October 17 – 20 in New York, is a new kind of marketing conference singularly focused on the 18-34 year old demographic: their attitudes, technologies and preferences. Pivot is the first and only conference where brand marketers can go to gain essential confidence in their power to inhabit the culture, conventions and conversations of today’s young consumers. Sponsors of Pivot Conference include Automattic, Geeknet, Glam Media, Ooyala, VideoEgg, Yahoo!.