My Little Digital Natives

Last week my wife called me during a meeting, which means it must be urgent. Our two-and-a-half-year-old son, Joe, quickly got on the line, anxious to tell me something. “Daddy, get Gabby a iPad!!” Gabby is his little sister. At 18 months, she’s ready for a tablet. When I first introduced Joe to my iPad […]

What’s a Facebook Super Opt-In Worth?

A friend at work told me about yogaglo.com. For $18/month visitors can get unlimited access to instructional yoga videos. I went to their site and decided to register with my Facebook account. This is what they asked for: If providing an email address is a traditional opt-in, this is the equivalent of a super opt-in. […]

PURLS Gone Wild

One slick way to bring together online and offline marketing channels is with the use of PURLs (or “personalized URLs”). These individualized web experiences are a way for marketers to extend the personalization, segmentation and measurement inherent in direct digital marketing, addressable from, say, an email or a direct mail piece. (Read more about PURLs […]

Three Easy Marketing Ideas for Hoteliers

Despite unpredictable economic conditions, one truth endures for the hospitality industry – there is always room for improvement to the guest experience. Positive statements about “improving the guest experience” are a constant in marketing meetings – but how? Yes, resources are scarce, but investment in the guest experience is paramount, so an efficient and accountable […]

Tips for Onsite Targeting

In most basic terms, onsite targeting is the ability to personalize the online experience using in-house data of site visitors – presenting them with content they might enjoy. The integration of real-time data in a universal profile management system is the key to effective onsite targeting. Site-personalization technology must work within the context of an […]

Time to Check-In to Location-Based Mobile Marketing

Over the last decade, I’ve viewed location-based mobile marketing as a bit of a George Jetsonian endeavor. Fueled by the personalized window displays in Minority Report, even the most ardent permission-based marketers have sheepishly asked us about the ability to message people on the go, with mobile phones being the logical go-between. With or without […]

Which Onsite Targeting Approach Works Best?

The term "onsite targeting" is increasingly being adopted by the market. The press has done a nice job of chronicling the path of the term's adoption amongst technologists, and the increasingly warm reception to the technology from consumers. Emily Steel and Julia Angwin, writers for The Wall Street Journal, published an article last week entitled […]

Predict Mobile’s Future by Looking Back

I wrote a blog post here on The Lunch Pail about Google's Android almost two years ago (June 2008). Specifically, the post was about the need for multi-tasking on mobile phones. It's nice to hear that Apple is finally making it available in OS 4.0. Given the timeliness of Apple's announcement, it makes sense to […]

Real-World Assessment: Mobile Boarding Passes

I recently had the opportunity to use Continental's mobile boarding pass. It worked. It was convenient. It saved time. As a clutter-phobe, it was a monumental step in eliminating one more piece of useless paper from my life. Nice job, Continental Airlines. I will use it again and recommend it to everyone, with some qualifiers. […]

3 Keys To Implementing Advanced Mobile Tactics

It seems that, of all the various aspects of Direct Digital Marketing, mobile marketing is getting a lion's share of attention lately. It's easy to see why. News from the carriers keeps the industry on their collective toes, whether they are announcing a merger (see Verizon-Alltel), new rates, or enhanced guidelines. All of that news […]