How can programmatic evolve to meet the needs of modern marketers? The “black box” approach to programmatic advertising may work for less-savvy advertisers or those who prefer a hands-off approach, but platforms need to evolve to meet the demands of more... read more
The first post of this three-part series outlined some key strengths and limitations of modern programmatic ad platforms, as well as tips for guiding the algorithm and preventing brand-damaging ad placements. This second post takes a deeper dive into some of... read more
Part 1 of 3: An advertiser’s guide to the strengths and limitations of programmatic ad platforms Ad Tech’s Buzzword of the Year The term “programmatic” is approaching “big data” in the vocabulary of overused marketing buzzwords. It has a tendency to... read more
What if every time you left a store empty-handed, a salesperson followed you to your car and listed off the items you almost bought? You didn’t leave with nothing because you weren’t interested. You left because you ran out of time, or maybe you wanted to do... read more
Collaboration trumps outsourcing as local specialty agencies evolve the model Three Portland-based agencies, ECHOS Communications, Foghorn Labs, and Cascade Web Development have joined forces to create a collaborative agency partnership servicing local,... read more
Ad targeting algorithms have become frighteningly accurate. Unfortunately, these algorithms still don’t do a great job of interpreting context, especially when it comes to sensitive topics. Take the example below. Remington Firearms is... read more
We just returned from a fun and productive trip to Outdoor Retailer in Salt Lake City followed by the SIA SnowShow in Denver. As promised, here’s the full deck from our session at SIA for folks who didn’t get a chance to attend as well as those in... read more
While large online retailers are experiencing exponential growth, many specialty outdoor retail stores are struggling to stay in business. Retail store closures have opened the door for brands like Columbia, The North Face and Black Diamond to begin selling... read more
Spark interest. Build credibility. Cultivate community. My last post shared insights for choosing the right social media platform for your brand and the benefits of tailoring content to the personality of each platform. In this post, I will take you through... read more
As a company seeking more customers and sales, you realize the importance of your outreach on the Internet, and with social media evolving as the center of online marketing efforts, you know you have to be there. Maybe you already have a social media presence, but... read more
If you use Google Analytics to manage remarketing lists and have recently upgraded to Universal Analytics, you may have since noticed a steady decline in impressions. Fortunately, the fix may be simpler than you think. With Classic Analytics (ga.js),... read more
One of the most common questions we get from clients is: “if we can secure additional PPC budget, where should it be allocated?” Pay per click (PPC) channels capable of generating a low cost per sale have limited traffic. As a result, growing... read more
“Did you not get enough rain in San Francisco?” This is how a Bay Area friend reacted when I told him we were moving our main office from San Francisco to Portland. The literal answer would be “yes” since most of California is in a state of drought, but lack of... read more
How Foghorn Labs helped 3 active lifestyle brands increase eComm revenue Session Summary from the Outdoor Industry Association: Over two years in the making, this case study series presents three real-world examples of how outdoor brands developed... read more
Google will automatically convert your existing campaigns over to the Enhanced Campaign format in June 2013. Since this change could have significant impacts to your ad targeting and budget, it’s a good idea to upgrade on your own rather than wait for... read more
An unofficial look at AdWords, Product Listing Ads and Google+ Local This material was presented at Outdoor Retailer Winter Market 2013. A video of the session is available here. Session Summary from the Outdoor Industry Association: Led by former... read more
In part 1 of our post we covered the basics of Google’s new Product Listing Ad format and how online retailers can use it to increase sales. This list of best practices is intended for marketers who are already running Product Listing Ads (PLAs) and looking to... read more
Comparison shopping engines flourish and fade, ad formats evolve, competition and pricing fluctuate; but one thing remains constant: online retailers must continually rethink their advertising mix in order to meet the increasing demands and ever-shortening attention... read more
