Sonny Kim, SVP of Digital Media and Matt Jacobs, Director of Integrated Marketing chat about the familiar buzz words, paid, owned and earned media, and the intersection of the three. Sonny shares insights into the following: 1) How to strategically plan across the three channels? 2) How to approach measurement across the diverse channels? 3) How to determine the most relevant channels from the sea of new and existing technologies?
AMP's Director of Brand Strategy, Jason Rivera, shares some insight on college students' purchase intent and shopping behavior. He discusses how brands can leverage these insights to reach this demographic during the Back-to-School shopping season.
Music festivals aren't a new venue for brands to market to consumers, but State Farm's partnership with Coachella has taken it to a new level with the live streaming via YouTube (#coachellalive) and the Instagram, Facebook and Twitter integration. While the live streaming was big news, Tupac's resurrection performance stole the headlines. AMP's Director of Integrated Marketing, Matt Jacobs, discusses what this technologically advanced hologram means for marketers in this week's Insights Lab episode.
AMP Agency Assumes Responsibility of SEO and SEM Services for Hasbro's Iconic Brands Hasbro, Inc. a leading, global toy and game manufacturer, has selected AMP Agency, an integrated communications agency, as its Agency of Record for search services. Seeking an agency to further enhance their search efforts, Hasbro selected AMP as their search Agency of Record following a competitive review based on its creativity, innovative thinking and digital expertise. 'We were impressed with AMP's strategic approach to our business and ability to provide immediate innovation as well as their deep analytical understanding used to evaluate the success of our programs,'? said Victor Lee, Vice President Digital Brand Marketing, Hasbro. 'We are excited about what AMP brings to the table for us today as well as their views of what's happening next in the digital media space.'? AMP's Digital Services team will be responsible for providing digital strategy and implementation across multiple channels, including paid search (SEM), search engine optimization (SEO), creative and analytics. AMP and Hasbro aim to leverage an integrated mix of digital touchpoints to further connect consumers with Hasbro's family of iconic brands and products including: MONOPOLY, NERF, TRANSFORMERS, MY LITTLE PONY, G.I. JOE and PLAYSKOOL. "We are honored to have the opportunity to work with such an innovative company and its roster of beloved brands," said Gary Colen, CEO of AMP Agency. "As a devoted Hasbro fan, I'm thrilled that AMP's team of digital experts will be able to assist Hasbro in fulfilling its goal of re-imagining, re-inventing and re-igniting its world class portfolio of brands.'? For more information about AMP, including a creative portfolio and client roster, please visit ampagency.com, become a fan on Facebook, or follow @AMP_Agency on Twitter. ### About Hasbro Hasbro, Inc. (NASDAQ: HAS) is a branded play company providing children and families around the world with a wide-range of immersive entertainment offerings based on the Company's world class brand portfolio. From toys and games, to television programming, motion pictures, digital gaming and a comprehensive licensing program, Hasbro strives to delight its global customers with well-known and beloved brands such as TRANSFORMERS, LITTLEST PET SHOP, NERF, PLAYSKOOL, MY LITTLE PONY, G.I. JOE, MAGIC: THE GATHERING and MONOPOLY. The Company's Hasbro Studios develops and produces television programming for markets around the world. The Hub TV Network is part of a multi-platform joint venture between Hasbro and Discovery Communications (NASDAQ: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK), in the U.S. Through the company's deep commitment to corporate social responsibility, including philanthropy, Hasbro is helping to build a safe and sustainable world for future generations and to positively impact the lives of millions of children and families every year. It has been recognized for its efforts by being named one of the 'World's Most Ethical Companies.'? Learn more at www.hasbro.com About AMP Agency AMP Agency is an integrated communications agency that employs an 'Insights Inspired, Results Driven'? approach to conceive, develop and implement innovative marketing solutions across a range of channels. All recommendations AMP makes are inspired by consumer insights and a deep understanding of all media channels and powered by an agency-wide spirit of integration and creativity. Our client roster is comprised of industry leaders including Maybelline New York, Samsonite, Intel, Princess Cruises, NFL PLAYERS and Ansell Healthcare. For more information, visit us on the web at ampagency.com.
The interwebs are abuzz with Facebook's recent purchase of photo sharing app Instagram for $1 BILLION. AMP's Director of Integrated Marketing, Matt Jacobs, discusses this massive acquisition and what it means for marketers.
AMP Agency will assist Bayer Advanced TM in Developing First-Ever National Experiential Marketing Tour to Support DuraZone® Weed and Grass Killer Product Line Bayer Advanced, one of the leading consumer lawn and garden brands in the United States, has selected AMP Agency, an integrated communications agency, to develop the DuraZone Weed and Grass Killer Own Your Zone event tour. The DuraZone Own Your Zone event marketing tour will showcase the new line of DuraZone Weed and Grass Killer products developed to help consumers protect their landscapes from weeds. The tour will launch in Phoenix at the Maricopa County Fair on April 13th and traveling across the country over the following two months with events in top markets nationwide, including: Dallas, Houston, Miami, Tampa, Orlando, Atlanta, Charlotte, Washington, DC and Philadelphia. 'Bayer Advanced created this tour to show consumers how easy it really is to 'own your zone'? at home and beat the weeds this summer with one application of DuraZone Weed and Grass Killer,'? said Steve Fasano, head of consumer marketing at Bayer. 'We are confident that AMP Agency's creativity and innovation will help consumers see the fun side of lawn care and gardening while displaying product effectiveness.'? The tour will recreate three key home and gardening zones ' a patio, driveway and lounge area ' allowing visitors to see the effectiveness of DuraZone products first hand through on-site product simulations and education. 'Over the last 15 years we have seen tremendous results from our experiential marketing campaigns, and we look forward to applying our expertise to help launch the DuraZone Weed and Grass Killer product line,'? said Gary Colen, CEO of AMP Agency. 'Bayer Advanced has developed a truly innovative line of products, and we're excited to help them introduce the line to consumers nationwide.'? For more information about AMP, including a creative portfolio and client roster, please visit ampagency.com, become a fan on Facebook, or follow @AMP_Agency on Twitter. ### About Bayer Advanced TM Bayer Advanced is one of the leading consumer lawn and garden brands in the United States. Driven by innovative thinking and category-leading research, Bayer Advanced provides innovative and effective solutions that help consumers grow beautiful lawns and gardens and protect their landscapes from pests, weeds and diseases. Always read and follow label directions before using Bayer Advanced products. Visit BayerAdvanced.com for more information and to view how-to videos, or call 1-877-BAYERAG. Bayer Advanced is a business group of Bayer CropScience LP (www.bayercropscienceus.com), the U.S. affiliate of Bayer CropScience AG. Bayer Advanced, Bayer CropScience LP, and Bayer CropScience AG are part of the Bayer AG family, a FORTUNE Global 500 company. About AMP Agency AMP Agency is an integrated communications agency that employs an 'Insights Inspired, Results Driven'? approach to conceive, develop and implement innovative marketing solutions that span all media channels and formats. All recommendations AMP makes are inspired by consumer insights and powered by an agency-wide spirit of integration and creativity. Our client roster is comprised of industry leaders including Maybelline New York, Samsonite, Intel, Hasbro, NFL Players and Bayer Advanced. For more information about AMP, including a creative portfolio and client roster, please visit ampagency.com, become a fan on Facebook, or follow @AMP_Agency on Twitter
In this week's Insights Lab video, AMP's Director of Integrated Marketing, Matt Jacobs discusses themes for brands to adopt to leverage the London Olympics spirit. He shares the following information: '?¢ NBC 2008 Olympic Games Case Study '?¢ An overview of Samsung's Olympic Genome Project '?¢ Key Olympic themes for brands to adopt
As you've likely heard by now, Facebook will be switching all brand pages over to the new Facebook Timeline layout as of March 30th, though you can preview the functionality now. While the jury is still out among some social media professionals as to whether or not this shift is beneficial to brands, I'm not having any trouble seeing the value this shift brings to the table for brands seeking real relationships with their consumers. This shift in functionality is one that finally, and for the first real time in the social media space, enables brands to tell their story, share their history, share the milestones that matter, and engage with consumers in an authentic conversation and relationship. If you're like most social media enthusiasts, you'll want to get ahead of the curve and get your Timeline up and running as soon as possible. Here are the top 5 things you'll need to keep in mind as you work towards rebranding your page with the Timeline functionality: Choose a cover photo that represents your brand and your story, while being mindful of Facebook's rules on what your cover photo may not contain: Price or purchase information, such as "40% off" or "Download it at our website" Contact information, such as web address, email, mailing address or other information intended for your Page's About section References to user interface elements, such as Like or Share, or any other Facebook site features Calls to action, such as "Get it now" or "Tell your friends" Highlight the most important elements of your brand along the top. Tabs as we know them are morphing into a series of icons highlighted just below your cover image. Photos are a static element in the new design, but you can change everything else, and the order in which they appear ' be sure to make good use of the limited real estate. I'd recommend not keeping Likes as one of the 4 primary tabs at the top ' don't you have more to share with visitors than how many other visitors have liked the page? You'll also need to choose images to represent the elements that you want to highlight ' make this a priority given it's placement on your page, as it's one of the first things visitors will see You can also pin a post to the top of your page to highlight the most important content/conversation for your brand Additional tab changes mean some additional work to optimize the visitor experience: Default landing tabs are no longer an option so choose your posts wisely as these will now be the first thing a visitor will see when engaging with your brand The width of tabs is also changing from 520 pixels wide to 810 pixels wide ' this means you'll likely need to rework most of the tabs you had on your page previously to make use of the expanded real estate, but until you do, they'll center within the 810 pixel width Milestones and the brand story become the forefront of the experience. While pondering what to include, consider these elements as you tell the story of your brand: What are our brand goals and objectives? What matters to our target audience? Are there large gaps that we can fill with notable elements, such as key hires, new products, awards, etc.? Direct, private messages to brands from users are possible for the first time, enabling more direct brand-to-consumer interaction than ever before. As you're adjusting to this new functionality you'll want to consider: Your strategy for responding to customer inquiries publicly vs. privately including message categories and response times or SLAs to inquiries Real-estate is now precious on your page, so take offline conversations offline via direct messages For some examples of great brand uses of Timeline, check out: Coca Cola ' With the exception of the Likes being one of the four icons at the top, the Coca-Cola page is a great example of a brand-relevant layout making excellent use of the Timeline functionality. Barack Obama ' Whether you support Obama or not, one look at his Facebook Timeline demonstrates that his team knows what they're doing when it comes to leveraging the new functionality. They've peppered his page with relevant facts and news throughout his life. They're also using the cover photo to demonstrate compelling, relevant information to this year's campaigns. Tide (yes, as in the laundry detergent) ' The team at Tide has done a great job of laying out relevant milestones in the product's history, along with interesting facts and information the company has shared with consumers over the years. They're using their cover photo for new product awareness ' a no-brainer! Bonus points for not having Likes among their top icons! Subway ' Who knew sandwiches could be this interesting! The company has done a great job of filling in interesting facts about the products, organization, and corporate responsibility throughout the years. Bonus points for not having Likes among their top icons! Burberry ' The fashion house has done a fantastic job of replicating the Heritage section of their website into their Facebook Timeline. Not surprisingly, they've also mastered the art of visual appeal in the use of eye-catching images sprinkled throughout their timeline. All in all, while the new Timeline functionality swap seems like a very drastic one, and in many ways it is, it's also a chance for brands to finally tell their story. It's an opportunity for brands to connect with their consumers in a compelling way highlighting what matters the most to the consumers who wish to know the personality behind the brand. For brands, Timeline offers an easy way to connect in a more human, more personal way. Stay tuned for our AMP Agency Timeline page! What have been your experiences with Timeline for brands so far? Do you like it? What would you change if you could?
It's the quintessential night out in downtown Boston. You and all your friends meet up at [fill in the blank] bar for drinks and good times. Shortly before 2am the lights come on, coats are gathered and everyone - at every bar in the area - heads outside to hail a cab... simultaneously. What usually follows is 10-90 minutes of arm-extended frustration as I curse the anonymous backseat riders who drive by in unlit taxis. Well, not anymore. This weekend I finally tried out the relatively-new "on-demand private driver" service, Uber. For the past few months I've read articles about Uber's burgeoning growth and observed a growing number of complimentary tweets fill my news feed. Partially inspired by these positive reviews, but mainly motivated by the out-of-order ATM and the crowd of other bar patrons lining Tremont Street, I decided to give Uber a shot this past Saturday night. Let me say, it was a life changing experience. In less than 5 minutes, I downloaded Uber's iPhone app, set-up a personal profile, requested a car and got picked up. That's right. 5 minutes from searching the App store to being in the backseat of Ameur's (my driver) sedan. Here's a quick overview of how the service works: Request a ride from anywhere at any time via SMS or by using Uber's iPhone or Android apps (GPS pinpoints your specific location and provides to Uber) Uber dispatches the nearest driver to pick you up and immediately provides an estimated arrival time. Via the app, you can actually watch your black car en route to your location Sit back, relax and enjoy the ride... cash free. Uber automatically charges the cost of the ride - including tip - to the credit card you have on file. Pricing is based on a flat base fare ($7 in Boston) and then incremental charges based on distance/time The overall experience was terrific. After arriving at my destination, I immediately received a receipt via email and was encouraged to rate my driver on a 1-5 star scale. The cost of the ride was relatively comparable to a taxi (perhaps a few dollars more), but the overall experience was head and shoulders above taking a cab home. Available in Boston, Chicago, New York, Paris, San Francisco, Seattle, D.C. and soon in LA and Toronto - Uber marries the best of technology and convenience to provide a stellar consumer experience. I highly recommend downloading the app and giving Uber a try. And with promises that this is a totally unsolicited endorsement, I will also share that they have a great referral program to motivate trial. Sign up with this link and get $10 off your first ride! https://clients.uber.com/#!/invite/jv4kz. Any other Uber fans out there? Let me know about your experiences so far in the comments section below!
New hire adds another leading marketer to the AMP Team BOSTON ' January 30, 2012 ' AMP Agency, an integrated communications agency, today announced the hiring of Joel Breen as Digital Account Director. In the role, Breen will lead the development and execution of strategic, interactive solutions for clients across a range of channels. Breen has over 16 years experience in Digital/New Media, primarily in marketing strategy and execution. Prior to joining AMP, Breen helped grow new business and developed integrated SEM, Social and Direct Response marketing strategies at Animetrics Inc., Sokolove Law, Blue Dolphin Group, Luxury Media Corporation, Inacom Information Systems, Inergy On-Line and Pinehurst Group. 'I'm tremendously excited about Joel coming on board to help manage our digitally-focused accounts,'? said Gary Colen, CEO at AMP Agency. 'His background makes him one of the preeminent thinkers in a rapidly evolving space and a unique asset. We look forward to Joel helping our clients successfully navigate critically important channels.'? Most recently, Breen served as Vice President at Animetrics, a mobile facial recognition company, where he helped to launch the company's first consumer and commercial mobile facial recognition products. As Senior Vice President at Sokolove Law, Breen helped launch dozens of targeted consumer websites and hundreds of integrated marketing campaigns, culminating with MesoRC.com, which won a Web Award for Excellence in Healthcare. 'I am thrilled to have the opportunity to join an organization as great as AMP,'? stated Breen. 'It is AMP's willingness to continually challenge its customers to leverage digital media in unique and compelling ways that made me eager to join the organization. I am looking forward to leveraging my experience as part of the team here at AMP to develop successful integrated digital campaigns for our clients.'? For more information about AMP, including a creative portfolio and client roster, please visit ampagency.com, become a fan on Facebook, or follow @AMP_Agency on Twitter.
