Be Human. Get Personal with your Customers

Take time to get close to your customer base, because in 2010 customers will continue to dictate your marketing efforts. Take care to polish up your company’s blog and social media channels, like facebook and twitter, and keep them healthy by posting regularly. If your communications are sparse, users won’t respect you as an authority. It is necessary to participate in conversation and contribute valuable content to be respected in your marketplace. Providing direct and timely responses to customer feedback is a powerful and effective marketing tool.

Follow the Search Funnel

In-depth conversion tracking and analysis can shed light onto the profitability of search campaigns. Just as some keywords or ads may provide a great number of clicks but low conversion levels, high-converting keywords and ads provide different levels of customer engagement and revenue over longer periods of time. These sorts of ‘deep dives’ into conversion tracking will provide more customization, optimization, and ROI in the long term.

Analyze and Synthesize

Research and invest in new tracking technologies and tools in the marketplace which will benefit your marketing campaigns. Social media tracking, for example, gives concrete insights into what your customers are saying about your brand. This newfound ability to listen to and adapt to customer trends in real-time is a valuable resource. Likewise, a comprehensive and properly configured analytics platform is probably the most important tool that a marketing team can have. If your marketing data isn’t interpretable and actionable, it isn’t useful.

Diversify and Integrate

Your many marketing channels should be working as one. Integrated campaigns consistently perform better than campaigns running separately. When insights are shared among functional marketing teams, a comprehensive strategy may then be developed which incorporates findings and best practices from each marketing channel.

Audit and Update

Everything has a ‘Best By’ date, and your website and marketing collateral are no exception. Consumer tastes change as quickly as the seasons, and the images and copy which will generate positive responses need to be refreshed frequently as well. Update your paid search ad copy – revamp your homepage! Optimization of imagery and messaging are often overlooked, but the results are valuable marketing assets.

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Who are you and what do you do?

I’m Joe Van Remortel, and I am the Vice President of Business Development, which really means sales.

I’m still not exactly clear on what it is you do. Can you break it down for me?

My job is to find innovative marketers who have digital marketing needs and to then determine if our services and capabilities can be beneficial to them. If so, I reach out to them and strike up a relationship.

Got it. So how was Red Bricks in 2009 for you and your department?

 2009 was a very good year. We had some big wins, we have done a lot of great work in terms of repositioning who we, Red Bricks, are as a brand, and we’re doing a better job at explaining what we can do and how we can do it. ’09 has also been an exceptional year in terms of development for some of our practices. For example, we are making great strides in Social Media and have done some great work with our clients in that arena. And that type of exposure makes my job a lot easier.

Perfect Saturday for Joe Van Remortel. Go.

Wake up and make a big breakfast with my four daughters and my wife. Then off to coach two basketball games for my grade school daughters. We win both of those games and then we go watch my youngest daughter in a ballet performance and then we go and watch my older daughter in a mock-trial event where she is acting as the prosecutor. Then we all hit the park for an hour long dog walk. After that, we get together with friends. Four families for a BBQ. There is wine and Shanghai rummy played until one in the morning. Then it’s home, exhausted, and right to bed.

Let’s pause right here and reflect on something you just mentioned, and that is ‘coaching’. There are several people at the office that have nicknamed you ‘coach’ and call you that. Does the whole ‘coach’ thing go back to you leading the American Co-Ed Badminton team to a win in the ’74 Summer Olympics in Nairobi?

Yes, that is definitely the origin of the nickname. Most of the team had never been out of the States and I had a lot of experience in Africa. I’d already been to Kenya, Tanzania, and climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro. So by having those experiences under my belt, not only was able to coach the sport, but I could also help the team acclimate and get comfortable pretty quickly. The Gold Medal that year really created my lifelong desire to be a coach in all aspects of my life. Badminton was just the beginning.

Inspiring stuff, to say the least. While we’re reminiscing about the past, are you at liberty to discuss your involvement with the CIA in the early 80’s?

I can only tell you that I was in the CIA and my primary assignment in Papua New Guinea, where I was stationed, was related to the rare tree-climbing kangaroo found only in those parts. There were some uses from that animal regarding reconnaissance and intelligence gathering, but that’s really as much as I can say.

That is such a fascinating fact about you. I really wish you could discuss your involvement at length but I understand the sensitive nature of the topic, so lets move on. Any predictions regarding 2010 trends to watch for, regarding RBM and the industry we work in?

RBM will continue to grow and expand its service line so we will have more to offer to new clients and bring added value to our existing ones. As far as the industry goes, I feel very confident declaring that 2010 will be The Year of Content Control. Consumers will fight to gain more control of their digital content; book publishers will control the distribution of e-book content; news outlets will make more money on the content they create; and more websites will grab back ad inventory from networks, just as CBS has done.

Well put. And finally, Lionel Ritchie or Phil Collins?

Wow, that’s a tough one. To tell you the truth, I’m not really a fan of either. However, I do consider ‘All Night Long ‘ to be a classic.

As told to Russell Bongard, RBM Creative Director

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Former Mindshare CEO Take Reins of One of the Fastest-Growing Agencies In Country as Major Advertisers Turn to Independent Digital Shops For Thought Leadership; Marks Enhanced Significance of New York Office

SAN FRANCISCO (January 11, 2010)

Scott Neslund, who has been CEO of WPP Group’s Mindshare and President of Publicis Groupe/Starcom MediaVest Group’s StarLink, has been named Chief Executive Officer of Red Bricks Media, one of the fastest-growing independent agencies in the country, with over 600% revenue growth from 2005 through 2009 based largely on its highly successful search marketing operations.

Mr. Neslund will split time between the company’s San Francisco headquarters and its fast-growing New York office. He comes aboard the agency as both a significant equity holder and a member of the Board of Directors. Mr. Neslund replaces Red Bricks Media’s cofounder Elliott Easterling, who becomes Chairman of the Board.

“Scott is an experienced media and marketing leader with a substantial background in agency management having led media agencies in the U.S., Canada, Europe and Asia,” says Mr. Easterling. “He has a proven track record in leading digital communications and growing revenue. We are very pleased to tap into Scott’s media innovation and ability to successfully communicate a vision and manage people. He is exactly who I need to hand the baton off to in order to lead Red Bricks Media into its next great phase of success.”

“As a next career step I was looking for opportunities purely in the digital space and an entrepreneurial environment that could capitalize on the change occurring in the industry right now. Red Bricks Media provides me with that opportunity and it will allow me to merge my media agency background with the cutting edge advances in today’s digital marketing world,” says Mr. Neslund. “There is an industry trend of major advertisers starting to turn to independent digital shops for thought leadership on their business.  Red Bricks Media represents the kind of digital leadership advertisers are looking for in this constantly changing media environment where consumers are searching for what they want versus accepting the traditional ads that are being placed in front of them.” 

“Red Bricks Media is a great example of a digital agency that is taking its business to the next level by hiring a known leader who has helped build a Madison Avenue media agency. It is clear they intend to direct strategy beyond the digital marketing realm. says Sarah Fay, the former CEO of Carat NA. “I think this is a great move for both Scott and for Red Bricks.”

From 2005 to 2009, Mr. Neslund was with WPP Group’s Mindshare North America mostly recently as CEO (New York) since 2007, and before that, Managing Director Mindshare (Chicago). As CEO, he led all agency activities in the U.S. and Canada including five regional offices, 800 employees and approximately $10 billion in media billings. Mr. Neslund launched a reinvention program to transform the agency from a basic media buying and planning operation to a full service marketing partner for advertisers by establishing business planning, content development and consolidated implementation services. During this time Mr. Neslund integrated the agency’s digital capabilities with its traditional media services and expanded Mindshare’s search business. He restructured regional office leadership and WPP agency partnerships which led to $500 million in new business account wins and an increase in organic growth from current clients within 12 months.

When Mr. Neslund was Managing Director of Mindshare (Chicago) from 2005 to 2007, he turned around a business decline within 12 months by restructuring the office to better compete for new business, delivering  diversified  media services to clients and introducing  a proprietary planning model to create more innovative and effective media plans .

As President of Publicis Groupe Starcom MediaVest Group’s StarLink, (Chicago) from (2003 to 2005), Mr. Neslund re-launched the agency positioning and capabilities to better capitalize on the growing mid-size media marketplace which resulted in a doubling of agency revenues in two years. Earlier he served extensively overseas including as Senior Vice President, Managing Director for Starcom (Toronto) and before that Vice President, International Media Director for Leo Burnett (Tokyo) from 1997 to 1999. Prior to that, he was AOR Media Director for Leo Burnett (Milan). Mr. Neslund began his career in the media department of Leo Burnett U.S.A., (Chicago) first as a Media Buyer/Planner and later as a Media Supervisor.

Mr. Neslund has been recognized as an industry leader in media innovation being named as a 2008 AdAge Media Maven; to 2008 Min Magazine’s Most Intriguing People; and to the 2008 AdAge Agency A-List. He served on the 2009 Effie Grand Jury, the 2007 Cannes Media Jury, the 2008 Young Media Lions Juries and on the 4A’s Media Policy Committee from 2007 through 2009. He holds an MBA with a double major Marketing and International Business from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, and an undergraduate BA in Telecommunications and Marketing from Indiana University.

Red Bricks Media (www.redbricksmedia.com) is a full-service global performance marketing agency specializing in search engine marketing, interactive media planning, email campaign management, award-winning creative services and emerging forms of media including buzz and social marketing.  One of the fastest-growing agencies in the country, Red Bricks Media has worked with over 100 major brands including Academy of Art University, Scottrade, Hearst Corporation, Microsoft, THQ, Sunset Magazine and the Los Angeles Times. Headquartered in San Francisco, with offices in New York, and Hong Kong, the independent agency with more than seventy employees, was founded in 2004 by Elliott Easterling and Craig Hordlow.  In 2009 Red Bricks Media earned the ranking of #354 on Inc. Magazine’s annual Inc. 500 listing by achieving 698% revenue growth from 2005 through 2008. The agency also ranked #33 in the advertising and marketing category.

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Under the new Guides, advertisers may no longer use the phrase “results not typical” in their campaigns. Instead, advertisements must disclose the results that consumers may typically experience.

Paid or gifted endorsements must also be disclosed in advertisements, and this extends to bloggers and ‘word-of-mouth’ marketers as well.   This means that bloggers may no longer accept payment or free products in return for promotion without disclosing that fact. If your company is providing material or monetary compensation in exchange for promotion by bloggers or celebrities, this exchange must be communicated to the consumer.

Furthermore, if compensation is provided to a research organization which is cited in an advertisement, this fact must be made public within the advertisement as well.

Interestingly, the FTC Guide now holds endorsers more accountable for their statements. As of December 1^st, endorsers and advertisers may both be held liable for false, unsubstantiated or misleading product statements.

While the FTC Guides are not officially binding laws, they are part of the Federal Trade Commission Act, which is included in federal legislation. For more information, visit:

http://www.ftc.gov/multimedia/video/business/endorsement-guides.shtm.

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Your name, sir?

Kelly Olson.

And what is it that you do here, at Red Bricks Media?

I am the COO and CFO at Red Bricks. The CFO side is pretty self-explanatory. I deal with all the company finances and make sure we have money in the bank. On the COO side, I work with all of our service lines and functional managers in a supporting role as well as working closely with The West Coast Client Services group to help manage client relationships as best as possible.

It’s not common that you run into someone with the dual roles of CFO and COO. Some might call you a Superman as you seem to be tasked with a Herculean degree of responsibility. Do you see yourself as Super?

Well, if I had to choose a superpower, it would be the ability to not have to sleep, because you could always be spending more time on the business to improve things. But no, I don’t view myself as a Superman and I couldn’t do what I do without having a solid management team in place, which I’m glad to say we do.

If you weren’t doing this job, at this company, at this time in history, what different career path could you see yourself in?

The things that would most interest me would be teaching and coaching, which I think would be pretty attainable. [At this point in the interview, Kelly launches in to his world famous football metaphors. I never know what he is talking about when he does this, so I have stricken it from the record.] And the other path that has always interested me has been film directing.

Interesting indeed. I was not aware you had a bit of the old creative yearning. Nice one. Desert island, three films, go!

‘The 3^rd Man’. I’m a big Orson Welles fan. ‘Rear Window’ or pretty much any Hitchcock film for that matter. And ‘Fargo’, a Coen Brothers masterpiece.

Wow. Who knew? Okay one last work-related question: How would you describe the aesthetic style of your office?

Pretty poor.

I completely agree. I might even go so far as to call it awful. Moving on, can you describe an ideal Saturday for Kelly Olson?

Hit a local college football game. Do some tailgating before hand. Head home for a nap afterwards. Meet up with friends for a good meal in the evening and then if I’m up for it, maybe hit a club or two and do a little dancing.

On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you describe yourself as a dancer?

A 5 or a 6.

How modest of you. Will we be seeing you and your stylistic moves at this year’s holiday party?

There is a definite possibility of that happening. However, I can tell you with complete certainty that you won’t be witnessing any pole dancing.

Will you save a dance for me?

Only if it’s a slow one.

As told to Russell Bongard, RBM Creative Director - 2009

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New service offers complex, comprehensive performance assessment and monitoring solutions.

San Francisco, CA – November 3, 2009 – Red Bricks Media, a full-service digital marketing agency, announced its new Analytics & Insights practice. Offerings will help clients better utilize marketing and website data to make more intelligent business decisions.

In order to meet the increasing and varied demands of digital marketers, Analytics & Insights will provide solutions that are both highly customized and platform independent. From defining analytics requirements to ad-hoc report development to generating robust data visualizations, the new service focuses on providing the data needed to make informed marketing decisions on budget and resource allocations.

“While a lot of agencies offer one-size-fits-all reports, our solutions focus on determining exactly what drives the success and failures of our clients’ digital marketing campaigns,” said CEO Elliott Easterling. “Whether we are analyzing the performance of a single channel or pulling together complex information from multiple campaigns, our goal is to provide custom, data-driven recommendations that will improve performance.”

The first offerings within the new practice will address the core elements digital marketers need to get analytics configured and intelligence uncovered:

• Analytics Platform Implementation Consulting
• Customized Reporting Solutions
• Deep Dive Analyses
• Cross-Platform Analysis Tools

For more complete information please visit www.redbricksmedia.com.

About Red Bricks Media:

Red Bricks Media is a full-service global marketing agency headquartered in San Francisco, with offices in New York and Hong Kong. Since 2003, they have offered services in search engine marketing, interactive media planning, email campaign management, creative, web design, and social media marketing. Their client list includes top brands like Microsoft, Hearst Magazines, THQ and the Los Angeles Times. To learn more about Red Bricks Media’s Web Analytics practice, please contact sales@redbricksmedia.com.

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by Elliott Easterling, CEO

I recall the first day I opened up AdWords almost 6 years ago to test out the self service functions. That feeling of bliss came to me again when I explored Facebook’s self service tool for the first time last December.

Joy came to me with AdWords because I encountered the tool as a data driven marketer. I spent 3.5 years at Digital Impact (now Axciom Digital) learning the ins and outs of database marketing before I started Red Bricks Media. At the time, we were working with algorithms to process large amounts of user behavior and self-profile data to predict the best products to put into individual emails. This behavioral targeting experience is what got me excited about AdWords. I quickly realized that search queries were in fact behaviors that could be used to present targeted ads to potential consumers. I was amazed that I could tap directly into the flow of demand. The combination of powerful targeting and scale is what made Google such a useful tool for marketers.

Excitement came to me with Facebook because I recognized the same opportunity to build marketing programs with amazing targeting capabilities supported by significant scale. Facebook allows marketers to target users based on the content of their profiles. Rather than being fueled by behavioral data, Facebook campaigns are fueled by profile data. This data is incredibly clean and accurate because, in general, people do not lie about their interests on Facebook. They might exaggerate but they won’t likely lie because peer pressure from Facebook friends creates a system of accountability. The profile data in Facebook is especially powerful because it represents the brand of Facebook users. The things you put in your profile represent the things that are most important to you and also the way you see yourself and want to represent yourself to the world. Facebook profiles are the sum of passions, interests, and make up the brand of one. Facebook also provides a separate targeting axis - one that surrounds demographic data. Where you live, where you went to school, and every piece of data collected in the registration process is targetable on Facebook. This matrix of interest data and demographic data make for great user segmentation and targeting. See chart below.

Since users are not actively seeking out information on Facebook as they are doing on search engines, the click-through rates (CTR) tend to be lower. This limitation can be overcome using the sheer scale of available inventory on Facebook, which can yield great click volume even with low CTRs. From our experience, Facebook campaigns can realize good conversion rates because our campaigns heavily segment users into tight interest groups and then present compelling messages to those users. Our background in database marketing has given us an edge in developing and designing successful Facebook campaigns.

Is Facebook right for your business? It is, to the degree to which interests in Facebook correlate to an interest in your product or services. If, for example, you are in the business of selling tissues online, you may not get much out of Facebook’s targeting capabilities. No one is likely to wax poetic on the virtues on a clean nose on their profile. Alternately, if you sell tours of India, you will have access to the more than 2.8MM 18 and older Americans that that show “travel” as an interest in Facebook. Matched with demographic data, a campaign could even target users in San Francisco with customized messaging – “Explore our tours to majestic India, flights leaving from San Francisco daily.”

As performance marketers, we tend to focus more on media that drives conversions. Facebook also has the amazing ability to drive great branding, so let’s not rule out the campaign for the tissue company quite yet. Facebook branding and fan development warrant a separate discussion, which is forthcoming next month.

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