Add "Snapchat" to Your Marketing Lexicon

If you're above the age of 16, you probably aren't familiar with Snapchat. But some experts are speculating the application could be the next big thing in mobile marketing.

Snapchat is a mobile messaging service that allows you to send fellow Snapchat users photo messages that self-destruct after a period of 10 seconds or less. The service has gained major traction since its initial launch in September 2011, and the app receives approximately 50 million snaps a day. It even inspired Facebook to launch a copy-cat app a few weeks ago.

Snapchat's popularity amongst a younger, mobile savvy demographic has recently attracted the attention of marketers. New York frozen yogurt chain 16 Handles made headlines this week as the first brand to conduct a marketing campaign through the service.

Their "Snappy New Year" campaign encouraged the company's Facebook fans to send a Snapchat photo of their frozen yogurt purchase while in the store to the company's Snapchat account. In exchange, participants immediately received a coupon for 16 to 100% off via Snapchat which could then be redeemed at the register. So far the company has shared more than 1,4000 snaps with those engaging with the campaign, according to Ad Age.

Digital media pundits have responded to the campaign with mixed reviews. Some applaud 16 Handles for an effort to connect authentically with its target using a new form of media, while others offer criticism for leveraging the program in its infancy.

Regardless of the app's potential for future growth, I think the 16 handles campaign showed sound strategy in that it reached the company's target at an ideal consumer aperture moment. Snapchat's unique functionality also required immediate action from the user, depriving customers of the opportunity to use the coupon at a later time and therefore delay the purchase.

Facebook Unveils Plans for Video Advertising

Facebook unveiled plans this week for a new app that will offer video advertisers the opportunity to target Facebook users. The product is expected to launch in the first half of 2013 and will add an advertising element largely unfamiliar to the Facebook interface: video ads.

According to AdAge, the ads will show up in users' news feeds on both the desktop and mobile version of Facebook. Advertisers will be able to show the same video to a single user up to three times a day. Facebook will also likely cap the length of these videos at 15 seconds, which may add a challenging layer of content creation for advertisers accustomed to scripting the traditional 30 spot.

This is not the first time Facebook has served video ads to users. In 2010, Facbeook experimented with video advertising in the bottom right of the screen, as seen below, but later removed the premium video ad feature.

This time, the ads will be much more intrusive in that they'll likely be set up to auto play. Therefore the ads will expand out of the news feed and into the left and right hand columns of the interface without any action from the user.

The new feature is expected to incite outrage from Facebook users, and loud applause from advertisers and investors. In addition to raking in millions of dollars, the new feature will also present a massive opportunity for brands to extend their reach to a new web audience by leveraging Facebook's existing targeting tools.  It will also be a great place for advertisers to extend their campaign story with additional content that might not necessarily have made it to TV.

The details around targeting are still in the works. While it's certain that advertisers will use information in a Facebook user's profile to serve ads, it's still unclear as to whether or not that user, or anyone in their network, needs to have "liked" the advertiser's brand page in order to see the ad in their feed.

Though many are speculating this could have negative implications on Facebook membership, I have a feeling that Zuckerberg will be just fine. According to the Facebook newsroom, the site had about one billion monthly active users as of October 2012. Just as we've gotten accustomed to static ads on the site, we'll get used to the TV ads. And just as we've gotten used to a couple seconds of ad pre-roll before any Youtube video, we'll get used to this. If anything, it might discourage users, myself included, from checking Facebook eight times a day, which wouldn't be the worst thing to ever happen.

Foot Locker Opens Premium Retail Store for Women

As a female I have become accustomed to walking into athlete destinations like Finish Line and Champs to find a meager selection of women's shoes and apparel hidden in the back corner of the store. And though niche brands like Lululemon have latched on to the burgeoning female athletic population, there still exists no one-stop-shop for females of multiple athletic disciplines...until now. It looks like Footlocker has become the first athletic company to offer an elevated retail experience devoted entirely to women.

This holiday season, three new stores in Connecticut, New Jersey, and Texas open their doors to female athletes. The retail concept is called SIX:02, and it will be the first to offer females a wide variety of top athletic brands (such as Nike, adidas, ASICS, and Under Armour) in an environment created specifically for them. SIX:02 features dedicated fitting zones, comfortable lounge areas and knowledgeable staff to assist customers in finding the correct fitness pants, sports bras, tops, and footwear for their specific body type, activity, and style. Women will also be inspired throughout their shopping experience with relevant imagery, verbiage, and music within the store.

According to Stacy Cunningham, EVP of Marketing at Foot Locker, the project stems from the idea that today's woman "deserves a place to find premium fitness and athletic gear that allows her to combine her personal style and versatility with performance features." Footlocker has long been a proponent of enhancing the shopping experience for athletic women (read: Lady Footlocker) and now they've taken the idea to an entirely new level.

Timberland Footwear Embraces Gore-Tex Technology

This winter, Timberland has joined the ranks of outdoor brands working with Gore-Tex to provide  customers with a quality waterproof lining in their favorite Timberland products. Gore-Tex technology is now available in Timberland's winter hiking boots such as the Gannon Mid Hiker and Washington Summit Mid, as well as day wear items like the Traditional Handsen Oxford.

For those that aren't privy to Gore-Tex's flagship technology, the brand offers an internal, permeable waterproof membrane that keeps feet dry and protected, but also allows moisture vapor from sweat to pass through to prevent leaks.

Gore-tex technology is also available in other outerwear and footwear products from brands like Under Armour, Vasque, The North Face, Salomon, Patagonia, Nike, Marmot, Merrell, L.L. Bean, and Garmont. Of these, however, Timberland arguably offers the strongest blend of high quality outdoor gear and high fashion apparel on par with current trends. Timberland's adoption of Gore-tex reflects the increasing consumer need for hybrid gear that can perform both out in the elements and on the street.

Instagram Moves to the Web

Instagram announced on Monday that it will begin rolling out online profiles for its users this week, a group that now tops over 100 million. The new web feature showcases a selection of the user's recently shared photos in what looks like a more dynamic version of the Facebook cover photo, perhaps the first subtle integration we've seen of the two platforms since since the Facebook acquisition several months ago.

The online profile incorporates all functions provided by the mobile platform, and easily enables the user to follow other users, comment and like photos, and edit their profile from their desktop. It's also a simpler way to discover and connect with new users, given that it's now possible to post your Instagram profile on Facebook and Twitter and share your photos with a wider audience.

Which of course, is good news for brands. The new web profile provides yet another platform on which to drive online traffic and invite user engagement. Community managers can manage their Instagram community right from a computer and seamlessly integrate it with other profiles on Facebook and Twitter.

The Greatest Marketing Stunt of All Time?

When I woke up last Sunday morning, the first thing I did was check my Twitter feed. Almost every single Tweet directed me to a live YouTube stream of Felix Baumgartner, an Australian skydiver minutes away from jumping down to Earth from an altitude of 128,000 feet and becoming the first person ever to break the sound barrier.

I watched in awe, along with the rest of the world, as Baumgaterner landed safely on the ground, breaking three world records for the highest jump, longest free fall, and highest vertical velocity and forever changing my perception of the word 'marketing.'

Over 8 million people watched the YouTube Live stream of the Redbull-sponsored event that day, which beat out viewership of President Obama's inauguration ceremony. The jump was shown by over 40 TV channels and 130 digital outlets. And Red Bull's coverage of the event earned the brand about 216,000 likes, 10,000 comments, and over 29,000 shares on Facebook within 40 minutes.

While it's difficult to predict if Red Bull's mass exposure will immediately translate into an increase in sales, one thing is for sure: this was infinitely more compelling than the typical, eye-roll worthy PR stunts we've become accustomed to. The event signifies a breakthrough in content marketing and serves as a bellwether for the shifting landscape of storytelling through marketing and entertainment in general.

In fact, according to Huffington Post's Janean Chun, the energy-drink-turned media company "broke the traditional barriers of marketing, sponsorship and social media, skyrocketing from an energy drink known for providing a quick buzz to a big-time generator of international buzz that makes the endeavors of other marketing innovators like Apple look small by comparison."

To me, the spectacle doesn't come as a huge shock given the brand's history of hosting massive and buzzworthy events, like the Red Bull Air Race and Supernatural Snowboarding Competition. Over the past few years the brand has become the name and face behind anything extreme, producing content and providing experiences to its loyal audience of skiers, snowboarders, skateboarders, and other extreme athletes. But if the massive following behind last weekend's event is any indication, Redbull's audience from this point forward will now greatly extend beyond a niche group of adventurists to capture anyone and everyone itching to see something they've never seen before.

Clearly the event pulled off was not without great risk, but in this case the payoff was high reward. Redbull did everything right in crafting a story, delivering content, and extending the conversation well beyond the event's duration. And not only has it left a lasting impression on anyone with internet access and a screen, its also earned Redbull a huge chunk of ownable content and intellectual property particularly because of the synergy between the event itself and the company's tagline: "Redbull gives you wings." Baumgartner didn't need to crack open a Redbull, take a swig, and take the plunge down to Earth. We got it; the message was just inherently there.

If this is indeed the new standard of marketing, we all have a lot of work to do.

GORE-TEX® Takes on the Big City

A rainy day in the city doesn't sound like something folks at GORE-TEX® would normally trouble themselves with. Typically a champion of the rugged outdoors, the purveyor of the outdoor industry's flagship waterproof technology is normally positioned as a solution for hard-core athletes like climbers and skiers.

But in their latest print advertising, featured in GQ Magazine's September issue, the brand targets urban dwellers looking for a fashionable, waterproof boot for those walks through flooded city blocks.

The ad reads: "A gray, rainy day in the city. You can't walk ten feet without hitting a puddle. So, if you plan to be out in the city today, a fashionable pair of waterproof, breathable GORE-TEX® shoes is essential. They're durably waterproof and breathable enough to keep you comfortable through hours of urban exploring."

The technology, typically featured inside jackets and other winter gear from brands like Patagonia and Arcteryx, can now be found inside stylish shoe brands such as Timberland, Tretorn and Danner. It seems wise for GORE-TEX® to extend its reach in this way, especially given the growing desire for footwear with hybrid capabilities.