At Quarry, we get to work alongside some of the best marketers in the world. Fair to say it’s one of the perks of the job. You might also say it’s how, in part, we stay passionate, motivated and ahead of the curve. And without a doubt, it’s why when Direct Marketing Magazine recently announced their Top 10 Women in Direct Marketing list, we weren’t at all surprised to see that one of our clients, Gabrielle Hailmann, Marketing Manager at ADP Canada, had made the cut.

This achievement is well deserved. Gabrielle combines the best of traditional DM thinking with the power of new digital tools, like marketing automation, to truly explore and embrace the new era of direct marketing. Our proudest congratulations to Gabrielle from the entire team here at Quarry!

I recently watched this video in which the Wall Street Journal’s Julie Angwin speaks with CNN about online data-tracking technology and in particular, 3^rd party ad networks that serve behaviorally-targeted online ads. She discusses the “shocking” amount of information that many websites collect about their users. This interview generated a lot of discussion among the team here at Quarry about how the information delivered in the news frequently doesn’t provide a holistic picture of the online data-tracking story.

More often than not, words such as “scary,” troubling” and “big brother” are used by journalists – giving no doubt about how they expect users to feel – but is online data tracking really that creepy? After all, 3^rd party online browsing information is only tied to an IP address.

There is no doubt about the importance of this topic – for consumers, for online publishers and for marketers. As a consumer, knowing my personal details are secure and not falling into the wrong hands while I’m browsing the web is an essential part of my online experience. In tandem, marketers increasingly rely on IP address data-tracking to target a relevant audience, and online publishers rely on the same technology to customize their site for an enhanced user experience as well as to assist marketers in targeting their advertising message (thus generating revenue and keeping content free).

Data tracking enables better relevance

At Quarry, our media and marketing automation teams rely on online behavioral data technology to help ensure we’re delivering targeted, relevant messages on behalf of our clients to their interested potential customers. And when all goes right, we hope customers are receptive to the message because they have previously performed actions online that indicate preferences for the information we are delivering. In turn, we target our clients’ expenditures to vendors who can ensure we aren’t displaying ads or marketing messages to the wrong audience.

As always, limitations exist – because the data collected by 3^rd party online tracking technology refers only to browsing history for an IP address. Marketers and publishers can’t distinguish between, for example, family members using a shared computer.

Marketers like it, but what’s in it for me?

For consumers, the benefits are fairly apparent. While I’m browsing online, I see ads for things that are relevant to me. And although I’m never required to act, when I’m delivered offers that resonate with me, I am much more likely to act upon them. For me, I’m not only fine with receiving ads about the new restaurant in town or a travel deal to the destination I looked into last week, I’m actually eager to receive the offer. In the end, these companies don’t know the ad is being displayed to Antonia Matthews – but they can be sure that their message got a person aged 25–34, interested in food and currently in-market for domestic travel.

Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of other ways for personally identifiable information to be revealed online – and to be used in invasive and destructive ways – but the data tracking done by legitimate websites isn’t one of them. What do you think?

Like all technologies, spamming and spam filtering have evolved and have become more sophisticated. As spammers constantly find workarounds to fool filters, ISPs (Internet Service Providers) work on developing more sophisticated methods to block spam. Using only content filters to block what is likely spam (e.g. if the subject line contains the word “Viagra”) is starting to go the way of the dinosaurs. While content filtering is still a vital component, much of the initial spam blocking now relies on “sender reputation”.

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 Genetically modified (GM) crops have been recognized by no less an authority than the late Norman Borlaug as one of the most rapid cases of technology diffusion in the history of agriculture. Despite their benefits, safety, and widespread adoption through much of the world though, GM crops continue to be criticized in Europe.

A New York Times story discussing European Commission action to pass the buck for biotech approval to national and local governments illustrates that point. According to the Times, the United States, Brazil, Argentina, India and Canada are the top five producers of biotech crops in terms of land under cultivation. The European Union, with 27 member nations, ranks just 14th.

How might history have been different for these crops in Europe if they had been introduced under a label less daunting than “genetically modified?” What lessons can we take from this experience for our own product or technology naming exercises? Continue reading →

Consider this: 93% of all B2B buying decisions today start with an online search.

And, your position in organic search engine results matters: 89.71% of all click-through traffic—those search engine results listings that are actively clicked—comes from the first 10 results with over 60% coming from just the top 3 listings.

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The blogger is a strange creature. Existing in masses, clamoring in drones and all vying for our attention, they vary on the scale of relevance and are capable of attitudes that range from complete narcissism to apparent altruism. For social media cynics, bloggers may be the banes of their existence – but for PR professionals, they should be our best friends. Continue reading →

It’s one of the most powerful measures of your site’s success. In many ways and to many of your colleagues, it’s probably the only one that matters. Conversion. Are visitors to your site doing what you want?  Do they arrive at what Richard Hill recently called “that magical moment when visitors…take action in the way you intended them to.”

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At Quarry, we believe a brand is a promise marketers make to their customers. What about your own personal brand, though? Does it deliver on your promise to your teammates and your organization?

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Personalization of websites has been “the next big thing” on web trends lists for about a decade now. Major B2C sites like amazon.com are heavily personalized and provide recommendations based on visitor behaviour and have achieved major success in doing so. B2B websites are more reluctant to apply a similar model. Why is that?

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Con·ver·sion n. What Does it Mean to You?

The extra point or points scored after a touchdown. Exchanging one type of money or security for another. The adoption of new religious beliefs. “Conversion” can mean different things to different people based on their perspective. As a marketer in today’s digital world, what does conversion mean to you? I’d imagine you likely think ‘web conversion’; that magical moment when visitors to your website take actions in the way you intended them to. That could be signing up for a webinar, submitting a contact form, or actually making a purchase. Fair to say these days, website conversion – and how to increase it – is on your mind… a lot!

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