Inspired Thinking

By Chris Sledzik, account executive

No matter what industry you work (or play) in, the idea of being “mobile ready” has been a hot topic for at least a year or more. As mobile – and particularly – smartphone usage is embraced by a wider audience than just early-adopting millennials, marketing communications professionals are practically drooling at ways to use this new untainted channel.

Text message campaigns, website optimization and app creation are just a few of the tactics that marketers have implemented to carry their brands’ messages to the mobile masses. And as the population of smartphone and tablet users continues to grow (currently 50 percent of the U.S. population uses smartphones and experts predict we’ll hit 95 percent by 2015), so will the mobile piece of the marketing pie.

So just how big is that piece? And who’s managing it?

As with any new form of communication, effectively incorporating mobile marketing into your mix is contingent on approaching it strategically and measurably. Doing so in a world that changes on a daily basis can be daunting, which is why many in our field are constantly seen with ears to the ground to find out what’s coming next.

As a relatively new addition to the Marcus Thomas team, I was pumped to have a handful of my colleagues (and a few clients, shoutout Diebold and ACH!) on hand at the 2012 YouToo Social Media conference focusing on mobile and measurement earlier this month. As a member of PRSA Akron and a PR grad student at Kent State (both hosts for the event), I was admittedly more excited about this than others. But I also wasn’t let down after attending.

Kicked off by MT’s own Scott Chapin, and sprinkled with academic and professional experts in the marketing, public relations, mobile, web design and information architecture fields, #YouToo2012 did not disappoint. I’m not going to try to capture everything from the day in a single blog post (there are ample online resources for that), but I wanted to share what I thought were the biggest takeaways:

Social media and mobile marketing change rapidly and it’s nearly impossible to keep up with all the nuances. No matter what your business card says – marketer, advertiser, PR pro or otherwise – as professional communicators and brand advocates we need to understand the fundamentals. Because we’re dealing with new platforms and devices, this means looking beyond our usual planning. In addition to considering business objectives and audience demographics, mobile marketers must also consider usability.

A differentiator for any interactive marketing, but especially for mobile marketing, is that our audience is approaching these channels with the intent to compete a task. Even if the task centers on finding a piece of information, the steps they take to complete the task have become just as important as the task itself. In other words, if a mobile user can’t navigate your site, download your app or understand your SMS, the strategy, messaging and call-to-action of your marketing campaign are lost.

Usability is King. (Though YouToo’s keynote speaker may disagree.)

As marketers consider mobile solutions, we must consider the user-case first and foremost. Having a mobile approach that is user-friendly is more important than having a perfectly crafted message. And ensuring that we have measureable results is the only way to justify this investment and improve on the approaches moving forward.

Distilling a day of intense learning into a few paragraphs hardly does the conference justice, but I encourage you to check out the presentations online, if only for those oh-so-essential mobile data points for your slide deck. And of course, look into joining us next year at YouToo 2013.

By Melissa Veneri, management supervisor

Continuing the topic of SXSW, I came away with a number of key takeaways, but one that kept me thinking was from a panel titled “How to Harvest Consumer Intent from the Social Web.” The panel was led by AJ Vaynerchuck, Edward Boches, Farrah Bostic and Jeff Janer.

The gist of the takeaway is that, as marketers, we are continuously finding ways to engage with our audiences as they partake in social spaces; Facebook, Twitter, foursquare, etc. We use social graphs to learn how to best share messages about our brand, answer consumer questions, provide special offers, and much more. And all this activity has helped, in many cases, to create loyal followers and grow the bottom line.

However, with the current explosion of Pinterest and the many other bookmarking platforms that continue to emerge, how will we leverage all this interest knowledge? Some marketers are beginning to create interest graphs that detail the interests of consumers and potential consumers. And, as the panel shared, marketers need to dig into this information and move away from providing branded content and become content brands. Becoming content brands aligns with consumer interests and makes us more valuable to the consumer. A few examples that the panel shared that are worth checking out are:

• Burberry on Pinterest – they offer content that relates to Burberry brand, through a plethora of London images
• ModCloth on Pinterest – they tap into the creative expression of the brand that consumers love and share boards created with this interest in mind

By Tim Laubacher, account planner

Having returned from an amazing week at SXSW, I’ve finally found time to catch up on much needed sleep and to make sense of the experiences. With approximately 50 interactive sessions taking place at any given time, attendees, like me, had to decide which experiences would be most educational and inspirational – most worth our time in Austin. Based on what I saw and heard, these key components of a great SXSW presentation are the difference between positive buzz spreading through social networks and attendees walking out the door early.

Audience engagement
Most presenters would tell you that they want an involved and engaged crowd full of active participants. Only a few presenters get creative enough to make it happen. For example, in sharing “Y Rappers R Better Marketers Than U,” Bill Pauls and John McHale threw Flash drives with all the songs used in their presentation to anyone who had a question or comment throughout. The back and forth dialogue really allowed the presenters to further show their expertise, as they could easily adapt to the conversation.

Open discussion, rather than closing argument
Regardless of topic, I found that the best presenters realized that not everyone in the room would agree with their viewpoint. And if the subject matter was agreeable by all, then it probably wasn’t a compelling topic to begin with. So rather than trying to close an argument or win a debate, some made a conscious effort to open up the discussion. Rei Inamoto led a session on “Why Ad Agencies Should Act More Like Tech Startups,” and asked for all in attendance to tweet their thoughts on the matter, yes or no, followed by asking the “no” votes to share their thinking.

Know the audience
How do you know who you’re talking to when the session’s attendance is determined by who got in line early enough? Some of the best presentations and discussions I attended felt more tailored to the interests of those in the audience. A simple raise of hands to determine the developers, designers, account executives, brand managers, etc., helps fine tune the content.

Quick-minded moderator
To bring the best out of each member on a panel, a moderator who can make quick connections between concepts is vital. Although being educated on the discussion topic helps, even more important is the ability to shift the conversation between panel members. Jimmy Fallon made this challenging task look easy on the “Digital Sport: Know More, Do More” panel.

Understand underlying principles
While session leaders can’t be expected to teach as if it’s a lesson in class, one of the bigger mistakes I noticed was that some presenters didn’t share the core concepts that transcend industries. The best presenters understand the why behind the examples they share and clearly highlight key insights.

Short bursts of multimedia
There’s no shortage of items to talk about in SXSW sessions. However, an hour straight of uninterrupted talking runs the risk of turning grueling. Incorporating music and/or videos helps refresh energy in the room and brings new voices to the conversation. This works well with examples or filmed interviews to provide support in a more engaging way.

Providing value, not selling
One of the major themes I noticed at SXSW was the idea of providing value rather than a single-minded focus on selling. The best presentations reflect this. Nothing sends attendees headed for the exits faster than presenters mainly touting their own companies’ products and services. Sure, share thoughts from your experiences, but don’t make the entire presentation about you.

On a related note: Attendees, please don’t use Q&A to sell your own ideas, services or your entire company! Usually, less than 5 minutes are available for questions and answers, so it really wastes a big chunk of that limited time when the “question” is more of a “shout out” to one’s own business. After all, we all share responsibility for making SXSW great.

So there you have it. No two sessions are ever alike, but consider a few of these recommendations and you’ll be happy when people stick around after the presentation to shake your hand and ask what parties you’re attending that night in downtown Austin.

By Elizabeth Ballash, media planner

I’ve been shopping around for a nice pair of black boots. Days ago, I visited my favorite online shoe retailer, browsed a few pairs, but didn’t purchase. Since my visit, I’m reminded of the styles that I viewed by online banner ads on many other sites across the Web. Each one of the shoe retailers’ banner ads includes a little blue “I” logo in the corner, known as the Ad Choices logo, or Advertising Option Icon.

As a consumer, I know that clicking on the icon will allow me to learn more about why I’m seeing these personalized ads. (It’s because I recently visited the company’s website and viewed these boot styles.) This Web page allowed me to opt out of seeing any more personalized ads, which the brand respectfully honored. Now that I have a choice, my perception of this shoe retailer brand was reinforced as being helpful and respectful.

If you have noticed that the experience of browsing the Web has resulting in personalized ads in the past few years, you’re right. You can thank cookies (not the Girl Scout type.) Cookies are pieces of information that are stored on a computer to help a website identify a unique user. Cookies allow my favorite online retailer to remember the different items that I’ve placed in my shopping cart while I browse other merchandise. They keep me logged into one of my online accounts, so I don’t have to enter my password every time. Cookies also allow Weather.com to remember that I want to see Akron’s weather forecast, even though I visit from a Warrensville Heights IP address. Online behavioral advertising is when companies use cookies to track Web browsing habits and then show that user ads across the Web relating to their interests. This technology has evolved Web browsing into a completely personalized experience. And since my generation is sometimes referred to as “Generation Me,” it’s no surprise that I like when things are personalized.

But not all Internet users are comfortable with websites having so much insight into their lives, and for good reason. I suspect that online behavioral advertising has probably spoiled many “surprise” birthday or anniversary gifts for couples that share computers. Pro tip: clearing your browsing history does not necessarily clear your cookies. Many consumers do not realize that by browsing a website, they are allowing a website to legally collect and trade browsing information. This is typically disclosed in a website’s privacy policy. (Bonus points to anyone who has ever read a website’s privacy policy.) Websites monetize this data by trading this information with advertisers, along with the revenue from selling ads, funds higher-quality, “free” website content.

This powerful technology allows brands to reach in-market consumers with more speed, accuracy and accountability than any other advertising medium. With powerful technology comes a big responsibility for companies to use this data respectfully and responsibly. To guide brands towards a more respectful and responsible practice, and to make sure that everyone is playing fair, the Digital Advertising Association (D.A.A.) put self-regulatory principles in place in July 2009. Principles include giving consumers control over whether data is collected for advertising purposes, being transparent about data collection, storing this data securely, and educating consumers about online behavioral advertising. The most prominent principle is the use of the Advertising Options icon. The icon appears on some ads to notify you that the ad used cookie information to “find” you. When clicked, it leads you to a page to learn more about the ad, and shows you how to opt out of any future ads from participating online behavioral advertisers. As consumers have become more aware and skeptical of online advertising, these transparent, cooperative practices have helped positively build brands’ images.

Federal lawmakers have also been listening. On February 23, the Obama administration outlined the Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights, which outlines principles that will guide the entire industry towards a more transparent, private and secure Internet experience for consumers. If passed, the bill will greatly increase consumes’ awareness of privacy concerns and affect brands’ online advertising strategies and activities by tightening restrictions.

By Monina Wagner, community social media manager

INTRODUCTION – Facebook recently unveiled several changes that will take effect on Brand Pages beginning March 30, 2012. Among the most notable changes, brands will be converting to the Timeline format, a change which has several design and development implications. Other changes impact community management and analytics.

Following is an initial topline summary of key learnings and implications for brands. Over the next several days, Marcus Thomas will dig deeper into the changes and prepare a more in-depth report. We’ll also work with individual client teams to set priorities and outline custom implications for each of our Brand Pages. Marcus Thomas recently launched its Timeline Page.

Facebook is an ever-evolving social platform. To best leverage it to foster relationships with our fans and effectively share our brand story, it’s critical for our client teams to stay current and be nimble in the space. These learnings, along with our more in-depth analysis of the changes that will follow, will help guide our future content.

DESIGN OVERHAUL

Key Changes – The new Timeline format brings about dramatic aesthetic changes to Brand Pages, providing an opportunity for brands to think about how to tell their story in a more visual way. A primary change is the addition of a cover photo across the top of the page which, together with the profile picture, will serve as the brand’s prime real estate.

The new design also eliminates the left side panel, greatly reducing the visibility of Tabs.

The configuration of Tab Pages will also change, giving brands wider design space.

Implications

• Cover Photo and Profile Picture – Collaborating with design teams to choose a cover photo and profile picture that work together to showcase the brand is a must-do for the March 30 conversion.
• Tab Icons – With Tab icons becoming less visible, brands have the opportunity to create larger icons that better reflect the content within the Tab.
• Tab Pages – All Tab Pages must be reconfigured to meet new specs. Tab Pages currently under development with plans to launch after the March 30 conversion date should be reconfigured prior to launch. Existing Tab Pages will work in the conversion, but specs will not be optimized. Client teams should review and prioritize this change individually.

CORPORATE HISTORY

Key Changes – Brand milestones can now be easily documented with the new Timeline format. These achievements may highlight select moments in the brand’s history, including its founding, historic ad campaigns and new product launches. The milestones are shown as a narrative along the right side of the Page.

Implications – The corporate history is another opportunity to tell a brand’s story, giving fans another opportunity to connect with the brand. There are a number of ways to tell a brand story through the timeline. For example, while some brands might focus on brand heritage, others might focus on its historic relationship with consumers. Marcus Thomas will work with brand teams individually to identify engaging historic information to share in the Timeline that supports brand objectives and personality.

PRIVATE MESSAGING

Key Change – With the updated Pages, brands will now be able to receive private messages from fans and will have the ability to directly reply. This will allow for greater interaction between brands and consumers, making it a powerful customer service tool.

Implications – The expectation for efficient customer service will likely rise with this new feature. The addition of private messaging will likely require a more significant time investment for responding to consumers, and a tighter coordination between client and agency teams in cases where community management responsibilities are shared. At this point, we can’t predict the extent to which fan praise and criticism will be direct to private messaging vs. the Wall. Community managers will monitor this closely and work with respective client consumer service teams to adjust processes and resources as appropriate.

REAL-TIME INSIGHTS

Key Change – Facebook has announced it is improving its Insights analytics tool, so Page performance data is offered in real time. Instant access to data will be rolled out over the course of the next few weeks.

Implications – Real-time analytics will allow brands to optimize their content faster. The access to instant data will require more attention to community management. If consumers are responding well to a brand post, real-time analytics will allow for immediate action to continue engagement. Conversely, community managers will be able to recognize quickly if a post is not performing well and update with new, engaging content. As more details of this new feature are unveiled, Marcus Thomas will work with brand teams on how to best capitalize on this enhancement.

By King Hill, senior vice president

A few years ago, my colleague, Marcus Thomas Digital Strategist and Mobile Guru Scott Chapin, wrote a detailed blog post on the subject of QR codes – what they are, what they do, who’s using them and how. At the time and since then, we have implemented a number of QR code programs as part of broader digital efforts.

Now that the non-geek population seems to know what QR codes are (look in the FSIs in your Sunday paper and you’ll see many of them), the question comes up: “Are QR codes dead?”

First off, I find great irony in the supposition that now that “average Joes” know what they are, they must somehow be dead.

The fact that more and more people have seen them and know what they are is evidence that the QR code is alive and well, and living in your house. In fact, I’d venture to say that the use of QR codes is growing. (In fact 5 percent of the U.S. population used a QR code last year. Only 1 percent used QR codes in 2010.)

I could end the blog post right here, but that would be too easy. The question shouldn’t be whether QR codes are dead. The question should be “Are QR codes still only a curiosity?”

To that I’d answer, “If the only reason you’re interested in QR codes is that they’re a curiosity, you really need to go back to marketing school.”

In the evolved landscape of marketing in 2012, enlightened marketers are concerned not only with what’s new, but what works, how it works and what contribution it makes to the value proposition a client needs to make between its brand and its consumers.

Even if the “fun, cool, curiosity” factor of the QR code had diminished (which it hasn’t just yet), its value as a message expansion vehicle, a consumer engagement mechanism, and as a protector of natural resources (yep; I said it) is clearly valuable in the right program.

So what’s the right program? In the words of my friend Scott Chapin, “a successful QR code program better include the following elements: 1) they should be deployed only when you are targeting someone who has their phone on them (e.g., retail, trade show, or maybe even their couch); 2) has a code reader installed and knows how to use it (this is still a big problem); and 3) can benefit from the effort of getting everything set up to scan your content, i.e., it had better be high-value content that has been optimized for mobile.”

By Harvey Scholnick, chairman emeritus

Such might be said for advertising in today’s digital age. Certainly, we’ve achieved the marketing person’s goal of literally reaching each customer on an individual basis and often, with a personalized message.

Yet, thanks to the use of such new mediums as Facebook and Twitter, along with email and blogs, the target market is being bombarded with more messages than ever before. As such, the challenge is even greater than in the days when mass media was king.

We must work harder and smarter to make the message attention-getting and relevant – so instead of changing the station, the recipient doesn’t hit the DELETE button.

Marcus Thomas launched its new website this week, four days after moving into a new, larger office space.

The redesigned site, www.marcusthomasllc.com , showcases the agency’s culture, people, talents and award-winning work. Site visitors can view integrated work examples sorted by ad media, discipline (i.e. “Branding,” “Public Relations,” “Trade Show,”) or advertiser.

Yes, all the agency executives (a.k.a. “partners-fartners”) are profiled. But pushy clients, crafty vendors, ambitious new hires and anyone else looking for some insight into Marcus Thomas’ inter-personal dynamics can also see one hundred and twenty-one staffers identified by name and photo and ranked by personality type.Who are the “Rule-Makers”? the “Peace Keepers”? the “Brainiacs”? the “Lives of the Party”? The evaluations are “scary accurate.”

The Careers page has been integrated with the social networking HR tool, Jobvite to enhance the application process for future employees. There are also links to Facebook and Twitter.

The site uses a mix of HTML5 and AJAX coding techniques to make the presentation fluid and engaging. And a streamlined version of the site is touch-enabled and load quickly on mobile phones and tablets.

By Jessica Folger, audience insights strategist
Special thanks to Ian Verschuren, Scott Chapin and Tim Laubacher for their contributions!

I’m always excited by the start of a new year. (And no, I’m not talking about New Year’s resolutions.) A new year means the roll-out of marketing predictions from all of our wonderful research partners. Well, this year … in our new space … with our new DigiKnow friends…and some inspiration from third-party experts, we decided to come up with some predictions of our own. Take a look, and let us know what you think!

1. Group buying sites will sink

They haven’t quite figured themselves out. At first there were many, then some folded, and then others became victims of buyouts or industry consolidation. The management of relationships between brands, consumers and platforms is still pretty messy, and in turn, models are on the fritz. You also have to wonder how often a sale results in a long-term relationship, when more often than not; consumers use group buying sites to indulge in high-end products and services they wouldn’t invest in otherwise.

2. Consumers will expect checkout rewards for their check-ins

Consumers are over bragging rights. They want deals, discounts and loyalty points for their check-ins via foursquare, Facebook Places and other location-based services. Technology is allowing for geo-targeted messages by location, not just zip code, and the most sophisticated users have already caught on. Heightened consumer expectations shouldn’t be too much of a challenge for more cutting-edge retailers and locations, but others may face some challenges.

3. Enhanced social filters will become a “must have” not a “nice to have”

Consumers are seeing the long-term ramifications of oversharing. The fact that nothing you share online ever “goes away” is scaring the living daylights out of people and creating concern about personal safety. Additionally, HR screening procedures have heightened consumers’ awareness of their various digital personas, and augmented the desire to keep those identities separate. “I’m a professional.” “I’m a mom.” “I’m a 20-something who has fun on the weekends and occasionally one too many cocktails.” The launch of Google+ got the ball rolling. Not only will consumers take advantage of Google+ Circles, they will have a newfound appreciation for Twitter Lists and Facebook Groups. An increase in social filtering may result in decreased accessibility for brands.

4. Organized chaos via pinning, snipping and posting will skyrocket

Prepare for Pinterest to surpass some of the largest social networks on the map. (It’s already well on its way.) So why are so many consumers hopping on the digital pinboard bandwagon?  First and foremost, consumers are experiencing information overload. They are being drawn to platforms that offer simplicity, organization, and complete control over content exposure. Sites like Pinterest, Wanelo and Snip.it do just that with their minimalist approach to content sharing – simple visual cues. Secondly, these sites fulfill consumers’ needs for self-expression, especially as it relates to topics like home décor, crafts, fashion and food. Brands that are playing nicely on these sites are seeing increased site traffic from pins, snips and posts.

For more on Pinterest, check out my recent blog post: http://blog.inspiredthinking.com/2012/02/01/take-your-interests-to-pinterest/

Too girly for you? Check out this manly pinboarding site (thank you, Jason Perkowski): http://gentlemint.com/

5. Devices will be used differently as the “cloud” is embraced by the masses

Cloud-based streaming is putting everything within reach, allowing consumers to access ALL of their content (music, photos, apps, calendars, documents, etc.) on ALL of their devices. The folks at trendwatching.com put it best: “Screens will be an interface to everything and anything that lies beyond the screen.” Devices will not be used based on what content is accessible, but on how and where users want to experience the content. Apple’s iCloud and Amazon Cloud are among the most accessed clouds, but expect other big players to emerge. Also, embrace the unlimited access while you can. It won’t be long before content owners fight to jack up licensing costs.

6.  Consumers will experiment with technology that showcase memories

We are a culture obsessed with making memories and, more importantly, preserving them. Millennials in particular have been tagged as a “reminiscent” generation. Preservation is increasingly taking a digital form, although consumers still like the tangible stuff, too. Hello scrapbooking culture!  Facebook’s Timeline is one of the more recent forays into the digital memory-making territory. Another is Timehop, which surfaces memories from Facebook, Twitter, foursquare and Instagram. So what about the more tangible memory-making technologies? Little Printer allows consumers to send digital files to a tiny portable printing device, while Instaprint was designed to serve as a location-based photo booth for Instagram enthusiasts.

7. Microsoft will double its share in the mobile market

Windows 8 is big. Windows 95 was big. For those that don’t remember the drastic change to Windows 95, Windows 8 promises to be a similar departure, and it’s Microsoft’s step towards unifying desktops, tablets and mobile devices. Given the continued marginalization of BlackBerry®, enterprise is looking for a new platform, and Windows 8 is going to fill the void and make Microsoft a player in the mobile and tablet space. With enterprise integration and a significant developer market already in place, apps will be coming quick and steady. It’s even likely that the new Xbox console will have a Windows 8 variant on it.

8. Anticipate convergence in the console space

Webtv? Google TV? Web-enabled TV’s? A number of attempts have been made to bring interactivity to television sets with minimal success. Building off of the success of Netflix running on top of gaming platforms such as the Xbox 360®, PS3, and Nintendo Wii™, consoles will finally be the Internet bridge to the television. Apple is likely to make a more dominant play in the space (possibly with an Apple TV), and at the same time existing consoles will add apps to further integration to not just gaming communities, but social networks and online tools. Next-generation consoles due out in 2013 will more resemble desktops/tablets, and touch screen technology will eventually make our televisions oversized iPads.

SOURCING  

Prediction #2

eMarketer “Top Digital Trends for 2012”, December 2011
Forrester “2012 Interactive Marketing Predictions”, December 7, 2011

Prediction #3

http://adage.com/article/digitalnext/ten-digital-trends-set-mass-market-2012/231653/

Prediction #5

eMarketer Top Digital Trends for 2012, December 2011

http://trendwatching.com/trends/12trends2012/?screenculture

Prediction #6

(http://adage.com/article/digitalnext/ten-digital-trends-set-mass-market-2012/231653/)

By Jody Sadler, director of connections planning/media

Super Bowl XLVI was the most-watched television program in U.S. history. According to updated Nielsen data from Monday afternoon, 111.3 million viewers tuned in for the game (that’s 7 percent higher than the last time the Giants and Patriots met in 2008 for Super Bowl XLII). Not surprisingly, four of the Top 5 most-watched programs are Super Bowls. (The fifth is the M*A*S*H series finale, in case you were wondering.)

This year was also the most expensive for advertisers. A 30-second spot cost an average of $3.5 million, up from $3.1 million last year. The last time these two teams met in Super Bowl XLII, a 30-second spot was a mere $2.7 million.

While the outcome of the two games was the same (sadly for me, as I live with a Patriots fan), there was a definite change in the advertising. Unlike four years ago, 2012 saw advertisers make the most of their ads by taking advantage of new technology and the two-screen experience.

In an effort to gain additional exposure, many advertisers posted their ads on the Web before the game. They offered teasers, long-form video or the actual commercial – along with a lot fewer game day surprises.

According to Nielsen research, 70 percent of tablet users and 68 percent of smartphone users watch television with their devices in hand. Advertisers incorporated applications, both existing and custom, to make their ads more engaging. Approximately one-third of the ads were “Shazamable,” allowing consumers to enter sweepstakes, view special content and download free music. The Chevy Game Time app gave users a chance to win prizes or drive home a 2012 Chevy by answering trivia questions and polls.

Other advertisers utilized Twitter hashtags and QR codes, or drove viewers to websites for further interaction. Audi sent viewers to Twitter to talk about their spot with “#SoLongVampires.” Go Daddy incorporated a QR code that allowed viewers to see additional ad content and download Go Daddy coupons. Universal Pictures partnered with Fandango to connect a movie trailer to advance ticket sales. Viewers were directed (briefly) to the Fandango website and mobile site, encouraging them to sign up for a FanAlert™ about the movie, as well as the chance to win five years’ worth of free movie tickets.

Whether or not the ads themselves are funnier or better than in 2008, this year advertisers have created a great opportunity to monitor user interaction and encourage further consumer engagement that didn’t exist with the 30-second Super Bowl XLII spot.