Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Andy Beal's Marketing Pilgrim

Andy Beal's Marketing Pilgrim

We Asked 100 People About Yahoo’s Q2: Yahoo Said “Strong;” Our Survey Said…

Posted: 23 Jul 2008 05:59 AM CDT

Following last week’s lackluster financial performance from both Google and Microsoft, yesterday was Yahoo’s turn to step up to the mic.

The numbers:

  • Net income of $131 million
  • Revenue of $1.346 billion.
  • Q2 earnings of 9 cents per share, with Wall Street expecting 10 cents

The Analysts said:

Collins Stewart analyst Sandeep Aggarwal said Yahoo’s results will likely do little to either help or hinder its effort to remain independent…"It looks like a non-event," Aggarwal said, "it was a bad quarter, but it was also expected."

Yahoo said:

"Despite a difficult economic environment, we posted solid results in line with the ranges we indicated in April…Our diverse advertiser base and compelling value proposition for our customers were key factors behind Yahoo’s strong second-quarter performance," [Chief Financial Officer Blake] Jorgensen said.

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Linky Goodness, July 22

Posted: 22 Jul 2008 04:47 PM CDT

Oh my goodness, it’s . . . you know.

  • At OMMA Behavioral yesterday, Ignited’s David Martin struck upon the perfect slogan for the behavioral advertising industry, and I quote: “It’s Only Going To Get Creepier.” Excellent. Government regulatory agencies, consumers and advertising clients alike flock to behavioral.
  • Is it just me, or does the question “Are Google Maps good or evil?” seem kind of . . . stupid? There were maps before, people. Google Maps might make it easier for child molesters to find schools and citizens to find ex-cons, but come on. Google Maps didn’t publish the addresses. Let’s face it (and after the first link, I think we must): they’re going to get you with or without the Internet.
  • Mobile is going to hit the tipping point in ‘08. Really. Maybe ‘09. Maybe ‘12. But one day, we’ll all be surfing the Internet on chips implanted in our brains and browsers projected inside our eyes our phones, and Omniture will be ready with mobile analytics. Predictions of mobile’s imminent success will come true one day, and now is the perfect time to get in that game.
  • Finally, Jerry Yang is smoothing things over within Yahoo with a memo welcoming Icahn and the end to “this challenging chapter,” via both CNET and paidContent.

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Google Maps Adds Walking Directions

Posted: 22 Jul 2008 04:38 PM CDT

Wow. I feel like Google really hears me. First, they make Gmail’s contact system less invasive, and now they add walking directions to Google Maps!

google maps walking directions beta

I do a small dance of happiness!

Now, I know there are those of you wondering why this even matters, what difference walking directions makes. Or, as one commenter put it:

Walking directions? Whatever happened to just showing up, facing your body in the direction you wanted to go, and walking?

Of course, the simple answer to the smart alecky question is “I tried that, but I kept walking into things—buildings, oncoming traffic . . . rivers” (return snark for snark is a Biblical injunction, isn’t it?).

The Google Maps blog post announcing the addition gives a good explanation (also with pictures), but here’s mine for an unfamiliar city (New York) for a single turn:
Driving:
driving around the corner in new york with Google Maps
Walking:
walking around the corner with Google Maps
Granted, yes, you should be able to figure out how to walk around the corner without the help of Google Maps (driving in a city full of one-way streets, though . . . that’s another story).

But when mapping programs don’t offer pedestrians and tourists walking directions, the misadventures can be myriad—not the least of which is potentially walking a lot further than necessary because of said one-way streets. Odds are good that there are more than one corner between you and your destination, and do you want to walk six times the necessary distance to get there?

I’m sure, however, that most people have no need to be convinced of the usefulness of walking directions. Instead, they’re wondering what took Google so long, especially given that other mapping programs, including Microsoft and, until recently, Ask, have had them for ages. Me too.

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