Marketing Predictions for 2013

In 2012, there were increased developments for marketers. Social media sites, such as Facebook, created a massive mobile advertising business. Now the question is, what does 2013 have to offer? Advertising experts got together to show marketing predictions for the year to come.

The first strategy experts explored was “Mobile-First Strategy.” Facebook and Google are two sites responsible for the mobile ad spending tripling to $4 billion in 2012. According to eMarketer, “we expect mobile ads to increasingly become the top priority for advertisers on digital, rather than desktop.” This is the result of consumers spending more time and money on mobile devices.

Next experts explored the revision of “Banner Ads.” Banner ads do not work well on mobile devices, which has lead companies to reconsider using them. However, the ads will not be going away for good, instead businesses are working on a more creative way to post them and become user friendly.

How Online Shopping Effects Dealership Traffic

According to AutoTrader.com, online shopping leads buyers to visit fewer dealerships than in the past. Whereas people used to visit multiple dealerships and look at any number of cars, car buyers have been given the opportunity to browse inventories online, find and compare prices all without leaving the comfort of home. AutoTrader explained that current buyers spend an average of 11 hours shopping online and just 7 hours offline and in dealerships when searching for their next vehicle.  

On a positive note, online shoppers who do head out to purchase new vehicles are willing to travel further to dealerships they would not have ordinarily considered. The pull of dealerships from further distances seems to have increased with the influx of online shoppers in their searches for the best deal. The convenience of the internet leads to a need for an interactive dealership website which can offer pricing, tools for comparison and an accurate inventory with an emphasis on directions to the physical address. This is just another example of how the age of technology is changing how consumers shop.  

Powerhouse USA Announces a Promotion and Two Team Additions

The Powerhouse Family is happy to announce the promotion of Miss Megan Neuner!
Megan has earned the new title of Internet Marketing Manager and has been given new responsibilities including management of client relations and budgets. Miss Neuner also oversees the work of two new hires, Amanda Carr and Sydnie Cobb.

In November Amanda and Sydnie were brought on to work as Internet Marketing Coordinators. While Sydnie works primarily on maintaining web presence and social media she also aids in internet marketing and advertising campaigns. Amanda works on composing client materials for the media outlets and assists with web presence and media as well.

We're happy to welcome Amanda and Sydnie to the team and look forward to working with them!

Don't Fall for the Fake Privacy Notice on Facbook

Controversy surrounding a fake ‘privacy notice’ surfaced this month in response to Facebook posting its new privacy guidelines. These guidelines establish that Facebook users will now have access to comment on the entities change proposals and documents but do not allow for users to have a vote.

The ‘privacy notice’ claims to keep Facebook from using photos, graphics, and other contents from users personal profiles including personal information. Users have been copy-and-pasting the notice from others profiles in belief that it actually forbids Facebook, as a publicly traded entity, to use personal information given to Facebook during use. Don’t let yourself be fooled, as the ‘privacy notice’ holds no domain over Facebook and does nothing to reverse the consent each user agrees to when they begin use of the service.

It is paramount to always read and understand the contents of each user agreement the conditions prior to selecting that “I Agree” button, otherwise you may find yourself conjuring up privacy spells to no avail.

Florida's Job Market Continues to Grow

According to new data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Florida ranks number 2 in the nation for job creation.

The Sunshine State created 23,200 nonagricultural jobs in the month of August and totaled more than 28,000 new private sector jobs created. This is the 11th month-to-month positive job growth Florida has had in the past 14 months, and also the 25th consecutive month of positive annual job growth.

In another interesting report recently shared by the State of Women-Owned Business Report, Florida ranks No. 4 for the most women-owned businesses. Florida has an estimated 587,600 women-owned firms, employing 473,100 people and taking in roughly $77.6 billion in revenue. The number of women-owned firms in the Sunshine State has grown 73.9 percent from 1997-2012.

Silly Social Media Mistakes

Making a mistake on social media can be seen by thousands, if not more, in the matter of seconds. Brands and businesses always need to be careful when monitoring and posting on these sites, such as Twitter. 

This infographic (created by MDG Advertising) shows examples of some social media screw-ups. To avoid these issues, always edit your tweets and make sure you know what's going on in the news and the world around you before you speak on it; or in the case of social media, "tweet on it". These types of mistakes are 100% avoidable when paying attention to social media etiquette. For now, check out these social media blunders for a good laugh, and hopefully to learn from others mistakes!

Apple Breaks Silence Over iPhone 5

After weeks, even months of rumors and speculation Apple finally broke their silence about the iPhone 5 today at a special event held at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco, CA.

Apple’s Senior VP of Worldwide Marketing, Phil Schiller came out to make the Announcement at the to an invite-only crowd of Journalists, Bloggers & Apple employees. He described the details of the new iPhone, made entirely of glass and aluminum, as 18 percent thinner and 20 percent lighter than the 4S. It will also have a larger 4-inch screen in order fit in an extra row of icons.

Many who already own an iPhone will be happy to know that their is an improved battery life for the iPhone 5, including 8 hours on LTE web browsing usage. Apple has also improved the camera on the new iPhone, allowing it to snap pictures 40% faster. 

Siri has also been upgraded, and can now tell users the scores of sports games and post status updates to Facebook. 

Sales of Apple's iPhone 4S and earlier models have been dropping off in recent months and analysts believe this is due to a huge pent-up demand for the iPhone 5. It's been predicted that Apple could sell up to 10 million iPhones in the first 10 days, and up to 50 million in the holiday quarter. 

The iPhone 5 will be available for pre-order on September 14th and hits stores the 21st. Available in white and black, the devices will be priced at $199, $299 and $399 for 16GB, 32GB and 64GB models , respectively. 

For images of the long-awaited iPhone 5, click here.

Social Media & the 2012 Presidential Election

This 2012 election has been called “the first social media presidential election” and early data has shown just that.

The Twitter Government and Politics Team tweeted out on Sunday night that before even starting, there were more tweets about the Republican National Convention that day, than the entire week in 2008.

Syracuse University has even opened a class for the fall semester dedicated to social media and the 2012 election.

Both candidates are utilizing social media tools like Twitter to reach out to optimize their campaigns. Obama is leading the way by far with more than 19 million followers, while Romney hasn’t quite hit the 1 million mark yet. 

Click the link below for the social media guide to conventions to learn more and get involved in the social aspect of the election!

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2012/08/27/cnns-social-media-guide-to-the-conventions/ 

Facebook Testing Promoted News Feed Posts for Non-Fans

Companies may now be able to advertise in the news feeds of users on Facebook who are not a fan of their pages. Facebook revealed on Tuesday that it will begin testing promoted posts for brands so that they have the ability to reach people who haven’t become a fan of their page.

Facebook spokeswoman Annie Ta announced that Facebook will shortly be starting a very small test which will allow companies to promote posts to users beyond the fans in their news feed. The promoted posts will appear both on desktop and mobile versions of the site.

The promoted posts will look like typical updates in a user’s news feed, but they will be labeled as “sponsored.” As of right now, only fans of a company have the option to view their posts in the fans news feed. 

Facebook Marketing Mistakes to Avoid

With more than 900 million people utilizing Facebook, it’s crucial to implement marketing ideas to the best of your benefit. Most companies have no problem figuring out best practices and trends, but along with this comes things you absolutely shouldn’t do. Here are a few tips on how to not make these mistakes:

1. Not completely filling out the page
Although this may seem obvious, many companies still forget to fill out the page completely. Be sure to include hours, address, phone number, and pictures to get the most out of your page.

2. Not following Facebooks rules for cover photos
Cover photos are not allowed to include information such as pricing, a call to action, or contact information. This is a simple mistake a company can make when trying to promote their business. Instead, post a picture that represents your brand.

3. Refrain from Facebook contests
Although it’s somewhat of a grey area, any type of contest run on Facebook is illegal. All contests and giveaways  must be administered through Apps within Facebook.

4. Over posting
When it comes to Facebook, less is more. Consumers don’t want to be bombarded with posts and information. Start out with two posts a week, and customize a schedule to see what works best for you.

5. Too much text
Keep it short and sweet! Research shows that consumers are most responsive to posts between 100 and 250 characters, or one to two lines of text. 

Powerhouse USA Adds 3 New Team Members

We’re very excited to announce three new hires to our growing team here at Powerhouse USA!

Jenn Allen is now the company’s Creative Services Manager. “Art has always been my passion and I love working in the fast paced environment at Powerhouse USA and being able to bring agency and client ideas to life,” said Ms. Allen about her new position. She will be overseeing all graphic content elements of online and print campaigns.

Andrea Rodrigues has been added as the company’s Marketing Coordinator. “I’m thrilled to be at Powerhouse USA and working with their diverse roster of clients.” Her responsibilities include client relations, budgets, presentations, and research.

Megan Neuner is the company’s newest Internet Marketing Coordinator. “Internet marketing is such an exciting area and working at Powerhouse USA provides me with the opportunity to help with their existing client base as well as grow future business.” Ms. Neuner is responsible for client web presents and develops online marketing and advertising campaigns as well as social media.

5 Ways to Monitor Your Brand’s Effectiveness

In today’s world, branding isn’t entirely about numbers anymore. Now we have to take generating a fan base into account. Here are 5 ways to measure how well your brand is doing online:

            1.   Are you engaging your fans?

Effective marketing is about building relationships with fans and customers, not about yelling out information in a busy marketplace. Social media tools such as Facebook and Twitter allow us to see how responsive and active we are with our customers.

A French telecommunications company named Orange asked their followers to tweet summer plans with hashtag #thissummer. The company was able to record the responses and generate traffic which allowed the followers to identify with the company’s branding.

2. Are you adding value to the conversation?

It’s a great idea to post content that other people will want to see and share with others. Healthy Choice posted a 75 cent coupon on Facebook which would increase in value as the site grew more followers. The company gained 10,000 fans in just a few weeks. This is a good example of how a company can bring value to its customers by increasing engagement.

3. Are you practicing the 20-to-1 rule?

The 20-to-1 rule means that you have to make 20 relational posts for every 1 marketing posts. In order to be successful, you need to be a giver instead of a taker. Companies need to be generous with their fans, so when you do need something, your fans respond.

4. Are you monitoring feedback?

If you want to be effective, you have to know what works and what doesn’t. A blogger with a large amount of followers tweeted about a negative experience he had with U-Haul. In no time, U-Haul lost thousands of dollars and long-term damage to their brand, solely because the company didn’t understand how much power the consumer has in today’s world. Creating an outpost where you can monitor what people are saying will allow you to address the consumer’s concerns, receive immediate market feedback, and show your customer’s you’re listening.

5. Are you engaging through your blog or website?

Most people believe you need a website with flashy graphics and a fancy design in order to generate higher traffic. However, this is not the case. Customers mainly want to feel like someone cares and is listening, not so much about how appealing the site looks. Try ending your blog with a question so readers feel like they can engage.

Facebook to Let Advertisers Bid on Ads Using Your Browser Data

Facebook is expected to introduce real-time bidding as a feature to their advertising. This is something that Google has done for years, which legs advertisers use browsing history to target users.

Facebook Exchange, the bidding feature, is projected to be launched in a few weeks. Facebook is currently working with eight different firms, such as Turn, TellApart, MediaMath, DataXu, AdRoll, Triggit, and The Trade Desk, to create this feature. Facebook has just begun to include cookies to track users by their browsers. Third parties will match information from other sites with those cookies. If a user searches for “truck,” and then goes onto Facebook, advertisers in the auto industry will be able to show that user ads on Facebook for trucks.

Although Facebook’s traditional advertising is very successful, the new changes will allow for advertisers to achieve more impact and insight, more quickly, at a smaller cost. Facebook already leads the U.S. display ad market, with a 14% share in 2011, and is expected to rise to 16.8% in 2012.  

5 Hot Facebook Marketing Trends

Facebook has drastically changed in the past year, and marketing on it has changed as well. The image-heavy Facebook timeline has made many changes for how businesses market their products and services through the social media site.  There is an impressive amount of pressure on Facebook to be advertising friendly, and a lot of this comes from the fact that with its 133 million users, it can potentially have a bigger audience than the Super Bowl.

The first marketing trend the new Facebook has is the ability to post more and larger photos. Consumers are getting used to a more image filled web, so the new Facebook design features much bigger pictures than before. An analytics firm that measures brand performance, Simply Measured, confirmed a 65% jump for photos and videos combined that companies posted on their Facebook timelines. Sprinkles Cupcakes is a strong believer in the effectiveness of posting photos and videos to their Facebook page, especially with a call to action, seeing the number of likes and comments triple when one exists.

The second trend Facebook timeline has is tapping real-time data. Businesses now have the ability to immediately see the success of their campaign, while typically you have to measure the results at some point in order to see if the ads are working or not. This past April 17^th on Tax Day, TurboTax saw their Facebook post on “Most Common Tax Questions” doing well on Facebook’s “People Talking About This” page, so in turn they advertised on Facebook to increase the reach of the post.

The third trend is to use your Timeline cover photo for marketing. With the cover photo being a giant picture at the top of the company’s Facebook page, brans are realizing this photo can be a banner ad. The huge image provides instant exposure to all of the brands Facebook fans. Other brands are using the cover photo as an interactive photo for their fans. With different call to actions, such as posting a question on the image, fans can now interact with the cover photo.

The fourth trend the Facebook timeline creates for marketing is the gamification of posts. Coca-cola is a very well-known brand on Facebook.  Coca-cola has been posting URL riddles to its millions of fans. Along with them, JetBlue has also been posting more interesting and interactive posts such as “Fill in the Blank” status updates. JetBlue received 182% more comments per most than other typical brands with their post gamification method.

The fifth and final trend on the new Facebook timeline is creatively saying ‘Thank You’. By coming up with creative ways to thank your fans, you can single out and give your fans praise while entertaining the rest of the fans, who normally would have been uninterested in the post. Kraft Mac & Cheese did this by posting a 7-minute video thanking 4,800 fans who had “liked” a post of theirs. The video consisted of a song which included each of their individual names. The 4,800 fans were individually thanked, and the rest of the fans were still entertained in the process.

General Motors Quits Facebook Advertising

General Motors is pulling ads from Facebook, calling them “ineffective”, according to a Wall Street Journal report. It was determined that their ads on the platform “had little impact on consumers,” according to the report. However, GM will continue to market via Facebook’s free brand pages.

The article quotes GM marketing chief Joel Ewanick as saying GM “is definitely reassessing our advertising on Facebook, although the content is effective and important.” Ewanick’s use of “content” in this case refers to Facebook brand Pages.

GM spends about $40 million marketing on Facebook, but only about a quarter goes to advertising- the rest going to creating content for the site, according to the report. GM spends an estimated $1.8 billion worldwide on advertising per year.

A Forrester Research Analyst, Nate Elliott, wrote a blog post on Monday questioning the social network’s advertising. “Somehow Facebook still hasn’t stumbled upon a model that’s proven consistently successful for marketers, or that brings in the massive revenues to match the site’s massive user base,” wrote Elliott. “One global consumer goods company told us recently that Facebook was getting worse, rather than better, at helping marketers succeed. And companies in industries from consumer electronics to financial services tell us they’re no longer sure Facebook is the best place to dedicate their social marketing budget – a shocking fact given the site’s dominance among users.”

Facebook posted revenues of $3.7 billion in 2011, the vast majority of which came from advertising. However, Facebook’s first-quarter revenues fell from the previous quarter and Facebook’s amended S-1 form, filed on May 10, cited the transition to mobile as a worrisome sign for ad revenues.

Will 2012 see growth in online ads?

From Online Media Daily: Just as gadget-crazed as consumers, advertisers are expected to accelerate their nontraditional media spends through 2012. MagnaGlobal now expects spending on Internet media (including national and local) to grow by 12.2%, this year. That’s up from the Interpublic unit’s previous forecasts of 10.9%, and, if correct, will represent $35.6 billion and a 20.2% market share.

“Encouraged by the rise of smartphone and tablet usage and the availability of scalable platforms, mainstream advertisers are now fully embracing all mobile formats (display, search, video, in-app),” said Vincent Letang, EVP and head of global forecasting at MagnaGlobal.

Letang expects mobile-related online ad revenues to grow by 53% in 2012, to reach $2.4 bil. “iAd and Facebook in particular will create more opportunities for marketers in various mobile environments in 2012,” he said. With $1.6 billion in 2011, mobile advertising already represents 5% of online advertising, and 1% of total domestic advertising.

That said, Internet media is still driven by paid search, as well as online video, which Letang expects to grow by 24% in 2012 to reach $2.2 billion.

In terms of advertising sectors, technology, finance and telecoms are expected to increase their respective expenditure at higher than average rates, according to the company.

Automotive remains a concern, but more for traditional media buyers, MagnaGlobal notes. In 2010, and again in 2011, a double-digit recovery in car sales was matched by a double-digit growth in automotive ad spend. Going into 2012, however, while new car sales were up in the first quarter, protracted unemployment and steep gasoline inflation could hamper further growth.

Read more: http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/173666/new-online-ad-forecast-12-growth-for-2012.html#ixzz1tjoq8epQ

Marketers are making their way onto Pinterest

More and more research being released shows that social media is taking over and it’s a great way to help market and advertise brands. Pinterest is one of the newest social media outlets being utilized by marketers. Magazines like Better Homes and Gardens and marketers like Whole Foods have been quick to embrace Pinterest, the start-up firm that allows its users to share images by “pinning” them.

The site’s popularity among brands is noted as a prime example of the rise of visual web, along with Instagram and Facebook’s new time line feature, which like Pinterest, is heavily driven by images instead of text.

Andrew Lipsman is the vice president of industry analysis research firm comScore said, “Pinterest is creating sort of a meritocracy of what’s visually appealing. Brands are scrambling and trying to figure it out. They know it’s going to be big, but they don’t necessarily know the best way to use it.”

Better Homes and Gardens has 73 pin boards on Pinterest with a total of 47,854 people who follow them. Images from these boards were “re-pinned” (another feature of the site) on other boards 448,022 times in January alone. “To me, it’s an ideal platform for brands like ours that are really visually driven in many ways,” said Gayle Butler, the editor in chief of Better Homes and Gardens.

Another way that images make their way across the Web to Pinterest is through the “Pin It” button that is slowly making its way alongside the Facebook and Twitter share buttons that live near most digital material.

While the company does not provide any user data to publishers of brands, we do know that it is at the forefront of social media and that Pinterest is a great way to further build a brand.  

Gone Viral!

Happy Birthday, Twitter!

Six years ago today, Jack Dorsey tweeted the first ever tweet on Twitter and a communications revolution was born.

Now, 6 years later it has grown exponentially to over 500 million users, making it the largest one-to-many open communication platform on the web today.  After hearing those numbers you would never believe what humble beginnings this social network came from.

Twitter stemmed from an earlier company ran by ex-googler friends called Odeo, which was going to be a podcasting platform. But when Apple launched iTunes podcasting, it made their little startup company irrelevant. After enlisting the help of another buddy and much brainstorming, the team came up with “Twttr”, which would eventually become Twitter.

This social networking phenomenon allows its users to interact with their favorite celebs and follow the latest news s
tories. Many businesses use Twitter as a marketing tool to reach consumers. It has changed media, business and politics – even our President Barack Obama has an account!

With 11 Twitter accounts created every second, the company is projected to earn $259 million in Advertising Revenue this year. Not a bad birthday gift!

2012 : Retailers all about Customer Interaction

In an effort to build customer engagement, capture wallet share and accelerate sales growth, retailers in 2012 will focus on a number of customer-centric functions, including IT and ecommerce investments, enhancing customer service initiatives and, building on their mobile platforms. Those findings are from a new report from the National Retail Federation (NRF) Foundation by KPMG.

Retail Horizons: Benchmarks for 2011, Forecasts for 2012,” surveyed 247 retail executives from various sectors, outlines retailers’ top strategic initiatives for 2012 including merchandising, ecommerce, store and field operations, supply chain and human capital, among others.

“Retailers are poised to enter 2012 with a renewed focus on building up and building out many of their most important operations, hoping to establish a new sense of brand loyalty with all of their customers,” said NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay. “Though customers are always a company’s top priority, customer satisfaction will get a huge facelift this year. From increasing their brand visibility through cross-channel initiatives to providing unique, personalized shopping experiences through every channel, retailers have indicated 2012 is all about the customer.”

According to the survey, nearly 67% of companies rank customer satisfaction as the top strategic initiative for 2012 and, similarly, 82% say customer service strategies will be their top priority in the coming year, up from 75% last year.

For the first time in the survey’s ten-year history, retailers’ websites or online channels eclipsed physical stores as the top channel for marketers (81% for brick-and-mortar vs. 86% online). As such, retail executives say they will invest in programs that directly resonate with today’s shopper. According to the survey, 85 will emphasize  increasing online sales, up from 83% in 2011, and 38% will have a greater focus on increasing mCommerce sales over the next year, up from 29% in 2011. Additionally, more than half (53%) of those surveyed say they will specifically focus on web personalization engines in the coming months, which includes such enhancements as location-based services and tracking methods unique to shopping habits.
To better serve mobile-savvy shoppers in their stores, retailers also stated enhancing handheld technologies, such as mobile point-of-sale, will be a core focus over the next 18 months. While 17% already use mobile POS technologies in their store, an additional 33% indicate they plan further POS investments during that timeframe.

“Compared to the past few years, retailers have turned their attention to growth acceleration, with an emphasis on improved customer engagement strategies and tactics,” said Mark Larson, KPMG’s global head of retail. “Harnessing the vast amounts of customer data they have at their disposal to create unique consumer interactions will be critical, especially as digital sales grow. Clearly the retailers who master the one-to-one customer approach, and who also leverage the full potential of e-and-mobile commerce platforms, will be in a much stronger position to gain wallet share.”

Aiming to grow that customer interaction, 45% of companies are actively developing widgets, gadgets or advanced links that can be incorporated with their social media pages, and another 41% are planning to develop these items over the next 18 months.

Other KPMG/NRF survey findings:
• Thirty-three% reported increases of greater than 5% in same store sales in 2011, up from 21% in 2010. Additionally, 63% reported gross margins greater than 40% in 2011, up from 40% in 2010
• After years of practicing cost containment, this year more than half (52%) of respondents plan to increase their IT budgets
• Nine in 10 (91%) respondents said they will focus on leadership assessment, development and succession, up from 83% in 2011. Additionally, 52% will increase associate training, up from 39% last year
• As the number of multichannel shoppers continues to grow, so will retailers’ focus on price optimization – more than one-third (35%) of respondents will focus on solidifying their price optimization technologies over the next 18 months
• Nearly six in 10 (59%) say new customer acquisition is their top strategic priority for 2012, up from 55% in 2011

Surviving U.S. Auto Dealers may see record sales in 2012

Auto Dealers may see record sales in 2012; surviving dealers are stronger and more profitable
2/15/12Auto dealers may be racing toward a record number of sales. A consulting firm is predicting that the dealers that survived the economic crisis may deliver more vehicles in 2012 than ever before.Urban Science is estimating that each dealer will sell an average 785 vehicles this year. That compares to only averaging 719 cars and trucks last year. They attribute the nearly ten per cent increase to pent up demand and the improving economy.

The previous record was 784 per dealership back in 2005.

The number of dealerships also grew last year, after shrinking for several years in a row. Urban Science says the dealers that survived the economic downturn are stronger and more profitable. There are now 17,767 dealerships in America.

GM's Super Bowl commercial helped Ford

Super Bowl Ad Aftermath: Ford Boosted By GM's Fallout?

Playing dirty might be de rigeur in politics, but it seldom helps in selling products—even dusty pickups ravaged by the apocalypse.

That might end up being GM's tough lesson from its Super Bowl XLVI ad which, to some, spoke less about the strengths of GM products than it did attack Ford's reputation for durability and longevity.

GM's Super Bowl commercial helped Ford

Based on traffic and visitor data collected by the shopping and pricing site Kelley Blue Book, more visitors browsed Fordafter the GM commercial—a lot more—even though Ford didn't have a big Super Bowl ad. Whether looking at the controversy in the days surrounding, or specifically at the window of time during and after the ad aired, Fordappeared to benefit most, if an immediate browsing or shopping of new vehicles was the goal.

Full-size pickup truck visitors on Super Bowl Sunday, 2012 - Kelley Blue Book

KBB.com data shows consumer interest in the Silverado lifting during the commercial airing, leveling off after the commercial and declining after the game, as interest in the F-150 surged, curiously. Despite the Silverado's lift during the game, Ford’s F-150 still drew a greater share of week-over-week attention from KBB.com consumers.

In comparing consumer interest on kbb.com among the Full-size truck segment, KBB analyst Akshay Anand noted that the share of visits to the F150 surged over 26-percent week-over-week, while the Chevrolet Silverado 1500 saw a 25-percent drop in traffic during the same period.

“Looking at the data for that whole day, Ford did see some lift, and I don't think that's a coincidence,” said Anand.

That leads to how some might have heard the commercial...something along the lines of this: What kind of truck do you drive to the impending apocalypse? If it's a Ford, oh you sorry sap, you're just not going to make it.

Advertising 101: Don't make the competing product your punchline

And that hits hard at one very important factor: brand loyalty. To many, the commercial was less a declaration of the strengths of GM products than it was the buildup to an attack on Ford's trucks. And it may have sent Ford loyalists to their laptops and tablets to search for reassurance about Ford's reputation, as their GM counterparts gloated and stayed on the sofa.

“Truck owners tend to be more loyal than those in any other segment,” said Anand, and when a product with that level of loyalty is mentioned negatively in an ad, argued Anand, the response is likely to be one that's on the defensive.

Other potential explanations: Ford was mentioned bluntly and clearly right near the end of the ad, so is that somehow the name that stuck with viewers? Or does the lesson to be learned really have more to do with etiquette?

It is, after all, one of the first commercials in some time to blatantly call out a competing product without mention of a number or metric as basis.

Yahoo's fourth-quarter net earnings decline 5 percent

Yahoo's fourth-quarter earnings fell 5 percent as newly minted CEO Scott Thompson acknowledged the company needed to do better, but was short on details about his plans.

The company’s fourth-quarter net earnings declined 5 percent year-over-year to $296 million, with revenue off 3 percent to $1.17 billion. And search advertising revenue dipped 3 percent year-over-year to $388 million.

Yahoo’s full-year revenue hit $5 billion, a far cry from the $6.3 billion it recorded in 2010. During the company’s earnings call Tuesday, Thompson said he's spent “a lot of [his] time and attention”understanding the problems facing Yahoo’s display advertising business. Referring to the company's results, Yahoo CFO TimMorse said during the earnings call, “we expected better.”

Thompson repeatedly said that it was too early to discuss how he plans to improve Yahoo’s performance. But he isolated the consumer data Yahoo holds as “the key component for driving innovation.”

“Our data may be Yahoo’s most underrated, underappreciated and underused asset,” he said.

Thompson said he aims to mine the data collected from Yahoo’s 702 million monthly unique visitors to improve the site experience for consumers, which he said would lead to more time spent on site and better results for advertisers.

Thompson and Morse downplayed the uncertainty that has dogged Yahoo throughout the fourth quarter and continues to follow the company. Morse—who took over as interim CEO after Carol Bartz’s ouster in September—termed the period “challenging” with “numerous distractions,” and Thompson said there was a lot of “commotion” surrounding the company.

Thompson’s appointment earlier this month may have settled the CEO question. ButYahoo co-founder Jerry Yang resigned from the company’s board last week, and questions persist over whether Yahoo will be sold.

As to the latter, all Thompson would say was that Yahoo “remains open to anything that’s good for our shareholders.”