Category: Search

October 31, 2011

The growing role of apps for PR

The recent Nielsen Real Estate Market Report, based on a survey sponsored by our client Realestate.co.nz, has revealed how New Zealanders search for property online. It’s also highlighted a trend in the real estate market that holds a lesson for the PR industry.

The survey report found nearly a third of New Zealanders with Internet-enabled mobile devices who research property online have accessed property information websites from their device. It also discovered that real estate researchers online were much more likely than the national population to own an Internet-enabled phone or device, with 48 percent compared to 34 percent of the overall population. Continue reading →

September 13, 2010

Google Instant; impact on online content and PR

This morning I read a really thought provoking article on The Guardian website about Google Instant. The article is essentially all about how the internet is making our attention spans shorter and shorter.

For those of you who don’t know, Google Instant is a new addition to internet search technology that shows results below the search window as you type. The aim is to reduce the time spent searching for what you’re looking for, often without the need to even press ‘enter’ to bring up the right results. And yes, you can turn it off if you so choose.

I was at a conference recently where Google Instant was being discussed and I was pondering how great an innovation it was. This was another step in making it quicker (and hopefully easier) to find the right content online. Brilliant.

However, after more consideration and since reading the Guardian article, I’m now slightly concerned about the wider ramifications of the way things are heading. Continue reading →

July 1, 2010

Change the PR channel, ‘Google Me’ is about to start

People often talk about social media being just a channel for content, as opposed to it being the content itself. Which is true, but that perhaps doesn’t tell the full story.

The common idea is that social media should be used just like any other PR or marketing channel. I would disagree with this notion as each channel must be dealt with differently. As this blog post by Tim Sanders so rightly refers to, you should never move away from the brand strategy when incorporating social media into your marcomms efforts. Continue reading →

May 7, 2010

Wave goodbye to Foursquare and Gowalla

It had to happen. It was inevitable. Rumours are abound on Mashable and Advertising Age that Facebook is adding location features this month, which probably means the end for existing location-based services like Foursquare and Gowalla. Facebook’s huge critical mass allows it to get to where its smaller rivals could only dream of being and at the flick of a switch. Continue reading →

May 3, 2010

Not mobile optimised? Then you’re not in business

Research giant Nielsen recently released a study that confirmed what we have all probably known for some time: optimising your site for mobiles is the next game-changer for global business. The research features on Australian SME website, Smart Company and highlights several salient points, notably the relevance of Google maps via smartphones. As Matt Bruce, managing director of Nielsen’s online business, says:

“Google is making big plays in mobile, both in terms of maps and mobile search. I think businesses need to pay attention to local business listings, and that type of activity, because people are increasingly using these tools to get around.” Continue reading →

November 23, 2009

Google Opts For Word-Of-Mouth News Announcement (Again)

With news that Google has just announced the next step in its plan to take-over the world , one tech sector at a time, it seems like an apt moment to highlight how it does PR/marketing. Continue reading →

September 29, 2009

The ‘socialisation’ of the internet

SEO and SEM specialist First Rate recently pointed out how data from Hitwise (the online data monitor) shows that Facebook has overtaken TradeMe as New Zealand’s second most popular website (after Google, of course).

With the rising popularity of other social media such as Twitter and Flickr and the further news that Facebook has just signed a deal with market research company Nielsen to boost its credentials as a genuine advertising platform, businesses in NZ need to be aware of how these events are changing the way they need to work. This ‘socialisation’ of the internet is not simply a way for people to stay in touch; it’s bigger than that. The use of social media tools to speak to potential and existing customers has broken down the traditional barriers between businesses and the man on the street.

Continue reading →

March 13, 2009

Online reputation checks; Pope recognises power of search!

This article in today’s New York Times caught my attention. In a relatively frank letter, Pope Benedict has admitted that checking online reputations might be useful prior to making any HR appointments or, in this case, revoking an excommunication!

Yes, I am referring to the recent furore surrounding the so-called ‘Bishop’, Richard Williamson, and his disgraceful Holocaust denials, which you won’t find on his blog.

In citing the Pope’s letter, NY Times reporter Rachel Donadio noted in particular: Continue reading →

December 17, 2008

God outsources to Google

Just received our annual Christmas card from the New Zealand Privacy Commissioner, Marie Shroff, with a rather apt theme; the work of celebrated New Zealand cartoonist, Chris Slane:

(Click to enlarge)