Reading is probably one of the most powerful sources of knowledge out there. Nowadays people are browsing the web, reading blogs, online magazines, online newspapers, and the odd book once in a while. It goes without saying that curling up with a good book, can inspire you and bring ideas and innovation to the table in any business.

My top reads include:

Seven Habits of Highly Successful People by Stephen F. Covey
First published in 1989, it has sold over 15 million copies in 38 languages since first publication.

Lessons to be learnt from this book:

• Habit 1: Be Proactive
• Habit 2: Begin with the End in Mind
• Habit 3: Put First Things First
• Habit 4: Think Win/Win
• Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood
• Habit 6: Synergize
• Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw

Continue reading

The Journal of Marketing session, held at the Michelangelo on 12 Feb, saw host to a discussion about, Outdoor, our of home and Mobile media.

The panel included:

• Ashley Dewat – Channel Strategy at Ogilvy
• Barbara Cooke – Acting Executive Director of the OHMSA
• Jacques du Preez – MD of Provantage (Pty) Ltd
• Kevin Kirby – COO of ComutaNet
• Lyn Jones – Marketing Manager of Continental Outdoor Media

Jeremy Maggs lead the discussion, and came out guns blazing. Here is the overview of all the questions:

Why is Ambient media still relevant?

There are new platforms out there however the outdoor space drives consumers to the new platforms.

Someone has to drive those consumers to the many plethora of different options. (Lynn)

We know that with above the line media, it’s getting harder to reach consumers, and more ineffective year after year.  Out of home media can’t be switched off, and you are exposed, always.

Is there quantifiable research?

There has been some research, but the medium has grown faster than most.  We look at the numbers and the members. As a proportion of the media mix, we have grown immensely. (Jacques)

Kevin’s opinion is that these mediums have less wastage.  It’s a media category that requires for more work and studies to be done, so it makes it more difficult.  Homework must be done – targeted media must be researched well.  You need to know who the audience is, and what they want and above all, you need to understand what the creative concept it about.

Barbara – The bigger picture is that around the world, we are seeing fully integrated advertising research thus we can have payment by results. SA doesn’t have that yet, but it is on its way.  Tenders are out today (12 Feb), and will be looked at internationally, also best practice proposals will be looked at.  It has taken so long because the industry hasn’t focused on growing the whole industry, but rather the slices of it.

Digital is becoming the most flexible media.

If all of the research has not been available and going out for tenders, why is it only being done now?

Lyn – Research has been done, and is good, but looked at the industry in a segmented view, and didn’t look at out of home in its entirety.  We need to get to the stage where we measure the whole industry.

Have you been disadvantaged not having the full holistic research available?

Yes, but the industry needs to take responsibility.  The industry needs to take control, as they feel they have funded the research of other platforms too, and would rather take the research for out of home completely on our own.

What tough Q should brand managers be asking of the industry?

Investment and planning tools are needed. The expectation they should have, is to come up with the tools, and the planning to facilitate the spend.

Barbara, what would you say is the current perception of the outdoor industry?

I have no idea what they are thinking, but I would like them to think that it’s an exciting industry.  I think this is possibly THE most exciting medium, as it is growing so fast due to the population becoming more and more mobile.

The youth especially are spending more and more time outdoors, from clubs to bars, to generally outdoors.

Is pricing is unstructured due to supply and demand?

The industry is facing many challenges due to pricing, but you will get people who would want to undercut.

It is about creating value, and people are prepared to pay for quality.

Most members offer good value, but people need to ask the right questions. You need integration, and there is a premium for good exposure.

The price discussion has to follow the strategic discussion.

How does the client know which site is best?

It’s all about knowing what the strategy is behind it.  You need to be able to match your offer to the strategic environment.

How do you know where the good sites are?

Immerse yourself in the market – get out there and find out where you would like it to be.  GoogleEarth is helping a lot with this, and gives a visual element to the market.

Each sites needs to be measured, and it can be told how many people pass that site a day.  There are empirical ways to gate it.

Barbara – The outdoor industry is not the different to any other industry – know your consumer.  So reach and frequency must be measured against a target market.  It needs to be measured on a continuous basis. The mantra is “know your consumer”.

Do media agencies have the upper hand?

The issue is that both owner and agency should be wanting to add top added value to the client’s objective. The problem comes in, in the lack of transparency in the funding model.

It’s difficult to manage, as from an economic point of view you want to be in the game, but you have to be guided from an ethical stance.

Transparency is definitely needed.

A price war is healthy, this is a free market, and the outdoor industry is freer than anybody.  But the consolidation of buying points have become very narrowed down.

Where is the industry going?

Firstly from an outdoor perspective, every marketing point is based on location, through all mediums.  This industry is going to continue to grow.

Outdoor is constantly evolving.  It is going to grow as the population grows more mobile.  Technology will start melting in more, with a digital input.

The right creative use must be encouraged.

New infrastructure development gives many more opportunity.  It provides opportunities to target audience in a more integrated and upmarket way. But the industry must have a positive engagement with government, to help them understand what is possible.

A warm welcome from Jeremy Maggs to everyone at The Smartest Event of the Year

Agencies Agency of the Year

It was time to announce the agency chosen by other agencies, who stood out head and shoulders above the rest. Congratulations to the Agencies Agency of the Year award goes to Ogilvy JHB.

We welcomed to the panel:
Media Panellists:
Adrian Ephraim – Independent Online
Yusuf Abramjee – Primedia Broadcasting
Deon du Plessis – The Daily Sun
Gordon Patterson – Starcom Mediavest Group
Barry Sayer – Continental Outdoor Media
Andy Rice – Yellowwood Future Architects
Anastacia Martin – Mail & Guardian

The Smartest Event of the Year saw a panel of the top minds in media come together to discuss the worries, past events, and future happenings in media for 2010.

The first half of discussion brought up great topics from the World Cup 2010’s involvement, to racial discrimination reporting in news.

There was as shift in marketing from an excitement of the 2010 World Cup, where we now see that not as many companies bought into the marketing field as they should have.

Main opening points:

• Newspapers saw a decline in sales, as most people stayed at home during this period, rather watching at home, as consumer behaviour showed that consumers felt prices would go up, and transport would be an issue during the 2010 World Cup.
• People are also looking for an easier mobile solution.  They’d like to get newspapers on their phones.
• Yusuf Abramjee thinks the radio industry has done very well, and the World Cup boosted it.
• Adrian Ephraim saw a spike in mobile platforms with people at home, and news on the go.  Everything is gravitating towards a digital platform. A shift needs to take place in the print environment, and it needs to become more techno savvy.
• Deon also thinks every facet will adapt where necessary, be it on online or wherever.
• Andy Rice thinks that 2010 isn’t the year to remember from a commercial point of view. Most were caught unawares, in the context of a global recession. People forget that people go back to the brands they trust in times of recession, and they did not adapt their strategy towards it.
• Gordon made a point that most radio audiences are declining. It comes down to content. Not enough effort has been put in to find the want of the consumer. Circulations have declined and will continue to decline, because of pressures that aren’t being communicated. It will fuel the interest in traditional ABL media.
• Yusuf: Newspapers will be focusing more on the niche, and might become high end luxury product.
• Andy Rice: The synergy when you put a media strategy together that blends the best of old and new.  It is fed by digital agencies, as traditional media people need guides. It’s about strategy, content and tone.
• Deon: “The middle of the market moves and warps. 8 years ago when we launched, even 30 years ago to now, shows that LSM 1 and 2 will disappear. We have moved from those markets to a LSM 5 and 6 market.”  Newspapers must move on, and stay on trend.
• Yusuf feels that generalizations should not happen. We need to take stock of what we are doing, right and wrong.  There are major problems within the print industry.  “I wonder if the prolem is not about race?”
• Why do we have to follow international news, why not set a benchmark of following our own agendas?
  Barry Sayr’s response is that international media just does it better.
  Yusuf says “with race agenda it is always diverted to another argument.  There is a lot of room to sell good news”
• Adrian Ephraim “We can’t discard the effect of the New Zealand story for South Africa, and can’t make it about race.”

Questions

Do we have a proper understanding of what audiences want?
Deon: A new charter for us has been done, so we do in depth research regularly.
Andy Rice: I think the media who as businesses live by the survival of brands who advertise there, don’t learn the lesson of brands about differentiation.  There are to aspects to media, the WHAT and the HOW.  The brand differention is what media fails to spot, let’s deliver media in a completely original format.
Gordon: Media need more frequency of engagement. Research is controlled by the media owner, and should actually be owned by the clients who buy, as we end up with this two thirds view of the market, which is just a lie. It affects all agencies, and products that people buy. Clients need to take the responsibility.

Honesty in media – are they really honest?

Barry feels that news and media should be honest and live integrity.  Everything is blown up, with a glossy glow and hyperbole. People want an experience though.

Andy feels that different genres interpret different news worthy articles differently.

Why do digital and traditional platforms not merge to work collectively?

Deon: “it is happening right now.”

Gordon: “We have 2 economies in SA. Digital is routed in the upper LSM, but moving downwards.  Specialization happens because there are too few people in the industry who fully understand it, those who know it, and are in it.”

Adrian: “the attitude is changing. All of a sudden media platforms are becoming interested.  There is a whole world newspaper can’t afford not to be a part of. These platforms need to be educated.”

Jeremey: Do you think you’re selling the concept of digital enough?

Adrian: “We’re still grappeling about it., because the options out there are so ever changing.”

Andy: It’s about, within the media groups, that journalists. It is the digital media’s agency own responsibility to market themselves and get the message of what needs to be done out there. Or sell themselves as evangelists, but those with answers.

Barry: From an outdoor adv point of view, we have to take a broader point of view. You can see a lot of integration internationally with outdoor advertising platforms and digital platforms. Even billboards are becoming immediate and can compete with radio and TV.

What are your things to look out for 2011:

Adrian: More innovation. Tell stories differently.
Deon: The year to sell more and get more ground back.
Yusuf: The legacy of 2010. Local government elections. Corruption. Malema. Govermnet delivery.
Andy: Braver agencies.

TNS research was tasked to give delegates good insight into 2010′s biggest marketing campaign for South Africa – the 2010 World Cup

• Major points:
  It started in 2005.
  Governmet spent R34 Bil over the 5 year period
• o   R31b is considered investment spend
• o   Only R20b is useful in terms of long term sustainability
• ACSA spent R17b over a three year period.
• At it’s highest, spend reached 0.4%GDP
• Overall benefits at the end of the event – R93b (62% before 2010 and 28% in 2010)
• Created 130 000 more jobs
• 415 000 indirect jobs
• R7.4b paid in wages
• Estimated number of visitors – 300 000
• 3.18m people attended matches
• 52 000 flights handled by ACSA
• Gautrain had 13 000 weekday travelers
• 94% of people in the study thought the spirit of the country was very high.
• 80% love the Waka Waka song.
• 8 billion unique people saw at least one part of the game
• Adspend was up 21% over the period
• Moderate contribution of +0.2% to GDP for 5 years, 1% up
• Earlier completion of infrastructure
• Uplifted our image

Part 2 of the conference, saw a panel of Marketing panellists from leading companies and brands in South Africa.

Marketing panelists:
Graham Pfuhl – Multichoice
Ian Penhale – SAB
Zayd Abrahams – Coca-Cola
Serame Taukobong – MTN SA
Bradley du Chenne – Telesure Investments
Happy Ntshingila – Absa

Have the basics of marketing changed?
Bradley: Basics haven’t change, but things happen a lot quicker. We have to gind new ways for engagement and innovation.

Zayd: New media is part of our toolkit to connect with people, but it is part of a packet
Happy: Basics have been lost in terms of companies telling people, to people telling companies. In the world of today, there are a lot of accountants making decision, because today is a world of costs. You have to look at things a whole lot differently, because price determines. In the same sense you have to find ways to do things more cheaper.
Graham: New media allows us to understand our customers a lot better. It makes you stay on your choice

Do we know our consumers?

Graham: If we hadn’t used research, we wouldn’t know what people thought.
Serame: If you take new approaches to research, then you find out what people think

Happy: a substantial part of research can be attributed to gut feel.

Zayd: the critical thing is to get ROI on all your efforts. The most important thing is to gain insights from the market.

Why are marketers cutting down on sponsorhip?

Bradley: In the near future, sponsorship is under threat because marketing budgets are under threat. It does allow you to connect with the consumer.
Ian: ROI is difficult to talk about in terms of sponsorship

Zayd: things that we now pay for is things we have done with our market since we’ve been in the country.  Now there is a price to it. The challenge comes in with the strategic partnerships that have been signed years ago, and to align them with current goals.

Happy: Contrary to popular belief, ABSA’s sponsorships have been consolidated to what works best. It’s no longer about pushing the brand, to leverage and push some of your business through those sponsorships.

Salame: A few years ago, it was a good medium. But as the years go on, no investment was made to grow these properties. You have to move to where your customers are.

Graham: The big thing on sponsorships is this: do you just chuck money at something and leave it.  To make your money work for you, you have to sweat those sponsorships. In total it is a relatively small portion of marketing.

Do marketers have a broader role in society in terms of social responsibility?

Graham: Marketers do have obligations, but we don’t necessarily do it well.

Ian: Originally it was around building brands. The product dictates the role the brand has in it. It is an increasingly important way of marketing going forward.

Happy: The issue of the business of business going beyond business should not be the marketer’s job, but the relevant department’s. To leave the marketer to do what they are meant to do. The reality is our paradigm has changed. Brands are under threat across the world, so from a brand point of view, you have to integrate the responsibility into the campaign. Consumers want to know if the brand cares about them.

Serame: Companies should influence the negative and positive about communities.

Where is the relevance of customer equity and retainability for brands?

Graham: Retaining the base becomes more and more volatile towards the lower LSM’s.

Happy: We battle to try and hang on to what you’ve got. That’s why you spend lots of money on retaining, but while one door closes, another opens.

Corporate Brand vs Brand viewpoint – shouldn’t they be aligned?

Bradley: Have to become more aware of the roll the corporate brand can play

Zayd: The brand is the company, is the consumer, is the message

Serame: It’s important that the corporate and consumer brands are aligned.

One thing that keeps you awake at night:

Graham: Please can we get more creative.

Serame: Brand engagement is not a fad, and partners should really understand it

Happy: I wish everybody could impress within the company you work for that the marketing role is the role of every person within the organization.

Zayd: Going back to the basics of what is marketing, and making sure that all the basics are in place for the future

Ian: We live in world of increasing change and expectation, and we’re underinvesting in people. The marketing will look different in the future

Bradley: Best we understand user feedback

For those working in the media and marketing space it’s been a full throttle year.

From the exhilaration of the World Cup and its brand bonanza, to the increasing power of digital media and the looming threat of a media tribunal – this sector was not one for the fainthearted.
So how did it play, what did it mean and most importantly how will it play next year as we hunker down for another 12 months in the communication trenches?

Join leading broadcasters Chris Gibbons and Jeremy Maggs as they chair two intellect-heavy panel discussions as their guests review and reconcile the media and marketing year.

Leading practitioners in both spaces will argue, debate and discuss successes,failures, trends and opportunities.

If you’re involved in any way in the industry this is one big morning you can’t miss.

And there’s more….

The Future Group’s fourth edition of The Annual, SA’s leading hardcover review of the advertising, branding, media and marketing
year will be launched at this event. We’ll also announce the ad agencies’ agency of the year.

And then there’s lunch!

Registration from 07h30 – tea, coffee and sticky buns will be served
Proceedings start at 08h45 sharp, ending at 12h45 followed by lunch

Visit the website for more info: theannual.co.za

Advert 3:
Closing ceremony for the Soccer World Cup
By Agency VWV
Abey Mokgwatsane

Clients were:
Dept of arts and culture – artist interest.
City of JHB – Callabash interest.
FIFA

Click here to view advert 3

• The grass was taken extremely seriously by FIFA, so the grass had to be taken into extreme regard in strategy execution.
• Rehearsals were only allowed twice
• Legacy of the work: 30 students from Educational institutions, 400 people crew, 130 from SARU, 60% of the spend with BEE level 3 and beyond, and only 10% were spent on international partners.

The story:
• Raise the curtain on the biggest, most watched final in the world.
• Find a way to represent the contemporary and progressive side of SA
• Don’t forget the heart and soul of Africa.

Questions answered:
• Jack Morten produced the Athens games, and assisted in all dimensions of the production, in terms of charting and mapping the project.

• Innovation in terms of picture projection made it all stand out. 18 of the world’s biggest projectors around the stadium. Projectors were positioned on the ring of the Calabash, to create 1 unified image on the floor. Mapping was used to project images around objects that aren’t necessarily flat.
• The message to the diverse audience, to glue it all together, is when “we come together, we can do it”. Also they Africa can compete on global level.
• Most panicked point: Contract was only signed on 5 March, with not a lot of time or budget to get it done, up until 5 March. Strikes threatened the ceremonies twice.
• How was it sold to client: presentations were done to boards. To all three mentioned above. DVD packaging was used, to distribute to the different board. Wrapping an emotional context around the message.
• Back up plan if the projectors didn’t work: There was NO room to fail. There was no back-up plan.

Advert 4:
TV Campaign for Chicken Licken
Rob Mclennan from Network BBDO

Click here to view Advert 4

• Only 4 ads every year
• Objective: Based on, “if you havn’t tried it, where have you been?” – from the principle that it has become a huge cultish poduct in the black markets.
• Humour was the differentiator, with the typically South African proposition of the 1994.

Questions and comments answered:
• Brand is very unique, and the brand colour stand out a lot.
• Ad had to have a very broad appeal, in terms of audience and reach.
• Was told to appeal to everybody.
• Idea was very creative. But how does it communicate Chicken Licken above the other brands? It’s about the craving, the hangover cure, and the it thing to have on a night out. This ad worked mainly on one segment, and mainly the higher LSM markets.
• The shift from Chicken Licken target market from black markets, to more white markets. It feels a lot younger audience driven – is the brand trying to go younger? Yes, a shift is seen to student markets. Trying to play on societal leadership.
• Shift in consumption profiles can be seen where franchise membership has been granted.
• The brand has grown from a small franchise operation, to something a lot bigger, and going through all the growing presence.

A beautifully fresh morning welcomes everyone at this, the next episode of The Journal of Marketing Breakfast, at The Michelangelo in Sandton. A Loerie themed morning, Hosted by Andy Rice, today’s topic revolves around “Squawking About Winning Advertising”.

Loerie ads are judged according to 5 categories:

• Innovation – creativity in terms of being distinctively different
• Quality – how well is the idea executed
• Relevance to the brand,
• Relevance to target audience,
• And relevance to the  chosen medium

On the menu today to talk and question about winning ads are:

Andy Rice, Chairman, Yellowwood Brand Architects
Oresti Patricios, CEO at Ornico Group (Pty)Ltd
Steve Miller, CEO at BF Strategy
Lou Boxall-Davies, Chief Strategist at Morris Jones
Geoff Whyte, Managing Director at Snackworks

Advert 1:

The Vodacom Music Station, done by Draft FCB, directed by Neo Mashingo.

Goal: To promote that Vodacom provides the listener to have radio at their fingertips, their own choice of music.
Creative angle: The DJ Keeps talking over the music, that the listener really wants to listen to. Where as they have their own choice of music via Vodacom.
Delivery: Pointers were given for the voice artist to talk about, and then were elaborated on in studio.

• The voiceover artist did a fantastic job at depicting the DJ.
• The ad explains that it is music without a DJ, any category any music. Like listening to a radio station, on your cellphone.
• Was flighted on vernacular ALS radio stations.
• The Vodacom brand doesn’t come out strong, but appears as a spot read by the DJ.
• Sales increased in terms of data markets. A lot of teaching still needs to happen. The campaign was driven to teach people on ALS stations to use their phones for other functions, like data, and not just voice.
• In terms of building the brand, they wanted the brand to be viewed as a friend, with a comedic thread.

Advert 2

Yuppiechef vs Woolies
Agency: Hello World
Danni Vos, CEO

The sign, which had the incorrect URL on, which Yuppiechef held ransom.

Yuppiechef.co.za hijacked Woolies’s misspelt URL, registered it, and held it ransom.  Challenging them to donate money

• They had less than 14 days before Valentine’s day.
• Social media driven, but mainly driven by the PR.
• How do Yupppiechef now continue to engage? They are an online company, so they continue with online and social media.
• It’s about finding the right social idea, and backing it up with the right brand.
• If it were to be done again, would it be done differently: Because of time constraints, strategy couldn’t be planned.  A bigger base could’ve been achieved, and the Yuppiechhef current bas could’ve been utilized.
• Great opportunistic campaign, and a great PR exercise – what was the PR strat: was totally focused on radio and online media. Power of online has turned a corner, to use Online PR more – to engage online bloggers more.
• Built their social media database immensely.

…./2

Today’s Journal of Marketing Debate is titled “Design and Packaging: The Last Touchpoint (or is it?), and Why we ignore it”.  Hosted by Jeremy Maggs, the panel of experts for today’s debate includes:

The panel included:

• Brain Ferns – Y&R Touch, Creative Director
• Adelle Wapnick – MD, Creative Strategist, Cross Colours Consultancy
• Nathan Reddy – CEO of Grid Worldwide Branding and Design
• Bill Marshall – MD, Syndicate Graphics (Pyt) Ltd
• Janet Kinghorn – Creative Director, Coley Porter Bell South Africa
• Brian Steinhobel – Steinhobel Group of Companies

“Packaging plays an important role in the marketing mix of today. It doesn’t matter how good your advertising is, the last hurdle to purchase is and always will be the allure of what is on the shelf and whether hands will reach out and guide said item to the shopping trolley”.

The interesting points from the morning debate include:

Brian Steinhobel – Steinhobel Group of Companies

• The power of packing is never to be underestimated – it is extremely important.
• The way a product feels is also as influential as the way it looks.
• Packaging design must be careful not to over shoot in its packaging design as consumers mostly know what they will purchase before they get to the shop.
• Progressive and technology consciousness are the characteristics of great designer in packaging.

Adelle Wapnick – MD, Creative Strategist, Cross Colours Consultancy

• Carrying out the brand strategy should be reflected in the packaging.
• Use all mediums to show branding/packaging – online and print should be the same.
• Take into consideration the product and the consumer and how it all fits in together.
• The marketer is the most critical person in the mix in order to understand the dynamics of engagement, budget, target market – he/she is the custodian of the brand.

Janet Kinghorn – Creative Director, Coley Porter Bell South Africa

• Breaking down the user is important in packaging – for example gender, or age of the user (done to relate to the consumer).
• Packaging must be tactical – when someone walks down the aisle, you have literally 2 seconds to grab the consumers attention.
• Simplicity is key in packaging: focus on creativity and avoid focus on constraints (e.g budget).
• The Marketer should communicate and make the designer understand all the portions of the business and the product.

Nathan Reddy – CEO of Grid Worldwide Branding and Design

• New trend: Bio-degradable packaging – for example Puma campaigns with shoe packaging and t-shirts.
• Use of initiatives such as bio-degradable packaging is gaining popularity among consumers.
• Consumers are generally prejudiced so you have to mix beauty and intelligence in your packaging.
• Brands fight for product positioning through their packaging to differentiate themselves from the competitor.
• Clever brands are looking at new ways of packaging to their consumers.
• Consumers are now more conscious: thinking where a product comes from and where it is going.

Brain Ferns – Y&R Touch, Creative Director

• The story of the egg: everyone understands what it is and where it comes from, therefore product packaging should aim to catch the eye of consumer and he knows what the product is.
• Create packaging that goes back to the basics – simple, innovative and works.
• Packaging has to match the product – there has to be a fine balance.
• Talk and engage with the ‘above-the-line’ department in order to get the packaging right.
• Best packaging considers new trends in the market (keep it fresh) and works around the constraints.

Bill Marshall – MD, Syndicate Graphics (Pyt) Ltd

• Understand the technology that your packaging will use consider all constraints.
• Test your boundaries in your creativity – always ask “Why can’t I do this”.
• Every aspect part of your packaging must match your brand positioning and brand strategy.
• Packaging is very diverse and designers should challenge the way the consumer thinks of the product.

Look of for the next Journal of Marketing Debate: “Squawking About Winning Advertising”.

Date: Thursday, November 4

Time: 7:30am – 12:00pm

Location: Michelangelo, Sandton

Besides the Facebook Movie, the Facebook Like Button has got a lot of tongues wagging over the internet in recent weeks.

The Facebook Like Button has been in existence quite a while now but only a few people have ever bothered to actually think of its power in terms of numbers in web traffic.

The kind people at Mashable have written a comprehensive article on this ‘tool’ after attending the Facebook’s Developer Network Insights Conference. They found that the Facebook Like Buttons don’t just generate interesting data about the ‘likers’ (users that click ‘like’ on the content) but this “data also speaks volumes about click-through-rates, time on-site and other engagement metrics”.

Here are a few points i picked up from the article:

• The Facebook Like Button is now present on roughly 2 million sites around the web, from sports sites to news organizations and many other publications.
• On average, a Facebook user who “likes” your content has more than double the number of friends than a typical Facebook user.
• An even more interesting stat about the likers is that they click on five times more links to external sites than the typical Facebook user.
• News sites: The average Facebook user who “likes” content on a news website is 34 — that’s about two decades younger than the average newspaper subscriber.
• Facebook relays messages from publishers saying that these users “are more engaged and stay longer when their real identity and real friends are driving the experience through social plugins.”
• Facebook is only part of social media referral traffic, but it’s becoming a larger part as the network grows and users become accustomed to interacting with third-party and external content from within the comfort of their social graph.

Read the full article here.