ETD: 881 Blogging Ads; Google to Target Brands In Revenue Push; Intimate Apparel News

E-Tailer's Digest etd_post at gapent.com
Tue Apr 26 11:17:00 GMT 2005


  E-Tailer's Digest --- Everything for the  Retailer
  Issue #0881            April 26, 2005
  George Matyjewicz, Moderator         mailto:georgem at gapent.com
  Published by:  GAP Enterprises, Ltd.  http://www.etailersdigest.com
----------------------------------------------------------------
  CONTENTS
  [1]  Greetings
  [2]  Blogging Ads
  [3]  Google to Target Brands In Revenue Push
  [4]  Intimate Apparel News

----------------------------------------------------------------
  [1]  Greetings.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Hi All:

I was interviewed this week by someone who was doing a study to determine 
the feasibility of using blogs as an advertising vehicle.   While I 
understand the power of blogs, I don't see them as an advertising 
vehicle.  They are journals, more like chat rooms.  What do you think?

How many have ever used Google Ads?  Now, how many were successful?  It 
seems Google has been used by 2% of the Internet world - the small players 
hoping for big success.  Now they are going after the big players.  So, 
will it help those of us who have used them or is it just another revenue 
source for them?  Interesting to note how this new model goes back to the 
banner ad on a cost-per-impression basis, not the cost per click basis so 
common now.

For those in the intimate apparel business, we found some interesting 
statistics.  We have served as consultants to many intimate apparel 
companies - both retail and manufacturing/wholesaling and always find the 
trends very interesting.  Trends are also a good way for you to stay ahead 
of the curve and take advantage of hot selling items while they are still hot.

Tell us about your business,  which will remain  for posterity at 
our  "Members: Who Are You?" site.   This is a courtesy to our members who 
contribute to our forum, and not merely a way to advertise for 
free.  Anything to do with the retail world, i.e., supplier, retailer, 
consulting, etc.  http://etailersdigest.com/resources/members/index.htm And 
we have a form there for you to tell us about you.  As I said when I first 
proposed this idea, we have "known" each other for a long time, yet we 
often don't know anything about each other.   So, tell us who you are and 
what you do.

Now, let's get to everything for the retailer.

Sincerely


George Matyjewicz, PhD
Chief Global Strategist, GAP Enterprises, Ltd.
mailto:georgem at gapent.com
http://www.etailersdigest.com

----------------------------------------------------------------
  [2]  Blogging Ads
----------------------------------------------------------------
I was interviewed on Monday by a market research firm who was doing a study 
to determine the feasibility of using blogs as an advertising 
vehicle.  Since this was a topic a couple of weeks ago, I was eager to 
learn more.  I'm not sure if the lady wanted to hear what I had to say.

First let's define a blog, which is a short form for weblog, a personal 
journal published on the Web.  Blogs frequently include philosophical 
reflections, opinions on the Internet and social issues, and provide a 
"log" of the author's favorite web links.  Blogs are usually presented in 
journal style with a new entry each day.

One thing they were considering was a link on your product page to a blog 
that discussed your products.  What immediately went through my mind was 
what a wonderful opportunity for your competition to talk up your products 
:-(.  I know the power of word of mouth!  I told her about the client of 
ours who was defamed by somebody who supposedly had a class action suit 
against them.  It took us over six months to get that straightened out, as 
reported in The Internet Lawyer 
http://gapent.com/media/inthenews/garpac.htm.  But the damage was already done.

They are also comparing blogging to chat rooms, banner ads and other online 
advertising media.  I'm not sure if they will introduce a 
product/service.  They will send me a copy of the survey results.

What do you think?  Is there a place for blog advertising?

George
----------------------------------------------------------------
  [3]  Google to Target Brands In Revenue Push
----------------------------------------------------------------
Google Inc. has built a financial powerhouse selling tiny search-related 
ads targeted at Internet users. Now, it's going after some of the other 98% 
of advertising spending.

Google announced several big changes in how it sells ads, giving 
advertisers more control over where their ads appear online and how the ads 
are priced, and allowing them to use flashier animated graphics. The moves 
-- which apply to ads that Google sells on behalf of thousands of Web sites 
other than its own -- are designed to attract more big-name advertisers.

Analysts and ad-industry executives say the changes should help Google 
better tap budgets for advertising of product brands, which represents the 
bulk of U.S. ad spending. U.S. advertisers spent over $140 billion last 
year, according to TNS Media Intelligence, a research arm of the U.K.'s 
Taylor Nelson Sofres PLC. But just $8.4 billion of that went online, and 
only $2.6 billion toward search-related ads, according to Jupiter Research.

"They've opened themselves up to a $50 billion-plus opportunity," says 
Rishad Tobaccowala, chief innovation officer at a division of Publicis 
Groupe SA, whose Starcom MediaVest ad-space-buying division is 
participating with several clients in Google's trial of the new features. 
Google plans to introduce the features to all advertisers in coming weeks. 
Mr. Tobaccowala predicts Google's initiative will prompt companies to shift 
ad dollars from television and magazines to the Web.

Among the changes: Google will let advertisers run animated display ads on 
non-Google content sites that contract with Google to sell ads. It will 
allow advertisers to specify the sites on which they want their ads to 
appear, without having to pick a keyword tied to the content on a page. It 
will begin auctioning ad placements for its partner sites based on how many 
people see the ad, known as cost per impression, as well as its traditional 
cost-per-click method.

The changes come just days after Google reported blow-out first-quarter 
financial results. Late Thursday, Google said it earned $369 million on 
revenue of $1.26 billion, meaning that its quarterly advertising revenue 
now exceeds that of many newspaper publishers.

Google's new features recall the early days of online advertising, where 
sites sold banner ads and charged based on the number of times people saw 
them. Google itself previously offered ads on the cost-per-impression 
basis, but phased them out after introducing the pay-per-click model in 
February 2002. It began offering some display ad options last year. Google 
says the new ad features are different from traditional display ads because 
they can better target consumers and better measure success.

Details at...
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB111438192720315465,00.html


----------------------------------------------------------------
  [4]  Intimate Apparel News
----------------------------------------------------------------
Here's a compilation of news for those of us in the intimate apparel 
business...

Who sells the most Intimate apparel in the USA?
Wal-Mart & Victoria's Secret each with a 15% share of the market.
Followed by J.C. Penney with 6%,  Target & Kmart each with 5%.
Lane Bryant, Sears Roebuck & Co. and Kohl's each with 3% and Macy's and 
Marshalls with 2% each.
The dollar share of private label bras accounted for 32% of total bra sales 
in 2001 compared with 30% in 1999.
Private label panties accounted for 33% up 1% from 1999.
Private label sleepwear declined to 36% from 52%  in 1999
Thongs now represent 25% of underwear

----
Discount stores now command 30.2 percent of the bra dollar business, up 
from 28 percent in 1996. Dollar sales of bras sold in discount stores have 
expanded from just over $1 billion in 1996 to almost $1.3 billion in 1998. 
The total bra market is up from $3.6 billion in 1996 to $4.2 billion in 
1998, according to the NPD Group.

----

Warnaco has asked a bankruptcy court for a one-month extension on its 
bankruptcy plan, due July 31.
  In court papers filed Tuesday, Warnaco said that it will "likely" be able 
to restructure its core businesses and emerge from Chapter 11 as a 
stand-alone company. The company cautioned in the same papers, however, 
that it is still "possible" that it could sell core business units. Its 
brands include Warner's and Authentic Fitness, maker of Speedo 
swimwear.  The troubled apparel giant filed for Chapter 11 in June 2001, 
listing assets of $2.37 billion and liabilities of $3.07 billion. Chief 
Linda Wachner was ousted five months later, and replaced with turnaround 
specialist Tony Alvarez.

Details at...
http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3092/is_16_38/ai_55676348
http://www.mcpetesez.com/july152002.htm

----------------------------------------------------------------
  Links to follow
----------------------------------------------------------------
GAP Enterprises, Ltd.		http://www.gapent.com/
E-Tailer's Digest                       http://www.etailersdigest.com
Interim Help			http://interimhelp.com
Marketing Your Web 		http://www.gapent.com/myweb/
Automated Press Releases      http://www.automatedpr.com 



More information about the ETD mailing list