Basic URL Strategies for Tracking Offline Channels

I recently had a strategy session with a client and tracking offline channels came up. I thought that it would be good to share some of the basic URL strategies for tracking offline channels and the advantages/disadvantages of each.

Just to set the stage, I’ll outline things in terms of a single website or landing page with the address (URL) www.domain.com. Advantages will be “+” and disadvantages will be “-”.

UNIQUE DOMAIN

+ Allows for tracking effectiveness by channel
- Does not track down to creative or market level
- Campaign can seem disjointed with multiple domains in market

domain.com – used for all TV ads
url.com – used for all print ads

I’ve recently seen quite a few variations of the unique domain where the root term is placed after a unique number. (www.15domain.com, www.16domain.com) I would assume that this helps make some connection in the users mind when exposed to multiple spots, but I still think that using a unique domain can hurt a campaign that relies on a level of branding. On the positive side, by putting the unique identifier first, I would also assume that fewer users would fall through the cracks by not including it, since it is seemingly required.

UNIQUE DIRECTORY

+ Maintains domain/brand/campaign cohesiveness
+ Unlimited number of unique tracking addresses available (can get as granular as you need to)
- Percentage of users will not type the directory, therefore be unaccounted for

domain.com/ABC- used for TV spot 1
domain.com/QRS – used for TV spot 2
domain.com/XYZ – used for print ad 1

I feel that although not all users will include the directory (characters after the “/”), in most cases, this is the best approach and will give you a relative measure of effectiveness across all of your offline media channels. Since some of the direct URL type-in traffic will be accounted for by these offline channels, you can make some assumptions by setting a baseline before the campaign begins, then use the amount of lift after campaign launch to calculate an estimate of the effect from this campaign. To get a bit more granular, the ratio of the channels that were tracked through the unique directories can be put against the amount of lift to get a breakdown estimate.

Keeping the directory name both related to the campaign as well as easy to remember are things to consider when utilizing this approach. For example: domain.com/free would most likely garner more visits than www.domain.com/tv123

UNIQUE DOMAIN + UNIQUE DIRECTORY

+ Allows for channel and creative metrics
+ Ensures channel is tracked at minimum
- Campaign can seem disjointed

domain.com/ABC – used for TV spot 1
domain.com/123 – used for TV spot 2
url.com/ABC – used for print ad 1

This combination of both tactics can be used in some situations, such as where multiple campaigns are live at the same time or where constraints do not allow for spill-over from other channels.

Based on the feedback that I get on this initial outline, I will most likely follow up on this topic.

Spinning Signs

After touching down in LA and picking up my new set of wheels, I noticed something rather interesting throughout the drive to my temporary home in Venice.

While stopped at a light, up ahead on the right I saw what I thought was a teenager spinning a surfboard above his head. When the light turned green and I got closer, he put the board horizontally across his chest and directed it at me and the rest of the oncoming traffic. The sign read “Electronics Sale” and had an arrow, which directed my attention to a small electronics store a few feet ahead.

I have seen the occasional “human billboard” advertising everything from car washes to furniture sales back east, but the individual never caught my attention in such a unique way. So I began to wonder if this kid was some kind of a professional sign spinner or if he just happened to do something eye catching with the sign at that moment.

As I pulled up to the next light, to my amazement, there was another sign spinning ahead! This time the ad was for a shoe sale and the teen spinning the sign looked like he could outperform one of the Harlem Globetrotters with his sign spinning skills; twirling it on the tip of his finger and then quickly bringing it down to a readable position.

Of course, after settling into my apartment, I needed to investigate. Is this a California thing? Do sign spinning workers make more than static sign holders? Are there any statistics that point to the effectiveness of the extra measure?

Well, as it turns out, I’m not the first to discover this phenomenon. A simple google search for “human advertising signs” led me to find that not only are there companies that can hook you up with a sign spinner, but there was also some recent legislation passed that actually banned sign spinning in Poway, CA.

These “sign spinners” are also referred to as “human directionals”, “sign twirlers”, “sign flippers” and “banner shakers” according to a few articles and sites that I read through.

A few deeper searches led to this company, which claims to have started the advertising vehicle back in 2002 right here in southern California. I even found a job posting for a spinner!

I’d be interested to know if anyone on the east coast has seen this kind of advertising and what your thoughts are on the potential distraction claims that some are making.

Super Bowl XLI – Commercial Shortcomings

Last night, along with millions of other viewers, I was glued to the tube for the Super Bowl.

Every year we hear about how much focus (and money) is put on the advertising time available and I’m usually surprised by the shortcomings of these multi-million dollar spots. In the past, extremely creative and often humorous commercials meant to get people talking fell short with brand connectivity. This is still an issue to some degree, such as a 4th quarter spot with Jay Z and Don Shula orchestrating the game using a holographic game board…although the post production effects were “neat” (and reminiscent of the rappers “CEO of Hiphop” spot that he did for HP last year)…will anyone recall that this was a promotion for Bud Select?

What really surprised me this year was the lack of URL references for some campaigns that had a high potential for attracting additional information seekers. One good example is Revlon, who I had read would be going out on a limb this year by promoting their “Not Fade Away” campaign featuring Sheryl Crow. For some reason, this spot failed to provide any reference to an online destination. In fact, by visiting their site, the only mention of the campaign is a link to iTunes, where you can download a song by Crow. From the looks of the commercial spot, I would imagine that there is a wealth of tour footage, out-takes and other content that hungry consumers would garble up and spread throughout the web.