Advertising+on+Blogs

BLOGS
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 * Overview **

[|Social Media] and in turn blogs have the ability to influence a small range of people or millions for a small cost. [|Web blogs] have been around since the 1990s but did not gain popularity until around 1998. The explosion of online diary blogs, blogs discussing different genres and corporate blogs has increased in 2000s more than anyone would have thought. There is a blog for anything anyone could ever be interested in as well as most newspapers and companies.


 * Types**


 * **Personal Blogs -** Online diary by an individual or just personal thoughts. this is the most popular type of blog.
 * **Blog by Subject -** Blogs base on different subjects that other bloggers can comment or leave posts on.
 * **Corporate Blog -** Blog used by companies to update about product news or keep in touch with their consumers. This blog is for business purposes.
 * **Media Blog -** Blog that incorporates other types of media into the blog posting. This is less popular.

[|Perez Hilton] - Top Celeb Blog (pictured below) fits under the type Personal Blogs




 * Advertising on Blogs**

Advertisers have been taking advantage of the way blogs reach people in the last few years. One new way an audience is reached is corporate blogs. These blogs are branded and update people on new products, changes and act as a more personal press release. These blogs tend to promote the brand and product while trying to maintain a personal air in doing so. Now companies are using the quickness of a blogs instant gratification to their advantage. Companies can immediately advertise a new product or service when it comes out as well as spinning criticism minutes after it comes to light. Some companies are now having a CEO Blog so the consumers feel closer and to establish a deeper connection with the brand.

Another type of advertising that is being used is simple banners on a blog. The advantage of this method is you can really reach your target market. If you are trying to advertise and promote to a specific target market there is more often than not a blog that reaches that target market perfectly. “There's never been an easier time in the history of brand communications to find out what consumers think” (Anonymous, 2009). There are blogs out there for every age range and interest. Some of the banner advertisements go right on the top of the page or on one side. The advertisements can be interactive as well. Some advertisements have even been laying an ad into the blog so it simply looks like another blog entry. This way a reader will in theory give the advertisement the same kind of attention as if it were a brand entry. Developing a branded web page for an existing blog is also very popular. This way you can still keep your brand personality and reach the readers of the blog. These branded web pages can look very much like the blog usually exists just stylized and branded.

**Blogs and Buzz**

The buzz a post from a blogger can create can sell a product faster than any traditional advertisement. If popular gossip blogger Perez Hilton mentions and posts a song by an unknown artist on his web site it immediately shoots to the top of the charts. “He has boosted the careers of a number of pop acts, including [|Adele], [|Katy Perry], [|Mika], [|Lady GaGa] (his current passion) and newcomer [|Eric Hutchinson], whose album [|"Sounds Like This"] went from total obscurity to No. 5 on the iTunes album list and became the object of a record label bidding war after Hilton posted four of his songs in September 2007” (Abcarian, 2009). = = Changes in Public Relations = =  In the blog world people can turn on your brand and company very quickly and bad news travels faster than ever. For example in 2009 there was a video posted on [|youtube.com] of two[| Dominos] pizza employees shoving pizza up their noses and dirtying many of the food items that were going out on delivery to customers. The blogosphere and other social media sites went into a frenzy; posting about how disgusted they were with Dominos. This was very detrimental to the Dominoes brand but within a day Dominos posted their own you tube video,[|Twitter] post and blog post on their website defending their brand as well as apologizing to the public. Dominos used the initial negative posts from bloggers almost to their advantage by using the same vehicles to apologize and get major publicity. Another example is in 2007 a [|Whole Foods] CEO anonymously blogged about the finances of Whole Foods and its competitor [|Wild Oats]. While selling others on buying Whole Foods stock and bashing the competitors the CEO was caught and his reputation tarnished. Whole Foods and the uncovered blogger, [|John Mackey], co-founder and chief executive of Whole Foods had the bad publicity overshadow the company the entire year.


 * Reach and Frequency**

The reach of these blog advertisements is hard to measure but have the ability to reach a local to global audience very easily. The information is also very accessible and easy to quickly view and get your message across. The frequency is very broad and infrequent usually these ads are sold as a permanent space or just as a part of their blog for one day. The need for scheduling is almost erased as long as when it’s advertised makes sense if the product is new.


 * Cost**

The cost is relatively inexpensive depending on the type and size of ad as well as the blog you wish to advertise with.


 * Work Cited**

Abcarian, R. (2009, August 9). Perez Hilton: tastemaker and troublemaker. //Los Angeles Times// Gillin, P. (2007). //The New influencers//. 2007-05-15. MARKET RESEARCH: Social media breathes life into research. (2009, May). //Marketing Week//, 25-26. Retrieved October 27, 2009, from ABI/INFORM Global. (Document ID: 1703077041). Mitra, K. (2009, July). Waking up to social media. //Business Today.// Grow, J. (2006). //Advertising strategy//. Sage Publications, Inc. Unknown. (2009, May 9). Social marketing ease of use. Retrieved from [] Woods, A.. (2009, June). 9 WAYS TO CUT YOUR MEDIA BUDGET WITHOUT CRIPPLING YOUR BRAND. //Revolution//, 56-57,59. Retrieved October 27, 2009, from ABI/INFORM Global. (Document ID: 1764645901).