SQAD To Launch CPM Tracking Service

Media forecaster SQAD announced it will launch its first Internet-oriented service, WebCosts, which will provide advertisers an average CPM per web property. SQAD will anonymously collect pricing data from advertising agencies and clients and use the data to calculate an average cost-per-thousand view for each web site. SQAD says that the data could serve as a negotiating tool for advertisers and publishers.

SQAD expects the service to officially launch during the third quarter of this year. The company already offers a similar service geared toward the broadcast media.

SQAD's goal with this new service is to create an industry standard that serves the buy and sell sides of the online advertising community. It expects to build an environment that will generate greater Internet advertising buys and provide a comfort level for both advertisers and publishers.

This is a rather ambitious idea, and will be interesting to see how the marketplace responds. Metrics, in general, are so crucial, and oftentimes difficult to get. If SQAD's solution can accurately provide relevant metrics for advertisers, it will garner considerable interest over time. But these can be tricky numbers to grasp. We'll have to wait and see how this initiative develops.

Using a Database as a Market Research Tool

Global market intelligence solution provider GMI (Global Market Insite Inc.) has partnered with online IT media company TechTarget to provide market research professionals access to a worldwide community of IT professionals and decision-makers. GMI built, manages and operates the TechTarget IT Research Panel, which consists of a double-opted in panel of IT professionals who actively participate in online research.

By tapping into the knowledge of these professionals, market researchers will be able to obtain insights into their buying trends and decision-making processes for their purchases. They can then use that information to determine what products and services they can and should offer in the market.

To create the panel, the companies reached out to TechTarget's proprietary database of more than 6.6 million registered users. Of that group, more than 2.2 million corporate IT professionals have singed on to participate in the online market research.

GMI is putting some protocols in place to ensure that the market research professionals receive quality information from the survey panelists. For instance, email invitations are only sent to double-opted in panelists; and panelists are invited to double opt-in only if they pass an initial registration screen. Minimum time thresholds are in place to eliminate hasty responses. Survey takers who have provided inaccurate data in the past can be automatically blocked from taking future surveys. There is also a formal incentive program in which panelists receive points that can be redeemed for cash after they complete each survey.

Developing a targeted online market research panel is a very smart way to leverage a high quality user database. TechTarget has created such a robust database over time that it makes sense to yield additional value from it. Market research professionals would find it extremely challenging to build a panel with such qualified individuals on their own.

With this initiative, everyone is poised to win. Recipients of this research will get a better understanding of their target market, thus creating a very strong competitive advantage. The survey respondents will also benefit because they will be heard. Researchers will learn exactly what these IT professionals want--they'll hear it directly from them. As a result, the IT folks will be rewarded with future offerings of products and services that meet their specified needs.

infoUSA Changing Name to infoGROUP

infoUSA announced that it is changing its name to infoGROUP, effective June 1. According to a press release, company brass feel the new name better represents the organization's expanding global presence and long-term business strategy.

The company notes that many acquisitions, such as its Opinion Research buy, have effectively solidified infoUSA as a global company and prompted an expansion of infoGROUP's research and database functions.

infoGROUP, which is headquartered in Omaha, Neb., has offices in Canada, the U.K., Australia, India, Singapore, Hong Kong and Shanghai. The company plans to move into New Zealand and Ireland, as well as expand its current operations in Australia and other regions. It won't be surprising to see the company expand elsewhere over time, as this name change certainly demonstrates the company's commitment to further its presence across the globe.

It might take a while for customers to become accustomed to the new name, but the decision to take such a big step is certainly understandable. infoUSA has really been a global company for many years, but the name has definitely not reflected that. Branding is so key; and to be perceived as a global company in the marketplace, your identity has to very clearly communicate that. In that regard, a name like infoUSA was limiting the company's the perception that it is a global company.

AutoUpLinkUSA Launches New Search Tool for Car Buyers

AutoUpLinkUSA, an inventory data and vehicle image acquisition, management and online publishing company, has launched a new feature that will enable car buyers to search for used cars based on ownership history. More specifically, they will be able to narrow their search results to include just Carfax 1-Owner cars. AutoUpLink will also provide consumers with access to Carfax vehicle history reports that subscribing dealers have already run.

This new search feature seems very simple at first glance. But sometimes, the most simple ideas are among the best. AutoUpLink possibly put itself in itself in its customers' shoes when developing this search function.

All online shoppers want to find exactly what they're looking for as quickly as possible This feature will help them accomplish that goal when searching for a used vehicle, with the end result a more efficient and productive web experience.

At the same time, the new feature will also benefit AutoUpLink's dealership customers by connecting them with interested buyers more quickly. Essentially it will help the dealerships better market themselves to the end consumer and hopefully lead to increased sales.

Adding Value Still Adds Value

About a year ago, I signed up to receive an email newsletter from TabletHotels.com. TabletHotels is a site offering reviews of, and reservations for, unusual boutique hotels worldwide, describing itself as a resource for "global nomads."

Since I am highly protective of my inbox, and am decidedly not a global nomad, it's reasonable to ask what attracts me to this website and its newsletter. Let's start with the graphic design, among the most attractive and inviting I have seen. The user interface is equally good. The hotels are individually selected, putting TabletHotels into a distinctly different class from the myriad hotel booking sites that want you to do all the legwork and decision-making yourself. The information on each hotel is rich, deep and clearly not cookie cutter or recycled hotel brochure copy. There is an elegant and powerful booking engine, and lots of special discounts to further entice a user to make a booking.

What caught my eye this morning was an announcement by TabletHotels that it is adding user reviews to its site. That, by itself would be a giant yawn as almost every hotel booking site has already added user reviews. What really intrigued me was that TabletHotels would only publish reviews from registered users where it could confirm that the user had actually stayed at the hotel. That's no small benefit in a world where well- known sites such as TripAdvisor.com are being faulted for having so many reviews it is becoming hard to draw any conclusions from them. It's also important in a world where reviews have become so important to hotels that some of them are posting anonymous favorable reviews of themselves to "fight back" against unfavorable reviews.

There is a lot to commend the notion of verified reviews. They reduce the overall number of reviews, reducing clutter and noise and making those reviews that do appear more valuable. Clearly, they also make the reviews more trustworthy, and again, more valuable. They also burnish the image of the site overall as one committed to providing only trusted, quality information.

Are verified reviews more work? Absolutely. But to my mind, extra effort is what distinguishes those who will be the long term winners in the information business. Too many Web 2.0 start-ups seem to think more is better, and dismiss the very concepts of editing, filtering or verifying. But these have provided the long-standing essence of publishing, and they aren't called "value-add" for nothing.

Labels: tablethotels, tripadvisor, user reviews