Razorfish released their 2009 Digital Outlook Report yesterday.   Interesting read that covers a new role for agencies, what’s emerging, consumer conversations, the evolution of research and measurement, and 3 things every executive should know in 2009.  I thought the “Trends in Social Influence Marketing” and “Bringing Media Mix Models Into the Digital Era” were very insightful.

As Advertising Age states: “A mere mouse move can’t measure influence“. 

That’s a smart statement, but one that many advertisers are not listening to. 

The article goes on to state “….ComScore research, which studied 139 online ad campaigns by marrying data from its panel of U.S. internet users with shopper data, found online ads, even when they didn’t result in a click, increased a consumer’s likelihood of making a purchase at an advertiser’s retail store by 17% and increased visits to a marketer’s website by an average of 40%.“ 

Net net?  Just because they didn’t click doesn’t mean they aren’t engaged.  As a person responsible for media myself, I sometimes forget that.

It’s long been the practice of advertisers to simply slap their TV commercials online as video advertising units.  I’ve long thought it doesn’t work – rather, that you need to tailor the spot specifically for the medium.  This Adotas article supports that and points to 3 basic tenants for success:

1. Tell a story
2. Make it interactive
3. Finish with a strong call to action. 

I agree.  Michael Radigan’s last line in the article sums it up best for Digital Video Advertisers:  “Let’s stop being lazy and get some practice making online videos for the active viewer“