The New Consumer: Creating multiple, meaningful, valuable touchpoints

1
The New Consumer Creating multiple, meaningful,
valuable touchpoints

• Brad Bacon
• Director Distribution/CRM
• The Weather Channel Interactive
• Minneapolis Interactive Marketing Association
• March 21, 2007

2
History Lesson The Weather Channel

• The Weather Channel is a media company that began
  in 1982 with a 24 x 7 cable television network
• The Weather Channel Companies
• The Weather Channel Network (Cable)
• The Weather Channel Interactive (TWCi)
• Web (weather.com)
• Consumer Applications
• Mobile

3
Fear of Cannibals Part 1 weather.com

• weather.com launched in 1994
• Some feared that the website would cannibalize
  the network. . .
• It didnt. Cross-platform promotion drove higher
  viewership on air.

4
Fear of Cannibals Part 2 Inbox Weather

• Inbox Weather launched in 1999
• Some feared that the email would cannibalize the
  website. . .
• It didnt. Inbox Weather subscribers drive more
  weather.com traffic than the average consumer.

5
Fear of Cannibals Part 3 Desktop Weather

• Desktop Weather launched in 2001
• Some feared that the Desktop application would
  cannibalize the website. . .
• It didnt. Desktop consumers drive 20 - 30 more
  weather.com traffic than the average weather.com
  consumer.

6
Fear of Cannibals Part 4 Mobile Weather

• Mobile is a white-hot space for innovation
• Some fear that consumer adoption of mobile
  applications and SMS will cannibalize traditional
  channels like TV, web and email.
• What do you think??

7
Detour (already)?

• How are Martin Luther and todays consumer alike?

?????
8
Vision Brand Wrap
Television
Clear Function
Consistent Experience
Computer
Mobile
Consistent Brand
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Reality Not so much. . .
Television
Unique Experience
Product Focus
Computer
Inconsistent Brand
Mobile
CHALLENGES Organizational silos, focus on
business unit goals and business models,
different technology, carriers and distributors
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Product Matrix
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Strength of Interactive Channels
Desktop
Customer
RSS
Publisher
SMS
Push
Web/WAP
Pull
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Inbox Weather
Telephone
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Which do we use?

• When deciding whether to utilize a given channel,
  consider

• Your product/service/brand

• Your audience/customer

• Your advertisers

• Your competition

• For us, jumping into every channel ASAP is key to
  our strategy

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RSS
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Mobile

Assuming your mobile service is excellent. .
.please note that The Weather Channel, its
companies, affiliates, hairdressers, dry
cleaners,babysitters, cafeteria workers or any
other person or entity associated with The
Weather Channel cannot be held responsible in the
case that your mobile service isnt available in
any given area, time of day, day of week, week of
month, in any location from home, car, truck,
van, barge, snowmobile or any other mode of
transportation, stationary location, area of the
world, galaxy, universe, or other
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Desktop
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Podcasts
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Idea Identify Affinities / Cross-market

• Identify product affinities (customers who like X
  also like Y)
• Create cross- and up-sell opportunities
• Test, test, test
• Lather, rinse, repeat

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Our affinity research and efforts

• 40 of our Inbox Weather subscribers also sign up
  for Severe Weather Alerts
• 13 of our weather.com premium subscribers also
  download Desktop
• 11 of consumers who subscribe to our Severe
  Weather Alert email product eventually upgrade to
  our premium Notify! service
• 10 of consumers who submit a photo to our Photo
  Gallery also download Screensaver
• 8 of consumers who download Desktop Weather also
  download Screensaver

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Cautionary Tale Beware Assumptions

• Assumption When a consumer downloads Desktop
  Weather, that consumer will have NO need for a
  push product like Inbox Weather. Clearly that
  need will be met on the Desktop.
• Test Add a cross-sell double opt-in for Inbox
  Weather within the Desktop installation path.
• Result 40 of new Desktop consumers double
  opted-in the receive Inbox Weather.
• Conclusion (assumptive -) Consumers will choose
  how they want to consume your content. That
  doesnt necessarily mean ONE channel.

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Case Study 1 SMS Campaign with Toyota
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Case Study 2 Win-Back Campaign

• Challenge How do we convince former subscribers
  to rejoin?
• Test plan
• Send targeted, personalized offer to former
  subscribers
• Test offer (lower price point)
• Test content

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Case Study 2 Creative
Promotional Feel
CRM-ish Feel
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Case Study 2 Results
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Case Study 3

• Question
• When is it better to come in second (or even
  third)?

• Answer
• Paid search results (SEM)

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Case Study 3

• Challenge To cost-effectively acquire new TWC
  Desktop users via SEM

• What we learned
• We delivered a much lower CPA with a lower CPC
  bid and higher spending cap.
• There was practically no difference in click rate
  between the first, second, or third paid
  position.

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Key Takeaways

• When deciding whether to utilize a given channel,
  consider
• Your product/service/brand
• Your audience/customer
• Your advertiser
• Your competition
• Remember to continue to add value beyond brand
  (think of todays enabled consumer)
• Dont assume test, measure, modify, repeat
• Think personal/CRM with recovery and retention
  campaigns
• Remember, in SEM second or third is often best

28
Thank You

• Brad Bacon
• Director Distribution/CRM
• The Weather Channel Interactive
• bbacon_at_weather.com
• Minneapolis Interactive Marketing Association
• March 21, 2007