Chapter 4 in our text discusses a number of ways to slice, dice and analyze data to understand how the user/customer is using a website. Kaushik (2010) pointedly states that “the future of the Web will be substantially richer and immersive. To track these experiences we must think of new ways of collecting data.”
When I think of web experiences that intrigue me, my mind goes to the sites that are heavy on interaction, video and even gaming, also known as rich media. These sites offer great potential for branding because they encourage a longer interaction from the user. "Rich Internet Applications (RIAs) utilize software such as Ajax, Flex, Silverlight, AdobeAir, and Java FX, that makes the user experience more natural - more connected, more alive, more interactive and more responsive" (Ward, 2007).
Here is one you MUST check out (trust me on this…)
In addition of offering the user a better online experience, Rich Media ads offer advertisers benefits such as:
1. Higher interaction rate (captures user attention, delivers on experience)
2. Ability to measure browsing behaviors (not just impressions and click throughs)
3. Higher performance levels (consumers are more likely to take action after viewing Rich Media ad than a standard ad)
4. Increased brand awareness (over other online format ads)
The problem is that these types of experiences are harder to measure because rich experiences don’t generate page views. The user is not clicking on an ad to go somewhere else. This is solved somewhat by creating an Event Tracking metric that can help set benchmarks for the user unique experience of rich media and diverts from the traditional page-driven data metrics (Kaushik, 2010).
So how do you measure success in this rich media environment? You first have to determine what defines success for your campaign and work with developers to put in the proper coding up front. According to Kaushik (2010) when attempting to track the fluid web, you need to know what questions you want answered and translate your requirements to your developers. There is no right answer, you just have to know what it is you want to know and plan for it by putting the right mechanisms in place.
In the above campaign, perhaps the metric is simply how many visitors view the video to completion (thus seeing numerous Heineken messages). Maybe the desired measurement is based on the click-through rate to additional Heineken content pages after the video is watched. There is an option in the video game to post a photo. I did not do this the first time, wondering if it was worth the trouble. I exited the game, but after thinking about it, my curiosity got the best of me and I went back and fully participated. I was rewarded with a highly customizable (and fun) adventure. But, how many people don’t go back like I did, or how many stop playing the video after a few minutes?
There may even be a different experience offered for males than females. This is a media experience likely to be shared, and I suspect there is a metric in place that measures virality of this video game. You can even skip the James Bond Skyfall preview ad and go right to the interactive component, which probably says something else about the user that is relevant to measure.
And, considering my earlier post, I wonder if I’ll start to see some ads pop up for SkyFall or Heineken as I do some online research for my classes this week!
References:
Kaushik, A. (2010). Web analytics 2.0: The art of online accountability & science of customer centricity. Indianapolis, IN: Wiley, Inc.
Sharma, R. (2011, August 23). The benefits of rich media ads. Retrieved on November 4, 2012 from http://insights.marinsoftware.com/rich-ads/benefits-of-rich-media-ads/
Ward, J. (2007, October 17). What is a rich internet application? James Ward [Web log]. Retrieved on November 4, 2012 from http://www.jamesward.com/2007/10/17/what-is-a-rich-internet-application/
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