Martini Media

Tomorrow, Martini Media is hosing a very exciting event down in Palo Alto. We can’t wait, and you can expect some great pictures to follow. Details below:

And a fun wine review for your weekend pleasure here.

Cheers,

Lauren

Despite press condemnation, The Wall Street Journal reports that private jet usage has actually increased. In fact, “The report showed the value of CEO airplane perks in 2008 increased 29%, to $141,477 from $109,743 a year earlier. It is the highest level in five years.”

However, business-jet companies are still taking a hit; WSJ speculates that this is due to a decline in personal usage. Another good point – the “public outcry” regarding private jet use might be somewhat overblown (shocking, I know).

At any rate, valuable information to have. Check out the full article here.

Also, if you are in the Bay Area, come check out two of Cirrus Jets’ hottest models at a Martini Media event this Saturday. Check back tomorrow for more information, and even more exciting details.

Cheers,

Lauren

There was a great post on today’s MediaPost Email Insider blog about the dangers of mass marketing. In short, blast people too frequently, and too impersonally, and they will start to ignore you. Wise words, and an incredibly important reminder when putting together campaigns – your tactics should be thoughtful, properly targeted, and with your audience specifically in mind. A great quote:

“As marketers we often have an overinflated sense of our product or company’s worth in the eyes of an email recipient. Before you hit the send button for your next campaign, put yourself in the recipient’s shoes and ask yourself how the message will be perceived. If you can’t see solid value in it — something that will excite, entice, generate buzz, create interest, or grab attention — go back to the drawing board.”

Our sales team makes a point of crafting a message to hook the user, and with good reason. Marketing is only as good as the effort put in; we’re fortunate to have a team who doesn’t quit until it’s effective as possible.

Check out the full post here.

Cheers,

Lauren

This year’s Auction Napa Valley, an annual high-end wine buying weekend on the West Coast, did not fare so well in the economic climate, the Wall Street Journal reports.

No huge surpise. We’ve been reading of billionaires toning down their tastes, and taking pleasure in the more affordable. For now, of course. Says the Journal:

“Wade Welch, an attorney from Houston, said, ‘If we weren’t in a recession, I would bid five times as much as I would otherwise. And it would be less of an economic decision and more of an emotional one.’”

Really, it is a matter of time. Buyers such as Welch are still governed by their passions, they’re just reasoning through purchases a bit more. And they still are buying – Welch didn’t not bid, he just didn’t bid huge amounts.

An interesteing read overall. See the full article here.

Cheers,

Lauren

The Wall Street Journal Wealth Report wrote today that the Millionaire Investment Index “had its biggest one-month surge ever in May.”

Well, that’s good news. If not feeling an over-abundance of confidence, the 100+ investors interviewed believe the market to be back in neutral territory. Though this is somewhat subjective (and of course not a barometer by which to base all market activity), it is reinforcement that the worst has passed. And it’s about time. To quote:

“’Though news on the economy remains far from rosy, it appears that the nation’s wealthiest investors are adjusting to the new environment and may feel the worst is behind us,’ said George H. Walper Jr., president of Spectrem Group.”

Continuing improvement is improvement enough, when starting at the bottom.

Check out the full article here.

Cheers,

Lauren

Media Post‘s OnlineSpin blog had a very interesting post today about the ways to properly measure engagement. Cory Treffiletti, president and managing partner of Catalyst SF, argues that time spent across a campaign is the only measure that, “truly covers all bases.”

Why? “If consumers spend time with the brand, whether it’s via searching for information on Google, visiting the core Web site, or engaging in discussions and commenting with bloggers, then they are spending time with the brand — and this is what you should be measuring.”

Wise words. Online engagement is evolving as rapidly as the advertising industry in general, and it is essential to keep up with changing trends. Engagement is one of the focal points of the Martini platform – we believe that it is more effective to target users where they are already engageed, in pursuit of their passions.

A great read. See the full article here.

Best,

Lauren

I receive Thrillist, DailyCandy, and UrbanDaddy daily in my email inbox. Not only that, I look forward to receiving Thrillist, DailyCandy, and UrbanDaddy in my email inbox. Just today, I learned about a high-end money clip, tapas catering, a decadent lounge on Wall Street, one of a kind blue jeans, and eco-friendly lip gloss (the last being from DailyCandy, surprisingly). A newsletter that’s well-written, captivating, and continually alerts me to cool things I didn’t know about is a beautiful thing.

One thing we’ve noticed is that among this variety of quality newsletters, there are none targeting the Martini Lifestyle – and don’t worry, we’re working hard to change that. Consider this your unofficial head’s up, and keep an eye out. Coming soon to an inbox near you…

Cheers,

Lauren

Today, AdAge reported on the recession-induced move of real estate advertising from newspapers to the internet. However, the report describes a rather significant improvement in terms of the quality of the advertising:

“Disappearing are the bold-colored suit jackets, poufy hairdos and stilted smiles that, for decades, have been plastered across newspaper pages pushing real estate to potential homebuyers. In their stead: informal blogs, online video tours and sophisticated consumer targeting.”

The article cites realtor’s need to acknowledge a significant shift in behavior in their changing tactics. An interesting read overall, and another boost to those of us banking on the future of online advertising.

Check out the full article here, worth it for the funny examples of print ads, if for nothing else.

Cheers,

Lauren

Paid Content reported today in the decreasing reluctance of publishers to agree to homepage takeover ads. Considering the decline in display ad success during the recession, it makes sense that publishers would be open to more obvious measures, especially those that tastefully display a suitable product.

An interesting quote: “In general, the takeovers are part of a larger plan to move away from cheap, direct response oriented ads and trying to give display the kind of brand heft that having a full page ad in the print version has. Since the ads don’t seem to run that frequently—and they tend to be fairly eye-catching—a reader revolt doesn’t appear to have emerged. But determining whether the ads are having a significant impact is harder to tell.”

The impact will remain to be seen.  Lucky for us, our design director has already put together some killer homepage take-overs, so we’re ready for whatever a publisher may be game for.

See the full article here.

Cheers,

Lauren

An article in today’s Forbes highlights  the most surprising six figure jobs, including (but not limited to) ship captains, astronauts, and music directors and composers.

It’s interesting to see that there is indeed money to be made, and not necessarily where you’d expect. No matter your passion, there seems to be the possibility to cash in and find success.

See the full article here.

Cheers,

Lauren