The 2009 A to Z of DigitalPresented by The Brand Shopwww.thebrandshop.com.auCreated by Peter BrayDirector of Digital at The Brand Shop

A is for AUGMENTED REALITY• Augmented reality involves utilising technology to merge the real world with an artificial world, typically putting a layer of information generated by a computer over a video stream, or adding multimedia to an inert object•An example could be using your camera phone to video a sporting event, and when you do the video is overlayed with information about the players•Adoption of this is very low among consumers, however for a brand that wants to be seen as innovative, augmented reality creates a great opportunity to be seen as a category leader.

B is for BOUNCE BACK•Usually referred to as a percentage regarding the number of emails sent out as part of a campaign that could not get through to the intended recipient due to any number reasons. Bounce back is a general term as there are many reasons why an email may not get through. .•Usage: Our latest campaign had a bounce back rate of 95%. We are pleased with the results.

C is for CLICK THROUGH RATE•Expressed as a percentage, the number of people who clicked on your online ad or link compared with those who viewed it. •Many agencies are using gimmicks in their flash banners such as moving a dial or playing a game in order to increase the click through rate and please their clients. Click through rates are OVER RATED

D is for DATABASE DRIVEN WEBSITE•If a client has a web site that is not controlled by a database, scrap it and start again. Database driven websites mean that pages can be easily changed, but more importantly user interaction can be tracked, which allows pages to change in appearance depending on user behavior. •Usage: Users from Victoria were interested in getting a tan, so the brand had a database driven web site that only displayed only sunglass offers, as the database knew where they were coming from•Note: Database driven websites utilise content management systems, which make it easier to change content. You can’t have a content management system without a database

E is for EMOTICON• ;) : x :( and more. Potentially brilliant for brands. It is surprising that no brands have leveraged the fact that consumers like to create their own visual languages. •For example, a brand may run a promo where they ask people to recreate their how-to manual in SMS-speak, or their tag line in emoticons (or make up their own emoticons as part of a promo).

F is for FILE TRANSFER PROTOCOL•To shift files from one computer to another you have to generally use this method. It involves one computer having an FTP server (a piece of software) running, and another computer, the client, having an FTP client running. If you have a client running, you can log in to the FTP server and download files.•It is very useful for large files. As a rule, no file larger than 2 MB should ever be emailed, instead FTP should be used. Most companies have an FTP server running so their clients/suppliers can download large files easily.

G is for GHOST SITE•If your web site has not been updated for two years, it is one of these. You are better off having a one page site than a ghost site. Ghost sites do more harm than good. As an example, many companies have CEO blogs that never get updated•Usage: The Australian Stock Exchange having a ghost site did not mean that the stock prices were unchanging, it just means that they were not adding any new features or adding non price related content•Note: A one page website with your logo and contact details is better than a large site that doesn’t add value.

H is for HITS•The number of times a web site receives a request for a piece of information•Usage: We had 6 Billion hits on Tuesday so we must be doing a decent job.• NOTE Hits is a term that is misleading, it is possible to make a site that has a million hits but only had one person visit one page. What is of importance is the number of unique users to a web site each month. The number of hits is usually only used by online media salespeople, and is a poor estimator of who is actually looking at a site

I is for IDEA HAMSTER• An individual who can perpetually turn the creative wheel by coming up with digital ideas, most without any direction or ROI. •Usage: Manfred from the Innovations Team came up 15 ways to make a design a post it note online, he is a real idea hamster that guy. .

J is for JAVASCRIPT•A programming language used on the web, commonly to track users and create statistics, though originally entire sites were built in this language. Not all browsers have javascript turned on, though the vast majority do as it is turned on by default•Though a rather dull term, I couldn’t think of another word starting with J apart from Javascript.

K is for KEYWORD•Used in both searches and within sites, a keyword or series of keywords describes the content in your site. Make sure that the keywords you choose are accurate as Google appreciates clarity. •The more keywords you have on a site, the harder it is to rank highly for each keyword in search engines. Hard but not impossible• Usage: The company used hidden keywords on its homepage and Google threw it out of the search results.

L is for LOCATION BASED ADVERTISING•A method by which a webpage, website or mobile webpage can change depending on where the user is located. •Location based services will skyrocket in 2010.•Mobile users have to opt in to be able to utilise location based services•Location based advertising means more targeted advertising.

M is for MICROSITE/MACROSITE•Essentially meaning the same thing, they are a series of pages attached to a more general website, with a specific campaign, product or service being conveyed. Useful for integrated campaigns.• The problem with most microsites is that they are built then disappear once a promotion is over, resulting in little ongoing value. Also, many fail to capture user details, which should be their main use.

N is for NEWSGROUPS• Social media is nothing new, newsgroups have been around for 30 years. They are online gatherings of like minded people where they post news items in a specific area of interest. These are a brilliant way for brands to know how the public perceives their product or service without having to do consumer surveys. This also allows brands to be aware of any backlash prior to it hitting the mainstream media. •Usage: Had he paid attention to the relevant newsgroups, Hindenburg would have perhaps thought twice about lighting up in his new airship.

O is for OHNOSECOND•Ever accidentally pressed send on an email before it was finished, or sent it to the wrong person? Say no more!•The ohnosecond is brief, but potentially fatal.

P is for PPC (PAY PER CLICK)• A convenient method whereby online publishers charge you for every time that someone clicks on your ad. Questionable methodology but it is the best that is currently available. •The PPC amount was high, but the conversion rate from the PPC was low due to the weak strategy.

Q is for QUALITY ASSURANCE•As the web is both a technical medium as well as a creative one, quality assurance is vital to ensure that elements actually work, such as a submission form, online media buy or landing page. •Quality assurance is something that must be charged for in a large web build, as if it does not happen the results can be disastrous•Usage: Shoot the QA person responsible.

R is for RAMP RATE•The speed at which an online campaign can be altered in size or message as results of the campaign come in at real time. If copy and creative aren’t working, you can change them on the fly, or tweak the campaign to show more of the well performing creative.•Usage: The ramp rate was 2 hours, which meant the changes were visible on the same day•Note: this is why the web can be so powerful for online campaigns!

S is for SEO (SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMISATION)•Changing the attributes of a web site to make it as well indexed and highly ranked as possible. There are various ways of doing this, some are fraught with danger, which is why the methods are classified as white, grey and black hat.•Usage: The SEO program placed their site in the number 2 position and resulted in an 80% increase in traffic .

T is for TIPPING POINT•The holy grail of any online presence and campaign, where the dollars invested in attracting users decreases over time while the number of users increases. When this occurs, you actually have an effective digital strategy •Usage: When the client reached tipping point, it meant that they could reduce their media spend while increasing the creative quality and messaging of the campaign.

U is UGC (USER GENERATED CONTENT)•User generated content . . . in actual fact, this has been around for years, and not just on the web. Every interaction that takes place is generating content, however some of it is not visible nor commercial. Please remember, though it can be fun, exciting and great for the ego, not everyone wants to generate content, in fact MOST PEOPLE DON’T. We need to be ready to listen to the silence•Usage: Though they paid 14 million for the site, so far not one cent has been made commercialising the user generated content.

V is for VIRTUAL WORLDS•Think a more modern Lawnmower Man, where people can create virtual personas (called avatars) and interact with other people in a digital world. Think Second Life, Bebo etc. •Hot Tip Time! Virtual Worlds are the pogo stick of the internet – kind of fun, but there is only so long that you are prepared to bounce around. The most virtual sustainable worlds are ones that cater for a niche audience.•Usage: I may not be that good looking, but check me out in Second Life!

W is for Web 2.0•A great way for start ups to attach themselves to the latest hot theme and get venture capital. Smart brands have been “doing 2.0” since around 1998. Lagging brands are now trying to inject 2.0 characteristics into their online presences. Web 2.0 is really about two way conversations•We have relaunched our site with lots of 2.0 features – the CEO loves it!• NOTE Please avoid the use of this term. Instead seek a deeper understanding of how we can communicate to consumers in better ways.

X is for XML•Stands for extensible markup language, which allows content in a page to be described and made more meaningful to content aggregators. •Again Peter was struggling, and had to use quite a technical term like XML that was of no interest to practically everybody in order to go from A to Z.

Y is for Yetties•If you haven’t heard of them you soon will. They are young, entrepreneurial twenty somethings. They are the smart, switched on consumers that we all know are out there. A brand will soon be exposed by them if they are not authentic. •Usage: Upon mishearing that Gavin was wanting a campaign targeted at the Yetties, Monty mistakenly created a campaign aimed at the rather small Big Foot demographic.

Z is for Zen Mail•Allowing us a moment of peace in an otherwise fast paced digital world, Zen Mail, when received, brings relaxation to the viewer, for Zen Mail is that rare mail which actually has no content in it.