Christopher Ray!

Dog Keychain

Dogs need keychains, too.

Sniff around @ Dogs Department. (€14.95*)

(* I have no idea what this equates to in USD.)

Every Microsite Needs a Mircoblog

We've thrown out hat into the twitter ring!  If you're a fan, or simply want to see what this twitter stuff is all about, stop by and say hello:

@Chris Ray (hey, that's me!)

Money Management International

Financial Literacy Month

April is National Financial Literacy Month, and it couldn’t have come at a better time. Between the mortgage and credit crisis, steadily-rising gas prices, and stagnant economic growth, consumers are feeling more pinched each week. Many consumers are resorting to paying for necessities like groceries or electric bills with high-interest credit cards, instead of just the typical discretionary expenses.

When money gets tight, a strong financial foundation is key to ensuring that you don’t get in over your head with credit card debt. The creators of Financial Literacy Month offer the following tips to help you get started on the path to financial wellness:

1. Commit to change. The first and most important step in developing and following a financial plan is to examine your attitudes about money. Commit to making a change and take the pledge to improve your financial wellness.

2. Assess your financial situation. Ask yourself if you do things like follow a budget, comparison shop, pay your bills on time, plan ahead for large expenses and save at least 10 percent of your net income. If you answer “no” to most of these questions, it may be time to give your financial habits and overhaul.

3. Clear out financial clutter. Getting your financial house organized is a great way to begin on your path toward financial wellness. Items like grocery receipts, paycheck stubs and utility bill stubs can be destroyed after they have been recorded for budget purposes. Tax return documents should be kept for seven years and receipts from major purchases should be kept for as long as you have the item.

4. Set yourself up for success. Appoint a family “CFO” to keep everyone on track, and decide how your family will handle financial decisions. The appointed individual should be organized and a good communicator. They should be given uninterrupted time to do their tasks effectively.

5. Get copies of your credit reports. Your credit reports can provide a snapshot of your overall financial situation. Reviewing your reports for accuracy can also help you identify errors or fraudulent activity. An inaccurate credit report can result in higher interest rates and keep you from qualifying for loans, job searches and more.

For additional tips and tools for getting on track towards a better financial future, visit www.FinancialLiteracyMonth.com. The site gives an easy 30-step path to financial wellness as well as offers a variety of financial widgets, the ability to submit your own financial tips, customizable certificates,  and a blog.  Have an idea for the site?  Let me know!

National Regifting Day

In honor of holiday office parties everywhere, we have declared the Thursday before Christmas (12/20/07 to be specific) to be National Regifting Day!  Go forth and plan your regifting party today!

Regiftable.com Part II

It's back...and it's more regiftable than ever!

User-Generated Video (UGV): Tips on Launching a UGV Contest

Here's an article I wrote for a recent PointRoll newsletter:

At first glance, it looks like an easy process. Step 1, announce the contest and encourage consumers to create and submit their own video in return for a chance to win a prize. Step 2, allow the community-base to select the winning video, give it to your television media planner and play it during prime-time to make it an offline event. Step 3, bask in the positive publicity and wait for the awards to roll in. If it were only that easy…

In reality, launching a UGV campaign is a significant effort and one that should not be taken lightly. While it appears the consumer is doing all the heavy lifting, there is a lot of work to be preformed behind the scenes. The concept needs to be created, a submission process needs to be established, promotional efforts need to determined and coordinated, and a host of other factors must be managed as with any other advertising campaign.

Here are some tips to consider before launching your UGV contest: 

Tip 1: Evaluate your brand for consideration. Not every brand is well positioned for success given the nature of this campaign. Do you have a strong, well-developed group of evangelists connected to your brand? Is there a strong opposition to your brand? These are both questions that need to be answered as there is always some degree of risk involved with recruiting UGV.

Tip 2: Motivate consumers to participate. Plan to promote the campaign as you would a normal campaign (i.e., don’t expect word of mouth to do the work for you, consider it a blessing if this does occur organically). When possible, offer prizes that are unique and translate to experiences rather than the obligatory cash payout. 

Tip 3: Establish clear guidelines. By setting expectations, and providing examples, you will guide the creative process just as you would if working with a creative agency. If at all possible, remain conversational through this process and don’t forget that having fun (on both sides of the equation) is strongly encouraged.

Tip 4: Tightly manage the submission process. The last thing you want is a piece of objectionable material to find its way into a live environment (BTW - this will happen just as your boss decides to check-in on the campaign – never fails). Before launching the campaign, spell out what is acceceptable and set up a process by which all submissions are reviewed, approved, and then released.

Tip 5: Realize the risks: While any UGC campaign will include some degree of risk, it allows consumers to share their passions for the brand in a community of other evangelist. However, like painting, the outcome will be determined by how well you prepared the surface. The more time and effort you put into Step 1, the more likely you are to create a successful campaign.

HiMA: Interactive Strategies '07

The Houston Interactive Marketing Association (HiMA) is developing content for our signature event, Interactive Strategies ’07!  We’re looking for interactive marketers (agency/client) who can share their experiences, stories and lessons learned on topics such as interactive marketing/advertising, web analytics, and/or social media.  Here are the details:

Who: Houston Interactive Marketing Association (HiMA)
What: Speaking Gig: Interactive Strategies ’07
Where: Houston, TX
When: October 25, 2007 (Event)
Deadline: August 31, 2007 (Speaker Proposals Due)

If you would be interested in speaking, click here and submit your proposal.  Questions?  Feel free to let me know.  Thanks!

Step Into the Limelight

I'm very proud to say that Regiftable.com took home the Best Word of Mouth Marketing Campaign award at Ad:Tech this year!  Hoo-rah!

However, this blog isn't winning any awards (that's for sure)!  I'm still trying to think of something clever, unique, interesting to write about so, when I do, you'll be the first to know.

Blog Neglect

Forgive me...it's been 3 months since my last post.  I can't believe it's already Q2!  Between work (our holiday themed microsite, Regiftable.com, is a finalist in the 2007 Ad-Tech Awards 'Best Word of Mouth Marketing' category!), devoting countless hours to the Houston Interactive Marketing Association (our next event is tomorrow, "Strategies and Best Practices from Houston's Leading Interactive Marketers"), "the house" (homeownership is a lot more work that I expected!), getting started with SEMPO's In-House Committee (a great group BTW), and a couple side projects, I have completely neglected this blog. 

What will become of my little space?  I'm not sure to tell you the truth.  I need a new spin on interactive marketing...one that goes beyond the typical news oriented content that folks can get anywhere.  If you have an idea shoot me an email, I'd love to hear it.

Till next time...

Top Finance Advertisers for November 2006

ClickZ releases the top 50 advertisers (in terms of ad spend) on a monthly basis.  Here's November.  I was curious how the finance vertical was playing out so I removed all the non-financial categories.  Here are the finance companies to make the list of the "top 50" for November (media value listed in 000's):

3    LendingTree.com    7,613.5    Fin
4    Fidelity Brokerage    7,589.0    Fin
5    E*Trade Financial Online    7,424.9    Fin
12    LowerMyBills.com    6,296.7    Fin
20    Scottrade Consumer Services    4,340.7    Fin
21    E*Trade Financial    3,716.1    Fin
23    Capital One    3,597.4    Fin
24    Countrywide Home Loans    3,543.6    Fin
26    TD Ameritrade    3,470.3    Fin
27    Scottrade Online    3,444.7    Fin
28    Discover    3,254.5    Fin
34    Bank of America    2,999.5    Fin
35    ING Direct Bank Consumer Services    2,782.7    Fin
37    RateMarketplace    2,742.6    Fin
42    MasterCard    2,438.0    Fin
50    Privacy Matters    2,220.4    Fin.