BCA

Scientists Suggest Protocol for Messaging Aliens

In 1974, humans broadcast the first message targeted at extraterrestrial life using the Arecibo radio telescope in Puerto Rico. The message, which was aimed at the globular star cluster M13 located 25,000 light years away, consisted of binary digits that encoded information about our DNA, as well as graphics of a human, our Solar System, and the Arecibo telescope. Since then, humans have sent three other messages to nearby stars and planets (20-69 light-years away). These messages have become more complex and anthropocentric, with music, photographs, and drawings submitted by the public. 

 Scientists Build World’s First Anti-Laser

 More than 50 years after the invention of the laser, scientists at Yale University have built the world’s first anti-laser, in which incoming beams of light interfere with one another in such a way as to perfectly cancel each other out. The discovery could pave the way for a number of novel technologies with applications in everything from optical computing to radiology. 

 High Performance Capacitor Could Lead to Better Rechargeable Batteries

 In order to develop next-generation electric vehicles, solar energy systems, and other clean energy technologies, researchers need an efficient way to store the energy. One of the key energy storage devices for these applications and others is a supercapacitor, also called an electric double-layer capacitor. In a recent study, scientists have investigated the possibility of using a material called zeolite-templated carbon for the electrode in this type of capacitor, and found that the material’s unique pore structure greatly improves the capacitor’s overall performance. 

 Prairie Dogs Kiss More When Being Watched

 Researchers in the US studying the behavior of black-tailed prairie dogs at a local zoo have discovered they behave differently, kissing and cuddling each other more when people are watching than when they are unobserved. 

 Black-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus) are known for their extremely social behavior, which includes kissing, grooming and touching each other. They are also known for their complex language of around 100 different barks, chirping sounds and yelps that convey information about predators, including the type of predator, their size, direction of travel, speed, and even their color. Previous research has shown they can also describe different human beings.

 How Gendered Beliefs Funnel Women Away From Science and Engineering

 Women earned only 18% of all Computer Science degrees and made up less than 25% of the workers in engineering- and computer-related fields in 2009. These statistics stand in stark contrast to the gains they have achieved in law, medicine, and other areas of the workforce. While this dearth of women in the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields is often attributed to lack of innate ability or desire on the part of women, the director of the Clayman Institute for Gender Research at Stanford, sociology professor Shelley Correll, sees this explanation as incomplete. And she offers a competing one: stereotypes.

 Brief Diversions May Help Employees Improve Work, Study Says

 A University of Illinois professor says people don’t need to feel guilty about checking personal e-mail, chatting with co-workers or addressing other minor distractions throughout the work day.  Brief diversions may actually help people concentrate and improve their performance on more important tasks, says Alejandro Lleras, who wrote a study on the topic for the journal Cognition. Lleras works at the university’s Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology in Urbana.

 Lleras’ research seems to contradict long-standing theories that attention is a finite resource that runs out after a lengthy period of focus.

 The Green Machine: Algae Clean Wastewater, Convert to Biodiesel

 Let algae do the dirty work. Researchers at Rochester Institute of Technology are developing biodiesel from microalgae grown in wastewater. The project is doubly “green” because algae consume nitrates and phosphates and reduce bacteria and toxins in the water. The end result: clean wastewater and stock for a promising biofuel.

 Scientists Investigate How Chemicals Evolved into Communication Signals

 Living things possess many diverse ways of communicating, but perhaps the oldest and most widespread form of communication involves the use of chemicals. From animals and plants to bacteria and fungi, organisms emit and receive chemical signals as a way of transferring information between one another. Organisms are sensitive to a very broad range of chemicals; for example, scientists estimate that rodents can detect thousands or even tens of thousands of odorant molecules.

 Experts Determine Age of Book ‘No Body Can Read’

 University of Arizona researchers have cracked one of the puzzles surrounding what has been called “the world’s most mysterious manuscript” – the Voynich manuscript, a book filled with drawings and writings nobody has been able to make sense of to this day.

 Using radiocarbon dating, a team led by Greg Hodgins in the UA’s department of physics has found the manuscript’s parchment pages date back to the early 15th century, making the book a century older than scholars had previously thought.

 This tome makes the “DaVinci Code” look downright lackluster: Rows of text scrawled on visibly aged parchment, flowing around intricately drawn illustrations depicting plants, astronomical charts and human figures bathing in – perhaps – the fountain of youth. At first glance, the “Voynich manuscript” appears to be not unlike any other antique work of writing and drawing.

From: e-Marketer

Increasing ownership leads to increasing opportunities

Momentum in the mobile device market has swung in favor of smartphones, led by the allure of Apple’s iPhone and the legion of now-viable competitors it has spawned.

Most mobile owners in the US still have only a feature phone, but eMarketer predicts smartphone ownership will rise from 31% of the mobile population this year to 43% by 2015. Nearly 110 million Americans will have a smartphone by the end of that year.

“Smartphone owners already command the majority of marketers’ attention,” said Noah Elkin, eMarketer principal analyst and author of the new report “Smart and Getting Smarter: Key Mobile Device trends for Marketers.” And the simple reason is: They do more of everything than their counterparts with feature phones: messaging, gaming, listening to music, watching videos, social networking, shopping, using apps and browsing the web.”

As of the end of 2010, eMarketer estimates 30% of smartphone users in the US had a BlackBerry and 28% had an iPhone, the top two operating systems. But Android’s share of the market is rising quickly. Nielsen tracking surveys found Android pulling ahead among recent smartphone purchasers, and eMarketer predicts that by 2012 Android will be the No. 1 mobile OS in the country.

The changing device landscape is encouraging changing usage patterns. eMarketer estimates that time spent with mobile phone devices is rising faster than for any other medium, up 28.2% in 2010. Smartphone owners, more active with every type of mobile content than feature phone owners, are likely on the leading edge of this trend.

“Marketers need to pay attention to these trends as they project budgets and develop market strategies,” said Elkin. “Mobile devices will claim more and more media time per day, while TV, print and radio will slowly lose ground to digital media. For marketers, half the battle of staying relevant is showing up in the right place and on the right platform.

For complete data charts and story, go to eMarketer.com.

From: e-Marketer

Measurement will look more toward the bottom line. Marketers appear to be inching closer to answering the question of social media ROI—or at least making a serious effort—as the stakes get higher.

 eMarketer estimates four out of five US businesses with at least 100 employees will be marketing on social media this year, and US ad spending on social networks is expected to reach over $3 billion. And according to research from Bazaarvoice and The CMO Club, marketers are planning to change the way they measure the effectiveness of those dollars.

 Site traffic, which was the top metric for social marketing success in 2010, will still be on top this year. But the No. 2 spot will change hands, as twice as many companies plan to pay attention to conversions. More marketers will measure success with conversions than by tallying fans and followers, positive buzz and a variety of other “soft” metrics. Revenues will see a similar surge in interest.

 Asked about social media activities with the highest ROI based on older metrics with less of a focus on the bottom line, CMOs were most likely to say they did not know the return from any channel other than their company’s online community. Even Facebook and ratings and reviews, the two top venues with “significant ROI,” failed to win over more than about 15% of respondents.

 It remains to be seen whether CMOs’ evolving focus will lead to a shift in which venues are perceived to be the most valuable, or what other changes might be in store in the social media marketing landscape.

From: eMarketer

These firms, which include the fastest-growing private companies, have been using a mix of tactics, with Facebook as the most popular. According to a study released in January 2011 from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth Center for Marketing Research, 71% of companies used Facebook in 2010, up from 61% in 2009. Twitter, at 59% in 2010, and blogging, at 50%, are also still high on the list.

 If a company has used social media, it has most likely also seen success, the study found. Eighty-five percent of companies viewed Facebook as successful, a significant jump from 54% in 2009. Yet Facebook hasn’t matched message or bulletin boards, with 93% reporting it was a successful tactic. foursquare also saw a significant increase in usefulness; it wasn’t even measured in 2009, yet in 2010, 75% of companies reported it was a successful tactic.

 As social media becomes more prevalent and valuable, the perception of it is changing. More companies view it as important, with 86% reporting social media technologies to be somewhat or very important to their business and marketing strategies in 2010, up from 79% in 2009. And growth is even stronger among those who consider it “very important.”

These fast-growing Inc. 500 companies see social media as increasingly important to their businesses because of the success they’ve seen, and marketers will continue to test various social networking sites to find the right mix for their company’s strategy.

To review the data charts and complete story, go to eMarketer.com

From: eMarketer

Not all target audiences are created equal.

Consumers planning to make large-ticket purchases are active on a variety of digital channels as they make their way through the purchase funnel. The media usage habits and preferences of intended audiences must inform marketers’ decisions about where to target them, and whether social media efforts make sense for their brand.

The US automotive industry provides an example of brand-to-brand differences. As part of the industry’s continued push into online marketing, vehicle manufacturers and dealers are evaluating a gamut of digital options and attempting to select tactics that will most influence potential buyers. Social media is often part of this consideration set. But while social media has successfully driven several recent high-profile auto campaigns, research indicates that it may be more effective for certain brands over others.

An October study of more than 65,000 US consumers by The Media Audit found that Audi, Infiniti and Saab owners were the most likely to have recently used popular social networks, while owners of Buick, Cadillac and Lincoln/Mercury were less frequent participants.

Vehicle purchasers were influenced
Research into the influence of various media on large-ticket purchases by S. Radoff Associates found that overall, 21% of vehicle purchasers reported being influenced by some form of social media. The study also revealed differences in the influence of online ratings and reviews by brand owned. Ford owners were more likely to be influenced by online reviews and earned media than Chevy or Toyota owners, while Chevy owners put more stock in paid media than those who bought the other brands. For their part, Toyota purchasers were more influenced by coupons and discounts than those who bought Fords or Chevys.

Ford Motor Co. appears to be keenly aware of such differences in the use of participatory media by owners of its different brands. Though the company has been aggressively spending on digital and social media to promote Ford brand vehicles such as the Fiesta, Jim Farley, the company’s group VP of global marketing, recently said it is pursuing an “experiential” marketing focus for the Lincoln nameplate. This includes giving Lincoln’s upscale consumers the ability to touch and drive the cars at selected venues.

“It’s pretty clear that Lincoln is going to require a pretty different strategy in marketing,” Farley told Automotive News. “Social media has allowed us to break a lot of myths. But luxury customers need to know more than something they read on Facebook.”

Brand values of others may require a different approach
Other brand marketers must keep in mind their target audience and avoid splashy marketing campaigns that are cutting-edge but fail to speak to their core customers. Social media makes sense for many marketers, but the brand values of others may require a different approach.

For complete story and data charts, go to eMarketer.com.

From: e-Marketer

A sizeable audience spells opportunity.

Social gaming exploded in 2010. Addictive apps like FarmVille and Mafia Wars grabbed the attention of social network users, the press—and marketers. eMarketer forecasts social gaming revenues will surpass $1 billion this year.

Most of those dollars will come from virtual items purchased by the 61.9 million internet users who will play social games this year, according to eMarketer estimates. That represents 27% of the US internet audience and will rise to 29% by 2012.

“That is a spectacular number considering that this form of gaming took off in earnest less than two years ago,” said Paul Verna, eMarketer senior analyst and author of the new report, “Social Gaming: Marketers Make Their Move.” “Next year’s growth will be modest compared with the meteoric rise of this form of gaming in its first two years, but the projected increase will be healthy enough to sustain multiple opportunities for game developers, publishers, investors and marketers.”

Market projections are cautious

For that reason, eMarketer’s projections are cautious. Data from Inside Social Games shows there were sequential decreases in cumulative worldwide monthly active users for the top 15 games on Facebook in the last four months of 2010. The index bounced back in January 2011 as a result of CityVille’s instant popularity, but there was a 9.6% year-over-year decline in January 2011.

Still, the diverse appeal and sharing aspects of social games have created multiple opportunities for marketers to use this channel as a branding vehicle. As games proliferate on social networks, game portals and other venues, there are five ways marketers can promote their brands through these games:

•Integrate your brand into an existing game through virtual goods.
•Use display ads or sponsorships in an existing game.
•Create a hybrid campaign that combines elements of these branding approaches.
•Develop your own game.
•Participate in an offer wall.

“With so many titles to choose from and so many ways users can engage with the games—directly through Facebook or Myspace, on dedicated game portals, on mobile devices or through social network utilities such as Facebook Login—the only obstacle to brand marketing is finding the right fit,” said Verna. “As long as a game is thematically consistent with the product or brand and the target audience is appropriate, there is no reason marketers should avoid getting involved.”

For complete story and data charts, go to e-Marketer.com
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By Lisa E. Phillips, Senior Analyst, e-Marketer

There are only so many hours per day that consumers can spend watching TV, reading newspapers and surfing the internet. But as marketers may suspect, the time devoted to media is undergoing some not-so-subtle changes.

eMarketer recently conducted a meta-analysis of data from dozens of research firms using a variety of methodologies. The result is a series of estimates of how much time consumers spend with all major media, regardless of multitasking or simultaneous usage, from 2008 to 2010. The estimates apply to average media usage of the general public, not solely to the users of each medium.

The average time spent with all major media combined increased from about 10.6 hours in 2008 to 11 hours in 2010, according to eMarketer. TV and video (not including online video) captured the lion’s share of all media time, about 40% each year. The internet’s share of media time increased over the same period, from 21.5% to 23.5%, as did mobile’s share, from 5% to 7.5%. The share of time spent with magazines and newspapers fluctuated between 10% and 7.5%, while radio and all other media—video games, movies in theaters and outdoor media—declined.

To account for multitasking, an hour spent watching TV and surfing the internet was counted as 1 hour for TV plus 1 hour for internet use. Also, use of each medium is discrete: Time spent listening to the radio does not include streaming stations from the internet, for example.

In 2010, consumers spent an average of 4 hours and 24 minutes each day watching TV and video, while being online for 2 hours and 35 minutes. Mobile devices received an average of 50 minutes’ worth of attention every day—the same amount of time allotted to newspapers and magazines combined. eMarketer expects that time spent with mobile devices will continue to increase, most likely taking time away from print media.

Mobile devices time rising fastest

In fact, time spent with mobile devices is rising faster than all other media. In 2010, consumers spent 28.2% more time with mobile devices, which covers all mobile activities on all mobile devices. That gain was even higher than the 21.9% growth in 2009. Time spent on the internet showed moderate but steady gains, at more than 6% each year since 2008. All other major media posted declines: TV and video lost 1.1% in 2010, while magazines and newspapers lost 9.1 each. However, as consumers continue to consume more media every day, those losses are not immediately significant.

Marketers need to pay attention to these trends as they project budgets and develop marketing strategies for the coming year—and years. Mobile devices will claim more and more media time per day, while TV, print and radio will slowly lose ground to digital media. Those trends have been most apparent with print media in recent years, but are now beginning to show up in TV and radio usage as well.

From: e-Marketer.com

Nearly three-quarters this year…

As consumer usage of social media continues to increase in the US and around the world, marketers have transitioned from cautious engagement to full deployment.

Next year, four in five US businesses with at least 100 employees will take part in social media marketing, eMarketer estimates. That’s up from just 42% as recently as 2008, and the number of marketers using the channel will continue to rise through 2012.

“Marketers that have spent the past few years ramping up their internal social media marketing infrastructure—and their presence on sites such as Facebook and Twitter—will take social media to new heights in 2011,” said Debra Aho Williamson, eMarketer principal analyst and author of the new report “Social Media in the Marketing Mix: Budgeting for 2011.” “And as they do, they will evolve the way they market across all media, not just online.”

eMarketer developed its social media marketing forecast through analysis of a dozen third-party surveys and their methodologies. The increase in usage stems from several trends, including rising consumer social media usage, the fact that Facebook now has a truly mass audience, and the promotional firepower companies have seen in action on social sites.

Social media is top of mind for spending

Social media is top of mind not only when it comes to usage but also spending. A worldwide survey of marketers by Maxymiser, a provider of website personalization tools, found that social media ranked third among areas marketers planned to focus their online marketing budget in 2011, after search and their own website.

According to several independent studies, spending on social media continues to rise.

“As spending increases, other marketing channels may lose budget,” said Williamson. “Total marketing budgets in general are not increasing, so social media spending must come from other types of marketing. Early indications are that offline media and promotions may be hit first.”

While the spending picture is bright, future increases will be tied to ROI. The need for effective measurement will reach its strongest point to date in 2011.

To view data charts and complete story, go emarketer..com

From: World Advertising Research Center

Online banner and search ads typically prove the least effective channels for commanding the attention of US consumers, a study has revealed.

Industry title Adweek and research firm Harris Interactive surveyed 2,098 adults to discover the formats that generally failed to make an impression finding that 43% ignore online banners more often than any other kind of ad. More specifically, ignore rates for online display peaked at 47% among 18-34 year olds, and hit 46% where participants had graduated from college.

Paid research, as offered by Google and Bing registered 20%, a perception at its lowest, of 17%, for those finishing their education at the high-school level. As such, the Adweek/Harris Interactive analysis said while digital is considered to yield advantages in terms of targeting and reach, 63% of respondents most commonly block out brand messages via this medium.

Elsewhere, 14% of the audience disregarded television spots with the greatest frequency, an attitude held b y 20% of people aged 55 years old or more, compared with just 9% of 18-34 year olds. Men generated a slightly above-average score in this area, but contributors that had attended university were below the norm.

Radio approval smallest

Approval for radio advertising was smallest in the 18-34 year old demographic, 11% of which tried to avoid such commercials more regularly than the equivalent through any other form of mainstream media. This could be measured against 5% of 45-54 year olds, and the median of 7% recorded by radio overall.

Newspaper ads performed better still on 6%, with this rating largely constant across the consumer segments assessed, posting a 1% rise among 18-34 olds and 45-54 year olds.
However, the unobtrusive nature of print advertising made it the best-regarded of the featured options.

Meanwhile, the report said 91% of panalists ignored at least one type of advertising, including 94% of college graduates and 93% of people over 55 years old, the two most evasive groups. Figures fell to a low of 88% concerning 45-54 year olds, and 89% relating to those with a high-school education at maximum.

The poll also suggested any gender gap is modest, with 90% of males attempting to avoid some kinds of commercial communications, as did 92% of females. Women tended to be less amenable to online display, with ignore rates at 45% versus 42% for men, while 15% of men and 13% of women dislaked TV spots.

Most Americans say they ignore some ads

“Although most all Americans ignore some ads … this does not mean it’s a lost cause for advertisers,” the study concluded. “Rather, companies looking to effectively reach consumers may just need to educate themselves and tailor their messages — as well as their chosen medium– to best appeal to the desired group.”

From World Advertising Research Center

Traditional forms of communications like word of mouth, direct mail and newspapers enjoy higher levels of trust among US consumers than social media and other online services.

ICOM, part of Epsilon Targeting, argued in a study that social networks, internet forums, blogs and similar tools have added considerable complexity to the world occupied by more established channels.

Based on a survey of 2,569 adults, it reported 57% of people regarded friends and family as a reliable source of information, falling to 26% for newspapers and 22% for corporate websites.

Television posted a score of 20%, with brochures and flyers on 18%, radio on 16%, email on 12%, third-party internet sites on 11% and mobile phones on 9%.

Web 2.0 portals generated relatively modest figures, coming in at 8% for blogs, forums and Facebook, and just 7% for YouTube and Twitter.

When asked to name preferred providers of news and updates relating to personal care, food and cleaning products, 36% of the panel chose direct mail, with newspaper inserts on 29%, the net on 12% and email on 10%.

“The coveted 18-34 year olds prefer, by a wide margin, to learn about marketing offers via postal mail and newspapers rather than online sources such as social media platforms,” the study said.

It added: “The preference among 18–34 year-olds for receiving marketing information from offline sources led by mail and newspapers is two to three times greater than online sources such as social media.”

Elsewhere, 40% of contributors selected DM in the financial sector, as did 38% for insurance, 35% for charity campaigns and 28% concerning travel.

The last of these markets was the only one to see another type of media assume the lead, as the web registered a rating of 19%.

Taking credit cards as an example, 70% of participants agreed branded email had an influence on purchase decisions, a perception that stood at 60% for mail shots, 41% for internet display and 19% for TV spots.

In terms of recall for these financial products, however, 33% mentioned television commercials, with DM on 27%, email on 22% and web banners, pop-ups and equivalent formats on 19%.

“The upshot is that regardless of the demographic, marketers need to deploy a multichannel campaign for topmost customer engagement,” ICOM argued.

“Social media, like many forms of communication, should be incorporated as one component of a broader strategy.”

Equally, while emerging mediums like Foursquare, GoogleBuzz, Loopt, Blippy and Groupons deserve attention, brands must ensure they have a presence in all of the areas frequented by their target audience.

“The proliferation of channels presents marketers more opportunity than ever to engage customers, understand their desires and meet their evolving needs,” the report concluded.

“At the same time, it challenges marketers to abide ever more fervently by the first commandment of marketing: know thy customer.”

Data sourced from ICOM; additional content by World Advertising Research Centre  staff, 27 August 2010