Last week, the IAB released a report showing that online ad revenues increased 22% in 2011 reaching $31 billion, a record-breaking figure. Mobile saw the fastest growth with a 149% increase to $1.6 billion, while digital video increased 29% year-over-year and search was up 27%.

So if you haven’t dabbled in digital media planning yet, what’s holding you back? We’re planning to release a white paper on the 10 best practices of digital media planning soon, but until that’s ready, let us dispel a few of the most common fallacies we hear about online advertising.

1. It’s expensive. Like all forms of advertising, there are cut-rate and costly ways to achieve your goals, reach the right audience and get your message across. The benefit of digital is that you can reach thousands of highly-targeted people at the same time, meaning it might actually cost a lot less to run an online ad campaign versus other mediums. Plus, targeting can make your campaigns more effective without a gigantic uptick in price. 

2. It’s obnoxious and scam-like. It doesn’t have to be if you use behavioral targeting and think about your target audience. Are you using the right message, is the creative clean and crisp? Your online ads shouldn’t look junk mail. A poll commissioned by the Digital Advertising Alliance (DAA) found that 75 percent of consumers surveyed prefer the current Internet model where majority of content is free, but includes ads. Further, more than 75 percent said they should be able to choose the types of ads they see and how they are generated. Consumers want some control over their ads. Marketers and agencies need to ensure they can deliver relevant, valuable and engaging advertising.

3. It’s complicated. You don’t have to be an expert to plan and execute a digital campaign. As with other forms of advertising, objective dictates strategy. Good planning is the key to a successful ad campaign, along with audience development and research. Do your homework and start small. Make realistic and specific goals that can be measured. Google Adwords and social media advertising are often among the first online ad mediums marketers begin with.

4. Banners are dying. While it’s hard to argue that banners are exceptionally effective, marketers should still consider using them in the right context. Banners can be successful as part of an overall digital campaign, but creativity and media placement are critical. Remember that conversions are tough to achieve with any display ad, but banners do offer an easy and cheap way to introduce your brand to prospects. Plus, do you think billboards are going away any time soon? Probably not.

5. It’s unnecessary if I’m a local business. False! Digital offers a unique proposition for local advertisers and marketers, especially because smartphones and location-based apps offer enhanced ways to target the right consumers. BIA/Kelsey’s March 2013 forecast of U.S. local media ad spending reports that digital’s place in local advertising will continue to expand. They expect traditional spending to drop from $109.4 billion to $107 billion in 2013 and digital spending to increase from $23 billion to $25.7 billion.

In the SRDS.com database, we offer media planning data on more than 22,000 local and national websites. The right digital sites are out there. It’s up to you to explore the possibilities.

Hopefully this makes the world of online advertising a little bit more approachable. Just like other media types, every campaign should be backed by a well-thought plan, including objectives and specific metrics to determine if your digital effort is successful.

Stay on the lookout for our digital media planning white paper that delves deeper into these topics and more!

Smartphones and tablets make our lives easier as consumers, but for marketers they’re a blessing and a curse. Sure, they give marketers another potential way to reach and connect with prospects. But that doesn’t make it easy. Cluttered is an understatement when describing the digital world. It’s easy to be lost if a marketer doesn’t make moves to ensure that the brand can be found by your prospects.

Being discovered online happens two ways: organically through browsing sites and social networks (the prospect isn’t specifically searching for your brand) and through search engines (they are more often than not searching for your brand or something related).

In the last 10 years, marketers have focused on being discoverable through SEO. But these days, being discoverable goes way beyond traditional search. Of course, it’s still important that your brand shows up when prospects searching for related keywords. If you’re a small chocolate company based in Austin, Texas, if someone types on Google, “dark chocolate store in Texas,” you definitely want to appear in those results.

But the truth is that not every prospect knows specifically what they’d like to search for, and many surf the Internet to kill some time. We now live in a world of browsers and it’s common for someone to scan the headlines on Daily Beast then look for funny cat videos on YouTube and then browse through dessert recipes on Pinterest.

Being more discoverable on these heavily browsed sites can set brands apart in the digital landscape.

Here are some of our ideas to ensure that your brand is found amongst the crowds.

1. Create relevant, high-quality content with a focus on engagement rather than lead generation. Ask your customers what topics interest them and create content around that. Once you start to determine the themes/posts that get the most traffic/shares, you can then work on optimizing to make sure that you’re getting email addresses and other key information from your prospects. Keep this in mind for your blog and website specifically, but for other types of content too, including white papers, infographics and podcasts.
2. Social network thoughtfully. Before you jump in and create an account with every social media site out there, take a step back to determine where your current customers engage. Your brand’s presence should depend on where your consumers and prospects interact. If you’re a b-to-b company focused on researching the behaviors and attitudes of lawyers, it might not make sense to spend most of your time on Facebook. LinkedIn might be a better fit.  If you’re a brick-and-mortar store with customers that love coupons, Foursquare might be for you. Do your research, ask your customers which sites they’re on and use that to inform your strategy.
3. Engage in every way you can. Crafting your own original content is essential, but it’s also important to read and engage with your customers and prospects elsewhere. You should already read the magazines and newsletters they read. Is there an upcoming Tweetup related to your niche topic? Take part! Link to outstanding articles that you think they would enjoy on your blog. Retweet them when they say something your brand would agree with. Consider advertising on the sites they visit. Comment on their content. Get in front of them in all the places possible – not just on the sites you own. And above all, remember to be authentic.

What are your ideas for ensuring your brand is found online?

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Make that another cha-ching for BuzzFeed. According to a recent press release, BuzzFeed is launching its new Social Storytelling Creator Program, which trains agencies on how to create BuzzFeed-like branded content. Really it’s a way to teach interested advertisers on how to produce high-quality sponsored content (native advertising) that will ultimately appear on BuzzFeed.com.

Agencies that complete the program are “accredited” by BuzzFeed. They receive a badge to place on their website, gain access to a new analytics tool as well as other benefits. You don’t have to pay BuzzFeed to enlist in the program either. But the company does plan on requiring minimum budgets from the agencies' clients, meaning if you join the program, you should be ready to spend major bucks to advertise on BuzzFeed and show off what you’ve learned in the program by creating some star-quality content

Once an agency completes the program, they can post stories directly to the BuzzFeed site, although BuzzFeed staffers will review the articles before they’re live.

The pilot program will launch in Q3 with VaynerMedia as the first agency to sign on. The pilot will include:

• Training on the BuzzFeed platform from team members that work exclusively on branded content
• Kickoff workshops with each client participating in the program
• Weekly joint content reviews between BuzzFeed team members, agency team members, and agency clients piloting the program.
• Aggregate reporting for agency across all clients to determine best practices and successful content formats
• Staff exchange program between agency and BuzzFeed
• Early access to new BuzzFeed features, and creative/ad products

It sounds like a no-brainer win for BuzzFeed.

When you enter the corporate world, you might assume that your test-taking days are over. Not so at AOL. ClickZ reports that AOL is the first large-scale company to require every member of its digital sales team to pass the IAB Digital Media Sales Certification exam. The goal is to ensure that employees always stay up-to-date on all topics and trends related to online advertising.

To become certified, each staff member must pass the IAB test, which covers general knowledge of the interactive advertising ecosystem, selling digital media, managing digital advertising campaigns and analyzing campaign performance.

According to IAB, the exam is designed for salespeople with 2-5 years of digital industry experience who already have a good understanding of industry issues, players and operations, along with knowledge of each major digital platform.

The test costs $400 for IAB members and $500 for non-members.

Since the exam launched, more than 900 people have applied to take the test, according to AdWeek and more than 600 individuals have passed so far.

Will AOL’s competitors like Google, Yahoo! and MSN follow suit? My guess is no for Google, since the company is already synonymous with digital expertise, but possibly for Yahoo! and MSN.

Automotive manufacturers have been very active in the online video market. But each company is taking a different approach to reach their prospects, according to Kantar Media's newest white paper. The paper provides insights on digital video with a focus on car advertisements.

Did you know that the categories with the highest percentage of brands using online video are video games and auto manufacturers? If you think about it, it makes sense. Both of these industries benefit the most from showing their products in action.

Here are few other nuggets of info we learned after reading the piece:

1. Dodge and Honda had the greatest share of voice among auto manufacturers in digital video.
2. Dodge's share of voice for digital video ads was more than four times greater than its share for TV.
3. Almost three-fourths of the auto manufacturers that advertised via online video place more than half of their digital video ad time on TV Network websites.

Download the full report here and let us know what you think!

Sponsored content (or native advertising) is becoming a smoother and less intrusive way for digital publishers to make revenue without relying on display ads. Major sites like BuzzFeed, Forbes, The Huffington Post and Gawker all offer native advertising. And ethics aside, this model seems to be working. According to AdWeek:

“In the wake of a Pew report that sponsorship advertising was up 40 percent in 2012, Forbes Media is touting the growth of its own revenues—thanks, in part, to its success with native ads.”

But when you consider a medium like print, advertorials are typically frowned upon by readers and the writing staff. Especially in newspapers, advertising and editorial are viewed almost like church and state. Even if you clearly label something as advertising, many print readers get angry.

Is that about to change?

ESPN: The Magazine announced that in its upcoming 15th anniversary issue, it will run an editorial sidebar with the words "Cold Hard Facts presented by Coors Light" on the page, according to AdWeek. Unlike the online native advertising model where the advertiser manages the content, ESPN will have complete control over the sidebars. MillerCoors won’t even get to see the content before publication.

That may sound a tad dicey for an advertiser, but when you consider the fact that ESPN and MillerCoors have a long-standing relationship in broadcast-sponsored content, it’s really not a big risk. If you watch SportsCenter, you’ll often see segments called “Coors Cold Hard Facts." During these segments, the anchor asks a sports analyst six questions, alluding to a six pack of Coors. Again, MillerCoors doesn’t control the content. They’re simply paying to be tied to ESPN and content that they believe will be interesting to their target audience.

So is this case really an advertorial? I don’t think so. It’s an interesting take on sponsored content but because Miller isn’t producing the content I have a hard time labeling it an advertorial. This isn’t purely pay-to-play. It’s pay to be mentioned as a sponsor and be associated with our high-quality content. And that’s OK with me.

Do you place different values on digital, broadcast and print sponsored content?

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As a recent college graduate, I’m always interested in career-related articles, like “the top-paying jobs for people in their 20s” or “the most popular majors for Generation Y.” So when I saw iMedia Connection’s list of the 5 hottest job opportunities in digital marketing, curiosity struck and I clicked.

Good news for SRDS.com users. Digital media planner made the list!

According to the article, “While the traditional media planner of yesteryear is somewhat of a one-person department (or even merely a name on a list of approved outsource vendors), the digital media planner and buyer might be part of a department in the making.”

But while digital media planner is a hot career, that doesn’t necessarily make the industry any easier to break into. Read on for 7 things you need to read to help you get the digital media planner job of your dreams.

1. What is Media Planning? – Walk before you run. Let us give you the basics on media planning. Simply put, it’s one of the four key disciplines within advertising, along with account management, brand planning and developing creative. Typically media planning is a role that falls to an outside agency, but some companies choose to keep it in-house. More >>
2. Digital Media Planning Guidelines – Last year, our friends at Milward Brown analyzed the evidence from several of their studies to create straightforward, evidenced-based guidelines for marketers who want to make the most effective use of digital media as part of an integrated campaign. It’s a must-read for any on in the online advertising space. More >>
3. 7 Best Practices for Digital Media Planning - There’s no reason to fear digital if you’ve done your homework, says Ginny Ewing, one of our in-house digital experts. Smart planning, smart targeting, as well as relevant and powerful creative are your best tools to fight the fear. More >>
4. Top 5 Marketable Skills for New Media Planners and Buyers – It’s nice to hear that digital media planner is one of the hottest jobs right now, but do you have the skills needed to land the role? We asked SRDS.com users, “What advice would you give to new graduates looking for a media job at an agency?” More >>
5. Our 40 Favorite Websites on Media, Advertising & More – When you’re in the business of loving media, staying up-to-date with industry news, tips and trends isn’t just optional, it’s a necessary obsession – and a fun one at that! Check out the favorite industry newsletters/sites of Kantar Media SRDS employees at the link.
6. Media Planning in 2013 – At the end of 2012, Jacki Premak shared her predictions for what the changing world of media planning would be like this year as well as recommendations and considerations to keep in mind. Her main takeaway: Media planning in 2013 will consist of innovations and opportunities mixed with the everyday challenges we’re all accustomed to. More >>
7. How To Find the Best Digital Advertising Opportunities - Ad pros know that time is money when you’re crafting a campaign. While Google can be great for basic information, it can be frustrating to use when you’re looking for advertising opportunities for your plan. Simply put, website ad rates are hard to find through a search engine. Find out how to easily get the right information on digital ad opportunities here.

Have a question about the role Kantar Media SRDS has in the digital advertising world? Let us know.

Ad network Jun Group understands that advertisers often have a difficult time trusting networks and publishers. That’s why it’s now offering a money-back guarantee if it delivers undesirable ad types, including pop-under ads, autoplay videos, phony impressions and ads on ghost sites.

The Jun Group campaign, “Clarity,” promises advertisers total transparency and control to see where your ads are running.

Jun Group isn’t a tiny player in the game either. The network distributes videos on premium content, apps, music/entertainment platforms and social games. Its clients include Microsoft, Allstate, Jim Bean and Cadillac. The publishers in the company’s portfolio include Disney, Forbes, Food Network and others.

According to AdWeek:

“Besides promising clients that nothing bad will happen with their ads, Jun's new pledge (100 percent viewable, 100 percent opt-in, 100 percent guaranteed) is tied to the release of a new analytics product.”

The product allows advertisers to look up where each of their ads is running or has run. It also gives them the ability to allocate their budgets toward desired sites.

Jun Group isn’t the first network to guarantee high-quality placements. In 2008, Undertone Networks began a program in which it promised advertisers a refund of up to $50,000 if ads didn’t appear on high quality digital publishers.

Undertone Networks don’t state how many of these refunds have actually been delivered, but you have to think that it must be pretty tough for an agency or advertiser to find their ad running on “poor-quality” sites. It’s not like those are the sites they visit on a daily basis or that they have the time to surf for them.

So while it’s unclear how effective these pledges and guarantees are or will be in the future, they do seem to offer some measure of clarity that’s not easy to find among many networks.

Advertisers/Marketers: Does a pledge like this make you more willing to work with an ad network?

Our data team strives to provide users with the most updated media planning data within SRDS.com. In April, the team made a total of 8,501 updates to the SRDS.com databases with the largest chunk of updates coming from the business publication database. Here's the full breakdown:

• 1,921 newspaper updates
• 54 out-of-home updates
• 409 TV & cable updates
• 717 radio updates
• 1,207 digital updates
• 3,343 business publications updates
• 850 consumer magazine updates

We know that current data matters, so log in and check out some of the changes!

Are digital campaigns the best way to market to millennials? It sure seems like many marketers think so. If you haven’t noticed it across industry headlines, there’s been an uptick in brands committing major resources to getting in front of Generation Y digitally.

Take Coca Cola. The company just released its first-ever digital-only campaign to teens called the “The AHH Effect.” Mobile platforms are the medium of choice for the campaign with most of the content primed for quick hits, including mini-games, videos and multimedia content. There are 17 digital experiences, starting at ahh.com. Adding an “h” to the URL allows visitors to access a new experience. Going forward, Coke plans to use paid and owned media on Facebook and Twitter to encourage teens to create their own experiences for the brand. Coke will select and include 25 users experiences in the campaign.

Retailer Nordstrom is launching a campaign promoting the concept of “Youphoria,” according to the New York Times. Tactics include videos featuring young adults involved in various outdoor activities like chopping wood. Naturally, these millennials are dressed to impress in Nordstrom gear.  It’s meant to show that everyone can find an affordable style at Nordstrom that fits their character. The videos are available on YouTube and promoted via Twitter, Facebook and the Nordstrom website.

Other companies, like Budweiser, are opting to reach millennials through a product change supported digitally. The company’s newly designed bow-tie beer-can will be released this spring, hoping to take advantage of the hip fashion trend of wearing bow-ties, according to MediaBistro. The can will be marketed directly to younger beer drinkers with a multimedia campaign that spans digital, print, and TV promotions.

As these brands jump on the millennial bandwagon, they'd also be advised to study some of the brands that this generation already loves. According to iMedia Connection, these include Coachella, Nike and Pretzel Crisps.

Are you using a digital campaign to reach your target millennials?

Did you know that srds.com helps agencies and marketers keep pace with all types of Latino-targeted multimedia? Our Hispanic Media and Market Source™ print service offers everything media planners and buyers need to develop an integrated marketing campaign to communicate with this market effectively.

That’s why when we saw this just-released infographic from Scarborough, we had to share it. Based on a custom study commissioned by AHAA and AARP, the image identifies the different business opportunities within the generationally diverse Hispanic population. Specifically, it highlights how marketers and ad agencies can effectively reach Hispanic millennials, Generation Xers and Baby Boomers by recognizes cross-generational differences and cultural orientation.

Here are three interesting tidbits.

1. Hispanic consumers are more likely to travel abroad than non-Hispanics. Hispanic Baby Boomers are 22% more likely than Hispanic Millennials to travel outside the U.S.
2. Hispanic consumers are 77% more likely than non-Hispanics to plan to switch wireless providers in the next twelve months.
3. Hispanic Baby Boomers are 73% more likely than their Hispanic Millennial counterparts to have life insurance policies.

Download the full report here or take a look at top-level findings in the infographic below.

Paid search is hot and competitive market, but can you guess which retailers were the top players in 2012? AdGooroo’s new infographic offer details on last year’s top 10 spending retail categories in paid search along with the top retailers in each category by impressions.

When taken together, retailers spent over $2 billion for paid search in 2012. Amazon took the top spot among mass retailers when looking at U.S. Google Adwords impressions. That’s not too surprising considering it’s the only one on the mass retailers list that is purely digital. Target, Wal-Mart, JCPenney and Macys all have brick and mortal store-fronts.

Check out the infographic below to get a sneak peak of the paid search retail universe and then get the full report here.

Full disclosure: AdGooroo, like SRDS, is part of Kantar Media.

Have you seen the AdWeek story from last month about the latest online advertising blunder? A banner ad for a criminal lawyer’s firm appeared on the same page as his DUI mug shot. Ouch! While this is a relatively small-scale mistake, take a look at the McDonald’s ad screenshot above. It’s definitely not a PR nightmare but it certainly doesn’t do the fast food chain any favors.

With all of the targeting capabilities, keyword analysis and advanced data systems that marketers have access to, it’s surprising that so many mistakes like this still happen with online ads. There’s even a Pinterest board featuring some of the biggest digital gaffes.

As more small businesses and local companies begin to explore online ads, they still need to be equipped with the basics so slipups like this don’t happen. With the Internet, even the tiniest error can be blown out of proportion for the whole world to see.

We’re currently working on a white paper that covers the basics of online media planning, including best practices for marketers so that you can cut down on the chances of making mistakes like these. You can also visit iMedia Connection for some good information on how quality, brand safety and advertiser category data can protect you from an online ad fail.

“Before the iPhone, cyberspace was something you went to your desk to visit. Now cyberspace is something you carry in your pocket.” - Paul Saffo

It's true, mobile and specifically smartphones have changed everything. But it's still not as easy as it seems for marketers and agencies to develop extremely effective mobile promotion plans and strategies. Retailers are expected to invest $55 billion annually in mobile by 2015, according to a new study from Juniper Research. With high stakes both in terms of investment and consumer demands, companies want to know which steps to take in order to create a successful mobile strategy.

I'd like to share the steps I think can help get the ball rolling.

1. Objectives: Identifying goals and objectives for the mobile channel.

It goes without saying that mobile goals and objectives should be related to the overall business objectives of the company. To help with the process, think about how a mobile channel can help you meet your business objectives. Many brands could have avoided developing mobile apps for download that were abandoned shortly thereafter by asking these questions:

• What do you want your mobile app to accomplish?
• Would you like to drive traffic to a store?
• Would you like customers to have any channel for support?
• At customer need can you meet that helps to achieve your business objective?

Tiffany & Co’s ”Find your Engagement Ring” mobile app is a perfect example of execution based on extensive, well-formulated research on the target audience and clearly defined business objectives. It clearly targets men who have a problem identifying the ring size for women they would like to propose to. It still showcases the product, but it solves the major hurdle in the purchasing process.

2. People: Defining the profile of the target audience.

Existing customers, new customers, what do you know about your target? Social media can be the hero and provide a wealth of knowledge about your different segments, especially smartphone users. The more marketers know about social media and mobile usage, the clearer it becomes that mobile and social experiences are interconnected and inseparable. According to OnSite Consulting’s 2011 report, 56 percent of connected smartphone users follow a brand on social media. By listening to the conversation on social networks and identifying what is being said about your brand and product, you can also identify specific problems and pain points to address with your mobile app and inform the direction of your strategy.

It is also helpful to look at the “Customer Hourglass,” Altimeter’ social model of purchase. The funnel looks at the entire customer experience pre- and post-sale. Incorporating the customer hourglass and understanding how to engage with your target consumer at each step will provide you with invaluable insight into their specific needs, which then could be satisfied by a mobile app.

3. Strategy: Determining the right approach for meeting said objectives.

Once you have identified your target audience and set your objectives for the mobile channel, choosing the right mobile development strategy becomes easier. It is important to keep in mind that your strategy is more than an appropriate technology, but it is also about reaching the right people with the right features required to meet the objectives you’ve set. Effective mobile solutions require unique and specific planning, tactics, integration and implementation. Use scenarios to establish interaction models. Scenarios must be realistic and in-context. If a feature doesn’t work within a realistic user scenario, cut it. Mobile users demand two main things when it comes to mobile experiences: content and convenience. At this stage, you should have a close to complete idea of your mobile application, functionality, features, usage scenarios, support system and operating systems.

4. Technology: Choosing the development technology that fits the strategy.

There are many development options available, and the development space is undergoing changes. This stage will be handled primarily by your technical team or a vendor, but it is important to establish right amount of cross-functional rapport to understand the process. In the perfect scenario you should have a team consisting of marketing, user experience, strategy and it members available through the entire process When choosing the development option, try to stay up to date with trends and general developments of the mobile space. In conclusion, remember that customers are increasingly looking for a full experience. To stand out in a sea of choices, your app must not only to draw attention initially, but withstand the test of time by delivering the promised value quickly and providing an incentive for continued engagement.

Marketers/Agencies: What are your best practices for creating a mobile strategy?

If the chart above is any indication, the digital music space is overflowing with options for anyone looking to stream some tunes. From music video site Vevo, to free music streaming service Songza, to the interactive Internet radio service Slacker, the digital music options are truly unlimited.

But according to Kantar Media SRDS employees, there’s a clear favorite among the pack.

Pandora is the most used Internet music service among our employees with iTunes trailing as a far second. Pandora is a top automated music recommendation service that has been around and digital for more than a decade. Its top perk is that when you listen to your favorite song or band, the site mines through its Music Genome Project database to find songs with musical similarities to your choice. Pandora offers users two subscription plans: free/ad-supported and fee-based/no ads.

Even though the online radio business is crowded, that isn’t stopping social networks and other digital companies from trying to grab some market share. Last week, Twitter made an announcement that it’s launching an iPhone app that helps users find music that's trending on Twitter and songs based on the artists/bands you follow. Whether the app will make a big splash remains to be seen, but it doesn’t look like any online radio service will top Pandora anytime soon for those working at Kantar Media SRDS.

How do you listen to music digitally?

One of my co-workers forwarded me this article, and if you haven’t read it yet, here’s the point:

Mashable reports that Android Police discovered code in YouTube’s most recent app update that suggests that Google may be developing pay-to-view YouTube channels. Specifically, the code alludes to subscribing and unsubscribing from paid YouTube channels, but only on the web version of the site. No subscription info in apps on the horizon, yet.

The idea that “high-quality” video content producers would charge their users to view videos is a tricky subject. Right off the bet there the question of what constitutes a channel that you’d have to pay to view? I don’t know that I would pay to watch any YouTube channel, but then again, I know many people that surf YouTube more than they use Google. They want to see how to cut a pomegranate rather than read about it. Tutorials and how-to’s might be prime for this time of payment model, but the real question is, will users pay?

Time will certainly tell. The other most logical channels that would charge would be TV show channels and those that are tied to musical performers. Whether or not this is just another rumor, it’s hard to ignore.

Publishers: Do you think it’s worth charging fees for users to view videos on your brand’s YouTube channel?

Only a short time ago, it would have seemed unimaginable that paywalls would be the accepted norm for media sites. But surprisingly, they have finally become accepted as the normal payment model for print publishers looking to make some money on their online content. Readers still complain about them of course, but we understand why they’re there. After all, media companies have to earn revenue off of their digital versions, and paywalls, though not perfect, are the method of choice.

Big newspaper media like The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal already charge readers after they’ve viewed a certain amount of articles and The Washington Post and the San Francisco Chronicle recently said they will charge readers for online content as well. Smaller papers are joining the ranks too.

But is the paywall the best way to for media companies to profit on digital? It’s certainly not the only way. Several third-party companies have begun offering online media passes in an attempt to find a different slant on the paywall model, but so far, few are making a big splash. Online media passes allow users to manage multiple digital subscriptions in one place and can offer a new way for media companies to gain revenue from their digital readers, according to Press+, which works with about 400 publishers.

Press+ argues that online media passes offer a way for a publisher to launch a metered subscription model, package web, mobile and tablet content into a single subscription package, boost circulation revenue by offering discounted digital access to print subscribers. Plus, it’s outsourced and doesn’t require the internal IT team’s time and effort.

Though Press+ is seeing some success, goliath Google didn’t fare so well. The company’s One Pass product only lasted about a year and only had two publishers join. In an article on EContent.com, author Alan Mutter said he believes Google’s product didn’t catch on because media companies were worried about what Google could do with their customer data.

However, Press+ argues that its model offers a win for publishers because it opens up new ways to turn a profit while preserving existing advertising revenue and online readers.

Similarly, blogger Andrew Sullivan made a big splash with his move into monthly passes, now offering access to his blog, The Dish, for $2 a month versus just a $20-a-year option. He uses TinyPass, another small company that that helps publishers sell content online. Clearly, online media passes demonstrate that they offer value, but will it be enough to take over paywalls?

Do you think online media passes will ever successfully surpass the paywall model?

Scarborough's newest infographic is particularly useful for digitally-minded yet location-specific media companies and marketers. Specifically, it tells the local story of how online media consumption has evolved over the past few years by identifying the top markets in key areas of online media to paint a picture of national trends.

One interesting nugget of info: Atlanta, Austin, San Francisco and Washington, DC are almost always in the top 10 for every online media activity in every year measured.

The infographic can help media and marketers narrow their focus, using layers of data to reach digital audiences and consumers more efficiently. Download the full infographic here.

Did any of the data surprise you?

Foursquare’s CEO Dennis Crowley announced that the company will try to make money outside of its app via check-in data, according to an article from AdAge. The company’s strategy involves a new ad product that uses the app’s location and psychographic data to contextualize ads on other platforms, giving advertisers the ability to use the data to target ads that are bought through ad exchanges or networks even when the individual isn’t using Foursquare.

From a revenue standpoint it makes a lot of sense for Foursquare to go this route but it’s a little surprising that it hasn’t happened sooner. Already Facebook and Twitter offer similar location-targeting ads and smartphones can be geo-located by apps and ads without Foursquare data. So the question is whether or not agencies and other marketers consider this data to be valuable enough to pay for it. That’s the real make or break for Foursquare.

Do you think that the ad world will respond well to this strategy?

The buzz word “SoLoMo” is a combination of the words “social,” “local” and “mobile.” Solomo represents a concept which is a tidal wave in our evolving society: the convergence of social, local and mobile technology. Our lives are changing dramatically as technology becomes more mobile, empowers deeper social connections and becomes localized.

What is SoLoMo?

• —Is it using social media sites like Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter?
• Or is it local like Foursquare, checking in on Facebook, advertising on my phone?
• What about the “mo” – is that mobile like seeing ads in my ipad or my browser if I search on my phone?

In short, the answer is yes to all of the questions above, and how they all work together and why it matters to consumers or to marketers. SoLoMo is a heady combination that when used well can dramatically improve lives and help companies increase their ROI on ad spends, and connect with consumers in a meaningful way.

SoLoMo is must for digital marketers because it allows them to target and communicate with your prospects in new and unique ways because technology has evolved in such a way that it allows us to intereact with consumers throughout the sales cycle.

How are you seeing marketers and agencies use SoLoMo effectively?