November 08, 2011
The following is an article by Kontera’s Executive Vice President of Marketing, Ammiel Kamon that was originally published on the iMedia Connection blog.
The online shopping process isn’t just limited to your computer anymore.
Participating in the recent JD Power Automotive Internet Roundtable in Las Vegas, the biggest trends to emerge involved the potential of mobile and tablet, along with the importance of having a strong social media plan. There’s overwhelming data that speaks not only to the growth, but to the effectiveness of these emerging platforms for automotive marketers.
In the automotive vertical, mobile advertising has risen 239% in the last year and that appears to just be the tip of the iceberg. Here are some quick facts I came across at the conference:
However, it’s important to approach tablets with a unique strategy from smartphones, as shoppers use them for different purposes. For instance, Cars.com found their mobile site utilized for inventory search and car value lookups, while more new car related activity occurs on tablets. The key difference being with larger screens and better battery time, tablets lend themselves more to in depth research.
When properly optimized, tablets are a powerful way to reach interested consumers. Eric Miltsch of Auction Direct USA, reported how visitors accessing their used car website through a tablet are already converting 25-30% better than visitors from any other platform.
Even more than mobile and tablets, perhaps the hottest topic of conversation at the conference was about social media and how to harness it. Here are some fascinating statistics relating to social media:
These third party advocates represent a great untapped resource. Scott Kelly, who manages the Ford brand online, wisely observed that the Automotive industry abandons the customer right at the height of their emotional excitement –right after the purchase. By extending the period of engagement, the number of positive testimonials will substantially increase, thus influencing the next cycle of in-market shoppers.
Additionally, the sphere of influence is very top heavy; by reaching out specifically to the hyper influencers that are the most active in forums, you can also significantly raise your social media profile.
In all, the general message at the roundtable was the status quo is not enough. The convergence of mobile, tablets, and social media are significantly changing the experience of shopping for a new car. In order to reach a qualified in-market audience, the way Automotive is marketed needs to evolve as well.
I, and the Kontera team were honored to be invited to the event, and pleased to share our viewpoints on the relevance and benefits of tight Editorial Alignment within the mobile, tablet and social domains. We highly recommend next year’s JD Powers Automotive Digital Marketing Roundtable to any marketers, publishers and technology vendors who are interested in the future on-line direction of the automotive media landscape.
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Categories: Conferences & Events, Online Advertising Industry, Social Media
If you have a sweet tooth, this was definitely the day to be at the Kontera Israel offices.
Kicking off Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year), we celebrated with a toast and an absolutely gorgeous spread, themed around the traditional holiday ingredients of apples and honey.
The dishes included honey cakes, apple pies, and a wonderful array of fruit dishes including caramelized apples and pomegranates. In fact the display, with the fruits cups and linked plastic apples weaving across the table was almost too beautiful to eat, though somehow we managed 
Kontera CEO Yoav Shaham raised his cup in a toast, and both he and Kontera Co-Founder and EVP of Product Development Assaf Henkin wished everyone in the company a happy and healthy new year with much success, both personally and professionally.
Also on hand were Kontera President Hal Muchnick, EVP of Marketing Ammiel Kamon, and Senior Vice President, Publisher Network and Delivery Mathew Haugen, who were visiting from the U.S. Hal wished the Kontera Israel staff a Shana Tova (Good Year), while Mathew (above center in the white shirt) modeled the latest in Israel fashion. Unfortunately the airline had lost Mathew’s luggage, forcing his unplanned new wardrobe.
In all, it was a great event and a delicious start to a promising new year.
The following is an article by Kontera’s Executive Vice President of Marketing, Ammiel Kamon that was originally published on the iMedia Connection blog.
The online shopping process isn’t just limited to your computer anymore.Participating in the recent JD Power Automotive Internet Roundtable in Las Vegas, the biggest trends to emerge involved the potential of mobile and tablet, along with the importance of having a strong social media plan. There’s overwhelming data that speaks not only to the growth, but to the effectiveness of these emerging platforms for automotive marketers.
In the automotive vertical, mobile advertising has risen 239% in the last year and that appears to just be the tip of the iceberg. Here are some quick facts I came across at the conference:
- Nielsen projects that by Christmas, one in two adults will have a smart phone.
- 50% of all new cars are expected to be purchased by either iPhone or Android owners.
- According to a JD Power study presented at the conference, almost ½ of in-market shoppers use their smart phones at some point during the process of choosing a car.
- 75% of in-market car shoppers engaged with social media on their phone.
However, it’s important to approach tablets with a unique strategy from smartphones, as shoppers use them for different purposes. For instance, Cars.com found their mobile site utilized for inventory search and car value lookups, while more new car related activity occurs on tablets. The key difference being with larger screens and better battery time, tablets lend themselves more to in depth research.
When properly optimized, tablets are a powerful way to reach interested consumers. Eric Miltsch of Auction Direct USA, reported how visitors accessing their used car website through a tablet are already converting 25-30% better than visitors from any other platform.
Even more than mobile and tablets, perhaps the hottest topic of conversation at the conference was about social media and how to harness it. Here are some fascinating statistics relating to social media:
- During 2011, 4 out of 5 new vehicle buyers are using the Internet in their buying process; looking at on average 3.7 models online.
- According to an Autoguide.com study, when purchase intent is expressed through social media 45% of the time it’s on forums, 21% on social networks, and 14% of the time on blogs.
- 2.4 million in-market shoppers used Facebook in some way to make a vehicle purchase decision.
- 58% of consumers are likely to mention their new car and/or buying experience via social media.
- 82% of mentions about car purchases on social media are positive.
These third party advocates represent a great untapped resource. Scott Kelly, who manages the Ford brand online, wisely observed that the Automotive industry abandons the customer right at the height of their emotional excitement –right after the purchase. By extending the period of engagement, the number of positive testimonials will substantially increase, thus influencing the next cycle of in-market shoppers.
Additionally, the sphere of influence is very top heavy; by reaching out specifically to the hyper influencers that are the most active in forums, you can also significantly raise your social media profile.
In all, the general message at the roundtable was the status quo is not enough. The convergence of mobile, tablets, and social media are significantly changing the experience of shopping for a new car. In order to reach a qualified in-market audience, the way Automotive is marketed needs to evolve as well.
I, and the Kontera team were honored to be invited to the event, and pleased to share our viewpoints on the relevance and benefits of tight Editorial Alignment within the mobile, tablet and social domains. We highly recommend next year’s JD Powers Automotive Digital Marketing Roundtable to any marketers, publishers and technology vendors who are interested in the future on-line direction of the automotive media landscape.
Categories: Conferences & Events, Online Advertising Industry, Social Media
November 07, 2011 
A scuba-diving troll, a roller-skating disco king and a vampire walk into a room….
That might sound like the start of a joke, but actually it’s just a few examples of the creativity on display at Kontera San Francisco’s Annual Halloween Bash. We had a great turnout; and whether the costumes were spooky or spunky, everyone in the office brought their “A” game to the party.
Notable outfits include an actual game of Minesweeper, a frog prince, Wilfred, Abe Lincoln, a 30s gangster, a crew of air traffic controllers, Ramona Flowers from Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, Lobster Johnson (Hellboy comics) , The Pink Ribbon Crusader and many more.
For the second year in a row, MariCate won the award for most Original Costume. Her interpretation of a scuba-diving troll was hilarious!
Second place went to Cara, who came as Ramona Flowers. Bonus coins for nailing Ramona’s purse and giant hammer.
Coming in third was Iana for her Honest Abe outfit. No lie, she pulled together an exceptional costume, right down to the period mutton chops.
We also managed to get in a few silly games including Witch Hat Ring Toss and Pin the Tail on the Cat. Nothing like a little friendly competition to make things interesting
Congratulations to all of the winners, who were awarded gifts cards and a big thank you to everyone in the office for participating in this great event. We can’t wait to see what you wear next year!
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Categories: Conferences & Events, Inside Kontera
That might sound like the start of a joke, but actually it’s just a few examples of the creativity on display at Kontera San Francisco’s Annual Halloween Bash. We had a great turnout; and whether the costumes were spooky or spunky, everyone in the office brought their “A” game to the party.
We also managed to get in a few silly games including Witch Hat Ring Toss and Pin the Tail on the Cat. Nothing like a little friendly competition to make things interesting
Categories: Conferences & Events, Inside Kontera
October 27, 2011 
When was the last time YOU ran wildly through the streets of New York (and NOT because you were running late)?
Recently, twelve teams from some of the most prestigious advertising agencies in NYC did just that while competing in the Second Annual Kontera Kup Challenge! The Amazing Race-style pub crawl challenged twelve teams of 4 to compete in various games at bars throughout Midtown Manhattan. The first team to complete the challenges at all five bars would be awarded the coveted Kontera Kup trophy.
After appetizers, cocktails, and socializing, the competition kicked off with an intense round of trivia, which included a bonus challenge that allowed the top four teams to skip a trivia question. Those who knew Kontera’s new offerings (including Mobile and Social Boost,) were the first ones out the door! A bowling game followed as well as a minute-to-win-it style challenge. Ultimately, the teams raced to complete a Kontera puzzle at the final bar for the win.
The competition was fierce, but the 2011 Kontera Kup Championship title was awarded to Team Boom Boom of Mediavest. It was the second consecutive year that a team from Mediavest walked away with the trophy. Second place went to Maxus’ team P-Rally and the women from PubMo Powerhouse (Publicis Modem) rounded out third. Prizes were awarded to each team by Regional VP of Sales Scott Lareau. The winners’ names will be engraved onto the Kontera Kup, which is now theirs to brag about for a full year.
A night of partying ensued in celebration of another successful Kontera Kup Challenge. We were thrilled to have Initiative, Maxus, MEC Global, Mediacom, Mediavest, Mindshare, Publicis Modem, SMG, Starcom, and many more agencies there to celebrate. The teams, local agency representatives, and Kontera staff enjoyed good company, great music, and bottomless drinks for the rest of the evening.
Thank you to all who contributed in making this the greatest Kontera Kup Challenge yet and congratulations to all the winners. Team Boom Boom, we look forward to seeing you defend your title in next year’s games!
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Categories: Conferences & Events
Recently, twelve teams from some of the most prestigious advertising agencies in NYC did just that while competing in the Second Annual Kontera Kup Challenge! The Amazing Race-style pub crawl challenged twelve teams of 4 to compete in various games at bars throughout Midtown Manhattan. The first team to complete the challenges at all five bars would be awarded the coveted Kontera Kup trophy.
A night of partying ensued in celebration of another successful Kontera Kup Challenge. We were thrilled to have Initiative, Maxus, MEC Global, Mediacom, Mediavest, Mindshare, Publicis Modem, SMG, Starcom, and many more agencies there to celebrate. The teams, local agency representatives, and Kontera staff enjoyed good company, great music, and bottomless drinks for the rest of the evening.
Thank you to all who contributed in making this the greatest Kontera Kup Challenge yet and congratulations to all the winners. Team Boom Boom, we look forward to seeing you defend your title in next year’s games!
Congratulations to the Winners:
1st Place (above) Team Boom Boom (Mediavest)
AJ Magali, Willis Chan, Jeff Gores & Adam Lee
2nd Place (left) P- Rally (Maxus)
Sage Saperstein, Kevin Fitzpatrick, Marc Tammen & Barrie Shron
3rd Place (right) PubMo Powerhouse (Publicis Modem)
Meagan Norman, Caitlin McManus, Blakely Low & Justin Civello
Categories: Conferences & Events
October 12, 2011 
What makes an effective brand advertising campaign?
That was the core question at “The Ad Effectiveness X-Factor” panel, held last week as part at the 8th annual Advertising Week in Manhattan. Moderated by Kontera’s own EVP of Marketing, Ammiel Kamon, the esteemed speakers were Jason Krebs the CMO of Tremor Media; Sean O’Neal, the CRO of Vizu; Joe Zawadzki, the CEO of MediaMath; Florian Kahlert , SVP of Dimestore; and Kontera President Hal Muchnick.
Each industry insider shared an internal case study that provided a unique perspective on brand media strategies for either video, social, editorial placement, or display audience buying. Here are some of the key takeaways:
Another repeated theme during the panel was how placement matters for engagement. Aside from Hal Muchnick’s presentation on Kontera’s Ritz crackers/Glee Social ad unit, both the Vizu and Dimestore case studies spoke directly to the effectiveness Kontera’s contextual ads. For instance, in their brand study of a leading over the counter pain reliever, Vizu found that Kontera’s Editorial Placed units significantly outperformed the portal and endemic sites running the same campaign.
It truly was a fascinating discussion and well worth checking out. You can see video of the entire panel here.
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Categories: Conferences & Events, Online Advertising Industry, Optimization, PPC Advertising
October 05, 2011 
That was the core question at “The Ad Effectiveness X-Factor” panel, held last week as part at the 8th annual Advertising Week in Manhattan. Moderated by Kontera’s own EVP of Marketing, Ammiel Kamon, the esteemed speakers were Jason Krebs the CMO of Tremor Media; Sean O’Neal, the CRO of Vizu; Joe Zawadzki, the CEO of MediaMath; Florian Kahlert , SVP of Dimestore; and Kontera President Hal Muchnick.
Each industry insider shared an internal case study that provided a unique perspective on brand media strategies for either video, social, editorial placement, or display audience buying. Here are some of the key takeaways:
- Always measure the success of a brand campaign by real time brand lift, not by clicks.
- With online in-stream video, it’s not enough to syndicate TV ads, adding interactive elements will dramatically increase engagement.
- The best day for brand lift varies by vertical. For instance with hair products, Wednesday is the best day, while Sunday is the worst.
- You can save as much as $100,000 in buy effectiveness by optimizing a campaign in real time. Depending on when you start getting stable data, you can start optimizing within a day.
- Video is very hot right now and showing particular lift for CPG brands.
It truly was a fascinating discussion and well worth checking out. You can see video of the entire panel here.
Categories: Conferences & Events, Online Advertising Industry, Optimization, PPC Advertising
Kicking off Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year), we celebrated with a toast and an absolutely gorgeous spread, themed around the traditional holiday ingredients of apples and honey.
In all, it was a great event and a delicious start to a promising new year.
