DaveLindberg.net

The initial numbers for the holiday season are already coming in. Comscore reports a 19% increase in online revenue for the 2007 holiday season (November 1-December 27), to $28 billion. Spending for the peak holiday season (Black Friday - Christmas Eve) increased by 21% over the same period, although an extra day between Thanksgiving and Christmas 2007 skews the results slightly. In any event, with the economy being hit by changes in housing & energy costs, this late-season rebound is great, even though it raises questions about some of the early season promotions that were so highly publicized.

Comscore lists a 20.5% annual growth — to $123 billion for 2007, up from $102b in ‘06. Their base numbers are a bit off from the Forrester/Shop.org report issued last May, which came up with 2006 online retail sales of $146 billion.

But let’s not quibble. After all, give or take twenty billion, it’s worth noting that both sources agreed on a projection of 19% online retail growth for 2007, so 20.5% is welcome news.

Congratulations to all who met or surpassed their online sales goals in 2007. From here, the prospects for 2008 look bright.

Another end-of-year post: a selection of images taken during 2007. If less is more, here’s a lot. Fewer shots this year than in the 2006 set, and all locations within a 5 mile radius. See the slideshow or click a tnail.

A list of the best marketing books I’ve had the pleasure of reading during the past year. There were others that were professionally important but overly technical, more that made the effort but not the grade. Each of these combines a fresh approach to thinking about eComm with clear and often entertaining writing skills.

Have a recommendation? Feel free to post it here — I’ve got some travel time booked and would love to catch up on the latest.

The algorithms used by larger Pay Per Click advertisers can produce some less-than-stellar ads — and, we can assume, sales results to match.
ROI Revolution has posted their second Funny Adwords Contest. This time, contenders include “Quality Low at Amazon.com” and “Sell Your Soul on eBay“. Vote for your favorites, or check out the Round 1 Winners.

In the local news today, an analysis of Vermont Governor James Douglas’ plan to develop and market a Vermont-branded standard for evaluating carbon offsets. Among the wealth of political opinions and posturing, a comment by “free-market advocate” John McLaughry caught my eye.

After expressing his strong skepticism on the carbon credit program — “I can’t get very excited about it. I think the whole thing is a giant scam” — he then advocates promoting the program based on Vermont’s reputation for environmental responsibility.

“It is trading on Vermont’s green reputation. Any way you can market that to a customer who will pay a premium for it, so much the better.”

Ouch. Regardless of your political stance, that’s a dangerous take on marketing.

Brands and products that fail to deliver real value to their customers are doomed in any market. It’s enough of a challenge to create success with a product that you’re completely behind, one that offers value and innovation. Driving success from a product you believe to be inadequate is a fool’s mission in any market.

And if you’re fortunate enough to have a successful brand, you’ve inherited a responsibility to maintain its integrity. This responsibility extends to your stakeholders, vendors, employees and your customers.

The State of Vermont has been fairly consistent over the years in its understanding of the value a positive brand image can have on the regional economy, although the resulting creative efforts have been less reliable. As the state’s Department of Tourism explains in How to Use the Vermont Brand,

The brand exists solely in the minds of consumers and it encompasses their overall perceptions and attitudes of Vermont.

I’m not going to offer an opinion on the validity of the Governor’s carbon credit proposal. But let’s be clear: there’s no room for disingenuous marketing strategies that seek to tarnish the authenticity and reliability that add to the Vermont brand.