We’ve been saying for years that marketers MUST get a grip on how they allocate their advertising investments, and Yahoo! SVP of Sales agrees in this interesting article from AdWeek. Here’s a quote we just love!

As the world’s biggest online publisher, I’ve got some important advice for today’s marketers: You must devote more of your marketing dollars online, or else you run the risk of marketing to consumers that are not as engaged, or worse, are just not there. http://tinyurl.com/coyn7o

We’ve just engineered a tremendously exciting test between Yahoo! (exclusively) and one of our clients where the focus is to measure and calibrate how online advertising lifts retail sales, using our Click2MortarTM system. Everybody is looking forward to seeing the results…so stay tuned!

If you’re one of those media-watchers and Google doyennes that can’t wait to see the next pronouncement out of Mountain View, then wait no further: http://tinyurl.com/dgccx8 .

This article from AdAge talks about an impending White Paper suggesting that Display Advertising can be as productive as Search Engine Marketing. Fancy that. It only took Google 10 years to figure-out this great truth that we wrote about, and documented, way back in 2005!

Not having seen the White Paper yet, I can only presume that their research and media sample included only Google Search and their Site Targeting product. If my supposition is correct, there are several critical areas Site Targeting lags behind the rest of the industry in as it relates to targeting features. But let’s wait and see what the Paper reveals before I get much deeper into the color commentary zone.

I suppose the good news here is that since Google has a much larger voice than little ‘ol Blue Ribbon Digital, that their latest pronouncement can only have a positive impact on Display as a much-maligned media channel.

We shall see…

One of the mind-boggling issues that affects the fast food industry (among other retail categories) is that the industry simply refuses to understand is that Web advertising, along with the smaller-pipe mobile and social media channels is perhaps the single-most important marketing channel ever invented.

You see, when I managed the Hardee’s Food Systems business way back in 92-94, we spent dozens of millions of dollars between broadcast and radio every quarter to reach consumers where we hoped they would see our message. They did. It worked.

But c’mon already. It’s 2009, and consumers spend 3X’s MORE time on the Web than radio, 12X’s more time on the Web vs. reading newspapers, and we have evidence that Mom’s have already made up their minds as to WHERE they’re going to eaton any given day, by going to the Web and snacking/researching their next dining experience.

That’s why when I read articles like this one in Brandweek http://tinyurl.com/cae9tb regarding an email that Chick-Fil-a will do soon, it makes me angry. We met with the brand team more than 1.5 years ago and we shared all sorts of factual information, along with estimates as to how much business we could drive to their stores via Web advertising (not just site visits per the article), and 1.5 years later, they’ve screwed-up enough marketing prowess to deliver…tah dah!…an email.

And Chick-fil-A is NOT ALONE. Mickey-D’s, BK, Arby’s you name it still commit a fraction of their marketing dollars to Web marketing, and that’s not only a shame, it’s what I characterize as marketing malfeasance.

We have solutions in-hand with our Click2MortarTM Media offering that is a proven store and franchisee traffic-driver. I challenge them all to test our solutions and let’s show CMOs and CEOs that the fast food industry is finally on the fast track to improved business results!

You don’t have to take my word for it. Internet Retailer cites Forrester data in their April 10 Newsletter that the Web is a retailers best friend.

“But perhaps even more important, Walker adds, is that retail e-commerce sites have become crucial to successful store retailing. Although direct online sales account for only 6% of total retail sales, 75% of consumers routinely research products on retail web sites before making offline purchases, and by 2013, 40% of total retail sales will be initiated on the web, Forrester predicts.” Entire article here: http://tinyurl.com/cdleub

I’m simply amazed that the retailers, fast food category, retail banks, grocery stores and manufacturers haven’t yet figured-out what I already know, namely, that when you reach your customers and best prospects on the Web, THEY WILL COME TO THE STORE!