Carol Spieckerman's Brain On ... Facebook's IPO Foundation

In her latest contribution as a Retail Wire panelist, Carol concludes that Facebook has already delivered ... next comes the data.

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Here's what she had to say ... Facebook has arguably already delivered by creating the platform and attracting mega data miners like Walmart. How will retailers and brands make use of Facebook? By getting better and better at mining all of that juicy friends and friends-of-friends data. Bottom-up and peer-to-peer is one thing, marketing to interests and affinities rather than past purchase history is, and will continue to be, quite another.

Riche Niches: No Time to Freak Over Media Fragmentation

In Carol's latest article for the International Licensing Merchandiser's Association (LIMA), she explains why brand marketers can't afford to be freaked out by media fragmentation.

Just when you thought the cost of television airtime couldn’t climb any higher, thirty-second spots for last Sunday’s Super Bowl XLVI clocked in at a record average of $3.5 million. Although stratospheric, these bucks came with a huge bang, as the NFL anticipated scoring its largest television audience ever with a projected viewership of more than 111 million. While the go-big-or-go-home spend for primetime Super Bowl ads is a top story every February, it’s the NFL’s decision to stream the game live online for the first time that may provide the most interesting subtext from Sunday’s game.

In recent years, the NFL, like many brands, has been aggressive in its efforts to expand globally. By streaming the action online, it will open the door to millions of fans abroad and allow social media to play an even larger role across its viewership. That’s a stark contrast from the days when brands built value by funneling fans’ rapt attention into a single medium. How well the mindshare game is played across different platforms will set the tone for media spends for the rest of the year — and not just for the NFL.

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Social Gaming Building a Bridge to Female Shoppers at Best Buy?

Carol Spieckerman comments on Best Buy's latest moves in social gaming.

Retailers Angle for Presence in Social Media's Virtual Worlds (pdf)

 BY THOMAS LEE - STAR TRIBUNE (MINNEAPOLIS), Wednesday, September 21, 2011

©2011 Minneapolis Star Tribune

Read article at startribune.com

Carol Spieckerman Contributes to Retail Wire Shopper Marketing Report

Read Carol's comments on selling in iShopper Marketing concepts to retailers in an exclusive Marketing Labs report for RetailWire.  Download the report here.