“PostRelease claims high engagement for targeted advertising, but what ... - Industry Standard” plus 2 more

PostRelease claims high engagement for targeted advertising, but what ... - Industry Standard
Text Size - Chicago Tribune
Why do collectors need just one plate? - Tacoma News Tribune

PostRelease claims high engagement for targeted advertising, but what ... - Industry Standard

Posted: 21 Sep 2009 06:54 AM PDT

It's the ultimate dream of Madison Avenue brand managers: Getting people to engage with the brand online. Even better: Finding ways to quantify that engagement, and using the data to fine-tune campaigns and show clients that yes, this online advertising technology that you're paying big bucks for really does offer something that can't be found in old-school print and broadcast campaigns.

This type of thinking prompted Cie Studios to develop PostRelease, an automated advertising system that targets online discussion forums with relevant, audited messages about certain products or services. Starting last year, Cie ran a beta test in a number of automotive forums, and claims that click-through rates averaged 33% -- well above what an advertiser might see in a conventional online display campaign. With the official launch of PostRelease last week, Cie says it has expanded its network to 50 more niche forums targeting boating, motorcycles, and other motorsports.

The company distances itself from astroturfing or stealth marketing campaigns which use paid posters or bogus usernames to hide the identity of marketers. Cie says its PostRelease campaigns are transparent. Forum operators approve of the PostRelease comments showing up on their sites, and even give them high-profile positioning for a certain number of days. The amount of revenue that the forum operators get depends on traffic.

What do the ads look like? The username is "PostRelease," and the messages consist of text, links, and images. They show up on practically every specialist automotive forum you can think of, from Buick World to Toyota Nation. These are populated by hard-core car enthusiasts who love getting into mods, new models, and the minutiae of lug nuts, rims, and drive belts. The ads might include video or informational links that targets this audience, such as this ad from a brand of synthetic oil, which showed up in a forum dedicated to the Nissan 350Z.

But there's one problem: While the ads are definitely seen and even clicked, there's little in the way of conversations around them. This Corvette forum shows 67 PostRelease ad threads, many of which have been viewed thousands of times, but not a single reply is listed. This is no accident -- PostRelease threads are deliberately locked. Cie Studios President Justin Choi tells the Standard, "we have chosen not to allow replies directly to the post because we have found that discussions are unpredictable and can easily go off-topic. When that occurs, it creates a management issue where each post becomes a thread that has to be monitored – thereby making it difficult and time-consuming to engage more than a few forums."

This points to the drawbacks of conversational marketing: While it's a sexy topic in the advertising world, many brands are sensitive about losing control of the conversations and the additional management overhead. And, when it comes down to it, how many people even want to start a "conversation" with a brand?

Sources: John Battelle's Searchblog, ToyotaNation.com, thedieselstop.com, PostRelease.com, Cie press release, Edge PR, my350z.com, CorvetteForum.com.

Image: Red Line Oil advertisement

Comment below, or email Ian at ian -at- thestandard -dot- com. Follow Ian on Twitter at http://twitter.com/ilamont. Standard updates and asides are available at twitter.com/the_standard and our newsletters, and you can join our LinkedIn group.

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Text Size - Chicago Tribune

Posted: 21 Sep 2009 04:31 AM PDT

CAPTAIN'S LICENSE CLASSES Columbia Yacht Club is offering USCG captain's licensing classes beginning Sept. 22 at the club, at 111 N. Lake Shore Drive. The classes will be held from 6 to 9:30 p.m. and running through Nov. 19. Tuition of $1,205 includes materials. Visit www.chicago captainsclasses.com or www.usmaritime.us or contact Capt. Fred Swastek at 773-296-6852 or capt.fred@usmaritime.us or Capt. Al Grigalunas at 312-259-5125 or capt.al@usmaritime.us.

CRUISE PLANNING CLASS The Waukegan Sail and Power Squadron is offering the U.S. Power Squadron Cruise Planning class beginning Sept. 24 at Bass Pro Shop Outdoor World in Gurnee. The class meets from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. every Thursday for eight weeks. Fee is $47.50 for members and $127.50 for non-members (includes one-year membership). Contact instructor Ken Miller at kenanne@sbcglobal.net.

CORVETTE FUNFEST Mid America Motorworks holds its 16th annual Corvette Funfest Sept. 25-27 at its headquarters on U.S. 45, 2 miles north of Interstates 57 and 70, in Effingham, Ill. Some 15,000 of the sports cars are expected for show. Admission starts at $40. Call 800-500-1500 or visit www.corvettefunfest.com.

HUNTLEY CAR SHOW The Huntley Fall Fest Car Show is set for Sept. 26 in Deicke Park, on Ill. 47. Registration opens at 8 a.m. for the show from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Fee is $10 per vehicle. Cars from 1980 and older will be judged in 12 categories. Proceeds will benefit the Huntley Parks Foundation, Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation and Ronald McDonald House Charities. The show is part of Fall Fest. Admission is $2 per adult, $1 per child older than 12 and fee for kids 12 and younger through 3 p.m. After 3, admission is $5 per person. Visit www.huntleyfallfest.com.

AMAZING RACE RALLYE Brand-X Rallye Team presents The Amazing Race gimmick ralley based on the TV show Sept. 26. The rallye begins at 6 p.m. with registration at Woodfield Mall, parking area B2, near the Firestone Tire Center. A free beginners' school starts at 6:30 p.m. with the first car off at 7:30. Call Kathy Thomas at 815-338-6319 or visit www.brandxrallyeteam.com.

HORSEPOWER SHOW To mark its final day of the 2009 season, Arlington Park race track hosts "Horsepower!" Sept. 27. The car show will include The "Blowfish," a 1969 Plymouth Barracuda that can do 255 mph, a 552-horsepower 1940 Ford convertible and a 1,000-hp, flex-fuel 1970 Chevy Nova. Gates open at 11:15 am at the track at Euclid Avenue and Wilke Road. Admission starts at $6 with kids younger than 17 free. Call Dave Zenner at 847-385-7537 or Jerry Campagna at 224-629-7100.

PUMKIN DAYS The Illinois Railway Museum hosts it annual Pumpkin Days Oct. 3 and 4. Ride the trains and pick a free pumpkin. Hours at the museum in Union are 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fares are $12 for adults, $8 for kids or $45 for families. Visit www.irm.org or call 815-923-4000 or 800-BIG-RAIL (244-7245).

CYCLE SWAP A Motorcycle Swap Meet and Show is set for 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Oct. 4 at the Sandwich Fairgrounds Admission is $5 for adults and free for kids younger than 15. Vendor booths are $30. Call 630-985-2097.

ORPHAN SHOW Illinois Valley Oldsmobile Chapter of the Oldsmobile Car Club of America hosts its 5th annual Orphan Show Oct. 4. The show, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., is open to all cars no longer in production. It will be at Mr. B's Sports Bar & Grille, 23956 Ill. 53 South, Elwood. Fee is $8 in advance and $12 at the gate. Visit www.ivocolds.com or contact Tom Echlin at 815-423-6077 or echlin88@yahoo.com or Gordon Neubauer at 815-423-6976.

TERROR ON THE RAILROAD The Illinois Railway Museum hosts its annual haunted event, Terror on the Railroad, Oct. 9 and 10, 16 and 17, 23 and 24 and 30 and 31. Participants must be at least 13 and in good health. The event will run from 7 to 11 p.m. all eight nights. Tickets, available only at the gate, are $12. Visit www.irm.org or call 815-923-4000 or 800-BIG-RAIL (244-7245).

RAILROAD SWAP MEET The Blackhawk Chapter National Railway Historical Society hosts its Fall Railroad Swap Meet Oct. 10. The meet is set for from 1 to 6 p.m. at American Legion Post 485, 7485 Burr St., Schererville. Vendor fee is $15. Admission is free. Visit www.blackhawknrhs.org.

SIMPSON'S RALLYE Join the SCORE rallye team for The Simpsons Rallye VIII, a gimmick car rallye, Oct. 10. Registration opens at 6 p.m. at the Firestone Auto Center at Woodfield Mall, north entrance off Golf Road between Ill. 53 and Meacham Road, with cars out at 7:15. Fee is $15. Call 847-398-8342 or e-mail road-rallye@sbcglobal.net.

FALL SWAPFEST Mid America Motorworks hosts its Fall Swapfest Oct. 10. Swapfest will also include an uction, flea market and car corral from 8 a.m to 4 p.m. at Mid America, on U.S. 45, 2 miles north of Interstates 57 and 70, in Effingham, Ill. Vendor spaces are $40 and the corral costs $25 per vehicle. Visit www.mamotorworks.com.

FAMOUS GHOST HUNT Wheels Rallye Team presents The Famous Ghost Hunt Halloween rallye Oct. 17. Dig up your friends and visit new haunts on the rallye that starts with registration at 6 p.m. at Woodfield Mall parking lot, in Schaumburg, just west of the Firestone Tire Center at Light Pole B-2. A beginner's school will be held at 6:45, and the cars head out at 7:10. Fee is $15 per vehicle, with proceeds benefiting MS research. Visit www.wheelsrallyeteam.com or contact Dennis at 847-446-2904 or roadrallye@aol.com.

GHOST TRAIN The Monticello Railway Museum hosts its Ghost Train Oct. 23-25 and Oct. 30 and 31 in Monticello, off I-72 between Champaign and Springfield. The trains, with a Haunted Boxcar, run every half hour from 7 to 9 p.m. Oct. 23, 24, 30 and 31. The run on the half hour from 1 to 2:30 p.m. and 7 to 8 p.m. Oct. 25. Tickets are $6 for ages 2 and older. Visit www.mrym.org.

LOOOONG RACE The Chicagoland Sports Car Club hosts the 39th annual Loooong Race Oct. 24-25 at Blackhawk Farms in Rockton. Visit www.cscc-racing.com.

TRICK OR TREAT TROLLEY Tricks and treats await you at every stop on this spooky and kooky trolley ride at the Illinois Railway Museum Oct. 24 and 25 and 31. Kids in costume get a free prize. Hours at the museum in Union are 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fares are $12 for adults, $8 for kids or $45 for families. Visit www.irm.org or call 815-923-4000 or 800-BIG-RAIL (244-7245).

SKIP'S SWAP The 17th annual Skip's Auto and Truck Parts Swap Meet is set for Nov. 1 at the new Lake County Fairgrounds in Grayslake. The meet and sale for collectible and performance vehices is set for 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Admission is $7 for adults and $2 for kids 6-11. Vendor fee is $35 and cars for sale $25. Visit www.skipsusa.com or call 630-340-4744.

POLAR EXPRESS The Polar Express pulls into the National Railroad Museum in Ashwaubenon, Wis., Nov. 27, 27 and 29 and Dec. 4, 5 and 6. The annual trip to the North Pole will be made at 3, 5 and 7 p.m. each day and include a dramatic reading of the Christmas story about a boy who is not sure whether he believes in Santa Claus. Standard class fares are $12 for adults and $8 for kids 2 through 12. Fares in premium class--a restored 1950s streamline buffet-lounge-observation car, are $25 for lounge seating and $18 for table seating. Reservations are required. Call 920-437-7623, ext. 10, or visit www.nationalrrmuseum.org.

THE POLAR EXPRESS The Monticello Chamber of Commerce hosts Lunch with Santa on the Train Dec. 4 and 5 at the Monticello Railway Museum, off I-72 between Champaign and Springfield. The journey, from 5:30 to 7 p.m., leaves the Wabash Depot in downtown Monticello and includes a reading of the story. Tickets are $20 per person. For information, visit www.polarexpressride.com or call 877-762-9011. For tickets, visit www.mrym.org.

LUNCH WITH SANTA The Monticello Railway Museum hosts the Polar Express Nov. 27 and 28 and Dec. 5 and 6 in Monticello, off I-72 between Champaign and Springfield. Departures are 10 a.m. and 1, 2:15 and 3:30 p.m. Dec. 5 and 10:30 and 11:45 a.m. and 1:15 and 2:30 p.m. Dec 6. Tickets are $11 per person. Visit www.monticellochamber.org.

HAPPY HOLIDAY RAILWAY Take a train ride through holiday light displays and visit with Santa Claus and his elves at the Illinois Railway Museum Dec. 5 and 6, 12 and 13 and 19 and 20. Children on Santa's "good" list will recieve a gift. Trains run every two hours at the museum in Union. Visit www.irm.org or call 815-923-4000 or 800-BIG-RAIL (244-7245).

TOYS FOR TOTS The 32nd annual Chicagoland Toys for Tots Motorcycle Parade begins at 9:30 a.m. Dec. 6 at Dan Ryan Woods, 85th Street and Western Avenue, Chicago. The parade will proceed up Western to the Marine Reserve Center at Foster Avenue and Troy Street. Participants can gather at 8 a.m. and should bring an unwrapped new toy or game -- but no plush toys. Visit www.chicagolandtft.org or call 773-866-TOYS (8697).

Having a public event? Rides would like to list it. Please send the information--event name, time, place, admission/fees and contact information--to What's up, Rides, 435 N. Michigan Ave., 4th Floor, Chicago, IL 60611 or e-mail to transportation@tribune.com at least two weeks before the event. Submissions will be accepted in writing only.

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Why do collectors need just one plate? - Tacoma News Tribune

Posted: 20 Sep 2009 11:51 PM PDT

traffic q&a Question: Reader Donivan Fowlkes of Tacoma notes that state law requires vehicles to have a front and rear license plate – unless you're driving a "collector" car.

"Why does the state only issue one rear plate for owners of 'collector' vehicles?" Fowlkes asked. "We see a lot of these same cars and trucks used as daily drivers. Why then am I required to have two plates?"

Answer: Brad Benfield, a spokesman for the state Department of Licensing, confirms that most vehicles are required to have a license plate mounted on both the front and the rear of the vehicle. The exceptions include motorcycles, trailers, campers and collector vehicles.

According to state law, a collector vehicle "may only be used for participation in club activities, exhibitions, tours, parades, and occasional pleasure driving."

"Because they are intended to be display vehicles, our state Legislature must have determined that one license plate would be sufficient to meet public safety needs and to enhance the ability to display these vehicles as automotive history," Benfield said.

He said the fee to license a collector vehicle is $35 plus all other required licensing fees the first year of registration. A collector vehicle registration is a permanent registration and is not renewed annually.

Got a question about traffic congestion, construction, spending or other transportation issues? Send it to traffic@thenewstribune.com. Include your name, hometown and daytime telephone number. We'll answer as many as we can. Find an archive of previous answers at www.thenewstribune.com/news/traffic/qa.