Less than 20% of tweets are posted on the twitter web interface. The majority of remaining traffic is driven by twitter clients like TweetDeck, Tweetie, Twhirl, et.al. Because these twitter clients aren’t browsers they don’t pass along referrer data so they register as “direct traffic” in google analytics.

@yoast posted The analytics issue with Twitter way back in Jan 2009 (doh!) that explains the issue further.

This is obviously important if your one of those smart marketers who is tracking your campaign performance but it’s also important because the folks linking from a tweet will behave very differently from genuine direct traffic and could screw up your site usage analysis.

@kortina from bit.ly shows you how to differentiate the google analytics “direct traffic” that came from typing in an url from the other “direct traffic” within the existing google reporting segments.

One pre-campaign solution that was proposed by many (including @acroll and @seanpower at the web 2.0 intensive) was to use utm source tags in your twitter campaign links so google analytics can properly identify the referrer traffic. Of course most of the short url options offer analytics if your willing to do some aggregating for your campaign report.

from NOTCOT

Leave it to Nike with there bottomless pit of money to come up with an idea that can be easily adapted for any cash-strapped startup. Here’s a quick list of what you’ll need:

• dig through your recycle bin to find a few acceptable bottles
• soak them overnight to remove the labels and get them squeaky clean
• cut the bottle in half and stuff the product in
• make a graphic that will print nicely on a shipping label (the most common plastic bottle is about 8 inches diameter so Avery 5126 is perfect). Don’t forget to include a dotted line in the graphic to indicate where to cut open.
• apply the label
• distribute

NOTCOT has a great post describing the Nike kit in detail with lots more pictures.

The Conversation Prism by Brian Solis and Jesse Thomas

Just stumbled across this advertisement that Leo Burnett did for Toyota way back in 2007.
If you jumped past the video you should know that the leaves are a byproduct of banana harvesting and are typically destroyed.

I actually think this would have been even better if they hadn’t cleaned and pressed the leaf both because it would have required less processing and the truck ad would’ve been more gritty, literally.

Trident has a broad consumer base that *might* make print advertising a relevant format. This ad would seem to indicate that Trident’s marketing team understands that one-way brand messaging is less valuable than the voice of their consumers.

Given that @TridentLayers’ first tweet was just four weeks before the ad hit the stands it seems like direct conversations with their customers is new for Trident, at least as it applies to twitter. Good. The more direct product feedback you can get the better your product will be.

In classic social mediagasm fashion 90% of the tweets in the last 24 hours have been about the advertisement and not about the gum.

Partnerships are such a great way to reach new customers and to expand the marketing/product/infrastructure ideas your noodling. In the past I’ve had the wonderful opportunity to work on Timbuk2 + Threadless product and retail partnership programs and Headlands Center for the Arts + Timbuk2 artist partnership program. Both programs where affirmations of how adding innovative thinkers outside of your own company can produce results WAY beyond what your internal team alone can reach.
Who would you LOVE to partner with? Once you have the answer, get busy linkingin.

Here’s Some PR For You, CDNetworks

MOO BOOTH
Originally uploaded by danksy