Metrostyle (23.6% conversion rate), QVC (21.6% conversion rate), Office Depot (21.6% conversion rate), L.L. Bean (21.5% conversion rate), Tickets.com (20.1% conversion rate), Blair.com (18.9% conversion rate), Lands End (18.4% conversion rate), 1800flowers.com (17.8% conversion rate), and The Sportsman’s Guide (16.8% conversion rate) rounded out the top ten.

Top online retailers in ten key product categories, ranked by purchases and customer numbers in November, are below.

Read the full article on InternetRetailer.com.

Twentieth Century Fox’s “Marley & Me” remained in the top spot for the second weekend running, with earnings of almost $24.3 million between Jan. 2 and 4.

Walt Disney Studios’ ”Bedtime Stories” claimed second place, with earnings of $20.5 million, and Paramount’s “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” rounded out the top three, with an $18.7 million box office draw.

Below are the top 10 Box Office totals for the weekend of January 2-4, 2009, according to Nielsen EDI.

Want a firsthand lesson in the health of the Internet? Ask a friend a simple question: “What’s your favorite online ad?”

Chances are they’ll have a tough time giving an answer. Some may mention a dancing girl seducing you to refinance a mortgage; others may bring up one of the online executions of the Mac vs. PC television campaign.

But many people cannot recall any online advertising, despite all the time each of us spends on the Web and the thousands of ads we’ve all seen.

Why isn’t there more memorable advertising on the Web? The answer is multifaceted, but the bottom line is simple: While the Web is working fine for search and direct response advertisers (”What’s your credit score?”; “Rent from Netflix!”), it has yet to blossom for products that aren’t regularly searched for or purchased online.

This latter type of advertising, called “brand” in the lingo of the Web, relies on compelling, memorable creative to open the hearts or minds of consumers. Brand advertisers like Procter & Gamble use TV as their standard for creative excellence, and so far, the Internet hasn’t met the challenge, despite its potential. Pages are too cluttered; consumers have grown “blind” to the industry-standard spaces; and metrics like “page views” or “impressions” encourage sites to expose us to as many ads as possible during our time online.

So, while brands continue to invest in the Web, and there have been many documented cases of ROI, the real money continues to stay in traditional media — TV, radio and even print — despite the Internet’s gains in audience.

Combined with a crappy economy, this presents a very bleak situation for great sites like Yahoo, AOL, Facebook, and The New York Times. These sites must profitably cover their investments in content and innovation, yet they can’t compete with Google for search dollars, and what they earn from direct response advertisers typically comes in the form of pennies-on-the-dollar remnant sales via ad networks.

The big sites need brand advertisers to come onto the Web and pay premium prices for the privilege. Fat chance in today’s environment.

So, what is to be done?

First, sites must devote better — not necessarily more — real estate to advertising, and reduce page clutter. As long as publishers offer small ads in a cluttered environment, advertisers will continue to invest elsewhere.

Second, publishers need to consider selling on the basis of time, not just impressions. A small ad blinking away for a few seconds may be optimal for direct response advertising, but it won’t help Oil of Olay convince you of the benefits of its latest age-defying formula. Sure, video advertising may help solve this in the future, but it cannot drive enough revenue to support the rest of the Web. And frequency — showing the same weak ad 12 times — doesn’t make Web advertising more compelling.

Lastly, the industry must avoid pinning shortfalls in revenue on the bad economy. Sure, the economy will have some effect. But unless more of us can easily name our favorite online ads, the problem is clearly more fundamental. Let’s use 2009 as the year to set the Web on the right course for long-term profitability by improving its effectiveness for brand advertisers.

Adweek is a unit of the Nielsen Co.

Learn more about online ad clutter and how it affects Internet users of all ages.

The automotive industry has witnessed an extremely volatile and game-changing 2008. With Ford, BMW, Honda, Toyota and Volkswagen leading the way, here is a look at the top 25 automotive brands that consumers discussed online in 2008 relative to all online discussion.

Meanwhile, Twitter ’s online buzz slowly picked up this fall, almost matching buzz levels for Web video goliath, YouTube:

The release of the new iPhone 3G generated a huge online buzz spike in July: 

Detroit auto industry executives’ Congressional testimony in November also triggered a rash of blog discussions around the executives’ mode of travel to Washington, D.C. — via corporate jet and, later, by hybrid car:

NBC’s special presentation of “Deal Or No Deal” was the number two ranked primetime telecast, and FOX’s “FEDEX Orange Bowl” rounded out the top three.

Overall, FOX won the night with an average audience of almost 8.1 million viewers,
while CBS took second place with almost 8 million average viewers. NBC and ABC
claimed third and fourth places with roughly 7.7 million and 4.8 million average viewers,
respectively. UNI and the MNT followed in fifth and sixth places with average
audiences of roughly 3.5 million and 2.3 million average viewers, respectively.

2008: Staying In Is The New Going Out
Americans are spending more time in front of their computers and televisions. The reach and frequency of TV, Internet, and time shifted TV use increased notably in 2008, as consumers on tight budgets opted to save money by staying home. 

2008: Economizing Strategies Go Digital
In 2008, 20% of consumer discussions online referenced strategies for managing grocery budgets.  Visits to price comparison websites were also up significatnly this year. 

2008: Private Label Reigns Supreme 
As the economy worsened, consumers continued to shift dollar and unit spending to private label products.  The result: private label shares hit all time highs in both units and dollars at year’s end.  Private label dollar sales averaged about 10% growth in the five four-week periods near the end of the year.  Meanwhile, unit sales growth accelerated, averaging 4% to 5% growth.  In comparison, branded products saw 3% average dollar sales growth and 3% unit sales decline. 

2008: Value Trumps Variety, Convenience
“Value” categories and brands saw greater growth in 2008, compared to the previous year:
- Spam: dollar sales up 14% vs. year ago 
- Ramen Noodles: dollar sales up 30% vs. year ago
- Dry Pasta: dollar sales up 25% vs. year ago
- Bulk Rice: dollar sales up 38% vs. year ago
- Margarine: dollar sales up 21% vs. year ago
- Canned Vegetables: dollar sales up 9% vs. year ago
- Frozen Vegetables: dollar sales up 7% vs. year ago

2009: Retail Stores Close, Consolidate
“A rising tide raises all boats” — the opposite exposes weaker businesses.  The grocery channel may be “recession resistant,” but no channel is “recession proof.”  In 2009, expect further consolidation in retail outlet ownership, as flawed businesses go to the wall or are selectively gobbled up at low prices by “retail winners” looking to expand their presence in key neighborhoods and markets.

2009: Premium Brands Lose Ground; Genetic Modification Gains New Acceptance
In 2009, consumers will become more discerning and discriminating, and the premium charged for more expensive lines will be questioned more frequently.  This will retard the growth of some organic and fair trade products, and maybe even increase acceptance of genetically modified products. 

2009: Food Waste Reduction Is A New Priority
With food waste running at 30% in the U.K. and 40% in India, consumers and manufacturers will make greater efforts to reduce avoidable losses in 2009.  Look for growth of the frozen food category, and smaller portions in food service and single-serve ready meals.

CBS’s “CSI: NY Special” and “Criminal Minds Special” rounded out the top three, with 6.9 and 6.7 millon average viewers, respectively.

Overall, ABC won the night with an average audience of almost 7.1 million viewers, while CBS took second place with almost 5.9 million average viewers. FOX and NBC claimed third and fourth places with roughly 4.6 million and 4.2 million average viewers, respectively. Univision and the CW followed in fifth and sixth places with average audiences of roughly 3.2 million and 1.2 million average viewers, respectively.

2008 was a newsworthy — albeit, topsy-turvy — year for marketers and researchers. Importantly, social media evolved from experimental sideline to a mainstream attraction. Twitter saw huge growth rates, Barack Obama rewrote the rules of digital marketing, and user-engagement, and “service is marketing” Zappos.com re-wrote new rules for building brands and rewiring e-commerce. Facebook trended upward, MySpace held steady, and reputation-broker Wikipedia continued marching to the top of Google search results.

Brands like Tide used social media to squeeze extra value out of Super Bowl ads, and Comcast (full disclosure: a Nielsen client) parlayed service scorn into a fundamentally different service/engagement model (still a work in progress).

Fortified by corporate blogs and Twittter handles, dozens of other companies launched “social media” teams, while CEOs like Howard Schultz used CGM (e.g. MyStarbucksIdea.com) as the centerpiece of its turnaround strategy.

Retailers like Wal-Mart turbocharged their web platforms with user-reviews – many of which ironically challenged “green claims” of  featured products, while Facebook introduced “add water and stir” fan-sites that were often as inviting to activists as to brand loyalists.

Industry groups like the IAB created social media committees, the ARF put unstructured “listening” at the top of the 2008-09 agenda, and for the first time WOMMA managed to nab the likes of IBM, Kraft, Unilever, Intuit, Hershey’s, and other big fish at its annual conference — a “coming of age” for word-of-mouth marketing.

On a personal level, I somehow managed to crank out a book that I’m quite proud of, “Satisfied Customers Tell Three Friends, Angry Customers Tell 3000″ (Doubleday), and I certainly hope it continues to inspire constructive conversation on issues and developments similar to the ones I outline below.

Marketing Campaigns that Inspired
- Obama Web Strategy - Empower everybody, nurture advocacy; even small acts can grow into big acts
- Apple Genius Bar - Service is the new marketing
- MyStarbucksIdeas.com - Maybe fans get product development better than the brand.
- NBCOlympics.com - creating a cross-platform “ecosystem”
- New York Times “Comments” - Reader engagement creates new source of value
- Zappos Ads in Airport Security Boxes - Hey, if the shoe fits!
- P&G Mommy Blogger Event - Power Moms matter…as much, perhaps, as traditional media

Best Thinking on CGM/Social Media
- Scott Cook “User Contribution Systems” (Harvard Business Review, Fall 2008)
- New York Times - “Brave New World of Digital Intimacy” (9/5/2008)
- Peter Kim’s Social Media Marketing List
- Business Week cover story, by Jena MacGregor - “Consumer Vigilantes” (Spring 2008)

Digital Communities that Raised the Bar
- Intuit Community
- Dell Computer
- Nike + Social Network
- BlackBerry Owners Lounge
- MTV Community
- WebMD
- Bank of America’s Small Banking Site

Bloggers and Influencers Who Made a Mark in 2008
- Arriana Huffington & Huffington Post Team
- Forrester’s Jeremy Owyang
- Dooce.com (Top Mom Blog)
- Gaurav Mishra (Mumbai commentary)
- Xeni Jardin (Boing Boing)
- Pete Cashmore (Mashable)
- B.L. Ochman (Blog + Twitter)
- Twitter Social Media Commentator Chris Brogan
- Comcast’s Frank Eliason (via Twitter)
- Michael Arlington (Tech Crunch)
- Ford’s Scott Monty (via Twitter)
- Power Mom Jessica Gottleib
- Steve Rubel (consistently on the mark…for a very long time)

Viral Videos that Stimulated Our Thinking
- Tina Fey on SNL - The power of both WOM and cross-platform promotion
- Yes We Can! (Obama) - Original music + celebrities = viral video
- Vote Different (Clinton) - What’s old is new again
- Wassup 2008 - Update of a classic
- Tide Stain Super Bowl - What happens before and after the game is crucial
- ”You.S.A 2008” - customized viral videos

Blogs that Inspired
- Patagonia Blog -  200% authentic, reflects the cause-driven soul of the company
- Southwest Airlines - Better than free peanuts
- Garmin Blog - GPS navigation in action
- GM - Unbeatable Google juice
- Marriott’s CEO Blog - The power of executive personality
- Delta - Friendlier face to an industry with ‘issues’

Key Lessons in Defensive Branding
- Facebook “Fan” Sites: Activists also like to “express” themselves
- MotrinMoms - Power moms matter, and “social media” twitterers are a force to be reckoned with
- All Brands - When times are tight, be careful with “luxury” or “premium” messaging…even to the rich
- Whole Foods - The digital trail is difficult to erase when mistakes are made (or changed)
- Kobe Bryant/Nike - If forced to fake it, does it really pay out?

Products that Stole the 2008 Conversation
- YouTube in your pocket: Flip Camera, Kodak Zi6
- So long keyboard, hello touch!: T-Mobile/Google G1, Blackberry Storm, HP’s TouchsmartPC
- Still shaking things up: iPhone, Wii

2008’s Blazing Innovation Trail
- Ning - Create your own social network…really!
- Twitter Grader - Twitter Grader measures the power of a Twitter profile
- Twinfluence - Another Twitter influence tool
- Twitter Search - Search Twitter for content
- Twemes - Find hashtags for topics
- Tweetbeep - Monitor Twitter by keyword
- Friendfeed - Discover and discuss interesting stuff that your friends find on the Web
- TagCrowd - Create your own tag cloud from any text to visualize word frequency
- Zuula - A convenient way to get search results from all the top search engines
- One Riot - A social search engine that finds the pulse of the Web
- Search Engine Site Validation Service - Validate the code on your site for search engines
- Google Keyword Tool - Use Google to find relevant keywords: Keywords = Branding
- Yammer - Twitter for enterprise
- Hulu - NBC and News Corp’s video site
- GasBuddy - Cheap gas anyone?
- Pandora - Free music for everyone

Must Read Business Books
- The Ownership Quotient (HBS Jim Heskett, Earl Sasser)
- Groundswell (Li, Bernoff)
- Radically Transparent: Monitoring and Managing Reputations Online
- Open Brand (K. Mooney)
- Marketing to the Social Web
- DigiMarketing
- Speed of Trust (Stephen Covey)
- Personality Not Included (Rohit Bhargava)
- Tipping Point (Yes, still relevant)
- Meatball Sundae (Seth Godin)

Activists & Activist Sites Who Retained (or Grew) Their Bite
- The Consumerist
- PETA
- Save the Internet Coalition
- EFF
- Natural Resources Defense Council
- The Bobosphere

Read Pete Blackshaw’s predictions for new media and marketing developments in 2009 in the December installment of his regular Ad Age column.

NBC’s special presentation of ”Law And Order: SVU” rounded out the top three.

Overall, CBS won the night with an average audience of almost 11.5 million viewers, while NBC took second place with almost 7.9 million average viewers. FOX and ABC claimed third and fourth places with roughly 5.5 million and 4.6 million average viewers. Univision and the Telemundo followed in fifth and sixth places with average audiences of roughly 4.6 million and 1.3 million average viewers, respectively.