SEMPO Is Spending Advertising Money

[Anthony Parsons]

Finally, has SEMPO done something right? I found this advertisment on the new clickz article about Feedster (http://www.clickz.com/news/article.php/3415431).

http://www.seotesting.com/images/sew-sempo.gif

This is a good thing...but do they have a voice, someone to say, we are proactively spending your money on advertising the SEO / SEM industry across x, y & z?

O'well, it's a start I guess.

[Nick W]

You give us money, we'll do what we want with it. We wont communicate with you, you are beneath us.

Nice find Anthony

Nick

[I, Brian]

Doesn't anybody remember a while back, when Mike Grehan just happened to make some comments about SEMPO not communicating?

How far has it all come in the last few months?

[Nick W]

Hasnt come anywhere at all has it? - or did i miss somthing?

Nick

[Anthony Parsons]

What really gets me, is that I don't understand how hard that was! Purchase ad, get exposure, member money used effectively. People wouldn't off gone looking for something to pick on then! Why does it take something such as Mike's article, then the follow-up from that; before people do what they are supposed too do? SEMPO is now well and truly tarnished, nearly to the level of our good spammy friends "traffic power / 1P". I think these forums have shown in the instance of TP, that they have the power to effecively make or break a business. Atleast TP tried to defend themselves, it's just that the evidence against them was so thick. If they stood up and said, "oops, we were d*ckheads and stuffed up", then people would off just got on with it; they change their procedures and continue on. SEMPO, well they are pushing through, but still no communication whilst doing it.

Go figure!

[Marcia]

We wont communicate with you, you are beneath us.
So what else is new, Nick? ;)

[Jill Whalen]

I'm confused, Anthony. SEMPO mentioned long ago to their members, at the SES in San Jose and in press releases that they were doing that ad campaign. Maybe you just weren't listening?

[Joseph Morin]

SEMPO has been on a big publicity push sending out press releases regarding the new ad campaign (http://www.sempo.org/press/ad-campaign.php) and placing ads at mainstream media outlets including AdWeek, MediaWeek and ClickZ. The ad campaign was also talked about at the last SEMPO members meeting and the ad campaign was also mentioned in the last SEMPO member communication and posted at the SEMPO website (http://www.sempo.org/communications/member-qa-08-2004.php#adcamp) in the FAQ section that discusses a lot of the questions that members have had.

In addition to the ad posted by Anthony, here are some examples (http://www.sempo.org/ads.php) of some of the advertising placed in the new SEMPO advertising push.

[ihelpyou]

Why are they advertising at all before any of the "real" issues have been addressed? There have been issues for over 1 1/2 years that SEMPO smirks at. What's up with that?

SEMPO is simply advertising for their Inner Circle members. I don't see any changes at all. Those who have 5 grand get publicity. Those who don't get a deep page listing somewhere. Tell me, how is that helping the industry? How is SEMPO helping the industry by "advertising" companies with big bucks under the guise of a non-profit?

Tell us exactly what changes you have made for all of the concerns over the months. Don't mention the "committees" in your answer. They don't do much at all. I've never heard of a committee actually making decisions in any organization. Tell us of any board member changes, any head people changes, etc. New advisors are not changes. As Danny pointed out earlier, he was "only" an advisor. SEMPO added the new advisors to take the place of Danny and Chris. This new advisor thing ain't a big deal at all, and does not show any actual changes being made.

[dannysullivan]

SEMPO mentioned long ago to their members, at the SES in San Jose and in press releases that they were doing that ad campaign.
Absolutely. To be fair, this was raised at that meeting and has been in other communications, as noted. In fact, I thought it was pretty sad that in the wake of all the new issues that came up, one of the most significant things the group has done got lost in the noise. I noted (http://searchenginewatch.com/sereport/article.php/3405021#Whats%20SEMPOs%20Mission) that in my last article.

Tell us exactly what changes you have made for all of the concerns over the months. Don't mention the "committees" in your answer.
If SEMPO wants to comment on this, or people want to discuss further specific issues, I'll point out some current threads:

SEMPO Announces Three New Advisory Board Members (http://forums.searchenginewatch.com/showthread.php?t=1889)

Will SEMPO Survive? (http://forums.searchenginewatch.com/showthread.php?t=1846)

Why Doesn't SEMPO Talk In Forums? (http://forums.searchenginewatch.com...read.php?t=1837)

And more can be found here: SEM Related Organizations & Events (http://forums.searchenginewatch.com/forumdisplay.php?f=55).

Keep this thread to the topic of the ad campaign. Like it? Hate it? Think they should be doing other things -- that's fine too, but save expanding on those other things for other threads.

[Anthony Parsons]

I'm confused, Anthony. SEMPO mentioned long ago to their members, at the SES in San Jose and in press releases that they were doing that ad campaign. Maybe you just weren't listening?

That's great Jill, however;

#1 - I am not a member for my own choice (I don't believe in SEMPO, never have, and they would have to shine before I gave them any off my money) thus do not receive their correspondence.

#2 - I live in Australia which is just a little far from San Jose!

#3 - I don't see SES or SEMPO in Australia, thus I have no real interest in them. Maybe you just weren't looking Jill? If either where active in Oz, then I may have a different opinion.

It seems that others did not know about it either, thus the post was relevant. They can tell their "current" members all they want, but if others don't see some "results"; then how the hell do you expect them join? Gee...just look at the first reply....."nice find". Not concerned about the nice, simply that "I" and "Others" need to see SEMPO doing something to even sway our opinions to pay them to provide a service to "us".

[Jill Whalen]

It's just that it's been widely reported here and elsewhere for months Anthony.

[Marcia]

>>Finally, has SEMPO done something right?

What will most likely be accomplished by the advertising?

[rustybrick]

>>Finally, has SEMPO done something right?

What will most likely be accomplished by the advertising?

SEMPO's primary goal is awareness that SEM is really an industry that exists and has a very good ROI. That is why they advertise.

The question is, do they advertise in the right place? Ok go beat them up again. ;)

[Jill Whalen]

What will most likely be accomplished by the advertising?

That's one thing I've always wondered too!

[Nick W]

Wouldnt a program and budget for seminars and the like for the business community be a better spend of cash for such goals?

Nick

[seobook]

>>Finally, has SEMPO done something right?

What will most likely be accomplished by the advertising?
show that their hearts are in the right place? showing that they are trying to do something?

[rustybrick]

I am not an official SEMPO rep, but I am pretty sure that awareness is the number one goal. Not education but awareness, and advertising does help with that.

[bethabernathy]

I just don't think the general public would grasp the "Top of Search Top of Mind" thing. So we set up a poll over at the dog's place to get some feedback on the concept:

http://www.sempo-tahoe.com/topofsearch-poll.html

When I saw the ad running above the SMA-UK write up at clickz:

http://www.sempo-tahoe.com/images/sempoad.gif

I called clickz and inquired about running a banner ad 750 x 100 featuring Purina Dog Food for the month of November. They said "absolutely not." :eek:

[Black_Knight]

What will most likely be accomplished by the advertising?
The idea is pretty obvious - people click the ad, are taken to the SEMPO site, where they are clearly led to shop for a supplier from the Circle Members.

Go ahead and test it with a random friend or family member. Ask them, "what is this site trying to get you to do?" and I'll bet yours come back with the same answers mine did: "I'm not too sure, but it seems they want to select one of their members to get me listed in search engines".

So, SEMPO has failed to become a trade association, but has successfully become the most expensive directory listing I've yet seen online.

[Anthony Parsons]

Yep, well I know I could do a lot better with $5k marketing online for myself than they could do for me as one of their circle members.

To me, SEMPO as a so called industry organisation, should not be providing advertising for SEO's, but more providing a code of conduct or the like, that SEO's can pay a membership fee for to advertise they obide by "x" code of conduct. This would allow SEMPO to be seen as the industry authority and not just a big advertising site for SEO's and online marketing alike.

I look at it like this, its like being able to show the "Australian Standards" logo upon your products. You pay a fee to have them investigate and scrutinize your current policies, and if you are doing everything to that standard as a minimum, they provide you an Australian Standards certification number and allow you to advertise that you meet Australian Standards conformance. People then look at this over the competition, and weight up whether they want to purchase from someone who conforms to a standard, or someone who doesn't. SEMPO doesn't provide that logic or service.

This is what they should be concentrating upon, except I don't believe they have the forethought for this approach, and if so, have certainly not demonstrated it to this point. All they are doing is online marketing... which anyone can do!

[Andy AtkinsKruger]

Forgive me - but I think you might have been dozing......or the advertising didn't reach your 'top of mind'...

This campaign is not new, was announced at SES San Jose, reported afterwards and first appeared, to my knowledge on this Clickz piece....UK search marketers form SEMPO alternative (http://www.clickz.com/news/article.php/3425291)

Originally, it was a small text banner - now switched to a skyscraper. Interesting?

[Anthony Parsons]

Thanks Andy, though that had already been established by about the second or third post. Cheers.

[Andy AtkinsKruger]

I read the posts and I was just trying to help with the timing Anthony - and also some irony in the fact that the ad was alongside an announcement about the SMA-UK.

[Anthony Parsons]

Yer, being in Australia and not being able to get to the SES conferences readily was part of the reason I didn't know about that ad plan. I thinks it good, but maybe a little to late for SEMPO to start correcting faults that should off been initiated from the start of business.

Thanks mate.

[Chris_D]

Personally, the most amazing thing I read about the whole SEMPO advertising campaign was that the SEPO board intention was to spend over $US20K per month on banner adverts and skyscrapers, for a period of 5 or 6 months. The arguement was something along the lines of the target audience is advertising agencies - and apparently, advertising agencies react favourably to banner adverts.

Personally - I don't understand why they didn't just target the search phrase 'banner ad' with Google Adwords and Overture........

:)