Yesterday Google announced the release of YouTube Insight, a free tool enabling anyone with a YouTube account to access statistics about the videos they upload.

By using YouTube Insight, people will now be able to track the popularity of their videos over time. They will also be able to see if certain videos are viewed more often in different geographical areas, etc. etc. These metrics, according to Google, will help advertisers tailor their on and offline marketing efforts in order to reach the “right viewers.”

A quick search of any major brand on YouTube certainly yields plenty of commercials (a past time I’ve certainly indulged in when procrastinating). In light of Google’s news, DMNews would like to hear from direct marketers who have utilized YouTube in campaigns and how they foresee this new free tool being used. I can be reached at ellen.keohane@dmnews.com.

There’s no denying that our economy is facing a downturn. As friends of mine from a variety of industries (none of them DM) have recently been laid off and must polish their resumes and explore the, in many cases, bleak job market I cannot help but reflect on job demand in the direct marketing industry.
Over the past few months, I have heard from a number of Web analytics experts, database technicians and search engine marketers that it’s difficult to find the right combination of mathematics and marketing savvy for a lot of these positions, making it harder to hire even during a recession. My question is, will this unique set of skills remain in high demand and what can DM companies do to take advantage of a possible glut of eager job seekers?
Some might argue that national belt-tightening could force the industry to face inevitable cutbacks rendering the point moot. But direct marketing is traditionally an area that can see growth during tight times, and recent growth in online spend – especially search – suggests that this is still the case. Perhaps companies who are seeking specialists are advised to do in-house trainings to bolster their staff resources at a time when economic downturns are forcing some to reconsider their careers.
What do you think? Post comments or send me your thoughts about your company’s experience of talent crunches along with your predictions and prescriptions for bringing talent in the DM world at cara.wood@dmnews.com.

Rumors are swirling (again) that videos will be integrated into Yahoo-owned Flickr “very soon, perhaps in the next three weeks” according to blogger Michael Arrington of TechCrunch.

At a fairly lively panel on universal search at the Search Engine Strategies conference in New York on Tuesday, James Lamberti, SVP of search and media for comScore, presented data indicating that when presented with universal search results, users click less.

The news appeared to be unexpected for some.

“I am surprised by James’s data,” admitted Jack Menzel, project manager for universal search at Google.

Universal (or blended) search results consist of the traditional text-based links to Web sites that everyone’s used to seeing—as well as links to news stories, videos, maps, local information and images.

So if the information searchers are looking for is on that one page (such as a local weather report or a phone numbers, etc.), why would they leave? The answer, according to the data, is that  sometimes they aren’t leaving that page.

Lamberti speculated that as universal search becomes more broadly used, organic search will become more critical. In contrast, paid search will become more competitive, he said. “For us, as marketers, this is a huge challenge.”

In addition to Menzel and Lamberti, John Battelle, the founder, chairman and CEO of Federated Media, and Lyndsay Menzies, managing director of Big Mouth Media, were also on the panel.

So far, users have lived in a text-driven search world, Battelle said. “You’re changing the game in a really big way,” he said to Menzel. “It strikes me that it forces a significant rethinking of Google’s business model.”

Without elaborating, Menzel said he did not think that universal search conflicted with Google’s current advertising models.

Google’s goal behind universal search was getting people to information as fast as possible, Menzel said. Universal search is striving to be about comprehensiveness and relevance. “We’re trying to represent the most relevant content out there.”

This St. Patrick’s Day, Irish whiskey firm Jameson has teamed up with mobile marketing firm HipCricket for a campaign that calls consumers to celebrate the holiday via their mobile phones.
Through the end of the holiday, consumers 21 and over can opt-in to receive the toasts and enter the sweepstakes by texting IRISH to 80782.
The mobile campaign is part of an overall marketing initiative called “Jameson Full-On Irish” Sweepstakes. Jameson’s domestic importer, Pernod Ricard USA, worked with creative agency, Marketing Drive, to develop this national campaign. Five winners of the national sweepstakes will win a trip to the Old Jameson distillery in Dublin, Ireland.

We have a lot of fun each week putting together the print edition of DMNews and hearing from all of you. So keep the news, opinion and features coming! We also get plenty of questions about the right person to contact for a specific section or department. So, here’s the skinny:

Got news?
– Send press releases to news@dmnews.com or get in touch with Cara Wood with breaking news or tips - either on, or off the record.

Want to show off the creative behind your campaigns?
- send breaking campaigns to Cara Wood (“Brand New”)
- send completed campaigns with impressive results to Chantal Tode (“The Work”)
- send campaigns tied to an industry sector – healthcare, financial services, b-to-b, for example – to Sharon Goldman (see our edit calendar under “Vertical Feature” for specific topics)

Have you or a marketer you know had outstanding results?
- send recently completed or ongoing campaigns to Ellen Keohane
- perhaps your case study qualifies for one of our “Main” features. Check out our edit calendar and contact Sharon Goldman.

Want to praise or critique a fellow DMer?
- send Bryan Yurcan examples of work that you saw and loved (“Direct Choice”)

Want to share your expertise or opinion?
- check out our edit cal for “Technique” topics and let Sharon Goldman know if you have an expert willing to contribute a short opinion piece in a particular sector
- send Cara Wood your latest view on a trend for our Op-Eds
- challenge a co-worker or industry expert to a round in the ring with a “Gloves Off” on any topic Cara Wood accepts opinions on highly debated issues in the industry
- send Mary Hurn your advice for job seekers and hiring managers (Expert Advice)

What else can you do?
- if you’re launching a mobile campaign, contact Dianna Dilworth with “Third Screen” pitches
- if you have new data cards for list and insert programs send to lists@dmnews.com
- send new hire announcements to careers@dmnews.com
- send letters to the editor to Cara Wood

Keep your eyes peeled during American Idol tomorrow as Hanesbrands is launching a couple adverts for their new No Ride Up Panty. The ads feature Scrubs star Sarah Chalke doing her usual funny girl schtick. She tries numerous awkward moves to adjust her “situation,” as I’ll call it. Funny stuff.

The comercials were developed by Interpublic Group’s Martin Agency and are directed by Scrubs co-star Zach Braff. The ads hope to target women who have faced the “wedgie issue” with a humorous approach.

 The campaign will also feature online, social networking and print aspects. Let’s just hope that ad doesn’t run in Vanity Fair, where this month Chalke was (perhaps unfairly) overlooked to be featured in a photo spread on women in comedy.