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Africa Hannibal BioBlog

Paid Search & Social Media Strategist

Who Am I?

Today’s Millennial Generation of online media experts are continuously streaming in waves of fresh intellectuals and talent to document the cybernetic times ahead. Of the Early Adopters, one in particular will help merge the landscapes between modern advertisement and the age old advertising tool called word of mouth. Current SEM & Social Media Specialist at an online agency and budding entrepreneur, Africa Y. Hannibal will be that voice.

Africa was introduced to Search Engine Marketing back in 2006 when she was offered the opportunity to work in an entry level position at a Search Engine Marketing Agency. It was here where she  fell in love with online media and flourished as a Production Coordinator at Didit Search Marketing and eventual Account Executive and built her expertise as a knowledgeable and experienced Search Engine Marketing Professional. She is an effective communicator, writer, problem solver and optimizer who helps clients’ grow and achieve positive results. Africa is known for crafting successful strategies to achieve business goals and proven to increase ROI in the Retail, Software, Telecommunication and Health verticals working with brands such as Rodale, Motorola, BareNecessities, Corel, Redcats, Register.com and many more. Her dedication and team working spirit has made her a valuable asset to all of the organizations she is a part of.

Africa  is now one of the leading experts amongst her peers in Search Engine Marketing, with an enterprising blog that benefits emerging and aspiring entrepreneurs and has been said to exemplify the determination and common sense that it takes to succeed in search marketing  and referred to as a dedicated and very knowledgeable search marketing professional by colleagues. She is currently establishing the First Self Serve Daily Deal & Loyalty Rewards Website/Application entitled TalkisCheep.com, creating a new standard for brands to manage how they interact with consumers. With great initiative and out of the box ideas, Africa continues to strive in the Search Engine Marketing Industry as well as in her personal endeavors.

Services

Your Online Presence I Make it Better

 

Strategic Planning: Defines the best strategy for your business to meet it’s goals

Personal Branding: Take your brand to new heights by raising awareness and visibility appealing to new audiences while maintaining your current clientele.

Search Engine Marketing: An integrated approach to marketing your business by building custom Search Engine Marketing campaigns that fit into the Global marketing strategy of your brand.

Social Media: Employ strategic social marketing plans that increase social presence and growth on key social networks.

Competitive Analysis: Assess the strengths and weaknesses of current and potential competitors by doing extensive research and examination of your competitors and industry trends to ensure that each client has a competitive edge.

Resume

EXPERIENCE:

Morpheus Media                                                                                                                              03/12 – present

Senior Strategist

  • Creates and executes advanced level SEM strategies for Luxury e-commerce accounts – Montblanc, TSE Cashmere, Baccarat and James Perse
  • Generation, implementation, and management of groundbreaking digital campaigns via ppc campaigns and GDN

○         Includes: Long and short term strategy; milestones, SEM goals, deliverables etc.; adaptability to changes in landscape; comprehensive testing ideas that support core goals

○         Testing new opportunities such as click to download ads, sitelinks, Google shopping, Google display network and tablet and mobile marketing

  • Runs and manages weekly client meetings as well as presents and articulates executive client level presentations
  • Manages budgets, project work flow and deliverables and delegates to Strategist and Associate Strategist
  • Coordinates and chairs client discovery meetings and leads the on-boarding process

 

Kitara Media

Search Engine Marketing & Social Media Specialist                                                                   08/10 – 03/12

  • Creates, implements, and executes online marketing plans for all aspects of the Search Engine Marketing strategy for Kitara  Media including Google, Bing, YouTube and other 3rd party systems for clients in the Gaming Vertical as well as works with online marketing websites and social networks to maximize exposure
  • Managed multiple gaming sites and actively books online advertising campaigns, manages all optimization, profit goals and growth of game downloads
  • Responsible for project management and the implementation/completion of projects within a timely manner
  • Relays information about new trends within the industry as well as new opportunities within the accounts to the team

 

360i, LLC

 Associate Media Manager                                                                                                               12/09 – 07/10

  • Responsible for effectively managing all aspects of search campaigns for The Children’s Place, Motorola, Blue Cross Blue Shield in addition to  other accounts including spend, IOs, tracking the budget creating and booking online campaigns as well as optimization
  • Implemented and Oversaw daily online promotions
  • Set expectations for media deliverables and ensure the timely delivery of all client requirements and effectively manage media inventory
  • Provided Media Manager with key points/findings regarding campaign performance vs. targets and communicates details of optimization results and analysis from completed initiatives for all weekly calls.
  • Served as a primary source of reporting
  • Communicated campaign KPI’s and goals to client during weekly client meetings as well as assisted in handling request, questions and resolving client conflict
    • Collaborated with team to  develop media plans for advertising budgets, integration plans and pitches

 

Didit, LLC                                                                                                                                            10/06-12/09

 Account Executive                                                                                                                            09/09 – 12/09

  • Responsible for effectively managing the search spend, IOs, and tracking the budget
  • Managed Multi-Tier Campaigns for Redcats, Corel, BareNecessities, Register.com, Rodale, etc. with budgets upwards to $500k in spend a quarter and over 1 million keywords
  • Lead weekly calls with back up from the Account Manager for Corel, communicated campaign initiatives, performance updates and
  • Responsible for project management, campaign development and the completion of projects in a timely manner by managing the production and QA  of task given to Associate Account Executive/Account Coordinator
  • Lead the AAE in development of their optimization and account assessment skills
  • Partnered with the client and Strategist to plan tactical execution of campaign management projects, testing initiatives and account stability based on client business goals
  • Provided Account Director and Account Manager with key points/findings regarding campaign performance vs. targets and communicates details of optimization results and analysis from completed initiatives for all weekly calls
  • Managed weekly reporting deliverables and served as a reporting liaison between Account Team and Outsourced Reporting Team

Associate Account Executive                                                                                                               01/08 – 09/09

  • Managed over 6 accounts and performed daily campaign optimization, monitoring and stabilization initiatives
  • Reviewed daily campaign trends and opportunities and communicate them to Strategists and Account Executives
  • Made decisions on any adjustments made to engine campaign structures and keyword/creative/landing page groupings
  • Reported  daily initiatives/tasks that are performed on client accounts
  • Communicated status of tactical and strategic initiatives, performance updates and new opportunities to clients
  • Setup client tracking and core metrics using an in house analytics tool
  • Responsible for project management and the completion of projects in a timely manner via Production and QA  of Account Coordinator
  • Project assignment and management of all production tasks handled by Account Coordinators
  • Review and verify projects for correctness and communicate any errors or issues to Account Executives
  • Attend weekly client meetings and assist in handling request, questions and resolving client conflict
  • Responsible for creating and reviewing marketing data and quantitative reports, customize reports and QA of weekly reports                                                                                    

Account Coordinator                                                                                                                           10/06 – 01/08

  • Point person for implementation tasks and building of campaign structure across the team for Redken, Chanel and Rodale
  • Report daily initiatives/tasks that are performed on the accounts as well as any issues observed
  • Deliver key findings from campaign initiatives to AM for inclusion in client communications
  • Development of client reporting as needed

Contact Me

For All Inquires:


Feedback: We would love to hear about how you came across AfricaHannibal.com. If you have a spare minute drop me a line.

If this is an urgent matter feel free to contact me via phone: (347) 560-8174

Hindsight – The 20/20 Experience: The Re-branding of Justin Timberlake

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Justin Timberlake The 20/20 Experience

 

It has been 7 years since Justin Timberlake released his last album FutureSex/LoveSounds and fans have been dying to hear something new from the crooner. In January of 2013, Justin gave his fans exactly what they have been asking for with the release of Suit & Tie the debut single from his third album. This was just the tip of the iceberg when Justin gave fans a taste of The 20/20 Experience bringing sophistication and reviving the R&B genre something that we all have been yearning for. Unfortunately when the single dropped many individuals were not a fan of the single and were skeptical about Justin being able to make a come back. Raise your hand if you were one of those people? Now raise your hand if you are completely in love with this new album after Justin Timberlake’s media blitz and marketing strategy. Justin Timberlake seems to have restored everyone’s faith that good music is still being produced and people are still consuming. Justin’s sophomore album almost went platinum in its first week of release selling 986,000 copies. Let’s break down the components that went into the success of Justin Timberlake’s The 20/20 Experience.

Social Media
Justin began his engagement via social networks announcing his comeback to music with a personalized video message to his fans which he posted on YouTube and Myspace and spread the word to his fans via twitter. The teaser entitled ‘I’m Ready’ gave fans an inside look into Justin’s feelings about music and how much he truly loves his craft.  He then let the cat out of the bag that he would be dropping a new single with no other than Jay-z as a featured guest. Justin was also actively involved with his fans via social media outlets giving a personal and authentic experience to his fans.

Brand Partnerships Justin also solidified strategic brand partnerships with Budweiser and Target where his music as well as himself were featured. The Target partnership presented a unique proposition that really resonated with fans. Justin and Target drafted twenty of his biggest fans to come sing his songs in a commercial and Justin surprised them by coming out to sing with them in a commercial entitled Target Superfans. Justin also fostered a partnership with Budweiser as the new face and ‘creative director’ of Budweiser Platinum. The commercial has an old school feel, captured in black and white a couple is shown

Television After Justin left music he decided to focus on building a career in film and has been quite successful.  Justin joined SNL’s Five Timers Club and graced the stage with other iconic host of the comedy sketch such as Chevy Chase, Steve Martin, Tom Hanks and more. Appearing on the show a week before his album dropped performing two hits from his upcoming album. Justin also appeared on his SNL friend, Jimmy Fallon’s Late Night for entire week entitled ‘Timberweek’ and of course Jimmy and Justin couldn’t go without doing a rendition of “The History of Rap.”

Music Streaming/Sharing

Last but not least Justin tackled music pirating head on by streaming his album for FREE an entire week before it’s release date. Justin Timberlake offered a free listen via iTunes, Rdio, Spotify and other streaming service websites but ironically the album was not available on Myspace. Individuals shared the links to the album with their friends and soon Justin Timberlake’s album was “viral” before it was even released which translated into high first week sales.

At the end of it all no one had a choice in the matter, individuals had to tune in to hear exactly what Justin had to offer and it proved to be a winning combination. And that is how Justin Timberlake re-branded himself and reclaimed his throne within the music industry.

Justin Timberlake – Target Superfan Commercial


Justin Timberlake – Bud Light Platinum Commercial

Justin Timberlake on Jimmy Fallon – Timberweek

Netflix Goes Mainstream with Launch of House of Cards

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What if I told you that your viewing experience has changed forever? Well, I’m not that far off from the truth. The fact is that every day our use of technology is making that statement a concrete fact. Not many of us can say we set a schedule to make sure we are sitting in front of our television for our favorite show. Why should we when we can just catch up online or at any odd hour with the wonderful tool – the DVR? And if that isn’t already awesome, our life as a viewer may have just gotten a bit easier with the creation of web based series.

Netflix, the leader in on-demand Internet streaming media, now with over 26 Million subscribers, has stepped into the world of original programming. On February 1st,Netflix launched “House of Cards”, an adaptation of a 1990 BBC mini-series which in this version take place in Washington DC. All 13 episodes are made available at once, allowing users to watch in marathon sessions compared to waiting a week as in prime-time television. Currently, about 10% of subscribers and those with access to Netflix viewed at least one episode of House Of Cards in the first 12 days after it became available.

More individuals are moving from traditional ways of watching television and consuming media, some going as far as cutting cable all together. Netflix, a true media innovator has a real understanding of the market and the constant change that is occurring among the individuals who subscribe to their service. Moving towards creating and maintaining their own original content is not only a smart move but a strategic one, giving individuals a chance to feel like they are truly watching television programming but also have the option to watch an entire season marathon style. Releasing an entire season of a television show will change how future series may be produced. There is no opportunity for last minute changes to ensure the audience is held into the show. They have to get it just right the first time around. Which leads us to a few other questions; will the next awards how season have a new category – Best Original Web series? How will this impact those other shows in the running?

Or just imagine if they picked up shows like “How to Make It in America” and “Boss”, everyone would tune in for the price. Right now, competitors like Amazon and Hulu are within the same price range; Hulu also produces original content but seems to have less interest. But it does make you wonder how deals from already produced and successful shows will transfer to the world of on-demand viewing. In my fantasy world, this could lead to the possibility of dropped or cancelled shows making a comeback.

If a simple game change from weekly airings to straight marathon watching creates waves on how shows are produced and exclusivity rights are signed, this will most definitely mark a new era in how marketers and advertisers forge ahead to grab the interest of their audience; from how sponsorship is presented to the ever so notable product placement spots within the shows. How do they target and claim this new type of viewer? I’ll tell you one thing, it will without a doubt lead to how viewership is going to be measured/ monitored and rated. If that happens, your favorite show may still face the chance of being cancelled. Of course, this is just the beginning,we’ll just have to watch and see how it all plays out.

ONErpm: The Revolution Will Be Digitized

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ONErpm is the latest digital music distribution company behind the digital growth of artist with one goal in mind ONE Revolution People’s Music. Starting out in Brazil, ONErpm saw a tremendous opportunity in Latin America within the Do it Yourself digital music distribution space. Emmanuel Zunz, CEO of ONErpm speaks on how they were able to tap into a growing market for digital consumption in Latin America and beyond.

Africa: What is the motivation behind the ONErpm movement?

Emmanuel: I saw that artists around the world have very little access to digital distribution so I wanted to start a business for those markets. As time I went by, I also saw an opportunity for the US market, where digital distribution is already abundant. But it’s not enough. Getting artists on stores is easy, but creating value for them on these services, by getting them in-store retail placements and features, is where we can create real value. Moreover, our site is designed to build a community, so we can present our artists to the fans that have signed up.

Africa: The music industry has been suffering tremendously, but you all still found a way to fit into the world of digital music distribution and provide something new for artist. How was ONErpm able to complete this task and how are you filling in the gap that other digital distribution companies have missed?

Emmanuel: There are several aspects to our business. We started our company in Brazil because there is a tremendous opportunity in Latin America in the DIY digital music distribution space. The second area of opportunity is the growing market for digital music consumption in Latin America. iTunes launched there in December of 2011, RDIO recently arrived, and Deezer and Spotify are coming soon. The local companies are also being forced to improve their services as competition intensifies. Given our relationships in the region, we have been hired by several large distribution companies to distribute their catalogs in Latin America. This brings the total amount of tracks we’re working with to close to 2 million.

Africa: The world is familiar with iTunes, Tunecore, CD Baby and other digital music distribution companies, and they have been more than fairly successful, I hate to ask the typical questions but people are going to want to know what sets ONErpm apart from other Digital Distribution Companies? What are you all doing to remain competitive in the space with similar businesses who have the same model?

Emmanuel: In the United States and Europe, there does indeed exist a lot of competition. On the other hand, we know that getting on iTunes and other platforms is relatively easily. So we’re focused on what comes next once you are on these platforms, which is making sure you sell music and get heard. So rather than charge artists an annual fee, we have structured our financial incentives to match theirs, meaning we make money when they make money. Therefore, we’re very active on the promotional side of things once an album has been distributed and we continue to focus our efforts on in-store retail marketing, so that our artists make more money and get the attention they deserve. In addition, because we have a direct-to-fan component, similar to Bandcamp, we’re getting more and more fans to sign up. We leverage this community of music fans to introduce them to new music, thereby promoting our artists in the process.

We believe its our combination of affordable distribution combined with hands-on marketing that sets apart from other DIY distribution companies. Add our massive catalog and a growing music community to the mix and we have a formula that works for us.

Africa: How is the Internet changing how artist promote themselves and the world of digital distribution?

Emmanuel: The internet is making it easier to reach more artists, but its a double-edged sword as the market is cluttered with too much info and false promises. Just like its harder for an artist to rise above the noise created and exacerbated by the internet, it’s just as hard for a company to separate itself from the rest of the clutter. But authenticity and patience wins the game, and slowly but surely we have carved out a niche for ourselves and a growing artist base.

Africa: Are than any artist that you would love to partner with in the future?

Emmanuel: Yes, I would love to partner with Mos Def, because he has remained true to his art.

Africa: Could you talk about any long-term goals you have in mind for onerpm and digital distribution?

Emmanuel: Ultimately we want to help develop the market so that fans support more independent music. We also want to educate independent artists on how to successfully navigate the new music industry. I see too many artists, in the US, Brazil, etc. squandering opportunities because no one is giving them direction. If our goal is to make the music industry successful for independent musicians, then we need to work together with these artists to change people’s behaviors, both fans and other artists.

Hopefully you all will get the opportunity to work with Yasiin Bey I think that would be a great partnership, a great artist as well as a revolutionary.

If you are an artist who is looking to build a name for themselves or you are just interested in learning more about onerepm visit their website, onerpm.com, follow them on twitter at @ONErpm and Like them on Facebook at the Official ONErpm Fan Page.

Olapic Proves a Picture is Worth More Than a Thousand Words

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Join us for our latest installment of Behind the Seen featuring Olapic, the premier photo crowdsourcing platform that provides tools to collect, curate and publish photo content from around the web for brands, publishers, e-commerce, sports teams and more. Olapic works with a variety of fashion brands and publications, all of whom have been coming up with really cool ways to promote their products and services through crowdsourced content. They recently partnered with the Urban Outfitter brand, Free People and created an awesome campaign allowing customers to upload pictures of themselves in their favorite Free People Denim utilizing Instagram and have them featured on the Free People website by pulling photos in from consumers who utilized the hashtag #myfpdenim.

We had an opportunity to speak to Campbell Kliefoth, the VP of Awesomeness & Business Development over at Olapic to learn more about how Olapic is proving to brands that a picture is worth more than a thousand words.

Africa: Most new businesses come into fruition because there is a gap in the industry that they are delving in, You seem to have found a market that has yet to be tapped within the photo and video sharing/crowdsourcing world. What was that gap and how is Olapic filling it?

Campbell: When we started working with our first client, the New York Daily News, we discovered that the platform they were using to collect user photos was extremely antiquated – it required uploading a single photo from the desktop, then filling out a very long page of user info to be even allowed to submit it. The bounce rate was enormous. So we began developing tools to collect photos from the services that hundreds of millions of people were already using – Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, etc. I will admit when we first started trying to acquire clients, people didn’t quite get the concept, and it was a hard sell. It seems the market has caught up now, and we are hiring new employees every week to keep up with demand.

Africa: Everyone is familiar with Instagram, YouTube and other digital photo and video sharing companies, and they have been more than fairly successful, I hate to ask the typical questions but people are going to want to know what sets Olapic apart from other platforms? What are you all doing to remain competitive in the space? What is the motivation behind your whole movement?

Campbell: There is an extraordinary amount of photosharing going on these days – over 10% of all of the photos ever taken in the history of the camera were taken in the last year. Obviously the advent of the smartphone and accompanying photo-sharing services (like Instagram) are the primary reason for this – but the majority of the value coming from this sharing is unrealized. Someone might take a photo and post it to Twitter that could be extremely valuable to a particular brand, but that value is lost if they can’t find the photo. We are constantly developing new ways to overcome this problem, always looking for new APIs, trends, and tools to “bubble up” the truly best content.

Africa: How is the Internet changing what you do?

Campbell: We follow the trends in mobile photosharing very closely. Whenever a service pops up as popular, we try to find all the ways to collect great content from it. We actually were around to see the rise of Instagram, and immediately found ways to collect based on #hashtag, @handle, and even geo-location. We are always on the lookout for the newest thing.

Africa: So Fashion week is upon us, any big plans for partnering with any brands?

Campbell: We work with a lot of fashion brands and fashion publications, all of whom have been coming up with really cool ways to promote their initiatives through crowdsourced content. Free People (an Urban Outfitters brand) is doing a really beautifully designed street-style contest that got all of us excited.

Africa: Who are some brands you would love to partner with in the future?

Campbell: The interest in our fashion e-commerce “shop-able Instagram” product has been overwhelming, and we could not be happier for it. Because the interest is so high, we are trying to put together a small group of early-adopters who we think will really be able to run with the product, so to speak. The Urban Outfitter brands have been awesome, because they have such an engaged, fashionable, and social media savvy fanbase. We are looking for brands who will be able to replicate their success.

Africa: Could you talk about any long-term goals you have in mind?

Campbell: We want to revolutionize the connection between user generated content and e-commerce. Amazon grew their conversion rate by double-digits when they introduced the ability for users to upload photos to product pages, and we want to empower any brand to have that functionality.

It was awesome speaking to Campbell about Olapic and their growth, we look forward to their advancement in fashion eCommerce and the possibility of a “shopable Instagram” How cool would that be? To learn more about the Olapic team visit them at Olapic.com, follow them on twitter at @Olapic and liking them on Facebook at Facebook.com/olapic and take a look at their latest campaign with Free People

 

Lil Wayne Announces New Video Site: “Bread Over Bed”

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Sleep when you are dead is the motto for all of the self proclaimed grinders in any major city these day. Weezy has turned this motto into a new media venture entitled Bread Over Bread where Wayne will give fans a glimpse into his day-to-day life where he will provide exclusive video updates shot by DJ Scoob Doo.

This pass weekend we saw the effect of some of Weezy’s executive decisions when he decided to pull headliner Nicki Minaj our of her Summerstage Performance. Now we will get an inside peek into what drives Wayne and how his passion has lead him to be the music mogul that he is today.

Wayne has taken a similar route as Diddy, he founded Young Money Records and had cultivated some of the top artist currently in the industry and is now expanding his brand by delving into media. Wayne explains exactly what The Bread Over Bed Lifestyle represents and why he doesn’t stop.

“This Bread Over Bed thing is more like a lifestyle, it’s more like a way of life. There’s no quit, there’s no stopping, there’s no such thing as a break, and the best part about it is there’s no reason why — the reason is you. The reason why I don’t stop is because of me, the reason why I don’t sleep is because of me, the reason why I don’t take breaks is because of me. I don’t have to. It’s natural.”

Sounds similar to Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop doesn’t it. Check Out What Else Wayne Had to Say:

Get More: Music News

DJ CEO – B.I.G Sample Sale!

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In honor of the 15th Anniversary of The Notorious B.I.G;s death I have been listening to the Great One all day. On rotation is DJ CEO “The Best Dressed DJ Period” Sample Sale! B.I.G mix which pairs B.I.G’s tracks with the original tunes they were sampled from. I’ve personally been waiting for a DJ to do this, because a lot of the Youngings don’t know the history of the music.

Enjoy!

Sean “Diddy” Combs Announces REVOLT TV Network

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(Source) This morning Sean “Diddy” Combs announced that he will be partnering with Comcast to bring a multi-platform network that reinvents the way artists and fans connect live around Music, News, and Pop Culture Programming to the masses.

REVOLT was selected as one of four new minority-owned independent networks to be broadly distributed on Comcast Cable systems between July 2012 and January 2014. After a thorough evaluation of more than 100 proposals, Comcast selected Combs’ proposal. Comcast will be the first cable operator to broadly carry REVOLT at the time of launch.

The REVOLT platform will exist as an authority in dynamic music content and a destination for conversations around music, artists, and their creations backed by the innovative leadership of Combs. It will be the first music network to truly leverage the power of social media communication tools to fuel the live music dialog and influence music culture and content in real time for the video-centric generation.

Comcast and Bad Boy Worldwide Entertainment Group have entered into an agreement to launch in 2013. For the latest information about REVOLT, please follow Sean “Diddy” Combs at www.twitter.com/iamdiddy  or www.facebook.com/diddy.

Watch Diddy’s Special Announcement on the launch of Revolt:

Key to Viano: Mercedes Interactive Ad Campaign

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Interactive Display Advertising is really taking off this year, last week we saw the new video by Red Hot Chilli Pepper’s interactive video Look Around. Now we have the latest from Mercedes the Key to Viano, an interactive campaign in which Mercedes Benz owners could activate digital campaigns with their car keys.

Inside Berlin’s Friedrichstrasse underground subway station, German luxury automaker Mercedes-Benz launched one of the more clever advertising campaigns to date. Dubbed “Key to Viano”, commuters are able to use their own vehicle keys to control the digital advertising displays.

By recognizing car key signals through a radio receiver, a new film clip starts each time a signal is received. To set everything up for the interactive campaign, 12 digital advertising displays were installed and the underground station went through an extensive overhaul that was accomplished in collaboration with WallDecaux Berlin.

Watch as customers interact with their Key to Viano: