We all heard about email marketing, web marketing, direct marketing and many other names and types of marketing. Desktop marketing is pretty old and new at once. It had been used for a long time since we all got VGA displays and graphical user interfaces. It’s new because it becomes more and more popular nowadays. All kind of marketing catching us everywhere in our mailboxes and e-mailboxes, in mags and newspapers, on TV and radio, on web pages and on billboards along the home-work-home roads. It’s everywhere and fulfils all the blank space in space. I mean on Earth.

Computer desktops still quite silent places. But why they are so delicious for marketers? Desktops have one very unique quality – they are always behind user’s eyes.

I hear a lot of grumbles frequently: “It’s not possible. The users don’t want and won’t allow your brand on their desktops.” Nonsense I must say. We all have Microsoft (or Apple) brand on our desktops, right in the left (sorry for another one pun) corner, on the start button. Look at that, it’s a Windows logo. I have wallpaper with my notebook vendor logo on it. Why? Because it was pre-installed and it looks very nice to me, I like it much more than Windows wallpapers or sort of very widespread photo-wallpapers.

You’ve got the idea! Give the user something he need or like and he put your brand on desktop with appreciate for this kindly gift. I’ll put it without any objections if:

• This is helpful or nice to me
• I like it
• It doesn’t look like a trick

Do you remember Southwest Airlines Ding ? Yes, that small desktop application that sits on your desktop and sends best deals.

The idea behind SpreadHub is to give ability to build your own Ding-like application. Why? Because Ding was (and still) a huge success. It was launched in February 2005 and in its first two years generated in 130 millions in fares and booking revenue. “45 percent of the flyers who have booked a flight featured on Ding come back for more“

“What DING! gives Southwest is something much more valuable than filling seats on its planes. It gives them presence on computer users’ desktops. And that space is priceless.” “An icon on your desktop or in your system tray can be the equivalent of gold. It’s because these applications, services or Web links are constantly top of mind. There they are, all day. Staring at you while you gaze back at your monitor”
The High-Tech Texan Blog

Such desktop applications do more than just deliver news to desktop. It is new way of engagement and interaction with the customer. It brings your brand to the customer’s desktop, always behind their eyes, always delivering valuable information. It can be great addition to your email marketing efforts, solving the problems email has, like:

• email filtered by SPAM filters

• delay between delivery and email being read

• hesitancy in providing personal data like email addresses