The recipe site AllRecipes.com is leveraging its user logs wisely to promote the brand with press and media buyers alike in its Monthly Measure look at audience trends. Available in an attractive PDF format here, the internal metric shows how recession and tax time hit food hunters in April. Keyword searches on perennial chart-topper “chicken,” for instance, grew 140% year-over-year, while “pasta” was up 210%, and up from #9 to #3. Meanwhile, “ham,” “carrot cake” and “sugar cookies” all slipped off visitors plates and declined. While we are not sure what we ourselves would do with such knowledge, it is a good sign that content providers are recognizing the market and promotional value in their own data. Used wisely, publishers can elevate their brand by becoming a visible resource to press and marketers.

Citing new research on its own base of 30 million social media users, ad services provider Lotame says that ad campaigns into user-generated content require much higher frequency caps in order to capture these users when they are ready to pay attention. Frequent visitors to blogs and network profile pages are so highly engaged in their posting and mailing activities during their first session they pay no attention to ads. During later sessions in a 24-hour cycle these same users are in a more passive mode that can respond well to the message. The company suggests media planners try to target the core influencers in a given social vertical but also hit them repeatedly, sometimes up to 17 times, with an ad.

According to Compete, “s*x” is the top search term used at YouTube in March, followed by musician “Lil Wayne.” In fact, musical figures account for half of the top ten searches.

Top YouTube Searches (March 2008)

1.    S*x
2.    Lil Wayne
3.    Low
4.    Chris Brown
5.    No Air
6.    Porn
7.    Family Guy
8.    Soudja Boy
9.    Naruto
10.    Funny

Source: Compete