Marketing Handy

My blog was hacked...

2011-10-13T16:21:00.000-07:00

For the last two weeks my blog had been hacked. I fixed it, they used the blogger e-mail publishing option. Disabled #lame

Quick Thoughts on SEO

2011-05-18T12:27:00.000-07:00

Note: tumblr publishing is down right now but normally I blog at mhandy1.tumbr.com

The goal, for many companies, for a long time has been hitting the #1 position on major search engines. A "science" called SEO was invented to game (both ethically and questionable aka white hat/black hat) the results. Things like Link-building, keyword set, and Meta tags are now buzz words.

I have a somewhat controversial thought about all of this...

SEO isn't as important today as it was a year ago and in a year from now it will matter less.

Google is trying to humanize search, that is what Google Buzz (#fail) and Google +1 are all about. The idea is that great content will be voted up and not so great content will be voted down. Variable data will be a major key to success in SEO going forward. In short content is more important now than now than a year ago, and relationships are even more important.

If your not with me, here is the kicker... Semantic Search. Semantic search is a complicated concept but basically it gives you content based on thematic cues. Semantic search can "read" the content of a site and come up with contextual results that cover several different modalities (youtube, flickr, blogs, websites, product pages, etc.).

I would venture to say within the next 3 years Google will be 80% semantic based. Meaning adding meta tags, building links wont matter as much. It is going to be all about content.

How does this effect community managers?

Content should be developed with strategic keywords in mind; this will help semantic rankings as search engines change

Relationships will effect your search engine rankings, no is the time to develop them and get your fans to vote.

Hitting page 1 of Google shouldn't be your goal... content that spreads should be. Over the long haul content that spreads will = Page 1 (possibly position 1 for Google)

Last point about search and leads...Every brand concerned about being #1 on Google should ask themselves, "what type of leads search is producing?"... Search is not always a good fit for business objectives...

What do you think?

The future of this blog...

2010-11-18T10:04:00.000-08:00

Many of you know that I started using tumblr... the future of this blog has been a question for me and I think I now have the answer for this...

Tumblr is like a my guided tour of the web/ thoughts as I go about my day...

This blog is going to be a hub for the work I think deserves a longer life span. Once a month I will grab my tumblr feed and set up reposts of the best posts. This blog is slower moving and can be more powerful as a result...

Consider this blog... Marketing Handy.. the greatest hits!

New strategy starts in December!!!

Tumblr... Follow me

2010-11-16T15:20:00.001-08:00

Tumblr is going to quickly become my middle ground between this blog and twitter. Personally I am loving it the speed and simplicity of the blog is awesome... I have 66 posts up there already if you want to check it out find me at

Marketing Handy's Tumblr AKA mhandy1's Tumblr

I will post more than 365 posts but most of them are going to be there. Its pretty much my thoughts on stories I see around the web. I will often post a picture with commentary on my take. Some posts will find there way over here... but that is going to be my primary real estate going forward!

Tumblr is about to blow up!

2010-11-10T09:01:00.000-08:00

If you don't use tumblr you may want to start... I will be reposting this content there (mhandy1.tumblr.com )... Tumblr has grown leaps and bounds over the last 5 months. It has an avid user base, simple tools that help your blog go viral and the relational component of twitter. (Oh did I mention free hosting for custom URL's?) The Stats from Quantcast are pretty telling...

The growth is not in the 200 million user range of twitter. However growth is significant and solid. Global growth is strong and it seems that growth has turned a corner in the US... Now is the time to learn the ins and outs of this network, before you are late to the party. The Social network has been around a while but it is on the verge of blowing up, and let me show you why...

The network is pre-college students and most are getting ready to start sharing more substantive insights. Ignore what the data says for a moment about age... I know the network is a key demo because of 2 pieces of data...

#1: 18-34 is a large age range but we can parse this down to the young end of the spectrum based on other demographic stats *Wages and no college. The site indexes high for low wage/ no college, only up in coming Social networks tend to do this.

#2 No Kids indexes really really high... this suggest that the network is under 27 . Kids generally come into the picture around 25 to 27. The youth of the network paired with no kids indicates a college mindset. If this is your demo this is your time!

Within 2 years tumblr should be one of the fastest growing digital properties on the web.

Marketing Handy Episode #4 Geo-location

2010-11-05T10:46:00.000-07:00

If you are doing a direct mail campaign stop it do this instead!
http://foursquare.com/businesses/ http://www.facebook.com/places/

Also support Movember by clicking http://us.movember.com/mospace/897444/

The State of Video Blogging

2010-11-03T15:06:00.000-07:00

As someone that just started video blogging I found this infographic really interesting. There are a ton of reasons why this matter for business.

1: Video is going to be one of the top web activities with in the next 3 years
2: Any brand can make interesting videos..
3: Be ready... Video is big now but its going to get much much bigger... video probably becomes the only Universal medium on the web...

Why?

2010-11-01T15:34:00.001-07:00

If you are reading this please answer of these questions in the comment section below...

Why do you click a link?

What content are you interested in?

What content would you like to see covered in blogs?

What is your passion?

Thanks

Mike

Box office Social Data

2010-11-01T12:29:00.000-07:00

Every week I do a run down of social conversations in an attempt to predict the box office results... This week I finally decided to compile the data into a slide share!

Box office social graph

View more presentations from Mike Handy.

Im hooked:: Good music fun post.

2010-11-01T09:25:00.001-07:00

I am totally hooked on this song, strongly suggest you check it out... Later I will be talking about MySpace (yes it might be relevant again)... its kind of interesting actually... and what this will mean for businesses going forward. Until then enjoy The Temper Trap and their awesomeness!

Oh and if you are running a chrome browser check out this sweetness from the Arcade fire!

P.S. This post is a tease for the next Marketing Handy episode..

Marketing Handy Episode #3 Thank You

2010-10-29T10:42:00.001-07:00

The most important thing I can do is let people know that they matter. This video is my attempt to do that, thanks to everyone who contributed this week!

Most Americans Dont Have Smart Phones...

2010-10-28T11:16:00.000-07:00

CNN ran a story today calling attention to the fact that most Americans don't have smart phones... (link)... more disturbing is that small business owners still haven't crossed the 50% threshold!

If you are a business owner and you don't have a smart phone what are you doing?

I just got a smart phone (finally) after just 2 days it has revolutionized how I communicate. Owning a business is not a reason to turn off! If you need a break from your work (beyond a total day off once a week) why do you do what you do?

Every project I am currently working on I love, and most aren't even live yet. I am doing the grunt work the stuff that most people think sucks and I love it! If you don't love what you do why are you doing it?... why are you putting up contact barriers?... let people get to you at all hours who cares push the limit!

Business owners smart phone ownership should be in the 80% to 90%.. range lets fix this!

Marketing Handy Episode #2 ROI and Social Media

2010-10-27T11:38:00.000-07:00

Im really passionate about Social Media... it will be a common trend in these vlogs.

Today I highlight ROI and why it might be the wrong conversation when talking Social Media.

The First Episode of Marketing Handy

2010-10-25T13:33:00.000-07:00

This is the first Marketing Handy show so congrats you are here at the beginning. I said this is weekly but lets see how this goes it might be more often. This week I highlight how Facebook pages should be treated as a back stage pass

Marketing Handy Vlog...coming soon

2010-10-25T08:56:00.000-07:00

Check out the intro...

The Lowdown on Linkedin

2010-10-22T13:17:00.000-07:00

Linked in is a great business tool if you haven't heard of it here is a quick info-graphic.

The Value of an Existing Customer

2010-10-19T16:26:00.000-07:00

Social Media plays a huge role in retention. If you are looking to figure out ROI consider retention as a metric...

The Social Media Case For A Shorter MLB Season

2010-10-15T09:55:00.000-07:00

The October classic as it is widely known may be a bad idea strategically. This season especially there has been a growing contingent of baseball fans calling for the sport to start their playoffs in August Rather than October. We have had a more than few conversations around the office about this topic, and it seems like we aren't the only ones.

After having, hearing, and engaging in these conversations I decided to do some Social Research. Using just the MLB, NHL, NBA and NFL as keywords I decided to do a comparison test. The objective was to determine weather a strategic advantage from a Social standpoint actually exists in having Playoff games start in october.

This chart represents conversations from the past 30 Days

This chart represents conversations in August

During August (a non-playoff month) MLB has a 4% edge in the percentage of Social conversations occurring. The volume of conversations are down significantly during August which suggests the ability of the MLB to grow their share of voice by generating conversations. Strategically from a Social Stand-point the shift would make sense.

(Repost of my work from Nostrum Inc.)

The New Gap logo... Was It A Stunt?

2010-10-15T09:40:00.000-07:00

One week ago Gap pulled off either the biggest blunder in branding history or one of the most brilliant moves ever...

I agree the Gap logo needs an update but the logo to the right is clearly not the solution. The new logo barely provides a hint as to what the brand was/wants to be. The outcry against the brand was fast and furious making Gap a trending topic on twitter in recored time. The brand even trended above Brett Farves...*ahem* so needless to say the new logo created a stir.

The Problem:

Gap as a brand has been loosing relevance year after year. Brand sentiment was at a near all time low, and this problem had nothing to do with bad press. Gap stopped being remarkable, they stopped pushing the edge...in short they became the poster child for average.

Was it a stunt?

Gap an average brand that had lost their ability to be remarkable, found a way to do something pretty remarkable. The new logo pushed forward far too fast. The speed of change reminded people what they loved about this brand. Their loyal fans didn't want it to change that fast and they spoke up. This left Gap had two choices ignore the backlash which would indicate a true re-branding effort (ala Pepsi) or cave... 10 days after launch they caved... I cant say for sure it was or wasn't a stunt but this conversation timeline might tell the story...the timing on the decision to revert back is questionable at best... my guess next week they will have a new logo with a subtle update.

(Repost of my work from nostrum inc.)

The Devil is in the detail

2010-10-06T14:59:00.001-07:00

Sure a lot of people have bad credit, but should they really be forced to drive their car over their flower beds?

No matter how great an idea is poor execution can result in a poor product. Take the time to finish the task with attention to detail behind schedule rather than submit a mistake that will live on the interwebs for all time.

Return to Normality?

2010-09-08T10:15:00.000-07:00

I am finally returning to blogging on a regular basis. The Chicago trip was great I love that city its one of my favorite cites of all time.

I am not totally back up to speed with news but that is okay.

I guess that is really the point of this post! I took a vacation I checked out of my routine and my work is still here! I might be a little slow, I might have some work ahead to get momentum again. I needed the time off, so I took it. Now I am fresh and I am back...

Coming up::

Social Media Engagement tool Reviews (1st in a series)
What brands should learn when making a major change from Twitter
Facebook Places and why its actually helping foursquare

And Much Much More...

The Ignored Crisis!

2010-09-01T10:11:00.001-07:00

Pakistan is experiencing one of the worst natural disasters in recent history! This story has been largely ignored, buried in the news cycles... but in reality this is a nation that needs our help.
Hopefully Social Media can make a dent and start the News Cycle. For more info check out the video below...

We all have a part to play... Please share...

How do you build a giant?

2010-08-31T08:59:00.002-07:00

This is how google did it...

2010-08-31T08:59:00.001-07:00

Going to Chicago...

2010-08-24T08:44:00.000-07:00

Marketing handy will be a little quite for the next few days... Im going to Chicago and I don't plug in on vacations... If I can avoid it!

Rhythm and rest are very important to keep fresh. If I am working I am not relaxing. I hope you take a day (while I take a few) to rest.

Direction...

2010-08-23T10:22:00.000-07:00

How many projects succeed without direction?

Simple truth almost everyone accepts...
Even if the destination changes, every plan should have direction.

I can't figure out why so many are hesitant to apply this truth to Social Media...

If you don't know where you are going, how will you get there?

::Questions for direction::

Why do you have a website?
Why do you have a twitter account?
Why do you have a facebook page?
What community do you want your community manager to manage?
Do you have a plan for you content?
Do you even have an objective?
What are your goals?

Once you answer those questions you can ask...

How do we get traction?
How do we reach our goals?
How does social media fit our objectives?

Social media isn't something you can just do, it requires thought planning and understanding. A plan with direction isn't we need to get followers. Direction is planning that provides guidance...

Thats A Lot of Cell Phones...

2010-08-20T12:13:00.000-07:00

The future of the web is mobile and this graphic tells the story.

Advertising: Crazy Old School AD!

2010-08-20T08:31:00.000-07:00

The image above is *not a real Ad. Apparently the "Soda Pop Board of America" wanted kids to drink soda at really young ages. Clearly the board was concerned about the self-image of the kids (if the ad were real).

This Ad got me thinking about the nature of advertising (the industry I work in). I view advertising as a service that adds value to a product. My objective is to honestly communicate the benefits for various features of certain products, services or brands. The Ad above is about taking advantage of the public to sell products. Advertisers have the power to use and abuse, like using maternal fear for kids to sell soda pop. Many advertisers still do stuff like this and its wrong.

However there is light... Advertisers have the ability to foster emotional connections that motivate a public to action. Like this Ad from Feeding America... Its not manipulation its honest connection.

These two ads provide a huge contrast.. one ad is using dishonesty for greed, the other is about connecting people to give. Both use emotion to draw a response... one is a crazy response, one is a call to do good... If you own a business or work in advertising, you are the one that must make these choices. Don't make these choices lightly!

This ad for the Pepsi refresh product falls under the honest category in my book. They don't twist facts they just draw a connection. (I figured an Apples to Apples comparison was needed)

Update... Apparently that old Soda Ad is a hoax... I leave it because its an exaggerated trick and makes a point. The ad below is real though... its not a far cry.

Worthy Wednesday:: 3 Non-profits Worth Talking About

2010-08-18T16:36:00.000-07:00

This week for Worthy Wednesday I am going to highlight 3 Non-Profits started by folks under 35. All of which are doing amazing work...s.

1. 31 bits: I have blogged about them before but I think they are worthy of making this list twice! They help women in Uganda by selling necklaces in the U.S.

2. Give Global: This organization recycles old clothes and re-sales them to support an orphanage in Thailand. The blog is pretty new but posts will be coming.

3. Toms Shoes : Blake the founder is the oldest on this list at 33. I dont think this list would do justice without Toms on the list.

I know I missed a ton ... So do me a favor and list out your Top 3 below (with links) in the comment section below...

Hopefully I can do a reprise next week with yours!

8 Success Criteria For Facebook Pages

2010-08-18T13:06:00.000-07:00

Altimeter created a slide share a little while back highlighting 8 Success Criteria for Facebook Page Marketing.

-The 8 criteria highlighted in the document...

1. Set Community Expectations: What is expected of your fans?

2. Provide Cohesive Branding: Have you customized everything

3. Be Up To Date: Is your Facebook page ignored?

4. Live Authentically: Are you afraid to be human?

5. Participate in Dialog: Do you ignore your customers when they talk to you?

6. Enable Peer-to-Peer interactions: Can your fans talk to each other?

7. Foster Advocacy: Do you let your customers speak well about you?

8. Solicit a Call To Action: Do you give your customers a chance to act?

The slideshare below has more in depth content..

The 8 Success Criteria For Facebook Page Marketing

View more documents from Jeremiah Owyang.

How To Make a Big Change.

2010-08-18T10:52:00.000-07:00

Everyone wants to make an impact, leave the world a little better (more artistic) than they found it. Business owners have high hopes of sales, parents want their kids to be the best, Non-profits want to make a community better, some people just want to loose weight...

The question so many get stuck on...

How do you make a big change?

I think the answer is simple--> Think Small

The amazing folks over at Brass Tack Thinking created the following slideshow...

Tamsen McMahon.

What is your small change...
Maybe it is making one more sales call every day...
Maybe it is eating one less desert or taking the stairs instead of the elevator...
Maybe it is sharing your mission with 3 extra people per week...
Maybe it is allowing your team the ability to make small changes...
Maybe it is sending one less tweet, maybe its sending one more...
Maybe it is reading 10 extra minutes to your kids...

My Advice
Start with a big insane goal ... take the smallest step toward that goal you can and tomorrow take another step.

Google Grave Yard...

2010-08-17T11:59:00.000-07:00

The google grave yard... Even Google fails... and they often fail big!

If you aren't failing you aren't trying hard enough. Failing even a Kin sized fail is ok, so long as you learn from it. So fail big and fail hard.

Infographic by WordStream Internet Marketing Software

Non-Profits: Can Advocates Play A Part

2010-08-17T11:28:00.000-07:00

Non-profits are a dime a dozen (they matter)... The ones that stay top of mind allow me play a part.

For example Charity water lets fans add a banner to their website...

Even if I cant afford to give, I can link. Social Media provides an opportunity for advocates to play a part! Too many organizations dont allow advocates to step in and silence their voices as a result...
Who are your advocates?
What do they do?
Can you let them share in your mission?

If you would like to add a charity water banner to your site it can be done here.

The Now Revolution - Social Fresh Charlotte

2010-08-16T13:30:00.001-07:00

Simplistic Slideshare that highlights everything from Strategy to Social Media Job functions... not crazy detailed but informative.

The Now Revolution - Social Fresh Charlotte

View more presentations from Amber Naslund.

Social Media and Sales..

2010-08-16T10:57:00.000-07:00

**Repost from company blog Nostrum Inc.

Old spice did a brilliant Social Media campaign about a month ago. The campaign ended on a Thursday and by Friday there was a large contingent declaring the campaign a failure... These naysayers were touting that sales were down 7%... The data these naysayers were using did not even measure the Social Media push. The period measured in the report ended a full month before the Campaign even started. (*There is some dispute over the numbers which didn't include walmarts sales)

The way I read it, is that some critics wanted the Social Media push to actually go back and change sales history to be a success which brings me to the question of this post...

Is sales really "the matrix" of success in Social Media or is it a matrix of success?

I am not saying that sales should be discounted as a (possibly the most) important matrix when measuring Social Media. What I am suggesting is that sales should be measured in relation to several other factors... Sales isn't the only reason to have a social media presence and therefore isn't the only measurement that counts!

::Other measurement matrixes to consider::

1. Brand sentiment: Does your Social Media presence help your brand sentiment?

2. Influence: Is your brand more influential? Are you able to direct consumers to click a link more or less often?

3. Engagement: Are your consumers asking more questions, providing innovation, wanting to know your brand's position on certain issues?

4. Followers and Fans: This is a favorite of Social Media folks because its simple to quantify. It also counts because there is an effect on impressions.

5. Share of voice: How are you doing compared to your competitors? How many brand conversations are going on?

Social Media analytics requires reporting talent not many understand or can produce.

Plug:: At Nostrum we have years of experience providing reports and monitoring services containing actual insight.

Incase you were wondering... The Social Media push worked sales were up 107% for old spice when all was said and done.

My Favorite Twitter Tools

2010-08-16T08:19:00.000-07:00

Twitter has so much more potential than just what you see on the web... I use a ton of different tools but these are 3 I come back to over and over again.

1. Klout : Klout is a tool to measure the influence of Twitter users. The tool tracks reach amplification and influence. The Klout score is on a 0 to 100 scale. The tool provides great insights when trying to identify key users.

2. Twitter counter : Is my tool of choice to track the growth of accounts. The tool also lets me track the volume, growth and hints towards influence that users have.

3. Refollow : Refollow is a follower management tool. I use it to clear out inactive users and to follow interesting people that are following me. I personally follow people because the user adds value to my stream, if an account is inactive it cannot do not add value.

Painting by the numbers

2010-08-13T08:17:00.000-07:00

Are you an artist or are you just painting by the numbers?

Art is war
Art is unexpected
Art is generous
Art is difficult
Art is work
Art is risky
Art follows the rules
Art breaks the rules
Art surpasses expectation

Some advertisers create art, some baristas are artists, some accounts create art. In general some workers are artists!!!

Artists are the exception.

Most people move through the motions hoping someone will give them a guide so they can paint by the numbers. Painting by the numbers is easy everyone can see the steps and follow the rules. Expectations are clear the path has been made and almost no one provides push back.

Art on the other hand requires an understanding about how to paint by the numbers & how to improve it! When you paint the sky 6 shades of orange instead of blue, loyalists might get a little nervous. When you decide that the small piece you have a guide for is only a small portion of what you do... co-workers will raise an eyebrow. When a brand decides that profit is a happy by-product of quality work short sighted investors will run. In short Art is War....

So is Art worth the war?

Can I do 1 Blog a day?

2010-08-12T12:52:00.000-07:00

Goal: Post Once a day for the next year!

Some posts my just be an image snapped on my cell phone, some may be great ads, some posts will rock, some posts will suck... I think I can do this and still be interesting in a year from now.

If you want to join me on this journey feel free to add me to an RSS feed, comment often and let me know if you want my take on something!

1 down 364 posts to go!

Oh and when the year finishes I will probably just adjust the frequency...

Worthy Wednesday:: 5 Blogs Worth Reading

2010-08-11T10:04:00.001-07:00

We live in a world loaded with noise... Blogs are no different so I thought I would share 5 Blogs I think are worth your time.
Add these to your RSS!

#1 http://ilearntechnology.com/ Run by a teacher... she offers really good info on how to use technology in the classroom. (On twitter @ktenkely)

#2 http://garyvaynerchuk.com/
Gary is an Iconoclast.. He breaks the rules, provides great insights, and works harder than any person I have ever met. If you like business or wine he should be a staple (on Twitter @garyvee)

#3 Groundswell A forester Collaboration... If you want to stay relevant in the digital space for business this blog is a must!

#4 http://www.potsc.com/ This is a project run by a guy named Mike Foster, brillant guy great posts. He has a book coming out called Graceonmics which should be amazing! (On Twitter @mikefoster)

#5 http://www.sixmonthmba.com/ This is one of the most insightful and interesting collaboration blogs I read! Full of great advice for anyone who needs to communicate anything from marketing to parenting. Started as the result of a Seth Godin experiment they are brilliant!

Twitter+ Fast Follow = Huge Change!

2010-08-10T15:30:00.000-07:00

Twitter just made a major change to their network which is going to effect businesses substantially. I am not sure how many brands are going to appreciate the shift (to start with), but if you read this blog I will try to give you a head start.

::The Basics::

What is Fast Follow: Fast follow lest you follow any twitter account (even if you dont have one) via SMS.
How it works: Send an SMS message to 40404 in the message text enter "follow @[username]"
What Happens: You then will receive SMS updates from that twitter feed when the status is updated.

Fast Follow will likely follow the same rules that filter out messages starting with @[username] already in place.

Why it matters:: Fast follow gives businesses the ability to offer customers discounts, features, and news via text. For Free! If brands are smart they should leverage this feature with Fast Follow accounts. On all print they can provide Fast follow sign-up steps and offer a discount in store. Suddenly you have a follower and a broadcasting platform. Fast Follow accounts would give smart brands the ability to quickly reach mobile users. However it should change their behavior on twitter so they don't annoy fast followers.

In my opinion Re-tweets, Linking to blogs, links to news, and late night/early morning tweets should all be off limits for these accounts.

Your thoughts??

More info can be found at Mashable.com

Mad Men Dove Ad... not so popular

2010-08-09T12:56:00.000-07:00

The first ever Marketing Handy Monday Poll... came in with 100% in the way of lame votes. Say what you will about Dove...

But you can't honestly tell me that the Ad below is anything less than awesomeness!

1940's Twitter... who knew?

Dove Mad Men Ad...

2010-08-09T09:06:00.000-07:00

Motorola Makes Awesome Dig on Iphone 4

2010-08-05T09:42:00.001-07:00

I love this ad! Motorola takes it straight to a competitor that has gotten far too arrogant. Apple knew about their reception problem but decided to move forward with the product. Apple shipped 2 things rather than one at expense of quality. Shipping is important, and shouldn't be undervalued, but Apple already had the new iphone OS ready to go. Getting the iphone 4 right would have saved them and their fans a major embarrassment. Apple's only advantage has been quality!

Someone can (and will) do it faster and cheaper (thats the microsoft market position), but quality and creativity can't be touched. Make the best and never back down from being the best. Learn from Apple rework the product to stay the best... work harder and faster to meet the deadline... don't Settle. Being the best isn't a position without risks quality is expensive, and time consuming... but the safe alternative is boring!

Is Safe Smart Business?

2010-08-03T12:44:00.000-07:00

This week Gap created a small buzz with the in store advertisement above. The ad is risky and has offended some. However the Ad is being noticed... The Huffington Post ran an article asking users if the Ad was offensive or cleaver. Only 20% of respondents indicated that the Ad was offensive.

Is this a bad thing?

I am not calling for full scale offensive/classless advertising, but I dont think safe is smart. The Golden age of advertising when bland safe messages were able to generate sales is probably dead and gone forever. The average american consumer see far too many ads in one day. In a small Starbucks in Signal Hill CA, I counted 85 different brand messages IN the store. Everything from Apple laptops to Tazo tea, to Nike Logos is in this one little place.

With this much visual saturation how on earth do you make a message stick out? I think one way is to do something unexpected. Only unexpected has a tendency to offend 20%... but isn't that old news the classic flipped 80/20 rule?

-->In case you dont know the 80/20 rule says 80% of revenue comes from 20% of your client base. The flipped 80/20 rule says that 20% of consumers will hate your brand no matter what you do. These numbers are always pretty consistant. For some reason (probably fear) many brands give power to the 20% that hate them, and try to win them over. Lets look a little closer...

There are 20% of consumers who will never by a Foreign car.

Should foreign manufactures produce cars in the US?

(Some brands are trying but they still aren't winning that 20% over)

There are 20% of consumers that will never by a domestic car.

Should domestic automakers produce cars overseas?

Why dont companies ignore the 20% that hate them? Why don't more brands do what Gap is doing?

Its smart to focus on the 20% that generate revenue and the 40% that havent made up their mind about you yet. If safe is reaching that group than safe maybe smart! If safe isn't reaching that 60% than maybe its time to make a little noise... just expect to offend the 20% of consumers that are going to hate you!

This rule probably applies to interpersonal relationships as well...

Do you ever meet people with the expectation that roughly 20% will not like you?

Have you ever just decided to accept it, and be who you are regardless?

-Side note if substantially more than 20% hate you... you are probably doing something wrong. From an interpersonal level its realistic for that number to be much much lower over time.

Blogging is Shallow..I could be wrong

2010-07-29T15:29:00.000-07:00

I recently read a book titled Flickering Pixels (a really great book). The book highlights how technology has shaped our culture from the invention of written word through the digital age. In the book Shane Hipps (the author) made one note in particular that struck a cord (from a marketing perspective)... Blogging is Shallow. As much as I wanted to disagree with him I dont think I can. I read over 1000 blogs a day, and most of them provide 0 unique insight or depth... its just data streaming through at a rate too fast to digest. As a medium for communication a blog is much more robust than a 30 Second TV spot, but it does't hold nearly the depth that a book has. Blogs are commentary... but commentary about what?

From a branding point of view I don't think this is bad, at least not intrinsically. I can't help but wonder what this means for our world/brands going forward...
What happens when our consumers stop asking questions?

What if the competition says something inaccurate?
OR worse what if the a customer is misinformed and blogs about it?

Are we listening and able to respond?

Is it possible that in a new media age a lack of depth means brands must always play offense?

I think these are things that should be considered... Consumers are going to blog, tweet, post status updates, and talk... It's not safe to assume that an accurate message is being represented... Tools like Radian 6 are not only nice to have, but a requirement going forward.

But I could be wrong

Creating Concrete Objectives

2010-07-27T08:06:00.000-07:00

Seth Godin Recently posted a short blog about The Problem With Unlimited. I think he explained the problem perfectly. By nature unlimited is not quantified, it is not concrete... Or in other words unlimited is abstract!

The abstract problem can be seen all over the business landscape. Too many Businesses want results but do not quantify what success looks like. In essence they leave the success line in unlimited territory. Clients of unlimited success feel underserved, Vendors of unlimited success are shocked when the relationship doesn't work out, and consumers look at giving initiatives unattached.

I prefer to work with jointly defined objectives for success, but this is scary. If I have an objective it means I can (and will) fail (from time to time). However it also means I will succeed/ exceed expectations.

Creating concrete objectives

#1 Define Success:: this seems simple but often the simple steps are the ones that get ignored!
How much money do you want to donate, how many units do you want to ship, How many followers, how many posts

This is step 1... if you cant do this dont waste your time reading anything else.

#2 Can "success" be made more concrete?
If its a dollar amount can that be translated to meals, if its units can you name them, if its followers are they customers

The brillance of Toms Shoes is the simple concrete message of "Give a pair get a pair". Consumers know when they buy a pair of toms they are giving a pair of shoes away... you can't get more concrete than that! Can you get that concrete? Can you get close? It is something worth your time!

#3 Establish benchmarks
Do you know how much you need to give per week, do you know how many units you need to ship per day, do you know how many customers you need to reach per hour

Look at step one... my guess is that there is a big goal (maybe 400 calls a week or 1600 calls a month) this is not a bad thing. If you want to be great that goal has to be big! But can you make your goal smaller? Breaking an objective down into sizable chunks helps make an objective less scary! If I need to make 400 calls a week that can be a frightening number to look at... If I cut that down to 10 calls an hour its suddenly easy.. 5 calls every half an hour becomes doable!

We want the big win...but big wins come from small steps!

#4 Be accountable
Does your boss know the goal, do your consumers understand the purpose, do your line works know the goal

Just because there is goal doesn't mean its worth your time! You client might decide its not a worthy goal (let them), your line workers might tell you that they can't push that much harder (evaluate that) your market study might indicate your consumers just dont care (accept it). Accountability requires flexibility because it is bringing in other voices. Once the other voices arrive walk through the process again (not for the first time)... Look at the results and stick to them!

Enterprise 2.0:: Engineers Use Social Media

2010-07-21T11:34:00.000-07:00

From my company blog post

If "Web 2.0" was the next iteration of the web, is "Enterprise 2.0" the next iteration of business? There seems to be some evidence to support this as not only a viable theory but a hugely important one. Under its current trajectory social media is going to lower internal corporate barriers and walls. This is largely because Social media provides a window into the customer's life. The shift poses a huge marketing opportunity that has been widely documented. In much of the chatter something (important) has been ignored, what social media means to product designers. The problem Apple encountered with the iphone 4 wasn't found by the media, it was found on the Social Web. Look at the data this 1 user provides, highlights the problem, explains how to recreate the problem and even how to avoid it.

As a designer you would be able to see the issue, test it yourself and save time on the fix just by watching what 1 guy figured out. It appears Apple knew about the problem when the product was lunched but if they didn't the Social web had some answers. This week I came across and interesting study (thanks to.. @MikeDemler for pointing it out and @SAEintl for creating it) about how engineers are using social media. I don't know the confidence intervals of this study but it is a sample of 1,153 completed surveys, with a 12.6% completion rate so it should be fairly representative of the class. Drilling down into the data there are some very interesting trends amongst engineers when it comes to social media...

#1 61% of engineers are using social media

#2 Of that group 55% are using Social Media for business purposes (at least some of the time)

This group represents a mindset that generally would not fit the classic techno-graphic profile of heavy social media users. This can be seen in the classes derived from the study. Look closely at the youngest group in the study they are under 35.

The question that this leads me to is "how is social media being used by this group of respondents?"...

Again there is something else shocking in these numbers (kind of)... 11% are using social media to solve problems, 10% are using social media to find new suppliers, and 20% use it to get technical information. To this (likely growing) group social media is a resource that actually drives real results.

Social media is a tool for use far beyond promotional marketing. Demonstratively it is a tool that can be used in product design, understanding distribution issues, and price point analysis. Social Media when listened to correctly can provide substantive insights into why products aren't selling, and what the public thinks about them. That is just 1 area of Social Media and it has nothing to do with promoting everything to do with marketing!

Update

The official ages from the study are listed below::

This week in Social Media.. so Far

2010-07-14T13:13:00.001-07:00

**repost from company blog

This week has been interesting in Social media.. I think it already deserves a bullet point blog (its only Wednesday!?!)...

#1 Old spice Started having their spokesman respond to tweets via Youtube its working

Just one 1 of the many Videos

Twitter followers as of 12:30pm PST

#2 Ben and Jerrys decided to kill E-mail marketing and step into Social Media instead. Don't get me wrong I love Social Media but this seems a little extreme to me. Its almost as if they have decided to stop doing print ads for TV... maybe budget issues were a concern.

#3 Facebook is extending their open graph to the mobile world. It looks like facebook is going to get into the Geolocation war at some point.

#4 Studies show that teens have Facebook fatigue but the site still experienced the highest traffic ever... This probably means that Grandmas are joining the site at alarming rates... or it was just par for the course.

#5 Twitter has decided it is going to make even more money with @earlybird. It is now apparent that while Facebook may have the users Twitter seems to have the dollars!

One Fail Two Fail:: Microsoft Kin

2010-07-12T16:31:00.000-07:00

Last week Microsoft pulled the plug on the Kin experiment. Leaving 503 users worried about the future of their service. Yes you read that correctly Microsoft sold 503 units in just a little over a month, I think that works out to 1 Prime Time ad per unit sold. What I find interesting about the Kin is every metric of success indicated people were interested in the product. Kin's Facebook Page had over 200,000 fans! The ads were edgy, creative, and many even commented saying how cool they were.

Kin went wrong in a very simple way, it made life (seem) complicated. When I first saw the Ad I couldn't sleep, the concept was that scary. Do I really want a total mashup of my Facebook feed, Twitter feed, my E-mail and my RSS? That thought which still gives me nightmares was at least one contributing factor.

The KIN probably suffered a bit because of the Microsoft brand (which has less street cred than a grandma) and the ambiguous concept of the Kin Suite (whatever that was). In case you think this phone may have been a good idea, watch this product demo and tell me you still want it!

B2B's rise in Social Media

2010-07-08T14:30:00.000-07:00

Before coming to Nostrum I worked for 3 years in the B2B sector as a buyer. When I started working there it was the height of Myspace, most people thought a Facebook involved an actual book, YouTube was just starting to take off, and twitter was a word for birdwatchers. Even in those early social days my industry was already social. There were (are) industry forums, blogs, videos, and even Myspace pages that were in wide use (albeit often subversive use). The challenge for many was getting around internal site blocking software to get to the information which was so badly needed. Everyone had tips and tricks to get around a system. You might say we had a subversive network of buyers. This wasn't the best system (obviously) but management didn't see the value in having an open ("dangerous") web. Management also didn't see the value in using social media... The statistics in the following video should not be shocking. Think about that subversive group of buyers, 4 years later many of them are finally getting into the management ranks. They understand the tools and they understand the potential, and now they have the power to make changes. It stands to reason that B2B will expand the lead over B2C in Social Media over the next 5 years. Lead in part by a subversive group of buyers...

Some Facts and Figures To Consider For B2B Social Media Marketing

81 % of B2B companies have accounts on social media sites compared to 67% of B2C

75% of B2B brands participate in Twitter versus 49% of B2C

54% of Chief Information Officers ban the use of social networking sites such as Facebook, YouTube and Twitter at the workplace

93% of all business buyers believe all companies should be on social media platforms

85% of of those buyers should use social media to engage and interact with them

9 out of 10 buyers say that when they are ready to buy, they will come looking for you

Eight out of Ten IT decision makers said word of mouth is the most important source when making buying decisions

37% of B2B buyers asked questions on social media sites when looking for suggestions

93% of B2B buyers use a search engine such as Google to begin the buying process

74% of C- Level executives say that the internet is a very valuable source of information

Six out of Ten C-Suite executives conduct more than six online searches a day

Managers in information technology are the top ranked users of the Web for information gathering

49% of B2B marketers do not measure return on investment

90% of marketing deliverables not used by sales

Sales generate 53% of their own leads and the marketing department provides only 24%

Worldviews

2010-04-20T15:54:00.000-07:00

So often in business we are talking to bigger issues than our products.

It may be hard to see with balance sheets, profit margins, ROI, corporate politics, etc. but the reality for anyone in business is that people are always our customers.

When crafting a message for a campaign we all have an option of using trickery taping emotion to sell our products. It is something that can be very good for our consumer, it also can sack consumers with products they dont need or want.

When people get sacked with products that turn out to be junk they feel betrayed. This is using people in the worst way. Another more subtle way this is often done is by short sighted marketers with a flair for the dramatic. Ofender's perpetuate this with the use of charity... something like "we will give 10,000 to cancer research if you buy our product"... This often provides a net profit of over $1,000,000 and often its for products people would have never purchased otherwise. Our worldview tells us we should be doing good, and many get used because of it.

There are 3 companies I know that are being honest to this worldview in its entirety...

1. Give Global::

They sell recycled clothing for new futures for children in Thailand.

If you dont know Thailand is the capital of the sex trade

This company is both green and good... which is very very cool!

2. 31 Bits

Jewelry made out of 100% recycled paper by women in Northern Uganda

If you don't know Uganda is a war torn country in desperate need of hope.

This company is both green and good... which is very very cool!

3. Toms Shoes

"Get a pair, Give a pair"

Shoes save lives, and provide opportunities for education in the developing world... this company produces shoes with minimal material and is constantly reducing it's environmental impact.

Honest stories... great people... fits a generous worldview.

Why my twitter rules are right!

2010-04-17T12:47:00.000-07:00

I love twitter, its one of my favorite places to hang out online. It's quick, simple, grammar rules don't always apply, and I have almost 900 friends... not just followers but people I actually like and respect. Honestly my friends on twitter in some ways are better than many of my real life friends. I honestly think a lot of it has to do with rules I follow in the way I communicate. I think it is high time I extend these rules into my every day life!

Here they are...
1. People matter and have interesting stories to tell:: This rule means I don't have to spit my thoughts out all the time. It forces me to ask more questions and to get to know people. It's less about being right and more about enjoying there content. (Jesus is all about this I have never seen a gospel story where he has written someone off as not counting)

2. Arguing is off limits:: I read a lot... I really do ..but I on twitter I try not to engage in discussion if I have a strongly differing opinion. This means I give up my right to be right. Political arguing just isn't something I let my self do. I often see stuff go by want to comment but leave it. I don't have control over major policy issues, so it isn't worth my energy to debate this stuff. There are rare occasions I break this rule (outside of hockey which is just fun banter IMO) but it is always done with respect and a genuine desire to understand someone else's point of view. (Jesus gives up this right so much he goes to the cross in part because of it)

3. Attackers get space:: In life we have people that will send us into a tale spin. They are hard people to deal with and know how to press our buttons. On twitter I give these people space. It isn't in my best interest to give them air time on my feed. Sometimes I mute people for a few days sometimes I just let people go away from my feed altogether. (Jesus uses this mentality a lot he doesn't keep people that want to rip him apart very close)

4. Look for their interests:: This goes back to my first point, however I do try to share relevant information around people's interests. The other thing I try to do is get information from them. I follow people because they are the expert in what they know... I get 10 inputs for every 1 input I offer. I listen more often than I talk. This is a hard rule for me in real life but its something I need to do. (James says "be quick to listen, slow to anger and slow to speak" I think God is on to something)

5. Help people:: I often search the word help on twitter just to see how I can help people... its pretty obvious but my generosity earns respect and helps establish a very positive tone. I don't think I need to break out the biblical rule for this one... Generosity is good!

To my twitter peeps you guys rock! And you have helped me be a better communicator in everyday life!

Pampers Ad? Wait Huggies Ad...

2010-04-13T16:26:00.000-07:00

This is a little weird but I would like to break this out a little bit... If you havent seen the Ad below yet check it out...

When I first saw this ad i thought it was brilliant creative, cuts through the noise, and communicates a clear message via story. However the creators forgot about their target market when it came to selling the product (really busy moms and dads). For some reason they decide to name Pampers by name 1st... WHY?

This is a classic case of paying too much attention to the wrong details. When a buyer goes to the store they now have to balance two brands in their head. This balancing act complicates a simple transaction. This is a fail and my hunch is Pampers will also see a bump in sales. Who ever made the ad should take note, the public isn't paying that much attention to Ads.

Disqus::

2010-04-08T15:30:00.000-07:00

Today I started using Disqus on this website... it is a comment system which allows users to hub information around the posts /comments they make. If you have questions click the logo...

Nike's Tiger ad is brilliant!

2010-04-08T08:45:00.000-07:00

I know many "experts" think the new Nike ad with Tiger is dumb, random or just plain bad. They dont see the benefit to the brand and to many it looks like a peice about Tiger...but its not.

If you havent seen the Ad I posted a the video yesterday on Nostrum's blog... (if you follow this blog you should follow that one too). I reposted the video on this site...below

Personally I think the Ad is brillant... here are 3 reasons

1. Its not about Tiger:: At the end of the Day its a million conversations about why Nike would place tiger so soon. Why Nike would want to use Earl Wood's voice? How Nike will or won't sell product because of this ad? Its a million conversations about NIKE

2. It deals with a sensitive issue in a sensitive way:: I have seen many on twitter ripping this Ad because it endorses affairs. . .. I have seen many on twitter rip the Ad for being to soft on tiger... and I have seen people on twitter rip this ad for being too hard on Tiger. The scale and extent to which these opinons differ suggest that the Ad was in a very classy spot... the Middle.

3. Its simple:: In a world so focused on glam and glitz this piece just stops. The Ad has no background, no fancy edits, and isn't in your face (With graphics at least). As a result of the simplicity your eyes have nowhere to go but the logo.

Why I think people refuse to like the ad publicly. . .

In all honesty its easier to be a critic. In general the only people that benefit from complementing an ad are the ones that came up with it. That is why complements are rare in advertising.

One interviewie in a Fox story said "I wouldn't run out and buy sneakers [because of it],"

Think about that... he is thinking about Shoes and Nike... that can't be a bad thing. Even if he doesn't buy Shoes now he is thinking about Nike Shoes! That is a win.

Update... real experts actually agree with me... look at this article ... Nike didn't have a choice in this move it had to happen at some point.

Coca-Cola: Now That's a Brand!

2010-04-07T10:51:00.000-07:00

Coca-Cola is the benchmark of powerful branding... its not all in the name, its all about delivering quality product over and over again. When you open a Coke you know what you are getting!

Social Media and Mobile Phones

2010-04-06T13:17:00.001-07:00

If you read the nostrumstats blog you will have already seen this Infographic. There is no doubt that the wave of the future is Smart phones. The effect on business is going to be very drastic, even in the B2B market (which has had use of smart phones for over a decade).

It may seem like smart phones are already the majority in the market but Im not sold on this. Until recently products like Palm, Windows mobile, Blackberry's were all items for e-mail and very limited web (expensive ones at that). The iphone offered a major shift to the general population as an information device. The next shift will take us away from information and to relationships. It is possible that Smart Phones will make us the most connected society in history.

If you own a business, and you are not thinking through how Smart phones are going to change your business, you are not thinking hard enough.

This isn't a fad... It's like TV... It's like the Internet... it's a major shift.

source * http://besocializer.posterous.com/how-are-mobile-phones-changing-social-media-i-4

Google's new chrome ad

2010-04-05T16:03:00.000-07:00

I saw this post earlier today on digital inspiration's blog. Its a lot of fun...

Google is getting better and better with highlighting the benefits of their products in Ads. I feel like this is just another extension of that great work.

Without further ado I welcome "The Google Chrome Ad"

Let me know what you think!

The Ten Commandments Of User Experience

2010-03-31T17:21:00.001-07:00

Great post about User Experience from SXSW

The Ten Commandments Of User Experience

View more presentations from Nick Finck.

FBML How To Video

2010-03-31T16:30:00.001-07:00

Marketing to Women

2010-03-31T15:50:00.000-07:00

The Following excert is from an old post www.she-conomy.com .... but I thought it made a point really well...

MYTH: Why target women if men average a higher income than women?

TRUTH: Whether or not this is true, women are the ones making the purchases.

Studies continue to vary somewhat on who makes more. And averages tend to throw things off since income is not always an indicator of total wealth.

But none of that matters really, because even if a woman does not work, studies consistently show that she is making the buying decisions for herself and her family. So ignoring her is short-sighted to say the very least.

85% of all brand purchases are made by women
94% the wealth acquired in the next four years, will be acquired by women*
69% of household health decisions are made by women*
74% of all NBA & NFL apparel is purchased by women
91% of new home decisions are made by women**
81% of grocery decisions are made by women
60% of the online population are women
62% of all workers are women
71% of women feel that brands only consider them for beauty products and cleaning products

CSR Branding Survey 2010

2010-03-31T15:43:00.001-07:00

The more social a brand gets the more important ethics become. While many may fault me for saying this but, Social Responsibility is good for the bottom line. The all mighty dollar should be motivation enough to act in responsible ways. Don't believe me check this out...

CSR Branding Survey 2010

View more presentations from Burson-Marsteller.

SXSW "Screw Brand Equity - Connected Brands Rule" Adam Lavelle, iCrossing

2010-03-31T13:17:00.001-07:00

Great presentation... highlighting the 10 strongest brands and their engagement levels and how that effects their over all brand sentiment/ Equity.

SXSW "Screw Brand Equity - Connected Brands Rule" Adam Lavelle, iCrossing

View more presentations from iCrossing.

Ogilvy: Digital In A Downturn

2010-03-31T11:21:00.000-07:00

Digital in a Downturn-Ogilvy

Olivier Blanchard Basics Of Social Media Roi

2010-03-29T14:45:00.001-07:00

If you are wondering how social media can turn dollars check this out! Its like measuring the volume of the wind... its nearly impossible to do. In this there are reasons why that is.

Olivier Blanchard Basics Of Social Media Roi

View more presentations from Olivier Blanchard.

Social Media Is Dead: Long Live Common Sense.

2010-03-29T10:06:00.001-07:00

Great Presentation on the state of Social media... check it out!

Social Media Is Dead: Long Live Common Sense.

View more presentations from David Armano.

3 reasons the Google Super bowl ad = Fail

2010-02-09T16:24:00.000-08:00

This is a really quick post but I think the Super Bowl had some great ads ok ads etc. One Ad which has been getting rave reviews missed an opportunity the ad, the Google Ad. Im in the minority opinion until today I felt like it was a well placed well done ad.

However today something puzzling happened not 2 days after that ad runs the launch google buzz. HELLO... 2 days after why the heck wasn't the Ad about Google buzz! This could have been the Ad and it would have been fine... end with comming to a gmail near you... buzz grabbed!

It would have had a chance to take a portion of Facebook and run with it.

Understand Your Customers' Social Behaviors

2010-01-25T11:15:00.001-08:00

The new demographic of the future.. technographics and Socialgraphics

Understand Your Customers' Social Behaviors

View more presentations from Charlene Li.

How Google Works: A Primer on SEO for Google

2010-01-22T19:18:00.001-08:00

Great base line presentation for how SEO works. Gives a good ground work on how goo

How Google Works: A Primer on SEO for Google

View more documents from Janet Driscoll Miller.

Social Netiquette

2010-01-18T10:57:00.001-08:00

If you run a business or just use technology this is a great slide show. Too many people don't understand the tools and just annoy people as a result!

Check this out well done!

Social Netiquette

View more documents from Michelle Lentz.

Evolution: The Eight Stages Of Listening

2010-01-13T16:33:00.001-08:00

The Eight Stages of Listening: It Starts with listening establish your goals and then start talking. You cant shout into space and think someone is going to listen...

Evolution: The Eight Stages Of Listening

View more presentations from Jeremiah Owyang.

Modern Brand Building Stop Campaigning and Start Committing

2010-01-13T15:46:00.001-08:00

Modern Brand Building:: Stop Campaigning and Start Committing

Modern Brand Building Stop Campaigning and Start Committing

View more documents from Betsey Merkel.

140 Twitter Tips

2010-01-13T15:13:00.001-08:00

Check out this SlideShare Presentation:

140 Twitter Tips

View more presentations from Kyle Lacy.

Ad's you wouldn't see in the 21st Century

2009-11-09T16:14:00.000-08:00

Yea... Sip that cancer stick

If you are a really arrogant jerk!

Read the copy can you say sexist

Same concept

They just took it to the next level

Island of Misfit toys!

2009-11-09T12:04:00.000-08:00

The "There's an App for that" ad was bound to be made fun of at some point and Verizon finally figured out how when the new Droid phone dropped. However they will be leaving that motif for their Holiday Ads really make fun of the iphone hard core as seen above.

Personally I think this is a great Ad and its funny and creative. Hyping the benifits of the network over the Features of the iphone.

*For the Record I want an HTC Pro 2, check it out seems like a very cool phone.

Ladies and Gentlemen it looks like there is finally something to compete with the iphone!

Another one I just saw... these are so good

Who is online

2009-11-04T10:17:00.000-08:00

I love this tool from Forrester Research. It offers solid Technographic and Demographic information about who is online and how they use it.

This is the consumer tool

This one is the Business tool

Play with it use it it is very useful.

Great bud wiser Ad

2009-10-16T16:08:00.000-07:00

I know budwiser has been known for their ads in the past but this one is great. Even though I don't drink Budwiser this Ad totally makes me want to go to the bar order a cold one and hang out with some friends. I think its also an good wake up call, trends come and go ask your self if the product is good enough to be timeless.

In case you were wondering Go Dodgers!

love disneyland... taken the other night!

2009-10-05T14:05:00.001-07:00

This message was sent using the Picture and Video Messaging service from Verizon Wireless!

To learn how you can snap pictures and capture videos with your wireless phone visit www.verizonwireless.com/picture.

Note: To play video messages sent to email, QuickTime® 6.5 or higher is required.

2009-10-01T10:01:00.000-07:00

So There are four P's in marketing.
Product
Price
Promotion
Placement

Can you guess which one the PC world CMO forgot about?

adidasTV

2009-09-21T12:43:00.001-07:00

I love what Adidas has done. They have a supper interactive website and they explain features and benefits really well. There are about 50 videos like this all in a really accessible format... Great Job on there part.

Penguins

2009-09-08T16:39:00.000-07:00

Check out this AD for Pepsi... It's dated pre-new logo but I think it has merit. It tells a cute story that can really resonate with both adults and kids. There is ample opportunity for product extension, Pepsi Penguins anyone?

Most Importantly this is an AD that can easily be a series. Imagine extending it to the social realm, choose the Pepsi Penguin's next adventure! Higher involvement, higher awareness!
If coke made Santa red, Pespi could make Penguins Pepsi drinkers

Not a controlled message (171 Starbucks in 1 day)

2009-08-30T09:32:00.001-07:00

I've never been to New York but I know there are 171 starbucks to choose from in Manhattan alone!

I wonder what Starbucks did to the employee that charged 80 bucks for a pound cake?

Is it possible to find fans like this? This is begging to be an ad! It needs some edits but the story can be told in 10 seconds. Give up control let real people tell your story and communicate your message. It wont come across as forced or produced. Also this guy went to 171 stores in 1 day I'm pretty sure he picked up a gazillion insights.

Why Twitter? ... Finally Explained

2009-08-06T22:51:00.000-07:00

I'm writing this post to help people. I understand both sides of the twitter and antitwitter groups. I myself went from the great mass of “I don’t get the twitter thing” to a “do you twitter?” stranger asking freak in less than 2 months. My wife still doesn’t get it and I understand why; Twitter seems stupid. Yes twitter fans the name is stupid and the idea is abstract… sorry.

*** When twitter users say words like twit, tweeter or tweet it sounds really dumb/dorky to the huge mass of people not on the network. ***

Non-users consider the following as a how to guide/ why its cool guide…

Step 1: Realize that Twitter isn’t Myspace or Facebook!
The big difference here is that Twitter is an open platform, unless you have a limited profile (I don’t suggest) you are an open book. Your thoughts musing web clippings are able to be seen by everyone, 140 characters at a time. You can see what anyone in the world is posting, and they can see you. If you are new to this I would suggest creating a list of your favorite athletes, politicians, movie stars, authors, innovators, companies etc. and following them. Following people that are interesting is like getting a backstage Pass … which brings me to step 2. . .

Step 2: Use Twitter as a backstage pass
Generally when we see our favorite big personalities we see them in a very controlled handled environment. Twitter gives a chance to see what they are thinking and feeling in real time! Twitter is also a great way to stay ahead of trends and find out about parties. I often use it to peer into the lives of people I would never get to hangout with. For me it’s like digital people watching. You want to know what Lauren Conrad’s days really look like, its on twitter. Want to know what Lance Armstrong is doing check out twitter. Want to follow the NHL Free Agency, use hash tags (Hash tag = # in front of a word) and stay up to the second.
(http://wefollow.com/twitter/celebrity has a good list to start)

Step 3: Use twitter to get customer service
How many of us are sick of dealing with India, Bangalore or Antarctica on the phone. Hash tag a company name with a complaint or comment and you'll almost always get a response. Many companies have small teams tracking this stuff. If someone else is having the same problem you can use twitter as a network to find solutions… no bad hold music, and often in real time.

Step 5: Follow your friends
See what your friends are doing, even select some have SMS text’s sent to your phone. Its a cool way to send group messages. Also use it to have public conversations about topics, just something that needs to be attempted.

Step 6: When a story breaks you are really interested in
Follow what is going on by following hash tags… there are how to guides and 3 party applications for that.

Basically Twitter just takes a little getting used to, but once you figure it out… it becomes a very cool tool. Finally I would suggest using a gadget like tweet deck or the twitter gadget for iGoogle.

See side bar if you want to follow me after you set up your account.

::Why Disney has it right::

2009-08-01T15:39:00.001-07:00

Recently, I read Creating Magic, which is essentially about how Disney leads their people to function as an extension of their brand. Disney is an innovator in this area. They have created a culture where each of their cast members own a stake in the ideas, values, and company. Disney cast members are more likely to act in a way that is consistent with the company's overall vision and objective as a result.

How they created ownership

1. Brand with value
Clearly communicating that people matter (*employees are people) dramatically increases what employees are willing to do for a company. Employees that are valued are more likely to invest themselves into a brand message. Companies that treat people with disrespect end up with weak brands. Strong brands start with employees that are valued and respected.

2. Keep what matters in focus
The customer is often forgotten in minor policy adjustments even though many of these adjustments often affect the customer. I have seen small companies choose organizational convenience over customer service and do great harm as a result. Customer service is hard especially when workers get far removed from customer interaction. Listening to the customer and what front-line employees are communicating about customer needs gives a brand relevance.

3. Everything that is done matters
How many times have we really considered how important a Janitor is to our daily lives? How often do we think of the bus boy as a person that can make or break our day or business? Too often in our world the jobs that are low in pay are low in prestige. The sales force gets training while the shipping departments are trained only as much are necessary. Companies with a strong brand culture communicate value to every single position in addition to every person.

4. Training
The best way to communicate value to employees is to train and develop them as people. If a brand sets out to communicate excellence and value, then the brand must be willing to equip staff to fulfill this role. Too many businesses fear that they loose top talent because with adequate training, the employees might out grow their jobs. However, if training is done correctly, that type of shrinkage could actually be good news. Loosing top talent (managers etc.) actually opens up spaces for movement. A company with opportunity will actually result in creating a culture where you don’t loose top talent, you get more.

Much of this post is in response to Seth Godin's blog. Click the head below to check it out.

Does Pandora have it wrong? (i think so)

2009-07-29T21:32:00.000-07:00

Pandora recently capped the amount of free usage they will allow a user to experience within a month (a measly 40 hours). As a customer using the service at work I find the new policy extremely frustrating. Although Pandora does offer the ability to buy more time ($.99 for the rest of the month), pay for a year ($36) or stop using the service until the next month begins. I feel like they are missing a serious opportunity while at the same time offending and alienating some of their best customers in the process.

Teaser time (even if it is sizable) is the way the offline economy works. If I wanted samples I would go to Costco. I'm on the web I want free. Even more perplexing is that I'm someone really interested in marketing. I often welcome the opportunity to be "intruded" on by advertisements in my day today life. Considering that Pandora keeps advertisements so unobtrusive they can be missed, why would I spend money to avoid them? Finally, why would I pay for premium service when I have a free broadcast radio (paid for by advertising) sitting on my desk?

Pandora should take advantage of their captive audience by running interruption ads 3 minutes for every hour the service is used. Not only would my exposure to the advertisers increase, but also my loyalty to the system would remain in tact. This would help Pandora in another way too. The premium service would actually create value for some consumers. Due to the current method most of my co-workers are going around the system (deleting cookies) or finding new solutions to their radio need (i.e. broadcast, CD's, and ipods).

I feel like Pandora came up with a panic solution. It looks good on its face, but they actually created a huge opportunity for a competitor to compete successfully. Myspace made similar missteps by ignoring Facebook.

WOW

2009-07-24T13:22:00.000-07:00

Book Review :: Creating Magic

2009-07-23T18:24:00.000-07:00

Creating Magic is a book I would suggest for everyone from High schooler's to Grandparents. The marketing idea behind the book is leading people in such a way that they become the brand. The book is written by the Disney executive who ran Walt Disney World for several years. It includes a lot of stories and anecdotes and it probably paints Disney in a slightly better light then it might deserve... However, that's actually a good thing. Cockerell sees Disney for what it can be which is how great leaders should see an organization. He also owns up to where they were and where they are so it can't be read as pie in the sky or idealism.

The book is really about how Disney has defined 10 key components they expect leaders to exhibit (They call them GLS- Great leadership Strategies). These are skills which develop people by affording them meaning and value in simple front line jobs. However, Cockerell's writing extends to so many other applications outside of the workplace, anyone can get something out of them.

This has probably been my favorite read of the summer, partially because I read it on my own accord. I think Disney has some of the best people in the world. Every cast member I have EVER come into contact with has been a professional and exceeded the level of service I anticipated (bare in mind I had annual passes to Disneyland for 3 years in a row).

This book is pragmatic, accessible, and in a summer of great reads something that stands out from the pack.

Warning: It is what you would expect from someone who believes in their product. I have no problem with this, I wish more people believed in what they did in the same way as Cockerell the world would be a better place.

Book Review:: What Sticks

2009-07-23T17:59:00.001-07:00

I wouldn't suggest "What Sticks" as a valuable read for everyone. To be completely honest there are people that this book would do little or no good for. It also reads somewhat like a text book, so if that isnt your style it may not be a good fit. That said "What Sticks" is a great overview of Marketing, so much so I wonder how long before it becomes the standard for Marketing 101 or 102 courses.

A while back Seth Godin wrote on his blog about how little value there was in formal education for the Marketer. After reading this book I'd have to agree (sadly) particularly as someone who has completed almost all of my lower division undergrad work on the subject. "What Sticks" is a practical guide on the importance of data in the advertising field. "What Sticks" offers legitimate mesures to show ROI improvements or lack there of. It also gives insight into where advertising and maketing money is wasted. How and why brands are miscommunicated. "What Sticks" goes to the next level in explaining how to use data to resolve these issues. In the end, "What Sticks" is about communication. In reality, all marketing is about communication and better communication should always be the goal.

So who should read "What Sticks"?
Advertisers, Marketing Managers, Sales People, Coordinators, Leaders, and any one that needs to communicate to groups large enough where it is impossible to know the whole story.
In short, it was interesting, heady, challenging, and a very good book.
(As all suggestions by Robert have been)

Ads :: Our culture and messages head on

2009-07-02T18:47:00.001-07:00

This blog is going to have a different feel than handy hour my focus here is going to be on the placement, design and scope. It's the other side of the coin. I'll focus on things like why the message was communicated effectively, where the ad was placed, and what there is to learn. Its the other side of the coin and its an opportunity to grow on that level for me.

::Up first::
"We all want to be hero's"

Blink

2009-06-22T20:58:00.000-07:00

I was very impressed by what Gladwell did in Blink. His evenhanded approach paired with his willingness to tackle tough seemingly incongruent streams of data was encouraging and challenging. It was also refreshing that he didn’t present Blink in such a way that made the theory the answer to all things. Too often books have presented themselves in an over confident tone that is somewhat questionable in this genera, Gladwell avoids the pitfall well. For this book in particular it will take awhile for me to figure out what it means, but the issues presented are challenging and useful.

For me Priming was probably the most useful idea he covers. Its uses are staggering. One use I could see is for a team that is stumped. By using random word association games to offer fresh insight to break deadlocks. Priming allows a team to break away from box thinking and has the potential to reduce the effects of groupthink. Another advantage to priming is the ability for us to prepare ourselves for who we may need to be in a certain situation. Read adjectives, verbs and nouns and their definitions for the type of person you need to present. Often that person will show up, at least in some facet.

Over all I wouldn’t say blink is as revolutionary as some have made it out to be, but it is useful. If you need the meaning of life I'd probably suggest looking somewhere else. If you are looking for insight into the way the mind works check it out.

2009-06-18T18:07:00.001-07:00

I just finished reading Click by Bill Tancer. I haven't completely thought through what it means but I am starting to get some traction. Im going to break this blog down into a few different segments.

WEB 2.0
Im glad I finally understand what the heck web 2.0 means. I have heard it float around for awhile and it seemed like one of those really cool words with no meaning. Web 2.0 if I were to sum it up into one equation it would be.."The internet + user content+ social elements = Web 2.0". Web 2.0 includes sites like facebook, wikipedia, Yelp, and any other site where a community has the ability to control and comment on the content.

The major lesson though comes from the realization that not every site needs to have 2.0 features. It also was interesting to see how much information we offer about ourselves just from a clickstream.

Trends on searches.
One underpinning that I found interesting was how brand focused searches have become. Over and over again searches were often targeting brands not generic topics. We are more likely to search Rolex watches than we are for luxury watches. To me this points the fact that even though we may think we know where to go on the web someone is still helping us which means we are pointed by marketing.

People can smell a fake
This one isn't in the book as a point but I picked up on it. When searching for stuff many users are able to feel deception and shades of the truth. We are a skeptical bunch particularly when it comes to the internet. This is why more and more people are searching with some sense of "navigation". We do want to get to a there but we want to avoid going to the wrong there along the way. As a company advertising on the web it should be noted that a non-click isn't always a passive choice, it might actually be a choice against. My advice be aware of when you market and yield a low click rate. It could signal potential problems with your brand or description.

If you are interested in anything I just mentioned I would suggest the read.

HTML

2009-06-11T20:34:00.000-07:00

While I don't think it is important to master the art of coding... I think its important for anyone with any ambition in marketing to know at least basic html.

Here is why::

Today on the fly I was asked to create an invitation to a presentation for companies in Chicago that we deliver to NASA. The e-mail was going to director level reciprients therefore it needed to not only look good but the wording needed to be polished. Ideally I would have presented this with HTML headers and footers including logos and branding... it would have added a polished touch. However, I didn't have the tools at my disposal and because I was short on time I just made do with what I could. (I nailed the wording down)

Tonight the very first thing I did when I went home today was to touch up on these skills. Since the e-mail only went to one customer it is fixable and tomorrow I can actually fix it. It still got done, it just could have been better.

Searches are Questions

2009-06-09T18:07:00.000-07:00

Ok ... As I am starting to journey on this whole click experiance I have learned that internet searches are really questions.

Website operators are actually the ones with a wearhouse of answers, the key is to understand the questions that are being asked. I have seen so many meta-tags answer questions that no one is asking I dont know what to think. At best, the websites are irrelevant and annoying. At worst, they drive clients away faster than a dead skunk in a dumpster. I may not remember what I was looking for but I remember when I have to sort through the crap I wasn't. After seeing a company enough I start to assume that they list everything and offer nothing, they seem a little shady. They hurt their brand.

As a marketer, my goal is to first communicate well and second to communicate creatively. This applies to the internet too, TV ads that miss the message are a waste of money. Internet meta-tags that yeild results for things that the searchers arent looking for are also a waste of money. The key is to look at your data to determine what are you getting hits on and where good is traffic generated. Then try to encricle that spending marketing dollars selectively.

What drives this post?

I know a company that spends almost over $20,000 per month on search advertising that generates little traffic, and very small leads. Most of the traffic comming in is comming from direct searches, !!!they enter our company name in Google!!! The logic simply isn't there. I still need to look over that stats and analytics but flyover reasearch has already indicated I wont be supprised. If I am you will see a blaring retraction.

Hopefully I can communicate in a presentation, that is captivating and convincing, better ways to allocate their communication dollars.

Click #1

2009-06-07T21:23:00.000-07:00

I just picked up Click today and after reading the introduction I think I am in love. If you ask anyone in my office the 2 things that make me tick are data and understanding people.

I love data because connecting relationships allows me to identify, understand, and reduce redundancy. I love finding out what makes people tick for some unexplainable reason. Maybe I have a deep ceded desire to communicate effectively. I find it maddening when people answer questions that no one is asking. Maybe its connected to the fact that I think people matter and the direction of society matters. Maybe I want just a glimpse of what its like to be able to see the whole picture. Maybe Im just a nerd. Regardless, I try to figure people out whether people is people or persons.

In Click, Bill Tancer is effectively pairing these 2 concepts insuring that the internet is a tool to find what is needed, not a crap shoot biased on chance. The internet without understanding these interrelationships would require either foreknowledge of what one wants and where one is headed or a desire to experience the random.

First Post

2009-06-06T18:21:00.000-07:00

I'm making this blog because www.handyhour.blogspot.com isn't the place I want to share the ideas about marketing and process that stuff. Also this blog might be a little less than interesting for the general reader. Finally, I didn't want to steal handy hour from my wife... from time to time there will be identical posts but as a rule this will be alot different.

Marketing Handy

My blog was hacked...

Quick Thoughts on SEO

The future of this blog...

Tumblr... Follow me

Tumblr is about to blow up!

Marketing Handy Episode #4 Geo-location

The State of Video Blogging

Why?

Box office Social Data

Im hooked:: Good music fun post.

Marketing Handy Episode #3 Thank You

Most Americans Dont Have Smart Phones...

Related to my last Video

Marketing Handy Episode #2 ROI and Social Media

The First Episode of Marketing Handy

Marketing Handy Vlog...coming soon

The Lowdown on Linkedin

The Value of an Existing Customer

The Social Media Case For A Shorter MLB Season

The New Gap logo... Was It A Stunt?

The Devil is in the detail

Return to Normality?

The Ignored Crisis!

How do you build a giant?

Going to Chicago...

Direction...

Thats A Lot of Cell Phones...

Advertising: Crazy Old School AD!

Worthy Wednesday:: 3 Non-profits Worth Talking About

8 Success Criteria For Facebook Pages

How To Make a Big Change.

Google Grave Yard...

Non-Profits: Can Advocates Play A Part

The Now Revolution - Social Fresh Charlotte

Social Media and Sales..

My Favorite Twitter Tools

Painting by the numbers

Can I do 1 Blog a day?

Worthy Wednesday:: 5 Blogs Worth Reading

Twitter+ Fast Follow = Huge Change!

Mad Men Dove Ad... not so popular

Dove Mad Men Ad...

Motorola Makes Awesome Dig on Iphone 4

Is Safe Smart Business?

Blogging is Shallow..I could be wrong

Creating Concrete Objectives

Enterprise 2.0:: Engineers Use Social Media

This week in Social Media.. so Far

One Fail Two Fail:: Microsoft Kin

B2B's rise in Social Media

Worldviews

Why my twitter rules are right!

Pampers Ad? Wait Huggies Ad...

Disqus::

Nike's Tiger ad is brilliant!

Coca-Cola: Now That's a Brand!

Social Media and Mobile Phones

Google's new chrome ad

The Ten Commandments Of User Experience

FBML How To Video

Marketing to Women

CSR Branding Survey 2010

SXSW "Screw Brand Equity - Connected Brands Rule" Adam Lavelle, iCrossing

Ogilvy: Digital In A Downturn

Olivier Blanchard Basics Of Social Media Roi

Social Media Is Dead: Long Live Common Sense.

3 reasons the Google Super bowl ad = Fail

Understand Your Customers' Social Behaviors

How Google Works: A Primer on SEO for Google

Social Netiquette

Evolution: The Eight Stages Of Listening

Modern Brand Building Stop Campaigning and Start Committing

140 Twitter Tips

Ad's you wouldn't see in the 21st Century

Island of Misfit toys!

Who is online

Great bud wiser Ad

love disneyland... taken the other night!

adidasTV