Friday, October 9, 2009
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Check Out The Office Viral Site!
If you are an Office-US fan, check out the promotional viral site they did in support of the event of the season, the Jim/Pam wedding. www.halpertbeesly.com They did it just right. Check out the video and see what a great actress Jenna Fischer is!
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
George Costanza Is In Total Agreement
A new PSA in Brazil is encouraging people to pee in the shower to save water and therefore rainforests. First the PSA...
Now the Seinfeld clip (in Spanish but you'll remember...)
Now the Seinfeld clip (in Spanish but you'll remember...)
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
An Amazon Tip Jar? For Competitors?
This blog post from Brad Berens is really making my head spin. I could simply think of it as an interesting idea and leave it at that. But dear reader, you know me. Reckless overthink c'est moi. And what is turning in my head is...is helping a competitor out and giving them their due a new reality of competing in the digital age? Is this how itz done nowadays?
I come from the ole skool of if your competitor is drowning throw him an anvil. But this over the top idea and Brad posting it may be one of those seminal tipping points in evolution of the way brands compete in our times.
Or it might just be a cool little idea. You make the call.
Dammit Brad, you made my noggin hurt.
Thanks for reading, and don't forget to write.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Awesome new blog!
One of my favorite people, Rachelle Houle-Maisner, is FINALLY blogging! Her sage missives can be found at www.fivefeetofdynamite.com. In addiiton to her own thoughts on the business of social media and marketing, she also periodically publishes link collections of social media news that are a nice jumping off point for a solid Social fix. Check it out dear reader.
Thanks for reading, and don't forget to write.
Thanks for reading, and don't forget to write.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
CA Assemblyman Mike Duvall Repping the OC: Spare the Rod, Spoil The Energy Lobbyist
Duvall, who describes himself as a Family Values Republican, had this to say when he didn't realize the mike was hot.
Well, after all, the energy lobbyist was "being a bad girl."
Well, after all, the energy lobbyist was "being a bad girl."
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
WALMART: SAVE MONEY LIVE SHORTER
From Consumerist:
OK, OK, it's a cheap shot. I mean they have 1.3 million employees. But death is forever...
OK, OK, it's a cheap shot. I mean they have 1.3 million employees. But death is forever...
Monday, August 31, 2009
Real Time Search White Paper from WOWD
WOWD has just released a white paper on real time search that you should check out. Read it below or find it here.
Thanks for reading, and don't forget to write.
Thanks for reading, and don't forget to write.
Friday, August 28, 2009
Friday, August 21, 2009
OH MY BLESSED LORD!
From Consumerist, which got it from FoodGeekery.com, comes this video of a KFC sandwich in test market in Omaha called the Double Down. The video quality and sound are bad, but watch it and then read what it is below the player:
Two Slices of Cheese
Two Pieces of Bacon
Colonel's Sauce
Two Boneless Fried Chicken Breasts as "Bread"
One thing for certain, KFC is about to get more "Heavy Users."
Here's a screen cap from ">Food Geekery (click to make it bigger):
As a public service to my Jewish readers...I'm guessing...Milk+Meat+Pork = Trafe
Two Slices of Cheese
Two Pieces of Bacon
Colonel's Sauce
Two Boneless Fried Chicken Breasts as "Bread"
One thing for certain, KFC is about to get more "Heavy Users."
Here's a screen cap from ">Food Geekery (click to make it bigger):
As a public service to my Jewish readers...I'm guessing...Milk+Meat+Pork = Trafe
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Attack of the YouTubes
From HuffPost and their superb writer Jason Linkins:
Max Baucus is a conservative Democrat from Montana who arguably holds the fate of health care reform in his hands. Another fun fact about Max Baucus is that he's accepted so goddamn much money from corporate health care interests this year that lobbyist cash is now permanently imprinted on his genome.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Whatever You Do, Don't Drop the Radio!
Biting critique of Radio Shack's decision to drop the Radio.
BTW, if you don't read Consumerist every day, you are depriving yourself a shot of cynical humour that can lift the sourest day and make it dulce de leche.
Now owned by Consumer Reports, Consumerist helps consumers find justice for their product problems, and pokes deserved spotlights at we marketers' most egregious decisions. Like downsizing a product, keeping the price the same, and doing it "to better serve the consumer." Or whatnot. Happily, Consumer Reports did not take the sass out of Consumerist. It's just as bitchy as ever. But now with 100% more ads to subscribe to Consumer Reports! Free! Which, BTW, you should also do.There is nothing more fascinating than reading how CU simulates product use to test products.
Or am I just a big dork?
BTW, if you don't read Consumerist every day, you are depriving yourself a shot of cynical humour that can lift the sourest day and make it dulce de leche.
Now owned by Consumer Reports, Consumerist helps consumers find justice for their product problems, and pokes deserved spotlights at we marketers' most egregious decisions. Like downsizing a product, keeping the price the same, and doing it "to better serve the consumer." Or whatnot. Happily, Consumer Reports did not take the sass out of Consumerist. It's just as bitchy as ever. But now with 100% more ads to subscribe to Consumer Reports! Free! Which, BTW, you should also do.There is nothing more fascinating than reading how CU simulates product use to test products.
Or am I just a big dork?
Saturday, July 25, 2009
The Wedding Vid
I think this is the sweetest thing. And my favorite part (let me pause for a moment and emphasize that I am laughing with, not at) is that not one person in this church seems to be able to dance or clap to the beat. Ah, the rythm of my people. ;-)
Monday, July 20, 2009
Monday, July 13, 2009
GOP Rep John Kline: America Cannot Afford Cheaper, Better Healthcare
From TalkingPointsMemo.com:
If you ask most people whether politicians should be in the business of providing Americans better services at lower costs they'd probably say yes. But Rep. John Kline (R-MN)--ranking member of the House Education and Labor Committee--seems to believe just the opposite.
"There are some things in this legislation that I find particularly troublesome," Kline told Minnesota Public Radio. Specifically, he was thinking of the public option. "[O]ur fear is that if you actually get in there looking at the legislation that it's set up in a way that employers would increasingly opt to letting their employees move over to the public, to the public option. And because it is cheaper, it's designed to save money, which the government-run program has some very clear advantages, and the claims that it's gotta pay for itself that through the first three years of this there would be government subsidies."
If you ask most people whether politicians should be in the business of providing Americans better services at lower costs they'd probably say yes. But Rep. John Kline (R-MN)--ranking member of the House Education and Labor Committee--seems to believe just the opposite.
"There are some things in this legislation that I find particularly troublesome," Kline told Minnesota Public Radio. Specifically, he was thinking of the public option. "[O]ur fear is that if you actually get in there looking at the legislation that it's set up in a way that employers would increasingly opt to letting their employees move over to the public, to the public option. And because it is cheaper, it's designed to save money, which the government-run program has some very clear advantages, and the claims that it's gotta pay for itself that through the first three years of this there would be government subsidies."
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
You Better Learnece You English!
From Think Progress:
Under Misspelled Banner, Buchanan And White Nationalist Brimelow Argue For English-Only Initiatives
Under Misspelled Banner, Buchanan And White Nationalist Brimelow Argue For English-Only Initiatives
Monday, June 22, 2009
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Monday, June 8, 2009
Radioactive Cheese Graters
From the Consumerist:
Ever feel like everything gives people cancer these days? Well, you might not be too far from the truth. A Scripps News investigation found that "radioactive waste is being mixed with other metals in scrap yards and recycling facilities, often overseas, and then shipped into the U.S. in a range of consumer products." The products include household cheese graters, recliners, handbags and forks and knives, along with fences, shovels, elevator buttons, airline components and building steel.
Ever feel like everything gives people cancer these days? Well, you might not be too far from the truth. A Scripps News investigation found that "radioactive waste is being mixed with other metals in scrap yards and recycling facilities, often overseas, and then shipped into the U.S. in a range of consumer products." The products include household cheese graters, recliners, handbags and forks and knives, along with fences, shovels, elevator buttons, airline components and building steel.
Monday, June 1, 2009
Government Motors Is "Getting Down To Business"
For the sake of all the employees of GM, I hope this really is a new beginning...
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Friday, May 22, 2009
More Great Sponsor Presos On Monday!
As you know if you read my post from yesterday, I really enjoy the sponsor presos both because they are a great way to learn about new products and a way of getting inside the thinking on the publisher side.
Today’s presentations were from DoubleClick, BrightRoll, and Yahoo.
DoubleClick began the day with a look at key benchmarks by industry – such note taking has never been seen before in an iMedia breakfast preso! ;-) The thing I most appreciated was that 80%+ of the numbers they offered were completely unrelated to clicks. Bravo! Additionally, they gave us a look at some of the new tools, reports, and interfaces available in DFA – they are great evidence that the acquisition by Google is leading to some great strides in usability for DoubleClick.
BrightRoll (disclosure: a former C:SF client, but not a current one) followed with their classically candid preso about the good and the not so good of online video industry practices. They showed some startling comparisons between where ads are running from one network to another – definitely food for thought. BrightRoll has always drawn its line in the sand about content quality – and this year’s preso was no exception. Additionally, they are taking a different path than many of the others in the space – they are NOT creating original content, instead focusing solely on helping advertisers get their messages out there.
Yahoo rounded out the day with a preso about the new developments in Smart Ads that allow you to use the “DNA” of Yahoo information on users to dynamically optimize creative to individuals. Somewhat analogous with what we have seen from the ad solutions sides of Offermatica and X+1, though with the Yahoo user data as the key difference. With thousands or even millions of creative combinations available, the opportunity to optimize creative to individuals is clearly something we will be hearing more about.
More great info, and I offer my personal thanks for their continued sponsorship of iMedia events.
Today’s presentations were from DoubleClick, BrightRoll, and Yahoo.
DoubleClick began the day with a look at key benchmarks by industry – such note taking has never been seen before in an iMedia breakfast preso! ;-) The thing I most appreciated was that 80%+ of the numbers they offered were completely unrelated to clicks. Bravo! Additionally, they gave us a look at some of the new tools, reports, and interfaces available in DFA – they are great evidence that the acquisition by Google is leading to some great strides in usability for DoubleClick.
BrightRoll (disclosure: a former C:SF client, but not a current one) followed with their classically candid preso about the good and the not so good of online video industry practices. They showed some startling comparisons between where ads are running from one network to another – definitely food for thought. BrightRoll has always drawn its line in the sand about content quality – and this year’s preso was no exception. Additionally, they are taking a different path than many of the others in the space – they are NOT creating original content, instead focusing solely on helping advertisers get their messages out there.
Yahoo rounded out the day with a preso about the new developments in Smart Ads that allow you to use the “DNA” of Yahoo information on users to dynamically optimize creative to individuals. Somewhat analogous with what we have seen from the ad solutions sides of Offermatica and X+1, though with the Yahoo user data as the key difference. With thousands or even millions of creative combinations available, the opportunity to optimize creative to individuals is clearly something we will be hearing more about.
More great info, and I offer my personal thanks for their continued sponsorship of iMedia events.
Monday, May 18, 2009
A Big Thank You To The iMedia Sponsor Companies!
First, as an attendee of iMedia, I want to send a shout out to the many companies that make this excellent series of events possible throughout the year.
But I want to thank you for more than that – because sponsor presentations are an excellent time for all of us to understand the tremendous amount of work being done EVERY DAY to make publisher media solutions work harder for users.
Tribal Fusion (disclosure: a C:SF client) kicked off iMedia with a thought provoking POV on how we need to think about the entire purchase funnel and its many stages in order to maximize results. As digital is becoming more of a lynchpin in marketing, we need to carefully understand the various levels of the consumer decision process, and understand what our plans lack. And then find solutions so we do something about the bottlenecks in our marketing efforts. Their presentation was really a statement about the new levels of marketing sophistication necessary to succeed in digital and get better results.
Tremor Media provided a look into their efforts to develop new ways to make online video even more powerful through capitalizing on the interactive nature of digital. But what was perhaps even more interesting were the ways that they are thinking about the space. Their preso offered ample evidence that online video needn't be and indeed isn't simply moving a TV experience from the boob toob onto a putty colored box.
Casale continued their long history of sponsorship with iMedia, and again it was their thinking and ideas that really enriched my experience here. Ideas about the best ways to target and how a relationship should work between an agency and a media partner. I hear both pubs and agencies critiquing each other a lot, and I was pleased to hear Casale put a stake in the ground about how these relationships can improve.
You know, there are a lot of people who poo-poo the network/site rep space, but those that do really fail to see the potential power of a network as a source of insights and ideas -- who better to help us understand what is going on out there than a company that connects with 100 million plus people a month? I am glad to see that networks are out to show us all of the value they can add rather than focus on the basic services they can provide. It’s that spirit of innovation that makes digital marketing such a cool thing to be a part of.
The other two sponsor presentations on Sunday were Appsavvy and DBG. I am going to start with DBG because what most amazed me about their presentation was how incredibly well produced their sponsored programming is. Great ideas…very well executed. I was dumbstruck because I think if you stacked their shows against much of the TV programming out their today, you’d be very surprised as to which programs looked better and hung together better. Beautiful programs centered on real ideas. And the brands really woven into the content -- this is so much more than Paula and Simon holding up curvy red cups.
Appsavvy was very new to me – I was most taken by the scale that they have created with their network of apps. I think the figure was 65MM uniques a month – a clear indication of the relevance of their content. They also brought along several of the developers of their most popular apps – who provided some tight insights on the communities they have assembled and are indeed so close to.
As always, I really enjoyed the sponsored presos and want to thank all of these companies for their patronage of iMedia for without them we wouldn’t have this great opportunity to learn and share ideas.
But I want to thank you for more than that – because sponsor presentations are an excellent time for all of us to understand the tremendous amount of work being done EVERY DAY to make publisher media solutions work harder for users.
Tribal Fusion (disclosure: a C:SF client) kicked off iMedia with a thought provoking POV on how we need to think about the entire purchase funnel and its many stages in order to maximize results. As digital is becoming more of a lynchpin in marketing, we need to carefully understand the various levels of the consumer decision process, and understand what our plans lack. And then find solutions so we do something about the bottlenecks in our marketing efforts. Their presentation was really a statement about the new levels of marketing sophistication necessary to succeed in digital and get better results.
Tremor Media provided a look into their efforts to develop new ways to make online video even more powerful through capitalizing on the interactive nature of digital. But what was perhaps even more interesting were the ways that they are thinking about the space. Their preso offered ample evidence that online video needn't be and indeed isn't simply moving a TV experience from the boob toob onto a putty colored box.
Casale continued their long history of sponsorship with iMedia, and again it was their thinking and ideas that really enriched my experience here. Ideas about the best ways to target and how a relationship should work between an agency and a media partner. I hear both pubs and agencies critiquing each other a lot, and I was pleased to hear Casale put a stake in the ground about how these relationships can improve.
You know, there are a lot of people who poo-poo the network/site rep space, but those that do really fail to see the potential power of a network as a source of insights and ideas -- who better to help us understand what is going on out there than a company that connects with 100 million plus people a month? I am glad to see that networks are out to show us all of the value they can add rather than focus on the basic services they can provide. It’s that spirit of innovation that makes digital marketing such a cool thing to be a part of.
The other two sponsor presentations on Sunday were Appsavvy and DBG. I am going to start with DBG because what most amazed me about their presentation was how incredibly well produced their sponsored programming is. Great ideas…very well executed. I was dumbstruck because I think if you stacked their shows against much of the TV programming out their today, you’d be very surprised as to which programs looked better and hung together better. Beautiful programs centered on real ideas. And the brands really woven into the content -- this is so much more than Paula and Simon holding up curvy red cups.
Appsavvy was very new to me – I was most taken by the scale that they have created with their network of apps. I think the figure was 65MM uniques a month – a clear indication of the relevance of their content. They also brought along several of the developers of their most popular apps – who provided some tight insights on the communities they have assembled and are indeed so close to.
As always, I really enjoyed the sponsored presos and want to thank all of these companies for their patronage of iMedia for without them we wouldn’t have this great opportunity to learn and share ideas.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Hot Viral Vids!
SlapChop Rap
Susan Boyle
EMBED-Susan Boyle Stuns Crowd with Epic Singing - Watch more free videos
Schick Mow The Lawn
Disney Templates Fail
Insanitea
Susan Boyle
EMBED-Susan Boyle Stuns Crowd with Epic Singing - Watch more free videos
Schick Mow The Lawn
Disney Templates Fail
Insanitea
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
5 things agencies want from their clients (besides more money)
Now that "digital has arrived" it's important that agencies and clients reconsider the ways that we interact with one another. Just a few years ago, digital didn't get much respect from either the full service agency world or most client companies. It was akin to cheap champagne -- something you served up when you cared, but not very much.
But now things are different, and clients and agencies are becoming increasingly dependent on the results that are achievable through digital platforms. And yet, in my "grandmother" research of about two dozen folks in full service and digital agencies, it appears that the ways in which agencies and clients interact haven't changed to reflect the increased importance of digital media. For far too many companies, digital platforms have become primary media delivered with also-ran development and communications processes.
The issues are not at all insurmountable. In fact, in many ways, they are dead simple. The focus of this piece is on things that digital agency teams want from clients. But they aren't intended to sound like sanctimonious demands; rather they are intended as five ways that we can quickly improve the impact of digital marketing efforts just by making small changes in the way that we work together. While the focus here is on what agencies want from their clients in order to forge these new ways of interacting, it'll be just as important to hear from brand marketers what they need from their digital agency teams.
Here, then, are five things agencies want from their clients to help improve digital marketing effectiveness.
1) A seat (and a voice) at the table
In its early years, digital was a tack-on, something you thought about after the campaign was developed and virtually all the media money was spent. Then you'd call in the digital folks -- whether on the client or the agency side -- and give them five days to slap together some banners and a schedule. In today's environment, in which many target audiences are spending a heckuvalot more time on Facebook than they are with Fox or Family Circle, it's clear that this approach needs to be revised.
Digital can play such a pivotal role for brands that its experts need to be sitting at the big people's table from the outset of planning. Why? Because we really should be involved in campaign development. Different campaign ideas can have very different relevance in an interactive environment. Digital can now be the starting point for a campaign, or the ending point, or the thread linking it all together. But truly taking advantage of the medium requires time to think and execute along with a concurrent development process.
2) A strategic mindset
Both agencies and clients often have highly strategic analog efforts, and then they assemble a potpourri of digital platforms and executions without considering what is best – strategically -- to reach and connect with a target. The fault here is absolutely on both sides. I'll be the first to note that we digital agency people have a habit of going straight to execution, in part because that is usually what has been demanded of us, and because time demands make people sloppy over time.
But when a client insists that there be as strategic an approach to digital efforts as for all other marketing efforts, we will all get far more out of our efforts and our careers. Clients need to demand a real examination of what target audiences are doing online, the likely times and places consumers will be open to brand messages, and whether deeper interaction with those banners might take a week longer to execute but deliver far stronger results.
I'm sure I will hear from both agencies and clients about this: "How dare you say we aren't strategic?" To which I can only respond: "Perhaps the point isn't about you." But just take one look at the blinky-blinky-click-now detritus that passes for creative online and you'll realize how many brand plans are fad-platform driven. See the point?
3) More open mindedness about quality and efficiency
Years ago, marketers typically fell into the quality bucket or the tonnage bucket. You and your company either believed in the power of high-rated, expensive programming to drive brand results, or you believed in barges full of the cheapest GRPs obtainable.
I make no comment on which is the correct way of thinking about broadcast, (other than I am certain that tonnage is the way to go ;-).
But in digital, both high-quality edit- and efficiency-oriented inventory have a critical role to play. This is because in digital, it's challenging to have both broad reach AND depth of interaction from a single set of executions. Brands need to be open to a mix of tools that collectively offer both, rather than simply demanding billions of the cheapest possible 728s, or approving only big, splashy deep integrations on elite publications.
Such a mix drives brand reach while also allowing deep brand experiences aimed at our best customers because the internet can be an incredibly powerful way to capitalize on the 20/80 rule insight. You can cover the waterfront to reach ordinary consumers while pinpointing the heavy users for deeper marketing efforts.
Many media companies offer solutions in both buckets -- portals, leading publications, and the best ad networks, just to name a few examples. All we need to do is capitalize on these dual opportunities more often.
4) A genuine interest in digital CAMPAIGN ideas
For me, one of the toughest adjustments I had to make as I moved from the analog world to digital was succumbing to the disparity in the meaning of the word "campaign." In offline, a campaign was built around a selling idea and was designed to live for years. Choosy mothers choosing Jif; Rolls Royce owners sharing Grey Poupon through driver-side windows; a lot riding on your Michelins; baking someone happy. That sort of thing.
In digital, "campaign" means some common element in a couple of pieces of creative that will be replaced in three weeks with another set of banners that have something different in common. A campaign in digital is essentially akin to what offliners call a flight, only it's even less than that.
Blue is not a campaign. Ditto Helvetica. Nor is a snake made of tiles labeled with state names. I am not saying that the snake doesn't get clicks, but for most of the readers of iMedia, there are goals other than immediate conversions to consider.
Identifying real campaign ideas is even more important today than back when Mr. Whipple was squeezing toilet rolls. As consumers are barraged with more and more marketing messages, the need for more integrated and enduring messages and imagery is even more pronounced.
I wish more brands were interested in identifying what works and sticking with it. Many of the same people who develop TV campaigns to last two years want entirely different banner looks every month. This is nothing short of marketing insanity.
Ideas and executional elements are just as much a part of building a brand online as they are in building one through 30-second spots. We all need to be more open to enduring digital advertising ideas.
5) Passion for data
Why are so few clients (and agencies) capitalizing on the tremendous resources and information available through digital reporting and analytics? Yes, yes, some are, especially giant brands and agencies. But many, many brands and agencies aren't.
Let's start with the basics. There is more to life than the CTR. Not every campaign objective can or should be measured by clicks. CTR is, of course, an easy metric to understand, and it's an easy one to measure, but a click does not adequately reflect the results of an awareness campaign, or a program designed to drive genuine brand interaction.
More to the point: It's time that all of us demonstrate real respect for data experts. So often, these information and analytical professionals have deep insights that could make a huge difference to businesses -- if only they were heard.
I want to emphasize that often clients have more respect for data than some agency people. But by demanding better reporting and analytics from us -- and by valuing it in both contract negotiations and with your time and attention -- you'll help unlock tremendous brand value and improve the actionable insights available from your agencies. Because ultimately, we care about what you care about.
Closing thoughts
Many of us are weary of quibbling with our client or agency side counterparts over process. And let's not even get started on the squabbling over fees -- that's a far bigger fish than I can fry here.
As I write this piece, it is apparent to me that we need to get past this he said/she said -- "You guys over there need to do…" -- thinking and figure out how to address all of these issues, and the myriad others we face, together.
There is a flip side to every issue, and while clients may need to give agencies a seat at the table, the agencies must provide value and insights that make their presence at the table valuable. And we must have the courage of our convictions, rather than be quick to acquiesce. Agencies need to demand strategic ideas from all of their teams, so that clients get strategic ideas to buy. And so on.
But clients do have a role in addressing all of these issues, because ultimately, agencies morph and recalibrate to reflect client priorities. We need to push you, and in turn, you need to push us.
My fear is that in a world of tightening budgets and limited people resources, we are all pushing each other the wrong way -- toward the illusion of an easier softer way, and that somehow we can standardize what we do to reduce time and effort.
Don't get me wrong, standardization has value -- just ask any buyer who used to have to buy "standard banners" in 92 sizes for a modest campaign. Just ask the designers that had to wrist all those versions of the same execution a couple of years back.
But standardization can only deliver so much benefit in our dynamic media environment. We need more and bigger ideas so that we can focus limited time and money on something better. Let's start coming up with them…together.
But now things are different, and clients and agencies are becoming increasingly dependent on the results that are achievable through digital platforms. And yet, in my "grandmother" research of about two dozen folks in full service and digital agencies, it appears that the ways in which agencies and clients interact haven't changed to reflect the increased importance of digital media. For far too many companies, digital platforms have become primary media delivered with also-ran development and communications processes.
The issues are not at all insurmountable. In fact, in many ways, they are dead simple. The focus of this piece is on things that digital agency teams want from clients. But they aren't intended to sound like sanctimonious demands; rather they are intended as five ways that we can quickly improve the impact of digital marketing efforts just by making small changes in the way that we work together. While the focus here is on what agencies want from their clients in order to forge these new ways of interacting, it'll be just as important to hear from brand marketers what they need from their digital agency teams.
Here, then, are five things agencies want from their clients to help improve digital marketing effectiveness.
1) A seat (and a voice) at the table
In its early years, digital was a tack-on, something you thought about after the campaign was developed and virtually all the media money was spent. Then you'd call in the digital folks -- whether on the client or the agency side -- and give them five days to slap together some banners and a schedule. In today's environment, in which many target audiences are spending a heckuvalot more time on Facebook than they are with Fox or Family Circle, it's clear that this approach needs to be revised.
Digital can play such a pivotal role for brands that its experts need to be sitting at the big people's table from the outset of planning. Why? Because we really should be involved in campaign development. Different campaign ideas can have very different relevance in an interactive environment. Digital can now be the starting point for a campaign, or the ending point, or the thread linking it all together. But truly taking advantage of the medium requires time to think and execute along with a concurrent development process.
2) A strategic mindset
Both agencies and clients often have highly strategic analog efforts, and then they assemble a potpourri of digital platforms and executions without considering what is best – strategically -- to reach and connect with a target. The fault here is absolutely on both sides. I'll be the first to note that we digital agency people have a habit of going straight to execution, in part because that is usually what has been demanded of us, and because time demands make people sloppy over time.
But when a client insists that there be as strategic an approach to digital efforts as for all other marketing efforts, we will all get far more out of our efforts and our careers. Clients need to demand a real examination of what target audiences are doing online, the likely times and places consumers will be open to brand messages, and whether deeper interaction with those banners might take a week longer to execute but deliver far stronger results.
I'm sure I will hear from both agencies and clients about this: "How dare you say we aren't strategic?" To which I can only respond: "Perhaps the point isn't about you." But just take one look at the blinky-blinky-click-now detritus that passes for creative online and you'll realize how many brand plans are fad-platform driven. See the point?
3) More open mindedness about quality and efficiency
Years ago, marketers typically fell into the quality bucket or the tonnage bucket. You and your company either believed in the power of high-rated, expensive programming to drive brand results, or you believed in barges full of the cheapest GRPs obtainable.
I make no comment on which is the correct way of thinking about broadcast, (other than I am certain that tonnage is the way to go ;-).
But in digital, both high-quality edit- and efficiency-oriented inventory have a critical role to play. This is because in digital, it's challenging to have both broad reach AND depth of interaction from a single set of executions. Brands need to be open to a mix of tools that collectively offer both, rather than simply demanding billions of the cheapest possible 728s, or approving only big, splashy deep integrations on elite publications.
Such a mix drives brand reach while also allowing deep brand experiences aimed at our best customers because the internet can be an incredibly powerful way to capitalize on the 20/80 rule insight. You can cover the waterfront to reach ordinary consumers while pinpointing the heavy users for deeper marketing efforts.
Many media companies offer solutions in both buckets -- portals, leading publications, and the best ad networks, just to name a few examples. All we need to do is capitalize on these dual opportunities more often.
4) A genuine interest in digital CAMPAIGN ideas
For me, one of the toughest adjustments I had to make as I moved from the analog world to digital was succumbing to the disparity in the meaning of the word "campaign." In offline, a campaign was built around a selling idea and was designed to live for years. Choosy mothers choosing Jif; Rolls Royce owners sharing Grey Poupon through driver-side windows; a lot riding on your Michelins; baking someone happy. That sort of thing.
In digital, "campaign" means some common element in a couple of pieces of creative that will be replaced in three weeks with another set of banners that have something different in common. A campaign in digital is essentially akin to what offliners call a flight, only it's even less than that.
Blue is not a campaign. Ditto Helvetica. Nor is a snake made of tiles labeled with state names. I am not saying that the snake doesn't get clicks, but for most of the readers of iMedia, there are goals other than immediate conversions to consider.
Identifying real campaign ideas is even more important today than back when Mr. Whipple was squeezing toilet rolls. As consumers are barraged with more and more marketing messages, the need for more integrated and enduring messages and imagery is even more pronounced.
I wish more brands were interested in identifying what works and sticking with it. Many of the same people who develop TV campaigns to last two years want entirely different banner looks every month. This is nothing short of marketing insanity.
Ideas and executional elements are just as much a part of building a brand online as they are in building one through 30-second spots. We all need to be more open to enduring digital advertising ideas.
5) Passion for data
Why are so few clients (and agencies) capitalizing on the tremendous resources and information available through digital reporting and analytics? Yes, yes, some are, especially giant brands and agencies. But many, many brands and agencies aren't.
Let's start with the basics. There is more to life than the CTR. Not every campaign objective can or should be measured by clicks. CTR is, of course, an easy metric to understand, and it's an easy one to measure, but a click does not adequately reflect the results of an awareness campaign, or a program designed to drive genuine brand interaction.
More to the point: It's time that all of us demonstrate real respect for data experts. So often, these information and analytical professionals have deep insights that could make a huge difference to businesses -- if only they were heard.
I want to emphasize that often clients have more respect for data than some agency people. But by demanding better reporting and analytics from us -- and by valuing it in both contract negotiations and with your time and attention -- you'll help unlock tremendous brand value and improve the actionable insights available from your agencies. Because ultimately, we care about what you care about.
Closing thoughts
Many of us are weary of quibbling with our client or agency side counterparts over process. And let's not even get started on the squabbling over fees -- that's a far bigger fish than I can fry here.
As I write this piece, it is apparent to me that we need to get past this he said/she said -- "You guys over there need to do…" -- thinking and figure out how to address all of these issues, and the myriad others we face, together.
There is a flip side to every issue, and while clients may need to give agencies a seat at the table, the agencies must provide value and insights that make their presence at the table valuable. And we must have the courage of our convictions, rather than be quick to acquiesce. Agencies need to demand strategic ideas from all of their teams, so that clients get strategic ideas to buy. And so on.
But clients do have a role in addressing all of these issues, because ultimately, agencies morph and recalibrate to reflect client priorities. We need to push you, and in turn, you need to push us.
My fear is that in a world of tightening budgets and limited people resources, we are all pushing each other the wrong way -- toward the illusion of an easier softer way, and that somehow we can standardize what we do to reduce time and effort.
Don't get me wrong, standardization has value -- just ask any buyer who used to have to buy "standard banners" in 92 sizes for a modest campaign. Just ask the designers that had to wrist all those versions of the same execution a couple of years back.
But standardization can only deliver so much benefit in our dynamic media environment. We need more and bigger ideas so that we can focus limited time and money on something better. Let's start coming up with them…together.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Interview: Robi Ganguly on The Fantasy Sports Phenomenon
While I am not a fantasy sports player, I have long been fascinated by the seeming iron grip these offerings have over the free time of millions of people. I am pleased to introduce you to Robi Ganguly this week, as well as to provide you with his perspective on fantasy sports and how to market using them.
Robi is a long time veteran of digital and a serial entrepreneur. His involvement in fantasy sports has been both personal and professional – he was once employed at Yahoo where he worked with Yahoo properties including their fantasy offerings to help define and implement the best inventory and offerings for publishers. Currently, he is a founder of a new site called DraftMVP.com, which he discusses in some detail below. Additionally, he provides consulting services to startup and major companies that seek to better communicate with their customers via digital.
Without further ado, let me hand the virtual mike to Robi to give us some insight into the world of fantasy sports.
1. Lots of us who are not involved in fantasy sports are nonetheless hearing a great deal about them. Can you tell us why you think they are so popular?
I think a lot of it comes down to the fact that a large part of sports fandom is about watching the decisions of the team management and applauding or criticizing it, as the case may be. Fantasy sports gives all of the "armchair quarterbacks" out there the ability to put their words into actions, managing a team of their own.
2. Why do you think fantasy players are so passionate about it?
Since real-life sporting contests tend to have very clear winners and losers, fantasy sports really extends that clarity of victory to an individual level. The fans can participate in feeling the exhilaration of winning as the athletes succeed on the field. Additionally, most leagues are made up of friends who like to taunt, tease and gloat throughout the season, which leads to a vibrant (albeit combative) community.
3. I know that fantasy has expanded well beyond baseball. What are the most popular sports? And is this primarily and American phenom?
Fantasy sports certainly have a large U.S. base (over 18 million players), but they are important to fans around the world, with the popular sports reflecting national acceptance. In the U.S., for example, the most popular (by number of players) fantasy sport is football. Basketball, baseball and NASCAR are also very popular, with fans of soccer, hockey, golf and other sports represented too. Internationally, soccer and cricket appear to be highly popular, reflecting their global popularity.
4. Your developing a new site and service for fantasy players. Can you tell us a little bit about it?
Sure. Our small team of 4 has created a fast and powerful tool located at www.draftmvp.com that assists fantasy baseball players during their draft. While the majority of players do a lot of research before their draft, identifying who they'd like to pick up for their team, there aren't any offerings that really assist that player during the draft. That's where DraftMVP comes in: we allow you to understand how your team's statistical portfolio changes with each pick in your draft and we help you evaluate each of your choices before adding them to your team. Our research about the methodology over the past few seasons has shown us that our approach outperforms those players who choose not to deploy it.
5. Is the service primarily for the hard core player, or is your target broader?
As a company, our aspirations are pretty broad. Our first offering, the draft tool, is focused on being as simple and easy to use as possible, so that we can help out the novice user. We've been hearing from many novice fantasy baseball players that it's exactly the thing to level the playing field for them.
(some Twitter comments:
http://twitter.com/mercinary/status/1398099935
http://twitter.com/uublog/status/1399138980
http://twitter.com/DrBlogstein/status/1404565718)
6. When I was younger, there was a hard core group of baseball fans who scoured Sporting News for stats and figures with an intensity I’ve seldom seen other places. Are fantasy sports built around the hard core stat head?
Most fantasy sports offerings are centered around content and league management. As such, it isn't really restricted to hard core stat heads. However, staying up to date on player activities can be really time intensive and as a result, many fantasy players feel pressure to be reading sports news every day in order to be competitive. Our team believes that there is an opportunity to develop powerful tools for fantasy sports managers, using statistics in order to make better roster decisions quickly. We believe that introducing tools to assist the average sports fan manage their fantasy team will make fantasy sports more enjoyable and hopefully, broaden the appeal of the industry as a whole.
7. Who’s making money in fantasy, and how?
The major providers of fantasy sports league management capabilities are Yahoo!, ESPN and CBS Sportsline, all of whom sell advertising. Additionally, they have premium offerings which cost money, providing them with the majority of their revenues. On the content side of the industry, there are literally hundreds of sites that offer fantasy sports news, insights, recommendations and player watch lists. These content providers tend to charge for their content and also sell advertising on their sites.
8. As you know, iMedia Connection is primarily focused on people charged with communicating brand messages. How does a sports brand participate in these communities? Are their opportunities for non sports brands?
To date, brands have used banner advertising and custom integrations with the larger sites to get in front of fantasy sports players. Importantly, the brands haven't just been sports brands, they've been brands like Coke and Subway. Brands who want to connect with players could sponsor paid features, content and tools in order to offer fantasy sports players services that they value. Additionally, they could organize specific contests, create communities for fantasy sports players to collaborate and work with the major sports leagues to extend the accessibility of the stats required by fantasy sports players (currently these stats are very expensive and tightly held). All of these actions would serve to associate the brand with clear benefits for the fantasy sports players.
9. In closing, what advice would you give to a marketer considering fantasy sports as a communications channel?
Brands have long considered sports as a good place to connect with passionate and highly engaged consumers. Fantasy sports players tend to be a subset of the sports category who are even more passionate and highly engaged. As such, experimenting with ways to get in front of fantasy sports players should be an area of focus for any brand that is already focusing on sports fans. Additionally, fantasy sports players tend to be highly connected individuals, managing their teams online, using their computers while watching sports and using their mobile phones to check scores, news and lineups. When brands think about communicating with customers digitally and experimenting with emerging channels, the fantasy sports market is a place where consumers can be readily found.
Thanks Robi!
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Monday, March 2, 2009
It's Time To Buy Newspaper
Last Friday, ANOTHER American newspaper died, Scripp's Rocky Mountain News. Yes, yes, you can certainly take the free market POV and say bah humbug these dinosaur newspapers deserve to die I spit on your graves.
Or, we can pause for a moment and lament the challenging times for America's only professional journalism form that is not (as) obsessed by Anna Nicole, Jon Benet, or whether [[insert name of emaciated, hungry starlet]] has strofoam boobs.
Newspapers uncovered Watergate. And My Lai. Newspapers fed the statistical appetite of every baseball fan my age. Newspapers make an effort to go a scosh deeper than offering headlines in between rightwing zealot versus left wing zealot food fights. While a certain cable news channel regaled us with an hour of [[this is 100% true]] what breakfast cereal was Saddam Hussein's favorite in American captivity (note: I believe it was Fruity Pebbles) newspapers were reporting about literally tons of money simply disappearing in Iraq.
The curse that newspapers must face is partly us and what we have done to consumer expectations. We have spent years feeding the tiger, giving users pretty much any info they want, for free. "We'll worry about the making money part later." And make no mistake, the pain they now feel is something many of us will be feeling in the not too distant future, when an ecosystem built on free begins to show its flaws. Free is not a business model. As we are discovering.
Newspapers have certainly made mistakes in the way they first ignored the web, and then rushed in without considering how to really make money in it. It takes a lot of 728s to replace a $74,000 P4CB in section one, from a revenue perspective.
Happily, all of the newspaper news isn't bleak.
Not by a longshot.
The digital offerings of some newspapers are getting superb. Some are experimenting with larger and more noticeable ads. Others with subscription models. And it's never been easier to buy local papers' online presences.
One cool development is the New York Times article skimmer, which you can check out here:
http://prototype.nytimes.com/gst/articleSkimmer/?scp=1&sq=article%20skimmer&st=cse
It's a way to scan pretty much every scrap of content in the NYT in a single, easy to use page.
Many newspapers are also creating extremely lively interest communities, juxtaposing chatty onliners with juicy local news.
There's lots of energy in this sector, lots of experimentation. And despite the closing of another paper, I am bullish that the papers will figure out a way to earn more revenue online. I really hope so.
And so should you, as the affluent, educated, involved lean forward eyes that newspapers attract -- both online and offline -- are probably what you and your brand are looking for.
So pick up that phone and RFP newspapers. The right audience within the context of truly unique and valuable content.
Or, we can pause for a moment and lament the challenging times for America's only professional journalism form that is not (as) obsessed by Anna Nicole, Jon Benet, or whether [[insert name of emaciated, hungry starlet]] has strofoam boobs.
Newspapers uncovered Watergate. And My Lai. Newspapers fed the statistical appetite of every baseball fan my age. Newspapers make an effort to go a scosh deeper than offering headlines in between rightwing zealot versus left wing zealot food fights. While a certain cable news channel regaled us with an hour of [[this is 100% true]] what breakfast cereal was Saddam Hussein's favorite in American captivity (note: I believe it was Fruity Pebbles) newspapers were reporting about literally tons of money simply disappearing in Iraq.
The curse that newspapers must face is partly us and what we have done to consumer expectations. We have spent years feeding the tiger, giving users pretty much any info they want, for free. "We'll worry about the making money part later." And make no mistake, the pain they now feel is something many of us will be feeling in the not too distant future, when an ecosystem built on free begins to show its flaws. Free is not a business model. As we are discovering.
Newspapers have certainly made mistakes in the way they first ignored the web, and then rushed in without considering how to really make money in it. It takes a lot of 728s to replace a $74,000 P4CB in section one, from a revenue perspective.
Happily, all of the newspaper news isn't bleak.
Not by a longshot.
The digital offerings of some newspapers are getting superb. Some are experimenting with larger and more noticeable ads. Others with subscription models. And it's never been easier to buy local papers' online presences.
One cool development is the New York Times article skimmer, which you can check out here:
http://prototype.nytimes.com/gst/articleSkimmer/?scp=1&sq=article%20skimmer&st=cse
It's a way to scan pretty much every scrap of content in the NYT in a single, easy to use page.
Many newspapers are also creating extremely lively interest communities, juxtaposing chatty onliners with juicy local news.
There's lots of energy in this sector, lots of experimentation. And despite the closing of another paper, I am bullish that the papers will figure out a way to earn more revenue online. I really hope so.
And so should you, as the affluent, educated, involved lean forward eyes that newspapers attract -- both online and offline -- are probably what you and your brand are looking for.
So pick up that phone and RFP newspapers. The right audience within the context of truly unique and valuable content.
Friday, February 27, 2009
LunchBreak Viral Video: Sony Rolly: Incredibly Cool Unbelievably Useless Piece of Crap. But a Must Buy!
Now THIS is on my Christmas list. 3 minutes of incredible joy, followed by 2 million years in a landfill.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Ringtones Companies Forced To Be Honest! About Time!
Many would agree with the assertion that the ringtone-centered companies tend to exemplify the words "deceptive practices". Free ringtones that sign you up for $10 a month subs, incessant spamming, banners that pop open when you accidentally roll over them.
But, according to an article in MediaPost, Google is now going to force them to disclose the hidden costs of their ersatz free offers. Apparently, a deal with the Florida AG puts in place a rule that these companies will have to put the costs of the subs in their KW results.
I am sure there are still local tv channels taking those ads with 11 lines of 6 point type on the screen for 6 seconds. But every little helps and this is a wonderful step in the right direction
I suspect that this will be the beginning of the end for some of the profoundly corrupt companies in the space. And all I can say to them is that I spit on your graves. You are the sort of forces that destroys the marketing effectiveness of companies that DON'T prey on the stupid and the the young.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Citibank Falls For the Nigerian Money Scam
From Consumerist:
37-year-old Nigerian scammer Paul Gabriel Amos convinced Citibank officials to wire him $27 million belonging to Ethiopia. Rather than go with the usual Nigerian nom de plumes like prince or will executor, Famous Amos pretended to be an official with the National Bank of Ethiopia. Amos forged "official-looking" documents that confirmed his status with the central bank and instructed Citibank to await faxes telling them where to send the country's cash.
White Paper Wednesdays: Developments in Online Dating
A comprehensive and entertaining intro to how people are meeting online, from Laurel Papworth at www.silkcharm.blogspot.com
White Paper Wednesdays: Social Network Advertising
A very compelling deck on white to advertise on social networks, and why people haven't jumped on the bandwagon so far. From Hussein Fassal at AdParlor.com.
White Paper Wednesdays: The Future of Advertising
A crispy deck from PHD on the principles of marketing in the future. By John V. Willshire, Head of Innovation at PHD.
White Paper Wednesdays: Direct Navigation Search
I am not expert at the deeper intricacies of Search, so this white paper on the ways to capitalize on direct navigation -- people using seearch engines to reach very specific ares of content on web sites more quickly -- was quite interesting and useful. From FairWinds Partners LLC:
White Paper Wednesdays: Sponsorship How Tos In a Down Economy
A wonderful bona fide white paper from Kim Skildum-Reid of Australia's Power Sponsorship about how to develop and execute sponsorship by being consumer and customer centered.
Find it here.
White Paper Wednesdays: Digital 2009
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Snuggie Pub Crawl Gives Back!
Yes, the parody continues. In a wonderful send up of the fabulously overhyped Idol Gives back, the Snuggie Pub Crawl community has launched Snuggie Pub Crawl gives back, promising to send all proceeds to the AC Orphanage in Arusha Tanzania.
Snuggie Pub Crawl cares! And this orphanage is quite a worthy cause.
Give to the Snuggle Pub Crawl Gives Back here:
Snuggie Pub Crawl Gives Back!!!
Snuggie Pub Crawl Gives Back!!!
Snuggie Pub Crawl Gives Back!!!
Snuggie Pub Crawl Gives Back!!!
Snuggie Pub Crawl Gives Back!!!
Snuggie Pub Crawl Gives Back!!!
Snuggie Pub Crawl Gives Back!!!
Snuggie Pub Crawl cares! And this orphanage is quite a worthy cause.
Give to the Snuggle Pub Crawl Gives Back here:
Snuggie Pub Crawl Gives Back!!!
Snuggie Pub Crawl Gives Back!!!
Snuggie Pub Crawl Gives Back!!!
Snuggie Pub Crawl Gives Back!!!
Snuggie Pub Crawl Gives Back!!!
Snuggie Pub Crawl Gives Back!!!
Snuggie Pub Crawl Gives Back!!!
More Than 2000 Already Signed Up For Snuggie Pub Crawls!
Yes, they're coming to a city near you. A bunch of people wearing Snuggies go from bar to bar, in celebration of the new cult favorite -- a bathrobe worn backwards! How cool is that.
Is this a joke? Not to the 2374 people signed up for the Chicago event, and it is still 53 days away!!!
America's new pet rock, perfect for sitting in the house watching TV with the heat off. And apparently for getting your drunk on!
Monday, February 23, 2009
CORRECTION AND AN APOLOGY TO FREESTYLE
Earlier today I made a post that was unclear about what had happened between Wieden, Freestyle, and EA. The post discussed Wieden's win, but did not specify that the win was for media. I was unclear that the win by W+K was for media, not creative. Freestyle continues to produce, and will continue to produce, creative for EA. I deeply regret the lack of clarity, and send a personal apology to the Freestyle team. My lack of clarity was inexcusable.
Digital Marketing Factoid of the Day: Search Engine Market Share
My beloved Yahoo grew right out of the hide of the Goo this month! Dancing in the streets in Sunnyvale!
What's Happening to Brands In The Recession
Remember the Brandiest?
As personal incomes fall and unemployment rises, brands are generally taking it on the chin. There's an article here from Ad Age that talks about the rise of private label in these tough economic times.
That happens in every recession, and while there is good news from General Mills (GMI) and its brand growth driven by continued investment in brand building, for most companies this is tough times.
What does it really mean? Well, what does a brand mean? From an economic perspective, the value of the brand is measured in large part by the price gap between brand and private label that consumers are willing to pay. And that has surely declined for a variety of reasons.
One is that with a decline in personal income, we all need to make choices as to what is important to us. Do we need the best detergent out there, or are the problems we face in the laundry room sufficiently minor that a value brand or store brand good enough to solve them?
But there are bigger issues for brands. Private label has come a very long way from the old Pathmark No Frills aisle, which had a visual appearance to the grocery store in Repo Man. There is far less of a quality gap -- indeed there is perhaps no gap at all in many categories. Given that many branded manufacturers also make the private label versions of their products, many people have become savvy enough to know that the differences just aren't there.
Then there has been the tendency for brands to take big price advances year after year. When I worked in the cereal business, we found the growth in PL and bagged cereals roughly corresponded to that price advance line. And for good reason. Over the years, cereal went from a genuine bargain to a fairly expensive way to buy grain and sugar.
I think it also points to an urgent need for our industry to find ways to use digital to offer real brand connections and interactions so we can restore the price differentials that consumers are willing to pay. We can offer reach, or depth, but rarely both. We need to quickly figure out a way to offer reach and depth in digital experiences. Or we may find ourselves with a lot fewer accounts in a few years.
Bud.TV RIP: I Hardly Knew Ya
From St Louis or perhaps more precisely Brussels comes the news that A-B, the Belgian brewing company, has dumped Bud.TV, its attempt to create a branded entertainment venue online.
From the beginning Bud.tv was a big gamble -- a $30 Million (!) investment in video, games, applications, and and and that was envisioned as a big traffic solution to the very real challenges of brand-y brands getting TV sized reach in digital. It was hoped that this ginormous site would attract a huge following -- creating for A-B a new way of touching its consumers.
But nope, it turns out that Americans want content creators created by...content creators, not brewers. There were a host of problems, but I think that was the real hub of the issue.
Well, away it goes. Companies have done stupider things than Bud TV - like value digital companies with almost zero revenue at tens of billions.
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