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Pornography as broadcast on Fox News
2007-12-03 18:02:00
Usually agree with Seth's stuff, great stuff. He missed this one though. Seth pointed out this video of "misogyny and pornography as broadcast on Fox News ".Just a simple reminder: news organizations are a reflection of us. They are simply showing us a mirror of some of what is going on in our world. Do they want ratings? Of course they do. But they are not making this stuff up or showing it out of context.J
More About: Broadcast , Fox News , Pornography , Broad

Perfect Speed
2007-10-18 20:16:00
I am working on a project these days with a lot of effort around balancing speed of delivery with level of testing, design iterations, and QA. The easy way to say that is: What is the right balance of speed versus perfection of output? There is parity-of-knowledge in our world; if you use available resources you can know what your competition knows. Quality has been a cost of entry for decades. Even innovation it could be argued is now much more of a price to complete. So what is left to leverage? How to edge the competition? Just a few thoughts:1) Radical innovation. Everyone focuses on innovation but not everyone can find a real breakthrough or has the nerve to take the risk. 2) Rapid, incremental, innovation. Google uses this with their constant flow of beta products and versions. I think the second option is more attainable for many enterprises. Here are a few points in that direction: Go to market when you have a core concept. Don?t ...
More About: Agile , Innovation , Speed , Perfect , Waterfall

STOP! - Look at your cell, try to dial this!
2007-10-07 00:45:00
Cell Phones and toll-free numbers are not mixing well. Take this TEST:Look at your cell phone key pad, now try to dial this number 1-800-GetStufHow did you do?! You couldn't dial it, could you?Oh sure, if you find a land line phone and look at that then you could. Or if, like some people I know, you are super smart, then you could figure it out in your head. But for the rest of us this does not work!MARCOM managers please listen: STOP PUTTING OUT PRODUCTS, MATERIAL AND ADVERTISING WITH WORD-ONLY PHONE NUMBERS!My family and I ONLY use cell phones, cell phones have been ubiquitous for a long time. Please add start adding the numbers underneath ALL the catchy toll-frees that include words.Thank You!J
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Idea Smelting - Devil or Savior?
2007-10-05 00:45:00
I started reading The 10 Faces of Innovation . Only a little ways into the volume so far, but already have run across a very interesting point. The author?s, from IDEO, take the position that playing the ?Devil ?s Advocate? during creative or innovation sessions is damaging. The language they use is very strong, they are passionate about this. They actually ponder situations where they might tell such a role player to ?Go to Hell.? This is obliviously just a play on the devil theme, but I find it telling nonetheless. Let me take a different slant on this. I hold that when played intelligently, honestly, and with care this role is extremely important and helpful. The key skill needed to play this role is an ability to ?ask the hard? questions. This is about seeing pitfalls, dangers, gaps, or unnecessary risks. Without this skill/role failure can loom. Over the past 15 years I have seen many ideas pushed through to execution without any rigorous challenge. Similar to the way me...
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Gap Analysis - Continuing Ed
2007-10-04 02:00:00
I have been thinking about continuing education. I am working on getting my real estate license. I invest in real estate and just want the knowledge. Anyway, part of the deal with a real estate license is a continuing educational requirement. I think this is good, although I am not sure it is the exact model we need in marketing.However, I do think that there seems to be a lack of "educational" opportunity in our field. It seems that there are a few options: read, take college classes, OJT, seminars etc. But where could I go if I wanted to get "certified" on the latest CRM techniques? I think that there is a great opportunity for someone to step up with some good on-line courses that sit in-between college classes and webinars. How cool would it be to sign-up for a series of CRM classes on-line, say 4 levels from basics to advanced, and to get a certification afterwards. If this was done by a college or a Forrester or similar firm, I think it would carry some weight.If you know of s...
More About: Analysis , Conti , Anal

My New Home
2007-10-03 22:10:00
I am happy to report that I have jumped back into the fray. I am now with THINK Interactive here in Atlanta...Drop me a line: THINK Interactive, Inc. | 1350 Spring Street, Suite 300 | Atlanta, Georgia 30309 | 404.962.8976 | www.thinkinc.com
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Primal Change
2007-10-02 01:02:00
Went away to the mountains for the weekend and took Prim al Branding, good to scan that again. One note towards the end caught me eye, ?All belief systems need to be reenergized lest they grow stale and risk public refusal.? I buy it. I thought about why brands that I have worked with do refreshes. More often than not it has been for reasons that are not about re-energizing because it?s just time and the brand is due. Emergence from bankruptcy, lagging sales, fierce new competition, new chiefs, these are the reasons that have been the impetus for the branding work I have done. Maybe now is a good time to think about more frequent pulse-taking for your brand? Do consumers say you need to refresh? On a personal level here is my list (it is Monday) of things I need to refresh for my ?personal brand?: 1) Endurance · Once on a path, if its good and right, stick to it 2) Extra Mile · Everyday, try to do a little extra, for the family, faith, and the ...
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Other Sites - Marketing Profs
2007-09-27 17:08:00
Have been enjoying the posts at their collaborative blog, Daily Fix.J
More About: Marketing , Sites

Democratic vs. Social
2007-09-27 08:02:00
Reading in Google Reader earlier today and ran across a reference to blogs as ?social? media. Interesting. For me they are not so much social as they are democratic. I think that this is an important nuance in our dialog concerning the evolution of digital marketing. Democracy can be defined as: ?the doctrine that the numerical majority of an organized group can make decisions binding on the whole group? reference Thus, democratic media or marketing would be concerned with control of media, pricing, marketing, etc, being in the hands of the masses more so than in the hands of executives or corporations. I believe this is indeed part of the impact of the blogosphere (and digital media/access generally). So for me, blogs are more democratized-media than they are social-media. Social can be defined as: ?living together or enjoying life in communities or organized groups...? reference So social media or marketing would relate more to places where community happens, where...
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5 Digital Musts
2007-09-25 23:21:00
Here are Five things that you need to be testing or doing now: 1) Loosen Your Grip Find some area of your business, products, or brand that you can loosen your grip on. The most powerful force in business today is democratization. By ceding some control to your customers you will gain far more insight, buzz, and loyalty more that you will risk. Connect with your customers via dialog and collaboration. Let them create your next commercial. Look to Amazon's user reviews and Apple's iMix for inspiration. 2) Be Social It is no accident or teenage fad, social is a force. LinkedIn, Facebook, MySpace and others are for real. Can you allow customers and prospects to share, discuss, explore, and contribute to your brand? Can you leverage what is happening already in those spaces? See the Microsoft Student Group on Facebook. 3) Speed Up While still developing, real time or instant marketing is coming on fast. Email is slow by today's standard. I have to notice and open an email. IM,...
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Distributed Marketing ? Part II
2007-09-21 23:08:00
So, in Part I we were asking ourselves: If we set out to create the first distributed marketing program, what might it look like? (I am aware of course that someone may have done this before. If you know about it, please share.) By looking at the distributed computing model I identified three elements that seem to make it work: a) Its is quick and easy to do b) It is altruistic c) It's cool technology The first example I used, Toyota and a new Hybrid model, was as admittedly a bit of a softball. So, we left off by asking: What about a tougher challenge? What about a pure marketing play? Let's take a product and brand that has no connection to a ?cause?, say Coca Cola and their Mountain Dew product. Now what can we say about Mountain Dew? Its established, its edgy, and it has a youth slant. If we deep dived into the brand-loyalist profile I am guessing there is a desire there for a sense of belonging. If that is the case then I think that would be the insight to levera...
More About: Marketing , Distributed Computing

Distributed Marketing ? Part I
2007-09-21 05:51:00
Well I can't get this out of my head. After I posted the Monday list the idea of ?distributed marketing? popped into my head, and I am unable to get it out. So even if this post makes no sense to you, its still helping my sanity! So: If we set out to create the first distributed marketing program, what might it look like? First I think about what makes the distributed computing model work, at least the model I mentioned that pertains to medical research. Here is what I think makes it tick: a) Its is quick and easy to do b) It is altruistic c) It's cool technology Now what exactly am I saying by ?distributed marketing?? I am not talking about RSS or email newsletters which some refer to as such. Rather, I am thinking of a marketing program in which customers would volunteer some resource to promote said campaign. Many product and brands would have little or no shot to tap the altruistic vein, but some might. Let's take an easy example, say Toyota and a new Hybrid m...
More About: Marketing , Part , Distributed Computing

Not-So-Broad-Band
2007-09-20 05:22:00
Washington Post reports that the U.S. is far behind in broadband speeds; way, way behind. This is not good news. This is a negative for all concerned: - Science and industry are slowed - Consumers choice is limited and time is wasted - Media companies are not able to innovate as aggressively - Advertisers have less effective tools - Work productivity is likely impacted as well - Also...well, its just a little embarrassing. Don't you think? We should get caught-up. We should lead. Perhaps a nice little plank for a 2008 candidate.
More About: Band , Japan , Broadband , Korea , Washington Post

Sex & Violence - Bad for Ad
2007-09-19 21:25:00
Here is another interesting note about recall: Viol ent and sexually explicit shows hurt recall. According to a 2003 study: "...people are 19 percent less likely to remember the same ad if it is embedded in a violent or sexually explicit show." (2003 U-M Institute for Social Research, referenced from Science Daily) Now I have to wonder about a few things: Is the reverse true? Do racy ads detract from clean shows?If racy ads are put into racy shows, does that work better?J
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Above all, be true to thy brand
2007-09-19 01:09:00
Interesting to look at the iPhone price cut from a brand standpoint. An analysis I hear on a Harvard Business Review podcast today was spot on. Essentially the point was that the $200 downward move was not true to the Apple brand in form or function. Apple has been very much about being different and in control. Their products are stand out, unique; and they have thrived on closed systems that they control. However, they reacted to slower than expected sales by slashing price. Some points: As Apple, should they allow sales numbers to dictate pricing so quickly? Probably not: - What was the message this sent to folks who paid $600 bucks? Not a good one.- Do they look in control here? Or, do they look a little reactive? I argue the latter. So they reacted. OK. But was the reaction at least in line with the brand? It seems not: - This is what many brands do when sales are weak, cut price. Nothing original here.- The cut itself was not interesting, it was a normal off...
More About: True , Brand

Monday List – Save Lives, Energy, Money, Time
2007-09-18 01:36:00
A few familiar names here, a few maybe some not so much. Everybody has their list, but hey, at least I give some rationale. If you don't agree, please share some! #5 Blackle Energy saving black version of Google, thats just a cool idea Saves energy yeah, but seems how much is a debate Needs to just be Google search, not sure what “Blackle� vs. “web� means! Green is mainstreaming, other sites should grab this as a marketing/PR/Environmental play #4 Woot If you buy any tech stuff, you will like this site One product, one day, until its sold out Simple, compelling, social (yeah, some verbz happening here for sure) (btw - “woot� is an on-line/IM/gaming term used to express excitement, it means “heck yeah!!� #3 LinkedIn This is a great site for professional networking There seems to be very little if any competition Nearly everyone I know is on it (not sure if that says more about me or the site?) Bottom line, much easier than trying to to...
More About: Money , Time , List , Lives

Great Ad!...What was it for again?
2007-09-17 01:31:00
TV ads have become so theatrical, production value is so much higher than in past decades, that they often overshadow the very products and brands they are suppose to promote. I find many ads entertaining, funny, and very well made. However, are they doing their job? To be sure, there are many that do a great job of making the product/brand central, Aflac comes to mind as a recent home run. Of course what is the option? With these traditional ads being blocked more and more, it is almost a must to make our ads so entertaining or note-worthy that people will look for them on the DVR or YouTube ! Today, 15% of consumers say that they use technology to skip TV ads ? more than three times as many as in 2004. This behavior will continue to spread ? Forrester projects that more than 50% of US households will use a DVR by 2010. (Forrester 2006) On line video ads are not the silver bullet either: My take aways are simple: Make your ads as entertaining as possi...
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Nine-Wonder-Brands-That-Made-It-to-the-Oxford-Dictionary
2007-09-13 16:54:00
Interesting little post about some products and brands that became generic terms/nouns over the years. Very different from the verb phenomenon, but definitely a forerunner.Nine-Wonder-Brands -That-Made -I t-to-the-Oxford -Dictionary J

Digital as a Verb ? Part I
2007-09-12 22:52:00
We have all heard it, but maybe not noticed, ?Google it? (check Wikipedia) , ?Hit the Space?, ?Blog?, ?Surf?, ?Post?. The web is about action, it is about doing and experiencing. Many web-age brands get this, Yahoo for example got it early and played to it with their ?Do you Yahoo? campaign. Of course, it may have done well for the Yahoo brand but we all ?Google? and I have never heard anyone say they were going to ?Yahoo? something, but it was a good attempt to harness this phenomenon. So what is it that moves a brand into this space? From being an abstract product or service provider to being a part of what we do, a verb? For Google is seems to me that it is very much about the way they started. In 1998 Google was just a logo and a search box (check WebArchive.org). One word, one page, one function (and a few links that I had forgotten about, Linux...) . For this reason the brand name is forever tied to the activity. They were relatively early into the space also, and had at th...
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Other Blogs - Seth Godin
2007-09-11 18:26:00
Original, insightful, entertaining marketing blog. Take a look.Seth's BlogJ
More About: Blogs , Tipping Point , Seth Godin , Odin , Godin

Top 6 Agency?Client Killers
2007-09-11 00:32:00
Welcome to the first weekly top list. Each Monday we will take a spin through another top list. Hey if it worked for David Letterman, then who knows (do I have to have ten, David?)! We are talking mostly about 1-1 relationships here, about the lead points of contact for an account or piece of an account, not the macro organizational issues, which might be another list. Note that many time these relationships do work very well! However, it is my nature (and usually more interesting!) to look at where things could be better. So, here we go: #6 ? The Wrong People You know, ?Ted is just not a 'fit' for this account?, or ?client X just rubs me wrong.? This is sometimes legitimate, but often it can be a cop-out for true effort. Focusing on the work and results can often resolve these perceived issues. Solution: Roll up the sleeves. #5 ? One Sided Just like love, it takes two. If one of the partners is ?too busy? or detached then beware. Solution: Reach out often. Be up-front! F...
More About: Agency , Killers , Client

MMORPGs - Do you know them?
2007-09-07 21:06:00
MMORPG ? ?Massively Multi-player On-line Role Playing Game?, or more generally MMOG - ?Massively Multi-player On-line Gaming ?. Have you heard of it? You will. Forrester has noticed: ?Huge communities like Habbo Hotel (which has 70 million registered accounts) and Cyworld (with 18 million registered accounts just in Korea) not only challenge MySpace.com as social networking destinations, but generate significant revenues from item transactions? ?World of Warcraft is the most popular current example of this type of virtual world ? it had 8.5 million active subscribers as of March 2007, each paying up to $15 per month after an initial free trial period.? (Forrester, March 20007 - The Real Business Of Virtual Worlds, by Paul Jackson) The business is growing and some real money is at play. What is interesting to me is that it seems there is very little effort to leverage the potential advertising exposure opportunities withing this growing segment. While there is no doubt that it ...
More About: Second Life , Online , Avatars

PEOPLE + Proposition
2007-09-06 23:44:00
Being in between gigs I have had the chance to talk to many of the agencies in Atlanta recently. Combining this with my time working at several big agencies, it seems to me that there are some distinct positions agencies are moving in between. Only a few of them seem to equate to a compelling value proposition. I look at a few of the more prevalent ones below.Posi tioning one: Strategy These agencies stand their ground and don't cave into the lure of revenue from junior staff. They hire senior pros, they go in with strategy, that is what they sell. The execution is as needed. There is little work for the sake of work. Of course, the private agencies are in a better position to do this than those that are beholden to Wall Street. A challenging position, but no doubt a more unique value prop than others. Position ing two: Creative This position is about art. It's about being artists. Compelling, exciting, award winning creative is the lead sales point. This is all good, but it seems ...
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STILL on the Frontier
2007-09-05 20:51:00
What is important about a digital marketing program? ROI, ROMS, brand metrics? Yes and much more. Do those things usually change the game? No. Do we care about changing the game? Sometimes, right? When we are heads down building, winning, running, fixing; then probably not. When we look at our careers, when we blue sky, when we have off line chats; then yes, we think about if we are having real impact. Two points in this quick post: There are not enough of us that are actively moving to change the game. Yours truly included. Digital marketing is not about things and results anymore. Yes we still build ?things? such as pages and we do need to hit target metric numbers. But that is not where the game is. Notice I say that we need to ?actively? move to change the game. I think many in the industry are trying, but what are we doing to build relationships, environments, and situations that allow it to happen. Again, its so heads down now. Business is good, staffing is a huge cha...
More About: Innovation , Tier , Frontier

TOTAL Eclipse
2007-09-05 02:03:00
Many years ago, during the internet ?bubble?, an associate and I were debating whether or not the web would eventually replace virtually all brick-and-mortar stores. The very fact that we were having that discussion is an indication of why there was a bubble in the first place; I have to admit it is now slightly embarrassing to admit the conversation happened. Clearly there is no indication that a scenario like that would ever come to pass in the imaginable future. However, a recent car buying experience highlights how channels, distribution points, or other business elements can be if not totally eclipsed certainly made irrelevant to those that are comfortable with a mouse and keyboard. I have owned a decent number of vehicles in my time: sports cars to family wagons, Volkswagen to Ford, new to ?pre-owned?. One thing I have learned is that buying new cars is, IMHO, wasteful. I say this with all due respect to those who live in the new car biz, including my father who supported m...
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