what a politician can teach you about marketing
Paul Mcenany, one of my favorite bloggers, has some really cool advice for marketers that he gleaned from the eulogy festival around Tim Russert. Inspired by a wonderful quote from Pat Moynihan, Paul's pointed out that we don't all fit into "buckets" as nicely as our marketing demographics would like us to.
If you've ever been tempted to trust a focus group over talented creative instinct, there's some wise insight here.
Labels: adindustry, branding, marketing, strategy
posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:38 AM
2 comments
before you plan a grand opening...
You'll definitely want to read Seth's post. The wise man is right.
Did JetBlue, Honda Accord or Facebook have grand openings? And what about the non-profits who spend 85% of their marketing budget on their annual gala? Great insight and advice.
Labels: marketing, nonprofit, strategy
posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:14 AM
0 comments
obama lovers just gave you the best social media idea
If you haven't already checked out Oh Boy Obama, do it now. Put aside your politics, and just look - because this is the most awesomely delicious example of how to crowd source, and use social media for the promotion of a brand.
The site is an open think tank, where Obama fans can chime in with ideas for Obama related to his scheduling, tactical plans, publicity, advertising, demographics, and more. Visitors can vote on their favorite ideas, and the most popular rise to the top.
This is an uber relevant example of how to use social media, that can be applied to nearly any brand. B2C, B2B, whatever. Need ideas on how this could be applied to your industry? You know who to call.
Labels: marketing, politics, social media, strategy
posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:42 AM
1 comments
overheard on twitter
About once a day, you see something on Twitter that you just want to share with the entire world. Yesterday, it was a quote from HookEmSarah:
"Presenting a communication audit on @JetBlue. Strategy? Be awesome and they will come."
And there you have it. Your new marketing strategy.
Labels: social media, strategy, twitter
posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:32 AM
1 comments
more data than you can shake a monkey at
Data lovin' monkeys, rejoice. Here's loads, and loads, and loads of free data. I guess you could even say monkey loads of free data.
Infochimps.org is a new community built to assemble and interconnect data. They want to built the most gimonkeyous free almanac, with tables of data on every imaginable subject.
If you're the type of person who loves to play around with Microsoft Access or Excel, instead of drawing pictures, well this is your lucky day.
Alternately, do you have data just pouring out of your desk drawers, and you don't know where to put it? Upload your own datasets, and set them free to live on their own data island, with monkeys.
Labels: mashup, nonprofit, social media, strategy, web2.0
posted by darryl ohrt @ 8:08 AM
0 comments
you can now live inside whole foods
Jackie Huba has a most delicious post about her love of Whole Foods. This isn't just a love letter to her new favorite place of food, it's an analysis on what makes a successful business.
For the people too lazy to read her entire brilliant and entertaining post, I've copied and pasted her four key points to Whole Foods success:
1. Cater to the niche, baby.
2. Business is theater.
3. Hire for attitude, train for skill.
4. Let fans spread the word digitally.
But you can't just take that list and go build an empire. Go read her post. It'll be good for you.
Labels: marketing, retail, strategy, yummyfood
posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:51 AM
0 comments
the most important article ever in Inc Magazine
This month's Inc Magazine includes BrandFlakes!
They mistakenly put the most important paragraph near the back of the publication, and they featured some cute girl from the Ford Modeling Agency on the cover. Clearly, I could have been a model too, but chose an agency life instead. And for that, I'm apparently being punished, and not included on the cover.
In their article, Blogging: More than idle chatter, you'll learn how blogging may be good for your business. And you'll certainly be dazzled by every brilliant word in the fifth paragraph. I know I was.
Actually, the issue is chocked full of great digital advice for business. Check it out, and be sure to tell the Borders cashier that you're only buying this issue because of the 5th paragraph on page 89.
Labels: blogging, self promotion, strategy
posted by darryl ohrt @ 8:11 AM
4 comments
facebook apps are annoying beasts
Joseph Jaffe writes an excellent post about how Facebook isn't the silver bullet many marketers think it is.
Facebook application usage is dwindling. I see on my Twitterstream fellow Facebookers rave about their ability to delete 25 Facebook notifications at a time. And everyone's annoyed with the 'someone has a crush on you' type invitations.
I think Jaffe is right - clearly there's some Facebook fatigue going on here. However, I don't think it's with Facebook itself - but instead, with the un-inspiring Facebook applications. The Facebook audience continues to grow. And I'll bet it hasn't neared its peak, as far as membership goes.
As a social media junkie, here's what I see that Facebook users DO really enjoy:
+ Catching up with their friends' status updates
+ Sharing links with friends
+ Sharing photos and videos of and with friends
+ Sharing events and groups with friends
+ Communicating with friends
So the question is - what can your brand do that helps your audience accomplish these tasks? Some applications can succeed too - but they'll need to provide actual value, beyond annoying everyone on my friends list.
Related, Scott Monty has a beautious post about how marketers still have a lot to learn. Clearly, marketers need to understand social media, and their audience needs. Or need an agency that does. ;)
Labels: facebook, social media, strategy, web2.0
posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:45 AM
2 comments
social media good for search engine optimization
Junta 42 has an interesting experiment showing the importance of using social media for search engine optimization. We'll be the first to tell you that this isn't (and shouldn't) be your only reason for participating in any social media - but it's nice to see proof of its impact.
Labels: search, social media, strategy
posted by darryl ohrt @ 8:08 AM
1 comments
lots of fun data for your powerpoint
Yesterday, the geeks at PEW released a new study titled Teens and Social Media. Stuff like:
- 64% of online teenagers ages 12 to 17 engaging in at least one type of content creation;
- Some 35% of all teen girls blog;
- 20% of boys blog;
- 54% of wired girls post photos online compared with 40% of online boys;
- Teen boys are nearly twice as likely as online girls (19% vs. 10%) to have posted a video online.
Labels: social media, sports marketing, strategy, trends, youthmarketing
posted by darryl ohrt @ 8:11 AM
1 comments
how to get on the cover of rolling stone magazine
37 Signals has a sweet primer on how to get ink. Some of their tips are just good plain business practices, too.
Labels: self promotion, smallagency, strategy
posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:56 AM
1 comments
why you need to have a strategy before you make a facebook fan page
I couldn't say it any better than Jeremia has brilliantly posted on his blog...
In the meantime, go ahead and become a fan of the single most important agency in all of the history of design, branding and interactive sweetness.
Labels: facebook, plaid, social media, strategy
posted by darryl ohrt @ 8:12 AM
0 comments
outstanding advice in once sentence
Wow. Duct Tape Marketing sums up some excellent marketing/branding/running your business advice:
"Coolness is optional, authenticity is not."
Labels: branding, marketing, strategy
posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:18 AM
0 comments
unfortunate zombie placement
I love zombie movies. Can't get enough of them. But when I'm reading a story on human remains being found at the Minneapolis bridge collapse, zombie ads seem gross.
Labels: adindustry, strategy
posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:11 AM
0 comments
pier one gives up on the internet
Pier 1 is getting out of the ecommerce business, and focusing entirely on their stores. Trend for lifestyle brands? Bad business move? Good business move?
Personally, I believe they need to focus on product and brand. Not a lot of difference these days between Pier 1, Pottery Barn and Restoration Hardware. Only so much room for the same thing in the marketplace. And what have they done to inspire, recently?
posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:26 AM
0 comments
how to get acquired by google
Great post on building something worthy of an acquisition. If that's your thing.
posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:49 AM
0 comments
parodies good. "make our commercial" contests bad.
Matt Dickman has some good advice about embracing parody. After all, the brands (like Apple) that are parodied most frequently are the brands and campaigns that become a part of pop culture.
I'm tired of brand campaigns that try to incentivize fans to create their own spots, as a contest. Just seems like the lamest, most uncreative form of social media. I can see the meeting in the board room: "We need to utilize social media. Let the kids make our spots for us."
Technically, that works, I suppose - but the more successful campaigns are so strong on their own that they INVITE participation. Without the contest. Participation by fans, by users, and by people who would have never invested themselves in a "make our commercial" contest. A creation contest may reach existing fans - but a spot that naturally invites parody reaches people who wouldn't ordinarily interact with the brand. Thereby making new fans. And THAT'S connecting socially. Right?
Labels: adindustry, branding, parody, social media, strategy
posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:28 AM
0 comments
blog orgy of branding fun
Kevin Dugan tells us about a really cool new group blog. BrandingWire. A group of marketing and brand bloggers brought together virtually, to discuss topics on a monthly basis. Their first piece is a great experiment. They created a fictional case study about a local coffee house, and each of the branding experts chimed in on how they'd approach the business.
Each of the experts details their approach on their own blog, linked from the original post.
It's interesting perspective for anyone in our industry, great learning for marketers, and a fantastic self promotional tool for each of the bloggers. Awesome.
Labels: adindustry, blogging, copywriting, creativeinspiration, marketing, strategy
posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:00 AM
0 comments
clients want multiple partners
This article in Adweek is about three weeks old, but a really good read about where the industry is headed. Great news for smaller firms like ours. And outstanding news for brand managers, who are getting the best of the best for each and every one of their projects.
The skinny:
+ Brands are more comfortable working with multiple agencies.
+ Bigger agencies are more comfortable working with smaller agencies
+ The consumer is more fragmented than ever. The age old "18 - 22" demo is a joke. There are now multi dimensional audiences within each demo. And you'll need to speak to them all, if they need your product. No one agency can be great at absolutely everything.
Partnerships rock.
Labels: adindustry, branding, marketing, smallagency, strategy
posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:02 AM
0 comments
cheap = fun. usually.
Super genius Seth Godin has an interesting post on the relationship between price and joy. His theory - the more you pay, the less you enjoy. Think car buying and house buying, and what stress bombs they create. Versus the chocolate coated marshmallow Easter bunnies that are waiting for you right now at Walgreens. Ummm. Joy.
Seth points to an opportunity for brands that sell stress bombs like cars and houses....how can they make the process more enjoyable?
posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:41 AM
0 comments
new ad buying strategy: avoid sexy
Some scientists have determined that people pay less attention to advertising when it's placed within a show containing sexy content. Ad time just got more expensive over at The View. Oh, snap!
Labels: adindustry, strategy, tv
posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:14 AM
0 comments
advertisers dropping the ball on their websites
Everyone's talking about, voting on, or complaining about the Superbowl ads. But how many advertisers are taking full advantage of their investment? That's the question that Reprise, a search engine marketing firm asks this DM News article.
It turns out that more than half don't have a call to action, don't have a copy of their ad on their site, or don't provide any added value Superbowl spot content (deleted scenes, etc.) Thanks Becky!
Labels: marketing, strategy, superbowl
posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:21 AM
0 comments
watching buzz turn into business
Info geeks rejoice: Steve Rubel has put together some fantastic analysis, using trending tools like Google Trends, and Indeed Job Trends. He's compared Google searches for web 2.0 stuff, against job data, to compare buzz to business. The conclusion is really interesting.
"Well, the evidence is anecdotal but it appears as though blogs and podcasts, which skyrocketed to prominence in 2004 and 2005, are now mature. They are largely flat when it comes to hype but they are generating more jobs. So with Second Life hype climbing, will it start generating jobs?"
Really cool stuff to impress your boss with. And the charts will make you look all smart, in your next PowerPoint on web 2.0.
Labels: blogging, marketing, secondlife, strategy, technology, trends, web2.0
posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:36 AM
0 comments
sears in second life: as boring as the real store.
Sears just launched their joint in Second Life. And the press has been rejoicing in the news that there's a place where you can explore custom kitchens, and design your own kitchen.
I've used Second Life as a reference tool, in this way. Showing a virtual property (the W Hotel) as an example of interior design that I was looking to refer to in the real world. It works. So I was pretty stoked to check out the new Second Life Sears, and try their custom kitchen maker.
Well, let me save you some time. It sucks. You can choose from about three kitchen styles, and from three different cabinet styles. Oooh - and two different countertops. Picture what a Flash developer might have created back in 1997, for the internet. It's almost that good. That's my "custom" kitchen, pictured above. (And yes, my pants are pretty badass. Thanks for noticing.)
Lots of brands are entering Second Life, and getting real world press for it. Obviously, the people who are writing the articles about Sears in Second Life, and the people who are reading the articles about Sears in Second Life, will never actually go into Sears in Second Life. If they did, they'd be pissed.
Imagine sending a press release out that you've produced a website where users can choose from THREE different door styles, and see what they look like on a stock kitchen? Think any media would pick that story up?
Marketers need to make sure what they're doing in Second Life actually provides some value. To an audience IN Second Life. Stop thinking about what users might expect on a website, and attempting to translate that to Second Life. It's a different media, altogether, and deserves a different approach.
Now, if you'll excuse me, my pants and I have a meeting at the W Hotel.
Labels: retail, secondlife, strategy
posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:48 AM
0 comments
fix your pitch for 2007
Guy Kawasaki has provided a New Year's resolution for entrepreneurs: Fix your pitch.
In his post, he outlines how to put together a great pitch to venture capitalists - but this is also a great read for any sales and marketing exec - as most of the same principles apply.
This is a good time to look at your pitch, regardless of who or where you are, and optimize for the best. We're doing that here, big time.
Labels: marketing, self promotion, strategy
posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:13 AM
0 comments
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