Searching For Your Brand Position



Let's face it; search engines can easily make a commodity of a brand. Even when a brand team has done a great job of positioning a product in it's category, the points of differentiation and emotional connections built for the brand are dissolved due to factors such as discount retailers, aftermarket resellers and endless parity. Smart search marketing can help with this dilemma; however there is still a gaping chasm between the search education of many brand marketers; and the opportunities available to effectively define your brand through search engines.

The above is the number one result on the SERP (search engine results page) for the term, "whirlpool". If you are a brand manager at Whirlpool, you are probably giving your SEO team a high five for helping secure the number one spot for your brand name (well, it is becoming easier to rank first for your own brand name as the search space matures-the high five may have happened a few years ago).  While it is essential to rank number one for your brand name; it is by no means a win. In fact, the above listing probably does not come close to the actual brands positioning statement outlined by Whirlpool; and I am sure it is not how Whirlpool executives want consumers to connect with the brand.

Why is it that many brand managers do not see search copy as an important touchpoint?



Can you imagine if Whirlpool's positioning statement read like the search result above;

"Whirlpool makes major appliances for your whole home. Current appliance owners can download appliance literature, contact customer..."

I can only imagine what type of advertising campaigns that would lead to :)

In stark contrast to the brand message that Whirlpool is conveying in the search result we see above (it is obvious that Whirlpool did not intentionally create the search copy to communicate their core brand message; but in a 15-second-of-fame-world--you are how you are found), they have created this following commercial;



Is it just me, or does this  TV spot communicate something wholly different than the search result above? TV does a better job of conjuring human emotion, but does that mean a brand marketer should simply ignore how they are communicating via text?

The question I have for all of you is, when is it most important for a brand to be effective in its communications?

  • When a consumer is actively seeking a brand (search)

  • When a consumer is focused on something entirely different (TV Spot)


This may seem like a leading question, and for those of us in digital marketing, the answer may seem obvious; but if the answer is so obvious, why are we still seeing the type of disconnect exemplified in the case above?

Weigh in; I would love to hear your thoughts.
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How Google is Controlling Your Memory (and potentially your brand's reputation)

Google recently launched a number of experiments; two of the more compelling experiments (in my opinion) are the timeline view and the map view. On first glance, these may just seem like cool features-to me they are much more than that. A few things are being accomplished here:

  • Preservation of our history in a way that no text book has ever been able to achieve

    • History is often subject to the will of its teller; now we can read history through the words of many tellers, in an organized fashion-getting a well rounded story



  • Organization of relevant data into linear stories

  • Creation of visual elements to help tell the story (e.g. maps)

  • The ability to bring associations between your query and other relevant information to the forefront

    • The number one result for "Thomas Jefferson" always contained the information that he is buried on his Monticello estate, in Charlottesville, Virginia








Now we get that information much quicker due to the fact that it is brought to the immediate forefront in the form of a map.

Obviously, the implications of these experiments are tremendous for students and educators. The question is what does this mean for your brand?

1.       If you are not paying attention to your Google results because you are not interested in site traffic (I cannot imagine why you would not be interested in site traffic, but the way some brands do search marketing leads me to believe they don't really care), you may want to start paying attention to your search rankings for reputation management

a.       The history of your brand is being written; whether or not you help tell it



2.       Make sure that all of the information you want known about your brand is published on a well optimized, HTML/CSS driven page

3.       If you have local information about your business (retail stores etc.) make sure that you list that information in Google's Local Business Center

4.       Write a knol about your brand (not sure where this is headed, but just do it-it is a Google product and Google rules the world)

5.       Create your own Google Maps (again, not sure if Google is using user generated maps, but one day they might)

6.       Submit online press releases (PR Web, PR Newsire etc.) for all quasi monumental items related to your brand-if for no other reason, Google seems to like these and they get ranked; which makes your news official

7.       Along the same lines as number six, start a news page about your brand, and base it on a blog platform (Wordpress would be my suggestion)

8.       Distribute your content across the web-create outposts on information portals like Zimbo, Squidoo etc. I am not sold on the inherent value of these from a user perspective, but they still seem to be ranking fairly well

Bottom Line:

1.       Feed Google as much data as possible

2.       Distribute your data

I am sure there is a whole lot more you can do-I am waiting for the community to weigh in.
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The Future of Marketing, Today.

A lot of us in the new media/social media space have been talking about the fact that, the future of marketing will centered around co-creation and collaboration. I, for one, have been talking about co-creation and collaboration as key drivers of the future of marketing for quite a while. It is these concepts that sparked my love for Second Life.

Recently, crayon worked with client Panasonic in order to devise a program that allow brand marketers to directly interface with influential consumers. The program was designed to give these influential consumers a first hand look at new products, and allow them to talk to top Panasonic executives.

A few things came as a result of this experience:

  • Panasonic got a chance to directly hear from consumers (markets are conversations)

  • Influential consumers got an inside look at new products, and were able to disseminate information to their communities, in language that they understand (as opposed to tech marketing speak)

  • Influential consumers got a chance to take products home and show their families and friends cutting edge technology

  • A mass of content was created documenting the entire experience (content is still king)


All in all, I am proud of Panasonic for jumping into dangerous waters and having faith in the tenets of new marketing; and I am proud of my team at crayon for pulling off something very special. This initiative is a reminder of why I love what I do, and why I wake up thinking; "wow, I have the coolest f-cking career".
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Does The Verizon/Microsoft Deal Hurt The End User?

Last week we heard that Verizon has selected Microsoft to be the sole provider of mobile search and advertising solutions on the Verizon portal.

Upon hearing this news, I asked myself, "wow--that is a great deal for Microsoft, but is it good for Verizon? "

After a few days of thinking about it, I have some additional thoughts and questions:

  • Will mobile portals be relevant in a few years (to me, they are not relevant today)?

    • With the proliferation of advanced mobile operating systems (iPhone, Android etc.)? The notion of the mobile portal is slowly becoming irrelevant to more and more people

    • Will Verizon be able to provide a valuable experience for those users who do not own a mobile device with a slick OS? After all, once a user open's a browser, they are out of the confines of the Verizon's portal?

      • Have we not learned that closed portals don't work?





  • Will this deal diminish the user experience for those that still use the Verizon portal?

    • Microsoft search is an inferior product to Google; that is why people choose to use Google online

    • The integrated ad platform introduced may be good for media buyers, but is it good for consumers?




MIcrosoft's press release states the following:
The rapid adoption of a wide variety of data services and the substantial change in the way wireless customers use their devices is driving the need for new ways to organize and deliver the content customers want on their mobile devices.

This is certainly a true statement, however, unless Verizon begins to change their user interface to be similar to the type of experience users have begun to expect on their PC's, the above statement may cause more trouble for Verizon, than anything else.

Verizon is a Media Company

Just like Google, Verizon has become a media company. Verizon, however is not doing a great job of realizing their potential as such. There are many ways Verizon can expand their offerings online and in other channels, and create a more seemless, wholistic media experience for its users. It seems that Verizon is still largely stuck in their old service model; and in this model, Verizon will not be able to survive as a media company.

It will be interesting to see how this deal effects Verizon's business model.
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Dear Hulu



Dear Hulu,

Our love affair started shortly after you launched into this world. You were everything I ever wanted in streaming video, and more;

  • An angelic player that caressed me as I leaned back to watch online video

    • All the others are so brash--making me lean forward all the time

    • Also, you knew exactly when to turn the lights low



  • Ample programming

  • Sexy and sleek interface

  • Reasonable commercial slots,  that clearly stated how long they were to run for

    • generally under 15 seconds if I remember correctly




It seemed that you really understood the my nature, and the nature of online video. You seemed to know exactly where we were headed.  You catered to the wants and needs of an online man; and baby, I was your online man (and one who was in the ever-so-lucrative, hard to reach demographic- 25-34 male)!

I hooked up my mac to my plasma for you. I even canceled my dates with premium cable services, as I knew you were the only one for me.

But, oh Hulu; times have changed!

Maybe it is your parents (NBC) that are trying to rip us apart by placing the same, gut wrenchingly annoying ads three times in 20 minutes (have you seen the one for Edge Gel--"Lube Moistricants"!!! I may kill myself if I ever see that thing again; and you can bet I will never buy that product). If only your parents knew that I am happy to trade my time for our love; but a man can only stand so much!

..and another thing Hulu; where is your sense of adventure. You and your friends (the advertisers) could learn to try news things. I have thought of a few:

  • Sequenced messaging

    • I don't need you to yell the same things at me all the time. I heard you the first time. I feel like you don't listen; and the more you shout the same thing, the less I hear it.



  • In ad experiences

    • hey it is interactive, don't just show me that car, take me for a ride and drop me back in my show when we are done



  • Choose your sponsor

    • hey, it is working for Weatherbug



  • Hulu currency

    • skip ads if you take a quick survey--there are a lot of people out there looking for lead gen opportunities

    • build up currency, trade with friends

    • use currency to buy product



  • Conversational ads

    • show me a few elements of a product, and ask me what I want to know more about



  • If all else fails, charge me! I may just be willing to pay money to skip the torture that ensues when you remind me of my 30 second spot childhood


I am not the only one who sees the rift in this relationship. I was talking with my girls about us, and they had this to say:
"I agree 1000% percent. How did they miss the ad model boat on such a great product?" -Erin Wilson

"the worst part is that the ads are usually 300% louder than the movies (especially if you are watching something that is old) and it's just not a great experience all in all. Luckily, my laptop comes with a remote so I just mute the stuff from the comfort of my bed, but still: annoying. I'd rather pay a little for the service than have those ads...you can say that I bought netflix to make it thru my knee surgery instead of using them too. Part of that is selection but part is the noise thing." -Kate Bessiere

Well Hulu, I cannot deny the fact that I still love you and I know it is wrong to ask a partner to change; but if anything I have said here makes sense to you, and you feel we are meant to be together--well, it would make me the happiest geek on the planet.

I LOVE YOU HULU

Love,

your lil' hunny bunny bear

Adam
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Social Lead Generation Meets Cause Marketing



Question:

Social Outreach, Email Lead Generation and Cause Marketing?

Answer:

A new experiment by The Emerging Communications Conference.

My new friend Lee S. Dryburgh first approached me about the idea by telling me he had an idea for an experiment. His idea would help garner registration for the conference he is organizing, while at the same time do some social good; what could be bad about that!

I told him I loved the idea and that I would rely his efforts on to my community--so I am.

Here is how it works:

The goal is to achieve 10,000 sign-ups to the conference updates. For everyone who signs up for conference updates, eComm Media will pay 0.50 cents to The Shelter Network (charity watchdog rating here).

And Here Are the Calls To Action:

Instructions


I need help from two groups of people, the "social media gurus" and the rest of us!


The social media gurus I request help from are: Adam Broitman, Ayelet Noff, Ben Grossman, Brian Reich, Brian Solis, Carlos Hernandez, Chris Brogan, Chris Heuer, David Berkowitz, Eric Weaver, Gradon Tripp, Greg Verdino, Howard Greenstein, Laura Fitton, Jeff Pulver, Jeffrey Sass, Jeremiah Owyang, Jeremy Vaught, Jim Benson, Justin Levy, Rebecca Bollwitt, Robert Scoble, Robin Good, Steve Rubel, Susan Etlinger and Tim O'Reilly.


(if you would like to be added to this list or know somebody who should be by virtue of being considered a leader in the social media sphere please email me: Lee*eCommMedia*com).


I'd like the rest of us to blog this, Twitter this, email this to friends, IM it, Facebook share it, Digg it, Reddit - anything and everything across the social media space that you think could be effective.



Let's see what we can do!



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The Internetz: Kicking Newspaper's Azz Since 2008



The data is great news for internetz lovers everywhere--but the bottom line is, there is inherently nothing great about this, and it is hardly news. A few points:

  • I forget who it was that said it at a conference a few years back (earn A Media Circus points by providing this answer ) but, The New York Times does not think of itself as a Newspaper company; they are a media company

    • While I realize that NYT.com has not been able to make up for the lost newspaper revenue, we are still in a transition period.

    • How much do you think the New York Times positioning of, platform agnosticism has to do with this change?

      • (I am not speculating, I am really asking people's opinions)







  1. What do these numbers really tell us?

    1. Newspaper is dying

    2. The role of Newspaper is shifting

    3. People are becoming more eco-aware

    4. There is room for various types of media in our weekly consumption




I would say 2,3 and 4 are valid.

Newspaper will not go anywhere in my lifetime--I would bet the farm on that!

While this news is interesting, the real story is;

  • people are changing, and so are their media habits

  • we have more options than ever; let's celebrate

  • for some, it is still a cozy feeling to curl up on the couch with the Op-Ed section of the New York Times (print version)

  • Media is Media is Media

    • that last point may be meaningless, but hey--it is New Years!




Everyone: Have a great New Years Eve! There are some serious changes coming to A Media Circus in q1 2009 so--stay tuned!
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Santa Focuses On Bran Muffins and Soy Milk


PalmPilot, 1998
Image via Wikipedia


The digital age has been difficult for many marketers. All too often, marketers put the technological cart before the strategic horse. Facebook (and other social networks) is a breeding ground for campaigns that focus on the features of the platform, without telling a story.This is certainly not the fault of Facebook, rather it is the fault of marketers, who have not taken the time to internalize the meaning of community and conversation. It is the fault of those that thing technology, in and of itself, is the answer.

We must not forget that, in order to compel consumers, we must offer value--and that value needs to be delivered in the form of a story; advertising 101.

A few weeks ago Palm launched a campaign for it's Centro line call; Claüs. The campaign is unique for a number of reasons:

  • While the campaign has applications, they are not the centerpiece. Palm is not relying on the ever popular "viral nature of the social graph"

    • This campaign appears to be a viral success, as there are over 60k fans, and nearly a thousand wall posts--but it is apparent that the creators of this campaign new that it takes more than a one trick pony to ensure virality

      • Some of the content is good, come of the content is not as good, but overall, this is a fun campaign



    • The two applications that are offered, are not front and center



  • There is very little branding on the page (there is some, but it is not overwhelming)


  • Through various multimedia aspects, the brand tells a story in a nonlinear fashion

    • this gives people a reason to poke around the page and look for more pieces of the puzzle



  • Free downloadable music (I strongly recommend, Samba Dreidel)


Overall this is a fun and refreshing campaign. At a time when many marketers are already dismissing Facebook as a viable option, it is nice to see a truly creative effort that shows us, it is not the platform per se, it is how you use it!

Overall Scores:

Creativity: B+

Execution: A

Conversational Strategy: B

General Strategy: A-
Claus
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Branding: Without Your Brand


The King of Pepsi
Image via Wikipedia


All successful brands tell a story. Apple tells us a story about people who "think different." Pepsi tells us the tale of a new generation and Disney tells a story about imagination and childhood. These are classic American brand stories -- cultivated through traditional channels and originated (to a large degree) by the brands themselves.

This is the way the world used to work. There is, however, a new world order when it comes to brand storytelling.

The notion that brand managers ever had total control over how their brands were perceived is a farce. Still, there was a time when brand managers had a greater degree of control. The rise of social computing and other emerging channels has led to the origination of brand lore in the most unlikely places. "Dell Hell" was not a story cooked up in the offices of Dell -- it originated on a blog. On the flip side, tales of remarkable yet atypical customer service performed by Zappos employees would have been less effective if spread solely by the mouths of Zappos execs. These exceptional yarns were spun (again, to a large degree) by consumers and then amplified by mainstream media (with a little help from Zappos PR, of course).

The bottom line is that brands have less control than ever before -- but that does not make them powerless. Creative strategies can get brands in front of audiences that were previously unreachable, and in a way that could endear consumers to a brand like never before. Brands do not always have to be front and center for an initiative to have an impact. In fact, sometimes it is best if a brand is not front and center. This allows consumers to tell stories to other consumers. And at a time when consumer belief in advertising is at an all-time low, C to C marketing is essential.

Read On at iMediaconnection
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Seven Strategies for Surviving the Downturn

Much like my blogging (as of late), the economy is growing increasingly anemic--and the conversations online are growing. It is hard to avoid at this point--therefore I have stayed away from the topic.

I recently went to an amazing event thrown by the Sigma Group--where I led a table discussion on social media and the topic of recession was unavoidable. The Keynote of this event was given by the great Geoff Ramsey. I was live tweeting while he was presenting and many of you asked for the presentation.

Thanks to Jenn Kim--here it is!
Fuel for Thought: Seven Strategies to Surviving the Downturn
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What Brand Managers Can Learn From High School Students


Scion
Image via Wikipedia


No one knows everything (I am getting pretty close though :) ) and everyone has something to teach.

  • If you are a brand manager and think you know everything about your brand, think again

  • If you are a brand manager and think you know everything about your consumer base, you are in even worse shape


Brands are living entities; changing shape and composition in the minds of consumers all the time. These changes are taking place all the time, and are different in every consumer. That said, knowledge communities tend to share brand perceptions, and it is easier to target one consumercommunity at a time.

The questions is, how do you garner information in order to best message a consumer segment.You can:

  1. Create what you think consumers want to hear

  2. Hold scientifically engineered focus groups

  3. Ask consumers to show you how they would like to be messaged


Number three has been very popular over the past few years. User Generated Content has surfaced and hit the mainstream--but letting consumers do the job of the marketer is not necessarily the answer. I have said this many times before; the answer lies in collaboration and co-creation.

Recently, Scion began a campaign that takes advantage of point three. According to Marketing Daily, Scion challenged high school students to create marketing campaigns on their behalf--but here is the kicker; Scion does not plan to use these campaigns. This is not a strict UGC effort where consumer work will be paraded around as advertising. This effort is an exercise in collaboration and co-creation, done in a very strategic manner.

Next time you find yourself in a planning cycle and trying to find the voice of the consumer, I suggest going right to the source.
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We, The Value Seekers!

A couple of month's ago, bald brother (and fellow crayonista), Greg Verdino and I took the stage at the iMedia Financial Summit in NYC. Our pitch (for the uninformed; our pitch was part of an agency shoot out, in which two agencies pitched for a mock piece of business. The case study at hand was, at its core an exercise in crisis communications management; centered around the acquisition of a local bank, by a much larger bank ) was, on the surface, something along the lines of a "customer bill of rights". For those that were really paying attention, our pitch was more than just gimmicky, vacuous marketing speak. Our pitch was about more than just marketing; it was a pitch for organizational change.

Sure, we could have pitched a catchy tag line with all the bells and whistles of a blown out, above the line ad campaign--but our core strategy had a lot more than taglines, widgets, gadgets, banners, buttons, apps and flash microsites (not that we would ever pitch a flash microsite--yes, I have a problem with them...always!). Our core strategy was to listen to the needs of consumers--in their own words, and then amplify and empower these consumers in order to allow them to collaborate with the brand. It is becoming increasing obvious that when brands and consumers co-create, on a level playing field, great things can happen!

Oddly enough, ING just launched a new campaign entitled, "We, The Savers". It has all the trappings of a modern social media/interactive marketing campaign, however for the life of me, I cannot understand how this campaign passed a few basic tests before it went live:

  • WIIFM (what's in it for me)

    • The campaign wants you to sign a declaration of things that YOU will do--not ING. Maybe I am missing something here, but if this is a social campaign, where is the dialogue. If I go ahead and sign this thing, how does ING intend to continue the conversation.

    • In essence what ING is saying is, sign this thing and expand our marketing effort--no thank you! I can be fiscally responsible on my own.

    • One of the points in the declaration is about being heard by our government--ING, if I sign this, will you help my voice become amplified? Are you prepared to send a lobbyist to congress on behalf of this document?





  • Does This Site Even Exist?

    • In a world where you are how yo are found, a flash microsite that is invisible to search engines is as good as non-existent. Sure, a ton of money will be poured into TV and out of home, but when was the last time you actually took note of a marketing URL, and then proceeded to go to it?

      • Most consumers don't want to be blatantly marketed to, without any value being offered. URL call out's from traditional media work, but I would love to see what the direct traffic is to this site (e.g. how many people get there from traditional media)

      • This is not an interactive campaign in my eyes, it is a traditional one






The bottom line is, we are at a time when we need valuable, utility based marketing in order to make the most of our marketing dollars. When the belt buckle gets tight, the powers that be will look for ROI and true proof points that marketing dollars are being spent intelligently--and I just do not see it here.
We The Savers


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Characters, Detail and Metaphor (dramatic tension)



Those crazy folks over at Phillips are at it again.

Remember the "Shave Everywhere" campaign?

Of course you do, it was an amazing initiative (and very relevant :) ) Well, Phillips is milking that concept for everything it is worth with a new extension of the campaign. Phillips is asking people to submit there own tales of pubic terror, and in my opinion, they are doing a pretty good job.

  • Everyone is not funny

    • Rather than mistaking themselves for content creators, or relying solely on their agency, Phillips has teamed up with comedy site Funny or Die (they are pretty damn funny).

    • We have moved from an era of pure User generated content to one of co-creation and collaboration

    • More and more brands are finding strategic partners to work with, along with consumers, to create relevant content.  While some consumers are creative, there is a reason that certain people get paid for their creativity (at least most of the time). Working together is the ideal!



  • Same campaign, entirely new extensions

    • We all loved the "Got Milk" campaign (I mean, I guess we did) but it was fairly one dimensional.

      • This campaign has the same underlying premise, but the many iterations of it look entirely different.






There is one minor thing that really pisses my off about the implementation of this campaign. Why does this microsite have to be built in a way that does not take web standards into consideration! There is a promotional video for this contest, and I really wanted to embed it on my site. The problem however is that this site is built in a heavy flash site. No data portability.

Ratings for this initiatve:

A for creative

B for execution

D for web strategy
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Can Facebook Lead The Social Web?

Let's face it, the entire web is becoming social. By the end of 2009, all sites will have some social component to them--and why not?

  • Where there is content, there can be conversation

  • When there is conversation, there is engagement

    • Most great live presenters ask questions of their audience. They generally don't do so because they want to know the answer, they do so to keep the audience on their toes



  • When there is engagement, there is the potential for increased ad revenue (this is not always the case, but creative sales planners can, more easily, find ways to monetize content when users are engaged)


The questions then becomes, who will lead the charge in making the entire web truly social-

  1. Perhaps it will be a current social network that makes it capabilities extensible and lends its audience/tools to content providers

  2. Perhaps it will be new/open standards that drive the social web

  3. The last, least desirable option would be for every content provider to provide their own, proprietary social tool


Over the next few weeks Facebook Connect will be expanding to various content sites, making them more social. In the short term I think that this will be great. I think that new life with be injected into the partner sites. In the long term I worry about the fact that Facebook does not adhere to web standards, their platform is not truly open, and all of my data lives on the Facebook servers, with no way to get it out. This could be an issue.

On the other hand, Google is setting up a set of open standards that takes on these concerns. It will be interesting to see what happens first; will Open Social win the battle, or will Facebook open up more?

I can't wait to find out! What do you think will happen first?
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...it is how you use it!

Putting Twitter To Good Use

You need to learn how to use Twitter because all of the young people are using it, right? Um, no way!

I don't have the usage stats (kudos to anyone who can get them for me) but I don't know anyone under twenty who uses Twitter (and yes, I do know people under twenty). In fact, most people I know who use Twitter are older than twenty-five. Still, if you are a marketer learning to use Twitter in order to learn how the next generation will communicate, you are doing the right thing.

When I opened up Twittelator today, I noticed that there was a new menu item; movies. I clicked on it, and had one of those, "ah ha" moments. The underlying value of this function was not the technology (Twitter), it was how the technology was being used to parse information, and get it to me in a more relevant manner. This is, in my opinion where this space is moving. It is not about mass/micro chatter. It is about finding relevant communities of micro chatter that can give you the info you want/need--when and where you want it.

Every once in a while I have a moment of zen, where a technology reveals an underlying something that is a signifier of fundamental, sociological changes.These moments of zen only come when I let my mind wander--you don't always have to focus very hard to get your mind to interesting places.

Language is technology, and how we use language and information accelerates our culture.
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7 Ways to Get Me to NOT Join Your Social Network

There are a lot of social networks out there--we all know this. As someone in the industry, I do my best to join as many social nets as possible. I even join the branded social networks, as I am working with clients on a number of initiatives and I am always looking for best pratices and new ideas.

Recently, Mercedes launched their own social network; Generation Benz. The premise behind it is great--they really hit on all the right points:

  • collaboration

  • co-creation

  • user focused R&D

  • consumers insights

  • etc.


When I went actually join the network I had one of those, what the f*ck moments!

In order to join the network, which presumably is, in part, beneficial to Mercedes, I had to go through a seven step process. I realize that this is an aspirational brand, but don't make me work to be marketed to--jeez!

I had to capture this process and share with all of you (I recommend viewing this in full screen so you can read the text).
7 Ways to Get Me To Not Join Your Community
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Has Blogging Reached Critical Mass?

Anyone Would Feel Small Amongst These Trees

We have all felt small from time to time. Sometimes feeling small is a challenge that many of us need to achieve big things. Still, no one has, or ever will, achieve greatness by standing still and simply looking around at the scenery. Sure, taking some time to stop and look at the scenery is essential, but if you stand and observe for too long--you too, will become part of the scenery.

This is the attitude I have always taken when it comes to social media and blogging. So far it has worked out pretty well.

If you are not currently a blogger and look at Technorati's, "State of The Blogosphere" , there is no question you will be intimidated. I imagine that the massive number of blogs today is daunting for anyone who is just getting started, but it shouldn't be, and here is why:

  • Blogging is a form of self discovery

    • I have learned more from writing my blog (whether or not anyone is reading) than from reading any other blog



  • Your blog does not have to have thousands of readers to be effective

    • We are living at the beginning of the dawn of niche media.

      • It is more satisfying knowing you have touched one person, than knowing you have been read by a thousand





  • There are no right answers, only thoughtful questions

    • If you feel you are not an authority, and have no business voicing your opinion, you are wrong.




Blogging has not reached critical mass. In fact, it is my opinion that that would be impossible--as there is always room for independent voices.
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Caution Before Marketing



The above is the title I would have given my latest article over at iMedia--alas, they know best what brings in the traffic, and I love them for it :)

I bring up a number of topics that I plan on expanding upon on this blog. All of the marketing mistakes that I spell out are part of larger issues that I think about on an ongoing basis. I would love to hear which topics are most pressing for readers of this blog. I would be happy to do a deeper dive into any of these topics:

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Virtual Worlds: Is The US Simply Not Ready?



Image representing Cyworld as depicted in Crun... Image via CrunchBase


Fellow crayonista and bald marketing brother, Greg Verdino and I spent a lot of time looking at virtual worlds over the past few years. Joe Jaffe claims that the two of us got our jobs at crayon due to our blogs, and it is safe to say that, had it not been for virtual worlds, Verdino and I may not have meet when we did (I am sure Greg is cursing the existence of virtual worlds and blogs at this point). :)

Much of my time spent speaking about virtual worlds as a viable marketing solution was defensive. Even now, when on panels or having conversations with agency folks, there is the occasional jab at Second Life; a jab that I feel the need to defend. While I am not as bullish on Second Life as I once was, I am still as insistent as ever about the future of virtual worlds, and their application as influential marketing vehicles.

A recent post over at Mashable spoke about how the incredibly popular, Cyworld would be shutting its doors in the US.  I had a great deal of hope for Cyworld, but according to an article on Web 2.0 Asia, Cyworld had some major flaws--flaws that could would just not fly in the US market:
Cyworld didn't seem to have sharp strategies as to how to position their service (Was it Myspace or Habbo hotel?); They didn't localize the service very well; SK Telecom, the parent company, didn't "get it" yet still tried to put a grip on the business.

Other virtual worlds are still going strong and growing in the US (Habbo Hotel, Club Penguin, Gaia Online, WeeWorld and others) but none has taken off to the same degree that Cyworld has in South Korea.

Perhaps the US is not just not ready. What do you think?
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"Blogging Is Dead"...



Illustration of a scribe writing Image via Wikipedia


...or so say those individuals who just don't get it!

Everyone once in a while I am reminded of the power of blogging--and why I began blogging in the first place. Those that know me, know that I have a big mouth and am not afraid to voice my opinion (this fact is sometimes good and sometimes not so good). I do my best to speak in my true voice on my blog. This way, when people engage me, they know what they are getting themselves into.

Fellow crayonista, Joe Jaffe, recently wrote an article for Adweek talking about the power of blogging. He mentioned Greg Verdino and me; two people that had landed jobs do to our blogs (for those of you that do not know, we both work for Joe at crayon).

I have always thought of my blog as my business card and my resume (a point Joe makes in his article). If you want to know my thoughts on a given subject related to marketing, chances are, I have written about it in the last three years.

I certainly don't think that the sheer act of writing a blog makes you recession proof, but there is no better way to get your voice heard at a time when companies need to choose who their best voices are.
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