The Emerging Times

Shift in 'Ink'

Getting press coverage (aka 'ink') has always been a powerful thing for a brand. In the past it's been the job of a reporter or pr person to 'get-it-out there'. And for a long time this approach was effective.

But today we have a shift, where the most effective 'ink' today comes from people, blogs, tweets and Facebook posts.

Don't 'get-it-out there'. Give them something to 'put-out' there.

Lay it down on Like

Lay it down on Like
If you're trying to build a brand relationship, stop putting your dollars into driving click-throughs. Instead, I'd put all my money on driving Likes. In the long run you'll have more fans—people who actually want to hear what you have to say.

 

Apple's 'Art of The Leak'

Apple's 'Art of The Leak'

There is an old saying in advertising and marketing: "If you cant outspend them then out-think them."

Apple is a perfect case study for this. In the world of Mac vs. Windows Apple's approaches their buzz from a grassroots, buzz marketing perspective. Instead of releasing a viral website to generate pre-release buzz, Apple opts to embed their idea or product into the media "by accident". Or so they say.

Take a peek at this video from Gizmodo. It claims that a next-generation iPhone was found in the general vicinity of Apple's headquarters. Suuuure.

When you have a cult of consumers that support your brand it makes ideas like this possible and even more successful. Executions like this makes news. I'm sure there is a Microsoft exec out there thinking one thing, "How can I outspend them, and make all this buzz go away." Usually the one with the most money wins, but in this simple example, we learn how exactly Apple wins—by owning the share of mind.

:) Please recommend TheEmergingTimes.com to a friend in advertising, marketing or life.

Mobile's Media's New Scene

Pillow fight in Union Square, New York City

Mobile's Media's New Scene

I think what people want tomorrow can perhaps be observed today. Early adopters of technology and teenagers are always a great place to start.

Right now, these two groups are usually the first ones to say:

"I have a super-cool secret I have to tell you. I got it on my mobile, from a txt message, found it on twitter, saw the link on Facebook, on my way to the pillow fight in Union Square, while I was on the go..."

Our mobile phones are gateways for secrets, public discussions, flashmobs, charitable donations, and subversive games that exist in the real world.

For many years now consumers have had instant access to somewhat information. Today with social and mobile media we have have instant access to GPS specific local events and buzz. From pop-up light-saber battles to Pillow Fights across the nation, we don't discover these off-the-grid events in the local city newspaper. Today, events are small local scenes where people meet on a specific, common niche category. They are new tribe of consumer. Tribes only discovered through the social media environment.

In the past you had to know somebody who knew somebody cool in order to get you into that cool party. That's a lot of cool to go through to get to the cool. However, today you can connect to new experiences and tribal events that you would never have had access to before—simply because you knew where to go...virtually speaking. You knew how to hook-it-up in Facebook, which twitter feed to follow, and/or which blog to read. That's how they connect with things today. Well at least the new, new, things—the things the kids are doing—or even grown adults.

Mobile and social media will become the gateway for the next generation of life's interactions essentially. It will drive our social interaction spontaneously via live access to things around your specific location. Is your girlfriend shopping at JCPenny? Now you now, so now you'll change your plans and join her for lunch. Information provides options, and options are opportunities.

Some more examples are hanging out on Facebook while at the supermarket while your waiting for kids at the mall or eating dinner in New York while you instantly locate local events and listings around you, or on a more subversive level, how about a twitter hunt for a secret password that gets you a free beer at that bar. Just enter it on FourSquare when you check in and...bingo.

The best part is that you control the opt-in to the social life—the new scene.

Android, iphones, smartphones, and 4G connections will continue to allow us to have the handware in our pockets to make these interactions possible.


Today's suggestions for tomorrow:

Media Planners: Side-shift your media dollars to mobile. Place a higher value on consistent mobile interaction.
Creative: Find a way to Mobilize your idea or message.

You might also enjoy a previous articl I wrote on Marketing through Social Media Values:
http://www.theemergingtimes.com/2010/01/participation.html

Applications vs. Subscriptions

Applications vs. Subscriptions

Isn't it funny how if we change, or update one simple word it can make a huge difference on how we perceive things? Let's take the two words above: applications and subscriptions as an example.

A subscription is something you pay for. It comes to you every week, and you see it and it's done. An application is something that you pay for, but it does a bit more—it helps you perform the task of accessing the same information, except for one thing—you decide when it comes to you. It's an 'App', and it's all about control.

Why is it that if we take the same ol' stuff and repackage it into another shape, on another medium, and somehow watch it take off. There is something in the buzz word of the week, 'the app'. I think it's all a matter of an emerging consumer perception. "I'll turn you on when I need you", that's how I feel about media today, and my app is the channel I go to to access that thing you'll help me do.

Today, apps mean that you actually do something and subscriptions tend to mean that you are just selling something. It's a fine line. To many of you, this may not make a lot of sense, but give it some thinking and I hope you'll see what I mean.

Apps, or at least the perception of an application really has more potential than most people think. What can your brand 'do'?

Advertising is Stalking Me!

Advertising is Stalking Me!
...but I still don't pay attention.

As consumer media become more and more fragmented across the vast array of media outlets and devices—media planners and digital media specialists are trying to find the latest and greatest way to 'reach' you. Online media today is an effective way for brands to reach qualified consumers with their online advertising. Enter Behavioral media.

As digital media grows past print advertising in the next few years, and a main reason for that change will be metrics and the ability to have an accurate measurement on your media spend.

But what happens when online media follows you?

Behavioral media is nothing new. For any of you whom have never heard of it it can simply be described as a way to 'serve up' online media (web banners, search terms, and advertising in general) based on a consumer's behavior—which sites they visit, which shoes they liked on Banana Republic.com, and even what they write in their emails. It can all be gathered, tracked, analyzed and then stored for media networks to 'read' and then determine which of their advertiser's web banners are most relevant for your given situation that day.

For all of you not in the advertising world...I know what you're thinking—"That is insane!" And to be honest with you, I couldn't agree with you anymore. It's the 'darkside of advertising'. (yes, a noun.)

But when will relevance go too far? When will it become an invasion of privacy? I think the answer is simple—when people actually truly notice.

You know what I think? Really? I think that everyone notices that ads are targeting them. And if they don't, then they don't even pay attention to the ads anyway. Why? I'll leave that up to agency to figure out. But the real reason why is because you tried to trick them. And today, no one likes to be tricked.

People are smarter than you think. And if you're the type of person who say's that "people are dumb", then you really need an update on your consumer awareness. Not to use an overused term, but consumers today, especially online users are very savvy.

Today, people 'tune into' the brands they want to buy or they accept a referral from a brand. Consumer's are the ones who chase the brands—not the other way around. They know already whether your brand delivers a value that they want to be involved with.

That's how it works, so get used to it.

When advertisers start making advertising and messaging decisions based on general consumer behavior and situations, they lose out on the value of a brand. Or more importantly, time spent making better products that people voluntarily choose to seek out and choose to pass along.

Do you agree with me? Want to battle it out? Voice your point of view on this topic.

Feed It While It's Young

Feed It While It's Young
-The advantages of being the early bird on innovation.

Someone once said to me "Would you rather score a 5 out of 10 with 100% of consumers or a 9 out of 10 with 75% of them?" Let's think about that for a second...

All these new screens have opened up a new future for content creators and storytellers. But will it open up anything for your brand or your marketing? It open's up the opportunity for reinvention—the ability to make an unexpected brand impression.

Chances are you'll spend a extra-small sliver of your budget on emerging media. Most likely your media agency will suggest it right after their social media pitch. But I ask you this Will sticking your feet in the new media pool help you win? I didn't think so. But what it will do is...score you that 5 out of 10.

Feed the platform—create a marketing opportunity. All these new screens will need new ideas to make them succeed and that can start with how brands advertise and infiltrate these new environments.

These platforms (including mobile) can be your big idea, and they can seriously drive your media strategy. If your going to go do something memorable, plant a new idea, or be the first to market—you better be willing to take the risk and make the necessary investment it takes to make your strategy succeed. If you do it right now, you have a great opportunity to score that 9 out of 10 with emerging media consumers, and you'll make a deep and lasting impression that creates untouchable and unforgettable brand value.

Feed it while it's young.

Analytical Malfunction

Analytical Malfunction

Digital marketing and instantaneous campaign analytics have put us in the age of advanced optimization. Here are some good and bad things to realize, remember, and possibly change.

The good side
As the data comes in marketers start to 'tweak' their advertising and marketing in an effort to make it 'work harder'. From making the 'Add to Cart' button on your website bigger and green, to adding in an 800# on the tail-end of your commercials, each and every small change is able to be tested. Eventually every industry and sub brand in that industry adopts what's called 'best practices'. Filled with plenty of data and case studies, best practices make decisions easier and make them feel safer. They say "Do this and you'll succeed." Usually they're right. That's why they will continue to have a huge influence on marketing, advertising and eCommerce.

The not-so-good
Right now there's a malfunction in the digital marketing space. Every brand's website eventually get's bullied-around by analytics. Whether it's the IT department or the media agency, everyone has a best practice or number to point at or a process that's proven. It's hard to compete with hard metrics especially when your challenging it with general, qualitative brand metrics. The habit for most marketers is to become too reactive. They tend to tumble into a competitive 'sameness' with their digital marketing. Soon your competitors have the same user or customer experience as you do and in the end, your brand takes a back seat and gets lost in an analytical malfunction.

People—the new media innovation

People—the new media innovation

When I worked at Crispin Porter & Bogusky the smartest people would say  "how can we make people media?". It was a filter for creating pass-worthy campaigns. Before we reacted to any idea we would ask ourselves "would we call and tell our friends about this idea? And most importantly (in branding) "what would they say or pass on in 3 seconds?"

Enter the era of the Tweet. Never before have passable, buzz-worthy ideas been so effective, and important. Today, Tweets and Facebook status updates allow people to post, pass, and reach more people instantly— offering more buzz generating avenues for your marketing.

Here's something scalable to consider. Good ideas, cool discoveries, and brand buzz gets spread 50 times quicker than it did in 2005. (That's a generalization of course.). In the past, stories got spread from one person to another. But today, ideas can get passed to over 100 people instantly. And that's being generous on the averages. It's simple to understand the numbers, the buzz a consumer generates is based on how large their network is.

Mobile phones are becoming social media amplifiers and the buzz ripple effect is quickly accelerating. Every innovation and every app only increases the speed at which an idea spreads. Mobile will continue to make brand building and buzz marketing a very powerful and viable avenue in the social media and digital space.

Speaking of new apps and evolving mobile networking tools, take a peek at this new social media app called Google Buzz.

Aliens power YouTube

Aliens power YouTube.
-Can your brand compete with this?

I know today's article seems a little goofy. Well, it is. But hold on, there might also be some important stuff in here...

Now that we have rounded a decade, I think we should all agree that aliens power YouTube. The success of the following links and video content should prove be proof enough for you to believe this to be true.

The Top 100 Videos of 2000-2010:
Tune into the best videos

What makes most of this stuff successful it that it's all real. Meaning an average person made it with their own hands—it was not made in a studio. Sometimes all this user-generated content is really...stupid. While other times it's really funny. Either way I'm sure we can all agree that most of it's completely foreign (from typical television) and completely alien.

The success of this content and the fact that people actually 'tuned into' this on their own free will, should be enough proof for you and your client to believe that aliens in fact power YouTube.

If you think that your commercial can compete on YouTube you need to be more honest with yourself and your idea. And most importantly you need to be honest about your projected results. The first thing you can do is start learning more about the new alien arena you're competing in.

My suggestions for agencies and clients attempting to battle in the YouTube entertainment arena:

    -Don't try to promise success on YouTube.
   
    -Don't promise 1 million views.
  
    -Don't promise a client that 30,000 fans will suddenly create videos for your brand.

So, if there is one main thing I want you to take away from this it that if you fail, it'll be twice as hard to sell something like it again. So pull the trigger wisely.

Don't worry if your juicy YouTube idea will spread. Remember that it will—just as long as it's it's alien. They'll hunt it down, chew it up, then blog about it, then remix it, then rate it. It will just happen.

No you probably can't sell the whole "alien" concept to your client, but who's stopping you from grabbing a few of these successful links and using them as working consumer or cultural examples for your work and your clients?

Once you take out the actual content on YouTube such as news stories, music videos, and TV and movie content what your left with is the alien stuff. If we categorized this content using specific "traits" that have consistently lead to success (high viewership and overall passing-power) on YouTube.

Some of those traits would be:

    Sexy.

    Bizarre.

    Stupid.

    Painful.

    Remixed.

    Magical.

How can your brand or idea fit into this list?

*Suggestions don't apply to those who speak alien.