"Advertising--a judicious mixture of flattery and threats." (Northrop Frye)

Long Live Chuck...And Five Dollar Footlongs

2009-05-19T10:44:00.000-07:00

"Chuck" is back and it's all thanks to fans of the show and their insatiable urge for the Cold Cut Combo. Or was it the Meatball Marinara? The world may never know.

As you may remember from my previous post, "Chuck" was on the chopping block recently near the time of its season finale. When fans got wind of this, they tweeted and posted to promote buying Subway sandwiches to gain the advertiser's support and show Chuck's fan base as a viable market.

NBC announced this week that "Chuck" will return after the Winter Olympics this year. The peacock network alluded to the "Save Chuck" online campaign and how Subway's support of the show will noticeably increase.

I expect a cameo by Jared the Subway guy very soon. Ronald McDonald will play the villain in that episode, too.

Oprah Causes Grilled Goodness Overload

2009-05-14T11:36:00.000-07:00

Never underestimate the power of Oprah...and Twitter.

KFC was able to live a marketer's dream by having Oprah Winfrey plug their new product: Kentucky Grilled Chicken. To commemorate the launch, KFC and Oprah offered a coupon on May 5 for the new Kentucky Grilled Chicken for anyone that went on Oprah.com.

As you can imagine, people went nuts over these coupons and tweeted and posted this news all over the internet. Over 16 million were printed off the website alone and who knows how many were copied. Hey, we're in a recession! Can you blame them?

The response was so overwhelming that many KFC's had to deny customers their chicken since they had run out. People became upset and demanded their chicken. Thankfully, KFC quickly replied with a "rain check" for all customers with coupons saying they could come back at another time for their Kentucky Grilled Chicken. In addition, the coupon would now include a drink apparently.

KFC's President Roger Eaton posted this video response to the issue. While he is definitely not from below the Mason-Dixon line, I believe he handled this situation well. Not only did he offer people the value of the coupon but he also is giving them more for their inconvenience.

From a media relations perspective, this video is leagues ahead of our friend from Domino's. Eaton looks at the camera, is relatively casual in his speech and appears sincere in his apology.

Is he a bit enthusiastic? Of course. Wouldn't you be if a new product launch promotion had worked TOO well? While they logistically did not prepare for the supply and demand parts of the promotion, they did reach over 16 million people who are now interested in their new product.

Cock-a-doodle-doo.

McMocha Chocha Latte and Fries

2009-05-06T07:44:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday, McDonald's initiated a national campaign to launch it's long-awaited McCafe. This addition to the golden arches' illustrious menu could mean $1 billion in revenue per year.

While the McCafe has been available in select McDonald's over the past year, the official $100 million nationwide launch of the McCafe in the majority of McDonald's in the U.S. has baristas across the country acting more jittery and over-caffeinated than usual.

You can bet your Frappuccino that Starbucks is primed for a coffee war. The gloves have already started to come off in recent advertisements that indirectly reference the beverages of the big burger boss.

Learn more about how you can "McCafe Your Day."

Buy a Sub, Save the Chuck

2009-04-28T10:17:00.000-07:00

Being a big fan of Subway's "Five Dollor Footlong," I couldn't help but be intrigued by a story about the NBC show "Chuck" and it's attempt at salvation through cold cuts in a fan-created campaign called "Finale & Footlong."

With a weak standing in the ratings, the show "Chuck" has faced cancellation recently. Before last night's season finale, fans took to the discussion boards to voice their support of the show and opposition of the cancellation.

Latching on to a small product placement in one of the episodes, the fans began rallying others together with a campaign called "Finale & Footlong." They are encouraged fans of the show to purchase sandwiches from Subway on the day of the season finale of the show. The fans hope to show that Chuck's loyal fan base represents a powerful, marketable audience.

In an article from AdAge, Subway admits they didn't create the campaign but they are more than happy to stoke the flame.

"Obviously, as a marketer, if you started that kind of behavior, you'd be called out pretty quickly," said Tony Pace, chief marketing officer for the Subway Franchisee Advertising Fund Trust. "But if the behavior is already out there, you can encourage it without being too heavy-handed. And that's what we've tried to do."

Zachary Levi, the star of "Chuck," has even joined the fans in their campaign to save the show by making an appearance at a Subway in Birmingham, England to take part in the event on Monday.

It will take some time to figure out if five dollar footlongs can really change the world. If this campaign works, you can bet that Chuck will become the new Jared.

I'd Like a Large Cheese Pizza...Extra Snot.

2009-04-21T11:47:00.000-07:00

As many of you avid internet video viewers may already know, a video has circulated the web the last week showing 2 Domino's employees doing various disgusting things to food. The video seems to portray that the employees then intend to serve this food to customers.

Now if any of you have worked in food services, as I have, you know that things get stressful and that you sometimes do stupid things to pass the time. But, hopefully, we can all agree that we would never tamper with the food we are serving to customers as a way to blow off some steam. As you can see in this video, the 2 employees were eventually identified and fired. Furthermore, it seems that they could also be looking at jail time.

In response to the disgusting Domino's duo, Patrick Doyle, President of Domino's USA, released a video response to the issue. This video response, while upfront and adequate, lacks sincerity. Media Training 101: Look at the camera when making a public statement and DON'T READ OFF CUE CARDS. If you absolutely need a teleprompter, place it so you can be looking at the camera at the same time. If you are the President of a major company, you should be able to handle this.

Domino's took an interesting route when it came to responding to this crisis. Traditionally, a press release would have been issued immediately to the media and a press conference would've been held. Instead, the problem, which was created in the realm of social media, was essentially resolved in social media. The President of the company posted a video response on YouTube and addressed all customer questions and concerns on a Twitter page. The official statement of Domino's was posted on their company website.

While many criticize Domino's for waiting 48 hours from when the video first surfaced, can you blame them? The Internet is unpredicable and it's very possible that this video could've become lost in the shuffle. Sadly for Domino's, it did not. Therefore, it was forced to address the stupidity of 2 employees.

Domino's had to quickly throw together a social media plan that included Twitter. The Twitter page they actually used was one used by a franchise owner. Presence in social media is essential in today's world and should be created long before a crisis requires it. However, while Domino's utilized social media, the video response from Doyle was not aired on television. Since the story broke in national news on television and not just the internet, it would behoove them to at least send the video reponse to media outlets.

Some pizza chains are already taking social media seriously. Check out this job listing in the NY Times for a Twintern for Pizza Hut

A recent poll showed that 65% of those polled were reconsidering ordering from Domino's again. Are you among them? While I'm not one to chastize an entire company for the actions of just two employees at the bottom of the totem pole, I think that I will be sticking to Giordano's for a while. Snot on the side, please?

When an Ad is Not an Ad

2009-04-12T22:06:00.000-07:00

The world of public relations is sometimes confused with advertising. At my own educational institution, they refer to my track as "PRAD" or "PR and Advertising." However, there is a distinct line of separation that most professionals can agree on. As you may recall in my last post, I used the analogy of advertising as me saying I'm a great lover. Now, if someone else says I'm a great lover, then that's public relations. The difference is the third person perspective.

The third person perspective is what public relations relies on for credibility. The public looks to the media for an unbiased, outsiders' perspective to the information. However, the Los Angeles Times recently ran an advertisement for the new NBC show "Southland" on the front page in the style of a newspaper editorial.

The advertisement, that was purposely styled to look like a legitimate news article, had minimal indication that it was for NBC. There was a separate banner that was clearly marked as "Advertisement" but the editorial itself only had a NBC logo.

While I understand the cleverness of placing an ad on the front page and designing it as if it was a legitimate news article, it crosses an ethical line when it comes to advertisement. Advertisement is intended to be clearly marked as such. Fingers could be pointed at public relations practitioners for the impact they have on the news with their influence. There's one big difference: our influence is words, not money.

An ethical public relations practitioner crafts a concise message that is mutually beneficial for the journalist and the client. The journalist uses his own objectivity to filter the information he receives to what he sees as important to the public. The client, in turn, receives a credible third person perspective. When the ads begin looking like news items themselves, it looks bad for both the advertising industry and the public relations industry. Transparency is key in this business since people must be able to trust the information they are receiving.

Advertising vs. PR

2009-04-05T16:50:00.000-07:00

My parents love to read and subsequently send me clippings that they find interesting. They do this...frequently. I've gotten articles from newspapers, magazines, and even in-flight travel magazines.

Recently, my mom sent me an interview she had read in NWA World Traveler magazine with Dave Mona, chairman of Weber Shandwick's Twin Cities office. It was ironic since I had just been doing some research about the firm and hadn't even mentioned it to her.

The best part of the article was when the interviewer asked Mona to describe the difference between advertising and PR. This is a pretty basic question for anyone in public relations and you could tell he had worked on this answer.

Mona said, "If I tell you I'm a great lover, that's advertising. If someone else tells you I'm a great lover, that's public relations."

I found this great visual representation of what Mona said.

Breaking Tweets is Breaking Boundaries

2009-03-29T17:53:00.000-07:00

“Get your Twit on!”

So says one ad for a Twitter application for the iPhone. Our old friend Twitter is slowly taking over the world so it's time to embrace it. Breaking Tweets has chosen to do just this by turning Twitter into a source of synthesized news…in 140 characters or less.
Breaking Tweets is a website that approaches Twitter as a viable source of information on current events from a personalized level. The editors of the site sift through the seemingly endless “Twitter universe” to find tweets relevant to current news stories. They even include pictures from stories utilizing the TwitPics application. They then assemble it to resemble your typical journalistic format.

With the ability for individuals to Twitter using their cellular phones, eye witness reporting is limitless and Breaking Tweets is on the cutting edge by utilizing this. As the staff puts it, Breaking Tweets is “hyperlocal gone global.

With this global idea in mind, Breaking Tweets even includes a handy global map (courtesy of Google Maps) that allows visitors to click locations and see stories relevant to a certain area as its reported by Twitter. Half of their visitors to Breaking Tweets are from overseas.

John Kristoff, a contributing editor for Breaking Tweets and a good friend of mine, is a Journalism graduate student at DePaul University. His view on the Twitter-craze is this:

“If it was going to disappear, it would have already done so.”

Tweet on that! Twitter is here to stay...until the next big thing comes along. Follow Breaking Tweets on Twitter @breakingtweets.

Come See How Good I Look

2009-03-26T09:31:00.000-07:00

I apologize for the delay in this blog post but my birthday and Spring Break have been, as you could imagine, exhausting.

While walking the Daytona Beach the other day, I had a thought. As I had been researching my grand Floridian adventure, all of the pictures in advertisements had been of individuals with remarkable six-packs carved by Michelangelo himself and bronzing that made them appear to be raisins in the sun.

Then I looked down at my "healthier" (a.k.a. "heftier") physique and realized that I would not be in the next ad campaign for Florida. But then again, as I looked around, many of my cohorts were in the same boat.

Why do these ads have to sell us unrealistic images of what our society looks like? Do we really feel that we will become more attractive if we go where the beautiful people are supposed to be?

Check out a clip from the infamous Bod Body Spray commercials to see what I'm talking about. I always get upset when people video tape me playing soccer shirtless.

PR or Not PR: That is The Question

2009-03-14T22:16:00.000-07:00

When I try to explain what I am aspiring to do with my life, it's sometimes difficult. Not having a clear-cut goal is the first problem. I know I don't want to be a doctor or an astronaut. Check.

The second problem is that the world of public relations in particular is sometimes hard to pinpoint in a sea of communication. There is a difference between the publicity-seeking events of certain marketers called "PR stunts" and true public relations. I hope that my profession is more than a fat guy in a leotard doing the "Single Ladies" dance. Because, while that certainly is something that will get your attention, is that something to be proud of?

That is me on the left. I can also check dancer off the list of future professions.

For more thoughts on this subject, check out Seth Godin's blog post on the difference between PR and publicity. If you're already reading Seth's blog, you should be.

Also, please feel free to follow me on Twitter @JordanMyers

Networking Made Easy - LinkedIn

2009-03-07T09:57:00.000-08:00

In my continued pursuit of a job and an understanding the world of social media, I have found a new ally: LinkedIn.
LinkedIn has been called by many the "professional Facebook." That is probably the easiest way to describe it. Unlike Facebook, LinkedIn is structured to be professional and cuts out some of the really embarassing parts of Facebook such as the ability to tag people in party pictures. It happens to us all. Yeh, you might want to go detag yourself from that one right now.

LinkedIn is organized like an electronic version of your resume. There are spaces specifically designated for your work experience, current position, goals and special skills. Instead of "adding a friend," you "make a connection" which is intentionally similar to the lingo used when networking in the real world. You remember real world networking, right? When you used to shake people's hands, make small talk and actually hand them a business card or resume. It is a thing of the past, my friends!

The network function of LinkedIn also gives you the ability to use your network to ask for introductions to other people. With the ability to see the resumes of your connections, you might find they have past work experience at places you’d like to be. Think about it. If you want to be like Joe Somebody, you might want to start by working where he started working 5 years ago so you can be Somebody ,too.

In a blog post last month, Guy Kawasaki talked about this new age form of "schmoozing." Check out his article for 10 tips on how to use LinkedIn to get a job.

If you're not LinkedIn, you'll get left out.

The Death of Traditional Media is Announced With a Tweet

2009-02-26T07:42:00.000-08:00

Yes, another Twitter story.

When news of the Turkish Airlines crash that occurred in Amsterdam on Wednesday morning broke, every media outlet had one thought: we need pictures. Who beat them to the punch? Twitter.

Click here to read more about how this social media website is beginning to steal some thunder from traditional media. Also, read about the new fascination with surgeons Twittering FROM THE OPERATING ROOM! If the Chicago Tribune going bankrupt hasn't given you enough of a clue, the world of media is changing right before our eyes and this is just another example of why it's important to stay on the cutting edge.

People may think I have a secret love affair with Twitter and that I just can't wait to talk about it in my blog. However, I'm just curious about this new form of media just like any fledgling PR, marketing, or advertising person should be.

By the way, I'm working on an advertising campaign through the American Advertising Federation that is aimed at spreading awareness of the dangers of binge drinking. If you have any thoughts, suggestions or antecdotes that may help me in my quest for advertising glory, please post a comment or message me.

Does Size Matter?

2009-02-23T12:31:00.000-08:00

With some recent conversations I've had with PR practitioners, I'm becoming more and more confused as to which route I should take in my own career in the crazy world of public relations. My experience so far has been mainly been with a big agency and now on the client side. Here is the information I have gathered so far.

With a large agency, you will be able to learn within an account team and have access to a large network of resources. Large agencies have the flexibility to allow you time to learn from your superiors. However, the hierarchy and structure of a large agency is an ever-present force that will determine the work you do on a daily basis. You may not have the ability to learn as much as you'd like to in some cases. On the other hand, large agencies mean larger clients which always sound good when name-dropping for your next job...or trying to pick up chicks. Try it.

In a smaller agency, you will have the opportunity to take on several tasks or "wear many hats" as one professional told me. At the same time, smaller agencies have smaller staffs and therefore need you to hit the ground running. It's harder for a seasoned PR professional to find time to train a novice PR person. Some smaller agencies have big clients but they are usually more limited with one big client that takes up the majority of their time.

What it comes down to is what works for you. Talking with those working in both environments and comparing their experiences is the best thing you can do. I have certain public relations practitioners that I've met in the field who I can see myself being in 5 years. In order to do that, I've questioned and researched how they got to where they are today constantly. Remember you can never make a mistake when trying to gain experience.

Knowing what you don't want is just as important as knowing what you do want.

Bloggers Battle Without Bombs

2009-02-15T15:45:00.000-08:00

With the recent conflict in the Gaza Strip, both sides found new ways to take down their enemies. While some fought the war on the ground, Jaron Gilinsky found that others were committed to fighting the war in the realm of social media.

I'll be the first to admit that my interest in international politics is minimal at best. My only interest in this story is from a public relations standpoint. This post is not meant to promote any political agenda.

Stand With Us is a pro-Israel advocacy group based in the United States. They created a social media “command center” where they coordinated a group of volunteers who took to the internet and “fought” against what they saw as biased information circulating the web about the conflict. Using your typical blogs as well as Twitter, Facebook and even YouTube, this group worked to win in the realm of public opinion and mainstream media.

“Social media is an effective way of providing the right information passively,” said Ahuva Berger of Stand With Us.

Their commander, Niv Calderon, assembled a group of about 20 individuals with multi-lingual backgrounds such as French, German, Dutch, Russian, English and Spanish. With this tech-savvy group known as "Help Us Win," Calderon was able to coordinate their influence online.

One interesting tool they used was the Qassam Counter Facebook tool which allowed for Facebook users to “donate” their Facebook status to this counter.

As the article explains, “Every time a Qassam rocket fell in Israel during the war, the Qassam Counter account would tweet another rocket, automatically changing the Facebook status of anyone who subscribed. The Qassam Counter became infectious. At its peak, 75,000 users from 150 countries had "donated" their Facebook status to the Qassam Counter.”

For more information and to read the rest of Jaron Gilinsky’s article, click here.

Super Bowl Ads Lost Their Super Powers

2009-02-04T00:00:00.000-08:00

The Super Bowl advertisements this year just weren't...super. Maybe it was the budget cuts to advertisements caused by our ongoing recession. Maybe it was the obnoxious sorority girls at the Super Bowl party I attended that insisted on singing Spice Girls and playing flip-cup as opposed to watching the game. Regardless, I was able to take some time to watch all the advertisements without distractions after the game and I came to some conclusions.

Let’s be honest. When you go to the bar and order yourself a cold Bud, it’s NOT because it’s the best tasting beer. It’s because it’s your “go-to” beer. You know that every bar will have it and that no one will look at you funny for ordering it. Your father drank it, your grandfather drank it and someday, your son will probably drink it. It’s a symbol of what is America just like McDonald’s or Barack Obama.

Therefore, when Budweiser thinks of commercials, they aren’t always overtly product-heavy. Much to the chagrin of some of my cohorts, my favorite ad of the night was the Clydesdale Lovers. Prior to the Clydesdale Lovers, there was a previous commercial with Bud Light in an office meeting which was more on the traditional product placement side. Why does the emotional response commercial work over the obvious cheap laugh commercial?

The Clydesdale represents those fond memories of your first beer with the soft focus lens capturing the struggle of two horses in love, with many people, does not connect to beer…but who cares? Those horses fighting for their love against all odds works for the American beer drinker because we all have some emotional response within us that is secretly a sucker for love stories. Advertisers know this and use it. Even if we aren’t aware of the significance of Clydesdales in the Budweiser history, they are important because they symbolize tradition which America prides itself on. For those who don’t know, August A. Busch, Jr. gave a group of Clydesdales to his father, the President of Anheiser-Busch, in celebration of the repealing of Prohibition in 1933. Thank you, Wikipedia.

For many, the other top favorite of the night was the Career Builder ad showing bad times at work essentially. It was funny and got the brand message across clearly. I was particularly amused by the punching of a Koala bear that was obviously a puppet, obviously wearing glasses, and most certainly had a British accent.

My issue with this one might be a bit too philosophical but follow me for a moment. In the current times, hunting for a career is not a cavalier endeavor. People aren’t looking for new jobs because they are dreaming of riding dolphins or punching koala bears. They are hunting for new jobs because they are losing their current employment. Every major company is announcing layoffs by the 1000s. So, while Career Builder is known for its sense of humor, it may not translate as well as they think.

I don’t think Career Builder needed to be intensely serious but I think that they failed to relate to their real audience: the unemployed American. Then again, advertising is a matter of perception. It’s possible that with the tough times, everyone was looking for a laugh. After they chuckle, they could consequently start snooping around the website.

As for the rest of the ads, they were honestly disappointing as a whole with the possible exception of the 3D ads for Monsters vs. Aliens which led into an ad about SoBe which then led into a 3D ad for NBC’s Chuck. According to the Associated Press, Jeffrey Katzenberg, DreamWorks Animation chief executive, said: "It's perhaps the biggest media-advertising event in history" and "involves tens of millions of dollars.” The companies sent 150 million 3D glasses across the country which used a new Intel InTru 3D and ColorCode 3D technology, replacing the old red-blue Anaglyph system. To learn more check out this article.

I hope the advertisers find a way to "spice up" their ads for next year.

Super Bowl Makes Babies Blog

2009-01-31T15:30:00.000-08:00

While watching some sweaty guys fling around a pig-skin is enjoyable to some, let’s be honest. Monday morning around the water cooler will not consist of debates over whether the Steelers should have gone for it on the fourth down or whether the Cardinals could have played better defense. Instead, the real game everyone is watching is the ad game.

Whether it’s a scantily clad vixen trying to sell you a domain name or a stain that just won’t stop yelling, companies are shelling out $3 million dollars for 30 seconds of the most prime time ad space of the year. But is 30 seconds enough?

Advertisers aren’t relying completely on that brief time slot of glory. This year will be, as Kenneth Corbin of InternetNews.com called it, a “Web 2.0 extravaganza.” The big brands are seeing the necessity for collaboration between their television media and their social media. Advertisers are priming the pump for the big day with a social media blitz that includes mentioning their ads on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and even blogs.

For an example, check out the YouTube outtakes of the E*Trade baby which act as a perfect teaser to the E*Trade Super Bowl ad. To top it off, the baby even has his own Twitter account where he posts tweets such as, “Remember when I vomited on national TV? Whoa.”

Twitter me this, Twitter me that

2009-01-24T11:03:00.000-08:00

“Tweet” used to just be the sound a caged song bird made. However as the world of social media grows, “tweets” now also refer to the mini-blog posts found on Twitter.com which limit users to 140 characters per “tweet.” This short format forces users to be concise with only enough room for short updates or links to other web pages.

The posts can range from an update on the war in the Middle East to an equally important update on what you're having for dinner. It’s also beginning to become an ally to many public relations practitioners who are able to make press releases accessible through a new medium. However, not all “tweets” end up sounding like a melodious song bird as a Ketchum vice president found out.

James Andrews, the song bird in question, was in Memphis, TN meeting with the communication team for FedEx which is a client of Ketchum. Ketchum, an international public relations firm, has been the agency of record for FedEx for quite some time.

According to The Commercial Appeal, Andrews posted a tweet during trainings sessions that read: “True confession but I'm in one of those towns where I scratch my head and say 'I would die if I had to live here!'”

There are many ironies to this story for me. First, I happen to have been born and raised in Memphis, TN. While I chose to move to Chicago, Memphis is and will always be my home. Second, I actually interviewed with Ketchum for a job recently. While I won’t pass off the whole company for one executives insulting remark, it does put a damper on my perception of them. Third, besides Andrew’s experience as a vice president of a public relations firm that probably shuns the idea of bad mouthing the city of a client, he was actually in training sessions on SOCIAL MEDIA at the time.

Tweet, tweet!

How To Brand Yourself

2008-12-16T21:20:00.000-08:00

With the recession in full swing, it's becoming harder and harder for people to find jobs. This is due to a combination of factors. First, because consumer spending is down companies don't have the revenues to take on new talent. Second, in order to stay above water, companies are resorting to massive layoffs meaning that the few remaining jobs are being flooded with high quality applicants.

Because of this, it is extremely important for professionals, especially young professionals, to present themselves as the strongest candidate possible. Of course, for the young marketers out there, this should be second nature. Just take some of that brain power you used in building your portfolio to make yourself the coolest, smartest, and, most importantly, best candidate for the job.

In a recent article for TalentZoo.com, marketing expert Danny Flamberg shared some insights into how to do just this. Check it out if you've got a few minutes. On the other hand, if you don't have a job you've probably got more than a few minutes. Either way, just follow this link. Trust me, it's worth it.

Quoting from the article:

Layoffs are a daily occurrence in this recession. Too many of my friends and colleagues have found themselves involuntarily benched. If thousands in each industry are on the street finding a new job requires a personal Zen that’s comprised of patience, routine, sustained confidence, steady action and considered risk-taking.

To effectively seek work – you have to think like a marketer and market yourself as a brand. Identify your unique selling proposition, carefully target your potential new employers, craft persuasive messages and determine ways to get the attention and consideration you deserve. But be realistic. The toughest part of job hunting is managing your nerves and marshaling your resources.

The good news is that thousands of others are in the same boat. There’s no embarrassment to being out of work. But that’s also the bad news; thousands are competing for hundreds of jobs. It’s a buyers market where some employers are trading up.

Monetizing Twitter

2008-12-14T14:43:00.000-08:00

I wrote a little while back about how much I love using Twitter. With tens of thousands of users tweeting each and everyday, I'm certainly not the only one. It's quite simply one of the most entertaining and useful services to emerge from the vast social media landscape.

Of course, in an economy like this, being a useful service isn't enough. The creators of Twitter, despite the incredible buzz their product has built in the tech world, have so far been unable to earn any money from their product besides initial VC funding. With that funding drying up, however, the company needs to figure out a way to start turning some cash or face an inevitable trip to the Web 2.0 graveyard.

Luckily, there are numerous ways in which Twitter could be monetized such as charging for a premium Twitter service, or working in a realistic advertising model. In a recent article for AdAge, Abbey Klaasen discussed these ideas and more. Check it out here if you're a fan of the service. Also, in case you want to connect with me on Twitter, you can follow me from here.

The "I Got Fired" Survival Guide

2008-12-08T20:15:00.000-08:00

In case you haven't been paying attention, we're going through a little rough patch economically. On second thought, take that last sentence and substitute the word "little" for "colossal" and the words "rough patch" for "hellhole" and we're getting closer to the truth. People are losing their jobs, their savings, their sanity; in short, things are getting nuts.

Thankfully, I myself have not been laid off. However, if I do have the terrible misfortune of getting the axe I can take solace in the advice of Martin Bihl who shared some survival tactics in a recent article for AdAge's Talentworks Blog.

From the article:

They teach you how to design. They teach you how to write. They teach you how to take a client to lunch, and they even teach you how to get a job. But no one ever teaches you how to be fired. So in these perilous times, if you are one of the folks recently employment-free, let me be among the first to welcome you to your new life -- or at least, to your new life for a while.

And while I'm not going to pretend that anything I say will make it enjoyable, I can offer some advice on how to survive it with a minimal amount of therapy. So here are six simple tips on how to be fired. Take them for what they're worth. And tell me if they make sense to you. (Hey, it ain't like you've got anything else to do.)

Viral - What's it all about?

2008-12-07T20:56:00.000-08:00

The term "viral marketing" gets tossed around a lot nowadays, but what does it really mean? If you put out a hilarious YouTube video of a man getting kicked in the groin that gets 60,000 views, are you suddenly a viral marketer extraordinaire?

Probably not.

Unfortunately, with video sharing, blogging, and other components of social media becoming ingrained parts of our lives, many folks in the marketing industry assume that's about all you need. Of course, good viral requires a commitment to sound strategy, intelligent execution, and, above all else, a really good idea. You know, the same things that make up any good marketing campaign?

In a recent post for WhatsNextBlog, marketing strategist B.L. Ochman discusses the finer details of viral marketing and some dos and don'ts for companies. It's a great read for marketing students who don't want to sound like dummies when they talk about viral at their next job interview.

From the article:

What doesn’t make a campaign go viral:
o sending out a press release about your latest viral
o an email that says “this is a viral campaign”.

What kind of creative is likely to go viral?
o Knockout creative that's funny, shocking, intriguing or surprising
o An idea customers can relate to and care about
o A clearcut message so people are able to pass it on with one sentence
o An easy way to pass it on - a link, embedding code, "share this" button, email to a friend, etc.
o A concept that builds relationships with customers by getting them to interact with others
o Measurable outcomes - as in: what is this campaign hoping to accomplish and how will be measure it.

What can help spread the word?
o Blog advertising with the right creative can be remarkably cost-effective and high-yield.
o Blogger outreach (which can backfire if pitches are lame.)
o A seeding plan to get the campaign started.

Traditional Local Advertising Models Replaced by Digital

2008-12-02T21:12:00.000-08:00

Ever since the old economy decided to descend into terrifying oblivion, people have been trying to figure out ways to cut back on their spending. For example, tonight I bought a 15 pound turkey for only 5 bucks! Sure, it wasn't frozen and I have to cook it by tomorrow or I'll end up with salmonella, but that bad boy will give me a week's worth of lunch and dinner. Now that's value!

Of course, this blog isn't about my phenomenal thriftiness*; it's about advertising. Which brings me to this article from CNNMoney. According to the report, many businesses are looking to scale back costs by changing their local advertising from traditional models such as newspapers and radio to digital ones like banner ads and search ads.

Although this shift was already occurring to a certain extent, Internet advertisers have seen especially rapid growth since the economic downturn. Interesting news for those would be media planners about to graduate and just another sign that digital is the place to be.

*Note to self: Create blog about my phenomenal thriftiness.

How a Website Comes Together

2008-12-01T21:54:00.000-08:00

Clay Parker Jones, of exitcreative, wrote an interesting blog post recently about a project he was working on for a couple of guys in Atlanta. The goal was to create a website that intelligently and efficiently catalogued the more than 11,000 barns and stables across the country. The result was RidingResource.com, a one-stop shop for equestrian info. (The site hasn't officially launched, but you can get updates on its progress through Twitter and Facebook)

Having never personally created a website (I've written copy for websites but haven't been extensively involved in design), I found the post incredibly interesting. Of particular note is Clay's strategic use of social media in getting the word out about the site.

For the full post, click here.

Marketing In a Recession

2008-11-25T20:22:00.000-08:00

I've been thinking a lot about the economy lately and how lucky I was to find a job so quickly after moving to California. If I hadn't been able to get something within that first month, it would have made my transition unspeakably difficult. That's one reason why I feel so badly for all of my friends who are graduating this year. The country is undoubtedly in recession and, if things continue the way most analysts expect, 2009 will be worse than 2008.

Of course, I shouldn't spend too much time focusing on the negative. Economic troubles tend to force people to become more creative and find alternative solutions to their problems. This is especially true in the field of marketing. Rather than spending big bucks on major ad buys, companies have been resorting to more interesting tactics, such as leveraging the wealth of possibilities afforded by social media.

Marketing Profs shared some great insight into this tactic today and I thought it was worth sharing. For all of you readers out there that are looking to enter the job market, understanding some of these skills could really help you wow 'em in an interview.

From the article:

Web 2.0 technologies offer new ways for you to reach your audience for little to no cost. Customers have become inoculated to tired methods like email and even pay-per-click. Waiting for them to visit your Web site is simply insufficient to drive growth. Instead, the new generation of marketing tools includes things like social communities, Web site syndication tools, gadgets, and RSS feeds because they are online ("on-demand"), scaling to any size of audience. The best part is that most Web 2.0 technologies are easy to use and are, often, free.

Making Social Media Work For You

2008-11-24T22:10:00.000-08:00

I love social media. I just can't help myself. It's so damned exciting, you know? I mean, as a communications tool, the Internet is practically limitless. From blogs to social networking sites and everything in between, we are capable of engaging the world in ways that our parent's generation could never have dreamed.

Of course, that has meant that we need to reevaluate a lot of what we put online. With hiring managers utilizing the web ever more frequently to disqualify potential job applicants, in some ways social media has become a liability. On the other hand, if you just use a little discretion about what you put on your Facebook or MySpace profile, you could mostly avoid that problem.

Being the glass half full kind of guy that I am, instead of focusing on the bad stuff, I'm going to share how to make social media work FOR you instead of AGAINST you. Or, more accurately, I'm going to share the work of blogger and communications expert Dave Fleet who's already written an extensive post on this subject.

I've picked my three favorite bits of advice from the post below. For Dave's full list of "13 Ways Social Media Can Improve Your Career", click here.

Enjoy!

1. Expand your network - Social networks like LinkedIN, Facebook and even Twitter are a fantastic way to get to ‘know’ people in your industry but it goes beyond that. Search out their blogs. Find relevant forums. Comment on their work and get to know them. Create your own high-quality, regular content and they will come to you, too.

4. Find jobs - Most jobs aren’t advertised - they’re filled through networking and recommendations. My job certainly wasn’t advertised - I got to know the team here at Thornley Fallis through social media tools and related events. When the time came for me to move, I already had that connection. Without that, I would likely not be in this job now.

11. Improve your writing - When it comes to writing, practice makes perfect. I’m told my writing has improved immeasurably since I started this site (although I still have a way to go). You simply can’t beat the benefit you get from editing your thoughts down to 140 characters for Twitter, or constantly structuring and re-structuring your thoughts as you write blog posts.

No Skinny Chicks!

2008-11-18T21:01:00.000-08:00

For a long time, the ad industry's formula for success regarding marketing to women was skinny+attractive=sales. Whether advertising for clothing, makeup, perfume; or pretty much anything else targeted toward the ladies, the likelihood of seeing a petite model in the spot was nearly 100%. Hell, even tampon ads feature slim attractive women.

^Totally Normal and Gorgeous^

^Crazy Skinny and Intense^

This philosophy never really made sense to me. I mean, why would regular women want to see ads featuring models that looked nothing like them? It's kind of crazy. If anything, it seems to me like unrealistic advertising would make women not want to use a product. On the other hand, the marketing business seems to be full of these kinds of logical fallacies, so who am I to argue with the experts, right?

According to a new study from the University of Queensland, however, my opinion might actually have some validity. The study, which measured the responses of 400 women to a series of ads for underwear, shampoo and a dress, showed that women in coveted 18-25 age group where mildly repelled by ads featuring skinny models and attracted or neutral toward ads with "regular" sized models.

Pretty interesting stuff if you ask me. The question, however, is whether or not this study is indicative of a trend in the industry or not. My guess is the latter, but I'd love to see the widespread adoption of positive advertising like the kind for which Dove has become such an industry darling.

From the article:

In the study psychologist Phillippa Diedrichs, of the University of Queensland, Australia, created a series of ads for underwear, shampoo and a party dress.
Each ad was made twice, once using a skinny size eight model and another featuring a size 12 woman.
When the ads were shown to 400 young women, they produced no difference in the likelihood for them to buy.
However, when women aged between 18 and 25 saw the adverts they felt better - and more likely to buy - after viewing the images of the larger models.
Miss Diedrichs said: "For anything to change, research has to be convincing, not just to government and health researchers, but also to people in advertising who actually make the decisions.
"Often people make the argument that thinness sells, and that's why they use slim models.
"But we can change the images we see and still sell products but also make people feel better about themselves."

Experience.com is Full of Goodies

2008-11-17T21:17:00.000-08:00

I try not to beat the drum about how great Experience.com is too much on this blog, but sometimes I just can't help it. Take the site's "Defining Moments" feature, for example. Created to give college students a chance to learn about the industries that interest them from a firsthand perspective, Defining Moments videos have connected Experience members with professionals from Google, eTrade Financial and even the U.S. State Department. The latest video, featuring a sit-down interview with the president of PhillipMorrisUSA, is especially interesting for all you would be sales pros out there.

Another cool feature of is the Rising Stars section of the site. Here, "rising stars" from a variety of industries are profiled to help give future professionals insight into what their future careers might look like. This is super helpful for college students because it shows how strange career paths can turn out to be (a subject I've covered on this blog extensively. Encompassing the stories of a variety of young professionals, from non-profit advocates to professional actors, Rising Stars features over 100 profiles.

Of course, those are only two of the cool features scattered throughout Experience.com. There's loads more if you take the time to peruse the site. I hadn't actually done so myself in months which is why I felt compelled to write this post. So go ahead, check it out and let me know if you have any suggestions for cool features you'd like to see. I can't guarantee it'll happen, but I'd like to think I have a little pull down at corporate headquarters.

Update: I actually have no pull down at corporate headquarters. Please though, do send me your suggestions.

Yahoo and Google Ad Deal Falls Through

2008-11-10T21:48:00.000-08:00

All right. I'll admit I'm a little late on reporting this news, especially considering I live in the heart of Silicon Valley, but here goes. Last week, the much publicized ad partnership between Google and Yahoo fell apart under the watchful eye of the U.S. Justice Department. Apparently the government didn't want the Big G to form a monopoly on search advertising.

The collapsed deal has led many to speculate that Microsoft may soon be back in the driving seat for a Yahoo partnership. If this happens, it could be big news for both companies who are trying to assert themselves in unfriendly economic climate. Don't worry about Google though, I'm sure they'll still find a way to ~~take over the world~~ keep business rolling.

The BLF Strikes Again

2008-11-08T23:14:00.000-08:00

If you're taking marketing classes in college, you've probably learned something about the practice of "ad jamming" or "culture jamming". If you haven't, the basic idea behind jamming is to subvert existing media to produce some kind of anti-consumerist or anti-mainstream message. Though technically illegal, for the most part, jamming is a fairly harmless practice and something which is widely practiced throughout the world. A good jumping off point to learn more is through Adbusters, a world-wide network of jammers and activists based in Vancouver.

Anyways, on to the point of my post. The Billboard Liberation Front, another culture jamming group has struck some Wachovia billboards in San Francisco, my new neck of the woods. I caught the finished results over at the Laughing Squid blog and was compelled to share them with all of you. In the light of the country's financial crisis, this jam is particularly bittersweet. The text of the accompanying press release can be found below the pictures.

BEFORE

AFTER

--- --- --- --- ---
November 8, 2008
San Francisco, CA

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Intersection of Mission St.
and Cesear Chavez, NE corner
San Francisco
http://www.billboardliberation.com/burn.html

Dear Shareholders and Clients,

The Billboard Liberation Front has partnered with Wachovia to release a daring advertising campaign that celebrates Wachovia’s new money management strategy. This campaign emphasizes the silver lining in the economic storm front now threatening to swamp our economy as well as our individual fiscal inner tubes.

“The calamitous decline in the value of all investments and the impending total collapse of the dollar will render the true value of the average savings account or investment portfolio roughly equal to a bucket of warm piss,” noted Thomas J. Wurtz, CFO of Wachovia. Dr. John Silvia, Managing Director and Chief Economist noted: “After that golden shower we got from Golden West, we decided to fight fire with fire and start bailing for our clients and stockholders, mixed metaphors notwithstanding.”

This dramatic revaluation of your money has created the opportunity for our team at Wachovia to offer a unique service to our stockholders and clients. “With what promises to be the coldest winter in years now commencing, we’ve instructed our staff in all 21 States that we have offices in to start bundling greenbacks into tight rolls, perfect for small stoves and furnaces,” said Robert K. Steel CEO and President. “We believe this is the soundest application of our clients’ money.”

“‘We’re in the money. we’re in the money’ they sang in the 1920’s. Maybe we should be singing ‘Burn, Baby, Burn’ in light of the modern era of fiscal management,” - BLF CEO Jack Napier. Rico T. Spoons added, “The true value of this new campaign will be reflected in the ‘heat’ it generates for Wachovia’s clients.”

That’s right, you no longer have to worry about your money. As a matter of fact, don’t bother worrying at all.

The BLF (www.billboardliberation.com) has been improving outdoor advertising since 1977. Prior campaigns have included work for Exxon, R.J. Reynolds, and Apple Computers.

Wachovia Corporation (NYSE: WB), based in Charlotte, North Carolina, is a diversified financial services holding company provided via its operating subsidiaries a broad range of banking, asset management, wealth management, and corporate and investment banking products and services.

The Department of the Treasury is a Cabinet department and the treasury of the United States government. It was established by an Act of Congress in 1789 to manage government revenue. The Department is administered by the Secretary of the Treasury.

Covertly Yours,
Milton Rand Kalman
BLF Chief Scientist

Adios Print Media

2008-11-02T21:50:00.000-08:00

My first internship, which was in the print advertising division of a large marketing firm, taught me a lot about the inner workings of media sales. I got a chance to see first-hand how much money was spent on major market newspaper advertising and I learned the value of print in the overall context of an ad campaign.

But I also observed how, over the course of my year long internship, clients were beginning to pull out of papers sooner or buying smaller placements. With the Internet having completely changed the way we consume media I began asking myself, as well as my co-workers and my boss, "What is the future of newspapers?" In the wake of the Christian Science Monitor's decision to cease printing of their 100 year old paper in favor of an entirely online product, many pundits in the advertising and media industries have been asking the same thing. Here's some of the opinions.

Here's the AdAge's analysis of CSM's move:

With Time Inc. announcing layoffs ranging from 300 to 700 positions; Gannett promising to lay off 10% of its local-newspaper staffers; Condé Nast cutting Men's Vogue down to a biannual and paring Portfolio and its website; and even Radar shutting its doors again, turning its anniversary party into a good-bye party, it was a week that needed that title's gallows humor just to get publishing types through it.

Clearly, the changes to publishing's business model aren't going away, so publishers are going to have to adapt to a new reality. As Time Inc. Chairman-CEO Ann Moore said in a speech last week, "If you're sitting on your five-year plan, you're delusional." But just what should publishers be planning for?

The best-case scenario now facing print publishers is that the events of last week will eventually be revealed to be mainly the product of a familiar economic cycle, a temporary downturn that exacerbated the trends already challenging print media. After the economy recovers, probably by the end of 2009, advertisers will regain their interest in print as well as their ability to buy space there.

Some more analysis from TechDirt:

In a lot of ways, this setup probably makes a lot more sense for many people. Newspapers have long since lost their ability to be the source of "breaking news" in print. News breaks online, and by the time it's in the newspaper the next morning, it's old hat. The days of paperboys screaming "Extra! Extra!" are long gone. Still, many may question the timing of the move. Online advertising, while growing rapidly for many, still doesn't make up a huge percentage of revenue for most newspapers. Decreasing the costs significantly means that the revenue doesn't have to match, but there may still be quite a gap there, and I'd imagine some may have been more comfortable waiting for the gap to close before leaping out of the plane without much of a parachute.

However, in taking that plunge, it will force the CSMonitor to really focus in on making its website as good as it can be, both for readers and for advertisers. That sort of hyperfocus could be quite useful, as we've seen too many newspapers find themselves in a struggle for resources and attention between the (dwindling) cash cow print business, and the small, but growing, online markets. No matter what, you can bet that other big (and small) newspapers will be watching the CSM's leap with great interest as they plan their own strategies for a changing media world.

Last but not least, the whizzes at Mashable:

Given what they’re doing and their willingness to continue to push the edges of what’s possible for an online publication, it’s my opinion that we’ll be seeing quite a bit more of this news organization, and that they’ll be around for quite a while in their new format. It’s a little to early to say that they’re going to be the model of what a newspaper should look like as they makes their transition to a New Media organization, but for those interested in this arena, this is definitely an organization to keep an eye on.

So what is the opinion of Rob Frappier, super blogger for Experience.com? Well, generally speaking, I believe that the Internet is the only logical move for news media. I love having a newspaper in my hands as much as the next guy, but it just doesn't seem like a sustainable business model given the ubiquity of the Internet. With Blackberries, iPhones and free wireless at every corner cafe, it's easier than ever to get on the web. And, not only is it everywhere, but the Internet also allows individuals to specifically tailor their news interests and gives marketers the opportunity for highly targeted ad buys.

But enough about me. What do you think? Are papers passé?

Barack Obama's Mega Ad

2008-10-30T18:05:00.000-07:00

Much has been made of Barack Obama's incredible fundraising, and rightfully so. Like no other politician in history, Obama understood the power of the Internet and used it to his advantage masterfully. Because of this, Obama finds himself in a unique position over the last few days of the campaign. With a considerably higher bankroll than opponent John McCain, Barack Obama can literally spend more in one month than John McCain can over his entire campaign.

But how do you even go about spending that much money? Well, the Obama campaign figured out a way.

Last night, in an unprecedented show of campaign muscle, Barack Obama made his case directly to the American people in a 30-minute infomercial. Spanning seven television channels, including networks CBS, Fox, and ABC, the piece allowed the Obama campaign to paint a very compelling picture of the hardships America is facing and the way that a President Obama could fix them.

Seen by an estimated 35 million people, the spot seems to have been a big hit across the country. If you didn't get a chance to see the ads, check them out below and leave a comment. I'd love to hear what ad students and professionals thought of the spot.

McCain Ratchets Up Attack Ads

2008-10-26T14:49:00.000-07:00

I first caught this video at Paul McEnany's Blog, Hee Haw Marketing. It's a hilarious take on what John McCain attack ads might look like if directed by Hollywood directors like John Woo, Kevin Smith and Wes Anderson. As a movie buff and political junkie, I commend whomever made these.

By the way Paul, congrats on casting your ballot. I know you've been itching to do it for a while.

Pepsi's New Logo

2008-10-26T14:32:00.000-07:00

Here's a little addendum to last Sunday's post about Pepsi's Mega Shake-Up. As part of the brand makeover, Pepsi redesigned their logo. The expert voices at AdAge have weighed in on the new design in this article, but I want to know what you think?

Good?

Bad?

Ugly?

Boring?

Pepsi Shakes Things Up

2008-10-19T21:51:00.000-07:00

I'm a Coke man. Always have been. As a matter of fact, I recently made the switch to Coke Cherry Zero and I couldn't be happier. I'm not entirely sure it had anything to do with Coke's advertising as much as its taste, but it's hard to accurately measure the kind of impact the Coke brand has had on my life. I suppose it's possible that the chubby Coke Santa Claus and those adorable Coke Polar Bears had something to do with my preference. I do know one thing for sure. Coke's main rival - Pepsi-Cola - just never did it for me.

Maybe that'll change now though. According to an Ad-Age Report, Pepsi-Cola is in the midst of making a big change to their brand. To the tune of $1.2 billion, Pepsi is rebranding all of its products to try and jumpstart positive growth for the company in a decidedly unfriendly market. To help achieve this change, Pepsi is reportedly turning some its resources from its traditional agency, BBDO, to Arnell, which is affiliated with industry giant Omnicom Group. It'll be interesting to see if this mega shake-up recharges the brand. If not, I suppose they could try Pepsi Cucumber again.

Zack and Miri Make a (CENSORED)

2008-10-16T20:32:00.000-07:00

I'm a Kevin Smith fan. Sure, Jersey Girl was awful, but other than that his repertoire has been solid. Since his next movie, Zack and Miri Make a Porno, features another one of my favorite Hollywood personalities, Seth Rogen, I'm inclined to think that his quality track record will be preserved. Before the movie premieres however, people need to hear about it. Needless to say, when you've got a movie with such a provocative title, that's easier said than done.

According to the AP, Zack and Miri is having some trouble with its newspaper ads and billboards. Specifically, the ads have come under criticism because they feature the word "porno" which, according to the opponenets is something kids shouldn't be seeing. I'm sure some people think that this is making a mountain out of a molehill, but I agree with the critics to a certain extent. On the other hand, it's the movie's title. They can't very well change it now. What's funny is these billboards were specifically redesigned so as not to be offensive. The original design, which you can see here, is much worse.

So what do you think? Is this a big deal or not?

I Miss Football

2008-10-14T19:18:00.000-07:00

Given the current state of our economy, I would never complain about having a job. In fact, I love working. I like my coworkers, I'm pretty good at my job and I have a good time doing it. On the other hand, it has taken up a lot of time which I used to spend sitting around doing nothing.

For instance, I've only been able to catch a couple football games this season since I've been so busy with working and moving into my new place. If I don't get locked in to the season soon, I won't have a clue what's going on. Luckily, I caught this new Nike commercial directed by Michael Mann which has totally reinvigorated my love for the game.

P.S. This isn't the first pairing Michael Mann has had with Nike, as I detailed in a previous blog post.

Rob Learns About Sales: Part 2

2008-10-09T08:41:00.000-07:00

So in my last post, I left off by posing a question to the LinkedIn community - "In one sentence, what is the difference between sales and marketing?" In no time at all, the answers came pouring in from all over the Internet. And, though they weren't always one sentence, they were all good. So, without further delay I present to you the difference between marketing and sales.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In my opinion, marketing is generating interest in your product, while sales is converting the interest into purchases.
-Brian L.

Marketing creates awareness, interest, and inspires people to act. Sales continues to increase interest and close the deal.
-Susan P.

Marketing is the prayer; sales is the promise.
-M. Joyce M.

Marketing is everything that you do to reach and persuade prospects and the sales process is everything that you do to close the sale and get a signed agreement or contract. Both are necessities to the success of a business.
-G. Sandhu

In the real world: nothing.
-Jeff R.

Marketing is not an end in itself, it is a means to an end (sales)....
-Ramachandra R.

Sales is one of the 4 strategic efforts that in combination form the activity known as 'Marketing':
1. Product management and/or manufacturing;
2. Pricing;
3. Marketing communications, including public relations and advertising; and
4. Channel management (otherwise known as 'Sales').
-Peter R.

Sales is a function of marketing.
-Bryan E.

Marketing is a coordinated mix of strategies that communicate product information to a prospective customer, on a one-to-one basis, through a variety of media, including a sales force, to facilitate their decision on whether they wish to buy the product and to conclude the transaction.
-Frank F.

Without marketing there is no sales!
-Joe B.

In general, marketing is lead generation and sales is direct customer interaction to close a business deal. The difference between sales and marketing is vague depending on the sales model. This vagueness is especially true in businesses that use the internet as their sales interface and lack a direct sales force.

Several marketing departments fail to understand closed sales is the key measureable for any business. Marketing benchmarks often revolve quantity issues like lead generation, number of campaigns executed, and quantity of deliverable items. Although these benchmarks are important, one must understand these tasks need to lead to closed business. I find many marketing professionals feel their job is complete if they execute a certain number of deliverable items.
-Christopher K. (FYI, Christopher suggests young marketers read The End of Marketing as We Know It)

Marketing is formulating the strategy and overall message while sales is delivering it. Out of college I expressed an interest in marketing jobs and people kept trying to put me in sales, actually saying I expressed an interest. Either me, them, or both of us, or the overall meaning, were confused.
-Kevin H.

Marketing is for lead generation what sales is for closing.
-Patrick H.

It seems common to find definitions of marketing that place it as almost a step or component of the sales process. I don't see it this way at all. There are activities that are "marketing" that are not directly related to sales as the end goal. Marketing is far broader than sales and may pertain to activities other than selling a product and service.
-Matthew W.

The meaning of the word "commission"; either they'll get a commission to do some marketing, or they'll do some sales to get a commission.
-Philip S.

Sales is a part of marketing, the end of the process that starts with research, leads to a product,a name, a way to get the word out, and finally get someone to buy it.
-Tim D.

Marketing sets the direction and provides the resources, while sales communicates to the customer and executes the marketing strategy.
-Josh C.

Marketing is what you do to gain your prospects' attention, and regain your customers' attention. Selling happens when both parties -- prospect and seller -- examine the business fit.
-Shawn G. http://www.savageandgreene.com

For business, marketing is the view from 30,000ft, sales is the handshake.
-Bart C.

In my opinion I feel that marketing is everything you see from a company: the outer layer of the company, the website design, the newsletters, the images. Sales is all about the numbers.
-Casey C.

Marketing is building the relationships and sales is cashing in on that relationship. The difference is that marketing is about caring, communicating, talking, telling a story - then if your client/customer buys into it you can actually make a sale. I believe it really is all about cultivating relationships in a sincere way.
-Jacqueline W. http://www.moxieworks.net

Remember AIDA? Well Marketing is the "AI"; not artificial intelligence but rather Attention and Interest. While sales then would be the DA or Desire and Action.
-James G.

Selling is the management of the present, while marketing is the management of the future. Sales is an important part of marketing. Put another way, sales allows you to eat today and marketing allows you to eat tomorrow.
-Gene R.

Marketing is what creates or brings a prospect to us to sell. If I am marketing, I am looking for prospects, or trying to create interest in a product or service. If I am selling, I am trying to take that prospect and make them a customer. Depending on the industry, marketing and selling can be almost the same thing, or they can be miles apart. Most of the time, however, marketing doesn't require closing or asking for the order. Once you are doing that, you are moving towards sales.
-Jim S.

Marketing is the act of generating interest in your product/service, Sales is the act of delivering product/or service for a fee.
-Chris C.

Marketing is the awareness of the product and sales is the success of that product.
-Scott P.

AND

Marketing is all the strategies and tools used to reach and persuade consumers to buy a product or service, whereas sales is the direct personal interaction between the consumer and the sales person used to close the deal/purchase.
-Jenna L. (as in Jenna Lebel our very own Experience.com Super Blogger)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Phew, that was a lot of answers. Hopefully it helped clarify things. If it didn't, however, and you find yourself more confused than ever, I'd like to formally pass the blame on to everyone who contributed to this post. What am I supposed to be an expert or something?

Rob Learns About Sales: Part 1

2008-10-04T21:53:00.000-07:00

Guess what you marketing blog faithful, I've got some good news! Recognizing my stupendous abilities as a talented and witty blogger (save for the occasional fart post) the bigwigs at Experience.com approached me with an exciting opportunity over the summer. For this cycle of blogging, I will be writing not only about marketing related news, but also about the sales industry.

Now, I'll be the first to admit I'm not exactly a sales guy. Sure, I'm a smooth talker, and I think I might be good at selling, but I'm not sure I have the stomach for it. Then again, maybe that's just because most of my understanding of sales stems from Glengarry Glen Ross. Cold calling, chasing leads, closing deals. How much of that is actually part of the sales professional's job? How exactly does the sales team of a company work with the marketing team? Better yet, what exactly is the difference between sales and marketing?

In my quest to find the answers to questions like this, I've done what any savvy young professional should do: I asked people. Specifically, I used LinkedIn to pose the question, "In one sentence, what is the difference between marketing and sales?" Pretty clever move, no? In just a few hours I had already gotten loads of great answers which I'm really excited to share. So, here we go...

PSYCH! Hahaha. I got you guys good. You should have seen the looks on your faces. But seriously, I did ask that question on LinkedIn and I have already gotten a bunch of great responses. However, I'm not going to share them now because I want to wait and see what happens overnight. After all, I don't want to sell you guys short, and, if my gut is right, I'll open my e-mail tomorrow morning to a whole bunch more top notch answers.

In the meanwhile, since I was talking about Glengarry Glen Ross earlier, enjoy this video I found on YouTube. For anyone who's seen the film, you'll undoubtedly remember this fantastic early scene featuring Alec Baldwin as a brass balls havin', f-bomb droppin', real estate sellin' bad ass. Unfortunately, since Experience.com is a pretty family friendly website (I'm not even sure if writing ass is okay) the actual scene is probably too intense to share. Thankfully I found a solid alternative. Enjoy.

I'm Txting This Post

2008-09-29T20:24:00.000-07:00

I don't like texting. I mean, I guess it's better than making a two second call to say, "I'll be home 30 minutes late", but I don't really like bothering with it. Then again, maybe that's just because my crappy old phone has a hard to push 7 button which gives me achy fingers. Anyway, regardless of my personal opinions, most people like texting. In fact, over the past two years text messaging has increased 450%, significantly outpacing the number of mobile phone calls made over the same period.

Comic from http://joshreads.com/images/07/02/i070208garfield.gif

Now, if you fail to see the point of this post, or you're saying to yourself, "Gee, I wish Rob would write another post about farting", then you might need to reevaluate whether you've got the right mindset for a career in marketing. Even I, "txt h8r" though I am, can recognize that this is the kind of news that is relevant to the future of the industry. Emerging technologies and user trends are key things to study if you want to be at the forefront of the marketing business.

Our generation, like none before us, is highly literate in digital media. Figuring out new ways to generate a conversation with a consumer is a huge part of marketing and being aware of news items like the one above is an important way to stay in the loop.

Thanks to MarketingVOX for posting Nielsen Mobile's report.

Farting in Advertising: Good or Bad?

2008-09-27T09:34:00.000-07:00

It's taken me 165 posts to get here, but I'm proud to say that today I have been blessed with the opportunity to legitimately blog about farting for Experience.com. Thank you, thank you. There's so many people I'd like to thank. It's just overwhelming.

Anyway, I've been allowed to take this foray into flatulence because of a new ad campaign released by Extended Stay Hotels. The campaign, based around the new tagline "No place makes you feel more comfortable", shows a variety of hotel guests cutting the cheese, with no apparent shame, thanks to the comfortable surroundings of Extended Stay's hotel rooms, lobbies and hallways. Interestingly, they don't show hotel guests tooting in crowded elevators. Apparently that part of the hotel just isn't comfy enough.

While these spots have received considerable amounts of coverage on YouTube, I'm not entirely convinced they will translate into increased bookings. Who wants to book a hotel room that's been covered in the foul crusty stank of hundreds or thousands of previous guests?

What do you think? Will these spots positively differentiate Extended Stay from the vast number of competing hotel chains or will this campaign go up in a cloud of methane fueled fire?

The Mortgage Meltdown and Marketing

2008-09-22T21:58:00.000-07:00

I'm about to go to bed, so this'll be a short one. With the financial titans of Wall Street collapsing like flan in a cupboard (thank you Eddie Izzard), the Federal Government has decided to step in and bailout the vast majority of companies affected by the mortgage meltdown. Needless to say, these problems have far-reaching implications. In popular political parlance, meltdown related issues have reached beyond Wall Street and are affecting Main Street.

But what kind of effect does all of this have on the media and marketing industry? How has the shaky economy affected consumer trust in popular brands? How different is consumer spending from this same time last year? How can some businesses thrive in a recession? Etc, etc. The questions are plentiful and the good people of AdAge have all of the answers. In their continuing coverage of the economic meltdown, AdAge has compiled all of their stories into one section of their site. How wonderfully convenient. Check it out and educate yourself. Never forget, good marketers are informed marketers.

I'm a Mac, but I like PC's New Commercials

2008-09-21T20:43:00.000-07:00

Hey everybody. Good to be back to the Experience.com Marketing Blog, my digital home away from home. A lot has happened since the last blogging cycle ended. I officially made the move to Cal-ee-for-nee-a, as our esteemed Governator pronounces it, and I am now gainfully employed in my first post-collegiate job. What's more, said job does not involve part-time employment at the local outlet mall or food establishment. Huzzah! Of course, this blog isn't all about me, only like 94.6 percent, so I'll fill in the details on my first impressions of Cali for a later post.

In the meantime, I'd like to share my impressions of Microsoft's new ad campaign. The spots, themed after the tagline "Life Without Walls", are a direct response to those increasingly smarmy "I'm a Mac" ads. Drawing on the testimony of some of the millions of PC users worldwide, with a handful of celebrities thrown in for good measure, the ads show that PCs are not necessarily the stuff of pocket protecting number crunchers.

Though I personally use a Mac, and honestly consider that they're superior computers, I'm glad to see Microsoft assert themselves in these ads. For too long, Apple has acted like that smug kid in the back of the class. You know the type, really smart, but he goofs off anyway to impress the girls. Sure, he's funny for a little while, but it doesn't take long for the shtick to wear off. So Microsoft doesn't make super intuitive products that are sleek in design and phenomenally productive. So what? People still use the things and stereotyping PC users as chubby out of touch losers was an arrogant move by Mac.

The best thing Mac can do to demonstrate their superiority is...well, demonstrate their superiority. Think about those simple iPhone commercials. The iPhone is all alone against a plain background. Simple pleasant narration explains all the cool features. The ad ends with a nice little flourish and the universally recognized Apple logo. Clean and effective. Those are the type of ads that Mac should stick to if they really want to win over PC users.

Tweet, tweet, tweet

2008-08-24T14:06:00.000-07:00

Considering I've been such a proponent of social media in this blog, it's a wonder it took me so long to tune into Twitter. Most of you are probably familiar with Twitter, but since I need to fill at least two paragraphs, humor me. Twitter employs a concept known as microblogging. Basically, it involves the publishing of very brief (typically 140 characters or less) updates for anyone in your network to see. Another form of microblogging is the Facebook status update.

Though I've known about Twitter for sometime, I never used it because I didn't see its practicality. After trying it out for a little bit though, I can see its appeal. Unlike a Facebook status update, where you can only see what your friends are doing, on Twitter you can follow anyone using the service. As a blogger, I spend a lot of time surfing the internet for cool stuff to share. So being able to instantly see what a blogging bigwig like David Armano is posting saves me some work.

This type of program also represents an interesting way for companies to maintain even better and more direct relationships with their customers. While specific marketing tactics are still being explored, there have already been some interesting attempts. For instance, as detailed in the Church of the Customer blog, Southwest Airlines has used Twitter to send out information regarding deals on airfare and company news.

So, if you're interested in Twitter and want to give it a try look me up. My user name is not particularly creative. You can find me by looking for, you guessed it, Rob Frappier.

Paul McEnany: Ad Guru?

2008-08-20T19:45:00.000-07:00

Kudos to my friend and fellow blogger Paul McEnany of Hee-Haw Marketing on his recent write-up in Quick DFW. It's a nice Q & A and Paul gives some solid insights into youth marketing and social networking. Bravo.

I don't know about the headline though. Ad Guru? Really Paul? Burnett, Ogilvy, McEnany? Haha. Just kiddin' ya. But seriously, what's with that picture? Did they say you were being profiled for most eligible bachelors of Texas? OH SNAP!! I'll be here all week.

Colin Powell, Tony Blair and You

2008-08-17T14:18:00.000-07:00

Fancy a trip to New York City to sit down with some of the most influential and powerful men and women in the world? Well don't just sit around reading my blog. I'm probably just going to throw up a funny YouTube clip and call it a day. Where you really need to be is at the Exclusive Experience section of Experience.com. From there you can apply for an opportunity to go to the World Business Forum 2008 at Radio City Music Hall in the Big Apple. Here's the official blurb.

Experience is looking for young business-minded talent with drive and ambition, who value entrepreneurialism and ethics, and who have the savvy and know-how to talk one-on-one with the most innovative and influential men and women in the business community.

Sounds pretty swank, no? And from what I understand, Experience doesn't skimp on the accommodations. Anywho, I won't be applying myself as I've got some other more pressing issues to take care of (i.e. selling my posessions and moving across the country), so I'm strongly encouraging all three of my faithful readers to give it a whirl. Go on, make me proud.

Oh, yeah. Here's that funny YouTube clip. I loved this commercial when it first came out.

The Catch-22 of Job Experience

2008-08-12T13:31:00.000-07:00

When I wrote a post a couple weeks back about my first official job rejection, I invited others to share their own stories in the comments. I was amazed to see the number of responses. It was a veritable smorgasbord of frustrated job seekers. One common complaint, especially from recent graduates was the Job Experience Catch-22. In other words, you need experience to get the job, but you can't get experience without the job. It's an incredibly frustrating cycle that is absolutely demoralizing to job seekers.

But there has to be some way to get out of this trap, right? Brad Karsh, of JobBound.com and AdAge's Ask Brad Column, gave some advice in an interview with FOX Business.

Leave The Breakfast Club Alone

2008-08-10T22:26:00.000-07:00

Has anyone seen JC Penney's recent back to school advertising? It's all themed after the classic 80's teen dramedy The Breakfast Club. Why? According to JC Penney CMO Mike Boylson, "We have several new brands that appeal to different teens with different styles...The movie's premise of kids with different backgrounds coming together to find they had more in common than what they thought was perfect for what we were trying to communicate."

Makes sense I guess. But does it make for good commercials? To be perfectly honest, I'm not a big fan. It's not that I think The Breakfast Club is the best movie ever or anything, but it still has a certain cultural significance. The films of John Hughes helped to define the popular perception of an entire generation of people. So, when seeing how JC Penney has re-imagined the film, I was less than impressed. They're just too glossy for my tastes. But, that's just one man's opinion. You be the judge.

ad:tech Chicago

2008-08-06T17:34:00.000-07:00

Remember a few months back when I wrote about ad:tech San Francisco and how awesome it probably was? Well, as you know, I didn't get a chance to fly out to California to see it. But, that was okay because, as of yesterday, morning digital marketers were rocking out at ad:tech again, but this time in my very own backyard. That's right baby. The windy city was playing host to ad:tech Chicago.

So, with that awesome news out in the open, you're probably expecting lots of great new digital marketing tidbits. Well, I hate to tell you, but I don't have any. You see, I couldn't get out to ad:tech because I was working on both days of the event. Can you believe that? I only work Monday through Wednesday. I mean, what 's going on? They couldn't just postpone it until Thursday. Jeez. It's like nobody consults me about anything around here.

Anyway, I had to work so I missed the party. Disappointing, I know, but a man's got to eat! Luckily, I have a decent back-up plan. Instead of reading my blog for news on ad:tech, check out the official ad:tech Chicago blog. It's content is provided by Adrants and MarketingVOX so you can be sure they're bringing the goods.

Crazy Gym Commercial

2008-08-01T20:22:00.001-07:00

Wasn't sure if this was real or not at first, but it turns out that it is. What kind of a crazy health club is this place?

Why I'm Not a Screenwriter aka Some Creative Writing Tips

2008-07-30T21:58:00.000-07:00

Back during my freshman year of college when I was under the delusion that I might someday become a successful Hollywood screenwriter, I was enrolled in an introductory screenwriting class. My professor was really cool and easygoing about the class. He knew that we weren't going to turn into Robert Towne overnight, but he was still able to stoke our creativity enough for everyone in the class to at least give a solid effort which, when you're dealing with film students is surprisingly difficult.

Anyway, the reason I'm bringing this up is because one of the assigned books for the class was Zen in the Art of Writing by Ray Bradbury. Bradbury, in case you don't know, is a very famous science-fiction writer responsible for such classics as Fahrenheit 451 and The Martian Chronicles. The book is a collection of essays about the craft of writing and it contains a lot of really useful techniques to help inspire creative thinking. It's wonderfully written and something that can be read over and over. So, even though it couldn't help me get beyond the first act of my Vietnam War screenplay, I held onto it anyway in case I needed to get the creative juices flowing.

As it turns out, when you're working as a copywriter, creative juices need to be flowing at all times. Because advertising writing, even more so than television or film, can so easily dip into cliché I find that Bradbury's exercises can be a helpful way to clear the palette so to speak and start fresh. Since I want you all to go buy your own copy of this book, I'm not going to go into every trick, but I'll share a couple of my favorites.

Image from http://mindhacks.org/wp-content/uploads/CreativityExercises_100A3/IdeaDrawingXSmall4.jpg

Write Lists
Someday simply sit down and begin writing down a long list of nouns in a stream of consciousness. Bradbury did this and discovered that upon review he was able to spot certain words which jumped out at him, or, perhaps reflected some kind of hidden truth about himself. After settling on a particular word, he would begin writing in poem and prose until he found that the story began to shape itself. Even though as marketers we're not setting out to write stories or novels, this technique is still useful because it gives the brain a chance to run around a little bit. By the time you've returned to the slogan or call to action you were working on, your synapses will still be firing and you might come up with something unexpected.

Read Poetry Every Day
"Read poetry everyday of your life. Poetry is good because it flexes muscles you don't use often enough. Poetry expands the senses and keeps them in prime condition." Page 39

I'll be the first to admit that I don't read poetry everyday. But, there was a time that I did and Bradbury is 100% right about it. Seeing words written in poetic form stirs something inside of you. It's the rhythm of the words or the structure. It's the way that poetry appeals to all of your senses. A steady diet of poetry is an excellent way to keep your mind limber and your writing dynamic.

Can't be the CEO? Don't sweat it, CMOs do okay.

2008-07-27T18:19:00.000-07:00

Becoming the CMO (Chief Marketing Officer) of a company is a pretty impressive feat. Being at the executive level means that you've spent years and years climbing the corporate ladder and you've finally achieved the kind of lasting success that should keep your family secure for years to come. That also means a lot of responsibility is coming your way. Of course, with all that responsibility comes perks.

In an AdAge survey, the average salary of CMOs in 2008 ended up being approximately 1.5 million dollars. Of course, not all of that is cash in hand. As the survey points out, "CMOs often don't stay around for the long haul, but CMO wealth still is tied more to stock -- more of a long-term incentive -- than to salary or cash incentives." In any case, it's a lot more money than I have right now. I've been enjoying the benefits of McDonald's dollar menu a lot lately. Mmm....McChicken.

The First Bitter Sting of Defeat

2008-07-21T18:30:00.000-07:00

Now that I've been out of college for approximately three months and I am moving to California in just over one, I've begun applying for jobs with a much greater intensity. My job search, which up to now had involved peeking at job sites a couple times daily, has devolved into hourly checks from morning to night on every job board known to man. On second thought, that makes me sound kind of desperate. Scratch that. Let's just say that, lately, I've been looking a lot harder. Anyway, recently, I thought that I might have landed on a gold mine when I applied for a copywriting position and was actually granted an interview.

I've always felt confident in interviews, so when I answered my phone to begin the process, though I was somewhat nervous, I believed that everything would go smoothly. Now, you're probably thinking, "Oh boy! I wonder what Rob must have said to mess this up?" What's amazing is, as far as I know, I didn't mess it up. I felt a good connection with my interviewer and the job seemed like a lot of fun. By the time I hung up the phone, a half hour after the interview was actually scheduled to go until, I felt legitimately good about my chances. Now all I had to do was play the waiting game.

Image courtesy of http://www.webdesign-guru.co.uk/icon/rubber-stamps-free-graphics/

As it turns out, the waiting game is the worst game ever invented. Every day that passed, my confidence about the interview waned. Did I say something wrong? Am I not experienced enough? It's amazing how only a few days of waiting can make someone go from happy and confident to nervous and uncertain. A full week after the initial interview, I contacted the person responsible for hiring. It was nothing more than a simple thank you, a little way of saying "by the way I'm still here", but it made me feel a little better. For some reason it gave me the sense that I had somehow staved off execution and, now that I had shown I was still around, I would be sure to hear back. Unfortunately, later in the night I did hear back. The e-mail came in the form of one of those generic rejection letters that somehow manages to make you feel like you were both really close to getting the job and that you weren't considered at all.

Needless to say, I was disappointed when I read the news. I was very enthused about the possibility of working for this company and the fact that it didn't pan out left me, for lack of a better expression, feeling pretty crappy. I think it's important though that I clarify here that I'm not bitter about not getting the job. I'm sure that there were many qualified candidates for the position and that, in my humble opinion, though I gave a pretty good interview, there was probably just somebody out there who was a better fit. There's no reason to get upset about it. It's just the way things happened. If a position opens up with that company in the future I'll probably apply again because I really enjoyed the interview. But until then, it's important that I don't let myself get bogged down by the job that got away. As soon as you start dwelling on what could have been, you won't be able to focus on what's ahead. I learned a valuable lesson today, and, after a cold beer or two, I'll be ready to get back on the job hunting horse and find something else.

P.S.
Hopefully this post connected with others who've felt the sting of defeat. If you're out there and reading this, I feel for you. We're all in it together. If you'd like to share your own "almost was" moments, feel free to leave a comment on this post. Somehow, writing about it softens the blow.

Win a role on Mad Men

2008-07-20T18:44:00.000-07:00

If you're a fan of advertising, there's a good chance you watch Mad Men. I myself have never seen the show. I would certainly like to watch it, but alas I don't have access to cable. Of course that's not really relevant to this post, I just wanted you all to feel a little sorry for me. Anyway, it's supposed to be an excellent show and now AMC has begun a contest to win a walk-on role. All you have to do is submit a one minute or under video reading one of a number of monologues from the show. The best submission gets the spot.

screenshot from http://www.amctv.com/originals/madmen/

Though I did some acting in high school, I'm not really sure this is for me. Of course I'd certainly like to be in the show, but I'd rather it happen without any effort on my part. You know, I'd be walking down the street just like any other day when a producer notices my handsome features and easy grace and offers me a role on the spot. Hey, you never know. It could happen. Right...?

Anyway, if you want to try your luck with the contest, follow this link. And if you win and end up hitting it big in Hollywood don't forget who told you about it in the first place. No need to thank me. A large bag of money will suffice.

Wall-E and "Product Homage"

2008-07-17T17:32:00.000-07:00

If you haven't seen Wall-E yet, stop reading this web page immediately and go to your local theater. It's that good. I swear. Aside from having some of the most beautiful animation ever put on film, the story is amazing and the characters are heartbreakingly sweet. It's got a 97% fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes for goodness sake. That doesn't happen by fluke.

Image from Madison+Vine

Anyways, I mention it because the film prompted an interesting article today by Beth Snyder Bulik at AdAge's Madison+Vine blog. The article, talking about the future of product placement in films, suggested that Wall-E, with its sly and unimposing references to Apple computers, might be a precursor of how companies will begin using product placement in film.

Dubbed "product homage" by Forrester Research analyst James McQuivey, the idea is that the general brand image is represented in a work rather than a specific shot of a product. In Wall-E, this is represented by the sleek design of the black and white robot EVE as well as the floating space station Axiom. More subtle, brand focused product integration would allow for a richer immersion and do less to detract from the process of viewing the movie.

Advergaming Fun

2008-07-12T19:10:00.000-07:00

I've talked about advergaming on this blog before, so I won't rehash any boring old explanation of why it's awesome. The reason I'm posting on the subject this time around is to share an awesome game I found through StumbleUpon. StumbleUpon, by the way, is one of the best things on the internet. If you haven't downloaded it yet, stop reading this post and do it now. Seriously.

Anyways, the game is called Jelly Jumper and it was created for Logitech. The goal of the game is to use your arrow pad to move this little green jelly dude across a virtual keyboard covered in various perils. Logitech, in case you weren't aware, is a maker of, you guessed it, computer keyboards.

Screen shot taken from http://www.jellyjumper.com/game/en/undefined/

The game, despite its simple premise, is surprisingly fun. Plus, toward the upper levels it starts getting real tricky. What's cool is how Logitech, without having to plaster their name all over the place, still makes a strong brand statement. For example, giving out 20 percent off coupons to players who reach a certain level creates a reward for the player and promotes business for Logitech. You should check it out if you've got a few minutes (or hours) to waste.

P.S.
If Jelly Jumper isn't fun enough for you, try their other game Jelly Battle. It's gruesome jelly action for the whole family.

Diversity Hiring on Madison Avenue

2008-07-10T20:03:00.000-07:00

Diversity in the workplace is a very sensitive issue. The practice of "diversity hiring" has been both praised as a progressive step toward a healthier society and vilified as reverse racist propaganda. Whichever side of the fence you happen to sit on this issue, it's an undoubtedly important one to consider when it comes to the marketing industry. In AdAge's Big Tent Blog recently, Arthur Leggett argued that marketing, despite being a business which would benefit from diverse views, is one of the most racially exclusive industries there is.

"It's beneficial for advertising agencies to embrace the concept of equal participation. A hodgepodge of backgrounds helps cross-pollinate bigger and better ideas. And, the current U.S. demographic trends project that future consumer markets will be even more diverse."

While I haven't worked in the field long enough to say whether or not this is true, Leggett's article and the accompanying comments (from both sides of the issue) is definitely worth a read.

Getting Googled

2008-07-07T15:41:00.000-07:00

"Google it."

If you had said that simple phrase just 10 years ago, you may have received nothing but a blank stare in return. Now, of course, everyone knows Google. It's become a powerful and iconic brand capable of providing answers to practically any conceivable question. So what if the question someone's asking is about you? What happens when a potential employer decides to Google you? You'd better hope that they like what they see, because according to David Armano, the odds are pretty good that the virtual you is just as important as the real you.

Armano, of the very popular marketing blog Logic+Emotion, wrote recently at AdAge's DigitalNext blog about the need for job seekers to make their online selves a positive asset rather than a negative one. Here are some of the tips he shared.

Establish at Least One Digital Profile - Getting on a social network is a good thing. Polluting your profile page with a bunch of irresponsible drunken debauchery is not. A good professional network to temper the one that you might have for personal use is LinkedIn.
Engage in Personal Publishing - Write a blog. If you have some type of specialty, let the world know. Plus, it's good for connections. My blog for Experience.com has led to me developing relationships with lots of cool people in the marketing industry.
Become Your Own Agent - It's important to use discretion when you alter your online persona. You are entirely responsible for the content you put on the web. Use your head.

Armano elaborated on some more tips, so I definitely recommend you check out the full article. In the meantime, I'm going to Google myself for a bit and see what comes up. Maybe I'll be surprised.

How to Get Fired

2008-07-02T13:28:00.000-07:00

One would hope that no one reading this blog is looking to get fired, but just in case you were wondering, one sure fire way to get the boot is to repeatedly call your client by their competitors name. Apparently this happened at the offices of Doner in Southfield, Michigan when an executive creative director referred to Tropicana instead of the agency's actual client, Minute Maid.

While it was probably an honest mistake and completely unintentional, the response was swift and brutal. Hopefully this doesn't tarnish the relationship between client and agency too much. I hate seeing people screw up. It's just so awkward and uncomfortable. Like the TV show "Curb Your Enthusiasm". Sure it's funny, but most of the time I'm just cringing. Hat tip to Agency Spy for reporting this.

Comic Book Conventions are Awesome

2008-06-29T18:36:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, two of my friends and I attended the Wizard World Chicago Comic Convention. It was, probably, the single geekiest thing I've ever done. Simultaneously, however, it was one of the most fun things I've done and I would do it again in a second. Walking onto the convention floor was like entering an 800,000 square foot comic book store. Everybody there was geeking out with absolutely no shame. It was incredible. There were people dressed as Stormtroopers, the X-Men, there was even a guy dressed as "Pimp" Venom (as seen in the 5th picture below). Needless to say, it was a very entertaining Saturday.

So, why am I writing about this in my marketing blog? Well, conventions and trade shows are an important part of the marketing industry. There are the P.R. people who work non-stop to coordinate all of the special guests, panels, and events. There's the small business owner who trucks in all of their gear from hours away because they'll get more exposure at the one or two-day event than they could all year in purchased ad space. And, of course, there's the sales people out chasing leads and making contacts in their respective industry. Conventions and trade shows provide hundreds of people with jobs and, besides that, are usually a ton of fun. Hmm, seeing as my convention trip made for such a good post I wonder if Experience would reimburse me my $25 ticket fee? (wink, wink) Enjoy the pictures. By the way, the guy with glasses is my friend Rick and the other guy is my friend Mong. I hope they don't mind the public revelation of their geekiness.

Japan fights fat (this would never happen in America)

2008-06-24T22:07:00.000-07:00

I watched an absolutely fascinating video at CNN.com today and I felt the need to share it. Apparently, Japanese companies are now federally obligated to measure the waist sizes of their employees. Anyone with a waist size over the government mandated minimum (33.5 inches for men, 35.5 inches for women) will cause their company to receive hefty fines.

I'm not against national health initiatives or company sponsored fitness programs, but this sounds crazy. Mandatory waist measurements? Really? Can you imagine this happening in the US? I sure can't. People would be suing for weight based discrimination and harassment everywhere you'd turn. I mean, doesn't this violate the personal liberties of overweight Japanese citizens? Does that even matter in Japanese culture? I'd love to hear some opinions on this subject. Do you think this is a good idea to keep citizens fit, or is it discrimination? Would you allow yourself to be measured every day? Leave me a message in the comments.

Tattoos at Work

2008-06-23T09:20:00.000-07:00

I read an interesting story at CNN last week on the appropriateness of tattoos in a work environment, but I wasn't sure whether or not I should blog about it. Obviously, our generation of workers are much more likely to be inked up than our parents were, but I didn't think it had a strong of enough angle for the marketing industry to write about. Lucky for me, Daryl Ohrt, of the blog brandflakesforbreakfast, explained that one of the subjects of the article, Sarah Champion, worked at the same agency as himself, Plaid, and is in fact a contributer to the bffb blog.

Booyah! Now I've got an angle. Knowing now that Sarah worked in an agency setting, it seems relevant to note that, of all the potential jobs, working in creative advertising is one of the most liberal in terms of attire and attitude. Because you're surrounded by so many other artistic and creative individuals, you're more likely to be accepted with piercings or tattoos than you might be at, say, a law office or an accounting firm. Just something to keep in mind while you're out celebrating your graduation. If you wake up in the morning with a fresh tattoo that you don't remember getting, don't sweat it. If you're working in creative you'll probably be okay.

Bringing up Baby

2008-06-17T09:32:00.000-07:00

One of the commercials I highlighted in this year's Super Bowl Ad Review was E-Trade's hilarious talking baby spot. If you haven't seen it, check it out below.

Anyway, I came across an interesting interview with the chief creative officer behind the campaign, Tor Myhren, which explained how the piece was concepted and executed. If you're interested in seeing how a Super Bowl Ad comes to life, check out the article here.

Cannes Ad Fest 2008

2008-06-15T20:34:00.000-07:00

The 55th International Cannes Lions Advertising Festival officially began today with a flourish. In case you've never heard of the fest before, here's the official blurb from the website

The Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival is the world's only truly global meeting place for those interested in creativity in communications. More than 9,000 registered delegates from 85 countries attended the Festival in 2007, where they could view nearly 26,000 pieces of work, attend 45 seminars and 20 workshops, catch four awards ceremonies, and enjoy two vast beach galas.

Sounds pretty sexy, huh? Needless to say, my financial limitations will prevent me from attending this year's events. But that's okay, because there's plenty of awesome coverage I can read thanks to AdWeek's LeFreaque Blog . If I see anything interesting, I'll be sure to pass it along here.

Woo! Class of 2008!!

2008-06-14T10:54:00.000-07:00

Since tomorrow morning is the official graduation ceremony for DePaul's class of 2008, I thought I would post something triumphant and hopeful for me and my fellow grads to enjoy. At the Talentworks blog at AdAge recently, Beth Ann Kaminkow wrote on the subject of hiring entry level employees from the class of 2008. So, in her estimation, where will we fit in?

Well, according to Kaminkow,

The Class of 2008 already knows a lot of things the current work force is still trying to figure out. They've lived in an online and offline world that makes them comfortable bringing new thinking to agencies that are working to bring their clients' brands closer to consumers. They "get" the idea of convergence -- in media, in technology and in the way people live -- because that's how they live. So we need to be willing to learn, as well as teach and mentor.

Sounds pretty good, no? Sort of takes one's mind off the fact that we're entering the job market in a recessed economy with an ever-weakening dollar.

The Perils of Social Media for Big Business

2008-06-08T10:08:00.001-07:00

I'm a big proponent of companies diversifying their marketing. In fact, talking about social media makes up about half of my blog posts. But just because I, and many other marketing pundits, believe that venturing into Facebook and MySpace is a good idea does not make it so. In other words, simply having a presence in an online community without an idea of how you're going to utilize it is foolish. It makes the company seem like it's merely clinging to a fad, and that's a sure way to kill credibility.

In an intelligent and humorous article for AdAge, Greg Andersen elaborates on this same idea. After joining Facebook, Andersen was asked by his 16 year old niece, "What are you doing here?" When he found that he had no better response than, "Um, because everyone else is?", he knew there was a problem. Check out the full article to see Andersen's advice for companies who want in on social media, but are too dorky to know why.

Keith Reinhard brings the thunder: Part 2

2008-06-05T12:31:00.001-07:00

Part two of the Keith Reinhard interview at AdAge is now posted. Some notable points include:

young advertisers shouldn't go too weird in their attempts at originality
creatives are usually the most insecure type of marketer
now is a "great time to be in the business"
ROI really stands for relevance, originality and impact

Words of Wisdom From Hall-of-Famer Keith Reinhard

2008-06-03T16:38:00.000-07:00

Ever been chastised for not respecting one's elders? Well, if you have been, good. It's an important thing to remember. We can learn a lot from those who came before us, especially when it comes to the marketing business. Back before everything was all about Facebook and Youtube and "Gen X-ers", advertisers had to get by on nothing but clean, strong copy and intelligent design. Then, as now, sound strategy was key to making an impact on consumers and few did it better than DDB Chairman Emeritus Keith Reinhard.

Reinhard was recently inducted into the Advertising Hall-of-Fame. He's known for writing some of the most famous taglines in advertising history like State Farm's "Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there" and McDonald's "You deserve a break today". At AdAge.com recently, AdAge editor-in-chief Rance Crain conduced a video interview with Reinhard exploring how he got into the business and some of the secrets behind his memorable taglines. One of the most tasty nuggets from the interview...Barry Manilow composed that catchy jingle for State Farm. It's the first of three videos, so I'll try and post the others when they come online.

Social Media In Plain English

2008-06-03T16:28:00.000-07:00

I write frequently about social media and its impact on marketing, but I've never seen it explained quite as pleasantly or succinctly as it is in this video from Common Craft. Enjoy.

Thanks to Karl at Experience Curve, where I first saw this video posted.

Seth Godin's List of What Marketers Should Know

2008-05-11T18:58:00.000-07:00

Since this is my last blog post before the summer cycle begins, I thought that I should end with a bit of knowledge from one of the best. Seth Godin is pretty much the undisputed king of marketing blogs and one of the greatest minds of the information era. Anyways, at Seth's Blog recently, Seth wrote out a list of things that every marketer should know. With his permission, I am reprinting it here.

What Every Good Marketer Knows:

Anticipated, personal and relevant advertising always does better than unsolicited junk.
Making promises and keeping them is a great way to build a brand.
Your best customers are worth far more than your average customers.
Share of wallet is easier, more profitable and ultimately more effective a measure than share of market.
Marketing begins before the product is created.
Advertising is just a symptom, a tactic. Marketing is about far more than that.
Low price is a great way to sell a commodity. That’s not marketing, though, that’s efficiency.
Conversations among the members of your marketplace happen whether you like it or not.
Good marketing encourages the right sort of conversations.
Products that are remarkable get talked about.
Marketing is the way your people answer the phone, the typesetting on your bills and your returns policy.
You can’t fool all the people, not even most of the time. And people, once unfooled, talk about the experience.
If you are marketing from a fairly static annual budget, you’re viewing marketing as an expense. Good marketers realize that it is an investment.
People don’t buy what they need. They buy what they want.
You’re not in charge. And your prospects don’t care about you.
What people want is the extra, the emotional bonus they get when they buy something they love.
Business to business marketing is just marketing to consumers who happen to have a corporation to pay for what they buy.
Traditional ways of interrupting consumers (TV ads, trade show booths, junk mail) are losing their cost-effectiveness. At the same time, new ways of spreading ideas (blogs, permission-based RSS information, consumer fan clubs) are quickly proving how well they work.
People all over the world, and of every income level, respond to marketing that promises and delivers basic human wants.
Good marketers tell a story.
People are selfish, lazy, uninformed and impatient. Start with that and you’ll be pleasantly surprised by what you find.
Marketing that works is marketing that people choose to notice.
Effective stories match the worldview of the people you are telling the story to.
Choose your customers. Fire the ones that hurt your ability to deliver the right story to the others.
A product for everyone rarely reaches much of anyone.
Living and breathing an authentic story is the best way to survive in an conversation-rich world.
Marketers are responsible for the side effects their products cause.
Reminding the consumer of a story they know and trust is a powerful shortcut.
Good marketers measure.
Marketing is not an emergency. It’s a planned, thoughtful exercise that started a long time ago and doesn’t end until you’re done.
One disappointed customer is worth ten delighted ones.
In the googleworld, the best in the world wins more often, and wins more.
Most marketers create good enough and then quit. Greatest beats good enough every time.
There are more rich people than ever before, and they demand to be treated differently.
Organizations that manage to deal directly with their end users have an asset for the future.
You can game the social media in the short run, but not for long.
You market when you hire and when you fire. You market when you call tech support and you market every time you send a memo.
Blogging makes you a better marketer because it teaches you humility in your writing.

Drama with the Dove "Real Women" Ads

2008-05-09T16:12:00.000-07:00

Recently, there has been somewhat of a dust-up over statements concerning the popular and critically acclaimed "Real Beauty" campaign for Dove. In an interview with the New Yorker, Pascal Dangin, a photo re-toucher who worked with photographer Annie Liebovitz on Dove's Pro-Age campaign, seemed to imply that there was digital retouching done for the "Real Women" campaign. His direct quote was, "[referring to the 'Real Women' Ads] Do you know how much retouching was on that...it was great to do, a challenge, to keep everyone's skin and faces showing the mileage but not looking unattractive."

Now, Dove, Liebovitz, and Dangin have issued a statement saying the comments were taken out of context and that Dangin's only role with the campaign was to remove dust and color correct the images. It seems to me, after reading their statements and reexamining the original quote, that Dove's position is truthful and that the photographs were not retouched. However, it was interesting to see the quick backlash with which people responded to the claims of digital manipulation. If it were true, it certainly would have hurt Dove's brand credibility and made for a very awkward situation.

A Google Success Story

2008-05-02T20:17:00.000-07:00

Google has long been deified for its incredibly successful ad platform. Until recently, however, this platform has only been used to place Internet ads that are contextually linked to Google's search engine. Now, however, with the expansion of Google's AdWords program to allow for the placement of television ads, Google has taken an even bigger step toward ad dominance. Plus, this system allows for commercial production companies to connect more easily and more directly with their clients.

Early opinions of the TV ad platform have been positive. To learn a little bit more about how the Google program works, you should check out this article. It highlights the successful pairing of eHealth.com and the Pixel Bros. production company from Chicago.

Luke Sullivan Podcast

2008-04-30T21:25:00.001-07:00

I came across a pretty great podcast at the radicalcareering.com Hog Blog the other day. It was an interview between the author of the blog, Sally Hogshead, and advertising legend Luke Sullivan. Sullivan relates his perceptions on the direction that the industry is taking and the steps young professionals can take to do good work. Event though the podcast was recorded a year ago, the information is still really relevant. Here's the link.

The Man Himself

New Internship

2008-04-28T11:32:00.001-07:00

I'm not usually in the habit of tooting my own horn when it comes to this blog, but I thought, since most of my readers are also looking for internships or jobs, I should take a moment to share my success. I figure that, if there is some kind of Karmic or Zen force working in the world, my good luck can somehow rub off on someone else.

Recently, I was hired to work for the summer as a copywriting intern for a mid-sized Chicago ad agency. It should be a really great experience for me, and I'm very eager to learn more about the creative process inside of an agency setting. While I'm unsure as to the actual amount of copy work I'll be doing, it'll be worthwhile no matter what to see firsthand how an ad campaign comes together from conception to rollout.

In keeping with the spreading of good vibes, if anyone else out there wants to share their achievements (getting a new job/internship, graduating, etc) send me an e-mail at robfrappier@gmail.com. I'm thinking that it might be cool to make one of my future posts a list of congrats for all of the marketing students out there.

The Best Movie Tie-Ins Ever

2008-04-24T22:14:00.001-07:00

I read an interesting article at AdAge today about some of the product tie-ins for the upcoming movie "Speed Racer". These tie-ins can include anything from product placement to specially branded "Speed Racer" products. Mega brands such as Mattel, General Mills, McDonalds and Nintendo have entered into partnerships with the film which shows how big of a deal this type of marketing can be.

Reading the article got me thinking about some of my favorite movie tie-ins from the old days. Does anybody remember the collectors edition glasses McDonalds released for the movie Batman Forever?

I really wanted to collect all of those things, but I could never get my little 9 year old hands on the Two-Face cup. I think I might have drunk exclusively from the Riddler glass for a couple of weeks at one point. Anyways, what other movie tie-ins from our youth can you remember?

Here's my card

2008-04-20T21:01:00.000-07:00

So I don't have a business card. I probably should now that I'm officially done with college and am actively seeking a job in the real world. Then again, I'm not exactly sure what to put on it. I mean, what do fresh out of college grads put on their business cards?

"Rob Frappier.....hire me."

The whole prospect is somewhat daunting to me. It's not that I'm scared to approach someone. On the contrary, I'm really great at social interaction. It's just that there's something about the exchange of business cards which seems weird to me. It's like your personality has to be reflected in the card. But how can you do that if you're only dealing with a 3 1/2 by 2 inch paper rectangle? Well, you could, quite literally, think outside of the box. The business card doesn't have to be boring. Just check out some of these examples from all over the world. Here's one of my personal favorites.

They've Invaded Our Brains!!!

2008-04-17T23:05:00.000-07:00

Okay, okay, okay. I know my usual position on creative advertising is, "Awesome! Wow! Gosh, that's really neat-o!", but not today. Today, thanks to a startling post from MarketingProfs DailyFix Blog I am not awed by the innovation of marketers, but rather terrified of it. Why you might ask? Simple. They've invaded our brains.

That's right. Marketers have begun delivering content directly into the head of consumers via new technology known as hypersonic sound. As detailed in this article at Wired Magazine, the hypersonic messaging works by delivering audio in a narrowly focused beam. Unless you are directly in the path of the beam, you will not hear the message. In other words, the one precious part of our selves which only we have access to can be broken into and filled with strange voices urging us to buy something or eat something or watch something on TV.

Can this be real? I mean, doesn't it sound like something out of science fiction? Worse yet, there's no legal precedent for this kind of activity, and since I watch a ton of Law & Order I know that having a legal precedent is key when dealing with a violation of someone's rights. So this type of invasive marketing will probably continue to exist until someone files a lawsuit against the company doing it which could take years to happen.

Needless to say, it's a strange new world in which we live and sometimes I just can't help but get the heebie-jeebies. Anybody else out there with me on this?

Why I want to work in marketing

2008-04-13T16:08:00.000-07:00

One of the best things about working in marketing is the people. Unlike a lot of office settings where everyone is buttoned down and repressed, my general impression of creative marketing firms is that they are much more easygoing and open. Because ad agencies need their workspaces to be creative and thought provoking places, the people who work them are generally a lot more loose and relaxed. I just can't imagine taking a job where the corporate culture is so severe that the feeling of leaving your job is actually more gratifying than doing it well.

Creative ad firms are the types of places where you might find a handful of copywriters playing Rock Band on the Wii during a brainstorming session in one room and the CEO expounding on his newest tattoo in the next. I mean, how could you get a better work environment than that?

And if you are skeptical of how much fun ad pros actually get to have, I'd like to submit exhibit A. Watch the video below. What's more fun than sitting around and making up dumb games to pass the day away without getting in trouble for it? Amazing. Thanks to Clay Parker Jones of Hoffman York Chicago for posting his shenanigans to his blog.

Want To Try Some Blow?

2008-04-08T18:54:00.000-07:00

Remember that blog post I wrote a couple back about the positive societal benefits of marketing. Well, it's stuff like this that makes that whole philosophy fall to pieces. Through an absolutely ridiculous and painfully unethical marketing campaign, a new energy drink called "Blow" is being foisted upon the impressionable minds of America's youth.

Intended to look like a vial of cocaine, the powdered energy drink is supposed to be a fun tongue-in-cheek take on party drugs. You know, those hilarious party drugs that are responsible for arrhythmia, convulsions, and respiratory failure. It's reprehensible to me that something like this could find its way onto the market. Worse yet, the makers will probably cash in on it for millions of bucks.

From the press release: "Anyone offended by our product needs to lighten up and get a life". I'm the one that needs to get a life? Seriously? Sometimes I just don't know what this world's coming to. Would someone please comment on this and let me know that I'm not the last sane person left in the world?

Thanks to Darryl Ohrt at brandflakesforbreakfast for pointing this out.

Some Cool Ads

2008-04-06T16:15:00.001-07:00

It's always nice to see a clever and well designed ad. To me, it's the same feeling as hearing a good song or seeing a good movie. I appreciate the work that went into making the product and I wish that I had somehow been involved with it.

Anyways, here's a handful of ads for AT&T Wireless which I thought were pretty cool. Hahaha...handful. I didn't even mean to make a pun, I'm just naturally funny.

Source: http://curiousphotos.blogspot.com/2008/04/creative-hand-ad.html

Ad:Tech San Francisco

2008-04-02T15:42:00.000-07:00

Greetings all. I just got back to Chicago last night from my wonderfully lazy spring break in Aruba. Yes sir, six long luxurious days spent lounging in the Caribbean sipping on Long Island Ice Teas and Rum Runners. But alas, despite my girlfriend's insistence that we stay and start a new life in the tropics, I had to come home and resume my regular life.

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So, having said that, I do have a juicy bit of marketing business to share. The ever important Ad:Tech convention is coming to the city of San Francisco in just two short weeks. Ad:Tech is one of the biggest and most well respected marketing conferences in the world. The emphasis of the two day event is to explore the ways in which digital marketing is being changed by new technologies and innovations. Past keynote speakers have included CEOs and Presidents of major advertising agencies and technology companies.

Many of my favorite bloggers will be attending the event and recording their impressions and insights. Keep your eye on the posts over at the Madison Avenue Journal where our old friend Paul McEnany, of Hee-Haw Marketing, will be a contributing writer.

What Will Newly Graduated Marketers Face in 2009?

2008-03-27T12:24:00.000-07:00

Q: How will the job market look for college grads majoring in Management/Marketing in 2009? –Hussain from Chicago, IL

A: Employment of advertising, marketing, promotions, public relations, and sales managers is expected to increase by 12 percent through 2016—about as fast as the average for all occupations. Job growth will be spurred by intense domestic and global competition in products and services offered to consumers and increasing activity in television, radio, and outdoor advertising.

Projected employment growth varies by industry. For example, employment is projected to grow much faster than average in scientific, professional, and related services—such as computer systems design and related services, and advertising and related services—as businesses increasingly hire contractors for these services instead of additional full-time staff. By contrast, a decline in employment is expected in many manufacturing industries.

Advertising, marketing, promotions, public relations, and sales manager jobs are highly coveted and will be sought by other managers or highly experienced professionals, resulting in keen competition. College graduates with related experience, a high level of creativity, and strong communication skills should have the best job opportunities. In particular, employers will seek those who have the computer skills to conduct advertising, marketing, promotions, public relations, and sales activities on the Internet.
--Erdin Beshimov, Experience, Inc.

Source: http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos020.htm#outlook.

Vintage Ad Contest

2008-03-24T22:12:00.001-07:00

Worth1000.com is sponsoring a pretty cool contest where people can submit old styled ads of new products. Judging by the current entries, I'd need to bone up my photoshop skills by quite a lot before I could submit one myself. Some of the people got pretty creative with their entries. You can check them all out here.

What's Next in Marketing+Advertising by Paul Isakson

2008-03-24T21:04:00.000-07:00

We all know that marketing is changing. I've done nothing but talk about these changes since I first started writing for this blog one year ago. Never, however, have I been able to explain these changes, and the way which companies can most effectively implement them, as effectively as Paul Isakson has with his brilliant slide presentation. It's simple, clear, funny, and, most importantly, effective at delivering a strong message about the future of the industry. Check it out below.

| View | Upload your own

Thanks a ton to David Armano at Logic+Emotion for posting about this presentation.

Reverse Product Placement

2008-03-22T13:22:00.001-07:00

Everyone by now knows about product placement. Sometimes it's done well, as in the case of Reese's Pieces and ET.

Other times...not so much.

By the way, I remembered this scene from Demoltion Man differently. I'm pretty sure the version I saw had Taco Bell. Thankfully, Wikipedia was able to verify my sometimes shaky memory. Apparently the European version of the film used Pizza Hut and the American version used Taco Bell. Completely irrelevant, but a neat little factoid for your friends.

Anyways, the reason I'm talking about product placement at all is because I read something at Brandweek about a relatively new concept called "reverse product placement". With RPP, fictional products taken from TV or movies are made into real products for actual purchase. 7-11 got involved with this somewhat during promotion for the Simpsons Movie and now it appears that "Slurm", the drink of choice for the animated series Futurama, may soon be made for real use. If this does eventually come through, I'll be sure to get a can.

"Safe is Unsafe" - A New Approach to Integrated Marketing

2008-03-19T18:13:00.000-07:00

The term "integrated marketing communications" gets tossed around pretty frequently nowadays. In principle, it sounds brilliant: create a campaign for your client that delivers a consistent message over a diverse assortment of media. What company wouldn't want their print, radio, tv, and internet messages to be developed all together? But how genuinely practical is the IMC method? In order for a small ad firm to really commit to integrated marketing, they'd either need their staff to be experts on everything or hire more staff. Since these companies don't usually have the resources to do either one of these things, they can't really succeed at IMC.

The people at Hub Strategy in San Francisco have found a creative and, so far, extremely successful way around this. By establishing solid connections with an army of freelancers, Hub is able to quickly meet a client's needs in any number of specialized media. With over 100 on-call workers to choose from, Hub makes the concept of integrated marketing not only work, but also work fast and efficient. Also, since CEO DJ O'Neil is committed to the philosophy that "Safe is Unsafe", companies are guaranteed that their work is going to get noticed.

Even though the company is relatively small, it's gained some impressive clientele and may become a model for ad shops in the future. To see some of their work, check out their webpage. Oh, and if you do visit their site, be warned: you're going to watch a video about sweaters.

Google - Is it really the best place to work?

2008-03-11T14:03:00.000-07:00

Taking a cue from a post Jenna put up at the 3gen blog, I wanted to talk about Google's recent recognition as the "Best Company to Work For" by Fortune Magazine. I've done a lot of research into Google's work environment, and it certainly sounds great on paper, but there are some catches. You see, Google tried really hard to make the integration of work and life seamless. They have childcare, free food, laundry on site. It's hard to argue that these are bad things.

However, if you think about it, they're actually only devising ways to get their employees to work earlier and to keep them there later.

"Come in and get free breakfast...but you have to come in at 8am to get it."

"Use our free laundry...but not during your scheduled work hours."

I guess it's hard to harp on Google since they offers these things at all, but the truth is they're hiring recent college grads and giving them a very college like atmosphere. Google, in effect, becomes their new college campus where they spend most of their time.

So what do you think, am I reading too much into this or have I uncovered Google's secret plot?

Have you got your ticket to the ODDY's?

2008-03-11T13:14:00.000-07:00

So what if the Oscars have all the hot shot celebrities and fancy red carpet fashions? There are a number of high profile awards for excellence in the field of marketing too! You've got the ADDY, the Clio, the Silver Anvil, the Mobius; the list goes on and on.

You see, marketing professionals, like all other human beings, want to be celebrated for their achievements. These awards honor the creativity, passion, and inspiration needed to craft an effective and compelling marketing campaign and are taken very seriously in the marketing community. Having a major award on your company's resume is a big time reputation enhancer and can help bump a small business to national prominence.

Recognizing the importance of innovation and originality in new marketing efforts, Phoenix design firm Keane Creative has developed their own award for marketers in the state of Arizona called the ODDY. Even though it's not a national award, it still looks like it could end up being a pretty cool trophy to take home. I especially like how any business can apply for consideration.

I'll definitely be keeping my eye on these awards. There's a lot of talent out there, and seeing the best of the best can really help us newbies learn what type of work needs to be done to get noticed.

I Love the Onion

2008-03-08T21:10:00.000-08:00

I read the Onion every week. So should you. Wanna know why? Because of articles like this.

I've never been so tickled by seeing my future career satirized. It's just plain brilliant.

Are You Ready To Make Some XLNT Ads?

2008-03-05T18:12:00.000-08:00

Thanks to the power of the internet, many companies are realizing that they don't have to turn to the standard powerhouse agencies to produce quality advertising. Through the proliferation of video sharing sites such as metacafe, current, and youtube, it is possible for a budding advertiser to create their own hip and edgy ad which can be viewed by the world. I mean, what could be better than strolling into a job interview and being able to say that 110,000 people had viewed your fake commercial on Youtube? How about getting paid for it?

The website pictured above is called XLNTads.com. What they've done is created a platform to connect digital video producers with specific advertising projects from major companies. When a user submits a video to the site, the company reviews it and, if they like it, they award the creator anywhere between $5,000 and $20,000. Plus, since big time brands such as Bud Light, Slim Fast, and 100 Grand candy bars have been featured on the site, you know that it's not some kind of sham. If these companies are willing to invest their time and resources into partnering with this web site, it must be a pretty legit operation.

So, if you're into creative advertising and you've got access to a camera and some editing software, check out XLNTads.com. I'm willing to bet that websites like this, or at least the general idea of user produced advertising, will become a much more prevalent part of the ad industry in the next 5-10 years.

Leo Burnett's Hispanic Marketing Director Shares Her Career Path

2008-03-02T21:59:00.000-08:00

Every so often, I find it useful to post a link to an article or story I find which details a successful marketing professional's rise to glory. They're not only interesting stories, but they help show us that the path to the top is never quite as linear as we want it to be. In the case of Dolores Kunda, Leo Burnett's director of Hispanic marketing, the break toward marketing came when she realized that finance wasn't as interesting as she'd hoped.

I'm encouraged when I read about career paths like Ms. Kunda's because it helps put the post collegiate job search in perspective. It's refreshing to hear that someone doesn't necessarily have to major in marketing and get the perfect internship to become a success. The most important thing to remember is to just enjoy what you do. If you're happy and you work hard, the promotions and bonuses will come in time.

Kimberly-Clark and Unilever See the Value of New Media

2008-02-27T20:15:00.000-08:00

In yet another example of the importance new media has in strategic marketing plans, corporate giants Kimberly-Clark and Unilever are expected to shift ad spending from traditional media outlets to non-traditional media by significant amounts. K-C will shift it's spending away from print and TV by 24% and Unilever is cutting its number of television commercials to only 30 this year. For both companies, the idea seems to be to focus more on a few larger completely integrated campaigns than a number of smaller campaigns.

As is probably apparent from my previous posts, I think that this shift is a good thing for the advertising industry. By embracing the vast possibilities of digital media, companies are able to present a more complete and effective marketing campaign. Plus, in my opinion, it allows for greater flexibility in terms of creativity. The traditional 30-second TV spot (which is practically a piece of art when done right) just isn't as effective when it stands alone.

But then again, who cares what I think? Do you think that this shift is a good thing for the marketing industry or does it make you less enthusiastic about entering the working world?

The Wide World of Marketing

2008-02-24T21:23:00.000-08:00

Anyone with an inkling of knowledge about the economy knows that America has been in a bit of a tight spot lately. Since globalization decided to peek its ugly little head around the corner, the US of A has had a hard time adjusting to the new world economy. But of course, as with most things in life, there is an upside.

With the emergence of Asian markets, China in particular, there has been an explosion of opportunity in the marketing industry. With many Asian countries becoming more receptive to Western goods, the time to strike for marketing professionals is now. However, as this article points out, marketing there ain't exactly as sure a science as marketing here.

The solution to this: research. Obviously, the more knowledgeable a marketer is about their market, the more successful they will be. So, if you're at all interested in a career overseas, start studying now. It's likely that the first generation of marketers to really succeed internationally will be the ones who prepare the best.

The Ugly Truth

2008-02-21T18:45:00.000-08:00

You know, I was thinking lately, I've never really been the "cool kid". That's not to say that I'm not cool, though. What I mean is; I've never been a trend setter. I've always caught on to fads right in the middle of their life cycle. You know what I mean. It’s that span of time right before something becomes overhyped and lame and nobody would be caught dead with it in public. In other words, when your parents start thinking it’s pretty cool.

Anyways, it's this type of person who decides what’s going to be hot or not in popular culture. Whether it's the next great tv show, fashion designer, musician, or restaurant, the "cool kids" are the ones who seem to hear about it first. In many instances, the influence of this group can be so powerful that an entire brand can grow from practially nothing into a thriving business in only a few short years. One example of this was featured recently in a video segment at CNNMoney.com.

Uglydolls are little plush dolls which, aside from being just plain cute, are some of the hottest items in the toy industry. The video explains how the Uglydoll brand has grown considerably without any major marketing initiative. Through the power of mostly word-of-mouth marketing and selective distribution outlets, Uglydolls have been a big success and continue to gain momentum. Make sure you check out the CNN link if you're at all interested in buzz marketing. It's probably one of the only case studies which will make you feel all warm and fuzzy.

Is Advertising Inefficient?

2008-02-18T11:11:00.000-08:00

Because I've been such a thrifty (i.e. cheap) person my entire life, I've never been particularly susceptible to advertising. No matter how cool I thought an ad was, I've never been the type to see a commercial and then immediately need to buy the product. When I do spend money, it's usually on one time extravagances like a nice dinner or a trip to the movies. In other words, advertising doesn't incite me to act.

But I'm in the minority, right? I mean, everyday I see people walking around with stuff that they probably don't need. They must have been influenced by advertising, right? But maybe not. Think about the last time you were compelled to buy something based on an ad. What was the product? Why was the ad effective? It's probably more difficult to recall than you thought it would be, right? That's because, according to some experts, advertising is quickly losing its effectiveness in the face of a tidal wave of new technologies and modes of communication.

In a post for the FASTforward blog, Paula Thornton explains that "The only reason advertising continues to survive is that it is ‘familiar’ and it is monetized." In other words, advertising continues to work because we haven't fully fleshed out the intricacies of new media. Once a more reliable system is established and embraced by the business world, it is almost a guarantee that traditional advertising will die out.

Needless to say, this is probably a bit scary for today's average advertising executive. Faced with rapid and unexpected changes to the traditional media model on a near daily basis, many long time pros are probably finding themselves up the proverbial creek without a paddle.

Well guess what!

We can be that paddle! We are the next generation of marketing professionals and it is our responsibility to understand how to navigate this new media landscape. We are the first generation in history to have come of age when computers were widely available and we can use that in our careers. We should not wait for the current marketers of the world to ask us for help, we should be offering it. Buzz marketing, guerilla marketing, social networking, viral videos; these things are part of our turf. It's time that we let the business world know that.

Marketing Jobs in the Public Sector

2008-02-15T18:16:00.000-08:00

Often times, when marketing students are looking for their first grown-up job out of college, the places they usually steer towards are pr and advertising agencies. But it's important to remember that you can still be a successful marketing professional without working in an agency. One way to do this is my working in the public sector.

Now I know that government job advice isn't my gig (Sean and Christina handle that) but, as graduation looms closer and closer, I think it's important that I become more and more fully committed to seeking out jobs in every possible marketing field. I mean, why not, right? It'd be stupid to not explore all of your options.

So, just what kind of jobs do marketers get in government? Well, one of the most obvious types is in the tourism industry. If you think about it, every city in the country has a tourism board. Who do you suppose it is who works for that board? If you guessed p.r. specialists, you're right! After all, what is tourism if it's not promotion? Typical job duties could include everything from event planning to writing press releases and traveler's guides. To see some of that work in action, just go to any city's tourism website. Chicago and San Francisco are both good examples.

Another job you can get in government is as a press secretary or a public affairs specialist. Basically, both of these positions can be characterized as publicists. In the prior case, you would be a publicist for an elected official, in the latter, you would work for a government department like the department of defense or treasury. In both cases, your marketing skills would be put to use frequently. People with strong communication skills are definitely needed in government, now it seems more than ever.

So, the moral of today's story is that your future marketing job may not come from the most likely place. If you poke your nose around different industries just a little bit, you're bound to sniff out something worthwhile. Even if you have your heart set on having your own little cubicle in a big shot agency, it's never a bad thing to keep your eyes open to other possibilities.

Why Marketing Is Good For Society. Seriously.

2008-02-11T09:10:00.000-08:00

Every so often, when I think about my choice of a future career, I have this kind of ethical panic attack. I start thinking about the end goals of marketing (i.e. profit) and I get discouraged. Should I really spend the rest of my life encouraging people to consume, consume, consume? Now don't get me wrong, I'm not a commie or anything, but the truth of the matter is, capitalism can be downright depressing. It seems like it brings out the worst kinds of habits in people: envy, greed, lust, materialism, etc. The list goes on and on.

So when I clicked on to AdAge this morning and was greeted by this lovely article from John A. Quelch and Katherine E. Jocz, I was uplifted. In a surprisingly logical way, the authors point out how the benefits of marketing and democracy are very similar. You see, marketing, like democracy, offers six societal benefits.

Exchange

Consumption

Choice

Inclusion

Information

Engagement

These qualities, when practiced by marketers are used to develop a fair and healthy relationship with consumers: one which is based on trust. As long as marketers remember to be socially conscious and keep their principles intact, there's no reason to feel bad. We are providing a service which is important to the functioning of a healthy society. Thanks AdAge for showing me the way.

Super Bowl Ad Review: Year 2

2008-02-04T13:07:00.000-08:00

Would you believe it's been an entire year since I started blogging for Experience.com? Good Lordy, time does fly. Well, anyways, in case you hadn't heard, a little thing called the Super Bowl happened on Sunday. Unlike last year's relatively unexciting Chicago Bears whuppin', this year's Super Bowl featured, arguably, the most improbable upset of all time. Seriously, who would have said at the beginning of the season that the New York Giants would win it all?

But we're not here to talk about the game. No, we're here to talk about the ads. And let's just say, it's a good thing the game was exciting, because, for the most part, the ads stunk. It seems like this year most of them fell into one of two categories. It was either the, "Wait, what was that ad for again?" variety or the, "Wow, that really cost 2.7 million dollars?" type. It seemed that there was, generally speaking, just a plain lack of creativity. Here's my unscientific list of hits and misses from this year's festivities. Mind you, this list doesn't include all the commercials, just the ones I thought were very good and very bad. In other words, I'm showing the As and the Fs. If you want to see the Bs, Cs, and Ds, you can see all the ads again on Youtube.

The Hits

E*Trade - Trading Baby

This ad was very enjoyable to me because of two things. One, it has a cute baby talking like an adult, always a recipe for comedy, and, Two, it delivered a cogent message about the product. Trading stocks can be an intimidating process for some people. With E*Trade, trading is so easy a baby can do it. Brilliant.

Budweiser - "Rocky" Clydesdale

While I think that this ad could do a better job at selling beer, the image of the Budweiser Clydesdale is fairly well implanted into the conscious of America. What really makes this ad work is its clever and somewhat surprisingly heartfelt narrative. Everyone loves a good comeback story, and the training montage set to the strains of the Rocky music was simply too good to ignore.

Fed-Ex - Carrier Pigeons

Animals are usually a sure hit in commercials. So how about giant, destructive, man-eating animals? Well, if this Fed-Ex spot is any indication, the bigger and more terrifying the better. Kudos to Fed-Ex for pulling one of the more creative ads of the day.

Tide to Go - Silence the Stain

This was my favorite ad of the night. Besides delivering an incredibly strong brand message, the spot was brilliantly conceived. What's more distracting than a big ugly stain right in the middle of someone's shirt? I love how the guy giving the interview's eyes keep wandering toward the stain. Very funny and subtle acting for such an absurdist style ad.

The Misses

Well, since Salesgenie.com occupied the top spot on my list last year, I must say I'm a little surprised they ended up here again. Usually when something is so unbelievably terrible and stupid a company tries to change it for the better. Instead, Salesgenie's spots are still lame and, now, are even mildly offensive. I just don't get it. How can one company invest so much money into such a lame commercial? Are they trying to use reverse psychology or something? I just don't get it. Anyways, here's the spots in questions. I'm not even gonna bother commenting on each one separately.

The Value of an MBA

2007-12-10T14:38:00.000-08:00

As the end of my undergraduate career rapidly approaches, I find myself wondering, what next? I had thought about attending Northwestern University, but I didn't feel qualified enough yet to present myself as a suitable applicant. I've considered all manners of internships, from film production to advertising sales, and been unsure. I've also wondered whether I shouldn't just get an MBA. It seems safe enough. Just listen to it: Masters in Business Administration. Pretty impressive. But then again, just what exactly can an MBA do for you? At Seth Godin's blog, often touted as the best marketing blog on the internet, we learn a little bit from the master about why an MBA isn't all it's cracked up to be.

In examining the case of 119 rejected Harvard Business School applicants, Seth comes to the conclusion that, perhaps, Harvard has done these people a favor. As he says, "unless you want to be a consultant or an i-banker (where a top MBA is nothing but a screen for admission) it's hard for me to understand why this [business school] is a better use of time and money than actual experience combined with a dedicated reading of 30 or 40 books." In other words, it may sometimes be better for a student to get out there and actually work before he or she gets muddled up in too much outdated business theory. Sounds like pretty good advice from one of the best in the business. Now if only he could help me figure out just what it is I want to do after graduation?

Go West Young Man!

2007-12-09T11:26:00.000-08:00

I read something recently in AdAge's talentworks blog about how many ad shops are heading out to San Francisco in search of talent. It seems that the city by the bay is the place to be for agencies who want to go interactive with their marketing efforts. It's no wonder either, with technology giants Google and Apple headquartered in nearby Mountain View and Cupertino.

This is pretty good news since I've been considering making a move out west. My sister lives in San Jose and has been touting the benefits of the bay area for a while. It's sunny. There are beautiful mountains. There's plenty of things to do. Etc, etc. And you know what? Not having to endure another painfully cold Chicago winter is a pretty good motivator too.

Million Dollar Endorsements

2007-12-03T09:59:00.000-08:00

Celebrity endorsements are an old standby of the advertising industry. They provide affirmations of the product's capabilities from a likeable and familiar face. In the world of sports, endorsements become even more important with entire lines of apparel being dedicated to one athlete. The Jordan brand alone is worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

So who out there in the sports universe is making the big bucks in endorsement deals? CNNMoney released a list of the top ten and the answers are somewhat surprising. I expected superstar basketball player LeBron James to be number one, but he is actually only at number three trailing professional golfers Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson. Another surprise: the margins between them aren't even close. Tiger is a huge number one with $100 million, Phil a strong second with $47 million, and LBJ a distant third with $25 million.

Needless to say, that's a lot of cash. It kind of makes me wonder if any companies will let me endorse something. With all of this holiday shopping to do, I'd schill for pretty much anything to get an extra buck or two. Seriously. I've got a trust worthy face, right?