A deep dive into digital marketing

No Passive Media

Posted by Chris under Advertising, Community, Mobile, Research, trends

Despite the title I don’t mean media in the strict sense but rather in the context that the consumer is/or can be interacting further with the brands we market. Or just maybe, I mean something even bigger.

For the past year we’ve been utilizing a customized version and experience of the Consumer Decision Journey (link the McKinsey’s white paper). Becoming a core to our context planning, that we’ve expanded further by segmenting the barriers that block someone from moving around the path (to purchase), and then adding the possible media touch points that could intersect at that moment.

Consumer Decision Journey

Maybe not rocket science, but it’s been art and science, and highly successful for a number of clients and their business. Overlay it with our Institute of Decision Making: which brings (as described in Michael Fassnacht’s blog) “Behavioral Economics and Neuro-Science, or more scientific ways of understanding the impact and purpose of brands for the unconscious part of consumer’s minds and we’re ready for the next leap.”

No Passive Media, The ability to create systems that connect, that allow and plan for a next step with each touch point as a part of marketing.

Why now? Three things – Technology, Behavior and Content

Technology

Well on one side we have technology. Technology in which I can interact or take a next step (easily) with just about every media touch point out there.

We can think about this as one aspect of our 6.5 Seconds that Matter^SM, the brief window of opportunity we have to make our message count.

However let’s expand it, not only to reflect multiple touch points but also to create flow and a depth of story that no singe medium can sustain. In other words, a series of 6.5 moments or 6.5ⁿ

Technologies like:

Connected TV* – widgets and apps on your tv

Bar, QR codes and even symbols and logos - and the apps that support them –See them in print ads today

App’s like Sound Hound and Shazam – what’s that song on Glee

Search – Where a lot of our next step takes place

SMS – Get a coupon from OOH

Social media – it’s already there

Mobile – perhaps the nexus point of next step

The list of technologies go on, but I think you get my drift that technology is allowing us to take a next step; to engage if we want to.

Now I’m not going to argue if this is good or bad, time and how well we do it will tell.

Behavior

We’re seeing this connectedness/next steps with media with consumer behavior now, albeit perhaps with cobbled together technology. Is it everyone all the time? No and not yet, but that’s ok, it’s about scale across dedicated audiences.

Absolutely there are times you want to lean back (see * below) and we’ll take that into account. In fact it all has to start with consumer behavior and then using technology to support this

Content

This can be the copy, the status post, the visual story; all that and more. It’s the information that we create and curate, which ultimately is the expression of the brand. And to bring the idea of No Passive Media to life we have to think like content creators, but that’s for another post.

How we think about it:

Here’s the foundation, the output of which is Commercial Transmedia Ideas; Ideas or media that connect and creates a system and allows for a range of passive and active interactions with the brand.

Modern Advertising System

Next generation Experience Planning

This goes beyond integration. McKinsey gets at this a little in their new white paper:  Beyond paid media: Marketing’s new vocabulary. But we’ll need to go farther beyond just integrating, we actually will need to do interaction decision planning: a what happens or can happen next planning that creates advertising and marketing that connects the dots and doesn’t just leave room but creates space for a next interaction.

Of course not everyone will want to always do this for ever interaction, sometimes I just want to switch off and have a lean back experience with my TV/magazine/book/website, etc. and that’s ok, it’s part of our planning!

Recap

Evolving technologies, core and changing behaviors and multi channel content give rise to commercial transmedia ideas. This in turn will let us recognize and bring to life work that has No Passive Media.

It’s the evolution of what we once called campaigns, then evolved into what some called platforms and what we now call systems. More on that later!

———

*yes I know this one is the “farthest out” but I kind of consider a laptop / mobile phone interaction while you are watching TV the caveman version of this. Since there are TV’s and systems (Google TV for all it’s pluses and minuses) available now I’m counting it. And if the forecasts are right, mainstream over the next 12-18 months.

Let’s get social

Posted by Chris under Advertising, Chicago, Community, Conference, Google, Social Networking, Twitter

Last week Google, at their Chicago office, hosted an afternoon event on social marketing along with a rawkstar party later that evening.

The event featured two keynote speakers: Jeremiah Owyang, Sr. Analyst Forrester and Paula Drum, VP, marketing, H&R Block. It was great to meet both of them as I’d spoken with them via phone, email and twitter but not met face to face. Both of their presentations were great, as expected.

Prior to Jeremiah’s presentation he sent a tweet that I’d be tweeting the presentation and thanks to Mrs. Naslund’s Freshman typing my typing speed allowed me to keep followers up to date. Interestingly his one tweet added about 30 followers, again showing the power of social networking.

Dick Costello, that’s right of Feedburner hosted a panel discussion, which unfortunately I couldn’t stay for however you can catch the photos of the even here (thanks Kate for posting on Picasso). And in addition to the photo’s Google has also posted PDF’s of the presentation which are here as well.

If you want to see the archive of tweets from the presentations they are here, but you’ll have to go back a few pages as well.

Shake it up baby

Posted by Chris under Advertising, Flash

A good friend of mine just sent this advert for Wii that’s running on YouTube. Check it out. And more here on Adrants blog.

First blush, wow how the heck did they do this. Second look, ahh it’s one big flash file.

Next thought, very cool they made it look like a YouTube page, I wonder if it all works. Drat it doesn’t. So points for keeping the traditional functionality look but a ding for not actually making it work.

Still kudos for the work and to Google/YouTube for letting them do it.

CNMS08

Posted by Chris under Advertising, CNMS08, Chicago, Community, Conference

Tomorrow is the first day of CNMS08 and there’s going to be a lot to take in as the schedule is jam packed. There’s lot’s of great local talent presenting Monday and Tuesday and if you can’t make the full conference you might want to check out the CNMS08 social event tomorrow night from 6-10pm.

I’ll be tweeting the sessions, for as long as the battery lasts, or hopefully I can grab a seat near an outlet. And you can catch it here.

Here’s a link to the PDF of the summit schedule or the PDF itself cnms08_planner_v6

Gates, better than Seinfeld?

Posted by Chris under Advertising, Microsoft, Technology

Just a quick note and then you’ll have to click through to Venture Beat, for their take, on the latest and uncut or long form version of the second spot.

More thoughts on it later but hmm, to quote the old Wendy’s stuff, where’s the beef.

But hey, for the (third) richest man on the planet he can sure carry his acting weight along with Seinfeld. And you can’t buy that with microsoft stock!

or stick around and watch it here.

There is no I in team but there is a me

Posted by Chris under Advertising, Community, I wish I'd thought of that, Research

crowdSPRING at DEMO

Posted by Chris under Advertising, Awards, Chicago, Community, Conference

Check out the great presentation from the guys from crowdSPRING at DEMO. My good friends from crowdSPRING, Ross, Mike, Pete (running the demo) and dennis Ryan, CCO from Element79. Then vote for them here, I think they deserve best DEMO presentation!

oh and pass it on!

Mad Men leaves TV

Posted by Chris under Advertising, I wish I'd thought of that, Social Networking, Twitter

Well not really but they did jump on Twitter. A few days ago, when I was slightly checked out on vacation; yes I was hitting the tables in Vegas and yes did leave with more then I arrived with. Something happened in the twitter space.

Man Men characters, no not the actors, the characters started twittering. I noted it the other day, and thought wow what a great campaign by AMC. Plenty of people tweeted that it not only wasn’t AMC but it was passionate fans that were then shut down by AMC.

But then smartly brought back.

I’m in a brainstorm right now and we’re talking about how to create, tap into and use word of mouth marketing and fan passion. But can we really, as marketer, create this?

David Armano blogged about how this is creating new rules. I’ll build on this it’s not just rule changing and another nod to the power of consumers; it can not just be created, as in let’s create word of mouth marketing.

The people behind, part of, and living wearesterlingcooper.com are not only fans, they are spot on writers, characters and create an interaction the brings to show to life.

Now I’m an ad guy, have been since I sold sweet corn to local grocery stores when I was 11 and there are times that I can be pretty darn cynical about the business. But I love Mad Men. The writing, the sets, the cinematography and even the pacing, it almost feels like a guilty pleasure to watch. And it’s even more a guilty pleasure to take the time out to tweet with the characters. And I have to admit it’s been quite fun to tweet with Betty Draper.   What started as a coffee stained shirt turned into Betty giving me advice on how to clean it with alcohol and later comments on my new cufflinks, which my wife echoed when I got home.

And you know, I love the show even more now. I’m part of the feedback loop and have told at least a dozen people this morning alone about the show and the twittering. A few haven’t seen the show, but they are interested now.

So one person told ten people who told…

If only we could “make” passionate fans but we can’t. But we can create a great experience and one in which we can hope to ignite and then fan the flames our our passionate audience.

Because when you have a fan base who writes a manifesto (below) like the folks at wearesteerlingcooper you truly have created something beautiful

Fan fiction. Brand hijacking. Copyright misuse. Sheer devotion. Call it what you will, but we call it the blurred line between content creators and content consumers, and it’s not going away. We’re your biggest fans, your die-hard proponents, and when your show gets cancelled we’ll be among the first to pass around the petition. Talk to us. Befriend us. Engage us. But please, don’t treat us like criminals.

This site exists to catalogue the conversation around AMC’s Mad Men and its fanbase across the social web. But it’s just the beginning. ‘We are Sterling Cooper’ is a rallying cry to brands and fans alike to come together and create together.

Mad Men on Twitter

Posted by Chris under Advertising, Social Networking, Twitter

In what starts to feel a bit to real, its like the 60’s meets the new millenium. The characters from Mad Men are on twitter. And it’s a little to real.

And I have to say I love it!

Follow along

http://twitter.com/Don_Draper

http://twitter.com/Betty_Draper

http://twitter.com/Roger_Sterling

http://twitter.com/peggyolson

http://twitter.com/pete_campbell

and more

There appear to me two of each both a first_last and firstlast. so we’ll see which are the “real” ones, maybe both

Ok I got on vacation for a few days and I miss out on the fun, I assumed (wrongly) that this was the work of AMC. Instead it’s fan fiction done one better and done right. Crap I’m even more of a fan of the show then I was before.

More here wearesterlingcooper.com

Today’s time waster and great online advertising

Posted by Chris under Advertising, Flash, I wish I'd thought of that

How can you resist yearbook yourself. Check it out here but as you are playing note that hey this is also advertising. The links go to actual stores in an actual mall. Seeming done by Taubman a property investment/mgmt. company, not only is this super fun to play with but what a great way to get the word out about your stores.

Kudos!