tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43391180676897061382024-03-18T21:43:16.449-07:00Found In Translationgrahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10066871052812728887noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4339118067689706138.post-5024737448935796642011-03-04T17:49:00.001-08:002011-03-04T17:58:22.158-08:00You are a human search engine (redux)Check out this succinct, well-written piece by John Byrne, previously Editor-in-Chief of Business Week: http://bit.ly/eUOobk. <br /><br />The consequences of us being human search engines are that networks like twitter are winning over engines like google. <br /><br />Why is this?<br /><br />Well, Twitter understands that their utility comes from a mix of human and cyber elements - to make one bigger, better algorithm. <br /><br />Google....well, I bet google understands it too. They just have not put together a social / search offering that has caught fire in the last few years. (Google Buzz, anyone? Google Wave? Hello?...Anyone there?....)<br /><br />It was unthinkable a few years ago that google might lose it's footing. Just as it's unthinkable now that facebook may falter in the future. But such is the way of things. For now, google remains megalithic. Let's see if they can stay that way.grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10066871052812728887noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4339118067689706138.post-77990745036973862682011-02-14T18:44:00.000-08:002011-02-14T18:49:19.703-08:00You are a human search engine.You are a human search engine. You have your own unique index, algorithm, and media brand. Moreover, so do I, and so does everyone we know. We are the emerging media brands of the future. If this is making no sense to you at all, try a thought experiment:<br /><br />Imagine you want to find out where the best Belgian beer is served in your city. (Maybe you don't have to imagine too hard.) Maybe you turn to google. Maybe Yelp, or even Foursquare. But if you're any kind of social animal, you'll likely know a real beer 'enthusiast' who has done the research already. Whose opinion on beer-related matters you trust. Who has the best three options on the tip of their tongue when you ask them.<br /><br />This person - we'll call them 'Amanda' - is behaving like a search engine, with a particularly effective index for local beer-related searches. Amanda is your go-to walking talking search engine on all things "Belgian Beer". Which is totally great.<br /><br />But ask Amanda a question on another subject and the results are very different. Amanda has no interest in fashion. So when you want somewhere to get designer remnants cheap, she has no "index" of sources, no "algorithm" to compute what best fits your needs. You need to ask someone else. Someone with a great index of bargain outlets. We'll call this person Joe - another walking search engine.<br /><br />And in this case, you are also acting like a search engine. When you determine to ask Joe, Amanda, or anyone else for advice, you're using your own search 'algorithm'. You factor in each social contacts' relevancy and popularity in relation to your query, before identifying the most likely source of the information you want.<br /><br />Now, humankind has used these instinctive indexing and algorithmic activities for as long as we've had humankind. So - why is this such a big deal now? Because we are at the advent of social and search platforms (like 'Live Search') that combine, and amplify, human and artificial search capabilities.<br /><br />This will accelerate huge changes in how we conceive media. In his excellent piece 'media after the site', Jeff Jarvis outlines his thesis on what media will become:<br /><br />“What does the post-page, post-site, post-media media world look like? @stephenfry, that’s what... He comes to us. We distribute him. He has been introduced to and acquired new fans. He now has a million followers, surely more than for any old web site of his. He did it by his wit(s) alone. His product is his ad, his readers his agency. He is media with no need for media.”<br /><br />It's not that people as emergent media brands need to be already-famous personalities - rather, our personal brand reach is driven by our reputation. Reputation is all any media brand really has left when the means of gathering and distributing information are no longer differentiators. And our reputation is driven by the quality of what we post - on blogs, networks, micro-blogs, etc.<br /><br />We're entering an era where you buy reach with brains - not just dollars.<br /></end></start>grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10066871052812728887noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4339118067689706138.post-18101615014946113962009-11-20T10:19:00.001-08:002009-11-20T11:22:46.678-08:00Brands are like People. Even Bleach brands.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmCHWDHwB3NCMKEXX-EYAqxTK9LyzjkHapXa8AZFUXkTsBmyS0dXsfvIfIaWoEs7rxITqfVU3WeqDuWNJk90I3jfInKjk-Vl9qAvuHn934uoribiI2hsVcSsNOQJDZEz8FUD3Lw3uIozY/s1600/111909-PossibilityShop.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 296px; height: 221px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmCHWDHwB3NCMKEXX-EYAqxTK9LyzjkHapXa8AZFUXkTsBmyS0dXsfvIfIaWoEs7rxITqfVU3WeqDuWNJk90I3jfInKjk-Vl9qAvuHn934uoribiI2hsVcSsNOQJDZEz8FUD3Lw3uIozY/s200/111909-PossibilityShop.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5406266472920009026" border="0" /></a>Two things caught my eye this morning - <a href="http://relationshipera.com/">this paper</a><span class="currency_converter_text"> on the 'relationship era' of marketing from imc</span><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link">2</span></span><span class="currency_converter_text">, and Clorox's announcement of their </span><a href="http://adage.com/madisonandvine/article?article_id=140638">partnership with Disney</a> (see screengrab right).<br /><br />These got me thinking: we increasingly perceive brands like we perceive people. And brands, no matter how apparently unglamorous, can be people worth knowing.<br /><br />For example, we like people who: listen to us and respond accordingly; take the trouble to be helpful, useful or entertaining; are genuine, and comfortable in their own skin. Of course, the converse is also true.<br /><br />And it's the same with brands. Having used personalities to embody themselves for years (think Ronald McDonald), brands have become personalities in their own right. It's interesting to see the profiles of brands and people alike, mingling unsegregated on our social platforms.<br /><br />I do not believe that this has been a specific 'grand plan' on the part of marketers. Rather, it is part of the market-driven leveling of the relationship between consumers and brands that has accelerated with the adoption of digital media.<br /><br />As consumers, we now expect the same integrity of brands as we do people. We judge them similarly on their behavior.<br /><br />And as marketers, we are more than ever guardians of our brands' character.<br /><br />So for a brand to sustain a relationship with a customer, the same commitment is required as when you or I seek the same relationship. Simply, we have to be worth knowing; worth spending valuable time and attention with.<br /><br />Ask yourself, is your brand someone worth hanging with? And if you're thinking that this doesn't apply to low-involvement, 'unglamorous' brands, remember the Clorox example above.<br /><br />Even a Bleach manufacturer can tell you how to throw a Holiday Party. And what's more fun to be around than that?grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10066871052812728887noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4339118067689706138.post-21002138515872115832009-11-17T12:20:00.000-08:002009-11-18T10:16:07.444-08:00What's Murdoch Really Got On Google?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9tikXiawSvJMYGqA7UjopirsIYXCrr04atVyNp2zFkyTC49ieq9Mkx_izhvSjfr5D2gFUIsAn4G1PHpf8etvkuVv_Pzs2gq915jsXTNFOSaqZOClE_FZ_verX9JVQT4G-Ka7W0vpFTlk/s1600/4799f8gg1fe6faf-murdoch.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 140px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9tikXiawSvJMYGqA7UjopirsIYXCrr04atVyNp2zFkyTC49ieq9Mkx_izhvSjfr5D2gFUIsAn4G1PHpf8etvkuVv_Pzs2gq915jsXTNFOSaqZOClE_FZ_verX9JVQT4G-Ka7W0vpFTlk/s200/4799f8gg1fe6faf-murdoch.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5405181035428127874" border="0" /></a><br />You might have seen last week Murdoch grumpily threatening to <a href="http://boingboing.net/2009/11/08/rupert-murdoch-vows.html">withdraw News Corp content </a>from Google search results, in an effort to 'protect' his IP. Since then there's been debate in the <a href="http://adage.com/digital/article?article_id=140537#comments-52210">trades </a>and <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0s4vF9-SM6Q">business media</a> on the merits of this. Amazingly, some folks seem to think Murdoch has a point.<br /><br />Now, maybe Murdoch means what he says. Or maybe he's posturing. Either way, I honestly wonder if he's losing it.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Does Murdoch mean what he says?</span><br /><br /><span class="currency_converter_text">Well then, to see Google (or any similar tool) as parasite of content is missing the point. Rather, Google is the virtual 'mall' through which content can be merchandized. Estimates of NC online traffic coming from search vary between </span><span class="currency_converter_text"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link">17</span></span></span><span class="currency_converter_text">% and </span><span class="currency_converter_text"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link">25</span></span></span><span class="currency_converter_text">%.</span><br /><br />Not only does this translate into millions in advertising dollars, but it is also an opportunity to merchandize content worth paying for. Perhaps this content needs to be sold in smaller chunks - eg. one article at a time - but it can reach a far, far larger audience than has ever paid for a newspaper.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />Or is he posturing?</span><br /><br /><span class="currency_converter_text"> Smarter commentators, such as Henry Blodget, have suggested that this is a classic Murdoch 'posture' to get Google to pay News Corp for the privilege of distributing its content.<br /><br />Again, is Murdoch smoking something? Google (Yahoo!, Bing etc...), are the new mediators of online content. They have successfully disrupted the media marketplace and changed consumer behavior. That's a simple fact. As such, News Corp needs Google far more than Google needs News Corp.<br /><br />Making NewsCorp content inaccessible from Google is the </span><span class="currency_converter_text"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link">21</span></span></span></span><span class="currency_converter_text">st Century equivalent to withdrawing it from newsstands. (Perhaps on the basis that the newstands are 'stealing' the daily headlines by freely displaying them?) If NewsCorp was to therefore make the WSJ or the London Times was available only through mail subscription, would that sound sensible?</span> No, it would not. Many readers would still go to the newstands and buy a competing news brand instead.<br /><br />As <a href="http://adage.com/digital/article?article_id=140537#comments-52210">this article</a> by Abbey Klassen and Nat Ives says, 'it's about the pay walls'. What Newscorp needs to do is correctly calibrate the content that is freely available (the shop window) with the content that people will pay for (the goods for sale inside). This is a 'micropayment strategy'.<br /><br /><span class="currency_converter_text">Not everyone believes a micropayment strategy would work. I kinda hope it will though. Because it would ultimately create a freer, unbundled, consumer marketplace for content. </span><span class="currency_converter_text"><span class="currency_converter_text">Which would likely improve the value of content available, and reverse the 'dumbing down' in broadsheet media that we've seen over the last </span><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link">20</span></span></span><span class="currency_converter_text"> years.<br /><br />But it would</span><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span class="currency_converter_text"> also reduce News Corp's control over the value chain of the News business. Which is possibly why they are rejecting a micropayment strategy and instead mooting </span><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link">24</span></span></span></span><span class="currency_converter_text">-hour subscriptions for online content. Subscriptions, by indiscriminately lumping together content that is desired with a bunch of other undesired content, is are a poorer reflection of both media consumption and the intrinsic value of the content.<br /><br />Grrrr.<br /><br />But I won't get too depressed yet - this saga is far from over.<br /></span>grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10066871052812728887noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4339118067689706138.post-37040960457637260512009-11-17T12:17:00.000-08:002009-11-17T12:20:30.789-08:002010: The mobile internet IS the internetFrom Mary Meeker (Morgan Stanley), a hugely significant and well-structured presentation from Web 2.0. <br /><br />A great way to use 17 minutes, trust me...<br /><br /><object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/SyZuoDIVXBQ&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/SyZuoDIVXBQ&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object>grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10066871052812728887noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4339118067689706138.post-73800942180714028112009-11-10T13:39:00.000-08:002009-11-10T14:31:37.219-08:00experiences you can FEED on<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2n72jxwKSLFDimHqFub4mpV1nktXY1NktMVv9IVlYeW9M1KRnwVUKJzeBMMdVRuqybTYfp417WarM5F053LVZ4OrOpdlA7Ymp-IV4lCfyuCJ8fg94RGJenTGEDuwYvE2YbYPFU6UY4lo/s1600-h/FEED.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 186px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2n72jxwKSLFDimHqFub4mpV1nktXY1NktMVv9IVlYeW9M1KRnwVUKJzeBMMdVRuqybTYfp417WarM5F053LVZ4OrOpdlA7Ymp-IV4lCfyuCJ8fg94RGJenTGEDuwYvE2YbYPFU6UY4lo/s200/FEED.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5402594157708161410" border="0" /></a>This morning Razorfish's <a href="http://feed.razorfish.com/">FEED report </a>came out<img src="file:///C:/Users/aburnley/AppData/Local/Temp/moz-screenshot-3.png" alt="" />. It's a well-structured, thought through, data-supported case for brands to engage their customers through digitally-delivered experiences (or 'engagement').<br /><br />Of course, this is nothing totally new. My old colleague <a href="http://www.madewithcomputers.com/">Tom Ajello</a><span class="currency_converter_text"> (now CD and founder at Poke) was exhorting his agency colleagues to create 'experiences, not messages' back in </span><span class="currency_converter_text">2005</span><span class="currency_converter_text">. And Garrick Schmitt's (Group VP Experience Planning at Razorfish) </span><a href="http://adage.com/digitalnext/post?article_id=140388&message=Thank+you+for+leaving+your+feedback%21">own article</a> in Ad Age today references many brands that have been ploughing this furrow for some time.<br /><br />If you've read my blogging before, you'll know that I feel that the 'experiences, not messages' idea is the way forward for brands. And that this argument will win through. Why?<br /><br />- Because we live in an <a href="http://grahamhumphreys.blogspot.com/2009/11/may-i-have-your-attention.html">attention economy</a>, where consumer attention is increasingly scarce, more valuable, more in demand, and more aggressively competed for by brands.<br /><br />- Because in our current era, the consumer zeitgeist is a pragmatic and frugal one. we want brands to <a href="http://grahamhumphreys.blogspot.com/2009/11/be-useful.html">work harder for us</a> - rather than be aspirational idols to worship.<br /><br />- Because in a market of declining ad effectiveness and resulting ad clutter, consumers filter out the message overload more than ever.<br /><br />-Because experiencing (or DO-ing) something is far more memorable than passively seeing or hearing something (there is loads of research on this area of cognition and learning, if you want to check it out)<br /><br />- Because Digital technology allows for the creation of experience at global scale, and free to the consumer, for the first time.<br /><br />- Because I get to see a lot of campaign metrics first-hand, and can I tell you, 'engagement' kicks ass if you know how to invest in it.<br /><br />All of which is a good thing in my book. As a marketer, the opportunity to create experiences with intrinsic value for consumers makes me feel like I'm on the side of the Angels for a change. And it looks like the argument for consumer engagement will win through. But hold on - there have been famous disasters as 'traditionally-minded' brands grapple with the idea of engagement - remember <a href="http://tinyurl.com/phj6h">Chevy Tahoe</a>? - and there will doubtless be many more.<br /><br />So this begs the question - <span style="font-weight: bold;">what is a solid methodology for creating 'engagement'?</span> How do you identify the most appropriate vehicle for a given brand, product and/or audience? Should it be based on utility, entertainment, information, or some other value-add? Would you use online games, virtual worlds, social networks, bespoke applications, or (heaven forbid) a WIDGET? How would these choices affect the quality, and quantity of the brand impact on your audience?<br /><br />Stay tuned for some answers - and give me your thoughts!grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10066871052812728887noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4339118067689706138.post-7320824168480335912009-11-06T19:28:00.000-08:002009-11-06T19:40:38.223-08:00Martin Sorrell at ad:tech<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0wR_4pE7z7lBsJ6Zil6ona4_Zv_Vp4sRw9zVajB1DsxOkohN3OjGSbf_UhznaEgiFmywEfhSDBxbBO1UJeAhICrNhGhtIPvW5tNsV3EiPGKfY5N-y2fDqXK6U12IgR1oSUBlUUxB5yeE/s1600-h/martin_sorrell_dwarf.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 126px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0wR_4pE7z7lBsJ6Zil6ona4_Zv_Vp4sRw9zVajB1DsxOkohN3OjGSbf_UhznaEgiFmywEfhSDBxbBO1UJeAhICrNhGhtIPvW5tNsV3EiPGKfY5N-y2fDqXK6U12IgR1oSUBlUUxB5yeE/s200/martin_sorrell_dwarf.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401201542064236594" border="0" /></a><br />Martin Sorrell's keynote <a href="http://tinyurl.com/yzqat3t">appearance </a>at NY's ad:tech this week was pretty interesting -<br /><br />Sorrell dealt with the question - 'how will the role of the agency evolve'? To which he predicted that ad agencies would be getting "very much more involved" in the development of content, relating this to a consolidating/shrinking print media market.<br /><br />It's true that agencies are getting more into the content creation sphere, and building media channels which interface directly with their clients' audiences.<br /><br />But to say this is primarily related to a contraction in print channels is missing the point. The main driver is that brands need to behave in a different, less self-entitled, way.<br /><br />Brands need to deliver content because they need to be more <a href="http://grahamhumphreys.blogspot.com/2009/11/be-useful.html">genuinely useful</a> to their audiences. Engaging today's attention-poor consumer takes more than simply shouting messages about yourself. As a brand, it's increasingly important to demonstrate your value by giving folks something <a href="http://grahamhumphreys.blogspot.com/2009/11/be-useful.html">genuinely useful</a>; free apps, games, entertainment or information. <a href="http://www.mystarbucksidea.com/">Starbucks</a>, <a href="http://www.ideastorm.com/">Dell</a>, <a href="http://www.homemadesimple.com/">P&G</a>, <a href="http://www.elevenmoms.com/">Walmart</a>, <a href="http://www.stophcommerce.com/">McAfee</a> are just a few of the folks jumping into these areas.<br /><br />I have a feeling that work which has to 'earn' its own audience (rather than take it for granted) will tax many shops beyond their current skills.<br /><br />So keep your seatbelts fastened - that Captain says the turbulence will continue for some time yet.grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10066871052812728887noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4339118067689706138.post-64379293727839859592009-11-04T09:13:00.000-08:002009-11-04T12:01:52.601-08:00My Generation<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8hNtDn98Wb3u_uMh_FqNHREHnp1NV8h5a0PW5RlKav3aj-dtq10dvd3XEhED9LVDvXtZifrLzaruoEkTLEvc5fF1sDdiaJTpHgv3a-THmy1qcyqdm0FeoPnHhlxLdb-o7gKPLVYPyuiw/s1600-h/WHOCD012.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8hNtDn98Wb3u_uMh_FqNHREHnp1NV8h5a0PW5RlKav3aj-dtq10dvd3XEhED9LVDvXtZifrLzaruoEkTLEvc5fF1sDdiaJTpHgv3a-THmy1qcyqdm0FeoPnHhlxLdb-o7gKPLVYPyuiw/s200/WHOCD012.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400307570639707890" border="0" /></a><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:100%;" ><span class="currency_converter_text">An industry friend, who runs his own digital agency, recently mused that 'old-school is the only school'. What he was referring to was the ongoing <a href="http://tinyurl.com/yh8r2zb">debate </a>about the relative merits of 'traditional' and 'digital' agencies. What he meant was that, whatever the media in which you execute, the fundamental questions of a clients' business, brand, audience, and communication, are a constant of brand leadership.<br /><br /><a href="http://anaandjelic.typepad.com/">Ana Andjelic</a> stirred up a <a href="http://tinyurl.com/yh8r2zb">hornet's nest</a> on Ad Age today by suggesting that the 'traditional' agencies had this down better than the 'digital' agencies.<br /><br />While Ana may have more brains than tact, she certainly hit a spot with plenty of angry wasps. And that's significant in itself. So I hope she's not feeling too stung by the angry response. Controversy boosts Ad Age's opage views, after all...<br /><br />Thing is, from my own first-hand experience of working with shops of many different ages, sizes, hues, disciplines, I agree with her central generalized thesis. Under fire, she clarified it thus:<br /></span></span><blockquote style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Digital firms: Great at figuring new stuff out. What they are not good at is old knowledge, simply because they don't have it.<br /><br />Traditional firms: A lot of old knowledge, some of which is still very relevant and useful. What they are not so good at is gathering the new knowledge.<br /><br /></span></blockquote><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:100%;" ><span class="currency_converter_text">The main problem with this debate is some fuzzy wording, so for argument I'll define 'old knowledge' to be those </span><span class="currency_converter_text">fundamental questions of a clients' business, brand, audience, and communication that we outlined above. Not to mention the skills of developing and keeping client relationships.</span><span class="currency_converter_text"> If, like me, you're already identifying the exceptions to Ana's generalizations, you may grudgingly recognize some truth to it as well.<br /><br />The old and wise have always <a href="http://www.jimmyakin.org/2005/02/aristotle_on_yo.html">criticized the young</a>. And the young have always <a href="http://www.lyricsfreak.com/w/who/my+generation_20146654.html">despised the prospect of Age</a>. But eventually the young become old. Perhaps that will be the only real resolution to this debate :)</span></span><b><span class="currency_converter_text"><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;" ><br /></span><br /></span></b>grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10066871052812728887noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4339118067689706138.post-14929449135624287352009-11-03T11:35:00.001-08:002009-11-12T19:54:03.816-08:00Be Useful<link style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;" rel="File-List" href="file:///C:%5CUsers%5Caburnley%5CAppData%5CLocal%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_filelist.xml"><link style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;" rel="Preview" href="file:///C:%5CUsers%5Caburnley%5CAppData%5CLocal%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_preview.wmf"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:documentproperties> <o:version>12.00</o:Version> </o:DocumentProperties> </xml><![endif]--><link style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;" rel="themeData" 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Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:EN-GB;} .MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; font-size:10.0pt; mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">'Ask not what your customers can do for you - ask what you can do for your customers.' - Stan Rapp.</span></span>
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<br />In headier days, we set up brands as objects of worship. Check out <a href="http://www.britishdesigninnovation.org/index.php?page=newsservice/view&news_id=2601">this </a><span class="currency_converter_text">little souvenir of </span><span class="currency_converter_text"><span class="currency_converter_text"><span class="currency_converter_text"><span class="currency_converter_text"><span class="currency_converter_text"><span class="currency_converter_text"><span class="currency_converter_text"><span class="currency_converter_text"><span class="currency_converter_text">2003</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span class="currency_converter_text">. See? Some of us actually used to say things like that. Sheesh.</span>
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<br /><span class="currency_converter_text">While this recession has been a royal pain in the backside, it's brought folks back to reality. With a wholesome thud. T</span><span class="currency_converter_text">o today's Frugal zeitgeist, worshipping a brand sounds like a waste of time and money.</span> Frugal is not only practical - it's become <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2009/jan/04/us-economy-thrift-barack-obama">chic</a>.
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<br />Which plays havoc with a brand's topline: Premium lines take a nosedive; basic lines undergo extreme price pressure; purchase frequency dwindles, and impulse purchase.......well, what impulse purchase? Nightmare.
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<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.insureandgo.com/resources/images/main/help.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 239px; height: 229px;" src="http://www.insureandgo.com/resources/images/main/help.gif" alt="" border="0" /></a>Brands' audiences have own their share of problems. Overwhelmingly, they will be trying to do more with less time and less money. They need help. And this is the key to cracking the recession code for brands.
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<br />Not to be an object of worship, but to Be Useful. That is, to provide value to your customers before they've paid you a cent. Being Useful is a way to solve your balance sheet problems by solving your audiences' problems first.
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<br /><span class="currency_converter_text">In </span><span class="currency_converter_text"><span class="currency_converter_text"><span class="currency_converter_text"><span class="currency_converter_text"><span class="currency_converter_text"><span class="currency_converter_text"><span class="currency_converter_text"><span class="currency_converter_text"><span class="currency_converter_text">2007</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span class="currency_converter_text">, Dell noticed </span><span class="currency_converter_text">an acceleration in consumers reaching out for PC help and advice. Rather than reach out to Dell, they reached out to family, neighbors and interest groups</span><span class="currency_converter_text">. Folks were comparing notes on faulty hardware, poor software instalations, patchy service, the best deals, you name it. Dell had lost it's voice in this conversation, and brand was coming off badly.
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<br />Dell's answer was to harness these disgruntled communities by becoming </span><a href="http://www.ideastorm.com/">useful for their needs</a>: Dell's www.ideastorm.com provided a useful, and therefore valuable, platform for these communities to get advice, point out product glitches, suggest improvements, and vote for the most popular ideas. It's been a great <a href="http://www.cohnwolfe.com/en/case-studies/dell">success </a>and key to Dell's turnaround in customer service and delivery. Starbucks - undergoing their own issues - later borrowed the <a href="http://www.mystarbucksidea.com/">same idea</a>.
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<br /><span class="currency_converter_text">Being Useful - or Utility - is no flash in the pan. The economy isn't reverting to a more frivolous </span><span class="currency_converter_text"><span class="currency_converter_text"><span class="currency_converter_text"><span class="currency_converter_text"><span class="currency_converter_text"><span class="currency_converter_text"><span class="currency_converter_text"><span class="currency_converter_text">2006</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span class="currency_converter_text"> anytime soon. Utility is the new religion du jour. Go forth and Be Useful.</span>grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10066871052812728887noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4339118067689706138.post-56939771049642659272009-11-02T13:30:00.000-08:002009-11-03T11:48:04.726-08:00Bi-Partisan Marketing<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZxdqBEXobRlUh_0rZHm7AaxEJd4uQhctYTexQ0lo1HKn74i_n8gAiue765npyNKiBYvMuMWvVgzZbxt6KFoHAtEenYujHotIaRrP5uJVdX4m2yY7UJCpSTpVsImBqnvsw3CmMyW4n0As/s1600-h/bipartisan_animal_tshirt.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZxdqBEXobRlUh_0rZHm7AaxEJd4uQhctYTexQ0lo1HKn74i_n8gAiue765npyNKiBYvMuMWvVgzZbxt6KFoHAtEenYujHotIaRrP5uJVdX4m2yY7UJCpSTpVsImBqnvsw3CmMyW4n0As/s200/bipartisan_animal_tshirt.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5399651007287768226" border="0" /></a>Wait, I'm not getting political! Nope, this post is about how marketers, not politicians, can benefit from 'crossing the aisle' once in a while.<br /><br /><span class="currency_converter_text">In Response Marketing </span><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link">101</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span class="currency_converter_text"><span class="currency_converter_text">, we were told 'if you're not measuring it, don't do it'. In Brand Marketing </span><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link">101</span></span></span></span></span><span class="currency_converter_text">, we were told </span></span>'not everything that matters can be measured, and not everything that can be measured matters.' <span class="currency_converter_text">From that moment, my colleagues split along Partisan lines - those drawn to the immediacy of generating customer activity ('response activity'), and those drawn to the business of changing customer sentiment ('brand activity').</span><br /><br />But a Partisan focus on either leads to lost opportunity. In <a href="http://tinyurl.com/yhfmnz4%20#fb">this example </a>a response marketer forgot that '...not everything that matters can be measured'. As a result, he killed his own marketing effectiveness.<br /><br />It's true that we shouldn't do what we cannot measure. But that does not mean discarding 'brand' activity, for example. It means we should be measuring it a heck of a lot more.<br /><br />To be effective, we need to be Bi-Partisan - to invest and measure optimally between the 'brand' and 'direct' toolkits. Easy for me to say, you might be thinking. And you'd be right. Sophisticated budget optimization, a la P&G, can take a ton of PHDs, a few more tons of cash, and truckload of courage to explain it to your CFO.<br /><br />But there are simpler approaches to budget planning that are within the reach of today's lean marketing operations. The simplest I use shows how 'direct' and 'brand'-oriented investments complement and amplify each other - and how they're stronger together than apart.<br /><br />So here it is. Quick and Dirty.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;" title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link">1</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-weight: bold;" class="currency_converter_text">. Size up your investment focused on 'direct' objectives.</span><br /><br />This is your media investment against prospects who are ready to buy. We'll call them 'low hanging fruit'. You'll measure this primarily on responses, actions, conversions etc. PPC search, organic search, affiliate marketing, and display are all in the toolkit.<br /><br />What proportion of your budget should you invest in direct activity? The big temptation is to over-invest. Many do. 'Look, we're getting great numbers from this PPC test. It's proven. If a little's good, then a lot's better, right?'.<br /><br />Wrong. Not for aspirin, and not for media investment. Just look at <a href="http://tinyurl.com/yhfmnz4%20#fb">the example </a>above. Your low-hanging-fruit opportunity is finite. Sooner or later you (and your competitors) have cleared all the branches within easy reach. Then your response rates decline. Fail to act, and your budget is soon eaten by a death-spiral of decreasing gains.<br /><br /><span class="currency_converter_text">So plan your 'direct' investment against a realistic sizing of your ready-to-buy opportunity. It's a product of the </span><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link">1</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span class="currency_converter_text">) total market size, </span><span class="currency_converter_text"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link">2</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span class="currency_converter_text">) how much of this market is truly available to you, and </span><span class="currency_converter_text"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link">3</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span class="currency_converter_text">) your natural competitive market share. Invest below these levels and you're leaving business on the table. Invest too far above, and you're not only wasting money - you're losing precious resources you'll need for step </span><span class="currency_converter_text"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link">2</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span class="currency_converter_text">.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;" title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link">2</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-weight: bold;" class="currency_converter_text">. Size up your</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> investment focused on 'brand' objectives.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">'Brand' investment has a specific role</span>: To turn consumers who are not ready-to-buy your brand, into consumers that are. To use our analogy, it's like growing more low-hanging-fruit for you to harvest. You will interest, educate, and/or persuade your audience. You'll need to earn their <a href="http://grahamhumphreys.blogspot.com/2009/11/may-i-have-your-attention.html">attention</a> too, which is <a href="http://grahamhumphreys.blogspot.com/2009/11/may-i-have-your-attention.html">another story</a>.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Brand investment should be totally accountable</span>: David Ogilvy said 'if it doesn't sell, it's not creative'. So measure uplift in brand image, but equally you measure uplift in your 'direct' response rates. Your toolkit can include <a href="http://grahamhumphreys.blogspot.com/2009/11/be-useful.html">movies, games, useful utilities, information feeds</a><a href="http://grahamhumphreys.blogspot.com/2009/11/be-useful.html">, </a>newsletters, and a bunch more.<br /><br /><span class="currency_converter_text">So how big should your brand investment be? A $</span><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link">6</span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span class="currency_converter_text"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link">4</span></span><span class="currency_converter_text">million question. Literally, in some cases. But we're keeping it down-and-dirty here. So here's an example. This analysis of the effectiveness of a PPC+Display campaign from </span></span><a href="http://community.microsoftadvertising.com/blogs/advertiser/archive/2008/10/12/search-_2600_-display-_2d00_-research-that-proves-multi_2d00_format-campaigns-add-value.aspx">Nick Drew</a>, for Microsoft, will help us...<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV70k4EfQsQNIIEQpr25bFa3nyxMPqOAOKHTPLgCN2bLGuaq1oft8JkYEEcreDXMQQLQ6O8gG0hPR4Wgm3bWkJEkPYjMdZakiw9rxqLcntjOkTTTiJ0exvKsitduuWjV2mwnb-RB3Vcq0/s1600-h/image_2.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 231px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV70k4EfQsQNIIEQpr25bFa3nyxMPqOAOKHTPLgCN2bLGuaq1oft8JkYEEcreDXMQQLQ6O8gG0hPR4Wgm3bWkJEkPYjMdZakiw9rxqLcntjOkTTTiJ0exvKsitduuWjV2mwnb-RB3Vcq0/s320/image_2.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5399648214654966290" border="0" /></a><span class="currency_converter_text">This shows that 'brand' activity, looking ineffectual when measured in the far-left column, DOUBLED</span><span class="currency_converter_text"> the effectiveness of 'direct' activity. </span><span class="currency_converter_text">This suggests a business case for a </span><span class="currency_converter_text"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link">50</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span class="currency_converter_text">/</span><span class="currency_converter_text"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link">50</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span class="currency_converter_text"> split between 'brand' and 'direct' investment; maximizing both the volume of low-hanging-fruit (brand) and the efficiency of harvesting it (response).</span><br /><br />Without measuring this interaction of 'brand' and 'direct', hungry marketers have looked at the far-left column, discarded brand activity as less effective, then wondered where that good PPC ROI flew off to.<br /><br />I've seen the color of effective marketing. And it's a distinct Bi-Partisan shade of Purple :)<iframe style="border: 2px solid rgb(255, 107, 8); z-index: 100; position: absolute; top: 1514px; left: 346px; background-color: white; display: none;" src="http://www.fxware.com/forex-currency/add-on/?a=50&up_l=en" height="130" scrolling="no" width="260"></iframe>grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10066871052812728887noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4339118067689706138.post-42409756934019817752009-11-01T20:09:00.000-08:002009-11-03T22:47:24.137-08:00May I have your Attention?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://diva.library.cmu.edu/Simon/simond2.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 324px; height: 236px;" src="http://diva.library.cmu.edu/Simon/simond2.gif" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Heard the phrase <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attention_economy">'Attention Economy'?</a> It sounds purpose-designed for our ad-saturated world, but it's not such a new idea - <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herbert_Simon"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">this Guy</span></a><span class="currency_converter_text"> created the concept back in </span><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link">1971</span><span class="currency_converter_text"> when he wrote:</span><br /><blockquote>"...in an information-rich world, the wealth of information means ....scarcity of whatever it is that information consumes. What information consumes is obvious: it consumes the attention of its recipients. Hence a wealth of information creates a poverty of attention"</blockquote><span class="currency_converter_text">...and this was in </span><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link">1971</span></span></span></span></span></span><span class="currency_converter_text">. That's *twenty-eight* years of exponential growth in global information output since then. Advertising clutter? You bet, But the real issue is on the other side of the coin - scarcity of attention.</span><br /><br /><span class="currency_converter_text">The scarcer attention is, the more valuable it becomes. Like any commodity. People pay for attention all the time. For example, Washington lobbyists pay for the attention of politicians (um, allegedly). And we marketers pay for the attention of our audiences - a </span><span class="currency_converter_text"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link">30</span></span></span></span></span></span><span class="currency_converter_text"> second spot here, a few thousand banner impressions there.</span><br /><br />So attention is a currency. One well worth investing in. In fact, attention is the *only* currency through which marketers can interest, educate, persuade and convert customers. Really. Think of any customer acquisition or lifecycle model. Subtract your customer's attention, and you end up with zero customers.<br /><br /><span class="currency_converter_text">Attention is therefore our lifeblood. Yet on the whole, marketers are terrible at getting it. Come on, this is an industry in which </span><span class="currency_converter_text"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link">0.2</span></span></span></span></span></span><span class="currency_converter_text">% response is considered good. Is there any other field in which </span><span class="currency_converter_text"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link">0.2</span></span></span></span></span></span><span class="currency_converter_text">% sounds large to you? I suspect that those Washington lobbyists get more attention for their money than we marketers.</span><br /><br />So where are we going wrong? Simply, most marketing is years behind consumer behavior. Marketers communicate in messages. Their audiences have perfected the art of tuning messages out. Marketers broadcast, one-way, as if their audience was dumbly awaiting instruction. While audiences are ever more engaged in their own novel, creative communications.<br /><br />What should we do instead? In a world where economic and technological factors put brands and consumers on a level, brands that want attention have to do like people:<br /><br />Earn it.<br /><br />It's straightforward. As a person, you become worth someone's attention when you repay it. Maybe you're <a href="http://grahamhumphreys.blogspot.com/2009/11/be-useful.html">useful, or entertaining. Perhaps informative</a>. So long as it is authentic to you, and relevant to the person whose attention you seek, you are repaying attention.<br /><div id="zinger"><p><em>"The true art of memory is the art of attention"</em> — so said Samuel Johnson. So before your audience pays you their custom, your brand needs to repay their attention.<br /></p> </div>for a deeper dive into the attention economy:<br /><br /><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link">1</span></span></span></span><span class="currency_converter_text">. Rob Callari, </span><a href="http://www.zmogo.com/tag/attention-currency/">'Is Attention the New Currency?'</a><span class="currency_converter_text"> May </span><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link">09</span></span></span></span><span class="currency_converter_text"><br /></span>grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10066871052812728887noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4339118067689706138.post-21096390087223514522009-11-01T12:19:00.000-08:002009-11-03T11:49:42.380-08:00On the side of the angels<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.sandersartstudio.com/catalog/507O1066X%20Donald%20Angel%208X8_thumb.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 231px; height: 231px;" src="http://www.sandersartstudio.com/catalog/507O1066X%20Donald%20Angel%208X8_thumb.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Coming back to San Francisco after a couple years away, I've been able to reconnect with many friends and colleagues - who, between sips of Latte, have clued me in on a bunch of exciting developments in our industry.<br /><br /><span class="currency_converter_text"><span class="currency_converter_text">Jumping back in for the first time since Dec </span><span class="currency_converter_text"><span class="currency_converter_text">2006</span></span><span class="currency_converter_text">, it's like seeing one of those time-lapse photography sequences on the Discovery Channel. But instead of looking a plants growing or weather systems swirling, </span></span><span class="currency_converter_text">I'm looking at the evolution of our own local agency eco-system.</span><br /><br />As ever, it's about the survival of the most adaptable. So what are the new conditions to which we are adapting? From the smart folks I've spoken to, you might summarize these into three points:<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link">1</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span class="currency_converter_text">) Equality of voice. </span></span>We have all seen the adoption of social platforms soar. Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr et al, may prove transient (or not), but the social web is here to stay - and evolve.<br /><br />This radically re-balances the communication playing field - between small and large brands, between brands and consumers, between small and large agencies. The means of production, publication and communication are blurring, and increasingly available to all.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link">2</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span class="currency_converter_text">) Conversations, not demographics, are the most useful 'target' for marketers.</span></span><br /><br />For a long time, traditional demographic targeting has declined in effectiveness. I gladly accept any and all challenges to this assertion. Real people conform less than ever to what marketers believe their wage bracket, age, or 'lifestage' should say about them.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJRfWolRs0JGxGqBoJaFkRteelGAdb8eFkfFbfTlp8qnjl7JxnzPiY6gfqo4klD1Tw7ChSMAPD00aRKyRM0W6anjIdR2skhyXohel7ThTQbVQrhyphenhyphen6HhEA0m77sPIjTgKhjT4Sq2j-ffGk/s1600-h/eleven_moms.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJRfWolRs0JGxGqBoJaFkRteelGAdb8eFkfFbfTlp8qnjl7JxnzPiY6gfqo4klD1Tw7ChSMAPD00aRKyRM0W6anjIdR2skhyXohel7ThTQbVQrhyphenhyphen6HhEA0m77sPIjTgKhjT4Sq2j-ffGk/s320/eleven_moms.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5399319269530959026" border="0" /></a>Useful targets are better identified by the conversations that they increasingly articulate online. One of the (few) easier aspects of the socialized media landscape is that your audience are self-selecting around their interests. So choose the conversation to which your brand is relevant, and participate. Or, like Walmart, *own* it through providing a <a href="http://www.elevenmoms.com/">more valuable platform</a> for the conversation.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><br /><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link"><span title="Convert this amount" class="currency_converter_link">3</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span class="currency_converter_text">) Brands need to be useful.</span></span> Even *before* you purchase them.<br /><br />It has been said that <a href="http://grahamhumphreys.blogspot.com/2009/11/may-i-have-your-attention.html">Attention </a>has become the scarcest commodity in our commuication-saturated world. To influence purchase behavior, brands need to get attention. To get attention, brands need to be <a href="http://grahamhumphreys.blogspot.com/2009/11/be-useful.html">useful</a>.<br /><br />This means delivering something of value, or <a href="http://grahamhumphreys.blogspot.com/2009/11/be-useful.html">utility</a>. That is true to the brand, and relevant to their audience. It could be entertainment (a cleaning brand providing an online game), a utility (a sneaker brand tool for sharing the best jogging routes), information (a liquor brand filtering the hippest local hangouts for you), or a combination. But of enough genuine worth to earn a brand a voice in the conversation.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://adage.com/images/bin/image/rightrail/barclays-waterslide080409.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 255px; height: 170px;" src="http://adage.com/images/bin/image/rightrail/barclays-waterslide080409.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a> Apple's iTunes is possibly the most famous - and large-scale - example of this. But simple utilities like <a href="http://tinyurl.com/ykf592g">this one</a> for Barclaycard in the UK can be effective for relatively little money.<br /><br />You can add eight more points here of course (and I hope you do). But what do all these new market conditions add up to? What does it mean for our community? Well, for me at least, it means that good brands have to behave like good people. With integrity, humility, humor, and reciprocity. On their behalf, professionals like you and I get to innovate concepts that have genuine utility to their audience.<br /><br />Isn't it great to be on the side of the angels? For once?grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10066871052812728887noreply@blogger.com0