Media Archives - Page 8 of 12 - McLellan Marketing Group

Are the walls between our personal and professional lives crumbling?

February 8, 2008

When I was growing up, my dad set the standard for how a business person behaved. He went to work every day, did his thing and came home. He would, on occasion, bring some work (read — paper) home with him. I’m sure my dad made friends at the office but I didn’t know or hear about them.

My parents socialized (bridge, cocktail parties, etc.) with the neighbor couples.

They’d occasionally have to go to a dinner or host some work people at our house. But those were rare occasions. For the most part, his two worlds were pretty separate.

Today, I look at my two worlds (work and personal) and the line is awfully blurry. Sometimes I wonder if that’s a good thing. Just in the last couple of weeks…

I’ve twittered (to my professional network) about my daughter’s incredible performance in her one act play
I read on Facebook that one of my employees didn’t crawl out of bed until 4:30 pm
I’ve posted family photos on my Flickr account
I’ve gotten a ticket (the game Parking Wars) on Facebook from a Microsoft exec
My marketing/branding blog has promoted a purely social event in NYC
I’ve had lunch with a client and we mostly talked about our kids
I sent a condolence message to a marketing colleague when I read her Twitter that she’d lost their family pet
In rapid succession, I joined a branding group and our church’s group on Facebook
A blog reader sent me a link to view his video chronicles of his personal journey with weight loss
I have pet work colleague’s (fluff) friends on Facebook (not as bad as it sounds)

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Are you experiencing the same thing? Online or offline, are your lines getting equally blurred?

What do you think about this phenomenon? Do you think this merging of our lives has something to do with the fact that the old work day of 9-5 is also a thing of the past?

What’s the upside? Downside?

The real SuperBowl competition

February 3, 2008

We ~~already know~~ thought we knew who was going to win the football game, so we might as well turn our attention to the real competition — which TV spot will win the hearts and buzz of the viewers?

Firebrand has declared Monday, February 4th as "Firebrand Monday" where they will celebrate the mother load of creative TV spots shown on the SuperBowl.

On Monday morning, Firebrand.com will have only the best of the previous day’s commercials ready for download, allowing viewers to share and rate them all, and to decide for themselves which spot wins the coveted “Firebrand Water Cooler” trophy.

On their Monday evening TV show (find out where it’s showing in your area) , the hour will be dedicated to major ads from the Super Bowl, featuring Celebrity CJs such as Reebok’s "Office Linebacker" Terry Tate and Carmen Electra, who makes her Super Bowl debut in an ad for Hershey’s "Ice Breakers."

If you love ads — you’ll enjoy Firebrand’s show. Not just on the Monday after the SuperBowl, but every week.

You can view all the ads online as well.

Viral video – are you trying to be heard over the noise?

January 27, 2008

It started with a simple question. Do you viral video?

Let’s continue our discussion on the phenomenon of viral video and its many purposes.

We’ve culled through the stats that show the rapid rise of viral video viewing, we’ve talked about how some companies are using the medium to just get in front of as many people as possible and we’ve also looked at the educational aspects of the medium.

What other objectives can viral video answer for marketers? One of the most challenging aspects of marketing is the sheer volume of noise out there. You have to be able to shout pretty loud sometimes to even be heard, let alone hold someone’s attention.

One of the most cut-throat and competitive market places out there has to be book publishing/selling. Unless you’re a marquee name, you’re pretty much on your own. Publishing houses will provide a little support but speaking from personal experience — most of it is on you.

Imagine it. You’re an author. Say you’ve written one book before. You’re hardly a household name. You’re ready to launch your second book. You going to plan (and pay for) a book tour? I know…how about creating a website?

That’s where Jay Nussbaum (teacher, lawyer and novelist) found himself, as he was about to release A Monk Jumped Over A Wall. He was going to do the book signings, press releases, websites etc. But he wanted to do something more. And boy did he.

Nussbaum decided to create a video that he thought would create some buzz far beyond traditional book marketing.

"I began work on my novel in 1987 and, with 20 years invested in this book, I decided early on that, if I wanted the book to succeed, I would have to think out of the box. After all, my first novel, Blue Road to Atlantis, had received great reviews, but it didn’t get enough reviews to get noticed. I didn’t want that to happen again.

And so I did something that, to my knowledge, no novelist had ever done before: I dramatized an entire scene from the novel and posted it on YouTube (as well as various other media sites such as break.com, dailymotion.com, etc.) as a short film. Other writers have done very simple, 2-minute "trailers", but no one has ever done anything remotely like this. The film, entitled, "Nymphomercial" is very funny, and is quickly becoming something of a sensation on college campuses nationwide."

Take a look and see what you think. And despite the video’s name…it’s PG-13. No actual body parts showing.

The question of course is….did it work?

Well, I’ll bet more of us know Jay Nussbaum’s name than most relatively new novelists. And by watching the video we probably have a pretty good sense about if we’d like his book or not. It’s not his goal to get all of us to love his work. Just to let those of us who might love his books to know about them. And to do that, you have to get noticed.

I also think it is safe to bet that Newsday probably wouldn’t have written about his book, had he not reached beyond the traditional marketing methods.

Was it a safe choice? Hardly. How many remarkable products/companies stay in the safe zone?

How could you use viral video to shout over the crowd and be heard in a remarkable way?

Other posts in this series:
Do you viral video?
Viral video – are you looking for a lot of eyes?
Viral video — are you trying to educate?
Viral video – are you trying to be heard over the noise?
Viral video — are you establishing yourself as an expert?

Viral video — are you trying to educate?

January 21, 2008

In our on-going discussion about the value of (or lack thereof) using viral video, we’ve talked about how the statistics clearly indicate that video viewing is on the rise (with double and triple digit growth) and some of the reasons why viral video might make sense for your organization.

In my last post, we explored (there were some superb comments — be sure you dig deep enough to read them!) using viral video if what you’re looking for is widespread exposure. Those are the videos we’re all the most familiar with. The Mentos and Diet Coke, the RayBans, or the Small Office HP videos that I shared in that post.

Characteristically, they have a higher production value, tend to be funny and short. Really, they’re the Super Bowl ads of viral video. Their goal is to be talk worthy and sharing worthy.

But what if that’s not what you need. Let’s say you’re the Marketing Director for a regional B-to-B company. Viral video shouldn’t be on your radar screen — right?

Not so fast, my friend.

If "I want lots of eyes" viral video is the Super Bowl of the medium, then the "I want to educate you" may be the high school social studies class film equivalent. You remember those grainy black and white films that were short on entertainment value but long on content. These are characteristically lower budget/quality production, a bit longer in length and usually not going for the funny bone. Their purpose is very utilitarian — to teach.

Long time reader/commenter to this blog, Scott Townsend is the Marketing Director for United Linen and Uniforms in Bartlesville, Oklahoma. They service the tri-state area of Kansas, Arkansas and of course, Oklahoma. So why would they use video?

Watch.

Again, this is not going to win an Oscar. I think lots of people shy away from some of this new fangled media (podcasts, video etc.) because they compare their budget and abilities to the high end variations and dismiss an opportunity that they could seize.

Assuming you have a certain level of production quality — using video this way is an effective way to do a couple things.

Educate your consumer. Some things are easier to understand if you can see them.
Convey a product truth. In this case, that it’s easy to re-load the dispenser and odds are if she can do it — so can your employees.

What do you think? Can you see how using video like this might serve your customers? Or are you in the "high end, big budget or no go" camp?

Photo courtesy of www.viewimages.com

Viral video — are you looking for lots of eyes?

January 17, 2008

A couple days ago, I opened the topic of vlogging, viral videos, YouTube, etc. My question was….do you viral video? The statistics in the Pew study that I referenced in that post suggest that the number of people who are viewing viral videos (on sites like YouTube) is growing at a frantic pace.

But does that mean you should be doing it? And if so….how? Why?

I wrote a post about the presidential candidates marketing tactics and a couple people suggested that I should make a video because it would get some great exposure. My question back to them was — "I will gladly do it but I don’t want to just be a talking head. Other ideas?"

So far, we haven’t come up with anything, hence no Drew on YouTube. (And no, I am not donning an Uncle Sam beard and hat.)

One of the reasons why I think more people aren’t doing video is linked to my question.

It’s not that I don’t want to do it. But I want to do it well. And for a purpose. I thought it might be interesting to look at some different videos and talk about their purpose. Naturally, I am hoping that will trigger you thinking about how video might serve your business (or not) and jump into the conversation. (If you subscribe via e-mail, please check on the headline above to be taken to the blog – so you can view these videos.)

Let’s look at some videos that clearly are intended to get a lot of eyes. This trio of videos from HP were done to introduce the small business community to their Total care program. Much like the 5 top viral videos of ’07, these are high end, funny and short. Tailor made for being shared among a wide audience.

Life without HP: Car Wash

Life without HP: Experts

Life without HP: Bubble Wrap

Funny? I thought so. Did they clearly demonstrate some of the values of HP’s Total Care? I would say yes. Are they well done enough to get passed around? I’d guess so. They’ve been on YouTube for a little over a month and Car Wash (apparently the most popular) has had over 8,000 views.

Do I think these videos accomplished HP’s goals? It’s probably too early to know. But, I am guessing if they get a few hundred thousand views, the answer will be yes.

Would doing videos like these serve your business? If so…how? If not, what is missing?

Do you do viral video?

January 14, 2008

YouTube has changed our connotation of the word video. Depending on your age…it might have meant something you rented at the "video store." Or, you might have even taped TV shows on one.

For those of us in the communications world, video used to only mean high end production pieces that would tell your company’s story in 4-7 minutes. (Still a very viable communications tools — just not an exclusive meaning anymore) or you might send away for one if you were considering buying a BowFlex.

But today, when you said video, it’s just as likely that someone will reference a Paul Potts video that was viewed by over 20 MILLION people or the Diet Coke + Mentos video was was watched nearly 5 MILLION times.

So as marketers — I think we need to be paying attention and asking ourselves if we too should be producing video content for our business or our clients’ business.

Over the next few days, I’d like to explore this topic with you. We’ll look at high end, slick videos that have gone viral, sentimental tear jerkers that have touched people’s collective hearts and some down and dirty videos that have an effectiveness all their own.

Here’s some statistics to start off our discussion. Think that viral video is just the territory of bloggers and other early adopters? Think again.

The Pew Internet and American Life Project have just completed some research and the numbers are noteworthy. Is this marketing tool mainstream yet? No….but if you look at the increase in percentages, you can see that it’s not too far off.

This first chart shows stats on people who have ever visited a video sharing site like YouTube. Look at how the numbers are trending.

This next chart is looking at activity on an average day. Again, look at the huge percentile growth.

So what’s been your experience so far? Have you experienced a surge of video exposure in your professional life? Are your competitors doing it? Have you considered it?

Interestingly, when you look at the list of the Top 5 viral videos of 2007, you’ll see they’re hardly of the home grown variety. What do you think that means for the less expensive and less agency produced variety?

Source of charts: MarketingCharts.com

What did you learn from these PR Crises?

January 8, 2008

Now that 2007 has passed, we’ll see a flurry of lists, reflections and commentary.

PRWeek has done a very thought-provoking job of summing up the year in their downloadable 2007 Book of Lists.

Some of the lists are the 10 toughest communications jobs (like being the corporate communications VP at Mattel) and 10 brands that soared (Apple, Nintendo) and a list I thought we could all learn from — the top 10 events that tested PR Pros:

Jet Blue: Known to many as the Valentine’s Day Massacre, the ice storm that crippled the Northeast last February grounded planes on the runway for up to 12 hours. The PR backlash eventually led to CEO David Neeleman resigning.

Mattel toy recall: With more than 20 million toys recalled, this was probably the longest-running crisis story of the year. Regaining the trust of parents around the world will be an arduous task.

Taco Bell rats: After getting through an E.coli breakout in the Northeast, a video surfaced of rats running amok in a Manhattan Taco Bell/KFC restaurant. While it was an isolated incident, the PR hit was still nasty.

NBA’s gambling referee: Veteran NBA referee Tim Donaghy’s involvement in a betting scandal led to his firing and the league scrambling to maintain its integrity. Commissioner David Stern later altered the league’s gambling policy for refs.

Virginia Tech shooting: Only six hours after a gunman killed 32 people at Virginia Tech, the world’s media landed at the college. Larry Hincker, AVP for university relations, was forced to create a makeshift communications team from schools within the college to manage the more than 600 reporters covering the story on site.

US Attorney firings: The alleged politically charged firings of eight US attorneys put Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and the White House on the defensive. Before the Senate Judiciary Committee though, Gonzales was unable to recall… anything – and eventually resigned from his position.

Blackwater shootings: When a Blackwater security detail gunned down 17 Iraqi civilians in Baghdad, not only was CEO Erik Prince called to testify before Congress but it called into question the practices of the private security company.

GAP child labor issue: This year it was GAP’s turn to catch heat for child labor practices. The much-maligned retailer came under fire for working with a vendor in India who used child laborers.

Pet food industry recall: Recalls involving hundreds of products left shelves in the pet food aisles barren for weeks. In response, the industry created the National Pet Food Commission.

Don Imus: Though his ratings weren’t what they used to be, the original “shock jock” had to realize people were listening when he used a racially charged term to describe the Rutgers University women’s basketball team. Not only did advertisers pull out, but Imus was fired days later.

So….what was the takeaway for you, from these situations? Do you see any trends? Which of these do you think was handled the best? The worst?

Related posts:
Don Imus: The dark side of social media?
Jet Blue goes bold
What would you advise: PR Nightmare

Apparently the presidential candidates missed the memo

January 4, 2008

The Iowa caucus of 2008 is history. We all know who is viable, which messages resonated and which candidates need to re-tool.

But here’s what I know. Not one of the candidates got the memo.

What? You haven’t seen it either? Hmm. Maybe it got bogged down with all the holiday cards and political post cards. Okay…let me share it again.

TO: Presidential Candidates of 2008

FROM: The American people

SUBJ: How we’d like to hear your message

DATE: From now on

Thanks for caring about our votes. Really.

We appreciate that you want to share your ideas and vision for a different and better America. But things have changed since the last election and we thought it was only fair to clue you in on how we’d like you to conduct your campaign. Here are some key truths we’d like you to know.

We don’t want to be hunted down like rabid dogs: The good old days of you being everywhere we look are over. We want to decide when to listen. Where to listen. And who to listen to. Stop sending your volunteers to knock on our doors. Stop invading our homes with your stupid recorded messages. Don’t force us to hide from you.

Frequency is one thing. Overkill is another: We all know the marketing maxim — tell them and then tell them again. But know when enough is enough. We don’t need a new postcard every day. We don’t need to see the same commercial so often that we can recite it with you. Show some fiscal responsibility and stop wasting your supporters’ money.

We do care about your plans. But you can’t explain them in :30 TV spots: TV spots are a great medium for generating an emotional response. But we don’t want to just like you. You’re not selling beer. You are selling our future and our kids’ future. We want to know what you’re going to do. Tell us in detail. Give us facts. Not spun facts — real facts. Be relevant or go home.

And you can’t use weasel words either: As soon as we hear the standard political rhetoric, we start calling bull%$#*. You see, we’ve been advertising consumers for too long. We know all the tricks and we’ve stopped believing them. A long time ago. Talk straight.

Sometimes we don’t need you to talk at all: Give us places (websites, blogs, etc) where we can explore for ourselves. Put real content there — not campaign highlights. No fluff. Just honest details about what you have done and what you want to accomplish.

A monologue is no longer acceptable: We are tired of being talked to. We want to talk back. We actually want to initiate some conversations. No matter who wins this election — you’ll be just fine. But for many families and businesses — this is a make it or break it election. We want to participate and we do not want to be ignored until you decide to talk at us again.

Leave the other guys alone: You really should have gotten this one by now. When you take a swing at an opponent, it makes you look scared and desperate. Or like a bully. either way — not so good for you. If you don’t have anything important to say about yourself – then you probably need to just go home.

Be a good guest: There are two kinds of guests. Those you’re sad to see leave and those you can’t wait to wave goodbye to. How did you leave your Iowa campaign headquarters today? How will you leave the meeting halls in New Hampshire. What would happen if you sent your volunteers to do some good once a week or month. Read to some kids. Feed the homeless. Visit the elderly. Not because there are cameras running but because you want to set a good example.

Just try to be a real human being: We are really looking for a candidate we can trust to speak for us. We want to like you. More important, we want to believe in you. Stop thinking of every appearance as a "show" and every human being as a vote. Tune out your advisors, stop worrying about the perfect sound bite, don’t give us the thumbs up and goofy smile. Just be real.

That’s it. Easy stuff. We’d really appreciate it if you’d give these ideas a spin. Thanks for listening. We really hope you’ll try it again soon.

P.S. The same rules apply to your business and mine. How many of these old school marketing sins are you guilty of?

A holiday TV spot that stays true to the brand

December 15, 2007

This time of year, it seems like many companies choose between business as usual TV spots or dropping their key messages and instead — spreading some holiday cheer.

Leave it to Apple to find a way to do both.

P.S. Santa is bringing all the good boys and girls an Apple product this holiday season. Were you on the nice or naughty list?

(A hat tip to Paul Herring @ ChaosScenario for sharing the spot first.)

When should you be in your own commercials?

November 11, 2007

For the last couple days, we've explored why it's usually not a good idea for business owners to star in their own marketing materials. As with all things in the marketing world, there are of course, exceptions.

There are a couple circumstances when you need to be the face of your organization.

1) If you are small enough that you ARE the business: If you are a solo consultant or shopkeeper and your customers interface with you and only you – don't have someone else stand in for you. (Note: In this case, odds are you shouldn't be on TV at all!)

2) If your brand position is that you're THE expert in your field: If you possess some specialized expertise or credentials that form the basis for your position in the marketplace, then you need to be careful that you don't accidentally misrepresent that. (Again, hard to imagine that TV or radio are your best options if this is the case.)

This gets to the comment Gavin Heaton posted in one of the earlier posts. Where do podcasts, vlogs, etc. come into this. When you are imparting information, sharing knowledge, teaching etc. — then it is perfectly appropriate to be the star. It's also appropriate for you to sound like you, with the occasional "um" or slip of the tongue.

3) If you are of "celebrity" status in your community or field: This is a tricky one. Many of us may think we're more famous than perhaps we are. If you have a spouse or friend who is brutally honest – ask them.

Just to clarify – I am not saying you can't or shouldn't use professional talent. I am saying that in these specific circumstances, you may be better off representing yourself. If your radio or TV spot is coming from the consumer's voice or is from a broader perspective, then by all means use the pros.

The bottom line is still the same. 99% of the time, you having the starring role in your own marketing is not sending the message you want to send. Don't take my word for it. The e-mails and comments on this topic were about 100 to 1 in favor of you not doing it.

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