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The Dream Team — Age of Conversation ’08 authors

June 29, 2008

When Gavin and I announced that we were going to create a 2nd Age of Conversation book and were looking for authors — we had plenty of takers. 275 to be exact. Now, several months later, the submissions are in and we’re knee deep in editing.

It’s funny how life can interfere with our plans. We had several authors who had to take a pass due to family, work or other obligations/situations. When the dust settled and all the chapters were turned in, we had 237 authors left standing. Here they are:

Adrian Ho, Aki Spicer, Alex Henault, Amy Jussel, Andrew Odom, Andy Nulman, Andy Sernovitz, Andy Whitlock, Angela Maiers, Ann Handley, Anna Farmery, Armando Alves, Arun Rajagopal, Asi Sharabi, Becky Carroll, Becky McCray, Bernie Scheffler, Bill Gammell, Bob LeDrew, Brad Shorr, Brandon Murphy, Branislav Peric, Brent Dixon, Brett Macfarlane, Brian Reich, C.C. Chapman, Cam Beck, Casper Willer, Cathleen Rittereiser, Cathryn Hrudicka, Cedric Giorgi, Charles Sipe, Chris Kieff, Chris Cree, Chris Wilson, Christina Kerley (CK), C.B. Whittemore, Chris Brown, Connie Bensen, Connie Reece, Corentin Monot, Craig Wilson, Daniel Honigman, Dan Schawbel, Dan Sitter, Daria Radota Rasmussen, Darren Herman, Dave Davison, David Armano, David Berkowitz, David Koopmans, David Meerman Scott, David Petherick, David Reich, David Weinfeld, David Zinger, Deanna Gernert, Deborah Brown, Dennis Price, Derrick Kwa, Dino Demopoulos, Doug Haslam, Doug Meacham, Doug Mitchell, Douglas Hanna, Douglas Karr, Drew McLellan, Duane Brown, Dustin Jacobsen, Dylan Viner, Ed Brenegar, Ed Cotton, Efrain Mendicuti, Ellen Weber, Eric Peterson, Eric Nehrlich, Ernie Mosteller, Faris Yakob, Fernanda Romano, Francis Anderson, Gareth Kay, Gary Cohen, Gaurav Mishra, Gavin Heaton, Geert Desager, George Jenkins, G.L. Hoffman, Gianandrea Facchini, Gordon Whitehead, Greg Verdino, Gretel Going & Kathryn Fleming, Hillel Cooperman, Hugh Weber, J. Erik Potter, James Gordon-Macintosh, Jamey Shiels, Jasmin Tragas, Jason Oke, Jay Ehret, Jeanne Dininni, Jeff De Cagna, Jeff Gwynne & Todd Cabral, Jeff Noble, Jeff Wallace, Jennifer Warwick, Jenny Meade, Jeremy Fuksa, Jeremy Heilpern, Jeroen Verkroost, Jessica Hagy, Joanna Young, Joe Pulizzi, John Herrington, John Moore, John Rosen, John Todor, Jon Burg, Jon Swanson, Jonathan Trenn, Jordan Behan, Julie Fleischer, Justin Foster, Karl Turley, Kate Trgovac, Katie Chatfield, Katie Konrath, Kenny Lauer, Keri Willenborg, Kevin Jessop, Kristin Gorski, Lewis Green, Lois Kelly, Lori Magno, Louise Manning, Luc Debaisieux, Mario Vellandi, Mark Blair, Mark Earls, Mark Goren, Mark Hancock, Mark Lewis, Mark McGuinness, Matt Dickman, Matt J. McDonald, Matt Moore, Michael Karnjanaprakorn, Michelle Lamar, Mike Arauz, Mike McAllen, Mike Sansone, Mitch Joel, Neil Perkin, Nettie Hartsock, Nick Rice, Oleksandr Skorokhod, Ozgur Alaz, Paul Chaney, Paul Hebert, Paul Isakson, Paul McEnany, Paul Tedesco, Paul Williams, Pet Campbell, Pete Deutschman, Peter Corbett, Phil Gerbyshak, Phil Lewis, Phil Soden, Piet Wulleman, Rachel Steiner, Sreeraj Menon, Reginald Adkins, Richard Huntington, Rishi Desai, Robert Hruzek, Roberta Rosenberg, Robyn McMaster, Roger von Oech, Rohit Bhargava, Ron Shevlin, Ryan Barrett, Ryan Karpeles, Ryan Rasmussen, Sam Huleatt, Sandy Renshaw, Scott Goodson, Scott Monty, Scott Townsend, Scott White, Sean Howard, Sean Scott, Seni Thomas, Seth Gaffney, Shama Hyder, Sheila Scarborough, Sheryl Steadman, Simon Payn, Sonia Simone, Spike Jones, Stanley Johnson, Stephen Collins, Stephen Landau, Stephen Smith, Steve Bannister, Steve Hardy, Steve Portigal, Steve Roesler, Steven Verbruggen, Steve Woodruff, Sue Edworthy, Susan Bird, Susan Gunelius, Susan Heywood, Tammy Lenski, Terrell Meek, Thomas Clifford, Thomas Knoll, Tim Brunelle, Tim Connor, Tim Jackson, Tim Mannveille, Tim Tyler, Timothy Johnson, Tinu Abayomi-Paul, Toby Bloomberg, Todd Andrlik, Troy Rutter, Troy Worman, Uwe Hook, Valeria Maltoni, Vandana Ahuja, Vanessa DiMauro, Veronique Rabuteau, Wayne Buckhanan, William Azaroff, Yves Van Landeghem

Quite an impressive list. And you’re going to love the insights and stories they had to share.

For the next month or so, we’ll be editing and working through design/layout issues. And before you know it, Age of Conversation ’08 will be ready for promotion and purchase.

Thanks to everyone who is participating and remember….it’s all about raising money for charity.

Stay tuned!

What social media tools are a must for business?

April 23, 2008

If you could only use/choose (up to) 10 different social media tools to enhance your business/organization’s performance and ability to get the job done — which ones would you choose….and why?

Online marketing is getting awfully mainstream!

March 27, 2008

PepsiCo, mass media king and Super Bowl spot regular, is bypassing traditional media to launch their new no-calorie, carbonated beverage called Tava.

Instead, the megabrand is relying on a blend of word of mouth and online marketing. They’ll be doing some sampling targeted at influential companies like MTV and Google and "offbeat stunts" in key shops and lots online banner ads. According to the New York Times article, what makes this of interest is the product is aimed at 35-49 year olds.

That’s a demographic that big consumer products have chased using traditional media for the most part — arguing that they weren’t really an online crowd.

Apparently PepsiCo is now disagreeing with that logic.

“There used to be an assumption this target was not online,” said Frank Cooper, vice president for flavored carbonated soft drinks at Pepsi-Cola North America in Purchase, N.Y. “But there’s a group in that category that’s ‘reborn digital.’ They’ve lived through the change and learned to adapt to it.”

“This consumer spends significant time online, although what they do may differ from the younger consumer,” Mr. Cooper said. “They’re not I.M.-ing their friends; they’re looking at e-mail or looking up information about travel, music, food.”

Add to the Pepsi story the findings of a recent PQ Media Survey. The survey shows that alternative media accounts for 16.1% Share of Total Advertising & Marketing Spending in 2007. This survey goes on to suggest that the category is poised for strong growth in 2008, despite the economic slowdown. PQ Media is projecting that 25% of all advertising and marketing spending will be dedicated to "alternative media" by 2012.

You can download a free summary of the research report but you’ll need to scroll down past the "buy the whole report for $1,295.00" section.

I guess part of me finds it interesting that the New York Times believes this is newsworthy at all. And that we still call online and mobile advertising "alternative."

Haven’t we gotten past the realization that the average consumer has some sort of digital footprint/life that opens up some opportunities for marketing to them in that space?

What do you think?

Tired of getting caught in the SPAM filter?

March 24, 2008

Are you using e-mail based marketing efforts only to discover that a good proportion of your target audience is never seeing your message? Is your e-zine or e-mail getting snagged by their SPAM filter and tossed into the trash?

As companies tighten their anti-spam filters, more and more legitimate e-mail is getting caught in the same trap.

Check out this free tool that will check your content for red flags before you send it. You just fill out a brief form, cut and paste your content into the right field and you will get an instant and free report. They’ll identify any problematic elements in your content and suggest alternatives.

It’s free. It’s easy. And it will save you time and headaches. What’s not to love?

Viral video — are you the expert?

February 22, 2008

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

Let’s wrap up 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. In the last installment, we also talked about how some are using video simply to be heard over the din of marketing messages.

One of the other applications/goals that seems ideally suited for video is demonstrating an expertise. While writing a white paper for your website or even sharing your PowerPoint slides will allow you to share your expertise, it lacks the emotional connection that a video can give you.

Matt Dickman, from Fleishman-Hillard, has really established himself as a social media tools expert by producing a series of videos in which he dissects a particular application or site. In the example below, he introduces his subscribers to Utterz.

The beauty of what Matt has done is that he’s become our tour guide. He makes his audience comfortable with the new tools. He explains them in language that everyone can understand and he takes the time to lay some groundwork before he dives in.

With his series approach, we also make the assumption that he knows a lot about ALL the web-based tools out there. Does he? I don’t know, but he’d sure be one of the first I would ask. He’s proven to me that he’s an expert in this field.

How could you use viral video to spotlight your expertise in a way that’s both compelling and something people would want to pass onto their friends/peers?

How could you use viral video to showcase your skills if you wanted to be the on-air talent? How about if you didn’t?

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?

What is an ooVoo?

February 13, 2008

One of the best things about today’s technology is that the world is a much smaller place. With free tools like skype and even the taken for granted e-mail, we can stay connected to the world.

ooVoo takes that to a whole new level. Video conferencing with up to six people. All you need is a webcam, a headset with a mic and the free download of ooVoo (both mac and PC).

To create some buzz, ooVoo is doing a pretty cool thing. MyooVoo Day. (Check out Mack’s comments on the event.)

For this week, they’ve lined up some marketing and blogging gurus and each of those folks is hosting a 1-2 hour chat with people just like you (the complete list here). Big names on this list…so check it out!

Best of all, for each session being held — they are donating $1,500 to the Frozen Pea Fund in support of Susan Reynolds and breast cancer research.

Okay….so we’ve got chatting with smart people about marketing. We’ve got supporting Susan and fighting breast cancer. We’ve got cool and FREE technology. I’m so in!

I e-mailed my Age of Conversation cohort, Gavin Heaton, and said….who cares if we’re not famous or even that smart like the rest of the hosts — let’s see if we can host a session! Fortunately the guys at crayon (the genius behind the campaign) lowered their standards and let us in.

What are you doing Saturday the 16th (or Sunday the 17th if you’re in Gavin’s neck of the woods) If you think spending 15 minutes with Gavin and I would be fun….sign up here. 4 pm EST. 8 am Aussie time. Compare your timezone here.

Thanks to my friends Scott Monty and Greg Verdino for bringing this opportunity to all of us.

Visual eye candy for your Monday

January 21, 2008

Enjoy this web-based treat. And, if you speak Dutch — you might want to order something for yourself!

What a great use of design and technology.

A hat tip to my dad for sharing this with me! He says after reading my blog for so long, he’s now "attuned for interesting media."

At least someone is listening! 🙂

Looking for the Bank Islam logo?

December 18, 2007

If you’re using corporate logos for presentations, blog posts, internal meeting examples or just because you enjoy studying logo design — you are in luck.

Even if you want something as obscure as the Bank Islam logo.

Check out www.allfreelogo.com. They call themselves a vector logo database. I call them a treasure trove of visuals for a host of uses.

You can download logo files that range from the Chicago Cubs, Tommy Hilfiger to Air France.
You can also upload your logo to the database. While you’re there, check out their archive of articles about logo design.

They do require a free registration to access the database. (FYI: Most of the logos are EPS files, but some of them are ai files)

Are you an elf or a scrooge?

December 6, 2007

No, I’m not really polling you about your pre-holiday state of mind. (I won’t ask if you don’t!)

But this holiday season, you can fashion yourself as an elf, scrooge or even a chipmunk! Viral marketing campaigns that allow people to add their own voice or picture and share them with their friends is all the rage.

Check out these interactive campaigns.

Feeling the season? Turn yourself (or a friend) into an elf. (check out this crazy elf!)

Feeling a little bah humbug about the holidays? Turn yourself into scrooge.

Remember sucking helium from a balloon? Turn your voice into a chipmunk’s.

Love football this time of year? How about doing your own victory dance?

So here’s the real question. These campaigns drive a lot of traffic to your website. They’re sticky, funny and very viral. Are they about branding? Does it make you want to buy stuff at OfficeMax or drink CokeZero? Or see the new movie?

Do you think certain products, services or companies can benefit more from this sort of campaign?

Susan Gunelius: Is Demographic Segmentation Dead?

November 25, 2007

Social media and viral marketing strategies have become critical components to any marketing plan. While many companies have yet to learn how to fully leverage the strength of the social web to boost sales and profits, it's essential that companies don't give up to soon and continue testing the waters of Web 2.0 to find the right marketing mix.

Part of leveraging the social web to market a brand or product involves changing your marketing mindset related to segmenting your customer base. Finding your 'best' customers is a fundamental step in building a business.

Typically, the next step involves defining ways to find more people like your 'best' customers in order to target that market with advertising, promotions, etc. Usually, this step is done by the traditional segmentation of your customers focusing on similar demographic characteristics then finding similar people based on those demographics.

However, this is not the most effective way to segment and target customers in the world of Web 2.0. The social web is defined by behaviors rather than demographics. People can use the internet for researching, communicating, shopping and more without revealing a single piece of demographic information.

Relying on demographic segmentation when building a Web 2.0 marketing strategy will lead a marketing strategy down a path to failure. Instead, internet users must be segmented and targeted based on their online behaviors. What sites do they visit, what pages do they view on those sites and what links do they click? Those are just a few of the relevant questions marketers need to ask to understand their current and potential online customers.

By continually evaluating online customer behaviors and adjusting the marketing plan to address those behaviors, marketers can find similar people and introduce the best offers, in the best places and at the best time.

Shifting your thinking from demographic segmenting and targeting to behavioral segmenting and targeting can be a big change, and managing that change can feel like a big risk. However, marketers who learn to leave demographics behind and embrace behaviors will thrive in creating and executing social web marketing strategies.

Drew's Note: Susan Gunelius is the author of two marketing blogs, Brandcurve and MarketingBlurb as well as a new business blog called Women On Business. She has over a decade of experience in corporate marketing, advertising and branding. Susan is the first of the good guys who is in fact, a good woman.

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