Has this ever happened to you?  The woman next to you in line at the grocery store -- the one with the full cart standing next to an empty conveyor belt, holds everybody up while she chuckles at her iPhone.  Or the guy in the sedan in front of you who missed the light turning green because he is reading responses to a post he made in a gardening forum -- and will check 19 more times today. 

But let's face it -- it's not him. And it isn't her, either. It is you. And it is me. It's cliché to say we are a distracted people. It is cheap to complain about how our digital lives can lay waste to our personal ones. And it is a sine dicendo to say that when we can't get what we want, when we want it, at the price we want, and where we want it, we are prone to hysterics.

I elaborate more on this in a recent Mediapost article "Why Your Friendly Neighborhood Mobile Technologist Needs a Swift Kick in the Ass."

With the proliferation of tablets, smartphones and other connected devices, we are acccessing content more than ever on the go. So why aren't there more innovative mobile apps or mobile sites that "wow" us? Haven't we come so far that we can at least deliver something that won't make us leave the second we get there because of a fail to load or clunky navigation?

This is not a rant - but simply a call out to mobile technologists and developers to get excited. Get innovative. And to deliver something spectacular.

Designing systems, interfaces, back end engines, databases and other system related items takes a blend of creative and technical acumen. IT professionals love to solve problems with their blended skill sets. When an algorithm is developed we sometimes even share those ideas and algorithms so it can help other systems. One case in point is my colleague Jon Taylor’s recent blog about the Observer pattern and .net event models. (Check it out of you haven’t yet-great information.) Design patterns in themselves are previous solutions that give us a solid base to develop a new algorithm from. But how many times and in how many ways have we overdesigned something?

I remember a bad decision I made at the beginning of my career in overdesign. A customer wanted a backward compatible query building wizard for their staff to use that had little technical knowledge or database understanding. However, the trick was the ‘management’ staff consistently wanted to ‘adjust’ database table and field names. The data in them wouldn’t change but the name needed to change. They were adamant about this. In coming up with a design we looked at using SQL Server ID numbers to store. This way we could recreate the same query with new names and we wouldn’t have backward compatibility issues. When built it worked great everyone had what they needed. Until a new version of SQL Server came out that instead of updating table names dropped them and re-created them. Slap the forehead time. I didn’t consider the impact or fragility change would have on the system. I focused on one direction to much.

Instead of looking to a simpler solution I went to a more complex one, or better said as an overdesigned one. I have never forgotten that lesson and I find all kinds of ways to apply it. Over the years this has turned into a philosophy and phrase ‘evolution not revolution’. Revolution is not limited to overdesigning the back end system it could be overdesigning any part of the system. In this context the concept of revolution for change is a bad one. Some of the aspects of revolution I am referring to are the destructive nature, the amount of change that has be absorbed, what can’t be changed back and the time to adjust to the changes. When your users are feeling the impact of a system revolution is this a good thing? What causes them to feel that?

 We aren’t talking about users feelings at the deployment of a system. We are talking about the users feelings over time. One example, I heard company say they couldn’t adjust the size of a banner frame for their customer because they had built it custom. It would take to many hours to change. That small issue was the start for the customer losing faith in the product and the team that created it. Eventually that team lost the business. Why? They created a revolutionary new banner frame that was great. But when the customer needed change they couldn’t accommodate efficiently and cost effectively.

When architecting we have to be able to break down a system to its critical components and work forward. We have to keep in mind that the parts of our systems need to evolve and grow. To best serve our customers we have to be diligent in evaluating if our design is evolutionary or revolutionary. Thinking of the quote ‘an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure’ what are some simple ways to prevent overdesign. Collaborate; working alone in a vacuum is not always a great way to a solution. One of the reasons collaboration is such a great tool for teams is someone is always looking for a simpler way. If you aren’t working with a team or before you review with the team, ask yourself am I designing to the requirements or am I trying to add value. Sometimes in trying to add value we get so excited about what the system could do we forget that the customer may have never wanted that.

Prevention begins early in the process. Understanding the workflows and business processes associated with a system is critical. Architects, testers, developers, and customers all need to be on the same page. In gathering requirements we have to dig to the deeper process to design a quality system. With an understanding of the business processes, the entire development process begins from requirements on down reflect the beginning is a base.

Realize that for many systems that have heavy interaction, users need time with the system. This is important because I am frequently surprised with the direction a customer will drive a solution over time. It is so important to consider this during design as well as critical to take the time to design. It surprises me that even today how many developers and team almost go straight to code.  Take the time to focus on the base and look for evolution. For architects and developers design patterns are great if it fits and gives your customer what they need. Consider that the only constant is change. Do you really need that whiz bang new pattern or will something simpler work better?  

Create a system that can evolve with the customers’ needs over time not revolutionize today forgetting about tomorrow.

A common refrain in IT is to "begin with the end in mind." It is one of those refrains that has been repeated so many times that it quickly becomes ignored. For systems that collect data, "the end" may be very complicated. Some data collected can be presented in reports and that is sufficient. Reporting is such an easily understood term and used so frequently it often hides complexity. It’s in that complexity that frustration for system engineers and customers alike begins.  Because of that, complexity reporting is often not a cost effective means for exploring data. Complex reports can take a significant amount of time, (translate that to cost), in order to complete.  When users are looking at the data to see what trends or interesting anomalies appear, reports just aren’t efficient. We begin by recognizing that "the end" can be as complex a system as the front end collection system.

Architecting an analysis system can comprise many parts ans some of the most overlooked and underutilized are OLAP tools (Online Analytical Processing). As such, optimizing those tools and working with users to capture the areas the tool needs to work with are important.  It’s that OLAP part of an analysis system that we begin to explore in a bit more detail.

So to begin working with OLAP, two terms will immediately need to be understood--dimension and measure. Working off of a graph diagram is the best explanation to start with. Looking at Figure 1, notice the X–axis of the graph. In OLAP, that axis will be called a "dimension". The calculation that occurs at each notch in the access is called a "measure".  That in mind, figure 1 shows location as the dimension and debt amount as the measure.

 

Figure 1.

Using the same basic graph model, imagine that we add a new dimension debt type. So now the intersection that points between the dimensions debt type and location show our debt amount measure. The great thing about OLAP tools is that depending on the particular tool, they can look at many measures at the same time, can flatten a dimension out, and look at all of one and a particular point or notch on another dimension. So, why are they called cubes?

 Figure 2 shows the addition of the Calendar dimension, essentially time limited to the granularity level of day. With that dimension our graphical representation now resembles a cube, hence the name. While graphically we can only represent 3 dimensions clearly and easily, an OLAP system can represent hundreds of dimensions.

  

Figure 2.

OLAP tools provide different types of interfaces that allow users to simply drag, drop and click to explore data. Some tools like SAS Enterprise Guide can even graph dynamically while the user is exploring. Robust tools like this provide a good user experience and enhances the analysis system. Many systems like SQL Analysis Services connects directly to SQL Reporting services, allowing for reports to be built quickly and easily in addition to the normal canned reports. So, what does an architect need to consider with a basic understanding of what OLAP does for users?

An OLAP system basically represents hundreds or thousands, depending on the number of dimensions and measures, of queries working against the data simultaneously.  In processing, systems like SQL Analysis server offer different processing options to do as many pre-calculations as possible. These processing options are HOLAP, MOLAP, and ROLAP, but let’s not get into the weeds. What we need to know is that the system is going to perform some level of pre-processing and store that pre-processing. To do that pre-processing, and for that matter, processing, there are data structure designs that work more efficiently with OLAP. Some will refer to these models as Star and Snowflake patterns. What architects need to look at is that the data model for the collection may be differently optimized. Don’t get into discussions of normalization here, as it doesn’t apply. Both the data models can be normalized but still not be optimized for their working intent. Normalization does equal optimization for all cases.

Looking at figure 3, the data model shows a table labeled with the prefix "fact." The fact table in an OLAP model is where the values to calculate measures are usually stored. Keep in mind that a measure is an individual calculation and the facts are the values that enable those calculations. To help the OLAP system work, a group of foreign keys relate out to the tables with the prefix "dim." The dim tables may be single tables as represented with the debt type. Or they may be hierarchal as represented with the Calendar dimension.

Figure 3.

What creating a database model like this allows for is the OLAP engine to process quicker. Creating this model may result in ETL routines being created, which is a benefit, as dimension data can be transformed from being collected one way to another in the OLAP data model. This provides even more flexibility towards what we can represent, as well as interjecting new considerations. How often do we move the data? Do we copy the data or do we move it? An analysis system has to consider all of these options.

OLAP can also be a data source for the front end interface and provide new dashboards and functionality to the collection interface as well. Visual Studio.net for example, has quite a few capabilities in this area that will be in another blog coming soon. Getting back, this allows analysis systems the capability of being an integrated system in new ways with the collection system.

If you see the value of OLAP, look at it as another tool for the analysis system. Yes, it can be a replacement for some reports. However, a solution will still include canned reports, as we are always going to need those.  A full analysis system is going to have more components to it and be fully thought out. With this end in mind, if you were to design the exploration, reporting, queries, and analysis you want a system to provide, how different would the collection system be?

Many systems are designed from the point of view of the collection system. After all, that’s what most users will see and work with. So we focus there. Only later to realize we want to analyze data and we have the wrong level of granularity or we are missing a variable. Many know that the cost and time increase significantly when changing a constructed system versus at design time. Have you considered what the cost is of building the systems in the wrong order? Is the tail wagging the dog?

Brand Relationship Development  – The Good, The Bad, and The Good Again     

Lately we’ve seen a plethora of logo changes from major national brands. Tropicana, GAP, PUR, Starbucks, Seattle’s Best, Caribou Coffee, Holiday Inn, and the YMCA have all created new logos. Unfortunately these new logos are not always welcomed. Tropicana and GAP’s new logos were so poorly received that the companies have already reverted back to the old designs. So why all the changes?





Think about Apple. Chances are you love them or you hate them, and that’s a whole lot better than just “liking” them. “Like” is a very weak emotion (although Facebook may disagree). A strong brand has passion connected to it. How about Starbucks? Is their coffee really any better than any other coffee shop? Probably not, but after years of Starbucks in the morning their patrons have an emotional attachment to the company that is a part of their daily routines. It makes sense that if something so simple, but so central to the core of the brand changes—like the logo—that there would be a strong reaction.

So why is everyone so quick to scrap the logo they’ve been building equity (and more importantly passion) in for years? Logo changes are typically made to either reinvigorate a tired brand or to appeal to a new set of customers. Starbucks, certainly not a tired brand, redesigned their logo to support a product mix growing beyond just coffee. At the same time the new logo is said to appeal to the Asian market to which Starbucks is trying to engage. While that’s all fine and good, their loyal customers who have been made Starbucks part of their daily routine and have formed that emotional bond are up in arms. Bear in mind that to fully implement a logo change requires millions upon millions of dollars, not just to pay for the design itself, but to pay for all the new signage and website integration, among other things. Is it worth it?

Starbucks’ red headed step child—Seattle’s Best—redesigned their logo after picking up major additions to its distribution channel, but the new simplified logo looks cheap. Did the marketers get too excited when they added Burger King, Subway, and AMC Entertainment to their list of vendors? Why make your brand less differentiated and more like Folgers (with a higher price tag)?

The YMCA’s decision to change the logo they’ve been using since 1967 was the biggest surprise to me. Sure, I’ll concede that it probably is a “tired” brand, but does throwing away a nearly 45 year old logo and replacing it with a logo in which you want customers to buy into “the many colors reflect the vibrancy and diversity of our communities and activities” really help?

The logo changes (and subsequent changes back) by Tropicana and GAP were the biggest disasters. Just four days after GAP’s new logo came out; they reverted back to their traditional “Blue Box” logo. After Tropicana’s sales dropped by 20%, they reverted back too. What does the lack of staying power behind the new logos indicate?

Starbuck’s had a pretty clear goal behind their change—to aid their planned product mix expansion. With that specific goal in mind, we probably won’t see Starbucks revert back their old logo even though their loyalists are (vocally) perturbed. Like most things in business, a logo change needs a specific goal (not just to get more sales) and without that specific goal, it is much easier to give up on a logo change the way GAP and Tropicana did.

Holiday Inn’s new logo makes some sense because they were largely viewed as tired and old before the brand overhaul and the new logo was well executed, but the bottom line remains the same. If you think you can totally change your logo without any backlash, you may have a passion problem, and if you think you can always change it back you have a goals problem. To all the marketers out there changing logos whenever they get bored…get a hobby!

I’m sure Tyler Durden would say it better, but I’m also fairly sure he could easily see that cracking the viral code means you have to first acknowledge there is no viral code. So look at your creative, now look at Old Spice, now back to your creative…back to Old Spice. This is currently the creative everyone wants to smell like.



The problem is few marketers have the (cough) moxie, never mind the market penetration, to attempt creative like this. It’s hilarious and it’s risky, but that’s why it’s genius. For the creative lot it falls into the “I wish I made that” category and for the consumer and pop-culture junkie alike it falls into the “OMG, have you seen this spot?!” category. Which means it’s very spreadable content. People want to be the first to share and there’s a ton of equity in that for Old Spice.

Not only that. It’s a proof of concept for everything to follow. Which made the campaign almost easy to scale. Again, I’m assuming there were some savvy folks pushing that agenda and the client was picking up what they were putting down, all of which seems to be
the case.

Is there an element of luck involved? Sure. But do you have any idea how hard it is to accomplish what they did in the first “I’m on a horse” spot, in camera? Most reading this probably don’t. It’s not easy, and it’s not cheap. I think it was something like 3 days on location to nail it. How about the casting? Can you imagine anyone else but Isaiah Mustafa playing this role? Think he was everyone’s first choice? Maybe? We’ll probably never know.

Sure the assignment may have been “viral” or included a “viral video” but these guys came up with an over the top idea and got it produced. It’s really well done and they have The Emmy to prove it! Did it turn into a wildly popular spreadable campaign Old Spice continues to capitalize on? Yes.

My point is there is a LOT that goes into creating any successful campaign, viral or otherwise, especially one as ambitious as this. These W+K creative’s have no doubt written their ticket to whatever they want in the agency world. How’d they do it? A big idea. A really strong idea, well executed and then scaled based on the success.

The moral of the story: Think big. Don’t think small because the aspect ration is. If this is the creative you want your brand to smell like, get ready to take some serious risks. They did.

I’m on a horse.

As the U.S. recession winds down, and the recovery begins to pick up steam, talent acquisition, development and cultivation will again become important to companies that want to get ahead.

“The War for Talent” is now global and very, very digital. Finding talent might be easier than you think. I’d like to offer a high value, low cost way to find talent in the marketplace and within your organization.

In the information age and knowledge economy we’re operating in, the power of the mind is key component of success – at least for organizations able to tap into that power.

From a management perspective, managers need insight into the minds of their employees like never before. It’s not easy to figure out who is willing to go the extra mile to get the job done.

I believe the answer to the challenges can be found in the blogosphere.

Finding Talent in the Blogosphere

If you establish a companywide blogging program that is open to all employees, at all levels and job functions, it can be an excellent device for gauging the intellectual abilities of your team.

You can do it as internal blogs, public blogs, and topic specific, pre-screened or free for all. Whatever you do you will gain insight into your employees. You will find out which ones are slow to adopt new technologies, which ones have good thoughts, but poor communications skills, great writers with hollow thinking or innovators trapped in task jobs.

You’ll get far more valuable information than you can from performance reviews, meeting attendance or coaching sessions. Simply because it is self selected participation, self-expression and the opportunity to rise to the top or to fade into obscurity.

Just track who is a continuous contributor, who is a commenter and who is absent. Then read those that are intriguing, comment back and see how they conduct a digital conversation. And before you say your business is about relationships and face-to-face today, the future of face to face is digital to digital.

The ability to conduct civil discourse that is a matter of digital record is a daily requirement in business and in life today. The understanding of when to add imagery, video, graphs, links to others and medium appropriate content, is critical and the best new weapons in your arsenal.

I guarantee you that as the talent wars heat up, that your competitors will look for talent in your organization and your employee’s Facebook profiles, blogs, tweets and comments on the digital radar will be part of how they determine who to target for recruitment. You should do the same thing, start with your employees and then move to theirs. The future of your business is dependent upon the next generation of thinkers, doers and digital actors.

 

Now if this were a documentary and not a blog I’d start out this way:

FADE IN:
Simple white text over black.

viral |ˈvīrəl|
adjective
1 of the nature of, caused by, or relating to a virus or viruses.

2 of or involving the rapid spread of information about a product or service by viral marketing techniques : a viral video ad. 
Creating original and entertaining viral advertising is a unique challenge every time it’s attempted; no matter the agency, the client or the brand. The audience at large has become more and more fickle when it comes to what entertains them, especially online.

Creating something the viewer feels compelled to pass along to a friend? Even more difficult. That’s why I try to make it clear every time I embark on a job dubbed “viral”. It’s not a noun. You are attempting to catch lightning in a bottle...naming it as such doesn’t make it so.
 
So what is the secret formula to this viral video stuff? The secret is there is no secret. Who can explain why one day the Coca Cola “Happiness Machine” is wildly popular and the next the “Death Metal Rooster” or the latest kitten video is all the rage? There are too many mitigating factors to count, let alone to try and prepare for. You can’t make a video spread virally. All the planning and analysis in the world will never trump a great idea. There it is. I knew I had a point!
 
What we do know is people are consuming video online like never before. 141 million people viewed Web video in February. Even more astounding, YouTube announced that users are uploading 20 hrs of video every minute of every day on their site. Man, that’s a lot of kittens!

Gone are the days that just because it’s there people will watch it, never mind share it. But that’s the goal. Sharing. Buzzfeed actually uses a metric on their site to chart viral performance - the formula is based on how actively the content is being shared and spread to chart success. Not just views.
 
As the guys from undercurrent.com so brilliantly said in their SXSW presentation, “internet fame is a social phenomenon, not a magic trick”. So what does that mean for brands entering the space? What can they do to help achieve some internet fame?
 
Firstly, for me as a creative, and certainly as a director, there’s one sure-fire trick to be followed and that starts with a great idea. Look at the most successful viral advertising and web video. I bet it’s a fairly simple idea done really well, usually in the “I wish I thought of that” category.

Is the idea and, in turn, the content quality? Is it original, smart, funny, heartfelt, genuine, or is it simply content for content sake? Will it entertain? Will it engage? Will it encourage advocacy - meaning, do I feel compelled to share? As a brand, the Death Metal Rooster is probably not something to aspire to…unless you’re Purdue maybe...which is just plain weird.  My point is that brands can’t chase “Chocolate Rain” or “Star Wars Kid”…I mean, come on, that kid would totally destroy you!
 
Two, duration. If you want to harness the power of the people sharing a great idea, keep it short and get to the hook early (around 2 minutes is our sweet spot) but if you insist on going longer, for the love of all that’s holy, raise the stakes and the funny*, escalate things to keep them engaged. *(oh, the funny, like "more cowbell", always helps).
 
People are being entertained across an ever-growing number of mediums and everyday consumers become more media literate. I will always passionately argue that just creating content is simply not enough. Content is king, sure, but now quality is job one.

Not to say that only means production value. That’s part of it of course. I’m the first to push back on folks that say things like “internet budget” or “it’s only being produced for a tiny screen, it should be really cheap right?”, or my favorite, “it’s only for the Web”, argh…don’t get me started!
 
Now, spoiler alert; time for a little self-tooting…wait for it. "The Happiness Machine" was a great idea. The fact that it has such a broad appeal is not a fluke. It’s a simple concept that delivered the desired effect; to put a smile on people’s faces. It’s on brief, on brand and elicits a genuine emotional response. Lucky for us, Coke saw that early on and they deserve a LOT of credit for preserving the core idea. The final product as it exists is very, very close to the initial creative. That is rare.
 
So, back to that trite open of mine. If you do your job right, the derivative of viral becomes an adverb, “virally”, because it has performed that way. People shared it and hopefully, became active participants with your brand.

Now, I don’t have all the answers. I’m just a guy that spent two days inside a vending machine so what do I know? What I do know is viral, much like any other successful advertising, is still about the big idea. Don’t think small because the aspect ratio is. On the contrary, think bigger because your audience is growing every day.

I love the idea that the only difference between a community and an audience is the way the chairs are facing. You can produce a million dollar spot and seed it or spend your million seeding a low budget video featuring nothing but a farting sock puppet, if the concept sucks there goes your million and your audience. (note to self: write million dollar sock puppet treatment, post haste!).
 
It’s no longer just about views or clicks, it’s about becoming part of the cultural zeitgeist. People share, discuss, rate, comment on, discuss, tweet, blog and even spoof or parody your creation. That’s viral. Your idea spreads rapidly beyond your control through every channel.

For brands, it means the consumer becomes your biggest advocate and as we have come accustomed to saying, BOOM goes the dynamite! You’re viral. Just stop calling it that. Cool? Thanks.

Social media marketing is at the forefront of integrated interactive marketing programs underway at almost every Fortune 500 company out there. Corporate blogging, online video and podcasts are among the most popular strategies used by the world's largest comapnies. But what about Twitter?

What might surprise you is how quickly Twitter is growing as the social medium of choice among Fortune 500 companies. According to recent studies like “Fortune 500 and Social Media: A Longitudinal Study of Blogging and Twitter Usage by America’s Largest Companies,” conducted by the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth and Financial Insite, a Seattle-based Research Firm, Twitter is the platform of choice for Fortune 500 social media marketers.

The study examined the 2009 Fortune 500 in an attempt to quantify their adoption of social media tools and technologies, finding that 22% of Fortune 500 companies have a public-facing corporate blog – six percent more than 2008. The study also found that 86% of these blogs link directly to a corporate Twitter account, a 300% increase over 2008. Even more corporations have Twitter accounts, but not all link to them from their blog.

It would appear that Fortune 500 marketers are moving fast to Twitter for engaging with their key audiences. Of course, upon further analysis, you’d find that only 35% of these Twitter accounts are active – described as having been updated within the past 30 days. If I’m reading the study correctly, that means 65% are not being actively used.

While Fortune 500 companies have realized they need to be on Twitter – probably as defense against username squatting – few have truly embraced Twitter as a social channel. 

Of the groups that have engaged most heavily with Twitter, the insurance industry is leading the way, with 13 active Twitter accounts according to the study. Of course there are also companies like Exxon Mobil, the #1 company in the Fortune 500, that have no presence on Twitter.

A separate analysis of Fortune 500 Twitter, “The Global Social Media Check-Up” conducted by Burson-Marstellar, found that 79% of Fortune 100 Global companies are using one of four popular social media platforms, with Twitter leading Facebook, YouTube and corporate blogging as the platform of choice.

65% of Fortune Global 100 companies have active accounts on Twitter, while only 54% have Facebook accounts, 50% have YouTube channels, and 33% have a corporate blog. There is still plenty of room for improvement here.

Why Is Twitter the Preferred Platform?

Nobody knows for sure why Twitter is so popular, but there’s a good chance that it’s because it’s the easiest platform to launch. Companies can have a Twitter account up and running in a couple of hours (or less). There is a lot more work to do to launch a YouTube channel, corporate blog, or Facebook presence. It also takes considerably less resources to manage content production and audience interaction on Twitter than these other platforms. It’s a relatively low-cost and low-maintenance option for getting in the social media game.

Are Fortune 500 companies getting any value out of Twitter though? According to the Burson-Marstellar study, the answer is “yes”. Twitter accounts to the Fortune Global 100 average 1,489 followers. This doesn’t seem like much when you consider the average Facebook fan page for these companies has more than 40,000 fans, but it's progress.

A full copy of the new research report can be downloaded here: http://www.umassd.edu/cmr/studiesresearch.

 

 

Can we all agree our business has changed?  We are amidst change of historical proportion in every way and the socio-economic landscape will continue to evolve over the months and years to come.  Agreed? Great, moving on...

Not to be the bitter and jaded one here (but it comes really easily to me)...and I don't know about you, but I would much rather hear more about all the people that have evolved along with the business, not the proverbial sticks in the mud pining for the days of old - and in turn - a business model of old.  Ahem...

I'm not saying I don't agree with parts of this open letter, especially what's at the core - talent.  I believe it's crucial that you have the best talent at every turn.  This undoubtedly makes the work better.  However, the idea that working with the best creative team possible AND doing so in a way that is more cost effective is mutually exclusive is naive.  There is a way to have both.  Not only that, many clients are embracing the change and, yes, still doing great work.  So do I go in-house, do I work independent, what do we do - tell me...what do we DO?!

What is this revolutionary fix-all miracle tonic you ask?  It's turnkey production.  I know, not the sexiest of names but it's proved to be the wave of the present.  It was the wave of the future 3 years ago when businesses like ours saw an opportunity to do more with the core talent and client roster we already had, in turn growing our business in new, exciting ways. Delivering work from script to screen across the 3 that matter in the digital age: TV, internet, mobile.

I actually agree that the in-house "agency edit" as they refer to it via Brand Week isn't the best idea if for no other reason than clients get very little new perspective on the work, and the post talent may be questionable.  But that's not to say this is not a viable approach to creative problem solving and more importantly, like the angry parents that warned us, hip-hop was just a fad, it's merely a trend...wait a few years and you crazy kids will forget all about the silly rap musics.”   This is not going away.  Whether it's working in-house or via a soup to nuts production model, we all have to do more with less.  If you can't or won't adapt, you will not survive.

The irony is that we’ve made steps in this direction 2 plus years ago and met with lots of furrowed brows and shrugged shoulders.  Where today, I not only find a warm reception to our business model, we've also seen it emulated in many different iterations over the past year and have clients actively seeking ways for this model to do more.  More?  Yes please we'd love some more, thanks!

In summary, I would extend the scope of this letter beyond the lens of editorial to ask the question, "Are your brand’s messages being crafted by the best TALENT available to ensure maximum effectiveness?"

You may just find that talent, and their businesses, are thriving.  They are living and working together, all in one place.  It's the future.  In case you haven't figured it out already...it's here.

In the last few years, there's been a lot of talk about moving beyond the 30 second commercial. This is more than just a commentary on format. It is really speaking to the way people consume media and the best way to leverage that consumption to get your brand’s message out. Web and mobile are providing a greater percentage of viewer’s video content, and that trend is increasing. But even though they are viewing their content on a different screen, they are still looking for an entertaining and engaging video experience.

The most successful commercial campaigns have always been the ones that entertain, whether humorous, touching, or visually stimulating. As the viewer’s lives become more media saturated, their desire to be entertained becomes more acute. This is why an old concept has resurrected, albeit in an updated form. Branded entertainment was the norm in the early days of television and it’s time has come again. Rather than trying to make commercials entertaining enough to capture consumers’ attention, why not create entertaining programming that promotes your brand. Branded entertainment, when done correctly, is a very effective way to get your brand noticed. Not only will you be putting your brand in front of your customers, you will actually enlist them in spreading the word. The challenge is to create something consumers will associate with your brand in a positive way that will not feel like merely an extended commercial.

For less than what it might cost to create a traditional commercial campaign and buy the media time, you can have a short film or series produced, put it on the web, and get millions of eyes on it. A series has an advantage over a single spot in that it can grab viewers and become a destination, allowing secondary branding opportunities. As with any advertising, there are many failed attempts at this. In order to be successful, you can't throw up just any old thing and hope it sticks. On the web, content is king, and consumers are becoming increasingly discriminating about what they will watch and pass to others. They may have switched screens, but they are looking for the same level of content they are used to seeing on television. There is a lot of competition for people’s attention but right now well produced and entertaining content is hard to come by. Now is the time to take advantage of the void. Produce a great show and users will find you. The most common mistake is thinking that something for web use does not need the attention you might give to something that will be shown on TV. Because the cost of getting something up on the web is cheap (relative to traditional media) many old-guard agencies tend to not put enough money into production. They fall back on old patterns that tie budget to the cost of the media. It is important to put the proper resources into creating your property.

And even though I have spoken mostly about web and mobile as fast growing platforms, that doesn’t mean it is time to abandon the television. Some of the lessons we are learning in the digital realm can be applied to traditional TV. More and more shows are using embedded sponsorship. And the numbers of channels available in specific markets make the prospect of producing a branded show an economic reality. The world of entertainment is changing quickly, with new options and possibilities opening up every day.

I've compiled a small list here of Social Media success stories.  One of the interesting things that I find about most people who have already started marketing and consumer communications using Social Media is that they often say "don't be afraid to try something new" and "don't be afraid of failure".  Some failures have lead to even better campaigns.  If these companies (and more) can try a few ideas, so can you.  Most people familiar with social media agree that if you really want to connect with your consumers and help establish or reinforce brand recognition, you need to get on Social Media outlets now.  For one thing, it is often very cheap to do this while being able to reach out to thousands or even millions of potential and long-standing customers.  So please review these stories to see how easy some of them got started and the great successes that they had.

1. Taco Mac on Twitter
Followers of Taco Mac can follow the individual Taco Mac location of their choice.  They get updates on Taco Mac's latest specials and reminders of special events.  Taco Mac gets a lot more people attending special events because many of them might have forgotten.  On Pint Night they are running out of free pint glasses in 1 hour instead of 3 hours like it was before Twitter.  What else could your company do if you were sending constant "reminders" to your customers?
(http://www.ajc.com/business/taco-mac-uses-twitter-102656.html)
(http://twitter.com/TMacLindbergh)


2. Masi Bicycles on Blogs, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube
New Masi Brand Manager, Tim Jackson, was given a very small budget and they were already spending much of that on some magazine ads.  So he had to come up with an inexpensive way to better market the Masi brand.  The easy (and cheap) way for him was to create a blog that he regularly posts to.  This actually helped him to establish good relationships with some of his vendors.  He is also actively using Twitter and Facebook and is moving toward podcasts and video.  With a new "cult" following, sales are really starting to grow.  What's really interesting is that Tim had never done any of this before.
(http://mediahunter.typepad.com/media_hunter/2008/07/social-media-su.html#more)
(http://twitter.com/MasiBicycles)


3. CNN with Facebook
CNN had a huge success when they teamed up with Facebook to present the Presidential Inaugaration and Michael Jackson's funeral.  21.3 million live video streams!  That's a lot of people.  Oh, and guess what?  CNN's first attempt failed (The Primary Debates).  But they figured it out before the inaugaration.  What can your company do that would attract watchers, even if you don't get 21.3 million?  Maybe a live fashion show for a new line of clothing?  Perhaps a live demonstration of how your product works or a new product offering? Or maybe a conversation with your CEO?
(http://vmarketingblog.com/2009/07/31/cnn-and-social-networking/)
(http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/01/21/inauguration.online.video/index.html)
(http://mashable.com/2009/01/20/cnn-facebook-inauguration-numbers/)
(http://newteevee.com/2009/01/20/facebook-cnn-is-future-of-tv/)


4. Zappos on Twitter, Blogs
Customer satisfaction and relationships.  That is what Zappos is all about.  QUALITY interactions.  Not only do the CEO and COO get online, but many of their other employees do too.  It is like they are your friends.  What would it be like for your company if people considered your brand as their friend?  Zappos has come to the realization that your brand isn't what you say it is, it is what the consumers say it is.  They proudly look for and respond to negative comments about them.  They are all about "making things right".  They want people to be comfortable not just with Zappos' products, but with Zappos' employees.  How would people respond to your employees if they were responding to and interacting with consumers online?  To quote from the article below "we may not always remember what someone tells us, but we generally remember how we felt when we were interacting with the person. And when people feel respected and engaged, whether it is in-person with a co-worker or online on a social network, they have a natural desire to tell other people about the experience."
(http://mashable.com/2009/04/26/zappos/)
(http://twitter.com/zappos)


5. Common Wealth Credit Union (CWCU) on YouTube
CWCU wanted to target a specific demographic.  People between the ages of 17 and 25.  They wanted a way to keep the buzz going while acquiring new customers for life.  They created a microsite for this campaign that is managed by someone who is 17 - 25 years old and use YouTube to upload videos that will appeal to people their age, usually videos of themselves.  People can interact with the website by answering poll questions, watching videos, sharing pictures, submitting job postings, adding information about free stuff in their communities, and of course, applying for a chequing account.  The site "spokester" also blogs about money with fun little YouTube videos.  They opened up 2400 new accounts in the first 8 months after the campaign started (Note, the article does not say how that compares to previous months, but it must be good because they are still going and have a new "spokester" with lots of new material).
(http://mediahunter.typepad.com/media_hunter/2008/08/social-media--1.html#more)
(http://www.youngfreealberta.com/)


So those are just a few examples of companies making the most with Social Media.  In many cases it involved very little cost.  In other cases there was quite a bit of time, effort and money put into it, but the results were out of this world.  Given that there are several very active social media sites, it would be a smart move to get your company out there and in touch with your current and potential customers.

If you are looking for great ideas, let Definition 6 help you.  We are an online interactive marketing agency with experience in Social Media efforts.  There are so many good online marketing techniques and we can help you find the one (or more) that are right for you.  If you go to www.definition6.com, you can check out our new game that interacts directly with Twitter called TwitterINGO.  Or you can check out how we integrated AutoExtra's campaign with MySpace.  We can also help you with mobile marketing strategies.

If any of the above stories don't convince you to get on the Social Media bandwagon, then check out Mashable.com's "10 of the Smartest Big Brands in Social Media".

Recently I visited the doctor for a single respiratory CT scan in which AFTER insurance I ended up paying close to $1,500. Upon seeing the exorbitant bill I headed straight to the nearest Mc Donald in an attempt to convince myself that ordering from the “Dollar Menu” could be a long term strategy to help me subsidize the 10 costly X-Rays (I think it’d have been cheaper for them to simply open my chest and take a look rather than spend 30 seconds photographing my lungs).

During the car ride home, in which I ate all of my fries before reaching the front doorstep, something dawned on me. As I attempted in vain to wipe the french-fry grease from my hands I came to the realization that when you combine something that’s good AND cheap it can make anyone’s day better.  Granted my cholesterol/MSG high only lasted for but a moment, I decided in the spirit of giving I’d share the same free and good satisfaction with those of you in the blogosphere.

As every aspect of business slowly moves into the clouds, businesses have been turning to website integration platforms such as SalesForce.com. Many businesses are unaware of the Sales Force app exchange, and those who are often times don’t realize there are a plethora (I’ve been dying to use that word) of extremely useful and FREE applications that help to make Sales Force a complete online marketing and sales tool.

So on behalf of myself and Definition 6, an interactive media agency in Atlanta, I present you with the top 10 FREE Sales Force applications that every business can benefit from. In no particular order;

1. SalesView:

If you were involved in a CMS (or WCM - Web Content Management) purchase decision 5 years ago, you likely heard about the "open source" phenomenon. And, you probably cringed at the thought of supporting your revenue-producing, lead-generation website with low cost alternative to the Interwoven and Vignette giants. Cringe no more, open source solutions not only provide very similar features, the good ones are now fully supported as well.

Here's a recent article written by JT Smith on Website Magazine. (Choosing An Open Source Web Content Management System) He successfully details the differences between closed and open source systems (without bashing the Big Guys). Ultimately, every company has their own decision to make, their own contstraints, processes and budget concerns. A WCMS solution has to adhere to these points, so open source may not be for everyone. But it's certainly worth taking a look at some of JT's points:

As your business grows, your needs will change. The open source model provides a mechanism for adapting to that change without relying on proprietary software to catch up to evolving trends and new technologies.

Budget...Budget. If budget is a concern, and likely it is these days, open source makes sense. Period. Save the budget for your other interactive marketing strategies.

Fully supported. Lack of support used to be a pitfall of open source solutions. That has changed. You'll find that well established, reputable solutions offer not only support, but also a vast community of developers and end users.

Somewhere in between. Open source CMS does not necesitate custom application development. Nor does it necesitate costly professional services contracts. It really falls in the middle. The benefit of open source becomes the ability to lean in either direction.

I love JT's quote: "Using closed source CMS can be likened to buying a new car with the hood welded shut, the wheels permanently attached, and your only maintenance option is a visit to the dealership."

Give open source a look. At Definition 6, we utilize one of the "good ones", Umbraco. We've been through several (> 20), successful implementations for a variety of clients. Including websites in the travel, telecommunications and online retail industries. I'm proud to say that we're also the first certified solutions developer in North America.

In recent years it seems as if E-Mail marketing has fallen by the wayside in light of emerging technologies and trends. Time and time again statistics have supported the profitability and legitimacy of E-Mail marketing, so it’s important to take a step back and see how E-Mail marketing is or more importantly isn’t, affecting your company.
Here are three questions to ask yourself or your marketing team in order to answer the bottom line; do we need to invest or reinvest in E-Mail marketing?

1) Have you forgotten about the basics?

In this new Web 2.0 world marketers are constantly scrambling to keep up with the latest trends, throwing money at anything deemed “cool,” “trendy,” or “popular.” At first glance new social outlets and advertising mediums may seem appealing, but sites such as YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, and Myspace have short track records in terms of performance and viewership capabilities. These mediums aren’t poor investments by any means, but more often than not companies are blinded by the popularity of new social sites and forget about the basics of interactive marketing; E-Mail marketing. 
In one Forrester survey E-Mail more than 80% of businesses surveys achieved a significant return on investment - double that of most other marketing initiatives. I highly doubt any current social media site can boast 80% ROI satisfaction for use of their advertising and marketing platforms.

There’s a reason social media and Web 2.0 technology is called the “frontier” of internet exploration; IT’S UNKNOWN TERRITORY. If you’re hoping to catch the wave early and become one of the first settlers on the new frontier, be prepared to sacrifice quite a bit of blood, sweat, and treasure. A word of warning though for those looking to brave these mysterious, ever-changing virtual landscapes;  by the time you and other businesses jump on the bandwagon, the consumer has most likely started getting off to ride the new model bandwagon – the one that has three axels instead of two.

BOTTOM LINE: Like my great grand pappy use to say, sometimes the best things in life are the simplest things; E-Mail marketing may not be as flashy as a MySpace page, but 9/10 it will dole out a much larger reward upon investment.

2) Are you putting your data to good use?

For those already utilizing E-Mail marketing it’s important to take a step back and review your E-Mail marketing process. Do you simply click “send” every two weeks to blast your newsletter or promotion? One of the foremost reasons E-Mail campaigns fail or plateau revolve around the marketers lack of interaction, understanding, diligence, or experience analyzing and applying the data generated by their E-Mail campaign.  E-Mail is light years ahead of almost every other advertising medium in terms of accountability and tracking, the question is whether you’re leveraging this unique capability or not. With the ability to instantly review the results of your efforts, it’s important to analyze the outcome through multiple lenses rather than just a couple such as “E-Mails opened,” “conversions,” or “bounced rates.”

As a rule of thumb every time you receive the results of an E-Mail blast you should be changing at least ONE aspect of your next E-Mail strategy or design. It’s entirely possible to deploy E-Mail blasts without acknowledging the data and still receive a good response and return. As a marketer you need to apply the data you receive in order to run a GREAT campaign. Just because you’re running a “good” campaign with minimal effort doesn’t change the fact that in reality you’re really running a poor to mediocre campaign.
The most effective E-Mail marketing is an evolutionary process consisting of hours, and hours, and hours (and hours) of data compilation, review, and reform. If you or your marketing team takes performs no action other than clicking “send,” odds are you’re missing out on the true strength of E-Mail marketing; quick, intuitive, statistically supported campaign adaptation.  

BOTTOM LINE: We don’t live in a static world; neither should your E-Mail marketing.  

 3) Are you maximizing your dollar during the recession?

Marketing departments across the world have been laying off employees in droves. Even higher level management today is looking for any way possible to show their superiors that they add value to the company. What would your superiors say if they saw you could not only boost revenue but cut costs at the same time?
Marketing budgets have shrank, but thankfully E-Mail marketing prices have stayed relatively the same – cost efficient. Of all the advertising mediums both virtual and physical, E-Mail marketing is among the most cost effective with the privilege of being able to boast one of the highest ROI’s. A single print ad can cost thousands upon thousands after the cost of graphic design and ad-space. Instead of paying $10,000-$25,000+ for one month of magazine advertising, you can run a four month e-mail campaign which normally entails better audiences, conversion rates, and accountability. If you find the costs of traditional advertising to be exorbitant, it may be time to dust off the E-Mail marketing proposal and take another look.

BOTTOM LINE: As the great Benjamin Franklin once said, “A penny saved is a penny earned.”

So ask yourself:

1) Would it be beneficial to scale back on costly new-age technology investments in order to temporarily invest in more dependable marketing initiatives?

2) Would it be beneficial to engage in an E-Mail marketing discovery phase to see if you’ve truly been interacting with your campaigns and applying the data you find?

3) Would it be beneficial to divert your limited budget to more cost effective (and often times profitable) marketing venture such as E-Marketing?

 

Recent rumors suggest that Google is moving towards real-time search which would include indexing Tweets.  That means that NOW is the time to look at your Twitter presence.

Google is already indexing tweets just not in real-time, but pages and individual tweets are appearing in search results.

Here's an example:




Here are a few tips to improve search engine optimization with your twitter posts:

1. Choose a good handle
2. Select an account name wisely
3. Make your bio count
4. Spread the word
5. Remember your URL
6. Select the initial characters of each tweet carefully (the first 42 or so become your title tag)
7. Create keyword-rich tweets when possible
8. Optimize for RT (aka retweetability)
9. Shorten those links (and track them)
10. Cut the fat - take the reader to the information they want, don't make them search for it after clicking your link

At Definition 6 we work with businesses and companies to help develop social media strategy and improve social media marketing for our client.  If you are looking for interactive solutions that deliver let us know and we'll be happy to help you take your business to the next level.

Portions of this post have been adapted from an article by Mike Dobbs, read the original post that inspired me here.

According to recent studies and surveys over 50% of all smartphone traffic in the U.S. now comes from iPhones (AdMob Mobile Metrics, March 2009). And it’s growing. Other platforms are starting to catch on, but Apple truly succeeded in building and proliferating a means for people to have a vastly improved mobile web experience. Add to that a rabid user-base and the result is that iPhone’s Safari browser now starts showing up more and more on the overall analytics reports when companies review what browsers are accessing their sites. As an avid iPhone user myself since the first version I’ve been amazed at how I could navigate sites on this platform despite site designs that still required extensive zooming in and out and scrolling back and forth. I was so enamored that Apple designed UI mechanisms to help accommodate sites not designed for mobile that for a while I was simply excited to be able to use them at all. But slowly some sites began creating better mobile versions to make navigation even easier on the iPhone and other browsers. Now I grow greatly annoyed when I try to access a web site from my phone and find myself staring at a microscopic version of the homepage which makes it difficult to even find the buried link that says “Contact Us” just so I can find their address or phone number to get directions and a map while I’m out and about. Or even worse, the site is built in Flash with no HTML version and for whatever divine reason Apple has still not decided to support Flash on the iPhone. So the site is essentially useless on my phone and in some cases looks uglier than a Nip/Tuck season finale. I found it funny when I tried looking at the web sites of some of our competitors, some large digital agencies, and found they had sites built in Flash which are rendered useless on my device.

 

Numerous solutions exist for creating mobile presentation layers for even the most complex and transactional web sites to handle every different mobile device under the sun. We’ve helped many of our customers do exactly that. But there wasn’t a simple, fast and inexpensive way for a large majority of companies who just have a typical web site with typical CMS needs managed by a small number of people to easily publish and manage simple mobile site versions. With all this in mind, Definition 6 worked to build some simple scripts, toolsets and templates that integrate directly into a Content Management System enabling re-purposing of content by a non-technical marketing manager to easily deploy a site that looks great in an iPhone Safari browser. It leverages iPhone navigation mechanisms, and helps you to offer mobile users with the experience they desire and the information they likely need while mobile which is often quite different than what they want when they are sitting in front of a laptop or desktop computer. We’ve also packaged it all up in a simple series of offerings to make this an easy decision for our current and future customers so they can cost effectively begin to meet the needs of a growing market. If you don’t have an iPhone you can test to see what your site looks like using an iPhone simulator which we have posted at http://www.definition6.com/our-services/mobile.aspx and if you do have an iPhone just visit www.definition6.com now on your device to see an example.

 

In the coming weeks and months we’ll also be releasing the same kind of CMS plug-ins and templates for other mobile browsers as add-ons to these tools. But we thought we’d start with the one that represented the most traffic. For a quick and simple way to manage mobile sites in a CMS we think this new toolset makes great sense for a large number of businesses.

Sales Marketing Specialist, Dana Long, shares an article on how QSR's and fast-casual restaurants have adopted their own social media strategies...

Giving away freebies in today's economic climate resonates well with consumers -- and huge gains are being made within the restuarant industry by brands who are reaching out to consumers through the use of social media marketing.

There is a recent article on Media Post explaining how restaurant brands can benefit from a social media strategy by incorporating freebies, surveys, polling and even a restaurant locator.  And with the right tools, franchisees can tap into their online social circles in order to market local events through email marketing and other search engine optimization solutions.  Bottom line, online tactics employed at minimal expense lead to massive revenue gains and brand awareness.

Contact online ad agency Definition 6 today to learn how we can help you implement your next social media, SEO or email marketing campaign.
 

There's a good, quick read from Kelly Spors I found online at the Wall Street Journal  called 'Tough Times Call for New Ideas'.  She explains how in the current tough business environment, firms need to develop new ideas, approaches, products and services to stay competitive and stay in business.  There are a few key take-aways from the article:

1. search for new outlets
2. expand your services, offer a wide range of services
3. hit a wider audience

Given the current economic situation, firms need to be proactive to maintain and even grow market share.  "Waiting it out" is not a strategy for success.  Instead, implement new marketing tactics and promotions using rich media advertising, social media marketing and search engine optimization marketing.  Read through our blogs to find out leading interactive agency Definition 6 leverages our experience and expertise to deliver digital solutions to clients in a turbulant economy.

Lisa Seals, Definition 6 Project Manager on earning consumer trust through the use of blogging…

Blogs are one of the most cost-effective mediums available for building relationships with your customers, and driving traffic to your website.  But, according to Forrester’s North American Technographics Media and Marketing Online Survey, corporate blogs rate very low on the scale for consumer trust.  Don’t swear off blogging quite yet - rather, use blogging as an addition to your marketing mix and overtime customers will value your openness and candor.  Here are some interesting suggestions from an article I recently read which were key take-aways for me…
 
1. Come up with a well-thought-out blogging policy to institute credibility into your company blog
2. Instill reader value – think about your customer's perspective before you blog
3. Foster transparency - be up front with your readers about who you are as the author.  Include your background, role within the company, if you have vested interests in the topic of discussion and whether they're writing from an insider-expert or end-user perspective
4. Set the tone - abstain from taking on a formal tone, talk to your readers like you would talk to real people in professional situations. Bring in your own personality and say what's on your mind
5. Allow readers to participate in the conversation -  your blog can provide an effective vehicle for gathering and understanding your customer’s perspectives

Check out the full article by logging into MarketingProfs.com and visit our blog to find out how online ad agency, Definition 6, leverages our website integration expertise in providing the right tools necessary to create your own corporate blog.