Since embarking on my social media journey, I have been exposed to the degree that which social media truly connects us to the world on a daily basis.
Recently at Maple Creative, we have had an increase in the number of clients that require and/or would benefit from Search Engine Optimization (SEO) as an integral layer in their organization’s marketing mix. After a lengthy meeting with SEO guru, Justin Seibert – Direct Online Marketing – I began to realize all of the opportunities Maple Creative was missing by not effectively positioning the company in the digital universe. After all, we are an integrated marketing communications firm that is hired by our clients to perform the very marketing tactics and strategies that we, ourselves, are not implementing (which will lead me into a blog post eventually).
However, I could not help but begin to analyze my own personal branding efforts as a result of the SEO conversation. I wonder how many opportunities I have missed in reaching target audiences with personal branding messages. Oftentimes, we place so much emphasis on the company brand that we fail to effectively communicate about the personal brand.
As I began to research the topic of effective personal branding and the potential effects on one’s personal brand, I was taken back to the former Maple Creative blog – Marketing Genius – and a post entitled:
By: Skip Lineberg
The following were actually posted by employees on social media sites from their workstations, during business hours:
“Staff meeting is over. Thanks for sucking the life out of me–again.” [Brandon]
Ummm, hello, Brandon. Are you really that unhappy? Are you aware that your message can be read as: Brandon is a reactive, whiny drama-king who lacks the gumption to leave a job that sucks?
“Just hanging out here on Facebook – waiting for them to give me something to work on.” [Allison]
Really, Allison? Did you leave your brain at home this morning? I’d suggest you will find it hidden underneath that sack of ambition, which you also forgot to bring to work today.
And this now-infamous example from NextWeb.com of a young woman who was fired by her Facebook-friend-boss:
OMG I HATE MY JOB!!! My boss is a total pervvy wanker always making me do $hit stuff just to pi$$ me off!! WANKER!!
Obviously, she forgot that she had Friend’d her boss. Do take a moment and click over to read the boss’ response, which is classic!
The stories of so-called professionals getting fired, suspended, or disciplined as a result of what they posted, Tweeted, updated, chatted, or shared on social media sites are becoming more frequent and more outrageous. An article last Fall on Mashable, citing stats from a Proofpoint study, indicate that roughly 1 out of every 8 companies (12%) have fired an employee for reasons related to social networking. The rate of occurrence has doubled in a year’s time.
This is only going to worsen as GPS/location-based apps (like Foursquare and Brightkite) that run on our iPhones and Blackberries tell the world (and our employer) where we are.
Remember: In many cases, your phones are paid for by your company so it’s not hard to imagine the following exchange in the all-too-near future–
Boss: Dave, you weren’t really attending your aunt’s funeral yesterday, now were you?
Dave: What do you mean?
Boss: Well, unless they had the funeral at Wrigley Field, it looks like you enjoyed a Cubs double-header.
Dave (now perspiring): No way. I swear.
Boss (tossing a screen print at his soon-to-be fired employee): Dave, it’s all right here on the GPS report that we get from your Blackberry. And you might want to think about turning off Foursquare when you’re playing hooky – from your next job.
Do you know your company’s social media policy? Are employees allowed to spend time on sites like Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn or YouTube while at work? Or are such practices forbidden?
We can complain about “Big Brother” policies by employers. We can cry about how it’s wrong for management to “spy” on us. But here’s what it all boils down to: when you are on company time, you are on the company dime. The employer makes the rules and, when you accept a job, you accept their rules. So don’t allow your social media activities to undermine your success. Be smart and be informed – or your next Tweet may be in search of a job!
A related video of a presentation by Skip Lineberg and Emily Bennington, co-authors of Effective Immediately: How to Fit In, Stand Out, and Move Up at Your First Real Job. The video is titled 7 Things Your Boss Wants You To Know – it briefly discusses the importance of personal branding, along with a myriad of other important workplace lessons:
The Importance of Music in Advertising
I have come to realize that many of my childhood passions have come and gone. One, however, that has not gone, and that I hope never will go, is my passion for music. Although I cannot play an instrument or read sheet music (because I was also a “quitter” as a child) I do enjoy singing by way of whatever comes out of my mouth.
My love and appreciation for music and sounds affects my life even now. Music has even had an influence on my personal preferences. In movies, for example, I very much enjoy watching musicals. Musicals offer the drama of acting and the entertainment of music and performance. In retrospect, it seems that the movies I have purposely watched multiple times have been musicals or movies that feature powerful music that most likely I have purchased on CD or on iTunes.
Music speaks to the soul—it creates a connection deeper than a visual alone can make. It is an important feature of musical movies and movies in general. Just as important as strategically designing or selecting music for movies, music selection is equally as important for the small screen when developing television commercials.
My recent postthat discussed my favorite commercials caused me to think about the characteristics of the commercials I enjoy most—one of the most common is the music. Clearly, the Honda—Crazy Train commercial is centered on a song. It is honestly my favorite commercial at the moment. It uses music to create an entertaining, fun, engaging, unique audio/visual connection.
Expert opinion on “What is the importance of music in television advertising?”
Music is essential for establishing mood and rhythm. It supports and helps drive all the creative elements of the commercial. – Clayton Ray, Art Director at Maple Creative, LLC
Music can be used to support messaging; it can be used to evoke emotion; music should match the scene/visuals. It often is what makes you remember the commercial. – James Nester, VP of Client Services at Maple Creative, LLC
Working in the advertising industry, we have had the opportunity to develop and produce television advertisements for a variety of clients. While personally, my portfolio is rather small in this realm, I have been around for and/or some part of a number of others—including two commercials featuring Nashville recording artists and a regional brand announcement for a publicly traded company.
Being involved in television commercial production, cost is something that must be considered in determining what song is the right song, as budget is most always a top client concern. That is why it is crucial for marketers to choose songs that are sure to “pay off”. The investment to incorporate a song, music, or jingle into a television commercial is a strategic decision with both a financial and creative side.
A song written and performed by a female country star in the 1980’s was proposed to our client at a cost of nearly $300,000 to use for a commercial (that was scheduled to run for 6-months)—with a client budget of $80,000 total (for total production). Instead, a local talent was used. The commercials produced results that exceeded expectations by launching one of the most successful banking product advertising campaigns in the history of West Virginia.
In this case, the financial perspective [from our client’s budget] required the creative direction to use alternative music for the commercial. Both perspectives must be parallel to create the most effective synergy and best decision for each situation.
the right music = emotional connection + creative cohesion + financial capability
Music can absolutely make or break anything of which it’s a part. What are some movie scenes or television commercials that you can say “hit the right note”? You’re your most memorable music moments. Link them if you can.
The Age of Digital Domination
Our society as a whole has become digitally charged, as individuals increasingly rely on technology and modern advances for survival in our daily lives (myself included). But when did we become a group of people who would rather text a conversation than talk face-to-face or that requires a calculator for math rather than solving the problem with the paper-and-pen method?
On the one hand, I must express my appreciation as I am able to enjoy a higher standard quality of life due to the advances of modern technology—I enjoy my phone, car, running water…etc.
However, there have been situations in my life where I would have been equally as thankful had I been able to turn back the clock and experience my present situation with a past process I never properly learned.
When did all of this happen?
Having a niece (3 years old) and a nephew (1 year old) now gives me a different perspective of life that which I have never before been exposed. Watching their development has given me an inside look into the interests and behavior patterns of children growing up in our society today.
Studying their progression has allowed me to gain a better understanding of the concept that the media we expose our children to today will most likely affect their behavior and expectations in the future.
We often wonder why the children of today require such stimulation in viewing entertainment, in religious worship and in scholastic learning—it is because [in part by the fact that] the required stimulation standard is set at an early age. As these children progress, they require a higher level of stimulation for the desired effect—their pleasure threshold increases.
Because I was able to use a calculator to solve math problems in elementary school, as an adult I often have difficulty computing the most simple of challenges. Because we use the Kindle’s to read our children stories, they no longer appreciate the intricate beauty of a printed book. The digitally-charged adults of today were once the digitally-charged children of yesterday.
Children seem to have more interest in playing with their parents’ cellular phones, iPads, or digital cameras than they do with printed books, building blocks or crayons and a coloring book. We have created a cycle of overuse and over-dependence on things that often make our lives easier, but not necessarily better.
The warning to me is that we must realize and take responsibility for the fact that we are introducing technology that, if overused, can desensitize its users to the processes of or appreciation for its original function. It is important that as the next generation, we continue to embrace, appreciate and explore modern technological advances without becoming overcome with them to the point that we disregard everything that we’ve known or been taught from generations before us.
What are your thoughts? Do you agree? Disagree?
No, not the melodramatic drama-filled “reality” television show on MTV…I’m talking about the REAL world—life, actually.
It is apparent that the media being used to communicate marketing messaging has progressed over the years—however, increasingly the once deemed ‘emerging’ media are becoming more traditional than ever. As digital media becomes more available and utilized, these methods of message delivery are gradually becoming less effective—or viewed more traditionally.
Marketers are realizing that the bombardment that consumers once felt with traditional methods of advertising is now being felt digitally. The solution for some marketers has been to integrate the popular concept of buzz marketing tactics with the innovations of the digital era—in hopes that by incorporating these digital experiences into real life, meaningful brand experiences and interactivity will transpire.
In fact, according to an article in today’s AdAge, some of the best companies have already harnessed the digital mindset and taken the ongoing and interactive nature of digital and created brand experiences that matter to people where they ought to—in their real, everyday lives. Take Nike Plus and Fiat Eco Drive—arguably some of the most compelling brand ideas of the last decade. They may have had a digital heart but they manifested themselves in meaningful ways.
And a glance at some of the big award winners so far this season seems to reflect the shift to real-world experiences. The Grand Prize winner at the One Show Interactive was a digital idea that literally played out on the streets—Nike Chalkbot from Wieden & Kennedy, a robot that imprinted messages of hope straight onto the course of the Tour de France—as part of the ongoing Nike Livestrong campaign.
Pepsi and TBWA/Chiat/Day’s Refresh Project funds ideas that would make the real world a better place. Rob Schwartz, chief creative officer,TBWA/Chiat/Day, L.A., said that with Refresh, the agency “didn’t set out to create a ‘digital idea.’ We set out to make our brand idea—Refresh—an action. It’s a brand idea that lets you take action to do some good in your world, your neighborhood, your street. “
An insight from Johannes Leonardo’s Executive Creative Director Leo Premutico: “Most of our campaigns utilize digital media as an enabler medium, having both on and offline components, because the truth is most of our lives and emotions we share take place in the real world,”he says.”Digital media has created a new potential for brands because it presents the ability for its consumers to share information like never before. But a lot of the effect of that takes place where it always has, offline. The most powerful ideas for us are the ones that turn the people we’re talking to into the medium for the message, rather than just the destination for it. So determining the sort of work that will do that is always more important to us than whether we should do a digital, outdoor or TV campaign.”
Digital is officially legitimate—and growing in its size, power and reach as marketers incorporate the real lives of consumers to be a living, breathing participant in their campaigns.
My last post on privacy made me realize, that although I and others have concerns about the security of our information, at the same time we are so willing to trust the same media that we attempt to protect ourselves from.
We as consumers sign up for mailing lists, memberships, submit our credit card information over the Internet for purchases and give out our contact information for many different reasons…
…and while emerging media are certainly “emerging” in regard to consumer trust, overwhelmingly, more traditional media and methods still reign supreme –surprising to me, even with the younger “Internet” generation.
According to the results of a Nielsen Online survey, published by eMarketer, word-of-mouth still proves to be the most powerful and trusted method to reach 20-and-under Internet-using consumers, with ninety-two percent (92%) indicating “completely” or “somewhat”.
Not surprising is the impact that the Internet is playing in establishing trust for these young users—consumer opinions posted online (72%), brand Web sites (69%) and e-mails signed up for (67%).
What is surprising to me is the part that traditional media still plays for these younger consumers—newspaper article, ads in newspapers, brand sponsorships, ads in magazines, on TV and on the radio all had a significant response.
The platforms that really need to work on establishing credibility and earning consumer trust are the media we’ve been discussing throughout this course—emerging media. Online video ads, banner ads and mobile text advertising were among the lowest trusted forms of advertising tactics.
It could be that these methods are simply newer, so it will take more time to gain trust and establish a trustworthy reputation.
So the next time you entertain advertising, on whatever medium it rears its head, ask yourself…who do you trust? You might be surprised.
***
The marketing moral of this story—regardless the force of the “new media” movement, do not completely abandon traditional media for advertising your product or brand, instead integrate newer, emerging methods with those proven traditional media to create a well-balanced mix for a comprehensive integrated marketing campaign.
As with any medium, there are potential disadvantages to utilizing certain platforms for marketing, including: the possibility for inconsistent experience (online vs. offline), damage of brand integrity or reputation, not a “fit” for a particular brand, improper use/underused of medium and of course privacy/security issues.
There is a potential for failure of security in both personal and business context. Businesses and individuals alike have the possibility of being over-exposed and under-protected when utilizing social media sites—stricter guidelines could help to regulate information sharing.
And for those of you (including myself) that are avid users of the social networking site, Facebook—our privacy may be threatened now, more than ever.
Facebook launched its “Open Graph Platform” that extends the social net’s web across third-party sites—Facebook now automatically shares user data with third-party sites, as well displaying user activities on those sites in the Facebook environment.
And this privacy threat is certainly not being taken lightly—by users or by Washington.
In fact, two days after the site announced its changes, Sen. Charles Schumer wrote a letter to the Federal Trade Commission in response to the launch of new features on Facebook. Schumer said new privacy policies limit the ability of users to control how much about themselves gets shared with sites that partner with Facebook. He said the FTC should set guidelines for how social networking sites use and share private information.” Vera-Phillips, 2010
And it’s not just Facebook—a federal regulation would extend to all online advertising. Online advertising is facing the very real possibility that it will be regulated in the form of privacy legislation that would require publishers, networks or marketers to receive specific consent to use consumer data for a variety of purposes on the web.
Some 20% of online ads are targeted based on online behavior, but that’s just the beginning. A new generation of companies, including Facebook and Twitter as well as Foursquare and GroupOn, are on the cusp of a new wave of location-based marketing. It’s not about where you are or where you’ve been on the web — it’s about who you are connected to and where you’ve shopped, dined out or just browsed shelves. Learmonth, 2010
Also from the article:
The company sits on one of the most valuable troves of user information; not just interests but human connections — thought to be the single most powerful determinant of consumer behavior. Facebook has, in many ways, been circumspect about monetizing that and generally puts the consumer experience first in everything it does. But for a company all about sharing information, it has shown remarkable clumsiness in communicating what it is doing to the public.
In fact, Facebook’s creator Mark Zuckerberg has been quoted saying that the site basically offers little to no privacy. Todd Dagres, partner at Spark Capital noted “The Facebook presumption is that privacy is not important — so if you really want privacy you have to opt-in and turn the dials to get the privacy you want. The issue becomes when people have different expectations of what privacy is.”
One former Schumer staffer told Ad Age the senator has a strong bias toward “opt-in” — that consumers should be asked before their data is used.
That said, the thought is that Mr. Schumer may determine that in the open web, there’s no expectation of privacy, and that “opt-in” presents too big a burden on the emerging online ad industry.
I’m more concerned about my rights then the “burden” it might cause to the online ad and social networking industries—as a service to its participants, privacy should be respected and rights upheld.
What do you think?
Technological capabilities and restrictions, along with evolving audience preferences and media capabilities has required marketers’ to find new ways to reach target audiences, has led them to explore the possibilities with mobile marketing and advertising.
“Mobile advertising remains one of the most exciting developments in the mobile market today and one which opens the door for marketers to target their customers and prospects more directly through an entirely new channel…” –Cristy Burgan, VP of Marketing Solutions, Acision
One form of mobile advertising is advergames –also known as mobile games, which are designed “to feature specific products in starring roles. The primary benefit of advergames is that they can create extremely immersive experiences for key demographic audiences.” WVU, 2010
- As discussed in a previous post on mobile marketing - Marketing on a mobile phone has become increasingly popular since the introduction of SMS (Short Message Service). And mobile marketing has certainly reached beyond kids and teens: “Given a choice of consumer electronic devices, boomer Internet users overwhelmingly chose PCs over mobile phones (51% and 21%, respectively), while the opposite was true for Gen Y and Gen X (47% and 38%), according to Accenture.” FuorDigital, 2008
More than a year after launch, there are 74,031 apps in the iPhone App store. Not exclusive to the Apple iPhone either, makers of competitor “smart phones” now offer a variety of cellular phone models that allow users to access cell phone applications.
Recently, I have become acquainted a cell phone application that has integrated mobile gaming, advertising and socialization through the Scrabble-inspired game, Words with Friends—that many call “the best word game application of today”.
The best part for marketers is that the FREE version allows third party advertisements to interrupt game play.
For users, compared to its competition, Words with Friends has some distinct differences and some lacking features; however, the speed of the application and the bounteous player group are enough to create a buzz and explode its popularity.
After registering (presumably for database marketing purposes), you are matched with a random opponent or you play a friend. Game play is essentially identical to Scrabble—creating words and scoring points.
Push notifications, offered by the mobile nature of the game, contribute to the active nature of the applications’ users—it creates a fast-pace that induces users to move quickly.
To be honest, I never really liked Scrabble—but for some reason, I cannot get enough of Words with Friends.
If you can’t wait to try it, my player name is MizzBowe—it could be fun…and I need the practice.
