User meets Marketer perspective on branding, social media, and everything communications.
Posts tagged UMCNJ595
Jess Gone Viral
Feb 22nd
I buzzed by BarCamp Miami yesterday to soak in some more local expertise on everything from Gables Home Page’s struggle to bridge the gray divide online for the Coral Gables community to an impromptu discussion on why Twitter facilitates more meaningful business connections than LinkedIn.
While I was there I ran into some familiar faces from WordCamp Miami and some unfamiliar faces who wanted to hear more about myWordCamp presentation on “Finding Your Voice” when writing a blog. As more people began to approach me about it I realized that many of these people hadn’t attended WordCamp at all. So how did they find me? My new friend Cesar Abueg quickly enlightened me saying, “Oh yeah Jess, you’ve gone viral.”
Courtesy of alexdesigns
Now obviously this was somewhat of a joke, but it made me think about that term in a different light. What does it mean to truly go viral and how do you do it?
With the advent of YouTube, MySpace, and now even Twitter super stars, both individuals and brands are seeking new ways to reach more people through viral content. Cisco recently launched a campaign leveraging user-created videos from both celebrities and everyday people to help the Flip Cam become a tech tool you just can’t live without. Cisco used 68 percent of their budget to launch the spots through traditional channels like television and only 18 percent of their budget to faciliate distribution through the social media channels that made going viral relevant in the first place. Seems a little lopsided, right?
Viral content is valuable, and in fact viral, because of its ability to create a meaningful experience for the viewer that then makes them want to share that experience with others. While the number of viewers certainly matters it seems like cheating when you spend millions of dollars to guarantee those hits. Instead, both brands and people should focus on creating content that serves a purpose and making that content easy to access through social media channels. That purpose might be a bit of comedic relief during a long work day or an educational experience that gets your creative juices flowing. If you provide your viewer with a service they can appreciate on a platform that makes it easy to share that experience they will be inspired to pass it on, leaving you with the benefits and impact of an organic viral spread.
I may not be the next YouTube phenomenon, but I feel honored to have been a SlideShare favorite for bloggers trying to tap into their voice to enhance their content even if it was only for a weekend. And all it took was a SlideShare account and a couple of tweets.
Confessions of an OCD Event Planner
Feb 21st
I woke up this morning to “thump, tap, tap, tap, tap, thump.” My two puppies were chasing each other around the living room engaging in their favorite past time, squeezing through the tiny space between the couch and the wall in an effort to make the chase a little more adventurous with the possibility of puppy brain damage. Usually this would be cause for a very grumpy morning, but this morning I woke up from a full 11 hours of sleep which may seem excessive, but after a combined 10 hours of sleep over the last 7 days, it was pretty much life saving.
Between busting out proposals, lunch meetings with clients, and putting the final touches on WordCamp Miami I had pushed myself to the limit of exhaustion. I pride myself on being calm under pressure and providing perspective to my stressed out colleagues, but this week was full on “OCD Event Planner Jess” as I coordinated the WordCamp Miami Speakers’ Dinner at The Ivy in Coconut Grove, did a walk-through at the University of Miami School of Communication to make sure the venue was just right, and then panicked when I found out we had actually sold out of the 200 available tickets. For most people a sell-out is a definitive victory, but for someone planning an event in Miami it brings the promise of not only a full house, but a long line of party crashers you don’t have room for. And so I broke my calm under pressure mantra and completely freaked.
Courtesy of alexdesigns
Then yesterday came even earlier than usual with a 6:00 a.m. wake up call and a quick sprint to set up the WordCamp Miami venue. As people started to flow in at 8:00 a.m., in other words exactly on time, I knew this event was going to be different. Everyone was smiling and excited about the day before it even began. No one was standing in the corner waiting for the event to impress them, they were talking to one another about how great of a deal they were getting for only a $30 ticket. Impromptu volunteers pitched in to hand out swag, check in attendees, and point people in the right direction when they couldn’t find the right room.
When one of the speaker’s dropped out of the first session because he was sick, no one complained. Instead, they quickly moved on to the next room to listen to Jim Turner talk about his transition from “Daddy Blogger to Business Blogger” or Pete Bernardo talk about “Great Plugins for Your Next Client Project.” For the first time in 24 hours I breathed and for the rest of the day I just smiled as people thanked me for a great event full of great speakers and great people.
When I was approached about helping to organize WordCamp Miami I took on the project as a favor to some great local geeks who needed an event planner’s touch. I didn’t expect to learn much or even really meet many people I had anything in common with yesterday, but I was completely wrong. The enthusiasm, generosity, and just general awesomeness of the Miami WordPress community not only gave me the feeling of a job well done for a community of people who definitely deserved it, but an intense appreciation for the tight-knit, intelligent, and motivated community of users, developers, and fans of WordPress. Using a completely organic, community motivated approach, WordPress has cultivated an army of brand advocates who preach the gospel of the platform and convert even the most non-technical word smiths, old-school developers, and social media cynics.
End geek mushiness here.
“Your Florida Side Is Calling” VISIT FLORIDA’s New Marketing Campaign takes an integrated approach
Feb 10th
Florida’s official tourism marketing corporation, VISIT FLORIDA, is rolling out a new integrated marketing campaign that they hope will lure back “recession-weary” visitors by pushing the Florida brand of sunshine, beaches, and entertainment to some of the country’s less fortunate residents who are toughing out a rough winter.
The campaign includes print advertising, broadcast and cable television, radio, online and out-of-home advertising, consumer travel shows, as well as online and mobile sweepstakes. According to VISIT FLORIDA the messaging for the campaign includes “vibrant imagery that combines both familiar and unexpected Florida scenery with action verbs encouraging consumers to “embrace,” “unleash,” “awaken,” and “release” their Florida side.” DDB Miami, with consultation from The Hester Group, The Rodriguez Group, and Miles Media developed the campaign.
I’m not entirely sure what is “unexpected” about this campaign. All of the imagery is of attractions tourists have seen and none of it sells Florida’s most unique value proposition: culture. Contrary to popular belief we aren’t the only warm place with sandy white beaches at this time of the year, so if we are going to compete there’s a better way to do it. Where are the pictures of people dancing on Calle Ocho, or the young, hip Downtown Orlando area, or the colonial-esque shops and attractions in St. Augustine?
Tourists are traveling smarter this year, investing money in real experiences for themselves and their families. That experience has to include more than the promise of a nice tan. Florida needs to position itself as an off-the-beaten path adventure that is just next door. Sell people on the opportunity to experience an environment, history, and culture that outshines (excuse the pun) all of the other sunny, warm beach destinations.
Even though I’m not a fan of the brand story used for this campaign, I love the integration of social media into VISITFLORIDA.com. The page links to VISIT FLORIDA’s Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Flickr accounts which all feature fantastic content for tourists looking to plan their trip. The photos on Flickr make me want to take a mini-staycation to experience some of these unique events.
But my favorite feature? The “Florida Insiders” section. There are insiders for all of the popular Florida attractions, including golf, beaches, and fishing, but there are some unexpected topics too like “Off the Beaten Path” and “Luxury.” Each insider has a Twitter account you can follow and a blog with consistent posts on the unique attractions, hotels, and events Florida offers. The insiders even answer user submitted questions, helping tourists get the most out of their time here. These people are really selling the Florida advantage and I think this part of the campaign will prove to be the most successful.
Final Grades:
Branding (Taglines, Use of Imagery to position Florida’s brand, and Unique Value Proposition): B -
Social Media: A+
Integrated Approach (Reaching consumers with a consistent message across multiple platforms): B
Top 3 Super Bowl 44 Commercials
Feb 8th
Overall I think this year was an improvement from last year on the so called Brand Bowl front. We saw the return of some of the traditional big players like Budweiser and Coca-Cola and the now expected E-Trades babies and silly Go-Daddy spots, but who were the big winners for tonight? Here are my top 3 with some commentary on why they were successful.
1. Google: Search On
It might have surprised some to see the King of Online Ads make the big Super Bowl investment, but this made total sense. In an obvious response to Microsoft’s television media buys for Bing, Google traded in ubiquitous placement for a one-time hit it out of the park spot. It is already ranked second in number of brand mentions on Twitter (with over 13,000) and about 75% of those mentions are positive. What I loved about this commercial was its focus on the user experience tied with the user’s personal story. It did a great job of reminding us how Google plays a role in our most important life decisions in an almost best friend kind of way, rather than a “big brother-esque” way.
The Bing commercials are funny and certainly make a point, but Google’s point is better. They reminded us of the instinctual user interface we have all come to love while adding an emotional component to search engines. It’s not the decision engine, it’s the “make my world go ’round” engine.
2. Coke: Sleep Walking
I love Coke’s new slogan “Open Happiness.” It ties into that playful, best drink on a hot day, Santa Claus defining, Polar Bear cuteness, when I see it I know I’m home brand story that Coke owns. This commercial does a good job of selling that idea with an out of the ordinary environment combined with a favorite and familiar drink. There is something about the guy’s face that we can all relate to when he is opening the refrigerator to grab one and then sitting down to enjoy one. There really is a small joy in that moment.
I’ve always been a fan of simple, consumer experience based commercials that tell a story we can all relate to (even if our African plain is really just the walk from one side of our apartment to the other).
3. Kia Sorento: Joy Ride
Unlike the Dodge Charger commercial which not only ignored the female Super Bowl demographic, but completely isolated/offended it, the Kia angle hit home with all kinds of target audiences. You’ve got the iconic Sock Puppet and Yo Gabba for the kids (and of course the Moms who get to watch with them), the hot tub and jumping action for the Dads, the club scene for the younger crowd, and the kids pouring into the back seat to resonate with the older crowd.
This spot did a great job tapping into all of Kia’s target demographics by creating a 30 second consumer experience that embraced all of them. This is just one example of how brands like Kia and Hyundai are working to change perceptions not only about quality, but about the “fun factor” of their cars. This spot worked for Kia.
Ok, that’s my top 3! What do you guys think?
On a side note, I’m surprised that more companies didn’t go the CSR route with their commercials this year. The Saints season, and ultimate Super Bowl victory, is one of the most touching human stories we have seen in sports in awhile. It would have made sense for brands to piggy back off that sentiment by educating consumers about their own victories in local communities and around the world. Were they too scared to go there? I think it was a big missed opportunity.
Thoughts on the iPad
Jan 31st
Steve Jobs shows off his latest Apple gadget.
Disclaimer: I am not a member of the “I love everything Apple and Steve Jobs is my Apostle” fan club, but I appreciate the brand culture Apple has built.
For the sake of not saying what has already been said about the poor name choice for Apple’s new “game changing” product, the iPad, I’m going to focus on the demographic Apple is targeting with their new product.
Is it their core audience of Apple product users? Of course. These die hard fans are like art collectors who will buy everything and anything with the Apple stamp, even if it turns out to be a product misstep (Refer to MSNBC’s Mac Documentaries shown during their Tech Week in early January).
Is it media junkies looking for a device that will allow them to consume their favorite blog posts, newspapers, magazines, and videos in a high style, portable format? Maybe. But I would be willing to bet those media junkies were happy to use their iPhones for this before and will probably be just as happy to use them for this after the debut of the iPad.
Is it for the Netbook audience that craves portability and usability over high powered hardware? I doubt it. Netbooks have the advantage on the iPad in everything but the looks department (size, power, and function) and those users seem to be the pragmatic type over the high end gadget-y type.
So who really cares about the iPad? I mean enough to choose it over the devices that already fill that niche? My guess is the slightly older, bespectacled crowd who have a hard time admitting that they can’t quite read their morning paper on the iPhone and don’t mind adding an extra pound to their mobile workforce.
No one I have talked to under 50 has expressed anything but confusion over the real function of the iPad (other than a crowd pleaser during pitches and presentations). But as soon as those ages start to increase I’ve seen a genuine appreciation for the size of the device. Rather than investing in a Netbook that does more than this crowd could really ever need, they would rather stick to the incredibly user friendly Apple interface with a font size they can read without upping their contact prescription.
Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think this is a bad demographic to appeal to. After all the Baby Boomer plus age group is the fastest growing segment of technology users and they appreciate what the iPad has to offer from the price point to the ease of use factor.
With that being said, it will be interesting to see Apple’s marketing campaign’s in the next few months for their new product. Will the demo-like tv spots be accompanied by airy, indie music or carry a more serious tone? We will see.