advergirl

Macy's Holiday TV

Can we maybe just admit a few things to each other here, dear reader? Like, maybe my RSS reader is painfully choked with (quickly staling) kernels of wisdom from bloggers the world-over ... and that by falling off the reading wagon for only a few days (maybe a week), they've run so amok that I will likely have to delete them all and just start over...

Happily, though, I have one less unmet obligation to feel guilty about - as Eric Kintz's recent article 'Why Blog Post Frequency Does Not Matter Anymore' has brilliantly validated my eclectic posting and reading pace.

Which is all to say, if this is old news, I no longer have to apologize for the duplication -

The Macy's holiday TV campaign is absolutely infectious.

I admire:

• The single narrative that unites the celebrity appearances
• The choice to take the hard road and schedule multiple celebs on the same location, the same day
• The writing that leverages the public personas of the celebs to build their product brands
• The investment in a 60-second  brand experience
• The all-out fun of it
• The integration of brands that touch so many ages and lifestyles - creating the effect of something you know and something to discover

I love that a department store invested in it - a strong strategy to move from forgetable 'infrastructure' to flat-out memorable brand in the retail sprint to  the holiday.

People are people

So, it's Sunday night. You're watching guilty-pleasure TV, making a conscious decision not to catalog the litany of junk food choices you made during the football game and generally being irresponsible-lite on your too-short weekend.

Tomorrow you don your suit. Ok, at least a clean sweater. Fill the gas tank, grab a Starbucks, commute to work. Does that fundamentally change you? Do you suddenly become Dr Spock - driven fully by logic and data - or are you still, pretty much, yourself? You - a person who digs simplicity and fun and motion and a really good email in your inbox?

The single biggest mistake B2B marketers make: forgetting people are people.

Even in a cube, we still value understanding how a product benefits us - selfish us. The us who bought the random throw pillow at Target this weekend. The us who is baffled by our 401k. Us who always wants desert even if we don't order it.

We still value things looking great and working great and generally adopting a consumer ethic of responsiveness and relevancy.

So, why does most B2B marketing feature a toad with a crown introducing 59 charts and enough lingo to lose the geekiest among us?

Here are three sites in the B2B space that I admire for adopting a consumer ethic of show/don't tell and generally building a brand experience even in these most practical of spaces (glue, janitorial supplies, and store signs):

Web 1.0 vs. Web 2.0

Ok, smart people. I need your help. I'm gathering all my samples and bookmarks for a brown bag lunch chat re: what makes a Web site 2.0?

First, in deference, I must say, I do get the 'real' definition. At least as far as you can 'get' a highly contested definition of a very smooshy topic. 

But, still, I want to take to farther. To play with how the technologies and ideas impact what consumers demand from sites. So, here are my 9 principles. Each with an example of a Web 1.0 counterpart, a Web 2.0 in the raw and a Web 2.0 by a retail brand.

Take a look. Question me. Fight me. I'm intrigued enough to get this right.

1. FROM FINDING INFORMATION TO MAKING CONNECTIONS

• Web 1.0: Switchboard.com
• Web 2.0 in the raw: Linkedin.com, Facebook.com
• Web 2.0 by a brand: Prosper.com

2. FROM DIRECTED BEHAVIOR TO FINDING BY BROWSING

• Web 1.0: CrateandBarrel.com
• Web 2.0 in the raw: StumbleUpon.com
• Web 2.0 by a brand: HomeDepot.com, BN.com

3. FROM ANSWERS TO CONNECTING TO SUPPORT

• Web 1.0: WebMD.com
• Web 2.0 in the raw: SisterWoman.com
• Web 2.0 by a brand: RevolutionHealth.com

4. FROM VALUE PROPOSITIONS TO SIMPLE VALUE

• Web 1.0: Costco.com
• Web 2.0 in the raw: Google.com
• Web 2.0 by a brand: INGDirect.com

5. FROM READING TO WRITING

• Web 1.0: FoodTV.com
• Web 2.0 in the raw: Squidoo.com
• Web 2.0 by a brand: Blogs.HillandKnowlton.com

6. FROM ACCESSIBLE TO PERSONAL

• Web 1.0: AARP.com (newsletter signup)
• Web 2.0 in the raw: NewsGator.com
• Web 2.0 by a brand: Target.Com, FireFox.com

7. FROM EXPERT VOICE TO PEER CREDIBILITY

• Web 1.0: Fodors.com
• Web 2.0 in the raw: Yelp.com, Digg.com
• Web 2.0 by a brand: NewYorkTimes.com

8. FROM YOU TO ME

• Web 1.0: Bouncesheets.com
• Web 2.0 in the raw: MySpace.com
• Web 2.0 by a brand: Kashi.com

9. FROM CONTENT TO MULTIMEDIA

• Web 1.0: About.com
• Web 2.0 in the raw: YouTube.com, Flickr.com
• Web 2.0 by a brand: Chow.com

Resource Interactive & Herbal Essences hit Facebook

Yet again, yonder AdFreak spurs me to online action. After years of claiming that I was much too old for social networks, Griner talked me into signing up for Facebook.

I know, I know - how I can invest so much time pontificating about social network leaders and new mediums when I don't even use the basic tools.

Yeah, well. That's what old people do.

I digress.

What I meant to say is that I'm intrigued by the integration of brand marketing in organic social media.

In many ways, it reflects the original evolution of the Web whose earliest adopters staked out ground as heroes of a socialist communication medium - it would be free to all, a bastion of conversation unmarred by advertising and corporate interests.

ProAms and shareware developers still share that ethic today, but, largely, people pay for access, view advertisements and are generally comfortable with the TV-esque model of shared space for art, conversation and enterprise.

Nonetheless, the foray of brands into more social online media has been hit-and-miss - brands rushing ahead with big investments in flash-in-the-pan media, corporate icons lumbering around Myspace...

But, there are bright spots. Like this solid example from Resource Interactive & Herbal Essences. Favorite points:

• Set up as a group, not a personal account. You're not a person, why pretend to be one?
• Creative focuses on the 'passion' elements of the brand
• Targeted approach to deliver visit > engage > share behavior (stuff to do when you're there + a reason to come back)
• And, the team invested in solid seeding behavior - leveraging personal contacts to start adding members (which, incidentally, is exactly the way the wildly popular CareerBuilder Monk-e-Mail site got started)

Budget Season POV: Broadcast dollars are wasted without Web

It's that time of year again. Brightly colored leaves crunch underfoot. Pumpkins with punched Mr. Potato Head faces decorate the neighborhood porches. And, your clients are calling with budget demands - what should I do next year? Oh, and I need to know by this afternoon.

Well, help is on the way. Here is the one piece of advice every client needs to hear in 2008:

If you don't back up every broadcast and print campaign with a personal, relevant online experience, you're wasting your money.

Here's why: Consumer shopping behavior has fundamentally shifted. Trial no longer starts in-store. It has moved online.

That makes the barrier at once lower and longer. (And gives the traditional ad agency both more control and more responsibility) Here's how it works:

While most consumers don’t choose to buy online, the vast do majority go online to ‘pre-shop’ for products and information.  Before we undertake any in-person shopping, we want to “try on” brands online to see if they fit with our complex choice models of price, perception, and utility.  That means pre-shopping product catalogs, readings reviews, comparing prices, etc.

From there, we head into stores with a more educated perspective and spend more than our offline-only counterparts:

• 89 percent of consumers shop for information about products online
• Less than 7 percent of retail sales actually take place online
• Online pre-shoppers spend an average of 41 percent more in-store compared with consumers not exposed to online advertising

(BIG research, Comscore)

Transformers: Best Viral Toy on the Web

This one requires no explanation. You will love it. Your friends will love it. Your little sister and your dad will love it. I'm jealous.

Quiz: Are you a brand marketer, a sales guru or an inventor / entrepreneur?

I'm sure you've been in this meeting.

The one where one of the smartest guys you've ever met talks about his big idea. And, 15 minutes in, you still don't get it.

The one where the guy next to him talks about his contacts and untapped demand and where to take this mystery product to market. And, then they both turn to the agency and say - so, how can you help us?

From there, you enter into the even-more-treacherous territory of explaining the role of an agency, why branding is important, why they need your perspective. All while looking into quizzical eyes, clearly asking: aren't I already doing that?

To save you from the fuzzy land of role confusion, I give you this simple quiz that will uncover your role in launching the new biz...once you figure out what they're selling, that is:

1. When you meet someone for the first time, you wonder:

A. What makes them tick
B. What they worry about
C. What they dream about

2. You like to explain your product by how:

A. It stands out / is different from other products
B. Is similar to products you know and trust
C. Is a possibility you've never even considered

3. When thinking about your product or service, you consider:

A. Its value to others
B. Its revenue potential
C. How it might change the game

4. When first telling someone about your product, you use the word 'and':

A. Not at all
B. 3 - 5 times
C. 10+ times

5. You are most likely to write:

A. Key messages
B. PowerPoint decks
C. Patent applications

6. You are most likely to take notes on:

A. A white board
B. A blackberry
C. A bar napkin

7. You never head to a meeting without:

A. A sharpie
B. A laser pointer
C. A jump drive

8. In a meeting, you are most likely to draw:

A. Comparisons
B. Emphasis circles
C. Diagrams

9. You most value:

A. Insights
B. Relationships
C. Ideas

10. An elevator ride is for:

A. Measuring the length of time you have to communicate your message
B. Checking your phone messages
C. Syncing your multimedia device

Mostly As: Greetings, Brand Marketer. Welcome to a tireless career cycle of defining and refining. Of owning Red. Of hugging stakeholders and kicking sacred cows. Make it relevant and credible and ownable. And, obsess about the details. It's your gig.

Mostly Bs: High five, Sales Guru. It's time to activate your contact list. To reunite with fraternity brothers and talk old times and business. You know the features and benefits. You know the ROI. Give us the runway we need to get out of BETA and into the big time.

Mostly Cs: Type on, Inventor - Entrepreneur. Power up your Linux server, snag a little shareware and take on that silly beast called Google. You dazzled us with your passion and your ingenuity. Your charisma landed years of sweat labor from those equally driven. Time to lay 0s to 1s before someone else gets there first.

easyTXTR.com: Converse in the streets

Remember last year's 'Share your Secret' promotion in Times Square? P&G's Deodorant PR mavens took to the sidewalks, encouraging passersby to share their secrets on the giant NASDAQ and Reuters billboards nearby. A few thousand brave souls told their previously-closely-guarded tales via text messages, kiosks and the ShareYourSecret.com Web site (now defunct). The secrets ranged from "I’m afraid he’s falling out of love with me” to “I ate the last pudding!”  and effectively opened the brand to consumers & created a solid bit of buzz.

Fast forward to last weekend.

easyTXTR brought the same level of pop-up interactivity to Columbus' Short North with a projected display that enabled gallery hoppers to tell all - or nothing at all - on a real time outdoor conversation wall. On its first unveil, ~800 people sent funny moments, sports updates, and even a proposal.

I see this technology as a great opportunity to create real dialog around a brand without the usual fears associated with a long-term conversation online - complete with righteous admin tool and devastating stomach ulcers. This pop up tech lives in a real community (there's much less anonymity than online) and is point-in-time specific (meaning less opportunity to plot against the tech).

I'm seeing this on malls the day after Thanksgiving, at Festivals (captured on cell phones), at grand openings, etc ... anywhere a conversation builds the community & customer experience.

Experience it virtually here.

See video, pics, etc. here.

BN.com: Are we ready for the local bookstore to relocate online?

Although I remain a devotee of Powells.com and my actual neighborhood bookstore, the AP's reveal of this curious statement by Marie Toulantis, CEO of bn.com intrigued me enough to go check out the site's makeover.

"We wanted our site to have more motion, more content and more interactivity, and to have more of a sense of community."

More motion? Is that what America is clamoring for online? Not ease of use, smarter interactions, more relevant experiences. Ok, well, motion it is. A dizzying amount of it thanks to my super speedy connection + a wealth of rollovers.

Anyway, I get the challenge BN.com and so many other ecomm and multichannel retailers are up against: Consumer behavior in online shopping today is not yet a “browsing” activity – it is more directed than in-store shopping (Marketing Sherpa, 2006)

• In-store Perception: Shopping at the mall is fun – whether I buy something or not (social)
• Online Perception: I go online to buy something particular (task)

BN.com is fighting hard to change this behavior and not only create browsing online, but to leverage the entire community bookstore experience:

• The site offers one-of-a-kind highlights, including "One on One" podcasts and a "See Inside" program that allow readers to browse through an interactive version of a book.
• "Live at Barnes & Noble" allows online visitors to view webcasts of readings at member stores if they cannot physically be there. Stephen Colbert of “The Colbert Report”, Alice Sebold and Richard Russo are all said to make scheduled appearances in the near future.
• The premiere spotlights an interview with Philip Roth and a review of his new novel, "Exit Ghost," by the president of the National Book Critics Circle, John Freeman.

In the past five years, the bookseller’s online sales have doubled. For a retail force like BN, that number is likely a disappointment.

The question remains - is the timing right to bring retail community online (when community-community online is still struggling for wholesale adoption)? Some would definitely say yes - the 30-somethings and the Gen Y-ers and Millennials behind them are as likely to hit the bookstore online as offline. I like this POV from Penn's MicroTrends (yes, the book I made fun of - what can I say? I actuallly love it)

"In part, it's the aging of the 30-somethings, who were the first generation to be reared on computers. Whereas 'entertainment' to their parents meant buying a ticket to a show, play, movie or ball game and watching the story unfold, this generation is more comfortable with entertainment that involves clicks, controllers and interactive narrative"

Three basic rules of political advertising

1. Get paid in advance.
   (If they lose, they'll claim to have never heard of you)
2. Pick a winner the first time
   (Or everyone will claim to have never heard of you)
3. Find a VO guy who can say the opponent's name with so much oily, dripping disgust that you'd think he just picked up a can of SpaghettiOs and found a family of flamboyant rat babies inside

Ah, it's campaign season again. That glorious time of year when we are confronted with how truly dire the situation is and meet all the 'one guys who can save us' from disaster. Glory be.

I first started blogging in the last presidential election. One of the many political ranters falling off screen left. This year, I'll be happy to just snark at the ads from a distance. Maybe I'll just snark at the snarkers. I'm planning on getting all of my political ad updates from Comedy Central's Indecision 2008. It's the most reality I can handle.

I waded in with this historical look at political spots long-lost enough to be unable to hurt anyone anymore:

And, stayed for this probative Colbert bit on the House Elf's full pockets...

Yeah, this feels right...