advergirl

Social Media in Action: Learnings from a successful flop

You’ve probably all been in that dead-end social media pitch. The one where you have a perfect audience and an authentic story, but your client heads down one of three painful directions:

• The Social Kids Table: (Or the Intern Factor.) Assuming social is just for (irrelevant) kids, they offload the brand voice to the nearest 20-something and hope for the best


• The Slow Lane: The mere mention of social starts the weaving of a bureaucratic Web. Mediation, distrust, individual approvals. How can we protect ourselves from the people who want to engage with us?


• The Soapbox: Prepping for command and control. Spewing content into the vast social underbrush. Comments locked down. Brand Invincible.

It’s enough to convince you that social can’t succeed with an average business. That – as the blogging boys say – your brand can never be my friend.

But just when you’re about to give up: A completely unlikely brand throws itself entirely into social and comes out smarter and more authentic for it.

Breaking through: Online tools that convert browsers to fans

We've probably all found ourselves building Web applications we weren't quite sure about. Like, say, a Merman-a-gram or a hip-hop video featuring a personalized BBQ bottle getting down with its saucy self. (Yes, that is me on the bottle - courtesy of friend Joy.)

For every couple thousand of these little interactive wonders we chef up, there are a special few that manage to captivate an audience. That hold us from the first click until ... hey, where'd that last 10 minutes go?

Two recent examples to get lost in:

Edu-commerce

Closing a high-engagement sale (think selecting an insurance plan, buying a car, etc.) is always a challenge online. Lost is the sense of urgency, the gentle prodding by the "expert" in the room. Instead there's the ability to browse, to get frustrated, to wander off...

Imagine how much harder that sale is when you add in ignorance. An entirely new group of novice buyers entering a specialists category. Ouch.

Indie ad agency Woods Witt Dealy & Sons paired education with e-commerce to solve just such a problem for IRO Cycle.

Short story: Fixed gear bikes are to messengers as hush puppies are to hipsters. They're that one have-to-have item that broke through the barrier from enthusiast to fan. And, suddenly a whole bunch of folks who'd never wielded as much as a pedal wrench before wanted their own stripped down urban two-wheeled ride.

The IRO Cycle build-your-bike site takes shoppers into the grit of building a fixed gear. You pick your drivetrain, your rider, etc., but each choice shares both the lingo-ed "what" and the plain English "why."

Just about anyone could feel confident building a bike on this site. AND they'll walk away talking the talk.

(Congratulations to Kristen Milligan on this one. This is the very first press release find I've posted.)

Creativity Fix

How many online quizzes have you taken? A slew, I imagine. From What kind of care bear are you (?) to who's your mate? Half of them I click off long before they've diagnosed me.

Enter this gorgeous quiz from My Deco, a publisher tagged as a furniture fix for the decorati.

Every question is answered by selecting a conceptual image from a delightful mood board of ideas. Your ideal bedroom, favorite chair, color palette for your living room.

At the end, you get the verdict. Just what kind of design style you have. But, the experience of the quiz is enough to communicate the expertise of the publisher. Yeah, they get it. And, I can't wait to see more.

Spotted by creative co-worker Carrie on Creative Envy.

Obama to nom VP by text; Advergirl news at 5

Earlier on NBC4:

After the investigative report on Olympics-watching inside Applebees and before the third mention of the weather, political reporter Patrick Preston packaged up a smart little marketing story featuring the unstoppable duo: Advergirl and Obama.

Ok, so the Obama part was a totally canned national bit. And, I had on the biggest earrings ever. Still.

Anyway, since I don't know anyone who's actually home at 6, let alone 5, here's the perspective:

The Obama campaign announced plans today to reveal their VP choice to supporters by text message. Just sign up at the site and you'll know before the big news breaks.

Smart approach for one big reason: The national media will cover his pick no matter what. The question is: what else can the campaign get out of the announcement?

Answering that question with this texting tactic is smart strategy for a couple of reasons:

1- It differentiates Obama. He's running against an older candidate supported by a political machine. This reminds people that he's a younger candidate riding a groundswell of support from $100-and-under donors.

2- It engages supporters. The campaign has made personalization its hallmark. It started with dynamically assembling each communication based on individual supporter data. And, now it comes to life by talking the way we talk, in the mediums we talk. The result is a sense of approachability - a sense that he thinks like us (only, of course, way smarter... we hope).

3- It activates those supporters. Text messaging is the ultimate "in the tent" communication. Recipients feel like they are the first to know and that creates another conversation about the candidate - one where you share the scoop (with anyone who will listen).

Breaking through: High-engagement agency marketing

Writing about Plaid's quest the other day made me think about the changing ways agencies are engaging potential clients, partners and employees. Increasingly, they're not settling for create-and-wait tactics, rather they're engaging best-fit audiences with can't-resist content and experiences.

Today's agency marketing is LESS like:

• Spray-and-pray mailers
• Dialing for dollars against generic lists of "creative decision makers"
• Pulpit positions at preaching-to-the-choir conferences
• If-you-build-it-they-will-come agency Web sites

It's MORE like:

• Creating opportunities to share ideas
• Spending time with like minds
• Building value around content
• Making the Web a personal experience

In our fast-moving, client-driven world, agency leaders are investing time and resources in changing the playing field. The results are ... pretty desirable. Check out these two examples.

Space150: Rip up your white paper, host an event

Thought leadership used to come in a 15-page white paper, complete with charming 12-point type and the occasional bar graph. Today, it comes in shared time and ideas. Agencies leveraging their partners  and networks to create immersive events on topics clients are actually interested in.

Check out Space150's DeepSpace Mobile workshop for a great example. 

Cole & Weber: Create deep dive industry experiences

Industry relevance was once a column of client logos. Today, it's a sense of the experience. Of speaking the language, having apropos theories, demonstrating a targeted approach.

Cole & Weber brings a great example to life on this micro site showcasing their experience in the wine category. It's peppered with thought leadership. Has a taste of quality, a note of investment and a nose of confidence.  (Metaphor - and post - officially exhausted).

Social media story in the making

I'm not sure how many Columbus natives follow my blog - or are interested enough to dig deep in the Experience Columbus campaign I covered last night - but, I think there's a larger story unfolding here. One that's less about Columbus and more about the power of - to borrow a phrase from a sister agency - an open brand.

In a few weeks I could be writing a post called: How bad advertising built authenticity for an embattled tourism agency. I'm totally kidding on the bad advertising part, but, you know, these things do require a little drama.

I digress.

A number of local bloggers have written about the Not in Columbus campaign with a mixture of hesitation and disappointment.

Pete McGinty (our hero - and marketing VP - at Experience Columbus) has not only stayed in the conversation - he's leveraged our feedback to revise the campaign.

Here are just a few of the comments Pete submitted around the local blog scene:

"Your feedback, as well as the subsequent comments in your blog, is very helpful as we go forward with the campaign. We couldn't have afforded enough focus groups to garner the input we've received!

One of the benefits of how the campaign is structured is that the elements allow for flexibility.

In fact, we have temporarily removed the videos so that we can rework the ending with a more positive spin. Stay tuned."

"We recognize the role of social media in our marketing mix. We are learning. As you know, we are not launching the NotinColumbus.com Web site at this time. We shared it to ask for the precise kind of input that we've received from you. That will only make us better going forward."

"I'm glad that you were able to make it to our event last week. We found it extremely valuable to gain the direct feedback of people like yourself. And, of course, the feedback keeps on coming, which is what we hoped for. It is exciting for us to hear from those who are engaged in this city and have the same kind of passion for it that we do."

"I'm glad you see the potential of the campaign. "Working the bugs out" is actually what we are doing right now."

"Thanks so much for coming to our event last week and for your support of the campaign.

We have received so much valuable feedback. It is great to feel the energy of so many people so passionate about our city.

Glad you enjoyed your t-shirt."

I have to say I'm somewhat floored by this. Despite the able counsel of a damn good PR partner, this kind of totally productive, chin-up response to feedback has to be really tough. As both the delightful Adverboyfriend and my loyal Adverbrother would point out - my skin isn't nearly thick enough to stand up to similar criticism.

Cheers, Pete! You've won over the mob.

cBus Syndrome: When your client has low self-esteem

Last Thursday, Experience Columbus invited me and 60 of my fellow bloggers to check out their newest tourism and convention campaign: Not In Columbus.

First, let me say -  it was a very well-conceived effort.

• Right people: Columbus is home to a really diverse group of Gen Ys and Xers who love the city. They blog, network and otherwise talk in just about every medium there is. Engaging them (um, us) to preview pro-Columbus propaganda is a great fit.


• Right partners: All local agencies and others (Creative: engauge; PR/Social: FahlgrenMortine; snacks and treats: Jenis; swag: Skeened)


• Right process: Over the last few months, a number of Experience Columbus staffers and leaders have started following me on Twitter. And presumably reading local bloggers. They've interacted with the community and gotten to know us.


• Right presentation: Pete McGinty - VP of Marketing - was tasked with talking to the bloggers. He  brought us in on the process of developing the campaign before the big reveal. He was happy to tell the back story and answer questions.

Which brings me to the unasked question: Can we see the other 23 concepts that hit the cutting room floor?

Ok, here's the setup:

Pete starts off by taking us inside the process. He holds up a board titled Challenges:

• No one outside Ohio knows us
• And, we don't have anything our competitors don't have

Sure, he couched it in it's not really that bad. But, the POV still seemed to be that we're somewhere between milk toast and total suck.

The agreed upon solution to this mediocrity morass was to have a little bit of fun; to make fun of ourselves.

Then the campaign was unveiled: Not in Columbus.

It's a collection of light-hearted videos, print ads and tShirts that point out some of the iconic things you can't do in Columbus and then pays it off with the variety of things you can do. It's a teaser, a page-turn stopper. If it works.

An example:

Browse the tees. Watch the videos. Download the print ads.

If there's one thing we've done plenty of in this town, it's make fun of ourselves. The variations on Cow Town alone are uncountable. It's part of cBus Syndrome: the ability to live in a vibrant, growing city and talk about it like it's a pile of cow crap.

And a campaign like this one feels like only more of the same. We're the marketing equivalent of the fat guy at the party making jokes about his girth so that the girls won't look at him with pity.

Oh, except, we only think we're the fat guy. We're actually the totally ripped hot guy who just has really  low self esteem.

If I were to re-invent this campaign, what would I talk about? What are the reasons to come to this city?

#1 for me: Columbus is a destination city for creative people. You're basically guaranteed to be rubbing elbows with an artist whether you're shopping the North Market or noshing on Hyde Park steaks.

Proof points:

• Robust creative economy
• Affordable, eclectic neighborhoods (i.e. places for artists to live)
• Groundswell of independent art activity
• Slew of professional arts organizations (from museums to the ballet)
• Nationally-known arts festivals - art fest, comfest
• Tons of programs and outlets for individual artists - from live/work spaces to monthly art sales and gallery hops
• Huge local music scene
• Nationally-recognized chefs
• Passionate foodie community

(Think you can't market that? Look at Toronto, Minneapolis, Portland)

#2 Ok, don't like that first one? How about the vibe? Columbus has this totally open, do-your-own thing vibe. The kind of city that has cool things to do at every level of hip. The kind of city that would produce the largest privately financed redevelopment project in the nation The kind of city that would have the country's third largest gay population and still almost go red in the election. The kind of city that would have multiple boutique and gallery districts - just to house that army of entreprenuers who feel like they have the right foundation to take the big risk.

(Think you can't market that? Look at Jamaica, Boulder, the other Portland)

#3 Still searching? Ok, how about we're a Big 10 town. And, we're home to the second largest college population in the country (behind Boston). That's exciting sports. A young, engaged population. And, all the cheap fun a college town has to offer.

(Think you can't market that? Ok...someone will have to help me here. You know Advergirl and sports. Like fish and bicycles.)

Anyway, my point is - Columbus has lots of compelling marketing messages. If we could just get over the cBus Syndrome and take an honest appraisal, I think we'd all see what the bloggers you invited over already see.