Marketing Digressions

Agencies should embrace crowdsourcing

So the argument about crowdsourcing has been going on since 2009.  Will it kill the agency?  Back in 2009, the big worry was what would happen to the large full service brand and design agencies.  Would they lose tons of revenue?  Would branding become commoditized and bland?  Crispin Porter Bogusky’s Colin Drummond even went so far as to say that crowdsourcing would commoditize creativity.  He wrote in a blog post to his associates in the agency, “Be afraid. Be very afraid.”

So, now that we are in 2011, was this fear for real?  I think it was too generalized.  I also think crowdsourcing was approached with fear instead of the more appropriate alternative - embracing it.  Large agencies loose more business because they are too big and lack the ability to service every client well enough.  Every big agency loses an account regularly because the client realizes they have the “C” team versus the “A” team because their retainer fees are just too small to matter to Acme.Inc on Madison Ave.   I dont see crowdsourcing being a greater threat to large agencies than losing talent to competitors or poor management. 

I think the big questions that should have been asked, and must be asked now, is if crowdsourcing will help or hurt the SMALL agency.  The answer is, it depends.  I recently had a great conversation about just this topic with a good friend of mine who owns a small agency in Ohio.  His business fits your classic regional / vertical niche agency with a handful of employees and clients.  In short, it’s a nice lifestyle business.

I mentioned to him about some work I was aware that was being done for branding by a CEO of a small start up in DC.  I suggested he look at some of the crowdsourcing sites out there (I told him to look at 99designs specifically), and ask himself how he could integrate them into his business model.

If you have ever done a project on these sites, you know it takes a ton of work and input.  You can post one job for a fee of $750 and you will get 1,500 responses you have to sift through.  Most are junk, but there are some darn good designers on those sites that produce some gems.   As you identify them during your process, you must provide timely feedback so they can evolve t heir design to what you have asked them to achieve in your brief.  This is not unlike how you manage between a client and your design team in the agency. 

But, a small agency can actually reduce one of its chief vulnerabilities by leveraging a crowdsourcing site behind the scene.  All small agencies are hit and miss on their creative because they usually only have one or two designers on staff.   If one or both of those designers have a bad day, the agency itself risks missing the mark with client.  Also, the agency can only generate so much output from those creative employees.  They can only hire so many free lancers to augment that work.

Small agencies should embrace crowdsourcing as a staff augmentation model.  It’s easier to sift through submissions for a brand logo that can yield 10 different options for a client from very different perspectives than creating 5 options from one designer who has a tough time breaking out from their own style.  The client does not need to know – nor would they care.  What is important is that they get the final product they expected. 

New Nike "Butte" Viral Campaign - TOTAL SHOCKER!

All I can say is, wow.  WOW.  WOW!  Warning up front, if you dont like to be shocked by risque advertising, then this is not for you. 

I just stumbled upon this article via CNBC.com, and I am still in shock!  Nike has launched a new viral running campaign called "Butte."  Net, its about getting back to basics and running.  The kicker is the way they convey the message via the creative theme.  Net, its about running naked. 

They launched the campaign on You Tube (this link will require you to verify age before you view) as well as on their own website called nikerunning.com.   See for yourself.  I can only imagine the responses that will be coming in from this via various watchdog groups.  But I can tell you this, it will be a viral home run. 

Did I say WOW?!

Will Viral Marketing Save Mexico?

Unless you live under a rock, you know that Mexico has a teeny problem with drugs and murder lately.  The impact has been a massive decrease in tourism revenue.  According to an interview featured on NPR of Teresa Villareal from the Mexico Tourism Board, 28% of Mexico's GDP and 1 out of every 9 jobs rely on Tourism. 

So what did the Government of Mexico decide to do?  They enlisted the services of Scott Sheehan and tour operator itravel2000.  The result is a massive viral marketing campaign centered on Scott's blog called WhatIsReallyHappeningInMexico.com.  The site boasts videos of the former travel show host surfing, scaling mountains and sipping cocktails in Mexico.

Only time will tell if this strategy works, but you have to give credit to the Government of Mexico.  They are attacking negative press that has virally spread across the globe with the right antidote - positive viral marketing. 

Jet Blue's Big Wig Campaign

Jet Blue launched a new viral online campaign a few weeks ago on their website called "Big Wigs", and its fantastic.  They have captured the essance of the current economic environment and coupled it with wonderful satire.  The result is a clear and concise review of the features, functions and benefits of flying Jet Blue. 

Even better, they have to spend little in costs beyond the production of the creative.  Don't get me wrong, they did not make these spots on the cheap - but it sure beats the TV Media spend that would have to get behind it if they went the broadcast route.  By turning this into a "send to a friend" campaign they will get thousands of evangilists sending it out.  Heck, I sent it to five different high level executives just today. 

Bravo to Jet Blue and their agency, JWT Partners.

Subliminal Advertising

I dare you to watch this and not have a reaction.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6gFMTCnT6o

New Kajeet TV Spot

Here is the first TV spot from Kajeet.  For those of you who don't know them, they are a wireless MVNO whose target is "Tweeners" - or the 9 to 13 year old crowd.  This spot went live on Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network this week.  Let me know if you think it will be an effective spot after watching it.  Will it resonate with their audience?  You tell me.

Download insideFinal.mov   

 

Marketing Frameworks: Part 2

So you want your marketing campaign to be effective.  Do you really know how to make that happen?  It all comes down to what you input into your marketing framework.  Remember, poop in = poop out.  Yes, that is a technical term.  Net, you must pay particular attention to the details of how you "fuel" your marketing campaign.

Strategy:  Do you know what your business drivers are?  Is your campaign aligned with an objective?  Is that objective linked to the company's long and short term goals?  It better be.  What about your brand?  Is the campaign aligned properly to support and leverage your brand?  Have you conducted some basic market intelligence to guide your actions?  What customer segments do you aim to target?  Are you well positioned to do so?  Do these segments have the size and potential to justify your actions?

Targeting:  What kind of reach are you looking for?  National?  Regional?  Local?  What kind of frequency do you need to be successful?  Will one ad in a vertical trade magazine do it for you (answer: NO)?  Three waves of direct mail?  Follow up email campaign?  What kind of depth and breadth will you create with the campaign tactics?  What kinds of formats do you prefer?  Dimensional direct mail?  Viral marketing?  What will be the duration of the campaign and the tactical execution?  Where do you intend to place your advertising?  What kind of timing schedule will you use to optimize your return?  Is the brand already built or do you need to create awareness first before using direct response tactics? 

Creative:  What is your message?  Does it align with your goals and objectives?  How about the brand - does it work with your image?  Will the message invoke the response / action you desire?  What about the look?  The feel?  The tone?  Don't underestimate how this "soft" area can completely destroy what you are trying to convey to the customer.

Analytics:  Are you set up to test and measure?  Have you set benchmarks before going to market?  Have you defined success?  Have you determined what is really important (leads, sales, impressions, etc)?  What is your goal for cost per order, sale or lead?  Have you tested and determined what price point you should go out with?  How does that price impact your image in the market place?  Have you worked with IT, telesales and other departments that capture data to ensure you are getting the information you need to track AND manage the campaign's effectiveness?

You are not done yet.  You must now ask yourself if your campaign is:

• Targeted
• Relevant
• Desirable
• Competitive
• Urgent
• Actionable

Your goal should be to engage, inform, inspire and then activate your customers.  If you are concerned that you won't achieve these things, then go back and look at your inputs to your campaign.

The Best Super Bowl Ad of 2007

I was not blow away by any one spot this year during the Super Bowl.  But, I do think that the award for best ad should go to one of the Career Builder spots.  They were unique and humorous.  The wedgie on "Performance Review" was just painful to watch!  If you don't know what a wedgie is, read this.  The special varieties section should make you laugh so hard you cry.  I loved the ending on that one too..."please remove your shirt."  I also loved "Promotion Pit".  Man, have we all seen that before! 

Marketing Frameworks: Part 1

Through the years, I have seen many marketing frameworks.  Very rarely have I come across a framework that I think is concise and complete.  Often they are textbook in style, or they are too fluffy to execute against.  But all of this changed in 2005.  This was when I began to work with Organic on our digital advertising campaigns.  In their pitch, they put up two slides that encompassed the essence of what makes a great marketing campaign. 

To this day, I utilize their framework to guide all of my marketing activities.  It is simple yet robust.  Over the next few articles, I will take you through what I consider to be the best marketing framework to guide your efforts.  Why?  Because I have decided that 2007 will be about the fundamentals of successful marketing. 

There are five main components in the first section of a two part framework:

• OBJECTIVE
• GOAL
• INPUTS
• SUCCESS FACTORS
• EXECUTION

Objective: You must set a quantifiable (measurable) objective BEFORE you begin your planning.  You can refine this target as you work through your planning activities, but you must lock it down before you launch.  It is important that you establish what you consider to be a "success."  I would recommend the traditional approach of creating a pessimistic, base and optimistic scenario.  You should consider the "base" case scenario the minimum hurdle for success.

Goal:  This should not be some lofty proclamation like "We want to become number one in our category."  In my opinion, that is just assumed - otherwise why are you in the game?  What the term "goal" refers to here is a set of tactics that detail how you will ENGAGE, INFORM, INSPIRE and ACTIVATE your customers. 

Inputs:  This could be one of the most important and detailed parts of the marketing framework.  We will spend an entire article on this section.  For now, what you must know is that your inputs should break down between four main disciplines:  STRATEGY, TARGETING, CREATIVE and ANALYTICS.

Success Factors:  Your inputs must generate a TARGETED, RELEVANT, DESIRABLE, COMPETITIVE, URGENT and ACTIONABLE marketing program.  You must ensure that key elements such as OFFERS, SEGMENTS, BRAND DRIVERS and CAMPAIGN CONCEPTS are crisp and well defined.

Execution:  This is where you earn your pay.  There are 5 simple steps:  PLAN, LAUNCH, MEASURE, LEARN and OPTIMIZE.  Remember, you are not done once you go to market.  You must track your metrics against your objectives, determine what is working and what is not - and then fix it fast.

Next up, a deep dive into the INPUTS component.   

TSA Is Zip Lock Fresh Baby

The Transportation Security Administration is "Zip Lock Fresh" and they don't even know it.  Yep.  They are sitting on the next HOT advertising vehicle.  I can see millions of dollars pouring into the US Government.  Perhaps a whole advertising department and media division.  Could you imagine that?  Hip cool folks, who wear black coats and pants and matching square framed glasses, punching in for a little government paycheck love.  Zip Lock Fresh, baby.

So what is this cool new idea?  Don't be so darn impatient.  We must first disclose where the idea came from, as it clearly could not have come from my pea brain.  The source of this brilliance comes from my good friend who calls his place of work "The Outpost".  He runs a ceramic tile warehouse for a major manufacturer in the United States.  But what he really should be doing is wearing an all black outfit with square framed glasses while thinking of the next great advertising idea.  I won't reveal his name though - he is my trade secret.  What I will tell you though, is to never let him tend your bar at a Christmas Party unless your guests have a thick skin.  Regardless, it is safe to say that this guy's brain is so funny and so innovative that it is a darn shame he is being asked to use it for insulting contractors and builders....although I would pay $100 bucks just to sit around for a day and watch him do it.

So, back to the idea.  Everyday we heard ourselves like mindless cattle through the airport security lines.  The taped TSA message plays in a loop like some sort of hypnotic cadence.  You plop your laptop out, take off your shoes, empty your pockets and pull out your clear plastic bag of toiletry goodies.  A-HA!  It is here that the new bounty lies!  According to TSA, you are allowed to fill a "one quart zip top bag" with your beauty goodies.  Cha-Ching!  And every time you pull that baby out at least 5 drone bees behind you stare at in and wonder, "what funny stuff can I spot in his bag?"

All the government has to do now is sell space on those bags.  Perhaps make a special plastic bin that it can sit in to ensure it is set apart and easy to view by security.  But you may be saying, the rule states it must be a "clear plastic bag" buddy.  Ya, I know, but how about 95% clear and 5% semi-transparent?  Perhaps company logo's in the upper right hand corner? I can see the green Starbucks lady smiling back at me while I watch the schmuck in front of me pull out his clear plastic bag of goo and junk that he uses to repel his smell and messy hair.  Or, perhaps pull tags for the zipper in the shape of a business card that have your favorite NFL team logo on it?  Show me the money!

How about creating a TSA approved clear plastic "pouch" bag.  It could have specially designed areas for key products such as deodorant, toothpaste and hair gel or spray.  Perhaps designed for specific products made by Proctor and Gamble?  Now we can proudly see the Crest or Herbal Essences logo as it sits pressed against the plastic bag. Ah yes, the art of paid product placement has evolved!

Well, maybe "The Outpost" needs to kick this one around a bit more, but I think he is on to something folks.  Oh, and I am now his acting talent agent, so if you want to use the "Outpost Think Tank" just give me a shout.  One hour sessions run $300 an hour.  If you ask him to tend bar it goes up to $500....but you bring your own poison.