IMC tips, ideas and tricks

Instagram Hangs Itself

2012-12-18T10:57:00.000-07:00

Instagram's fame as THE
photo-sharing app is in jeopardy.

Instagram released its new terms of service overnight, and the backlash has been swift and sharp. No one knows yet how this will play out, but many Instagram users are threatening to leave the service.

So what happened? Their updated terms of service state that "you agree that a business or other entity may pay us to display your username, likeness, photos (along with any associated metadata), and/or actions you take, in connection with paid or sponsored content or promotions, without any compensation to you." Ouch!

If the debate gets any hotter, there could be government intervention or a law suit, which would hurt the company even more that user abandonment!

Instagram's response, so far, has been to say that this was a move taken to better integrate with its parent company, Facebook, which already does this a little. I've seen ads that list profile photos and names of my friends as "Likers" of other pages that I should also, apparently, like.

The Marketing Take-away
This is a two-edged sword for marketers, because we LOVE to use customer data for our own purposes, and photos are part of that. But with the severe infringement on people's personal information and images could cause consumers to lose confidence in companies that use this type of information to sell products or services.

My advice to marketers and companies? Wait it out and see what happens before making the move to use people's Instagram photos and metadata to marketing anything?

Now tell me: what do YOU think about Instagram's new terms of service?

-MJP

Man of Steel hits 10 MILLION VIEWS!!!

2012-12-13T11:13:00.000-07:00

When I was a kid, I absolutely LOVE getting to the theater early enough to catch all the previews! Now, I just watch them all on YouTube. The most recent one was the second trailer for Man of Steel, the Chris-Nolan-produced Superman reboot.

Nolan-branded entertainment is popular right now, thanks to his recently-completed Batman trilogy. This latest Superman movie trailer got to 10 MILLION views in just three days, which points to an excellent opening next June. I know I'll be going; will you?

Click "Read More" to view the trailer and continue reading!

<iframe width="280" height="157.5" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/KVu3gS7iJu4" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

People argue about the legitimacy of using "views" or "Likes" as hard metrics. After all, clicking a button to show that you've enjoyed something is pretty easy to do. Getting people to get off the couch and DO something is a lot harder. But still, there's got to be some value in the number of people that have taken the time, even if briefly, to show their support for something, even if it's just a cat video!

The Marketing Take-away
Don't discount views on YouTube as being irrelevant, even though it's not "hard data." Since the beginning of television data, people have considered views as the ultimate endorsement for success. In those days (and still nowadays), you actually only counted a small sample of the population, then generalized the findings to cover the entire United States.

In this regard, YouTube is WAY more accurate. Clicks can be traced to actual IP addresses, and even though those could be bots racking up "views," it can still be more accurate than sampling.

-MJP

Hugo Chavez and Cancer Treatment

2012-11-27T15:33:00.000-07:00

Hello, everyone. It's been a while, but I'm back! It's been a couple of busy months, and my new goal is to write a new post once a week...we'll see if that happens...

Anyway, the topic for today is: Hugo Chavez and his cancer treatment fiasco, which has blown up in the past 60 minutes, or so. Since he last
had treatment, he's won re-election to a fourth term in office. Strangely, soon after his election, he filed paperwork to with own country's legislature in order to leave the country for more treatment in Cuba.

My question is: did he know that he needed more treatment before the election, but kept it secret so he could win re-election first? It would seem so, and his people are NOT happy about it. This makes for a great case study - any volunteers to write it? - on lying, politics and the public's right to information in third-world countries.

The American Cancer Society confirms that the cure he's now seeking, hyperbaric oxygen treatment, is useful for dealing with many different ailments, but cancer is not one of them. So why is he going to Cuba? Are these the desperate attempts of a dying man to cling to a life that is all but gone? And why, then, did he seek for re-election, knowing that he was still sick? Plus, he's been keeping most of his medical information a secret. Why?

The Marketing Take-away

If you're in political marketing, make sure you give out the correct information, because political figures make for great PR, specifically. And while a positive spin put on a story as grave as cancer might be difficult, pretending like NOTHING is happening is the worst move possible. Silence is never the right tactic to use with politics, because the ROI will always be negative.

Pilgrimage - A Novel of the Sovereign Era

2012-08-18T22:30:00.000-06:00

I don't often do this, but I feel like I owe it to Matthew Wayne Selznick to try and help support his Kickstarter campaign; his novel, Pilgrimage - A Novel of the Sovereign Era, is a sequel to Brave Men Run, one of the first podcast novels EVER! I read the first one and have been a fan ever since!

Click below to watch the video trailer for the book and to read more about Kickstarter and crowdfunding.

If you're asking yourself, "What is Kickstarter?" then I'll explain. It's a crowd funding service, where you can pledge money to creative projects you'd like to see succeed. It's nice because you can bid as little as a dollar, or as much as you'd like. At different funding levels, you'll receive different rewards from the creators of the project.

For instance, I pledged $51 to Pilgrimage, so Mr. Selznick is going to include me as a character in a future Sovereign Era short story, plus I get a signed copy of the book, too. Isn't that fun? I get to help out an author who's work I really like, AND I get cool prizes that are worth MORE than money!

Sign up for a free Kickstarter account, then search for "Pilgrimage novel," or click on this link (http://crowdfundpilgrimage.info) to go directly to the page. Hurry, though! There are only 8 days left! Plus, if the project doesn't get fully funded by August 27th, Mr. Selznick won't do the project at all, and that would be a tragedy!

Thank you for your support, and don't forget to leave a comment, letting me know if you helped fund the project, too; I'm curious to see if this helps Mr. Selznick.

-MJP

Never say "No" to Panda!

2012-08-01T11:42:00.000-06:00

I'll admit that I'm ignorant of different languages, so I have NO IDEA what language they're speaking in these videos; the subtitles help, but aren't necessary, really. The moral of these commercials: buy Panda brand foods because you never want to make a panda mad; they'll make you pay for it!

Click "Read More" to watch the video.

Marketing Take-away
Great marketing transcends boundaries and leaps over languages barriers in a single bound! When you make an ad or print or Internet marketing campaign, mute it and see if it still makes an emotional impact! If not, the ad may still be good, just not GREAT!

Is the Twitter logo change a good thing?

2012-06-06T16:09:00.000-06:00

The answer, quite frankly, is NO! Yes, they may be wanting to convey upward movement, and psychologically, that's probably a good move; the old bird seemed to be flying horizontally. The problem is that the new bird looks like a clip art graphic, which, for a major Internet brand, is probably a step in the wrong direction. The old logo, with its little tuft of hair, was more personal. Click below to see the picture!

Twitter logo before and after.

Do you see what I mean? Yes, the one on the right has "upward momentum" with its more upturned angle and pointy wings, but the little tuft of hair on the old logo gave it some life!

With both logos, though, there's a clip art feel. They should have, in my opinion, done something else to distinguish the logo from generic stock art silhouettes.

The Marketing Take-away
A company's logo is often what comes to mind first when a brand is mentioned. If your logo is too generic or bland, people might have trouble recalling it. Make sure your logo is distinct and memorable!

What do you think? Is Twitter's new logo an improvement?

Worst acupuncture experience EVER!

2012-05-29T05:00:00.000-06:00

I have no idea what this ad is for, but it made me laugh pretty hard! Please post a comment below with guesses as to what it might be!

The Marketing Take-away

Good creative goes a long way toward selling products. Just be careful that the creative still relates to the brand. Some don't, and while those commercials are fun to watch, they can't entice consumers to buy your products or services.

Who wants some Ronald tonight?

2012-05-24T13:14:00.000-06:00

GEICO is famous for its funny ads, many of which have very little to do with insurance. This one is my new favorite, and I was super-excited to find this uncut version of it! After you watch the uncut version, check out the second video. It's the actual ad that appeared on TV, and I enjoyed seeing how they added text and re-cut it to act as a GEICO commercial.

Please leave a comment letting me know about YOUR favorite GEICO commercial!

The Extended Version

The TV Version

The Marketing Take-away

The extended version doesn't have the GEICO tagline or logo at the end; without them, there's no way to tell what this is! Don't forget that the commercial - even if it's supposed to be a "viral" online-only video - isn't finished until it's edited. Don't just throw things up on YouTube without editing them first!

Playing with your phone on YouTube

2012-04-05T06:00:00.000-06:00

This is a pretty funny song, but the message is clear for marketers: mobile marketing has MASSIVE potential!

The Marketing Take-away
Make sure that "mobile" is part of your overall strategy so that you can market to people WHEREVER they are, not just when they're in front of their TV or computer. The more chances you have to expose people to your brand messages, the better, providing that you spend enough without overdoing it! You don't want to scare potential customers away with a marketing blitzkrieg, either.

-MJP

A Canadian University's BIG blunder!

2012-04-03T06:00:00.000-06:00

I'm all for protecting copyright-holders and all of that, but YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME! This has to be the dumbest school rule EVER! Monitoring university email addresses to check for LINKS? What's wrong with links? The university said it's to protect copyright infringement, but it's obvious what they're doing: looking for another way to make money!

That's right; they're charging people $27.50 per year for the right to do what the Canadian government already allows them to do for free.

Here's the link if you want to read the article: http://boingboing.net/2012/02/20/canadian-universities-sign-bon.html.

The Take-away
Don't try to charge people for things they can get for free somewhere else, unless you can prove that your services are FAR superior to the free option. In the case of inalienable rights, I think these universities are actually breaking the law, which is a whole other level.

But, in general, make sure you can convince people in your marketing endeavors that the services or products you provide are worth paying to receive.

How to interview

2012-03-29T11:39:00.000-06:00

Will this bow tie help with my interviewing skills?

I want to mention a blog I read this morning that had some good advice on having Q&A-type discussions with other business professionals. Click here to view the article.

The fact is, most people have NO IDEA how to conduct a quality interview; at least, I know I haven't
got a clue. That's why I went looking for answers this morning. As I think more and more about starting up my IVAS Podcast after a yearlong hiatus, I'm realizing that I lack the skills necessary to interview people. It was a skill that was never the subject of any of my college classes, but it's actually a helpful thing to know. Why was it overlooked by school administrators as a possible course? I'm not sure, but when I'm a university admin - yeah, right! - the class will be added, for sure!

The Marketing Take-away
Companies have stories to tell, and interviewing is one way they can let people know more about them. Getting a behind-the-scenes look can make people feel closer to a brand, which will lead to more sales, ideally. Make sure that you always pursue this angle, because it provides listeners or readers with a perspective that they can't find by trolling a company's website.

Also, don't just release the interview in one format. If you post the audio on your blog, make sure to provide a transcript, or vice versa.

Dollar Shave Club's AWESOME video is marketing GOLD!

2012-03-27T10:16:00.001-06:00

I saw this video the other day, and it made me laugh...maybe even OUT LOUD! I actually went to their site, just to see if it was real. It IS a real company, and they do what they say they'll do: ship you one razor each month to your door. Despite being pretty funny, the video also does a good job of laying out the company's purpose and promise. The promise is one of the funniest parts: "Our blades are F*CKING great!"

Click "Read more" below to see the video, then let me know what you think by posting a comment!

Pretty funny, huh?

You know the video's good when it spawns multiple parodies. After the video, it should show links to different YouTube parody videos for other companies. They're all pretty funny, too!

The Take-away
YouTube videos are a great way to spread the message about your brand. Use it. Depending on the context of the video, it doesn't even need to be super-high quality. If it's for a charitable organization, or the topic is serious, the quality needs to be better than if you're doing a guy-on-the-street video, where the quality can usually be lower.

While you're at it, check out the video for my company, Kicking Lizard salsa at http://www.kickinglizard.com/experience-kicking-lizard-salsa, then post a comment here or on the website. Thanks for reading, and come back soon for more tips!

- Marc

Banana Marketing

2012-02-07T07:48:00.001-07:00

I never would have thought...

It's a pretty funny way to do it, and it's one of the last places I would think to look for an ad...which makes it the best place for it. Plus, putting the ad on bananas fits the "Chipwrecked" movie's theme of tropical islands. I didn't think of it, but I'm wondering now if they had these same stickers on OTHER types of fruit, too!

When marketers think out of the box like this, they increase the chances that an ad will be remembered. And this one, like all good marketing messages, has a call to action that isn't, "Go see the movie!" It says, "Enjoy the banana...then go see the movie!"

This party is MANDATORY!

2012-01-30T07:04:00.000-07:00

I 'm a big fan of best-of lists, especially when they're funny. This one's pretty good, and I'd also like it if there was a best-of-30-Rock list.

The Marketing Take-away
Do a best-of list; these types of lists include top-10, favorite-things and many other lists that summarize information. They can even be negative, like a worst-email-marketing-blunders list.

Make sure it's relevant to your skills set or to an industry that you serve. It's usually pretty easy to see when someone doesn't know what they're talking about, and the ramifications of being branded a phony are long-lasting and hard to overcome.

Brand Symbols, Part 1

2012-01-24T16:42:00.000-07:00

The almighty NES controller!

When they originally released the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) in the United States, it was a smash hit, including my home. Due to parental controls - in those days, that actually meant "parents" - I could only play it for 30 minutes every weekday. Weekends were different, of course, and Saturdays were when the controllers got the most sticky from sweat and food residue.

Aaaahhhh...memories...When I think back on it, I remember those controllers better than I do the actual NES. The machine was a squarish, boxy thing, but the controllers were so unique and easy to understand. Up, down, left, right, B, A, Select, Start. So accessible, and DURABLE!

The Marketing Take-away
Make your brand legendary; in this case, in terms of product accessory design. Make it unique-looking; if it's the right kind of item, make it sparkle. In some cases, you can re-define a category with it. Prior to the NES, it was all about the joystick. Now those are mainly used for flight simulators. Not until the Wii Remote - aka the "Wiimote" - was there a popular alternative to the direction-pad-and-buttons combo.

Small pet...or huge rat?

2012-01-10T17:13:00.000-07:00

This 3-foot rat looks more like a pet dog than a monster rodent!

I've always heard jokes about giant-rat sightings in New York City, but this is no joke! It was found in the back room of a Foot Locker in the Bronx. My question is: how can Foot Locker turn this around and keep it from turning into a big problem?

A successful viral video

2011-12-17T09:07:00.000-07:00

I haven't listened to the radio in a long time; mostly, I've just been listening to books non-stop. Also, I'm not extremely active on Twitter, so I totally missed out on this gem of a music video. It's unique, the song's catchy...and the marketing implications of this video are amazing! Read my full post to view the video, too!

Pretty fun, huh?

More interesting to me is the fact that he didn't ever send it to her; he tweeted it to other people in the hopes that it'd eventually get to her. Now it's a hit on iTunes and radio stations worldwide, and even pop icons have been talking about it.

This is every marketer's dream come true: a video that goes viral. Unfortunately, most attempts at "viral marketing" end up with 15 hits, all of which are your own when you check it to see the count every day.

There have been BOOKS written about making viral content that gets noticed, so I won't write about that. I just wanted to post an example of a success story in the hopes of saying, "Don't worry! It can be done!"

P.S. - It took two days for the video to get to her!

(P.S. Beware of SCAMS!)

2011-12-07T15:25:00.001-07:00

As disaster clean-up continues around my neighborhood, I've been seeing more news vans than usual. Unfortunately, no one has stopped to talk with me...until yesterday. Below, I've posted the brief video. I know it's a bit vain, but I'm fine with a little of that!

Marketing Take-away
If you ever have the chance to take part in a news story, go for it! Usually, there's not much of a time commitment, and it's often free publicity for your company.

Obviously, this one didn't have a lot of marketing potential for me personally, but I never want to pass up on a chance to be on TV!

More charitable giving as marketing material

2011-12-07T14:20:00.001-07:00

My 30-foot-tall tree fell in my front yard on
December 1st, 2011.

Last week, a barrage of unusually strong wind came whipping through the western United States. When it whipped over the eastern mountains of the Wasatch Front, my town was the hardest hit; the gusts were over 100 miles per hour! For those of you keeping track, that's level-two-hurricane-strength winds!

In the seven days following the storm, the effected communities have come together to head the clean-up efforts. Fortunately, other than my 30-foot pine, there was no debris to clean up in my yard, although I did find an empty recycling bin next to the downed tree.

The point, though, is that local businesses, churches and schools turned their parking lots into temporary dump sites for downed trees and garbage. Also, at least one trucking company in the area devoted all 17 of its trucks to hauling debris from people's houses to various dumps.

In addition to being kind gestures, these acts are great marketing material and chances for FREE publicity. The above-mentioned truck company was featured prominently in at least one five-minute news story on the disaster clean-up efforts.

Marketing Take-away
If you ever get the chance, be giving of time and resources to charity and community causes. They help build your brand up in a necessary way. You may lose some cash from lost work hours, but it there's a disaster, you might not be working then anyway. Just remember that your name and logo will be out in the community, helping out. Those types of gestures go a long way toward helping create more positive opinions in consumers' minds!

MORE cheap ways to help your "personal brand"

2011-11-14T05:00:00.000-07:00

In my original post, "Cheap ways to help your 'personal brand'...," I mentioned two specific methods: improving your LinkedIn profile and setting up a professional blog. I still recommend these two methods to everyone. However, looking back, there was WAY more I could have said!

To keep with the theme from the first, however, I'll mention only two others:
Twitter and Facebook. I can hear the groans already; you search the Internet for innovative ideas on marketing, and all I have to spit out are the two big social networking tools on the web today? Yes, that's right, but I only do it because of how easy it is to INTEGRATE all of these tools together!

In his social media and blog marketing book, Six Pixels of Separation, author Mitch Joel talks a lot about these two marketing venues, singing the praises of both while also criticizing marketers for not taking advantage of what they can do to promote personal brands more effectively. We need to use what's been given to us! Unless, of course, someone wants to create their OWN model that works better and gets higher click-through rates. Until that happens, though, use what you have.

I'm not going into details on how to create a Facebook page or a Twitter profile; they're actually pretty easy to figure out. Make sure you link your Twitter profile to your Facebook page. That way, the comments you post on Facebook will show up in your Twitter stream.

Marketing Take-away
Lastly, be active! Don't just set it up and never go back. That's not the way to be digitally social.

The best of James Bond, in ONE novel!

2011-11-11T09:21:00.001-07:00

From an article in The Guardian:

In a shocking turn for the debut novel by Q.R. Markham, Assassin of Secrets, the US publisher is recalling all copies and offering refunds to those who have already purchased the book. The UK publisher is taking back all copies of the book before it is released there this week. Why are they doing it?

The answer is simple: plagiarism.

Apparently, Markham - actually bookseller and poet, Quentin Rowan - lifted whole passages from post-Fleming-era Bond novels, mostly written by John Gardner - six in total. There were also whole passages lifted from Robert Ludlum's and Charles McCarry's novels. In one case, Markham copy-and-pasted six pages in a row from one book. How could something like this go unnoticed until after the books were printed and shipped around the world?

The publishers don't know the answer, and neither does author Jeremy Duns, who wrote a glowing recommendation for the book. Apparently, Duns also did a Q&A session with the author which included plagiarized statements from the novel, Dream Time, by Geoffrey O'Brien.

It's amazing to think that this could happen in the age of Google. After Duns was informed via a James Bond forum, he took random sentences from Markham's book and pasted them into a search engine. After the shock of what he found in the search results, he immediately wrote to the publisher and asked that they remove his glowing review and the Q&A session from their website.

Take-away for Marketers

What can we learn from this?

Well, first of all, DON'T plagiarize! Secondly, editing is important, no matter what industry you're serving. Be it copy or dialog, make sure that what is said is original. The standards for plagiarism are sometimes vague, but there are services, like Grammarly, that will check your writing for you. Also, you can follow the lead of Duns and use Google to search for matches!

Just make sure you're checking somehow. You can't afford to harm the brands you serve, or your personal brand, by copying someone else's work!

Making money through "charitable contributions"

2011-11-04T12:51:00.001-06:00

Seth Harwood's Latest
Print Release

Check out this link: http://kck.st/piYHWd. It'll take you to a page where one of my favorite authors, Seth Harwood, is raising money to help fund an independent book release. While it might not be ideal for all situations, it seems to be a viable new way to get some initial funding through, what is essentially, charitable giving. It's actually a genius idea to offer people the chance to be listed as a contributor IN THE BOOK if you send some cash his way.

There are other prizes awarded as well, the ultimate being given the chance to co-author a story with you as the main character. Pretty cool, huh? Granted, you have to donate $999 or more to get that prize, and only one is available. Actually, I think that was one of the first to go, so the chance is gone. Dang!

Mr. Harwood was given 30 days to get the funding for this print project ($5,000), but he had the whole thing done within 25 hours. He does have a lot of loyal fans, though. His success is an example of how a site, like Kickstarter.com, can allow people with an idea to get funding. Current categories include:
Take a look, and maybe you'll find inspiration to start your own project!

Void Your Warranty with STYLE!

2011-09-12T06:00:00.000-06:00

I just read an article on Wired.com (http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2011/09/iphone-mod-apple-logo/) that mentioned a mod, by iPatch, that will light up the Apple logo on the back of your iPhone. If you check out this picture, it looks pretty cool! They do mention at the end of the article that it will most definitely void your warranty, and that makes me pause and think:

WHY WOULD YOU EVER DO THIS?!

You spend a lot of money to get an iPhone, and it does so many cool things already, why void the warranty just so the back lights up? Plus, it only has limited battery life. This will, of course, drain the battery faster. Is it worth having your phone die in the middle of a conversation? For me, the answer is: NO FREAKIN' WAY!

The Marketing Take-away: Legal is always better!
Why would a company waste their time on making unauthorized mods? Focus on making authorized mods instead. Working with a company, especially one like Apple, is a huge advantage to your business, and provides much more industry clout than being "that company that makes mods." I guarantee that iPatch doesn't have as high of a reputation as they might working WITH Apple.

-MJP

Apple Goes Solar

2011-09-10T05:00:00.000-06:00

Schematic for one of Apple's filed patents.

Apple recently filed for two patents in the area of solar power, and they have three more in the works (http://gigaom.com/cleantech/how-apple-could-revolutionize-solar/). If they get these patents, and even if they don't, what could this mean for Apple devices going forward? All I can say is: WOW!

You already know you can download music DIRECTLY to your iPod, so the only need for the computer is to CHARGE the device and act as a backup for your entire music library. Imagine if your iPod could be powered by the sun; that would mean no more charging via the computer.

So, other than for backing up your database...wait a minute. Look at this: http://www.apple.com/icloud/what-is.html. Well, now that's taken care of, too. It seems to me that Apple just disconnected me from wires, completely. How cool is THAT?!

The Marketing Take-away: Unplugged is a HUGE marketing plus!
iCloud and solar power could put Apple's devices in a league all their own, and this super-huge added value is marketing GOLD! To no longer need a cord at all - to be truly portable - is a strategic advantage that can't currently be matched by anyone.

How Could Customer-focused Marketing Hurt Your Brand?

2011-09-07T05:00:00.000-06:00

Click here to go to a BrandAid from Killian Branding. It brought up interesting downsides to being a customer-focused company. In an age where customer-centric activities are expected of all businesses, claims of being focused on customers' needs change from competitive advantage to liability.

Unfortunately for many companies, they still tout their love of customers as their main strength. If you think about it, though, who DOESN'T love their customers? Buyers of your products are who keep the doors open; without them, you would have no business. So, of course, you love them to pieces. It's a give!

On what, then, should companies focus their attentions? The article states some interesting statistics that help put it in perspective. For instance, if a company experiences 6% growth each year with it's current customer base, it will double its business in 12 years. That's not bad, but, especially for companies with high growth potential, that could be increased dramatically by focusing efforts on gaining new loyal customers. That's right: NEW customers!

Remember the old adage: it's more expensive to gain a new customer that to cultivate an existing one. Does this new focus mean the adage isn't true anymore? No, of course not! It's still cheaper to keep existing clients. That means that less time and energy has to be spent to keep them happy. Now, what can you do with the extra time? Get NEW customers!

-MJP