Think about this: if CNN et al could be suckered into the Balloon Boy hoax, what else have they been fooled into in the past? At times like these, I'm glad I'm not a journalist and just a lowly blogger...

Thank you to HP for sponsoring this show. In addition to their Employee Purchase Program (see below), you can also participate in their very worthy Create Change program. In a nutshell, for every purchase you make at the Direct Store, HP will donate 4% of the total product purchase to support a range of charities in the areas of conservation, education, enrichment systems, healthcare support, disaster recovery and the battle to fight poverty. These charities include: WWF, Junior Achievement, American Red Cross, CARE, Susan G. Komen, Make-A-Wish Foundation®, and DonorsChoose.org

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Two great community-driven crowdsourcing projects, which you should support: The 3Six5 Project and Age of Conversation 3. Plus a little rant against affected A-listers.

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My latest Adweek column is up. It's titled, "2009: The Year of Nothing" and I think it is pretty self-explanatory.

Here's the full text of the article, which deals with the lack of innovation and experimentation in a "down" year and challenges us all to step up to the plate in 2010 (or even in the final few weeks of this year). Enjoy and join the conversation on the blog, Twitter, Facebook etc.

2009: Year of Nothing

How do you plan to make sure next year is better than this one?

Nov 16, 2009

-By Joseph Jaffe

Happy New Year everybody. Time to usher in a new year...with new hopes, dreams and expectations of a year that can't really be worse than 2009. Can it? It's time to close the book on arguably one of the most frustrating, draining and demoralizing years in our professional lifetimes.

Yes, I know. It's still mid-November, but I'm pretty sure I speak on behalf of the majority of us who can't wait to slam the door shut on 2009. If '09 were associated with a color, it would probably have been associated with pink -- as in pink slip. It was a year that many, many people lost their jobs. If that doesn't include you (consider yourself fortunate), it probably affects someone you know.

2009 was a year that witnessed entire companies wiped off the face of the Earth; it was a year when media stalwarts faltered, stumbled and even careened headfirst into the dust; it was a year in which even billion-dollar bailouts couldn't motivate banks and financial institutions to incentivize and reward the backbones of this great nation: small business owners and entrepreneurs.
 
While many of us would like to wave a wand and wish this year away, it's probably not a bad idea to pause for a moment and take stock of the year that was...or perhaps I should say, the year that wasn't.

When all is said and done, what did you accomplish this year? What did you achieve? Did you venture out of your comfort zone or did you recoil into your shell and hide from the storm? How did you gauge success? Was it the ability to avoid Armageddon (as WPP's Martin Sorrell put it) or the ability to preserve status quo?

I've always liked the analogy of change and innovation as a treadmill or a conveyer belt, where the speed and the backwards direction of the belt represent the inevitable passage of time and progress. Standing still results in a pretty obvious outcome. Less obvious is what happens when the march forward is at the exact rate of the belt itself, yielding a net result of nothing. In fact, the only positive outcome is when movement is greater than that of the speed of the belt.

So how did you fare on the belt? Are you hitting your stride as you power forward or are you nursing a bruise on your rear end?

If the latter is the case, the good news is that it's not too late. Not too late to make the most of the final few weeks of the year and certainly not too late to hit the ground running in 2010. You can still make a concerted effort to make a difference. No more operating on the back foot.

It's well documented that companies who increase their investment in marketing during recessionary times almost always realize a competitive advantage from doing so. The same must apply to an operating philosophy or climate which focuses on innovation and experimentation.

As you prepare for 2010, here are a few ideas to consider:

• Carve out an experimentation or innovation mandate and commensurate budget.

• Find your magic number: perhaps it's 2 or 3 or even 4 new projects or "experiments." Is one per quarter that unrealistic?

• Less talk; more walk: Don't debate and talk yourself out of change. I hate to say it, but "just do it" already. If you can't bring yourself to commit, recognize that someone else will come along and take the initiative away from you.

• Avoid bright and shiny object syndrome. Don't wait for the next big thing, because there are way too many new colors in the box of crayons begging for your attention and consideration right now.

• Inaction is tantamount to failure. If you remain on the sidelines for too long, waiting for "proof of concept" or the mainstreaming of fringe or emerging platforms, you run the risk of being left behind. To be sure, it's a balancing act between premature experimentation and paralyzing procrastination. Find the balance and find your stride.

And while you continue to debate the relative merits and demerits of emerging media, bear in mind that the "belt" of change, evolution and even revolution never stops and is even accelerating.

So Happy New Year to you and yours. I raise my glass to your success and toast to 2010 being your Year of Something.

Brands need to anticipate both good reaction and bad backlash and they need to stay the course, unless of course they're dumb enough to walk into blogger or twitterstorms without a clue as to what to expect. #pepsifail

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Conde Nast shutter Gourmet and Modern Bride magazines. Evening Standard is now free. It's not going to get better people (unless of course they get on Twitter). Perhaps I wasn't that far off in JJTV #47.

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50 and going strong. An update on our sponsor, Queensland Tourism and "The audience conference".

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If you are going to try and give something away for free, you have to follow through. Bait and switch freemiums will fail if for no other reason than the bloggers wont link to you anymore.

In this episode, I call out Ragan Communications (as one of many companies who do this) insofar that they provide their content for free for a limited time and then gate it only for premium subscribers. My point is that bloggers will stop linking to publishers who do this....as the link is a dead end.

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How did you spend your Sunday night? I spent it recording an episode of The Beancast (and also watched some fine baseball....GO YANKEES!!!)

Besides host, Bob Knorpp, I also shared the stage with:

• Edwart Boches, Chief Creative and Social Officer at Mullen
• Ben Kunz, Director of Strategic Planning at Mediaassociates
• James P. Othmer, Author of The Futurist and Adland

Topics covered included:

• The future of direct marketing (and other short stories)
• Creativity in Social media (and other short stories)
• Media placement versus messaging impact
• More screens doesn't mean more ads
• Hulu today; gone tomorrow

As I have been doing of late, I'm releasing episodes featuring yours truly on the "Jaffe Juice - The New Marketing Podcast" feed. Makes sense imo.

Give it a listen...it was pretty tasty.

Direct download here

iTunes subscription here

Unless you've been living under a rock (not that there's anything wrong with that), you've probably heard about The Audience Conference, taking place in NYC on Friday, November 6th at the Hudson Theater.

Some of the speakers include: Dan Farber of CBS News, Mike Arrington of Techcrunch, Jason Calacanis of Mahalo, Brian Clark of Copyblogger, Ethan Kaplan of Warner Bros. Records, Loren Feldman of 1938 Media, Web 2.0 antichrist Andrew Keen and of course.....me!

What makes this conference different from all the others....is simply put: this conference is not about "us", but rather "them" and by "them", I'm referring to our consumers, customer, viewers, listeners and readers or put differently, the reason why we're even in business in the first place.

Here's conference founder, Loren Feldman (and my JJTV producer/partner) talking about the event:

Interested yet? Well if you are, let me sweeten the deal....if you register to attend Audience, use promo code, "jaffe" and you'll save $50 on your registration fee.

Also, we get to hang out a bit if you're so inclined.

One more thing...I have a a few speaker comps to give away and so if you're really intent on not paying for this conference, leave me a comment on this blog post and tell me why you'd like to attend and who knows, I might throw a free pass your way (don't drop it)

 
Greg Verdino, our Chief Strategy Officer, reminded me of a certain birthday today: crayon's. The little company I founded 3 year's ago is a walking and talking toddler.

No more terrible 2's, although I think we were well behaved (reasonably) during this whole period.

I wanted to personally thank the box of crayonistas (Greg, Jane, Gary, Amadeo, Kate) for everything and all that they do.

Of course I also want to thank our clients for your continued support and belief - in particular, Panasonic, Kraft Foods, The Coca-Cola Company and ooVoo.

It's also been great to have several new projects out in the ether-net, in particular Panasonic's LiHD Insider and Coca-Cola's Expedition 206 (nice write up in Mediapost here)

So that's about it. Back to work now.

Photo credit: Photolovedeb

Over the past few months, we've had the pleasure of working with Adam Brown and the folks over at The Coca-Cola Company on a pretty special program called "Expedition 206."

The premise? Bold, lofty, ambitious and truly global: Coca-Cola does business in over 200 countries (and I stand corrected, but no other brand in the world can make that same claim), so why not bring this to life in a truly unique way that authentically dials into the spirit of Coca-Cola and its brand anthem, "Open Happiness."

On January 1st, 2010, 3 Coca-Cola Ambassadors will visit 206 countries over the next 365 calendar days, covering 150,000+ miles in the process. Their mission? To seek out, discover and celebrate the epitome of "happiness" as it presents itself across different people, places and cultures.

Their trip will also "conveniently" coincide with the following headline events: the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Canada, the FIFA World Cup in South Africa, and the World Expo 2010 in Shanghai, China.

Coca-Cola Expedition 206 - Project Introduction Video from Expedition 206 on Vimeo.

The program itself is decidedly "social". In fact, crayon's role thus far has been to advise and guide the program on all things "social media" i.e. any and all facets of the journey that foster connections and communication between peers, participants, hosts, visitors and the brand itself. It is a mash-up in the sense that you'll see a litany of platforms, tools and vehicles used to activate the program - from twitter to facebook; from crowdsourcing to consumer generated content; from meet-ups to blogging, podcasting and "vlogging".

As of this week, 9 finalists were shortlisted and divided into 3 teams of 3 prospective ambassadors. Now it's up to the public; their fans and community; and you (if you're so inclined) to vote for the elite 3. The finalists are as diverse as the countries they'll be visiting. Here's the list:

• Dave Zwolenski, 27, an amateur film producer from Sydney, Australia
• Josephine Rosetzsky, 27, from Copenhagen, Denmark
• Sam Li, 21, born in Shanghai, China and now a student in Vancouver, Canada
• Antonio Santiago, 24, a university student from Mexico City, Mexico
• Kelly Ferris, 22, a university student in Brussels, Belgium
• Tony Martin, 29, who grew up in the U.S. and now teaches kindergarten in Munich, Germany
• Greer Cornish, 26, a digital media producer from Sydney, Australia
• Brendan Madden, 31, living in Beijing, China and originally from the U.S.
• Erin Guler, 28, whose parents are from Turkey and is currently a writer in Toronto, Canada

It's been a blast so far to work on this program. It's the kind of commitment-based marketing (a year of your life no less!) that flies in the face of fleeting 30-second spots and I for one, can't wait to see what 2010 holds in store for the eventual Ambassadors, to follow their exploits and share in their experiences.

I know I sound like an old man when I say this, but I only wish I was younger and able to participate myself in this once in a lifetime adventure.

Do check it out, share it with your networks and community, cast a vote or two for your favorites and continue to follow this journey as it unfolds...

• On Twitter
• On Facebook
• The Expedition hub

Additional links/information:

• Press release here
• SMPR here
• Disclosure reminder: The Coca-Cola Company is a crayon client

CBS launches viewing rooms online. CNN streams live online and via an iPhone App. It's not the screen size that matters. Content want to be free. Size of the screen is not a determination of a viewing or a consumption quality experience.

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No longer are we going to be slaves or victims to the 6 o'clock News. The total amount of time spent consuming paid media is decreasing. Why? Because people are going to be spending more time creating their own content.

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Hat tip to Nigel Corbett who sent me confirmation that the Queensland Tourism account was in fact not successfully "defended" by Sapient Nitro.

In JJTV #45, I criticised Queensland Tourism's decision to make Sapient Nitro defend this account...thinking it was unnecessary and wasteful, especially with an evitable result. After all, this program won every single award under the sun and more importantly, delivered global reach and an incredible (even unprecedented) amount of free publicity and earned media etc.

Boy was I wrong.

There is no justice.

The Wiggles get social media. We could learn a lot from them. Well done Sam, Murray, Jeff, Anthony, Wags, Dorothy, Captain Feathersword and of course, Henry the Octopus.

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My new Adweek column is up, titled "Accidental Blame." It's a phrase I coined to refer to a growing phenomenon where consumers (like me) will assign some kind of public-facing "blame" on a brand or company, for a reason (generally innocent, but not always) that is not necessarily valid or accurate.

Brands - now more than ever - need to "show up" and address these issues before they become part of their "permanent records"

Give it a read and let me know your thoughts...

A couple of weeks ago I drove back to Westport, Conn., from a client meeting in Tarrytown, N.Y. In order to avoid the dreaded I-95 rush-hour traffic, I took the Merritt Parkway. En route I called my COO to chat about a few work-related issues and for the next 35 minutes, until I reached the Route 7 connector, I had seven dropped calls.

So much for hands-free driving.

I was fuming and when I got home (no texting and driving for me), I tweeted the following: "AT&T you are awesome - 7 dropped calls on the ride from Tarrytown to Westport. Sheesh." To which I get the following response from @glemak: "If that was via the merritt happens for all cellular networks -- its a vortex."
The Merritt is a nightmare when it comes to cell reception, so what's the problem with this picture? Why am I not satisfied and, more importantly, why should AT&T be concerned?

For starters, I hate AT&T with a passion. I'm one of their millions of "loyal" customers who resignedly gives them business because all carriers suck and because I have an unhealthy lurve for the iPhone. Secondly, I'm an emotional beast. You know -- it's the single biggest reason why advertising has survived this long: Emotions! And when it comes to emotions, feelings trump logic and facts. Thirdly, as marketing lore explains, perception is reality. I know I'm going to have one or two dropped calls on the Merritt -- perhaps more. But seven? Come on.

None of this bodes well for a calm, cool and collected dissection of the events, and the commensurate blame.

Perhaps if I had a better relationship with AT&T, I'd be more forgiving. Perhaps if I was with Sprint, Verizon or T-Mobile, I would have had 12 dropped calls. I'll never know because no one reached out to me to compare service coverage on the Merritt on a provider-by-provider basis.

Can you see where this is going?

According to new research from Penn State, a full 20 percent of all tweets mention brands by name. My AT&T comment was perhaps throwaway to most, but it leaves a mark. I have almost 14,000 followers and should any of them "retweet" me, the number of potential viewers increases exponentially. More importantly, tweets are not as fleeting as we might think. They're being crawled, spidered and indexed by Google, and are even considered now to be binding evidence in court.

Some companies (perhaps even AT&T) are monitoring their tweets, together with other social media-related mentions. This column, however, is not about why companies should be monitoring what their consumers say about them. Nor is it about the importance of responding and engaging in meaningful dialogue.

It's about accidental blame.

Accidental blame has nothing to do with technology, digital or social media. Think of accidental blame as a visceral reaction or gut allegation more likely than not unfounded in fact. And it's going to kill marketers if they don't know how to respond and react to it.

It's the modern day equivalent of walking into the corner of a dining room table and cussing out the table when the real culprit is the owner of the errant hip. Only now the entire "room" is filled with about 1,000,000 of your closest strangers...

Among the myriad consumer conversations that occur every single day -- whether face-to-face, via e-mail or social networks -- there's going to be a disproportionate amount of speculation, creative or editorial license, embellishment and, oftentimes, just plain inaccuracies. Now more than ever it's critical to dispel these threads before they fester and before they become part of the "permanent record," a.k.a. the Long Tail of Reputation.

Whether it's a bank being blamed for the current economic meltdown or an airline being blamed for a weather-related delay, there's no shame in addressing the issue at hand head-on and showing a bit of humanity -- even vulnerability -- in the process. Empathy, genuine concern and an earnest attempt to "set the record straight" goes a long way. And there's no harm in asking for some kind of acknowledgement in the form of a revision or update to the original blog post, a clarifying tweet or refresh of a wall, status update or profile. Just be sure to use the same vehicle that was originally used and speak to the same audience.

You're probably familiar with the game of broken telephone. Today the same thing is happening with brands on a regular basis and, more often than not, this has the potential to wreak havoc on reputation management and even crisis communications. That's the bad news. The good news is marketers have the power to nip this in the bud at the earliest possible moment in time. But in order to do so they'll need to be present, engaged and pragmatic. Their role is not to scold, lecture consumers on why they're wrong or to be defensive, but to authentically, politely and carefully clear their names (or at the very minimum, shift the monkey to somebody else's back).

And by the way, next time you want an uninterrupted conversation driving from New York to Connecticut, avoid the Merritt.

And AT&T.

Oops, I did it again.

The best job in the world just went under review. Come on people (and that includes the government of Australia) and get some sense, already. Stop the madness and an unnecessary waste of time, money and resources.

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A good old fashioned rant, with the following takeway: "Advertising is going to become the noose that hangs us if we cannot deliver against our promises" AKA next time, "pick up the damn phone. " #AMEXFAIL #AmericanExpressFail

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As you may or may not know, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) just came out with an update to their "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

It's the first time they've updated these guides since 1980.

This move was seen coming for a while now and most people have focused on the implications of this update on the blogging/social media world, not to mention the impact it will have on "sponsored conversations" or what we'd call "influencer outreach".

Ultimately the entire guidelines have one thing in common: disclosure. And not just a throwaway disclaimer, but one that actually makes sense, is authentic and transparent.

Most people have also COMPLETELY missed the real news - that which concerns detached celebrities living in LaLaLand and the delusional executives that call Madison Avenue their home.

Arguably the people LEAST affected by this are the third group, the disheveled basement-dwelling "face for radio" bloggers.

In part 1, I'll focus on the body blow this should - hopefully - deliver to the advertising community:

Under the revised Guides, advertisements that feature a consumer and convey his or her experience with a product or service as typical when that is not the case will be required to clearly disclose the results that consumers can generally expect. In contrast to the 1980 version of the Guides – which allowed advertisers to describe unusual results in a testimonial as long as they included a disclaimer such as “results not typical” – the revised Guides no longer contain this safe harbor.

From Viagra to Herbalife or any other diet-related product; from headache remedies to the cigarettes that help you get that supermodel on the French Riviera, you're all on notice. Quite frankly, the entire Pharma/DTC industry might need some of those Excedrin Migraine tabs right about now.

Hopefully this means a LOT more disclosure than "ask your doctor" and "see our ad in Gourmet magazine" (aw crap, it just closed down) or the fast-talking, low-tone disclaimers at the end of the tiptoe through the tulips euphemisms.

Hopefully this will also end up covering those 30-second spots which feature "screen simulated" "disclaimers" that basically say we're completely fabricating the stuff we purport this product to actually be able to do...

...but I digress.

The way I see it, this is a profoundly positive step in the right direction. No more duping consumers with the "exceptions" in the blind hope that they can be the norm.

My BFF, the FTC also expands on suspect "research":

Likewise, if a company refers in an advertisement to the findings of a research organization that conducted research sponsored by the company, the advertisement must disclose the connection between the advertiser and the research organization. And a paid endorsement – like any other advertisement – is deceptive if it makes false or misleading claims.

Quit playing games with my heart FTC. Why can't we be together, forever? Not only do we now need to fess up to the biases associated with suspect research, but we need to make sure the research is accurate as well? What is this world coming to????!!!!!

Another huge implication in terms of understanding the background, motivations and context associated with claims. Pretty sure the CPG vertical is paying attention now.

I urge you to do your civic duty and report any advertisers contravening these elementary disclosures. Send them directly to me and I'll make sure I pass them on to my friends at the FTC.

All in all, I'm stoked. Part 2 will focus on the poor underworked, overpaid celebrity; desperately trying to find their place in a sun now dominated by reality stars and average schmucks like you and me. Tear. 

I'm your biggest fan, I'll follow you until you love me. Was this written about Facebook? Irrespective, this episode is about dealing with the "press" and specifically focusing on Dave Letterman's current kerfuffle with extortion, infidelity, crisis communications and ratings.

PS Dave, call me.   

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I'm going on record. The Palm Pre will fail. And by fail I don't necessarily mean "wiped off the face of the earth," but certainly relative to the hype and investment, not to mention being the alleged "iPhone Killer".

You're invited to participate in HP's Employee Purchase Program (EPP) for friends 'n family discounts on the full portfolio of HP and Compaq consumer products. Here's what you need to do:

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Thank you to HP for sponsoring this show and thank YOU for all your purchases as part of their friends and family program. Don't worry, you can still take advantage of some pretty sweet deals on Netbooks, Printers and more. See below for information on how you can become part of HP's Friends 'n Family Plan.

If you're a seller, then you know all about the black hole of marketing or media buying. If you're a buyer, then you're a Klingon. Why can't we all just get along?

You're invited to participate in HP's Employee Purchase Program (EPP) for friends 'n family discounts on the full portfolio of HP and Compaq consumer products. Here's what you need to do:

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Thank you to HP for sponsoring this show and thank YOU for all your purchases as part of their friends and family program. Don't worry, you can still take advantage of some pretty sweet deals on Netbooks, Printers and more. See below for information on how you can become part of HP's Friends 'n Family Plan.

The viral smash of Jill Peterson and Kevin Heinz' wedding march (25 MM views and counting) has very interesting implications for both music and marketing.

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I've now settled in to a comfortable monthly recurring guest role on "The Beancast", which is BY FAR the industry's marketing podcast with the best momentum right now.

In this episode, I joined host Bob Knorpp with panelists Bill Green (MTLB), Kristi Faulkner (Womenkind) and Ad Age's Jonah Bloom to discuss:

• Google's announcement of Fast Flip and its entry into the ad naetwork biz, plus how a rogue ad took over the New York Times main page.
• Why women don't like social ads (another lame link-baiting study only focused on Facebook and Twitter)
• The UK's entry in product placement
• When the crowd steals the client (Unilever fires their agency in favor of CGC)
• The launch of GaryVee's Vaynermedia

Direct download here (if you're subscribed to Jaffe Juice - the New Marketing Podcast, you'll get this automatically)

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.

As many of you know, crayon has been working with Panasonic for some time now on an initiative called "Living in HD."

The premise is simple: High Definition changes everything! And if you have an HD TV you'll testify to this. In fact, if you watched the finale of America's Got Talent last night in High Definition, you'll have especially loved the confetti at the end showering the winner of the show, chicken catcher Kevin Skinner!

Panasonic's vision for Living in High Definition is not solely about technology. In fact it's the human element that really brings this technology offering to life. So much so that they built a community called Living in HD or LiHD for short and supercharged this community with a collection of families that were given a suite of HD products to demonstrate first hand the transformative power of HD.

Anyone is invited and eligible to join the LiHD community to connect with other HD enthusiasts and exchange tools, trick, tips and tutorials with one another. If you haven't done so, feel free to follow this link. 

However, the purpose of this post is to talk specifically to a very special subset of this group, the "content creators" AKA Bloggers, Video bloggers, Photographers, Podcasters. Pretty much anyone that reads this blog if you think about it.

So put "Living in HD" together with "Content Creators" and what do you get? Enter LiHD Insiders!

We're looking for our third "LiHD insider" to join Steve Garfield and Stacy Debroff. You may recall that Steve and Stacy attended CES as Panasonic's guests in January. 

And if you become our third LiHD Insider, you'll win a very special content-creator suite, including:

• Panasonic 50" Plasma TV - TH-50PZ850U
• Panasonic Digital Camera - DMC-GH1
• Panasonic Digital Camera - DMC-ZS3
• Panasonic Camcorder - HDC-TM20S
• Panasonic Laptop - CF-F8
• Blu-Ray HiTB - SC-BT300

You'll also get a Lumix G1 camera to give away to your community as an incentive to join LiHD

Here are the details in more depth:

Who is eligible to become a LiHD Insider?

Any content creator who - by joining - agrees to upload unique content (seen only on the LiHD community) at least twice a month, participates in the forums and is a part of LiHD special events (live webinars and podcasts) once a quarter. As an LiHD Insider, your opinions and experiences will also help shape future generations of HD products.

A LiHD Insider will also get the opportunity to see new technology before it hits the stores and spend some time with Greg Harper, our LiHD Answerman.

Program Dates
The contest phase started Monday August 31th and ends on Friday October 9th.

Judging will be done in two phases. From October 12 to October 15th, the LiHD Insider committee will narrow down the applicants to a pool of 10 finalists. These finalists will then be presented to the community for voting from October 19th to October 23rd, with a winner being declared on or about October 28th.

The Details:
Any entrant to the LiHD Insider Contest must already be a member in good standing of LiHD, which means they have joined and completely filled out their profile. 

Entering for a chance to become an LiHD Insider is easy!

1. Go to http://www.livinginhd.com/lihdinsider
2. Fill out the registration form
3. Upload a video answering the following questions

• Why do you believe you should win this customized suite?
• How would this suite allow you to do something you currently cannot do? How would it make you better?
• How would you get your community to join and be involved in LivinginHD.com?
• Tag your entry with “LiHDInsider”

If you still have questions, take a look at Steve's video:

My buddy, Mitch Joel, just wrote a book. It's called Six Pixels of Separation and it's the prelude to his blog and podcast. In this special episode, we talk about the book, his rationale and motivations behind writing it, the central themes behind the book and of course, Jay Leno. So give it a listen, buy the book (of course) and send in your audio comments to me on +1 206 203-3255 or follow me on Twitter (why? I have no idea)

Direct download here

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Bob Greenberg (the R/GA Bob) just wrote a piece on Adweek which talks about how a "holistic social media program can help keep a brand alive."

This paragraph caught my eye, which really captures the gist of his article:

Right now, many brands are leveraging Facebook to launch social media campaigns. But there are limitations: marketers can reach only Facebook members and agencies must work within the constraints of the platform. There's an opportunity for marketers and agencies to identify meaningful experiences through brand-created platforms. This will enable brands to develop owned media channels to springboard campaigns, show content and promote community building.

In other words, all ye who flock to Facebook are akin to lemmings en route on a one-way ticket to cliff central. Enter "brand-created platforms" which is the 3 word (or 2-word if you want to credit the hyphen) pivot upon which this article rests. 

So much so that this quote from the preceding paragraph absolutely comes into play, "The campaign (Gap's Born to Fit) points to a future where such social media efforts could eliminate the need for a company Web site."

On the one hand, it's an apparent contradiction. If a brand doesn't need a website, then does it need a "brand-created platform"? On the other hand, it represents a scenario where a "brand-created platform" is neither an old-fashioned, traditional website; nor is it the complete cession of its equity, purpose and point of view to the masses (and certainly to the noise) as per Skittles.

I'm still not sure what the "IT" is from Bob's perspective. Although he points to MyStarbucksIdea, Lego's Ambassador Program and of course, Gap's new effort...I hope it's not a codename for justifying elaborate web development to build highly technical (read: expensive), functional (read: expensive) and experiential (read: expensive) sites.

In the world of social media, things are somewhat topsy-turvy insofar that production is both typically and relatively lower, however human capital/cost/investment is typically signficiantly higher...certainly over time.

That's the midde ground. And it comes in the form of one word: "time." Over time, the community grows. Over time the value of the platform grows. Over time, the initial investment is spread over a longer term - thereby presenting a one two punch of efficiency-effectiveness.

And this is where I'd like to believe that Bob Greenberg and Bob Greenberg (Panasonic's) are sympatico - at least as far as "Living in High Definition" is concerned (Panasonic's community for all things HD, which crayon has been working on with Panasonic for a while now) 

As we say at crayon, "marketing is not a campaign; it's a commitment" and whether we're talking about communications, advertising, brand building or even web development, it all applies equally when the goal is to foster and nurture long term, authentic, meaningful and productive relationships with customers.

 I'm on record from a post dated December 6th, 2006, titled, "Death of the Portal" and I don't want this post necessarily to be a rant or an "I told you so."

That said, I felt I had to comment on the announcement that AOL has hired Leo Burnett to "communicate its upcoming reinvention to people around the world."

Gee, I wonder how many 30-second spots it will cost to do that? (Perhaps they could consult with GM)

If only there was some magical, mystical, fantastical device that could digitally or electronically talk to the entire world simultaneously at the simple push of a "send" button without necessarily costing a cent to do so.

A man can dream.

A man can dream.

If only there was a built-in, installed base; a community if you will of like-minded people that would be predisposed to receive said message.

...but alas, time-travel is not possible and we cannot go back 5+ years to when AOL actually had the coveted reach that they continued to throw good money after bad to woo into submission.

Leo's President talks about blazing a new trail when it comes to the beleaguered brand's separation from Time Warner...but all I can visualize is the separation of Enterprise's saucer from its primary hull - a move which was undertaken in the event of a "catastrophic emergency."

'er that would be now. And the emergency in question would be the inevitable death of AOL as it vainly and stubbornly attempts to convince us otherwise with yet another dose of over the top advertising.

In the words of the famous AOL sign-off, "good bye."

Jet Blue just hit 1MM followers on Twitter. And I'm pretty sure if you're a competing airline and/or any other brand in general, you don't. Is it good? Is it bad? I summize. You decide. Also in this episode, my 5 suggested uses of Twitter for brands.

1. Listening strategy
2. Responding to people
3. Engagement strategy
4. Customer service
5. "Being one of the guys" (personifying, personalizing and humanizing the brand)

You're invited to participate in HP's Employee Purchase Program (EPP) for friends 'n family discounts on the full portfolio of HP and Compaq consumer products. Here's what you need to do:

• Visit www.hpshopping.com/employee/jaffejuicetv and register to join the program
• You'll need to enter in EPP company code: 3807
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Spread the word:

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My latest Adweek column is up and discusses the ongoing R.F.P. debate, which was stirred up again recently with both Current and Zappos. fwiw, crayon participated in both, but to be perfectly honest with you, we never had a problem with either.

At the end of the day, marketers should do whatever it is that they are inclined to do. It's their budget after all. Agencies on the other hand either have to abide by the rules (and quit moaning), respectfully abstain, break the rules or reframe the conversation (what we did)

That said, I do feel that the current process is broken and without throwing a pretty meaningful spanner in the works, will just keep on perpetuating the same vicious cycle that sees agency after agency hired and fired with nothing but mediocre work as the end product.

One more thing: I do acknowledge that my comment about search consultants right at the end of the article was perhaps a little too harsh. I've never met a search consultant I didn't like. Then again, I've never met a search consultant.

Here's the article:

Remaking the account review process

The trades have been atwitter lately with a number of RFP kerfuffles. First Current. Then Zappos. In the former, the story behind the story was the innovative use of Twitter to source and select the initial agency shortlist by then-Current employee Jordan Kretchmer. In the latter, the epicenter revolved around a blog post from Ignited executive creative director Mike Wolfsohn, who wrote that the agency's pitch -- one of 104 -- was given only a cursory glance by Zappos employees.

What did these two cases have in common? What can we learn from them? More importantly, to what extent do they mirror or expose bigger, deeper and more pressing challenges or concerns that remain unaddressed in the industry?

For one thing, it's clear that new technology matters. In the case of Current, the catalyst was Twitter. Kretchmer bypassed the search consultant world, his Rolodex and the trades' "Best of Lists" to go straight to the horse's mouth. In doing so, he also (knowingly or not) instituted an interesting criteria: In order to participate, an agency needed to be on Twitter, e.g., using the tool they'd most likely be recommending. Kretchmer could easily check how long the agencies in question had been on Twitter and also how they used it and other social devices to get his attention.

In the case of Zappos, Ignited used Google Analytics to determine that its online RFP had only been glanced at.
 
These recent RFPs also point out how tough things are. Agencies are fairly desperate or appear to be when they clamber over one another for an opportunity to sink their teeth into the scraps du jour on offer.

There is a bright spot: It's obvious that there are a staggering number of small, independent and surprisingly competent boutiques or startups out there right now. (Most of them, however, don't have a snowball's chance in hell of succeeding relative to the bevy of Goliaths muscling them out the equation.)

Also, rules are rules. If you agree to play by them, don't complain or cry foul if the result doesn't go your way.

Maybe it's time to fix the RFP process because it's not going to get better on its own. In fact, it's only going to get worse. Here are 10 points or calls to action -- arguably even calls to arms.

1. Time is money: Every agency that participates should be compensated. Compensation should increase based on the "round" of the RFP and the level of participation, commitment and contribution.

2. No more spec creative: Agencies that have portfolios and case studies in place should be able to draw on them comprehensively. If an agency does not have sufficient "collateral," then it's up to the shop to volunteer or offer up whatever it takes to help illustrate its capabilities and contribution.

3. Ideas belong to the people that created them: If a client likes the idea that much, he or she should hire the agency or just buy the idea. How hard is that?

4. Don't "break the line": Agencies continue to undercut and essentially stab each other in the back. If a client or search consultant makes an unreasonable request, he or she knows at least one agency will capitulate and set a precedent that is not scalable.

5. Hold search consultants equally accountable: If the buck stops with the client, then it starts with the search consultant. A search consultant's compensation should be tied to post-selection agency performance and tenure.

6. Force agencies to walk their talk: In a world that is increasingly contingent on an acute and deep expertise in all things new media, why not expect agencies to prove their level of adoption, knowledge and application instead of showing how well they do at answering 1,000 standardized questions (wasn't school bad enough)?

7. Walk away: Times are tough, but compromising your values, belief, culture and integrity for a one in 100 shot at redemption comes at a price that you may not be able to bear long term. There are plenty of better ways of securing new business, raising the visibility of your agency and establishing credibility in the market. And clients will notice.
 
8. Keep it real: Let's face it, oftentimes this is going to come down to past relationships, lowest price or sexiness. The new CMO is almost always going to hire his or her agency. Procurement is almost always going to tip the scales in favor of the bargain-basement offer. Crispin Porter is almost always going to make clients giddy with their mystique, aura and talking Beetles. So instead of complaining, just get on with it. Accept your lot in life graciously or make a conscious effort to break the cycle.

9. Extend the RFP NDA: Do this to cover leaking or releasing to the trades with instant elimination as the penalty for contravening these terms. It's one sure fire way to avoid a menagerie of suitors.

10. It takes two to tango: If the client chooses to hire a search consultant who is going to turn immediately to his or her subset of kick-back cronies, then it serves them right if they theoretically don't get the best available. You get what you pay for. On the flip side, agencies that aren't selected should take it as a clear sign they need to improve their market/brand recognition and visibility.

With disclosure, crayon participated in both the Current and Zappos pitches, so I guess we were as guilty as the others for perpetuating the vicious cycle.

This episode is about Big Brother AKA corporations that monitoring, spy and eavesdrop on their employees and even fire them. There will be a revolution my friends and it will not be televised or tweeted, but it will be chronicled on someone's Facebook wall. More on the Proofpoint study here.

You're invited to participate in HP's Employee Purchase Program (EPP) for friends 'n family discounts on the full portfolio of HP and Compaq consumer products. Here's what you need to do:

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Spread the word:

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So it's official. Jeremiah and I are not working together. You'll have to listen to hear details of his new gig. But the two of us are going to record an episode of the show together once a month (schedules permitting). Should be fun.

Audio comments to +1 206 203-3255. Follow me on Twitter (@jaffejuice) and Jeremiah (@jowyang)

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A note to Jaffe Juice digest subscribers. You'll need to click through to the blog if you want to view the JaffeJuiceTV videos. YouTube and iTunes direct subscription links are also listed below.

Episode 37: Publicis just acquired Razorfish for $530 million. They continue to pull further and further ahead. Here's what this move means for the industry from a digital and social perspective.

Thank you to HP for sponsoring this show. And thank you to all those who have already joined the Employee Purchase Program.

You can still participate in HP's Employee Purchase Program (EPP) for friends 'n family discounts on the full portfolio of HP and Compaq consumer products. Here's what you need to do:

• Visit www.hpshopping.com/employee/jaffejuicetv and register to join the program
• You'll need to enter in EPP company code: 3807
• You'll receive additional exclusive offers if you sign up for the Monthly EPP newsletter

Spread the word:

• Tell Maurice, David, your friends, clients and co-workers
• Tweet or RT: New JJTV: The holding companies aren't done yet acquiring digital agencies. Is social next? http://bit.ly/razorfish 
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A note to Jaffe Juice digest subscribers. You'll need to click through to the blog if you want to view the JaffeJuiceTV videos. YouTube and iTunes direct subscription links are also listed below.

Episode 36: Were we prepared? 1.7 million weren't. Whilst we should never underestimate our consumers, we also shouldn't get too far ahead of them. Here's why....

Thank you to HP for sponsoring this show. And thank you to all those who have already joined the Employee Purchase Program.

You can still participate in HP's Employee Purchase Program (EPP) for friends 'n family discounts on the full portfolio of HP and Compaq consumer products. Here's what you need to do:

• Visit www.hpshopping.com/employee/jaffejuicetv and register to join the program
• You'll need to enter in EPP company code: 3807
• You'll receive additional exclusive offers if you sign up for the Monthly EPP newsletter

Spread the word:

• Tell Bugs Bunny, your friends, clients and co-workers
• Tweet or RT: New JJTV: Never underestimate your customer, but also don't get too far ahead of them - http://bit.ly/digtv 
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A note to Jaffe Juice digest subscribers. You'll need to click through to the blog if you want to view the JaffeJuiceTV videos. YouTube and iTunes direct subscription links are also listed below.

Episode 35: Somebody call 9-1-1. Shawty's slow dancing on the dance floor. This episode is all about change and how/why it almost always takes longer than we think or ever would imagine. Inspired by an article that Office Depot is putting their Sunday circular online... 

Thank you to HP for sponsoring this show. And thank you to all those who have already joined the Employee Purchase Program.

You can still participate in HP's Employee Purchase Program (EPP) for friends 'n family discounts on the full portfolio of HP and Compaq consumer products. Here's what you need to do:

• Visit www.hpshopping.com/employee/jaffejuicetv and register to join the program
• You'll need to enter in EPP company code: 3807
• You'll receive additional exclusive offers if you sign up for the Monthly EPP newsletter

Spread the word:

• Tell your CEO, your friends, clients and co-workers
• Tweet or RT: New JJTV: Why does change always take longer than we ever expect? http://bit.ly/shawty 
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