Interactive Marketing

Chicken or the Egg?

2007-11-14T13:47:00.000-08:00

Far too often in life, we are faced with the question, “Which came first? The chicken or the egg?” The same adage holds true for the world of the advertising agency. More specifically, the same holds true for the advertising agency that is in transition – transition from traditional media to interactive/online media.

The “Chick or the Egg” dilemma that I speak of refers to the Execution Driving Creative, or visa versa - the Creative Driving Execution. Now that is not to say that this same predicament is not encountered during the development of traditional advertising, however it is becoming more pronounced with the advent of online media and the need for it’s inclusion in the media mix.

As advertising agencies push to accept and grow with interactive technologies, many of them are unsure where to fit the interactive process within the mix. Additionally, there is regularly a lack of understanding around the process, or a fear of the “technology”. Unfortunately, this confusion leads to the Execution Driving Creative situation, in which the agency chooses from a menu of online executions that it likes and then develops creative to fit.

The goal of any “creative” is to summon an emotional response. It is not the goal of a media delivery method to evoke anything other that delivering. Therefore, in an ideal world, Creative will always drive Execution.

There are countless avenues to distribute creative through the media – both online and off. The key for agencies in this transition is to solidly establish a process that is inclusive of the online experts from the beginning. Doing so will insure that the potential executions are considered. But, it will also help to insure that the executions are not driving the creative, as normally happens when online is considered as an afterthought.

In today’s world, online must be included in all marketing thoughts. Americans spend 20% of their time online, so it is becoming imperative that marketers and agencies alike recognize the importance of the medium and begin to solidly incorporate a creative process that positions the Creative Driving Execution.

Web 2.0 – Social Networking?

2007-11-06T12:10:00.000-08:00

Since the dawn of time, every era has had its buzzwords, its nomenclature, its title… And for the last three years we’ve had Web 2.0. Within internet circles, it is the rage to speak of Web 2.0 as the next coming and to define it in terms of “Social Networking.” In other words, a new dawn of the Internet has emerged with the aim being the facilitation of collaboration and sharing between users. Hmmm...

The questions are – Is it really “Social Networking” (or some other coined term)? Or, is it simply the Web of today?

The argument can be raised in either direction, if someone was to exert enough force or information. However, the reality remains that the Web really hasn’t changed. Yeah, sure there are technological advances, and strides have been made to incorporate additional functionality. But in many circumstances, things today are not much different.

So then begs the question – who was the term “Web 2.0” coined for? Is it for the techies who already know that they are living in this era, and that information flowing from one source to another needs a path of least resistance? Or, is it for the non-technophiles who are still using calculators to balance their checkbooks and who think that text messaging is something the kids are doing?

The Internet was created by Al Gore to share information. And since it’s birth, it has grown into the largest, most vast, repository for, and method of SHARING INFORMATION. Maybe it is just the fact that the rest of the world is catching on.

Gone are the days of Cool...

2007-10-05T12:36:00.000-07:00

Not that people don't enjoy a certain level of "coolness" online, but the days of doing things for the sake of being cool (as many would expect) are officially gone.

There are a number of tricks, approaches, and techniques that are utilized today, however the key point to take note of – online audiences no longer accept cool for coolness sake. People today expect something of value. They expect that the online world is going to streamline a process, that it is going to offer an ability to gain a convenience normally lost during human interaction, and/or they expect the potential for repeatability since the ARE dealing with a computerized venue.

This holds true for the online audience of marketing professionals.

Too often, marketing and communications organizations add the online component to their communications mix merely to make sure that they have all communications channels covered. This is not to say that the elements they produce for this medium are not creative, or enjoyable to view, or downright cool. However, to truly garner the attention and loyalty of their online constituents, a value of some means must be contained within the execution.

Many of the advertisers that have previously relied on some of the more traditional (or more widely known) online marketing methods, such as pop-ups, banners, or email marketing, are now looking at tools like “Widgets” (a third party component of a graphical user interface that the user interacts the item can be embedded in a web page, mobile phone, or desktop). Or they are utilizing Webinars, creating a pre-qualified interactive venue. Some are incorporating WYSIWYG type editing formats. And, there are those that are simply increasing the functionality of their online environment.

Rather than get into all of the potential techniques or methods, cause there are many and many soon to come. The key take-away is this – interactivity is the key of solid online marketing. But unlike in past years, the interactivity has to provide value to the end user.

Now that’s not to say that this interactivity can not be cool. It can be very cool. And, it can be fun. The gold star of success – providing interactivity that is cool, fun and provides value to the online visitor. With these ingredients, you will gain consistent interaction with your online audience and increase your ability to successfully market your product or service.

Organic Marketing

2007-08-03T08:51:00.000-07:00

Marketing has reached a level that allows communication between the marketer and the consumer to be a two way street. This, however, has occurred through the growth of technology and technical capabilities. This fact is something that few agencies, and marketers alike, have accepted or embraced. Those companies that have acknowledged this concept are now reaping the rewards (along with their clients) and creating an environment of the most current interactivity – interactivity that is organic.

organic. (n.d.). Having properties associated with living organisms., Resembling a living organism in organization or development; interconnected: society as an organic whole.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Retrieved August 02, 2007, from Dictionary.com website:
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/organic

While technology allows marketers to eliminate traditional spot advertisements, it also enables ad targeting at the individual level, intelligent ad insertion and new content delivery mechanisms that are forever changing the economics and effectiveness of advertising into the future. These advances have come through the increased interaction, tracking, and reporting that technology generates.

But all of this would not be possible if the individual consumer was not interacting with the marketing, was not participating in the experience, or was not taking some sort of action – no matter how minute. The key for marketers is engaging the consumer, not just through aesthetics, but also through key messages, potential entertainment value, and a modicum of learning/education. The goal – engaging the emotions of the consumer at some level.

By increasing the level that a person is engaged, their desire to take action is increased. Now, this “action” can be as simple as staying long enough for you to deliver your message or it can swing to the other extreme of the individual making a purchase. It is through these actions that companies are not only able to increase revenue and sales, but they are also able to more effectively execute their marketing strategies – increasing brand awareness, delivering key message strategies, and influencing purchasing decisions.

Through this blog, I will focus on the paradigm shift in marketing that is occurring between the traditional and the technical to foster the future – organic marketing.