digitalOZ - Australian marketing online

How to Waste Money on Social Media.

2010-05-17T16:05:00.001+10:00

Marketer's want their brands to be 'social' and 'viral' more then ever and they want it to happen quickly. It's something I'm sure most of the industry is grappling with. The reality is, if you have zero presence in the space and there's no social affinity with your brand this probably isn't going to happen for you overnight.

An article published on The Australian today ran some shining PR for a "blog advertising community" claiming advertisers are spending $100,000 per campaign to tap into bloggers. The IAB continues to announce year on year growth in digital spends (Mumbrella) which is great for online, but it doesn't equate to investment.

image source
Scratch the surface on almost Social Media success case study and you will inevitably find some pre-existing social engagement and interaction (i.e. Sportsgirl Forums, Best Job in the World, Fiesta Movement). They are built on a deeper foundation and an environment that fosters ongoing exploration. On the other hand when you look at the stuff ups (i.e. iSnack 2.0, Toyota) you find the opposite... a grab for headlines in a new medium.

The best way to squander money on Social Media is to focus on only short term gains.

Tourism NT Politically Incorrect or Incompetent?

2010-05-10T12:52:00.000+10:00

I came across this by accident when misspelling an acronym and I was quite shocked.

Not only have Tourism NT approved and are bidding on a racially offensive keyword, they are actually including the word 'abo' in an advertisement. It appears thanks to Google's dynamic keyword insertion.

screen shot from http://www.google.com.au/search?q=abo (May 10th)

My initial reaction is to blame it on incompetence. Sure, Aboriginal culture represents massive opportunity for Tourism NT and it's clearly a focus for them but I still think this is inexcusable.

Three from 3.

2010-04-19T14:29:00.002+10:00

Sure, email marketing can and often should be one of the core focuses of a brands digital activity based on ROI. It's a cheap, effective, quick way to provide relevant content to your customers, right?

Unfortunately not that many brands get that you don't have many chances before being relegated to the spam folder. Which is why I was stoked to get these 3 emails from 3 Mobile all within 1.5 hours last Friday afternoon... Communication break down perhaps?

Email one received 1:23 April 16.

Email two received 1:30 April 16.

Email three received 2:56 April 16.

99 Social Media Failures

2010-03-15T20:58:00.000+11:00

Q: What's the best way to fail in Social Media?
A: Do nothing.

Social Media is all about learning from mistakes... god knows I've made quite a few and almost certainly will make more. Here's a collection.

Image via lifehack.org

99 Social Media Mistakes, Complaints & Failures.

1. Doing nothing 'cause you're scared of what people will say.

People are going to talk, with or without you. (Wired)

2. Pretending to be somebody else.

When is it ok to lie to a customer? (mumbrella)

3. Stalking people across multiple networks.

Stop it. Social Media is a cornucopia of touch points but don't over do it.

4. Building a fake private Twitter account, and branding it later.

I've been followed by 'individuals' who later turned into gaming brands.

5. Bait and switch users with misleading links.

Becoming a problem as more people share truncated links. (Search Engine Land)

6. Selling your product all day, everyday.

Social Media is about capturing interest, not just sales. (The Next Web)

7. Failure to respond when asked a reasonable question.

It's a crime to have a presence yet ignore customers. My favourate is @VlineInform

8. Acting as if Social Media is alive, just 'cause you've arrived...

Bloody @Oprah and every Australian news media outlet.

9. Plagiarising bloggers content.

Most bloggers are overtly happy with a mere hat tip. (Journalism.co.uk)

10. Starting a blog with out doing any homework.

You need a point of difference... everyone jumps into this head-first. (Pro-Blogger)

11. Expecting people to read your blog when you don't read others.

Odds are, theres stacks of intelligent and original thinkers you can connect with.

12. Not personalising your profile.

People want to know who you are, what you're about. (Webinknow)

13. Preventing users from providing feedback and comments.

Somewhat controversial, but 90% of the time it should be open mic. (Pro-Blogger)

14. Giving fake reviews of your own products online.

Doesn't matter how you justify it, big mistake. (5 Blogs Before Lunch)

15. Forcing users to link to your site to participate in an event.

It's black hat and bad practice. (Recent example on Who is in control of your brand?)

16. Being rude.
...

17. Aggregating lists of popular lists to get traffic.

Unoriginal, unintersting. (Just like this example)

18. Having a mental breakdown online and sharing it with the world.
It's like driving by a car crash, you can't look away. (Mashable)

19. Mixing up your personal and brand profiles in Tweetdeck.
Sure, probably not a biggy for most people.

20. Not setting up Google alerts for relevant keywords.
It's free, it's flexible, it's timely.

21. Stealing photo's from flickr, passing them off as yours.

It'll play bad when someone figures it out. (Skitzzo)

22. Stealing creative ideas from flickr, passing them off as yours.

It'll play bad when someone figures it out. (Webinknow)

23. Stealing creative ideas off Youtube, turning it into your TVC.

You got it. It'll play bad when someone figures it out. (mumbrella)

24. Loading your TVC on Youtube and calling it viral

Two completely different communication techniques. (Online Marketing Banter)

25. Addressing everyone as "Dear valued client..."

Why would you do that? Talk about customer relations.

26. Not getting that communications evolve.

It's not a fad, I don't use a typewriter and I don't use morse code.

27. Using auto DM's and thinking they add a personal touch.

It's not personal, it's spam. (Tech Crunch)

28. Importing a Twitter stream and thinking your being social.

Using a feed because it's a buzz topic, is not embracing the medium. (ClickZ)

29. Not knowing what an RSS feed is, and not offering one.

Let people read your stuff however they want it.

30. Sending auto @ replies to people who mention your keyword.

It's spam, plain and simple. (Computer Weekly)

31. Changing the privacy policy on your network, and not telling anyone.

It's amazing how people react if they feel you're pulling one over them. (digitalOZ)

32. Begging others to RT you, it's pathetic

Can someone please tweet this, it took me ages.

33. Paying citizen journo's for favourable comments.

Again, amazing how people react when you try to pull one over them. (PR Distasters)

34. Thinking that your idea is going to 'go viral'.
It's probably not going to happen. No matter how much you spend.

35. Blocking access to Social Media in your workplace

For so many reasons Social Media can be an allie or enemy. (Chris Brogan)

36. Blocking access to Social Media on your mobile network.

3 Mobile actually charge you to access some mobile websites, on top of data. (Mashable)

37. Blocking access to Social Media in your country.

... reactions... pulling one over people... etc. (Mashable)

38. Lying.

Should go without saying. (PR Disasters)

39. Thinking people care about your product.
Your product, probably boring. Find an interesting angle. (Emergence Marketing)

40. Calling your product green when your website isn't.
Many make big claims, few think about their power sucking web presence.

41. Spamming those who are passionate about your brand.
There's a captive audience of loyalists.

42. Wasting money on 'promotions' when your fans want you to reach out to them.
Dear big brands, try this. 1 day less TVC's = hire someone to take your brand to the people

43. Not empowering Social Media enthusiasts to be your companies advocates.
Hire people that embody your brand, encourage them to talk.

44. Getting bogged down in possible legal issues.

It can be daunting but you've got a receptionist, or sales team yeah? (Copy Write)

45. Not moderating for abusive comments and spam.

Transparency yes, but truly offensive content requires attention (Laurel Papworth)

46. Responding to every negative comment.

Communicating isn't always about what you say. (Blog Catalog)

47. Not telling your customers when your business has a problem.

Surprising how understanding people can be if you show some transparency.

48. Not understanding how Social Media fits into your marketing mix.

Hailed the death of print media... it's not, it's a communication tool. (The Oyster Project)

49. Hiring actors/journalists/bloggers/assistants to fake persona's.

Smoke and mirrors don't work so well, nothing's a secret on the net. (Computer Weekly)

50. Not giving your employees (simple) Social Media guidlines.

So many companies fear Social Media for potential communication and legal pitfalls.

Think of the pitfalls if staff don't know what they can't say? (Search Engine Journal)

51. Preventing people from linking to your site.

Not sure why... but online, real links mean respect. (Ad Age)

52. Relying too much on online research.

There's a wealth of info online, it may not all be valid. (Pigs Don't Fly)

53. Blaming Google (your biggest traffic source) for stealing content.

Dear Rupert, did you not get the memo? (News.com.au)

54. Hijacking popular and irrelevant hash tags.

It's pure spam. (Search Engine Land)

55. Thinking Twitter isn't powerful.

One tweet led to a trip down under. (Webinknow)

56. Over using jargon.

It's easy to do, remember who you're speaking to online. (Marketing Mag)

57. Failing to listen.

Social isn't always about talking, it's just as much about listening. (Just Another PR)

58. Not learning from others successes and failures.

You would be suprised... how many people don't even bother to read.

59. Alienating people for publicity.

Sure, push the boundaries if you've got a reason. (Copy Write)

60. Not responding when your brand is under serious attack.

When your brands on fire you don't haggle over the price of water. (Kryptonite Locks)

61. Not recognizing that you are shooting at the moon...

You're going to fail, lots. Social requires commitment.

62. Using social media for astro-turfing.

If it smells fishy offline, chances are it will online too. (The Daily Background)

63. Spamming bloggers with your press releases, or often worse.

You read my blog, sent a pdf with no links and don't know my name. (Search Engine Guide)

64. Not understanding your brands online voice, find it.
Takes a little forethought to find the tone of your brand, it's not just words.

65. Filling your Twitter stream with automated posts.
It's not social, it's mind numbing, would you treat a customer like that?

66. Taking instead of giving.

Social Media isn't just a research lab...

67. Getting into Social Media 'cause there's a quick buck in it.

And yes those special offers you send via fax are fantastic! (Pro Blogger)

68. You utter the word 'guru' when describing yourself.

As if you actually discovered the internet. (BrandDNA)

69. Forgetting the importance of your website and its design.
Some seem to invest in 'Social' while neglecting their website.

70. Thinking Social Media has no commercial value.

If you can't figure a commercial reason for Social, think a little harder. (Inspired Worlds)

71. Hiding your companies personality behind corporate language.

It's the perfect opportunity to be approachable and authentic. (One to One)

72. Thinking you can't contribute to a community, just sponsor it.

Enthusiasts are already coming together? Why not ask how you can get involved?

73. Thinking 'news' is the only thing that can be talked about online.
There's a plethora of opportunity on the social web. (Search Engine Land)

74. Saying something, just for the sake of it.

There's no rules to success, just be honest and interesting. (Online Marketing Banter)

75. Sending insulting messages to people.

All it takes is a simple copy, paste. (Computer Weekly)

76. Squatting competitors urls & handles.

77. Ignoring the relationship between search and social media.

For so many reasons. (Search Engine Watch).

78. Not tracking your links.

So many complain about Social Media ROI... yet don't track it. (Search Engine People)

79. 'Doing' Social Media with no clear objectives.

Again, Social cops a lot for ROI but it's hard to measure without a yardstick. (Dosh Dosh)

80. Trying persuade everyone.

In reality there a subset of your followers that have the biggest influence.

81. Relying on strategic thinking alone.

Social media is the worlds largest experiment - recognise you may need to fail to learn.

82. Not understanding the power of giving.

The opportunity in offering something usefull to potential customers. (Marketing Vox)

83. Not reading comments.
It's where topics are debated, ideas fleshed out and the heavy lifting is done.

84. Spreading your presence too wide, and too thin.
The amount of networks a brand can consistently add value to is finite. (PR 2.0)

85. Having no crisis plan...

If something can go wrong, at some stage it probably will. (PR 2.0)

86. Using the exact same strategy and content across multiple networks.

Love it, you update Facebook & Twitter with every new presser. (Search Engine Guide)

87. Not measuring / monitoring your activity.
Yes it's possible! (I.e. - Radian6, Buzz Metrics, Dialogix)

88. Trying to get as many followers as possible.

Large unresponsive list = bad, smaller profitable base = good. (digitalOZ)

89. Signing up to every single Social Media network... or just one.
Find the most suitable platforms, and do them well.

90. Trolling competition online.

It's petty. (Boing Boing)

91. Being boring.

It's ok to have a sense of humour or a personality (xkcd).

92. Posting people's personal details for the world at large.

Admittedly, it's not something one intends to do, but still... (Computer Weekly)

93. Not understanding different networks have different etiquette.

Break norms for a reason, but understand what you can and can't do first. (SEO Chicks)

94. Thinking success should be measured in number of followers.
The number of followers tells you, in fact,very little. (Search Engine Journal)

95. Assuming all your followers actually saw your post.
Applies to all media in reality, not just Social. (Hugh Briss)

96. Buying followers.

It's another case of irrelevant and unresponsive list. (HuoMah SEO Blog)

97. Operating 9 to 5.
You can't work round the clock but you need to flexible or set expectations (i.e. Bigpond)

98. You treat Social Media as another advertising medium.
It's different. (MediaPost)

99. Not understanding that you are what you publish.

It's pretty simple: online bread crumbing for brands. (Webinknow)

So... What did I miss?

Dogs, Blogs & Relationships

2010-02-09T21:37:00.003+11:00

The last few months have been pretty confronting for me and it's safe to say that this blog has suffered because of it. My productivity dropped from 1 post per week to 1 post per month. While I tend not to focus too much on personal concerns here, it seems the most appropriate time to ditch that strategy right about now.

Around 3 months ago, a 4 legged fiend came into my life (meet Bach, my 6 month old Kelpie X). He can be an absolute handful, but he has changed my life in so many ways and taught me a lot. From understanding the impact of leadership, the importance of patience in building success and that sometimes you really do have to fail in order to learn.

Fail I did, learnt I have!

I've also had some other life changing events. In short... 2009 was huge. I got married, moved to Melbourne for work and to carve out a new life and bought my first home to top it all off... Only to have the slate wiped clean with what seems to be the curse of our generation. It seems to be the norm for people to walk away from a relationship when things are difficult, rather than sticking with it and working at it. Leave it to life to throw you lemons!

I've had some time away from here to get my house in order and re-assess things... I have a clean slate, and a burning desire to lead a healthier and more inspired life. It can be difficult to find the motivation to dedicate hours of research and writing... but succeeding online is just as much about a well thought strategy and a long term commitment - not just the occasional bright idea.

So for my first post for 2010 I won't be naive enough to be making predictions but just wanted to leave putting down a thought. Whatever is on the horizon, I'm certain that passion and an ability to accept that things you now hold as truths today will evidently change tomorrow will be two traits that keep this digital universe I've come to love thriving.

Social Vs Capital

2009-12-22T12:26:00.000+11:00

If there's been one debate through out 2009, it's been focused on how business can make money of social media... it's a Social Vs Capital debate.

With brands trying to stick up banners, provide 'exclusive' discounts, agencies trying to push "awareness" activities... the problem is they will ALWAYS be the elephant in the room.

Where profitability really comes into play is the level of social capital a brand has in the space. How much people are prepared talk to or about a brand in an authentic fashion. A lot of the time marketers forget that the values that underpin social media, aren't too far away from the values the drive true word of mouth.

Why You Shouldn't Hire a Social Media Specialist

2009-10-06T09:04:00.001+11:00

The demarcation between business divisions are fading and news cycles are shortening, meanwhile 'New Media' takes hold, even in Sub-Saharan Africa. As responsibility falls between departmental cracks #Vegefail, 3M, Telstra FSC, Domino's, Southwest Airlines, and other Social Media car crashes spread like wild fire on and offline.

No-one could predict the explosion in global communications from the first broadcast 100 years ago, it's the evolution of Media in action. It would be naive to think otherwise, and it's also the reason you shouldn't hire a Social Media specialist. Today we need different kind of giants.

"If you always hire people who are bigger than you are, we shall become giants" (Ogilvy).

Social Media is one part of the bigger picture for business... and for most in Australia (still very small). There are pros and cons for hiring and outsourcing for Social Media but shilling out a campaign budget to have someone else take responsibilty is not embracing the medium at all.

Why you shouldn't hire a social media specialist.
1. No-one knows the workings of your business like you do.
2. You can use leading agencies/consultants to develop a best practice Social Media strategy and guidelines.
3. Nobody knows what the next communication leap will be, being 2.0 compatible can only help.
4. Social Media increases the intimacy of customer relationships online.
5. Your employees should be your biggest advocates.
6. Social Media doesn't happen in a vacuum, it's a mirror of the world at large - good business practice is good business practice.

Companies need staff that: embody their brand and can take it to the world, understand marketing, news cycles and writing skills, are advocates of science, adept business analysts, understand law, culture, the arts and psychology. Universities need to provide a progressive education to communications students that empower multi-disciplined engager's, and business needs to demand it.

Hire people with gravitas not just competence.

Mouldy Old Media

2009-09-10T18:46:00.017+10:00

After reading "dear Rupert, I think I want to break up" by @karalee_ it got me thinking about new media, and old media... and Rupert's plan to start the charge for paid online news.

There's something big happening with "old media" struggling to fund itself, old players struggling to fund their "new media" efforts and social media making its way into every corner.

What is Media?
"Old media" used to be about investigative journalism, coverage of events and a source of trusted information. Atleast we thought...

That façade is cracking and media's true colours are starting to show. And it isn't about selling news articles to readers, or providing entertainment even though it may seem so.

After seeing the outbreak of social media, the dominance of heritage media over the last half century and new media bringing the two together it seems apparent, to me anyway, media does one thing.

It's a tool that enables us to experience information.

How you monetize that tool, how you market that tool, how you innovate that tool is completely independent of what media is. So if a business model fails - don't blame it on Google, don't blame it on consumers, try having a look at your own product.

Rupert if things aren't working out, maybe you should get out and start meeting some new people?

Counting Heads

2009-09-01T08:45:00.000+10:00

Great news from Nielsen recently with a panel improvement to increase accuracy... But I get tired of hearing the industry talking about numbers, as if they are something more than mere notational symbols. Hitwise make a living from it.

I could give a damn how many UB's a site has - talk to me about responses to articles, downloads, share rates, time spent actively viewing content... something meaningful.

While networks spend time competing for online eyeballs and sharing them between domains they then complain about the lack of digital revenue. How about moving the focus from crass reporting, and taking on a different interpretaion of Mass in Mass Media?

IBM Vs Apple From the Vaults

2009-08-31T19:22:00.000+10:00

I stumbled across an 80's ad year book at my local salvos and noticed something interesting.

Even 20 years ago IBM and Apple had completely different creative strategies which set up the Mac Vs PC battle (I'm sure you've all seen). I apologise for the poor scanning image quality.

Exhibit A: IBM... untype 60 words per minute. One heavy focus on product features and consistent with their mainstream media approach until the recent 'think' campaign.

Exhibit B: Apple... all about the lifestyle of owning the brand. Sure the logo is still being developed but as the cover says "Apple and the arts"

I find it amazing that in an industry where Moore's Law reigns supreme that with only a few minor tweaks, it wouldn't surprise me to see these ads in print today.

Impact Marketing

2009-07-27T08:40:00.003+10:00

Is there no length the alcohol industry will go to get their ads noticed? Just cause it cost more to cut... doesn't make it more effective.
Exhibit a, b, c & d.

Vegemite Goes Digital

2009-07-16T08:13:00.000+10:00

When an iconic brand decides to alter it's product for the first time in some 85 years there's bound to be some lively debate.

"The makers of what is arguably Australia's most identifiable food may be American, but they are well aware of the danger of tampering with a national icon.

Which is why the people at Kraft Foods took the advice of more than 300,000 Australians before they meddled with Vegemite." The Age June 14, 2009

As Coca Cola found out, listening to what consumers prefer the taste of doesn't always guarantee success. But what has been interesting is the use of online to support this campaign which many FMCG's have refused to explore.

With a simple web presence, some online display advertising - Kraft have capacity to extend the reach of their campaign far beyond the typical shelves and screen approach.

There has been a tonne of User Generated Content campaigns around lately but Vegemite has the real ability to engage users - with a wholesome brand that has talkability.

There has been some early traction on Twitter, Facebook and the How Do You Like Your Vegemite website but I fear Vegemite won't switch from the current one-way communication and truly take-off. Either way, it will be interesting to see how this plays out.

Spam in a Banner

2009-06-19T08:43:00.000+10:00

Remember those awful direct-mail pieces you'd get... it seemed like you had accidentally left your personal details lying around somewhere. And now your the target of a 'creative idea' knocked up by some failed, hung-over marketer.

"Now... for your eyes only, $500,000 could be yours, is this key the winning key..." etc. I was naively surprised to see Reader's Digest continue this winning strategy online with their latest round of display advertising.

Seriously, did someone sign off on this?

Making Markets PAL!

2009-06-17T09:09:00.001+10:00

It's either brilliant, or brazen... not sure which one yet.

Problem
As dogs get older they often need to loose a little weight to prevent arthritis and/or make-up for over feeding.

Solution
Feed your dog a little less, walk it a little more... no put it on a diet.

The product is by no means new - just new to OZ. Internationally, Pedigree Light has had some acclaimed advertising, but it's nice to see an ad that isn't disruptive... just simple and entertaining.

We Can All Learn From Open Source

2009-06-07T23:09:00.031+10:00

Straying a little from my Marketing roundup I'm using this opportunity for some digital marketing speak.

Open Source: a development method for software that harnesses the power of widespread peer review and transparency. The promise is better quality, higher reliability, more flexibility, and lower cost. There are pitfalls in the Open Source process but there are some key take outs business can take out worth noting.

Enter Google...

With the release of Google Wave recently and Google Apps small business has a real opportunity to capitalize upon the cloud and social media and promote fluid, real time communications to;
1. Bridge the communication gap amongst colleagues
2. Increase efficiency in information sharing
3. Reduce the required level investment in IT
4. Empower individuals to follow their own career goals
5. Increase employee productivity.

At the risk of sounding like a Google evangelist, there are take outs of this approach business' can use.

Foster Evolution with... Tools

A communication tool-box can make use of a suite of cost effective and scalable platforms
Yammer - private micro-blogging
LinkedIn - social network... for business
Google Docs - document sharing and collaboration
SlideShare - as the name suggests
Ning - lets you create your own social networks
WordPress - free blogging platform

Empowering employees to capitalize on this technology can not only increase staff morale, but more importantly productivity (Read Write Web). In short... encourage staff to embrace new technology and provide flexibility so employees can worry about things like providing brilliant service.

So what are your thoughts? Experiences? I'd like to hear how other organisation uses social media.

Is it Realty That Hard?

2009-06-02T07:17:00.002+10:00

After a long couple of months of desperately searching for a home you notice the little things that some agents get right, and many get wrong.

So firstly, to any agents that might read this... promptly put all your listings online, use accurate descriptions (don't have to be ridiculously creative), provide plenty of good quality photos, and remember you are dealing with two customers!

Out of the thousands of properties, dozens of agents, inspections and unresponded emails around 4 agents actually asked me where I saw the property. Two agents asked me about my thoughts on the research process and one... just one impressed me.

What did he say?

"The internet is changing the way the industry operates.. It's so easy for people to pass on bad experiences, specially as people do all their research online.

I'm actually working on building my own personal site... I work hard, and have great feedback but no-one has the opportunity to share it. I want people to be able to see for themselves what buyers and sellers think of my service, good and bad."

Nation Building starts with information

2009-05-13T07:49:00.000+10:00

As boring as it may be I'm a strong believer that knowledge and information can truly empower individuals. So it's nice to see it when Governmental projects start to 'get it' so I wanted to share a couple of honorable mentions.

First up www.economicstimulusplan.gov.au (guessing search will be the highest referrer of traffic) which uses a Google Maps mash up to show economic inititvaes in "your" area. I would like to see the next step of transforming the "additional info" which is probably the most important into something more consumable.

Next mention goes to CFA Connect a platform recently launched to introduce "social" to the CFA community. Social media proved to be an effective communication tool during the tragic events of February in Victoria.

As most communication platforms it's about how users embrace and utilize it which will determine its success - but it's a nice start, will be interesting to see if it catches on and what engagement tactics the CFA have in mind.

eBay Music: Good move or missed opportunity?

2009-05-06T10:05:00.001+10:00

Since Napster rose to fame some 10 years ago, the media industry has continually struggled to come to grips with the Open Source epoch of online.

I tend to think there can be a healthy balance between the internet and the music industry with some creative thinking and engaging tactics - Take for example Radioheads In Rainbows download statistics from their online release, or the success of iTunes.

Back in 2004 it was reported by Cnet that Ebay would be opening the door to digital downloads - which is now reached Australian shores as they join forces with Vivendi via GetMusic.com.au

According to Deborah Sharkey, Managing Director of eBay Australia and New Zealand this move will open up digital music to a vast array of online shoppers.

“You can buy practically anything on eBay.com.au... eBay is excited about the opportunity and is looking forward to being able to provide access to great music to millions of eBay.com.au users.”

The Music Portal on ebay.com.au (now live) acts as predominantly an entry page into getmusic.com.au. It will be interesting to see what sort of conversions will lead to sales from ebay.com.au but I would have liked to see the music industry use this opportunity to tackle illegal downloading head on with some real innovative thinking.

Here is a prime opportunity to engage a community of e-commerce users who are already heavy purchasers online. After seeing the initial responses to We Are Hunted an online music chart (based on online data as opposed to sales figures) it's the perfect chance to lead by example.

Burnt toast used to be enough.

2009-05-02T21:40:00.035+10:00

Like I needed another reminder... this year Telstra is capitalizing that guilt ridden time of the year for those among us too busy to make a special visit on Mother's Day.

A nice way to ramp up activity and get the brand to top of mind during tight times via family communication. Telstra launched callmum.net which is supported by an On and Off line ad promotion over the last few weeks (i.e. TVC, Major web portals, Facebook, and a Nova Promo - willing to bet there's print which I haven't yet seen).

One very simple site with some basic toys that I think older kids may find interesting including; free SMS, 'How To' downloads, Wallpapers, TVC's etc. The message "call mum" appears to be directed towards the kids, but now staying at home til we're 40 the sentiment has a stronger connection with older parent's who know it "all too well."

While it's a nice foray with an integrated digital campaign I would have liked to seen the "Guilt your sibling" tactic executed a little more creatively, and a little less corporate - could have been a cracker of an idea.

Not to be completely outdone 3 Mobile also launched a campaign to existing customers offering a discounted offer on a phone for your mum - nothing say's I love you more then a 24 month contract.

I remember when burnt toast and ridiculously strong coffee was enough. Alas.

Spam by any other name, different inbox.

2009-04-27T19:58:00.022+10:00

It never ceases to amaze me, once a fortnight, how great I am at recycling - particularly when half of the material wasn't actually used in my household. And it was this fine piece of communication that tipped me over the edge - to the ultimate question... how the heck is this not spam?

The answer is simple – it’s not electronic.
It’s lazy marketing/advertising.
It’s unsolicited.
It’s not opt-in.
Worst of all, who knows how much energy is wasted in producing, delivering and recycling mass wastage?

The Opt In Philosophy
So what is the point to this rant? Coming from a predominantly offline company, where Direct Marketing was a successful and cost effective way to reach audiences I never understood how Letter Box Dumps were measurable. Now online I see this even more through analytics, response data and creative testing what success actually looks like and how accountable digital marketing can be.

I understand there are industries that rely on this activity but surely all our mass communications should be adopting an accountable philosophy, right? My experience in the industry lent towards the yes for a direct mail strategy. There is a higher outlay but response rates increase, wastage reduces, and when combined with cost effective alternatives (i.e. SMS, email) the returns can be outstanding.

The Spam Act
According to the Spam Act 2003, spam is “unsolicited commercial electronic messaging”. If we, for the sake of the argument, ignore the word "electronic" in the Spam Act and analyze the 3 key area's in relation to Junk Mail - how would it perform?

1 Consent
"Only send commercial electronic messages with the addressee’s consent - either express or inferred consent."

FAIL - there is no consent in letter box drops, it could be argued "No Junk Mail" signs are opt-out and everyone else is fair game. However, from my basic desktop research I could not ascertain if this was legally binding.

2 Identify
"Include clear and accurate information about the person or business that is responsible for sending the commercial electronic message."

I will conced on this point, after investing the money to send out these communications - identity is not usually an issue.

3 Unsubscribe
"Your commercial messages should contain an unsubscribe facility, allowing people to indicate that such messages should not be sent to them in future."

As per point 1 - the onus is on the organisation to prove the previous relationship not for the individual to add signage to their personal property.

We ask something from brands, and they ask something from us - surely if they take the time to actually talk to us it can only enhance their position in the market?

The Power of Online Advertising

2009-04-17T15:57:00.002+10:00

Hat Tip to XKCD for bringing the thought I always find myself having about those true Internet Marketing Mavericks.

5 Reasons why User Generated Content Campaigns Fail

2009-03-18T07:02:00.001+11:00

After recently posting an article about a Border's User Generated Novel it made me wonder, why do so many user generated content campaigns fail? What should companies be doing to build participation on top of great ideas? How do you leverage social networks?

There are some great examples like the Cadbury Gorilla I blogged about, Dorito's (nice coverage over at Mumbrella), and Tourism Queensland but I opened up the discussion with my fellow Linked In connections about why so many fail and there where some common answers present in many responses.

1. Failure to consider the human element

Above all things, people are time poor with families to feed, jobs to manage and their own dreams to fulfil. Social networks do foster engagement but it's by no means uniform. The level of required participation is a major factor to success.

A combination of a low level work on the participants behalf, with a high level of campaign ownership generally has a good impact on a campaign. Imedia highlight a simple campaign for the release of "Transformers" asking users to submit phrases for Optimum Prime. Visitors to the site voted for the 30 best phrases, and the winning entry appears in the film.

2. An ineffective engagement strategy

Many companies approach social media (and often the net as a whole) as any other traditional advertising channel. A "book this and send it off" mindset which is likely to fail in the social arena. As there is no emphasis on building relationships.

Why would you not want to communicate with the users you are targeting? There needs to be a bond formed between the brand and the participants before users will digg, tweet, bookmark or share a brands campaign.

3. Lack of credibility in the space

Building solid relationships in the space a campaign occupies also plays a massive part in the success of a campaign. Once the relationship is in place (and is a true relationship) then users will feel confident in the brand to “spread” the word and the idea through posts, tweets, conversations etc.

Take for example Skittle's recent foray into social media. A domain mashing up content solely produced by users on Facebook, Twitter, Youtube & Flickr is a gutsy move. But initial responses in marketing circles has been somewhat critical of the implementation of the campaign (See Laurel's Post and Mashable coverage).

4. Failure to empower participants. Engagement + content = ownership

The key here seems to be the ability in gaining the endorsement of a few influential advocates while remainging open to positive and negative discussion.

Perfect example of this is the explosion of wikis and wikipedia the free online encyclopaedia reviewed by users for users. It has changed the way people contribute to discussions, debates and ideas in the social sphere and even in the workplace.

5. A great idea.

Before any of the above can make a difference at the heart of it all needs to be a cracker of an idea that can be easily communicated, is original and compel people to be involved.

Overall, keep it simple, make it worth their while, make it relevant to the brand and most of all don't send it out into the world without a little support.

Social Media Brand Assualt #episode1

2009-03-05T13:02:00.014+11:00

There seems to be a brand launching a 'new' campaign on social networks every week now in Australia... and there's just as many crashing and burning!

The standard format: flash landing page linking up with Twitter, Facebook & Flickr presence. I see few original idea's amongst these but figured it's a perfect time to keep a track of some of the campaigns out there.

First cab off the rank Beck's Uberselektor

As simple a jump page as you can get linking to a presence on Twitter, Facebook, Flickr.

At the moment the strategy appears to be establish cred with giveaways and event updates in capital cities fed into Twitter & Facebook as explained by Uberslectkor

"Gather insights from Festival insiders. Gain access to special tickets. Know where you want to be… Choose the best venues and events – and choose to be different."

Yeah I'm different, just like everybody else.

As always great to see some alcohol brands promoting responsible consumption of alcohol - if you've got a microscope handy visit the site and check the link out - Luckily i took the trouble out if it and did it for you below.

Facebook Backflip Reverts T&C's

2009-02-18T21:28:00.005+11:00

Facebook does a nice big back flip on it's T&C's due to user pressure.

Smackdown PR Practitioner Vs Lawyer.

There's been quite a lot of backlash over Facebook's handling or non-handling of updates to privacy T&C's (nice cover of it here at Mashable).

**FOLLOW UP**

It seems common sense has prevailed @ Facebook with suprise suprise - "you vote on our governing policy" Or in other words, the mess we made changing T&C's last time.

Borders get Airborne with User Generated / James Patterson Campaign

2009-02-02T10:01:00.043+11:00

Ever wanted to write a thriller? I stumbled across this Border's campaign which attempts to utilize the viral nature of the web, the power of the written word and the massive brand that is James Patterson.

AirBorne, apparently the "worlds-first online chain story" is a 30 day promotion, using social outreach to engage aspiring writers and fans of James Patterson alike. Personally, I don't think my writing style would lend itself to the thriller genre but full marks for the idea - which taps in to user generated content (UGC) megatrend exploding across the internet.

Consisting of email, web, twitter and facebook presence the promotion has already drummed up publicity on Fairfax and News Limited. Not to mention coverage on Radio National, ABC Radio Melbourne and Radio 2UE.

My take on it, I would have liked to seen a clear social media outreach strategy that engages one-to-one with the fans and writers, as this campaign fits perfectly with online writers and UGC based communities. Initial engagement appear low on Facebook and Twitter but the idle chatter suggests users and aspiring writers have warmed to the campaign. One writer/blogger even posted their entry - here.

According to Border's online Marketing Coordinator Jacqui Phillips, James Patterson will write the first and last of the 30 chapters with writers competing for the 28 spots in between. Judging will be completed by Random House who will also edit the winning authors content (insert legal grey area here...).

The first chapter is set to be released on the 20th March and the subsequent 29 chapters every day after. A similar release style to the Novel Idea campaign, a mobile optimised promotion in South Africa.

Customers will be able to download the chapters in an eBook format daily (or for a short time after last chapter is released). The book itself will not be published: only printed for competition purposes.