Interact Congress Blog

The revenge of content in marketing and media

2013-04-26T13:11:00.002+02:00

Content has long been treated as a commodity and often the ugly duckling in the online industry. Remember those days where the largest part of website budgets went to design - often based on the eternal ego of the brand - instead of to what really mattered?

What matters today is the overall customer experience in an integrated way. Even if content marketing is less used in a strict sense than we like to believe, it's clear that content is finally seen as the glue between the brand, the narrative, the consumer, the different channels and the business goals.

What will be the effect on the types of advertising and marketing IAB Europe is all about? Hard to tell. Some predict an integration of what is now known as paid, owned and earned media. Others look at it less from the media perspective and more from the customer journey perspective whereby what used to be B2B marketing concepts become mainstream in consumer marketing.

Connecting the brand, the media and the consumer with content marketing

You'll have to fight for attention and make sure all touchpoints are consistent. You'll need to focus more than ever on the narrative and proposition of your brand while segmenting and personalizing.

And you'll need to herald a more integrated approach. Content marketing is about all that and about applying the principles of storytelling across the journey, regardless of media and formats. Connecting the brand. And the people within and around it. Add to that social content and the concept of audiences and their audiences, etc.

Will owned, earned and paid media converge? Maybe it's already the case. Just look at tv. But in the online space? My guess is that's it will not be a full convergence. Because trust has become something you need to earn and transparency and openness are very much about trust. Or am I wrong?

Anyway, no matter how you look at it: content starts getting the attention it deserves. Now we just have to get rid of the noise and focus on content that's relevant and leads to results, value, brand engagement and ultimately sales. Check out the slideshare presentation on the convergence of paid, owned and earned media and the dynamic customer experience by Altimeter Group below and read more about content marketing strategy.

Social Media: what are they all used for? A fun and simple way to understand them all...

2012-03-20T09:18:00.000+01:00

Take a look at the simple, and fun, short presentation on Slideshare that helps to explain what the various Social Media tools are used for in one simple sentence - using the medium of coffee drinking....

Social Media: what are they all used for?

View more PowerPoint from Gary Bembridge

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Social Media - made simple.

2012-02-29T15:58:00.001+01:00

Picture by http://www.flickr.com/photos/aslanmedia_official/

There are so many social media and networking sites, and for many people it can be confusing to know what they are all for - and how people are using them. This posting is an attempt to simplify that for everyone. Hopefully helps, in a slightly amusing way, helps you to understand how and what people are using them for.

I cannot claim entirely that this approach of explaining what social media sites is all my own inspiration, as had seen something like this floating about online and from what I remember (and adding some of my own spin), here is a simple way to illustrate what each of the social media sites floating about are used for.....

Twitter: I am drinking a cup of #coffee
Facebook: I like drinking coffee
Foursquare: This is where I am drinking coffee right now
YouTube: Here is a video of me drinking coffee
LinkedIn: My skills include drinking coffee
Flickr: My photos of people drinking coffee
Last FM: I am listening to "One more cup of coffee" by Bob Dylan
Pinterest: Here are the brands of coffee I like
Slideshare: Here is a presentation about drinking coffee
Badoo: Looking to meet a partner of the opposite sex who likes drinking coffee
Gaydar: Looking to meet a gay man who likes drinking coffee
MeetUp: Join our meeting of coffee drinkers on Thursday
WAYN: Places around the world I have drunk coffee

Hope this helps!

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The Networked Business of the Future

2011-10-12T13:14:00.003+02:00

Knowledge peers event share version

View more presentations from Nicholas Gill bluurb.wordpress.com

Recently I presented at the Knowledge Peers event: Technology – transforming growing businesses at the Design Council, Covent Garden, London. A lot of good presentations and discussions with a genuinely interested and intelligent audience asking some probing questions about cloud, social business and the changes required.

My presentation was about how technology has changed companies, the problems they face and the benefits of becoming a more social business internally and externally. It picks up on themes from a couple of previous posts on social business if you fancy checking that out.

More: read a full transcript and also a video of post event snippets.

Bloggers Outreach. My new blog and site to help connect bloggers to bloggers, and bloggers to brands

2011-07-24T12:11:00.002+02:00

I have recently launched a news blog/ site/ community called Bloggers Outreach which can be found at http://www.BloggersOutreach.com

Why have I created this?

I have been an active blogger since 2005, and over the last few years I have seen the influence and power of blogs grow and grow. The good ones are getting more important, and more influential, every day.

I believe that this will continue as key and important blogs on topics become seen as the independent, unbiased and opinionated sources of advice, information and guidance.

We are seeing "user generated content" sites (like TripAdvisor) in my view becoming less effective and reliable, as users vent or rave in short sentences - while on the other side companies and agencies are trying to manage what is said and how they are rated. This means these sites, unless they find a new model, will become less important and less effective.The good blogger who has passion, expertise, understanding and stays independent of mind and views will become very important. They can be experts in key niches and topics.

I find increasingly that I turn to and refer to blogs when trying to find out about places, purchases or issues. I find they end up being more detailed and more accurate and more reliable. This, when done well, will be the future of advice and recommendation.The BloggersOutreach blog and site is an attempt to help create a place to share, support and promote blogs and blogging. I think that so much interaction with bloggers is done badly, as brands and companies try and find out the best way to contact and interact.

An emerging trend and practice is for bloggers to start to create communities and forums to share, discuss and learn. They are fascinating as they also start to filter out and bring blogs on topics that they as a group feel are strong and complimemtary. These forums become a great opportunity for PR and Brand owners to connect in more efficient and effective ways - and learn the best way to do it.

BloggersOutreach.com is exploring how bloggers can connect with other bloggers and blogging communities, and with brands and companies.

Visit the site and sign up for the ride...

Do you have any thoughts? Leave a comment on the blog. Where you will also find details of how to subscribe for email updates, follow me on Twitter and Facebook, or subscribe for the free podcast.

Blogger Outreach: My top 7 tips on how to do it better...

2011-07-05T14:24:00.000+02:00

I have been running blogs since 2005, and in the last year to 18 months it has become clear that brands and companies are trying to tap into this rich source of advice and recommendation for their businesses. It is also clear that almost all of them do it really badly, and do not understand what a blogger mindset is and how to get the most out of it.

So here are my 7 tips and thoughts:

(1) Read their blog - in depth. And then pitch or make contact in a personal and targeted way. As a blogger with fairly busy sites, I now get almost daily approaches. Most are clearly generic and off some list or cut and paste. If you want bloggers to partner, you need to show you understand their blog. Blogs for most are hobbies and things of passion...

(2) Remember bloggers are trying to or have a USP or point of difference, you need to help provide that. So, for example, access to wide range of people from the brand to meet or talk to versus a standard release or approach. My busiest blog is my Tips For Travellers blog, and in the travel blog world there are zillions of them. I need to make sure I have an angle and approach...

(3) Bloggers want more traffic. How can you help them get that? Links from your sites? Training on SEO and other traffic driving activity.

(4) Bloggers want recognition and to stand out. The space is very cluttered, and anything you can do to elevate their credibility or reputation will be well received. So things like awards, membership of top bloggers and so on.

(5) Bloggers are getting organised and forming informal and formal groups. They help to screen the best blogs, and always looking for good speakers, sponsors to cover cost of events and so on. Work with these as they are well connected, can be very efficient and effective.

(6) Bloggers are looking for some revenue. For many it is a hobby, but need some revenue to pay for the site, equipment, travel to events and so on. Some are trying to make a full time living from it. It will not always be free to get bloggers on board. It may not mean direct payment, but events and so on. Or buy ads rather than just trying to get "free" coverage...

(7) Build a personal relationship. For example, there is one person at Orient Express that will be the contact with me. She was the host at their event and made sure I was welcomed and introduced me around. I noticed everyone had some bloggers "under their wing" as it were.

Thoughts and tips based on your experiences as a blogger or brand based on what works and does not? Leave a comment on the blog posting...

Do you have any thoughts? Leave a comment on the blog. Where you will also find details of how to subscribe for email updates, follow me on Twitter and Facebook, or subscribe for the free podcast.

IAB Belgium Think Digital Congress: Kevin Slavin on Second Screen Engagement

2011-05-28T15:14:00.001+02:00

This week I moderated IAB Belgium’s annual Think Digital congress. I knew a few of the speakers, but it’s always interesting to rediscover what they say and many presentations were absolutely worthwhile.

Someone I didn’t meet before was Kevin Slavin, Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer at Starling. Kevin’s laid back way of providing great food for thought made the audience very quiet.

So, here’s a look at Kevin’s presentation and some very interesting insights about second screen engagement: TV, the way you might have never thought about it: from a community, engagement and social interaction viewpoint.

Key takeaways: TV is a synchronizing technology and with second screen engagement, we use desynchronizing technologies to resynchronize. No geolocated venue is as big as television.

Read full post and watch IAB Belgium Think Digital video

Belgian research shows lack of social media marketing maturity

2011-05-02T13:40:00.002+02:00

Belgian research shows lack of social media marketing maturity

A brand new study by Leads United (LEWIS PR), that was conducted among 70 Belgian communication and marketing “professionals”, found that Belgian businesses lack a fundamental understanding of the value of social media (marketing). The question is if businesses in other countries do better of course.

The fourth edition of the survey indicated that the use of social media tools is relatively well established, but that is about all really. There still is a huge lack of a social media strategy, let alone some sort of plan. Furthermore, 73% of the questioned companies don’t have a social media policy.

However, if you don’t have a clear strategy, a policy isn’t really necessary, is it? Looking back over the years there was barely any evolution to speak of since Leads United started the survey. The company even established that the number of businesses with a social media policy in Belgium has ceased to grow!

Read full post here.

Social Business Summit, London

2011-04-19T15:07:00.001+02:00

One year on, the Dachis Group Social Business Summit was back on it’s global tour to share and spread the social business gospel; where are we today and what does the next year hold? This year I was more selfish and bagged a ticket myself as the content looked more interesting than most of the other social events that just preach to you about what you already know. I wanted to learn something new and be inspired. So did I? I’ve tried to capture my notes from the day in the links on my own blog below and created some crap visuals to illustrate.
Part 1 (the morning session)
Part 2 (the afternoon session)

Nicholas Gill, bluurb.wordpress.com

Social Media ROI business measurement:

2011-04-03T21:10:00.001+02:00

Measuring the ROI of social media: in this slideshare Olivier Blanchard shares how.

Social Media ROI business measurement: @thebrandbuilder at #fusionmex

View more presentations from J-P De Clerck.

Requirements for social engagement

2011-03-01T10:44:00.000+01:00

I’ve shared before my views before that social media is just stuff and socialised brands can be contagious. More recently, the conversations we’ve been having with clients has been at a granular level; getting social media off the ground, making it work, benchmarking it and importantly, ongoing engagement with the brand connections. We’ve been using this to share our thoughts on engagement. Seems to be well received so thought I’d share here. It’s most likely an interim update to sharing our thoughts on our Socialising the Brand programme. Your thoughts welcome.

Nicholas Gill

bluurb.wordpress.com

OFF LINE BRANDS OUSTING ONLINE BRANDS? I DO NO THINK SO. SOME LEARNINGS

2011-02-26T15:42:00.000+01:00

There was an article online on The Telegraph site talking about the latest data on the top 50 UK web brands, comparing 2011 to 2004. The headline was dramatic saying: Tesco and BT oust dotcom darlings.

The writer of the article was trying to make the point that increasingly the “web only” brands were less dominant, and that brands that had on “off line” presence were growing.

On the surface it sounded like the old “bricks and mortar” brands were taking over online. The writer had taken any brand that required people to do things “off line” (like eBay) or physical products were involved (like Amazon) into the off line category, as well as brands who started as off-line and are trying to do more online (like retailers like Tesco and Argos, or utilities suppliers like BT).

I think this interpretation hides some very key trends and learning from the data. At the bottom of this posting is a link to the article, but the top 10 brands in Jan 2011 were: Google; MSN; Facebook; Yahoo; BBC; Microsoft; Amazon and YouTube. Tesco was 17th and BT not in the top 20...

I would like to suggest a different set of conclusions that we all should consider and take on board are from the data:

1. Media channels where consumers view and consume content are the largest and most important brands and channels online, and remain so. And will do so.

The key is to have a presence where consumers are. Fish where the fish are. Consumers will always go to where they can source the best and broadest information, education, entertainment, news and so on. These will be best delivered by content experts, just as TV channels, magazines and newspapers have provided it in traditional media. These big broad and increasingly “mass reach” channels online will always be key to success online, and that is where companies and brands need to be advertising, engaging or available

2. Tools that enable transactions between people or companies will always be strong. Amazon, eBay and the like have made it easier (and cheaper) to find things you need and want. These facilitation tools will be important and big, and grow. And they offer choice and the ability to access and compare what you are seeking.

3. Tools and brands that enable people to interact and engage will always be strong. Brands that offer email are still strong. Brands that offer chat are strong, and now brands that offer other forms of engagement (like Facebook) will be strong and get stronger. This is where time gets spent on time and where

4. Traditional brands will never be major destination sites or places versus the 3 above. They may play a role to address your current customers and consumers, or where people that really want to transact in some way with your brand. But remember that is the key role. Focus on being where your core target is. If that is a niche on your destination then fine, but if not be where they are going to be.

Thoughts?

The article that inspired this is at:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/news/8339000/Top-50-UK-online-brands-Tesco-and-BT-oust-dotcom-darlings.html

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TIPS ON MARKETING IN A DIGITAL WORLD: based on thoughts from Toby Horry of Dare

2011-02-19T17:23:00.003+01:00

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Photo: IABUK off Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/iabuk

I was at an excellent talk that Toby Horry, one of the joint managing directors, at the communication agency called Dare in London gave to me and some work colleagues recently. His ideas and thoughts were very thought provoking, and give good advice to people thinking and approaching the whole digital space.

There were 4 key points that stood out for me from his thoughts and advice, and here they are:

(1) THINK ABOUT MARKETING FOR A DIGITAL WORLD, AND NOT ABOUT DOING DIGITAL MARKETING.

The consumer is now connected, and especially younger ones. They see it as just a normal part of everyday life, and something that they just do. Not something separate and unique. It is integrated into their life and blurs into they way they live and act.

The mistake that manufacturers and retailers make is that they approach digital with a mindset of "digital strategy and marketing", instead of being focused on what do I need to do across all my mix in a digital world.

(2) CONSUMER IS EXPOSED TO "TOO MUCH" MEDIA AND VOLUME OF MESSAGES. THEY NEED TO MAKE CHOICES.

There are more and more tools to help them do just this, and to screen out and filter the volume of media and messages. One example is Sky+/ TIVO so they can time shift watching, chose what they watch when and screen out adverts if they want.

The only way that you will be seen and engaged with is by being clear about how you will and can add value and be one of the chosen that they will want to stop and listen or interact with. Increasingly, this is going to be key. It also reminded me of another article I wrote about how communication will need to ensure that you stop people, make them look up and then engage and act (click here).

(3) THINK ABOUT AND APPROACH WITH A MINDSET IF "DOING. RIGHT DOWN TO THE ORIGINAL BRIEF"
Toby spoke about how important it is, and how they encourage their clients to always try and ensure they have a VERB in their briefs. The key, he argues and I agree with, is that you should have a verb in the brief that describes what you want people who see your communication to actually do.

For example, Sainsburys Supermarket communication proposes you "try something new today", while say Avis says "We try harder". The first encourages and action, and is much more about getting people to act.

This is a great piece of advice, and especially key for digital..

(4) FAIL FAST AND FAIL CHEAP!
Try things and learn what works, but do it fast and learn in an inexpensive way..

Some great thoughts and advice. The Dare agency website is http://www.thisisdare.com

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I don’t always need a TwitFace to get an emotional response

2011-02-11T11:40:00.000+01:00

I don’t like American football, I don’t even know who won the SuperBowl this year. But I have seen some of the advertising. Because it is a cultural phenomenon that stretches beyond the 110 million fervent Americans watching in their dens and into a global audience.

I have also seen a lot of the post SuperBowl bitching that this year was supposed to be the SocialBowl. Because y’know social is the new world order innit? And Pepsi shipped their SuperBowl budget into the Refresh social cause project last year. And because Old Spice guy did some personalised video responses to Twitter people. Which was, of course, brilliant. So this year we should all be exploiting the FaceSpace in a go big kick ass way. Whoop!

But SuperBowl has 110 million fervent fans watching. Live. Which is a prime opportunity to build your brand and be entertaining in an entertainment medium in the ultimate (if you’re American) sports entertainment date.

Which is what telly does brilliantly.

But still we whine that they missed an opportunity to be social. We even helpfully provide “they could have done this”. Well, some did use social…

Audi – they used a hashtag. So you could “participate”.

VW – they used social media to seed the Vader/Passat ad before the event to raise awareness and ohmygod create BUZZ.

Chrysler – they just did an amazeballs brilliant ad that left you with goosebumps. Oh and most Americans know it’s Chrsyler.com which has the campaign front and centre. It also has a social hub. And it’s as prominent as on facebook.com/Chrysler.

So they did do social after all – they just didn’t shout about it. Because it’s so second nature that we’ll find it if we want more.

If advertising is designed to elicit an emotional response and plant that brand front and centre in your brain then some of the Superbowl ads did it in spades.

Some of them didn’t. But still we yakked about it afterwards.

If advertising is just meant to be a vehicle to send people to Facebook then a brand ad on SuperBowl Sunday won’t be the answer. Brand awareness and emotional response doesn’t always have to have a social element.

The ads above delivered emotional response in spades and also had a lot of talkability/buzz factor we crave in marketing.

That’s why we need integrated approaches. Different parts of the communications mix do different jobs. You don’t need to tick every single box every single campaign.

Nicholas Gill

http://bluurb.wordpress.com/

DIGITAL STRATGEY: 3 THINGS TO FOCUS ON AS A BRAND OR COMPANY

2011-02-01T15:42:00.002+01:00

photo by PlanToo46's http://www.flickr.com/photos/55260169@N07

I am amazed all too often when I hear people through organizations talking about digital and digital strategies. There is an obsession with “doing stuff” and people keep asking for “a website”, a “Facebook page” and search optimization. These seem to be seen as strategies.

In a talk I did a while ago on Digital Fundamentals, I spoke about how to approach the whole digital space. To review those 10 tips and ideas you can watch it on SlideShare via the blog (click here) or download a PDF (click here)

But to make it even simpler, there are for me 3 key considerations for any brand or company as they think about digital and its role in their mix:

1. Ensure any consumer/ customer/ KOL looking for your brand/ company online will find it - and get what they are looking for. If they seek they should find what they want!

1. This means that you need to gout and find out what it is that they want and ensure you have it online, most likely via a website. It may be very simple: all they want is your contact details, or maybe to get a sample. Make sure you understand what they want, as you may find a one page site is all you need. Avoid copying what your competition does, as they may be doing what they think people want, not what they want.

2. Ensure that your brand/ company is present where your core target consumers/ customers/ KOLs are and are interacting online. Fish where the fish are!

1. In many ways, this is probably the key one. You need to be where people are. You need to “fish where there are fish”. Too many people focus on building destinations, rather than having content or ads where people are. The same as when you do a TV ad to communicate, you place it in the right place where your target is – you do not build a TV station and invest on getting people to come to the channel…

3. Increasing the amount people spend with you or on you by finding the ones who really like you, and use CRM to get them to buy more, come more often and stay loyal and cross purchase to make the investment worthwhile. You can find the best prospects and keep them on-board.

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THE DEATH OF USER GENERATED CONTENT IS COMING?

2011-01-24T20:54:00.001+01:00

Photo by: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mrjoro/

All good things must come to an end. So goes the saying. And is the end of user generated content heading that way?

I think it probably is exactly where user generated content is heading. I believe that as social media, blogging, twitter and review sites have become more and more mainstream, it has is becoming less and less powerful, insightful and helpful. This is because instead of a few really passionate people with deep understanding and knowledge of a topic or area carefully crafting and writing about a topic, there has been and is a growing trend for people to either "gush" or "vent". This makes for less powerful and less helpful advice and comment to guide and to get help from.

Some friends who run a Guest House in Cape Town, who are usually the #1 or #2 rated in hotels in that city, are finding (for example) that TripAdvisor.com is becoming less helpful and powerful for them. This is because the reviews now tend to be just as I described above: a few words gushing about how lovely it is or a few lines on what they hated. The reviews lack substance and lack depth of content. Unlike years ago where more geeky and passionate people would invest time in their commentary, reviews and try and be more helpful and informative.

I have found when trying to research a problem - or find out about an area I need some help with -be it how to chose the right Apple Mac or solve a problem that you have to wade through piles of "stuff". There is a lot of noise that has to be waded through, and much of it is not very helpful (or accurate) ideas and suggestions. Increasingly you need to find experts with history and time of doing things.

I have found that my various blogs and even my videos of travel and hotel rooms on YouTube are growing in traffic and usage. I have been running them since 2005 and so there is history and so people (I suspect) are coming as they know there is depth there.

I think that the huge explosion in social media and everyone posting and commenting is the new SPAM! Just like it ruined email, it is ruining user generated content. Increasingly it is clogging up the system, and opening ways to a new way to emerge. More likely more validated and expert screening, and emeregence of more monitored and expert content.

What do you think? Post a thought and comment in the blog.

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Search engine marketing and social media: conversion is a matter of relevance

2010-09-19T20:25:00.000+02:00

In order for your website or other online properties to be found online (inbound marketing), you still need a good search engine optimization strategy.

Defining relevant keywords for your business and, more than ever, for your target groups. Relevance is increasingly becoming important in search. What people find in search engine result pages must lead to online destinations that are relevant for their search queries.

Search engines already take this into account but in the end they remain quite ‘dumb’ and all too often well ranked search engine results still lead to irrelevant web pages and thus content.

You can easily optimize the SEO of your pages with search engine optimized content, the right link building strategies and applying all the rules of professional search engine marketing.

But what’s the use of ranking high in results if the value you provide on your website is low from a visitor viewpoint? Conversion starts with being found online but it happens after the click.

When the relevance is not there, there is no conversion and probably even a negative perception about your brand.

Search engine optimized content requires the help of a professional. SEO copywriters are not always cheap, but they can correctly optimize all your content so it's search engine friendly.

However, that is not enough anymore.

If you want your content to be shared via social media, bookmarked and result in optimal conversion, you need a partner that understands more than keywords and SEO.

He or she needs to be able to write with the needs of the readers in mind, knows how to write a call-to-action, understand what determines if your content will be shared on social media or bookmarked on social bookmarking sites and understands that content is part of a broader exercise where your web site, blog, emails, social media presences and whatever you do, are part of another conversion process.

Not that from content to click and online conversion. But that from lead to loyal customer by offering content as a way of lead nurturing. Content in the context of the customer buying journey.

SEM is part of a broader marketing strategy and that’s why many agencies are extending their offering with social media optimization, conversion strategies, web analytics, online copywriting and sometimes even marketing automation and lead management.

Where social media optimization fits in

The same goes for the skills of an online copywriter: he or she must acquire new skills. This type of online copywriting is something that, according to me, cannot be done in house but must be outsourced to a highly specialized expert, a conversion agency, an SEO firm that has an integrated approach or a communication agency that has that same integrated approach but also a customer-centric look on interactive marketing.

In the end, all that matters in marketing is the bottom-line and the value that is created for the business and the customer. And content is key in every micro-conversion, acquisition effort, lead nurturing step and word-of-mouth conversation. That's also where social media optimization fits in: not search is social but relevance.

Originally posted here: Search engine marketing and social: why SEO and search engine optimized content are not enough

Blogs are the websites of the social media world

2010-09-19T20:19:00.001+02:00

Many businesses don't have a blog yet. Too bad since blogs are really social media hubs and more. But there is hope. Since blogs are almost a must for all businesses that want to do "something" with social media.
A little more than a decade ago many companies had no websites. And if they had one, it was often no more than some online brochure. Now, for most businesses their website is a critical part of their daily basis and a hub where various online and offline activities start and come together. In little over ten years the corporate site has become a crucial component of the marketing and communication strategy. Today companies face a new challenge: social media.

Actually, the challenge is not that new but the success of social media and the fact that people continuously want more control over the communication process and tap into their social networks force companies to use social media as well.Social media, including blogs, are so frequently used by people - and thus also by prospects, clients, suppliers, potential employees, competitors, journalists etc. – that you HAVE to follow what is happening in the social sphere and participate in it.

Blogs play a crucial part in this. A blog, as I have been saying for a long time, is a social media hub. In some cases social networks can also be social media hubs and even the corporate website offers various – underused - possibilities regarding social media marketing. But blogs are definitely the main social media hubs. They are the source of social interactions and facilitate dialogues.

Blogs are the online properties to which companies can link their social media presences and where dialogues with clients and prospects also effectively take place. Furthermore, blogs play a crucial role in search engine marketing and a brand’s reputation, amongst many others.

Businesses can blog in various ways. They can setup a separate blog which is more or less separate from the company (website) itself, they can leave the initiative for blogging to persons within the company who have something to say and create their own blog, etc.

But it is also absolutely advisable to have a blog that is setup within the website or connected to it and where different persons within the company can blog.

The benefits are tremendous: a simple integration with web analytics, a more ‘open’ and transparent image, search engine optimization and a rapid real-time interaction with people whereby relevant content is crucial.

Company blogs also open up new doors to strengthen other channels and client aimed actions, even in more outbound activities such as e-mail marketing. And of course they are essential in inbound marketing: people are in need of relevant information they can interact with; using blogs you can provide this much faster and in a conversational way than on a website.

Just as today the website has become a marketing hub, blogs will for a long time be the hubs of social media marketing. Content plays a crucial role in this.

If you don’t have a blog yet, it’s really time to get started.

Inbound marketing: blogs are the websites of the social Web

IS TV DYING? what digital players can learn and what we need to do about it.

2010-09-06T13:11:00.000+02:00

The death of TV is still not happening! This is confirmed once again in a large media consumption study run the media regulatory body in the UK called Ofcom. Although the data is on UK consumers, the study reflects the same learning that other countries are seeing in their markets.

However, I think the study does though clearly highlight some changes and new habits that have a huge implication on how marketers, advertising and people running online and digital campaigns and businesses need to think and act. In order to succeed they are critical.

In the business I am involved in running, it is clear that the traditional focus on high TV activity is no longer working as well. But does it mean that TV is not important? I don’t think it does, since people are watching a lot of it. But there are some very key factors.

Let em outline what I think was significant in the learning, and then the 3 key actions that I think we all need to take and focus on.

The 5 key things that stood out for me:

(1) People are still watching a lot of TV. In the UK it is just below 4 hours a day on average. However, they do not consume and watch it like they used to. Understanding this is fundamental at how one looks at the style and role of TV ads moving forwards.

(2) There is huge multi-tasking taking place, and the younger the consumer the more it happens. In fact younger people consume more hours of media than there are hours available. This is because they multi-task, consuming different things at once, such as watching TV while online or on their smart-phones interacting and engaging.

(3) The growth and use of online catch-up services and PVRs like TIVO in the USA and Sky+ in the Uk, has actually meant that people are watching more TV. This is because they can watch it when it is more convenient for them, and studies found that instead of dropping out of following a show or series if people missed an episode they now watch via PVR or online and keep with the series. In fact, it was found by Sky TV that people with Sky+ are watching more TV and being exposed to more ads. Of course many are watched on “fast forward”.

(4) Online companies are among the biggest advertisers on TV now. This clearly shows the power of large mass media for driving awareness and traffic.

(5) The above factor is likely to be accelerated by the fact that since people are now multi-taking more and likely to have their laptop, smart-phone, iPad and so on with them, if they see something that interests them in an ad they can immediately go to it, research it, sign up for it, buy it, download it right there and then. It means TV can get immediate response. Literally.

So what should we do about it as we think about creating ads for TV, or any media since people will be multi-tasking?

Your ads need to, more than ever:

(1) Get people to LOOK UP. You need to get them to stop multi-tasking and look at you, notice you, watch or listen to you.

(2) Get people to LEAN FORWARD. Get engaged and listen to what you are offering, telling or selling. If watching on fast forward on Sky+ you need them to slow down and watch and lean forward and listen.

(3) Get people TO ACT. Right away and right in the moment. Increasingly, you need to have a “call to action” and get people to respond. They may be connected and you can actually get them to do something. Don’t wait for them to act when they next go to the store, get them to act. This means you need to think through what you want them to do, and ensure you have the offers, the sites or the destinations ready and easy to access.

Exciting times, and exciting new ways to think about the role of TV and mass media. It is not dying, but to work you need to use it in a different way.

What do you think? Got any good examples? Drop me an email at gary@bembridge.co.uk or even better leave a comment on the blog posting and join the debate now.

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My client doesn't get social media

2010-09-04T15:17:00.001+02:00

Whoa! What do you mean they don’t “get it”? They must be mad! Are they insane? Are they still living in the 1990s? They don’t even have an iPhone?

Not everyone travels at the same pace.

Here’s a reality check from conversations and observations with clients who are “not getting it”.

Observation #1

We work in advertising (I use the term as a broad church that includes all our disciplines) and as such we do get it (well, not all – more on that at a later date perhaps). We get it because we have to be in it to win it. Because we are in a service industry where we need to be pro-active and better than the other guy. We have to experiment and get on board ahead of the curve. Because when we talk to our clients, we need to be knowledgeable and helpful so we can advise and guide them appropriately in our trusted advisor positions. That’s why clients pay us.

Clients are busy people. They don’t always get free reign on the interweb like us agency folk and have many more corporate restrictions from an IT or legal perspective. Yes, some clients are still on IE6 (shudder!) so cannot experience web browser excitement like what we can. Yes, some clients are not allowed on Facebook so they’re not as intimate with the joys of Farmville et al. Yes, some clients don’t have iPhones because it’s an expensive bit of kit so may not be as familiar with apps that make lightsaber sounds. Yes, some clients aren’t allowed access to You Tube so can’t watch videos about cats all day. So we can’t assume they know WTF SXSW is, how hashtags work or even that Old Spice guy has hit their radar.

Implication: understand their situation and be a guiding light. They may not be as far down the line as you want or assume.

Observation #2

A lot of clients are versed in advertising, direct and digital (websites, online advertising, search). That’s their sphere of reference. That’s their job description. That’s their 9-5 (and way beyond). They are assessed and rewarded on old-fashioned things such as how their communications contribute to market share, sales, margin, propensity to purchase, ROI, loyalty. There is probably not a budget line for social media so something else has to be sacrificed to trial it. Something else that has an accountable budget that drives or protects market share, sales etc. All of this has to be approved further up the tree; and those people typically have less time or inclination to know about this stuff – back to Observation #1. Until we actually start talking in terms that prick their ears up and make a demonstrable impact on their business performance, terms such as “frands” (jeez, I think I may puke) will go straight to the round file and the poor buggers will be labeled as “another client who doesn’t get it.”

Implication: ground ideas in numbers rather than buzzwords to make social salient.

Observation #3

So what? I know my advertising drives consideration and sales, my DM and email drives targeted response, my search drives me insane as well as lots of conversion, my site helps people and drives to purchase. What does four gazillion tweets and twelvety blog hat tips mean? The so what factor should never be ignored. If I did nothing, would anything ever change? Do I really need a Twitbook?

Implication: deliver insight and implication, not facts and certainly not a shiny twitbook account before due planning and consideration.

Above all, be open, authentic and transparent. Much like we suggest how brands behave in the social space.

Originally posted on bluurb.wordpress.com

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Times Paywall and iPad app: what I like and what we can all learn from it

2010-08-11T11:05:00.000+02:00

Much has been made by journalists and media commentators (mostly competitors of News International who own the title) of the move to charge for access to The Time's website, and to buy subscription to the iPad app to get the daily paper.

The data will finally tell us who was right, although early data suggests traffic on the site fell by three quarters (versus the 90% many projected). Also the charts I saw suggested that unique visitors to the competitive news sites was not up (meaning that the same set of people were looking at multiple sites versus a big unique set of people). Anyway, I thought it would be good to enter the discussion as a user and explain what I like and think about the move and the experiment - and what I think marketers and digital players can learn from it.

I have subscribed to the iPad Times news app (at £9.99 a month)

So here are the 5 things about the move so far that I like:

1: it focuses on the core target. In all the debate, the assumption has been that news is generic. It has not focused on the brand. It does not surprise me that the competitive sites have not seen a huge increase in unique users, as I suspect that many people - including me – would look at multiple sites covering news to see different points of view and coverage. But as a loyal Time reader off line, I ended up putting money where my loyalty lies.

When it comes to news there are brands and providers that users are loyal to and have affinities with. I love getting my TV news from Sky News, others from BBC. I love reading The Times. I buy and consume The Times as I like the editorial focus, style and screen. I like the familiarity. This is why people choose brands. The move is focusing on brand users and loyalists, at the expense potentially of volume, but they can focus on serving the needs of loyal users and try to get them to stay longer and spend more. Finding ways of adding value and keeping loyal users and repeat is a good marketing instinct and tactic. Volume and trial is easy to get, especially if it is FREE. But that is not what makes money and profit....

2: they are experimenting and learning. They have made a move, they are trying and experimenting. They are daring to go against the considered opinions and are constantly evolving the offer and actively asking for thoughts and input. This is what good innovation is about. I learnt recently that the best and most successful innovators are ones that keep doing things, trying changes, prototyping, testing live and constantly evolving. They have a belief (that good journalism costs) and are trying to make it work. I admire trying. More people win by trying than by sitting by and waiting for others to prove something.

3: they are using the tools to interact and engage. They have a very active Twitter feed that will contact you, feedback on queries and engage in a conversation. It is excellent and they will actively ask and push information. I feel like a person that is important to the brand, and not just one of a zillion of readers. I think this part of the mix is something that is really powerful and under-estimated in importance. They are making the loyal user feel part of the family and valued.

4: the iPad app is better than the paper, but familiar. It is a product improvement, it has added value and is not a substitute! The app is better than the website which is just like other websites. The iPad app is great. Has the occasional tech problems, but they work on it fast. It is – for me – key. The Times LOOKS BETTER on the iPad than on paper! It feels familiar and reads like the paper we are used to, but has added features and easy to navigate. For me the iPad app is much better than the site, as it feels like the product I like and consumer (but better) while the site looks like any news site. I think this is a missed opportunity.

Also one can access the paper earlier and easier than before as you can download it from about 4 or 5am. It also can be read offline, and for me who is away and out the country a lot means I can see and read my familiar product in “real time” not some day or more old thing.

Don't like
1: That for the £9.99 monthly fee, you don’t get access to the website online. You would need to pay again. Having one charge to access would be better.

I think the 4 things above are key, as they provide some guidance for us as we think about digital and online. Focus on the brand loyal? Experiment and learn, push boundaries just don’t copy? Ensure your offering a product improvement not just an alternative? Use tools to engage and interact?

I hope it succeeds as I am hooked to the app!

Leave a comment on the blog in comments or email me with thoughts: gary@bembridge.co.uk

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The New Integration

2010-08-10T15:44:00.002+02:00

Right now, there’s a lot of talk out there about integration being dead. Almost as much talk as there is about social media, the death of the ad agency – and the Old Spice viral.

But I think it’s all nonsense. Find out why and discover some simple truths by reading this ‘New Integration’ thought leadership piece. It’s the first in a probably highly irregular series of thought stuff from us at DCH.

Like or dislike?

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Guerilla marketing used to be celebrated, now it can get you arrested

2010-06-17T13:06:00.001+02:00

The World Cup 2010. Massive amounts of media dollars spent by a few big brands wanting to associate themselves with the beautiful game and getting some exclusive media rights to the tournament. For every other brand the challenge is to punk them without the need to be an official sponsor. Nike have pretty much done this already with their Write the Future campaign and despite the cool Adidas Originals Star Wars mash up, most of Adidas’ publicity has been about THAT ball.

And then there’s the official alcohol brand. Budweiser have spent gazillions to be FIFA’s drinking buddy and I’m still a little gobsmacked when I see some people in the crowd clutching a bottle. There’s a good reason it’s banned in stadiums over here, not entirely sure why it’s not over there. Anyway, I digress.

How do you ambush the Bud party, get yourself noticed and talked about?

1) Buy a load of tickets of an ex Wimbledon player who has somehow managed to get to the World Cup as a pundit – and subsequently been fired for his lack of ability to keep his ticket allocation to family and friends (and with the best headline so far from The Sun – tout of Africa). If only it was Mick McCarthy, is he the dullest man in the universe?

2) Hire a harem of hot, blonde, Dutch girls.

3) Dress them in matching orange mini-dresses and give them the match tickets to the Holland game.

4) Rely on TV camera crews to pick up on hot, blonde, Dutch girls in short dresses and let the lingering camera shots do the rest. Bonus points if the game is dull and therefore more crowd footage.

5) People will go “phwoooar, look at them! Why are they dressed all the same?” Google becomes your friend. Voila, everyone knows it’s for Dutch beer Bavaria. And they’ve done it before.

Hurrah! Job done. Girls in newspapers everywhere, brand gets noticed, Bud punk’d, less money spent. Everyone loves you.

Except in this case, FIFA and Bud didn’t like being punk’d. They got mad, they got the girls evicted (somewhat expected) and then the organisers arrested (most unexpected)! The world has gone mad. Sure they want to protect their investment but there was no overt branding on the dresses. No one really has a clue what Bavaria beer is still. This just makes Bud and FIFA look like dorks. Shame on them.

But good for Bavaria – they’re planning on more stunts with different colour dresses. Perhaps this World Cup will get interesting at last. Especially if Mick has been generous with his tickets.

Who wants to drink Bud with football anyway? I’d rather have a bevy of hot girls in orange dresses any day.

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Social media opportunities and threats

2010-06-17T13:05:00.000+02:00

Resource, control, senior stakeholder support.

The key threats of social media as viewed by a selection of UK senior marketers in this IDM download. The disturbing thing is that these threats are easily overcome. Social is no longer a fad, the case studies are out there of the huge impact it can have to amplify a brand message, activate a community of fans or instigate change. Control is an irrational fear. Use the channels you can control, plan accordingly and get upfront buy in from those bad boys in legal. Resource. Pah. In these uncertain economic times there will be activities that don’t pay back (commercially or brand equity) that do have resource. That have secured approval because the business “gets it”. By that I mean it’s traditional, always been there. If BT can change their call centre structure to have a team dedicated to active listening (listening and then participating in the conversations that are happening) then any brand can adapt. The biggest issue is senior stakeholder support. As Justin Billingsley, the former Orange Marketing Director said at the IAB Engage Conference in 2008, the biggest obstacle he had to overcome in turning Orange into a digitally focussed enterprise was the 60 year old man in the boardroom – he didn’t get it. And more pointedly, didn’t want to get it. We can help them get it, provide the evidence, create the excitement and continue educating and inspiring. The threats can be overcome, the opportunities are endless.

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Why check-in anywhere else?

2010-06-17T13:04:00.000+02:00

McDonald’s have just teamed up with Facebook to be the first brand to offer their new location-based service. While Foursquare stats are being touted aplenty of late with a million users and 40 million check ins, the numbers are dwarfed by the Facebook behemoth.

Facebook is HUGE. It’s ingrained in our culture, language and behaviours. Including more localised (and therefore highly relevant and timely) content will only make us more wedded to it. While we’re (marketeers and agencies) experimenting with the likes of Foursquare and Gowalla, Facebook will just swat these guys like flies because of the scale, high activity rates of the installed user base and acceptance among brand marketers.

Why check-in anywhere else?

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