Just because you have it…

This epic snapshot of Google’s latest project dubbed “Art Project” is an interesting case. For me, I think it is an opportunity to explore art in a presentable way that only Google can facilitate. What I don’t understand about this preview is the social aspect:

The entire experience is viewable via a street-view style interface and now tied directly into Google+, including the new addition of “Hangouts” to let you browse the museums with friends in real time.

I do not want to bash an amazing opportunity to see masterpieces, but I believe this represents a common case of marketer-itis: just because it is possible or available, does not mean that you have to use it. Social sharing as an option? Sure. However,”hanging out” behind computers while one person drives around a museum? That does not seem like a natural web behavior. Often, practicality is lost in situations where every little feature is wedged into a product “just because.”

Quick Business Idea

I was just thinking about this the other day, and thought it was a good idea, but it’s probably already out there:

An ad network for geo-targeted in-game advertisements.

At first, I got to thinking how this would work in mobile, since DrawSomething only serves me ads for Zoosk and Kia. Behavioral and contextually targeted ads would be more effective, but what about localized ads. I’m drawing a lot of inspiration from Playstation Vida, which looks like it’s paving the way for ubiquitous gaming.

 

More to come on this as I actually think it through.

Spending in the wrong place

This chart is a bit funny to me. It pins ad spend vs. time spent with specific media platforms. I have a few quick comments on this:

1. There should be a metric measuring effectiveness (which is a whole other blog post).

2. I think this chart is silly, mostly because of the disparity from mobile spend/time spend.

3. If I had to guess, I would say that the print bar for ad expenditure is flawed in that they are most likely measuring Print sources (for example, People magazine) and leaving out entire sales packages or value adds. Therefore, spending $90k on a full page will most likely cover a decent value add on the web, or some crappy little impression throw-in. For example: it was always funny to me three years ago when a print publication would bring their “mobile guy” who would sit in the meetings and say, “mobile is the next fronteir…” and without any justification, he would say: “we’ll give you 500k mobile impressions.” While I’m now on a tangent, it’s funny to me that “impressions” is still a big sell for people. And- if it is- you’re not doing it right.

Content Strategy

Content strategy is a funny thing. It’s easy to do right, and it’s easy to do wrong. The only thing I can offer about this subject are a few nuggets:

  • Make it simple. It’s really about getting the right message to the right people at the right time. This is comms 101.
  • Make it simple. It should have room to breathe, otherwise you’re a robot.
  • Make it simple. Put out something that doesn’t suck. It’s less about timing and more about what you have to offer.
  • Make it simple. Make it short. CONTENT SHOULD BE EASY TO CONSUME.

This is a pretty simple post. Why? …. I think you get the point…

Content Always Wins

Content always wins. The story framework carries you through the full 3.5 minutes. Chances are you’ll only see this bad boy online. Or, there could be a Nike takeover for a half hour show where this story plays out during the commercial breaks.

 

Alright, enough analyzing. It’s a great spot. Period.

#SMW, and Moving the Needle.

Social media week in New York is kind of like the first week of the NBA playoffs: we already know what is going to take place, but we still watch anyway.

Is it really about new ideas? I would argue that it’s about winning over people. And what I mean by that, is panelists- many of whom have have my upmost respect- are not pushing the needle with new ideas. Many are connecting with audiences by giving them agreeable ideas. In the same ways that some agencies don’t deliver transformative work, but work that “does the job,” many attendees tweet about an idea we have heard. This is not a bad thing, just something to think about.

It’s like a duet…

This video is astonishing. For a whole 7 minutes, one man with a microphone controls thousands of people.

 


 

A few little communication experience
takeaways:

  • Make any user action EASY.
  • Make the little action worth it.
  • Don’t give away the payoff too early.
  • Market to create collective action in a way where people will not feel out of place by jumping in.
  • Fit the context.
  • Don’t worry, be happy…. ok, maybe not that one.

Welcome to the new blog.

I bet you noticed that this place looks a little different. Well, thanks for noticing (the 50 or so people who actually read this regularly).

My aim for making the site simple was this: I wanted a place to share my thoughts on work-related stuff. I also wanted a place to share personal writing, music videos, entertainment, etc. So here we are. Nothing groundbreaking, just a simple little revamp.

Enjoy!

Plan for Humans, Not Platforms

Strategy always begins with the user. Period. Platforms and technology are not changing what consumers do, they are changing how they do it. 

The role of Digital Strategist has given birth to other roles like Mobile Strategist and Social Strategist. Though these titles show evidence of marketers putting more focus and resources towards emerging platforms and technology, this siloing of roles may be doing more harm when it comes to crafting a user-centric strategy. As the people in charge of mapping out digital ecosystems become more spread out, marketers have evolved, and have put extraordinary emphasis on the tools that are available- not the people using them.

How do we gravitate towards something more all encompassing like a human strategy? Does it begin with eliminating departmentalized titles, or is this more of an academic practice to sit back and observe? I would start by saying that it is a bit of both. It is time to focus on a few fundamental elements in order to develop consumer-centric ecosystems.

First, scrap the media-specific job titles and break down the silos. They only build up walls that need to be broken down.

Next, understand the ins and outs of the behaviors of your audience. Learn how they share, consume and interact with media. Explore how they go through the purchase decision process and decide if there are ways for mobile, social, or emerging platforms to help them accomplish what they’re already doing. Capitalize on human behavior and choices, for they will remain the most static components of any marketing campaign regardless of any changes in the emerging media environment. What matters when you are buying a cup of coffee four years from now- whether you are paying with cash, a mobile device or an NFC chip embedded in your thumb- will not change. Only the technical means by which you purchase will change.

Once behavior is mastered, then it is time to look at begin to understand how each media platform functions in a given ecosystem. Consumers act as the pulse that keeps the brand engine pumping as they migrate from TV, to print, to digital and mobile platforms. Each platform should serve its own purpose from the other platforms. Though it is independent, it must be related and connected to the other platforms, allowing the user to transition seamlessly.

Planning for behavior promotes action and interest. Let’s move toward a consumer strategy and begin taking steps towards a mutually beneficial, value-providing relationship, regardless of the m

Forecasting the Future

With the year coming to an end, I decided to make a few digital trend predictions for next year:

ROI is not be the sole focus

Finally, agencies will not be held accountable for only bottom line ROI. More brand marketers will be looking to agencies to increase visibility, engagement and brand affinity, not just sales. New important metrics will not be static independent numbers like Facebook likes, ROI, Twitter followers, etc., instead we will use an algorithmic cocktail of weighted social and sales metrics.

Google will get smarter, SEO will become less relevant

When SEO works, Google has failed. Search is a huge part of media plans, but that just increases visibility. Google is known for getting consumers what they want organically, not what someone with SEO software optimizes for. Google will continue to update its algorithm to include more personal and social data to serve more accurate results based on interest, less so on keyword optimization.

The purpose of mobile websites will be defined

The majority of mobile sites are built for easy browsing (and most look like crap). Designing for mobility will be more important going forward. What does this mean? Mobile sites will not be mini versions or tab-browsing versions of .com websites. They will have a specific purpose in the marketing system that is different than the main website. Designing for mobility means designing for context, utility, and purpose.

Agencies will be more responsible for content

Commercials suck. Content rules. Branded content will become more important and will ultimately be what agencies get paid the big bucks to do. Short content and social experiences can only be so engaging. Longer content to engage with and share will become more important.

Alright, time to sit back, relax, and see if these take place!