Integration

Channel Surfing for Influencers: Social Media

In my third of four posts about which channels work best to reach and engage influencers, I take a look at the new kid on the block: social media.

Marketers are sometimes torn between doing what has worked most effectively in the past and testing out new technologies and channels that have the potential to be real game-changers in the future.

The bright shiny object of the last few years is, of course, social media, a channel that’s still not completely understood but that has, in theory, the potential to radically change the way we market.

Why? Well, to start with, based on our research, influencers are spending 7 hours per week in the US and 9 in Canada on social media sites like Facebook, Twitter and blogs. That’s already impressive but when you add to that the finding that influencers are connected, on average, to 108 (US) and 137 (Canada) people in their own social media network, that’s something that gets the attention of marketers – as it should.

While social media shares ease of use with the email channel, it’s this community or network that may hold the key to the channel’s true potential. These individuals have chosen to be connected based on an affinity for a particular community, and are actively engaged with others in it and outside that community too.

Bill McCloskey at ClickZ offers some fascinating examples about the potential power of social media, including this one:

“…look at Marvel Comics, which is one of the top performing ‘advertisers’ in the Twitter space. As of right now, Marvel has around 44,000 followers [63,000+ as I write this post]. But over the last few weeks, it sent out 151 Twitter offers. But more than that: 246 ‘influencers’ have directly rebroadcast that message to their followers. Add it all up and Marvel has exposed its offer to over 66 million eyeballs over the past few weeks!”

Those are some impressive numbers and just a hint of the potential opportunities social media offers marketers. However we do need to distinguish the difference between influencers: some will talk; others will pass along information (as per above) and of utmost value are those that truly influence others – by eliciting action. So whether on social media sites or via email or on the phone, you must understand what you are trying to achieve and ensure that you have designed appropriately.

One more thing bares repeating from my last two posts: even if some channels are better than others to reach particular consumers in particular ways, the fact is these channels work best for marketers when they work together.

For instance, email messages that offer a social-sharing option (like Twitter and Facebook) generate a 30% higher click-through rate than emails without it, according to a new study by email marketing company Get Response. And if the email includes three or more social-sharing options, that click-through rate jumps to 55%.

The bottom line? Social media offers a unique and advantageous opportunity to find, reach, engage and have a continuous dialogue with individuals – both within their social media communities and in their network at large. Just needs to be done right!

In the fourth and final part of this series, I’ll blog about the true answer to the question – which channel is most effective at finding, reaching, engaging and motivating influencers?

Gillian MacPherson

Channel Surfing for Influencers: Email

Part 2 of a 4 part series

Which channel is most effective at finding, reaching, engaging and motivating influencers to spread the word about your product? In this second of four posts, I take a look at email.

In part 1, I blogged about some of the reasons marketers still consider direct mail an effective way to reach influencers, but the truth is that was only part of the story. Because while DM still has a role to play in engaging influencers to spread the word about your brand, email is also a powerful channel and one that’s becoming more so all the time.

There are, of course, the obvious reasons email is so effective: it’s easy for consumers to forward – a sort of digital word of mouth – and, especially these days, it’s easily accessible whether you’re on your BlackBerry, iPhone, Mac or PC, at home, at work or on the run.

An email campaign may also be cheaper and less labour-intensive to launch: although these days consumers report opening up less of the vast amount of emails received so perhaps cheaper is an illusion. But we do know that recent technology has made targeting, tracking and offer redemption much easier than in the past.

Perhaps where email marketing can be most successful at reaching consumers and convincing influencers is in its interactivity. You can include a url link to your website or blog or Facebook page in which the consumer can immediately connect. And of course you can design an email to offer a level of animation to engage the senses.

Plus, based on a study we just conducted, people have very specific reasons why they like to be marketed via email, including:

• Speed: It’s in your inbox – or in your trash – in a flash
• Convenience: You can read it at work, at home, or anywhere in between
• Environmental: Unless you want to print it out to save or share, trees and our environment get a break

That said, the truth is DM and email can live with each other because they both have an important role to play, as ClickSquared’s Dan Smith explains:

Not all customers respond to communications in the same way… In certain industries – charities come to mind – direct mail remains the primary method for new donor acquisition. Email is used primarily to solicit renewals from existing donors – and in the absence of a response, is often followed by yet another direct mail piece.

The circle of life – marketing style.

In part 3 of this series, I’ll focus on the new kid on the block – social media.

Thoughts?

Gillian MacPhersen

Surprise

Not many things surprise me after so many years in this business, but I have to admit, this did:

http://googlewebmastercentral.blogspot.com/2009/09/google-does-not-use-keywords-meta-tag.html

Since starting my own creative consultancy two years ago, I've written many websites for clients who think that key words actually matter. So you can imagine my surprise when I learned that Google doesn't use the "keywords" meta tag in their web search ranking. Obviously this isn't as earth-shattering as learning that cigarettes are bad for you or that Balloon Boy was a hoax, but it does raise an eyebrow given that Google hasn't exactly advertised this news. Thoughts?

Recessionary Marketing, Theme #3

Canada’s Emergence as a Marketing Leader

Canada has produced many award-winning marketing strategies recently that are being duplicated else where. Moving forward, Canadian marketers will have an opportunity to be innovative and creative as US markets become increasingly conservative.

Although the Canadian market is relatively mature with slow growth rates, experts believe that the recent economic turmoil created as a result of the global credit crisis will force US marketing departments to act more conservatively, thus giving global brands the opportunity to innovate and lead new marketing initiatives (through testing and metrics) in Canada. For example, BBDO worked with Frito Lay to develop the ‘Doritos Guru’ campaign, which involved the brand working with consumers to generate a name for the new flavour of Doritos as well as product marketing communications for the flavour. This brand-consumer partnership (co-creation) was launched in Canada but is now being used by other brands around the world.

As marketing programs become increasingly complex and integrated, the Canadian marketplace offers brands more simplistic measurement capabilities, compared to the larger population and logistical challenges posed by such a large geographic scope in the US. Canada also has the opportunity to own ‘green marketing’ by creating strong branding/communications models thus getting the attention of the US.

There has been a new found respect for Canada, as one executive in a recent recessionary marketing roundtable stated “we haven’t screwed things up badly”, referring to our relatively strong banking system. Five years ago there was a lot of negativity surrounding ‘Canadian’ branding, but recently there has been a shift. Focus groups conducted by RBC in the US found that American consumers wanted to have the company Canadian-branded.

Overall, American marketers are beginning to understand that there are significant differences that impact consumer behaviour in Canadian and American markets, thus beginning to buy-into the belief that Canadian markets require unique marketing programs.

What are your thoughts on the topic of Canadian marketing leadership?

Marketing Innovation (recessionary marketing theme #2)

As mentioned with our last post, Brand Matters conducted research on the topic marketing in a recession; what does it take to win. This is the second installment sharing our findings with theme #2, Marketing Innovation.

As companies tighten marketing budgets, marketers are increasingly expected to do more with less. The value proposition remains at the core of a brand’s offering; however, marketers are taking an innovation angle rather than price cutting.

Experts agree, in times of economic downturn brands must continue to invest in marketing. There is increased competition with value brands growing, premium brands lowering prices, and private label brands beginning to advertise. As a result, marketers are faced with the challenge of finding more innovative/compelling strategies to break through the clutter and effectively reach consumers. Marketers need to find fresh, cost-efficient ways to not only communicate with consumers, but also attract new customers as competitors eat into market share. If competitors do slash prices, this is when brands must be innovative in order to sustain their competitive value offering.

No longer are agencies providing the ‘big idea’, instead, innovation is appearing in the form of smaller, more practical tactics – for example, digital media and community building are being used to better serve the needs of a more targeted group of high-value customers. As Brenda Truant says, “With less resources, you [marketers] must work smarter not harder."

Examples of resourceful marketing tactics include:

(1) Co-creation with consumers - the Doritos Guru campaign successfully accomplished by achieve over 1.5 million exposures),
(2) Brand partnership – seeking out potential brands to partner with who share the same customers or have a similar brand character. For example, BMW.
(3) Gain deeper consumer insights – analyze user generated content to identify consumer insights and refine marketing communication tactics. As the insight analytics business continues to grow, there is an opportunity to review this consumer-generated content to truly understand their branding needs and identify the most appropriate marketing communications tactics.

Organizations lacking cross-functional internal alignment and trust, especially between marketing and finance, will find it more challenging to gain buy-in and support for new marketing communications initiatives.

Although new marketing communications initiatives are often tests, experts agree that they should not be referred to as ‘tests’ internally – instead they should be folded into an integrated marketing communications plan with more traditional tactics. These tests are important as they will help develop the marketing communications innovation pipeline which will result in future marketing communications programs. Marketing must own testing, as stated by one participant, “without experiments [tests] there is only measuring and tracking.”

Do you have more to add with examples of successful Innovation Tactics that have been developed by your organization?

Consumption smoothing - how to stress test your marketing strategies

Will a cut back in consumer spending have a dramatic impact on your business performance? The key to succeeding in these challenging times is to explore scenarios that you haven't looked at in the past because business cannot use the same strategies for a different set of economic conditions or marketing outcomes. Consumption smoothing is an emerging trend that may be of interest to marketers. It’s a popular approach used by consumers to insure their consumption in the presence of risky and variable incomes.

What is Consumption Smoothing?

Consumption smoothing is an economic concept which seeks to balance spending and saving to attain and maintain the highest possible living standard over the course of one's life. This idea is notable because of its difference in approach to common knowledge about consumer behaviour during periods of economic growth. However, in uncertain times, the concept can have a significant impact on the growth and profitability of your brands if you identify customer groups who are most likely to experience consumption smoothing.

What does this mean for marketers?

Here are five ideas on how senior marketers could approach this emerging trend:

1. Explore new consumer segmentation models.

Account for risk profiles of your most profitable customers. Adding a variable that measures attitudes to risk may provide an indication of how consumers will react to changes in household incomes, economic conditions and pricing changes.

2. Revise price elasticity models.

Research indicates consumer behaviour in a crisis is characterized by consumption smoothing at various levels. In sum, these behavioural adjustments result in significant reallocation of consumption expenditures depending on the profile of your most profitable customers. Brand portflio pricing strategies that account for potential shifts in purchase patterns can deliver more profitable growth strategies.

3. Assess the potential impact of consumption smoothing on your brand portfolio.

Consumer smoothing is accentuated in some categories and for some brands that have specific profiles that make them more vulnerable to changes in economic conditions and consumer spending patterns. Using scenario planning techniques may result in increased visibility of potential strategies.

4. Ask the right questions.

Often marketers take the approach of looking at their competitors for cues on superior strategies. This could be a suboptimal approach if these strategies do not undergo rigorous stress testing for emerging consumer behaviour.

5. Look at best practices from past recessions.

Explore successful strategies adopted by brands with similar profiles in past recessions. The analysis may shed some light on opportunities for initiatives that can lead to superior results.

Please email me if you may have any questions or would like to receive more information about consumer smoothing trends in your product category.

Marketing in Recessionary Times: a Dialogue Based on Four Themes

Our firm conducted research over the past 5 months via an on-line survey and a moderated roundtable with industry experts with a focus on the topic marketing in a recession; what does it take to win. Over the next few weeks I will share each of the four themes that we uncovered as input to CMA's Marketing Blog with the hope of stimulating more dialogue on this topic.

The four marketing themes are: (1) Trust & Community Building; (2) Marketing Innovation; (3) Canada’s Emergence as a Marketing Leader and (4) Need for Integrated Marketing Communications.

1. Trust & Community Building

As a result of the US banking failure and collapse of storied companies like GM and Nortel, a shift has occurred in today’s marketing landscape. Consumers are becoming increasingly skeptical of traditional ‘push’ marketing and as such, brands are increasingly focusing on fostering a sense of trust with consumer through ‘community building’.

There has been a value shift in the eyes of the consumer; consumers are placing additional value in brands they trust in response to increased anxiety and fear caused by recent financial collapses. Looking at drivers of demand amongst financial institution consumers, there has been a shift to ‘trust’ from ‘confidence and convenience’. Traditional media will not address this shift in consumer need, where as having more direct conversations/interactions will.

Trust can be built multiple ways. The more traditional method used is to maximize share of voice (SOV) using mass media: this visibility confirms brand strength and makes consumers more accustomed to your brand. However, brands are now beginning to incorporate ‘community building’ into their marketing communications to give consumers (who are passionate about the brand/cause) the emotional brand connection and experience of community. This tactic will reach a more targeted consumer base and could include current customers, prospects, and influencers. The need for integrated marketing communications will be examined in further detail later in this Blog series.

Community building can foster trust through the following strategies/tactics:

1. Allowing consumers to connect directly through branded programs.
For example, The Running Room invites customers to participate in company-led runs. This allows running enthusiasts (a core customer target) to connect directly and develop a sense of community – anchored by the brand. Dove’s ‘Real beauty campaign’ fostered a sense of community at all levels, while benefiting from the fame attached to the brand.

2. Being transparent allowing two-way communications.
For example, the Globe and Mail has recently added a two-way dialogue feature to its online offering allowing readers to interact directly with editorial writers. In another example, the CEO of a wireless company calls disengaged customers to understand the reasons for their dissatisfaction.

3. Consumer co-creation. A few best practices from industry experts:

• It is easier for strong passion brands (Lululemon, Starbucks, charities, etc.) to get consumer involvement (these are truly passionate customers) and the opportunity to contribute to a brand they love in a community of like-minded individuals is generally incentive enough to participate.
• When launching a new community, the optimal strategy is usually integrate the new community into established communities (for example, Facebook). This leverages existing communities and experts agree this results in higher consumer trust/participation that building a separate community.

What has your experience been in terms of the increasing popular strategy of Community Building and what Tactics have you found most sincere and successful?

Loyalty Marketing

At every conference, roundtable and seminar I present, I hear a common theme from the most senior marketers across every industry: more than ever, marketers are being held responsible for having loyal customers. At the same time, senior marketers share with me that they feel that several factors are making it far more challenging to develop and truly optimize cost-effective loyalty strategies. These factors include:

1) The increased number of online and offline channels – which adds another layer of complexity and required sophistication;

2) The intense competition for share of “customer mind” (for example, in the U.S., a person will belong to an average of 14 programs but will only be active in five); and

3) The compressed timeframes in which marketers are called upon to demonstrate loyalty program effectiveness and return on investment.

So, my contribution to the CMA blog and marketing community is to provide practical insights that will help senior marketers establish, increase, sustain and measure true customer loyalty.

To begin with, I’ve captured in one diagram the major topics and disciplines that professional marketers draw upon – often in isolation – in constructing customer loyalty programs.

In future blog posts, I’ll share stories, tools and advice that will help you harness the power of loyalty marketing. I’ll examine the various elements identified in this cluster, how they interact and how the grouping of these elements varies according to conditions such as target audience, budgets, timetables, technology and industry.

Embrace the Recession And Grow

For the first time in over 12 years our economy is shrinking. That means there is a new generation of leaders at the helm of Canadian businesses who, for the very first time, are being confronted with making choices and feeling professional pains that they have never before encountered.

These leaders are going through a series of stages while dealing with the realities of operating their businesses in a weak economy. And, only those who capitalize on the opportunities at each stage will emerge stronger, professionally and personally, at the end of this economic cycle than they were entering it.

Stage One: Prepare

Business leaders, for the most part, do everything they can to keep on top of current economic realities because their day-to-day operations are dramatically affected by sudden shifts in customer purchase behaviours, cash flow and long-term investments. That’s why the first stage that leaders take, although reluctantly – is to prepare for a weakened economy. Earlier this year, I described how leaders can prepare for a soft economy by recession-proofing their business. Specifically, I outlined four steps that leaders can take to build and strengthen an infrastructure that recognizes and rewards customer retention. Since successfully retaining customers is essential in a softened economy, taking these steps strengthens any business’ foundation.

Stage Two: Accept

In the last few months, local and international indices have clearly revealed that consumers and businesses alike are indeed spending less than projected. And, once a company’s revenues are affected, leaders truly accept the onset of a softening economy. During this stage, leaders can optimize several opportunities for success, for example: (i) target recession-proof industries – i.e. those that provide essential products/services rather than luxury products/services; (ii) only target segments that are the most profitable; (iii) focus marketing messages on cost-savings and reducing inefficiencies; (iv) renegotiate vendor contracts; and (v) outsource more marketing activities.

Stage Three: Embrace

During the most recent economic downturn – known as ‘the bursting of the dotcom bubble’ – ThinData consisted of a handful of dedicated professionals. With few assets to risk, we did something that was unheard of: we actually embraced the recession. That meant taking unconventional but well-grounded actions. For example, we took the opportunity to find and hire talented people who had been displaced. At the same time, we recognized that our former competitors were not marketing aggressively. That provided a rare opportunity to build name recognition, positive associations and new relationships in a ‘marketing vacuum’.

By successfully growing stronger through these hard times, the valuable lessons we learned about how to prepare for, accept and embrace weakened economies continue to shape our innovative approach to operating and building a sound business and vibrant culture.

Optimize Your Mix: Five Lessons from Email Marketing

I am frequently approached by senior marketers – from across industries – who confide in me that they are grappling with how to achieve an optimal ‘marketing mix’ in light of all the available new media and traditional media. They want to build on their history of success in one medium or technology platform (e.g. mobile, print, web) and leverage all marketing media.

As someone who has seen many marketing and technology trends over the last 13 years, I have identified some consistently powerful lessons that, while drawn from permission-based email marketing, can be applied to improve marketing results across all platforms. These five lessons include:

1. Always Deliver Relevant Content and Segment

Technology has progressed to the point where recipients can choose key components of the marketing information they are to receive – including method of contact, content, timing and frequency. When customers and prospects have control over what marketing information they want, when they receive it and how it arrives, they are dramatically more likely to act upon a marketing campaign’s call-to-action.

2. Collect Your Customers’ Permission: They Demand It

Because gathering permission helps marketers build a positive brand experience and engage with customers, it has become a fundamental to all marketing campaigns – online and offline. The Do Not Call List is another demonstration that securing customer permission is every marketer’s obligation and responsibility. Furthermore, Canadian privacy legislation (PIPEDA) mandates permission is gathered.

3. Test. Measure. Test. Measure.

There are four key lessons regarding measuring and testing:

• Campaign metrics need to be tied to specific business goals at the onset of any campaign. For example, ‘brand reach’ can be linked to the number of new subscribers and successful initiatives to build referrals.

• Use campaign-specific and company-established benchmarks in addition to industry-wide stats.

• As technology and campaigns progress, the meaning and importance of metrics evolves. For example, at one time, email open rates had been held out as the key measure of campaign success. However, with image-blocking software and the popularity of preview panes, the focus has switched to achieving specific conversions.

• As marketing technologies have evolved to allow for variable delivery options, so too has the ability to test several component parts of each marketing campaign. In email marketing, that means the ability to test subject lines, copy, personalization and the specific offer.

4. Focus on “Relative Time” Rather Than on “Absolute Time”

Marketers have long recognized that timing can make or break a campaign. The challenge however is the tendency to seek a ‘perfect time’. Throughout the year, email marketing studies are published that point to a particular day of the week and/or time-of-day as ‘the best time’ to reach out to customers and prospects.

However, because marketing is about establishing, nurturing and enriching relationships, choosing the right times to optimize a campaign’s results involves addressing several items such as: when the previous communication was delivered, the nature of the communication and the time-sensitivity of the message.

5. Integrate with Business Applications

Whether you are leveraging call centres, point-of-sale tracking or any other media, integrate the flow of appropriate data into business applications so that the effectiveness of each campaign can be tied to key metrics such as revenues and acquisition costs. One of the reasons that email, for example, is poised to become an even more powerful marketing tool is because it can be easily integrated into business platforms such as Customer Relationship Management systems and Content Management Systems.

As senior marketers, we are all working towards one common goal: creating and sustaining a positive experience to acquire and retain customers. These lessons, drawn from permission-based email marketing, allow every marketer to harness and optimize their marketing mix.

I welcome hearing any lessons that have helped you optimize your marketing mix - share here on the CMA Blog, or feel free to contact me directly at president@thindata.com.

Online video isn't the future, it's the present

Google Canada hosted a showcase last week in Toronto, complete with recent case studies and numbers from YouTube.

The following stats had several jaws hitting the floor:

• 10 hours of content is uploaded to YouTube every 60 seconds
• YouTube contributors produce 3000x more output than Hollywood
• Hollywood would need to premier 57,230 feature films a week just to keep up
• YouTube currently boasts 200M+ worldwide unique visits a month
• 25% of surveyed registered YouTube viewers watch more video content online than they do on TV

YouTube Demographics


• 55% suburban, 26% urban, 19% rural
• 71% employed, 15% students
• 47% married
• 69% college educated
(source)

Several case studies were featured, including a YouTube, HP and Fox Searchlight program called “Project Direct”.

Other highlights;
Mark Nicholson from ING Direct presented the Canadian Superstar Saver Search,
Paul McGrath from CBC presented some digital strategy including “The Hour” channel on YouTube

Here’s a little Advertising on YouTube primer to get you started:

Experiential Marketing

“Experiential marketing” could easily be dismissed as an overly fancy marketing term that applies only to events and trade shows. But in reality, it’s much more than setting up a booth and making sure you have cool swag to hand out that entices folks to stop and hear your sales pitch.

Beyond the spoken word
Just now being more frequently used as a new marketing approach, it's the evolution and extension of consumer brand experiences beyond traditional advertising. According to Wikipedia, it attempts “to connect consumers with brands in personally relevant and memorable ways –experiencing and participating in a brand moment, rather than the usual disruptive, passive advertising messages we are surrounded by today.”

Let’s face it – most of us, if we admit it or not, try to avoid or block out irrelevant marketing messages whenever possible and by any means available. Thanks to Norton, Google and Microsoft, I can’t remember the last time a pop up interrupted my online experience like a telemarketing call at dinner time. I also know lots of folks (not me of course) who happily subscribe to personal video recorders that let them zip through commercial breaks.

Now, contrast this ‘blocking’ attitude with experiential marketing – where consumers happily allow brands into their world. You don’t have to look farther than leading social networking sites MySpace and Facebook to see fan pages devoted to Starbucks (73,000 fans and counting), Absolut Vodka (26,527) and even older established brands like the Marmite Food Company (68,397) and In-and-Out Burger (6,402). How can this be?

You're on the list.
In our technology obsessed world where the internet, Xbox and text messaging replace common, face to face interactions, experiential marketing gives control to the consumer, who controls (with the help of technology) who’s allowed into their universe. It’s not unlike being stuck outside a nightclub waiting to get in. You’re either on the list and, with a backward glance to the unfortunates, whisked inside. Or you wait by the front door with everyone else, hoping to get tap on the shoulder while the party is still going on.

Some great work is being done.
And experiential marketing isn’t limited to online. MAX LENDERMAN is a Chicago-based creative director of GMR Marketing, and the former president and creative director of Gearwerx Experiential Marketing in Montreal. In his new book, Experience the Message: How Experiential Marketing is Changing the Brand World he offers compelling case studies on how experiential marketing helped to launch new brands and save older ones while delivering meaningful share, revenue and profit increases:

Absolut launched a new spirits brand Cut, by leasing two bars in Sydney and Melbourne. They put on DJ sets, band concerts and photo exhibitions in these spaces. Visitors to the Absolut Cut bars got a free bottle and consumers were given a chance to contribute their photos to the exhibits, generating what Absolut hoped would be a viral element to the campaign. Instead of using mass marketing to blanket the millions in order to reach the few, Absolut chose to target the few to eventually reach the masses.

Not only can experiential marketing tactics launch a brand without mass-media support, it can rejuvenate it as well. Take Pabst Blue Ribbon beer, a brand with a 20-year span of sales declines and loss of market share. With its small marketing budget, brand managers at Pabst decided to take an experiential approach and began sponsoring sub cultural events to reach the influentials such as scooter rallies, dodge ball tournaments, and fashion shows for peanuts. After losing 90% of its volume between 1978 and 2001, Pabst was in the positive numbers in 2004 with a 15% volume lift.

Experiential marketing is an incredibly interesting field opening up to marketers. With technology as a core component, we’re learning new ways to target, appeal to and retain customers. And in order for it to work effectively, we have to acknowledge that the decision making power is firmly in the consumer’s hands – and their willingness to experience our brand. It’s really no farther away than a mouse click, smartphone or remote control.

Teaching Marketing Is Getting Tougher And Tougher

I'm pretty certain people like Professor Kenneth Wong will have their say, but the more time I spend with University students, the more concerned I am about the health of Marketing education.

There's no denying that young people today live in a world where wikis, YouTube, Facebook and text messaging are as prevalent in their lives as electricity was in ours. Take a look at the recent news item where a student at Ryerson University faces expulsion for using a Facebook Group to enable a virtual study group for a chemistry class (which the university saw as cheating) - Globe And Mail - Ryerson Student Cheered At Expulsion Hearing. Companies are going to be facing some serious challenges as the students become the workforce of the future.

On one side, it's challenging to have classes at the University level on topics like Social Media Marketing, Search Engine Optimization, Web Analytics, Email Marketing and Digital Media buying, because there are few teachers available with the knowledge and insight... and even fewer approved textbooks. It's an area of study that is truly organic - constantly changing and evolving. Even some of the best Marketing companies out there still struggle with these competencies as agencies scramble to build them as centres of excellence within their own organization.

Strangely enough, on the other side, most students studying Marketing and Advertising at the University level are lured to the more traditional marketing agencies (working creative for 30-second spots, etc...).

Where's the disconnect?

Is Digital Marketing still not a large enough segment of the Marketing pie to get the attention? Is it a lack of education? Or, do young people not see the opportunity going forward as more and more ad dollars shift into the Digital side?

Whatever the answer - and, my guess is it's a combination of all three, the shift is happening.

While Marketing is never recession proof (usually the exact opposite), when dollars do get pulled, it's looking like they are getting shifted to cheaper and more strategic channels (like Search Engine Marketing and Email programs) than being entirely yanked from the Marketing line of business.

Bottom line, we need more Marketers understanding the Digital side of advertising. And, if you don't believe me (after all, I'm heavily vested in this area), just take a look at the statistics.

The Decline (and Rise) of the Creative Brief

Now that I've started my own company, I'm reminded of how critically important the Brief Document is to developing creative. And not just good creative, but insightful, smart, relevant and strategically sound creative.

If I had to assign a grade to the average Brief I've seen over the years, I'm afraid I'd be pulling the parents into the classroom to discuss my concern for the child's future. In fact, the future of the Brief, I believe, is in serious jeopardy unless changes are made.

When I first started in this business, Briefs were treated with the respect they deserved -- both by the account people developing them and by the creative people inspired by them. I use the word "developing" up there in the previous sentence because that's really what should be happening -- and back in the old days, that is what happened. Briefs were developed by account people who understood that Briefing Documents were their opportunity to inspire brilliant creative. They weren't just filling out a form or transcribing the Client Brief from one template to another template. (Or worse, doing nothing at all.) They were developing a Creative Brief that added value, a unique perspective, clarity, and most importantly, inspiration.

Client Briefs and Creative Briefs are not the same thing.

Client Briefs contain marketing data, extensive background, customer data, research, the demands of several constituents (product managers, their bosses, marketing managers, their bosses, etc.).

Creative Briefs should be an important distillation of Client Briefs -- not just a cut and paste of the Client Brief into the Agency Creative Brief template. The Agency Creative Brief is an opportunity for the agency to gain consensus. It should be used to ensure that there is a common understanding of what is being asked by the client. The focus should be crisp. Once developed, it should be discussed, face to face with the client to ensure that what they're asking for is being understood and communicated.

When I became an Associate Creative Director, one of the Account Directors with whom I worked suggested that I review the Briefs his account team wrote before they went back to the client or were briefed into a creative team. At the time I thought that was an unusual request. But then I realized that the Creative perspective on a Brief is different than the Account Team's or Client's perspective.

I've reviewed Briefs ever since. Upon review, I would have a discussion with the Account Person and if I had any questions or if I needed clarification, they could be addressed either by said Account Person or by the client before using up valuable Creative Team time. (Too often, the strategy gets figured out during the Creative Development process instead of during the Briefing process.)

By the time the Creative Team was briefed, the Brief would be strategically sound, clear and creatively inspiring. And that means, the creative product would be right the first time. (Right the first time from the client's perspective -- because the work would fit the brief like a glove.)

So how do you know if your Brief deserves a passing or failing grade?

1. There can only be ONE Key Communication Objective. It should be one sentence. No longer. And it should be directly linked to the Customer Net Takeaway section of the brief.

2. Think about the Consumer Problem. The Brief should clearly and simply communicate what the consumer problem is. Your product or service is the Solution to that problem. And the features and benefits are the Proof that your product or service delivers. (I've just told you the secret structure to any campaign in any channel. I guarantee it works.)

3. The Features and Benefits. They are not the same thing! Knowing the difference and communicating them clearly make all the difference.

4. The Product is not the Offer. Make sure the offer is clear and it'll be clearly communicated in the Creative.

5. There is such a thing as too much information. Say everything as economically as you can and everything will be that much clearer.

6. Target Audience. If there's only one target, great. If there's more than one target, then you probably need a matrix breaking down how the Key Communication Objective changes against each target.

7. What does the Target Audience currently think? And what do we want them to think once they've been exposed to our campaign? This is important because it gives the Creative Team inspiration for how to overcome customer objections to your offering.

There is so much more that could be written about the Brief. And you're probably reading this and thinking how basic it all seems. But if you can answer YES to any of the following questions, then it might be time to think about briefing differently.

1. Does it ever seem like the Agency/Creative Team isn't "getting it"?
2. Do you ever sit in creative presentations and think "this isn't what I asked for"?
3. Do your Creative Teams ask too many questions after they've already been briefed?
4. Does it ever take more than one round of Creative to get what you thought you were going to get?
5. Do you feel like your Agency isn't adding any value?

I guarantee that if you challenge your Agency to write a Creative Brief, (or as an Agency, if you take the time to develop a Creative Brief for your teams and your Client) you will get better Creative, faster. You will cut down on the rounds of changes/new concepts. And that means you will be paying for fewer hours.

People think "process" takes up too much time -- then end up paying for the extra hours when the work needs to be done the second time.

Stop the insanity. Fix the Brief.

C-Level Marketing

It used to be critical for every marketer to understand and apply the 4 P's of marketing. They are Product, Price, Place (Distribution) and Promotion. Seems a bit out of sync these days given the new world of marketing and the evolution of consumer interaction in the digital space.

I'm not suggesting we forget about the 4 P's, not at all. However, I propose we move up the alphabet and expand out. I believe we are now faced with 7 C’s of Digital Marketing. They are Content, Community, Conversation, Creative, Campaigns, Conversion and Commerce.

All play a very significant role together in today's ever changing marketing landscape. As search, social media, social networks, online video, virtual worlds, widgets, mobile and a host of other areas and elements gain in popularity, marketers must continually reformulate the way they approach and engage their audience. Today context is vital along with utility and, to a certain degree, entertainment. And, we can't forget about measurement. The need to quantify the effectiveness of our efforts is greater today (and I'd argue more attainable) than ever before.

Understanding how the 7 C's overlap, intertwine and are used in combination is just as important as the foundation set with the 4 P's. Change is good.