The Marketing Diner

What To Do When Workload Goes Up And Curiosity Goes Down

Jared Degnan — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 01:20:08 +0000

When business gets good, my company does what any other company does; put the nose to the grindstone and CRANK…THAT…S%*#…OUT! Unfortunately, with our noses so close in to our computer screens, its easy for me and my co-workers to lose that hunger for continual knowledge and betterment. What was once the feeder for our creativity and innovation has now become a luxury few of us can afford.

That doesn’t mean we should stop seeking that knowledge, though. Business is business. We’re all going to be busy and the more we accept that as a fact, the more we’ll look for ways to do the work better, smarter and more efficiently. In the meantime, we can’t forget to continually “fill our cups” with the very stuff that is going to keep us ahead of the curve and will keep the clients rolling in.

Right now, for instance, I am playing around with an internal article blog running off of Posterous. With a couple clicks of a mouse, I can send an email (the most common communication tool in my day) that automatically creates a post on the blog. That means I can use my web browser, my personal feed reader or even my iPhone (via NetNewsWire) to find and post articles I think my co-workers might like. I can even set it up so that the blog creates a digest of itself every day using FeedBurner. In the end, everyone gets a simple, easy way to keep up with the news without having to leave Microsoft Outlook.

Ok, that’s my soapbox for the day.

You can all go back to watching Jerseylicious…or whatever it is you do on at Monday night. I’m just sayin’…it’s a good show. Don’t judge me.

MD Episode #4.7: Was The MBA Worth It?

Jared Degnan — Sun, 30 May 2010 21:17:37 +0000

With a year under the belt since graduation; was the MBA worth it?

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Download audio file (MD05302010.mp3)

To respond, leave us a comment on the show notes or leave us an audio comment at (202) 596-7220.

Referenced Links:

Geek Breakfast DC

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5 Blogs To Read Religiously If You Want To Make It In Marketing

Jared Degnan — Fri, 21 May 2010 18:21:51 +0000

One of my continual sources of amusement is finding marketers that confuse execution with expertise. Instead of spending so much time building your “consulting” website or re-tweeting other people’s stuff – why not spend time reading?

Audacious suggestion, right? Think about it; carpenters have the rule-of-thumb ”measure twice and cut once.” It’s what makes the most of their time and results in a more professional product. Why not apply the same thing to marketing?

As my personal contribution to the betterment of the marketing profession (as well as in the tradition of “link love” for those who produce great content) here are the 5 blogs I read religiously and that I think can help educate and inform any marketer:

http://mashable.com/ – The industry standard for social media news. In the past these guys have been all over the map but they’ve finely tuned their news style to create Mashable as a hub for current events in social media and interactive marketing.
http://econsultancy.com/blog – one of the smartest sites out there for combining social media and real world business strategy. UK-based but globally relevant, you’re not going to see breaking news but you will find some of the best insights and observations.
http://allthingsd.com/ – The WSJ’s digital media blog. In case you didn’t know, they run a conference every year with the world’s best minds, everyone goes and the recaps are put on this blog, they also are a good authority to cite in any client presentation. If you need authority, you can’t beat the WSJ.
http://www.socialmediaexplorer.com/ – Another good, biz/social media blog. Jason Falls writes this, a good guy with a very practical approach to SM (as opposed to the hundreds of “also rans” that think they know social media because they have a Facebook and Twitter account).
http://www.copyblogger.com/ – Finally, it’s not really a business or media blog but Copyblogger has great tips on the holy grail of all great marketing; concise and insightful content. Very relevant across all platforms, I used it religiously when I was first starting out as a copywriter for the web and still keep up with it for inspiration and ideas.

If it sounds like I am on a bit of a soapbox with these suggestions it’s because I am. To me, it’s important to do your homework and come to a project prepared with not only the skills but the contextual relevance that comes from staying current.

Got a blog that you read religiously that I missed?

MD Episode #4.6: BJ Emerson – Social Technology Officer, Tasti D-Lite

Jared Degnan — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 11:47:40 +0000

In the first video edition of The Marketing Diner, BJ Emerson of Tasti D-Lite sits down to talk Social/CRM Strategy and how the tech guys can help you rock social media.

To respond, leave us a comment on the show notes or leave us an audio comment at (202) 596-7220.

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In the battle of sales vs. client services, who reigns supreme?

Jared Degnan — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 11:55:00 +0000

It seems like every day, I am torn between the need to provide exceptional service to the client and the reality of having to promote account growth through the sales and renewal process. Such is life in an agency. In fact, the best learn how to balance and align the two efforts so that the work naturally evolves through the relationship to bigger and better things.

Ogilvy, an agency founded on the principle of sales, has decided to re-frame the question. They want to know if you can sell a brick and, if so, would you come work for them selling agency engagements?

I’ll admit, the contest sounds interesting. If it wasn’t for my experience in sales (and the fact that I actually have a job, already) I would be tempted to enter it. Here’s my problem though; who leads who? If sales leads client services; you end up getting oversold and over-committed just to meet the needs of closing the sale. If you let client services lead sales, you end up over-delivering and…well, bankrupt.

My sales friends and I like to argue this point endlessly but I want to know what you think. Who should reign supreme; sales, client services, or how would you balance both?

Is Geo-Social the New, Hot Marketing Playground for Brands?

Jared Degnan — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 20:55:02 +0000

A week or two ago I ended up doing a story on the emerging opportunity presented to that businesses on Foursquare. In it, I basically said that geo-social networking sites like Foursquare present great opportunities for smaller businesses but that larger chains have yet to tap what is rapidly becoming the latest consumer obsession.

If to only magnify my point; I decided to do a little digging about marketing through geo-social networking applications. My search resulted not only the recent news that Foursquare has added some incredibly robust statistics for businesses but that some brands, mainly in the entertainment space, are exploring the space as well.

In particular, many entertainment brands like Bravo TV are partnering with Foursquare to create their own badges, the popular yet addictive payoff for playing the location-based game.

As entertainment brands are usually the first to jump on big social marketing trends, the question emerges about how addictive will this be for consumers?

As far as I can tell, here are the three big road-blocks to adoption:

Privacy – Users are starting to see the downsides of letting everyone know where they are at all times. Need evidence? Check out PleaseRobMe.com.
Novelty – As with any application, geo-social may just be a flash in the pan. Users may get really excited about this for a couple of months, making the first movers a lot of money then leave brands holding the bag on marketing opportunities no one takes advantage of.
Over-Saturation – Finally, if anyone can get their own badge, what’s the “get” for consumers? Suddenly there might be 1,000 badges and no longer are any of them exclusive. There goes your reason for trying to check-in at more locations than your friends.

What other angles, for or against, can you guys can see to geo-social networking sites like Foursquare becoming the next big thing for consumer brands?

CPG’s Love/Hate Relationship With Social Media

Jared Degnan — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 11:57:02 +0000

This post was previously featured on the New Media Strategies Blog. Click here to read other posts from my co-workers, the other “undisputed bad asses of social media.”

In terms of progress in social media, 2009 was a rough one for Consumer Packaged Goods Brands – otherwise known as CPGs. From Motrin Moms to the Skittles Interweb, it’s no wonder some CPG marketers are apt to describe their relationship with their product’s social media strategy as “complicated.”

On one hand, CPG marketers have always been wary of social media because they love control and predictability. They are used to drawing on decades of market data to tell them that if they put X amount of dollars into a traditional ad buy on television, radio and/or print, they have a pretty good chance of getting Y level of return. Social media, as a relatively young and evolving channel, doesn’t have that kind of predictability. That tradeoff tends to weigh heavily when it comes to determining marketing spend for a brand with sales expectations upwards of $1 billion per year.

On the other hand, social media has also always held an allure for CPG marketers. It appeals to an aspirational desire for consumers to take ownership of the brand. Diet Coke and Zappos are prime examples of instances where consumers have created their own messages on behalf of a brand because and in doing so create a sense of ownership for themselves. Not only does this type of messaging and behavior tend to benefit a brands’ reputation; once a consumer feels they “own” a brand, it is very hard for them to be convinced to switch to a competitor.

The question is, will CPG ever be able to truly embrace social media not only for what it is, but also for the unique balance of risk and calculation that it takes to really succeed in it?

Here at NMS, we’re definitely working towards that goal with all of our CPG clients. Though there may not be a single right answer that applies to all brands, but we can say that there are three things we know for certain:

1 – Social Media can be measured

Despite reports to the contrary, the impact of social media is not impossible to track – you just have to know what they are looking for. Sure, data sources like Google Analytics, Facebook Insights and the measurement of online sentiment may not tell you much on their own. However, once you start folding data on top of data and actively experimenting with things like online coupons; you are able to see a much clearer picture of how consumer dialogue in social media affects in-store purchases.

2 – You have to take smart risks to win

In the modern marketplace, it’s no longer enough to have a brand and a message. Market leaders, particularly those aspiring to consumer ownership of their brands, must have a personality. That means some consumers might not relate to that personality and yes, you might have to give up the ability to target all demographics at once. However, by selecting the right kind of personality and the right social media platforms to compete on, you can hedge your bet that consumers will react favorably to your brand’s presence in social media.

3 – Social media is the ultimate barometer of brand health

Though some CPG marketers may not like to hear it, one of the most prevalent reasons products don’t succeed in social media is because the products just aren’t that good. You might be able to spin the positive attributes of a so-so product in a television ad but when it comes to consumers, social media is absolutely a “no-spin zone.” Regardless of what category you’re in, if you have a good product that consumers actually like and a smart social media strategy for appealing to their online behaviors, consumers are going to want to talk about it.

Social media has a different set of rules. CPG brands wanting to compete in this space need a different toolkit than in traditional media. However, despite the differences, social media really is an excellent match for the goals and needs of CPGs brands. Now that we are in 2010, it will be fascinating to see what transpires as consumers continue to move more of their dialogue into the social media space.

MD Episode #4.5: The Ups, Downs & Genius of Crowsourcing w/Peter LaMotte of GeniusRocket

Jared Degnan — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 13:27:54 +0000

Is crowdsourcing really the consumer empowerment and creative development tool marketers make it out to be? GeniusRocket EVP Peter LaMotte co-hosts and discusses the nuances of what makes great crowdsourcing work and where it’s hit the wrong note for companies and their brands.

Listen Now!

Download audio file (MD02162010.mp3)

To respond, leave us a comment on the show notes or leave us an audio comment at (202) 596-7220.

Referenced Links:

A Marketer’s Rant On Valentine’s Day (AKA the infamous Valentine’s Day Post)
Follow Social Media MBA on Twitter – Job Listings For MBAs
Genius Rocket – Creative Asset Crowdsourcing
Viral Video for al fresco All Natural Chicken Sausage® -(via GeniusRocket)
Follow Peter LaMotte on Twitter

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Twitter Adds Local Trends, Leaves Some Of Us Scratching Our Heads

Jared Degnan — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 12:05:31 +0000

It’s said that everything in politics is local. I guess twitter decided to test that notion on a larger scale when they rolled out the ability to view top trending topics by location early this morning.

For me, it seems like Twitter is having a little too much fin with those little little pop-ups.

Don’t get me wrong, I am all for new ways to parse the conversation and understand what my local tweeps are up to. I just think the feature is a little too self-serving.

We’ve already gotten to a point where “twitter trends” are filling in for real news. Now, Twitter is bringing the looking glass even closer to our faces with a new way to find hard-hitting trending topics like #nowthatsghetto.

It might be different if the search feature actually zoomed in on local twitterers. Instead though, it draws from the same general twitter stream global trends are drawn from.

What you end up with is just another “oh, look at how cool I am, I wrote about something popular” moment.

If Twitter is supposed to be a collective reflection of the real musings of the online masses, then search needs to remain largely organic. Adding one more layer of “what’s popular now” will only draw the walls of the echo chamber ever closer.

MD Episode #4.4: The 2010 Resolutions Episode

Jared Degnan — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 15:24:07 +0000

The annual tradition continues with ways to make 2010 better than 2009.

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Download audio file (MD01012010.mp3)

To respond, leave us a comment on the show notes or leave us an audio comment at (202) 596-7220.

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