ANA Marketing Maestros

Who am I? Tapping into the Chinese consumer market

By: Irina Skaya

Born in a small town that is unfamiliar with traffic lights and shopping malls, in Moldova (located between Romania and Ukraine) and growing up in the Big Apple, I continue to struggle with cultural duality and self-identity. On one hand, growing up in a diverse city like New York, I am more open-minded about other cultures than my parents. But I am always reminded that I am not American enough because I don’t eat hash browns, bacon and eggs for breakfast. On the other hand, I am not completely emerged in the Moldavian culture either because I was raised during the former USSR and I only speak Russian, not Moldavian.

But I am not alone. Whether you’ve emigrated from Moldova, Latin America or China, first and second generations struggle with cultural duality—we are pushed around by our American counterparts for not being American enough, and by families for being ashamed of our own heritage.  At last week’s ANA Multicultural Marketing Conference, Starcom Media Vest Group (SMG) presented marketers with insights into the cultural identities of Chinese Americans, and discussed the importance of researching the values and motivations of this group in order to truly connect to this market.

Although immigrants in general share similarities in regards to the assimilation into the American culture, the assimilation and acculturation models are very unique to the Chinese member community. For instance, the first generation is considered to be the protectors of the culture—they settle into metropolitan areas that are culturally saturated in order to maintain same traditions and rituals. The second generation, born on the American soil, is the forefathers of what it means to be Chinese-American.  They struggle with self-identity during the early part of their lives—they do not feel fully Chinese nor fully American. As they mature, they begin to embrace their culture and heritage by integrating their culture into American life. This group is known as the, “Hyphen in-between.” How does this duality and having two identities impact the Chinese sense of consumerism?

As marketers, it is critical to align messages based on the audience’s relationship to the following core pillars of value: tradition, frugality, family, worth ethic, education, food and entrepreneurship. The state of duality helps explain how participation with English-leaning communication approaches tethered to cultural nuance is vital to messaging. The growing paradox of Westernization and a desire to retain traditional cultural touchstones such as language will create a need for communicating in a nuanced and balanced way. Chinese Americans are the largest consumer of in-language media. The primary language spoken in families and among friends will influence the media consumption. The other indicator is generations. The younger generations are more English-leading as expected. However, most of them have seen Chinese media, consume it when they spend time with the older people in their families—this calls for more balance. In fact, the overall consumption of television is down by 35% and an increase of 53% in time-shifting because of lack of relevance of in-language media and antiquated stereotypes such as emasculated and sexualized Asian Americans. What does the Chinese American identity morph into moving forward?  How do we know this community aligns with our category and brands?

For a more in-depth analysis of the cultural identities study, visit www.ana.net.

89 Days Till the DTV Transition...

By: Irina Skaya

With 89 days left till DTV transition, it is important to understand why it’s happening and who will be affected. On February 17, 2009 at 11:59 p.m. all television stations across the U.S. are required to broadcast digitally only, phasing out analog broadcasting. The digital TV transition promises better sound, clearer pictures and most-importantly, multi-cast channels that will allow for more content and better targeted information.  Earlier this morning, the National Association of Broadcasters forewarned the audience at the Multicultural Marketing Conference about who will be affected by the transition and discussed what advertisers can do to smooth out the analog-to-digital process.

Although most of us are DTV-ready or have made plans to purchase new TV sets with a digital turner or a converter box, or subscribe to a pay-TV service, many seniors, low-income families and those who reside in rural areas will need to upgrade . So, how many are approximately affected? Approximately 19.6 million (17%) of US households receive their television signals through a rooftop antenna. Another 34.5 million (31%) have some over the air usage, meaning they may have a family room set connected to cable, but their bedroom set may broadcast over the antenna. And who specifically is affected? Many of the low-income families include Hispanics. In fact, as many as forty-one percent of Hispanic house-holds where Spanish is the primary language, will need to upgrade their TV sets.  This number is especially important to multicultural advertisers whose target audiences  are Hispanics.

What are some marketing efforts being put in place to spread the word about the upcoming digital transition?

From local churches, analog shut-off tests to “Trekkers” and monitors in grocery shops and gas pumps, DTV transition messaging is targeting Hispanics at work, in their homes and where they hang out. The television industry’s plan of $1.1 billion has made the transition process affordable for anyone. Each household regardless of income can apply for up to two coupons that run between $40 and $75. So far 35 million coupons have  been requested from 18 million households. If a household orders coupons, there is a 90 day expiration day, and once it aspires, they cannot get another coupon. With the numerous number of efforts from the broadcasting industry and the government, the percentage of people unprepared for DTV transition is expected to be low.  As advertisers, we can help aid the transition by promoting the transition to our clients via emails, events, and online efforts.

How President-elect Barack Obama became the first African-American president of the U.S.

By: Irina Skaya

Bob Dylan’s song, “The Times They Are A-Changin” is truer today than ever before. As Martinez and Garcia become two of the top twenty most-common surnames, and salsa outsells ketchup, the most notable change is the victory of the first African-American President-elect Barack Obama. How did the first black president win the 2008 election when so many Americans thought it was merely impossible?

Roland S. Martin, American journalist and CNN contributor spoke to 250 marketers at the Multicultural Marketing Conference about the important role the Latino vote played in the 2008 election.  Not only did this year’s election had a record Hispanic turnout, but Latinos played a key role in swinging the election outcome. In the past, Cuban-Americans who used to make up the majority of Hispanic population in Florida have consistently voted Republican. Today, the Hispanic population is much more diverse, comprised of Puerto Ricans, Central and South Americans—this shift in population and the combination of black and Hispanic voters have directly influenced the 27 electoral votes in the swing state of Florida. 

The credit for Obama’s win doesn’t only go to record turnouts of Hispanic and black voters, but to his flawless presidential campaign. I agree with Martin—his campaign is the epitome of an integrated marketing campaign.  Its structure is already being studied and will continue to be talked about. One interesting thing that Martin pointed out was the many Americans believed Hillary Clinton was going to win the primaries because after all, she had the “money, the resources and the staff,” not to mention the popularity as First Lady. Obama had to start from scratch. However, he recognized the generational shift, targeting the youth demographic. His team was ‘right on the money’ to use social networks to target the youth population that would otherwise not be as politically active. One other thing that Obama did was he did not target the African American population because he had their vote already. He targeted the undecided voters in swing states like Florida. In October, just weeks prior to the election, I was watching television in my hotel room at the Annual Masters of Marketing Conference, and I remember thinking about the frequency of the political ads for Obama.  He spent his ad dollars wisely, on target audience whom he depended on to win.

The practices of advertisers must change and so should television programming. Martin said the ads and programming must reflect the changes in the population. He asked advertisers, “How do you in your shops begin to operate as of January 20th, 12:01 p.m.?" He didn’t answer marketers with a clear-cut answer, but he did leave them with a smart advice, “You might want to change it up a little bit or you’ll be left behind. “

Sailing Through the Economic Tsunami

By: Irina Skaya

‘The Great Depression’
‘Economic tsunami, hurricane, and storm all in one’
‘Financial crisis’

All of the above were heard over and over again at this year’s Annual Masters of Marketing Conference  to describe today’s U.S. economy. Surprisingly, most marketers still remained optimistic when asked about the economic slowdown and what they’re doing to stay ahead.  Many described this conference as a “bonding experience.” Almost every speaker, including E-trade provided marketers with growth strategies and advised them how to sail through this economic hurricane. But during the collapse of major commercial banks and investment brokers, how can companies reassure consumers that their money is safe?  After E-trade almost went bankrupt in 2007, Nick Utton and Ken Zasky said that the company released ads, email messages and made phone calls informing their customers that their money is secure. Their message to marketers was to be honest with their customers, create engaging ads and keep spending.

Banks have a lot going on right now, but the last thing they want is customers closing up accounts or not opening new ones. Customer communication is critical right now to help companies rebuild trust with their customers, and show that relationships are important to these banks.

Most importantly, during a credit crunch like this, a company must have a strong foundation and message to their customers, and great customer service. E-trade provided marketers with the following five guiding principles for a stormy climate:

1. Speed is not negotiable.  With customers receiving instant media alerts, a company must move quickly and decisively to reassure customers that their money is safe.
2. Reassure Everywhere Possible. conversation must be continuous. In response to the media’s message that E-trade may go bankrupt, the company came up with ads that E*Trade is not going anywhere. Their confidence encouraged current customers to maintain their accounts, and new customers to sign up.
3. Be Engaging.
4. Be Seen. Out of sight means out of mind: marketers must spend money. The company’s message needs to be out there in order to create a difference between them and their competitors.   
5. Focus. Focus. Focus. Account quality became as important as volume of accounts.

Here is an ad E-trade that both encourages people to invest and reassures that their money is safe.

One last thing: "Take care of your customers or someone else will." (Nick Utton)

Don't Drink and Email: Google Prevents EWI

By: Irina Skaya

It’s Friday night, and what began as happy-hour sangrias at a local tapas bar turned to a few pitchers.  After a long night out with friends, you stumble home and plop down in front of the computer to find a not-so-nice email from your ex or boss.

While firing off at your ex or boss may sound like a good idea in the wee hours of the morning, “drunken dialing” may be mortifying the next day. Like a good friend who’d stop you from making a fool out of yourself, Google’s new Gmail service called Mail Goggles, active only on weekends and between midnight and 5 a.m., (when you’ll most likely need it) will now prevent EWI (emailing while intoxicated) offenders from sending remorseful and flamming late-night emails.  How? Mail Goggles will ask you a series of five elementary math questions that you must answer within 60 seconds—the questions may be easy to someone sober, but after the fifth drink, can become a bit of a challenge.

The program is simple and unique. Google establishes itself as a reliable friend to the consumer, and will become quite popular among bar regulars and party goers. I am looking forward to see how this new feature will play out among consumers.

If you're ever in need of EWI intervention, call Mail Goggles to the rescue! Simply go to the settings tab under Gmail, select lab, and then the Mail Goggle feature.

Yahoo's is "Purpling it Up" It's Marketing Efforts

By: Irina Skaya

Marketing buzz is difficult to achieve, and not all products can be the next Harry Potter, or the Volkswagen New Beetle. Yahoo! is redefining the meaning of purple with its new viral marketing campaign, “Start Wearing Purple.” Contrary to the popular belief that purple symbolizes royalty, Yahoo! attributes the color to innovation and imagination.

Startwearingpurple.com includes features such as "Celebrate Purple", "Purple Pranks", "Pioneers of Purple" and "Purple Picks.” “Pioneers of Purple” showcases mini-documentaries of influential personalities who epitomize individuality and innovative spirit of purple, a color that's been core to Yahoo!'s DNA since it began.

From purple bikes with built-in solar power cameras and funny videos to purple sneakers and Ts, the web portal is engaging and has the potential to create buzz, but will this brand awareness campaign drive Internet users from its competitors to the soon-to-be launched new Yahoo! site?

Check out how Yahoo! is 'purpling it up' through their Purple Pedals project.

Building Brands with Widgets

By: Irina Skaya

Everyone is talking about these, many are creating them, and very few understand their purpose— widgets. If 2007 was the year for companies to join social networks like Facebook, 2008 is the year for advertisers to adopt widgets. What are widgets and how can you use one?

A widget is a bite-sized piece of portable web content, allowing anyone to personalize their web experience exactly how they want it to be. Widgets can live in a privacy capacity such as personal portals, wikis, private blogs, or publicly in areas such as social network pages, Web sites and public blogs.  Widgets can be used as a marketing tool, but they different from ads. You can’t force someone to take your widget and put it on his or her web page the way you can guarantee views of an ad. In order to entice people to subscribe to your widget, it has to be compelling. When you have a compelling, dynamic widget that speaks to the right demographic, your widget will do most of the work for you.

What kind of widget can you make? Well, there are two kinds of widgets: lifestyle and functional.

Lifestyle widgets are used primarily for marketing purposes in viral marketing campaigns. Facebook applications are examples of lifestyle widgets. For instance, an Obama badge is a lifestyle widget that can be placed on its supporter’s personal page. A StyleSlam widget on Bebo.com allows one to make an avatar that resembles the creator and dress it up. There are thousands of applications ready to appeal to a wide variety of interests.

Functional widgets help users interact with the brand in a relevant and useful way. Examples include Google maps, clocks, converters, ANA insights widget, Travelocity's widget to search best rates for flights, hotels and car rentals and RSS readers.

As the popularity of widgets grows, so does their potential as a source of revenue. Ads on social networks are expected to rack in $1.9 billion this year. If you haven’t explored the options of a widget, you should. Check out www.widgetbox.com and start making your own widget! 

Digital Natives: Who are They?

By: Irina Skaya

Are you a digital native? Do you spend hours playing video games, publish your phone number on a social networking site, or carrying an iPod full of illegal music tracks? If not, then you are a digital immigrant, one who had to adapt to the new online environment. In any case, if your target consumer is a digital native, you must speak in their native language because they think completely different. Last month, I attended a SheSays (women in advertising) group where the seven truths about digital natives were discussed:

Truth 1: Email is lame.
Recently, Chris Marriott of Axciom presented at an ANA Marketing Training workshop on Digital Marketing and he stressed that the younger demographic does not answer their parents’ phone calls or emails. Instead joining social networks such as Facebook has caught his daughter attention. 

Truth 2: TV is dead. Long live TV like online video services, e.g. Hulu.
That’s right, television is still hip but the format we watch it in has changed. People are busier now and do more things simultaneously—we as digital natives expect to see movies on multiple platforms which we can take with us wherever we go.

Truth 3: Cant w8 2 c u luv mma<3.
We have our own ‘hip’ lingo that can catch our attention if adopted by advertisers.

Truth 4: Teens have a totally different view on privacy. Totally!
Teens today put up their phone numbers on social networking sites without worrying about identity theft or telemarketers.

Truth 5: “We don’t need no education.”

Truth 6: Copyrights?
An average teenager’s iPod has 800 illegal music tracks.

Truth 7: They care.
Support for the presidential election and the environment have been embraced by this age group.

Knowing more digital natives and their behavior will help you engage with them and make your ads more effective.

ANA Embraces Social Media

By: Irina Skaya

In an effort to connect marketing professionals and share invaluable industry insights, ANA has established a presence on social networking sites such as Facebook and LinkedIn, and information-sharing communities such as Flickr and Slideshare. 

The ANA Facebook page currently offers a wide-variety of benefits such as branded videos from ANA events, slideshows and photo albums, polls, live RSS Blog feeds, marketing insight slides, ANA “how to’s,” otherwise known as 101’s, an events calendar and relevant announcements.

In addition to Facebook, ANA has created a members-only group on LinkedIn called ANA Marketers.  By joining LinkedIn a marketer will be able to connect with like minded marketers and have conversations with their peers from other companies. Join the 'ANA Marketers' group.

This month, ANA released our “101” series which are available on Facebook and the ANA Web site among other places. The 101’s were developed to provide busy executives with a general understanding of cutting-edge marketing related topics. To expand the 101 series, the ANA is recruiting “industry experts” to contribute to the project. If you have an area of expertise on which you would like to pen a 101 for the ANA, please write to Irina Gorodetskaya at irina@ana.net.

Another new ANA product is Insight Slides.  These presentation-ready slides feature a pertinent piece of ANA content, including quotes and facts. Available to both members and non-members, the insight slides are shared across multiple Web channels, including Slideshare, Flickr and Facebook. Users are free to download the insight slides and incorporate them into their presentations across the spectrum of marketing.

Check out the widget on the right hand-side of this page, and feel free to download it to your own Blog, iGoogle, PageFlakes, and Facebook.

'From Made in China to Invented in China'

By: Irina Skaya

Tuesday I attended the ANA Global Learning Series on China, and the reoccurring theme across all four presentations—Chinese-made counterfeited goods—ties in well with my last blog post. Apparently Chinese-made knockoffs go beyond Gucci and Fendi. U.S. television shows like Sex and the City and Web sites like Google and YouTube also have Chinese versions. But what advertisers should be aware of when considering global marketing are copy-cat agencies. Believe it or not, but there are three copycat Ogilvy agencies in China.

Wait…wait…don’t be so skeptical of the way the Chinese conduct business. According to Alex Gordon, founder of Sign Salad, ‘Precision of copy does not compensate for the original but signifies creativity.’ That’s right—the Chinese business owners do not see counterfeited goods as an organized crime, but a master piece. I am not mentioning the above to scare off anyone who wants to do business in China, but rather note the caution of doing business there without the right resources, local vendors, and the Chinese government on your side. You need all three. Janet Carmosky, CEO of The China Business Network, even said unlike the U.S. that has a transactional business mindset, the Chinese are all about relationships or ‘Ghanxi.’ She stressed, “The Chinese created the, ‘We know where you live’ capitalism.”

Whatever the business model in China is, it works for them—the country's tech boom has created a paradigm shift from made in China to invented in China (Sandberg, executive editor, The Hardvard Business Press). The reason behind the high-tech growth is China is graduating three times the number of engineers than any other country in the world. Many of the growing digital media start-ups bring us back to the rising tide of copycats; the majority of whom were educated in the U.S. and returned to China around 1999 to take advantage of the economic explosion. Around Y2K, they began creating copycats of U.S. Internet companies like eBay, Yahoo!, Facebook, MySpace and Craigslist.

Don't forget, the Chinese don't have bad intentions when "copying and pasting;" after all, it's all about creativity. Speaking of creativity, which is a number one characteristic of an ideal agency in China, I’d like to share with you this creative commercial for Coco-Cola, one of the biggest multinational marketing veterans and power brands in China. 

Coca-Cola Red Go China TV Commercial

Besides Coca-Cola, other high-profile multinational marketers that have had success in China are Nike, GE, Nokia, Procter & Gamble and Volkswagen. In conclusion, doing business in China is tough—‘although nothing in China is available, everything is possible’ (Janet Carmosky, CEO of The China Business Network).

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