ANA Marketing Maestros

Mark Lives in Ikea

by Mark Fogelberg

Having Swedish ancestry courtesy of my paternal grandfather (Fogelberg translates to bird mountain in English), I must admit a fondness toward IKEA. Their furniture filled my first NY apartment, they helped us gain the upper hand in the battle of toy sprawl across our house, and any trip to IKEA still means Shopping with a capital S. I have to admit, though, I may not be as big a fan of the big retailer as another Mark.

On www.marklivesinikea.com, comedian/writer/audience coordinator Mark Malkoff documents his week living at the IKEA in Paramus, New Jersey. When his apartment had to be fumigated, he could have stayed in a hotel or gone on a nice vacation. Instead, by taking an alternate route, Mark has developed a consumer generated outlet for showcasing that, yes, IKEA has everything you need to live your life.

The fact that the brand took the risk of letting Mark Malkoff crash at the store for a week shows the value of taking little risks on behalf of your brand. Who knows what the gang at Deutsch may do to help extend the message. Remember last year when they decorated bus stops, subway cars with 10 tons of merchandise?

Score: IKEA 1, Complacency 0

Nerds Really Do Have More Fun!

By Kaitlin Villanova

Now that Mr. Gates is officially (well, partially) retired, he is loosening up the austere image of Microsoft Corporation by personally indulging in the "consumer generated content" fad of 2007. In this You Tube video unveiled at CES Technology event earlier this week; Gates is willfully playing-on his geeky persona that Apple has burned into consumer’s minds with the MAC vs. PC spots.

In this video, familiar faces from Microsoft reaffirm Gates’ dedication to the company in short camera interviews reminiscent of NBC's hit show The Office. Celebrities and politicians like Matthew McConaughey, Jay-Z, Al Gore, John Stewart, Hilary Clinton, Bono, George Clooney and Barack Obama are featured in the video to play on the idea that this computer genius....is just a big nerd!

This video proves to society that geeks really do have more fun, errr... ahh.... or was that blondes?

Why don't you see for yourself:

Technorati tags: YouTube Consumer Generated Content

Facebook: Advertisers Are Your Friends

By: Irina Skaya

Earlier this month, Facebook  launched its new ad system that allows advertisers to track users’ activities on the Website to deliver product referrals and target advertising.

With a recurring theme of behavioral targeting at last month’s ANA Annual Conference and industry headlines that consumers must be part of the brand, Facebook is up to something.   

Embracing a most powerful form of advertising, word-of-mouth-marketing, the idea is that consumers are more likely to trust a recommendation from their friends rather than from a 30-second TV spot. The only question I beg to ask is, “Why would anyone publicly disclose their shopping habits, unless they were getting paid for it?” Facebook might have to throw serious discounts or perks to win participation. 

Facebook’s new ad system has also raised some privacy concerns. Although Facebook does not ask users for permission in way that lets them know that they might appear in an ad, it will not share any personal information with the advertisers. And it is a personal choice for users to sign on as fans of a company.

The new ad system presents a major opportunity to tap the high disposable income student demographic currently using Facebook. You can create relevant ads according to users’ interests, relationship status, education status, etc. For instance, if you are a recruiter looking to fill a position and want to hire people from specific companies, you can target people based on what company they are employed by. If you are an advertiser promoting wedding consultancy business, you might want to target those who have, "Engaged” under their relationship status. 

When it comes to online, the power clearly lies in the hands of the consumer – from growth in user-generated content to Facebook’s new ad system, we are witnessing a transformation in the nature of advertising.

A Consumer Generated...Climate?

By Kaitlin Villanova

The "post-Gore-buzz" at the Annual Conference seemed to omit a feeling of dissatisfaction from the audience. I overheard one attendee exclaim "he said nothing about the Nobel Peace Prize!" and his cohort proclaim they were hoping he would discuss environmental issues. At this point I wanted to kindly tap these people on the shoulder and remind them THIS IS A MARKETING CONFERENCE!

I think Mr. Gore (we're not on a first name basis just yet) did an excellent job of presenting Current TV and the role of consumer generated content to advertisers. Current TV is solely dependent on participation by consumers so there is no one better to share insights on this subject than the owner and creator Al Gore himself. If anything, I think the consumer created ads for Verizon, Toyota, and Sony might have shook up a few of the agency folks in the audience. Current TV reminds advertisers that all you need to create a 30-second spot is a creative mind, a hand-held camera, and Final Cut Pro!

Mr. Gore eloquently communicated to the audience using pithy anecdotes that shed a light on his sense of humor and some of the incredible life-experiences he has had. From these experiences he was guided to make an impact on society starting with the environment and then onto the most empowered audience: the youth!

I think the "recovering politician" did an exceptional job of reiterating the importance of consumer content to an audience of people who fit the category of "advertising ostriches" (a term dubbed by Lauren Rich Fine at a ANA Senior Marketer's Think Tank), those who stick their heads in the sand hoping when they come back up these new media platforms will disappear!

Thank you again to Al Gore for allowing the ANA Annual Conference be his first public appearance after being awarded the prestigious Nobel Peace Prize . The award was given "for [his] efforts to build up and disseminate greater knowledge about man-made climate change, and to lay the foundations for the measures that are needed to counteract such change." 

Technorati tags: current tv consumer generated content Al Gore

Network Networks

By Kaitlin Villanova

At the Integrated Marketing Conference, industry executives agreed it is important to get involved in the virtual community but let your consumer decide which is best rather than imposing what you think, they think, is best.

The next day, while perusing the NBC website, in hopes there was an episode of The Office episode I had inadvertently missed, I came across a tiny but appropriately placed link proclaiming "social networking coming soon." As a bright-eyed marketer and someone engaged in the community of social networks I wonder- where this will all fit in?

A recent Adage article on the consolidation of social networking explained the new aggregators like ProfileLinker or OtherEgo and how they allow for more simplified multi-social networking. I have to say, I think of my personal account on Facebook and Myspace very differently from my business profile on LinkedIn and my sporadic engagement with my favorite celebrity blogs.

Back to my original point, I wonder will these network-created social networks be stale and overly-monitored by network staff? Or will they allow for the consumer to make connections with those with common interests?

When discussing this topic with one of my colleagues, he introduced me to Cymfony, a marketing influence analytics company that interprets the view of the brand in traditional and social media like blogs and social networks. This interpretation provides consumer insight and allows the brand to develop stronger bonds with influencers.

It is up to marketers to decide which option works for their organization. You must determine if you trust your consumer enough to give them free reign to comment on your product or service in your domain. Or or does your consumer trust you enough to engage in social media regarding your product.

It all comes down to customer loyalty!

Technorati tags: social networks Cymfony social media

Great Ideas Will Create Relevancy

By Barbara Bacci Mirque

A recent ANA survey highlighted that integrated marketing now tops the list as the issue that keeps senior marketers up at night. You have heard me say before that ANA members tell us that the best way to tackle this is to start with the idea and let the idea be the media channel integrator. That was emphasized at the recent 2007 ANA Advertising Financial Management Conference. Bob Lachky, EVP, Global Industry Development & Chief Creative Officer, Anheuser - Busch Inc., talked about how the “Wassup” campaign (here are few of the ads along with some interesting consumer generated versions) began online then spread virally, eventually running on television.

Jeff Hicks, President, CEO and Partner, Crispin Porter + Bogusky, told a similar story for Coke Zero and its very funny campaign with Coke attorneys (again, thanks YouTube). Great ideas will create relevancy so the media should be an outgrowth of the idea, not the other way around. Both of those campaigns were extended into television once they were picked up in the conversations occurring online and it was the consumers who said these campaigns should also run on television. So once again, advertisers should be aware of and participate in the conversations happening around and about their products and services. Start with a terrific brand idea and let that determine which media channels you use. This is great learning from some very smart advertisers.

Technorati tags: budweiser marketing coke creative

YELLOWBALL Shines Light on Advertising

By Kaitlin Villanova

So often we hear of the marketing and advertising industry getting bad press and being held responsible for the rise in childhood obesity.

At yesterday’s Integrated Marketing Committee meeting, it was a breath of fresh air to listen to the Arc Worldwide presentation on VERB YELLOWBALL. The impact this viral advertising campaign had on the health and well being of youth ages 9-13 was remarkable.

They dropped 500,000 yellow softball size balls at parks and schoolyards across the country, leaving no demographic, ethnicity, and economic class untouched.

The YELLOWBALL campaign had three simple rules (printed on each ball):

1. Play with this ball
2. Go to verbnow.com, enter the code below and tell us what you did with it
3. Pass it on to another kid

The incredible response and engagement reaffirmed my personal belief in the power of advertising. This campaign got 5 million kids “moving” in a time where childhood obesity is at an all time high. It also encouraged blog participation, an act these kids are already engaged in.

The results of the campaign:

• 21% of balls were passed on
• 6,500 Schools visited
• 168,000 videos made on micro site
• 16,980 blogs received

As U.S citizens, advertisers are protected by the first amendment, so you might never see an end to those ads dangling chocolate pastries on your television, but it is nice to know advertisers can encourage healthy and positive changes in society.

Technorati tags: VERB Yellowball, Viral Marketing

Speed to Satisfaction: Snap and iReader

By Kaitlin Villanova

The average search lasts somewhere around 15 minutes, and so does the average attention span.

Snap  is an efficient time-saving search tool whether you are using Yahoo!, Google, MSN, or in my case a Kaitlin search (thanks to pimpmysearch).

Snap offers a solution that is “visual, fast, and interactive” far superior to the text-in text-out search paradigm. When you hold your mouse over the link a window preview of the site pops up allowing you to make a judgment on the site without having to click-through. This will force marketers and designers to make the sites more visually appealing and aesthetically welcoming..

iReader has a similar model to Snap, it is a browser extension for Internet Explorer and Firefox. The difference is, rather than just providing a visual screen shot of the site, it scans the text and puts the information provided in the site into a two or 3 point bullet form.

It is difficult to judge which is  a better model, if you are looking for a visual preview of the site before you visit, then Snap is for you. If you would prefer a snapshot (no pun intended) of the content on the site then iReader may be a better fit…personally I use both.

These esoteric web tools are welcoming to the not-so-techy user for little or no cost. Marketers must prepare their sites to be visually appealing with rich content that will give the user a reason to return.

Technorati tags:Snap marketing iReader

Garfield's Chaos Scenario

By Will Waugh

I like Bob Garfield. I have followed his writing and reviews for some time. I know his criticisms have hit a lot of nerves (including many of our members) but his insight on the future of marketing are extraordinary and, in many cases, spot on. I did ask him about the future of associations like ours and he was bullish on our role in marketing's evolution. Would he tell me otherwise at our event? Probably not but he is pretty straightforward.

I can't embed the video that Advertising Age is hosting but here is the link of Garfield speaking at our TV Forum a few weeks back. He hasn't posted on his blog Garfield: The Blog in awhile, but the writings are always entertaining and insightful.

Technorati tags: video marketing chaos scenario

Twitter Wants to Know: What Are You Doing?

By Kaitlin Villanova

Want to learn exactly what your consumers are thinking and doing and when? Twitter.com allows for that kind of intimacy. The community of “connected” users can communicate to friends their up-to-the-minute activities via IM, text, or email. Think of it as shorthand blogging.

Rather than writing a blog about how you are eating lucky charms cereal, then searching online for an image of the familiar leprechaun on a red box, just text message your Twitter account and save yourself a whole lot of time.”

Some Recent Twitter posts:

“BTW [by the way] I am in the apple store right now”

“Going to get a haircut, it is so warm out”

“Designing second life for you!”

Blogger Kevin Dugan writer of Strategic Public Relations Blog admits “Thousands of geeks texting random thoughts and keeping us up on their mundane status probably has value.”

Example of Twitter's usefulness in the community from Israel Hyman's Twitter microblog:

Robert Scoble wanted to have Kathy Sierra’s speech from SXSW (South by Southwest a music festival in Austin Texas, that has attracted a strong following amongst web creatives and entrepreneurs) so he asked via Twitter if anyone had a link to the audio. Within a couple minutes, someone gave him a link, which he posted via Twitter, and a few minutes later I was listening to the talk in Arizona. Twitter is microblogging at lightning speed. It’s an “always on” chat room.”

Now that you  have a better understanding of Twitter, it’s your turn to upload an image, invite friends, and answer the twitter question: What are you doing?

Technorati tags: twitter community social networks