Mar 26 2010

When 10% > 90%

Posted by:

John Lane

Scott Monty was on Marketplace last week talking about—what else?—social media. Now before I start picking apart one of his quotes, I’m going to say upfront that I think he and his team at Ford are doing incredible work utilizing social media. I’m a big fan of the Fiesta Movement, in particular. It made me want to buy one. And I even understand the point he was trying to make with the quote. But it also hit me as a bad message to send… so I’m going to use it to make my own point.

First, the quote: Ford’s Scott Monty says, “We subscribe to the Woody Allen theory of social media—90 percent of social media is just showing up.” But Monty jokes, the other 10 percent is half the battle.

And my response: That 10% (or half) better drive to some amazing content or your “showing up” will be 100% wasted.

Too many people already consider social media a panacea of marketing ills to be putting ideas in their heads that all they need to do is show up. Twitter, Facebook and the like may have fast become *the* arena for starting and carrying-on brand conversations, but at some point the conversation has to lead somewhere else. For marketing, social media is a vehicle rather than a destination. There’s an implied—or literal—link to more in every social media effort; it’s an organic invitation for fans and followers to receive more content, enter a deeper engagement, and eventually make a transaction.

So let’s get the percentages correct. Social media should absolutely be some percentage of your marketing strategy. But the 10%—the part that actual does something and leads somewhere—far outweighs the 90% of just showing up.

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Mar 10 2010

Business(person)-to-Business(person)

Posted by:

John Lane
This post from Lateral Action struck a particularly responsive chord: “All else being equal, the best story wins.” In particular, I found it interesting that the majority of the examples shown in support of that theory aren’t telling the story of the average consumer product. They are stories about the credit crisis, high blood pressure [...]
Feb 8 2010

Shareholder versus Stakeholder, and the Rise of Social Business.

Posted by:

John Lane
Blogs and online communities, crowdsourcing, Twitter and Facebook, SEO and real-time search. They’re more important than ever as part of a marketing business strategy. (Yes, marketing, too… but bigger than marketing.) The case is laid out nicely by Indra Nooyi, CEO of PepsiCo in this Marketplace interview. Here’s the snippet that sums it up: Kai Ryssdal [...]
Jan 5 2010

Social Media Illusions

Posted by:

John Lane
I had a conversation via Twitter the other day that started with the post pictured to the right. What Lindsey (a talented PR professional who unfortunately works for a school that’s not The University of Tennessee) is describing is a pretty common occurrence. You say something about a brand and either they or a competitor [...]
Nov 30 2009

So You Think You Can Dance: 4 Content Marketing Tips It Illustrates

Posted by:

John Lane
I think I’ve seen at least one episode of every “reality” TV show there has ever been. It doesn’t mean I liked it or that it made me feel good about myself, but I have. So I feel I can say this with confidence: So You Think You Can Dance (SYTYCD, as the kids abbreviate) [...]
Sep 3 2009

Augmented Reality: Putting marketing in your customers’ hands…literally (updated)

Posted by:

Bret Kruse
So, I have noticed a lot of sites lately that use augmented reality. And although most are using it for fun and humor I have seen some uses that seem to make it much more informative and useful. One article that I came across recently on Gizmodo  really shows a very practical and useful way of infusing [...]
Aug 31 2009

Are we asking too much of a user?

Posted by:

Bret Kruse
As a Designer, I understand that you want to deliver the best visual experience to visitors in order to achieve your marketing goal. As a Developer I also understand that you have to optimize that experience as well so they actually stick around as long as possible. But lately I have to wonder if internet [...]
Aug 27 2009

The Ochocinco Plan: Rogue Behavior, Brilliant Marketing or Both?

Posted by:

John Lane
Chad Ochocinco is pushing the limits again. (For those that don’t know, Ochocinco is the outspoken-yet-uber-talented wide receiver for the Cincinnati Bengals.) The NFL bans cell phones during the game and creates policy to quell Facebook and Twitter interaction, and he comes up with a plan to still Tweet during a game. So should this [...]
Aug 26 2009

The multi-purpose game

Posted by:

Alissa Hennen
There will always be a population that loves games. Whether 4 years old or 40, it can satisfy the need for competition and spawn creativity. We have a few Centerliners that enjoy late night battles of World of Warcraft or a good 6 hour stretch at Guitar Hero. But what about gaming for the mainstream, or [...]
Jul 27 2009

Reality in Question

Posted by:

Tami Gaythwaite
I attended my first motivational seminar last week. It was sponsored by our local Chamber of Commerce, geared towards women in the workplace. So, I thought it would be a great outing for the female senior account managers of my team. Of course, the senior AMs are so busy that I could [...]
Jul 24 2009

Who Needs Millions Anyway?

Posted by:

John Lane
In a great piece of analysis by Chris Wilson for Slate magazine, the question, “Will my video get 1 million views on YouTube?” gets the definitive answer, “No!” The chances are… well… one in a million. Here’s a better question to ask: Do you need a million views on YouTube? I’m going to propose the [...]
Jul 22 2009

Attention Span is Negotiable

Posted by:

John Lane
It seems fairly obvious, actually. Regardless of the engagement—whether a show, print ad, TV commercial, or website—somebody is trying to get your attention, and their putting their cards immediately on the table to buy it for some period of time. That’s the beginning of the negotiation. Either you buy in, or you don’t. And you’ve [...]
Jul 20 2009

Is Innovation Recession-proof?

Posted by:

Alissa Hennen
Has the recession limited marketer’s willingness to experiment with new, innovative strategies? I’ve seen several articles on how marketing managers aren’t willing to take on unique, pioneering marketing projects since the economy went south. I understand budget cutbacks and needing to do more with less but isn’t this the time for companies to [...]
Apr 16 2009

It’s All About the Content1

Posted by:

John Lane
I have a bone to pick with ADWEEK about this article, “Digital Shops Embrace Cheap Chic.” For all the good points made by Mr. Morrissey and the agency execs he interviewed, it missed the ultimate point: It’s always been about the content. And the tech—whether the deepest Flash or the simplest HTML—should be whatever [...]
Dec 30 2008

Dairy Queen Gets in the Game with DQ Tycoon

Posted by:

John Lane
DQ® Tycoon—part time-management casual video game, part “advergame” based on the Dairy Queen® property—was released this month and has been an immediate hit. It’s held down a spot in the top 15 downloaded games on Big Fish Games* from the day it was released, and now it’s getting ink in the New York Times. The game [...]