Monthly Archive for October, 2007

Ninja Parade

Published
by
Matt
on Oct 31, 2007
in Communication
. 0 Comments

I know this page is beautiful, but if you're into feeds, you can subscribe and get all this ANM goodness right in your feed reader. And hey, do you love comments? I know I do. Feel free to let me know what you think!

Are you having a Ninja Parade?

Sometimes we’re so focused on what we want to believe, that we don’t see/understand things as they really are. Keeping clear goals and objectives that don’t contradict each other is crucial.

So the next time you go to optimize your plan, make sure you get the real story. Skip the Ninja Parade.

Why Metrics Are Irrelevant

Published
by
Matt
on Oct 29, 2007
in New Marketing, Viral Marketing and Web 2.0
. 4 Comments

…in social/emerging media, that is.

I’ve been doing a lot of reading on the need/quest for discovering a new way to measure social media and interaction and have come to one conclusion: No one has come to any conclusions. No one is sure what to measure, or how to measure it.

But they seem determined on trying, which is puzzling to me. It’s puzzling because there is this unyielding need for some direct form of measurement. I guess the internet has spoiled us. Online, you can nail down page views, click throughs, and conversion rates for one version of a particular ad, all things that are almost impossible in other media. How can you determine the ROI on a TV commercial? How can you measure the exact views or conversion rates on a full-page newspaper ad? You really can’t, but companies spend billions every year on them just the same.

Traditional media is just not as measurable as the internet. However, social media is not as measurable as the rest of the web, which (in my opinion) is why so many are gun shy about really using it.

They don’t really understand it, and they can’t really measure it. A scary proposition for most.

Social media should be viewed and measured in a unique way. It’s not as hardcore data-oriented as adwords, but it’s also not as ambiguous as TV. We need to understand that social media is a two way street and what matters is not how many people are going down it, but how engaged and interested they are.

Stuck On Repeat

Published
by
Matt
on Oct 26, 2007
in Blogging and Communication
. 0 Comments

Does anyone else feel like the same things are said over and over again in the blogosphere?

I understand that a key part of blogging is self-expression and that everyone is entitled to their opinion and view on a topic, but sometimes it just feels like the same old, same old.

I think if you look at some of the most popular and highest quality (notice the separation - the most popular aren’t always the best) blogs out there, the one thing they do exceptionally well is create new content that adds value to peoples lives. Why does someone love icanhascheezeburger.com? Because people love animals, and people love laughing, and on top of that, ICHC delivers new content, albeit in the same form, constantly.

It seems, to me at least, that too many people have interpreted the sage advice of “have a consistent message” to mean “have the exact same message consistently” and that’s not a good sign. I know it’s incredibly difficult to come up with great new stuff, especially if you’ve got a lot else going on. I used to post at least 3 times a week and it’s become 1-2 now if I’m lucky. So I feel your pain on that one. But please, don’t just rehash old ideas and content.

I think the blogosphere needs a new motto, how about, “If you can’t say something new, don’t say anything at all.”

Ask The Readers

Published
by
Matt
on Oct 23, 2007
in ANM
. 1 Comment

So here were are, almost in the middle of another week. Things have been a little slow here at ANM due to the fact that 110% of my available brain power has been directed towards learning the ropes at work.

So I ask you this, loyal friends and readers: What would you like to read/talk about?

I think posts always work better when they’re a discussion anyway. So what’s on your mind? What’s getting you going right now? I’m pretty much open to anything so fire away.

or in the comments.

Looking forward to your thoughts.

Some Change for Levi’s

Published
by
Matt
on Oct 17, 2007
in Advertising and Analysis
. 4 Comments

Here’s a new ad called “change” for Levi’s 501 Jeans. Give it a look.

Now what were your initial thoughts? Shock at the exploding apartment? Puzzlement as to the deeper meaning?

The first things I thought where: Who still uses phone booths? I can’t think of the last time I saw someone in one.

Being of a marketing mindset, I’m pretty sure that wasn’t the first response Levi’s was looking for. Yes, you might point out that someone yanking the street level up (or himself down) is a little more outlandish than someone in a phone booth and the whole thing wouldn’t work without it, but that’s not my point. My point is that this ad was obviously trying to be contemporary, and the phone booth, at least to me, made it feel weird and dated.

How do you feel about this ad?

Signs of Life

Published
by
Matt
on Oct 17, 2007
in ANM
. 1 Comment

Hey everyone. I’m still here. I got a job doing Client Service at a great internet marketing firm, so things have been a little hectic. I’m mid-week now so things are starting to calm down a little bit, so look for something later on this evening. If you’re looking for some quality stuff though, check out the archives on the left, plenty of ANM goodness over there.

Thanks for hanging in there.

Think Next and Act Now

Published
by
Matt
on Oct 8, 2007
in Communication and New Marketing
. 0 Comments

inchworm.jpgHold on there, I’m not suggesting that you ignore the old lesson of “think before you act”. It’s just that Greg Verdino’s post got me thinking about strategy and tactics. Now let me explain.

Many of you who read this blog, are also bloggers yourselves. You have Facebook profiles. You Digg, Twitter, Stumble, and Tag. As marketers, especially internet or other new media marketers, being ahead of the curve is not just something to be proud of, it’s almost essential. Marketing is responsible for managing a lot of perception and interaction, making it vital to know what the next big thing will be.

The problem comes when we start focusing so much on what’s next, we forget what’s now. It may seem obvious, but the part of your market you really want to reach is the big part in the middle of the bell curve. Not the laggards, and not the early adopters. So while you might think it’s a great idea to start using Twitter to connect with your customers, most of them won’t get it…unless your customers are social media mavens.

And that’s the second problem. You have to focus on what’s Now, but you have to figure out where Now is for your customers on the great continuum. Now might be one place for industrial buyers of steel girders. Now might be somewhere ahead for a business consulting firm. And Now is probably way ahead for emerging web technologies.

The second problem can be figured out relatively easily, at least in relation to the first one. To find out what’s Now for your market, you just have to make sure you really know your market. Don’t just study and guess, but really become part of it. Figure out how they use media, how they think, how they make decisions, and how they decide what matters to them.

The first one is a little trickier. You have to make sure that you’re catering to the majority, but you also have to know where the majority is heading. Think of it as an inch-worm. The most important part is figuring out where the middle is bunched up, but sure enough that middle is going to move, and to succeed you have to be able to move with it.

Too Much of a “Good” Thing

Published
by
Matt
on Oct 3, 2007
in Advertising and Marketers
. 2 Comments

Jaffe might have written the most important post you will read this year. It might not seem like it at first glance, but really think about the implications of those statistics.

From his post:
- 84% agree (strongly/somewhat), “Too many things are over-hyped now.”
- 72% agree, “I get tired of people trying to grab my attention and sell me stuff.”
- 47% regard “Advertising as background noise.”

This stuff is incredible. The biggest line for me is the one in the middle. Looking at that statement, if you had 10 people in a room, 7 of them are tired of being advertised “at”. For an industry that spends billions of dollars, that’s an extremely low satisfaction rate. I feel like everyone on Madison Ave. should get a memo with the statistics and “Stop being obnoxious and trying to force things on people. It’s really not working, and here’s the proof.” written on it.

As a small aside, there’s a beetle that’s been flying around the second story window in my living room for a week now. He keeps banging against the glass trying to get out (I can’t open the widow or I’d help) every single day. And you can’t fault him for it, because he’s a bug. But aren’t the big ad companies doing just the same thing? Why do they think that if a little bit doesn’t work, then a lot will?