Category: Rant

The problem with bloggers ranting about BAD viral projects is that it helps promote bad creative work. So while I will not be sharing the link to the "Dancing Doughboy", I will share with you the link through to Seth Godin’s rant on it. Now, take it from me, it is NOT worth checking out.

BUT … I would love to know how many of you could not resist. Check it out, and then send me a comment or email to let me know that you CANT BEAT the hypertext addiction.

What this points out is something more problematic for those constantly pushing for innovation in online marketing. Until we are able to move beyond simple analytics (ie "wow 30,000 page impressions) to complex analysis and reporting (ie "cool, we funnelled 10,000 visitors into a rich experience that generated 500 new sales"), then the marketers will still fund poor creative to appear "on top of" the internet marketing game.

S.

What causes you to stress out? It is being "real" or is it "reality". It seems to me that it is the gap between the two. On the one hand there is the desire for respect, for authenticity and for an ability for us to accept ourselves and others (ie being real) … and then there is "reality".

Have you noticed how often politicians use the term "the reality is …"? What they mean is, "my actions are dictated by a range of compromises". It is hard to be real. It is hard because being real, and making that part of your principle of living means that you butt up against "reality" at every turn.

But guess what? THAT is exactly what we are all hungering for. It is the authentic story that we want to hear or be part of. It is the element of truth that drives the story and makes us engage emotionally.

This rant came after I skipped over to Tom Asacker’s blog following Seth Godin’s simple statement "best thing I’ve read today". Tom has some nice points to focus on … though others do seem hard to live with in the "real" world. At the heart of the post is the need to focus on what is important … to look at stress and anxiety at the root cause, not at the symptom.

Of course, that is easier said, than done.

S.

Are you scrolling through feeds waiting for something to catch your eye? Do you have a special criteria for deciding whether to read more or read less? Is it the headline or the first sentence?

I am pondering this myself, because of this article on Seth Godin’s blog today. He is talking about paying attention to those whom we have GRANTED permission. This one caught my eye only after I had read quite some way in … after all, I have already given Seth my permission to appear in my RSS reader.

But then, about halfway through I started to like the surprising direction of this post. I liked the way that it turned around to put the onus on the person who accepts the meeting. Sure, it can be boring and tiring (sometimes) in meetings, but if you are there … why not get something out of it! After all, as Seth says, "everyone’s an expert", and it just may be that the person you are meeting knows a lot about something that you don’t. Perhaps there is a meeting technique that they use well, or use badly, perhaps it is the stain on their lapel or the way their mobile phone keeps ringing. Or maybe it is even the firmness of their handshake and their sense of purpose.

But if you are going to be in the meeting, then BE there. Challenge the person you are meeting — ask questions, request ideas and so on.

Similarly, when you are reading a blog, drop in a comment. If you have your own blog, add a trackback or a link. Part of the fun of writing online is this sense of engagement and community. Don’t forget, you get out what you put in!

S.

You know, when I started out I was aiming to write one blog entry each day with the aim of making it to 999 in around 3 years. But apart from anything else, I was interested in what disciplines may be required in achieving this. And as today the total number of entries sits at 100, I can say that I have been humbled by the beast!

There are 5 things that I have learned:

1. Just because you write something doesn’t mean that it will interest anyone (no matter how much you love it)
2. You have got to share the love in order to get some lovin’ yourself (ie don’t think that others will read your rantings if you don’t read those of others)
3. Keep focused because your readers are interested in the TOPICS you rant about … not necessarily in all the tangents that you throw up (unless your blog is about tangents)
4. Don’t take it too seriously
5. Don’t just "report", analyse and add perspective
6. Anyone still reading? Yeah I know this is six, but the final one is keep trying to surprise yourself AND your readers.

Thanks to all those who keep reading!

S.

One of the problems of working in marketing or communications is that the words we use easily become part of the industry jargon. And the more we use such words, the faster they become laden with "industry meaning".

And as marketers thrive on innovation in language, we constantly reinvent. We create new compound words, adjectives and even nouns. And we appropriate. Why? Because the new connotations that we create (we hope) will provide new stimulus to our language … we are aiming to create a deep resonance within language that taps into the emotions of our audiences.

But it is a real challenge to avoid falling into jargon. Unfortunately, even the "new" words that are used to indicate new directions can quickly be seen as jargon. This is the nature of the flexible English language in all its forms — it is the trademark, the reason for its success and also the reason for its failure. Words can become outdated or superseded very quickly these days. Take, for example, Johnn Moore’s recent admission.

Now there is not much that you can argue with in the post. But if marketing is to be meaningful, then clearly it has to be meaningful for its intended (as well as its unexpected) audiences. Without that relevance, then it is just marketers writing for marketers. And hey, while that might get you an award or two, it may not always translate into meaningful experiences or dollars in the bank.

S.

I saw this and loved it!

Takes anti-social marketing to a whole new level. Even less energy expended than a good rant.

S.

It is always worthwhile dropping by the Being Reasonable blog to see what is going on. My RSS feeder showed an article entitled "How Not to Brand a Country".

Ooh … now that sounded interesting! What did I expect to see? Well, to be honest, something a little closer to home! But the post does two great things — it explains what does not work (too much process, too little action) for Botswana (linking through to the Brand Story blog), and then links through to examples of what does work, and why (India’s Yoga themed travel pitch).

So it made me think about the new campaign for Brand Australia – Where the Bloody Hell Are You.com. Let’s see how this stacks up against the criteria for "strategically smart":

• Leverages a theme associated with Australia — yes, we are a nation of cussers, sorry straight-shooters who will call a spade "a bloody spade".
• Connects with a passionate community — yes, everybody likes to have a good time.
• The theme has an upscale profile — yes, it appears that we have cleared away the negative aspects (stopped the sharks, turned on the lights etc) but everybody has forgotten to turn up!
• Then creatively, does it shy away from the stereotypical "picture postcard" approach? Again, just like the India campaign, it implies an "exotic, exciting" destination.

Oh … and it is viral too. You can send the video to a friend.

Now that is a story to tell!

S.

Let’s face it, we all like to feel part of something. We all like to feel that we are reaching out to others of like mind (or interest). On some level this can be translated as "self interest" (even if all we get out of it is "satisfaction" or a "sense of community").

Guy Kawasaki points us towards Harley Davidson as a great example of publicising your community.

But this site shows that there is something even more important … BENEFITS! The community actually "feeds the needs" of its members! One of the things that Harley Davidson do well is make it clear that there are a whole range of EXPERIENTIAL benefits that come along with membership of their worldwide community.

The site nicely articulates "what you receive", "what you can earn", "what you can do" and "what you can use". Do you offer your community something of value? Is it clearly articulated?

If only Ducati were doing something so well! Oh they do, but sadly, its here.
S.

Engaging an audience is a challenge … do you go for all-out emotional engagement or do you opt for "truth" — the bare facts? Robert Passikoff reveals in an interview with the Being Reasonable folks, that there is a non-equal balance in favour of emotion. He characterises the interplay between the rational and the emotional as "unequal partners" and stresses the need to use both to provide mutually reinforcing bonds in support of your brand.
So, there is the commitised element of your brand — the QA, the trust, the functional benefits — representing about 30% of your message. And the rest is your creative. The rest is the way you tell your story, the way you weave a web around the facts, the way you entertain or delight.
This is important because research shows there is a correlation between brand and profitability, between customer loyalty and your ability to STAY in business! Now that’s a measurement of brand value that is worthwhile!
S.

Sometimes you really do only need a picture (I guess that makes me wrong). Or a link … this is great stuff.