Amex Promotes "The Members Project"

Here is a great idea that American Express has come up with relating to social responsibility. Cardmembers need only register on the site. They have the ability to submit an idea for a social project, such as rebuilding a school in New Orleans. The ideas are voted on by members of the site, and for each member that joins, American Express kicks in money (up to $5 million), with the winning idea getting funded! Overall, this seems like a great idea. Consumer sentiment toward the idea is extremely positive.

Here is what a few consumers have said:

"Kudos to American Express for doing something that's actually engaging, and paints the brand in a positive light. Unlike most advertisers, they actually are putting some real money behind the effort, in a way that makes sense, and certainly provides some incentive to participate." Randomcultureblog

"This morning, I received an invitation from American Express to join The Members Project. American Express cardholders get to submit service project ideas, read about other projects, and in the end, help decide where to direct a $5 million donation. I think it is a brilliant move that has great lessons for Rotary Clubs and other nonprofits. In a busy world, nonprofits work ever harder to get people involved involved with their organizations, build distinctive brand identity and get input on where they can have a real impact. How does American Express branding initiative compare to other successful nonprofit ventures? What can we learn that can help us shape our own projects and campaigns?" Innovate Rotary I highly recommend reading this blog for additional insight about American Express' "Members Project."







The graph above tells a compelling story regarding the buzz about American Express' newest cause marketing initiative. Popularity for "The Members Project" is due to the fact that consumers find the initiative interesting. Additionally, consumers like the celebrity element and the fact they can particpate by submitting their own ideas. Greg Krauska at Innovate Rotary comments on the celebrity aspect of "The Members Project" by comparing it to American Idol. He says, "And just like American Idol, there is a celebrity element to this. The 50 project finalists will be chosen by a diverse Advisory Panel, including Gabrielle Reece, Rosabeth Moss Kanter, Wynton Marsalis,Geoff Canada, Ellen DeGeneres, Icon_wynton Dr. Jane Goodall and Dr.Michael Lomax. The diversity of backgrounds and professions of these panelists will make for some really interesting commentary. I can't wait!"


American Express' Members Project Buzz Trend



The project launched May 15, 2007. It will be interesting to see if additional buzz accumulates.

Ray Ban "Guy Catches Glass With Face"

Here is an interesting video I found courtesy of Scott over at Blogger Says What. It is a great example of social media. It was forwarded to him from Kevin at Socially Adept. Kevin is notorious for finding cool things to blog about. I'm insanely jealous since he is the content king (just kidding)! However, I do want to know exactly what Kevin does all day to find this stuff?

Hillary Clinton Needs Your Help

Here is the latest video from Hillary Rodham-Clinton requesting voters to help her select a campaign song. I feel this illustrates the importance that social media is having on the 2008 presidential campaign.

The video posted on May 16, 2007 and there are 4,682 views and 43 comments. People commenting have mixed opinions. Some make fun of her by referencing Bill Clinton's campaign song, "Don't stop thinking about tomorrow!" However, other people offer suggestions such as "Fly Like An Eagle" by Steve Miller.

I have some verbatim comments listed below:

"My Suggestion: Mr. Big - I'm Too Sexy I want you to sing this in public when you win!! LOL!! Go Hillary 2008!" crazychadd

(crazychadd - Right Said Fred sang "I'm Too Sexy," not Mr. Big).


"how about "One Love" by Mary J. Blige & Bono??" soccershorti717

"I'm a Republican and I thought this was a very cool video" EvilShogo

Milford Dental Excellence's Blog

I've been using all of my wonderful marketing knowledge to help a local dental office, Milford Dental Excellence,improve its search engine rankings. Also, I am helping them start a blog. Feel free to take a look and provide feedback. This is my first time consulting with a small business. I'm actually helping them for free in hopes of getting some really good experience with search engine optimization (SEO) while introducing them to the world of consumer generated media (CGM)!

Milford Dental Excellence
Milford Dental Excellence Blog

I have listed current Google rankings for some of our targeted terms below:

milford dentists = # 10
milford dentist = #2
milford dentists ohio = #5

Wish me luck! Feedback is greatly appreciated!

What triggers conversation? What can you control?

It is the goal of every marketer to find out what works? Which marketing initiatives trigger consumers to use your product? What things do you as a marketer have control over? The picture above shows a variety of weapons that marketers have at their disposal. Some generate high consumer acceptance, but you as a marketer have little control over them. Complaint feeback sites, boards / forums and consumer blogs are all examples of things that put consumers in control. They may talk about your product freely and there is little that a marketer can do. However, I'm not saying that all hope is lost. Marketers do have a lot of control over their brands' website, customer service, paid search and adding a human touch.

The graph below illustrates consumers' overall level of trust. As you can see, consumers tend to trust one another. Interesting, consumers also show a high level of trust toward brand websites. This is also one of the key areas that marketers have control over. Therefore, a key component of any marketing strategy should be make sure a brand website is constantly updated with the most recent information. Additionally, a brand website may be used as a launching pad to engage and interact with current or potential customers.




Pete Blackshaw provides a great example about how Volkswagen leverages its website by allowing consumers to find what they need. Look for the post titled "Where Do You Want to Drive (On Our Brand Search Engine) Today?" You can also find it through Technorati Tags: cgm, naked, noah breyer, search, volkswagon

Employees Play Big Part in Brand Innovation

The night before the Association of National Advertisers' first Brand Innovation Forum, four marketing executives gathered; Their hosts for the evening: ANA President-CEO Bob Liodice and Advertising Age Editor Jonah Bloom and CMO Strategy Editor Jennifer Rooney. What drew Clorox VP-Marketing, Laundry and Home Care Tarang Amin, Wells Fargo Senior VP-Brand Strategy Katy Frohling, JetBlue VP-Sales and Marketing Andrea Spiegel and Home Depot Senior VP-CMO Roger Adams. The executives discussed a variety of issues about how to keep both old and new brands relevant. The executives discussed whether it's possible to get a link between marketing and brand equity; and why authenticity in brand messaging is vital. Interestingly, discussion changed to focusing on the role employees play in an organizations efforts to innovate. All four executives said their employees are a critical link to consumer understanding and, in turn, successful innovation.

Katy Frohling, senior VP-brand strategy, Wells Fargo said "our employees are called team members, and we regularly survey not only our customers but our team members on a monthly basis, because we get some amazing ideas -- what we call the "lighting ideas" -- from our front line."

I couldn't agree more with Katy. It is important to regularly survey customers and team members (i.e. employees) to get ideas. I have a few reasons listed below.

Why Survey Employees?

1. Gain significant insight - Employees are on the front line of your business everyday. They know what problems your customers are experiencing with your business. Additionally, they can provide feedback so you may help them become more productive workers.

2. Employees like to be heard - Employees like to see an employer implement some of their ideas. It makes them feel better as an employee, making them more productive and interested in improving themselves and their position within your company.

3. Boost morale - Asking your employees for feedback makes them feel important. It lets them know you care, but remember that you cannot stop there. You must review their feedback and find ways to implement their suggestions. Also, don't forget to reward employees with truly outstanding ideas and remember to thank everyone for their input.

It is very important to include employees in brand innovation. They are the heart and soul of any organization. It is important to let them voice their ideas and concerns to improve their work environment. Besides, happy employees equals happy customers.


Source: Ad Age

Fonbucks Undercuts Starbucks

Wireless community builder, Fonbucks, is becoming a big problem for Starbucks. It is giving away Wi-Fi routers to Starbucks' neighbors around the country. The idea was to get Fon routers close to Starbucks customers trying to connect to a wireless network, giving them a choice between $2-a-day Fon Wi-Fi access or $10 Starbucks T-Mobile access.

A deal with Time Warner Cable will allow any Time Warner customer to set up a Wi-Fi hot spot. That means coffee shops and small businesses, as well as enterprising neighbors, can easily offer low-cost Wi-Fi to customers and friends and make money doing it. "I had gotten e-mails from Foneros saying, 'I wish I lived near a Starbucks; I could make a killing,'" said Joanna Rees, CEO of Fon U.S. Fon's data showed a high correlation between Fon usage and Starbucks locations, hence the "Fonbucks" campaign. "In New York or San Francisco, yes, there are a lot of restaurants and cafes that are Wi-Fi-enabled, but that's not the case in the rest of the country," she said.

T-Mobile's Starbucks contract runs out in 2009, and Fon execs are talking to Starbucks about moving inside. And while I like the ideal of Fonbucks driving the cost of Wi-Fi down, I don't think they should partner up with Starbucks. That would go against everything it stands for up to this point. Fonbucks is currently viewed as the Robinhood of Wi-Fi. It is helping the poor (i.e. smaller businesses) by taking away from the rich (i.e. $10 cost to get Wi-Fi through T-Mobile and Starbucks compared to $2 through Fonbucks). I feel partnering with Starbucks may take away some of its "edge."

T-Mobile and Starbucks will need to lower their Wi-Fi prices to remain competitive. I already feel guilty for paying $3.50 for a cup of coffee. I shouldn't have the same feeling when connecting to the internet.

Source: Ad Age

Is Ford Asking the Right Question?

Ford is creating new innovative products and backing them up with strong marketing initiative's. However, I question whether this is the right move. Ford marches forward with it "Bold Moves" campaign, but sales are still lacking. "This month is terrible," Ford chief sales analyst George Pipas said in an interview. "We are not even close to where we expected to be in April."

Ford is doing a great job designing and building new vehicles. Just look at the new Ford Fusion and Ford Edge. Personally, I think those vehicles are dynamite. Furthermore, I feel my opinion is similar to others since I continue to see an increasing number of Fusion's and Edge's on the road. However, I'm confused as to why Ford can't get things turned in the right direction.

I can only think of a few reasons why Ford continues to plummet. Ford may be spending too much on a failing marketing campaign. Perhaps it is selling not selling enough of its high margin vehicles (i.e. Ford Explorer, Ford Expedition and Full-Size trucks) due to consumer concerns over rising gas prices. Finally, consumers continue to have negative perceptions regarding the quality of vehicles from domestic car manufacturers. Nonetheless, Ford may seriously need to rethink its strategy.

I am a huge proponent of Ford. I own a 2006 Ford Explorer and an 2007 Ford Focus. However, it needs to consider doing a few things differently. I have a few suggestions for Ford listed below.

1. Ford should stress the importance of quality. I don't see Ford doing a great job stressing the importance of making high quality vehicles in its current advertising. I know that Ford is making "Bold Moves," but I don't know what for. Ford really needs to prove that it builds better cars than its competitors. Ford should conduct study after study after study proving its quality is better. Also, it needs to get some good reviews from car review magazines and some help from customers passing along positive word-of-mouth.

2. Ford needs to stand for something, such as being an "Eco-friendly" company. Ford should continue to develop new technologies and partner with other car manufactures to build fuel efficient vehicles. Ford needs to be known as a company that builds high quality vehicles while being concerned about the environment.

3. Ford needs to find ways to bring back its core customer. How many previous Ford owners have switched to an import due to a bad experience? Ford needs to remind them what Ford stands for and what it has to offer now.

Overall, I like what I see with Ford's marketing. It is definitely an aggressive marketing campaign, but is it asking the right question? And while I like Ford's "Bold Moves," maybe it should be asking consumers "Have you driven a Ford...lately?"

NASCAR Wearing the Virginia Tech Logo

NASCAR paid tribute Virginia Tech victims by displaying its logo on the cars during Saturday night's Subway Fresh Fit 500. NASCAR quickly obtained the logo to pass out to all teams. Director of Series Operations David Finley said, "We'll hand them out to all the teams ASAP," "We are trying to create awareness and exposure to the funds being put together for the victims' families."

I like the idea of NASCAR paying tribute to Virginia Tech victims' families, but I feel displaying the logo is the wrong way to do it. NASCAR could have easily had a moment of silence to honor Virginia Tech victims and their families. I didn't see Major League Baseball (MLB) or the National Hockey League (NHL) using the tragic incident to promote their sport. Personally, I feel NASCAR is using the effort to help boost low ratings. Nate Ryan from USA Today reported "Ratings are down 11% for the first seven Nextel Cup Series races this season..." The article is titled "NASCAR officials refuse to panic as ratings drop". However, I think displaying the Virginia Tech logo may in fact be a sign that NASCAR officials are worried. Hopefully I am wrong.

Home Depot Goes Green

Home Depot is putting its own environmental label, Eco Options,
than 2,500 products, from organic plant food to all-natural insect repellent. Ad Age reports that Home Depot has clearly taken the opportunity to be first to market with a label and is the first major retailer to seize on the surge in consumer concern about greenhouse-gases emissions.

The retailer plans to back the initiative with a national print push, including ads in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times and consumer and shelter publications, according to a spokeswoman at Home Depot.

It will interesting to see if this resonates within consumer discussion. Generally, Eco-friendly topics are not the most talked about issues by consumers online. Therefore, I have some tips that I'd give executives over at Home Depot if they want to increase the buzz surrounding Eco Options.

1. Create a blog or sponsor a discussion forum relating to Eco-Friendly discussion
2. Leverage its NASCAR sponsorship to help promote its new ECO Options (i.e. Have Tony Stewart make special guest appearances or set up booths at NASCAR events)
3. Make a special website and encourage consumers to visit it
4. Develop an interactive campaign by encouraging consumers to send in photos or videos of themselves updating their homes using Home Depot ECO Options products
5. Communicate offerings to individuals living a "Green" lifestyle
6. Partner with another "Green" company to help promote Eco-friendly products
7. Create infomercials or mini-videos relating to the environment
8. Expand national print push beyond the Wall Street Journal and NY Times (i.e. place ads in home building media)
9. Communicate benefits of using energy efficient products in homes
10. Reach out and get opinions from key influencers discussing "Eco-friendly" topics related to home building in the blogosphere.


Below is a Brand Association Map highlighting some of the key themes associated with "Eco-Friendly". The map is interesting because it shows the relation between home building and "Eco-friendly" product discussion. Online consumers discussing "Eco-friendly" options in regards to home building largely mention energy efficiency and panels (i.e. solar panels).


You can find out more about Home Depot's Eco Options by visiting Home Depot Eco Options.

My Z-List Experiment - Will Ford, Pepsi or T-Mobile Contact Me? How Long Will It Take?

I'm disappointed to say that I haven't heard from Ford or Pepsi at this point. I have clearly stated that I am a customer of theirs. Unfortunately, I am still waiting to hear from them.

I am a huge proponent of Ford. I currently own a 2007 Ford Focus and a 2006 Ford Explorer. Also, I post frequently at Focus Fanatics. I know that Ford monitors the blogosphere for insights. Therefore, I hope they come across my blog or review my posts at Focus Fanatics.

Pepsi has failed to reach out to me also. My wife and I are avid Pepsi drinkers. We've had several positive experiences interacting with Pepsi as well. I wrote about one of those positive experiences in a previous post.

Now I must admit that my wife and I switched phone providers recently. Verizon was originally on my Z-List of companies that I wanted to contact me. However, we are no longer with them. We don't have anything against Verizon, but we were able to get a better plan through T-Mobile. Therefore, I will remove Verizon from the list of companies that I want to contact me. Instead, I will replace it with T-Mobile.

My list is complete for the time being. I do switch brands occasionally depending on where I can find the best deal. My experiment is to be continued. I will may sure to keep everyone up to date on how long it takes me to hear from Ford, Pepsi or T-Mobile.

Make sure to check out Kevin Green's Blog to see how his Z-List Experiment is going.

Anheuser-Busch Improving Bud.TV

Anheuser-Busch(A-B) is adding more bells and whistles to Bud.TV in hopes to lure more visitors. The brewer plans to load on video-sharing capabilities, full-screen video, a desktop notifier application, new programming and a heavy promotional push to boost viewership.

March audience numbers for Bud.TV suggest some sort of change is desperately needed. Bud.TV drew 152,000 unique visitors in March, 40% fewer than February's 253,000 visitors, according to ComScore Media Metrix. A-B executives have said they hope to draw between 2 million and 3 million visitors a month by early next year to the online network, which is costing the brewer somewhere between $30 million and $40 million.

A-B feels part of the reason for a declining audience is due to A-B's age-verification measures -- which force users to supply information from a driver's license or other state-issued identification -- are an obstacle to reaching a mass audience.

A-B VP-Global Media Tony Ponturo said the early content lacked that "wow factor," and Bud.TV would need a hit to boost traffic.

I visited the site briefly. It was easy to sign up. I only had to verify my name, zip code and date-of-birth. Afterwards, a page loaded showing a few mini-shows that were available to watch. I liked some of the mini-shows featuring Dale Earnhardt Jr. Personally, I feel A-B should leverage its NASCAR sponsorship by including more NASCAR related stuff on the site. A-B is on the right track by including mini-shows featuring Dale Earnhardt Jr. Interestingly, Bud.TV receives a fair amount of website traffic from consumers outside the United States. It may be a good ideal for A-B to promote the site more on an international level.

Bud.TV users come from these countries according to Alexa.com:
United States64.4%
Canada11.0%
Japan9.3%
Romania2.5%
United Kingdom1.7%


Source: Ad Age

Bud.TV currently has an Alexa ranking of 64,646 as of April 16, 2007. Traffic volume to the site has dropped considerably since March 2007. Hopefully A-B will find ways to improve traffic visiting the site.



Unfortunately, Bud.TV has not received a lot of buzz among consumers talking online. The graph below shows the amount of discussion online about Bud.TV over the past few months.

John Edwards' 2008 Presidential Blog

I located John Edwards' presidential blog by simply Googling "2008 Presidential Election". Here is link to John Edwards' Blog. I feel this is a great way for John Edwards to reach out and connect with voters. Additionally, he using the blog to highlight key people supporting his cause (i.e. Oprah Winfrey). I'll take a deeper dive into this topic over the weekend and give all my readers the "lowdown".

I am eager to see if other political candidates have created blogs to connect with voters. I think this really illustrates my point that social media will continue to play a big part in the presidential candidates' strategies to win the election. I'll try to find other candidates' blogs; however, I may not find them all. In the meantime, Feel free to provide me links to other presidential candidates' blogs.

2008 Presidential Election Preliminary Buzz Report

I had my wisdom teeth removed last week. Therefore, I found myself at home surfing the web a lot searching for new campaign information to blog about. I came across an interesting site covering democrats and republicans website traffic. Also, I thought I'd do some research on my own to see who is getting the most buzz among the presidential candidates. I looked candidate discussion online between January 1 , 2007 and April 6, 2007. The results are below.

I wanted to see which party is getting the most buzz. Additionally, I wanted to see which candidates and issues were being talked about the most. The graph below shows a breakout of each parties' candidates. Democratic candidates are receiving the majority of buzz so far.




This next graph shows the percent of discussion that each candidate is receiving. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are receiving the most buzz. Surprisingly, Rudy Giuliani is receiving less than ten percent of candidate discussion online. This came as a shocker to me since I have heard so much about him.



Lastly, I wanted to see which issues were most important to people talking about presidential candidates online. Iraq is by far the most talked about topic among people mentioning candidates. It is followed by taxes and healthcare.



Please feel free to comment on the results or reference other sites which may be useful in my quest to measure the impact on social media in the 2008 presidential elections. I'll make sure to update these charts periodically and note changes.

P&G Responds to Pet Food Recall; This Is My 100th Posting

I'm very pleased to say that my 100th post will be about a topic that is very important to me. Last week, several pet-food manufacturers issued recalls due to contamination believed to have killed and sickened thousands of pets. The nationwide recall has been extended in recent days to additional manufacturers beyond the original recall of 95 brands by Canada's Menu Foods. This has caused several pet-food companies to respond to the issue quickly.

Colgate-Palmolive Co. recalled some of its Hill's Prescription Diet dry cat food, and Nestle Purina recalled some of its Alpo wet dog food with the affected wheat gluten. Both of those marketers also had some products affected by the original Menu Foods recall. Also, Del Monte Foods on March 31 recalled Jerky Treats and Gravy Train treats for dogs and some Pounce treats for cats. In addition, it pulled some wet dog food and treats it made for private-label brands sold by Wal-Mart Stores and Dollar General.

Personally, my two dogs were not affected by this incident. Therefore, I was unsure about the number of pets the contaminated food affected. Additionally, I wasn't sure about the conditions that the contaminated food had on pets. Therefore, I decided to do some background research.

I've found out that a lot of pet owners are really on top of this issue. Additionally, they are very open to blog about it. I came across one blog at Eternity Captured which highlights brands impacted by the recall. Also, several pet owners have left comments on the site regarding their pets reactions to the food. One pet owner named Mike said the following, "my dog has been throwing up the past two days. I fed him again this morning, and he looked at me like why am I forcing him to eat this food. He knows better than me that his food is poison. What can we do to wake up people to check the recalled brands and stop slowly killing their pets." This issue definitely warrants a lot of concern from pet food manufacturers. Hopefully this incident will lead the FDA to improve government regulations thus making sure pet-food manufactureres produce the highest quality foods for our pets.


P&G took out full-page ads in 59 daily newspapers on April 3, 2007 with a letter from employees of its Iams and Eukanuba brands to reassure pet owners that food remaining on the market is safe. The ad campaign is described as a "first step" by a P&G spokesman. Overall, I'm very impressed P&G's response to the issue. It is very important for a company to be proactive when its customers are having negative experiences with its products.

The following chart shows a trendline of discussion regarding the pet-food recall. Discussion about the issue peaked mid-March 2007. It has lowered since then. However, I feel this is an issue that will not go away anytime soon.




Here are my little furry children, Sam and Gracie.









Source: Ad Age

YouTube Dedicates Space for Videos about Candidates

I came across an interesting article while looking through the Wall Street Journal on Wednesday, April 4, 2007. It is titled "New Outlets For Political Junkies." The Wall Street Journal does a wonderful job highlighting the key sites which will have a huge impact in the 2008 presidential election. Additionally, it talks about different ways that candidates will try to engage voters. For example, presidential candidate Barack Obama posted a question on a new Yahoo election portal asking voters how to better engage people in the democratic process. A voter named John Atkins posted a reply: the country should ban lifetime politicians. The article also mentions a variety of contests that social media sites such as YouTube and MySpace will run to increase traffic and promote awareness.

YouTube is dedicating space for videos by and about the various presidential candidates. Also, MySpace announced it will hold a virtual election on Jan. 1-2 and AOL is pulling together bloggers posting about the 2008 elections. YouTube, MySpace and AOL are dedicating a lot effort to the social media aspect of the 2008 presidential election. I think this is a clear indicator that social media will have a huge impact on the 2008 presidential election results.

I like the fact that MySpace will hold a virtual election; however, I question the amount of MySpace users who are actually registered voters. A virtual election on MySpace may not be very accurate due to the low numbers of registered voters between the ages 18 and 24, MySpace's core demographic. Therefore, I feel MySpace should ask a "screening" question to make sure only registered voters are participating. Nonetheless, I will still be interested in seeing the results of a virtual election at MySpace. I feel the 2008 presidential candidates will want to know as well.

2008 presidential candidates must continue to keep a close watch on social media during the upcoming election. Candidates and voters alike will be able to post content (i.e. text, podcast or video) online. Some of it may be good and some of it may be bad. The presidential candidates will need to find ways to minimize the impact of any negative content about them as quickly as possible. Additionally, presidential candidates must continue to find new ways to reach out to voters.

What Would Bronson Arroyo Twitter?

I'm following up to a post at Kevin Green's Blog. Kevin is asking several bloggers to fill in the blank for "What Would ________ Twitter?" I thought I'd respond by saying what Bronson Arroyo would Twitter. Kevin is a proud member of Red Sox nation but I have to remind him that they got the raw end of a bad deal when they traded for Willy Mo Pena. I'm going to list the top ten things that Bronson Arroyo would Twitter.

Well here I go.

10. I struck out 9 Chicago Cubs during my first game of the 2007 season. What did Willy Mo Pena do? What, you can't answer that...exactly...nothing.

9. Theo Epstein isn't the only good GM in major league baseball.

8. I have the one of the best curve balls in baseball.

7. The Red Sox passed up on this "hometown discount."

6. I had almost as many homeruns in 2006 as Willy Mo Pena. I'm a pitcher!

5. I can play a guitar as good as I can pitch a ball.

4. I really can pitch...and my All-Star appearance in 2006 proves it.

3. I like it here in the Nasty Nati'. I'm just another one of the Nasty Boys.

2. The Red Sox haven't been to a World Series since I left. The Patriots haven't been to a Super Bowl either.

1. I'm a proud member of Reds nation. Harang and I will take on Schilling and Dice-K anytime and anywhere.

Finding Consumers to Build Your Ads

The Doritos "Crash the SuperBowl" is being referenced as a turning point in the evolution of consumer generated ads. The popularity of the campaign proved to be a huge success for Doritos. This has led to several companies such as XLNTads to pop-up. XLNTads is a company which helps companies find consumers who want to produce ads. Neil Perry, CEO of XLNTads said, "The average cost of a Super Bowl spot was $350,00" . "Some auto manufacturers spend $600,000 to $650,000 to do a single campaign. We say take that same amount of money, pay $20,000 [for creative], and that leaves you more to reinvest in media, in delivering the message."


XLNTads brings brands and their loyal consumers together for creative collaboration in a very unique way. It gives brands a quick and cost effective way to take advantage of tapping into consumers' knowledge. Also, it is a creative way for marketers to interact with consumers.

The consumer is in control. Time Magazine's Person of the Year: You; Ad Age Agency of the Year: The Consumer. Marketers are on a mission to get closer to their customers. Consumers want to share thoughts and emotions about what a brand means to them. How do you satisfy both needs? Interacting with consumers via Consumer-Generated Advertising (CGA) and monitoring consumers opinions in the blogosphere via Consumer Generated Media (CGM) are two great ways to interact with consumers.

The evolution of marketing is becoming ever changing. Brands can no longer run an ad and expect consumers to flock to stores to by its products. Consumers continue to show interest in interacting with brands they use. They want to use products and provide feedback. Consumers want to be heard. They want to have a say. In essence, they want to live the products or brands they use.

It is very easy for consumers to make videos and post them online. Therefore, it is important for companies to interact with customers. It is much better for a company to interact with consumers in hope that they may create positive video content instead of ignoring customers and having them post negative content about a product or brand.

Sources:
XLNTads
Ad Age

ExpertVoter.org

I came across a pretty neat website, http://www.expertvoter.org/. The site shows video clips of 2008 presidential candidates talking about major issues such as Iraq, immigration, healthcare and campaign reform. The website allows voters to submit video links from YouTube which relate to candidates' positions on important issues. Make sure to check out http://www.expertvoter.org/.

My Z List Experiment - Reaching Out to Ford, Pepsi and Verizon

I thought that I would provide everyone with an update about my Z-List Experiment. Unfortunately, I have not heard from Ford, Pepsi and Verizon thus far. However, I will make sure to provide frequent updates. I've identified myself as a customer of theirs and hopefully they are listening.

I have done a better job reaching out to consumers who are looking or already own Ford products. I post messages quite often at Focusfanatics.com. Additionally, I have done a pretty good job blogging about positive experiences with Pepsi. However, I would be interested in finding out if there are sites where I can discuss Pepsi and Verizon (i.e. brand image or products) with other consumers. Please feel free to leave a comment if you can point me in the right direction here.

2008 Presidential Social Media Study

I know it seems a little funny to be reading election coverage on a marketing blog. However, I feel that similar principles apply to promoting candidate elected as to marketing a product or brand. You are looking to get the word out in both instances. Additionally, you want to persuade consumers/voters to choose a particular candidate, product or brand.

I find the topic of Consumer Generated Media (CGM) to be fascinating. I see the impact that social media has on brands and products. I believe it will have the same impact on voters' perceptions of candidates in the 2008 presidential election.

Therefore, I plan to begin track buzz levels throughout the primary elections. I will post findings frequently and see if I can predict who will the majority vote for each party before going on to seek the presidency. Make sure to read and stay tuned.

Prominent People are Featured in the Blogosphere; Are You One of Them?

I came across a pretty cool tool at BlogPulse
that lets you see which people or celebrities are being talked about most in the blogosphere. The first column shows which people have been talked about most consistently over time while the second column shows who is talked about the most on a particular day. Overall, President Bush and Harry Potter garner a lot of discussion. Hillary Clinton and John McCain receive the most discussion among 2008 presidential candidates. Every now and then, certain people will bubble up to the top of the lists depending on what is going on in the world. For instance, Kathy Sierra has been talked about a lot over the past week since receiving death threats. Interestingly, Harry Potter is actually talked about more than President Bush on some days.



A tool like this may be useful for companies are presidential hopefuls alike. For example, the director of a television show could see if there is any buzz about a particular actor/actress or character. Also, a marketer or public relations spokesperson for a company can use this type of analysis to see if consumers are talking about any of its top level executives. Furthermore, presidential candidates may want to follow discussion patterns to see who has the most buzz.

Some of the tools such at BlogPulse make it easy for people to see which celebrities or people are being talked about the most in the blogosphere. So the next question to find out is whether one of them is YOU!

Blogs Affect Your Brand; Finding Social Media is Easier Than Ever Before

Have you ever went to Google and typed in the name of a company or product? Sure you have. However, you may have not noticed the amount of Consumer Generated Media (CGM) that appears. CGM can show up in the form of blogs, discussion boards, Usenet groups, podcasts and video content among others. Marketers frequently sift through consumer discussion to find out what is being talked about.





A company may want some discussion about them and/or their products to be easily found by other consumers, especially if its positive. In contrast, a company may want to mitigate damage from negative buzz (i.e. vehicle recall). A company's ability to optimize search engine results is becoming more important everyday. The things that consumers write can affect a brands image. Furthermore, consumers can find social media very easily. All they need to do is go to Google, Yahoo or a blog search tools such as BlogPulse and type in the name of a company or product.

Some companies do a great job of optimizing search engine results. For example, rarely does CGM show up on the first two pages of search results when you type in "Sony". However, several CGM sources appear on the first page of Google search results for the phrases "Ford Focus" and "World MasterCard".

I was able to find CGM very easily typing in the phrase "Ford Focus". In fact, I came across a Ford Focus enthusiast site, Focusfanatics.com on the first page on Google. I am a member of Focusfanatics.com for the record. In fact, you can find me posting messages under the alias of MisterDork. Please don't ask me how I got that name. My wife gave it to me :o).


I had to dig a little deeper when looking at "World MasterCard". I had to go to the second page of Google search results. However, I am fairly certain I can find CGM about any company by simply going a few pages deeper on any search.



The fact that social media sites can be found easily shows the growing importance for marketers to follow what is said about the company they work for. In fact, every company should have someone whose job is to go to Google or Yahoo and type the name of their company followed by the word "sucks".

Obama on Iraq

Here is another clip that I found on Youtube. It was posted on January 14, 2007 and has 123,434 views and 306 comments. It is not as viral as the Hillary 1984 Spoof, but still illustrates my point that social media will play a huge role in the next presidential election.

This video features an exerpt with Barack Obama speaking in Face The Nation. There is voter commentary before and after the video. Personally, I think we will continue to see spoof videos like this be posted on the internet featuring political candidates. I'll make sure to keep looking for new examples of social media in the 2008 presidential election.

Presidential Candidates Have MySpace Profiles

I've been doing some additional research to support my argument that social media will play a pivotal role in the 2008 presidential elections. In doing so, I found out that leading presidential candidates Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and John McCain have MySpace profiles. I find this to be very intriguing.

I'm very much aware that the candidates are trying to capture the minority vote. However, campaigning on MySpace tells me they feel reaching out to the youth of America is just as important.

My Z List Experiment - Will Ford, Pepsi or Verizon Contact Me?

I'm really liking this Z List experiment that my buddy Kevin Green is doing over at Socially Adept. I encourage everyone to go read up on it at his blog. He is trying to see how long it will take corporate companies such as Coke, Under Armour and Volvo to reach out to him. He has specifically mentioned that he uses their products and wants to see if they have any interest in contacting him. I really like Kevin's "go get it" attitude when comes to interacting with businesses. I will be eager to see if Coke, Under Armour or Volvo contact him, despite identifying himself as a ZZ blogger.

I understand how Kevin feels in regards to being a ZZ blogger since I only get several hundred views a month on my blog. I track my blog viewership using Google Analytics. Some of my goals including increasing viewership and links to my blog. I have time and patience on my side. However, I am interested seeing how long it will take companies to contact me. Kevin is targeting Coke, Under Armour and Volvo; I am looking at Ford, Pepsi and Verizon Wireless.

I want to see if Ford is interested in what I have to say. I've never owned an import. I've always been a huge fan of Ford. The first car I ever owned was a 1984 Merkur XR4Ti. I will admit that it had some problems. It wasn't the best car for me to buy right after high school. I found it to be rather expensive to maintain and I only worked part-time while going to college. Needless to say, I only had my Merkur for seven months before trading it in for a 1996 Ranger. I loved the Merkur; I hope to get another one in the future when I am in a better financial situation.

I feel that I am doing my part to keep Ford in business. I currently own a 2006 Ford Explorer 4X4 and a 2007 ZX4 Ford Focus. Additionally, I co-signed on my sister-in-law's 2002 Ford Taurus. My wife and I always encourage our friends and family members to look at Ford vehicles. I'm not saying that I've never considered GM or import vehicles, but I like what Ford has to offer. I owned a 2001 Z24 Chevy Cavalier for several years. The car ran wonderfully. However, I traded it in for the Explorer in June 2006. Overall, I feel Ford and GM have done a wonderful job narrowing the gap in terms of quality with imports. Additionally, I like the fact they offer the 100,000 mile warranty.

I did not want to get the Focus initially. I rented them from a local car rental dealership in the past, but wasn't impressed. However, I've really grown to like my current 2007 Focus since I've been driving it on a daily basis. It has a sportier look and feel then I originally thought. I signed up for an account at Focus Fanatics and participate in consumer discussion frequently. You can find my messages under the alias of MisterDork.

Some other companies that I would like to see contact me are Pepsi and Verizon Wireless. I want to know how long it will take them to contact me. I've already blogged about a positive experience that I had with Pepsi. I haven't blogged that much about Verizon, but I do prefer them over Sprint. My calls do not cut out as much. Also, I like the fact that I can speak with someone who understands the English language. My wife and I have encouraged several of our friends to go with Verizon instead of Sprint.

I have made myself known to Ford, Pepsi and Verizon Wireless. Will they make an attempt to contact me? I'm one of their biggest supporters. I own multiple Ford vehicles and frequently encourage others to look into driving a Ford versus its competition. I blog about Ford online with other Ford enthusiasts and owners. Additionally, I drink Pepsi and prefer Verizon over Sprint. Hopefully, I will be contacted in future. Kevin doesn't feel he will be contacted anytime soon. Likewise, I don't think I will be reached in the near future. There are over 55 million blogs. Therefore, it may take Ford, Pepsi and Verizon a while to find me but I will be waiting.

Social Media in the 2008 Presidential Election

Social media will play a huge part in the 2008 Presidential election. Both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama include components of Consumer Generated Media (CGM) on their websites. They allow voters to view video content, create blogs and get involved.

I think it will be interesting to see how the political candidates continue to use social media in their campaign strategy. It will be very easy for a candidate to release viral videos full of mudslinging material. Political candidates will need to proceed with caution. They will need to be able to identify when they can use social media in their arsenal to attack the views of another candidate. They will also need to mitigate negative CGM and social media directed toward.

Personally, I think the upcoming presidential campaign will test candidates' abilities to deal with social media and CGM. It will be a clear indicator of which of them is the strongest. The frontrunner will be the candidate who is able to use social media in their favor the most. However, presidential candidates will need to keep a close watch. They cannot only be concerned about what their opponents are saying about them. Candidates in the 2008 presidential election must know what voters are saying about them. Presidential candidates can rest assured that voters will post and talk about all the issues their opponents may forget to bring up. It will be interesting to see how the candidates cope with negative discussion about them in the blogosphere. Will they try to reach out and connect with voters or leave it be?

I have provided an excellent example showing the impact that CGM and social media will have in the upcoming presidential elections. One person posted a spoof of the popular 1984 Macintosh commercial. The spoof primarily focuses on Hillary Clinton encouraging everyone to participate in the "solution" (i.e. solutions of todays' problems such as the War in Iraq). The spoof includes a clip of Hillary Clinton telling everyone that they are all part of the "discussion" and all part of the "team". The video posted on YouTube March 5, 2007. It already has more than 2,684,452 views along with 5,853 comments. Viewer comments about this video at YouTube frequently reference concerns with the war in Iraq.



The trend graph below calls out several key events leading to spikes in discussion for Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.

This Is Why Duke Sucks

Consumers have the ability to make videos about a company or brand very quickly and post them on the internet. Furthermore, consumers can find and pass along this content to others very quickly and easily.

Here is an extremely viral video that I found on YouTube. I must warn those who wish to view it that there is a lot of profanity. However, I think this video really highlights the importance for any company (profit or non-profit), government agency, politician or university to keep tabs on consumer generated media. Video content is more powerful than regular word of mouth since it includes a visual component. This particular video has over 327,000 views and 718 comments. Interestingly, it was just posted at YouTube on March 14, 2007.

Where Can I Find a Sponsor?

I have recently set a personal goal to run in a marathon within the next year or two. I currently have a gym pass. I run on the treadmill quite often. However, I still have a ways to go. I plan to begin a vigorous training program soon. I will be running at least a mile a day and more on the weekends when I'm off work. Also, I plan to participate in and finish a 5k and 10k race before running a complete marathon. I feel running in a marathon will be a great personal achievement.

I'm interested in trying to find a company to sponsor me in my quest to complete a marathon. I feel this is possible. I notice a lot of people riding bicycles who wear sponsored gear. Therefore, I feel there is a similar market for companies looking to reach out to active runners.

I want to find out if there are any people who have had success in getting companies to sponsor them. Feel free to leave a response.

Pepsi Offers Good Customer Service

My wife and I prefer Pepsi over Coke in most instances. We typically find ourselves buying several twelve packs of Pepsi while grocery shopping. Additonally, most of the local entertainment venues we visit (i.e. local theatres and Cincinnati Reds) serve Pepsi.

My wife recently purchased a can of Pepsi from a machine at her job, but it was flat. She immediately called Pepsi's customer service and they responded to the complaint by promptly sending her a coupon for a complimentary twelve pack of Pepsi. I feel the Pepsi-Cola Company did a great job handling thiz situation. Its quick and direct response made my wife feel valued as a customer.

I am a huge proponent of a company using marketing to promote its brands and their products. Effective marketing can be used to position a brand or product effectively in the minds of consumers. Marketing is important for a company to succeed, but providing outstanding customer service is more important. Marketing attracts new customers, but does not help retain current customers. I feel the Pepsi-Cola Company did a great job in this instance. My wife and I will continue to enjoy Pepsi products.

Girl Gamers On The Rise

I came across a post at Adage about girl gamers being on the rise. The posting referenced the fact that two-thirds of all guys aged 18 to 34 have access to a video-game console in their home and three out of four boys aged 2 to 11 played on a video-game console for at least a minute during fourth quarter. But so did half of all teenage girls, according to the latest figures from Nielsen's "State of the Console" report.

The author of the article, Abbey Klaassen, states that the popularity of video game consoles among the female segment is due to its capability of being a multi-media entertainment hub. Many video game fanatics use their consoles to watch movies and play music, in addition to playing video games. The article also references research results which show an increase in T.V. and game play. Overall, T.V. viewership peaks around 9 P.M. while game play peaks around 10 P.M.

The rise in the popularity of gaming systems may be due to their ability to be an entertainment hub. "Seeing the amount of reach gaming has in teenage girls and women 18-34 is pretty impressive," said Nick Covey, marketing analytics and development manager at Nielsen Gameplay Metrics. "Part of that might represent the increasingly multimedia use [of the gaming console]." As a sign the gaming console is beginning to be seen as more of an entertainment hub, the report said more than half of console owners consider their DVD-equipped gaming system to be a DVD player.

Gaming consoles have seemingly followed a similar path to that of cell phones. Cell phone providers have been coming out with newer versions incorporating features to play music, games, videos, T.V. shows and access the internet over the past few years. Likewise, video game consoles in the future may be required to provide capabilities allow consumers to connect to the internet, download music and videos, and communicate with other consumers. Consoles such as Xbox and Playstation currently allow gamers to play online. However, they do not allow gamers to fully interact online.

The following graph shows discussion trends for video game consoles. The Nintendo Wii has been receiving the most buzz as of recently.

HSBC Advertising on Airline Terminals

I flew into La Guardia International Airport this past weekened and noticed HSBC has ads placed on airline terminals. I found this very interesting. It definitely caught my eye. Then again, I'm always trying to find new unique ways companies advertise. I could only imagine what made HSBC put ads there. So I decided to do some research. Apparently, HSBC signed a five-year deal in April 2006 to brand the interior and exterior of the 108 jetbridges at John F. Kennedy International Airport in the first major airport branding agreement in North America. It started negotiations to brand itself at La Guardia as well. HSBC recognized the importance of reaching out to consumers in one of the world's largest financial markets, New York City.

HSBC said the following when releasing news about signing the deal back in April. "True to being 'the world"s local bank,' we're excited that New Yorkers and visitors will be exposed to HSBC as they pass through JFK," said Martin Glynn, president and chief executive officer of HSBC Bank USA, N.A., HSBC's U.S. banking unit. "HSBC's strong metropolitan New York presence complements its global footprint and makes New York's airports natural places to continue building our brand with domestic and international travelers alike." With this agreement, HSBC is continuing its U.S. brand-building efforts, which coincide with its ongoing U.S. expansion.

HSBC obviously understands who its target market is and knows advertising at prominent airport locations in North America is a great way to reach them.

GM/Chrysler and Sirius/XM: Market Leaders Merge

GM is in talks to buy Chrysler according to Automotive News and Sirius is merging with XM Radio. However, this has many people wondering why? Neither GM/Chrysler and Sirius/XM Radio are in position to become bigger through mergers. In fact, Sheldon Liber at www.bloggingstocks says, "Why would General Motors (NYSE: GM) consider buying DaimlerChrysler AG's (NYSE:DCX) Chrysler unit? Is GM lacking scale? Has anyone accused it of not being big enough or broad enough? Hasn't it already acquired many brands over the years and still run up against superior Japanese and German manufacturers? Will acquiring Chrysler help rebuild its own brand? Does GM need Chrysler? The obvious answer is no, it does not. What GM needs is better car design, improved and more uniform quality control, sharper focus, better vision, more efficiency, streamlined management structure and less overhead burden. How does Chrysler solve any of these problems? It doesn't!" In addition, Liber feels Sirius and XM Radio have their own problems and that combining forces won't help.












Overall, both GM and XM Radio stock prices rose slightly due to the recent news about acquisitions and mergers. Also, both have seen a considerable rise in buzz.

J.C. Penney Launches New Brand Positioning

J.C. Penney switched to a new ad agency, Saatchi & Saatchi, to come up with its new tagline "Every Day Matters." This is a change from its previous campaign "It's All Inside."

The new brand positioning also supports J.C. Penney's 2007-2011 Long Range Plan, which will be unveiled at the company's analyst meeting in April. Following the Academy Awards, ads will air over the next few weeks, reaching 89% of women ages 18-54 more than 12 times.

"Our customers want the moments in their lives to be more exciting and more meaningful," said Myron E. (Mike) Ullman, III, chairman and CEO. "To address this, our mission will be to make J. C. Penney a source of encouragement and inspiration, offering style and quality at a smart price."

J.C. Penney's stock price has risen over the past two years. It will be interesting to see if changing agencies and campaigns will have a positive impact on J.C. Penney's short term and long term success.












Source: BRANDWEEK

Marketing Through Social Networking Sites

Social Networking sites have been showing up over the past few years and marketers have noticed and are taking advantage of this opportunity. Today, almost half (45 percent) of web users are active on social networking sites according to the Nielsen/Net Ratings. Almost 54 million people are on MySpace alone.

Top Social Networking Sites with Alexa Ranking

MySpace.com 6
Blogger.com 15
Facebook.com 34
Xanga.com 58
Livejournal.com 69
Wordpress.com 116
Typepad.com 134
Vox.com 1,450

Nikos Drakos, a research director at Gartner, believes leveraging social networks to connect with customers is not only appropriate but also critical for companies to consider. In fact he says, "When I and others say "understand social networks,' it doesn't necessarily mean, 'go talk to MySpace.'" Leveraging social networks depends on what the goal is. Viral marketing and brand promotion, for example may be done through established sites.

Here is a list of companies currently leveraging the power of social networking sites.

Burger King
Gatorade
Jack in the Box
The Learning Channel
Toyota

Source: Customer Relationship Management

Miller Lite Goes With Digitas

Miller Brewing Co. named Digitas as its primary advertising agency. Digitas in taking over the Miller account at a time when alcohol makers are becoming more aggressive and creative in their marketing efforts. Miller hopes using a digital advertising campaign will help it compete with Anheuser-Busch. Both beer companies recently began leveraging online channels such as YouTube to market their products.

But why is Miller changing its partner now? Jackie Woodward, Miller VP-media and marketing services, said in a statement. "We are stepping up our efforts, and Digitas is the right partner to help us develop breakthrough programs that engage consumers and help further differentiate our brands." Miller spent $4.5 million online during 2005, according to TNS Media Intelligence, and $2.6 million during the first nine months of 2006. A Miller spokesman said the brewer has been increasing its digital spending and expects to continue doing so.

The graph below shows discussion patterns for Miller Lite, Budweiser, and Corona in the Blogosphere. Overall, Miller Lite receives the lowest amount of buzz while Corona has the most consistent buzz pattern. Interesting, consumers' discussion about Budweiser is relatively similar to Miller Lite, except around the Super Bowl. Consumer discussion about Budweiser increased dramatically as people began talking about its Super Bowl ads.



A key measurement of ROI for Miller Lite will be to determine whether or not its partnership with Digitas will lead on increased online buzz and ultimately sales.

Source: Adage.

Determining A Marketing Budget

Finding the amount to spend on marketing is not an easy task. Several ways exist to help companies determine the amount to spend on marketing. These include the percentage-of-sales approach, the competitive-parity approach, the use of all available funds, and the objective-task approach. There are pros and cons to each approach.

The most widely used approach is the percentage-of-sales approach. This approach suggests using information about past sales and occasionally future sales to budget for marketing. A downside to this method deals with marketing when sales are down. The percent of funds allocated for marketing will be lower when sales are lower. Therefore, this may not be in the best interest of a business that needs to advertise consistently even when sales are lower.

The competitive-parity approach requires an organization to attempt to maintain a balance between its communication expenditures and those of its competitors. However, it may not be wise for all companies to incorporate. A smaller company cannot spend as much on advertising as a larger competitor. An example of this is apparent in the auto industry. A company like Hyundai cannot match the marketing expenditures of a Toyota or General Motors. Another method is to use all available funds for marketing. This strategy is commonly implemented when introducing a new offering for which maximum exposure is desired.

A final approach is the objective-task approach. This approach requires an organization to budget communication as a function of the objectives set for a communication program and the costs of the tasks to be performed to accomplish the objectives. The approach requires three steps: (1) define the communication objectives, (2) identify the tasks needed to attain the objectives, and (3) estimate the costs associated with the performance of these tasks.

The objective-task approach is the best method, but the most difficult to apply in practice. In fact, I am currently helping a company which sells baby products reach a more defined target audience. They currently use the percentage-of-sales approach. However, I determined their current marketing strategy had little impact on sales. Therefore, I suggested they switch to a more objective-task approach. We are currently reviewing objectives. Some of these include lower marketing costs and reaching out to their core customer. I plan to do this by moving them from traditional advertisements (i.e. television commercials which don't reach their target market entirely) to focusing on search engine marketing and promotions to encourage referrals.

Overall, I feel moving to an objective-task approach will help this company meet its sales goals, lower marketing costs, and reach its target market more easily.

Source: STRATEGIC MARKETING PROBLEMS, CASES AND COMMENTS by Roger A. Kerin and Robert A. Peterson.