Tuesday 18 December 2012

♔ UNCONSCIOUS BEHAVIOR, NEUROSCIENCE AND STRATEGIC PLANNING


Necessity is the mother of invention. After many years of being a market researcher and strategy planner I became frustrated with the tools of my trade.  Not all research is bad, but I believe that the majority of self-reported research can do more damage than good. There is little predictive validity to evaluative quantitative research such as concept and ad testing. And I find some qualitative research illuminating, but it is more so the inspiring people doing the research not the research methodologies being used, and those moderators are far and few between.

I have been studying and applying the behavioral sciences for more than 15 years. And what inspired me to study neuroscience was Primarily working with Martin Lindstrom.  I specialize in unconscious behaviorism and learned techniques to change behavior in a fraction of the time of conventional psychotherapy. I discovered that neuroscience explained and validated the laws of cognition and influence and could be directly applied to branding.

Quantitative Research Systems - There is so much history and money invested in extensive quantitative research systems with vast normative databases that go back years and years. It is difficult to change and risk losing trended information and the comfort of the same old evaluative criteria. And qualitative research remains the quickest and easiest way to cover your backside.  But the real problem is human nature. We decide with our emotions and then we look for rational justification to support our decision. 

David Ogilvy said 'people use research like a drunkard uses a lamppost, for support rather than illumination.' It is simply the way of doing business. And it is not easy being the head of marketing in a hyper dynamic industry, especially in this economy. Having data to back up your decisions helps sell your ideas through the system. In most instances, corporate leaders demand it from their marketing teams.

The marketing industry places primacy on hard facts and numbers, on logic over emotions. Emotions are difficult to measure and 'demonstrable ROI' is often the mandate from business leaders these days.  There is also a prevailing sentiment that so-called 'hard working' ads involve strong rational arguments. Cognitive science does not support this belief. This doesn't mean that rational ads don't work. In fact people often need logical permission to give in to their emotional impulses. But you must first stimulate an emotional response responsible for this impetus.

And what damage is this causing?  Only two out of ten products succeed.   The biggest damage is the distraction and investment in a lot research that is expensive and extremely time consuming to implement and report. We are wasting valuable time and resources in the paralysis of our analysis. Not all data is bad data; behavioral data likes sales data and web traffic can be extremely helpful.

Reported data is the most problematic and suspect. Creativity is being shackled because we are spending extensive time and energy developing ideas, concepts and ads that test well within the research system as opposed to motivating real life flesh and blood people in the real world. I am fortunate in that I work with great clients, very talented marketers with great intuitive and creative instincts. But this is the exception, not the norm.

To ensure that deeper emotional and unconscious thoughts are given enough consideration in client campaigns, before I put pen to paper on a strategy, I summarize the business challenge through the lens of these cognitive and behavioral insights. It helps me create a strategy that is firmly focused on the things that drive behavior. These are tools not rules, provocative windows into the problem, not a checklist of items that must be ticked off. I use these same steps as a filter to evaluate and prioritize actionable creative ideas on the back end.  I also challenge planners on my team to think through this process before they write briefs. I encourage planners to read fewer marketing books but more science books. There is a wealth of great books from talented scientists that will provide planners with much more enduring insight into humanity than the myriad of trend reports and tenuous segmentation studies based upon self-reported preferences, attitudes and activities.

The key, macro lessons that people should take away?  Focus less upon the competition and more upon your ideas and products. Human nature inclines us toward a competitive frame of mind not a creative mind-set. We are so busy trying to steal the other guy's slice of the market share pie that we forget imaginative ways to build a bigger pie.

Focus on humans not consumers. The word 'consumer' implies hubris and places corporate interests over human interests. It assumes a behavior yet to be earned by the marketer. Their role is not to consume your product but to satisfy their deep, authentic, real life desires, aspirations and ambitions. In other words, the same things that people have wanted since the dawn of humankind.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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♔ OPTIMIZING VIDEO FOR SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION (SEO)

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is still regarded as one of the primary tools in the digital marketing kit. However and wherever a potential customer is conducting a search, brands naturally want their content to surface in the top results. But without a regular flow of good, relevant content, your SEO opportunities run shallow. We know from several studies video is one of the most engaging forms of content, so why not make sure that in addition to being cool, your videos are helping you win the SEO game?


Keywords:
-Decide what search phrases make the most sense for your video. Don’t dare use phrases that have nothing to do with the content. You’ll make people mad.
-Research those keywords to see how competitive they are. Adjust them so there are still lots of people searching for it, but there are not as many links showing up for it.
-Search your potential keywords and phrases to see what comes up. It’s amazing how many people forget to do that.



Video Title:
-Try to start and/or end with your keyword.
-When you search on YouTube, visual action words tend to come up as suggested searches. So try to use action words.



Video Description:
-Lead with a link to your site (include http://).
-Don’t stuff this with your keyword. It leads to bad writing and it won’t work anyway. This is where you convince people to watch, so write for humans. Use some showmanship.
-At the end, do a call to action (subscribe, see the whole playlist, visit our social channels, etc.)


Video Tags:
-Don’t over-tag. 5-10 tags per video is plenty.
-If you’re compelled to have more than 10, that means you should probably make more videos specifically targeting all those keywords.


Find Linking Pals:
-45% of videos are discovered on video sites. But 44% are found through links on blogs and sites.
-Write a blog about your video’s content, then link to the video in it.
-A good site for finding places to guest blog is myblogguest.com
-Once you find good linking partners, they’ll link to your future videos (as long as they’re good and you’re returning the favour).


Tap the Power of Similar Videos:
-Use Video Reply to associate your video with other topic-related videos. That’s when you make a video responding to or referencing a video made by someone else.


Content:
-Again, build up a portfolio of videos, not just one that goes after 30 keywords.
-Create shorter, sequential videos that pull them deeper into the content and closer to a desired final action.
-Organize your video topics separately using Playlists. Playlists show up as a whole in search results like individual videos, so optimize playlists the same as you would for a video.



Meta Data:
-Too much importance is placed on it. It accounts for only 15% of search success.
-YouTube reads Captions or Transcripts to determine what a video is about. If you’re not using them, you’re missing out.
-You get the SEO benefit of captions and transcripts whether the viewers has them toggled on or not.



Promotion:
-This accounts for 25% of search success.
-Promote the daylights out of your videos using your social channels and digital assets. Don’t assume it’s going to magically get discovered.
-You can pay to promote your video. This could surface it on the YouTube home page, YouTube search results, YouTube related videos, and across the Google content network.



Community:
-Accounts for 10% of search success.
-Make sure your YouTube home page is a fun place to spend time. Carefully pick your featured video, and make sure your Playlists are featured.
-Participate in discussions so users will see you’re present. The volume of ratings/comments is as important as the number of views when it comes to where you surface on search.




Video Sitemaps:
-As with a web site, a video sitemap helps Google quickly index your video.
-Google wants to know title, description, play page URL, the URL of the thumbnail image you want, and raw video file location.
-Sitemaps are xml files you host or dynamically generate on your site. Once you’ve made your sitemap, sign in and submit it using Google webmaster tools.



Just as with the broadcast and cable TV channels, putting a video out there is only step one. You also have to make sure everybody knows it’s there so the largest audience possible can see it. Here’s hoping you get great ratings.  Let us know if you have any questions.











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Thursday 13 December 2012

♔ SOCIAL MEDIA CASE STUDIES [GB_V85]


Nike has created a Facebook app that converts Nike+ and Fuelband data into energy for your character in their new NikeFuel Missions game.  -  PSFK

To promote their new eyewear, TOMS is letting visitors virtually try on their sunglasses and post snapshots of themselves on Facebook.  -  TOMS

T-Mobile is surprising fans by touring the country with their Unlimited Cheer Team. They'll announce their locations via Foursquare and other social media channels, and the first customer to check-in will win prizes.  -  About Foursquare

Contagious finds and filters the most innovative exercises in branding, technology and pop culture. Once a year they wrap up all the highlights and deliver their Annual “Most Contagious” Report (www.mostcontagious.com/2012).

With the help of Jimmy Fallon, Ford is writing a Super Bowl ad for their new Lincoln Motor brand based on fans' tweets.  -  TechCrunch

Pernod Ricard -- parent company to brands like Kahlua, Jameson, and more -- explains why they use a social intranet to crowdsource ideas from all 18,000 of their employees.  -  MarketingWeek

From ‘Social TV’ to ‘Real-time Optimization’ to the ‘Emergence of Mobile Remotes’ - here are the hottest Digital and Media Trends for 2013 (compliments of Millward Brown) - Report

On #GlobalDominosDay, Domino's Facebook pages around the world offered the same pizza deal internationally for one day.  -  Brandchannel

Heineken is celebrating their 140th birthday by showcasing fans' Facebook wall posts on the actual wall of their Amsterdam brewery using a light show made of 5,000 Heineken bottles.  -  Creative Boom

There's been an explosion of collaborative consumption -- web-powered sharing of cars, apartments, skills, and more. Rachel Botsman explores the currency that makes systems like Airbnb and Taskrabbit work: trust, influence, and what she calls "reputation capital."

Petco is playing Santa this season by granting pets' holiday wishes when their owners tweet using the #DearPetco hashtag.  -  The Petco Scoop

In celebration of reaching 100,000 Facebook fans, Pizza Hut gave away 110 bottles of their novelty perfume, Eau de Pizza Hut.  -  Adweek

Puma is asking fans to take pictures of their shoes when they travel to share on Instagram, Facebook, and their website for a chance to win weekly prizes.  -  Puma
  









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Wednesday 12 December 2012

♔ THE UNITED NATIONS, CHOLERA, AND EFFECTING GLOBAL CHANGE


Certainly we all understand that if we’re “not part of the solution, that we may be a part of the problem.”  Of course we all do what we can, where we can, to elevate the status of human suffering and dignity.  But do you really think that you can change the world?  Or do you believe the system is just too big, and the entities just too entrenched to be changed?  How much impact can you really have?   A lot more then you probably think.

On Tuesday, 12 January 2010, an earthquake more powerful then an atomic bomb hit Haiti.  (For a look at the state of Haiti post-earthquake click here.) The following months brought charities, NPO’s, and United Nation’s soldiers, staff, and supplies from around the world to assist in rebuilding the country.  

The UN soldiers however also unwittingly brought Cholera; an infection of the small intestine caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. The bacterium releases a toxin that causes increased release of water from cells in the intestines, which produces severe diarrhea and left untreated causes death from dehydration via severe diarrhea.  Cholera occurs and spreads most readily in places with poor sanitation, crowding, war, and famine. Cholera has killed at least 7,759 people to date in Haiti since the outbreak started in October 2010.

Certainly there are many, many entities and interests involved in rebuilding Haiti and also in helping the Haitian people hold the United Nations (UN) responsible for what they had done.  In this specific effort however I want to congratulate two people - Bryn Mooser and David Darg.  They launched www.undeny.org and produced a documentary film called “Baseball In The Time of Cholera,” that told the UN/Cholera story (via Ryot Films) through the eyes of Haitian teenager Joseph Alvyns and his engagement with the Tabare Tigers (Haiti's first little league team started by Bryn Mooser and David Darg in Port-au-Prince.) 


After a significant amount of work, exhaustive Film Festival screenings, interviews, and meetings in Washington (and around the world,) the United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon finally announced today that a US$2.27 billion initiative would be established to help eradicate cholera in Haiti.  Note that the UN explicitly refused to do this only a year ago.  

Today (12/12/12) it was announced that bilateral and multilateral donors have additionally committed US $215 million (and the UN has committed another US$23.5 million for the initiative,) which will mostly focus on improving clean water and sanitation infrastructure in Haiti.
Ultimately the resolve and indignant spirit of two people (Bryn Mooser and David Darg) that were committed to justice and dignity for the Haitian people won the day.  

So, for all those of you who think the system is simply too big to be changed.  For all of you who think that you’re only one tiny voice in a vast universe. For those of you naysayers who said it could never be done - today ‘David’ beat ‘Goliath’. My sincere congratulations and respect to both Bryn Mooser and David Darg, you have elevated the human condition.   

I am very, very proud to know you both.  

Wednesday 28 November 2012

♔ SOCIAL MEDIA CASE STUDIES [GB_V84]


Durex is creating buzz around their #1Share1Condom World AIDS Day campaign by making a charity donation each time a person shares their message on Facebook and Twitter -  Brandchannel

Dell is kicking off their #Inspire 100 campaign, where they recognize 100 influential people and share interviews with them on Facebook and Twitter -  DailyFinance

T. Rowe Price is launching a Facebook app called "It's Good to Be a Scrooge!" that gives tips for saving money during the holidays -  Facebook

Ralph Lauren is asking fans which vintage look they should bring back from their archives and encouraging them to share images of teddy bears wearing these looks on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest -  The Daily Beast

The Coca-Cola Company, American Express, Target, and others are engaging fans by using Tumblr as a social content hub -  Digiday

In The Raw's new "Au Natural" Facebook app encourages fans to share photos of their baked goods and other sweets by giving the images a "racy" edge -  PSFK

Starbucks, The History Channel, Domino's, and more share case studies on how they've successfully used Foursquare to their advantage -  Simply Zesty

Adidas' A Christmas Carol-themed campaign is getting customers in the holiday spirit by encouraging their participation across Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter -  Popsop

Nescafe unveiled their new coffee by changing their Facebook cover photo in real time in correlation with new likes -  Trend Hunter

The Campbell Soup Company is raising money on Pinterest for Feeding America by donating $1 for every pinned or repinned image of their classic green bean casserole. The result will be a "Most Colossal Casserole" board on their Kitchen Pinterest page -  MediaPost









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Wednesday 21 November 2012

♔ SOCIAL MEDIA CASE STUDIES [GB_V83]


Chrysler explains how they used a storytelling video series on Facebook to get younger audiences interested in their Fiat brand - MediaPost

Amazon is teaming up with Jib-Jab to offer personalized video gift cards that customers can send to their friends via Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or email - PSFK

To promote their new Cheddar Bacon Onion burger, McDonald's is adding a daily dose of bacon to their Twitter feed with graphics of bacon replacing everyday objects - The Huffington Post

Revlon describe how real-time data influences her social media strategies - Chief Marketer

Toys "R" Us has launched a news network across Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube with kid "anchors" giving parents clues for what toys will be popular this holiday season - Ragan

American Airlines has upgraded their iPad app to include a trivia game that passengers can play against each other while in flight.  Each week the top players will be featured on their Facebook leaderboard for a chance to win extra bonus miles - Brandchannel

Alfred Dunhill has created a stop-motion film using a Facebook photo album with 200 photos from their recent vintage-car race in Japan - Adweek

FedEx has launched an app that allows customers to select shipping recipients from their Facebook friends list and post an alert to their friends' timelines - The Next Web

Callaway is creating buzz around their new high-tech driver by slowly unveiling different features on Twitter when fans use the hashtag #LongestDriverInGolf - MyGolfSpy

Ben & Jerry's is turning their fans' Instagram pictures into ads that will be featured in their local neighborhoods - PC Mag









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Monday 19 November 2012

♔ "PAGES FEED" IS THE NEW FACEBOOK


































































NOTE:  FOR MORE ARTICLES AND POSTS FROM THE LAST WEEK PLEASE VISIT US ON TWITTER @GOODBUZZ.  IF YOU HAVE INFO, ARTICLES, CASE STUDIES, OR OTHER EXAMPLES OF (TTL) PARTICIPATORY MARKETING BLISS - PLEASE FEEL FREE TO EITHER POST VIA FACEBOOK OR SEND VIA E-MAIL AND WE’LL TAKE CARE OF IT FOR YOU. ;) PLEASE IDENTIFY IF YOU FIND A DEAD LINK (AS THEY WERE ALL LIVE AT THE TIME OF THIS POSTING)

Friday 16 November 2012

♔ Effectively Engaging ‘Millennials’


Technology has allowed 'Millennials' to expect immediate and impulsive interactions with organizations. Smartphones and mobile devices are clearly making a major impact on how this generation interacts with brands and organizations and must become a critical part of engagement strategies moving forward.

Generation Y, (also known as the Millennial Generation and Echo Boomers,) are now 18 to 34-years old, and represent more than 80 million consumers potentially eligible to drive. This represents about 40 percent of the car-buying public. Traditional brand experience techniques—relying on advertising to position yourself, or scattering press releases to the wind, hoping for coverage—just don’t work with Millennials. The nearly incomprehensible glut of voices struggling to be heard makes it more difficult than ever to be noticed. Interruptive methods fall on deaf ears. Hard sells fail.

You can fix that with a little knowledge—and a ton of innovation.  A brand’s ability to reach Millennials requires an understanding of the social and psychological factors that shaped the generation. Being connected to the entire world from an early age has given them an uncanny ability to ignore the noise of useless information. Technology has literally shaped their brains, and interruptions are painful: easily brushed away. Your offers are automatically irrelevant unless you prove yourself attention-worthy.

Brands are spending more on media buys but seeing less ROI. Messages just don’t cut through like they used to. Brands must develop innovative brand experiences via tools that a consumer will actually use. And they should be free. And these gifts must be optimized for the web, mobile, social media and whatever comes next.

Useful, engaging, well-designed, thought-provoking, original, integrated tools all have the potential to position your brand as knowledgeable, trustworthy and cool. These are the kinds of things that make people want to hang out with you in real life. Don’t think for a second that Millennials don’t judge your brand by the same criteria. You have to give them a better brand experience than they can get anywhere else.

Here are few tips on how to stand out:
  • Give them a better process, not another product. Millennials view car brands through three lenses: familiarity, quality and interactivity. A sexy new model will not guarantee success. Brands need to integrate across platforms Gen Y uses most—web, mobile apps, social media. Millennials have important lives to live, and it’s your duty to adapt. 
  • Make sure your content has something to say and that your tools do something real. Gen Y will not be buying what you’re selling. They’ll buy what you make and what you stand for.
To be successful, brands must therefore reflect an understanding of these insights, keep clutter and messaging noise to a minimum, and never lose sight of groundbreaking design, innovation and utility. The right way to do this requires a visionary approach, along with strategies that provide users with innovative experiences across multiple platforms. Brand experiences must now demonstrate utility to consumers and integrate with their lifestyles and values. 

The ultimate goal?   Building meaningful relationships with consumers through useful, integrative and innovative brand experiences.  Today, what’s extremely clear is that effective marketing experiences mean interaction and meaningful consumer engagement. As the complex and ever-shifting landscape of online, offline and hybrid experiences transforms users’ lives, creative advertising messages and trendy digital functionality are not enough to sustain a brand.

Consumers demand innovative, integrative tools that make their lives easier and more enjoyable. They want meaningful interactions optimized for multi-screen lifestyles. Brands must cut through the noise and offer them real utility in order to be noticed. In today’s unpredictive media environment, brand messaging alone fails.

Need some help?  Give Goodbuzz a shout.







 
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