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DR. WHAW? – April 7, 2010


2010
04.07

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Posted in Branding, DR. WHAW?, Danny, Measurement, Social Media | View Comments

This post was written by DR. WHAW? Contributor Danny Prager.


Some great reads were passed around today online. Let’s dive in:

DR. WHAW? – April 7, 2010

1) Clay Shirky on “Complexity and the Collapse of Business Models” Summary on PSFK

Thinking about the larger institutions and structures that drive both brands and agencies to act in specific ways is sometimes just as important as reading a fantastic case study or how to post. Sometimes we need a little perspective. Clay Shirky is one of the most celebrated and fascinating thinkers of our time, I always feel smarter after I read him, whether or not that’s actually true, is another story however.

2) What Will Social Media Look Like in 2012? Freddie Larker

Very interesting presentation from Freddie Larker about what the future of media holds. If you’re a futurist, or interested in social media, this is as can’t miss presentation.

3) The Future of Sentiment Analytics — Jennifer Zaino

Measuring sentiment effectively could open the doors for brands to improve their customer service, improve market research strategies, and streamline product development. As measurement technology and expertise improves, I think measuring sentiment will outweigh metrics such as hits, impressions, or conversation share for communications professionals working with social media. I’m excited to find out if I’m right.

4) What’s the Deal with Branded Social Gaming? Jackie Adkins

Social gaming is huge, and some major brands like Bravo TV are moving into the space. What are the advantages and disadvantages for a brand? Definitely something worth thinking about.

5) The Greatest Thing the Ipad Did — 180/360/720

“The greatest thing the iPad did was help people imagine what the web should look like.” The best argument I’ve heard about the impact of the IPad yet. If the IPhone challenged our perception of what the web should look like on a mobile device, the IPad challenges the content industry in the same way. Not sure if I agree completely with this line of thinking, but it’s definitely a great argument.

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DR. WHAW? – March 31, 2010


2010
03.31

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Posted in Branding, DR. WHAW?, Danny, Social Media, Twitter | View Comments

This post was written by DR. WHAW? Contributor Danny Prager.


It broke 70 degrees in Chicago for the first time in a couple of months, and everyone is in a fantastic mood. I am too. Here are some great things I read today:

DR. WHAW? – March 31, 2010

1) Shift from Self-Driven to Issue-Driven Social Media Listening by Dave Fleet

Listening in social media is of the utmost importance. Like every other piece of execution however, you need to make sure that you are listening strategically, and that those who are doing the act of listening understand the difference between pure brand monitoring and a kind of listening that many might call research. This article effectively explains the difference between the two.

2) Posterous now allows you to set up custom domains Read Write Web

You can now buy a domain name, set up a website and host it all through the Posterous site. It is amazing to think that creating a simple, usable, and connected website is as simple as logging on to Posterous.com . While there will always be a place for well designed custom sites, it has never been simpler to make an effective website.

3) “We Have That Under Control” — Olivier Blanchard

Businesses get caught up in all the things that can go right with their latest plan or initiative but there’s a fine line between confidence and ignorance. Olivier sets them straight. Great impassioned writing. Now, I will be forever weary of the phrase, “we’ve got that under control”.

4) A brand is for life — Influx Branding

In our current obsession with real time feedback and response, sometimes we need a little perspective. Brands can be made and lost in a matter of days. We need to stop praising brands for short term successes and chiding them for quick implosions, instead, as communications professionals, we need to help them through the good and bad alike.

5) Influence on Twitter Can’t Be Purchased With Kim Kardashian — econsultancy

While Kim K may make a nice chunk of change using sponsored tweets. A new study from Yahoo found that Twitter influence is extremely unpredictable, and, at even the highest levels of sharing, a Tweet is only shared in the thousands, not in the millions. While celebrity is the best predictor of influence, we may need to re-think influence and focus on hyper-targeting combined with a mass media model:

Watts (the lead researcher) points out:

“Influencing one other person is clearly not what many people have been looking for [on Twitter.] But ordinary influencers are still influencers… Combined with mass media this could be very powerful.”

Hope you all had a fantastic day. Thanks for reading.

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Who cares which came first? How are brands created?


2010
03.29

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Posted in Branding, Marketing, Social Media, public relations | View Comments

This guest post was written by John Merritt, a digital strategist who focuses on brands and marketing in his work. His personal blog can be found here. I highly recommend getting in touch with this guy, he’s a smart cookie. He wrote the post below in response to my post last week which asked whether the personal brand or agency came first.

I think it might be a good idea to first understand how brands come into creation and then answer the questions that came up in the previous blog post.

So how are brands made?  Below is an image that I put together to convey how I believe brands are developed and how they become the iconic behemoths that we come to see regularly and love.

Brands are as nebulous as the marketing that serves to promote them.  Their creators start from something that they only understand and make it into this flourishing dream that we see and experience by way of product, services and experiences.  All brands, small and large, typically begin this way (that includes the agency brands and the personal brands).

What came first, the personal brand or the agency?  From what I’ve seen and experienced, personal brands are created and evolve into these brands (agency, client side, and more).

So that’s great, but what about the other questions I had in response to Rebecca’s post?

1)    How do businesses and agencies need to change?

2)    What will brands and agencies have to do to adapt? Balance?

3)    What is the purpose of a company in relation to my personal brand?

The much stickier questions could not receive justice in just one post.  For instance, businesses and agencies operate in several different contexts – depending on the business, industry, customer type, etc., and that could determine the direction that a business needs to go(or not).  Agencies, too, face this dilemma.  From a 30,000 view in the sky, each needs to focus on customers and needs to change in that direction.  Moving closer to each brand’s ground zero would be a little more difficult to achieve without a deeper understanding of that business.  Another way we can address this is to see one perspective via image below:

I’ve laid out how each of those questions above might look when addressing a particular concern about brands adjusting and growing.

Well wait a minute, what about the agency in relation to my personal brand?  How does this get addressed?

Think of things this way, no one agency can do everything.  Look over the history of agency development and you’ll see that evolution and the shifts in their focus.  A good place to view this for the last decade is a site called WayBackMachine where you could see the transitions of each agency as time progressed.  With this said, personal brands fill a vital role that even the largest of the larger brands cannot fill – they are the experts in niche or collective fields whom might be able to provide an unbiased and uncanny perspective.

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Which came first? The personal brand or the agency?


2010
03.17

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Posted in Branding, Growing up, Social Media | View Comments

A couple weeks ago, my friends Danny and John both shared their views on personal branding. Danny wondered how the new explosion in personal branding would affect agencies large and small. On the other hand, John argues that personal branding is nothing new and shouldn’t be something to worry about.

I feel as though this begs the question: which came first, the personal brand or the agency?

John makes the argument that some of the biggest agencies are named after the men whose personal brands gave these agencies their start. Daniel J. Edelman and Leo Burnett are just a couple examples, but think bigger. Think Procter & Gamble and Chevrolet.

Has social media just made this problem more top-of-mind? Or does social media really bring out a new side to this age-old dilemma?

I’m inclined to believe that social media adds a new level to this problem because people are much more visible as a brand before they can turn their personal brand into an agency or company. Don’t you think that Daniel Edelman was pretty visible in some circles before he started his agency? But it was only after he created his agency did his name really become cemented in our culture.

Had this occurred today, I would suspect that Daniel Edelman would be much more of a superstar to many more people even before starting his agency. How would this have affected his agency? How would this have changed his decisions?

There has always been an opportunity to create a strong personal brand and use it to leverage business decisions. But with social media, the opportunity to become a superstar or legendary personal brand has increased dramatically.

With more folks able to grow a strong personal brand, more companies and agencies will have to deal with the issue of balancing corporate and personal brands. I would suspect that companies have had these issues before, but we just haven’t heard about them because the personal brand weren’t so universally well known.

So the real question isn’t which came first, but who will be the first to strike the best balance? Who will set the new standards?

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DR. WHAW? – March 15, 2010


2010
03.15

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Posted in Branding, Clay, DR. WHAW?, Marketing, Social Media, public relations | View Comments

This post was written by DR. WHAW? Contributor Clay Schossow.

Hope everyone had great weekends!  My posting requirement has been reduced to just Mondays, as Rebecca has been able to recruit some awesome, new DR WHAW contributors to help out with the rest of the week.  Hopefully, this helps me bring you even better material, too!  It’s been a busy 8 days, so I’ve fallen behind on my reading but was excited to get caught up today after work.  So, here’s what I Didn’t Read While Hard At Work (DR WHAW), but wanted to!

  1. Zappos pranks itself for new ads — I was familiar with the new Zappos campaign from Mullen, and I knew that the dialogue was from actual customer service calls, however, I didn’t realize that the agency had actually “pranked” Zappos to get the material.  Pretty cool!  This post has a nice look at the campaign and how it came together.  It’s always great to see original, innovative, and effective advertising.
  2. Why the “Fail Fast” Mantra Needs to Fail — Really wonderful post from entrepreneur and VC Mark Suster.  He looks at the silly notion of “failing fast” for entrepreneurs and how it is disrespectful to investors and customers.  The point of being an entrepreneur isn’t to scam investors for $$ and then try out a random idea that may or may not work, but will resolve itself quickly, either way.  Real businesses are built on solid ideas, plans, and execution.  Good look at this “rally cry” and why it’s a bunch of BS.
  3. What a Small Shop Should Expect After Being AdAge Agency of the Year — Quick, inspirational read about a small interactive shop in Arkansas that was named Small Agency of the year in 2009.  The CEO talks about the changes in their hiring, bidding, etc.
  4. Sometimes Brands Do Beautiful Things — Good review by Angela Natividad of all the cool social marketing currently going on by brands.  You’re probably familiar with most of these campaigns, but maybe not all of them.  Also, I absolutely love this line from her post: “American law treats companies as if they are human, and now people demand proof that you are: do you care about what is happening to them? Do you want to create exceptional experiences that enrich their lives, or do you just wanna broadcast messages all around their personal space?” Cool way to put it and exactly spot-on.
  5. Endless Love? — This post from Saatchi & Saatchi CEO Kevin Roberts looks at the how love and attraction are a real scientific fact.  I’m sure we’d all had inklings that these feelings were rooted in the brain, but I love how Kevin spins it to have you look at if you’re spurring love from your current clients?  Are you just ignoring them and letting the spark die?  He gives a couple of tips to keep current clients engaged and the love flowing.

This was definitely an Advertising-heavy addition, but I think these are some good reads!  Hope you enjoy and let me know your thoughts!

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DR. WHAW? – March 4, 2010


2010
03.04

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Posted in Branding, Caleb, DR. WHAW?, Social Media | View Comments

This post was written by DR. WHAW? Contributor (and soon-to-be coworker!) Caleb Gardner.

I made it public this week that I’m joining the crew at Edelman Digital here in Chicago. I’m very excited to work with such a great group of people – including Rebecca! But with the new position, I’m stepping back from some other fun things I’ve been doing.

So unfortunately, this will be my last post for DR. WHAW (Cue the sadness). It’s been a blast. I know Rebecca’s already working hard on replacing me, but don’t forget you can always chat with me on Twitter, Facebook, or connect with me in other ways.

So without further ado – here, for the last time, is what I Didn’t Read While Hard At Work (but wanted to):

  1. Will Personal Brands Ever Eclipse Agency Brands? (Daniel Prager) And…
  2. Personal Branding: Not a New Concept (John Morrison) I know Rebecca’s going to be mad at me, because she was probably going to post these tomorrow. But they were posted today, so – ha! John, Daniel and Rebecca were apparently having a discussion about personal branding recently, and these two posts came out of it. Makes for really interesting reading. Does personal branding negatively or positively affect agencies?
  3. Jump Out of Your Social Media Clique (Scott Bishop, for LAF) A great reminder from Scott that even social sites aren’t immune from cliques. In fact, they can can be even more cliquish as we define our space online.
  4. Life Without Twitter (DJ Waldow) DJ explores what his life would be like without Twitter, both personally and professionally. I know mine would be completely different. In fact, I know for sure I wouldn’t be about to start at Edelman.
  5. The Internet Continues to Permeate Reality (Len Kendall) So glad I started writing this late, so that I could catch Len’s post. This will blow you away, and get you thinking about the way the Internet has changed and will continue to change our lives.
  6. The Importance of Being Urban (Fanis Grammenos) An interesting (if lengthy) overview of the “ideology of urbanism”. Fascinating stuff.

That’s it for me, folks! Thanks again for letting me be a part of the DR. WHAW project. See you on the other side.

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Your audience is the entire world, so show your entire self


2010
01.20

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Posted in Branding, Life as an AAE, Social Media, Twitter | View Comments

Last week on the #u30pro Twitter chat, I remember someone mentioning that our audience in now global, and that really struck me. (SIDE NOTE: Does anyone remember who that was?)

We were talking about how much of yourself you should share online, and whether it’s appropriate to share facts about your personal life as well as professional when blogging or Tweeting. And we were all pretty much in agreement that there was a balance that needed to be struck between professional and personal.

And then someone said that it was silly to not show your whole self because your audience is essentially the whole world. In a time when anyone can use Google or Twitter or Facebook to find you and your thoughts, it seems silly not to share your whole self.

I would never argue that you need to give out all of your information, I still urge you to be safe online. I do, however, urge you to let your entire personality shine through in your online interactions. More and more people are making important connections online, but how strong will those connections be if they’re based only on superficial or professional information?

My closest friends from work and other places are those that I know way more about than just their professional acumen. And it’s these outside connections and personal touches that make me think of them first when a new opportunity arises. I am way more likely to recommend a person or share a job opening with someone who I know as a friend and not just a colleague.

If that does not convince you, think about this: when you work in an office, you don’t stick to shop-talk all day long, right? You talk about your family and weekend plans with those who sit near you, and you develop personal relationships along with work relationships. And which of your coworkers are you more likely to recommend? The ones you have only had professional experience with? Or those who you know inside and out?

If you truly intend to make strong and meaningful connections online and use social media as a networking tool, it may seem counter-intuitive, but it’s important to let your entire personality show through all of your interactions.

What do you think? Is it wise to hide part of who you are online? Do you think it’s best to dive in and show your whole self? Share your thoughts!

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Psychology of social media: impatience, lack of focus and paranoia abound


2009
12.18

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Posted in Branding, Marketing, Social Media, Twitter, public relations | View Comments

I’ve not been around the social media game terribly long, but I have been around long enough to notice that there are certain psychological traits that seem to be common.  I don’t mean to insult anyone; I simply mean to point out traits that seem to be fueled by social media.

Because social media (and the Internet in general) are instant, impatience seems to logically follow.  I have found myself guilty of this one.  If I publish a blog post, sometimes I find myself wondering why no one reads it right away.  When I Tweet a question, why don’t I get an instant response?  Because we can get answers from search engines so quickly, I think often we expect the same instant response from social media.

This only because a true problem when it comes to a crisis of sorts.  I remember a few months ago, Best Buy fell under fire because an angry customer sought help from @BestBuyCMO on Twitter.  The person behind the Twitter handle signed off after a brief interaction and did not come back until the next day.  In @BestBuyCMO’s absence, Twitter was up in arms about how Best Buy could ignore the situation.  In hindsight, though, wasn’t it unreasonable to expect an immediate response?  On a Sunday?

Lately I’ve been noticing that we tend to jump around from topic to topic without fully resolving anything.  We lack focus. I participate in weekly Twitter chats, and while these are definitely helpful, the same topic is never addressed twice.  It’s so great to have access to many voices giving advice and asking questions about the same topic or idea. It loses a great deal of its power, though, when there’s really just chatter with no clear answer or direction in the end.

Perhaps I’m missing those who are truly focused on one topic, but I feel as though most of us (myself included) try to find the newest idea to discuss instead of looking at an idea in depth. Have you noticed this?

With the Internet becoming so ubiquitous, there is a greater need for safety online.  It’s obviously not smart to disclose all of your personal information, but at the same time, sometimes I think we are too paranoid.  Customers are not out to destroy all big brands.  Companies should be cautious and we should all be careful about how we interact online, but let’s face it, the online world isn’t out to get us (at least in most cases).

I am by no means suggesting that we throw caution to the wind and simply do as we please, but I think sometimes we all make it seem as though a company’s brand may completely fall apart should they decide to take on social media.

In all fairness, I should disclose that I have never studied psychology beyond introductory classes, but it seems to me to make sense that the immediacy of social media has encouraged these traits in all of us.  What do you think?  What else do you notice?  Am I completely off base?

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DR. WHAW? – October 23, 2009


2009
10.23

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Posted in Branding, DR. WHAW?, Marketing, Measurement, PR metrics, Social Media, Twitter | View Comments

And so another week ends!  I am sad to say that I will not be traveling to the University of Minnesota to visit my little sister, who is a freshman.  I’ve been feeling kind of lousy, and I felt it wasn’t safe to drive for 12 hours this weekend.  So I shall be catching up on my blog (get pumped, readers!) and getting my life organized.  I’m jet-setting off to Sydney, Australia, in two weeks, and I could not be more excited or more unprepared!  In the meantime, I bring you what I Didn’t Read While Hard At Work today!

DR. WHAW? – October 23, 2009

1. Social Media: The Need For Measurement from SEO Book — You know why I’m including this one without even clicking the link, right?  Any article that argues for the need of measurement in social media or any other medium is a must-read in my book.  So why this one in particular?  This one is thorough, and I think that with slight tweaking it could be something you show directly to a boss who needs serious convincing.  Do you agree?

2. Explaining (Some of) Google’s Algorithm with Pretty Charts & Math Stuff from SEOmozBlog — Ever wondered how Google works?  I certainly have.  This is a very thorough and straight-forward explanation of how Google works, and this information could help you to write  content that will rank higher on Google’s search pages. Interested?  You should be!

3. “Listening” graphics have a long way to go by Mark Schaefer — I’m all about measurement, but I have never claimed that the current methods or metrics are perfect.  I love that Mark Schaefer took the time to analyze what is currently available to demonstrate what we still need.

4. How Google Analytics just got a lot more powerful by Guy Kawasaki — Google Analytics recently announced a whole slew of new services, and this is a great explanation of what this means and why you should be paying attention.  He says who cares about Google Wave when there’s more to Google Analytics.  Your interest should be piqued and rightly so.

5. Social Networking ROI by Greg Gianforte — Wow!  An examination of the ROI of social networking, I love it!  I’ve not seen this before, and I’m happy to see that someone is taking a look at this.  There is no real mathematic backing here, but there is some great theoretical suggestions as to how to measure the ROI of social networking.

6. Coke Weighs in on Earned Media ROI by Carol Kruse — Another big WOW!  A major corporation has weighed in on ROI, and I can’t get enough!  I’m happy to see a big player recognizing the importance of ROI and hope it will show other corporations that they need to be measuring, too.  There’s also just some plain good insight, which is worth a read in and of itself.

7. Top 10 brand and marketing trends for 2010 by Robert Passikoff — This is a great look at what might lie ahead.  I strongly urge you to read through these and think about them seriously.  Do you think this is right?  What would you include or exclude?  It’s always important to be looking to the future, and this is a great start to what should be a broad conversation.  Weigh in!

Thank goodness it’s Friday, eh?  I’m happy to be relaxing and spending some time checking things off my to-do list this weekend.  Also, I’ll be happy to sleep in and get really better.  What are your plans for the weekend?

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DR. WHAW? – October 7, 2009


2009
10.07

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Posted in Branding, DR. WHAW?, Marketing, Measurement, PR metrics, Social Media, Twitter, public relations | View Comments

And so ends another day of non-stop work and errands for this Tar Heel.  How was your day, folks?  I know you’ve been looking forward to what I Didn’t Read While Hard At Work today, so here it is!

DR. WHAW? – October 7, 2009

1. Social Media ROI: Separating myth  from methodology by Don Bartholomew — This is the second part of a two-part series on social media ROI.  You may remember I featured the first part in yesterday’s DR. WHAW? and I’m happy to feature the second part.  In this article, Don Bartholomew breaks down three myths about social media ROI and then shows you exactly how to understand the methodology.  This is another absolute must read.

2. 7 Considerations for Tracking Social Media Success by Thomas McMahon — There are seven tips and considerations that you should think about before you start monitoring social media.  This does oversimplify things a bit, but there are definitely some solid beginnings to any measurement plan.

3. Storytelling: Actionable Insights from Analytics by Julie Brue — I like this post because it discusses three key obstacles to Web analytics and how they can be overcome.  I sincerely recommend that you read this and think about which obstacles you may or may not be facing.  It’s important to not only know what your goals are, but what you are up against before you being to measure and analyze.

4. Hammer on Analytics from Chris Gemignani — I adore this video!  It’s short and sweet, but it gives me hope.  If MC Hammer understands that analytics and market research is essential, how long before we all get it?  Not to put him down, but if the music industry can use analytics to their advantage, why can’t PR?  Why not advertising?

5. 34% of e-retailers say social marketing has increased sales, study says from InternetRetailer — Online retailers believe that the use of social networks has increased their sales.  I like to see support for social marketing, but I wish there was some data to back it up.  How did you know I’d say that?  I’m so predictable, eh?  This is some interesting stuff to think about, but I wish there was something more to back it up.

6. Social Media Boosts Search Ad Clicks by Brian Morrissey — A recent study shows that users who interact with advertisements on Web sites like Facebook and Twitter are more likely to click on a brand’s ad than those who don’t.  What will this mean for advertisements moving forward?  I wonder if ads on social networks will increase in value or if budgets will be more devoted to such Web sites.

7. Market Engagement Optimization (MEO) and NetTrust Score by Chris Heuer — What the heck is MEO?  Marketing Engagement Optimization.  OK, right, but what does that mean?  This article discusses what the heck MEO is and why you may need a NetTrust Score.  It would rank companies based upon trust, which I encourage but don’t necessarily believe is possible.  What do you think?

I’m excited to be finding all of these measurement articles lately!  It’s seriously giving me hope that it’s truly going to be accepted by the PR industry in the near future.  Measure on, folks!

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