The Wave is coming...

If you haven't heard about it yet, you've got to check out what's next from Google. Google Wave is going to change the way you use the internet (again). http://wave.google.com.

While you’re watching this think of the implications – to society, to culture, to productivity, to innovation, to structure, to processes, to how we think, communicate, engage, etc. It’s somewhat mind blowing. At the same time it’s a rather simple concept… Have one place to manage everything – input and output, relationships and work. Collaborate real time. Review the steps that occurred, how a conversation went, who put those weird captions on your vacation pictures. Instant messaging will be truly "instant," letter by letter. Update all your social media sites at one time. Edit them all at one time. Okay, even though it may be a simple concept, what it does goes on and on and on... Watch the video and try not to drool on your keyboard.

New Perspectives = New Value

--Charles

Social Media and Richmond, Virginia

Today, Richmond Biz Sense launched the 1st of a 3 part series on social media in Richmond, Virginia. Interesting stuff, especially the quotes from Charles Collie (shameless self-promotion) and my good friend Nhat Pham (he's Pham-tastic).

http://www.richmondbizsense.com/2009/06/17/richmond-20-tweeting-for-business/

The point that may have been missed about Twitter is its usefulness beyond selling and marketing is that it is a great information resource. We actually use it as a very powerful research tool. Actually all social media has the potential to inform in a very "real" way.

New Perspectives = New Value

--Charles

How to talk to customers when times have changed

Here's a good article from HBR on how to talk to customers (when you don't know what to say). It equates talking with clients in the current economic downturn filled with layoffs and belt tightening to a personal situation when a friend has lost a loved one. Sometimes you just don't know what to say.

http://blogs.harvardbusiness.org/cs/2009/02/what_to_say_to_customers_when.html?cm_mmc=npv-_-WEEKLY_HOTLIST-_-FEB_2009-_-HOTLIST0224

I've been telling my clients for months now that the things their clients cared about just a short time ago are not the same today. The message still comes from your brand's core strength but it needs to be communicated in a new way that takes into account the new behaviors and attitudes as well as the changing strength of various touchpoints/media. I also have been chanting as my mantra that this is not the time to stop or greatly reduce your marketing. It's time to make it more efficient, yes. But to just take the tact of cutting the marketing budget without a strategy to make it more efficient (and effective) by honing your communications by taking the steps outline above is just increasing the speed of your downward spiral.

Be responsible, but be responsible in an intelligent way.

Stay focused.

--Charles

The Times They Are A Changin'

In his blogpost, We Are Actively Dismantling Your Trusted Marketing Strategies, Brian Massey explains that,

"The culture, the strategies, and the beliefs that your business has relied on for the past 20 years are being actively dismantled."

I think that in many ways Brian has it right. As we shift power away from the Boomer Generation that thrived on hype and mass marketing we find control of defining what a brand means largely in the hands of the "new" consumer. Enter the era of conversational marketing where the words humility, simplicity and authenticity rule.

The truly interesting thing about all this that Brian points out is that the parts still work, they just need to be put together in a different form.

"TV is not an effective way to communicate, video is."

"Radio is not an effective way to communicate, the human voice is."

"Print is not an effective way to communicate, words and images are."

"Web sites are not an effective way to communicate, solving problems is."

All of this relates to my last post on listening first and always. Understand your audience (those that are important to you as well as those that are important to them) then say something powerful. They will do the rest.

As Shakespeare said, "To thine own self be true."

Be real,

--Charles

Shoe Thrown At Bush Sells Like Crazy

Wow, a marketing technique that got right past me: Get a reporter to throw something (how about a shoe) at an international leader (especially a very unpopular one like George Bush). Result? 300,000 orders for that type of shoe within a week of the attack. 4 times the amount of orders for the shoe since 1999.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601085&sid=auI050ptHyPg&refer=europe

Without the internet, it's just news. Without social media, it's a slow build. Put them together and it's an international phenom.

Hmmm. I guess Nike will need to rethink sponsoring athletes. Would it be a conflict of interest for reporters to wear logos like NASCAR drivers? Ok, maybe I've taken this a little too far... or have I?

Marketing is no longer in the marketer's control.

Remember that.

--Charles

Branding Is About Better Decision Making

From conversations I've had recently, I've come to the conclusion that most people still believe that managing a business is very different than branding and marketing a business.

I disagree vehemently to this way of thinking. Management and Marketing are in a real way the same thing.

To manage a business you have to understand it. You have to organize it and make sure each piece is doing what it needs to do to reach goals that accomplish the company's mission.

On the other hand, to discover a company's brand you have to find the intersection of what prospects, customers, management, employees, alliances, vendors and all the other audiences want from or value in the company.

So if you first take the time to discover your brand, you'll be able to more clearly make decisions regarding how to organize your business correctly, which people to hire, what processes to put in place, which technology to purchase, what vendors to work with, etc., etc... and you'll also be a more efficient and effective marketer because you'll be focused on communicating what you do best that the customer values most.

To build a better business that can meet the current economic challenges start with your brand.

Stay Focused,

--Charles

The Markers of the Next Generation

Below is an excerpt from today's Monday Morning Memo from Roy Williams, the Wizard of Ads, that should be the guiding principles for all communications over the next 30-40 years:

"Ten years ago when Locke, Searls and Weinberger published the 95 theses of their prescient Cluetrain Manifesto, they listed thesis number 4 as: 'Whether delivering information, opinions, perspectives, dissenting arguments or humorous asides, the human voice is typically open, natural, uncontrived.' Then, in thesis 22 we read, 'Getting a sense of humor does not mean putting some jokes on the corporate web site. Rather, it requires big values, a little humility, straight talk, and a genuine point of view.'

There they are; the markers of the next generation: 'Uncontrived, straight talk, a genuine point of view.' Another way of saying this is 'unfiltered blurting of your truest feelings.' "

Use this to build rock solid relationships that will lead to success and prosperity.

Be real,

--Charles

Inbound Marketing Summit with Seth Godin and David Meerman Scott

Mark Campanale with Triumverate Environmental (check out his blog http://triumvirateenvironmental.blogspot.com/ ) recently attended the Inbound Marketing Summit. While there he posted some comments about how great it was. I trust Mark so I went to the Inbound Marketing Summit website and watched several videos of the various presentations. Wow, this is good stuff. There is so much to get out of these presentations. Business owners, marketing professionals... everybody needs to understand what Albert Einstein put so well, "We can't solve problems using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them."

Watch and learn.
(Seth Godin)
http://bit.ly/3abO0x or
http://www.inboundmarketingsummit.com/blog/bid/7187/Seth-Godin-Transform-Your-Marketing-Keynote-Presentation-Video

(David Meerman Scott)
http://blip.tv/play/Ac+xLI71bA or http://www.inboundmarketingsummit.com/blog/bid/7001/David-Meerman-Scott-The-New-Rules-of-Marketing-PR-Keynote-Presentation-Video

So, did you learn anything?

--Charles

Marketing - It's Personal

Jim Stengel, formerly head of Marketing at P&G, has started his own firm focused on what I'm calling "purpose-driven" marketing. It's all about the relationship with the customer/client/consumer.Take a look at his speech at the 4A's conference: http://www.brightcove.tv/title.jsp?title=595383937
Here's his blurb launching his new venture:"Jim Stengel, outgoing global marketing chief at Procter & Gamble, is setting up Jim Stengel LLC, which is promoting a new way of selling based on the concept of "purpose." For example, the company's Pampers brand has been focused on the purpose of developing healthy, happy babies, not just keeping bottoms dry, he explained."

Stay on purpose,
--Charles

FAO is no longer the ghost of Christmas Past

Have you heard? FAO Schwarz, the toy store left for dead after filing chapter 11 and closing all of its stores 5 years ago, is back. Why? It's all about the BRAND!

Check out this interview with David Niggli, president and chief merchandising officer to learn how to revive any great brand on life support. Go back to the core of what made your brand great to begin with.

http://hubmagazine.com/html/2008/nov_dec/fao.html

Stay Focused,

--Charles

Did you know? What are the implications?

Saw this video from today's Wizard of Ads' Monday Morning Memo. Would love to hear your thoughts on the implications of some of these things. Very thought provoking facts... things like China will soon be #1 in number of English speaking people and by 2049 a $1000 computer will have the computational power of all the people in the world combined.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cL9Wu2kWwSY

Think about it.

--Charles