Vacation
Tomorrow I will be heading to France to visit my family for the next two weeks. See you when I get back!
-Jon
Social Media Is The Future of Politics
Interesting post on Huffingtonpost about how political debates inside of Social Media are influencing the political agendas of our leaders and aspiring leaders. It is also interesting to note that John McCain doesn’t even use a computer. Watch the video.
Just as media has grappled with, and now leverages, user-generated content (UGC), politics is experiencing its first brush with viewer-generated-activism (VGA)
“I believe that the next President will stand at the end of the Television Presidency and at the beginning of the Networked Presidency in which the President and the people will connect and work to pass their agenda together, where they can and do agree.”
Space Wedding
Get married in Sub-Orbital Space. It isn’t the moon, but it’s one of the most unique places available.
The one-of-its-kind ceremony charge includes a photo and video album, original dress, wedding certificate and other ceremonial items. The cost of transportation to and from the launch site, accommodations, a live broadcast of the ceremony to friends and family at a reception hall on the ground, and 4 days of rehearsal is also included in the package. The space wedding services are said to begin in 2011, but they will be accepting applications starting July 1, 2008
Cost: $2.2million
via: BornRich
Hawaii Governor Mandates Solar Power
I am a huge fan of solar power - the sun makes more sense. In fact, I would like to have a solar powered cabin deep in the woods in the not to distant future. With that said, Hawaii Governor Linda Lingle signed a bill on Friday that makes Hawaii the first state in the US to mandate the installation of solar water heaters in new residential construction.
The legislation, Act 204, mandates that new single-family homes built after January 1, 2010 will have to install solar waters to receive a building permit.
Who is next? I guess Washington or Oregon -but- what if someone bold from the East Coast stepped up - Florida?
My Starbucks Idea Version V2V
One of the unique things that Starbucks** offers, besides their million of drink choices, is the ability to create a space to meet and gather inside of your community. Living in Brooklyn, I have issues with Starbucks and the commercial culture in which it thrives. Especially, when they end up in a neighborhood that has plenty of coffee shops and community organization. In fact, when I moved into my neighborhood, 7 years ago, there were no Starbucks at all. There were a handful of community driven coffee shops and a place called Halcyon -which will go done in history as my favorite place ever. Well…. I don’t want to sound like a nostalgic “times are changing” and “kids today” type of guy -but- I do recognize that the world is changing and Starbucks despite all of its baggage is indeed really making an effort to help the communities in which they exist it.
The energy shot kings that brought us MyStarbucksIdea, a site that I posted about a few months back, is a great example how large businesses are “listening” to their customers and making changes based on the most popular ideas. Walking to work today, I just noticed that they recently added a “rewards” card program and that idea came from the people on the idea site. Not a innovative idea at all -but- community driven nonetheless. Give the people want they want!
Their latest under-the-radar development is called Starbucks V2V.
“Starbucks V2V is a social network with a purpose to get people to take action by collaborating around events that will enrich their communities, their lives and the lives of those around them.
Starbucks and V2V have come together in a unique partnership based on similar core values. This space is the “fourth place” that extends beyond the four walls of the store to help partners and customers showcase the amazing things they are doing in their communities. This special place fosters creativity, collaboration amongst new friends, and inspiration to make our world a better place to live. Together, Starbucks and V2V are “Redefining Community”.”
I am a huge fan of activating offline community involvement through a meetup like online network and if a Venti triple shot Frapacino is what it takes to get us “Latter Liberals” out from behind our screens to collborating face to face with a live person - I am all for it!
**Seattle Best Coffee - A Starbucks brand is a DeVries Client
Wheel of Marketing MisFortune
Great post from Logic and Emotion on the perils of Marketing Misfortune. Enjoy!
Is the Green Movement just a Passing Fad?
There has been some heated discussion lately in the press and among my colleagues here at DeVries about the actual actions that people are taking to be “green”. Are we really doing what it takes to help the environment or are we all just “Armchair Environmentalists“?
“Folks who talk up their green purchases and lifestyles at a cocktail party really aren’t doing as much as they say they’re doing.”
Many people believe that the green movement is starting to dwindle and a backlash is on the horizon. They cite recent articles in GQ that deal with this over saturated marketplace.
“We can’t pinpoint the exact moment in this past year when the green movement crossed the line from admirable to ridiculous. Maybe it was when oil giant launched it’s laughable “will you join us?” environmental campaign…maybe it was the appearance of “organic” Gummi Bears.” It goes on to say that “we’re skeptical when the Chevy Tahoe Hybrid, the SUV that gets all but 21 MPG, is named Green Car of the Year” and in the GQ way, gives advice on changes you can make that won’t save the planet ,but instead will make your life richer and better.”
I remember this same phenomenon happened when everyone put .com on all of their marketing materials - at the time it became a bit of a joke/backlash, (now look where we are) - The companies that actually “got-it” where the ones that rose to the top. The rest had to play catch up and many still are - They were considered “out of touch” because at the time they didn’t do the “work” required to really be .com. The green backlash is really just the overload of green “stamps” attached to marketing materials - but - it doesn’t mean that it’s going away or isn’t important! - as marketers we need to make sure that we are genuine, unique and transparent with the green campaigns we pitch and/or support. As people become more educated about “green” issues just like the Internet - they will begin to slowly understand who “gets it” and who doesn’t and it will be a part of everything you do. So don’t throw out your recycling bins just yet.
Social Media Metrics
Metrics, Metric, Metrics! Some people love them, others say they are important (but don’t really care), others find them tedious –but- as marketers they are crucial for understanding and benchmarking to fill our funnel with more marketing dollars and to actually learn what works.
It takes courage and vision to realize that sometimes marketing dollars are not going to provide you the exact measurement you need to satisfy your measurement group. The measurement group can only benchmark against things that have been industry approved and agreed upon - an industry standard - and when this standard hasn’t been defined yet - you are often on your own.
What is important when it comes to Social Media metrics?
Social Media investment should not be driven by a bottom line, - “I need to see X number of impressions for my X investment”, but rather a longer-term (perhaps forever) relationship. A conversation that lasts longer than a Search Campaign that delivered 30K unique visitors, or a display ad that converted 10K people to buy something. Social Media is a process of creating a framework for your loyal customers, would-be customers and brand supporters to gather inside of a flexible structure that is portable, open and not overly marketing driven. This is why PR agencies and Word of Mouth Agencies understand Social Media. PR people are trained to get people to talk about your brand, ignite and manage conversations in the marketplace and form public relationships that last longer than an ad buy. Ad Agencies are good at getting people to notice your brand and buy things. Interactive Agencies are great at building web-sites, buying search ads and running rich media display units. They are all an important part of the marketing mix, but let’s make sure we are not measuring them all with the same metrics.
It takes a new set of metrics to understand how people converse and share information online. Metrics that are more based in PR and Word of Mouth Marketing than Ad Agencies.
Here are 5 Social Media Measurement Links to get the conversation going.
- Social Media Measurement Shouldn’t Matter
- Social Media FAQ – How to measure ROI
- The ROI of Communities
- Art of Conversation
- Hey Agency The Web Is Social
FriendFeed Article in PRWeek
For all of you out there following along on your computers, iPhones or bathroom mirrors, I wanted to share with you a recent article in PRWeek about Friendfeed (yours truly quoted)
Enjoy!
It’s not AppleTV - It’s Roku!
I arrived home yesterday to a surprise package waiting for me inside of my door. I almost didn’t see it hidden discretely next to the umbrellas -but- something strange pulled me to look closer. It was a non-descriptive 12×12 brown box without much branding. I picked it up and on the backside it said Roku. I had to think for a second, but only a second because despite this initial mystery I was indeed waiting for this brand I didn’t know. I had been waiting for this meeting since I faked sick in third grade so I could be home for the installation of our first cable box - you know the one that you could straighten out a paper clip and tap into all of the pay movie stations - the one that brought us HBO, Playboy Channel, clear pictures on seemingly countless channels, Spanish language TV and of course QVC. The possibilities seemed endless.
And so I thought…..
Enter Roku – Roku is the new set-top box that allows me to stream thousands of pre-selected movies from Netflix directly to my TV at no additional cost per month! (It’s not their whole catalouge but, I can still get all of the other Netflix movies in DVD form - great for Blu-Ray). After spending an average of 50 bucks a month with my new Apple TV for History Channel reruns - I now have what seems like unlimited access to movies, TV shows and all of the Nature Documentaries I want or need. The best part about this is that I LOVE Netflix and this takes their super efficient recommendation engine and ease of use to unparralled heights. It makes you question if Apple has any understanding of community and sharing? Movies download fast and on demand and did I mention that it’s free (the box cost 100 bucks) with your monthly subscription to Netflix? Its’ not AppleTV it’s Roku and it’s much better!
Open Source Economics
Many of you know that TED Talks are my favorite place to find information and inspiration on topics that are truly spreading and game changing. I have seen them all and some many times over. In fact it was the inspiration for the title of this blog. As we all reach out to each other and share ideas, TED does a perfect job at getting the open-source collaboration that can change the world concept correct. Free information, Collective intelligence and the power of organizing without organizations is the key for success for our planet. Please watch this talk on open-source economics by: Yochai Benkler.
Everything Your Should Know about Word of Mouth Marketing - W.O.M.
Dave Balter over at BzzAgent is self publishing his Word of Mouth Manual and spreading it to everyone via… You guessed it… Word of Mouth. I don’t agree with all of the points that Dave makes in the book but, I do think it is an important book to read to understand the fundamentals of WOM - and it’s free! As you may recall, I have posted before about what marketing guru Seth Godin thinks about Viral and WOM and I have also put together some helpful WOM links and an interview from the book at the bottom of this post. Enjoy!
Question: How often do companies successfully engineer word-of-mouth marketing?
Answer: The phrasing, “engineer word-of-mouth” is very interesting. Inasmuch as it suggests “force” or “manipulate,” I’d say that no company has ever successfully engineered word of mouth. However, for those companies that guide or inspire word of mouth by empowering consumers, respecting their opinions, thanking them for sharing their input, and making changes based on consumer counsel … in those cases, word of mouth marketing is successful all the time, every day.
Question: Can a large company do it—or is word-of-mouth marketing only for small companies?
Answer: Word of mouth happens for companies of all sizes. The iPod and the iPhone were massive word-of-mouth phenomena. So was the Swiffer. Smaller companies, like Webkinz, may need to rely on word of mouth more due to smaller marketing budgets, but the impact is equally valuable.
Question: What are the components of an effective word-of-mouth marketing program?
Answer: The most important thing is that companies tap into consumer advocacy without destroying what makes it so powerful: trust. Effective programs should ensure participants are:
- Unpaid. Cash messes with our opinions!
- Unscripted. People should say what they really feel, no matter how good or how bad
- Open. If someone is involved in an organized word of mouth program, the people they talk to should be aware of that.
A simple test is to ask yourself: would I feel ok if my eighty-year old grandma knew about this program? That will help guide you.
Question: What is the difference between viral and word-of-mouth marketing?
Answer: Viral marketing is typically reserved for programs where the advertising is talked about as opposed to the product itself. A good example are viral videos, where the humor trumps the brand, ala Cadbury Schweppes drumming gorilla video—humorous partly due to the Phil Collins soundtrack, of course—and the parodies which followed). Word of mouth is the actual sharing of an opinion about a product or service between consumers. Your viral marketing only works if it gets people talking about the product itself. If it doesn’t, you might create some laughter and awareness, but there won’t be a change in sales.
Question: How long does an episode of word-of-mouth communication last? Read the rest of this entry »
Top 7 Sayings about “Doors”
I often hear people speak about opening doors. If I could only get my foot in the door… If I had the right key, I could get in the door… These newly designed doors above -brought to us by Yanko Design- prompted my search for the top 7 sayings about doors. There are countless numbers of them out there and please help extend the list below!
“Th