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ADMIN

Media Training Tip No. 99 - Don’t Get Caught in a Lie

June 29, 2007 | 1 Comment

David Letterman counts all of Paris Hilton’s lies - or ‘inaccuracies’ - from her interview with Larry King. Hilarious.

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Posted by toddand | Filed Under Humor, Media, Video

Friday Fun - Pictures Everyday

June 28, 2007 | Leave a Comment

You’ve likely seen at least one of the “takes a photo everyday” videos on YouTube, such as:

But have you seen the lego man version?

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Posted by toddand | Filed Under Humor, Video

The Big Pitch

June 28, 2007 | 2 Comments

In honor of Mark Goren’s Power Profile, which includes a sad baseball story, here is a fun baseball Youtuber.

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Posted by toddand | Filed Under Humor, Video

Power Profile: Transmission Content + Creative

June 27, 2007 | 13 Comments

In his youth, Mark Goren came within one out from making the Little League World Series. Unfortunately, he made that last out with a line drive to the outfield and he still thinks “what if” to this day. Professionally, he’s a traditional ad guy turned non-traditional marketing coach. He describes his consultancy – Transmission Content + Creative – as “designed to help open-minded clients reach their targets in non-conventional, financially friendly ways.” Basically, he tells clients to look past the magazine spreads and 30-second spots in favor of social media approaches. According to Mark, forming one-on-one relationships can be far more cost effective and successful than mass advertising.

Anyone who reads his blog, also named Transmission Content + Creative, knows that Mark loves to write. It’s obvious by his in-depth posts, his thoughtful answers below and his use of the term “raison d’etre” (he’s from French Canada). Transmission (the blog), which is currently ranked 190 (06/27/07) on the Power 150 list of top marketing blogs, has been covering social media and marketing topics since November 2006. Get the inside scoop on Mark and his marketing blog from his Power Profile below.

How would you describe your blog to your mom?
It’s kind of like that time you invited your friend’s cousin’s daughter over and hoped that I would strike up a conversation with her over dinner, get to know her, take her out, start dating her, eventually marry her and have children together.

In this case, I’m marketing myself and meeting people. As a result, I’m building relationships and trying to give readers a reason to commit to me, either because they like my thinking, like me, and/or enjoy keeping me in line. And one day, if all goes well, I’ll make a few long-term relationships out of it.

And, mom, the only difference between your approach and mine? Mine works!

What blog post (of your own) are you most proud of and why?
Can I pick three? (I’ll be quick.)

The first is “Conversation Agent + Me” and – ironically – it points to Valeria Maltoni’s blog. She invited me to be a guest on her blog, which I thought was pretty damn cool. We went back and forth trying to decide how to go about things and we hit on a great idea. My post just sets up the two-part “Ask Away” series on her blog and points my readers to her blog. I’m real proud of this one because a) it was an honour to be invited to participate on such a well-respected blog and b) because it was so much fun.

I have similar sentiments for my post titled “Blogger Stories”, which points to my story over at Toby Bloomberg’s site of the same name. Great concept, even greater honour.

The third is “NYC Conversations and Connections”, a post that proved to me that my community of friends is as real offline as it is online.

What blog post do you most regret publishing and why?
”Completely Irresponsible Marketing.” Wow, this one was a good lesson to learn. After the whole Aqua Teen Hunger Force debacle in Boston, I became too focused on getting a post up and not focused enough on what I was saying. I challenged people to boycott the Cartoon Network and cancel their packages.

A commenter was (rightly) quick to ask me if I had cancelled my package. I hadn’t, for two reasons: I didn’t have that channel (it’s not available up here in Canada), I never checked to see if our Teletoon network carried the show and, honestly, I really never intended to cancel. I would’ve, but I wasn’t really looking to.

The lessons:

• Never post without thinking through every word.
• Don’t challenge people to do things you wouldn’t do yourself.
• Just be smarter.

Wish I could have that one back.

What two blogs do you read most often?
I have a folder in my newsreader called “Must Reads” that has 23 blogs in it. But if I had to pick two desert-island blogs (assuming that the island has wireless access, of course) I’d go with Seth’s Blog and CK’s Blog. Seth because he’s so damn smart and easy to follow, CK because she’s the focal point of the community I find myself linked to and because every single one of her posts challenges me think.

Honourable mention goes to The Sports Guy, but his site is not technically a blog. Still, I couldn’t imagine not reading his stuff.

What two podcasts do you listen to most often?
I haven’t really delved into the podcast world yet. I’ve never been a big iPod person, so I don’t have earphones plugged in every minute of the day and I find it difficult to follow while at work. If I had to pick two, though, I’d get more involved in Across the Sound and Six Pixels of Separation. I subscribe via iTunes to both and when I’ve listened, I’ve never been disappointed.

How many hours a week do you spend blogging?
If by blogging you mean “spending time preparing a post” it probably averages out to about an hour per post. If by blogging you mean “reading feeds, commenting on other blogs and thinking about my blog” I’d have to answer with, “Countless hours.”

How long do you expect to continue blogging? What’s your end game?
Right now, I can’t imagine not blogging. Having just launched my new business, blogging has been a natural part of my evolution. My blog has helped me network, it helps me organize my thoughts and shape my ideas. Even if I never made another contact from the blog, it’s too valuable to me as a thought generator to go without it.

What non-blog websites and publications do you read?
I’m a huge sports fan, so I’m all over ESPN, particularly The Sports Guy’s page. (Side note: ESPN charges for too much of their content, keeping some of their best writers behind a wall. As a result, I’ve started to look elsewhere for sports opinions and news.)

Because I also do a lot of business with French-speaking contacts here in Quebec, I use wordreference.com quite often. It’s a great resource for understanding the nuances of the language that I haven’t picked up yet.

Truthfully, though, most of my time is spent catching up on feeds.

What is your full time job?
I am a marketing coach, helping clients understand that traditional advertising is an outdated model. My best days happen when I’ve convinced a client (or potential client) of this and have opened their mind to exploring social media approaches.

What cool/interesting clients or companies have you worked for?
Having spent ten years in advertising, I’ve developed campaigns for a lot of cool companies in a wide range of industries. Aviation, high-tech, a large daily newspaper, sports teams, financial institutions, charitable organizations – you name it. The one thing I’ve always loved was being in a position to learn about different industries. How many people go to work and spend the morning on a recruiting account and the afternoon knee-deep in banking?

Where do you think the marketing industry is headed?
From interruption to permission, from talking down to talking one on one, from mass to micro. But these are obvious, aren’t they? I think I like this answer better: marketing is headed into uncharted territory (in many ways), with new ways to reach people being figured out as we go along. It’s a very exciting time to be a marketer.

What kind of services are your clients most interested in?
Feedback has been great. One client keeps telling me how much they appreciate my youth. They feel I’m connected in ways that they aren’t and that my ideas are always new to them. It’s a very cool thing to be able to introduce your clients to social media ideas that are completely off their radar. So I guess the answer to this question is: fresh ideas and new thinking.
What do your clients most want to know or try when it comes to social media/marketing?

I find my clients are at a level where they understand that having a static website does them no good. Where to go from there and how to change that is usually what they’re looking to learn.

What is the most important thing you’ve learned throughout your career?
To listen before speaking. I’ve learned the hard way that gaining information and insight before offering an opinion is a far better approach than diving in uninformed.

Do you actively participate in Second Life?
I have participated in Second Life events, mostly Coffee with Crayon. I haven’t been around in a while though and would love to have a more thorough tour of SL. My avatar name is Forest Radford and this is a picture of “him” sitting atop the scoreboard at the new Yankee Stadium. Pretty cool.

On your accounts page, you reference clients that “get it” or “got it” – at what point does a client “get it?”
I believe that a client “gets it” when they realize that they don’t have to spend crazy amounts of money marketing their products. When they realize that mass advertising isn’t always the best approach; that forming one-on-one relationships can be far more cost effective and successful.

With content and creative in your company name, read any good content recently?
Content is a wide term. It could be copy, photos, video, audio – pretty much anything that fills a web page. The key to having good content, in my opinion, is meeting a users needs for that moment he or she is visiting your page. Being relevant and contextual are the keys.

Now that said, I’m also a big advocate of simplicity. I much prefer simple and to-the-point communications. And it’s just a matter of plain old respect. People don’t have time to decode things, they need to get what they’re looking for ASAP.

And what about the creative?
I have to qualify this before I answer. When I refer to creative, I’m not just talking about creative in the traditional sense. I’m talking about trying new things, experimenting, being willing to fail until you find the right combination and then tweak, adjust and tweak some more. I mean a creative solution to a problem, not bells and whistles wrapped in a clever headline.

And there are examples of this all over.

// JetBlue’s response to their winter mess in New York was creative. They tried reaching out and apologizing in an untraditional way.

// Olgilvy Public Relations Worldwide is being very creative with their yoursocialmediascore.com page, which helps companies assess their readiness to undertake a social media initiative.

// Todd, these profiles and your blog rating system have been very creative ways to extend your brand and increase your credibility.

The point is, creativity can come in many different shapes and forms.

What is the biggest obstacle you face when coaching on corporate blogging?
The biggest obstacle, I believe, is working a blog into a client’s timeframe/schedule. I find that clients understand the idea, believe in its potential and get all gung ho, but when push comes to shove, actually working it into their schedule and entering into the conversation in the right way becomes tough.

But once you get involved, you’re hooked.

What advice do you have for recent marketing grads?
Give back to students when you’re in a position to. I’ll never forget the help I received from seniors in the industry when I started out and always felt a responsibility to give the same time and attention to students when I can.

Have you launched anything viral?
Haven’t gone there yet, though I am working with a client on a concept we hope will become viral. If not, we’ll move on to something else and try again. (And isn’t that the beauty of it – you don’t have to break the bank to try something? Anything.)

What cell phone do you use? Who is your service provider? How would you rate them?
I just recently got my first Blackberry. It’s the Pearl and I love it. Though I have had some thoughts about getting the new 8800 (like the Pearl, only with a full keyboard).

I’m with Fido, have a 25 MB data plan and up to 1,000 text messages a month with my plan. Twitter and Facebook mobile, you know. Fido is good, they offer per second billing and all that. And their customer service isn’t too shabby. The only time I had a problem, they took care of it immediately.

What kind of computer/set-up do you run at home?
I work exclusively on Mac and recently purchased a new MacBook 2 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo to replace my old 12” PowerBook. I will never work on a PC. Ever.

What is your next big technology purchase going to be?
Nothing really in line for purchase. But I’d probably have to say that the next big one will probably be a new Blackberry, either the 8800 or the new Curve. They are both pretty hot.

Favorite food to eat (or beverage to drink) while you blog?
Crackers with peanut butter. This isn’t necessarily my favourite thing to eat as much as it’s the thing I find myself eating the most when I blog.

What one thing would you change about your blog if you had the time?
I would have branded it with a stronger theme – given it more of a raison d’etre right from the start – rather than just go with the name of my consultancy. At the time, of course, I thought that was the way to go. Now that I’ve been at it for a little while, I believe that this is where it could be stronger and, of course, I’ve had the benefit of time to figure out what that theme would be.

I don’t think it’s too late to fix it – it is, as you say, a matter of time.

What is your favorite blog plugin?
Askimet. It catches a whole lot of spam for me, saving me aggravation and time in the process.

What other hobbies do you have?
I love to watch movies. Since we got our PVR, I’ve been recording a lot of the movies I’ve missed in the last little while and been catching up before I hit the sack.

Tell us something interesting about yourself that your readers don’t already know.
I used to be a hell of a ballplayer when I was a kid. When I was 11 and 12 years old, I played in the worldwide tournament that eventually leads to The Little League World Series. My last year, we got eliminated in the final inning of the regional qualifier when I hit a long line drive to the outfield that was caught right at the fence. To this day, I wonder what it would have been like if I had hit the ball a few feet to the left or right.

How do you think newspapers will evolve over the next 15 years?
Here are some thoughts I’ll throw out:

• Newspapers will be totally web driven, content will be pulled in by readers and the vast majority of advertising revenue will have to be generated online rather than from the print edition.

• Readers will have more and more say in the content, generating it as citizen journalists and choosing the feeds they want to read. Feeds that are subscribed to in higher numbers will gain extra attention and editorial resources. Of course, from an advertising standpoint, making each topic available down to the most micro level will free the newspaper up to generate ad revenues Long Tail style.

• Print editions will become much smaller – to lower print costs and as a reflection of readership. Content in the print edition will become more essay style. After all, it’s easier to read long-form content in print than online.

By the way, I would love to debate this.

What is the greatest threat facing the marketing industry?
The unwillingness to try new things. I’m not sure that this is a threat as much as it is a result of ignorance. While we’ve seen some companies join the fray, many more companies are too closely tied to the traditional model to see past it – as a result, they’re missing the boat on what could be a wonderful opportunity to connect with consumers.

What was your first job?
Sold shoes for seven years. Started when I was 15 at the local mall. Nothing like the scent of feet in the middle of a heat wave. And, yes, I say that sarcastically. I will also say, seriously now, that I learned a lot about people during those seven years.

What kind of car do you drive?
A 2001 Nissan Altima SE. Has less than 80,000 kilometres (roughly 50,000 miles) on it and drives real well. Of course now that I said that publicly, it’ll probably break down.

What is your most embarrassing email/cell phone/blogging (pick one) moment?
On the day of my sister-in-law’s wedding, I tried calling her on her cell. Thing was, the number I had was her ex-fiancé’s, not hers. Was glad he didn’t answer. Could’ve been a lot worse if he didn’t. (Okay, so it’s not that embarrassing. Just felt like an idiot.)

How has the Power 150 helped you/your blog?
I have a feeling it’s about to help more people find my blog, but let me answer this one in a few weeks.

On the flip side, though, it’s helped me discover a lot of great thinkers.

What would you do with $3 million dollars?
I have an idea for a charity that I would love to execute. I would buy private boxes at sports venues across the country and arrange for a different group of underprivileged kids to come to games. At each game, I’d have a different business leader come in to give a motivational talk to the kids, to show that hard work and great effort can really pay off in the long run.

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Posted by toddand | Filed Under Advertising, Blogging, Marketing, Power Profiles, Public Relations, Social Media

Newest Jib Jab: The Star-Spangled Banner

June 27, 2007 | Leave a Comment

Star Spangled Banner
|Funny Jokes at JibJab

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Posted by toddand | Filed Under Humor, Politics, Video

Media Tip 43: Bridging

June 27, 2007 | Leave a Comment

Way to dodge the tough question, but don’t forget to bridge back to your key messages.

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Posted by toddand | Filed Under Humor, Media, Public Relations, Video

McNasty

June 26, 2007 | Leave a Comment

I’m lovin’ it.

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Posted by toddand | Filed Under Humor, Media, Video

Cool Billboard

June 26, 2007 | Leave a Comment

But can they do rugby?

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Posted by toddand | Filed Under Advertising, Strategies+Tactics, Video

Green Marketing and Measures of Corporate Responsibility

June 26, 2007 | 1 Comment

Any smart business will attempt to stay ahead of industry trends, and respond to client wants and needs. Today, it seems that most people are vocalizing a sincere interest in all things green. As such, many businesses are adapting - putting their green feet forward.

From a pure marketing standpoint, there is a huge positive correlation associated with anything environmentally friendly. It’s a clear win-win because you’re eco-friendly and often times recognized for it – by clients, media, shareholders, etc. Plus, since the green movement is still in its infancy, companies going green now have a great opportunity to be observed as an industry leader.

Thanks to the public outcry for corporate environmental responsibility, Climate Counts has established an online effort to bring consumers and companies together in the fight against global climate change. The nonprofit organization helps point consumers to climate-friendly companies via a Climate Counts Company Scorecard. The scorecard ranks companies as either stuck, starting or striding (on their way to taking positive, proactive measure to reduce their climate footprints).

Broken down by sector, the annually-updated scorecard uses a 0-to-100 point scale and 22 criteria (PDF) to determine if companies have:

• MEASURED their climate “footprint”
• REDUCED their impact on global warming
• SUPPORTED (or suggest intent to block) progressive climate legislation
• Publicly DISCLOSED their climate actions clearly and comprehensively

As you’ll note from the scorecard below, companies that are stuck (in red) include Apple, Viacom, CBS and Time Warner. Companies that are striding (in green) include Starbucks, GE, Microsoft, News Corp., Yahoo! and HP.