2009 January « Strategic Insights

Archive for January, 2009

Twitter: Finding the Light Side of the Force.

Published January 27, 2009 Marketing Musings , New Media Alert 3 Comments
Tags: 1st part of series, marketing, new media, Twitter

Twitter. That little website with the little bird and little one-sentence answers to the question “What are you doing right now?” To some, it is a new media addiction. Others, a great way to keep up with their personal goals of the new year. And then there’s me. To me, Twitter is a dangerous cult led by those with too much time on their hands, and a desperate need for people to “follow” them.

That is, at least, until today. See, today I came in, briefly checked my blog feeds, and was surprised to find a guide to “get things done” with Twitter. Say what? Isn’t Twitter that website that sucks in all of your time while you try to avoid doing what it is that you are supposed to be doing? Instead of actually doing something, you’re telling the world that you’re doing it while you actually read about what other people are doing? How on Earth is Twitter supposed to help you get things done?

The article (found over at ZenHabits.net) talked about using time-management applications, like To-Do lists, in your Twitter account. “OK,” I thought, “this is a clever attempt at making Twitter look like it has value, but if you read down in the comments, not everyone is thoroughly convinced (yes, there are other Twitter-phobes like me roaming the Internet on a daily basis).” Really, I noticed, that those time-management techniques would work, but only if you were already using Twitter. It’s not enough to bring non-believers into the inner sanctum.

The post, however, did bring me back to a brief conversation held on a podcast I was listening to yesterday. Oddly enough, the hosts of the show were Twitter users, but they were scoffing at the idea of companies using Twitter for grassroots marketing. This had me truly baffled. On the one hand, I had read a blog post about effectively bringing Twitter in to use it for (sort-of) good, and on the other two web marketing specialists clinging desperately to utilizing Twitter only for evil. And by evil, I mean for no real reason whatsoever (in my opinion).

But, there must be a light at the end of the tunnel. If the two podcasters are preaching that the “intent” of Twitter is not for marketing, should not be for marketing and is just for recreation that can only mean there are others outside the commune, finding a way to make Twitter actually do something for them.

With some brief investigating, I was surprised to find that our good friends and office-mates over at SharedVue are using Twitter. From them I found a whole network of other companies doing the same thing. Advertising companies, book publishers, Starbuck’s, newspapers, retailers – the list was endless. Clearly you can market with Twitter, and people respond. Every company I came across had a healthy base of followers, and regular conversations going on between them.

I even checked up on the podcast host who scoffed the marketing swing Twitter is taking. As of this morning, he had already changed his tune:

“Perhaps I just need to accept Twitter is now a marketing tool as well as a way to keep in touch with people.”

It seems both he and I have found our way to the light side of the force that is Twitter. I’ll be very interested to see how this trend progresses as the application finds itself more mainstreamed with the coming months. Just think: free, constant contact with your prospects, colleagues, and clients.

And to think I began this post calling Twitter a bad use of time for the extremely bored and lonely.

With this newfound outlook on the application, I am putting my findings to the test. In the coming weeks I will:

Register for an account on Twitter.
Update it regularly.
Engage in conversations.

My only restriction: I must answer the question “What are you doing at Strategic Insights right now?” Can it be a focused marketing medium used to communicate with colleagues, clients, and prospects? Will the Dark Side reduce my good intentions to updates about what I had for lunch and last week’s episode of House, M.D.?

One way or another, I’ll keep you posted.

Jennifer Hoy [follow me on Twitter]
Art Director
Strategic Insights

Marketing Advice: Maintain Your Style Guide

Published January 22, 2009 Marketing Musings 3 Comments
Tags: advice, branding, brands, keeping up-to-date, marketing, resolutions

Now that the champagne buzz of the New Year has had a chance to wear off, and all our Resolutions have been properly made (and broken), I find that a lot of self-assessment is still happening. Around the office, Chris is asking each of us to bring a list of 3 goals to the table this year, as a means of encouraging growth in ourselves, and growth in the company as a whole. It’s a great idea, and is the source of inspiration for my advice today.

Well, I must be honest. It’s not the only source. We recently had a question come up in the office about the proper usage of a client’s logo. It’s a question that could – and should – be easily answered by referencing that company’s Style Guide. In this particular case, though, it was unaddressed in their manual.

A great example of why it is so important to keep your Style Guide updated.

To back up for just a second, a Style Guide is a reference manual, usually developed at the time that a company’s brand is initially established, and added upon as the need arises. At the very basic level, this manual includes:

What the company’s overall message is to its consumers/shareholders/employees.
How that message is portrayed through the company’s logo.
Proper typography for the Web and in print, and why these choices were made.
Company color scheme(s), and the meaning behind these choices.
Examples of how these elements work together in various media – online, advertising, booklets, brochures, trade shows, etc. – to best represent the company’s brand.

I’ve seen manuals that went into much further detail, but this short list should cover most companies’ needs for everyday use.

Why is it so important to keep this information up-to-date? Simple: it is the reference your various design and marketing teams are using to convey your message. By keeping it as current as possible, your message will remain accurate and consistent regardless of if you are using an internal marketing team, an outside advertising agency, a specialized Web and new media agency, or any combination thereof.

So, while you self-assess, take notes. Update your Style Guide to coincide with what you learned from 2008 about your company. Has your message changed? Are you offering different products/services than last year? Do you have a new media you are communicating to your clients through?

Jennifer Hoy
Art Director
Strategic Insights

Giving is the New Taking

Published January 21, 2009 Marketing Musings 2 Comments
Tags: economic downturn, marketing

Corporate Generosity may be a good way to win customers over.

In the face of an economic crisis, giving away something for nothing may seem counter-productive. But a little goodwill toward others may be just the antidote for a society fed up with corporate greed and a perception that, among corporate execs, share price is king and little else matters.

Trendwatching.com offers a brilliant article on how giving, sharing and generosity in general may be the best way to get close to your customers.

View the article here

Make them aware of it and they will come.

Published January 21, 2009 Marketing Musings 1 Comment
Tags: Advertising, economic downturn, recession, sales

Not quite as catchy, but it’s the basic gist of it. So it’s true after all. It’s not anecdotal, it’s not just a hunch or a gut feeling, it’s backed up by research. Advertising during a recession will increase your sales both during the bad times and–more importantly–after things have improved.

Bill Cokas
Creative Director
Strategic Insights

Home Alone on Saturday Night

Published January 14, 2009 Marketing Musings 3 Comments

gagovermouth3 So the fish aren’t biting. It happens.

But what’s the appropriate response–pack up your bait and go home? Expect the fish to follow you and ring your bell? Hardly.

Yet that’s the response many retailers and manufacturers are having to the current economic crisis. When the phone stops ringing, unplug it and make sure it never rings again!

I equate it to the dating scene. If you’re single and looking for [insert appropriate term here], you have a number of options these days, with varying price points. Online services, dating agencies, chat rooms, referrals from friends and the dubious Blind Date. If you find yourself with limited resources, do you quit trying altogether? That’s sure to leave you home alone on Saturday night.

You adjust your game plan. Instead of that expensive agency, try a 30-day trial membership on a website. Instead of that website, comb through your Facebook friends and see if there’s anyone single and local you haven’t seen in a while. Distasteful as they may seem, blind dates (at least the act of arranging them) remains free to this day.

And, for the price of a beer or two, there’s always the bar and club option.

The point is, you ain’t gonna get any [repeat appropriate term here] without any effort. You gotta spend money to make money. How can you get any meat if you don’t eat your pudding?

When the economy goes south, the first thing that gets cut is sales and marketing. It’s seen as “indulgent,” an “expense,” even “frivolous.” If you stop maintaining your car, what happens? Eventually, it breaks down. But it’s running fine, you say–why spend perfectly good money when there’s nothing wrong with it? Because one day you’re really going to need it and it won’t start.

When times are good, advertise. When times are bad, advertise more. I’m not saying take out a Super Bowl commercial. These days, there are all kinds of ways to get your name out there for a lot less money than it used to cost. Not coincidentally, we happen to be sitting on myriad of said ways.

On top of that, tweak your message–no matter what you’ve got to offer, it has to make people’s lives better in some way, right? Otherwise, you wouldn’t exist. Play that up. Do you save people money? Do you help them make money? Do you make life more enjoyable? There are all kinds of ways your message can be tailored to fit the times and keep you relevant. Adapt or die.

But for Pete’s sake, do something.

Don’t settle for kissing your pillow. You’re better than that.

Bill Cokas
Creative Director
Strategic Insights

The Student Strikes Back

Published January 12, 2009 Marketing Musings 2 Comments
Tags: influnce, pet peeves

I have a four-year-old bone to pick with one of my design professors. I can’t remember which one, I can’t remember the project this associates with, but I do remember the bone and the reason behind it. And, of course, that I’m still peeved 4 years later.

Perhaps some backstory will help:

One day back in college as a starry-eyed VisCom major, I was handing in a homework assignment. Like most assignments, it was a layout and design project of sorts. My professor glanced at the piece, and looked back at me.

“What are your sources?” She asked.

Taken back, I responded, “Uhh…I thought this was supposed to be an original piece…”

“It was,” she gave me a stern glare, “I meant your sources of inspiration.”

I thought for a moment, staring at my abstract piece. The answer, to me, was obvious, “Definitely Jackson Pollock.”

“He’s not a designer. You must be influenced by designers.” My professor accepted my homework, turned, and walked off to lecture the class. I believe I made the silent outline of “WTF?!” in her wake.

Then, in my naive early-20′s I was baffled by her un-acceptance of my answer because I had not cited a famous graphic designer. Now, in my wizened mid-20′s…I am still baffled by her un-acceptance of my answer. True, designs influence future designs. True, we need to be aware of our contemporaries, peers, rivals, and the design gods who have come before us. Untrue, that for every project, every time, we need to cite a recognized industry leader to validate our own work.

Milton and his beloved Swingline stapler.

More accurately, we only need to cite an influence – any influence – and give solid reasoning behind it for it to hold water. Design or no design, Milton Glaser or Milton and his beloved Swingline stapler. In the “real world” they spoke of so much in college, no one is following you around, harping on the importance of citing valid influences. People are following you around, harping on you to meet deadlines. In the end what influences you is only important to, well, YOU.

Finding Innovation in the Familiar

We are influenced every day, by practically everything around us. In a pinch, are we jumping on Google, frantically looking up design or marketing peers to see what new innovation they have come up with? NO! We are looking to the things we are comfortable and familiar with to draw inspiration.

I would also like to point out that influence can happen at any stage of the process. You can be influenced by a way in which to do things, or a manner of thinking, just as easily as you can be influenced by the look of something. While my inner 21-year-old self would like to meet up with my professor and emphatically tell her, “Stick that in your pipe and smoke it!” I’ll instead offer up two personal examples:

Example 1:

I’ve practiced yoga for years. As someone always in a hurry to get somewhere or accomplish something, I find the change of pace grounding. For 30-60 minutes each session, I am asked to just breathe and enjoy the moment. Well, “enjoy” might be a stretch, since yoga is a series of (usually) uncomfortable poses designed to make the task of mentally doing nothing a challenge. You are forced to be aware of the challenge to do nothing.

That challenge, actually, is the one thing I take away from my yoga practice. With each new campaign or marketing piece, there is an underlying challenge we are asked to solve for the client. Instead of wildly free-versing my way through the entire brainstorming process, the awareness of what that challenge is stays present. Yoga, as an influence, affects the process, which in turn will affect the final result.

Example 2:

On the other side of the spectrum, I also love cartoons. If Saturday mornings were anything like they were when I was a kid, I would be hard-pressed to do something “productive” between the hours of 8 and 12 each week. Well, more hard-pressed than I am currently.

In particular, Pixar is my main source of inspiration, especially when I am working on a web project. Pixar has a wonderful way of layering basic shapes to form very complex imagery – and leaving evidence of those original shapes visible in the final result. At first glance, the pictures on the screen look to be terribly complicated, and they are. But, you can also distinguish the simple circles and squares the animators used to make up that shape. Cartoons, as an influence, affect the product, and are visually present in the final result.

Both true forms of influence, and both perfectly acceptable answers to the question. Now, I want to know: Who or what influences the work you do?

And, no worries, your answer can in no way reduce your final grade for the semester.

Jennifer Hoy
Art Director
Strategic Insights

Digg Article for MyTireMonkey.com

Published January 8, 2009 News & Press Leave a Comment

One of our clients, MyTireMonkey.com, was featured on WWAY Channel 3 in Willmington, NC. You can check the article out here on Digg, and give it a digg.

MyTireMonkey makes buying and installing tires fun. You can choose on your favorite brand tires at wholesales prices, then pick your preferred neighborhood installer and you’re done! Low prices on top tire brands like Goodyear, Uniroyal and Michelin. Passenger, light truck and off-road tires. Great prices and fast delivery to your local neighborhood tire installers, plus guaranteed low-price installation.

by Josh Gibbs, New Media Development

What is a friend?

Published January 7, 2009 Uncategorized 2 Comments

I believe I first started to formulate the answer to that question around preschool, when it was still pretty obvious. A friend is someone with whom you share secrets, sugary treats and most importantly, Barbie related paraphernalia. As I grew older my definition of the word did in fact develop into a more concrete and mature answer, centered on trust, loyalty, and humor (I am not friends with un-funny people.)

But the word “friend” is not the common thread that links us to these other individuals who we deem appropriate for this category, it is the meaning which we place in that word.

For the one person out there who doesn’t know, Facebook.com is a social networking site designed to connect friends, family and coworkers alike. This phenomenon was originally designed solely for college students, which I greatly utilized and appreciated during my many hours spent procrastinating in the bottom of my alma mater’s library. The Facebook craze spread far and wide, and quickly membership was no longer limited to bored college kids. The social networking site enables people to stay connected and aware of what is going on in each others lives, including information on everything from engagements to babies. It is truly heart warming to learn about the most monumental moments in a person’s life through their Facebook status.

Example: Joey Smith is … ENGAGED!! OR Emily Jones is…going to have quadruplets!! OR Sarah Wilson … just failed out of college… AGAIN.

Priceless.

Facebook developed into a common area for the young and old to chat, share pictures and videos and generally stay connected with those they care about. And I must admit, although I would like to say that I do not partake in any of this, I have found that Facebook allows me to access important information about my old friends that I may not have found out otherwise, but still it is more interesting to argue how ridiculous it has become.

Some people choose to use social networking sites as a means to not only keep up with their old friends, (or former significant others, although that could arguably result in a little thing I like to call “stalking”) but also to acquire new friends. I have a friend who was once approached in a crowded room and asked his name. Not weird, right? Once he introduced himself the person replied, “That’s what I thought, I knew I recognized you from Facebook!” Kinda weird, right? Not to some people, the same people who use these sites for what they are technically used for, social networking. In an article by the New York Times the idea of this new form of friendship via Facebook is explored and the question is ask, are these online “friends” really your friends? I am obviously not saying that you are not liked and do not have a lot of real life friends who stalk your Facebook profile and genuinely care about your well-being etc. No, I am talking about the Facebook “friend” who I would not recognize even if I was pl facebook1 aying a one on one pick-up game of b-ball with him or her, even though I do not partake in such activities. In a sense some could view it as a means of advertising yourself, to acquire new friends or connections. Your Facebook profile speaks to the kind of person you are: whether you have Kelly Clarkson or Marilyn Manson song lyrics, whether your interests include pb & j sandwiches and puppies or German beer and cage fighting. Is this how we are going to choose our new friends, though the manifestations of themselves a.k.a. their Facebook profiles?

During my stint at Meredith College, I dabbled in many fields of academia, generally relating to Interpersonal and Mass Communication. In an independent research study, I explored the implications that this type of technology has on identity and community. Boy was that interesting, and by interesting, I mean depressing. I came to the conclusion that friendships do in fact lose some element of authenticity and worth with these advances in technology. Friendships may become superficial and meaningless due to the ability to disengage or tune out with one click of a mouse. I’ll break it down for you and I will only use one word: de-friend. If you do not want to be friends with someone anymore there is no need to have a long, drawn out conversation about your imminent falling out, all you have to do is sit back, kick your feet up and de-friend them. How refreshing.

It is an on going debate centered on people’s definitions of relationships. Technology has undoubtedly changed the face of this debate because it continues to alter how we communicate and interact in our relationships. So the question that is posed must be, is technology assisting our relationships or diluting the meaning of them? Ok enough writing, I need to get back to Facebooking.

Dana Chandler

TV Advertising Down…Spongebob dead

Published January 7, 2009 Marketing Musings 3 Comments
Tags: Advertising, new media, online advertising, online video, streaming video, television

spongebob_squarepants In a recent New York Times article, Time Warner Cable was said to be thinking about dumping about 20 channels provided by media giant Viacom. Apparently, Viacom wants Time Warner to charge 23 cents more for every customer subscribed to these 20 channels. Time Warner refuses, saying that the increase is an outrage and is a bad business move, especially in a bad economy. And since Time Warner is dropping the channels to save their customers some cash, the kiddies will have to look elsewhere to get their Dora and Spongebob fix. In a smart move, Time Warner will be sending out a notice to all customers stating:

Where customers can go online to view the content.
How to hook a PC up to a TV

The reason behind Viacom’s decision is that fewer advertisers are willing to pay to have their ads on the network’s programs. This is because fewer and fewer people are willing to pay for high costing cable and satellite connections. I personally canceled my cable subscription about 7 months ago because it was simply too expensive for the amount of television I watch. Instead, I use my existing subscription to Netflix to instantly stream both movies and TV shows straight to my TV via an Xbox.

I also visit sites like Hulu.com, TheWB.com, and Joost.com to stream even more free movies and shows. What’s even better is that I can watch whatever show I want, whenever I want. I don’t have to worry about missing any of my favorite shows, and I don’t have to buy an expensive DVR to record anything. It’s all on demand.

So what’s it all mean? Advertisers are going to start shifting their media dollars to these online video sites in lieu of traditional broadcast. And why wouldn’t they? Since many of these sites allow users to create profiles, advertisers will know exactly who is watching (name, age, gender), where they are watching (down to the exact street), when they watch, and all kinds of other information. Additionally, advertisers can directly interact with consumers, driving them immediately to a website with more information. There is no drop-off rate for the call-to-action (such as visiting a website) because watchers only have to click. And watchers are already engaged with the ad because it is usually very targeted. Also, since there are so few ads, people are more likely to pay attention. In contrast, traditional television watchers have to:

Actively acknowledge the ad in an array of ad clutter
Actually go to a computer, that is away from the TV
Remember the URL of the site

Each step is a huge expectation for the consumer with drop-offs at each step, especially in an age of instant gratification from the internet.

In much the same way newspapers are failing to properly leverage the web as a compliment rather than a competitor, TV networks and companies are falling behind because of the lack of integration with online streaming video. The video sites are here to stay as far as I can see. So networks need to get on the bandwagon, follow audience trends, and start offering combo packages for advertisers to hit both traditional and new media outlets.

by Josh Gibbs, New Media Development

Strategic Insights – We’ve Got Ideas

Archive for January, 2009

Twitter: Finding the Light Side of the Force.

Marketing Advice: Maintain Your Style Guide

Giving is the New Taking

Make them aware of it and they will come.

Home Alone on Saturday Night

The Student Strikes Back

Finding Innovation in the Familiar

Example 1:

Example 2:

Digg Article for MyTireMonkey.com

What is a friend?

TV Advertising Down…Spongebob dead

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