Marketing 2.0

Advertising Merges with Entertainment

Viral marketing is quickly becoming a mainstay of traditional marketing communication programs. Those funny little video clips that spread across the Internet like an outbreak of influenza have become so popular that they are moving from the realm of culture jamming or sheer entertainment. The capacity to reach so many people for so little cost has grabbed the attention of marketing firms and many of the large consumer brands. Companies are working hard to blend their sales pitch with entertainment, be it Burfer King's subservient chicken or  CareerBuilder's talking monkey  showing up in your e-mail inbox. Here's a link to a good article from the Wharton School on the subject of viral markekting merging advertising with entertainment.

Link: Talking Chimps, Subservient Chickens And Others Blend Entertainment and Advertising - Knowledge@Wharton.

Are Business Cards Obsolete?

I don't want to count the hours I've spent designing my business cards. Here's the worst part - people don't seem to care. They don't seem to notice the typeface or the layout or the logo or any of the other elements I obsessed over. When I meet people for the first time they don't ask for my card. When I offer them my card, they give it a cursory glance and then  put it away somewhere. I have the strong suspicion they are not keeping my beautiful business card.

The question is, "Are business cards obsolete?" I've begun to think that they are becoming irrelevant, replaced by the e-mail address or the v-card that often accompanies it. People seem more interested in websites or e-mail addresses and less in the traditional paper cards that we distribute.

Bob Bly has posted on this phenomenon recently. He suggests that you shouldn't bother to carry or distribute cards. Just ask the other person for contact information and then send him something relevant that might actually stimulate sales or further contact.

I'm not sure that I'm ready for that. Maybe an electronic business card would be an alternative. I do think having your vital contact information is still valuable, especially when you are trying to develop prospects for your business. The key for me is following up with an e-mail message that can link to other electronic resources such as a website, e-portfolio or photo site.

I'm not ready to declare the demise of the business card but I see its role changing in the digital marketplace.

Engagement Marketing

Here is an excellent posting from Robin Good on the end of interruption marketing and the dawn of engagement marketing. What's this all about? Traditional marketing communications strategies like advertising, sales promotions and direct mail rely on interrupting people, trying to gain their attention and persuading them to buy something. While billions are still spent on traditional marketing, these efforts are increasingly being undermined by Internet technology and culture. The new values focus on individuality, open systems, collaboration and speed. Consumers now want to be part of the marketing process, want goods that are customized to fit their unique requirements, and want to engage in a real conversation rather than listening to another boring marketing monologue.

Link: Marketing Communications Future: The Twilight Of Interruption, The Dawn Of Engagement Marketing - Robin Good's Latest News.

Funnyfox - Viral Firefox Marketing

Is this the ultimate viral marketing campaign? Firefox is not only an open-source program developed by volunteers but it's also being marketed by user communities rather than professional marketing firms. Click on this link to view 3 short video clips made to promote the browser. While these were produced by a marketing agency called Pozz, the overall effort is part of the volunteer effort to promote Firefox.

Link: The Notebook - Funnyfox.

Home-Brew IPod Ad Opens Eyes

I came across this very interesting article from Wired News on a homemade iPod ad created by George Masters, a school teacher. This raises all kinds of interesting issues for those of you interested in viral marketing, buzz marketing and using happy customers as evangelists.

Check out the article and be sure to view the actual video. Mr. Masters has done a masterful job. I just hope that Apple rewards this guy with at least a free iPod or two.

By the way, Wired reports the video has been viewed by over 37,000 people so far. Behold the power of the blogosphere.

Link: Wired News: Home-Brew IPod Ad Opens Eyes.

Ads That Annoy Also Succeed

Tired of pop-up ads and spam? Think they don't work? Guess again, says this article from Wired. The author claims that because the cost to publish spam is so low for marketers, they need only a tiny response rate to turn a profit. A study by the Direct Marketing Association claims that $32 billion is spent annually on products advertised by e-mail. Thankfully, my browser and mail client are pretty good at blocking pop-ups and spam.

Wired News: Ads That Annoy Also Succeed

Mixing Ads with Bloggers

Well, you knew this one was coming. Traditional advertising may be appearing on your favorite blog if a service called "Blogversations" (who came up with that brand name?) has a say in it. The service is designed to allow marketers to pay for sponsorship of weblogs. Opinion is divided whether this will compromise the objectivity and independent thinking that blogs are known for. What do you think? Via Wired magazine.

Wired News: Service Mixes Ads in Blog Chatter

The Lost Boys

Good article from Wired Magazine on the decline of traditional television advertising. Although this is hardly a revelation to most marketers, there are some good examples of alternative marketing strategies used to reach younger customers, especially the critical 18-34 male demographic.

"Online gaming all night: Cool. Hour after hour downloading MP3s and porn: No problem. Thirty seconds so you can try to sell me something? Outta here. How the 18-34 male is reinventing advertising."

Wired 12.08: The Lost Boys

Fast Company | What's The Buzz?

You've probably heard of buzz marketing, also known as word-of-mouth. This can be a very effective means of spreading your marketing message. But how do you manage the process of creating a buzz around your product or company? Marketing agencies have now jumped in to formalize the process into a service for hire scenario.

Fast Company | What's The Buzz?

The New York Times > Technology > Circuits > Essay: A Design Epiphany: Keep It Simple

One of my pet peeves is complex design and human/computer interfaces that put technology ahead of simplicity, lucidity and cognition. Apparently, I'm not alone. Dr. John Maeda of the M.I.T. Media Lab organized a workshop to bring designers and researchers together to foster simplicity in the design process.

There is too much needless complexity in the world, he argues. Technology, which was supposed to make our lives easier, has taken a wrong turn. In 20 years we've gone from the simplicity of MacPaint to Photoshop. While the first fostered a creative explosion, the second gave birth to an industry of how-to books and classes. And such complexity is commonplace, Dr. Maeda says. Despite the lip service paid to "ease of use," "plug and play," and "one-click shopping," simplicity is an endangered quality in the digital world, he adds, and it is time to break free from technology's intimidating complexity.

The New York Times > Technology > Circuits > Essay: A Design Epiphany: Keep It Simple