There is a vast amount of research that has been conducted recently regarding the consumers' preferred method of receiving marketing communication. A recent study by Forrester Research, and commissioned by ExactTarget, highlights that the majority of consumers today still have a strong affinity towards email.
The important take out: Consumers prefer email at a rate of three-to-one when compared with any other avenue for marketing communications such as social media, Instant Messaging, phone and SMS!
Despite the abundance of research that all points towards email being the marketing method of choice for consumers, why do marketers continue to ignore this?
Despite the spike of Internet users using social media, for example three quarters of Australian online adults use social technologies (Forrester: Australian Adult Social Technographics Revealed 2008), consumers in general are NOT open to receiving marketing communication via this channel.
As social media continues to boom with new channels for communication being created everyday with new social networking sites and the like popping up, there is an overreliance and tendency to use this medium for all-purposes in order to reach the masses.
Unfortunately we forego the very fundamental principles of Marketing 101. We need to stop, think, plan and go back to basics:
- Who are our customers?
- Where are they?
- What are their preferences for receiving marketing messages?
- What are the right messages for each customer segment?
- What channel do we use to reach them?
A quick Google search and some top line research is enough to reveal where our customers' preferences sit. It's all very simple. Follow the basic principles of marketing and target the appropriate marketing messages to the appropriate consumers based on their preferences using the appropriate channels!
Sadly, we are missing the point! We're frustrating consumers and, ultimately, not getting the outcomes that we desire!
La composizione come estensione naturale della percezione del mondo interiore, Attraverso uno Sviluppo singoli Che non segue le usuali Logiche Tonali, ma si concentra sopratutto Sulle interazioni timbriche. Dark Dario Limitazione non mai Il suo campo d'azione poichè Rende la sua produzione SIA Adatta uno commenti multimediali Che ad ascolti più approfonditi.
Should anonymous commenting on blogs, forums, social networking sites and microblogging sites such as Twitter be allowed? Is it ethical?
I'm inclined to lean strongly towards the negative argument. l'd suggest that anonymous posting goes against the very fundamental principles behind social media and the importance of authenticity and transparency when operating in online communities. It's therefore very interesting to see that there are new online tools and services popping up that encourage this very behaviour.
Two of the latest examples are as follows:
The company's tagline is: "Anonymous Tweeting: For what has to be said, just not by you"
One of the services implies tweeting for 'good' and the other for 'bad'.
I'll be interested to see the sorts of tweets that get shared on both of these services. I'm particularly interested to know what sort of tweets make it to the 'Tweet From Above' service. If there's something good to share - a fabulous CSR initiative by a company, something great that a colleague has helped you with, your love of Sunsilk shampoo - why not put your name to it and share it with the world?
I can understand the reason for not putting your name to posts that comes from 'Tweet From Below', but surely this is just another service that has the potential to flare up cyber-bullying!
Are there any valid reasons for commenting anonymously? The assumption would be that one would only do so if they have something to hide. Perhaps what they are posting is factually incorrect or perhaps they are simply gossip mongering. Whatever the case, I don't agree with it.
I'd be keen to hear if anyone has any thoughts on when anonymous commenting would be permissible.
This is great. Totally brings alive the flavour of London. For a period of three months, five ATMs run by Bank Machine in East London are offering people the choice to use Cockney rhyming slang to "get their hands on their sausage, so to speak". Among a host of other written prompts, users will be asked to enter their Huckleberry Finn (PIN) before choosing how much sausage and mash (cash) they want. The Cockney-enabled ATMs are also free to use, not attracting the usual withdrawal fee. Hopefully, this will be an effective little promo for Bank Machine and it won't all go Pete Tong!
/dp
Nate Cochrane pens his rules for social media etiquette on iTNews. And in a style true to the very fundamentals of social media which encourage active sharing and participation, he has made a point to list the rules he outlines as a work in progress and has opened it up for discussion on the site.
One of the rules that he points out is one that we tend to forget: ‘Quality NOT quantity’. Too often PRs get flack for doing a last minute dash to sign up as many people in their network to become friends/ fans on their clients’ Facebook groups and pages or on their Twitter handles.
As PRs, we need to continue to educate our clients that the real value does not lie in the sheer volume of people we sign up but rather in the quality of the people we engage (even if it’s only a handful!).
Consider who your target audience is, where do they frequent and how to reach them. Who is in your fans/ friends extended networks. Are they the right audience to target?
Using Twitter as an example, it’s important to do the analysis and drill down into who the person is that you want to connect with, get to know them, follow them for a while and find out what they write about. Also have a look into who follows that person, are they the appropriate person for your client to be reaching out to or is there someone in their Twitter network that is better?
The following tool can help you determine the most appropriate people to follow:
http://flowingdata.com/2008/03/12/17-ways-to-visualize-the-twitter-universe/
If we want to get some real and long lasting results for our clients, the key is to make sure that we’re speaking to the right audiences!
An Indian mobile service provider, Aircel, recently did some very clever and whacky guerilla advertising in Mumbai, India. The company created and erected a giant outdoor billboard that had a branded boat vessel on it with the tagline: "In case of emergency, cut rope".
Why is this so clever? Mumbai is known for its monsoon season this time of year. Would it be likely that a scenario like this pop up where a boat was needed to get people to safety? Well, yes.
Not only was this an innovative way to promote Aircel as well as a media-stealing publicity stunt to generate word of mouth for the brand in a high traffic area, but it also received widespread media attention as an actual emergency arose which lead to someone needing to cut the rope and make use out of the vessel.
Springwise reports that on July 15, monsoon floods made the Milan Subway virtually impassable. "The rope was cut on Aircel's billboard, the boat was released, and stranded pedestrians were ferried to safety."
What a clever outdoor campaign. It's just a shame that this wasn't executed by the local Government of the day!
"Beached Whale" is a brilliant little animation about a whale and a seagull in New Zealand. With a heavy accent on the accent, so to speak, it has amassed a huge following on YouTube with nearly five million views. ABC TV has now picked up on the phenomenon and commissioned an 11-part series called "Beached Az," which introduces nine new characters into the plot including a squid, a crab, a bluebottle, a stingray and a duck. Beached Az comes from the minds of The Handsomity Institute. Check out an interview with the boys from Inside Film.
"Beached Az" will premiere online this coming Thursday (August 20) before screening on ABC2 from Thursday September 10 and then on ABC1 from Friday October 23.
Looking forward to it!
/dp
This weekend's Aussie Rules matches are being played under the banner of the AFL Green Round. It's all good stuff with plenty of activities happening around the grounds and lots of good advice on how to keep that carbon footprint to a minimum when it comes to footy. Carlton's illustrious Captain, Chris Judd, is the AFL's Green Ambassador and he recently found himself in Canberra alongside our PM Kevin Rudd discussing football and climate change. Check out what happened when the Juddster met the Ruddster. Of course, we understand the megadollars in TV rights etc, but in the purest sense of this concept, it does seem a great shame that three of the eight games are being played at night under lights.
/dp
Every year the Writers Festival in Byron Bay brings for me a turning point, a eureka moment, an epiphany, or at the very least, a moment of sincere reflection. 2009 was no different. Many thanks to a friend visiting from Sydney whose perspective over some weekend wine and song gave me reason to stop and think. More importantly, it allowed me the space to embrace and better understand some of life's more challenging expressions of existence. These discussions acted as compelling interstitials in a weekend filled with thoughtful dialogue from many of Australia's most interesting people on topics such as climate change, social and political consciousness, sexuality, relationships, death and dying, family, music, and most importantly, humour.
I thoroughly enjoyed the dry wit of Cold Chisel member Don Walker, the irrepressible character of Mungo MacCallum, the soft soulfulness of Bob Adamson, the wildness of Sam Cutler, the clarity of Ian Lowe, the vulnerable honesty of Oren Siedler, the madness of Linda Jaivan, the comic surprise of historian Michael Cathcart, the insight of Peter Singer, the musical interludes with Brian Cadd and the laughter provided by many, such as Imran Ahmed, Tom Gleeson, Mandy Nolan and Denise Scott. The list goes on. As always, I walked away with a headful of new thoughts and ideas, fresh takes on old ones, and most importantly, a contented happiness.
Final thanks to Don Walker for reminding me of the quality literary contribution provided within the pages of The Phantom and to Craig Silvey for his hypothetical which stuck with me for an afternoon. After considerable thought, and despite my inherent arachnophobia, I'll wear a hat made of poisionous spiders over having penises for fingers. Many may differ on this, but life as Edward Penishands doesn't seem too appealing.
All in all, my fifth Writers Festival in a row and the first held at Belongil Fields proved a mighty success. The weather turned it on, with blue skies and sunshine right across the weekend. And once again for me personally, I was provided with an important moment of discovery. Yes indeed, it did dawn on me.
/dp
I want to explore the notion of people 'trimming the fat'. I think we are increasingly seeing people explore different avenues and ways to improve their lives, and 'trimming the fat' provides a good platform for people to do so.
There's no denying that times are tough - the current economic climate has impacted us all in one way or another... some stronger than others. Trimming the fat helps people declutter and space-save in order to regain a sense of control over their lives. This can be a cathartic experience.
People are trimming the fat with regards to 'self'. There has never been more low-fat food options on the market, nor have we seen more weight-loss clinics and services popping up around the world (think Jenny Craig, Lite 'n' Easy etc...).
With reference to the 'home', people are decluttering their personal space to free up space in their lives. Spring cleaning has become a more regular year-round activity rather than a seasonal one. Minimalist home design and decor is also becoming increasingly popular.
With regards to 'work', the latest technologies (gadgets, applications, hardware and software) are helping people trim the fat and stay connected to the things that matter (friends, family, colleagues, work).
Trimming out the fat in the workplace helps people work smarter and faster - ultimately encouraging more productive work practices.
Technologies such as smartphones, new ultra-thin notebooks and wireless Internet connectivity are making it easy for us to trim the fat at work - minimise downtime and remain connected.
I'm keen to explore this further. If anyone has any thoughts, please drop me a line.
Are people doing anything else to trim the fat in their lives?
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