Redefining "Full" in Full-Service

There's an age old saying which applies very well to advertising. "Out of sight, out of mind." Back in the days of TV dominated reach and frequency, this principle ruled the lives of media planners for decades. Of course, today's metrics have changed somewhat, but the principle hasn't. If you're not in sight or not within an ear shot, you're likely to be forgotten. You need to be front and center in the minds of your partners or consumers. But the way you go about that is certainly changing and what you do when you get there, makes all the difference. Cutting through the clutter is a nice cliche, but doesn't (if you'll pardon another) cut the mustard anymore.

Through traditional and social media channels, brands can now interact in more meaningful ways that relate relevantly within personal, social and cultural engagement in order to cultivate advocacy and loyalty. It's an integrated approach that keeps you in the conversation, and keeps your footprint fresh. How you measure that, is another discussion for another time. But one thing is certain. All forms and channels of marketing and advertising must be equally as important or equally validated if full-service agencies are to truly serve their clients effectively.

Despite claims to the contrary, traditional is not dead, and social media is not a fad. It's here to stay, and has already revolutionized the industry. Be wary of any consultant or expert who tells you there is only one way to do things. There isn't. All need to work together for the good of your brand; transparency and credibility, forming and connecting to communities of influence, and nurturing relationships built on mutual trust.

What we need to watch for and be mindful of going forward however, is that the research is still in flux because our society is in flux and students of culture are constantly aware of it. Some of the findings are somewhat counterintuitive because we continue to see a shift in the way people live their lives, the evolution of habits, values, and priorities, etc. But the human mind still seems to work and respond predictably in different ways to different stimuli, and knowing this vital aspect of psychology will go far in helping you get the most out of your marketing mix and creative strategy. For instance, a message received through passive or relaxed viewing of a television spot is received quite differently than one competing for the attention of someone actively engaged online, or driving distractedly past a billboard in rush hour traffic for that matter.

To illustrate my point, many advertisers are shifting more and more of their budgets to digital media yet still feel they don’t have a handle on advertising in a digital context. Hence, all the experimentation as many are learning what works and what doesn't in our new socially mediated world. But there's one guideline which cannot be overstated. Choose your advertising medium mix based on its strength in relationship to your purpose and what you're trying to accomplish. Remember everyone gets to tell your story now, so it takes the right mix to clearly articulate your brand, it's promise, product offering, and what the customer can consistently expect to experience by buying into that story, and investing in a relationship with you.

Social Soliciting Prohibited?

I'm not that old, but old enough to remember when people used to hang signs outside the front door of their business or home that read "No Soliciting". Actually some still do, but many sales people have already gotten the message. Soliciting is not socially acceptable anymore. Well, maybe not in the physical world. In the digital world however, we see a far different standard, albeit for now. Yet if history is any indicator, we may need to be careful. So far though, marketers continue to use every available avenue online to increase their business or brand recognition efforts like never before. It's becoming blatantly obvious and social marketing is not only gaining ground, but threatening to completely overshadow traditional forms of marketing and advertising. In fact, some agencies have already abandoned traditional in favor of digital altogether.

This is because social or online media offers something that traditional media doesn't, and it's exactly what sales people need in order to survive, but have been desperately deprived of in years past. It's about interaction. Period. The internet allows businesses to interact with customers in ways they have not been able to in a long time. And like an alcoholic who hasn't had a drink in awhile, many are impulsively overdoing it in ways that are irresponsible and self-indulgent. I mean some have focused their entire advertising around the latest popular social media channel, offering to reward you or enter you into a contest if you like them on Facebook. As if Facebook or Twitter for that matter, was the end-all, be-all strategy for success.

Most people are wising up to it too, and research shows it. If you're not engaging customers in ways that are relevant to them, than you are nothing more than another distraction or uninvited intruder vying to break into their world.

Yeah, plenty of us tweet, blog, digg, facebook, or whatever. But for the most part, people have a life outside of their social networks, though more and more companies act like you don't sometimes, and therefore, put their credibility in jeopardy by just jumping on the bandwagon, because this is what's hot right now. Sure I get it. But these cookie cutter copycats are mere novices just muddying up the waters.

"Experts" know that social media is not a one-size fits all formula. Each company has different goals and objectives, and what works for one client might not for another. Just ask Burger King or Pepsi. Simply applying a process over-and-over, may in the long run, serve only to desensitize and annoy people, and like the days of pop-ups and pop-unders, force advertisers to once again reorganize and rethink how to best get your attention and support their bottom line: business performance and thus ROI. Great brands understand the pros and cons and make thoughtful approaches to connect with customers and partners in a credible and integrated way. Sometimes that means not doing any social media at all; (God forbid), or doing so under the radar so that at least in the digital world, they never overstay their welcome.

Diversity with Dignity: A Celebration of Distinction

Much has been written about multicultural marketing and rightfully so. Nationwide, the minority population is steadily rising and now makes up to 35 percent of the United States with Latinos making up the majority of that percentage.

The rise in the minority population is due to recent sharp increases in minority births, especially among Hispanics, who accounted for more than half of total U.S. population gains last year. There are now roughly 9 births for every 1 death among Latinos, compared to a roughly one-to-one ratio for whites.

Ethnic lifestyle sensibility is not a luxury, it is a requirement for executives of any consumer brand, these days. But unlocking the code to brand loyalty and relevancy across multiple cultures is not a politically correct conversation. Rather, it is a brave and fearless one not everyone is equipped to handle, especially if your attitude toward diversity is biased, convoluted or less than dignified. You have to know what you are talking about and not just be a minority yourself. You have to put ego aside and be open to different ways of looking at the world.

For instance, ignorance is lazy and prone to generalization. Urban is not the same as ghetto, and vice versa. Not all Latinos are Mexican, and not all Mexicans are here illegally to take our jobs, and crowd our streets. Not every Asian is a restaurant owner. These are just stereotypes, but must be broken if we are to reach the core of what resonates across cultural boundaries.

This pertains to creative as well. I've seen well meaning designers and art directors perpetuate stereotypes of their own. Too much of what passes for multicultural is just a nod to an impoverished, tacky, or otherwise disadvantaged aesthetic. But this is a horrible disservice. It takes more than a spicy splash of color or festive border to command credibility. To build and maintain relationships that gain market share and customer loyalty with a diversity of audiences, requires a deeper commitment beyond kitsch and cliche.

Multicultural marketers should never go ghetto, and by ghetto I'm not referring to a place, but a standard. It's just distasteful and undeserving of what diversity affords us by it's very definition.

Diversity is dynamic, spirited, lively and forceful. It challenges us to embrace our differences; to be extraordinary–and extraordinary transcends race, gender, and socio-economic status. My grandmother was a hard working and inspirational immigrant who understood this principal. She knew how to call forth value from deep within herself.

"Speak well. Look great, and be intelligent", I've heard Tyra Banks say once or twice to her contestants. That's an old school concept, but one that made her excellent throughout her career as a model, and today as an entrepreneur and prominent media personality. Excellence is devoid of any prejudice. It is culturally impartial, but like polish, adds luster to what lies underneath, enabling every color to shine in all its brilliance. Honoring excellence is one thing. Honoring culture is another. But what I'm talking about is honoring excellence throughout culture and that should be something we all can celebrate.

Is Conversational Marketing Worth Talking About?

In light of the challenges brands face in the digital landscape, conversational marketing has become a popular strategy employed by social marketers. But it also depends on who you talk to. As most would acknowledge, conversational marketing evolved from The Cluetrain Manifesto's assertion that markets are nothing more than conversations, and that marketers need to reconsider conventional one-way communication with consumers. At least, that's what I got out of it – and I don't disagree, in theory. But how do you have conversations with people with the intent of promoting a product or service? Not an exact science, is it? And then there's the whole internet thing and its transformation of the marketplace. The whole dynamic keeps changing.

When it comes to social media, I am certainly no expert. No one is. But I'm always looking at the big picture. For those who didn't see it coming, social media is like the big gorilla in the room that no one invited but you also can't ignore.

Sure recent studies suggest that social media has no significant impact on direct sales, but it does on brand equity. Perception is everything when it comes to branding, and to ignore that fact, would be short sighted to say the least. The brand that endures is the brand that wins. To some degree, social media activity is imperative, but itself is no magic bullet, as some would hype.

For instance, not all companies are convinced that tweeting is a necessity, even ones that believe in social media. Quantitative executives focused on ROI are still trying to figure out it's value. As a channel for one-on-one customer conversations, I believe Twitter is a great way to find out what people want from you as a brand.

Conversational marketing is gaining traction in the blogosphere but it's not a new concept. Despite what some may think, social media is not all that different from traditional marketing as long as your philosophy is the same. Stop talking at consumers and focus more on building relationships and starting conversations; even if that conversation begins first in someone's head. That much you can control, at least subliminally. Plant a seed and watch it grow.

Sure, the internet has changed the way people connect, but the rules have not changed. Conversational marketing should be a fundamental shift in thinking and approach; not just a term to describe the notion of connecting directly to the marketplace online. It's more than viral or word-of-mouth, but rather an effective and rather inexpensive research tool driven by social media and its various communication channels.

Unparalleled in potential and unlimited in scope, cyberspace has a taken on a life of its own and social media offers many ways to interact and participate. So stay relevant and stay in the conversation but don't try to control the conversation. That will just backfire. The more you let consumers in and make them a part of the process, the more they will connect with your brand emotionally and give you a leg up on the competition.

Frozen by Fear

I read in a blog the other day how a recent neuroscience study showed that fear drives us more than we ever would care to admit. Makes sense. I don't think that comes as a shock to anyone. In fact, in this economy, everyone is in survival mode these days, for fear of losing everything they have worked so hard to obtain. Needless to say, this is not the best time to take risks.

Or is it?

Especially in business during economic downturns, those who learn to manage their fear have been able to turn lemons into some rather tasty lemonade, as it were. But those who do not, become paralyzed to do anything to promote their business.

When it comes to building businesses and brands, it's all about solutions and meeting needs. Everyone would agree the recession has changed society and culture to the point we can no longer look at the world the same way or go about doing about business as usual. That's just the nature of change and when things change, we all have to adjust.

This certainly opens the door for innovation, but not everyone will walk through it. Only the strong survive and I'm not just talking no guts, no glory here. No, this isn't merely about courage. This is about character. Character that says, if I truly have something to offer that's of any value, then discounting my brand is the last thing I should be doing right now. Character that says, everyone else is freaking out, but I'm going to stand strong knowing that this is just a test, and if I pass, I'll reap a reward for years to come, because my brand never stopped being relevant. If it did, then that's a discussion for another time, but the point I'm trying to make for everyone else is this: Failure seems to always follow its best friend, fear.

Business has always been about sowing and reaping and right now many are seeing the field as ripe unto harvest. So staff up and send your sales force out knowing that your return on investment is imminently at hand.

Save the Agency: A Contrarian View of the Ad Biz

As a student of culture, I've always been drawn to the account planning side of my industry. And as a creative, that knowledge is crucial in being able to motivate people. As a marketing professional that knowledge is also crucial in being able to motivate people to the point of opening their wallets, falling in love with a brand, changing culture, etc. But let's be frank. Some see this as sleazy manipulation and have come to hate advertising as a result.

As a cultural observer, I know how difficult it can be for businesses and brands to gain momentum and market share in this very savvy, sensitive, and cynical world we live in. But every business needs to grow (and grow fast) or we'll all be in big trouble. So in the greater sense, I know that advertising and marketing is not evil. It serves a purpose. It's still a service. Yet not everyone agrees, and some agency execs are going to great lengths and expense to get inside the hearts and minds of consumers to influence and persuade buyer behavior to gain a competitive edge. You can dress it up any way you like, but that's what it is.

In my opinion, if I possess the power and knowledge to change culture I want it to be used in a socially responsible way; not just to move more hamburgers in a nation with escalating health care costs. But that's the beauty of free will. I don't have to sell myself out. There are plenty of noble business and/or non-profit pursuits to promote and market with the skills and talents I've been given. I can use my power for good in order to make the world a better place, or I can keep pandering to the highest bidder and just pad my pockets. I'm sure lawyers have the same dilemma, except their compensation structure is much different. The term "starving artists" has some truth to it and creatively dominate people all have to do what they have to do sometimes to feed their families. Many of us at times have compromised our values and ideals just to survive in life. But no one forced us to. Again that's the beauty of choice. We all get to choose, just as we can choose to judge or not to judge. Those big agencies with even bigger critics provide something far more valuable than mere target practice. They provide paychecks; paychecks with good pay to creatives who desperately need to work right now in this blistering economy.

Common Sense or Emotion?

I'm a Stella, Heineken, and Modello sort of guy. It's all about taste for me. Stella also fits with my perfectionist personality. But it's not something I sit around and think about it all that much. So when I see those commercials with the Miller High Life delivery guy rant, I almost want to go out and buy a pack–well, almost. My own common sense kicks in and says, "It's still the same cheap beer your dad used to drink." But then again, I'm not the target demo for that beer. I have discriminating tastes, and lofty aspirations. Yet at the same time, there's a practical side of me that appreciates value, and the emotional power of this campaign taps into that hidden, unseen realm of pet peeves I harbor about inflation, excess, and wasteful spending. The delivery guy speaks to me, and inspires me to champion his cause. This is yet another Saatchi success. With Kevin Roberts and his Lovemark philosophy behind them, they understand what psychologists and sociologists have known all along. Your heart tells your brain what to do, not the other way around. This is also why I continue to believe that long-term emotional connections beat out short-term ROI for the vast majority of consumer goods and services. Consumers connect with and are persuaded by what's behind the brand, what's behind the promise.

This campaign also does a great job of relationship targeting. As I've always said, "know your customer," and matching your brand to a small group of consumers may be the most important thing a company could ever do. If you're the common man, (and most of us are) then these ads are scratching you right where you itch. In addition to being funny and a great piece of storytelling, the ad is the brand. High Life is an economical beer, and there is no reason to apologize for it. Instead, they embrace the mantra of the working man to perfection and make me want to follow. I know I'll eventually buy, and for reasons my head can't rationally explain. It's a heart thing.