The thing that I’ve seen consistently raise eyebrows when presenting marketing communications strategies to clients is the idea that social media programs do NOT have to live in their own isolated bubble.

“Wait, you mean the intelligence that I gather through my email campaign can be used in my PR/Facebook/Twitter/SEO programs (and visa versa)?!”

Yes.

Each medium does have its own challenges. You can’t treat people the same over email as you would over Facebook. It just doesn’t work. BUT, the information you gather from how your audience best responds to email campaigns to what keywords they search and have alerts set for to what types of blog posts they are most likely to “like” on your Facebook fan page has no boundaries (other than extrapolating to unrelated audiences).

Audience behavior intelligence is universal.

Don’t just collect all that information and stare at it. Use it! Understand the way that your audience behaves on Twitter/Facebook/YouTube/Linkedin/Google so that you can be exactly where they are, in ways that they want to see you while encouraging the behavior that you want them to express  (phone calls, link sharing, blog post publishing…).

For a lot of marketers, social media technology itself still seems pretty foreign, but let’s not forget that behind (most) of those Twitter accounts is still another human that has the same basic needs and desires as any other person.

Because when you break it all down, your Twitter followers aren’t all that different from your Facebook fans and your YouTube channel subscribers. They just choose different channels to engage with your brand and the content you produce.

Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/wackystuff/ / CC BY-NC 2.0

With every brand, big or small, clawing to create some tangible value out of all the buzz around social media marketing, let us not forget that traditional media is far from dead.

After yet another year of being declared buried and forgotten, television, radio and even newspapers are still alive. Sure, newspapers weren’t exactly in great shape before the recession. Yes, they’ve been hurt like every other business and yes, just like every other business they’re refining their business model. But before you write up a death certificate for traditional media and leave them out of your marketing  plan, consider this:

• Television: 99 percent of video viewing was done on a television in the past year; less than 5 percent of TV viewing was DVR or TiVo playback. (Source: Ball State University’s Center for Media Design)
• Radio: Broadcast radio (free AM/FM radio) has the largest listening audience of all audio platforms (satellite, iPod, CDs) with 122 minutes of daily use, while CDs are at 72 minutes and portable audio players (iPods/mp3 players) are at 69 minutes. (Source: Ball State University’s Center for Media Design)
• Newspapers: 74 percent of adults read newspapers both online and offline. In addition, 82 percent of households with incomes of more than $100,000 read the paper online and/or offline and newspapers are starting to successfully attract 18 to 34 year-olds to their Web sites. (Source: Integrated Newspaper Audience Report from Scarborough.com)

Traditional media isn’t dead, its role is simply evolving as new technologies emerge and the competitive universe grows increasingly crowded.

Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/steeljam/ / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Tired of hearing about how the next big killer application is going to turn your business into a gold mine and make life easier for you?

Yes, we all know that mass media habits have changed and that we’re now a wired society, dependent on our computers and iPhones for information. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that something new equates to something better for your business.

As we become mesmerized by and inundated with new technologies, we tend to forget about the one deciding factor when purchasing a service or product from one company over another: human trust.

A stroke on a keyboard, an e-mail or a tweet will never replace the experience of meeting someone, shaking a hand and engaging in a conversation. When that happens, there’s trust and with trust comes customer loyalty. Optimizing for better ranks on Google will help bring people to your website and posting your updates on Facebook and LinkedIN will help connect you with more people, but there’s no replacement for meeting prospects in person!

As the holidays approach, we urge you to try the next big thing in marketing – human trust.

From the October 5th, 2009 New York Times:

“On Monday, the F.T.C. said it would revise rules about endorsements and testimonials in advertising that had been in place since 1980. The new regulations are aimed at the rapidly shifting new-media world and how advertisers are using bloggers and social media sites like Facebook and Twitter to pitch their wares.”

So the jig is up. Advertising claims and the people who love them are once again under the microscope.

While I’ve used some pretty bodacious adjectives and gussied up a few product shots to bring out the best in my clients’ offerings, I’ve always tried to live by the slogan of one of my previous employers: truth well told.

Truth well told was originated by McCann-Erickson at a time when many products were making some pretty questionable claims. Even big companies were guilty: a 1914 ad for Ford’s Model T featured the headline “Buy it because it’s a better car” and suggested the reader get the particulars from a Ford dealer. Um…okaaaay….

Fast forward about a century. Laws and guidelines are in place to protect the public from misleading advertising claims and fuzzy endorsements. And generally speaking, I think the ad world does a pretty good job of policing itself as well. But, thanks to the anonymous nature of the internet, we’ve taken a few steps back.

I think the general public will always be wary of advertising but let’s get back on track. Let’s put our clients’ wares out there in the most honest, best possible creative light we can.

Let’s try the truth well blogged.

CCA recently received the honor of joining the 2009 Inc. 5,000 list as one of the country’s fastest growing privately held companies. After a rigorous vetting process, we are very proud to announce that we have been named to the prestigious list for the second time.

While we are proud of our accomplishment, it is our valued and respected clients that entrust us to build their brands—along with the talented team at CCA—that enabled us to not only be in the Inc. 5000 list in 2007, but again in 2009. Our thanks and gratitude go out to all of our past, current and future clients for your commitment to our brand of marketing and client services.

Especially in a time when marketing teams are constantly forced to defend their investments, we couldn’t be more humbled by this accomplishment. We are truly lucky to have such an amazing stable of companies that we view more partners than clients. It is these valuable partnerships that have allowed us to grow even under the toughest economic conditions.

Thanks to everyone to has helped us make this accomplishment possible. It has been a true team effort.

You’ve heard it. Maybe you’ve even said it yourself, but lets just throw it out there and figure this out together. The question on the minds of many of our clients (and likely yours at some point as well):

“But do you really think that Twitter is going to last?”

A completely honest question from any marketer concerned about:

1) whether the audience they are actually reaching out to is on Twitter in the first place and

2) if I make the investment to build up a solid presence there, how long will it be before everyone flocks to the newest social network (see: what Facebook did to MySpace) or someone buys it out and it all drops off the face of the earth?

One thing to hold under consideration is that compared to when Twitter first launched, it has seen pretty dramatic changes in both in functionality and how people have managed to use it to communicate and market. The one thing that remains (and this just isn’t with Twitter) is people’s desire to connect with each other.

If there is one thing that the entire social networking phenomenon has taught is that no man is an island and we all naturally thrive on building meaningful connections with each other. Whenever we meet each other in person, we usually begin with a casual “What’s up?” or “How’s it going?”. More often than not, we actually want to hear a genuine response.

The Web (whether it is Twitter, Facebook, YouTube or anything else) has simply become a means to get that same natural satisfaction from getting information about other people’s lives and sharing our own stories no matter where we are.

So if you are still concerned about how long Twitter is going to last before it all implodes, think about it this way. If something helps you build meaningful connections with employees, customers and prospects: use it, be human and place nice.

But most importantly, focus on the relationships and connections that it allows you to build. Technology will change, but genetics will take much longer.

Long after they have forgotten your latest marketing promotion, email campaign and viral video, it will be the ability for you to satisfy their genetic need for building valuable connections with others that will last.

Connections Matter.

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A recent study was published about the use of Facebook, blogs and Twitter by the Fortune 100. While the usage stats in themselves are interesting, I think that there is something all together that is missing here.

First, the numbers:

• 54% of Fortune 100 companies were using Twitter to engage with their stakeholders
• 32% were using a blog
• 29% were actively using a Facebook fan page
• 22% were using two channels
• 76% of the “one channel” companies use only twitter
• 17% were using  three channels

While I’m excited to see so many huge companies jump on the social media bandwagon, it is clear that there is a heavy case of “shiny object syndrome” going on here.  I have a hard time that twitter is the most effective social media communications platform for the 76% of companies that are using it as their sole channel.

This also forces me to assume that a vast majority of these companies can’t be doing nearly as much listening as they are talking.

While Twitter may be the hottest new thing since Facebook’s traffic beat out MySpace, but just because every morning news program spouts on about Twitter every 30 seconds doesn’t mean that this is where your audience is.

The New York Times recently had an article out exactly who is driving Twitter’s popularity. Some of the numbers would likely surprise a lot of those Fortune 100 Twitter account managers.

After all, the most important rule of any communications strategy, digital or analog is L-I-S-T-E-N!

Recently, I was invited to participate in webinar presentation on social media to a group of solution engineers at SAP. While we love each and every one of our clients (both paying and pro-bono) but it was really exciting to share some of our knowledge with such a large and established company for the afternoon.

As happy as I was with how the presentation went, I love waiting for all the followup questions to come rolling through my inbox once attendees have a while to marinate on their newly found social media enlightenment even more.

One of the most common questions that I get after presentations like this, no matter the audience, is “All these new tools are great, but how the heck am I supposed to make time for all this stuff?!”

My answer is, and always has been, to focus on value. Look at the value that any particular newsletter or magazine subscription, professional association membership, twitter follower, RSS feed, podcast, LinkedIn group or forum discussion offers.

In any single day, you have a finite amount of time that you can designate to media consumption (or production if you have graduated to that point). Rather than struggling to get through five email newsletters, 20 blog feeds, two LinkedIn groups and the rest of that other stuff that pays the bills, look at the value that each one contributes and how efficiently each medium addresses its purpose.

Whether it is a webcast series, email newsletter, local networking event or anything else, many people are too information hungry to realize how much overlap and wasted time is spent trying to pull in the most valuable information from as many places in order to do their job to the best of their abilities.

Take inventory of everything that you consume (intellectually) every day. Did you already read that story about the exploding iPod on twitter yesterday, only to find it again in an email newsletter this morning? Cut the fat. Don’t fear that “unsubscribe” button. Your time is valuable. Treat it that way.

If you are honest with yourself about the time investment and ultimate return in value that each provides, you’ll likely find that many social media tools will replace the traditional tools that you have been using all along to do your job, and much more effectively.

For example, Twitter has been a godsend for cutting down on the mess of email newsletter subscriptions and getting and sharing information fast, but it will never completely replace the value of face-to-face networking with other marketing and PR pros.

Rather than treating social media as another time suck on top of an already busy workload, give it a chance with a level playing field among the rest of your other traditional information troughs.  You may be surprised.

One of the questions our clients frequently ask is “Why didn’t our postcard, online banner, or [fill in marketing tactic here] get more response?” While creative concepts, punchy copywriting, well-placed media, and targeted mailings will likely help any campaign perform better, the fact is: on any given day, there are a very limited number of people who are even vaguely interested in your product, much less actively seeking it. If your target has no interest or need for “widgets” on the day your widget direct mail piece arrives in his home, you could have miniature fireworks exploding from the envelope and he would probably still put it in the shredder. (After saying “wow, that’s cool.”) Sad, but true.

That’s why repetition  ( known as “frequency” in the ad biz) is one of the few strategies that will make your advertising work better. If you consistently and methodically reach out to your customers via multiple media…direct mail, online, print, social media, television, etc., eventually you WILL be in front of your customer on the right day (I Need A Widget Day!). Not only will you be in front of them, they will quickly recognize your name from all of the other patient outreach you’ve done.   Recognition leads to trust…trust leads to interest…and alleluia, interest leads to response!

So, next time you are looking for the magic bullet, remember: slow and steady wins the race.  We’d be glad to show you how.

by Shepard Fairey

This Sunday’s Boston Globe ran a front page story on the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston, highlighted by the recent Shepard Fairey show running through the end of August. I saw this show recently and was blown away. Not only by his unique style, but by grandeur of the work and the amount of artwork the man has produced. I found it refreshing and inspiring. Never having seen any of his work previously, I was surprised that when I left the parking lot and drove throughout the city, I could see his work adorning buildings, construction sites, as well as decals on street signs.

He was brought to national attention with his Obama “Hope” series (which you can see at the show) and received thanks from President Obama crediting Fairey with helping spread his message. And I’ll bet there isn’t a Facebooker or Twitterer out there who hasn’t come across a profile picture which has been digitally morphed into the Shepard Fairey “Hope” style. There have even been copies of this style as seen in the Bob “Hope” piece by Mark Schruntek.

by Mark Schruntek

This is the kind of work that fascinates me. I have never been a fan labels myself (ie. is it Impressionism, Dadaism, Cubism…what kind of ism is it?). This work seems to hit on all frequencies. From commercial work (skateboard designs, CD covers, book covers, etc.), to street art on buildings and decals, to popular culture (Facebook and Twitter), to art for art’s sake.

There were mixed reviews of his work. Los Angeles Times critic Christopher Knight called Fairey a “talented designer’’ who “possesses a limited pictorial vocabulary, while the grandest curatorial claims made for the nearly 250 examples in the galleries are unsupportable.’’ And Alex Jacobson, a Boston-based writer and artist, has grumbled about the big-name shows. “Then you come to the Shepard Fairey. It’s this repetition of artists people can associate with, things the lay viewer can say, ‘Yeah, I get it.’ But that kind of work is often simplistic and missing the point of a lot of contemporary art.’’ While other praised it. Gallery NAGA director Arthur Dion said, “The Shepard was the real surprise for me. I had dismissed the show before going, and I was really startled and impressed.’’

I liked the public opinion myself. Tara Oremus, 33, who lives in the South End said, “I thought the Fairey show would be a perfect inspiration for the kids. It’s great for them to see street art recognized in such a way.’’

Whether you love him or hate him the numbers don’t lie. The Boston Globe article stated that no show has had more impact than the current 250-plus-piece exhibition of work by the controversial street artist Fairey. Just last month, attendance passed 105,000, making it the most popular show in the ICA’s 73-year history. The ICA has logged a record-setting 267,773 in attendance this fiscal year vs. 10 years ago in their old location at only 19,812.

You be the judge. I urge you, if you have a free afternoon, go see the show at the new ICA in Boston before it ends in August. If not for the show, just go to see the fantastic architecture of the new building.