A few weeks ago I read an article from Fast Company called, “The Future of Advertising” that made me feel unnecessarily anxious about the future of marketing, rather than amazed by the transforming industry.  If you made it through the whole article (or if not) you may also feel this concern that seems a bit melodramatic in response to the digital age’s heavy influence on the future of advertising.  Let’s take a deep breath and dissect this down to the basics:

• Some marketers are freaking out (honestly) because of digital technology altering the way we advertise.  Former CEO of ad agency Marsteller, Andy Nibley[DW1]  stated, “Is there any industry I get involved in that doesn’t get destroyed by digital technology?”  Here is where the problem lies for all of the beyond-stressed advertisers out there- digital technology is not destroying the advertising industry, it’s changing it.  Mind you, these are big changes and a great amount of learning and resilience involves the success of moving through the transformation.  But acceptance is the key.  Digital technology will not destroy advertising, but it will force agencies to think on their feet and use raw creativity.  As opposed to destruction, the ad industry will expand and reach new possibilities that clients can only dream of, while marketers bring them to life.
• “The death of mass marketing means the end of lazy marketing.”  This statement leads me to question, when was lazy marketing ever okay?  And, not to be harsh, but good riddance to those who just wanted to squeak by, providing only the minimal services to clients.  The digital age has opened up the marketing industry to social media, websites, online ads, search, applications, and many other options now available for implementation.  With so many choices, visibility is not necessary on all fronts, just those that are effective.  Rather than mass marketing, the industry is moving into mass customization where marketers must determine what mediums work best for business and apply those practices, rather than spreading their budgets too thin.  Digital technology also enables consumers to be marketers, which can be rewarding or disastrous depending on the way marketers use the information.  Active marketers (as opposed to lazy ones) will find consumer reviews and leverage them by presenting the good and addressing the bad head on.  Anyone thinking Domino’s?
• It’s time to tighten up.  Not only as a result of the economy, but also the new tools available to marketers, cost-free.  Social media leaves many executives wondering why marketing budgets must increase, and feel a need to scale back on activities and talent.  Now more than ever is it vital for marketers to expose their creativity, as much of the industry scare is related to older, dare I say outdated and outmoded advertising (and thinking) models that haven’t kept up with the times.  Marketing as a whole is changing as digital grows stronger and stronger.  Creativity, talent, practicality and adaptability will be allowed to thrive.  Marketing isn’t a profession that requires formal continuing education, but the most successful are those who keep themselves ahead in the game.

 So, are you still anxious or do you feel a bit better?  Marketing and the advertising industry are certainly taking a drastic turn, but there is so much to take advantage of through the use of great new tools that simplify tasks and new ways to satisfy customers through social media.  Leveraging change, rather than rejecting it will be the ultimate divide between those who succeed and those who sink under the pressure of the digital revolution.

Tina Walsh
Marketing Coordinator

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Aside from the traditional media attacking The Gap as a result of its sudden and drastic logo change, social media tops off the attack with @GapLogo and @OldGapLogo, parody Twitter sites stirring up buzz by arguing their sides of which logo should come out on top.  The uprising against the new logo became so strong that Gap finally went back to its original logo, tweeting,

“We’ve heard you.  We only want what’s best for Gap.  No crowd sourcing, but the Blue Box is back”

The respective responses from @GapLogo and @OldGapLogo:

“This is for you, @Gap.  Take me back!  Please! Listening to Take That – Back for Good ♫ http://blip.fm/~xcfd3”

“Well…looks like my work here is done.  Peace.  I’m out”

Parody accounts on Twitter are not new to the world of social media, but their targets and uses continue to transform into tools for voicing concern and distaste with many large corporations aside from the Gap.

Two examples of parody Twitter accounts that target corporations include @BPGlobalPR and @ceoSteveJobs.  @ceoSteveJobs pokes fun at issues that Apple faces, including iPhone4 complications, mediocre service from AT&T, and the highly intimidating persona of Steve Jobs.  @BPGlobalPR is much graver, as it eerily makes jokes from the point of view of BP executives, such as

“In Space, nobody can hear you scream. So quit hollering and taking pictures you stupid astronauts! http://ow.ly/21saV”

While humorous, does the account move beyond the zone of poking fun and spreading awareness to simply using fear and dark sarcasm to inform?

I do not follow any parody Twitter accounts at this time, nor have I begun to follow any of the parody accounts discovered from the creation of this post.  While humorous, it’s unsettling to me to participate in the negativity that such accounts promote.  I stand behind the idea related to @ceoSteveJobs and @GapLogo and @OldGapLogo that if you don’t like the product, then don’t use it.  Regarding more serious issues, such as that of the gulf crisis, I would rather focus my energy on efforts that directly foster progress and improvement. 

The flip side of such accounts is that they offer informational content.  Viewing a parody account informs the reader of all activities taking place for the corporation—and none of the information is sugar coated.  Rather than searching through news sites, viewers can simply click on articles within tweets to learn more about the corporations’ latest happenings.  The same can be said of shows such as The Daily Show and The Colbert Report.  Both shows use satire and comedy to inform people to stir thought and engagement in current events.  These Twitter parody accounts can serve they same purpose, but I wonder if sometimes the snarkiness takes away the value?

What is Twitter’s take on the creation of such accounts?  They fully support users’ self expression, so long as they do not abuse the Terms of Service and make an effort to follow the guidelines for parody accounts.  Guidelines include creating a username and profile name that are not exactly similar to the parodied item, the bio distinguishes itself from the real identity, and communication with followers and users is not intended to deceive or mislead.  This is where the difference between Twitter parodies and shows like The Colbert Report lies; there is transparency with the shows, and the honor system with a policy for good behavior on Twitter.

What does this mean for corporate executives of medium to large sized businesses? Businesses will have to monitor the popularity of parody accounts, or perhaps avoid their creation in the first place by satisfying customer grievances before they assemble/congregate into hate groups.  For companies like BP, the issue goes far deeper (pun intended) than customer service, but following social networks that parody the company are a good place to connect to what people think and feel about their brand.

Tina Walsh
Marketing Coordinator

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In a previous post I mentioned the HootSuite dashboard, and what it has to offer. Recently they added new gadgets to the dashboard, and upgraded the interface. I am pretty excited about these new and improved features, because they consolidate several routine activities, and provide new capabilities for social media activites. The new features include Geo-Searchable tool, Themes, Google Analytics, Re-tweets, and Language preferences.

The Geo-Searchable tool allows users to filter the search and information by your geographic location. For example- say you want to find out what people are tweeting about in your industry or particular area of interest, in your geographic area. The search box pops up with all of your results; from here you can follow them, re-tweet, add to favorites, reply, or send a direct message. I find this new tool to be very useful when it comes to looking for specific topics that are currently hot or trending to the top discussions. 

HootSuite is beefing up its language options, having recently added the Japanese language as an option, with many more to come! While I prefer the English option for my posting, I think it is great to add language options because HootSuite will be a tool that anyone can use.

The re-tweet (RT) option has also been upgraded to allow you to automatically re-tweet, which saves you time. You can still use the old RT method, but I much prefer the automatic re-tweet button, because you waste characters on the RT, and it’s just easier to use.

HootSuite created new themes for your dashboard to mix it up a little. The new themes include blue steel, classic and magnum. I prefer the magnum theme, it’s bold and everything stands out on my dashboard.

The new feature that I benefit from the most is integration of Google Analytics within the dashboard. Now within the Stats tab I can access my Google Analytics along with the summary and individual messages. I really like this new feature! I can view analytics quickly within the same dashboard that I do everything else. And if you have multiple Google Analytics accounts, you can link all accounts into HootSuite’s dashboard. This is sweet!

Clearly HootSuite is on the move to build out their product. So far, they are on the right track by expanding features that combine activities and resources to combine a series of related and routine activities into a single dashboard, which is a real time saver. I hope to see more work on their integration with Facebook. I’ll keep you posted.

Alexandra Talucci
Marketing Associate
RedZebraWorks

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There are many tools available to use for social media and for Twitter in particular. One tool that I use on a daily basis is HootSuite. HootSuite is a dashboard that allows you to monitor multiple profiles at once. I simply login to one dashboard and manage multiple accounts in one space, which is great since I constantly have ten plus tabs open on my computer.

HootSuite allows you to monitor keywords, statistics, schedule messages to be sent out, use a URL shortening tool, and monitor conversations of the people you are following.

The social media accounts that you can link through HootSuite include Twitter, Facebook, Facebook Page, LinkedIn, Ping.fm, WordPress, MySpace, and Foursquare. Within these accounts you can link multiple Twitter accounts such as a personal account and multiple client accounts, along with pages such as a personal Facebook and a company Facebook Page.

So in one place you are able to manage all of these accounts and you post to them all at once.

I really like the shortening tool. It’s convenient and makes it easy to keep your posts within the 140 characters of a Twitter post. This is a practical tool for me, because I don’t have to be logged into each Twitter account to make a post. Talk about a time saver!

One of my favorite discoveries is that HootSuite’s shortening tool also tracks the metrics of my posts through the HootSuite shortening tool. This allows me to view how many people clicked on the link and on which specific date. This is a quick way to see how people are responding to the material that you are posting. Unfortunately this feature only tracks Twitter metrics right now.

If you find that you’re constantly logging in and out of accounts to post content, then sign up today for a free account with HootSuite. You can get off to a quick start by watching this useful webinar.

Alexandra Talucci
Marketing Associate
RedZebraWorks

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In an increasingly competitive setting for landing employment, social media provides a useful tool for prospective interviewees gaining information about their possible employers.  Mashable.com shares an article that gives useful tips for interview preparation moving beyond a corporation’s website by analyzing blogs, Twitter pages, and LinkedIn.  Do any of these tactics cross the line between company research and invasion of employee privacy?

From each section, I’ve pinpointed some of the most important takeaways:

LinkedIn

A company’s LinkedIn profile offers information, such as new hires, specialties, and related companies where past employees may have previously worked.  Research of the LinkedIn profile helps interviewees develop more insightful questions to rise during the interview, along with possible personal connections to the company that one may not have realized existed.  Helpful questions to ask oneself when exploring a firm’s LinkedIn page include,

“How long do most people stay with the company?  Where do they go after?  Do all current employees share similar credentials?”

Corporate Blogs, Facebook, and Twitter

Companies may have news releases and relevant information on their website, but how do they directly communicate with their audience?  Many firms share their progression on campaigns, events they plan to attend, and articles or news on topics they find interesting and significant through Facebook and Twitter accounts.  Corporate blogs offer a more detailed view into common thoughts and opinions the firm wants its followers to consider.  Contemplate the objective of a company’s blog: Does it focus on its own accomplishments and events, or does it communicate information that relates to a certain subject that isn’t the company itself? 

Employee Blogs and Social Networking Accounts

Employees are the key drivers of an organization, so their personal blogs and social networking accounts provide insight about the way they may go about handling their work.  This information can be especially useful for determining how well one may fit with the company, but should not be plunged into too deep during the interview, as it may be unsettling for interviewers to discuss their personal life in a business setting. 

While it may be beneficial to follow executives of an organization, I feel it is almost an invasion of privacy to track down employees from a site, like LinkedIn, and then access their personal thoughts through Twitter or Facebook.  It’s certainly important to understand a firm’s general environment to determine fit, but it becomes eerie when an applicant finds themselves walking into an interview recognizing and knowing the employees, when the knowledge is not reciprocal.  There is a part of me that doesn’t want to understand the company too much more than they understand me, especially on a personal level.  Think about the opposite side of these tips; a firm can now search its applicants on Facebook and Twitter, tapping straight into their personal lives.

With companies using resources like Facebook and Twitter for corporate promotion, it only makes sense to dig a little deeper and find more information.  Competition is fierce, and it will be interesting to see the way that individuals fare through gained knowledge from these sights, as well as the way firms will manipulate them to attract the best applicants.

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What do they have in common? Besides the fact that their music is played in my house on a regular basis, they are experts in their business.

Around Grammy time I read an article about Lady Gaga, and just last week I posted a link on my dad’s Facebook about the Grateful Dead. Now, I know everyone’s been hearing about Lady Gaga, but you may be asking yourself, what can a business today learn from the Grateful Dead?

Social media in the business sense is all about conversing with your customers, making them feel important, and in return generating sales and leads. Here’s how both of these artists do exactly that.

Connect with Customers (or Fans)

Lady Gaga: She goes where they go. Online. She debuted one of her latest singles, Bad Romance, on her own website, not on TV.

Grateful Dead: Before a public announcement was made about an upcoming tour, the Grateful Dead’s most loyal fans received a phone call from their hotline alerting them of the upcoming shows.

Build a Relationship with Fans

Lady Gaga: She has nearly 3 million followers on Twitter, updates her status regularly, and even has a pet name for her fans that she tattooed on her arm, she calls them her Little Monsters.

Grateful Dead: Die-hard fans, referred to as Deadheads, became a sort of social community. The band reserved the best tickets for their fans, but made sure to cap the prices for their 4 hour long shows. Deadheads were actually allowed to tape the shows because the band believed that sharing the tapes would increase their fan base.

Generate Sales

Lady Gaga: Album sales have reached at least 8 million and digital single sales surpassed 20 million. She just became the creative director for Polaroid and is a spokeswoman for Viva Glam lipstick (proceeds go to Mac’s AIDS fund).

Grateful Dead: All of the special treatment and focus on community encouraged Deadheads to buy merchandise. They are one of the most profitable bands of all time.

Social Media isn’t just about putting as much content online as you possibly can, and being on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Foursquare, Buzz, and any other number of sites. Fundamentally, treat your customers and fans well and they will treat you as well as they do Lady Gaga and the Grateful Dead.

Julie Novak
Marketing Coordinator
RedZebraWorks

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