Tips from Jennifer Shinn on Search

A weekly conference with Jennifer Shinn allows me to get a better understanding of the search world and how to effectively manage my divisions search campaign. Jennifer has enriched my knowledge of search engine marketing (SEM) and how to apply these best practices to various projects. That being said, I eagerly asked her to do a Q&A for my blog since she has an extensive background in this field. Jennifer is the VP of Client Services for The JAR Group, a strategic and creative agency with its foundation in SEO intelligence. “Big agency thinking with big search marketing services” is the JAR promise. She began her career in the Finance and Investment vertical working in marketing, reporting and sales which quickly evolved into management. Her strong desire to find quicker and better solutions for her clients brought her to the Internet. For the past 11 years, Jennifer has been using the Internet to solve problems for her clients.

Jennifer Shinn has a Bachelors of Business Administration from Western Michigan University focusing on Marketing and Finance. Since traditional educational institutions don't foster the in-depth knowledge needed to keep up with the ever changing Internet, Jennifer turns to industry conferences, online web casts and social media groups to keep pace. She has worked on both big brand international sites (Novartis, Fairmont) and small local ones. Her knowledge covers online Market Research, Analytics, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Content Strategy crossing many industries and verticals.

Below you’ll find some key insights on how Jennifer and her team tackle the digital world when it comes to SEO and SEM.
Although most of us know why a search campaign is so important for companies and brands, can you please remind us why conducting research and using search are crucial tools for brands today?
You bet. Research is the backbone of every online marketing project. Without research Brands won’t really know how people search for their product or service. In order to connect with people you need to know how they search, specifically you need to know what keywords they use to try and find what you offer. At The JAR Group we start every engagement with online market research. Research will tell a Brand how to connect with their customers.

Searching via Google or Yahoo is not a new activity for many people. However, it seems as though people think about SEO and SEM differently now then they might have in the past. What are some of the new ways that people think about search now?
Many people see Social Media as new way to connect with people online. It is still a big buzz word that seems to change meaning depending on the person discussing the topic. Since there is no clear definition of what Social Media is, so many of our clients struggle with how to capitalize it. They think they have to have a Face book page or Twitter account because their competitor has one. Honestly, without clear marketing goals for setting up these strategies they often fail. Since online marketing is measureable. It’s important to spend a little time setting up clear goals before jumping in.

Do you think this will change in the future? Likewise, do you think more companies and brands will be mandating that search be included in their marketing campaigns?
Oh yes! The only thing certain with online marketing is change. It changes everyday. The internet never sits still and brands have to be ready to adapt. We’re seeing more and more brands committing dollars to online campaigns. Given the current state of the economy, overall marketing budgets are shrinking, so the total dollars going into online marketing are decreasing. But, from what I’m seeing with our clients, search is getting a good percentage of the overall budget.

Let’s say that a new client comes to you for help with SEO and SEM. What are your first steps?
Our first step is to understand the client’s problem. Do they want to increase online sales? Do they sell advertising space and need more visitors? Once we understand the client’s challenges we can start looking for solutions to help them. We also do a free site review. Our SEO team reviews the site to understand the organic search opportunity. Then, we pull in the Market Research team, Affiliate and SEM specialists get involved. This is so we can outline a clear go forward strategy for the client. It’s really a collaborative team effort at The JAR Group. In the end, we offer our client’s the best solutions to meet their goals, yet stay within budget.

Can you tell us the secret sauce behind JAR’s Methodology when it comes to market, keyword and competitive research?
The secret sauce is really no secret. People are very open and incredibly honest when it comes to the information they seek. They use specific keywords to find what exactly what it is their looking for. Our research taps this data. We organize the keywords people use to search, look at how many of them use the same types of keywords and draw conclusions on how to best connect with them. It’s really that simple.

Can you give an example of how insights gleaned from market research and SEO can help to create a powerful strategy?
Sure. One of The JAR Group’s current clients is Dollar Days International. They’re an online wholesale distributor and closeout company helping small businesses and entrepreneurs compete against larger enterprises. We are doing in depth keyword research for Dollar Days and have optimized over 850 pages for them. Dollar Days is seeing a 95% increase in year over year organic search visitors and search traffic now drives over 33% of Dollar Days total online revenue. Marc Joseph, the President, is extremely happy with the results and has extended our engagement.

Can you give a few guidelines or best practices when trying to figure out the best SEO or SEM strategy to use in this fast-paced digital world?
Test, test, test. It is fast paced. What works today might not work tomorrow. You have to constantly be testing new ideas to keep pushing your web presence forward. There is no one right answer when it comes to your online marketing strategy. You have to set a budget and blend SEO with SEM and other online strategies to reach your goals.


To learn more about how The JAR Group can help you with your online marketing efforts check out their website at http://www.thejargroup.com/. You can also contact Jennifer Shinn directly at jennifer.shinn@thejargroup.com or call her at 602-820-5534.

Bloggers Beware of Big Brother

Many marketers have been increasing their budgets when it comes to social media and word-of-mouth marketing. In fact, marketers like Ford, Microsoft, and Pepsi spend billions on social media and word-of-mouth marketing. Additionally, PQ Media projects that marketers will spend $3.7 billion on word-of-mouth marketing in 2011. However, using well-known bloggers to boast about a brand or sending products to influencers to spread the good word could be scrutinized by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in the near future.

According to an article in Ad Age, the FTC is proposing that word-of-mouth marketers and bloggers, as well as people on social-media sites such as Facebook, be held liable for any false statements they make about a product they're promoting, along with the product's marketer. Roberta Jacobs-Meadway, a partner at Eckert Seamans Cherin & Mellott, a Pittsburgh law firm, said: "The FTC is ... putting out guidelines to make it clear to people who are involved in social media and viral marketing that the same rules apply in this context as they do in the more formal context of paid advertising and infomercials." There are no legal implications for social-media sites such as Facebook or marketer sites such as Amazon, where consumers often post product reviews. However, Ms. Jacobs-Meadway said, paid endorsers who post on those sites can be held liable if they do not identify themselves as such.

It is evident that it has taken awhile for rules and regulations to speed up to the realities that exist in 2009. Rich Cleland, assistant director of the FTC's advertising-practices division, said the commission is updating the guidelines to stay in step with evolving marketing practices. "The commission is attempting to update guidelines that are 30 years old so that they address current marketing techniques," he said, "and in particular to address the issue of whether or not the safe harbor that's currently allowed for 'result not typical'-type disclaimers is still warranted."

But will these rules and regulations be enforced in the near future? It turns out the FTC will review all public comments and concerns before the final vote. Organizations such as the American Association of Advertising Agencies, American Advertising Federation, and Personal Care Products Council have plenty of reservations. In its comment, the 4A's said while it and the American Advertising Federation want to ensure nondeceptive endorsements and testimonials, it "strongly urges the commission to reconsider the proposed, overly stringent amendments that will likely result in advertisers abandoning longstanding legitimate advertising techniques, such as consumer testimonials, and rejecting new media forms, such as blogs and viral marketing."

If the FTC passes the proposed plan, advertisers and agencies will be held responsible to understand the rules and inform their bloggers and promoters that they must comply. But could this actually be a catalyst in bringing a new array of problems that transpires when the government steps in, which may change the face of the advertising industry?

While many people fear the proposed plan because of Big Brother’s overarching presence, others feel that it will bring more credibility to word-of-mouth and social-media marketing. Jim Nail, chief marketing officer of TNS Media Intelligence and a WOMMA board member said "The thing that makes word-of-mouth marketing powerful is people believing they are getting truthful and honest opinions from real users. If people start disbelieving word-of-mouth marketing as much as they disbelieve advertising, we are in deep trouble."

Be Careful When You Twitter…

In a previous blog post labeled “Social Media and the Workplace,” I mentioned Heather Rast, an avid member of the social networking space, Twitter, who described her real-life story of how social media involvement affected her corporate career. While management at her current job supports her blogging and Twittering, her previous management team did not and she learned the hard way. Since various sites such as Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, and YouTube are becoming important means of communication between individuals and businesses, it is crucial to know the boundaries.

In Beware: Your ‘tweet’ on Twitter Could be Trouble, an article written by Tresa Baldas of The National Law Journal, we’re reminded that Twittering the wrong information could get you or your employer into a heap of trouble. Lawyers caution that Twitter carries a number of legal risks.

The article lists a few possible issues to take note of:

• Users posting tweets from corporate networks could expose company secrets. These conversations are legally binding and subject to the legal rules of electronic discovery, which means tweets could be subpoenaed in a lawsuit.
• Twitter also raises invasion of privacy and defamation issues. Trademark violations could also be alleged if Twitter users appear to have a relationship with a company or product when one does not exist or post tweets to dilute a trademarked name.
• Twitter could also trigger more workplace retaliation and wrongful termination claims, whereby users will claim that they were retaliated against or fired over protected information they tweeted, such as being harassed at work or disclosing a safety violation.
  

It’s easy to say “Don’t Twitter about work related things.” However, it’s probably more realistic to be mindful in general when using Twitter. Douglas E. Winter, an attorney who heads the electronic discovery unit at Bryan Cave, advises companies about emerging technologies. “Twitter, like any electronic communication tool, is subject to a wide range of potential liability,” he said. “I basically tell people that, yes, it’s a new tool, and it’s very trendy. But no electronic tool should be treated any differently as they emerge.”

Posting a tweet is really no different than sending emails or texting messages. They are short, instantaneous and sometimes not well-thought out which can lead to misinterpretation. Additionally, they can be monitored and tracked by employees and can be used in a court of law since it’s a permanent record on the Internet. So it’s important to know what your company guidelines are, and if you are not sure of what they are, it’s a smart idea to ask your superior. People have to be aware of what their own company guidelines are and think twice before they publish information for the world to read in the social networking space. Furthermore, if you’re going to use Twitter, it’s wise to educate yourself on its terms of service.

An Interview with Cindy Manalo, Account Director at Time Inc.

A close friend, a colleague and an Account Director within my division are just some of the ways that I would describe Cindy Manalo. As such, I thought it would be a great idea to get her perspective on what is happening in the digital world and what her client requests sound like these days. Cindy is responsible for helping to launch and develop new business projects for Time Inc. Content Solutions (TICS). In her role as Account Director, she is responsible in managing all aspects relating to the production of a communications project from content development through the final distribution phase. Prior to joining TICS, Cindy spent 7 years in the advertising industry in Account Management at various agencies that included McCann Amster Yard, BBDO, Bozell and Ammirati Puris Lintas.

Below you’ll find Cindy’s view on the advertising world, the changing landscape and how she handles client’s needs and concerns in this networked society.

Throughout your career in advertising I am sure that you have handled many client requests. What are the major differences that you are seeing now versus a few years ago?
There definitely seems to be more interest in return on investment (ROI) these days. Given the economy lately, I think companies want to make sure they’re putting their money in the right place – they can’t afford to be wasteful. And given all the media platforms out there, companies need to make sure their messages are being heard in the right venue – whether it’s print, digital, etc – and they want proof that their marketing dollars are working. So more and more, marketers are asking, “what’s my ROI?”. They need to be accountable for their budgets, and now agencies are taking part in that accountability too.

What do you think the biggest challenge is for companies and brands today?
I think the biggest challenge for brands today is creating communication pieces that are engaging to their target audience. Marketing in today’s world goes beyond just TV, print and radio advertising. There’s much more fragmentation given that the digital world has opened up many new ways to communicate, i.e. mobile devices, social networking, podcasts, blog, etc. The consumer still only has 24 hours in a day but now has many more ways of receiving information so time spent with any one media outlet is now much more limited. For a brand to stand out and attract customers in this fragmented world, they need to engage each member of their audience enough to have them slow down and pay attention. Not an easy task in a 24/7 society.

Are you seeing more requests that are focused around digital initiatives?
Definitely. I think almost every one of my Clients has some sort of digital initiative, whether it be an e-newsletter, microsite, blog or just basic content that we’ve created for their main website, there are definitely more requests around digital initiatives. And given that our expertise is creating engaging content for our clients, it’s easy enough to take that content and either print it for a communications piece or digitize it for an online presence. Clients are realizing the world of content is not just defined to a magazine or direct mail piece, engaging content is becoming more and more of a necessity online.

Are clients asking you about social networking, widgets and websites like Facebook and Twitter? What is your suggestion for clients that are interested?
There have been requests by some of my Clients for social networking but I wouldn’t recommend it for all Clients, only for those that can tie it into their product or brand where it makes sense. A few months ago, we created a fun styling tool that appeared on Facebook for a Client that makes razors for men. It was a widget that people can download which then let them “try on” different facial hair styles on their profile pictures. It really tied in nicely to what the brand stood for and what Facebook is about. If it’s an organic fit, then I would recommend it to a Client, otherwise it could feel too forced and the audience would see right through it.
Many consumers turn to the web for their news and information. Likewise, the adverting industry has seen a shift since many companies are shifting dollars around to incorporate digital initiatives.

What is your point of view on brands using print mediums versus digital initiatives? Do you think one is more important than the other?
I think both print and digital have their place and don’t necessarily think one is more important than the other. I also think you sometimes need print to drive people to their messages online. Just because there’s a website out there doesn’t mean, if you build it, they will come. The print medium can help drive people online for more info or for more interactivity that you can’t get in print, i.e. video, photo galleries, blog updates, etc. I do believe both mediums can live independently of each other, but there could also be a nice interdependent relationship as well.

Can you give a few guidelines or best practices when trying to figure out the best strategy to use in this fast-paced digital world?
I would say there are 3 things a marketer should do that are important to succeed in the digital world:
1) Have clear objectives. Know what you want to accomplish online whether it’s increasing awareness, driving behavior, or building brand loyalty, having clear objectives will keep you focused.
2) Create engaging content. No one will care what your site is about unless you have content that is engaging. It can’t just be more marketing speak. People are coming to your site willingly so be relevant to your audience.
3) Give them a reason to come back for more. Don’t be static; refresh 1-2 pages often so people will see there’s new content. People don’t want to come back and read the same thing over and over again. Surprise and delight and they will want to come back for more.

Need a Job? Join Twitter

If you’ve read some of my blog posts, you might have guessed that I’ve been cynical towards Twitter, the popular social networking site that allows people to send “Tweets.” However, as I read about the site’s popularity and listen to my colleagues opinions, and the benefits, I am starting to embrace it.

I came across an article on Forbes.com that demonstrated another important use — finding a job. The article indicates that while there are many social networking sites out there, Twitter especially has helped one lucky sole. Kyle Flaherty left his marketing position in Boston last spring determined to find an in-house public relations job. He tweeted about his decision and included a link to his professional blog, where he described the kind of work he was looking for. Within days his tweet was retweeted. That is, an acquaintance forwarded it--to his current boss. "I don't think I would have gotten this if not for Twitter," says Flaherty, who moved from Boston to Austin, Texas, for the new job last year with his then-pregnant wife and 2-year-old son.

Obviously not everyone will find their dream job by tweeting about it. But if people use Twitter and other sites such as Facebook and LinkedIn as a way to network with peers or hiring managers it would be a smart move. While many people use Twitter to tell others about their trivial activities and ramblings, there are clever ways it can be used to one’s advantage. The most clever Twitterers use it to comment on happenings in their professions. They follow industry leaders' tweets and even build informal relationships by following one another.

To get a better idea of how to use Twitter to find employment opportunities, Tara Weiss give her top tips:
1. Open an account and include something about your profession in your user name. Since users can search tweets by topic, that's one way of making your feed more visible.
2. Don’t blast people with a message saying that you’re out of work.
3. uild momentum slowly.
4. In the profile section, put a few lines about what you do professionally--that also helps your searchability.
5. Before you start tweeting, search for leaders in your industry, companies you'd like to work for and other potential professional contacts. Follow them. Many companies--especially in marketing, public relations and technology--use Twitter to post job openings, and a lot of hiring managers tweet too.
6. Start tweeting. Offer your opinion on news, industry happenings and seminars. If someone you follow, particularly an industry leader, says something controversial or interesting, retweet (forward) it, or send the person a direct response. That can be an ideal way to get a casual but more personal conversation going.
7. If you're following a hiring manager at a company you'd like to work for, observe what he or she writes and then tailor your tweets to comment on similar things.

For the millions of people looking for work, besides looking at Career Builder and the NY Times Job listings section, Twitter is one site you might want to check out. For more tips on how to use Twitter to your advantage in order to find work, check out the article here.

Corporate Culture Embraces Digital

Many world class brands are doing everything in their power to adapt to the digital world and various technologies. Additionally, many corporate organizations are doing their best to implement digital initiatives such as blogs, wikis and social networks. This seems like a no brainer. However, getting used to and embracing a digital mind-set is a different story for more traditional companies and upper management. Recently, at Ad Age’s Digital Conference in New York, top executives participated in a panel moderated by Nielsen Online's Pete Blackshaw to discuss the ways in which technology has changed their companies from both an internal and external standpoint.

According to Ad Age, the “How Technology Changes Your Company, Inside and Out” panel consisted of Josh Weiss, Managing Director, Delta.com, Self Service; Bob Kraut, VP Marketing Communications, Pizza Hut, Inc.; Pete Blackshaw, EVP Digital Strategic Services, Nielsen; and Michele Azar, VP, Emerging Channels, Best Buy. Each executive went into detail about how they have embraced various technologies, the steps to get approval and the outcomes.

Each executive had compelling ideas to share, which are worth noting. If traditional companies and top executives are not willing to adjust their mindset, then they are setting themselves up for failure. Case in point, Mr. Weiss was trying to help Delta move forward by creating a strong online presence. "That meant having a totally unconstrained area on the site where consumers could come and talk about our product good and bad and hopefully make helpful suggestions about our product," he said. For his efforts Mr. Weiss met with senior counsel and the head of communications and marketing, who were concerned that consumers could say anything they wanted about the airline. His retort: They already are, so why not be part of the conversation? "At that point we were just not ready for it from a corporate culture standpoint to have unfettered social media on delta.com," Mr. Weiss said. "So we ended up with a blog where we talk about our services and offerings. And we do have customer-posted feedback. So we got [management] there eventually but definitely not without hitting some bumps along the way."

In addition to listening to customers, it is crucial to listen to employees. Employees are also concerned about the overall success of the organization. As such, if they’re educated on new policies and digital initiatives, they can be your best cheerleaders. There are benefits to employees and senior executives if they are involved in an internal digital platform. Company leaders can be in contact with employees on the most local level so they can share best practices and real-time information about internal and consumer interactions. However, in order for brands and companies to interact via digital technologies there must be active participation and meaningful involvement. Ultimately, this means not only listening to customers and employees but taking action.

Check out Ad Age for more details on the other executive’s strategies and outcomes.

Beware: Social Networking is on the Rise

Does it seem like everyone and their mother is talking about social networking? Well, to me it does. Even my 60-year-old father asked me about Twitter and its purpose. The truth is that people are talking about it, using the websites, and referring friends to sign up. As a result, social networking among US broadband users has grown an impressive 93% since 2006, and has increased the amount of time people spend communicating online 18%, to 32% of total online time, according to a new report from Netpop Research, LLC that delves into social networking trends and habits, reports MarketingCharts.

The "Netpop Connect: Social Networkers US" report also reveals that at the same time as online communications has increased, the time spent on traditional forms of online entertainment has declined 29%, and is now down to 19% of total online time:




This, Netpop said, is changing the face of how entertainment is defined, and giving rise to a new form of leisure built around talking, sharing, and providing opinions and perspectives.

Today, some of the most popular social networking activities include sending emails, sending instant messages, sharing photos, commenting on messages, engaging in blogs, and posting “Tweets.” As a result, it is not enough for companies to have a strong digital strategy, it is also important to be relevant in this social media world. Magazines have tried diligently to maintain their relevance and ultimately, have migrated content to the Web to capture more eyeballs. More companies are starting a blog and asking employees to be involved in order to make it active and engaging to consumers. Additionally, management is looking for feedback from blogs. Furthermore, we’ve also seen brands put up Facebook pages.

So what is next? Social networking is growing. The research estimates that 105 million American broadband users (76%) now contribute to social media. As websites give more space to user-generated content it will be interesting to see how companies track and monitor the conversation with consumers. Other popular websites and applications such as Digg, Flickr, LinkedIn, Twitter, Yelp and YouTube will likely become more popular as well. Ultimately, this means that if you don’t like social networking, you better get used to it because more and more companies are likely to jump in on the fun. Likewise, if you don’t know about these sites or understand the purpose, it is probably in your best interest to get up to speed.

Hollywood Gets Its Hands on Twitter

Early Saturday morning, I headed to the gym and proceeded to the treadmill section to begin my workout. My favorite channel to watch while running on the treadmill is E!, particularly Joel McHale’s show called The Soup. It is my one-stop shop to get all the celebrity news and gossip of the week, wrapped with sarcastic humor. Most of the time, the news is entertaining and allows me to forget the monotonous beat of the treadmill. While running I heard earth-shattering news that Courtney Love, rocker and widow of Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain, is being sued by her former fashion designer,Dawn Simorangkir, over comments Love has written about her on Twitter and MySpace. Needless to say, it was shocking when I heard it at the time, but I figured it was only a matter of time before Hollywood got itself in a mess over Twitter.

Catching a glimpse of the lawsuit on TV was not enough for me. I wanted to learn more about what happened, so I searched the Internet to find out the full scoop. According to ABC News, a libel claim was filed by Simorangkir in Los Angeles Superior Court on March 26. Love used Twitter to disseminate "an obsessive and delusional crusade" of malicious libel against her and also slandered her on MySpace. The court documents claim that Love "became infatuated" with Simorangkir and her "Boudoir Queen" clothing line after discovering the designer on Etsy, an online marketplace catering to independent designers. Love commissioned Simorangkir to create clothing for her and flew her out to Los Angeles, but then balked when she was invoiced for the designer's work in February and March. This was enough information for me, but in case you want to read the nitty gritty, click here to read the complaint against Courtney Love.

As I have mentioned before in previous blogs, Twitter is a popular online community for many celebrities. It allows them to communicate with their fan base, keeps fans up-to-date about things going on in their lives and enables them to announce concerts and available tickets etc. In fact, “Twitterati” is the new term that has been coined to demonstrate that the elite “Tweet.” These days, you’ll find John Mayer, Lance Armstrong, Paris Hilton and P. Ditty on Twitter. Whether you choose to follow them is a story for a different day.

After hearing and reading about the latest scandal related to Twitter, I am not sure what surprised me the most. The fact that a celebrity is actually taking the time to vent via Twitter or the fact that the opponent is suing for slandering on Twitter and MySpace is up for a debate. I guess even though both seem farfetched, for some reason I was naive to think everyone was going to play nice in the sandbox. It was only a matter of time before celebrities abuse the online community.

Interview with Brad Reisner, Co-founder of Igicom

I am very excited that Brad Reisner agreed to do a Q&A for my blog. Brad is a co-founder of Igicom, a web development and applications firm specializing in database applications. At Igicom, he leads many engagements including projects for Time Inc., DDB Worldwide, EnergyBrands, Nike, Cablevision, Charitybuzz, the AFL-CIO, AIG, Jones Apparel Group, Tommy Hilfiger and others. Brad’s knowledge of current and emerging technologies, software development trends, high availability infrastructure, and expertise in database design and relational database management software (RDBMS), provides clients with intelligent, effective solutions. Previously, Brad was the Vice President of E-Commerce and Technology for Time-Life and Book-of-the-Month Club/Bookspan in the Time Inc. book division. At Bookspan, Brad was responsible for backend architecture and infrastructure, for imaging and content management systems, publishing more than 70,000 pages annually across 12 businesses. Twice nominated for the prestigious Time Inc. President’s Awards, Brad lead the technology design and implementation of Time Inc.’s first digital imaging project leading to an annual cost savings of more than $5,000,000 for his division alone.

Below you’ll find some key insights on how Igicom enables its clients to meet their business goals by designing web solutions that emphasize intuition and usability.

Many of us know that brands need to have a strong digital presence in order to be recognized. In fact, if brands are not connecting with their users on the Web, they are missing out on lucrative opportunities. What do you recommend for brands that are trying to stand out above the noise in this type of advertising environment?
I think it differs by brand and product/service type. Using a digital presence for straight branding purposes doesn’t really work as well as it used to – brands need to figure out how they can add value to their customers online – they really need to use their online presence to connect to their users and offer them something that they can’t easily get through other channels. Downloadable skins/themes for Ragú is irrelevant today; an online recipe database that centers around Ragú products that will SMS you recipe ingredients when you’re at Safeway, or inventory your cupboard and tell you what you’re missing to make a recipe you like – that’s something that will stand out, and make a customer come back.

Do you think print is a dying medium?
I think the relative importance of print as a medium is lessening, definitely. I don’t think it will ever disappear completely – people still like to hold and touch their reading material, and there are still plenty of issues to be worked out with the alternatives – web, e-readers (Kindle), cable news, etc. I think the days of the daily newspaper are just about done – very few people still get their news from a daily newspaper, I suspect. I haven’t bought one in a long time. For certain types of information – especially news – I see a dismal future for print.

If so, do you think certain print titles have an opportunity to grow their presence online?
Definitely – but the barrier to entry is so much lower online, which makes the competition more difficult. Also, technologies like RSS and other forms of syndication mean that for the most part, I can have the same news stories that anyone else has – so I need to differentiate myself in other ways – editorial, original content, features and functionality, cost, etc.

Which print tiles do you think are doing a good job of keeping its readers involved on the Web?
That’s a tough question. I read a lot of online media, and a lot of magazines… but they tend to be mutually exclusive - i.e. there are not a lot of magazines that I read cross-media. The Time Inc. Business Finance Network titles seem to be able to cross from print to digital and back, so even though I subscribe to 3 of their titles in print, I’ll generally read part of the magazine online and part offline. People handles it well, with breaking news and images online and larger stories with Monday’s issue. Magazines like Real Simple and some of the Condé Nast titles handle it well, especially when it comes to tip lists, recipes, added content and functionality.

Can you please tell us about Igicom’s methodology for creating a powerful digital strategy?
Generally, everything we do here, we try to do with a user focus. So, the first questions we ask are around who the users are and what they need to accomplish. Once that is determined, we work with our clients to determine the best ways of helping their users achieve their
goals – website, email campaign, microsite, CMS, etc. It could be that the users are potential customers, and the client wants them to sign up for some kind of service; it could be that the users are the client’s marketing department, and their goals are to maintain a site.

Igicom has a prestigious client roster. Can you give an example of a client that you’ve worked with that needed help revamping their digital strategy?
When we started working with Nehst Studios, they had already built out a number of web applications, with a group of vendors. None of them were performing up to Nehst’s expectations, and there were constant problems. Upon taking over operations, the first thing we did was stabilize the environment in its existing location. We then sat with Nehst management to determine what their 2 year, 5 year, and 10 year plans were as they related to their business and specifically their online presences. We determined that the best course of action was to rebuild the most prominent application (screentest.biz) first, and use that as a model for all future rollouts. We’ve been working with Nehst since Q1 2007, and have relaunched 2 of their online businesses, and are actively working on another 4 applications now. Our work with them is more of a collaborative partnership, and less of a client-vendor relationship; besides application design and development, digital strategy, and other online directives, we also serve as a technology advisor for issues that affect Nehst and their industry – DRM, distribution, formats, etc.

It seems like brands are vying for our attention on social networking. Do you think it’s necessary for brands to have a presence on various social networking sites such as Twitter, Facebook and MySpace?
I think it depends on the brand and its audience. The various Prius pages on Facebook seem to have roughly 1,100 fans each, on average – none of them appear to be official or maintained in any way by Toyota; the Skittles page has 618,993 fans. Depending on the brand and product, you want to make sure that you keep an eye on the fan pages that get setup for you – because it can be difficult to determine what is official and what is not. Outside of that, I’d say that if you’re going to do it (have a presence on one of the social networking sites) you need to do it well, and not just throw up a fan page and hope for the best. A weakly executed page with no traffic is worse than not having a presence – by far. What we’re seeing is a lot of “we want to be on Twitter/Facebook/MySpace” but not a lot of backup – people want to be there because everyone else wants to be there. That said… there are some very interesting things out there, a lot of which are very well executed and smart.

Which social networking sites do you recommend for your clients?
It largely depends on the audience they’re trying to reach and what they’re hoping to accomplish. We have a client that does online auctions for nonprofit organizations, and they need to be on all three of those communities – they’re doing an event for Yoko Ono that Ms. Ono has publicized on her own Twitter feed; they’re doing an event for Selena Gomez that she has put on her MySpace page and sent via SMS to her 80,000 SMS subscribers; and they are on Facebook to reach the Barack Obama fundraising audience.

What do you think is the next phase for these social networking sites?
Each of them has a developer application programming interface (API) for extending their functionality, and they’ve all been pushing that pretty hard. I think we’re going to start to see less things happening ON Facebook or ON Twitter, and more Facebook-ish things happening on other sites, more Twitter feeds showing up off of Twitter, etc – so more interconnectivity. Instead of going to Facebook to do Facebook things, you will go wherever it is you go, and Facebook things will be there.

Can you give a few guidelines or best practices when trying to figure out the best tactics to use in this fast-paced digital world?
I think the one thing to remember is that although things change every day – or more often – making your customers happy and serving some need better than anyone else in the market is really the key to success. Being the first to market with some technique has its benefits – but there’s little out there that can’t be copied – so it’s better to be the company that takes a little longer to setup the Facebook fan page, but adds something that keeps their customers engaged and coming back than it is to be the first company out there with the whizzy Facebook page that is the hit of the day, but then fades away.

Unless you have something that’s so compelling that’s going to keep customers coming back day after day, they’re not going to come to you anymore – so you need to go where they are. That means using existing APIs and services to reach them on social networking sites, syndication of content and functionality, and partnerships with other companies.

Online Ad Spending Slows Down

Companies are doing everything they can to survive during this difficult time. As a result, many of them are cutting expenses, staff and advertising budgets. Lately, it seems as though all advertising forecasts are heading in a downward direction. Carat has slashed its ad spending forecasts for 2009 and 2010, SNL Kagan is forecasting a grim outlook in 2009 for both radio and spot TV, and WPP's GroupM new research predicts that outlays in 2010 will decline even more than they will this year.

Additionally, eMarketer has revised its Internet ad spending projections estimating that advertisers will spend $24.5 billion online this year in the U.S. While eMarketer put out a forecast in November 2008 which was slightly lower, it’s important to note that the lowered estimate still represents an increase of 4.5% over 2008 spending. According to Adweek, “Marketers spend more on Internet ads, while they spend less on advertising placed in other media, such as newspapers, radio and magazines. These spending shifts predate the recession, but the current economic forces both reinforce the new advertising models and make them more permanent.”

If businesses are cutting back across the board, marketing and advertising included, this could be a very costly mistake. Marketing strategies are part of the company’s long-term plan. Marketing helps brands put their best face forward and are vital to a businesses survival. Additionally, it allows companies to remain visible, relevant and connected with their customers. Otherwise, customers might go to competitors instead. While customers might not be spending as much during a recession, they are still spending. As such, it would be more effective to spend marketing dollars more wisely and not less. Ultimately, this means companies need to explore new mediums and channels, incorporate social media, utilize Internet advertising and think creatively.

Newspapers Dying a Slow Death

As newspapers lose readers and as advertising dollars dry up as a source of revenue for newspapers, publications are looking for new sources of income. Forging partnerships with start-ups and websites is one route that is being considered. Likewise, various companies and websites are rolling out new ways to drum up cash for local papers.

Zillow, a real estate Web site that provides estimates of homes values and other information, is pursuing a new way to generate revenue for local papers. “Newspapers have been left for dead by a lot of people,” said Spencer Rascoff, chief operating officer of Zillow.com. “Readying their obituaries is very premature.”

According to an article in The New York Times, the company recently announced a partnership to lend its real estate search engine to the Web sites of more than 180 national newspapers. For example, the online real estate section of the Richmond-Times Dispatch will now contain a Zillow-powered box geared towards homeowners or prospective buyers in central Virginia. The first 100 of Zillow Web sites went live, and the remaining 80 will be unveiled throughout the rest of 2009.

Since Zillow has the partnership with the co-branded sites it will share the revenue with the newspapers, and it also extends its reach into the local markets. Mr. Rascoff said,” “Real estate is the most local product there is. It would take us decades to build those local relationships. Rather than starting from scratch, we’re partnering with someone who has distribution, but don’t have the product.”

Despite the dismal economy and the stagnant real estate market, Zillow has seen a boost in business. In March, the website had 8.8 million unique visitors, a 70% increase over the last year. Additionally, the partnerships could help Zillow ride out the slowdown in online advertising, since the company primarily relies on an ad-based business model for revenue, which has proven challenging in the tumultuous economy. Ultimately, it is going to require newspapers to figure out a new model that works and adapt to different business models that generate revenue. As interest rates go down and prospective buyers and sellers start looking to buy homes again, Zillow is one company that is poised for growth. It will be interesting to see what other websites and start-ups are created as newspapers popularity fades. Small business experts say economic downturns can be a good time to start a venture.

From TV to Web

As more eyeballs gravitate to the Web, companies are strategically shifting advertising dollars from TV to the Internet. Analysts have predicted that broadcast TV’s upfront dollars will be down this year and the big question for the Internet economy is how much of the ad dollars that don’t go to TV will move to the Web. Last year Proctor & Gamble, the world’s largest advertiser disclosed that it was cutting its overall ad budget by 10%, and various brands like Crest and Tide started moving dollars "aggressively" to the Web. While Proctor & Gamble is the largest advertiser, it didn’t take long for other major brands to follow the leader. Reckitt-Benckiser has announced that it plans to shift $20 million to the Web from TV.

According to Ad Age, the company plans to shift an estimated $20 million in TV ad dollars to the web for more than 15 of its brands, including Lysol, Air Wick, Mucinex, Finish and Clearasil. The strategic shift is significant for the company, which has traditionally spent upward of 90% of its $475 million measured-media budget on TV, and less than $1 million in measured spending on the web in 2008, according to TNS Media Intelligence. Even though its 2008 internet advertising through the first half was already double its full-year internet spending in 2007, it was still only 1% of media spending.

Reckitt has tested the waters when it comes to social media and e-mail based consumer-relationship management promotions in the past, but has not tried online video until now. "We've seen a fundamental shift in consumer consumption and media habits migrating over to digital video. Obviously YouTube started it, but we want to [be] aligned with professional content," he said. "With broadband getting to the scale that it has, the shift has happened. The integration of traditional and digital media is here now," said Marc Fonzetti, Reckitt-Benckiser's media manager and internet specialist.

While Reckitt has shifted their budget to capture the audience, it has also been looking for a more efficient pricing strategy to reach a thousand viewers. Adam Kasper, senior VP-director of digital media for R-B's digital media agency, Havas' Media Contacts said "The CPM was the driving factor here. We needed to make it compelling from a buying standpoint in terms of how these CPMs related to TV CPMs, and we had to deliver the impressions more efficiently than TV did," he said, referring to a more targeted audience.

The need to satisfy the ever-demanding requirement to prove positive ROI still rings true when it comes to nontraditional mediums such as social media and online video. As such, it will be crucial for brands to monitor brand engagement and other various metrics to see if the tactics are working effectively. For Reckitt, Marc Fonzetti said this campaign will be measured using a method that combines TV's gross rating points with the web, with additional interactive layers such as online coupons and click-throughs driving traffic to each brand's microsite. Each brand's audience metrics will then be paired with data from Nielsen's Homescan panel, a shopper product that uses ad exposure on TV and the web to determine in-store purchasing behavior.

As more brands test the waters with these new forms of communication, it will be interesting to see what the results are. These new multimedia strategies that utilize online video and social media take time to develop. Likewise, since these are new tactics there are no hard metrics set in stone, it will also require some companies to take a leap of faith. Rest assured, many marketers and companies are trying to figure out the best possible scenario—to engage consumers via these new technologies and also prove positive ROI.

The Rising Popularity of Twitter

Most of us are familiar with Twitter, which allows users to communicate via posts that go up to 140 characters at a time. This new trend of communicating has become extremely popular and it’s boldly going where no social networking site has gone before. Many people are finding this site useful to update friends and family about daily occurrences and celebrities are using it to communicate to their fan base about concert tours.

An article in the New York Post goes into extensive details about the various times and places that people are Twittering as well as the etiquette associated with posting. People have proposed marriage via Twitter, jurors have posted Tweets during trials and journalists have been sent to cover funerals in real time via Twitter. So where are people going to draw the line?

Anna Post, etiquette author and spokeswoman for the Emily Post Institute, is loath to pass judgment on what events are and are not OK to Twitter about, except in the case of trials ("We are citizens, there are duties, and it's not just about you") and probably death. (In September, the now-defunct Rocky Mountain News suffered massive public backlash after it sent a reporter to cover a 3-year-old's funeral in real time, via Twitter.) Otherwise, she says, it's situational. "There's nothing inherently wrong with Twittering [big events] as long as everyone's comfortable," she says. "I think the danger, though, is in how incredibly banal it is."

I can understand why celebrities would use Twitter as it a fast way to reach their fan base who are likely hungry for the behind-the-scenes scoop. Similarly, I can understand if someone is in the hospital waiting for the birth of their child or caring for a sick family member. It is an efficient use of someone’s time if they’re tied up at the hospital and can’t take numerous phone calls from family and friends asking about a status update. If family and friends are directed to Twitter or a blog, they can keep up with daily events and even respond so that their loved one knows they are reading. However, sending a reporter to cover a funeral via Twitter and jurors posting Tweets about trials and murder weapons is taking it too far.

Although Twitter is only 3-years-old, it is estimated to have between 4 and 5 million users, with 55 million unique visitors per month. As more people sign up for Twitter and see how easy it is to communicate with others, it is likely that the number will increase and the type of instances that people Tweet about will change. We’ve already seen how powerful Twitter has been with real world-breaking news such as the Bombay attacks, the earthquake in China and the Hudson River plane landing. All of these occurrences were first reported by citizens via Twitter. But what makes me wonder is whether people will realize that there are certain times when it’s just not appropriate to Tweet, or if any life event or a passing thought is game for the site. It will be interesting to see how corporations, judges, bloggers and everyday citizens feel about the site going forward.

Obama is ‘open for questions’

Recently, Whitehouse.gov launched an openforquestions page which gives people the opportunity to submit questions to President Barack Obama about the economy. According to the page, people are invited to participate in the community-moderated online town hall. People are asked to submit a question about the economy, vote on submissions from others and include a link to a video. Finally, they are asked to come back on Thursday to watch the President answer some of the most popular submissions live at the site.

Giving people the ability to post questions to the President could bring a lot of interesting topics to the surface. Tracking these questions and then choosing which ones get posted is no easy task. The government has to deal with a slew of issues such as censorship if they delete comments, privacy if they keep track of you, and complicated procurement rules to use any kind of software. Despite these issues, creating this page is definitely a step in the right direction of getting the President involved and listening to people’s concerns.

According to a blog on Wired, the first big issue that arises is whether the site will be swarmed with useless questions. The internet is a great tool for harnessing the wisdom of crowds — and also the "idiocy of trolls." Nicholas Thompson, author of the blog post indicates that the trolls are doing OK in at least one area: flooding the page with questions about legalizing pot — a marginally important debate at most times, and a totally trivial one at a time of global economic catastrophe. As of right now, there are 290 questions that have been submitted that include the word "marijuana." By comparison, there are 90 that use the word "manufacturing" and three that contain the word "broadband."

While negative comments are to be expected, there are many people are that voting on various positive topics. As of right now, 92,517 people have submitted 103,755 questions and cast 3,599,068 votes. An interesting question that is number one in the Jobs Category is "What are your plans to encourage corporations to keep middle-class jobs, such as customer-service call centers and transactional-based support services like accounting and computer program jobs, in the U.S?" Needless to say, it will be interesting to see which questions get chosen and ultimately get answered by the President. The blog raises a few interesting questions about the site: Will Obama cherry-pick questions that lead into policies he has already developed and that he likes discussing? Or will he pick the hardest, most-complicated and most-important questions?

While this site is just the beginning for the Obama administration, it is definitely a step in the right direction based on the networked society that we live in and the desire people have to get involved online. Opening up a free-flowing site where people can submit questions and vote on issues is a risky step. However, this also demonstrates a new way for the president to communicate with the country.

Teach Twitter in Elementary Schools?

Logging on to your computer is a daily ritual for many people. Some programs are easy to learn and some require structured classes and a detailed explanation. However, when it comes to social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter and MySpace, it is easy to just sign up and take a test drive. As I was browsing TechCrunch to catch up on my daily digital news, I came across an article that explains that the British government is proposing that Twitter is to be taught in elementary schools as a part of a wider push to make online communication and social media a permanent part of the UK’s education system.

Details about the proposed curriculum are listed in the The Guardian, the well-known British newspaper and it has caused quite a stir across the globe. The plan is to strip away hundreds of specifications about the scientific, geographical and historical knowledge pupils must accumulate before they are 11 to allow schools greater flexibility in what they teach. It emphasizes traditional areas of learning - including phonics, the chronology of history and mental arithmetic - but includes more modern media and web-based skills as well as a greater focus on environmental education. The proposal would require children to leave primary school familiar with blogging, podcasts, Wikipedia and Twitter as sources of information and forms of communication. They must gain "fluency" in handwriting and keyboard skills, and learn how to use a spellchecker alongside how to spell.

While I do agree that it is essential that children learn how to use computers and various technologies, I don’t think it’s necessary to enforce that Twitter be taught as part of the curriculum. The skills that kids acquire from learning Web technologies can also help them in real world situations and ultimately, be prepared for the working world. But what happens when kids are taught these programs in class and then are on them while class is in session? How many times to professors say “no instant messaging in class?” Soon they will have to say no “tweeting” or “updating your status in class.” British teachers that are instructing these Web-focused classes need to make sure that kids understand the basics but also the rules of etiquette.

Baseball Cards Meet the Web

Everyone has childhood memories that consist of collecting dolls, coins, stamps, posters, stickers, stuffed animals or baseball cards. While some of these hobbies such as collecting baseball cards seem outdated, a new trend has surfaced that allows hobbyists to use the Web to watch players come to life on the cards.

Topps, an international marketer of entertainment products, principally collectible trading cards, confections, sticker collections, and collectible strategy games has teamed up with Total Immersion to launch a new series of 3D cards. Collectors and hobbyists can use their computer and webcam and watch as the players pop up in full 3D for interactive minigames including batting, fielding and pitching drills.

An article in the Daily News gives a brief explanation to get started:
After you've snagged one of the "Topps 3D Live" cards - they come in both Topps 2009 Baseball Series 1 and Topps Attax packs - you log on to ToppsTown.com and select the player on your card. Then, simply hold the card up to a standard WebCam and - voila! - Alex Rodriguez, CC Sabathia, Johan Santana or one of 30 other stars appear to emerge from the card, in 3D, on your computer screen - for a series of simple games playable using your keyboard.

For baseball collectors, Topps 3D Live cards gives new meaning to swapping cards with friends and chewing that stale piece of gum that came with the cards. While most of us have probably thrown out or sold our collections, this example goes to show that there are ways to bring back old hobbies with the help of the Web. It will be interesting to see if this site gets traffic and how old their users are. Today, kids and teenagers might not understand the value and appreciation of collecting cards.

The Power of the Internet

It seems as though everyone is trying to get their 15 minutes of online fame by posting videos on YouTube or by participating on Facebook and Twitter. Kids, teenagers, business professionals, mothers, celebrities and athletes are all using these social platforms. The power of the internet allows anyone with a half-baked idea, a product and a webcam to start their journey to online fame. In the latest example of a social-media world, Lauren Luke, an unknown young single mother from England began selling makeup on eBay and posting pictures of herself wearing the makeup she was trying to sell. She also posted online tutorials on how to make the most of your makeup on YouTube. She has won the hearts of fans all over the world with her use of vibrant color and by recreating celebrities’ coveted makeup looks. Ultimately, her presence on the Web and popularity has made her a global sensation.

While Lauren has never had any formal training as a makeup artist, she has gained a global following as user Panacea81, which is a branded YouTube channel. The videos are short, casual, unedited and entertaining. As her popularity grew and her fan base became more addicted, Anomaly partner Duncan Bird also became interested in the friendly unknown sensation. According to an article in Ad Age, Duncan was impressed that she had 100,000 views on some videos and every time he went back to visit she seemed to have attracted 100,000 more. "There was something about Lauren that struck me as so authentic, so unusual and so interesting," Mr. Bird said.

Since then Mr. Bird has become Lauren’s manager and they’ve created a new cosmetics line, By Lauren Luke which will debut in stores on April 27. The line will launch in North America and Europe with five eye-color kits and will eventually expand. Because Lauren is such a YouTube sensation, Mr. Bird said, By Lauren Luke won’t need a traditional media campaign. "What we're trying to do is make sure that everything we do is true to what Lauren is about," he said. "I'm very passionate that Lauren stays true to her own self-image."

While there are umpteen beauty products in stores and a plethora of beauty consultants, it is still feasible for an unknown person to become a global sensation in the cut throat world of beauty treatments. Getting your message out on social networks and showcasing your talent on YouTube can make you famous and open doors that might not have been opened a few years ago. Who needs Hollywood, the so-called land of where dreams come true when you have a computer and Internet access?

Check out this video to see Lauren Luke in action:

Halftime during a Basketball Game calls for a “Tweet”

Twitter’s popularity is rising among people in all different fields such as celebrities, politicians and athletes. Cyclist Lance Armstrong provides updates on the frequency of his anti-doping tests and posts pictures from his training rides and NBA star Shaquille O’Neal gives away free tickets to fans. The latest craze that has received a lot of attention is the fact that Charlie Villaneuva, NBA basketball player for the Milwaukee Bucks posted a “Tweet” from his mobile phone during halftime of a critical game. He posted “In da locker room, snuck to post my twitt. We're playing the Celtics, tie ball game at da half. Coach wants more toughness. I gotta step up."

According to an article on Foxsports.com, coach Scott Skiles was perturbed when he found out that his top player was on his mobile phone and not focusing on the game. "We made a point to Charlie and the team that it's nothing we ever want to happen again," Skiles said after practice Tuesday. "You know, (we) don't want to blow it out of proportion. But anything that gives the impression that we're not serious and focused at all times is not the correct way we want to go about our business."

But according to Charlie, he didn’t think he did anything wrong and was completely focused on the game. As he noted, he had to “step it up” and he did just that by scoring several points and ultimately, this allowed the team to hold the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. He denied any comments that alluded to the idea of him not being focused on the game.

Although Charlie is one of the best athletes to follow on Twitter because he is consistently active, engaging and amusing, it is unnecessary that the professional NBA basketball player post “tweet” during halftime. Isn’t playing ball and the stress associated with it enough? Die hard fans might disagree and enjoy the behind the scenes and live scoop.

Charlie’s response to all this chatter was “we’re talking about Twitter here. We should be worried about Orlando.” In fact, I have to agree that this all this drama was silly. But I am sure that Charlie has learned his lesson and won’t be posting “tweets” during any games.

CRM to the Rescue

Due to declining readership and revenue, many media companies have been struggling to stay relevant and ultimately, stay in the game. With so many eyeballs gravitating to the Web, many print publications have lost their fan base and have been forced to build engaging websites with fresh content. As a result, Time Warner, Disney and other media companies are experimenting with customer relationship management programs in an effort to retain their relevance. However, traditional media lag behind their online counterparts in collecting customer data.

Media companies are trying to figure out the best strategy to keep their consumers happy. They are also trying to package the content in a way that will provide the most value to their loyal customers. “Newspapers, magazines and media companies in general have to start thinking about what con­tent they reserve and what they don't,” said David Rosen, SVP at San Francisco-based Loyalty Lab, a provider of on-demand customer loyalty technology. “By asking people to sign up for digital con­tent, for example, and to be part of the brand, it creates a deeper sense of engagement. That then becomes a marketing platform as opposed to an advertising plat­form, which is what media com­panies have now.”

Creating a relationship with its best cusomters is a strategy that rings true for Disney, the world renound company that children and even adults adore. According to a recent article in the DM news, Disney has launched a comprehensive membership program called D23 that includes a subscription to a new quarterly publication, offers to attend special events and purchase exclusive merchandise, access to exclusive online content and a membership certificate and card. Additionally, the Disney.com/D23 fan site will feature Disney news, exclusive feature stories, blogs, a collectibles boutique, special event information, and other content. A statement form the company explains that D23 refers to the year 1923, which is when Walt Disney opened his studio in Hollywood. The program is the first official community for Disney fans and a one-year membership costs $74.99 according to a statement from the company.

The driving reason why companies are willing to invest in these loyalty programs is because they want to continue the conversation with their loyal consumers. Ultimately, subscribers have to feel that a relationship with the brand is really worth paying for. Rosen agrees and says, “Here's a case where a media company is taking a lesson from the direct marketing industry. By providing structured value [to its cus­tomers], Disney will ultimately see higher levels of conversion and engagement across the entire franchise.” With this sophisticated communications program and community, Disney is able to understand what their customers are willing to pay for and reward with items that are of interest to them. As the infamous character Donald Duck would say, "Nothin' to it!"

'Smoking Smarties'

Companies are aware that people who are using their brands in unconventional ways will make sure to spread the word via social networking sites and by posting videos on YouTube. The catch is that the end result can be either positive or negative. A positive example would be the buzz that Diet Coke and Mentos received with the infamous experiments. A negative example would be all the press that Smarties is getting due to the latest videos that have been posted on YouTube called “How to Smoke Smarties.”

I had not heard of this new fad, so when I read my Ad Age Daily email and saw the headline “Smoking Smarties Videos Create Blaze of Unwelcome PR”, I was curious to read what was going on. In case you have not seen them yet, here is the video clip:



Apparently, there are many more videos of teenagers giving lessons on how to smoke smarties in the correct way. Although most of the videos are old, this video has sparked interest in a number of people and is number one on Google’s results page when you type in “smarties.” The big hit and the one that comes up most frequently in organic search is filmed by YouTube youngster "baller4life," aka Titus, which was created in December 2007.

While the video is old, the article explains that it is a simple case of exposure. Last week the video was featured on BuzzFeed and then on Monday appeared on CollegeHumor; the popular video-gamer destination G4tv.com's "Attack of the Show"; and the "Late Night With Jimmy Fallon" blog. And so began the rise of Titus' 1 minute, 38 second Smarties-smoking tutorial. I don’t know about you, but it seems outrageous that these people or sites would mention these videos in a positive manner. Are teens and people supposed to think these videos are cool? We’re talking about smoking here, and using a candy to demonstrate that. Seems pretty pathetic.

Luckily, the marketer of Smarties agrees and does not support these videos or viral communications. "It's certainly not endorsed by us. We don't endorse smoking, but we can't control what people do out there," said Eric Ostrow, VP-sales and marketing for Ce De Candy, the owner of the Smarties brand. He said he's been aware of the YouTube videos for more than a year, but Ad Age's query was the second call this week -- and the only one he's ever received regarding the videos.

Since participating in social networking sites and posting videos to YouTube are common activities for everyone including 15 year-olds with access to webcams, companies are going to have to brace themselves for the worst case scenario. That being said, they also need to be paying attention to what is being said on the Web, social networking sites, the trade journals and of course, word of mouth. In the case of Smarties, the brand is being connected to the act of smoking, and the company is distancing itself and denying any connection.

Pete Blackshaw, Executive VP of Nielsen Online Digital Strategic Services said “by Ce De speaking out and saying it doesn't condone the activity, is doing about as much as it can right now. For every time we have a Coke/Mentos, we need to keep in mind the equal opportunity of social media. It can go both positive and negative," he said, adding that one of his concerns for Smarties now is the video showing up at the top of a Google search. "That's where you could start to have a problem with general consumers getting the wrong idea. ... I know we all like a positive story ... but the real story in social media is how brands are challenged and eroded by it."

Although companies wish they could get positive PR from people performing stunts and finding unconventional uses for brands, they must figure out a way to deal with the opposite effect. Unfortunately, this means that every company and brand is fair game. Beth Snyder Bulik, the author of the article, gives advice about what to do if people are messing with your brand online:
1. Don't fight it. Trying to cajole, warn, threaten or even sue someone who is misusing your product or making a joke will only come off as heavy-handed. "Maybe some Neanderthal thinks that they can control this, but the reality is no one can," said Pete Blackshaw, exec VP of Nielsen Online Digital Strategic Services. And antagonistic attitudes will only invite more criticism and mocking.
2. Survey the extent of the problem. Is it a small group of jokers no one will take seriously or a more reputable group? How damaging is what they're saying or doing? That is, are they completing maligning the product and associating it with extremely unsavory behavior? Or is it just goofing around?
3. Turn to your social-media crisis plan. And if you don't have one yet, develop one.
4. Be open with employees. They use social media too and likely already know about it. But make sure to discuss what's happening and give them the information you want conveyed (for instance, what to say if a friend asks at a party, "Hey, what's up with all these kids smoking Smarties?").
5. Respond accordingly. At the very least, have a prepared statement for any media calls. Make sure it is available to all senior executives who may be queried. And make sure to respond as quickly and as transparently as possible to any direct questions from your customers.

Addicted to Twitter

As I mentioned in a previous post, posting your every thought on the popular networking site can get you in trouble. But some people have admitted that they are addicted to the site and can’t stop Twittering.

According to an Adweek poll, Twittering is increasingly part of mainstream culture. In fact, some ad world CEOs have joined in on the fun such as JWT's Bob Jeffrey, AKQA's Tom Bedecarre, EVB's Daniel Stein, Deep Focus' Ian Schafer and Big Spaceship's Michael Lebowitz. These top CEOs have taken the opportunity to promote themselves and their agencies. Additionally, they’ve admitted that they find Twittering just plain fun. "I can lose myself in it," said Lebowitz, whose "bigspaceship" account has nearly 3,000 followers.

It seems as though people need to filter and re-read their Tweets before posting them. Tweets and status updates can spread beyond your inner circle of friends and family to competitors and frenemies. According to the article, Ketchum director James Andrews also threw caution to the wind when, in January, upon landing in client FedEx's home city of Memphis, Tenn., he Tweeted, "True confession, but I'm in one of those towns where I scratch my head and say, 'I would die if I had to live here.'" FedEx, needless to say, was not amused. (Relations between the two are now fine.)

Not only do people need to filter their Tweets, they need to be as transparent as possible and sensitive to the fact that current and potential clients are out there reading and listening. No client would feel comfortable if their agency of record or account team were Twittering about client-sensitive information.

I agree with Marian Salzman, CMO for Porter Novelli, when she says, "It's public communications, so you're still very aware.” She described herself as ‘obsessed’ with Twitter. "[CEOs] just have to realize that [Tweetering] is very different than talking to a close inner circle."

Although Twitter is a less formal medium of communication in the business world, readers are still disgesting CEOs comments and forming their own intepretations of the Tweets. CEOs and management need to be aware of this and understand how these messages are portraying their businesses.

The Digital Landscape in Italy

If you have ever visited Italy, it is likely you will agree that people are more relaxed and not connected to the digital world and their mobile devices 24/7/365. Italians break for siesta, visit cafés for Internet access and stop for a shot of espresso on their way home from work. As such, it is quite different from the fast-paced, multitasking American way of life, which consists of eating lunch at your desk, emailing and talking on the phone at the same time and working until the wee hours of the night. But who is complaining?

Studying abroad my junior year of college in Florence, Italy gave me a taste of living in a city that was serene. I remember feeling out of place and strange when stores, banks and the post office would close for siesta. But after a few weeks, I was completely adjusted and got used to taking it slow. Coming back to the United States was a different story.

My journey to Italy began in 2001, which seems like ages ago. Since then, a lot has changed especially in the digital realm. While I was there, it was a daily chore to go to the local Internet Café to send email to friends and family back in America. Needless to say, all we did was email and leave to tour the beautiful city. Visiting websites such as MySpace, Facebook and Twitter were not daily routes and unheard of at the time.

Although I miss Italy very much and promised myself and my fiancé that we would go back, I have often wondered what has changed in terms of their technology and acceptance of social networking. That being said, when I came across Kara Swisher’s blog entry on All Things Digital I was engaged with the story, especially since she discussed the digital trends and the popular conference “Tutto Cambio, Cambiano Tutto?” That roughly translates into “Everything changes, but should everything change?”

Kara indicated that Internet penetration is much lower in Italy then elsewhere in Europe and television still dominates most media. She attended the conference in Italy and said the following: “’We’re 2,000 years old’ is something you hear a lot from people as an explanation for approaching everything, from social networking to iPhones to anything interactive, with some wariness. While most people here note that they like Facebook, pronounced ‘FAY-sa BOO-ka,’ hardly anyone sees the point of Web 2.0’s trend du jour, Twitter (‘TWEE-tur’).” While few people have heard it, those that have don’t use it.

What surprises me the most is how fast Americans have embraced these websites and social applications and have made them part of their daily lives, while Italians are moving at a leisurely pace. Even though I mentioned earlier that the Italian lifestyle is much slower, it seems like they would want to at least keep up with popular social networking sites, especially when other countries in Europe have adopted them. I am always amused when I hear that Italian designers define the fashion trends and style guides for the fall and spring seaons, but when it comes to other aspects they lag far behind.

For more information, check out Kara’s interview with several Italians at the conference:

Think twice when you use your cellphone. Advertisers are vying for your information.

We all know that advertisers will do just about anything to stick their ad in your face. Tracking consumers on the Web has been an effective medium that allows advertisers to target ads based on collected information. However, if you think the pop up ads on your computer screen are annoying, brace yourself for what is coming down the pike. Cellphones are going to be the device that gives advertisers your interests, habits and location. Since cellphones are used for a variety of activities such as playing games, downloading applications, sending instant messages, browsing the Web and emailing, it has become the latest and potentially extensive way for advertisers to aim ads at consumers.

According to The New York Times, there was a story about the power advertisers are finding in using GPS as well as other details about user profiles, pulled from “smartphones” like the iPhone and Blackberry, to send highly targeted messages to customers— as granular as sending a coupon for an NYC restaurant when the phone sends up a GPS signal about a user’s location on Broadway and 42nd. The story notes that advertisers are willing to pay a steep price when they know they’re hitting just the right consumers.

The capability for collecting information has alarmed privacy advocates. “It’s potentially a portable, personal spy,” said Jeff Chester, the executive director of the Center for Digital Democracy, who will appear before Federal Trade Commission staff members this month to brief them on privacy and mobile marketing. He is particularly concerned about data breaches, advertisers’ access to sensitive health or financial information, and a lack of transparency about how advertisers are collecting data. “Users are going to be inclined to say, sure, what’s harmful about a click, not realizing that they’ve consented to give up their information.”

While a mobile device holds a great potential for advertising, I have to admit that this is taking it a little too far. The thought of advertisers knowing every move that I make and then reaching me on my mobile phone is extremely intrusive and unnecessary. I truly hope that consumers fight back on this one. Since it’s common today for consumers to cause a ruckus when they are not satisfied, I can only hope that the troops rally on this one. However, this seems like wishful thinking on my part.

Social Media and the Workplace

It has become the norm today for people of all ages to participate in social networking. I’ve become accustomed to reading status updates on Facebook and each time I wonder why certain people feel the need to tell everyone that they are tired, hungry, thirsty or ready to party. As a member of Facebook, I can honestly say that I’ve only added one status update and that was to tell my family and friends that I had the best weekend ever—I got engaged to my boyfriend of five years. I thought that special moment deserved a mention. It was the one stop shop for everyone to find out, including my coworkers.

Posting friendly messages to these social networks is harmless and sometimes comical. But what happens when someone posts status updates to Facebook or “tweets” about client meetings and goals? Heather Rast, an avid member of the social networking space describes her real-life story of how social media involvement affected her corporate career. As a follower of Joe Pulizzi’s blog Junta42Match, I came across his interview with her and was shocked. Since social networking is a hot topic these days, I felt this interview was worth blogging about and passing along to friends. Additionally, I learned a few things and have made a mental note for any future use of social networks. You might want to do the same.

According to the interview, Heather explains that the company she was working for didn’t have a social media policy. She says,”Because of my level of responsibility, I thought it within my purview to choose methods for generating interest among outside parties about what my team did, and what we had to offer. I used Twitter to share ideas like ‘Just had a great client meeting. I think they’re understanding what a SEM campaign can do for their short-term search goals.” However she also stated that she never mentioned a client by name and never detailed any client project.

Apparently, people at the company didn’t agree with her approach and decided to selectively cull certain Tweets and Facebook status updates and presented them to executive management. They claimed that she was sharing confidential client information and using poor judgment.

While Heather is no longer with the company that questioned her social networking activities, she is proud to say it was worth the fight and she would do it all over again. She now works for a company that has full disclosure of her blogging and Twittering and they support her writing and sharing with others openly.

At the end of the interview Heather give some lessons that will stay with her forever:

Heather’s Lessons Learned:

• “Be very intentional about what I write anywhere. Have awareness about if the first and the fourth (example) sentences were stripped away, could my idea be misinterpreted, or used against me?”
• “Have a healthy respect for dissenters. Threatened people will resort to surprising behaviors. Take actions to preempt their plans by being as transparent as possible.”
• “You are replaceable, and your achievements are only as noteworthy as your weaknesses are few. Bad things can happen to good people.”
• “Isolate what is really important to your career/professional happiness. Then make sure you’re working at a place that truly allows you do those things. Life’s too short to just work somewhere; find that career that offers fulfillment.”

Check out Joe’s blog for the full detailed interview.

Many companies do have workers that participate in the social networking space for the good of the company, but the important point is that they’ve also made an effort to have guidelines in place. IBM and Edelman are some of the companies that have such policies. People have to be aware of what their own company guidelines are and think twice before they publish information for the world to read in the social networking space.