9 Out Of 10 Forays Into The Virtual World End In Failure. Lack Of Clear Objectives To Blame.
May 20, 2008
I finished writing my Age of Conversation chapter last week. (I confess it took me rather longer than I expected!) I chose to write my 400 word contribution on “Conversation To Action”. While I will obey Drew’s edict to keep the full text under wraps, I can reveal - and this is a world exclusive (just kidding) - that I focused my article on the issue of “What Does Success Look Like?”
I am fairly bored with people in the press making broad statements about “all” money spent on [insert social media tactic here] being a “waste”, and confess I sometimes feel the same way about some people in the blogosphere proclaiming that “all” money spent on :30 TV spots to be a waste.
Its a truism to say that the traditional TV-centric approach to marketing is immensely wasteful (I have been saying that for years), but: it all depends what you are trying to achieve. That’s why this article, and particularly this paragraph, in the Kipp Report caught my eye :
“Nine out of ten business forays into the virtual world fail within 18 months, says new research by Gartner. It says the majority fail because they focused on the technology rather than user needs, or the projects were greenlighted because they were ‘cool’ - or because competitors were doing it - not business vital. A lack of clear objectives and a limited understanding of the demographics, attitudes and expectations of virtual-world communities didn’t help.
Ah yes, “a lack of clear objectives”. When your client asks “Why?”, it isn’t (just) enough to say “Why Not?” ! I think the above is a pretty good exegesis, and the barren deserted Second Life sims of Coca Cola, Ben & Jerry’s, Splenda, Nissan and NBC bear witness!
A Bit On Twitter
May 18, 2008
Well, I am not quite decided where Twitter sits on the “Rogers Curve”, but I thought I would draw attention to two posts I read recently … both on how to get more Twitter Followers … one from Dosh Dosh and one from ProBlogger.
And while we’re at it here’s an example of how Twitter actually did something … Grad student James Buck was in Egypt covering some anti-government protests. He and his interpreter were nabbed by the authorities and tossed in jail. With a one word tweet (”arrested”) his network started taking action to get him out…
And what of Twitter for Marketers? Here, I’ll let Matt Dickman tell you.
Brand Tags
May 16, 2008
I have been a tad busy this week with travel and work, but wanted to write quickly about Noah Brier’s new project called Brand Tags. The ideas is simple: the site presents users with a logo of a company and asks them to type in the first term that comes to mind. This then generates a tag cloud (where terms with more entries appear larger in size) to show all of the results for each company.
I have heard a brand defined (inter alia) as “a corner of space in the minds of brand consumers” or an “inventory of emotions” surrounding a brand name. Its fascinating to see - in the context in some cases of huge marketing budgets directed to affecting consumer perceptions - which adjectives punch through. Take brands like Budweiser (King, Beer, Piss), Nike (Sports, Sweatshop, Swoosh), Twitter (Annoying, Chat, Fun, Pointless) and Wholefoods (Expensive, Organic, Paycheck).
Within a few days, the site has received over 160,000 suggestions, and now Noah has also launched Celebtags.
Digital Agencies … Who’s The Top?
May 11, 2008
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The goal of the Digital Agency Report cards is to present a balanced picture of the field. AdWeek chose 10 agencies for report cards, based on their size, creativity and market presence.
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Ad Age has rakned digital agencies by revenue. Digitas and Razorfish occupy the top spots …
MoMa Japan, Generation V, iPhone + Phone
May 10, 2008
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MoMA Design Store recently launched Destination Japan, an exclusive product collection of housewares, accessories and design objects usually available only Japan.
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Generation V is not defined by age, gender, social demographic or geography, but by … achievement, [merit] and a … preference toward …. digital media … to discover information, build knowledge and share insights.”
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Apple’s iPhone on the whole lives up to the hype: users tend to be satisfied with their new gadget - it’s even displacing laptops. Many, though, also carry a second phone.
Splenda v Second Life
May 8, 2008
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Not every real life business that comes into Second Life sees the value of their inworld initiatives or understands how to interact with residents to build a brand or lasting presence. SPLENDA is one such. You can visit the empty, cartoony-looking sim here. Traffic to the sim is reported as 23.
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While marketers may not be spending huge marketing dollars on social media yet, they know they should be using it to reach consumers.
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People have used dark-lined writing paper since medieval times using bleach to make white background. Whitelines makes carbon-neutral writing paper: white lines against a light grey background.
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JetSuite’s ownership program is designed to let customers enjoy the luxury and convenience of owning a private jet without the prohibitive costs, liability, regulatory risks and operational hassles.
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To offer a service, not an ad is the logic behind Citiesbyfoot.com, a new travel-guide website devised by entertainment and marketing agency Red Robot for its client, footwear maker Crocs.
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Visits to 57 of the leading social-networking websites were down 16% y-o-y from April 2007. MySpace.com led in traffic, receiving 73.82% of the market share of US visits in April.
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Media and entertainment companies are in broad agreement on the way the digital market is evolving - but execution remains an issue, according to an Accenture survey.
Eco Trends, AKQA Film
May 6, 2008
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Trendwatching have coined the terma ECO-ICONIC ECO-EMBEDDED and ECO-BOOSTERS. As always … some good insights for businesses and brands today.
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AKQA Film will work on client and independent projects such as feature-length films, branded content, programming and entertainment content.
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US visits to Coldplay.com increased 1,800% since their new single, Violet Hill, was released free online. On the day the single released the website ranked as visited website in the Bands and Artists category.
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Discussions between heads of Microsoft and Yahoo on Saturday concluded with the two companies deciding they don’t mesh well after all. Steve Ballmer has formally withdrawn his bid.
P&G Music, Global Social Media
May 3, 2008
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In an interesting twist on brand-music partnerships, Jermaine Dupri has partnered with the Procter & Gamble-owned Tag Body Spray to form TAG records,
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Greg Verdino points to a great slide set from the gang at Universal McCann, presenting the findings of their Wave 3 social media study.
