Have Media Will Travel » Marketing

Advertising People: Read This Mashable Article

Shelli — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 21:07:39 +0000

I read so many articles, it’s a miracle I retain anything. There is just so much change going on when it comes to marketing, mostly due to social media, and I am trying my best to stay informed, which means I’m reading a ton.

My first go-to source for all things social media is Mashable. Four days ago, it brought us this article, How Social Media Has Radically Altered Advertising, by Hank Wasiak.

It is just so spot on, I have to write a post directing you to it.

There’s immediate credibility to the article given it’s written by Wasiak, a 67-year-old advertising veteran (whose career in advertising started right in the middle of the actual Mad Men era), is a partner at The Concept Farm, the author of the best-selling Asset-Based Thinking book series, a 3-time Emmy award-winning TV host, a keynote speaker and professor at USC’s Graduate School of Business.

The article is timely and relevant given the changing landscape we’re trying our best to navigate as marketing professionals and business managers. In addition to many valuable insights, he shares quotes and concepts from industry thought leaders that include most of my favorites: Jeff Pulver, Brian Solis, John Jantsch, Jim Farley,Seth Godin and Chris Brogan.

One of the most noticeable gems in the article is a quote he shares from Jeff Pulver: “The social media revolution is less about “we the people” and more about “me the people.”

Another good one: Bob MacDonald, CEO of Procter & Gamble, sums up just how far a “me the people” movement can go: “What I would like to have is a one-on-one relationship with seven billion people in the world and be able to customize offerings for those seven billion people. Digital allows that relationship.”

It also includes the interesting graphic referred to as the “conversation prism“, provided by Brian Solis.

(Thanks, Hank, and Mashable, for this insightful article.)

What Matters Now is Awesome

Shelli — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 00:10:48 +0000

What Matters Now is a brilliant compilation of thoughts and ideas from more than 70 big thinkers and visionaries. I’ve read only the first few and I’m telling you, the e-book is awesome.

Genius, thought leader and author Seth Godin created the e-book.

“Now, more than ever, we need a different way of thinking, a useful way to focus and the energy to turn the game around,” writes Godin in the blog post where he introduced and made available this fabulous ebook, which was a project that took him months to complete.

What you get are 80 pages of wisdom, presented in compelling, unique and useful ways. Download it here.

Among the thought leaders who participated and share their insights are Seth Godin, Guy Kawasaki, Tim O’Reilly, Gary Vaynerchuk, Tom Peters, Dan Pink, Chris Anderson, Kevin Kelly, Jason Fried, Elizabeth Gilbert, Steve Pressfield, and more.

Don’t waste another moment. This is truly a GIFT. I’m going to start reading it right now and will not put it down until I’ve read all of its pages. It’s not very often we get, for free or otherwise, such a compilation of wisdom and first-hand insights from such a significant, brilliant collection of thought leaders.

What Matters Now comes at a perfect time, near the end of 2009. It will inspire our hearts and stimulate our minds as we enter a new year.

I’d love to hear what some of your favorites are in the e-book.

What Matters Now Contributors Cloud image from SethGodin.com

Trump Tower: Good Start, Bad Ending

Shelli — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 12:47:26 +0000

NOTE: This may look like a rant, smell like a rant and seem like a rant. But it’s not a rant. But it could be… and that’s the point of this post.

Our family went on a 2,200-mile road trip adventure over our Spring Break last April that involved camping and touring 6 states in 7 days. (See posts here: Spring Break 1, Spring Break Post 2, Spring Break Post 3, Spring Break Post 4, Spring Break Post 5, Spring Break Post 6, Spring Break Post 7, Spring Break Post 8, and Spring Break Post 9.

Our three young sons: Dirty, riled up & tired from "roughing it" for 6 days.

We “roughed it,” camping along the way. Las Vegas was our last stop before returning back to Lander, WY. It would be the first real civilization since our trip started. We thought we’d treat the boys to the opposite extreme. So before our trip started, we splurged. On Priceline, we were able to get a night at the 5-star, 1-year-old Trump Tower in Vegas for $90.

Our three boys in front of Trump Tower... OR... Our country bumpkin sons have arrived.

Arriving with 6 days worth of red dirt and grime on our bodies and in our orifices, Trump Tower was exactly what the doctor ordered. And well deserved, I might add. We had hiked hard and the boys never complained. We were in need of some special treatment, a hot shower, good meal and a swimming pool.

It was exquisite. Robes for the entire family, and a huge outdoor swimming pool. The boys were in heaven and we felt we had arrived.

Hayden and Wolfie posing in front of some famous person's ride. (Every time they saw a stretch they were certain it was Miley Cyrus or Zac Efron!)

The stay was a perfect end to a perfect Spring Break family adventure.

Until, that is, we went to check out. There was a single person attending to all checkouts and there were about 25 people in line waiting to check out. We stood in line for 35 minutes.

The boys, who had watched The Apprentice with us a couple of years earlier, remarked “When Donald Trump finds out about this, that person at the counter will be so fired.”

We were angry, though. I wanted my 35 minutes back. That was 35 minutes of sightseeing we couldn’t get back and 35 minutes of road that remained in front of us instead of behind us.

We left, disgruntled. Which is a shame given the stay was absolutely wonderful.

About halfway back home, I was checking email on my Blackberry Storm and there was one with the subject line: “The Donald Thanks You for Staying at Trump Tower.” I showed the boys. Although I knew this was just good marketing, they thought it was awesome and special that The Donald would personally send a note to us.

Of course I know it as email marketing, but it's the fact our boys thought Donald Trump really wrote us a personal note within hours of checking out of Trump Tower that makes it great.

As a result of the aforementioned, I decided to give the Trump Tower a pass. But most wouldn’t. We had a perfect stay and then had to go through the painful activity of waiting in a long line for 35 minutes. Given today’s technology and the fact it was a 5-star luxury resort, no one should have to wait in line for 35 minutes to check out of a hotel.

In today’s social media landscape, many customers would rant about it on TripAdvisor and Yelp, their blogs and Twitter, etc. (Again, donâ€™t view this as a rant as much as an example of something that started out great but ended poorly. I will not be posting a negative review to TripAdvisor, Yelp, etc.)

The moral of the story is respect people’s time and apologize if you’re going to waste it. As we waiting in that long line, sitting on our suitcases, a simple apology by someone would have gone a long ways. Not an apology once we arrived at the counter, after 35 minutes, but during the long wait. A simple “I’m so sorry about the inconvenience and the long line” would have probably resolved my frustration a great deal. And it wouldnâ€™t have cost the business or staff anything to do that.

Bank of America commercial followed by Imodium ad

Shelli — Sun, 24 May 2009 16:30:50 +0000

So… I was on the elliptical trainer at the gym this morning. I was watching CNN as I stepped and stepped.

There was a commercial for Bank of America (slogan: Bank of Opportunity). BTW, probably they should add a “?” at the end of the slogan for the time being.

Anyhow, immediately following the BOA ad, was an ad for Imodium to help with diarrhea. And then immediately following the Imodium commercial was an Aleve commercial, to help with pain and discomfort.

The guy on the elliptical trainer next to me (friend Scott Yates) and I both laughed at the sequence and relevance of the commercial/advertising grouping.

While I can (happily) report I’m not the target market for either Imodium or Aleve, I did find it funny that the BOA, Imodium and Aleve ads all ran in sequence, as if the three products are related in some way.

Marketers: A little care goes a long way

Shelli — Thu, 14 May 2009 12:07:42 +0000

I’m convinced that the solution to most marketers’, and businesses’, problems lies in hiring people who care.

I love the company, Life is Good. Not only because of their great story, fantastic products and their name, but also because of their slogan, which is something to the effect of: “Do what you love. Love what you do.”

That says it all. “Passion-centric” is the buzzword we are hearing that describes people who are brought together by a common passion.

If we have passionate people on our teams, who truly care about what we’re promoting and offering, then they serve as the best ambassadors we could hope for. They reflect the best aspects of our business.

One great example I have of this involves a hotel in Salt Lake City.

About a year ago, our middle son, Hayden, had to get a lump removed from his neck. It was his third such surgery and every time the lump came back it consumed us with worry. What if it’s cancer? How we hated to see our 6-year-old go through another surgery.

Hayden, a year after his successful third surgery. (If you look closely you can see he has an incision across the front of his neck)

The Children’s Hospital in Salt Lake City is phenomenal, and at 5 hours from where we live in Lander, WY, it was the best option.

We booked a stay at the Shilo Inn, in downtown Salt Lake. Upon booking the reservation, the attendant on the phone asked me what brought us to Salt Lake. I told her the brief story about our 6-year-old having surgery scheduled to remove a lump from his neck at the nearby Children’s Hospital.

We booked a room and a week later, arrived.

During check-in, the attendant remembered us and said she was praying for us and wishing us a great stay. She’d be thinking of our son, and of us, she said, as we checked in.

When we got to our room, there was a gift basket, complete with a card for Hayden, and beach balls for all three of our sons for the swimming pool.

To say that touched us during what would be a truly worrisome stay is an understatement. It moved us… and had the effect to make our sons happy and to take Hayden’s mind off the surgery.

Following the surgery, we returned to our room. Rachel Bremer, the marketing/sales person, sought us out and asked us how Hayden’s surgery came out.

The concern was genuine. Way more than I would have expected from a simple hotel reservation and hotel stay.

And I’ll tell you what, the Shilo Inn could have a train track right outside it and we’d always stay there when we visit Salt Lake City.

The care and concern showed for us during our stay spoke volumes and will never be forgotten. They won us over. Their people won us over.

(BTW, Hayden’s operation that time was a success; the lump was not cancerous. So far so good â€“ it has not returned.)

Take a Deep Breath.

Shelli — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 12:00:14 +0000

I LOVE Skype.

I love it for the same reasons everyone else does.

For free, I can call friends and family and colleagues, regardless of their location. Even if I’m talking to someone in Germany, the quality is so good it’s as if we’re at the same table having our chat. If you have iSight or some other web cam connected it’s even more optimal and real.

But most of the all, the reason I love Skype is because I love their slogan:
Take a Deep Breath.

Don't mind if I do.

In fact, sometimes I shut down the application and restart it only so I can see that message again.

Go ahead. Laugh. I’m lol at the thought of it myself. But seeing this little reminder from Skype when the application loads â€“ to Take a Deep Breath â€“ helps me every time.

So, although the slogan doesn’t seem very relevant to an online calling/communication platform, it gets an A from me because it helps me and it makes me feel better.

And that is quite an amazing marketing feat.

Susan Boyle on YouTube

Shelli — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 01:11:07 +0000

I got goosebumps and ‘happy tears’ when I watched the YouTube clip that’s gone viral of Susan Boyle’s performance on Britain’s Got Talent.

But I take issue with the moral of the story that has been attached to the great viral video of her performance â€“ that is to say, “Don’t judge a book by the cover.”

What’s wrong with the cover? Susan Boyle looks like a happy, jovial, wonderfully warm and loving Grandma-type. (BTW, what is a great singer supposed to look like?) I just makes me a little sad when people say to/about her: “Wow, you’re a phenomenal singer even if you’re not much to look at.”

That said, what a fascinating voice and performance. It gives me inspiration and goosebumps every time I watch it and listen to Susan Boyle sing with such passion.

An Unsolicited Phone Call Can Be Perfect

Shelli — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 13:44:31 +0000

Seth Godin posted “Poisoning the Well” on his blog Friday morning, April 3.

And as usual, with his wisdom, Godin pretty much nailed it. Godin’s Permission Marketing remains one of my favorite business books, and was a pivotal one in our destination travel business.

Or I thought he had nailed it until later that day.

This is NOT an image of my To Do List, which was much longer.:<

You see, my mother-in-law has a birthday coming up on April 9. Since we are leaving town for a spring break trip and would be in some remote place on April 9 where there are no phones or cell reception, getting a gift ordered for her birthday had been on my “to do” list for over a week. By Friday afternoon there it was, still nagging at me and yet to be checked off the list. I still needed to order Theresa a lily bouquet to be delivered on April 9.

Right after a quick bite for lunch at home, my phone rang. I didn’t recognize the number, so I ignored the call and let the answering machine do its job.

A friendly lady’s voice came over the machine.
Hi there. This is Janet from Gift Tree. I’m really sorry to call you. I know this is an unsolicited call. But I was looking at our records from this time last year and saw that you ordered Theresa Johnson a gift basket for her birthday. Is there anything we can do to help with her birthday this year?

As I heard this, I swiftly picked up the phone.

Why, yes, you certainly can help, I exclaimed. And before I knew it (in fewer than a couple of minutes), I had ordered a beautiful lily bouquet with gift card to be delivered on the morning of my mother-in-law’s birthday.

Whew. Now I don’t know how all the stars aligned just perfectly to make the above happen and be a good thing, but it was exactly perfect. Something important had the effect of checking itself off my list, almost with no effort, and all thanks to the great customer service and tact provided by a company eager for business and eager to please. A rare thing in today’s world.

Sure, timing had a lot to do with it. Talk about Gift Tree getting lucky and hitting me right at the time I had a need for them. But also, I think much of it had to do with the fact that Janet’s message started out with a sincere “I’m really sorry to call you.” It is nice when others show respect for your time.

For the record, we are among those who get the unwelcome unsolicited calls that come on a Friday or Saturday evening when our family is snuggled down for a great movie night or board game. Nothing is more inappropriate or annoying, or goes further to make us not want to do business with the company from which these callers are calling.

But for now: Gift Tree, I thank you. You reached out, and with tact, you helped make my life easier.

I’m a Media Multitasker

Shelli — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 20:27:46 +0000

I love to travel and I travel with lots of gadgets to capture it all in one form of media or another. And hence, the name of this blog… (Those closest to me probably realize that one of my shortfalls is that I tend to focus so much on capturing the moment that I likely miss out on fully enjoying the experience at hand. I’m working on this. But I digress…)

I love technology in general, and in particular, gadgets. Especially if they can somehow improve my life, make me more efficient, and help me capture my most unique and memorable moments.

I just returned from a hiking trip with a girlfriend to Zion National Park.
With me I took the following gadgets, each serving a very important and distinct purpose:

â€¢ Blackberry Storm
â€¢ iPod + noise-canceling headphones
â€¢ Nikon Coolpix600
â€¢ FlipVideo
â€¢ Macbook Pro Laptop
â€¢ Amazon Kindle
â€¢ Portable GPS
â€¢ Nike-Plus wristband

Once I boarded my flight in Riverton, WY, I used my blackberry to send a quick text to my husband, Jerry, letting him know I was boarded and on schedule. I then settled in for the 1-hour flight by watching a Jon Stewart Daily Show episode on my iTouch with my noise-cancelling headphones.

Kathy, from Omaha, and I linked up for the trip by flying into Las Vegas. From there we used my portable Tom-Tom to get us headed in the right direction and to our hotel near Zion National Park.

I had ordered and preloaded my Kindle with several hiking and guidebooks for the region so I only had to carry with us my (10 ounce) Kindle, vs. towing a trailer along to haul a bunch of heavy guidebooks.

I could quickly upload geotagged photos to my Facebook page, and also to Flickr from my phone while at the top of Zion National Park’s famous Angel’s Landing. I could also text my husband and sons a short video clip of the scary, exposed hike. I used my FlipVideo to capture short clips along the way to post on YouTube.

Awesome.

During the adventure Nikon Coolpix 6000 camera was logging GPS coordinates and seamlessly attaching them to all my images.

When I returned to the hotel room, I was able to upload my photos and video to my laptop. Thanks to iLife 09, the photo app I use (iPhoto) immediately assigned my photos in “Places” placing them on a map according to their gps coordinates. Next, it sorted my photos according to “Faces.” Since it was just Kathy and myself on this particular adventure, I chose one photo with both of us in and quickly assigned our names to our faces. From there iPhoto could sort all Kathy photos for me as well as all Shelli photos.

I was also able to log our miles for the day via my NikePlus.

Things were all going so slick and efficiently that I was downright giddy.

But then it came time to re-charge all of the gadgets for the next day’s adventures.

Which meant I had to untangle (at least) 7 separate power/charging cords and then figure out which one went with which device. Suffice it to say that this normally-cheerful (but unfortunately impatient) person had become a very frustrated and grumpy person. I bet it took me a (wasted) 30 minutes to get it all figured out, and when I did there weren’t enough available power outlets to plug them all in simultaneously so I had to charge them in sets. (Note to self: next time pack a power strip)

Not Awesome.

What I think would be the most valuable accessory for me, and other media folks, and technology junkies would be one charger cord that works for all of the above devices.

Please, I would pay lots of money for a simple, streamlined solution. BTW, thank you very much FlipVideo for simply using AA batteries, and offering a no-cord solution. Other gadgets would be wise to follow!