“Traditional banner units are dead, long live traditional banner units.”

In the social media space this thinking has manifested itself into the pursuit of new ad units that “interact with users” and are “socially desirable”…there are numerous smart companies that are hard charging at this, most refer to themselves as widget companies…and someday some of them will emerge as viable marketing platforms. The road for those companies will be hard, and the prizes may be elusive.

All these “new unit” types by and large require a “Passion Brand.” A passion brand is one that a consumer is in love with, wants to be associated with, and in essence will wrap their personal reputation around. By and large there are very few passion brands that people want to be friends with, and for those selective few brands…this approach may be icing on the cake…but the heavy lifting, the creation of the brand, and it’s appeal…happens in a more banal format…the plain old often accessible, but mostly overlooked…standard media unit (:30 second spot on TV, Radio spot, Newspaper Ad, Billboard, and yes the Web Banner Ad)

When I was a younger person, a traditional :30 second ad (see below) totally convinced me that elves bake cookies in with magic fudge in a tree… – try doing that with a text link! (please don’t dispel the magic cookie elves myth for me, it is my own perverse “brand” reality, where elves make cookies, a green giant picks vegetables, and an old guy gets up early, muttering to himself “it’s time to make the donuts”)

These are the battleground formats, where brands can communicate with their prospective customers about new products, features, goods and services. Where the brands can use imagery and copy to create a look and feel for the product…all the while hopefully building themselves into a passion brand that someone would want to be friends with. That being said, I strongly question the sanity of a person who wants to be friends with a laundry detergent or a bar of soap.

Tactics that employ new channels should merely feed the core strategic foundations of marketing–foundations that are tried and true:

• Value Proposition
• Surprise and Delight
• Positive Experience

The third foundation that I have listed is something that is near and dear to my heart. I have been a champion of the notion that media planners are, in essence, experience planners (or at least this is what they should strive to be). I believe that the ability to create positive, holistic brand experiences is one of the most compelling benefits that new media vehicles have provided for marketers:

Social Media has provided brand marketers with news ways to listen and interact with consumers, creating the potential for an overall better consumer experience. Mobile Marketing has provided brands with the ability to extend their reach to wherever a consumer is, providing a consistent experience from store to online to in hand. Search Marketing has enhanced the experience of shopping, providing consumers with alternatives at each step of the buying process.

I recently provided insight for an article that Matt Kapko wrote for iMediaconnection on Digital In-Store Technology. I was able to get on the phone with Matt and a few of the technology providers mentioned in his article, and I have to say that the space is quite compelling. What I find most intriguing about the digital in-store space is that it is yet another way that brands can take advantage of technology in order to create a holistic experience for consumers. Do I think digital in-store is strategic in a standalone capacity; no. Does it have the ability to bring integrated marketing strategies to the next level; definitely!

We are at a time when all of us should be looking at how to use the platforms that have surfaced over the last ten years, as opposed to fixating on the platforms themselves. This notion has been forced upon us (to some degree) by the current economic climate, but in the end I feel that the interactive industry needed another period of self reflection and correction. If we are able to get back to the core strategic fundamentals that make for great marketing, while leveraging new channels when they make the most sense, we will come out of the current economic state as better marketers.

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I recently went to an amazing event thrown by the Sigma Group–where I led a table discussion on social media and the topic of recession was unavoidable. The Keynote of this event was given by the great Geoff Ramsey. I was live tweeting while he was presenting and many of you asked for the presentation.

Thanks to Jenn Kim–here it is!

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The above is the title I would have given my latest article over at iMedia–alas, they know best what brings in the traffic, and I love them for it

I bring up a number of topics that I plan on expanding upon on this blog. All of the marketing mistakes that I spell out are part of larger issues that I think about on an ongoing basis. I would love to hear which topics are most pressing for readers of this blog. I would be happy to do a deeper dive into any of these topics:

• Twitter is not a one-way megaphone, so don’t treat it like one
• Create buzz, but don’t let the bee get away
• Existing sites cannot be “SEOed.” Stop trying
• Feel free to stay at home in your walled garden — just don’t be surprised when no one shows up for the tea party
• Social media is a commitment, not a campaign
• When did things referred to as “viral” become a good thing?

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Image via Wikipedia

Starbucks is not new to the social media space. They have done some very interesting, yet questionably successful initiatives–mystarbucksidea.com being the most notable.

I got a message today that Starbucks was following me on Twitter. I had heard about their presence, but had not really taken a look into it. I felt that this would be as good a time as any to dig deeper.

On first glance it appears that Starbucks is doing everything by the book:

• Transparent
• Non-Corporate Voice (vernacular)

@evanhecht Hey … Sorry, I had a bunch of stuff to do today. I wish I could spend ALL my time here with you, that’d be way more fun

Attention all voters! Come in on Tuesday after you vote, get a Free cup of drip Coffee. http://tinyurl.com/joethere

My finger hurts. 1200 new Followers in the past 3 days. I just got through following the new Twitter-ers. Welcome! 1:24 PM Nov 6th from web

Overall I would say that Starbucks is doing a pretty good job. Starbucks also used Twitter as a way to communicate a promotion they were working on:

Starbucks on Twitter

Some may have taken issue with a brand using Twitter as a promotional vehicle. I say, as long as they are upfront and are adding value, it is perfectly fine.

I would love to hear others stories about Starbucks on Twitter; as they have been around for a little while already.

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For those of you that were reading this blog when I posted more frequently and more personal things, thanks for staying with me (I am assuming you are staying with me, as you are reading this post). Things at crayon have been going really well. It is a pleasure working with such great minds. I have been very busy with work lately, but have managed to get in some speaking and writing as well. I began writing for Minonline after a fortuitous run in with the illustrious Amy Novak. I also continue to write and blog for iMedia (who continues to serve as my media family).

Last week I spoke on a really cool panel about digital innovation at a 212 event. For those of you that made it, thanks so much! Today I will be speaking at the New Marketing Summit in the lovely (with no cell reception) Foxboro MA. I am very excited about this as well. Next week it is on to the iMedia Financial Summit where the bald marketing team will take on Geary Interactive in an agency shoot out (note, Vigor Branding is helping out with the graphic design, as that is not what crayon does–you can be sure Joe Szala and team will do an amazing job of supporting Mr. Verdino and my brilliant strategy–hey, we are bald, after all).

Anyhow, that is it from me. I would love to hear from you. Send me comments, email, what you are up to-I would love to hear more about the A Media Circ.us community. Did you know it has almost been three years!

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Earlier this month (I am not sure exactly when, I found out about this story in Ad Age a few days ago) P&G’s Crest began marketing Crest Weekly Clean to bloggers and mom’s. With little support from traditional advertising, Crest is looking to garner buzz in the social media arena.

A did a number of searches for Crest Weekly Clean and so far have come up with with one blog (the post is great) and one twitter mention. I also saw the mention on a number of blogs that had more ads than content.

I am hoping (for Crest’s sake) that this is just the beggining. My concern is that if nothing is done to further market this product, it will be discontinued before it has the chance to gain traction.

Any further insight about this initiative would be appreciated!

This is not a new question. In fact, this questions has been asked more times over the past few years than I care to recount, but the fact of the matter is that the space is reaching an age of maturity whereby we need some standards.

Are these the standards;

1. A Facebook account and a copy of The Cluetrain Manifesto
   
2. Some SEO chops and access to PRWeb
3. Web design skills and the knowledge of what an API is     
4. Over 5000 Twitter followers     
5. A blog with a Technorati ranking above 200
6. Spending a lot of time on Plurk talking about Twitter
7. Have had dinner with Robert Scoble

While the answer to this question is still unclear, one thing I can say with 100% certainty is, the above criteria are not the standards.

I tend to be a purist. I think that if you are a modern marketer you should be, by default a “social media marketer”. If you are not, you are simply a poor marketer!

If you were never a marketer to begin with and decided there was a tremendous opportunity (due to lack of knowledge) in the “social media marketing” arena and fulfilled the above criteria, can you then be considered a “social media marketer”?

At the end of the day it does not really matter how you got to become a “social media marketer”. The only thing that matters is the quality of work you output.

Those who are passionate and diligent (and of course intelligent) should rise to the top of the stack, but in the interim the onslaught of those claiming to be “social media marketers” is potentially diluting the market and making it difficult for those individuals that are just good old savvy marketers who understand new media.

I would love to hear your thoughts on what makes a “social media marketer” (I know many of you out there have them)

At around noon today I received one of Mediapost’s “Breaking News” newsletters, the title of which made me cringe and let out a little yelp of pain/nausea that resounded softly throughout my office. The title of this newsletter is, “Interpublic: Social Is Fastest Growing Emerging Medium; Search Is Slowing”.

Did my day really have to be interrupted by this nonsense?

Of course I felt compelled to comment on this after seeing it, as this is the type of headline that makes phones ring over here in agency land, and the questions are often as ridiculous as this headline.

It is not just the headline I take issue with, it is the content and projections as. Here is what I mean:

Statement

While growing of a much smaller base, Magna’s Wieser said emerging media nonetheless appear to be slowing down, especially online search, which he projects will grow only 24.0% next year. While still healthy by traditional media ad growth standards, Wieser said it represents a slowdown from 26.5% growth in 2007 and 29.5% in 2006.

Reaction

How tragic, only 24% growth in search! I know the analyst is only doing his job but anyone who takes 24% growth as alarming (especially in the search space) as something negative probably needs to take a Quaalude!

…and another thing, if emerging platforms are seeing growth, when do they cease to be emerging? Where is the cut off line here?

Statement

The fastest growing of the emerging media platforms tracked by Magna, he said, is social media, which includes both social networks and applications like ad-supported widgets

Reaction

Does this mean that we can expect an onslaught of new, “me too” applications and widgets or does this mean that we will actually start seeing some integrated social strategies that involve true conversation and collaboration? Of course the answer is most likely the former, but are social networks, applications and widgets the beginning and end of social media?

Of course not!

…and one more thing, since when is being social an emergent behavior. I know I am being overly pedantic, but I just hate these stats

In the end, this type of thing should really not get me all riled up. After all, I still have my health!

These questions and many more will be answered tomorrow at the very first OMMA Social. I will be speaking with some old friends as well as some new ones and am very excited. I look forward to seeing all of you that can make it, and for those that cannot, I will do my best to bring you some of the goods. You can also follow the event on Twitter. You can also follow all the Tweets at Hashtags.org.

Here is my panel:

Media Plans: Additive or Core Ingredient? Putting Social Media in the Mix
For most marketers, social media represents the latest new ingredient to a marketing mix whose recipe gets more complicated all the time. While it’s all the rage, is social media a must-have for all marketers? If not, what categories and brands is it particularly appropriate for and how should they use it? Also discussed: using social media to listen to consumers.
Moderator: Joe Marchese, President, SocialVibe
Augustine Fou, SVP, Digital Strategist, MRM Worldwide
Greg Verdino, Chief Strategy Officer, Crayon
David Berkowitz, Director of Emerging Media & Client Strategy, 360i
Rich Gagnon, Chief Media Officer, DRAFT FCB
Adam J. Broitman, Director of Emerging and Creative Strategy, Morpheus Media