A View from Inside the Crayon Box

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June 29, 2007

The days at crayon have been busy lately, which is a good thing. But it's been keeping my frequency down on this blog.

Since I started working at crayon, a number of friends and colleagues have asked me, "So what's it like, working there?" There's really no easy way to answer that. Exhilarating. Stressful. Fun. Inspiring. Never boring. Want a great way to find out? Check out Coffee with crayon every Thursday at 9:00 a.m. in Second Life.

Invariably the questions from my associates come back to Joseph Jaffe - "what's he like?" they want to know. Again, there's no easy way to answer. He's very smart. He's passionate about what he does, his vision for crayon and for the future of marketing. And with a title like President & Chief Interruptor, you know there's got to be a little more beneath the surface.

So rather than tell you more about our Chief Interruptor, I'll show you:

Oh, and in case you didn't pick up on it, we crayonistas have a healthy sense of humor.

Labels: crayon, Friday Fun, Joseph Jaffe, Video

Posted by Scott Monty at 1:00 AM

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New Delta? You Be the Judge

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June 28, 2007

Just in case you thought the sky was falling, with Delta claiming "Today is a New Day," welcoming us aboard the "New Delta," let me reassure you that Delta is just as crappy as they've always been.

Two examples:

Twitter
Delta - either someone who was a Delta fan, or (more likely) a Delta employee started a Twitter account on May 10, 2007. It was pretty cool for a while, with updates that were seemingly coming from inside the company. The style was informative and a little irreverent, but it definitely felt like there was a personality to it - not some corporatespeak straight from a press release, which was very refreshing.

Unfortunately, this didn't last. The party ended only 5 days after beginning: May 15 is the date of the last post. My guess is that someone higher up at Delta found out about it and put the kibosh on it. This was an incredibly short-sighted and stupid move on their part. Delta actually seemed relevant again for a short while.

YouTube
And here we have the power of consumer-generated media to showcase the true nature of a brand. If you ever want to see what an enterprise is truly all about, catch them in a crisis situation.

In this case, the passengers were stuck on the tarmac at JFK for 7 hours. One passenger had the presence of mind to take a video. It's now being passed around the Web. Last night, it had about 400 views; as of this posting, it's up to over 13,000. Expect many, many more people to witness the ineptitude of Delta in action.

Delta, what's the matter with you? You're coming off of a precarious bankruptcy in a market where low-cost airlines provide better service and hipper attitude. As far as I'm concerned, "Today is a New Day" is just lip service. Today is the same as every other crappy day you've given your customers.

It'll be a new day when you understand that you're not in the airline business - you're in the customer service business.

Labels: Delta, Twitter, Video

Posted by Scott Monty at 8:38 AM

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Ad Spending Shifts from Traditional to Emerging Channels

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June 27, 2007

In a post on MediaDailyNews, it was noted, according to industry forecaster Bob Coen, that U.S. ad spending is growing at only 3.1%, a slower pace than the U.S. economy is growing. This is a downgrade from the 4.7% predicted by Universal McCann analysts.

The fastest growing segment of the media is the Web, naturally, with a 15% growth rate predicted for 2007, according to Coen. But he doesn't include online video, social networks or search in his numbers.

But here's where it gets interesting. Magna Global's Brian Wieser predicts that those emerging channels as well as mobile marketing, advanced gaming and digital out-of-home networks will grow nearly 32% in 2007. That's quite a wake up call for the traditional advertising industry. In fact, Wieser claims it's a change of the mind-set:

"...advertisers are shifting their money out of media that we define as ad-supported media into marketing."

And it what seems like a real shot in the arm for the new media industry, he predicts that social media ad spending would be more than $1 billion next year, an increase of nearly 50% over 2007's numbers.

That's not to say that traditional advertising is dead. TV, newspapers, outdoor, radio, print - collectively they represent the lion's share of the ad spend. But the fact that additional channels are finally being recognized for their relevancy and permanence is encouraging.

So these are the opinions of just two analysts. What about your opinion? Do you think one is closer to the truth than the other?

Labels: Advertising, Marketing, New Media, social media

Posted by Scott Monty at 9:11 AM

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Help! I'm Being Held Hostage by Marketing

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June 22, 2007

I've made something of a tradition out of my Friday posts on this blog - my Friday Fun Video series. Long weeks, hard work and frayed nerves by the end of the week usually give rise to a little pawky humor that lends itself to Friday posts. But seeing as I've kept you awash in video posts this past week, I'm going to keep away from it today.

But I can promise you that I've got a real winner of a video to share with you next week.

For this week, I'll give you a thought about push marketing as inspired by the famous National Lampoon cover from January 1973 (full disclosure: I used to work just down the street from the Harvard Lampoon. The twisted humor probably rubbed off on me). How often have you felt like you've been held hostage by advertising or marketing?

More recently, this concept was illustrated by a Dilbert strip. Too many marketers, when they've exhausted the traditional lead generation, direct mail and sales-intensive efforts, seem to espouse this mentality:

And I've seen it happen with marketers who, after they've exhausted their lead generation, direct mail and trade show efforts (and budgets!), want to start a social media campaign in order to pick up the slack. Common phrases include:

"Which social networks should I join / which blogs should I comment on to help sell more product?"
"I'm going to measure ROI on my [blog/podcast/other social media effort] by measuring sales."

Bzzzzt! Sorry, wrong answer. That's not how it works.

With a social media strategy, your goal should be to become part of the conversation, to allow a community to form as a result of the conversation and the tools that you make available. If you really want to become indispensable in your customers' eyes, you need to understand them, you need to listen to them, you need to let them tell you what they need.

Maybe they'll tell you that you'll have to reconfigure your packaging or develop an improvement to your product or face a major overhaul of your website. Is this a pain? Sure. Is it expensive? Sometimes, but not necessarily, and let me tell you why.

The money you spend on these short term fixes, on listening - yes, actually listening to your customers - and taking action will be one of the smartest investments you could ever make. Think I'm overstating it? If your customers perceive your product to be inferior or the information on your website too confusing, they'll leave you for a competitor who can give them a better product and a more enjoyable Web experience.

The money you spend on making improvements - the very improvements that your customers ask for - will be goodwill that you can't buy any other way. They'll know that their opinion mattered and that a company actually listened to them, rather than forcing them to buy more crap. With a conversation that you've fostered or a community that you've nurtured, you'll have a committed and long-term focus group that will be able to tell you what you need to know.

Now, that's not to say that you should take every last recommendation or spend a huge budget on changes. But you should be open to hearing about your customers' points of view. After all, they're the ones that have to live with your products.

Labels: Advertising, CRM, customer relations, Friday Fun, Marketing

Posted by Scott Monty at 12:15 AM

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Coffee with Crayon

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June 20, 2007

Hey - how'd you like to spend some quality time with some crayonistas? Every Thursday from 9:00 -9:30 a.m. Eastern Time, crayon hosts Coffee with crayon at our offices in Second Life. It's your opportunity to join the conversation and pick our brains about whatever you want. It's open to the public, so pop in and check us out.

What typically goes on during Coffee with crayon? It's a wildcard! Usually we get some of the brightest minds from around the social media space who pop in and spark some great conversations with us. You can usually count on:

Discussion around some of the latest goings-on in the new media field, from successes to controversies
Comparing notes on some of the latest tools, applications and sites in the new media field
Features in Second Life

This week, we'll be welcoming our newest members to the group. Why don't you plan on stopping by and seeing what it's all about? After all, new media is all about trying new things.

And if you ever wondered what life at the real crayon office is like, check out this video, by DraftFCB:

Labels: crayon, New Media, Second Life

Posted by Scott Monty at 8:07 PM

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What I Learned from Paul Potts - Roundup

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June 18, 2007

If you're a regular reader of my blog, you'll know that I've been following the Paul Potts / Britain's Got Talent phenomenon over the course of the last week. It all wrapped up earlier this evening with the final performances and the tallying of the votes.

In a nod to the fact that good things do in fact happen to good people, Paul Potts was selected as the winner. Here's a video recap of the finalists, the decision and Paul's encore performance.

If you're reading this in a feedreader, the video can be found here.

At the risk of getting completely Potted on this blog, I'll wrap up this series by enumerating the lessons that I've learned after watching these videos over the last week:

Assumptions can limit your creative output
It's okay to take risks
Know your audience and connect with them on an emotional level
Exceed expectations
When we're constantly hit over the head with polished, branded, uber-cool ads, campaigns and come-ons, it's refreshing to see a down-to-earth, humble approach. It gets more attention.

I hope you've enjoyed this series as much as I have; I know that original video still stands in my mind as one of the most remarkable I've ever seen. I wish Paul the best in his newfound career. Here's hoping that we can all achieve the same level of success, either personally or professionally.

Labels: fun, news, Paul Potts, Video

Posted by Scott Monty at 12:05 AM

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Another Crayon Added to the Box

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June 17, 2007

I'm very proud to say that one of my fellow bloggers has decided to become a fellow crayonista. I guess you could call him my new new media colleague.

Greg Verdino, most recently VP of Emerging Channels at Digitas and author of Greg Verdino's Marketing Blog (well, who else would author it, really?), is joining crayon tomorrow as Chief Strategy Officer.

Everyone on the team is very excited to have Greg join us. With his ability to assess the latest channels, applications, tools and techniques, combined with his knowledge of marketing, Greg is sure to give crayon a boost.

AdWeek scooped everyone with their coverage over the weekend. But the best announcement comes from Greg himself.

Labels: crayon, Greg Verdino, New Media, news

Posted by Scott Monty at 10:45 PM

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Potts Sticker

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June 15, 2007

I've been pleasantly surprised at the wide response that my previous post has attracted. Paul Potts, the mobile phone salesman from Wales wowed the audience with his rendition of "Nessun Dorma" on ITV's Britain's Got Talent.

I realize that not everyone has access to ITV, so here's an update on the competition. Judges Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden and Piers Morgan were on their feet this week, joining the audience in giving Potts a second standing ovation at the conclusion of his latest performance in the semi-finals last night.

Holden said Potts made her cry again and Morgan said that Potts was exactly the profile they were looking for: somebody doing an ordinary job, very unassuming, with an amazing talent, and they could provide him a platform to show the world what he had.

I'd say that if he sticks to it, odds are he's going to win the whole thing. The finals are on Sunday, June 17.

Video link for feedreaders.

Oh yeah, he's got a MySpace page, too.

Labels: Friday Fun, fun, Paul Potts, Video

Posted by Scott Monty at 12:01 AM

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Your Next Creative Genius May Be Closer Than You Think

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June 11, 2007

As you know, user-generated / consumer-generated content has been all the rage over the last year. Many pundits have gone so far as to claim that traditional advertising agencies' days are numbered. But the agencies themselves have lumbered forward, continuing to support hundreds and hundreds of creative staff (not to mention a sizable chip on their shoulders), with the confidence that no one can produce high quality creative the way they can.

Earlier this year, the Doritos Super Bowl ad proved otherwise - at least with regard to concepting. The agencies and production houses still have the expertise in execution of the 30-second spot. I think in the end, the creative juice will be found somewhere in the middle - the agencies and their ability to navigate the supply chain, along with active input from consumers, will together create some pretty powerful stuff.

But in the meantime, the takeaway message is the old cliche - don't judge a book by its cover. Agency execs pooh-pooh ideas because they come from "the people," and that is a huge mistake. Good ideas can come from anyone - on your team, from a client, from an agency - hell, stop and ask a few people on the street while you're at it.

Case in point: Paul Potts, a dubious-looking mobile phone salesman goes on ITV's Britain's Got Talent to attempt to sing opera
You have to see this video. I think it's one of the best moments in the history of reality TV (okay, okay - not a huge honor, but you get the point) and a great example of how we humans like to judge based on superficialities.

The judges rolled their eyes when they saw the contestant, clearly expecting another feeble performance on this grown-up talent show. In the end, Potts had the audience on their feet, people were crying, and Simon Cowell - yes, the Simon Cowell - was clapping, exclaiming "you are absolutely fantastic."

Using a feedreader that doesn't embed video? Click here.

Take a moment and think about the many assumptions you make on a daily basis - about vendors, clients, colleagues, people you pass on the street or sit next to on the train, the guy you get your coffee from or your newspaper man. The next Pavarotti might be closer than you expect. Have you given him the chance to sing for you?

Here's some context on the aria, "Nessun Dorma," as well as Pavarotti singing it for comparison.

Labels: Advertising, fun, Marketing, New Media, Paul Potts, Video

Posted by Scott Monty at 5:17 PM

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WIIFM?

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June 5, 2007

Yesterday, I noted the six entries on my blog that were the most popular based on a single metric - traffic. Two of my "taggees" immediately ~~took the bait~~ joined the conversation and noted their own popular entries, but with a twist.

Greg Verdino, in a Herculean effort to overcome his anti-meme streak, rose to the challenge by choosing three entries, each based on a different factor: traffic generated to his blog, and most conversation generated and most attention from other bloggers.

Both he and Doug Haslam also went further by selecting which past posts they liked the most themselves. I was initially thinking of doing that as well, but I decided against it because my feeling was that the blog exists more for you as my reader, rather than for me as a writer. As a marketer, I was trying to be sensitive to this perspective, because at times the marketing profession gets too wrapped up in its own message and seemingly ignores the customer. It becomes a game of "Look at me!!" rather than "What do you need?"

As much as any marketer's positioning, branding and message are essential, let's remember that customers are constantly wondering WIIFM - "what's in it for me?" To that end, it's our responsibility as marketers to ensure that we're delivering something of value to them, whether it's a 30-second spot, a product that meets their needs or a service that exceeds their expectations.

The point of this post isn't to pontificate - it's to share a perspective. And my perspective changed a little after reading Greg's and Doug's posts. Here's how they rationalized their decision to post their own favorite entries:

Doug: [my blog] is here to help me “create with the mind”– that is what “Gischeleman” means– and work on my writing and thinking by doing it regularly.

Greg (a little more unabashed): these are some of the posts that have given me the greatest satisfaction, that I feel are most consistent with my general views on new media and marketing, that come closest to nailing my vision for this blog. These are just a few of the posts that rank among the most popular with my favorite audience of one, ME.

~~Even though~~ Because they were up-front about their desire to share their own (high) opinions of their work, I was forced to rethink the position I had taken. Although my readership has grown over time (albeit slowly) and I have the utmost respect for you as a reader (hey let's face it, if you've made it this far in the post, you have my thanks as well as my admiration), here's something that sets a blog apart from other marketing vehicles:

While a blog depends on good content, it thrives based on a good relationship.

You've come to know me through my writing style, the images I choose and the content I choose to post. I've come to know you through your comments or links you've made to my site - or even better, by meeting you in person. That represents the overall evolution of a blogger-reader relationship.

So at this point in our relationship, I guess I feel more comfortable sharing my own favorites with you. You can humor me - or you can move on to your next to-do. Either way, I hope you find value out of my work.

Twittermeme - ironically, one of my favorites is a meme, in this case "What Would Sherlock Holmes Twitter?" The reason I like it is that it allowed me to tie in another interest and it actually generated some minor conversation among a limited group of friends (including that good sport Verdino).

It's All Geek to Me - this was my first interaction with David Armano, in which he commented on my blog. It was my first "big blogger" reaction to anything I posted, and it was the beginning of great relationship with David - and eventually the connection to Greg Verdino.

What Is the Face of Your Brand - hey, any post in which I can mention Calvert DeForest / Larry "Bud" Melman is a winner in my mind.

Labels: blogs, brand, Friday Fun, Marketing, meme

Posted by Scott Monty at 8:31 AM

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Popularity is All Relative

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June 4, 2007

I feel like I've been asleep at the wheel here over the last week or so. Having some time off between gigs has been therapeutic and invigorating, but it had the unintended side effect of making me less engaged with my blogging, rather than more.

Sometimes it takes a colleague or a good friend to give us a dope slap and get our butts in gear. In this case the honor goes to Patrick Schaber at The Lonely Marketer. Patrick is currently enjoying a positive flux in his subscriber numbers, so he put together a list of his most popular posts that some of his newer readers might have missed. He invited me to do the same. While I don't always jump into the meme thing, I do so when I think there's some value to be gained for my readers.

It's funny how a simple exercise like this allowed me reminisce about what I was thinking or what was going on in my life at a particular time. In addition, it also made me realize that my blogging ability - from interacting with others to my depth of analysis and my writing - has improved with time. Kind of makes me wish I could edit some of those earlier entries! (Well, I could, but I shouldn't.)

So here are my most popular posts, as determined by traffic volume, from the last 10 months or so:

I'm Lovin' It
On Corporate Blogging
When Should a CEO Blog?
If Ancient Rome Had the Internet
What Would David Ogilvy Twitter?
Quick Thought on Being Different

As I read those posts, I realized that the level of popularity is directly related to the style that I affect on my blog (and in real life, for that matter). It's a combination of informed intelligence, opinion and humor. I hope you'll enjoy them, if you haven't read them yet.

And continuing the tradition, I'd love to see popular posts from:
Greg Verdino
Bryan Person
Doug Haslam
Donna Papacosta
Paull Young

What's popular on your blog?

Labels: blogs, fun, meme

Posted by Scott Monty at 5:00 PM

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