From Mundane to Engaging: How One Man Does It
A couple of weeks ago, I said that conversation was like the weather. It's ubiquitous, and marketers seem to be the only ones interested in talking or doing anything about it (while everyone else just HAS conversations).But it got me to thinking about something we probably all take for granted, but rarely have a reason to talk about: the weather forecast itself. You probably can't count the number of times you turned on the TV in the morning to catch a glimpse of the 5-day forecast, or dialed TellMe (1-800-555-TELL) and asked for "weather," or clicked on Accuweather.com or Weather.com for your local forecast.
Local matters
In weather and in social media, local content and connections are part of what make them relevant to us. People care about the communities in which they live and invest a great deal of time, energy and money there. To wit: the Newspaper Association of America just announced that over $2 billion was spent last year on local advertising on newspaper web sites. Why? Because it's targeted, it's relevant, and it connects people to the world immediately around them. If content is king, local content is the emperor.
Now think about how you interact with some social media connections. You're likely to have a network from around the globe - whether you're an individual or a business. But the relationships that you build based on repeated interactions and sharing of content, information and insights - those are brought to the next level when you meet face to face. A sales call, a Tweetup, or a social event in your locality make the interaction even more relevant and create the opportunity for deepening the relationship.
What's the weather got to do with it?
When it comes to the weather, you're really only interested in the conditions where you live or where you're traveling. And you generally don't care how you get your information, as long as it's accurate. Sure, you may develop a one-sided "trusted" relationship with a particular weatherman, but I'll wager you don't think much about the actual presentation of the forecast - seemingly a commodity.
Well, I've got to tell you that every day in various markets on Accuweather.com, there is a remarkable weather forecast. If you haven't had the chance to see Jim Kosek in action, here's your chance. He's bringing passion and creativity to his job and in the process is taking something the boring and making it truly engaging.
What I like the most about this story is that Jim's employers have given him the license to be as crazy as he wants to be. He still does the basics of his job, but he incites viewers - for good or bad - which in turn gives Accuweather a sense of its viewership. More companies should embrace this kind of creativity - not as a gimmick, but as a natural extension of their employees' personalities - to boost morale, productivity, and marketing gold.
Have you got a story about how something mundane and ordinary has sprung to life because of a different approach? I'd love to hear about it in the comments section below.
Labels: Marketing, social media, Video
Posted by Scott Monty at 9:01 AM
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He's got a unique style, that is for sure. I'm not so sure that I would listen to a weatherman screaming at me every day.
Sure let your personality through, but don't beat me over the head with it.
I am absolutely serious about this: I'm gonna find this video on YouTube or wherever. I'm gonna download it. I'm gonna program my computer to wake me up to it. Every. Single. Weekday. Why? Because you know he started out -- that is to say, hired -- as a stuffed shirt who did the weather. Keep that in mind.
John - clearly, he's not everyone's cup of tea, but it's cool to be entertained while getting the weather.
Rick - this could definitely be a powerful reminder. Glad to provide you with some inspirational material.
hey - this is a great story about making a difference and i really agree. we've started up a new wine group here (on FaceBook) and now have an international following. its all a bit of a hoot withthe focus being getting those bottles off the bottom shelf and opening them once and for all. many have been too nervous to do this (in case the bottle was crap)... so we've removed the stigma of doing that - "it's OK". The concept has "gone off" and were pretty chuffed. A different way to look at things AND... we're making a difference. All through online interactions and offline backup. Check us out: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=16116545564
xc
Whoever invented the weather report was a genius. Think about it: We sit around watching a television to tell us what the weather is like outside our own windows. And have you ever seen anything use the principle of anticipation so ruthlessly? I'll sit through 15 minutes of boring local news to hear a weatherman tell me it was sunny today and it will be sunny tomorrow.
I'm in copywriting for a nationwide marketing franchise. We do a lot of work for small and mid-size businesses. You wouldn't believe how hard it is to convince small business owners to let a little personality into their marketing.
Great read, mate. Look forward to following your blog.