Kribaby

News Alert: Facebook and Myspace Neck-and-Neck

According to the Washington Post, Facebook and Myspace are now neck-and-neck.  In April 2008, for the first time Facebook officially caught up to Myspace in terms of unique monthly visitors at 115 million / month.

Despite the many social media types who claim that Myspace is "dead", Myspace still dominates the US market - with 72 million monthly uniques vs. 36 million for Facebook.  Based on current growth continuing it will take Facebook 4+ years to catch up to Myspace in the US.

Be Careful Who you Tweet With. What are You Picking up from Your Social Network?

A study published last week in the New England Journal of Medicine says that social networks can play a key role in helping people quit smoking.  Last year the same researchers reported that obesity also spread through social networks from person to person, like a virus.

The latest study showed that a smokers decision to quit was highly related to their social networks - including online social networks.

"a person's decision to kick the habit is strongly affected by whether other people in their social network quit -- even people they do not know. And, surprisingly, entire networks of smokers appear to quit virtually simultaneously."

The level of influence that our social networks have over us is possibly more than we had thought, especially online social networks.  The power to harness the potential of social networks for positive social change is incredible. 

An example of a company who is leveraging the power of virtual social networks is Nike through their running trackers.  Research shows that exercising with a partner increases your chances to stick with it, and the Nike running system lets you virtually race and track your progress against other people.  I haven't seen any stats on it yet, but I'd bet that the Nike Running participants are getting more exercise than they would if they ran in isolation.

The research referenced above shows that a social network can have a positive (quit smoking) or negative (gain weight) impact. 

Who is in your social network, and what are you picking up from them?

The 30 second spot is dead? Not according to the Television Bureau of Advertising....

Neilson just released a study, sponsored by the Television Bureau of Advertising showing that Television is still influential and important.  And just when we thought it was dead! (note the sarcasm).

Apparently among adults 53% of consumption is TV and 90% reported watching it in the next 24 hours vs 72% for the internet. (On a personal note I just canceled my cable and prefer to watch TV online and movies through Blockbuster).  Apparently time spent on TV is over double that spent on the internet.

So who cares that people are still watching TV???? They are all skipping the commercials (or at least most of them are and they all will be in a few years).  Grasping at straws.... 

Now, this is where it really gets interesting - you ready for this?  They have an answer to cynics like me.

TV had the most persuasive advertising (69.9%) and internet had the lowest (5.1%).  Furthermore, respondents said that brand and product awareness were most effective on TV (55%), with internet the second highest at 18.7%.

So, lets address these one at a time.  First, TV has the most effective advertising.  Of Course it does!!?!?!?!  Marketers have years, and years and years of experience with TV - it is one of the oldest forms of advertising.  Many, many years and many many millions of dollars have been spent perfecting the 30 second spot (and now the 15 second spot) and analyzing results to death perfecting both the best ways to run TV ads and the best ways to measure results.  The internet is new.  It takes time to learn the best ways to both use and leverage a medium and to decide the best ways to measure results.

Second the brand and product awareness are better on TV .  First, this was consumer reported - they asked respondents where they learned about products and brands. 

Brand and product awareness was also dominated by the tube, with 55% of respondents saying they were more likely to learn about products and brands they might like to try and buy on TV, trailed by the internet at 18.7%, magazines at 14.6%, newspapers at 7.1% and radio coming in last at 4.5%. - Ad Age

People are used to TV ads - we've been shoving them down their throats since most of them were born.  Of course it is the first place they think of when asked this type of question!  Furthermore, on the internet, "advertising" (meaning shoving banner ads at people) isn't the most effective way to communicate with consumers.  The measures are all wrong!!!!!!!!!

Its interesting that the Television Bureau of Advertising is publishing studies like this.  Focusing on the wrong measures, trying to convince the world that their sinking ship is not in-fact sinking.

I suspect that the only people persuaded by these stories are those who are on the ship and rather than jumping off, would rather believe that the ship could not possibly be sinking.

Krista: Cultural Learnings of America for make Benefit Glorious Nation of Canada (Repost)

This was my first blog post EVER.  Posted to my Myspace Blog on April 12 2007.  Unedited.  Enjoy.

Chapter 1: Two Tickets to the Gun Show.

As an American "Resident Alien" I decided it was time to exercise my Second Amendment right "the right of the people to keep and bear arms". It's in the constitution.  I picked up a fellow Canadian and we headed to The Gun and Knife Show. Despite dressing up for the event (wearing army green, camo and army boots), it was apparent that we were out of place – in addition to being 2 of about 5 women in the entire place we appeared to be fairly far away from the general demographic of the event. 

After adjusting to the environment it was time to get to our objective – get educated on guns. Sweet.

Lesson 1: "If you shoot someone, you want to make sure you kill him - otherwise he can sue you...".  Note to self - aim for kill - I don't want the inconvenience of a law suit. 

Lesson 2: "My ex-boyfriend is stalking me – we're looking for some protection" Is apparently a perfectly acceptable reason to purchase a gun – even if you clearly know nothing about guns and have never shot one before.

Lesson 3: Ideal gun: Revolver No Hammer; compensates for bad aim and won't catch on your purse.  After perusing and trying (yes, holding, touching and pulling the trigger of) various firearms it was decided that the ideal form of protection for this situation was a revolver with no hammer. The revolver is ideal because you can fire off a number of shots quickly, which can compensate for bad aim (should people with "bad aim" really be buying guns?), and you don't want a hammer because it can get caught when you pull it out of your purse. 

Lesson 4: Carry the gun, loaded with you at all times.  Question: So…I would carry this in my purse with me? Answer: Yes - for protection. (OBVIOUSLY). Question: I've heard things about gun safety where you keep the bullets somewhere separate from the gun? Answer: That makes no sense.  Why would you do that? (WHY INDEED). Question: So….is there a safety on this…you know, since I would be carrying it loaded in my purse? Answer: No.  You just gotta be careful. (RIIIIIIIGHT – there is a better chance of me shooting my foot than whatever I would intent to shoot).

Lesson 5: Licensed dealers will not sell guns illegally; they will only point you in the right direction. Having had all of our questions answered we were ready to move on to purchase. Question: Would I register my gun? Answer: NO! Trust me; you don't want to do that. (Apparently no further explanation required). Question: So what do I need to walk out of here with some protection? Answer: Just an Ohio Drivers License. DAMN! As a Canadian I don't yet have an Ohio license! I guess that I won't be able to get any protection…… we begin to walk away…….. Pssssttttt….(motions us back and leans in and whispers)"I'm a licensed dealer, so I really can't help you out, but if you are serious about getting some protection there are lots of guys here who can help you out". Seriously. At least the guy understands his professional obligation as a licensed dealer. 

Lesson 6: It is easier to buy a gun illegally than to just GET an OHIO license (which involved a lot of documentation and testing).  Upon further investigation I learned that over 40,000 people die in car accidents every year vs. about 30,000 deaths per year involving guns, so maybe it should be harder to get a drivers license than a gun...........

Lesson 7: I am not "The People"  I guess it should be easy to get a gun – it is a Right after all. But apparently "Resident Aliens" don't have the right to keep and bear arms.  We aren't "The people".

 

Party Animal, Rockstar, Businessman? Who ARE you and what is YOUR brand?

The blogosphere has been abuzz recently with commentary on personal branding. The concept of Personal Branding (creating and building a brand around yourself) isn’t new – it used to be called reputation or image management and focused on how you presented yourself.

If you wanted to be seen as a serious business-type you wore suits, were clean-cut and spoke intelligently. If you wanted to be seen as the “cool design type” you wore jeans or trendy clothes to business meetings, had messy hair and maybe some dark rimmed glasses. This was creating a brand for yourself by managing people’s interactions with you to drive them towards a certain impression.

The premise of personal branding hasn’t changed online, we still want to manage how we are perceived by others’, and basic branding principles can be employed to achieve success.

There are 2 things that have changed dramatically.

First, in an online world there are more and more interactions to manage – Facebook, Myspace, Twitter, Blog, etc.

Second, the boundaries between “personal” and “professional” are dropping. In the old world you could wear a suit to work and be taken as a serious business professional and party like a rockstar on the weekend with your friends. The groups were distinct, and your image/reputation/brand with each of these groups was separate.

Now employers look you up on Facebook, your blog is read by personal and business contacts and your Flickr (or Photrade) photos are publicly viewable. The wall that many worked so hard to maintain between personal and professional is crumbling in an online world. Your boss can see the same things as
your friends.

What this means to personal branding is the need to be consistent is greater. In the increasingly transparent online world it is difficult if not impossible to manage one reputation for work, one for friends and one for family.

Your personal brand needs to be reflective of who you REALLY are. You can’t be one person for your clients and another for your friends because they find you, track you and interact with you in the same places.

When I first got online I ran into this problem. I had only used the internet socially – a search for me turned up “party pictures” with my friends and some random myspace blog posts – generally about events involving crazy behavior.

Now, I have made a more conscious effort to “brand myself” or manage my image/reputation online. I still have fun social content posted, however it is balanced with content that is more reflective of other sides of my personality (like this post).

Don’t abandon who you are – balance it – to promote the right brand/image/reputation for yourself.

If someone you have never met looked you up online, who would they think you are?

Are Interruptions the best way to engage?

I just read a wonderful article in AdAge about how Marketers need to Think Differently in the world of internet marketing. The basic point was that many large marketing spenders are used to spending on Advertising, yet in internet land, Advertising is but one of many vehicles and it may not be the most effective.

This is similar to many writings by Seth Godin about interruption marketing.

In the old world, companies got attention from consumers by interrupting their intended activity with an advertising message – commercials in the middle of your TV program, ads in the magazine that you were trying to read. In the new world, users have more control of their medium – they are becoming better at ignoring interruptions – TiVo, Pop-up blockers, Satellite radio, Banner Blindness, etc. How, oh how will marketers get through to them?

Marketers have a tougher job. Without interruption marketing they really have to get the right message to the right person at the right place at the right time, in the right way. Wow. What does this mean?

At Blog World Expo one of the speakers (anyone remember who??) demonstrated the concept with this example:

If I’m taking a hike in the forest I don’t want to see your billboards advertising water, I don’t want you to hand me a coupon for $1 off your water. I want to be left alone to hike. However, after an hour of hiking it would be great if someone offered to sell me a bottle of water.

The point? When I am online trying to get through my Facebook messages, I don’t care about the new Shampoo that is streaming ads into my friendfeed. If I was looking at an invite for a cocktail party and an ad came up for a sexy new dress on sale at Victoria’s Secret there is a good chance that I would click though.

Take Apple (the example used in the AdAge Article) – they don’t need to spend a ton of money in online advertising because they have such a powerful brand that consumers actually go looking for them, and Apple lovers constantly write about them. Apple doesn’t shout at you with pop-ups about their new iPhone when you are stalking that hot girl on Myspace – they create a community of people who love their products and they have a killer website with great content that users actually seek out.

For every product and brand there are times when your customers are receptive to your messages, and possibly even seeking you out. Where are you then? Do you spend your time and money shouting at them when they don’t care instead of having a conversation when they are actually interested?

When Irish Eyes are Smiling.....

I love St. Patrick's Day... There are many, many reasons, but here are my top 3.

1)  I am an Irish Citizen.
How you may ask?  I thought you were Canadian?  I was born in Canada - first generation Canadian.  Me ma (Irish slang for Mother) was born in Dublin Ireland, and Immigrated to Canada when she was a wee lass.  Making me eligible for Irish Citizenship....

       

And I use this as my identification on St. Patrick's Day.  Shockingly (is that a word?) it doesn't appear to phase many bouncers.              
   

2) Guinness, Irish Carbombs...... drink and be Merry.
Oh yes - Green Beer and Irish Carbombs are the staples of St. Paddy's Day....  At first the thought of Irish Cream and Guinness creeped me out, especially after seeing the curdled nastiness in the bottom of the Carbomb glass.  But after the first taste of the creamy-goodness I was sold!

3) Everyone is Irish on St. Paddy's Day
This is actually a fact.  St. Paddy's Day is among the best for making new "friends" as being Irish = being drunk and loving everyone.

OK - Well maybe not loving "everyone".               

Is there more potential for Social Media Marketing?

I spent today reading a PR2.0 post by Brian Solis and following the links through to the Bokardo blog (my first time there) by Joshua Porter where a discussion about social media marketing was well under way.

What is all the fuss about?

Joshua points out that social media amplifies opinions about your products, it doesn't turn bad opinions about your product into good ones.  You can leverage social media to get feedback, listen to the feedback, improve your product and start positive conversations - the key is that you improve your product.  The point, as he puts it is that good results "happen(s) as a result of having a commitment to improvement, not simply because you implement social media tools."

While I agree with all of this, I think that there are still other opportunities for marketing companies to leverage Social Media.  It isn't just to use social media as a feedback tool - that is but one of the many marketing objectives that may cause a company to engage in a social media strategy.

Marketing objectives can range from creating awareness to generating new customers to building loyalty and preference among existing customers.  Social Media has a place in all of these objectives - the problem is finding creative ways to achieve these objectives.

A GREAT example of a Social Media strategy aimed at user acquisition was oovoo and the my oovoo day execution from Crayon.  They asked a number of people who were active in social media and marketing to host discussions on oovoo, and in return donated to The Frozen Pea Fund.  This clever execution created much buzz in the social media sphere, and created both awareness and trial for oovoo.

The point is, that with good executions that leverage social media and the community vs. force themselves, uninvited into the space, companies can use social media for far more than a feedback conversation (not that this use isn't valuable).  Social Media marketing requires creativity and a non-intrusive style of marketing, which is new to organizations who are used to old media.

Anyone know of any other great social media marketing campaigns?

Best Superbowl Ad Recap

Miller wasn't in the superbowl ads (probably since Bud appears to have exclusivity on beer ads for the superbowl), but they found a cleaver way to get in on the superbowl ad action without spending millions of dollars.

My fav quote from this recap "Two very expensive ads for water.  Water don't need to be fancy.  If I want flavored water I suck a lollipop".....

I guess you don't have to pay millions of dollars to get some superbowl ad love.

"Common guys, we got some common sense to deliver".  Well put.

Tips for Yahoo

This guy is my new favorite online personality.  Absolutely ridonculous.

In follow up to the post on Microsoft acquiring Yahoo, here are some great tips.  My Fav - "You got $44 Million Dollars?  Buy a country.  Buy Liberia.  Lets see you try to monetize Liberia!".

High quality here people.