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January 30, 2009
Vision In The Fog
Obama's in the house, the economy's in the tank, and change is in the wind....
I was watching Bethany McLean, contributing editor to Vanity Fair, on PBS' NOW show where she noted that "in the wake of a collapse it is far more easy to regulate than in the middle of a boom." That line stuck in my head as I sat to write this entry. So, please excuse me for a little plagiarism, but here is my marketing spin on that line... "in the wake of a collapse it is far more easy to innovate than in the middle of a boom."
As I have noted before, marketers are amazingly non-adpative creatures of habit. Without compelling incentive to change, many marketers (especially in B2B) stayed true to their traditional marketing techniques even after the economy began to crumble around them. But, wIth businesses everywhere now suffering the brutal effects of the current recession, I am finding far more interest in trying out new ideas and exploring "emerging" marketing techniques. Companies that have been resolute in their adherence to traditional advertising, direct mail and lead generation processes suddenly are open to considering the use of social networking, lead nurturing, trackable media, negative WOM monitoring, etc.
Unfortunately for these late-comers, the changes they need most are not tactics. If you want to find better vision in the economic fog that we are all operating in, here are three suggestions for getting truly ready to adapt to the new marketing environment:
- Open Your Mind. Perhaps the most critical change to make in today's marketing environment is recognition of the pace of change. Don't get too comfortable with the present "best practices" since they will change as Gen Y ages-in to the workforce and as economic considerations evolve. Technology has come to marketing so expect the same furious pace of change that you see in tech markets.
- Give Up Control And Join The Conversation. Despite an interest in new tactics, I am not seeing broad acceptance of the implications of the shift in power from marketer to customer. You can't ignore blogs, discussion boards or online review sites...your brand is in-play whether or not you choose to participate in the conversation. Until you accept that religion, new tactics won't do much to turnaround underperforming marketing programs.
- Dynamic Information Rules. I hear a lot of emphasis on the creation of content...that's good. However, the formats that people continue to think in remain static. To make a business do a "Benjamin Button" and appear younger-and-fresher over time, content must be increasingly personal, ever-evolving and continually-updated.
Despite all the negative news that surrounds us, this is a refreshing time to be in marketing...the depth of the recession is opening lots of minds to new ideas. To make change happen in your world, start first with the way you think and the way you relate to your customers. From that new perspective, adapting to the potential of all the new tools and techniques will be easy.
Posted by jcioban at 8:37 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
January 20, 2009
Lessons From Whitehouse.gov: Tuesday 1/19/2009
Perhaps one of the first breakthroughs of the new presidency was the unfathomably timely launch of the new www.whitehouse.gov website. Barack Obama continued to demonstrate a keen understanding of the rules of engagement in the new world of communications. Here are a few lessons that our new President has offered marketers in his first hours in office:
- The schedule can be more important than the content. This is one that a lot of marketers would benefit from...getting things done in a timely manner can often be more beneficial than tweaking the content to death or trying to get everything running on Day 1. It was a statement to relaunch the website at a little after noon today...two weeks from now, it would have been mundane.
- The content still matters. OK...schedule is important, but the content better live up. The new communications team in the Washington served up e-mail signups, inline video addresses (coming), a blog, feedback forms, fun content...and a little meaty content. Not bad for Day 1.
- Tune your marketing to your audience. This new site has something to appeal to people who are 10 or 100. It is not deep or intellectual, nor is it some design-driven creative masterpiece. Instead it is professional, straightforward and accessible. Since it is intended to engage average Americans, not policy wonks, that seems just right. And, since it is the Administration's stated intent to reach out to those Average Joe's often, getting started early was a priority.
The Web is a living entity with content that is constantly evolving. Today, the browser can be the conduit for interaction. A good website fosters the posting of fresh ideas consistently and encourages reader engagement, all while appealing to the target audience. For at least one day, our fearless government officials in DC may have outclassed lots of high-paid marketers throughout the country by delivering on those goals. Whether they can continue to fulfill the promise over time remains to be seen...
Posted by jcioban at 7:20 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
January 11, 2009
What I Learned On Vacation (Pt. 2): The World Is My Home.
My trip to Portugal in December reinforced for me how the Internet has transformed the travel and leisure industry.
I downloaded maps for my GPS just before leaving, then used the GPS to guide travel across the Portuguese countryside. I searched restaurants and found phone numbers for reservations on my Blackberry or via wireless computer connections that were everywhere (and available in short time blocks at relatively affordable rates.) News streamed wirelessly to my handlheld so I was never out-of-touch, and when I needed directions while walking in the winding back streets of Lisbon, Google Maps was just a click away.
Ubiquitous access to information transforms travel. It makes it easy to plan trips, and smooths the inevitable bumps that occur while in foreign environments. It does the same to lots of industries. And for me, that was THE lesson of the trip...change is happening all around us at an accelerating pace. The businesses that adapt fastest will be best positioned to take advantage of the myriad opportunities that are emerging. And those that lag behind risk being rendered irrelevant in the new world that is taking shape.
Posted by jcioban at 6:31 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
