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December 31, 2009

The End of a Decade

10 years.

The 200x decade is about to become history. And with it will go a tumultuous time. For me personally, it was a time of rebuilding from a series of personal losses coupled with a period of great innovation and exploration. During the years that ensued, I moved the company from services, into software and now back to a blended software/services model. I experienced great highs and tremendous challenges.

Of greatest importance, I learned.

When I used to do interviews of prospective students for Dartmouth, my alma mater, they would sometimes asked what was the most important thing I learned in college. Never wavering, I would always answer..."I learned how to learn". That skill has been essential to making it through the past decade. And the upcoming one seems no different.

In 2009, we experienced profound cultural change as society broadly accepted the new ways of doing things that the internet has made possible. As we (i.e. John Q. Public) become more comfortable with these new tools, I can guarantee that many industries will be redefined. If you are an executive, Web 2.0, social media and beyond all represent the opportunity to build a new future. Miss the opportunity and the alternative may be the path of dinosaurs.

For 2010, I am committing to writing more on this blog, to focusing my energies better and to building stronger relationships with partners, associates, customers...in short, all the smart people around me who can help elevate my thinking and drive new ideas into realities.

Thank you for reading in 2009 and I look forward to connecting again in the new decade!

Posted by jcioban at 2:29 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

December 8, 2009

Shiny Suds and the Fundamentals

In the current issue of AdAge, Garfield reviewed the sad tale of Method's Shiny Suds online video. (Here is a link on the 'boards blog to the now-pulled ad.) Pulled after consumer backlash over charges of sexism, the video has reignited the debate about whether brands should respond to small, vocal groups expressing minority sentiments. (Most viewers of the Method video seem to feel it is clear that sexism was not involved, and AdRants' Steve Hall obviously felt more strongly.)

Clearly, brand advertisers want to find edgy content that will connect and gain viral traffic. This video had over 700,000 views before it was pulled. But I have an issue here with some fundamentals of strategy and execution. Cleaning products are targeted at moms, homemakers...women in general. (Real men don't clean, especially not with prissy all-natural stuff....). So, why go with a naked women and sneering, leering soap bubbles. Yes, I get the impact of the leering voices as they point out their toxicity. But, this video seems more driven by puerile male humor than by concepts women would create. A tweak on the creative concept...or cutting the leering down just a little, and this might still be playing to lots of viewers.

As McNeil learned from the Motrin Moms, women can be pretty sensitive about certain issues, and it only takes a few sensitive souls to ignite a firestorm. But let's be honest, content quality will suffer if advertisers/agencies walk into every creative meeting seeking to create pablum. So, while it is hard to argue with the success of 700,000 views and the ton of press that has come since the controversy broke, I think there is a lesson here.

Don't be afraid to be edgy, but before you release make sure you've thought out your positioning and your execution. Ensure that there are not some simple fundamental tweaks that could reduce risk to such a small percentage, that it becomes virtually no risk at all.

Posted by jcioban at 7:47 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

December 5, 2009

Why Bank Marketing Makes Me Angry.

I was thumbing through my mail at home and noticed the invitation for the Chase Ink Business Card addressed to my daughter. Too bad my daughter hasn't lived at home for almost 6 years. And the fact she is not a business owner...I guess that is a nit.

Next up, the invitation from CapitalOne Small Business for Trinity Ny Deli (what the heck is that?) sent to my wife's attention. Completely ludicrous addressing AND mistargeted.

Given rising postal costs, I am continually surprised how much mistargeted or misaddressed mail I receive, especially from banks. I understand all the excuses and rationalizations used for these mailing. I am certain that buried in the piles of response rate stats that (hopefully) companies like CapitalOne use to justify their bombarding of my mailbox, is something to explain how a business owner who happens to receive a misaddressed item could end up as a customer. But, increasingly, "spray and pray" mailing "looks" like bad business to consumers who are getting used to the controls they have in new age social networks. Weary of advertising, junk mail in the box looks both economically profligate and environmentally reprehensible.

With the power of modern analytics, mail programs can be smarter. Why is is that our banks can't seem to get it?

Posted by jcioban at 4:18 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack