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By Vegasbab, September 15, 2008 4:38 pm

A guy and his friend walk into a bar. The bartender says, “What’ll it be?” Guy #1 says, “Uhhh…”, looks around and sees the lone Corona sign in the bar. The guy points to the sign and says, “Well, I guess I’ll have a Corona.” The bartender hands Guy #1 a cold one, turns to the second guy and says, “And, what will you have?” Guy #2 says, “Ummm…,” looks around and sees the same lone Corona sign. Guy #2 points to the sign and says, “I suppose I’ll have a Corona.”

The point of the story is that this scenario never happens in real life. Yet, it’s how most marketers are measuring online media- last clicked gets 100% of the credit. However, that single banner, paid search placement, email, etc. was probably not the sole factor that drove a person to convert. We all know that. And still, the majority measure on last click/view.

Why haven’t marketers made the transition? Because they’re lazy. They’re set in their ways. And both they and C-level Execs hate/don’t get change. I love my apples to apples, year over year data as much as the next person, but, if you’re in the interactive space, you have to be willing to roll with the punches, challenge the way things are done and go out on a limb.

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By Vegasbab, September 14, 2008 4:13 pm

I still can’t get over how many people in the Interactive space don’t try out “new” things or even old ones (i.e. Facebook). Aren’t you supposed to be the poster child for interactive stuff? Doesn’t your company rely on you to provide them with a strategy for that space? How can you provide great strategy if you don’t know what’s going on in your corner of the world?

Anyway, here’s five ways to tell if you’re a total dork or maybe you’re just actually doing your job

1. You spend part of your free time online (I can’t tell you how many interactive marketers don’t have a computer at home. Seriously?!)
2. You actually search out and play with rich media ads, widgets, etc.
3. You read an industry blog on a daily basis
4. You’re on Twitter, you’ve checked out location based social networking (like Bright Kite or Loopt), you receive text alerts from a multitude of different brands, etc.
5. You’ve signed up for a site to check out its functionality even if you don’t like the physical equipment (i.e. Nike+)

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By Vegasbab, September 13, 2008 1:30 am

I thought the 11th Hour was bad. But nope, the requests I got today were even better. Who knew? Apparently, my job description now includes script writing, movie directing and graphic designer.

Setting: 8:45AM Friday. Phone call transferred to my cell phone. Person in Need (slightly paraphrased), “We’re presenting to 15 Presidents plus the VP’sand a few more Execs. Can you create a video with PIA Prima Donna for the presentation? No, we don’t have a script. Oh, and by the way, we’ll need this by Monday morning.”

Me: Do you have any idea how hard it is to get PIA Prima Donna, a film crew, lighting, a place to shoot, etc., etc. on a few hours notice? Our three internal (yes, we have three separate ones) film crews refuse to do anything on short notice. PIA Prima Donna refuses to work with any film crew in Vegas (which I did not find out until much later). So yes, a film crew flew in from LA.

Oh wait, it gets better…

Setting: 4:00PM Friday. Phone call from Person in Need #2 (slightly paraphrased): “We’re going through the presentation and it’s missing something. We need a special logo for it. Can you have the agency put together three concepts for us to review on Monday morning?”

Me: You do realize it’s 4:00PM aka one hour til quitting time on FRIDAY?!

The Agency: Fuck you. That is a ridiculous request and our designer refuses to work over the weekend on this last minute project.

Me: Fine. Let me just magically whip up three logo concepts. *Poof*

As much as I complain, I love my job. I love the adrenaline rush (and the gray hair). And most of all, I love the comedy of it all. Even if you tried, you couldn’t make up story lines like these. The best part? Story lines like these happen on a regular basis. And by regular, I mean EVERY week

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By Vegasbab, September 13, 2008 12:48 am

I can’t decide whether I’m annoyed or frustrated. Social Media and Web 2.0 have been around for a few years now, and yet everyone is still wishy washy about measurements. Okay, they’ve been around for more than a few years, but in the last year or so, BDC’s are finally understanding what “it” is. Still, no one has vocalized a concrete and standardized way to measure it. The best part? No one even really tries.

Well, guess what? Not being able to quantify something does not fly with the people handing out the money. Nor does it fly with the BDC’s who’d like to see some sort of report about how your spending their money. I think part of the problem is this:

1. Playing with social media is fun. Who doesn’t want to spend their day on Facebook, MySpace, writing a blog or making a “viral” video? But, what happens when the “fun” doesn’t meet the same ROI metrics as SEM, banner ads or eblasts? That’s right, the BDC is going to pull the plug. So, to save the fun, you make the BDC feel stupid and say something like, “How can you ask to quantify putting your product in front of influencers? Clearly, you just don’t get “it”.” Of course, the BDC wants to look cool and like they get “it”, so with this statement, they crawl back in their hole and your fun continues for another few months.
2. Similar to the fun concept, few people realize how much this stuff costs. So, BDA’s tack on astronomical ”strategy” costs. Oh yeah, you’ll also need an “official” social media policy. And, don’t forget the few million dollars for a blog. Didn’t you know? Blogs are magic bullets too. Why add metrics that could potentially put an end to this cash cow?

I get social media, I do. I also get its potential. But, as marketers, we’re being lazy. We’re not doing ourselves, our counterparts or our clients justice by disconnecting social media from financial value just because it takes more effort to generate a report. Remember how people tsk, tsk’d print ads when they learned that other forms of advertising were more measurable? Well, the same thing is going to happen to social media. Social media is not that complex that it can’t be measured. Show me actual correlations to incremental customer acquisition, retention and purchase behavior by a non-Prom King brand and I’ll show you some money.

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By Vegasbab, September 10, 2008 3:36 pm

Moving always comes with the fun part of switching all your services, getting new services, etc. Below are just a few companies I’ve dealt with during my move. And yes, they ALL screwed up my changes one way or the other, albeit some got fixed faster than others.

1. Comcast (TV and Internet)
2. DHL
3. FedEx
4. Linksys
5. Moving Company
6. Nevada Power
7. Sony (New Computer)
8. Southwest Gas
9. T-Mobile

I get that the Customer Service Reps can only do so much, especially when they’re trying to fix other Reps screw-ups. I also get that the systems they work with sometimes don’t allow them to change things, effectively tying their hands. BUT, from their side, companies should start thinking more about the idea of the $4,000 lamp shade or the $100,000 Salt and Pepper Shaker. Especially after these last two weeks, I’d definitely be willing to pay more and/or spend my money with companies that offer better customer service. Hands down.

When you (basically) offer the exact same product at (basically) the exact same price as your competition (i.e. T-Mobile vs. AT&T, Sony vs. Dell), your ONLY competitive edge (aside from branding) centers on customer service. As we all look for and work to leverage our competitive edges, why wouldn’t the focus be on one that is proven to drive happier, more loyal customers and ultimately incremental revenue?

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By Vegasbab, September 10, 2008 12:34 am

I don’t know about you, but the buzz phrase, “Content is King” is getting pretty old.

The next level of this is the context vs. content debate. Clearly, CP+B really took this concept to heart when creating the new Microsoft commercial with Bill Gates and Jerry Seinfeld. However, I don’t think it’s working too well for them… my friends from college thought it was a commercial for Payless Shoes, my parents thought it was advertising Jerry Seinfeld coming to the Kravitz Center (not sure how they came up with that one) and while drunk, my brother thought it was for the Circus. Three different segments, three of Microsoft’s target demographics (especially according to their new campaign), zero understanding.

Now, let’s take a look at a third, often undervalued, “C”: Clarity. In comparison to the Microsoft ad, the Mac ads are short (30 vs. 90 seconds) and fairly light on content. But, they’re quite clear: Mac rules, Microsoft drools! The three segments referenced earlier? Yep, they all get the Mac ads. Okay, well maybe not so much my parents. But, they understand that the Mac ads are trying to sell a computer. In fact, my college friend even took the time to watch the commercial on YouTube. Um… that would be a “pull” form of marketing, which is a Company’s wet dream, and goes something like this: “STOP! How dare you search out our content. Damnit! Stop looking at our ads without us having to pay for space! You’re ruining our marketing plan.”

When your business model is DR focused and you’re constantly trying to move the needle NOW (and who isn’t), context and content don’t cut it alone. You need clarity. Not the clarity you and your marketing buddies understand, but the kind your parents understand. Maybe one day marketers will remember that third C.

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By Vegasbab, September 10, 2008 12:23 am

So you can get a cool widget and make it move! Because I don’t sync my runs with Nike+, mine just sits on its lazy ass and stretches  

Since Nike is apparently oh so smart for coming up with Nike+, you would think they’d make better sharing features. You know, like a Mini Me widget to add to my blog vs. just a screenshot. Oh well. I guess you can’t think of everything. But, I’m sure many others find this annoying. And, if Nike was monitoring the chatter, they would have probably picked up on this a long time ago.

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By Vegasbab, September 8, 2008 11:53 pm

While reading this, I stumbled upon this. Don’t ask me how.

Anyway, The Top 10 Wishlist for Agencies of the Future was interesting, especially #3: Leverage Virtual Communities. Really? Um, okay. The list lost some credibility at that point, but, it also inspired me to make my own Wishlist (some “borrowed” from the original list):

1. Know your shit (aka #1 on the original list). In an ideal world, BDC’s allow BDA’s to do all the heavy thinking (aka the strategy), but if a BDC isn’t confident that the BDA knows their shit, then they’re going to “interfere” with the strategy. Wow, just solved one of the marketing world’s biggest problems
2. Use our newest assets. This would also be known as using our correct logo.
3. Don’t bother cc’ing the Big Guy on your first creative attempt. He hates it and we hate it because it puts him in a pissy mood for the rest of the day. Your first attempt always sucks. It always needs a ton of revisions. Why even bother showing someone who actually has the power to instantaneously fire you something like that?
4. Practice what you preach (aka “Agency Executives using the technology they are recommending”). This one always flabbergasts me. How can you give a presentation, say something sucks or highly recommend x when you HAVE NOT used the technology yourself??!! Still, there’s a lot of Top Execs or people in the space that I admire that never try the latest and greatest. They have ZERO social network accounts, they don’t have a blog nor do they read them, etc. Yet, they adamantly wax on either way based on… Yeah, the world may never know.
5. Set expectations (aka “Ability to Measure Success”). We hired you because (we hope/think) you have more experience than us. Therefore, you should determine the best way to measure success of a campaign. Maybe it isn’t CTR or DR. Gasp! In addition, you should also be able to take the results and turn them into Executive Reports that (a) our Execs can understand and (b) are actionable.
6. And a bonus one… be proactive. Show us new stuff. Bring things outside your realm to the table. A $15MM sponsorship deal with Microsoft? Oh yeah, we’re going to be insanely pissed you hooked that up. Even if we ultimately turn the idea down, we’ll still appreciate it and have more confidence in your skills and value.

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By Vegasbab, September 8, 2008 11:30 pm

I finally finished reading The Last Lecture. Emotionally, it was a tough book to read. But, among other things, it got me thinking a lot about “walls”.

I’m good at breaking other people’s walls. I’m really good at breaking “physical” walls. And, I’m amazing at breaking the walls, no matter how tall, that get in the way of something I really want.

But, while I’m good at breaking those walls, I just can’t seem to break my own ”emotional” ones. Every once in a while, I come close. But, luckily, not close enough.

“Brick walls are there for a reason. They give us a chance to show how badly we want something.” -Randy Pausch

Maybe I just don’t want what’s behind those emotional walls badly enough…

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By Vegasbab, September 6, 2008 3:30 pm

There’s a lot of things I’ll never understand. The below scenario is just one of them.

Background: Strategic Planning is done EVERY year at the SAME time. For the most part, the timelines and order of events are the SAME. The fact that you have to put together a major presentation for #3 in the entire corporation is no surprise. We’ll call this person God as he can make the President of the company start jumping with a single word.

Setting: Friday at Noon. All members of your team receive an urgent email and phone call (gasp, a phone call! That email must be uber important). Contents of Email (signficantly paraphrased to protect the innocent): We’re presenting to God on Monday morning. That presentation we told you wasn’t due until the end of next month? Yea, we need that by Sunday. It needs to be the final, perfect product complete with 2008 creative examples and semi-complete examples for 2009.

My immediate thoughts: ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME??!!! FUCK YOU. There is no way that God sent you a meeting request on Friday for a Monday morning meeting of this caliber. You’ve had that meeting on your calendar for weeks. You’ve basically done jack shit for the meeting and are now screwed. So, who do you turn to? Oh yes, the Marketing Department. You know, that department you blame for EVERYTHING that goes wrong and turn to EVERY TIME you need something.

Boss’s response: Uh, my kid just got sick. I’m going home to take care of her. Just send me everything to review when you guys are done.

Team’s response: Hey, since you’re the copywriter and completely anal about editing and formatting, we’re going to give you all our stuff to put together. You know, on top of the portion you have to do. Oh and by the way, since you’re so good at bullshitting, we’re going to send you along with Person in Need to present to God.

Setting #2: Friday at 6:15PM. Phone Call from Person in Need (again, paraphrased for protection): So, we’ve decided that we need your final, complete presentation by tonight aka we’re moving your deadline up 36+ hours. Yea, we realized that maybe we should practice and look over this thing before Monday. You’ll need to come in all weekend to practice, make additional changes, etc.

Conclusion:

1. We put some CRAZY COOL shit together for this presentation.
2. The Interactive stuff is at least 75% of all the marketing stuff (gotta love how marketing has shifted).
3. It’s perfectly formatted. So perfect, that Person in Need reformatted the other portions to match ours.
4. I’m very concerned about what to wear; will definitely have to get a new suit for presentation to God.