When Left Meets Right
Posted: October 25, 2011 Filed under: Business Strategies, Industry Thoughts, Uncategorized | Tags: advetising, brand, marketing Leave a comment »I appreciate that many companies are hyper vigilantly looking for ways to quantify the abstract of marketing and creativity. But, the more time they spend on building the boxes with which to quantify the abstract, the less time they have to innovate, take risks and move the brand bar.
In this article Unilever makes it very clear their intentions of moving forward after a decade of numbers crunching.
Unilever outlines ‘more magic, less logic’ fresh marketing philosophy
by Loulla-Mae Eleftheriou-Smith, 25 October 2011, 8:30am
Unilever is to undertake a fundamental change in approach to its marketing through the implementation of a fresh ‘More magic, less logic’ company philosophy.
Marc Mathieu: Unilever’s senior VP marketing encouraging marketers to take risks
The FMCG brand-owner wants to shake up its numbers-led marketing strategy to reward marketers who are prepared to take risks and back creative ideas.
At a recent global briefing, principally featuring Unilever’s brand teams worldwide, along with roster agencies, senior marketers Keith Weed and Marc Mathieu outlined a 10-year plan. Providing that the company subsequently learned from its mistakes, they believe this would ‘enable marketers to fail’, where previously they have been ‘scared’ to do so.
Mathieu, Unilever’s senior vice-president of marketing, emphasised the need to diverge from what one source described as an ‘unthinking adherence to quantitative market research at the risk of losing some of the creative spark that leads to great creative ideas’.
The change is understood to move Unilever away from the type of model used by rival Procter & Gamble.
Mathieu, a former senior marketer at Coca-Cola, took up his role at Unilever in April. His appointment completed an overhaul of the marketing team by Weed, Unilever’s chief marketing and communications officer.
Forbes: 20 Best-Ever Social Media Campaigns
Posted: August 24, 2011 Filed under: Industry Thoughts, Marketing Perspective Leave a comment »Forbes asked three experts to rank the 20 best-ever social media campaigns based on the success, execution and creativity of the campaigns. The three panelist included: David Berkowitz of the New York City agency 360i; Brandon Evans of the social marketing agency Mr. Youth in New York City and Michael Lebowitz of Big Spaceship, a digital ad shop in Brooklyn.
In October of 1994 three student filmmakers disappeared in the woods near Burkittsville, Maryland, while shooting a documentary … A year later their footage was found …
The Blair Witch Project was considered to be the best-ever social media campaigns, cost $22,000 to make the film and generated $249 million worldwide. Not a bad ROI.
Forbes list of the 20 best-ever social media campaigns:
- “The Blair Witch Project”
- Blendtec: ill It Blend?
- Old Spice: “Smell Like a Man, Man.”
- Burger King: “Subservient Chicken”
- Pepsi Refresh
- VW: “Fun Theory”
- OfficeMax: “Elf Yourself”
- Evian: “Roller Babies
- Ikea: “Facebook Showroom”
- Hotmail
- Whopper Sacrifice
- Target: “Bullseye Gives”
- Vitaminwater
- Smirnoff: “Tea Par-tay”
- The Dark Knight: Why So Serious?
- Quicksilver: “Dynamic Surfing”
- Cadbury: Gorilla
- BMW: “1 Series Graffit Contest”
- Bing/Farmville
- CareerBuilder: Monk-e-Mail
Read Victoria Taylor’s Forbes article, “The Best-Ever Social Media Campaigns” and “Forbes: In Pictures: Best-Ever Social Media Campaigns”
Also thanks to http://fuelingnewbusiness.com for posting the original article.
Changing The Hesitance Toward Mobile Media
Posted: August 17, 2011 Filed under: Accomplishments, Business Strategies, Our News Leave a comment »Why does it take so long for a great concept to catch on? Are we reluctant to try something new because of the proliferation of “new” everyday? Why should we stick our professional necks out until “new” has been proven?
We meet with our clients and discuss social business media being manifested in mobile websites. Of course, now, the more acceptable term is “online marketing.” Forget the word “social” or “media” for that matter, it apparently sends the wrong message. Many clients listen intently and then back burner the medium. Not out of fear; they’re just not what you would call early adopters. They are more the sideline spectators, for now.
However, there are a few that say, “I am willing to try something new, tell me how this could work for us.” We cherish this response, knowing that in the case of “mobile media,” it WILL work for them. Here’s an example.
We recently began a project for MASSEY FERGUSON, the agricultural machinery company owned by AGCO. MASSEY FERGUSON needed to engineer a campaign for the launch or their revolutionary and industry-game-changer Windrower. In hope of creating viral buzz in the marketplace, we chose to use mobile media to track, and add value to, the potential consumer and to extend the brand beyond its current reach. Consider this, 43% of farmers use smartphones*, after all they don’t work behind a desk. They are in the field where wireless technology is their connection to the world. Yes, they are a savvy bunch – tracking commodity markets, grain trades, and monitoring the weather.
So, we thought, let’s tap in to their mobile world and give them something to chat about. We worked with mobile marketing company mobilezen, to design an effective mobile strategy incorporating text messaging and a mobile website.
Beginning in June 2011, MASSEY FERGUSON, was rolling 12 prototypes of the new state-of-the-art, completely re-engineered Tier IV Windrower off the assembly line. While the new Windrowers were waiting on flatbeds to be shipped around the country to key dealers for previews, we had them wrapped with a large custom fit red tarp. On the outside of the tarp, in large bold white letters read: Curious? “Text Curious to 99699.”
As the machines were being moved all over the country to their temporary destinations, the large red tarps moved through the heartland, stirring up a viral buzz and speculation on industry chat sites. Once arriving at their destination, some remained covered and strategically positioned on the side of the road.
Pictures were posted of the red tarp-covered machinery and the industry started to buzz in speculation. What were they saying? “Has anyone heard anything about a new Hesston Windrower?” … “A friend sent me a picture of a tarp covered Windrower that said text “Curious” to 99699…” “…Spill the beans…”
- Massey Ferguson Windrower goes “Mobile”
Those “curious” enough, and there were thousands, used their smartphone to text “Curious” to 99699. They instantly received a text message reply containing a link to a mobile TextSite, containing teaser tidbits about the next best thing in hay.
We even tantalized our marketing brethren by feeding bits of information into the market through strategic channels before the launch of the program. We told the story in loose terms of what was coming, without revealing the company or the product.
Industry speculators immediately went to work to pull together as many facts as possible, even putting one AGCO professional on the spot. During a large trade show in Tulare early in the year in front of an audience of 750+ marketing, media and industry professionals, a speaker asked if there was anybody in the audience from AGCO or MASSEY FERGUSON. A representative was present. The speaker asked if the representative could confirm the coming promotion of the red tarp concept and their use of mobile media – the representative did exactly what she needed to by responding, “I can neither confirm or deny that it exists.”
Does mobile media work?
In 90 days, 3500+ mobile website views opted in to learn more, see videos and testimonials and 19% of them even filled out an online questionnaire right on their phone. The average time spent on the site (with the brand) is 3 minutes 45 seconds. When was the last time you had your customer’s attention for an additional 3:45 to listen to you talk about your product or service? People who have come in contact with the original red tarps, which are moving down the road on a flatbed somewhere in the American heartland, are sharing the mobile TextSite across the US and into Canada.
Interested in learning more? Text Curious To 99699.
* Reported by Agriculture.com
MASSEY FERGUSON, mobilezen, The Crafton Group, AGCO
Companies and Change
Posted: March 18, 2011 Filed under: Business Strategies, Industry Thoughts | Tags: brand, Change Management, Chief Marketing Officer Leave a comment »Companies’ talk about being progressive and innovative, but in reality, deep down inside, they have an aversion to change. Change requires some level of risk, a philosophy not so easily or generally embraced by the vast majority of companies. As a CMO, we live for change; we see change as an opportunity not as a liability. As more and more companies hire a CMO the gap of circumstance seems to be closing. So, why do you think the CMO has the shortest life expectancy of any executive position in corporate America? The true irony of this relationship is that a CMO embraces change, but the organizations that hire them to make a difference are more inclined to only flirt with the idea of change than actually commit.
Could corporations be so myopic in their thinking that they truly do not understand the full scope of what a CMO has to offer?
Let’s change how others think: In the C-Suite, marketing is perceived as an intangible. It is hard to wrap up marketing as an asset in a neat spreadsheet; marketing requires nimble thinking and the ability to recognized opportunity in a split second. How is that reflected as a tangible line item of value? An accountable and progressive CMO will have or needs to have a battery of metrics that can be set in place in order to allow the rest of the team a linear understanding of our non-linear world. And the CMO must have a good relationship with the CFO, more than the others, because the CFO translates every aspect of the company into the great common denominators of value and profit; you need to be speaking the same language. It’s up to you, the CMO, to migrate a mindset of skeptics.
Let’s change who we are: Today, the CMO needs to be as much a savvy businessperson as a brilliant generator of ideas and a wizard in human resource management. Companies like Berkshire Hathaway understand the value of a sharp marketing mind. BH is making an effort to have marketing represented in the executive suite of every company they own. Why? Because the ability for a company to change and innovate needs to come from the minds of people whom live for change and strive to innovate. And who better than for a CMO to aid in leading an organization to greener pastures. Be the visionary your company needs.
Let’s not change our goal: We as CMO’s make it our goal to support the CEO’s vision of utopia. We are harnessed with vision, creativity and business savvy that can be utilized 24/7 in support of the CEO. As the company embarks on this journey you as the CMO charted, never lose sight of the CEO’s ultimate objective. Companies need to understand this endeavor will have its bumps and challenges, so leave it to the CMO to take the risk and afford the company the rewards.
Ray Bouléy
What’s The Big Idea?
Posted: January 16, 2011 Filed under: Business Strategies, Marketing Perspective | Tags: brand, Chief Marketing Officer, Creative, marketing, Strategy Leave a comment »The search for the next big idea for a client is an exploration of mind, time and skill. There is never “enough” time before the initial presentation to be sure everything will fire on all cylinders in the minds of the clients. But if you know where you want your client to be and ensure their light bulb goes on and they say, “That is a great idea,” you will need to have the time and skill to navigate the wide breath of interpretations of the receiving parties.
All to often, “The Big Idea” can get lost in its delivery because most clients are thinking tactically when they should be considering how “The Big Idea” relates to the marketing strategy and their goals. While they are trying to relate to what you are expressing they are thinking creatively but in a tactical way. As a marketing expert, you need to be aware of this vital fact and be sure you make relevance to their specific business objectives throughout your presentation of “The Big Idea.”
In the event you miscommunicate and loose the direct link you are working to establish in the mind of the client between “The Big Idea” and how they are thinking, you will relegate yourself to being only the “Idea Guy” with little understanding of relevance and application. Worse yet, “The Big Idea” will never see the light of day – here you loose. But most importantly, the client will loose because they will fall back into their comfort zone of only thinking of tactics and in return ask your team to deliver items, not a strategy. At this point you and your company become nothing more than a commodity. There are a lot of great tactical people out their in the world but very few great originators and communicators of “The Big Idea.”
Big Idea+Relevance+Strategy+Tactics = Client Success
Ray Bouley, CEO and Founding Partner Next Step…the origin of ideas
The Strength Of A Brand Begins From Within.
Posted: December 16, 2010 Filed under: Business Strategies, Industry Thoughts, Marketing Perspective | Tags: Brand Management, business strategy, marketing Leave a comment »I know we have all seen it, many times, the organization that prides itself on delivering a great product or service to market and extols the virtues of understanding their brand. But they have no idea why the market is confused by their brand and why they cannot gain market share from the 1000lb goliath brand.
You have to wonder why organizations that require 1-3% annual growth want to pick a fight with an organization that has out branded them at every point.
That is a topic for another blog.
The true strength of a brand starts from within the walls of your own organization. Because by definition, a brand is the proprietary visual, emotional, rational and cultural image that you associate with a company, product or service, one should be cognoscente of the fact that this applies to everyone and everything. Who you are internally is what you become externally.
Here are 10 items you should consider:
1. How many true brand champions are in and among the ranks of your company? For that matter, how many brand champions do you have in the C-suite?
2. Does everyone in the organization understand the company’s true objectives? (Being profitable and selling more is a given).
3. Do all of the divisions understand the value their counterparts bring to the organization? And do they communicate?
4. Do employees look at each other as a potential resource or as an impediment or worse yet, an adversary?
5. Do I, hire wisely by looking for people who believe in brand.
6. Do I, as an executive in this company, promote and foster a culture conducive to developing brand believers or does everyone come to work and think of this place as a job?
7. Does everybody I work with understand WHY we exist as a company?
8. Do I understand that the most successful companies are managed as brands?
9. How often do I use the word “We” and not “I”?
10. Am I a brand champion?
It is our job as a CMO to help them reach their highest potential.
Make it so.
Ray Bouley
Looking Inside In Order To Manifest The Brand Outside.
Posted: November 24, 2010 Filed under: Industry Thoughts | Tags: advertising, brand, business strategy, marketing Leave a comment »Many times we have been asked, “What can you do for our brand, we need some help” That question opens up a waterfall of questions and opportunities. Many times highly talented and very astute brand champions ask us that question. These people have the skill set to push any brand anywhere they would like it to go.
In our industry we live in a world of intangible and most people in the C-Suite come from backgrounds as contrary to ours as black is to white. As marketing professionals we can sit in a room and develop brilliant strategies, but getting complete by in, that is another question. Where it all falls apart is in our ability to do two things:
1. Communicate with our coworkers in the C-suite in a fashion they are accustom, in a vernacular they can understand, one that is outside the world of abstraction.
2. Build a consensus, a baseline understanding of the brand within the entire organization before moving forward to solve any problems. Many times organizations become so involved with what they do on a day-to-day basis that they forget the core goal or philosophy of the company. It is our job, our responsibility, to keep the entire organization in touch with the brand. We understand brand management that is what we do. While others are doing what they do best, it is our responsibility to manage, defend, and migrate our brand internally before we can ever give flight to the external brand, let alone a migration. Take time to develop a communication bridge with all the people in your company who need to better understand what you do and why you do it. Make sure they see value in what you do by showing them how it brings greater value to what they do. Create an environment of passive collaboration allowing everyone to feel they can contribute and thus obtaining ongoing buy-in from the team.
The more the C-Suite understands the power of what marketing can do for them the more value they will see in the power of you. After all we are the masters of communications.
