Alberta Business Marketing

I challenge you to find me a less captive audience than the one you find on the Internet. Tell me where I can find people in a comparable state of temptation fueled by an endless sea of customized possibility. It's impossible - there's just too many options online. Too many cool sites. Too many Facebook photos to creep. Too much damn stuff to do. And herein lies the challenge of blogging, that is, creating content that pulls your reader in deeply enough that they wont jump ship in the middle of a post.

So, what are the keys to creating blog content that is sticky, interesting and, most importantly, looks tastier than any of the dangling carrots that the world wide web puts in front of your readers?

1. Save the keg for college

Micro-sized content rules. If I'm interested in a lengthy thesis, I'll pick up a book. But here on the Internet - the land of free music, porn, and cute videos of seals holding hands - my attention span is firmly set to minimal. Think in terms of offering your readers a beer, instead of forcing them to do a 23 minute keg-stand. Give me quick points, intriguing information, and good links in case I'm so inclined as to go further down the rabbit hole.

2. Sequels are for movies

Nothing makes me cringe like reading an introductory sentence that sounds something like this: "In this, the first post in my 9-part examination into report-appropriate sans serif fonts of the B2B sector......" Oh. My. God. Blogs are supposed to be efficient and intriguing. Being concise is in your best interest. If you can't explain it in one post, then it probably isn't worth listening to. The mere thought of having to look at several subsequent pieces in order to fully understand your idea turns me off of reading even the first one.

3. Personality rules

It's been said a kajillion times, but it still holds true that the best bloggers write the way they talk. Blogging is built around personal commentary, and yet so many people are terrified to show their bias and state their own opinions. This is the biggest difference between traditional journalism and online thought-sharing. People can find raw, objective data in any number of places; they read your blog because they are looking for insight. You must strike a balance between the two. So go ahead - take a stand, make a point, pick a side! This ain't CNN, folks. Compelling information + an intriguing stance = a great blog.

4. Don't suck. Be something.

Most important thing to remember is this: nobody HAS to read anyone's blog. Readers follow them as an extra curricular function, and only when they enjoy doing so. As the author, it is your obligation to provide content that entertains and enlightens. It goes without saying, but a polished product is always the first step to success. Be funny. Be smart. Be something. Have you been on Technorati lately? There's no shortage of competition in the blogosphere, so you better have something incredible to offer. Stand out and make sure you're not adding to the clutter.

Brook Johnston

Tags: social media
Posted in Alberta Business | | Comments Off

Let’s give it a shot. To the best of my ability, that’s the attitude I’ve tried to embody during my first two years in college. After all, the marketing world is notorious for its fast pace and competitive nature; it’s basically a necessity for entry-level applicants to have some dazzling extra-curricular content on their resume. So I decided to reach outside of school and make a splash. Was it intimidating? Yes. Was it sometimes challenging to balance college with additional opportunities? Sure. But was it worth it? Absolutely.

I assisted with a charity event, competed in provincial and national marketing competitions, interned for a small agency, started a blog, and even had some posts published on this very site. And while I did all of this, one thing became clear to me - connecting and developing is as easy as saying those five words: let’s give it a shot. Here’s my most recent example. Earlier this month, I was attending the Art of Marketing conference in Toronto. I saw some wonderful speakers including Mitch Joel – marketing guru, bestselling author, and “Rockstar of Digital Marketing”. I was also reading Mitch’s book at the time, and began to think about some of his concepts. So, I went home one day and typed up a little piece for my blog that referenced one of his ideas. Later that night, I got an email notification from my blog engine with the following subject line: “New comment on your post #547 "Itchin' to shoot" - Author: Mitch Joel - Twist Image”.

I’m a self-proclaimed marketing nerd, so I was definitely a little star struck upon seeing this. We began discussing the subject on the comment page and I eventually emailed him to connect. I saw another opportunity; I asked him if he’d be up for an interview for my hinky-dinky blog. On March 2nd, I was a 19-year-old student in a crowd of 1600 marketing professionals watching Mitch speak. Five days later, I was interviewing him for my blog. If that doesn’t demonstrate the power of “giving it a shot”, then I don’t know what will. I think a lot of people forget to think this way. Why? Because it’s terrifying! Whether you’re a creative director or run a hot-dog stand, you have the huge responsibility of building something, and your fate rests on the results. It’s only natural to shy away from such a reckless theory. But why not give it a shot?

Maybe there’s an initiative you’ve been shying away from, or maybe you’re a student like me that’s too reserved to ask for an information interview. At risk of sounding tacky, it goes back to that old philosophy of missing 100% of the shots you never take. So, throw caution to the wind, give it a whirl, and toss your hat in the ring; that’s the only way you’ll get anywhere – even if you stumble along the way. You might just end up with something amazing.

Brook Johnston

Tags: This and That
Posted in Alberta Business | | Comments Off

Your brand is your baby. You take special care of her, give her all kinds of attention, and wouldn’t dare let anyone corrupt her. That’s why we are so careful and anxious when connecting our brand to an external figure – like an athlete, or a TV show. When we do this, we feel that they become a living representation of our brand, and sometimes this can cause problems. Let’s examine a recent example. Jersey Shore is a reality(ish) series on MTV that follows several New Jersey natives with Italian backgrounds as they live together in a home for the summer. The group represents every negative stereotype associated with Italian-Americans. Most episodes are wont to contain copious amounts of drinking, clubbing, sex, fighting, and casual references to one another as “guidos” and “guidettes” - slang terms that most Italians find offensive. As a complete side note, I find it unbelievable that the general public and especially the media doesn’t understand that – like a large chunk of MTV’s reality programming – this show is being ironic; it’s an open parody of the ridiculous and laughable social behaviorisms that exist in North America. It’s a human case study in absurdity.

Right, back on track… Needless to say, many sponsors who didn’t fully understand what they were getting into fled from their advertising blocks upon seeing the controversial first episodes – including one that originally documented a female cast members getting punched in the face by a man at a club. The likes of Dell, Burger King, Nivea, Unico, and many more decided they had had enough and removed their ads from the Jersey Shore timeslot. But is this the right decision? This is where we must question our mindset as marketers. Our knee-jerk reaction is very simple: write-off Jersey Shore because it represents bad values that we don’t want consumers to attach our brand to.

Make sense right? Or does it? Maybe we are over-analyzing. After all, we’re not talking about branded content here. We weren’t directly a part of the show – we simply advertised during its timeslot. The show’s characters weren’t actually endorsing our brand and there was no product-placement. So why are we presuming that viewers are making a connection?

Let’s take this theory one step further. If company x advertises during a program like FOX’s 24, in which renegade secret agent Jack Bauer ruthlessly slaughters countless enemies in every episode. Does this mean company x now endorses murder? What if they advertised during Desperate Housewives - does this mean their brand represents and supports promiscuous sex and infidelity? Absolutely not. That would be a ridiculous assumption to make. …sort of like saying that anyone who advertises during Jersey Shore endorses the abuse of women?

What I’m about to say goes against a lot of traditional marketing theory, but the truth is this: consumers don’t judge your brand on every little thing you do. We’re not talking about a company whose main representative and the face of a franchise went off the deep end (a la the Tiger Woods debacle). We’re talking about timeslots. You should be selecting programs to advertise with based on ratings, demographics, and cost. In many cases, you can’t waste time worrying about content - because let’s be honest, consumers usually don’t care enough to make that connection.

As the inaugural season of Jersey Shore came to a close, their ratings reached close to 5 million viewers per episode, mostly comprised of young adults and teens. How could you possibly ignore this opportunity just because you’re scared that over-analytical consumers will make an obscure and stretched connection between your brand and the show’s content?
Never be too careful. Step back from your pie charts and focus groups, and get real. Your analysis of a consumer’s perception is likely far beyond what is reality. Read too much into issues like this, and you may miss out on a huge opportunity.

Brook Johnston

Posted in Advertising | | Comments Off

There was turkey, some new books, more turkey, and a few conversations spent defending the ethics and practices of marketing. Being home for Christmas gave me the chance to talk about advertising with people who don’t spend much time thinking about it - which is actually extremely refreshing. You see, as soon as you spend too much time inside the marketing space warp, you risk forgetting about the conventional perceptions most people have about what we do. It’s necessary to step back every once and a while and listen to the organic views they have on brands and their strategies.

However, I occasionally speak with people who have an overly aggressive viewpoint. It typically consists of marketers being evil, brainwashing, corporate devils that are out to destroy society. I call these people hippies. Regardless, they are consumers and we must pay attention to them. The first question I am typically asked is ‘Why are there so many bad ads out there?’ This is a valid question and one that has plagued the industry. There’s way too much crummy advertising. It’s undeniable.

Not every client can afford to hire a top-tier agency like BBDO or Taxi to create campaigns for their business. It’s hard to develop a clever concept, execute it perfectly, and have everyone love it. So, my defense goes something like this… You have to look beyond the cutesy jingles and cringe-worthy puns we see happening far too often. Advertising is all about positioning and presence. These two things happen on an almost subconscious level. For example, ask anyone to name off a couple adjectives describing Telus. Unless they’re a disgruntled customer, you’ll hear words like fun, silly, cute, and cool. Why would this reaction occur? Have you ever had a personal interaction with any Telus rep that could be described by one of these adjectives? The answer is probably no. It doesn’t matter though, because Telus has strategically positioned themselves this way by using effective branding and great TV spots that feature lemurs and festive hippos.

Apple is another great example. Many people say they are immune to advertising, yet they sure know how cool Macbooks are… Maintaining a strong media presence also works to improve the perceptions and trust of consumers. Effective media planning and solid frequency provides a sense of legitimacy to any product. It’s what separates brand names from cheap imitators. This is especially true for goods that the public doesn’t generally have a strong opinion towards – like pain-relievers, for example. By maintaining a prolonged and successful marketing presence, Tylenol and Aspirin have built rock-solid brand loyalty amongst consumers. I’m sure the no-name acetaminophen would work just as well and cost a dollar less, but I want the legitimacy of Tylenol. I’m willing to spend the extra money for an established product. I don’t think many people can recall a specific ad for Tylenol that was overly charming or memorable, but I’m sure they possess the same perception. Advertising is all about the intangibles. It’s built upon developing relationships – sometimes without the consumer even knowing – so that brands can eventually become successful.

So next time you run into one of these anti-advertising hooligans, let them think whatever they want. Chances are, they’ve already fallen victim to the genius of our work. And they don’t even know it.

By Brook Johnston @ marketingman.ca

Posted in Advertising | | Comments Off

Consider the following scenario: Your plumber approaches you after completing a repair in your home. He seems like a nice enough guy, so you give him a chance when he begins speaking to you. He asks if you’d be interested in receiving his weekly newsletter. You are confused and a little bit uncomfortable. You decide to play along, though, and ask him what the aforementioned newsletter would touch on. He responds, “Oh, various items on plumbing and how you can get the best out of it. I have different tips on how to maximize the effectiveness of your toilet-water… I also review new fixtures and pipes that are hitting the market.”

At this point, you awkwardly decline, allow him to leave, and lock the door. Why did this happen? It’s simple; there is no need for an exterior relationship between the service (our weird, hypothetical plumber) and the consumer (you). When my water pipes are busted, I require the service. Beyond that, it’s not really part of my world – and I’m okay with that. So why do so many marketers try to force the same kind of irrelevant content down the public’s throat on social media sites like Twitter and Facebook? As these sites continue to grow in popularity and international reach, uninformed marketers are latching onto their coattails and, consequently, making a fool of themselves.

When done right, many brands have been quite successful utilizing this young medium. Clothing company H&M posts photos of their new seasonal collections and other interesting materials that their close to1.5 million fans on Facebook legitimately care about. As marketers, we are obligated to understand and properly take advantage of the trends that affect our consumers. There is no doubt that social media provides an opportunity for branding. However, that opportunity isn’t open to every business out there. You must have something unique to offer the consumer - beyond a price listing or link to your website. If there is no demand for additional material, don’t provide it. You’ll just be polluting an emerging media that consumers are still interested in.

So before you hop on the social media bandwagon, please take a minute to consider if anyone wants you going along for the ride. After all, it’s already pretty crowded out there.

Brook Johnston @marketingman.ca

Tags: Get it off your chest, social media
Posted in Alberta Business | | Comments Off