It wasn’t the end of the world, though I am sure the social media marketer in charge of this channel was having a rough day. Even McDs had sympathy and tweeted out their support. Though some replied with “you smug bastard” comments, I genuinely think that social media marketers were truly sympathetic. Sure they had a few good laughs, but after those chuckles died down the fear of “what if” probably set in. And there is no reason that fear shouldn’t be present. I have the fear every time I press the publish button, so why wouldn’t other have the same about what could potentially happen to their accounts.

Now I am not writing to preach on having a strong password, or being mindful of the NSFW links you click on while at work. I am more or less writing to say, “Shit Happens”, cause it does and will continue to happen. It’s how you handle it that makes all the difference. As of now I have no idea how Burger King will handle its defacing. In my heart of hearts I hope they run a promotion that highlights the lighter side of the hacking, and helps bring in loyal customers. That would be the best way to make lemonade from these sour grapes. Take your publicity, whether negative or positive, and make it work to your advantage.

That is the goal of this article. I think they made a movie recently called “Silver Linings Playbook“, no idea what the actual plot is but I can guess it is about taking the bad and making the best of it. That is what you have to do as a social marketer! Every time you hit submit, send, tweet, post, or make public, you are exposing yourself and your company to the follies of the world around you. And to be sure, the world around you can be a funny, cruel, kind, and mischievous place. So be prepared to face whatever may happen.

I myself run the social media side of life for a few start-ups and so far, knock on wood, I am not a victim of misinterpreted posts or tweets, but I know it will happen. So to prepare I am constantly looking around, and observing how the big guys deal with their mishaps. You can learn a lot, good and bad, from corporations and how they respond to social media blunders. Some have a sense of humor, and spin it to their benefit. Others collapse upon themselves in a corner, smelling of urine and fear. Don’t let that be you. Make the most out of every situation. Be smart about your messages, and keep things in perspective!

Keep Calm, and Market On!

Connecting the dots,

Mylos

Right now there is a running question/answer article on ExploreB2B that discusses “debunking” SEO, and what the future of content creation should look like. I view SEO work similar to a spiders web, when everything is connected (linked) together properly, key words used strategically, and content is created with a purpose, you’ve done your job correctly. Like a spider on drugs, there are too many sites out there with dead links, unoriginal/boring content, and are haphazardly connected to unrelated sites. And like a spider on drugs, they don’t get much done.

I could speak to this topic for hours, and point our exactly where some go wrong and others go on to be legendary, but I’ll keep it brief. Don’t want to bore you, and I am sure references to drug using spiders could keep you hooked, but I don’t want your pity. I just want to go to Google search relevant key words to what I want, and be led to your site to learn from, experience, or pay for the service you offer. If I can’t see your company on the first page, chances are I am not seeing your company at all. Not to say I won’t look past the first page, but after all if the all-mighty Google doesn’t deem your content first page worthy, than chances are I am not going to either.

But don’t fret or give up hope. All is not lost. Just stop taking the drugs, put down the spider, and get to work. Easy steps, do your links all work? If you say yes, skip to page 74 in this choose your own adventure, but if you said no….why did you say no? Make them work, or delete them. If you deleted all your links than maybe it’s time to find new sources of content. Where is your customer? Find their trusted sources, and share those sources until you yourself become a trusted source.

Back to where your customer is looking for info, are you there as well? Can you say with a straight face that you actual submit quality information to be gleamed by those in your chosen industry, or are you a spammer, joining only to self-promote? No one liked the kid on the playground that spoke only of how awesome he was at everything, and no one likes a company that offers nothing more than “Buy Here, Buy Now” commentary. Be smart about your interactions, because in todays world your interactions can reach around the globe and back.

So stop being the spider on crack, get up and do your research. Otherwise risk being looked over when others do theirs.

Connecting the Dots!

Mylos

The example I want to point to is a company that works primarily B2B and has daily communications that are sent out based on current and new product that is arriving weekly. Utilizing only email to drive sales is a strategy that can work, and has obviously, but what if there was more you could do to convert those emails to revenue. I am sure not everyone on that mailing list has a preference for every item that comes in the door.

So why not start there? Ask your customers what they want. You have their attention, but do you know what they like or why they buy? Collecting data from a simple survey can quickly help you decide what items need to be in an email going to a select group, a segmented group. Break down your client list, and send them the information they desire, not just a pray & spray of what you have available.

That could be the first step, with many others to follow; Standardize your email template to create an ease of use, put the most important info at the top, link items to a site where they can be added to a cart, send abandoned shopping cart emails, and for god’s sake keep improving on the channel you choose to use for communication!

Enjoy your Wednesday!

While I can give hundreds of examples of cross-branding done right, and probably a thousand examples of it gone awry, I want to speak specifically to the success of a company I am familiar with. This post will attempt to tie in the hard work of Vannen Watches to my point of how good cross-branding can open up new doors. To no fault of their own Vannen Watches started off on a rocky, but positive, start. They had amazing artists, a fresh idea for new accessories, and what seemed like a perfectly timed launch to beat out competitors who were planning the same move. But despite all of the good intentions, and well timed placement, they struggle at times to move these gorgeous time pieces out the door and onto adoring fan’s wrists.

via vannenwatches.com

After the launch of Artist Series 1 and 2 Vannen increased the size of the watch face, which helped expand the market and gave artists a bigger platform on which to display their work. Some amazing watches were produced using this new shape, but things really took off when the brand decided to collaborate with the Descendents. Those of you familiar with the world of punk know who these gentleman are, and there in lies the genius of this collaboration. Sure Vannen had talented artists, but who outside of the designer toy world knew this whole designer watch craze was happening? I am guess not to many, but when you combine your product with a band who’s fans span the globe and cover over 3 generations…well then you may get some traction in places you least expect it.

All of the sudden Vannen went from being relegated to toy blogs to being talked about here, and here, and here. So suddenly you are not only a designer watch brand you are a brand that is making product for several genres, ages and genders. Almost immediately the success of the cross-branded collaboration was visible. More tweets, more fans and a lot more positive press surrounding a company that had some struggle when it came to launching its watches. Now all of the sudden they have traction, and as you’ll see it only helped propel the brand into it’s next working collaboration.

via vannenwatches.com

Their next few cross-branded watches reached out to an entirely new market through collaborations with AMC’s hit series The Walking Dead and Breaking Bad. AMC is no light-weight and their fan base reaches far and wide. Vannen’s decision to suggest this collaboration was insightful and well thought out(or we will assume it was). Here is a watch maker that was kept within the confines of designer toys and artists, but now their brand is being worn by collectors and fans from all age groups and genres. Cross-branding collaboration is not always the best move for a brand but in some cases it ‘s what’s needed to breakout of saturated markets and increase your fan base.

Cross-branding is a double-edged sword that can not only play against you but also those who choose to partner with your brand. So always, always, always be open and honest about what you wish to achieve through the collaboration. The last thing you want is for your co-branded product to get panned by your partners in crime, or to have them disavow the project all together. Vannen has been particularly good at building out exactly what they planned to achieve.

I can’t help but laugh when a company tries their hand at social marketing and it blows up in their face. Then again, I can’t help but laugh when brand successfully launches, maintains, and grows a social marketing campaign. I love social media, schadenfreude and all. As a kid I was one of those little bastards in the AOL chat room manipulating code, and using scripts to ruin all your fun chats about A,S, and L. I quickly learned that the internet is a wild place, one where your best intentions can be misdirected or abused by other users from around the world.

Now with that in mind I approach the social media space with both excitement, I love to share information, and trepidation, because I have seen the wit of other users permanently ruin a brands attempt to promote their company. Most recently I even willfully participated in messing with Mitt Romney’s misguided attempt to skewer President Obama’s policy success. Mitt’s team gladly purchased and promoted several hash tags. One such tag was #failingagenda, and I must admit on the surface it had promise.

Via Twitter 9/10/12 #failedagenda

Imagine a million, nah 100 million tweets all lambasting President Obama with his failures accompanied by the hash tag #failingagenda! Oh the joy and glee the GOP would have had using those 140 character quotes in their attack ads, that will air between now and November 6th. But, when that hash tag hit the ground running it didn’t bring back the results they intended. Instead of positive anti-Obama fodder coming back by the millions, they saw the true risk of social media marketing.

The quick-minded intellectuals of the internet immediately seized upon the hash tag, using it to berate the same people who had gladly paid for this promoted tag. Lesson learned, we hope, but  how and when do you use social channels to promote your brand?

Imagine your brand as a person. Is it approachable? How is your corporate culture? Are your employees preaching the good work you do, or if given the chance will they register false accounts to attack your fan page or twitter feed? Be careful when opening the Pandora’s box of social marketing where your message exists to be interpreted and manipulated by everyone from anywhere.  Social media may not be the best idea if your strategy doesn’t take into account that a PR disaster could be right around the corner. Just ask Sweden, who (in good jest) let their citizens run their twitter, until one citizen decided to use it as a self-promotional soap box.

You can use the channels for what they are meant for, and increase your brand loyalty plus communicate directly with your customers, who are the best marketing you will ever have, or you can try to manipulate the natural order, creating risk and possible loss from your efforts. Those of us consuming media and marketing via Facebook or Twitter are usually inclined to spot and call out a phony attempt to gain our trust or attention, but that doesn’t stop companies from still trying. So next time you hover over the “post” or “tweet” button, think back to what you have learned…because once it goes out, it is out of your hands.

Social media, the internets, and cat videos have connected us to everyone, to everyplace, at anytime. If you want to connect to person that you admire, respect, or want to work with it is all possible now, and from the comforts of our computer. Want to speak to an artist in Germany that you admire and want to work with…not to worry. How about a B-list actress you think would be amazing to photo with your new clothing line, no problem you can at least reach out and pitch the idea.

Now the true question is, will they respond? If your only reason to reach out is a self-serving, egocentric, narcissistic need that you are trying to fulfill, than I hope for their sake they don’t give you the time of day. While this new age we live in makes it easier to connect to people around the world, it also means you need to be cognizant of what your true intentions are for these connections. If you are not giving as much as you are taking, then you are not getting the point of how to properly connect with people in the 21st Century.

It is a double edged sword. You can reach anyone, at anytime, but that also means you can be disconnected at a drop of a dime. Not only that, but you can quickly garner the reputation of a person who’s only goal is to use people for your own gains, and if you think you can connect to people quickly…than you won’t be surprised at how quickly you can be cut-off as well. If others feel you aren’t interested in providing useful information, than what use are you?

Be responsible, be courteous, be connected, but for the right reasons.

As much as I love being a smart ass, the phrase “google it” infuriates me. Sure I could look it up easily, but that is words on a page, and maybe I am looking for some personable interaction with this info. Or maybe, just maybe, I want your opinion on the subject (probably not, but you never know). So with the new “google it” response to any question you may have, where do you go for the personalized opinionated interaction with the information you are searching for?

As we move towards making our lives fully digital, what is going to happen to the interactions we use to have? I already find myself saying “text me”, forget calling me. I won’t answer. Why? Hell, I don’t know. I use to speak with you over the phone but now I just don’t want to communicate that way, but is that the best way to move forward? It’s impersonal, it creates communication errors(sarcasm sucks via text), and feels cold and calculated.

So as marketing moves to include more of the online tools and social media platforms we all use, how are you going to replicate the human interaction that use to be involved in building a brand? Will you still go to events and conventions? What if you stopped going to physical locations and started doing everything from Google+ hangouts?

Don’t stop focusing on new technology and reaching people where they spend there time, but consider what you are adding to their life besides Megabytes of data and some 1′s and 0′s to their retinas. Keep in mind we are still human, we crave affection and interaction. Despite what your Facebook friend count says, you don’t really have that many close encounters with those people.

Keep it honest, keep it personable, and keep connecting on an emotional level.

Now I don’t mean thing like moving sidewalks or cars that drive themselves, though to be honest those would be great after a long night at the pub. I am speaking more towards what I love most, and that is marketing. Automation is key to attaining success in your marketing efforts. From welcome emails, drip campaigns, birthday emails or even cart abandonment notifications, automation will make or break your brand.

Just think of how much work could be accomplished without lifting a finger. Your newest subscriber can get to know you and understand what to expect before you even know you have a new subscriber. All of the sudden your sell-through rate jumps, and you didn’t do much more than set up an automated cart abandonment email to remind those hapless souls that they left something amazing in their cart. It’s all automated and it’s saving you minutes if not years of your life, I am convinced we should all worship at the alter of automation.

Some of the most successful, sought after, brands are using automation, and you just think they are on top of their game. So step it up, automate, and get time back on your life while increasing your money, fans and followers.

*this is a short post, promise to get more in depth shortly. As always let me know if there is a topic that you would like to see discussed.

This campaign has been around for years, and has been dissected and analyzed since day one, so I can’t really add much to that discussion, but I wanted to point out just how ahead of it’s time it was. I am amazed when and ad agency either has the creative fortitude to test the boundaries or the social awareness radar dialed up so high that it is able to detect the underlying current of the consumer frustrations. Then again it may have been a rehash of old ideas, that just so easily fit the time frame for our cyclical society. Either way I am impressed by the Levi’s “Go Forth” Campaign.

The marketing campaign started in 2009 with a partner ship between Levi Strauss & Co and Wieden+Kennedy. Which at the time would have been during the biggest down tick in the US economy, start of everything going to hell. People were losing work, houses were being foreclosed, and the overall mood was rather grim. So the “Go Forth” campaign wasn’t sheer genius, it’s grey scale imagery of working class people reflected what was going on at that time. It made the brand relatable to those struggling, and encouraged it’s customer to succeed by continuing to try, embracing the “American” spirit.

That imagery worked as great marketing, and it worked well. Having been a Levi’s customer those campaigns only served to solidify where I buy my denim(except that one pair of Uniqlo, but $20 for jeans who wouldn’t try it out?!). So they succeeded, their marketing campaign tapped the synergy that was flowing and locked in a good portion of their customer base. I fell for it, as I am sure others did as well. The part that interests me the most though is the direction the campaign took over the years.

Levi’s “Go Forth” started simple, and semi-clean, for a blue-collar working man’s ideal of success and work ethic, but the campaign started to turn. Either they were continuing to follow the overall mood of the country or they wanted to be ahead of the curve. The ads started getting darker, not only the exposure and graininess of the images but the images themselves. More dirt, industrial and earthy, the people being shown weren’t coming home from a normal day on the job. It was as if they were coming back from a fight.

Then there was the campaign that wasn’t. The “Go Forth” Riot campaign that was pulled almost immediately. It first aired the summer of 2011, but was quickly shut down. I remember seeing it; a young man in Levi’s with a leather jacket, visual cuts of colorful smoke and people running, then a pan out to the young man standing in front of dozens of riot police. It seemed like Levi’s were promoting what was about to happen with the Occupy movement. Though the movement hadn’t even officially started. The ad was quickly pulled, due to the UK riots that happened almost simultaneously with the release of the ad campaign. You knew after seeing it that given the atmosphere of today’s political/social environment that it wouldn’t last.

It didn’t matter though, the “Go Forth” campaign was on point and probably did more good for their sales than any damage that could have come from promoting riots. In fact, riots are in, they are cool, so they probably didn’t lose anything. Following the current of social events, and doing it in a way that is pro-active and supportive in changing the situation worked for Levi Strauss & Co.

So next time you are about to tell your customer about how you have an unbelievably amazing product, see if it can relate to or help their overall social situation. Today’s consumer isn’t looking for another product to replace the one they have, they are looking for brands that they can relate to. Brands that share their take on the world, and carry some of the same concerns. So think about the overall context in which your customer will be receiving your message. Relate to them in their world and you’ll have a friend forever.

Hello Kitty has been, at least to me, a staple of what it means for Kawaii culture. A culture based on cute, Asian influenced product from toys to pajamas, to your MAC makeup. So it only makes sense for a brand such as Tokidoki to partner with the immensely popular company of Sanrio.

Tokidoki, an Italian take on the Kawaii culture, is no small fish themselves. Growing into an empire of apparel, makeup, and commodities all from the humble start of art and toys. It doesn’t hurt that they have the constantly charming Simone leading the way and opening doors with his personable smile.

This co-branding collaboration upped it one notch by partnering with the world’s leader of slurpees and 24 hour donut and hot dog craving fulfillment, 7-Eleven. Tokidoki partnered with Sanrio to make limited edition toys incorporating both their iconic styles and put them up for sale at one of the last places one would look for designer toys. And this is where the genius lies.

Everyone knows that Tokyo and Hong Kong have a more excepting attitude to their pop culture, Kawaii, products and IP being plastered all over their products. It is where it all started and makes sense that is has become the norm, so putting Tokidoki x Sanrio product in a chain bodega does nothing but increase the reach of who recognizes Tokidoki’s cactus pups, Adios and Ciao Ciao. All while incasing them in the super safe and well-recognized Hello Kitty brand, making customers connect Tokidoki to what I consider the Micky Mouse of Asia.

That is smart, probably one of the smarter collabs I have seen this year. Sure others have collaborated with Sanrio to produce cross-branded product but where they failed was where they marketed the product. Unlike the half-hearted attempts of the past Tokidoki came correct. They knew it would be a great collaboration, one that would have done well in most markets, but they didn’t release it to every market. Instead they focused the campaign on the geographical area that has not only supported these types of products in the past but have grown increasingly familiar and supportive of Tokidoki’s brand and characters. Having had several large installations in Hong Kong’s largest mall, they knew there was already a market that was drawn to the brand.

This is an important point in marketing your product, and making sure that the product and market line up to make the most out of the campaign you have spent tireless hours planning. Sure it is safe to look around locally and think that this is the market you want to speak to, but with the global market becoming so much more accessible why keep your brand contained within your borders. Branch out and look around to see what other cultures think of your product or similar product. If you see a market that is more in love with your brand than your local fanbase reach out to them, and think creatively about how to speak to them on their terms. 7-Eleven is a subpar bodega in the states but in another country it could be viewed as foreign, exotic, and boutique. So don’t count out avenues based on what you know of them domestically, look and see how they are perceived around the world and go to where they are elevated in stature and uniqueness.

Happy Holidays! Go, Create, and Be Happy!

pics via www.hellokittyjunkie.com