Forge Ahead
Hispanic America – the New Majority
Sep 1st
The explosion of the Hispanic population in the US has been happening for decades. And the 2010 census will show that the population growth shows little signs of slowing (33% of the Hispanic population is under 18. Do the math).
The changing demographics means a lot for marketers. Following are just a couple of thoughts on how:
– Any marketing plan targeting youths must take into account Hispanics. It’s a growing population and, like any demo segment, it should not be marginalized.
– Marketing plans must take into account that Hispanics live in multi-generational households, therefore it is critical to understand how different generations influence each other.
– The influence of the Hispanic market goes beyond the traditional states. Over 30 markets saw the Hispanic population increase by more than 100,000 persons in the past 10 years.
— U.S. born Hispanics will require marketing campaigns that take into account their unique cultural background. It is critical to develop marketing campaigns that go beyond language and place of birth.
Check out a link to a more detailed white paper on the subject here: ddb.com/yellowpapers/
Talk about Yourself – Or someone will do it for you
Aug 30th
Whatever your political inclination, the changing perception and popularity of Pres. Obama is an interesting case study in how shaping one’s messages – and responding to messages that are “said” – are important to guarding your brand.
It’s important for any company to control what is communicated about it. Always respond to misleading communication. And take positive action steps to communicate your “story” before someone else does.
True, it is difficult to guard your name completely. But setting the record straight and proactively responding to negative representations of your company is a must.
In business, image is everything. Protect yours.
http://www.newsweek.com/2010/08/28/alter-how-obama-can-fight-the-lies.html
http://www.newsweek.com/2010/08/28/alter-how-obama-can-fight-the-lies.html
Video Social Media at its Finest – Kanon Organic Vodka
Aug 25th
Kanon Organic Vodka is clearly doing it right. Below is a link to a short film about the company, its history and its distillation process. Yes, it’s a bit artsy. But it’s a video social media branding gem: it’s a video that can be quickly and easily shared, building brand awareness virally, and they’ve secured an excellent blog placement for it as well.
Kudos to Kanon!
http://www.coolhunting.com/culture/casey-neistat-f.php
And the BP Beat Goes On
Aug 25th
I’ve talked at length in past blog posts about the utter disaster that the BP crisis plan following the Deepwater Horizon disaster has been. First there was mistruths about the accident (and that’s putting it mildly). Then there was a loose cannon CEO, complaining about the inconvenience of the spill and acting – as the very face of the company – with zero empathy or respect for those affected by his company’s actions.
Since these early miscues, BP made some strong plays to right the ship: they installed a real-time camera to induce transparency, they began a multi-media ad blitz and they sacked the CEO, among others.
But now, it seems, the company’s corporate stewards have slipped back to their own ways – blocking scientists from testing Gulf waters and failing to disclose the results of their own environmental tests from the affected region.
All too often corporations believe that their actions can be made will little repercussions. But in a 24/7 news cycle with bloggers, activists of every shade and a citizenship that generally cares about the actions of big industry, corporate interests must be mindful of how their actions will be viewed by the public.
At the end of the day every business is in business to make money. But now, more than ever, responsible corporate citizenship is not a price of doing business, it is a prerequisite.
Want a way to communicate in a crisis? Try Facebook.
Aug 19th
According to a recent survey from German consultancy Gartner Communications, 84.8% of companies worldwide have general crisis plans in place, but only 20.7% have social media crisis plans set. In-house communicators rated the importance of social media in a crisis as seven out of 10.
Interesting. But given how fast social media can pass along a message (it IS the new word of mouth after all), it seems like a good place to start disseminating messages in a crisis.
So if you don’t have a FB crisis contingency plan in place – get one.
Facebook’s Big. For Individuals AND for Advertisers.
Aug 16th
Facebook’s latest advertising revenue estimate is topping 1 billion for this year. That’s double what it was last year. And that’s news you need to know if you market a consumer product.
And what a view!
Aug 10th
Our new office is coming together quite nicely! Great environment (yes, we’re right above a brewery), great neighbors and great view!
Pics on our brand new Facebook page coming soon!
Blog PR Jackpot Realized for One Small Grilled Cheese Maker
Jul 28th
I talk to clients often about the power of blog PR. Traditional media relations – the art of getting your companies news spread across the nation’s magazines and newspapers – is losing its resonance for many consumers. While it is still highly effective for certain businesses in certain markets (and verticals), blogs are the “New Media” medium to reach consumers who get their news on the Information Superhighway.
This is just one case in point. This small grilled cheese company will likely go gangbusters thanks to this blog post.
Now their problem won’t be how to get word out about their service. It’ll be how to fulfill the flood of demand.
Old Spice + YouTube = 107% Sales Increase In ONE MONTH
Jul 28th
That’s right. I’ve been preaching to clients for a while that short YouTube clips can go a long way. Well here’s one striking example of how a little humor and a catchy campaign can go a LONG way.
People may argue with the “legitimacy” of a medium like YouTube to get out information about their product or company, but if you deliver something that’s either a) fun, or b) educational, people will check it out.
It’s time to get out of the marketing dark ages. Go digital. And go viral.