The importance of PR in a social media world

Hi everyone

As you may have heard, the excellent 'The Best Job in the World' campaign picked up the inaugural PR Gold Lion at Cannes last week.

It's a ground-breaking campaign for a number of reasons. Firstly, it wasn't won by a stand-alone PR shop, but by an integrated ad agency.

Secondly the campaign didn't fit neatly into any category but combined a range of marketing disciplines in an integrated effort. And finally the success of the campaign was driven as much by consumer buzz as by mainstream media.

In many ways this campaign highlighted why PR has become arguably the most important tool in making our brands famous in a globally connected, consumer driven, social media world.

So what can we as marketers learn from their success? Here's a few important lessons:

1. Accept that media is in every one's hands : To see the impact of the change in media landscape, you only need to take a look at what's happened with the influence of social media in the protests in Iran this last week. No longer can authoritarian governments (or brands) control the message anymore. It's in the people's hands now. Look at this fascinating overview by Clay Shirky about the new media landscape and its implications.

This social media power really hit home to me in the 'Best Job' campaign when I received video entries like this from my Thai friends, long before I heard about it from other media.

2. Let social media and other media to feed off each other: But that's not to say that we should forget about the influence and importance of 'mainstream media'. Major newspapers, blogs, twitter feeds and cable news all live side by side and play a role in getting the message out. In many cases the influential bloggers are also journalists, or the mainstream news site is getting its updates from Twitter.

'The Best Job in the World' created the virtuous circle of online feeding offline PR (Osama Bin Laden video entry), and offline news reports feeding online entries (News reports of competition).

What is important in this environment is that we have a plan to cover all media to allow this cross fertilisation and spreading of the message. Given this, It was worrying to read in Asia this week that many APAC PRs are ignoring bloggers. In a social media world, where Twitter can have as big an influence as CNN, that's a major mistake.

3. Embrace a human idea to generate buzz: The fact that people could create video applications for "The Best Job in the World' meant that the core idea for the campaign was also the main way of spreading the news around the web. Creating consumer buzz is not just a media choice, it's a creative choice. And that means now more than ever, your idea has not only got to be newsworthy for big media but also interesting enough and 'human enough' for everyone to want get involved.

At the heart of the success of the 'The Best Job' campaign was NOT the fact that it's Queensland, but that everyone dreams of a job on a tropical island getting paid to relax and have fun. Without understanding this human truth, the best use of social media ever would not have helped this campaign.

Many tourist organisations will rush to replicate this success, but most will fail for one simple reason. They will rush to push their brand first and forget about the very motivation people travel in the first place. They do it for themselves.

Cheers, Rob

Feel free to add comments below, or for further questions or advice contact me at rob.h@th.arcww.com

End of the Lion?

Hi everyone

This week is the Cannes International Advertising festival, the pinnacle of global advertising and marketing award shows.

And it's interesting to note that the festival, this year more than any other, is under attack. This is typified by Bob Garfield's article this week saying that Cannes no longer matters. In typical Garfield style he's a bit over the top, but he does make some important points.

In an age where advertising and marketing is undergoing a massive revolution, many award shows are simply not keeping pace with these changes. Actually they are trying to evolve, and Cannes more than many others. But they are definitely behind the times.

And the fact is they need to change because award shows should still matter. Because the best in the industry still needs to be acknowledged. Because these creative campaigns, which has been proven time and again, drive disproportional sales success for our clients. And because they light the way for the rest of the industry on how we can improve and do great work.

But to keep that flame alive, to save the lion, I think we need to start to evolve shows to better reflect the changing environment of the times. Here's my thoughts on how:

- Change categories: Yes, separate categories have already been created for digital and integrated work, but there are simply not enough of them. So much great integrated work is confined to so few categories. Print and film are still dominant in most awards, yet they are becoming less relevant in the real world. This must change.

- Change Judges: While of course some of the greatest advertising minds in the world are the judges, I don't believe there is enough young and integrated minds also involved in the judging panels. Most award shows still venerate the old school of marketing and these judges are, no matter how esteemed, part of this school. Judging needs a radical shake up.

- Outside Influence: One way would be to invite non-industry judges and clients into the process. Already we are increasingly influenced by areas such as fashion, design, computer animation, etc.. so why not bring their insights into the process? And why not include major global clients, with an understanding of creative effectiveness, for their input as well. Yes we want to be judged by our peers, but I think the idea of who these peers are needs an overhaul.

- People Power: I think one way to make the awards relevant again is to open up the festival to the people, to our global customers. Yes the awards are about peer recognition - but there is a perception we are out of touch. Introducing a series of 'people's choice' awards alongside the main awards, and a global campaign to introduce this concept, will bring some much needed PR and relevance back to the show.

Ok, that's my view. Now let's look at some great work. I've chosen 5 campaigns, highlighted from 50 shown at last week's Leo Burnett Cannes Predictions, which I think show the best of what we can be and hopefully will win at the show. Watch all the You Tube campaign presentations below:

1. Whopper Sacrifice: For me this was the campaign of the year, a great way to show a love of the burger and have some cheeky fun with your friends. The fact it got shut down made it even more powerful in terms of positive PR.

2. Oasis Street Launch: A wonderful approach to launching music for the people, by the people. Watching this actually made me buy my first Oasis album in 10 years.

3. Share our Billboard: A brilliantly simple idea to involve people in the brand, offline, and made possible online. And it does what all great campaigns do - it sells.

4. Best Job in the World: The most buzzable campaign of the year, a great example of giving the tools to people and enabling them to sell the story.

5. Obama for America: Perhaps the greatest integrated campaign ever created, a landmark in political advertising that will set the scene for similar campaigns from now on.

What's your favorite?

Cheers, Rob

Feel free to add comments below, or for further questions or advice contact me at rob.h@th.arcww.com

Don't make an ad, create a movement

Hi everyone

Recently there's been some different integrated digital work that stands out because it's communicating more than a product benefit, it's creating a cultural movement.

Below are major examples of this from brands like Coke, HP, Doritos, Dove, Microsoft and Virgin.

Why are more brands getting involved? Well as Carlos Ricardo notes here talking about the Doritos campaign, when a brand creates a a cultural movement "it plays a strategically important role as an enabaler in bringing a memorable experience to consumers. And that message (if done right) is a spark that can transform into something very big."

Yes, we must ensure that the 'cause' is relevant to the brand - even if this link is just the irreverence or fun of the product - but we should also remember that this relevance doesn't just have to be to about corporate or social responsibility.

A movement is simply something real that a customer can care about, take ownership of, share with others and feel a part of the solution. Whether that's saving the planet or saving slow dancing - every brand can find a movement that is right for their audience. Here at Leo Burnett we call it creating ACTS, not just ads. Here are just a few:

Types of Movements:

1. A fun movement: Doritos created a movement shown here that connected with something authentic and real that their young digital audience related to. Bring back slow dancing!

2. An educational movement: McAfee software decided people would love to understand how hacking works and created a great movement to stop H*Commerce.

3, A fantasy movement: To launch Halo 3 last year Microsoft created a wonderful story and memorial to the chracter from the vidoe game, Master Chief, called'Believe'. It helped create the biggest entertainment launch in history.

4. A real memorial movement: Back to reality, this new campaign for Victoria Bitter (beer) created a movement about remembering, and raising a glass to, Australia's war dead. Watch the TVC and see the website and campaign review here.

5. A social progression movement: Dove is famous for its campaigns about changing attitudes to beauty, which everyone has seen, but worth looking at this one again.

6. An environmental movement: Following on from our Sydney office's effort with Earth Hour, our colleagues in Singapore have teamed up with our client HP to create a movement about saving power and the planet, just by turning off your PC. Visit https://h30470.www3.hp.com/

7. A celebration movement : In China we created a movement around celebrating the Chinese New Year with people you love, in First Coke of the Year.

8. A whacky movement: Virgin mobile (who else) created this hilarious and silly movement to 'stop wrong music' with apologies from past artists who created some pretty bad music.

There are so many movements to create that can connect with our customers. Any others you care to share?

Cheers, Rob

Feel free to add comments below, or for further questions or advice contact me at rob.h@th.arcww.com

Keeping up with the digital revolution

Hi everyone

Every generation thinks they are at the crossroads of history, that the changes going on NOW are the most important ever. I guess our present generation is no different.

But it would be hard to think of another era when so many changes were happening in the marketing landscape all at once.

And of course it's our job to try and keep up with how these changes that are effecting our customers and our brands, both in Thailand and around the world.

But how do we manage this tsunami of new marketing information, and make sense of it for our particular needs?

I am often asked - how do you keep up? And while it isn't easy, it's vital to find a way to understand and utilise all these developments. In providing these information sources though, I'd suggest 3 things to help to tailor this approach to suit your own particular needs:

1. Commit to learning: Accept that part of our jobs must be to learn more from others. The nature of our work these days means we are all time poor, but my theory is we should invest at least 30 minutes a day to updating ourselves on new learning. We need fuel for ideas, and food for inspiration, not just from within our company but also from beyond our own walls.

2. A starting point: Take these sources below as the beginning of finding out where right information is for you. Then tailor them to your particular client or industry or product. Whatever industry you are in there is a wealth of important, practical and up to date information that is ideal for you.

3. Get involved: While we can read all we want about Twitter or Facebook or gaming or iPhone apps - there is no substitute for actual experience. My best advice is just to jump in and start using all these technologies - they are easier than you think and it's only through their use that we truly understand their power and their limitations. And you'll be better informed about the marketing decisions you make.

With that in mind, here's my digital marketing resource list:

Marketing News: You can visit these sites or better yet sign up for the e-newsletters sent to your email. Just don't overdo it and skim read for what's important.
- Digital Advertising Age: http://adage.com/digital/ Sign up for the daily newsletter to keep track of things on a industry wide scale. Good for big issues, if a bit US-centric
- Click Z News: http://www.clickz.com/news Sign up for a range of industry news letters, depending on your interest. This is a bit more technical so good for the geeks amongst your team.
- Media Asia: http://www.brandrepublic.asia/Media/: More for advertising and marketing industry news across Asia, including Thailand. Sign up for e-newsletter
- Positioning (Thailand) http://www.positioningmag.com/: One of the local Thai marketing mags that does a reasonable job of keeping up with digital. Review this weekly for updates.

Marketing Research: Keep track of all the latest in digital marketing research so your insights remain fresh
- Emarketer Daily: http://www.emarketer.com/Welcome.aspx: Sign up to daily news or review the web site for the latest research
- Synnovate: http://www.synovate.com/ I personally find Synnovate's observations and insights on Asia invaluable, in particular their yearly digital review

Marketing Presentations: Rather than just read, sometimes it's more engaging to watch and learn
- Slideshare: http://www.slideshare.net/: This awesome site lets you search just about any subject for presentations on all industries. Highly useful, try it
- TED: http://www.ted.com/ Riveting talks by interesting people, there is no better place for watching great digital marketing presentations
- You Tube http://www.youtube.com/ : Still the best source for finding archive of past great campaigns and current case studies

Marketing Campaigns/Insights: To be truly inspired we need to keep track of ideas that are happening now
- Contagious: http://www.contagiousmagazine.com/: get the weekly newspaper and the best, by far in my opinion, insight into what is happening in terms of global digital/integrated campaigns
- PSFK: http://www.psfk.com/: More trends than campaigns but very interesting look at what is hot and not, across many different fields
- Award Sites: http://www.webbyawards.com/ : Keep an eye out on award sites to see the latest and greatest examples of work

- Digital Thinking: http://www.wired.com/: An old favourite, for some understanding on why these changes are happening and the latest geek viewpoint

Blog Sites: Find a blogger that's right for your industry and that you like and trust. It may take time but usually very practical and personal insights and you can interact with the author to learn even more. Here's two I like, but do yourself a favour and Google "Best xxx Blogs 2009" or check out lists like this. Also click on my profile and you'll see 6 other blogs I follow.
- Viral Blog http://www.viralblog.com/: Updates on trends and inspiration for digital marketing
- Seth's Blog http://sethgodin.typepad.com/ Straight forward opinions by a straight forward thinker

Twitter Feeds: Twitter is a fantastic new way of getting a ongoing dose of marketing insight, if you take the time to track down people worth following. Here's your task now - sign up for Twitter, then use Twitter Search for 'digital marketing' and see where it takes you. Get involved and give it time, it will be worth the effort.

Any of other digital marketing resources you'd care to share?

Cheers, Rob

Feel free to add comments below, or for further questions or advice contact me at rob.h@th.arcww.com

It's time for digital to measure up

Hi everyone

It was interesting to read this week that many Chief Marketing Officers are unhappy with digital. And especially to read why.

"Respondents to the survey found their current ability to access ROI and metrics on their digital marketing lacking, and rated their companies behind the curve".

During these tough economic times, it's more important than ever to measure and assess every marketing activity we do. But while digital marketing enables us to measure like never before, as the latest research highlights, it's become our own worst nightmare.

It seems many marketers, while having access to greater amounts of marketing data, are drowning in it and therefore actually using it less. The study notes that "time after time in the survey, marketers expressed an awareness of digital’s potential, along with a recognition that they weren't close to tapping into it."

What's going wrong folks? Well, some people are happy to blame clients for trying to expect short term results from digital rather than a longer term objectives, but I think that misses the point. The frustration tends to be understanding what and how to measure, not that the results themselves are bad. If you don't know what to measure, how can you ever be satisfied with the outcome?

Most of us have faced this data dilemma at some point. We're not sure what to measure, so we measure everything, or what we've done previously, in the hope that some figures turn out okay.
We don't think hard enough about what we want up front, so are frustrated when we don't see positives in every outcome. Or we think we don't have the budget to measure properly, so we go with the status-quo.

But really, getting the basics right is not about money. We just need to be more realistic about what we measure, and why. Here's a start on how:

1. Align objectives: Know what you want to achieve
- First we need to make a very clear and early choice about the outcomes objective of the campaign, and make sure it aligns with the overall integrated campaign (if there is one) objectives. What's the point of creating a brand banner ad when we need to drive people to a campaign web site for a promotion?
- In identifying these objectives we need to consider a customer's digital behaviour, their user personas, to make sure we know how digital fits in with their overall purchase journey. If you can't do detailed research, do a quick online survey or interview. It will really help focus your thinking.

2. Choose your metrics + tools: Different horses for different courses
- - If we are doing qualitative measurement - like brand impact- be sure we have the measurement in place such as surveys, contextual observations, buzz tracking, usability testing and/or customer interviews.
- For quantitative measurement, many digital campaigns can be measured just with the metrics supplied by basic reporting tools from web sites or media companies. It's worth exploring the usual metrics, but also some we should use more often. But if it's a major campaign, invest a small % of the campaign in the right digital tool for the job

3. Set a baseline: Focus on only the metrics that really, truly matter
- Choose the one metric that matters above all others for your particular campaign. Is it CTR, average viewing time, registration rate, time on game, interaction rate..? You should know from step one
- Choose the one metric that aligns most with our objectives as your benchmark KPI so as we change variables for the campaign, as this is the key measurement we need to monitor that matters

4. Assessment: Put some meaning to the numbers
- Data analytics is often what is missing in all of this. That is, making real meaning from all of the numbers. Too much of the time what we produce is a report on the numbers, and perhaps highlight the key outcomes, but often there is very little insight on the implications of the data
- For complex CRM and data campaigns you need the right people for the job. But 99% of digital marketing campaigns - given we've followed the steps above - can be done ourselves. Many of us are afraid of numbers but as this digital creative points out in this article, it is a vital part of the creative process. "Data itself is meaningless. But data grants insight, and it is only with insight that we can create something meaningful".

5. Test & Optimize: Change your creative variables to improve performance
- Digital marketing allows us to vary elements in a campaign relatively easily and see the results almost immediately. From the CMO research discussed though, few of us do this
- User pre-testing for online ads, prototyping for web sites, etc. are rarely done but are possible. Of course we can and should change elements after launch to optimize as well - but as Kristen Berg says in this article (I stole her title) - for larger campaigns we can save a lot of time and money seeing what works before-hand.

Every single activity, from an email to banner ad to mobile app to web site to widget - we can follow this process and achieve meaningful and measurable outcomes.

This isn't happening though because we're afraid of the outcomes, afraid people will be scared from using a medium we have worked so hard at building trust in. We're worried we won't compare as favourably with other campaigns or benchmarks.

But that fear is stopping us moving forward. Most marketers understand that we can learn as much or more from failure, and that every meaningful piece of data is a weapon for future success.

Cheers, Rob

Where the hell is your idea?

Hi everyone

You may have heard about Matt Harding from his 'Where the hell is Matt?" videos.

You may recall he travels around the world, doing crazy dances in different countries and creates a video of his journeys - but you may not have seen his latest 2008 video.

Please watch it - you won't regret it. It runs for about 4 minutes, although most of my friends said they played it all weekend.

Fantastic huh? In one short video he makes an incredibly bold and risky statement for these cynical times, but with a big dose of understatement and bundles of pure joy. As Matt himself says, "Everybody knows that we (humans) can all be small-minded and petty. But we also like to be reminded once and a while about what we can be, at our best."

Of course, producing this latest effort wasn't easy - 14 months in the making, 42 countries and a cast of thousands. I've said before I'm no fan of viral marketing for viral sake, but this was the opposite of that. Meticulously thought out, planned, produced and edited - resulting in something fresh and incredibly inspiring.

Can we all say that for the campaigns we are working on now? If not, how can we learn from Matt?

Lesson 1: Whether it's from our brands or not, these campaigns are being produced - Unless we convince our brand's to embrace this type of work we won't get 20 million visits, dozens of interviews, a lecture series, a web site, millions of fans and even imitation videos . We won't become cultural icons that are embraced globally unless we too embrace new ways of doing things.

Matt's latest campaign was actually sponsored by Cadbury's Stride Gum - but the campaign could have equally, or perhaps even better, have been sponsored by a global clothing brand, camcorder maker, travel company, airline or global beer brand. The message is that universal. And that powerful.

Lesson 2: We won't get there by formulaic strategies - Great campaigns are not just a matter of looking up the digital marketing checklist and including (a) user generated content (tick), (b) web promotion (tick), and (c) social media integration (tick).

It actually comes back to creating insight and meaning around our work. And it comes back to realising that following a load of brand guidelines, insisting on inserting the product at every opportunity, having the idea pass through 6 layers of change committees, and then using every avenue to avoid perceived risk (and reward) - will not result in great work. Whether that's within an agency or a client.

We need to ask honest questions - are we in marketing to create bold and hugely successful work that will make our brands and us famous? Or would we rather tick the boxes but never really strive for greatness. Aren't we all in this business to produce the kind of passionate and inspirational work that Matt has done?

Hell, yes.

I can't put it any better than how Matt describes the choices he has made. "Sometimes other people limit our options for us, sometimes we limit our options and we create the boundaries for our existence and say, 'I can only do this, this is the job I’m cut out for, this is what I can do.' I think it’s really important when you realize that you’re the one creating those boundaries and you have control over them, there’s no lock on the cage, and you can open up the door, go outside and do whatever you want."

Lesson 3: Playing it safe is the biggest risk of all - As marketing guru Seth Godin often states, that in the Web 2.0 world the only, THE ONLY, safe option is to embrace change. Because as lesson 1 teaches us this work is out there, being produced and watched and loved and embraced. There is no going back for our brands - because someone else will do it better and brighter and we'll just be ignored. And as for our jobs, well, the same rules apply.

As Seth puts it in this blog, "At least once a day, I get mail from people worrying that if they are too remarkable, too edgy, too willing to cause change and growth... they're risking getting fired. I almost never get mail from people who figure that if they keep doing the same boring thing day in and day out at their fading company that they're going to lose their jobs in a layoff."

"50 ad agencies lose accounts for being boring, static and unprofitable for every one that gets fired for being remarkable. 50 employees lose their jobs because the business just faded away, for every one who is singled out and fired for violating a silly policy and taking care of a customer first. 50 readers stop visiting your blog (or your web site or your magazine or your TV show) because you're stuck in a rut and scared, for every one who leaves because you have the guts to change the format or challenge the conventional wisdom."

Work like this inspires us to push ourselves and our clients beyond what is bland, and into what is brilliant. And reminds thus that the effort it takes, while never easy, is ultimately hugely rewarding.

And it reminds us that if Matt can do it, so can we.

Cheers, Rob

Feel free to add comments below, or for further questions or advice contact me at rob.h@th.arcww.com

The future of search marketing

Hi everyone

In contrast to the grim state of online advertising we discussed last week, search marketing is going from strength to strength, and rightly so.

As the web exploded we needed a way to navigate through the maze of information and Google's unique search algorithm made it simpler, faster and better than the rest at finding the stuff you wanted.

Sure, there are other search engines out there, but Google dominates the game in most markets. And it's not hard to see why.

By ranking results based on popularity, it made the web more meaningful to most people, so much so that Google became synonymous with the entire concept of 'search'. The smart people at Google also realised that most companies would love to advertise to Google customers based on how targeted this audience would be, and so created the most powerful online advertising model ever via their paid listings. Newspapers were dead, long live Google was the mantra.

So much so that search now dominates many discussions about digital marketing media. Search Engine Optimisation strategies ensure we have the right key words, and links, so our web sites rank highly on Google so customers can find us easily. Getting the right pay-per-click advertising on Google drives most Search Engine Marketing strategies. And this growth has fueled an entire industry of marketers specialising in this field.

No other strategy can impacts your online traffic to the same degree. So you'd be a fool to want to change the search tool right?

Perhaps not as foolish as you might think. The name of the web 2.0 game is about what users want, and it's been nearly 10 years Google has used the same search engine process. And many customers, including me, think we deserve something much better. Here's why:

1. Ranking by popularity is often not enough: The basic issue is the 'most popular ranking' may not be the most relevant to you. We've all experienced it - the site or information we're looking for is swamped by the big spenders and larger sites earlier in the rankings. As asked in this Time Magazine article on the frontier of search, 'who needs 14,120,000 results in response to a single question? People don't want a list - they want an answer'.

2. The growth of community search: In the blog 'the future of search is not google' and in this ABC news article recently, they both chart the fact that search is becoming more of a dynamic search experience, one in which the community will be able to shape, refine and organise searches so they are much more relevant to you.

Already sites have sprung up like http://www.mahalo.com/ that combine different elements of social media and rankings for a much different experience. Type in 'pig flu' in Google and you get the usual, disparate lists of information. Type it into Mahalo and you get a completely different, I think better, inter-connected experience.

3. Does Google really want to change? It's easy to beat up on the big guy I know. But hey, the reason we hated Microsoft wasn't really Bill Gates (or was it?), it's because they stuck to a shitty bit of software and wouldn't evolve it (much).

Google are on a good thing, but they haven't really been very open in their listing methodologies and policies - so how accurate or fair are they really? And yes, while they have tried something different with SearchWiki, it seems half-hearted. Don't tell me the smart people who brought us Google Maps and Google Earth couldn't do an improved search engine. Of course they could, but why would they spoil their cash cow??

4. Social media may become a search driver: One of the reasons Google may have to genuinely start to move forward are tools like Twitter. It may seem odd, but as this blog notes actually Twitter may genuinely evolve into something of search phenomena itself. The reason is this - search via Twitter is based on immediacy not popularity, and in the age of immediacy news sites like Digg rule the day.

Google has pretty fast updates on news from the big media and big sites but it’s not real-time, there’s at least 1 minute delay for even the most world-breaking news. On the other hand, Twitter search can give the user real-time responses, with every Tweet literally becoming a new search result.

So what of these changes? One thing for certain, Google will not be replaced over night, and will continue to have a significant role to play in our marketing in the near future. But if Web 2.0 has taught us anything it is that we must listen to what people, real users are saying, and be open to the change they want.

Search is evolving and it wouldn't surprise me if we were all Mahalo-ing some time soon. Brilliant ad model or not, Google, there go the customers.

Cheers, Rob

Feel free to add comments below, or for further questions or advice contact me at rob.h@th.arcww.com