I was recently asked by a friend what I did. After giving her an elevator speech-style description of our company's work with social media and strategy behind making brands the most talked about and recommended in their category, I was shocked by her response. She looked at me and very simply stated,

"That's great, I'm glad you like it. Now someday, you're going to have to explain what you mean when you say social media."

At that moment, amid the noise surrounding me as I walked down the street of one of the country's largest cities, I realized that I lived in a bubble. My work brings me front and center with a world guided by platforms like Facebook and Twitter, or technologies like augmented reality and geo-tagging. Brands are eager to be the most innovative and always, the most successful among their competitors. And so, as an agency, we must deliver. Although a strategic marketing plan guides our efforts, very often, the tactics used to execute involve some variant of social media--used as a way to reach consumers and inspire recommendations of and for the brand, sustainably, over time.

To me, using these tactics seems obvious in today's age of social networking and online sharing. All I could think was, how can any well-informed person not know what social media is, or what you can do with it?

The bubble had engulfed me and I was no longer looking at our consumerist society from the eyes of those we hope to target. Being able to experience a product in 3D via black squiggles of a jagtag may be cool, but do people really care? What's the point of having location-based services for finding the closest subway stop or restaurant if reliable and consistent cell-phone service has yet to exist? Is broadcasting on Foursquare exactly when and where someone is always a good idea?

As marketers we are responsible for creating effective programs that attract the attention of consumers. We must also remember that we have a biased view of the online landscape. Not everyone knows what we're talking about.

Despite the flurry of business, make sure to take a step back. At some point in your life, you weren't as plugged in as you are now. Even if you can't do without your Blackberry used during work, your iPhone used after work, the 10 online channels where you share with the world hourly status updates, or the multi-platform-HD-1000-channel entertainment system that can even sleep and eat for you, there are people who can. Those are the people we need to remember. Just like my friend -- well informed, smart, interesting -- they are just as eager to talk about and share their experiences with a brand.

So, I'm curious, what are other creative ways marketers are engaging consumers that perhaps use social media, but go beyond technology to successfully engage?




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As social media continues to evolve and align itself with many of today's marketing strategies, ethical disclosure along online channels becomes imperative to successful programming.  Since the FTC's updated Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising took effect last December, the industry has continued to struggle for ways of understanding and practicing the new requirements around transparent disclosure.

The Word of Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA)--having worked closely with the FTC--has answered the call. If you haven't seen this week's release of their "Social Media Marketing Disclosrue Guide," then you're in for a treat. Designed to be incredibly hands-on and helpful, the simple two-page guide provides an overview and examples on how to disclose along a variety of social media platforms.

Hopefully, you find them to be a great resource. In my new role as President of WOMMA, please join me in a discussion around this topic in a webinar held on March 1, 11Am-12PM CST. To register, or learn more, visit www.womma.org.

 

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Don't be fooled by the Kindle.  Amazon is not a gadget maker.  Amazon has never been a gadget maker.  Amazon made its name as a low-overhead internet retailer that could ship you the stuff you want, when you want it, with relatively little hassle.  Only problem, is that the "stuff" Amazon once became so famous for shipping, no longer needs to be shipped. 

Just ten years ago, Amazon ousted local bookstore owners to the same classified newspaper sections that EZ-Pass-ousted toll-booth workers were already perusing.  The brand now finds itself grasping to retain its leadership role in enabling Americans to read.  At the end of the day, Amazon is more than happy to be a mere "App" on a Smartphone desktop, as long as users can buy books through that desktop. 

As Blackberry moves to capture this shift, be sure to keep a lookout for promotions advertising Kindle for iPhone.  And Kindle for iPad.  You can bet they'll be coming soon.

The Kindle, in hindsight, will likely be viewed as never having actually posed a serious threat to Blackberrys, iPhones, Droids and other leading one-stop-shop mobile devices.  Unlike a "TiVo," Amazon was not seriously seeking nor expecting to create and maintain ownership of a new category.  Instead, one might infer that the long-term strategy behind launching the Kindle was simply to enjoy first-to-market status, while leveraging this status to eventually establish an Amazonian window through which consumers would ultimately purchase. 

The bigger question remains, on whose desktop will the Kindle ultimately sit?  Microsoft's?  Google's?  Apple's?  When that answer is determined, Amazon prays you'll be reading about it (and paying to read about it) through their window.

 

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