Question for You- New Marketing

I think the inevitable is for “marketing agencies” to evolve to co-create with clients of the product or service. This is the more meaningful expression of any potential relationship between company and community. All aspects of community building (somewhat of a misnomer as the best brands fit into the conversations/enhance connections amongst existing communities) hinge on having something that intrinsically fits practical or more likely, social need.
Adrian Ho of Zeus Jones gets at some of this with his notion of marketing as service (actually he says the marketing is dead).
Regardless, if we believe that the best way to gain traction and create value is to work from the inside out, and that issues of reputation, utility, sustainability, HR, partnership, sourcing, etc. now matter more than a little, the only real way to contribute value is to enhance the most fundamental and powerful idea – the business idea itself.

I love when a question or a post takes on a life of it’s own. I haven’t wanted to comment, because I hope we keep the discussion going.

I love Robbie’s idea that the insides of an organization are more important than ever.

Thrilled to see the Drucker quote, though I think CEOs are glued to their balance sheets for the next two years. Whatshisname at Merrill Lynch could’ve seen this coming, they’re saying. There’s going to be a lot more focus on the finances than the marketing overall.

And yet, that’s partially why the time is right for this stuff. The dollar cost is spread across more opportunities than what traditional often covers.

I think David Brim was the only person who mentioned SEO/SEM. Is that part of it? I think so, though it’s not MY strong suit.

Mass customization. That’s the goal. Mr. Penn says, and I agree.

Anyhow… I’m going to hope we keep this going. What’s your idea?

The best way to understand new marketing and new media is not looking at old media companies trying to look new, or technology masking as marketing. Best to look at the lessons from Obama and really understand them and why they’re different. It’s not just that he’s using Facebook or sophisticated with text messaging, his campaign is imbued with the spirit and mindset that utilizing these technologies to specific, very measurable ends. Just happens that I posted five such lessons today – http://socialsphere.net/blogs/36-johns-blog/137-top-5-lessons-that-obamas-campaign-is-offering-business.html

I echo the comment of Webconomist re: sociology and anthropology. I see the lines between customer-facing functions, e.g. marketing, sales, PR, customer service, product development, blurring in the 2.0 world as the tenets of collaboration, openness and truth take hold of organizations and individuals. This leaves the new media marketing agency with the role of “sherpa,” guiding clients through the culture change that new media participation requires.

I have a simple response. A lot of what people are trying to create and foster in the social media (web 2.0 space, etc.) is buzz. They are trying to get people to mention their product, talk about it, etc. In the old world, this is called public relations. You issue a press release, call some reporters, watch the press hits roll in and count how many people you reached.
What makes it interesting is the consumer reverb effect – that your message and content doesn’t get thrown out with last weeks’ newspaper. It stays alive in cyberspace and people can start chattering with each other.
I think too many people see it as a brand dialog that a company engages with a market in. The company feeds into the dialog, but the people in a company talk to other people, not the company.
So, net, net, the old notion of company to people breaks down. This is about the democratization of marketing. Guerilla marketing gone haywire, every employee as an ambassador. Most companies don’t get it at all. They still have their employees chained to their desks looking at spreadsheets all day, and they still limit marketing planning and strategy to the confines of the corner office.
My 2 cents.

You ask “what’s next?” I think it’s all about recognition.

Just a consumer here (and a consultant with a live+online business now a decade old), but I find I respond to ‘new’ or ‘old’ marketing when it tells MY story.

(It’s not PC to admit,
but I think “Social Media/SoMe” = “So [about] Me” — literally. and I buy from unknowns online all the time when I find a product or service that I exclaim “I thought I invented that!”)

So I’d suggest that we:
(a) improve our listening skills (as you suggest/teach);
(b) improve our story-telling skills (no plug for my consultancy, but I’m in that biz); and
(c) be more specific/detailed when speaking after listening.

That last point is a tool my screenwriters use. To make the protagonist more likely to connect/resonate with the Viewer, we choose very private, specific, seemingly-unique details that are true to that character’s time/place/upbringing/ education/age/class/etc. The more we think that only one person will get this detail, the more intensely a wider-than-expected group will identify and connect with a passion.

An example would be something like this:
how many times have we see a girl brushing her teeth in a screen scene? They’re all the same, despite varying levels of sexy-wear depending on the genre. But if one female character, of any age/race/anything, were to hold her hair back with one hand, and lean that elbow on the sink while brushing her teeth with her other hand — like I do — I would follow her with devotion. And so will the surprising hoards of other women who’d feel subconsciously recognized in this small background act.

Consumer says to Marketer:
Listen to me (especially when I’m not talking directly to you) + tailor the story specifically to me = recognition that bonds us. Then don’t mess it up.

Sorry for the post-sized comment; your commenters are great reading — thanks ~!

Spinning from Mark Carter’s suggestion above, there is a disconnect between users online and offline. It’s not as important for e-marketers to do X, but for all marketers, whether online or not, to educate their customers, clients, and competitors the benefits of doing X – and doing it online. Once everyone recognizes the benefit, more good and innovative things will happen.

SEO is part of the strategy, but I also point to community-driven engines like Wikipedia where SEO plays zero part to raise an issue.

I also point to social networks like Zivity as an example that an e-marketer should strive to emulate. To the uninitiated, Zivity is a social network that features pictures of scantily-clad female models. It’s not porn, but beauty, where each picture is from a professional photo shoot. Users pay $10 a month to join, rate the photos they like, similar to Yelp, and every vote is worth $1. Then, 80% of the $1 is divied between the model and the photographer.

Marketing shouldn’t be just about pushing content at people, but providing a service, engaging the community, and giving some of the rewards back.

It’s all in the discussion and really the root of what traditional marketing is suppose to be. Giving the consumer what they want or letting them know you have what they want. The introduction of the web allows for two way communication which is now easier than ever. What is cool about that is that ever service can be adapted and catered to the needs and wants of people. thats where is needs to move. a two way communication that allows for need to be meet specifically rather than a one for all model.

Hey Chris – hope you’re still taking input…

I think new media, old media, even media we don’t know about yet (Media 100.00?) all rely on one thing – *Human Connection*

Really, I don’t care if you’re sending pre-sorted envelopes or posting your companies viral video on YouTube and Twittering until your fingers turn blue.

If the message for you, your product, or service does not contain some form of human element or connection to the target audience then I think you will fail.

Enjoy your travels and try not to lose too much money in Vegas. :)

In the new, you’ll see your share of the old. Old-time radio used product sponsors in the storyline. You see it emerge in episodes of 30 Rock, and with the disdain for pre-roll — it’ll emerge in online video.

You’ll still have marketers managing image. That’s still a big part of decisions. iPods were not the best products out there, but they had incremental advantages in some areas, a pretty good UI, nice form factor — and then the marketing made them cool.

I don’t see these old-school elements being lost in new media.

But new media will need to be nimble. Do you work with either Twitter, Jaiku or Pownce or all of them? And form factors are changing. You’ve got the web via browser, web via desktop app/sidebar gadget, web via mobile. It’s a lot of ground to cover.

Chris,
First time here. Great content.
I just wrote a few thoughts about the future of ad agencies, which ties into your question. The general gist is that there should be a “retracting” of marketing services into fewer organizations, rather than the expansion that has happened ver the last 10 years. If you get a chance, please check my thoughts out at http://rblb.wordpress.com/.
Cheers,
Barry

A new marketing agency is one who is prepared to walk away inneffective forms of old marketing, like banner ads and microsites – no matter how profitable they can be.

And new marketing is far less about brand campaigns, but ongoing brand relationships.

@Phil “It’s all in the discussion and really the root of what traditional marketing is suppose to be. Giving the consumer what they want or letting them know you have what they want.”

This is true, but we are suddenly in the unique position to give people what they want, when they want it… instead of pushing content out and hoping the right people see it, and remember it when it’s relevant to them.

Chris, I think there’s something to be said about the direction that blogger relations is taking. Ethical issues aside (and there are plenty– Heather Yaxley’s post on Molson’s Brew 2.0 event comes to mind), I believe one of the larger shifts that internet marketers and PR folks are seeing is the status of blogger as like a journalist. This is going to impact the way we get our information out!

There are also the “hard” new media marketing issues, like SEO and click-customization marketing. How people find you, a far different dynamic from the traditional marketing target approach, will be shift that new media marketing causes.

Hi Chris. I’m totally going to hunt you down at BWE08.

I have a marketing and PR firm, and the lines are just so blurred. New media. Marketing. Social media. PR. Where does one end and the next begin?

For the most part, I have to train (yes, I said it) my clients to be adaptable. To understand if something they’ve been doing for 10 years doesn’t work anymore, it’s time to try something in my New Media arsenal that may do the trick. It’s a difficult task, to show people that change is the future in marketing, but it is my burden in life (as it is for everyone here!)

I think defining new media marketing is tricky. Since it will forever be evolving it would be limiting to give it a definition that states what new media encompasses. Instead, I believe the better approach is to define new media by what it is not- traditional. New media marketing is not selling a product through a :30 second TV or :60 radio spot. Its not a tri-fold direct mail piece with a product picture and a screaming offer. New media is all about reaching consumers through new mediums or even using old mediums in new, provocative and inventive ways. It’s not about talking to the consumer but rather beginning a dialogue through mediums that are modern, smart, convenient and comfortable. To me new media marketing reaches consumers via means traditional media thinking never thought of.

A New Media Marketing Agency simply has to:
Innovate, increase and strengthen the way brands/companies communicate with their customers, and on the flip side, to create and update avenues that allow customers to interact with brands/companies.

What do you think marketers on the web need to know more about?
Marketers need to know what their customer is looking for, how often they want to be reached, how they want to be spoken to, and the latest tools and methods customers are using to interactive with their favorite brand.

What do you think are the services that the new generation of marketing firms have to have, now that traditional marketing isn’t always getting the job done?
A Media Marketing Agency;
Has to be able to create websites that result in conversions. They have to track and maintain reports of the site.
Search Engine Optimization. They have to reach targeted customers. search tools are specifically vital because customers are specifically looking for a product/service. A web presence is not strong enough anymore. a new media marketing agency needs to optimize client websites for search results.
They have to be able to create tools such as blogs, wikis and web applications so that customers are able to interact with their brand as they please.
They have to be able to create, track and maintain a successful Email marketing program – no matter the number of clients.
They have to utilize online news releases, product review sites such as Yelp, and social networking sites so that customers are up to date with the product/service and are able to interact with the brand.
They have to come up with the new Web 2.0 tools – at some point be the first of its kind.
They have to include videos and flip books. With the advent of DVR, customers scroll through commercials. However there are customers who want to engage with their preferred brand and will look for the latest videos online.

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