Play God

All the hype around Web 2.0 and interactive marketing is making me wonder: How good is this in building goodwill? It might generate word-of-mouth, possibly brand awareness... but what happens to the brand name?

If you're already big in the industry then this could be a good solution for you; but can smaller or medium sized companies resort to this marketing means effectively? Contrary to what the experts are saying, I think not.

A brand needs to be seen as an unaccessible superior power of some sort. To create a brand name, you cannot go to the consumer on a one on one basis. You should not come up as "human". Humans make mistakes.

However what the web 2.0 can actually provide is an all-knowing and all-seeing omni-potent presence to the company, that was never there before. Companies can now monitor their environment closely. Knowledge... that's what this information era is all about.

The industry lacks experience with new technologies, and I am afraid that many have gone wrong. Spamming is one offensive and detrimental mean that has previously been used under pretext that it provides measurable results. Pop-ups is another. Those have already been proven to be ineffective.
However, the inclusion of forums on official websites, or the company web logs and personal involvement of the corporation in these are quite demeaning. the brands are being downsized. If such activities are not carefully done, great damage can be caused.

By getting involved, you're making your brand "human"... and thus subject to criticism.

The correct way to deal with interactive marketing is to use it for information gathering, customer monitoring, catering to consumer needs and responding to critics. In two words, play God. Be the good, knowledgeable, capable God who answers prayers not yet formulated.

Flash Mob... Future Marketing Tool?

Mobbers… That’s what they call themselves.
(check this out: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flash_mob)

It’s hip, it’s fun and it’s secret; and it just got into town! Emails have been spreading around about a crazy event in Beirut. The date is set. The people are being gathered. The actual act… is still to be disclosed.

… and all I could think of is …. What a great concept for guerilla advertising!!

What if one company would sponsor those acts, provide them with all the stuff they need in exchange for some limited exposure?

Mutual benefit… sounds doable to me.

Network Marketing... where's the catch?

Is it a good use of direct sales and word-of-mouth marketing? or another means of deceiving customers?

This thing is all over the place! I just got two proposals this week to join such "networks". It sounds odd, it kind of is.

Apparently http://www.goldmineint.com is a new trend that has been spreading like cancer on my previous university campus... Or so have I heard from a fellow alumni and current member of this network. OK, so my source is not the best there is out there! ...But I would not be surprised.
First I thought it was a smart way to sell gold. Our Brand management teacher, from South Africa, was explaining to us a couple of weeks ago how almost impossible it is to market mines. According to her, the best way to gain more money in these types of industries would be to increase the production efficiency. The product being hard to differentiate with a "brand" and having strict standards, is the same produced everywhere. Well, maybe not.
This just might be the added value some NEW consumers would be interested in. I think it's fascinating. Of course in the long run, the point of the game becomes the game itself and the gold becomes the tool of the trade... but it's still smart.

Furthermore, I have just received an email from an old friend, check below:

Hi Friends,
it looks like a real MLM ( Multi layer marketing ) profitable money. It is an Emaraty site called "DubaiMLM.com" this site OFFERS you $50 as u register to it, then when you invite people to it you get $10 dollars on each person, and when your friends invite others u get $1 dollar on each person.
All this money is transfered to your account thru Western Union.
All what you have to do is click on this link and register
http://------------.dubaimlm.com (keeping the real address confidential because it involves my friend's username.)


Yes, yet another Network marketing website. well if you think of it... it does get the customer highly involved! ... and isn't that the current global marketing orientation?

Evolution in Digital Marketing

It is funny how in order to determine the new trends in the market, you need to look at the teenagers... They tend to decide what's in and what's out.

There came a time, not long ago, when search engines (the likes of google and yahoo) were the search tools of choice. Back then, the new ways were being fought by traditional conventional thinkers. Information gathered from the internet was not a valid reference. Today, this mode seems to be more widely accepted.

Now even search engines are becoming outdated. When you tell a kid to look up information about a topic, the first thing he relies on is Youtube! ...It's catching on. Does it normally qualify as a competitor to Google? I suppose not. Was it intended to fill this place? Again, I guess not. However, what the user decides to do of a website is often out of the company's hands. This time, it's in their favor. There is inherent benefit in Youtube's offerings. Something they can seriously work on. Could it be the future of research, there, right in front of our eyes?

In order to effectively market a product today, companies should rely on several new forms of media. The digital marketing is no longer limited to banners and official websites (of which, by the way, one can seriously criticize the efficiency).

Today, marketeers should have four main considerations: blogs, facebook, wikipedia and youtube... and even those are bound to change in the near future.

The power is the consumers'.

Variations in Medium Sensitivity

Marketing is not global. What applies in one industry does not necessarily work in another. I think I have identified the key for successful marketing when it comes to restaurants and pubs: word of mouth.

You can put a billion dollars advertising on billboards and magazines, if you are not offering an added-value that will eventually generate word of mouth; chances are that you have just literally thrown your money away... and I have news for you, they are not coming back!

Make sure your marketing department has some marketing sense. The only thing you need to do to succeed in this industry is to offer something exclusive to you; create your own identity prominently enough to be marked in the eyes of the consumer and you're in the game... make sure it doesn't become boring, and you're winning.

Are marketing mediums industry specific?

I was staring at some outdoor advertisings the other day... and I spotted some Perfume posters. Who the hell gave that marketeer this position?! The day it becomes a want to wear the same perfume everyone else is wearing, will be the day billboards become an effective tool for perfumes!!! Whoever put an accountant in the marketing department has made a terrible mistake. It might be cheaper to target a broader mass this way, but your damaging your image!

Customers actually search for perfumes in the glamorous magazines, they expect them to be there, so you better give them what they want. If you want to sell, that's where your investment should be. Forcing your product to the mass is neither a good strategy for your brand image nor a smart sales technique; as far as I can tell. I can't think of someone wanting his perfume to be on the streets... consumers want their perfumes to be in fashion editorials and stylish magazine pages... It doesn't take a genius to figure this out. It's common marketing sense!

Unless there has been some benefit gained from overriding the competition, these companies need to seriously consider their profits and redefine their marketing plan.