Good commercials don’t have to be budget busting — just have a fitting and unforgettable message.

By Melissa Gottlieb, March 10, 2010

My boyfriend and I faithfully check out the World’s Best Commercials from The London International Awards every year, and so this year we headed to the theatre hoping for some good laughs delivered by the boundless-budget beer companies and ground-breaking concepts put forth by agencies from around the world.

Coins Spilling from a Jar

I suppose whilst mentioning good laughs, I should give credit to BBDO in São Paulo for their hilarious, albeit slightly disturbing, Dog Fish commercial – it features a likable surfer dude and his special pet (you guessed it, a hybrid dog and fish) as they gallivant through their bizarre yet cozy life. However, even the tagline ‘Anything you imagine’ doesn’t quite clear up what the message in this advertising is, nor would I have ever recalled it was for Volkswagen.

But the campaign that really stood out this year for us was a fairly simple yet shocking take on Alzheimer’s Disease by Colenso BBDO in Auckland, New Zealand. You know the almost unbearable Candid Camera joke show by Just for Laughs they play on? This awareness ad is basically a spoof on that, where people end up in laughable situations for the viewers to enjoy. Then all of a sudden the goofy pranksters and laugh tracks fade and you realize the person is in that situation because their mind is playing tricks on them – one of the very sad effects that Alzheimer’s has. I highly recommend you check out all three of them: Car, Restaurant and Changing Room.

Strong message + strong connection to what your company does = wicked ad

The reason I want to make special note of this campaign is because it’s one of the occasions where advertising not only carries a heavy impact (your heart might hurt as you watch), but it also connects the viewer so strongly to the unique experiences of Alzheimer’s and sends a clear, unforgettable message about the disease. I’m doubtful you could ever describe the ad to someone and not be able to recall what it was for, whereas in the Dog Fish commercial I mentioned the brand could’ve easily been a different car maker or even a company in a whole different industry.

Do you agree?

Kudos to the Alzheimer’s association and BBDO in New Zealand for challenging people to briefly live through what the disease might be like and to think hard about it. I believe it’s an effective (World’s Best) ad, and even more importantly, an effective message.

Let us know what you think about these ads or share your own favourite commercials here.

Melissa works in Account Services at AdFarm and is always looking to share, learn, and spurn ideas with others. Contact her directly at Melissa.Gottlieb@adfarmonline.com

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Three problems more pressing than your social media strategy.

By Jacob Edenfield, March 3, 2010

For some companies, social networks are kind of like monsters under the bed. Instead of thinking about the great upsides, these folks worry about over-sharing by employees, losing control over intellectual property, damaging their brands, losing productivity, fielding sensitive questions, unleashing embarrassing secrets and all manner of other bumps in the night.

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But when you think about it, none of these things are any more of a threat because of social media. They stem from deeper business problems. And deeper business problems make prime fodder for snarky conversations on social networks.

So, while I believe it’s a great idea for every company to have a social media policy and a functioning understanding of the various channels, there are sometimes more pressing matters than choosing the right Twitter handle.

If any of the following apply to you, it might be time to work on something other than your Facebook Fan Page.

1. You’re leaky

If your company holds onto private information as well as a sieve holds onto water, the problem might be your employee training or internal security practices.

Journalists will tell you most of the whistleblowers and leaks they talk to are people who feel they’ve been silenced or punished for disagreeing with something they find objectionable. Fixing the problem might be as simple as training employees and managers on how to better voice and field complaints. It might also mean fixing what I call confidentially overload – or overusing confidentiality and secrecy to the point where they lose their seriousness. Product development memos are confidential. Birthday party memos probably don’t need to be.

2. You create customer service horror stories

If you’re a regular feature on The Consumerist, social media shouldn’t be your top priority. You may want to review your procedures before you start fielding complaints on the public stage. It’s a proving ground everyone can see, so if you say you provide great service, it needs to be a promise you can keep.

Handling customer issues can make or break your brand. And if you do a bad job, you’re undermining all your other efforts. That’s just as true online.

3. You ignore and/or take legal measures against your critics

If this applies to you, you’ll find your entry into social media a bumpy ride. Odds are there’s a flotilla of critics just waiting to take shots at you. And while I think you should absolutely face your critics wherever they may be, you need to figure out how you’re going to do it first.

Letting your lawyers do your dirty work only gives your critics an incredibly effective us vs them story to tell. Half-hearted apologies feel just as fake to those who receive them as to those who give them. Fighting emotion with pure fact works against everything we know about the human brain.

Honest dealings are the second most valuable currency online. The most valuable is reputation, and you’re not going to make a very good one if you can’t deal with disagreements.

Anything else?

Sometimes we all miss the forest for the trees. Take a step back and see if you can think of some other fundamental business problems that prevent companies from finding success in social media. I came up with three. Let’s see how many you can come up with in the comments.

Jacob can do horrible, unspeakable things with words. But he’s chosen to use his powers for good, not evil. Follow him @jacobedenfield or contact him directly at Jacob.Edenfield@adfarmonline.com.

Photo courtesy of http://jesshillis.com


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The Freshman Years — is technology more important than an idea?

By Shaun Crockett, March 1, 2010

I am an art director. I went to school and learned all the cool programs — the ones that are now obsolete. I did all the faddish type treatments of the day -- the ones that are now outdated. But the thing I did in school that is still relevant was learning.

 

Even though I’ve finished my years of classrooms and homework assignments, The learning never stops. Technology is passing everyone by, you can’t keep up, you are lucky to hang on. The tools we use today didn’t exist 3 years ago. Knowing what’s out there is only half the battle.

 

The other half, or dare i say larger portion is the idea behind it.

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New software, new tools, new filters in photoshop, are only a click away, but the one thing you can’t click a button to get – is an idea.

 

An idea, a concept – a good one, will be relevant for years to come. Don’t believe me? Take a look through an old Communication Arts sometime, and revel in the genius of those who have walked before you. Those ideas are the result of constantly looking at the word, taking in all you can, and distilling it to that idea – that nugget of connection – that makes it great.

 

I take refuge knowing that the great designers such as Goodby, Bogusky and Sullivan didn’t always have the stellar idea, they started out in the trenches learning long after the bell rang.

 

Here is a blog that shows you virgin ads done by designers. Some are better than others, but they are always learning, and I bet their next ad will be even better. I challenge everyone to always be curious and never stop learning.

And, you can check it out on facebook, too.

I’m not saying that the tools aren’t important.

But they are a small cog in the machine of advertising. A bad idea sent across the cosmos through your twitterbookblog account isn’t going to help you. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. Good ideas will elevate you – bad ideas will cripple you. Our culture is quick to point out a wrong move and hang you for it. Those tools you were so excited about using are now the ones hammering your coffin shut.

Without an idea worth sharing, the tools don’t matter.

How are you making sure that the technology doesn’t overshadow the idea?

 

With his passion for learning and smart design sense, Shaun Crockett is finding the right solutions for Adfarm clients every day. He can be reached directly at Shaun.Crockett@adfarmonline.com

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Automation vs. Humanization in Social Media — Do You Have the Personal Touch?

By Josh Lysne, February 24, 2010

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Automation can make all of our lives easier, and it does play a role in social media. HootSuite allows you to enter in tweets and set the time you want them to be sent out.  Blogging software can allow you to create blog posts for the entire week and publish them on a schedule.  Marketing Automation software allows you to send email based on consumer action.

If you have regularly scheduled announcements/posts/etc. then it makes perfect sense to automate.  You can’t always be at your computer when it is time for the push, so this can keep you on schedule.

All of those examples have one main thing in common.  They all center around publishing content, not engaging in conversation.  This distinction gets lost far too often.

Nothing bugs me more than automated responses from companies, or an automated Direct Message on Twitter after I have followed someone.  I recently sent an email to Northwest Airlines asking a question about my account.  It was clear that the reply was either automated, or a canned response since they asked me to try things that I had already told them I have tried.

Automation in the form of a Direct Message has become a standard after you follow someone on twitter, and it is a lazy response.  Here are a few examples of DMs I have received after following someone on Twitter:

Thanks for following me, I’m excited about knowing you! Please join me on FB too! (link to their FB page)

Thanks for following. Keep me posted on any marketing insights or groundbreaking ideas you may come across.

Thanks for following, Hope you are having a nice day!

And my personal favorite:

I just gave you “peace and happiness! Check it out: (Link from them) You should send me a gift back ;)

On a very rare occasion does a DM response to my follow even have my name.  Very lazy, very automated.  On the other hand, responses that address me, and who I am get my attention every time.  This is key in social media and building relationships.

A great example of this happened to me a few weeks back.  David Armano (@armano) who writes the blog Logic + Emotion, (a must read) replied to my Direct Message after he followed me.  Here is how it went.

My Direct Message:

Thanks for the follow David. I’ve been following you since the Twitter 20 with @jaybaer.  Have a great day!

His Response:

Cool, I appreciate you reaching out. always nice to hear from a real live person. :-)

This is from a guy that has almost 20,000 followers on Twitter.  Just to prove my point, I talked to David and asked if he responds to all of the Direct Messages he gets.  His response was that not only does he not reply to the automated responses, he sometimes blocks them.  Adding a personal touch made me stand out.

Another example of good customer service and listening courtesy of  Boingo.

My Tweet:

@Boingo Your connection keeps cutting out in the Mpls airport. Great when it is working, but getting frustrating.

Within minutes I had this back from them:

@jlysne What part of the airport are you in?

That response immediately told me that someone was listening and was ready to help troubleshoot my problem.  Even though I had some trouble with the connection, I know that customer support is ready and listening if I have problems in the future.

Farming is a social business built on relationships and communication.  Your digital/social solutions don’t need to change that.  It is imperative that your communications remain personal and relevant to each consumer.  Don’t use a canned response and a one size fits all approach to your social strategy.

Think about this next time you want to add more automation to your process.  Yes, it plays a big role in making us more efficient, but if you are trying to build relationships or enhance customer service, it can be your downfall.

How does automation help you be more human in your social media campaigns?

Josh Lysne leads the AdFarm Digital team with razor sharp strategy and innovative online and social media solutions. Follow him @jlysne or contact him directly at Josh.Lysne@adfarmonline.com.

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Don’t Let Your Marketing Fall Down…in the Last Four Feet

By Colin N. Clarke, February 22, 2010

Marketing communications, in simplest terms, helps put a customer or prospect in the right frame of mind to buy. It can educate, inform, advise, recommend, encourage, scare and influence a prospect, but it cannot make them buy. At some point someone or something (e-commerce for example) has to close the sale. A recent presentation by Datacore Marketing describes this as “The Last Four Feet.”

The Last Four Feet represents the final steps that a customer takes as they approach the sales counter (or online checkout). Without question this is the most important part of the process. Can you close the sale?avoidance300

Marketers place great emphasis on campaigns to the end-user or customer. Significant, sometimes huge budgets are invested to help put the target audience in the right frame of mind to buy. But too often, after marketing communications has done its job with the customer, the process falls down at the sales counter.

Picture a customer who receives direct communications on your product, investigates online, reads the reviews, talks to their friends and decides “I want to buy.” They enter the “store” to purchase, approach the checkout, and the salesperson (or process) says, “Have you seen the features on alternative product #2 over here?” At that point, in the last four feet, all of your marketing communications efforts are shot down by one missed communication.

So how do you avoid losing your customer at the sales counter? Here are four sure-fire steps that will help with “the last four feet.”

1)      Educate your sales channel first – before any external customer communications begin. Be sure products and processes are easily understood (this applies to e-commerce too).

2)      Let the channel in on the process early, ask for feedback and implement suggestions that will strengthen the relationship with the channel. If using e-commerce, be sure to test the checkout process to make sure it is intuitive and without distraction.

3)       Involve the channel in the product or campaign  roll out. Give the channel an active stake in the process that encourages their engagement. A kickoff event, an incentive, an interesting (but not burdensome) program.

4)      Reinforce the sales process within your marketing communications. Suggest to the customer in your messaging the easiest route to purchase while reinforcing the same “easy route” to the channel audience.

Marketing communications can put the customer in the right frame of mind, but it can’t ring the till by itself. Include a solid channel strategy to make sure your marketing investment isn’t lost at the sales counter.

Have you ever dropped out of a sale at the counter? If so, what could the marketer have done differently?

Colin is a senior strategist for AdFarm who enjoys the deep dive into marketing strategy. Follow him on Twitter @colinnclarke or on Facebook at Facebook.com/cnclarke.

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Search Engines, Twitter, Blogs…How do you live in the moment?

By Mary-Jane Turcotte, February 17, 2010

I recently read an article in Wired magazine about how the web is changing. People have been turning to internet search engines seeking instant information and the search engines have let them down by providing out-dated information.

Information Society

The public has a thirst for instant “real-time” web so they can live in the moment. Which is why a new generation of search engines like Tweetmeme, OneRiot, Topsy, Scoopler and Collectra have surfaced. Most of these new search engines rely heavily on Twitter because it is fast becoming the most popular source of instant information. Collectra actively imports blog posts and tweets so they appear less than a second after they go live. Older search engines can take hours if not days to catalog “current” information. These new search engines offer a keyhole glimpse of what the world is doing at this very second rather than just answer questions.

Another article claimed that even blogs are passé because they do not deliver information fast enough and are often too long of a read. More and more of the younger generation rely totally on Twitter because it is fast and to the point. Regardless of how you seek information it seems the speed is being increased to warp speed and if you are going to jump aboard this information highway you better not pause because something even faster is approaching quickly.

Agricultural communities using Search engines, Twitter and Blogs

Agricultural communities are validating social media by using these search engines, Twitter and Blogs. One instance was posted on the Voice of Agriculture website about  “The Day Twitter Said #Moo” which illustrated how one Sunday afternoon the phrase #moo was used on Twitter. By that evening more than 3,000 different users had combined to use the term over 6,000 times that day, with #moo climbing as high as the 4th most talked about topic on Twitter at one point. The information was instant and fast and it generated an awareness of where dairy products come from and engagement of a varied audience with growers and producers.

Where do you obtain information? And will you use this new technology to enhance your company awareness?

Mary Jane Turcotte has a passionate eye for art and ensures perfection in every detail on the work she touches for AdFarm clients. You can contact her directly at MaryJane.Turcotte@adfarmonline.com


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When target marketing backfires — for the best.

By Katie Pinke, February 15, 2010

I grew up reading my Dad’s Sports Illustrated; except for the swimsuit issues my mom would hide or toss into the burning barrel. Once out on my own, I found that for a much higher subscription cost I got MUCH more from reading about sports than reading about cleaning, organizing, recipes and fashion in traditional womens magazines.  So I gave in and purchased an SI subscription in my twenties. Now as a thirty-something, I’m still reading it weekly.

My assessment of Sports Illustrated ads has always been that they’re for the beer-drinking, sports fan man who isn’t thinking about his wife and family while he browses the magazine.

My perception changed last week.

I turned to what looked like, and most definitely was, a Valentine’s Day card. Being the wife who had not bought her husband a Valentines Day card yet I was intrigued…

P2082757_Rev

When I opened the card and read the inside message I found a true Valentines card written for a male reader to give to his wife. The copy referenced a planned spa weekend for her in Las Vegas where she could pick any of the following weekends to go.

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I assumed it was from a Vegas casino promoting their spa. Until I peeled it off…

P2082764_Rev

The tagline read “Spas for her. Sports for you”.
On the back was a complete listing of sporting events for the husband to attend in Vegas while the wife goes to the spa. It is a part of the “Only Vegas” campaign.

My husband recently mentioned that he would love for us to go to Vegas so the card baited me. It is a direct flight and affordable for us to get to from the prairie in which we live. And while I have not yet booked our trip to Vegas on one of these targeted weekends on this ad, I will.

While we always have a target audience in mind with advertising there are peripheral audiences that we end up reaching, much to our surprise, with measurable results we are not expecting. The “Only Vegas” campaign can chalk me up to one of those unexpected conversions – along with a happy husband who is thrilled his wife reads Sports Illustrated.

What marketing campaigns have connected with you – even though you weren’t the target audience?

Katie Pinke is AdFarm’s leading connection-maker, travels across North America promoting our brand and is the first point of access for new prospects into the exciting world of AdFarm. Katie can be reached directly at Katie.Pinke@adfarmonline.com.

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Microsite or parasite? Top 3 mistakes when going viral.

By Lexie Bexson, February 10, 2010

We’ve all been in the room when someone pipes up with the “let’s do a microsite!” idea. Let’s face it…we all say we want it, but do we really?

Going viral is one thing, but when your great online idea turns from a microsite into a parasite, it can evolve into a tactical dead space leaving you thinking “what are we going to do with this thing”?

Hosts of these now-dead sites float around the online world. Once upon a time they lived a glamorous life as a flashy contest, fun interactive game, or a brand alter-ego.

So how can you recognize the signs that your great microsite might transform into a wasted domain, cluttering up google search results? Here’s how.

Problem: One-time use

Your microsite is a side-dish designed to compliment a larger, more robust marketing campaign. This is a classic, so before rushing into a one-time tactic, think about if it can serve a future purpose. Can it still function later? Is this site part of your brand identity, or just an idea to add zing to an overall plan?  Often these “zingers” have a shelf life and once they expire, they sit untouched until someone gets a domain renewal email.

Problem: No link home

Does your microsite link to back to your corporate website? Can people follow a natural trail back home? Giving visitors a path home can be a great way to add shelf life to your site.  Microsites usually have a visual appeal that’s different than your corporate mega-site, they have interactive content, and often less rules about their functionality. So they are great spaces to keep alive, if you can keep their content fresh, relevant and part of your brand identity.

Problem:  The 5 second rule

Is that how long it takes for someone to soak up the content of your microsite and leave? Because if it is – you need more content.  Think more along the lines of a satisfying “all you can eat buffet” and not a “drive-thru window”.  Give your customers an experience and some options – like playing a game, downloading an app, printing off a coupon – and drive them somewhere after they visit.  Afterall, people don’t admit it, but they love wasting time online.

 

What microsites do you visit for great content?

Lexie Bexson is an Account Manager at AdFarm. You can reach her directly at Lexie.Bexson@adfarmonline.com

Links: http://www.squidoo.com/bestmicrosites

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Is the economy affecting your approach to client service?

By Shawna Robinson, February 8, 2010

With the recent economic downturn affecting everything from housing markets to lending rates, I found myself wondering if the intangible things – like client service – are affected as well. And the answer is inevitably “yes”.

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The services clients request are changing.

Budget cuts in North America have been rampant. Marketing budgets have taken a big hit, which means many clients have had to do without, or get creative. And creativity can come in many forms. Exploring synergies across tactics are crucial. Being forward thinking one, even two quarters out – not annually –  makes for faster response time to market fluctuations and consumer shifts. Agriculture as an industry especially knows that today, many growers are being equal parts cautious and reactionary. And many clients may even opt to take some basic services in-house to capitalize upon their own resources and flexibility to meet the daily grind of internal stakeholder requests.

When budgets change how do your responsibilities evolve?

 

As an agency, the responsibility to participate is never waived. That means:

1. Work hard to educate the client on their brand(s) and how to maintain them. An agency is hired to develop and build brands for our clients. One measure of your ability as a communicator should be to articulate the brand attributes so clients know enough not to erode or compromise the asset they’ve trusted us to develop.

 

2. Keep your eyes on the strategy. When work goes internal, so too can focus. If you are serving as a strategic partner, help your client maintain a clear line of sight to the desired end result. Offer suggestions to tweak the roadmap along the way to help your client from veering off course.

3. Be nimble. Serve your client with a specialized and experienced skill set. Wherever possible, if your expertise is required – even outside the usual process for getting work done – be responsive to clientsneeds.

4. Be honest. We are all on the same team with our clients, carrying the same brand torch.  Make sure you’re doing your part to not let the flame go out.

As we move into more reliable economics and our industry continues to grow, we may discover that through these unique times, new ways of serving our clients will open doors to new relationships and new opportunities.

How do you see the future of client service changing?
Shawna Robinson is an Account Manager at AdFarm. She can be reached directly at Shawna.Robinson@adfarmonline.com

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