The Harte of Marketing

Archive for October, 2008

Being fairly new to the social media scene from a business perspective (i.e. implementing social media for business), I hesitated about writing this post. Then I decided that I needed to… if only to, perhaps, offer a different perspective to a recent social media campaign.

This week the team at Edelman selected 25 bloggers to debut Pepsi’s new can design. Very exciting, right? Since I read Mack Collier’s, Chris Brogan’s, Shannon Paul’s and Valeria Maltoni’s blogs daily, I saw each one post their experience and perceptions day-by-day (in that order, which was interesting to me in and of itself). I am not sure who the other 21 bloggers are, but if I find out I’ll be sure to add on to this post with their experiences. (Apologies in advance to the other 21, but I haven’t had the time to sort through everything on Twitter.)

Mack didn’t reveal who the company was; he just mentioned that it was one we all knew. Chris missed a few key components of the ‘analog’ campaign, Shannon did a video unveiling with her friends Ken Burbary and Craig Daitch, which was totally cool because we as viewers could experience it firsthand. Valeria took pictures of the packages she was sent and added some brand thought leadership.

Here’s the thing. While it’s cool to share this kind of excitement with fellow bloggers (and I give credit to Edelman and Pepsi for that, who wouldn’t want kudos and word of mouth buzz from colleagues in this space?), wouldn’t have been better to engage Pepsi evangelists?

In just one Google search I found:

• The Pepsi Fan Club
• Pepsi Collector’s Club (They have local chapters in Chicago and Southern California!)
• Mike and Joanne at the Pepsi Collector (they have had over 67,000 views!)

Evangelists LOVE your company and your products…hence the name, right?! As Mack Collier put it so eloquently: “Evangelists for this company would have gone absolutely apeshit over the packages!” Just think of how explosive this could have been if Edelman/Pepsi reached out to any of the above social networking sites that they built themselves based on the love of Pepsi. WOW!

If I was doing social media for Pepsi (a dream, I know), here are 10 steps that I might have thrown on the table:

1. Join the above forums/groups and listen to what the Pepsi evangelists are saying.
2. After a bit, join the conversation. Let them know that they are loved in return.
3. Share some exclusive Pepsi goodies with them.
4. Ask the groups how they feel about the current packaging.
5. Share some ideas about some new branding concepts.
6. Get their feedback.
7. If, and only if, feedback is positive about a new brand, select 25 members and ask their permission to mail them a surprise package.
8. Get their reaction to the packaging.
9. Utilize their excitement (with their permission, of course) for exposure outside their community (i.e. traditional marketing)
10. Continue the conversation…daily, on-going, as long as the community exists. (i.e. DO NOT use the community for your branding efforts!)

These are just my ideas. What are your thoughts? Do you like the campaign? How would you have handled it? Does social media work within the chamber? Am I missing something?

If you are Edelman or Pepsi and see this post, please stop by! Inquiring minds would love to know how the campaign came about and your objectives for blogger outreach! Thank you in advance.

[Image: istock]

Added 10/30/08: Darryl Parker has been tracking the Pepsi 25 and his conversation with Edelman’s Pepsi’s B. Bonin Bough over on his blog, Employ the Web!. Check it out for more insights on this campaign.

Added 10/31/08: David Armano’s post on his experience: Classically Un-Classic.

Well, today I got my first pitch as a blogger. It would have been a proud moment, if the pitch weren’t so odd…and, well, bad.

Here’s the thing, as a PR practitioner, I’ve never wanted to be one of “those people.” You know the type, one that could care less if they a) tick the editor off because they wasted their time or got their name wrong or b) has been corrected by them. Both would be so embarrassing—the latter, unbearable.

There are so many blogs posts on how to pitch editors, journalists, reporters and now bloggers that I won’t bore you with a “how to pitch” post.

Here’s the pitch. Read it through, chuckle, and let me know what you think.

Subject: Sneak Peek: New Calendar Marketing Concept from [Company Name Here]

Hi Beth Harte [Yes, that's my name, stick it in a form e-mail without punctuation. That's fine; I know you're lazy.]

I am sending you advance notice of [fluffy marketing terms here, also known as gobbledygook] an entirely new marketing medium that will be released later this week.

[Company name with more gobbledygook] is a permission-based marketing medium for businesses to promote time-sensitive products and services.  It has similarities with email marketing services, but the delivery is to electronic calendars. [You mean it's not e-mail going to a paper calendar? Phew! Glad you clarified that for me.]

The platform delivers marketing offers as embedded calendar events into electronic calendars [you don't say, still electronic, huh?]. As these time-based offers are placed in a medium [um, would that be the calendar?] where the customer makes their scheduling decisions every day [yes, isn't that what a calendar is for?!], the marketing offer is timely, relevant, and acted upon [uh, huh, and can you guarantee that?]. For example, a retailer sends a notice of a weekend sale with a coupon or a travel supplier creates live calendar feeds with last minute travel deals… [Who reacts last minute to a travel deal? Wouldn't they be on their way out the door? Just saying...]

Marketers now have a new method to engage their customers while building loyalty and driving sales. [New marketing buzz word here. BTW, hope you have a large budget.] is a great complement for marketers engaged in email campaigns to an existing subscriber list or loyalty customers. [Is that your way of saying ‘It's okay, really, this isn't a spam machine'?]

We have posted a 3-minute screencast on our website at the following location.  You can check it out via the link below. [Okay, got it the first time.]

When we launch later this week, we will invite you back [say what?!] to try it out for yourself. We are interested in your thoughts and look forward to your feedback.

Warm Regards,
Name
[blog]

Let me get this straight…you will invite me back later AFTER the launch?! Where’s my “sneak peek???” Is it at the same location as the other 100,000 people you spammed? Gee, thanks.

Here’s some advice, both marketing and PR (no light bulb moments here folks):

1. Send a personalized note.
2. Don’t use gobbledygook.
3. Perfect your writing.
4. Don’t tease; it’s just rude and a waste of time.
5. Don’t assume because you have a blog I will feel a camaraderie.
6. If you are pitching a sneak preview, make it exclusive.
7. If you honestly want my feedback, invite me to an exclusive beta (and not 4 days before the launch).

I am sure there are more tips, but I think you get the point. And, I am still just too scorned over the bait & switch (uh, not really) to add an solid advice here. It just seems such a basic what not to do. What’s your take?

[Photo: iStock]

I am back from the MarketingProf’s Digital Marketing Mixer and, in a word, the feeling I left Arizona with is passion. I know the word passion is over-used and rarely meant, but I am sincere in its use.

The social media sessions were great and the ability to talk to the speakers to get their thoughts, advice and insights was really helpful.

I felt inspired after day one. But day two, well, that’s when passionate set in.

It was during the keynote that Gary Vaynerchuk delivered. If you don’t know who Gary Vaynerchuk (@garyvee) is, you owe it to yourself to find out. His passion for people and social media rings clear as a bell and is contagious. When you hear how he reaches out to his customers, creates new customers, and follows up with customers who may not be happy it’s nothing more than astonishing. Did you read that correctly? I said “he.” Not his company, not his staff, not his interns. Him. And he tells it like it is, whether you want to hear it or not. If you weren’t at the conference, check out Gary’s video and then read the rest of my post.

[Video courtesy of Hubspot. NOTE: The video is a little shaky. If it's easier on your eyes, just listen.]

Prior to the conference, I had only known of Gary from his creative, crazy and educational Wine Library TV videos. At the conference I was able to speak with him after the ‘E-Mail and Social Media: True Love Always’ session where he was a panelist (more on that topic later) and also later in the night at Rohit Bhargava’s (@rohitbhargava) book signing for Personality Not Included.

That is what is truly amazing about Gary. He gets the importance of people and talking to them and that’s why social media has worked for him. He could have jetted away after his keynote, but he didn’t. He stuck around, spoke to people and hung out for the entire day-and night. That’s the social in social media.

Now, really this post isn’t about promoting Gary Vaynerchuk, nope, it’s about you.

Here’s what I want to say and promise to you. If you are feeling doubtful that social media is viable or have problems sharing your passion for marketing and social media within your company let me know. I will do my best to provide blog posts that prove the opposite (Gary’s success is a great example). My promise is that from now on—if you’ll allow me—this blog is about you. Together we are a community. So tell me how I can help you. What topics do you want me to blog about to help you become even more passionate or passionate again about marketing, communications and social media? I am listening.

Thank you.

Hi everyone! I am on my way to Marketing Prof’s Digital Marketing Mixer in Scottsdale, AZ.

I am so excited to fill my brain with marketing and social media goodness! I am also looking forward to sharing with you what I’ve learned and my take on the topics. And while in AZ, sitting poolside, I might just post something I’ve been noodling around with.

The wonderful thing about this conference is that I will be meeting up with so many great folks that I’ve met through social networking, including:

• David Alston
• Mack Collier
• Sonny Gill
• Ann Handley
• Frank Martin
• Amber Naslund
• Connie Reece
• Donna Tocci
• and many more…

Here are some of the sessions that I am looking forward to attending:

• Ensure Your Conference ROI: Six Tips to Get the Most Out of this Event, with Rohit Bhargava
• Building Blocks to Social Media Success, Part 1: 4 Fundamentals You MUST Know Before You Grow with Christopher S. Penn
• Building Blocks to Social Media Success, Part 2: First Moves for Integrating Social Media into Your Marketing Strategy with Chris Brogan and Scott Monty
• How Great Content Keeps Customers at the Table with Rohit Bhargava, Mildred Center, Esmee Williams, Becky Carroll
• Making a Business Case for Social Media: Measuring Its Impact with KD Paine
• Email and Social Media: True Love Always with Greg Cangialosi, Gary Vaynerchuk, and Christopher S. Penn
• What Is Twitter and What’s In It for Me? Best Practices in Microblogging with Connie Reece, Donna M. Tocci, Bryan Person, Francine Hardaway and Frank Eliason
• Reputation Management: Preventing Negative Statements from Ruining Your Brand Image with Rob Key and Sean McDonald

[Photo: MarketingProfs]

Here’s your chance!

• What: Solutions Stars Video Conference
• When: October 29, 2008
• Time: 1pm until approximately 3:30pm (EST)

If you have a few hours to spare, you should really consider giving this free (yep! FREE!) on-line conference some time. The line up of speakers can only guarantee that you’ll walk away with some great advice!

There will be nine content areas featuring vignettes of the Solutions Stars. Topics include:

• Building Web Presence
• The Social Opportunity
• Start with Listening
• Strategy Drives Outreach
• You Need Social Networks
• To Blog or Not to Blog
• Visibility Through Search
• Rising Above the Noise
• Time Demands

While the videos are streaming, you’ll be able to chat online with Network Solutions’ Social Media Swami Shashi Bellamkonda and my friend and the author of Now Is Gone, Geoff Livingston. Or, you can always participate in a live public chat.

Video participants include:

• Tim Ferriss, Best Selling Author of Four Hour Work Week
• Guy Kawasaki, Co-Founder, All-Top
• Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos
• Darren Rowse, Author, ProBlogger
• Chris Brogan, Vice President of Strategy, CrossTech Media
• Rohit Bhargava, Author of Personality Not Included
• Wendy Piersall, CEO of Sparkplugging.com
• Lionel Menchaca, Chief Blogger, Dell
• Brian Solis, Author of PR 2.0, CEO of FutureWorks (FutureWorks)
• Steve Hall, Publisher and Editor of Ad Rants
• Scott Monty, Global Digital and Multimedia Communications Manager, Ford Motor Company
• Liz Strauss, Social Web Strategist, Successful Blog
• Toby Bloomberg, CEO, Bloomberg Marketing
• Lee Odden, CEO of TopRankMarketing.com
• Jason Billingsly, Co-Founder ElasticPath
• Robyn Tippins, Community Manager, Yahoo! Developer Network
• Brett Tabke, CEO of WebMaster World
• David Alston, Vice President of Marketing, Radian6
• Jason Falls, Blogger, Social Media Explorer
• Mari Smith, Relationship Marketing Specialist
• Jennifer Openshaw, president of WeSeed.com
• Matt Dickman, Vice President, Digital Marketing, Fleishman-Hillard
• David Berkowitz, Director of Emerging Media and Client Strategy, 360i
• Ryan Anderson, Community Relations, Overlay.TV
• Becky McCray, Author, SmallBizSurvival.com
• Warren Whitlock, Book Marketing Strategist, BestSellerAuthors.com
• Chris Baggott, CEO of Compendium Software
• Lorelle VanFossen, Author, Blogging Tips: What Bloggers Won’t Tell You About Blogging
• Dave Taylor, Head Strategic Marketing Director, Intuitive Systems
• Paul Chaney, President of International Blogging and New Media Association
• Linda Bustos, Blogger, ElasticPath
• Jay Berkowitz, Author , Podcaster, and Keynote Speaker, Ten Golden Rules

I wouldn’t miss this line-up for the world, won’t you join me?

Just click on the Solutions Stars link to get more information and access the conference on October 29. Need a calendar or Facebook reminder, well you have those options too!