January
27
2010
That’s how much time today’s 8- to 18-year old spends in front of a t.v., computer, mobile phone, and/or iPod each day. Thirty years ago that same demographic spent 1.5 hours in front of digital media each day, but that’s probably just because we didn’t have very much digital media. Bad or good this is a trend unlikely to reverse itself.
How will this change how you target these up-and-comers? Almost 8 hours of digital leaves very little room for print media, so that’s out. Tech savvy children won’t know what it’s like to sit through t.v. commercials. Heck, what’s a t.v.? Facebook ads, PPC, iPhone app banners, and other ad delivery vehicles will likely lose influence and go the way of the classified ad in the Sunday paper.
Peer pressure. That little thing we all want to resist will be the new way to advertise. Social influence is huge and will only get bigger, especially in this young demographic. Peer pressure is not a new thing, but the availability of new social media tools is amping up the influence both in volume and distance. Think that all night Halo 3 marathon in four states and two countries holds any sway over kids today.
It becomes very easy to see why the advertising landscape evolves so rapidly. It’s too hard to see how the landscape will change, so the best option is to be the one driving change. They’re the only advertisers that will know where they’re going.
December
9
2009
Marketing programs often identify influencers and decision makers then convince them to buy our products or services. What should we call these programs? Lead generation, demand generation, what? Typically we skirt the question by referring to programs as Dialog Marketing. It leaves the door open to several forms of marketing engagement. Are we generating demand, or meeting a pre-existing demand in the market?
Prospects that have already identified a pain point scan the market for a solution. The demand is already out there. We have to prove that demand can be met and fulfilled with our client’s solution. Maybe it’s semantics, but perhaps we should start paying closer attention to the difference between generating and meeting demand.
Here’s a quick analogy. A man standing on a street corner with his foot on fire screams for a bucket of water. He identified his pain and solution. He just needs someone to get him water. Should you give him the water first, or ask him if he’d like the water plus a soothing aloe vera salve? You’re talking about meeting an existing demand in the market.
Conversely, that same man is standing on the corner reading the paper and has no idea his foot is on fire. You walk by, notice, and offer the man water, an aloe vera salve, and a bandage. Not realizing he’s on fire the man is grateful and you have a friend for life. That’s demand generation.
In a perfect world we are the only ones carrying a bucket of water around town, but we know that is not true. There are lots of different types of water and different ways to find people on fire.
Marketing managers building 2010 budgets are right now trying to figure out how much money they should devote to generating demand and/or meeting existing demand. The choice can be difficult, but as long as you know the difference between the two the battle is all but won. Your prospects are on fire. Do they know it, or do you need to tell them?
Oh, what if your prospects are not on fire? Should you buy matches?
July
20
2009
There is a saying in Spanish that translated reads, “A blacksmith should never carry a wooden sword”. At one time or another design/development agencies like ourselves have fallen into this trap. We’re so busy doing good work for our clients that we forget to stop long enough to build a good web presence for ourselves.
Workaholics know what I’m talking about, but that’s why we have spas and gyms, right? Now and again you need to do something for yourself.
Earlier this year we opened a skunk works operation here at VLG. We found that by applying our many talents to other areas of our business we produced new products, solutions and best practices. By taking care of business at home we’re able to offer our clients more and better solutions. Integrated web apps, social media, mobile media are all in the queue. I could go on, but it wouldn’t be skunk works if I leaked everything in this blog.
Spend a little time leveraging your own internal expertise and new ideas or opportunities will percolate. Vanity drives innovation, not always, sometimes.
Like other advertising and marketing firms, VLG’s worth is often in our ability to hold a mirror in front of clients. Helping shift paradigms or capitalize on unrecognized opportunities may define our value proposition. The creative process itself essentially dictates how we see our own products/services/solutions in the market place. Microsites and Dialog Marketing are byproducts of client introspection, the steel blade of message delivery.
It’s a huge advantage over competitors that run around swinging wooden swords.
Consider your own organization. You may not be able to apply your offering to your own business. If you build a jet engine, you may not build your own airplane. Somewhere in your organization you’re carrying a wooden sword. Somewhere you have expertise that can be applied elsewhere. Find some time for a little introspection. You’ll be glad you did.
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