FEED: The Razorfish Digital Brand Experience Report 2009 Key Findings

This is good...very good. If you're a UK online brand it is well worth spending 5 mins flicking through these slides from Razorfish.

FEED: The Razorfish Digital Brand Experience Report 2009 Key Findings

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Confusion Reigns -econsultancy Online Brand Measurement Roundtable

Yesterday, I was fortunate enough to attend the econsultancy roundtable event, which discussed how to monitor and measure a “brand” online. There were sixteen people in attendance, representing large organisations; agencies, technology providers and individual consultants. The discussion and debate was varied and was stimulated well by the chairmanship of Craig Hanna, econsultancy.

But after two hours of discussion, what was the outcome? Well for me, it was that confusion reigns!! Hooray!! That’s the same for a lot of things, but in this instance there were many crossed wires due to people’s interpretation of terminology; in some cases the desire to promote their own solutions and skills; the continual focus on “channels" as opposed to people; and yet refreshingly some real honesty from the consumer brands themselves.

In some cases, there was some over complication and in others some statements of simplicity which just weren’t accurate.

In summary, it left me feeling that there is still a very long way to go before people can change their mindset as to what the social web really offers. It is not a measurable marketing channel, despite what people claim. It is the ability for brands to listen and to have direct conversations with consumers; and more importantly, for consumers to talk to each other. The latter should be the focus and aiming for advocacy as opposed to conversion has to be the way forward doesn’t it?

Doing good stuff; making yourself accessible and providing a high quality interaction (listening and conversing) in the right mix can only help you achieve a position of advocacy. Right or wrong?

Social Media Guru - Funny and Very Accurate (warning contains rude words)

This applies to the plethora of "Social Media Gurus" popping up all over the place and those agencies who have started to diversify. Don't get caught out.!

The Irony of The Journal of Interactive Marketing

The Journal of Interactive Marketing was recommended to me as part of my PhD research for determining the factors associated with building trust between consumers and brand/businesses in the online environment. This was a year ago. So I subscribed to the RSS feed and received some updates shortly afterwards. These updates occurred on 5th November 2008.

Well, I'm not sure about their definition of interactive, but the frequency and recency of updates since then has been zero. That's exactly 11 months with no insight or research published by the journal. In Internet terms. 11 months is a very long time. And does this endorse my growing opinion of how academia is approaching research associated with the social web? i.e. They can't keep up with the fast paced trends happening across the web. This is worrying as the time taken to review submitted articles and the time of the next journal for publishing does mean it is...well...out of date and no longer "leading edge". Which is a shame.

Poo at Paul's House. What were they thinking?

Now you must have seen it. It's an advert on mainstream TV in the UK, aired in prime time designed to sell Glade's Touch 'n' Fresh, by SC Johnson. My children came running to tell me about it...so you could say it sort of worked by grabbing their attention. However, they all thought it was very strange. "Why doesn't he do a poo in his own house?" "What's so special about his friend Paul's house?" And during my ad hoc, fumbled explanation I found myself extolling the virtues of the product. "Well, he thinks his own toilet smells bad, and Paul's toilet smells nice, which is why he wants to go there." I said. Looking at the expression on my children's faces, I had to also say that this is a very weird advert and they should try their best to forget about it.

When I actually saw the advert (embedded below) I thought it was some sort of spoof, but unfortunately it isn't. It also looks as if it has been dubbed over, and reminiscent of those great Chinese programmes of The Water Margin and Monkey...for those of you old enough to remember. I always like to try and understand the thought process and group discussion amongst the marketing and agency people of how they come up with the finished product. This one is quite baffling. Meercat - market pretty easy, a bit of a punt, which struck lucky; however, you could end up going very deep with the Glade Touch 'n' Fresh.

Basically, he is saying to his mum that their toilet stinks and she should stop being so lazy and go and clean it properly. Or....buy an air freshener. Ideally do both. The fact that he wants to go to Paul's is a little more worrying. Is their toilet such a nice place to sit and think (you know that one then) that he needs to go there. How far is it to Paul's? Is his rucksack filled with provisions for the journey? If so, he may not make it in time. If he's desperate, then he needs to get a wiggle on and get there as fast as possible. So, again, why the rucksack? This shows foresight and planning and makes me think there is another motive for going to Paul's house. I think the poo is his cover for something else. Anyway, if he genuinely does need to go, it appears that he does complete his mission successfully in a gleaming loo... but how come his mum also ends up in Paul's loo? Maybe she was suspicious about the rucksack too?

Then I found out there was a similar ad released prior to this one. The plot of the story is just as weird. Little chap on the loo, who must have been eating Indian food the day before as it is him making the smell this time. But oh no! His toilet's air freshener has run out, so he makes a little bit too much fuss about it. Anyway, he attracts attention of an adult, which I don't think can be his natural mother, who wants to know what the matter is. I think most children would say "the air freshener has run out." But not in this instance, that would be far too easy. This little boy draws a picture of the air freshener, with "empty" written on it and passes it under the door. This means he must have got off the loo to do this...but once the adult comes back with a refill, there he is, back on the job. Anyway, they all have a good laugh about it in the end.

The positioning, for me, is beyond weird. In fact, I would recommend those involved have some form of psychological testing carried out, as it may reveal some underlying form of childhood toilet trauma...of course, it may not.

Tweets Telling the Truth About The Labour Party Conference September 2009

Being an inquisitive sort, I thought I'd subscribe to a few Labour Party Tweeters, including the recently appointed "Twitter Tzar" and follow #lab09 to understand the inside track of the conference in Brighton. Well, only one day in and there is some real eye opening things happening. I'd envisaged some summarising of speeches; key points being discussed; leadership debate etc. But instead we see tweets around subjects which fall into two main categories:

• Where's the party? (And we're not talking about the Labour Party)
• Hero worship. (Some of which includes some subtle flirting)

These have been described by various tweets and twitpics, which I will list later. However, what amazes me is the naivety of use of social media by the UK Government. Surely they realise that Twitter is not like texting each other and that it is visible to anyone who wants to read it? Maybe not. It also brings into question the whole motivation of some politicians - are they genuinely interested in debating, prioritising and agreeing policies and legislation for the betterment of our country? Or, are they more interested in where they each sit in hierarchical terms, obsessed with improving their pecking order?And having a good time?

The Twitter Tzar, Kerry McCarthy posted this at 12:19pm yesterday:

KerryMP: @craigie_b Absolutely nothing at #lab09 can be claimed on expenses - party political stuff

Is this strictly true? Is she saying that travel, accommodation, food and drink is not claimable on expenses...yet mortgages are? Or is this a misleading comment? It would be nice to have it clarified, especially when this twitpic appears from Bevaniteellie (Ellie Gellard) http://twitpic.com/j42x9 (tweet has since been deleted) Is this a good use of money? Or is it something designed to set the tone of the conference and try really, really hard to associate Gordon Brown with something which is fun inducing? The smile, as usual is very nearly, but not quite genuine.

Anyway, here are a list of tweets you should see, to give you the inside track. The first Category being - Where's the party?

• From the Twitter Tzar -KerryMP (Kerry McCarthy):
• 12:16 @kevpeel @BevaniteEllie had to buy my drinks last night as I'd forgotten my purse. 7 drinks, came to £1.75 (soda water with dash of lime)
• 12:17 @kevpeel Which is my way of saying u don't have to offer free drinks to tempt me! But yes, will try to be there. YL receptions always fun.
• 12:18 @msgracefh I have your tupperware. Sign of a good night out, when you leave your tupperware behind!
• 23:11 @BevaniteEllie Have u really gone home? Lightweight! I'm off to fabians bash
• 23:13 @bristolwestpaul has gone home to bed! #lab09
• 00:40 @technicalfault @DMiliband Er... That was my researcher Sophie + intern Dan. Ur top scalp so far! Invented by Alex, he got Douglas last yr
• 02:34 @dizzy_thinks From me, zero, I don't drink.

Having sent 46 tweets throughout the day, Kerry's next tweet was at 11:09 the following morning. Did she have a lie in?

Also "Partying" was, in Twitter terms the fairly influential BevaniteEllie (Ellie Gellard). How do I know she is influential? Well take a look at Josh Feldberg www.joshfeldburg.com blog. He's used technology to map the influence. Looking a Ellie's biog it's not immediately apparent why she is so influential...and then you see her Twitter picture and all becomes clear. Here are some party tweets she made:

• 23:13 @KerryMP we tried!! But we didn't get in. Orla even did the "do u know who we are" thing and they didn't.
• 23:20 This is bad...left London young Labour party - too noisy. Barred from Fabians. And now @bristolwestpaul is playing facebook chess. #losers
• 23:26 Apparently we're going to Fabian thing now... Not losers!!! They're letting anyone in...
• 01:30 @EthanRayne arselicking - hell yes. New Labour - never.
• 02:36 @torybear I don't drink with Tories. They make me queasy
• 02:38 @michaelwincott I did! Last one left is AJ.
• 09:20 @mike_forster I've been awake since 8! Went to bed at 3... Not bad.

Now these aren't texts, they're tweets which anyone can see. These are representatives of the UK Government, who should be acutely aware of the hard times people in Britain are experiencing. Also, what sort of message does this send out to addressing the "binge drinking" culture? Or is it rife through all societies within the UK? And like most things we do, it just given lip service?

Now for the Hero Worship and time stamping is not so important.

• BevaniteEllie: still in shock at meeting Polly T-I can die a happy woman. Therefore in eternal debt to @kerrymp & Douglas Alexander for introducing me...
• BevaniteEllie: @kevpeel @wesstreeting and I was equally star struck meeting you both...
• BevaniteEllie: @bryonyvk we tried to steer clear of mentioning Gordon, wouldn't want to fall out with Polly T!
• KerryMP: @BevaniteEllie You're missing an excellent speech from Ed Miliband - get into hall!
• KerryMP: @DMiliband But have u overtaken him on Twitter followers yet?
• KerryMP: I think the Labour Party has finally learned to love Peter Mandelson! #lab09
• KerryMP: Can all the Tories on here stop making up things I'm supposed to have said? Please? Be honest with people for once.
• KerryMP: RT @catherine_mayer: How much does Labour love mandelson? The hall was full to capacity. #lab09

And finally here's one from John Prescott this evening:

JohnPrescott: No. Facebook is good but u need face-to-face too. Engage! @Dan_Martin Do you think social media is the solution to voter apathy? #twinge

What do you think? Even this poster about "social media" shows the irony of it all. Maybe it should say "come fourth" instead of "go fourth"

I tend to say lots about the social web, even provide seminars on behalf of econsultancy; talk to businesses about how to formulate an engagement strategy...one that will engage people and achieve advocacy. Unfortunately, the UK Government have committed the cardinal sin and started talking about social media; used the social web to talk about it and just dived into it head first without considering a strategy; what they stand for (do they know?); their tone of voice; and what you and I, the man and woman on the web, will find engaging.

So basically, the inside track at the Labour Party, "Party"is it's a publicly detached, mutual back slapping, ego feeding, alcohol fest.

In fact, next time you see a politician interviewed on the telly in the evening, watch their eyes closely...they'll probably be all over the place. Below is a picture on Twitpic of John Prescott and as he says, his "Top Tweeters"

Aviva - Case Study on Reputation Management

The dust has settled and all is calm. As promised to a number of people, please find the online analysis of the Aviva complaint letter featured in a previous post on this blog. The analysis has all the web statistics and process of how the complaint manifested itself; the awareness and levels of interest received; and how Aviva managed the complaint. I would hope for anyone within the digital marketing industry, interested in how the social web can be used for brand reputation management, this case study will provide some insight and be of value.

Please feel free to download the document.

Somatica Digital Reputation Management Case Study On Aviva 310809

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