NYC Cool. Brooklyn Cooler.

By
Steve Poppe
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As cool as New York City is – Brooklyn is cooler. New York still has the international cachet, the hotels, skyline and a commercial buzz, but Brooklyn is where gravity is pulling the next generation.  Young families, grads, the skinny black jean set are spending their time and Benjamins in Crooklyn. It’s where a good deal of our urban culture (euphemism for black) is born. Biggie!  Brooklyn still needs renewal, still has much poverty and crime but it is home  to many generations of Americans.  (Both my parents were born in Brooklyn.)  As a brand planner I always loved to study the borough of Queens, thinking of it as America’s perfect living breathing melting pot, but now I’m stuck one borough south.

Brooklyn is a brand. 

The New Jersey Nets are moving to Brooklyn and Russian tycoon Mikhail Prokhorov is their new owner and the face of the franchise. There is a big Russian community in this borough so the purchase is in exciting harmony.  Basketball is the haps in Brooklyn: Boys and Girls, Lincoln, Dwayne Pearl (Washington), Chris Mullen….   The Nets will be Brooklyn’s first major franchise since the Dodgers left and will not only unite the borough but elevate its stature around the global.  Mr. Prokhorov probably knows this, but he has invested in one of the world’s great up-and-coming brands. Do you think Spike Lee will buy a seat courtside in Brooklyn? Hell no!  He’s a Knick fan.  But his kids will! And that’s the future. Good luck Mr. Prokhorov. Enjoy the ride. Peace!

Yahoo’s Bold, Expensive Move.

By
Steve Poppe
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Yahoo is buying Associated Media and its federation of 380,000 writers (Posters) who according to ComScore generate 16M monthly uniques.  Yahoo is paying $100 million for the ability to advertise to Associated’s audience and the deal also includes some technology which allows for the monitoring and prediction of reader content proclivities. This is a big move for Carol Bartz, Yahoo CEO, and shows she is putting money into the content strategy.

I look at content portals like Yahoo and AOL a little bit like big retail malls. A good portal, like a good mall, has lots of tenants but there is always what is called an anchor tenant — a big store that draws in lots of people.  In my view, this $100 million play is more about finding an “anchor” tenant (or ten) among Associated Media’s writers who will propel Yahoo’s numbers upward, rather than a crowd sourcing effort to generate mass.  It’s like putting a seine net in the ocean to catch krill but finding some big fish.  Yahoo needs next generation big fish. Big Posters. It’s a very expensive move, but should work for them.  The portal story, IMHO, is about quality not quantity.  But that’s just me.  Peace!

The Future of Video Ads.

By
Steve Poppe
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0

There was an interesting piece in the Huffington Post yesterday on the future of video. It’s author, Hunter Walk, director of product management at YouTube, believes in the near future video won’t be offline or online, it will just be.  That is, the video (TV shows, movies, consumer generated, music) we watch will be accessed on multiple devices, on demand, in hi-def.  This, says Mr. Walk, will be the result of improved wi-fi bandwidth (Aluminum foil hats will be big.), mad switching infrastructure and next gen streaming algorithms.

Those “anywhere, anything, anytime” ads of the 90s are coming true, it seems.  Anyway, with all of this video available, the competition will be crazy.  Forget searching for all this video for a minute, let’s think about monetizing the video. There should be two options: subscription and advertising.  The advertising approach will not be based on the television model, with pods of ads running throughout the stream. We are too evolved for that. My guess is there will be a single :30 spot at the beginning of a half-hour program and 60 seconds for an hour long program. Movies will support 90 seconds and user generated content and music video will be free.

This is the word of What’s The Idea. Peace!

Huffington Post, wi-fi, video, video advertising, whatstheidea, whats the idea, Hunter Walk, YouTube,

Business Strategy Vs. Brand Strategy.

By
Steve Poppe
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On prompt, many company executive will tell you their business strategy is “Make more money.”  Some invest to make more money others reduce the cost of goods. There are many ways to invest or cost-cut: alter the product, play with pricing, change distribution, promote in a new way.  All are business decisions. 

Ask that same company executive what their brand strategy is, though, and you may get a quizzical look. Or the quick parry “To provide customers with the best product, at the best price, with uncompromising service.” But that’s not a brand strategy, that’s the brand marketing equivalent of pasteurized cheese.

A brand strategy is created at a product’s molecular level.  It is inherently product-based.  A brand strategy grows from the product then gives back over time. And I’m not just talking “deposits in the brand bank,” I’m talking about informing product innovation, brand extension, expansion, even M&A activity.

A brand strategy is deeply rooted in the consumer — the consumer’s environment (physical and emotional) and needs (known and subconscious). Brand strategy is about growth and growth doesn’t happen without nourishment, environment and caring.

A brand strategy is a living thing. Not a business thing.  

Business strategies are logical. They are easy to articulate.  Brand strategies are psychophysiological.  They are harder to articulate but have a pulse.  And when right — they quicken the pulse.  Peace!

Two Cs

By
Steve Poppe
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0

Two business trends are happening today, both accelerated due to the web — one is good, one not so. They are collaboration and crowdsourcing.  Their shared intention is the production of good, efficient work.

In the case of collaboration the work is done by more than one party and web tools are used which put more information at the fingertips of participants. Many minds work together toward a goal, feeding off of one another.  Smart companies like the Dachis Group in Austin are playing here; they call their product Social Business Design. Collaborative software has been around since the 90s but it was more about cursor sharing and application sharing than a delve into the culture of collaboration. The new view is about changing the tools and the process.

Crowdsourcing, on the other hand, is a project jump ball where participants compete against one another for a cash prize.  It is often the antithesis of collaboration.  The pay is poor (but not always) and the work product quite variable. In the case of a crowdsourced logo design, for instance, a number of art directors are briefed and the winning logo designer is awarded some Benjamins. (A good professional logo goes for thousands.) The losers click home. Crowdsourcing is leading to crowdsouring, but it still is a growing practice. In defense of crowdsourcing, at the high-end, with really talented players and a fair remuneration, it can work effectively.

Two trends to watch. Peace!

Opt-In Vs. Opt-Out.

By
Steve Poppe
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0

It was fascinating to learn that Facebook’s privacy policy is 1,000 words longer then the U.S. Constitution. It seems nation-building back in the day was easier than signing up for a social network today. The average novel is 80,000 words; the Facebook privacy policy is close to 6,000 words. They want us to read a bit less than 10% of a book to sign up. 

I’m guessing only about 1% of the population has ever read a Terms and Conditions or privacy policy document and that percent probably passed the bar. (I was once responsible for Ts and Cs at a company and it was truly an exercise in plagiarism, with a lateral to a lawyer.)

Privacy policy needs to be opt-in, not opt-out.  That is, users must click with whom and what they want shared. A manual Opt-In selection.  This makes it so everything starts out as private and users and info to be shared must be selected. Right now everything is pre-set for share and you must deselect. Opt-Out. The Op-In approach will likely make advertising and data sale more effective and targeted. Of course, there will have to be incentives built in, but that’s the way it goes.

As I said in a post a couple of days ago, the decisions Facebook makes today on privacy will determine if they become the world’s first trillion dollar company. No pressure there. Hee hee. Peace!

Cadillac and BBH. Hitting the Mark?

By
Steve Poppe
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The new advertising coming out of Bartle Bogle Hegarty (BBH) for General Motors Cadillac Division is quite nice to look at and listen to. It begins and ends with the Cadillac grille emblem, which may or may not have been redesigned for the TV spots. The tagline beneath the emblem at the end of the work read “Mark of Leadership.”

I often snap to judge but since a big fan of BBH I’ll hold off until seeing more of the body of work before I go long form.  That said, anyone who reads What’s The Idea knows I’m an idea guy.   “Mark of Leadership” is an idea. Leadership is an overused marketing concept but it’s rich and doable – if you are a leader. Cadillac is and has been a leader, but the demonstrations will most definitely need to deliver, otherwise it’s just cheese. 

I’ve seen the first three TV spots and must admit the car designs don’t look so hot. The station wagon looking model, the coolest of the bunch, is nice on the eyes but the other two models are best shot at night. 

BBH needs to find its voice, its idea and then not fall into the Detroit compromise trap.  I’m not saying don’t show the boxy angular cars, but just focus on their best body parts. Create an allure for the mark that a parent has for newborn. “Isn’t she beautiful.”

Nice film, nice music, energetic editing – BBH.  Now find an idea with ballast and load it up! Peace!

JetBlue and the Wounded Traveler.

By
Steve Poppe
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An article in yesterday’s New York Times, the headline for which read “JetBlue  Asks Fliers To Keep Spreading The Word,” discusses JetBlue’s brand new social media campaign – a core component of its marketing strategy.  From Firstborn (agency) in NYC, the work offers video snippets of real customers talking, unscripted, of their great experiences. Unscripted is better. The goal is for people to see these videos and weigh in about their positive experiences. 

Here’s an experience a friend of mine had yesterday on JetBlue, flying from NY to California.  Here are his unscripted words:

“I had a 22 hour trip to California.  Ask me about sometime, and I’ll tell you all about it in great detail (as I usually do).   Murphy’s Law is officially renamed as M***h’s Law (name redacted).  Oh, by the way, if you happen to find my luggage, please let JetBlue know where it is, since they don’t know where it is.”

This gentleman sent the email to 21 friends.  That’s word of mouth. Sounds like he might be pissed, no?  Do you think JetBlue wants to give him a social platform to share his experience?  While his wound is still raw?  Doubt it.  They’d be better off giving him a coupon for a companion ticket and a hearty apology.

 

There’s nothing more ornery than a wounded travel passenger.  This is one business where giving a mouthpiece to a customer may do more harm than good. Pick your creative tactics carefully people.  Peace! 

Travel Marketing Application.

By
Steve Poppe
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0

Being a marketing consultant is fun.  Sometimes companies call you in to solve their problems, other times you come up with ideas and schemes that solve problems they may not know they have. 

Travel

I met with a friend the other day at an online travel company.  His company has some smart technology that allows travelers to search the travel search engines for the best rates. (Search the search? Yep.)  Beyond the algorithm, this company’s stable of writers and curators create the added-value; their ability to impart good destination knowledge, advice and tips is a differentiator.

Gaming

Separately, I read today that some schools are using video games to teach students about business.  Students create their own personas and play the game of “business life.”  Their decisions result in real consequences and learning, e.g., don’t wear jeans to an interview.  Handfuls of smart marketers have been using games in training and sales for a while now, but we’ve only just begun to scratch the surface. 

The Marketing Mashup

Combining the travel company business insight (good content build loyalty) with the gaming/training phenomenon yields an idea that can provide the travel site with improved traffic, loyalty, advertising value and engagement.  Build a simple game tailored to first time visitors to specific countries. Rather than a just creating a FAQs page, bring the country to life using decisions made on the virtual ground.  Experience is a great teacher…and good teachers are remembered. Peace!

A little “Friendly” Advice for Facebook

By
Steve Poppe
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0

There was a fascinating quote in The New York Times today in an article on Facebook’s privacy decisions. (Facebook’s privacy actions will either create mad blowback or turn it into the world’s first trillion dollar company.)

“If I’m looking for day care for my 6-year-old, I’m going to put that in my status (Facebook) message, not do a Google Search.”  (Sean Sullivan, F-Secure.)

Search, Curation, Advice.

In the world, and on the internet, there are important common behaviors: search, curation and advice.  Search is a great way to find things and it’s clearly a huge business; results are organized and prioritized… by the algorithm.  Curation, on the other hand, growing in importance online, is search but with a human hand.  Social networks help curate in a sense because one “friends,” organized by degrees of separation, share content they care about.  But advice?  Many a web property was built around advice.  Most have failed or languished.  

Mr. Sullivan’s quote points to the need for trusted advisors, not algorithm results of independent ranking experts (e.g., Better Business Bureau, Consumer Reports, your newspaper).  Mr. Sullivan’s important day care decision will be assisted by the advice of friends and respected Web friends.

As Facebook creates tools that blur the lines between search, curation and friendly advice, it will likely lose its way. People are their own best filters and Facebook needs to make sure it doesn’t cross the line. Peace!

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