Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Google's eReader - What's Missing?






Google eBooks – What’s Missing?

By Guy Borgford

The flurry of digital publishing activity and prevalence of eReaders out there has a new high-profile kid on the block. With Google’s long-anticipated entry into the market, there’s now a platform-agnostic player in the game, with the potential to further revolutionize the publishing industry. At first blush, Google eBooks seems to offer it all: it works on pretty much any platform, it offers the latest best sellers and it’s got a large free offering as well. But what’s missing?

What isn’t really touched on is how will Google’s free experience be monetized via the Google advertising machine? Call me crazy, but I’m hoping for some innovation in the space, with the ability to build in rich, animated advertising, offline tracking and integrated promotional platforms such as sweepstakes and interactive contests to make eReader advertising something advertisers can sink their teeth into. This revolution in electronics and publishing deserves a new advertising model that turns print upside down along with innovation in the digital space. With behavioral targeting in danger of getting the proverbial rug pulled out from under it by privacy advocates, the digital space is going to need to innovate and provide some real value in order to get people to opt-in to their cookie drops.

If we look at the publishing industry from a macro level, we of course go far beyond books. Magazines have taken a huge hit from the digital space, with subscription numbers plummeting, titles closing shop and ad pages struggling under the new competition of new media and shifting media habits. This could be a whole, new game for the magazine trade, with archive issues, free in exchange for a bit of information and a few ads. Me thinks a great way to push subscription offers too. And don’t forget newspapers – there are multiple ways to monetize issues that may have slid past their 24 hour temporal shelf life.

At the end of the day, a large part of the publishing industry has lived in the world of perishable inventory – that’s a touch game to play. With the world moving over to digital via eReaders, perishable becomes a much more subjective term and the 2D, static world of print has new possibilities. Think about a digital library, not funded by dwindling public funds but by advertising and sponsorship dollars.

If anyone finds any information on what Google plans to do with the eReader space from an ad perspective, please let me know! Free books and mags for all - for a price…

Email me your thoughts at: guywborgford@gmail.com
Follow me on twitter @gborgford

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

A New Global Dream...







You see it everywhere – the ads telling you to read on to get rich. Click here to find out how you can get rich working from home, get rich secrets of the super rich, Richie Rich’s Quickest Way to Get Rich Quicker Than the Next Guy…etc…

In the boom of the industrial age, it’s fair to argue that perhaps this was the American Dream and in some developing nations, people are struggling to gain a shred of that dream as they see it through the lens of popular mass media. Was this a carefully crafted construct of the media elite to promote conspicuous consumption of goods and services beyond any real human need? Or is this an innate human need to not only keep up with the Joneses but do better than them – some primal animal instinct, like a human version of the biggest, brightest plumage or the loudest mating call. I think the argument could be made that it’s a hybrid of both – cultural learning and species/lineage propagation that leads humans to want/need to acquire beyond any rational true needs.

Granted, financial independence would be nice to have. What would you do with the freedom that could bring? Travel? Get that vacation home on the beach? Send your kids to the best schools money can buy? Build a McMansion with a 5 car-garage stuffed with cars that cost as much as most folks’ condos? I believe this last ‘dream’ is becoming a thing of the past. As we as a species become more aware of our precarious position on this beautiful planet, we know that dreams founded on conspicuous consumption are simply not sustainable. And if we as individual consumers have any semblance of selflessness or benevolence, we would already have dreams that are less focused on material wealth and possessions and more focused on the experiences and the freedom to make a difference.

Don’t get me wrong. I am a capitalist through and through. And I also am a true proponent of a system built on meritocracy. However, as we move from the rusted over-indulgence of the industrial age, to one built on information and technology, I think our dreams, goals and ambitions are shifting to less material and selfish, to more experiential, humane and sustainable. Call me an optimist.

With this shift, I see a world of minimalism and distilled experiences that heighten the now. Products and services that cater to getting more out of the present with less are going to be the big winners – think modern, pure, minimal, seamless, empowering and sustainable.

Materialism will become a dirty word. We’re already seeing evidence of that with the current economic crises around the planet. The super rich aren’t advertising as much with their overt displays of wealth. Not too long ago I submitted a script idea for a new investigative journalism program called ‘Carbon Footprints of the Rich and Famous”. I think it was ahead of its time. How many super rich have multiple homes, with massive strains on resources just to keep the grounds watered and the internal humidity in check? It’s a crime against this planet and their fellow human beings – several of whom are funding their extravagance by purchasing their albums, seeing their movies and buying their products. I think we need to bring it all down to Earth and not to pick on those fortunate ones of material fortune, but to show the audience that the real dream should be to still have a beautiful, blue planet for our children and the generations of the future.

A guy can dream...

This post was inspired by:

The Meaning Organization
Traditional businesses are struggling to recover from the economic downturn. They'll need to shift their focus from profits to authentic social engagement to have meaningful impact in the world.
By Umair Haque

http://designmind.frogdesign.com/articles/and-now-the-good-news/the-meaning-organization.html#new

Monday, December 6, 2010

A Day Without Social Is Like A Day Without...









A random Tweet telling of Twitter’s Top Tweeters taking time out of the tweetosphere in recognition of World AIDS Day, December 1, 2010, inspired me to take my own break from my connection to an ever-growing number of people, characters and news sources. Granted I’m no Kim Kardashian, with millions of followers [I still have no idea why so many are interested in her] but I think an issue of such importance to the human race needed to be supported, however seemingly small my gesture.

I started by replacing all my head shot images to the symbolic red ribbon in the very early hours of December 1, changing gears from the freakish light bulb head creature I decided to go with to represent my personal brand – it’s really not that far off reality, but anyway…

Then throughout the day I abstained from all postings, tweets, retweets, Likes, comments, links, thank you notes and other feed-based activities in support of this symbolic and important day.

Celebrity endorsement of social movements within the world of social media has the ability to touch a lot of lives. The viral impact of such simple and minimal gestures holds massive implications for the needs of non profits, political movements, human rights efforts and lobbying efforts, both ‘good and bad’.

Personally, I took the opportunity to take the day off Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn – yes I had to respond to email and messages, but I resisted my usual soap box rants to support the possible ground swell social media can pose on general public knowledge, opinion and support.

It wasn’t easy. Social media plays a huge role in my life, being the primary channel for setting up both business and personal real-life engagements and abstaining from its magnetic charms was like a day in solitary confinement. So rather than brood around the machine, I took a ‘me’ day and took time to do some things that always seem last in line. It was a nice change, but man do I feel better I’m back on my soapbox no longer having to resist that tempting, little retweet button.

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

I am thankful for...







I am thankful for…

The little wonders in life
Family, friends and the warmth and love around me
Good people, integrity, authenticity and benevolence
People for change, for progress and for sustainability
Courage, fearlessness and the peace that comes with believing
The creative force of life and my ability to tap its power
Living in the now and never meeting tomorrow
Memories of loves and lives long gone
Laughter – it is the song of the soul
This world at the edge of our universe called Earth
Knowing there is something more.

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Is Your Company Fearless?












One of the most interesting things I’ve experienced during the past couple months of career transition is the inherent trepidation around decision-making and the culture of fear permeating many organizations. Perhaps it’s the economy? Maybe it’s the seismic shift in power to the masses with the advent of social media? Maybe it’s both, with some other things thrown in? Whatever the cause, there seems to be an epidemic of fear-driven, analysis paralysis throughout all areas of business, which effectively crushes innovation, creativity and authenticity.

A good indication of fear-driven mentality is the continuous reliance on comparative judgment to make decisions and bring on new talent. Many industries are trapped in role definitions that effectively frame their position requirements and organizations into a box, creating a culture and operational paradigm focused on the status quo. And let’s face it; this world isn’t standing still, so if your company is, you are actually moving in reverse.

In the world of marketing and creative communications, this couldn’t be further from the truth. Many agencies continue to rely on their world of revolving talent, design rhetoric and self-promotional award shows to maintain a feeling of control in an industry that’s in a state of complete revolution. They look to the old-school, old-boys network, with their polished marble palaces and ridiculous client fees as sources of inspiration and aspiration.

Meanwhile, they push off the heavy lifting to their publishing ‘partners’, not learning a thing about how to execute convergence media programs or the underlying technology - nor how to strategically assemble vendors and platforms to create seamless consumer experiences for their clients.

I’ve heard expressed sentiment from many on the client/brand side who feel as though agencies are becoming redundant through their apathy and archaic focus on the pre-existing models of profitability and media margins. Many agencies in this jet-fueled world of rapidly developing technology and communication platforms simply refuse to accept that this model of shifting paper and writing reams of rhetorical briefs in every shape and form around traditional approaches to brand communication is just not sustainable.

As consumer power proliferates, and communication models shift, the brands and agencies who redefine the talent acquisition process and criteria through which they select their people and keep them engaged, are the ones who will emerge victorious.

It’s like the elite athlete – the sprinter – coming down the finish line, neck and neck with her most fierce rival – the minute she turns to look at her position in relation to her nemesis, her foe internalizes every bit of effort to look at the tape and charge ahead to win, while our heroine looks over in astonished dismay.

Now, that’s not to say we shouldn’t do a SWAT analysis on new hires, projects and products. Rather, in addition, there needs to be a cultural analysis on both a micro and macro level in order to meet the demands of this rapidly changing world and the many forms of workplace that inhabit it and compete for consumer dollars, clients and talent. Companies need to focus on people first and look ahead, not to the side.

People work. People talk. People decide. People create. People innovate.

If someone has a history of developing product that meets and exceeds goals then does it really matter if s/he hasn’t managed a P&L in excess of $10M? And if an individual’s direct reports, managers, and clients rave about that individual’s leadership skills and ability to build and maintain a refreshing and engaging work culture, how is the number of direct reports really relevant to success?

If your criteria are based on numbers, perhaps it’s time to start thinking in words and begin a conversation about your own company’s culture, thinking deeply about how fear is framing your decision-making processes.

The fearless are the ones winning and the ones who define the new world order of business and work culture. Like people, every company is different and has a different way of defining culture, evolution and success. Some are brutally Darwinian, others spiritually driven by faith, but it’s fearlessness to embrace the company culture and resonate that throughout every aspect of the brand that creates this holistic synergy, without the specter of fear, trampling on progress and harmony. The fearless snap up talent that go beyond numbers and who understand the value of human relationships.

The antonym of fear is love. Love is all things light and positive, while fear resides in darkness.

Follow your hearts. Define your culture, your company, your people, your products and your customers by the love you have for what you do. And if you don’t truly love what you do, what are you waiting for? Start the culture of change today and make fear a thing of the past.

Thanks for reading.

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

What’s the True Power of Social Media? Part 2








In part one I talked about how the true value of social media is its inherent ability to make people more social – I guess that’s part of the reason they call it social media. Personally, the connections I make and maintain through social media channels – namely LinkedIn and Facebook, enable me to easily stay in touch with friends, family and business associates without making that massive commitment of picking up the phone. Social media’s ability to buffer the possible rejection, eliminate awkward voice mail ramblings, and stay in contact no matter how many phones I lose, makes my life more organized and far more social. I get out more, drink a heck of a lot more coffee, and tip back a few too many goblets of Kettle One, but it’s all in the spirit of human connectivity.

Beyond the resulting impact of real-time connectivity and social interaction, social media’s insurgence has effectively disrupted the very foundations of traditional brand paradigms. [Yes, I had to use paradigms in a sentence today.] The democratization of the publishing world creates an open source discourse around every aspect of culture, including the things we eat, drink, drive, wear, watch, see, experience, interact with and those essentials we don’t want to pay for, but can’t live without. [Insurance anyone?]

Go ahead, Google anything and sift through the results. Or better yet, search your brand on Twitter to see what people are talking about. It’s all out there, warts and all. And the one thing to note is, consumers are far less apt to rant when they’re deliriously satisfied with a product or brand than they are when drenched in dissatisfaction with a product, company or general lack of proactive customer support. Our brands are everything around our products, not just the products themselves and it resonates throughout the company culture, around the water cooler and among the nuts and bolts of the products themselves. Brands have become part of human culture and discourse.

Social media’s power to break down the one-way communication of brand stewardship is being witnessed across industries and business verticals. The companies and brands who embrace the conversation – good and bad – and engage their consumer base are the ones who are winning. Publicly accepting shortcomings, while making real changes in product and policy in order to show people we care is a market-driven approach to success. Through social media, new transformational shifts materialize turning downward curves around and creating blue oceans of opportunity that meet market demands and open brands and companies up to honesty and integrity, eliminating the ‘smoke’ in smoke & mirrors and putting spin doctors out of business.

Call me an idealist.

Thursday, November 4, 2010

What’s The True Power of Social Media? Part 1







We can’t look at a media or technology web site without seeing an article about the global surge in social networking. Like the advent of the Internet itself, the power of this phenomenon lies in the networking of humans and machines that effectively creates easily-accessible channels of communication and connectivity.

It’s one thing to get in contact digitally with someone you haven’t seen in years, or to connect to individuals around the globe who share a unique attribute, but it’s another to take this digital connection and form real-world relationships and rekindle face-to-face experiences that for many, are the essence of community and human culture.

Anyone following the social media evolution can see this shift happening…from Facebook and LinkedIn Events, to Foursquare, SVNGR and even the Groupons, Living Socials and Dealpops out there – joining and membership seems to foster the true social in many of us and facilitates the passing of knowledge, world-view and pure joyous fluff all at the same time.

I believe social media has more of a cultural and human impact than most people think. In my own personal experience, social media and digital forms of communication have had an insulator effect, buffering me from rejection and lessening the risk of getting hurt. It’s almost like driving a car. How many people have you seen driving down the road pickin’ their nose like there’s no tomorrow like their car makes them invisible? It’s not the passengers either, just the drivers. They feel insulated and thus almost invisible – and they will dig for that gold like the hillbilly characters on that old Bugs Bunny episode. [Bugs dressed up like a hot girl bunny hillbilly in the episode – big surprise. - Check it out here – classic: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQQGSsI87kA

How he found that giant toaster is anyone’s guess.

Anyway, I digress.

In my experience, many meaningful relationships, both professional and personal that I’ve developed over the years have been made via various channels of social media. And other relationships that formed in the material world have been more easily nurtured and maintained via the many easy ways to stay in touch without committing to a phone call.

In several cases I’ve admittedly used social media channels as a way to pre-screen and decide whether to take things to the next level. And now with social media everywhere and everyone on it, I’ve found my own life has become much more social overall - it makes me get out there, and put myself out there. Life is much richer with great people around.

Social media is a culture-shifting, Darwinian-driven way for us animals to compete. That explains why my 62-year old Aunt Sophie insists on pushing bushels of beets on me via Farmville. I don’t even like beets. She just wants to show off.

Sunday, October 31, 2010

Winner of the Artober Sweepstakes Giveaway Announced!



Thanks to everyone who entered. Watch the thrilling official drawing, unscripted and recorded LIVE on Halloween Night on Facebook. [If the link doesn't work, please copy and paste in your browser.]

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=676690869&v=app_2392950137#!/video/video.php?v=446907465869

Again, thanks everyone for entering, following my blogs and joining my art page on Facebook. Stay tuned for another giveaway soon.

Friday, October 29, 2010

Domino's Delivers With Truth In Advertising - No Lie!














In today's Advertising Age, an article addresses one of the most brilliant and potentially dangerous ad campaigns we've seen in some time.

With new CMO, Russell Weiner in place, the 2000+ pizza chain was in trouble. Taking a research approach the company came to painfully realize that their product sucked. They needed a major overhaul from the ground up and rather than glossing over their reputation of delivering sub-par pie, whose tastelessness was often outdone by its poor presentation and a blurring between pizza and pizza box, Domino's called it out.

For me, this speaks to the new age of conversational marketing. We don't own our brands, we can only do what we can to shape them. In today's era of social media, consumer ratings a la Yelp, and micro-publishing like this very blog here, Domino's embraced the masses, their gripes and their bad reputation and out in the public eye, turned it all around and allowed pizza fans everywhere to have a voice in the transformation.

This is probably the best example ever of a major brand embracing the power of social media and crowdsourcing and combining it with the reach and emotional impact of traditional media. Not to sounds like a socialist, but Domino's Pizza became the Pizza of the People.

With Gap's recent logo redesign debacle, and legions of social media micro publishing bashing the new design, you have to wonder - was this a true misstep in a major re-branding initiative or just a publicity stunt? Whatever it was, they sure got out there in the press - although was it truth or was it just puppet masters pulling on some strings?

One thing is for sure, Domino's addressed their brand at it's core and came out with a makeover that's driven sales up over 30% in one year. Can you say cha-ching?

Today's world is no longer about one way communications telling people what a brand should mean to them - it's a 2-way conversation that addresses brands at every conceivable touch point. The Mad Men world of smoke and mirrors is over. As marketers, our new challenge is to truly shape market-driven products and brands, that our target audiences love and buy and make part of their lives. Embrace the masses or the next time you look over your shoulder they may be coming after you with pitchforks, burning torches and a taste for your brand's blood.

To read the Advertising Age article, please visit:

http://adage.com/article?article_id=146782

Monday, October 25, 2010

Crowdsourcing Promotion Using Social Media


In yesterday’s Clickz article, “Crowdsourcing – An Efficient and Disruptive Force in Digital Marketing”, author Robin Neifield discusses the efficiencies and benefits of crowdsourcing video production for online initiatives. It made me think about a client I’m currently working with whose model is very much in the realm of crowdsourcing but on the promotional side.
With many marketers still struggling to get their heads around social media new solutions are popping up to take advantage of the social media revolution – no doubt this phenomenon came on fast and it came on big, so the lag to fully grasp and utilize social media is understandable.

The young startup I’m working with enables the social graph and the power of crowdsourcing to effectively take the guess work out of social media executions. With a CPA model – and that’s Cost Per Action, a platform agnostic technology, rewards on the user side and deep connections in the music space, they certainly seem to have all sides covered.

With around 40k monthly active users and growing fast and a user profile indicative of the social influencers so many brands are looking to reach, their advertiser appeal is already getting traction, with brands such as Airwalk and Rockstar already utilizing their platform. Imprinting their promotions within the social graph, their campaigns are inherently viral, as social media news feeds, tweets and profile postings expand the core reach to the millions. And research is pouring out over the value of social network recommendations over traditional online advertising approaches as this ‘word of mouth’ type of promotion takes messaging to the realm of the personal recommendation.

Crowdsourcing has it place in many channels in the digital space and none more powerful than marketing and promotions – the key is to create the hooks that turn the inhabitants of the crowd into your brand ambassadors and your effective digital ‘street team’ – make it worth their while, make it relevant to their lives, and create value across the chain and watch the crowd move your marketing.

Stay tuned for more information about this value-packed approach to social media marketing and if you have any questions in the meantime, email me at guywborgford@gmail.com.

Monday, October 18, 2010

Personal & Professional Branding in the Age of Social Media - Part 2



LinkedIn and Personal Branding – Part 11

Once we’ve got a head shot that doesn’t make us cringe, we need to form a tagline that sums up who we are and why we’re different. Think ad slogan and summarize to recruiters why they should buy. This tagline can also reflect our most salient keywords to increase search effectiveness on LinkedIn. Once this is done, it’s time to get to the meat of our LinkedIn and professional brand.

One of the true beauties of LinkedIn is it takes what is usually relegated to only two pages and allows you to expand on that, offering virtually unlimited space to tell your story. Rules of tight, pithy writing still apply, but here our goal changes somewhat – taking what was a highly refined document designed to summarize what’s so great about us as quickly and as succinctly as possible to a page that not only tells our story, but also packs in keywords and keyword density to optimize our LinkedIn brand for search.

What was highly edited or even left off our print resume can now be extrapolated on, added to, embellished and packed full of keywords that target our desired career move. Whereas our print piece may have had to forego consulting work, we can now add in these career points, detailing this experience with core keywords that increase our keyword density and search results.

Aside from building our text-based persona, we can also supplement our LinkedIn profile with applications that can showcase other aspects of our abilities and accomplishments. I used a combination of Microsoft PowerPoint, with Google Documents and an application on LinkedIn that allows me to embed this presentation on my LinkedIn profile. As a creative type, this allowed me to showcase some of my creative work, without having to go through the process of building and hosting a web site. It’s easy to update and gives recruiters a one-stop shop to get a solid understanding of my work and my abilities.

As a blogger, I’m also able to use LinkedIn applications to post my latest blog postings on LinkedIn – these synopses show the blog headline, first few words of text and a link to my blog, which is directly related to my industry – it all comes together easily using a combination of Blogger, Twitter and LinkedIn applications. Combined, these tools further keep my profile fresh and show prospective clients and employers how I think and possibly why I’m a great for their organization.

Building your personal and professional brand is very much like building a product or company brand. It takes thoughtful positioning, differentiation and consistency, so it’s imperative that once you’ve built your brand you stick with it over time as any marketing program worth doing needs time to take root and grow. So, build your brand, start your blog and stick with it. You may think that no one’s reading or watching, but that’s not the point – it’s about engaging with your industry, your POTENTIAL audience and above all else, yourself.

Friday, October 15, 2010

Personal Branding In The Age Of Social Media. What's Your USP?


Social media had changed the way many of us communicate. No one can debate that. And across social media sites our personality and face to the world is communicated to friends, family, co-workers, business partners, prospective employers and just about anyone else you can think of. Welcome to age of personal branding.

Personally, no where has this been more critically evident than on LinkedIn. Finding myself laid off back at the end of June, LinkedIn became a much bigger part of my life. Although consulting work took up my summer, I found myself in job search mode in September and quickly realized how the game had changed.

After meeting with my most-awesome career coach, Cindy Pain, she educated me on the value of LinkedIn and the modern mantra of the personal brand. Like product marketing, personal branding begins with determining ones differentiation in the market and USP. How are you different? What makes you tick in ways that makes most other people talk? What unique characteristics are going to make you stand out from other candidates or business partners? And why are those differences valuable? It's not an easy task - sometimes the most difficult sell is ourselves, especially when one is raised under the tenets that modestly and being humble are positive traits.

Overcoming these barriers is easy to do when one looks at the competition. How are the best in the business selling themselves? IMHO, the best don't resort to hyperbole or schmaltz, they focus on what's core to their personal brand and what's unique and then translate those characteristics into a key message of value that is then reiterated throughout all social media touch points and points of communication digital, analog and interpersonal.

For me, this process began with the development of my head shot. As a photographer, I of course had to control the process. It wasn't easy. I suddenly found myself thinking back to a episode of Seinfeld, where Jerry dated a two-face, who, depending on the lighting, looked either as pretty as a picture, or let's just say, not so pretty. To watch what I'm talking about check out this clip:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Xi9kgnvjQE

Funny stuff, but not if it's you and your personal brand we're talking about!

This is your face to the outside world, so better make it good. Try different angles, sides and lighting situations. Get the money shot then crop it for your cover to your personal brand.

Next post I'll talk about building out your brand in different ways and how to take your product to market in the most effective way possible.

Monday, October 11, 2010

Connecting to GLBT Consumers By Just Being Nice!


In today’s Advertising Age article “Why (and How) You Should Go After the Gay Dollar” author Bradley Johnson points out some solid ways GLBT consumers and their friends and family can reward companies for taking progressive stands on human equality.

According to the article, things are getting much better as we awaken as a culture that we are all just simple humans spinning out of control on this relatively little blue marble in the middle of infinity and under it all, we are equal…although arguably the GLBT community has more disposable purchasing power.

In summary the author lists five main tenets for brands to exist in peaceful and profitable coexistence with the GLBT community:

1. Don't be a hypocrite
2. Stand up for civil rights
3. Advertise in gay media
4. Be so good they say you're bad
5. Do the right thing when no one is looking

The author gives great examples of each and calls out some companies that are not cutting it – so as progressive citizens in favor of human rights, we should cut them from our shopping trips.

Despite all this, the question remains is what makes a dollar gay? Is it genetic? Are they gay when their printed at the US mint or do they become gay by being circulated around the Castro District in San Francisco? Did they have overbearing Andrew Jacksons as fathers or overprotective Alexis Hamiltons as mothers? Are these dollars naturally better dressed than their hetero dollar brothers? So many questions, so little solid research to put the debate to rest.

To read the full article visit here:
http://adage.com/article?article_id=146358

Friday, October 8, 2010

Convergence Media & The Mile High Club









With just 2 weeks to put it all together, we knew we had to scramble, yet we knew we could get it done. Flip video, the wildly popular and diminutive video recording device wanted to do something big. Their launch was 14 days away. On the calendar was AEG’s Mile High Music Festival in Denver, CO.



Working with Jay Lotz and the AEG team, our crackerjack project management team and label relations lead put together the brand experience for Flip. We cleared content capture with bands including Thievery Corporation, Ben Harper, Gogol Bordello, Matt Nathanson and Matt Kearney and as part of the content experience had the bands agree to take the Flip cameras in hand and shoot their own footage of back stage and on the podium in front of tens of thousands of music fans.


AEG ran the high def content capture of the performances, which was streamed live and distributed by taking over RealPlayer with the Flip Video Music Experience. After the show we worked with the bands and cleared tracks for on-demand video streaming, while a Mile High Online Radio Channel featured acts from across the 4 stages and 2 days.


A street team of 10 Flip Video Brand Ambassadors toured the festival grounds, shooting video of the revelers with the tiny handheld cameras. Signage, still photos and a robust online media campaign pulled it all together, delivering well over 2 million visits to the Mile High Music Festival pages and exposing the Flip Video brand to over 60,000 music festival attendees at the event.


Our Project Management goddesses, Gina Perino and Sabrina Sutherland worked around the clock uploading the latest footage onto the custom branded Flip Video Hub, while I cased out the stages to shoot photos of the artists for the Flip Video Music Experience – see a few of my shots here.


At the end of it all we surpassed our client’s expectations and pulled it all off in just under 2 weeks time. Working with pros like AEG is a big plus. They are an amazing group to work with and really went the extra ‘mile’ to take this complex program of integrated music sponsorship elements to new a new high. [Puns intended].

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Can Media Silos Be Broken? I Say YES!


An commentary in yesterday’s AdAge speaks to a core issue plaguing marketers today. Ellen Oppenheim speaks about the silos prevalent in advertising and marketing communication and how rarely is there synergy across media that seamlessly blends the media and engages the consumers with a common creative thread and message, regardless of platform.

In my experience, the core issue begins with strategy. In this critical phase I think too many marketers are looking at media as separate entities and although across media there may be overarching goals and objectives, strategists are still addressing creative as separate communication points, depending on the medium.

It’s time for agencies to stop thinking about how they can out-smart their competition with creative that edgier, funnier or just more outlandish. That’s all great and imperative to the industry as a communication forum, but now is the time to address the one component of marketing communications that drives all others – the audience.

In today’s world of fragmented audiences and rich and engaging media on the go, digital billboards, social experiences, deep integration and memorable sponsorship opportunities, marketers need to think audience first. It seems like a no-brainer but I see not too many signs that this is truly top of mind.

So, what the heck am I talking about?

In the strategic phase it all starts with the target. Duh! Who are they? Where do they go? How do THEY communicate? What makes THEM shout out? What gives THEM goosebumps? Getting inside their skin and into their lives gives marketers a tapestry of their social lives and lets face it – regardless of how amazing TV creative is, or how cutting edge a mobile program may be - it’s what the audience does or how they feel after exposure to the message that really counts, otherwise why advertise?

Providing value and choice to become part of the conversation goes hand in hand. TV, needs to hook to mobile, mobile needs to hook to web, web needs to hook to social, social needs to hook to print or even DR – and by providing a perceived value to the target that we know hits their hot buttons – and multiple ways to join in that conversation, depending on that consumer’s preferred method of discourse, we set the stage for the promise of 1:1 consumer communication, shaping our brands around what our target consumers really want.

Now that’s a mouthful capable of chomping away at any silo.

Link to the original post here:

http://adage.com/mediaworks/article?article_id=146284


What do YOU think?

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Artober Art Sweepstakes Giveaway - 4 Easy Ways To Win!


Artoberest Original Art Giveaway!

4 easy ways to win!

Yes, it’s time for a shameless self-promotion – but there’s something in it for YOU! There are 4 easy ways your can win the original painting shown here - if any of the links don't work for you, just copy and paste the URL into your browser:

1. Everyone who follows my media blog @ http://guywborgford.blogspot.com/ is automatically entered to win this original painting by yours truly – me! All you have to do is click the ‘Follow’ button and get entered to win.

2. Double your chances of winning by following my art and design blog here:
http://modmandesign.blogspot.com/

3. And get yet another chance by ‘liking’ my art page on Facebook here:
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=676690869&v=app_7723691927#!/group.php?gid=199778103672

4. Are you a Tweeter? Get your fourth chance to win by following me on twitter here:
http://twitter.com/gborgford

You never have to read a word I write, just add me, follow me and like me. Does that sound desperate? It’s not – it’s marketing, peeps!

On Halloween night, I’m taking all the entries and drawing the prize for this 24”x36” acrylic on canvas piece entitled “Grass and The Hoppers” approximate value $750.00.

Your chances of winning are dependent on the number of ways you sign up and the total number of entries. Got a partner? Get them to enter to and double up your chances…kids…get them to sign up too and get the whole family in on it! It’s easy and your chances of winning are awesome! Sure it’s not a payday like the lottery, but winning is always FUN and I’m getting old, so once I croak, this painting could be worth MILLION$. OK, maybe not millions, but maybe a few bucks.

So, don’t hesitate. Follow my blogs, LIKE my art Facebook page and follow my tweets and you could WIN!

Thanks and have a great week!

Guy

Sunday, October 3, 2010

Social Media and Direct Response - Mashing Up Old and New


Mashable recently posted an article about driving response through social media marketing initiatives. It took me back to my old-skool direct response print days and at the same time, brought in my years of experience developing and creating interactive direct response programs for clients.

With the advent of social media, the old-skool rules of DR still come into play. I think what happens is marketers continue to think that it's about getting the LIKE, or the SHARE. In the case of the mashable post, their goal was getting donations and that's where the focus needed to be from the get-go. All the Likes and Shares don't mean squat unless what's being shared is the call to action to donate and a direct link to a page where people can drop their credit card.

The mashing up of social media initiatives and a DR calls to action necessitates discipline. One needs to define ONE action at a time. If donating is the key action, then messaging in social media needs to center around that...not LIKES, not posting or anything else. For those who donate online it needs to be made easy for them to then post to their social graphs that they donated...and the resulting link back needs to go directly to the donation page and call to action. The more steps we expect consumers to take, the more likely they are to fall off our path.

Read the original article here:

http://www.linkedin.com/news?viewArticle=&articleID=210062532&gid=3359796&type=member&item=30886010&articleURL=http%3A%2F%2Fmashable.com%2F2010%2F09%2F28%2Fsocial-media-conversion-science%2F&urlhash=nSRi&goback=.gde_3359796_member_30886010

Thursday, September 30, 2010

OOH Media - Time to Start the Conversation



Recently took a trip to San Francisco. There’s nothing like the vibe and rush of a true city to shake things up and get you in touch with the crush of humanity that goes along with such a thriving urban center.

As a self-confessed media junkie, I love to see how advertisers jockey themselves in these hyper-saturated media environments. I remember visiting San Francisco years ago and marveling at Apple’s ‘takeover’ of the Muni station, with every billboard at the Market street station touting what was then the new iPod. What made this salient was the physical location of the Apple store – strategically positioned just outside the Muni station escalator. It was a very relevant push…the message, like a welcome mat to the gleaming Apple store and its array of colorful acoustic candy.

This trip, the media world is much different. Mobile has taken hold, and the web is now accessible on any number of devices consumers can fit into their pocket. Which is what puzzles me: Urban outdoor media seems to be stuck in it own silo. I saw it everywhere in Francisco, with gorgeous billboards, posters and visuals without a hook to connect to consumers and start the conversation.

Mobile has the ability to add interactivity to otherwise static, one-way media and start the conversation, engaging consumers to text, tweet, enter to win, click and ‘like’. For the most part, these consumers are all standing around faces fixed on their handsets anyway, so why not take advantage of that behavior and add a call-to-action to out-of-home media and really leverage that moment when you catch that consumer’s ever-fleeting attention?

Many industry pundits have gone one year after year that ‘this is the year of mobile’. Until media teams stop thinking about it as a medium unto itself and use it for interactivity across otherwise non-interactive channels, it will continue to putter along, no matter how many touch-screen smart phones get out there.

As a media professional I would never run any print, OOH, in-theater or TV spot without it. Every message, regardless of its primary function, would have a secondary function to start that ever-more-valuable consumer conversation.

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Can really, really, REALLY bad advertising actually be good?



AdAge reported today that the nominations are piling in for the worst in TV advertising. Personally I think that with the heaps of turds being passed off as 'quality programming' it makes sense that the ads they seem to slot in every 90 seconds are every bit as horrible.

According to AdAge: "...This year, Consumerist is tapping the reservoir of demand for angry consumer retribution by creating the first Worst Ad in America awards, which, like the Tracy's, celebrates the foulest marketing fumbles based on user-submitted suggestions. Their list of nominees will be unveiled tomorrow, and trust us, it's cringeworthy; contenders for top prizes include Quiznos' nightmarish singing-kittens spot http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5KhP11BRj4 (which Hartley mentions is a shoe-in for a Tracy this year, as well) and the decidedly uninspired "Not Without My Coffee" guy from those McDonald's ads. (For a full list of nominees, check back tomorrow for a link to Consumerist's ballot. UPDATE: Here it is.)"

You have to wonder. I'm not a big TV watcher. In fact, I tune in to a total of maybe a couple hours a month. I've NEVER seen the Quiznos' singing cat commercial and I'm glad I didn't. It is really, really, REALLY bad advertising. Not to dis my adorable and uber-creative 9-year-old daughter, but it's something she would have produced if I had thrown a bucket of money at her and told her to make a spot.

But here's the thing. I saw this as once. I remember it's promoting their $4 sandwich menu. Plus, now I'm blogging about it. Not that anyone reads my blog, but it's ingrained in my consciousness. I know Quiznos has $4 sandwiches. And over 40,000 people have watched this horrible ad on YouTube. Something is working here.

I think it's like watching something like Jersey Shore. It's the car wreck syndrome. We hate to look but there's some twisted, deep-seeded part of us that makes us incapable of looking away. I guess for Quiznos, super-annoying singing kitten puppets are more palatable with a lunch promotion menu than car wreck victims' assorted body parts strewn along the I-5. And I remembered I can get a $4 toasty sandwich at Quiznos. Too bad I'm a Subway loyalist.

Monday, September 20, 2010

Twittermoms - Focus Groups Go Social




Adweek reports that CPG heavyweight, P&G is working with blog network, Twittermoms and Quickie Manufacturing to get Twittermom recommendations onto product packaging. In a move that's seen as a way to provide unbiased and 'real' product reviews on-pack, P&G engaged the blog network of 30,000 'influential' moms, each of whom have an average of 1000 followers to test and rate new products.

A subset of Twittermoms are then selected to take part in the product trial. Twittermoms then works with the advertiser on a selected set of criteria to deem if the product is worthy to earn the “Moms Like This” seal of approval, which is then applied on-pack.

Pretty interesting example of crown-sourcing, if you want to call it that. I tend to think Twittermoms should have taken the same focus group approach to the naming of their company. Equating moms with twits just doesn't work for me.

Read the Adweek article here:

http://www.adweek.com/aw/content_display/news/digital/e3i5726ebf2b05c55dfed9388083d4d4ced

Friday, September 17, 2010

AMC Entertainment - Welcome to Digital!




Funny how i rambled on in a recent blog post about the lack of mobile hooks in the in-theater marketing space. See my original post here:

http://guywborgford.blogspot.com/2010/09/movie-theater-advertising-whats-missing.html


Reading Brandweek today, they announced that AMC Entertainment had selected Omnicom Group's Signal to Noise and sister shop Rapp to handle digital chores and direct marketing duties, respectively.

This may not seem particularly newsworthy, but I couldn't help but jump all over the irony of the quote from Jordan Warren, president and chief executive officer of Signal to Noise, "AMC recognizes that digital technology can fundamentally change the guest experience and their relationship with" the theater chain.

Welcome to the wacky world of the information super highway and Mo-bile phones.

Unreal. AMC...hello...is anyone home?

Thursday, September 16, 2010

What's Your Customer's DNA?


This may seem rudimentary, but too often marketers look at demographic targets without looking at the big picture. Along with this narrow focus comes an ask: Buy something from us, sign up, take action, do something - and this is done without an exchange value.

In today's economic climate, consumers are ever more fickle as to where they spend their hard-earned dollars. On top of this, they're bombarded with a flurry of marketing messages across the spectrum - in myriad ways across multiple daily experiences.

So, how do marketers break through the clutter? How do they grab that fleeting attention of an over-saturated media world that's evermore competitive with every passing hour?

It starts with knowing the customer's DNA. Going beyond demographics, psychographics, and even values and lifestyles, it's finding out both the pain points and sweet spots that brings your product or service into relevancy.

Connecting with audiences and customers is BEING one...it's an empathetic approach to knowing the very fabric of what makes the target tick and how your offer fits into their lives and makes it both relevant and utterly irresistible.

This messaging can't happen in a media vacuum either. It needs to transcend any one medium and be consistent throughout the customer experience and the world they live in. The media mix is a misnomer really - media shouldn't be mixed but carefully constructed, with common 'ingredients' and both an ask and a value proposition that is part of the very DNA of the customer you're trying to reach. A good example of a common error in the often misunderstood world of Facebook is the ever-present ask to LIKE us on Facebook. Rarely do I ever see a reason 'why'. What's in it for me? And how does this click fit with my life and the world I experience?

It's time for marketers to think beyond sales goals and market share. We need to dig deep about how our brand can become part of the consumer's DNA and concurrently devise a strategy to stay relevant, irresistible and valuable over time, across all consumer touch points and experiences.

Monday, September 13, 2010

Brand Week's Marketer of the Year...A Commentary



Photograph by Tim Llewellyn

Give it to P&G. If Brandweek’s Marketer of the Year, James Moorhead is any indication, they pick their brand managers to BE the brand. Holding aloft a shining can of Old Spice Body Wash Mr. Moorhead is the embodiment of the brand. And that personification of the product and brand is exactly what Mr. Moorhead did, featuring former NFL player, Isaiah Mustafa in self-deprecating spots that poke fun at our beloved world of advertising and do it in a way that is pure brain candy.

Let’s face it, the spots are genius. Doesn’t matter how many times you see them, you have to keep watching. It’s like we’re tuned in to that face-paced, action-packed world of mega-plots on Hydroxycut and we can’t avert our eyes. And the brand’s there too – loud and clear.

What really matters is that sales of the product line picked up 30%. That’s serious results.

Creative and strategic genius aside, there’s still something missing on the media side – the campaign misses the mark on new media. Where’s the Old Spice dude as the personification of the brand on Facebook? Why can’t we follow him and all his Old Spice inspired conquests? What about Twitter? Foursqure? Why would I want to follow ‘Old Spice’ the brand when I could follow The Old Spice stud? Call me a stalker, it won’t be the first time I’ve heard that.

Is it just me or do the big ad and brand rags pretty much not cover true media synergy – the promise of convergence media, where a rock solid campaign like Old Spice’s follows me across the media spectrum and does so with surprise, humor and delight.

For more on this check it out on Brandweek here:

http://www.brandweekmoy.com/2010/09/grand-marketer-of-the-year-2010-james-moorhead-old-spice.html

Saturday, September 11, 2010

Extending the TV Experience - Wetpaint





Web publisher, Wetpaint, looks to add come color to the TV Show fan scene with it’s collection of destination web sites that focus on some of TV’s hottest shows.

With a razor-sharp focus on the 18-34yo female demographic, a state-of-the-art publishing system and daily content pouring forth from a team of seasoned editors, this scrappy Seattle startup looks to fill a void where TV leaves off and the network sites and gossip sites don’t completely cover.

Wetpaint’s foray into the web space started with it’s 1.0 platform, which allows anyone to easily create a web site using their back end publishing system and hosting services. After a couple years live, this system grew to hundreds of thousands of independent web sites and close to 10 million UU per month.

Analytics of the data showed that come of the most consistently popular sites in that system were fan sites devoted to popular TV shows like Dancing with the Stars and The Bachelor. With advertisers shying away from UGC content, the executive team led my Ben Elowitz put 2 and 2 together and forged this new strategy around these marquee entertainment titles.



I was fortunate enough to work with Ben on the development of the company’s media kit and sponsorship strategy, where the flexible publishing system and rich palette of content and promotional opportunities, creates what could be a magnet for entertainment, beauty and fashion advertisers and a host of other consumer verticals looking to reach this elusive and fragmented demographic.



Shown here are a couple examples of slides from the media kit, where I develop graphics, layout, copy and sponsorship hooks around this promising new media property.




To read more about Wetpaint, check out this article:

http://www.techflash.com/seattle/2010/09/wetpaint_reinvents_itself_as_an_entertainment_news_hub.html

Thursday, September 9, 2010

Movie Theater Advertising - What's Missing?


For some reason my partner makes us go to a movie when they’re still cleaning the theater from the previous screening. We’re there before even the trivia and stuff starts, often taking those first few mouthfuls of greasy popcorn to the sound of an Electrolux.

The other night when the trivia and endless trailers did get going, I started thinking about the promotional canvas before me – one very large screen as the focal point of my attention. The only other mode of amusement was of course my phone.

Promotion after promotion, ad after ad – and all of this after the 10 minutes or so of looping trivia that is no less than promotions for upcoming theatrical releases.

Let’s face it, it’s a great captive audience and guess what, you’re targeting moviegoers and consumers with a reasonable amount of disposable income - $11 popcorn anyone?

Here’s where it fails.

Through countless minutes of commercials of various sorts, not once was there any call out to pick up my cell phone and simply send a text – to get something. Here, advertisers have a captive audience, with the biggest, baddest screen at their creative disposal, 3D, IMAX, 24-speaker Digital Surround Sound, Smellorama, - the sensory candy astounds.

Advertisers have all this incredible power to capture an audience and close the deal and the closest call to action was a URL or two at the end of a couple of the promotional clips. Here is where advertisers are thinking in the box and only focusing on the creative and the medium it was created for - not the core business objective. And let’s face it folks, in our beloved capitalist culture, is all about selling things – stuff, experiences, ideas, values and opinions.

In today’s world of fragmented audiences and media access practically anytime or anywhere, promotional creative should always have a hook around an offer that’s relevant to the audience and the environment. There needs to be the ask…and an ask in return for something of perceived value.

Here’s how it pans out.

Coke runs one of their big budget :60s in theaters. Somewhere in the ad…and I’m not talking a ticker tape or super at the end of the spot, but threaded throughout the spot’s narrative, there are repeated calls to text a short code…to enter to win, to get a clue, to get a bar code that can be redeemed at the refreshment counter for a deal – you get the idea. Think billboards, taxi tops, store windows, guys in gorilla suits…oh the possibilities! It could be low-budget too…with the text-to-get-something calls to action embedded within the trivia game – before all the ads even start. And it could be a simple super at the end of the spot too…it would be a start.

To me, what’s being created out there now is just thinking inside the box…a very big box, no less, with the biggest, baddest screen at their creative disposal, 3D, IMAX, 24-speaker Digital Surround Sound, Smellorama and popcorn that costs the same as a filet mignon – popcorn bags…great place for a text-to-win, don’t you think?

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Portfolio Work - Music, T-Mobile and Vitamin Water



Working in the music space certainly provides multiple hooks that make sense for brands. Music is experience. Music is passion. Music is conversation. And for brands, connecting to consumers and their passion points is often best routed through the emotional connection of music.

Here are just two examples of some of our work with music and major consumer brands, leveraging the Rolling Stone and Rhapsody music brands, and working with promotional partners such as AEG, Live Nation and Superfly, we built out these multichannel programs to meet client objectives and get the brand into the minds and hands of consumers, across multiple touch points.

Vitamin Water @ Bonnaroo Music Festival: Vitamin Water was already locked up with the live event, so we leveraged this exiting relationship and extended their brand presence to a digital program, with extensions on RollingStone.com and Rhapsody.com.

Check out the Hub here:

http://rollingstoneextras.com/vitaminwater/

Working with both agency and T-Mobile brand team, our group rolled out a series of 3 convergence media programs around live music. The example shown here showcases our integrated strategy for T-Mobile at Austin City Limits Music Festival. Playing on T-Mobile's theme of self-expression, we captured content from the fans at the festival, as well as performance photos and video. Our RollingStone.com 'crib' in Austin provided T-Mobile with an endemic venue for experiential marketing, while also double as our production facility for band interviews, photo shoots and intimate acoustic performances captured in high def video - all brought online and promoted throughout our music properties.

Check out the hub here:

http://www.rollingstoneextras.com/tmobile/

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Coors Light Cold Activation Program - Cool Program for Ice Cold Beer!

Over the years I was fortunate to work with the Miller Coors team at Avenue A on the Coors Light brand. Beginning with a sponsorship of distinct independent music performances that we taped in studio, and then brought online, the Coors team expanded their scope in support of music year after year. Obviously, it works.

















This year the crackerjack account team of George Carney and Staci Parlari parlayed their solid relationship with the Coors team into a season-long series of music initiatives and impactful media programs. Starting back before Memorial Day weekend, this year’s program included a live event with full content capture in Los Angeles, featuring notable jam band, OAR headlining at the Wiltern. This event coincided with the launch of Coors Light new packaging initiative, the ‘Cold Activated Window’, allowing consumers to ‘see’ if their beloved beer is at optimal consuming temperature.



The stellar project management team, led by music maven Gina Perino organized content capture at the event, where select tracks from the band’s performance were brought online and housed on a Rhapsody.com Hub. Check out the content here:

http://www.rhapsodyextras.com/coorslight/



At the event, Coors Light flowed on tap, while LA music fans enjoyed a free music experience from our friends at Miller Coors - experiential marketing consisted of Coors street team, signage and a distinct branded presence that made it all seem seamless.





Media included site takeovers on key Coors Light dates, including, Memorial Day and Labor Day weekends, with a focus on music and entertainment lifestyle properties, including Film.com [shown here].

This was a great example or thinking beyond digital and into the minds and hearts of consumers in environments that best suit the brand and what it’s about.



Now, if you're reading this and it's after 5:00pm isn’t it time to enjoy some Cold Activated freshness yourself?



Friday, September 3, 2010

Smart Mobile Marketing Gone Very Wrong

Since Tuesday August 31, the Michele Bachmann for Congress campaign has been targeting ads in mobile apps to people visiting the Minnesota State Fair. As reported on Clickz, September 2, 2010, these hyper-targeted attack ads with their uber-relevant creative, tell fair-goers that a vote for the Democratic challenger, Tarryl Clark is a vote for taxing fair-goers beloved corn dogs, deep fried bacon and [GASP] beer.

Of course our Republican brothers know how to dig right into the deepest fears of middle America and are sure to pull the 'a vote for Tarryl Clark is a vote for Satan' card soon.

According to stats 61% of the ads served were to iPhone and Android devices. No surprise really, as these devices deliver optimal mobile creative to an arguably higher percentage of influencers - ie peeps with enough disposable cash or ego to have the latest and greatest handsets.

The ad's creative features an announcer, Jim the Election Guy challenging the fair fiends. "So if you see Tarryl Clark while you're at the fair just ask her what's up with voting to tax my beer?" The ad refers to a vote Clark made to raise sales taxes, which would apply to food items bought in restaurants or from food vendors - including those greasy goodies available at the state fair.

"Once we saw the ad we thought, this would be great to market it to mobile phones at the fair," said Eric Frenchman, chief Internet strategist at Republican consulting firm Connell Donatelli, which is working with its associate digital firm Campaign Solutions on the Bachmann campaign.

In addition to pre-roll video ads and YouTube promoted video ads, the campaign also involves display ads in Google’s content network targeted to the 6th district, which is near the fair.

This is a really brilliant tactic. You have to hand it to those Republicans...they sure know how to throw the dirt...and the corndogs.

The campaign is set to run until the end of the fair on September 6.