MediaPost ran a gaggle of my ideas for ‘08 in an article entitled, cleverly enough, Ten Marketing Ideas Whose Time is Now. Since several of them tie right back into MFG, I figured I’d post the story here in the off chance you missed it on MediaPost:
Ten Marketing Ideas Whose Time is Now
Few marketing program completely fulfill one’s hopes. In the new
year, marketers should avoid over-hyped opportunities to focus on
measuring success one satisfied customer at a time. The following
key trends may be worth considering.
Get Game
Gaming now permeates society, creating fresh ways for marketers to
connect. Millions of non-golfers are swinging virtual clubs as
Nintendo’s Wii transformed video games. Senior citizen centers
bought Wiis to entertain guests and connect with grandkids. MTV
invested $500 million in online games, on top of the millions it
spent for AddictingGames. Even B2B marketers will be smart to give
gaming a fresh look while blending in messaging, training or recruiting.
Mobile – I Can Hear You Now
This may be the year mobile deserves a closer look/listen as tech
improvements create new opportunities. Bluetooth-enabled phones have
made it easier for marketers to provide contextually relevant
information; the Air Force set up Bluetooth transmitters at
racetracks to reach potential recruits. Apple’s iPhone partnered
with Google and Yahoo to enable ad-supported programming. Cellfire
enlisted a million people to receive coupons for burgers to videos.
Mobile marketing can deliver highly personalized, and useful,
information when and where needed and as long as marketers don’t
spam, mobile marketing may be the missing link in personalized
communications.
Join the Club
Wise marketers will capitalize on the growing appeal of social
networks. Besides the Goliaths MySpace and Facebook, social networks
exist in niches from teens (Pizco and Tagged) to seniors (Eons) to
photographers (Flickr) to do-gooders (AllDayBuffet) to B2B (LinkedIn
& Plaxo) to gamblers (BetsGoWild), you name it (MeetUp). Chase’s
partnership with Facebook has helped make their “+1″ credit card the
card of choice among college students. Marketers will be smart to
create a social network, or take an existing one and make it
physical (Second Life held its first offline convention in 2007).
Rise of the Widgets
Mini-software applications, “widgets,” provide unprecedented access
to hard-to-reach targets as Facebook and MySpace can attest.
According to ComScore, 220+ million folks used widgets last May.
iLike, which allows Facebook users to share iTunes playlists, grew
to over 10 million users in 10 months. Slide, which creates
slideshows and embeds them in social network homepages, claims to be
the largest personal media network in the world, reaching 120
million viewers monthly. That’s but the beginning of the widget
avalanche.
Roll Video
With 70+% broadband penetration, streaming video is a must marketing
tool. eMarketer reports 123 million Americans watch a video monthly;
three-quarters tell a friend. Whether a B2B or B2C marketer, video
is an enormous opportunity to engage, educate and entertain, the
three new “Es” of successful marketing. Lots of brands are producing
instructional videos to help customers install or use their product
or service. Others create pure entertainment, hoping to build brand
affinity or drive traffic. But the ubiquity of video is not without
challenges. With 7+ million hours of video online, cutting through
requires quality storytelling and judicious editing.
From Behavioral to Contextual
Marketers will add behavioral targeting to contextual “search”
efforts. AOL believes in the future of behavioral targeting, having
spent $275 million for Tacoda Systems, which claims to reach 120
million people in 31 discrete audience segments monthly. eMarketer
predicted behavioral targeting will increase ten-fold over the next
five years, growing from a $350 million to $3.8 billion ad spend. A
test we ran for Panasonic yielded 50% more imminent buyers of a
particular consumer electronics product, making it far and away
better than a simple search buy.
Focus on the Experience
Marketers’ need to focus on integrated marketing approaches is not
news but what will be news is how brand experiences will move to the
top of the integration food chain, becoming the driving force of
communications. Once events and online initiatives were treated as
“below the line” after-thoughts, but increasingly marketers realize
that interactive brand experiences can be far more effective than
advertising and should be the starting point of a customer conversation.
Time to Green
A “green” plan is no longer a luxury. Every day, another venerable
brand commits to a sustainable future. While there is much “green
washing,” rating services like B Corporation will set standards that
will have major corporations fighting to prove their green. As GE
announces billions in green-related sales, and BP fends off bad
eco-press, you may find a new seat in the boardroom – Chief Green
Officer (CGO).
The Great Outdoors
This year’s surprise was the rebound of out-of-home advertising,
growing faster than any channel except the Internet. Outdoor
reinvented itself as a technology-rich means of engaging,
entertaining and educating commuters. Mini Cooper tested
RFID-activated billboards with personalized messages aimed at
drivers-by, a customized approach that linked “old” (outdoor) with
“new” (online) transforming an integrated media platform into a
cult-building club.
“Narrowcasting” video networks continue to sprout, enabling
marketers to put their messages in front of selective targets – from
health clubbers, to deli shoppers (Captive Audience), moviegoers
(IdeaCast), pet owners (SeeSaw Networks), to elevator riders
(Captivate Network). Innovations like these will drive out-of-home
to new heights.
Marketing as Service
For years, marketers were more concerned with what they said than
what their target heard, resulting in endless monologues. Marketers
who continually support their customers through the course of life,
providing value in each communication, will score big in 2008. The
value exchange can take many forms, but only if the marketer
understands the needs and aspirations of its target AND commits to a
genuine dialogue at every point of contact. The HSBC BankCab,
which provides free rides to HSBC
customers in New York City, is one example of marketing as service,
transforming customers into brand evangelists with every ride.
Marketers who treat marketing as a service and deliver real value to
customers and prospects alike will undoubtedly triumph in 2008.
Obviously, a few of these like “Time to Green” and “Marketing as Service” are closely aligned with Marketing for Good. As for the others, the goodness is to be found in how you use them versus the idea itself. I have no doubt some of you can figure out how to bring good to mobile marketing–and I’m certainly ready to listen. Maybe the Spaniards with their “why don’t you shut up?” ringtones have already figured it out. (If you aren’t familiar with King Juan Carlos’ comment to Hugo Chavez and the ensuing craziness, be sure to read about it here. Over 500,000 Spaniards have already paid two Euros for their very own “why don’t you shut up?” ringtone.) In Venezuela, having this ringtone is a form of protest! Now that’s inspirational.