Minneapolis Boutique Shops FTW

Minneapolis boutique shops are getting some rockin' press this week. AdAge talks about the New Creative Order and the local Strib gives a hat tip to Ginger Consulting. Keep it up, guys!

Philips Tackles the Twitter Product Review

Forget Twitter (and other social spaces) and focus on product reviews? I'm not so sure. AdAge dropped this article over the weekend and while product reviews are undoubtedly a fantastic way to gain customer feedback, Twitter can be used to directly gain product feedback and in a much more creative way.

@PHILIPS_VS is a great example of a brand using 140 characters to directly ask consumers for ideas on new product features and how to test their current products. At www.philipsvs.com people can submit "140 characters of genius" and if Philips digs it, they'll make it happen. The contest started a little over a week ago and players with the best ideas will have a chance at winning a sexy big screen.

A major concern from retailers is that social conversations, notably the ones on Twitter, are not structured enough to extract the information needed to directly impact sales. In this case, Philips created their own structure for what would otherwise be chaos in comparison to traditional product reviews. From "I love five dollar footlongs" to "I hate Comcast", people are naturally sharing their opinions on Twitter and other social sites. Creating an avenue for the conversation will open the door for new product feedback that would might never be addressed via traditional product reviews.

IHF to @nguyenduong for the tip

Q: What is a Broswer? A: No one cares

In their attempt to promote Chrome, Google has given us a great little video that is a nice reminder that the majority of people don't care about the technicalities of the Internet. People care about accessing their email, connecting with friends on their favorite social networks and accessing any piece of information they care to find. People are perfectly happy without knowing the exact definition of browser, why would they need to?

My Digital Media Resume

A conversation with the lovely Alicia led me to today's post topic. As we talked about gaining experience in our industry, and the fact that "new" media isn't really all that new to our generation, I began to think back to my own use of "new" media. For me, "new" media is actually quite old, and although it continues to evolve, I have evolved right along with it.

I learn, share, create, comment, discuss, and interact on a daily basis, and have been doing so since I was a little girl.

Below I've listed my "Digital Media Resume," to highlight major adoptions in digital media throughout my life. I would LOVE for others to share their resumes, so get to thinking!

Susan E. Garcia
Facebook.com/susan.e.garcia * twitter.com/suze_g * linkedin.com/in/susangarcia

Age 7

• Part of the Babysitters Club (book series) online newsletter (at the time, we had Prodigy as our internet service, which had all of 5 options).

Age 10

• Began using AOL games online.

Age 11

• First Hotmail account for email.
• Created MSN Messenger profile, began to use it religiously after school to connect with friends.

Age 13

• Began using free Web site service (can not remember the name!) to make “funny” sites among my group of middle-school friends. Features included taking polls, and posting glittery animated graphics (oddly enough of leprechauns and American flags).
• Began using online chat rooms with friends

Age 14

• New MSN Messenger profile includes adding your “interests, photos, favorite quotes” thus making updating that weekly the popular thing to do at Omro Middle School.
• Began chain e-mailing of surveys (i.e. “Pass this on to your friends and fill out about yourself)

Age 15

• Created Yahoo! messenger profile for brief stint.

Age 16

• Got first cell phone, downloaded personalized ringtones and wallpaper. Began texting.

Age 17

• Created a Xanga page (much like MySpace). Took down Xanga page one month later.
• Perfected the “texting during class without getting caught” skill.

Age 18

• Received camera phone, started texting photos.
• Used the Wisconsin State Track network RSS feed to check updates on regional athlete stats. • Applied to UW-Madison through a created online profile. Found out about my acceptance to UW-Madison online BEFORE receiving the official letter.
• Joined MySpace, began doing silly surveys about myself.
• Joined Facebook to “meet” my new roommate at University of Minnesota.

Age 19

• Maintained a MySpace and Facebook page. Used them to connect with new friends, stay in
touch with old friends.
• Created AIM profile to chat with new UMN friends.
• New .edu email for school. Included MyU online profile, e-grades, online classes, and Web
Vista for online homework. Could now monitor progress for classes all year long.

Age 20

• Mastered the Facebook “remove tag immediately because this picture makes me look
______” skill.
• Began to watch TV online (ABC.com), and used Fuse.tv online forums to find new music.
• Subscribed to the NYTimes podcast to listen to on the bus every morning.
• Used Facebook to update friends while in Washington DC for summer. Created group for the summer interns to organize get-togethers.
• Used Washingtonian.com blog to find new things to do.

Age 21

• Joined Google Reader to keep my RSS feeds in one place, and share with friends.
• Created GMail account, routed all email to one place, and started GChatting.
• Joined Twitter (@suze_g), began by tweeting insignificant observations.
• Began religiously following music blogs.
• Began use of Pandora.com, and Hulu.com
• Created Tumblr account to share art and music.
• Created the short-lived "OMG Remember This?" blog on Blogger with fellow intern, to speak to all things 90’s.
• Created LinkedIn profile. Connected with old and new colleagues.
• Created MNArtist.org profile for gallery I was interning for, to help it network with local artists.
• With my first Macbook, began to use iChat to consolidate all messaging services.
• Began regularly commenting on blogs.

Age 22

• Joined the fabulous YAYBIA! crew as a PR liaison.
• Created Muxtape mixtape.
• Began using Twitpic to tweet photos.
• Created new Tumblr to display my resume and writing samples.
• Became member of PR Open Mic, a public relations student network.
• Assisted in the creation of a highly interactive campaign for the 2008-09 NSAC team.
• At internship, pitched bloggers on a variety of subjects.
• Began social media monitoring for brands.
• Began using Twitter to share links, create conversation.
• Used LinkedIn to find entry-level job opportunities, and make and maintain connections in the PR industry.
• Became social media intern, and now eat/sleep/breathe social media daily.

Notable Skills:
YouTube watching and sharing, Google Mapping anything and everything, keeping my Google Reader at below 1000+ items, retweeting at least one link daily

I'm sure there are digital resumes that top this one, so hope you share! KTHXBAI!

Who You're Really Talking To

Christian at Idea Drunk shares this pearl of wisdom:

I’m not saying that it isn’t correct to have an aspirational target. I’m saying that you shouldn’t forget that the majority of [your target] doesn’t live in the city where you’re making your advertising. The majority of [your target] doesn’t frequent hipster bars on Ossington and shop at H&M. They drink beer at their campsites, shop at Wal-Mart and go to Boston Pizza for a nice meal. And sometimes, they have handlebar amazing moustaches.

Couldn't agree more. So often we are marketing to the people we'd like to buy our product, but we ignore the people who actually do. Fortunately, it's getting easier to identify our true fans.

Facebook Insights is now offering in-depth looks into the people who are using Pages and interacting with brands. Insights has been rolling out new metrics regularly, so I hope top interests and keywords will soon be a component of the analytics. In the meantime, why not take a random sample of Twitter followers and Facebook fans and figure out who's really listening to your messaging? If it's die-hards who will fight to the death about Pizza Hut vs. Domino's, offer incentives to share stories and media. If it's college kids looking to score coupons, show them some cheap pizza love. But figure out who you're talking to. It's never been easier to do it.

Twitterquette

So... I tweeted a link today to share a video with the Twitterverse, and one of my followers (who shall remain unnamed) shared the same link shortly after. Now, this is no newbie to Twitter. He/she knows the lingo. So why no RT @aliciahouselog? Is this just me being a snobby attention whore or is this bad Twitterquette?

When is it acceptable to ignore the RT? When is it vital to use the RT? I know I was probably not the ONLY person on the planet to share the video, but it was quite obvious that he/she was RTing my tweet. Thoughts?

(P.S. I would have accepted an IHF wholeheartedly.)

So, what did you do on Friday night?

Well, I set my alarm for 10:45pm, stayed in, and watched the countdown on my screen in my living room with Erin and Libby. That would be the screen of my Facebook account, where thankfully I got to register my domain of www.facebook.com/carina

200,000 people registered in the first 3 minutes (go geeks, go!). 1 million in the first hour. What is the big deal? It isn't about this SEO thing people are talking about - it is all about branding. 

Then, after I got super excited, and tweeted my Facebook URL, I realized how bad I was doing at branding myself. I am a connection mess:

@NICKNAME

facebook.com/FIRSTNAME

linkedin.com/in/FULLNAME

So I fail. Brands, do as I say, not as I do. BE CONSISTENT.

One hashtag that I saw started (I believe by Facebook employees) is #/isthenew@.  Is it now just as essential to get your brand's /brandname as @brandname? Likely, if not even more. Facebook has been around longer, and gets more traffic than Twitter. That alone is enough to make most any brand want their own /brandname.  Now, Facebook is not putting up with squatters, and brands could register ahead of time with their registered trademark number, starting early last week. BUT I want numbers on how many were actually fast enough to do that.

I went and checked a few popular brands:

www.facebook.com/coke redirects to www.facebook.com/coca-cola

www.facebook.com/pepsi redirects to www.facebook.com/refresheverything

(BUT, http://www.facebook.com/apple is a 404 and someone is squatting on http://www.facebook.com/appleinc)

So it appears there is some more special treatment for brands going on, but I am guessing those are the brands that paid for their vanity URLs back when they were only available when you shelled out some $$$ for a branded Facebook page.

The next rush comes on June 28th when anyone can register a unique domain for their profile or page, even if they signed up for facebook after 5/30 or if their page has less than 1000 fans.  I recommend all brands get moving on this. Now. Get started now so that by June 28th you are ready.

#squarespace - Really for the Fans?

Right after the WWDC on Monday I noticed tweets with #squarespace and "iPhone" trending high and popping up in my feed. My memory was a little fuzzy about the Squarespace name, so I checked it out to be sure of what it is. Squarespace is a DIY website builder with some high profile users - Ecko and Element to name a few. Anyway, while the geeks were geekin' about WWDC, Squarespace was busy plotting a Twitter contest to give a "gigantic THANK YOU to all of our favorite Squarespace fans." All their fans had to do was send a tweet with the #squarespace tag to be eligible to win a new iPhone. That's great and all, but it's quickly turned into a hashtag fest with hundreds of thousands of non-fans just in it for the goods.

So I'm wondering: How do you separate the fans from those that just want to get their hands on a free iPhone?

To thank users, there are better ways to leverage Twitter than a flood of tweets from people who will never use Squarespace:

• Current users could post success stories, favorite features or job-winning portfolios on Twitter, still using #squarespace, to highlight the brand's name AND functionality at the same time.
• @squarespace could send tweets showcasing the unique ways people are using the platform. People could then be entered into the contest by voting via Twitter for their favorite designs. @extendr is doing a great job of showing off their users' profiles in order to gain more fans.
• Facebook is also another great space to connect with existing fans because it gets others interested in what's going on. Fans could post status updates, notes or even photos expressing love for Squarespace in order to win a new phone.
  

It's also likely this "fan" contest was really a move to gain awareness through Twitter. Giving away new iPhones at the exact moment that Twitter was buzzing about WWDC was a smart move. But if that's the case, don't disguise it as a thank you to your true fans.

ProtoType Experience

Prototype, a Xbox360 game coming out this month, turned to Sponge Alternative Marketing Agency in Brussells to create a simple, interactive microsite to give people a preview of the game. Using Facebook Connect, the site pulls information and photos from your Facebook account and injects them in the game preview. My favorite part is that they render the information so it appears that it actually was intended to be a part of the preview, as opposed to being sloppily slapped in there. That photo above is from my Facebook album, but I can tell you that that is not what it actually looks like. It gives a personal feel to the experience, without being overwhelming. Some may find it a tad creepy, but I find it subtle and interesting. At the end, you answer two questions in order to be eligible to win an Xbox360. I don't know if sharing this link will help or hurt my chances at winning. You'll see what I mean by that after you check it out - which you should.

GOOD LUCK, CHARIOT!

On behalf of the Yaybia girls who are now the Ghosts of NSAC Past, I want to wish the best of luck to the 2009 team at Nationals this week in Washington, DC.  They have worked so hard and we are incredibly proud of them!  Now bring home a victory, ladies!

"I'm Lovin' " this new McDonald's outdoor ad (sorry, I couldn't resist)

I have an IHF for McDonald's for this great interactive advertisement. And not interactive as in online (though there's potential for online photos and YouTube views), but INTERACTIVE as in on the streets interaction from people of all kinds. The advertisement utilizes what "Best Week Ever" described as the "holding up the Leaning Tower of Piza viewpoint," for tourists or just regular citizens and their cameras.



The advertisement is in London's Piccadilly Circus area, a large tourist traffic area.

Huh??

I was flipping through the April Cosmopolitan magazine (yes, I'm that far behind in life..) and I ran across this ad from Oscar Mayer about their Deli Creations Flatbread Sandwiches:

Now, I'm not saying this is a BAD advertisement, it's not groundbreaking but it did make me a little hungry for that delicious-looking sandwich so it did it's job in that sense. But "Blogworthy" ?? I'm just not getting the reason for the whole thing. The copy below explains that it's under 350 calories and that it's "worth writing about."

Is this a PR tactic? Pitching to women bloggers via ads instead of on phones and in emails? Or is it just trying to be relevant by bringing Internet terms into the ad? I'm confused... thoughts anyone?

Social Media is Not an Awareness Driver

(9:03:11 AM) Libby Issendorf: DID YOU KNOW THAT SOCIAL MEDIA IS NOT AN AWARENESS DRIVER?

(9:03:19 AM) Erin Lamberty: LIBBY, I DID KNOW.

Daily Biz couldn't have said it much better, we're so glad to have him back!

"In fact, it [the brand] isn’t really all that well known yet. Which, to my mind, means that we need to get the word out…even if that means using Pleistocene-era tactics like broadcast television and other broad-reach media. Because we need people to know about the brand. And to like it. Because unless they already know about and like the brand, why would they want to be its Facebook friend? "

Social media is about connecting and building relationships with your existing fans, potential fans and those that may have started to root for another team because you lost one too many games in their eyes.

Social media becomes an awareness driver when that core target is already engaged and starts sharing, either intentionally with a forward or passively in their news feed. But all on its own, social media is not an awareness driver.

I want a VO, gasp!

I never thought I'd say this about any commercial ever, but it's happening. I want this spot to have a voice over. Why would I want to read your commercial? Tell me a story!

The Biggest Cookie in Iowa

(For the recent grads)

Jennifer Johnson and I were once talking about small towns and resumes and how to get a job in advertising, and she told me that what makes you different is sometimes more important than internships and grades.  "What if you baked the biggest cookie in Iowa?  You should put that on your resume.  People are like, wow, the biggest cookie in Iowa?  How did you do that?  You'd have to find a recipe, and find an oven big enough, and a way to maneuver the dough... I'm always going to want to talk to the kid who baked the biggest cookie in Iowa over the kid with the 4.0 GPA."

LOL Circles

Hi Yaybialand!

I figured I'd share a little post that I wrote for an internship application.  I like to share. (KEEP SHARING!)  So, here it is:

Every social circle is different. Some are big, some are small, but one thing holds true: shared interests and/or values hold social circles together.

Some circles are inclusive.  They invite the possibility of new members and welcome them warmly into the group.

Other circles are exclusive.  They thrive on tradition and secrecy and are leery about sharing information with anyone outside of their circle.

You cannot fool social circles into acceptance.  If you try, you will most likely end up sticking out like a sore thumb.  The inner circle can detect frauds.

There are unspoken rules in every circle.  To fit in, you must know -- and adhere to -- these rules.  Breaking these rules shows lack of respect for the group’s values and will likely result in ostracism.

For an outsider to gain acceptance into the group, they must provide utility to the circle.  Groups generally do not let just anyone into their group, so newcomers need to prove their worth. 

Communication in social circles guides decision-making.  In some circles, it can even have the power to change a country.

In order for brands to market themselves effectively, they must either join their target’s social circle, or create one with them.  This opens up communication between brands and consumers and makes the consumers feel desired.

Now excuse me while I try to enter my favorite social circle.

Yaybia Weekly Link Love: May 11-15

YAYBIA LINK LOVE: BACK WITH A VENGEANCE!

ON THE WEBS

• We learned three strengths of Twitter this week: it enables fandom, it breaks news, and it effects conversations. "Oprah mentions Twitter and registrations surge. That’s not the power of Twitter, that’s the power of Oprah’s fan community." (I'm looking at you, KFC.)
  
  
• Attention agencies: You won't know social media until you do it. And when you do, here's what you should be listening for.
  
  
• National brands take a step into "locally grown" with Lays chip tracker, which shows you which farmer grew yer taters.
  
  
• Moms love blogs. Will they love The Juice, Tropicana's branded section of BlogHer?
  
  
• Thanks to Miracle Whip, now there's an app to help me visualize all the snarky comments I make in my head. ZING!
  
  
• VitaminWater uses clever copy on the labels to partner with an online social network. LOVE.

ON YAYBIA

• Sometimes it's okay for brands to be my friend.

LOVERS & FRIENDS

• CATFOA wrapped up with Michael Lebowitz of Big Spaceship. I think we've decided that the future of advertising is better with cupcakes. 
  
  
• Have you seen Mullet Like Me yet? We're lucky enough to have seen it in person.
  
  
• Stuff About Minneapolis has been posting some exceptionally awesome pictures this week.

LAWL

• PRESIDENTIAL HEADPATS!!! Our greatest fantasy realized. 
  
  
• This is pretty much how I see the world anyway...I imagine it's similar to wearing Kanye shutter shades, only I just see Excel rows and columns.
  
  
• SOMEBODY ADOPT THIS PUPPY RIGHT NOW AND LET ME COME PLAY WITH IT

I Want Your Brand To Be My Friend

Last week Alan Wolk was kind enough to tip us off to some updates he made to his Your Brand is Not My Friend presentation after we offered up a few suggestions.  He has a few new examples of his theory related to Facebook's Fan updates, definitely worth the read. Anyways, it got me thinking about times when I might actually want your brand to be my friend.  

I just finished college. My fellow grads and I have been thrown into a huge transition, whether we want to accept it or not.  This is a time where we are seeking advice, information and guidance on how to make decisions regarding finances, insurance and all those fun adult purchases.  While we may be broke now and for the next few years, soon we'll be making significant purchases (cars, homes, kick-ass TVs) that I doubt brands would want to miss out on. I want your brand to be my friend. 

Who's missing out?

Apple and the PCs -- These companies welcomed us with open arms as freshman offering student discounts and handing out free iPods (and Zunes?). We got frequent deals throughout college because we were poor students.  But now what?  Acknowledging the next transition might be the simplest way of saying let's be friends for life.  It could be as simple as suggesting podcasts that give career tips or as extensive as email blasts about the benefits of Apple for small businesses.

TCF Bank (or other campus bank)  --  U of M students are pretty much forced into getting a TCF Bank account during freshman orientation.  They should be doing everything they can to keep grads as customers as they start to want and need more banking services. 

Amazon -- I would be surprised if their sophisticated user data didn't know that I had purchased textbooks at least once per year for the past four years.  While it might not be totally accurate for everyone, serving up recommendations for books that help me handle life after college (new job, home decor on a budget, M-word books) are likely to be well received. 

Car insurance brands -- I've received the good student discount for the past eight semesters and now I'm kicked off because I'm graduating.  But why aren't they scooping me up as an individual account? I have no idea what insurance to buy but if they presented me with a recent grad package I'd sign immediately.

And someone who's doing it right:

Mint.com -- The Financial Fitness 'game' helps users learn about their accounts and explore the options of savings and investment. It's perfectly targeted to help grads get their student loans and budget in check. 

Any other brands that you'd want to be friends with upon graduation?

Next on MTV: The 'SAC

Rumors are swirling this morning about AAF president James Edmund Datri's remarks to turn NSAC into a reality TV show.  Its impact on perceptions of the ad industry is debatable, but there are only two ways it could affect NSAC students:

SUPER AWESOME

• Potential employers would see the blood, sweat, and tears students pour into the campaign and would take NSAC seriously when considering job applicants.
  
  
• Speaking of taking NSAC seriously--the case for AIM referred to NSAC as an "exercise," and sometimes I feel like the AAF wants NSAC to exist in its own make-believe world as something "those kids" are working on.  I know NSAC is different from real industry work, but I hope the AAF would realize that NSAC participants view their campaigns in the context of real-world advertising, not just a paper assignment.
  

TOTAL DESTRUCTION

• I don't know about other schools, but the University of Minnesota's NSAC team has seen its fair share of drama that I wouldn't enjoy being broadcast.
  
  
• Teams once comprised of geeky ad kids could morph into attention-seeking actors.  Nothing could be worse for the perception of the ad industry.
  

Of course, selling an NSAC sponsorship as a reality TV tie-in will also attract certain sponsors and deter others.  Any brand to sign on will be bold and unafraid to try new things, which would be fun for students to work on, but not representative of real-world advertising.  Also, the past three campaigns have been targeted to Gen Y consumers, and I don't see this trend shifting if a TV element is added.

I sure wouldn't have minded having my ideas showcased on national TV for agencies around the country to see, though...

The Internet High Five

Your wait is over little kitteh! The Internet High Five is here.

RT gives cred, but often lacks personal touch.
HT just reminds me of old men.
IHF, now we're talking. High Fives have more enthusiasm. They imply friendship. They are playful and exciting. They are awesome.

I don't think it's just giving link credit. It's a thank you, a 'nice find' or a simple congrats. What else could it be?