Mark Kolier’s Blog

Posts Tagged ‘Facebook’

Our agency being on the smaller side has the ability to be nimble while at the same time employing new marketing tools in real time for our own www.YourCover.com product as well as for our clients.
Because budgets can be tight we’ve learned a great deal on how to maximize efficiencies and take a guerilla marketing approach to particular projects. But what exactly does the term ‘guerilla’ marketing mean? It seems to mean different things to different people.

Thanks to Wikipedia the definition of guerilla marketing is: ‘an unconventional system of promotions that relies on time, energy and imagination rather than a big marketing budget. Typically, guerrilla marketing campaigns are unexpected and unconventional; potentially interactive; and consumers are targeted in unexpected places. The objective of guerrilla marketing is to create a unique, engaging and thought-provoking concept to generate buzz, and consequently turn viral. The term was coined and defined by Jay Conrad Levinson in his book Guerrilla Marketing. I don’t know why he spells it with two ‘r’s.

That sounds all fine and good, but too many people equate guerilla marketing with – you don’t have to spend any money. I don’t believe Jay Conrad Levinson had that thought in mind. Then there’s also the notion that somehow when guerilla marketing strategies and tactics are employed we agency types will be smarter and more cost-conscious. My point is that ALL marketers should always be trying to do things smarter and more cost-consciously on every project.

For example, building a Facebook ‘website’ type page within Facebook is something different that might fall into the guerilla marketing category – it’s unconventional (at least for now), has a potential reach of 500 million Facebook users and is decidedly a less expensive proposition than a conventional website. But even with that less expensive approach than that of a conventional website, it’s far from free or even a nominal expenditure. Strategy, concept, and execution on the part of the agency are what we get paid to do.

We like and ascribe to the idea of unconventional approaches but there also are times when we know a big fat branding and marketing campaign will be the best way for a client to achieve their marketing objectives. We feel that way about YourCover all the time but lack the resources to blow out a big time brand message so we continue to grow the company using a myriad of what we consider to be affordable tactics and channels. So yes we are employing guerilla marketing when we know we’d be better off if we could employ gorilla marketing!

I’d love to hear about some of the unconventional approaches you’ve encountered out there. Please share your stories and we can all learn a little more.

I heard a radio spot yesterday from Barracuda Networks. Their offer is to help companies make their workers more productive by blocking/firewalling them from websites and social networks that (as the ad infers) detract from employee productivity and company profits. Their ‘solution’ is to have companies employ their product as a step on the road to productivity. It’s a blatant scare tactic and the barracuda is a pretty scary looking fish after all.

It’s nearly a certainty that there are some business owners and/or managers that will consider this approach as a salve for some of their business problems. I’m not one of them in any way. Walling off employee access to certain websites and social networking is simply a terrible idea.

The idea of restricting access during the workday in order to ‘get people back to work’ will quite possibly have the opposite effect. Pretty soon companies that take that tack will ask employees to leave their mobile devices at the door when they come to work. After all many people now can adroitly access the web and social networks from their iPhone or other smart phone. Take away the websites and social media check-ins and employees will spend more time trying to find a way around it. So exactly how will that approach make things better?

Companies that restrict internet access are telling their employees – ‘We don’t trust you’. “We don’t respect your ability to make appropriate choices on how you spend your time during the work day.” And what kind of bright young minds would be interested in joining a company that approaches its business in that manner?

I’m not so naïve that I think employees always act in the most productive manner every minute of the work day. But is that really the goal of an employer? No I don’t wish that members of our team spend 3 hours a day on Facebook, LinkedIn or looking for a job on Monster or Career Builder, (apparently we had one that did that while here). But I ask those companies that think restricted access is a good idea – do your employees receive and respond to emails before and after the workday? On weekends? For many companies including ours the answer is an unequivocal yes. Granted our company is a smaller one with less than 25 people. But even if we were the size of, oh say Microsoft or Wal-mart, would the restriction of access to the web create a better and more productive working environment?

My take is if you cannot count on having smart, motivated people on your team who know the difference between what is appropriate and what is not, then you have the wrong team in place. It can sometimes be the job of managers to teach employees the difference if they don’t know it already. But forbidding access and censoring sites sounds a bit China like to me.

I wouldn’t want to be a part of a company like that – would you?

Palm shares plunged this past Friday March 19^th to their lowest level in more than a year.  The Palm Pre Smartphone was to be the ‘killer app’ forecast to bring Palm back to relevancy.  In fact Palm noted in a article last week that the Pre Isn’t an Anything’ Killer.  I think many of us knew that.  Now the talk on the street is that Palm is positioned to be acquired.  What happened? 

When the Palm Pre was released in June of 2009 the buzz was almost universally positive and the subsequent reviews nearly as positive.  The removable battery was a distinct advantage over the iPhone and the interface seemingly easy to use and stable.   The phone was rated more than adequate and email and web access also was notably strong.  The lack of applications for it (as opposed to the iPhone) was and is a drawback but no device can hold a candle to the iPhone when it comes to apps.  Sprint was the exclusive carrier at first but Palm has opened itself up to other carriers like Verizon. 

There were other problems – touch screen and battery life to name two.  Sachin Agarwal commented on his experience in the Silicon Valley Insider last month – http://www.businessinsider.com/why-i-dumped-my-palm-pre-plus-after-a-month-2010-2. 

While I recognize the problems with Palm Pre, it still is a pretty cool device to use and this was what I heard from a new friend this past Saturday night.  He raved about the performance and ease of operation.  It’s small, slim and the pull-out keyboard is a definitive asset (compared to my BB Storm which seems gigantic next to it). 

Elevation Partners (led by U2’s Bono) is a primary investor in Palm – that likely falls under the umbrella of it seemed like a good idea at the time – but interesting that they had the same optimism as did I, (and many others) before the release.  There was a LOT of buzz prior to the release. And then very little noise, at least from the standpoint of marketing and advertising messages.   In fact the pre-launch campaign from Modernista was slammed, (the comment that they thought that Pre was a new brand of feminine deodorant speaks volumes) – http://www.engadget.com/2009/06/04/video-latest-palm-pre-ad-makes-poppies-seem-brutish/.  

Since then I cannot recall a Palm Pre offer being mailed, emailed, or promoted on Facebook or anywhere else for that matter.   Verizon ran a few television ads http://bit.ly/c9g6bP touting the simplicity of the operating system while at the same time alienating women by implying mom is too dumb to use a smart phone.  This would suggest that having the carrier distribute Palm’s advertising message might not have been the best idea ever either. 

It is important to keep in mind that Palm Inc. had fallen so far from public perception that an entire re-brand of Palm (much less the Pre itself) was necessary.  All of their problems can hardly be attributed to recent Palm Pre advertising campaigns.  What surprises me most is how an exciting and positive pre-launch buzz has unraveled into what appears to be an unmitigated disaster on all fronts. 

Does anybody out there love or hate their Palm Pre?  Anyone?   Hello?

If the darling of 2010 applications is to truly take hold Foursquare still has some work to do.  A location based mobile application; the mobile marketing community is watching Foursquare’s adoption and usage with great interest.  

It’s pretty simple.  You put the app on your Smartphone and it links with GPS (and even Facebook if you want it to) and wherever you are you can ‘Check-in’ to let fellow Foursquarer’s (my term not theirs) know where you are and even invite them to ‘Swing-by’ (their term).   These ‘updates’ can also be posted on Facebook automatically. 

So say you are in Manhattan at your favorite watering hole.  You check in to let your friends and followers know where you are so they can stop by if they are nearby.  You can also make comments on whatever establishment you are in – good or bad.  If you are the person to visit a particular establishment more than anyone in the network you are then deemed ‘Mayor’ of that establishment. 

You gain ‘badges’ for checking in the first time and when you check in more than 3 times per week at a location you then get a ‘local’ badge.   I cannot resist the temptation to think ‘we don’t need no stinkin’ badges’..but that’s not apparently how the folks at Foursquare feel. 

The marketing implications?  I’m not sure just yet.  A few of my marketing associate friends are using it probably out of the same curiosity that I have – to learn more and see how people use it.  But the whole check in thing while ok can be a bit much.  There’s no way to not invite someone to ‘swing-by’ so wherever you check-in you invite people to swing by.  This may not always be the way you’d want to go.  If you check in when going home do you really want people to swing by?  

One way Foursquare could be used is by companies that have sales and other employees on the road visiting clients and prospects.  If integrated with a platform like Salesforce.com Foursquare would be able to show that the agent was at the location on the sales report.  GPS is a wonderful thing – and big brother like at times as well. 

At present it seems to me that Foursquare is primarily an urban-oriented tool.  So that people could actually ‘swing by’ if they are in the neighborhood.  Suburbanites and those in even more remote locations won’t immediately have as much use for it.  But for some reason I think Foursquare is going to take hold and be a big-time force in the future.  I’ll let you know if I figure that out and if you have any ideas on that I’d love to hear them.

I had the ‘pleasure’ of attending my wife’s high school reunion recently.   We both went to the same high school but graduated in different years.   There were more than 330 students in my wife’s graduating class (way back in the late 1970’s).   75 people showed up for the reunion and that number included spouses and significant others.    It was set up by one of what appears to be several companies that specialize in setting up class reunions.   They did an ok job but it was expensive (buffet dinner and open bar was included) and most of the attendees spent their time within 50 feet of the bar and a sad DJ was playing music from the ‘70’s and ’80’s,   

I heard several people mention that all that was really needed was a big room with drinks without food.    Tracking down people has never been easier and one would think Facebook could even consider getting into the business of helping set up reunions – if people still want to go to reunions in the first place. 

After 30 years it is interesting to see how people have turned out even if only 15% of your classmates were able to attend.   But social networking has put people back together on a much more personal level (at least initially).   One of my still under 30 nieces said she does not even think she’d go to a reunion since she is in touch with the people she wants to be in touch with via FB.  

Remember Classmates.com?   They are still around but that might not be the case much longer.   They too have been undone by Facebook and to a lesser degree MySpace.   Same problem.   I had a friend tell me that when he was contacted by someone he had not heard from in more than 25 years it was awkward.   He said the reason that he hadn’t been in touch with that person was NOT because he could not find him! 

Still, I maintain that there is nothing like being there.   But the notion of reunions every ten years (is that really necessary?) seems to me to be a dying proposition.    Maybe 25 year and 50 year reunion s (for those that are still around) will survive but I think the heyday of class reunions has come and gone.

What do you think?