Hasta La Creative!

I have been around the marketing and advertising block a time or two and I’ve seen some changes – some great and some not-so-great. However, with the advent of social media, I have seen a series of trends that I find truly disturbing: over- or underestimating social media’s importance. So, as a public service, here are three trends to avoid.

Scary Trend #1 – Not Giving Social Media Enough Credit.
While I think it’s great that many companies are jumping into the social media fray, there are some who think that social media is “for the kids,” so they underestimate its importance as a communication tool. They hand over the social media reigns to an intern in order to give him/her some “busy work,” rather than realizing the ramifications of a social media strategy that is not carefully planned. If you’re going to incorporate social media into your marketing campaign, do so deliberately. Don’t blow it off or do it halfway.

Scary Trend #2 – Giving Social Media Entirely Too Much Credit.
Some companies (and I’m not naming names!) have decided that since social media is so popular, it should take the place of an integrated communications strategy. They eliminate the rest of their marketing plan and hire a social media guru to do what an entire marketing department has not been able to do, thus setting up said guru for failure. Social media is merely one tool in your arsenal, but it does not take the place of an integrated strategy.

Scary Trend #3 – Too Much To Soon
If you’re at all active in social media, you know this scenario all too well: you start following a company on a social media site because you like the brand. Next thing you know, you’re bombarded with promotional messages, product information, and generic messages, much like getting stuck in the corner at a party, talking to some blowhard who only wants to talk about himself. If you don’t want to engage your customers in a dialog, then skip social media and buy some spots, already.

Sara Barton is a copywriter, social media strategist, and avid blogger who is in search of her next opportunity. Contact her via twitter, LinkedIn, or her blog.

Twitter is proposing a TV competition series depending on your source.

The social-networking service said Monday it has teamed with Reveille productions and Brillstein Entertainment
Partners to develop an unscripted series based on the site, which invites 140-character postings from members around the world. The show would harness Twitter to put players on the trail of celebrities in an interactive, competitive format.

The only problem with this proposal is that the show would get phenomenal ratings and people would love it, but only for a while. Twitter will not only be our “amazing” communication forum, but our favorite reality TV show, too! To me, it sounds like a bad idea, if not a boring one.

However, Reveille has an impressive stable of shows, so “Twube” (I made that up) might be a hit. The producers have brought us “The Office”, “Ugly Betty” and “The Tudors” (Showtime), plus reality program “The Biggest Loser.” Supporters state that the series will show the TV-viewing world the immediacy of Twitter. And Brillstein Entertainment is no slacker either.

“Twitter is transforming the way people communicate, especially celebrities and their fans,” said Reveille managing director Howard T. Owens, who expects the new project to “unlock Twitter’s potential on TV.”

When I have tried to talk to a celeb, they never answer. I’ve even “befriended” LiLo like four times! I don’t want to be the
bearer of bad news, but when Ashton Kutcher found out about the proposed project, he was not happy. In fact, he was Punk’d! Mashable reported that Ashton tweeted,” Wow I hope this isn’t true. I really don’t like being sold out. May have to take a twitter hiatus.” Was that a threat?

Ashton, however, does not have to worry. Twitter denied everything regarding a “Twittervision” spectacular.

Now, on the really down side: It does not make sense for Twitter to have a TV show. Either they become a mode of communication, or stay a novelty; and I LIKE Twitter. I just wonder when we’ll start seeing consortiums for 169 characters because some one figured out that this was the optimal number. I don’t know if you use Twitter a lot, but I use it daily, but mainly for picking up information: It is not only a good learning and news tool, but it can be funny as well. Maybe it’s just me, but the conversations that I have had on the almighty Twitter have been, well, trite and quick. Some people never respond when you answer their question, and others are 2 – 3 Tweets and out.

I have, however, picked up freelance work via Twitter while TV has only provided me with poor eyesight.

Jeff Louis: Strategic Media Planner, Project Manager, and New Business Account Coordinator. His passion is writing. If you would like to get in touch with Jeff, please leave a reply or follow the links: www.linkedin.com or www.twitter.com.

I’m part of a great movement, a swelling tide of humanity that Like-it-or-Not has become un-engaged with that thing called work. Another unwashed, unkempt food line patron, or the bearded man begging for change. I’ve been labeled by the media: UN-EM-PLOYED.

I am not complaining, rather, explaining an “awakening” (whatev!).

Unemployment is humbling and life altering, one day a contributor, the next, not so much. In between panhandling, emailing resumes that no one sees, calling people that cannot help you, and begging those that will not, there is actually some time to think. What could I have done better, how should I have positioned myself, and why didn’t I take that job last year at that other agency? I have also started reading more.

Occasionally, a book will come along and floor me with it’s brilliance, shake me out of my stupor. Like icy water. Well, guess what? That book has not come out yet. However, I did read a fantastic article on how to brand yourself so that you can avoid getting laid off…a little too late for me. The article is short; the writer part of my LinkedIn “circle.” From brief “run-ins” with him via email or in seedy chatrooms, he seems to walk the walk. His name is Dan Scwabel, and you can follow him on LinkedIn, Twitter, VisualCV, and JobFox (I am actually proud of myself—I am part of all four, although only two have been finalized).

Here are Dan’s Top Ten Suggestions:

1. Become an invaluable asset to your colleagues, professional
network & clients
2. Position yourself as the go-to-person for a specific skill
3. Gain self-confidence and rise to the occasion
4. Focus on social equity, not just monetary equity
5. Build contact lists before you need them
6. Go on a branding spree by advertising it everywhere
7. Make your brand so visible that people can’t avoid seeing you
8. Become so remarkable that complete strangers talk about you
my favorite
9. Be a content producer, not just a consumer
10. Have an “endorsement mindset”

Last but not least, and possibly one of the most important things to keep in mind, is the power of positive endorsements. Collect endorsements throughout your life like you would collect baseball cards. You are the chief marketing officer for the brand called you, but what others say about your brand is more impactful than what you say about yourself.

I am better for reading it…additionally, now I know who I am going to pester all week…

Jeff Louis is a Strategic Media Planner, Project Manager, and New Business Coordinator. His passion is writing, contributing to BMA as well as freelancing. He’d love to hear from you: linkedin.com/in/jefflouis, or twitter.com/jlo0312.

Remember that song, “I always feel like, somebody’s watching me, and I get no privacy…?” Well, stop inviting people to watch you, and maybe they will. George Orwell’s 1984 has gotten a little too close for comfort these days, except that big brother is not the government or the media, it’s “We, the People.”

Think before you write, do, or say anything in the public eye(s)…and that includes on your computer. You can be social, just not too sociable: What you say can and will be used against you in the courtroom of life.
In the latest incident of it’s not reality, its Virtual Reality (VR) a Swiss woman, complaining of a migraine, left work “sick” and was sacked when she showed up on Facebook later that day.

She said the company had created a fictitious Facebook persona which become “friends” with her, allowing the company to monitor her online activity. Her suspicions were raised when the “friend” suddenly disappeared after she was fired, the woman told 20 Minuten daily. But the company says it followed a simple logic: that those who are well enough to use Facebook with a migraine are well enough to work with a migraine.

If you think about it logically, it’s better to assume that you are being monitored… Every credit transaction, every search result, every phone call…it’s all tracked somewhere. The Man always triangulates off cell signals and pulls data off the hard drive.

This latest incident has generated online warnings from social bloggers regarding the protection of your account. The trick is to separate your real friends (the ones that would help you move a body) from your friends (those that might show up to help you move) from your acquaintances (those that wouldn’t move out of your way on the train). If you want to protect yourself from unwanted scrutiny, read Facebook Fail on Mashable.

Jeff Louis is a Strategic Media Planner, Project Manager, and New Business Coordinator. His passion is writing, contributing to BMA as well as freelancing. He’d love to hear from you: linkedin.com/in/jefflouis or twitter.com/jlo0312.

Did you get the RFP?

Did you receive Current’s RFP? The cable network is in search of an agency to “…formulate a brand/ad strategy that communicates who Current is through compelling, inspiring, and even controversial advertising.” Sounds like a client that would be great for your roster, right? One that would challenge the creative department’s expertise, and possibly land your agency on the front page of Creativity.

The RFP wasn’t selective…it went out to everyone. It’s understandable that you could have been missed…things have been crazy, especially with most of your effort being spent on cost reductions and reviewing financials. You’ve made difficult decisions lately; downsizing, reducing benefits, cutting pension plans, ending bonus payouts, maybe even dumping the “not-so-free” coffee service. Decisions affecting real people, a responsibility greater than many could bear. The only solace: you’re not alone.

However, it’s never good policy to miss out on new business opportunities. If you missed the RFP, read on.

History tells us…

Once upon a time, broadcast television experienced explosive growth; it began at the close of WW II and roughly ended around 1960, with eighty-five percent of U.S. households owning a television set (a 500% growth rate). Decades later, the Internet did the same thing, at a faster rate and in much higher revenues. In hindsight, we wonder, “how could anyone have missed these opportunities?” Yet, some did. The chart, below, compares the first fourteen years of ad revenue growth for TV (blue), Cable (red), and Online (green):

It’s happening again with Social Media (SM), a tsunami that grows daily…(let us pause to let the information sink in). Every day Social Media reinvents itself, converting commonplace consumers into informed users. Exponentially. It’s mashable, interlacing various user “platforms” (Facebook, Twitter, Digg, etc.) together, allowing users to choose one platform and also access all of the others. If you’re so inclined, you can even download a new desktop that will integrate all SM for you. SM is not comprised of stand-alone applications, and if you consider SM as a media tactic, you’re on the wrong track.

What do you do?

Wake up! Your agency is out of alignment: your strategy’s obsolete if it doesn’t capitalize on Social Media opportunities. Scrap the current strategy–even if it’s working. Meet with your staff. You may not be “in the know,” but your employees use SM on a daily basis. Use these resources to determine your SM strategy. Start a Twitter profile. Add your company profile to LinkedIn and Facebook. Begin an agency blog. Ensure your website has an RSS feed. Become content-oriented. If your specialty is automobiles and healthcare, tell the world how to weather the storm. Show them how to succeed. Invite them to contact you. Become the “go-to” for information regarding your agency’s strengths. Connect with your current clients…it is your singular purpose. Once you’ve engaged them, reach out and captivate new ones. In a meeting last week concerning the fall of newspaper, Google CEO Last week, Google’s CEO told the newspaper industry: Innovate to survive.

Today, I’m telling you: Be bold. Do great things.

Jeff Louis is a Strategic Media Planner, Project Manager, and New Business Coordinator. His passion is writing, contributing to BMA as well as freelancing. He’d love to hear from you: linkedin.com/in/jefflouis or twitter.com/jlo0312.

Most of us just happily blog-along, with no worries, really. We try to do our best, tell the truth, and use correct punctuation. We don’t try to misquote, and do work to give credit where credit is due. These practices, however, will most likely be changing in the near future as the FTC (Federal Trade Commission) looks at plans to regulate viral marketing and blogs.

As part of its review of its advertising guidelines, the FTC is proposing that word-of-mouth marketers and bloggers, as well as people on social-media sites such as Facebook, be held liable for any false statements they make about a product they’re promoting, along with the product’s marketer. This could present a significant issue for marketers, including the likes of Microsoft, Ford, and Pepsi, who spend billions on word-of-mouth and social media. PQ Media projects that marketers will spend $3.7 billion on word-of-mouth marketing in 2011.

Luckily, this monitoring will only apply to those who blog and are compensated for reviewing and promoting products. That would NOT be me. (So, if you have any questions regarding my policy, please send me an email…I’ll get some good juice going for your business…shh!) The best example currently is Ford’s Fiesta plan, where the automaker is giving 100 automobiles to influential bloggers for a six-month review.

The current FTC guidelines in the “Advertising-Practices” divisions are over 30 years old, and even prolific viral advertisers, such as Pepsi, agree that some sort of monitoring is necessary. One of the other items concerning the FTC are TV spots that make grandiose promises for making money or losing weight, and then scroll the words, “Results not typical, Individual Results May Vary” across the bottom of the screen in tiny 7pt type.

Everyone that uses the Internet is minimally aware of various scams and fraudulent business practices that thrive online, so it is surprising that the latest FTC move is coming relatively late. It is not policy yet, though. The FTC will vote this summer, taking the 4A’s and PCPC (Personal Care Products Council) comments into consideration.

Once they do get rules implemented, I have a couple sites I want them to look at that are hawking software bots that can break in to profiles on MySpace and Facebook. (Like this one…)

Jeff Louis is an professional Senior Media Planner, Project Manager, and New Business Coordinator. His passion is writing, contributing to BMA as well as freelancing. He’d love to hear from you: www.linkedin/in/jefflouis or on twitter @jlo0312.

Fighting for (or against) a cause amid the ever-shifting social media landscape is the one of the greatest benefits of having a social voice: the accessibility to use it. If you bitch, someone’s listening. If you praise, someone’s listening. If you need to get the “word” out, someone’s there to help. Yet, as with any “voice” others may hear, prudence cautions us to: “Use your voice wisely.”

Why? The “Three I’s:” Impropriety, Inequality, and Injustice. A threat to the “I’s,” real or perceived, will ignite a flame of backlash that will cross the synapses of cyberspace at light speed. The message, like a painful Internet toothache will rouse the sleeping giant of “violated rights” to respond, repel, and, yes, retaliate. People are listening; intertwining with social media as it spreads in ever-widening, influential spheres, integrating into our lives as easily and quickly as mobile technology. Content is king, and it’s powered by users. Beware! Any misstep or lack of discretion in the social arena will bring down the unwelcome glare of public scrutiny. Just ask Amazon.
So, when the “Gathering Storm” video debuted on YouTube, it roused the slumbering giant to quickly became a target. The one-minute video, posted by the National Organization for Marriage (NOM), speaks in a somber, calm manner about same sex marriage negatively affecting the lives of “everyday” people. Released a week ago, the video has received over 38,000 views on YouTube and been picked up by MSNBC’s Hard Ball, Wired, The Chicago Tribune, New York Times, and other mainstream sources. As of this morning: 2125 Diggs and nearly 700 comments. The Human Rights Council, proponents for same-sex marriage denounced the video as a “fake,” that promoted “fake” problems experienced by “fake” people.
Although it looks homemade, it drives NOM’s message right home…proving that we do pay attention to items that affect us. As if any proof were needed, there are six pages of rebuttal videos.

Jeff Louis is an experienced Senior Media Planner, Project Manager, and New Business Coordinator. His passion is writing, contributing here as well as freelancing. He’d love to hear from you:  www.linkedin/in/jefflouis or www.twitter.com@jlo0312.

 Never underestimate the power of a star. Not the ones high in the sky, but the other ones, dimmer, out at night in Hollywood. It’s been long-rumored that company’s with “celebrity spokespeople” are so yesterday, but they still keep on popping up, getting endorsements then smokin’ dope and losing endorsements. I guess we need someone to look up to…Madison Avenue says so. But, stars are important to products, to companys, and even to people. Stars can make us money, or totally ignore us. I asked for Lindsay Lohan to be my friend on Twitter. No reply. (bitch)
Enter Mario Armando Lavandeira, a man with stars in his eyes, as well. He’s someone that we love to hate, or hate to love. He lives a life of relative ease in Los Angeles, hanging out with Hollywood’s famous, or infamous, celebrities. He had a show on VH1 for a while, has been featured in the NYTimes at least twice, and has appeared on the Kathy Griffin Show, Nightline, The View, MTV, and others.

If you hadn’t already guessed, our secretive Mario has an alter-ego that he got on the steets: Perez Hilton. Perez Hilton, the self-proclaimed “Queen of all Media,” just celebrated his birthday on March 30th with some of his fave stars: Christina Aguilera, Lady Gaga, Tara Reid, Salman Rushdie (what is he doing there?), Kim Kardashian, The Jonas Brothers, and of course, Paris Hilton. I know this because I visited his website. I’m not sure why I was there….but as I leisurely scrolled through the gallery of  star-studded birthday snaps, playing “Guess the Star ” with myself (I went 4/82), all hell broke loose. At the bottom of the gallery, glowing as it gloated at me, was the number of unique visitors  received in 9 days: 11,000,000 (EE-Lev-Un-Mil-Yun.) I rubbed my eyes. Squinted. It didn’t change. Chagrined, my first thought was: “The friggin losers visiting this site have NOTHING to do (which I proved…).”  The second thought burned my brain with a tinge of jealous awe: “Perez Hilton is a genius!”

In case you’re “not in the know,” Perezhilton.com is the online version of supermarket tabloids, but way-nastier. Perez berates the stars he seems to idolize, “outs” suspected homosexuals, refers to stars as “bitches” (and worse), and doodles degrading images on top of celebrity photos. Love him, hate him, or despise him, he does deserve some credit: The man has spent four years of his life blogging. For a living. Very successfully. This may be the greatest Social Media victory ever, not to mention that Perez is nearing “phenom stage.”

Just a guy that writes about other people-other  famous people- and is said to make some decent bank doing it… in the high six-figures for his “effort.” Perez won’t say how much he makes (How Rude!), but unconfirmed sources that sued him stated his take-home in 2007 was over $800,000. Not a surprising figure when his advertising revenue is reported to be $45,000 per day! Yep, just a guy and his blog, blogging away, blog, blog, blog. Bloggity-blog-blog, blaga blog blog, all day long, about rich people.  %*$& my life.

Maybe, like me, you think he’s a genius. But, he’s not. He’s a failed actor and former receptionist that was fired from his publicist job at the Star. He started blogging because ”it looked easy.” Okay, I will add lazy to his attributes. On a nicer note, his story does inspire “wannabe writers,” like me; while I am bustin’ ass to get a Google link on my blog, he has the likes of  MTV, Kentucky Fried Chicken, “Twilight,” famous musicians, chic LA boutiques, Walden University, weight loss products, and a host of others gracing his pages. Daily.
Some facts about Perezhilton.com:

• The site’s demographic is mainly female,
• Average age is 26 
• comScore rates the site among the Top 10 Entertainment sites 
• Monthly unique visitors, U.S.: 1.3 million
• Global (he’s global?) unique visitors: 2.4 million

With a thriving blog that’s generating bucks, buzz, and press, what’s next for this astute entrepreneur?

Believe it or not, he’s “hard at work” extending the Perez Hilton brand. It’s rumored that he doesn’t write anymore–it took too much time. Others dish dirt for him now. It has, afterall, been four years of work. This new found freedom from writing gives him time to drop in on morning talk shows and comment on the latest starlet, run amok. Plus, there’s always Empire Perez to fret about. As we went to press this morning, the empire included a YouTube channel dedicated to Perez Hilton, and a line of clothing dedicated to Perez Hilton. Seriously, though, perpetuation is on his mind, because the one lesson he’s learned dissin’ the elite for four years, it’s that fame is fleeting. Today’s darling is tomorrow’s Jenny Craig spokesperson.

**No Stars Were Hurt During The Research and Writing Of  This Report.**

 Jeff Louis is a Strategic Media Planner & Buyer with over seven years of B2B & B2C experience. His interests are emerging media, schweet  ideas, and redefining the status quo (not necessarily in that order.)  He’s passionate about writing and digs great creative executions based on strategy.  Follow him on twitter @jlo0312, or LinkedIn, www.LinkedIn.com/in/jefflouis

Remember when media buying was staid and static? Those days are gone. Now your media buys need to deploy a multi-dimensional approach. You need to jump from print, to social networking, to online, to electronic and back and around to avoid your product looking flat and dull. It might be more difficult, but it’s also more creative. Try it.

The Modern Media Buyer