The Electric Waffle

The biggest issue with social media is brands approaching it with a “campaign mindset.” Social media is not about a campaign or promotion; it’s an ongoing way of business.

I had an agency pitch me recently and in their email, they provided 4 ways they thought they could “improve social media” for my brand. All four were one-off campaigns that showed a clear lack of understanding and knowledge around my brand, social media and business in general. Yet, this campaign-focused thinking is running rampant across our industry.

Take a look at Oreo — a brand most would classify as understanding social. An article in the New York Times addresses Oreo’s attempt to follow-up their recent success. While I’d be the first to say that Oreo is doing well in the social space, had their approach not been a one-off campaign, they wouldn’t be searching for “what’s next.”

Four brands stand out, in my opinion, as leaders in the digital and social space - and I continue to preach their approaches: Red Bull, Nike, Coke and American Express. What do all four brands have in common? None of them use a campaign-focused approach. Social compliments their overarching business approach. It’s part of their DNA. They may have campaign-like pushes, but it’s part of their support efforts.

Campaigns have an end date…social media doesn’t.

If you truly want to know how to find success in the digital space, you don’t need to read any “Top 10 Ways to Find Success in Social Media” posts. Success isn’t a 10-step process, it’s not a five-step process. In fact, success in digital comes from answering one simple question:

What role do you play in the lives of your consumers?

Take a look at Coke and Nike — two brands that I feel are knocking it out of the park. Coke’s role isn’t to provide soda. Soda has very little to do with the role they play. Coke focuses on happiness — and they’re killing it.

The same goes for Nike. Nike’s role isn’t putting a pair of their shoes on your feet. Nike has evolved beyond being just a shoe company. Shoes pay their bills, but Nike is about excellence and fitness.

At the end of the day, your brand isn’t very different from your competitors when it comes to pure product/service. For brands to succeed, you need to understand the value and role your product provides. And that role is beyond a simple product offering.

Dance. Don’t hold the wall. Let go. - “Don’t Hold the Wall,” Justin Timberlake.

Simple marketers go through the motions. They’re satisfied with the status quo. They’re content leaning against the wall, sipping the punch and watching others dance.

Smart marketers disrupt. They let go of the wall and dance. They push boundaries and seek innovation. They don’t want to be an accessory at the party, they want to be the party.

Very few of us know how to actually dance. But don’t let that stop you from getting out on the dance floor and trying. So dance. Don’t hold the wall. Let go.

Let me leave you with a quote from another musician that I feel translates to the business world.

“I hate anything average. I hate normal. I refuse to be basic.” - Lil’ Wayne

Hashtags. From print to television (both commercials and TV shows), they’ve become mainstream. They make sense in television shows, as the “second screen” syndrome continues to increase. It makes sense for TV, but does it make sense for ads?

The biggest factor in throwing hashtags on print and TV ads is the lack of continued conversation. Simply throwing a hashtag on a print ad won’t move the needle if the conversation isn’t seeded and nurtured. Unfortunately, this isn’t Field of Dreams, and brands need to do more than simply “build it and they will come.”

My personal belief is that hashtags (and by default, Twitter) will continue to grow as the organizer of conversation. Heck, even Facebook is trying to get into the game. I’ve spoken in the past on how a lot of hashtags are useless. I’ve also discussed why I think Promoted Trends on Twitter aren’t worth the cost. But I’m bullish on the long term impact hashtags will have on conversations.

Coke recently took hashtags a step further and included one of the packaging of their Diet Coke can. This is a brilliant move, in my opinion, as it exposes and encourages conversation outside of the digital realm. Coke is bringing conversations to the mass — which fits perfect with their brand. A colleague of mine, Adam Kmiec, who has way more experience and knowledge in the CPG industry than I do, wrote a post  Hashtags Are the Language that Binds Us. I encourage you to check it out.

What are your thoughts? Are hashtags simply hyped by marketers or do you see long term implications?

Digiday recently published an article on Mobile’s Next Big Opportunity that ignited an interesting question — do customers really want personalized, geo-content? Or is this something marketers making a broad assumption?

Here are two responses that I found particularly interesting.

Fred Reinfelder, senior manager of digital marketing, Nissan  
Near-field communications. Google has first-mover status, but everyone else will catch up soon. Wide adoption of this technology will eventually eliminate the need for wallets among men and women. In the automotive space, it will also allow dealerships to instantly recognize customers, their service history and/or new vehicle requirements upon arrival, maximizing time efficiency for both the dealership and customer.

Chia Chen, svp and mobile practice lead, Digitas
Anticipatory content delivery. You’re literally going to think that your mobile device is psychic. We’re starting to see this with features like Google Now, which uses all the data that the mobile device captures via its sensors, such as your location, with data it gleans from the cloud, like your calendar and contact list, to serve up the most appropriate features and functionality.

There’s no question that if you separate the question into two pieces — mobile and content, that the immediate answer would be “well, of course.” Mobile continues to trend as the way consumers are interacting (with one another and with brands). Furthermore, consumers are seeking information that’s relevant and valuable to them. So on the surface, everything points to being able to deliver contents that’s personalized to consumers in real-time via their mobile device. But I’m not completely sold on this idea.

The general population hasn’t fully grasped the implications of advanced technology. Privacy is still a big debate — regardless of how freely consumers are willing to share their information. There’s still a lack of understanding of what exactly consumers are giving and what their actions are actually doing.

As much as we’re willing to give and as much as we want this content, are we really willing to accept it? Is the average consumer going to be alright with the initial “creep factor” of us knowing they’re standing across from a bottle of Pepsi in a 7-Eleven in Tallahassee? I’m not sold yet.

What do you think?