I was reading an article today that relates to how brands have all used social media blogs to get the word out and spread awareness. Social media blogs have become publishing tools for the brands. What the article discusses is how most of these brands are missing the simple fact of content. It's easy to start a page on any of the social media blogs, but to create content that's both rich and interesting is a whole different game.
The article states that journalism plays a large role in whether or not content is actually usable or not. The more brands become publishers, the more responsibility they have in keeping their customers interested. They still need to be trusted, heard, and understood in order to become successful. Too much is involved in publshing and not enough is done to enlighten the content relating to their specific brand these days.
Here is a link to the interesting article:
http://socialmediainfluence.com/2011/02/25/brands-can-be-publishers-but-how-can-they-create-authentic-content/
What do you guys think?
Saturday, February 26, 2011
MyBook?
As I was finding material on Myspace to do a wiki, I went to the actual Myspace.com website. I looked to the right of the screen and I noticed a bunch of facebook ads. One of them stood out and asked if I wanted to "mash my facebook account"? It is well known that Myspace has pretty much fallen off the face of the earth in terms of being the top social media group it was back in the day. Today, I know for a fact many young and upcoming artists use myspace because it's easier to follow. Many of my friends who put music online tell me that it's much easier to spread the word through myspace because other artists are there to spread the word. Myspace has given artists a sort of "artists protected" feeling and other artists who have given fame due to myspace will continue to spread the word and keep the social media giant strong.
I think it's pretty smart that myspace is doing whatever it can to keep the myspace brand strong. In terms of trying to attract facebook users and letting them know that they won't have to shut down their facebook account and simply just "mash" them together to keep both social media sites updated. I guess it's a sign of desperation? I bet the only person who doesn't really mind is the actual creator of myspace who collected his 580 million dollars a few years back to Rupert Murdoch.
Saturday, February 19, 2011
MY.IS...A Forum for LEXUS Lovers!
For the people who have attended class, I have spoken about running and managing a forum for the last 5 years. It is the Lexus IS300, IS250, IS350, IS200, and IS-F online forum. It is the second largest automotive forum for a specific model in the world. We have over 88,000 members and growing rapidly every single day. The board consists of 21 Moderators that run the boards. I am one of them who runs "The Garage" section which is an off-topic place where we can talk about various automobiles and groundbreaking news in the automotive world.
The importance of these websites is to focus on a certain "thing" and discuss the likes and dislikes, while offering informative insights about the specific vehicle. The forum becomes a massive "club" and anything about the car, etc. can be discussed. There are many DIY threads and links to where you can purchase parts for extremely cheap. There are thousands of threads that offer so much information, it would take you days read through everything on just one specific topic of question!
Now, while I do not get paid to participate or manage the website and it's content, I do find enjoyment in reading, messaging, posting, and reading everything there is on the boards. I currently have over 16,000 posts (which average out to roughly 4.55 posts per day since I joined the site). The biggest question I get deal with the fact that I'm not getting paid to put my time and effort into these sites. Although I do not get paid, I enjoy it. Simple as that. The forum was dedicated for enthusiasts, by enthusiasts. That's exactly what I am. I have a passion for the car I own.
This ties in directly to what Scott was describing in the New Rules of Marketing book in the section about understanding your target audience. People join this board not only to read and gain information, but to meet new people and share a common interest. If it weren't for sites like these, we'd be seeing car dealerships lined with unfixed cars! I've saved over thousands of dollars on easy fixes that would've had me pulling hundreds of dollars to fix at the stealer-ships. Although the forum benefits the LEXUS brand in general, it benefits the members to a greater extent because without the site, enthusiasts like myself wouldn't exist.
Let's Party! Facebook, Please!
In a few hours, I'll be attending a party in Boston, Massachusetts with a few friends of mine. You might be asking who's party it is or where it's held. To be honest, I don't know where it is, nor do I know who's party it is. Now, you might be asking yourself again where, how, and from whom did I hear about this party?
Simple. Facebook! I'll keep this as simple as I can. A friend's-girlfriends-brother is hosting a going away party for his roommate who is leaving to California to pursue another gig that's paying him more money. This all went back to a week ago when I received an electronic invitation to attend a party in
Boston for a "Bon Voyage" party for Joe Nginn. My initial reaction was how on earth did they find my facebook page. I have it blocked from anyone and everything who isn't in somehow related to me. Secondly, I wondered why on earth was I not going if over 200 people had already placed their R.S.V.P.!
If we scroll back a few chapters (chapter 4) in the New Rules of Marketing textbook, Scott gives us an example of the Tattoo club that drove over 15,000 members to Singapore to see a show that was held in January of 2009. The show had been launched from various sites including facebook, twitter, and other social media blogs/sites. It became a HUGE success.
If we were to scroll back a few years, before the social blogs took over our worlds, how on earth would a group of people even start to organize such an event? Mailing out 15,000 invitations would obviously be extremely expensive and spreading the word out orally would in turn mean replacing your jaws 50 times over.
Social networks and blogs are becoming so common, we often tend to forget how important they truly are to us. How on earth would I had known about this upcoming party had I not received an invite? We tend to block out the fact that our earth is getting smaller and smaller and people we would have never met in our lifetimes, are now just a left-click away because of social networking.
Formula 1 and Marketing!
Some of you may know, I am a die-hard Formula 1 fan. I've loved the sport since I first laid my eyes on it. Before the internet, youtube, facebook, and various other technological websites were used, we had the Television. During this time, Formula 1 was still somewhat new. Back in the early 80's, the cars looked very simple in design. The only apparent logo one would see is the actual brand of the car or the team name.
After the late 80's, we see cars that were sponsored by various other brands and since Formula 1 had such a huge fan base, these brands were easily visible to the people who watched the race. It was an amazing trade-off for the teams and brand names. The brands would sponsor the team, and the teams would have their logos stuck on the cars. Low costs for sponsorship meant that this was an awesome way to advertise a brand, without even trying. It was like watching a billboard 60 times in a row during a two and a half hour race.
Today, the racing teams have numerous sponsors on their cars. It's actually harder to see what model the cars is than see the large brand names! If we can recall, in the New Rules book where Scott discusses the importance of brand image and using youtube.com as a vaible source to show the potential of the company. Speaking of which, here is an article on how the Red Bull team have been using marketing on youtube to outsource their product:
http://www.thenational.ae/business/media/red-bulls-f1-campaign-a-masterpiece-of-marketing
The Red Bull team won last season and the brand exploded even more across the world. Fans purchased Team Red Bull hats, jersey's, etc. to show support for the team. Not only were the fans exploiting the team, they were also commercializing the Red Bull name. Red Bull's youtube page is littered with Everything Red Bull. From commercials, to other sports they compete in, it's like a page devoted to Red Bull fanatics. Here is Red Bull's youtube page:
http://www.youtube.com/user/redbull?blend=1&ob=4
Friday, February 4, 2011
An Alternative Perspective to the Long Tail!
The long tail concept will always present different views from anybody who gains a better understanding of it. I believe both parts sides have very strong points to justify their sides. Let's take a look at what Joel Rubinson and his thoughts are.
I also agree with his points about the long tail theory. Technology is changing greatly and companies must understand that consumers now have more choices and greater purchasing power. Companies need to use various other sources and focus on a larger media base. When we focus on the end of the long tail, we can see huge profit margins. Companies such as iTunes, Pandora, Netflix, etc. can all attest to the long tail theory.
As we see, the companies named are hugely successful and deal mostly with media and entertainment. But what about niche markets that call for items that are only purchased once for specific reasons? Dr. Elberse believes that the Long Tail should be used for specific markets and specific target demographics. What I don't understand is that Dr. Elberse stresses the fact that if you were to use the long tail, that one should focus more on the hits, rather than the niche markets. If it's a digital market, regardless of hits or niche's, when consumers have their choice in what they want, everything becomes a hit. Of course, her point is extremely valid, but to some extent. I think everyone will agree that when starting a business that one should focus on the larger segment. Dr. Elberse also stressed that when focusing on the tip of the long tail that businesses should keep costs as low as possible. We see a good point again, but when you're in a digital marketplace, shelf costs are obsolete.
Again, there will always be a debate in what the long tail is and how it actually affects the digital world. My opinions are still with the Joel Rubinson as we can actually see specific companies being hugely successful. I also think that what Dr. Elberse is correct in some certain aspects. Of course one would do some kind of research before jumping into a strategic conclusion. Different markets attract different consumers. Specific consumers want specific choices.
I also agree with his points about the long tail theory. Technology is changing greatly and companies must understand that consumers now have more choices and greater purchasing power. Companies need to use various other sources and focus on a larger media base. When we focus on the end of the long tail, we can see huge profit margins. Companies such as iTunes, Pandora, Netflix, etc. can all attest to the long tail theory.
As we see, the companies named are hugely successful and deal mostly with media and entertainment. But what about niche markets that call for items that are only purchased once for specific reasons? Dr. Elberse believes that the Long Tail should be used for specific markets and specific target demographics. What I don't understand is that Dr. Elberse stresses the fact that if you were to use the long tail, that one should focus more on the hits, rather than the niche markets. If it's a digital market, regardless of hits or niche's, when consumers have their choice in what they want, everything becomes a hit. Of course, her point is extremely valid, but to some extent. I think everyone will agree that when starting a business that one should focus on the larger segment. Dr. Elberse also stressed that when focusing on the tip of the long tail that businesses should keep costs as low as possible. We see a good point again, but when you're in a digital marketplace, shelf costs are obsolete.
Again, there will always be a debate in what the long tail is and how it actually affects the digital world. My opinions are still with the Joel Rubinson as we can actually see specific companies being hugely successful. I also think that what Dr. Elberse is correct in some certain aspects. Of course one would do some kind of research before jumping into a strategic conclusion. Different markets attract different consumers. Specific consumers want specific choices.
The Long Tail: A Closer Look
When we discuss the long tail as a general concept, it has always existed, but never overcome before the internet was here. Before the internet was remotely available, businesses were using old time methods of marketing to gain greater sales and profits. The long tail existed because, well, it was the long tail. Businesses which were successful shelved hits instead of items that targeted only specific niche markets. It was too risky to shelve something that wouldn't sell which therefore eliminated businesses focusing in on the long tail.
The internet has given the world the opportunity of choice. Customers being able to choose between millions of hits makes the long tail more attainable. The long tail indeed creates a tyranny of choice WITHIN the niche markets towards the end of the long tail. The top hits could still be attained throughout various non-internet services. When consumers are given choices and items are available at the touch of a button, tyranny of choice appears. I believe this is a good thing.
I think the concept of the long tail is amazing. Before I had read the book, I had no clue that this is where the huge internet brands attained most of their credentials and their profits. One thing I remember is the case study Chris Anderson did on Lego. As an adult who still enjoys legos, I thought it was interesting how the long tail affected not only niche markets, but niche groups. For the guy who made his living on building and designing models for Lego before he was hired, the internet gave him an outsource to prove his talents. I often Google these Lego models that people around the world build from scratch and wonder if any of them receive any recognition from Lego. I also remember meeting a person from M.I.T. who used Lego's mindstorms to build a robot that could show facial expressions.
So we see the long tail affects almost all things around us. But we must conclude that the internet has made such a huge impression on the long tail as well. I truly believe that the long tail and it's concept would have never seen daylight unless the internet was available.
The internet has given the world the opportunity of choice. Customers being able to choose between millions of hits makes the long tail more attainable. The long tail indeed creates a tyranny of choice WITHIN the niche markets towards the end of the long tail. The top hits could still be attained throughout various non-internet services. When consumers are given choices and items are available at the touch of a button, tyranny of choice appears. I believe this is a good thing.
I think the concept of the long tail is amazing. Before I had read the book, I had no clue that this is where the huge internet brands attained most of their credentials and their profits. One thing I remember is the case study Chris Anderson did on Lego. As an adult who still enjoys legos, I thought it was interesting how the long tail affected not only niche markets, but niche groups. For the guy who made his living on building and designing models for Lego before he was hired, the internet gave him an outsource to prove his talents. I often Google these Lego models that people around the world build from scratch and wonder if any of them receive any recognition from Lego. I also remember meeting a person from M.I.T. who used Lego's mindstorms to build a robot that could show facial expressions.
So we see the long tail affects almost all things around us. But we must conclude that the internet has made such a huge impression on the long tail as well. I truly believe that the long tail and it's concept would have never seen daylight unless the internet was available.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)