Social Media

PRNewser's Joe Ciarallo has a story (sourced from the Chicago Tribune) regarding the work of Edelman, a PR firm known to be ze biggest in all ze verld. That's German. Anyway, the story goes like this: agency needs PR strategists, doesn't know any, hires 23-year-olds. Yeah, this is a PR story, but it also lives in the advertising business. Take Converseon, for example, which is a success story and also employs some young'uns. So, it's probably not a bad thing.

Also, older folks admittedly don't know how to do this stuff. As in: admit it or get schooled by companies like MIR and Carrot — both of which are staffed mostly by the youthful among us.

Key quote from Edelman pro: "We grew up with social media," said Matthew Clay, 23, a media executive at Edelman. "We spent eight hours every day on AOL IM."

Yes, it's true, we grew up on the AOL IM. And yes, it's true that if you use anything other than gmail for your email services, you are old. Examples of other email that will give away your age: comcast, aol, yahoo, anything else we missed. Somewhat curiously it's not uncool to use Flickr (in fact, it's quite cool) which is a Yahoo! (read: old person) owned company.

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Oh and btw, "Rotnem" is the word mentor, backwards, and it is also the name of Edelman's reverse mentoring program (get it!) whereby youths from within the company teach elders to socialize media-ly.

More: "AgencySpy's Secret to Social Media"

With few strong analytics reports available for Facebook and Twitter, the advertising world has been waiting for the development of a system for tracking data pertaining to specific conversations on both platforms. Buddy Media, helmed by former journalist Michael Lazerow, is the young company that did it.

Buddy Media is well known, after just two years in business, for developing Facebook applications for brands. As for the tools, writes WebNewser's David Cohen: "Buddy Media's platform lets users create, manage and track Facebook pages and add apps such as polls, YouTube videos, coupons, slideshows and virtual gifts, according to TechCrunch. It also allows agencies to implement Facebook Connect on brands' sites."

And for Twitter, the system allows for measurement and identification of trending topics specific to a brand, its competitors and conversations similar to those about the brand. It allows users to monitor volume and frequency of click-through rates and monitor and analyze the sentiment of Tweets about a particular brand versus its competition. Users can also create Twitter profiles and schedule tweets in advance — a feature we think it pretty smart, despite the fact that it fudges what is supposed to be an organic experience.

We asked Lazerow about the service, via email.

AgencySpy: how much does it cost?
Lazerow: "We license based on a per managed brand basis. We don't release pricing but it's in the price point of other web enabling platforms. It's very affordable and agencies can generate immediate ROI of 80%+."

AgencySpy: is this the tool that has brought Buddy Media into the retainer business?
Lazerow: "Nope. We're in the technology licensing business. We don't do retainers!"

AgencySpy: which agencies are using it?
Lazerow: "We have announced 4 charter partners, all of which are actively using the platform. These include: Converseon, Publicis’ Vivaki, which combines the digital assets of Digitas, Razorfish, Starcom MediaVest Group, ZenithOptimedia and Denuo; and MDC Partners, whose agencies include Crispin, Porter + Bogusky, and Kirschenbaum, Bond, Senecal & Partners."

More: "Is Twitter More Social Media or Search?"

Mike Germano is the 20-something co-founder of Carrot Creative, a Dumbo based social media agency working on brands like Crayola and various professional sports leagues like the NBA. Their work has been gaining attention from brands and agencies alike for their efforts.

Carrot's approach to the business of social media integration is simple: assess needs, create strategy, execute. Just kidding, that's not actually simple — as anyone trying to grow a Twitter following will tell you. Which means, ultimately, that social media is not meant for everyone (or, more poignantly, every client). Germano says his shop turns down one in five clients whose business isn't right for a SM execution.

One aspect we were particularly interested in is how this agency gets new business. Germano says clients come to him, whether of their own volition or via an agency who seeks Carrot's skills. Regardless, Germano considers his (and co-founders Robert Gaafar and Chris Petescia) business an agency — not a vendor.

We asked Germano whether clients (either through an agency or direct) come to Carrot for help with social conversations or profit. The answer may surprise you: watch to find out.

More: "Starbucks, Twitter and the Path to Glory"

@Starbucks is the coffeemaker's voice in the Twitterverse. They have 309,969 followers and are following 85,276 of you. If the person they have behind the scenes uses Tweetdeck, it must never stop dinging. The voice is strong and human, and shares things Starbucks likes — including this video about the making of the music for "Where the Wild Things Are".

The tweet above alerted me to the video, and my first thought was — wow, they shared something not related to the brand! Wrong. The following tweet: "The soundtrack is available in Starbucks stores now. Can't wait until the movie comes out!"

Likely. Anyway, the brand is everywhere these days, chugging along as it pushes out the new Via instant coffee stuff. Nothing negative to report, but for a second I thought hmm, maybe Starbs has transcended the "we can only push our own stuff" barrier. A quick look into recent tweets shows that nay, the effort is not primed to share anything but that which is somehow attached to the brand.

The Twitter feed does act as a Q&A hub, it seems, which is sort of good. Last thing anybody wants is for it to turn into a customer service tool, but there's really no avoiding that.

More: "Op-Ed: What Social Media Revolution? By Gareth Kay"

Reading a piece today in the Wall Street Journal, it became clear to me that I'm in the wrong business. "Firms Get a Hand With Twitter, Facebook" talks largely about various firms that are providing social media expertise and the costs associated with their services. For example (with ratings!):

— Facebook status updates/tweets for an auto-detailing business: $450/month (Cheap)

— Organizing Twitter parties: $400 (Cheap)

— Arrange live-streaming Web conferences: $20,000 (Ridiculously over-priced)

— "social-media support as part of a package of advertising and public-relations services": $10-20k/mo. or $200/hr. (Insanely overpriced)

— Social media training for your staff: $5-10k per month (Reasonable, but this probably could be done in a few days, and I'd charge the same amount)

After yesterday's post about our social media strategy, I may be feeling a bit brazen about the subject. Operating successfully in this sphere obviously comes at a premium — but what strikes me is how eager companies are to shell out big cash to companies that couldn't possibly know enough about how to do this that they've formed services around it. In short, this is B.S. — alchemy.

I hear all the time about how ad agencies are so far behind in social media, particularly Twitter. But I would fiercely disagree with any company or person that calls himself/herself/itself an expert in the field, as it is clearly too young for anything of that nature. Are there people who have a few things figured out? Certainly. But the bottom line is this: think of social media like a party where you know a few people but the room is largely filled with strangers. You've been to a million of these. There are certain people who will be able to walk in to that room and schmooze their way into everyone's hearts and there are others who will try to interact but ultimately end up standing alone in the corner, trying desperately to break into some circle/conversation.

To say that you can be the schmoozer for some brand and then tell them it will take x amount of time for $x,xxx+ is either naive or a lie. Or both. A successful social media campaign requires (probably) a good six months of boots on the ground interaction. WSJ:

"Larry Chiagouris, professor of marketing at Lubin School of Business at Pace University, says it makes sense for some companies to pay for help to quickly learn social-media basics. But to use sites like Twitter and Facebook effectively, he says small firms typically need to be in control to show they are legitimate and sincere. 'Unless a third party lives with you a long time, they can't do that very well,' he says."

Notice that this quote, the only one regarding timelines, comes from a professor at Pace university. He's probably the only person quoted in this article who doesn't have anything to gain by fooling clients into thinking a social media campaign via Twitter can be developed and executed in, say, a month. Though it takes a long time to build a relationship, developing the practical skills to effectively communicate takes just days. From there it's hone and sharpen, stumble and fall.

Via PRNewser

More: "AgencySpy's Secret to Social Media"

During a keynote at Advertising Week this morning, Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg presented "Facebook: Knowing Is Better," and said things like, "If you're not on Facebook now, you're not part of the conversation." Which isn't true, but I guess in some sense you should be paying attention to what's happening there.

But that doesn't mean you have to be on it or that your brand should have a fan page. No one cares about you, Rubbermaid. Kidding! Anyway, Sandberg definitely backhanded the New York Times for an article claiming people were leaving Facebook in droves. Why? Three days later Facebook hit the 300 million user mark. Did I mention this presentation was given in the Times Center (which is in the New York Times building)? It was.

Of the remarks mentioned by PRNewser's Joe Ciarallo in this write-up, our favorite was that Skittles, Coke and Starbucks have the largest fan following on the site. They are three of the top 15 fan pages, and the only three that are brands. "[T]hey (Starbucks) communicate with their users and customers the core attributes of their brand," said Sandberg.

More: "Addie Uses Facebook to Bust Drunken Thief"

In a bid to alert consumers to brand social media profiles, Mashable has created the Sociable Ad Creator, a tool that builds a custom banner containing a company's logo, latest tweets and links to their most prominent social media profiles.

"During this one month exclusive engagement, Mashable will be offering a $6,000 package for a $5 CPM rate to the first 3 brands looking to participate."

The ads will be served through the backend of Sprout, the back end of Mashable.

More: "Op-Ed: What Social Media Revolution? By Gareth Kay"

Facebook and FriendFeed are now one. If you don't know what FriendFeed is, that's OK. The site is widely used by super-Webby people who like to see all their social media stuff aggregated in one place yet parsed out into neatly defined pages. We've used the site's Twitter-feed aggregating skills a few times to show you what people were saying about (in one case) this year's Super Bowl ads.

The deal was worth $50 million FriendFeed in cash ($15 mil) and Facebook stock. The company and it's small staff of 12ish will be absorbed by Facebook, according to the Wall Street Journal.

This isn't a big deal for any of you, yet. The tools FriendFeed offers are apparently going to be helpful to Facebook. We aren't sure what those are yet.

In other Facebook news, wall postings are now searchable.

Follow us on Twitter, here.

More: "Yet Another Problem With Buying Ads On Facebook"

Advertising In A Recession: The Art Of A Sustained Social Marketing Campaign"
By Managing Director Brian Marr, along with creative directors/co-founders Ian Cohen and Cal McAllister - all of The Wexley School For Girls

So, how can you be considered a serious marketing company without creating a new catch phrase? You can't, so here it is Mr. or Mrs. High-level thinker: "Sustained social marketing" - it's a phrase we developed at Wexley School for Girls to describe our approach to answering today's marketing and advertising demands. Actually we generally don't sit around creating marketing phrases for ourselves, but we couldn't help ourselves this time. Based on the explosion of social media and the line disappearing between what people used to call "above the line" and "below the line," we've had to continually adapt to what integration means.

When we discuss sustained social marketing with our clients, we're talking about a combination of highly integrated traditional and new media tactics over a sustained amount of time. It involves a foundation of social engagement with your online core, independent of advertising campaigns. Waves of traditional media, PR, viral, interactive and grassroot/guerrilla efforts are fully integrated, architected together and rolled out over a predetermined period.

It's not rocket science. Or maybe it is, but in today's economic climate, it's even more important to make certain any investments are working together to achieve maximum return. With all the social marketing opportunities, it’s easy to get diluted. Though we never make mistakes ourselves, we have witnessed some and wanted to share some of the lessons that can be learned:

Lesson #1: Just doing a viral video as a less expensive and unexpected way to reach your customers was something that used to work. That was way back in the 2000's when they were novel and people weren't putting out the quantity we see on video sharing sites today. Now, what's it up to, 60,000 new videos a day? Give us a break. You're tossing a needle into a haystack. Viral still works, but it must be supported with an integrated campaign to be successful. That is, unless you're extremely lucky.

Lesson #2: Social media engagement can't be treated like a traditional campaign; it's one of the fundamentals of marketing. If you're a marketer, this means building social media into your day-to-day marketing strategy and potentially hiring someone, or a team, dedicated to running it. That's where the "sustained" comes from. A media buy used to do it with repetition. The landscape has changed.

continued...

What Social Media Revolution?
By Gareth Kay is the Head Of Planning at Modernista!

Well, that headline might start a frenzy in the blogosphere and get some of those self-appointed social media experts tweeting away that here lies more proof that ad people don't get it. But there, I said it. There hasn't been, and I would argue won't be, a social media revolution.

Don't get me wrong. I absolutely believe that communication needs to be a two-way conversation not a narcissistic monologue, and that people aren't passive consumers waiting to be penetrated by marketing messages. Social media has helped prove the power of human conversation, and our innate social nature for anyone who had forgotten or doubted it.

But all this talk of social media got me thinking that perhaps, yet again, we are looking at this from the wrong end of the telescope, focusing on the delivery mechanism not the underlying issue.

Rather than focusing on social media shouldn't we be focusing on social ideas? This may sound a little trite, but I think it's important. Rather than (again) using communications as a sticking plaster to cover real fundamental issues a business faces, it forces us to confront what it is that we need to do at a more fundamental level.

It means ideas that are inherently open, generous and want to include you. It means developing communication that lets you join the dots and complete the story rather than telling you what to do (in the same way at every point of contact). It means thinking about what it is that people like to do and working back from there to figure out what it is we can do as a brand to be useful, helpful or entertaining rather than starting from what we think first. It means listening. It means having many little conversations not one shouting match. It means thinking less about what we do (as a brand or its owners or advisors) and more about what it is that people do to what we do.

So, what are some examples of social ideas? Fallon London's Tate Tracks campaign for the Tate Modern in the UK that got a spectrum of musicians to write an original piece of music inspired by a piece of art in the gallery that was initially only able to be heard in the museum on a listening post next to the piece of art that inspired the music before being released online. It was an idea that got teenagers to visit the museum.

The new to New York fashion store Top Shop offers Style Advisor, a free style consultation that helps you try some different looks you may have previously thought simply weren't you. Nike's Run London and Nike+ turned the once individual pursuit of running into a community. And how about Google, the Guardian and others freely opening up their APIs for others to play with them?

Thinking about social ideas, not social media is important because it makes us think about a fundamentally different outcome, not simply a different media choice or tactic. And this may hopefully stop the industry slipping back in to some of its bad habits of the past. Maybe we can even get rid of some of the horrible language we use: 'talking to' 'consumers' who we have 'targeted' with a specific 'message' in this long running 'campaign'. It's pretty bizarre when you say it like that how we think brands and communication work.

So, let's stop obsessing about social media and worry instead about what's important. While social media channels fade in and out of social significance (was it only two or three years ago that Second Life was the channel we were all talking about), social ideas are timeless in their power. There's two types of ideas in the world - social ideas and anti-social ideas. And it's plain to me that those ideas that contribute positively culture are the ones that are going to help build business.

More: Op-Ed: Agency downsizing. The silent victims. By Steve Landsberg - a founding partner of Grok.

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