You’ve probably seen the ads if you watch the Beeb or CNN: a dreary-postindustrialised world in CGI that is thoroughly transformed into a tree-hugger paradise when Sean Connery pronounces the magic words “Back to common sense, it’s time for green banking” in that lovely Scottish accent of his.
I’m terribly sorry to say this but if you don’t explain to me properly why would I believe you as a bank stand for sustainable development and a reduced carbon footprint, even if I have no chance of becoming your retail customer I’d say you’re full of it (and quite some people agree). These are the kinds of campaigns that give marketing a bad name, really.
Found this Salitos pseudo-Mexican beer in the shelves of my local supermarket. After a little bit of googling found out it is produced in Germany by a company that has nothing to do with Latin America at all. This is the kind of marketing that I absolutely abhor: when companies find a market niche they try to fill by being something they’re not. This kind of misleading advertising worked before people had access to information, now with the net everybody can see if the emperor has no clothes.
My colleagues and friends Arto and Dan have been talking about their very own PESH model (participant, enabler, supplier, helper) which helps brands map their usage, presence and possible/required measurements in their social media activities.
If you do social media marketing, it would definitely help you out to check those two posts. Definitely helps to get your ideas in order, as any good model should. 😉
Came accross this jewel in Dan’s blog, and couldn’t help but comment on it. With cringe-worthy photography, design that even I could do better and racist references to “African medicine men” and “Greedy Ahmed” it became one of our inside jokes on Twitter.
Don’t get me wrong, I find the idea of an advertising agency focused on SMEs appealing. I find it difficult to believe that it can’t be better executed.
One of those little details I really like are the Valio milk carton cows (pictured to the right). The drawings change by season so you would have cows picking mushrooms in spring, cows in the beach in summer, cows walking in the wind in the fall or cows skiing or skating in winter.
Cute, even if I don’t even buy their brand. And don’t get me started with the variety of milk products available hereabouts…
One of my colleagues posted online the model we’ve been using for planning our digital marketing. If you are involved in this kind of activities and don’t know where to start, it is an excellent tool.
Funny how certain topics tend to resurface every once in a while. A year ago we were discussing the advantages of treating your internet presence as a branding exercise, and yesterday marketing guru Seth Godin gave a great example of why you should do so.
Be yourself but remember: you’re in candid camera.
This is a marketing campaign for Kauppalehti, the leading Finnish business daily that brings forward the labour shortage in Finland. The English language version of the online component of the campaign is actually quite bad, whereas the Finnish one has real content in it. I guess that contrary to what the campaign seems to be about, they didn’t care too much about the immigrant / foreign audience after all.
Funnily enough, there was a completely wasted bum/drunk just next to this ad, but I couldn’t bring myself to take that picture. I guess it would have been too poignant of a social commentary.
So, you might have read the presumed advantages of treating yourself as a branded product. Now, where do you start? I'd suggest your Facebook profile and your blog. I don't think you need to "spin" anything really, but be certainly aware that whatever you put in there will be visible to everybody, including co-workers and prospective (or current) employers. Therefore, less pictures of drunken parties might be in order.
Another key aspect is of course differentiation. What do you do/are/think that makes you different? Do you play in a band? Have you got a blog with a huge readership (that's definitely not me, LOL)? Were you born in a foreign country? Even seemingly minor details like the way you dress will make people remember you.
And of course, you have to build your brand. Trust and lots of hard work will take you far. Otherwise, it's got no substance.
