Tag Archives: Written by Inga Petri

Social media vs social networks

I went to a presentation at MRIA Ottawa Chapter this week by Robert Hutton of Pollara. He was presenting some research on attitudes about social media, both among marketing professionals and users. There was certaily some interesting data. However, what struck me most was the very premise of the study: people who are using Facebook, LinkedIn, Ebay, YahooGroups and so on are not participants or users of social media. They are using social networks.

This crucial difference seems to continue to elude corporations and institutions as they are trying to figure out how to harness these supposed social media. Taking an advertising point of view is futile: users migrate away from social networking sites when they become too commercial, ie turn into media (whatever that means to the individual).

From the beginning the web has been about relationships, users defining what they accept and engage with. It’s the genesis of the shift in power from the brand to the consumer. The challenge is not harnessing social media at all. The real challenge is working on having authentic relationships with ones audiences, including prospects. That means becoming a valued part of a social network. And it’s way beyond buying ads on Facebook.

The old ways aren’t going to keep on working. Let’s invent new ones!

Teaching clients about online presence

In the last few days I’ve lead two Q and A workshop sessions with completely different clients to help them understand how they can start to use the web for much more than, well, than having a web site.

Helping clients draw the connections between their own site and how to drive the right kinds of traffic to their site means that they can become a lot more effective in their marketing, relationship building or sales efforts.

It’s been interesting to speak about these issues to non-specialists – being understood seems to involve a lot of non-web metaphors that are grounded in people’s real lives. (Something about marketing speak that mystifies and obscures rather than enlightens sometimes.)

Anyhow, having done these two sessions I now have a ready-to-go, customizable workshop on how to think about integrating online channels and using anything from SEO to search marketing to facebook or myspace and other social networking fora, to lead generation and nurture to e-news to RSS and whatever else we will be able to do on line next. Since surely its greatest hallmark remains its “evolution.”

Conference presentation accepted

Excellent news: My conference paper has been accepted by the MRIA’s National Conference Program Committee. I’ll be presenting on my Audience Development work with the National Arts Centre Orchestra in Winnipeg, May 25-28, 2008. Of course, now I’ll have to craft a worthy presentation.

I’m planning to demonstrate the application of insights derived from various types of research methodologies in solving a major business issue at the nation’s leading live performing arts venue. (That’s a mouthful!) Because I not only conducted the research but facilitated the strategy process, the outstanding business results (see previous postings) achieved already make a great example for “return on research invesment.”

I’m also planning on making an argument for the idea of “integrated research.” After all, today integrated marketing and integrated decision-making are everywhere – at least in words if not in deed – and I see opportunities for marketing researchers to advance a conversation about customer insight and its application.

Strategic Moves – Thinking : Business

Respect for the customer

Arguably, the most important asset a marketing researcher has is … a respondent. The Canadian industry association, MRIA, has created a Respondents Bill of Rights – and much effort goes into best practice development for research methodologies that both respect the respondent and provide insight on which to base business decisions.

What is the most important asset an advertising agency or a marketer has? I think the answer is … a customer. Not inventory, not intellectual property, not real estate, not world-class leadership, not strategic location, not stock price, not exclusive market rights, not employees (even though in my mind employees are intrinsically linked to the customer).

Why is it then, that there is so little effort made to care for the customer or the potential customer? Over 90% of new products fail and fewer than 50% of advertisements are effective – so why are they getting created and who are they really speaking to?

Instead of relevant, timely, opt-in, creative marketing activities, much of marketing seems to still be trying to yell louder or funnier or whatever at a fairly large group of people.

If advertisers want to be relevant then they might reconsider their focus and place the customer at the heart of business and marketing considerations. There are successful CRM implementations and there are impressive case studies of brands connecting with customers by acting on the knowledge they collect about them and creating many meaningful, memorable interactions.

Because it’s the customer that matters. Not so much mind share, or intent to purchase.
Instead, try measuring the degree of relationship a customer has with the organization and the degree of relationship the organization has with the customer.

Consumer Power pushes agencies in new directions

The Media Strategy Conference in Toronto set out to “change minds and change models.” In my view, speakers most successful at pushing the mind were Rishad Tobaccowala in his key note on “Imagination, Reinvention and the Future of Media” and Marian Salzman’s “Brand Sluts”. Nancy Vonk presented on her agency’s remarkable work for Unilever’s Dove – Campaign for Real Beauty. A 4-year-old initiative, it seems this has become a calling for the brand. Cool.

Ad agencies are trying to structure themselves to respond to the irrevocable shifts in market dynamics where community and collaboration are far more important, than traditional agencies can possibly deliver.

The bottom line is value has to be real, and the only judge of value is the consumer. Not a segment, but a person. Hard to fool anyone these days, even though advertisers and their agencies create so much noise by bombarding us consumers with thousands of unwanted messages every day.

That’s why I now spend my time on developing precise customer insights that enable relevant, valued conversations. And I work on the mechanics – and thus the backbone technical requirements – so that these insights become actionable. In my view, these will be the strategic moves that matter.

Online Research Conference in Ottawa

On November 5, the Marketing Research and Intelligence Association will hold its second Online Research Conference, called Net Gain 2.0. Like I do on the Ottawa Chapter board, I am volunteering on the conference organizing committee, responsible for marketing and communications.

I’m interested in this area because just like marketers and media/advertising agencies have to go where people are – rather than where they used to be – so do researchers. Accomplishing that in ways that are reliable and valid, and thus can yield solid insight to base business decisions on, is important.

As Canadians are living and interacting via the web, are letting go of landlines in favour of cell or PDAs and are increasingly viewing their opinions as something valuable, the research field is rapidly evolving. I’m looking forward to hearing from research practitioners who we are at the leading edge of this field.

Media Strategy Forum in Toronto

I’ll be at this conference on September 27 in Toronto. I went to the first one in 2005 and found that my observations on the advertising agency world I was living in were confirmed: agencies were struggling to be relevant in an environment where customers had become vastly empowered, largely through the web and online media. This year’s theme “Changing Minds. Changing Models” aims at the roots of a reinvention. Should be a fascinating day.

In my view, connecting with customers takes a different mind set today, and in future, than the one that was honed 30 or 40 years ago when brands were powerful and consumers followed.

With my own independent consultancy, I can step out and up in search of customer relevance and creative business solutions. These solutions aren’t going to be about marketing or advertising per se; those are tools that can serve a greater purpose, though. The business solutions that will matter are the ones that are about connection, about meaningful relationships and understanding what an organziation can do, uniquely, to build them with its customers. I think, authenticity, not spin, matters.