Marketing Musings: Google Exits Radio?

Google announced today that they wouldn't be pursuing their transformation plans for traditional radio advertising. That goes some way to answering the questions I pondered two years ago linked here. Having recently pulled back from the same initiative in the world of newspapers, I have think that the future is all about creation of media, rather than the conquering old existing (old) media using new tools. Everything we do on-line is potential media, heck every Tweet is media – those who can organize and sell this media in a way that supports the community rather than interrupts it, will probably win.

Marketing Musings: This App is Stirred, Not Shaken

Just below I posted about Oakley’s branded surf info application for the iPhone – functional, valuable, interesting, and entertaining – all of which make it a must have branded utility for the target market.

The Quantum of Solace app on the other hand, is nothing more than some widely available movie info crammed into a simple application which has about 1.5 minutes of value to a fan. It is not viral, it is not useful, especially if you already know the plot or have seen the trailer.

What they could have done is a James Bond almanac, or a scene locator that takes you to all the real world places in the movie, or a weapon guide from every James Bond film, or any other insider content that core fans would love, and rave about. Work hard to make your marketing an interesting utility, or don’t do it at all.

Marketing Musings: A New Take on the Prescription Pad: Marketing as Utility

Mass marketing still works for awareness, IF you have enough money. Obama’s 30 minute infomercial the week before the election cost in excess of $5 million, just for the airtime. If like most businesses, your market is a lot smaller than that, you need to reach out and engage this audience and “utilities” are a great way to do this. Nothing magical here, drug companies have been handing out pens and prescription pads for decades. The question is, how are you putting tools (functional, educational or entertaining) in your customer’s hands so they reach out and touch you everyday?

Oakley just released a very cool iPhone application. They are probably paying Surfline for content and offering it to surfers free. Brilliant. Simple. It is like having a billboard in front of the surf community as they check the waves from the shore, only it is interactive, you can put a new billboard up whenever you feel like it and be sure that it will be relevant to 100% of the audience.

Marketing Musings: The Marketer's Attitude

Re-posted from Seth Godin's Blog: http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2008/11/the-marketers-a.html

Traditional job requirements: show up, sober. Listen to the boss, lift heavy objects.Here's what I

I'd want if I were hiring a marketer:You're relentlessly positive. You can visualize complex projects and imagine alternative possible outcomes. It's one thing to talk about thinking outside the box, it's quite another to have a long history of doing it successfully. You can ride a unicycle, or can read ancient Greek.

Show me that you've taken on and completed audacious projects, and run them as the lead, not as a hanger on. I'm interested in whether you've become the best in the world at something, and completely unimpressed that you are good at following instructions (playing Little League baseball is worth far less than organizing a non-profit organization).

You have charisma in that you easily engage with strangers and actually enjoy selling ideas to others. You are comfortable with ambiguity, and rarely ask for detail or permission. Test, measure, repeat and go work just fine for you.You like to tell stories and you're good at it.

You're good at listening to stories, and using them to change your mind.I'd prefer to hire someone who is largely self-motivated, who finds satisfaction in reaching self-imposed goals, and is willing to regularly raise the bar on those goals.

You're intellectually restless. You care enough about new ideas to read plenty of blogs and books, and you're curious enough about your own ideas that you blog or publish your thoughts for others to react to.

You're an engaging writer and speaker and you can demonstrate how the right visuals can change your story. And you understand that the system is intertwined, that your actions have side effects and you not only care about them but work to make those side effects good ones.The cool thing about this list is that it's not dependent on what you were born with or who you know. Or how much you can lift.