MEGO: My Eyes Glaze Over

The Great Business Book List

Sep 13, 2009 Books, Social Media

I made fun of the Indigo sign, but I am a big fan of the book store. Any book store. But, I have a soft spot for Chapters-Indigo since I spend over three years working there while I went to university. It doesn’t hurt that I have an addiction to books.  I love fiction (the type you can imagine the characters so vividly that even years later you can tell a friend about the novel); and the odd summer junk novel (usually crime / mystery novels like Kathy Reich), I have also been known to read a thoughtful history book or gripping book on pop culture.  But, my biggest fixation is my collection of business books. I love books on marketing, social media, Internet culture, management….and I believe I own more than I have actually read.  It is always my intention to read, but I also read about 200 blogs.

That said here are some of my recommendations for great business books (chances are I own them if you need a loaner)

• Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap and Others Don’t – Jim Collins
• Wikinomics: How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything – Don Tapscott
• Growing Up Digital: How the Net Generation is Changing Your World  – Don Tapscott
• Purple Cow: Transform you Business by Being Remarkable – Seth Godin
• Permission Marketing: Turning Strangers Into Friends – Seth Godin
• A Whole New Mind – Daniel Pink
• Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces that Shape Our Decisions – Dan Ariely
• Everything is Miscellaneous: The Power of the New Digital Disorder  – David Weinberger
• Cluetrain Manifesto: The End of Business as Usual – Locke, Weinberger,
• The Tipping Point: How Little things Can Make a Big Difference – Malcolm Gladwell
• Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking  – Malcolm Gladwell
• Outliers: The Story of Success – Malcolm Gladwell
• First, Break all the Rules – Markus Buckingham
• The Long Tail – Chris Anderson
• Here Comes Everybody – Clay Shirky
• Citizen Marketers: When People are the Message – Ben Mcconnell

These are just a few of the ones I haven’t yet read but own:

• Tribes – Seth Godin
• Six Pixels of Separation – Mitch Joel
• Truth Agents – Chris Brogan & Julian Smith
• Meatball Sundae – Seth Godin
• Free: The Future of a Radical Price – Chris Anderson
• Twitterville – Shel Israel (getting this on Tuesday)

And, if you are looking for gift ideas these are books that I would like (and may buy on a whim while in a bookstore)

• Whuffie Factor – Tara Hunt
• New Rules of Marketing: Marketing on the Web – Tamar Weinberg
• Art of Community – Jano Bacon
• Socialnomics: How Social Media Transforms the Way We Live and Do Business – Erik Qualman

Now, perhaps time for a trip to my favorite book store…

Do you have any favorites I missed?

Popularity: 41% [?]

Tags: Books, leadership, new marketing, reading, social media, social networks

Social Networks and the Net Generation at Work

Mar 15, 2009 Blogs, Books, Customer Service, Digital Marketing & Metrics, Internet General, Marketing & Communication, Microblogging, Social Bookmarking, Social Media

When I joined the workforce e-mail was pretty standard as a method for communication and the Internet was commonly used for research purposes. But, in the early days of email many business owners and managers did not allow e-mail in the offices for fear that their employees would not get any work done, they were concerned over how to manage, store and capture e-mailed information, and of course they grappled with security issues surrounding e-mail. Today, business owners and managers have realized that e-mail has increased the speed of business communication, and concerns over data capture and management as well as security have largely been overcome.

Social Networks Stats and Facts

There is a new tool that has caused much consternation and hand-wringing for IT Managers and business owners – social networks and social media.  A new report by Nielson puts social networks ahead of e-mail in online activities according to a recent article in the Globe and Mail.  Neilson found that 1 in 11 minutes online is spent on a social network or blog site, bringing social networks and blogs to the fourth most popular activity following search, general interest portals and software manufacturers. More telling is the growth seen by social networks during the period of the study (Dec 2007-Dec 2008) which saw between 1.4 and 1.9% growth for the top three activities versus an incredible 5.4% for social networking.

There are 150 Million active Facebook users and a recent research study from Pew Inernet shows that 11% of online adults say they have used the social network Twitter. A Netpop report shows that 7 Million people in the U.S. are contributing to content online and that social networking sites have grown a whopping 93% since 2006!

Despite the growth in the use of social media and social networks specifically, many corporations have decided to bury their head in the sand and hope it goes away, much like they did when e-mail came on the scene. Instead of facing the issues these companies have decided to simply block employees access.

Blocking Access

The concerns for social media are similar to those in the 1990s when e-mail entered the workplace: productivity, data capture, privacy and security. The approach the same – block, refuse access, refer employees to old technology (oddly in the case of social media it is often e-mail!). But this is short-sighted, unrealistic and a passive approach that will eventually (if not already!) be seen as anti-productive.

Let’s look at the concerns companies have regarding social media:

Productivity: This has to be the most ridiculous of the reasons. 1) If employees want to be slack off all they need to do is go stand by someone else’s desk, go for a smoke break, chat at the water cooler, close their eyes and have a snooze. Let’s face it if you can’t trust your employees are doing their job…then you didn’t hire the right people or they are bored, unchallenged or unempowered. 2) If employees are allowed to use social media they can actually become more productive! (More on this in next post)

Data Capture/Management: Many social networks are easily followed, stored and saved. People have clearly moved beyond this issue with e-mail – and this can be accomplished with Social Networks. Ownership can be overcome by businesses as well by contracting space on sites for block of space that would be under control of the company as suggested by Salesforce.com precedent. Another alternative is to set up internal IM systems, social networks and Wikis for use with Internal Communication. While this does not help customer and vendor communication it can allow employees some use of tools that will help productivity while maintaining data security and capture.

Privacy and Security: This is a biggie, and closely related to data capture and management. Panic has ensued amongst business owners with regards to data privacy and corporate secrets. And, of course it can be an issue as more and more employees spend time on social networks discussing their lives (which includes work) with Facebook status changes, LinkedIn profiles, and of course the tweets on Twitter. Companies obviously want to limit and retain close control over sensitive company information, at the same time they also must find ways to engage and communicate directly with their customers (or risk losing them). As social media becomes increasingly interconnected and more customers EXPECT companies to be active on social networks it will become inadequate to simply block social media sites and use URL filtering. Instead companies can help alleviate the privacy and security (and avoid potential lawsuits) issues by creating policies and educating employees on safe data handling. (Note: There are also IT tools available on the market to help monitor, examine historic patterns of leaks and discover and eliminate malware that have in the past been issues with some Web 2.0 sites). Privacy and security is an issue whether your employees are using social media or not – but a easy to understand policy, and a central contact for questions related to privacy and security can help companies avoid future issues.

Net Generation at Work

Companies that decide to limit or block use of social media are not only unnecessarily limiting their communication with their customers through online methods, they are also forfeiting the chance to discover new tools for collaboration within the organization. By closing the company off from social media they are also driving away younger employees who are looking to work for companies whose culture fits their life and ideals.  Don Tapscott in his book Grown Up Digital says the “Net gener [age 18-32] arrives at work, eager to use his social networking tools to collaborate and create and contribute to the company. For starters he’s shocked to find that the company’s technological tools are more primitive than the ones he used in high school…And they are surprised, perhaps naively, to learn that corporations have antiquated ways of working.” These same Net Generation workers can, if given a chance, show companies how to collaborate in new ways more effectively and efficiently. But, these workers don’t stick around long according to Tapscott – they usually only last two years before moving on. Which is too bad since Tapscott’s research shows that those companies that embrace the Net Gen norms perform better than those that don’t..

This generation, of which I am a part of (well I missed it by a month…), view life and work different from other generations according to Tapscott – and that view is defined by 8 characteristics or norms: Freedom, Customization, Scrutiny, Openness, Fun/Entertainment in life and work, Collaboration, Speed, Innovation.

Tapscott definies these characteristics as they relate to work (summary):

Freedom: Net Geners expect to mix work and their personal lives, and this includes choosing when and where they work. They want flexible hours, the ability to telecommute, and other services that make their lives easier.

Customization: They want employers to treat them as individuals and this means giving them learning and development opportunities that are right for them. They want an adaptable work environment, job descriptions that are project based and customized, flexible benefits,  and more frequent discussions on their contribution to the organization.

Scrutiny: How we search for jobs has changed and how we research the company before we make a change has as well.  According to Grown Up Digital 60% of Net Geners check out a company before accepting a job offer. They want to work for companies that are transparent, share information, and have integrity. Tapscott says: “Young people respond well to management integrity…there is greater loyalty and lower turnover, and employees are more likely to do the right thing.” (For example more likely to get their job done even if they take a break to check Facebook, and more likely to hold company secrets sacred and follow company privacy policy).

Collaboration: Net Geners want to work with other people and collaboration is how they get stuff done. To them the workplace should be less about hierarchies and departmental silos and more about connecting with others to solve a problem. Using social networks, social bookmarking, Wikis, aps like LinkedIn Huddle Workpaces or Virtual worlds (Second Life) to meet, collaborate, plan, and execute.

Fun/Entertainment: Fun and work go hand in hand for this generation – they don’t need to be separate. Cultures that allow employees to have a little fun at work end up with more productive staff. We all need a break before diving back into another round of work – and if surfing on a social network is that little bit of fun – why block it?

Speed: This generation is used to speed and instant responses. Why not? We no longer have to wait for dial-up or snail mail! For Net Geners red tape is frustrating, feedback should be in real-time and bureaucracy can mean doom in the market. They use social media tools such as Wikis and IM to speed up communication within the workplace.

Innovation: This is a fascinating point Tapscott makes: “If video games taught this Net Generation anything, it’s that every problem has seemingly endless solutions” and so this generation is looking for new ways to their jobs, to be innovative in their workplace, to challenge status quo. Many of these young workers bring their knowledge of social media to the work place creating new communication channels, building collaborative work systems, and finding new ways to solve a business problem.

In the End

Social media such as instant messaging, blogging and social networks have gained ground as communication tools outside the workplace by leaps and bounds, and it is only a matter of time before they, like e-mail before them, become necessary and an acceptable part of the work place.  The concerns for productivity,  data management, and security and privacy are valid – however they can be overcome by education, corporate policy and new IT tools. Ultimately, if a company hires good people they will need less process and bureaucracy to police the space – as the employees in an open and empowered culture will be more likely to use social media tools wisely. Through using social media in the workplace employees will find new ways to harness collective knowledge, collaborate, and create ways to communication effectively internally and externally.

As always  – connect on Twitter and Google Friend Connet (right hand side). And, if you enjoyed this content – subscribe!

Images from Stocl.xchng (bigevil600, brokenarts, glennpeb)

Popularity: 100% [?]

Tags: facebook, Grown Up Digital: How the Net Generation is Changing Your World HC, linkedin, socia, Social Bookmarking, social media, social network, twitter, Work

Eat Dirt

Mar 12, 2009 Books, Environment, Family and Friends, Parenting and More

image from stock.xchng: lusi Cute Toy

I recall a friend telling me before I had my first child that with your first child you sanitize everything, that nothing gets put in babies mouth without a deep wash, and that bottles are boiled after each use. With the second child she said you stick everything in the dishwasher, and toys that fall on the floor are wiped clean with a pant leg or a wet wipe if you have one handy. By the third you rinse things in the sink, make sure there are no grimy bits and toys are handed back to baby after a stint on the floor.

I have never been a big proponent of  “sanitize everything”. We had a bottle sanitizer that we used for about three weeks, and after that bottles went into the dishwasher, or they were washed by hand if I was short on dishes. Toys, get laundered somewhat frequently when I think about it, or when baby goobers on them with peas – but I admit to picking up toys from the floor wiping them on my pants and handing them back to them (and this was with my first child and second- no discrimination!). I always felt that a little dirt couldn’t hurt them. The fact is – it is easy to monitor a baby but what happens when they are two? three? four? I know my nearly four year old often touches some pretty gross things, and puts gross stuff in his mouth when I am not looking (I have caught him chewing the side of those grocery carts shaped like Cars) – so if his immune system broke down at every germ – he would be sick all the time! When I was growing up my parents didn’t Purel their hands every step of the way, or disinfect my toys every 24 hours in case of a stray germ. Guess what, I am a healthy 30-something (seriously, I have to do math to figure my age out – every time!) and growing up I wasn’t sick any more than any other kid. I also don’t have any currently known allergies.

Today I see mom’s carry around hand sanitizer in their diaper bags and purses. Whipping them out at every cough, sneeze or breath. Anti-bacterial wipes are swiped across every surface their baby might dare touch, and then there are the blankets or cart draps that parents sit their kid in at the grocery store. They wash their floors, tables, toys, and even fabrics with anti-bacterial cleaners (yes- Febreeze now has Anti-bacterial spray); and they ensure that NO ONE touches their baby without a scrub down first. I may be slightly exhaggerating the situation, but I find some people are absolutely paranoid – and I kept thinking that all his “clean” can not be good for a growing child’s immune system.

Playing in Dirt

It seems that I may be right, an article in the Ottawa Citizen – Honey, Eat Your Dirt points to new research that proves that cleanliness CAN lead to illness. Everything in moderation people! Even too much hygiene is a problem. According to the article, which references a new book titled Why Dirt is Good by Mary Ruebush, a baby’s immune system is “like a computer that is hasn’t been programmed. It needs to practise responding to bacteria and viruses and other things found in dirt to learn what it should fight and what it should ignore.” Further to this a New York Times article states recent studies and epidemiological observations “seem to explain why immune system disorders like multiple sclerosis, Type 1 diabetes, inflammatory bowel disease, asthma and allergies have risen significantly in the United States and other developed countries.” So essentially kids raised in an ultraclean environment are not being given the chance to develop appropriate immune systems and will suffer later in life because of it.  Dr. Ruebush says that the current fetish for the many  (well-marketed) antibacterial products may just be a false sense of security and could “actually foster the development of antibiotic-resistant, disease-causing bacteria.” (NYTimes)

So if you are a Hand Sanitizer-toting, germaphobic, anti-bacterial obsessed parent – what should you do? According to these articles just use less anti-bacterial products. Soap and water is all you need, and a little dirt . So, go – eat dirt. I dare ya.

Popularity: 72% [?]

Tags: family, Health, Immune system, kids, Ottawa Citizen, Why Dirt Is Good: How Our Obsession With Killing Germs Is Making Us Sick

Top 100 Books

Mar 10, 2009 Books

Popularity: 45% [?]

Tags: Books, great books, literature, reading

#GNO with @jessicaknows: A Summary of Twitter’s Girl’s Night Out

Jan 7, 2009 Advertising, Blogs, Books, Consumer Brands, Digital Marketing & Metrics, Microblogging, PR, Search Marketing, Social Bookmarking, Social Media, Web Analytics, social networks, word of mouth

Jessicaknows

I missed some of the #GNO (Girls Night Out) discussion on Twitter last night so I went into Twitter Search and read the discussion. As always, it was a bit of a dizzying conversation last night – trying to keep up with the multitude of posts. So, it was difficult getting all the tips from @jessicaknows during the discussion.

I tried to pull as much as I could into this compilation. I hope this helps others as well.

Attracting PR Peeps for your Blog

A lot of participants were interested in reviewing more products and wondered how to go about doing this more often.

@jessicaknows said that she doesn’t think that there is a magic number with regards to traffic on your site in attracting PR. She noticed a lot of attention once she had about 20,000 monthly visitors to her blog. However, she suggests if you write about the products you are passionate about the PR folks will follow.

My two cents: She is absolutely correct, while the PR people will look for an engaged community the numbers may not matter as much if you are passionate and are considered an “influencer”. In this case, your review would simply be the tip of the iceberg. An influencer will tend to spread “word of mouth” throughout a variety of networks online and offline -giving a lot of added value to the campaign – beyond the blog post.  I hope to write more posts on books in 2009 since that is my passion. I don’t have 20,000 monthly visitors – but I have already received two books for review in the past. (Dan Ariely – Predictibly Irrational and Don Tapscott – Grown Up Digital)

Use Social Media to Build Your Own Community

@jessicaknows suggests that you pick 3 social media tools & be consistent use them everyday. She uses three social networks: Twitter (obviously), Facebook and LinkedIn. She also uses StumbleUpon for bookmarking regularly. She uses LinkedIn to connect with lots of PR folks, and mom owned business she can partner and work with in the future. On Facebook she prefers to “friend” people she knows in real-life and friends she has met on other social networks (Twitter for example). For users concerned with privacy and sharing with virtual friends she had a great idea to have a user profile for personal use and a Fan Page for your business/blog/website. While the Fan Page will show you as an author, “fans” will have to request to be a friend in order to see your Facebook profile.

My two cents: I post all blog posts to Twitter and Facebook. I try to avoid using the robot when I have the time by personally summarizing the newest post in my status/tweet.  Twitter is also a great place to promote DIY or How To Posts to people who are looking for specific help. I use Tweetburner to track click-through, which can give me an idea of how successful the tweet/status was. Note – don’t just do self-promotion, make sure you tweet other content outside of your own that you think your followers will find value in.

I have just started using StumbleUpon but I have definitely seen some traffic to my site through my profile. StumbleUpon allows you to find “friends” that have similar interests to you which is a great way to find new and interesting websites. Stumble others and perhaps they will Stumble you. All about Karma!

Couple other thoughts on Social Media:
- Use Video to promote your site by placing your URL in videos posted to YouTube
- Participate in Forums and Discussion groups in your topic area
- There are niche Social Networks that you can be involved in TwitterMoms, ClassyCloset and more…Create a profile and participate in the community
- Comment, comment, comment on other blogs. This is an easy way to promote your blog on other similar sites, and show some love to other bloggers.
- Try to link to other bloggers in your blog posts when possible. Give credit where credit is due, and share great information with your community.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

There was a great discussion around SEO last night during the #GNO.  There were folks on all ends of the spectrum – from questions such as “What is SEO?” to helpful tips from experts. @jessicaknows suggests that this is an important part of driving traffic to your website. For Wordpress bloggers she recommends the SEO Plug-in, and she has signed up for SEOBook training to get up to speed on SEO.

My two cents: Having attended SES Toronto last year, I am a believer in SEO for building traffic to your site. I use All-in-One SEO Plug-in for my WordPress blog. I use H1, H2, H3 headers where possible in my blog posts, and try to include Keywords without sounding “canned”.  SEO is great, but you also must use Analytics to compliment your SEO work.  If you aren’t following your stats you won’t be able to measure your success, see what is working and what isn’t, and see where you might have holes. Your Analytics program can also tell you before you start SEO efforts what Keywords are driving traffic to your site, and later on you should follow data for trends in keywords and content that you may not have noticed otherwise.

My SEO for Marketers post is a good SEO 101 for new comers, and watch next week for my Google Analytics Series for Bloggers. Also, take a peak at my “learnings” from my analytics a little while ago

Blogger Relations and Onsite Details

A lot of blogger etiquette and on-site promotional ideas were brought up during the discussion, here are some of the points:

• It is all about helping others: @jessicaknows says “I establish relationships by learning about other ppl’s goals & what they’re all about & then introduce to each other”. This includes helping to promote blogs she believe in the most through her sites. I love this quote from her “it’s so easy…the key word is SOCIAL…use the “have a friend, be a friend” mantra in business and you can’t go wrong”
• Write often, and be consistent. She tries to write daily if she can. Obviously that isn’t feasible for everyone – but I know if I blog 2-3 times a week my traffic remains higher than if I blog 1 time a week. Perhaps that is just a no-brainer.
• Encourage conversation and open up channels for two way conversation.
  
• Show personality in your posts
  
• Offer Blog giveaways (check out @jessicaknows 15 days of Marketing Post on Giveaways)
• Attend offline events (Tweetups, Conferences)
  

For those of you who were at Girl’s Night Out – did I miss anything? Any other hints and tips to encourage traffic?

Popularity: 36% [?]

Tags: #gno, blogging, girls night out, jessicaknows, marketing & communication, promotion, seo, traffic, twitter, Web Analytics, web traffic

Grown Up Digital: All About the Net Generation [part one]

Jan 5, 2009 Books, Digital Marketing & Metrics

Some time ago One Degree had a Mini Book Expo for Business Books, and I managed to get a copy of Grown Up Digital by Don Tapscott. When I signed up the baby was still sleeping 22 hours a day, and by the time the book arrived he was catnapping during the day, so needless to say I haven’t read much of the book. I figure by the time I actually get to the last chapter I will have forgotten what I enjoyed about the first. Which would make a review difficult.

Grown Up Digital

So here is my brief notes on what I learned From chapter one of Grown Up Digital:

Tapscott Defines the  Generations:

Boom (1946-1964): Families postponed children until after WWII, but when the men came back…babies were born in droves. Thus, the Boom. While the Baby Boom has also been called the “Cold War Generation”, Tapscott prefers to define them by the impact of television, which he says shaped this generation more than anything else.  Television recorded and broadcasted this generation, connecting them through shared memories and programs.

Bust/Gen-X (1965-67): Birth rates declined during this time, with 15% fewer babies being born. Gen-X is named after the novel of the same name by Canadian author Douglas Coupland. According to Tapscott, this group is the best-educated generation, yet also the generation to see the lowest relative starting salaries since the Depression. They are media centered of course – viewing media available for everyone to”package information and put forth their perspective.”

Net Generation (1977-1997): Boomers started having more kids by 1978, most putting off having children until their 30s and 40s. The most significant change for this generation, Tapscott says is the Internet. This is the first generation to be “bathed in bits.” [Since I am a November '76 baby, and relate most to this generation...I would say I am a Net Gen]

Neat facts about growing up during the Net Generation:

• 1983 – 7 % of households owned computers (I believe it was around this time my family purchased a very very expensive IBM)
• 1994 – 35% of schools had Internet access
• 1996 – 15% had access to the Internet
• 2004 – 44% of households owned computers, 37% using a form of broadband
• 2008 – 100% of schools provide Internet access
• 2008 – 75% of teenagers have mobile phones
• 2008 – Have access to 200 cable networks, 5,500 magazines, 10,500 radio stations, 22,000 books published every year,  and 40 billion web pages. (no wonder my brain hurts!)

The Net Generation and Media:

While their parents passively watched 22.4 hours of TV each week, the Net Gen spend that time online. They still watch TV, but they watch it differently. A Net Gen is more likely to skip a commercial, surf the net simultaneously, do homework (it is possible!) or read (I do this all the time, my husband can’t figure out how….or why!).

This generation isn’t passive, they don’t just watch – they want to be active participants, collaborators and in control. Best said by Tapscott:

The Net Generation is in many ways the antithesis of the TV generation. This shift from one-way broadcast media to interactive media has had a profound effect on the Net Gen.

The impact of this interactive media over the passive use of TV has been shown to affect brain development. Tapscott refers to a study that shows that the use of the interactive media affects the way the brain develops, and shapes the different ways the Net Gen inputs data, learns, thinks and of course communicates.

Tapscott’s Characteristics of the Net Generation:

1) Fredom
Choice is key. They want choice and empowerment, and they use technology to cut through the clutter to get what they want. [PVRs might be a good example, or creating your own music playlist on an iPod..]

2) Customize/Personalize
They have come to expect to be able to modify the media around them: their desktop, Web Sites, news sources, and ring tones. They don’t access the web – they change it. Beyond the digital realm they want (and will) customize products and their job too! [Have you seen the new Dell computers, while not quite customized - they certainly allow you to be unique!]

3) Scrutinizers
Net Generation knows that their market power allows them to demand more of companies; for products and services and as employers. They want access to information about companies and their offerings. And, companies are responding with sites that allow consumers to submit ideas, essentially using “crowdsourcing” to develop future products. [Dell IdeaStorm, My Starbucks Idea]

4) Want Corporate Openness and Integrity (ah…transparency…)
Barriers between consumers and companies are quickly coming down, thanks to the Internet. This generation will “make sure company values align with their own”. Boy-oh-Boy watch out if they don’t, because the ‘net is a powerful watch-dog and this generation will not hesitate to expose a flawed marketing campaign [see Web Strategy by Jermiah's Punk'd List].

5) Entertainment and play in work, education and life
This generation “brings a playful mentality to work…they know there is more than one way to achieve a goal.” This generation was brought up on video games and interactivity and due to this they think “outside the box”, finding variety in work and life.

6) Collaboration & Relationships
They collaborate and share relentlessly! Flickr, Facebook, YouTube are just a few examples. of collaboration. Not only do they share and engage relationships in this way with their friends; they discuss brands, companies, products and services in these online networks. More and more we are moving our lives online: phots (flickr), documents (Google Docs), Software use (Wakoopa), Videos (YouTube), the things we love (Living Social) and our thoughts and online actions (Friendfeed and Twitter. How the Net Gen views privacy is obviously very different from their parents!

7) Speed
Rapid communication is normal communication. Information is quick, and responses should be quicker – no matter who they are from! [Companies beware the Net Generation expects quick responses from you. And, in the future they may even expect you to respond when they aren't even talking to you - but discussing you online]

Innovators
They are on the look out for ways to collaborate – and want the latest and greatest: iPhone, Blackberry, computer, television…

Favourite Quote from Chapter One:

Only 2 percent of our sample indicated high trust in the ad campaigns of marketers. The old saw, “Half my ads are effective, I just don’t know which half,” isn’t real any more, as a majority of ads on television are deleted and never appear to growing millions of young people around the world. Instead of consumers, they want to be prosumers — co-innovating products and services with producers. The concept of brand is forever changing because of them [Net Generation]

I wonder what my son’s generation will be like…at three he is a whiz at the Wii, he can manoever a mouse to play a game or “read” a book on Tumblebooks, and his understanding of distance will be far different from mine with IM and Skype. He will NEVER know life without the Internet, computers, mobile phones and WiFi. And, we can’t even imagine what might come next.

Popularity: 17% [?]

Tags: Advertising, boom bust echo, business books, don tapscott, douglas coupland, gen-x, grown up digital, Internet, Internet Usage, media, mini book expo, one degree, television

Trading Up: Part One

Jun 1, 2008 Books, Marketing & Communication, Retail Marketing

In March, I wrote a post on my other blog about the fancy and functional new baby gear that I had seen while shopping for gear for our second child (impending August 08).  Just three years ago, I had been given or purchased a variety of baby stuff for my first born – Graco stroller, cumbersome plastic highchair, and a cotton blue sling.  Luxury baby products existed then; stunning strollers for $1200 (compared to other systems at $300), and solid wood sleek highchairs for over $300 (compared to $110). But, now even the standard Graco stroller and highchair sport new fabrics, new colours and better design. There are coordinated collections in “Cherry Blossom”  (brown and pink), “Deco” (large and small circles reminiscent of pop-art). You will pay a premium of course for style, in some cases 20-50% more. It seems we are willing to pay.

the truth about relativity

Dan Ariely, in his New York Times bestseller, Predictably Irrational**, puts a few theories that I think help to explain how we as consumers trade-up and spend more than perhaps we set out on spending.  He explains that the way the mind is wired: ” we are always looking at the things around us in relation to others.”  We compare everything from vacations to toasters, and restaurant choices to education options. We tend to compare things with one another, but we also tend to focus on comparing things that are easily comparable and avoid things that cannot be compared easily.

He clearly shows how this works with this example:
Option A is better on Attribute 1 (quality, perhaps). Option B is better on Attribute 2 (beauty). They are very different options. What happens when we add another option called -A.  This option is clearly worse than option A, but it is similar so a comparison between the two is very easy. Ariely calls -A the decoy. The decoy makes A look better, relative to -A but overall as well. In fact, the inclusion of -A in the set makes more people choose A as their final choice over B.

He throws in a real-life example: William-Sonoma introduced a bread making machine, cost is $275. Customers didn’t know what a bread making machine was, why they needed it over a fancy toaster or stand mixer. Needless to say, sales were poor. A research firm hired by William-Sonoma suggested introducing an additional model, one that would be larger and priced higher than the original unit. Guess what, all of a sudden with a comparison model in the mix customers begin buying the original bread maker.

Three years ago I wouldn’t have dreamed of spending $300 on a highchair. In fact, I still wouldn’t. Three years ago I would have wondered about spending $179  on a highchair (if there was such an option) when I could get a perfectly good one for $110.  But now, somehow, relative to a $300 highchair, and the one for $179 that is both stylish and functional appeals to me.

arbitrary coherence

A related theory from Ariely’s book is “arbitrary coherence” – the idea that “although initial prices are arbitrary once those prices are established in our minds they will shape not only present but future prices.” The initial price becomes the anchor. In the situation of the highchair, the anchor would be the $110 price tag I originally contemplated purchasing the item at, all others are compared relative to that price.  So once we anchor ourselves to an initial price ($110 for a highchair) does it become the anchor for a long time?

How do we then trade up if we always have the anchor price in mind? Ariely asks this very question about how one would move from purchasing Dunkin Donut’s coffee (for those Canadian’s consider Tim Horton’s) to trading up to Starbucks. In this situation he points the the atmosphere the Starbucks stores created with fancy snacks, quirky coffee names, and the smell of roasted beans. The Starbucks experience was made to feel entirely different than Dunkin Donuts- so different he says “that we would not use the prices at Dunkin’ Donuts as an anchor, but instead would be open to the new anchor.”

In the case of the new trendy and expensive baby gear, the style and design is in some cases so different from the traditionally priced products that we do not consider the anchor of $110 at all. We are willing to place a new anchor price, as though it were a new category or new product altogether.

the book

** Predictably Irrational by Dan Ariely examines the paradoxes surround human judgment using real life examples and numerous quirky experiments run by the author.  I haven’t finished the book, but for anyone who enjoyed Freakonomics or Stumbling on Happiness would enjoy this examination on human behaviour.  The book is written in a down-to-earth tone, Ariely’s wit and humour makes the book engaging for any reader. An important book for marketers who want to understand consumer behaviour.  Thanks to the folks at HarperCollins Canada who sent me this book through their blogger outreach program. 

Popularity: 10% [?]

Marketing Traditional Products, with New Technology

May 12, 2008 Advertising, Blogs, Books, Marketing & Communication, Microblogging, PR, Social Media, word of mouth

My career path has been a bit scattered, having now worked in the toy industry, house wares industry and previously the book publishing industry.

Traditional Publishing

Publishing at the time ran as it traditionally did as far as marketing was concerned. Agents brought books to publishers, or occasionally a book came in “over the transom” (by mail or carrier pigeon- no agent affiliations – just a find in the slush pile). Books were published on the whim or gut feeling of a passionate editor. Sales people sold the book into book retailers (a few years ago there were more then one!) on its storyline, content and author’s background. Then “Publicists” pushed the book out to the press, primarily the book page editors,  via ARCs (Advanced Reader Copies),  and hoped desperately for coverage. A book with a larger budget (usually an author with a decent track record, or a book on a newsworthy topic) might have a few newspaper ads – Globe and Mail book section.  Some authors were honoured with a “author tour”. This was the extent of the “marketing plan” for books even just a few years ago.

Word of Mouth Marketing

How could there possibly be “bestsellers” with this kind of minute marketing support? Well, books handle themselves really well with “Word of Mouth”. In fact, if you are a reader, chances are you get your recommendations from others on most of the books you read. This was the case before the Internet. Before Amazon. Before literary blogs. Before podcasts.

Imagine, an industry that has always existed by incredible “word of mouth” in the traditional sense (one friend tells another, who tells another, who tells another…), and it manages to create block buster hits with minimal marketing dollars. Now, imagine, an industry that harnesses the power of online reviews, blogs, literary video summaries, podcasts, and overall web content. That industry just might overcome their biggest threat – the Internet itself.

Threat to Traditional Publishing

When I went to Publishing school, and when I began working in the industry the big question was how will E-books affect the traditional book. Would audio books stunt sales in books due to illegal copying? Will people read everything online and give up on paper books?  Similar to the fear felt in the music industry, these issues were discussed ad-nauseam in classes, seminars, at the water cooler and during sales meetings.  Unlike the music industry, I believe the book industry moved on, understood the potential issues with E-books and illegal copying – and then harnessed the power of the Internet to power even more word of mouth for their books.

New Technology, New Marketing – Traditional Product

The book industry has been helped along by technology. Online reviews on retail sites such as Amazon, and avid readers were given the chance to “publish” themselves by writing their own blogs.

Next, innovative publishers spread their tiny marketing budgets further by going digital. HarperCollins Canada* for example has been doing some innovative projects online in the past few years due to passion of their Director of Digital Marketing – Steve Osgoode. **Full disclosure- I used to work there

I was reminded of this when their Digital Marketing Manager contact me through this blog to see if I would be interested in reviewing business books. (hell, ya!).

Some of the things HarperCollins has been doing:

• First Look – Consumers can sign up to receive advanced reading copies that they review 2-3 months prior to the book being published
• Book Trailers – For a few books they have created video book trailers, posted on YouTube and other sites to build buzz around the titles
• Podcasts -  Amongst others, they began the Foreward Thinking Business book podcast with host Mitch Joel
• News letters
• Blogger Outreach – As mentioned above they contact bloggers to review books that may interest them
• Twitter – Harpercollinsca
• Blog at SavvyReader

I bet some of these projects have garnered more word of mouth, more recommendations, and more sales than most of the traditional methods previously used in publishing.

Popularity: 10% [?]

Monday Mini: Jack Welch

May 12, 2008 Books, Marketing & Communication, Short and Sweet

Good business leaders create a vision, articulate the vision, passionately own the vision, and relentlessly drive it to completion.

Remember this quote the next time you are selling your idea up the corporate ladder.  As Jack Welch continued to say, good business leaders are open, they don’t stick to established channels and they are straight with people. Oh, and they never get bored with their story.

Popularity: 9% [?]

Monday Mini: Seth Godin

Apr 7, 2008 Books, Short and Sweet

I read a lot, and sometimes I find a thought, idea, or quote so well put or fascinating that I write it down for posterity. Anyone who has ever read any books by Seth Godin, or his blog Seth’s Blog will know that he is one author where you need to keep a pen (or computer) near by so you can jot down his brilliance!

This is from his book The Dip:

Influencing one person is like scaling a wall. If you get over the wall the first few tries, your’re in. Influencing the market, on the other hand, is more of a hill than a wall. You can make progress, one step at a time, and as you get higher, it actually gets easier. People in the market talk to each other. They are influenced by each other. So every step of progress you make actually gets amplified.

I dare you to check out any of his blog posts…I guarantee you – you will end up reading more. Like the 1960s Frito-Lay’s  slogan I “betcha you can’t just eat one”!

Popularity: 8% [?]