Dick Clark's legacy: Interactive teens

By John McGory

“It’s got a beat and you can dance to it.” That phrase summed up the brilliant career of one of America’s great showmen, Dick Clark. He passed away last week at the age of 82.

Clark took over a local Philadelphia teenage music television program, Bandstand, in 1957. 

The national television networks were looking for programming and Clark pitched Bandstand to ABC. The network picked it up and changed the name to AmericanBandstand.  The program first aired August 5, 1957.

Clark’s easy-going style harnessed the power of the young to change popular culture.  He played a key role in merging television, advertising, music, dance and teenagers.

What can modern day advertisers and social media gurus learn from the media-savvy Clark?  What did he do that made American Bandstand a national sensation?

Clark’s biggest plus was not to get in the way. American Bandstand was not about Dick Clark. He wore conservative suits, smiled oh-so politely and introduced new music and culture with a simple wave of the hand.

The show’s highlights were new music, new dances and new clothing styles. Teens in small-town America could see what was hip in Philadelphia and later Los Angeles. The show allowed teens to be interactive.

He asked for their opinions on music and dance. The “Rate-a-Record” segment allowed teens in the studio and at home to judge new music. The phrase, “It’s got a beat and you can dance to it” came from teens judging records that appealed to them.

Clark gave some advertising advice in an article he wrote for Advertising Age in 1972 that still applies today. 

“Make sure commercials are believable.”  One suggestion for believability he had was through the “judicious use of the vernacular of the day.”  He warned not to be caught using out-of-date phrases such as “groovy.”

This advice seems obviously simple.  But take a look at today’s advertising.  Many advertisers are straining their credibility through the use of seemingly hip phrases and stunts that quickly grow cold with overuse.

Youth drives culture. Dick Clark understood that and didn’t try to be a part of the new culture. He said he couldn’t dance and, more importantly, didn’t want to dance. He was a reporter who gave the facts by showing teens as they wanted to be seen. The teens said it had a beat, not Clark.

  

Clark said this about the young. “They’re more fun. They’re not jaded, they keep you young. I’ve seen them lead the way—not only in sociological and political aspects, but out there on the street of commerce.”

Dick Clark’s ability to keep his dignity while still showing the newest trends and styles allowed him to prosper for decades. He didn’t get outdated because he never got sucked into changing along with the culture.    

Today’s marketing and advertising ego-driven world tries so hard to be hip and cool.  Unfortunately, they often end up looking lame.  Clark’s American Bandstand had a simple yet edgy strategy.  He let teens interact and got out of the way.   The world could learn a lot from Clark’s unassuming, hands-off style. 

John McGory is a partner at Webface, an original content creation company.   Let us help you reach your customers in cool ways.      

Women buying power and men

 By John McGory

Some Like it Hot, Billy Wilder’s classic comedy featuring Marilyn Monroe, is about two men who dress as women to hide from the mob.   Jack Lemmon tries to explain to Joe E. Brown in the final scene why he can’t marry him.  After numerous excuses, he pulls off his wig and says “I can’t marry you.  I’m a man!”  To which Brown replies, “Well, nobody’s perfect.”

Men portraying women on screen goes back to Charlie Chaplin and Fatty Arbuckle and include Dustin Hoffman, Michael J. Fox, Alec Guinness, Tony Curtiss, Robin Williams, Divine, Eddie Murphy, Jerry Lewis and the Wayans Brothers.  The movies are often madcap comedies with the men playing outlandish female characters.

Today’s advertising and social media doesn’t need screwball copywriting.  It does need men who study how women think and act.  Why?   Here are three reasons:

    1.       Eighty-five percent of brand purchases are made by women. 

    2.       Surveys show 91 percent of women feel advertisers do not understand them.

    3.       Only three percent of creative directors for advertising agencies are women.

These statistics suggest the “Mad Men” stereotypes of advertising are alive and well.  Companies and organizations need to realize that women control $19 trillion of our economy.  It wouldn’t hurt to try and understand them a little better.

Here are a few physiological facts that might help a man channel his feminine side.

Women’s brains have more neuron cell bodies, giving them enhanced blood flow and better efficiency.  This may explain why women often learn language better, have a better memory for detail and can fight better than men.

A woman is generally more empathetic, expressive, articulate, diplomatic and sensitive to others feelings.

Trying to understand women is a challenge for men.  Actors playing a role will study mannerisms, facial expressions, speech patterns and body movements.  Great writers do the same.  

If your company or organization wants to reach women customers through social media and advertising, then paying close attention to how they think and feel is critical to your success.  What is funny or interesting to a man can very easily fall on deaf ears to a woman.  You need to know your customer.

Thomas Hardy, the English author, wrote in the great novel Tess of the Urbervilles “Did it ever strike your mind that what every woman says, some women may feel?”  Men, we aren’t perfect and never will be, but keeping Hardy and your audience in mind may help you be a little more sensitive and successful. 

John McGory is a partner at Webface, an original content marketing company.  We produce videos and copy that can reach your clients.

Don't get slimed by social media

By John McGory

The Social Media Target of the Month for March was the ground beef product known as “pink slime.”   A social media-led groundswell of distaste for the product has fast food restaurants and grocery stores dumping slime-infused ground beef at an alarming rate.

Meat processing plants in Iowa, Kansas and Texas have closed and another producer filed bankruptcy in wake of the public’s outcry.  Governors of those states are calling for an investigation of the pink slime “smear campaign.”

Pink slime is lean, finely textured beef made by heating fatty bits of meat left over from other cuts to about 100 F and spinning it to remove most of the fat.  The lean mix is then compressed into blocks for use in ground meat and treated with ammonium hydroxide gas to kill bacteria, such as E. coli and salmonella.  The byproduct is then used as filler for ground beef.

Until last year, schools, fast food restaurants and up to 70 percent of ground beef sold in grocery stores included pink slime. If you have eaten a hamburger in the past decade chances are you ate pink slime and survived.

The United States Department of Agriculture approved the use of the beef product process in 2001.  In 2002, Gerald Zirnstein, a USDA microbiologist, coined the term “pink slime” in an email to his superiors.

The New York Times first reported on pink slime in 2009.  Its critical report on the meat product raised eyebrows but did not slow sales at the time. 

Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver began a campaign against the product last year.  Here is a video showing Oliver’s negative take on pink slime.  The combination of Oliver’s television show and 1.4 million views on YouTube were enough to start the slime’s demise.

McDonalds, Taco Bell and Burger King stopped using the product earlier this year due to the onslaught of negative media attention.  Grocery stores, schools and other institutions followed suit.  AFA Foods, a large producer of the product, has filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy and Beef Products has closed plants in Iowa, Kansas and Texas.

Where is the truth?  It is hard to say.  The biggest beef over the product is the use of ammonium hydroxide.   It is used in numerous foods such as baked goods, cheese, milk and chocolate.  It is approved by the USDA as a food additive.  It is also used in many cosmetics.     

The Republican governors of Iowa, Kansas and Texas are calling for a Congressional probe over the pink slime “smear campaign.”  It is interesting to note that the meat producers have donated $820,000 to federal candidates in the past decade, with almost $800,000 going to Republicans.

What is fascinating is the speed of the “pink slime” industry demise.  People ate the product for ten years and no one really complained.  The 2009 Times article barely moved the public into action.

What changed?  It is social media’s ability to grab people’s attention without a lot of facts.  Pink slime is made by boiling fat and spraying it with ammonium hydroxide gas.  It does not sound appealing.  But I don’t think many Americans want to know how sausage is made, chickens are raised or what chemicals are added to Ho-Hos and Twinkies.

Social media takes no prisoners.  A negative name, an unscientific public and a few blogs can end an industry.  I can’t say it is right or wrong regarding “pink slime.”  All I know is that pink slime is history and social media has another notch on its belt.           

John McGory is a partner at Webface.  They help companies and organizations from getting slimed through social media.

Three Stooges' Original Content Tips

By John McGory

The Three Stooges, circa 2012, are about to come punching, eye poking and yelling their way back into America’s psyche.

The Three Stooges movie, set for release April 13, is guaranteed to draw lines of 50-year-old men waiting to see if it holds up to the originals.

Moe, Larry, Curly and Shemp were an early television staple.  Their 190 short films filled the screens with violence that made kids roar with laughter.  Every boy had a favorite Stooges’ gag.  Eye pokes, conks on the head and running in circles while lying on the floor were all standard fare.

Here is a great example of the Stooges’ “talent.”  This hilarious video http://youtu.be/1NCPyd0sWVs depicts chef Curly stuffing a turkey.

Parents and pop psychologists a generation ago kept saying that the Stooges would make children homicidal maniacs.  Little, if any, evidence exists that the trio wielded that much influence.

Mad men advertisers realized that the content had to appeal to kids and not their parents.  Television was new but radio taught advertisers the power of targeted content.

Television quickly grasped the strong connection between watching The Three Stooges, Popeye and Our Gang and the surge in sales of Trix, Coca Cola and (my favorite theme song) Chef Boyardee Beefaroni.  Quality, original and targeted content drove viewers to buy the advertised products.

Today’s web is the new television.  The pressure to create original content is much greater than the 1950s. Every brand is now a publisher and video producer.  Attracting an audience and getting them to return are the keys.  SEO tactics of driving viewers to sites that are unattractive or boring will backfire.

The Stooges’ path to original content creation was simple but effective.  Here is what they did:

Physical comedy is funny.  The Stooges were the most violently slapstick comedians of all time. That made them funny, especially to kids.  What is funny or entertaining to your audience?

Know what works with your audience.  The boys did not stray far from what worked.  Every short had Moe punching Curly in the stomach and pulling Larry’s hair.  Kids knew it was coming and laughed every time.  What are the constants in your content that reassures your audience?

Great sound effects.  The Stooges had some of the greatest sound effects of all time.  They worked through the radio era and used many of the same tricks of radio serials.  It brought life to the content.  What makes your content stand out and come alive?

The Three Stooges helped to make television what it was.  They attracted the youth of the 1950s and advertisers and companies reaped the benefits. 

Fifty-year-old guys will dominate the lines waiting to see the new Three Stooges movie.  The Stooges influence on that generation is unmistakable.  Most brands of today can only dream of loyalty that strong.

John McGory is a partner for Webface.  We are an original content creation company that can help your brand bloom. 

Kony 2012 Goes to Washington

By John McGory

The Invisible Children’s Kony 2012 video blew Uganda and the atrocities of warlord Joseph Kony into the world’s consciousness in recent days.  The 77 million viewers of this video in little more than a week crystallize the powerful combination of video and the Internet.

The bellwether issue is not Kony, but the newfound power of independent video creators as agents of change.  And, as Hollywood discovered 100 years ago, some cinematic hooks really work well.

The video is a modern-day version of Director Frank Capra’s classic movie, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.  In the movie, Jimmy Stewart plays a naïve U.S. Senator who takes on the powerful by rallying children to fight corruption. 

Kony 2012 uses many of the emotional techniques from the movie.  Here are the similar themes.

All powerful agent of change:  The video starts by telling its viewers about the power of the Internet to change the world.  This gripping theme gives a viewer the sense that one person can make a difference.  Capra’s Mr. Smith embodies that spirit and Stewart is brilliant in the role as Senator Jefferson Smith.

Adroit storytelling:  Great videos tell a story.  The Invisible Children’s video shows us exotic places where bad things are happening to women and children.  The movie uses a quasi-Boy Scout group called the Boy Rangers who fight rich developers over a potential camp site out west.

Authoritarian bad guy versus the innocent child:  The filmmaker’s child learns about Kony and expresses his thoughts in the video.  The young boys in Capra’s movie rise up against the state’s political boss who is organizing the U.S. Senate to sell the land to developers.  This powerful combination of child versus madman is a mythological storyline that goes back to the Greeks.

Atrocities with appalling video:  Kony 2012 shows disturbing video, albeit brief, of disfigured faces, crowded buildings with hundreds of people sleeping body to body and young women with a voice over discussing rape and sexual slavery.     The movie shows how young children are adversely impacted by living in crowded cities.

Assumptions that we should and can help:  Both the video and the movie rally the disenfranchised.  The video discusses how Invisible Children needs the help of the young to get the United States government to come to the rescue.  Capra’s film shows Mr. Smith rallying the young against a corrupt and uncaring government.

Media control:  Kony 2012 bypasses traditional media by using the power of the Internet to reach the masses.  The Boy Rangers in the movie create their own newspaper and distribution networks to get their word out to counter corrupt mainstream media.

Awaken masses:  The final scene in Kony 2012 is the sales’ pitch encouraging viewers to get involved by showing the impact it has made.  This includes purchasing a kit that includes a bracelet that visibly shows your support for the cause.  The movie children awaken the masses and create pressure on Washington, exposing the corruption.  The boys wear badges in the movie.

The similarities are striking.  The basic theme of one man taking on a corrupt world with the support of children is powerful.  The difference is Mr. Smith Goes to Washington is fiction.  Kony 2012 bypasses the power structure to take on real life issues. 

Kony 2012 is a brilliant video that has to scare the pants off those who think they control the world.  It shows the power of video in the hands of independent agents of change as never before in this country.  Frank Capra would be proud.

John McGory is a partner at Webface, a content marketing and consulting company.  Webface produces creative videos, marketing materials and social media posting for your company or organization.  Check out our website for examples of our work.  

The Presidential Campaigns on Facebook

By John McGory

The 2012 presidential campaigns are in full swing.  Ohio will soon be the battleground as the March 6 primary looms. 

Facebook is playing a large role in the campaigns.  Facebook's advice to the candidates is to be authentic.  Here is an update on how the contenders use the social media giant and content marketing to promote their candidacies.

The numbers

Facebook is the run-away winner among all age groups in terms of social media use.  President Barack Obama has a huge advantage among the four established candidates in the number of followers.

Obama has more than ten times the Facebook followers (25 million people) compared to the three Republican challengers combined.  Mitt Romney is the top Republican with 1.5 million followers, with Newt Gingrich second at 288,000 and Rick Santorum a distant third at 157,000.

Barack Obama

The president‘s Facebook posts are mostly of young or female activists.  His wall uses photos and non-technical materials such as photographs of hand-written signs to attract like-minded followers.
  
Contests sell on Facebook and Obama has adopted the strategy.  A $3 donation can win a follower a chance to have dinner with the president.  It is a solid strategy because it is an affordable amount and gives the young an opportunity to be a part of the campaign.

Free bumper stickers and the ability to purchase iPhone cases are also available.  These are both items that are popular with younger voters.

The site has a post appealing to Spanish-speaking supporters. 

Mitt Romney

Challengers in political races must focus their attention on fundraising.  Romney’s Facebook efforts are consistent with that political reality.

Romney takes the contest idea and puts his spin on it.  A $3 donation gets the winner an opportunity to hang around the candidate on a primary election night.

Challengers also face the problem of getting known.  Campaigns need to make voters become comfortable with candidates.  Facebook is a good source of providing followers with issue updates from the campaign.  There is no shortage of these on Romney’s site.

He devotes some space for slamming his chief primary opponent, Rick Santorum.

Rick Santorum

Rick Santorum’s handlers must feel their candidate looks the part of president.  There are several posts providing downloadable images of the candidate for use among supporters.  Also, there are plenty of pictures of him looking presidential. This is a good strategy considering the importance of visuals in social media.

His site is strong in event promotions.  While Romney’s site does this as well, it looks as if Santorum focuses on one event and works it hard.  His site is peppered with Daytona 500 posts and Santorum’s efforts during the race.

Newt Gingrich

Newt Gingrich’s Facebook page is issue driven.  He posts extensively about the high price of gasoline and the importance of oil and natural gas drilling.  His attacks on the president regarding this issue are forceful.

He allows viewers to follow him live on the campaign trail on Facebook.  He also works at building post-debate support by encouraging followers to like him for his debate performances.

He uses more video than the other candidates.  He has a longer history in front of the national cameras and seems to use that to his video advantage.

Conclusion

All the candidates are using Facebook in ways that highlight their individual strengths.  Obama can use Facebook in a more traditional method since he doesn’t have a primary opponent.  The Republicans are forced to be more aggressive as they fight for the nomination. 

It will be interesting to see how the use of Facebook changes for the Republican-party nominee.  The biggest challenge will be shifting to a more mainstream approach to capture independent Facebook viewers this fall.  Webface will keep its eye on this shift as the campaign continues.

John McGory is a partner at Webface, http://web-face-solutions.com  Webface provides content marketing services including video for businesses and organizations.

  

Marketing's True Spirit is You

By John McGory

Dale Carnegie wrote one of the first and greatest self help books.  The 1936 classic, “How to Win Friends and Influence People” sold millions of copies.  Here is an article dedicated to Mr. Carnegie’s philosophy.    

Do me a favor by answering this question.  Are you happy to be alive?

Hopefully everyone said yes.  Now jot down or think about why you are happy.  Who are the people or what are the things that make your life enjoyable?  Do you think others have similar reasons for their happiness? 

You have just created the seeds for your next great marketing idea.   You are on to something big.  Here are a few examples:

Let’s say you are an attorney and you are happy for your beautiful home and family.  There are many potential legal clients who are happy for those same reasons.  Do you think emphasizing your firm’s desire to help people protect their home and family would resonate with these potential clients?

Or you are the head of a large non-profit organization and are glad to have a job helping people.  Reaching out to others who also want to help could be your way of increasing volunteers and fundraising.  The United Way’s Live United campaign is an excellent example of this in action.

A third person may be a city official who enjoys making their city a better place to live.  Helping like-minded citizens find ways to improve their home town is a wonderful place to start.

Many of you are already practicing these strategies.  You are winning people over to your way of thinking by trying to see things from the client’s point of view.  You are sympathetic to their ideas and desires.

Now people may think this is corny advice, that social media and the Internet do not have a place in a 1930s way of thinking. And they may be right.

But people want noble causes to be central to their lives.  These include social concerns, personal traits and spiritual beliefs.  Many potential clients feel the same way.  Letting them understand that you feel as they do is a powerful first step in making a friend.

Many favorite marketing campaigns strike a chord by appealing to a noble cause.  Three of the most-famous campaigns and the emotion they evoke include: Old Spice’s Smell Like a Man (strong, cool and independent), Just Do It (active and winning) and You Deserve a Break Today (hard working and dependable).

Think about the noble causes in your life.  What makes you proud to be alive? Think about it then put it into action.

I challenge you to reach out to your potential clients by using one noble cause in your life as the central theme in a new marketing campaign.  Create a video or series of Facebook posts/tweets to highlight that you have the same noble cause as your potential new clients.  Your marketing effort's true spirit is you. I guarantee you will make new friends and influence people.

John McGory is a partner at Webface, www.web-face-solutions.com  Webface can help you tap your true spirit through content marketing including videos, blogs, social media and marketing materials.

Is the News at 6 Defining Your Community?

By John McGory

If it bleeds, it leads.  This mantra of local television news organizations comes from market research that suggests stories of crime and violence increase newscasts’ ratings.  This finding drives news directors to deliver more crime-related stories to their audiences.

How do these news stories impact your community or neighborhood?  Are potential homebuyers and investors scared away by the nightly news?  It’s likely.

Here are two studies that illustrate problems facing local communities:

A Baltimore study suggested that local television crime coverage is related to a heightened fear of the central city and that this fear translates to reduced travel there.

A study in New Orleans showed that reports of homicides made up 0.4 percent of all crimes but represented 50 percent of all reported crime stories.

 How can communities fight back?  By sidestepping traditional media to seize the opportunity to tell their own stories through the use of both social media and old school tactics such as word of mouth and newsletters.

No one is going to invest in a community that is feared.  If all people know about your neighborhood is what they see on the six o’clock news, then many of the wonderful stories will never be told.   Telling others what your community is about, the citizens who make it special and your neighborhood’s potential, are the ingredients for success.

There is hope for the future.  Social media is providing communities with the opportunity to change the way we view ourselves.  A Pew Research Center for Excellence in Journalism reported in September that the younger generations are turning away from television when getting their local community news. 

The report also showed that people use three to six different sources for local community news.  Television is viewed for breaking news, traffic and weather.  Newspapers are read for news about local government, housing and taxes.  The Internet is for restaurants and local businesses.  Old school forms such as word of mouth and printed newsletters still have a place in getting the word out about events.

The report shows that communities need to be strategic in communicating with the public.  Using a variety of sources can increase the chances that good stories will be a part of the discussion.

Crime scenes, grim-faced detectives and yellow tape will not disappear from the evening news’ leads.  Communities can help balance the public perception of urban neighborhoods by being proactive and telling the good stories that take place much more frequently than violent crime.    

The evening news is a business built on creating emotion, much of it fear.  Don’t let that business define your community.  Tell your story by getting strategic and using the tools of today.

John McGory is a partner at Webface, www.web-face-solutions.com.   We help communities and neighborhoods tell their stories through social media, video and community engagement strategies. 

Making a good impression by engaging your community

By John McGory 

This blog loves history.  It also loves the Internet and social media.  Put them together and you realize that when old meets new, powerful friends can be created.

Today’s history lesson starts with The Impressions, a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame soul band out of Chicago via Chattanooga, Tennessee.  Curtis Mayfield and Jerry Butler led the group to a string of 1960s and 1970s hits. 

The civil rights movement used many of their songs as anthems. The songs often encouraged community engagement.  Community engagement promotes trust building and arm linking, while raising awareness and visibility.

The band’s 1969 hit, “A Choice of Colors,” http://youtu.be/Zr0SLv9WFr4 captured in a powerful way the importance of improving as a nation through community engagement.  One of the inspiring stanzas in the song was:    

People must prove to the people

A better day is coming for you and for me

With just a little more education

And love for our nation

Would make a better society

The Impressions call for community engagement was not a new one. In the late 1800s, English common law advanced the concept of community engagement.  It was used as a way to actively implement change.

Fast-forward to today and it’s clear that social media and the Internet are the contemporary active agents of change.  So, is not surprising that one of the mantras of social media is to build community through engaging others in conversation.

The emphasis in community engagement is to build honest relationships for the sake of community, not for the sole purpose of moneymaking.  That is what is now termed “content marketing” in social media circles.

If your company or organization is active on the Internet, then you need a community engagement plan.   Here is an eight-step program for such a strategy:

1.       Determine the goals of the plan

2.       Decide on whom to engage

3.       Develop engagement strategies for those you already know

4.       Develop engagement strategies for those you do not know

5.       Prioritize those activities

6.       Create an implementation system

7.       Monitor your progress

8.       Maintain those relationships

This simple plan for community engagement works whether you are selling lawn mowers or improved community relations.  The purpose is to build trust and understanding through conversation.  The Internet simply allows you to expand to a wider community outside of your neighborhood.

You build a community when “people prove to the people a better day is coming for you and for me.”  If your fans don’t think a better day is coming, then why would they want to be in your community?

Social media and the Internet reach more people than Curtis Mayfield could have ever dreamed of when he wrote “A Choice of Colors.”  But the words of the song are more appropriate than ever.   Community engagement is a 120-year-old concept on how people change.  Social media is its new powerful friend.

John McGory is a partner at Webface, a content marketing company www.web-face-solutions.com. Let Webface help you engage your community and give your fans the hope that a better day is coming. 

The New York Giants: It's all about the right shoes

By John McGory

The climax of the National Football League season will soon be here as the New England Patriots play the New York Giants in the Super Bowl.   The big game is often decided by which head coach makes the best in-game decisions. 

The fate of your business marketing plan may well be determined by your “in game” decisions.  What can you do to make sure you make the right choices?  Let’s learn from one Pro Hall of Fame coach on making decisions in the clutch.

The greatest coach’s decision in NFL Championship history arguably came in the 1934 Sneakers Game classic.  It was the second NFL championship game in league history and the Giants were pitted against the Chicago Bears.

The game was played December 9, 1934, at the Polo Grounds in New York City.  The night before, freezing rain hit the city and the ice-covered turf turned into a skating rink.  Giants end Ray Flaherty suggested to Coach Steve Owen at halftime that sneakers would provide better footing than cleats on the frozen playing surface.   Owen agreed and sent Abe Cohen to Manhattan College to get some sneakers.

The Giants were losing 13-3 in the 3^rd quarter when Cohen returned with nine pairs of sneakers.  The Giants took over from that point in the game.  Running back Ken Strong had two touchdown runs and the Giants went on to win 30-13.

The Hall of Fame coach’s decision proved to be critical in his team’s win.  Players from both teams agreed the sneakers made the difference in the game.

Marketing in today’s business world creates many similar challenges.  The Internet and social media prompted unforeseen changes in marketing. Many have learned that the best laid plans are worthless when the playing field drastically changes.

What can we learn from the old coach when facing a dire marketing situation?

1.      Realize you have a problem.  Coach Owen knew he had to do something to change the game.  Too many company leaders refuse to admit they have a problem until it is too late. 

2.      Listen to your people.  The coach listened to Ray Flaherty. Flaherty went on to be a Pro Hall of Fame coach as well.  He invented the screen pass and the two-platoon system.  Owen knew his end was a sharp guy, so he took his advice and it paid off.  Today’s bosses and marketing managers need to do the same.

3.      Take action.  Owen sent Cohen to Manhattan College to get sneakers.  That “out-of-the-box” thinking proved to be the difference between winning and losing.

4.      Take advantage of your edge.  The Giants took advantage of better footing once they changed to sneakers.  If you get an edge over your competition, use it.

The ability to make critical decisions under pressure is the difference between Hall of Fame and losing coaches.  If your marketing program is slipping due to harsh conditions, it is time for action.  What can you do to turn your game around?

John McGory is a partner at Webface, http://web-face-solutions.com. We are a content marketing company that can help you make the right choices about your marketing shoes.  If you like this story then help us out and retweet it.

Nice is Not Enough

By John McGory

Is the lack of corporate creativity in marketing creating a chasm between business and the public?  Can corporations truly be creative or is the threat of offending people and losing market share keeping a lid on attention-getting social media tactics such as content marketing?

Today’s world of content marketing is creating conflict in corporate boardrooms across the world.  It has been a long time since George Carlin riffed on the seven words inappropriate for television and Lucy and Ricky slept in separate beds.  The Internet brings an uncut version of the world to anyone who wants it.

The public seemingly wants more and more outlandish content.  Videos need to be faster, crazier and more eye-catching than ever before.  Text is too slow.  No topic is taboo.

Content marketing’s goal is to attract attention to brands by providing interesting and free content to the public in exchange for their attention.  On the surface it makes sense, but putting it into practice is really tough.  The public wants shock and awe and the corporate world wants nice.

The Coca Cola Company is buying into content marketing in a big way.  Its Content 2020 initiative is designed to double its sales through the use of content marketing.

The bottling giant released two videos http://blog.junta42.com/2012/01/coca-cola-content-marketing-20-20/ that outlines how it is going to reach its sales’ goal.  The plan is to “create ideas so contagious that they can’t be controlled.”  Those are big words bound to create big pressure on Coca Cola’s creative types.

Grabbing the attention of the world is a monumental task.  Contagious ideas must be practical and hip at the same time.  Successful ideas for global brands such as Coke must be practical enough to cross cultural, language and political barriers.  The same ideas must also be trendy enough to engage younger markets, while not turning off the more conservative elements of society.

Most corporations are conservative by nature.  Some may see Coke’s content marketing effort as a foolhardy attempt.   Conservative corporations’ attitude is to keep its head down till this fad passes. 

Unfortunately, this approach has less of a chance of working than Coke’s effort.   Consumers today expect to be entertained.  The “let’s keep doing what we’ve been doing” strategy is severely outdated.

So the gulf between what corporations are willing to do to capture customers’ attention and what customers will watch grows by the day.  Coke deserves credit for jumping head first into the content marketing pool.   Whether it can swim in that pool and entertain the masses is another story.

The question for the rest of the corporate world is:  What are you doing to gain the attention of your customers in a world where nice is not enough?

John McGory is a partner at Webface (www.web-face-solutions.com), a content marketing company that can create video and written materials to get the attention of your fans.

Mr. Rogers' Tips on How-To Videos

By John McGory

“It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood….would you be mine, could you be mine, won’t you be my neighbor?”

Most people over the age of 20 know those words well. They were sung at the beginning of every episode of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.  The Emmy-winning show entertained and educated millions of children on the Public Broadcasting System from 1968 to 2001. 

Fred Rogers created a huge neighborhood of fans by showing children how to do thousands of things.  His soft-spoken and direct style was unique.  Rogers’ non-threatening style made him popular with children and parents alike.

Mr. Rogers understood who he was and what he was trying to do.  He taught it all – from tying shoes to break dancing http://youtu.be/Fw_GnjE-des.  He made it feel as if he was having a personal conversation with each viewer.

Today’s companies and organizations are trying to create their own neighborhoods by producing content for social media and the Internet.  One popular method is producing how-to videos.   Creating a how-to video scene using a Mr. Rogers’ approach is still relevant today.  Here are a few tips from his neighborhood:

1.   Be fearlessly authentic.  Initially educated to be a minister, Rogers was displeased with the way television addressed children. He made an effort to change that by writing for and performing on local, youth oriented Pittsburgh-area shows.  It was easy to tell Mr. Rogers was not phony. Don’t be something you are not.

2.   Provide information relevant to your audience.  Select topics that appeal to the widest audience range possible.  How-to videos are designed to be helpful, not to show your audience how smart you are.   

3.   Leave no viewer behind. Fred Rogers knew his audience and he communicated with them in a style they understood and appreciated.  He didn’t talk down to them, he talked to them. 

4.   Give them all the information they need in a step-by-step process that is easy to grasp.  While videos need to be short, make sure they cover the necessary steps.

5.   Mr. Rogers never did advertising.  Let them know about any tools or equipment necessary.  If you sell those products, display them, but a how-to video is not the time to try and sell those products.

6.   Discuss pitfalls and problems associated with the lesson and empathize with your viewers.  Coming off as a know-it-all will not help sales.

How-to videos are one of the great content-marketing ideas.  Showing people how to do something that they can use is a wonderful way to make a friend or neighbor.

Fred Rogers was an icon of children’s television.  His open, authentic and friendly style brought a sense of peace to televised education that may never be replicated.  It won’t hurt you to try.   Good-bye neighbor.

 John McGory is a partner at Webface, a content marketing firm that can help you produce how-to videos and other marketing materials to get you noticed.  Contact us at www.web-face-solutions.com.

                

Publish or Perish: The New Rule of Marketing

By John McGory

Publish or perish.  The historical phrase used by university PhDs is now shifting to the business world.  In 2012, businesses will begin to understand that becoming Internet publishers will be their most critical marketing effort, bypassing website creation. 

Huh?  What in the world of Webface are we talking about?  Let’s take a look.

Our last blog discussed the concept of content marketing (Aliens and Lip Gloss, In Your Webface!, December 14, 2011 http://webfacesolutions.blogspot.com/).  Content marketing provides quality information to customers in exchange for their attention.

Gaining the attention of your customers is what marketing is all about.  And let’s face it, your customers are not riveted to your website for entertainment.

The Content Marketing Institute reports that “93 percent of marketing professionals create or plan to create content marketing as part of their overall programs next year.”

The shift, according to the institute, is from print advertising to social media advertising.  So brochures and newspaper ads are out and blogs, videos and social media channels are in.  The static nature of websites will reduce their importance in gaining customers’ attention as well. 

Here are tips on what to do to move forward to create your own content marketing.

Content needs to be informative and entertaining to gain attention.  Companies need to dedicate resources to ensure that standard is met.

Develop high editorial standards for all materials produced.  This includes blogs, videos and social media channels.

Develop content that makes your company an “expert” in your field.

With that “expert” thought in mind, develop content that focuses on topics rather than your company.  Customers want to learn about people and things, not your company.  If you succeed, when the customer needs your product or service, they will know where to turn.    

Finally, be patient.  Building community takes consistent quality.

The Content Marketing Institute reports that the business-to-business marketing tools seeing the biggest jump in use over the past year are blogs and videos, with 27 percent increases.  White papers were second, increasing by 19 percent.

In the past two years, magazines were the biggest marketing-tool losers, with an 11 percent drop. Printed newsletters took a five percent fall.

The content marketing tools used the most in 2011, according to the institute, were:

Posting articles                                               79%

Social media (not counting blogs)               74 %

Blogs                                                                 65%

E-newsletters                                                  63%

Case studies                                                     58%

In-person events                                             56%

Videos                                                               52%

White papers                                                   51%

Content marketing is the hottest marketing trend, but it takes thought and resources to create.  While just a few years ago a website was a necessity, companies and organization now need to focus on becoming Internet publishers. 

It’s the world of publish or perish.  It is now upon us. 

John McGory is a partner at Webface, a content marketing firm.  Let Webface help you publish deliciously rich content.  Learn more at www.web-face-solutions.com

http://technorati.com/business/advertising/article/publish-or-perish-business-marketing-2012/