To all my dedicated and loyal readers :D -
This blog has been permanently transferred to http://easyclicks.wordpress.com/
Please do click on the above and take a look at whats new since the last time you were here.
Cheers and God Bless!
Melvin
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Social Media and the Iranian Elections
Politics is always about the people.
People always require to communicate.
Social media is always about communication.
In context of the Iranian elections, the effect of the online social media network is as noticeable as it is surprising. With free speech curtailed and the press/media censored, it is obvious that people will nurture their natural urge to communicate through the next easiest available media.
Internet enabled phones, broadband / wifi connections have all brought the online social networking platforms closer to the people.
However, in the context of the elections there were a few important things that created this wave of social media response:
1. Age of the voting group
A majority of the voting population in this election, is less than 30. This means that a vast number of tech-savvy, educated, information-hungry people would be influencing the decision of who reaches the high office.
2. Effort to Utilize social media
With a majority of the voters under the age of 30, those in the political office suddenly realized that their target audience was just a few clicks away! The non-incumbents realized this early on and embraced it. Spearheading outreach campaigns and creating a presence on Youtube, Facebook and other social media platforms has already given one of the non-incumbents, nearly 35,000 supporters.
3. No Need for a Marketing message
The uniqueness of this scenario was that there was no need for a marketing message. With one party in the elections making outrageous claims, people sought out the truth. Information became the marketing message. Inflation rates, oil revenues, other state revenues, unemployment rates, previous government's track record - these were the parameters that were searched for and each search sparked off a debate and a discussion.
A couple of links that would be a favorable read are:
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1903841,00.html
http://www.scoop44.com/2009/06/10/young-iranians-could-sway-presidential-electio/
People always require to communicate.
Social media is always about communication.
In context of the Iranian elections, the effect of the online social media network is as noticeable as it is surprising. With free speech curtailed and the press/media censored, it is obvious that people will nurture their natural urge to communicate through the next easiest available media.
Internet enabled phones, broadband / wifi connections have all brought the online social networking platforms closer to the people.
However, in the context of the elections there were a few important things that created this wave of social media response:
1. Age of the voting group
A majority of the voting population in this election, is less than 30. This means that a vast number of tech-savvy, educated, information-hungry people would be influencing the decision of who reaches the high office.
2. Effort to Utilize social media
With a majority of the voters under the age of 30, those in the political office suddenly realized that their target audience was just a few clicks away! The non-incumbents realized this early on and embraced it. Spearheading outreach campaigns and creating a presence on Youtube, Facebook and other social media platforms has already given one of the non-incumbents, nearly 35,000 supporters.
3. No Need for a Marketing message
The uniqueness of this scenario was that there was no need for a marketing message. With one party in the elections making outrageous claims, people sought out the truth. Information became the marketing message. Inflation rates, oil revenues, other state revenues, unemployment rates, previous government's track record - these were the parameters that were searched for and each search sparked off a debate and a discussion.
A couple of links that would be a favorable read are:
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1903841,00.html
http://www.scoop44.com/2009/06/10/young-iranians-could-sway-presidential-electio/
Monday, June 8, 2009
Viral Marketing : Keep it simple!
Keeping it simple is the secret of many a viral marketing campaigns success.
One of the largest user-interest-generating viral marketing campaigns, is the Nike-Touch of Gold.
1. One person with an exception skill - primary focus.
2. One product from Nike - secondary focus.
3. One handycam effect video shoot.
Result: 29 million views and counting.
One of the largest user-interest-generating viral marketing campaigns, is the Nike-Touch of Gold.
1. One person with an exception skill - primary focus.
2. One product from Nike - secondary focus.
3. One handycam effect video shoot.
Result: 29 million views and counting.
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Notable Marketing Campaign: Dos Equis's "Most Interesting Man in the World"
The Dos Equis - Most Interesting Man in the World - campaign is noteworty.
View Campaign Launch Ad here
The campaign was created by Euro RSCG/New York with Jeff Kling as Creative Director.
What Dos Equis have done is to simply take an existing and successful type of candid humor, and package it to create an advertising icon that will be associated with the product.
There are quite a few things to be noted about this campaign:
1. Strategy
The campaign makers were right to identify that the customer's process of selecting a beer is not a serious, long drawn-out decision making process. For most beer drinkers it is an instant decision - they either stick to one beer or select one randomly from a list of names they enjoy.
The idea of the campaign was to ensure that Dos Equis entered that list.
With usual campaigns that aim to relate to a guy's strive to look cool, Dos Equis knew that putting another, even hotter guy on TV, wouldn't really give much headway.
They chose to create an icon that would hit a chord with every guy. They chose to be different. They chose to reach out and touch that little 9 yr old adventurer, who lives in us all.
2. Casting
The creators has their casting spot-on! A lesser known actor, with no popular past roles for the viewers to relate to, the grizzled look, the rugged charm and the don-mess-with-me-my-friend body language - the casting team deserves a pat on their back for selecting Jonathan Goldsmith.
3. Lines and Narration
Knowing that they were following along the Chuck-Norris-is-God genre of humor, the writers could very easily have gone overboard or turned just downright classless with the lines. However, they didn't.
The lines are innovative, fun, quasi-serious and string together very well. The narrative of the first ad introducing the-most-interesting-person in the world were a little bland. The later ads, spoken by the man himself, had a narrative much better suited to the scene.
"He lives vicariously through himself." - is just a masterpiece! It will crack you up, everytime! :)
The campaign even has a consistent and catchy product related line - Stay thirsty my friends.
4. Quality of execution
Each of the 15 second TV spots were exquisitely executed. Each shot was full of elements - lighting, location, people, tables, drinks, cards, people in conversation - yet, never once would you look at anything other than the man and the bottle of Dos Equis infront of him.
Without being boring, the 15-sec TV spots convey its message while leaving a healthy 5 to 6 seconds in the end to showcase the product.
5. Spread of the campaign
The campaign has a very healthy spread - TV, online, events, radio and print. The marketing team gave importance to each and every medium available. High quality TV spots, well-timed radio spots, marketing events, a website at www.staythirstymyfriends.com and online marketing with banners and adverts.
The website was more than an extension of the campaign. It reflected the world of the-most-interesting-man-in-the-world and invited you to be a part of it.
Though the novelty of the website does wear pretty quickly, the message is consistent, the features are innovative (arm wrestling with dictators!! :P ) and it doesn't take long for the normal beer drinking online user to be sold.
Overall, the campaign does its intended job of capturing attention, retaining the attention, creating brand awareness and recognition.
View Campaign Launch Ad here
The campaign was created by Euro RSCG/New York with Jeff Kling as Creative Director.
What Dos Equis have done is to simply take an existing and successful type of candid humor, and package it to create an advertising icon that will be associated with the product.
There are quite a few things to be noted about this campaign:
1. Strategy
The campaign makers were right to identify that the customer's process of selecting a beer is not a serious, long drawn-out decision making process. For most beer drinkers it is an instant decision - they either stick to one beer or select one randomly from a list of names they enjoy.
The idea of the campaign was to ensure that Dos Equis entered that list.
With usual campaigns that aim to relate to a guy's strive to look cool, Dos Equis knew that putting another, even hotter guy on TV, wouldn't really give much headway.
They chose to create an icon that would hit a chord with every guy. They chose to be different. They chose to reach out and touch that little 9 yr old adventurer, who lives in us all.
2. Casting
The creators has their casting spot-on! A lesser known actor, with no popular past roles for the viewers to relate to, the grizzled look, the rugged charm and the don-mess-with-me-my-friend body language - the casting team deserves a pat on their back for selecting Jonathan Goldsmith.
3. Lines and Narration
Knowing that they were following along the Chuck-Norris-is-God genre of humor, the writers could very easily have gone overboard or turned just downright classless with the lines. However, they didn't.
The lines are innovative, fun, quasi-serious and string together very well. The narrative of the first ad introducing the-most-interesting-person in the world were a little bland. The later ads, spoken by the man himself, had a narrative much better suited to the scene.
"He lives vicariously through himself." - is just a masterpiece! It will crack you up, everytime! :)
The campaign even has a consistent and catchy product related line - Stay thirsty my friends.
4. Quality of execution
Each of the 15 second TV spots were exquisitely executed. Each shot was full of elements - lighting, location, people, tables, drinks, cards, people in conversation - yet, never once would you look at anything other than the man and the bottle of Dos Equis infront of him.
Without being boring, the 15-sec TV spots convey its message while leaving a healthy 5 to 6 seconds in the end to showcase the product.
5. Spread of the campaign
The campaign has a very healthy spread - TV, online, events, radio and print. The marketing team gave importance to each and every medium available. High quality TV spots, well-timed radio spots, marketing events, a website at www.staythirstymyfriends.com and online marketing with banners and adverts.
The website was more than an extension of the campaign. It reflected the world of the-most-interesting-man-in-the-world and invited you to be a part of it.
Though the novelty of the website does wear pretty quickly, the message is consistent, the features are innovative (arm wrestling with dictators!! :P ) and it doesn't take long for the normal beer drinking online user to be sold.
Overall, the campaign does its intended job of capturing attention, retaining the attention, creating brand awareness and recognition.
How to create an online presence for your company, during the interim period when your brand is being created?
The brand and image of a business are vital to its success. When creating a brand, often you only get one chance at creating the right impression.
Having understood the importance of branding, you have identified a suitable branding agency to create the logo, brand identity, collateral and the brand strategy of your company.
This exercise may take a few weeks to a few months, depending on the size of your company, the range of services/products and other factors.
And hence the big question - what do you do in the meantime, to make sure that webusers searching for your company on the internet, get the right impression of your company??
Keeping the following points in mind, will help you when creating an interim website:
1. Select the right domain name
Select a domain name most suited to your company's name, product/service or purpose. Make sure that the domain name is relevant and not too long. Book your domain name in advance to avoid last minute scrambling!
2. Use Information to your advantage
Though your brand and logo are still being created, you have INFORMATION about your company, services/products, team etc. Collect, collate, filter the available information and package it in an easy to read, web-friendly format that will capture the users attention.
3. Look beyond the design of your website
During this phase, you do not want the webuser to be blown away by a design or color scheme that they will associate with your company - the brand that is being created will do that, once it is ready. Create a web presence with a simple, elegant, single color tone website with minimal emphasis on special effects. Ensure the information architecture on the website is efficient so that webuser can find any information on the website intuitively and within 3 clicks. This will create a positive image for your company.
4. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Never ever underestimate SEO. Also, your customers will not be searching the internet with your company's name. They will be searching with terms related to your service, your products, your activities etc. Think from the point of view of your customer and SEO your website for all effective keywords related to your business.
5. Update your website
Even if your website is a temporary one, update it with press releases. Also, unless your re-branding exercise is top secret, it is favourable to let your webusers know that you are currently creating your brand. This will give them the confidence that your company give the right priority to the important aspects of your business.
Having understood the importance of branding, you have identified a suitable branding agency to create the logo, brand identity, collateral and the brand strategy of your company.
This exercise may take a few weeks to a few months, depending on the size of your company, the range of services/products and other factors.
And hence the big question - what do you do in the meantime, to make sure that webusers searching for your company on the internet, get the right impression of your company??
Keeping the following points in mind, will help you when creating an interim website:
1. Select the right domain name
Select a domain name most suited to your company's name, product/service or purpose. Make sure that the domain name is relevant and not too long. Book your domain name in advance to avoid last minute scrambling!
2. Use Information to your advantage
Though your brand and logo are still being created, you have INFORMATION about your company, services/products, team etc. Collect, collate, filter the available information and package it in an easy to read, web-friendly format that will capture the users attention.
3. Look beyond the design of your website
During this phase, you do not want the webuser to be blown away by a design or color scheme that they will associate with your company - the brand that is being created will do that, once it is ready. Create a web presence with a simple, elegant, single color tone website with minimal emphasis on special effects. Ensure the information architecture on the website is efficient so that webuser can find any information on the website intuitively and within 3 clicks. This will create a positive image for your company.
4. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Never ever underestimate SEO. Also, your customers will not be searching the internet with your company's name. They will be searching with terms related to your service, your products, your activities etc. Think from the point of view of your customer and SEO your website for all effective keywords related to your business.
5. Update your website
Even if your website is a temporary one, update it with press releases. Also, unless your re-branding exercise is top secret, it is favourable to let your webusers know that you are currently creating your brand. This will give them the confidence that your company give the right priority to the important aspects of your business.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Social Marketing
Social marketing is a mystery.
While the western markets have embraced this medium wholeheartedly, devised strategies to further its effectiveness and counter negative publicity, the market in this region is still trying to understand the medium and never venture more than the basic banner advertisements.
For this part of the world social media has its own charm. In societies where free media has its restriction, people turn to the online media for expression and information. In a region like Bahrain the online community is a vast, untapped resource - whatever efforts to capture them so far have been pale imitations of international campaigns or unplanned campaigns done without adequate research.
And ofcourse, the inevitable and age-old argument that "our target audience are not the internet audience", does not carry water any more.
Given below is a very good review by one of the worlds best interactive agencies, Razorfish. This review gives a series of trends in social marketing over the year 2008.
http://www.scribd.com/doc/9586348/The-Marketing-Funnel-Ain-t-Dead
While the western markets have embraced this medium wholeheartedly, devised strategies to further its effectiveness and counter negative publicity, the market in this region is still trying to understand the medium and never venture more than the basic banner advertisements.
For this part of the world social media has its own charm. In societies where free media has its restriction, people turn to the online media for expression and information. In a region like Bahrain the online community is a vast, untapped resource - whatever efforts to capture them so far have been pale imitations of international campaigns or unplanned campaigns done without adequate research.
And ofcourse, the inevitable and age-old argument that "our target audience are not the internet audience", does not carry water any more.
Given below is a very good review by one of the worlds best interactive agencies, Razorfish. This review gives a series of trends in social marketing over the year 2008.
http://www.scribd.com/doc/9586348/The-Marketing-Funnel-Ain-t-Dead
Monday, June 1, 2009
How to make sure that Online Marketing works in Bahrain?
To be seen or to be heard, is what every brand out there is trying to do. With so many brands out there fighting for the same consumer crowd, the idea of marketing boils down to just two things:
a. Making sure you reach the maximum number of people.
b. Making sure the right brand message is conveyed.
The online marketing in Bahrain is in the maturing stage. The online audience is a mix of very savvy youngsters and internet lovers alongwith a vast majority of people who are just learning the ropes. The common thing that they all share though, is Curiosity.
For a market like Bahrain, the most effective thing to be done is to tickle this inherent curiosity, to gain results.
Though there are a thousand reasons supporting online marketing, to help understand the Bahrain scenario it is much better to describe the reasons why most online marketing campaigns fail:
1. "Step-child" treatment:
I think that this is the primary reason why online marketing campaigns do not take off here. The marketers give the online audience only secondary priority. The entire marketing campaign of 95% of the brands in the region are concentrated around louder, brasher, glossier ads in the same set of half a dozen offline magazines/newspapers. The marketers do not give the importance or spend the time and effort needed to identify the right online avenues and to utilize these avenues suitably.
2. Online and Offline marketing messages are not synchronized:
When a brand comes out with a new product, the offline and online campaign should be synchronized. The brand image, the product details, the creatives, the captions and the overall message should be in-line with each other. The online and offline ads should work together, to gain more brand recognition or product awareness.
One product campaign that had a really well synchronized campaign was the KFH (Bahrain) Baytik Ijara Card - www.baytikijara.com
3. Offline visuals and creative formats DO NOT work online!
Marketers MUST understand that the offline creatives cannot be just put on a website and hope that your online campaign will be a success. The online viewing experience is totally different from the offline. Also, online users have a much shorter attention span - hence a magazine or other offline advertisement creative cannot be directly transplanted on to your online campaign.
The marketer must ensure that separate creatives that meet the web-standards are created for their online campaign. The message on these creatives must be same as the lamposts and billboards; however the size, layout, language and the call to action on the online advertisement must be customized to gain the attention of the online audience.
4. Improper budget planning
On an average, a full page advertisement in a newspaper will cost BD1000. This will reach out to about 10,000 people (on a good day) and we can expect about 7000 people to remember your advertisement.
A well designed, professional website, that is tailor made to your target audience preferences, updated with the latest information about your product, your stores and your promotional offers, can gain a minimum of 10,000 visits a month from Bahrain alone. This website will be live for years and is a much more efficient customer conversion tool.
When a marketer is not willing to utilize the power of the web, by suggesting budget concerns, it is clearly a case of being penny-wise, pound-foolish.
5. Lack of follow-up and tracking of the returns from the website/online campaign
Once the online campaign has gone live, it is essential to follow-up on the results of the campaign. Unlike an offline campaign, in an online campaign you can always track the number of viewers, number of clicks, the regions of the world from where the interest has been generated and more. It is essential to track the success/interest generated by the campaign, on a weekly or daily (if necessary) basis. This will help you clearly understand how to improve the campaign as time passes and analyze the ROI - return on investment - on the campaign.
Keeping a few of these basics in mind when planning your next online campaign, will definitely help you create a good online presence for your brand.
a. Making sure you reach the maximum number of people.
b. Making sure the right brand message is conveyed.
The online marketing in Bahrain is in the maturing stage. The online audience is a mix of very savvy youngsters and internet lovers alongwith a vast majority of people who are just learning the ropes. The common thing that they all share though, is Curiosity.
For a market like Bahrain, the most effective thing to be done is to tickle this inherent curiosity, to gain results.
Though there are a thousand reasons supporting online marketing, to help understand the Bahrain scenario it is much better to describe the reasons why most online marketing campaigns fail:
1. "Step-child" treatment:
I think that this is the primary reason why online marketing campaigns do not take off here. The marketers give the online audience only secondary priority. The entire marketing campaign of 95% of the brands in the region are concentrated around louder, brasher, glossier ads in the same set of half a dozen offline magazines/newspapers. The marketers do not give the importance or spend the time and effort needed to identify the right online avenues and to utilize these avenues suitably.
2. Online and Offline marketing messages are not synchronized:
When a brand comes out with a new product, the offline and online campaign should be synchronized. The brand image, the product details, the creatives, the captions and the overall message should be in-line with each other. The online and offline ads should work together, to gain more brand recognition or product awareness.
One product campaign that had a really well synchronized campaign was the KFH (Bahrain) Baytik Ijara Card - www.baytikijara.com
3. Offline visuals and creative formats DO NOT work online!
Marketers MUST understand that the offline creatives cannot be just put on a website and hope that your online campaign will be a success. The online viewing experience is totally different from the offline. Also, online users have a much shorter attention span - hence a magazine or other offline advertisement creative cannot be directly transplanted on to your online campaign.
The marketer must ensure that separate creatives that meet the web-standards are created for their online campaign. The message on these creatives must be same as the lamposts and billboards; however the size, layout, language and the call to action on the online advertisement must be customized to gain the attention of the online audience.
4. Improper budget planning
On an average, a full page advertisement in a newspaper will cost BD1000. This will reach out to about 10,000 people (on a good day) and we can expect about 7000 people to remember your advertisement.
A well designed, professional website, that is tailor made to your target audience preferences, updated with the latest information about your product, your stores and your promotional offers, can gain a minimum of 10,000 visits a month from Bahrain alone. This website will be live for years and is a much more efficient customer conversion tool.
When a marketer is not willing to utilize the power of the web, by suggesting budget concerns, it is clearly a case of being penny-wise, pound-foolish.
5. Lack of follow-up and tracking of the returns from the website/online campaign
Once the online campaign has gone live, it is essential to follow-up on the results of the campaign. Unlike an offline campaign, in an online campaign you can always track the number of viewers, number of clicks, the regions of the world from where the interest has been generated and more. It is essential to track the success/interest generated by the campaign, on a weekly or daily (if necessary) basis. This will help you clearly understand how to improve the campaign as time passes and analyze the ROI - return on investment - on the campaign.
Keeping a few of these basics in mind when planning your next online campaign, will definitely help you create a good online presence for your brand.
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