Title

The recent season four premiere of acclaimed television show “Mad Men” has been accompanied by a flurry of online activity about changes in marketing from the 1960′s to today.  Hubspot has detailed why Mad Men’s marketing strategies would fail if used today and advertising tips from the show’s main character, Don Draper, that still apply.  Here is a recap:

What has changed?

1. Viewers now have the option to control which advertisements to which they expose themselves. They can skip commercials with TiVo, block pop-up advertisements online, or tune out radio ads with paid radio subscriptions.
2. While all the rage in the 1960’s, consumers are no longer easily enamored by advertisements that illustrate power, wealth, and social status.  Instead, they want to be part of creating the messages themselves. Companies like Frito Lay and Heinz gave away the power when they let consumers submit advertising ideas, giving one lucky winner the chance to turn their idea into a national commercial.
3. No longer does the consumer buying cycle end after a product is purchased; the conversation keeps going. Consumers write post-purchase reviews or discuss the brand in social media settings.  Marketers have realized the importance of this and have shifted efforts to better post-purchase interaction and create a well-respected trustworthy brand image. 

What is timeless?

1. Knowing the customer and knowing what they want is still the first step to advertising. 
2. Boiling down the message and getting to the point is still important. Consumers weren’t amused then and they aren’t amused now by wordy messaging.
3. Using memorable imagery that strikes a chord with your audience is still a great way to engage consumers.  It can evoke emotion that makes a viewer take a second look and interpret the message on a different level.

(Photo Credit – mediumjones.com)

Subscribe in a reader

Enter your email address:

According to ExactTarget’s SUBSCRIBERS, FANS, & FOLLOWERS research series, they do.  The third report in this series, “The Social Profile”, highlights 12 different online personas that consumers take on when they interact online.  The report uses psychographic characteristics to determine who the personas are and how to communicate with them. Personas vary by age group and interact with brands within several media channels to accomplish different things. For example, “Inner Circle” personas are heavy Facebook users who use the social networking site to stay connected to family members. They’re not interested in interacting with brands/companies online.  On the other end of the spectrum are “Deal Seeker” personas who use all online channels to seek information about brands. On average, they follow 10 brands/companies on Facebook and Twitter and receive over 14 permission-based promotional emails per day.

After reading through the study, a few generalizations can be made:

1. Email marketing messages resonate with just about everyone.
2. Facebook fan pages are mostly used by a younger generation who want the ability to make their brand opinions known publicly.
3. Twitter users represent those that want to be in the know as things happen; they are particularly interested in new brand initiatives or special offers.
4. All social media outlets are not necessarily used exclusively; consumers will pick and choose which combination of social media outlets works best for them.  For example, “Business First” personas rely heavily on email to stay up-to-date with current trends in their industry. They are also very active on Twitter, having three times as many followers as the average consumer.
5. A consumer can associate with more than one persona. Those surveyed cited they could identify themselves with as many as 3 of the 12 personas.

Read more about these personas to help you develop messaging for your next campaign.

(Photo Credit – http://technomarketer.typepad.com)

Subscribe in a reader

Enter your email address:

Hubspot was recently fortunate enough to interview the driving force behind Google’s corporate blog, Karen Wickre.  As Google’s chief blogger, it’s safe to say we should all be listening to what she has to say.

You can read the entire interview here, but I have summarized a couple of interesting points:

1. Bloggers who liken writing their blog posts to working on homework assignments are the wrong writers for your blog.  Good bloggers must be at ease with writing and be able to get quality posts written with few revisions.
2. A good blog shouldn’t just answer questions.  Posts should offer useful or unique information, reflect the company’s values and interests, and express the culture of the business.
3. If you’re looking to start a blog, the first step is to familiarize yourself with blogs of all kinds to see what’s possible and what else is out there. You can then figure out your voice and determine what you want to say.

There is a new face in advertising and it’s not who you might think – it’s Google.  In the past, the search engine giant has stayed away from traditional means of advertising, but in the recent months has begun to experiment in ways to market their newer products and services.  When the Super Bowl aired in February, Google aired its first ever TV commercial, highlighting many of the predominant features available on their interface.  More recently they have introduced two online advertisements that have become quite popular on the web.

One is for Google Chrome.  The second is Google TV.  With this new product, Google plans to develop a universal media hub that will merge the internet with television, allowing consumers to create their own media experiences based on their interests and lifestyles. Even though it is yet to be released, Google has already started to generate online buzz by creating an online video explaining the features and benefits.

Google may be new to the advertising landscape but they seem to be doing it well.  They have taken a simple approach to their method by creating campaigns that are to the point and straight forward.  Is it working? Stay tuned to find out.

As I’m sure you all know, Facebook turned 6 this year and to celebrate, Mashable put together a pictorial graph highlighting fun facts about the social networking giant.

Did you know that the average user spends about 55 minutes per day on Facebook? Or that the average user clicks the “like” button nine times per month? Did you know over 55 languages are supported on the site? Or that 3.5 billion pieces of content are shared each week?

Read more about Mashable’s Facebook Factbook.

It’s no secret that LinkedIn is growing…and fast. From March to June this year, the online community grew from 60 million users to 70 million users with over 100 million business profiles.  For years, people and businesses have have been using LinkedIn for different reasons – networking, business development, job hunting, recruiting, staying in touch, and keeping an updated resume.  McKinley Marketing Partners is no different.  We use it for our recruiting and business development efforts on a daily basis.  In honor of LinkedIn, Hubspot has put together some facts and statistics about how the tool is used.

My favorites include:

1. Every second a new LinkedIn profile is created.
2. 50% of users are decision makers within their companies.
3. 450 million pages are viewed each week.

Read more about Hubspot’s Lowdown on LinkedIn.

With the internet constantly changing, online trends, terms, and lingo can get a little confusing.  Hubspot recently did us all a favor by providing a go-to marketing dictionary where they define 101 terms related to all things social media.  It’s a great one-stop resource that I plan to use as a refresher for myself and as a learning tool for my colleagues.

Read more today at: Ultimate Glossary: 101 Social Media Marketing Terms Explained

McKinley is pleased to announce that we have appointed a new Director of Client Services for our growing New York market.   Serving in this capacity is Jim Ward, who plans to utilize his skills of cultivating and maintaining client relationships, interviewing prospective candidates and fulfilling client requirements.

As an industry veteran, Jim’s expertise will be an invaluable resource and we’re glad to have him on board!

Subscribe in a reader

Enter your email address:

Keep an eye out for McKinley in the news this week!  As the project/contract based work force continues to be the leading edge of the current job recovery, businesses are turning to McKinley to keep their marketing machines running.  We recently published a press release about how we have begun to see the demand for marketing contractors grow and believe this work force is playing a critical role in this transitioning economy.

Read more about McKinley’s uptick in requests for contract marketing professionals.

Subscribe in a reader

Enter your email address:

If you are currently a job seeker or an over-worked employee in an under-staffed environment, there is reason for optimism according to a new study by CareerBuilder and USA Today.  “For the third consecutive quarter, more hiring managers and human resource professionals are projecting they will increase headcount in the next three months while fewer are expecting staff cuts.”¹

If you are looking for a job or in need of additional staff, you might be wondering how you can take advantage of this improving job market to get ahead of the curve.  The survey outlined six trends hiring managers and human resource professionals said they foresee regarding staffing in the second quarter of 2010.  Amongst those were two items that could give someone, or a company, a needed edge: hiring contract workers and hiring for social media.

Contract Workers – In the upcoming second quarter, 25 percent of employers expect to hire contract workers or freelancers and 13 percent of them expect to hire them fulltime later on.  Becoming a contractor is great way to become familiar with new companies, update skill sets, and avoid lengthy gaps on resumes.  Contractors are much easier to onboard than full-time employees and, as such, employers often seek out consulting services rather than wait for headcount approval.

Social Media Savvy – Its best to become an active member in the social media community, as business have begun to realize its potential to growing business.  According to the study, nearly one-in-ten employers plan to add jobs related to Web 2.0 in the second quarter.  If you happen to already be employed, it will also be beneficial to hone your social media skills, as 13 percent of employers plan to add social media management to current employee responsibilities.

Click here to read more about contract work and job market trends.

¹ Ferguson, Matt, April 2010, 6 Job Market Trends to Watch, http://www.cnn.com/2010/LIVING/worklife/04/01/cb.job.market.trends/?hpt=Sbin

Subscribe in a reader

Enter your email address: