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Welcome To My Den
This is the new, improved and reincarnated Dunn's Den. This blog is about marketing, advertising, social media and the goings on in my local community; from MY VIEW!
I look forward to connecting with you!
This is a repost from our friends over at Blankstage Productions. I hope you enjoy!
Blank Stage Productions has teamed up with the social media marketing wizards of “SONARconnects” to form a powerful 1-2 punch social media punch.
In this video meet Scott and Brent as they discuss the alliance and past projects they have developed for clients.
Clients who want professional video combined with a killer social media marketing strategy can come here to get their marketing efforts off the ground. This team takes the stress off of marketing so that the business owner can focus back on their business and building relationships with their customers.
Everyone is doing business online, and starting to use social media to market themselves and no one knows and understands this more then SONARconnects. SONARconnects is skilled in developing on-going, engaging social media conversations and building followers and fans for their clients. This strategy has lead countless success stories for Scott Dunn and his team.
“What is sad is the bushiness who spends thousands of dollars on a state-of-the art website, only to have a horrible video represent themselves. To many people think video is video. Brent and his team use improv and their stable of screenwriters to develop content and engaging video concepts for our clients.”
- Scott Dunn, President of SONARconnects
“This is exciting. Scott and his team have developed powerful, on-going social media strategies that continue to get results for clients. This is a powerful distribution component to our commercial video clients. In addition to connecting their content for TV we can now leverage social media to create buzz, creditability and ultimately more customers. Scott does a terrific job in narrowing down with the client a marketing strategy that makes the most sense.
- Brent Brooks, Owner of Blank Stage Productions
For years Scott ran the North Fulton Chamber of Commerce meetings. There he got to understand what it takes for a business and business owner to succeed. He learned the best techniques in developing one’s “USP” or unique selling proposition.
Brent has worked in the entertainment industry for years. He has developed 3 Indie films, runs screenwriting and acting classes. Brent loves nothing more then developing a professional video product that works.
Scott Dunn: results@sonarconnects.com
Brent Brooks: Brent@blankstageproductions.com
I don’t know about you, but I am constantly amazed at the number of “Social Media Experts” out there. I know, I know, I have written about this in the past and you probably don’t wan’t me to beat a dead horse.
So I will not! Instead, I will talk about a new Facebook policy and why experience does matter.
The other day Facebook delivered a new policy to all you fan/like page/b.s. page owners. In a nutshell, the new rule is: You have to have 10,000 fans on your page or an account rep to select your custom FBML pages, the elements of custom landing pages, to open when someone clicks on your facebook profile. If you would like to see the post, click on the highlighted Facebook and it will take you to there.
Why is this new policy potentially damaging to all but the big boys? Simple. How many fans does your page have right now? Well Scott I actually have under 10,000 fans but I will call Facebook and get an account rep assigned to me and go on my merry way. Really? Not so fast. Currently, to have an account rep assigned to you from Facebook you must spend approximately $200,000.00 per year. See where I am going with this?
So why does experience matter in social media? Here is why. We have gone through every change with Facebook since the beginning. How many of the so-called experts pulled all nighters to secure a custom url? How many of them navigated through the roadblocks called change when fan pages usurped groups? How many of them have gone through multiple design lay out changes? I can tell you from talking with them, not very many.
How does this new Facebook policy affect our clients? Not at all. Did I say not at all? From the beginning, we found alternate solutions to fan pages. We realized early on that fan pages were created by Facebook to make money, not necessarily to help business owners.
Now don’t get me wrong. Did we come under fire from the “Social Media Experts”? You better believe it. (And now the so called experts are scratching their head trying to figure out their next move. Don’t worry Facebook will tell them.) Did our clients call us up daily asking why we did not create a fan page for them because they were told by an employee Facebook says this is the correct way? YES!! Did it cost us a few accounts along the way? It sure did.
Anyway, back to experience. Yes experience plays a huge role in any decision-making process, but critical thinking plays an even larger role. Oh yeah and so does courage. The courage to stand for what you believe. Social Media is still in its infancy. Just because the “experts” say this is the way things must be done, this is not always the case.
Stop right now and think about your social media strategy. Are the so called experts driving the results you want? Are they even aware of the changes Facebook made? What impact have they made on your company?
Success in business is about standing out, not fitting in. Definitely and repeatedly that applies in the social media field as well!
Does WalMart force thousands of small stores out of business? Or do their customers do it for them? The lesson is that you can’t compete with the big guys on price and variety when you don’t have a big box or big bucks.
The internet makes things even tougher for the small ones because comparison is so easy.
Here’s a story about a little guy. His name is John Lamb and he runs “Bagel Boys,” right next to a Starbucks in the Atlanta suburbs. Here’s why he is successful, and this is a template for anyone who wants to survive and prevail:
He has a great distinctive product. He worked for a big bagel chain for years, so he knows all their secrets. He knows how to make a better product even though it costs more.
He knows his market. Location is key. He chose a high traffic spot right next to a Starbucks! He stole some of their customers, and he’s proud of the comparison and the choice. The moral—don’t hide it, flaunt it!
He knows his customers and how to serve them. He calls most of them by their name, and they say, “Hi, John.” His presence is there.
He lives his business. It’s personal. The “Bagel Boys” are literally his boys. Life sized pictures of his adorable sons are the art works of his décor. It depicts them joyfully turning dough into bagels.
He sticks to his guns. He sells tasty sandwiches and salads, but he closes shop at 3:00.
“Nobody eats bagels for dinner,” he says. If Burger King wants to stay open ‘till 2 AM, that’s their problem. “I have a life after work. I want to go home with my boys.”
He knows where he’s going. I’d bet his formula works. He’s looking for a second location, and possibly franchising is in the future. But I can’t see him trading his life for a position as a corporate executive.
He has the secret. He works hard, and he smiles. “I love this business,” says John Lamb.
Despite reports of advertising’s imminent demise, it still does work, under the ideal circumstance.
The proof.I was comfortably vegetating on my couch watching my third NFL game of the day, when a TV commercial interrupted my peace. I sprang into action, put on my Nikes, ran to my car, and raced to the nearest place where I could buy the product that alerted me to its existence.
I completed the transaction, drove expectantly homeward, and enjoyed the satisfaction of a purchase well made.
Are you longing to know what it was that awoke my latent need or instilled the urgency of my frenetic action? Or what irresistible force overcame the immovable object?
It was Arby’s.The TV situation depicted a man who couldn’t find a living soul until he found a live one. The discoveree was stuffing his mouth and explained that everybody is at Arby’s, where they are selling five Roast Beef and Cheddar Sandwiches for five bucks. That triggered me.
Why did it work for me?
I was hungry
I could get there quickly
I am of their targeted audience—older, a roast beef lover
I was a lapsed user—-hadn’t had an Arby’s in five years
I identified with the characters. Average looking guys.
So, is this the proof that you needed that advertising can work? Yes. All you need is a product that works, the right audience, a brand that is acceptable, and an incentive. It’s obvious that timing is essential.
Technology hasn’t made advertising as we knew it passé, but it has made it tougher. Competition is fiercer, and consumer patience is thinner.
Arby’s connected with me on a late Sunday afternoon.How many commercials sped through my head, unnoticed and uncared for?
For those of you who missed my first blog about Joffrey’s Coffee & Tea Company, that blog can be found here: Joffery’s Coffee & Tea. In a nutshell, Joffrey’s sent out a free packet of coffee to anyone who would blog about them. I found out about it from a couple of other bloggers who found out about it from a couple of other bloggers, and so on and so on. Viral advertising at its finest!
A couple of days ago I checked my mail and found another package from Joffrey’s. This package contained Coffee 2.0, which was a great surprise. Thanks, Joffrey’s, for sending the package my way and for keeping me caffeinated.
Why am I taking the time to blog about this? Simple. Joffrey’s does not leave their success to viral advertising alone. Rather they use viral advertising as one way to touch their target market and gain exposure. Coupled with their viral marketing is their product. They do not rely on the internet alone. Instead they use the internet to connect with people, and in turn then send people their product. This allows Joffery’s the ability to measure their advertising. As most of you know, I am not a huge fan of viral marketing by itself. This is a great example of how to use viral marketing while getting your product in the hands of people who use it.
The other reason that I am blogging about this is that Joffrey’s does a GREAT job telling me a story. Let’s face it. You can buy coffee pretty much anywhere. Coffee is not a new concept and Joffrey’s understands this. They know that I will not buy their coffee because it is coffee; rather I will buy their coffee because of how their story makes me feel while I drink/purchase their coffee. They tailor their story to their target market.
Below you will see the contents of the package Joffery’s sent out. Playing off the Internet 2.0, they have Coffee 2.0, complete with UPDATES and info on HOW TO INSTALL (where do you usually see updates and info on how to install?).
Joffrey’s - all I can say is keep up the good work. Continue to grow your business virally while putting your product in the hands of your target market. Thanks for connecting with me and I look forward to your next product.
Please click on the images below and they will open up for you to read the information on the paper and on the bag. Use your browser back button to come back to this page!
An opponent called Lincoln a baboon and a senator hit another with his cane.Not too long ago we saw legislators duke it out in Japan, and Google reports statesmen’s physical bashings in Jakarta, Taiwan, and the Czech Republic.
Are those good ole days gone forever? The worst I’ve seen lately is, “My opponent’s campaign has reached a new low with his lies and half-truths.” Really—how about really low blows with the gloves off?
I’d favor capital punishment for attacks on anyone’s family. Otherwise, let it rip.
Aren’t you sick of hearing, “My distinguished opponent, with whom I have the highest personal regard, is somewhat misguided on this issue.”That is a non-Freudian slip. What he was thinking was, “He is a bumbling fool and I question his ancestry and the circumstances of his birth.”
We need a police force that enforces non-civility in all political ads. No gentility, only verbal body slams are allowed. Politeness is very boring. Good ads are intrusive.Old-fashioned boxing (under the Marques of Queensbury rules) is being swamped by Ultimate Fights, where the only thing it seems you can’t do is disembowel. Hockey fans want fistfights, Nascar thrives on wrecks. Gladiators win with blood, toreadors earn ears.Americans want a (fair?) fight.
I want to hear what they really think about issues, and what they know about the other guy’s deficiencies (read dirt). Here’s a format that will work for any televised debates:
In an isolation booth with one mike
Just the two of them, seated facing each other, three feet apart
They take turns asking any question they choose
The other one has one minute to answer, then the first one can shout over
After five minutes a bell rings and the other guy asks his question
Two hour limit
All’s fair in love and war.Why not in elections?Let’s fight!
What are your favorite current ads? A lot of my young students answered that question with the Chic-fil-A “Eat More Chikin” campaign. (Others chose products and ads that I’m not familiar with. I guess those advertisers know who their target is not.)
I had to suggest my choice, and here it is, and why:
In case you are one of the few who hadn’t seen it—
Yogi Berra is in the chair and admonishes the barber not to cut it too close—“Do you think I got that insurance?”
The barber asks, “What insurance is that, Yogi?” A dialogue ensues between Yogi and the Aflac duck, thatincludes the memorable lines “The one that you need when you don’t need it,” and “And it gives you cash, which is as good as money.”
The duck leaves the shop, with a trail of mystified customers.
I think this is a classic, because:
It uses a recognizable and likeable celebrity. (It’s risky to use famous people, because they sometimes they fall from fame, some consumer groups don’t like them, or the connection with the product is vague.)
The central point is the benefit of the product.
The conversation is low key and short.
It is funny. Why do I think it’s funny?Because I’ve seen people laugh.
It lasts.This is at the least its third year.
Back to the “Eat More Chiken” ads. It has legs—tt lends itself to other related materials. It is centered on the benefit of eating chicken.It has a memorable charm.
We ask you to nominate the best of the current ads. (Or, if you prefer, What makes them click, what makes them timeless?)
Oh, before we forget.The Aflac/Yogi and the “More Chikin” ads have the most important attribute: they (at least apparently) have sold a lot of insurance and chicken sandwiches.
Stride Gum has a YouTube four-and-a-half minute world-wide dance routine that has achieved over 20 million viewers.It makes you smile and want to get up and dance.
How many sticks of gum has it sold?Don’t know.
I think that it’s now very important for advertising to be liked.Not like the old show-and-tell days, when all you needed was a benefit and a reason-why.
But how do the marketers of Stride Gum hope it works?I guess the sequence is—
I identify with (like) this brand, because
It makes me want to dance, and that is true because
It makes a lot of people want to dance, therefore
I will buy Stride Gum.
Maybe that’s all implied, but I am so old-fashioned that I think it has to be stated, it must be true, and that the brand name must somehow be linked to the benefit.
What’s the buzz, and where’s the beef?
Small budget advertisers must make their dollars stretch far. Once it awhile a Stride may be a stride ahead (intended), but all froth must fizzle. “It’s not creative unless it sells” and “Advertising is salesmanship” are good words to live by.
Viral Advertising of course is Word of Mouth gone bonkers. It works short term— like an endorsement from a friend. How many times have heard this conversation—
“Hey, have you seen the ad about—-”
“No.Who’s it from?”
“I forget.”
Does Viral Advertising have the seeds (germs?) of its own demise? Its unfortunate connotations are about disease, spreading destruction and death.
Branding is based on a substantial benefit and a continual delivery of that promise. Healthy brands are self-nourishing, growing, and vibrant. Lawyers are advised if your argument is weak, shout louder.If your brand is weak, make noises and hope it spreads.
As most of you know who read my blog, I am not a huge fan of viral marketing. It is not that I do not believe in the concept, it is that companies tend to follow in love with the process and forget about the true goal…the RESULTS! Also, companies tend to put to much emphasise on the viral campaign and let other parts suffer. (You know, like the call to action part.)
Every once in a while, I see a viral campaign that works very, very, very well. The campaign below is in the form of a video and it rocks. Why does it work so well? Simple: It is entertaining, fun and DIFFERENT. It begs me to forward it out to everyone I know.
This was sent to me by someone who attended Pod Camp Boston. You know the video must be good to be shown at a Pod Camp. With over 20 million views on You Tube, that alone should tell you about the video.
On a side note, I would like to give a HUGE kudos to Stride Gum. You truly understand what it means to take a brand global. Think of the fortune 500 companies that could have come up with this or sponsored Matt. Companies with nearly unlimited resources, yet an obscure chewing gum company is the winning brand.
Let me know what you think! Would you like your brand associated with this video?
Matt if you are ever back in Atlanta, please give me a call. I would like to dance with you! Also, just to let you know, the next time I am in the store I will search out Stride Gum and give it a try.
Who ever says advertising does not work, obviously does not understand how to advertise.
For those of you who do not know, North Fulton has it’s very own football team called the Georgia Generals. They are a minor league football team which plays at Northview High School, located in Johns Creek, GA.
This Saturday, July 12th marks their season opening game vs. Macon Tiger cats.
If you are looking for a great place to take the kids and have fun this Saturday, stop by the game and see what all the buzz is about.
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Here is the press release for the game:
DJ Shockley to Help Kick-Off Georgia Generals Minor League Football Season this Saturday July 12th in Johns Creek
This Saturday, July 12th, the Generals open the 2008 season in Johns Creek vs. the Macon Tiger Cats. After posting an impressive 9 – 3 record in the inaugural 2007 season, the Generals look to improve in their second year and again march into the NAFL playoffs. The Tiger Cats, also a 2007 playoff team, will surely prove to be a tough opponent.
Both Georgia Bulldogs and Atlanta Falcons fans will be thrilled with a pre-game appearance by Atlanta Falcon quarterback D.J. Shockley who will be performing the ceremonial coin toss to start the game.
Halftime festivities will feature the introduction of the 2008 Georgia Generals Dance Team and a performance by Atlanta’s Old School Drumline.
Gates open at 5:00 p.m. and kickoff is slated for 6:30 p.m.
Tickets for this game are available at all Ticketmaster outlets and online via ticketmaster.com. Kids ages 12 and under wearing a sports jersey will get free admission.
The Generals play their home games at Northview High School in the north Fulton city of Johns Creek.
If you would like to meet the coach of the Georgia Generals (Nathan Gibbs), please click on the video below. Nate discuss the Georgia Generals and who they are, what they do and what you can expect at a game.
