Creative for a cause

I've been really inspired by Blame Drew's Cancer and think this can give non-profits some ideas about how they can fundraise using Twitter. Here's how it works: we Twitter users, like Drew, can blame all of our problems on his cancer. If I can't find my keys, I can #BlameDrewsCancer. If my dog peed in the house, I'm going to #BlameDrewsCancer. And so on. 

With the goal of donating to the cause's new parter, LIVESTRONG, the final tally of "complaints" from Drew's Cancer--AFTER he's beaten it--will hopefully be matched with a dollar donation from sponsors. We can also join the cause on Facebook (http://bit.ly/13TpN2), using the hash tag on Twitter is a lot more fun. 

For those of you who are leaders of non-profits: do you think this could be a way to build exposure for smaller non-profits to a larger scale? On the Mississippi Gulf Coast, Twitter is still a relatively intimidating component of social media, and it has yet to take off (I Blame Drew's Cancer) outside of the young professionals population. However, I'm thinking similar promotions on Twitter would be a smart way to promote Gulf Coast causes. What do you think? 

Who invited the mortgage brokers? (ps-this is awesome).

In a brilliant ploy to reel in new business on a relatively shoestring budget ($100k), Israel's Ha'Poalim Mortgage Bank executed a marketing plan that included wedding crashing as its most powerful tactic. Brokers dropped thick envelopes in the gift boxes of the happy couple that included an IKEA gift card, personally signed congratulatory wishes, and an invitation to come speak to the mortgage broker about the bank's new special program for newlyweds. 

The campaign was awarded "Best Targeted Campaign" during the Festival of Media in Valencia, Spain (how do I get tickets to that?). Read more about it here. Most importantly, the bank had 25% of couples call to schedule appointments and countless more walking in to the banks, envelopes in hand. 

This is a really cool example of how smart targeting can pay off. What I think is the most important thing to note about this campaign is that it had a 100% opening rate. The bank (along with its agency, WPP's MediaCom) considered everything down to the upbeat and excited mood of its target audience when their envelope was received. That has got to be one of the most well-received pieces of direct mail ever. 

How Social Media is Radically Changing the Newsroom

How Social Media is Radically Changing the Newsroom

Some great thoughts about establishing policies and guidelines for the newsroom. 

Posted using ShareThis

Hey, twenty-somethings...do you "cwing"?

Speaking directly to yours truly, Ogilvy is setting to launch a campaign to a market segment called "Cwingers," twenty-somethings often watching TV on the couch with a laptop open across their laps while taking calls or texting simultaneously. Their segment name is coined after those of us who swing from one medium right back to another, and the campaign will begin with a vignette during "Gossip Girl" then send viewers online to watch the middle or the end of the story.

What I like about the campaign is not only the smart targeting, but also their use of reality TV in the ads--which have I even mentioned, is a new line of Dove body wash--which are stories of four real women simililar to those we follow in Gossip Girl. Personally, they had me at "real-life Manhattan drama on my laptop," since that's how I normally catch up with guilty pleasures like The Hills and Gossip Girl anyway.

This is just another example of how smart targeting can get noticed when we truly think about who we as marketers are speaking to.

SEO and ethics

To briefly expand on this week's conversation about SEO:

From firsthand experience, I've come across a few prospective clients who have heard what seem to be SEO horror stories, but no one can fully explain why they don't want to invest in it for their company's site. To me, suggesting SEO to a client is a sound way to increase the likelihood the site will be found, without paying a monthly fee for AdWords. That said, they will likely need "take the site back to the shop" for an update periodically, but there are certainly no ethical gray lines in optimizing a site to be easily found by all search engines, not just Google. 

Check this out! I even found an SEO programmer whose brand niche is that he's 'the ethical one.' So funny. http://www.seo-writer.com/freelance/seo-ethics.html

 

As for our discussion on AdWords and the clarity of the results as actual ads, I do think it's as clear as the "Special Advertising Sections" in magazines, designed to be characteristic of the magazine's typical layouts. Those even fool me sometimes. It's up to us as consumers--and web users--to be on our toes and to know what we're clicking. 

"Crippling" Design

In my previous post, I mentioned the importance of thoughtful copy and the amazing results than can happen when designers and copywriters work together to create their product. Another thought on design--also taken from A List Apart--is the crucial task of testing web designs, and the devastating effects that can occur in not doing so.

Nick Usborne provides a list of elements to test before publishing your site:

"Here are just a few of the design elements we have found can make a significant difference to the performance of a web page:

• The position and color of the primary call to action
• Position on the page of testimonials, if used
• Whether linked elements are in text or as images
• The amount of “white space” on a page, giving the content space to “breathe”
• The position and prominence of the main heading
• The number of columns used on the page
• The number of visual elements competing for attention
• The age, sex and appearance of someone in a photo"

Utilizing this list would certainly make a difference in ensuring you're developing site that speaks directly to your audience in the way your company intends. Research shows that within 1/20th of a second, web users make a judgement about a company according to the website image. The time it takes to test the design elements would certainly be worth the 1/20th of a second snap-judgement of a prospective customer in order to draw them in.

Words matter most. Well, almost.

During discussions about what we can find on  A List Apart, I was most drawn to articles emphasizing the importance of smart web copy. (Here's one: Calling All Designers, Learn to Write!"). During my time working at a small advertising agency, I was constantly researching the way that ad agencies presented themselves online. My particular agency, I thought, placed a huge amount of emphasis on graphic presentation and not enough on copy, both for digital and print purposes. From looking through sites on the best agencies, even those with extremely sophisticated web designs, the use of smart copy is evident. And often times, the shorter, more thought-provoking text was most effective. 

A few samples of well written text that is woven seamlessly into the site design:

www.immarketinggroup.com/#

The light, understated design elements are really reflected well in the way the text is presented as well as the actual message. In a few brief sentences, the company states its mission and when they can best help a prospective client. 

www.shineadvertising.com

This is funny. The very best of web writing, in my opinion, as it's hard to do. Shine Advertising (birthplace of the infamous GoDaddy spots), always has clever copy about how their why their no-frills site is either under construction (as in this case) or why they're too busy to put up a plethora of work samples. All stated in a way brilliantly in line with the irreverent brand they've build for themselves. 

www.riggsadvertising.com/talent.html

If you can't see the image, go ahead and click on the site. There's no way, using this page as an example, that a designer and copywriter couldn't work together to build a page with little text that still delivers the message the agency wants to convey about its team. Riggs is very, very good.