Here at blur Marketing, we’re pleased to introduce guest blogger, 

In this blog, Georgina offers her key tips to help your agency or company from gaining an unwanted marketing  label- the dreaded ASBO (Anti Social Blogger Outreach)…

Research is vital in order to understand the opportunities – as well as the boundaries – when incorporating blogger outreach to a campaign. Research also helps avoid blushes, negative coverage and possible law suits as standards, such as disclaimers, become obligatory. So where do you start?

There are two types of bloggers out there: those which are receptive to your communication and those which are not. The bloggers who are open to your efforts can be split into two:

• Ones that are purely journalistic and linked to a publication
• Ones that are not linked to on or offline magazines or newspapers, yet keep an agenda of reporting in their own style and beat

Both of these categories attract audiences by delivering independent views, reviews and personal opinion. In addition, they are often open to comments in response to postings (an opportunity in itself if etiquette is adhered to).

Proceed with utmost caution with the second category however, which will almost certainly not be happy to get your press release, comment, product to review or offer to interview Joe Bloggs of ABC inc… let alone politely take your follow up call to see if they’ve A) received the information or B) are going to do anything about it.

This blogger prefers to stick to his or her own opinions and doesn’t appreciate being disturbed. There are a few  examples out there of bloggers who have dissed PR and marketing people getting in touch, sometimes even going so far as to name and shame them. I’d put in some examples but see no gain in resurrecting them and further embarrassing the targets of such humiliation.

However, while the majority of us that work in this sector may consider this naming and shaming an unfair ASBO label, these hermit bloggers have a point and a right. Pause for a moment and consider their reasons to blog: it’s for their own agenda – not yours.

For example: You wouldn’t approach the deli counter at the supermarket and ask the attendant if they’d like to interview your client that makes cheese. If you did you’d likely be met with dumbfounded gazes insinuating that you’re

A) Mad

B) Obviously don’t understand that they are there to advise on hummus and olives

C) Why the hell would they want to interview Mr Y of Cheese Inc.?

Same thing with the private bloggers out there, proceed with caution. Getting publicly basted is not the objective. If in doubt – move on.

Hi Hayes, so what made you join blurMarketing?

Hi! It’s always interesting to network with other writers, designers and art directors – and to hear what people are saying. As for Crowdsourcing, it’s become a big thing in the past year, although Openad has been around for a while. Previously, my understanding of the term ‘Crowdsourcing’ was lots of people contributing to a common solution. But that’s not really what happens most of the time. It’s a brief that’s opened up to everyone and there’s basically a competition to crack it. Which is fantastic. I love it, especially now as I’m a freelancer.

I’m currently thinking about a couple of Idea Bounty briefs. Not strictly ‘Crowdsourcing’, though. Some people think that’s ‘just semantics’. But as a writer, I have to believe in the meaning of words and terms.

Indeed, speaking of belief, what then motivated you to get involved in the whole marketing game?

You have to do something to earn money, don’t you? I suppose I was always interested in human behaviour and I used to get a kick out of funny ads. I think they’re as important to culture as any film or song, although too often they’re a bit derivative. But every year there are some great ads. And of course digital/social media are only making these ideas more interesting. Fascinating times.

Haha we had a response to that which we’ll save for later. So Hayes,what qualities would you say one needs to have in order to be successful in marketing and more importantly, what do you have?

A habit of hard work. Persistence. Desire to do better. Persistence. I work at working hard. I persist at being persistent. I want to do better. If I’m a copywriter till I retire, that means I’ve got 30 more years to go. That’s a long time

So what next then?

I want to continue to enjoy writing for a wide variety of clients. I want to do some great digital work (who doesn’t?) I want to build long-term working relationships with lots of people. I reckon I could do a pretty good job of planning or developing creative strategy. After all, I’ve done a bit of that in some of my writing roles.

We hear that! Why do well when you can do better?! With the big boom in technology such as web 2.0, marketing strategies have changed and are adapting to new technology. How has this change affected you?

Most of my work has been digital for a few years now so it’s not like a new change or anything. I enjoy keeping up with all the latest work and innovations, thanks to following some amazing people on twitter. And last autumn I gained a place on the competitive D&AD digital workshop, where I worked on briefs for six digital London agencies. It’s been interesting to see the work the agencies have produced from those briefs go live.

New technology has affected writers and publishers worldwide. How have new technologies changed your way of writing/working?

More than ever I think you have to edit and cut down and be succinct. It’s easy to get carried away. Go back, take a look at what you’ve written and see if you can say it better. Websites are one level. Mobile pages are another. If you think of a sentence only being five words wide, that helps you focus your copy. But then, you know, mobile sites are relatively new but you could have been writing a print newsletter years ago that had narrow columns and you’d have been facing the same challenges. There’s certainly a challenge in websites that aren’t just brochures online and again, writing is just a part of a bigger process that involves lots of people thinking about design, usability, layout, what the audience wants etc. I think technology has also made things easier. For example, if I’m writing an e-newsletter for a client, I can write it and publish it myself – that saves a whole lot of time.

So then where would you rank in order of importance: written communication – against all other forms you must rate writing pretty highly being a copywriter after all right?

Interesting question. You mean against visual communication, for example? I think you can argue it either way (although you’d probably have to use words). It’s a shame there’s not more persuasive writing out there. There’s a lot of nonsense. If the writing’s good and it’s based on good insight, then there’s nothing better. If the writing’s bad, then you might as well write nothing. That sounds strange but I think as a writer you have to have an awareness that you can say it best by saying nothing at all. That helps you focus on what’s really necessary. Omit needless words, as Hemmingway used to say. There’s a lot more to marketing that words, however. It could be an idea, an experience, a game, a stunt. Words are an important part, but they are just a part.

Nice rounded answer, now a bit of a difficult one: If a copy you have written doesn’t work, what would be the likely reasons for it?

Poor brief, poor writing, poor insight, wrong timing, wrong audience, wrong message, wrong media, you name it. If you consider 1% might be an ‘acceptable’ response for something like a piece of direct mail or a banner ad, perhaps, then that means 99% of the time the ad as a whole isn’t working. There’s a lot more to copy than the copy. Timing, media, message – and they’re not always dictated by the writer!

And what’s the longest and shortest time you have taken to complete a project?

I’ve been asked to write ads in a couple of hours. Probably quite short print ads. Long projects would include big websites. They can take months.

Do you have particular campaign that you are especially proud of?

Recently, I got the chance to write scripts for some videos on Masdar City, which is being built as a sustainable development in Abu Dhabi. I’m also working with an amazing restaurant in London that is great in almost every way. It’s very inspiring and refreshing to work with people like that. Favourite campaign out there? Right now, right this minute, I’ll say Diesel, for providing a little bit of an antidote to all the digital hype. It’s good to have balance.

And a highlight?

I once saw someone responding to a recruitment ad I’d written in the paper, on the tube. It was early in the morning so I had to rub my eyes but there he was, scribbling notes next to my headline and copy. Low light? Seeing a tube poster featuring a headline I’d written on a speculative ad in my portfolio. I researched the agency that had created the poster and it was one I’d taken my book to and had a placement at some months before. Depressing but flattering at the same time, I suppose.

Ahh a little bitter sweet, now we’ve been dying to ask , just what is ‘The Naked Copywriter’ about?

The world, advertising, me and you, but mainly advertising and marketing. Because I’m not getting paid to write my blog, I struggle to find the time to update it. I tweet about the kind of things I used to blog about. Obviously there’s less comment on each issue but I can cover more issues.

If you had to write a short but effective piece about yourself, in 140 characters on Twitter, what would it be?

You mean to sell myself? Okay I’ll have to go away and write this on twitter (@hayesthompson, in case you were wondering)

Copywriter for hire. Intelligent, experienced and award-winning. Recruitment, branding, b2b, charity and consumer. Every media, inc social.

Some nice key words there! And so, with magic 8 ball in hand, where do you see yourself in the next five years?

Smoking a pipe, wearing a comfortable dressing gown. Actually, no, I think that’s Hugh Heffner I’m thinking of. I see myself with more clients and continuing to write copy in a wide variety of markets and media.

That sounds just a little bit more realistic, now for our quick fire round do you prefer:

Meeting targets or pleasing target audience?

Meeting targets, although hopefully that involves pleasing your target audience.

Personification or Analogies?

Analogies.

Creativity or results?

Creativity leads to results.

Cod, plaice or a battered pollock? (See his blog to understand)

Cod. But that’s probably not very sustainable.

If you were an item of clothing what would you be and why?

A pair of Nike Omega Flames – all orange and yellow and red. Because they are hot and bright and rare and beautiful.

The connect with the fully clothed Hayes, Nikes and all just click here

Imagine a world without the most modern of modern western concepts- the marketable celebrity and the jaw-droppingly stunning model. How would advertisers cope?

Imagine television without heroes to worship, radio programmes without the very ‘special guests’, the internet without its plethora of information, pictures and idle speculation about the stars of the entertainment world.  And magazines. How would the magazine industry cope without their cover stars?

Well, we might be about to get a little insight. Earlier today, IPC Media’s UK monthly women’s magazine, ‘Essentials’ launched its first issue with “no models or celebrities.” It claims to be the first women’s glossy magazine to have adopted this approach.

Instead, 10 ‘real women’ adorn the October cover, with the rest of the issue also following the no-celebrity/model mantra. In addition, no-one has been airbrushed.

The magazine has made the issue of keeping celebs off the cover page a permanent standard policy, in order to bring a completely new wave of cover star- and a new type of reality model. How post-modern. But why?

Essentials began advertising for its initial batch of cover stars in June, when they launched an online competition asking readers to provide a photo and a summary of “what makes them amazing.” A video featuring a behind-the-scenes tour of the cover stars can be found on their Facebook page.

According to the magazine’s editor, Jules Barton-Breck, the magazine’s break with tradition boiled down to that ever-reliable barometer- the readership. Instead of pushing magazine sales through the popularity of familiar faces, Essentials have shown a willingness to listen and interact with their audience- and appear to have recognised the importance of having a strong social media presence by launching an online social media campaign for their 10 October cover stars.

“So many of these women look, and are, amazing that we wanted to celebrate them,” said Ms Barton-Breck. “ In our recent reader survey, 70% told us that they would rather see a real woman on the cover of a magazine than a celebrity, so we’re excited to be the first magazine in the UK to do this every month.”

As Adrian Niculescu stated on this blog in June, social media offers useful marketing interaction: “You can contribute through text, links, images, videos and everything which will help that community evolve and grow. Selling, gaining new partnerships and the money earned as a result through social media, is just a reflection of the quality of your social media presence.”

It’s a bold move- especially for a magazine with a burgeoning following. Marketing Week points to recent ABC figures which show that ‘Essentials reported a 12.9% circulation year-on-year increase, performing ahead of many of its rivals.’  So will the wisdom of the crowd win through?

And is it time to rest some of the public’s borderline psychotic celeb- browsing habits and have greater exposure to ‘normal’ people on the pages of our magazines? Or should we continue to embrace the celebrity/model cover-star culture for what it is- escapism?

Post your thoughts in our comments section and let us know!

Once upon a time in a pixelated land far far away the only thing that mattered when it came to measuring hit success was the number of inbound links to your static website that would inform Google how relevant your content is.

With Web 1.0 a distant memory, the explosion of Web 2.0 and Web 3.0 not too far round the corner,  promoting a website through social media is essential. The key to success is the way you re- purpose the site’s static and multimedia content (text, photo and video) and then publish it on blogs and social media sites.

The blogging platforms have evolved in marvellous ways, so much so that it is now technically simplistic and cost effective to create a corporate blog for your company. The main purpose of it should be to inform the potential customers and actual clients about your activities in a way which is not formal, but entertaining and interactive.

Here are 10 gathered tips about how you can use the power of blogging for the benefit of your company and how to give your company a face to compliment your brand.

1. People are more likely to give their business to a company that they feel they know. Business personalities like Alan Sugar, Richard Branson and Donald Trump publish within their company blogs. It is best if you can get a blog going about the people from successful members of your team- their success stories and professional achievements.

2. The corporate blog shouldn’t be just a long list of press releases; it has to have a personal touch and to engage comment and views from the readers;

3. Include pictures and videos from company parties, team buildings, CSR (corporate social responsibility) activities, trainings, everything which is focused around the people from your company.

4. Optimise carefully the corporate blog to enhance the visibility of the main website; blogs are indexed much faster than the regular websites by the search engines and they can place your offers faster in the eyes of your potential customers; use text links to different pages from your core website; you can host the blog on a separate domain or on www.yourdomain.com/blog.

5. Socialize your blog: include links at the end of posts for readers to share them in their social media profiles.

6. List the blog in the main blog directories, include an opt-in form to collect e-mail addresses and invite readers to subscribe to your RSS feed.

7. Publish regularly general top market data about your industry, case study, trends and information which can be useful for your readers.

8. Engage people to review your products and services; publish a review about one of your products and invite people to share their thoughts and send their feedback; there will almost always be few negative voices lurking, (long as its only a few this will happen from time to time, but let’s not worry about them)!

9. Engage other specialized bloggers in your industry to write about your products; some of these services will require a fee, but the investment is worth to be made.

10. Engage readers through competitions and surveys; these will show them that you care about them and will make them come back to your blog and also visit your company’s website.

Check out more of Adrian’s pearls of wisdom here.

When someone says to you, ‘hey, I like your dress’ do you credit the designer and proceed to give the admirer a list of outlet stores complete with phone numbers, stockists and websites? Or do you blush and modestly reply ‘ahh thanks’ and assume it’s to do with the way the dress looks on you?

Now unless the item is a bargain from the beloved Primark (otherwise known as Primani in many unspoken circles) it’s probably safe to say that the latter is the expected protocol.

Bear this in mind and spare a thought for poor old Keith Chegwin who seems to have gotten a few comedic knickers in a twist for committing  one of the most heinous crimes…. tweeting one liners from other comedians (I wonder if I should just invent some sort of tumble weed emoticon).

Gone are the days when imitation was once considered a form of flattery, it has now been sullied with libel, legal suits, copyright and demands for a change in the law. According to the Guardian, Ed Byrne was less than impressed, as quoted from the site, as ‘ telling [Keith] he was wrong not to credit “working comics” for the jokes he was using.’ Ouch.

Could it be a case that maybe the jokes just sound that a little bit better from someone else? Much like how this dress would sooo obviously look better on me than this chosen model. Alright, so the model is beautiful and slim and even I had to laugh as I wrote that line, but at least I’d be given kudos for being brave (although not necessarily sane) for wearing such a thing. But try and empathise with me and Cheggers for a nano-second.

I remember sweet round-faced Cheggers growing up, along with Pat Sharp Ala (Fun house) and Neil Buchanan (Art Attack), all wonderful idyllic things from the 90’s. I may get slaughtered for this but Keith Chegwin was kind of funny. There I said it. Ok, he doesn’t have the clever irreverence of sharp tongued Frankie Boyle, but he is funny in a sweet, soppy uncle -that-wears -an -amusing tie at Christmas type of way. Either way, he is like a dead Cougar (the animal not the other sort) lying in front of your feet- absolutely harmless.

So what if he posted the odd joke or two on Twitter? The last time I checked (which was about half an hour ago) it is for sharing as is Facebook, as is Myspace, as is every social network that proceeds it. AND (shock horror!) not every bit of material is original! As far I am concerned unless it is actively illegal, there is nothing wrong with a bit of show and tell. Besides, if these “working comics” are that talented and are so much better than Cheggers, then they should have nothing to fear. They should just simply up their game- or better yet make a joke of it…

By the way if anyone wants to post this on their Twitter I have no problem with that…I have the original copy.

A company in the online world should also reflect its capabilities in the offline world. However, if a company is mainly based online, then web image is a core element which will make a huge difference in whether the company will succeed or fail worse than an oil based fire suit.

Google and other search engines will store anything you publish or is posted about your company on any website, blog or social network in the world. Depending on the dimensions of your company and the business model – if you have many relations with end-users or not, you will need a certain level of implication and work load to build and maintain a good image for your brand on the internet.

Here are some of the best methods used on a constant basis for an effective brand management all over the internet:

1. The same content provided by you or by your industry leaders along with your quote has to be shared on as many platforms as possible – your website, blog, social networks, forums; the only condition is that those platforms need to be suitable and compatible with your company’s image. For example, posting your theory on the education system and class division in the United Kingdom in the latest Playboy forum will probably not be best for your brand image. By finding relevant sites to share your material, it will help you to establish yourself as an expert company in the field(s) you are active.

2. The old content you already have needs to be updated all the time; you need to be perceived as a “fresh” company and not as an “ old and dusted” one. Keep it fresh but don’t be afraid to refresh- if you have a post that is a few months old but currently relevant don’t be afraid to post it.

3. Social media is more important than ever to observe the trends in the market, to listen to customers, to hear their complaints and this information is a goldmine; assess it, use it in your benefit and guide your communication upon it.

4. Clients are sought after experts; so take the best from your niche and go deeper than ever before; the information is more accessible than ever so it is not easy to become relevant.

5. If you can, use the “game mechanics” which is considered to be a cool ingredient for today’s online brand presences; give a game approach to your actions, reward your fans, readers and clients and offer them incentives.

6. Be very specific and maintain unity in all your communications through various channels; engage your employees to post updates about the company on their personal account from social media sites. Like a George Foreman grill,it shows that the company is so good that its worth putting their name on it.

7. Monitor all the tools, posts and updates which are published about your company; if somebody puts a negative comment try to answer properly and as soon as possible; imagine what effect a tweet which is retweeted over and over and transformed in a few hundred tweets about a problem related with your company…

8. In all the communications try to see the glass as half full; especially in tough times, the positive communication works; try to see the opportunities and not be driven by circumstances.

9. Publish constantly press releases and publish them in the main press release portals; they will reach many new potential customers for you and will enhance the power of your brand.

10. Try to implement in your communication policy the newest tools and use the most innovative platforms; be a leader and not a follower.

Check out more of Adrian’s pearls here

Facebook has an extraordinarily large audience-

Introducing the beta version of Facebook Questions- an application that allows Facebook users to pose questions to their friends, network groups and subject experts on an extensive range of topics. It’s a bit like Yahoo! Answers, but the user has the ability to tailor their question to a specific type of audience.

While some might argue that Twitter already provides this service, Facebook’s advantage is the sheer size of its audience. 500 million is a helluva lot of people- and it’s easy to use.

Once the application evolves from beta mode, users will be able to ‘Ask Question(s)’ by simply clicking a button on the Facebook homepage. In addition, questions can be posted onto the user’s friends profiles in the same way that messages are currently posted on walls.

And it could have a big impact on digital marketing.

Consumers are increasingly placing importance on online word-of-mouth communication. Facebook Questions strips away the ambiguity of the source of the answer- and the user has full control of the integrity of the source. Although Facebook is currently not allowing businesses with brand pages to answer questions directly, individuals can answer on the company’s behalf.

The importance of web question and answer services has become an increasingly important part of the social media war. As the Daily Telegraph highlights:

“Google acquired Aardvark, a social search service which lets users ask questions and get immediate responses, in February for $50m (£31m)… Twitter cofounder Biz Stone is an adviser to Fluther.com, a site that aims to “tap the collective”.

A recent survey by Gartner (in the fourth quarter of 2009) involving nearly 4,000 consumers of 10 key markets, used the data to identify groups who play a role in the question and answer process of brand awareness, market research and viral marketing campaigns.

One fifth of the consumer population is composed of ‘Salesmen’, ‘Connectors’ and ‘Maverns’. “These are three roles that are key influencers in the purchasing activities of 74 percent of the population,” said Nick Ingelbrecht, research director at Gartner.

“Salesmen and Connectors are the most effective social network influencers and the most important groups for targeted marketing based on social network analysis.”

But what are they?

Salesmen — Their defining characteristics are their propensity to persuade people to do things, buy certain products and act in certain ways. This role is not so much a commercial activity but a personality trait that impels Salesmen to get people around them to act on information in highly directed ways.

Connectors— Connectors perform a bridging function between disparate groups of people. They have contacts in different social groups and enjoy introducing people to each other.

Facebook Questions opens up an enormous online audience and an opportunity for companies to carefully engage in dialogues through company workers or affiliates- thus cementing a stronger brand image.

Ingelbrecht said: “Companies attempting to use social networks should develop relationships with key customers over a period of time and progressively refine the social network profiles of those individuals. In this way, the most suitable individuals can be targeted with the right information, products and promotions in the most cost-effective way.”

‘[Cinderella] believed in dreams, alright, but she also believed in doing something about them. When Prince Charming didn’t come along, she went over to the palace and got him.

On first thoughts you may be wondering why on earth Walt Disney and Cinderella are being quoted on a marketing site. Well mushy sentiment aside (despite how much we love it), marketing and business is just that- seeing what you want and getting it; pursuing a dream that will secure your fairytale. We think its pretty safe to assume that ol’ Walt didn’t just make cartoon for the sake of it, there was a motive be it financial, political or otherwise, either way his work left many of us inspired with the idea to never stop dreaming.

This week we caught up with someone who not only understands this notion, but lives and breathes it. This week we introduce a very experienced media planner who has worked with some of the biggest names in the game from Johnson & Johnson to Heinz. Also, if you haven’t guessed already this media princess has also worked for Disney! Cue our childish screams as we try to keep it together for Svetlana Bregman…

Hi Svetlana! Let’s jump right in, what made you want to join blur Marketing?

Hi! Well, personally, I was very excited to find a community of like-minded individuals with whom I can collaborate and share ideas on emerging digital media trends. I find blur Marketing to be a strong educational platform for is media community and a valuable networking medium for professionals.

I also think that blur Marketing’s Crowdsourced model is a very smart and innovative tool to bring strong talent together, connecting it in a non-intrusive way with prospective projects and employers. The model provides these prospective employers with a pool of strong candidates to choose from for short-term assignments, reducing overhead costs. The candidates, in turn, can hand-pick projects that match their expertise, while still maintaining autonomy over their work schedule.

This almost feels like a silly question to ask you in particular, but just how do you keep motivated in the marketing world?

My motivation comes from the exciting changes in technology and the world of media I see every day that have the power to change the way we communicate with one another and the way companies communicate with us. It also stems from the difference I feel I could make by implementing these changes in my own unique and creative way.

As consumers, we no longer have to wait by the sidelines, passively observing ads and let’s be honest, usually overlooking them. Now we have the opportunity to interact with these ads through contests, interactive games, votes, quizzes, blogs, etc. We also have a variety of platforms through which this interaction could occur, such as as mobile phones and kiosks, and are no longer restricted to our homes or computers for access. We now have a chance to voice our opinions, to express our creativity and our unique views on the world around us wherever we are through this continuous interaction, and in turn, we bond with the ads we see. They now take on a new, profound meaning to us that they never had before and we become personally invested in the products they are promoting.

I am excited about playing a key role in these changes, about being the catalyst that moves products from an impersonal, objective distance to a more intimate, key element in consumers’ emotional and physical daily lives.

Not only are changes in media and technology changing the relationship between consumers and advertisers, but they are also producing much more effective data mining and ROI capabilities as well. An ecosystem is gradually emerging that combines data exchanges, media exchanges, ad networks, advertising agencies and direct advertisers under a demand-side platform umbrella that offers valuable data and pricing transparency which ensures the highest possible ROI. Data exchanges now offer intent-oriented data, matching target audiences with their intent to buy, allowing much more predictive targeting on multiple levels, so that no impression is wasted. Media exchanges aggregate premium inventory from multiple ad networks at a lower cost and allow advertisers to bid in real-time so that they don’t pay higher than what their impressions are actually worth. Demand-side platforms combine all these exchanges into one interface to maximize seamless efficiency and to ensure that advertisers are not bidding against themselves.

I am excited about playing a key role in these changes, about being the catalyst that moves products from an impersonal, objective distance to a more intimate, key element in consumers’ emotional and physical daily lives. I am also excited about researching the ever evolving solutions, such as exchanges and the more precise and meaningful targeting methods mentioned above, that take the impression or the CPM/CPC dollar further then it went before. 
 
There is more to this process however, than creating the optimal idea to meet the client’s objectives.  After the media plan is sowed, in order for it to take root and show results, it must be monitored and tended, much like a garden.  This is where the post-sales work comes into play.  For me, it is important to take a campaign from inception to end.  I enjoy working across third-party ad servers and internal, creative, and Ad Ops teams to ensure all deliverables are efficiently distributed, and then monitoring campaign pacing to prevent under or over-delivery. And as my inquisitive nature always kicks in, I particularly enjoy tracking and analyzing audience engagement data, optimizing accordingly to achieve maximum ROI.  Then I can sit back and reap the rewards of knowing my campaign made a positive impact, at least until the next optimization I have to make of course!  There is no rest for the weary!

Overall the ultimate reward for me is seeing my clients happy and watching their businesses flourish as I flow with the media changes, and use my own creativity to build on these changes.Overall the ultimate reward for me is seeing my clients happy and watching their businesses flourish as I flow with the media changes, and use my own creativity, tenacity and analytical talent to build on these changes.

When you originally started, how difficult was it to prove yourself in digital advertising?

I received a strong head-start into my digital advertising career when, after completing my MBA in Marketing I took a Senior Account Executive role with an overseas full-service advertising agency.

While driving interactive business for this agency in the US, I put signifcant effort into researching US industry standards, and learned a lot about online advertising.  (I will soon touch further on my accomplishments at this agency and on its growth- please see below). Since I already had a basic understanding of the interactive media landscape, I was able to adapt very quickly when I started working at US-based advertising agencies. I was lucky enough to find opportunities to work with very strong brands right away, such as Disney, Samsung, AOL, etc., and this work not only equipped me with very strong experience in managing client expectations and an understanding of how to maximize campaign efficiencies, but it also allowed me to build a very strong Rolodex of publishers and agencies. All of these factors greatly contributed to the successful growth of my career.

Feel free to lend us your Rolodex sometime! Assuming it has, how has the emergence of Web 2.0 aided how you do business?

Ha Ha maybe I will post it to you sometime! For me Web 2.0 is a change that has essentially affected the way the world communicates, and has thereby affected each one of us personally and professionally.

As individuals, we now have the opportunity to stay connected to a much larger network of people. We are no longer isolated by distance and time. With the emergence of Web 2.0, these barriers are crossed more and more every year, and the gaps between us and others are gradually being bridged.

On a personal level, I find it much easier to connect with my peers, to communicate important information quickly and to stay in touch with a much broader circle of friends. On a professional level, I can now network in virtual media communities where I regularly learn about new trends and opportunities, and am able to participate in blogs and learn from my colleagues. As a professional digital media buyer/ planner, I can now advertise my clients’ products in a more meaningful way. I have the interactive platforms that allow me to promote products actively, engaging the audience, so that it is not just a passive observer, but is an involved user of the ad itself. I can also engage the audience now to share ads through viral applications, and accelerate product awareness through word-of-mouth digital marketing.

So would it be wise to say ‘A Media planner plans how to connect the consumer to the creative idea.’

I think this is one the key ingredients to a strong media plan. What separates the strong media plan from a weak one, is the ability to connect the consumer to the brand. It’s not enough to just develop a creative idea to accomplish this; a marketer needs to know how to make this creative idea relevant to the consumer and get that consumer to interact. If for example, you want to build a contest on Facebook to promote a product, you not only have to demo-target that audience, you may also want to use retargeting to behaviourly segment your audience as well by serving ads for this contest to consumers who typically visit contextually relevant placements or have clicked on an ad for that product previously, throughout Facebook or other sites. You may also want to customize the contest content to match your target audience’s needs and interests so they would be motivated to participate and in that way bond further with your product.

As well as connecting consumers to an idea you also have to connects clients which can be tricky and some may not always ‘get it’, have you experienced ‘creative difference’ between you and a client?

Yes, I have experienced ‘creative difference’ with a client before.  Although I did not agree with the client’s approach, I first listened to their reasoning and what they hoped to accomplish with their idea- I made sure I understood the client’s perspective first.  I still, however, did not think the client’s strategy would be the optimal way to reach their goals.  I did not want to force my strategy on them either, since they were more attached to their own.  Drawing on my professional expertise and past digital ad campaign experiences therefore, I took the middle road, and developed an alternative approach that resembled the client’s original request, but was more likely to produce the desired results. 
 
There are 2 key elements to keep in mind whenever faced with such a dilemma:  First, the client enlisted your services for a reason- to gain your professional take on their advertising campaign because they don’t have time to specialize in this area and may not be aware of all the subtleties required to build an effective campaign.  Second: clients are also human and need to feel that their ideas are taken seriously.  The solution is therefore to listen, to advise properly, and to show clients that you are doing everything you can to accommodate their creative style while achieving their ultimate campaign goals.

Moving on, we must note that you have a very adaptable and straight forward approach, what environment is best for you to work in and why?

Since I like to take initiative, yet love working with others, I thrive in an environment that fosters independent thinking and individuality, while maintaining a team-oriented atmosphere where there is a strong sense of community and collaboration. I believe the best results come forth where every individual is given the opportunity to work on their own and to also contribute their perspectives, where those perspectives are then discussed as a team to produce optimum solutions for the client.

Has your location helped or hindered where and how you work?

Living in New York has been a very strong catalyst to accelerating my career, because it is the hub of the advertising industry. This is where the action is, and I feel very lucky to live in an area where I can get opportunities with such great agencies as Inititiative Media Worldwide & ID Media (part of Interpublic Group), Cheil Communications, Continuity and Everyday Health Network and where I can gain exposure to such a strong portfolio of clients, i.e., Samsung, Disney, Brahma Beer, AOL, Computer Associates, Pfizer, Kellogs, etc.

You must have favourite campaign then? A campaign that stands out vividly in mind is the $7.5MM AOL media plan I executed for AOL. This was a complex buy which involved driving a high volume of engaged users to its 11 different verticals on a massive scale. It was my favourite campaign because it required a very strategic level of thinking where I had to find a way to build a high content and behaviorally targeted plan, reaching 11 different target audiences on a massive scale. This plan ultimately offered me the opportunity to prove my media planning talent on a very high level, where I demonstrated my ability to lead a team in the execution of a large budget, multi-level media buy that strategically combined 18 high content websites and 6 behaviorally targeted ad-networks.

Wow, so that must be the highlight of your career right? Yeah pretty much, leading the execution of the AOL media plan consisted of choosing 18 out of 30 niche content websites where I negotiated highly competitive rates, and capitalized on efficient performance-based CPC and low CPM inventory across six category specific ad-networks, with retargeting capabilities to ensure a higher level of engaged users. By implementing a balanced combination of pricing and targeting strategies, I was able to drive highly engaged users on a massive scale to each of the 11 AOL verticals, and increased traffic by 45%, which was 1.5x the campaign projection.

Another highlight of my digital media career was the role that actually launched this career, which I mentioned previously at the top. After graduating with my MBA in marketing, I became a Senior Account Executive with an overseas full- advertising agency that was on the brink of entering the US market. I was charged with driving the interactive business in NY, and although this was my first involvement with online advertising, I learned the industry quickly, and not only guided my company around the US industry standards, but also landed brand-name accounts such as Western Union, Forex Gain Capital and Foxwoods Resort Casino. My most rewarding moments came however, when these clients were so pleased with the results of their campaigns, they re-signed for multiple quarters. I was very grateful that I had this opportunity because it allowed me to work in a variety of diverse roles, i.e., sales, media planning and campaign management, and provided me significant exposure to interactive advertising from multiple angles.

What was it like to work for big brands such as Samsung and Western Union? It has been an honor to work with such strong brands like Samsung and Western Union. Since the accounts were very high profile, they were very demanding and I interacted with my clients on a daily basis. It was also very exciting to build campaigns for these clients, as they required strong strategy and creativity. For example, in preparing a media plan for a new Samsung mobile product, I was involved in developing a Youtube contest that would introduce this new product to the youth audience by allowing them to interact with its technological features online. I was also able to double Western Union’s Russian American consumer base (which has many relatives abroad to transfer money to) by strategically placing them on high contextually relevant placements on sites exclusively targeted toward that audience.

You also worked for prolific brand Disney, (our inner child screams with delight) we have to ask what was it like working for the company responsible for some of the most loved cartoon characters? As an avid Disney fan and supporter, it was a true pleasure to promote Disney products to children and moms across the nation. I worked with a variety of different Disney campaigns and had the privilege to be exposed to many of its brands. As Disney had to adhere strict legal guidelines, I was very mindful of the sites I chose, and I only worked with ad networks that allowed cherry-picking. Although this posed a creative challenge, it ironically trained me to be more innovative, as I was forced to think outside the box more than usual to overcome legal barriers and promote the brand through more creative channels. The inherent creativity in Disney products themselves however, inspired my ideas on how to help make these products come to life for Disney’s audience.

Ever been to Disney world?( blame our inner child for this question) I’ve been to Disney world as a child, and have wanted to return ever since. I believe you can never be too old to visit Disney World, because it radiates a certain vitality and wonder that speaks to each one of us in a unique way at every stage of our lives. It is precisely this magic that we need to infuse into all of our campaigns to make them shine and speak to our audience in their own language, in much the same way as Disney World speaks to each one of us.

We like the way you put that, now before we harass you with more questions about Disney, tell us about Virtual Edge Media Consulting ? Virtual Edge Media Consulting is what I named my consulting practice/ freelance work, where I offer advertisers my expertise in online media planning and buying, providing services in the following areas:

• Insightful media direction in today’s constantly evolving

digital landscape

• Efficient media plans/ buys with US & overseas targeting

• Multi-cultural advertising with a focus on the Russian

American and Hispanic American market

• Tracking, reporting & optimization

• Creative executions including video, banner and website

development.

My services range from full-service campaigns to piece-meal offers, which I customise to each client’s goals and target audience. I provide initial in-depth consultations for advertisers at any campaign stage. So far, I had managed to build a strong client portfolio that includes advertisers such as m80 (one of GroupM’s specialist services), Ammirati, New Tours, Mediaswirl, iKobo & Zedo, across multiple industries, i.e., finance, travel, retail, consumer electronics, money transfer, etc.

What does the future hold for you?

I hope to eventually build a home for myself in a company that fosters a spirit of individuality and team-work, where I can achieve my dual goal of being a part of a team/ a community, but still maintain a sense of individuality and initiative.  I would like to work in an environment that would allow me to grow on a professional and individual level, so that I could give back in turn, and contribute to the ultimate growth of my team and clients, achieving a higher meaning in my career.  I also hope to eventually take on more management responsibility, so that I will have a greater level of client interaction and will eventually be the ultimate decision maker on client recommendations.
 
Beyond career growth, my aspiration lies in immersing myself in the evolving capabilities that help advertisers bring their products to individuals who have demonstrated purchase intent, and engage those individuals with their products optimizing implementation of these capabilities as I go along. I would like to be at the forefront of such strategic marketing that doesn’t simply inform consumers but engages them to actively participate in a larger cause which holds a certain meaning to them, raising their emotional involvement with the product and the ad, and thereby increasing their probability to buy.

Lastly our inner child has one more question, If you were a Disney character, who would you be and why? I would be Cinderella because she didn’t simply wish upon a star and wait for her dream. She actively believed in it. When her stepmother promised her a chance to go to the ball and meet the prince as long as she did all her chores, Cinderella performed each task meticulously. In the face of betrayal and disappointment at her stepmother’s eventual refusal to let her go to the ball, she did not break down, but allowed her mouse friends to sow her a new dress. And even then, when her jealous angry stepsisters ripped the dress off of her, she opened her heart to hope yet again when she allowed her godmother to transform her rags into a beautiful dress and chariot. She then boldly went to the ball, and danced with the prince, and even after losing him again, she still asked the prince’s servants to fit the shoe on her foot. Cinderella never gave up, in the face of multiple disappointments, failures and heartbreaks, she persevered, and kept trying new and innovative ways to find her prince, and live out her dream. That is the motto I follow in life- to keep believing, to keep dreaming, and to actively turn those dreams into reality.

In much the same way, we as marketers must keep creating, keep thinking of new and improved ways to capture our audience, and then to turn those strategies into measurable results that will maximize the advertiser’s ROI and convert their audiences into loyal long-term consumers.

Awww, we were always a Little Mermaid fan, To connect with Svetlana and have a strategy that will allow you to live happily ever after, click here

Scientists at IBM (or boffins as Britain’s Sun newspaper might describe them) have revealed that they are attempting to develop technology which will enable adverts to focus  and reflect our personal interests.

Seen it before somewhere? Yes, it is just like that film with Tom Cruise that you’re trying to remember the name of… Just to put you out of your misery, it was Minority Report (2002).

The technology exists through the same principle as the wireless tags (known as RFID chips) used on the London Underground Oyster Cards, and is sneaking its way onto a credit card and mobile phone near you soon. If the tags can be encoded, your spending habits will be recorded onto a great database, which in turn will be converted to specific adverts when you pass electronic billboards.

IBM believes consumers will enjoy this new form of direct marketing as they will only have adverts that appeal to them. Actually, for a brief second, the thought of being spared DFS sofa ads for the rest of my life was quite an attractive proposition…

In all seriousness, it’s a scary thought. Imagine walking down the road, to hear your name called out to you several times, each time focussing on an angle which tailor fits your shopping habits, your lifestyle and your mindset. Distracting? Certainly. Marketers dream? Perhaps- they will be appealing to a safe and direct audience- but not a wider demographic which a marketer might wish to target. Invasion of privacy? You decide.

Speaking to the Daily Telegraph, Brian Innes, a research scientist at IBM said: “”In Minority Report, the billboards recognize passers-by and play adverts that are specific for the individual.

“In the film, the billboards rely on scanning the person’s eyeball, but we are using RFID technology that people are carrying around with them, so they can have a tailor made message.”

That’s not really a message of reassurance though, is it? Fine, it’s not quite on the same level as Minority Report, but for anyone that’s watched the film, would you really want to live in a society that replicates the Big Brother state in any sort of form?

And before you start to think this is all hype, balderdash and scare-mongering… watch out! Japanese engineers have already developed a billboard which identifies a shopper’s age and gender as they walk past- offering applicable products which might match their demographic.

It’s real people. It’s scary. And it could make advertisers a bucket full of money too!

“We watched various brands and companies within our industry and elsewhere struggle, sometimes fail, to achieve their objective, which is always to get closer to the customer, to know more, to create a relationship” – Mike Boush, Vice President of E-Business, Discover Financial Services

Phishing, hacking and mystery transfer accounts from a mystery uncle in Nigeria, it usually doesn’t bode well when credit cards, banking and the Internet are placed in the same sentence, well today we shall discuss how the Internet is actually working for major card brands…

The market’s major card brands issuers are forever searching for new ways to use social media sites to capture market intelligence and to promote their products and services. In the traditional marketing and advertising world interaction with customers were greatly compromised due to there not being an open forum that customers could access at their own will. Therefore the boom in social media websites is like the social Aladdin’s lamp, fulfilling their wishes about finding out how the customers think. US Magazine Payments Source published this year an analysis of the way how the major card issuers are using social media to build awareness and sales.

Discover Discover started the web 2.0 journey with the “Insider Discover” blog offering advice to consumers. Among the subjects covered were: mobile applications for account management, tips on choosing card designs, rewards and terms, student loans. Discover created another blog “I Love Cashback Bonus” where cardholders share tales about how they spent their rewards. Both blogs were started in 2009 and linked with the Discovery Facebook page.

Mastercard

 MasterCard focused on Facebook through “The MasterCard Priceless Gift Finder” which used FB Connect to suggest presents for users’ families and friends. Through “Priceless Pick” the consumers can list their favorite restaurants, tourist sites and travel tips. “Priceless Pointers” is a source for financial advice. All three were launched in 2009. MasterCard launched also separately “Easy Savings” which offers small business rebates on purchases and operates independently of the other three.

Visa

“Visa Small-Business Network” was started in 2008 and 15% of the content is provided by users. Half of the content is provided by Visa’s third party partners and the rest is produced by Visa internally. Also Visa integrated Youtube, Facebook and TV advertising in Go World 2010 Olympic Winter Games promotions.

American Express

American Express used social media in the near past to configure the features of the new Zync charge card for young adults. The brand created its online community and will market the card through Facebook. Amex’s “Open Forum” offers a tool to help entrepreneurs market their businesses, find vendors and build relationships. “The Pulse”, another Open feature brings together information from the microblogging platform Twitter.

Barclaycard U.S. helped U.S. Airways sign up frequent fliers this year with a Facebook game called the “Miles Away Challenge”. JPMorgan Chase & Co asked Facebook users to vote on what small charities should receive donations.

The preferred platforms for the major card issuers are Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin , Youtube and blogging so next time instead of worrying about phishing, go fish instead and see how these credit card companies can work for you….