Your Brand Is Not My Friend: Twin Cities Version

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Your Brand Is Not My Friend Presented by Alan Wolk

Ad agencies are no longer about selling

They’re about “storytelling”

and “engagement”

They want to be our friend

But

But Your Brand Is Not My Friend

Ads used to deliver news

Then they became all about branding and image

Then along came The Real Digital Revolution

Google changed everything

Now we can fact check ad claims

And see what other consumers think

This has resulted in a complete change in consumer behavior

Before

Before AD

Before PURCHASE AD

Before PURCHASE AD Now

Before PURCHASE AD AD Now

Before PURCHASE AD AD GOOGLE Now

Before PURCHASE AD AD GOOGLE PURCHASE Now

AD GOOGLE PURCHASE That’s huge

Changes how we buy a car

Before: limited resources

Now: Full range of resources

New & improved needs to mean it

Faster!! Limited Time Only!!! New & improved needs to mean it

Your product needs to be buzzworthy

You want people talking about your product

It’s all about getting to Google

Once this happened, print and TV couldn’t close the sale anymore

They could offer compelling facts or create an image

So marketers looked at online

Microsites weren’t working: why would I go to one?

Neither were banners

When we “surfed” the web, banners took you someplace just as interesting as where you were

But now that we go online for a reason, we’re not likely to stop what we’re doing to “interact” with an ad

New ways to “engage” customers were needed

Social Media seemed like the next big thing

Everyone was becoming “friends” online

Why not brands?

Your Brand Is Not My Friend™

Social networks are today’s malt shops

It’s where we go to hang out with our friends

We don’t want to be interrupted by salespeople

But there are some brands people want to hear from

They’re called “Prom King Brands”

There are the usual suspects

Sports teams

TV shows, movies and music acts

99% of brands are not “Prom Kings”

But they can still play in social media

They just have to do it differently

Five steps to making social media work for you

Step 1: Identify a need you can help with

(Maxwell House drinkers like to save money)

Step 2: Figure out how to solve that need

(Coupons are always appreciated)

Step 3: Approach your targets as a salesperson

(Salespeople have web pages, not Facebook pages)

Step 4: Use Twitter for customer service or to share news. Don’t use it to sell.

(Customer service reps should have names)

Step 5: Don’t push it

(Give them the coupon and get out of the way)

Quick Case Study: Why Whole Foods does Facebook right

Facebook update in my inbox

$5 Coupon Facebook update in my inbox

$5 Coupon via PDF on external site Facebook update in my inbox

$5 Coupon via PDF on external site Signed by a real person Facebook update in my inbox

The Whole Deal site

The actual coupon

Whole Foods Facebook fan page

Links to WF external sites Whole Foods Facebook fan page

Links to WF external sites Useful videos Whole Foods Facebook fan page

Links to WF external sites Useful videos Store photos Whole Foods Facebook fan page

Whole Foods maintains consistency everywhere

WholeFoodsMarket.com - the consumer website

Blog WholeFoodsMarket.com - the consumer website

Blog Coupons WholeFoodsMarket.com - the consumer website

Recipes Blog Coupons WholeFoodsMarket.com - the consumer website

Contest Recipes Blog Coupons WholeFoodsMarket.com - the consumer website

The Whole Story blog

Contest The Whole Story blog

Contest Social media links The Whole Story blog

Contest Social media links Links to useful blogs The Whole Story blog

Follow this game plan and you will see results

Soon enough, they’ll start to like you

They may not always talk to you, but they will talk about you Which is exactly what you want:

To be part of the conversation

But what then? What if they’re talking about you and your competition And they like you both?

You’ll need to set yourself apart

But how?

That’s where branding comes into play again

You need to create an image for the brand

How you do that might not be with an ad

But rather with really great customer service

Really great design

Or really noteworthy innovations

Advertising serves as a reminder, not a driver

Brand messages now need to be more holistic. More than words on a page or images on TV

Consumers see ads as Potemkin villages

They’re tired of brands saying one thing... and doing another

And they want to see evidence, not ads

That’s why strategy is so important

Strategy is what sets brands... and ad agencies apart

Creativity is still important, but it will take on different forms to match the different media

We can no longer focus on ﬁnding the exact right shade of blue: it makes us contractors not architects

What will the creative department of the future look like?

Less collaboration: writers work on blogs & web site copy, art directors work on product and store design

More collaboration: tomorrow’s creatives will need to work with people with all sorts of job descriptions

That’s because agencies will be doing a lot of different things for clients, things that don’t ﬁt into the boxes of today’s 20th century agencies

Agencies will need to be ﬂexible and staffers will need to be able to do more than one thing

The more you can show that you are more than just a copywriter or an art director, the better.

That can mean writing a blog

Creating a program

Making your own video

Agencies are evolving daily. No one knows exactly what the future will look like. But I can assure you one thing:

It will be interesting

Thank You Minnesota

Questions?

Alan Wolk Toad Stool Blog: toadstoolblog.com Email: alan.wolk@mac.com

Your Brand Is Not My Friend: Twin Cities Version

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