Marketing in Real Life

Patriot’s Day has traditionally been about honoring the revolutionaries who helped the United States come into existence, and for many people it still is.   But as someone who was raised in Boston it means more than that to me.   Patriot’s Day (or Marathon Monday as many Bostonians refer to it) reminds us all that if you believe in something and are willing to take chances you can make a difference.   That there is pride in being a local and participating in local traditions (i.e., pushing yourself to the limit or bbq'ing and drinking beer while other people run). And that challenging authority is not only a right but a responsibility if you want to make a difference.   In short, while I’ve never fought in a war, Patriot’s Day always reminds me that there is often a better way if you’re willing to fight for it, what does it mean to you?

As anyone who reads this blog knows, I am a believer in good old fashioned market research and testing. But I am also fan of moving (and winning or failing) fast. Often times we as marketers let the perfect be the enemy of the good when it comes to testing. There is unquestionably a place for scientific rigor but how do we get the list of things that make it to that stage. To me, it's simply putting things in market and seeing what happens, even if the results are only directional. Because directional is certainly better than directionless.

Remember 6 weeks ago when everyone was up in arms about Facebook’s Timeline being forced on brand pages?  Well, the conversion date came and went and anyone not obsessed with social media marketing didn’t seem to notice.   That’s because even with Timeline  in place (which I like), the average Facebook user doesn’t go to Pages, they spend their time in their own newsfeed.  In the end, all that matters is the content you are posting and whether it is relevant and engaging for your audience.  Which of course is nothing new and has nothing to do with Timeline.   Check out some recent research I helped out with below to see why people like your Page in the first place.

I watch a lot of tv - and I mostly love Twitter - but I often wonder why the networks are so focused on making sure everyone loves Twitter. I think the answer is actually very simple.  Twitter is one of the last bastions of the group, live experience with information and commentary being shared in real-time. That means it is also one of the few ways that the networks can really drive live, measurable engagement  with their viewers. So, shows like American Idol and The Voice are forcing all of their contestants and judges to tweet and pushing hashtags to show advertisers that they matter while they are happening (although the lack of social authenticity can be jarring.) In a DVR world, you have to admire that networks are at least making a valiant effort to give people a reason to watch together, whether they are in the same room or just sharing the online space.

Late last week Simply Measured  put out a widely covered story talking about how engagement was 46% for brands on Facebook since converting to Timeline.  A timely (and very tweet-able) headline for sure as brand pages were being forced into Timeline.  Being a researcher at heart I felt it was my duty to read beyond the headline and check out the sample used for the study.  And what I found was an examination of a handful of brands, most of whom were of Fortune 500 size.  So, while the headline was great,  the data was misleading and of minimal relevance to most readers. In a blurb centric world this kind of reporting can be dangerous and highlights why headlines and small sample sizes don't mix well.