Tag Archive for 'perception'

My Inspiration Shared for 20081009

Published
by
Ehren
on October 9, 2008
in Interests, Mentions, fun and marketing
. 0 Comments

This week was a tough one for spotting things that really inspired me, but the few that stood out were priceless.

Magnetism Renewed

In elementary school, we used to have science projects and what better way to spend time with dad than for him to do the science project for me! We had this science experiments book for kids and I kept choosing to do stuff from it. Okay so he gradually made me take on all the work but nevertheless, I still remember the whole experiment surrounding magnetism and iron filings. In case you don’t know what i’m talking about — here’s a photo courtesy of School for Champions (alas, no i did not attend…it did not exist during my time in elementary school).

The idea was to actually have a magnet below the piece of paper — sprinkle the iron filings on — and then use hair spray or something similar to keep the filings glued in position so that when you remove the magnet — ta da! You’ve got yourself a natural piece of art.

Anyways, if you thought that was cool — check out these crazy magnetic fields displayed in this video because it is brilliant. Okay you’re probably asking me why I am so inspired? Simple. The opportunity to actually visualize how magnetic fields and frequencies are acting and responding to the environment is fascinating to me and if that’s a little too scientific for you — think of how people typically respond to an advertisement or a sales person or even to one another. If we can visualize the interaction in a similar manner, we can begin to understand the influencing factors — why sales people on the floor scare people like me away, or why some people adore bookstores while others (like me) dislike how booksellers have traditionally operated. Sound far-fetched? Perhaps, but I’ll leave it there for some more thought while you check out the actual video.


Magnetic Movie from Semiconductor on Vimeo.

Marketing != Good or Bad, Marketing = Ideas and Choices

I happened to over hear Sonny Gill retweet David Mullen’s call for marketers and media to wield their power for good. I guess it’s a struggle and burden that all marketing people have to carry because typically the ultimate goal for any sales and marketing role is the sell-through of a product but ultimate question would be — are we all truly profiting in the long-term by distorting perceptions and ignoring our impact on society (no matter how big or small) for short-term gain?

Perception is such a strong force in the world that it can make or break economies (just think of the stock market) — and it can do so with societies as well. So if we each have that opportunity do something greater for the world around us — why don’t we choose that over the numbers? That was rhetorical so don’t answer that …

David pointed out a number of great videos notably one called “Amy” and he states:

So I found myself asking “do marketers and media have actual influence over how consumers’ view themselves and the world around them?” I say, “yes.” That led to a bigger question. If so, do we have a responsibility to use that power for good more often? I’m interested in what you think about that.

Okay, on to the videos… My personal favorite is “Amy,” because it sums up how 99% of men feel about their significant other, even though they usually don’t believe us.

I think this is a great video and that Dove has pushed a tremendous initiative but at the same time, it is important to keep in mind that this is merely just the beginning because it is technically trying to address what we have done wrong for such a long period of time.

Getting the BIG Picture

I happened to hear Darren Barefoot over twitter mentioning some BIG photographs. Now it’s hard for me to resist checking out anything photography related so I was pleasantly surprised by some stunning photographs by Yann Arthus-Bertrand presented by The Boston Globe. He shares his photographs as wallpaper (although I wish I could get them at higher resolution) but nevertheless make sure you check them out for yourself — a whopping 2000 of them.

My favourite is this one here.

These photographs seriously changes your perception.

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Ditch That Same Old Plan

Published
by
Ehren
on July 24, 2008
in Aspirations, Ponderings and marketing
. 2 Comments

I’ve noticed that a growing number of companies are seeking online marketers — and generally, they are looking for someone who will lead them in the right direction.  Funny thing is that they’ll ask for an assistant or coordinator to take them in the direction.  After speaking with some fellow online marketers, we came to the conclusion that there is a consistent battle between online marketing initiatives and the ironically persistent perception that traditional marketing creates more progress and sales.

The Problem

This mistake in perception is caused by the poor awareness and misunderstanding of the fact that online marketing requires time and patience more than anything to develop for success.  It is the act of reaching out to the customer as opposed to trying to shout at them via an advertisement.

Photograph by Cosmic Kitty

The Circumstances

One of the biggest obstacles to adopting a new approach to marketing is the fact that the traditional business model is still running.  What’s more of a challenge is the fact that employees tend to receive double to quadruple the workload because the company is in transition.

The problem with this approach is that unless a business is willing to take on more employees, the workload exponentially increases.  Unlike traditional marketing is generally where you promote, advertise and forget, online marketing is about listening and changing.  This requires employees to constantly monitor the campaign and make the appropriate changes that suit the visitors or potential customer.  Take this idea and multiply that by the number of products or marketing campaigns you are launching.  There’s that looming pile of work that will crush your employees.

Forgetting about Tie-Ins or Letting them Pass

The more amusing aspect to marketing departments is that despite the awareness and understanding that print advertising no longer works the way it used to, we continue to pour money into it with no way of measuring some form of success and return.  Online marketing very often gets the snubbed because it is viewed as the “new” way of doing things and since it is still “growing up”, traditional advertising is still the best way to get the word out there about the product.  Let’s put it this way with some simple context:

If you set up an ad, how do you know if it is effective?

Set up an ad that contains a URL to your product, you can then determine some level of response to your ad by measuring your website statistics.  No one is claiming this is 100% accurate, but it does provide an idea. The larger companies definitely grasp this, but it appears there are still too many medium-sized and small businesses that don’t.  The concept is so simple, yet marketing departments let it fall through their grasp.

Don’t sell, Just Inspire

Selling will not sell anymore.  As I’ve said to clients, my employer, authors, friends, colleagues, and so many others:

Why should I care about your product?  Why would I take two minutes of my life to look at what you have to offer?  Would I even find this worthwhile enough to share with friends and family?  What am I going to do once I look at it?

One problem with so many products are that they simply exist for people to consume.  They don’t offer something greater — simple inspiration.  Products just aren’t prepared with inspiration in mind and when the time arrives to prepare a marketing campaign for it, there just isn’t anything to inspire with.

As an example:  Check out what this guy thinks of Koodo Mobile.

What Happens?

That same old plan.  Promotions with retailers. Flyers mailed out.  Press releases sent out.  Mass emails sent off.  Include in newsletters.  Pitch to television station producers.  Corporate sales.  Government contracts.  I can keep going.

Why?

Because we are comfortable with what is here and now.  We like to believe and feel that when we buy advertising space in a newspaper, that people actually pay attention to it; remember it; and will potentially go out and buy it.  When we think about how many thoughts go through someone’s mind per day, let alone per minute — that is an incredibly selfish perspective.  If we want people to think about the product we’re trying to promote, we better damn well have something worthwhile to say about it.

Show some respect!  Do you like it when someone’s yelling into your ear constantly about nothing worthwhile?

Photograph by gwaar

How?

Michael T. Kanazawa stated in the best manner possible in his recent manifesto on change.  Do more on less. NOT do more with less.  Focus on marketing fewer products.  Ditch the rest that just aren’t up to par.

To businesses, managers, and leaders who are reluctant in putting resources into online marketing initiatives or continue to perpetuate that same old plan, I challenge you to let go of it and develop a unique, innovative, and inspiring campaign for each of your products.  If you or your staff aren’t inspired by your products to inspire others, then I’d say you need a new product.

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