Lessons Learned For Today and the FutureM

Last week, I had a great opportunity to mix and mingle with marketers as we navigated through the world of technology. Digital media will always be about bridging the gap between the real world and the virtual world, while contributing to the overall ROI, and making a true connection with the audience.

The forces came together to kick off the FutureM week of events at the Harvard Faculty Club with the Gravity Summit. It was located at the Harvard campus where the social media platform Facebook was born. The event broke new ground bringing a great group of speakers and attendees from across the country. People showcased their marketing stories using social media showing how big brands have made a few “Friends” and “Followers” along the way. Executives that contributed were from Bing, Mr. Youth, former CNN reporter Rick Sanchez, Audi, CFO of Hootsuite and others. I listened and tweeted away with new tips to share. Here is a link to a list of presentations that might be useful for you.

Respect, Recognition and Reward!

At the Gravity Summit, speaker Doug Clark, GM of Social Media and Customer Engagement for Audi, provided some solid advice to marketers. He shared a story of a woman that was a fan of the Audi TT Quattro sports car. Women are a great demographic for the brand. They made one woman’s wish come true with a car! Doug and his team followed the story of one special lady and listened to her interests and desire to drive the car. The company decided to drive to her door with the Quattro for her to take it for a spin! This is one great example using social media. Audi listened to its influencers and took the right action to create the right opportunity. As Greg Shove, CEO of Halogen Media shared also at the Summit, “Find the most interesting person, or activity that can take on a life of its own on your behalf and watch it grow.”

Stop. Collaborate. Listen to Your Audience.

Matt Britton, CEO of Mr. Youth said, “Friends want to connect with other friends, collaborate and have control of their privacy.” Why is that concept so hard for some companies to understand that same notion online? It’s how we want to connect and relate to each other in the real world so why should communicating online be any different?

As Audi’s Doug Clark presented his approach and I provided my comments:

• Offer a seat at the table - Welcome your audience
• Open doors – Make it easy for one to engage without barriers
• Create a win/win – Make it something rewarding for both parties
• Recognize a need – Determine your customers needs or wants
• Be quick to respond – Learn to take action and be agile
• Learn from audience – Take action based on new insights
• Listen and engage – Keep your ears/eyes alert searching for comments
• See yourself through the eyes of the customer – Put yourself in their shoes
• Be honest and authentic – Say it from the heart, and always be true to yourself and your brand

The Theme at FutureM was MOBILE
“Hi, I’m Human. Remember That?”

"App-tizers" to Choose and Make Real Connections with Customers

It’s not just about calling a friend, but rather a connection to “reaching out and touch someone” with new tools and social media tactics. Yet, so often I keep seeing marketing professionals trying to fit in with the wrong approach. Good examples include QR codes and checking in with Foursquare to check-out. Some disruptive technologies and changes are good, but remember to listen and learn from the natural daily actions, behaviors and what people want.

Chris Mahl, Chief Brand Alchemist of Levelup and SCVNGR, spoke at FutureM’s event and suggested for marketers to recognize, “What are the noticeable behaviors, what does your audience respond to, and make sure to treat your customer as an individual.” People need people, convenience and value – not a quirky gimmick or a link that just drives you to a website with no proper direction. You need to make it personalized to drive impulse and purpose.

John Caron, SVP of Marketing for Modiv Media, noted when marketing mobile, or for marketing anything for that matter, you must remember, “Reach, relevance and recognition.” When creating or defining the attributes of you product and/or service, be sure to consider those three aspects as part of putting together the message. Listen to what your audience seeks and the unique connection to you or your business. Regardless of the new toys we have available to play with today and into tomorrow, we all have strong emotions and there is a difference in how we all want to be treated, recognized and valued as human beings.

The Thrill of the Hunt

Shopping For Style and So Much More

Women love to shop. We enjoy the company and the social aspect with friends. It’s sometimes a casual stroll through the mall, or on a mission to find that special something for the right occasion. We hope to find something to buy as we go from store to store touching, looking, smelling, and taking in all the sights and sounds. I love the feeling of finding that great shirt, skirt, dress, or something new to make me feel good as I walk through that room. There’s always that accessory making the entire outfit complete to accent your personality or fashion flair.

Finding a bargain is always best. TjMaxx and Marshalls make for a fun adventure to shop and offers the thrill of the hunt to finding that right fit at the right price. Finding the right man or woman to share a life together can be similar to searching for that right fit. However, it’s something we can’t buy to earn one’s affection and attention.

Women and men may seek one another for comfort, company, a connection, communication, companionship, chemistry and more. We casually date in hopes to find it. It’s scary to see the similarities of the thrill of shopping for clothes to complement your wardrobe and the thrill of searching for that special someone. We may not need it, but we just WANT IT! What do we really want to feel satisfied? Do the clothes we wear add to our confidence to believe in who we are and what we can offer? The models in magazines and the images in the media could make some feel insecure. Perhaps, it’s the marketing that inspires us to look the best we can be. Most of us want the companionship and closeness with a person that can bring out the best.

We discover the person; a special woman or a man that recognizes our distinct attributes to make us feel we are part of the same thread. We respect and learn to adore another person that can appreciate our entire ensemble and the accents we offer with our personality. It’s how we dress to express and impress showing off our casual-side, conservative,and sporty style.  As we walk down the runway of life, it’s the right guy or gal that can appreciate all our numerous looks.

Men love their fast cars, clothes, toys and technology gadgets. Most of all, it’s having fun to show them off to their friends. Most men hate to shop, but think they know what they want. It’s not until someone else blurts out, “What were you thinking?!“

Clothes don’t make the man (or a woman), nor do their gadgets, cars, or something else. As for some men, the thrill of the hunt might be the chase to finding the next female, a new toy, or something more. It could be a confidence boost for certain men that want to win the prize and for others to know they will always be adored. A man, or a woman might have it all, but could always be in search for something more. As for some women, the thrill of the hunt might be the chase to find that next Chanel bargain. Despite the fact, we probably have Gucci, Louis Vuitton, or Christian Dior as our collection of fashionable designer men.

Does marketing cause us to feel we are missing out on something that plays on our fears of inadequacy? One must feel secure. It’s not until we lose someone special, or review certain items in our closet to reflect on its importance and value. We look back on the good memories and either decide to hold onto it, or discard it.

The Thrill of the Hunt and the Final Celebration

There are some women that are looking to show off a man as an accessory, as there are men that seek the same to feel good in the company of a woman. It’s all in how you carry yourself when you are with a man or a woman and letting your confidence shine from within. Don’t make someone your life, but let one complement it. Be proud to have him or her by your side. Don’t let the clothes make the man, but wear them with pride.

There is the thrill of the hunt for finding clothes, fast cars and meeting that next girl or guy. There is a big difference between the two. Love isn’t something you find on the shelf, but let it find you and you’ll be surprised! One can’t play games once feelings are established, but rather be genuine and honest. Be yourself. Express yourself and don’t compromise your happiness. It’s not about adding a new look or outfit, but rather finding something or someone who makes you feel comfortable, confident and ready to put your best foot forward. Don’t follow trends with style and search to fit in with something, or someone who doesn’t flatter you best. It can be frustrating until you find it.

Sometimes spending more for that something extra special is worth a little more time and consideration. Part of finding that right man, or woman is giving much thought to the decision. It’s not something you can buy, but rather a special relationship is something you earn with someone gaining the full respect, admiration and care for that other person. It’s about finding the right one that fits, a diamond in the rough to add to that finger, a special person to hold onto a lifetime and share the colorful moments together.

ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE: What’s All This Tech Talk?

BIRDS OF A FEATHER WILL FLOCK TOGETHER

Follow the Tweety Bird, Right?

I’m open-minded to using new advancements in technology and communicating with others through different channels. I understand this @Me, @You, @WeAreAwesome, @ListenToMe, @MyBrand, @WhoAreYou on Twitter and now appearing everywhere. I wonder how did this shorthand “tech talk” evolve and what does it mean to the future of communication?

"Copy and study this list of text messaging spelling words. We will have a test tomorrow."

The social media ninjas and mavens equate Twitter to a conversation between others at a party. Yet, more people at business events are communicating with one another picking up their phone to make a Twitter statement rather than walking over to carry on a conversation. In some strange way by attending an event with a room full of people sharing a similar hashtag creates a safe environment to connect to the panel and/or the audience. I appreciate the opportunity to read different viewpoints from others sharing their thoughts on Twitter. Although it surprises me that some are still too shy to approach one another in a real face-to-face conversation. For others, the mobile medium is just the thing to make the introduction easier to break the ice and say hello.

BRB, LOL, RT, bit.ly, ow.ly, #hashtag, ^KS

Do you ever wonder who chooses the characters that are adopted by many to speak with one another on Twitter? Why is this language appearing in other everyday conversations that it has become acceptable? As people increase the use of Smartphones, texting, Twitter and so forth, English is starting to become a second language as a set of digital words takes on new form.

Over the years, prestigious awards have been given to authors that have been recognized for their talents and their extraordinary use of the English language. During this day and age, we praise others for the most ‘LIKES’ and ‘Followers’ that have crafted their characters and content in a way to gain recognition. We edit our comments keeping things concise because time is precious to capture one’s attention. The popular search-engines start to highlight these commonly used terms and comments at the top of its rankings that others start to copy the style. As more people use new technology and the “talking trends” become mainstream, it’s all right to abbreviate in other areas of communication.

CRM, ABAP, GAAP, MoMA, OSHA

In business, employees use a set of acceptable acronyms instead of certain words to communicate with their colleagues and their audience. They even have an acronym finder online to help one understand the latest terminology! The ability for one to grasp new terms is important to comprehend, communicate, and keep on top of new business trends and product enhancements. Who determines this acceptable language of acronyms? Is it a group of high-level executives that make these terms formally accepted by employees and later funnels down to the marketing collateral and communications?

A New Language

In today’s society, we are obsessed with expressing our point-of-view with one stroke of a button limited to 140 characters. Some people write condensed statements such as ‘u’ instead of  writing ‘you’. In some cases, people have focused too much on their Facebook status/Twitter updates that they have neglected other forms of communication using proper structure and complete sentences.

Twitter Gibber

At one time, tweets such as “RT @kerisays, Twitter worth $3.7 billion http://tcrn.ch/hizxcZ! Twitter birds will flock, talk and tweet tonight at Boston’s #MegaTweetUp. See you there,” didn’t have much meaning to most. Today, it’s a common use of symbols and words understood by followers. The frequent use of email, text, Twitter, and Facebook updates have caused people to accept this new form of speech for everyday conversations. The introduction of Twitter created a new language and set of rules, as well as new businesses that have sprung up for people to tweet, ReTweet, post, and abbreviate their conversations.

Although it’s sometimes hard to define all these digital words and abbreviations as they’re constantly changing, it’s also interesting to learn how people seek new ways to be accepted by others, connect and communicate.

I hope in the near future we don’t start saying  “@Command = Hi, how are you?, @Command = Good, how are you?”

Don’t forget the human element and BE REAL. Remember when writing to someone, or speaking with your audience to connect through meaningful and memorable statements. Don’t just follow what seems to be the trend and believe it will help you to attract others. Adopting new styles of communication is fine in the right context, but we should not promote the poor usage of the English language with abbreviations and “tech talk” in other ways when corresponding with people.