A Few Tips for Spotting It in the Wild Posted by David Armano in Advertising Age 9-16-09
Recently my colleague Peter Kim and I found ourselves in close contact with a "social media expert." The problem was this expert was sucking in the feed of my blog without permission and attribution and had more holes in his resume than a slice of Swiss cheese. So how do you separate the social-media snake oil from the vinegar? It's not easy, but here's a few pointers:
1. My last job was selling junk bonds. As I mentioned in social media's dirty little secrets, there's a bandwagon to be jumped on. As you do background checks around the people you choose to partner with in social business, you should be able to see ties from the past to what they are doing now. Has this person been working in community- or internet-related fields? That's a good sign. Was this person selling pre-paid calling cards? Maybe not so good. There are no hard rules here, but some previous positions transfer better than others. Use common sense.
2. I'm an expert, just see the testimonials. Actually there really isn't anything wrong with self-identifying yourself as an expert in a field or including things people said about you. However, it's up to you to leverage tools like Google, LinkedIn, etc., to see what others have said or investigate further -- don't just take them at their word.
3. I can guarantee you X number of followers. Anyone who starts their pitch by promising friends, followers, or even positive word of mouth is suspicious. This tells you they're looking to "sell you" a quick fix, which is probably in response to people placing such a big emphasis on metrics such as this. A social way of doing business is often a slow burn with complex problems that need to be addressed. There are no silver bullets in an industry built on connections, relationships and the direct empowerment of citizens.
4. Social media will save you. No it won't. Anyone framing social media as the solution to the world's problems is either drinking Koolaid or looking to make a buck. That said, the prospect of doing business in a socially calibrated fashion is bigger than a new communication channel, it's a shift that's causing changes. However, never confuse shift with salvation.
5. Build it and they will socialize. Be wary of anyone selling a point solution that promises instant social interactions, conversations, collaboration, etc. Many businesses fail because they were built at the wrong time, in the wrong place or with the wrong tools. Any respectable practitioner will try to investigate where fertile ground is before building anything -- and will tell you if there isn't any.
Bottom line, there's unfortunately a short-term business model for hucksters out to make a buck at your expense. That's because the field is still young and there isn't much that's been established -- it's a bit of a Wild West scenario. This, ironically, is the period in time when the snake oil salesmen thrived.
235 Million Listen to Radio Every Week
Radio reaches more than 235 million persons age 12+ over the course of a typical week, according to the RADAR 102 National Radio Listening Report which releases 9/21. Since the December 2007 RADAR 95 report, the RADAR national radio listening estimates and network radio audience reports have been based on PPM respondents from within commercialized PPM markets and on diary respondents from the balance of the United States. The combination of PPM and diary respondents have shown more listeners to radio over the course of a week versus the 2007 RADAR listening reports which were based on diary respondents alone.
As additional radio markets transition to electronic measurement, total radio reach is revealed to be larger than in previous surveys. Listening to RADAR Network Affiliate stations has also risen year over year. Over the course of a typical week, more than 214 million persons age 12 and older tune to the more than 7,700 RADAR Network Affiliated stations, up from 210 million listeners one year ago in RADAR 98.
Radio reaches 92% of persons 12+ each week, despite the adoption of MP3 players and the growth of Internet-only stations. Even 90% of the youngest radio audience, teens ages 12-17, most accustomed to using new technologies and forms of media, continue to tune in each week. Network radio also reaches nearly 85% of the ad elusive and media multi-taskers Adults 18-34.
The diversity of formats in radio attracts advertiser-coveted demographics in both Black Non-Hispanic and Hispanic persons.
• 92% of Black Non-Hispanic persons and 93% of Hispanic persons, age 12 and older tune into radio over the course of a week.
• Radio reaches about 93% of both Black Non-Hispanics and Hispanics age 18-49 over the course of a week.
• Network affiliated stations reach 89% of Black Non-Hispanic persons, and 81% of Hispanic persons, age 12 and older.
Radio Reaches the Educated and Affluent
Radio reaches 95% of college graduates ages 25-54. 95% of adults 25-54 with a college degree and an annual income of $50,000 or more tune into radio over the course of a week.
Network affiliated stations reach nearly 86% of college graduates ages 18-49 with a household income of $75,000 or more. All radio stations reach close to 95% of this age group.
Continuing the sample increase initiative, the sample size for RADAR 102 is now composed of 345,230 respondents.
www.rbr.com
Wizard of Ads
"Branding" is the hot new buzzword favored by smooth-talking
ad people who always seem to speak as though it were
something new and mysterious. I have yet to find even one
of these empty suits who has the slightest idea of how
branding is accomplished in the mind.
Branding is far from new. Ivan Pavlov won a Nobel prize for his
research into branding in 1904. Remember the story? Day after day,
Pavlov would ring a bell as he rubbed meat paste onto the tongue of
a dog. The dog soon began to associate the taste of the meat with
the sound of the bell until salivation became the dog's conditioned
response. In psychological terms, this is implanting an associative
memory - in other words, "branding," in its full glory.
There are three keys to implanting an associative memory into
the mind of your customer. The first key is consistency. Pavlov never
offered food without ringing the bell, and he never rang the bell
without offering food. The second key is frequency, meaning that
Pavlov did it day after day after day.
The third key, anchoring, is the tricky one. When an associative
memory is being implanted, the new and unknown element (the bell)
has to be associated with a memory that's already anchored in the
mind (the taste of meat). Frequency and consistency create branding
only when your message is tied to an established emotional anchor.
Pavlov's branding campaign was anchored to the dog's love for the
taste of meat. If the dog did not love meat, the frequent and consistent
ringing of the bell would have produced no response other than to
irritate the dog.
If I say, "lt's a Norman Rockwell kind of restaurant," you immediately
think of the place as being cozy, happy, warm, innocent, and kid-friendly, right? Your assumptions about the restaurant are anchored to your feelings about the art of Norman Rockwell. If I frequently
and consistently cause you to associate the restaurant with
Norman Rockwell, I am implanting an associative memory into your
mind - branding,
The buying public is your dog. If you desire a specific response
from it, you must tie your identity to an emotional anchor that's
already known to elicit the desired response. If you make such an
association consistently and frequently, branding will occur. But don't
expect too much too soon. It takes a lot of repetition to train the dog
to salivate at the sound of your name.
Radio reaches more than 235 million persons age 12+ over the course of a typical week, according to the RADAR 102 National Radio Listening Report which releases 9/21. Since the December 2007 RADAR 95 report, the RADAR national radio listening estimates and network radio audience reports have been based on PPM respondents from within commercialized PPM markets and on diary respondents from the balance of the United States. The combination of PPM and diary respondents have shown more listeners to radio over the course of a week versus the 2007 RADAR listening reports which were based on diary respondents alone.
