I am a data lover -- stocks, rotisserie sports, weather -- anything that can assist me in my world of predictive thinking. I will immerse myself in the ether for hours evaluating sets of numbers. How can I validate my thinking? How can I determine what will happen next? What can I do to eliminate my own conjecture demons?

While there is precedent in all of these areas, I can't stop thinking, "shouldn't Interactive development be approached in a similar fashion?" Does a really good validation model exist? I've devoted most of my life to developing Interactive solutions for clients and many are still applying the wrong rules -- because they lack the data. Companies are making the same mistakes that have been made since the first generation of Websites because their implementations are built on conjecture. Often, they just end up mirroring the business model of their organization. I attend lengthy meetings where clients talk solely about their business. I want to stand up and shout, "I don't care about your business, I care about your users!"  What about their mental models? What do they want? What are their goals? Let's face it, if you go car shopping do you ask for a tour of the plant to see how it operates? Do you want to know more about senior management? Of course not! You want an automobile that is easy to use, provides benefits and yields a high level of satisfaction.

While there are "methodologies" that help us in developing Interactive media, most follow the traditional Discovery and Design process. Oh yeah, and if they are really clever they overlay it with some type of user experience exercise -- now we are talking. Now, imagine if you your Web initiatives were guided by data. Imagine if you could more accurately profile your users, determine their site goals and put methods in place to measure their levels of satisfaction. Imagine if your user-centered design was actually user centered?

We have started to immerse ourselves in the data at P+s. By combining the best principles from our brand, marketing, creative, user experience and technology areas, we have created a process that obsesses about users and validates their needs -- before Website development begins. Our iTraction offering starts with research and ends with a roadmap and release strategy that understands the Web continuum. In-depth research, site analysis, heuristic reviews, best-in-class analysis, personas and defined user goals provide the data! We can confidently raise the bar on customer experience while insuring brand reinforcement with every interaction. Finally, predictive thinking for the Web!

Posted by Jim Burke at 10:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I was lucky enough to get a peek behind the curtain of this campaign at the Marketing Sherpa B2B Demand Generation Summit in Boston.  Unisys wanted to target C-Level decision makers in Fortune 500 companies. More specifically they wanted to enhance the perception that Unisys was the best strategic partner for outsourcing solutions. Even more specifically, they wanted to focus on about 100 key execs within that list.

Sure, with such a small list, Unisys could have simply sent in their top sales people (and I’m sure they did). But they went way beyond that.

It started with a big idea: Unlearn Outsourcing. It was a great theme that challenged C-level folks to rethink their perceptions of outsourcing.

To this big idea they added another: hyper targeting. While hyper-targeting is not without controversy—especially in the free-wheeling social networking world of MySpace, Facebook, et.al.—it can be highly effective when done right.

Unisys knew exactly who their top 100 prospects were. They knew where they worked, where they lived, how they commuted, etc. So they leveraged that knowledge and ran a drive to web campaign aimed at specific individuals.

Unisys ran outdoor ads along specific commuting routes. They wrapped select commuter trains. They used Captivate to message to key prospects within their own office buildings. They created magazine covers with personalized photos and messaging. They even sent these top 100 individuals a dimensional mailer complete with a video iPod pre-loaded with a personal message.

And then things really got targeted.
 

Once an individual went to the Website, he or she was greeted by name and a hand-picked list of content. The microsite is a wonderful example of how engaging a B2B site can really be. It's also a perfect illustration of the famous quote by Confucius: "I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand."

OK. From one point of view, this sort of targeting is one stop short of stalking. But from another point of view (the one I share) it's a smart way to tailor messaging and media. Of course it doesn't come cheap. By Unisys' own admission, this was a multi-million dollar campaign. But it paid off with new client relationships worth a heck of a lot more than that.

Even if your budget is small, there are big lessons here. Know your target. Be relevant. And always deliver something with real value for your target. And if you happen to have a few million to spend, well, that's nice too.

Posted by Steve Lynch at 09:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I had the good fortune to attend Podcamp Boston recently and meet a gentleman named John C. Havens.

John is the VP of Business Development at BlogTalkRadio, and together with Shel Holtz, is author of the upcoming book, Media 2.Open: Discussions on Transparency in Business.

This is a hot topic in professional circles these days; the rise of social networking, open source development, and consumer generated media has led to an environment of radical transparency.

How do individuals, companies, and brands deal with this phemonenon? How much information sharing is too much? And how do brand managers navigate these new waters in which they don't have control of their brands?

The idea of tranparency is interesting to me because I've experienced it as an individual blogger, as an agency blogger, and as a consultant to marketers trying to make sense of the social media space. Today, we find ourselves in an open source era, where consumers who are increasingly connected through social networks expect to have access to and share information when and where they want. I like to think that all of this sharing and collaboration creates value, but of course there can be pitfalls if not done carefully.

Transparency in business means conducting business with integrity, authenticity and intelligence - understanding how to join in the public conversation and share information that is relevant, while not feeling so pressured to share that you communicate irrelevant/erroneous/sensitive information.

John and I discussed this, plus practical ways for brand marketers to manage the blogosphere, in my recent interview on BlogTalkRadio. Give it a listen and let me know what you think.  

Posted by Stephanie Rogers at 09:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Three elements of effective positioning are: 1) who you are, 2) what you do and 3) why you should care. The first two are easy, but it's the last one that can challenge a marketer. How do you cause someone to care about your brand?

The first impulse is to evaluate the rational benefits of your product or service. Is it faster, cheaper, or better in a meaningful way? If it is, then you can message against this advantage. But be careful. You need to know if your competitors can easily duplicate your "advantage". If they can then you could find your campaign outdated and meaningless rather quickly. Consider TD Banknorth "Bank Freely" campaign that ran last summer. They promised customers no fees to use their or any bank's ATMs. It was a bold move, but one that was easily duplicated. Within a few months, most of the major banks offered checking accounts that waived fees for using another bank's ATM. After about six months the campaign had no relevance and was soon dropped.

Especially in mature categories like banking where meaningful differentiation is rare, it's the emotional connection a brand has with its audience that can make a difference. To message emotionally requires an in-depth understanding of your target audiences. Start with your current customers. Who are they? What do they believe is important? Why do they buy your product or service? How does it make them feel? Once you have an understanding for their emotional connection to your brand you can develop messaging that has a better chance of engaging others like them. Once engaged, you have a chance they'll switch.

I've heard many colleagues suggest that positioning is about the rational while messaging focuses on the emotional. I suggest that today's marketing strategist needs to understand the emotional motivations as well as the rational. Caring is emotional, not rational.

Posted by Todd Baird at 09:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)