Tell me, Readers, how well do you know your customers and prospects? I mean really know them - beyond just "people in market for product xyz" or "people suffering from condition pdq"?

Beyond demographics, have you identified their psychographics? Behaviors? Motivators? Hot buttons? Have you taken the time to segment them into like-minded groups?

Seriously, indulge me with a response to this quick poll, and then read on to see how other marketers fair.

Kudos to those of you who voted Excellent or Good.

Sadly, you're in the minority. I was shocked to learn from a recent CMO Council survey of 450 global marketers that less than 8% categorized themselves as having Excellent or Good knowledge of their customers' demographic, behavioral, psychographic and transactional data. The rest have fair to little knowledge of what makes their customers tick.

As Sohrab Vossoughi wrote in his recent BusinessWeek article, "How to Stand Out? Try Authenticity,"

Get to know your customers on an intimate basis. That's the only way to cut through the noise...'Different' is no longer a differentiator. What is? Creating an authentic relationship with your customers."

Vossoughi astutely points out a "confluence of factors" that have created a demand for customer intimacy:

• The public's declining trust of businesses and institutions
  
• An increased media savviness that makes them less inclined to fall for marketing ploys
  
• Reality television and virtual worlds skewing their definition of reality
  
• Technological advancements that make product and service information - as well as real-world customer reviews of same - readily available to anyone with an Internet connection

We work with our clients every day to help them create meaningful dialogues with their customers through rich insights and needs assessments. We have a variety of methods for doing this, including customer analytics, primary research and syndicated data sources. It needn't be a massive, organizational burden, but it does require dedication. And like Mr. Vossoughi, we recognize that these relationships can change over time, and our marketing plans must change with them.

Knowing your customer is critical to developing messages, offers, and channel plans that will resonate with them. Like any good relationship, you must work at it regularly, and be sensitive to the other parties' needs.

Imagine that you gave everyone in your personal life the same gift - say Omaha Steaks - for every occasion (birthdays, holidays, anniversaries, etc.). While I may love you for eternity if a box of bacon-wrapped filets showed up on my doorstep every month, your four year old son may be underwhelmed if he unwrapped that very same gift at his birthday party. Your uncle who's battling heart disease and struggling with dietary restrictions may be equally dismayed. And your vegan wife - who you've known and loved for years - may be downright angry at your thoughtlessness.   

You treat your personal relations differently - for good reason; don't your business relations deserve the same?

Related links:

You knew your customer when you first met. What about now? 

Recession? Time to start spending. 

Posted by Stephanie Rogers at 05:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

For most technology sales people, getting into the C-suite is the holy grail. But I think that often when selling to C-level executives there's a tendency to assume that once these people reach the C-suite, they're all the same – that they must have the same, or very similar, needs and concerns and challenges given the attainment of the corner office. In my experience with enterprise customers that hasn't been the case.

So it was refreshing to hear the results of CIO Magazine's annual State of the CIO survey. Because the survey brought to light something that we’ve believed here for a while – not all Cs are created equal, or at least they're not all created the same.

The survey revealed that in fact there are three types of CIOs, and which archetype a CIO aligns with has nothing to do with the industry they're in or the size of their organization (it's so tempting to simply segment your audience by vertical industry or revenue). In fact, it has everything to do with how they perceive their role in the organization, the organizational imperatives they believe they should be supporting and leading, and what they feel they, and their organizations, should focus on. It's about how they behave, not simply what they do.

The three CIO archetypes identified by the research team include:

1. Functional head
2. Transformational leader, and
3. Business strategist

One archetype isn’t better than the other, rather it’s about where a CIO allocates his or her time. Functional heads drill down, focusing on improving IT operations and systems and managing the IT budget. Transformational leaders lead change efforts and identify opportunities to redesign business processes. Business strategists take an even broader approach, putting IT in the context of the business by developing and refining business strategy, understanding market trends and identifying opportunities for competitive differentiation.

Sure, they're all CIOs. They're all charged with leading the technology efforts of their organizations. And they all have budget. But, as the descriptions of the archetypes illustrate, they couldn't be more different.

Persona development helps to get to these differences, the ones that matter when developing customer acquisition strategies, messaging and offerings. Sure, persona development takes time and research and a level of insight that requires intimate knowledge of customer behavior. But the results of these efforts have far-reaching implications – and benefit – to your entire organization. Personas can unite and rally an organization around its customers and be used to drive everything from product development to customer service delivery. Not to mention the very conversations your sales people have with customers.

Imagine going in to a sell a "business strategist" CIO with a message crafted to appeal to a "functional head." Or vice versa. Even a one-size fits all approach falls down here, as you can't truly illustrate your ability to meet the needs of one if you’re trying to straddle the needs of all three.

And, I'd argue, these archetypes not only provide insight into the role of CIO, but also the organization in which that CIO operates. Adding yet another level of valuable information and insight marketers and sales organizations need to maximize their efforts.

So the next time you find yourself developing a C-level value proposition take a moment to remember that reaching the C-suite is one thing, but connecting with their sweet spot is what really matters.

Posted by Jennifer O'Connell at 09:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

In City Slickers, Billy Crystal asks Jack Palance to reveal the secret of life:

Curly: You know what the secret of life is?
Mitch: No, what?
Curly: This.
Mitch: Your finger?
Curly: One thing. Just one thing. You stick to that and everything else don't mean ****.
Mitch: That's great, but what's the one thing?
Curly: That's what you've got to figure out.

One thing.  It's as important in getting your message across as it is in life.  OK, OK, maybe not "as important."  But make a single point.  Clearly.  In a smart, meaningful way.  And you're likely to have a very effective piece of marketing communication.

Alas, that's not the reality.  Too often, we try to cram in as many points, proofs, features, benefits, graphs and charts as space or time will allow.  All with the assumption that a prospect will eventually stumble across something relevant. Somewhere in there.

Who's got that kind of patience?  Or time? Or interest? 

Not me.
I'll bet not you, either.

And that, gentle reader, is the point.

Posted by Bruce Patteson at 10:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

In a rare moment of reflection -- I have no rear view mirror -- I recently dialed back through the PARTNERS+simons pro bono portfolio. I had no objective. I wasn't interested in calculating how much we've given away, or in celebrating the creativity. I was just looking back.

What did I see?

A lot of work for United Way of Massachusetts Bay -- campaigns that show the organization's transition from fundraising intermediary to social-change driver.

There's that wonderful campaign for Leeway that features some remarkable photography, captured by our own Creative Director, Anthony Henriques.

The Beantown Jazz Festival brand identity and the Executive Sessions promotion are testimony to our expanding relationship with Berklee College of Music.

I like the heart in The Schwartz Center creative. (And I look forward to Co-Chairing the organization’s Fall gala in November.)

The more recent campaigns for The Freedom Trail and The Mothers' Walk in The Rose Kennedy Greenway are standouts as well.

And that's just some of the work.

But I was struck, during said rare retrospective moment, that this portfolio is representative of our attachment to, and engagement with, our community. This body of work is not a part of a grand strategy, or to curry favor with potential clients. It is simply the result of seeing the occasional opportunity to contribute our time and talent locally, and doing that.

As a creative guy, I find an exuberance and a positive energy in the work. And that makes me smile. I'm proud of that.

For the past month, Kristen Schimek and I have assembled most of our pro bono work and organized it elegantly. And while this is wildly (and perhaps unattractively) self-referential, we invite you to take a look at Your Money's No Good Here.

In any event, I encourage you to involve your company in your community. What with the uncertain economy, unfortunate war and the stresses of the day to day, this is may be the perfect time.
 

Posted by Tom Simons at 11:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

PARTNERS+simons and Genzyme received a Gold Trophy at the The New England Direct Marketing Association 2008 Awards for Creative Excellence for Best B to C Campaign. 

The award was given for Balanced Living (See "Custom Content"), a quarterly magazine designed as part of a larger integrated acquisition and conversion campaign for Genzyme's SYNVISC.Balanced Living magazine was designed to look and feel like a real magazine – not like a sales-focused direct mail piece. Each target segment within the SYNVISC database receives a different version of Balanced Living based on their specific segment's needs.


Response to Balanced Living from the target audience has been strong, and Genzyme has even receive requests for additional copies and subscriptions for people not on the current mailing list.

Special thanks to Genzyme and the SYNVISC team for the opportunity to develop this program.  Also, thanks to the P+s team that developed this excellent piece of direct marketing creative:

Steve Lynch, Creative Director
Anthony Henriques, Creative Director
Doug Dayhoff, Art Director/Designer
Matt Fishbein, Copywriter
Ed Feather, Sr. Brand Director
Beth Johnson, Brand Manager
Melanie Winn, Traffic Manager
Victor Cali, Senior Production Manager

Posted by Ed Feather at 03:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

People don't read online—they scan. But they do watch video. Lots of it.

According to the Pew Internet & American Life Project, 57 percent of Internet users watch video online, and among users age 18-29 that number jumps to 74 percent.

That's a lot of video.

But video online is not the same as video in your TV room. Video online is a "lean forward" experience while your TV room is a "lean back" experience. Actually, video at home is more like a "lean back, grab a beer and the DVR remote control" experience. But that’s another blog altogether.

The point is, if you're going to use video online, keep in mind the "lean forward" difference. It's also helpful to keep some trends in mind. Here are five key trends that Internet video mavens Brightcove shared with us recently.

1. Don't just show it – use it

Lots of people create a video, post it and that's the end of it. But there are things you can do to make your video more interactive. One fabulous and incredibly simple idea is to add cue points to the video. Cue points are user-defined points in the playback of a title when an ActionScript event is broadcast - you can then trigger custom, synchronized functionality on these events, such as animations, synchronized ad units, or closed captions.

The diver video here is a great example. While watching a video on scuba diving the video syncs up with google maps and more information about each species of fish discussed. Simple. But brilliant.

2. Integrate social functions (maybe)

If I had a nickel for every time I heard the word social media these days, well, I could probably start my own social media company and keep earning nickels. Social media is here to stay for sure, but it doesn't mean that it needs to be tacked on to every aspect of the web. Take video for example. While many people enjoy commenting on Internet videos, not all videos warrant such interaction. If you are creating content that is likely to get people buzzing (such as the videos on beliefnet), by all means add it on. But if you are making a how-to widget demo, think twice before you add on the social component. You may not need it.

3. Quality is getting better – much better

There was a time not so long ago when making a video required a great deal of skill and equipment. That was before YouTube.

In an age when even dogs seem to own a Flip camera, creating YouTube-ready videos is pretty simple. (My dog especially enjoys shooting videos of the cat falling off the couch.) Sure, there will always be room for such basic and timeless fare as drama prairie dog, but the ante to play the game has increased. Shooting video requires skill and equipment again.

And while more and more people seem to have the equipment, skill is another matter. Make sure the quality of your video reflects the quality of your brand. Take a look at these two examples. (Even though the Sony site is high end, you gotta love the prairie dog.)

4. Think like a video programmer

Lots of agencies and clients get all excited about video but they forget that doing video is a commitment. It may be enough to post one or two videos on your site and call it a day. But probably not. You should think long term – a year at least. How can you create a calendar of interesting video content to keep people coming back? Media companies already think like this (see the Discovery Channel example). But if you want to take on video in a meaningful way, it will help to take a page from their playbook.

5. Content is king

Forget about the technology. Focus on the story. Video is all about storytelling. If you can create compelling content, people will keep leaning forward and connecting with your brand. Even when people are talking about Web 16.0 - content will still be king. It’s nice to know at least some things don't change.
 

Posted by Steve Lynch at 10:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

As marketers, we are all aware that marketing budgets are a prime target for trimming – or even butchering – during recessionary times. It often seems that we are our own worst enemies, feeding the recessionary monster without just cause. One large CPG or automotive giant pulls back spending and a trend emerges that rapidly begins to permeate across industries, both on the B2C and B2B sides. Even some companies that are hitting or exceeding their financial expectations begin to get tentative.

It seems that the negative industry news about ad spending is flooding my inbox on a daily basis. The headlines read: Online Retail Growth is Slowing, Upfront Questionable, Expected to Slip, U.S. Ad Spend Forecast for 2008 Lowered. Despite these reports and industry-wide cuts in spending, much has been written and validated about the benefits of maintaining or increasing marketing budgets during tough times. Studies have shown that you can not only gain competitive advantages while your competitors begin to pull back, but that those rewards can be reaped over the long-term.

Harvard Business School professor John Quelch wrote a great article about this topic in March. In his article, Marketing Your Way Through a Recession, published in the HBS Working Knowledge, Quelch suggests several key tactics for powering your way through an economic downturn. I have commented on three of the key points below.

Research the Customer - Quelch argues that instead of cutting your market research budgets that you need to invest more to understand how your customers’ attitudes have shifted during tough times. According to a recent CMO Council study, only 6.8% of marketers said they have excellent knowledge of the customer when it comes to demographic, behavioral and psychographic data, while 51.9% said they have fair to little knowledge of the customer.

 
Maintain Marketing Spending - The point Quelch makes here is simple: marketers that increase spending when competitors are cutting back generate better ROIs than during good economic times.  By taking advantage of more favorable advertising rates and locking in where possible, those willing to spend may be well positioned to benefit over the longer term. As a long-time direct marketer with a heavy current focus on B2B, I would also argue that an economic downturn is also when you may need to defend your spending more fervently to senior management. 

Don't be afraid to shift your spending into more accountable direct marketing programs where you can quantify your returns. Maybe this is why online online ad spending forecasts, despite some discrepancies, have remained positive.  Be willing to do more testing than before – conduct more tests with smaller test cells.  The learning you gain will pay major dividends and when your competitors return to normal spend levels, your understanding of market and customer responses will be a step ahead.

Focus on Family Values - This is a bit of a softer recommendation, but it makes sense. Quelch says, "When economic hard times loom, we tend to retreat to our village. Look for cozy hearth-and-home family scenes in advertising to replace images of extreme sports, adventure, and rugged individualism. Zany humor and appeals on the basis of fear are out."

While this recommendation may seem more geared towards B2C marketers, it applies on the B2B front as well.  Just because you are appealing to a decision maker making a purchasing decision on his/her company’s behalf, that individual or group of individuals is still feeling the same pinch of the economy as the typical consumer. S/he will be turned off by aggressive tactics, so keep it simple and play it safe.

For other great insights and data on increasing your ad spending during a bust period, check out this research on the importance and value of B2B advertising during times of economic uncertainty put out by American Business Media.

Posted by Doug Ellinger at 03:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)