Internet Marketing and Digital Media Strategy Sydney Australia

These two clips from Coke have become an essential introduction for my new clients trying to understand the current and future digtial landscape ahead of us.

I personally applaud Coke for sharing this presentation - it not only creates a framework that educates potential creative partners but also inspires (raises the benchmark) for other businesses.

The key difference is that instead of trying to work out ways of making money I've decided to follow my passion and let the money hopefully be a result of the pursuit - you see I've been bitten hard by the photography bug - I've always enjoyed photography but up until now it was like a seed that had not been given enough nutrician and taken root - any creative pursuit had taken second place.

I've also been round long enough to know about cash flow, marketing, customer service and that creating a sustainable competitive advantage are some of the key the things you need to consider for any business - new or existing.

No customers, no cash - it's not a business it's just a hobby!

A man is asleep on a bed, fully clothed in a suit, the camera moves across to an alarm clock on a bed sitter.

Frank Sinatra  Justin Timberlake is playing Frank Sinatra - (Kutcher was busy and can't sing that I know of). They could have cast Lada Gaga to make it different - both icons of their time.  Between Timberlake, Kutcher and Gaga they have over 39m Twitter followers (source).  Maybe they could throw in cameos from Kim Kardashian, Justin Beiber or a Steve Jobs holograph - that would increase viewers and sharing.  I digress, it's gettting late.

I check the time, switch off the tele and post my last tweet - time for bed, tomorrow we're heading away for a couple of weeks R&R.

Funny,  we don't tend to have alarm clocks any more (or watches for that matter) - those period type movies are soooo... - time offers a reflective property, a bit like looking at old photos of your grand parents - that was then, this is now.

I set the alarm on my phone.

INTERIOR.  BEDROOM - MORNING

The SOUND of traffic in the background, faint light coming through the thick drawn curtains, we pan over a half packed suitcase.  Clothes strewn across the room.

CUT TO: 

On a bedside table sits a Samsung Galaxy Nexus Google Android phone and a half eaten ice cream sandwich.   The time shows 5:59AM

[Insert: gratuitous product placement and SEO link bait - Note: the ice cream metaphor also relevant to select audience]

CUT TO:

6:00AM the alarm goes off - the SOUND phone effect of a rooster crowing.

ECU - That moment of waking up dazed, the transition from subconsciousness to conscious reality and then.....?  

Picks up phone and immediately checks email and Facebook.  

Stop there!  

You're busting to do a pee but you check whether someone has sent you a message - that's bizarre!  Is there some kind of compulsive addiction thing happening here?

Last year a study by Oxygen Media and Lightspeed Research found that as many as one-third of women aged 18-34 check Facebook when they first wake up, even before they get to the bathroom (or sex!).  Men are generally less internet socially skilled means they'd be slightly less compulsive (as a group).   

Either way, you acknowledge how intrusive and pervausive social technology now is in our lives.  If we are not constantly connected we feel withdrawn like some alcohlic or junkie.

Internet Addiction - It's "all good" or is it?

The "technatics" (technology fanatics) will simply say this is the way it is - that it's not bad becuase it's "connecting" people and ideas - that it's "doing good". There are many strong arguments in favour - you only have to think of social media driven revolutions and the sharing of inspirational TED presentations.  

There's some "good TV"; there's some "good people" BUT (there's always a "but"), is it "ALL GOOD"?

More time is spent online today then watching television and over 20% of that time is on/ in social media; 

Another report - more than half (53%) of the Facebook users surveyed had played a social game, with two thirds (65%) starting to play in the last year including 13% in the last month. 19% of social gamers considered themselves ‘addicted’.

So, is playing games a waste of time?  

In terms game playing benefits - is watching reality TV shows any different than playing a computer game or cyberchatting with your friends?  

Is it all just escapism from the drudgery and challenges of normal life or is this just life abd we have a much more transparent window?

With everyone now being a publisher (and so much noise) - from a business marketing perspective how do brands get cut through?

What's Important to your audience?

Last week IBM published the CMO - Leadership and Innovation Report - the key findings revealed that CMOs (Chief Marketing Officers) see four of these challenges as pervasive, universal game-changers:

• the data explosion, 
• social media, 
• proliferation of channels and devices, and 
• shifting consumer demographics.

Additionally, most CMOs are struggling in one vital respect — providing the numbers that demonstrate a return on marketing investment (ROMI).

Exploring Digtial Solutions & ROMI

In terms of Digital Strategy and Internet Marketing then at the moment I'm looking at this whole corporate transmedia storytelling thing - it goes way beyond the basics of Facebook fan pages; Twitter accounts, web pages and SEO.

It goes to the essence of "shareworthyness" - of creating an interactive story experience that resonates and connects with potential customers and influencers.

Following is a recent prezi presentation mash up that looks at Digital Media Strategy and Transmedia Marketing

Times have changed - the old ways we considered the "norm" are like the alarm clocks and film only movie cameras.  How do we adapt and implement; how to we lead; and how do we engage and service our customers? 

We developed our stories - we build our teams - we create and deliver - we share, influence, sell and service.

If interested in more information please connect via Twitter; Facebook; email OR you can RSS my blog feed updates here http://feeds.feedburner.com/maxys

Cheers

Maxy

With 65% of instore purchases initiated on the web - the new battlefield for customer attention is online and, as we all know, the web is increasingly social.  

Today your prospective customers are being influenced by blogs; forums; friends; other customer reviews and what people share online.  

When we look at TV, advertising and the movies, we see the most powerful mass storytelling media is video (the majority of us are predominately visual in the way we consume information about the world around us).  

Combine video storytelling with the communications power of the Internet and you have a "social video" platform which every organisation can leverage - from the very big to smallest organisation.

It's all about strategy and creativity; your story; and the telling and sharing of it, how it resonates, that matters most.

BUT be warned - there are 48 hours of content uploaded to Youtube every minute - how is your content different?  Does it spread?  Does it connect with your audience?  Does it achieve a business objective?  Does it spread?

This week I presented at a workshop at the Online Retailer conference in Sydney on creative internet video and customer engagement.

Following is the presentation in prezi (great from brainstorming to presentation) - it's a mash up of years in business anmd marketing plus weeks researching the web on "social video"  - it is around 45 minutes long but by no means complete (note: I'll add a list of great sources soon - just ran out of time for this post).

Ironically, I didn't allocate enough time to properly edit the content down (personal lesson learnt) - will cut out 50% of the content and make message stronger (that's an overall work in progress)