eROI NYC Interactive Agency

As we all navigate through this crazy period this age old adage still rings true, perhaps more than ever. It doesn’t matter if you are buying bread or a brand new shiny website you get what you pay for. It is so frustrating to think that there are people out there who expect a diamond but want to pay for it using the price of the coal. This is a pure venting post but damn it someone has to say it. I found this on a development blog and they say it best….

“And as is always the case, in every market, you get what you pay for. A $5000 car isn’t going to last as long or perform as well as the $50,000 car, and it isn’t going to come with warranties and support, either. It will do what you want, at least for a while, but you’re on your own when you take the cheap route.”

Pixelgeek has a great post on this topic too:

“Cheap designs don’t save money they cost more in the long run!Whats wrong with cheap web design? Usually cheap web design means corners were cut somewhere, using pre-built templates, stock photographs and cut/paste content. Unfortunately many people end up hiring someone that promises to build them a website for $500 bucks. They soon realize the person they hired can’t deliver what was promised and they end up with a website their not satisfied with. Many of these designers make low quality websites, fail to meet deadlines or worse yet they take your money and run. Many companies advertise $500 websites just to pull you in. The final bill is often many times that amount. Why hire a professional web designer? You get the benefit of an experienced professional who can solve problems, help you avoid costly mistakes and, most importantly, create you an attractive, affordable website designed specifically to meet your needs. You get what you pay for!”

The real gem in this excerpt is the bit about hiring a problem solver. That is what you want out of your web designer/agency. You want to work with problem solvers that can recognize the needs of your brand and execute properly even in the midst of static and distraction. That is the difference. That is what you pay for. And that is worth every penny.

I have been supporting Greenpeace for almost 2 years now. I actually converted with one of those Greenpeace guys on 23rd Street. I know, how could I right? Most people hate those guys, but he camped right in the spot where I used to smoke cigs and thus we got to talking. And isn’t that always the trick…just communicate. (communication means listening too).  At any rate I signed up to give them 5 bucks a month. A drop in the pan but in the world of micro-giving not bad. So I get their usual messaging….an email every month…oddly enough a DM piece every once in a while (doesn’t seem very Greenpeacey to send out junk mail…but for the 60+ crowd direct mail still works)…but I got an email from them this week that raises some issues with me. Although I applaud their effort to engage…the overall effort is weak and outdated.  I will let it speak for itself:

“Help us get started by putting up “wanted” posters for Mr. Tillerson in your hometown!”

The idea is a simple one: download our short one-page toolkit and print out a few copies of the “wanted” poster we have created for Rex Tillerson. Then, take some time over the next couple of weeks and put them up around town. It’s as easy as that and should be a lot of fun.”

OK…so let me get this straight….Greenpeace wants us to print out a bunch of flyers to get the word out? I mean seriously? Does it really make sense to have one of the  ”greenest” orgs condone printing out a bunch of wack flyers that won’t have any impact. I know I know they’re supposed to be looking “big picture”…but that is exactly my point. If the goal is to get the word out about this horrific CEO let’s get the word out. Any organization/non-profit, whatever it is, no matter what you are trying to do or push, should fear the same thing….being irrelevant. Once your message and how you deliver it become obsolete so does your mission. I think the most frustrating part is that they are almost there…the idea is like flirting with something that can have legs.  So let’s examine this thing and see how they could have done better.

First of all I do like the whole “wanted” theme. Its catchy, it makes sense, its provides a nice motif to work with. Where the mission goes astray is the delivery and the overall design of the campaign. You are telling people to put up flyers around their town? What good will that do? No one can share that info easily….you maybe get 5-10 seconds of the person’s time, if that, as they are passing the flyer…there is no incentive to take any action. Rather than using the 1945 approach to marketing they should have gone to where the conversation is…the internet. Why not push Greenpeace supporters to use the Wanted Poster as their profile picture on social networking sites. Why not use twitter to create a digital “America’s Most Wanted” of sorts. I would also create a micro-site that functions as both a petition and a billboard for the movement. People like to discover things….so give them stuff to discovery. On the micro-site I would include as many videos and links as I could that could that illustrate why he is on the “Most Wanted List”.  I would provide incentive for singing up and spreading the word.  Currently there is only a blurb about this on their Facebook wall with pretty much the same messaging as the email. It is paramount that GP engage the users on their level. Give the people something to talk about. Give them something to do besides print a bunch of paper flyers.

In today’s world causes are like little badges people where to help differentiate. Making the “Wanted” movement a part of the current vernacular would create evangelists out of people who never would have otherwise reach. For instance…remember when the Iran elections were going on last year? I can’t tell you how many people changed their profile pictures to reflect the green hue indicative of the opposition candidate. That created curiosity…”why is your profile picture green? Oh…that’s because I support democracy in Iran.”

Get the conversation started Greenpeace. You are falling behind. Call me…we can help.

“Let’s get conversions!” they cheer from the cliffs and huts of the village. We hear it everyday. How do we increase conversion rates? No matter the vertical or the offer the answer is simple. Provide value….be compelling. I converted myself on an offer this weekend so I thought it relevant to share. And perhaps bring you some value. First, remember that everyone is competing for eyeballs both online and offline….what the internet provides is interaction with the brand….eyeballs plus action so that to me is the goal. Let’s go through the steps of my recent conversion.

Step 1: I received the below email. Delivery time Friday 4:45pm…Subject Line: Happy Valentine’s Day from eMusic…the offer: Here is a gift for you. How curious and tempting right. I am fan of the “Unwrap it now” call to action as well. Visually the creative is decent. I have issue with the header navigation. I know the old “best practice” hand book has a chapter on this but in this case I say let the V Day offer stand alone. Its going out to existing users and its a conceptual event driven offer. Nav in the email is just not necessary in this case. But alas the offer was compelling so I clicked.

Step 2: I was routed to a landing page and was auto played a short Flash Video. The video was good I suppose. Not to intrusive but not that big of a WOW factor. It works though as it is an offer for existing users. The action isnt to forward this. So the video is short and the song is too which is nice. The end state of the video plugged the offer and below the vid there is a link explaining the gift….5 free downloads.

Step 3: I clicked the redem button and was on the home page ready to log in.  So now I am here….logged in with free stuff to use. I noticed something I liked on the home page (see below)….I read about the artist…then downloaded her whole album. The experience was so good I searched again and downloaded another album. I pay for 35 songs a month and used almost all of them in this one session.

So I interacted and had a brand positive experience in just three clicks.  There are a couple reasons I like this besides the fact that it brought value.  For these kinds of sites and services its important to remember that sometimes your users forget they are even a part of the community. I know I do sometimes…I have lost my downloads a few times because it just slips my mind that I have them waiting for me there. While it may seem like it doesn’t matter if I use my downloads or not as E-Music will make their money anyway I contend that it means everything. They need to show that people use their service so they can intern sign more artists and labels to get an even broader audience. So this offer is relevant, compelling, it brings value and encourages interaction. Good job E Music. Still a fan. Here’s a sample of what I found…pretty sweet…the drop at 0:49 seconds in is ridiculous. Enjoy

Last week I was invited to speak at Scholastic publishing in Soho. As i mentioned on twitter I kept a look out for one Mr. Potter but saw neither he nor Clifford roaming the halls. I was asked to speak for 20 minutes about optimizing landing pages. Wow. So many things to say so little time. I racked my brain trying to figure out a way to provide value to these people while still trying to come up with something new and relevant. What makes this a difficult topic is that Landing pages, and the things that make them successful, just like everything else on the internet change all the time depending on so many things.  How can I be educational to the education people? I set out on the usual research of sites and blogs that anyone else would…google, marketing sites, etc…I needed more. I needed something new. The more I read and discovered the more I realized that there is no answer. There were sites offering “Top 10 Landing Page Secrets” and the usual “Your Guide to Landing Pages”. No smoking gun thing that makes a landing page “optimized”.  For as many products as there are in the world there could be equal number of landing pages that work. There has to be a framework in which we can talk about all landing pages across all verticals. Then I considered this…..a constantly changing system never has answers….it is all theory. At the heart of it…optimizing a landing page is nothing but a guess. Thus was born Landing Page Theory. (Only pronounced properly with your tongue in your cheek…)

The 5 rules of Landing Page Theory

1. Landing Page Equilibrium (L) = The point at which a landing page achieves balance and is thus optimized against other systems
2. The right combination of variables (V) and constants (C) will equal (L) V +C = L
3. L can only be proven through testing various combinations of (V) and (C) using the scientific method
4. All choices should be made in consideration for the user
5. All if this is only theory: there are no rules if you convert

What is a CONSTANT?

1. A clear and concise goal
2. Your audience
3. Your entry points

What is a VARIABLE?

1. Clear call to action
2. Appropriate forms
3. Consistent imagery
4. Solid brand message
5. Good user experience
6. Copy in “F” shape pattern
7. Stickiness: Do I want to click out?
8. Testimonial
9. Product shot
10. There are a ton more…

After explaining my new Theory I took a look at some case studies to provide some concrete examples. I identified the constants and then we worked as a group to identify the variable and decide if they indeed equaled L. The below is a Pin Code campaign we did with Breitling Watches. What are some of the variables?

Do you have any landing page examples that we could examine in this context? A special thank you to Stephanie Miller and the DMC for including me in the panel.

For those that know me well they know of my Hawaiian roots. A deep appreciation lies not just with my heritage but for Bernice Pauahi Bishop the founder of The Kamehameha Schools; who if she had not lived I would not be the person I am today.  Every year Hawaiians around the globe celebrate her December 19th birthday and the below video will hopefully give you and understanding of why. In humble appreciation…Thank you Bernice Pauahi Bishop.

What? Right…Everyone has done the old say a word hundred times in a row….like my title it starts to sound like some weird alien language. The same rings for our industry buzz words….you hear them so much they start to loose their meaning.  This has come up a bunch lately so I wanted to spend some time with it….the brand evangelists. We all talk about them and hunt them. I can’t go 24 hours with out hearing some one utter the phrase. But why are they important? Why should we care and how do we recognize them? I need examples. Got some. I found a couple campaigns today that illustrate brand positive ways to take care of the people who engage  most with your brand (the aforementioned brand evangelist) and give them cool sh*t to do.

In the Email Insider today Morgan Stewart talks about engagement in an enlighting way. He states…

“That is where the idea of building our own audiences comes in — and email marketers have a leg up on other marketers in this capacity. We know how to create programs that deliver the right message to the right person at the right time. We know that getting people to sign up with us means that we need to convey the value subscribers will receive in exchange for their personal information. Now we need to figure out how to transform this knowledge into creating audiences that are truly engaged. Not engaged meaning they are opening and clicking our email newsletters, but engaged meaning they are contributing to our platforms.”

In other words….now that we have you, let me show you some cool sh*t to do.  But how? He sites his client Scott’s Miracle-Gro. After a 10 year email marketing program they send “seasonally relevant content tailored to subscribers based on where they live, the type of grass they have, and their level of expertise.” Sweet. Makes total sense. Grass grows differently in FL than in does in WA. Hit me with what I need right…right. But how do we go deeper? I will let him explain:

“About a year ago, company strategists launched a community-focused Web site.  By providing a site dedicated to solving lawn care issues through blogs, online communities, forums, and photo galleries,  they created a logical next step for newsletter subscribers. Enthusiasts now have a place to show off their gardening skills.
Also interesting to note is that the company saw a few of its newsletter subscribers opt-out of the regular program, but this has not been a concern. After all, those former newsletter subscribers are now online community members. They are still interacting with the brand. The difference is that these consumers are now more engaged with the brand as they receive email updates related to the online community itself. Even in these instances, Scott’s isn’t necessarily sending less email, just different email.”

Love it Scott. Great job. When I hear that my minds says….”yes that’s what I mean when I say relevant and engaging”.  But I need another. The Scott example is good but this one is better.  I will let you experience it how I did….Organically. I was forwarded this video by “The General” otherwise known as Mary Schwichtenberg, MBA local eROI kick ass Account Manager.

Of course I clicked through to learn about it and I was shown this:

Wow BBC…rock rock till the break of rock.  User generated content 2.0. Here they say…take our creative, take our clips, take our IP. Rip it up. Cut it up and create. How respectable and on the money is this contest? I have a love for video in general as you can see from my posts so this was super relevant. Unfortunately I can’t enter…I shot this to fellow blogger Dean Hunt in the UK. Maybe he will enter. So to end this exercise….say evangelist 10 times and tell me it doesn’t sound Russian.

Complete our survey on “2009 Trends in Online Marketing” and enter to win a Flip UltraTM Camcorder or one of several Retail Gift Cards!

TAKE THE SURVEY >>>

I try to do sweet vids every once in a while and I can tell you that if you don’t have a Flip you need one so please help and take the survey.

We launched a new survey today in partnership with E-Marketing and Commerce – 2009 Trends in Online Marketing. We are setting out to get some data on how online marketers used their online marketing resources (budget and time) in 2009, how they value various online mediums and what they will continue to focus on in 2010.

The results of the survey will give us valuable insight into how various Online Marketing mediums were used in 2009 and uncover what marketers can do differently (or keep doing!) in 2010. Enter your email on the final question and you will be entered to win a Flip Ultra^TM camcorder or one of several retail gift cards.

TAKE THE SURVEY >>>

So here goes…my Halloween Nightmare. It all started when @vitaloca and I were talking about what to do for the occasion. Last year I did the “roam if you want to” thing and just hopped around the city in a nerd costume seeking out adventure. And if you have ever been in New York during Halloween you know excitement is everywhere. So this year I thought I would try something different. I wanted to try a more collective experience.  So I got turned on to a huge party that was to go down in the failing Tavern on the Green. It was intriguing on multiple levels.

First the Tavern on the Green controversy led me to believe this would be a last of its kind party so I wanted to take advantage. Second it was one of these flat fee parties so it was all you can eat all you can drink for $60. Good deal considering Halloween in NYC is the biggest money suck on Earth.  Third, I wanted to get down in one place and see some dope costumes.  And lastly my boys Jiggy Biggs and Eric were in town and I wanted to show him how we roll out here. So party sounds great, tickets got bought…we are committed. As with any event you buy tickets to and have a ton of friends you are going with excitement started to build. I was stoked at the sheer potential of the night. The countdown began.

(more…)

I recently met up with digital guru Alan Wolk at the famed Portland import Ace Hotel in Midtown. It is always great to mix it up with a fellow digitalite (not a word but you know what I mean). He turned me on to his Ad Age column and I wanted to share some thoughts. Basically his article talks about how niche brands can learn from the mainstream content and steer clear…rather they should invest in content that is unexpected and take some chances. He explains…

“there’s a world of niche brands whose consumers would welcome the sort of outside-the-mainstream content they’re not getting from their social graphs”…

Here is another key point:

“…by non-mainstream, I don’t mean the usual cop-out of showcasing some DJ who’s been crowned the latest king of Teutonic techno. That’s a ridiculously narrow definition of “outside the mainstream” that many ad agencies fall into in an attempt to seem overly hip. They forget that there are all kinds of “cool”: old lady cool, mom cool, geek cool. All these subgroups have their own definition of what constitutes fresh and unique.”

So in honor of such a cool idea I wanted to offer some of my own “off-beat” content that I hope provides support. At the end of the day I am more stoked by the brand/person who takes a chance with content and fails than the brand/person who feeds us the same old shit. Oh another thing…don’t share things that you think others will like….share things that you like…things that you think are cool. Here goes….

Shout out to Davide Carnera from the UK for putting this video together.

Props to my brother for sharing this with me.

This guys is sick. He has some other cool stuff. BLU on Vimeo.

la quiete from blu on Vimeo.

I have blogged about this a couple of times over the last year but I had to weigh in on the lastest announcement by FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski regarding net neutrality. In a speech given on Monday Genachowski proposed the FCC turn its four principles of network transparency officially into regulation. He also purposes that they add 2 more “principles” to the mix. Marguerite Reardon of Cnet describes these “principles” well:

“Network operators cannot prevent users from accessing lawful Internet content, applications, and services of their choice, nor can they prohibit users from attaching non-harmful devices to the network. Now Genachowski is proposing two new principles. The first would prevent Internet access providers from discriminating against particular Internet content or applications, while allowing for reasonable network management. The second principle would ensure that Internet access providers are transparent about the network management practices they implement.”

Why is this a big deal? First of all the fact that they want to make it official will finally give some one the authority to make judgments and garnish sanctions should some one pull a Comcast and start cheating. Second its a big step for the little guy. For once the FCC seems to be taking the appropriate steps to keep the internet for the people. Reardon goes on to explain:

“The debate over so-called Net neutrality began heating up about three years ago, when congressional leaders first held hearings on potential laws to ensure that Internet service providers couldn’t monkey with traffic. There is no clear definition of the term “Net neutrality,” but in general it refers to the concept that Internet users  should have unfettered access to content and services. In other words, service providers should not be allowed to either impede or favor access to particular sites or applications.”

In other words…internet service providers that might have some stake in a particular website cannot make that website perform better than a competitors. Although the status quo still remains, it’s refreshing to hear that the FCC is actually trying to fight for the rights of individuals rather than be the conduit for coroprate or government agendas.