Take It Face To Face

While doing my daily internet surfing I came across a link to Crossroads Dispatches, a blog written and managed by Evelyn Rodriguez.  The link directed to one post in particular,  “Slow food, Slow Sex, Slow travel…Slow marketing”, where Rodriguez uses a unique blend of life stories and foreign cuisine to discuss marketing on a personal level.

Writer/Blogger Evelyn Rodriguez

The idea of “slow marketing“, according to Rodriguez, revolves around one-on-one human connection between marketer and consumer, not the buzz/guerilla/viral tactics that have become common today.  What’s interesting about Rodriguez’s approach is its timing.  The “Slow food” post was originally written September 28, 2006.  This is two days after Facebook became open to anybody 13 or over, long before its popularity exploded into what it is today, and ever longer before Twitter joined the scene.

If Evelyn Rodriguez was calling for more human interaction in 2006, what would she say today?  The rate at which information is exchanged seems to get faster daily, with new outlets and channels popping up all the time.  Personally, I used to look forward to watching ESPN’s Sportscenter on a nightly basis to catch up with my teams and the sports world.  Now, by 10:00 PM CT, I already know the scores, have read all the blogs and articles, and could tell you what my favorite players are doing.

And marketers?  We’re able to create accounts for our clients on various social media pages and gain fans and followers without ever actually interacting with an actual person.  I don’t count typing “@_____” as actual human interaction.

I believe that the important message lost in much of the hype surrounding social media and buzz marketing is that, at the end of the day, people are people and while the “buzz” is nice, there is no substitute for directly interacting with the consumer.  What I mean by “people are people” is that regardless of the demographic you are reaching out to, everybody is still human and has the innate desire for human interaction and connection.  This doesn’t change if you’re pitching services to a CEO or starting a lemonade stand at the end of your block, if you make an honest effort to listen to your consumers, you will be rewarded.  And don’t worry about the exceptions to the rule, those who would rather hang out with their Blackberries or Excel, they’ll figure it out eventually.

In case you haven’t noticed, things get pretty crazy over here at FaceTime.  Today is no exception.  Rather than talking about marketing and advertising, I’m going to turn up the Pandora and write today’s blog about one of my favorite things in the world:  video games.

Nintendo Wii, look out.  As of today there is no release date, but Microsoft debuted it’s most recent development, Project Natal, at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) held June 2-4 in Los Angeles.  Project Natal is an add-on to the XBOX 360 entertainment system, where you control the system without a controller.

Natal’s demo (video above) shows its wide range of uses for Microsoft’s expanding target segment, as its “the only experience you need, is life experience” tagline implies.  And people have been giving it the attention it deserves.  While at the E3 conference, everybody from Minnesota Timberwolve-to-be Wayne Ellington, to “Hairspray” actress Brittany Snow, came out to give it a try.  With rave reviews.

The Project Natal train is showing no signs of stopping, as its  YouTube clips are gaining views by the thousands, and publications such as Time, the LA Times, and USA Today have all taken notice.  Microsoft’s Creative Director Kudo Tsunosa even gave Natal a trial run on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, along with guests John Krasinski and Stephen Moyer.

XBOX fans everywhere get ready for the next step in your gaming experience.  Parents, prepare your wallets as this little treat will undoubtedly make its way on to your kids’ wish lists.  At least they’re being more active when they play it?  Right?

Do you play video games?  Is the controller-free technology of Project Natal something you might be interested in?  Are you looking forward to the weekend?

The Simpsons, viewed by many as an American institution, are currently celebrating their 20th year on TV..with an interesting twist.

It has recently become more expensive for advertisers to run their ads during the popular animated show on Hulu, than on TV.  30 second TV ads run at a rates between $20 and $40 per 1000 viewers, while the Hulu ads cost $60 at the same rate of impressions.

While this day may have been inevitable, with the emergence of websites such as Hulu and major networks putting their own content online, it still has an odd feeling to it.  It raises the question “what about TV?” and the traditional 30 second spot advertisements?

For the time being, the 30 second spot isn’t going anywhere.  Hulu only shows 37 seconds of ads during its shows, while half hour TV segments include 9 minutes worth of ads.  This distribution shows the majority of advertising money is still spent largely on the traditional TV ads, but this shift towards online may be a growing trend.

One ad offering for online TV is a sponsorship of a specific episode, such as Sprint’s for this episode of NBC’s The Office.  The company, or brand, sponsoring the episode has an outstanding opportunity to create a unique experience for the viewer.  The most common approach has been a combination of a “skin” for the webpage and short video clip (or commercial).  The spot is then ran 4 times during the online viewing, and a “brought to you by” message is displayed at the bottom of the screen throughout.  It’s a golden opportunity for marketers to reach their target in an environment they willingly enter, by choosing to watch the episodes online.

Moving forward, do you believe more TV shows will become more expensive to advertise with online than during the actual TV programming?  Do you watch TV shows online?  Have you seen any online TV ads that you liked?

Unless you are one of the few Team USA soccer fans, you probably don’t know about the Confederations Cup currently being played in South Africa.  The tournament acts as a World Cup tune-up for global soccer powerhouses, and normally public humiliation for American soccer fans.

Team USA advances to play Brazil in Confederations Cup Final

A six-goal swing in the standings after quarter final play allowed the Americans to advance to the Cup semis, played this afternoon, where the United States beat Spain (who was on a 15 game winning streak, and 35 game unbeaten streak dating back to 2006) 2-0.  This stunning upset could be considered a “Miracle on Turf” and has led ESPN.com to ask fans the anti-climatic question, “Do you care?”

Its poll currently says 80% of the 35,000 respondents care “A Lot”, while only 7% have said “Not at all”.  Yes it’s early and the game only ended an hour ago and people responding to the poll now probably watched the game, but if there’s so many die hard soccer fans in the United States, shouldn’t the MLS and its affiliates begin to pour marketing dollars into its product?  Strike while the iron’s hot?  Turn things around (since Beckham sure didn’t work)?

My answer is no, please don’t.  While it is closing in on that time that comes every four years, when the World Cup is played, that soccer makes it on to ESPN (rather than ESPN2) and the bandwagon fans slightly turn their attention to the sport, it is no time to go overboard.

The MLS, while not at the level of many European leagues, is a good (not great) product.  There is a large percentage of American children that are growing up playing soccer in some form, whether it be AYSO or club teams, that should be growing up to be MLS fans.  This isn’t the case, and it’s not necessarily the MLS’ fault.

The problem lies in its “packaging.”  Soccer, similar to hockey, is a great sport and even better sport to watch live.  However, the speed, excitement, and violence of the sport is dulled in a TV broadcast.  Regular season MLS games don’t carry the same excitement as World Cup games for viewers, and don’t receive near the ratings of other televised sports.

Rather than go overboard trying to force feed the sport as it currently is, the MLS needs to find a way to liven the broadcasts.  Whether it be different camera angles or finding a way to get closer to the action, something needs to be done.  The market is there, the excitement can be generated through the World Cup or Team USA success, but unless its presentation can be changed, it will continue to be a second tier sport in the United States.

The diehards won’t be discougared though, and as one fan puts it, “Soccer can’t be that bad, the rest of the world is on the bandwagon.”

Some lessons being taught at the Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival this week (June 21-27) are that bigger is not always better, and that doing more with less deserves to be rewarded.

CumminsNitro, an Australian ad agency, took home the coveted PR Lions Grand Prix and Direct Lions Grand Prix for its “Best Job in the World” campaign, created for Tourism Queensland.  The basis of the campaign, with a budget of only $1.2 million, was a want-ad for the role of “Island Caretaker” (aka “Best Job in the World“) for the islands of the Great Barrier Reef in Australia.

Despite its simple approach, the campaign received massive feedback.  Tourism Queensland received roughly 35,000 applications for the position from over 200 different countries, on top of an estimated $100 million worth of media coverage during the campaign.  Not bad for a glorified want-ad.

The “Best Job” campaign, while rooted in the want-ad, also received help via traditional and non-traditional methods.  The ad was a popular topic and was covered by news channels in several different countries, providing the strong, traditional reach of the campaign.  However, the applicants were required to submit a 60 second video clip as their application, and these were YouTube hits.  This balanced coverage provided a nice blend of new/old for the campaign.   CumminsNitro also capitalized on the timing, launching a want-ad when jobs are hard to come by, and people around the world are searching.

All in all, CumminsNitro’s campaign far exceeded expectations and has put Tourism Queensland on the “map”.  The winner of the contest has recently been selected, and will be recording a blog during his tenure as Island Caretaker.

What simple campaigns have you come across?  Do you know of any that have experienced success far greater than anticipated?  Would you apply for a job similar to the “Best Job in the World”?