What Does Traditional Media Have To Do?

Yesterday I received a comment for my post on Online Coupons.  She asked “how do we still make the argument for traditional advertising”? My answer; it’s all up to traditional advertising.

Working with traditional advertising today is not what it once was.  Today they are more like car salesmen.  When I first got into the live entertainment business the traditional media were our partners.  The deals we cut with TV and radio was a partnership.  It was not just a cash buy.  The deals we put together included promotional spots, trade spots, and a cash schedule. We could put together a couple of good deals with a few TV and radio stations and own the market. 

The media promotional deal needed to have teeth.  Promotions were vital to the success of the marketing campaign.  It was not unusual to get six TV promotional spots a day over four weeks. Add the trade and the cash buy and you really made a statement in the market.  Ticket buyers actually thought the media outlet brought our shows into town.

Why did this all change?  My theory is that the media decided to change from partner to just sales person. They went with the attitude that “we had to buy them”.  The big family show marketers (who had the best deals) didn’t fight back. They gave in! Concert promoters never took the time to put really good promotional deals together.  They were satisfied with a week-long 5-4-3-2-1 promotion during morning drive and spending way too much money to get it.  Bottom line is we let the traditional advertising control our marketing!

As traditional media sat back and collected our cash, our ticket sales fell, our marketing budgets stalled, and the cost of media went up.  Marketers needed to look at new ways to market.  We found that we had this new source for getting our message out called the internet and its social media outlets.  It does work.  As marketers, all we need to do is create the energy to power it. 

Can traditional advertising get us back?  They can if they want to step up into 21st century thinking.  If they just hold out their hand and ask for money in exchange for advertising, then the answer is No.  If they want to become true partners to achieve success for our events, then Yes!

20th Century Marketing In The 21st Century

Everyone who reads this blog on a regular basis knows that I love the new media.  Even though I was trained in live entertainment marketing in the 20^th century, I have embraced the internet; social media and any new form of marketing that will help me reach my audience.  But just relying on 21^st century technology is not enough.

If you are applying your 20^th century bad habits to the 21^st century then nothing is going to change.  In fact, you could make your results worse.  Remember, today’s marketing offers instant feedback and social interaction.  If you use today’s marketing to announce and put on sale (break) a show, how are you doing this?  If you just announce, run an ad, and put the show on sale then you are wasting your time and money.  It’s just like they did it in the 20^th century.  This was especially true with rock promoters.  God forbid they would kick off with a real promotion that created real buzz.  Today’s marketing is all about involving your customer.  They want input.  They want interaction.  They want a relationship!

You can put good 20th century marketing practices to work in the 21^st century.  First you need to slow down and do your homework.  Do today’s entertainment marketers even do marketing plans anymore?  Who is your customer?  I like to use the old apple tree analogy.  When I write my plan I first go after the low hanging fruit.  What marketing tools will help me get it?  Social media is good for this.  Then I get out my ladder (even though I am afraid of heights) and start climbing and working for those harder to reach apples.  I don’t know about you, but I think the hard to reach apples taste sweeter.

Today’s marketing takes effort even though you can do it from your computer.  If you just sit on your ass in front of the computer and try to market, you will develop 20^th century bad habits that will aid bad marketing health.  Apply the good, old fashion exercise of hitting the pavement with your creative marketing mind and your feet.

Follow Me, Follow You

So the good news is that most of us in the event & entertainment business are now using social media to market.  You have joined Twitter and Facebook.  You might have thousands of friends, fans, and followers. But are you following them?

What makes social media different from the old fashion marketing & PR is two-way communication.  Not only can you get your message out but your fans can communicate back to you.  But are you listening?

Having friends, fans, and followers is not a collection.  You should not be gathering them like a kid collecting Pokémon cards.  They are more than a database.  They are real potential customers who want to be a part of your world.

I read an article in today’s Wall Street Journal about how Gatorade has a full time people searching the web for mentions of Gatorade (I bet they just found this blog).  They are looking for what people are saying about them.  They are looking for online conversations to join. They understand this is 21^st century marketing.

On my Twitter page, I have currently have over 1,100 followers and I follow most of them.  I look for people who fit my interests. I do read many of their tweets because I want to know what they are saying.  In my case I’m not looking for them to say things about me but what they are saying that influences the event & entertainment industry and the culinary world.  These are my two passions.

If you’re a venue, why not use social media to help book your events.  Ask your fans, friends, and followers what they would like to see at your venue.  If an event does not sell well, why not ask them why they didn’t buy a ticket?

Communication is a two-way street.  We finally have marketing tools that make it possible.  Make it work for you.

LinkedIn: Lots Of Connections And…?

All of you know that I am a big fan of social media.  I discuss all the social network sites and preach about how we need to use them as marketers.  I am currently signed on to four of them.  I am active on three.  One of these is LinkedIn.  This one is bugging me.  What is it really good for?

I do understand what LinkedIn is all about.  It is a business “networking” website.  Anytime you can network with others in business, this is a good thing.  You can join online groups that apply to your industry.  You can share business ideas.  You can look for a job.  You can see how everyone in this world is connected by just a few people (makes Kevin Bacon proud).  But with all of this, is it really doing anything to help you?

I have been on LinkedIn for almost 2 years.  Yes, I have connected with a lot of people. Many of which I have not seen in many years.  This is a good thing but that is why I also use Facebook.  I have joined a lot of groups.  But what has LinkedIn done for my business or job world? What has it done to make me money? The answer is: not really anything.  

If you have the basic free membership (which I have) to LinkedIn, you are limited to its resources.  They are always asking me to upgrade to the paid membership.  I have thought about it and would do it if I thought it would really help me make money. I just don’t see the value prop.

Virtual networking is a part of our 21^st century communication. It has a place but it also has its limits.  It is easy to connect with people online. However, nothing will ever take the place of face-to-face networking.

It’s All About Passion!

I found a book that pairs perfectly with this blog.  The book is called Crush It! Why Now is the Time to Cash In On Your Passion. The book is written by Gary Vaynerchuk. 

Like you, I don’t have time to read a ton of books so I am selective in my reading.  With this book, I actually downloaded the audio book to my iPod.  The book is about living your passion.  It talks about social media and how it has leveled the playing field.  It talks about how Facebook and Twitter are marketing tools not a media strategy. It discusses how we should use this recession to cash in on our passion.  Does all this sound familiar?  We have discussed all of this in the past on this blog.  I have met Gary a few times and I can tell you he lives this book. 

I made a decision last summer to take my passion for culinary and my 25 year career in entertainment marketing and meld the two together.  With this, I have a number of new business ideas and opportunities.  While many of these projects and opportunities are still in concept form, it has given me a new energy and excitement. My brain has not pumped out this many ideas in 10 years.

Even if you have no plans to leave what you are currently doing, you can use your passions to create new opportunities for your business.  If you enjoy what you do, then come up with new ways to make it even more fun.  If you don’t have fun at your career, then you need a new career.  Don’t think of it as a job, think of it as “This is what I do”.

All of us in event & entertainment marketing have passions beyond what we do at our daily business.  What if you could take that passion and apply it to the events, shows, and venues you promote?

Just New Ways Of Doing It

Free food always brings attention

My marketing / PR friend Adam Klein did an old PR event with a new spin on it.  In case you are not aware, October is National Pizza Month.  Adam’s client is Uno’s Chicago Grill.  Adam and his team spent last Thursday morning delivering pizzas to radio/TV personalities, celebrities, and politicians in the Boston area.  These were not just your typical deep dish pizzas, they were pizzas with pizzanility.  Uno’s created pizzas that fit the personalities of the recipients.   Check out the link above for a picture example.  The idea of delivering food for PR is not a new idea.  But as they always say “there are no new ideas, just new ways of doing it”.

If the movie industry does it, then so should we

There is an article on today’s Ad Age website about how the movie industry is using social network sites to market.  While social sites may not have taken over word of mouth yet, they are having an impact.  The article discusses how Sony Pictures used social media as part of the marketing mix. The results of their last three releases were impressive.  They also gave an example of social networks having a negative effect on the box office.  Many industry people believe that Twitter and other sites helped with the quick drop in tickets for Bruno.  People bitching on these sites is very contagious.  Negative breeds negative.

Ticketmaster scalped?

There is an article in today’s Wall Street Journal about TM being sued.  The article says that a ticket broker has filed a lawsuit against Ticketmaster claiming that brokers were paid to sell tickets at premium prices.  This was part of a secret trial project from a couple of years ago called “Project Showtime”.  While I am not always known for defending TM, I do smell a rat with the timing of this lawsuit.  The merger of Ticketmaster and Live Nation is close and ticket brokers are getting very nervous.

Social Media Going Mainstream

Marketers are starting to embrace social media and social media is embracing marketers.  Check out today’s Media & Marketing section of the Wall Street Journal.  The article in today’s WSJ talks about how Mars Snackfood is using its Skittles brand to apply new online marketing techniques. 

Mars has revamped the Skittles website with content from online Skittles fans www.skittles.com.  When you go to the website you get a Twitter background with Skittle followers commenting on the candy.  This is very cool!  They do take a risk doing this.  What if Twitter followers say “nasty” stuff about the candy? As I am writing this post I do see negative comments on the site.  In the age of social media, those are the chances that online marketers have to take. Does the famous PT Barnum quote of “no such thing as bad publicity” come into play?  BTW, Skittles was one of the top topics on Twitter yesterday!

In the upper left corner they have a box where you can click on different tabs. If you click on the friends tab you go to the candy’s Facebook page. If you click on the media tab you can either go to YouTube or Flickr.  

This is a perfect example of “out of the box” thinking.  The brand is taking risks, trying new stuff, and embracing non-traditional marketing.  Congrats to them!

Open letter to U2

Dear U2:

I understand you are planning to play some small venues in the next week to promote your new album.  I applaud your thinking on how to create a buzz.  I understand that you plan to play the Boston market next week.  The two most logical choices are House of Blues and The Paradise.  Of course the Paradise would be great since you first got your start there.  I hear both venues are already booked with other gigs.  May I suggest a small 300 seat theatre in suburban Boston where your 1980 era original fans now live.  The Center for Arts Natick (TCAN) www.natickarts.org is a restored 19th century fire house that is very intimate.  The acoustics are great.  You will be able to see every one of your fans in the audience.  If you are interested, please let me know and I will help you make it happen.

 

The Power Of Social Media

What happened to Johnson & Johnson’s McNeil Consumer Healthcare division over the weekend is a perfect example of the power that social networks have. 

J&J’s Motrin brand was running a spot showing how mothers have back pain because they carry babies in slings.  See it for yourself: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mztymu72l7c.  Are you kidding me?  Who is their agency?  I know that advertising today is all about creating buzz (which this spot has done) but didn’t someone say “don’t f*** with mom’s and babies”?

Anyway, the point of this post is to show the power of the new online “media”.  As soon as the spot started airing, the protests started in a big way.  But unlike the old way of holding up signs and marching outside J&J’s corporate office, it was protesting on the web.  Blogs started complaining.  Social network members in Facebook and Twitter started spreading the “boycott” word.  YouTube was spreading the video (see above) to get viewers fired up.  It was a very quick “spreading the word” response.  So quick that J&J pulled the spot right away and tried to apologize using typical corporate wording.  As a marketer, imagine what you can do with this new online power if you harness it correctly. 

Social Networks Are Media

In yesterday’s online version of Ad Age there was an article about a speech that Ted McConnell (General Manager of Interactive Marketing at P&G) gave to an ad club group.  In his speech he questions the use of marketing products on the social websites.  He wanted to know who called social networks media?  He claims that media has inventory, it has blank spots.  He said these are sites for people to talk to each other.  Who am I to argue with a top marketing guy at P&G, but I disagree.   Webster’s defines “media” as “a channel or system of communication, information, or entertainment”.  Don’t social networks and other online channels do this?  This is a great opportunity for us marketer’s to not only reach are target market but “really” reach our target.  He gave an example where one of his colleagues did a FaceBook search for someone who was a mid-20′s, female, worked at P&G, lived in Cincinnati, who liked sex and Coco-Puffs.  He was able to find such a person.  Now that is pin-point marketing.  McConnell has a problem with this.  He feels it is invading.  Why is it ok to see P&G commercials in a movie theater?  I paid for the movie. I go to the movies to escape.  As the line in the movie Spiderman says; “With great power comes great responsibility”.  I know this is hard to do for some marketers but we need to try.  Being able to market to the bulls-eye of the target is what we all strive to do.