Word of mouth and it’s travel power is what has really changed with social media’s explosion and not what defines a personal brand and today i discuss why and why it is important for any company to figure out the power of the NEW Word of Mouth.

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• Marketing for long term growth
• Creating an evolving collection of coherent brand ideas and experiences over time

In thinking about these traits of modern brand building – focusing on core principles, moving away from campaign tactics to a more committed approach – I see parallels to Greg Verdino’s review of Max Kalehoff’s earlier article this week about social media changes need to come from within an organization … “Max is keenly focused on deep, meaningful transformation of the business rather than surface-level marketing campaigns and tactics.”

Kalehoff writes:

The problem with so many in the advertising community is that the most important, strategic opportunities and liabilities around social media really have nothing to do with outward marketing communications, media or campaigns. Those are bottom-tier tactics.

So what are the real opportunities at this stage of the game? For 99% of companies –small, medium and large — the imperatives lie in deconstructing and rebuilding their cultures and attitudes toward customers and the marketplace. That’s a fundamentally different challenge — and one still sorely lacking viable solutions and services.

He goes on to say that focusing on customer experience, company values, listening, being human and breaking down organizational silos are organizational issues that form a stronger foundation for building a successful brand.

Indeed, for both Isakson and Kalehoff, building the modern day brand begins with commitment to the bedrock ideas and values that matter.

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Why, yes, I think I’ll shuffle right on through this recap of Web 2.0 this week.

To begin with, my participation at the conference was entirely fortuitous. Were it not for the incredible generosity of Connie Bensen offering her ticket up on Twitter last week, and my luck at being the first to respond, I would not have made it. Such as it is, hat tip to the wonderful Connie Bensen for providing a ticket to allow me to be a part of the Viget Labs crew at the Web 2.0.

While I stuck primarily to the Media & Marketing track, I did venture out to so of the more intriguing design, strategy and development session. Perhaps the most fascinating was Dan Saffer – formerly of Adaptive Path fame now heading up his shop, Kicker -  who gave a talk about designing for gestural interfaces.

Seffar shared two really cool quotes during his talk:

“We’re using bodies evolved for hunting, gathering, and gratuitous violence for information-age tasks like word processing and spreadsheet tweaking.” – David Liddle

“The best designs are those that ‘dissolve into behavior.’” – Naoto Fukasawa

As technology and our interaction with devices continues to evolve from simple keyboard and mouse to more immersive interfaces like the iPhone and Surface Sphere, our understanding of good user interface design has to change as well.

While several talks stand out, Lane Becker of Get Satisfaction presentation on “Customer Service is the New Marketing,” was easily the most impressive. Three big ideas in Becker’s talk:

1. Conversations are at the core of business.
2. Reduce your sphere of control.
3. Smash silos. 

A few other noteworthy talks were:

• The Partovi brothers at iLike hosted another great session, talking about the disruption of social tools in the music industry.
• Brian Solis gave a killer overview of how PR and marketing are experiencing a revolution in the shift brought on by social media.    
• And finally, a talk I had been looking forward to for quite a while, David Armano at Critical Mass presented, “Micro-interactions: How Brands Can Influence Consumers in a 2.0 World.’

Of course, it wouldn’t be a web conference in the Big Apple without some great times out on the town. Especially if the boys at Redmond were picking up the tab.  But more than an open bar courtesy of Microsoft (we’ll buy you drinks if you use IE8!), Thursday night’s Wine 2.0 with the one and only Gary Vaynerchuk was a sweet event. Cool venue, plenty of web and wine geeks plus Gary doing a live recording of Wine Library TVand you’ve got the ingredients for a lively night. And on a side note, Gary just continues to blow me away.The man just flat out hustles. It’s inspiring to watch him, and I hope that he is motivating others to find their passion the same way he has discovered his own.

[Update] Gary’s keynote from Web 2.0 is now available:

Friday’s session wrapped up with a cool talk from Jackson Wilkinson on “Design and User Experience in an Agile Process,” and then a closing marketing session on understanding Agency 2.0. Moderated by Rick Webb of the Barbarian Group, the panel wrestled with the growing pains in the industry, but provided hope that some agencies are realizing that it’s not about just specializing in fat media buys, but simply being creative problems solvers to help build brands.

Overall, I was really pleased with the quality of the content at Web 2.0, and may even try to submit a talk for next year. In the end, I walked away with the continued affirmation that conversations matter more than ever. And no matter what, you’ve got to hustle – even if it is on the Time Square Shuffle. 

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The personal branding phenomenon has been fascinating over the last couple of years. Wikipedia defines personal brand as, “the process whereby people and their careers are marked as brands.” FastCompany recently wrote a good overview of personal branding movement:

Starting today you are a brand.

You’re every bit as much a brand as Nike, Coke, Pepsi, or the Body Shop. To start thinking like your own favorite brand manager, ask yourself the same question the brand managers at Nike, Coke, Pepsi, or the Body Shop ask themselves: What is it that my product or service does that makes it different? Give yourself the traditional 15-words-or-less contest challenge. Take the time to write down your answer. And then take the time to read it. Several times.

If your answer wouldn’t light up the eyes of a prospective client or command a vote of confidence from a satisfied past client, or — worst of all — if it doesn’t grab you, then you’ve got a big problem. It’s time to give some serious thought and even more serious effort to imagining and developing yourself as a brand.

Throughout the development of his personal branding strategy, I’ve included great insights from several strategists who clearly practice what they preach in creating their own personal brands. 

Chris Brogan created a free e-book on the topic of cultivating a personal brand. 

Brian Solis of FutureWorks has a great three-part series on the socialization of the personal brand:

Socialized media is extending everyone’s proverbial “15 minutes of fame,” and providing us with the real opportunity to build and grow our personal brands and establish a position of authority based on our expertise. It only matures and expands the more we devote to listening, participating, and contributing to related conversations over time.

Solis also points out several resources on personal branding:

• Personal Branding Blog
• Lee Odden
• Reputation Advisor
• Andy Beale

And David Armano at Critical Mass has put together a direct and poignant presentation on the five principles of developing your personal brand:

Armano breaks down the 5 principles as: 

1. Be ubiquitous
2. Be social
3. Be interesting
4. Be remarkable
5. Be yourself

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The push and pull between traditional creativity — centered on the big idea and storytelling — and the disruption caused by digital technology has only just begun to play out in advertising. “Your Internet technology person will be as important as your creative person,” predicts Mark Kvamme, a venture capitalist with Sequoia Capital, the Google backer, and founder of an early Web agency. “It’s a data game, a speed game.”

“The best marketing is built on a deep idea that makes an impact and makes a difference, and everything supports the idea,” says Jim Stengel, global CMO of Procter & Gamble, which is being honored as Client of the Year at Cannes this week. “It’s getting artificial to break things into silos. I’d like to see more things like the Titanium. None of us sit here and say we’re going to launch a new initiative with a great print idea — it’s always what’s the idea behind the brand.”

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“Nike continues to blow me away with its whole-hearted dive into meaningful marketing. Stefan also shared data like the fact that “30% of Nike+ users come to the site 3 or more times per week.” He said that people who don’t have their Nike+ sensors with them will simply skip running “because they want credit for their achievements.” Overall, Stefan summed up Nike’s approach as follows:

“If we can do something good for somebody, they will repay us with sales.” [emphasis my own]

Like I’ve written before, consumers are seeking brands that deliver not just a valuable product, but adds further value through the marketing itself.

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It’s crucial for a bank to have a Web site. It’s also crucial for a bank to have ATMs, checking accounts, and computers that keep accurate records. But every bank can claim to meet these basic service requirements. What banks really need is some way to show prospects and customers that they are different from their competitors. Differentiation is essential for marketers seeking to establish an enduring bond with their customers.

And here lies the dilemma. The factors that have typically had the greatest impact on customer engagement — and that have offered service marketers (including banks) the greatest opportunities to exceed customer expectations and differentiate the customer experience — are the “people” factors.  But these human interaction opportunities are the ones that are being reduced or, in some cases, eliminated.

What we’ve found is that an engaging digital experience can meaningfully support engagement to the bank that provides that experience. However, anything less than a highly satisfying Web site experience generates customer disengagement. Engagement isn’t built by experiences that are merely OK.

This point is reinforced in an April Advertising Age discussion of the impact of micro-interactions. David Armano notes that “Micro-interactions are the everyday exchanges that we have with a product, brand and service. Each one, in and of itself, seems insignificant. But combined they define how we feel about a product, brand or service at a gut emotional level.” Little things mean a lot.

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Building a brand in our intertwined world can be a difficult feat. However, just throwing some social interactions on your web site is not enough. You have to think about how the interactions will resonate within your company. More than ever, companies need evangelists. These people are the ones that give your brand that sparkling personality. The face and personality of the brand does not need to rest on the head of the CEO. Look at Starbucks, the face of their brand is every barista that works in every Starbucks across the country. They are the company’s evangelists. They are the people behind the brand.

The brand is now an ecosystem, made up of the micro interactions between every person in your company and every message your company sends out to the public.

Via Digital Design Blog

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Well, for starters, unlike my experience on Grainger, many advertisers aren’t focused on building the digital applications that people want to use; they’re focused on somehow cramming marketing into them. Some kid comes up with the next YouTube, Facebook or mobile platform, and most advertisers want to figure out how to market on it. Instead of designing and developing useful applications that could give brands the opportunity to insert themselves meaningfully into our lives, we get cutesy but useless “Sprite Sips” on Facebook, ubiquitous banners in all shapes and sizes and microsites that you won’t likely return to. And I’m talking about digital advertising — never mind traditional.

As agencies and our clients strive to add value to the lives of the average consumer, user and active participant, it’s helpful to think about how we can do this in a framework I like to call the “Three U’s of Advertising in the Application Economy.” They are:

1) Usefulness. Any experience is useful when it’s meaningful and serves a purpose.

2) Utility. Utility is interaction that delights us in some way.

3) Ubiquity. We are living in a fragmented world with what seems like infinite touch points available to us.

But don’t take my word for it. You won’t want to miss reading the rest of the article here.

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“We live in a world where the little things really do matter. Each encounter no matter how brief is a micro interaction which makes a deposit or withdrawal from our rational and emotional subconscious. The sum of these interactions and encounters adds up to how we feel about a particular product, brand or service. Little things. Feelings. They influence our everyday behaviors more than we realize.”

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