Marketing: Please come forward two steps and one step back

I'm walking around the Austin Convention Center at SxSW. It's been a few days now. Actually, I've been every year except the first year. Each year it gets more digital. You can plan your panels, party schedule and whatever else I don't know. I don't have an iPhone, I have an Android. Point being, the event is highly digital. "We have an app for that." Although after listening to some of my friends talk about the apps, none of them are integrated with the other so it can be a bit frustrating.

So, I made a simple observation one day on Twitter:
So much marketing happening @sxsw still in paper form: flyers, guide book, stickers, posters, cards #housxsw

In which two people responded:
@raypage: i totally agree. #sxswi should move towards a more eco-friendly mindset.
@blatze: Seemed dated

Both observations are right on. If we nixed print it would totally be more earth friendly since there is so much printed. Yes it seems dated since we're at a technology conference and just about everyone has an iPhone or Android or whatever smart phone and laptops. Although, I'm thinking even more into this situation and this observation. Even with all this technology, people are still dependent on print.

SxSW guide book:
The guide includes the daily schedule of panels, parties and map in a printed booklet. It tells you which panels are basic, intermediate and advanced levels. You could access the schedule online or through the iPhone app. The app will tell you more such as a description or details about the panel. The app does not show the level of each panel. It does show approximately how many people will be attending or at least the website does. I'm not even sure if the app gives you a map of SxSW. I mainly used it to see where I was heading next and marked the panels of interest to me the night before. If not for the guidebook, I wouldn't have access to the iPhone app and my phone is too slow to access the web on my phone quick enough to satisfy me. But if I decided to skip the panel, I'd have to ask someone about other panels or wait til the web loaded on my G1.

Flyers and posters:
They are everywhere: in the swag bag, on tables, up on walls, getting passed out, on street corners, etc. It's where you look sometimes when something catches your eye. You can easily pass it around to people. (That last comment sounds like a disease.) This is the way to get new eyes to notice you if they aren't already following you on Twitter, your fan on Facebook, your friend, your lover, your affair. I'm just kidding about the last part. Seriously though, whether or not people already know about it, flyers and posters remind people about who you are, your party, your film, your panel, whatever it is. It's your chance for new eyes especially if you're not already listed in the guide book or in the swag bag or whatever else is sanctioned by SxSW. Not an official SxSW party, sponsor, etc.? Flyers, posters and street team is your compass (guide to new faces).

Business cards:
I am so over business cards but I have to admit they have a purpose. I personally would rather follow you on Twitter once I meet you than take your business card. I think I handed out 10 business cards and followed at least 20 more people. I have a stack of business cards from 2009 and I never looked at it after SxSW. I do remember some of the people I followed during 2009's SxSW.

So the pros of business cards? You can write notes on them, where you met someone, what you talked about, where they work and whatever else... "hot" or not. Whatever works for you, I'm not judging. Also some business cards I remember because it's cool and others I remember because it's a big company like Twitter or Google or who ever you consider a celebrity. Lesson from the "How not to be a douchebag" core conversation: don't print an all black business card because no one will be able to write notes on it and then it becomes almost useless.

SxSW had QR codes available on everyone's badge and listed the apps that would work best for each phone. I think I had mine scanned twice by two iPhones. I also Bumped someone once which was kind of fun. The only issue people have with these routes is that no one I knew could remember who was who from SxSW. At least with Twitter I could go back and see the last few people I started following and recall they were from SxSW. With QR codes or even Bump, contacts go straight into your contacts and how are you supposed to tell which contacts were from SxSW if they weren't already labeled as such? There's no way I could remember people's names if it was thrown into a bowl of all my contacts.

Twitter and Facebook plays:
If you're on Twitter I'm sure you had a lot of information flowing through the streams about SxSW. If you're on Facebook that's probably where you were invited to SxSW parties. I watched the Facebook stream more regarding parties and which parties my friends were attending. From past experience some parties made you RSVP which is kind of lame considering half the RSVP list doesn't end up showing anyways. Good thing a lot of the parties this year was first come first serve or if anything even if you weren't on the list they let you in the party. As I watched my friends mark "attending" to parties, I would go to the event details and do the same making it a point to remember the ones I really wanted to attend and making sure my group knew I was going with or without them.

From then, it was all about Twitter updates: which parties were flops and which panels were full. Word of mouth is digital and it's immediate. You quickly find out if you made a good decision to skip the keynote with Evan Williams, co-founder of Twitter, to have lunch with random SxSW goers over lunch. (Yes it was a great idea. Too bad I didn't leave the keynote sooner).

So even if it's not as green and it seems outdated, humans still don't change as quickly as technology as far as what I've discussed. If you're not in my "social bubble" I won't know what's going on unless one of you takes the plunge to drop by an unknown party and convinces me to go. And by that, what are the chances you find one of my friends through digital and convince them to go? And if you're a somewhat new organization or a "nobody" today, how will you get the word out? As much as I would love for SxSW to be green it's difficult for me to see them go 100% green soon. And even though it seems dated, it's effective to a certain extent but with everything I believe there's a combination of digital and print. I mean eventually will "juicing" my phone become anti-green? Maybe if phones became solar powered? I'll just add one more fact that remembering anything not written down is difficult for me. So having something physical to look at later helps me recall whatever memory I had of it earlier but also having the constant ability to access information is a plus too. Print vs. Digital... do I have to choose?



Other marketing articles on SxSW 2010:
SxSW: Can neuroscience trump creative in marketing?
- Recap from panel: Big Brother in Your Brain: Neuroscience & Marketing

SxSW: Social media marketing for business

SxSW Interactive 2010: Clay Shirky keynote debrief
- “Monkeys with Internet Access: Sharing, Human Nature, and Digital Data.”

Related mobile issues at SxSW:
Mobile #succeed or #fail at SxSW?

Timing is everything...or is it?

I tweeted today that my mom called and said, "I forgot to invite you to your cousin's wedding. Ok bye!" She does that a lot and usually I don't mind because by then I've already made plans. You know my brother does the same thing but he'll text me, "Come over for crawfish almost done eating forgot to tell you" which I'll reply, "You suck! can't go."

Timing is everything. Isn't it so true with everything else, especially with advertising? Would you have run any marketing campaigns before North Carolina played Michigan Monday night for the NCAA championships? Maybe, if it made sense and your message didn't claim one as "the last one standing". But would you be running those same campaigns next week? Probably not since most people will be talking about the NBA play offs or the baseball season which just started. Most of the chatter would be today, tomorrow and then a little bit the rest of the week.

When's the right time? It depends. What are you selling or trying to promote? When are people thinking about buying that product? Are you there when the consumer is there? Did you tweet in time to be seen by your followers or did you tweet too early and it got lost in the stream? Does your facebook status update come up right when your friends or your fans sign on or did they get pushed down because you updated too soon? Do you know when you should actively update depending on when your followers/friends sign on? Does it matter because maybe those followers/friends look for your updates?

Or it doesn't matter because the more you get in people's faces the more they remember you and eventually when they need you, when they're searching for a product/service you provide they'll either remember you or hopefully see you on Google or even better they'll ask a friend and the friend will tell them to do business with you.

And of course there is the alternative option of doing something really outrageous to get as much attention as you possibly can as fast as you can for that... are you ready for it? wait for it, it's a good word... VIRAL campaign.

But here's some good advice "Never bank on media coverage and never, ever bank on viral," says Barak Kassar, president of Rassak Experience from Michael Estrin's How 5 brands scored free marketing.

Timing is everything...or is it? If you don't tell people what you have timing doesn't matter because they'll never know and they definitely won't try to find something they don't know exists.

Tokio Hotel rocks my world!

If you don't know- NOW you know!
Tokio Hotel is coming to Houston
August 28 at the Verizon Wireless Theatre and I can't tell you how excited I am. I initially found them after watching episodes I missed of "America's Best Dance Crew" where I also fell in love with the Jabbawockeez.

Why you need to love Tokio Hotel...
The name - let's face it... It caught my eye because I absolutely love foreign music. At first I thought they were Japanese and from far away, Bill the lead singer had sort of a Harajuku image. Honestly, I wouldn't have given them a second glance on MTV's site if their name wasn't Tokio Hotel.

What they stand for -- or what I think they stand for...
It's SPECTACULAR that a band so young has written and created such deep music to inspire people. If you know me, I'm all for doing what you want to do in life and being happy. This group has done just that even before they became teens. Anyone with that much passion and ambition has to be given props. On top of that, they really do look like they enjoy what they do from watching their episodes on YouTube. They are original and obviously setting trends just by being themselves. No matter what anyone says, I truly believe that they stick to their guns to be who they are and not told who they need to be.

Music & Performances
Everyone knows, content is KING! What does that mean in this regard? Tokio Hotel's music, performances, videos, etc. is what rocks! The real reason why I fell in love with Tokio Hotel is watching their performance of Monsoon at the 2007 Europe Music Awards. From there, I bought their cd and love every song on there.

What does this have to do with marketing?
The long tail - I found out about Tokio Hotel through MTV while just bored and surfing through links. You can probably consider that editorial but I found them which is key. Being linked on various sites and being easily found is great and it works. It may take weeks or months but if someone finds you, it works.

YouTube videos - who wouldn't want a little insight to the band's life and lifestyle? Who wouldn't want to get to know the band a little more and feel like they are apart of the band's day to day life? The videos in general get a lot of response, comments, linking, etc. It seems so simple to do and it has quite a lasting effect. It's on YouTube so it is easily searchable, users can watch it over and over (I do), you'll find other videos from other users, it creates buzz, it's easily link-able or easily forwarded, it's free* promotion (which is important for those on a budget).

Viral - Many of their fans found out about the band from a friend. Needless to say having attractive band members didn't hurt them either. Viral campaigns are difficult to gauge since it may take a while to get there or it may be instant. When you're creating a "viral" campaign, you just never know what is going to take off and what is going to sink. From their YouTube episodes to their VIP site, selling their cd, etc., this group is big on promotions always remind their fans that they are there and they are where their fans want them to be. They take advantage of marketing to their fans every chance they get and boy do their fans love them. (I do.) Building that fan base that Tokio Hotel has is what every company wants.

Am I saying this is what your company should be doing too? ABSOLUTELY not! Every company is different and every business is different. You need to figure out who your audience is first and foremost and listen to what they want/need and see how you can provide that for them . That is what Tokio Hotel and their team has mastered (as far I as I see it). But like I said, everyone is different and you just need to figure it out. Try some things and see if it pans out and if not, try something else. The only thing I say you need to do is LOVE TOKIO HOTEL!



*Everyone knows there is no such thing as a free lunch and in this regard, it takes human resources, time and energy to create, edit, produce videos so consider that when you're reviewing your strategy.