Seth.Godin.My.name.is.Sebastian.Graham

Another Soapbox Post

2008-04-25T05:53:00.000-07:00

Female Genital Mutilation is horrendous.

Follow this link for a Youtube Video - (warning, definitely NOT for the squeamish)

Then follow this link for some more information

More Rick-Rolling joy

2008-04-21T16:24:00.001-07:00

Is the goal now to make a terrible ad and have that go viral as a prank played on people?

It would be an interesting campaign, to say the least. Implementation would be difficult, but wouldn't take too long. The "Rick Roll" was known by the entire web within 7 or 8 days (no evidence, just anecdotal).

What sort of industries and products would work? Would it rely solely on product placement? Could a cause be marketed in this fashion (I'm seeing dancing starving African children. Not the nicest thing but a good change from the sad children in World Vision). How would you make it a serious campaign rather than a gimmick?

New Blog

2008-04-20T03:56:00.002-07:00

Well, guess what. It hasn't been completed yet. Seth, the internship at the agency, work, university and an exceedingly gorgeous lady have all conspired too keep me ridiculously busy this week. I won't make any promises about when it's coming except that it will.

My absolute last minute deadline is early June. It has too, and thus will, be created by then. The reason: Macquarie Bank's summer vacation internship applications open then. When I apply for that, my resume and references must be all in order, and that includes this blog.

Today's theme however is "Rick-Roll" (click at your own risk. Safe for work, but don't have the sounds too loud). This link is the nice one too, the one that lets you leave without listening to the whole damned thing.

How brilliant is this as a marketing concept? Obviously not this implementation of it, that's just irritating. But imagine being able to create something that people link to as a prank? How good!

It's my favourite internet meme, bar none. It's annoying but the prank is popular enough that everyone on the internet knows it (except you, yes you. The person who clicked that link above).

Not a marketing post

2008-04-17T07:00:00.000-07:00

This is not a marketing post, more of a public service announcement. Well, less a public service announcement than me on my soapbox.

I cannot stand what is happening to women in Africa (or anywhere else in the world, I'm soapboxing and that allows me to pick on one place). It's awful, horrific and immoral. I have no right to tell anyone what to do, but damn it, stop abusing women. It's neither masculine nor does it show any sort of power aside from the most base level of fear and might is right.

It just upsets me.

As a start, if you like women at all, do some learning.

You can start here and here

Both facebook links.

Amnesty International has a good start of knowledge too.

If this upsets you, bothers you or just plain makes you mad, tell people. You don't have to give your money (it would be nice) but you can help by telling people. Not one, not two, but thirty, fourty or fifty. One will do if that's all you can tell, but tell someone.

Please, these women do not deserve this, not in any way shape or form, nobody deserves to be mutilated, abused and hurt, least of all women just trying to survive.

Just tell someone, that's all you need to do to help.

Strategy vs. Ability (kind of)

2008-04-15T04:54:00.000-07:00

Can a marketer with huge amounts of ability and skill, but no strategy, perform better than an average marketer with a strategy?

That's the question I was going to discuss today, but I've changed my mind. How do you determine how much ability and skill a marketer has? It's not like finance where you can strictly measure how much money they've made, nor management where we can measure all sorts of soft measures about their staff.

I consider myself a brilliant marketer, but until now I never really asked why. I work hard and get good results, but does that make me a good marketer? Is it creativity, persistence, dedication, ability to think? And how are these traits specific to marketing, someone with these traits would be just as good at anything else they do.

It's definitely not keenness (nor English) which makes a good marketer, I've met many people who are keener than mustard to be a marketer but wouldn't be considered exceptional. Good, yes. Exceptional, no.

What an interesting concept. I'll take a stab in the dark and suggest that it may be ability to translate strategy into goals into tactics into action. That's what defines a marketer. A finance person may become brilliant by applying well known formula's to businesses, an accountant by allocating the right funds in the right place and a manager by extracting the most work from her staff while keeping them happy.

A marketer becomes brilliant by translating strategy into goals into tactics into action. Yep, that's my theory. Anyone else?

So, that answers my original question too, the marketer with no strategy has no ability, the marketer with a strategy does.

p.s. I'm not Finance bashing, I want to do an MBA in Finance when I finish my marketing degree. Nor am I management bashing, I'm completing a submajor in management. I am, however, accountant bashing. I await your carefully measured replies, in red ink no less!

Marketing in a Recession

2008-04-14T08:02:00.000-07:00

Not to preempt our delightful economists, but what should change when marketing in a recession?

The argument that marketing should be an easy place to cut costs is not particularly brilliant because the brand will slip from consumer view and someone who's not cut marketing costs won't. Renault in the UK in the early 90's launched it's Clio, the most successful car that Renault has ever had and far and away the segment leader, the only problem being, the UK was in a recession in the early 90's.

So what do we change? How do we become a Renault?

I'm not sure, but the next 18 months should be interesting to watch.

Seth's Electronic Internship

2008-04-13T04:27:00.000-07:00

In This Post I mentioned that I didn't get Seth's full time internship in New York. There were lots and lots of highly skilled entrants and so Seth has set up a Basecamp blog which I alluded to in the post, details have been released although there are restrictions on what the participants are allowed to say.

Simply put, I have been invited to take part in that, which I gladly accepted and I intend to be active in doing so.

I'm not at all sure on what or how much I can say but in Seth's paraphrased words, he will be running marketing masterclasses, we have been invited for our backgrounds and we're expected to contribute, so i will.

I'll stay updated with what I can, but I doubt any information will be allowed out of the group.

All that said and done, expect a transfer to a new blog at some point during this week, progress is underway.

Issues with blogs?

2008-04-12T23:32:00.001-07:00

Apparently my past week of blogs has not been showing up. It's been working for me, has anyone else noticed no activity this last week?

JPMorgan Trading Competition

2008-04-11T01:42:00.000-07:00

JPMorganChase, the bank, is running a share trading competition which I am taking part in. This has nothing to do with marketing and everything to do with my ambitions. It's a wonderful thing to put on my resume, especially as my dream is to be a consultant for a big management firm like Boston Consulting Group or McKinsey's and Co.

It shows I'm interested in all forms of business, not just marketing.

So what's my strategy and my goals? I have neither the knowledge, nor the time to conduct proper fiscal analyses of multiple businesses to discover which shares will rise. For once in my life, I'm not aiming to win, merely to be in the top quarter, both at my university and Australia-Wide. To that end, I will simply buy and hold miners, banks and Woolworths, with minor profit taking. I currently hold BHP, RIO, Fortescue Metals, ANZ and Woolworths. My thinking being miners will go up because China and India are pushing prices for raw materials up. Woolworths is always a secure bet and some of the banks have to go well soon.

How am I doing? One week in I'm down 1.5% but in the top quarter (and isn't that scary). I think that means I'm succeeding?

Assignments suck

2008-04-09T15:34:00.000-07:00

I'm super busy with assignments right now, so no new blogs, but here's a link to my favourite riff from Seth Godin (and it's not even his theory!).

Hierarchy

The concept just makes sense to me. What does everyone else think of it?

What a busy weekend

2008-04-08T03:11:00.000-07:00

Wow, I've been super busy since I last posted. I've been researching blog programs, studying hard (3 assignments in the next 6 days) and started work at the agency, which is fun.

I've been thinking about groups, in particular, edge groups. I don't know how best to define what I just called an 'edge' group but essentially its a group of people who are the somethingest at what they do. Edge groups tend to dilute over time, which makes them far more of a mainstream thing, larger, probably more profitable, but definitely more middle ground.

But what happens to the original members? I've watched at least 2 groups which I've been involved in as an 'edge' member, someone who didn't want to be included in the central, mainstream groups, become less and less interesting to me as they grow and dilute.

The question I've been asking myself is, looking back at it, one of those groups 3 years ago offered to it's members to stop being free and impose a more rigorous selection criteria. We all decided not to, but from my position now, I would gladly have paid the money to keep it as 'edge' as it was. I wonder how many other people feel that way and I wonder if they'd charged from day one, would we still have joined?

And of course, I wonder how I can profit from this.

Where to now?

2008-04-04T08:26:00.000-07:00

So I didn't get Seth's internship... That's rather annoying but a very, very big congratulations to Dave, Robert and the others who have. Very jealous but I'm glad I have the opportunity to contribute in some way.

This begs the question Where to now? I set up this blog in an attempt to get the internship, but have really enjoyed writing it.

I think I will keep writing, I don't know if anyone other than my sister reads this, I don't know if it's worth reading. But now that I'm writing for me rather than someone else, I don't really care. I do want trackback though... Typepad perhaps?

I'll move of course, the title isn't really appropriate for anything long term. I'm thinking of calling it "I Hate Marketers" blog, simply because it's the one phrase I tend to be repeating again and again about my chosen profession. I don't know how well that would go down nor what it may do to my employability... But what employers don't know can't hurt me right?

On another note, *insert large advertising agency here* (I don't know how much they'd appreciate me revealing, nor how much I would like to) called and offered me the internship I interviewed for last week, so not getting Seth's isn't such a terrible result. I can still take part in Seth's Basecamp blog thingy and work for/with *insert large advertising agency here*.

Life is good.

EDIT: I also want a blog program that will describe the time I post it in AEST or not at all... given the time I normally do post, not at all may be best.

A joke?

2008-04-02T04:33:00.000-07:00

I would hope not, or at least not for long.

Virgin Blue Airlines has, as an April fools joke, offered standing fares with complimentary calf massages if the flight is over 2 hours.

Apparently they have received over 1100 inquiries in just 24 hours. Talk about a joke being taken the wrong way... or was it? Perhaps Virgin Blue should change it's mind about whether this was a joke or not.

Sure, the concept may need a bit of work, but... It's obviously got a market!

Applications due today

2008-04-01T15:19:00.000-07:00

And yet, I'm slightly sad. Seth's internship was the reason I started this blog but I don't want the close of applications to be the end of this blog. I will continue this blog, but under a different name.

I've noticed some weaknesses of blogger, such as a lack of TrackBack, so I'll probably be moving somewhere else.

Yet, that's not the reason for this post, it's my last chance to make an impression on Seth before he formally chooses his applicants (I'm sure he has a few in mind already) so I should probably say a few words.

Flibber, Garglestick, Elocution and Wazzamit.

Seth,

I want this internship. I think independently and I'm sure that you can appreciate that. I am not someone who just blindly believes what they read. Your work clicks. It makes sense. I want to be involved and to see your concepts, thoughts and ideas in action because to me, they are the most workable marketing theories I've ever seen.

Awaiting the internship
Sebastian Graham

"So What" pt2

2008-03-31T05:53:00.000-07:00

"So What" defines marketing. Breaking through a customers "So What" is what a marketer tries to do everyday. To communicate how their product is needed by their customer.

To me, this is not the right way to do marketing. A marketer shouldn't Break through the "So What" so much as the marketer should look inside their own product to see if it is what our customer wants.

If it's not, why tell anyone about it? It costs a lot of money and if it's not what the customer wants, what do you gain?

Apple get this. Apple's macbook air was promoted by journalists and technology blogs well before Apple did anything for it. Apple know their customer, what they want and they give it to them.

Is Apple the ideal template for large companies marketers?

Squidoo

2008-03-30T19:30:00.000-07:00

I made a mistake today. I looked at my Squidwho stats, particularly referrals.

Richard Millington had directed a number of people to my lens, cool I thought... Until I looked at his blog... It's good. He wants to be Seth's intern too...

His blog is insightful and compelling (I'm not even just being nice cos he thought I was great) and I thought, who else is applying for this with an insightful blog?

I knew about Robert Hart, also intimidatingly good but I wasn't aware of Ryan Stephens. All very insightful authors and somewhat intimidating since we are all gunning for the same prize.

I have been looking for other applicants, why didn't I see them until they linked to me? How very interesting.

The brilliance of "So What" pt.1

2008-03-29T18:09:00.001-07:00

Apologies for the delayed post, I was quite ill yesterday.

I've made quite a show of "So What". I think it's the most brilliant question anyone in marketing can ask. The entire paradigm behind marketing is to deliver what your customer wants when they want etc. etc. etc. What does "So What" have to do with that?

"So What" is precisely that. It provides a reason for your research. Will your customer say "So What" to your latest development or does it matter? What will cause your customer not to "So What"?

If your customer is saying "So What" you aren't delivering what they want, when they want.

"So What" should be asked in more situations than just research though, name some.

To Be Continued...

Promise, Capacity, Result

2008-03-27T04:36:00.000-07:00

Overpromising kills purple cows. Overpromising kills any business really, but in particular a business which relies on customer advocation as it's main (or only) source of promotion can never promise more than it's capacity allows.

I happen to have worked in an organisation where overpromising was considered the norm. I was just in sales and instructed to say whatever required to sell the product. I have to admit, for the first month, the sales were high. There was great commission and all was good in the world. The next month, sales were high again, but all was not good in the world. The customers from the first month had just realised the product couldn't deliver on the promises we had made. I spent a fair bit of my time attempting to sort issues from over promising.

Fast forward six months and there was no new business. The company was broke and all it dealt with was the problems it had generated. I quit in this month and learned a valuable lesson.

Promise what you have the Capacity to deliver or fear the Result.

I was 18 when I learned this. When will marketers learn what dishonesty costs?

A healthy dose of customer contempt

2008-03-26T06:39:00.000-07:00

Today I had a bacon and egg roll from the uni food outlet. It took far too long to come to me, this is not a complaint about them, rather a suggestion of what they could do.

They were simply too caring. They wanted to know which sauce, with cheese, white or brown bread and so on. All of these things are nice to be asked, but the main problem isn't the service (they were nice) nor the roll (tolerable, but expensive) instead, I'd like to say they sucked. They were simply unable to make the roll in time.

It would have been better had they simply not cared, not spent the time fussing to get it right and get it done.

Extrapolating this into a business theory, if your business is unable to do what your base product is competently, don't add cheese. No really, if you can't do what you say you can, firstly I won't be seeing you in 6 months, but secondly, don't make the problem worse. Best to have a healthy dose of contempt for your customer, but do what they want you to do rather than to cater for their every need except what they went to your business for.

Think like a customer

2008-03-25T03:36:00.000-07:00

I believe the key to marketing lies in thinking like YOUR customer. Would you like to be spammed? Would you, as your customer, accept a lower standard for a lower price?

Marketers who think like customers are more likely to get it right. If I wouldn't react to that, why would my customer?

The counterpoint to this is what if I'm not like my customer? I can imagine Ferrari's marketing team thinking that. If you can't relate to your customer, if you can't reach your customer, if you cannot comprehend your customer what are you doing in that industry?

Easter

2008-03-22T18:12:00.000-07:00

No new post today or tomorrow. I'm off to visit family away from home.

Happy Easter to all!

Carlton Draught

2008-03-22T04:12:00.000-07:00

I love their ads. It's an Australian beer and I'm sure even the American's have heard of it. Maybe even seen the ads.

They have made four ads in the last year or so. Starting with this one

"Made from beer"

Then

The Big Ad

Followed by the less successful

Flashbeer

And the latest was released virally on Friday afternoon

Skytroop

VB and Tooheys New, more Australian beer brands, make big expensive ads too.

I love them all, I watch them all. What do I drink?

Coopers and James Squire.

You know what though? This is the first time I've seen the websites, researching for this post I mean, I haven't seen the ads and I don't even want to look for them.

How is preference created then?

Marketing climate change

2008-03-20T04:48:00.000-07:00

Carbon and climate change enjoy some brilliant branding. Sure, it may have taken a while, but look at their campaign.

They initially just had hacks, old scientists and the outer fringe folk and yet, somehow, movie stars, politicians, multi national corporations are all talking about them. How did they do it? I'll tell you how they didn't do it. They didn't do it by hiring Singleton, Ogilvy and Mather (etc.), nor by spending millions of dollars on television advertising. They didn't irritate people, they just told a story that was honest and true. How hard is that to do? Surely you have something more urgent than the world heating up and you definitely have someone prettier and more convincing than the early adopters of climate change.

I have to admit, carbon and climate change is some of the best marketing I've ever seen...

Leaders and Followers

2008-03-19T02:50:00.000-07:00

I am the best person for your internship Seth. I am a leader, not a follower.

You posted regarding applications with resume's and then Facebook groups started popping up. Search for your name, you'll see what I mean.

So the question is, do you want somebody who can think and act on their own initiative or somebody who simply acts because you tell them it's the best idea?

Which application's have you received that are clutter Seth?

The cost of Honesty

2008-03-19T01:32:00.000-07:00

The cost of honesty is how much it costs you to tell the truth. Anyone who's cheated on a partner knows what I'm talking about.

This post isn't actually about the cost of honesty. Instead I want to talk about the cost of dishonesty. It is always higher. Being honest might occasionally cost a sale or some money, but you gain trust. To steal Seth Godin's brilliant concept, you gain permission to talk to them, to tell them your stories.

If you are dishonest, you may gain in the short term. But how long until you are found out? Nothing can be kept secret forever. Look at Enron. Huge profits in the short term but would you want Enron shares now? Imagine what would have happened had they been honest. They would still be here. Surviving is more profitable than not, isn't it?

The same concept can be applied to marketing. If you are dishonest, it will be found out. It may take years, but you don't get away with it and the cost is always high. How long has Nike regretted sweatshop labour? It's still the first thing many think of when Nike is mentioned. It's hard to overcome being dishonest, who will ever believe your story again?

I hate marketers

2008-03-18T04:33:00.000-07:00

An acquaintance of mine works for a medium sized music company, I won't say who. They are currently running a promotion for someone to be featured in a video of a new to be launched artist.

What does that have to do with hating marketers? The video is already made. Nobody can win. It's a rigged and unfair system designed by a marketer solely to increase recall of the product amongst the target audience.

Promotions like that make me hate my chosen profession... Why not actually include the person who wins in the video? It's not hard. Or, given the video is already made, run a different promotion, backstage passes for the winner and a dozen friends don't cost anything.

Unexpected Occurences

2008-03-17T15:23:00.000-07:00

Well, Seth's last blog post came as a shock and a surprise to me.

Find the post here

Apparently I'm doing the right thing. Now I just have to be better at it than everyone else who will copycat the concept now that Seth has suggested it.

While we are on the topic, would anyone like to visit my Facebook page?

Here we go

What makes Marketing work?

2008-03-16T22:56:00.000-07:00

This is something I have been considering for some time now. Leaving aside questions of what is working, what makes marketing work? Is it as simple as creating a value exchange that benefits both parties?

Does marketing work when you simply give more than your competition at a lower price? Is it creating the perfect promotional mix so every potential customer is able to be contacted?

Is marketing best when creative gives you the perfect advertisement? When everybody has that good feeling about your brand?

Or is it more theory based? Does marketing work when your product has perfect segmentation? How about having the perfect concentration and push/pull strategies?

Is it based around efficiency, or the lack of waste. If you have no waste does it work? Your distribution system is perfect and J.I.T. works every time?

I don't think so. These are all important characteristics to a successful marketing campaign, but, even combined, it's not enough. Something is missing.

I don't know what it is. In part, this is why I want the internship with Seth. I think there is no perfect way to make marketing work, merely a few guidelines and even they are not set in stone.

Perspectives on efficiency

2008-03-15T15:40:00.000-07:00

Efficiency, what is that? It could be clarified by describing efficiency as a lack of waste. Thinking about efficiency with that description, after identifying waste as a bad thing, gives a different perspective.

One would no longer hunt for efficiency improvements rather the search would be for wasted resources. Wasted resources are those that could be used in a different function or a different manner to better acheive your goals.

Changing perspective causes one to ask questions, maybe not better questions, but different. What are you wasting?

Relevance

2008-03-14T07:04:00.000-07:00

Now the significant parts are known. You know what I mean, the assumed knowledge, I meet the standard.

Back to my original post, I mentioned clutter. In specifics, I instructed Seth to see past the clutter. I will make the assumption Seth understands what I mean, I'm not arrogant enough to think I know more than he.

So this post is explaining to Seth that I know what I meant. Clutter, specifically in the marketing sense. My lecturer stated some research on Wednesday, I wasn't paying enough attention to remember where from. Each person sees 150,000 marketing messages per year, on average. Break it down, that's 23 per waking hour.

23 per hour? That's ridiculous. Nobody can or will recognise 23 marketing messages per hour. 1 per day would be a miracle, think about it. Tell me 183 messages you recieved and remembered in the last 12 months? Even that is assuming a 50% failure to recall within just 12 months. You couldn't do it by the way, could you? I'll step onto a limb and assume, unless you have a connection with the advertisements, professionally or otherwise, you could not remember 3 in the last week.

Even assuming you could, that's a "recall" (I'll write on that topic later) of under 0.1%. 99.9% or more of marketing messages are forgotten. Why? Why are we sending so many? Why are we cluttering our customers?

I'm not saying that some of those forgotten marketing messages are not acted on, merely querying the relevance to our customer.

Marketers need to cut through this clutter. We need to recognise that 0.1% and act on that. It's a long, hard road ahead but it can be done.

What clutter are you recieving Seth?

Assumed Knowledge

2008-03-13T07:15:00.000-07:00

It would be fair to say I'm attempting to get Seth Godin's attention. Specifically for his internship which he is running over summer.

I guess that means I should clear up a few things first.

I am studying Marketing.

I am top student (or near enough as to make no difference) at my university.

I have done many extra-curricular activities in marketing.

I have done some work in marketing and sales.

I have completed part of a Psychology degree and understand behaviour better than most.

I will work harder/longer/smarter/better than all the other applicants.

I have always dreamed of working with Seth.

I do think I am the best person for the internship.

But in the end, that is no different to anybody else who will apply. Every single one of them will be a brilliant student with plenty of reason to select them. Every single one of them will have some work experience. Every single one of the applicants will work harder than all the others. Every single applicant thinks they are the best person for the internship.

It's nothing new. It's nothing different. It's assumed knowledge.

In the beginning there was a word and the word was clutter.

2008-03-12T02:52:00.001-07:00

Seth,

Cut through the clutter.

Sebastian