What's Your Brand Story?

What's Your Brand Story?

I am totally convinced the best marketing today is rooted in the ability to deliver a compelling brand story. 

Current research reveals the best brand stories show - not tell - you understand your customer and their needs. You demonstrate relevance and genuine authenticity. Most of all, you deliver fresh, engaging and creative concepts that make an emotional connection with your customer. An uber-brand that quickly comes to mind is NIKE. I don't know about you but I think they are amazing storytellers! 

FACEBOOK recently implemented TIMELINE which is probably the biggest change to their platform to date and guess what .... it's all about users creating and sharing their stories.  Think about some of the most popular social media platforms....Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, PInterest...these tools are all designed to deliver a story.

Just the other day, I stumbled upon an interesting website www.publicwords.com I thought it was such a find that I really wanted to share it with all of you.   

This a resource rich website - video, podcasts, newsletters, photography and so forth. At the core is helping people tell their stories.

Remember - If you don't tell your story - someone else will!

Until next time,

Cathye Ross Amos

The Friday Focus - Facebook is King...for Now

When it comes to social media, the first thing that comes to mind for most is a given: Facebook. And rightly so!

Social media strategist firm Hasai has recently come out with this nifty infographic that essentially breaks the social media world down, from site memberships to number of employees to the leading competitors for today’s top names, and Facebook currently occupies the social media kingdom’s throne.

Facebook has 850 million members across the globe and over 3,000 employees! The powerhouse up-and-coming social network Pinterest has only 10.4 million registered users and a staff of 37. Yes, 37. And despite Thursday’s trending Twitter topic “RIP Facebook,” the social media giant Facebook brings in $3.7 billion in revenue compared to Twitter’s $522 million.

Just last summer the media was buzzing about what seemed to be the “next big thing” in social media and what would become Facebook’s leading competitor: Google+. But only months after its unveiling, even Google’s social networking site seemed to fade into social media oblivion.

Now, Facebook isn’t exactly in the same arena as the other sites featured in the infographic.  For instance, Pinterest has very little to do with reconnecting with family or friends. And you don’t post status updates telling the world all about your latest dog-walking experience or your disdain for that jerk who cut you off on the highway (both of which I’m sure everyone finds extremely riveting).

Some sites are much more niche, like how Spotify and Foursquare deal specifically with music and local deals (respectively), unlike Facebook with its photo/video sharing, event planning, location tagging, gaming and chat capabilities.

On another note, other sites that could prove relatively decent competitors such as Club Penguin, Disney’s social network for kids, might be next on Facebook’s chopping block. Club Penguin actually has more members than Pinterest, Spotify and Foursquare combined! But be forewarned, Disney: Facebook’s partnership with Zynga, the social network game development company best known for FarmVille and Words with Friends, could easily prove fatal, drawing the younger demographic currently boosting Club Penguin’s membership toward the ever-increasingly popular Facebook. 

Plus, if Facebook goes through with its attempt to throw out its current age 13+ account requirement, the combination of Zynga’s vast array of gaming options could be a literal game changer, wiping Club Penguin off the map.

And don’t think Facebook doesn’t know how important Zynga is to its membership—the gaming developer accounted for a whopping 19% of the social network’s revenue and received the majority of Facebook’s $1.4 billion payout to app developers in 2011. Even with the launch of Zynga.com, new games are still being debuted on Facebook instead (under an agreement set to expire in May 2015).

So there you have it, yet another article detailing Facebook’s perfection of the social media world. But with the growing skepticism surrounding Facebook’s recent stock market debut, we’ll have to keep our eyes peeled to see if the network can keep its crown.

Until next time!

MARA JOFFE

Blogger

Sources:

http://marketday.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/05/16/11719029-zynga-is-one-of-facebooks-most-important-friends?lite

http://www.theverge.com/2012/3/6/2848094/facebook-app-developers-zynga-1-4-billion

http://mashable.com/2012/06/01/social-media-ranking/

The Friday Focus - Bursting the Privacy Bubble

In a generation where even our children and pets have a Facebook or Twitter account, many critics are expressing concern over how much damage social media is doing to privacy.


Social media has no doubt taken the world by storm, and even I have posted the occasional picture of a cute baby cousin or—might I brag—adorable pet fish.

But moving away from the pet aspect of it all, there seems to be a pretty big controversy brewing over the ethics associated with flaunting our family photos for literally the globe to see.

Sites like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and now 23snaps (Check out this article on 23snaps to learn more.)—a site geared specifically toward sharing your children’s photos, videos, and other information—make controlling children, whether they be infants or teens, and their privacy as simple as clicking a mouse.

I mean, who’s 6-month-old is going to object to having their chubby-cheeked face plastered all over the Internet?  And who’s 5-year-old is going to have any idea that mommy posted that video of him skinny-dipping in the kiddy pool to YouTube?

The kids may not be crying foul (yet), but the argument at hand is that because of this “Facebook parenting” style, these children have already lost control of how the world views them—and how they view the world.  It isn’t just their privacy that’s been thrown out the window; their first impressions have already been made by their well-intentioned parents, and these youngsters are quickly taught that advertising their likenesses and information all across the Web is the norm.

Now to be fair, this could easily become commonplace in this day and age—if it hasn’t already.  After all, the social media explosion has come in the midst of a generation known for its “helicopter parenting,” where kids are kept on leashes and the comedy “Bubble Boy” is ultimately brought to life—and then some.

With some parents at the helm of their children’s academic, career, and even social lives, who’s to say mom and dad are out of line for innocently adding an album to Facebook that chronicles their child’s everyday life?

Regardless, the next 10-20 years will give us a better idea of just how detrimental social media has been to our children’s privacy and overall sense of self.  Needless to say, I’ll be thinking twice before I post ANYTHING online again!

MARA JOFFE

Blogger

Creative Thinking and Brainstorming Strategies

Have you ever wondered how those advertising masters of the creative universe come up with those brilliantly clever ideas? I mean come on, who was it that said, "I know what we should do ... let's dress a kid up as Darth Vader to help advertise this car." It may have seemed farfetched at the time but with creative courage - it was a home run.

A solid creative process is a great way to generate new ideas for just about any problem that requires a solution. Brainstorming is an oldie but goody, and if done correctly, these sessions can help your company think outside the box.

Here are a few tips we like to use:

 KNOW IT ALL  

The only way you can solve a problem is if you know what it is first. Make sure you have a clear objective, and that everyone is properly briefed prior to the brainstorming session.

  

BUT WHY?  

A major stimulant to creative thinking is focused questions. An inquisitive mind is the breeding ground for creativity. Unless you ask lots of "Why?" and "What If..." questions, you won't generate creative insights or push an idea to its full potential. 

TEAM TITANS  

It is very important to understand that creativity comes from everywhere. So don't be afraid to invite your pop-culture expert of an office manager, the tech-geek producer or even the analytical, libertarian account manager to the table. Everyone views the world differently, and their experience may trigger a landslide of creative ideas. Build on each others ideas, redirect ideas, and go with the best idea no matter who it comes from. Ahem, bosses and directors, I'm talking to you. I've learned that when your personal ideas are disturbed or disrupted it helps you to see things fresh.

Even as a creative director, I would be a fool to think that I have all the brightest ideas. And if the team is afraid to be open or even think that they have to agree with all my ideas, then I am a team of ONE. Our team helps push my thinking because we are all different and that's what makes us strong. Whose voice are you over-looking?

  

NEGATIVE NAYSAYERS WILL BE STONED 

Encourage the unconventional. Discourage negativity. Cultivate an environment where team members are fearless in their thinking. Limit the "No, that won't work.", "That's a bad idea" or "What are you an idiot!" - I'm pretty sure this type of environment will not generate many idea possibilities.

FUNNY BONE

Finally, learn to laugh. It's OK to be silly. Studies show that laughter dissolves stress, helps you relax, think and recharge. It releases inhibitions and allows you to be more expressive and productive. Most importantly it shifts perspective, allowing you to see situations differently. So, lighten up! There is nothing more uninspiring then a stuffy brainstorming session.

These are just a few tips on how you can spark your creative juices. Try something new; you never know where it will take you. As for our team... well, we're still trying to figure out how to work flying ninjas and vegetarian zombies into an advertising campaign. Hey, it could happen.

CECELIA SHABAZZ

Creative Director 

The Friday Focus - Four Facts For the Future -

I love looking to the future!  I love technology that just works like you expect it to and I'm amazed when I really start to think about the technology we do have.  We have a space station! I can video chat with anyone in the world in real time, my phone sends a message without wires, in fact most of my devices at home communicate wirelessly. But I always keep thinking, what's next...

Looking back in the 1950s and seeing how that era envisioned the 21st Century, I can certainly tell I'm not alone in that passion.  Notice there's still an ash tray on the table....



















Here are four great moments to reflect on where we've been and where we're going in the evolution of technology.

1.  Current Tech That's Leaving Us
A myriad of current tech will be non-existent in the next 6 years - which of these will you miss the most?

2.  Computers Will Be Very Cheap

How cheap? Thanks to open source software and brilliant design, you can now purchase a basic computer for $35 with a Linux operating system. 

3.  Flexible Video Displays

Imagine walking down the grocery store aisle to something that resembles the Vegas strip! Each product pitching to you in multi-media.  For Harry Potter fans imagine newspapers with .gifs and short segments embedded into a physical paper (for those folks yet to give up on print papers).  Flexible E-ink is already in development and LG hopes it will be in products by this year.

4.  Big Box Retailers Will Continue to Struggle

Electronic shopping will make a drastic shift to online purchasing with only a few niche stores remaining.  And so it begins....Ax falls on 50 stores, hundreds of jobs in a reboot of Best Buy

What are somethings you can't wait to see in the future?

I'm holding out for my own robot car that drives itself - which should be here by the end of the decade.

Friday Focus - The Luck of the Irish

With St. Patrick's day coming up this weekend, I wanted to take a look at how people are talking about St. Patty's day on social media... and take a trip down memory lane Crichton Leprechaun.

The folks at Lab42 created an infograph from their research into what people were saying about the holiday through social media.

**UPDATE - our favorite auto-tuners have autotuned the Mobile Leprechaun video - find the original at the bottom of the page  

First UP

What do people call it? Notice I referred to it by both names a little earlier

St. Patrick's Day it is!

Now, how do you participate?

94% of us will at least be wearing green - and at least nobody polled hates the holiday.  

No SAD for St. Patrick's Day!  Though that may be attributed to the drinking... 

What are some of the things you associate with St. Patrick's Day?

The color green, shamrocks, an amateur sketch of an actual leprechaun. 

Wait, what? - more on that later.

OK as promised here's the video that started it all - the famous Alabama Leprechaun.

Local legend began to spread about a Leprechaun living in a tree so a local news team investigated.  Over 20 million views later, the legend only grows.

Enjoy the weekend, be safe, watch out for Leprechauns and be sure to wear your green!

Thomas Broadus
Director of Interactive | The Focus Group
join me on twitter @tbroonline

The Friday Focus - Very Pinteresting... Pinterest in 5 steps

5 Steps to 

OK - we have the name out of the way, but what does it actually mean? Do we really have room for another social sharing platform in our management profile? The answer for Pinterest is yes.  For now anyway.

Here's the rundown.

Step 1. Get an Invitation to join.  It's a private site, well private in the terms that if you want to be involved with Pinterest you need an invite.  (Pssst we just happen to have a few, email me at tbroadus at focusgroupms.com and I'll be happy to make some arrangements, since we're friends)

Step 2. Know the terms.  You can't just starting pinning like a pro if you don't exactly know what that means now can you?

1. Pinterest - "Think of Pinterest as a virtual pinboard — a place where you can create collections of things you love and “follow” collections created by people with great taste." - The official definition.
2. Pinning - the act of posting something you fancy to your personal area of Pinterest.
3. Board - the topical area on your personal page where you categorize your pinnings to share with the world.

To get the most out of Pinterest you should start pinning to your boards as soon as you find things you feel are share-worthy to your soon to be PinHeads. Ok, I made the PinHeads one up, but I think it'll catch on.

Step 3. Find some solid topics, brands, friends and brands to follow.  Too often private networks end up being an online wasteland of high level techies (such as myself) looking for new people to interact with, but unable to find an audience.  Pinterest is an exception to the rule and is a thriving network with new content added every hour, and depending on the size of the networks you are following, it could be as much as every minute.  This will make your experience much more enjoyable.

Step 4. Dispel the "No Man's Land" myth - there are tons of guys on Pinterest.  Don't just take my word for it, here's a good article on the subject. The rate of growth alone shows an adoption rate across the board from men and women and from differing demographics and age ranges.

Step 5. Check out The Focus Group Pinterest page, we're big fans of the community and use it as a place to share some cool design work, ideas and a few of our favorite places, foods and activities from the Mississippi Gulf Coast.  http://pinterest.com/thefocusgroup/

And we promise to be good stewards...

Thomas Broadus

Director of Interactive | New Media

The Focus Group

228-832-3667
Email Thomas