Brand Newsroom 126: The “By the way, I was paid to say this” Episode
With the invention of “influencer marketing”, product placement has jumped from the silver screen to the smartphone screen. But now, in Australia, the free-for-all is over. New advertising standards mean from next month brands will have to disclose their influencer marketing deals.
James, Nic and Sarah take a close look at marketing and advertising deals and why it’s important to disclose them.
Here are some key take-outs:
- Traditional media has always had to acknowledge when content is sponsored. This is clearly the regulators trying to catch up.
- Don’t social media users already innately understand product placement?
“What concerns me here is someone is trying to over-regulate this. This won’t work; this thing lives by its own rules.” — Nic
- Is influencer marketing the best way for brands — particularly small businesses — to communicate their message?
- Could this be more about the revenue concerns of traditional media?
“There’s a lot of speculation about whether or not influencer marketing works. There are no good metrics around about how it’s measured. In influencer marketing the ability to prove there was any kind of profitable customer action because somebody put up an Instagram post, it gets weaker and weaker.” — Sarah
- Just because someone has a big audience, does that mean that audience is going to do something for your brand?
- There’s a question of authenticity with the audience, too. Does the influencer really believe in or use the product? What damage can it do if they get caught using a competitor’s product?
“If brands choose the right person, they can strike it lucky. They can get a lot more bang for their buck.” — James
Here are the links you might need
- Here’s an article on the new Australian advertising standards.
On My Desk
- Sarah’s recommended the book Stories that Sell by Casey Hibbard.
- Nic’s recommendation was to amplify your appearances in traditional media by reposting them to your own channels, especially YouTube.
- James talked about the ads that appeared in the Super Bowl, which “captured the conversation” by taking a very political angle.
Like what you’ve heard?
Last week the team discussed attack marketing:
And recently they spoke about diversity in marketing:
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Brand Newsroom 125: Is attack ever the best form of marketing?
Is attack marketing ever a good idea? Does launching into your competitor — or perhaps a politician or someone you disagree with — ever work for a brand?
James, Nic and Sarah take a close look at where attack marketing wins and where it fails.
Show Notes
Here are some key take-outs:
- Attack advertising is a marketing strategy where one company (normally a challenger brand) directly criticises another company or brand. It’s also common in politics, where it’s more often party to party or candidate to candidate.
- Not all attack ads are unpleasant. In fact, for the consumer, they can be a lot of fun. Check out these ads from the American “burger wars” of the 1980s.
“When I was a kid you either drank Pepsi or you drank Coke and in our house, as a family, we were divided. I love attack marketing as a technique when it’s done in a way that’s not mean.” — Sarah
- Meanness often backfires for brands — you can alienate your audience. So attack marketing can be a risk. It’s particularly if you’re attacking a person, an individual, rather than an organisation.
- If you’re an underdog brand attack marketing can be a good opportunity — people can get behind it because they appreciate what you’re trying to do. If you’re a big brand attacking the challenger brands, that’s not a good look.
“Most businesses and brands are celebrating when they see their competitor’s advertising because consumers are smarter now and they go do research — during that research phase any brand could get the business.” — Nic
- We’re seeing many challenger brands (like Uber and AirBnB) totally changing the conversation that’s being had in their industries and those industries aren’t necessarily responding well. If you’re the taxi industry, attacking Uber isn’t going to win you much support.
- If you’re attacking a leading organisation you have to expect them to come back at you. You have to have the resources ready to respond when your competitor fights back.
“If you’re launching a grenade into the mix, what’s your next play?” — James
Here are the links you might need
- This is the mining industry ad that annoyed Nic.
- Here’s more information on the Harley Davidson experience.
On My Desk
- Sarah’s recommendation was Ann Handley’s book Everybody Writes.
- Nic recommended getting along to one of his “Meet the Media” events. Full details will be on the Media Stable website soon, but the dates are: Melbourne, April 19 at the Smart Artz Gallery; Brisbane, April 21 at the GABBA Cricket Ground; Perth, May 2 at Wembley Golf Course; and Sydney, May 4 at a venue to be confirmed.
- James’s recommendation was a reminder that brands can be the darling of the public one day and a villain the next — citing Uber as the most recent example.
Like what you’ve heard?
You can listen to last week’s Brand Newsroom here.
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Or, you can subscribe or leave a review on iTunes.
Brand Newsroom 122: A Brand Evangelist > A Salesperson
Should salespeople be more like marketers? According to an article in the Harvard Business Review recently, the best salespeople are those who really believe in their brand, work hard to create an emotional connection with their consumers, and attract customers rather than chase them.
So, is the hard sell dead? And are the best salespeople actually brand evangelists, as HBR would have us believe?
According to the Harvard Business Review, great salespeople do what brands do. What does that mean? It means they:
- Focus on internal culture first. Get your people passionate about your product.
- Avoid selling products; create emotional connections instead.
- Ignore trends. Take your lead from your customers
- Don’t chase customers; attract them by being good at what you do.
- Create extraordinary experiences that embody your brand.
- Behave ethically and create real value for your customers, even when there’s unlikely to be a sale.
- Commit to the brand values and impart those brand values.
“There’s a theory (salespeople) should under-promise and over-deliver. I think that’s rubbish: You should promise and deliver what you can do. It’s an issue of trust. Tell the truth, be in control, service the audience.” — Sarah
- Make sure everyone in your team understands the product, the value proposition and the strategy. That needs to happen before you’ll see success.
- A great example of creating an emotional connection to the product is Apple. They sell a lifestyle, not just a product.
“Follow the lead of your customers, not the lead of your industry.” — Nic
- If you focus on creating value, providing good information, demonstrating your expertise and your authority, your customer will make the decision about working with you before they even have to.
- If you and your sales team don’t believe in your brand, there’s no way the customer is ever going to. Brands need to invest in their people; they should be ambassadors for your brand.
“I think it’s almost impossible to go out selling until you understand your brand values and make sure you’re living and breathing those.” — James
Here are the links you might need
- Here’s the Harvard Business Review article that sparked the conversation.
- Brand Newsroom producer Dan Hatch recently wrote an article about using content marketing to build brand loyalty. You can read it here.
- Sarah mentioned a book called Good to Great. Here it is.
Have you heard the one about…
Recently James, Sarah and Nic took a close look at email marketing best practice.
And here’s a discussion with ADMA’s Jodie Sangster looking at the content marketing trends for Australia for 2017.
Like what you’ve heard?
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Or, you can subscribe or leave a review on iTunes.
Brand Newsroom 121: The rise of post-truth everything, and why it needs to stop
Pundits say we’re living in “a post-truth era”, where facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than emotion and public belief. Fake news is all over the internet and is believed to have influenced the United States presidential election.
Have lies become a commodity? Don’t we value authenticity anymore? And what does all this mean for brands? Nic, James and Sarah have a passionate discussion in this week’s Brand Newsroom.
Here are some key take-outs:
- It’s getting harder to tell what news is real and what’s fake. Social media platforms like Facebook have allowed this “news” to spread without any of the fact-checking traditional media has always done.
- This is happening at a time when traditional journalism is under threat, newsrooms are shrinking and quality control is disappearing.
“Once a traditional media source reports it, that legitimizes it, so shame on them if they’re doing it just to get numbers.” — Sarah
- This is a huge opportunity for brands. If the traditional media channels are fragmenting and collapsing, then brands have the opportunity to provide the information for their industry and to become the trusted source.
- Smart brands are hiring the reporters, photographers, sub-editors — all the talented people — who have been let go by traditional newsrooms and putting them to work on content for their brand.
“This year was just the entrée. The main course and the dessert hasn’t even kicked in yet. I’m absolutely terrified.” — James
- There is also an opportunity for traditional news media, the big ones with an established reputation, to become a credible source of news and reinvigorate their business.
“I think the media has left the door wide open and brands should walk right through it and just assume the role of the media.” — Sarah
Here are the links you might need
- Sarah mentioned an article by Dan Hatch called “Why the post-truth era can’t extend to marketing”. You can read it here.
- Here’s a piece from Slate called Stop calling everything “fake news”.
- And here’s the Oxford Dictionary’s announcement of the Word of the Year for 2016.
Have you heard the one about
Here’s that discussion on traditional media adapting to digital with Ben Martin, which Sarah mentioned:
The team was recently joined by Nenad Senic for a discussion about print, too.
Like what you’ve heard?
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Or, you can subscribe or leave a review on iTunes.
Brand Newsroom 120: Our marketing and communications predictions for 2017
It’s also the time of year we start looking forward — making resolutions and plans for the new year. Today the Brand Newsroom team gazes into the crystal ball to see what 2017 might hold in the marketing and communications industry.
Here are some key take-outs:
- It’s time to get your content strategy in place if you haven’t already got one.
- Spend more time with your clients. Meet face-to-face more often.
“It really goes back to ensuring our customers are having good experiences, not trying to game the technology, not trying to find a silver bullet. And for me that starts with strategy.” — Sarah
- For many companies, it’s time for a new approach. The old ways of marketing aren’t necessarily working. It’s time to make customers feel something. That pressure is likely to come from the C-suite.
- It could well be time to bring in the professionals: get an agency on board, find the right freelancers, and get the best team together. It’s often more cost-effective to outsource.
“I think a lot of companies are going to wake up to the fact that what they have been doing hasn’t been working as it should be and they need to look at a new way of doing it.” — James
- Attention spans are getting shorter, so our content needs to be more concise.
- Video will continue to be an increasingly important medium for content. Personalised and interactive videos are likely to take off as the technology improves.
- Some social media platforms will stop bearing fruit for brands and many will begin to move away from them.
“In 2017, have a review of your social media. See where it fits into your business. Review its value to your organisation.” — Nic
Here are the links you might need
- CMO.com.au had a list of 17 predictions, too.
- Convince and Convert had five predictions, here.
- Here’s Marketo’s take.
- Sarah weighs in (page 45) on the Content Marketing Institute predictions of 2017.
- And, finally, here’s Campaign Monitor with their predictions on email marketing.
Have you heard the one about…
Recently James, Sarah and Nic took a close look at email marketing best practice.
And the team was also joined by ADMA’s Jodie Sangster for a look at the biggest trends in content marketing predicted for 2017.
Like what you’ve heard?
Give us a follow on SoundCloud to get the latest episodes.
Or, you can subscribe or leave a review on iTunes.
Brand Newsroom 119: How to get your website right
What does your website look like? Are you happy with it? Is it working for you and, more importantly, is it working for your customers?
Zion Ong, director of West Australian digital marketing company Alyka, joins the BNR team to talk about what’s best practice when it comes to websites.
Here are some key take-outs:
- Websites are not “set and go”. The internet is changing all the time, new devices are being released, and you need to keep up to date.
- Websites aren’t a long-term investment. You have to plan on creating new ones all the time, in part because the consumer likes change in this area — they get bored quickly.
“There was a view a long time ago, that still prevails today, that a website was a one-off project… and you could just leave it and it would continue to do its job. But websites have almost become a disposable thing.” — Sarah
- Zion says when it comes to structural changes you should be updating your website every year or every second year. When it comes to content though, ideally you should be updating daily.
- Content is key. That’s how Google finds you. And it can’t be rubbish content; it has to be quality content and it has to be original. Make a commitment to publish on a regular basis. Have a strategy.
- Have your website hosted in the country which is your target market, as Google takes that into account.
“The guys who are ahead of the game are the ones who not only have a great-looking site but they have a really user-friendly site, and they make it easy for people to enquire, call, fill out a form.” — Zion Ong, Alyka
- Don’t dismiss keywords, they’re important. And targeting niche keywords can help lift your Google rankings really quickly.
- Don’t just create the content, you need distribution and amplification as well — and your strategy needs to address all of that.
“If you can’t portray your business in a digital environment in the same way you can face to face, you’re already losing a lot of customers.” — Sarah
- If you’re choosing a web developer, firstly, check out examples of their work. Ask if they’re outsourcing because if they are, there’s more of a chance that things will go wrong. Don’t be afraid to ask to meet the team.
- Sometimes it’s better to get a new website up before it’s 100 per cent perfect, rather than drag out the creation process. Tweak it once it’s up, because your website is never finished!
Here are the links you might need
- Here’s that report Zion’s team at Alyka did on how prepared WA businesses are for the digital future.
Have you heard the one about…
Recently James and Sarah spoke to European content marketing expert Nenad Senic about why it’s still worth considering print as part of your content strategy.
And in our first episode recorded with a studio audience, the team met Seven West Media’s digital expert Ben Martin to find out how mainstream media is handling the switch to digital.
Like what you’ve heard?
Give us a follow on SoundCloud to get the latest episodes.
Or, you can subscribe or leave a review on iTunes.
