It’s my job to preach the experiential discipline, but when you’re on the receiving end (for a change) and the experience creates a lasting impression it rather gratifying.

You see, the “elevator description” of “what we do” no longer has to be composed along the lines of “we are an experiential marketing agency” followed by a plethora of what I call “business b******s” words finishing in “we do events” (admittedly I have been known to say ONLY “we do events” if I’m due to alight on the next floor). Instead the gospel according to Jack is now being embraced far beyond the world of conference centres and hotels. My experience happened in a Shopping Mall washroom of all places:

I must be sincere and prologue this by saying that my expectations aren’t exactly, well, high. You see I was born and bred in the UK where “Shopping Centres” were modeled around a place called Brent Cross – a functional 70’s design with enough space for cars, shops and communal places to serve spotty youths armed with spray paint, gum and a full bladder.

So my eureka! moment happened a couple of weekend’s ago – I was minding my own business taking the kids to the shops, ice skating, cinema, and fine dinning at a new Mall called Elements in Hong Kong. THEN I went to the Bathroom! Here is a pictorial summary of my experience (You’ll have to excuse the poor quality of the photos as these were taking on my phone):

Continue reading "Experiential LIVES - not just a work thingy"

MSNBC and Bloomberg won't be calling me for my opinions on the economy, but here's what I'm thinking. We're either headed for or already in a recession. Nobody knows how severe or long it will be. Consumer confidence is low, so they'll pull back on spending and that will further feed the downturn. How will marketers respond?

They'll be looking to minimize risk. I think we'll see pullbacks in overall marketing spending, with redirection of those funds to the most impactful and most accountable tactics. They'll look to maximize impact through face-to-face, viral, experiential, word-of-mouth personal advocacy -- the biggest bang for the buck. The winners will be those who can prove effectiveness.

I expect to see more fierce competition in every sector, including our own. With a shrinking pie, growth will have to come at the expense of your competitors. Watch the major rivalries: Microsoft and Google, HP and Dell, Nike and Reebok, the Dems and the GOP. That competition will likely spill over into recruiting talent away from the competition -- watch for big strategic management moves. Put on your helmet, it's going to be rough out there.

For the last week or so I've been pondering the "big news" about Microsoft's offer to buy Yahoo! and Yahoo's coy rebuff. Having worked with clients at both companies, I kept thinking I'd have some strategic insight on what would make the deal make-or-break. After following the news closely, I don't think anybody cares.

Sure, there are lots of folks at Microsoft for whom this is an exciting conquest -- the passion of the hunt. And for thousands of Yahoo employees, there will certainly be an impact no matter which way this thing goes. And I guess the stock holders care. But what about consumers? Where are the masses of passionate Yahoo users protesting against the Microsoft incursion? And where are the Microsoft consumers buzzing about the potential services this will open up for them? Crickets.

I haven't heard anybody talking about any benefit to consumers of either brand. The conversation has been narrowly confined to the competitive landscape (vis a vis Google) and who will win between Microsoft and Yahoo! And it's not just the press... I don't think anybody at either Microsoft or Yahoo are thinking about enhancing their value for consumers. The sport of Mergers and Acquisitions has overshadowed what really should matter most: customers.

The high-def DVD wars are over! That really didn't take that long... certainly not like the years and millions of consumer dollars poured into the Betamax vs. VHS battle back in the 80s.

Toshiba (creator of the HD-DVD standard) announced yesterday that it is dropping the format in favor of rival standard Blu-Ray. Following announcements in the past few weeks from content distributors Warner Bros. and Universal, this move by Toshiba pretty much seals the fate of HD-DVD.

What's that? You didn't know there was a "battle" going on? Yeah, luckily, most consumers have been sitting on the sidelines with little urge to take a chance on buying the wrong player -- most of which are still north of $400. Plus, the movies themselves are $25-35. Do regular DVDs look that bad on your big-screen?

Whatever the technical merits of the opposing formats, Blu-Ray had better marketing, a sexier name, and a better ability to rally business allies.

Geek postscript: Blu-Ray refers to the fact that the players use a blue laser beam to read from the disk. Blue has a much shorter wavelength than more commonly used red lasers, so it can be used to read smaller bits of data -- allowing more high-def data to be crammed onto a single disk.

Yesterday, a PR placement service e-mailed me an invitation for a webinar about social media releases (SMR). So, what did I do first? I deleted the e-mail. And what did I do next? I searched the Web to find out more about SMRs, which some people call the "evolution of the press release." It's a not-so-new tactic whose validity remains contentiously debated among communications pros. I continued my search...

After reading more about keywords, RSS feeds, bookmarking and search engine optimization than I anticipated, I eventually learned that the potential of SMRs comes from understanding the experiences that people -- particularly bloggers -- prefer when it comes to receiving news.

(If you'd like to avoid the sales pitch contained within the video below, watch only the first minute .)

Continue reading "SMRs and the reporter's experience"