Sometimes pie is the best solution to a great media mix. Or am I just craving pie?
I had a very interesting note sent
to me from someone I am not connected to on LinkedIn but his company is an
agency I would potentially work with on behalf of my clients based on their skill set and product offerings.
This individual asked me to fill out
a survey and his method of enticement was this note:
"Does social
media render all other forms of Internet marketing irrelevant? I’ve been
talking with more and more people these days who tell me that they don’t need
to do marketing anymore because of social media. It would seem that Facebook and
Twitter have rendered marketing professionals like myself extinct. What
do you think?"
I found the note interesting enough
to respond to, but what I was not expecting was how passionate I became about
my response. It brought back things I had discussed with mentors in my
past jobs...to trends I see in everyday
client projects...to the media blasts I [like all other consumers] are hit with
within all media sources save a good novel [but I suppose product-placement
creeps in there too!].
Here is my response:
"Hello X and thanks for reaching out.
I am happy to provide you feedback but I am not a "survey-type-o-gal." I find that surveys ask information that can be invasive and most of the answers requested in a survey are actually dynamic and evolving so the static responses in a survey are automatically of lesser value.
What I can do is provide you with a bit of my humble opinion from the little piece of the world where I sit. You asked me "Does social media render all other forms of Internet marketing irrelevant?" And I think a better question is "Does social media render all other forms of marketing irrelevant?" not just the internet. And for some advertisers, the answer would be "yes." But as a person that works in marketing and as a consultant to advertisers and agencies fighting the valiant marketing-war each day - I say that "yes" is ill-founded and poorly conceived.
Social media is in its infancy. It is all shiny like a new baby and has all the sex-appeal of a secret language filled with fancy symbols like @ and # that appear in everything from radio spots and packaged goods to ghost symbols on every TV show. I find it funny that TV is now telling us what to discuss on Twitter....it is all very "drink-the-Kool-Aid" to me. Not that I am not a fan of social media. I think the stuff is brilliant!! I work with national to local businesses as well as medical and legal practices in all aspects of advertising including social. Local businesses need consultants to help them monitor, control and [here is a dirty word] exploit the social media properties that are alive and well today [and will be replaced with the new shiny new babies that make them obsolete in the days, months, years to come].
I think social media is the great equalizer - it has allowed start-ups and small companies to compete for a voice on very powerful platform and stage...the world market! We have never seen this level of human connectivity before in our history on this blue marble!! Powerful ju-ju my friend!
IMHO social media replaces nothing. Radio and TV ads are still viable to the right companies - albeit they have to learn to do business better with the advent of DVRs and iPods. But product placement, when done well, is a powerful tool that I see many brands taking full advantage of in a smart way. Print media such a newspapers, magazines and even the dreaded dinosaur of print Yellow Pages are alive and well and linking consumers to products and services every day.
You see, I do not believe the marketing pie is getting smaller with social media replacing any form of marketing - I see the pie breaking into more pieces. And each piece is a different flavor and calorie count that advertisers need to navigate carefully. No company has the budget to eat each piece - but like any good diet - a well planned, well researched and fairly budgeted marketing plan will allow advertisers to benefit from the right mix of pieces and see remarkable ROI.
But that is just my passionate take on it all...I like pie too!
Sorry if you weren't expecting this rant... but I hope it helps! I always like a good chat session so let me know if you want to discuss this in more depth."
I am happy to provide you feedback but I am not a "survey-type-o-gal." I find that surveys ask information that can be invasive and most of the answers requested in a survey are actually dynamic and evolving so the static responses in a survey are automatically of lesser value.
What I can do is provide you with a bit of my humble opinion from the little piece of the world where I sit. You asked me "Does social media render all other forms of Internet marketing irrelevant?" And I think a better question is "Does social media render all other forms of marketing irrelevant?" not just the internet. And for some advertisers, the answer would be "yes." But as a person that works in marketing and as a consultant to advertisers and agencies fighting the valiant marketing-war each day - I say that "yes" is ill-founded and poorly conceived.
Social media is in its infancy. It is all shiny like a new baby and has all the sex-appeal of a secret language filled with fancy symbols like @ and # that appear in everything from radio spots and packaged goods to ghost symbols on every TV show. I find it funny that TV is now telling us what to discuss on Twitter....it is all very "drink-the-Kool-Aid" to me. Not that I am not a fan of social media. I think the stuff is brilliant!! I work with national to local businesses as well as medical and legal practices in all aspects of advertising including social. Local businesses need consultants to help them monitor, control and [here is a dirty word] exploit the social media properties that are alive and well today [and will be replaced with the new shiny new babies that make them obsolete in the days, months, years to come].
I think social media is the great equalizer - it has allowed start-ups and small companies to compete for a voice on very powerful platform and stage...the world market! We have never seen this level of human connectivity before in our history on this blue marble!! Powerful ju-ju my friend!
IMHO social media replaces nothing. Radio and TV ads are still viable to the right companies - albeit they have to learn to do business better with the advent of DVRs and iPods. But product placement, when done well, is a powerful tool that I see many brands taking full advantage of in a smart way. Print media such a newspapers, magazines and even the dreaded dinosaur of print Yellow Pages are alive and well and linking consumers to products and services every day.
You see, I do not believe the marketing pie is getting smaller with social media replacing any form of marketing - I see the pie breaking into more pieces. And each piece is a different flavor and calorie count that advertisers need to navigate carefully. No company has the budget to eat each piece - but like any good diet - a well planned, well researched and fairly budgeted marketing plan will allow advertisers to benefit from the right mix of pieces and see remarkable ROI.
But that is just my passionate take on it all...I like pie too!
Sorry if you weren't expecting this rant... but I hope it helps! I always like a good chat session so let me know if you want to discuss this in more depth."
So why am I blogging this? Because I this stuff just poured
out of me and that rarely happens on no coffee...and maybe this rant will be useful
to someone that is fighting the social media goliath that is so prevalent
today....I honor you David's out there. Keep going...and have a piece of pie!
