Return On Eco Investment.
I formulated this acronym off the cuff as I was interviewed the other day regarding my opinions on the environment and energy issues.
Naturally I had a very marketing biased point of view, especially when I was first asked if I thought that energy corporations were doing enough for the environment?
My reply was that it was really hard to tell. Sure, there are a lot of good "greenwashing" campaigns out there, but I pointed out that it was almost impossible for me, whether as an ad-man or consumer to detect any tangible positive effects that the considerable investments these corporations have poured into pro-environmental technology and communication should have, or will have had.
Simply put, I would need serious proof of ROEI to give a good reply to their first question.
Then when asked if I, as a consumer, would be willing to spend more on energy utilities if these were pro-environmental I replied, where's the proof of ROEI? I was then asked to describe what I would advise corporations to do in order to prove what they are getting out of their ROEI, and how I would promote ROEI to their consumers...
I gave a few examples and thus ended the interview, I then rushed back to the office to start studying "my" new acronym and how it could be applied in marketing and communication. 12 hours later, I had a logo, a 12 slide PPT, and a ROEI methodology. Now I'm dying to try it out, and hopefully will do soon.
ROEI. Remember where you heard it first. If you're curious, just email me at jc@icebreaker.se and I'll be glad to share more of my ROEI findings with you...
Back soon,
THE ICEBREAKER
fredag 29 maj 2009
måndag 25 maj 2009
Are you killing or billing?
The credentials presentation. It's the first chance your agency gets to make a good impression on a new prospect. Problem is that most ad agencies spend too much time talking about the wrong thing.
Themselves.
In fact the biggest complaint I've read about and heard firsthand from marketers on the buyers side is that they're tired of the "who we are, awards, unique methodology, how creative we are, how we love ROI, case study case study case study case study etc etc"
Because when they agreed to meet the agency, they Googled them, Checked their website. Saw the case studies. Saw that they won an Effie. That they hired a well respected creative director. They already knew pretty much all they needed to know about the agency by the time they got to shake hands.
What they really were hoping to hear was how the agency was going to help THEM. That the agency had done their homework. Had already tried to identify any business challenges they may be facing- and hinting at a solution. Tried to understand their brand, product or service and show insight.
Secondly, a credentials presentation isn't just about presenting the agency. It's also about presenting yourself, the ambassador of the agency, and trying to get to know the potential client. Talk to them, with them, but not AT them.
Third, try to use other presentation software than Power Point. You can get a flash presentation done for very reasonable fees these days, and trust me, what a difference it makes!! With a flash introduction to your agency, you can keep perfect timing, talk less and add an element of excitement that Power Point just can't deliver. You can then definitely use Power Point to tailor a presentation of your findings and insights regarding your prospect.
Last but not least- LISTEN to what the potential client is saying. You've got this person's company for a limited time, they have the power to make or break your financial year- so take my advice, hang on every word!
These are just a few hints that'll help you start billing and stop killing your prospects- but if you want to know more about good new business practices, check here: http://www.newbusinesslessons.org
Best Wishes,
THE ICEBREAKER
Themselves.
In fact the biggest complaint I've read about and heard firsthand from marketers on the buyers side is that they're tired of the "who we are, awards, unique methodology, how creative we are, how we love ROI, case study case study case study case study etc etc"
Because when they agreed to meet the agency, they Googled them, Checked their website. Saw the case studies. Saw that they won an Effie. That they hired a well respected creative director. They already knew pretty much all they needed to know about the agency by the time they got to shake hands.
What they really were hoping to hear was how the agency was going to help THEM. That the agency had done their homework. Had already tried to identify any business challenges they may be facing- and hinting at a solution. Tried to understand their brand, product or service and show insight.
Secondly, a credentials presentation isn't just about presenting the agency. It's also about presenting yourself, the ambassador of the agency, and trying to get to know the potential client. Talk to them, with them, but not AT them.
Third, try to use other presentation software than Power Point. You can get a flash presentation done for very reasonable fees these days, and trust me, what a difference it makes!! With a flash introduction to your agency, you can keep perfect timing, talk less and add an element of excitement that Power Point just can't deliver. You can then definitely use Power Point to tailor a presentation of your findings and insights regarding your prospect.
Last but not least- LISTEN to what the potential client is saying. You've got this person's company for a limited time, they have the power to make or break your financial year- so take my advice, hang on every word!
These are just a few hints that'll help you start billing and stop killing your prospects- but if you want to know more about good new business practices, check here: http://www.newbusinesslessons.org
Best Wishes,
THE ICEBREAKER
torsdag 14 maj 2009
Anti-social media...
Social media. It's the big buzzword on every marketers lips these days.
Every marketer, every ad-agency, brand manager, CMO, you name it.. are all striving to capitalize on this media channel. Which is understandable. And not annoying at all....
Not yet anyway. But chances are that it will. And soon
As soon as we ad-people get the hang of it, by mastering the art, by writing the first "Social media for dummies", or "Social Media = ROI", or by creating business cards / positions with "Social Media Director" as a title, holding seminars and starting niched social media digital agencies... is when we will have spurned the term "Anti-Social Media"
I hate to play Nostradamus, but much as target audiences these days are becoming more and more intolerant towards TV & radio advertising, and are consequently choosing to watch and listen on demand, the same will be true of social media.
Data traffic towards social media sites will drastically decrease as users around the world will disactivate notification settings and limit usage in general in order to avoid commercial messages.
YouTube users, tiresome of ad placement and ad influence in content, will soon find other ways to source video over the internet.
Peer to peer instant messaging will soon boom (again) as users try to find a way back to the inimate, undisturbed realms of sharing details of their lives to only the chosen few, and off the radar of the marketing community.
The scenario described above is of course hypothetical, however it is not completely impossible.
Unless, of course, we marketeers do our part in giving the consumers what they came for- relevant content that gives them the power of choice, that keeps them entertained, perhaps even serving as a catalyst for their digital social experience.
There's nothing wrong with finding ways for consumers to engage with a brand in a new way, but we have to make sure that we are as non-invasive and pro-interactive as possible. A difficult balance to achieve, but in the end it's "their" (the consumers) choice, not ours....
Every marketer, every ad-agency, brand manager, CMO, you name it.. are all striving to capitalize on this media channel. Which is understandable. And not annoying at all....
Not yet anyway. But chances are that it will. And soon
As soon as we ad-people get the hang of it, by mastering the art, by writing the first "Social media for dummies", or "Social Media = ROI", or by creating business cards / positions with "Social Media Director" as a title, holding seminars and starting niched social media digital agencies... is when we will have spurned the term "Anti-Social Media"
I hate to play Nostradamus, but much as target audiences these days are becoming more and more intolerant towards TV & radio advertising, and are consequently choosing to watch and listen on demand, the same will be true of social media.
Data traffic towards social media sites will drastically decrease as users around the world will disactivate notification settings and limit usage in general in order to avoid commercial messages.
YouTube users, tiresome of ad placement and ad influence in content, will soon find other ways to source video over the internet.
Peer to peer instant messaging will soon boom (again) as users try to find a way back to the inimate, undisturbed realms of sharing details of their lives to only the chosen few, and off the radar of the marketing community.
The scenario described above is of course hypothetical, however it is not completely impossible.
Unless, of course, we marketeers do our part in giving the consumers what they came for- relevant content that gives them the power of choice, that keeps them entertained, perhaps even serving as a catalyst for their digital social experience.
There's nothing wrong with finding ways for consumers to engage with a brand in a new way, but we have to make sure that we are as non-invasive and pro-interactive as possible. A difficult balance to achieve, but in the end it's "their" (the consumers) choice, not ours....
tisdag 5 maj 2009
to pitch or not to pitch, that is the que$tion....
I've never been a big fan of pitches.
Let's be honest- how many of us good agency folk actually REALLY enjoy that gruelling process, starting with the RFI, then the RFP, the RFQ, then that mother of all presentations -THE CREATIVE PITCH!
You and your agency have just spent an untold number of days, hours, sleepless nights, exchanging ideas, criticism, insults, pats on the back, cursing color printers that run out of toner at 3am, cursing the art director, copywriter, planner, CEO, potential new client, Spray Mount, delivery guy, receptionist....
....all for the sake of one, maybe one and a half hours in front of the potential client(s).
I know you know how that feels, or if you don't, you can probably imagine walking into a (usually) hot and stuffy boardroom, being met by a group of people that most of the time look like they would rather be elsewhere (especially if you've gotten that lousy Friday afternoon final slot).
You feel (and probably look) as if you haven't slept in days, yet strive to project an image of vigour, wisdom, love for the clients brand, love for the creative response to their brief. You then pull out and turn over the first board...
The room either falls to a painful hush... blank expressions... or maybe a set of blank gazes transform into mild interest, or mirth, or maybe that magical moment when you KNOW you've won it- you see an instant sparkle in their eyes... the mood in the room is suddenly electric... and you leave the pitch feeling like you've just conquered Everest... exhausted and ecstatic.
OR... as is often the case, you leave feeling mildly optimistic and hanging on every word, every glance from the guys on the other side of the table. one, maybe two weeks of cautious excitement follow.... then you get... THE CALL. Sometimes even THE E-MAIL (yes, it does happen..)
From that moment on, you've either won or lost the pitch. And either way, after every result, I find myself asking a series of questions;
Was this really the best way to gauge my agency's competence?
Was this really the best way to test if we can do business over the next 12, 24, 36, etc months?
Can this truly be the ultimate test to see if we, and you, our potential clients, have chemistry?
Why is it that we only get one shot, one performance, to show how creative we can be?
Why is it that we get only one shot to demonstrate our strategic capacity?
Surely we would best solve these two above issues together? Through a working process, and not just one brief?
Maybe there's a less costly way, both in terms of time and money, to find if we're a good match?
On my next pitch, I'll probably be asking myself the same questions, and still striving to create the answers.
Best Regards / The Icebreaker
Let's be honest- how many of us good agency folk actually REALLY enjoy that gruelling process, starting with the RFI, then the RFP, the RFQ, then that mother of all presentations -THE CREATIVE PITCH!
You and your agency have just spent an untold number of days, hours, sleepless nights, exchanging ideas, criticism, insults, pats on the back, cursing color printers that run out of toner at 3am, cursing the art director, copywriter, planner, CEO, potential new client, Spray Mount, delivery guy, receptionist....
....all for the sake of one, maybe one and a half hours in front of the potential client(s).
I know you know how that feels, or if you don't, you can probably imagine walking into a (usually) hot and stuffy boardroom, being met by a group of people that most of the time look like they would rather be elsewhere (especially if you've gotten that lousy Friday afternoon final slot).
You feel (and probably look) as if you haven't slept in days, yet strive to project an image of vigour, wisdom, love for the clients brand, love for the creative response to their brief. You then pull out and turn over the first board...
The room either falls to a painful hush... blank expressions... or maybe a set of blank gazes transform into mild interest, or mirth, or maybe that magical moment when you KNOW you've won it- you see an instant sparkle in their eyes... the mood in the room is suddenly electric... and you leave the pitch feeling like you've just conquered Everest... exhausted and ecstatic.
OR... as is often the case, you leave feeling mildly optimistic and hanging on every word, every glance from the guys on the other side of the table. one, maybe two weeks of cautious excitement follow.... then you get... THE CALL. Sometimes even THE E-MAIL (yes, it does happen..)
From that moment on, you've either won or lost the pitch. And either way, after every result, I find myself asking a series of questions;
Was this really the best way to gauge my agency's competence?
Was this really the best way to test if we can do business over the next 12, 24, 36, etc months?
Can this truly be the ultimate test to see if we, and you, our potential clients, have chemistry?
Why is it that we only get one shot, one performance, to show how creative we can be?
Why is it that we get only one shot to demonstrate our strategic capacity?
Surely we would best solve these two above issues together? Through a working process, and not just one brief?
Maybe there's a less costly way, both in terms of time and money, to find if we're a good match?
On my next pitch, I'll probably be asking myself the same questions, and still striving to create the answers.
Best Regards / The Icebreaker
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