1. Moms won’t be won over by push messages. Brands need to join the conversation.
2. Mom is looking for a relationship — a two-way dialogue that shows the brand is listening and responding.
3. Moms like transparency.
4. Moms don’t expect brands to be perfect, but they expect honesty.
5. Moms work best when you give them tools and knowledge and then turn them loose to customize and make them their own.
6. Moms like relevancy. Fill a need, answer questions, value her opinion, and then let her see action taken. And don’t forget to make buying fun.
7. Moms like you to get to the point. They’re busy, so be authentic, clear, and genuine. Otherwise, the response will be skepticism.
8. Moms love to be comfortable with decisions, and information is key to comfort. Make their homework easier.
9. Moms think pragmatically and emotionally. Brands need to cover both sides of the conversation.
10. Moms like stories. Social media is about communicating — telling a story — which is extremely different than selling.

Thanks to Avi Savar of imedia connection for providing this nugget…

CNBC is doing a special 5 part global series on Leadership and Vision.

We have attached the full hour long episode below featuring some of the most preeminent minds in the Technology sector.
Some key points that are touch upon in the episode:

• Understanding the User is a Top Priority
• Production Mindsets don’t always work in the digital space
• Small is the New Big
• Innovation isn’t always about equating dollars in the short term
• Test Test and Re-Test!

I came across this post on Slashdot and it just really pissed me off. Reverb Communications’ idea of good social media practice is to hire a team of interns to spam the iTunes store with fake positive reviews of its clients’ apps. Be prepared, because I’m going to rant a little…

THIS is EXACTLY why people get suspicious of marketers using social media! Consumers are afraid of companies co-opting what was meant to be an authentic, altruistic community for mercenary ends. By contrast, they don’t mind if companies (like Threadless and Zappos) use social space to have real conversations and provide real, useful content…so why is it so hard for companies to understand that, to make the best of the social space, you need to participate in good faith?

/rant.

Seriously, when you (the reader) find out a company employs tactics like that, does it make you reluctant to purchase from them, or is it just me?

If you’re a skeptical business owner or a corporate executive just interested in social media, this clip is a must see. And after viewing this clip, you still think social media is nothing more than a bunch of ramblings by high school and college kids, you better start looking for a new job relatively soon.

As I have said (and countless other people), there is a fundamental change occurring in the way business will be done in the next few years. Social Technologies are drastically altering the business landscapes and how brands communicate in them. And if companies, brands and people don’t get on board they’re lively hood may be irrelevant come 2015.

Now I’m not saying that this is the end all be all and brands should drop everything they are doing and dive in head first. These social channels are another tool to add to the marcom arsenal. By understanding and integrating social tools into your current marketing mix, brands can begin to open new and untapped customer segments that they probably never dreamed they could have reach 2 years ago.

Let us help us help you understand and strategize your business options: nostruminc.com

Thanks Socialnomics for making these insights available and we here at nostrum will continue to help educate the masses as well!

The article titled Digital Darwinism is something I saw that really made me think about the state of the digital media space.  IMO a must read for all digital marketing heads.  I’ll be doing a post in a few days to address.  Hope you all enjoy….

The SekaiCamera app is all about function and bringing the user experience to life in both the real and virtual worlds.

This was prototyped at TechCrunch’s Top 50 Conference a few months back and from what was written, it was the talk of the conference. You can see the actual presentation that was done here.

Anyway, we came across this execution in our research and just thought it was so amazing.  Plus, the team here just started rattling off potential uses and ideas around this app.  Honestly the possibilities are endless!

But we see one major obstacle to overcome: Tagging.

As noted across countless blogs and by industry insiders, this will be crucial in facilitating mass adoption of these types of technologies.  If we don’t have a “Dewey Decimal” system of sorts for tagging we all will get lost in the virtual shuffle.

Just came across our desks today…

Nike has innovated again!  This time with Lance Armstrong and the Tour De France.  The two entities have teamed up with the development of Chalkbot - a robot messaging system of sorts.  This robot lets users send 4o character long messages, texts, emails or tweets to a server and then relayed to the Chalkbot.  Then throughout the course of the Tour, the messages are PAINTED (yes painted) on the streets that the cyclists travel on!

According to our friends at vanskengroups blog “culturebuzz” The Chalkbot was developed by Deeplocal and StandardRobot for the Nike Livestrong campaign, created together with Lance Armstrong in support of the brand’s cancer foundation.
It allows fans to disseminate their messages of hope and encouragement, as well as joining the fight against cancer.
Simon Prestidge UK Marketing Director at Nike was quoted as saying: “We don’t do advertising any more. […] We need to become part of people’s lives and digital allows us to do that.” We’re sure you get it, the cause is laudable and the concept is truly innovative.

So visit wearyellow.com and/or text LIVESTRONG followed by your message to 36453 to participate in this very innovative campaign.

Combining online and offline ideas based around a solid goal is paramount for marketers in today’s economic environment.
Check out what Coca-Cola did for their new bottle redesign for customers in France.

Executions like this one and others are great, but my only question is why do all the coolest and most forward integrated “marketing ideas” seemingly happen outside the US?

I have many reasons why I think this happens but what do you think?

Kit Kat Japan had a major dilemma: How do they stand out from the clutter on a crowded snack aisle at convenience stores.  They didn’t want to buy their way to the top for many reasons - number one being cost - so what to do?

They went to the drawing board and saw an opening that was ripe for the taking and swooped in and did something extremely innovative, creative and “completely out of the box.” (I hate using that term but it works well in this setting.)

When Japan Post was privatized, kit kat went to them with a proposal with the idea of kit kat mail.  This newly packaged candy let users write notes to the attended recipients and then literally drop them in the mail to be sent on the fly.  To mass market this product kit kat took it to the next level. They proposed selling the items right at the register of the post office to maximize exposure.  And in some cases, changed dingy post office locales into kit kat shop in shops.  But the kicker of the campaign had to do with timing.  They slated the launch to coincide with university admission examinations to maximize reach and exposure in an already well traffic local where users primary goal was to send something already.  The assumption being that if they made a superior product; tweaked the packaging so that the box facilitated an ease of use to ship and receive seamlessly; and made it accessible to everyone at a location where it would be relevant - this would equate to a successful new product launch.

O how right they were.  The campaign won the Media Grand Prix this year at Cannes; Kit Kat has grounded itself as Japan Post’s candy of choice at the retail post level; and the social component of the campaign still continues today.

A few weeks ago Razorfish had their 9th Annual Corporate Client Summit.  From what we viewed in the clips, it seemed like a cool party with some interesting topics and commentary.

Innovation Hell by Joe Crump, Group VP Strategy & Planning, Razorfish from Razorfish on Vimeo.

We at nostrum love that the Web 2.0 space will let others learn and expand their minds through literally viewing the presentation that was given.  In the clip attached, Razorfish’s Group VP of Strategic Planning, Joe Crump discusses the pros and cons of innovating and Razorfish’s insight into what it takes to get this type of work done.

While we here at nostrum would never compare ourselves to the likes of a Razorfish or any other corporate shop of that scope, we do share similar ideals and mantras.  We too believe that creativity does NOT equal innovation and that while a process may be warranted to get a job done, it is not a necessity.  For we feel (like Razorfish) that sometimes the process stymies the ideation and weakens the intended result(s).

Take a look at this presentation and big props to Joe Crump and his digital dream team over at Razorfish.

Thank you for sharing and we will be sharing some of our insights with the masses soon!

Yesterday adage digital published a column titled “Why I Hate Social Media.” Now I know in the world o publishing headlines sell and that’s what this was intended to do. Illicit a serious response to start a conversation be it positive or negative. And at the time I’m writing this it sure has. There are some 70+posts both lambasting and praising Matt Jones in their own right.

That said, good writing evokes thought; thought should evoke discussion; discussion a hypothesis; hypothesis some type of conclusion - I know I’m simplifying the process but you get the gist. So big picture adage succeeded with its goal but still the headline to this post thoroughly rubbed me the wrong way and in turn most of the article pissed me off as well.

As I was reading I was getting madder and madder disagreeing with everything only wanting to chew it up and spit it out and give him a piece of mind —>until I finished and started to reflect upon. Is it true that what Matt was saying I agreed with on some levels? I have to say yes BUT – I just don’t outwardly agree on every single point. I hate when I think i’m going somewhere and then I get pushed back to reality ever so cleverly.

I’m going to hit on a point and then share some of the insights that the staff here sent back after I asked them to reflect and share their thoughts on this post.

My main critique is in addressing the negativities that are discussed. When Matt notes we …”should also recognize that these exceptions merely prove the dismal rule of social media right now. Because for every Amazon or Adobe, brands with genuinely good ideas to share and good stories to tell, there’s a Skittles…and Pizza Hut.” While I do agree both of those brands (and others) didn’t do social the to the best in comparison, they took a chance and attempted to play in the social space.

Who is Matt to say that their step was less than stellar. Sure they maybe didn’t wow the masses but they (like all companies) are evolving and learning in this space. One man’s test is another’s discovery down the path of enlightenment. If companies didn’t take the risk, he as well as others wouldn’t have anything to post about.

I do believe the biggest thing this article did for me is to ensure that I and the staff here look at things from a 360 degree angle. None of us have THE ANSWER. There a multitude of players with different questions and agendas to reach the mountain top. So this in turn is just one more player with a great thought provoking post that we all need to read, reflect and respond to.

With that, here are some of the staff’s thoughts on the article. Read the rest of this entry »

Don’t take it from us, take it from some of the most recognizable and successful people on the planet.

I saw the phrase “lets make better mistakes tomorrow” a few weeks ago on FFFound and thought it was great upon first glance.  I kept mulling it over and didn’t think too much more of it after the initial discovery, except that it resonated on so many levels with how I see learning, even more so digital learning.

To me, it exemplified the 360 nature and fast paced trial and error approach of the social web.  So I kept it as a ‘lil personal find’ and honestly that’s where I was planning it would stay.  It wasn’t until I put it up as my screen saver and it happened to show prior to me starting my keynote presentation that I saw it was a serious conversation starter. People immediately started asking questions and commenting about it.  I got everything from what does that mean to people’s unsolicited interpretation to it.  For a small little quote that never was intended to be seen, I soon realized that it truly struck a chord with the audience and I needed to share it.

So after the meetings subsided for the week, I sent a mass email to the core nostrum team and asked them what it meant to them. I got back insights showcasing each individual’s unique style of thinking and how it resonated with them.

Each answer is unique to the individual and truly is the foundation of how nostrum sees the digital world and thinks within it.  The comments ran the gamut: a bit of skepticism, cynicism, idealism, pragmatism and understanding all with the overarching theme of doing it for the betterment of the project.

So take a peak at how the team sees that statement and tell us how it resonates with you? Read the rest of this entry »

This recently jumped up the viral charts and we’re wondering what you guys think?

Our take: It does what it intended to do: Explain how to “shave down there” and makes it relatively simple using a clear and concise illustration and some witty puns.
Will it take off: Only time will tell…..
Is there a market for this: Hell yes…Why else would a major company pander to this.

Not sure if the man-liest of males will start trimming down there just because Gillette tells them too. But it does start the conversation…
What do you guys think???

How many of you have experienced this or something similar? i know I have many many times.

how do you deal with these types of issues? Tell us what you think?

While Twitter has been growing on me at a very steady rate (especially as a means for businesses to supplement their traditional CRM methods), I am in the camp that thinks politicians are misusing the service.

Far too many of them use it superficially for campaigning, or worse yet, to regurgitate talking points from partisan pundits (a la Newt Gingrich plagiarizing Rush Limbaugh regarding Sonia Sotomayor’s comments at Berkeley). While these tendencies are disheartening, the real problem with politicians’ use of Twitter is that the very essence of the medium perpetuates a growing problem in the political arena. That is, a real political conversation cannot be had 140 characters at a time.

Now I’m not trying to say that the use of Twitter for political activism by everyday citizens and the conversations that brings are problems at all. Those are a two of the very best aspects of Twitter. Everyday people are busy; quick and easy 140-character messages keep them in the loop and spark ideas. However, politicians should be engaged with issues and their constituents in a deeper way. Using Twitter personally (i.e. tweeting about family, hobbies, and vacations) would be a good way for politicians to humanize themselves. Also, the staff of members of congress could use the service to link to audio, video, and text of their boss engaging in in-depth, academic, and professional duties of their job – of making our government run better for our citizens.

All I’m really trying to say is: blatant campaigning and that alone, as well as curt and divisive rants are improper ways for politicians to behave, online or off. I appreciate them recognizing the value of social media, but most politicians are not adding anything to the conversation by being there. While it by no means needs to be so, their actions are making important political issues, and social media as an entity, seem petty. Twitter should be used to expose people to politicians’ real work, not as a replacement of it.

I was reading a lil seth godin today and came across his post on the too much free?

I was fascinated on his interpretation of how people get bored of free things. The example of “kraft services” on a set was perfect. After the sheer shock of all the goodies and treats post day one, you do start to realize “it’s only lunch!”

How then do we take free to the next level? Seth and others seem to think that the next iteration of free is paying people to use free things. As the world becomes more and more cluttered with free offerings, it will be in a brands best interest to raise the stakes to separate from the masses. So brands may start offering services like “we’ll buy ad space and alert our most cherished people when something is FREE” or “we’ll pay you upfront to try our stuff.”

What do you guys think?

Robert (aka berkeley) is going around the country giving presentations on social media / Web 2.0 to C-level types.

In “berkeley” speak “the corporate level execs totally get it.”

Friction (and confusion) happens at the execution level.  So why don’t people want to listen?

A few reasons he’s heard:

• Not every thing said is good.
• Its hard to manage that much information.
• There are rants ABOUT MY PRODUCT.

Here’s what’s true:

• Social media/web 2.0 is NOT an on-line presentation of print media like we’ve been seeing for the last decade. These on-line ads, catalogs, white papers and sell sheets are comfortable to the marketing managers. They don’t talk back except in ROI.
• Social media/web 2.0 is an on-line conversation between people. A party, conference, or high school that’s happening 24/7.
• All sorts of things will be discussed, just like any other place that people get together.
• Some of these conversations will be about things that interest you, that are about your product.

If you know about these conversations, you can learn from them.  So do you want to know what’s being said?

Before even heading down that path everyone must understand the following:

• Yes, some of these things will not be nice to hear, just like in high school.
• Yes, sometimes people have an on-line tantrum, like a little kid in a supermarket.
• Yes, all the time and energy that you put into this project doesn’t resonate on the same level like it does to you and your team - and that’s ok!

Sometimes you can learn a lot from a rant or a tough post….Nostrum can help you understand them further…

• We can coach you through filtering the negativity to find the real problem.
• Finding the problem can lead to improvements in your product and communications.

So, why not listen and let us help….you’re already here??!!

Ever think that a rock could teach you a few business rules that can lead to healthier more balanced professional life?

Check out Matthew Childs TED speech. I think it may force you to re-think the manner in which you deal with biz problems and unforseen events.

CPG Giant Unilever is spearheading a call to arms around big businesses.
Read the rest of this entry »