Viral Video is Dead. Thanks for the Memories.

Marketers have the tendency to take things that people love, exploit it, and rip out its soul.

Viral Video began as an expression, an outward signal of a relationship with a brand. 

Then it became a vehicle for attention, not entirely stripping the product of its soul, but the producer grew mindful of a profit beyond self expression.

http://media.revver.com/broadcast/27335/video.mov/13970

But, now, a "viral video" has become less an assertion of the individual, but an opportunistic grab for attention or money.  It has quickly, at the hands of feeble-minded marketers, devolved into just another intrusion, just another version of shady salesman trickery, an illusion of brand evangelism, rooted in the hunger for fame or money.

http://www.jumpcut.com/media/flash/jump.swf?id=3CD2F090597511DB98FA2EF149F8C96D

So, let's leave the viral video terminology for the shysters, the me-first marketers playing the numbers game.

But for those of us concerned with fostering true brand evangelism, how about we stop conflating these expressive gestures with those looking to exploit more cheap space.  They are not the same.  The buzz around viral video will only turn off our biggest fans, and poison our brand relationships.  So, to me, Viral Video is dead, like any other pompous agency-suit buzzword.  Long live the brand evangelist.  Let's leave 'em alone, let them do what they do best, and be there with open arms when they need us.

The Bachelor: Recapped.

File this under the, "Why it's a bitch to measure influence in the blogosphere" category.  At the beginning of the year, I set up a quick blogger blog for a former employee at my agency, Lincee.  She had been emailing around recaps of The Bachelor for a few seasons, but her email list was getting out of control, and she needed an easier distribution model.

So, here it is. 

But I ask you this, how do you measure its influence?

Do links measure influence?  Well, sometimes.  But Lincee only has 28 links from 22 blogs. Not bad, but probably not enough to get on too many radars.

Can comments measure influence?  Well, again, sometimes, but Seth would probably tell you that those aren't the end all be all.  But for Lincee, she has 2609 comments across only 14 posts.  Now, that's just incredible.  That also includes 3 posts by me telling her faithful readers to hold their collective horses. 

My only real point here is that metrics are relative, and are largely a product of the creators.  Number crunching is a fickle thing, and it's not too difficult for whoever doing the massaging to lead others down the primrose path.

As an aside, Lincee has become a little bit of an ABC darling.  She had a nice little story done about her on the local Houston news, plus The Bachelor host Chris can be seen regularly in the comment thread.  I would have called bullshit, until Lincee was invited on the tell all episode at the end of the season.  Smart move ABC.  Screw your enemies, keep your friends the closest!

Tune In Saturdays: The Dears

The Dears, a theatrical Montreal-based sextet have been somewhat defined by brit-pop influences like Blur and Morrisey, which are both apt comparisons.

Their newest album, Gang of Losers, takes on some heavy issues like race relations (especially in a song knowingly titled "Whites Only Party"), poverty, and (gasp) indie-rock alienation.  Really, they're just a fun collection of toe-tapping, steering-wheel drumming songs, full of big explosions and Oooo Lah harmonies.

They've been making splashes for years, but are poised for greater things with this, their most accessible album to date.

Go to their MySpace page to listen to a few songs (start with "The Ballad of Humankindness"), or watch the video for "Whites Only Party" below.

It's the Links I Love, My Friend

So, it's been way, way too long since I've done one of these, but you know, life gets in the way from time to time.  That's not to say there has been any lack of great stuff.  We all have front row seats to watch the thought leaders of tomorrow seed their opinions, and get to help those seeds flourish, hands on.  Pretty cool, my friends.

Social Media for Dummies? - Flacker
Ryan Flack makes the point that you can't really teach Social Media.  The only way to learn is by participating.  Can't say I disagree.

Don't Forget to Smile - Hill Holiday Blog
"As a result, the AP reports the Thai people are calling this the friendliest coup ever."  It's not often you get to read a sentence like this one written by Catherine.  She reminds us of the importance of visual and non-verbal communication.  Sometimes a shrug or a smile is worth a thousand words...

Be Efficient, Not Extensive - Noah Brier
Noah tells advertising agencies to wake up a bit, and to start worrying about what our job ultimately is.  While I don't entirely agree (only mostly agree) with the premise (and neither does Noah if you read to the end), the post is still relevant.  Too many marketers forget what the actual goals are.  The goal of the CMO or CEO is probably to make sales, not just increase awareness.

Careerbuilder.com - Is Your Job Worse Than Mine? - Digital Hive
The Hive's newest blogger Lori Magno tells a little story about a bunny, a chicken, and an underpants man.  Funny stuff.

There is no fragmentation with an audience of one

Look at these two people. Twins.

By almost every metric we have.  One is the other.

But one is not the other.  They are two.

That's nothing new.  One has never been the other.

So, what did we do then?

We ignored that reality, and scaled one with the other, wasting more and more, but just taking our best guesses.  We were amateur statisticians and amateur psychologists.

Then, everyone woke up.  We realized we were not just marketers, but markets, too.  And we weren't even paying attention.

So, in this hyper-fragmented, and further splintering environment, what do we do?

We celebrate.

Hee Haw goes Beyond Madison Avenue

That's right, people.  Very exciting news in Hee Haw!

Starting, well, just about now, I'll be blogging for Beyond Madison Avenue.  It really is an honor to have the opportunity to join a blog of BMA's caliber.  I'm looking forward to getting to know Danny and the rest of the team.

But, don't worry, my friends, Hee Haw's not going anywhere.  You'll get the same potty-mouthed ranting from me that you've come to expect.

A big thanks to the brilliant Mack Collier for pulling a few strings for this lowly d-lister. Also, I would be remiss to not thank DA and CK for their kind words, as well.  Our little community is growing quickly, and I feel lucky to be able to consider them friends.

The Only Marketing Rule

Well, here it is, the only marketing rule you'll ever need. 

Rule #1: Make things that people love.

That's it.  Look at your product.  Does someone love it?  Does anyone care about it?

Look at your communications.  Does someone love them?  Does anyone actually look forward to seeing or hearing from you?

Now, ask that question about everything you do.  Every interaction, conversation, and experience.  Are you making things that people love?  If you're not, it's time to hang up your boots.

It sounds so simple and obvious, it's just a shame not enough of us simply ask.

photo from bratan.

Tune In Saturdays: Voxtrot

Austin, Texas five-piece Voxtrot said it best:

"With one foot in the library and the other on the dancefloor, Voxtrot combine classic 60's pop (think Love and Left Banke) with the heady, subversive sounds of 80's Britain and still come out ahead of their time."

These guys are full of infectious pop, driving rhythms, toe-tapping, tambourines and indie dancing. Sort of like the Strokes when they were good mixed with rainbows and candy.  If you need a good pick-me-up, this is a good place to start.

Start here to listen to Trouble a new song of the upcoming ep, via gorilla vs. bear.

Or go here, to listen to more. 

Or go here, to read the blog.

Or here for the homepage.

Or, watch a video of them below:

The Product is the Only Salesman.

What if we woke up tomorrow morning and all advertising was banned?  All of it.  The billboards, radio, television, the back of napkins, sides of buses, everything.  The only thing left to sell the product is the product itself.  Would we be better off?

If we all lost our jobs tomorrow, the good and the bad alike, all gone.  No more shitty car dealership spots or questionable political attack ads, but also no more Apple, or Nike, or the like.

Of course, we're too deep in it now to ever go back, but if we could, would we want to?  Would you want to?

photo from Thomas Hawk.

Blogger Baseball Cards

Russell Davies just wrote this brilliant, poetic post, mostly an amalgamation of other presentations he's done in the past.  It's a must read...

And it got me thinking what separates the good from the great in our business.  In the end, the great have managed to avoid, as much as possible, having the humanity ripped away from their work.

Advertising, and marketing in general, is about capturing the imagination, finding those little nuggets in people lives that relate to the brands we represent.  We are not simply selling products, but providing customers with some of the tools they use to help identify themselves. 

But, too often, managers do their best to distill the process down to a series of 1's and 0's, attempting to plug numerical holes, rather than bravely forging and nurturing new relationships.  Marketing without humanity is no different than some two-bit used car salesman, painfully and conspicuously unconcerned with anything but the sale.

The great ones realize the business we work in is chaotic and emotional, and should be treated as such, from creation to completion.  It usually doesn't make easy sense, and there is no formula or mathematical equation that will offer any lasting solution. Only an understanding that, in the end, it's about improving and enriching lives, not taking advantage of them, that will lead us to where we want to be.

And, as a side note, I actually said, "this is by Russell Davies, one of my favorite planners" to someone tonight.  Maybe it's about time we come out with blogger baseball cards or something...