tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-92084304893250589062023-11-05T07:36:55.080-05:00The CMO Club : Helping CMOs become Better thru "CMOs only" Networking, Dinners and SummitsDavid Sparkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13328280750039852911noreply@blogger.comBlogger250125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9208430489325058906.post-35062521751481945282013-02-20T15:38:00.001-05:002013-02-20T15:38:42.837-05:00CMO Club Appoints Top Heads of Marketing as Regional Chapter Presidents to Enhance Local Leadership<a href="http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/CMO-Club-Appoints-Top-Heads-Marketing-as-Regional-Chapter-Presidents-Enhance-Local-1758907.htm#.USU0RouBJus.blogger">CMO Club Appoints Top Heads of Marketing as Regional Chapter Presidents to Enhance Local Leadership</a>Pete Krainikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17904806307349821057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9208430489325058906.post-80892393254877562642010-04-27T22:42:00.002-04:002010-04-27T22:44:34.849-04:00Latest CMO CLUB Dinners and Events Calendar - April thru July 2010 - Come Join Your PeersHere is the updated list of dinners across 18 cities in the US and now Europe. Exclusively for heads of marketing in a non-vendor selling environment. Come join our peers. <a href="http://www.docstoc.com/docs/36166900/CMO-CLUB-Dinners-April---July-2010">List of upcoming CMO CLUB Dinners and To Register</a>Pete Krainikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17904806307349821057noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9208430489325058906.post-43602745931066627542010-04-22T12:19:00.003-04:002010-04-22T14:28:06.808-04:00Building credibility by demonstrating marketing impacts on revenue in B2BSpeakers: Jon Miller, VP Marketing at Marketo and author of "Modern B2B Marketing"<br /> Pam Burton, CMO at Mimcom<br /> <br />Miller explains that the importance of marketing begins with the revenue cycle, not the sales cycle. His revenue cycle begins with awareness, to gathering names, to engaged leads, to prospect and recycled, to leads, to sales leads, to opportunity and finally to a customer. A prospect is ready for a sales call when the lead has visited the website two times within a 7 day period. And, the best channels for leads are inbound converts, followed by virtual trade shows. His use of the revenue cycle is that it allows the company to forecast the sales in future periods, which allows for more accurate projections.<br /> <br />Burton uses technology to judge her leads, through a partnership with Eloqua, which handles the marketing operations. The system allows for alerts to be established for particular company and individuals who visit her company's website or content from these potential clients. The most important part of her marketing process is a partnership with the sales operations. It is key to make sure that the people in both departments define and agree on objectives, define terminology, have matching lead scoring system and put in place reporting and measurement metrics.Pete Krainikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17904806307349821057noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9208430489325058906.post-90662289386729703932010-04-22T10:01:00.002-04:002010-04-22T10:06:45.086-04:00Marketing Innovation in Film/Video/Media<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_dqD66l1KP4E/S9BXPW9irNI/AAAAAAAAAI8/48rN-lJQc9s/s1600/media.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 146px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_dqD66l1KP4E/S9BXPW9irNI/AAAAAAAAAI8/48rN-lJQc9s/s200/media.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462962269373770962" /></a><br />Featuring:<br />Abigail E. Disney – Filmmaker Tribeca Winner, BOD Disney Foundation<br />Dae Mellencamp – SVP General Manager, VIMEO/IAC<br />Dan Greene – Google TV + Video<br />Jerry Kupfer – Former “30 Rock” producer<br />Hope Frank – CMO CLUB, THX (Moderator)<br /><br />Above all, this diverse and accomplished panel came together on three main beliefs about the power of film in media:<br />• Dedication to story<br />• Dedication to innovation<br />• Trust in their audience<br /><br />Kupfer contributed much of the success of “30 Rock” to a mix of Tina Fey’s talent in creating the show and the strong, identifiable characters that viewers relate to. Popularity of the show boomed after the first season enjoyed an Emmy winning awards season, and even moreso after Tina Fey’s impersonation of Sarah Palin. <br /><br />Like many shows, “30 Rock” is testing the waters of integrating broadcast and digital, introducing webisodes that lure people who find the material online to check out the full show on television. People are surfing the web while watching TV, too, so there is a real-time element that everyone is working to leverage.<br /><br />Disney shifted the conversation to the power of film to ignite social change. She told of successful non-violent protests featured in her documentary “Pray the Devil Back to Hell,” where her cameras were the only ones on the scene to capture powerful and important moments that would have been lost otherwise.<br /><br />Disney believed that film has more power to influence than any other medium, especially in creating social movements and affecting policy. By targeting influencers, grassroots women’s groups and advocates country by country, she created a meta-story for the film that constituted a full marketing push for the movie. When distributing the film, Disney’s team capitalized on the word-of-mouth excitement surrounding the release to offer low-cost copies (along with posters and other marketing material) to whomever signed up to receive it. After that people could use the films as they liked, charging or not charging for showings and starting conversation groups afterwards to bring the message to life.<br /><br />Mellencamp segued into the difference between YouTube and Vimeo. She felt as though while YouTube functions as an entertainment venue, Vimeo is a space where content is cultivated to reflect users’ interests and develop respectful communities around content. <br /><br />Greene then brought the conversation around to metrics, describing how Google gave up their inroads to print and audio when it proved impossible to create the kind of valuable measuring tools Google is known for. He also added that Google knows it has entered a phase where it has become so big that people are naturally becoming distrustful of it. But the “Do No Evil” motto is alive and well within the company, he said, and Frank added that a visit to the Google campus is usually enough to convince skeptics.<br /><br />Google can help marketers by making business as equitable as possible, forming inroads to end-users by producing the best online experiences in any number of <br /><br />Frank asked if there is any sector Google is not planning to enter, noting their expansion a number of different verticals over the past few years. Search may not always be at the heart of the online experience, and if Google is going to stay relevant in 25, 50 or 100 years, Greene said they would have to find where the activity is heading and make sure Google is there. That could mean a step-change toward a more social media powered online experience.Pete Krainikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17904806307349821057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9208430489325058906.post-27771793136357846102010-04-22T09:51:00.003-04:002010-04-22T10:01:22.616-04:00Marketing Innovation in Film/Video/Media<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_dqD66l1KP4E/S9BVjh8qOSI/AAAAAAAAAIs/eGxzGis5dmc/s1600/media.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 234px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_dqD66l1KP4E/S9BVjh8qOSI/AAAAAAAAAIs/eGxzGis5dmc/s320/media.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462960416896989474" /></a><br /><br /><br />Featuring:<br />Abigail E. Disney – Filmmaker Tribeca Winner, BOD Disney Foundation<br />Dae Mellencamp – SVP General Manager, VIMEO/IAC<br />Dan Greene – Google TV + Video<br />Jerry Kupfer – Former “30 Rock” producer<br />Hope Frank – CMO CLUB, THX (Moderator)<br /><br />Above all, this diverse and accomplished panel came together on three main beliefs about the power of film in media:<br />• Dedication to story<br />• Dedication to innovation<br />• Trust in their audience<br /><br />Kupfer contributed much of the success of “30 Rock” to a mix of Tina Fey’s talent in creating the show and the strong, identifiable characters that viewers relate to. Popularity of the show boomed after the first season enjoyed an Emmy winning awards season, and even moreso after Tina Fey’s impersonation of Sarah Palin. <br /><br />Like many shows, “30 Rock” is testing the waters of integrating broadcast and digital, introducing webisodes that lure people who find the material online to check out the full show on television. People are surfing the web while watching TV, too, so there is a real-time element that everyone is working to leverage.<br /><br />Disney shifted the conversation to the power of film to ignite social change. She told of successful non-violent protests featured in her documentary “Pray the Devil Back to Hell,” where her cameras were the only ones on the scene to capture powerful and important moments that would have been lost otherwise.<br /><br />Disney believed that film has more power to influence than any other medium, especially in creating social movements and affecting policy. By targeting influencers, grassroots women’s groups and advocates country by country, she created a meta-story for the film that constituted a full marketing push for the movie. When distributing the film, Disney’s team capitalized on the word-of-mouth excitement surrounding the release to offer low-cost copies (along with posters and other marketing material) to whomever signed up to receive it. After that people could use the films as they liked, charging or not charging for showings and starting conversation groups afterwards to bring the message to life.<br /><br />Mellencamp segued into the difference between YouTube and Vimeo. She felt as though while YouTube functions as an entertainment venue, Vimeo is a space where content is cultivated to reflect users’ interests and develop respectful communities around content. <br /><br />Greene then brought the conversation around to metrics, describing how Google gave up their inroads to print and audio when it proved impossible to create the kind of valuable measuring tools Google is known for. He also added that Google knows it has entered a phase where it has become so big that people are naturally becoming distrustful of it. But the “Do No Evil” motto is alive and well within the company, he said, and Frank added that a visit to the Google campus is usually enough to convince skeptics.<br /><br />Google can help marketers by making business as equitable as possible, forming inroads to end-users by producing the best online experiences in any number of <br /><br />Frank asked if there is any sector Google is not planning to enter, noting their expansion a number of different verticals over the past few years. Search may not always be at the heart of the online experience, and if Google is going to stay relevant in 25, 50 or 100 years, Greene said they would have to find where the activity is heading and make sure Google is there. That could mean a step-change toward a more social media powered online experience.Pete Krainikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17904806307349821057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9208430489325058906.post-88581835989898740272010-04-21T17:09:00.003-04:002010-04-21T17:15:36.170-04:00Global Economic Setting and Impact to CMOs and Your Business Featuring Roger Brinner -- Chief Economist, The Parthenon Group<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_dqD66l1KP4E/S89qPKWapDI/AAAAAAAAAIU/mZjD4gRo8lM/s1600/economy.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 188px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_dqD66l1KP4E/S89qPKWapDI/AAAAAAAAAIU/mZjD4gRo8lM/s200/economy.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462701681732658226" /></a><br />Roger Brinner -- Chief Economist, The Parthenon Group, shares economic insights. Presentation slides will soon be posted on thecmoclub.com exclusively for club members!Pete Krainikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17904806307349821057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9208430489325058906.post-66603257352293158782010-04-21T14:03:00.005-04:002010-04-21T14:15:56.666-04:00Executive targeting & relationship building New Ideas for B2B CMO<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_dqD66l1KP4E/S88_rnNSyDI/AAAAAAAAAIM/1OfS-0olYKY/s1600/mitch.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 281px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_dqD66l1KP4E/S88_rnNSyDI/AAAAAAAAAIM/1OfS-0olYKY/s320/mitch.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462654891515365426" /></a><br />Presented by Mitch Bishop, CMO iRise<br /><br />How do you reach the CIO/Executive sponsor in a Fortune 1000 company, if you are a small enterprise software company? Throw out the marketing mix and focus on the basics...building long-term relationships with your customers. iRise has used technology and automation to create an amazing machine that has achieved 400 customers to date, 200 of those are Fortune 1000. <br /><br />The iRise CIO executive roundtable program is the secret sauce to their marketing success; 5 years of fine tuned event performance. There are 3 roundtable events a year in various cities around the globe. The return over the last 5 years is 10 TIMES! The meetings are for 2 days, structured to provide content from a “Rock Star CIO” on day 1 and a day of networking at a motor raceway on day 2 for great peer-to-peer networking and discussion. As a follow-on to the event, each CIO is asked to provide 3 referrals for contact and those that decline the meeting, iRise schedules a follow-on meeting on their calendar. All that it takes to get a pilot is for the CIO to show up to the meeting and listen for 5 minutes! (If we all were so lucky to have amazing products to market!)<br /><br />iRise has tried other events including CIO conference, CIO Advisory board and CIO local dinner events. None of these events provide as much value and return as their roundtables. For those who participate in CIO conferences, Mitch recommends getting the right ground cover by underwriting the event with focused activities before, during and after the event. Before the event get the list of attendees and invite CIOs to a dinner the night before the event, during the event make sure you have a key speaking slot coupled with booth on the show floor and after personal email follow-up. The after is the hardest part, it is time consuming, it requires lots of internal follow-up, yet invaluable to the sales process. <br /><br />For more details regarding customer research, data acquisition and analysis process at iRise, review the presentation or contact Mitch Bishop directlyPete Krainikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17904806307349821057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9208430489325058906.post-27559959000404769732010-04-21T11:46:00.002-04:002010-04-21T11:49:26.492-04:00The Power of Organizational Purpose<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_dqD66l1KP4E/S88eZKUtaII/AAAAAAAAAIE/g_tUC9KMSe8/s1600/trial.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 270px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_dqD66l1KP4E/S88eZKUtaII/AAAAAAAAAIE/g_tUC9KMSe8/s320/trial.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462618290640480386" /></a><br />Presented by David Srere, CEO, Siegel+Gale<br /><br />Pick 10 employees in any organizational and ask them what the mission and vision statement is in the organization. You will get 10 different answers for each, worse yet, ask them the definition of what a mission and vision statement is and again, you will get 10 different answers. Insightful, however, proof that this approach isn’t working. You need to make a mantra, not a mission statement....how do you galvanize the purpose of your organization? <br /><br />Why care about purpose?<br />1. It motivate employees - align interests, pride<br />2. It gives leaders a higher-order platform - together we can make a real difference in the world, passion drives performance drives profit in that order<br />3. It provides long-term direction - provides guidance and inspiration that never change<br />4. It drives business performance - not at the expense of shareholder value, it can be an accelerant<br /><br />Where do organizations find their purpose?<br />They need to look at 3 areas: the strengths of the organization, where the organization motivates their employees and where as a company they are making money. It doesn’t have to be distinctively different/unique in the category you compete in. The importance is that it truly resonates for your company. <br /><br />It must be:<br />simple<br />crystal clear<br />brutally single-minded<br />credible<br />inspirational<br />walk the talk (brand = experience)<br /><br />David sites great company examples that illustrate a company’s evolution, providing insight and motivation for companies of any size to relook at the business/organizational purpose and see if further inspiration is required to ensure that the company is the best that they can be both internally and externally. <br /><br />Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm. - Ralph Waldo EmersonPete Krainikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17904806307349821057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9208430489325058906.post-71676729423292864552010-04-15T15:29:00.000-04:002010-04-15T15:30:41.218-04:00"Insights from CMOs" Podcast Interview with Randy Drawas, CMO at Kaspersky Labs - "How Measured as a CMO and How to Get Consumers to Act"<P>As part of our new relationship with Miptalk.com and our upcoming CMO CLUB Summit, here is a great interview with CMO Randy Drawas from Kaspersky Labs (the fastest growing anti-virus software company in the US). Topics include 1) How are you measured by your CEO, 2) Getting Consumers to act, 3) How do you allocate and manage budget cuts and changes. Worth a listen. Great insights.</P><br /><P><A href="http://miptalk.com/media/MIP032.mp3" target='new""'>Randy Drawas Insights from CMOs Podcast</A></P>Pete Krainikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17904806307349821057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9208430489325058906.post-39297276936944975562010-04-14T05:31:00.002-04:002010-04-14T05:33:55.826-04:00Conversation with Evan Greene, CMO of The Recording AcademyGreat conversation with CMO Evan Greene, CMO of The Recording Academy and active member of The CMO CLUB. Great insights of value to marketing executives and business leaders.<br /><br /><a href="http://miptalk.com/media/MIP031.mp3">Listen to our conversation with Evan Greene</a>Pete Krainikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17904806307349821057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9208430489325058906.post-84365217401112936962010-04-11T09:46:00.003-04:002010-04-11T09:49:10.406-04:00Latest CMO CLUB Dinners and Events Calendar - April thru June 2010 - Come Join Your PeersJust updated our latest dinners/events calendar. Take and look and CMOs come join your peers and be part of the world's best CMO conversations.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.docstoc.com/docs/30389319/CMO-CLUB-Dinners-March-thru-June-2010">Latest CMO CLUB Dinners and Events - April thru June 2010</a>Pete Krainikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17904806307349821057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9208430489325058906.post-493908073095606192010-04-11T09:33:00.001-04:002010-04-11T09:35:12.091-04:00The CMO CLUB Weekly Poll Results: How many board members including your CEO have significant marketing backgrounds?120 CMOs responded: <br />50% 1 to 2 Board members<br />45% No Board members (0)<br />5% 3 to 5 Board members<br />0% 6 or more Board members<br /> <br />A few Quotes from CMOs in the club who responded:<br />“When I participate in board meetings I am the only legitimate marketing expert in the room. We have 3-4 ex CFOs, 2-3 ex Sales, and 2-3 ex HR but no Marketing.”<br /><br />“The biggest challenge I have in leading the growth agenda is getting caught up in board and CEO discussions on tactical marketing where everyone has an opinion on marketing, vs the more important strategic customer engagement issues.”<br /><br />“I like being the only marketing expert in the room. Even with a few one off questions, they look to me as the expert and tend to stay out of my way.”<br /><br />“There is an increased interest from my CEO on bringing more customer or marketing expertise to the board vs. the CFO heavy board expertise today..”Pete Krainikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17904806307349821057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9208430489325058906.post-19845204719603150932010-04-03T08:29:00.002-04:002010-04-03T08:31:50.030-04:00CMO CLUB Weekly Poll Results - What is the biggest change to your approach to agencies vs. one year ago? - More small agencies by expertise preferredThe CMO CLUB Weekly Poll Question: What is the biggest change to your approach to agencies vs. one year ago?<br />(March 25 – April 2, 2010)<br /><br />144 CMOs responded:<br />41.7% More small agencies by expertise<br />23.6% Moved more prior agency work in house<br />18.0% More control, tighter perf. metrics<br />11.1% No significant changes<br /> 5.6% Changed Primary Agency<br /> <br />A few Quotes from CMOs in the club who responded:<br />“As we moved to more specific customer segments and programs, we have looked to agencies with that customer expertise to help us.”<br /><br />“I have found a few really bright social media experts and hired them to lead efforts vs. outside agencies. I still have my portfolio of agencies but have augmented with intern expertise until they get their expertise up to speed around social media.”<br /><br />“As my performance objectives and the company’s focus on ROI has increased, I have asked my agencies to support this same tighter focus on demonstrating ROI from their programs and execution.”<br /><br />“Everyone that comes to see me now claims to be social marketing expert. Looking to The CMO CLUB and other CMOs to help identify real vs. BS experts.”Pete Krainikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17904806307349821057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9208430489325058906.post-24185984913459921442010-03-21T20:37:00.000-04:002010-03-21T20:38:09.036-04:00CMO CLUB to lead "Heads of Marketing Peer Networks for Marketing Innovation" Webinar for Central, Eastern and CIS Countries AnnouncedI am pleased to announce that Alex Romanovich and I will be leading a webinar for Heads of Marketing in Central and Eastern Europe plus Russia (CIS) on " CMO Peer Networks for Marketing Innovation", the first week of April. Recaps and Highlights from the webinar will be shared with CMOs in the club after the event. Please contact Alex at alex.r@thecmoclub.com if you or european heads of marketing would like to participate in the panel.Pete Krainikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17904806307349821057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9208430489325058906.post-51479068957294763632010-03-15T21:23:00.001-04:002010-03-15T21:25:00.331-04:00The Facts About The CMO CLUB<object id="_ds_29570285" name="_ds_29570285" width="370" height="350" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" data="http://viewer.docstoc.com/"><param name="FlashVars" value="doc_id=29570285&mem_id=227927&doc_type=pdf&fullscreen=0&allowdownload=1" /><param name="movie" value="http://viewer.docstoc.com/"/><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /></object><br /><font size="1"><a href="http://www.docstoc.com/docs/29570285/About-The-CMO-CLUB">About The CMO CLUB</a></font>Pete Krainikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17904806307349821057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9208430489325058906.post-55105520333946725352010-03-14T20:00:00.003-04:002010-03-14T20:02:26.268-04:00Pete Krainik's CMO Insights - CMOs are like NBA Coaches - You are Only As Good As Your Team<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_dqD66l1KP4E/S514zg48KkI/AAAAAAAAAH8/miCLwrXRDCI/s1600-h/kobe+and+jackson.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 90px; height: 125px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_dqD66l1KP4E/S514zg48KkI/AAAAAAAAAH8/miCLwrXRDCI/s400/kobe+and+jackson.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448643950585588290" /></a>
<br />I was listening to ESPN the other day and they were discussing NBA Coaches and their success. The conclusion, Phil Jackson, Coach of the World Champion Los Angeles Lakers, would not win a championship or even make the playoffs with my local team, the NJ Nets (on target to end up with the worst record of all time). NBA coaches are worth a few extra wins per year and can lead team to championships, as long as their talent is one of the best in the league.</FONT></P>
<br /><P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class=MsoNormal><FONT color=#000000 size=3 face=Calibri>Now let’s think of our position as CMOs. We need to lead the growth agenda for the company, lead the brand beyond the marketing department, engage with customers effectively and deliver value and customer service, ensure our company is differentiated in the market, and meet or exceed our metrics doing more with less. We can’t do everything ( although sometimes I fall into this trap and see many other CMOs going down this path), so the only way we can do all of the above is to make sure we have a team of the best marketers, business people, and leaders in our industry. How many of us really have the best, demand only the best and put the right amount of effort into training, coaching or replacing as needed to have a best in class marketing organization? Top to bottom, how would you rate your team? Everyone a star or best at what is needed for each position? No exceptions allowed. We focus and deliver on this and we have more time and insights for influencing our CEOs, board, and customers.</FONT></P>
<br /><P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class=MsoNormal><FONT color=#000000 size=3 face=Calibri>You don’t guarantee being the best in your industry with an all-star marketing team, but you have no shot without it.</FONT></P>Pete Krainikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17904806307349821057noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9208430489325058906.post-63241506788795568502010-03-11T11:57:00.003-05:002010-03-11T12:02:27.747-05:00New CMO CLUB Dinners and EventsUpcoming CMO CLUB Events - Register at <a href="http://www.regonline.com/cmoclub_dinners">www.regonline.com/cmoclub_dinners</a><br /><br />Open to Heads of Marketing with no Agencies, PR Firms or Marketing Companies with over 50% of their Business Selling to Marketers. Join the club at www.thecmoclub.com<br /><br />• North Carolina, March 15th , CMO Peer Roundtable Dinner – “New Customer Engagement Approaches for 2010” – An Restaurant, 2800 Renaissance Park Place, Cary, NC<br /><br />• Atlanta, March 16th, CMO Peer Roundtable Topic – Strategic Approaches to Social Media as CMOs, ARIA Restaurant, 490 E. Paces Ferry Rd. NE (Maple Dr.) Atlanta, GA, Phone: 404-233-7673<br /><br />• Minneapolis, MN, March 17th , CMO Peer Roundtable Dinner Topic – “ 2010 – The Year of Social Community Impact to Revenue and Bottom Line” – Speaker Ben Kiker – CMO, Jive Software, Bucca di Beppo, 1204 Harmon Place, Minneapolis<br /><br />• Philadelphia, March 22nd , CMO Peer Roundtable Dinner – “2010 – The Year of Social Community Impact to Revenue and Bottom Line” , Smith and Wollenskys, Rittenhouse Square, Philadelphia<br /><br />• New York City, March 23rd , CMO Peer Roundtable Dinner –“2010 – The Year of Social Community Impact to Revenue and Bottom Line”, Mortons Steakhouse, NYC<br /><br />• Boston, March 24th , CMO Peer Roundtable Dinner – “New Customer Engagement Approaches for 2010” Maggiano’s Restaurant, Columbus Ave, Boston<br /><br />• Chicago, April 6th , CMO Peer Roundtable Dinner – Mortons Steakhouse on Wacker<br /><br />• Denver, April 7th , CMO Peer Roundtable Dinner – Maggianos Restaurant, Downtown<br /><br />• Dallas, April 8th , CMO Peer Roundtable Dinner - TBD<br /><br />• Washington, DC, April 12th , CMO Peer Roundtable Dinner - TBD<br /><br />• New York City, April 21st - 22nd , CMO Thought Leadership Summit, Union Square Ballroom ( Opening Reception (4/20) and Dinner on 4/21 at Tribecca Grand Hotel )<br /><br />• New York City, April 22nd, CMO CLUB / Mofilm Tribeca event<br /><br />• Houston, April 27th , CMO Peer Roundtable Dinner - TBD<br /><br />• Miami, April 28th , CMO Peer Roundtable Dinner - TBD<br /><br />• Geneva, Switzerland, May 11th, CMO Peer Roundtable Dinner – TBD<br />• Paris, France, May 12th, CMO Peer Roundtable Dinner - TBD<br />• London, UK, May 13th, CMO Peer Roundtable Dinner - TBD<br />• Los Angeles, May 17th , CMO Peer Roundtable Dinner - TBD<br />• Orange County, May 18th , CMO Peer Roundtable Dinner - TBD<br />• San Diego, May 19th , CMO Peer Roundtable Dinner - TBD<br />• San Francisco, May 20th , CMO Peer Roundtable Dinner - TBD<br />• Boston, May 24th , CMO Peer Roundtable Dinner - TBD<br />• New York City, May 25th , CMO Peer Roundtable Dinner - TBD<br />• Philadelphia, May 26th , CMO Peer Roundtable Dinner - TBD<br />• Phoenix, June 7th , CMO Peer Roundtable Dinner - TBD<br />• Denver, June 8th , CMO Peer Roundtable Dinner - TBD<br />• Dallas, June 9th , CMO Peer Roundtable Dinner – TBD<br />• Shanghai, June 15-16th, CMO Peer Roundtable Dinner + Shanghai Film Festival – TBD<br />• Cannes, June 23rd , Cannes Lions Intl. Adv. Festival & CMO Club Dinner<br />• London, UK, July 27th , CMO Peer Roundtable Dinner - TBD<br />• Paris, France, July 28th , CMO Peer Roundtable Dinner - TBD<br />• Geneva, Switzerland, July 29th , CMO Peer Roundtable Dinner - TBD<br />• Geneva, Switzerland, July 29th , CMO Peer Roundtable Dinner - TBD<br />• Venice, Italy, September 1-2, CMO Peer Roundtable Dinner plus Mofilm Awards at Venice Film Festival - TBD<br />• London, October 20th , CMO CLUB Thought Leadership Summit plus Mofilm Awards at BFI London Film Festival - TBD<br />• San Francisco, November 10-11th , CMO CLUB Thought Leadership Summit plus CMO CLUB / Mofilm Awards Event - TBD<br />• London, UK, November 16th, CMO Peer Roundtable Dinner - TBD<br />• Paris, France, November 17th , CMO Peer Roundtable Dinner - TBD<br />• Geneva, Switzerland, November 18th, CMO Peer Roundtable DinnerPete Krainikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17904806307349821057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9208430489325058906.post-75146794027061808672010-03-05T10:39:00.001-05:002010-03-05T10:40:52.563-05:00Pete Krainik Interviewed by MIP Talk - Insights on Marketing and Customer Engagement<a href="http://www.miptalk.com/?p=412">Click for Pete Krainik Interview</a>Pete Krainikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17904806307349821057noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9208430489325058906.post-45328260368992639212010-03-03T15:21:00.002-05:002010-03-03T15:22:57.137-05:00CMO CLUB Weekly Poll Results: What personal CMO Coach would be most valuable to you? - Its All About Leading the Growth Agenda<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_dqD66l1KP4E/S47FG75wcrI/AAAAAAAAAH0/I2RCnuAhXR0/s1600-h/growth.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 113px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_dqD66l1KP4E/S47FG75wcrI/AAAAAAAAAH0/I2RCnuAhXR0/s400/growth.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5444505722487337650" /></a><br /><P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class=MsoNormal><B><SPAN style="LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><FONT color=#000000><FONT face=Calibri>101 CMOs responded:</FONT></FONT></SPAN></B></P><br /><P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class=MsoNormal><B><SPAN style="LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><FONT color=#000000><FONT face=Calibri>43.2% <SPAN style="mso-tab-count: 2">-</SPAN> Leading Growth Agenda</FONT></FONT></SPAN></B></P><br /><P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class=MsoNormal><B><SPAN style="LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><FONT color=#000000><FONT face=Calibri>21.6% - Global Expansion</FONT></FONT></SPAN></B></P><br /><P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class=MsoNormal><B><SPAN style="LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><FONT color=#000000><FONT face=Calibri>13.7% <SPAN style="mso-tab-count: 2">-</SPAN> Building Credibility with CEO</FONT></FONT></SPAN></B></P><br /><P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class=MsoNormal><B><SPAN style="LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><FONT color=#000000><FONT face=Calibri>13.7% <SPAN style="mso-tab-count: 2">-</SPAN> Raising Money</FONT></FONT></SPAN></B></P><br /><P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class=MsoNormal><B><SPAN style="LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><FONT color=#000000><FONT face=Calibri>7.8% <SPAN style="mso-tab-count: 2">-</SPAN> Contract Negotiation</FONT></FONT></SPAN></B></P><br /><P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class=MsoNormal></P><br /><P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class=MsoNormal><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN style="LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><FONT color=#000000><FONT face=Calibri>A few Quotes from CMOs in the club who responded:</FONT></FONT></SPAN></B></P><br /><P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><FONT color=#000000><FONT face=Calibri>“Leading the growth agenda is critical for me. Insights for new areas of growth and new approaches for finding and calculating growth is critical.”</FONT></FONT></SPAN></P><br /><P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><FONT color=#000000><FONT face=Calibri>“I need help in thinking about global expansion and this will help me lead the growth agenda for the company.”</FONT></FONT></SPAN></P><br /><P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><FONT color=#000000><FONT face=Calibri>“I understand all the marketing stuff but never raised money before. Moving from multi-billion dollar company to smaller, fast growth company has put “raising money” my biggest need for expertise.”</FONT></FONT></SPAN></P><br /><P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><FONT color=#000000><FONT face=Calibri>“Biggest change in CMOs the last few years is a move from campaign expertise to growth agenda expertise. This is where most of us need help and a common topic at CMO CLUB dinners.”</FONT></FONT></SPAN></P><br /><P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class=MsoNormal></P>Pete Krainikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17904806307349821057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9208430489325058906.post-45239680043539375522010-03-03T10:05:00.003-05:002010-03-03T10:11:25.653-05:00Back Up the Rabbit Hole: an Interview with Jeff Einstein<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_dqD66l1KP4E/S458Fa-3J3I/AAAAAAAAAHs/Nc5QaHiMt8o/s1600-h/einstein.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 93px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 93px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5444425432121681778" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_dqD66l1KP4E/S458Fa-3J3I/AAAAAAAAAHs/Nc5QaHiMt8o/s400/einstein.jpg" /></a><br /><p style="LINE-HEIGHT: 13.5pt"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:100%;color:#000000;">I took the opportunity recently to interview digital industry pioneer Jeff Einstein, co-founder of the first interactive agency way back in 1984, and now a partner with</span> <a href="http://brotherseinstein.com/"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:100%;color:#0000ff;">the Brothers Einstein</span></a><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color:#000000;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">, a contrarian brand strategy boutique.</span></span></span></p><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:100%;color:#000000;">With all the discussion on social media and new approaches to engaging consumers, I wanted to share with the CMOs in the club, Jeff’s views on the myth of media performance, metrics as deck chairs on a sinking ship, letting the audience target us, digital bubbles and collapse as the price of unchecked acceleration, how to fashion wisdom from knowledge, social media as the success of social and the failure of media, the efficacy of bait over ammo, the wisdom of fishing versus hunting, innovation as a process of subtraction and disintermediation, and -- remedially -- the need to grow up, slow down, let go of failure, and embark on what he calls a process of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">deliberate simplification</i>.</span><br /></p><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"></p><br /><br /><p style="LINE-HEIGHT: 13.5pt"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:100%;color:#000000;">In addition to appearing in front page stories in The Wall Street Journal, Jeff has appeared as a featured speaker at more than 200 media and marketing industry tradeshows, seminars and workshops, and as a media industry expert on dozens of radio and TV programs, including <em>The Today Show</em> with Katie Couric, CNN’s <em>360</em> with Anderson Cooper, and CNN’s <em>Moneyline</em> with Lou Dobbs.</span></p><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:100%;color:#000000;">In more recent years, however, Mr. Einstein has re-emerged as a fierce media critic whose writing takes no prisoners and suffers few fools. He currently asserts that those of us in the marketing and advertising industries have passed through the looking glass and plunged down the rabbit hole, where we now spend most of our time drinking our own Kool Aid and plotting new ways to sell ads that no one wants to see and everyone is equipped to avoid.</span></p><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:100%;color:#000000;">Here is my interview with Jeff Einstein.</span><br /></p><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color:#000000;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">Pete</b> – Welcome, Jeff. What evidence can you cite to support your assertion that we’ve passed through the looking glass and plunged down the rabbit hole?<br /></span></span></span><br /></p><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color:#000000;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">Jeff</b> – We can begin with a litany of online performance indicators, including the prevalence of sub-$1 CPMs, clickthrough rates firmly ensconced at statistical zero, click fraud estimates of anywhere from 25-85% (depending on your choice of networks and industry experts), not to mention the insolvency and failure of thousands of media franchises, many of them brand names with long, distinguished track records. In more sober environments with more sober leadership such massive failure and systemic collapse might give us pause, but as an industry we’ve responded instead by speeding up, doubling down and plunging ourselves even deeper down the rabbit hole in Lewis Carroll’s vision of madness, a world where up is down and down is up. If anything, we’ve accelerated our commitments to the very same insanity that got us here in the first place<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">.</i></span></span></span></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color:#000000;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">Pete</b> – That’s pretty harsh. Aren’t many of our problems right now simple byproducts of a deep recession?</span></span></span></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color:#000000;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">Jeff</b> – No, I don’t think so. While the recession certainly hurts like crazy, our problems don’t result from the recession as much as the recession results from our problems. Performance across all channels has actually been in decline for a couple of decades now, regardless of the economy and in spite of explosive industry growth.</span></span></span></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color:#000000;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">Pete</b> – Then why do you think media performance is so anemic these days?</span></span></span></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color:#000000;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">Jeff –</b> Mostly because media performance is a myth to begin with. We’re chasing a great white whale. Media aren’t supposed to perform. The message should perform, not the media. The onus to perform should weigh on the advertisers and the agencies, not on the publishers and content providers; their only job is to aggregate and somehow entertain or inform an audience, the same now as it was fifty years ago.</span></span></span></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:100%;color:#000000;">Only with the digitally-driven ascent of discrete media agencies as the crown jewels of global media holding companies did we suddenly discover an excuse to divorce the medium from the message and shift the onus of performance from the message to the medium in the process. But in truth, the media simply can’t perform because they were never designed to. And that’s why, despite all the lip service, advertisers and agencies don’t buy performance. They buy ubiquity, the exact opposite. Rather than assume responsibility for their own lack of performance, advertisers and agencies would rather hedge their bets and buy more and more of something that’s worth less and less with each passing day. Big advertisers and big agencies talk performance, but they buy ubiquity because they know the media can’t perform.</span></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color:#000000;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">Pete</b> – Lots of industry folks are calling for a complete online marketing overhaul, including new metrics, more sophisticated targeting technologies, more research, more data-based marketing, and more social media. What do you think?</span></span></span></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color:#000000;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">Jeff</b> – I think new metrics are just another way to shoot the messenger, another way to rearrange the deck chairs on a sinking ship. Besides, in marketing applications metrics never really describe what works as much as they describe what can be sold. We already know that the continued growth of online ad budgets will rely increasingly on our ability to sell more branding, in no small part because we’ve invested so heavily in ad serving technologies and infrastructure over the past 15 years. The perceived need to sell more branding explains why the new metrics being proposed now all seek to measure the very things the industry arrogantly dismissed as useless and effete back in the mid-1990s, all the intangibles that drove the growth of great branding media like print, radio and TV for decades. We cut off our noses to spite our faces 15 years ago in a foolish and immature effort to distinguish digital media from their analog counterparts, and now the bed we’ve made for ourselves is wrecking everyone’s sleep, our own not least. Each new metric just adds another rifle to the circular firing squad.</span></span></span></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color:#000000;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">Pete</b> – What about behavioral targeting?</span></span></span></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color:#000000;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">Jeff</b> – Anyone with any historical perspective will rightfully conclude that each additional layer of targeting technology increases costs and reduces performance. As a result, each additional layer of targeting technology further burdens publishers and networks alike. The promise of digital scale starts working against them; the more traffic they attract and the more advertising they sell, the faster they go out of business. McLuhan had it right: any medium pushed to extreme will begin to operate in reverse.</span></span></span></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:100%;color:#000000;">Sophisticated targeting technologies don’t work because commercial media are now and always have been on-demand, and in an on-demand media universe it simply makes far less sense to target the audience and far more sense to let the audience target us instead, exactly why search works so much better than display advertising, and exactly – despite industry claims to the contrary -- why neither search nor targeted display advertising is scalable at the end of the day.</span></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color:#000000;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">This much we know with absolute certainty: no one demands more advertising, relevant or otherwise, and everyone is equipped to avoid it. That’s the primary reason why online advertising fails at least 99.9 percent of the time, and why TV and radio executives are having nervous breakdowns.</span></span></span></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color:#000000;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">Pete</b> – Should I assume from your aversion to behavioral targeting that you’re also no fan of data-based marketing?</span></span></span></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color:#000000;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">Jeff</b> – Yes, that’s a pretty safe assumption. Data-based marketing is the end of the road, where we wind up only after we conclude that the message is worth less than the medium, and only after we conclude subsequently that the medium is worth less than the data it generates. Anything that can’t be measured, quantified and reduced to a mathematical algorithm is excluded by definition -- which means we can only measure the smallest, least significant things, and only the things that don’t work.</span></span></span></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:100%;color:#000000;">Unfortunately, however, advertising and branding only work because of the very things that most resist measurement and quantification, those intangibles that can’t be reduced to convenient formulae. Quite apart from the fact that no one wants more advertising to begin with, the advertising-as-intermediary model can’t possibly perform in the age of behavioral targeting and data-based marketing because advertising performance is all about the message, and marketing nowadays is all about the media and the data. The good news is that we’ve finally lived up to Oscar Wilde’s brilliant definition of a cynic as someone who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing.</span></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color:#000000;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">Pete</b> – Do you hold out any hope for social media as a marketing or advertising option?</span></span></span></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color:#000000;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">Jeff</b> – Certainly not as a savior, or even as an antidote for prior stupidity. We need to understand that social media really represent the end state of our trillion-dollar investment in a seamless user interface designed to eliminate friction and move people from one virtual place to another as quickly as possible. As such, social media represent the logical extension of an on-demand universe; it’s where we wind up when we’re constantly en route to me, myself and I. Unfortunately, that same seamless user interface is at complete odds with the basic nature of advertising, which seeks first and foremost to interrupt and intrude on our narcissistic cocoons with someone else’s message. The seamless user interface we’ve built at huge expense simply can’t and won’t tolerate the legacy advertising-as-intermediary model we imported to support it back in the mid-90s, especially not in social media. That’s why advertising and branding will shift over the next several years from their current status as intermediaries to a far more functional and appropriate status as destinations.</span></span></span></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:100%;color:#000000;">The more operative component of social media for marketers and advertisers is social, not media. Consumers who use social media couldn’t care less about its potential value to marketers and advertisers. They see it exclusively as a social tool, not a distribution medium. Those marketers and advertisers who see social media first for what they really are, sophisticated tools to expedite social exchange and sharing, will understand immediately why a $.05 Facebook CPM is way overpriced, and fare far better than those who see social media as just the latest in a long litany of cheap media opportunities. The secret to success with social media, as with all media, is to understand first what they don’t do well. As always, the examination of failure is prerequisite to success. Fortunately, there’s no dearth of failure to examine. Unfortunately, no one’s looking.</span></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color:#000000;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">Pete</b> – So if everything we do simply compounds the problem and drives us deeper into the rabbit hole, what’s the solution?</span></span></span></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color:#000000;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">Jeff</b> – We need to do three things: First, we need to slow down. Next, we need to let go, and finally, we need to begin a process of deliberate simplification.</span></span></span></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color:#000000;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">Pete</b> – Let go of what?</span></span></span></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color:#000000;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">Jeff</b> – Bless you for jumping the queue, Pete. But let’s talk first about slowing down, because we can’t possibly hope to institute meaningful change unless and until we first turn down the noise between our own ears. We need to clear room in our hearts and minds for a better world before we can hope to create a better world, and we can’t possibly find wisdom in the harsh events of the digital era unless and until we first turn down the volume in our own heads. Failure to do so will only guarantee bigger bubbles and bigger collapses than the three trillion-dollar market crashes we’ve already endured in the past decade alone, not to mention the current collapse of the media and healthcare industries.</span></span></span></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color:#000000;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">Pete</b> – Okay, what wisdom will we find once we slow down?</span></span></span></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color:#000000;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">Jeff</b> – We’ll find that the core imperative of all technology is to accelerate itself and everything around it, and that our primary responsibility in relationship to our own technology is to moderate and restrain it at all times, something we’ve utterly failed to do, or even try. We’ll find that we’ve become – in the words of Henry Thoreau – tools of our tools, that we work and live our lives at speeds determined not by our own conscious deliberation and common sense, but by the digital tools at our disposal. The default condition of life in the digital era is perpetual acceleration.</span></span></span></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color:#000000;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">Pete</b> – So what do you suggest?</span></span></span></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color:#000000;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">Jeff</b> – Again, we need to slow down, let go of what doesn’t work and initiate a process of deliberate simplification. We need to institutionalize ways to become more deliberate as an antidote to the toxic effects of the tool-driven acceleration that we know for certain rides shotgun with our digital technology. We need to slow down frequently and long enough to interject historical perspective into our deliberations, otherwise we have no way to fashion wisdom from knowledge, and no way to identify or put common sense back to work.</span></span></span></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color:#000000;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">Pete</b> – Everyone I know is speeding up doing more in less time.</span></span></span></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color:#000000;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">Jeff</b> – That’s the technology talking, Pete. That’s only what we think we need to do in order to reach our real objective.</span></span></span></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color:#000000;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">Pete</b> – Which is?</span></span></span></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color:#000000;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">Jeff</b> – A far simpler, less cluttered life. Ultimately, what we really want is a rocking chair on a country porch or a hammock on the beach. What we really want is a safe place to let go. Our objectives, however, are very much at odds with our means, and very much at odds with the tool-driven perception that we need to do more in less time. Only in the rabbit hole on the far side of the looking glass can we expect to live simpler, less cluttered lives by speeding up and adding more clutter.</span></span></span></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color:#000000;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">Pete</b> – What are we letting go of?</span></span></span></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color:#000000;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">Jeff</b> – We’re letting go of failure, and the false pride that compels us to hold onto it. We can’t possibly innovate in any meaningful way unless and until we make room for innovation in our own hearts and minds, and the only way to create enough breathing room for new ideas is to slow down long enough to identify and let go of the old ones we know no longer work, despite our vested interests. We don’t find innovation as much as it finds us – but only if and when we remove the barriers. Innovation is a process of subtraction and disintermediation.</span></span></span></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color:#000000;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">Pete</b> – Can you give me a failed idea in the advertising and marketing industries that we should let go of right away?</span></span></span></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color:#000000;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">Jeff</b> – Yup. Advertisers, agencies, content producers and publishers need to let go of the traditional advertising-as-intermediary model, especially online. Again, it offers a product no one wants and everyone is equipped to avoid, and the technological and administrative costs to support it are far too cumbersome and onerous for publishers and content producers to sustain. As I mentioned earlier, the current collapse of the media ecosystem isn’t just a byproduct of a deep recession. Industry bubbles inflate and burst when the aggregate weight and cost of excess intermediation eclipse and crush the value of the product or service being sold – exactly what happened with the dot com, financial and real estate bubbles. And that’s exactly what’s happening right now with the media and healthcare industries. They’re collapsing from the aggregate weight of all the intermediaries who contribute far too little and extract far too much.</span></span></span></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color:#000000;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">Pete</b> – Who would you identify as the primary intermediaries in the media industry?</span></span></span></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color:#000000;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">Jeff</b> – The media agencies, the ad networks, the targeting technology vendors, and the data-marketing vendors. They’re all in the business of adding costs and complexity to the failing advertising-as-intermediary model whose performance can only continue to decline no matter what. In the end, none of what they bring to the table can improve performance of a product no one wants, and their collective weight can only further imperil the livelihoods of those who truly belong at the table, the content producers and the publishers.</span></span></span></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color:#000000;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">Pete</b> – Better technology can’t help?</span></span></span></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color:#000000;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">Jeff</b> – Better technology can help a lot of things, but the advertising-as-intermediary model isn’t one of them. Remember, technology is supposed to simplify our lives. But the twenty-something technologists who took over the marketing and advertising industries straight out of business school in the mid-1990s simply weren’t mature enough to understand that the secret to success with all technologies is deliberate restraint, the wisdom to know when and where not to use them. So they went on a collective bender instead and introduced layer after layer of increasingly complex digital technologies, none of which increased the intrinsic value of the work product, and all of which imposed untenable burdens and costs on the ecosystem.</span></span></span></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color:#000000;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">Pete</b> – That was then. What about now?</span></span></span></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color:#000000;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">Jeff</b> – Now we’re old enough to know better. Now we know what doesn’t work. Now it’s time to put aside childish things and grow up. Now it’s time for us as an industry to slow down, let go of what doesn’t work, and begin the process of deliberate simplification.</span></span></span></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color:#000000;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">Pete</b> – Where do we begin?</span></span></span></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color:#000000;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">Jeff</b> – We begin with a more mature understanding that the ability to defer gratification and exercise restraint is what distinguishes mature behavior from adolescent behavior. So we begin with the re-introduction of restraint. We begin by reaffirming that our primary responsibility as senior executives is to teach, institutionalize and practice restraint and moderation up and down the entire food chain. Job one of all senior executives is to reject the excesses of the past two decades and say no to patently self-destructive and promiscuous behavior, especially when we know it’s powered by several billion microchips.</span></span></span></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color:#000000;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">Pete</b> – Beyond the acts of slowing down and letting go of things that don’t work, what does the process of deliberate simplification look like?</span></span></span></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color:#000000;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">Jeff</b> – Think of yourself and your business on the slick surface of a spinning wheel. In order to stay in business you must remain on the wheel, despite the fact that it accelerates faster and faster with each and every rotation. We know from Albert Einstein’s casual observation of a phonograph record that the outer edge of the wheel spins much faster than the hub, which means the centrifugal force you feel on the outer edge of the spinning wheel is far more intense than the centrifugal force you feel at the center. Think now of the centrifugal force you feel on the spinning wheel as all the day-to-day pressures, inertia and exigencies that conspire in aggregate to steal your resources and sap your strength.</span></span></span></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:100%;color:#000000;">The success and sustainability of your business depends therefore on where you spend your time on the spinning wheel. The closer you are to the outer edge, the greater the centrifugal force that pushes you towards oblivion. The closer you are to the outer edge, the more time and energy you must invest in your battle simply to stay on the wheel. The closer you are to the outer edge, the more time and energy you invest in pure reaction to your environment. I would submit that tens of thousands of businesses and hundreds of thousands of senior executives are living wholly reactive lives perched precariously on the edge at this very moment.</span></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:100%;color:#000000;">The process of deliberate simplification is one that describes a proactive journey from the insanity and fragmentation of perpetual life on the edge to the sanity and wholeness of life in the center. The process of deliberate simplification -- like innovation -- is in fact a deliberate process of subtraction and disintermediation, and it’s the only way to emerge from the rabbit hole with our sanity and wallets intact.</span></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color:#000000;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">Pete</b> – What specifically can we do to begin the journey from the outer edge to the center? For instance, if you were an advertiser, what steps would you take to introduce a process of deliberate simplification online?</span></span></span></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color:#000000;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">Jeff</b> – Over time I’d cease to use third-party websites to advertise my brand message. Instead I’d replace the intermediary ads with more compelling unbranded content teasers designed only to entice and move prospects directly to my branded sites. I’d use bait instead of ammo and go fishing instead of hunting. The content bait I place on third-party websites would always resolve on my websites, surrounded entirely by my brand with my calls to action. I’d no longer ask the publishers to do something they’re clearly not equipped to do, I wouldn’t ask prospects to look at or click on something they clearly don’t want, and I’d always know precisely where and on what terms my brand message is being consumed.</span></span></span></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color:#000000;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">Pete</b> – Doesn’t that put advertisers in the content business?</span></span></span></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color:#000000;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">Jeff</b> – Of course. But lots of advertisers are already in the content business, some quite successfully since the 1930s. Those who can’t afford or aren’t inclined to create their own content can license someone else’s. Content producers and publishers get paid on a pure and simple performance basis for traffic and content they deliver directly to my websites, and we eliminate most if not all the front-end targeting technologies that are currently driving them out of business, putting my brand at risk and wrecking my ROI. The onus for performance shifts back to me where it belongs, and I put my digital agency back to work doing what they should have been doing all along, creating quality destination environments for my brand instead of trying to decide which websites will fail least often. I’d stop paying them to fail.</span></span></span></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color:#000000;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">Pete</b> – So you’d just replace the ads with content teasers?</span></span></span></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color:#000000;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">Jeff</b> – Yes, and put all the branding on my own destination sites. It’s the only cost-efficient and scalable way for me to control my own brand exposure and eliminate risk, and it’s the only way not to drive quality publishers and content producers straight to the poor house in the process. Instead of the current site-targeting insanity that presumes to know which ads my prospects won’t avoid, I can now entice them with something they truly want to consume. Instead of paying for what I know will fail at least 99.9% of the time, I’ll pay only for success, and I won’t be forcing publishers or content producers to foot the bill for my failures anymore.</span></span></span></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color:#000000;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">Pete</b> – Do you think publishers and content producers will play along?</span></span></span></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color:#000000;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">Jeff</b> – Publishers and content producers don’t set policy. Ultimately, only the advertiser -- the guy with the cash in hand -- sets policy. That aside, publishers and content producers need to slow down, let go, and embark on a process of deliberate simplification also. Publishers need to let go of the performance myth imposed upon them by advertisers and feckless agencies. In fact, they not only need to let go of their traffic, but they need to let go of their content as well.</span></span></span></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color:#000000;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">Pete</b> – How do you mean?</span></span></span></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color:#000000;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">Jeff</b> – Publishers need to send their content and their traffic directly to paying advertiser sites, rather than trying to hold on to both. They simply can’t deliver brand messages in an age when no one wants to see them and everyone is equipped to avoid them, and -- as a result -- they can’t afford to keep quality content on-site any longer. The advertising-as-intermediary revenue model can no longer support the requisite costs to aggregate and target audiences.</span></span></span></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color:#000000;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">Pete</b> – What do you suggest?</span></span></span></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color:#000000;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">Jeff</b> – I suggest they retain the dot com model to aggregate eyeballs, but function as gatekeepers rather than curators. Publishers should take the same content that attracts advertisers now to their sites, put it directly on a paying advertiser’s website, link to it then get paid for both the traffic and the content on a CPC basis. Much simpler, much more direct, and much less expensive than trying to figure out year after year how to compel visitors to view ads they simply don’t want to see. Publishers get to do exactly what they’ve always done so well: create great content and aggregate audiences. And they get to do it with none of the invasive targeting technologies that can only add costs, erode performance, and piss people off the moment they accidently learn about them.</span></span></span></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color:#000000;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">Pete</b> – So you don’t think the new IAB campaign to educate consumers on the benefits of behavioral targeting will work?</span></span></span></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color:#000000;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">Jeff</b> – Hardly. I think it’s like conducting tours of a sausage factory, but without the tasting room at the end. The IAB is trying to convince folks that what they don’t see behind the ads won’t hurt them, when in fact no one but the IAB and other industry intermediaries wants the ads in the first place. The Mad Hatter would be proud. But again, deliberate simplification is a journey of deliberate subtraction and disintermediation. We need to remove the layers of technology-driven intermediation that currently stand between visitors and brands. We need to remove the intermediaries that drive publishers and content producers out of business. In short, we need to invert the current model: instead of taking the ad and immersing it in the content on the publisher’s site, publishers should immerse both the content and the visitor in the ad directly on the advertiser’s site. It’s the only ad model that plays in scale to the distributed network strength of the medium, the only one that will deliver the branding advertisers want without the risk and waste, and the only one that will protect the interests of publishers and content producers as well.</span></span></span></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color:#000000;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">Pete</b> – Any final calls to action?</span></span></span></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color:#000000;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">Jeff</b> – Just one: anyone who’s slowed down long enough to read this entire interview is likely ready to emerge from the rabbit hole, and should drop me a line.</span></span></span></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color:#000000;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">Pete</b> – Thanks, Jeff.</span></span></span></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color:#000000;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">Jeff</b> – Thank you, Pete, and Happy New Year.</span></span></span></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"></p>Pete Krainikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17904806307349821057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9208430489325058906.post-92077044153704766522010-02-10T21:16:00.002-05:002010-02-10T21:22:45.366-05:00What do you do if customer networking platforms, technologies, and customer communities change faster than you can plan for?<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_dqD66l1KP4E/S3Np5BLlQGI/AAAAAAAAAHc/jW8RbpJmayo/s1600-h/002.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 239px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_dqD66l1KP4E/S3Np5BLlQGI/AAAAAAAAAHc/jW8RbpJmayo/s400/002.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5436805603456794722" /></a><br />Last night at our Denver CMO CLUB dinner, as we went around the table each sharing an important challenge we have as CMOs, this notion of keeping up with consumers and where they engage was a big challenge. Think about it. Two years ago, photo sharing sites were hot only to give way to Facebook ( aggregator of all these technology specific sharing sites for photos, videos, etc.). Shopping sites come and go. Hot fashion, cooking, cycling, etc. this year will be quiet a year from now. So what do we do as CMOs?<br /><br />I think in these times of constant change, less loyalty to brands and sites, identifying, engaging, getting to know and building loyalty with your Net Promoters is more important than ever. You have a subset of customers that love you, support you, and like sharing your value to friends and colleages. Do you know exactly why they like you, what drives their movement to new sites and communities? Do you have good relationship with them where they will tell you whats new, better, etc. <br /> <br />Another approach to this dilemma is to provide solutions/products that can be purchased or leveraged regardless of the delivery platform or community site. So not site specific but consumer value specific. When you develop your marketing plans for the year, ask the question, “what happens if all the media vehicles we plan on using no longer carry the traffic or customer segmentations we care about?". Your answers may become part of a marketing adaptability program.<br /><br />Finally, a number of CMOs in the club place company flexibility and speed to change, speed to delivery as a key competitive advantage. What are you doing as CMO to ensure your company is more flexibility and quick to respond vs. last year?Pete Krainikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17904806307349821057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9208430489325058906.post-13134462807603214182010-01-30T07:35:00.001-05:002010-01-30T07:36:33.212-05:00The Differences between European CMOs and CMOs in the US<p style="float: right;"><img src="http://api.ning.com/files/-Ud7cjX7dRTaZtRt5GClOLYN7dDi8A-1MPHoYlX2ifi*cDUdjNoXgK-7SfUvTtIAqGebKAOSj2O5ALQPVUeWMQ9ux1oATbrJ/images.jpg" alt=""/></p><br />As I was sitting with a few CMOs near the end of our first Geneva CMO CLUB Dinner last night, Eduardo Barriga, CMO of OM Pharma asked me the differences between CMOs in the US and CMOs in Europe. After our first three dinners in Europe this week in London, Paris, and Geneva, I thought about that question and here are a few observations:<br /><br />1) <b>Everyone is thinking about social media and leveraging social marketing for engaging with customers and consumers</b> where they share and spend their time. There is a view from the CMOs in Europe that I spoke with that the US is a bit further ahead on understanding and leveraging Facebook, Twitter, and other custom community sites. As I talked about our April CMO CLUB summit in NYC a number of European CMOs are interested in attending to learn more about this critical topic.<br /><br />2) Of the 25+ CMOs I spoke with this week, almost everyone has to think about marketing in multiple countries so the issue of central branding with local customer engagement is top of mind. In many cases the <b>CMOs have to think about unique competitors in each country and develop segmentation analysis and campaigns to the tactical country level</b>.<br /><br />3) It may have been the unique mix of CMOs at our first European dinners this week but there is a real <b>interest in true paradigm shifts in thinking during the discussions vs. case studies or conversations on more traditional marketing approaches</b>. Hugues Pietrini, head of marketing for Orangina Schweppes said, “If I’m going to spend an evening out of my busy schedule then give me really creative, unexpected conversations and insights”. I loved that comment. Unexpected conversations with peers.<br /><br />4) <b>A significant interest in meeting and sharing ideas with CMOs in the US</b>. Before the dinners I didn’t have this perspective. As we roll out the weekly poll question and share “Insights from CMOs Podcasts”, a truly global conversation will be of real value to CMOs in the club.<br /><br />5) <b>CMOs in Europe and the US are both worried and thinking about continued advancement of ROI/Metrics</b> to not only measure success and performance but for day to day monitoring and changing of marketing mix.<br /><br />6) CMOs in Europe and US are both tired of attending events with marketing 101 pitches and a follow up barrage of emails and calls after events to sell them something.<br /><br /><br />I learned a number of things this week that I plan on incorporating into CMO CLUB globally.<br /><br />1) More out of the box, paradigm shifts framework for CMO roundtable conversations at dinners.<br /><br />2) The club format, mix of larger and smaller CMOs, and roundtable approach will grow quickly in Europe. This is extremely rewarding for me.<br /><br />3) The value for true global sharing of ideas of CMOs around the world will only make the club more exciting and valuable to members.<br /><br />4) The development of subgroups within the club will include not only city chapters but global groups of CMOs sharing the same specific problems, expertise and interests.<br />The dinners this week were a huge success and I want to thank Jeffrey Merrihue for helping lead the European expansion of the club. We really do have something special here. Onward and upward.Pete Krainikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17904806307349821057noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9208430489325058906.post-54458177439823362512010-01-28T11:09:00.001-05:002010-01-28T11:10:27.914-05:00CMO CLUB Weekly Member Poll Results - What Role did your CEO Have Prior to being your CEO? - Hint - It Wasn't CMO<p style="float: right"><img src="http://api.ning.com/files/G-trBkfBLiQLzMqq2Y1HYMwbfdeOuRqpYiT1JtIwPuXmxixMnOw1aZWzey7Pm6Zlt-To52iWqjQwdYmFHy27z5Ui3qORKY*v/ceophoto.jpg" alt=""/></p><br />Here are the results of this weeks CMO CLUB weekly member poll question. What was your CEO's role prior to becoming your CEO?<br />Only 9.6% of the 146 CMOs responding noted their CEO came from marketing. CFO was highest in non-GM positions with 19.2% and Head of Sales with 16.4%. I was surprised that most CEOs came from other CEO positions. Here are the results:<br /><br />146 CMOs responded<br /><br />27.4% - Other (CEO of smaller company, etc.)<br />26.0% - GM or President<br />19.2% - CFO<br />16.4% - Head of Sales<br />9.6% - CMO or Head of Marketing<br />1.4% - CIO<br /><br />A few Quotes from CMOs in the club who responded:<br /><br />“My company picked a CEO from a smaller company to lead our company.”<br /><br />“My CEO came from CFO world so all we do is discuss short term ROI.”<br /><br />“We are a sales led company as a result of our CEO’s past life as EVP Sales.”<br /><br />“I’m lucky, my CEO was an ex CMO so she gets it and supports our customer engagement priorities.”<br /><br />“He was GM of our most profitable division so his rewardPete Krainikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17904806307349821057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9208430489325058906.post-48792624860546723842010-01-23T21:25:00.006-05:002010-01-23T21:28:53.587-05:00<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_dqD66l1KP4E/S1uvrDu2u1I/AAAAAAAAAHU/e7BI-Vvrv1A/s1600-h/CMO_WSJ_Ad%25202010_B%5B1%5D.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 304px; height: 550px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_dqD66l1KP4E/S1uvrDu2u1I/AAAAAAAAAHU/e7BI-Vvrv1A/s400/CMO_WSJ_Ad%25202010_B%5B1%5D.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5430126929996331858" /></a>Pete Krainikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17904806307349821057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9208430489325058906.post-7010440011598202352010-01-11T17:41:00.002-05:002010-01-11T17:43:53.414-05:00CMO CLUB Dinner at CES - Marketing Where Innovation Really Matters<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_dqD66l1KP4E/S0upmy5SHFI/AAAAAAAAAHM/c2mmqUrr2V0/s1600-h/photo+cmo+club+dinner+at+CES.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_dqD66l1KP4E/S0upmy5SHFI/AAAAAAAAAHM/c2mmqUrr2V0/s400/photo+cmo+club+dinner+at+CES.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5425616660060052562" /></a><br /><br />It was interesting to host last week's CMO CLUB dinner in Las Vegas during the CES event. First off a great group of CMOs including Kodak, Samsung, Logictech, GSM, THX, Unilever, Mofilm plus others.<br /><br />My biggest take-away was the passion of each of the CMOs in the Electronics Industry. As I walked the floor the buzz was all about "what's new", "What's different", etc. This same mindset was present at the dinner. Not only did they share what's new from their company, but a detailed understanding of what's new from competitors and how they will respond. As I shared an update on the club the questions were all about "what's new with the club", "what's coming", etc.<br /><br />How much of your time as CMO is focused on "what's new" and "what's different" vs. standard planning and execution? If we are leading the growth agenda, this must be a big part of our time and focus and I think many of us can learn from this industry.Pete Krainikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17904806307349821057noreply@blogger.com0