There are a number of service companies out there that are loathe to give away free content, content for which their customers pay big money. This concern is understandable but nonetheless surprising given all that has been written on the value of free (see great Wired Mag article). In my discussion with one client facing this dilemma recently, I offered up a quick story:

• Just back from a week of sun and fun in Florida this Sunday, my wife and I had a craving for lox and bagels. Of course, this meant visiting Sable’s (2nd Ave/78th) which we think is the best in the city. One of the reasons that we are so loyal is that while you are waiting in line for your bagel they always offer up a free taste of something and yesterday it was their amazing lobster salad. A generous gesture indeed given that their lobster salad goes for more than $20 a pound but oh the loyalty it buys. And of course, don’t forget the word of mouth this little freebie generates.

Now my client wasn’t exactly bowled over by this story so I started to think of a few other examples of when a mere taste became a tasty marketing dish:

• Hale & Hearty Soup offers petite samples every day of every one of their soups. And of course, I always take a sample even if I know in advance which soup I’m going to order just because I can. By the way, I probably average two of their soups a week!
• Crest gave out free samples of one of their new line extensions on a recent JetBlue flight. Trying the new version was a no brainer and reminded me that Crest is my favorite brand for good reason. They also made a potential convert out of my teenage son who simply loved the idea of getting something free.

In each of these examples, marketers gave me something of value for free in exchange for my time, my attention, my loyalty and or my word of mouth. This is the very essence of Marketing as Service. Doing something for your customers and prospects is simply more persuasive than saying something about what you’re going to do for them. I’m not saying to give away the store but surely a small taste will open up their mouths and their wallets in a big way.

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Buried in holiday e-greetings, I’m finding myself deleting all but a random few. Why? Because the few that I do bother to click on are either self-serving drivel or simply banal. Like yours, my time is precious. If you are going to send a holiday ecard, make sure it is worthwhile. Better yet, send it in November or January when yours won’t be lost in a sea of sameness.

Of course, the same holds true for any kind of marketing. Zig when others zag. And ideally make sure your zig is a service of some kind. If it is, undoubtedly your target will be so grateful they’ll share it with all the friends and look forward to your communications in the months and year’s ahead. Elf Yourself zigged big time and in its third year was sent around a whopping 57 million times. On the odd chance that you didn’t get one, click here to see the one I created starring Pinky.

Finally, I did want to share an email I got from NYS Governor Patterson. It just seemed spot on. Happy Holidays to all. D

My Fellow New Yorkers,

As you read this, I am now returning from visiting our troops in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Germany.

It is a tremendous honor to spend time with our servicemen and women, especially the many that I have met from New York. Each and every solider who I have had the pleasure of meeting embodies the very best traditions of America: a commitment to one another, a commitment to service, and an understanding about the necessity of shared sacrifice.

I am also asking New Yorkers back home to do much of the same. If there was ever a time to work together to make the best of a difficult situation, it is now.

During this holiday season we are reminded that it is the people we spend our important moments with that count the most, not the gifts that we receive. And it is not necessarily how we, as a people, react to the good times, but how we take on our challenges during the tough times, that defines us as a state, and as a nation.

That spirit of commitment is what binds us together, it is why we join with friends and family to celebrate the holiday season, and it is why we optimistically look forward to each New Year. The holiday season is, first and foremost, a time to renew our commitment to one another.

The choices that we make together right now are not easy, but they are necessary. The challenging times that we are facing make it even more important that we come together this holiday season and that we recommit ourselves to our shared values and our shared bond as New Yorkers.

I hope that you are able to spend some time this holiday season with those closest to you, and if you are able, please find some time to support a charitable organization in your community.

I wish every one of you a happy and safe holiday season.

Governor David A. Paterson

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I visited a client last week who had six copies of David Meerman Scott’s The New Rules of Marketing & PR on his desk. He has made it required reading for his staff so of course, I ordered two copies on Amazon, one for me and one for my staff (okay, so I’m cheap!). When the books arrived, I added it to my growing stack of B2B books I “planned” to read. The truth is that I loath biz books especially ones on marketing. Of the 100 or more I felt compelled to buy, I’ve started half and finished two. Frankly, I get more out of historical fiction and it doesn’t put me to sleep as fast (currently reading The Physician, an epic circa 1000 AD.)

But then I got sick and used some of my down time to start Scott’s New Rules. Before I knew it, I was half way through and determined to finish it. While much of it was familiar (after all, we do a lot with social media at Renegade) the book was crammed with fresh case histories and useful links. It was also an ode to the concept of Marketing as Service. Whether reaching out to the press or Twittering, creating podcasts or blog posts, Scott prescribes creating “thoughtful content.” Says Scott:

Do not write about your company and your products. Thought leadership content is designed to solve buyer problems or answer questions and to show that you and your organization are smart and worth doing business with.

Or in other words, create something of value by providing genuine utility instead of mere messaging. Scott’s book aggregates a number of cost-effective ways to deliver Marketing as Service with enthusiastic zeal encouraging marketers “to jump in and see what you can do.” Here. Here.

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Really timely article in Adweek this week on how few brands have done well by developing their own Facebook applications from scratch. Many marketers seem to make the same mistakes so here’s a quick do’s and don’t list:

Don’t

• Use isolated tactics. Standalone banner ads or applications don’t seem to work all that well. Relying on “viral effect” alone is foolhardy.
• Make complicated applications. Nike’s Ballers program was simply overwhelming for flitting Facebookers.
• Go it alone. Its hard to build a large audience for a new application given the hundreds out there.
• Stress your message. Overt marketing messages seem to be a major turn off

Do

• Create multi-tiered campaigns. Use advertising to create awareness of the application or whatever utility you plan on bringing to the party.
• Keep it simple. Just try to do one thing well that is fun/useful for your community.
• Look for partners. Microsoft found success on Facebook by working with Slide’s FunSpace app.
• Deliver value first. Once you’ve made friends by being entertaining or useful, then you’ll have a chance to tell your story.

Bottom line—Marketers need to thread the needle between what the community wants (fun, utility) and the brand’s goals (sell their wares).

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Today’s issue of BRANDWEEK provided a rather scaled back overview of 2008 Guerrilla Marketing which included a short and sweet quote from yours truly. Given the brevity of the article, I thought I’d post my full interview notes.

BW: Can you see the current economic downturn as having a direct effect on guerrilla marketing either how it’s done, its frequency of use, or anything else?

DN: Here’s the good news, our phone is ringing off the hook from clients looking to gain more impact out of limited resources. The bad news is that when they say “limited” they really mean next to nothing so its getting a lot harder to manage expectations! One huge change is the number of clients requesting “social media” and/or viral marketing programs. There is a clear perception in the marketplace that these non-traditional approaches could have exponential impact for the dollars invested. Undoubtedly, when dollars get short, clients will look for innovative ways to cut through.

BW: Aside from the recession, are there any big trends affecting guerrilla marketing that you’re seeing?

DN: Several. Consumers are increasingly savvy and resilient to street team activity. Unless you are offering a clear value proposition (like cool free stuff) or have a truly entertaining “show,” consumers will simply ignore your efforts. Today more than ever, guerrilla marketing needs to deliver a demonstrable exchange of value. The same holds true for online guerrilla efforts. As many wishful thinking viral video producers have discovered, very few videos actually get discovered and most of those are consumer generated versus corporate creations. In the “wild west” of viral, slick messages rarely cut it. Consumers find the genuine, the raw, the crazy, far more appealing than the slick, the packaged or the profound.

BW: In the age of the iPod, with people so shut off from normal streetawareness, is guerrilla marketing less effective than it used to be? I mean, not too long ago, a pedestrian might be wearing a Walkman, but in general he or she was pretty plugged in to the street landscape. But these days, thanks to digital devices like cell phones and iPods, you can hermetically seal yourself in a world of your choosing, even as you walk around. Does that theoretically render guerrilla marketing less effective?

DN: First, let me note that we consider guerrilla marketing to be broader than street team stuff. Like the man who first defined the term, Jay Conrad Levinson, we consider guerrilla marketing to be a mindset that overcomes a lack of funds with resourcefulness and innovation. Under that definition, guerrilla marketing is constantly evolving, addressing the realities of changes in consumer behavior. To be effective, guerrilla marketing has to be more than disruptive. It has to be appealing enough that someone in a walking cocoon actually wants to stop and engage. Ironically, guerrilla approaches actually have an advantage these days over traditional TV advertising which are getting zapped before they even get a chance to be seen. Guerrilla marketers are figuring out how to engage consumers with all their devices, such as having billboards that interact with mobile devices, etc. Also, for many “too hip for ad” brands, the guerrilla medium is the message. These brands can’t be seen as selling out by doing mainstream advertising and instead present themselves in ways that are as fresh as the brand and the target themselves. Street art, viral videos, widgets and on-premise stunts all fall into the “we’re cool cats” category.

All that said, consumers are more savvy about all types of marketing these days. The bar is higher for everyone. True engagement requires a fresh idea regardless of the medium. If people are wearing headphones, guerrilla marketers need to offer music to their ears, literally or physically.

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If Joan Rivers were to ask, “Can we talk?” My response might be, “Later Joan, I’m trying to keep up.” The truth is that those of us in “new media” are faced with a Sisyphean challenge, the harder we try to stay informed, the less we can actually get done. Recognizing this challenge, HP has served up Tabbloid that Ed Reilly spotted as a great example of Marketing as Service:

 

HP has created a wonderful service called Tabbloid that aggregates all your rss feeds into a daily newspaper of sorts that is e-mailed to you as a pdf. It’s a simple service, but something I have been looking for for a while. I think it is a good first step in the right direction. I’d like to see a .pdf version I can view on-line where the links work, and I can still click and browse to get more info. An opportunity to customize the design a bit would be totally rad too.

On this strong recommendation, I created my own Tabbloid (see for yourself) from 5 RSS feeds and the first edition was a whopping 25 pages! Hopefully, subsequent issues won’t be so voluminous BUT I can’t help wondering if HP is hoping I’ll print them out on my Officejet Pro K550 which would be good for them but not so good for the trees I consumed. While this is no threat to Google Reader (or other RSS aggregators) especially without the live link functionality Ed suggests, for those who prefer to read their news on paper, Tabbloid may just ink the deal for you.

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When advertising no longer talks at you but actually does something for you, then it becomes a service. Samsung places charging stations in airports and road warriors get the fuel they need to carry on the battle. The longer the program runs, the longer everybody wins. Samsung gets meaningful exposure, airports get happier travelers and consumers come to recognize Samsung as a helpful & reliable “mobile” resource. The exchange of value is crystal clear.

That’s why I’m only lukewarm about a new program from Kraft as reported by MediaPost:

In the Windy City this month, frozen commuters and holiday shoppers will be treated to heated bus shelters and samples of Stove Top’s new Quick Cups instant stuffing, courtesy of Kraft Foods.

 

“Stove Top Stuffing is all about warming up families with hot, delicious meals when the temperatures drop,” said brand manager Ellen Thompson in a release, “and we wanted a stand-out way to demonstrate this to consumers this holiday season.”

This is a thin a commitment to Marketing as Service as you will find. Only 10 bus shelters are being heated and only in Chicago. 49 other markets will just see bus shelter ads. So really, this is a insincere stunt that Kraft hopes will inspire lots of PR. And perhaps it will (which may be enough for them.)

Imagine for a moment Kraft committed to bus shelters in cold cities the way Samsung has to airport terminals. Commuters would be thanking Kraft by the bus load and telling all their friends how the kind folks from Glenview warmed them up on a frigid morning. Cities would be competing to get the Kraft bus shelter program as a way of encouraging and rewarding the use of public transportation.

Okay, maybe I’m dreaming but I’d bet on this approach versus 49 markets worth of bus shelter posters that get the cold shoulder treatment from ad-weary consumers. Marketing as Service has the potential to transform the way consumers interact with and perceive your brand. And to quote one genius at self-promotion, “that’s hot.”

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Service comes in all shapes in sizes. Friday when I called Verizon to tell them that the Blackberry Storm they just sold me had more bugs than entomology section at the Natural History Museum, they couldn’t have been more helpful. As I explained that the camera had a funny way of going on when you were trying to type an email, they listened politely, told me how to send it back and helped reset my old phone. So even though I was disappointed with the equipment, I couldn’t fault Verizon. Their service is simply stellar and assuming I can find a satisfactory phone, I’ll end up renewing my subscription with them.

That’s service as service. Before you should even think about Marketing as Service, you better have your service basics in order. One such company is UPS. Their service is consistently excellent, something you used to really appreciate when you had enough money to buy a lot of last minute gifts. But, what’s a smart shipper to do when new gift purchases are expected to be down in the dumps?

Duh! Encourage regifting. That’s right, regifting. Send you friends the stuff you never used but for some reason couldn’t part with. Actually, I’m only half joking. UPS has set up a mildly amusing website called UPS Regifter.com that allows you to choose from a series of wonderfully tacky gifts that you can then email to a friend. (Thanks to MediaPost for delivering the head’s up about this one.) I elected to use the Facebook application and sent my assistant a Hawaiian dancer (doll), which she will no doubt appreciate.

While the concept is funnier to talk about than it is to play with, I give kudos to UPS for trying to deliver some levity in this otherwise bleak holiday season. And who knows, UPS may actually get some extra shipping biz out of it as people identify some real “regifts” they can pass along.

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If you think the marketing challenges of 2009 look daunting, imagine for a moment you were Barack Hussein Obama back in 2007. Being an unknown, untested, awkwardly-named black man with limited resources going against one of the biggest brand names in Democratic politics, you’d hardly anticipate a victory in the playoffs, much less a win in the finals. Yet, that is exactly what happened. Obama’s remarkable success offers a clear and prescient 10-point playbook for marketers who want to beat the odds in 2009.

Stand for Something
Knowing that 70% of the country thought the government was headed in the wrong direction, Obama offered a simple, consistent and rational message: “change.” He coupled that with an empowering and emotional call to action, “yes we can.” By appealing to both the rational desire for change and the emotional need for hope, Obama presented his brand as a movement and embraced the notion that former P&G CMO Jim Stengel calls “purpose-based marketing.” As the game gets rougher in 2009 and resources tighter, clarifying your purpose as a brand will be that much more significant. It will help you keep communications on point, your internal team inspired and your target more inclined to cast their vote for your brand.

Capture Your Fan Base
President-elect Obama’s use of the internet to build his fan base was unprecedented by all measures. As of November 4th, his website database included over 3 million hard-core fans that not only contributed millions in campaign funding but also volunteered to make calls, send emails and knock on doors. Members received a steady stream of emails including video, with specific calls to action keeping the fans motivated and on-point. He even had over 128,000 tweets tracking him via Twitter.

In what may be an historic use of email, he reached out to this group before his acceptance speech noting “I’m about to head to Grant Park to talk to everyone gathered there, but I wanted to write to you first.” This legion of supporters was ready for mobilization at a click of a mouse, something that any marketer could find invaluable. While the notion of building a large database of users is not new, the importance of having such a base is compounded in a weak economy since email can be so cost effective at driving sales, word-of-mouth and loyalty. Make it a priority in 2009 to build an army of followers.

Empower Your Fan Base
Some marketing pundits are calling Obama’s campaign the first to truly apply web 2.0 techniques to the presidential race. According to exit polls, Obama won nearly 70% of the under 25 vote, a share percentage that any marketer would covet. If you haven’t looked at My.BarackObama.com, I highly recommend you take a tour (for a short cut watch the introductory video) and imagine this was your customer loyalty program. Then pop over to Facebook and MySpace, where Obama gathered over 4 million combined supporters, and imagine that this was how your brand leveraged social networks.

The key will be to truly engage your target, inviting them to join a conversation versus peddling your wares. If you do it right, at least 1 in 4 social networkers will gladly download branded content and 1 in 5 will post marketer-related content on their home page. One way or another, be sure to cast your marketing vote for social media in 2009.

Turn on the Videos
This campaign inspired unprecedented levels of online video viewing. On YouTube alone there were over 30 million views of Obama-related videos including the Yes We Can music video (14mm), Obama Girl (12.1mm) and his interview on Ellen (4.8mm). And of course millions more watched the highly damaging interview of Sarah Palin by Katie Couric.

While few brands can hope to gain this kind of following for their videos on YouTube, marketers would be remiss not to create them and use the videos for a variety of purposes from sales presentations to PR, online ads to viral. If you can get you fans to create the videos via user generated content programs, all the better. If not, be sure to keep your production costs low so you have some money to drive “seed” traffic.

Lighten Things Up
One of the more remarkable aspects of the Obama campaign is how he never lost his cool and in fact found moments for levity throughout. His appearance on Letterman a week before the election showed his lighter side as they laughed about Sarah Palin’s “lipstick on a pig” line. Not that Obama can take credit for it but I’m sure he is grateful to Tina Fey and the folks at Saturday Night Live who brilliantly lampooned Palin to the point that her only hope was to face the SNL camera directly—which of course was too little too late.

The point of all this is that comedy is still king and, as marketers, we need to keep things light especially in this dark economic period. Even typically serious B2B companies can find a place for humor. Tibco’s hilarious Greg The Architect video series has helped them connect with IT professionals who welcome a break from endless coding and relentlessly boring vendor pitches.

Touch Your Target
Despite all the success of his emails and videos, Obama never forgot the importance of the meet and greet. His campaign went to extraordinary lengths to have personal conversations with millions of Americans. His events were inclusive versus exclusive, holding his nomination acceptance speech at INVESCO Field in Denver and his victory speech at Grant Park in Chicago.

With budgets declining and the “stay at home economy” emerging, marketers might be inclined to rely on advertising and cut back on event/experiential marketing. This would be a mistake. Savvy marketers like Dress Barn have figured out that their customers actually want to get out of their homes and connect with their friends, which explains why Dress Barn’s in-store Very Indulgent Parties are so popular they are struggling to get them all on the calendar in each of their markets.

Measure Green, Make Green
While the economy was clearly the focus of the presidential campaign, during the primaries Obama credited the support of environmentalists who among others helped push him to victory. The Obama-Biden “New Energy for America” plan is an aggressive call for all companies to examine their carbon footprint and do something about it.

Expect to hear more about “supply chain environmentalism” which calls for marketers not only to consider what goes into their products but also to track the environmental impact of their entire supply chains. This in turn will create opportunities for companies like Enviance, whose software helps large companies measure and track emissions, and sites like GoodGuide.com, which rates products by their “greenness.” Green-savvy marketers will make the tracking of their environmental initiatives transparent, which will appeal to shareholders, regulators and potential consumers.

Do Well by Doing Good
The Obama campaign enlisted millions to give a little money for the cause of “change.” People stepped up because they felt part of something bigger than themselves. Now with donations to non-profits declining in lock step with the tanking economy, marketers have a unique opportunity to step up and show consumers they care about more than just sales, and prove that they are concerned with the well being of the community.

A recent PR Week study shows a close relationship between consumer perception and corporate social responsibility—companies that are well known for doing good have stronger word of mouth and more loyal customers. For example, 63% of Americans claim to have purchased a product because of a charitable association with the brand. The key is to pick a non-profit that makes sense for your organization, get employees involved and to make the support meaningful like Home Depot’s commitment to Habitat for Humanity to whom it is donating $30 million for a national green building project called “Partners in Sustainable Building.”

Define your Value
Taxes remained a dirty word in the 2008 presidential race as rising unemployment and falling home prices led to tightened pocketbooks. Marketers are facing a newly chastened non-consuming consumer with 65% of moms eliminating purchases that aren’t “absolutely necessary” and 52% who are just plain “cutting back” according to an Allen & Gerritsen study. It’s gotten so bad that orders for mall Santa Clauses are down 50% from 2007.

Few consumer-dependent companies can hope to thrive is this environment, but those with a clear value proposition will do less poorly. Wal-Mart is still seeing modest year-on-year increases, no doubt because of their clear value position. Starbucks, once an affordable luxury, has suddenly become an expensive afterthought. To compete in this dismal economy, your value proposition will be tested like never before as businesses and consumers ask, “Do I really need that?”

Spend It if You Got It
Ultimately, Obama ended up with the largest war chest in history, outspending McCain in some markets by as much as 4 to 1. In a zero sum game like politics, where the loser goes home, there is no holding back and you spend every last penny you raise (and then some.) Marketers, on the other hand, need to align their budgets with sales goals and make the most of what they’ve got. Ironically, with so many marketers cutting back, there are rare opportunities: from inexpensive sponsorships to remnant ad space both offline and online. Even search prices are expected to soften.

Category leaders will use this downturn to increase their share and upstart innovators will take advantage of retreating competition. Opportunity abounds for those marketers who classify marketing as an investment for their future, who believe that regardless of the short-term economic obstacles, brands will be built and history will be made.

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One thing is for sure, these are challenging times… to find a fresh headline. Here are two I found on pages 9 & 10 in the first section of the WSJ today:

• In these challenging times…
• In a challenging economy…

That said, we know business is bad because even Santa’s can’t find work. The WSJ reported on this as a national problem a couple of weeks ago and the New York Post noted “It’s a Lost Clause” in the city as well.

So, what’s a savvy marketer to do, scramble for a new approach to reflect the times or stick with a tried and true Marketing as Service experience? I know, I know–my bias is showing. Sue me.

Great Marketing as Service programs age nicely and become more cost effective with time. Witness the BankCab which is in its sixth year of driving loyalty to HSBC. So you can imagine my relief when I heard on the radio this morning that the Charmin bathrooms are coming back to Times Square for their third in-stall-ment! P&G is clearly on a roll with this program which reaches thousands in a true time of need.

And speaking of third-timers, I’m even more excited to report about ElfYourself 3.0 which is a shoe-in for the viral hall of fame. This JibJab creation, is just the kind of silly service that will bring holiday cheer to all who seek it and will keep Office Max top-of-mind even in these challenging times. Click here to see my silly creation.

Hopefully, my bad puns haven’t distracted you from the main point–find a service that your prospects and customers truly appreciate and run with it until you’re certain its time to find a new one.

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As seen today on MediaPost:

Renegade, the New York-based digital agency, announced Thursday that it will operate as a newly independent company.

Dentsu Holdings USA, Inc. has sold its majority interest in the company to Renegade CEO and Co-founder, Drew Neisser. The deal–a result of the directional evolution of both companies–is both amicable and mutually beneficial, according to the companies.

“We believe that being independent will elevate the entrepreneurial spirit that is especially important in this challenging economic environment,” Neisser said. “Without the support of Dentsu over the years, we would not have been able to build the type of organization that we have today. Renegade has always been about helping clients get maximum impact out of limited resources. Being independent will make us that much more resourceful.”–Tanya Irwin 

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Since this week has already gone to the dogs, I thought I’d end it by barking about an experiential program that the folks at Alpo cooked up. This program is a unique service (albeit short lived) that Boston dog owners will clearly enjoy. Here’s what the folks at MediaPost said about it:

Boston-area residents today have a second and final chance to bring their dogs to Nestle Purina PetCare’s just-opened pop-up pooch restaurant, the Alpo Chop House Originals Grill at 167 Newbury St. Dinner hours are 3 - 8 p.m., reservations not accepted, pricing non-existent, and dress not required for dining. At Thursday’s opening of the “Dog’s Night Out” festivities, Red Sox great Carlton Fisk was scheduled to serve as guest waiter, providing canine customers with the house special: Filet Mignon made with angus beef, one of seven flavors in the Chop House Originals line of gourmet canned dog foods, which promise the pets of grocery shoppers “restaurant-inspired taste, right here at home.”

Those Beantown “can-noisseurs” lucky enough to savor that taste this week in a real restaurant can also take advantage of other themed amenities like a photo booth, where they get their pictures taken with their owners. They also get to take home a doggie bag with food for their next night’s dinner — and to make new friends not only with their dining companions at rustic wooden tables, but with adoptable dogs from Mass Paws, a local rescue organization.

Alpo, in fact, has promised to donate $8,000 to Boston-area shelters on behalf of all the dog dinners served. Other costs for the promotion were not revealed.

On the feline side, Del Monte’s Meow Mix Cafe from Grand Central Marketing in late 2004 cost the brand $150,000 for a 10-day run in New York City — and then reportedly resulted in $50 million in additional sales during 2005.

So what if Alpo marketers are essential COPY DOGs, borrowing the shelter donation component from Pedigree and translating the whole doggie diner concept from Meow Mix? With their sports teams gone to the dogs (how ’bout those Jets winning in OT?), those newly humbled Bostonians need something to lift their spirits and the Alpo Chop House complete with former sports heroes may be just the thing. Woof!

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Pedigree continues to cuddle up to dog lovers, unleashing this opportunistic plea to President-elect Obama as reported by MediaPost:

Pedigree wasted no time in getting a print ad to press following President-Elect Obama’s promise to his daughters to bring a puppy to the White House. The ad ran in last Thursday’s edition of USA Today and features an adorable shelter dog in need of a home. “…We think you’ll find that shelter dogs are among the most loyal, loving and special dogs in the world. And no dog is more in need of a little hope,” says the ad (see below).

I give this effort a double paws up, especially as it builds upon what I think is one of the best “purpose-based” marketing campaigns going (see my earlier post on Dogs Rule). So, who thinks the Obama team will heed the call?

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Yesterday, I gave a webinar for the PRSA called “9.5 ways to cut through regardless of the economy.” Point number 7 was “keep it light” and refers to the fact, the more gloomy the economic climate, the more marketers need to lighten things up. This is especially true when targeting the under 30 crowd which tends to favor brands that can demonstrate a perverse sense of humor.

Virgin Mobile is one of those brands that continues to find fresh ways to engage its target, this time with news to amuse as reported by MediaPost:

AP, Virgin Mobile Offer Celebrity, Weird News

The Associated Press and Virgin Mobile USA have teamed up to offer two new youth-oriented mobile sites focused on celebrity and unusual news, the companies said Tuesday. The AP Entertainment channel featured on the Virgin deck offers coverage of the music, film and TV industries along with celebrity news and gossip, while the “Can You Believe It?” site focuses on bizarre stories from around the world. The partnership includes an ad revenue-sharing agreement. The pair of new sites will also serve as gateways to AP’s Mobile News Network, which drew more than 26 million page views in September. “Our customers have a propensity for fun, entertainment and being clued in to what’s happening around them,” said Yomi Uaboi, product manager, data access for Virgin Mobile USA, in a statement. “By adding the AP sites, we are offering the widest coverage of breaking entertainment news from the most trusted source.”

Make no mistake about it, this is Marketing as Service for yutes.

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Thanks to many of you for the various links noting that President-Elect Obama’s Secret Service codename is–damn straight–nothing other than Renegade! Here’s what they said about it on YahooBuzz:

The Renegade Is Loose. We Repeat, the Renegade Is Loose.

The Secret Service takes a lot of risks for the first family. So it’s only fair that the agency gets the honor of coming up with code names for the president-elect and his family. Various sources within the Buzz recently revealed the not-so-secret nicknames. [DREW NOTE--according to Wikipedia, the White House Communications Agency actually comes up with the codenames!]

Mr. Obama will be known as “Renegade” (move over, Lorenzo Lamas). Michelle, a woman of many talents, will be referred to as “Renaissance.” Malia Obama’s name will be “Radiance,” while little sister Sasha’s will be “Rosebud.”

Former Renegade, Rich Ullman who recognizes opportunity when he sees it, asks “now, what are you going to do with it?” Well, great question, Rich. First, let me assure we are delighted with the Secret Service’s selection and honored to share that name with the President-elect but of course, we will be expecting royalties;-) Second, I am working on my annual predictions letter which will be entitled, The Year of the Renegade and will feature hoops as the annual metaphor. Third, for the moment, there is not third. Any thoughts? I’ve got signed photos of my Obumkin and one unused Obama for President bumper sticker for the best idea out there.

While you’re thinking up ideas, here’s a list of secret service names for past president’s. Can you guess who’s who? For the answers, click here.

• Scorecard or Providence
• Lancer
• Volunteer
• Searchlight
• Pass Key
• Lock Master
• Rawhide
• Timberwolf
• Eagle
• Tumbler

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Zurich Financial is taking a service, or should I say a zervice approach with its recent Z-booths at airports. Here’s what the New York Times reported about it (thanks to Theresa for spotting):

Speaking of airports, for travelers rushing through the London Heathrow or Frankfurt airports this week with a dead mobile phone or a missing hotel reservation, there may be a place to turn. Look for booths marked with a big blue “Z” in the international departures areas. The stands are help points set up by Zurich Financial Services. They will offer free Internet access, cellphone and laptop charge-ups and other assistance for travelers, including cleaning materials to deal with spilled coffee and information about travel destinations, the company says. One thing they will not offer is insurance, Zurich’s usual line of business.

Why is Zurich getting involved in the kinds of things that airlines used to do for their passengers? The stands are part of a new marketing campaign aimed at “focusing on customers when it really matters,” said Arun Sinha, head of marketing at Zurich Financial. Market research has shown that fewer than 15 percent of consumers trusted any insurance brand, he said. “This is not about hard sell,” Mr. Sinha said. “This is more about trying to build consideration and favorability for the brand.”

Delivering genuine value to people in a time of need is sure way of making friends for the long haul. I sure hope it zerves them well.

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To be effective, Marketing of Service needs to a genuine commitment versus a one-off stunt. While few marketers will have the perseverance to make it 108 years like Michelin with its peripatetic guides, I suspect they can make it longer than a weekend like the recent painfully misguided “free taxi” effort by Tylenol.

Thanks to Jason Wurtzel for spotting these when they first arrived in the city on November 3rd. Not knowing anything about the program at that moment, I neglected to post Jason’s shots (see below) or to feel any sense of flattery since these were another attempt to copy the HSBC BankCab, which I might add is in its sixth year of driving loyalty to The World’s Local Bank.

Still on the case, Jason then forwarded this snippet about the cabs on The Gothamist:

The Tylenol (global?) “Warming Taxis” will take you anywhere in Manhattan, today through Sunday, from noon to 8 p.m. Your best shot of catching one is heading to a CVS at 630 Lexington, 540 Amsterdam, 272 8th or 307 6th Avenues and waiting for a stranger in a white car to offer you a lift and some Tylenol.

One weekend? Is that really supposed to heat up our feelings about Tylenol? As the Renegade behind the BankCab, that just plain hurts. It wasn’t even a cold weekend by November standards so the warming part fell flat. J&J, a usually savvy marketer, should know better than to treat Marketing as Service as a Band-Aid or perhaps they got ripped off by an unlicensed guerrilla practitioner.

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At The CMO Club Summit today, I moderated a discussion among 35+ CMOs about social media. It was really a lively conversation representing the range of experiences of these CMOs. The group divided into three segments, from novices to making their way to “kicking butt and taking names.” David Spark provides a quick overview of the discussion on TheCMOClub site (yes, the very same social network that Renegade helped create!) but I thought add some more detail given the broad interest in the topic.

Introduction to Social Media
Here’s the definition of social media marketing from Frog Design’s blog that I used to start the discussion:

Social media marketing is all marketing that utilizes the social graph of both marketer and audience (in fact, the interesting thing is that they can be one and the same) to facilitate and cultivate a conversation. Social marketing is whenever more than two individuals collaborate online or offline for content generation and distribution. Social marketers harness the viral power of social networks in order to grow both the frequency and the reach of conversations exponentially. They know how to feed the social orbit with content that catalyzes conversations. And they understand that an “architecture of participation,” that lets employees be marketers, has become paramount for turning brands into live brands.

Social Media Numbers (or why CMO’s should care)

• 62% of consumers actively seek out and read customer reviews prior to purchase
• 82% of consumers found reading reviews better than researching a product in-store
• 60% of Americans use social media
• 59% interact with companies via social media; 25% do so once a week or more
• 93% of those that use SM believe companies should too
• 56% feel stronger connection to companies that they interact with via SMcompanies should use social networks to solve my problems
• 43% believe companies should use social networks to solve my problems
• 41% believe companies should solicit feedback on their products/services
• 37% want more ways to interact with companies

Renegade also created a Social Media IQ test for these CMO’s at CMOquiz.com which may be of interest.

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