CM Access

Lately there’s been a lot of discussion about how video (viral or otherwise) is being integrated into marketing campaigns, and our online life in general.

I certainly love that with broadband, I can watch TV shows at any time I’d like, rather than having to commit my life to a network’s whims. I love that I can iChat with my sister across the country, in real time. And I know several people who are really getting into video e-mailing, with programs like HelloWorld making it easier than ever. And places like VidRez offer video resumes for anyone.

I’m not sure I’m ready to lose the certain amount of privacy that written communication still affords us. Most of us have never been on TV, let alone written, directed, and starred in our video.

But for video being integrated into marketing campaigns, it needs to get to a better place than the YouTube-platform, user-generated SuperBowl competitions. And now it’s getting into politics, with YouTube partnering with Senator McCain’s campaign.

Is it useful? Is it effective? Are consumers really being more inspired to recognize brands, or urged to make a purchase, based on a video they saw on YouTube?

I’m sure the debate will go on, and I’m hardly qualified to stage it, but the variety of uses for video sharing is a very interesting case. I think the more effective uses of video are not the general mish-mash that can be sorted through on the generic site, but instead how it’s integrated into a larger strategy, placed specifically on certain areas of a webpage, and used in conjunction with other tactics. And there’s also a big difference between a 3 minute video that someone seeks out, and an integrated Flash video within a superior, dynamic website.

I’d have to say this is my current favorite: effective use of entertaining video, in so much as it reaches consumers on a higher level. The Renegade Marketing group is really working toward the successful side of using video. Would love to hear what you think!

And while I’d love to support the effort of Southern New England chapter of the American Marketing Association made to work in the new media space, I’m not sure the value or effectiveness of this youtube video“>video quite hits the mark.

And videopodcasting is another topic of note. Not a podcaster myself, I haven’t quite the perspective to comment, but with the iPod capabilities to carry video, it seems to be a natural evolution of the popular subscription and personalization abilities we now have at our fingertips. And from what little I know, this guy gets it. (Though, is there anything Robert Scoble doesn’t get?)

It’ll be fascinating to see how video evolves as our use of the internet, instant communication, and marketing tactics adapt. If nothing else, we’re all going to be a lot tougher critics because the content of new pieces will need to consistently surpass all others for creativity and concept.

Technorati Tags: viral video, HelloWorld, ScobleShow, YouTube, video, Renegade Marketing, iChat, Flash, MenWithCramps, video resumes, VidRez

I recently moved, and like any pack-rat, realized there were a lot of sentimental items that needed to be tossed for good.

But one item I found to be particularly interesting. It is a document titled, “The Job Search” and I remember it came from my Public Relations methods professor. I thought it’d be a worthwhile study to explore how accurate the document remains since I’ve learned a lot from my career advocacy experience.
Here are some highlights with my comments.

The people you know are the most valuable resource you can have when searching for a job. And it’s not about calling someone to have a conversation that sounds like this:
“Hi John.”
“Hi MaryHelen. Haven’t heard from you in years!”
“Yeah, I know. I was calling because I’m looking for a new job. Do you know anyone that might be hiring?”

How could John help? He barely knows me!

Details are what make you a unique candidate. Be sure to write thank you notes (my recommendation is to write one for ANYTHING-even just a lovely conversation) and make sure it mentions something particularly relevant to the encounter, not something generic.

There are many other items in this document that are great tips for the search, though more tailored for those seeking their first job post-graduation, and I’m sure I’ll write about that more in the coming months.

All in all, not too much varies from what I’d recommend for a comprehensive job search: follow up, research, self-evaluation.

This leads me to believe that no matter what job board you’re frequenting, what niche site you’ve saturated, or how Flash-y your personal website is, the tactics that get you that great job don’t really change.

Technorati Tags: job search tips, research, details, first job

Ok…well this could be misleading. There are many ways to actually BE a good networker. The biggest ones are:

I’m well-aware that all these are debatably personality traits more than job searching or networking tactics. And we all know how difficult it can be to change others, let alone ourselves! So rather than saying that to really land a good job, you should just “be a nicer person!” I’ll pass along something that can easily become a habit, and with minimal effort WILL help your networking skills.

READ.

Everything you can get your hands on: Newspapers (online or in print!), magazines (for industry or just popular culture), and the newest resource of increasing importance: blogs and websites.

Once you are aware of what’s going on everywhere, you’ll start to see more and more occasion to offer something to a conversation, to have something worthwhile to say to a potential contact, and then you’ll become thoughtful and considerate (hopefully!). Blogs are quickly becoming a very important way to finding out what is going on in certain sectors of the economy.

[note: ok, ok…I’m saying how important blogs are on my own blog…bear with me, ok?]

If you’re new to this whole medium, and we all were at one time or another, there are several ways to make the information overload more digestible. Start by finding the right people to guide you through it. HINT: CreativeCamp this Saturday is an informal, laid back meet-up where you can ask anything you want from people who know what they’re talking about!

Or start with local blogs to explore what’s going on in your community and the neighborhood. With a simple search I found several that I’ll add to my reading list, including Phillyist, which has a lot of information about what’s going on ’round here. There’s also the Metroblogs network, that has over 45 cities (I think) including Boston and Philadelphia.

What better way to seem a bit more prepared than your colleagues? “I read on this blog the other day…”

Of course, like everything worth doing, it takes some effort. And if you just need a jumpstart, come out to CreativeCamp! Inspiration for all!

Technorati Tags: Philadelphia, networking, read, Boston, CreativeCamp, Phillyist, how-to

So I get this email from Chris Penn, and I thought “why am I getting a reminder email about something I never heard of in the first place?”

I click on the embedded link, like ya’ do, and within seconds I find out about something really cool: Bumrush The Charts. It’s basically a way to effect change against the corporate music entities by showing that through new technology, they no longer will have the power to tell fans what is popular and what isn’t. While this pretty lady says it pretty well, it’s actually a pretty significant concept.

I surely will be forking up the 99 cents for an iTunes song by the band Black Lab, and not because I’m rolling in the dough either. I have a lot of friends who are very talented musicians hoping to one day be signed by a big record label just so others can hear their music, and I don’t like the system they’re trying to navigate. As Seth Godin would say, “it’s broken.”

So come on, 99 cents for a song and a little good deed. Plus, they’re donating the money to college scholarships.

Technorati Tags: bumrush the charts, iTunes, Black Lab, new media, social marketing, good deeds

Sounds so obvious, right? Well, what I mean to say is that if technology is changing the way things get done, need to change the way we’re doing things, too!

This article from eMarketer Daily highlights some research done by Neilsen that demonstrates that DVR owners are watching commercials anyway.

A March 2006 survey by Forrester Research of the members of the Association of National Advertisers indicated that almost 70% of them believed DVRs and VOD would reduce or destroy the effectiveness of the traditional 30-second commercial and, furthermore, that when DVRs were in 30 million homes the majority of the advertisers would reduce their spending on TV advertising.

That sentiment is likely born more of fear than reality. What it does mean is that many advertisers are reassessing their strategies to reach DVR users.

This got me thinking. Advertisers are forced to alter their media buying tactics, their creative concepts, their general marketing strategy to work around (and through, and with) the changing technology. We need to alter our job search tactics in the same way.

Just as the fear is that DVR owners are increasingly choosing what they want to see and when, hiring managers are extremely selective about who’s resume gets read and when.

Try new tactics, don’t fall into the CraigsList, Monster.com, CareerBuilder.com rut. Everyone else is doing the same thing, you’re going into a huge pile of resumes that must be whittled down somehow. Ever think about this?: maybe you are the PERFECT fit for the position, but you never even get considered because you were at the bottom of the inbox, and after 10 calls were made, 10 interviews conducted…you were number 11.

How will you be adapt with changing technology? Change your tactics.

Technorati Tags: technology, Neilsen ratings, DVR, search strategies, new

I have to admit I’m a bit embarassed. I thought I came up with an idea on my own, but have recently discovered that I’m far from the first person to come up with this idea. I guess there’s something to be said for “no ideas are new anymore”.

I thought I discovered a correlation between the job search and the marketing/sales process. And while I still believe it to be the best way to approach the situation–applying the principles of marketing to yourself as the product–it turns out someone has already done a great job of telling you how. [Ok, I admit that it’s silly to think I’m the first to have come up with the idea.]

I mentioned it just the other day, that I’ve started reading this book called “How to Land Your Dream Job” but now that I’ve gotten further into it, I’m able to truthfully proclaim it’s greatness! Yes, I’m still bummed that I didn’t think of it myself, but this book is a great guide to how to apply marketing principles and the sales process to your job search. Highlights include:

–glossary of sales terms and how they apply to the job search
–easy to read style and short chapters make it easily digestible
–motivation to be creative in your search: you may not be a salesperson or a marketer, but you’ll learn quickly how necessary those skills are for success in your job search.

I could go into more detail but I won’t for the sake of redundancy. It’s already here and in this book! Jeffrey J. Fox knows what he’s talking about, so no need to restate it!

In related news, part 2 of my conversation with Chris Penn of the Financial Aid Podcast is up today. It’s the section that talks about resumes, cover letters, Linked In and how to approach the search more from a marketing perspective. Thought it was appropriate for emphasis on the “MarketingMe” side of the job search.

Technorati Tags: MarketingMe, LinkedIn, Financial Aid Podcast, Jeffrey J. Fox

This link was shared with me by Mike Padilla, a guy who knows a TON about the usability and information architecture space of the web world.

He was designing and setting up an online portfolio for his brothers who are industrial design grads looking for employment. Their realization that a normal resume just wont cut it is the exact point I’ve been trying to make for creative industry job seekers–you’re not black and white, formulated with grids and lines and bullets! And while the resume format should remain close to what is expected (you need your name and contact info, an objective, etc), try to think of a new way to highlight your skillset, your personality, and your goals (insert new media gimmick here).

These guys have a site that is incredibly visually appealing: isn’t that the point for someone who designs for function and form?

Their site has a specific focus: they’re runners, they design shoes, and test them because they are the perfect subjects–they use their own products. (This is their unique selling proposition, what sets them apart from their competition).

Thanks in part to their big brother, their site is visually, audibly, and textually interesting, and it’d be hard not to be left with a great impression after spending a few moments learning about them from that page. And the clean and descriptive domain name is very helpful, too. Who wouldn’t be curious about “carbonrubber.com”?

Only suggestion I have is–if both brothers are seeking work, maybe a bit more differentiation would be helpful, since they are two unique individuals. While they share the same passions and goals, and very similar experiences, they could still benefit from a few more details about how they aren’t the same person.

So that means it’s only going to get better! From Fox News:

Cliff Arnall, a Cardiff University psychologist, devised the depressing formula.

His equation takes into account six factors: weather, debt, time since Christmas, time since failing our New Year’s resolutions, low motivational levels and feeling a need to take action.

Taken together, they calculate to equal “Blue Monday.”

Here’s what I take from this: that cheesy cliche that “today is the first day of the rest of your life” is really quite intuitive. I suffer daily from my chronic Avoidance of the Gym Syndrome, and I also make bargains with myself like “if you work out today, then you can treat yourself to a piece of chocolate cake” knowing FULL WELL that this is NOT the way to achieve my goals.

Are you making the same chronic mistakes? Are you getting saddened and depressed because things aren’t changing? It might be a good time to evaluate what isn’t working, and explore new ways to make changes. You probably already know what you should be doing.

Instead of sending that resume through that job board site, or emailing “job@company.com”, try to find a new way to get in contact with that company’s HR or marketing department. THINK CREATIVELY.

And with the promise of your mood and success only getting better, why put off until tomorrow what you can do today!?

[this installment of the MaryHelen Motivates! series is brought to you by caffeine, a fleeting moment of absolute optimism, and the realization that you have to take small steps to travel long distances]

Technorati Tags: Resolutions, job search strategies, optimism, sadness

Peter Weddle writes an e-newsletter (and then some) about career development and job searching. This guy knows what he’s talking about. And this is just one example: More great insights on networking for your search activities.

There is no one sure way to find a new or better job. Over the years, however, networking has consistently yielded the best return (in terms of the quality and the quantity of opportunities it uncovers) from your investment of time and effort. Thanks to the Internet and the technique of electronic networking, you can enhance its benefit even more and, in the process, ensure that you are in charge of any change in your employment situation…rather than its victim.

First, electronic networking occurs via e-mail

[and you can find new email contacts everywhere: LinkedIn, MySpace, association websites, etc]

Second, the Golden Rule of Networking applies as much online as it does in the real world. Networking works because it’s based on people helping each other out. So, the Golden Rule is simple but very important: You have to give as good as you get.

Third, electronic networking is a contact sport. Traditional networking is based on “who you know.” If you know the right person, you can find your dream job. Electronic networking, on the other hand, is an exercise in “who knows you.”

[so develop your online presence through getting your name and information out there]

Fourth, networking is netWORK, not netRELAX.

[again, you will not succeed with apathy, and you have to put in some effort]

Technorati Tags: Peter Weddle, networking, resources

My family and friends will tell you that I am not content for things to be simple or easy. I can’t watch television passively. I tend to enjoy movies that have some sort of message, or discussion, even if I have to make it up (”But did you notice the buttons on all of the characters’ shirts? What was the costume designer trying to say with that detail??”).

And best of all–I LOVE to watch commercials.

My current faves are (of course) the Geico cavemen (the actor is the guy on the new TBS sitcom 10 Items or Less), those incomprehensible Skittles commercials, and pretty much any that make you say “whaaaaa?!”

This is one reason I’m very much looking forward to the Philly AMA’s Super Bowl Smackdown event on Feb 7th (yes, I’m plugging it). This is the best event of the year (except I really enjoyed 21st Century Marketing with Jeff Greene of Gold-Group) where marketers and advertisers gorge on Dave and Buster’s amazing mini-hamburgers and debate the success and entertainment value of the top commercials aired during the big game!

I saw this post at the Church of the Customer, and thought about how this facet of advertising might make it into the discussion. Jackie makes a great point about how, if the winning ideas are then turned over to ad agencies to produce the spot, then what’s the point? Free labor?

Technorati Tags: Superbowl, Smack Down, American Marketing Association, PAMA, commericials, Church of the Customer, consumer-generated