Not able to attend BlogPotomac? Not to worry - we’ve got all the live video goodness of the event you can handle. Sponsored by Livingston Communications, Viget Labs, and WordBiz.com, Inc., BlogPotomac is this year’s premiere social media marketing event for greater Washington DC. Check it out:

 

Online Video provided by Ustream

One of my favorite tools for the online marketer is Google Website Optimizer. I’ve been planning on writing a post with some solid case studies regarding Google’s Website Optimizer; but in the meantime, I just wanted to let our readers know that Google is hosting a website workout contest.

What is a website workout? Here is the official explanation:

Our consultants will work with you to discover ways in which we can increase site performance. Using Website Optimizer, our free website testing and optimization tool, a team of experts will work with you to determine the page layout, headlines, images, and text that will drive the most business from your site.

The short of it: You can win a chance for Google’s team to optimize your website using Website Optimizer.

The deadline for entry is June 17th, so check it out here!

 

By Josh Chambers & Ryan Moede

It’s easy to spot the two schools of thought in marketing and advertising today.  You’re either a "new school" marketer (you think Twitter is going to save the world), or you’re an "old school" marketer (you still double-click on hyperlinks and think TV spots are the future). The two groups don’t seem to communicate—and, worse yet, they actually seem to dislike one another.

In a recent discussion with Lisa Throckmorton from Speakerbox, we were talking about that very thing—the polarization of old school and new school marketing. Long story short, we decided it might be a good idea to get a few DC marketing professionals together with a variety of backgrounds to toss around ideas on how to navigate the current marketing waters—marketers who value traditional marketing, as well as who "get" newer online marketing. The "middle school" as Lisa called it.

Yesterday morning was our first gathering—and, we have to say, it was a blast. It was encouraging to hear other marketers resonate with the discomfort surrounding this polarization and hear their insight on why that is, and how we can move past it.

Continue reading "Our First “Middle School” Marketing Gathering"

Within the past week, Weezer's newest music video "Pork and Beans" has been viewed more than 5,000,000 times. Is Weezer that popular? Or do they just get it?

Most of us can burn hours with friends on YouTube. The conversation usually starts with, "Yeah ... but have you seen this one?" and then YouTube glory ensues. And yet, even with seemingly universal YouTube awareness, so many YouTube campaigns just straight bomb. What is Weezer's secret?

Participation!

Weezer is participating in the YouTube world by referencing -- and paying tribute to -- content that other community members have created. By showing they understand and care about the rest of the community, they have engendered a positive vibe, added value to others, and in the process promoted their new single. Unlike your standard "shove-it-down-their-throats" marketing, Weezer *gets* that marketing itself should make our lives better.

Also, this video was put on YouTube by the Weezer channel. They're giving the video away for others' enjoyment. They're not concerned with copyrights, whether it's being used properly or not, or who is watching it. They put the content out there for others to enjoy and have fun with, and it's paying off.

With references to YouTube hits like Afro Ninja, Numa Numa, Miss Teen USA 2007, Evolution of Dance, and Diet Coke and Mentos (to name just a few); the Pork and Beans video is a tribute to user-generated content--and it's awesome.

Not only that, but I kind of dig the crunchy guitars and catchy tune. Enjoy:

 

It’s easy to spot the advertising and marketing today done by companies who simply don’t care about delivering valuable marketing to their customers – companies too content with interrupting them with annoying, trivial messaging.
Some, however, are beginning to see the light.

There may be several names for it, but no matter what you call it, there is no doubt that brand marketing must deliver value. Some like to think of it as marketing with meaning. Others have dubbed it branded utility (something I’ve written about before.) Still others prefer marketing as service.

No matter which way you slice it, brands are beginning to realize that the best way to make their product and advertising stand out amid the unparalleled noise is to simply provide value through their marketing. In the past, it may have—at best—been possible to satisfy a customer with trivial marketing and advertising if at least the product delivered. But now, customers expect both the information selling the product and the quality of the product to live up to their promise.

FastCompany’s Bill Breen writes, "Overloaded by sales pitches, consumers are gravitating toward brands that they sense are true and genuine. Hunger for the authentic is all around us. You can see it in the way millions are drawn to mission-driven products like organic foods."

Continue reading "Market Like You Mean It"