Where do you draw the line?

The Sydney Morning Herald reported this morning that Facebook has lifted its temporary ban on content featuring graphic violence.  You will now be able to view decapitation videos on Facebook.

How do they justify this?
You will be able to post videos or pictures depicting graphic violence as long as you condemn these acts rather than celebrate them.  I am somewhat torn in two about this.  On the one hand I believe that we should not shelter ourselves from violence and acts against humanity that occur worldwide.  If we are not confronted by these brutal images, we cannot fully grasp the impact.  It is as if we have read about it in a book, it simply is not real.

Yet, I wonder: how does viewing these images affect us?   As adults we assume that we will be able to handle it, but it seems that that notion is wrong.

According to a recent study published in Psychological Science, by UC Irvine, frequent exposure to violent images from the Iraq War and the September 11th attacks increases the risk of psychological and physical ailments in U.S. adults

So if we are struggling, what about our children?  I know some people will respond immediately that children are not suppose to be on Facebook.  You have to be older than 13 to legally be on Facebook.

But guess what?  13+ is still very much a child!  Where do we draw the line?  How much exposure is needed to bring home the message?  What are the results that these images aim to achieve?  Shock, outrage, revenge?  How will you know whether viewers condemn or celebrate these images?  What about the dignity of the deceased person, aren't we just continuing to exploit this person's pain/humiliation?

Clearly I have more questions than answers/opinions.  However, there is one little thing that is really bugging me:  if it is acceptable to show decapitation, then surely it must be OK to show women breastfeeding?  Why is a female's nipple deemed inappropriate and offensive (not the case when it belongs to a male), but the depiction of violence is acceptable (as long as you condemn it of course).

Seriously Facebook, this logic simply does not add up.

Why are we so obsessed with numbers?

Social media revolves around interaction and this interaction is displayed rather deceptively through  numbers.  There are plenty of Facebook pages with an astounding number of likes, yet with very little interaction.

Is there any advantage in obtaining 'likes'?

Absolutely!  Likes will get your brand to the top of search engines and thus increase your online visibility. The amount of likes also increases your online credibility.  People are more likely to follow, like or listen to you when you have an impressive number of fans already.

However, according to Brian Moran (get10000fans.com/facebook ) you should not invest too much of your time worrying about fans.  Brian states that fans don't buy from you, customers do.  He points out that people often say that Facebook is useless for businesses because they focus only on creating fans.  We get so caught up in the frenzy of trying to increase the number of likes on our pages, that we forget the number one rule in business.

The number one rule in business is to attract paying customers.

Facebook is merely the first step in a process.  A very important step, but not the end goal.  People have already shown some kind of trust in your business by liking it.  For you to turn these fans into customers, you need to engage with them outside of Facebook.  Do yourself a favour and allow Scott from get10000fans to adjust your focus :-

 

Money or exposure?

What are your skills worth?  The answer to this question very much depends on whom you ask.  Looking at the cost of tertiary education you would certainly place a very high value on education and skill.  However, when you look at a new trend in the workplace, it seems that education, skills and experience have lost their monetary value.

I am referring to the alarming rate of jobs being advertised with no (yes NO) form of remuneration.  What I find utterly ridiculous though is that these arrogant companies have a long list of requirements for the "successful" candidate in terms of experience and education.

It is often encountered when you try to break into a new industry.  You might be expected to work for an extended amount of time in order for the employer to see if you are a good fit or for you to get to know the business.  Well maybe I have just reached that certain age where I am no longer bedazzled by big words and fancy promises, but in my book this is just plain wrong.  If my skills are deemed good enough to do actual work, I need to be paid in actual dollars.

Media Watch exposed that professional photographers are facing this very same problem.  Tennis Australia tried to lure experienced photographers to cover a tournament in Melbourne as volunteers.

A key requirement of this role is that you own your own camera and equipment and have a portfolio of work, especially action shots that can be submitted with your application.
— seek.com.au, 6th September, 2013

So what would this photographer using his/her own equipment, skills and time get by committing?  Well exposure of course!

This seems to be new buzz word - you work for free in order to gain valuable exposure.  It is a well known fact that media is struggling to come to terms with all the changes caused by technology.  However, expecting professionals to work for free or sourcing information and pictures from bystanders are surely not the answer.

Social Media already provides us with all the exposure we desire, what we need is for our work to be acknowledged, valued and paid for.  If you feel as strongly as I do about this, please show your support by joining https://www.facebook.com/fairgoforphotographers

Who's really to blame?

When Woolworths launched their Aussie Animal cards, I reacted like a typical teenager - rolled my eyes and smirked.  Surely a lame old fashioned campaign like this would never work!  Haven't they done their market research?  Kids are simply not interested in anything that it is not digitized.

Boy was I wrong!  This campaign turned out to be a resounding success.  It captured the attention of Aussie kids in a big way.  For starters, the timing was perfect:  it started just before all the sporting grand finals and peaked during the holidays.

Another factor contributing to the success was the "Swap Days" organized by Woolworths.  Children were encouraged to come into the shopping centres to swap around cards with other interested children.

The third stroke of genius was the albums that could be bought to store the cards.  These albums not only housed the cards, but also provided various activities for the kids.  Unfortunately one of these activities brought the whole campaign in disarray for some parents.


A swearword was hiding in a find-a-word game and low and behold quite a few of the children found it.  Some parents were outraged that Woolworths did not pick this up during the proofreading process. 

My take on the situation is that these games are randomly generated and at most you would ensure that all the words you ask the child to find are actually present.  What bothers me more is that a seven year old child actually knows how to spell the swearword!  Should we really be blaming Woolworths or should we be pointing the finger of blame closer to home?


Alternatively we could have a quiet chuckle and know that stuff-ups happen to the best laid out plans of mice and men . . .

Because size really does matter!

It must be plainly obvious by now that I have a thing for advertising and public relations.  Some people collect stamps, others teaspoons and I collect ad campaigns!

So as I was browsing some sites earlier this morning, image my intense delight in coming across this jewel in Business Insider:

Submarine Rises Through Milan's Pavement In Ridiculous Publicity Stunt

 

Picture:  @MediasetTgcom24

Firstly let me put your minds at ease - no actual damage was done.  The campaign called "Protect your Life" is run for Europ Assistance IT, an insurance group based in Italy.  A group of people created the scene very early in the morning - fake submarine and all - and waited for the public to arrive and start spreading the news.

It is a great example of buzz marketing.  Everybody took photos and were on social media in a flash.  In this way the campaign's reach spread far beyond national borders.  It is memorable due to the shock value, but also the connection between protecting your city/country against an invasion and taking out insurance to protect your life.

What do you think - brilliant PR stunt or did they go too far?

Personal Selling

"A salesman is somebody who sells goods that won't come back, to customers that will."  (Anon)

Personal selling is a promotional tool that creates value by establishing relationships based on trust.  A good salesperson knows that the focus is about identifying and providing the best product/solution for the customer's needs.

Advantages

• High customer attention
• Message is customised
• Interactivity
• Persuasive impact
• Potential for development of relationship
• Adaptable
• Opportunity to close the sale

Disadvantages

• High cost
• Labour intensive
• Can only reach a limited number of customers

7 Aspects of personal selling

Prospecting

Use a variety of sources like directories, referrals, trade publications and databases to identify new clients.  However, not all leads will be useful.  It is important to qualify prospective customers and screen out the poor leads.

Pre-approach

It is important to ensure you really understand the prospects' needs, how they use the brand as well as how they feel about the brand.  This knowledge makes it easier to create a sales presentation.

Approach

Armed with the essential background knowledge, the salesperson can be confident when actually making contact with the prospect.

Presentation

It is essential to tell the product's story in a way that identifies the needs and wants of the prospect.

Overcome objections

Objections should be viewed as signals that prospects need more information to make a decision.

Close the sale

Do not be afraid to ask for the sale!

Follow up

This step is crucial for customer satisfaction and to build long term relationships.  Contact the customer to ensure that the entire process was acceptable.

Sales Promotion Ideas (part 2)

Price promotions

What is it?  It is a sales promotion based on a sales discount offer.

Who benefits?  Both retailers and wholesalers depend on price promotions to lure customers into stores and to increase product sales.  However, Harvard Business Review states that these gains are merely short term.  After the promotion the customer reverts to his old ways.  Of more interest to me is the statement that stores may actually be financially worse off when using price promotions.  The argument is that the turnover of the product on special will increase at the expense of its competition, while generating a smaller margin of profit due to the sales promotion.

This clip from Small Business News explains the pitfalls for price promotion:

More SmallBusinessNewz Videos

Should I use price promotion?  Definitely!  What you should NOT to is to make price your point of differentiation.  Ensure that Quality, Selection and Service define your product or business. 

Examples of price promotions

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Sales Promotion Ideas (part 1)

There are a myriad of sales promotion techniques being applied successfully.  The key is create excitement among consumers in order to facilitate participation. Consumers view sales promotions as something that add value - they get something for free!

Promotions can be divided into two broad categories:  price and non-price promotions.

Non-price promotions

Premiums

Well-designed premiums are powerful motivators.  Customers view it as an offer they cannot refuse.  Premiums not only rewards the customer but also afford companies the opportunity to get to know their target audience.  Technology can be used to create targeted, interactive promotions.

Companies like Woolworths and Coles use loyalty cards to gain insight into their customers' shopping habits as well as to retain their share of the market.

 Sampling

This is often used to introduce new brands.  A significant change in sampling is the move away from mass distribution campaigns towards narrowly targeted dissemination.  Companies like Pinch Me create databases incorporating geographic, demographic and shopping preferences of customers.  This cuts down on waste and ensure that you have a captive, motivated audience reviewing your product.

Sweepstakes and contests

This is one are where marketers prefer cyberspace due to cost efficiency, immediate data collection capabilities and the ability to keep the consumer engaged.

Contest require entrants to perform some type of activity based on skills, e.g. to state in 25 words why they should win the competition.  The winner is determined by a panel of judges.

Sweepstakes generates enthusiasm as it is based on luck.  Participants are required to submit free entries from which a winner will be drawn.

Event marketing

Most people only classify corporate sponsorship, staged promotions and product licensing as event marketing.  However, this is a much bigger field.  It is also referred to experiential marketing, live marketing or participatory advertising.   Some companies manage to come up with very creative, entertaining and attention grabbing ideas!

Point-of-purchase displays

These displays are specifically designed for retail and directly influence how customers interact with brands in-store.  It determines whether they see your products or whether your brand just blend in.

What if my business sucks at social media?

A lot of businesses are caught up in the frenzy of social media.  They are desperately trying to stay on top of the myriad of  platforms - scrambling to create a very visible online presence.  I often hear small business owners saying that they are feeling overwhelmed by it all.  Another frequent response is that they have created the websites, the facebook pages and twitter accounts, but that they fail to attract customers.

My advice is to relax.  Social media is very important and will only continue to grow in importance, but you have to put it into perspective:  social media is just a tool to reach your target audience.  It certainly is not the end of the road if you need more time to master this tool.  You have an arsenal of other tools you should utilize in the mean time.

Just to refresh your memory, I am writing a short series of blog updates on the more traditional tools. 

Promotional Mix

The promotional mix consists of 7 aspects namely personal selling, advertising, sales promotion, direct marketing, public relations, corporate image and exhibitions.  Each of these aspects allows the business to connect with its target audience, to communicate key attributes and to build long term relationships.

The most fundamental need of a business is to create sufficient sales. You need to inform customers about the attributes of your product and motivate them to purchase it.  Sales promotions offer a direct inducement to customers, salespeople and resellers to purchase a product.  It is extremely flexible and functions at both the consumer and trade levels, thereby creating high levels of distribution and goodwill.

However, there are also some disadvantages to sales promotions.  When implemented incorrectly it can damage the brand equity.  Care should also be taken to coordinate various messages across all the formats utilized.  When used too frequently it becomes the consumer expectation rather than a temporary sales boost.

Tomorrow's update will discuss specific techniques to inform customers about your product and how to motivate them to buy it.