ADVERTISING: When Selecting an Agency, Size Doesn't Matter.

In America, the thinking forever has tended to go: bigger is better. But that isn't necessarily true as it relates to selecting an advertising agency, according to a recent issue of Ad Age. In the article, author Eric Webber (formerly of mega agencies and now leading a boutique firm) opines that smaller agencies are by nature more nimble, adaptable and resourceful — which is ultimately good for everyone. He goes on to note that:

1. Small agencies don't have silos (or if they do, they're not very tall). In mega-agency worlds, billable rates are too sky-high to spend time in collaboration with adjacent groups. In smaller agencies, other departments — media, interactive, PR — can drop in on meetings with creative teams and copywriters to give ideas early on in the process. At NOISE, it's our practice to build a team of multi-disciplinarians to tackle a branding, marketing or imaging challenge, because odds are an integrated approach will be most effective.
2. The best small agencies adhere to mega-agency disciplines like strategic, goal-driven branding and marketing — but instill their work with passion, creativity, dare and (dare we say it?) risk that most large firms squash. The proof? It’s becoming almost commonplace at awards ceremonies to see "David" agencies sweeping the creative floor with the “Goliaths." (Plug alert: Witness NOISE's dominattion last month of the 2007 Southwest Florida Addy Competition, with 42 awards, plus Best-of-Show. And NOISE's March, 2008 invitation to pitch the California Division of Tourism's Interactive Marketing Division.)

We work in an interesting time. The theoretical critical mass cost efficiencies at larger advertising agencies are clearly being outweighed by the insane amounts of money these firms charge. Many of these firms are rife with safe thinking, wet-upon passions and a me-first mentality. Just a few years ago, merger mania was seeming to threaten the existence of any agency with less than 50 employees. But in the true spirit of Trendspottings, we've spotted a change in that trend — and the boutique agency may be more popular than ever for a variety of service, attention, creativity, passion, cost, results and other factors.

Source: Ad Age, NOISE
Reported by: Kimberley Parker

CONSUMERS: It's the Luxury Economy, Stupid.

It what appears to be yet another troubling sign for our economy (not that signs advertising $4 per gallon diesel fuel aren't troubling enough), along comes Unity Marketing's "Luxury Consumption Index," a quarterly survey that examines the spending pattern of more than 1,000 consumers with an average income in excess of $150,000.

In what should come as no surprise to any marketer that targets an audience with discretionary income, luxury consumer confidence in our economy is eroding just like everyone else's — and with it, so also is luxury consumer spending. According to the fourth quarter 2007 Luxury Consumption Index, spending by higher income consumers in America dropped to its lowest level in four years — almost 13% off of average.

If nothing else, this weak performance at the top of the economic pyramid confirms what many discretionary-dollar marketers have seen or suspected for a long time. Our advice if you target big spenders? Get with your marketing people, your agency or both right now, assemble in a room, close the door, put your thinking caps on and don't come out until you've developed some creative packaging, partnering, pricing or value-added promotions that'll incent those consumers to open their wallets for you.

Or call us.

SOURCE: Marketing Management, NOISE

BRANDING: When Is a Warranty Worth More Than a Customer?

That was the question I was asking myself when I hung up the phone a few weeks ago following a surreal conversation with the manager of Florida Leather Gallery in Bonita Springs, Florida. Florida Leather Gallery is an upscale furniture retail chain with headquarters in Tampa.

The issue at hand (or better, my three-year-old's hand) was the pink children's marker he had taken to an arm and seat cushion of our new, cream-colored couch. Fortunately for us, we had purchased the extended five-year warranty to cover occasions just like this. Or so we thought.

What transpired over the course of numerous phone calls was, in fact, surreal-like. The bottom line: the store manager essentially blew up his brand, by insisting that his $200 in warranty was more important than our satisfaction (and word of mouth referral).

To him, it didn't matter that we had specifically asked of his salesperson if such damage by a child was covered (this wasn't the first time our artist son has expressed himself with marker). It didn't matter that his salesperson said yes. It didn't matter that he, the store manager, expressed surpirse that the warranty vendor (an independent company in Michigan) rejected our claim. It didn't matter that we had spent thousands of dollars on quality furniture, from a quality furniture store, and that this negative experience could forever taint our perception of his brand. He was not going to refund us a dime on what we believed was, now, a toothless warranty!

Clients, vendors, friends: This is the essence of what NOISE preaches when we say, "the customer experience IS your brand."

At that point in our minds, Florida Leather Gallery was that store manager. Cheap. Intractable. More interested in keeping the $200 or so they made off our warranty, than in our satisfaction, word of mouth referrals, and potential future purchases.

Fortunately for Florida Leather Gallery, their president, Tom Matter, knows more about branding than his store manager. To his credit, he seized the opportunity I presented him by way of a copied letter to the store manager, to place a personal telephone call to us, at which time he apologized, rebated us the warranty cost, and funded the warranty himself.

Lesson: Your customer's experience is your brand. That experience can be defined from the global (mass media advertising) to the trivial (a rude customer service representative). Make sure that every messenger of your brand speaks the same message, makes the same promise, and delivers the same positive experience. Or you, too, could wind up losing thousands of dollars of future sales over a couple of bucks.

WEB MARKETING: Women Rule.

Who are you messaging with your important web marketing? If you're not talking to women, you're making a major mistake. According to Ad Age, 2007 is the year that women surpassed men in online activity. But what really presses a woman's "hot buttons" in digital marketing? Here's the story:

1. Women's Community. Talk to women and give them an opportunity to talk back. In 2007, the number of women visiting female-oriented social communities jumped 35%, to more than 70 million.

2. Let Their Fingers Do the Shopping. More than 54% of women shopped online in 2007 — 68% of those in households with incomes greater than $100,000. What did they buy? In order of popularity: travel, adult clothing, health and beauty products, financial products, and food or groceries.

3. Show Me the Video. Women are now catching up to men in online video viewing. This year, 43% of all women online have visited a site like youtube.com, versus only 27% last year. What catches the online woman's eye? First and foremost, music videos and movie previews.

4. Oh Mother, Where Art Tho? Odds are, in front of the computer. One of the most active submarkets of online females is moms — more than 43 million of them, online daily, spending an average of 85 minutes online.

5. Forget the Carpal Tunnel, All That Time Online is Healthy! It's a fact. More than 84% of all women utilize the web for health care and related information. Betwen the ages of 25 to 34, that number rises to plus-90%.

Bottom lines here? If you're in travel, health care, apparel, child and baby products, health and beauty products or services, financial services and food, you'll find a ready and willing audience in online females. So market to them, video to them, and give them a chance to exercise their voice.

SOURCE: Ad Age, NOISE

BRANDING: Another Call for Turning the Box Upside Down.

If you're one of the large and growing number of NOISE website fans (and there are, in fact, many of you), you've read our mantra about branding leadership that goes: "We don't just think outside the box. We turn it upside down and sometimes even break it apart."

Well, along comes a new, dynamic essay in Ad Age by Bernd Schmitt, Professor of Business at Columbia Business School and Executive Director of the Center on Global Brand Leadership. In his diatribe entitled "To Build Truly Global Brands, You've Got to Break the Rules," Schmitt argues against the following assumptions:

1. YOU NEED TO USE COMMUNICATIONS TO BUILD THE BRAND. According to Schmitt, "a great product or service or original retail concept alone won't do. You've got to get the message out." Yet in his argument (and NOISE agrees), that doesn't necessarily mean traditional advertising. In fact, you should probably just throw the term "traditional advertising" out of your vocabulary as a) something approaching extinction and b) a massive waste of money. So the point is, yes, use communications: but new communications as we know them today and a creative mix of 'em.

2. YOU NEED TO USE ASPIRATIONAL APPEALS. We give this a double-two-thumbs up (four thumbs?) as both true and false — which is also what Schmitt states. The twist here is, while aspirational appeals still need to be made, they MUST be made in the context of real people or the real world (like Dove's wonderful "Campaign for Real Beauty"), because we're all way too cynical (particularly younger adults). And why are we cynical? Because (see above) traditional advertising has taught us to be that way.

3. YOU NEED TO USE GLOBAL MEDIA. Schmitt argues "not true" and NOISE agrees — to a point. If your audience is global, obviously forms of global media (web) are mandates. But what Schmitt is suggesting is that brands look to "global opportunities" (like sponsoring something in a high-global-visibility area like Times Square) on local levels. Same impact, different focal point.

The bottom line from Professor Schmitt and Professor NOISE? To most effectively build your brand today, you need to turn that box upside down and be open to any on-strategy creative thought — no matter how wild and crazy it might first seem.

SOURCE: Ad Age, NOISE

INCENTIVE MARKETING: Motivate the Troops By Shipping Them Out.

According to a 2006 study by Incentive Federation, corporations are finding that travel rewards have become the leading motivator to inspire sales forces, reward employees or even attract new customers. Of more than 1,100 marketing executives surveyed, nearly one in three U.S. companies currently uses some form of incentive marketing — to internal, external or both audiences. While 33% of those employ merchandise incentives, the fastest-growing and (seemingly therefore) most popular incentive is travel-related.

As specialists in travel and tourism marketing, NOISE has conceived, developed, promoted and managed a variety of extremely successful strategic partnerships that incent consumers with travel or travel-related rewards (see media praise of such a strategy here). Our experience has found that finding the right-fit travel marketing partner isn't always easy — it takes a lot of work and persistence to penetrate the Maginot Line that some corporate marketing departments place between you and the decision makers. But when you are successful in finding the fit, the cross-promotional results can well exceed your expectations.

SOURCE: Marketing News, NOISE

DIGITAL MARKETING: How To Generate Click-Click-Clickthrough.

It's true that online ads — specifically banner ads on mass-market web destinations — are increasingly decreasing in effectiveness. Clickthrough rates have been steadily declining for years, with 2007's average clickthrough rate a precipitious 67% less than 2006.

But this doesn't mean that online ads, from web banners to pay-per-click programs, should be thrown out like yesterday's news (sorry, newspapers). Smart marketers and agencies know that today, the key word in digital marketing is targeting.

According to an article in BusinessWeek, targeted digital marketing demands two things to be successful: a web media outlet that provides targeted content to its users (think search engines, social networks, special interest websites or web portals like health, travel and beauty), as well as a smart marketing campaign that targets the ad message to the audience and content (think unique promotions, special offers and customized messages). Combine the two correctly and effectively, the editors of BusinessWeek content you'll see clickthrough increases of 30% to 300%.

Advice?

Seek targeted-content media. Develop targeted-message advertising. And always always always purchase clicks, rather than impressions.

SOURCE: BusinessWeek, NOISE

BRANDING: Product As Hero Vs. Product As Evil.

We've all heard about product as hero advertising. But how about product as hero branding? That's what Hummer is undertaking. Literally.

GM's new marketing campaign aims to rescue their declining Hummer image by highlighting its exploits. The Hummer SUV line has recently been swept up in an almost perfect storm of outrageous gas prices, the rise in environmental consciousness and the war in Iraq. "The brand came to represent an icon for all things evil," says Megan Stooke, GM's marketing director.

How turn turn your business from an evil empire into something heroic? Take a tip from GM's playbook:

The new Hummer campaign strives to position the vehicle as a "force for good" with a very humanitarian purpose. The campaign is called "Hummer Heroes" and portrays how rescue workers and owners rely on Hummers to help others, specifically in disaster-response scenarios. The campaign hopes to humanize the brand with its serious approach; one upcoming TV spot will use real newspaper headlines, such as a tornado rescue in Colorado. GM is also launching a microsite at www.hummerhelps.com that encourages owners to submit stories and photos, illustrating how they assisted others in need.

Buy a Hummer and save humanity. Are you convinced?

Does your brand need more heroic branding? What are you doing to position your brand as a force for good and not evil? While it may sound funny, it's serious business. Think about it. Forward-thinking marketers are.

SOURCE: Advertising Age, NOISE

Reported by: Kimberley Parket

RETAIL MARKETING: Out With the Old, In With the New, Still the Same Push.

Certainly one of the oldest (if not the oldest) form of advertising is point of purchase. Today, thousands of years since the world's first sale took place (we won't go so far as to suggest the point-of-purchase ad was for the world's oldest profession!), point of purchase (or if you prefer, point of sale) advertising remains a highly-effective way to stimulate sales, add-on sales, upsales or spontaneous sales for a variety of products, in a variety of situations.

However, POP has clearly evolved in recent years beyond the traditional, static, one-dimensional sign, banner or poster to fully-walking-upright technology — including interactive, touch-screen, digital or even video displays. More importantly to retail marketers, the strategy still works — in supermarkets, for instance, delivering on average a 1.2% to almost 20.0% lift in brand sales (depending on product and type of display), while in pharmacies pulling an average 6.5% brand sales lift. According to Point-of-Purchase Advertising International (POPAI), the global association for marketing at retail, the same positive results should be anticipated in virtually any retail setting.

So if you're marketing on the ground, give that marketing a push with POP.

SOURCE: Marketing News, NOISE

Reported by: John Sprecher

MARKETING: In Defense of Free Speech (On the Part of Your Consumer).

The interaction that consumers now have today with advertisers — via web logs, shared videos and much more — should impart this lesson for all of us: you can't hide your head in the sand anymore.

The fact is, according to a fine essay in Marketing Management that NOISE thoroughly endorses, "marketing is not a one-way lecture anymore; it's a two-way conversation. Receipt of the (branding, advertising or public relations) message is no longer the endpoint of media communications; rather, it's the beginning of a reaction by those at the receiving end."

The essay goes on to point out that marketers who choose to ignore comments or criticism by their consumers are living in a fantasy world, and that any company that tries to stifle criticism will only engender more criticism and mistrust. Those customers are going to air those comments or criticisms anyway — so why not encourage them to interact with you, via your website or other customer touch points? — where you can control their diatribes or damage, and (ideally) turn a negative into a positive, gaining you the most valuable, positive word-of-mouth-or-keyboard customer of all (the one who receives "above and beyond" care and has had their underwhelming overwhelmed).

As the essay concludes, "the messages of every brand are now filtered and remade...from consumers as much as from competitors. New approaches to marketing communications are imperative. Marketers must learn to listen to others, not simply revel in hearing themselves talk."

Amen to that.

So marketers, look to your websites and customer service centers — and make it easy for your consumers to opine, while being prepared to respond positively.

SOURCE: Marketing Management, NOISE

E-MARKETING: Top 10 E-Mail Essentials.

Your time is valuable. The same can be said of your potential customers. So when you're trying to reach them through e-marketing, make sure you address — in Letterman fashion — the "top 10 e-mail essentials." According to Email Insider, these are:

1. A link to the customer's (assuming pre-registration) preferences and profile page.
2. Link to comment on story or provide feedback.
3. Link to back issues or other offers where appropriate.
4. Like to web version of e-blast.
5. Link to related information or offers, products or services on your website.
6. Description or link to shipping and/or return policies.
7. Privacy policy or link to it.
8. Phone, e-mail or contact info for newsletter staff or related departments (sales,customer service).
9. Forward to a friend instructions.
10. Unsubscribe link.

While some of these may seem obvious, others are often overlooked. Make sure your e-marketing includes 'em all and you'll look like the pro that you are.

SOURCE: Email Insider, Visit Florida, NOISE

Reported by: John Sprecher

MEDIA: Video is King, Too.

We've alluded to it here before in Trendspottings, but this bears repeating: for more effective web marketing, get video onto your site or into your e-marketing. Now. Like today. And here's some spanking new research from advertising.com and the Center for Media Research that tells why:

• More and more people are watching videos online every day. Among adults 35 years or older, it's seven out of 10. Among 18 to 34 year olds, it's one out of three.
• Nearly one of every two individuals (regardless of age group) who views video online, forwards that video clip along to a friend (meaning if your message is cool or relevant or somehow worthy of endorsement, it'll spread like a virus).
• If you have content to share, you'll find an eager audience among adults 35-plus. If it's entertainment or user-generated video that you're promoting or welcoming, 18-34-year-olds will embrace your site.
  

Oh, and in the spirit of practicing what we preach, NOISE presents one of the agency's all-time favorite commercials — one that we produced a few years ago, yet still applies to a certain agency principal's golf game today (me). Enjoy.

SOURCE: Visit Florida, advertising.com, Center for Media Research, NOISE
Reported by: John Sprecher

DIGITAL MARKETING: Did We Mention, Content is King?

Along comes yet another study suggesting that if you aren't loading your website with content that's relevant to your audience, you're so yesterday — and so is your marketing.

According to the Online Publishers Association, internet users now spend the majority of their time visiting content (articles, videos, blogs and the like) — almost 50% of our time, versus only 33% on communications (email, instant messenger, chat rooms, etc.).

Researchers suggest there are two reasons for this: the first, of course, is the sheer volume of into online, coupled with the significant improvements made by search engines in ranking the data we seek.

So, repeat after us. Content is king. Content is king. Content is king. And with this information, go directly to your website, do not pass go, do not collect $200, and bring as many elements of Web 2.0 to your site as your audience would embrace. Or risk having them find that content somewhere else.

SOURCE: Visit Florida, Center for Media Research, NOISE
Reported by: John Sprecher

MARKETING: Getting Inside the Consumer's Head (It's a Unique Place).

Is advertising as we know it really dead? The answer rests on the shoulders of people who buy our brands and recommend them to others — not with advertisers, marketers or consultants. After conducting an exhaustive study, Rick Milenthal, CEO of Engauge, discovered that “consumers have become experts in ignoring and rejecting messages. They can instantly recognize messages that are irrelevant or ill-timed. Consumers aren’t simply tuning us out; they just want us to tune them in.”

Put it this way: when we (as consumers) spend time with the media, we do it with a purpose, goal or need that drives our behavior — and as we do so, we enter different modes, or mind-sets, that drive our choices, actions and receptivity to marketing messages. The six modes identified:

1. ENTERTAINMENT. Consumers want to be entertained. In this mode they are on a mission to be amused. Television, radio, some print and online movies, games and entertainment are the obvious media choices.
   
2. INFORMATION. Information-seekers are looking for knowledge to help them make decisions. This mode has also been around for a long time, but now consumers are searching for information online.
3. DISCOVERY. When consumers look for something new — whether it’s an exotic vacation spot, a dessert recipe, or a new car–they’re in Discovery mode. They do this because they want to expand their minds.
4. CONNECTING. This mode is all about building relationships. Consumers want to stay in touch with friends and family through email, social-networking sites, text messaging and online gaming.
5. SHARING. Similar to connecting, sharing mode is a way to create common ground. Video-and image-sharing sites invite millions of people to swap their experiences.
6. EXPRESSING. This mode refers to conveying an individual point of view. This is essential because almost anyone can become a valued resource by posting a blow, vlog or podcast.
   

What does this all mean? As marketers it's vital that we do all we can to match our message ti the mode. Aligning the message with the mode will determine whether our messages make it into consumer consciousness or become more wasted marketing efforts.

Source: Advertising Age, NOISE
Reported by: Kimberley Parker

E-MARKETING: Where Content Is King.

One of NOISE's favorite branding and marketing e-newsletters is "Content Marketing Today," authored by leading content marketing strategist, author and speaker Newt Barrett (contentmarketingtoday.com). Barrett's mantra is that by "building conversations with your customers, (you) build your brand and your bottom line." We couldn't preach louder or agree more (NOISE was honored to have been highly praised recently by CMT, for our content-driven, award-winning and record-producing web marketing for client 'Tween Waters Inn).

What we most appreciate about Content Marketing Today is that Newt Barrett and his team aren't shy about their opinions. Take last week's newsletter, subject-lined "lessons to learn from a great newsletter and a bad website."

With a subject line like that, readers sense that what they're going to find will take a stand, clearly define strengths and weaknesses and, doing so, more than likely be useful. You know, content that's relevant, engaging and proactive to your mission rather than hype. And Barrett backs that promise up with delivery — in this case, outlining how Booksurge (an amazon.com company) e-newsletters clearly target, message and deliver the goods to their audience (potential book self-publishers), while taking to task (in brutally honest and absolutely correct criticism) a regional furniture retailer's weak, ineffective website.

All of us at Trendspottings appreciate trendspotting as insightful as Content Marketing Today. To subscribe, simply click here.

SOURCE: NOISE, Content Marketing Today
Reported by: John Sprecher

RE-BRANDING: The Answer May Be Right Above Your Nose.

How do you take a number three market share position in a highly competitive industry and rebrand yourself to your advantage?

There are a lot of success stories of Number Twos trying harder and winning (Avis), but the challenge has been and still is greater for fast feeder Wendy's, competing in a globe that includes Mickey D's and The King. What was Dave Thomas's team to do?

First, the creative geniuses (a compliment, not a rip) at Wendy's corporate or their agency Saatchi & Saatchi came up with a catchy, kitschy visual icon — the red wig. The wig has proven so popular that it's currently out of stock on such off-online sites as wendysunderground.com. Oh, and year-to-year, store-to-store sales were up earlier this year, as the campaign was in full speed, some 3.0% to 4.0%, and recall is "very strong."

Now (and over the past two years, really), Wendy's has doubled its online advertising budget, from 4.0% to 8.0% of its annual $375 million. Wendy's and Saatchi are using the money wisely, building microsites to better reach core 18-34 year old consumers and offering unique promotions — including a new, 100-million free songs music download with Rhapsody for persons buying the new Jalapeno Double Melt sandwich between November 21 and December 30.

The real challenge now will be for Wendy's and the agency to sustain the freshness of their campaign and continue growth. But that's what they get paid the big bucks for. So far, so good — and good lessons for all of us about branding, visual humor, and speaking to your core audience with messages and media they'll eagerly embrace.

SOURCE: ADWEEK, NOISE
REPORTER: John Sprecher

INTERNET: Letting Our Fingers Do the Shopping.

Those of you old enough will remember an almost iconic ad campaign for Yellow Pages advertising that summarized the telephone directory's advantages with the promise: "Let your fingers do the walking."

Fast forward to today, and that same slogan is ringing loud and true for online shopping.

Both retail and ISP marketers should take note of these important internet-usage trends, per a recent study by Media-Screen in San Francisco:

• If consumers have a high degree of interest in your industry — and information as well as product are available online — they'll spend literally hours in front of their computers. Marketers who really push the hot buttons of online shoppers include:
• Home and Garden (2.3 hours per average)
• Travel (2.1 hours)
• Beauty (1.3)
• Clothing (1.2)
• Today, a whopping 50% of all purchases are influenced by some online marketing — 76% of all purchases made online, and 35% of those made offline.
• Almost one out of 10 purchasers is now seeking user-generated content — consumer review or ratings sites, blogs, discussion boards, IM, chat rooms, social networking sites — and this sort of word-of-digital-mouth is strongly influencing their decisions.

Bottom line lessons, as we at NOISE see them and would counsel them?

1. If you're in a business that sells online (or can), you better have your website in top order.
2. A website in top order still won't perform without strong Search Engine Optimization (on the front and back ends), and a savvy web- and e-marketing program.
3. Get on the bus and get your marketing involved in the digital buzz world of user-generated content.

SOURCE: NOISE, Marketing Management
BY: John Sprecher

THE AGENCY BIZ: Trendspotting Trendy?

For the past year, plus a half, we your branding prophets at NOISE Inc. have kept our eyes and ears open wide — looking and listening — for great innovations and technology that we can leverage to advance our clients’ missions and business. Innovate or die — right?

It seems as our enlightened effort, brought to you in the form of NOISE Trendspottings, is rather trendsetting. In a recent article in PRWeek, “Trendspotting keeps firms ahead of the pack,” the publication proclaims the importance of these efforts, offering these points.

• While staying on top of trends is vital for a consumer practice, trendspotting should be an agency-wide activity. (check!)
• Editors, bloggers and other influencers should be tapped for their emerging-trend observations. (check!)
• In-house research teams or outside consultancies can be assets in identifying and analyzing trends. (sounds kind of expensive...)

While NOISE doesn’t have a defined in-house research team, we enable each staff member to point out trends and offer insight in their area of expertise from creative to public relations, web development to media buying, account leadership to brand evolution.

At NOISE, each of us is hunting for trends and keeping our fingers on the proverbial pulse. As a differentiator though, we are also working to create and evolve our NOISE philosophies for our work. While it’s important to see what’s going on in the market — it’s even more significant if we are driving trends, pushing the envelope and evolving NOISE, thereby evolving how we create and deliver campaigns, creative design and progressive PR formulas for our partner clients.

When we’re “in the know,” we can keep our clients there too.

We’ll keep our eyes peeled and ears open...and keep you posted.

SOURCE: NOISE, PRWeek
BY: Al Krueger, PR Director

GUT CHECK: How are you making your decisions?

In a recent Fast Company article Rob Walker notes, “Our heroes may crunch the numbers, but we like them to play their hunches.” As well as, “From Captain Kirk to Indiana Jones to Rambo to Tony Soprano to the hero in every Western (movie) ever made, we’re drawn to the character who follows a hunch and wins.”

Interesting. From a guy (me) who has relied on his gut in many circumstances after trudging through data, statistics, spreadsheets and other research, it’s nice to see some recognition for the good ol’ gut.

Considering the sterility of some data and research — there are situations when no matter how great the research or hard you try otherwise, you have to look inside to that special internal compass to point you in the right direction. In the end, statistics and data can only gauge the goings-on of the past — they cannot foretell the future.

Walker also points out that the “most widely celebrated heroes of capitalism are the Steve Jobs, Richard Branson, or Mark Cuban types — the ones who scorn what the focus groups and gurus say and follow their superior instincts.”

With this validation in hand, let’s all take some pride in our instincts. Believe in what you are doing and go for it. Don’t let naysayers hold a brother down. If you believe what you are doing is true — nothing else matters and no one can take that away from you.

In PR, branding, advertising and marketing, the difference between winning and losing can come down to the individual willing to believe in their instincts.

Believe in You.

SOURCE: NOISE, Fast Company
BY: Al Krueger, PR Director

INTERNET: What's Up With Web 2.0 and What You Can Do.

Are you up on Web 2.0? And is your website?

For all the buzz about Web 2.0, the bottom line definition is essentially this: Web 2.0 speaks to the trend of user generated content, such as social networking, review sites, blogs and other devices that involve and encourage user experiences.

While this advice comes from hospitality.net, we at NOISE think these tips on Web 2.0 pretty much apply to most marketers. So as you plan for 2008, consider the importance of your website and web marketing, and ask yourself (or your marketing/branding team) these questions:

1. Do we have a strategy for our online presence? If not, start now to develop goals, strategies, tactics and means of measuring your visitor interaction.
2. How content-rich is our website? Do we pack lots of valuable info into the briefest space? And is it search engine optimized to meet our audiences primary keyword search criteria? The more you load your website with keywords and content that your audience seeks, the higher your SER (search engine rank).
3. Do you have an interactive user blog? If so, do you monitor it? If there are negative comments, do you respond? If the answer is "no" to any of these questions, plan now to change that to "yes.

There are many more strategies and tactics you, your team and your savvy web marketing partner can device and execute, but here's your takeaway: day by day, the world becomes more and more internet driven and dependent; how you hop on the bus now will have a direct impact, positively or negatively, on how you'll fare down the road.

SOURCE: NOISE, hospitality.net
REPORTER: John Sprecher