Today, I woke up to realize that I had neglected to place the Cannes Film Festival on my calendar. This was prompted by the Daily Variety proclaiming how they were recovering from the effects of the volcano in Iceland's ash on the red carpet.
Just for giggles and grins I journeyed over to www.festival-cannes.com to get my first impression of the festival's digital passport to the event. Let me tell you, such a lot to see and do, almost too much even for me. I did stop a moment and chose to watch a very self satisfying visit with Johnny Depp and Tim Burton. Now that is a statement of unusual proportion. They did not disappoint, the whole thing was a poorly executed inside joke which Hollywood is well known for. I did my best to not run screaming from the site and did complete the video. The best part was seeing a still taken from an appearance on the Arseneo Hall show (actually a taping in May of 1991)that was slapped on the very end.
Better yet, I noticed that an amazing sponsorship sales agent had gotten Electrolux to support the Fest. Now who could have known that they would need vacuum cleaners on the Croisette when they signed on? This takes "Stunt Marketing" to a whole other level. Stranger things have happened. This was just the most clever redeemer I needed to see, a nod to intelligence in my industry like no other. So I decided to click through the Electrolux icon and WHAM! Holy #$%&. Let's just say, heads should roll at Electrolux. There is no mention of their Cannes sponsorship on their home page! This is the perfect example of what happens when "The Departments" of a mega company do not communicate. What I found actually was even worse than the lack of synergy....American Idol co-bands the "Find America's First Ever Mom Idol" Contest. PLEASE! Again, why? This is so over already. Even Malcolm Gladwell is turning over in his grave and he isn't dead. The tipping point of this idea has tipped so long ago that it is a mercy cry for what they have decided is a no risk investment.
Sigh, one of my big disappointments for our industry is that there are so many fabulous creative people (hint, hint) that are available with genius ideas ready to connect the dots for a company all the way to the bank. Yet, someone decides to play is safe? Or what they think is safe. Safe never get's you in the ROI history books.
Today I can say that I rant not just for my own entertainment, but to acknowledge companies like Electrolux that should receive the Palm d'Or (the Oscar of the Cannes Film Festival) for a brilliant product placement integration campaign in Cannes. As for the disconnect on a major obvious opportunity to brand your product, globally, all the back home to the states, I say "Vive La Difference!"
Who ever you are that didn't get the email/memo that you have to combine all of your creative budgets and team members because you will miss an astounding opportunity to leverage obvious consumers, You're FIRED. I say the best punishment for these folks would be to send them to France and like so many people that were in travel hell back from MIPTV, have them figure out how to get home because of the volcano ash. Also, lets loose their luggage just for fun too. Next time, just pick up the phone and hire me.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Monday, May 10, 2010
Ouch! Dont' worry this happens all the time to the nicesr people.
It all started when I was sent a copy of an invoice that was being used as a contract to build a website for a client for review. For some reason, but all the wisdom sprites joined hands and encouraged me to share the wonderful stream of advice that I had been accumulating for some time. Don't worry the names have all been changed to protect the innocent, but let me tell you, the guilty and you know who you are will be judged at the pearly gates after you pull your last scam.
Please enjoy.
....I am typing everything out here because it is so hard to read the graininess of the invoice. This is not a real contract, its an invoice of which you need to get out of ASAP. The reason I say this is, every agreement I have ever seen for a responsible legit company with real legal contracts have at least 4 pages single spaced with lots of legalese.
Engaging a website designer involves your trade marks and basically means you are entrusting your legal entity to someone. Here is how it would be in the medical world,
"I, the Dr. will have possession or your body's health for x amount of months, now give me your money and don't ask any questions."
When I was an agent I wrote and negotiated contracts, so when it came time to evaluate contracts for the internet I was primed and ready. I am attaching a few here so you can see.
This document is Dated 2-1-10,so that means that they have had your money for 3 months and the site is still not working.
You gave them $1k, but are expected to pay a total of $5,580.
-Website Program 36 months
> I am not certain what they mean, unless they call "this" a website program? You should pay for a website to be built $1k for a simple billboard/pamphlet website (no bells and whistles) is fine for the whole site that you can maintain yourself. The 36 months doesn't make sense? Once they build it and it works,you can have a minimal hourly maintenance fee if you don't want to anything yourself. But as I explain later, they are all being built now for you to do them or have an intern update them, like leggos, that simple.
-Takeover Domain Hosting
>Takeover from where and why?
-Purchase 3 additional URL's
>Why? Did they explain that to you? More URL's, more websites for your brand to be spread over and more and more upkeep? I don't agree. URL's only cost $10 each a year if that much, so I am not certain where they are doing their math on this part.
-Monthly updates/offers
>A website has to have new content added on a regular basis...remember me writing a manual. I learned that if the website is created by Joomla, wordpress, drupal software, very common and easy to use....you can upload the content yourself with very few instructions. A blog, best case scenario is updated every other day...you need not write more than 2 paragraphs, is the best spider bait. Monthly updates are a death sentence.
-Complete website- copy and photos
>A complete website to me should be
>a template-$75. That is the framework, the boxes that make up the pages.
>Customizing it to fit your brand and uploading initial content $120 an hour.
You provide the content,
>Photos-professional/celebrity photo shoot for photographer, hair stylist, make-up artist, photoshop touch up frugal $1,500-$2k depending on how much each of them are paid. Remember the product of the photo shoot, the photos are used well beyond the website, (press kit, EPK-Electronic Press Kit-you pay a graphic artist to lay these out-maybe $500), posters, ads, magazines, newspapers...I recommend doing a shoot once a year.
>Articles, blog entries, white papers, you should be writing some of it, otherwise you get a writer to do it for you, priced for each job.
-3 months of SEO
This would cost you $1,500 from a pro, SEO folks usually just do SEO because it is specialized.
$1k deposit due 4-27-10
2nd payment of $1k due 5-29-10
Starting 6-1-10 charge $145 per month for 24 months.
>For what? They need to explain what they are charging you for. Since you charged it on your Amex, you can get the money back anyway.
You need
1. A website developer/programmer. They are the tech folks that build the machine and keeps it, the website running. Like a computer, they build it , we use it and if it breaks they fix it.
2. The SEO guys, are paid to provide an ongoing service to keep your site "findable" on the search engines. They keep you plugged into the electricity or current of the internet circuitry of systems. Without SEO, you are a sitting duck and you can say, "I have a website, isn't it pretty." But it is not a business tool.
3. Social Networking gal, finds, harnesses, connects you with all the social networks online that are "brand2brand," "brand2consumer," "brand2consumer2consumer".
4. Online Advertising network, they have assembled the most likely places, groups of websites for you to be found by people who need your services. You pay them to place your ad, you pay someone to create the art to be placed. This is an ongoing cost, just like SEO. Prices ranges and are very competitive. The best part about advertising on the internet is you can be very specific about where you want to be seen and why. The other part of this is you can track everything.
BTW-They did not mention anything about Data, Analytic's, Traffic, Reports, Ranking? How do know how everything is working? You can't just look at the number of patients that are coming in the door right away as there is no right away, remember my 90 days? The internet is about 90 days + 90 days + 90 days+..........
SEO+Social Networking+Public Relations+Marketing+Advertising+ a website that works/is functional is never ending, it is ongoing and interconnected.
+ The internet is a river, going somewhere whether you are in it or not.
+ Your website is your raft, you have to build a good one and maintain it so you don't drown.
+ SEO is your guide, tells you where the best rapids are to where you want to be found, gets you there and keeps you there.
+ Social Networking understands how the internet, your website, SEO, online advertising and all of the users/consumers/patients of such interact and how to use it to your advantage.
Well, that was fun. I have no idea why I got into rivers and rafting....I would break a nail and it would be all over. The internet, no problem, bring it on. Any questions?
Please enjoy.
....I am typing everything out here because it is so hard to read the graininess of the invoice. This is not a real contract, its an invoice of which you need to get out of ASAP. The reason I say this is, every agreement I have ever seen for a responsible legit company with real legal contracts have at least 4 pages single spaced with lots of legalese.
Engaging a website designer involves your trade marks and basically means you are entrusting your legal entity to someone. Here is how it would be in the medical world,
"I, the Dr. will have possession or your body's health for x amount of months, now give me your money and don't ask any questions."
When I was an agent I wrote and negotiated contracts, so when it came time to evaluate contracts for the internet I was primed and ready. I am attaching a few here so you can see.
This document is Dated 2-1-10,so that means that they have had your money for 3 months and the site is still not working.
You gave them $1k, but are expected to pay a total of $5,580.
-Website Program 36 months
> I am not certain what they mean, unless they call "this" a website program? You should pay for a website to be built $1k for a simple billboard/pamphlet website (no bells and whistles) is fine for the whole site that you can maintain yourself. The 36 months doesn't make sense? Once they build it and it works,you can have a minimal hourly maintenance fee if you don't want to anything yourself. But as I explain later, they are all being built now for you to do them or have an intern update them, like leggos, that simple.
-Takeover Domain Hosting
>Takeover from where and why?
-Purchase 3 additional URL's
>Why? Did they explain that to you? More URL's, more websites for your brand to be spread over and more and more upkeep? I don't agree. URL's only cost $10 each a year if that much, so I am not certain where they are doing their math on this part.
-Monthly updates/offers
>A website has to have new content added on a regular basis...remember me writing a manual. I learned that if the website is created by Joomla, wordpress, drupal software, very common and easy to use....you can upload the content yourself with very few instructions. A blog, best case scenario is updated every other day...you need not write more than 2 paragraphs, is the best spider bait. Monthly updates are a death sentence.
-Complete website- copy and photos
>A complete website to me should be
>a template-$75. That is the framework, the boxes that make up the pages.
>Customizing it to fit your brand and uploading initial content $120 an hour.
You provide the content,
>Photos-professional/celebrity photo shoot for photographer, hair stylist, make-up artist, photoshop touch up frugal $1,500-$2k depending on how much each of them are paid. Remember the product of the photo shoot, the photos are used well beyond the website, (press kit, EPK-Electronic Press Kit-you pay a graphic artist to lay these out-maybe $500), posters, ads, magazines, newspapers...I recommend doing a shoot once a year.
>Articles, blog entries, white papers, you should be writing some of it, otherwise you get a writer to do it for you, priced for each job.
-3 months of SEO
This would cost you $1,500 from a pro, SEO folks usually just do SEO because it is specialized.
$1k deposit due 4-27-10
2nd payment of $1k due 5-29-10
Starting 6-1-10 charge $145 per month for 24 months.
>For what? They need to explain what they are charging you for. Since you charged it on your Amex, you can get the money back anyway.
You need
1. A website developer/programmer. They are the tech folks that build the machine and keeps it, the website running. Like a computer, they build it , we use it and if it breaks they fix it.
2. The SEO guys, are paid to provide an ongoing service to keep your site "findable" on the search engines. They keep you plugged into the electricity or current of the internet circuitry of systems. Without SEO, you are a sitting duck and you can say, "I have a website, isn't it pretty." But it is not a business tool.
3. Social Networking gal, finds, harnesses, connects you with all the social networks online that are "brand2brand," "brand2consumer," "brand2consumer2consumer".
4. Online Advertising network, they have assembled the most likely places, groups of websites for you to be found by people who need your services. You pay them to place your ad, you pay someone to create the art to be placed. This is an ongoing cost, just like SEO. Prices ranges and are very competitive. The best part about advertising on the internet is you can be very specific about where you want to be seen and why. The other part of this is you can track everything.
BTW-They did not mention anything about Data, Analytic's, Traffic, Reports, Ranking? How do know how everything is working? You can't just look at the number of patients that are coming in the door right away as there is no right away, remember my 90 days? The internet is about 90 days + 90 days + 90 days+..........
SEO+Social Networking+Public Relations+Marketing+Advertising+ a website that works/is functional is never ending, it is ongoing and interconnected.
+ The internet is a river, going somewhere whether you are in it or not.
+ Your website is your raft, you have to build a good one and maintain it so you don't drown.
+ SEO is your guide, tells you where the best rapids are to where you want to be found, gets you there and keeps you there.
+ Social Networking understands how the internet, your website, SEO, online advertising and all of the users/consumers/patients of such interact and how to use it to your advantage.
Well, that was fun. I have no idea why I got into rivers and rafting....I would break a nail and it would be all over. The internet, no problem, bring it on. Any questions?
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Trapped in "Tradition"
Yesterday, I encountered a person that was trapped in what they had decided was the definition of what I do for a living, my brand. Actually this happens all the time. I call this "Trapped in Tradition."
Branding is like that. The best part of my job or I call it "My Joy" is to constantly reinforce that I am only defined by what brings me joy. I do the same thing for my clients. No matter the sector, I am dedicated to knowing what brings joy to people, the consumer and how they convert to your brand.
In the early days of becoming a brand, I would wear my brand definition like a badge, uniform and shield. Now, when uninformed people are being held hostage by their assumptions, I shirk the feeling that they are putting me in a straight jacket.
So the next time you hear, "Oh, I am looking for a "Traditional XYZ" remember that they are being held hostage to a myth. This experience is actually proof that your branding is working to your advantage. There is no help for this type, no conversion here. No matter how hard you try. They are costing you money. Don't spend the time to conquer their sacrament.
Onward, to sharing the joy with those that truly have will benefit by your brand.
Branding is like that. The best part of my job or I call it "My Joy" is to constantly reinforce that I am only defined by what brings me joy. I do the same thing for my clients. No matter the sector, I am dedicated to knowing what brings joy to people, the consumer and how they convert to your brand.
In the early days of becoming a brand, I would wear my brand definition like a badge, uniform and shield. Now, when uninformed people are being held hostage by their assumptions, I shirk the feeling that they are putting me in a straight jacket.
So the next time you hear, "Oh, I am looking for a "Traditional XYZ" remember that they are being held hostage to a myth. This experience is actually proof that your branding is working to your advantage. There is no help for this type, no conversion here. No matter how hard you try. They are costing you money. Don't spend the time to conquer their sacrament.
Onward, to sharing the joy with those that truly have will benefit by your brand.
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