Sweetmantra: Domain Name Strategy

2007 Digital Marketing Conference

The death of Princess Diana. The Bre-X scandal. James Cameron's Titanic.

Where were you in 1997? And what were you doing?

Although it seems hard to believe, this year marks the - gasp! - 10th anniversary of the Canadian Marketing Association's Digital Marketing Conference.

I'm on the organizing committee for this conference and we've really tried to pull out all the stops in honour of this year's first decade mark.

Some of the featured speakers we've lined up include Mike Murphy from Facebook, Chuck Porter from Crispin Porter + Bogusky, and Simon Assaad from Heavy.com.

Ipsos Reid returns for a second year with the results of The Canadian Digital Marketing Pulse survey and we've just added a very special surprise session for Thursday afternoon featuring four Canadians you won't want to miss.

The enormously popular roundtables, "The Experience Exchange," are back by popular demand, and yes, yours truly will be moderating one of the roundtables on podcasting.

If you're serious about Internet marketing, please join me and a few hundred other Internet marketing enthusiasts at the 10th annual Digital Marketing Conference in Toronto, Canada on Thursday, October 25 and Friday, October 26.

For more information and to register, visit the 2007 Digital Marketing Conference Website.

My Facebook Coach House Experiment

With all the hype about Facebook in the media these days, some people may be inclined to dismiss it as the flavour of the month. That would be a mistake.

I think we, as marketers and consumers, have barely scratched the surface of what Facebook is capable of. Here's just one example of another Facebook marketing experiment I conducted a few weeks ago.

My friend Jane was trying to rent her beautiful coach house in Toronto's Cabbagetown district. She placed an ad on Craigslist and sent around an email message to her friends, but she didn't get too many nibbles.

So I offered to help. Using Facebook's status line feature (which tells your friends what you are up to), I told my network of Facebook friends, "Bill is looking for someone to rent a friend's Cabbagetown coach house." I did this for about a week, and I updated the status line several times during the course of the week.

I was pleasantly surprised to receive five different inquiries from friends who were interested in the coach house. That may not sound like a big number, but when you consider the fact I 'only' had about 250 Facebook friends at the time, that's a 2 percent response rate. How many Internet marketing campaigns these days do you know that get a 2 percent response rate? Not to mention the fact the cost was zero.

Now I'm not for one second suggesting you run out and start pitching products and services using your Facebook status line. In fact, I am discouraging that.

What I am suggesting is that you think about the fact that thanks to Facebook, my little experiment found five additional potential coach house renters for my friend that she otherwise would never have known about. In less than a week. For free.

And that, dear reader, is why Facebook's potential is huge.

Update: July 23, 2007

The coach house has now been rented.

How I Ended Up Doing Social Media Marketing for ABC TV's Traveler - Part 2

Who is Will Traveler?

I don't know, and apparently Facebook (or someone) doesn't want you to know either.

Last week, I wrote a blog post about how I found myself briefly running the social media marketing campaign for ABC TV's new show, Traveler.

As you may recall, after watching the first episode of the series, I realized that ABC and the producers of the show had completely missed the social media boat. I logged in to Facebook to search for "Will Traveler," the missing character at the core of the show, and found nothing. Not even a basic Facebook profile. Talk about a lost opportunity.

So I did what should have been done in the first place. On May 31, 2007, I created a Facebook profile for Will Traveler.

I tried to make the profile as realistic and as 'in character' as possible, based on the facts I was able to gather from the show. I identified the school he apparently attended. I listed his interests (electronics, politics) and favourite movies (The Manchurian Candidate, The Conversation). I even cited a quote from Jack Kerouac, one of the character's favourite authors, and had Will join a Jack Kerouac Facebook group.

I was particularly proud of the photo I chose for Will; I thought it was suitably ambiguous and mysterious:

In other words, I created a Facebook profile for Will Traveler that fans of the show would instantly identify as his.

The next day, June 1, I began finding friends for Will. I started with me (Bill Sweetman) and my colleague Collin Douma (of Radical Trust fame). I had let Collin in on my little experiment, and he was all in favour of it.

Since there were already a half-dozen or so 'unofficial' Facebook groups devoted to the TV show (created by fans of the show), I had Will add the creators of those groups as his Facebook friends.

By June 4th, Will Traveler had a growing collection of Facebook friends and was starting to get unsolicited Friend requests and messages from fans of the TV show.

Clearly I was on to something. And fans of the show were having fun.

Then, on June 5, I attempted to log in to the Will Traveler Facebook account and got this message instead:

"Your account has been disabled by an administrator. Please contact [email protected] for more information."

I immediately sent an email to Facebook, asking for clarification.

On June 5, I receive this response from "Justin" at Facebook:

"Fake accounts are a violation of our Terms of Use. Facebook requires users to provide their real names. Impersonating anyone or anything is prohibited. We will not be able to reactivate this account for any reason.  This decision is final."

Now, I totally respect Facebook's desire to enforce its Terms of Use, however I think they need to be consistently enforced. After all, thousands of cats have Facebook profiles. Last I heard, cats can't type. And there are at least 49 fake "Wentworth Miller" Facebook profiles. None of them have been disabled.

Puzzled and somewhat miffed by Facebook's seemingly arbitrary decision, I decide to try to find some answers

On June 6, I email Justin from Facebook and ask him how they ended up being 'alerted' to my Will Traveler account in the first place? Did someone (ABC perhaps?) lodge a complaint about it?

We will never know, since I never got an answer from Justin, and my Will Traveler profile remains disabled. In fact, as I write this, there is not a single Will Traveler profile on Facebook, although there are now 17+ Facebook groups (none created by ABC or the producers of the show) devoted to the Traveler TV show, including "Addicted to Traveler" (570 members) and "fans of ABC's Traveler" (227 members).

So who is Will Traveler? And why was his Facebook profile really deleted?

Your guess is as good as mine.

One thing I do know: ABC TV and the producers of the show missed a golden opportunity to use Facebook to promote Traveler.

How I Ended Up Doing Social Media Marketing for ABC TV's Traveler - Part 1

For a few days earlier this month, I found myself running the social media marketing campaign for ABC TV's new show, Traveler.

After all, somebody had to.

Allow me to explain...

On May 30, 2007, ABC TV launched a new summer series, Traveler. No doubt inspired by the success of rival FOX's Prison Break, Traveler follows the misadventures of two young college guys who are on the run from the FBI for a crime they didn't commit.

The reason they are accused of the crime (the Oklahoma City-esque bombing of a New York City museum) is that one of their college housemates, a sketchy, technologically-savvy guy by the name of Will Traveler, appears to have framed them. Now Will has gone missing, and our two intrepid heroes must track down the elusive Will Traveler in order to clear their names.

Here (below) is a 3-minute trailer for the show that will give you a sense of how the whole thing revolves around the quest to uncover 'Who is Will Traveler?"

I caught the first episode of the series a day after it premiered, and while I quickly deduced the show wasn't for me (it was too predictable) I was struck by one thing: ABC and the producers of the show had completely missed the social media boat.

Halfway through the first episode, our heroic college boys are beginning to wonder if this Will Traveler guy they thought was their friend was really who he said he was. They begin to ask themselves questions about his background, and who this Will Traveler may be connected to. Then one of the guys decides to do some research into the mysterious Will Traveler.

Right about this point I'm thinking, OK, here comes the scene where they Google his name. But instead, one of the guys goes over to his girlfriend's house and rifles through printed (ahem) photos he has of Will Traveler.

When I see that, it suddenly hits me. These are American college kids in 2007. They wouldn't have a stash of printed photos. All their photos would be on Flickr or Facebook. In fact, why don't they just log in to their Facebook accounts and do some searching for Will Traveler there?

So that's what I do.

I log in to Facebook and do a search for Will Traveler thinking, duh, ABC or the producers of the show will have already created a 'profile' page for Will Traveler in order to extend the experience of the show. After all, it wouldn't cost them a penny to do this.

Nothing. Nada. No Will Traveler.

But surely hundreds, if not thousands, of fans of the show would be turning to Facebook to do their own 'investigation' into who the mysterious Will Traveler is? Think of the fun ABC or the producers of the show could have with this. Think of the buzz this would generate.

The more I think about this, the more excited I get.

So I do what ABC or the producers of the show should have done in the first place. On May 31, 2007, I create a Facebook profile for "Will Traveler."

And then the fun and games begin...

Stay tuned, as they say in TV land, my Will Traveler story will be continued in a week.

15 Cool Things I Learned at the 2007 CMA Annual Convention

I had the privilege of attending, and speaking at, the 2007 Canadian Marketing Association Annual Convention in Ottawa earlier this month. Here are a few fascinating tidbits I gleaned from the many excellent talks and presentations I attended:

• Marketers need to learn how to 'outsource' the marketing to the consumers.
• Marketers need to develop mechanisms to detect and nurture the brand ambassadors (i.e., those consumers who will willingly act as promoters).
• Mass advertising for the iPod didn't happen until 9 months after the product launched; until then it was all 'word of mouth' marketing by brand ambassadors.
  (Source: Dr. Joe Plummer, Advertising Research Foundation)

• "Don't fear theft of your ideas; fear obscurity."
• To today's 'Net Generation,' "choice is like oxygen."
• Google is the world's fourth largest computer hardware manufacturer (of data servers).
  (Source: Don Tapscott, New Paradigm)

• People want more of what they can get less of.
• 90% of people look for less risk (try to avoid risk) when it comes to making a decision.
• You are four times more likely to be a CEO in North America if you are over six feet tall.
  (Source: Heath Slawner, Hart Resource Development)

• 50% of complex search queries (in search engines) go unanswered.
• 40% of the Web is not searchable...yet.
  (Source: Owen Sagness, Microsoft Canada)

• WestJet receives 1,000+ unsolicited resumes a week.
• The airline has a Department of Culture that is responsible for "creating a remarkable (workplace) environment."
• WestJet holds retirement parties for the planes it takes out of service. At the last retirement party for a plane, over 600 employees showed up.
  (Source: Richard Bartrem, WestJet)

• 74% of bloggers say they are open to receiving product or service information from companies, but only 9% actually do.
  (Source: David Jones, Fleishman-Hillard)

Next year's CMA Annual Convention will be held in Toronto in May, 2008.

The iTunes Advertising Enigma

There's no question in my mind that Apple has done more to advance the medium of podcasting than any other company. For that, I will always be grateful.

Nevertheless, I am still shaking my head in bewilderment about one thing I recently learned related to Apple and podcasts: nobody can buy advertising to promote their podcast on iTunes.

Sure, when you go to the iTunes podcast directory there are all sorts of banners and buttons promoting the virtues of various podcasts. I, like many people, had assumed that the producers of those podcasters had paid to have their podcasts promoted in this way. After all, this type of advertising model exists on a number of other podcast directories, and it's something many of us are familiar and comfortable with.

But get this: I assumed wrong. (Yeah, yeah, I know the old saying about making assumptions...)

After several weeks of investigating this, I have discovered that what I thought were paid ads for various podcasts are, in fact, freebies that the iTunes team creates and runs. According to the various podcasters I have talked to who have been lucky enough to have one of these "ads" put on iTunes promoting their podcast, this happens out of the blue. One moment they're scrounging for subscribers with all the rest of us pod-mortals, the next thing you know they're signing up subscribers by the truckload thanks to a big honking "ad" on the iTunes podcast directory home page. iTunes doesn't even notify them that the ad is running; it just appears one day.

On the one hand I love the eccentric nature of this and the fact that low-budget, independent podcasts are getting free advertising and profile alongside bigger budget "corporate" podcasts.

On the other hand, I am a little frustrated that if I wanted to boost the profile of a client's podcast on iTunes (through the use of paid advertising) I would not be able to.

Finally, I can't for the life of me figure out why Apple is walking away from the chance to generate significant advertising revenue. Then again, Apple's always done things its own unique way. Think different, indeed.

Sony Pictures' Killer Marketing Idea

Is it possible to have an immersive, interactive, and on-brand marketing experience without even visiting a Website?

I believe you can, based on my recent experience interacting with the proprietor of the Pinewood Motel.

Here's the scoop: I'm watching TV and see a commercial for Sony Pictures' new horror film, Vacancy. Other than the fact it has some A-level stars in it, the film (and the commercial for it) looks like a typical slasher flick. Until the end of the commercial, that is.

Instead of the now de-rigueur Website URL, the following is briefly flashed on screen during the last second of the commercial:

"For reservations please call 1-888-9-VACANCY"

Huh?

I take the bait, grab the phone, and punch in the numbers:

"Folks, you've reached the Pinewood Motel..." says the creepy guy at the front desk.

And I am hooked.

Check it out: 1-888-9-VACANCY. It's very clever, even if the film isn't.

Podcast Idol, Anyone?

In a response to Joseph Jaffe's recent Most Valuable Blogs (MVB) contest, Kevin Behringer over at the Fly-Over Marketing blog has kicked off a Most Valuable Podcasts (MVP) contest.

But wait, it gets better...

I am pleased (if somewhat bewildered) to announce that my Marketing Martini podcast is one of the "Sweet 16" finalists for Most Valuable Podcast. And I'm truly flattered that the Martini shares the virtual limelight with some great podcasts like Joseph Jaffe's Across the Sound, Mitch Joel's Six Pixels of Separation, C.C. Chapman's Managing the Gray, any many more. Congratulations to all my fellow podcasters on the shortlist.

If you'd like to vote for the Marketing Martini and/or any of the other fine podcast nominees, follow this link.

Thanks, Kevin! Let the fun and games begin...

CMA Word of Mouth Marketing Conference 2007

I will be speaking at, and attending, the Canadian Marketing Association's Word of Mouth Marketing Conference, April 12, 2007 in Toronto, Canada. Unless I am mistaken, this is the inaugural year of this conference.

I will be participating in a panel discussion entitled "Going Viral & User Generated Media" moderated by Louis Gagnon, Vice-President, Marketing, monster.ca. Joining me on the panel will be Janet Kestin, Chief Creative Officer, Ogilvy & Mather and Martin Ouellette, President & Creative Director, Provokat.

I believe we're going to attempt to define what viral marketing is. That alone should be worth the price of admission! ;+)

I'm particularly looking forward to the luncheon keynote address by Kyle MacDonald of one red paperclip fame.

For more information about the conference, visit the official CMA Word of Mouth Marketing Conference Website.

Eight Tips I Picked Up at PodCamp Toronto 2007

I am still coming down from PodCamp Toronto 2007. It was just that good.

Nearly 300 podcasters, podcast listeners (podfans?) and students of all ages descended on Ryerson University for this free, two-day event.

The one thing everyone had in common seemed to be their passion for this new medium. The excitement and enthusiasm of the whole affair fondly reminded me of my first Internet World Conference, which I attended in - oh my God - 1996 in San Jose, California.

Here are a few choice excerpts from the notes I took during the many informative educational sessions at PodCamp Toronto 2007:

1. Podcast listeners are older than you probably realize; the average podcast listener is in their mid-thirties. (Tipster: Leesa Barnes)
2. Since the word "podcast" continues to confuse people, sometimes you are better off using a different term like "Internet radio show." (Tipster: Christopher Penn)
3. Speaking of lingo, some people are confused by the word "subscribe" because they think this means they will have to pay to receive your podcast. Consider using the term "add" instead, especially if dealing with a younger demographic. (Tipster: Christopher Penn)
4. If you are planning a business-to-employee podcast and want to ensure as many of your employees listen to the podcast, give each of them an iPod. (Tipster: Sabita Singh)
5. Creating a Facebook and MySpace profile for your podcast can be very cost-effective way to get new subscribers. (Tipster: Christopher Penn)
6. StumbleUpon is not only a great tool to discover quality Websites, it can drive a lot of traffic to your podcast's Website. (Tipster: Julien Smith)
7. The "itpc" link to subscribe to a podcast in iTunes is more reliable than the "phobos" link. (Don't be concerned if you have no idea what I am talking about. If you're a podcaster, you will.) (Tipster: Christopher Penn)
8. If you ever find yourself, or a client, asking "why should we be podcasting?" try asking instead, "why shouldn't we be podcasting?" (Tipster: Michael Seaton)

I don't know if there will be a PodCamp Toronto 2008, but if there is, you can bet I'll be there!