I recently was preparing for a speech at Pace University around participatory marketing and came across an interesting posting on Nick Burcher’s blog highlighting the top 50 facebook fan pages.  Not surprisingly it looked something like this:

 

1. Barack Obama
2. Michael Phelps
3. Batman: The Dark Knight
4. facebook
5. Coldplay
6. Windows Live Messenger
7. Adam Sandler
8. YouTube
9. Apple Students
10. Linkin Park

 

25. Victoria’s Secret Pink

30. Addidas Originals

32. OREO Cookies

45. Red Flavour Pringles

46. Ferrero Rocher

 

Interesting collection, no?  During my presentation at Pace University in a room filled with hundreds of local undergraduate students, I asked a few questions to kick off the discussion.

 

How many of you subscribe to emails from the brands you have relationships with? 33% of the hands went up.

 

How many receive text messages from the brands you have relationships with?

10% of the hands go up.

 

How many of you became a fan of Barack Obama’s on facebook?

40% raise their hands.

 

How many of you became a fan or visit the facebook page of a brand you have a relationship with?

0% raise their hands.

 

So what’s going on here? A reasonable person might assume facebook is basically a bunch of young guys who love sports and junk food and who go online using their Apple computers to look at hot girls – and that is just about it.  Quite a social commentary, no?  But what if you are one of the thousands of brands trying to figure out social media and advertising? What does this mean for you?  Can you be successful on facebook?  Well if you’re not selling music, sports, the latest cool gadget or “entertainment”, then you just might be SOL? Or maybe not – facebook's Connect is interesting? 

 

My Take? Traditional advertising on existing peer-to-peer social networks will be like TV – ignored.  As my partner says - it is like going to a bar with your friends and someone comes up and tries to sell you a new car.  Not going to happen.  I believe it won’t take too much longer before we see a host of new networks appearing dedicated to helping consumers better manage their brand interactions.  Media including the staples (email, TV, print, etc.) will also be more participatory, encouraging users to engage with brands in ways that create value and benefit both the customer and brand.  Commercial networks will not only bring a sense of organization to the crazy amount of relationships we all must manage, but they will finally align the purchase process with the consumer mindset to create a commercial environment that is controlled by the consumer.  My biggest hope is that my partner and I can be part of that explosion -- and we are working on it.  Let me know what you think.

As we’ve defined in the past, Participatory Marketing is all about getting people involved in promoting your brand.  One of the most common and effective marketing tactics used to engage prospects and customers are contests.  Therefore, it should come as no surprise that marketers faced with declining budgets and sales are turning to this participatory marketing staple in the hopes of engaging users.  But what’s so different about contests today is that most have a social media twist in an effort to further extend one’s message and stretch one’s budget.  What’s not so different is that they continue to use traditional media (i.e. TV, print, email, online banners, PR, etc.) to promote them.  Take The Limited, who begun promoting a new e-commerce store with a viral marketing contest and campaign.  The program invites users to create “The Ultimate Outfit” using The Limited’s products and share those outfits by posting them on social networking sites (i.e. facebook and MySpace).  Users can also communicate directly on The Limited’s website by sharing their thoughts about the outfits they created and where users could wear them.  In addition, visitors are encouraged to vote on posted entries.  As of today, the contest, which began on November 5^th, has 7,900 entries and 520,000 page views.  According to DMNews, The Limited’s outfits have been posted to MySpace a total of 25,000 times. 

The Limited will choose a winning outfit at the conclusion of the campaign which will end in approximately 25 days.  The winner will receive an all expenses paid trip with a friend to Chicago, Dallas or Miami to meet a personal stylist along with a $2,000 shopping spree. 

 

Nicely done.  Also note one of the first pieces of information The Limited requests is email - which they will use as the primary tool to keep the conversation going.  

If you’ve seen a cool participatory marketing program in action, let us know by posting a comment or sending us an email at info@thepmn.org.      

Say what you want about Microsoft’s latest ad campaign.

-Yes, the leader is reacting to Apple’s successful ad effort -- a big no-no.
-Yes, past campaigns fell short on the creativity front.
-Yes, the latest jump from “Bill and Jerry” to “I am a PC” is a bit disconnected.

However, what Microsoft is trying to accomplish with its latest campaign is to build a community around participation – about time. The latest “I’m a PC” ad series features real people and ends with two simple words “Upload yourself.” While it is only two words, it signals a major change in direction. You see, “Upload yourself” finally recognizes a major deficiency in Microsoft’s strategy to date. That is, it has never been very successful in building a community of passionate advocates for its products like Apple has. With “Upload yourself,” Microsoft is finally taking a step in the right direction. Specific messaging aside, Microsoft is embracing the future of marketing and tapping into the power of participation – Bravo. To Upload Yourself click here.

Is Microsoft on the right track? Let us know what you think?

To celebrate its 10th anniversary Google recently announced Project 10 to the 100th, a worldwide call for ideas to help change the world by helping people. With a $10 million dollar commitment, Google hopes to encourage individuals to think big. But perhaps more significant is that Google “Project 10 to the 100th” is another example of participatory marketing in action. Using its global reach, brand power and a lot of money Google hopes to charge up individuals and put them in charge of a big, bold and altruistic project.

The results so far? Well over 100,000 entries were received by the deadline, October 20, 2008. Millions more are expected to get involved on January 27th when Google will post one hundred ideas and ask the public to choose twenty five semi-finalist. The hope is that with Google’s financial support of the winning idea, it will be implemented and affect millions more worldwide. Now that is Participatory Marketing for the greater good in action. To review the 100 best ideas and vote visit the website and sign up for Google’s reminder.

Good or bad idea? Worth the $10 million or not? Tell us what you think?

I've been working from home recently and have never been more annoyed.  You see, for the past several days I have been the recipient of numerous phone calls.  Unfortunately the calls were not from anyone I was interested in speaking to as few people have my home number and I am unlisted.  No, the calls were from a new group of friends - Politicians.  Yes, it was bound to happen.  As you may recall, political solicitations are exempt from the Do Not Call registry, since they are not included in its definition of "Telemarketing".  Really?  What is it called when you are asking me for my vote?  What it is - is annoying and a double standard.  Can Caroline count on your vote - maybe not now that you woke up my 3 year old.  Michael, Senator Hannon has been working hard for you - really?  Wait is this a recording?  Folks if there is no better example of push, not even permission marketing gone wrong I don't know what is.

It is time politicians re-think their approaches and, like the example set by the Obama campaign, wake up to the fact that great marketing is about participation.  Not to say that the Obama campaign has been perfect, but the overall success signals a new direction in marketing.  Yes we are in the midst of a paradigm shift.  The rise of the "semantic" and "social internet" is ushering in a new era in marketing defined by consumer participation and control.  I call this new era "Participatory Marketing".  Participatory Marketing is about marketing with your customers or in this case voters, not at them.  It is about getting people actively involved in promoting your brand.  It is about engaging your customers to help plot the future of your brand or product.  As I look at all the candidates running - only one comes close to exemplifying these qualities - the campaign that Barack Obama has run.  Politics aside you  have to admire the brilliance.  It is, on many fronts, Participatory Marketing at its finest.  A local grassroots effort by which politics has never seen before, record event turn out filled with active and passionate supporters whose presence can be seen and heard on facebook, YouTube and MySpace to name a few, text and email updates, and a record $600 million dollars raised for the cause from millions. 

Folks this is the power of Participatory Marketing supported by social media and the future of politics and great marketing as we know it.  This has been a historic campaign indeed and not just for the obvious reasons, but for what it has shown us about how marketing must change.  Congratulations to President elect Obama and congratulations to his team who helped show the world that marketing, creativity, innovation and the williness to change can teach us many lessons.  

Until Next Time

Welcome to the Participatory Marketing Network (PMN)?

 

Welcome to the PMN.  There is little doubt that the rise of the social internet is rewiring the way consumers and brands interact.  The demand for consumer control, combined with the emergence of social technologies such as blogs, forums, discussion boards, Wikis and social networks has created an environment where consumers are increasingly turning to each other for the things they need rather than brands.

 

As a result, the social internet has forever changed the dynamic between brands and their customers.  To succeed, marketers and marketing must change.  Permission is no longer good enough – success today means brands must transition from permission to participatory marketing. 

 

What is Participatory Marketing?

 

Participatory marketing is really about marketing with your customers rather than at them.  Participatory marketing is about people getting actively involved in the promotion of your brand and engaging them to take an active role in plotting your brand’s future.  Last but not least, participatory marketing is about charging up your customers and putting them in charge so you both benefit.

 

Why start another organization? 

 

The PMN (Participatory Marketing Network) was established to help leading brands make the transition from permission marketing to participatory marketing.  It is also about connecting marketers with each other and helping shift their mindset beyond traditional marketing strategies towards more innovative approaches aimed at creating mutually beneficial customer-brand interactions.

 

As someone who has had the privilege of starting, building and leading some of the industry’s most influential associations -- including the DMA’s Council for Responsible Email, Email Marketing Council and Email Experience Council -- I know first hand the value and critical role these kinds of organizations play. First and foremost, these associations have been instrumental in educating marketers by providing important industry best practices and research.  However, many had a difficult time evolving and have instead taken a myopic approach around a specific channel.  The PMN’s mission is to take a holistic approach around a mindset and, as such, will showcase multiple strategies and tactics to achieve success in this new era of marketing.  We will be channel agnostic and 100% focused on starting and facilitating meaningful conversations around participatory marketing. Furthermore, the PMN will highlight the people and brands that are leading the way to provide the critical information needed to navigate the changing landscape.  Last but not least, like the leading peer-to-peer social networks, the PMN will aim to be the leading marketer-to-marketer network around participatory marketing.  Each month members will enjoy access to our blog, interviews/case studies, webinars and/or dinners that will showcase the strategies and tactics that exemplify participatory marketing thinking.  

This will be an organization built for you and run by you.  A place where marketers can meet with each other without distraction.  We are going to start slow, but our vision is to grow exponentially as our members benefit from the groups’ learnings and experiences.  So stay tuned and enjoy the website as we work diligently to build out our network