Hello, Ad Club Members!

Branding and Social MediaLisa Hickey, Creative Strategist

May 12, 2009

Begin with theend in mind.

courtesy Chris Brogan

“Like any other advertising or media, you can’t sell a bad product to people who don’t want it. At least, not more than once. So this presentation assumes you have a product, service or individual with something of value. If not, I am happy to introduce to some lovely spammers who can help you.”

“Usually I ask how many people in the audience are using Social Networks. However, it was easy enough to find out. This is who YOU are. And why do I care? Because it

makes it easier for me to talk to you.”

52 of you here in the audience are

on LinkedIn

Average Connections: 45

Only 5 people over two degrees of separation from me.

Mix of Agency, Client and Media folks.

“So who the heck is Lisa Hickey, anyways?”

Text

“The thing about Twitter is that you can find

influential people that you want to follow,

see what they are talking about

and join in the conversation.”

“When Sally said that about Twitter, it was like a thousand slot machines went off in my head.”

“This is the most embarrassing email I’ve ever written. Why? Because it’s it’s pandering, insincere and it’s all about ME. I didn’t know how to join in the conversation with this person. I didn’t know anything about him. The only smart thing I did here was not send it.”

“So, if you want to know about Branding and Social Media, there’s two things you really need to know.”

What is branding?

What is the heck is social media?

A conscious decision about

what you want the world to remember.

Branding:

“I’ve searched the world over for a good definition of Branding. One that could really inform day-to-day decisions. Couldn’t find one. You’ve all, perhaps heard the story of how the word branding came about because of the actual brands that cattlemen would use to distinguish their herd of cattle from their neighbors. That’s why branding became synonymous with logos. But, oh, branding is so much more than logos.”

Values.

“How do you decide what you want the world to remember?”

Text

DifferentiatingRelevant

True

The best brands are:

“Anyone who doesn’t think that a brand doesn’t need to be differentiating hasn’t walked into a supermarket lately.”

“Back when I was a kid, they had this product called Pet Rocks. It was differentiating. No one else was selling rocks. And it certainly was true. It really was a rock. Trouble was, I got it

home, (yes, I bought one) and quickly figured out it really wasn’t relevant.”

“Behold the four-leaf clover. Different from its pals the three-leaf clover. Super relevant - we all need good luck. Problem is, it’s not true. Too out of three may not be bad, but it’s not enough. If you want a strong brand, be

differentiating, relevant, and true.” .”

Your product offeringYour customer experience

Your valuesYour personality

How you treat othersYour design look and feelWhat others say about

youWhat you say about

yourself

Your brand gets reflected in:

Social media is using social

networking tools to create content,

share content andmove people to

action.

Social Media:

Old Networks

“I remember as a child, watching TV. My Pet Rock by my side. Three networks. Life was simple, life was good. And now...”

Uh-oh.

“What happens is, it becomes a little like the blind man and the elephant. It’s hard to know what Social Media IS, because everyone is so busy looking at the shiny new thing over in the corner over there that they forget to step back and try to see the elephant. The elephant is

your strategy. Your strategy and your brand tie it all together.”

InformationHow-tos

EntertainmentKindness

Saving the worldArt / Music

NewsHelp

What can you think of?

What is valuable?

“How many times have you done a television campaign for your

own personal brand?”

“One of the things I love most about Social Media is that I can sit back and watch what happens. You can actually see “word of mouth” spread before your very eyes.”

“There are 75 people in the audience today. I don’t know your goals. I don’t know your business objectives. I don’t know what action you want people to take at the end of the day. But you

want to get started. You want to start somewhere. Start anywhere. What do I

tell you? ”

Blogging StrategyVideo

Strategy

The Twitter/Facebook/Link

edin Trifecta

“You can meet almost anyone at the University of Delaware through one of their blogs. Faculty, students, organizations. They have a whole network of active and engaged people

blogging under the University umbrella.”

“But all those different voices! How do we make sure they are representing the brand?Let me present to you the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. It’s pretty certain that the first time

a group came together to sing, it didn’t sound so good. But it can be done.Start with your values.”

“Create a video strategy. Perhaps start here: Search for Blendtech on YouTube. Watch him blend an iPhone. It’s pretty cool. In fact, this has gotten something like

6 million views. Not bad for a commercial.”

“Twitter. Ahh, I love Twitter. Email me, call me, tweet me, and ask me to talk Twitter with you. I could talk about Twitter all day.”

“Don’t talk at people. Talk to them. Be your brand: be differentiating. Be relevant. Be true. Be helpful and kind. And watch what happens.”

“What’s a consumer brand out there with lots of fans on Facebook? Take Victoria Secret. They can promote themselves on Facebook because people find their brand inherently valuable. So when they make a promotional offer, their fans see THAT as having value.

They have over 1.2 million fans.

“But of course they have

a million fans.

They’re Victoria’s Secret.”

“Let me remind you, Victoria’s Secret could have been Playtex.”

“The most I could find was 3 people for Playtex. 1.2 million vs. 3. hmmm.”

It all gets back to branding.

What do you want the world to remember?

Thank you.