Slumdog Marketeer
Imagine working for companies that continually raise the bar on expectations, plead poverty when it comes to additional compensation and seem to change business models every other month.
Welcome to the real world of change.
In good times, the media companies say they want measurable results and a clear path to return on investment. It used to go like this. You buy a million dollars of TV time on Heroes, BSG, Fringe, Dollhouse and the Sarah Connors Chronicle for, oh, let’s say, for the movie, The Watchman. Then, your expensive research company and sites like Fandango are supposed to report increased interest and advance ticket sales. Just like that.
But, wait, you say it doesn’t always work like that. No, it doesn’t. In fact, even before the current anomily, it never worked like that.
You see, people really stopped watching TV at its designated time four to five years ago. And when they did, it’s at a time of their choice and anyway, they skip over the ads with a touch of a button. Oops.
Several years ago, a mid level marketing team said, “let’s hit these kids on MySpace. It seems to work with bands. Why not movies?” Right? Well, no, that’s not quite right. You still had to buy media that takes the fan to the movie’s – myspace.com/movie page. And, to be safe and cover the bases, they still bought loads and loads of TV. Wha?
Good news. A few years ago, our mid -level marketing team decided to test social media marketing and brought in a few select vendors. No names, please. But, wait, they first had to establish a budget and here’s where things began to fall apart. Upper management said, “Can’t you find someone to put up a few pages for nothing dollars.” Ouch.
Social media marketing is sometimes the last line item on the marketing plan and, thus, a self fulfilling prophesy to fail.
According to an excellent article in the February 19th issue of Business Week., that reports there are six myths of social media marketing. These key points are the most important, especially the first one. “Social media is cheap, if not free.” Boy, that’s the genesis of our frustration. You see, the secret, the unmentionable magical element is the campaign’s strategy. The concept, the abilty to connect with teenage boys and girls who are so jaded by the internet, that e-mail is literally a thing of the past. Believe me, they’ve seen every Flash game, every mass market widget and every feeble attempt at getting their attention.
But, and here’s the kicker. If you can get to them, man, you’re like Stephen Hawkings. A bloody genius. The kids become your ambassadors of cool, your own little army of buzz.
But hey, it’s not cheap, you can’t do it in-house and you certainly can’t rely on the one fabulous idea that travels around the world ten times in a minute.
