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The Whuffie Factor by Tara Hunt

I just finished reading the Whuffie Factor and it had an unexpectedly important impact on my thinking.

I breezed through the book. I was already familiar with many of the examples and principles. It didn’t seem to be making a big impact on me and then BAM! I hit pages 254-255. On those pages is a list of flags that signal you are not thinking customer-centrically. I have to admit that many of the items sound familiar. I’ve centered my recent thinking around my company’s needs more than I thought (or at least would care to admit). For me, the thinking that the "customer-centric thinking" list inspired was worth the purchase price of the book. No doubt about it.

The bullets were a nice reminder for me to stay focused on the consumer. The thinking they inspired has changed my perspective on a couple of big projects I was planning for 2010. The projects made sense in an old school strategy kind of way. They would surely generate consumer engagement and are strategically aligned with the brand. But..they’re a little company-centric. I can deliver on the same objectives in a more customer-centric way by choosing a different direction. That’s what I’m going to do. The approach will be unusual but I bet the results will be better than I originally imagined. I thank Tara for the inspiration today and, in advance, for the improved results I expect in the future.

The Whuffie Factor is a good read. I recommend it for marketers who are newer to social media or digital marketing and for veterans that just want an entertaining read from someone who understands social media principles. Logical references to real world examples are shared throughout the book and Tara clearly gets the new dynamic of marketing. In a sentence, I'd summarize the new marketing approach as succeeding through being a trustworthy and generous friend. That's what generates whuffie. Good stuff.

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Conventional marketing is what companies like ConAgra Foods excel at.  The process evolved out of necessity.  If you're going to spend millions of dollars broadcasting (literally) the message out to your audience, the strategy and message both have to be right.  You work extensively on strategy.  You research, and research, and research until you believe you understand the sweet spot where brand strength and consumer desire meet.  Next you're working on message development.  You research and research and research to develop and test messages and creative treatments prior to a big launch where you get the message out at scale with big dollar spends.  Later (much later) you look back and see how you did.

As a digital marketer,  you might think I shun conventional marketing....no way.  Digital marketers ignore conventional marketing at their peril.  One of the greatest things about being a digital marketer at ConAgra Foods is that I've been able to learn from the experience of the expert conventional marketers in the company.  Conventional marketing knowledge is critical for effective digital marketing.  Without it here's what can happen:  All the "little insights" and "little strategies" are not connected to a big insight and strategy.  That's not a good thing.

So here's the deal...  Unconventional marketing rocks.  It really leverages the strengths of digital marketing including flexibility, rapid implementation, and the ability to immediately, precisely measure results.  The rapid interations you can create and learn from with digital are incredibly valuable and can accelerate success.  I've believed in rapid iteration and the necessity of many "small bites" in a marketing program for a long time.  I even recently blogged about how cool Seth Godin's point was in his "One Swell Foop" post.  BUT make sure your digital work is all aligned with a sound BIG strategy that is based in solid, well-researched consumer insights.  If you don't apply some conventional thinking to your unconventional marketing process, you may find yourself following flawed little strategies moving quickly through multiple iterations to nowhere.  That doesn't do anyone any good.

blogging on: AdAge: Your Data With Destiny

I'm generally not a Bob Garfield fan.  It's easy to take potshots at creative after the fact when you have no accountability for the ad or for improving it.  That doesn't take a lot of talent.  I see plenty of people 2nd guess creative every day and they're equally as good at it as Garfield. 

Above said, Your Data With Destiny in the latest AdAge is really good work.  Garfield got it right except I'm not sure about the monetization part.  Charging for the links probably isn't the answer.  Charging for access to individual or aggregated information is probably the answer.  But that's a minor point.  For the most part, Garfield nailed it with this article.  It was a joy to read!

We have two typical choices.  Advertising pays the freight for content or consumers pay for the content without ads.  it's pretty simple.  I've gotten into plenty of conversations with friends both online and offline about the future of advertising.  Thought leaders continue to sound the alarm for the death of display ads (I called them "traditional digital" at a recent conference and inspired puzzled looks).  They say that consumers don't want ads.  That consumers are blocking ads and they find them intrusive and annoying. 

Well, yeah...sometimes that's true but it is and will be the exception not the rule for the foreseeable future.  What I have seen time and time again is that consumers don't mind ads at all.  I've surveyed consumers via our web properties, I've conducted primary research with consumers and observed their in-home digital behaviors, I've read countless pieces of secondary research, and I've planned, managed, and assessed all kinds of digital marketing programs.  I've been a digital marketing leader for over 11 years.  Consumers understand the tradeoff.  If you want content, you accept ads.  Or you pay. for the content without ads.  Consumers clearly do not want to pay.  Advertising powers today's web.

The scenario described above will continue to be alive and well for several years.  But if we look to the longer term future, a third option will become dominant and this is what Garfield is getting at with Your Data With Destiny.  Consumers sharing personal data with marketers or publishers and allowing marketers and publishers to use that data to improve the online experience, or our products, or our services, provides real value for all parties involved.

The value of insights created by that data exchange can replace advertising as we know it.   Forget the ads.  They're a blunt instrument.  They work...but they're imprecise.  Help me understand who you are, and what you love, and why you love it.  If I have that knowledge, I can find a way to integrate my brands with your passions.  The intersection of brands and passion is where the deepest connection between brand and consumer happens.