Who's in charge of your brand?

Real time search - Google
This is great. Information is now so fast, there is almost no time for marketers to tell people who they are, or how good they are, or to buy their products.

The consumer (you and me) will tell each other in real time what we need to know! So you just finished your Double Double Animal Style Burger at In and Out. Tweet how great it was. Then half way around the world someone searches for In and Out and up comes your tweet just seconds later. You no longer have to even finish the burger and you can comment. Wow cool and dangerous. (OK half way around the world they can't get an In and Out Double Double and they will be so envious.)

Marketers, you are no longer in charge of your brand, the consumer is. So you better have amazing customer service and amazing products or I might just tweet you right out of business.

Are there ways to manager this? Yes to a degree, but it takes commitment and the willingness to take a chance and maybe even fail. Wow scary. But gone are the days of a bad product and a great brand perception. It's just not possible. But if you have a great product find someone to partner with to get out there.

Take a gander at this video off you tube.



Have fun out there.
David Yost
Creative Director

What's in your twitter tool box?

Lots of things you can do besides just use up 140 characters to let people know you are at the grocery store or doing your nails. So if you are a great twitterist, then you are followed by the many, if not then here is a list of other things you can do on the twitter. It ranges from share music, to share files or you can just share you mundane life. It's all from Mashable.com Hey it's all twitterrific.

http://mashable.com/2009/08/21/13-twitter-tools/

If you are a marketer then make sure your strategy is all about giving your peeps what they want, not necessarily what you want to give them. Meaning if advertising is the comedian that goes on stage before the Rolling Stones, then selling on social media, facebook or twitter, makes you the annoying door to door salesman that comes to the door when they are expecting their hot date. give them something they want not what you want to give them. Deals, pertinent information, needed insight, fun, entertainment, it can be anything but it has to be what they want. So find that out from your target market and give it to them.

The days of marketers telling the public what they should want is over. We listen to our friends more than to any ad messages. How do you get people to talk about you and say good things? That is a topic for another day.

http://mashable.com/2009/08/21/13-twitter-tools/

Have fun out there.
David Yost
Creative Director

Be Social And Make Money

More and more chatter about the social media. Again get in and play. Interact with your customer. Give them a reason to come to you or follow you and engage with you and your brand. Those who figure this out will make money. Everyone else... well they won't. Again you need a strategy and a reason to be there.

Lots of great companies do it and make money doing it. But they have a strategy and a voice. It needs to be a true voice that is a bit more playfull then maybe your regular branded voice.

That is the key. Don't be blinded by the light, learn to turn the light on yourself.

Found this youtube video . Enjoy it.



Have fun out there.
David Yost
Creative Director

Social Media is right for you!

Ok everyone is going crazy over social media. No one has figured out how to completely use it across the board. Marketers feel the need to "get in" so they can tell their bosses "yeah we're doing it." And the truth is they do need to get in and figure things out fast -- this switch in communication, branding and life. Social media is and has been a Game Changer.

But loads of marketers get in just because they think they should, with out knowing enough, they just want in, they are not totally sure of the whys or hows.

It reminds me of the old E-trade ads, my old agency Goodby, did sometime ago talking about how Venture Capitalist were giving money out to any one who knew what a URL was and had a "world wide web" idea. The .com business had a correction and so will the social media folks. But make no mistake the web didn't go anywhere and neither is Socail Media. It's here to stay but be careful and be samrt.


Before you get all twitter on your clients, know how it fits. Know why you are tweeting, know who you are targeting on Facebook and even if they want to talk to you. Know what you want out of it. Set goals, have a strategy for the social mediums.

The same questions you ask for the web or TV or even print should be asked for social media. How do I define success and failure. Budget? How do I drive people to my twitter, blog, Facebook ect. Why do I want to be in Social Media? Am I willing to let go of my brand and put it all out there for positive and the negative? What am I offering and why would people want to read my tweets, my blogs or be a fan on facebook?

Start off and get your feet wet before you dive in and know where you want to go with it. And then have fun with it. But get in and figure out now. Because it can work for you or it can work against you. Again it is a game changer not a fad. Believe.



Have fun out there.
David Yost
Creative Director

The Hows And Whys Of The Blog or Blogerlicious

Blog Blog everywhere a blog messing up the internet, messing up my mind. What is it in the human experience that starts us blogging? What is it that spurs us on to be heard? What is it that challenges us to have our words and images “out there” on the great world wide web? In reading a number of articles about the subject of blogging and talking to many people who are active bloggers, I look into the hows and whys of successfully blogging.

First let's use Maslow’s hierarchy of needs model, where Abraham Maslow (1943) models out the hierarchy of human needs, to chat about how these needs feed our urge to blog.


The first level of Maslow’s theory, which he deems is having the basic physiological needs met, we can see it does not solve the base issue of food, water and clothing. Now later on and if you are Paris Hilton you might solve this basic need but most people do not start a blog to survive. But let’s skip to the second of Maslow’s Model.

The basic need for safety, including safety of employment and social security in a family and a society that protects against violence. Does Blogging fill this need in even a small way? I would say the most obvious is those who blog for work. This would provide a paycheck and thus fill this basic need from Maslow. There are many blogs for those who are fans of weight watchers, (thewwchick.blogspot.com) does that count? I’m not sure, but I think maybe not. There are blogs for Amnesty International (livewire.amnesty.org) and organizations that talk of the protection of women http://www.guardyourselfnow.com/blog/) So I would conclude that people do blog to serve this function but not for self ,but in looking out for others. But wait, that puts us a couple of steps higher in Maslow model so for now let’s day, no.

The third step in Maslow’s model is the need for belonging, to receive and give love, appreciation and friendship. Alright, now we are getting to the route of why some of us blog. This need to belong is very strong and blogging gives anyone (with a computer and WiFi) the ability to post a blog. By doing so they can feel part of a community of bloggers. They can feel similar to what book authors and poets used to feel like when they finally were published. The great thing is that to blog you can by pass the editors and the publishing houses and go right to being published. Now Stanly F. Bronstein, ESQ. blogs not only for belonging and love but also about it. http://stanleybronstein.com/maslows-hierarchy-the-need-for-love-belonging/ Here he talks about the same model I am using for this paper. Stanley feels good and appreciated by blogging about this subject. I blog http://theyostiebunch.blogspot.com/ to feel a connection with my family. It is my family picture blog. I get lots of verbal love and appreciation from my family all over the world about this simple blog. So it does fill my needs on this level, but let’s keep on going.

The need for esteem. The need to be a unique individual with self-respect and to enjoy general esteem from others. Is it possible that people blog partially to fill this “esteem” need? Well Angie Pedderson http://angiepedersen.typepad.com/ has a blog entitled “The Blog of Me” In fact there are tons of blogs just about the people who write them. A study by Liu, X. (07) in China about blogging, talks about the many people who blog to reach out to others who may be interested in them. It is a human need to feel like we matter. To have this self esteem and bask in it. Now you might think that with the young people today being very self absorbed that they might be the biggest bloggers. I have seen no research supporting that idea. Blogging is a great way to reach out and search for esteem from people outside you own small circle. Now those bloggers in China can reach people in India and Iran. It’s crazy to think of the possibilities for connecting through a simple blog.

The last step on the pyramid is to experience purpose, meaning and realize all inner potential. First, what does that even mean? This is pretty heady stuff if only there were people out there talking about such ideas… O.K. Eric Vladman http://www.articlesbase.com/spirituality-articles/inner-energy-the-hidden-component-to-your-success-from-personal-growth-to-finding-your-purpose-876822.html blogs about this very subject. Eric refers to when seeking inner purpose and meaning you need to experience personal growth “you will soon realize that to achieve personal growth on any level, you would ultimately require “Inner Energy.” Wow, in fact he even sells books and CDs that can help you with this whole thing. Interesting. Wonder if Eric is finding his purpose and inner potential by telling others how to do the same?

People not only blog to find these human needs, but they also fill their needs by filling those same needs in others, or at least the attempt to fill those needs or attempt to make a living by doing so. But maybe I’m splitting hairs? O.K. now I’m confused Maslow get’s us so far and by the time we get to the top, it covers most higher reasons people blog on a big picture level.

When considering why many people blog, I think you have to consider the many human needs and desires that drive us to do anything in this world. Maslow’s diagram is a great way to look at this need but it only gives us a big picture of the world of human needs. In order to see why many people blog we have to look at the ins and outs of Maslow’s diagram and then look at the more specifics. The answer is as varied as is the world we live in. No two people blog for exactly the same reason. We know that many people blog and we know that the burn out rate is great as well. So I think keeping things simple, writing what you know and being smart are the best tips for the blog writers of today. Stick with it and if you are filling your needs, you will be happy, fulfilled and most probably read, if not just by your Mom. But hey, that’s something, right?



Have fun out there.
David Yost
Creative Director

Tora Tora Torrent

The Torrent of Media
Here I sit in my over sized yellow comfy chair at 2am in the morning, my Mac Book Pro streaming the world wide web, a few books by my side, my ipod softly playing some Irish folk music and the cable news repeating, for the 100th time, a story they call “breaking news.” So a bit distracted from writing and my thoughts on the media torrent, I pick up the new August edition of “Hot VW’s,” even though it is still firmly June, and I browse through countless restored Busses and Bugs, none of them mine. Then interrupting the important breaking news comes on a funny commercial -- you know the one that ends with the good looking “stand-in” groom and the lady saying to the bride “Jackpot!” Come to think about it, it is more amusing than “funny.” I could have written better. I take a sip of my Diet Mountain Dew and see that I can win a trip to the X Games. I spill Dew some on my white Volcom t-shirt and wonder if the power of Tide will get it out the yellow stain.

Tocqueville wrote in his masterpiece “Democracy in America” that our culture lives to “cultivate the arts that serve to render life easy.” While George Simel thinks we cultivate things that will give us “disposable feelings.” Both of these things, assuming they are true, are a symptom of the torrent of media that is a part of our daily lives. Not that this is anything new, people have been complaining about the torrent of media that saps our minds and robs our bodies since long before thespians performed the new works of Shakespeare.

There is no argument that the media torrent exists today and that it has been building for centuries, but the debate is really about is it a bad thing? As Glinda asked “Are you a good witch or a bad witch” had Dorothy responding, “Why I’m not a witch at all,” I tend to agree that this torrent of media is not a “witch” at all. It is however, a torrent of soap operas, reality shows, billboards, paintings, books, pictures, webcasts, podcasts, mp3 music, radio stations, t-shirt logos, horrible advertising in every imaginable place, and general all-around noise. Now being a, somewhat ADD, ad guy, I am not only partly responsible, but an embracer of “all of the above.”

Now Todd Gitlin, with the Dennis Miller style rants, in his book “Media Unlimited,” is not so sold on the whole experience. Todd believes that things were better way back when we were not hounded with so much media that encourages “disposable feelings.” Media is bad and the cause of most of mankind’s problems was my take away from Todd’s book. If he had his druthers, we would be in front of a roaring fire, knitting. Now call me new fashioned, but I’d rather be overloaded with choice than have to stick those very knitting needles in my eyes to reduce the pain of utter nothingness boredom.

Now are we over stimulated as a culture? Absolutely, but this is far better problem to have than being under stimulated and rubbing rocks together to keep Tyrannosaurus Rex away. O.K. that makes me laugh because now I’m thinking about those Geico Cavemen riding motorcycles and that leads me to the annoying little Geico lizard thing. I hate those spots.

As much of a torrent that we have allowed, even encouraged, we all have the right and most of us the ability to turn if off. In fact, what makes the torrent so tolerable and even enjoyable is the times when we crank the ole facet to the off position. Both my torrent of communication at work and play and my torrent of entertainment, that starts when my iphone goes off playing the “Kings of Leon” and waking me up at 7 a.m. are enhanced by my time of absence from all things media. Now this takes some doing, and sometimes a lot of sacrifice to pull off. I know not all are able or willing to turn it all off. But I think a periodic self-imposed media famine is needed to ensure sanity and continued pleasure from the media driven world that surrounds us.
Sure, we can still knit by the fire and read an old play, that may or may not have been written by Shakespeare, but the important thing is we have a choice. Media may foster witch hunts, but media is neither a good witch nor a bad witch. It simply is what it is. A lot of crap to wade through in our daily routines. I, for one, love to wade. (Not in crap per se, but you know what I mean.) Now I’ve got to get back to the seven things I was doing earlier that allow me to have disposable feelings and have them easily.

Have fun out there.
David Yost
Creative Director

References
Gitlin, T. (2002). Media Unlimited, New York: Holt.

Losing Our Orality

As I was reading Ong's "Some Psychodynamics of Orality," I was intrigued to think of what we, as a culture, have lost as we have moved away from the orality of our ancestors. Oh of course we have gained much as well, and those things I would never want to lose. But as we go further into the written and electronic age, we distance ourselves from a very important part of communication and our history.

I still remember my father telling me stories of being a sailor and looking to the skies and repeating the phrase, “Red sky at night, sailors delight, red sky in the morning, sailors take warning.” I love the beauty of this simple mnemonic phrase. It teaches and is easy to remember. As I think of these and other almost lost oral mnemonics, I’m sadden that they are replaced by alphabetic symbols that don’t spell out a word as much as they are short hand for the short hand of language. LOL, OMG, TTFN, WTF etc. There is no richness in these communications; they are short cuts to quasi communications. Nothing wrong with them, I use them all the time. But I morn that my kids are growing up using only this shorthand to communications.

My children are losing not only the richness of F2F communications, but of any communication of an oral nature. Why talk when you can text? Sure it’s faster and more to the point and you can hold multiple conversations at the same time. What is the harm? The harm is that we are losing the oral skills we have needed to communicate since the existence of man.
I can’t imagine Noah sending a text to his family about the boat he was building. Or maybe Lincoln writing the Gettysburg blog. Or Dr. King twittering about his dream.

You can mobilize people via this written/electronic means, but can you inspire them enough to change a nation? Yes, the pen is mightier than the sword, but is the tweet mightier than the spoken word? I don’t think so. As Ong says, “Oral cultures encourage fluency, fulsomeness, volubility.” I think the other side of that is that electronic cultures encourages the opposite.
As we move toward an age that has little or no need for oral skills and functions, where will we end up? An age of uninspired symbols, PDAs, and pretend orality? I say pretend orality because I think as we go toward this end, content in movies and TV will take the place of the need for our own oral skills. Our best ideas will be mimicked notions from the writers of the Simpsons and Gilmore Girls. We will slip into a state of living via fictional characters’ lives. Love will be defined according to chick flicks and men to action figures. Life will be lived virtually. Oral skills gone, interpersonal abilities will be not only be old fashion but become archaic relics of a forgone era.

It all sounds like a bad Sci Fi flick, but as we continue to lose the orality of our past, our future will change, and we may lose for good, the skills and traditions that make mankind human.

Have fun out there.
David Yost
Creative Director

References

Postman, N. (1992). Technopoly, New York: Knopf.

Ong, W. (1982). Orality and Literacy, Ch 3. Some Psychodynamics of Orality,
New York:Methuen.

Who are you?

Who are you?



Have fun out there.
David Yost
Creative Director

Who Am I? or Searching For Our True Identity

Who Am I?
















This is a question that was hard enough before the tools of modern technology came into play. But the question, as complicated as it has gotten, is still one with which we all must grapple. We like to think that we are always the same person, no matter what goes on around us, where we are, what we are doing or in spite of outside influencers. But the fact is, we rarely are the same person. We are many people. And who we are is different in the various situations in which we find our selves.

It used to be people would hitchhike around the country to try to discover their true identity. And that was just the one identity they were searching for. Now it seems we have more than one identity to solve. Tajfel and Turner, who were pioneers in social identity theory, believed that “a person has not one, ‘personal self’, but rather several selves that correspond to widening circles of group membership.” How many people are we?

OK, we are just the one person, but we do construct multiple identities that suit our immediate needs or desires given a certain set of circumstances. There are just more and different circumstances now that have and are being created with the new technologies. To complicate things more, this identity is a construction that is not solely of our own creation Thurlow (05) says that our social identity is a construction “based on what others think about who we are, and the stories they tell about us, either face to face or to other people.”

So our identity is something we construct with the help (wanted or not) of others around us, who we’ve had first or second person interaction with. Wow it hard enough to figure out who we are, now we have to worry about what everyone in our community thinks of us? Why do we bother in the first place, constructing this identity? Well again referring to Thurlow, (05) he states that “it is the way we make sense out of the chaos or variety of our lives.” Ok I can agree with that, the mind needs to define things before it can hope to operate them. Before we can go out into the outer unknown, be it a CMC or F2F variety, we need to be able to have an understanding of ourselves. Not a complete understanding but a working model, let’s call it. With out this working model we couldn’t be sure how to act, communicate, or respond to outside forces. With this identity work in progress we can bring a little understanding and order out of the great chaos this is our life full of the tools of the new technologies.

One way that we figure out who we are, or want to be, is by figuring out who or what we are not. That is a little easier and again involves the help of others. This time a model of things we don’t want to become. I meet someone who is annoying and I say to myself, “Ok, I never want to be that person.” And then I take steps to make sure I and others don’t put me in that same category.
Now in my on-line gaming identity, I can’t afford to be soft or too obnoxious. I see others that are and that they are shunned. So I make sure I tweek my gaming social identity to not be that guy. On my Facebook, I want to be the more open guy that is funny and accepting. (Much of who I think I am in any F2F communications.) But in my on-line communities of VW enthusiasts, I see my identity as one who is wise, knowing all things VW and never getting taken advantage of when trading or buying 40 year old car parts. My F2F identity at home is still the odd man out, middle child who is creative and sensitive. (Crazy I know.)

So now we have our identity for a given community or situation constructed, are we done? Unfortunately or fortunately, no. Depending on how happy you are with your identity, this can be a good thing or an exhausting thing. Identity construction, like life, is a journey and not a destination. It is an ongoing process that will last far past our earthly lives. It is a dynamic thing that has a life of its own. People talk about us even after we are dead. I always am intrigued at funerals how perfect everyone was. How loving and caring. So your identity is still constructed by those around you, long after you are gone. Wow, this is exhausting.

So who am I? It depends on the more complex situations I find myself in as part of this moving world of new technologies, communities and tools. What I do know is that I have a say in who I portray myself as, but not an absolute say of who my social identity becomes. I also know that I can reinvent my self as I introduce myself to new communities. You are who you say you are until someone tweets otherwise.


Have fun out there.
David Yost
Creative Director



References

Postman, N. (1992). Technopoly, New York: Knopf.

Thurlow, C. (2005). Computer Mediated Communication, London: Sage.

Tajfel, H. and Turner, J. C. (1986). The social identity theory of inter-group behavior. In S. Worchel and L. W. Austin (eds.), Psychology of Intergroup Relations. Chigago: Nelson-Hall