User Generated Content – The Future of Media is Here

I just got an email from my aunt. The email asked me to go to YouTube and watch my young cousin’s new stop motion movie. Besides being a little too centered on violence for my taste, I think he did a pretty good job for his first film.

When I watched it, what came to my mind was that he probably had more fun and got more enjoyment out of making that video than he would have gotten from a week of watching TV. I think one of the fundamental desires of humans is the desire to be creators. It is a powerful drive that has given rise to art and empire alike. Organizations that figure out how to encourage and empower people to be creators as part of their marketing and PR will be harnessing a power much greater than the power of the best traditional marketing campaign.

3 Things I took away from Podcamp Seattle

I usually hate using terms like “take away”, but I really did take a lot away from the recent Podcamp Seattle.  For those of you who aren’t familiar with podcamps, go to http://podcamp.pbwiki.com/PodcampSeattle.Three of the things I took away are:

1. a new appreciation of tagging. All of the attendees were given small labels and a pen and were told to tag our fellow attendees. It really revealed to me the social importance of tags and tagging.

2. a renewed hope for the future of marketing. Among some of the great sessions were some really good ones on social media and marketing. Eric Weaver and Patrick Byers gave two of my favorite sessions. Eric Weaver, of Edelman Digital, spoke about the need for organizations to embrace the social media space and gave some great direction for how to start.

Patrick Byers, of Outsource Marketing, gave a presentation all about social media marketing for social good. Through great examples of people changing the world, Byers showed how doing the right thing is not only right, but a good business move as well. Check out Patrick’s slideshow here.

3. new connections with real people. Just like the real power of social technologies, the real power of Podcamp Seattle could be found in the connections that people were making with each other. To me, that is what social media is all about. I met a lot of great people who are doing great things.

Non-profit Marketing and Building Your Database

Christopher Penn’s latest blog entry on the value to non-profit marketers of building your database got me thinking. I won’t regurgitate what Penn said, but I would like your feedback on it. To read his entry click here.

My initial reaction is to agree that it is very important to gain actionable information from your campaigns…email addresses, phone numbers, etc. And, I also agree that awareness raising campaigns that are only awareness raising campaigns may not be the most effective use of marketing dollars. However, where I disagree is that I don’t believe direct marketing through email is the most effective use of marketing resources either.

In my opinion, the most effective way an organization such as a non-profit can do marketing is to build real relationships. Instead of relying on one-way communication such as email or banner ads on MySpace, organizations should creatively try to engage people on a level that gets them to invest in the cause past providing an email address. How will they do this? It really depends on the cause or the organization. One-size-fits-all marketing tactics are tired. New social media technologies like Twitter allow people and organizations to make real connections that widgets don’t. Widgets may not be en vogue next year, but conversation and connection has always been around.

To do this, non-profit marketers will need to forget that their title is “marketer” and start thinking like an organizer. To think like an organizer means that marketers will need to forget the traditional marketing tools and start looking for what will get people to take ownership in the cause. This may bed slower and less sexy, but I believe the long-term results of such marketing will make the sweat investment worth it.

Let me know what you think.

The consumer’s role in the future of media and advertising.

The consumer is the power player of the future in the world of media and advertising. With production capability at the fingertips of anyone who can afford a computer and obtain internet access, organizations can no longer dictate their message in a unidirectional fashion. According to Marketing Daily‘s Matt Semansky, Digitas CEO David Kenny discussed this while addressing the Canadian Media Directors’ Council’s conference in Toronto earlier today. According to Semansky, Kenny stated “While media campaigns have traditionally begun with creative briefs from clients, that model is becoming increasingly outdated, he said. Today, campaigns must be sparked by consumer insight, with the selection of media channels as critical as message development.” Kenny went on to say, “Above all, professionals in media, advertising and marketing must understand the central role that consumers are playing in the changing media universe. “It’s not that complex if you let the consumer be your guide.” To read the entire article, click here.