Topics for 2/28/2010
Here are the proposed topics for this week's episode of The BeanCast, and as usual we'd love to hear your thoughts and questions.You have two ways to get in touch: 1) Send an "@" reply or DM on Twitter to @thebeancast, or 2) send an email to beancast@gmail.com
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This week's panel will be Rose Cameron (Euro/RSCG Chicago), Joseph Jaffe (Powered), Scott Monty (Ford) and James P. Othmer (Author).
TOPICS
Mobile Roadblocks: Well many experts, this time somewhat legitimately as opposed to previous years, claimed that this would be the year of mobile marketing. But this week was filled with stories of roadblocks to growth. First, there's the work. Joe, is it a fair charge to say, as Adweek did this week, that the work in mobile has largely coming up short? Is the problem just a misunderstanding of the medium or has the promise been oversold? Can we chalk up most of the early successes to the novelty factor? Is it surprising that many consumer mobile campaigns are losing effectiveness, while non-profit efforts seem to be growing? Why is the medium so effective for non-profits? One of the more recent darlings of mobile has been location-based efforts. But even that was called into question this week with very personal stories of location-based stalking. (Mention of Carri Bugbee's case.) Are stories like this going to kill the promise of location-based marketing? Are location-based games like 4Square and Gowalla simply asking too much of the consumer without enough benefit to them? How do location efforts need to evolve? What about stories like the one about Yelp extorting restaurants to bury bad reviews? Do things like this kill the credibility of mobile as a whole, or can consumers and business separate this out as an isolated incident?
Dissension in the Ranks: Toyota's still in the news, but this week they had a bit of a run in with the dealers who are starting to panic and trying to take things in their own hands. Now out of respect for Scott's position here I don't want to get into too much specific evaluation of Toyota's handling of the PR mess as a result of the recalls, but I do want to start with him and ask about this dealer situation. Do the dealers deserve a voice of their own in all of this or is it essential that corporate maintain a lid of these communications? Wouldn't it behoove the voice of the brand to have the local dealers weighing in with their own assurances? Is part of the issue a liability one? Does Toyota not want dealers taking too much blame for the brand as whole, because the issue may actually be blown out of proportion? What does a company do to defend itself against tear-filled testimony, when such testimony may be exaggerated or possibly even embellished, as a BusinessWeek article this past week seems to suggest? Excluding Scott, again out of professional courtesy, who would you all rate Toyota's overall handling of PR and advertising, now that the effort seems to have fully ramped up?
Putting Social in it's Place: Ad Age had three very different takes on social media marketing this week. One of which included an interview with Scott. But it struck me that while all were different on the surface, they all came down to the same thing -- social is not a force unto itself, but needs to find its place in the larger marketing effort. Rose, what is the one issue most clients are still wrestling with when it comes to the social marketing question? We tore apart the Edelman study last week, but it was quoted heavily in the Jonathan Baskin piece. Will this study have consequences on social as a whole? What about the charge in Jeff Neff's piece that one bad tweet can taint your brand forever? Doesn't this jibe with the study about the Motrin Mom's incident showing that the brand was largely unaffected by a year later? What is the biggest misunderstanding when it comes to planning for a solid social marketing strategy? What's the biggest mistake brands continue to make?
4As Combines Management and Media Conferences: They're billing it as a bid to stay relevant to the needs of the agencies they represent, but is the 4As effort to combine their Management and Media conference really about relevance or cost savings? No matter the assessment of the reasons behind the move, is it still a smart move to make? What does it say about the ad industry as a whole? Will the event really be "Transformative" like it's billed to be?
Paris Hilton Too Sexy For Brazil?: And the last story is a shocker. Apparently a Paris Hilton spot for Devassa Bem Loura or "Very Blonde" beer is being called too "sexually provocative" by a Brazilian self-regulatory body. Okay, I've seen this spot and I kind of agree with one of the commenters on the story I read: This is the Cindy Crawford Pepsi ad with a little peeping-top action thrown in. Plus this is Brazil, people! Why is this ad an issue in Brazil, of all places? What should the advertiser's response be?
Tags: 4As, beancast, euror, ford, james+p+othmer, joe+jaffe, marketing+podcast, mobile, paris+hilton, rose+cameron
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