Don Novello: The Lazlo Letters My dad was in advertising, and he would uncontrollably laugh while reading this book that. In many respects, Lazlo was the first "citizen's journalist" or blogger for that matter. His CGM was all about experiences with companies, brands, or VIPs. (*****)
Seth Godin: All Marketers Are Liars I'm a huge fan of Seth Godin, but this one was just OK. I probably read it with a higher set of expectations that the book would be a bit more critical of the marketing industry. It's hard to disagree with the core premise of authentic story telling, but some of his points overstated the obvious (**)
Marc Marson: Think Naked Marc Marsan has opened up my head in ways I can't even express. Inspirational, catalyzing. He gets it! (*****)
Kelly Mooney: The Ten Demandments Kelly gets it! She's been working with some of the nation's top brands. Deep understanding of shopping behavior. (****)
Jon Berry: The Influentials A solid case for why so-called "Influentials" matter. Authors really know their stuff. (****)
Experts Offer 2009 Social Media Predictions: What Do You Think?
What's in store for 2009 on the CGM & social media front? Social media expert and thought-leader Peter Kim assembled of group social media passionistas to tee up key predictions for the coming year. You can read his full post here. Somehow I managed to sneak onto this esteemed list, which includes David Armano, Rohit Bhargava, Chris Brogan, Todd Defren, Jason Falls, Ann Handley, Joe Jaffe, Charlene Li, Ben McConnell, Scott Monty, Andy Sernotitz, and Greg Verdino. (All great folks to follow on Twitter, I might add.) A few highlights include:
"Doors are going to close all over the social web. Why? Because the money didn't come the way people thought it would." - Chris Brogan
"The tipping point has not only *not* been reached, but could still tilt *away* from Social Media." - Todd Defren
"Dwindling budgets suddenly make low-cost social media look like the pretty girl at the ball." - Ann Handley
"We're going to develop a set of better metrics to help guide, direct and validate 'commitment'." - Joseph Jaffe
"The movement is rooted in a desire to have quality, not quantity, as people cocoon in the face of the economic crisis." - Charlene Li
"These will be cumulative events and interactions that will build brand loyalty for the companies that pay attention to them." - Scott Monty
"The recession will force revenue results out of social technologies." - Jeremiah Owyang
"Companies that focus on earning love will thrive during hard times, and kick ass when good times return." - Andy Sernovitz
As for my specific thoughts, I focused on three key areas.
Social Media Indigestion: 2009 will see a "correction" in our appetite for friends, followers, and other ostensible perks of social media membership
Service Gets Personal: Real intimacy among friends, or in the marketing process, will dial up in importance. Don't write off the 800 number yet. Emotion powers conversation.
Back to Fundamentals: 2009 will be the year we resdiscover timeless truths: friendship must be earned, fame is fleeting, excess begets backlash, and it always pays to listen, and credibility is our most enduring marketing asset. (The last point is the foundation of "Satisfied Customers Tell Three Friends, Angry Customers Tell 3000.")
My upcoming list of predictions in Ad Age echoes a few of these themes and expands a bit in other areas. That article should drop sometime tomorrow. Here's a embedded presentation of Peter Kim's list. Thanks for pulling this together, Peter (Kim).
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Pete....excellent and insightful. Keeping customers satisfied is a constant struggle even here in Hooterville! We work with a hospital who has done an outstanding job in maintaining consistently high Press Ganey scores and keeping staff motivated to deliver "world class customer service." It's never ending. Can't wait to read your book. Adchick
Pete....excellent and insightful. Keeping customers satisfied is a constant struggle even here in Hooterville! We work with a hospital who has done an outstanding job in maintaining consistently high Press Ganey scores and keeping staff motivated to deliver "world class customer service." It's never ending. Can't wait to read your book. Adchick
Posted by: adchick | January 06, 2009 at 01:09 PM