Tag Archives: Josh Frith

Pitching process gets guidelines

27/09/2011 – 01:09

Pitching process gets guidelines

MARKETERS expect digital ad agencies to jump through hoops on nothing more than an elusive chance that they might land their account, according to some agencies attempting to change the pitching process.

They say some marketers offer a limited explanation of their business needs in the hope the agency will write the brief for them, and the clients’ lack of direction is frustrating as agency profits are eroded.

The advertising fraternity has long bemoaned problems with the pitch process but digital agencies say the situation has worsened in the past two years as marketers have placed increasing emphasis on digital accounts.

In response more than a dozen digital agencies have worked with The Communications Council to create a set of pitch guidelines.

The managing director of digital agency The Dubs, Josh Frith, said: ”Everyone in this game wants to win business and to do that you’re expected to show your wares. And you’re almost never told who else is pitching for the business, even when you ask nicely.”

The new guide covers defining pitch requirements, the pitch process, the brief, intellectual property, copyright and assessment criteria. It suggests marketers pay a pitch fee of up to $5000 to each digital agency invited to pitch.

But that fee is a drop in the ocean. Simon Morgan, a partner at Publicis Digital, said it was involved in eight to 10 pitches a year that each cost $10,000 to $100,000. ”There is a lot of frustration that the pitch process is being used to define the actual brief. It’s just not a fair process.”

Darren Woolley, of Trinity P3, said clients needed to be clear about what they need before calling a pitch, otherwise they are ”the ultimate tyre-kicker”.

Mr Woolley said an example of a poorly run pitch came from the airline industry, which had limited all communication with those pitching for its account. ”The airline is asking digital agencies to answer the brief and upload their pitch to a website, which is an extremely bad example of how to pitch your account.”

By thedubsters | Posted in Industry insights, Of interest | Also tagged , | Comments (0)

The Rise of Social Network Shopping

05/09/2011 – 03:03

Opening the Door for Customers – the Rise of Social Network Shopping

The rise of social networks has allowed retailers to translate consumer insights into a relevant and engaging customer experience, writes Josh Frith.

Gone are the days when customers would walk into a shop, be greeted by an assistant before browsing the shelves to find the ever elusive perfect pair of jeans. Nowadays, the trend has moved towards customers being able to find what they want with a few clicks of a mouse. More and more people are using online platforms to find what they want at the best quality and price.

So as the ABS reports another drop in retail spending and a recent Commonwealth Bank report shows that of the $9.5 billion spent on online shopping in 2010, only $5.3 billion was spent in Australia, how can retailers make their products stand out from the rest? This is an ever increasing challenge as brands no longer just have to contend with the store next door but are now competing on a global platform.

Companies need to harness social networking sites such as blogs, Facebook and Twitter to maximise sales opportunities. The sites are the perfect place to gain instant feedback from customers, advertise and create opportunities for customer engagement. There is a growing trend for consumers to interact with retailers through social networking sites, with most of them using them to find out about promotions and to browse products.

Giving potential customers something, or someone, to relate to can draw them in and hopefully turn interest into purchase. So how can your retail business best take advantage of this growing trend?

Start a story that your customers can engage with

Tailor the story to the people you are trying to attract to your site/page. We recently created “The Buddies,” a branded content series for weight loss company Tony Ferguson about two people who completed the program and shared their experiences on the brand’s Facebook page. New content was uploaded onto the Facebook page each day, along with a weekly video showcasing their trials and triumphs each week. The campaign was a success, with more than 3500 active viewers and an average 5000 views per post.

Use a measurable platform to monitor the campaign

Being able to monitor how many hits your site receives or how many people are viewing certain content is a must. You need to know if your content is producing the results you need to influence sales. Take a look at Google news alerts, use Twitter Search, tweetmeme, trendpedia, howsociable or buzz numbers to track online and offline conversations and listen and respond to both positive and negative conversations.

Spend time making sure you understand your customer and what they want

Read and take on board the consumer’s feedback and remember the people visiting your site are the ones you are trying to engage with your product. Research showed that many ING Direct customers were using iPhones to do their online banking, The Dubs helped create an ING Direct iPhone Application which includes access to accounts, a borrowing power calculator, up-to-date information on interest rates and the ability to transfer money using BPay.

Keep on top of the latest technology and trends (or find someone who is)

It takes a professional to stay on top of the newest information and use it in a positive way to advance your business. If you choose to start on this path there is no point making a half-hearted effort and wasting the original effort made. Consumers will turn away in droves if you don’t keep on top of the latest trends and information. Make sure all of your sites are regularly updated and interact with followers as much as possible.

Continuously update the content as consumers have a short attention span

If you don’t have new content on your social networking site then there is no incentive for consumers to continuously check it. But, in saying that, putting up content for the sake of something new is not the right way either. Make sure it is something your audience is interested in.

Also make sure not to overload them with too much at once. There is nothing more annoying than someone constantly updating a Facebook or Twitter account – especially if it’s about something your audience doesn’t care about.

http://www.powerretail.com.au/pureplay/opening-the-door-for-customers-%E2%80%93-the-rise-of-social-network-shopping/

By thedubsters | Posted in Industry insights, Opinion | Also tagged , , , , | Comments (0)

Closed networks – the way of the future?

01/09/2011 – 09:02

Closed networks - the way of the future

By Josh Frith, Managing Director, The Dubs

In the last year social networking has been dominated by the behemoth social networks such as Facebook and LinkedIn. And as people / consumers we’re now all on them.

But I wonder when the burnout for the big guys is going hit? Even with just a quick skim of Twitter you can feel people excited for the next thing to replace Facebook; Google +. But will all of these go the same way as MySpace? I can’t predict the future but I do see closed networks as the next natural evolution of social networks.

Path is a network that allows users to share their photos with their closest friends and family, the network is limited to 50 allowing users to feel freer to post personal content. This is just one example of closed social networks and there are many more out there.

The basic premise is that most of us have between 50 and 100 people we really know and so genuine social interaction will happen within these mini networks. As more of us realise the dangers (think job losses and embarrassing celebrity photos) of sharing every bit of ourselves through social media and start to crave more privacy more people will be drawn to only interacting on closed social networks with those they know rather than shouting to a mob they’ll never know.

So brands will have to work harder than ever to successfully crack the inner circle of a person’s network. People are now becoming increasingly protective of what they see as their private online space and don’t want to be bombarded with promotional tactics. Brands are going to have to find ways of engaging their customers with their story, really delving into what consumers want and how much of it they want.

Brands and marketers will have to truly understand their target customers at a deeper level, not just that they are 35, single and female.

http://www.bandt.com.au/news/closed-networks—the-way-of-the-future

By thedubsters | Posted in Industry insights, Opinion | Also tagged | Comments (0)

The importance of creating a brand story

11/08/2011 – 10:49

The Dubs MD, Josh Frith, was recently interviewed on Sky News about the importance of ‘brand stories’, find out what he had to say about this cornerstone of a digital strategy:

 

By thedubsters | Posted in Industry insights, News, Of interest, Opinion, Our work, Presentations | Also tagged , , , | Comments (0)

Don’t forget the silver surfers

24/06/2011 – 02:29

Don't forget the silver surfers

By Josh Frith, Managing Director, The Dubs

It is pretty clear that most online marketing campaigns target 16 to 35 year olds. They are the cool, hip and happening age group. They spend more money on brands, on consumer goods, and are tech savvy. Right?

Wrong. They may think they are cool, hip and happening – as do marketers – but with the ageing population, the group with increased spending power are the over 55s.

Since 1999, the number of Australians aged between 55 and 64 years has risen by 47%. Over 55s make up 21% of Australia’s population and control 39% of the nation’s wealth. According to Access Economics, their spending is predicted to grow by 61% in the next decade.

As with the cool kids, this aged group is reading fewer newspapers and magazines and listening to less commercial radio.

So if they are reading less newsprint where are they sourcing their information from? You guessed it. The internet. This age group is fast becoming hard to ignore for marketers – and in particular online marketers.

No longer can marketers think this group isn’t tech savvy and suspicious of the internet. In general they like to use the internet as a source of information before purchasing and actively engage in with content.

Many often actually have the time to read through content such as blogs, make comments and participate in forums. For example, they may not be You Tube addicts like their younger counterparts, but they do watch online video.

Online video is often thought to be consumed solely by a younger age demographic, but as Trendstream US stats prove, 65% of the 55-64 year age bracket consumed video content online. According to Cisco by 2013, the sum of all forms of video (TV, VoD, Internet video, and P2P) will exceed 90% of global consumer IP traffic.

To prove this case, The Dubs undertook research for AMP Capital Investors and found that the over 55s did in fact watch video through the online channel. They are the wealthiest demographic in Australia and are actively looking for investment options. Although predominate consumption is still with the 18-24 year old audience, the over-55 age group is consuming more and more video online, especially content that is professionally produced.

There will be over 5.5 million people retiring over the next 15 years in Australia. If marketers start to realize the cool kids are actually the ones with the cash – and the time – they will see the over 55s can generate a lot of online revenue.

Online marketers – and their clients – need to start thinking about how to engage with this demographic and treat them with the respect their bulging wallets deserve.

By thedubsters | Posted in Industry insights, News, Opinion | Also tagged , , | Comments (0)

Why the F word is a good thing for marketers

14/06/2011 – 01:42

Why the F word is a good thing for marketers

Josh Frith, Managing Director of The Dubs, shows us how brands can make the most of Facebook, and actually make money from it too.

With social media now taking a larger bite of the budget cherry than ever before, marketers need to swap focus to continue getting results in an ever-growing and changing marketplace.

Social media is no longer simply a brand awareness platform. It is now a place to sell products and services to customers. The biggest platform being, of course, Facebook.

Just to put it into perspective, Facebook took seven years to reach an audience of 600 million, it took the web 14 years. If that doesn’t help sway your thinking take a moment to digest this: If Facebook was a country it would be the third largest in the world, even bigger than the US.

What the f?
Facebook has so far been used as a marketing tool with which to engage customers but 2011 has welcomed the rise of f-commerce. Major brands like Coca-Cola, Apple, Dove and Lady Gaga have already turned to Facebook to sell products. Lady Gaga has more than 35 million fans that have access to buy all things Gaga from music to merchandise simply through Facebook.

Gaga is cultivating a status as a social media music queen having recently tried, quite successfully, a number of different marketing tools for her new album.

One was a partnership with Zynga, creator of the popular game FarmVille available through Facebook, who created Gagaville allowing fans access to exclusive Gaga songs. It was hugely successful in driving interest for the album Born This Way and the campaign was debated in the media the world over.

Born This Way was the biggest album debut of 2011 at the time of its release.

Easy access
F-commerce is an effective marketing tool because your audience is already laid out in front of you; people who have liked your page have done it for a reason. So it is targeted marketing at its best without wasting precious time and resources on those who are never going to buy your brands product.

The trick is giving customers a reason to like your page in the first place.

While you don’t have to go to the extremes of Lady Gaga, exclusive Facebook deals are an effective method to entice people to like your page. Whether it is a chance at trying a new product before it hits the shelves or a Facebook only opportunity, customers love to feel they are a VIP.

Facebook also allows fans to more easily recommend products to their friends, simply by posting a link. With Australian Facebook users on average boasting more than 120 friends, this is a platform all businesses should invest time and resources into.

The final sell
So how do you create a successful Facebook store?

Find a store front application which suits your business. Make sure it is simple and easy to use.

You must brand your page. If users have to look too hard to find out who you are, they won’t bother.

Once it is set up, market your store, there is no point in having it if no one knows about it. Push it through other social media channels and traditional marketing.

Reward fans with exclusive deals and giveaways to make them feel important and to keep them revisiting the page.

Update regularly but don’t overload your fans.

Make sure to monitor what is happening on your site, the number of fans, comments, posts and what people are purchasing.

So now that you know the basics make sure you have the time and resources to invest before starting a Facebook store. Just like any other form of marketing, it will need consistent monitoring. But with Facebook taking over the internet it is a platform you can’t not afford to be involved with.

www.marketingmag.com.au/articles/opinion/5329/why-the-f-word-is-a-good-thing-for-marketers/

By thedubsters | Posted in Industry insights, News, Opinion | Also tagged , , , , | Comments (0)

Social content is King

06/06/2011 – 02:09

Social content is King

Josh Frith, Managing Director of digital engagement agency The Dubs, reiterates that content, not the brand, is king when creating a social media campaign. Frith offers his five key elements for great social content.

It will come as no surprise to you that individuals today are becoming far more self absorbed and are increasingly pursuing topics of interest and relevance to themselves with people they know. For brands today, this means they need to work a lot harder to engage with their audiences.

Marketing today embraces far more than traditional advertising and includes the convergence of entertainment, media and brands. Keith Weed, the chief marketing and communication officer at Unilever said that “We are going to have to make our brands media properties in their own right. We have to connect much more with content and make our brands more relevant.” This is where social content comes in.

Social content uses social media to connect with an audience. The premise of social content is that it is authentic. The content has a genuine story to tell that sparks social engagement with an audience. Brands can be involved and the driver of this social content for the purpose of connecting with their audience, but it is most definitely not an ad – it cannot be overly promotional or used to push a product or service.

So why is social content so effective?
Consumers are moving away from visiting traditional websites to become part of the connections and interactions made possible only through social networking sites. Facebook is the leading contender of social networking sites receiving 25 percent of traffic on the internet.

The potential consumers of a brand are actively participating in social media providing the perfect opportunity for a brand to form direct relationships and encourage advocacy. It provides the ideal platform to tap in to the most effective way of selling a product – peer to peer and word of mouth marketing.

It provides an opportunity for brands to research their target audience and find out what they are interested in from a social point of view. This then provides a lead for a brand to understand how they can intrinsically become part of the conversation providing real genuine content that consumers will engage with.

Social content helps brands achieve a balance between entertainment and education, satisfying a consumer need without the need for over the top promotion.

No conversation – no social campaign!
It is important to take authentic content and build on it in a conversational tone that will engage an audience to respond to something that is of inherent interest to them. A campaign that is too heavily skewed and based on an advertising mindset will fail. When creating content, keep in mind that a brand can be the initiator, the host or the opener of the content, but never the hero piece.

If the content does not generate conversation, there is no social content campaign. Just because something is uploaded on Facebook does not automatically make it a social content campaign! This is why it is so important to get the content right.

The five key elements to social content
1. Research, research, research – Use social media to research what your target audience are interested in. There is no point spending hours creating content that your audience won’t engage with.

2. Keep your content authentic – Make sure your content is genuine and tells a real story that your audience will engage with. Avoid anything that is overly promotional.

3. Keep your concept simple – Brands often fail by trying to over complicate the content. A simple easy to follow story line that can be viewed and understood quickly will have more chance of succeeding.

4. Keep your content short – There might be a lot to say, but keep it short and draw your viewers in quickly. Include the hook to the story in the first 10 seconds and keep your content to a maximum of 1 – 1.5 minutes.

5. Keep it conversational – Understand who your target audience is to develop a tone that your audience will engage with. Avoid a corporate tone as this style is out of place on social media.

www.marketingmag.com.au/articles/opinion/5277/social-content-is-king/

By thedubsters | Posted in Industry insights, News, Opinion | Also tagged , , , | Comments (0)
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