Week 2 @FUSEmg! What have I learned? 2/6

Week two already, I feel like time is just flying and I dread the end of April! From client meetings, internal brainstorming, blog work and helping anyone who needs it my days are anything but boring. I was even able to show off my people skills this week while doing sampling on the street! The weather may be gloomy but my spirits are not.

I, of course, cannot disclose any client information but I have to say sitting in and listening to real clients is eye opening! Sitting in class listening to the teachers explaining how a client meeting will be does not prepare you. I am so glad that the last two years at St. Lawrence College we didn’t just receive lessons and lectures but were able to work on real campaigns and dip our toes in to the reality that is pitching to the client and adapting to their needs and desires. 

Lesson 1: The client knows their company better than you, as an advertiser, ever will, or should. The client should be an expert about their company and products; you need to be the expert on how to talk to and inform their target market and how they will respond to positioning and branding. As the marketer (from what I have seen so far) you need to be the channel, strategy and consumer expert, let the client tell you about their brand. Go in with facts and knowledge of the brand and leave all biased behind so that you can create a clear picture on how the client sees their own brand and how they want their customers to see it. 

Life at the Agency: The community and atmosphere of agency life (this agency) is so warm, even in a bad mood and completely stressed out and fighting to meet a deadline everyone here is supportive, understanding and friendly, it’s like a large family with strong communication skills. I’m only on my second week and I am greeted by everyone who walks by my desk, I am invited to lunches and meetings and I don’t think my brain has ever been so buzzing with information! The day is done at 5, and I am reflecting on what I’ve done, experienced and learned until I finally fall asleep at night (and I may even be dreaming it, who knows.)

Wish me good luck for my 3^rd week at FUSE Marketing Group and the halfway point of the best experience of my life! (Yup I’m sucking up :P)

@mandamwright

P.S. Cut down my coffee intake from 2  a day to 1 a week! 

The Social Event of the Year: #WrestleMania XXVIII

Vince McMahon is ‘obsessed’ with making Wrestle Mania the Social Event of the Year! Is this dangerous to the WWE Franchise or the beginning of a new era of wrestling?

Many WWe fans have expressed some worry on the enjoy-ability and quality of this year’s Wrestle Mania because of the focus on making the event completely social. Many worry that Wrestle Mania XXXVIII will be more about what is trending on Twitter than what is currently happening in the ring.

WWe and wrestling are one of the most social sports who are effectively using their social media presence to connect with friends from Twitter to Youtube. Their success should be mostly attributed to the fan loyalty to many of the stars on Twitter, I know I am following; The Rock [@TheRock], Cena[@JohnCena]. CM Punk [@CMPunk] and a few other of my favourites. But are they going too far with this event?

The night starts with the 1^st ever “Wrestle Mania Pre-Show” broadcast live on YouTube, Facebook and WWe.com. Throughout there will be the Hash-tag battle between #Cenation fans and #TeamBringIt to decide who will ultimately win Wrestle Mania, Cena or The Rock!

In the past most social sporting events tapper off during the live show, when there is no interaction between the stars and the fans, and this is what McMahon is hoping to rectify. But what does that mean exactly…will The Rock stay with his old shtick of communicating with the audience and breaking the fourth wall in a match by tweeting now? How would you feel as a fan if during the match or stand-off your favourite star just stopped to tweet? Would it destroy those rose coloured goggles that allowed you to pretend that wrestling was real and unscripted? Or would it add to the enjoyment?

And not to play the entire in match tweeting short, but for online fans Mike Tyson [@MikeTyson] – WWe Hall of Fame Honouree will be live tweeting the event to give a back stage/behind the scenes look at Wrestle Mania, and specifically the Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony.

Are you going to be watching the live PPV of WrestleMania XXXVIII this year? And how does the Social presence affect your WWe experience? For the better or worse?

To Enjoy the Full Social Event here are the Hashtags to keep you in the loop:

                #Wrestlemania

                #Axxess – Wrestle Mania Axxess

                #WWEHOF – Wwe Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony

                #WMParty – Wrestle Mania’s Premiere Party: Celebration of Miami Art & Fashion

Xbox Live TV Apps are a bust

Xbox Live TV Apps are a bust

HBO Go App and MLB.tv unavailable for many Xbox Live users

@mandamwright

Today Xbox announced that HBO GO and MLB.tv apps would be available on Xbox Live...but only for subscribers with participating TV providers.

 

Of course, the Twitterverse exploded with unhappy customers...a few complaints; how can you find out if your cable company supports the new app, what if you don’t have cable and just want to pay for the app through your Xbox Live Membership? And the strongest complaint... Comcast – the largest cable TV provider in the U.S. doesn’t support the apps. For a bold move HBOGO and MLB.TV had a devastating backlash from the Twitterverse.

How could they have rectified this?

1.     Don’t make a public statement if the much desired product isn’t available to all of your fans, it just creates bitterness (And if it is only for certain providers list them with all press releases)

2.     Why would I watch a show on my Xbox when I have to PAY for cable to be able to watch it...backwards thinking?

3.     Know your target audience, Xbox users are normally pretty tech savvy and online a lot...maybe the content should be available online and not through cable?

4.     This generation is OK with paying for content and apps if they are easily available don’t lose the sale and promote online piracy by making it harder for them to get the content.

5.     Be Smart!

P.S. Not available in Canada yet, though not their fault, our online content laws are insane.

How One Company Used Their Fans To Fund An "Impossible" Idea

Ever wish your consumers would fund your ideas?Zenescope did, and it looks like it's working! With a combination of fan loyalty, an interesting product and exciting incentives, Zenescope has raised $20,000 in less than 72 hours! 

• The Challenge

Some quick background: even though fairy tales are extremely popular at the moment with Once Upon a Time, Grimm, and the Snow White movies coming out this year, Hollywood decided there was no room for an animated series. Zenescope - one of the top independent comic book and graphic novel publishers in the world - disagrees, and so do their fans. With the support of Kickstarter (the world's largest online funding platform for creative projects), they've teamed up to create a 46-day campaign between March 16th and May 1st to raise $175,000 towards the creation of the Grimm Fairy Tales: Animated Series.

With a tough goal to meet and no backup funding, Zenescope must rely completely on their fans to not only pledge money but to spread their message. Now that's fan loyalty...and company trust. And what’s the best part about this campaign? The fans actually WANT to donate!


So, how did they do it? How has Zenescope tapped into their loyal fanbase to generate funds for a project that is, at this point, merely a POSSIBILITY?  

How'd they do it?

Zenescope has a very niche segment in the market, attracting not just comic book enthusiasts, but also the devoted fans that specifically want to support independent companies. It's allowed them to create a strong and personal relationship with their fans, which is key to their success with this project. Crowdsourcing like this only works when you have a well-established relationship with your customers - one that’s strongly focused on trust and open communication (kind of like a healthy marriage).

Larger companies with a broader fan base may have a more difficult time gaining and maintaining this type of dedicated support. When operating on a massive scale, it isn’t as easy to relate and communicate with your target market on an individual level – though social media is certainly making it more possible. Larger consumer bases with less loyalty to the brand are more likely to interact with a company because of offers, cost, location, and not because of personal connection. 

Zenescope, on the other hand, has done a great job of connecting with their fans and not only listening to them but also responding and adapting to their collective feedback. They allowed their followers to feel like a part of the team and by taking their advice and sharing behind the scenes material, they were able to lean on them for support when the need arose.

Thanks to a combination of blogger outreach and posts by Zenescope, as well as articles on comic news sources, they were able to quickly spread the word amongst their key communities and influencers. They also reached out to their Facebook and Twitter communities to connect with and inform their loyal fans who quickly responded with startling support. After only a few days, they had made significant process. Using targeted incentives, open communication and a common goal to bring these fairy tales to life, Zenescope had received over $20,000 from less than 200 supporters. 

They didn’t stop there. Following some fan suggestions, they created an HTML widget that can be posted on the sidebar of any personal blog. It created awareness and linked to a pledge page. Talk about ROI; the time they put into this small web app will be rewarded with increased share-ability and more media/blogger exposure. It also simplified the donation process, which is a key to successful fundraising. After all, the easier it is for a potential supporter to donate, the more likely they are to pledge.

The word was spread, the fans were excited and Zenescope is that much closer to bringing their fairy tale to life. Anything’s a possibility when you have a tribe of believers supporting your brand. Could your company benefit from crowdsourced fundraising? Is your fan base loyal enough to help push your business forward? 

- @mandamwright 

also published on Fuse Marketing Group's FUZZ Blog

Week 1 @FUSEmg #Reimagine #Placement

(That’s right I hashtagged my Title!)

It’s been a full week at Fuse and I already love it! I’vesettled into Toronto life and the agency atmosphere.

                Monday morning began with abrainstorming meeting where I was able to voice my suggestions and meet part ofthe Creative and Account team. It was very open, with all types of ideas justto get everyone thinking. After the exhilarating meeting I was introduced tothe team I would be working for, a group a fun and engaging individuals thatalways have something for me to work on. I started with client research, whichI am so thankful I did, because later that week I would sit in on a clientmeeting where I needed all the background info I could remember. Later they hadbe work on editing (yes they let me edit something!) and caught me up to speedwith the rebranding that was about to launch the next day.

                Tuesday was even more excitingwith FUSE’s Rebrand. #Reimagine #Results! I was able to help with some of theexecution of the new brand and the best part was joining the party downstairsin the Creative Department and meeting all the members of FUSE. It was my 2^ndday and we were having cake and FUSE-tinis. Though the day was mostly fun, itwas also a busy day, I worked through my lunch and didn’t notice until theparty what time it was.

                Wednesday and I am reallystarting to feel like one of the team. I come in early (Here at 8:30 everymorning because I’m terrified of being late) and almost everyone says hi ontheir way to their desk. I am remembering MOST of the names and becoming quitecomfortable. This day started with more research, some editing again and thenORGANIZING! I was able to organize and create a content calendar for one of theclients I am working on, and it was...sadly....very exciting, there werecolours and columns and now I KNOW I should stay on the account side just so Ihave an excuse to jump on Excel!

                Thursday & Friday almost toobusy to blog! Having a great time, and everything is getting a little clientorientated, which of course I am unable to disclose! But I am learning a lot,loving the ability to shadow, sit in on meetings and work on my own tasks! Iwill attempt to do an overview each week of my experience here at FUSEMarketing Group!

Stay tuned!

@mandamwright