February 14, 2012
@paullyoung
Event Details: Twitter Chat with Paull Young of charity: water
Event Date: Thursday, February 16th
Event Time: 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. EST
Discussion Topics: A case study of how charity: water has activated innovative cause marketing through powerful storytelling, integrated social media campaigns, and a strong focus towards the brand to share the water crisis story.
Hashtag: #SmartCMO
You may have already heard of charity: water, the non-profit is known for raising millions of dollars along with invaluable awareness to help create access to clean – safe drinking water in impoverished nations – but they’re also breaking new ground in the definition of “cause marketing”. Paull Young, charity: water’s director of digital engagement, is our guest host for the next #SmartCMO Twitter chat.
How is charity: water unique? They have been and continue to pioneer the social media space for non-profits by engaging their donors online to help share their core mission – and in doing so, have become the first charity to reach one million followers on Twitter. Their focus is on inspiring, motivating, and activating their donors through storytelling, a goal they accomplish without giving up their “lean startup” mentality – their entire marketing department is a staff of one, led by Paull.
They also stand out in their promise of the 100% model – every dollar donated goes towards a specific water well project (a second fund pays for operational expenses), and they continue to embrace accountability by tracking each project on Google maps. Any CEO would be impressed with the results: charity: water has raised over $40 million dollars in five years.
This Thursday, February 16th, Paull will be answering your questions online for #SmartCMO Twitter Chat about building a strong community brand, the importance of storytelling to your audience, and using social media and content to create an authentic digital marketing strategy – as well as sharing examples from the charity: water model.
Join us starting at 1:00 p.m. EST by following the hashtagh #SmartCMO to chat with Paull Young and the Smart CMO community!
February 7, 2012
Kevin Alansky Hosts #SmartCMO Chat
Thank you to everyone who participated in our first Smart CMO Twitter chat last week – this is our step into developing a weekly chat series dedicated towards social media, marketing, brand innovation and all things around the Smart CMO community. We’re very pleased to announce that our next chat will be hosted by innovator and previous SCMO speaker – Kevin Alansky (@alansky) of Blackboard, on Thursday, February 9th at 1:00pm ET.
Kevin is a thought-leader in the product marketing and education space, and has taken an impressively open approach in his embrace of social media as the Vice President, Global Digital & Content Marketing at Blackboard. He will be joining us at 1:00pm ET to answer your questions on technology, media and the future of online education.
The event hashtag to follow: #SmartCMO
To make sure your topic is answered, we encourage you to pre-submit your questions by Tweeting your question to @SmartCMO before Thursday with #SmartCMO.
We will try to answer as many as possible, and post some of your comments afterwards!
More Info:
Read Kevin’s Blog: Market Brilliantly
Watch Kevin speak at the Smart CMO Roundtable
February 2, 2012
The Smart CMO team would like to invite you to join us for the launch of our Twitter chat series launching Friday, February 3rd. at 1pm ET. This will be the first in a series of weekly chats hosted by the Smart CMO community, where we will discuss the latest in marketing, social media and brand convergence, as well as share sneak peek access into the upcoming Smart CMO Forum. We will announce special guests that will join us to share their unique insights and answer your questions.
Event Details: The first chat will be this Friday, February 3rd at 1:00pm ET with scheduled chats taking place each week on Thursdays at 1:00pm ET.
Follow the Hashtag: #SmartCMO
Discussion Topics:
Advertising during the Super Bowl is one of the most talked-about topics for marketers. A few commercials have already been released before the big game (AdAge shares a few). Which brands do you think take advantage of the Super Bowl opportunity best?
Which devices will you use to interact during the game? A recent study shows that half of all Super Bowl viewers will check their mobile phones at least 10 times. Will you be of them? How do you like to watch the game – will you be Tweeting, checking Facebook or following the live stream online?
How much should sports play a role in your marketing efforts? Sports sponsorships, from marketing in live stadiums to the players’ official uniforms is increasing. How do you view the advantages for product placement in sports marketing?
We’ll also be taking advance questions from our community to pose towards our speakers, Frank Supovitz (@SupEvents) and Mark Waller from the National Football League, who will be joining us, live for the Smart CMO Forum on March 1st. See our full agenda and complimentary registration for more information.
January 31, 2012
Recently I had a great opportunity to attend VES in San Diego, acting as the moderator for one of the session rooms for a content-packed day of 5 workshops with anywhere from 30 to 100 people attending. In addition to meeting some wonderful people – both presenters and attendees – I got a lot out of the content and dialog that the workshops enabled. I’ve thought about my ‘Top 5’ takeaways from my experience and thought I’d share them. If you would like to see any of the sessions from my room or the several others going on concurrently, you can do so online at the Virtual Edge Summit (VES) EPIC EVENT – registration is available on-demand.
1. Content that is audience-specific, digestible, concise and interactive should always be at the top of the priority list for keeping people in your environment. That, and how you are going to communicate and market your event – it is VERY different than physical event marketing.
2. Objectives should drive content; content should drive technology application. All too often we start with discussions of technology instead of developing really clear objectives and identifying stakeholders. It no different than meeting planning around a certain location or venue before discussing what is attempting to be accomplished.
3. It is important to question format, delivery, content, and anything that will be part of an audience experience online versus in person. All of the dynamics are different, and people just do not engage digitally the same way as they do physically. It is okay – and highly desirable – to rethink how interactivity, engagement, messaging and content ‘show up’ for the online user. Try something new regularly and assess the results.
4. Virtual product launches are an underused and huge potential for companies to augment multi-tactic major launch initiatives. In one workshop Microsoft shared some compelling examples of a global ‘follow the sun’ launch and results they were able to attain. Done correctly, they may be what sets launches apart in the future – just as digital extensions, experiential marketing approaches and mobile applications are doing for so-called ‘physical’ events.
5. 365 environments with evergreen and always-updated content can take your marketing and communications investment further. Like the post-event period following a physical meeting, successfully creating an always-on place for your members to return to and contribute into is more likely to show the maximum return on the event and build community.
June 20, 2011
1) Customization
No two virtual events are the same. VIVA Creative has produced virtual product launches that are lead generation machines, virtual user groups that are content-driven, virtual wedding expos that generate commerce, virtual annual meetings that extend reach, and many others. While some virtual events have similar goals, they are never identical. To effectively meet your business goals, it’s reasonable to expect that your virtual event will require some level of customization – yet many platforms promise “off the shelf” solutions. While the virtual events business needs to be scalable to be sustainable, flexibility can sometimes be a challenge. Choose wisely and make sure that your technology platform offers enough customization to effectively meet your objectives.
2) Content
The power of content is enormous. Good content can save a bad virtual event. Bad content can kill an otherwise great virtual event. You can’t afford to step out without great content. At VIVA, we place tremendous emphasis on helping clients develop a content strategy that will support their intended virtual event outcomes. Rarely will this strategy include a back-of-ballroom camera filming a talking head with slides. We have established best practices for virtual event content – and the industry has responded. Ask yourself, does your content educate, entertain, inform, persuade, or change perceptions? Content doesn’t have to be expensive or flashy, but it does have to be high quality, engaging, and designed specifically for this interactive virtual medium. Settle for nothing else.
3) Context
After content, comes context. Context describes how the virtual experience is wrapped; it explains how the experience unfolds. What is the design, background, environment, framework, or situation surrounding your virtual event? What navigation, copy, branding, colors, and style imbue the experience with meaning? What are the circumstances under which the event is created, including its function, purpose, timing, and intended audience? How do all of these things combine into a branded audience experience? What relationships will be formed because of your event, either online or in-person? If you get the context right, it will magnify your content in a way that resonates. If you design your virtual event without considering context, you will be making a huge mistake – because context is how audiences subconsciously process information online.
4) Connection
Technology should make interactivity fluid, intelligent, and incredibly useful to virtual event attendees, but interactive features on many platforms are clunky and awkward. Innovation is desperately needed in this area. We’ve learned that strong content presented in the right context is the key to unlocking connection. Connection is the Holy Grail for many virtual event producers – how do we get people to engage, interact, and socialize in a virtual event setting? People are more likely to engage and actively respond to content when the context inspires them. This is why networks like AMC-TV turn to VIVA to create their virtual experiences. We understand the intersection of context and content to create interactive, fun, and discoverable virtual experiences that connect people and keep them engaged for hours – not minutes.
5) Creativity
Most virtual event platforms are built to be scalable and repeatable – with template-driven administrator tools. Financially it might make sense, but from a user-experience perspective it can be lackluster. As marketers, we know our audiences expect fresh, unique experiences. Don’t underestimate the importance of originality and creativity in virtual events. You need to take your audience by surprise, strengthen your brand, and imbue the experience with value. Don’t underestimate the value of design in the UI. Your virtual event is a reflection of your brand and your customers are watching.
