iMedia Connection Blog

At the beginning of "The King’s Speech" Colin Firth, as the soon-to-be King George VI, stands before his soon-to-be subjects and fails miserably. He can barely get a word out. The next hour is the story of this man’s struggle to break free of what binds him and stand up in a perilous moment to instill confidence in his product, Great Britain.

This story of King George VI of Britain, his impromptu ascension to the throne and the speech therapist that helped mirrors our time well. His people needed a leader, a voice where they could find the courage to do the hard things it takes to change with the times and be successful. Brands need their leaders at this time to recognize and deal with the clouds of change hovering over them.
Brands today are like the King. For years they have stood at the microphones of their day by proxy, propped up be agencies. It really wasn’t the brands talking with the people, it was their agents.  Fast forward to Social 2013 where brands are expected to post everyday across multiple social platforms, their stuttering is being heard.  Like the King, they have much work to do.
The Real Story Of... Read more

The quote above is from the new ANA chairman, Stephen Quinn, EVP Marketing at Wal-Mart. He put his finger on the fact that something big is happening… the power people wield with their devices and the social networks that link them have changed how we market. It is not that doing good is the new black, but according to brand after brand, doing good as a long-term business strategy is the only way to insure positive growth.
At last week’s ANA Masters of Marketing in front of a packed house, companies like McDonalds, MasterCard, Proctor & Gamble and Johnson & Johnson outlined how they are committing to align their vision, mission, products and services with the good of humanity, focusing their marketing energy and dollars on making positive contributions to their customers and the world.
They assured us that this is not a campaign but a permanent course they are committed to, which all will benefit from.  They reiterated what we all know: people have the control to influence millions positively and negatively about brands. Brands have responded by evolving their strategy to align what they do to have a positive impact on people and their environments.  The brands are sharing their... Read more

A new study from PhaseOne Communications presented at the Advertising Research Foundation’s Re:think 2012, points to aspirations as the key for brands in social.
“The key factor is that brand messaging convey an idealized self or Me Statement embodied by the brand as the reason that users want to be associated with it. What draws people to affiliate publicly with a brand is the desire to send a message their social networks about how they want to be perceived.”
A THOROUGH STUDY
Conducted between July 2011 and January 2012, PhaseOne looked at 75 top brands across six vertical markets and analyzed the social media engagement of more than 20 top brands. Their top finding was that “users engage with a brand in social media based on how they want to be perceived,” says Dr. Lisa Allard, VP Special Projects.
Additionally, they found “in a successful ‘Me Statement,’ the brand is so wholly integrated into the message that the brand itself becomes the reflection of the idealized self. That identifying the right ‘Me Statement’ requires deep understanding of your target audience and your brand’s equity to identify the right idea that can bridge the two.”
ENGAGMENT LEADERS “ME STATEMENTS”

Starbucks: “I pursue experiences that are uniquely me.”
Audi:... Read more

At the recent ANA Masters of Marketing sessions in NYC, big brands like Coca Cola, Unilever and Anheuser Busch outlined how much things are changing. They described their new course based on today's reality of people with a loud voice and showed they are far along in execution to harness this power of the people.
They made clear that they have made a dramatic turn and are midway on their new course… pointing at building direct relationships with people.  Each of these global brand leaders shared how they are embracing people as partners in their global growth and how social has become a key component of their success. These gentleman had more to say than can appear here, this is what stuck in my ear.
Joe Tripodi CMO The Coca-Cola Company spoke about getting comfortable, losing control, and  building a path to help Coke loyalists become advocates. Stating that advocacy for your brand is the highest level of marketing, he declared that people are becoming a brands strongest allies and an extension of their sales force.
Joe spoke about Coke implementing an enterprise-wide social strategy, stating that "we have no choice, it is what people want."  He spoke of how Coke is engaging... Read more

Last week's ANA Master of Marketing was an interesting gathering in Phoenix of many of the world's top brands and marketing minds. We heard from marketing leaders at AT&T, IBM, Kimberly Clark, Kraft, Weight Watchers, EA, Visa, facebook and others about how they are looking beyond today and getting people involved with purpose, truth, authenticity and fun.

Most all of these brands displayed a sense of optimism, a structure for growing relationships with people and a strong growth story driven by smart marketing. IBM talked of character as their north star; Weight Watchers centered on Customer Truth; Kraft about taking big leaps based on great ideas, and Kimberly Clark on finding authenticity with people.
WHY DIDN'T I THINK OF THAT
This was all good but what got attention, what might provide a platform for innovative thinking around this truth, authenticity and character was the story of carrots and garbage. Two companies had the room buzzing. Light bulbs seemed to go on around the room. It was the light of …"why didn't I think of that?"
In a three-day conference like this, there is a great deal of time spent in lunches, cocktails, dinner and more cocktails. This is where you hear... Read more