1/12/12

 

ROI of Social

Yes, Return On Investment.
Some 2011 stats on how companies leveraged social media to increase sales, improve performance, and put themselves in front of new, and already enthusiastic, audiences.

Here's 101 Examples, from Peter Kim, for a start.

Have questions? We're here to help, and can showcase how local Virginia businesses have succeeded  and improved with the help of social media.

Labels: advertising, marketing, ROI, social media

1/26/11

 

Oh, Facebook, How We Mistrust Thee...

Labels: advertising, facebook, privacy, social media, social networking

1/6/11

 

Homeless Man Ted Williams Is the New Voice of Mac & Cheese

Labels: advertising

11/5/09

 

C3 Richmond: Copeland Casati Media + Web Roundup

• It's a very twitter-focused week.
• Locally, Richmond's 5th annual List Of Companies To Watch by Venture Forum, a entrepreneur networking group for those in the investment profession, had eight local companies featured this week.... none whom are on twitter.
   
• Correction: PowerPact is on twitter.
  Their last tweet was in August.
  
  
• Maybe you don't think all this social stuff applies to you. Here's a big memo, if you value your site, and business, being found in search engines: Tweets matter.
  
  
• And with that... lists. I am especially interested in how lists will affect seo... If you want to troll public lists by subject, etc. (and add your own) you can check out Listorious.
  
  
• You've heard me talk about Sidewiki. Here's how to claim your site.
  
  
•  And twitter lists are now for everyone, and here's what you and your business need to know.
  
  
• And Google's big news? Dashboard. Read all about transparency, choice and control with Google Dashboard here.
  

Thanks for listening!
...If you note any trends or local media items of note, feel free to send 'em on!

I'm Copeland Casati, of Copeland Casati Media,
the original C3 in Richmond creative arts and media since 1999.

You can reach me at copeland@copelandcasati.com, or on twitter, @copelandcasati. If you are a Facebook user, we can be found here: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Copeland-Casati-Media-C3/52352550685

Labels: advertising, google, search engine marketing, seo, sidewiki, social media, trends, twitter

10/13/09

 

American Girl Drama

I may be running into a political bonfire with little more than a garden hose for defense, but come on. All the drama over the new American Girl Doll seems just a tad... well...

Overblown.

They are releasing an expensive doll. They ALWAYS release an expensive doll. The doll, "Gwen", has a complex back story which creates fodder for a series of books and potential movies and made-for-TV specials. Imagine that.

People seem to be upset because charging $95 dollars for a doll that is 'homeless' is a mockery. There is a popular notion that at the very least a portion of that money should go to charities that benefit the homeless. That would be nice, but unless it's a standard of behavior that Mattel has already begun, (donating Addy's proceeds to Civil War History Museums, or Kaya's proceeds to Native American causes) it would seem unfair to start now with Gwen.

I had an American Girl Doll. My two best friends did as well, and we read their books and played with them daily. As far as toys go they are very expensive, and while my family was not wealthy, we were fortunate to be able to afford extravagances like that at Christmas and birthdays. For better or worse I was sheltered from many of life's more unpleasant facts until I was much older by my parents' vigilance.

I suspect that it is the same for many of the children playing with American Girl Dolls today. If a parent wants to introduce their child to homelessness through a doll and accompanying literature, I don't have a problem with that.

If you don't like the product, you don't buy it. That is your feedback outlet as a consumer.

If you didn't plan to buy it anyway and are thus lacking an outlet; imagine for a moment that rather than being upset, every person who had complained about this donated $5 to a charity benefiting the homeless.

I suspect the latter would do a significant amount of good. Whereas the former just creates drama.

Labels: advertising

9/22/09

 

Richmond New Media Weekly Roundup

• We are very excited to announce our submission for permanent, public art in Richmond won the InLight legacy category. You may recall my talking about last year's InLight, Richmond's first "Art, Turned On," and raving over Scott Kyle's solar sidewalk.
  
  This year, Scott Kyle of Fullscale Architecture, Damon Pearson of Tektonics and our prefab Green Cabin Kits, Lisa Taranto of Tricycle Gardens and myself spent the summer concepting on The Tree. Set to be displayed against Richmond's Convention Center downtown, this solar tree reminds us of nature past, present, future. We hope to continue to add solar trees throughout the city, providing light and architectural dimension to our urban landscape.
  
  
• I am loving the new TweetDeck. I think the most valuable feature I'm noticing is the drag & drop, and automatic shortening of urls.
  
  
• I enjoy reading client Google Analytic statistics because I evaluate and think about our economy accordingly.
  
  For example, as I reviewed analytics for our client accounts this month, I saw growth in jewelry/accessories, real estate/architecture, and culture / museum accounts.
  
  Now I am no financial expert (I'll leave that to The Naked Portfolio Manager), but reviewing this data always makes me think... and I think these are good signs for our economy.
  
  
• The Taylor Swift / Kanye incident also had implications on how average people are using the web.
  
  
• Posterous has themes! But I am trying to dig up an article not two weeks ago on why using tools like Posterous can hurt your seo in posting duplicate content in multiple places. Can't find the article (yet)... But be aware. Useful tool, but caution if seo is of major importance (and for myself, seo is always king)...
  
  
• The New York Times has big plans for twitter... more aggregation, more search, more sorting of content to keep an eye on.
  
  
• Google launched Sidewiki. Sidewiki is like a Universal Commenting System http://om.bit.ly/81fgM I can't help but be reminded of AddATweet, which I mentioned a few weeks back.
  
  
• But don't forget: At the end of the day...
  Your Social Media Strategy Won't Save You.

Thanks for listening!
...If you note any trends or local media items of note, feel free to send 'em on!

I'm Copeland Casati, of Copeland Casati Media,
the original C3 in Richmond media since 1999.

You can reach me at copeland@copelandcasati.com, or on twitter, @copelandcasati. If you are a Facebook user, we can be found here: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Copeland-Casati-Media-C3/52352550685

Labels: advertising, awards, c3, google, social media, twitter

3/19/09

 

Good Grief.

Sigh, what do ya think? Should we put in a RFP for the "C3" account?
Oh wait, haven't we been C3 since 1999?
Oh wait, aren't they the people that told us that darned it, that was too bad they were still going to use C3 even though they rented to people that competed against us in the marketplace and were confusing our clients because they had already printed their letterhead and business cards?!?

Oh wait, if they're the Creative Change Center maybe they should just be creative and... change?

Here's the RFP - C3-Web-site-RFP.pdf

Looks like they want to compile a database of creatives for work- soooooooo more confusion in the marketplace for The Original C3, Copeland Casati Media?

Please feel free to pass the RFP on to any unethical person you know!
Nice people, we're here, as we've always been, to work with you in advertising and web.

And we at Copeland Casati Media, C3 highly recommend the Creative Change Center look into rethinking their brand name before launching again. It's the right thing to do.

Labels: advertising, c3

3/11/09

 

The Agency As The Octopus

I wrote this draft post back in January, but the AdAge article today on how marketing is becoming directed to other marketers targeting each other prompted me to post it now:

Now that we're all comfortable with 'social media,' I'd like to throw in a little of my darker, literary side.

In 1901, Frank Norris detailed the struggles of small farmers against the "public domain" encroachment of big railroad industry in "The Octopus."

In the end,

"Presley goes to San Francisco, where he meets the president of the railroad and finds that he is not an evil man. He meets Hooven's daughter Minna, whom poverty has driven to prostitution. Chapter seven alternates scenes of a splendid, opulent dinner in the home of a railroad vice president with scenes of Hooven's widow starving on the city street. In the end, Behrman, the cold-hearted railroad agent who destroyed so many wheat ranchers, is buried under tons of wheat being dropped into the hold of a ship on which Presley is sailing. The ship is one that the wealthy people of San Francisco have arranged, with charitable contributions, to take wheat to the starving people of India."

Traditionally, agencies expanded when valued employees moved to other cities with viable markets and wanted to become outposts, or when working with a client in another city, they forged relationships with smaller companies there to then merge.
Until now, only the largest and well-funded agencies were able to expand to multiple locations.

Will that model remain?

In Richmond, copeland casati media has clients we've never met in London, Washington, L.A., Toronto... We know everything about their business, even their grandchildren's names. Somehow far-flung clients find us, and relationships begin. It has been great seeing so many different businesses overcome the "must meet in person" mindset to leap into close, successful, longterm projects.

Now there's twitter, and other social media.
When I first joined, it was to listen to authorities on subjects that interested me.
Then I began to cut up- our job involves much research, so I use twitter often as a place to giggle, relax, and interact with my peers.

This brought about some unexpected gifts- new friends with whom I'm happy to see outside of work, and collaboration on ideas, conversations... and fun.

Lately I've been exploring several large agencies in Paris, London, New York, loving how each has their own voice, brand, culture... seeing ones that are totally different from our workplace, then discovering ones where I think, "Oh my gosh we could work there!"

And think...

Now, before you start spreading rumors that we're gonna merge...
We have neither plans nor desire to change our company or culture.
We are happy as we are.

BUT it makes us think:
I am certain 'Big Ad Industry' will be changing, thanks to the ease of interaction through new social networks, and thought professionally we should point it out.

Like the era of Big Railway taking away small fields of wheat, will there rise The Octopus of Large Advertising greedily extending their domain?

...Or will this foster opportunity for nimble collaboration and exchange of culture and collaboration?

As a web enthusiast... I'm certain it will be the latter.
The interaction on the web still remains individualistic- despite the brand umbrella under which your agency speaks.

I see instead The Octopus as people leaning towards and reaching to each other via different agencies, in outreach, not overtaking but benefiting in positive partnerships to better serve their clients.

Let culture, and freedom of collaboration, ring.

Labels: advertising, twitter, voice