Blog o' RAMA

AdAge Go Sit in the Corner!

A little ranting here - on behalf of those professionals who actually want to excel at what they do, including marketing.

A friend (member of our board - Jennifer Young) sent me a note about AdAge doing a scathing review of Seth Godin's new book, not out yet but many of us have advance proofs, in which they essentially said,"..."The Dip" is little more than hollow self-motivation pap, the sort of stuff that late-life losers spend hundreds of dollars on at seminars across the country in some desperate hope to pull their lives together. I'd say "The Dip" reads like a bunch of disjointed blog posts, but that would be an insult to the hundreds of bloggers out there crafting thoughtful, insightful essays about business."

Wow! Ken Wheaton and Matt Kinsley sound like two guys who still need Mommy to hold their hand when they cross the street! They were looking through The Dip (which takes italics, guys, NOT quotation marks), as if it's the Holy Grail or something. Exactly the kind of thing folks who don't want to do the work of learning how to accomplish a goal react when someone of some expertise says, "Just go do it."

I am not a huge fan of Seth Godin. I'm a fan, just not a huge fan. I am a huge fan of his writings, however. And, this particular book hits the proverbial nail right on the head! It's a, "Just go do it," kind of book. It includes advice on when NOT to keep doing it - because you're roaming around a circle that never ends. In fact, to quote from the book,"Quit the wrong stuff. Stick with the right stuff. Have the guts to do one or the other."

Matt and Ken want the 'secret' of what's the right stuff and what's the wrong stuff. They accuse the publishing industry of "slobbering" over writers like Seth, as if he's the greatest writer out there - when the reality is: the world likes Seth, so, of course the publishing industry is going to like him. It's never the writer, it's the audience. As long as smart people keep reading Seth, they'll keep publishing him. And, for the not-so smart readers who read him and think he's an overwinded blowhard, so be it. You're entitled to your opinion. Go read some pop psychology, if it will make you feel better.

Here's the scoop, folks. There are no answers. There certainly are no EASY answers. The advice to "Just go do it" is the best you'll ever get. If Seth had outlined everything step you need to take to build a world class organization, he would fail you miserably. It's NOT FOR HIM TO SAY what YOU should do. It's for YOU to figure out.

The book the AdAge boys tout, I'm Good Enough, I'm Smart Enough, and Doggone It, People Like Me!: Daily Affirmations By Stuart Smalley sounds like Pop Psychology to me- real drivel, if you will. (no, I haven't read it - sounds too mamby-pamby for me.)

IF you don't know when to quit, you're NOT good enough. If you don't have a clue about when to persevere and when to pack up and move on, you're NOT smart enough. And, I don't really care if people like you. People liked Ted Bundy and Aaron Burr, and the Mayflower Madam - so what? Doggone it, does that make them worth paying attention to?

Here's the fundamental truth - as Lee Thayer would say, "If you want to be a success - don't fail."

Simple as that. The Dip outlines exact moments that you might want to be thoughtful about moving forward or quitting. Because sometimes - you're better off saying, "This isn't working. Let's do something else." And, it all happens in just under 80 pages. Ken's and Matt's author takes 352 pages, bent on convincing you... that good enough is good enough.

Let me think: in my time-strapped life which book do I want to read on the plane that will help me make a success of my business? And, as a leader, is it my role to recognize the right time to quit, or to motivate my partners and workers to be happy because they're good enough, smart enough, and people like them?

In the end, I want to be the BEST - not good enough. I don't much care if people like me - hard choices are seldom popular. As Seth says: "In a free market, we reward exceptional." As Lee Thayer says, "High-performance: hard. Mediocrity: easy."

Are you getting the message? Read The Dip. And then, read Lee's book, How Executives Fail: 25 Surefire Recipes for Sabotaging Your Career.

If you know Matt and Ken, send them a copy.

The Moscow Rules

As Denis has already mentioned we are back for this year's AMA Leadership Summit -- themed "Mission Possible". It was a fantastic opportunity to learn from other chapters around the country (and Canada too), as well as a chance to help others learn from our success -- we were recognized for both Leadership and Membership excellence. And our Jet Blue event was one of the most talked about case studies at the Summit.

I attended the programming breakouts and heard lots of great ideas for delivering better, more valuable programming to our membership -- regular monthly programs (our speaker luncheons), ideas for SIG events, and some fun ideas for valuable networking events. I am excited about what programming RAMA will deliver to you in the coming year -- it is such an important part of our membership value we even created a second board position to help with it in the coming year.

But the biggest "ah-ha" moment for me were the Moscow Rules that were presented by our speaker on Friday night. Paul Bosch, COO of the International Spy Museum presented an intriguing look at how marketing and spying were very similar activities -- the structure for this comparison was the Moscow Rules ... here are some of them:

• Assume nothing
• Never go against your gut
• Everyone is potentially under opposition control
• Don't look back; you are never completely alone
• Vary your pattern and stay within your cover
• Don't harass your opposition
• Pick the time and place for action
• Keep your options open

Paul also had one personal addition to the Moscow Rules -- PB Rule #1: If nothing changes, nothing changes. Intuitively obvious? Yes, but rarely acknowledged and followed.

My favorite Moscow Rule is "assume nothing" ... and as a member of your RAMA board, I plan to live by this in the coming year. I would like your help though ... you will be receiving a member survey in the next week -- PLEASE fill it out! It will make sure that we can deliver to your expectations -- no assumptions, just real hard data on what is important to you, our valued members. Let us know what is most important to you and we will "pick the time and place for action" based on your response.

We're Back!

Back from the AMA Leadership Summit, Mission Possible.  What a great experience! 
The theme, Mission Possible, was very appropriate and left us all very energized about how to make RAMA (Rochester Chapter, American Marketing Association) an even better chapter in 2007-2008. 

As incoming President of RAMA, I had the pleasure of traveling to Chicago with five RAMA Board Members, Dawn McWilliams, D-D Flannery, Katharine McMahon, Yvonne DiVita, and Bill Ward.
Our team learned a lot about developing and putting on winning programs, ways to improve our communications, and we networked with other chapter leaders to find out what has been successful for them, and what we should avoid. 
The Summit was also a great opportunity for the Board members to learn more about each other, and how we can work more effectively.

RAMA is very fortunate to have such committed volunteers, and I am looking forward to working with them in 2007-2008.

Cannes Lions International Advertising blogs from Alfred University AMA students

Hi, this is Bill Ward, Assistant Professor of Marketing and Faculty Advisor to the AMA Collegiate Chapter in the College of Business at Alfred University.  Myself and three students, Todd Ford, Mike Heaney, and Jessica Kernan participated in a great phone conference / blogging training session today with Yvonne DiVita.

The students are on the board of the AU AMA Collegiate Chapter and received scholarships from RAMA to attend the Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival in France June 16 - June 23 as part of the International Marketing and Advertising Program in the College of Business at Alfred University.   

Todd, Mike and Jessica will be providing daily updates to the Blog o'RAMA during the festival and will be presenting to the RAMA board when they return. 

Mission Possible

The theme for this year's AMA Leadership Summit is Mission Possible ... which I think is a great theme for a marketing conference. How many times do we all hear "that's impossible" in our day-to-day lives? Things like "It is impossible to expect a 90% response on a direct mail campaign" or "it is impossible to add a new program because budgets are too tight".

I believe a lot of truly great marketing programs never get off the ground because someone, somewhere, doubts they will work. We limit ourselves when we believe something can't be done just because we haven't seen it done before - like the 4 minute mile until Roger Bannister did it.

As marketers, we need to believe EVERYTHING is possible so we don't constrain our natural creativity and complete passion for our jobs. (I truly believe anyone in a marketing job must be passionate about their position -- otherwise, why would we subject ourselves to the madness?)

If the "law of attraction" is true, and there are lots of folks saying it is, by focusing on all the possibilities and rejecting the concept that something is impossible (and acting towards that end), we might actually achieve the impossible. Exciting thought, don't you agree?

So, as your leadership team goes off to learn about all that is possible for making your RAMA chapter even more amazing and beneficial to you, think about the possibilities in your life. And take action to make at least one of them a reality.

Taking Time to Learn

Ever think you're too busy to learn?  In these days of instant messaging, work pressures, and hectic schedules it is easy to put aside our discipline to learn.

As incoming President of RAMA (Rochester Chapter, American Marketing Association), I'm excited to be taking time this upcoming weekend with some of my fellow board members to learn. AMA is hosting the annual Leadership Summit in Chicago this weekend, which is a gathering of leaders from the 75 AMA chapters in North America.  RAMA is one of the best chapters in North America, and we are taking six board members to this year's Summit to get even better!

The experience is always energizing, and I'll report back next week on the Summit, and how RAMA is going to be better next year because we took time to learn.

When did you last carve out some dedicated time to learn?

Leadership Summit Here We Come!

Tomorrow morning a group of us from the RAMA board will get on a plane headed to Chicago. We're attending the Leadership Summit for those who serve on the board of the American Marketing Association. Most of us went last year - though we have a couple of newbies among us this year.

Last year I remember being a bit overwhelmed. All those marketing professionals in one place! Wow! It was loud, exciting, and very educational. The best part, from my perspective, was Bob Love's keynote during lunch on Saturday. He was so outstanding, it brought tears to everyone's eyes. And, his story is so inspirational, everyone came away pumped to go back home and not let anything stand in their way!

Ok - we had hoped to be Chapter of the Year, this year...and though we missed it by a hair (really, we were that close), we learned so much about being a chapter that stands above the average, that we're going to try again for next year.

I hope to see some familiar faces. I hope to learn more about how other chapters are using the web. And I hope to commune with my fellow board members. Last year we all had such a good time - in between learning modules, of course - that I think it helped us focus on achievement this year.

That's the goal, I think. Achievement. In marketing, in connecting with more local groups and businesses, and in meeting and greeting more people, face-to-face.

Word Of Mouth Marketing

Conferences seem to abound this time of the year. I bet you could find a conference on almost any topic, being held somewhere in the U.S. this week, or next. It's hard to keep up with all the invitations I get delivered to my email box. And, it's interesting, too. Because I get invited to all manner of conferences that have little or nothing to do with my expertise - for instance, technical conferences, software conferences, conferences about operations. Obviously, I'm on a 'list' somewhere.

I delete all the inappropriate conferences, usually without even reading who else is attending or speaking. Sometimes I glance at the agenda - but, mostly I just think about how stupid it is in today's personalized world of marketing, to send anything to someone who doesn't want or need it.

Now, let me share a few conferences I do approve of and though I'm not attending, they're important ones for you to consider, if you're in marketing. You are, aren't you?

One is Kid Power 2007, in Orlando. This event (which I discovered on Lucid Marketing's blog) "is a dynamic way to learn about what's cool and what's hot in reaching kids and their families." Since we know kids tend to influence a lot of the stuff their Moms and Dads buy, I think this is a conference worth considering. Wish I could go.

Another one is going on now so you won't be able to attend, but you should be aware of it - maybe think about attending it at a later date. They hold these conferences throughout the year. It's a WOMMA conference: Word of Mouth Marketing Association. At this week's basic training you could have learned how to spread the word, you could have met with 50+ expert speakers, and listened to 20 real case studies. This is such an outstanding conference, I would give it an A++++. In fact, when I attended and spoke there last year, I was thorougly captivated. I'd be there now, except I have been out of the office more than in the office in the last month...so, I had to sacrifice! I'll be there next year.

Michele Miller, marketing to women expert extraordinaire, is holding a seminar, not a conference, that I also think is well worth your time. Michele is so smart and funny (just watch her video), and so tuned in to the true inner workings of women, that her Marketing to Women Seminar is sure to be more than just a learning session. You'll learn, you'll be enlightened, and you'll have fun. I only know this because I know Michele via my Lip-sticking blog. Check her out at the Wizard Academy, and visit her blog at WonderBranding.

Women's Automotive Association

Over at my 'other' blog, I have a post about the New York Auto Show which was held at the Jacob Javits Center last week. It's live until the 15th, so the website says. Silly me, I went there to speak...and forgot to figure in time to see the show!

I was invited to talk about Marketing to Women Online at the Women's Automotive Association International. It was a flattering offer, which came from my friend Jody DeVere, over at Ask Patty, a blog about cars, and women, and women and cars.

I'm writing about this because the auto show is pretty popular - at least that's what I hear. And, because the auto industry is starting to recognize that women buy cars.

It's not a news flash - although it seems like one to us gals. Car dealerships and car salesmen (or women) have been treating women car buyers like empty-headed wind-up dolls for so long, we're all  waiting to see if this new attention is going to last. I was pleasantly surprised to see a number of (brave?) men at the Women's Automotive breakfast, and even more pleasantly surprised when a few of them bought my book.

The automotive industry is just one of many that are waking up to the power of the purse. We ladies are pretty influential in this country - we are responsible for over 80% of the goods and services bought and sold here (no, we don't make 80% of them, but we either buy them or influence the people who do buy them). So, my message today is: give us a break. Stop marketing to us as if we all want pink parasols. Let us ask dumb questions - truth is, if the question was really dumb, we wouldn't be asking it. And, wake up to the fact that women run businesses just like men - in other words, we need all the same supplies and attention our male counterparts need.

It might help to stop and think the next time you're preparing a pitch for a marketing plan. Is a woman going to sign the PO, or the check, or the contract? If not, you can bet there's one standing behind the man that is signing. And she isn't his wife - it's more likely she's his partner, or an investor, or the VP of sales. Someone you should be courting - if you want her business.

The Best of the Web Blog Winner Is . . .

The Rochester Business Journal's Best of the Web competition winners were announced recently.  The results were revealed at the  Annual Best of the Web and e-business Executive of the Year Awards Breakfast.

Kodak's A Thousand Words blog was the winner in the new blog category. According to Denise Stinardo, Manager of New Media for Kodak Corporate Communications,"This award recognizes all of our employee contributors who have helped make this blog successful by sharing their personal stories, photo tips, and so much more through fresh content and and compelling photography."

The award citation included a following comment from a judge:" The blog is a nice outlet for employees and it allows for some personality to come from a large corporate company- it's a good mix of personal stories and tips and tricks."

Congratulations to Kodak and other nominees in this category; the Simon Graduate School of Business Communications blog and Jeff Burkey's www.hedgedomainfund.net.