Blog o' RAMA

How Does Diversity Impact Your Marketing Plans?

Recently my employer, Eastman Kodak Company , hosted Luke Visconti, one of the founders of DiversityInc.  Quoting from the website, "DiversityInc's mission is to bring education and clarity to the business benefits of diversity."  Kodak has been active in their thinking about diversity for over ten years now, and for good reason.
As Luke presented, I made a few notes that you might find interesting as marketers.  One of his assertions is that "mainstream marketing" is dying.  Companies who are most successful today have adapted to understand the needs of diverse consumers, while other companies are stuck in the past, creating products that cater to the traditional "mainstream" market which are not of interest to the fastest growing ethnic groups in the U.S.

Did you know that children in our country are already five times more racially diverse than our population who is over 70 years of age?  Did you know that the incidence of families in the U.S. that are multi-racial have increased significantly over the past ten years?

I'm amazed at how quickly this transformation is taking place.  I had been sensitized to this transformation a few years ago, and this recent update by Luke showed I've been out of the loop and not paying enough attention to this.

What is your business doing to recognize and adjust as the U.S. becomes more diverse?

RAMA Board Member, Bill Ward, Quoted in NY Times

The announcement in the NY Times a week ago that Chrysler L.L.C. has hired Deborah Wahl Meyer, from Toyota, as its new vice president and chief marketing officer, to start Aug. 28th, carried some local attention.

Dr. Bill Ward (they called him William J.), professor of marketing at Alfred University, and our own VP of Collegiate Relations here at RAMA, was quoted, saying, "To win customers back, Ms. Meyer must show that the company is different, not only from its previous incarnation but also from its American competitors."

Dr. Ward went on to mention that Chrysler was among "a lot" of U.S. brands that had become "kind of generic." His advice was to reconnect with cutsomers, and "establish...differentiation between themselves and their competition."

The online article shows a cute image of three kids in car seats, each one representing a different make of car. Ostensibly to prove Chrysler is forward thinking, I guess. Ready for your kids... in 15 years.

Glad to see Alfred represented by Dr. Ward, and to discover a RAMA board member doing what he does best: Sharing marketing advice.

The New Influencers by Paul Gillin

I had the distinct pleasure of reading Paul Gillin's new book, The New Influencers, recently. I wrote about it on my blog at Lip-sticking, and thought I'd share some of my thoughts here, too.

As a blogging professional - someone who blogs for pay, and for pleasure - I was pretty eager to read this new book about how social media is changing the way we do business today. I've read a whole lot of books on this subject, and even worked on some, but this one is different. It stands out from the others because it doesn't preach. Gillin isn't out to change your mind about social media and blogging. He's out to show you what it is, how some smart people have used it, and how you might consider using it, also.

One of the best things about this book is the way Gillin writes. He's conversational. It almost feels as if you're reading a blog! Because social media is so proactive and transparent, it attracts a lot of people. That's what this book is about. The people. Some bloggers are good writers and reporters, some aren't. Some are in it for the fun...some for profit. All of them count - and Gillin explains why.

But...some count more than others, and that's the key.

Social Media Builds both Business and Personal Relationships

Consumers today expect a steady supply of fresh content on the Internet, as well as the ability to participate in content creation. Social Media is the strongest component of Web 2.0 and according to Wikipedia, it “describes the online technologies and practices that people use to share opinions, insights, experiences and perspectives with each other.” These include blogs as well as social networking platforms like MySpace, You Tube and FaceBook. Through these technologies, consumers are sharing their experiences through words, photos and video.

Earlier this year I joined the social media network and became a blogger. My background is in promotional marketing so my blog, Donna’s Promo Talk, is targeted to marketing professionals. I first did what the experts recommend which is to browse, read and comment on other people’s blogs before starting your own. This helps to find your “voice” as well to create relationships with other bloggers in your field.

This past July I attended my first blogging conference to learn more and meet fellow bloggers. BlogHer 2007 was sponsored by BlogHer.org, an on line community founded in early 2005 by three women bloggers whose mission is to provide opportunities for women who blog to pursue exposure, education, community and economic empowerment. Already in its third year it was their biggest to date with about 750 attendees who took over the Navy Pier in downtown Chicago over a two day period. "A World of Difference" was this year’s theme.

I was inspired by being with so many women who were sharing their experiences, knowledge and wisdom with each other. Each session had a panel of lboggers who opened up the room for participants to ask questions, which is how you got the most information. It was pretty amazing to find technology being spoken about and taught to you by women (not men)!

There were many bloggers at the conference that have been doing it for several years and were reuniting with women they had met either in person or online. There were also many women like me still new or just starting out. I got introduced to many women by Yvonne DiVita, President of Windsor Media, who has a pretty well known blog, www.Lipsticking.com, Smart Marketing to Women Online, and who also made the trip from Rochester to attend. Yvonne is on the RAMA board and was a catalyst in getting this blog going (as well as my blog, Donna's Promo Talk) and she continues to be a regular featured blogger on RAMA.

Yvonne says "Social media and social networking isn't about the technology. It's about the people. People are a connecting force in both business and life and while the Internet has given the people a louder voice, social media has encouraged more people to speak up. Businesses that learn to participate will discover a world of opportunity at their fingertips."

Other bloggers I met at the conference in Chicago included Jenny Cisney who I learned lives just a couple of blocks from me here in Rochester. I overheard Jenny talking about Rochester during one of the sessions so I introduced myself. Jenny works for Kodak and blogs on Kodak's blog A Thousand Words while also maintaining her own blog, ljcfyi.com. I also met Breanne Boyle who works for AskPatty.com, an incredible blog written by women automotive experts who give automotive advice to women.

Blogs are becoming the voice of the customer and all businesses need to start paying attention to them. They can obtain great feedback from some things that people write in their blogs as well as just in the comments section. Traditional market research is changing. Businesses today need research based on consumer behaviors that are gathered and reported quickly and social networks are quickly becoming the best source for this.

So, I encourage everyone, not just marketers, to visit blogs, read them, leave comments and perhaps start their own. You may choose to focus on your business, release your personal passion or perhaps a little of both. Either way, everyone needs to become familiar with what social media is all about.

This is my first post on the RAMA blog and I'm honored to be invited as a guest blogger. My plan is to continue the conversations around social media as well as keep you up to date on what's going on in the industry as far as interactive promotions. Any comments and suggestions are of course welcome and encouraged.

Donna DeClemente, President - DDC Marketing Group