A DIFFERENT TYPE OF AGENCY

As a collective, The Factory Interactive is fueled by a passion for developing enduring messages conceived through a marriage of design and technology. At the core, we are explorers of possibility and architects of memory. We create rich immersive experiences that increase message retention and reward the audience. Our mission: give personality to products, resulting in a stronger, more effective brand.

_{September 30, 2008}
Going Viral and making YouTube – your tube _{By jason}

The anatomy of a viral marketing campaign is as complex as it is difficult to initiate. It’s tough to gauge what will spark an enormous social reaction across the internet, but with a fair share of creativity, some research into the social musings of a target demographic, and a good old sense of humor…the answer may be closer at hand than you think.

Let’s take a look at a few case studies to illustrate this principle and see if we can find a lesson in the madness.

Case Study 1: The Search Engine Rap Battle
Our entire SEO team hit the floor when this came out. In nearly ten days the clip accumulated half a million views and the traffic to their landing page spiked. Why? Because the clip is hysterical if you know anything about search engines. Moral of the story: target a niche audience…and sell T-Shirts.

Case Study 2: Evolution of Dance
Commanding nearly 100,000,000 views since its posting, this clip of a motivational speaker getting down in front of some grade schoolers is the second most all-time viewed clip on YouTube. Does the global YouTube audience care that much about dance? Wait a second…what was the most viewed television show in America the last 12 months or so…oh yeah! That’s right! Dancing with the Stars. Maybe there’s a connection? Moral of the story: find a topic of broad appeal which is humorous, engaging, and captivating.

Case Study 3: The Subservient Chicken
Hailed as the quintessential viral marketing campaign, Burger King’s Subservient Chicken plowed through the U.S generating unprecedented buzz for the king of burger chains. The tag line was “Chicken the way you like it.” After the success of the Subservient Chicken, Burger King used the character in several subsequent advertising campaigns. Why…because this candid camera style ridiculousness was so absurd, people couldn’t help but tell other people “did you see that ridiculous burger king commerical with the dancing chicken?” The ultimate water cooler discussion…and the ultimate brand mention. Moral of the story: if you can come up with a clip that maintains the inextricable “you’ve got to be kidding me” factor…you’re in like flint.

Stay tuned for more ideas in viral marketing and harnessing the power of YouTube. Until next time…i think he can dance?

Filed under: SEO — Tags: Search Engine Rap Battle, Viral Marketing, YouTube — @ 12:41 pm

_{September 29, 2008}
Marketing in the wake of economic disaster – how to pick a blog name _{By jason}

Wow. What a historic day for Wall Street and the American economy at large. As I write this, the blogosphere is literally erupting with commentary about today’s events, speculation on what will happen in the next few days, and the overall financial direction of this country. So what can we learn from the surge in blog activity today? Well, first things first. Let’s look at the effect breaking news can have on a shred of information presented by your company before or just barely after the fact. Let’s also invesitgate how to pick a blog name and how to write for the blogosphere.

As investors held their breath this morning waiting for congress to reach a verdict on the proposed $700 billion dollar buyout of the American financial system, the blogosphere lit up with speculation. Financial enthusiasts everywhere were trawling for any piece of information which might have provided a heads up as to what was about to unfold. This means it was a good day for blog analytics, and a bad day for investors.

Believe it. People are turning to blogs before online newspapers as a source of credible and reliable information, which means now is a great time for your company to get in on the conversation and start speaking out on the topics which affect your industry.

People love community, especially a community where you can say or do anything with total anonymity. Blog usage as a form of social commuication is booming in the U.S and all across the globe, largely enabled by easy access to self publishing. Although this is inherently backwards in terms of traditional journalism (as anyone with an internet connection can effectively blog), the principal at play here is succinctly genius: If people are listening, why not use the opportunity to put in your two cents? Check out this article examining the top blogs on the internet for more information.

One of the first and most powerful companies to employ the company blog as a means of staying in touch with their customerbase is/was Google. Through the Google Webmaster Blog, engineers, product developers, and software developers can interact with the public on a level never before accomplished by a tech world titan. The Google blog serves as hub for information on everything Google and makes this search giant a little more friendly.

So what does this mean for your business? Well, if you aren’t blogging, you’re missing the boat. It’s a smart move, as it keeps your customers/clients in the loop about what’s going on with your company. Not only can you commuicate directly with your audience, it’s a great way to show off your marketing talents.

Blogs are a fanatastic place to initiate customer dialogue, announce new products, launch promotions, and even promote new team members or affiliations. The optimization possibilities are fruitful and it’s not uncommon for a company blog to become more prolific than a company site. Rememer, a blog is a tool for your company to get in touch with your customers directly, and it makes your team, your image, and your brand all the more accesible.

Here’s The Factory Interactive’s top ten blogging guidelines for making sure your blog is on the way to reaching it’s full potential:

1. Write solid attention grabbing keyword oriented titles
It’s critical your title grabs attention, commands respect, and intrigues your audience. Sure, you’re content makes all the difference, but the title is what shows up in the search engines and it often encompasses the scope of your article. Running some brief keyword research is a great way to see if there’s a low competition keyphrase you could be ranking for. This is a great way to get eyes on your writing and your brand in the SERPs.

2. Make sure your articles are compelling and “friend worthy”
It’s not enough to write articles with perfect grammar, meticulous analysis, and insightful commentary. Your writing must have the “i’ve got to send this to all my friends” effect. This is what catalyzes social commentary, often gets your work picked up on social bookmarking sites, and propagates your brand name. It’s a principle to abide by. If you wouldn’t read or send the article, don’t bother publishing it.

3. Be unique
It’s not easy to stand out in a crowd of millions. Whatever your niche may be, it’s obvious there will be others just like you writing the same damn thing. Do some research. See if you can come up with a topic which hasn’t been picked up before. Being first in a niche is second to creating one. Make sure your blog isn’t just another run of the mill content engine. Give your readers a reason to keep coming back and to subscribe via RSS feeds.

4. Consider the consequences of your actions
Just like in elementary school, there are repercussions for acting out of line. If you’re trying to establish yourself as a professional commentator on a given subject…don’t go off topic and start posting material about random stories or ideas which aren’t pertinent to your company. Think public relations, but not as arrogant or manipulative.

5. Judge a book by its cover
The structure and feel of a blog is very important. If you’re blog looks unprofessional, that means your unprofessional. The internet is a visual experience as much as it is an auditory experience. It’s critical you create and maintain an image which represents the best values of your company. People do judge companies by their web presence. Fact.

6. Get involved
There are dozens of blog directories and communities out there. Check out Blog Catalog and Bloggapedia to get started. Don’t overlook the value of the social media element. 1500 people talking about your latest greatest blog post in the blogosphere costs less than $100 and is more effective in terms of branding than getting an article placed in a poorly circulated local newspaper by your contracted PR man.

7. Keep up the good work
Consistency is important in the blog world. If you’re not posting regularly, you aren’t meeting the demand. Online readers seek out the latest and greatest content. Post evergreen content in addition to fresh content. Readers WILL bookmark your articles if they have inherent value and will come back looking for more.

8. Top Ten or How To?
Let’s face it. Everyone’s a sucker for a top ten list or a how to article. Offering your readers actionable steps to make their lives better or a top ten list good for a laugh and you can almost count on attracting solid readership. Everyone’s looking for answers (remember ask.com?), so make sure your company provides them.

9. Share with Care
If you haven’t taken the steps to include social bookmarking tools on your blog…do it now. Check out addthis.com as an example. Getting your content bookmarked and found in the right circles could be the catalyst you were looking for to get your content circulating.

10. Don’t stop believing
It takes time to build a powerful and well respected blog. Just like SEO, it’s not a process which happens over night. The more diligent and committed you are to making your blog the best in its respective niche, the faster you’ll get where you need to go. Blogging is rapidly becoming the status quo for community centered businesses. Would you rather buy a product or service from a company you know intimately or just discovered? How would you evaluate the quality of a company? Maybe by looking into the minds of it’s officers? What better way to establish credibility than by expressing your thoughts and showing your company is made up of real people with real opinions.

Filed under: Marketing — Tags: Marketing in the wake of economic disaster — @ 12:04 pm

_{September 26, 2008}
The Factory Interactive – Fundamental Lessons In Marketing _{By jason}

It’s important to understand that cutting edge technologies, innovative marketing strategies, and creative ventures emerge from a necessity to adapt in a volatile world of consumer ideologies and marketing message obfuscation. If you are considering immersion as a method of advancing your marketing skill set, the following list of resources will help you get started.

Marketing

The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing
by Al Ries and Jack Trout

Marketing Secrets of a Mail Order Maverick
by Joseph Sugarman

Guerrilla Marketing
by Jay and Conrad Levinson

All Marketers Are Liars
by Seth Godin

Positioning: The Battle for your mind
by AlRies

Unleashing the Ideavirus
by Seth Godin

Innovation

The Four Hour Work Week
by Timothy Ferriss

Creativity

Group Genius, The Creative Power of Collaboration
by Keith Sawyer

Filed under: Marketing — Tags: Miami Advertising Agency, Miami Marketing Agency, TFI, The Factory Interactive — @ 11:25 am

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