Digital Marketing

After reading Made To Stick, by Chip and Dan Heath a while back (highly recommended btw), I revised many of my presentation materials. Chip and Dan spell out several ways to make stories stick and they know what they are talking about.

It compelled me to retool and rethink the story I tell. It made me realize a key insight to my Fifteen Megs of Fame presentation needed to be put up front, not halfway through the presentation where it had been slotted. Looking at the full story, it flowed much better. And, the feedback from the past half dozen or so speaking engagements has been really encouraging, reinforcing that it was well worth the time to evolve and rethink things from a different angle.

The simple idea I try to spread now from the outset is that the digital world is like a buffet. I’ve blow out the idea and put a bit more description to it here on the blog to share with you. So, here are the four ways digital marketing is like a buffet and things to be aware of when planning your digital strategy:

1. Lots and lots of choice: The average buffet has dozens of individual choices with limitless combinations. The world of Digital Marketing (and Web 2.0 / Social Media) is ripe with choice. Variables such as websites, landing pages, email, search, online advertising, database, video, gaming, content, consumer generated content, blogs, podcasts, wikis, tagging, social networks, virtual worlds, communities and the application of knowledge building with A/B & multivariate testing, optimization, analytics gives us a lot to think about. Too much choice rarely leads to making the right one.

2. Indirect knowledge often drives decisions: Just like a buffet, we line-up and look over the shoulder of the person in front of us wondering what’s on the menu? Most people in the line are as clueless as the person ahead and behind them. As we watch people walk by with goodies stacked high on their plates, it all looks appealing. However, we don’t know how it actually tastes when we are in line. We need more information to know or if it will appeal to our unique tastes. Indirect knowledge is not sufficient.

3. Making decisions in the wrong frame of mind: We are hungry and our eyes are often bigger than our stomachs. We put too much on the plate in our first visit and then realize we may have made some bad choices. We then hope someone will come around to clear the table so we go up again.

Ever watch the plate on a return trip to the buffet? The choices are reduced to the ones that paid off. Those were choices were made with context and experience, not shiny object syndrome. To avoid this, think sample spoon at Baskin Robbins versus heaping portions where we end up wasting most of what we took.

4. Short-term versus long-term thinking: No one ever makes the right choices at a buffet. It is really hard to resist going for the stuff that looks too good to resist. The stuff that we know tastes really good is what we fill our plate with. This usually offers no nutritional value. And we know most people at a buffet don’t go for nutritional value.

So, let’s view digital options as making the right dietary choice for the long term. Diet is really all about long-term nutrition. Doing the right things on a regular basis over the long haul and building a solid foundation.

So, what is your Digital Diet all about? Is it a well planned menu, or a trip to the all you can eat buffet where indigestion is simply a matter of time?

How do you measure the effectiveness of a community? What is engagement? What is the value of a conversation and how do you communicate the impact for your brand?

Well, next week in Toronto a group of smart folks will gather to discuss the state of Social Media Measurement. The intent is to build a better dashboard and establish common ground on how we measure the effectiveness of our efforts in the Social Media space. The diverse range of people at the roundtable have backgrounds in Marketing, Analytics, Communications, Public Relations and , of course, Social Media. It should make for an excellent day of conversation.

Full disclosure, Joseph Thornley of Thornley Fallis Communications is the driving force behind the roundtable event. I work for TFC and will be participating in the roundtable. Joseph posted on his blog, ProPR , a while back about the issue of measurement in Social Media and it got some great traction that has led to the roundtable.

My call to action to readers of The Client Side is: “What are your views on Social Media Measurement?” If you were at the table , what questions would you want answered and/or what would you have to say on the topic of measurement?

For those of you who may not know my full background, I have been steeped in database and direct marketing for my entire career. Measurement was (and still very much is) my mantra. While at Scotiabank, one of the reasons I was able to play in the Social Media sandbox was because all the campaigns and initiatives I touched were measured. Everything we did had a spreadsheet attached with numbers going in and coming out. Banks tend to like that kind of analysis.

Social Media marketing was the odd duck in my efforts. Communicating success and applying measurement did not always resonate with executive. They had a hard time relating to something they did not know about first hand and could not compare with. It is tough to say “it works, trust me” because that does not sustain and grow a marketing budget. And, many other corporate folks running Social Media programs face the same situation. There are very few examples held up for executives to use as their beacon in the new marketing.

So where does that leave us?

Well, I’m quite excited to be part of the roundtable because the discussion is happening. And, having the discussion is a big step to begin making the results of our efforts a better understood part of the marketing and communications landscape.

One of the outputs of the roundtable is to achieve a guideline for a social media measurement dashboard and an outline of the elements, components and weighting within social influence marketing, communities and engagement that can act as a common denominator for reporting/communicating success.

Going into next Tuesday’s event, I would love to hear from you and your thoughts. So, again, let me know “What are your views on Social Media Measurement?” If you were at the table, what questions would you want answered and/or what would you have to say on the topic of measurement?

Leave a comment or call The Client Side Podcast comment line at 1-206-666-2242.

The IPA in the UK warns that as of May if you are being deceptive with your "buzz" marketing you will be sent to the penalty box.

The meat of the message is don't be a meat-head. It boils down to doing things above board and not sneaking around. Common sense type stuff.

Oh well, there goes my plan to leave little wired up neon boxes all over London to advertise cartoons.

When we last left the folks at Glass and a Half Full Productions, they managed to bring a little bit of viral marketing to the confectionery business for Cadbury. I often use the example of the Gorilla drumming to show the power of online video and how smart, funny and whimsical content can attract an audience and spread.

While it may not have been strongly aligned with the brand (i.e. what does a drumming gorilla have to do with a candy bar?) the video was unexpected, entertaining and memorable. It certainly gave Dairy Milk it's Fifteen Megs of Fame. It was so off the wall I actually wonder if recall was stronger for Dairy Milk versus weaker.

Anyhow, since the gorilla drum solo to Phil Collins "In The Air Tonight" made it's online debut a while back, a new online video has been made by the same folks called "Trucks". Check it out below or on the Glass and a Half Full Site. It seems a lot more went into the production of this follow-up but I expect it will not have anywhere close to the result of it's predecessor, Mr. Gorilla. My thoughts on this new video are summarized with a resounding "meh".

What is new and interesting is the site that has been created from Glass and a Half Full Productions to house the content. It is a fun distraction to explore and they have even linked to the YouTube riffs and take-off on the original video. There are a few interesting remixes to check out.

My only problem is that on the original site, which housed only the Gorilla video, there was a form asking for email addresses so that Glass and a Half Full Productions could keep you in the loop when new content was released. I signed up, but didn't get anything. I wonder what happened there?

I will continue to use Gorilla Phil Collins in my presentations and may now even include "Trucks". If I do, it will be to illustrate how difficult it is to create content with viral potential, even on the heels of a success. Wouldn't life be easier if everything were that predictable?

Schweppervescence. Remember that term brought to us from the folks at Schwepps? I had not heard it for a while but this video is a great tie-in, reminding of those teeny-tiny bubbles hitting your face. Vodka tonic, twist of lime anyone?

Hat Tip to Tim Coyne.

Here's the thing. I'm not knocking Second Life. I get it, I like it and used to use it. And, I see future potential for the 3D web model. But as I suspected and wrote about quite a while ago, without hardcore results and a translation to bottom-line business objectives, it would fail to carry it's marketing-darling momentum on hype alone. And, marketers would lose interest.

Please read carefully. I said it would fail to carry it's forward momentum. It was not sustainable on that front. And, I seem to be in good company with this viewpoint. This does not mean I am trashing SL, I'm just pointing out how it is like a Cabbage Patch kid. One Christmas people are killing for them, next one they are overflowing in the $2 bin.

Well folks, close to 60% of marketers who were polled at the NYC Advertising Age Digital Conferenced agreed that it was the most over-hyped new media of 2007.
According to Steve Rubel "Second Life has become a quagmire for marketers". I think he is right in more than just a few SL examples (but not necessarily all).

Read the Ad Age Article Second Life Voted Last Year's Most Over-hyped Trend. And read my previous posts here and here. And here .

I came across WayOut TV today after reading one of the session descriptions at the Ad Age Digital Conference in NY. And yes, I am disappointed I am not there!

John Battelle, Founder/Chairman/CEO, Federated Media is moderating a panel including Damon Wayans, Founder, WayoutTV.com. (Warning - content may offend viewers, but that is actually the value prop of the entire site). Yes, this is the same Damon Wayans of In Living Color fame ( and Major Payne shame).

Here is the description of Wayans YouTube project:

WayoutTV.com is the brain-child of Damon Wayans and is designed as an incubator to develop innovative television shows for the internet which will include: comedy, drama, action, reality, and animation. A creative haven for up and coming writers, directors, producers, actors and musical talent, WayoutTV.com will seek out and nurture the vision of these young artists. Mr. Wayans will work with these artists to develop original content. By creating a turn-key operation for the Hollywood community of the future, WayoutTV.com will produce weekly programming.

According to funny man Wayans "Internet (today) is cable 25 years ago." via Rubel tweet. From what I could pick up on the Twitter stream of conference attendees, he seems quite savvy with the evolving models around online video. "You Tube is the greatest focus group ever. They say what they want in comments etc. They don't pull any punches" via Armano tweet. Sounds like marketers and advertisers can learn from what he is discovering in the world of online video .

While I have yet to check out the depth of content at WayOut TV, a few things come to mind:

- When successful mainstream entertainment figures show up at digital conferences on a panel, talking about their own projects and can speak the language of digital marketers, we are moving out of the geekdom.
- As a persona like Wayans talks of, and manages to diss, his peers in the same online space (Will Ferrel's Funny or Die), we know we have reached a whole new stage in the game.
- Given my post below on Sure Fire Ways To Moderate A Panel, how cool would it be to moderate Homey D. Clown? Priceless.
- Our adoption and use of video online is not even close to it's potential yet. We are only beginning to scratch the surface of the opportunity. The barriers are down and there are no limits on this frontier. We need to look for examples outside of the usual "marketing" suspects and see what others are doing. Where they are succeeding, and where they are struggling,

There are implications for those on the sidelines waiting to see how this new world unfolds. We can learn a lesson from Mr. Wayans and begin to unfold it for ourselves, figure it out on the fly and lead the way.

Hat tip to Steve Rubel and Armano via Twitter.

I'm already a huge fan of BBC (the documentaries and history programs are a personal obsession) and am rapidly increasing my brand fanaticism as I dive into their newly redesigned site. So far I like what I see - a lot.

The approach for the new site design was crafted with users in mind by, go figure, involving users in the process. BBC went about actively requesting, receiving and integrating ideas while in the Beta phase. The BBC Internet Blog explains the open source nature of their redesign process. The blog itself added a nice dimension of communication around the project and undoubtedly generated more interest and credibility along the way. The new BBC home page is now live and I encourage you to take a look and play with it.

While they are not the first large company to adopt a user input/feedback mechanism and model, it is reassuring to see a globally known and respected brand open up this way. This is an approach my team at Scotiabank took with the launch of MyVault last year and, although ours differed in terms of being a private beta invite for users, it was a phenomenal opportunity to learn from the community and deliver a superior product and experience at the end of the day.

Quite timely as this will make for a good discussion at tonight's Canadian Marketing Association's eMarketing Professional Certificate Course. The session is all about Web Site Best Practices, Design and Usability.

Hat Tip to Steve Rubel - picked via Twitter.

Jeremiah Owyang of Forrester writes about the The 3 “Impossible” Conversations for Corporations. It is quick and informative read on the conversations that companies typically shy away from, but should embrace to have them become a bit more human.

His three points are:
- Ask for feedback
- Say positive things about your competition
- Admit when you are wrong

Hopefully, brands will see the upside in terms of having more opportunity to exercise conversations around the first two-items. That said, the third kind of conversation Jeremiah lists becomes much more palatable for all involved (reader/consumer, writer/brand) when you have some experience with the first two.

Last week I posted a piece titled "Social Media Is Always On". I believe, as many other do, that social media is a continuum. When explaining social media in that manner to those who are newer to the space, I have sensed an immediate acknowledgment that it follows a different stream than the campaign-based model of print, radio and TV.

Reinforcing the notion of "always on, Shel Israel of Global Neighbourhoods (via Jeremiah) has a terrific take titled Two Social Media Camps in the Enterprise which looks at what may happen inside an company. The issue he looks at is when one person in the company gets the social media space and is a "white hat" in their approach but, the guy/girl down the hall doesn't get it and merely attempts to exploit a perceived marketing opportunity using social media. How does that reflect on those who "get it" and have been champions for the same brand? I like Shel's take on the issue and it made me think about which type of "marketers" are at fault.

It boils down to understanding that those who look to game the system don't get it. Never have, never will. They bank on cheap tactics and let the other "saps" do it the right way while they act in a deceptive and self-interested manner. These are likely the same folks who asked you to borrow an essay in High School or University. Social Media is just the latest area they can try to pull a fast one and cut corners.

The thing is, it used to be a lot easier. Today it is harder to produce results without spending effort to understand what's is really going and how to succeed. Realizing true power means investing in the underlying potential. Many will try to get it right the right way and may stumble a bit on the road. We like those people. However, many enter the gates looking for the quickest path with all the wrong intentions. They will quit when it gets to the point of having to actually work at it - even a little bit. Why? That is what they always do. And, when they do, it becomes a better place for all of us.

Darwin was right.

I've been asked to speak at the upcoming Canadian Marketing Association's Roundtable "How does social media fit into your marketing strategy? on March 4th in Toronto. I've been preparing a entirely new presentation for the session that will address "the implications of social media on organizations and how it applies to marketing".

What stopped me in my tracks recently when trying to compare and contrast Social Media with traditional marketing in my new materials was dead simple. Social Media is always on.

I have already written here on the blog and in previous presentations about how point in time campaigns are not the model, although they can be part of the mix within a social media marketing strategy if done right. Real success comes from authenticity, transparency, relevance and sustainability. In other words, you can't turn it on and then shut it off as you please. Credibility is won with consistency and the building of community. So, the paradigm of campaign-based marketing that ruled the earth for decades upon decades goes against the grain here.

As I was reading a post by Joe Marchese at Online Spin (quickly becoming one of my must read blogs), the simplicity of "always on" was articulated. Thanks Joe. To date, that is the one of the best descriptions I've heard to point out what marketers need to think about when considering social media in their marketing.

Social Media is always on. Are you prepared to flip the switch?

When I see a brand in campaign mode, in this case Hasbro's Monopoly, and it reaches me in a variety of places I would not expect and through people I know, something is up. And, it seems to be a well engineered something when it's reach, in terms of grabbing my attention, was not bought.

Hasbro, fresh off the Facebook Scrabulous situation is doing a smart bit of marketing that I dare say is going viral as they bring out the World Edition of Monopoly. In a controlled bid to involve consumers in the brand, people are voting to have their home city included in the new World Edition.

Here are a bunch of reasons I think it this works well for Hasbro:
- People love Monopoly - it is an imprint of my youth. This effort successfully extends the brand into the online world by involving players, fans and city proud people across the globe. Everyone has a "move" in this exercise.
- This story has tremendous pass-along value.
- They were smart in terms of collecting voter email address in an very efficient manner. This is a move to limit ballot box stuffing and likely to pull voters back into the site with updates. I wonder if they have plans to use the email down the road after this exercise? There is so much potential in terms of extending the relationship with the collected data.
- The end product is, to a certain degree, user-generated. It fits snuggly into today's online model.
- It has broken through in terms of a Facebook group (courtesy of Angelo Cerase), a bit of blog buzz and even people passing it along via email (Thanks Rudite.)
- Multi-part engagement: First there is a vote for the major cities which ends on February 29th. Then, a second round vote on the wildcards and write-ins. (Yes folks, Toad Suck Arkansas still has a chance.) Finally, there is the release of the game itself. I'll bet there will be great word of mouth around this product when it hits stores.
- Traditional marketing was bypassed. Now, just because I have not seen any advertising or marketing around this is not to say they did not conduct any (I'm curious if anyone saw any?) . However, over the past week I could no longer ignore the Monopoly story - it hit me on several credible fronts.
- Nice site design that, although a bit visually noisy at points, stays true to the reason you visited in the first place.
- There is even an offline component with a poster that you can download. Cute.

So, while the social media world was quick to judge Hasbro and Mattel with regard to Scrabulous and Facebook, I felt it was time to point out where they are getting it right. There seems to be a lot of good planning here and it shows.

Now, my call-to-action for you is to VOTE FOR TORONTO. Bottom line: we need a game to play that involves our city in the spring. We keep hoping that spring time games would involve the Maple Leafs, but we'll take Monopoly at this point. Seems to be more of a sure thing. Only 9 days left! Giddy up.

“Terrorists Evolve. Threats Evolve. Security Must Stay Ahead. You Play A Part.” That is the tagline greeting readers on the new Evolution of Security blog.

The Evolution of Security was launched by The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) in the United States in late January. It is a public-facing blog created to keep weary travelers in-the-know of the policy and procedures driving security checks and also allowing them an outlet to ask questions and vent.

What makes this interesting is that it is a somewhat unlikely source. You'd kind of expect the TSA to not even have a knowledge of blogs, let alone start one up for the agency. So after the "huh" factor subsided, I checked it out and believe it to be a decent go at things. There are a few bloggers who write for the site and seem to do so very well.

Topics include Shoes, Liquids,Lighters, Nail Clippers and Gripes & Grins. There are more gripes on there than grins in comments, but it seems to be quite effective in terms of starting conversations. It is a place for travelers to "get it off their chest" - which is ironic considering travelers are quite used to not having anything on their chests from the ritual of stripping down at the security check.

Kidding aside, I think the TSA does a good job with the blog. All of the right elements are in place and it appears they did their homework in terms of understanding the blogosphere and where they fit in. Putting a human face on division of government is no easy feat, especially if you are in the group that everyone loves to hate. So, all that considered, I give the TSA a decent report card so far on this project. My only question is how long the content can stay fresh within this subject. I guess we will have to keep reading to see.

Hat tip to Shel Holtz and Neville Hobson of For Immediate Release.

That was the lead of a story reported in Ad Age that shows a downturn in employment figures in the media industry. While the media industry was on the decline, lead by a decrease in newspaper related jobs, the marketing services sector (agencies, consultants etc..) showed an increase in employment growth.

Steve Rubel points out that, the direct-to-consumer model is beginning to take hold. What we are seeing is that, as distribution channels no longer require a broker, agent or other middle-person, the change we have heard of, and expected, is being quantified.

The Ad Age article states:
"Here's the reason behind the disparity: Marketers still invest in marketing, but they have options far beyond paid media: digital initiatives, direct marketing, promotions and events, just to name a few. That creates more opportunities for consultants to help define strategies."

The landscape where brands like Smirnoff, Coke, Dove, Sunsilk and others experiment and see the power of a focus on content versus one where you spend against mass media distribution is shaping up .

Looking a little further into media and distribution trends, the direction taken buy the likes of Radiohead with the release of their latest recording, In Rainbows, (as well as artists like Jane Siberry) show an active embrace of the direct to consumer distribution strategy. The shift taking place is aligned with channels of congregation - not ownership saturation. The implications are not subtle.

However, my belief is that this is not a zero-sum proposition. As online and digital grow, bright minds from the media fold will be brought on board and add talent and ideas to the evolution taking place.

Proof of this can be found in the stats:
"Internet media companies, a sector that includes search engines and web portals, is a bright spot, with a 13.4% jump in jobs last year. Still, internet-media employment remains 31% below its dot-com-bubble peak." Although that last statistic may not be such a bad thing.

Picked up via Greg Verdino's excellent blog, Seana Mulcahy's post at Online Spin calls it as many of us who care to know the difference see it:

"...social media marketing is not just throwing up a page on MySpace, Facebook or any other social media site for that matter. You’ve seen some of the biggest U.S. agencies do that for their clients over the past year or so. These folks have patted themselves on the back for being trailblazers.

Newsflash: That is not trailblazing, that is ignorant."

Love it! Bang on.

Graphic "liberated" from Greg.

First, we have a nice little ad for Blockbuster that, no matter how well crafted, is not likely rescue them from their business model. I'm not sure this one reached viral status as it was added on November 22, 2007 (before the Holiday Season - note the guy in a Santa costume) and has approximately 18,000 views. More like early onset Altzheimer's than viral. No matter, I had fun trying to identify all 35 movies referenced in the spot. Hat tip to Buzz Canuck Sean Moffitt.

Then, we have Mitch Joel's collaboration with David Usher that points out the sexy new MacBook Air is really form over function when compared to the Sony Viao. The parody was added on February 12, 2008 (today) and has 398 views so far.

My post today on the 7 C's of Digital Marketing can be found over at The Canadian Marketing Blog.

John January of American Copywriter points to a nice little Super Bowl tie-in from Alka-Seltzer. It's an advergame that is anything but easy.

Give it a try. It took me a few rounds to find the Speedy little devil. See how fast you are.

Bryan Eisenberg of Future Now, friend and fellow preacher of using direct and conversion marketing methodologies applied to your digital efforts, points to the top retailers over the holiday in terms of website conversion.

Bryan's book Call To Action (co-authored with brother Jeffery) is mandatory reading for the Canadian Marketing Association (CMA) Professional Certificate Course in eMarketing which I have been teaching since last September.

One of the themes I try to reinforce throughout the course is that the internet is built for database and direct marketing applications. They can make all the difference to your online performance. Understanding them and applying the principles can work overtime for you everyday of the week, including holidays. Something tells me that the list of retailers below know something about how it works.

The Popcorn Factory - 29.50%
L.L. Bean - 23.60%
Abebooks - 20.60%
Amazon - 17.60%
Hollister Co. - 17.60%
Lands End - 17.20%
QVC - 17.10%
Coldwater Creek - 17.10%
Cabela’s - 16.80%
Gymboree - 16.00%

[Source: Nielsen Online / Marketing Charts]

Truth be told, I am no designer. However, what I am fairly good at is reading. Unfortunately it is quite hard to do in this example of designing for the squint factor. Nice colors I suppose, high use of gradients, with a low level of proof reading to see how longer post would shake out.

While I have no clue if this blog is legit or not, let this be an example of what happens when you put design ahead of function.

Jackie Hubba of Church of The Customer Blog and co-author or the book Citizen Marketers has a great post today about the retail experience at Whole Foods. It is based on her spending a week on-site at the Whole Foods flagship store in Austin, Texas. I had the pleasure of meeting Jackie and hosting her at one of our Geek Dinners last year in Toronto. Very nice and very smart individual.

Being a foodie, I totally get what she is saying. Whole Foods has many interesting and unique products to offer accompanied by knowledgeable and enthusiastic employees. The Whole Foods retail presentation is a theater where food is on stage. It is a unique shopping experience that has all of the details covered nicely. They are aware of what will help them spread their word-of-mouth. As Jackie puts it "too many American businesses are culture-less shlubs." So true. Same up here in the Great White North. Very few exceptions.

Target does retail quite well too. Target stores feel different when you are inside. People notice and talk about how it is fun and unlike other bigger box stores (at least the Canadians I know who cross the border to shop there have noticed and talk about it). However, the last time I was in a Target store one of the employees spoiled the experience. It was enough to detract from the theater feel. All of the sudden the curtains closed and it became very much like everywhere else.

I bring Target into this post/discussion on the point of being aware of how word of mouth spreads. I saw this story by Warner Todd Huston (hat tip to C.C. Chapman) about how Target reacted to a complaint by a blogger concerned about Target's advertising.

Whether or not you agree with the issue that Target's ads are "sexualized" which was raised by Amy Jussel of Shaping Youth, the response from Target seems to lack any sort of knowledge of the digital world in 2008 (or 2007,2006, 2005). The flippant response is more than likely to overshadow the original issue. One wonders what they are thinking when they alienate the online world by stating that they "do not participate with non-traditional media outlets". The details of today's consumer conversations are clearly not very well understood at Target.

Non-traditional media outlets are today's media outlets. It is where real customers are searching, where real information is being gathered, where real reputations are being made or destroyed. And, it is where real word of mouth is taking place.

Will this hurt their bottom-line? Likely not. If they are smart they'll learn. My takeaway is that we just witnessed the uninformed and not-so-impressive man behind the curtain in the theater of retail.

Fresh off his interview with Lesley Stahl on CBS's 60 Minutes, Mark Zuckerberg is being asked to remove the very popular "Scrabulous" app from Facebook. An article from the wires this morning cites copyright claims by two of the worlds largest toy companies.

I don't think it is coincidence given that the 60 Minutes piece that aired recently showed the Scrabulous application. Perhaps I am wrong on this, but is seems rather suspect.

Aside from getting into a discussion over copyright, I wonder if the folks at Hasbro and Mattel could have approached this in a different manner? The application is quite popular on Facebook. Is this not likely to do more damage to the brand than good if they get their way and it is removed? Perhaps this is a move to supply Facebook with a "legit" version of the game. Or, perhaps it was the only thing the toy execs could do having been caught off-guard to the opportunity unfolding in the digital world to extend the brand. Instead of unleashing a killer app, they are opting to become an application killer.

Two things are clear to me. First, when it comes to bringing a game to life online, it seems like a lay-up in terms of moving off the shelf from Toys "R" Us and breathing new life via the digital world. The transition of content offered up as widgets, Facebook applications or whatever are sitting right in front of people's noses. Webkinz and Club Penguin have been effective in mixing up the online and offline worlds, so is it really a stretch for established offline games to rethink the model?

Second, I am not a big Scrabble fan, but "Scrabble" has been talked about a lot lately. This is undoubtedly due to the popularity of the application on Facebook. Before this legal wrangle, I had no clue this was not the "offical" version of the game and I'll bet you didn't know either. So, the Scrabble brand has benefited. If I am Hasbro and Mattel, I'd like to find out who programmed the application and put them on staff.

Perhaps Zuckerberg and Co. should try out an angle with select brands (or their agencies) where brand managers and application developers team up to build branded content/games like "Scrabulous" that people will use and love - where the advertising is in the game itself.
It is less likely to create the furor seen with Beacon and Social Ads. I mean, if a fast-food giant like Burger King can do advergaming, why can't the game people?

UPDATE: My friend Shel Holtz of For Immediate Release fame and the blog A Shel of My Former Self has a great post explaining the rationale behind the lawsuit. He worked for Mattel, worth a read.

Let's say you don't read blogs. Let's pretend for a minute that you are Joe or Jane Average. You are not into following the tech scene and don't care what Scoble, Arrington or Rubel are saying or doing. Or, have even heard of these guys.

Here is the email I received today from Apple. It works, doesn't it?. One of the most important things in marketing is to get the fundamentals right. Yes, Apple does the innovation part to the nines. Yes, they ooze cool in everything that they produce. They have nailed down the sex appeal in technology. Yes, they have changed the game several times over. And, the marketing communications just make you want to buy the product in a heart beat.

Below is the timely email they sent. Look at how they do the right thing in terms of ensuring the message is clear, concise and in your inbox at the same time the world is exploding with the news that they have done it all over again, just in case you've been in a cave and missed the hype. All this via the "antiquated" mode of marketing through email.

Good job Jobs.