Okay, I’ve had an iPad for just about three weeks – and it’s time for a quick review from a “marketing guy’s” perspective.   I say that – because this is distinct from a technology review that you might get on Engadget or Gizmodo (a bit more geeky) and a pure “end-user” review like you might see on the New York Times.  As a marketer, and one that is focused on digital marketing, I tend to want to use the iPad for business purposes as well as recreational.  At least that’s the story I’m sticking with because my wife reads this blog too.

I’m also going to spare you all the details (sizes, data plans, costs, dimensions etc..) as I’ll assume you’ve seen all of that by now.  If you haven’t – check here.

Okay, with all that said – here are my thoughts:

It’s Not Just A Big iPod Touch

Despite what some will say, I don’t find this to be true at all.  I have both devices and the iPad is definitely different.   The screen size is, of course, the biggest differentiator, but it definitely “feels” different than an iPod Touch.  You definitely want to interact much more with an iPad than with the Touch.   I found myself seeking out apps where interactivity was part of the process (e.g. Twitter, Pandora etc.).

Books Are Awesome

Also, the iBooks app is just really nice – and makes reading books just a pleasure.  This will definitely replace my Kindle – and I do not have the same gripes as some have had about the Kindle App.   My experience was really seamless.  It doesn’t have all the fancy page turning and other features – but then again the iBooks store is still pretty bare.  So, until the book store has more in it, I’ll still be utilizing the Amazon Book store for Kindle Books for some time.

Email Management Sucks

So, if you’re thinking about the iPad, primarily for a way to manage your email on a portable device I’d think twice.  This is especially true if you have more than one email account.  The interface for checking and managing email is not wonderful, and you’re doing a lot of pointing and pressing to manage your email.  They promise to fix this with a unified inbox in the next rev of the OS and I may change my mind then.  But until then, I just don’t need yet another place to delete and manage inboxes – so I ended up deleting all but one account from it.  The reason I kept one is because some of the apps (like Penultimate) allow you to email yourself notes and other assets – and you need at least one account activated in order to do that.

Wireless Is As Janky As Reported

I can definitely confirm the Wireless issues that have been widely reported – but they’re only a minor annoyance.   I find that if I’ve set the iPad down for any length of time (enough time for it to go to sleep) about 40% of the time when I pick it back up – I have to turn off my wireless, and renew my connection in order for it to work.  Note:  I changed my wireless settings from a “mixed” network to a “b only” network and that seems to have alleviated some (but not all) of this.    Also, for whatever reason, every single time I come back from sleep mode (e.g. every new session) the iTunes store wants me to log back in.  While (I guess) this is a nice security feature – it gets slightly annoying.

Some Interesting Business Apps – But Still Early

There are some very interesting business apps including Analytics HD – which brings in Google Analytics to the iPad.  I haven’t really had need for this yet – but it does seem like it could be really cool.   The SalesForce mobile app is as good as the previous version for the iPhone, but the choices of Social Networking apps are surprisingly limited.  For example, TweetDeck and Twitterific are really the only two apps (that I recognize anyway) for managing your Twitter stream.  And I’ve never been a big fan of Tweetdeck.    Hootsuite has the iPhone app only, as does Tweetie.   That brings us to this…..

iPhone Apps Look Like Crap

I’ve downloaded a few of the apps I was using on the iPod touch – and maybe there’s a couple that look better – but most of them do not look great.  And, because of the larger screen – there’s  a different navigation paradigm that apps developed specifically for the iPad can take advantage of – which makes switching to an iPhone app hard.  I’ve gotten to the point now where if it’s not available as an iPad app – I don’t bother with it.   If you’re thinking of getting an iPad to take advantage of the bigger screen for all those iPhone apps you love – you should definitely check to see that they have equivalents.

Web Surfing Rocks

Maybe my most favorite aspect of this is just being able to Surf the web and go to my favorite blogs, web sites, and be able to do my normal business – in a much different way.  It definitely feels much more mobile than a netbook or laptop.

And, the Google Apps just rock on the iPad.   It’s a great way to stay connected.

Summing Up

So, overall – I’m loving it – and would highly recommend it.  I’m just starting to utilize it to replace my “pen and paper” notebook – and I’m trying out a few apps for that.  My hope is to become more organized in my note taking….    I’ve been playing with A LOT of apps – and here are my favorites right now:

• Maps (comes with) and it’s really nice.  Even without a GPS system – it’s amazingly accurate.
• New York Times (Editors Choice). Even though it’s just a few stories – it’s great.
• USAToday – really nice app for catching up on the news.
• Instapaper – for turning a bunch of feeds into offline content.  A Great way to catch up.
• Kindle – a must have if you have a whole bunch of books you want to transfer – and the iBooks library is still a bit wanting
• Netflix – streaming movies on your iPad – oh yeah – nuff said.
• Pandora – love Pandora for music.
• Pages – I’m trying out all the Apple office products one at a time – Keynote is next.
• Penultimate – I love this for taking notes.  I bought the Pen that allows you to use the iPad as a sketch pad.  It’s great.
• Dragon Dictation – it really does work and makes for a great way to make quick voice notes to yourself..
• Twitterific – For now it’s my Twitter application on the iPad.  I don’t love it – but it’s the best I’ve found so far.

Hope that’s helpful for you.

What about you – what’s your experience so far with the iPad?

Arguing for the value of the argument is a time honored tradition in professional sports. Here’s how it goes. At some point in a game, a call goes against one of the teams. The coach of the “wronged” team jumps up enraged (or whatever your favorite coach’s facsimile of enraged is) and gets in the face of the referee. In 99% of these cases, the coach doesn’t *really* expect to get the decision overturned, nor is he really negotiating. He’s simply posturing to motivate his team, excite the crowd, or try and influence the next call. One of the classics at this was baseball skipper Earl Weaver who (as legend has it) once screamed at an umpire “I’m going to check the rule book on that!” The umpire replied “Here, use mine.”  And Weaver said “that’s no good – I can’t read Braille” (insert rimshot here).

You can certainly see this same phenomenon in other places as well. From morning news programs, to cable talk-shows to some forms of marketing – pundits will often take an argumentative position just to create drama and controversy, motivate their base, and generate “ratings”. They’re not *really* interested in talking through the issues of a particular disagreement.  In fact, the Onion did a hysterical piece on just this topic a couple of years ago. It’s a classic. But how do you rationalize with someone who’s not trying to change your mind?

How Do You Argue With Someone Who Isn’t Trying To Be Right?

Over the last two weeks, just such a drama has played out for Nestle, Greenpeace and social media. If you somehow missed it, the Nestle Facebook Fan page has been overwhelmed with comments by critics decrying the company for its contract with a particular Palm Oil vendor which has been associated with deforestation in the Indonesian rain forests. Jeremiah Owyang of the Altimeter Group actually did a great summary and analysis of it.

Now, by all accounts it was Greenpeace that “started it” – with the creation of a snarky viral video (more on that in a moment). Then, enter Nestle legal claiming trademark infringement and asking that the video be taken down.
This resulted in a fairly coordinated protest (some have called it attack) on Nestle’s Fan Page. Then, Nestle certainly didn’t do itself any favors – with a few ham fisted responses. 

Helpful Safety Tip to every corporate PR / Social Media Manager: deleting comments, or whipping out the “copyright/intellectual property” justifications are the social media equivalent of “let them eat cake”.

But, here’s the interesting part, whether you believe them or not, Nestle did respond to the Greenpeace report by “assuring” everyone that they will not use Palm Oil produced by the vendor that Greenpeace is asserting. Why they aren’t doing this more vociferously on their Facebook Fan Page is something of a mystery.  Greenpeace then responded that their
concessions “don’t go nearly far enough”.  At this point, though, this doesn’t really matter – the discussion has devolved into much more about “killing orangutans” and what a horrible “planet-killing” company that Nestle has always been. In short, the coach has jumped up from the bench, and has the crowd on its feet, screaming for the ref’s head. The original infraction is almost irrelevant.

We Didn’t Start The Fire…

See, here’s the thing. After reading through Jeremiah’s posts – and his wonderful whiteboardpost-mortem analysis – I was struck by something. Would doing any of that actually have helped in this case? So, as Jeremiah actually points out – one of the options for Nestle would have been to “engage” the protesters; to ask them how they could “work on sustainability issues together”.

Now, maybe if they had done that *much* earlier, it might have helped.  But after reading so many of the comments on their page – I have to say that my best gut instinct is that this type of comment would have been derided at best – and perhaps even fanned the flames more. Most of them don’t seem interested in solving an issue – they simply want to hold up their virtual signs.

Now, I want to be clear, I’m not questioning the earnestness of Greenpeace and their supporters (although Greenpeace certainly has its own past issues). But what does seem clear to me is that this type of “protest” and its conflagration is a big challenge for us as marketers. These types of protests (despite how they start) seem to devolve and become much more about provocation and galvanizing a base, than they do about solving a real issue.

Let’s go back to the tinderbox that started the Greenpeace vs. Nestle fire – the video. In reading through the micro-site that Greenpeace put together – and not surprisingly found through media coverage of the event rather than the protesters
themselves – there’s a video that shows a bored man in an office, tearing open a KitKat Bar – and mindlessly eating (with a disgustingly large amount of blood) an Orangutan finger. I get it.  Deforestation kills Orangutans – Nestle has contract with company blamed for deforestation – ergo every time you eat a KitKat an Orangutan dies.  Subtle.      Earnest protest or emotional button-pushing.   Who knows.  The point is it doesn’t matter.

All’s Fair In Love And Customer Service

As marketers, what this issue raises is the absolute critical importance of having a process and plan around our Social Media
efforts. As we put together the plans for our Social Media Marketing/CRM strategy – we’ve got to be prepared for
these types of PR storms – whether or not they are “fair”. If we treat our social media strategy casually, we will be ill prepared for these types of events. But my question still remains – and is one that I’m still puzzling over….

Do we have to be prepared to lose?

As Jeremiah points out – organizations will do much better if they run their social media strategy as thoughtfully as their PR
Strategy. This means placing real professionals in charge, working and training through crisis management, and developing a “measure twice cut once” strategy.

But I wonder if, after a few more of these types of storms, we won’t see corporate brands tighten up and kill off some of the social media channels. One thing I do know (and I’m not saying this about the Nestle case in particular) is that as practitioners we are going to have to start to call bullshit on the mob as often as we do the mobbed. Just because they’re outside some company’s walls with pitchforks doesn’t mean they’re right.  Or does it?

What say you?

Photo Credit: Robert Couse-Baker

Are you at South By Southwest this week?   No?   Yeah, neither am I.  I would have loved to go – but just am too busy with client-work (which is a good thing by the way).  How about you – are you stuck with clients?  Stuck at work?  Just didn’t want to go?   Well, with all that’s being blogged, tweeted and generally discussed this week – you might be feeling a little lonely out there if you’re not walking up and down the streets of Austin.

In that spirit, I wanted to put something together for everyone who didn’t make it to SXSW this year. Think of it like a little care package; a few things to keep you busy until late next week – when all those SXSW’ers come home, hung over and full of stories.  With any luck, and if you complete the below – you’ll not only be able to hang with those stories – you might even make a few of your own.

Without further ado… If you would have gone to SXSW…..

Would you have gone for the Music?

Alright let’s get you in the mood.  So, since South By Southwest’s history is with music let’s start there.  I’m a huge music fan, and actually know a few of the bands playing this week.  So, I’ve put together a few links here that will get you started. These all go to my Blip.FM – where you can listen and/or buy on ITunes (not affiliate links).   Warning my taste leans toward Alt Country and Rock – so if you’re hoping for Hip Hop.. Well… It ain’t there.

1. – Jenny Owens –  Drinking Song
2. – The Right On’s – Do Your Thing, Babe
3. – Johnny Cooper – Texas To You
4. – Jeremy Jay  - In This Lonely Town
5. – Johnny Cooper – Let It All Go

Okay… so, now you have some music going… Maybe you’ve had a beer…  You wake up the next morning and…

Would You Have Gone For The Talks?

Of course, we’re not there – and the presentations aren’t available – so here’s some wonderful presentations and content that you might not have seen before:

You could Read Doc Searls latest.  Earlier this year, the Pew Center asked a number of forward thinkers to comment on a bunch of questions around the future of the Internet.  Doc has shared his answers in full.  And they’re just typically great Doc.  If you’ve got half an hour – this is just a great read.

Or, you could go check out this Ted Talk – from Gary Lauder.  It’s a wonderful talk where he applies economics and common sense with a new approach on traffic signs.

Or, if you haven’t seen Gary Flake and his presentation on the Pivot interface for exploring data – it’s a must see.

So, there you go… there’s an hour or so of stuff for you to do and come away smarter…

Or Would You Have Gone For The Films?

The Film festival is one that is rarely as well publicized as the rest of the conference – but there are some wonderful films at this year’s SXSW.   Of course, you probably won’t find many of them online.  But one filmmaker in particular – Don McGlynn has a film at the festival called Rejoice and Shout – a film about African American church music – especially Gospel music.  While I can’t point you to the film – Don has aYouTube Channel and he’s got some wonderful videos there.  The Dexter Gordon video is worth the price of admission itself.

So, now if someone you know comes back from SXSW and raves about the film, you can say – “yeah, that’s great – but have you seen the other videos he’s got up on YouTube?”

Or, Would You Go For Some Startup & Social Media Juice?

Of course Twitter was born at SXSW – and Social Media is huge there.  If you’ve not read the origins of Twitter by Dom Sagolla – it’s definitely a fun read.

But more importantly – here’s a couple of things that you can do – that will make you feel like you accomplished something.

Customize Your Facebook Page URL -  If you haven’t customized your Facebook page to be www.facebook.com/YOURCO’SNAME – you should do it.  You might have missed (because I sure did) that you don’t need 1,000 fans any more to be able to do it.  To change it just go to www.facebook.com/username .  Be careful though.  You can only do it once.

Tie In Your Twitter and Delicious Accounts - The other thing to do is to go check outhttp://packrati.us/ – It’s a cool service that connects your Twitter account to your Delicious account.  Now, every Tweet you make with a link will be automatically added to your Delicious account.

Check Out A New Tool For Naming – Finally, check out http://www.wordoid.com/.  This is really addictive.  If you’re trying to think up names for new startups – or are just coming up with new domains – it’s a wonderful way to spur your creativity.

There you go… Not a replacement for not going certainly – but hopefully a nice care package for you. Three things that will hopefully get something accomplished – and when you’re friends come home from SXSW applauding the newest startup – you can pass along what you’ve been up to.

If you’ve got others – pass em along….  And I hope you had fun this week NOT at SXSW!!

Yesterday we discussed how focusing on a process for your digital marketing will empower you to take control over your strategy.   But, once you've got a process, and you've discovered and convinced your CEO to invest in that process – you've got to have a way to measure it.   What does success look like?

There's
a lot of talk these days about why it's so important to be a data driven
marketer.  Software vendors will extol the ability to achieve a "high return on investment".  We strive to prove our case using ROI from every campaign.  We are buried in statistics such as "Cost Per Lead" and "Cost Per Acquisition", "Traffic Cost", "Page Views", "Followers", "Retweets" etc.. etc… And this is absolutely wrong-headed..  If you're using your Analytics to prove something
- then you're using Analytics incorrectly.

Analytics Are WMD – Weapons Of Mass Delusion

In the wrong hands, a notebook full of statistics is a disaster waiting to happen.  Put simply, data
doesn't convert customers.  I've been in
marketing for 15 years and never once has a graph of more visits or telling a
prospective customer my conversion metric – or frankly telling my CEO the
percentage of conversions vs. bounces – made any of my campaigns any more successful.  It's always compelling,
creative content… A great call to action… A trusted relationship… A
personal touch…  That is what converts customers.

Data is
only important if you have something RELEVANT to measure.  Ask yourself this question. Would you rather:

• A: Tell
  your CEO that Web traffic doubled from 20,000 to 40,000 visits per month – but
  sales remained flat.
  or…
  
• B: Tell
  your CEO that traffic decreased by half 20,000 to 10,000 but sales doubled.

My guess
is that you went with B…..  And if you
can say marketing costs are flat, and revenue
doubled – you just earned your Bonus for that quarter..

So, yes
of course in order to get to B – you absolutely need to have your finger on the pulse all of those
metrics I mentioned previously.  And
establishing a great base of measurement ensures that you can measure
EVERYTHING you need.

But that's the key – need.  Just because you can measure something doesn't mean you necessarily should report on it.

So, let's
make it real… What does your CEO
need to know:

How do
we build this process for building our measurement plan. Now, certainly your analytics will be unique to you, but
here are four ideas to keep in mind as you develop your plan:

1. Know What’s Important?  

5. Budget for success AND failure…. Don’t take on measurement or try one tactic unless you have permission to fail…. You will succeed… And you will fail… And If all you’re focused on is a hard ROI for every single marketing tactic you have already lost. Your CEO must give you and your team permission to not succeed at one or more tactics. Blogging may not work. A whitepaper tactic may fail. The social media strategy may succeed beyond your wildest dreams. But budget for small experiments that allow you to test, iterate, measure and test again.