The Digital Socialite

Note to Presidential Candidates: "Half the Battle" isn't good enough

A lot of outstanding insights have surrounded the role of social media in politics, namely in the presidential candidacies, which has social media pundits everywhere pumping their fists a la Kirk Gibson circa 1988. 

As much as this does inspire a conceited reinforcement of my work in the digital arena, I remain level because I think everyone now recognizes that social media is merely an evolution of our time: socio-environmental trends + digital assets = necessity for peer-to-peer, two way communications.  So why wouldn't political figures leverage the digital age to have genuine conversations with voters?  However, I'm intrigued to contribute to the conversation when I read this post on Fred Wilson's blog earlier today where he made several interesting observations, including:

"I just checked the exploratory committee websites of Hillary, Obama, Edwards, McCain, and Romney. A few have blogs (or so they call them). Not one of them actually write any posts."

The old adage goes that showing up is half the battle.  Well, in an uncharacteristic 'glass-is-half-empty' moment, I'd like to voice that "showing up" on social media channels isn't even half the battle.  Simply having a prescence on social media properties such as MySpace and YouTube doesn't cut it.  Uh-uh!  Today, people are suspicious about marketing.  And heck, even as a marketer myself, I'm skeptical that John Edwards himself replies in his MySpace.  The voice isn't authentic to me. 

How is this approach any different from traditional marketing where key messages completely devoid of personality and dialogue are pushed one-way to the audience?  Yes, different channels attract different demographics and the more touchpoints, the better.  I get that but that isn't the point.  The bottom line is social media is about joining everyday conversation.  Merely posting pictures, canned responses, and videos of speeches isn't leveraging social media for value.  It's showing a complete ignorance of the medium. 

So a collective word to Hillary, Obama, Edwards, McCain and Romney: what you're doing is creating a bigger megaphone.  What you need to do is have better conversations with potential voters.  Even if you're short on time as Fred mentioned, you would not believe the power that 1-2 genuine sentences (read: actually from you) posted everyday holds.  MySpace and YouTube are social media tools.  The real power is unlocked by interaction, engagement, and at the highest level, empowerment.

I realize I'm somewhat presenting this as "damned if you do, damned if you don't" proposition.  And ending this post on that note would be bad form.  So here's one possible solution: why not provide a daily video blog about your travels across the country as you meet the military, police, and firefighters of the nation?   Forget the  high production costs of commercials that I'm never going to watch anyway.  Let's see some authentic content and hear some genuine messages that we won't get anywhere else.

I'm nothing if not helpful so here's a sample marketing plan I put together (I'll use Hillary per this example):

Goal
Primary: Generate awareness for Hillary Clinton.
Secondary: Launch an online political evangelism program around Hillary Clinton. 

Target Audience
Primary: Top influencers of online communities around the nation (insert appropriate party preferences here).
Secondary: (insert appropriate geographic clusters here)

Campaign Length
Short- and long-term, high-impact

Modes of Engagement
Vlog, posted 5 times a week (at minimum) available at:

• Official YouTube Brand Channel (BTW, here's a top influencer Hillary should seek the help of)
• MySpace 
• Blog via official website

Note: this is an example of just one mode of engagement. 

Hope this helps!

-Johnny

P.S.- To Fred: it took 35 minutes, 16 seconds to bang out this post.  

P.S.S.- This blog post endorsed by supporters for Johnny Chan 2008. 

Be a woman

One of my favorite books in recent memory  has been Don't Think Pink by Lisa Johnson and Andrea Learned.  What a highly relevant topic for our time.  Marketers are finally waking up to the fact that women make the majority of consumer decisions and that this undeniable trend has incredible leveraging power.   

So what I urge everyone to do is to get in touch with their feminine side. 

Most properties take a male approach to business.  They focus on penetration, penetration, penetration.  And what happens?  Someone's left unsatisfied, right?  What gets products to develop virally in this digital age is having something unique and having a genuine connection with consumers that goes beyond selling a widget.  Just as women create for
others, build villages and foster feelings, successful companies leverage social media to create brand ambassadors, build communities and foster their own community. 

This isn't a fad or just another way for you to generate more PR.  Fostering communities digitally is a viable way to create authentic, sincere stories about you or your client's brand.  It creates a message that resonates with consumers and their peers. 

And who wouldn't like that? 

-Johnny

The 5x10=50 Rule to Velvet Rope Entry

Top social media influencers know they're hot commodities.  Slashdot, Digg, TechCrunch... the line to enter is outrageously long and you may not get in.  And why should you?  Most of the people waiting in line look similar: same blonde hair, same web 2.0 features, same body parts augmented (is that silicone or ajax?).  What makes you different? 

Whether you're the next web 2.0 flavor (exceptional exit strategy guys...I'm sure Google's going to buy you next!) or whether your ajax is bigger than the next is up to you.  We can't help you out there.  But when pitching the bouncers at Club Slashdot, Digg Lounge, or TechCrunch Bar & Grill, make sure to remember that 5x10=50. 

• Email should be no more than 5 sentences long. 
• Reading time should be approximately 10 seconds. 
• Total word count should be no more than 50. 

Make it easy on the editors.  The goal of the pitch is to stimulate interest, not to give your executive summary. 

-Johnny

Wingmen Can Only Do So Much

Inspired by a true story...

Danielle and I were recently at a release-party for a new Latin magazine in San Diego (the party was muy caliente!).  As digital socialites are keen to do, we rubbed elbows with fellow marketers and ad execs.  And as men are privy to do, a swarm of them hit on Danielle (just another day in the life, eh Lambchop?). 

One errant pick-up attempt was particularly memorable because it was straight out a single man's dating playbook: wing man swoops in, warmly introduces the main man to the group.  Wing man engages everyone in the group in conversation except the female target.  Erstwhile main man begins talking with the target, delivers elevator pitch and earnestly tries to close the deal. 

Now I have nothing against this approach.  I myself was recently inducted into the Wingman Hall of Fame in Canton, OH where a bust of my wings are enshrined (I couldn't have done it without you Cameron...it was an honor to be your Scottie!).  And the wingman that night was outstanding.  His approach was fundamentally sound and his introduction clearly demonstrated his mastery of all WEB principles. 

It simply got me thinking that with all the "wingman" tools and tips for leveraging business value out of social media marketing (some great, some duplicitous, others very sad), the bottom line is you can only do so much. 

As digital socialites, we often serve in the role of wingman for our clients.  But we should remember that what gets a product/service to develop virally in this digital age is having something unique and having a connection with consumers that goes beyond selling a widget.  Social media marketing amplifies a great product/service.  You can't evangelize crap.