QViews: March 2008

March 03, 2008

How Liberty Mutual Opens a Conversation

080411b Have you ever tried to start a conversation with someone who just wasn't interested? Marketers face this problem all the time. They want a dialogue with their audience but find it challenging to connect. The key is to take it lightly and keep trying. I'm not overly impressed with Liberty Mutual's new site, The Responsibility Project, but it has possibilities. If they can allow it to evolve, they may have a marketing system. They currently support the site with their TV campaign, but they hope to cut back on general TV advertising over time.

Mediapost: Liberty Mutual Doubles Spend To Back Web-Based Films, 2008-Feb-29, by Karl Greenberg

Speaking at Thursday's Association of National Advertisers' conference in New York, Stephen Sullivan, SVP/communications for Liberty Mutual Group and chairman of ANA's Board of Directors, said that programs like The Responsibility Project reflect the maturity of the Web....We made a major financial commitment to produce 20 original films this year that will be put on our Web site and will be published in a way that will be very easy to share. People will click and drag and put them in e-mails," he said.

Posted by TheresaQ in Conversational Marketing | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Marketing as the Lungs of your Business

This on-line newsletter is about all the chances you have to establish a communication system with your customers, prospects, vendors, investors or other audiences. Good marketing communications is like breathing. With every message you send out, you have an opportunity to collect some information back in. If you build the right respiratory system, over time you will become closer to your audience and better able to keep them happy.

Recommended Books

The Cluetrain Manifesto: The End of Business as Usual
by David Weinberger, Doc Searls, Christopher Locke, and Rick Levine. The bible of marketing in the 21st century. Defines a new foundation between organizations and their audiences. (*****)
Permission Marketing : Turning Strangers Into Friends And Friends Into Customers
by Seth Godin. The other foundational book for marketing in the 21st century. Ought to called The Law of Permission Marketing because ignoring it is as dangerous as ignoring gravity. (*****)
Creating Customer Evangelists: How Loyal Customers Become a Volunteer Sales Force
by Ben McConnell and Jackie Huba. The best book on how to build and maintain a brand community. (****)
The Rebel Rules: Daring to be Yourself in Business
by Chip Conley. Guidebook for designing a company that will be clearly focused on creating an excellent customer experiences. (****)
Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind
by Al Ries and Jack Trout. Only rated three stars because so much here is now 'common knowledge' in marketing. Still, one of the best marketing books of the last century and essential reading if you're new to the field. Plus, a fun, quick read. (****)