Okay, so even I’m shocked by this one.  Gourmet magazine will publish its last issue November 2009.  The magazine has been in publications since December 1940.  Yes, 1940!

The New York Times reported that Conde Nast was up in the air between which food title they were going to shut down – Gourmet or Bon Appetit – and given that Gourmet was considered the more upscale of the two, they decided to keep the book for the ‘masses.’  Given the economy, it seems consumers are looking for more value than ‘gourmet.’

The magazine has won numerous awards over the years for photography and editorial, so it’s a sad day in the publishing world – as well as for the close to one million people who either subscribe to or purchase the magazine on the newsstand. 

I just finished the book “Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business” by Neil Postman, and let me tell you, it’s not a light read.  A quick read yes, a light read no. It’s thought provoking and profound.  Although I don’t agree fully with all of the author’s philosophies, he does make you think about our culture from a different perspective.  In the age of social media (Twitter and Facebook) and a culture based around imagery, sound bites and ‘drama,’ this book will get you thinking about epistemology; more importantly, media as epistemology.  It’s a great read and one I’d recommend to everyone - especially marketers.  As we are early adopters of technology and new media, we owe it to ourselves and others to utilize them in a smart, thoughtful and intelligent way.

So between blog posts and tweets, pick up a book - preferably this one.  Still not sure if you want to dive in?  If nothing else, read the ‘foreward’ that follows. It’s powerful and succinct, and it alone will make you think.

FOREWARD: Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman

–We were keeping our eye on 1984. When the year came and the prophecy didn’t, thoughtful Americans sang softly in praise of themselves. The roots of liberal democracy had held. Wherever else the terror had happened, we, at least, had not been visited by Orwellian nightmares.

But we had forgotten that alongside Orwell’s dark vision, there was another — slightly older, slightly less well known, equally chilling: Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World.  Contrary to common belief even among the educated, Huxley and Orwell did not prophesy the same thing. Orwell warns that we will be overcome by an externally imposed oppression. But in Huxley’s vision, no Big Brother is required to deprive people of their autonomy, maturity and history. As he saw it, people will come to love their oppression, to adore the technologies that undo their capacities to think.

What Orwell feared were those who would ban books. What Huxley feared was that there would be no reason to ban a book, for there would be no one who wanted to read one. Orwell feared those who would deprive us of information. Huxley feared those who would give us so much that we would be reduced to passivity and egoism.  Orwell feared that the truth would be concealed from us. Huxley feared the truth would be drowned in a sea of irrelevance. Orwell feared we would become a captive culture. Huxley feared we would become a trivial culture, preoccupied with some equivalent of the feelies, the orgy porgy, and the centrifugal bumblepuppy.  As Huxley remarked in Brave New World Revisited, the civil libertarians and rationalists who are ever on the alert to oppose tyranny “failed to take into account man’s almost infinite appetite for distractions.” In 1984, Huxley added, people are controlled by inflicting pain. In Brave New World, they are controlled by inflicting pleasure. In short, Orwell feared that what we hate will ruin us. Huxley feared that what we love will ruin us.

This book is about the possibility that Huxley, not Orwell, was right.–

As a consumer of “infotainment” and a professional in the communications field, I have a great appreciation of our media, yet I do continue to question how a nation who gets its news and knowledge in sound bites will affect our culture.

The PRSA presentation on August 20th was packed with timely information about not only what is changing within the marketing landscape, but why it’s changing and what we as marketers can do (and must do) to capitalize on it. 

Five key take aways from the presentation are: 

1. Engage in social media: Of all the great shifts in communication, social media is one of the biggest and most significant. Marketers need to learn it, create a strategy and engage to compete in today’s marketplace.

2. Market  your brand (not your product or service): Even in today’s challenging economy, we remain a brand-driven society. Companies need to understand the essence of their brand and market it accordingly.

3. Know your audience: It amazes me how many companies wonder why their marketing isn’t working when they have no real idea of who it is they are actually ‘marketing’ to. Know your audience and you’ll have a much better chance at reaching them.

4. Challenge your comfort zone (as well as your clients’, boss, boards, etc.): Now is not the time to be complacent. With so much changing within the marketing landscape, marketers have got to change with it. More than likely, this means that it will push you out of your comfort zone. And my philosophy is if you’re uncomfortable, it means you’re moving outside the ubiquitous box. Trust me, that’s a good thing!

5. Write your own rules: Gone are the days of following all the rules.  The fact of the matter is that given social media and other changes within the marketing landscape, there aren’t necessarily rules for you to follow.  And that’s a great thing for marketers. Finally, we can be more daring and more creative than ever before!

Still thirsty? Check out Merlot Marketing’s delicious page for articles and case studies you can learn from…For information specific to the PRSA presentation, click on the following link: http://delicious.com/merlotmarketing/PRSA 

Capturing the essence of the presentation was this quote:

 “It takes a lot of courage to release the familiar and seemingly secure, to embrace the new. But there is no real security in what is no longer meaningful. There is more security in the adventurous and exciting, for in movement there is life, and in change there is power.”

Alan Cohen

Author: chicken soup for the soul

Don’t miss this month’s PRSA luncheon.  I’ll be talking about how the marketing landscape is changing and what marketers can do to capitlize on it.

According to Mediabistro, Time Inc. today announced that the September/October issue of Southern Accents will be its last.   The magazine has been in publication for more than 30 years.  Our clients have graced many Southern Accent pages over the years, so it’s sad to see it go. However, in this economy it’s survival of the fittest.  There were too many shelter titles and the best ones are rising to the top.  Other shelter magazines already buried include: Country Home, Cottage Living, O at Home, Home Companion, Home Magazine, Blueprint, House & Garden andHouse Beautiful SIPs… Who’s next?  If you need to get your Southern Accents fix, the website will supposedly stay in operation: http://www.southernaccents.com/

Employers experience much trepidation when it comes to social media, so they ban and block it from their employees. On the other hand, employees are simply better versed and more comfortable in the ‘Twitterverse,’ so they sometimes tweet and blog their way into trouble. So, what are employees and employers to do? Read on to find out. Here is a link to a great article featured this weekend in the Sacramento Bee.

Friday, May 29, 2009

With Twitter, you can promote your business and brand in real time

Sacramento Business Journal - by Debi Hammond Contributing writer

Although Twitter might not be the best vehicle for Shakespearean prose, it’s fast becoming a marketing powerhouse.

Twitter is a social networking tool that answers the question “What are you doing?” in 140 characters or less.

Originally designed as a personal social networking tool for friends, family and co-workers, marketers and other business professionals recognized its potential and are now seizing it for everything from customer service and brand perception monitoring to promotion of new products and services.

Best of all, it’s all in real time.

Even the president of the United States (@BarackObama) was all a-Twitter during the campaign, as well as national news sources such as CNN (@cnn). Heck, even Oprah Winfrey (@oprah) “tweets.”

So, should you start tweeting? Well, consider these statistics.

According to Compete.com, Twitter had 19.44 million unique visitors in April, up from 1.5 million in April 2008. Nielsen, however, recently reported that more than 60 percent of U.S. Twitter members abandon the site after one month of use.

But don’t let that discourage you. There are still close to 20 million users on Twitter from which you can create your very own following. And, once you do, you can reach them with your message in real time.

Tell customers what you’re up to

So, how are companies using Twitter to promote their businesses? Here are just a few examples:

• Zappos (@zappos): With more than 600,000 followers, Zappos chief executive officer Tony Hsieh understands the power of Twitter. He sells shoes online, and through Twitter, and has become a one-man customer service and marketing machine for the online shoe retailer.

Although some might find Twitter to be a bit impersonal, he uses it at Zappos for building more personal connections with both the company’s employees and customers. And given the fact that the company was featured on Fortune Magazine’s annual 100 Best Companies to Work For list, the guy must be doing something right. He continues to foster brand and employee loyalty one tweet at a time.

• High-end food vendors: I know, as odd as it sounds, mobile food vendors are using Twitter to draw more customers. The drivers tweet via their cell phones to alert customers to their whereabouts and menu options.

That’s true in the case of Kogi BBQ, which is, according to the Associated Press, an almost cultishly popular Korean-Mexican style taco vendor in Los Angeles. According to Jane Goldman, editor-in-chief of CHOW Magazine, “the Kogi folks have shown themselves to be adept at turning those mini-missives into a hugely successful marketing machine.”

• Comcast Cares (@comcastcares): Not known for their customer service acumen, Comcast was able to take a barrage of negative comments and stories in the blogosphere and, via Twitter, turn them into one of the most successful customer service case studies on the Web.

How might you use Twitter to promote your business? Depending on the type of business you’re in, here are a few ways you might capitalize on the craze:

• Restaurants: Tweet about your food and drink specials, events, new menu items, etc. Chefs can tweet about what they’re picking up from the farmers market and the sommelier can tweet about the new Bordeaux she just added to the wine list.

• Retailers: As a retailer, what you want is traffic, and Twitter can help you get it. Tweet about your new arrivals, sales, specials, discounts and exclusive lines.

• Grocers: From fresh strawberries to succulent salmon, tweet about seasonal specials and sales. Given the real-time nature of Twitter, during hot summer months you can tweet about cold concoctions to satisfy one’s thirst. This list could go on and on.

• Theaters/concert venues: Let people know there are still seats available at a discounted price. Tweet about the arrival of a celebrity. With great movies and music, the topics are endless.

• Marketers: Yes, I tweet, along with many of my peers. At our agency, we use it to communicate with editors, writers and reporters, as well as colleagues, clients and other followers.

To borrow a line from Shakespeare, “All the world’s a stage. …” Isn’t it time you started tweeting from it?

So grab a twitter handle (that’s the name you’ll go by following the @ symbol) and get to tweeting. Feel free to follow me at @DebiHammond or twitter.com/DebiHammond.

Debi Hammond is president and chief executive officer of Sacramento-based Merlot Marketing Inc. Reach her at debi@merlotmarketing.com.
 
All contents of this site © American City Business Journals Inc. All rights reserved.

Merlot Marketing wins five Crystal awards for excellence in marketing communications.  The International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) honored Merlot for the following work:

Client: Bug Realty

Title: BUG! Realty Photography

Category: Photography/illustration 

Client: BUG! Realty

Title: BUG! Realty Promotional Materials

Category: Promotional Materials

Client: Everpure

Title: Everpure Water Bottle

Category: Promotional Materials

Client: Everpure

Title: Everpure Ad 

Category: Magazine Ad

Kudos to the Merlot team!

Merlot Marketing walked away from the CAPPIE Awards Show with two GOLD and four SILVER CAPPIE awards including:

GOLD CAPPIE AWARDS

Client: Walker Zanger

Title: “All-Over Pattern Micro-Trend Finally Come to Tile”

Category: Writing; Feature Writing

Walker Zanger’s Contessa Collection

Client: Merlot Marketing

Title: Merlot Holiday Card

Category: Self Promotion

Merlot Marketing's Holiday Survival Guide

Check it out for yourself: Click here

SILVER CAPPIE AWARDS

Client: Merlot Marketing

Title: The Water Cooler ‘Merlog’

Category: New Media; Blog

What will find? What else? Water Cooler talk...

Client: Everpure

Title: Everpure Aqua Party 2008

Category: Special Event/Media Event

Client: Everpure

Title: Everpure Water Bottle Display

Category: Promotional Device

Client: Everpure

Title: Everpure Exubera Brochure

Category: Brochure

Here are a few more products that caught my eye at the show.

Although I mentioned Poggenpohl in my last post, I can’t help but to highlight a few more things about this line.  First, the quality is impeccable and the product line somehow merges sleek and sexy design with functional attributes. And given its European heritage, it optimizes every inch of space with unique niches here and perfectly organized partitions there.  www.poggenpohlusa.com

A place for everything...

...everything in its place.

New kid on the block Italian range maker, Fratelli Onofri, introduces some beautifully detailed products including a new ‘hammered’ finish as well as the very sexy “Divina.’

The new Divina Range

Toto came to the show in a big way introducing some amazingly beautiful new products in what I believe to be their biggest booth ever! One product that had more bells and whistles than I am comfortable with in that particular product category was the Neorest 600.  With its sleek and minimal exterior and seemingly easy-to-use gagetry, I did become a little more comfortable with the whole idea of this hands-free experience. Given that the toilet is self-cleaning, self-closing and helps keep the nether-regions exceptionally clean and dry, I think this product could very well be the best thing you ever did for your marriage, I mean, your home.

Neorest 600: Saving marriages one toilet at a time.

If you want to be pleasantly distracted by shiny objects then visit the Rohl booth at K/BIS. Modern, traditional, classic or country, they feature an amazing array of luxury faucets and fixtures for the home. Taking a more minimal approach, Rohl introduced its Vincent Bath Collection featuring subtle angles and straight lines that are as contemporary as they are timeless.   

Vincent Bath Collection by Rohl

So this last product is more personal preference than the best product found at K/BIS.  I have this asian-themed bathroom with a bamboo mirror and saw this faucet and fell in love! It’s the South Sea Collection by Danze. It’s all about the finishing touches…

South Sea Collection by Danze

 There were a lot of other amazing products at the show, but now we’re going to move on to something a little more fun! Stay tuned…