I was inspired by the WOMMA wrapup post made by John Bell, and thought I'd liberally copy his idea, and some of his conclusions, after attending the Word of Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA) Summit last week. He opines that 1. Big Brands are sounding serious about social media/word of mouth marketing; 2. There really is a difference between a historically ad-centric view and a public relations view of social media; 3. Value metrics are moving from incidental to explicit; and 4. A community of practitioners is priceless.
This was the fourth or fifth WOMMA Summit I've attended, and I have to say, this year there was more of an urgency to hit the ground running. Nearly all of the presentations were focused on best practices, where in past years, there were a lot of sessions focused on theory, general frameworks, and lessons learned from campaigns that weren't all that successful.
GOOD NEWS: The tools are out there, the agencies are getting up to speed, the customers want to hear from brands, and the "new" way of marketing is becoming the "regular" way of marketing.
The industry is seeing a dramatic shift, from one of a handful of enthusasts who were trying to figure things out in the "Social Networking" space, to one now where corporations and agencies alike are managing real, fully-integrated marketing campaigns that incorporate traditional marketing (advertising, web, PR, CRM) with WOM, or at least what they might call "social networking."
It has become not so much a matter of "if," but "how" companies are going to integtrate their Social Networking/Social Media/Digital Marketing strategies into a comprehensive, Integrated Marketing Plan.
That's not to say there aren't plenty of obsticals. Budgets are tight. Convincing some CMO's to divert "tried and true" dollars to Social Media still requires some education, and finding the right agency, one that has people on board that can walk the walk, can be tricky.
Check out the overview of the Summit, if you didn't get to attend. And if your company/firm is still not a member of WOMMA, look into joining. You may find one idea that will be the spark for a successful comapaign, and you'll be surrounded by people like yourself, who are looking for ways to make your brand more "talkable."
Disclosure: I sit on the Board of Directors for WOMMA, a fully unpaid/uncompensated role.
Today, we sent a press release of the official results of an indepth study we did a few weeks ago, as well as formally announcing the creation of Dad Central Consulting.
We searched quite a bit online for recent research about the purchasing habits of Dads, and found very little that was current. Because we have access to a huge research panel at Mom Central, we were able to put the call out for participation from Dads, and were able to get several hundred responses overnight. Thanks to all those that helped by completing the survey, or forwarding the survey link to your friends!
Stacy and I will be presenting the complete study this Saturday, at M3, the "Modern Media Man" Summit in Atlanta. In the meantime, you can check out the research by filling out a quick form to have a link to the published study sent to you.
Here are a few of my favorite parts from the survey of over 700 Dads with kids under 18 at home:
Some more interesting facts in the study, I hope you'll check it out! If you have any questions, let me know.
Today, a few of us here at Dad Central Consulting (and Mom Central) held the inaugural “Power of Dads” Tweetup. We had over 850 Tweets in an hour, and got some good insight into a few questions we’ve been doing some research around.
We had six winners of $50 American Express Gift Cards: @kiltedshaver, @DadaRocKs, @cnaes, @simplyandreah, @dealdaddy, and @portlanddad. Congrats!
You can catch the whole transcript here, on www.wthashtag.com (thanks, @DaddysToolbox!)
One way we hold these is to answer a series of questions, and get feedback from everyone. Here are a few of my favorites:
Q1: How has being a Dad influenced and changed your life?
ivannawin: Q1 speaking from my perspective of hubs... he's calmer and no longer skydives..
kiltedshaver: Definitely changed the tway I think about my family, added a big perspective in responsibility.
timeoutdad: Fatherhood is an AWESOME responsibility!
bigdisneyfan: My husband now has our son to play video games with, they really bond over Lego Star Wars.
CarlThress: A1: Much less self-focused. Decisions and choices are all filtered through "how will this affect my kids?
simplydab: RT @johnporcaro: How has being a Dad NOT changed my life? Most pleasure, most pain, most joy, most grief. Wouldn't change i
artisticbaker: Theres less money to spend on cars/tvs/gadgets - thats one change
Doodle741: Yea, my husband's "leisure time" is mowing the yard or taking care of house stuff. He does enjoy playing Halo
smlcfh: Now that hubby is in the military, any spare time he does get, he writes letters to them. It's the sweetest thing
squirrelburrito: @johnporcaro Our daughter got plenty of p0wnage in utero, but she's more interested in rock band and racing games!
Q2: Who or what influenced your purchasing habits before being a Dad?
dealdaddys: for me it was mostly just what I wanted, better neater stuff mostly technology
thesavingqueen: Q2 His friends and desires influenced his purchase habits. Now fellow dad and his kids influence them
glme: myself
dragonfly777: Before becoming a Dad....wife, friends and co-workers influenced me
DadCentric: Ricardo Montalban. Dude could sell the s*** out of a Chrysler Cordoba
squirrelburrito: @johnporcaro mmm...gadgets...we still get plenty of those, just installed some high wall shelves!
JanetandMaya: Q2: Purchasing habits were "selfish" now more careful esp about product safest
Q3: Who or what influences your purchasing habits now that you’re a Dad?
timeoutdad: Family comes first... always...
TechyDad: My wife and my kids. (Their needs more than "I want this!!!")
tshaka_zulu: A3: The children's needs, sometimes their wants and a lot of prayer. Have to be wise.
portlanddad: Q3 With kids it is now a family thing, we make purchasing decisions together but also have discretionary funds for each of u
squirrelburrito: @artisticbaker No minivans! We're clinging to our awesome little hatchback!
DaddysToolbox: A3 - we think "do we REALLY need new sheets" or should we put the kids in soccer or karate
judgebrix: my lovely wife and my kids ... and then new cool toys :-)
timeoutdad: Q3: My Bank Account... Can't spend more than I have.
thesavingqueen: Q3 Now fellow football dads and my kids influence my purchases.
_mongoose: We've gone to 5 phone lines with unlimited texting and my two oldest will be driving soon scar
ivannawin: hubs buys games he can play with kids and also buys matching jerseys
elivya: @johnporcaro Sometimes just seeing a kid happy is enough to make you forget what you sacrificed.
CarlThress: we went from spoiling ourselves to spoiling our kids :)
tidbitmom: RT @timeoutdad: Anyone else have Suze Orman's voice in their head every time they use a Credit Card? LOL < DENIED! ;-)
dark54555: One thing that has not changed: NO MINIVANS. Of course, with one kid, seating isn't much of an issue regardless.
jaybugsmommy: I think as moms and dads we try to give our kids things we didn't have as children ?
jaybugsmommy: this makes me want to give hubby and dad a Gift all this Dad talk .. or at least tell them I appreciate them!
timeoutdad: @MomCentral Becoming a dad has definitely forced me to become more sociable. That's good.
Q4: Where do you go for advice or information for family purchasing decisions?
kingkontra: Q4 My wife and i decide together for most big purchases
JanetandMaya: Q4 It's fun to see hubby talk with other dads about things like baby monitors, hehehe.
theladya: Word of mouth is best. If our friends and their kids like something, we probably will too
sethandshannon1: our parents and consumer reports
kiltedshaver: My wife and I talk over big purchases; we research, ask our parents and other mentors we have.
squirrelburrito: A4: We don't have outside resources for talking about spending, but we make sure each purchase is a family decision
simplydab: internet, friends/family, esp if it's big $. Needs anal. is critical - do we really need to spend the $ for this?
DaddysToolbox: i'm a GOOD src of info when it comes to techie purchases, food, wine, etc. lots of friends hv older kids & we ask them
DadStreet: A4: I do all the research for our family when it comes to buying things. I also call upon my support at #DadsTalking
TechyDad: I do research online like looking for product reviews on Amazon.com (even if we're not buying from them).
ivannawin: I sometimes do impulse buys on gadety items and hubs always returns them for a better item
thesavingqueen: Q4 My husband relies on me to check the reviews, because of the lack of daddy blogs!
MomCentralChat: My husband is a better wife and Mom than me in so many ways. His family raised foster babies and he is AMAZING!
elivya: @mstyle10 So many people on twitter... someone here is bound to have tried a product, can give opinion!
TechyDad: Review sites mostly, but also sometimes Twitter.
CK_Lunchbox: I go to FAIL Blog for advice.... on scary things not to buy
Q5: How do you connect with other Dads? (Online, at work, at kids sports games)?
squirrelburrito: We don't have a parent's circle yet, and we're the first in our group to have kids. meet dads at parks and other outings.
Kelliebug: Q5. He sees them at work and has buddies that are dads as well. I should get him involved in dad community online!
elivya: From these answers I'm imagining dads... "Gonna go hang with the guys, hon." "Sure! Will you be on twitter or fb?
Q6: What was the last purchase you made after consulting with another parent?
kamewh: A playset for our backyard
My3Sons33: Q6 the last purchase after consulting w/another parent was a baseball bat for our son.
kingkontra: A new xbox after my last 1 died
portlanddad: Q6 Phil & Teds double stroller, talked to a guy in the bookstore about it for 20 minutes, researched, then pulled the trigger
raggammuffin: Q6: i conulsted with my hubs on what brand razorblades he needed
1awesomekid: sheetrock for our bathroom redo!
thesavingqueen: My hubby purchased a mountain bike for my son after reading reviews to choose the best one.
dragonfly777: My last purchase was a keyboard for our PC...a friend had one he recommended. Great purchase
CarlThress: A6: bananagrams. great game. we (my wife, my older son, and I) love playing it.
Cinderellamom: Q6: Husband bought a table saw- an expensive un-needed table saw! after talking to friend
DaddysToolbox: A6 beer. honestly it was.
mochadad: Able to change a diaper with a single hand
DaddysToolbox: .@1awesomekid yes, getting good advice on which sheetrock is good for bathrooms!! hoepfully mold resistant
TechyDad: I do research online like looking for product reviews on Amazon.com (even if we're not buying from them).
A couple of notes we threw out during the discussion:
Thanks, everyone! We had a blast!
Kat at Maternal Journal pointed to an article in Parenting Magazine called "The Responsibilities and Expectations of the New American Dad."
Paul Scott writes that Fathers are expected to do more than ever. And he goes on to show how things have changed for Dads over the years.
Most of us know that parenting really involves both parents, whenever that's possible. Today's environment makes having a full-time, stay-at-home mom less feasible, and in a lot of cases, impossible. If you combine that with a new generation that rejects the old stereotypes of traditional roles, everything has changed.
Some recent statistics might surprise you:
Marketers need to realize that the "traditional" roles of the 50's and 60's have changed. Not only are market dynamics forcing more men out of 9-5 jobs, more women are (deservingly) excelling in careers. And even though the numbers of stay-at-home-dads is relatively small, the fact that today's Dad is more involved can't be denied.
As a Dad of four, I represent those that want to be much more involved in my kids' lives. Since my kids were born, I spent significantly more time with my them than I did with friends, co-workers,or even my wife. And even though my wife was a "stay-at-home-Mom," I did most of the grocery shopping, laundry, and a good deal of shuttling kids to soccer or volleyball practice.
Marketers need to realize that the old ways of marketing just don't work, or if they do, they won't for long. It's the main reason I left a 20-year career at Microsoft to join Mom Central, to create a division focused on marketing to Dads.
Dads can't be ignored. Except on Saturdays during NCAA football, then, go ahead and ignore us.... ;)
Now that I’ve had a few days to recover, it’s time to wrap up my thoughts about BlogHer 10. The conference was great. There were several thousand attendees, and I had the pleasure of meeting several bloggers, brand representatives, and folks from PR and marketing agencies.
I think I talked to just about every guy I could find, but the numbers of men not working on the show floor were admittedly small. I sat through a couple of sessions on the first day, but I had the best time talking to the folks on the trade show floor, explaining to them what Dad Central is all about, and how working with bloggers can be so rewarding for everyone involved.
I got to spend some time with a few great Dad bloggers, Dada Rocks, TechyDad, and Father Muskrat, both at the Ralph Lauren party, and occasionally running into them on the show floor. You guys are doing a great job representing Dads, and it was great to meet you. In fact, Dada Rocks did a quick overview of the show on CC Chapman’s Digital Dads TV show, about 42 minutes in. Check it out.
There were a few things I consider my favorites, so I’ll make an attempt at listing them:
The things I enjoyed most about BlogHer 2010:
1) The ride down to New York. Even though we had to “think” along the way. We had a great brainstorming session, and a rousing round of “Ghost”. I’m not sure why the game kept stopping in the back seat, but for some reason, it did. I loved stopping along the way at Rein’s New York Style Deli. The food was awesome, especially those semi-sour pickles.
2) Staying at The Jane Hotel. The Jane Hotel is full of old-world charm. Close quarters reminiscent of an ocean liner. Communal bathrooms. An elevator with an attendant that shuts the gated door and turns the crank to go up and down. More on that in another post.
3) The party at the Ralph Lauren reading room. Gathering at the world headquarters of Ralph Lauren, meeting David Lauren, working with Megan and Matt S. stuffing bags and getting things set to go. And listening to David tell his story about growing up in the Ralph Lauren family, and introducing the RL Gang. The guy has great presence, and has some amazingly amazing ideas about interactive marketing. Everything about the night was perfect, including the meal we had with the folks from Ralph Lauren who helped organize the event after it was all over. What a memorable night.
4) The giveaways. My favorite: The Got Milk? cereal/milk/bowl/spoon thing. It’s a cooler. And a bowl. And a spoon. All in one. Close second: Weebles that wobble, but don’t fall down. Runners up include full-size Mr. Potato Heads, “Don’t Text and Drive” keychains, and of course the samples of PUR packets that P&G is sending to countries where they don’t have safe drinking water. I can’t wait to do the demonstration for my kids’ classes once they’re back in school.
5) Meeting the Canadians—their party rocked, from the step-and-repeat to the Canadian Mountie who welcomed the Canadian bloggers who work with Mom Central Canada. Way to go, eh. 6) Walking the floor with Stacy, and meeting all of her amazing friends. Everywhere she went, she was hugging someone—it felt like she was the prom queen, and the few times I got to hang around with her, I felt somewhere between a groupee and the prom king myself. Everyone there knew her, and it made my ability to introduce myself so much easier.
7) Being known so instantly being part of Mom Central, and the enthusiastic reaction I got when I told people about Dad Central. The company I work for has a great reputation of putting relationships first, whether with the bloggers we work with, the brand and agencies we partner with, or with each other.
8) Stacey Smith, our webmaster/designer/social engineer, and her quick turnaround of Dad Central Consulting site. She has endless energy, awesome ideas, and I enjoy working with her. Maybe with the exception of the last assignment she got from our CEO, who assigned her to be my “cultural mentor.” She only had to kick me under the table a few times, but I learn fast.
9) The SWAG exchange room. What a great idea from one of the mom bloggers last year. They kept a room open where you could leave what you didn’t want, and take what you wanted more of. I was able to send a box home to my kids that I think they’re going to love.
10) Hanging out in the GM Chill Space. Another great idea. A large, comfortable space with lots of plugs, and dongles for iPhones and Blackberries and cell phones and everything else. They had snacks and cold water and the place was perfect to relax and log in and do some blogging.
11) Getting my picture with Rayman, and getting to play Xbox 360 Kinect Your Shape by Ubisoft. It’s no secret to my Xbox friends that the Frag Dolls are awesome, but getting a chance to actually see how far along the Xbox 360 Kinect has come made me proud of my former company. It was fun to see mom bloggers try it out, and to see how flawlessly the technology performed.
12) Jimmy Dean’s Breakfast Pancakes and Sausage on a Stick. OMG. Yum.
13) Taking the “Limoliner” bus/train back to Boston from NYC. Cool way to travel—a luxury bus with wifi and power ports and leather seats and a direct route from the hotel where the convention was to downtown Boston. It wasn’t fun leaving my iPhone on the bus, but the company was great and was able to get it back to me quickly.
14) BlogHim. Even though I didn’t actually ever see any physical function, it was fun to take part in the Tweet-osphere. Mocha Dad, you rock. You made it fun to check into Twitter. And hopefully you guys actually got to meet up, even though i had to leave early. I hope the “brotherhood” is just as strong when we meet for real at M3.
15) The Mom Central party at Circo, the monkeys, and meeting Mommy Goggles and her husband. And the Jimmy Fallon bartender. And the dating couple with six kids each, Spuds and Lenore. You guys crack me up.
16) Remembering the times I spent with my kids in NYC in the past. I couldn’t walk outside without thinking of each one of them, and waiting for the time I can take our youngest who still hasn’t traveled on a business trip with Dad.
17) Our “pre-meeting” briefing at Asia de Cuba with our CEO, Stacy, and her heartfelt, individual toasts she made to each one of us around the table. There were more than a few wet eyes, and I got to know my co-workers so much better.
18) Running into my blogging buddy Beth Goza, who inspired me years ago to “try” blogging. I’m so glad I got to see her at BlogHer. There’s such a personal connection between bloggers, people who are willing to share their lives, their ideas, their talents, and their network of friends, and I think Beth is the embodiment of that. I’m glad to know that the Windows Phone has Beth heading up its social networking. It’s going to be a better product because she’s involved.
19) Meeting up briefly with Christine Cea, Kristin Smith, and David Witt from WOMMA. Good to see strong representation from our group. And I heard that the session on the FTC was great, good job, Kristin.
20) The sneezing simulator in the P&G booth. I gotta get me one of those. Someone recommended filling it with something other than water, maybe using it at a party. Could be fun. But then, you’d have to be a guy to appreciate something that strange. But that’s the beauty of a Dad attending a show like BlogHer.
Thanks again to everyone i met, and everyone who helped make the event a success for us all! Can't wait until next year!
Last night, several Mom Central (and Dad Central) bloggers, and Ralph Lauren Ambassadors were invited to attend a special event hosted by David Lauren, Sr. VP of Mktg and Comm, and son of Ralph Lauren.
The setting was cozy, intimate, and inviting, and everyone there was friendly and quite welcoming. Even though we were already related by our passion for blogging, we felt right at home. The staff of Ralph Lauren were genuine, and everyone involved really put a lot of work into making the night memorable. Event the food was amazing, especially the cupcakes, provided by Crumbs.
At the end of the evening, nobody wanted to leave. Everyone came away with a sense of connection to what Ralph Lauren Childrenswear is all about--the iconic heritage of the American Northeast.
The highlight of the evening was David telling the story of his father, and his life growing up with the famous designer. He continues to share the passion for clothing as something more than just clothes, but also has a keen eye toward the future of communications and marketing.
We got a sneak preview of the "First Shoppable Children's Storybook," called "The RL Gang, A Fantastically Amazing School Adventure." It's narrated by Harry Connick Jr., and features several adorable kids wearing this fall's children's clothing line. We got to meet the kids, and hear directly from David about his passion for trying new things that help feature his clothing in unique and inspiring way, while maintaining the warmth and history of the brand.
From the media release:
Designed for readers 2-8 years old, the story unfolds as eight characters in The RL Gang embark on their adventurous first day back to school. Each character’s personality comes to life through their individual sense of style as the virtual storybook showcases 24 new looks from the Ralph Lauren Childrenswear Fall collection. The interactive digital format offers “click to purchase” capabilities allowing shoppers to select their favorite fashions directly from the pages and purchase instantly through RalphLauren.com and Bloomingdales.com. If a reader identifies with a particular character’s style, they can also choose to view their “virtual closet” to shop other similar looks from the Childrenswear Fall collection. Readers can obtain their own hard copy of The RL Gang by purchasing the book on demand through Tikatok.comTM, a partnered site owned by Barnes & Noble.
For the first month, 15% of all proceeds from the sale of the Childrenswear Fall collection on RalphLauren.com will benefit the Ellis Marsalis Center for Music (EMCM) located in The Musician’s Village. Conceived in part by Harry Connick, Jr., The Musician’s Village is a cornerstone of the Habitat for Humanity post-Katrina reconstruction of New Orleans. The EMCM, at the centerpiece of the Village, is dedicated to the education and development of the next generation of New Orleans music enthusiasts and the preservation of New Orleans’ unique musical heritage.
Take a look at the teaser video they allowed bloggers to share. I can't wait to find these clothes on store shelves this fall.
Disclosure: Ralph Lauren is a client of Mom Central, and I attended as an employee and blogger. Attendees were given gift bags containing various items, including the storybook, and in my case, a bottle of Polo cologne.
Thanks to superstar Stacey Smith, we have a landing site (well, more of a landing page), where bloggers can sign up for our blogroll.
Are you a dad with a blog, a strong online community, or a following on Facebook or Twitter? Are you interested in participating with some of your favorite brands to review products, sponsor contests or discounts to your readers, or just give us feedback? Sign up for our blogroll!
If you know any dads who would enjoy working with us, send the link!
I'm really looking forward to meeting all of our dad bloggers, feel free to contact me directly if you have any questions, or feedback, or tips on how to help me raise my own four kids...
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