Content strategy isn’t just about audits or aligning with information architecture. Directly supporting copywriters is a primary goal of content strategy as well. It falls to content analysts to distill insights and create an appropriate plan (based on business objectives, user needs, etc) – a plan that gives your copywriter enough to succeed.

Without content strategy, you create an unjustified delay; your copywriter is forced to research, analyze and strategize before they even start crafting the language that will entice your customers to convert. It’s unfair to your copywriter and is poor stewardship of your client’s resources.

After all, content strategy at the start of a project makes the creative process run faster and more efficiently, thus saving money for your client. Like information architecture and planning, content strategy work done up front will ensure that the best possible creative is produced…and that the entire project aligns with the given business objectives.

Here are 7 ways your content strategy department can save time and money by effectively preparing copywriters. (Please add additional suggestions in the comments section below.)

1. Prioritized Messages: Content strategy’s main deliverable to copywriters is almost always messaging. It is our job to provide the messages – prioritized by user need, business objective, channel, media type, or other project-appropriate criteria – that will move the needle for your client.
2. Primary and Secondary Research: Content strategists should compile any applicable primary or secondary research, either obtained from a planner or through their own work. Your messaging points will cover 95% of the questions a copywriter would have, but the research will be handy if they need more context or you are stuck in a meeting.
3. Links: Most of the links content analysts should provide are those going out from a particular page or another subject. This allows your copywriter to understand context and craft copy to ease the transition from page to page. However, copywriters may also benefit from knowing the in-links to a particular page to better understand a mental model or process flow.
4. Rules and Regulations: Content analysts must understand any applicable rules and regulations – both set internally or by government mandate. When I worked with a pharmaceutical manufacturer, the content strategy department at my agency was tasked with understanding linguistic guidelines set  by their legal department – and ensuring those guidelines were followed in the copy.
5. Source/Repurposing Material: Copywriters are rarely creating from scratch; they are often consolidating or otherwise repurposing existing content. Content analysts should provide clear direction as to where to find this source material with suggestions on exact elements to use.
6. Editorial Guidance: For complex or large tasks, content analysts can help copywriters prioritize their time. The content strategy department at Critical Mass has provided copywriters with everything from page-level editorial recommendations to a rank of the level of editorial effort required. This allows the copy team to prioritize their work based on the most pertinent factors (i.e. time, subject matter expertise, pages to consolidate, light vs. substantive edits required, etc).
7. Consistent Comparisons: Because copywriters and other creatives are determining the execution of the information you provide, the information content analysts provide must be consistent. We once had a client whose products were very similar – to each other and to the competition. We first outlined the prioritized messages (e.g. Product A is the “value” product; products B is the “luxury” product, etc) and then provided consistent facet comparisons for each product (e.g. Product A goes from 0-60 mph in 8.8 seconds; Competitor Z goes from 0-60 in 11.3 seconds). Some of these comparisons were executed as infographics, some as text and some within interactive tools. Our consistency made these executions possible.

Of course, these elements shouldn’t just be handed off. Content strategy is a resource for copywriters throughout the creative process – one which content analysts are an active and necessary part. But these are seven ways to reduce copywriting and overall project time while ensuring a smoother process for the entire team.

Naturally, content analysts will be called on to help other team members, such as designers, IAs and planners. But a good content strategy-copywriting relationship will prove essential for success, especially on large or complex projects. Mastering these seven elements are great ways to save time for your team and money for your client.

The latest Kindle uses ads on the home screen and menu page to subsidize a portion of the cost of the device. It’s a smart strategy from Amazon, aimed at getting more Kindles in more people’s hands by lowering the base price even further. But the content on the Kindle (the books, magazines, newspapers and blogs) is still pay-as-you-go, and free from advertising. Consumers and reviewers ought to be demanding it the other way around.

As both the device manufacturer and the publishing clearinghouse, Amazon has taken a page from Apple’s playbook. Sure, they probably make some money on the devices, but more importantly, they lock people into purchasing content for the device from them and only them. It’s the modern day equivalent of giving the razor away for cheap so that you can make a killing on the blades. The only problem is that consumers are used to getting those blades for free.

This realization came to me two weeks ago, when my wife surprised me with a wi-fi Kindle for our anniversary. My train commute is over an hour each way, so I’m always on the lookout for things to read. The Kindle seemed like a perfect gift for a guy like me. But when I started to browse the content from the main screen, it hit me. Or rather, I hit it. The pay wall.

First it was the New York Times, $19.99 a month. I thought that Kindles had free access to all the major US newspapers? Not even the 25 articles a month for free? Maybe it was just the Times, so I pulled up the Chicago Tribune. $9.99 a month. Sure, you can just buy the paper daily, but you can’t browse the headlines to see if there is something you wanted to read that day.

There was a section for blogs from the main menu, so I started browsing them to see what kind of content I could get for free. Et tu, Mashable? Even the blogs had subscriptions!?! Granted, they were cheap, but blogs? Yes, I’m on board with the fact that professional blogs have become legitimate publications, but this was too much. It was a matter of principle now.

At this point I wasn’t even thinking about reading eBooks on the device anymore. I was wrestling with whether I could do it. Could I pay for content that I could get for free on my phone at any given moment? I loved the physical form of the Kindle. It’s ridiculously light and thin, the battery lasts forever, and I didn’t mind the graphite text on grey mono-chromatic screen. But in the end, I returned it. It’s going to take more than sleek new device to change my mental model of what’s “free” and what isn’t.

This whole episode got me thinking about my media consumption, and just as I had paying for content on my mind, I noticed a tweet with a link to a free ebook that sounded interesting. I clicked the link, and found myself on paywithatweet.com. It’s exactly what it sounds like. On the site, individual publishers can offer up free downloads of their stuff, with the caveat that you login to your twitter account and tweet a link to the same material that you’re downloading. You get free content, they get a promo from you to all of your followers on twitter for free. Now that’s interesting. You can’t buy the kind of promotion that these content producers get – and they’re getting it for free. Consumers get content that interests them for the “price” of a single tweet.

Pay with a Tweet – An overview from Leif on Vimeo.

If we pay for content in the ad-supported world with our attention, should we pay for it in the social web with our reputation? For you and me, the cost is relative. It only takes a minute to pay with a tweet, but the hidden social cost is the effect it could have on our reputations. Do you want your followers to know what you’re reading, attending or listening to? Do you care?

These are the kinds of decisions we’re going to be facing more and more as brands, agencies and startups continue to find new ways to market to and monetize the social web. I’m fascinated by the idea of paying with a tweet, and with virtual currencies and Facebook credits already underway, it’ll be interesting to see what comes next. I’d love to hear your thoughts, please comment below or tweet @zachgraham.

VW’s endearing “Darth Vader” spot speaks to affluent parents who are the primary market for the Passat. When those viewers visit VW.com, however, the most easily found content for the new Passat a snarky but flat-footed video, “VW Academy with Bill Hader.” The video’s sarcasm seems off-key compared to “Darth Vader” and more akin to a Bud Light commercial. Plus, the video is slow to communicate a handful of the model’s key features. It risks diffusing the goodwill earned by “Darth Vader.”

Worse, there is little information on the new Passat anywhere on VW.com. If you click on Passat, under the Models menu on the home page, you get information on the current model. The lack of details on the new Passat is a huge missed opportunity for VW to keep potential customers engaged and feed their curiosity about the new model.

Motorola does a better job following up on its “Empower the People” spot for the Xoom tablet. After viewers find their way to the Motorola Mobility consumer site, the Xoom is featured on the home page. The Xoom product page leads with a replay of the TV ad, but it’s easy to skip the ad and get to an overview of the Xoom.

After the daring TV ad however, the product page is a let down. The Xoom ad, like it’s 1984 inspiration, promises change, but visitors get a typical, staid list of specs and features. The Xoom page could have related tech specs and features to human needs and situations.
At least some of the features that sound interesting, like Android Honeycomb or the “Floating” multi-finger interface, could be illustrated in more exciting ways. There’s little opportunity for further engagement beyond opting in for updates.

Eminem wants you to believe in Detroit

Chrysler likewise follows the inspiring “Imported from Detroit” spot with a lackluster web experience. When a viewer visited Chrysler.com the day of or day after the Super Bowl, model information for the new 200 was adequate and easy to find. Yet Chrysler had potentially built the most powerful platform, an unfolding story about Detroit’s revival and steadfast city pride. How could Chrysler have moved that story forward? How could they have prompted people to act, to show their support for Detroit? They could have gone further with a program such as Levi’s like-minded project in Braddock, PA. Or at least more passionately called on people to see the 200 in person and give Detroit a chance. This week Chrysler added an Imported from Detroit microsite, which still lacks exciting ways for viewers to get involved. You can buy a t-shirt, put names to some of the faces of ordinary people in the spot, or read a “What’s Up in Detroit” feed that doesn’t link to anything of the events or places it promotes. There is still no way for visitors to be a part of this story. Avenues for deeper involvement should have been part of this campaign from the beginning.

Other brands did better at integrating their online experience with their Super Bowl ads. Best Buy, for example, is prominently promoting its Buy Back program on its home page and offering the program for free for a limited time. The site also features a “Buybaculator” that makes the benefit of the program less confusing and more concrete.

Are there other brands that made strong online plays to compliment their Super Bowl ads? What could Chrysler have done to extend their “Imported from Detroit” anthem? Let us know what you think.

Andy LaFond is Senior Planner in our Chicago office.

The extremely low Customer Experience Index (CxPi) scores and plethora of rants against brands signal a wake-up call for marketers increasingly challenged by fickle consumers, a multitude of options and dwindling brand loyalty. Though it seems logical if not obvious, many forget that the best experiences (whether online or offline) are customer-in.

To help marketers increase their scores and improve relationships with customers, we’ve created a marketer’s checklist, “7 Principles of Extraordinary Customer Experiences.”

1. Easy is easy.
The customer experience can be one of two things: difficult or easy. Give a customer a navigation puzzle to solve and they’ll be navigating away from your site. The good news: It’s simply a matter of delivering an experience that is so honest it comforts them, so holistic it astounds them and so automatic it absorbs them. The bad news: that’s a tall order. Delivering on that order comes down to two things: getting customers to the right product or service, then seamlessly closing the sale.

- Create simple choices.
- Make it easy to find the product.
- Close the sale with prominent Calls to Action.

2. Inspire.
Respect, no love your customer. Love them back as much as they love you. Because they do. Pay it back by celebrating your product or service, making it heroic and highlighting your brand in a motivating, meaningful way. Celebrate your unique offering and the only place you’ll see the competition is in the rearview mirror. Celebrating your product/service means 4 things:

- Embrace attitude: inject your brand into the experience.
- Make the product hero.
- Keep the experience alive: build one that lives, breathes and hence, sells.
- Ensure authenticity: keep it real.

3. Educate.
Digital is the most versatile medium ever. Motion, sound, imagery, art, both recorded and in real time, they all live here. You can use them to educate people about your products and hence sell better. Digital can sell products and services in ways no other method or medium can.

- Educate at every step.

4. No matter where I am, make it contextual.
Sites, video, mobile and social—they all boil down to experiences with your brand. Some customers will come to immerse themselves in it, and dream a little while browsing.  Caught in the moment, they may be intrigued enough to buy if shown the right product at the right moment in the right environment.

- Content—in context—is king.

5. Facilitate connections.
Make it easy for your customers to strike up conversations, communicate with one another, and share information. People thrive on the mutual connection they feel with a brand, and through it, with one another. Allow customers to share content from your site with others in a way that fits their digital universe. These exchanges are happening.  Don’t just observe them, facilitate them. Better yet, own them.

- Use connections to drive conversion

6. Keep it relevant.
We’re living in a “me” world. The ultimate customer experience is intensely relevant to the individual. People know what they like. People know what they need. People know what they want. So you’ve got to deliver an experience as custom as their unique needs. Keep it relevant and you’ll deepen ties with your brand. The payoff? Deeper relationships, stronger ties, and the validation those naturally produce.

- Drive orders with relevance

7. Make it accessible and portable.
“Consumers don’t see the difference between marketing channels. They just see the brand and then use the channel that’s most convenient for them at that time” (eMarketer). Customers expect easy access to content, communities, and shopping wherever and whenever. Content must react to their lifestyle, not the other way around.

– Transact where the customer is.

The marketplace is crowded and the competition increasingly fierce. The key to delivering an extraordinary customer experience is placing the customer at the center your marketing strategy—through content that educates, inspires and connects in whatever medium and through whatever channels your customers live.

It’s time to bring the traditional resume into the 21st century. Creative job seekers can gain an edge in today’s competitive market by integrating social tools with their application. It’s not just any resume; it’s your digital resume.

Here I am, fresh out of school and, after a tiring search in post-recession adland, I’ve landed my dream job in Critical Mass’ exciting Calgary office. From creatives to project managers to developers, from augmented reality to iPad – this is where it all happens, and for some of the biggest names in the business. I was one of many students armed with only a degree and no experience to back it up, so how was I lucky enough to end up here?

I did what I was taught and used digital tools to make a new kind of resume, one that highlighted my marketing skillset instead of my restaurant know-how and proficiency with a cash register. This isn’t a top ten mash-up you’ll read on a thousand other blogs and it’s not a kooky MadMen-esque story from advertising’s infancy. It’s worthwhile advice that actually works; or, at least it did for this (former) student.

By now it shouldn’t come as a surprise that many employers do online background checks to study up on candidates before the actual interview. As a job seeker, it’s becoming increasingly important to manage your online presence. As a result, some opt out entirely, or use an abbreviated name to make themselves harder to find – seemingly a clever response to a new kind of problem, but it’s not bulletproof. After all, others can still write about you or tag pictures that you would prefer they don’t. Information is going to slip through the cracks and when it comes down to it, burying your head in the sand isn’t sound strategy.

A BETTER WAY

A different approach is to embrace new technology and use it to your advantage. The fact that recruiters are willing to do extra research and really get to know a candidate is a good thing. This is an opportunity to add a personal element to an otherwise impersonal job application! Even better, being transparent about your opinions and interests – and showing that you have a functioning social filter – reduces the risk to a potential employer because you’re no longer an unknown. It isn’t a handshake introduction, but it’s the next best thing – and taking advantage of this opportunity is downright simple; include digital content in your resume that points recruiters to tailored social feeds, blogs and profiles.

There’s another perk to using this type of tool though: it makes your application stand out. A surprising number of candidates in the U.S. pay lip service to their innovative qualities, so it seems like this is something employers are actively seeking. The problem is that it’s generally hard to prove whether you’re actually innovative or just think it sounds like a good buzzword. A digital resume is proof that you’re not afraid to think or act differently.

By embracing and controlling the digital channels, you can highlight job skills that will make you attractive to employers. If somebody types your name into Google, it can be difficult to control what pops up, but, if the information is on your resume and easily accessible, you can cut out the middle man and control the process in your own way.

SEVEN THOUGHT STARTERS

1. You’ve got headings for “Education,” “Work Experience,” and “Interests” – maybe it’s time to add a social header to the mix. Some possible titles: “Connect with Me,” “Buzz,” or any other name you like. This is new territory for most so enjoy the freedom of blazing a new trail! For example, I included a short description of my career goals and aspirations under the heading “140 or less.”

2. Use about.me as a single launch pad for your online profiles. Better yet, buy yourname.com and design your own. Giving your potential future employer a single, clean link and placing it in a prominent location will help encourage them to make the cross-channel leap.

3. Don’t dismiss your online contacts. Relationships online, and how you manage them can have an impact in the real world. There’s a lot of noise on a site like Twitter, but you should always try to remember the person on the other side of the screen. I actually got introduced to a Creative Director at Critical Mass through a contact I met on Twitter and something like that can definitely help you get your foot in the door.

4. Blogs demonstrate thought leadership. Good blogs are the result of time spent reflecting on and responding to the problems and issues faced by professionals. Another option if you’re time-stressed is to use a platform such as Tumblr or Posterous to link and react to articles across the web (presumably you’re reading them already so this is fairly low effort). Finally, there’s another benefit to blogging that people don’t talk about often – when you go to the interview, you’ll already have answers prepared for the tough questions.

5. LinkedIn is a no brainer. Chances are, if you’re reading this blog, you’ve already built yourself an account there, so I’ll just share a few quick pointers. Connect with a few local groups, and if you can make real world contacts through those groups then you’re doing better than most. You can also put up an online portfolio if you have some work worth sharing and be sure to get a few recommendations from your peers. A word of caution: LinkedIn has an option to distribute either all of your tweets or some of them. Remember that this is a conservative audience, so don’t blindly dump your Tweets into LinkedIn. The nice thing about this network? If an employer takes a look at your profile, you’ll know.

6. YouTube is more than silly videos. Try creating a personalized interview before the interview (be enthusiastic, but also professional) as an introduction to the person reading the cover letters. Explain why you would be a good fit in sixty seconds or less. Practice, practice, practice and don’t post it until you’ve got your elevator pitch perfected.

7. Consider QR codes (2D bar codes that link mobile phones to a web page) as your call to action on the physical page. If you do, be sure to optimize your profile for mobile and show them you’re on the ball with up-and-coming technology. Also, remember that QR codes are designed to solve a problem in print. A QR code on a computer screen is just a gimmick (unless you have a good reason for switching to the smaller screen).

FINAL THOUGHTS

Connect your online profiles. An integrated strategy works better for marketing campaigns and the same is true with your social presence. Answer questions on Quora, write blog posts about ideas you get from Twitter and put a deck that condenses the topic on SlideShare. Then bring it all back to LinkedIn and About.Me as well as any other tools you’re using. Save clippings of interesting articles using a service such as Instapaper, Trunk.ly, Delicious or Pinboard.

Remember that there will always be new tools, but sometimes it’s the originals that are most effective. Here’s an example: I made some connections through a local hockey message board because other users began to read my blog. Keep your eyes open for opportunities, sometimes they come from the most unexpected places.

Deciding what you’re going to do with Facebook is a tough call. I prefer to keep it personal, but you might have another strategy – be sure to manage it appropriately because nobody’s going to believe that you ‘get’ social media if they see the pictures from last weekend’s party plastered over the Internet.

Consider your audience. Social Media is a perfect fit for advertising/creative-type jobs or even smaller businesses looking into the social space but in some positions, especially where confidentiality is important, being open could be seen as a liability. In this case do your best to keep an untarnished image online and tread softly.

Lastly, be awesome (seriously). It doesn’t hurt to be human, but you do need to approach social with the same kind of attitude and work ethic that you would the office. Remember that everything online happens in the open and is permanent so try to play to your strengths and always put your best foot forward. Select a template if you’re not a web designer; think carefully about YouTube if you’re not an editor – these are personal selling tools, not magic pills.

Hopefully these ideas will inspire you to build your first digital resume and maybe they’ll be as helpful for you as they were for me. But here’s a closing question for you… What’s the best way to describe this new breed of resumes? Are they Digital, Social or eResumes? Do you think we’ll witness a shift in how job applicants approach their search in the next couple years or is the traditional resume simply an untouchable part of corporate culture? Let us know what you think and good luck in your own job searches!

Andrew is an Associate Planner in the Calgary office.

Mobile and emerging technology have historically had more hype than actual adoption or implementation within marketing campaigns; but with the proliferation of mobile devices and digitization, the mobile channel is slowly becoming a necessity rather than a novelty. In this post, I wanted to address key developmental areas of mobile and their impact on customer experience and engagement.

Traditional & Mobile Integration in Marketing

From an integrative marketing standpoint, the mobile device can be seen as an extension of the brand experience; it’s what connects the end user with the brand messaging. Mobile is often an overlooked or undervalued channel of communication but in reality, it’s one of the most personal forms of communication in this digital world. When campaigns are successfully crafted and executed, the channel that connects the end user with the message has the power to change both brand perception and consumer behavior. With that said I believe we will continue to see more brands create mobile campaigns or initiatives that complement traditional marketing channels while allocating a significant amount of their advertising budget towards mobile and emerging technologies.

Advertising

The recent launch of the Apple iAd platform will only further prove my point that there will continue to be a major marketing shift and emphasis on mobile within integrated marketing campaigns. The iAd platform allows developers to create beautiful and rich advertising executions that are less disruptive and reach the consumer at the intersection of emotion and interactivity. In addition to this innovative approach, the developers will retain 60% of revenues which have already shown signs of success. Obviously, these signs of success are due more to novelty rather than active engagement and interest, but the iAd platform is definitely a step in the right direction for advertisers.

Payment

Mobile commerce is another key area of significant growth that is driving adoption and new users. With more brands integrating traditional and mobile campaigns, allowing consumers to easily pay for various products and services on-the-go will benefit both parties. Apples iTunes payment system is a great example of quick, convenient one-click purchasing. During the D8 conference, eBay CEO, John Donahoe, discussed the adoption of the mobile device as a way to pay for goods and services. Donahoe explained that the mobile delivered $600M last year and will deliver $1.5B to $2.0B in revenue to eBay this year.

Additional examples of up and coming payment models include Jack Dorsey’s recent startup, Square, which allows consumer to send and receive payments through their iPhone or iPad. In addition to Square, which is hardware dependent, other emerging opportunities lie within Near Field Communications. Near Field Communications would allow RFID chips to be imbedded within phones which enable direct payments. While these payment models will continue to help the mobile space evolve, privacy concerns are still a very hot topic. The recent news of Apple iTunes accounts being hacked will require companies to provide a “reason to believe” and reassure them that their information is secure.

Social & Location Based Services

When discussing social and mobile with our very own Neil Clemmons, he pointed out that the intersection of mobile and social is a key driver of adoption and growth. Over the past year there have been several social and location based service developments which have supported his opinion. Brands that take the time to understand and develop services based around social media and GPS locations can provide personal messages and incentives to highly segmented groups thus creating relevant content and messaging for consumers who are actively seeking the information. Facebook is a great example of mobile adoption, with over 100MM mobile users today. In addition to highly segmented groups, brands have the ability to collect location based consumer insights.
All of the following, when used strategically in an integrative marketing campaign, will help provide a flawless user experience for consumers. I think we will continue to see significant developments in mobile and more brands pursing its highly targeted and relevant services as a complement to their traditional marketing efforts.

Johnny is a planner intern from our Chicago office.

VIEW… DOWNLOAD… DELETE… SAVE… FORWARD… COMMENT… SHARE… UNSUBSCRIBE… BUY!

Consumers have a myriad of choices in today’s rapidly changing digital environment.  As a result, digital marketers have to work harder to deliver extraordinary experiences that resonate with customers.  Why is this important?  Because it’s the extraordinary experiences we create for customers that allow us to build lasting and meaningful relationships with them.

In order to meet this challenge, it can be a worthwhile exercise to take stock of the terrific brand experiences we’ve recently encountered. To gain some outside perspective on capturing customer loyalty in the new digital social age, I asked a few friends to share their recent experiences with brands.

One friend recounted a recent direct mail piece he received from Southwest airlines and how it produced a significant and lasting positive brand effect for him.   He explained that after coming home from a long workday, he opened his mailbox to find a birthday card from Southwest.  It was personalized with his name and arrived a few days before his actual birthday.  It was a simple birthday card that included a discount on an upcoming flight and a drink coupon.  The message was also very simple and direct and included a statement to the effect of “Happy Birthday!  Have a drink on us!” According to my friend, this simple gesture went a long way towards building a lasting relationship between he and the airline.  Now he always checks for flights on Southwest before any other carrier.

Upon asking another friend, she recalled a recent experience with ProFlowers, an online flower delivery company.  She received an email reminder about 2-weeks before her mother’s birthday.  The subject line of the email was personalized with her mother’s name, saying, “Remember, Evelyn’s birthday is coming up soon!”  Again, not a very complicated message, but a valuable one that made an impact with my friend and helped to ensure she’ll always think of ProFlowers each time she orders flowers for her mom’s—or anyone else’s–birthday.

Both of these are examples of simple but great customer experiences.  The mere fact that my friends were able to remember the messaging, timing and impact of these interactions suggests they are the kind of brand experiences most marketers strive to achieve with their customers.

What do these two customer experiences have in common?

• They delivered VALUE and/or convenience.
• They were RELEVANT.
• They were PERSONAL.

We could all take these insights as lessons learned and call it a day.  However, as digital marketers we are continuously challenged with how to take these kinds of customer experiences from “great” to “extraordinary” in order to build deeper customer relationships and brand loyalty. Forrester Research wholeheartedly supports this notion.  Their 2010 Customer Experience Index indicated that favorable customer experience correlates highly to loyalty — especially when it comes to consumers’ plans for making additional purchases.

How do we do this?  The answer requires us to take full advantage of the power of digital in an ever-changing multichannel environment.   We now have more opportunities than ever to make these customer touch points even stronger. Here are a few ideas for the aforementioned examples.

Southwest has built its brand on being a friendly airline that strives to surprise and delight customers both on and off the aircraft.   Visitors to the Southwest website are invited to join the Southwest community, read the Southwest blog, view a video of an actual Southwest aircraft being prepped for a flight, and of course, book a flight.   With extraordinary customer experience such a big part of Southwest’s brand proposition, website visitors are invited to read about great customer experiences like the one below:

Pulling this mentality into my friend’s Southwest birthday card experience, how could digital have made his experience even more impactful and extraordinary?  What if his birthday card also included a simple call to action inviting him to login at the Southwest website on his actual birthday to claim a special one-day only offer–just for him?  The offer could be based on his most frequent routes and include a hotel or car rental discount for his next trip.  Perhaps the card could have also included an invite to join a social conversation with other customers who share the same birthday to share where and how they spent their special day?  Could these simple digital extensions have created an even more profound impact on my friend? Chances are, the heightened personalization and augmented value proposition would make an impression.

In the ProFlowers example, my friend received value in the form of an important reminder and time savings.   The reminder service available on the ProFlowers website affords customers the convenience of never missing an important floral occasion, and goes a step further by offering a free vase with each order.  But what if additional digital channels were used to enhance her ProFlowers brand experience to really make it extraordinary?  Would a mobile alert sent to my friend’s phone to confirm that her mom received the flowers make her experience even better?  How about if she had an opportunity to pay an extra fee to receive a picture taken by the flower delivery person showing her mom’s delight at receiving the flowers and have it sent directly to her email inbox? This takes advantage of the emotional connection tied to the occasions for which we send flowers and provides the distinct advantage the sender never has: the equally emotional reaction of their loved one.

Each friend’s experience is just a simple brand interaction.  Each story provides an example of fostering customer loyalty by providing relevant and useful messages to the right person at just the right time. While creating extraordinary customer experiences can require some additional effort for marketers, they not only meet, but exceeded expectations, leading to relationships with their customers. They made it relevant.  They made it personal. They made it valuable.  Now it’s up to us to use our digital expertise to make the extraordinary customer experience even better!

Chris Wells is a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Specialist in our Chicago office working on a myriad of accounts.

The good folks at Facebook caused quite a flap last week when they announced a major change to the custom Landing Tabs feature on Facebook Pages. The upshot was that Pages would have required a minimum of 10,000 fans or an existing relationship with a Facebook advertising representative in order to qualify for a custom tab.

Mere days later, the policy has been rescinded due to the overwhelming outcry. Claiming that the change would stack the deck against companies trying to use Facebook to deftly and inexpensively build a social following, marketers, developers and small businesses persuaded the world’s largest social network to reconsider. The furore is dying down, but it remains a sobering reminder to businesses and to the agencies who recommend and maintain Facebook Pages for their clients, that carefully-crafted plans can come tumbling down at the flick of a digital switch.

Would it really have been that bad?

With the potential crisis averted, let’s explore the question of whether this would have been as huge a disaster as predicted.

At no point did Facebook threaten the wholesale removal of brand pages from the network. Brands would have been permitted to maintain their Wall feeds as usual which means that the social activity the Pages feature was designed to host and foster was never under threat. Brands with active and engaged community managers would have been free to continue building their followings by posting links to their Wall pages, generating discussions and hosting contests.

What would have been limited are the static Landing Tabs, which provide good SEO, allow a quick hit of brand messaging, and provide ongoing work for developers. While brands that can afford the investment have engaging and interactive Landing Tabs, smaller businesses tend to use them as a one-stop spam page that users bounce from nearly immediately.

People searching for brands on Facebook are looking to interact with the brand and each other in meaningful ways. Diverting them to a static page devoid of added value or interactivity is a lot like inviting people to a backyard cookout and then propping a cardboard cutout of yourself wearing an apron against a cold barbeque. It’s tough to convince people to stay very long. For many Facebook users, automatically clicking to a brand’s Wall before the Landing Tab has even finished loading has become the new “Skip Intro” link.

Don’t agree? Try this little experiment. Use your own Facebook status to poll your personal network for their opinions on Facebook’s recent privacy controversy and watch the fur fly as your friends and neighbors fall all over themselves to sound off. Next, ask if anyone you know was particularly cheesed about the threat to custom Landing Tabs and see how the response compares.

So, would it really have been a disaster if Facebook had required the brands using Landing Tabs to have either the following or the money to produce a relevant experience? While digital marketers may breathe a sigh of relief at the reprieve, there’s an argument to be made that the change may have forced us to create Facebook campaigns that turn users into fans by curating compelling Wall feeds fostering discussion, participation and sharing, rather than imagining the space as just another broadcast medium.

Linday is an Influence Marketing Manager in Toronto. (She personifies Ella Nutella as Nutella Canada’s ambassador in the social media space.)

Flash was only the beginning.

Today, if there’s one thing FITC is known for, it’s inspiration. In less than a decade since its first incarnation as a Toronto-based festival celebrating Flash, FITC has spread around the world and broadened its scope. Now, there’s something for everyone: writers, designers, developers, or creative explorers. It’s that spark of inspiration that unifies the speakers and attendees. I’d like to think it’s that same spark that inspired the entrepreneurs to create Flash (FutureSplash Animator, at the time), and possibly the same spark that inspired the first flock of flashy individuals to come together and create this event.

As if the speakers, networking and parties weren’t enough to bring people together, each year the event is centered on a theme. This year’s “Playground” theme was most evident in the speaker introductions. Each introduction was pre-recorded (and edited) by event creator, Shawn Pucknell’s young daughters. And while it would have been funny, I’m glad they didn’t do this introduction for the “Cool Shit Hour”. Alternatively, they could have just called it the “Cool Stuff Hour”. But that doesn’t seem to have the same impact.

The “Cool Shit” presenters included myself, Chris Allen (blog.ff9900.org), Didier Brun (@didierbyte), Joa Ebert (@joa), & Mikko Haapoja (@MikkoH). And in spite of some technical difficulties, great work was shown. Didier got the whole room singing “Hey Jude” with his great audio analysis prototypes, Joa live-coded a music visualizer with his notorious keyless keyboard. Mikko showed his devotion to creative development with a 3D painting app created using the Voxel Engine/Fancy Engine. And Chris demoed an awesome Star Wars Trench Run game for the iPhone. With each of the 5 presenters getting roughly 10 minutes each, I’m glad there wasn’t enough time for any Apple/iPhone remarks.

In fact, I was pleasantly surprised at the professionalism of everyone regarding Apple’s frustrating decision to control how we create content. It certainly cast a shadow over the Adobe/Flash community, but there was so much more to be excited about. For example, Lee Brimelow showcased the fully-implemented multi-touch capabilities in Flash, and then Richard Galvan & Mark Anders reminded us that almost every other mobile platform supports Flash (and ultimately allows developers to develop for multiple platforms). And personally, this is where the argument for Adobe/Flash stands strong to me. Developing for multiple platforms doesn’t inherently make for lesser applications. It just means developers have to make additional considerations. If an app is developed to “Apple standards” (on any arguable level), they shouldn’t be controlling how the app is developed.

Being a first-time FITC presenter, I only discovered the speaker room on the last day. But I’m sure this debate didn’t occupy the casual lunch conversations between speakers. More so, I echoed Mr. Rick Mason’s (@egnaro) sentiments regarding how exciting it was to see so many familiar faces in Eskil Steenberg’s (@quelsolaar) presentation on The Future of Creative Tools. Having a particular interest in this topic, I was excited with the format. Eskil began speaking about his multiplayer indie-game, “Love” (quelsolaar.com). The concept behind “Love” is that, instead of leveling-up your character with various interactions, you level-up the world around you (in a sense). But what was most impressive was that he developed the entire toolset needed to create the game. He demoed a modeler, a uv-mapper, an animation tool, and a few other works-in-progress. All of which, were networked together for a practical collaborative workflow. By Eskil’s own account, he loves designing interfaces. And the work he showed demonstrated this passion for pushing the boundaries and dispelled dated metaphors for how we use creative tools.

I was also happy to have had the opportunity to congratulate Brendan Dawes (@Brendandawes) on another great talk. His presentation, The Grammar of Interaction Design was a gem where he showed examples of how magic and silence can elevate interaction to create great experiences. From westerns to websites, this man knows how to present ideas.

At the Source + Imagination panel, Brendan shared the stage with panelists Grzegorz Kozakiewicz, Tali Krakowsky, Craig Swann, and Eric Socolofsky. I missed this presentation, but had the pleasure of chatting with Eric Socolofsky (http://exploratorium.edu/) about the value of unnecessary interactions in creating meaningful connections between users; a topic that inspired some of the earliest concepts behind my part of the Cool Shit Hour.

I spoke about a motion-based drawing tool I developed called Livebrush (Livebrush.com). In addition to the demo, I showed a prototype that adds physics-based drawing to the tool. The audience response was great and I couldn’t have thanked Jamie Kosoy (@jkosoy), Sam Agesilas (@samuelagesilas) & Steven Sacks (@stevensacks) more for their words of encouragement. Then Sam & Steven politely reminded me of the awesomeness of FDT 3 and scolded me for using Flash to build an app of Livebrush’s size. At a personal demo, Dave Gomes (@davegomes from Disney’s Club Penguin) even out shined me using Livebrush!

At the end of it all, the parties and venue made it very easy to share Livebrush and meet up with local and digital friends. I have to give Kudos to Illustrators, Cassie McDaniel (@cassiemc) & Michelle Runowski (@meeshemellow) for sharing the coolest cards on the Playground. I also enjoyed meeting the “Almer” half of digital shop, Almer/Blank over Tapas, for our personal closing ceremonies. And if there’s one thing all of this and the FITC team has given me over the years, it’s confirmation that I’m not alone in my constant pursuit of new ideas and new ways to share them. Here’s to being inspired @FITC 2010.

David is an Art Director working from our Toronto office.

†Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art, author Scott McCloud examines how we receive different types of information and that process relates directly to design, information architecture, copywriting and content strategy.

Image compliments of Scott McCloud.

“Pictures are received information. We need no formal education to ‘get the message.’ The message is instantaneous.

Writing is perceived information. It takes time and specialized knowledge to decode the abstract symbols of language.” (page 49)

Anyone who’s ever sat through a client review will understand this. It’s not that images or art are less important; in fact, it’s the art that usually solicits “ohhs” and “ahhs” from the clients, right?

McCloud is speaking more about our intrinsic speed of understanding. We get a feeling from a picture right away.

But we need to process words – to piece together abstract ideas. With words, it’s incumbent that we create the images ourselves, in our own consciousness; we ponder meaning, ideas and symbols. Anyone who has read Roland Barthes’ Mythologies knows that this process ain’t easy.

What’s This Got To Do With Agency Life?

Comics and literary theory? Why should marketers care?

In the same way that images are understood before words in the human brain, so too has the planning and creative process developed in marketing agencies. The halcyon days of 1997 were critical for information architecture. IAs became a staple of the creative agency, a bridge between the client’s objectives and the designer’s creative vision.

The same thing didn’t happen for words. It was easy to understand why you’d want to plot out images. But it took another decade for us to plot out what was written on the page and why. (True, maybe astute IAs and copywriters filled this role until content strategy bloomed in recent years.)

So what’s changed? Well, SEO (based on keyWORDS) has blossomed into the main way we find content online. Search engines are ever more refining the way they surface the most relevant content. Our tastes have matured: the internet is no longer the shiny new object – it helps us complete tasks in everyday life. We now use many, many channels to access information and communicate with brands. Findable, useful, contextual, and consistent across channels…online content is more important to our lives than ever before!

It then makes sense that content strategy – a plan for the creation, delivery, and governance of useful, usable, relevant content – would guide many important choices we make as digital marketers.

What Good Is Content Strategy If People Don’t Read?

I can already hear the Nielsen-ites protesting that readers don’t actually read online. So why should anyone care about content strategy?

This assumes that all content is created equal which we know just isn’t the case. Personally, I skim news articles, sure. But if I’m making a purchase, you can be damned sure I’m going to read everything, including the fine print. The quality and importance of the content is in direct relation to how much time we spend absorbing it.

As more and more transactions occur online, it makes sense that content becomes more and more important. After all, we’re not marketing random blog posts; we’re marketing watches and cars and insurance – things people want to read about.

And even Nielsen admits that more content is needed if you’re trying to solve a user’s problem.

“If you want people who really need a solution, focus on comprehensive coverage…But the very best content strategy is one that mirrors the users’ mixed diet. [his emphasis]“

Your potential customers will engage with you, if you provide something useful and usable. It’s a shame that is still so rare.

What Took So Long?

Words aren’t easy. It takes a long time to create them and often even longer to process their meaning. Content is both a science and an art.

But it’s not going away. Your customers want information…they’re dying for it. But not marketing messages you want to push on them.

Consider your audience. Serve up the content they need. Help them complete a task. Your customers will entrust their time to you if you provide quality content to help them do what they want.

Remind me again why it took so long for content strategy to mature?