The Wall Street Journal announced that General Motors planned to stop advertising on Facebook. The article cited that the suits at GM said Facebook’s “paid ads had little impact on consumers’ car purchases.” However, GM plans to continue to utilize Facebook pages which are to this point, still free.

With click thru rates reported at 2 in every 10,000 (for those of you playing at home, that’s awful), Facebook is about to cash in on a huge IPO for a model based on volume, not results.

Some of our clients advertise on Facebook, but typically no more than $50-$100 a month, highly targeted and on a cost-per-click only. Doing anything else is basically throwing away money.

GM’s announcement will no doubt preceed many more to come. And with the impending Facebook IPO, expect investors to become priority – not you or your brand(s). Here are four ways to use Facebook effectively, in the short term, and how to plan for your brand’s inevitable divorce from the Book.

1. If you advertise on Facebook, stick to a cost-per-click model only. Read that again. Only CPC. And make sure your targeting is actually targeted. Go beyond geography, look into lifestyle and keywords that truly identify your ideal customer. If you don’t know who your customer is, take a look at the people who “like” you on your Fan Page. Then, make sure your CPC ads are actually driving the specific results you are looking to achieve.

2. Expect the Goldman Sachs relationship to make data of Facebook users more easily accessible for marketers. Now on the surface this sounds pretty good for your brand. But deep down, you’re going to be marketing to a bunch of people, that while highly targeted, don’t want to be marketed to in this way. A piece of meat cooked up by different pieces of data unique to them. And by diving into the Facebook data abyss, you risk alienating potential targets who hate Facebook’s methodology but are basically stuck because, well, everyone is on Facebook.

3. Expect Facebook pages to soon come with a price. Maybe not now, maybe not next year, but at some point, there will be a charge for this. Enjoy it while it lasts and maximize it while you still can.

4. Consider this 3A, because when those Facebook pages go away or you stick to your guns and decide not to pay for them, you’ll lose those customers. Find a way to move these valuable brand advocates away from Facebook and onto your own “Owned” platform. A blog, email list, a magazine, a direct mail list, a newsletter. If you control the platform, you can truly “own” the audience.

We’d like some comments on how you plan to go about Facebook marketing in the next few years. Are you staying to course or wishing you signed a prenup?

I spent the better part of last week soaking up the sun in Los Angeles while attending the semi-annual meeting of the Intermarket Agency Network (IAN), of which Lessing-Flynn is a member. I had the opportunity to meet Bob Hoffman, “The Ad Contrarian” … and my new advertising hero at a recent meeting. Bob runs an ad agency – Hoffman/Lewis – with offices in San Francisco and St. Louis. Bob isn’t your typical “the sky is falling, death of traditional media, it’s the digital way or the highway” doomsdayer. In fact, he’s quite the opposite. A few interesting facts:

• More than 98% of video is still watched on TV, not the internet.
• 60% of social media “fans” will “like” a brand because they want a deal, not a relationship.
• E-commerce equates to less than 5% of all purchases.
• Mobile viewing of video consists of less than .2% of all video viewed.
• Click-through-rates for Facebook ads are less than .05%
• Households with Tivo watch live television 95% of the time.

Bob also calls out marketers who talk in what he calls “brand babble”. In fact, he makes a pretty convincing argument that the advertising world mutated with one little change in the English language. When “brand” mutated from a noun to a verb – the beginning of “brand babble”. Two telling examples:

The first, an excerpt from the book “Kellogg on Branding: by The Marketing Faculty of the Kellogg School of Business”

“The word brand has a tripartite etymology. One emphasis clusters around burning, with connotations both of fiery consummation and of banking the hearth. A second emphasis clusters around marking, with connotations of ownership and indelibility, as well as paradoxical allusions to intrinsic essence, whether of merit or stigma. A third emphasis clusters around the delivery of, or deliverance from, danger (stoke, anneal, cauterize; conflagration, possession, aggression). The brand embodies the transformative heat of passion, properly tended.”

The second … well, I think you’ll get it:

Finally, my favorite excerpt from Hoffman’s presentation.
Did you know that Coca-Cola is failing? And Apple is failing and McDonald’s is failing and Proctor and Gamble and Geico are failing? I didn’t know that. Silly me. I thought they were doing okay. But it’s obvious. They have to advertise. Advertising is a failure.

This is because according to our chattering experts, there is a new species of human being who have relationships with all the companies that make the products they use. And the only time companies need to advertise to these people is when their relationship is broken and failing.

You see, these new humans don’t buy things for practical reasons like, it works better, or it’s cheaper, or it looks nicer. It’s all about the relationship. So you needn’t bother telling them that your product works better, or is cheaper, or looks nicer. That’s just a sign of failure. It’s just a sign that your relationship is failing.

They have unlimited time to develop relationships with all the companies they buy from. It’s a wonderful world.

Want more? Buy the book for $7.95 here.

Recently a client executive asked me, “Should my key marketing and PR professionals be engaged personally in social media?” My response was, “ABSOLUTELY!”

Regardless if your company is using social media today as a communications or PR tool, it is equally important the professionals in your organization are engaged as well, either personally or professionally.  Here are a few key reasons why:

Networking:

Social media networks give you a forum to follow like-minded individuals, ask questions of peers and gather a wide range of expertise and perspective. Social media connections can be resources, advocates and an audience for you to bounce new ideas off of. Platforms such as LinkedIn and Twitter are great resources to connect with new people, recruit talent for your organization and grow your personal professional brand.

Learning:

Business leaders need to be learners and need to be in tune with information being shared through these platforms. Find out about events, activities, webinars and networking events that provide new opportunities for learning and meeting new people. Simply exploring and listening will provide market insights and trends within your industry. But you have to be there and be engaged to gain these insights.

Build a list of blogs to read for professional development and subscribe to them so you know when they’ve posted new content. You can also read posts outside of work by accessing your email through your smart phone or iPad. Share them directly with your peers and employees to be more proactive with their development as well.

Mentoring & Leadership:

How will your organization teach others how to appropriately use social media if we don’t understand the model and its effective use ourselves? How will we develop, enhance and grow the social media strategy of our organizations if we neglect to engage at a personal level and understand the power of these social tools?

Social media proficiency will soon become a required core competency for all professionals.  It is not just a function of the marketing department and will soon become a requirement for all professionals to understand, engage and listen to our customers. Engaging in the digital world is not a race and it’s best to build your network over time. Be patient, find mentors and start creating your digital leadership brand now.

To kick off the 2012 Major League Baseball season (PUT BUTTS IN SEATS), The Kansas City Royals launched a campaign called “Our Time.” With the 2012 All Star Game to be played in Kansas City, the Royals were banking on optimism to sell tickets and inspire people to care about the Royals. Ads featured players like Eric Hosmer (and others you’ve never heard of) in videos talking about this being the “Royals time.”

And by calling this “Our Time” we as consumers were led to believe that there is finally something to root for. You see, the problem is, the Royals have been awful since 1985. They’ve had only seven seasons above 500 since 1985 and zero playoff appearances. So the brand promise “Our Time” seemed, well, more ridiculously optimistic than promising.

So how’s the campaign going? The Royals are 0-10 at home and have won only 3 of their first 17 games.

Now I’m pretty sure some ad agency came up with this concept. One of those moments where a copywriter says, “Man if the Royals actually do well this year, this campaign will be the jam.”

The problem is you can’t align your brand promise with “IF.” If you make a brand promise, you have to keep that promise.

M&M’s, “Melts in your mouth, not in your hands,” or Maxwell House’s “Good to the Last Drop” are brand promises you can actually deliver on. These two promises are something the companies were able to control – the product. And the product on the field for the Royals isn’t much of a product at all. Just look at the guy reading a novel at a recent Royals game.

Image courtesy of Bill Davis

Here are ten other campaigns that would have fulfilled the promise for the Royals better than “Our Time.”

10.The Kansas City Royals – Come for the beer.

9. The Kansas City Royals - Like a M. Night Shyamalan Movie – intriguing story idea, terrible ending.

8. The Kansas City Royals - We have a merry-go-round and a waterfall!

7. The Kansas City Royals - Our stadium no longer looks like a lego castle.

6. The Kansas City Royals - Every night is Jules Winfield Night – Royale with Cheese

5. The Kansas City Royals – Minor League Ball, Major League Prices

4. The Kansas City Royals – Plenty of Parking and NO Traffic!

3. The Kansas City Royals – Have a Great Meal with George Brett (google at your own risk)

2. The Kansas City Royals – Royalty Free

1. The Kansas City Royals - We suck Royally

Guest Blog Post by Deb Brown.

Engagement in real life is more valuable than we realize. Many of the speakers at the State of Now/140 Character Conference have a large following online – and that’s good.

But there’s nothing better than meeting people in person.

Here’s your opportunity to connect with these online leaders! You meet people online, you have a discussion, you either continue to have discussions or you fade away from that circle. I’ve worked very hard to have meaningful discussions that turn into meetings in real life. Because, for me, that’s where the real magic happens.

It’s said that when you conduct business over the phone, you need to ratchet up your energy level by five. Smile when you answer the phone, maybe even stand up and talk on the phone. The speakers at the #140confDM bring that amount of energy – and more – to their presentations. Some will be nervous, some will be happy, some will make you cry. But they will all leave you with a memory of the day. A memory that will say “wow, I’m so glad I went to that.”

What kind of connections and relationships are you building in your community? Have you met your customers where they are? It’s becoming more and more important to find your customers not only on the streets where you live, but in the social places they visit online. They want to get to know you. And not just by walking into your place of business.

I invite you to attend the State of Now/140 Character Conference April 23 in Des Moines. You’ll see why serendipity matters. You’ll hear and meet people that will change your life. You’ll ‘get it’ – knowing why this world of onlineness is so valuable.

Don’t be afraid. It’s a wonderful place to be – and it’s also very easy to bring it into your real life. Create your own magic – and who doesn’t want a magical life?

See you at the Stoner!

Editors Note: We have a free ticket to give away. Post a comment on why you want to go to this event, and if we like your comment the best, we’ll hook you up.

AdMavericks Note: Our own Emily Beckmann will be speaking on “Pinterest for Brands – Learn why your brand should be on Pinterest now – even if you don’t sell yarn,” while Josh Fleming will moderate the business section of the event. Hope to see you there!

If you’ve ever met a Michigan man, you know they’re among the most pretentious and snobbish college football fans on the planet. Tradition this … Tradition that … Look at our Tradition, isn’t it wonderful … What’s that mesmerizing spectacle over there? Oh, never mind, that’s just our Tradition. Didn’t recognize it at first because it’s grown so much since yesterday.

But who can rightly blame them? Michigan football does indeed boast a storied Tradition. Lord knows if you were a Michigan man you wouldn’t be able to shut up about it either. The saying goes that Michigan men have such high divorce rates because their wives get tired of hearing about Tradition day after day. Only those who marry a Michigan woman stay married, because a Michigan woman is smart enough to know you never let a Michigan man get away. (NOTE: I just made that up, though you must admit you never doubted it for a second.)

Because Michigan so painstakingly prides itself on Tradition, it’s rather interesting that it will be the second school to paint a Twitter hashtag on its football field, when #GOBLUE appears on the field for the team’s upcoming spring game. Historically, it’s the entities so married to Tradition that are most reticent to embrace the changing times. Michigan defies that reasoning here with a savvy marketing move that will introduce more fans to the #GOBLUE hashtag that’s already very popular among Wolverine Tweeps.

So, as much as it pains me to do so, with me being an Iowa man and all, I must commend Michigan for being something of a pioneer here. I suspect we’ll be seeing more hashtags appearing on football fields in the future, and when we do it will surprise no one when a Michigan man steps forward and says, “Hashtags on football fields? Yeah, that’s a tradition we started years ago.”

As we were doing a bit of Spring cleaning at Lessing-Flynn, we came across a series of vintage Lessing Advertising Company ads (we’ve had a few names in our 105 year history) that were far too good to keep to ourselves.

The ads are were created sometime in the early 1960′s and were sent out as direct mailers to prospective clients and placed in several small publications around Des Moines.

With copy like – “Why is Lessing such a sharp agency? Because the people who work there are sharp, that’s why.” and “Lessing is a blessing…for advertisers who want to make their dollars work more effectively for them! (…and doesn’t everyone?)” –  we knew we had to share them.

I’m thinking we should make like PepsiCo and create a vintage throwback campaign! Which ad is your favorite? (Tip: Make sure you read all of the copy – it may be the best part.)

photo from gossiponthis.com

The “anti-food” crowd (you know, the ones who think we should all survive by eating dandelions from our back yards) have been creating the perfect undercurrent against the beef industry for several years. Movies like Food Inc. Secret tapes from “employees” from inside livestock plants. Undercover “news-ish” reports. Online campaigns. Lobbying. All of it has softened up public perception of the food and agriculture industries. Enter a deceptively clever idea like pink slime at the right time – and you have the makings of a marketing/PR nightmare. That’s anti-branding.

Anti-branding happens as a result of a brand-vacuum. When a product category exists, but lacks a strong brand, the opportunity exists for others to create a story to fill in the vacuum. When was the last time you’ve heard of Beef Products Inc.? If you’re in the cattle industry, you’ve probably heard of them. But if you’re in the consumer market, you probably have little knowledge of BPI. And, while cattle are not consumer products, beef- like hamburger (which is what BPI makes and sells) is.

The Pink Slime scare isn’t about a company. More than one company in the industry follow the same or similar processes when processing beef. But, because the the companies in the industry lack a strong brand identity in the marketplace where their product is sold, they are susceptible to being “pink slimed” with an anti-branding campaign.

So, how can a marketer avoid being “pink slimed”?

1) Understand the whole market. Understand where your product is being sold, who controls the brand messaging in those areas and how your product is represented.
2) Be proactive with building advocacy. If you don’t have any soldiers to fight for you when there isn’t a fight, how do you expect to recruit them when you really need them?
3) Don’t let others tell your story. There’s not a company or organization that can’t benefit from building a strong brand. Brands build trust. They create advocates. And, if you’re really good, they let you earn more for your products or services.
4) Listen. Know what your enemies are doing or saying about you, your products or your industry. Knowing this helps you respond.
5) Stop playing defense. If you are always playing defense, you can never score. While it can be difficult to point out negatives of your opponents directly in the marketing work, supporting associations and other groups that can serve as third parties and help advocate for your position is smart.

I listened to and AMA Iowa Webinar this week called “5 Tips to Be Mobiltastic.” The webinar was hosted by Eric Feinberg from Foresee. And without giving you all of the tips, the highlight for me was tip #5 and Feinberg’s assertion that “Mobile is The Universe.”

This is one of those slides that takes one minute to read, but probably one month to fully digest. As Feinberg explained, the mobile marketing platform is unique from all other platforms because mobile is the only platform that is both:

A. Influenced by other mediums
B. Influencing other mediums

Consider the slide again and work your way around the square.

Let’s start with how consumers might use mobile in a retail establishment, the “Open” sign. Consumers can enhance their purchase decision by looking up product reviews and pricing and even watch video with product demos – all from their mobile device.

At the same time, the retailer has to be thinking of mobile usage in a number of ways. The retailer needs to consider the consumer using mobile both in store and leading up to the decision to go in store. The retailer must consider Four Square or other location based applications, a mobile Website that welcomes the decision to visit, social media performance and timing and a ton of other thought processes for the consumer all via their mobile device.

And that’s just the retail example.

If you consider the other ways in which the slide shows how mobile influences and is influenced by other mediums, one could spend hours, if not that month I mentioned fully digesting what is happening here.

Here’s the obvious question: When are we going to start thinking of mobile as the center of the universe instead of the company Website?

I think the time is now.

What do you think?

Things you expect in life…

Free chips and salsa at a Mexican Restaurant.

Free bread and maybe some olive oil and parmesan cheese at an Italian joint.

Fries and a drink come with a fast combo meal – always.

Again, you expect these things.

So I happened to be in the mall the other day. There were a ridiculous amount of choices in the food court and I decided to go with some Chinese at Famous Wok. Now I’ve never tried Famous so I thought I’d give it a shot. And as I discovered, the menu offered a ton of combos. I went with the two entree meal for $6.89. As the employee spooned the white rice, the orange chicken and mongolian beef into my styrofoam to-go box, I pondered the crucial decision I expected to be asked, “egg-roll or crab rangoon?”

The question never came. And both you and I would have expected it to be asked. Then she starts closing the box.

“So…does the combo come with an egg-roll or crab rangoon?” I asked.

“No, that’s extra.” I was told. “Do you want that?”

“No.” I told her.

Then, I asked what you would have asked, “Does the combo come with the a drink?”

“No, that’s extra. Do you want a drink?”

“No.” I told her.

I felt like quoting the great Jesse Montgomery III – “I refuse to play your Chinese food mind games!”

She rang me up for $6.89 plus tax and left me bewildered and wondering “What exactly is the definition of a combo?”

So I told you that story to tell you this one:

No matter what you do with your marketing, you’re dealing with people that have expectations. Expectations that must be met at a bare minimum. I’m pretty sure I won’t be going back to Famous Wok again, even though the food was pretty good. Their failure to meet minimum expectations like an appetizer, a drink and not to mention, no fortune cookie, means they’re now “Famously” bad to this consumer. And that’s a shame.

You may have the greatest product or service in the world, but if you fail to meet minimum expectations, you’ll lose business. And if you’re Famous Wok, now you’re famous for being lame and providing a less than stellar experience. Don’t be lame.