I try to keep the super-personal stuff to a minimum on MNIK and instead post it over on my personal blog, The Dramaturge at Home. But sometimes, I can't resist. Especially when there are marketing lessons to be learned.
On my birthday, I received the proposal that every geek-marketer hopes for ... engraved on the back of a video iPod. (You'll notice it was an imperative, rather than a question).
I didn't quite realise that once I said "Yes" that a whole new world of branding, blogging, website building and general geek pressure would open up.
Branding ... Jason Santa Maria (the Art Director for A List Apart, one of my favourite design blogs) really set the bar pretty high for wedding branding. He has created a complete identity package for the invitations, place cards, menu, programme and favours.
Blogging ... I don't know if I'm ready for this level of blogging. Chris Pirillo and Ponzi blogged their wedding. Well, I guess technically not *during* the wedding. But their vows and ceremony were posted online, and of course photos. And they are blogging their honeymoon (at least the G-rated parts). Oh, and they read their vows off of tablet PC's.
Website Building ... Dave Garr created an incredible website to propose to his wife ... DaveLovesElizabeth.com. It even won a Webby.
Oh, and let's not forget wedding podcasts and planning a wedding in Second Life.
All this wedding-related online activity brings into sharp relief the invasion of social media into our lives, into my life. Everything I do, personally or professionally, will always have some kind of social media context .. whether or not it actually "makes it to air", so to speak. I think about pretty much everything with an eye to its social media application (which may actually make me a little fanatical).
Social media's attraction, I think, stems from four key motivators: Create, Meet People, Show Off, and Make Money.
- Create. Self-publishing ... I *fundamentally* believe that we all have an impulse to create. Blogging, podcasting, even just putting photos on Flickr ... these feed and satisfy that impulse.
- Meet People. A truly global village ... social media is, well, social. I have several "blog friends" and colleagues. Some of whom I will meet in person; some I won't. But these relationships are nevertheless meaningful and impactful.
- Show Off. Reputation capital ... we all want to be perceived as experts in something. Social Media plus the Long Tail allow all of us to build our reputation whether in digital marketing, model railroad building, or knitting.
- Make Money. Earn a living from what we love to do ... not everyone can make a living from their blogs and podcasts, or even just from their online life. At least not yet. Though services like BitWine (a pay-per-minue expert service) [TechCrunch review] are trying to make it happen.
So, the point is ... if we know that these are the four fundamental motivators for people to deeply integrate social media into their everyday lives, why, as marketers are we not doing everything we can to support these activities?
The products and the brands that recognize these impulses and support them in their customers will be the winners in this new marketing era.
OK, enough pontificating ... oh, and for those of you who want to know more about the proposal and wedding, Rosemary has published a FAQ over on her blog.
And Happy 2007!