Lately I’ve been riding the bus to work, trying to save on gas. A fringe benefit is that I can listen to podcasts on my MP3 player.

Many B-to-B marketers (including some of our clients) are using podcasts to reach specific audiences who want to be informed. It’s a great tool for companies to establish thought leadership. However, you should avoid the temptation to record a blatant product pitch or “audio brochure.” Instead, content should meet the audience expectation that they’ll learn something new.

Your podcast needs to be educational and entertaining. The sales pitch can come later, when the listener chooses to take the next step and request more information (maybe even in exchange for their e-mail address).

First and foremost, a podcast should deliver useful information.
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You may be reading this after clicking on our E-news item that 45% of integrated marketers in a recent study haven’t spent marketing dollars on emerging media like social networks, blogs, or word-of-mouth initiatives, but are interested in doing so. Of course, the other side of the coin is that 55% have implemented some kind of social media effort.

Why haven’t the 45% made the plunge…or at least stuck their toe in the water?

A new study by TNS Media Intelligence/Cymfony sheds some light on what we have found to be true through experience. The authors of the survey of 71 marketing professionals in the U.S., Canada, France and the U.K. say that many marketers, “particularly the slower-moving” ones (their words, not mine!), want “best practices” and “proven models.” That’s understandable,
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I’m back in the creative seat again. I volunteered to step in and head our creative staff after we agreed Jim Everhart, my predecessor, should spearhead our hyperintegration efforts.

I’m looking at things from a slightly different perspective now – a perspective of someone with a lead “creative” title and responsibilities. As I remove my account manager hat, something strikes me. We creative folks have more tools at our disposal – blogs, podcasts, email marketing, and the list goes on. Our primary function has always been to think of new and unique ways to tell our client’s story, demonstrate a benefit and craft compelling ways to reach out to a marketer’s various constituents – engineers, channel partners, integrators, other influencers and ultimately, end-users.

Sure, we still need to apply our traditional creative skills, but we now have these new, exciting tools at our disposal.
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For the past year, Godfrey has been educating and counseling clients about the “new wave” in public relations – Convergent PR.  If you’re not familiar with the term, here’s a brief definition: It’s a blending, or convergence, of traditional PR tactics (e.g., press releases, press kits and trade show support) with new social media PR techniques (e.g., blogs, podcasts, videocasts and social media press releases).

Some of our clients jumped on the Convergent PR bandwagon right away.  (We’re thrilled.)  Others are still trying to understand how Convergent PR works and how it can complement their “hyperintegrated” marketing communications programs.  (In this respect, we see ourselves as educators and advisors.)

Of course, Godfrey isn’t the only entity that sees a convergence of traditional (print) media and social (online) media. 
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Yes and no, depending on who you ask and how you view the iPhone.

If you ask an end-user who's lusting after one, he or she will of course say, "Yes! I'm ready!"  The coolness factor is through the roof, and no longer do they need multiple devices to accomplish the same tasks. Visual voice mail and Google Maps alone can be productivity boosters.

If you ask the IT folks who would have to support it -- and compare the iPhone with smart phones like the Treo -- they're likely to say no. First, the "multiple devices" it so conveniently replaces are personal entertainment devices -- iPods. Why should IT's budget bear the brunt of that?

More importantly, supporting iPhones for now means hit-or-miss synching with Exchange, and no over-the-air push updating. That alone is a deal-killer for many companies. No editable Office docs, that's another downside.
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In the 2008 planning season, conversations abound about media plans, print advertisements, online advertisements, and a website and/or destination site(s) to support your ads. Developing a comprehensive plan that engages the target audience at the appropriate time and place and is measurable is the ultimate goal. Although this sounds simple, it is no easy task. A plan that successfully accomplishes all of these goals – and incorporates new Web 2.0 technologies and tactics – must be integrated and well planned. 

The planning begins with a media schedule that is developed through what we call a media agnostic approach. Our media agnostic approach focuses on where your audience is and not where you want them to be. After you examine all the media data and determine your media schedule for the year, you might think all the hard work is over. But really, this is only the beginning.

Now you have to develop relevant, engaging ads that will capture your
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As a former newspaper reporter, I was always skeptical about people – presidents, CEOs, owners, spokespeople – who were too slick for their own good. You know the type. They say the right things, do the right things. But do they really mean what they say? Do they really believe what they’re doing? Or is it all just a façade?

I’ve always felt that, in business and in life, honesty truly is the best policy. Whether you’re right or wrong, be honest with yourself and your constituents, take responsibility and be authentic.

The slick vs. authentic dilemma recently came to light while I was working on a couple of Godfrey podcasts. The first one covered Convergent PR – the blending of traditional business-to-business PR tactics with the new, social media PR tactics (one of which, coincidentally, is podcasts).

The podcast team asked itself, How slick, how professional do we want this podcast to be? Should we write a
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The “push” of mass media is being replaced by the “participation” of the new media. B-to-B customers and prospects are taking advantage of the new technologies in all phases of the buying process, from research to vendor selection to spec comparison, all the way to making a purchase where appropriate. They are engaging in deeper, richer, two-way interaction. B-to-B customers may download a podcast that educates them about a new technology. Participate in your blog that addresses technical issues. They might contribute to your wiki. Or request RSS feeds from your web site. As a result, some are saying that branding is becoming less relevant. In our view, branding actually is more important than ever, and also a bigger part of marketing professionals’ responsibilities. Why? The new media and interactive technologies offer more ways for customers to make contact and experience your brand before making direct contact and experiencing your brand the
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