After more than 26 months and 62,000 words, I’ve decided to give this blog a rest.

It may not be the end for A New Marketing Commentator, but it will be at least a short hiatus.

Thank you so much for your support, love and friendship. As much as you’ve given me, I hope I’ve given you even more in return.

Bob Cargill
Copywriter and Creative Director
May 10, 2006

Bob’s Bio and Contact Information
Bob’s Work History (Resume)
Bob’s Speaking History
Bob’s Commercial Portfolio
Bob’s Nonprofit Portfolio
Bob’s Interactive Portfolio

Tags: Bob Cargill copywriter creative director copywriting creative direction blogger direct marketing advertising marketing A New Marketing Commentator

Two days ago, I wrote here in this space about word of mouth marketing, the Word of Mouth Marketing Association and BzzAgent. Today’s post is a continuation of that same article, in which I write about my own personal use of word of mouth marketing on behalf of BzzAgent and its client, Atkins Advantage Bars…

On more than several occasions, I chose to Bzz on behalf of Atkins Advantage Bars by sharing the product with others.

I gave a bar to the computer technician who was kind enough to make a house call when my laptop almost crashed.

I shared two – the Caramel Fudge Brownie and Chocolate Chip Granola bars – with my 17-year-old step-daughter, Sophie (who liked the latter flavor better).

I gave bars to a couple of my running buddies from the Greater Framingham Running Club (just prior to the start of our longest training run of the year, a 21-mile sojourn from the Hopkinton Common to the top of Heartbreak Hill in Newton).

And I brought a few bars to a conference planning committee meeting I had with two of my friends from NEDMA, an activity that I documented and submitted to BzzAgent in the form of the following BzzReport…

My BzzReport on Atkins Advantage Bars

I had an informal business meeting at the restaurant, T.G.I. Friday’s, and I thought this would be a great opportunity to share my Atkins Advantage Bars with others. The setting was right, a place where food and drinks were being served amidst a relaxing, enjoyable atmosphere. And given that my dinner companions were two fellow marketing professionals, I had a hunch that my Bzz would go over well. And indeed it did, as my colleagues, Ben and Craig, were as much excited about the concept of word-of-mouth marketing as the free samples I was about to distribute. I gave each of them a bar to take home with them that evening (and the next day I sent them a brochure explaining the nutritional advantages of Atkins Advantage Bars and a coupon worth a dollar off any two Advantage bars). I also offered one of my bars to our waitress, who scoffed it down in the kitchen and came back to our table with a rave review. I couldn’t help but find it more than a little ironic that I had my entire table talking about such healthy, nutritious snacks as the Atkins Chocolate Chip Granola Bar, Chocolate Peanut Butter Bar and Caramel Fudge Brownie Bar when all around us people were being served plates piled ridiculously high with French fries, onion rings, potato skins, cheeseburgers, chicken wings and spare ribs. Nothing against the restaurant (because I really do like the food there), but maybe T.G.I. Friday’s should consider adding Atkins Advantage Bars to its menu.

The Future of WOMM

Clearly, I’m bullish on the prospects of word of mouth marketing. And given the fact that I’m such a dyed-in-the-wool direct marketer, beholden to measurable response rates from day one of my career, I suppose that may surprise some people. After all, the benefits of WOMM are not necessarily easy to quantify.

But my partiality is due in large part to the fact that word of mouth marketing is not that far removed from what I’ve been doing so frequently over the course of the last couple of years in the blogosphere. Every time I write and publish a post, I’m hoping to build at least some degree of buzz on behalf of a particular point of view, if not a product or service. Such activity – word of mouth anything – comes naturally to me. And I’ve enjoyed some of the rewards.

The bottom line is that word of mouth marketing seems to lend itself well to today’s new marketing landscape, which has businesses and organizations placing greater stock in consumer opinion and actually involving them in the sales, marketing and public relations process. As just one tool of our trade (among many), WOMM certainly has my endorsement. However, time will tell just how many others in my field pay it anything more than lip service.

Note: This is part two of a two-part article on the author’s experience with word of mouth marketing and the company, BzzAgent. Part one was posted here on A New Marketing Commentator on May 3, 2006.

To learn more about BzzAgent (which even has a free program for qualified nonprofit organizations), click here.

Tags: word of mouth marketing Word of Mouth Marketing Association BzzAgent Bob Cargill Atkins Advantage Bars word of mouth direct marketing marketing advertising public relations

Unofficially, word of mouth marketing has been around for a long time, but only in the last few years has it been so formally recognized and widely embraced as a bona fide discipline and tool of our trade.

Given such sudden appeal, it’s understandable that a relatively new association of the same name is experiencing a similar degree of popularity.

Founded in late 2004, the Word of Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA) is the official trade association for the word of mouth marketing industry.

WOMMA’s mission is to promote and improve word of mouth marketing by:

· Protecting consumers and the industry with strong ethical guidelines
· Promoting WOM as an effective marketing tool
· Setting standards to encourage its use

What is Word of Mouth Marketing?

Word of mouth is “a pre-existing phenomenon that marketers are only now learning how to harness, amplify, and improve. Word of mouth marketing isn’t about creating word of mouth — it’s learning how to make it work within a marketing objective,” says WOMMA on its Web site, adding…

That said, word of mouth can be encouraged and facilitated. Companies can work hard to make people happier, they can listen to consumers, they can make it easier for them to tell their friends, and they can make certain that influential individuals know about the good qualities of a product or service.

Word of mouth marketing empowers people to share their experiences. It’s harnessing the voice of the customer for the good of the brand. And it’s acknowledging that the unsatisfied customer is equally powerful.

BzzAgent

Word of mouth marketing is, in fact, what BzzAgent, a company I’ve become more than a little familiar with lately, has to offer its clients. In a nutshell, what BzzAgent does is conduct word of mouth marketing campaigns on behalf of its clients by recruiting an army of – you guessed it – BzzAgents, everyday people like you and me who are willing to voluntarily spread word of mouth (Bzz) in exchange for free product samples.

Yes, I’m here to tell you that I’m a BzzAgent.

Which, in fact, is the very first rule in The BzzAgent Code of Conduct: Be open.

BzzAgent’s Welcome Kit says a BzzAgent “is free to talk about BzzAgent….”

Be proud to be a BzzAgent. When Bzzing others, you must first let them know that you’re involved with BzzAgent, and that you’ve chosen to volunteer your time to share your opinion. If you like a product or service, it doesn’t matter where you found out about it, so don’t feel as though you need to be anonymous or stealthy. Just be open, honest and let your opinion count.

It’s easy to become a BzzAgent. You register online, sharing some of your likes and dislikes with the so-called Central Hive. The more you divulge about yourself, the easier it is for the company to determine your interest level and compatibility with upcoming campaigns. After I signed up a couple months ago and participated in about a half-dozen polls and surveys (each one took only about a minute or so to complete), BzzAgent had me figured out well enough to deem me eligible for The Atkins Advantage Bars BzzCampaign.

My First BzzCampaign

Perfect. Given that I had been training to run the Boston Marathon, the timing couldn’t have been better. (And because I’ve always relied on PowerBar, Atkins’ competition, for my quick hunger and energy fix, they really couldn’t have had a more qualified taste-tester.)

A few days after joining the campaign, I received my BzzKit, a big, brown box containing all kinds of literature about both BzzAgent and, of course, Atkins Advantage Bars, not to mention a box of the bars themselves in a variety of flavors — Peanut Butter Granola, Chocolate Chip Granola and Carmel Fudge Brownie.

After getting to know the product, my mission (which I had already accepted), was to perform what BzzAgent calls BzzActivity and report back on such Bzz by filing a short BzzReport. BzzAgent even went so far as to suggest a number of different ways I could spread the good word, such as sharing my bars and coupons with others, asking for the Atkins Advantage Bars at the store, leaving them around in places where people congregate (talk about a random act of kindness!) and even creating my own unique Bzz, which you could say I’m doing right here and now on A New Marketing Commentator.

What’s more, for each instance of BzzActivity I reported, I would earn a number of points which could be redeemed for BzzRewards, such as a travel mug, tote bag or shower radio — pretty cool tchotchkes, if you ask me.

Note: This is part one of a two-part article on the author’s experience with word of mouth marketing and the company, BzzAgent. Later on this week, part two will be posted here on A New Marketing Commentator.

To learn more about BzzAgent (which even has a free program for qualified nonprofit organizations), click here.

Tags: word of mouth marketing Word of Mouth Marketing Association BzzAgent Bob Cargill Atkins Advantage Bars word of mouth direct marketing marketing advertising public relations

After more than 26 months and 62,000 words, I’ve decided to give this blog a rest.

It may not be the end for A New Marketing Commentator, but it will be at least a short hiatus.

I’ve spent between five and ten hours a week since February of 2004 in the blogosphere, most of those hours researching and writing original posts, and my gut tells me it’s time to pause and refresh.

I want to concentrate fully on my search for new work and free up more time to spend with my family and friends.

I also need to measure the benefits of independent blogging for me at this point in my career and give careful consideration to expending such creative energy – sigh – in other areas instead.

Please stay tuned for at least two more new posts this week. My plans are to then sign off – perhaps just temporarily – until I can be absolutely clear and conclusive about the future of A New Marketing Commentator.

Wherever I land, whatever I do, I’ll at least keep this blog up as is — as my own personal archive and as a resource to others — for the foreseeable future.

Thank you so much for your support, love and friendship.

Last Friday, I was invited by my friend, Leslie Dangel, to deliver a guest lecture to a class of marketing students she teaches at Stonehill College in Easton, Massachusetts. She’s asked me on a number of occasions in the past, and I always enjoy the experience.

This time around was no different.

I first spoke about running the Boston Marathon for charity and the five different fundraising campaigns I’ve conducted – on behalf of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (’96), The Home for Little Wanderers (‘02 and ’03) and Children’s Hospital Boston (’05 and ’06) – as part of the Boston Athletic Association’s Charity Program.

I then showed the class a wall calendar we used as a self-promotional, lead-generation piece when I worked as a creative director at Boston’s Yellowfin Direct Marketing. It was a great example of using both creativity (each month included a tip on how to “take your organization’s direct marketing initiatives to the next highest level”) and printing technology (each individual calendar was highly personalized, featuring the recipient’s name in big, bold letters) to capture your audience’s attention.

But what seemed to interest the students most was when I talked about blogs and suggested that blogging is a skill that just may help them land that first job out of college. In fact, one student, Daniel P. Viens, seemed especially enamored with the topic. So much so, apparently, that he launched his own blog just two days later, in which he wrote…

I recently had a speaker in a marketing course I am taking who spent a portion of his time discussing the value of blogging in business and the growing importance of blogs in the professional community. Mr. Bob Cargill’s enthusiasm about this form of online expression was exiting and definitely the catalyst that finally led me to take on the endeavor of creating/maintaining my own website/blog.

The fact that my remarks resonated so much with Daniel is why I’ve never hesitated to say yes when asked to speak before a group of students. It’s not everyday you get to have such influence over the next generation.

Of course, the fact that blogging is so appealing to Daniel and so many other young people is another takeway from this story altogether. If you’re still not taking blogs – and other new media – seriously, take a look at how college students are using technology to communicate today. Then ask yourself how fast things are going to change in just a few years once they’ve fully matriculated into the workforce — and society at large — and the communications habits, preferences and skills they’ve brought with them have reached critical mass.

Now would be a good time for us to prepare.

Note: The author of A New Marketing Commentator, Bob Cargill, is an award-winning creative director, copywriter and blogger who is currently available for hire as a freelancer, consultant, contractor or employee. In fact, Bob’s services – satisfaction guaranteed – have recently been put up for bid on eBay. You can contact Bob – anytime – at Email Bob Cargill.

Bob’s eBay Ad

Bob’s Work History (Resume)

Bob’s Speaking History

Bob’s Commercial Portfolio
Bob’s Nonprofit Portfolio
Bob’s Interactive Portfolio

Tags: Bob Cargill blog blogs blogosphere blogging student blogs advertising marketing direct marketing

“Too many folks think “branding” is what airlines do when they repaint the planes every few years, or what banks do when they refresh all the signage in their lobbies and reengineer their logos,” write Bill Schley and Carl Nichols, Jr. (partners at david, inc., an international brand consulting firm), in Chapter Two of “Why Johnny Can’t Brand: Rediscovering the Lost Art of the Big Idea.”

“In the airlines’ case, they spend millions to update the image on the tails of their airplanes,” add Schley and Nichols. “Then they arrive late, stick you in a cramped seat with your knees bumping the food tray, charge you $1,000 more than the guy sitting next to you because you committed the crime of not including a Saturday night stay, and lose your %$##@%!!! luggage! The experience, value impression, and relative position in the passenger’s mind remain exactly the same.”

The authors continue…

Friends, this is not branding in our terms. This is paint on the surface of branding. Branding is about finding a specific IDEA that you stand for, finding a way to own that idea in a credible way, and ultimately building total trust that you will always deliver. It’s about your walk – well before your talk. You make physical, material adjustments to your product, service, and market conduct as necessary to align with that idea. Then you tell the world. And then, if you want to repaint the planes, be out guest.

Even in the world of theater, what actors say is less important than what they do. That’s why any director will tell you, “Action is character.” In our world, action is branding.

They can say that again. All too often during the course of my career I’ve been on the creative end of some mighty powerful branding campaign, only to have the client not live up to its end of the bargain. Like actors – heck, like people in general – ultimately, a client’s actions speak louder than words (and, in this case, pictures, too).

Branding is a shared responsibility between agency and client. All the award-winning copy and design in the world — and, yes, even a fresh coat of paint — can’t save a product or service that fails to meet expectations.

In this new day and age, when advertisers and marketers are being forced to relinquish control to a much savvier consumer, you have to keep it real. You can’t say one thing and do another. You can’t say you’re better at doing this-and-that unless you really are the cat’s meow. If you can’t say what you mean and mean what you say, you’ll do more harm than good in the mind of the marketplace.

To learn more about “Why Johnny Can’t Brand: Rediscovering the Lost Art of the Big Idea” by Bill Schley and Carl Nichols, Jr., and to purchase the book, click here.

Tags: branding direct marketing marketing advertising Why Johnny Can’t Brand ads ad agencies advertising agencies david, inc.

Thank you once again to those of you who sponsored my participation in the Boston Marathon this year. You helped me raise a personal record total of $3,550 – and counting – for Children’s Hospital Boston.

I can’t tell you how grateful I am for your support.

I’m sure I’ll be writing more about this fundraising campaign in the near future, but while the marathon memories are still fresh in my mind, I thought I would at least give you the latest tally now and also let you know how I did as a runner.

Not only did I exceed my previous fundraising high this time around, but I also had a very good day on the course. My finishing time was 3:52:49, my best time in a marathon since 1987. In fact, in the six times I had previously run Boston since 1990, not once had I even broken four hours – until now. Go figure.

I’m giving all the credit to Hailey, my Children’s Hospital Boston patient partner, for inspiring me to run such a fast – for me – time.

Me and Hailey, at a Children’s Hospital Boston celebration last Saturday, just two days before I ran the Boston Marathon this year.

Hailey is a cute, little girl living with osteogenesis imperfecta (OI), a rare genetic disorder – characterized by bones that break easily, often from little or no apparent cause – for which there is not yet a cure.

Imagine, Hailey is only seven, but she’s already suffered more than 50 broken bones and undergone a number of serious surgeries.

If you knew Hailey like I do, you’d understand when I say that she was my inspiration in the Boston Marathon on Monday and the wind beneath my wings.

The Adidas “Reasons to Run” Campaign

Given my excitability in the days leading up to the marathon, I jumped at the chance to participate in the Adidas “Reasons to Run” campaign, which the German sports apparel manufacturer was conducting at the John Hancock Sports & Fitness Expo over the weekend. Talk about appealing to your audience’s emotions. Cleverly creating a win-win situation, Adidas was distributing cards to all the marathon runners at the Expo, on which was inscribed the following message…

WHAT’S YOUR REASON TO RUN?

There are as many reasons to run the granddaddy of all marathons as there are runners. Write down your motivation to run to run on the sticker below then place it on the walls of the adidas Expo booth where you find your bib number. You can also visit the booth and tell our cameras live and in person why you run. View your reason to run on-line beginning April 17th.

In the 20 seconds or so I had to tell the cameras my “reasons to run,” I spoke of Hailey, Children’s Hospital Boston and running the Boston Marathon for charity, reasons that came to me first, before — tellingly — the fact that I enjoy the competition and being part of such a special event, just to name a couple others.

I run because I enjoy it, but it’s a much bigger thrill to run for a greater purpose.

To see for yourself what I had to say (and to see what an engaging, effective campaign this is for Adidas), go to www.reasonstorun.com. Once there, click on the “Launch The Site” button at the bottom of the page, which will open up a new window. After entering my name (Bob Cargill) and bib number (18479) in the search fields there, my recorded testimonial should upload and play.

Tags: fundraising pledge-based fundraising Boston Marathon Bob Cargill Children’s Hospital Boston Miles for Miracles running marathon running for charity

So many advertising, marketing and public relations agencies are dipping their collective toes in the blogosphere lately that unless it’s the likes of Hill Holliday or Edelman we’re talking about, it’s not really big news anymore when any single one of them takes the plunge.

That was certainly not the case as recently as just a few months ago, but blogging has finally eclipsed the tipping point and suddenly everyone and his or her brother wants to get in on the action.

Understandably so.

Given the paradigm shift toward transparency and immediacy that’s now underway in corporate communications, the benefits of business blogging – as long as you do it right – far outweigh the costs.

As I wrote here in this space back in December of 2004, “a blog is tailor-made for storing and managing your intellectual capital. It’s a centralized repository for experience and expertise, an incredibly easy way to disseminate key, timely information to an audience of readers who are already interested in what you have to offer. The cost to set up and maintain a blog is practically nil. And the dividends – for those on either side of the equation – can be priceless.”

Given all the activity of late in the blogosphere, however, even the most noteworthy organizations are managing – whether they like it or not – to blog under the radar screen and, in some cases, wasting gallant efforts.

Sure, if you want to launch a blog softly, this is your opportunity. So many are already out there that the chances are any fledglings won’t attract much attention and you can bide your time on the long tail (if you’re lucky to be on it at all).

On the other hand, if you want the best returns possible on your investment of precious time and top talent, you’re going to have to work hard to attract a meaningful, loyal following. If you don’t post regularly, link liberally and promote the heck out of your new initiative, your blog will make about as much noise as the proverbial tree falling in the woods with no one around to hear it. And in no time at all, you’ll be back to square one.

Tags: blog blogs blogging blogosphere advertising marketing direct marketing public relations Hill Holliday Edelman

I’ve been blogging for more than two years now, and I can’t say there haven’t been days when I’ve wondered if all the time and energy I put into A New Marketing Commentator is worth it.

But last Thursday wasn’t one of them.

That was when the 25th Annual New England Direct Marketing Association’s Awards for Creative Excellence were handed out, and this blog was honored with gold.

Yes, this labor of love of mine was the first blog ever to win a NEDMA award, and that award just happened to be first place in one of the Interactive categories (Other Interactive, B-to-B: CD-ROMs, Videos, Interactive Kiosks, Blogs).

How cool is that?

Not to toot my own horn, but I was also fortunate to receive three awards for the direct mail campaign I conducted last year when I ran the Boston Marathon for Children’s Hospital Boston. For that initiative, I took home a silver award in the Best Copywriting category, a gold in one DM on a Shoestring category (Budget under $2,500, Consumer or B-to-B) and a bronze in another (Cheap for a Good Cause, Non-Profit).

Of course, it felt great to be on the receiving end of such flattering accolades. I can only hope to find myself in the same beautiful place next year — but not simply as a sole practitioner, as just one member of a whole new team.

Bob’s Work History (Resume)

Bob’s Public Speaking History

Bob’s Bio

Tags: blog blogs blogging Bob Cargill NEDMA New England Direct Marketing Association direct marketing copywriting Children’s Hospital Boston

Less than two weeks from now (April 17), I’ll be running yet another Boston Marathon (it’ll be the eighth time I’ve made the same journey, the fifth time for charity), and I can’t tell you how much I’m looking forward to this very special day.

I’ve enjoyed running since I was knee-high to a grasshopper, so for me, no matter how many times I’ve gone the distance, running Boston is still the thrill of a lifetime, a childhood dream come remarkably true.

I’m lucky, though. Some children’s dreams are mercilessly dashed due to dread, debilitating diseases and disorders that you and I can’t even begin to imagine. Their challenge isn’t a marathon – it’s life itself, one difficult day at a time, courageously contending with poor health, waiting for a cure, hoping to prevail despite seemingly overwhelming odds.

It’s for these children that I’ll be running the Boston Marathon this year as one of the few, proud members of Children’s Hospital’s Miles for Miracles Team Boston, raising funds for one of the best pediatric hospitals in the country.

Hailey, 7, My Children’s Hospital Boston Patient Partner

I’ll be running Boston for children like my patient partner, Hailey, a cute, little girl living with osteogenesis imperfecta (OI), a rare genetic disorder – characterized by bones that break easily, often from little or no apparent cause – for which there is not yet a cure.

Imagine, Hailey is only seven (she was born on May 26, 1998), but she’s already suffered 51 broken bones and undergone a number of serious surgeries. Thanks to Children’s Hospital Boston, however, Hailey’s OI is under control, and she’s living her young life to the fullest.

Your sponsorship of my run will mean a great deal to me, but it’ll mean even more to the doctors, nurses and staff at Children’s Hospital Boston – and the patients, like Hailey, in their care.

Give Now and Get a $5 Olive Garden Gift Certificate

This time around, I’ve committed to raise a minimum of $3,500 for Children’s, and I’ve received 65 donations (from 65 kind souls) so far for a total of $2,919. So I really do need your support if I’m going to reach, if not exceed, my fundraising goal. Every dollar counts, especially in these last few days leading up to the big event.

Please help me help make dreams come true for more boys and girls. Please sponsor my Boston Marathon run with a gift of $25, $15, $50 or more to Children’s Hospital Boston. I’ll be so grateful for your support.

As a small token of my appreciation, I’ll mail the next six people to contribute to my cause a $5 gift certificate redeemable at any Olive Garden Italian Restaurant. (Olive Garden was kind enough to donate these certificates, so the next time I take my family out to dinner there, I plan to thank the manager in person.)

To make a secure, online donation to my Children’s Hospital Boston fundraising campaign right here and now, simply follow these instructions…

1. Go to www.chtrust.org/bostonmarathon.
2. Click on “Sponsor a Runner/Give Online” on the right-hand side
of the screen.
3. Enter my name, “Bob Cargill” and/or my Profile ID (CB0022) in
the “Search for a Runner to Sponsor” fields.
4. Click on my name, “Bob Cargill,” under Search Results, in the middle of the page.
5. Donate to Children’s Hospital Boston.

Of course, if you prefer, you may write a check – payable to Children’s Hospital Boston – and return it to my attention at 33 Oakwood Avenue, Sudbury, MA 01776.

Me and Hailey, the day before I ran the Boston Marathon last spring.

Whatever you can do to help support my Boston Marathon run for Children’s Hospital Boston – and Hailey – please do it today. I’ll appreciate it. The hospital will appreciate it. And, most of all, the children will appreciate it. It is on their behalf that I just can’t thank you enough.

Note: To read about the other four times I’ve run the Boston Marathon for charity (in ‘96 for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, in ‘02 and ‘03 for The Home for Little Wanderers and in ‘05 for Children’s Hospital Boston), click here, here, here, here and here.

Tags: fundraising pledge-based fundraising Boston Marathon Bob Cargill Children’s Hospital Boston Miles for Miracles running marathon running for charity