Marketing as a political campaign

I just finished watching the CEO of Vail Resorts talk about the impact social media marketing has had on the marketing cycle.

The talk – available for a limited time here at AdAge - highlighted that they have changed their marketing mix and reduced the number and frequency of magazines and other more expensive media. He articulated something quite different as to the reasons why. It's not simply that social media has more impact, which can be argued, but rather the lead time for traditional media is too long.

Committing to running a print ad is more than just running it in a publication. Space needs to be purchased, strategies agreed upon, and creative brainstormed and produced. This cycle can happen quickly but most of the time takes months.

By rotating the marketing spend to social media, Vail Resorts can change the marketing message at the drop of a hat. Do they need to juice up occupancy for a week? Run a special using search engine marketing or links to one's Facebook friends. Create an event out of coincidences.

He likened his marketing strategies akin to a political campaign. What's the message of the week? How do we support this message? What are the forces we need to fight?

Who would have thought that politics and business would be aligned so closely now?

Office observations from Stephen Fry

If the actor Stephen Fry's blog isn't on your reading list, I highly advise it. It's smart, funny and quite insightful. He's a tech geek like yours truly and I find his observations a breath of fresh air.

Below he compares the executive today vs. yesteryear, the main difference being staff. Any executive worth their salt had a secretary who managed all of the crap that we have to manage ourselves. There's much about the past I don't want to repeat but there are days when I wish I had a good right arm as support.

"When I watch an old TV sketch or drama set in an office it takes some time to spot What’s Wrong With This Picture. Most business people didn’t have computers on their desks until the mid-eighties. Desks had intercoms, pads of paper, an electronic calculator and executive toys like the Newton’s Cradle and the 8-Ball Decision maker. You look at a busy police incident room, a buzzing news room or any kind of office from the pre-digital age and you realise that there are no computers and you try and remember how work got done back then.

Well, there were people called secretaries. They would file documents, pay and send out invoices and arrange meetings and run diaries. They would type up and send letters that were dictated, sometimes personally, often into recording machines.

“Can I use your dictaphone?” “No, use your finger like everyone else”

The computer revolution that has set us all free has actually come close to enslaving us. Executives who once relied on secretaries to do their typing and their admin now have to do it all themselves. They even have to get their own coffee and pinch their own bottoms.

I suppose it’s good for the soul, but it doesn’t half give one pause."

Hat tip [Stephen Fry]

Mac 4 Business

One of the biggest mantras in the Windows vs. Mac battle is the idea that PCs are better for business. I agree there is more specialized software available on Windows but the gap is shrinking. 

In exploring the latest iWork, I stumbled upon a page on Apple.com devoted to illustrating how businesses are using the Mac successfully. I'm sure this effort is known in some circles but it's quite stealth. And well done!