06 May 2009

This post is a development on a previous one about plotting the Australian Blogosphere on a positioning map. Jye Smith suggested this could be used to segment bloggers and it was made possible by Adam Ferrier, a very smart man (I have to say that, he’s currently my boss).

Jokers
The pranksters of the blogosphere. They enjoy the attention they receive and are not afraid to post something fun or amusing, or even off topic. They’re very flexible yet back it up with good content. Jokers tend to be amongst the youngest of the bloggers out there and love being the centre of attention. They’re often controversial but at times need to be reminded not to stir the pot for the sake of it.

Julian Cole is a Joker.

Lovers
The peaceful ones of the blogosphere. They probably started their blog one day for their own amusement and are not too fussed about their pageviews, hits and RSS count. With that said, they appreciate their readers and love that they are able to to express themselves and people will listen. They enjoy sharing their thoughts, insights, stories, videos, pictures and links. Rarely will they call someone out and must remember that their audience doesn’t subscribe to them for their constantly thought provoking content.

Stan Lee is a Lover.

Drivers
The quiet earnest ones of the blogosphere. They attempt to drive change with almost every post on their blog. Each piece of content develops conversations, asks the right questions and gets people thinking. Often, they’re developing models and attempting to take their area of expertise to the next level. Posts can be quite detailed and lengthy and they need to remember that this can alienate audiences outside of their core niche of readers.

Gavin Heaton is a Driver.

Fighters
The top of the food chain of the blogosphere. They probably started life as a Joker or Driver and decided they want to take it to the next level content wise, or get their name and brand out their in the media. Not afraid to speak their mind and take on the big guys, particularly when they know they’re backed by a large popularity. Their content is solid and provocative but is often criticised and they need to remember that engaging in a flame war is not always the best approach.

Laural Papworth is a Fighter.

There are both benefits and limitations to each of the above. More importantly, there is no right or wrong and none of the four quadrants is a bad segment to sit in. It is important to remember who your audience are and what they’re expectations will be. Remember that next time you question a blogger’s motives or actions, perhaps think about what segment they’re in and what they’re trying to achieve.

Before you depart, I have three questions for you…

1. Which quadrant do you see yourself in?
2. Which quadrant do other people see you in?
3. Which quadrant do you want other people to see you in?

Posted by Zac Martin

03 May 2009

I always tout on about how starting a blog was one of the best things I ever did, and not only career wise. But it wasn’t until today that I realised yet another reason I’m more than grateful for starting this bad boy.

I love writing. I didn’t realise it until recently, but I seem to get a fair bit out of something I would previously despised doing. And apparently, I’m not too bad at it. Although I have no idea why people seem to enjoy my terribly dry, sarcastic tone. And I just realised I seem to use a lot of conjunctives at inappropriate times.

This blog probably isn’t a good example of my best work. Lately I’ve been writing for the student magazine on campus, my other blog, Marketing Magazine and a new project that will be bigger than hang over I woke up with this morning.

Now I just need to work out if it’s possible to write for the love of it… and money. Maybe I should write a book.

Posted by Zac Martin

02 May 2009

Or at least that’s what the ACCC believes. This nonsense about their crack down on the Coca Cola myth busting campaign is rubbish. Consumers realise Coke isn’t good for you. If Coke wants to try and change their image, then let them do it.

You don’t walk into Maccas and assume their burgers are healthy just because they offer a salad on the menu. And this is not the first time the ACCC has assumed you’re a complete moron, they did it last year with a Skins campaign.

Sure you old guys and girls think there’s a lot wrong with Generation Y, but one thing going for them (us) is their (our) scepticism. I would suggest, with the help of the Internet, that today’s consumer is smarter than ever before.

The ACCC needs to step off and let marketers do their work. No lines were crossed in either of these cases and consumers are smart enough and sceptical enough to know this. And if it changes their buyer behaviour, well done to the work of the marketers.

Posted by Zac Martin

21 April 2009

I borrowed my first book from the University library today.

I am a third year student. And I do reasonably okay results wise. Funnily enough it took an Arts unit to make me do it too.

Posted by Zac Martin

21 April 2009

I think this is the first positive thing I have ever said about Melbourne train service provider Connex. I feel like it is such a momentous occasion it deserves to be mentioned in the title of this post.

More than a few months ago I registered the Twitter account @ConnexMelbourne. I posted my email address and said if Connex wanted the account all they had to do was contact me. Eventually they did.

I handed it over without much reluctance, although I kind of wish I asked for a yearly Metcard or something now. Anyway, it sat unused for quite some time. Just as I was about to get frustrated it finally became active.

As Twitter slowly becomes mainstream, users often complain they can’t see the use for it because Facebook status updates. But here’s a perfect example for you after having a light bulb moment today.

Catching a train into the city on my journey home from Uni I was browsing Twitter on my iPhone. I noticed the @ConnexMelbourne account said the train line for my ride out of the city was significantly delayed.

This meant as soon as I got into Flinders Street Station I could jump on an alternate train line without wasting time and potentially missing a connection.

My one critique, it would be great to establish an account for all of the train lines so I have the option to only subscribe to the ones I want. But still, I’m happy to put up with it for now. Great work Connex.

Posted by Zac Martin

17 April 2009

Last October I posted about two social media strategy models I had been working on. The first was Response and the second was Broadcast.

Taking on the advice of Gavin Heaton and Kate Richardson I have made some slight adjustments to the Response model. While I would recommend reading the original post, the key differences are the addition of measurement on behalf of the marketer and recognising the circular nature of this process.

Thoughts?
Posted by Zac Martin

15 April 2009

Carlton Dry have recently just finished up an aight digital campaign, Team Dry. The premise is simple, upload a video of you doing a useless talent and win $50,000.

So far, not that interesting. The campaign is okay, not really purple cow material but certainly not too bad. What I did like was the approach taken to encourage people to submit entries. Readers of men’s magazines Ralph and Zoo were told if they submitted an entry with a copy of the magazine in the video, they would receive a free slab of Carlton Dry. A great incentive to encourage people to enter competitions, particularly those with high levels of engagement.

Unfortunately it seems they have decided to ignore the submission I entered before the deadline. One email address I attempted to contact them on was rejected and the other has gone ignored. Can anyone put my in touch with someone behind the campaign? I want my free slab of beer.

If not, the half a day I spent making the videos means I have enough pent up anger to never buy Carlton Dry. Ever.

Posted by Zac Martin