Story of Digg – users posts the code to hack into DVD’s on DIGG – then Digg gets a cease & desist from motion picture association – so DIGG takes it down, but users repost the code en-masse – so DIGG reverses its position – saw that it couldn’t stop the Groundswell. “You can’t take something off the internet. That’s like trying to take pee out of a pool.” Other similar situations are Streisand effect – photos of her house she wanted taken off the Internet; video of Comcast technician asleep on the job; snakes on a Plane – user group takes control; the Other White Milk – Pork group tries to stop a breast-feeding group.
Groundswell is: “A social trend in which people use technologies to get the things they need from each other, rather than from traditional institutions like corporations.”
I have always wanted to be an artist manager. That is the main reason why I came to Middle Tennessee State University. Music is my passion, and has been that way every since I can remember. It is the universal language, and it speaks to your soul. Everybody can communicate their feelings and emotion through song. Combining my passion with my skill, music and entrepreneurship, I came up with the career choice of artist management. I look up to Sean “P. Diddy” Combs, Russell Simmons, and Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter. Theses are all successful label heads now, and that is essentially where I would like to end up. Generally speaking a manager’s job is to anything necessary to further the career of the artist-client. An artist manager is a coordinator, advisor, negotiator, coach, psychologist, planner, promoter, baby-sitter, booking agent, and a friend to the artist. A manager must be on call 24 hours a day, but an artist manager is 25/8. They must be aware of what is going on in the artist’s professional and personal life. The manager is the focal point of hundreds of decision made daily. The manager’s judgment and ability to make the right decision at the right time can spell the difference between stardom and what might have been.
I had a great professor at Middle Tennessee State University, Paul Allen. He taught artist management as well as wrote the text book. He offered a lot of insight and advice.
Now I have started an independent record label, Pype Dreamz Muzic. We currently have one artist, Pulé. I hope to turn PDMG into the next RocNation or Bad Boy
Since we and discussing the Groundswell, I would like to take the time and show how a new Web 2.0 innovation brought to us by Google, is Embracing the Groundswell. Google has launched it’s social networking site called Google Buzz. Google Buzz is a new way to start conversations about the things you find interesting and share updates, photos, videos and more. Buzz is built right into Gmail, so there's nothing to set up — you're automatically following the people you email and chat with the most.
Google launched Google Buzz on Tuesday, February 09, 2010, and they are already making improvements based on customer feedback. For examples of this please click here, Google Buzz Improvements, to see specific examples on things Google improved.
Tips for successful blogging 1. Start by listening. What do your customers want? 2. Determine a goal for the blog. 3. Estimate the ROI. 4. Develop a plan. 5. Rehearse. 6. Develop an editorial process. 7. Design the blog and its connection to your site. 8. Develop a marketing plan so people can find the blog. 9. Remember, blogging is more than writing. If you’re not getting a dialogue from your customers, your blog is not working. 10. Final advice: be honest. Make an honest assessment.
HP blogging case; developed a blogging policy first. The biggest benefit is that the company is now talking with customers who are in the middle of the funnel. In one instance, an HP blogger helped get the word out about a fix for a printer driver problem. In another instance, HP was able to respond to some trash talking by the CEO of Sun Microsystems. Groundswell authors recommend calculating the ROI of blogging efforts (and pretty much all activities). Don’t’ continue if you don’t think it’s going to pencil out
Your brand is what your customers say it is. Listening is the key. Companies listen now through market research. Market research is very good at finding answers to questions. It’s just not so effective at generating insights. Surveys will answer questions you can think up but they can’t tell you what you never thought to ask. Two problems are 1. You won’t hear from everybody, you will only hear from people willing to talk and 2. Volume. Need to apply some technology to boil the chatter down to a manageable steam of insights. Two listening strategies are 1. Set up your own private community, and Begin brand monitoring-hire a company to listen to the Internet on your behalf.
Traditional marketing vs. Groundswell marketing 1. Traditional = shouting (think mass marketing, public relations) 2. Groundswell = conversing 3. The Marketing Funnel
Traditional Marketing is talking TO customers where as Groundswell Marketing is talking WITH customers.
Techniques for talking with the groundswell 1. Post a viral video 2. Engage in social networks and user-generated content sites. 3. Join the blogosphere 4. Create a community
Story of management consultant, reading Engadget, sees video of iPhone being blended. Amazing! Decides to inquire and shocked to find this blender costs $399, but still decides to buy it. The video is the work of George Wright, director of marketing for Blendtec and is part of a viral video program and website called “Will it Blend?” (www.willitblend.com). Sales at Blendtec have grown by 20% as a result of this program. They don’t just have the videos; after the video, they engage customers in a conversation, sign them up for a newsletter, etc.
