marginally subversive

NUMERATI is now on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Numerati.Solutions

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NUMERATI empowers marketeers make sound, fact-based decisions using bespoke marketing research and analytics particularly in these challenging, continuously-changing times. 

NUMERATI does this through

1. The use of advanced statistics (attitudinal-behavioral-demographic-based segmentation, econometrics-/regression-based modelling)

2. Providing advice in optimizing returns on existing marketing research and learning programs

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4. Providing strategic planning advice and consultancy

5. Training and marketing-skills development

For more information, visit us on www.facebook.com/Numerati.Solutions

communicating meaning

I came across this slideshow on reception theory on SlideShare on Reception Theory.  And it was a very interesting, clear read.

 

Reception theory

View more presentations from Rob McMinn

 

As a media planner, I have been exposed to a number of 'frameworks' that tried to explain how audiences access, process, and relate with information that they encounter about brands.  The one that I found most interesting was this chart (which I think is overused but still relevant though in need of further improvements to take into account how audiences have evolved).

In essence, the above suggests that the communication effectiveness is at the middle - where the message is delivered by the right medium to the its intended target audiences whilst they are in the right mindset.

Imagine seen an ad about romantic getaways during the upcoming Valentine's Day on late-night TV whislt nurturing a broken heart.  Or seeing a news program with violent scenes from a road accident whilst enjoying dinner.

The idea behind this 'framework' - if you can call it that - is that the most effective communications happen when the three are in alignment.

Strategically, it makes sense.  Implementation-wise, it is difficult:  How exactly would you know when the audiences are in the "right" or "congruent" mindset that would facilitate the reception of the message? 

Some companies have resorted to "emotional/mood diaries".  But as the slideshow above suggests - and as anyone who's married or "partnered" would attest to - moods change.  And they change quite drastically.

The challenge therefore is continually 'checking' the 'mood' or the sentiment of the market - and responding to that sentiment in a relevant (or 'sentiment-changing') manner.

 

The bottom-line is:

Comunicating meaning - the intended meaning, which I believe to be at the core of effective communications - is a function of the message that we send our intended audience and the context - physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual - that in turn defines her mood.  

EyeTrackShop's findings: What attracts people to your Facebook pages - and what keeps them there longer?

The wall on all brand pages attracts almost all respondents' gazes. What you post matters. If you consistently create and publish great content -- items that really matter to your fans and add value to their day or contain an appropriate call-to-action -- you're more likely to attract and retain those readers.

Walls also attract the viewer's attention for the longest amount of time. Again, this reinforces the need for compelling content that builds on itself. Working in reverse chronological order (because that's how posts appear), Wall posts should compel the user to scroll down the page, keeping their focus and attention on your Wall. You should cross-reference previous status updates as a way to get visitors to scroll down the page and consume more of your content.

via www.entrepreneur.com

These are quite interesting findings on the use of the Facebook wall for pages that are active.  One of my favorite pages, Magnolia Chicken Station from the Philippines on Facebook does this farely well.  And I like looking at their recipes.  A few celebrities are also doing this fairly well - I like Vin Diesel's page. 

Thanks to Entrepreneur.Com for the idea and the photo below. 

 

On Social Media #Analytics: ComScore’s 2011 Social Reports Facebook leading ...

You already know that social networking sites have been getting huge around the world, but an annual report out today from comScore shows what exactly is going at a wonderful new level of detail, with surprises for even long-time industry watchers like me

via techcrunch.com

Microblogging is growing and the world is connecting real-time.

You probably knew that already, but isn't it comforting to have your thoughts validated by data?

#analytics practitioners need personal integrity, too

I guess nobody's perfect: analytics professionals need to have a sense of integrity as they search for answers for their clients' businesses. after all, their results could lead to misspent dollars - or worse, lives and jobs of people.

Analytics professionals need to understand the responsibility that rests on their shoulders.

 

Created by: Clinical Psychology

Planning for Marketing? Think Finance - Think Lifetime Value

via www.youtube.com

Marketing has borrowed quite extensively from Finance in the last 10 years.

As marketeers, we've started talking about returns on investments - finding the "biggest bang for our buck".

Some (like my former team in a previous company) have started talking about risk management procedures - not just in managing contracts (and employing "options"-like buying techniques), but also in delivering gross impressions and shares.

All these are well and good.

Perhaps this is one way of the marketing department proving themselves to the finance department - an attempt to say that 'we are more than just an expense line on the balance sheet'.

But as marketeers and suport-teams of the marketing department, we have got to do more.

Employing evidence-based marketing, metrics-based objective-setting and results evaluation, real profitability analyses that take into account present and future value of marketing investments --- all these need to be more apparent in the marketing department's language and in the language of its partners in the advertising, media, promotions, PR, research, and digital space.

The Age of New Banking Is Upon Us...

I came across this video just today (a year old, really, so quite old by internet standards).  It is about banking and how consumesr are changing the face of banking.

What I really liked about what Brett King, an author, said in the opening of the video: 

Just because you are a bank and you have a banking licence doesn't mean you have an exclusive on banking.

And another one: 

If customers don't want to come to the branch..., we just serve them where they are.