The web is changing the way musicians are marketed, and the way artists and fans connect. If you are in a band or into music merchandise, you need to check out Tunipop. Currently in beta, Tunipop bills itself as “the online source for discovering all forms of music-related fan gear and interacting with other members.”

Tunipop is not a retail outlet or a source for CDs, DVDs or digital downloads. Rather, Tunipop strives to help fans easily find official sources of available music merchandise like T-shirts and posters. It also helps artists market their fan gear more effectively.

The Merchandise Resources section directly links artists to apparel printing, on-tour merchandise and fan club management services, just to name a few.

The site will soon have about 5,000 pages of content which will mainly consist of artist listings within Tunipop’s Go2Merch directory. Coldplay, Elvis Costello, Alicia Keys and the Beastie Boys are some of the artists represented. Tunipop will eventually grow this directory through user-generated artist listings.

Future site enhancements include a syndicated blog, news, links and feature sections. A mobile version of the site is also in the works.

Tunipop wants to be a player in a $6 billion global market. They appear to have some traction, having beaten MySpace to the punch thanks to MySpace’s decision to delay their music merchandise push until later this year.

Tunipop has an interesting angle worth exploring, so check out the site or watch for it on your favorite band’s MySpace or Facebook page

As I was thinking of a title for this blog I considered using the “… is King” analogy but it seems the CMS industry has beaten that term to death.

It’s clear with the major success of sites like MySpace, Facebook and LinkedIn that community and social networking is big business. The marketing world is working hard to find ways to leverage this model for clients. It’s no doubt that when community and social networking tools are thought through and integrated successfully the investment can pay for itself rather quickly by connecting you directly with your customer to grow a relationship that allows you to gain amazing insights.

There are a lot of different concepts to consider when looking at social networking for brands. Instead of listing them all I’m going to borrow from (and summarize) the framework provided in Razorfish’s 2008 Digital Report using their “The six “C’s of social influence marketing” model.

• Content
  Content can come in many forms: video, wallpapers, badges, avatars, widgets and information. Authenticity and transparency is critical. Allow your content to be de-centralized (Syndication via RSS or embed).
• Customization
  Include elements where users can define themselves. Allow users to generate and customize their own content (blogs, comments, threaded discussions, etc). Empower consumers to express themselves.
• Community
  Give users a reason to interact. Provide unique content, value or engagement. Leverage relational social networking content on brand sites.
• Conversation
  Build a network of advocates. Using advocates to build new relationships = sales. Accept negative feedback and conversation. Intervene in a problem before it escalates.
• Commerce
  Must be soft sold. Consumers do not want a hard sell; any integration from your e-store must be subtle not blatant. Offer coupons, related content or links to store.
• Commitment
  It requires ongoing customer communication. Solicit feedback on products & services. Add more value to customers. Enhance brand reputation. Enable brand advocacy.

Before looking to embrace the benefits of community and social media you need to consider a solid strategy. A commitment to community requires an all or nothing approach. Provide your customer with a framework and tools that enable conversation and interaction. Don’t forget to invest in updating content that is rich and authentic and adding features that will keep your users coming back.

I recently did a presentation to the Milwaukee Internet Marketing Association on how brands need to leverage the web to help build loyal consumers and convert them into what we call “Brand Champions.”

It was interesting pulling this presentation together because the thoughts I captured are at the heart and soul of what we as a firm work to deliver for every brand we work with when we create any program. Creating Brand Champions requires a discipline and focus that extends far beyond the marketing department. From product development, to service, to sales, to dealer relations there isn’t an area of an organization that doesn’t impact a brand’s ability to create lasting, meaningful relationships with their consumers. Steve Rubel wrote a post on Micro Persuasion “Preaching to the Converted” almost three years ago that I believe extends to how brands should approach all their work online.

1. FIND where your target consumers and brand champions are interacting online
2. LISTEN to what they are saying to better understand what they want and need from your brand
3. ENGAGE your users in a dialogue and create new ways for your consumers to interact with your brand
4. EMPOWER your Brand Champions to create stories and lead conversations about your brand to actively influence others

I cover these in my presentation with examples of how LISTENING, ENGAGING and EMPOWERING your users within a Brand’s site can help create Brand Champions. Check out my presentation and I would love to hear your point of view on the topics covered.

If you answered yes, and your list only includes the brands which are in your immediate competitive space (the ones you see year after year at that Vegas trade show) – this is your wakeup call. It’s true, you ultimately will be competing for a sale against like brands, but what happens before a consumer decides to purchase a specific item; let’s say a fishing pole for example. Prior to that decision, a consumer is likely shopping for a form of recreation or entertainment, rather than a brand or product. This effectively increases your brands competitive landscape. You’re now fighting other forms of recreation/entertainment AND their respective brands.

With that said, it’s crucial that you begin looking inside and outside your industries to gain knowledge and insight when establishing your benchmarks. Whether they’re brand, product or service related – the perspective to be gained is invaluable. This will help in developing smarter products/services and ultimately a more compelling brand experience. Unless of course you’re content being the “smart follower” in your industry.

If the notion of more competition is making your stomach turn, rest easy. Here are some tips to help you navigate an ever-evolving brand landscape:

• Look around you and learn from others
• Treat “emotion” as a benchmark
• Know your competition (inside/outside your industry)
• Benchmark all facets of your business (product, brand, service, etc)
• Create great products as well as great brand experiences
• Identify key consumer trends/habits/preferences

You’ll be competing with anyone and everyone, which means you need to keep an eye on anyone and everyone…

Common sense tells us that if we hear good things about a company or a product, we’re more likely to use that product. In the online world, this is now a proven fact. If you’re considering adding online reviews to your site, you might want to take a look at the results of a large-scale study recently conducted by comScore with The Kelsey Group.

• Nearly 1/4 of internet users read reviews before paying for an offline service.

• 97% of those surveyed who said they made a purchase based on an online review said they found the review to have been accurate.

• Reviews generated by fellow consumers had a greater influence than those generated by professionals.

• Consumers are generally willing to pay at least 20% more for a service that received an “Excellent” rating.

Read the full study results here.

I like to think I’m too optimistic to put much stock in the phrase, “Believe half of what you see and none of what you read.” But with the proliferation of blogs, the ease of setting up a simple website and the ability to make a quick buck (really a quick nickel) by brokering internet visitors from one site to another, I’m starting to turn the corner on the “read” part of that pessimistic adage. This is especially true when researching products online, using product reviews (editorial not user-generated) as a primary source of information and letting them guide the shopping process.Consider the following exchanges:

(Pat approaches Terry who is sitting at the computer…)
Pat: Hey, what are you doing?
Terry: Researching digital cameras…
Pat: Oh. (pause) Are we getting a new digital camera?
Terry: Maybe…
Pat: OK. (pause) What site is that?
Terry: (shrugs) Dunno. I just typed “Digital Camera Reviews” into Google
Pat: Oh. (pause) Google’s awesome. (looking over Terry’s shoulder and pointing at the screen) That one looks good.
Terry: (nods) Yeah, this site seems to really like {insert brand name with good reviews} and not {insert brand name with bad reviews}. Look at this review - one and a half stars.
Pat: Wow. Really? Hmm. I always thought those were good cameras.
Terry: I know. Me too. I’d never buy a {insert brand name} now.

(Meanwhile, back at the agency…)

Client: One of our dealers found this site - have you seen it? Do you know who these guys are? They’re reviewing our products…
Agency: Hmm…I haven’t seen this site before. We’ll see what we can find out.
Client: OK. Thanks.

(Later that day…)

Agency: I’ve got an update for you.
Client: Go ahead.
Agency: Well, it looks like they’re an affiliate marketing site. They make about $8 on average for every person who directly buys a camera after reading a review and click’s off to buy online. There are some other components to the program but that’s pretty much the gist of it.
Client: Oh. (pause) Do you think that’s why they’re bashing our product? Because they make money when visitors buy {insert brand name with good reviews} and not ours?
Agency: It could be.
Client: Hmm. (pause) What do you think we should do?

“What do you think we should do?” That’s an interesting question for manufacturers, retailers, consumers and consultants. One that will get worse I fear before the karmic balance of the information superhighway weeds out the predators — those willing to mislead under the guise of legitimate editorial reviews so they can collect their nickels. Now, don’t get me wrong. I like (strike that) LOVE the spirit of entrepreneurialism. I’m a big fan of the almighty Dollar, Euro and Yuan. I enjoy reading about savvy, hardworking people finding new and interesting ways to make a living in the information age. I research products, shop online, and appreciate eCommerce affiliate programs. Why not pay people who bring in leads that close?

For me, it’s the suspect reviews. And here’s the classic example of abuse: all the products in the category are “reviewed” but interestingly, only those that are linking to an eCommerce site by way of an affiliate marketing program get the “two thumbs up” rating. Hmm.

It’s an issue that I feel the Google-searching American public should be made aware of. Good thing every one of them is reading this post…

I suppose we could teach the average online product review reader how to sift through source code to spot if the, “Learn more about this product” links routes through Commission Junction or Moola Moola. I’ll start with Mom…who turns 75 in a couple weeks… Maybe “View Source” isn’t going to work.

National exposure by the news media would help. If anyone from 60 Minutes is reading this, call me.

What do you think we should do?

I just read this quote in a new book with the world’s longest title, called “Join the Conversation: How to Engage Marketing-Weary Consumers with the Power of Community, Dialogue and Partnership” by Joseph Jaffe, John Wiley & Sons press, 2007:

In the “age of engagement,” there are four fundamentals to keep in mind:

1. The Internet is the center of the universe.
2. The experience is the brand differentiator.
3. The database is the primary marketplace.
4. The technology is the explosive ingredient.

I found it to be a very helpful way of thinking about the collision of marketing and technology that we continue to explore and exploit.

I feel that Hanson Dodge Creative is in a very nice position to exploit three of the four fundamentals in this age of engagement. With the database being our next frontier to conquer. One that we are determined to take on.

In a tribute to Jerry Seinfeld (Whose show had an interesting tagline: “A show about nothing”), I think I’ll start this blog commentary by saying: “What is the deal with…”

Hence. Ahem. In my best Jerry Seinfeld…

What is the deal with academics always trashing copywriters? In a recent Ad Age Online CMO Strategy Column, Grand View College professor Stephen Winzenburg (who incidentally has written a book, entitled “TV’s Greatest Sitcoms”) weighs in on taglines.He makes some interesting points about how taglines shouldn’t be so generic that they become interchangeable. But he also seemingly, misses the mark on some of the more successful ideas in the industry (love em or hate em).

Loving taglines is indeed a subjective thing. One thing I know about taglines is that they have to say a whole bunch in very few words. They must position, differentiate, exude emotion (or create some visceral response) and be catchy as hell in, oh, like no more than 8 words. They are tough to write, but really great when they work.

Interestingly enough, Winzenburg debunks the Easy Button and Staples’ “That was easy” tag, because he didn’t get the ad. I think he missed the fact that this brand has been doing this campaign for over a year (maybe more now) and has built incredible equity in both the big idea and the tag. And might I add successfully, gaining market share throughout the campaign.

He also thinks the Macy’s Holiday tagline hit the mark this year: “The Magic of Macy’s.” You be the judge. Personally, a retail store using Magic and alliteration in a tagline, wow, that’s really breakthrough. Don’t you think???

Anyway, here is his slam on crummy taglines.

P.S. He also notes poor punctuation in taglines (clearly this communications professor doesn’t get copywriters), and he really isn’t even talking about taglines (mostly), he is talking about campaign lines and the ones he chooses are for the most part very value/retail driven.

NOTE: I feel like it’s my duty to report copy slams. So more to come.

Six months ago Hanson Dodge Creative began working with Humminbird on the complete redesign of their website. Our research and resulting strategy recommendations were simple:

- Selling online was critical to future success of their business

- Consolidation of the systems and data captured by the website would streamline the process of updating and communicating directly with their customers

- They had a community of enthusiasts who loved their product and wanted to engage with them directly

- Rich content and media was key to providing a deeper customer experience

The result? On January 10th we launched the new Humminbird website. Our client wrote a great blog that details the new features and functions of the site. Here is an excerpt from that post:

Here are just a few new features:

• New e-commerce store: Shop for and find the Humminbird products and accessories you want faster with advanced search and filtering. Experience our products with our new gallery viewer and download product manuals.
• Updated Support section: Register your Humminbird products, find Frequently Asked Questions and download the latest software updates.
• Leading Innovation: Everything you need to know about why our technology will help you catch more fish or locate structure.
• On the Water: Join our community: share in stories and information with our new blog. Plus, Meet our professional team and watch them in action on HBTV. You can also win Humminbird gear by sending us your Side Imaging screen shots!
• Company: Learn a little bit about our roots – check out our official area for media, including press releases, awards and job opportunities at Humminbird.
• Find a Dealer: Want to experience our Product in person? Check out our new dealer locator to find a dealer near you, it even maps the results!

Our website is built on a platform that allows us to continually update, refine and refresh the information. So please come back again and again, or you can always get latest news and updates sent to you directly by subscribing to our newsletter and our blog RSS feed.

We hope you like the improvements and as always welcome your continued feedback.

Thank you and enjoy.

Behance Network, a national creative network dedicated to inspiring, educating and promoting creative professionals, is featuring HDC’s Trek ‘08 site today.

While this may seem like a mere design-insider-pat-on-the-back, it’s a tremendous honor to be selected as a featured site. Sites are chosen by a small team of professional, well-regarded designers, developers, product designers, and researchers.

Features like this remind us that – while technology and branding are critical – beautiful and effective creative is what makes a site stand apart.

Hearty congratulations to Trek, Dan Herwig (for his work and submitting the site to Behance) and to the rest of the Trek team. Well done, folks. Well done.

More about the Behance team:
We advance the philosophy of Productive Creativity in three ways. First, we seek out and learn from exceptionally product creative people and teams. Second, we synthesize the best practices and insights we learn to make them accessible to the broader creative community. Third, we publish articles, design products, run seminars, gather resources, and plan other initiatives to promote Productive Creativity in the creative community.

The greatest way to spread Productive Creativity is to feature it. We are constantly on the lookout for creative professionals that are “getting it right” and making ideas happen. We feature the work of these productive people and teams, along with their insights, in the Featured Section of Behance.com.