1. Ads may not be misleading or deceptive to the recipient in any way.
2. Ads promoting illegal products and services are not allowed.
3. The sponsor of any advertising message should be clearly identified either on the ad itself or on the resulting first-level jump page.
4. Special categories of products must comply with existing voluntary industry guidelines. This includes but is not limited to: alcohol, tobacco, sweepstakes/promotions and ads targeting children.
5. Any ad for regulated products must comply with existing guidelines for such advertising. (Example: pharmaceutical ads must comply with FDA guidelines.)
6. Ads should be age appropriate. (Example: if ads can be targeted by age, then alcohol ads can be shown to mobile users who are of legal drinking age.)
7. Potentially controversial ads should primarily be avoided but may be reviewed on a case-by-case basis by publishers and wireless carriers. (Examples: political organizations, adult or sexually explicit content, issues/causes, religion, etc.)
8. All claims made in an ad must be substantiated before the ad is scheduled to appear. Advertising that includes warranties, guarantees or other types of assurances to the user must comply with all applicable laws, regulations or guidelines regarding such assurances, including but not limited to those set forth by the Federal Trade Commission.
9. Ads cannot promote or glorify violence, crime, obscenity, the use of weapons or provides instructions on how to “get away” with crimes or unlawful activity.
10. Language that is offensive, or disturbing, or which is likely to cause outrage, general disapproval or negative opinion within the community is not allowed.
11. Any customer information provided is limited to the current campaign only. Further interaction with the customer requires an additional opt-in.

I found this list today at Marketing Sherpa at the bottom of an article about Mobile Advertising/Marketing. These “rules” apply to much more than just the mobile space and are well worth understanding and adding to your repertoire of things you know.

This month Infoworld reminded me of an experiment held by “Proctor and Gamble that provided 100 people with a box of Tide detergent and a video camera and asked them to film how they and their family clean their clothes. P&G believes this kind of advertising builds a personal relationship with the consumer and creates brand loyalty.”

Advertisers, especially today as the consumer gains more control over marketing, are trying to do anything to build loyalty in the consumer world. They are incorporating more authentic messaging, and allowing the consumer to create the marketing materials, as in the case of new social network socialDragon, where users can upload and tag videos of stuff, white water rafting for example, and advertisers can search this “real” content for parts to use in their advertising campaigns.

User generated content, while still being obviously in its infancy and therefore not matured, is rapidly increasing in value; whether this is an accurate representation of the value of socially created content is yet to be seen - I see a bright future for social media however, that’s for sure. And I also have to say I am quite pleased to hear all the emphasis placed on the consumer, authenticity and loyalty.

The reason band loyalty is important, the most widely coveted attribute by marketers and people everywhere, really, is because the purest form of brand loyalty, and the thing the most loyal people do, is make personal recommendations to others, to spread messages, stories and advertising, through word of mouth. Loyalty is what drives people to make recommendations. It can be easily argued that recommendations are what drive the success of virtually anything within the economy.

Loyalty is the life-force of the economy.

If the driving force of loyalty could be summed up in one word, I’d say that word would have to be satisfaction. Satisfaction really means that you got exactly, or more than, what you expected from something. When expectations are not met then you are obviously not satisfied, and when you not satisfied, well, why would you be loyal to that thing?

Always remember the importance of managing expectations, in life and in business.

It’s not about trying to give people what they want, it’s about making sure they know what they are going to get.

Digg wouldn’t let me submit this url, but you all have to read this story.

http://rudd-o.com/archives/2007/05/02/stickin-it-to-the-man-the-illustrated-report-of-an-epic-event/

It is just amazing.

More talk and background:
http://searchengineland.com/070502-071132.php
http://blog.wired.com/gadgets/2007/02/the_new_hddvdbl.html

The playgrounds and news hubs that exist today in the social media space exist because of a desire humans have to find, create and share information; to learn, to teach and to have meaningful, substantiative interactions. They exist because individuals are working to add value and substance to their social, personal, and professional lives and communities. They do not exist to allow a business to communicate to potential customers. It is important for business people who interacts with it to understand this difference.

Why do people publish?

People publish on the Web with a variety of motives. Of course businesses and individuals publish products and create stores on the Web in hopes to sell, but there are just as many other people, if not more, who are attempting to connect with like minds, absorb and share quality information, news and entertainment. People publish in the this space in hopes to share a message or information they believe to be valuable; or because they aspire to offer the most inspiring commentary on a particular topic. Some people do it to keep a live, globally accessible diary, filled with text, images, video and audio. Others publish simply to interact with their community of interest or to display their creative work.

There is one thing all participants of social media have in common.

Its a give and take situation. They absorb and consume information and media of all kinds, but they also interact with it, share it, comment on it, create it and otherwise give back to the space. In a lot of ways these creators are not much different than more traditional creators like journalists, writers, painters and musicians. They value what they do and they try to create value.

Social media is based on its authenticity and value.

One of the greatest things about social media, as many have agreed, is its authenticity. Its real-ness. People who are avid participants in social media expect this real-ness. As the space matures they are also growing to expect value. Sure humor, things with shock value and intrigue, really any kind of hook, can draw attention. But today people are all really after insight, edge, truth and meaningful commentary on the most current events of each day, and in each area that interests them.

Because of this media consumers have become hyper-sensitive super-critics, they expect so much more in terms of substance and value, or level and form of entertainment. They are desensitized to blatant advertising, and if you write with the sole purpose of selling a product or drawing an audience these harsh critics will smell it from a mile away.

And it’s good for everyone.

Now this is not to say that social media participants aren’t also shoppers, its simply that web users are growing more and more diverse and complex, more sophisiticated. This is a good thing for all of us. We are, as a result of this mass social media consumption era, creating better (and exposing those already existing) writers, journalists, thinkers, educators… and its all created through an authentic effort to particpate in the social media world. People blogging to teach something they know or share insight they have into a certain topic. Or experts hoping to add understanding and value to a certain industry by sharing his commentary and thoughts with the world.

Social media participants who create to share their views and insight, try to add substance to a particular channel through a well-created piece, and accomplish it - get my attention. I absorb it everyday. When I find them I add them to my RSS reader. When I see some blog thats obviously some PR or marketing campaign in disguise, that has little substance or value to it - I forget about it in a millisecond and usually never see it again.

I’m in marketing and even I understand this simple fact. I understand it because I participate, every day, and I’ve grown a keen eye for spotting crap, just like all the other social media participants out there. Our numbers are growing fast, and the media is continuing to be more controlled by the masses. As it should be.

The idea geeks are whiny punk kids are merely people thinking today’s whiny punk kids are geeks, and this is simply not true.

There has been a lot of heated debate on digg and reddit regarding the article I wrote, A Note To Employers: 8 Things Intelligent People, Geeks and Nerds Need To Work Happily.

This debate has really made me realize that geeks may be slightly misjudged.

We have been accused of being:
Introverted socially inept loosers
Prim Donna elitist as*holes
Whiny babies who want to be treated special

First, my goal in writing the piece was to communicate something I think about a lot. People, in general, should be happy at their jobs.

Lets do something to help add some clarity to this situation. I normally do not like doing this, buy lets divide the world up into two groups (I know, I know), with a whole lot of gray area in between that will hold the majority of the people. Lets label these two groups, “people who do what they love” and “people who do something because its a job and they do not really care too much what it is as long as they are paid enough to get by.”

I know, broad generalizations are playing with fire, but for simplicities sake lets just discuss these two groups and all the gray area in between.

“People who do what they love”
These people love what they do so much, it’s just that: it’s what they do. Some do other things, some don’t, but they all love it so much it’s almost impossible to describe. You know who I’m talking about: doctors who live at the hospital and spend every waking moment they are not saving lives learning how they can save more lives; the piano player who has stub fingers and barely weighs 100 pounds because she sits at their piano all day; the golfer who plays everyday and still smiles every time he takes a swing; the computer geek who will work 5 nights straight until he finds a bug before giving up; the news geek who reads 350 articles a day… These people can love more than one thing to this degree, although this is very rare.

Ok, now all the way on the other side of the spectrum, past all the gray area, are “people who do something because its a job and don’t really care too much what it is as long as they are paid enough to get by.” A lot of these people have great work ethics, a lot work sun up till sun down, just like their father and grandfather, of course some don’t, but they all work for one reason (ok, mostly one): to go home after work and do something else. To watch TV and relax, to go for walks or work out, to read a book, to be with family, to… well “live life.”

A “geek” is someone who lives so much in the “does what they love” category it’s almost scary. They eat, breathe and live it, because they love it. They absorb everything in thier area of expertise and strive to innovate and make things better. To quote a commenter on my last post, “They’re a weird, irreverent, eclectic bunch… but they do make the modern world tick.” I do not even have to list names of intellectual giants like Plato, Da Vinci, Gandhi, Franklin or modern day business giants like Gates, Jobs, Brin and Paige, for you to understand the type of person I am talking about. These people were geeks, through and through.

Now, I am not saying that every computer geek is in the running with these greats, however, geeks are the type of people that lean toward this extreme. They love what they do so much its their life, and they love it this way. They work extremely hard, not because they have to, but because they want to.

In the business world, people that lean in this direction tend to be some of your best employees and most valuable assets. They do whatever they have to do to get the job done.

These people have always been the most valuable asset, long before computers.

With this logic, there is such a thing as a “Customer Service Geek,” “Sales Geek” or even (maybe) a “Janitorial Geek.” There are also computer guys that are non-geeks and so forth.

Also to note, this is not to say geeks cannot detach from what they do. On the contrary, really talented geeks I know are able to detach from what they do and relax, be with family and otherwise do things that are part of what many call “a normal life.” Most talented geeks I know are also really into socializing; maybe they prefer to socialize with people of equal passion and drive to excel, but they seem to be handling socializing and the real world just fine.

Now that “Geek” has been more accurately defined (at least for this purpose), I’ll summarize why it is important for geeks to be happy in the work force (see the debate at digg and reddit to hear what others had to say).

Being that geeks are your most valuable team members, they work when they have to, are always learning and trying to innovate - they are generally happier people (because they are doing what they love). It also means you should do whatever it takes to make these people happy, within reason of course. People have to be present during some meetings, its just the way it is; people who speak on the phone with customers during business hours will have to be available on the phone during business hours. Each circumstance is unique, there is always a specific need you have of an employee (sometimes it changes, and you’ll find happy team members willing to help out in other areas, especially if is a start up or just a small team). This need is communicated to them when you hire them.

Geeks should ask for what they need to be happy at work. Employers should be willing to compromise in any reasonable area, and in fact, the more they compromise, the more everyone wins (happier employees equals higher productivity).

Something employers today need to keep in mind (and yes, great employers today already do this), is that in the technological world we live in, much more is possible than what used to be. There are tools in place to communicate and collaborate with that make virtual offices not only possible but successful. Video and voice conferencing applications like skype, web based project management tools like basecamp, presentation tools like webex and online collaboration vehicles like thinkature make virtual meetings, team management and collaboration possible and effective.

Employers and employees should not follow arbitrary rules set a long time ago, and instead, question each situation to figure out what is best for your employee’s.

To close, I think about how a lot of the working world is not happy with their job. I think about the passionate people who are damn good at what they do, yet are unappreciated.

I would like to recommend to these people that they strive to be happy, find a new job if they do not like their current one, and be willing to stand up for what they need to be happy.

Would you rather live the life you want all the time or only part of it?

And again, as a reminder to employers:
#1. Let them work when they want
#2. Let them work where they want
#3. Let them control their lighting
#4. Let them wear headphones
#5. Do not expect them to wear a suit
#6. Do not make them participate in company events (unless you are sure it is geek-friendly)
#7. Do not hold a lot of arbitrary meetings that could have otherwise been handled through email or IM
#8. Do not make them do anything other than work

I was watching c-span tonight (for some reason, the people talking about disease control and prevention were far more engaging and enjoyable to listen to than idiot sitcom characters - not to say that I don’t get a good laugh out of shows like family guy, and that hereos isn’t seriously a great show). Dr. Julie Gerberding, Director of the Research Center for Disease Control and Prevention, must have used the phrase “holistic approach” about three times. She was talking about integrating efforts of groups working in similar areas and connecting great minds to achieve maximum results. In response to a discusssion that was basically regarding “how to stand out in all the noise” she declared, “We have to somehow aggressively engage our public.”

Its funny how similar politics is to business and marketing.

Today, to keep up you have to be engaging, aggressive may be too strong of a word, but there’s no doubt you really have to put yourself in front of the right people, you have to work harder and smarter than the competition, you have to be efficient and you have to be great. You must stay up to speed with all the possible vehicles you can use to engage your public and never loose site of who they really are. Julie talked about keeping up with modern ways of engaging your audience, and she used one of my favorite words: “New Media.” She talked about podcasts and blogs, social networks and second life… and I just smiled.

At least people in politics are keeping up with whats happenin’ - sometimes I feel like we all live in a dream-world or something.

To do business or advertise in today’s digital world you must live it. Just as Babs Rangaiah, director of media and entertainment at Unilever USA is trying to convey when he says, “Planners have got to have a better sense of the entire media landscape.” Via Advertising Age.

Not only must you loose the silos but you must live the way the digital world lives to advertise in it.

You must understand how the digital world thinks, where they spend their time. Or at least be able to really try and think like someone else. Where would you spend your time if you were their age, and in their shoes? Would you frequent myspace and spend all day downloading torrents or be reading blogs like lifehacker, techcrunch, adfreak, adage, searchengineland, clickz, stuntdubl, searchreturn, alistapart, marketingpilgrim, seomoz, seoblackhat, graywolf, copyblogger, nickwilson, shoemoney, seobook, mashable, micropersuasion, coolhunting, fecalface and (well just check out the blogroll on the side of this page, you get the idea), tagging and bookmarking links to your del.icio.us account as you read them through your normal day’s rss and link-surfing trip? Or would you spend all your time cruising sites like fark and digg? Or maybe you’d be reading work-at-home mom blogs and forums?

Where would you be?

Still, today marketing alone is not enough, knowing where your audience is isn’t going to cut it. Innovation and creativity are what make all the difference. Are you solving a problem in a better way than everyone else? Are you using your imagination in the best possible way to add value to your business, further satisfy your customers and even create new demands? Asking the right questions is usually the best way to start.

“Search marketing cannot live in a silo anymore,” Says Nasreen Madhany, Global CEO of Neo@Ogilvy. “It needs to be part of a 360 strategy for delivering marketing solutions. When managed holistically, search marketing can deliver branding as well as business results.” Via an Ogilvy Press Release pointed out by Marketing Pilgrim regarding Neo@Ogilvy’s purchase of search marketing firm Global Strategies.

Nasreen’s word ring true. I have always spoken in terms of holistic approaches to business and marketing. Today its imperative to understand and apply this philosophy. I call it Modern Business.

Today a businesses cannot live silo’s.

Business today requires a holistic approach to all aspects of functioning in order to succeed. No one can live in a silo. Management, Marketing, Technology, Sales, Business Development and Customer Service must understand each others needs and concerns. This approach includes coherence between functioning bodies. It includes integration of tools and automation of redundant tasks. It’s about knowing your strengths and weaknesses, using everything in your power, and in technology, to stay at the front of the pack. This means constant refinement, combined with a unique and cutting edge value proposition. After all, you have to be amazing.

To succeed today a businessman cannot live in a silo. Today a marketer or technologist cannot live in a silo. Today, in Modern Business, no one can.

A holistic approach must be used.

A holistic approach means all contributing parties must work together, taking everything they interact with into account while functioning. It means that internal technologies, such as CRM and ERP tools, must interact with one another and external technologies such as analytical tools. It must take into account historical and market data. It must be driven by team members that are connected to every part of the group. It means that what you do, the way you look, how you interact within your organization and with your customers, must all be in line.

I believe we will see a further reduction of silos and more emphasis placed on holistic approaches and integration of all functioning bodies. The businesses that do not do practice this approach will have a tough time keeping up.

To succeed, ask these questions before every action:

1. What will my planned action ultimately affect?
What will this impact? What technologies can I use to ensure its efficiency? Who internally in my group will this affect? Who externally? How can I ensure each entity affected is approached in the best possible way?

2. Now, really ask yourself again, what *really* will my action affect? How can I integrate my resources and approaches in the best possible way?
How will this idea work with Marketing, with Technology, with Sales and Customer Service?

3. Who is the best possible person or people to solve goal?
Am I? Is my current staff or team? Should I hire an outside expert?

4. Am I really thinking about the value I am bringing my customers in each choice?
After all if the customer isn’t happy they won’t come back, and in business today you win by increasing the lifetime value of each customer. You have to “Give The Lady What She Wants.”

5. Am I really thinking of all the places I should “announce” my action?
Internally - am I telling the right people in my team? Externally - do I really know where my audience is? How can I find them? How should I communicate with them?

6. Is this really the best possible action?
Now you’ve asked yourself all these questions, is this the best choice? Is there better? Who can help me figure this out?

7. How can I measure this so I can refine it as much as possible?
Do I know the answer to this question? If not who can I ask?

By asking yourself the right questions in every situation you quickly bridge the gap between any silos. Most issues that lack a holistic approach are quickly resolved with the right communication, with your team, with yourself and your customers.

Never forget you have to be great. You have to make the best possibly choices.

It takes analysis and passion. It takes a drive to know as much as possible. It takes creativity, and you always have to ask yourself if your action will engage the participants, your team, and most importantly, your customers.

I use the terms “Modern Business” and “New Media” often to discuss those things that are at the forefront of today’s business and media world.

I do this because Business and Media to me are based on important principles discovered by great people throughout our history, however, if you combine this with rapid advancements in technology, an ever changing marketplace and human psyche - something new is created. This includes modern shifts in business inner workings and function including the informational revolution, the growth of the virtual office, the “trickle up” theory of leadership and management and the creation of virtual shopping , education and social interaction possibilities.

Value has become increasingly important. Actual cost has become less important as consumers prefer integrity, environmental soundess, purpose, helpfulness, style and probably most demandingly, efficiency. All of these things and other factors participate in creating value.

Modern Business is a label I use for a philosophy that basically means “doing *everything* one can *today* to create value and loyalty in the marketplace.”

“New Media” consists of things like Social Media, Social Bookmarking, Social Networking, the rapidly growing world of user generated content such as videos and blogs. New Media is the media of today.

In my mind, Modern Businessman are the Renaissance Men of today’s business world. We follow New Media and study Old Media. We consume as much information as our brains will allow. We work in a virtual and physical world. We are analytical scientists and creative artists.

We are the leaders of our markets.