- Keiichi Matsuda

“And as is always the case, in every market, you get what you pay for. A $5000 car isn’t going to last as long or perform as well as the $50,000 car, and it isn’t going to come with warranties and support, either. It will do what you want, at least for a while, but you’re on your own when you take the cheap route.”

Pixelgeek has a great post on this topic too:

“Cheap designs don’t save money they cost more in the long run!Whats wrong with cheap web design? Usually cheap web design means corners were cut somewhere, using pre-built templates, stock photographs and cut/paste content. Unfortunately many people end up hiring someone that promises to build them a website for $500 bucks. They soon realize the person they hired can’t deliver what was promised and they end up with a website their not satisfied with. Many of these designers make low quality websites, fail to meet deadlines or worse yet they take your money and run. Many companies advertise $500 websites just to pull you in. The final bill is often many times that amount. Why hire a professional web designer? You get the benefit of an experienced professional who can solve problems, help you avoid costly mistakes and, most importantly, create you an attractive, affordable website designed specifically to meet your needs. You get what you pay for!”

The real gem in this excerpt is the bit about hiring a problem solver. That is what you want out of your web designer/agency. You want to work with problem solvers that can recognize the needs of your brand and execute properly even in the midst of static and distraction. That is the difference. That is what you pay for. And that is worth every penny.

“Help us get started by putting up “wanted” posters for Mr. Tillerson in your hometown!”

The idea is a simple one: download our short one-page toolkit and print out a few copies of the “wanted” poster we have created for Rex Tillerson. Then, take some time over the next couple of weeks and put them up around town. It’s as easy as that and should be a lot of fun.”

OK…so let me get this straight….Greenpeace wants us to print out a bunch of flyers to get the word out? I mean seriously? Does it really make sense to have one of the  ”greenest” orgs condone printing out a bunch of wack flyers that won’t have any impact. I know I know they’re supposed to be looking “big picture”…but that is exactly my point. If the goal is to get the word out about this horrific CEO let’s get the word out. Any organization/non-profit, whatever it is, no matter what you are trying to do or push, should fear the same thing….being irrelevant. Once your message and how you deliver it become obsolete so does your mission. I think the most frustrating part is that they are almost there…the idea is like flirting with something that can have legs.  So let’s examine this thing and see how they could have done better.

First of all I do like the whole “wanted” theme. Its catchy, it makes sense, its provides a nice motif to work with. Where the mission goes astray is the delivery and the overall design of the campaign. You are telling people to put up flyers around their town? What good will that do? No one can share that info easily….you maybe get 5-10 seconds of the person’s time, if that, as they are passing the flyer…there is no incentive to take any action. Rather than using the 1945 approach to marketing they should have gone to where the conversation is…the internet. Why not push Greenpeace supporters to use the Wanted Poster as their profile picture on social networking sites. Why not use twitter to create a digital “America’s Most Wanted” of sorts. I would also create a micro-site that functions as both a petition and a billboard for the movement. People like to discover things….so give them stuff to discovery. On the micro-site I would include as many videos and links as I could that could that illustrate why he is on the “Most Wanted List”.  I would provide incentive for singing up and spreading the word.  Currently there is only a blurb about this on their Facebook wall with pretty much the same messaging as the email. It is paramount that GP engage the users on their level. Give the people something to talk about. Give them something to do besides print a bunch of paper flyers.

In today’s world causes are like little badges people where to help differentiate. Making the “Wanted” movement a part of the current vernacular would create evangelists out of people who never would have otherwise reach. For instance…remember when the Iran elections were going on last year? I can’t tell you how many people changed their profile pictures to reflect the green hue indicative of the opposition candidate. That created curiosity…”why is your profile picture green? Oh…that’s because I support democracy in Iran.”

Get the conversation started Greenpeace. You are falling behind. Call me…we can help.

Step 1: I received the below email. Delivery time Friday 4:45pm…Subject Line: Happy Valentine’s Day from eMusic…the offer: Here is a gift for you. How curious and tempting right. I am fan of the “Unwrap it now” call to action as well. Visually the creative is decent. I have issue with the header navigation. I know the old “best practice” hand book has a chapter on this but in this case I say let the V Day offer stand alone. Its going out to existing users and its a conceptual event driven offer. Nav in the email is just not necessary in this case. But alas the offer was compelling so I clicked.

Step 2: I was routed to a landing page and was auto played a short Flash Video. The video was good I suppose. Not to intrusive but not that big of a WOW factor. It works though as it is an offer for existing users. The action isnt to forward this. So the video is short and the song is too which is nice. The end state of the video plugged the offer and below the vid there is a link explaining the gift….5 free downloads.

Step 3: I clicked the redem button and was on the home page ready to log in.  So now I am here….logged in with free stuff to use. I noticed something I liked on the home page (see below)….I read about the artist…then downloaded her whole album. The experience was so good I searched again and downloaded another album. I pay for 35 songs a month and used almost all of them in this one session.

So I interacted and had a brand positive experience in just three clicks.  There are a couple reasons I like this besides the fact that it brought value.  For these kinds of sites and services its important to remember that sometimes your users forget they are even a part of the community. I know I do sometimes…I have lost my downloads a few times because it just slips my mind that I have them waiting for me there. While it may seem like it doesn’t matter if I use my downloads or not as E-Music will make their money anyway I contend that it means everything. They need to show that people use their service so they can intern sign more artists and labels to get an even broader audience. So this offer is relevant, compelling, it brings value and encourages interaction. Good job E Music. Still a fan. Here’s a sample of what I found…pretty sweet…the drop at 0:49 seconds in is ridiculous. Enjoy

The 5 rules of Landing Page Theory

1. Landing Page Equilibrium (L) = The point at which a landing page achieves balance and is thus optimized against other systems
2. The right combination of variables (V) and constants (C) will equal (L) V +C = L
3. L can only be proven through testing various combinations of (V) and (C) using the scientific method
4. All choices should be made in consideration for the user
5. All if this is only theory: there are no rules if you convert

What is a CONSTANT?

1. A clear and concise goal
2. Your audience
3. Your entry points

What is a VARIABLE?

1. Clear call to action
2. Appropriate forms
3. Consistent imagery
4. Solid brand message
5. Good user experience
6. Copy in “F” shape pattern
7. Stickiness: Do I want to click out?
8. Testimonial
9. Product shot
10. There are a ton more…

After explaining my new Theory I took a look at some case studies to provide some concrete examples. I identified the constants and then we worked as a group to identify the variable and decide if they indeed equaled L. The below is a Pin Code campaign we did with Breitling Watches. What are some of the variables?

Do you have any landing page examples that we could examine in this context? A special thank you to Stephanie Miller and the DMC for including me in the panel.

The fact that communication, thoughts and opinions can be transferred in real time is an amazing and immense benefit to this world and I’m a huge advocate for how social media allows more and more people to get involved in global events.  However, in my opinion, nothing can truly replace the “traditional” actions that need to take place in order for some real and powerful changes to be made.   Social media is not a substitute for these actions, it can and should only serve as an aid.  I feel that the last few lines in this article written by Ben Parr in Mashable states it best:

“We have to be realistic, though: new media isn’t going to stop censorship, overthrow oppressive regimes, or heal the people of Haiti alone. Social media has transformed communication, media, and the transmission of information, but it still takes people on the ground to pull people out of the rubble or to fight for freedom.

Just as Paul Revere embarked on his midnight ride to warn that the British were coming, social media acts as both the first warning and the rallying cry for mobilization. In the end though, social media is just a collection of tools. It’s up to us, the people, to make the real impact on our world.”