• wordpress gems – good session. #opencamp #
• likes the 30min session length. U can tell fast if a spkr prepped, has value 2 share #opencamp #
• vid (youtube) is high value for seo. #opencamp #
• lots of nonprofits, churches here. Who can't afford to ask hard questions re security of a productivity tool? #opencamp #
• seo is a lot more complicated than it was in 1996. So are projectors. #opencamp #
• level10, interesting tech for drupal seo. Wonder how u do this is wordpress. #opencamp #
• 'embed anything' to help monetize content. An early concept, for licensing images & dont mind ads all over yr site. #dfwoc #
• lots re attracting www traffic. But what counts? Convert traffic to results (usu $). #dfwoc #
• track how ppl use yr content: tynt. What's copied, where they put it. #dfwoc #
• slideshare, the conference proceedings book extraordinaire. #dwfoc #
• woopra: real time web stats. How u can use that: Vsellis.com/woop #dfwoc #
• cloud vs native (installed on a cmptr) apps. At home, ppl r moving to cloud. #dfwoc #
• woopra: u can chat w.visitors to yr site thru this (not just) analytics app. #dfwoc #
• it's easier to take notes w.twitter at a conference than w.laptop. Unless it's a really meaty session. #dfwoc #
• after 5p, the speakers talk faster. #dfwoc #
• why develop for mobile? The #s (yr site traffic) ought to make that easy to decide. #dfwoc #
• ppt viewed in a ballroom or breakout session is near unreadable w.dark backgrounds. #dfwoc #
• taxonomy, content strategy important for usability of site & seo. (good session) #dfwoc #
• taxonomy: organize info in ways that give it meaning. #dfwoc #
• u can really tell a presenter who thinks to help an audience process their info. Vs those who just spew what they know. #dfwoc #
• vitaminui.org – new css framework incorp html5. #dfwoc @eliehoury #
• all html rendered grphcs in css3 can be emulated on older platforms, cross brwsr compatible. #dfwoc #
• renderng graphx in css3 is faster/easier to implement & transforms for mobile display. #
• rendering speed on older brwsrs = slower. Crash prone. #dfwoc #
• css3 = avail in most current browsers & mobile platforms. Firefox, ie9, android, chrome, opera, safari… #
• twickie. Crowdsrcd code. Save/export twittr conversations, searches. #dfwoc #
• the fascination of the internet: communicating. @chrispirillo #dfwoc #
• holding on to ideas u can't execute = worthless. Know what u can't do. #dfwoc #
• this session is not about its stated topic, but about the presenter. Occupational hazard of conferencegoing. #
• commerce doesn't just flow naturally from communities of interest. Someone has to ask for money. #
• blog=nexus. Keep all your content there. #opencamp #
• people don't want advertising. The content is the marketing, bc it builds relationships. #ocdfw #
• it's easy to b distracted by the logistics of putting content online. Actual objectives: links, subscibers, action. That's influence. #ocdfw #
• loved the copyblogger preso with brian clark. #ocdfw #
• excellent session. Social seo for content marketing. #ocdfw #
• taking a break at #opencamp #
• 30min time slots=unforgiving of technical difficulties. #ocdfw #
• a small, targeted, engaged audience is more valuable to most businesses than a vast generic list of names. #ocdfw #
• good preso re content asset mgmt, @suredoc . #ocdfw #
• Welcome, new followers from Opencamp! Glad to know you. #ocdfw #
• Eating the elephant with a massive lead nurture design project… having a lot of content assets = good problem. #
• Thanks for the listings! @marnafriedman @CompetProspects @marriottmurdock @theZOMM @OCDFW @offback #

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• Making viral video? Think like a VC or film producer… http://dld.bz/r7dV #
• There are no Magic Beans for Data Quality http://www.ocdqblog.com/home/there-are-no-magic-beans-for-data-quality.html #

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• Trying to sync 3 email/PIM accounts on new Nokia E72. Gmail works OK. Google Apps is 50/50. Mail for Exchange = *$%($#)%$#!!!! #
• I'm attending OpenCamp Dallas 2010 — http://opencamp.eventbrite.com #

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• Combating the forces of evil. #

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• Board meeting next week. Prep time. #
• Not the biggest fan of this hailstorm. #
• Congrats on recent FC article! @lincolnmurphy http://budurl.com/3jge #
• John Hussman: It's Official, The Data Says Another Recession Is Coming http://bit.ly/aWDUFD #
• "The oil spill: Your solutions" + responses by petroleum engineering at Unv of Southern Calif. Fascinating. http://bit.ly/9Ixylr #
• RT @marketingprofs Do.Not.Write.Like.This. Ever. http://bit.ly/bi2iEw #
• board mtg successfully completed. no one got voted off. getting a start on my to-dos… #

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• Thanks for the retweets! @marketingNsales @SalesAssessment @NickdeCent ##ff #

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It’s easy to simply dismiss all branding as a constructed image, no relationship with reality. Most people with power to spend money do know that brands are constructed with an agenda:  influence people to spend money. At least intellectually, we know that brands intend to produce a rather specific outcome, and it isn’t the greater good.

Now, the most powerful brands tap into a reality we want to believe. The human brain has a tough time resisting an offer which appeals to beliefs we already hold about the world, how the world should be, or ourselves.

We want the NYPD and the US Army to be like Iron Man: efficiently killing off the bad guys, inerrantly knowing who they are, and sparing everyone else — all with beautiful technological accuracy that’s much more surgical and correct than mere human judgment. Such desires are common among post-9-11 Americans, and this zeitgeist is a secret of the power of all three of these brands.

All 3 brands have also been humanized for us to some degree.  NYPD by stark and heroic images related to 9-11 and the defense of the city since. The US Army by our proximity to many of its faces through our family, friends, school or work colleagues, fellow travelers in our airports, and extensive news coverage. Iron Man by Robert Downey, Jr., and the famous movies.

Even brands that should take what they do seriously and exert a vibe of trustworthiness and confidence (the NYPD, my accountant, the NSA) don’t seem credible without a human side.

Yet many executives believe that humanizing their brands will actually cost them credibility.

• We won’t seem as big. (You also won’t seem as distant.)
• We won’t seem competent. (A fake, constructed image of competence will seem more competent than you guys actually are?)
• They’ll notice that we’re not invincible. (Most brands are expected to recover well. Perfection is a nice but optional extra.)

What really matters, of course, is whether humanizing the brand can increase sales.

Many fashion/consumer brands know that the answer is yes.  Celebrity endorsements, done correctly, are one of the clearest proofs of this.

Is it also true B2B? Yes. How do I know? Because business to business buyers value word of mouth referrals, video testimonials, live customer references. They also know that such things aren’t foolproof (past results don’t guarantee future performance) and can even be faked. But how many of you hired your corporate lawyers or accountants from the Yellow Pages? Heck, no, you got referrals from people you trust. Even a Google or LinkedIn search result comes with more credibility than an ad.

Why? It’s a lot harder to get real human beings to stake their reputations on my company’s performance (by lending face and name to a reference) than to design a pretty image and make it say all the right things.

Content marketing is another part of humanizing the B2B brand. Let’s say I give you a preview of a company’s problem solving insights and approach as it tackles a problem similar to the one you face. Maybe it’s a Slideshare presentation or a conference breakout session or a blog post – doesn’t matter. What matters is that you can much better envision what it’s like to work with me based on that preview. No ad can accomplish this.  Ads tell, which means they are self conscious messages. Content marketing shows what I understand about a problem, and how I approach solving it. It puts a real face on a real solution. This increases trust. It’s humanizing.

This is laugh-out-loud funny. Especially love Kermit selling under pressure.

Nominal business observation: do you think this would work at your company’s meetings today? Many corporate executives want both the company’s and their own personal brands to have gravitas. The Muppets don’t bring gravitas to a brand, but they make it accessible.

More about brands, selling, and buyer influence on the blog. More of the IBM Muppets online at http://technologizer.com/2010/05/31/ibm-muppets/

Happy summer!