About M/C/C Contributors

M/C/C creates the right mix of communications for today’s audience – from traditional advertising and public relations to highly interactive digital communications, engaging social media and powerful search engine optimization. With such a broad range of communication services, it’s easy to think of M/C/C as the big agency that does. With the passion of the little agency that could.

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Author Archives: M/C/C Contributors

New Ways to Tell the Same Story

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They don’t make the Internet like the used to; or at least, they shouldn’t.

Replace “they” with “we,” and you have a major theme of SXSW Interactive. You might know it as Responsive Web Design.  According to CNET, almost 30 percent of adults in the U.S. own a tablet or e-reader, up roughly sixteen slamjillion percent* from three years ago.

*Not a real number, but it used to be like 2 percent

Almost everyone has a smart phone of some nonstandard size and shape, and we’ve gone from viewing websites in a desk chair to viewing them in the middle of a crosswalk. How did we get here?

For most of its history, the Web looked like a desktop computer. The only major change came when we threw out those 70-pound CRT monitors and got some fancy LCD screens.

Old Web Vs. New WebSo we kept right on crafting our stories in the same way. (We were so young…) Now, the Web looks like this:

Beyond Squishy - Adaptive Design

 

If you’re a creator, curator or creatorator* of this shiny new Responsive Web, the time has come to think differently about experiences. This is not just for designers. Design and development will go through obvious changes, but they’re not the whole story.

*This one IS real.

Story. That’s what we’re all about, from traditional advertising and PR down to any basic human interaction. We share stories and create experiences around those stories to make them easy to consume and enjoy.

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Lindsey’s Grab Bag of SXSWi Awesomeness

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This year I was grateful to have my third visit to SXSW Interactive. As is always the case, my brain was bombarded with gobs of information and was inspired in the areas of Web design, development and beyond. Here are some highlights of my experience this year.

The first day started out with a presentation by the inventor of the World Wide Web, Tim Berners-Lee. That was a pretty great way to start out a conference built around the very thing for which this guy laid the foundation. It was fascinating to hear his vision for the future of Web, which amongst other things emphasizes that our democracy relies on the Internet being open.

Leap Motion is a start-up that came into the scene with a vengeance at SXSW this year.  The technology senses movement in your hands without the use of a mouse or a keyboard. This product is set to come out in May of 2013 and is surprisingly affordable at the price point of $79.99. Here I am playing around with a demo model:

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Gold Mining in Analytics: Identifying Relevant Metrics and Filtering out Irrelevant Data

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When decision makers need to make actionable choices, they sometimes rely on data from Web analytics. For the analytics’ data to be reliable, it must be relevant and filtered.

The process of providing reliable data is similar to a gold hunt for gold. First, a gold miner will find a prospective location. Then, he/she will take a sample from the location and pan (filter out) all the rocks and gravel from that sample, leaving behind only the gold. This process helps the gold miner determine why this could be a good location to continue searching or not. This is the same process one must use in gathering data from Web analytics for decision making.

The purpose of analytics is to help us better make informed decisions. In order for analytics to achieve that, one must know the story it tells and be able to reason from its information.

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Google Doesn’t Love Anything: A Response to PR Daily’s Article on Creating Content That Ranks Well in Google

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Usually a trusted source within the PR and advertising industry, Ragan’s PR Daily recently posted an article, “17 types of content that Google loves.” Although we typically enjoy the site and find it interesting, we found the content from this article could be confusing for those just now dipping their toes in the SEO pool.

As a leader in SEO for clients, we thought it would be a good idea to go through the 17 points and clarify them.

For starters, the article’s title is misleading. You should create content not for what Google loves, but for what searchers want, because Google doesn’t love anything. Google tries to show unique and informative content based on the searcher’s “intent.” For example, are you trying to buy something, find something, learn something, etc.?

Then there are the types of content recommended for a successful Google-oriented strategy. Here’s our take:

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The Shorter the Vine, the Sweeter the Video: How Twitter’s new Video App Changes the Social Game

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Twitter raged an all-out war on the long-winded, and frankly I can’t decide which flag to wave. On the Twitter hand, I love consuming lots of thoughts, headlines and jokes in a short amount of time – allowing people to be the gatekeeper of social media consumption. That’s the beauty of Twitter. Short and concise. But that same hand often gets slapped while typing a thought longer than 140 characters. Please? Just a few more letters to complete this mind-blowing opinion?!?

As video producer at M/C/C, I’ve sustained my long-winded creative enlightenment through forgiving platforms like YouTube and Facebook where brevity – though encouraged and appreciated – is not mandatory. Well along came Twitter swinging its big stick again. This time, the Baron of Brief ripped apart my video world like a fleet of bulldozers tearing through Ferngully. In late January, Twitter launched Vine, a standalone video social network to complement its parent consisting of short, looped videos. How short? Try six seconds. Shorter than the time it’s taking you to read this sentence that I’m currently trying to extend out to the six-second timeframe and stop. Yeah, that short.

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An Open Letter from Former Employee Peter Nutovsky

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Dear M/C/C,

I’m writing to express the hurt and frustration caused by your actions. First we “mutually agree” to end my employment at the agency. Then you maliciously release a video that shows security personnel removing me from the premises? And now you’re bragging about how many viewers enjoyed the show? An infographic, really?!

Forget you guys, I don’t need you. You need me.

 

You’ll be hearing from my people,

Peter Nutovsky
Former Director of Online Content
M/C/C

P.S. In case you’re interested, I’m playing the bus station at First and Main every Saturday night. Doors at 8. Show at 9.

Peter Nutovsky Infographic

 

B2B Marketing and Advertising: Holidays Aren’t Just for Consumers!

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Contrary to popular belief, the holidays are a prime time for B2B marketers to advertise. While many companies tend to lower their budgets in December, there are several advantages to doing the exact opposite. We’ve all heard the common saying, “use it or lose it.” It just so happens that this fits perfectly when it comes to unspent portions of business budgets at the end of the year. With spare cash at hand, clients and prospects may be more willing to purchase a product or service from a company. By sitting back, companies are missing out on huge opportunities and potential sales. So, while the holidays may seem like the time to pump the brakes – don’t!

Let me break down the six reasons Vocus gives us as to why it’s vital B2B marketers continue to do their ‘thang’ during the holidays. Continue reading →

What do brands have in store for “Empty13?”

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Say “farewell,” to the 2012 Olympics and U.S. Election and say, “hello,” to…nothing? That’s right – not much, if anything at all, is in store for 2013. While 2012 was full of hot topics and easy conversation starters [see The Five Rings of Marketing Winning the Olympic Games,] the same does not hold true for the upcoming year. Thus the concept of “Empty13” has been introduced.

Brands no longer have these safety nets of content and it’s now in their own hands to sink or swim. Without a shared agenda and large-scale subjects at the tips of their fingers, each brand needs to create its own content on an individual basis. While some see this as a threat, others view it as an opportunity. And let me tell you, I agree with the latter! This is a time for brands to shine and show their true colors – are they able to consistently drive social conversation on their own?

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When It’s Just Not About the Music Anymore

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Don’t let my title fool you. I’m actually a rock god housed in the uncomfortable shell of some mid-level manager. And I’m fine with that. You want to know why? Because I consider myself a pioneer.

You see, back in high school when I was the frontman for an eight-piece ska band, our passion was spread by the spoken word. The standing-room only crowds of 50 of our closest family and friends who jammed into those rec centers and VFW posts worshipped every melodic tone. But alas, those tones only carried us so far. To be discovered, you had to know somebody who knew somebody who valeted cars for a guy that interned at a record label. Times were tough.

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Are you missing out on the Google+ Hot Spot?

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If you haven’t jumped on the Google+ bandwagon, grab a pen and start taking notes. If you have, let’s make sure you’re using it efficiently and effectively. Ready, set, all aboard!

Let’s start with the obvious. It’s crystal clear that social media marketing has sky rocketed over the past year. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Pinterest have become common vocabulary and seem to be everywhere you look. What’s not crystal clear is how and why businesses should be incorporating Google+ into their marketing strategies. In fact, this seems to be a bit hazy, at least to those of us who aren’t experts….YET.

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