Every marketing agency strives to achieve a point of differentiation - something tangible to hang its hat on to stand out from the competition.
Among the most popular tools utilized by marketing agencies to create a value proposition and showcase relevant agency expertise, is through the authoring of book. But with hundreds of new marketing titles published annually, authoring the elusive bestseller is no easy feat.
I willingly and cheerfully agreed to review Dot Boom: Marketing to Baby Boomers through Meaningful Online Engagement for two reasons: 1.) As a baby boomer I wanted to find out what tools, techniques and Web 2.0 technologies are being leveraged to reach me and my generation and, 2.) as head of Boomer Authority(tm) it is my responsibility to keep current on all things boomer related.
I'm sure glad I took the time to read Dot Boom. As a former public relations practitioner, I am keenly aware yesterday's marketing techniques just do not work anymore and that Social Media and Web 2.0 offer unprecedented opportunities to make advertising, marketing and public relations professionals succeed on behalf of their clients more powerfully than ever before.
There will be two kinds of mature marketing professionals in the future: those who read Dot Boom and adopt its principals and practices, and the unemployed looking for work in a different field.
I can confidently report the authors of Dot Boom, David Weigelt and Jonathan Boehman, have been successful in creating a valuable strategic asset for Immersion Active, the marketing agency for which they both are partners.
Let's talk about the book.
Dot Boom will take you on a journey to better understand the boomer demographic, our online motivations, our behavior, and what our preferences are with regard to the web destinations we visit and why.
As you journey through the pages you'll find it punctuated with useful signposts along the way. Dot Boom is neatly packaged into three main sections with a total of nine chapters. Each chapter cleverly begins with a quote - a lyric - from a hit song by a popular artist to set-up the chapter.
Like billboard signs along the road, graphs and charts are included in support of their research.
Need a break? Tired of reading? You may dig deeper into a particular topic online with numerous links provided within each chapter, which I found to be very convenient. What I believe to be a valuable feature of the book is that each chapter ends with "The TakeAway." So succentict are the takeaways, I found myself reading them first.
A key component in the book comes in Chapter 8: A Model for Meaningful Online Engagement. In detail, authors Weigelt and Boehman present "The Meaningful Online Engagement Model" (MOEM).
MOEM is a proprietary strategic planning tool that merges creative, media, and technical development into an integrated approach that, upon effective execution, will deliver results in campaigns targeting boomers. In my judgment, this is the tool that serves as Immersion Active's point of differentiation.
It is one thing to dazzle readers by name dropping the coolest cutting-edge social media tools and Web 2.0 technologies like RSS, widgets, user-generated content, etc. But they made certain not to neglect the fact that technological wizardry is no substitute for a well-thought out marketing communications program. Besides, emphasizing fundamentals like defining one's audience, MOEM also drills home the message to publish content that is useful, unobtrusive, honest, engaging, and interactive.
At the end of chapter, readers are invited to build their own engagement strategy - a MOEM scorecard that you can use to help gather your thoughts, answer questions, and record valuable data.
The scorecard helps you develop three critical strategies:
> Brand Engagement - an outline of the message you want to communicate about your brand.
> Audience Engagement - refining the details of who you should want to communicate to and how it should be told.
> Content-space Engagement - developing the end result in an actionable, specific engagement marketing communications plan.
As publisher of Baby Boomer [Knowledge Center](tm) it became abundantly clear early on that baby boomers are utilizing Social Media to communicate with family and friends, collaborate in teams, and cooperate with anyone they choose anywhere, anytime. In the emerging arena of user-generated content and citizen journalism, baby boomers are empowered and emboldened, and they want to discuss brands and companies, write their own product reviews, and find their own deals.
That's why MOEM is such a compelling tool. You can begin your own MOEM scorecard right now. Just visit the Immersion Active web site.
Dot Boom is recommended reading for any brand manager wanting to make a serious foray into the boomer space. Marketing agencies seeking to occupy a spot in 50+ boomer space take heed. With the publication of this book, Immersion Active has set the gold standard in 50+ marketing. Take advantage of its diligent research.
One criticism I have'mild as it might be 'is Dot Boom at times reads like the marketing text book I was required to read in college. And, occasionally, it's a tad bit too intellectual. Having said that, it remains in my view a passionate and persuasive book.
Dot Boom is destined to be quoted frequently. These two savvy marketing executives encourage you to share their hard work under the guidelines of a Creative Commons license. In fact, here at Boomer Authority(tm), we'd like to serialize the book. And with good reason: it has all the right tools for understanding the psychology behind boomer consumer choices, as well as the depth of challenges faced by today's advertisers trying to reach the 50+ demographic.
This well thought out book will be a benchmark moment for all marketing agencies and brand managers who ask the fundamental question: how can we connect with boomer consumers today? With the publication of Dot Boom, Weigelt and Boehman are likely to keep Immersion Active at the top of the leader board for some time to come.
