Today I had the pleasure of spreading the word on Word of Mouth as a presenter at the Seattle DMA’s conference Market to the Max. It was a very engaging day, and thought it only fair to pass on some bits o’ knowledge from the road -

1) Spotrunner – As blogging empowered consumers by giving them a public platform, Spotrunner puts the tools of the big guys in the hands of the little guy by giving small businesses access to television advertising without needing an ad or media agency. Using Spotrunner, small businesses can customize their own :30s from a library of stock footage and then purchase spots by channel, time and relevant DMA. Power to the small businessman and micromedia for all!

2) Starbucks – Seattle’s most famous export furnished 2 wonderful speakers today. Both recited the company’s BHAG almost verbatim. Not only was I impressed with the consistency, I was struck that the first point in this goal is to build an enduring company – brand is mentioned second. Another example of Starbucks understanding that their people and human interactions are what creates their identity for the millions lining up for their wares.

3) Self – Deprecation? – After discussing case studies for Dell Ditty and Rainier Beer, my co-presenter and I were asked whether it is imperative that the presentation of a brand in a WOM campaign be self-deprecating. While that was certainly true of these two campaigns, I don’t think it is necessary element for success. The critical piece is presenting yourself in an approachable way and following through on creating personal connections with your fans.

Many, many thanks to our friends at Cole & Weber for inviting me to share the stage with them and the hospitality in Seattle.

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