I was in meeting recently, reviewing competitive intelligence for a very cluttered category.  Among the findings was the abundance of features the different competitors offered consumers.  And having pored through so many competitors with so many choices, I found myself in the shoes of their shopper, completely overwhelmed and uncertain which I would personally choose.

Immediately, I thought: “jam!”  Not as in “brain jammed by too many options,” but rather, strawberry, grape, and other flavors.  Specifically, a study I recalled that was conducted by a Columbia University professor, a California gourmet market, and a premium jam maker.

In the study, a sampling booth set up in a gourmet market enabled consumers to try different types of one brand of jam.  Every few hours the assortment was changed between a larger set of flavors and a smaller set: twenty-four different flavors, to just six.

On average, consumers tasted at least two kinds of jam, and everyone received a dollar off coupon to purchase.  But what ultimately drove sales stemmed from the number of choices the consumers were presented.  Sixty percent of the shoppers were drawn to the large assortment, while only 40 percent stopped by the small one. But when it came to actually making a purchase, all those choices actually paralyzed the consumers.  Thirty percent of the people who had sampled from the small assortment decided to buy jam, while only 3 percent of those consumers who had to choose from the two dozen different jams purchased a jar.

Similar studies have been done around chocolate, 401k plans, and speed dating, all with similar results.  A large assortment of choices may attract attention, but when it comes to actually making a choice and buying, it’s distracting.  Additional research also concluded that ultimately, when a consumer does make a choice from among many, he or she is more likely to feel less satisfied, less happy with the choice and even insecure, asking “did I make the right selection?”  In other words, walking away with a negative experience.

So often we see brands, clients and even agency people thinking that more is more.  Give them choices, give them options, and let them choose!  But in the end, providing a focused, more streamlined offering leads to “happiness” and ultimately, a sale – whether it’s features and functions, or product benefits, or even creative choices.

(Source:  New York Times, “Too Many Choices: A Problem That Can Paralyze,” Alina Tungend, February 26, 2010)

In August this year it hit the 1 million subscriber mark for its YouTube channel, with individual videos receiving view tallies well over 20 million each.

It made the current Bloomberg Business Week “Popularity Issue” as the Top Web Series. And it was recently discovered by my family during our annual beach vacation. Ugh! Why the ugh? It’s the Annoying Orange.

And it’s exactly that. Annoying Orange is the wisecracking, purposely irritating punster who stars in his own YouTube web series.

The videos feature a real orange with superimposed human eyes and lips.  The plot line for each video is simple: Annoying Orange meets his episode’s co-star(s): another fruit, vegetable, object, or even other YouTube “celebs.”  Annoying Orange tells jokes, laughs a lot, makes fun of and annoys the co-star, who ends up being eliminated, whether it’s by knife (the demise of most fruits and veggies), or by some other physical comedy.

Having had to listen to and/or watch the videos again and again during my vacation, and looking to make lemons out of lemonade (or orange juice out of oranges), the videos got me thinking about what’s making this series so amazingly popular, and what marketers can learn from it in attracting an audience.

It’s simple, basic, and consistently updated – Seriously, no big budgets here.  It’s just a talking orange with a little bit of editing magic and other household props.  The plot lines are mindless, easy for anyone of any age to get, and pure shtick.  And the videos are refreshed every Friday – a good reason to subscribe and/or return to the site.

It’s quick – The videos are less than three minutes each.  No attention span needed.  A great video “snack” for anyone surfing through YouTube. It’s appropriate for the channel – According to eMarketer, videos shot by consumers and uploaded to YouTube (i.e., user generated) are the most frequently watched type of online video.  (May 2010 stat)

It leverages partners – A few of the videos feature other YouTube “celebs” as the targets of Annoying Orange’s antics.  At the end, you can click and go to these stars’ specific YouTube channels.  It’s an interesting means of cross-selling these “brands” within the YouTube community.

It has lots of engagement opportunities – The Annoying Orange YouTube channel features, and each of the videos end with, lots and lots of engagement opportunities.  Calls to action include: follow on Twitter, Facebook, answer a question relevant to the video in the comments section, buy a shirt, download a ringtone, subscribe to the channel, or just click to watch another episode.  Annoying Orange truly is its own brand looking for ongoing loyalty.

Now, I’m not suggesting that marketers use third-grade boy level jokes, bodily function noises, nor any type of produce in their creative approaches in order to achieve success.  Rather, Annoying Orange is an interesting case in how to deliver content and sell a brand, without letting a consumer know that you’re really selling a brand.  It’s the right content, in the proper amount, delivered in the perfect channel, and given support, ongoing attention, and engagement opportunities that make it work.

Interesting to note that despite its popularity, very little has been written about the Annoying Orange.  CNN.com – one of the few press sites that has picked it up – said that the current Nabisco Cheez-Its “Mature Cheese” is probably the closest creative rip-off of the series.

Hey…hey reader.  Hey reader.  Orange you glad I shared these insights?  *rimshot*  Ugh.

Interruption-based mass marketing that simply shouts messages one way to customers is not only one of the most ineffective strategies for today’s landscape, it’s also a red flag when it comes to building your brand’s image, reputation and value. To us, the smartest brands are now listening to the conversations their customers are having, watching where they are taking place and engaging with them on an individual level to add value in real time. Even better, an increasing number of marketers are not only deploying programs specifically created for the social platforms, they’re strategically harnessing insights from the data and using them to help plan and develop stronger brand positioning and marketing programs in the future.

From a marketer’s standpoint (especially those that fall into the challenger brand status), last year was about how to make your business run harder and faster in a bid to stay competitive in a downturn. In 2010, we at Sigma believe it’s going to be about proving value through both your consumer conversation quotient and the product experience. Brand value will be influenced more and more by the consumer, making it more important than ever for brands to deploy programs that are authentic and conversation-worthy. For challenger brands, this is going to aid in brand differentiation and consumer engagement. Differentiation needs to be bigger than just a brand name. True differentiation will come from consumer engagement strategies and a brand’s willingness to involve customers. Visibility and opportunity await the brand that is best at engaging their customer as well as making the product experience richer and better than the rest.

Last year, we worked with clients in footwear, burn care, technology and professional services, helping them embrace new marketing approaches fueled by the changing landscape. Fostering brand advocates and evangelists is not just for brands in the consumer space. It’s everywhere, and it applies to both consumer and B2B brands alike. As the new year kicks off and while writing your marketing game plan, ask yourself: Are you equipped in 2010 for true differentiation?

We’ll kick-off the first conference recap with John Battelle’s (CEO/Founder, Federated Media) keynote on “All Media is Social.  Now What?”  John’s keynote was brilliantly right-on-topic to get us all kindling new ideas.  Here are four key areas he covered:

1.  The Rise of Conversational Marketing: First we declared our intentions (what we want) through search.  Then we declared our relations (social graph — who we are as defined by how we are connected to other people) on sites like Facebook.  Finally, during the past year we declared our utterances (what we are doing, what we are interested in, etc.) on sites like Twitter.  When you put all these declarations together — intention, relations and utterances, you have an economy of conversations.

2.  Conversation Economy: Every marketer is a publisher and every publisher is a marketer.  And every consumer is both.  What was once a one-way conversation has now become a two-way conversation. To succeed as marketers, we must leverage appropriate digital media and have conversations with customers at scale.  If you believe conversational marketing is real, we have to contemplate how we can best market in that native environment.  It’s a new form of exchange between numerous participants, and we as marketers are one of those participants representing the brand.  We are still in an early stage and we have to learn new skills by trying and relentlessly testing.

3.  What Brands Need to Succeed in Conversational Marketing: Marketing must become everyone’s job and it must become a horizontal practice rather than a vertical specialty.  This means rethinking from the top down and the bottom up.  To succeed in the Social Media, brands need the same things that are required in a Packaged Goods environment.

Scale + Safety + Quality + Engagement

4.  Conversational Marketing Guidelines:  Fuel for Thought tips and suggestions include:
-  Find conversations you want to join or start
-  Find the natural leaders of those conversations
-  Listen first, then join
-  Add value to the conversations
-  Make media annuities

To hear more great nuggets from John, be sure to follow him on Twitter at @JohnBattelle. To get an electronic copy of his presentation, please email me at jkim (at) sigmagroup.com.  The next post will recap Radian6’s workshop on “Why Listen to Social Media?”

The needs of the world just seem so overwhelming, right?  We find ourselves saying, “Why bother? We can’t fix everything!” and then doing nothing.  I think that’s probably a very logical solution according to our selfish, perfectionist, overachieving natures –  “If it can’t be done right, why do it at all?“  Sound familiar?

While it is true that one person can’t solve all the troubles of the world, we at Sigma have realized that everyone holds great power to make a big difference.  The power that one person has to improve the quality of life for a few, or the ability that one person has to lend a helping hand, is tremendous.

We recently created a community outreach program called Team Hercules (we have a tradition that lends itself to all things Greek).  There were two reasons we created Team Hercules.  Reason #1: It’s a program that empowers all of our employees to reach out beyond themselves and beyond the confines of these office walls to give back and better our community.  And Reason #2: I’ll get into that in a minute, at the end of this post.

So why should I — an HR manager challenged to come up with ways to build teams and increase productivity — think it is important to enact the whole “Think globally, act locally” mantra?

Empowering our employees to serve their community and help those in need has given Sigma the opportunity to build and strengthen core relationships that are built on more than doing good work.  This program helps employees find factors that motivate them beyond the mighty dollar or pat on the back.  These community outreach programs sometimes force our employees to reach beyond their comfort zones and dig deeper into themselves, and maybe their pockets, while getting a glimpse into the lives of others.

Whether it be a team going out to deliver and stock the shelves of a local food pantry, or collecting school supplies for children in need, or simply reaching out to the community to lend a helping hand — everyone wins.  There is something for everyone — for the company, for our employees and for the recipients of our good will.  We all win!

We gain appreciation.  There is nothing that feels better or can put more pep in you step then true appreciation.  Knowing and feeling it from head to toe.  An employee that feels appreciated is more likely to show appreciation, and so on and so on…

We get great experience.  Every new experience is an opportunity to learn, an opportunity to feel, and an opportunity to use our knowledge to make a positive change.  With every new experience we fill up the creative banks within our brain and we see the world a little differently.  Experiencing new things is never boring.

We get fulfillment. I don’t normally like this word because in suggesting that we need fulfillment can suggest we might feel empty.  However, let’s be realistic and admit that at times we all can feel a little empty.  I have never walked away from a volunteer event that didn’t leave me feeling like I got back so much more than I gave.  Bye-bye empty feeling.

So in a business that is fueled by wins — new clients, new accounts, new assignments, great press — that drive our bottom line, can Team Hercules really be counted as a business “win” for Sigma?  I certainly believe so.

My final thought — a quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson and my Reason #2 for creating Team Hercules:  “Every great achievement is the victory of a flaming heart.”

The reality is that things never go as planned. But when you think about it, is that a bad thing? Those shaping the world make a difference by going beyond the expected. They figure out ways to capitalize on the unexpected twists and turns that come their way. They relish in the opportunities that are presented when unexpected things happen and as a result make great strides in the economy, environment, society, etc.

Business owners and entrepreneurs…the best bubble up when they expect the unexpected. They plan for the unexpected. They know that nothing should be taken at face value. And even further, it’s their ability to capitalize on unexpected opportunities that really makes them superstars. Even world-class athletes qualify here. Think about the NFL player who intercepts a pass in midfield–do you think he wasn’t already prepared for what to do should he unexpectedly catch that pass? Maybe the sports analogy isn’t the best when it comes to thoroughly modern intellect, but at least it says the same thing: moving forward by leaps and bounds is about seizing unexpected opportunities and doing something with them.

But beyond expecting the unexpected, what about doing the unexpected? There is real power there. From a very positive and uplifting point of view, you can make someone’s day by doing something unexpected. You can get someone to laugh by telling an unexpected story. You can surprise someone by giving them something they didn’t know they were getting. You have the power to make someone’s day by unexpectedly telling them you “like that dress” or “you have a nice smile” or “you did a great job.”

Why all this deep thought around the unexpected? We recently launched a fun consumer campaign for our partners at Famous Footwear called Make Today Unexpected. And while the punchline for the campaign is really about elation and how women feel about shoes, it’s the twist and the unexpected way we tell that story that I think makes it sing.

The power of the unexpected.

Find an unexpected way to make someone’s day. Expect the unexpected or you won’t find it.

Recently comScore reported that in April 09, U.S. Internet users viewed 16.8 billion online videos.  Nearly 152 million folks watched an average of 111 videos, and an average online viewer watched 6.4 hours of video.  The age of online video viewers trends slightly younger, however, viewership by Generation X and older boomers are at no small scale.

That’s a lot of folks watching videos online.  And every minute there’s around 20 hours of new videos being uploaded to YouTube.  However, videos that generate millions of views overnight are few and far between—especially those uploaded to support a marketing agenda (e.g., commercials or promotional videos created by companies to promote their brands).

Here are some basic, yet essential, guidelines for online video success that we use to provide results for our clients.

1. Take a Long-Term Perspective:  While it is true that some online videos became an overnight sensation (e.g., Susan Boyle), the reality for most is that building an audience takes time—weeks, months and perhaps even years.  Keep in mind that unlike running a TV commercial where your ad/message disappears after your schedule runs out, online video has a potential to be active for years, accumulating viewers all along the way.  Therefore, creating content that has long-term relevance is key, which brings us to our second point.
2. Content is King:  Don’t just put a TV ad online (unless you have an incredible, one-of-kind commercial).  Create a short, entertaining message through a good story (e.g., humor, heartfelt tales, did you know, can you believe this, etc.).  People love to be surprised and everyone enjoys a good laugh.  Just as laughter works, so do tears, joy, compassion and a poignant moment.  The key is offering the viewer some quick entertainment that will engage them to respond, further investigate and/or share with their network.
3. Plan Your Work and Work Your Plan:  Just like you would with a TV commercial, incorporate a strategic plan behind your online video. Don’t just count on people stumbling onto it.  Remember that your new video has a shelf life of 48 hours before it’s moved from the Daily Most Viewed list to the Weekly Most Viewed list on most video sharing sites, so it’s important to share and spread the video quickly.  Some basic tactics that should be included into the online video launch include sharing and posting on social networking sites (e.g., Facebook, Twitter, MySpace), reaching out to bloggers and sending out email invites to your circle of contacts.
4. Engage with Your Viewers: Some of the most successful videos are those that are able to solicit comments and start discussions with their viewers.  According to Tim Street, creator of French Maid TV, in order to get your video to a higher plane, “It needs to interact with the viewer, and allow the viewer to interact with the characters or the creators.” Comments are a great way to hear feedback and receive ideas for future initiatives.  Keep in mind that comments may not always be positive, but they present the opportunity to connect with your audience one-on-one.  Therefore, make sure to properly monitor the social web sphere across all chatters on your video and brand.

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The grim destiny of brands/companies we know so well is unavoidable, as their downfall has stemmed from a variety of areas (lack of innovation and reluctance to change applying to many of them).  But while many will fail, many more will survive and come out even stronger.  It all depends on what we do along the way — including some key strategies for surviving and thriving in today’s business.  Starting this week, we will highlight each one.

Part 1:  Adapt to the Changes.
Know your current and emerging customers — their needs may have changed because of the downturn. Your service offerings, messaging and brand experience may also need to change in order to properly connect with them.

A fine example of adapting to change is Home Depot’s current focus on catering more to the everyday homebody/do-it-yourselfer to offset the decrease in the stream of builders and contractors. Here’s a selected list of marketing/sales efforts they are implementing to energize their business, as covered by Mercury News.

1. Power Hours between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., Monday through Friday, when sales associates are placed at the end of each aisle to assist customers who shop during their lunch hour.
2. Ladies Night Out classes geared to women with a common interest. At the store located at The Plant in San Jose, for example, female customers buying expensive tile wanted lessons on installing it themselves.
3. Free Weekend Clinics for Kids on how to build age-appropriate toolboxes, planters, derby cars and other projects, materials included.
4. Do-It-Yourself Workshops where homeowners are taught how to repair screens, paint, install plumbing and other tasks usually done by pros.
5. A Garden Club customers can join for access to master gardeners, project ideas, coupons and a buying guide for anything related to gardening.

So, what are you doing to adapt to the changes?  Share them with us.

With a goal of streamlining overhead without reducing workflow or impacting our creative product, we found eight positions in the company that could benefit from a reduced workweek (4 days) while also helping to shed some weight from our bottom line. As a result we were able to save jobs and in turn we have been encouraged by the new vigor and level of productivity that we’re seeing. The outcome? Inspired employees who thrive in the condensed workweek, an even better and more focused creative product and an improvement to operating expenses that allows us to focus on growth, innovation and further expansion.

Just goes to show what happens when creative minds work together. CNN and Alina Cho – thanks for featuring us today!

I recently took an online course with John Grden of the Papervision Core Team, and added a whole bunch of optimization strategies to my bag of tricks. The class was offered at the Rich Media Institute.   John is an awesome teacher, and I highly recommend the class if it comes up again. It’s a lot to follow online, but the modules are available for 30 days after the class.  Here are a few helpful strategies that I picked up from John’s course:

1. STAGE QUALITY. Set it to Low or even Medium if possible. High will kill the processor.
2. MIPMAPPING. Keep your texture width and height divisible by 2 (such as 128/256). Avoid odd numbers or decimals and smoothing comes for free.
3. VIEWPORTS. Keep them as small as possible. And do not apply filters to Viewports.
4. BITMAPS vs. MOVIEASSETMATERIALS. Use bitmaps if possible. MovieAssetMaterials, even if they are not animated, cost more.
5. TIMER. Try using a timer for your render loop. It can save you precious processing power. But it won’t play well with timeline animations on your textures.
6. ANIMATION. Set the animation Boolean on MovieAssetMaterials to False when the animation has ended.  Keep animated material as small as possible.  Non-animated materials may be bigger.

John also included a highly useful FramesRipper class in the source code for the course, which I’ve already found useful for a project. It basically takes a movie clip and turns the frames into bitmaps that are stored in an array. The class includes methods for playing the ripped frames just like you would a timeline. If you have a MovieClip with lots of filter tweens or other elements that are taxing the processor, this class works like a charm. The FramesRipper class alone is well worth the price of admission.