We all know we need a strong online presence, but many companies aren’t exactly sure how to establish one. Here are the top five mistakes companies make when it comes to their online branding.

1. They fear they are opening up the “online conversation can of worms.”
Many people believe that by entering their brand into the online social media conversation they are opening themselves up to bi-directional conversations which can bring criticism and ridicule to their brands by allowing people to give input (wanted or unwanted) in an open forum. The conversation is going on about your brand whether you want it to or not, so get in there and control the forum. Create the community, set the tone and take it all head on. The “one-way” broadcast marketing days are over, so get yourself into the online conversation.

2. They think social media is new and different, which to them means scary.
The three most popular outlets alone – Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn – have more than 700 million members, and YouTube gets more than 2 billion views each day. The growth of these new media eclipses even the largest growth spurts radio, television and print ever had. The opportunity to reach your audience is there. Think about how often you check your Facebook, tweet, use YouTube, link in or update your location with Foursquare. Stats show most of us are doing this multiple times daily and we’re spending a significant amount of time in each medium. There is nothing scary about it.

3. They are not harnessing the power of online video.
OK, stick with me here: If you had a fairy godmother wouldn’t it be great to use her to start your own TV network, control all the content and programming, and brand it however you want, all for free? No need for fairies; it’s called YouTube. Setting up your own online network/video channel and publishing your own content as often as you want is possible. You can position yourself as a thought leader in the market. Remember to make your content a combination of both entertaining and educational content, and here and there being controversial doesn’t hurt either.

4. They have lost sight of the power of the “Big Idea.”
Somehow we have lost sight of the necessity of the Big Idea. Advertising has revolved around the Big Idea concept for decades since the first Mad Man came up with “Lucky Strike – It’s Toasted.” There cannot be marketing without strategy. So putting up a Facebook page, Twitter and YouTube account without a strategy and a solid idea driving it will yield few results. A great idea is something CP+B did for Burger King called “Whopper sacrifice.” In it, people were asked the question: What do you love more, your friends or the Whopper? You would be rewarded with a free Whopper coupon if you sacrificed 10 friends on Facebook. More than 200,000 friends were sacrificed in the first week, and Facebook shut them down, thus creating controversy and getting Burger King even more impressions through news and other media outlets. Don’t forget the power of the Big Idea, even if it comes in the form of a lot of micro ideas.

5. They aren’t measuring or modifying
What’s really new about all these so called “new media” is the ability to be nearly 100 percent accountable. If your online strategy is set up correctly, with the right analytics and proper landing pages, you can track the results and conversion ratio for nearly all of your marketing tactics. The Martin Agency does this with their GEICO campaign, which is essentially a direct response campaign. Do you remember seeing the GEICO Flying Monkeys? Probably not. They ran it for one week and the phones stopped ringing, so it was pulled off the air immediately. Online marketing can be even more conclusive if your analytics are set up correctly. You can monitor the success of each campaign on an hourly basis and react before more money is wasted on a nonconverting campaign. Measure twice and cut frequently.

Tags: Burger King, Content, CP+B, facebook, FourSquare, LinkedIn, Media, new media, News, Online Video, Social Media, Twitter, Whopper Sacrifice, YouTube

Kevin Kelly, President of BigBuzz Communications, was interviewed in the August 16, 2010 edition of Newsday. The article entitled, “Executive suite: ‘Tech guy’”, explores Kevin’s knowledge of the industry, his managing style, as well as his personal life. Pick up the August 16 edition of Newsday, read the article below, or check out the article at Newsday online here http://www.newsday.com/columnists/other-columnists/executive-suite-tech-guy-kevin-kelly-melville-1.2207314.

As a former music recording engineer and producer, Kevin Kelly says he was “the technology guy” behind the big console.

Viewing the Internet as “a new opportunity to do something creative in a technical space,” he launched a Web development company 14 years ago. Melville-based BigBuzz Communications is evolving from a project-based ad agency into a full-service firm.
Kelly, 43, serves on the Long Island Works Coalition board. He played football in college and heads his company’s softball team. Previously a drummer in a band, Kelly married the group’s guitarist. They have three children.

What are your plans for growth?

“The power of marketing really comes from when you integrate all the plans. If you have a digital strategy, and then you have a print strategy, then you have a TV strategy and they’re all isolated in silos, they’re so much less effective than when you integrate them. That has been a real growth opportunity for us, and that’s where we’ve seen our major growth.”

How has the recession impacted business?

“Fortunately, we were in a growth mode – there were less clients, but we were doing more work for the clients that we had.”

What qualities do you look for in hiring?

“I rarely hire the resume. I hire for the passion and the personality. Of course, the skill set has to be there, but that in-person interview is really telling. You’ve got to come through the door here every day loving what you do. You have to be able to speak up with ideas – great ideas can come from anywhere. They can come from the intern, they can come from the executive vice president of creative. I look for that creative spark. “We ask, ‘What gets you most excited about what you do?’ Is it the spark of the idea, is it bringing someone else’s idea to fruition, is it teaming up with another team member to create something greater than he or she [could] individually? I look at that answer and see where it lands.”

What’s your management style?

“Certainly leading by example. I wouldn’t ask anyone to do anything I wouldn’t be willing to do. One of the things I [was striving] so hard for in the first dozen years of building the company was to create a culture of creativity, of independence and empowerment. The ability to fail – we have buttons that say ‘Do something stupid.’ Unless they know I’m OK with seeing something really dumb or ridiculous . . . we’re not going to uncover that really incredible, unique insight or potentially viral execution.”

How do you get people to do what you need them to do?

“I give them ownership, let them run with their ideas. They don’t have to be pushed or threatened. Everybody just knows their part and comes forth with a full willingness to fulfill our clients’ goals. Nine guys show up to a baseball game, they all know the goal. You don’t have to tell the first baseman to catch the ball.”

Tags: Ad agency, BigBuzz, bigbuzz communications, Business, Digital, Interview, Kevin Kelly, marketing, Newsday, technology

Kevin Kelly, CEO of BigBuzz Communications, was featured in the Long Island Business News cover story entitled “Modern Mad MEN”. The article discusses radical changes that have taken place in the world of marketing since the days of the early “Mad Men” era. With 4.1 billion mobile phone users and close to a staggering 4.1 billion personal internet connections worldwide, modern agencies have been able to collect personal data, target more specific demographics, and market in ways the early Mad Men could only dream of.  Kevin Kelly, being an expert in the world of digital advertising weighed in and gave his valuable insight throughout the article.

“Whether its email marketing or direct-mail campaigns, successful marketing comes down to good data and how you use it,” says Kevin.  With the magic of mobility, the way these tools are wielded is being radically changed. Kevin described it as “tying marketing efforts to an individual person.” By gathering consumer data “at every point we can,” Kelly’s heroes – BigBuzz’s data analysts – can hone super-optimized e-mail lists, giving clients their best shot at winning the hearts and minds of willing buyers.

Kevin went on to describe BigBuzz’s recent marketing pitch, a “speed-texting game” wherein the Suffolk County Sports Park scoreboard challenges Ducks fans to be the first to text a certain word to a certain number. “Five hundred people respond,” Kelly said. “Four hundred ninety-nine will lose, but all 500 receive an instant response – an opt-in to receive free information from the Ducks. All they have to do is respond ‘no’ to opt out. But if they opt in, they receive promotions and insider messages … and we can reach out to them.”

The article went on to discuss the “Big Brother” fear associated with such location based marketing tactics. Kevin describes this fear as one of the biggest hurdles the modern marketing industry will need to get over. Kelly closed out the article insightfully by saying, “People need to decide, “I’m going to tell you I’m here and I’m going to profit from it. Otherwise, they’re going to walk into a store and be the only one who don’t know there are free Wheaties on aisle six.”

To read the full article pick up the July 23-29^th edition of Long Island Business News or check out the article online at http://libn.com/blog/2010/07/23/mad-men-go-digital-mobile/

Tags: bigbuzz communications, consumers, digital advertising, direct-mail campaigns, e-mail marketing, Kevin Kelly, Long Island Business News, Mad Men, marketing, mobile

Kevin Kelly, CEO of BigBuzz Communications, was featured as a guest on radio business show “The Profit Express with Tim Healy” on WHRU (88.7 FM) last week. In the interview, Kevin explains the creative revolution and different mode of thinking that define a digital advertising agency. He covers the importance of not only using social media, but understanding and properly utilizing it to be involved in the conversation, and the three mistakes most commonly made in digital marketing strategy. He explains not only the importance of research and digital integrated strategies in establishing an online presence, but most importantly, how to help your company stand out amid all the noise.

Listen to the interview here.

Tags: BigBuzz, Kevin Kelly, Social Media, Tim Healy

BigBuzz, a leading digital agency based out of Melville, NY, recently created an innovative microsite (http://oceansprayinstantoatmeal.com/) for the world famous brand, Ocean Spray.

“This was such a fun project for our team to work on,” said Kevin Kelly, President of BigBuzz Communications. “I am proud to say with complete certainty that the site we developed for Ocean Spray is not only easy to navigate and fully comprehensive, but also innovative and strategic as well. We are proud of the results we delivered to Ocean Spray and are happy to have had the opportunity to work with such a admirable brand.”

BigBuzz created a web site for Ocean Spray that tied in with a variety of store displays and a sweepstakes to drive traffic to the microsite. BigBuzz also created a large program of social media tie-ins and games with an interactive interface designed to make even nutritional information engaging. The results of the program drove the sweeps and expanded the exposure of the new Ocean Spray Oatmeal brand by capitalizing on a very new way to present a new product from a signature brand.

BigBuzz relied upon past work experience with major brands such as FUJI, NIKON, Arista and Disney to work in concert with the Ocean Spray brand look and feel. As a result, BigBuzz was able to create a microsite with a new and fresh appeal, yet continue to utilize Ocean Spray’s signature solid brand and product recognition.

Mr. Kelly adds, “The creative leadership of our Executive Creative Director, Brian Keller and Art Director, Yi Lin along with the BigBuzz Programming Department led by Frank Hipolito were outstanding. I am lucky to have such an innovative team of thinkers and doers here at BigBuzz.”

About BigBuzz Communications:

BigBuzz Communications is a brand communications agency that specializes in creating powerful relationships between consumers and brands. The firm’s abilities include every step of the branding process from research, consumer insight, strategic brand planning, media planning, advertising, interactive communications, web, direct, and non-traditional channels. The agency works in all media and all aspects of marketing communications.

Kevin Kelly, founder and CEO of BigBuzz Communications will be speaking and moderating a panel at the Kioli Business Summit on Friday, June 11th at the Inn at New Hyde Park. The Inn is located on 214 Jericho Turnpike and is open to business owners, entrepreneurs, non profits, CFO’s, account executives, and HR professionals. Kevin and his panel of speakers will be discussing business technology as well as how to get found on search engines. Along with Kevin, attendees will have the opportunity to here from Joe Garraffo, Director of Interactive at the Long Island Press, Mark Fasciano from Karma 411, and Adam Schwam from Sandwire. If you are anyone who uses the internet as a place of business, this event is a great opportunity for you to expand your knowledge and help grow your business. For more information on Kevin Kelly as well as on the event please visit http://www.kiolisummit.com/.

Tags: BigBuzz, business technology, get found on search engines, Kevin Kelly, Kioli Business Summit, search engines

BigBuzz Communications would like to thank everyone that took part in our latest survey and voted for our new BigBuzz button quote. After counting all of your votes, we are happy to announce our winning quote by one of our account executives Jason Perna. “Possible can be done immediately…but please allow 48 hours for miracles” will be the quote featured on one of our new button designs. We would like to invite you to continue being part of the BigBuzz community and help us vote for the designs that will be incorporated into the buttons. We set up three different surveys, one for each theme we will be designing around. You can cast your votes here:

Do Something Stupid Theme

Possible can be done immediately…but please allow 48 hours for miracles

Miscellaneous Designs and Concepts

Tags: BigBuzz, bigbuzz buttons, bigbuzz communications, button contest, design

Our very own Kevin Kelly, founder of BigBuzz Communications and host of the BuzzBubble, was quoted in the May 21, 2010 edition of Newsday. Featured in the article entitled “Small Business: Creating buzz about your biz”, Kevin provided valuable insight into generating a positive conversation about your small business. “Position yourself as an educator or thought leader. Provide useful, interesting and relevant information, via a blog, class or the like,” Kevin says. This is exactly what he has been doing with his very own online television show the Buzzbubble, which features a 10-minute weekly interview with a different advertising leader.  The fact that the BuzzBubble is now close to 40,000 viewers is a testament to Kevin’s ability to generate thought  provoking topics of conversation that entice people to keep coming back for more. You can read the full article on Newsday’s website at http://www.newsday.com/columnists/jamie-herzlich/small-business-creating-buzz-about-your-biz-1.1920363. Head over their right now to get more buzzworthy  ideas for creating a buzz about your biz.

Tags: advertising thought leaders, BigBuzz, bigbuzz communications, Kevin Kelly, Newsday, topics of conversation

Join us this week as the BuzzBubble finally features a powerful woman in advertising. CEO of Deutsch NY, A Lowe & Partners Company, Val DiFebo, our first female guest talks about her early day’s working with Mary Wells at Wells Rich Greene. She started in media, then at Deutsch 17 years ago in account services, now NY’s CEO. Donny always says he would rather hire a woman than a man, and puts his money where his mouth is.

Val and Kevin discuss, why there are still so many great, yet unrecognized women in senior positions in the advertising world, and the great men and women including Chief Media Officer Peter Gardiner who have helped her reach this point in her career.

Val is business first and a woman distant second. We get into the the Deutsch approach to integrated advertising, and get specific about the Kodak Print and Prosper campaign and activating a big idea across multiple media outlets including the video social media outlets used with Print & Prosper campaign.

Tags: account management, activating a big idea, Advertising Planning, advertising thought leaders, BigBuzz, bigbuzz communications, CEO, Chief media officer, Deutsch, Donny Deutsch, integrated advertising, integrated marketing, interactive, Kevin Kelly, Kodak Print and prosper, long island advertising, Mary Wells, Media, multi media outlets, ny award winning advertising, Peter Gardiner, Phyllis Robinson, Psych Major, Social Media, the buzzbubble, Twitter, Val DiFebo, Video, video social media, wells rich greene, women in advertising, women of Deutsch

Next week on the BuzzBubble, we travel to San Francisco to Goodby Silverstein & Partners to sit with Jeff Goodby.

Kevin and Jeff talk about being agency of the decade, The GSP Holiday Smack Down Rap with Andrew Bancroft and the angry Jelly Donut, the “Got Milk”  Aaron Burr commercial getting into the advertising Hall Of Fame, the real story of how the “Got Milk” campaign was invented, how creatives deal with daily  rejection, the viral Doritos social media monster ”Hotel 626″ and Social networking, Art & Copy and taking his place in advertising history. How Jeff and Alex Bogusky put together the small agency awards, and how Jeff believes the smaller agencies are underrated, and uncredited for great work. And of course his favorite compound curseword and somethings most people don’t know about Jeff and Rich, all coming up on the BuzzBubble.

Kevin Kelly and Jeff Goodby coming up on the BuzzBubble in HD

Tags: BigBuzz, bigbuzz communications, bigbuzz.com, Bill Bernbach, george lois, Kevin Kelly, new media, Podcast, Social Media, the buzzbubble, Twitter, Video