By Greg Shove, Founder and CEO, SocialChorus

Most advertising disciplines are being dramatically affected by the explosion of Social media technologies, but none more so than PR and Word of Mouth. Firms in these disciplines have historically attempted to harness and measure the power of influencers. But now that power has become increasingly democratized, so finding and connecting with the right individuals is much harder – with much greater potential gain for the brand.

The most significant development is the emergence of the Power Middle – the thousands of influencers that can now move the needle for the brand.  In fact, the most forward-thinking brands are already recognizing the ‘Power Middle’ influencer as a uniquely persuasive force.

But for most marketers, this presents an enormous challenge:  how do brands and agencies effectively harness the power of these Power Middle influencers in order to turn social awareness into social preference?

Thankfully, a best practice consensus is emerging.  In the simplest terms, the most effective strategy for meaningful influencer engagement can be boiled down to three steps:  Identification, Incentivization, and Activation.

Identification

In order to identify the people whose influence matters most to a brand, an Influencer Profile should be created.  Based on demographic signifiers as well as interests /verticals, the Influencer Profile is a comprehensive description of the ideal audience a brand hopes to reach.

Once created, the Influencer Profile is used to build a list of relevant keywords for targeted search queries, ideally with the aid of sophisticated search tools such as Traackr, SocMetrics and others. Or a brand can access the over 1 million influencers in the SocialChorus database. The results are then used to determine which influencers are likely to have the most positive impact on the brand. Impact can be predictively quantified in terms of market reach (i.e. UMV and number of followers), brand relevance, expertise, and independence.

While one’s first instinct might be to target heavy hitters in the social space (such as celebrities and high-profile journalists), it’s actually more advantageous to focus on the ‘Power Middle.’ This category is primarily made up of niche-market influencers with a comparatively modest, yet passionate and devoted following.  By collecting and aggregating the Power Middle brands have the ability to tap into an influential marketing force that is far more organic and powerful than other marketing channels.  Influencer marketing is fundamentally changing the Word of Mouth, Public Relations, and Marketing industries as a whole.

Incentivize

Once a brand has identified the most promising potential influencers, it’s time to reach out and invite them to act as brand collaborators. This is where SocialChorus’ Influencer Relationship Marketing (IRM) platform, and Social Currency are introduced. Social Currency is the value exchange that connects brands, influencers and their followers.

Since influencers have a vested interest in delivering authentic, quality content to their respective audience, providing them with high-quality Social Currency gives them further incentive to enter into a mutually beneficial relationship with the brand. Social Currency encompasses a wide range of influencer assets, including exclusive and compelling content, exclusive access and experiences, discounts and offers, and product samples.  The SocialChorus IRM platform allows brands and agencies to connect with influencers directly and offer them social currency and other trackable assets to distribute to their audiences.

Activating Influencers

Once the influencer has opted in, activation can begin.  Since influencer activation is an ongoing process rather than a single event, it’s important to build an enduring relationship with the influencer. We recommend that the brand engage the influencer at least 3 times over 90 days, creating a pattern of engagement and reward for the influencer.

Additionally, analytics are crucial throughout the activation process. Whether it’s a brand’s first or fiftieth activation, a fundamental part of influencer relationship marketing is staying informed of the influencers’ actions, measuring these results, and adapting accordingly to ensure optimal success.  SocialChorus helps clients manage these metrics in real-time, optimizes the campaign accordingly, and determines the Earned Media Value of their campaigns.

SocialChorus was charged with creating a large scale Influencer Network to help Tropicana launch “Trop50,” and create on-going, bonded relationships. We delivered influencer identification and influencer activation, resulting in 173 Influencers that produced 468 Influencer posts that led to over 38,000 consumer social actions, and ultimately, 468 percent ROI for the client.

To learn more about SocialChorus and their Influencer Relationship Marketing platform, visit: socialchorus.com

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About the Author

Gregory Shove is the founder and CEO of SocialChorus, a Social Influencer Relationship Marketing software and services company. Prior to SocialChorus, Gregory was an active investor in both private and public companies, with a focus on consumer segments.  He graduated as a Sloan Fellow from Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business in 1993, and holds a B.A. in Economics from the University of Western Ontario.

About SocialChorus

SocialChorus is a Social SaaS and Services Company, which helps brands find and connect to the people whose social influence matters most. The platform allows brands and agencies to work with these influencers in authentic ways to drive real social marketing results.  SocialChorus’ Influencer Relationship Marketing (IRM) software beta launched in February 2012, and is available along with strategic IRM and activation services to give brands the simplicity, speed, and efficiency needed to build enduring social relationships at global scale. SocialChorus was founded by Gregory Shove, CEO, and co-founders John Eaton and Jonathan Cohen. The Company’s lead investor is Kohlberg Ventures. SocialChorus has offices in New York City and San Francisco. socialchorus.com

By Rod Brooks, CMO of PEMCO Insurance and Immediate Past President of WOMMA

Have you heard what they’re saying?

Analysts watching emerging engagement trends have identified sales professionals as the least likely group to commit to the adoption and use of social media. Really? Marketing departments and communication teams get it. Public relations and brand managers are on board. And now we’re seeing a shift toward the use of social media by customer service teams and contact centers as well. What about social media for sales people? Why has it taken that group longer to catch on and catch up to their peers throughout the organizations that they work for?

Some argue that the lack of explicit buy-in is due in large part to the time-honored truism often expressed as WIIFM, or “what’s in it for me?” In short, the sales professional hasn’t been able to see the sale as an outcome of their engagement. Are you still wondering how time spent utilizing popular social media tools will favorably impact your revenue and income? Let’s look for some answers.

In order for us to discover the benefits of social engagement in online communities, we first have to create a clear line of sight to results. We need more obvious connections between the use of social media and the outcome of improved revenue and financial value for the company, agency, and sales rep. Let’s consider how social media translates to a model we are all familiar with – we know it as “the sales funnel.” It should be noted, that while I’ve chosen to demonstrate social marketing through the sales funnel model our conversation could just as aptly apply to the Awareness to Advocacy model. I look forward to expanding on those thoughts at another time.

There are five primary categories of social media metrics that can be identified within the sales funnel. While various thought leaders and analysts may have their own names for these connections, I’ve found the concepts that are presented to be quite similar in their intent.

Exposure is a measurement of brand reach that sits at the top of the sales funnel. Putting more people into the top of a carrier, agency, or individual sales funnel, by effectively utilizing social media tools, will result in increased conversion at the bottom.

Influence by friends and neighbors is at an all-time high when it comes to drivers of purchase decisions. In 2010, just as many PEMCO customers said that their insurance purchase was influenced by the recommendation of a friend or family member as those who said price was the primary factor. Most social media tools and online communities have a “baked in” ability for influence and sharing. To be “Liked” on Facebook or to be “Retweeted” on Twitter can be compared to a recommendation by a friend – they tend to have loyal fans that trust their credibility and therefore convert at a higher rate.

Engagement requires consumers to involve themselves with your brand. In social media terms, that means that your corporate and personal brands have to be available and compelling. Are you present in the popular forums, platforms, and communities? Is your content interesting and relevant? Are friends and fans of your brand sharing, retweeting, commenting, linking to and liking what you’ve provided? To move people through the funnel to conversion, the answer to these questions needs to be yes. And it needs to be easy!

Conversion is where the action is at for sales professionals. Unfortunately, the sales funnel doesn’t have conversion as a front door. Now, more than ever, it’s essential that sales professionals spend time and attention on exposure, influence, and engagement. When the time is right, and when a lead-triggering event occurs, the socially engaged sales professional will see the benefits from the connections that have been invested in with increases in potential customers and influencers.

Retention is the key to long-term success within any sales organization. Retained customers strengthen a company’s financial reserves and have a positive impact on the ability to establish and maintain competitive prices in the future. Retained customers are evidence of a company that “gets it” and is meeting and exceeding consumer needs. Retained customers fuel the next round of referrals and recommendations. Without retained customers there would be no advocates. Staying engaged with your growing community of retained customers is an investment in your near- and long-term success

It is increasingly obvious that being socially engaged sales professionals will soon become an essential component of success. As with most new skills, it will require effort and understanding. It’ll be necessary to practice with the tools, messages, and methods of engagement. Those who are most successful are often the same people who have made an effort to gain comfort with tools like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn at a personal level before beginning a major outreach on a professional basis. While it may be true the early bird gets the worm, it is also true that most birds learn to use their wings before they can successfully feed themselves.

Remember, social media is like the almighty assist. It can help add more opportunities to convert business, but at the end of the day it is simply a tool you can use to build and influence relationships and connections. How you listen, how you’re affected, and how you connect and respond will determine the quality of the relationships that you create and the leads you generate into the sales funnel.

Will you be a social sales professional?

Note: For purposes of illustration, the social funnel graphic was borrowed from FullFrontalROI.com.

By Austin Lytle, Social Business Strategist, Spredfast

A SXSWi Session Recap

Patterns of success are beginning to emerge in social media at universities. While resources may be scarce, buy-in difficult and policies (if there are any) restrictive, a SXSW panel on Effective Social Media in Higher Education spoke to tactics making social successful. Deborah Maue of DePaul University and Liz Gross of the University of Wisconsin-Waukesha moderated the panel.

From the crowd of education officials and those with stakes in social media, it appears many departments are beginning to get it. They know they have to be on social and come up with a way to effectively manage communication. What emerged though is that if a university wants to get social right, it should be thought of on the university wide level.

Therein lies the rub, how do you promote the advantages of social within departments that don’t get it? Or better yet an administration? If you think of universities’ complexities with social they have multiple departments, each with their own objectives, with multiple stakeholders. And without explicit value on the departmental level, it’s much harder to make the case for social.

Just think of all the departments that can have involvement with social:

• Development / Advancement
• Alumni Association
• Admissions
• Marketing
• Student Services
• Academics
• Athletics

So how are some institutions becoming successful in bridging social media gaps?

Task forces/committees seem to be a common practice. Made up of internal stakeholders usually including early adopters, marketing departments, admissions and representatives from various academic departments. They work to create social policies, types of communication, measures of success, strategies on where social makes sense internally and what external channels to be on. They do what higher education does best, analyze.

Universities are also turning to students to help with social activities, whether it’s from lack of resources or need for additional on-staff knowledge. Social media comes natural to students. They’re great to bounce ideas off of and keep up with what the latest feature is on a big network or what the next new thing is social is. Now before you get crazy and set them loose, consider the risks that are involved and provide guidelines and rules.

Internal social champions are also finding success with connecting social to existing university initiatives. Tying metrics to help drive previously unrealized results. In addition, it’s important to tailor your message on the audience you wish to reach. If it’s students, communicate when and where they want to be communicated with. Take time to decide if official communication should be driven via social. Take time to realize that social is about engagement. An admissions success story that emerged was Facebook engagement being used by current students sharing university messages with their former high school communities.

Higher education tends to run slow at adopting anything, and by my account they are still about 13 months behind the business sector for social adoption. However, social media benefits are being realized all over college campuses and the time is now to begin planning a strategy that will take your campus communication to the next level.

If it seems social is having difficulty infiltrating your organization, it may be best to do, as one member of the crowd said, just “Run with it and show the results”.

By Christian Borges, VP Marketing, Mr Youth

A SXSWi Session Recap

Panelists: Ali Velshi, CNN; Barry Diller, IAC

This year marked my fifth year at SXSWi. I say this not for “bragging” rights per se, but to give context behind what I’m about to say. Though I’ve found the quality of the panels and main sessions to be questionable and arguably less stimulating over the years, there are a usually handful of “diamonds in the rough” so to speak that make the whole experience worthwhile attending (beyond the party, food, networking, biz dev “scene” that SxSW has evolved into). Baratunde’s Keynote address was definitely one of those shining moments, as was the Data Visualization and the Future of Research panel – talk about a mash-up of nerdy headiness and creativity, wow! That said, this review is about one particular session I attended:

The State of the Content Industry 2012, featuring Barry Diller

Barry Diller, Chairman, IAC

For the uninformed/uninitiated, Barry Diller is one of the preeminent Television and entertainment industry titans of the last 30+ years. As the current Chairman and Senior Executive of IAC/InterActiveCorp and the media executive responsible for the creation of Fox Broadcasting Company (prior to Rupert Murdoch) and USA Broadcasting, his footprint looms large and is undeniable. Needless to say, I was curious as to what this grizzled vet had to say about the current state of affairs with regards to content and the entertainment industry at-large.

Listen to the whole session here

Highlights and Key Takeaways

Technology is providing a radical shift in how people access and receive content. This is nothing that we haven’t heard before, and as consumers we’re living proof of this today. That said, Diller predicts that the bundling model of programming delivery favored by the entrenched interests of cable and satellite companies will be defeated (but not completely go away) allowing viewers to access content a la carte and on the go through devices connected to the Internet.

To reinforce this point-of-view, Diller spent the bulk of his interview with CNN’s Ali Vashi taking about — and demonstrating — Aereo, a streaming service that went live on March 14 in New York City. Using a device that leverages an antennae – like rabbit ears of yonder- Aereo captures over-the-air signals available in a given market and delivers them wirelessly to any device — phone, iPad, etc., through an Internet interface, and stores this content in the cloud. The service costs $12 per month and New York broadcast stations have already sued to stop its deployment, purportedly wanting a “retransmission fee” similar to the “affiliate fees” they receive from cable and satellite providers. Talk about “cutting the cord” - this next level thinking is exactly the type of brash, bold innovation you would think Diller would embrace in others…but we’ll get back to that point in a sec.

Diller went on to say that he fully expected the move by the cable companies to block him, and went so far as to usher the challenge for them to “bring it on!” Pending the outcome of this battle royale, Diller plans to launch the service in 75–100 cities in the next year.

Other tidbits

Back to the notion of embracing the spirit of “brash, bold innovation,” Diller frequently bristled against the spirit of entrepreneurship and innovation in young people, saying “The dumbest thing is to start out alone. It’s a great thing to be part of some other group that has maturity or things you’d like to learn.” So in one breath it’s OK to challenge the establishment, as he proudly stated when saying such things as “I’m always attracted to the radical;” but on the other hand, you need to be a part of the establishment? Diller lost me on that point-of-view and sounded more out of touch and less like the mentor and maverick he’s known to have been. My two cents, but he reinforced this when he said “location based is obvious. I just don’t find it that interesting.”

Acknowledging that part of SXSWi has evolved into is the “discovery” of the next best idea, coolest app, etc., Diller managed to crack a few jokes about the technology being launched this year, referring loosely to apps such as Highlight, which enables users to see who in their social graph is around them and “highlights” the friends and interests in common - as “Ambien” social networking, saying: “It reminds me of Ambien, the insomnia drug.”

One of the lasting quotes that stayed with me was when Diller said “As long as you have an idea, you can broadcast to everyone. That is a profound change in how media has been organized for the last 100 years.” True indeed.

———-

Christian Borges has spent the last 15 years of his professional career immersed in the world of communications and marketing, and has carved out a niche developing strategies that connect and engage consumers both online and off.

He currently is VP, Marketing at Mr Youth, a social media agency specializing in designing digital, social and real world interactions that fuel and inspire advocacy.

By Ian Greenleigh, Manager of Content and Social Strategy, Bazaarvoice

A SXSWi Session Recap

Question: What is simultaneously definitive, iterative, different and consistent?

Answer: A pattern.

“Brands are no longer definitive. They are temporal. Brands are informed by multiple voices, and they exist in multiple mediums and through multiple contexts. The media that a brand inhabits is no longer fixed or linear, it is iterative, with no beginning, no end, and little permanency.”

So goes the first few lines of Brands as Patterns, by Marc Shillum, Principal at Method and central figure in my favorite SXSWi 2012 panel of the same name. The panel was certainly tweetable, but also cerebral; these two qualities don’t often commingle. Our world, Shillum and the other panelists argued, is increasingly dynamic. But the traditional notion of a brand is one of unwavering consistency, carefully-designed, gradual evolution or dramatic (but infrequent) re-brands. The question: What should a brand look like when everything around it is changing faster every day?

A pattern.

Greg Johnson, Global Creative Director at HP, called for more responsive brands. “Our experiences are liquid,” he argued. Eight-hundred page brand guidelines and putting creative handcuffs on agencies are artifacts of a less-dynamic era, when brands were rewarded by being static. But now, Johnson told the audience, “we have to be digital first.” Digital-first brands are designed to be distinctive, relevant and active. Brand equity comes from where we meet our customers—not what we say to them. And in the single most memorable quote of the session, Johnson turned the notion of the siloed digital brand on its head: “Digital isn’t a medium; it’s the age we’re in.”

“A story is a description of a series of events that conveys meaning,” said Microsoft’s Robin Lanahan. In other words, a pattern. That meaning—the why—is what many brands are missing today. The story they create from the elements of their brand is chaotic, and sometimes vacuous—it makes little sense, and conveys no larger meaning. Not so with patterns, which “connect unconnected things,” according to Shillum. One of the most powerful examples of this truth didn’t make it into the session, but appears in the Motive 10×10 that inspired the panel:

“Rseaerch icntidaes taht the oerdr of the ltteers in a wrod dnsoe’t relaly mettar. Waht relaly mtteras is the frist and lsat leettr in the wrod. If tehy are in the rhgit palce, you can raed the wdors.”

Branding and composing are similar, according to Walter Werzowa of Musikvergneugen. He should know, as the mind behind Intel’s famous mnemonic. Werzowa played a loop of the four-note motif from Beethoven’s Symphony Number 5, and explained to the audience that successful music, and successful brands, are “built through the right combination of what is expected and something new.”  In Symphony Number 5, there is repetition; you hear the motif 45 times in one minute. But there is also uniqueness; almost every instance carries with it a slight variation of rhythm and notes. In both brand and music, “we lose audiences with either the lack of the expected or lack or repetition.” And in both brand and music, “the reward is dopamine,” the neurotransmitter associated with pleasure.

By Austin Lytle, Social Business Strategist, Spredfast

@AustinLytle

A SXSWi Session Recap

Political campaigns, while good at sticking to tried and true methods, are typically early adopters in new technologies that could provide an edge. Unlike businesses slow adoption, the marriage between social technologies and politics in 2008 released unrelenting political adoption of new social technologies.

Social trends that did not exist in 2008 are already proving valuable in shaping the 2012 election cycle. In a panel named “2012: Social’s new role in politics” with Khris Loux, Mark Blumenthal, Vishal Sankhal, and moderated by Ben Parr on the new role for social in 2012, here are some emerging trends that I think political campaigns and business alike should be aware of.

Since 2008, the shear growth of social networks has made communicating to a base viable. It’s also no longer the 20 and under crowd (“non-voters”) who have adopted social. If my Mom and Dad are posting about something so-and-so did, campaigns are in a different phase within social.

Campaigns have also evolved in how they are communicating to these networks. If 2008 was about simply reaching your audience, 2012 is about engaging with them. Why blast campaign messages, when you can communicate and activate your networks? Effective campaigns will actually take the pulse of a social network on issues. Often testing how a message resonates with an audience via a social network before rolling it into the full issue platform. Creating an inexpensive message test bed of sorts.

With tremendous growth in these networks, big data has become a big deal. It is no secret that campaigns are data mining databases of supporters and detractors alike. The Obama campaign recently launched Narwhal, which hopes to map its various supporters from fundraising efforts to various social networks; connecting the dots if you will. This will continue to be a bigger aspect of campaigns.

Online fundraising is made much easier with crowdsourcing these social networks. Campaigns have capabilities of taking advantage of an opponent’s gaffe or track the spread of negative sentiment in order to influence a donation opportunity in real time. Look for small dollar asks to broader audiences to continue to trend up. After all a $10 donation from 50,000 is no chump change.

Of course the question of “what’s the next big social technology in politics?” brought a typical political debate. But, do I really have to say Pinterest again?

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Listen to the full audio of the panel.

By Nancy Lim, Digital Marketing Manager, Vitrue
@nancy_elle

This may have been one of the most anticipated panels for me for two reasons.  The first is that I’ve always admired Nike and how they inspire their audience and move their communities.  The second is a little more obvious, his name is Jimmy Fallon.

I made sure to arrive 45 minutes early— the line still wrapped around the entire floor of the hotel.  But I had no reason to be surprised. The session starts with a roaring welcome for the panelists and Jimmy and kicks off with a fun introduction about what Nike is doing with their Nike+ program and the thoughts behind it.

With Nike+, users can track their physical activity throughout the day and share with their friends.  It turns athletics into a social game.  The thought process from Nike is that if users are empowered with knowledge of how they are working out- they will increase their physical activity. Know more, do more.

When the conversation turned to athletics becoming a social game, Jimmy referenced the video game SIMS and how his avatar running on the treadmill in the virtual world was the most social exercise he had. Of course, laughs followed.  Once the panels began wrapping up, they started Q&A.  I honestly can’t remember this guys question, but it ended with him and Fallon facing off in a sprint race.  See video below for the hilarity.

@jimmyfallon racing down the #sxsport aisle to test the @nikeplus Fuel Band. #sxsw

Mar 11, 2012| Source: Keek.com

SXSWi Session Recap: The State of Social

Panelists included:

Brad McCarthy, Managing Editor The Next Web

Joe Chernov, VP of Content Marketing for Eloqua

Becky Brown, Director, Social Media Strategy at Intel Corporation

Tyler Willis, Vice President of Business Development at Unified

Three topics were covered by this packed-house panel, the first of which was on global reach and local impact. The concept was quickly illustrated when the conversation turned to the new app Highlight. An example was made that spectators for this panel had traveled from all over yet many of us had the same application, this is global reach. The local impact aspect of the concept derives from however marketers choose to utilize this service to deliver value, whether it be a local deal or other incentive.

The next topic that was discussed on this panel was that of the persona of one. In this notion, marketers have the ability to market directly to the individual instead of the persona’s, or general demographics. Technologies, such as Highlight, have made this concept more of a reality yet many of the panelists felt as though this type of marketing crosses the creepy line long before we get there. Chernov made the comment that having a massive dossier on your client isn’t new, what’s different now is that people are giving it to you, they are volunteering their information and that makes the persona of one marketing more possible.

The final topic covered before turning to questions was that of the rise of tomorrow. In this segment, the panelists discussed the inevitable rise in marketing to youth. An example of fundraising efforts illustrated this point as Willis stated that most people will pick their 3 lifelong charities by the age of 30. She explained how these marketers are focused on talking to these individuals twenty years before they ever become meaningful prospects.

Overall, this was an interesting and insightful panel. Unfortunately, they had only prepared for thirty minutes of the hour long session, which let to a long and scattered Q&A session.

In this two-part series, PEMCO Insurance CMO Rod Brooks shares insights into how a regional insurance company sustains brand conversations with an unexpected strategy

Last week, I told you about important decisions all brands can make to engage with customers in meaningful ways.

Deciding to listen and deciding to be affected by what we heard were the first steps PEMCO Insurance, a regional mutual insurance company, took to shift the conversation from one that was centered on a product, to one that was centered on people.

The strategy behind that shift produced a multi-faceted advertising campaign that gave us the ability to connect with consumers on a local level.  Our message was simple: we’re different because we live, work, learn and play in the same communities as our customers, and understand their needs first-hand.

From there, we decided to act in ways that reflected our shared values and helped us develop true relationships with Northwest community members.

Decide to respond to what has affected you. In 2007, PEMCO rolled out the “We’re A Lot Like You. A Little Different.” campaign, and a series of unique Northwest Profiles, like the Sandals and Socks Guy, immediately resonated with local residents.  We weren’t talking about insurance, but we were connecting with a captive audience in new ways.

Continually developing the right Northwest Profiles that make people laugh and spark conversation challenges us to reflect on our local values and keep the campaign fresh with smart and funny content that mirrors the values the community tells us are important.

Decide to engage. A crucial component to PEMCO’s strategy is to prove our local edge through meaningful engagement with Northwest residents.

To show our local roots, we developed a year-round program of community event sponsorships, giving preference to events that reflect the values we share with our Northwest neighbors.  Teams of brand ambassadors represent PEMCO at fairs and festivals across the Northwest fostering meaningful engagement with word-of-mouth marketing tactics.

Most recently, a promotion with a local environmental trust challenged fans of the campaign to join the conversation online.  For every Facebook photo submitted in the spirit of PEMCO’s newest profile, the company pledged to plant a tree.

There are a boundless number of takeaways learned from building a successful campaign, but regardless of your industry and individual challenges, all brands have the ability to make four decisions that separate the ones that get it from those that may fall flat.

1. Decide to listen
2. Decide to be affected by what you hear
3. Decide to respond to what has affected you
4. Decide to engage

Having the courage to make unexpected decisions within each of these areas gave our regional, challenger-brand insurance company the power to shift the conversation and engage with customers in new and meaningful ways.

Imagine what a few simple decisions could do for you.

About PEMCO Insurance

PEMCO Insurance, established in 1949, is the Northwest’s largest locally based personal-lines insurer, providing auto, home, boat, life, and umbrella insurance to Northwest residents. The Seattle-based company sells personal-lines insurance through community agents throughout the region and through PEMCO offices. For more information, visit PEMCO.com.

Rod Brooks is vice president and chief marketing officer of PEMCO Insurance and is immediate past president of the WOMMA board of directors. Follow him on Twitter.

In this two-part series, PEMCO Insurance CMO Rod Brooks shares insights into how a regional insurance company sustains brand conversations with an unexpected strategy.

In the Northwest, everyone knows the guy who sports a pair of sandals with a pair of wool socks.  Around here, there are certain quirks that set the people of this corner of the country apart from other regions.

That’s the sentiment at the center of PEMCO Insurance’s award-winning “We’re A Lot Like You. A Little Different.” advertising campaign, which features more than 50 tongue-in-cheek descriptions of people frequently spotted around the Northwest, including the ever-popular Sandals and Socks Guy.

Just last week, PEMCO added five new Northwest Profiles to the mix, which were welcomed with fanfare from across the region.  And despite its nearly five-year run, the campaign continues to ring true for many of our friends and neighbors.  In fact, in December 2011, Seattle Magazine named it the “Best Local Ad Campaign We Never Tire Of.”

To get here, we developed a detailed branding strategy rooted in a series of decisions all brands can (and the smart ones do) make, which has helped pave the way for our campaign’s success.

Today, I’m going to tell you about two of those decisions.

Decide to listen. Long before any Northwest Profile came to life, we knew we needed to build a strong foundation of primary research to help inform our strategy.  We partnered with an independent researcher to conduct more than 100 in-home interviews to determine what resonates with Northwest residents. As we talked with our Northwest neighbors, we learned that local people like doing business with local companies.

Decide to be affected by what you hear. We developed a marketing strategy based on differentiating ourselves from national competitors on our ability to be hyper-local.  But it wasn’t enough just to say that we’re local, we needed to show our customers that we know them in ways that others don’t, proving our localness in credible ways.

For PEMCO, that meant using many of our engagement channels, including traditional advertising, to talk about the people who live here instead of insurance. That stance took a lot of courage: courage to take a smart risk, be bold and table the topic that’s central to our business operations.

These decisions are just half of the puzzle.  In my next post, I’ll share ways that smart brands can decide to act on what they hear to connect with their customers in meaningful ways.

About PEMCO Insurance

PEMCO Insurance, established in 1949, is the Northwest’s largest locally based personal-lines insurer, providing auto, home, boat, life, and umbrella insurance to Northwest residents. The Seattle-based company sells personal-lines insurance through community agents throughout the region and through PEMCO offices. For more information, visit www.pemco.com.

Rod Brooks is vice president and chief marketing officer of PEMCO Insurance and is immediate past president of the WOMMA board of directors. Follow him on Twitter.