Pearls with a Side of Marketing

In just a few hours, Super Bowl 50 will commence. Two first-round quarterbacks will go head to head--one at the beginning of his career, the other nearing the end of his. In fact, many speculate that today's game will be Peyton Manning's last. Thirteen years ago, Manning was the same age as Cam Newton is today. Thirteen years ago, Newton was likely watching television aspiring to be like Manning and other stellar quarterbacks of that day.

Today the world lost a rock and roll legend. David Bowie was transformational in every way. He was also enduring. Generations were touched by Bowie’s music, movies, and live theater.As we mourn his passing and reflect on his career, we can learn a great deal about Bowie--the man and the brand.

Bowie was transformational and enduring, and so was his music. Upon learning of his death, fans representing multiple generations immediately connect--on a guttural level--with the feelings his music evoked and can go right back to the point in time when the words were most personally meaningful.This is among the most powerful connections an individual can have with a brand.

And like Bowie (and his Ziggy Stardust persona), his brand evolved over time. As marketers in the making, we’ve watched Bowie over the decades and learned lessons including the value of good and bad PR, crisis management, product extensions (movies, live theater, new music genres), product failures, brand evolution, brand maturation, and industry leadership and inspiration (think Lady Gaga).In hindsight, the words from “Changes” are more apropos than ever.

So farewell Bowie the man. And long live Bowie the brand.

My husband was kind enough to preorder the newest book about Billy Martin for me. Frankly, he was surprised that I was so eager to read it when I read the review in Wall Street Journal last weekend. I don’t currently follow baseball at all.

In fact, as a child barely in double-digit age range, I was an avid Yankees fan. In my youth, I knew the lineup, the player’s stats, and even their weights, and names of their children. I was there each time Billy got mad, got glad, got fired, got rehired. While I was somewhat oblivious to it, watching the Yankees helped me in math, history, geography, strategy, made me want to improve my physical game, taught me lessons in marketing and public speaking (thanks Phil!), and of course how to treat people and how not to treat people.

I'm a big fan of Facebook. I really "like" it. Facebook allows me to connect with family and friends across the country, even across the globe. In fact, one of my good friends is a mere 12-hour plane ride away and with Facebook, its messenger, and Skype its like she's just across town.

I'm not just a consumer though, I'm a marketer. Wearing that hat, I still "like" Facebook. It's just become more of an advertising channel for me (like buying web banners and mobile ads) than the real connector to audiences that it once was.

I recently sat down with colleagues at The Strong museum in Rochester, New York to discuss our Facebook strategy for the coming year. We've worked over the past two years to build our fan base to some 45,000 "likes" and up until a few months ago each of our posts reached 20 to 30 percent of that base. Recent changes with Facebook means natural reach from company posts now average about 2 percent of "likes" and that number is projected to diminish further. And rates to boost your post, turning it into paid content, have increased exponentially and the reach of that paid content has also diminished.

So what to do? Here's are some of the ideas we are testing in the first quarter:

1. sponsored content will have links to the museum's website rather than the museum Facebook page. The ROI on website hits exceed the value of "likes" for the museum.

2. more video, to the extent that it is feasible for our very small staff and limited resources. Our highest reaching posts, both natural and paid, include video.

3. more interactive Facebook posts (natural reach): ask a question, get an opinion.

4. equal proportions of what's happening at the museum for members and guests and their families (programs and exhibits), with posts about what's happening behind the scenes.

5. better understand and deploy retargeting.

I went to the dentist for a check up on Friday and he hesitated when informing me that a small cavity had developed in one of my teeth and it would be better to have it taken care of sooner than later. To his surprise, I said' "Wonderful.This will be a great opportunity." Looking puzzled at my response, I explained that my daughter was home on college intersession and was studying for her dental school entrance exams. I asked if she could observe. He agreed and we'll all see each other again on Monday.

I applaud Rochester's Memorial Art Gallery, not just because it brought the wonderful traveling shows Infinity Boxes and Little Golden Books to the community, but because through those exhibits it introduced a greater sense of interaction with guests. Laughter, banter, smiles, and wonder were commonplace during the run of the shows allowing diverse audiences to enjoy interaction with art. Some came to experience the Infinity Boxes or to reminisce and enjoy the art behind the Little Golden Books of their childhood, but so many more left with a new appreciation of Matisse, ancient Egypt and Rome, or the Renaissance.