What’s Your Anthem?

What’s your personal, social marketing, social change, change the world for the better, non-profit motivating, ignite the passion in people, representative of the times, light the fires anthem/song? or artist?

Here is my playlist so far…though I’m terribly behind in the music scene. =)

• John Lennon – Imagine
• Bob Dylan – Blowin’ in the Wind
• Sam Cooke – A Change is Gonna Come
• What’s Goin’ On – (depending on your generation) Marvin Gaye or Justin Timberlake/Black Eyed Peas
• Sly & The Family Stone – Everyday People
• Respect – Aretha Franklin
• Celine Dion – Call the Man
• Brandon Heath – I’m Not Who I Was
• R Kelly – I Believe I Can Fly
• Finger Eleven – One Thing
• Shania Twain – She’s Not Just a Pretty Face
• India Arie’s version of – The Heart of the Matter
• India Arie – Video
• India Arie – I am not My Hair
• Akon – Sorry, Blame it on Me
• Alicia Keys – Superwoman
• Michael Jackson – Man in the Mirror
• Michael Jackson – Heal the World
• John Mayer – Waiting on the World to Change
• Tim McGraw – Live Like You Were Dying
• Five for Fighting – 100 Years

I’m sure I left a ton out, so feel free to post your own in the comments. =)

***Update***

David Archuleta just sang the third verse of John Lennon’s Imagine on American Idol tonight.

Social Marketing Association Petition

Have you always felt like you spent more time cultivating your online relationships than your real ones?

With applications like: Twittr, Facebook, LinkedIn, del.icio.us, Flickr, your work email, your personal email, your blog, Huddle, MySpace, Listservs, newsletters, Google Analytics, Digg, BlogLines, RSSFeeds, Sitemeter, Technorati, ETC.!

Managing and connecting with people online takes a lot of time, and at times, remains fragmented and disjointed. So, here is what I suggest: Merging the Two Worlds.

***

Social marketing circles have largely debated the creation of a social marketing association, whether or not we should be under the American Marketing Association and whether the Social Marketing Institute should be revived. But while I research that history, I’m seeing the UK and Canada formulate public sector marketing associations, centers, programs, and institutes. At least in Massachusetts, they have a Massachusetts Social Marketing Association.

So, I’m beginning a petition. If you would like to see or join a “Social Marketing Association,” please join me in signing this ipetition. Reversing the Field of Dreams philosophy, if the people come, it will be built. =)

For more information about this issue, refer to Nedra Weinreich’s posting about her shared frustration.

Again, join us by signing the ipetition here. Feel free to pass along the petition.

One Thing

“If I traded it all
If I gave it all away for one thing
Just for one thing
If I sorted it out
If I knew all about this one thing
Wouldn’t that be something?”

***

This may not be the one thing the group Finger Eleven was singing about, but Rosetta Thurman of the blog Perspectives from the Pipeline asks about a certain one thing….

What one thing should we do to improve the state of the nonprofit sector?

At the prompt of this question, numerous ideas run through my head. But, one main idea that stands out among the rest is the following concept: collaboration.

In my opinion, increased collaboration could break down many of the barriers and challenges various causes, issues and non-profits. Collaboration increases the bank of ideas, funds, resources, talent and people. I’m not just declaring a collaboration of practitioners in our sector though, but a total collaboration: with academics, think tanks, politicians, government, the education system, as well as the NGOs.

Collaboration is often a buzzword in any organization or classroom. But what about if we revitalized what true collaboration could be?

• What if, for a cause, the executive director called a meeting of community members or held a forum for bloggers to collaborate with them on solving issues?
• What if management and staff switched roles for a day to better understand each other’s role and position.
• What if journalists sat and discussed issues with lobbyists as well as politicians and each other?
• What is NGOs partnered with research institutions to see how to better address policy issues?
• What is research institutions talked to journalists to learn to find out more about what the stories are and what begs attentions and remains unexplored?

Now, I know the question asked specifically about the non-profit sector…but what is the nonprofit sector? What is the private sector? or the public sector? Why divisions and not more communication and more collaboration? How do the three relate? I think the non-profit sector needs to infiltrate the other sectors through the tools of collaboration…and social change for the welfare of the public may be heightened.

*I will also note that this concept of collaboration is one I continue to explore and educate myself on as it is one area of my research, so I encourage comments or suggestions.

***

“If (we) knew all about this one thing……wouldn’t that be something?!?”

Cast Your Vote 4 the Best Medium: Television or the Internet?

Now before you go….’This is so 90’s’….hang with me here…

At a seminar the other day with a worldwide advertising agency that will remain anonymous, we were discussing the best, most effective ‘medium’ that exists today. According to our executive speaker, he stated it was – the television.

This was much to the surprise of my younger peers, though less experienced yet with high levels of education, believing it is – the internet. Some of you may stop reading here, and think duh! it’s the internet. We had this debate back in the 90s….move on. But, in 2008, is this deduction still premature? I mean, just look at this year’s Superbowl spots: $2.5 million for 30 seconds…and do we see this trend stopping?

History shows that the use and integration of technology follows the bell curve. When television first started, no one wanted to invest in it, thinking the radio was the best medium out there. Thus brings us to our debate: What is today’s best medium to approach audiences?

I am also not the first to bring up this debate. So, in the comments, cast your vote: television or the internet and why?

Non-Profit Blog Exchange: Virtual Event

For the Non-Profit Blog Exchange’s 8th Virtual Event, top bloggers in social marketing and non-profit communications are writing posts about each other’s blogs and posts. This is SocialButterfly’s inaugural debut in the Non-Profit Blog Exchange, so insightful feedback is always appreciated.

My blog in focus is Nancy E. Schwartz’ blog Getting Attention. Operating since May 2007, the blog acts ‘as a resource of ideas, tactics and tips for nonprofit communicators.’

Ms. Schwartz is founder of Nancy Schwartz & Company, a marketing and communications firm for non-profits and foundation clients. She also manages her blog Getting Attention and Getting Attention’s e-newsletter.

I had come across Ms. Schwartz’ blog previously when she participated in a round of the Carnival for Non Profit Consultants on Dec. 3, 2007. To be transparent, I am a fan of her blog and the information it provides. The site is easy to navigate, is practical, insightful and offers a variety of content on various topics within the social marketing and non-profit communications world.

I’d like to respond to a specific post of Ms. Schwartz titled: Leverage Prez Hopefuls’ Understanding of Women to Increase Your Nonprofit Marketing Impact. Having just come from a seminar at the Sewall-Belmont House & Museum on Women in Politics, this topic is currently on my mind.

In her post, Ms. Schwartz analyzed the current political debate combined with a New York Times article about how gender influences politics to formulate some non-profit marketing insights on the female target.

Her insights are great and helpful. It’s the premises that catch my attention. Take the first premise: Women vote to protect their interests (men vote because they enjoy politics). However, I know lots of men who are concerned with protecting their interests and just as many women (such as those who gathered at the Women in Politics seminar tonight) who are passionate about politics.

Let’s look at another premise: Women network organically so they already have a network or two in place. One of tonight’s speakers, a Virginia state legislator veteran would also attest, that she learned how to fund raise and garner support from observing the ‘good old boys’ network.

Now don’t get me wrong, I agree and find Ms. Schwartz’ marketing insights on women helpful. I also admire how she took a very popular current event and made it relevant to us non-profiteers. I am just reflecting a lot on women, gender, politics and how they relate. My faithful readers will observe that I am big into concepts and terms and how they relate, ;). It’s the academic in me.

So, in closing, let me leave you with this New York Times article from Feb. 10, 2008 titled: When Women Rule. The author of this article poses the question: Can a woman leader be both liked and perceived as qualified and effective? According to this author and others, a woman leader can either be liked or perceived as competent…but not both. You can see how this ties into the article on female target marketing and women politics.

My thoughts on this were phrased well by Missouri Secretary of State Robin Carnahan tonight at the Sewall-Belmont seminar when Carnahan voiced, with enthusiasm and motivation (paraphrased from memory):

“Is running for a political office hard? Yes. Is it hard for anyone? Yes. Is it harder for women and minorities? Yes. Is it unfair? Yes. But let’s get to the ground running.”

Thus, using Ms. Schwartz’ demonstration of creating relevance from an important topic to us marketers and nonprofiteers….let’s hit the ground running with our social marketing and non-profit communication skills and talents all you fellow SocialButterflies!

…to change lives and the quality of life for all!

You’re Going to Love This: The Hits Log

Hits Log. You’ve heard of WordTracker or Web Positions to help you optimize your website for search engine optimization. But, to really reap the benefits, you have to buy those. But this one is free. Yes, friends, I said free.

 It doesn’t nessarily help you with targetting your keywords, but it does allow you to track your:

• Google, Yahoo and MSN: Search Engine Ranking
• Google Page Rank Value and Checker
• Link Popularity

by KEYWORD!

For fun, I found this websites google page rank value for the keyword “social marketing.” SocialButterfly came in with a 6. Not too shabby for the third month in.

 Feel free to try it, for any keyword, for any site you’re curious about. Enjoy! =)

Web 2.0 Wednesday – Super Tuesday Super Cool: When Google Met Twitter

 

So, I’ll leave the political analysis to those more qualified, but I will point out a super cool social media event that also took place on Super Tuesday: Google Met Twitter.

Google teamed up with Twitter and Twittervision to show on Google maps, people’s comments through Twitter about the elections and Super Tuesday. and, it was live! Every few seconds the map would change and take you halfway across the world to a person’s comment in Malta, then to Australia, then to Southern California. This continued throughout the day. Then, as the night continued, reported live results too.

Talk about relevance!

This is what social media is all about…and can be about when used and optimized to full potential. Many social marketing clients may get nervous when venturing into new territory, and then again, nowadays, anyone can make a MySpace or a Facebook. But, taking the risks, venturing outside the box, adding to the tools in your belt, and you can come up with fun, interactive, attention-getting technology and marketing.

Wanted to share the tidbit.

Click here to check it out. Not sure how long Google and Twitter plan on keeping the application live however.

Superbowl PSA Advertisement: Parents, The Anti-Drug

Was anyone else surprised to see this PSA advertisement in the middle of the $2.5 million dollar 30 second ad slots?

At work, rumor has it that the time was really donated for the PSA. How cool is this? Perhaps with other big events and future Superbowls we will start seeing this more and more. My question is though….how did they get this gem of an ad placement? Out of all the non-profits and PSA messages, how did Parents: The Anti-Drug sneak in there? Next year, let’s give them a ton of PSAs to choose from, maybe this will get them to do more of it!

Also, with all the Superbowl advertising water cooler talk, here’s another great tidbit and interactive resource provided by the New York Times: The Super Ad Bowl: Two Decades of Players.

It allows you to view a break down of which types of ads ran each year, what type of genre they used, who advertised, and an one-line synopsis of the advertisement.

Update: The First PSA in-game advertisement was supposedly a 15 second slot by CBS Cares, the NFL and United Way in 2007’s superbowl. Read more here.

Already, for 2008, we saw an increase. the 30-second Parents: The Anti-Drug ad, and Tom Brady’s United Way PSA advertisement as well. Keep the PSA times coming!