.. and this is not easy…. the market is currently critically missing these digital talents, the real ones. Why? Simply because they do not yet exist.

Think about it: 15 years ago, the Internet was just coming up and we were clueless on what to do with it. I confess, I was one of those asking “Google? What is Google?” and “Blog? Why would anyone want to blog?” (Shame on me…. but that was 15 years ago….). Yes, over the past 10 years, new medium, new communications, new technologies have been developed and they continue to transform the marketing landscape. Then came the Social Media phenomenon, which has totally challenged and changed our notion of marketing and business.

Naturally, brands, agencies and schools could not plan ahead and were not prepared for that revolution. A business is a business, and must still be managed the traditional way. The company buys raw materials, modifies them or creates a product to be sold. Production cycles, BOM, food chain calculations, competitors analysis, downstream marketing, upstream marketing, RACI table, product matrix, KUSP, sales kit, you name them…. it took us 25 years of marketing to create a proper framework to understand and maximize our ways of working in a traditional economy….

Now, in 2012, what is left of it? Nothing, and yet, everything. Herein lies the issue. Nothing is left because, YES, it is the reality that the fast-paced 100%-connected world, mobile dealing with 0% attention-pan customers is affecting our marketing fundamentals. Everything, because YES, it still goes back to the same fundamentals and everyone who is denying it is actually either not connected to the reality or lying to himself.

So, how do we find professionals who have the grand mix of an extensive knowledge of business, networks and product launches, a true insight into the the ways of working of global MNCs, and an in-depth knowledge of new communication rules and technologies? It is like mixing old school with new school, like asking a seasoned pilot of a WWII Spitfire to fly a new F31 jet. Expecting an old marketeer to run a digital department or company is as realistic as assuming a private pilot is able to fly an Airbus A380…. Yes, both of them have their pilot license, but they need a dedicated qualification. Being a marketer is not good enough, you need to get dedicated trained on digital, hence the digital certification…

Hence, the problem. In this card-shuffling exercise, numerous clients face the near-impossible task of hiring people with the right talents. We have this issue as well, to be honest…while it is easier by comparison to recruit dedicated specialized skilled people in one field of activity (eg, digital designer, mobile programmer, UX experts….), unearthing talents, young or senior who have both broad vision and sharp acumen is as good as looking for the proverbial needle in a haystack. The higher we go in the hierarchy, the more difficult it is as we need to have a combination of effective management skills, sound business and market knowledge and a thorough understanding of the above.

While many people proclaim themselves digital experts or social media experts (run a casual search in Linkedin, you will be amazed), I am sorry, I have to bring you down to reality. Experience working on a Facebook campaign does not a digital strategist make. Being in the employ of Groupon does not qualify you as a digital marketeer …. The same applies to agencies…10 years in a creative agency does not necessarily equate to your being a digital savvy person… Of course, there are talents out there but in the midst of the digital noise, they are almost impossible to identify. What do I think? Well, key qualities I look for are: a wide-ranging proven business and marketing experience, a thorough understanding of the technology, open-mindedness, an analytic mindset, incredible attention to details, an ability to be focused, the discipline to work smart as well as hard, and the initiative and passion to keep up with or even stay on top of changes. Product marketing experience in a CE is a strong plus and of course the icing on the cake would be if there is real first-hand digital expertise from either developing, working on or creating content.

It would seem natural to go to schools and institutions. The reality is they have difficulty in catching up. This is becoming the playground for dozens of so-called “training” companies that are self-proclaimed “digital training experts” that deliver content, sometimes below the actual level of your own marketeer’s knowledge. The “Digital Bible” is not out there…yet… :=) and in the meantime, the door is open to all types of content. Schools struggle to catch up because the degree of difficulty involved in to create digital content is very low and falling lower all the time. API, developers’ kits… anyone can create a page, an app, a social media page, a website, all in a blink. However, building them so that they are able to deliver the desired results is way more complicated and has nothing to do with technology, and (back to my first point) everything to do with marketing and business…

Changes bring confusion and we are in the middle of it. Let’s start calling a spade a spade. I am comtemplating creating a “Digital Conduct Chart” in a move towards having a proper standard for all of us – Strategy means Strategy… Measurement means measurement… CTA means CTA…. Objectives are real objectives and not just a line on an agency briefing….

Looking for digital talents, always. You guys are very difficult to find because you are a rare animal and you still need training, like all of us …. :=)

BTW, if you happen to know some of those talents, (up to MD / GM ) who want to have fun while working (very) hard, you know where to find us….

Happy New Year!!!… :=) Ok, I am not the first one and definitely will not be the last one spamming everyone with best wishes…..

Let’s have a look at how many times we have received those wishes and through how many tools: snail mail, edM, email, sms, mms, WhatsApp, Viber, LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter…. our message boxes are flooded with digital wishes… :=)

Does it make us feel more loved? Does it mean we feel more connected to those we wish and are wished by? No, it just means that Digital and Technology today allows us to spam faster and wider. Therefore, I would like to share with you my dream wish list for us yo use properly Digital in 2012.

1) Use Digital
If you are not yet convinced, then 2012 IS the year. Digital is no longer a question mark – it is a ‘must-do’, a ‘must-use’ for every brand, product and marketeer. It is not that Digital has to replace your current marketing plan or activity but every company must incorporate a Digital component in its marketing plan.

2) Use Digital production effectively
Using Digital does not mean replacing your marketing activity with a website, a mobile site or a Facebook page. It is about understanding the role of the dedicated activity in the entire marketing mix and allocating a specific objective to the Digital component. After defining the mapping of the marketing activity, it is critical to realize where the loopholes are and identify the role of Digital in the creation of a connection to your consumers.

3) Do not reinvent the Digital wheel
Most brands have a good base when it comes to Digital assets. Frequently, we realize that the current effectiveness of the marketing activities is well increased by tweaking the current workflow, engagement process, setting up proper response mechanics, metrics, dashboards and mapping properly all assets. Therefore, instead of reinventing the wheel by creating a new website, social media page or CRM program, the priority should be on defining the low hanging fruits from the current activity and solving them before spending a big budget in creative directions.

4) Elevate the Digital discussion beyond production: Digital roadmap
While it is essential to have some Digital assets in the marketing plan, most of the time, it is more important to have a digital strategy discussion before deciding on those assets. In order to properly embrace a digital roadmap, it is crucial to define the digital readiness of the company and evaluate what the internal company priorities are. This is especially so since Digital impacts how every department in the company engages customers, and changes the customers’ expectations.

5) Allocate a decent Digital budget
Every company decides its own budget allocation and the split between digital and traditional marketing will vary based on the industry and the market needs. However, a digital marketing budget below 5% of your entire A&P will put the company in a very difficult position for the future. We recommend a budget allocation of between 10%-15% with a target of 20%.

6) Define the proper Digital metrics
Bear in mind, Digital give you access to a vast quantity of data and numbers. These numbers should not be used directly as a measurement element. They must be properly and accurately analyzed, compared and defined versus a pre-defined target. This entire process must be ascertained before the start of the campaign to ensure that there is a factual discussion on the results at the end.

7) Collect the right data
After the activity is in place, all the touch points would be used to collect data. However, the collection mechanics, the type of data to collect, the storage and application of the data must be specified beforehand. As consumers are increasingly bombarded with information, it is imperative to make their life easier and only ask for relevant data. Such data should then only be used in a controlled environment.

Maintain your Digital assets
Once your platform, Facebook page, website or mobile site is live, the next important step is to maintain it. There must be a clear definition of roles, content, process, roadmap and frequencies to update the content. A dedicated team should take the lead to engage discussion, while another team defines a content calendar and a discussion manager engages clients with proposals of topics.

9) Create a Consumer Engagement Plan
Aim to move away from the push marketing syndrome towards creating a real 2-way communication with consumers. Be it social media, website, offline or online, marketing activities are no longer about push but about pull and feedbacks. While it is vital of course to maintain some brand elements in the “push marketing”, there should be a systematic feedback loop to address and engage consumers beyond the one-off promotional element.

10) Hyper Segment instead of Mass Segment
Finally, resist the temptation to add or create hundreds of microsites, Facebook pages, websites, and mobile apps to push the same content. Be selective, and harness only the relevant channel or medium to accurately address your target audience with a relevant message. While this might require a bit more planning by the agency (the good news for you as the client is that you not have to do it…) :=) , it definitely ensures better results! Technology today allows you to send a real 1:1 message to your audience, from edM to QR codes to emails to print. From the nominative content, the offer can be linked to a database while respecting a generic framework and template. Every customer would receive a dedicated personalized offer that addresses him and him only.

Digital is great, it allows more things, more connections, more engagement than we could have dreamt of in the past. However, Digital must be applied differently, not as a ‘copy and paste’ of our ATL or promotional mechanics on Twitter, Facebook or mobile apps. Integrate Digital in your marketing plan, introduce a Digital mindset in your company, teach Digital properly, show Digital opportunities to your management, engage your audience and be real and open.

These are my Digital wishes for 2012.

Hi everyone

After reviewing the games and the console, I spent a bit more time on a couple of specific features.

Once again, let me give you my settings :

- Japanese PS Vita Wifi-3G, updated with English menu

- Vita linked to a PSN Europe account

- Vita activated through the same PSN European account

- Living in Singapore

I believe this is important because you will see about the connection between all elements

2) 3G connection : Not locked but unclear

As written in the previous post, even if you purchased a PS Vita in Japan, i.e with a SIM card linked to DoCoMo, my VITA was able to detect another provider in Singapore. This is a good news as it seems not be locked to a network only. (Like AT&T in USA)

However, I  could not connect to any other telco, despite trying out different SIM cards. Nothing surprising I should say. I need to wait to see when the Vita will be released in Singapore to test and see if there are any dedicated data plans prepared for it like the iPad.

3) PSN Connectivity : ONE ACCOUNT ONLY

As discussed as well, you can only log in with 1 account through PSN and cannot switch to another one unless you reformat the console.

4) PSN Store

This is a pain… :=) so far at least…. :=) Probably because I do not live in japan, probably because the store is region locked. I tried the following combinations and could not make it work

Conclusion, which is a very bad news, it seems the store is region locked. Nothing surprising to lock a store to a region, what is more surprising is to lock the access to the store from another region. For example, even with a valid European PSN account I could not connect to the store in Europe, same for an Asian configuration.

I’m assuming none of the stores have Vita content yet except for the Japanese one and I could not find a way to connect to the Japanese PSN store yet (so troublesome those things).

From a marketing point of view, this is a mistake. Consumer are already copying a lot of illegal content so one way to push them to buy legal content is to give them access to the store regardless of the region I am. For example, I have a Vita, I am in Japan, give me access to the Japanese store if I want to buy! Imagine a shop telling you:

FOREIGNERS FORBIDDEN!

This would be absurd right? Well this is the same for online purchase. Imagine if we stop people from buying a CD in a record store when he is on holiday because he does not live in that country…. Stupid… :=) but no, we prevent you to buy online itunes store from USA for example….:=( anyway…..

5) Transfer Media / Games

This is a second major flaw in the current system and I sincerely hope this is because I did not find a way to make it work.

What I wanted to do: Buy content from PSN Store through Media GO (For example, video, demo.) and transfer them to VITA.

Result: 100% failure !

Reason: Seems the only way to transfer content from VITA from a PC is to use the new application called Content Management Application (CMA).

First mistake: Introducing new software. Seriously, why do you make (SONY) your life so complicated and do you make my life (consumer) so complicated ?

Second mistake: The software is not a software, but a plugin….. :=( At least from what I can see so far. Connecting my Vita to my PC, I see it, but I do not have anyy window with file transfer from PC, just from Vita BAD….Maybe, once again, there is something I have missed there.

As a result, I have tried to transfer my purchased software and none of them worked. It makes me a bit worried about  backward compatibility of PSP games…..or maybe again I missed something there.

Maybe when Vita will be released in Singapore, we will have a proper application or maybe when Vita will be released in Feb, we will have an update of Media Go or the CMA that will allow the transfer.

In any case, this is very badly handled. In a company like Sony, I do not understand (as a marketer) why:

1) are instructions not clear.

2) are changes not explained

3) I cannot purchase or made easier for me.

My guess is because Sony is paranoid about piracy, they create more frustration and possibly actually generate….more piracy… :=(

6) Social media features

I tested a couple of integrated social features. First the Facebook connect works well. For each new icon, my Facebook wall is updated.

The application called ‘Near” is great. It allows you to see who is playing around you (no one yet, that is the price to be the first one lol). Connection with geo-localisation is great and easy and it looks like their own version of Foursquare.

Next features, Friends. I tried that with my friend (yes I brought him one from Japan, lucky Joe..:=) ) and we could see each others and chat, but I was not impressed by the notification system and it did not feel easy to talk or see each other . For example, I had to launch the application to see his invitation… :=( I did not see an notification

The great feature is that trophies are updated through PS Vita, PS3 and PSN and the other awesome features is the social game rating.

In a nutshell, you can add icons to the game you play and see how other players rate it. I love it! But I would love it even more if I can see the reviews for all the games played even though I have not bought them. Maybe that will be available or maybe it already is but I’ll only know when more people get the Vita

7) Size of saved games and system

For now, I cannot find the size for the system. The games are al listed inside the application data management but there is no size indicated on it.

If you click on the game icon on the home page, you can get the game info, here it is :

- Ridge racer : 2688KB

- Uncharted : 3008KB

- Asphalt : NA

- Marvel vs capcom : NA

- PowerSmash4 : NA

- Darkquest : 544KB