VizSense Insights

I just returned from speaking at the Chief Marketing Technologist Exchange conference where I had the opportunity to listen to and meet with several martech industry leaders while there -- people like the @chiefmartec himself, Scott Brinker, who is not only an influencer but a super smart creative who is a masterful blend of Picasso’s perspective and Edison’s utility, and leaders from McDonald’s, Netflix, HP and more.  Throughout the conference, one message was clear: To be effective today, you must be holistic in perspective and utility.

The new Star Wars movie is out, spoilers abound and light sabers are 
being sighted from Beijing to Boston. At VizSense, we’ve been tracking
Star Wars trailers, collecting who is sharing and identifying which fans
“use the force” to reach millions. As our servers crunched the 100 million
plus social media interactions, it began to feel as though we were taking
direct fire from the Death Star. However, we made it through and found a
new legion of Star Wars fans that George Lucas should hire.

In my last post, I wrote about superfans -- avid, engaged, passionate
and supportive fans who can drive brand equity. As you may remember, these passionate advocates are one of a brand’s best opportunities for creating new audiences, awareness and sometimes, new revenue streams.

I was born and raised outside of Boston, a city built on rivalries and passionate opinion -- just ask me about Jim Rice trying to charge me for his autograph when I was 6 years-old. Whether it’s a Yanks joke or a poke at the Bills, someone has an opinion about another’s team in good times and bad. In fact, the biggest scandal since the Boston Tea Party was Deflate Gate, an event that only galvanized and heightened the level of fan support behind the New England Patriots. There are all types of fans: dedicated fans, fair weather fans, bandwagon fans or even “Uncle Rico” fans (a la Napolean Dynamite) who could have “gone pro.” Regardless of the type, fans inspire us, compel us, define us and certainly drive revenue for us. In fact, recent research illustrates how powerful the equity of an NFL team’s fans can be for the brand.  

The Big Data buzz will certainly hit home for many marketing execs this holiday season. Unfortunately, it’s not a buzz from that hefty Christmas bonus, but more like a buzz that creeps in after your fifth trip to the punch bowl at the annual holiday party. This year more than ever, EVPs and CMOs will be hunting for that illustrious “golden printout” with a dashboard of charts and numbers about marketing campaign performance to showcase at the year’s final board of directors meeting in less than a month. For some, this is their time to shine. For others, this is a time fraught with questions like “Will I have the right data to help me answer the board members’ many questions?”

According to the U.S. Small Business Administration and the last census, there are over 2.4 million veteran-owned business in the United States, employing 5.7 million people and generating over $210 billion in payroll. And while veterans like me are seven percent of the population, we own nearly 10 percent of American businesses. Even more interesting is that 22 percent of veterans in the U.S. were either purchasing or starting a business, or considering doing so, in the study period.