BtoS for BtoB : What Does the Next Generation of Marketers Need to Know?
Kat Mandelstein // Social Media Maven, Digital Native, Music Lover, Global Citizen, Wife, Mother, MBA, Vice President of Social Media Club Austin, Chief Collaboration Cheerleader and Director @ IBM Collaboration Solutions in IBM Software for our Marketing, Web and Events (But these opinions are my own)
Last week I traveled to Armonk, NY headquarters of IBM for a planning meeting and then into the city after that for meetings at Ogilvy, our advertising agency at their offices, that happen to be in an old Chocolate Factory (very cool, but not quite Willie Wonka).
I had one night in New York City to spend with Mandy, so she made a reservation at a top-ranked Vegan restaurant that we had both been wanting to try, Candle 79. We journeyed from the LES to the UES for our reservation, but our table was not ready, so we journeyed a few blocks until we found a wine and tapas bar to sit and visit for awhile, called Pil Pil. Still wondering why the staff had on Doctor Seuss Thing 1, Thing 2, Thing 3...etc shirts. Maybe one of my New York Friends can clue me in on that one. Cute place and the roof is decorated in branches which made it feel like you were in an adult treehouse.
The hostess at Candle 79 was supposed to call us when our table was ready, but forgot...so eventually we ventured back and had dinner. I had high hopes because they make the best frozen vegan meals I have EVER had. They are amazing and you can find them at Whole Foods. My kale salad was very good, but my heirloom lasagna, well was not what I was expecting and was not lasagna at all...more like a tomato stack with cashew cheese and sauce. I would go back, and will try their sister restaurant on another trip, Candle Cafe, but I would still put Blossom at the top of my list for Vegan restaurants in NYC. Anyway, enough about my meal and why I am really writing this blog post in the first place...
When we left the restaurant, we hailed a cab and much to our suprise, it was the cab of the "Happy Cabby." This is one cab ride I will never forget and his words have been haunting me (in a good way) for days. He called Mandy the Princess and said I must be the... and Mandy answered Queen. And he said, ah yes the Queen Mother; - ) He then shared his message of how to be truly happy in life, of spreading health, wealth, peace, love and progress. He stressed how important it was to do good things for others and to focus sending negativity "out the window." He said to Keep smiling, keep smiling, keep smiling...don't bring stress into this "wonderful super-cala-fragalistic-expialidoshus world."
Mandy and I giggled the whole way back to her apartment while he shared his wisdom as we road along the moonlit river with our hair blowing from the open windows and a mixed CD that the Happy Cabby's 15 year old son made him blaring from the speakers to flashing lights in the cab. He was very proud of his son who apparently is doing very well in school from what the Happy Cabby told us and I am guessing is as optimistic as his father. Turns out from researching him on the web, that he is an Egyptian Immigrant and his name is Ibrahim. He has even brought joy into other passengers' lives by playing match maker to single customers who have never met, getting their phone numbers and then introducing them to each other via phone.
It was one cab ride I will never forget. The following day, I got to ride in the "Brand New Cab" on the way to JFK on it's first day on the street. Was still not as exciting as the Happy Cab. Kristie Wells who is the founder of Social Media Club which I sit on the Board of Directors for, suggested we find the Cash Cab on our next trip to New York for the Social Media Masters event that I am speaking at on September 23rd. My session is "Becoming a Social Business: IBM's Journey."
If you happen to be in NYC that week, please join me! You can register with my speaker discount code SMMKM30 which will give you 30% off registration.
It has been a crazy few weeks the last few weeks between work, Social Media Club and trying to get my son ready to go off to college, so I have been lax on blogging here or posting links to my btoblog on the BtoB Magazine Web site. So, a week late, wanted to add a direct link back to my post on a topic that I feel very passionate about and have received a lot of positive feedback on in Google+, Twitter and Facebook. So if you missed it there last week you can read about my plea for a more agile approach to creating marketing plans. Times have changed, marketing planning has not...so let's all do something about it!
Cariocas are very affectionate, they always hug and kiss you on both cheeks when they greet you. I like the Brazilian way of saying hello, but those of you who know me well, know that I am a hugger to begin with. They also talk with their hands. I do this some to, but find myself now doing it all the time and with much more expression.
They are also VERY passionate about sports, especially their Soccer teams. Last week two fans got shot by fans of the opposing team and last night the visiting team was staying in our hotel and fans of the local team they are playing today set off fireworks every two hours throughout the night, so that they would be sleepy and not play well. Unfortunately due to IBM Security concerns on our hotel fire code, I think they did a better job of keeping my team up since we have to stay on the second floor of the hotel. YAAAWWWNNN.
I do not speak much Portuguese, but because I do speak Spanish, I can read and translate a lot of the words on signs and menus since the words have a lot of similarities. I actually caught myself reading the subtitles in Portuguese when I was watching an American movie when I couldn't sleep last night forgetting that I didn't need the subtitles!
The locals have been full of recommendations for restaurants, bars and things to do with our evenings and weekends. One of our local colleagues told us about a bar called Jobi and said it had the best Dirty Feet beer in town. We thought she was telling us about a brand of beer called Dirty Feet and tried to order it and got lots of strange looks from waiters. Brazilians like a lot of cheese on everything. Cheese bread is served at almost every meal and most vegetable dishes have lots of cheese. So needless to say, I have switched from Vegan to Vegetarian on this trip. Best meal I have had so far was at a cute little Organic restaurant in the trendy area of Impanema called Market. It was Quinoa Crepes with roasted vegetables. Have also had good pasta, pizza, plantains, pumpkin and an interesting dish made from course flour, olive oil and seasoning called Farofa. There are also fresh coconuts available everywhere to drink. Love this and have been having at least one a day. Other favorite local beverages are Caipirinhas and Chopes, but I have not been drinking those daily or I would not get my work done.
Our local host, a retired IBMer also told us about the Submarine Races. We have not gone in search of them though....there are not real submarine races. Apparently the locals use this as an excuse when they go on a date to go sit on a beautiful beach with their date.
Tonight we may learn to Samba at a Discoteque, Carioca de Gema, recommended to me by my friend, Anna Foat from RIM. We are celebrating the 40th birthday of my IBM Colleague and Executive Service Corps team member Vinodh. I celebrated Mother's Day here as well. My husband was sweet and smuggled cards from him and my son into my luggage so that I found them when I unpacked and opened them on Mother's Day here.
Our clients are the Departments of Education, Healthcare and Transportation for the City of Rio. We are working on special Smarter Cities Projects for them and have spent time in their impressive Operations Center, schools throughout the city, hospitals and healthcare centers witnessing what it is really like first hand so that we have good understanding for our recommendations.
Slowly, but surely I am learning the ways of the Cariocas and fitting in, despite being almost 6 feet tall, blonde and fair skinned...
You can follow our adventures in pictures too.
Like many in Austin, I migrated here from California, but by way of El Paso...Alpine....UT Austin and then Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. I tell many I was a Californian by birth, and Austinite by choice. Unlike the rest of Texas, Austin is a more liberal, creative oasis even though it is smack dab in the middle of the state and the State Capital sits here. Austin has had many slogans over the years including "City of Ideas","The Live Music Capital of the World" and one of the local favorites, "Keep Austin Weird." Locals know that the Weird is a good thing, it means free to be creative, unique, sometimes a bit eccentric but also it means supporting local businesses. Austin is not a city of strip malls and chain restaurants and that is part of what gives it it's own unique charm.
I was fortunate enough to have called myself a Longhorn, but back then if you wanted a decent paying job upon graduation, you did not stay in Austin, So I hired on to an ad agency in Las Colinas near Dallas and worked there and then JCPenney headquarters in various marketing roles and when the internet took off leading jcpenney.com. Many years later, we had the opportunity to move back here or to Boulder for my husbands job and decided to come back here since we both loved and still came back to visit often. A lot had changed in the 9 years we were gone...the internet had taken off and Austin was no longer a college and political town, it was an epicenter for high tech and Austin had grown and progressed by leaps and bounds. With the expansion, they had turned Hwy 183 as a real Hwy instead of a four lane street and had begun discussing a light rail which finally came to fruition last year to make it easier to get around. We fell in love with Austin all over again.There is so much to do here. Amazing parks and lakes, live music everywhere including the airport, all forms of art and theater, terrific restaurants...particularly Tex-Mex and Barbeque. While you are here If you have never tried one, be sure to try a Mexican Martini...The Cedar Door is a great place to try one near the Austin Convention Center and it is a historic legend in Austin. Another real benefit of living in Austin is the cost of living is very reasonable for a city of it's size and no state income taxes. If you hate the cold, like I do then you will appreciate we rarely have snow or ice and if we have even an inch it is a major deal. Most of the year you can wear shorts and flip-flops if you like. It gets a bit toasty in August, but then that's a good excuse for a Day on Lake Travis and just hop in the water for a swim to cool off.
My roots are now firmly planted in Austin, I have had had job offers in NY, Silicon Valley, Seattle and San Diego over the last decade and have turned them all down both because I love this place and because they would have had to give me a huge increase for me to enjoy the quality of life I have here. Luckily, I work for a global company with a strong presence in Austin. There are over 4,000 IBMers here. But regardless of where visitors or newcomers, come from, there is always a big welcome mat on Austin's doorstep. The people of Austin are amazingly open, friendly and welcoming regardless of economic stature or age.Over the last several years a strong community has sprung up here around Social Media and that is now my extended family. In fact, the Austin chapter of Social Media Club, which I serve on the board as Vice President, is the second largest chapter only behind the founding chapter in San Francisco. Social Media Breakfasts, Twestivals, and Tweetups galore happen on a regular basis too. There is never a shortage of things to do or people to do them with. Many of us have started using the hashtag #whyaustin on twitter to explain why we are so in love with this place we now call home. It's hard to explain until you have experienced it first hand. It's not like the stereotype of Texas that many imagine of Cowboy Hats, Boots and tumbleweeds. It's more like tie-dye t-shirts, flip-flops or Toms for winter shoes and the bluebonnets here in the spring are simply amazing as is Lady Bird Lake. Austin has survived the recession better than almost any city in the nation and is predicted to continue to grow and thrive. I am optimistic about Austin's future and see Austin maturing into an epicenter for Social Business in the coming years.
Enough about me....now here's what others in our Social Business Community love about Austin.
Virginia Miracle, Ogilvy Digital
Over the years, I have done a number of interviews and webcasts with BtoB Magazine and I am also a subscriber. It is a great publication for BtoB marketers. They also do a series of in person NetMarketing events across the country. Last fall I was invited to speak at one, but had to back out a few weeks before the event when I injured my foot and did not see how I was going to manage getting around Manhattan for the event. I was really disappointed not to be able to speak at this BtoB event, but thankfully found an IBM colleague, Ken Godfrey, who stepped in and spoke in my place.
The editorial team at BtoB magazine was nice enough to invite me back for their 2011 NetMarketing series and last week I spoke at the one at the Grand Hyatt in Manhattan. I was glad to be there in person this time. It was an excellent event. Even better, a former IBMer and friend who I had not seen in years was also on the panel, Rich Rubin from SAP so it was fun to catch up with him after several years. We also had interesting panelists from Careerbuilder.com, Jamie Womack and from Oppenheimer, Phillip Parrotta. One thing that I learned is that t is really tough doing social media and web marketing for an investment firm due to it being a highly regulated industry. Phillip shared that their tweets had to be prewritten and then reviewed by legal which usually took three days. I can't imagine trying to manage through the immediacy of social media and challenges like that. I am glad to be at a company that embraces social media and is a leader in Social Business.
For those of you who were not there in the room, I thought I would share some of the coverage and charts from the event.
Video of me presenting at the event
For those of you who were there that wanted more info on the examples I gave, here are some direct links.
The Social Media Aggregator Example from IBM Lotusphere
BizBash article on our social integration at IBM Lotusphere
The book I recommended for GeoLocation Mobile Marketing is "Social Location Marketing" by Simon Salt
Customized Geolocation business marketing opportunities with Gowalla
Example of my customized VCard
Company who did this custom QR code program for TEDxAustin: 44 Doors
If you are interested in attending one of these NetMarketing events in your city in the future, they publish the schedule here and update it frequently. They are great events and I would encourage any of you who are in BtoB to attend.
No this is not a post about the satirical sitcom about corporate life, Better of Ted. It is a post about a better kind of Ted.
Yesterday I attended TEDxAustin again, in it's second year as an independently organized event here in Austin, Texas. Both years I have left feeling I was better off for having devoted a Saturday to attend this event in person. Part of what makes it a worthwhile experience is being there with a community of interesting people from all walks of life in Austin...some old friends and many new faces. This year the audience size grew from 300 to 550 with the move to the Austin Music Hall.
The first year of TEDxAustin was life changing for me. I became Vegan and have stuck with it after hearing Rip Esselstyn speak. I have been fighting hormone issues and endometriosis for over a decade and am now convinced that food sensitivities triggered much of it. One of the speakers this year, Robyn O'Brien convinced me of that further yesterday when she covered the timeline of when they started introducing growth hormones into the US food supply particularly into our dairy supply so that cows would produce more milk. I used to be a heavy dairy eater, in fact that was one of the hardest things to give up in my diet and my issues started about a year after this became common practice. Though I found Robyn's presentation interesting, it was less life changing for me since I had already drastically changed my diet. It validated a lot of what I had already figured out on my own.
This year, it was Flint Sparks who had the message I needed to hear right now. As those of you who know me well, my professional and personal life is fast-paced 24/7 whirlwind. I love what I do, but leading a global team, I am often in virtual meetings from early in the morning until late at night making myself available when my local teams are there to meet with me. As part of the demand programs we run, in addition to digital marketing and traditional campaigns, we also plan and execute over 300 events a year around the world. For those of you who have ever had anything to do with event planning, you know what a pressure cooker that can be. It also puts me on the road frequently to speak or run an event. Because of my passion for Social Media, I also serve on the board for Social Media Club as the Vice President of the local chapter. I love how much our local club has grown and thrived in the last year and this in itself is rewarding. We are the second largest chapter in the world and with our new home in the old Austin City Limits Soundstage at KLRU in the UT Communications building, which was also the site of the first TedXAustin, we will now have space for 300 people and will not need to turn people away from our waitlist for meetings.
Flint is a s a Zen teacher and psychologist and his message was simple, but hit home with me at a time when I needed it most. His message was that we really did need to take the time to Pause. Reflect. Connect. To sit in active consciousness daily, open my mind and it would actually help me realize the state I want to reach instead of living in the moment and tuning out to what my heart and my head are telling me. I plan to put this into practice in my daily life....wish me luck.
I enjoyed many of the speakers, connecting with the community and also enjoyed sharing the day this year with the man I have shared over 20 years of my life with and experiencing it together. This was Dan's first year to attend. Many thanks to the speakers and conference organizers as I know what hard work it is to pull off a first-class event. I am definitely better off right now....
Got word on Thursday that I had been selected to serve in the IBM Executive Service Corps this coming Spring in Rio de Jainero, Brazil. This is one of what I am sure will be many posts about the preparation for the project and the trip over to work with city leaders on a Smarter City project.
The IBM Corporate Service Corps (CSC) exposes high performance IBM employees to the 21st century context for doing business --- emerging markets, global teaming, diverse cultures, working outside the traditional office, and increased societal expectations for more responsible and sustainable business practices. CSC participants perform community-driven economic development projects in Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe and Latin America, working at the intersection of business, technology and society.The Executive Service Corps was added to the program about a year ago and a good friend of mine was assigned to the first Executive team going to Vietnam.
Once all the team have accepted the assignment then we will get more details on the project we will be working on in Rio de Jainero. I am looking forward to making a difference and using the broader skill set from my Global Leadership MBA that I completed several years ago and putting them into action. I will be working with other IBM Executives from across the globe as a team on the Smarter Cities project, so this is a great opportunity to learn from their backgrounds and cultures as well. More to come when I have more details...
