OMMA Marketing Tech: How to Make That Pitch Stand Out

Last week, I had the pleasure of joining a ridiculously sharp group talking about evaluating marketing technologies. MediaPost covers the highlights (ignore that they call it OMMA Programmatic instead of OMMA Marketing Tech); I've included some excerpts below. Thanks Jess Joines for moderating a stellar session.

Excerpts: 

“Vetting the Vendors” at OMMA Programmatic on Wednesday addressed these issues with a panel led by Jessica Joines, co-founder & partner at Industry Index, a firm that ranks marketing technology vendors in the digital advertising ecosystem.

The panelists said it’s impossible to look at every email they receive in which vendors seek meetings. David Berkowitz, principal of Serial Marketer, his own consultancy and former CMO at MRY, said he’s spent a decade trying to create best practices around the issue. He keeps an “Idiots Tab” in Gmail for bad vendor pitches [note: this is not exclusively for bad pitches]. Some pitches are a “total waste of time,” Berkowitz said. Vendors need to know that “no” means “no.” Emails that are too long won’t be read. And those addressed to the right person at the beginning but conclude with a different name, will be pitched...

Berkowitz said he asks himself, “How likely am I to learn something during the meeting? That’s the question. It doesn’t matter whether the company is large or small. If they help me see something in a different way, it’s a meeting I’ll take.”...

Berkowitz added that so many companies claim to do everything, while they’re not particularly good at anything. Plus, many vendors don’t make good use of content marketing to market themselves. This type of marketing helps him learn new things.

 

 

 

Welcome to the Future Home of Serial Marketer

In November 2005, ten and a half years ago, I launched the MarketersStudio.com blog.

The name was inspired by Inside the Actors Studio. The original idea was to build on the interviews I published at eMarketer from 2001-2004. I probably should have done a lot more of that.

Now, some change is coming. I will still keep up writing and blogging, but as I've started to do some consulting during this break from my agency tenure, I needed a new title. And with the new title, I needed a new brand. 

That brand is Serial Marketer. Since every good brand needs a good origin story to go with it, its birthday is today, May 16. Serial Marketer shares the same birthday as William Seward, Liberace, Henry Fonda, Tori Spelling, and Meg DeAngelis (the last one is a YouTube star; I have to throw a bone to Gen Z'ers who might not be so up to speed on Civil War cabinet members or 90210 cast members). 

As I mulled over what it means to have a brand I can own, I realized that the blog should be part and parcel of it. So, in the weeks (months?) ahead, you will see lots of cosmetic changes. I am hoping there aren't any technical changes that surface on your end, but I will keep you posted here. In the meantime, www.serialmarketer.net redirects to this blog's homepage. I'm still working on securing the .com (pointers are welcome for this parked domain).

I will be out and about during Internet Week New York this week, including at M1 Summit, OMMA Marketing Tech, and Flashtalking's Art & Science Sessions. The latter two events mark the first time I am formally using the Serial Marketer name (Flashtalking gets the distinction by a few hours). Let me know if you'll be there, as it'll be fun to catch up. [One update: The Beancast podcast by Bob Knorpp, whose latest episode debuted as I wrote this, is actually the first time I'm officially using the name. Thanks, Bob.]

There's someone I need to thank for the name. Aaron Strout, president of WCG, was kind enough to write about me in the series for HubSpot's Inbound 2015 where speakers introduced fellow speakers. His headline was, "David Berkowitz: Serial Marketer (Not Killer)." It stuck with me. I used it in my Twitter bio for awhile. I wasn't going to use it for anything more than that, but as I pondered a lot of other names, this one resonated. It felt ownable. It felt, in short, like a brand.

As for why it's so ownable, well, it may have hit you over the head as soon as you saw it. It may have come to you a minute later. Or maybe you won't get it without Googling it (which is refreshing, as far as I'm concerned). My online dating handle when I met my wife was "GoogleThis." So Google this, and all shall be revealed.

Thanks for joining me on this journey.

David Berkowitz
Principal
Serial Marketer

A Hint of a New Title for OMMA Marketing Tech

Those who have a keen eye for spotting title changes may notice something a little different in my bio line, so let's all get that out in the open. Yes, I am ditching the use of "former agency CMO" so I can focus on what's ahead, not in the past. Serial Marketer is the name I'm using for my proprietorship, and I'll have a lot more to say about how that came about shortly. Consider OMMA Marketing Tech as a soft launch May 18. 

Let me know if you'll be there, or if you'll be around for other Internet Week events then in New York. I'll also be attending M1 Summit and speaking at Flashtalking's Art and Science Sessions. 

As for OMMA Marketing Tech, I was scouting Internet Week events to attend and saw what OMMA was doing (part of a few MediaPost is holding that week). Then I saw the panel on vetting vendors - something I've done a bit of over the years. And then I saw the inimitable Jessica Joines was moderating it, so I had to put my hat in the ring, and they were kind enough to say yes. Hope to see you there. Details of the panel are here:

Panel: Vetting The Vendors: It’s A Process

The cold calls are relentless. The acronyms are filling the next generation Lumascape. How do marketers put a process in place that keeps the dog wagging the tail rather than vice versa? How do you evaluate partners, ask them the right questions, build a stack of blocks that can be moved (or removed) as strategy, not technology, requires? And how can all of this be done internally without clogging appointment books with pitch meetings and stifling the very productivity all of this aims to accelerate? We end OMMA Marketing Technology with some guidance on first next steps.

• MODERATOR
• Jessica Joines, Co-Founder & Partner, Industry Index
• PANELISTS
• David Berkowitz, Principal, Serial Marketer @dberkowitz
• Jim Blackwelder, EVP, Chief Technical Officer, Rokkan
• Ryan Hurley, Director of Performance Marketing, The Archer Group

 

You're Right, NY Times - A Lot of Sexism IS Subtle

 

The New York Times ran an important story on gender bias in the ad industry. The timing was interesting for me. I was sharing an UberPool with someone en route to iMedia's Agency Summit yesterday, and the topic came up with the other passenger. She's an aspiring fashion designer who was in town for a few months from Chicago, and when I brought up my industry, she referenced "Mad Men." I noted how some issues like sexism persist, even if it is usually more subtle. As the topic has gained currency in recent months, I have heard some astounding stories of implicit and explicit sexism, and it can be demoralizing to hear what a persistent issue this is for female executives of all experience levels.

Yet the Times inadvertently highlights what's wrong. Consider the passage below - the lede no less:

As a so-called bathroom break girl at the advertising agency BBDO in 1985, Susan Credle took over for receptionists when they left their desks. When she learned how to type quickly and accurately, she was promoted to secretary. In the decades since, she has become one of the most accomplished women in the industry, holding top executive positions at some of the most esteemed creative agencies. She has been behind numerous memorable campaigns, including the humanlike M&M’s characters and Allstate’s Mayhem ads.

What's wrong with this?

My issue is this phrase: "one of the most accomplished women in the industry."

Ms. Credle has an outstanding resume, a career that should be the envy of any. Why is she "one of the most accomplished women" and not "most accomplished people"?

And would the Times ever say "one of the most accomplished men" in such a context? 

I am guilty of this at times myself. I have a daughter, and sometimes I catch myself remarking that she's "such a good girl" - which she is - but what I really want to acknowledge is that she is "such a good person." That's the higher praise.

I'd hope our paper of record would be a little more vigilant about this though.

Especially in an article about gender discrimination. 

 

See you at iMedia's Agency Summit?

I'm here at iMedia's Agency Summit in Lost Pines, TX on a panel (details below) about the nature of the agency and client relationships. It's only slightly ironic, as this is the first time in more than ten years that I'm not actually with an agency, and it's probably the only time (anytime soon) I will use "former" as my official title (more on that soon).

If you happen to be out here in Texas, let me know. If not and you want to catch up, let me know as well. I'm even testing out Calendly, so you can be one of the guinea pigs in using that to schedule something with me. Panel details:

Keynote: CMO Power Panel: The Modern Agency

This powerhouse panel led by John Durham, CEO/Managing Partner, Catalyst SF, will run the gamut of pressing industry topics: What is an agency? Has the idea of a digital agency finally died and, if so, what has replaced it? How is the client relationship evolving and how does that affect all agency departments – from creative to tech? In addition to these questions, the panelists will explore the evolving competition among agencies, the talent that’s most in demand, and the role of the smaller agency within the larger advertising model. 

David Berkowitz, Former Chief Marketing Officer, MRY
Dave Knox, Chief Marketing Officer, Rockfish Interactive
Shade Vaughn, Chief Marketing Officer, SapientNitro
Alicia Hatch, Chief Marketing Officer, Deloitte
Moderated By: John Durham, CEO / Managing Partner, Catalyst S+F