ME52-25: The shift into social targeting by tapping into user graphs

A True Social Media Guru and strategist, Chris Pitre is ahead of the game in social graph and social-targeting; working with ahead -of -the- trends of tapping into user's graph to cater more relevant advertising and brand experience. However, he still states the fundamental importance of understanding human behavior and your audience.

Chris Pitre
Social Media Strategist
IDEA http://www.ideaii.com/

Twitter: chrispitre

What site(s) do you have to visit every day for Marketing news?

The beauty about social media is that my news comes to me. I don’t have a site, per se, that I visit daily like my grandparents did with the local newspaper back in the day. Rather, I get constant updates from Mashable and Ad Age throughout the day (via email and Facebook timeline). Depending on whether I need to dig deeper, I may click to read more. But, I’m on Facebook or Twitter to get the shorter descriptions first.

What site(s) do you go to at least once a day for fun and inspiration?

Facebook. I have fun and get inspired by my friends. From there, I get driven to a number of sites and experiences that pique my interest.

Greatest skill a good Marketing professional requires?

First, I wanted to say storytelling. But I know great marketers who don’t understand plots and character development. Then I thought the ability to be 100% genuine, but I know some situations require you to savor your opinion and true sentiment in the name of professionalism. Then I thought passion, but that’s so cliché. The greatest skill? The ability to discern people. This will drive any engagement tactic that you must face (whether in sales, with a client, consumer marketing, or interpersonal relationships). Being able to read people and shift your communication style or approach is key to winning anyone over. So, by understanding human behavior, decoding nonverbal cues, and reading between the lines, marketing professionals should be able to discern whether their ideas, strategies, and messaging resonates with their audience or not (and should shift accordingly).

What's the recent "it" Marketing phrase/trend of the moment that you hear almost every day and what does it mean for the industry and the marketplace?

Transparency. As more and more clients, as well as brands in general, get involved, educated, an active in social media, they begin using the word “transparency” in their conversations and goals, which is a good thing. I love receiving requests for proposals that express the desire for transparency. As us marketers begin looking at the transparency in our messaging and making sure that what we’re saying is truth and not sales-speak, it changes the relationship we can build with customers. It changes the way we approach marketing projects. And it changes the way we conduct our business. And that’s when consumers will notice. Not when we say what we do, but when we do what we say.

There have been fads in the Marketing world. In your opinion, what are recent developments that are here to stay?

Well, I’ve been knee-deep in the new announcements from Facebook’s f8 conference two weeks ago. Looking at the implications and possibilities of the new Open Graph and Social Plugins could mean a dramatic shift in the way marketers approach web strategy, including user experience and content strategy. By tapping into a user’s Graph, brands can totally shift the user experience and content on their website for the user and cater to their likes, events, friends, and other aspects of their personal profiles on Facebook. That’s HUGE in the space of “Social Targeting,” an IDEA-coined subset of behavioral targeting. As things progress and marketers get wiser, it will be interesting to see the conversion rates that take place from social targeting compared to sites without it. I’d imagine there would be a huge difference favoring social targeting.

What is essential NOT to do when it comes to your area of Marketing speciality?

Present invalid ideas and strategies. By invalid, I mean ideas not proven through valid research, understanding of the client’s business, and knowledge of technical and creative limits.

What's an imminent hurdle in the Marketing world that you think will cause significant changes to the way we market to consumers or businesses?

Ignorance and comfortability. In many cases, decision-making marketers are in the dark when it comes to digital, especially social media. With the safeties of known media and traditional marketing strategies, many marketers have become comfortable with the control, pace, and expectations that accompany traditional methods. So, it’s my belief that when marketers understand the possibilities, return, and effectiveness of digital and social media when well-executed, their willingness to invest in digital will increase and see a significant return.

Can Marketing ideas travel across continents and languages? Does globalization work or is localization more effective?

On a human level, yes. On an executional level, no. Research has proven that humans have universal needs, emotions, and behaviors. So, when marketing ideas are rooted in an essential human element and lead to the solution of universal human problems, I do think they are borderless and transcend language. However, the way that idea is communicated, shared, or displayed will likely be vastly different from region to region. I think localization is always going to be more effective, but let’s be honest. Resources will always be a major factor in a brand’s ability to localize messaging. So, whether a message gets localized will be driven by resources, return, and other numbers that will help validate the investment.

Best piece of advice you have received?

“Stop being so f***ing timid.” I think when an old boss told me this (when I was a student…yikes), it still reminds me that being straightforward in a tactful manner doesn’t make you rude. Many times, we bite our tongue or over-react to professional situations when there’s a place in the middle that ensure we get heard but still don’t alienate our colleagues. Finding that balance and removing timidity in your communication is more of a help to the listener than you know.

Growing up, what was the first thing you can remember wanting to be?

I wanted to be an anesthesiologist and live in Sugar Creek (in the 3^rd grade, it was an affluent suburb). Why? Because Katherine Hauber said that’s what she wanted to be. This was my first lesson in originality and following the crowd.

What is a recent campaign/presentation (not from yoru own comapny but your field of marketing) that you admire? and why?

I recently judged the National Student Advertising Competition for the American Advertising Federation’s District 7. The winning team’s presentation blew my socks away. These university students were so inspiring and buttoned up. It felt like a large agency was pitching. The students at Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) presented a sound strategy rooted in research along with strong creative. A cut above the rest.

Where are the pockets of growth and opportunity within the marketing industry for people, as they're looking at their careers?

I talk to many students, and I think understanding the digital landscape as a newcomer opens up more doors. For veterans in the marketing world, bridging digital to traditional campaigns.