The difference between journalists and bloggers

I was invited to attend a "Discover Cruises" Roundtable to discuss the role of bloggers in the travel and cruise industry. The organization is a collection of the main cruise companies who are looking to promote cruising.

They asked me to talk about a number of areas, and one was the difference between a journalist and a blogger. I thought that this would be something worth sharing on this blog as it is not really cruise or travel specific.

If you would like a PDF copy of this you can get that from my Tips for Travellers site (look for the Discover Cruises section on this page to download the PDF)

What is the difference between journalists and bloggers?

One is not “better” than the other. They do different things for different needs.

View of Gary Bembridge of tipsfortravellers.com

Journalists	Bloggers
PAID	PASSION
·      Earn a living writing and reporting, and are paid to cover a story.	·      Very unlikely to earn a living from travel blogging alone. Usually have another job. ·      More likely doing it out of passion for travel.
ONE CORE CONTENT EXPERTISE	MULITPLE CONTENT SKILLS
·      Journalists write. ·      Photographers take images. ·      Video makers make video. ·      Publishers publish. ·      Etc.	·      Multi-media content creators, publishers, designers, marketers & social media experts. ·      Write & take own images for features, many also make video &/or audio. ·      Publish on a site they design and host. ·      Actively promote their content via SEO and Social Media.
UNBIASED	OPINION BASED
·      Expected to be unbiased and balanced.	·      People who read travel blogs say they do so to hear opinions of travellers. ·      Open to supporting travel partner’s objectives and marketing messages.
CONTENT LIMITATIONS	UNLIMITED CONTENT
·      Have to deliver to word counts of the publication, or media channel time segments. ·      Tend to produce one article or feature per commission and trip. ·      Content “shelf life” to that edition of the publication.	·      Can produce as long, or as much, content as they want, based on how interested they are. ·      Ability to create a series around a trip or topic: before, during and after. ·      Content has long life, always available.
“PUSH” CONTENT	“RESPONSIVE” CONTENT
·      Commissions usually given by and feedback on content comes from editor ·      Content, once published, has limited feedback direct from the audience to the content creator.	·      Audience can (& will) tell before, during and after what they want – and can be interactive on trips. ·      Get immediate feedback from audience on content via tracking stats, comments, “click-throughs”, “retweets”, “likes” etc - and so have to respond to what audience wants. ·      Actively engage in conversations with audience (blog & social media). ·      Able to update content as things change.
WORK TO PUBLISHING SCHEDULES	IMMEDIATE
·      Content goes through and has to comply with deadlines and publishing schedules	·      Can react fast, and have content posted as it happens (e.g. issue arises – or during a trip).
MASS AUDIENCE	NICHE AUDIENCE
·      Even when writing for a segment, audience will often be more broad & larger (e.g. cruising)	·      Usually generating content for niche audiences (e.g. mature women solo travellers).

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Gary Bembridge Marketing Mix Man Podcast Voted 6th Best European Business Podcast

Gary Bembridge Marketing Mix Man Podcast Voted 6th Best European Business Podcast

I am pleased to announce that my Marketing Mix Man Podcast was voted the 6th best podcast in the European Podcast Awards for all of Europe!

It was the voted the 4th best in the UK in the same category.

Very pleased with this result as the awards are chosen by a panel of podcast experts.

Gary Bembridge Marketing Mix Man Podcast voted 4th best business podcast in the UK

You can subscribe to the podcast for free on iTunes (click here) or using the RSS Feed to subscribe or listen online (click here)

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Marketing Mix Man Podcast in European Podcast Awards 2012. Your Vote Needed!

I am pleased to say that the Marketing Mix Man podcast is in the shortlist for a European Podcast Award again this year. I won awards in 2010 and 2011 and would love to get an award again this year.

Although the final decisions are made by a panel of judges, a proportion of the decision is based on votes. Please can you find some time to vote.

It is a bit fiddly as you have to click through a few screens to do it and you need to get to the last one.

These are the stages

Step 1 Click this link:
 http://www.european-podcast-award.eu/uk/start/vote-and-
win/business/type/player/uid/746/podid/746.html

You will see this screen:

Step 2: Click on the VOTE link. You will see this screen:

Step 3: Click on the stars and chose up to 5 stars for each (5 is the maximum) and then click VOTE AND WIN. You will see this screen:

Step 4: Unless you want to get the newsletter, just then click SKIP. You will see this screen that confirms your vote is submitted. All done

Thanks!


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Asian Skincare 101 – land of opportunity and misconception

This is another Guest Post by Jonathan Rudd, a marketer from Europe now working in Asia. In his series of guest posts he shares his learning and observations about consumers, marketing and trends as a European working in this fast developing and dynamic region.

Asian Skincare 101 – land of opportunity and misconception

Asians ‘want to be white like Europeans.’ Er, no, not really...

A common throw away comment I’ve heard quite a few times is that Asians buy loads of whitening skincare products because they want to be white like Europeans. Having previously worked in skincare for 8 1/2 years (including 15 months in Asia) I thought it was about time I shared my understanding of ‘whitening’ skincare products, why it’s a $40bn business in Asia and provide a bit more social context on an Asian woman’s ‘desire to white.’

Having white / light skin has been aspirational in Asian societies well before the globalisation of western consumerism and where applicable, colonialism.

Across Asia, history provides us with much evidence of women’s desire for fairer, whiter skin. In Japan, women have applied white powder to their face for 400 years to connote purity, femininity and sophistication. This is still evident today in the Geisha, the physical embodiment of Japanese feminism and beauty with their ‘mocha-hada’ (skin like pounded rice) complexion. In China, women have long swallowed powdered pearls and used Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) techniques with the belief that ‘one white can cover three up ugliness.’ There is also almost universal historic truth that if you had fair skin, you didn’t work outside labouring in the fields and thus were well born, a notion that resonated in England from the Elizabethans until mass commercial tourism.    

                       

Giesha

Shiseido Advertising

                                                                        

Now the brief and patchy history lesson is over, back to business. The global skincare market is approaching $100bn and almost half of that revenue is generated from Asia. Face care dominates, accounting for around 85% of Asia’s skincare revenue which is driven by the north Asian markets of Japan, Korea and with its size and growingly affluent population, China.

Japan and more recently Korea are the powerhouses of Asian beauty and aspiration. Japanese brands like Shiseido and KOSE long at the forefront of asiprational Asian skincare, are more recently being challenged by a swathe of Korean conglomerate brands such as Sulwhasoo and Iope and a real upsurge in global skincare players stepping up their efforts to take a piece of this enormous and ever expanding pie.

However global brands from L’Oreal to Lancome, from Clean & Clear to Clarins have found that simply putting their existing products on the shelf does not translate to sales. This is because:

-        Regimen: North Asians use between 6-8 products in the morning, followed by 5-7 at night. (Yes, really.) This is much more sophisticated than the existing western product lines can cater for.

-        Skin sensitivity: due to the above mentioned layering of products and typically higher skin sensitivity, most (especially American) formulas irritate North Asian skin

-        Skin needs: Asian skin requirements are different. For example, Asian skin is fortunate to not wrinkle as quickly as Caucasians, but typically brown spots emerge much earlier. With Western brands benefits are tailored to western needs, they don’t address Asian skin needs

-        Quality: There is a belief that you must pay for quality. This quality needs to be evident in the whole product mix, from a delightful product experience to substantial premium packaging, which is only really offered by high end department store brands in the West.

  

As a result, most global brands have developed specialist lines to address Asian women’s skin type, regimen and their beauty ideal. By understanding the benefits and claims of whitening lines from leading brands, it soon becomes apparent that ‘whiteness’ is a very 2 dimensional understanding. A review of the whitening lines from Lancome, Clarins, SKII and Shiseido the skin ideal is described as flawless, translucent, crystal clear, luminous, smooth and snow white. These benefits come from understanding Asian consumers skincare needs, through developing products especially for Asian skin and regimen and through an appreciation of Asian skin aspiration.

However, you will see many of the global brands still feature Caucasian talent in their advertising. Whilst it might seem strange to have a white woman fronting a whitening cream, heritage and reputation are also important drivers to purchase. Brands like Lancome and Estee Lauder are global currency. To be using sophisticated western brands, means the consumer is globalized and sophisticated. It’s not my place to say whether Asian women find Caucasian women aspirational. There is no doubt that Western popular culture, fashion and attitudes continue to massively influence Asia. However when it comes to the beauty ideal, my view is that it’s impossible to visualize the perfect face. But Asian women know their skin, their beauty ideal and will go to great lengths to try and achieve it.

Clarins advertising

Sulwashoo products

       

                                                                                                    

Speaking of great lengths, rather than end on how much North Asian women spend on surgery (apparently 1 in 5 Koran women have had plastic surgery and it’s the highest level in the world) I thought I’d share something a little more light hearted.

The ‘facekini’ is the latest fad to hit China in an attempt to not darken the face while on the beach. Whatever happened to suncream and an umbrella!

Great link to an article from the Huffington Post if you want to know more...

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/21/facekini-face-mask-bathing-suit-china_n_1817491.html#slide=1407221

Other posts by Jonathan:

• Facebook Asia Versus Facebook UK
• Why Uk Jobs Will No Be Heading East Anytime Soon
• European View of Asian Beer Ads

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Speaking At iStrategy Conference London

I am going to be one of the speakers at the iStrategy Conference in London at end end of November. These conferences collect together a few hundred leading senior marketing people of marketing director and above level to review the latest trends, thinking and case studies in the digital world. 

They are run across the globe at various times of the year, including in New York and Shanghai.

I will be leading one of two debates, and the final topic still to be agreed, but will either be:

• Scaling Up: From Digital Teams to Digital Businesses, or
• Branding: the Difference Between Delivering a Message and Telling a Story

Will keep you posted, and let you know more about the key messages.

For more about iStrategy London: click here

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What can 350 Travel Bloggers at #TBEX Girona Teach Brands About Targeting and Differentiation? And Brands Them?

Photo: http://www.only-apartments.com

This article discusses the importance of clear targeting and differentiation. It applies to anyone looking to connect with consumers, from part time travel bloggers through to the biggest brands in the world. 

Defining your target consumer and what you will uniquely offer to them are 2 of the most fundamental decisions that will drive your product, your promotion - and determine your chance of success. 

I am at a major travel blogging conference called TBEX (Travel Bloggers Exchange) in Girona Spain. Over 350 travel bloggers are attending this event. Up to 1000 are expected to attend the next event in the USA. It drove home to me just how popular travel blogging is. It also reminded me of how important it is for every company, every brand and even every blogger to focus on targeting and differentiation if they want to succeed in cluttered marketplaces.

The fact that TBEX attracts so many bloggers proves that it is a cluttered category with thousands of blogs covering the segment. It has really got me thinking again about the importance for every brand to be clear on who they are talking to, and what makes them different from all the others. Something that is easy for a travel blogger to forget as they excitedly blog away about their love of all things travel. Something that is also easy for brand owners to forget as they get on with making, selling and promoting the brand they love.

To illustrate how important it is, I am going to use the example of travel blogging to make the point. But the point applies to every brand in any segment.

There are at least 2 key questions that every brand, (and every travel blogger for that matter) needs to answer:

• Am I focused on a specific segment and target that I could take a leadership position with, or at least be a very major player within?
• The fact that 350 bloggers are at the European TBEX event illustrates how critical it is to ensure that each one has thought about what distinctive, differentiated or clear niche that they can own and lead. Just like every brand should do in the market they compete in.
• Bloggers, like brands, should be thinking about competing. Bloggers are competing for attention and visits. Just as brands are competing for attention and preference. 
• For example, instead of just trying to talk to people interested in travel, a travel blogger must target tighter and more clearly. They could, for example, target gap year backpackers, or new mums looking to travel with babies or over 60s adventure tourists or people interested in doing classic journeys on travel icons like Orient Express.
• In large markets, like travel, there is obviously an opportunity to segment the market and to talk to a defined group within it.  You should be able to get enough volume to make it worthwhile as the market is large. 
• You will also be more able to generate revenue from it, as you can also more clearly target companies that have products and services for that market. For brands that means more efficient marketing and better profits as they can reach and communicate more directly with a distinct group of people.
• It is better to be known and seen as a leader in a segment than a tiny generalist player in the total market. For example, the most visited and used blog for gap year backpackers will trump every time a blog with more visits in total - but with visitors that are fragmented across lots of interests, ages etc. The leading blog of a segment will not only appeal better to their readers but, as it can be more focused, it will also be more appealing to companies looking to reach that target.
• Bloggers and brands both need to have a clear and well defined target, and focus on the things that resonate with them. They both need to ensure they do not get sidetracked by what others are doing and chasing topics that are off that focal point.

• Am I different and unique from the others in my segment, and consistently ensuring that I am standing out from the crowd?
• In busy and popular markets there will be competition. There will be more than one blog targeted at gap year backpackers, new mums looking to travel with babies and over 60s adventure tourists. So defining your target is only the first step. The next is to figure out what makes you distinctive and unique.
• It can be challenging to define clearly what it is that sets you apart. It takes focus and strategic thinking. But it is essential that you define what it is that you do that will be unique and different to the any of the others that are competing in your segment. 
• To help you do that, there are 2 simple sentences that I have used over my years in marketing to help to find the answer. It is by working to complete 2 statements. If you can do that, and get sentences that you think are distinctive and unique for your segment, then you have a strategy to focus on to ensure you are consistently different and standing out in the crowd. The 2 statements are:
• “Only I ………” 
• “Unlike the others in my category, I …….”.

It will be interesting to see how many of the 350 bloggers at TBEX have a clear target and are clear about what makes them different. They will be easy to spot as they will stand out in the crowd when talking to other bloggers and brands exhibiting at the event. They will be the ones that get remembered. Proving the point!


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Marketing Mix Man Podcast #56: Competitive Point of Difference

Episode #56 of the Marketing Mix Man Podcast looks at the importance of having a competitive point of difference. The CEO of Sainsbury's Supermarket recently said that many brands and companies lack a real competitive point of difference. I explore how you identify one using the order loser, order qualifier and order winner approach to your business.

The Marketing Mix Man podcast explores brand building by developing and executing a brand marketing mix that resonates with the modern connected consumer. The Podcast won awards in the European Podcast Awards in both 2010 and 2011. Hosted by Gary Bembridge

You can listen to this episode, and subscribe to the podcast by one of these options:

•  iTunes 
• via RSS Feed
• Listen online or download this episode: click here 

How To Deal With Online Criticism And Attacks.

How To Deal With Online Criticism And Attacks.

Stuart Heritage Talking at BlogCampUK London

If you run a blog you will get helpful and supportive comments. You will also get abuse, criticism, nasty snipes and personal slights. It is an unfortunate reality that every Blogger, Twitter and YouTube user will face.

How you will deal with it is one of the most important things you need to consider, so you are ready when it happens. 

You need to have an approach that will ensure that:

1. You are able to raise above it, move on and not let it get you down. 
2. You do not change what you are doing to satisfy the one or two people that do not like what you are doing, and are able to stay focused on keeping the hundreds (or thousands) who do like what you do satisfied.

I have been on the receiving end of comments and criticism over the years I have been blogging, tweeting and on YouTube. Most of it is helpful and constructive, including thoughts on how to improve posts and camera work. But I also get things like “shame about the effeminate commentary” and comments that head into the very personal and unpleasant.

At a recent BlogCampUK event in London, arranged by the Tots100 Blogger Group, there was a very entertaining and helpful session on this topic. The speaker was Stuart Heritage who is a Guardian Newspaper journalist on media and TV, and active blogger. He is someone that I have been following on Twitter for some years as he is very entertaining, with many provocative ideas and insights.

His talk which was entitled: “How To Deal With Online Criticism (from A-holes)”. As you can see from the title immediately, his approach is to see most of the criticism and venting towards you being from people that are idiots. Idiots that are not worth getting in a pickle about.

Why Do You Get Criticism? He reminded all Bloggers that the reason that you will get comment and criticism is because you are doing what you should be doing: expressing your opinions and putting them out to get a reaction. He said there are some key reasons you will get criticism:

1. Your facts are incorrect! People will pick you up when you have not checked your facts properly, or cannot substantiate them. You deserve to get criticised for that.
2. You have a distinct voice and have an opinion! Some people will not like it. You should never expect that everyone will agree with your point of view. In fact when you put out an opinion you are inviting a response and discussion. You should be prepared for some to disagree. When you put a point of view out in a blog post, video or Tweet then you are asking for a response. Expect to get one.
3. You are being read! As Oscar Wilde said “There is only one thing worse than being spoken about, and that is not being spoken about”. If people are reading you then this is a good thing, but they will have a point of view too and will want to express it.
4. Some people are just a-holes! Stuart argued that getting criticism and feedback from people that you respect, admire and trust is more important and valuable to you. Some people will just be idiots, a-holes that blunder in without thinking of the impact on you. They will still weigh in and comment and criticise though, but do not give it the same value.

How Should You Deal With Online Criticism? Like me, Stuart’s approach is to ignore it, discount it and focus on those that do matter and those from people whose opinion you value. It is really quite hard to do as one nasty comment seems to impact more than a 100 positive ones ever can. I go one step further and often delete them if they are offensive or too personal about me rather than my point of view and I find they keep nagging at me. Here are the things you can do:

1. If a legal issue, do what is required. If the criticism is a legal matter and a lawyer is involved (not just someone threatening to get a lawyer onto it) then you need to do whatever is required to rectify the issue. You do not want to get drawn into a legal battle.
2. Ignore it and avoid temptation to engage with them. It is usually best to ignore and not respond to malicious and unhelpful criticism and attacks. The danger is that it can escalate and become a bigger issue. This was something many people at BlogCamp had found when they had tried to engage and respond. Try and shrug it off and resist the temptation to respond. People being ignored and not getting a reaction will usually tire and move on. Sometimes other followers of you blog will respond and that can inflame it even more. That is why I will delete comments that are too personal in particular
3. If you want to respond then try and minimise. This could mean by doing simple things like just thanking them for reading and commenting on the post. It could be by being self deprecating, and not opening a debate by rebuffing their criticism.
4. Become a blander and less interesting blogger. You could try and be less opinionated and bland so as to avoid any criticism. You will also likely kill off your blog as it becomes dull. Do not do this!

What advice and tips do you have for dealing with online criticism and attacks? Do you tend to ignore and let the trolls find someone else to abuse, or fight back. If you do the latter what has worked for you?

Links:

• Highlights and learning from BlogCamp London visit my BlogCamp London 2012 Storify Page
• Tots100
• Stuart Heritage Blog

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