Comments on: Campfire Thinking

By: Jeff Sass

Jeff Sass — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 16:09:55 +0000

To ad fuel to the flame (urgh) and extend the analogy even further than Mr. Penn did, it’s really not about lighting “a” fire as much as it is about lighting many little fires… Then, over time, seeing how some of them catch and start to blaze, and perhaps even connect together into a raging inferno at some point. ROI might be measured by how much visible smoke those little fires collectively generate during their entire burn cycle…

Now I will dump some water on my head to end the fire analogy…

Happy Camping!

By: Marc G

Marc G — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 15:56:33 +0000

Ahhh I know Lucca well and they have in fact treated me like a king before so it passes, but barely since their food, and also at their sister restaurant Sasso, is more experimental (but damn good) Italian compared to me reaching back into the old school data storage farm, AKA my brain, and whipping up a meal that Nonna used to make, which is hard to find at any restaurant in the North End although Limoncello has some “almost as good as my Nonna’s” stuffed artichokes, which is saying a lot.

So I’ll put Air One on the “They’re looking suspect at the moment” list until further notice. However thankfully you didn’t say Strega or we may have had to break up…painfully and over IM.

By: C.C.

C.C. — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 15:44:07 +0000

ROI is very important, but all I’m saying is that sometimes it is impossible to measure it in clicks and posts.

Marc, the funny thing is that I couldn’t remember the name of the restaurant at all. I had to go look it up on my calendar and it was Lucca. We didn’t have a full meal so I didn’t pass any judgment on it. Great location, but what isn’t in the North End?

By: Christopher S. Penn

Christopher S. Penn — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 15:40:37 +0000

To extend the analogy, some of us lunatics start our campfires with gasoline and magnesium (gas is self-explanatory, and magnesium burns white hot, guaranteeing ignition of even really wet wood).

What’s the gas and mag recipe for marketing?

By: Marc G

Marc G — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 15:01:29 +0000

OK first off all Mr Buzz Agent, it would be in your best interest to disclose what restaurant Air One hosted you at, because as an EU passport carrying member of the Italian American community it will help me to determine how much they “get it” and if I’ll ever consider flying them although regardless of that information I’d never fly Alitalia.

To address Steve’s point and perhaps this is my Bschool side talking, but I put a lot of emphasis on ROI and measurement, however I just don’t place them into some neat and tidy system like most. Each campaign is different and requires a different thought process. For example, I put less emphasis on traffic numbers as a whole in a Second Life campaign, because the numbers aren’t there compared to traditional online strategies, but then I end up putting a lot of weight on time spent with brand which measures out in minutes rather than seconds, since a virtual world like Second Life offers that opportunity. From both sides of the fence everyone needs to be flexible and willing to exploit the strengths of the medium you’re utilizing.

By: Amanda Mooney

Amanda Mooney — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 14:42:33 +0000

I love this post C.C. I was happy that you took the time to come to our event, meet everyone and seemed to enjoy the night. Exactly as you say, we can’t think about success in terms of traditional metrics like number of posts, etc. That’s an outdated model. We have to understand that if an event like this goes well, you have new relationships within the company and the company has a new relationship with you. Where those relationships ultimately lead is hard to track but I think it has significantly more meaning and value in the long run.

Anyway, thanks again for coming out. I always love having the opportunity to catch up with you… especially over Italian food:)

By: Steve Woodruff

Steve Woodruff — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 13:14:54 +0000

Your reasoning here is exactly why we should be leery of short-term “ROI” thinking when in comes to marketing campaigns. Sometimes companies just need to commit to getting the word out (including via social media) simply because it WILL work in time…whether measurable or not.