Why Websites Now Ask Your Permission

The internet landscape has transformed in recent years. One noticeable change is the constant barrage of pop-up banners asking you about "cookie preferences."  This wasn't always the case. Let's delve into why websites  now seek your consent for these digital crumbs.

What are Cookies?

Before diving in, a quick refresher: Cookies are tiny data files websites store on your device. They act like memory joggers, remembering things like login details, preferred language, or items in your shopping cart. This enhances your browsing experience by streamlining future visits.

The Power of Data

However, cookies can also track your online activity across different websites, building a profile of your interests. This data is valuable to companies for various reasons:

• Targeted Advertising: Imagine seeing ads eerily similar to websites you recently visited? Cookies can track your browsing habits, allowing advertisers to target you with products or services relevant to your interests, potentially leading to more effective marketing campaigns.
• Website Improvement: Analyzing user behavior through cookies helps website owners understand how people navigate their platform. They can then optimize layouts, functionalities, and content based on user preferences.
• Personalization: Ever logged in to a website and found your preferred settings intact? Cookies remember these details, personalizing your experience.

The Rise of Privacy Concerns

As the power of cookies became evident, concerns about user privacy grew.  People questioned how extensively their data was being collected and used. This led to a shift in regulations around data collection and user consent.

A Turning Point: GDPR and E-Privacy Directive

A major turning point came with the introduction of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in the European Union (EU) in 2016. The GDPR mandated websites to obtain informed consent from users before placing non-essential cookies on their devices.  This regulation emphasized user control over their personal data.

The EU's E-Privacy Directive, implemented alongside GDPR, further emphasized transparency regarding cookie usage.  These regulations didn't just apply to EU websites; any website serving EU citizens needed to comply.

The Global Impact

The impact of GDPR resonated beyond the EU. Many countries and regions began implementing similar data protection laws, or strengthening existing ones, like the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) in the US.

The New Era of Cookie Consent

To comply with these regulations, websites started implementing cookie consent banners.  These banners inform users about the types of cookies being used (often categorized as essential, functional, analytics, and advertising) and request their consent for specific categories.

Why the Complexity?

The current system might seem cumbersome, with various cookie categories and options. This is partly due to the need to be transparent about data collection and give users granular control over their privacy.

The Road Ahead

The cookie consent landscape is still evolving.  Standardization efforts are underway to streamline the user experience. Additionally, new technologies are emerging that may  offer alternative ways to track user data while respecting privacy.

In Conclusion

The rise of cookie consent banners reflects a growing emphasis on user privacy and data protection.  While it may add an extra step to your browsing experience, it empowers you to choose how your data is used online.

One Unique Vlogger

In the world of content, bloggers are still important providers of information (hi!) but the rise of vloggers cannot be discounted. It makes sense to see more vloggers coming onto the scene given our shorter attention spans and preferences to watching over reading. What intrigues me is the way toy manufacturers have pounced on this medium – and smartly so.

There are vloggers for just about every subject matter: food, video games, lumberjacks and more. In addition to being a great creative outlet, #YouTubeMoney is also a big influence behind the increase of vloggers. The following video does a great job of explaining the confusion about the amount of money YouTubers can make. You can watch the full video here but I really want you to drink in these stats about a particular vlogger that’s popular in my home:


There are a lot of highly-viewed YouTubers with which I am totally unfamiliar but thanks to my son, I’ve been aware of the Ryan ToysReview channel since his channel was created in March of 2015. As a matter of fact, I believe my son is responsible for 25% of those views mentioned in the video above!

Graham has been keeping @RyanToysReview in business for a long time now! He's probably the source of about 25% of all of those channel views!

A photo posted by Nick Baggett (@nick_baggett) on Oct 27, 2016 at 7:09pm PDT

Here’s the gist: Ryan’s videos aren’t really product reviews. They’re really just videos of him playing with all kinds of great toys. The footage is presented along with cheerful music and respectable (but not flashy) video effects that appeal to children. I’ve always gotten the sense that this channel grew from videos of Ryan enjoying his toys, recorded by his mom as all moms do. Once the number of views started piling up, Ryan’s mom upped her editing skills.

How Toy Manufacturers Come Into Play

If you haven’t taken a trip to Toys”R”Us lately, let me tell you that the toys featured in Ryan’s videos are EXPENSIVE. It’s not likely or feasible that all of these toys are purchased. I imagine that toy manufacturers are taking note of Ryan’s high number of video views and identifying his YouTube channel as an additional marketing avenue. With this in mind, they supply complimentary toys to be featured in his videos. Ryan probably gets to keep the toys, his mom gets #YouTubeMoney and the manufacturer’s products are seen by children from around the world.

In order to continue receiving free toys to review, it would make sense for Ryan’s mom to boost the number of channel views as much as possible, right? That’s why I think it’s even more interesting to take a look at how Ryan’s channel is promoted. Look in the description of Ryan’s latest video and you’ll find a long list of links to his other videos. Not his Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. Branding be damned, that’s a smart way to add quick views.

More evidence that Ryan’s video views take precedence over branding:

• The weird phrasing of his YouTube channel’s name. Be sure to note that it is Ryan ToysReview and not Ryan’s Toy Reviews. When researching Ryan’s channel for this post, my instincts steered me to input the latter into my search query. Ryan’s website URL (which features the same weird phrasing) isn’t the first listing on results page - - his videos receive top ranking. That’s either a convenient coincidence or a very cunning approach to the Google search algorithm. (Also, at the time of this post, the website URL redirects to the YouTube channel's URL.)
• His Twitter Feed. Each tweet is just a link to the latest video on the YouTube channel. The Twitter account seems to serve no other purpose. 

OOZING PUMPKIN Halloween Fun and Easy Science Experiments For Kids to do at Home Elephant Toothpaste https://t.co/scAZpwXVFk

— Ryan ToysReview (@RyanToysReview) October 26, 2016

• His Instagram Feed. Only one photo that’s almost a year old. 
• His Facebook Feed. Very sporadic links to videos with little-to-no responses to the numerous comments each post garners. 

Ryan is unique vlogger in that his video views soar to new heights without much promotion from other social media channels. Such support may not be needed since his primary audience does not use social media. 

Ryan’s videos inform viewers like my son about the latest toy trends. Because of Ryan and his “reviews”, my son has knowledge of toys without ever seeing said toys in a store or TV commercial. Toy manufacturers know this all too well - - and so do vloggers. I am impressed with the way the two sides work hand-in-hand, knowing their success depends on each other.

As impressed as I am with the manufacturer/vlogger relationship, I’m equally disappointed for Ryan on special days. Can you imagine how much of a letdown his birthday and Christmas must be if he gets to play with new toys almost every other day of the year?

Thank you for reading!

Your Personal Brand is a Self-Portrait

In a way, personal brands are similar to corporate brands. Both require the right tools and appropriate effort to be built the right way in order to have a story told without really telling it.

My post on Jose Canseco's irremediable personal brand is one of my most-read entries. In this post, I want to share my thoughts on a few examples of personal brands I admire plus share details about my go-to tool used for developing my own personal brand.

PERSONAL BRANDS I ADMIRE 

Over the past year, I've come across the work of two unique individuals that has made me want to learn all I could about these people. I think that's the level of interest all personal brands should strive to reach. It's certainly what I want my personal brand to accomplish.

Casey Neistat is a filmmaker that does a masterful job of incorporating his flair and fearlessness into his work. You may know Casey from his viral video that captured the reaction (or lack thereof) of New Yorkers when he tried to steal his own bike. Another showed what happens to cyclists when they obey the law and stay in the bike lane.

Casey has a very active YouTube channel, which features his daily vlog. In addition to being cutting-edge, perfectly edited and so sharing, Casey's vlogs are inspiring. It's difficult for me to admit that a person younger than me is inspiring but...he totally is. We're in a lot of the same spots in life and the following clip shows the same urge that I've been feeling lately.



I'd summarize Casey's personal brand by saying he's all about daring athleticism, passionate creativity and pushing limits while being conscious of his relationships. He's a relentless worker whose many talents contribute to the success of his amazing projects.

#tbt that time @jcrew asked me to make a movie about their Traveler Suit and I wore it surfing. lost a good pair of sunglasses that day

A photo posted by Casey Neistat (@caseyneistat) on Apr 2, 2015 at 10:23am PDT

Anthony Bourdain has become better-known for his television shows than his accomplishments as a chef. Netflix introduced me to Anthony by way of his show, Parts Unknown, and I've read his book, Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly, that kick-started his media career.

In all of his shows, Bourdain comes across as achy and rarely wrong but also lovable. It's not really "my way or the highway" with him but his critiques of odd cuisine do have a hint of "I enjoy this and if you don't, there is no hope for you." Above all else, Bourdain is very knowledgeable about many topics (he's even an accomplished fictional crime novelist).

I am a foodie by no means but Parts Unknown has really enlightened me. The show's visuals and each episode's adventure is clearly influenced by Bourdain.


Bourdain's personal brand features heavy doses of knowledge, culture, experience and attitude. It's perfectly understood why corporate brands (like a Scotch distillery) are now lining up to get his endorsement. Of course, any blessing Bourdain gives to a product will have to be done his way.

Via @BalvenieUS . A taste of what's coming from #RawCraft series .

A video posted by anthonybourdain (@anthonybourdain) on Feb 5, 2015 at 4:55pm PST

MY #1 TOOL

The best personal brands seem to appear as if they fell into place without much direction. But, some effort is required - especially for those of us that don't have a team of publicists at our command.

You already know to establish your presence with various social media profiles and perhaps a website. But it's important to be efficient and make the many branches of your personal brand accessible from a central location. For me, no other tool has helped with this task than my about.me page.

Think of an about.me page as a compact, less-corporate version of a LinkedIn page. Capable of being fully customized, about.me pages can feature beautiful background photos, fonts, colors and other design qualities that make your story stand out. Add "apps" to your page that will link visitors to your social media accounts and then use those apps in an about.me HTML widget on your website or blog (as I've done in the sidebar). If you act fast, you can customize the URL of your about.me page and feature it on your email signature, resume, business cards and other locations that will be sure to attract visitors.

WHAT YOU MAKE IS WHAT YOU SEE

I see personal brands as self-portraits. The work you put into developing your personal brand gives insight into to way you see yourself. I'm not as outspoken as I should be so I've really benefited from digital tools like my about.me page to share my talents, interests and credibility. I felt very vain when originally building my brand but a little vanity is required when telling your story, I guess. Along the way, I've learned new skills that I use in my job as well as improved my ability to tell my story.

Thank you for reading. Feel free to reach out to me - I'd love to answer your questions or learn who's personal brand inspires you


{Top Photo: Courtesy}

Three Reasons Why Companies Need to Communicate

Corporate communications can take many forms and have just as many intended targets. Even though there are numerous reasons why some companies don't communicate - ranging from unfamiliarity with the ways to communicate to lacking manpower dedicated to delivering messages - there's no doubt about the importance that communications play in a company's success.

After a lot of thought, I've put together the following list that describes the top-3 reasons why companies need to communicate.

1) Put Your Information Where It Can Be Found

As I've stated many times on this blog, I feel the basic principal of marketing is getting your message of front of your targets. That notion has more weight than ever, given the way people prefer to find information for themselves in today's digital world. At the very least, make an explanation of your company's services available on a website. Tracks to that website should be laid in the form of Search Engine Optimization (SEO), email blasts, social media posts and traditional advertising. People want learn more about what you offer. Put your info where it can be found.

2) Explain Yourself

Communicating what your company offers is just the first step. You can also benefit from telling your story or history and giving customers a way to identify with your company. Regular blog posts are great ways to explain how your services can be used in everyday situations. Think about this: the communications that helped curious people discover your company can work in tandem with future communications to help them learn additional benefits of your services.

3) Show That Your Company Wants to Work

The first two reasons why your company needs to communicate pertained to explaining that your company can do something. It's extremely important that your company also communicates that it wants to something. If a potential customer is wavering when deciding to use your service, telling them that you actually want to do the work that will make their life better, easier and more charmed will go a long way towards securing their patronage.

These three reasons could be great topics for individual blog posts - and I might just do that. Here's a question for you as I work on those...would it be fair to say that you could apply these three reasons why companies need to communicate to why personal brands need to communicate???

Social Media Use by Alabama Credit Unions

I work for a credit union and part of my duties include managing our social media accounts. Credit Union awareness in Alabama is growing and it’s no coincidence that social media use by Alabama credit unions is on the rise.

But how much is social media being used? I recently attempted to identify our peers (other credit unions) that are using social media within their marketing strategies.

I started by obtaining a list Alabama credit unions that are federally insured by the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA). This list identified 123 such credit unions and provided the number of full-time for each institution. The number of full-time employees that a credit union boasts can be viewed as a good indicator of its online presence.

QUICK FACTS: 

• 27% of Alabama Credit Unions do not have a website. These credit unions typically have fewer than 5 full-time staff members and do not have the manpower to devote to online marketing.
• 90 credit unions based in Alabama have websites but only 39 of those pages feature badges that are linked their respective social media profiles.
• According to the NCUA report, there are only two credit unions in Alabama that have more than 300 full-time employees. Both of those credit unions only have 2 social media badges featured on their website.

The following table breaks down the social media presence of Alabama credit unions:

Social Media Use by Alabama Credit Unions
No. of Credit Unions that Use 1 Social Media Account	14
No. of Credit Unions that Use 2 Social Media Accounts	12
No. of Credit Unions that Use 3 or more Social Media Accounts	13

*Even though I pulled this information in December of 2014, the most recent data available from the NCUA was from 2012.

I plan on reviewing this information frequently over the next few years and noting any changes. It will be interesting to see how the institutions without websites react to the general public’s increasing demand for information about credit unions.

Wasted Videos: The Tacoma Ads

I drive a Toyota Tacoma. An old Toyota Tacoma. Although I'm not quite ready to taken on an upgrade, I enjoy perusing the Toyota website and observing the features of the latest Tacomas. The website is very helpful - I've learned a lot about the new models and the lazy person in me is always glad to see that not all of the information is text and copy. No, there are some very well-made videos available for viewing on the site that do a great job of prolonging my visits.

See for yourself:

The thing that amazed me the most about these videos was the fact that I had never seen them before. I watch a lot of YouTube videos and have performed a lot of Google searches for Tacomas but I have never had any of these videos pop up as a pre-roll advertisement. It's puzzling because these videos are quirky and short - the prototypical video to use in a pre-roll spot. These videos/ads haven't appeared during my short, TV-watching stints either.  It's clear that Toyota paid for and received high quality videos. But I'm not so sure why the videos are only used on their website. Each of the videos' descriptions on YouTube features a #TacomaWins hashtag, which would strongly indicate that they're part of a campaign that extends to social media. I'll have to begin following the Toyota or Tacoma social media pages to see if I can spot the videos there. If they're not seen there, it will be difficult to resist questioning if these great videos were wasted. 

Aaron's: A Marketing Machine??

I’m not very knowledgeable about the company history of Aaron's. I don’t know I'll ever be a customer of Aaron's. But an odd observation led me down a trail that revealed this lease-to-own retailer to be a dynamic marketing machine.

This discovery began while I was watching the 2/20/2014 installment of college basketball's greatest rivalry. My beloved Blue Devils were not victorious in Chapel Hill that night but, while watching the game, I noticed a unique sponsor logo placement in the Dean Dome. Can you spot the Aaron's logo on the backboard support in the photo below?

Photo Courtesy ESPN

At first, I didn't think much about this logo placement. But then I noticed the lack of other corporate logos in that facility and on the court. This exclusivity made me wonder more about why a furniture leasor would go to so much trouble (and expense) for this exposure.

I had a basic understanding that Aaron's was involved with NASCAR and seeing this logo in the Dean Dome is perfectly acceptable knowing that the University of North Carolina is very near to the home of NASCAR. But I wanted to know more and a visit to the Aaron's website showed me much more than I expected to see.

The folks in charge of running Aaron's are apparently big believers in marketing. Aarons.com is an appealing website and partners well with their active social media pages. But I was really impressed when I clicked on a link that took me to Aaron's Sports. When it comes to sports sponsorships, there's a lot more to Aaron’s than just NASCAR (which they cover very, very well). Aaron's has partnered with professional and collegiate football, basketball and baseball throughout the southeast.

The more I uncovered, the more I realized that I had previously seen the Aaron's logo prominently displayed at all kinds of sporting events. Randomly spotting the Aaron's logo while watching the Duke/UNC game prompted me to take action - something all advertisements strive to accomplish. It also triggered my memory about Aaron's branding efforts, which is a slam dunk for marketers - no pun intended.

It’s a YETI® Way of Life

For the better part of a year, I've noticed a lot of guys in my age range sporting YETI® mesh trucker hats and YETI® t-shirts. Spotting a YETI® sticker on the back of a large SUV more recently was the final straw – I had to know what YETI® was all about.

On June 6th, 2013, the top Google search result for the term "YETI" was for the Abominable Snowman's Wikipedia page. The second result was for a cooler manufacturer. I took hunch that all of these guys that I've been noticing aren't showing their support for an imaginary monster and that the YETI® logo I keep seeing is that of a cooler company.

The large number of people sporting YETI® t-shirts, hats and bumper stickers cannot all be employed by a cooler company that was previously unknown to me. So how does this cooler company get all of this free advertising? A visit to www.yeticoolers.com shows that YETI®’s marketing department has brilliantly associated the company’s image with the sportsman’s lifestyle.

MAKING A MARKET

A cooler is a cooler is a cooler, right? Not really. YETI® claims that their coolers are more durable and have features that keep contents cooler for longer periods of time. This quality sure doesn't hurt the company image but it’s not the reason for all of that free publicity. YETI® has created the need for its product on your next moose hunt, on the deep sea fishing expedition you’ll take this fall or the safari your boss takes every year.

Captain Jeremy Mehlhaff releases a Lowcountry redfish. #BuiltForTheWild ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Photo: @jasonstemplephoto

A photo posted by YETI Coolers (@yeticoolers) on Apr 28, 2015 at 7:07am PDT

If you've ever been on an excursion like this, how much attention to detail did you give to your cooler (other than capacity)? That's right – none. Just like Coca-Cola® associated itself with Santa and Christmas, YETI® has created the notion that their product simply…belongs on your hunt and in your boat.

ALL ABOUT THE LIFESTYLE (THAT YOU WISH YOU HAD)

Fortunately or unfortunately, purchases we make are often made to exude that we belong to a particular rank of human and enjoy an exclusive lifestyle. Luxury cars are big-time examples of this notion. Costa sunglasses have paved the way for the likes of YETI® to associate a product with an “outdoorsy” lifestyle and give consumers instant credibility – or at least the appearance that they know their way around a tackle box.

I’m not exactly sure what you call this phenomenon that gives people the mindset that they belong to a lifestyle or play a particular role (whether it’s accurate or not) all because of a purchase. But brands – particularly clothing brands – have been tapping into it for a long time, and smartly so.

PENETRATING THE MASSES

The part of Alabama in which I live is not exactly on the gulf coast. But despite being located within the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, it is not uncommon to see guys sporting deep sea fishing sunglasses and apparel here. Obviously, these items were intended for a specific purpose but in these instances, they are used to portray a hobby or lifestyle. I don’t know for sure but I would guess that a lot of these items were purchased for looks and not for their intended function.

YETI® has wisely created a line of products that doesn’t limit consumers to the lifestyle associated with saltwater activities. I imaging that a larger percentage of their annual sales came from “lifestyle” purchases than excursion-equipment purchases. And that’s OK – there are far more people out there looking for a quick image enhancement than people going on an actual safari.

I’m very impressed with the following YETI® has created for itself. I don’t think it be long before the YETI® cooler company appears in that #1 spot on my Google search.

Now I Know When Indiana Turns 200

Car tags (or plates) in the State of Alabama used to be so uniform that it was easy to spot cars from another state. In fact, it was almost like a nice surprise to see a different car tag every so often. But these days, drivers in the State of Alabama have so many options from which to choose that the normal, standard-issue tag is the new oddity.

I spotted a tag a few weeks ago while driving in Birmingham that I've never seen. It was an Indiana tag that acknowledged the Hoosier State’s upcoming bicentennial. For me, it's perfectly feasible to think of car tags as an extension of a school or cause's marketing campaign. I give the folks behind the promotion of the bicentennial celebration an "A+". Here’s why:

IT PROMPTED ME TO TAKE AN ACTION

The Indiana bicentennial tag features a lovely color scheme and “200” in a font so large it prompted me to go online and learn more about Indiana's founding and more about their bicentennial celebration. This is the core goal of any marketing effort.

NEXT-LEVEL CAMPAIGN PLANNING

I spotted this tag in the year 2013. Indiana’s bicentennial won't occur until 2016. Given that car tag designs usually change every four years, the marketers of the bicentennial had to act fast. And because there’s only so much working room on a car tag, I image that these marketers had plot the base concept and finalize the logo at an even faster pace. Planning marketing campaigns of any length is difficult but this is next-level planning!

THEY GOT THE BALL ROLLING

Politicians also change every four years (well, some do). When the concept of this bicentennial campaign kicked off in December of 2011, it was one of the last acts of the then-Governor of Indiana. There’s always a chance that the current Governor and other officials may not be in office during the bicentennial year of 2016. But even though the Indiana Bicentennial Commission’s website is not yet filled with information about upcoming events, the marketers behind this campaign have already done enough that no politician would dare scrap the program. In the world of marketing, sometimes creating job security is half the job!

Kudos to the Hoosier State and the people doing such a great job promoting the bicentennial! I’ll be sure to check in often to learn about what’s new with the campaign.

BONUS: It seems like they know a thing or two about design in Indiana.

Ramco is a Real Company and So Are Their Products

You know about pre-roll videos, right? For consumers, pre-roll videos are the annoying online commercials that play before news clips or music videos. For advertisers, they’re great marketing tools that force numerous impressions on target audiences.

While recently scanning the depths of YouTube for interesting and relevant videos to share on my employer’s social media outlets, the first glorious seconds of the following Ramco sales video pre-rolled one of the videos I selected to watch:

Like most pre-roll videos on YouTube, I had the opportunity to skip this ad after the first five seconds passed. But I couldn't turn away. Here are the thoughts that ran through my mind as I watched this video:

• Yes! A new parody video featuring grainy film from the 90’s!
• Wait…what’s the joke here?
• This is running really long to be a viral video.
• I’m going to give it a few more minutes – this reveal is going to be AWESOME!
• This is totally a trailer for the next Terminator movie.  Arnold Schwarzenegger will be on screen in 3…2…1…
• Hmm…Maybe I should search “Ramco” just to see if this is a real company.

Yup!  Ramco is indeed a real company and they make arguably the finest parts washers in the business. I say ‘arguably’ because I don’t want to unjustly overlook any other parts washer manufacturers that may exist. I didn't know Ramco existed before seeing this video. But if Ramco is flexing this much marketing muscle, I take that as a good indication that the parts washing industry is much bigger than I ever fathomed. Like…it exists.

Let’s not look past this video’s finer features. It’s a well-produced video and it is certainly very informative. But the video quality makes you wonder if Ramco just converted one of their decades-old promotional videos from VHS to a digital format and uploaded it to YouTube. I mean, even the clothing worn by Ramco employees in some of the still shots says “1993 Ramco Company Picnic”.

Knowing that pre-roll videos are tied to cookies and search history (and other elements that a real marketing guru could explain), I wondered why this particular video pre-rolled for me. My only guess is that this video was selected for me because I searched for and viewed a video that featured massive tire-shredding equipment a few days earlier. At the time, I didn’t remember that video and the Ramco video really caught me off guard.

I've poked a lot of fun at the good people at Ramco in this post but I want to close by tipping my hat to their marketing people.  Ramco has all the bases covered: website, Twitter, Facebook,YouTube and even LinkedIn. Ladies and gentlemen, it is your own fault if you find your knowledge of parts washers to be lacking.

Seriously – GREAT JOB RAMCO! Your marketing got my attention for sure!