Rodney Mason Interview

I recently had the chance to interview Rodney Mason, a veteran of the marketing world and guru of new media. Rodney is currently the CMO of Moosylvania. Rodney can be found all over the interwebs. I first noticed Rodney as a "prolific commenter" in Ad Age Daily articles. He always delivered some valuable insight and often found a angle to promote his products and services...very savvy.

BT: Tell me about your career trajectory.
RM: I've been in the business since the mid- 80's. Advertising, Branding, Promotion and Digital for national and global brands like - Nokia, Motorola, Samsung, Coca-Cola, Dr Pepper, Kellogg's/Keebler, McDonald's, In Bev and Capital One among others. I began working in the digital space in '97 - launched the first web site in the world for Inbev - Labatt Blue Canadian Beer Embassy.

BT: Tell me about your company.
RM: Moosylvania is The Great State Of Design - where extraordinary design meets deep insights. As an independent Digital, Branding and Promotion agency with a globally ranked research facility on site that is part of a national research network, Moose has what no other agency in the world can claim, an insane level of real-time insights. Clients include Bacardi Martini, Dean Foods, Enterprise, Nestle/Purina, Ocean Spray and Solutia among others.

BT: Was it "love at first sight" when you encountered social media?
RM: No. It's just a fact of life in marketing. Transparency rules, the customer is in charge and any marketed brand not accepting of that has deep issues they aren't even aware of.

BT: Do you see social media increasing or decreasing in importance as a marketing vehicle in the next 5 years? Why?
RM: Social Media will become the backbone of all marketing initiatives over the next 5 years. Social media delivers 30% of all digital messages, but is only used by marketers 3% of the time. That means it is significantly under utilized. As old media migrates to digital and social platforms, it will only grow in share of voice and importance. Social Media is the truth and trust and the most important medium a marketer has.

BT: How has being a "prolific commenter" positively affected your agency business?
RM: Being a prolific commenter is a tricky balance. Simply commenting without facts or value might increase awareness of your brand, but it can also diminish the perception and value of your brand. Therefore, it is important to be informed, factual and add value with ever comment. It's also important to understand when you are a prolific commenter, not everyone will agree with your opinion - there is social currency cost. It's best to evaluate each post to size up what that cost is and if it's worth the return. That said, our globally ranked research facility, intellectual white papers and published POVs give us an advantage and ability to be a prolific commenter.

BT: What brands are getting it right in the social media space? Why?
RM: Few. That's because marketers right now are testing tactics. They aren't taking a holistic overarching approach with a social media plan that includes objectives, strategies, social-monitoring and sound tactics.

Some brands doing a good job or making good progress.

Burts Bees - authenticity, relevancy and an overarching strategy consistently deliver their message across platforms.

Coca-Cola - leads the beverage industry. Success with new brand launches like Coke Zero and acquired brands like Glaceua have been heavily influenced by social media. There was a time not too long ago, when Pepsi in general had all the hot new brands and programs. That day has come and gone and social networking is the key differentiator.

Chicago Pizza Café - Frisco, TX - Small local chain that opened it's doors with 3,300 Twitter followers and uses each social platform for a specific strategic reason.

Dean's Foods - Launched a program last year - "Start Right End Right," that took over the blogosphere - especially with mom's to become the 5th most trafficked promotion site at the time on the web and netted over 100M free impressions. Over The Moon Milk brand is getting aggressive with sharing passionate fan posts. All of this comes from a company, not a trade or producer association, selling milk.

Google - ancillary products like Wave, Android all are text book examples, as they should be, of how to disseminate information and build a following.

Grey Goose - specifically targets the very most influential influencers in the world, better than any other spirit in the world.

Hollywood in general gets it in every way possible. Recent examples, pick a property. "Where The Wild Things Are," "Paranormal Activity," any unknown film nominated for an Oscar.

Kogi Korean BBQ Taco Trucks - LA - An avid following that shows up and lines up in advance of where the trucks announce they will be all through social media.

Kraft - overarching branding tools to help moms plan meals.

Nestle - Purina Brands. Pick a pet and a pet passion in the social world, Purina is there.

Poets, Priests and Politicians - Some of the very best social networking examples come from the arts, religious and political fronts.

Southwest Airlines - Simple, straight forward and always on their game.

Spirit Airlines - radical news making, over the top, unbelievable stunt social networking.

Starbuck's gets a lot of things right in the space - big followings on Facebook and Twitter.

Unilever - Axe - over the top in tune with their audience.

Dove - Pushing controversy and women's rights and respect. One slip - Axe, owned by the same company is counter to Dove as its communication objectifies women. Some backlash for Dove based on the association, but not too bad.

Ben & Jerry's has been doing social networking since inception even before social networking existed - they called it grass roots. Social Networking is the embodiment of the brand.

Whole Foods - See Ben & Jerry's

Zappos - See Whole Foods.


BT: Is the ubiquity of social media leading to fundamental changes in the way companies compete?
RM: The Truth and Trust now rule. See our white papers on how consumers choose brands and ascend the trust ladder.


BT: Any words of wisdom for those entering the advertising/marketing job market?
RM: Opportunity for careers in "Advertising" are limited. However, being prepared and understanding what's next, especially as it pertains to digital, CRM and social networking, holds significant opportunity.

BT: Any words of wisdom for those on the back half of an advertising/marketing career who want to become re-relavant?
RM: Get engaged and use the platforms to understand them. Every situation is different, but it's important to be open-minded and understand what once was, is no longer. If you don't believe that, just watch an episode of Mad Men.

Rodney's firm boasts a wealth of high profile clients. He also speaks very highly of the future of social media, and his firm seems poised to advise brands in a manner that will add value for those brands. One has to wonder how many firms aren't what they claim to be?

Rodney refers to the wildly popular AMC series Mad Men. But is it that different? It stands to reason that while advertising folks aren't weilding the power they once were, somebody is. I would speculate that those holding the scepter now are bloggers and social media strategists that are advising brands. They are the ones establishing protocol and developing best practices. Countless companies have sprung up seemingly overnight to proclaim they are the kings of social media. In fact, a Google search for "social media agency" turns up more than 1 million results. So the heydays of advertising have come and gone, but are we seeing a new chapter in marketing services?