The New Rules of Branding with David Meerman Scott


By Nick Westergaard on February 1, 2016
david meerman scott

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

“If you don’t embrace the new rules online you’ll be left behind if you aren’t already.” David Meerman Scott knows a thing or two about new rules. Over a decade ago his landmark book The New Rules of Marketing and PR was first published. Now in its 5th edition and used in classrooms throughout the world, this best-seller continues to set the stage for how we build brands in the digital age. I couldn’t wait to discuss this, his new Newsjacking course, and the role all of this plays in the upcoming presidential primaries on this week’s On Brand podcast.

Enjoy This Episode Now

About David Meerman Scott

David Meerman Scott is an internationally acclaimed strategist whose books and blog are must-reads for professionals seeking to generate attention in ways that grow their business. Scott’s advice and insights help people, products and organizations stand out, get noticed and capture hearts and minds.

He is author or co-author of ten books – three are international bestsellers. The New Rules of Marketing & PR, now in its 5th edition, has been translated into 26 languages and is used as a text in hundreds of universities and business schools worldwide. It is a modern business classic with over 350,000 copies sold so far. Scott also authored Real-Time Marketing & PR, a Wall Street Journal bestseller, Newsjacking, World Wide Rave, and the new hit book The New Rules of Sales & Service. He co-authored Marketing the Moon (now in pre-production as a feature-length film titled The Men Who Sold the Moon) and Marketing Lessons from The Grateful Dead.

Episode Highlights

What are the new rules of branding? As he’s established the new rules of marketing and PR as well as sales and service in his books, I wanted to start by asking David about the new rules for brands. “The biggest change is the rise of real-time and instant engagement.”

What do the presidential primaries have to do with branding and marketing? While David and I are both political junkies we acknowledge that some of the best new marketing strategies and tactics have come from the past decade in American politics. From the groundbreaking Howard Dean campaign which was “one of the first to embrace blogging” to Donald Trump’s meteoric rise — “he’s figured out realtime … posting more often and more timely. It’s not surprising that he’s leading.”

So what is Newsjacking? “It’s the art and science of injecting your ideas into a news story. You can get quoted and enjoy additional online exposure.” David has written a book and developed a new course on this concept. Here’s how it works:
newsjacking--chart

Are there times when a brand shouldn’t embrace Newsjacking? I brought up the recent example of Crocs tweeting in the wake of David Bowie’s death. The brand was lambasted online and eventually deleted the tweet. David’s advice? “If a story has any negative conotation, be cautions. If it’s clearly negative — death and destruction — you have to have a clear connection to the story.” For example, American Apparel’s Hurricane Sandy Sale was attacked for being insensitive while Duracell had a legitimate connection to helping people affected by the tragic storm with mobile charging stations.

What potential new rules is David keeping an eye on in the new year? “I’m fascinated with the convergence of marketing and sales on the web.” Marketing is about using the same piece of content once for many people while sales online can now focus on recontextualizing content for the right audience.

What brand has made David smile recently? “Miley Cyrus. She’s a brand and she’s made me smile,” after a concert with the Flaming Lips last month. He pointed to her success in rebranding herself beyond her beginnings as a Disney child star.

To learn more about David, “Google my name and you can find all of my coordinates.” He also pointed us to his new course on Newsjacking which you can find at newsjacking.com.

As We Wrap …

Before we go, I want to flip the microphone around to our community …
Recently Lea Hensel gave a shout out to our recent episode featuring Drew McLellan. She even made a cool social graphic. Thanks Lea!

Did you hear something you liked on this episode or another? Do you have a question you’d like our guests to answer? Let me know on Twitter using the hashtag #OnBrandPodcast and you may just hear your thoughts here on the show.

Last but not least …

  • Subscribe to the podcast – You can subscribe to the show via iTunes, Stitcher, and RSS.
  • Rate and review the show – If you like what you’re hearing, head over to iTunes and click that 5-star button to rate the show. And if you have a few extra seconds, write a couple of sentences and submit a review. This helps others find the podcast.
  • OK. How do you rate and review a podcast? Need a quick tutorial on leaving a rating/review in iTunes? Check this out.
  • And finally a reminder that On Brand is brought to you by the Social Brand Forum. This premier digital marketing experience takes place September 22-23 in beautiful Iowa City, Iowa. Learn from experts like Jay Baer, Joe Pulizzi, and Gini Dietrtich in the heart of the heartland. Listeners of the show get the best rate when they register using promo code ONBRAND at socialbrandforum.com.

Until next week, I’ll see you on the Internet!