In this economy marketing budgets are being diced and discretionary spending is falling by the wayside. So instead of investing “new” dollars in digital media strategies, most companies are downsizing the marketing/communication budget, and then reapportioning what’s left into three buckets:  traditional advertising, public relations, and new media strategies.

But the reapportionment into new media presents opportunities, which is why we continue to hear from many companies, government agencies, NGOs, et al. And we are fortunate in that unlike many at the big agencies, we actually understand not only the digital/social media space, but how to effectively integrate it with the traditional space, which is the key. It’s not just as simple as opening a Twitter feed or creating a Facebook fan page.

This week I had strikingly different interactions with marketing/communications leaders at three highly respected Fortune 500 companies.

The Good

I was driving in rural Northwest Arkansas, which is quite pretty by the way, and we had just passed a few farms, two new McMansions with a castle spire and gate in front of them, and a “Kum & Go” convenience store.  Then my cellular object rang and it was a former coworker who we had pitched a few months back. She said they’d like to move forward with an on-call relationship.

I was thrilled, of course, but more fascinating was that after we pitched her, she said the flood gates opened and agencies big and small came calling. The small hometown agency came by with dollar signs in their eyes, and the big shops touted relationships with the Exxon-Mobil’s and McDonald’s of the world and yelped about their new digital capabilities. Yikes.

Fortunately, she said that she easily realized we were the most reasonably priced, and that we actually understood the space and her business and didn’t walk through the door and immediately tell them what they needed. We listened first. Go figure.

Aside from finding a “bonafide men’s hairstyling” joint called “Mustache Junction” and smuggling a few 8 oz. Miller High Life bottles into a showing of “The Hangover” — that was the best 20 minutes of my week.

The Not So Bad

We had come to Arkansas to present a strategic program to a leading consumer brand.  After a hearty lunch and an interesting tour of the facility, we went through our dog and pony show pitch.

One of the director of marketing’s first comments to me was that he hated the term “engagement.”  And of course, that’s one of the principle tenants of social media — that’s what really differentiates the discipline. I was a bit concerned.

Then he challenged us. Like any smart marketer should, he questioned the ROI proposition of social media strategies and said he couldn’t find anyone at his current crop of agencies who could outline how the traditional and new media disciplines integrate together. So in essence, he threw down the gauntlet: prove to me how this can work and you just might get me to throw you a bone.

And to me, that’s a fair proposition.

The Ugly

A few months back we talked to a CMO of another very large company in our region. We knew they had agencies, but we simply wanted to introduce our concept and ourselves. The discussion wasn’t what I’d call fruitful, but in the end we asked what we could do to prove our worth.  He said, very simply, “Bring me ideas.”

That’s all I can ask for, so I started giving it some thought. I wasn’t going to react immediately and return with some short-sighted, convoluted strategy that would ultimately demonstrate that all I cared about was dollar signs. I wanted to deliver an idea of value.

And then it hit me. I came up with a very inexpensive concept that would directly target — and I’m certain, reach — the company’s primary target market in an engaging (oops, there it is) way.

I sent him a couple of e-mails to no avail. And then I left a voicemail. Finally, that afternoon, one of my e-mails was returned with a warm response saying, “We are actually in the process of consolidating our agency partners.  Therefore, my position has changed on considering ideas from outside agencies that we do not have a current relationship with.  I apologize, but we are adjusting with the times.”

Seriously? Maybe it’s just me but I’ve always believed it doesn’t hurt to at least listen. Just don’t waste time and get to the point. And while I had spent four months giving it some thought so that I wouldn’t deliver something that was short-sighted, the response I got was just that. Very disappointing.

The End Game

So in the end, what did I get other than a promising call from an old friend, a fair challenge from a skeptic, and a short-sighted response?

Quite a bit actually, as each interaction makes me realize that, despite the current economic conditions, there are growth opportunities. The challenge for those of us committed to either the digital space — or in Elasticity’s case the blending of the traditional and digital space — is being strategic and persistent enough to get through the doors, demonstrate value, accept challenges, and not take it personally when you are dealing with someone who simply doesn’t want to deal with you.