Howdy peeps and welcome to another Industry Spotlight with me, your host, Luca. For the next 10 minutes I will allow you a sneak peak into the mind of another individual striving for success and the energy you gain from it will make you explode with energy for the rest of the day (true story).

Who read last week’s Spotlight? No? Ok, quickly go read it and come back, this one won’t go anywhere I promise.

Today it’s all about a young Marketing professional who over the years has seen the industry evolve and has firmly placed his grasp onto what he enjoys doing. I met this guy on Twitter, and his warm personality shines through in abundance which is why I reached out to him and I hope you will find the same outcome from reading this short spotlight interview.

Drum roll please….

Who are you and what do you do?

My name’s Mazher Abidi, and as of this month I’m working as a digital marketer for a creative marketing agency in Manchester called And Partners. I’ll be lending a digital element to the work the agency are doing, helping to come up with ideas and then putting them into play too working with a really talented team of developers, strategists and creatives.

I was born in Manchester and grew up here, but spent my teenage years in the Middle East (in Abu Dhabi). It’s a wonderful but unfortunately sometimes misunderstood part of the world that is now starting to make some massive waves on the world scene, which is great to see. I went to uni in London and worked there for a few years, before moving back to Manchester where I love being and where I call home. A citizen of the world, and love being one!

How did you get into this industry and why did you chose this path?

It sounds a bit weird but this path almost found me. When I was growing up in the 90’s, dotcom and IT was all the rage, but I realised that wasn’t for me. So my first job out of uni (almost 10 years ago now!) was marketing an online e-commerce system for a graphic design company in London. I suppose that started my interest and awareness of marketing/online/digital. Pretty much all my jobs since then have been in a similar vein. I specialised further, went back to uni, did my MSc and here I am. Now I’m on this path, I wouldn’t change it for the world.

What do you consider to be your biggest achievement to date?

Having hundreds of twitter followers and a nice Klout score of course!

I’m hoping that achievement is still to come, but as of now it is without a doubt my MSc, and more specifically my Consumer Behaviour research. It looked at behaviour that wasn’t considered ‘normal’ and I ended up extending a theory that was first published by some pretty smart people way back in 1999, and it got me a distinction. Now that research is being considered for publication in the Journal of Consumer Behaviour. That will be a really proud moment, but those submissions only have a 10% success rate, so it’s by no means certain! Even still, what I got out of it already, I’m really proud of.

Was this how you had planned things to go or are you capitalising on opportunities and simply rolling with it?

I always wanted to do something I loved, something interesting, something creative that would match my personality, but beyond that I couldn’t honestly say I’d planned it. I definitely never grew up thinking “one day I want to be a digital marketing guy”.
I wouldn’t have known what that was. But as things have moved on, I’ve had opportunities, and with more of a plan ahead of me now, I’ve made sure I’ve taken the right opportunities as opposed to just any that have come my way. So whilst there may have been an element of rolling with it at the start, I think now I’m definitely capitalising on the opportunities that my experience is letting me.

We’re in a new era where anyone can create opportunities for themselves. Do you agree?

Absolutely. I would this as an example. I look at how we met Luca – maybe our paths would have crossed at some point in the future, but how much easier that has been using digital technology? Now I’m answering questions for this great blog, that may open up other opportunities too…and that’s just one example. Magnify that a few hundred times for the hundreds of people I’ve also met digitally and it just shows you what opportunity really is, and the digital era makes them a lot easier to open up.

Is who you are in reality, the same persona you represent online?

Definitely. My public online presence I use more professionally than for personal use, but then I’ve met some really fantastic people and made some great friends from it which then mixes that personal/professional boundary. So if I wasn’t the real me online I wouldn’t be able to keep up that fake personality for long.

Essentially, I don’t have the time nor patience to be someone else – someone fake – online. And it’s not right either. So online, offline, it’s all me!

What one thing can you not live without?

Sadly, my computer. I rely on it for so much. Work, personal, keeping in touch with friends around the world. But put me on the spot, on a desert island, if I’m to take one thing with me it’d be me my guitar. Music is the one thing I would struggle to live without. Like most people, I can put a song next to most moments in my life (important ones at least), so my 6-string would probably come with me wherever I went.

If you wasn’t in this field, what would you be doing?

If I wasn’t working in this industry, I’ve be doing everything I could to get into it!

Marketing in general, digital and social marketing in particular, it’s hard to imagine things any other way. I’ve not really known anything other than this, and because I’ve been so happy in it, I’ve never really considered any other career path for myself outside of marketing.

Maybe my school/uni band would have taken off and I’d have been a guitar god?

Name three people who have inspired you in your life.

Richard Branson – the man is an entrepreneurial genius. We all know his exploits in the business world, but his charisma and the way he has shaped Virgin as a huge organisation to reflect that cool charisma is amazing.

Sport: Ryan Giggs. I love sport, and being a United fan the way Giggs has played the game with such skill and elegance has just been beautiful to watch. It might seem strange to list this as an inspiration, but growing up with United’s success, those years have always made me feel great about life. Such as United winning the European Cup in 1999, the night before my Physics A-level. I was buzzing that day, went in and got 90/90 in that module. Just great moments.

If you were a superhero, who would you be and why?

Batman. The dark knight. Who wouldn’t want to drive the batmobile?

The world is coming to an end and you have to take one celebrity into the safe bunker to live with forever. Who do you take?

Slash. My guitar hero. Can you imagine the stories? Those tales of drunken debauchery would last out a lifetime. And if not, we could grab the guitar that I took with me (ref earlier question) and jam together. Plus, I could wear his super cool top hat!

Author’s note: Hmm… he wants to take Slash into a bunker. No more questions.

Do you have any regrets about anything?

You can always wonder if decisions you’d taken differently would’ve made things work out differently. But I have the time and ability to shape things myself. So no point dwelling I don’t think. The past can’t be changed, only learnt from. The future is where it’s at.

What cool projects are you currently working on?

I feel as though I’m starting a bit of a new chapter in my work right now, so I’m at the start of things rather than in the middle of things. But when they work out, you’ll definitely hear about them through the grapevine!

What does the future have in store for you?

I’m really stoked about this new role I’ve started. I was really patient looking for a permanent role. I was lucky that I had freelance work to keep me going, and I didn’t want to just hit and hope and apply to every job out there. I think I’ve found the right role, and I’m hoping to really grow this role, build our presence by doing some really cool work and move onwards and upwards!

Finally, if you could give one piece of advice to young creative minds, what would it be?

Creatively, the only limits are the ones you put on yourself. Within reason with the platforms and technologies that exist now, if you can conceive it, you can probably do it.

So go and do it.

To stay in touch with Maz you can follow him on twitter and be sure to check out is super awesome marketing blog; Comms thoughts.

If you want to suggest somebody who you believe needs a spotlight shone on their head, drop me a line via the contact page or hit me up on Twitter. Thanks

]]> http://www.iamluca.co.uk/industry-spotlight-mazher-abidi/feed/ 0 http://www.iamluca.co.uk/are-people-becoming-brands/ http://www.iamluca.co.uk/are-people-becoming-brands/#comments Fri, 06 May 2011 14:00:01 +0000 Luca http://www.iamluca.co.uk/?p=3197 With every conference, meeting, seminar and expensive dinner I attend there is a discussion about the future of digital and of social media.

To try and get an idea of where the space is heading it’s important to take a step away from the details, the platforms, the tools and all the blogs/sites we are reading to inform us and to look at the current situation from an overview.

Fundamentally, the way in which we communicate has been enhanced. It’s not a revolution as such but an evolution.

When William Gibson coined the phrase ‘cyberspace’, he described the evolution of technology and the vision he saw of an online world developing. In Gibson’s 1984 novel “Neuromancer”, the author first presented his vision of an entire global computing network which operated like an actual cyber world. It was supposed to be a whole separate universe with constantly updated content, a virtual marketplace of ideas where people from every corner of the globe could connect in a meaningful way, pretty much what we see today.

At present we are seeing is a shift in command from the original gatekeepers and keyholders being employers, advertisers and media to a world where the people hold the keys to not only their own destiny, but also to those around them.

When Seth Godin spoke about the ‘tribes’ we create, he spoke of leading, connecting and spreading ideas. He spoke of the ability to have a market that you actually believe in. The shift from where manipulated content governed the decisions we made and the products we purchased; now it’s all about choice and asking questions of yourself.

So there I am, away from the noise and I’m reading Gary Vaynerchuk’s book ‘Crush It!’ Towards the end of the book I found a passage that validated the direction of the way the space is evolving and tweeted it.

What then followed was a variety of opinions and comments. Some people agreed and retweeted, while others replied feeling the complete opposite to that statement.

That’s a valid point, however…

For those of us that set up online profiles and blogs so that we can express our opinion to our audience, we are doing so with the understanding that we need to build brand equity.
While a brand in it’s traditional sense may be based around the product that we purchase from a store; this in essence is the same thing when we create websites, develop content and market the material to our target audience. We develop ourselves as the product and look for our audience to convert by commenting and sharing.

As I explained my theory on this subject via twitter and across the office at work, I was met with a barrage of opposite view points, some of which highlighted this video of one Stuart Baggs from the Apprentice (feature image).

It appeared to me that traditional marketers and those that may not use the internet and all it’s glory to build their own profiles believe that people are not brands and should not be described as such.

I then thought it would only be right if I contacted Gary Vaynerchuk himself for his thoughts seeing as it was his quote that sparked off this whole subject.

I then responded to his tweet..

and added my 140 character summary..

You see Gary agrees so it’s unanimous. The way the landscape has evolved means there are opportunities for anyone to create brand equity for themselves. We are seeing celebrities and those with media profiles in the public domain learn the importance of building brand awareness and working out how they can monetize it.

Take for example Robbie Savage. With no disrespect to Mr Savage, but who is he really? Yet on Twitter he boasts over 250,000 followers. What Robbie has in abundance is a marketable personality and he fully appreciates the power of building personal brand equity. He isn’t a world class footballer like Rio Ferdinand, but Robbie Savage has created opportunities from building brand equity.

Rio Ferdinand has done exactly the same, hence why he has his own magazine, television shows and shares in various companies.

Yes these are sports stars so what about the rest of us?

Each of us who develop content and distribute our voice across the variety of social platforms have brand equity. We just have to work out who our core audience is. By understanding your audience or ‘stigma’ you can develop your brand accordingly, build your network and develop your content knowing that your target market is fully engaged.

Here are a few key pointers that I think can assist you in the early stages. Make a list of:

all of your key influencers ie: the ones with the largest followings, the ones who engage the most or the ones who command respect when they broadcast.

all the key words that relate to you and your personal brand.

all the networks that you use ie: Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Blogs, Forums and of course the networks in real life.

Once you have jotted down the above details, create a mind map using all of the above outlining out all the key influencers, link them to the key words and which networks they use the most. There’s a really cool application for Mac, iPad and iPhone called Mind Node which I use to do these.

The tipping point is to find ‘critical mass’ which is a term that describes the small tweaks in your marketing campaign that shift the boat in your favour, where the reaction is then made ‘viral’. This can be achieved through a variety of ways, but ultimately comes down to understanding who, where, what and why your audience is talking about the relevant topics.

Robbie Savage found critical mass by making jokes and banter with both his core influencers and the general public on twitter, Gary Vaynerchuk found it by video blogging about wine and being generally very loud and different with his speaking.

People are becoming brands and it’s only a matter of time before everyone realises it. For those that don’t agree; see you in 2015.

]]> http://www.iamluca.co.uk/are-people-becoming-brands/feed/ 7 http://www.iamluca.co.uk/evolution-not-revolution/ http://www.iamluca.co.uk/evolution-not-revolution/#comments Fri, 21 Jan 2011 22:01:24 +0000 Luca http://www.iamluca.co.uk/?p=2229 Adapting to change

2010 was a year I started with mixed emotions having adapting to life as a Music graduate back in London after four years away at University. Armed with nothing but enthusiasm and a wrath of ideas, I knew that 2010 was going to be a year where I would make an impact one way or another.

January I created version one of iAmLuca.co.uk with the vision of using it to document my ventures, my networks and connections within New Media and Music. I have discussed topics focused around Digital Marketing and Personal Development, with my knowledge being largely based on my current experiences in my personal journey rather than on professional practise.

As the year progressed I found opportunities would open the more I wrote articles. The more original content I distributed across the social space, the more people who didn’t know about me would get in touch wanting to connect. Literally writing about social communication to expand on my social connections.

After interning at the start of 2010 at various establishments, I gained some significant freelance work that allowed me to begin taking my academic knowledge and personal experiences into the workplace.

I had to learn very quickly to pick and choose which projects I was to devote my time to as it was evident the social space opened the door for anybody and everybody to become an expert at one thing or another. I also had to pick and choose which people I could afford to spend my time talking with openly, as everything we say and everyone we talk to, is seen by those around us.
This is where I began understanding my audience.

Amidst the professional growth I also used the social space to meet a certain individual who helped me understand much more about who I was, who I was becoming and what I could achieve. Her belief in me has allowed me to take a well needed break when needed, as previously I had been known for burning the candle at both ends and being consistently run down both mentally and physically.

Progression and growth

By Mid 2010 I knew things were beginning to piece together and carve a path that would allow me to understand what strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats would affect my future, and ultimately which direction I would take in my career.

I’m not sure where along my journey of school, college, Music Academy and University I would realise that it wasn’t my creativity that would allow me to achieve, but more my ability to recognise opportunities.

Oooh... nice lifestream Mr. Luca... Love that blue!

The problem is that we live in a selfish world and the social space has created a platform for egos to manifest based on meaningless statistics and business to grow for both individuals and companies purely built on the manipulation of how we communicate. A new form of guerilla marketing so to speak.

Where the opportunity is in the above statement is to become part of the machine and to market to the majority of people who are searching for answers and a definitive return of investment in their quest. However, the opportunity for me is NOT to join the machine (well you guessed that already), but to pick up on my strengths, and my philosophy taken from The Layer Cake..

‘The art to good business is being a good middle man.’

Doesn't my new Twitter profile look grand!

Evolution not revolution

It’s now 2011 (wow do I feel old), more companies than ever are going to emerge offering new solutions to problems that are not even problems and more individuals are going to claim to be experts. The creative space is far more competitive than ever before and with so many people too focused on getting their numbers up (not money by the way) and being noticed, there are gaps for opportunities.

Rather than a) Joining the machine or b) Fighting against it like some kind anti-Zuckerberg; I am going to be that guy in the middle. Documenting the good and the bad of the space but most evidently, making a full effort to shed light on those individuals that are doing the good AND the bad in the space.

People don’t care about other people like they used to. The 2011 online professional person cares far too much about themself, their small life and how their reputation looks online that they all lose track of how important it is to be transparent and selfless in social media. To network in and out of local communities, assist others who need a boost and also give praise to not just the elite, but also to grass roots and the foundation players who are the future of this crazy place.

Quotable: Everyone is so focused on chatting pointless shit, regurgitating recycled information with the idea that their network will pinpoint them as a visionary and a thought leader. It’s all buzzword bullshit from egocentric sales people.

For me, my life is still within Entertainment. Not Music or Art where I have resided previously; but in Sports Marketing. I see a wealth of opportunity ahead of me, I work in Football, for one of the World’s best known clubs and I know that it is only a matter of time before I make my mark in the entertainment industry.

One to think about:
Have you become online the person you ARE in real life or have you become in real life the person you CREATED online?

]]> http://www.iamluca.co.uk/evolution-not-revolution/feed/ 2 http://www.iamluca.co.uk/fundamentals-social-media-erm/ http://www.iamluca.co.uk/fundamentals-social-media-erm/#comments Wed, 15 Sep 2010 20:51:47 +0000 Luca http://www.iamluca.co.uk/?p=1296 Whether you are devising a business plan for a start-up, creating a campaign strategy for an engagement tool or simply writing a blog post; you have to always consider the basic values of what you are doing and why you are doing it.

So often, we disregard the basics because we think they are the obvious. We think that it’s common sense and we don’t need to waste our time discussing common sense do we?

Fair enough, but in Social Media, common sense isn’t so common.

With a gazillion people trying to learn something about something; a billion brands trying to learn something about people and a million agencies trying to make money out of brands. (Hang on, i’m lost already, can you repeat that…)

Today I Tweeted a very simple Social Media model that I put together off the back of some research a few months ago. It’s simple model based around some core fundamentals that any serious marketers should follow. By serious, i mean the ones that actually care.

Let me break it down for you…

Create
Short for creative, as in ‘originality’. Content is King remember and if your content is good, why wouldn’t people share it? Give your audience something exciting to deal with and package it with a nice colourful message.

Stimulate
The message… How do you grab the attention of the audience without showing them Megan Fox in a hula outfit?
Think carefully about your content; has it been created with the audience in mind and is it what they are expecting?

Listen
Social Media = Communication. So why are brands still going at this in a Direct Marketing one way traffic fashion. Your audience are talking, shouting, screaming, begging for you to listen to them. If you want to get them on side and eventually sign-up/spend with your business, you have to listen to their needs.

Curate
After you have listened, you need to be the Curator. By definition a content Curator… is someone who continually finds, groups, organises and shares the best and most relevant content on a specific issue online.
Got it? It is up to you to source those networks, build those tribes and share your content to the masses!

Acknowledge
As a content aggregator you must understand and acknowledge the audience. It goes hand in hand with listening to them. Acknowledge that the audience has the power, word of mouth spreads faster than your email campaign ever will and these chaps that apparently are interested in your brand or product have the power to dictate your companies’ future.

Feedback
Ultimately any time questions are asked or discussions are raised; feedback needs to be addressed. Whether it’s feedback to your audience or to your team, for you to understand the campaign process you need to utilise the opinions from everyone involved. Develop and grow your structures as a unit and begin to create again.

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