Hello friends,
As you have all noticed by now, I have stopped posting to my Interactive Project Management blog. Sadly, I became the target of some aggressive attempts at online identity theft. People were posing as me, posting comments on other sites using my name, trying to generate traffic by linking back to their own websites. This violation is a frightening example of the power the internet can give, and when used for malice, people are able to damage the good names of others with very little consequence. For this reason, I've made a personal decision to cease any further posts to this blog.
For those of you who are interested, please send a request to follow me on Twitter. I have protected my Twitter posts so that I must approve all followers, but don't hesitate to make a request if you'd like to be a part of my Twitter community. My Twitter name is GinaLijoi.
Thank you to the persistent followers of my blog - I wish you continued success!
Gina Lijoi
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Thursday, October 9, 2008
The Integration (and Growth) of the Online Channel
Although it's difficult to keep this perspective when you're immersed in the interactive world, the online channel really only represents a segment of the overall marketing mix, and thus, a percentage of total spend. The side-effect of this is that online often takes its direction from offline strategies, creative and messaging. The nature of this positioning has actual impact on the role of an Interactive Project Manager, which is what I'll discuss in this entry.
Is the web an afterthought?: Most online agencies are full of creative and ingenious people - people who provide incredible strategies and creative direction for online campaigns. Sadly, however, these people are also often handed direction by their clients' traditional agencies, posing a real limitation on original thinking. Although the web brings to life unique and deeper opportunities for consumer engagement, insight and extension of brand value. For a PM, this scenario means reigning in your team before any intensive ideation occurs, to ensure you have offline assets in-hand before going off in the wrong direction unknowingly.
Making friends with traditional partners: If your client works with offline agencies, the best thing you can do is position yourself in alignment with their efforts. Ask your client to share offline tactics with you. Always request to receive approved collateral- print pieces, television ads - anything produced for other media channels. All of these materials need to be reviewed and leveraged to create an online experience that delivers brand consistency and on-target messaging. You will also save your organization needless time and money spent strategizing concepts that may turn out to be off-brand.
Evangelize the difference!: As a Project Manager, you work very closely with clients and can influence their outlook. Always champion the unique benefits of the online channel. Don't fight the offline tactics - take them and push them further. The web is a reciprocal medium - a two way street that allows for the exchange of information with consumers. It is measurable and can also be refined based on metrics and analysis of performance - something that cannot happen as easily with traditional media.
Over time, the industry will see a shift in marketing dollars, where online receives an increased spend - in fact, it is already happening. Traditional marketing channels will not disappear, but the web will receive its due glory as clients scrutinize budgets and realize interactive media can better conclude ROI and also respond more quickly to change. The future is indeed bright for Interactive Project Management.
Is the web an afterthought?: Most online agencies are full of creative and ingenious people - people who provide incredible strategies and creative direction for online campaigns. Sadly, however, these people are also often handed direction by their clients' traditional agencies, posing a real limitation on original thinking. Although the web brings to life unique and deeper opportunities for consumer engagement, insight and extension of brand value. For a PM, this scenario means reigning in your team before any intensive ideation occurs, to ensure you have offline assets in-hand before going off in the wrong direction unknowingly.
Making friends with traditional partners: If your client works with offline agencies, the best thing you can do is position yourself in alignment with their efforts. Ask your client to share offline tactics with you. Always request to receive approved collateral- print pieces, television ads - anything produced for other media channels. All of these materials need to be reviewed and leveraged to create an online experience that delivers brand consistency and on-target messaging. You will also save your organization needless time and money spent strategizing concepts that may turn out to be off-brand.
Evangelize the difference!: As a Project Manager, you work very closely with clients and can influence their outlook. Always champion the unique benefits of the online channel. Don't fight the offline tactics - take them and push them further. The web is a reciprocal medium - a two way street that allows for the exchange of information with consumers. It is measurable and can also be refined based on metrics and analysis of performance - something that cannot happen as easily with traditional media.
Over time, the industry will see a shift in marketing dollars, where online receives an increased spend - in fact, it is already happening. Traditional marketing channels will not disappear, but the web will receive its due glory as clients scrutinize budgets and realize interactive media can better conclude ROI and also respond more quickly to change. The future is indeed bright for Interactive Project Management.
Monday, October 6, 2008
Finding Satisfaction in Project Management
A person who has been managing projects for a number of years can tell you that this is a job with little public glory. We all move mountains each day to achieve and deliver on client expectations without even breaking a sweat, and yet still no parades or standing ovations. Project Management can often feel like a profession that attracts minimal acknowledgment, and over time, this can result in a sense of disappointment. In this entry, I want to address this peripheral issue and discuss my own point of view to inspire renewed commitment and pride in our profession.
Ironically, if a PM is successful in their job, few people will notice, because the net effect is a project with minimal issues and quiet, consistent progress. By nature, this means there IS nothing to notice - and in this case, that's a great thing. We work with our teams as though we're perfectly orchestrated ensembles. Over time, this success becomes the expectation, and attention is then only generated by more serious challenges and errors. It's been my experience that the projects attracting the most attention are those that result in some failure or discontent. These engagements will captivate any stakeholder and place the Project Manager under a microscope - likely not the positive attention we seek!
All this is not to suggest there isn't an unspoken appreciation from your production team as well as senior management and clients alike. Because our underlying mandate is to ensure success, however, when we achieve it, we have simply met our objectives. The result is that even our more complex feats can go unnoticed, so satisfaction must come from some place other than public acknowledgement.
This discussion brings us back to the kind of individual that is best suited to Project Management - in my opinion, an independent and fearless thinker. Someone who does not rely on others for constant approval or affirmation - someone who can feel a sense of pride and satisfaction from within. It is entirely possible to give yourself momentum through professional success. As Project Managers, we need to set key performance indicators for ourselves. A simple goal is to introduce continuous process improvement to your own work style, or perhaps to achieve a slightly higher margin of profit on each subsequent initiative. This approach is particularly important where a formal PM department does not exist. Goals will provide a benchmark of improvement and help maintain focus on professional betterment. I have also found a deeper satisfaction in mentoring and helping others optimize their performance - as you grow in your own role, share your learnings and insight as a means of reinforcing your own ability.
You can find tremendous satisfaction in this profession - positive feedback may not always come from external sources, but I believe you will be the best judge for your own performance. Recognize your success and strive for bigger and better as you move forward. Even if it's not obvious to you, people will take notice.
Ironically, if a PM is successful in their job, few people will notice, because the net effect is a project with minimal issues and quiet, consistent progress. By nature, this means there IS nothing to notice - and in this case, that's a great thing. We work with our teams as though we're perfectly orchestrated ensembles. Over time, this success becomes the expectation, and attention is then only generated by more serious challenges and errors. It's been my experience that the projects attracting the most attention are those that result in some failure or discontent. These engagements will captivate any stakeholder and place the Project Manager under a microscope - likely not the positive attention we seek!
All this is not to suggest there isn't an unspoken appreciation from your production team as well as senior management and clients alike. Because our underlying mandate is to ensure success, however, when we achieve it, we have simply met our objectives. The result is that even our more complex feats can go unnoticed, so satisfaction must come from some place other than public acknowledgement.
This discussion brings us back to the kind of individual that is best suited to Project Management - in my opinion, an independent and fearless thinker. Someone who does not rely on others for constant approval or affirmation - someone who can feel a sense of pride and satisfaction from within. It is entirely possible to give yourself momentum through professional success. As Project Managers, we need to set key performance indicators for ourselves. A simple goal is to introduce continuous process improvement to your own work style, or perhaps to achieve a slightly higher margin of profit on each subsequent initiative. This approach is particularly important where a formal PM department does not exist. Goals will provide a benchmark of improvement and help maintain focus on professional betterment. I have also found a deeper satisfaction in mentoring and helping others optimize their performance - as you grow in your own role, share your learnings and insight as a means of reinforcing your own ability.
You can find tremendous satisfaction in this profession - positive feedback may not always come from external sources, but I believe you will be the best judge for your own performance. Recognize your success and strive for bigger and better as you move forward. Even if it's not obvious to you, people will take notice.
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