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October 30, 2008
Delivering Value To The Average Joe
Earlier today, I came across Google's mobile application for finding voting locations. This is just the latest entry in Google's continual release of tools that are intended to help it become for "valuable" to its users. It is a pragmatic mashup of Google technologies applied to a specific need.
In comparison to Apple or Microsoft, each of which continue to pour money into advertising to let us know why we need them, Google has never been a big advertiser. It started as the "simple search" in comparison to the tools that Yahoo and others were releasing. Instead of trying to build a taxonomy for the Web, Google understood that Web search would be about finding a "needle in a haystack" better. Their user interface wasn't elegant...by comparison it almost looked like a mistake. But, they did in fact do a better job...and the rest is history.
Today, Google has more money and more smart people than the competition, so they can invest in the constant stream of "value tools" to hold their pre-eminent position. And cracking their hegemony will take an equivalent focus on value, because funny as a may seem to ad people, value really does make a difference to the "Average Joe."
Posted by jcioban at 8:41 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
October 28, 2008
Customer Service Matters.
I got a flat tire on Saturday. Not really a big deal, but I attempted to change the tire to put on the mini-spare. Since it is a Mercedes (albeit an entry-level model), I presumed it would either be obvious or have good instructions. I presumed wrong.
I am pretty handy with tools, etc, but I have NO idea how this jack was really supposed to work. And once I got the lug bolts out, I could not get the tire off (apparently, the trick is kick the tire...pretty scary with a car lifted on a precarious-looking jack.) All this reminded me of a call I had with a former client who tried to reach people at Hotmail with a problem and learned that there are no real options (unless you really dig hard) to get a human on the phone.
These examples are pretty "trivial" but they are also pretty common. It is when people are in the most challenged circumstances that "customer service" is the most valuable. And, what constitutes "challenged" is in their control. (In my case, it was raining, I had never changed a tire on this car before, and I was running late for an appointment.)
So, how would your customer service plans stack up for clients in a time of need? In a world where "brand loyalty" is increasingly an oxymoron, customer service may be the most powerful lever to developing loyalty. Ask Tony Hsieh at Zappo's which built a business founded on the most improbable of services...selling shoes online. A focus on good service today is really good business.
Posted by jcioban at 12:29 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
October 27, 2008
Rebranding In A Web-Centric World
I have been staring at the new Pepsi logo for several days now. Considering that Pepsi is looking to "for a 'quantum leap' forward in transforming the soft-drink category and defining Pepsi as a cultural leader" it is not surprising that they would want to rethink the logo. But, with all the possibilities for engaging and connecting with consumers in meaningful ways that now exist, is this really the best use of money in a recessionary environment?
For me, a logo is not something I stare at. The logo is described as "a white band in the middle of Pepsi's circle that loosely forms a series of smiles". IMHO..."loosely" is a euphamism for "in the minds of the design team".
The concept of adjusting the size of the white arc to make a grin/smile/laugh is certainly a ground-breaking effort. And the logo's planned use on Pepsi packaging that I've seen is powerful. Plus, with the amount of money Pepsi plans on putting into the rebranding, I suspect they could make it all work. But, given Pepsi's massive reach and near-iconic status on a global level, I would think there would have been better ways to use a billion dollars. Logos can evoke visceral emotion which can be good. But so many of today/s new media let brands interact with consumers in deep and meaningful ways.
In the Internet era, branding does matter, and on a shelf facing, perhaps the new branding will rollout in a really great way. But right now for me, this is a dud.
(Then again, think of all the free press Pepsi is getting from people writing about the new logo....)
Posted by jcioban at 10:26 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
October 24, 2008
Empowering Collaboration: Of Tools and Techniques
Warning: This is not a posting to review products and critique tools. It is a posting about strategies and listening. If you're job is communicating with dealers, distributors, customers or even internal employees, this posting is for you!
With that small disclaimner out of the way.... Our company is evaluating changes to several systems, including tools for internal and external collaboration. We currently use 37 Signals Basecamp which is elegant in its simplicity and efficiency. It really helps us to document our interactions with customers and organize both internal and external activity. It is super-inexpensive and ridiculously easy to use. But in the spirit of never leaving well-enough alone, the desire to empower more integrated work effort and encourage both internal and customer expression is leading to a look at other tools, including business social software "leader" SocialText.
So, it was with some amusement that I came upon an article in the CIO Insight insert to eWeek for Fall 2008 titled "Unlocking the Power of Teams." (Good article to read online...) In the article, the author pointed out that IT executives continue to place emphasis on traditional collaboration tools such as "e-mail" and "telephony" while employees are more likely to be pressing for implementation of tools such as wikis, blogs, and social networking systems. As completely out-of-touch as that may seem, it supports our view of the status of many small and large companies.
My amusement is especially high since I have been telling clients of late that e-mail is a mature technology that has likely peeked in its broad value. It may be the original "social media" but it's effectiveness is waning --- choked by excessive "cc-ing" and a flood of subscription streams and useless inputs. It's weaknesses are cited by GenY employees beginning to enter the workforce who consistently poll that they favor social networking tools over e-mail. Why? The power of choice in who gets "in" is a big reason. However, flexible expression, tagging and easier search, interactivity, and real-time connection are other reasons.
So, if people want new tools, why is IT behind the curve? Later in the article came perhaps the most critical reason -- Executives Underuse Collaboration Tools. Gasp...tell me it ain't so, Joe? Look around at the businesses that are succeeding in today's markets, and you'll find a spriit of collaboration and communication that reflects the "unchaining" of employees -- an open environment where people can speak both good -- and bad -- about their employer, supplier, manager, colleagues. It can be a scary place. So scary, in fact, that in the majority of companies, you find more controlled infrastructures hampered further by executives with knowledge of computer applications limited to Internet Explorer, Microsoft Office (mostly Powerpoint and Excel, frankly) and Microsoft Outlook or Exchange (or if they are really "lucky"...Lotus Notes.)
Those open communications environment reflect the empowerment that employees have been given in their consumer lives. Yes. it's true...business people are consumers too, and given the ability to post user comments, blog or expound to their friends about good/bad aspects of products/services online, they expect the same in their business lives.
What this means is that the job of communicating with dealers, distributors, customers or even internal employees, has changed. Instead of one-way broadcasts, presume that people expect to have a voice. If you are working with clients, instead of "sending" them information, presume they expect collaborative work effort, real-time commentary and instantaneous responses. It means that just like we are doing in our company, despite already having a "Web 2.0" tool in place, we are constantly looking for better ways to encourage communication, response and interaction.
Posted by jcioban at 9:58 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
October 21, 2008
Marketing In Recessionary Times (First In A Series)
"There is nothing to fear but feat itself." - FDR
In an economic downturn, it turns out that FDR was at least partially right. Fear is the great enemy as creditt seizes up and companies hunker down. Which is why is can be really hard to imagine maintaining a marketing frame of mind during "recessionary times." However, a chorus of small business experts continues to advise just that.
These times can be especially challenging for small-to-midsize distribution partners for larger enterprises...businesses that find selling harder than ever while also feeling the pinch of reduced support from cash-conserving corporate partners. Here is the first installment in a series containing tips for promoting your business during the economic downturn. (Note...the ideas apply to any size business, but are especially focused on SMB companies!)
- Know Your Customers. Evaluate each customer account and look at ways that you might be able to help your customers weather the storm through some product or service that you can offer. Times are tough for everyone...how can you help?
- Expand Your Marketing Horizons. All those new-fangled web techniques and social media provide ways for you to connect and communicate without some of the traditional expenses associated with marketing. This is a great time to incorporate some Web 2.0 into your marketing.
- Consistency Pays Off. The old tortoise and hare thing still rules. Steady, consistent communication with an emphasis on delivering value trumps flashy campaigns when times are tight. The marketing environment is a little less crowded now, so even conservative marketing stands out.
- Automate. Automate. Automate. Now is the time to evaluate that internal process change or automation project designed to help you control your costs. A small investment during slow times can pay off big if the recession drags on or when the economy picks back up.
In economic downturns, everyone has to learn to "think small." Real entrepreneurs know how take special advantage of that to gain compeittive advantage now, and when the economy improves.
Posted by jcioban at 10:47 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
October 20, 2008
Relevance Rules...Again (And Again....)
Bill Nussey from Silverpop (another company providing e-mail marketing services) quoted fellow e-mail executive from Epsilon in his blog earlier today.
"Irrelevance is the new spam."
Back on the 7th of this month, I reiterated the relevance message which I really feel is crucial. I thought this simple, but elegant statement deserved more airtime. Just because you send it (even if they signed up...) doesn't make it worth their time! Relevance means really thinking about what the reader wants, not what you want to send.
Maybe if all the suppliers of e-mail services echo the chorus in unison, more clients will get it. (Guy's gotta' have a dream.)
Posted by jcioban at 1:21 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
The Souvenir, "Dead Tree" Edition...
In his Sunday post, A Dollar or Less, Seth Godin makes the off-handed remark "The souvenir, dead tree, printed hardcover edition, is easier to take to the beach..." while touting the various ways that a reader could access his new book Tribes.
Most people are not ready for everything to go all-electronic yet, with many finding great comfort in their old-school books, but this simple comment is the vanguard in a trend that is as inevitble as the sun rising. The process of distributing "information" is leading to a redefinition of the term "print". Print today is offline AND online...and the marketer who fails to leverage new channels for information distribution will be left behind. It may have been just a clever line, but it says a lot about the future.
Posted by jcioban at 10:48 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
October 19, 2008
Focus Groups and The Wisdom of Crowds
I was speaking with a client in the organic food space recently, and said "I really think the company needs to stand for something." I was rejoined with the not-unexpected, "Oh, it's difficult for the "company" to stand for something...the brands need to stand alone. Our focus groups always indicate...."
Suddenly, my brain went a little numb. Focus groups have rightly come under pressure in recent years, as agencies and clients alike come to realize that they are a potentially flawed concept. AdRants posted about these two videos from DraftFCB Hamburg back in January which poke fun at the medium as a sure way to kill good ideas.
They are a little lame, but they make the point.
Today, we have so many powerful ways to interact with consumers and empower them to evoke their true emotions about our brands -- social networking tools, blogs, discussion boards, etc -- media that allow consumers to sound off in a truly unfettered manner. And while Joseph Mann's post on FutureLab about the potential influence of "social pressure" may still have some impact even in the anonymity of Web 2.0 media, the effect is likely much lower.
In the particular discussion I mentioned at the outset, we began to discuss the fact that organic consumers consistently indicate (in focus groups) that they don't want to buy from "large" companies. In today's scary economy, I tend to believe that consumers would rather have their organic products in wide, accessible distribution, at a good price and with variety...and that corporate size is secondary. That is, of course, as long as the corporation is ethical, honest, transparent, accessible and socially-conscious. (Characteristics that social media can also help us to present.) Big isn't the enemy. The enemy is mysterious, greedy, slave-driving, polluting villains.
If we really want to find out, I suspect it wouldn't take too long if we opened the discussion online. Today, we have the potential to tap the "wisdom of crowds" like never before, and that wisdom rarely resides in controlled focus groups.
Posted by jcioban at 7:15 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Doing Good By Doing Right...And Social Media
Came across a nice posting on the Marketing& Strategy Innovation Blog. The post talks about an innovative idea using Coca-cola's distribution system to distribute rehydration salts in regions where people die from lack of clean water. The post chronicles the difficulty that the idea's originator (Simon Berry -- CEO of Ruralnet in the UK) had in getting Coke's attention to even consider the concept
The idea is clever, but for me, a big take-away was the line "Double bottom line is still foreign to many unfortunately" and...how the idea was finally given some traction -- a Facebook group for his colalife.org initiative. As of this AM, this group has 6,355 members and is growing. Attaching a legitimate cause to marketing is much more effective in part because the Gen X and Y crowds are the most socially-connected consumers the world has ever seen. Being able to do something good, is good for the brand. Conversely, failing to return phone calls gets you pilloried in the social media world ;-)
This really is a stunning example of the power of social media (and BW, a pretty darn creative ida as well). Yes, this is a social cause example, but I encourage any marketer to read the article and think about what is happening. It challenges our thinking to then figure out how we can use the phenomenon to help us spread our messages and potentially do some good along the way.
Doing good by doing right. Social Media. So much potential....
Posted by jcioban at 9:41 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
October 18, 2008
Six Tips For Tradeshow Selling
I attended a tradeshow in Boston yesterday, Natural Products Expo East...a major event in the natural and organic foods and personal care product space. Even if you are not an "organic junkie" you probably know that the growth in those categories is significant as American's seek out "safe food" and healthy lifestyles.
So it was with some amazement that I watched company personnel working the booths at the show. So many salespeople talking to themselves and huddling together. In several booths, I watched clusters of senior managers huddling together....what a waste.
Years ago as a salesperson at IBM, I watched legendary executive Andy Grove of Intel work his booth at the massive Comdex expostion in Las Vegas. He was passionate about shows...and not just talking to analysts and executives -- he would work the floor and talk to customers. A man who lost a part of hearing to scarlet fever as a child and who still had a bit of Hungarian accent, he would do basic demos for even the most junior of prospects.
Here are Six Tips for Good Tradeshow Performance. BTW...if you think you aleady practice them...take "candid" picutres of your booth at your next show...you may be surprised by what you witness.
- Train The Team. Before a show starts...everyone working the show should particiapte in a pre-show "training" and tips class. It never hurts to remind even the most experienced personnel of what good show behavior is. Lay out goals and objecives. Remind people of the process for lead capture. This is the SIMPLEST step and so many companies fail to do it.
- Throw Out The Chairs. Nothing bothers me more than seeing employees sitting down in a booth. The prospects and customers are standing/walking...why do you think it is OK to be seated??? If you have chairs for "meetings" with clients...they should ONLY be used with clients!
- Break Up The Maginot Line. Nothing makes prospects walk by a booth faster than seeing an imposing line of salespeople standing at the edge of the carpet, arms folded, waiting to pounce. Remember...they aren't the enemy!.
- Smiles Help. By 3 in the afternoon, as fatigue and boredom sets in, blank stares replace earnest looks. Remember that every person who walks by, regardless of the time of the day, could be the most important person you meet. Don't turn them off with your looks.
- People Have Names...Use Them. Getting a person interested in talking means establishing connection -- and you have seconds to do it. A name is a good place to start. Plus, when you look at their nametag, you learn what company they are with!
- Disrupt The Flow. Your prime selling zone is in your booth, and prospects know that, so they often work to avoid it. Your job is figuring how to get them there -- that means you often need to get in the aisle to make first contact.
- Know Your Elevator Pitch. You have seconds to build raport -- don't waste it. Prepare and practice the 10 second (or less) story.
Posted by jcioban at 10:48 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
October 14, 2008
Putting Technology To Use - The XDRTB.org Example
Sometimes as marketers, we get so focused on complex campaigns that we lose sight of the results that some of the simplest technology at our fingertips can delivery.
James Nachtwey is an award-winning photographer and winner of the 2007 TED prize. He has taken his $100,000 and applied it to alerting people about the ravages of extremely drug-resistent TB (www.xdrtb.org). Using some readily accessible tools (including YouTube and other communities), he is spreading the message far and wide. (226,000+ views as of 10/14/2008 on YouTube....) He has taken powerful images and expanded his reach beyond the scale of his budget.
Admittedly, his images are compelling and his initial notoriety set the ball in motion faster than many viral programs can hope for. However, distilling the example teaches us all about simplicity of execution and the potential of a carefully planned, well-managed viral program.
Here are the photos:
Posted by jcioban at 10:46 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
October 13, 2008
Style and Substance Redux
A few weeks ago I blogged about the importance of blending style and substance through an example in the political arena. Today's Seth Godin posting does a really good job of emphasizing that point by talking about first impressions. Much as we like to think we are not shallow humans...sadly we are.
Posted by jcioban at 10:44 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
October 9, 2008
Overworked? Try A Very Short List
OK...I'm as busy as the next person and already get WAY too much e-mail. But I came across the following "service" a few days ago and am already starting to like it. Every day you get an e-mail (there are multiple categories to choose from...) that is 150 words or less and introduces you to something "interesting." From the intellectually stimulating to the inane, it's fun.
Very Short List: www.veryshortlist.com
Perhaps more important to me as a marketer, it reinforces our penchant for information in fast-digesting, bite-sized chunks. Sort of a "push blog". A little retro vs. blogging, etc., but also built for forwarding.
How could you use the concept?
Posted by jcioban at 10:36 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
October 7, 2008
People's Design Awards
The People's Design Awards has been set up as an adjunct to the Cooper Hewitt annual juried design awards program. Check out the website at:
http://peoplesdesignaward.cooperhewitt.org/2008/
Don't let "experts" tell you what good design is... tell them yourself!
Kudos the the excellent team at Design Observer for plugging the site.
Posted by jcioban at 2:23 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Relevance Rules
I just got off the phone with a partner looking to execute some e-mail newsletters for clients. In all three cases, the discussion revolved around finding a "starting point" and then moving to segmentation and more complex concepts.
What's wrong with this picture???
I get 200+ e-mails a day. OK, I am the exception, not the rule. But, nevertheless, it points out a fundamental consideration in e-mail — relevance matters if you are to break through clutter and really connect with an audience challenged for time and flooded with competing messages. Blanketing a list with a one-size-fits-all message is, more than ever, a waste of time and resource. In part, I say this because it implies that you know nothing about your target audience and therefore can't even define a single layer of segmentation (customer vs. prospect or male vs. female, etc.) In short, it implies you might be a spammer.
For years now, marketers like me (and other even more august writers...if that is possible ;-) have been preaching the relevance sermon. But it still doesn't seem to sink in. My advice to any organization setting out on a new e-mail program is to ensure that you have at least one level of segmentation built into your plan. This ensures you are honing a skill/discipline that will need to become more refined over time. At the same time, it sets you on a path that shows at least basic respect for audience preferences...again somthing that will need to refine over time in order to ensure long-term success.
Posted by jcioban at 1:28 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
October 1, 2008
Political Spam...Who Would've Thought???
Surprise, surprise. The politicians who brought us CAN-SPAM (which is good, by the way...) have apparently concluded that it does NOT apply to them. As a result, my Inbox is flooded with messages from Barack Obama, John McCain, Sarah Palin, Orrin Hatch and lots more friendly pols...local and national. Apparently, if you ever signed up for ANYTHING from one of the parties, you are entitled to unlimited spam from these knuckleheads.
The interesting thing about e-mail is that because it's "free" to send each piece (or nearly free by comparison to snail mail), marketers can kill the p_ _ _ out of it in pursuit of their goal. That is why e-mail continues to be a harder and harder medium to succeed in even if you have a legit opt-in list with customers who want to get your message.
I wonder what would happen if I reported them all. Would they prosecute themselves?
Posted by jcioban at 7:29 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
