I recently read a piece and it made some very good points about how to activate brand messaging and sales communication not only in a way that your customers and potential customers can understand and participate with, but also in a way that your sales team can understand, learn quickly and utilize consistently, in lock and step with the brand.
The article made the point in a very smart and sophisticated way. I am so frustrated with myself for not saving it and linking out to it in this piece. Not like me at all - just a result of being busy.
Anyway, it used an example from Hyundai. Yes, the same Hyundai who has utilized unique and value added marketing tactics to increase sales at a time when most car manufacturers are losing their shirts.
They were operating under the premise that when they spend a ton of money on things like TV spots during the Super Bowl, why should that investment die when the trophy is handed to the winning team? Great point!!
As an example, Hyundai, in an effort to get their brand messaging and experience in the customers hands and provide communication tools for their dealership sales force, take their Super Bowl ads and run them on touch screen kiosks at their dealerships. Their thought process?? To not only extend that investment directly to their customers for interactive brand experience at the point of purchase, but to also provide a tool so their sales people can be on message with the brand and insure that they communicate consistently, and focus on the most important selling points as dictated by the brand. I like their thinking. I like their execution. Evidently their customers do too. Lots of sales growth is the result of this effort integrated with a comprehensive strategy that includes this effort in addition to new car offerings, the best warranty in the business and their customer assurance program. All of this can be delivered through the touch screen alongside their super spots.
I think the main take away here is delivering consistent messaging from all points of the brand, and delivering it from the sales force, both human and electronic. Back in my corporate marketing days, consistent messaging from the brand, national and local, paired with solid operations, insured solid results. Whenever we had inconsistent messaging, it faltered.
Next time I will remember to keep the article so you can read the source.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Gen X, the Forgotten Purveyor
I have seen this video tweeted about a lot in the last couple of days and it sparked some thought regarding Generation X, believe it or not.
There is a lot of ballyhoo about Gen Y, and their impact on everything from the economy to social media, to education and more. I find it interesting and valid, however it is amazing how Gen X often gets looked over in the passage from Baby Boomers to Gen Y.
I would ask you to consider a few things before you jump on the bandwagon that professes Gen Y's impact on US society to be supreme. Gen X, aside from the World War II generation, has experienced the largest amount of global turmoil, living through the first Gulf War, the terrorist attacks of 9/11, the current ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, several large economic recessions (including our current mess - so called the largest since the Great Depression)and enough political scandal to last two lifetimes. In addition to being old enough to not only live through these events, Gen X is old enough to have worked and supported families through these events. In addition to national and international stress, Gen X has been largely responsible for ushering in the information age. Gen X has and continues to develop and innovate technological breakthroughs, that allow for things like social media, increasing utility on the Internet and other engineering and technological breakthroughs.
What is the point of this post you may ask? In the fervor to crown Gen Y as the be all and end all in terms of spending power and the future of our society, I ask you to take five minutes to think about our "the most forgotten" generation, Gen X and all of the crap this generation has endured to continue to deliver the US innovative solutions, the Information Age, and more technological breakthrough than this country has seen in a very long time.
No pats on the back necessary, Gen X will gladly continue to serve.
There is a lot of ballyhoo about Gen Y, and their impact on everything from the economy to social media, to education and more. I find it interesting and valid, however it is amazing how Gen X often gets looked over in the passage from Baby Boomers to Gen Y.
I would ask you to consider a few things before you jump on the bandwagon that professes Gen Y's impact on US society to be supreme. Gen X, aside from the World War II generation, has experienced the largest amount of global turmoil, living through the first Gulf War, the terrorist attacks of 9/11, the current ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, several large economic recessions (including our current mess - so called the largest since the Great Depression)and enough political scandal to last two lifetimes. In addition to being old enough to not only live through these events, Gen X is old enough to have worked and supported families through these events. In addition to national and international stress, Gen X has been largely responsible for ushering in the information age. Gen X has and continues to develop and innovate technological breakthroughs, that allow for things like social media, increasing utility on the Internet and other engineering and technological breakthroughs.
What is the point of this post you may ask? In the fervor to crown Gen Y as the be all and end all in terms of spending power and the future of our society, I ask you to take five minutes to think about our "the most forgotten" generation, Gen X and all of the crap this generation has endured to continue to deliver the US innovative solutions, the Information Age, and more technological breakthrough than this country has seen in a very long time.
No pats on the back necessary, Gen X will gladly continue to serve.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Ford's Missed Opportunity and Why the Basics Still Apply
Another day, another corporation pissing off customers. Have you ever read the book Raving Fans? If not, I highly recommend it. It is a great exploration into how a business can service its customers in a way that turns customers into raving fans. In this day and age with social media and hyper sharing of information, it is more critical than ever for a consumer brand to do its best to not only service its customers, but treat them like royalty.
I have another personal story that is a great example of one reason why our American auto manufacturers are in the mess that they are in, and it has to do with servicing customers.
My wife and I purchased a 2009 Ford Flex last year. It currently has 25,400 miles on it and already is requiring new brake pads. The dealer service manager, who was embarrassed to inform me of this required repair, was obviously uncomfortable telling me about the brakes. I asked him why this was not covered under the warranty and he said that brake pads are only covered for 1 year/18,000 miles. I also have a Toyota 4Runner and I can tell you those brakes last in excess of 40,000 miles. I was and still am incredibly frustrated by this so I reached out to Ford via Twitter and via their web site/customer service email. I informed them of the situation, and why I felt their product was failing their customer. The fact that a new car already had repairs needed was a failure of theirs, and as a customer I wanted them to be aware of this. The response from Ford was less than reassuring. In fact it was down right sad. Too bad Alan Mulally, who seems to be doing his best to resurrect Ford, is being undermined by an inept customer service process.
First off, Ford is not using their social outlets to have "conversations" with their customers. At least not their customers that require attention beyond "What model should I buy?" They basically have some PR folk pumping out the same old self promotional crap that you would find in any press release, except it is limited to 140 characters. They had a great opportunity to not only engage me and help me convert to a raving fan by addressing my situation, helping me resolve it and bask in the glory of my praises, they completely ignored me. They ignored the issue and the result was more ranting about their crappy product, which in turn has been seen by hundreds of other potential or even existing customers and now is being plastered on a blog which has a decent number of readers. Too bad Ford, you slept on an opportunity and now the perception about a lack of quality is being shared with thousands.
The email response I received from Ford was very long, but really did not say a thing. I would post it here, but frankly it would be a waste of space. The sum of Ford's response basically was that they were "sorry I felt that way" and blah blah blah. They offered no solution, no recommendation, no assurance that they even gave a damn. Basically they did their best to dump me off back at the dealership and to "make sure I used quality Ford parts" on the repair. LOL. Why would I replace POS parts with the same POS parts???? Hello, your parts failed within 25,400 miles. That is not a quality product. That is failure. That is junk! Why do Toyota and Honda outsell all US auto companies? The Asian autos DO NOT BREAK DOWN, especially in the first year of ownership. The basics Ford, the basics.
It is no secret that American cars have a reputation for breaking down, thus not delivering on the brand promise of quality. This is the primary reason US auto manufacturers sales are down, and have been trending down for years. The saddest part is they do not seem to care. The thousands of employees laid off, and the huge ripple effect across numerous industries are a testament to this lack of care for the customer.
So, where does this leave Ford and their customer? Well, in this case, I took one last chance on Ford when I purchased this car. I admired Ford for not participating in the ridiculous federal bail out program. They have made several smart decisions in the last couple of years. All that being said, it boils down to the basics - produce a quality product, fight for your customers, love your customers and once you have those down cold, innovate and market your success story. As it sits right now Ford cannot seem to even get the first one right. I will not buy another Ford product until they prove that they give a crap about their customers. Right now, they do not seem to care about much outside of posting fancy 3D renderings of their cars on various media channels and crapping on their customers. If this persists, their resurgence will be very short lived and the raving fans will continue to reside with Asian competitors. It is a sad commentary and one I would rather not feel compelled to write.
I have another personal story that is a great example of one reason why our American auto manufacturers are in the mess that they are in, and it has to do with servicing customers.
My wife and I purchased a 2009 Ford Flex last year. It currently has 25,400 miles on it and already is requiring new brake pads. The dealer service manager, who was embarrassed to inform me of this required repair, was obviously uncomfortable telling me about the brakes. I asked him why this was not covered under the warranty and he said that brake pads are only covered for 1 year/18,000 miles. I also have a Toyota 4Runner and I can tell you those brakes last in excess of 40,000 miles. I was and still am incredibly frustrated by this so I reached out to Ford via Twitter and via their web site/customer service email. I informed them of the situation, and why I felt their product was failing their customer. The fact that a new car already had repairs needed was a failure of theirs, and as a customer I wanted them to be aware of this. The response from Ford was less than reassuring. In fact it was down right sad. Too bad Alan Mulally, who seems to be doing his best to resurrect Ford, is being undermined by an inept customer service process.
First off, Ford is not using their social outlets to have "conversations" with their customers. At least not their customers that require attention beyond "What model should I buy?" They basically have some PR folk pumping out the same old self promotional crap that you would find in any press release, except it is limited to 140 characters. They had a great opportunity to not only engage me and help me convert to a raving fan by addressing my situation, helping me resolve it and bask in the glory of my praises, they completely ignored me. They ignored the issue and the result was more ranting about their crappy product, which in turn has been seen by hundreds of other potential or even existing customers and now is being plastered on a blog which has a decent number of readers. Too bad Ford, you slept on an opportunity and now the perception about a lack of quality is being shared with thousands.
The email response I received from Ford was very long, but really did not say a thing. I would post it here, but frankly it would be a waste of space. The sum of Ford's response basically was that they were "sorry I felt that way" and blah blah blah. They offered no solution, no recommendation, no assurance that they even gave a damn. Basically they did their best to dump me off back at the dealership and to "make sure I used quality Ford parts" on the repair. LOL. Why would I replace POS parts with the same POS parts???? Hello, your parts failed within 25,400 miles. That is not a quality product. That is failure. That is junk! Why do Toyota and Honda outsell all US auto companies? The Asian autos DO NOT BREAK DOWN, especially in the first year of ownership. The basics Ford, the basics.
It is no secret that American cars have a reputation for breaking down, thus not delivering on the brand promise of quality. This is the primary reason US auto manufacturers sales are down, and have been trending down for years. The saddest part is they do not seem to care. The thousands of employees laid off, and the huge ripple effect across numerous industries are a testament to this lack of care for the customer.
So, where does this leave Ford and their customer? Well, in this case, I took one last chance on Ford when I purchased this car. I admired Ford for not participating in the ridiculous federal bail out program. They have made several smart decisions in the last couple of years. All that being said, it boils down to the basics - produce a quality product, fight for your customers, love your customers and once you have those down cold, innovate and market your success story. As it sits right now Ford cannot seem to even get the first one right. I will not buy another Ford product until they prove that they give a crap about their customers. Right now, they do not seem to care about much outside of posting fancy 3D renderings of their cars on various media channels and crapping on their customers. If this persists, their resurgence will be very short lived and the raving fans will continue to reside with Asian competitors. It is a sad commentary and one I would rather not feel compelled to write.
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Augmented Reality Holiday Greetings from The Basement
At The Basement Design + Motion we like trying new things and we especially enjoy it when it involves creative ideas, fun and certain technologies.
Check out THIS LINK to view a special augmented reality holiday greeting from The Basement.
It was a great way to do a little r&d on AR and spread some seasonal cheer at the same time.
Enjoy and have a great holiday season and wonderful new year!
Jacob
Check out THIS LINK to view a special augmented reality holiday greeting from The Basement.
It was a great way to do a little r&d on AR and spread some seasonal cheer at the same time.
Enjoy and have a great holiday season and wonderful new year!
Jacob
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Lessons Learned from a Tumultuous Year
I am not a big fan of looking back at a year and reminiscing about all the things that happened. This time of year the "year in review" shows pop up and you cannot seem to get away from them.
One thing I think is a good use of time is reflecting on a year and picking out the lessons learned that can help make the next year better, more fruitful and a step ahead of the past. After all, based on 2009 and all that transpired, are there not a ton of lessons that can be taken away and built upon?
From my own personal stash box of experience this year I can legitimately say there are many takeaways that I know I can learn from and build upon....
Even before numero uno family and friends are the MOST valuable piece of your life. No matter how bad things get, if you have a loving family and loyal friends, you are wealthy.
1. Nothing is guaranteed. I do not care how much you think something will happen - for better or worse - do not consider done until it is indeed done.
2. Never assume the big talk equals big results. This year has been a real eye opener as it relates to people, how they communicate and how they actually deliver. Many big talkers, few doers. This is no revelation, but I think the economy and desire for many to "be the story" has influenced big talk, even when there is no execution to support it. The result; lots of people/companies that do not want to face the truth as it relates to a poor year for many, thus misguided action, strategy and burnt relationships.
3. Take the time to learn. Do not stop. No matter how secure you think you are in your little piece of the universe, others are chomping at the bit to challenge you, test you, compete and win. This is a good thing! Yes, competition is a good thing. It helps you keep your claws sharp and mind on the goal.
4. Fiscal conservatism is the new wealth. Flashy debt is the new welfare.
5. Stay focused, do not jump around the market hoping to get that one deal. Focus pays off time and time again, even in a crappy economy.
6. Especially in the digital marketing vertical, there are a lot of flakes. Don't get lazy and become a flake, and you will succeed. Even in a bad economy, customers still appreciate those that deliver. Customers still ditch those that don't. Deliver on your commitments and you will be appreciated and shared.
Last, but definitely not least, no matter how ridiculous our politicians behave, no matter how crazy our world becomes, you have a sphere of influence and you have the ability to positively impact those around you. In personal life and professional life, act ethically, work hard and do what you think is right and you will fair well.
Have a great Christmas, or whatever holiday you celebrate, and good luck in 2010.
One thing I think is a good use of time is reflecting on a year and picking out the lessons learned that can help make the next year better, more fruitful and a step ahead of the past. After all, based on 2009 and all that transpired, are there not a ton of lessons that can be taken away and built upon?
From my own personal stash box of experience this year I can legitimately say there are many takeaways that I know I can learn from and build upon....
Even before numero uno family and friends are the MOST valuable piece of your life. No matter how bad things get, if you have a loving family and loyal friends, you are wealthy.
1. Nothing is guaranteed. I do not care how much you think something will happen - for better or worse - do not consider done until it is indeed done.
2. Never assume the big talk equals big results. This year has been a real eye opener as it relates to people, how they communicate and how they actually deliver. Many big talkers, few doers. This is no revelation, but I think the economy and desire for many to "be the story" has influenced big talk, even when there is no execution to support it. The result; lots of people/companies that do not want to face the truth as it relates to a poor year for many, thus misguided action, strategy and burnt relationships.
3. Take the time to learn. Do not stop. No matter how secure you think you are in your little piece of the universe, others are chomping at the bit to challenge you, test you, compete and win. This is a good thing! Yes, competition is a good thing. It helps you keep your claws sharp and mind on the goal.
4. Fiscal conservatism is the new wealth. Flashy debt is the new welfare.
5. Stay focused, do not jump around the market hoping to get that one deal. Focus pays off time and time again, even in a crappy economy.
6. Especially in the digital marketing vertical, there are a lot of flakes. Don't get lazy and become a flake, and you will succeed. Even in a bad economy, customers still appreciate those that deliver. Customers still ditch those that don't. Deliver on your commitments and you will be appreciated and shared.
Last, but definitely not least, no matter how ridiculous our politicians behave, no matter how crazy our world becomes, you have a sphere of influence and you have the ability to positively impact those around you. In personal life and professional life, act ethically, work hard and do what you think is right and you will fair well.
Have a great Christmas, or whatever holiday you celebrate, and good luck in 2010.
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Giving Away Free Product Does Not Make for a Successful Marketing Campaign
I had the occasion to read about a pretty neat marketing campaign executed by IKEA for the launch of a new European location store opening. It was run through facebook.
The way the campaign was handled and the idea behind it was really unique, it leveraged facebook beautifully, and it was viewed as successful by many in the social media/marketing communities.
A few things grabbed my attention about this campaign that I thought were good tidbits for conversation:
1. One social media pro exclaimed this campaign was proving the death of the micro site
2. IKEA successfully got people on facebook to post IKEA products on their own pages, and in return had a chance to get free furniture
3. IKEA gave away quite a bit of free furniture - or at least that is the message that was communicated through the case study I saw
4. Nowhere did I see how much furniture was actually sold at the grand opening - or even how many people showed up at the grand opening of this new store (the whole point of the campaign as I understood it)
We can take this point by point.....
1. Taking the buzz word "micro site" off the table and looking at the purpose of that tactic - usually to promote a specific product launch, service launch, promotion, limited time offer, etc. A person's profile page on facebook, with all of the API function and rich media capabilities, now basically fills or can fill that same role. The "micro site" based on its function and not its name, is still a micro site it just now lives within the facebook framework. So I guess, the micro site is not dead, it just has a new place to live outside of a unique url address. Facebook, in essence, becomes the "micro site's" browser. Sorry my overzealous friend the "micro site" or as I might call it - the highly focused web promotion - is not dead.
2. IKEA did a great job, and saw a lot of free impressions and some interactivity with their brand in having general consumers spreading their word for them. This is definitely a win for positive brand experience. No need for a long dissertation here.
3. What was IKEA's objective for this initiative? Was it to give away a lot of free furniture? It was made clear that this store did not have a big budget for this store launch, so how much budget did they have to give away free product? If they gave away a lot, did they really save any $$ on their budget? If they did not give away a lot of furniture, did that upset potential customers? None of this explored or explained in the case study I read. The piece made it sound like they gave away a lot of furniture, and if that is true, I must ask, isn't selling furniture the point of all of this?
4. The best scenario I can come up with is why not run this promotion for their e-commerce platform to boost online sales? The fact that the case study did not say how much furniture was sold, or how many people showed up at the store tells me that it probably was not that impressive. If I am wrong, and they saw a big return, then if I was them I would trumpet that from the rooftops.
In closing, I think getting a ton of people to share your product online is great exposure, but many executives are wanting sales, above and beyond impressions and viral passing along of their message. If you are someone selling social media marketing strategy and execution, you ought to know one of the biggest stumbling blocks to a significant budget allocation for you is the lack of tangible ROI cases for social tactics and efforts. Whether you like it or not, that is the tell tale proof for many executives to pull the trigger on a significant budget allocation.
If I am IKEA, I love the case study, but if I do not see a store traffic bump, sales bump or both over time, It was a waste of time, product and money.
The way the campaign was handled and the idea behind it was really unique, it leveraged facebook beautifully, and it was viewed as successful by many in the social media/marketing communities.
A few things grabbed my attention about this campaign that I thought were good tidbits for conversation:
1. One social media pro exclaimed this campaign was proving the death of the micro site
2. IKEA successfully got people on facebook to post IKEA products on their own pages, and in return had a chance to get free furniture
3. IKEA gave away quite a bit of free furniture - or at least that is the message that was communicated through the case study I saw
4. Nowhere did I see how much furniture was actually sold at the grand opening - or even how many people showed up at the grand opening of this new store (the whole point of the campaign as I understood it)
We can take this point by point.....
1. Taking the buzz word "micro site" off the table and looking at the purpose of that tactic - usually to promote a specific product launch, service launch, promotion, limited time offer, etc. A person's profile page on facebook, with all of the API function and rich media capabilities, now basically fills or can fill that same role. The "micro site" based on its function and not its name, is still a micro site it just now lives within the facebook framework. So I guess, the micro site is not dead, it just has a new place to live outside of a unique url address. Facebook, in essence, becomes the "micro site's" browser. Sorry my overzealous friend the "micro site" or as I might call it - the highly focused web promotion - is not dead.
2. IKEA did a great job, and saw a lot of free impressions and some interactivity with their brand in having general consumers spreading their word for them. This is definitely a win for positive brand experience. No need for a long dissertation here.
3. What was IKEA's objective for this initiative? Was it to give away a lot of free furniture? It was made clear that this store did not have a big budget for this store launch, so how much budget did they have to give away free product? If they gave away a lot, did they really save any $$ on their budget? If they did not give away a lot of furniture, did that upset potential customers? None of this explored or explained in the case study I read. The piece made it sound like they gave away a lot of furniture, and if that is true, I must ask, isn't selling furniture the point of all of this?
4. The best scenario I can come up with is why not run this promotion for their e-commerce platform to boost online sales? The fact that the case study did not say how much furniture was sold, or how many people showed up at the store tells me that it probably was not that impressive. If I am wrong, and they saw a big return, then if I was them I would trumpet that from the rooftops.
In closing, I think getting a ton of people to share your product online is great exposure, but many executives are wanting sales, above and beyond impressions and viral passing along of their message. If you are someone selling social media marketing strategy and execution, you ought to know one of the biggest stumbling blocks to a significant budget allocation for you is the lack of tangible ROI cases for social tactics and efforts. Whether you like it or not, that is the tell tale proof for many executives to pull the trigger on a significant budget allocation.
If I am IKEA, I love the case study, but if I do not see a store traffic bump, sales bump or both over time, It was a waste of time, product and money.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
The Muppets - Bohemian Rhapsody
I have always been a Jim Henson fan. As a result, I have always enjoyed The Muppets. I have even written about them in the past. I have seen this passed around quite a bit recently, so I thought I would share it with you. Henson's beloved Muppets doing their version of Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody.
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