On the Mark!

Who are you REALLY??

2012-02-24T10:38:00.013-05:00

Many of us have had to complete professional self assessments before, like the well known Myers Briggs test.  These evaluations are supposed to identify personality characteristics that may impact professional performance. There are a number of tests to identify all kinds of traits including behavior styles, management styles, leadership styles, personal flexibility assessments, peak performance self-evaluations...the list goes on and on.

I recently completed a Hogan Self Assessment which focused on human motives. It helps answer the questions around why we act the way we do.

One of the things I learned from my evaluation was that I have strong leadership characteristics. While certainly nice to hear, I'm not really sure what I'm supposed to do with that information. However, there were also some inconsistencies. For example the test said that when under stress I tend to want more data before making important decisions, but at the same time I'm prone to making decisions quickly. Not sure if that's good or bad.  One could make a case for either.

I don't know if these tests are really beneficial or even generally accurate, but I find the results fascinating nonetheless.  However, after reviewing the findings from the Hogan study I actually felt the analysis was reasonably precise.  Much like any study, there were some minor anomalies, but the assessment highlighted strengths and weaknesses in my personality that I've always recognized.  The question is, "What do I do with this data?"

Most people will try to work on improving their weaknesses.   However, if you focus too much on improving a weakness, do you sacrifice your strongest assets in the process? Maybe you don't listen enough. But if you place greater emphasis on improving your listening habits, do you risk stifling your creative or strategic thinking because you're focused on "talking less" versus "listening more"? Afterall, it's not like flipping a switch.

The goal of these assessments of course is to show you where you need to find more balance in your approach to professional growth. It's the first step in the ongoing search for self awareness.

Whatever you do with the results is up to you. I wouldn't live or die by them, but I do think they tend to paint a self portrait that should be reviewed from time to time. Generally speaking, I think most people recognize their faults. The difference between those who succeed and those who don't is how they address those weaknesses.

One common phrase that drives me crazy and I hear more and more these days is, "...but that's just who I am." As if to say that because someone is acknowledging a flaw, it should just be dismissed regardless of any problems it may cause. If that person beats his wife but acknowledges it as a personality blemish, should we just let it go?!

Most of us spend our lives striving for personal improvement. That doesn't mean that we shouldn't be proud of who we are, but we should also recognize personality flaws that knowingly or unknowingly have a negative impact on those around us. Certainly this is true from a professional standpoint.

What does all of this have to do with marketing you ask. Well it has a lot to do with building a personal brand and how you want to be perceived in the workforce. If you don't care about your personal reputation, then none of this matters. However, if your integrity is important to you...look at these personality assessment tests and glean something from them that might make you a better employee, manager or leader. It certainly can't hurt.

*The thoughts and opinions shared on this blog are solely those of its author and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of Goodwill of Greater Washington, its supporters or affiliates.

Ford "asks" GM to pull Super Bowl ad. Grow up Ford!

2012-02-06T10:33:00.003-05:00

GM's Super Bowl ad about its truck drivers surviving the apocalypse while Ford's truck drivers don't seems to have raised the ire of some people at Ford. They have asked that GM and NBC pull the ad.

It was a cute ad (especially the implication that Twinkies survived the apocalypse too), but I think Ford is making way too much of this. Quite honestly, their charge that GM's data is flawed because it's using statistics on longevity, not durability to support its claim, is a bit childish if you ask me. See quote from Ford Truck spokesman, Mike Levine to Jaloponik:

"We don't agree with GM's claims in the ad. Particularly around durability. What's important is that Ford is proud to be the number one selling truck in America for 35 years. The best-selling vehicle in America for 30 years. And the only brand with more trucks on the road with more than 250,000 miles. That demonstrates just how durable our trucks are in the real world. ... The issue with the ad is that 'Dave' doesn't survive because he's driving a Ford. They cite R.L. Polk data on longevity — not durability. If you look at R.L. Polk's data on durability — the same data I just gave you — there are more Ford trucks on the road with more than 250,000 miles. ... We've made our point and we'll always defend our products." "But this type of a request happens from time-to-time, and now we'll just let our legal team handle it."

By pursuing this issue, Ford is doing more to help GM than hurt it by raising awareness for its claim without effectively disputing it! Ford sounds like a little boy who got beaten in a race on the playground and screamed "cheater" because he lost.

The people at Ford need to read a well known biblical quote from 1 Corinthians 13:11:

"When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things."

C'mon Ford...really?! They zinged ya! Let it go.

*The opinions shared on this blog are solely those of its author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Goodwill of Greater Washington, its affiliates or supporters.

Only in politics does negative marketing work. Why?

2012-01-30T11:56:00.011-05:00

I've been following the Republican debates and campaigns with a great deal of interest. I've found them to be enlightening, educational and increasingly childish. Slings and arrows are everywhere! However, don't mistake my criticism as being exclusive to the Republican candidates. Similar sophomoric tactics are used with just as much consistency and malice on the democrat side as well.

As an American, I feel an obligation to vote during any election, whether it be for a local school board member or the President of the United States. While I'm saddened that so many Americans seem to view voting as a waste of time, I must admit that politics is a dirty game, and it simply disgusts many potential voters.

Only in politics can one candidate change facts, twist words, and launch personal attacks on opposition candidates and their families, resulting in more votes for him/herself. The twisted logic goes like this: "If I succeed at making my opponent look worse then he can make me look, then I win." A growing number of politicians are taking a "lesser of two evils" approach to campaigning. I find it mind boggling!

Imagine if we applied similar marketing principles to our own products or services.

How many of our businesses would succeed if we launched marketing campaigns actively criticizing our competition and misleading consumers about competitor pricing, product quality, employees and customer service, rather than simply speaking to the value, innovation and competitive advantages of our own brands?

Certainly there are some companies that choose to use questionable marketing tactics, but by and large the vast majority of businesses maintain a measurable level of civility, unlike in politics.

So why don't the rules applied to the marketing of products and services also apply to election campaigns? The answer is simple: Because the people who write those rules are the same ones practicing ethically dubious political campaigns!

It's a disturbing trend that is only getting worse. Just once I'd like to see a campaign that is focused solely on the issues, not on attacking a candidate's family, mistakes made in the distant past (something we're all guilty of), or a barrage of unrelenting ad hominems. What ever happened to moral integrity, strong character and personal accountability? In politics none of these core values seem to be the least bit important. While some people will criticize big business practices, big business can't hold a candle to politics when it comes to ethics, or lack thereof.

A suggestion to all politicians: Learn from good marketers, not bad ones. Please...

*The opinions shared on this blog are solely those of its author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or beliefs of Goodwill of Greater Washington, its affiliates or supporters.

vig•gle (vig gŭll), v. 1. to "check in" during a TV show for rewards. 2. VERY COOL!

2012-01-23T11:10:00.005-05:00

You can always count on the Super Bowl to bring out the coolest and most innovative marketing campaigns. This year is no exception.

Function(x), a new start up from Robert F. X. Silerman, has announced the launch of a mobile app called Viggle. According to BizReport and the Function(x) website, Viggle is "a loyalty program for television which encourages viewers to 'check in' while they're watching their favorite shows." Check-ins are rewarded with points redeemable for products and services from program sponsors. Users can also check-in during commercials, take quizzes, polls, and even make charitable contributions with the points they earn.

The app works with live, recorded and online TV content, and is what I call a fully integrated, TV engagement technology.

Scheduled to launch around the Super Bowl, Viggle could revolutionize how people watch TV and change the manner in which advertisers use traditional video based media. The viewer receives rewards for watching TV shows s/he was probably going to watch anyway. It's also a great way for networks to incentivize viewing during sweeps. While Viggle rewards both sampling and brand loyalty, eventually we may begin to see charities running PSAs asking viewers to make a donation by trading in their points. Afterall, it won't cost the donor anything other than time already spent sitting in front of the TV.

For parents however, Viggle has an obvious downside: It rewards inactivity. I have a hard enough time getting my son to remain active during Spongebob Squarepants. I certainly don't need the added challenge of fighting with him over the rewards points he'll miss if he isn't planted in front of the TV 24/7.

Smart content providers will develop a way to integrate childhood learning and activity into the rewards program. If successful, they'll begin to convert moms and dads into Viggle advocates. If not, Viggle will only invite parental wrath.

However, Viggle has huge potential and I'll be paying very close attention.

Okay McDonald's, can you back up your healthy lifestyle message?

2012-01-17T10:35:00.001-05:00

McDonald's recently announced that it is extending its Olympic sponsorship through 2020, with an emphasis on the McDonald’s Champions of Play program which will promote "healthy eating and active play for kids", according to McDonald's EVP-Global Chief Brand Officer Kevin Newell.

McDonald's has also signed on five-time U.S. Olympic medalist swimmer (and mom) Dara Torres as its global ambassador for the program.

I've defended McDonald's in the past when it was unfairly attacked by irresponsible groups and parents who lacked personal accountability. But I've also been critical of the fast food chain for failing to recognize who it really is and what it represents to the consumer.

The Champions of Play campaign presents McDonald's with another opportunity to be as transparent as possible with consumers while promoting a healthy lifestyle. I'm not coming down on McDonald's for selling food that isn't generally accepted as "healthy", since I think that parents must always be held more accountable for the lifestyle choices they make for their children then McDonald's should ever be. However, if McDonald's is going to attach its brand to a healthy lifestyle message, then it had better be prepared to back it up with healthier food options and a renewed level of transparency for its unhealthy offerings.

Champions of Play ambassadors, like Dara Torres, also better be able to defend their support of this campaign and explain how McDonald's food plays a role in a healthy lifestyle for kids. Dara, please say you didn't accept this role simply for the big paycheck.

While I applaud McDonald's for sponsoring athletic events for children, I don't think that's enough when you're promoting a healthy and active lifestyle while selling unhealthy food. The product contradicts the message. Based on what I've read, McDonald's doesn't seem to be making any changes to its menu, other than adding some British flavor to its London carte du jour during the 2012 Summer Olympics.

C'mon Ronald, don't let me down. You have to do better than that.

*The opinions shared on this blog are solely those of its author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Goodwill of Greater Washington, its employees, supporters or affiliates.

THE word for marketers in 2012: Agility!

2012-01-09T14:27:00.006-05:00

CMO.com recently shared the opinions of 32 leading digital marketing strategists on what to expect in 2012 and beyond. I thought that all of their predictions were insightful and valuable. However, one in particular grabbed my attention as I read it, thinking to myself, "yes, this is me"!

It was the prediction shared by David Brussin, CEO of Monetate. He says:

"The missing ingredient for every CMO in 2012 is agility, and the biggest trend Monetate sees for marketers moving forward is finding ways to add agility to their marketing operations. Agility is essential to running a world-class marketing operation, and the fact is that a lot of marketers feel overwhelmed with the pressure to meet quickly changing consumer expectations. In daily operations, marketers are constrained by their internal systems, and they’re frustrated that they cannot consistently and effectively execute on what consumers expect. They are being challenged to handle complex ideas and be relevant across new consumer touchpoints, and they are also challenged to meet rapidly evolving business expectations as well as the market expectations of consumers thanks to social tools."

As I was reading this, I really sensed that David felt my pain! He hit the nail on the head!

The struggle to remain relevant with the consumer due to rapidly changing technology, combined with the constant (and rarely met) need for resources and data to maximize performance and measure success, is an ongoing battle.

Not only is every good marketer always working to understand ever evolving strategies and marketing channels, but s/he is also constantly selling the value of each new channel internally if s/he wishes to add it to the organization's existing portfolio.

More and more I fear, marketers are being judged on the results of campaigns for which proper measurement tools are not provided. In today's fast paced environment, many businesses are no longer interested in "strategies". They're looking for tactics. They are short term thinkers. For example, they want to use social media without understanding how to to use it or whether it is even the right option for their business or audience.

I remember sitting down for an interview with well respected social media strategist Toby Bloomberg a few years ago. She asked me why we decided to use social media at Goodwill. I responded that I didn't understand the use of social media as a marketing channel at first because I was trying too hard to develop a social media strategy instead of incorporating social media into my marketing strategy. Once I decided to slow down and determine if it was a good fit for our objectives, the benefits of using social media and its strategic implementation became very clear to me. But how often do we find ourselves (in any profession) acting before we think because we are moving so quickly simply trying to stay on top of technological, demographic and economic changes?

A good marketer should always gather as much data as possible before making critical decisions. But a marketer also needs to be agile and able to trust his/her instincts and experience because other tools are often not available and/or time is in short supply. Marketers usually have a lot of balls in the air. Sometimes I think the best marketers have ADD because to spend too much time on one thing means something else is going to suffer.

Agility isn't a characteristic today's marketer should have. It's a characteristic today's marketer must have! But s/he must also be able to take the time to stop, exhale and research whenever possible before making important decisions that will impact the bottom line or brand reputation. If you don't, you'll be shooting blindfolded and will miss the target far more often than you'll hit it.

Happy New Year! Here's to 2012!

2011-12-31T14:39:00.002-05:00

I'll wish you all a Happy New Year with one of my favorite Irish blessings:

"May the road rise up to meet you, may the wind be ever at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face and the rain fall softly on your fields. And until we meet again, May God hold you in the hollow of his hand.”

Happy New Year to all! Let's hope for a peaceful and fruitful 2012.

Brendan

My 10 Rules on Christmas

2011-12-21T12:53:00.007-05:00

I grew up in a large Irish Catholic family where Christian holy days were a big deal both for their religious significance as well as the secular celebrations associated with some of them.

Let me be very clear on one point. My parents always, always, always instilled in us the religious importance of each and every holy day. However, they wanted us to celebrate the fun associated with some holidays such as the legend of Santa Claus during the Christmas season and the legend of the Easter Bunny during the Easter season. It was enjoyable for us as kids and never overwhelmed the religious signficance of the holy days.

Personally, Christmas has always been a special time of year to me. I still feel like a kid at Christmas and I hope I always do. I'm sad and disappointed that political correctness has turned the Christmas season into the "holiday" season and a Christmas tree into a "holiday" tree. I hope that people who disdain Christmas due to its Christian roots will one day realize that Christmas isn't intended as an afront to anyone, but rather a global celebration of peace, love and goodwill. Perhaps I'm naive, but I don't understand why anyone would find a kind gesture offensive, regardless of its religious roots.

I have a few fundamental rules about Christmas that I'd like to share with you. I hope no one takes offense to them, though that's certainly your prerogative.

1. Christmas is a celebration of the birth of Christ. I'm not ashamed of it, nor should any Christian be.

2. I am not offended by the secular celebration of Christmas. It is still all about the spirit of giving. I don't think Christ would object to giving someone else a gift regardless of whether one's motivation is religious or secular.

3. I don't care if someone else is offended that I celebrate Christmas. And I'm surprised and disappointed if someone is offended that I wish them a "Merry Christmas". Christmas is about peace, love and goodwill towards men. Anyone who is offended by the celebration of these virtues, regardless of their association to a particular faith, really needs to reexamine their true motives.

4. I don't care if someone else is offended that I call my tree a Christmas Tree. If you want to call it a "holiday tree", that's fine. But don't tell me or anyone else what we should call our trees.

5. I am not the least bit offended if someone wishes me "Happy Hanukkuh", "Happy Kwanzaa" or "Blessed Ramadan". I wouldn't be offended if a Pagan were to wish me "Happy Winter Solstice". If their intentions are good, regardless of whether or not I personally celebrate those holidays, why should I be offended?

6. Christmas is about giving. The size or expense of the gift is irrelevant. I'm human of course and I like nice gifts, but honestly, I get more joy from seeing the faces of people to whom I'm giving a really great gift; something I know they will enjoy. Why is there a need to set a minimum or maximum cost on giving someone something? If a gift recipient is judging the value of the gift based on its cost, then shame on them. That completely defeats the spirit of the season. I know several people who approach Christmas gifts this way and I just don't get it.

7. Those who demand respect for their non-belief in the spirit of Christmas, should at the same time respect the beliefs of others. I was always taught that respect is earned, not granted upon demand. I don't care if someone doesn't want to celebrate Christmas, but I do care when someone else says that my choice to celebrate it is somehow infringing upon their rights not to. Don't celebrate. It's that simple.

8. Christmas lights are not optional. They are mandatory during the Christmas season and the more lights you display, the better! And none of those little tiny white lights. I'm talking the big multi-colored outdoor lights that can be seen from the moon. Garish is good. Yup, that's an unbreakable rule.

9. Give. Others are not as fortunate as many of us. If you can't give during other times of year, give at Christmas. There are few things more heartbreaking than the face of a small child who thinks s/he's a bad kid because Santa didn't give him/her a Christmas present.

10. Celebrate loudly and celebrate often. Don't hide your appreciation for the good in mankind. Shout it from the rooftops. It brings joy to so many people. Why should it be contained?

Merry Christmas everyone! I hope that 2012 is a happy and peaceful year for you and for the world.

Marketing Trends for 2012

2011-12-16T09:41:00.004-05:00

I love the team at eConsultancy who were once again kind enough to share their five key marketing trends for 2012. I always enjoy reading them, and have added a few of my own at the bottom of their predictions.

Let me know what you think will be the key marketing trends in the New Year and whether you agree with those listed.

1. Advertising-as-a-service
Traditional advertising must evolve. Recent research from Havas Media revealed that consumers are no longer enamored with the advertising they see, and feel that “just one in five brands has a notable positive impact on their quality of life.” The truth is, consumers are no longer interested in traditional advertising being‘pushed’ at them and are increasingly switching-on to communication channels that provide a service.

2. Connected devices
One of the most significant developments for 2012 is without a doubt the emergence of connected TVs and even more significantly, how consumers will interact via second screens. According to Nielsen's 2011 mobile connected devices report, 70% of tablet users and 68% of smartphone users use their device while watching TV, usually in a social sense and more often than not this social activity isn’t tied to the programme they’re watching. This is the untapped marketplace that savvy advertisers and brands in 2012 should create compelling content for.

3. Mobile
Over the past year, mobile devices have led both technological and marketing innovation. Google states that 79% of smartphone owners use their mobiles to aid in shopping and 74% make a purchase as a result. Smartphones have revolutionised how we interact with content on-the-go and in 2012 the mobile device will continue to play a significant role.

4. Multichannel Engagement
We’re now entering an era where almost any device or surface can have an internet connection, and as such, video can be displayed almost anywhere. So prevalent has video become as the preeminent communication tool of our age that Cisco's Visual Networking Index shows that by 2015, 1m minutes of video will cross the internet every second. Already brands are moving toward this kind of engagement, this is only just the beginning for multichannel marketing in 2012.

5. The Amazon Effect
While it’s not a trend per se, I wanted to highlight the growth of the dominant media force that is Amazon. Its platform is now utilised by many brands to boost their own e-commerce and the upcoming Kindle Fire is being heralded as the first serious threat to Apple’s all-conquering iPad. Effectively communicating with ‘switched-on’ consumers isn’t a stretch for Amazon and it’s already proven its agile organisational structure works. Amazon constantly evolves its business model to adapt to the marketplace and brands that look beyond their original heritage will offer customers unique and bespoke services.

I believe all five of the trends above are on the mark. However, I'd like to add three more 2012 marketing trends of my own:

1. QR Code-mania
As if we didn't seen this coming! For the past several years, the primary question for marketers has been, "How to harness the power of social media". In 2012, that will change to, "How to harness the power of QR codes"; and it's already begun. A QR code is a low cost, low resource marketing channel that can effectively utilize existing content. The biggest challenge for marketers will be identifying content that will entice smart phone users enough to scan the retailer's QR codes while keeping the consumer engaged. Manufacturers are already developing and producing smartphones with default QR code scanners which will make the codes a much hotter information gathering tool in 2012.

2. The return of cash driven CSR
This is great news for charitable agencies. As the first 2012 marketing trend identified above by eConsultancy indicates, consumers are increasingly looking for some community benefit from their purchasing options. However, this will extend beyond the direct to consumer purchase. It will have a much greater impact on CSR initiatives. For the past several years, businesses have been adopting a "spend less, volunteer more" CSR philosophy. Unfortunately, those efforts haven't really produced the type of community goodwill that most businesses had anticipated internally or externally. Why? Because volunteer days don't generate sustainable results, everyone is doing it, and far too few charities can manage a deluge of 100 volunteers one day only to see them disappear the next. A "day of service" sounds good, but simply isn't practical anymore. What tends to have a greater and more sustainable impact on social causes is the infusion of cash, as a growing number of charitable agencies are forced to shut their doors resulting from the global economic crisis. Financial contributions can produce good PR and measurable results. Therefore, while investments may not be as strong as they were around the turn of the century, you'll begin to see an increasing number of businesses going back to a more cash focused CSR strategy. However, their spending will likely target programs and services that can generate long term, self sustaining and measurable impact.

3. Greater government involvement in advertising and media
Sorry folks, this is the inevitable result of bigger government. Over the past decade we've seen stronger regulations on advertising in schools, stadiums, digital; and on ads for tobacco and those targeting children, among others. Now there are calls for government arbitration in private, marketplace negotiations between cable service providers and local TV broadcasters on retransmission consent. Whether you agree with these regulations or not, they aren't going away and in all likelihood will only increase in 2012 and beyond.

Let me know what you think of the trends identified above and if you have any to add to the list.

Here's to a terrific 2012!!

*The opinions shared on this blog are solely those of its author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or policies of Goodwill of Greater Washington, its affiliates or supporters.

Want a competitive advantage on your next job interview? Just wear a suit!

2011-12-14T10:33:00.003-05:00

A few months ago I interviewed a dozen young professionals for a mid level management position I was trying to fill. Out of the 12 candidates I met, none wore a business suit and tie. Zip, zero, zilch, nada! Let me repeat myself - I interviewed 12 people looking for a corporate job and not a single one of them wore a suit and tie (or a suit, if a woman). I was shocked!

Then just a couple of weeks ago, a professional colleague of mine who is an adjunct professor at a major university asked if I would help her out by conducting mock interviews with students in her 300 level marketing class. Mind you, these are students getting ready to graduate from college who have been given the unique opportunity to meet with several business executives (there were three of us conducting the interviews) to hone their interviewing skills.  And out of 30 or more students in the class, only three of them wore business suits. THREE!!

Needless to say, I pointed out this personal brand failure to every student I interviewed who was not in a suit.

While I understand that the purpose of mock interviews is to try and help the students improve their interviewing skills, I was amazed at how many of them actually believed that their business casual, or in several cases, overly casual attire, was appropriate for an interview, even if only a mock interview. Based on the interviews I had conducted several months earlier, this was not an isolated incident and appeared to be a trend.

According to JobMagician.com, one of the top three ways to turn off an executive recruiter is to dress unprofessionally.

I was taught at a very young age that you dress for the part. If you want a job as a manager, you need to dress as a manager. If you want to be viewed as a professional, you need to dress like a professional. I remember wearing a suit to my first interview at a fast food chain when I was 15 years old.

If the corporate policy at the company where an applicant wishes to work is casual attire, then the applicant can change his or her clothing once s/he gets the job.  But to assume that this type of presentation is acceptable during the interviewing process, when first impressions are critical, is simply ignorant.  The candidates and students I interviewed were not poor 15 year old kids or uneducated adults.

Were they taught this by their parents, by the schools? Did they make this flawed decision on their own?

Many of the students and job candidates I met had excellent credentials. However, those who took the time to dress appropriately for their interviews were given stronger consideration.  Wearing a suit displays professionalism, respect and proper etiquette.

All things being equal, the candidate who dresses professionally for an interview will always win the job over the candidate who doesn't.

* The opinions shared on this blog are solely those of its author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or policies of Goodwill of Greater Washington or its affiliates.

Should Nonprofits Operate Like Businesses?

2011-11-28T16:40:00.003-05:00

I recently read an article in the Wall Street Journal debating whether charitable organizations should operate more like businesses.

Charles R. Bronfman and Jeffrey R. Solomon, chairman and president, respectively, of the Andrea and Charles Bronfman Philanthropies, presented the "yay" argument, while Michael Edwards, a senior fellow at Demos offered the "nay" argument.

In a nutshell, Bronfman and Solomon argue that running philanthropies more like businesses will improve efficiencies, accountability and mission delivery. Edwards counters that running a nonprofit like a business will have a negative impact on the poorest populations, eliminate the creativity that is necessary to make a nonprofit effective, and result in more accountability to corporate donors than to service constituents.

Personally, I think Edwards misses the mark by a long shot.

His position that an open ended and creative approach to nonprofit management is more appropriate than a more business like approach is, in my opinion, an invitation for fraud, embezzlement, lack of accountability and poor governance. Efficiency and “creativity” are not mutually exclusive.

Additionally, NGOs that don't show a “return on investment” in the form of service delivery are organizations that have a very limited future. Every donor, whether it be a large corporate funder or an individual dropping five dollars into a kettle, expects that his donation will be used efficiently and effectively. To imply that charities that don't operate with a traditional business model are somehow less beholden to their donors than they are to their consituents, is quite simply false...thank God! I don’t think there is a charity on earth that would agree with Edward's suggestion that a nonprofit's only obligation is to the population it serves. Doing so would basically be an admission that the organization isn't attending to its mission, because the donor and the recipient of services both have the same expectation: fulfillment! If a charitable agency can't prove it is working towards that end, it shouldn't exist.

Edwards offers Occupy Wall Street as a successful example of the "creative" model. To me, this is just absurd. One of the primary reasons the movement is starting to fall apart is because its message is so unclear (in addition to charges of financial mismanagement, drug use and crime amongst its ranks). There is little, if any, actual infrastructure and even fewer common goals behind the movement. Any business or nonprofit that replicates this model wouldn’t last a year in today’s competitive environment. Occupy Wall Street is proving to be a perfect case study against Edward's suggested approach. Getting attention doesn't always equate to success.

Edwards also goes on to paint the civil rights movement as a shining example of how the grass roots, creative approach is best suited for change. In my opinion, one of the biggest reasons the civil rights movement was so dramatically effective was because it evolved into a well organized and well planned effort. It had a visible and strong leadership structure, an unambiguous cause, and very clear, consistent and measurable objectives.

I don’t think that anyone would disagree that most social causes start at the grass roots level. Someone, somewhere feels passionate enough about an issue to begin playing an active role in facilitating change. Thus, a grass roots movement is born. But that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t take a strategic and planned approach to the matter.

I once had a professor in graduate school who was very fond of the phrase, “It’s not the plan that counts; it’s planning that counts”, meaning a good plan isn’t etched in stone. A good plan is one that allows for flexibility in order to adapt to a changing environment. To be a smart business or nonprofit, one needs to be flexible. So for Edwards to claim that a business-like approach to running a nonprofit agency eliminates that flexibility, is both myopic and naïve…in my opinion.

**The opinions shared on this blog are solely those of its author and do not necessarily represent the opinions of Goodwill of Greater Washington, its supporters or affiliates.

The Customer Experience Often Begins & Ends Online

2011-11-18T10:25:00.000-05:00

Your prices are well researched and fair. Your product presentation, functionality and distribution strategies are flawless. You have very talented managers and associates who have been well trained in customer service, and your marketing team believes in the "customer is always right" philosophy. So now you feel you've addressed all of your customer experience issues and will surely impress, convert and retain customers, right?

Hmmm...not so fast. In today's digital world far more consumers have their first interaction with a product, service or business online. They're visiting your website, Facebook page, mobile app, email newsletter or other digital platform before they ever step foot in your store or pick up the phone to call you. And if they have a bad experience online, it's probably the last interaction they ever have with you.

According to Neilson, 70% of online social network users shop online. Digby.com says, "67% of consumers will use their smartphones to find store locations, 59% to compare prices, 51% to obtain product information, 46% to check product availability, 45% to shop online, 41% to find and use coupons, and 40% to scan bar codes". And the figures are only growing.

Do you make it easy for customers to reach someone who can help them? Remember, online shoppers aren't confined by brick and mortar hours of operation. While this might seem elementary to most B2C retailers these days, many are still focused primarily on their websites, but haven't spent much time managing their social media and/or digital channels. Additionally, more B2B consumers are using social media to research products and services as well.

According to a recent study by Accenture, "only 8% of B2B companies would describe their social media usage as extensive. This is in contrast to the 65% of respondents who indicated that social media is extremely or very important."

Far too often, businesses still judge social media success purely by the direct and immediate impact it has on the bottom line, rather than looking at it as a customer service tool that helps ensure brand loyalty. It is a point of direct engagement with a consumer or customer and provides a powerful and unique opportunity to show them that you appreciate and value their input and feedback. Those who aren't viewing social media as a large part of the customer experience are still missing the boat. But they won't be for long, because if present trends continue, they'll either be forced to adopt or forced to close shop.

So, how is your online customer experience?

Living Social Looking to Change its Business Model

2011-11-10T10:15:00.003-05:00

In a recent interview with the Washington Business Journal, LivingSocial CEO Tim O’Shaughnessy said, “We don’t view ourselves as a daily deals business, we view ourselves as a local commerce business”. According to the author, O'Shaughnessy's comment hints at a possible shift in the LivingSocial business model.

O'Shaughnessy envisions a future where LivingSocial becomes an online seller of goods and services beyond just its daily deals.

The story points out that Amazon (a LivingSocial investor) is seeing tremendous growth outside of its books, movie and music sales. Could Living Social soon become a competitor in this space...or a partner?

With free and geo-targeted "special offer" sites like Foursquare starting to gain some momentum as a self managed retail resource, and QR codes providing greater reach for retailers hoping to promote discounts at little to no cost, perhaps O'Shaughnessy is weighing a shift in LivingSocial's business model more as a mitigation strategy than a growth opportunity.

There are a growing number of LivingSocial competitors popping up every day with new and unique competitive advantages that chip away at the huge market share that LivingSocial and Groupon now control. Take recently launched Recoup for example. Recoup has a daily deal model similar to LivingSocial's but with a more philanthropic mission. Every purchase made on Recoup benefits a charitable agency of the consumer's choice. The businesses that are selling on Recoup can also contribute a portion of each sale to a charitable cause. Additionally, Recoup doesn't charge businesses up front unlike LivingSocial and Groupon. In today's very socially conscious consumer culture and skeptical business culture, Recoup may be well positioned to take a measurable bite out of its high priced competitors.

O'Shaughnessy's comments are interesting. What will be even more interesting is what is to follow.

"Those who CAN...do. Those who CAN'T...teach." Not so fast!

2011-10-25T11:25:00.002-04:00

"Those who can, do. Those who can't, teach."

I'm sure you've all heard that famous adage. I used to use it myself! Not anymore.

A few months ago I was following a discussion on LinkedIn about why many universities don't yet offer marketing classes in social media. The majority of comments in the discussion seemed to be in agreement: That many tenured marketing professors don't know much about social or digital media because neither existed when the educators were learning about marketing, and very few of them use digital platforms themselves.

However, social and digital media can't continue to be ignored as new marketing channels. So where do universities go to find teachers who can educate students on their use in the business world? And if universities continue to disregard social media, where do students go to learn about it as a marketing tool? The second of these two questions is easy, since students are doing it already. They attend professional workshops through organizations like the American Marketing Association that offer programs on social media almost monthly! With the cost of student memberships in professional associations being very reasonable, more and more scholars are turning to professional practitioners to educate them on new strategies and innovative models that they can't learn in the classroom.

But what about the answer to the first question: Where do universities get teachers to educate their students on the use of digital and social media? The answer is... the same: Adjunct faculty - professional practitioners who are successfully using new channels to enhance marketing strategies, improve the customer experience and generate new revenue streams every day.

Real world experience is the best teacher. Case studies can provide excellent examples of both expected and unexpected scenarios. Marketing professionals can read through suggested text books to identify whether the content is accurate or a bunch of philosophical garbage, and thus focus on those pieces that will provide the greatest value to the students.

I'm not dismissing the importance of a knowledgeable professor. Clearly business professionals are not trained educators and can't always provide the nurturing, context and perspective that a skilled teacher can offer. But with technology literally moving at the speed of light, sometimes an experienced grunt is more valuable than a highly educated officer.

Are QR Codes ready for primetime?

2011-10-20T13:20:00.005-04:00

According to a recent article in Biz Report, "a survey conducted by research firm Russell Herder found that over half of repeat QR Code scanners only 'sometimes' feel they have received something of value for their efforts."

The article adds that when asked if they felt scanning a QR code was worthwhile, consumers responded:

• Always 3%
• Usually 28%
• Sometimes 52%
• Rarely 15%
• Never 2%

These findings don't necessarily indicate that QR codes don't work. They only highlight that some businesses are using them effectively while others are not. Even though QR codes are being used successfully in Europe, the technology is still new to retailers in the U.S. So, much like other forms of digital marketing, there is going to be a learning curve. Retailers just need to learn where the benefit threshold is for scanners, while showing patience as adoption of the technology attempts to takes root.

We have experimented with QR codes at Goodwill of Greater Washington (GGW). We post flyers in our stores with QR codes linking back to GGW's Foursquare site where users receive an exclusive discount. It's a faster way of accessing the Foursquare offer without having to log onto the site through traditional channels. While the scans have been limited so far, it doesn't cost us anything and provides an additional opportunity for customers to benefit from shopping at Goodwill.

We also recently added a QR code to a targeted direct mail piece that was delivered to several thousand college students living on the campus of a university near one of our new stores. The DM piece offered a substantial discount, and if the student scanned the QR code, the discount increased by 10%. The campaign dropped the first day of the fall semester to a technologically savvy crowd. We expected a high redemption rate. Instead it was negligable.

We have some theories as to why the effort wasn't effective, and we'll adapt the next time we use QR codes in a similar campaign.

We've not given up on QR codes yet since there is no cost as we experiment and learn, but we understand that initial results are not going to be as strong as we had originally hoped, even with a tech savvy audience looking for bargains.

I think the key words when experimenting with QR codes are, "patience", "understanding" and "value". Be patient with the ROI, and be sure to understand your audience while maximizing the expected value.

*The opinions shared on this blog are solely those of its author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Goodwill of Greater Washington or its affiliates.

Parallel thinking: Efficient or a waste of time?

2011-10-12T10:39:00.000-04:00

Are you a parallel thinker? Do you practice parallel thinking in your office? Have you ever heard of parallel thinking?

I hadn't, until someone shared a book with me and suggested I read it. The book is titled Six Thinking Hats by Edward de Bono.

The basic concept behind the Six Thinking Hats is to separate and define certain types of thinking, so that everyone in the brainstorming group is thinking the same way at the same time, or thinking "in parallel". For example, everyone thinks logically together, and then they think creatively together. Theoretically, you eliminate the challenges that can result from one person thinking logically, while at the same time another person is thinking emotionally and still another is thinking creatively.

Each colored hat represents a style of thinking:

White hat = neutral and objective, only concerned with facts and figures. Details needed to answer questions or identify questions that need to be answered

Red hat = Emotional response. When an idea is presented, each individual is expected to share his or her immediate emotional reaction without explanation, good, bad or indifferent. This sets the stage for the rest of the Thinking Hat process.

Black hat = Careful and cautious. This is the opportunity for everyone in the group to play devil's advocate. In other words, what problems will or may arise from the idea being considered?

Yellow hat = Positive and optimistic. What are the potential benefits that may result from the idea being presented? Identify all the good!

Green hat = Growth, creativity and new ideas. Now that you understand the good, the bad and have all the data and facts available, how can you adjust, improve or implement the idea to maximize effectiveness and generate desired results. (NOTE: you may realize that an idea isn't worth implementing because it has too little upside or poses barriers too large to overcome)

Blue hat = The organizing hat. This ensures that everyone understands the objectives, the process and the action steps.

I recently spent two days at a conference where we practiced the Six Thinking Hats process. In my opinion, it has great potential for creating clarity and unity of thought. However, it isn't as easy as it may appear. Participants will try to shift back and forth between "hats" and that has to be constantly managed or the process breaks down. Also, ideas have to be very clear (i.e. "A four day work week" versus "a shorter work week"). The more vague or philosophical the idea, the more questions it creates and the less it answers.

It is a natural extension of the traditional detour creating, brainstorming process, but gets everyone thinking in unison instead of arguing in support of their preexisting opinions.

If you have a chance, read the book. I think you'll find it interesting, and it will take no more than a couple of hours. Once you do, I'd love to hear your opinions.

Have you seen a presentation in Prezi yet? You should!

2011-09-21T17:27:00.000-04:00

Are you tired of the same old, boring Power Point presentations that hurt your eyes and would serve more effectively as a sleeping aid?

Then you need Prezi!

A colleague of mine turned me onto it. She saw a presentation created in Prezi and recommended I check it out. And am I glad I did. I just created my first presentation in Prezi and have spent the morning showing it off to my colleagues (yeah, I know, it takes very little to get me excited...).

According to its own website, Prezi is "a cloud-based presentation software that opens up a new world between whiteboards and slides. The zoomable canvas makes it fun to explore ideas and the connections between them. The result: visually captivating presentations that lead your audience down a path of discovery." And in my opinion, that doesn't do it justice.

Prezi allows the user to post an entire presentation (including images and videos) on one canvas, while offering the unique ability to change perspective. You can add text that is so small it isn't visible to the naked eye, until it comes time to zoom in on it during your presentation, which it does flawlessly. It offers a navigation system that allows you to place content anywhere on the canvas and move back and forth at will. It even recognizes when you've posted content sideways or upside down for design purposes, and will compensate during the presentation by rotating the canvas. It adds life, color and motion to your presentations unlike anything you can do in Power Point. Check out a few examples!

Like many online services, the basic version is free, and the more upgrades you want, the more you pay. However, even the basic version is pretty cool, and the cost to upgrade is very reasonable, ranging from $59 a year to $159 a year.

Call me odd, but I can't wait to give my first presentation in Prezi. I think the audience will find it more interesting than the content!

Try it out. Let me know what you think...

Angry Birds: Mindless entertainment for Type A personalities

2011-09-14T08:46:00.000-04:00

OK, admit it...if you own an iPhone, an iPad or an Android device, you have purchased Angry Birds, or one of its sister games, Angry Birds - Seasons or Angry Birds, Rio. I admit, I have all of them, and I can't wait for the next iteration to be released.

Developed by Rovio Mobile, it has become a global sensation, now entering the Chinese market, with expected downloads of 100 million in China by the end of 2011 according to Brandchannel.com.

Angry Birds is one of the most mindless games I've ever come across, yet I find myself completely addicted to it. Good thing I don't bring my iPad to the office!

For the few of you who aren't familiar with Angry Birds, the game basically pits a team of birds, each with a special feature or skill (some drop bombs, some go really fast, some split into multiple birds, etc), against a strange legion of bodyless pigs, who apparently have taken over the bird santuaries. The player and his team of birds participate in a series of missions to oust the pigs from each of these sanctuaries by destroying the structures and killing all the pigs. The more destruction you cause and the less birds you use in the completion of each mission, the more points you score.

Sound stupid? That's because it is! Yet it is undeniably fun to play and I'm convinced it's designed for Type A personalities like mine who simply can't put it down until they've completed all of the missions.

Even worse, once I've completed all of the missions, I need to go back and complete each the missions again collecting three stars on all of them (the highest score possible). Then I have to go back and find all the hidden golden trophies (which give you a few more "special missions")! Ahhhhh!!! Help me!

Now I know what you're saying: The mission of this blog is to discuss marketing news and trends. So what does my experience with Angry Birds have to do with marketing, you ask? Nothing I guess, other than highlighting the success Angry Birds developers have had in creating successful brand loyalty, brand extension and brand alignment...through brand addiction. A simple, mindless game for Type A personalities has become one of the most successful mobile products ever developed. I'd say that's a pretty good marketing story.

And it also gives me a forum to share my Angry Birds frustration. Hey, it's my blog.

Extreme Customer Service under Extreme Duress!

2011-09-13T18:40:00.000-04:00

I recently returned from a family trip to the Outer Banks of North Carolina. For those of you unfamiliar with the area, it is a beautiful stretch of beach along an outer band of barrier islands just off the coast of North Carolina. It is also the area where Hurricane Irene came ashore one week before our vacation.

As a result, I was anticipating that the home we were renting would be severely damaged or uninhabitable, and was already making plans to take my family elsewhere. However, I was pleasantly surprised when I contacted our realtor only to receive good news about the condition of the home, and impeccable customer service during what must have been very difficult days for the realtors both personally and professionally.

We booked our rental property through a company called Village Realty in Nags Head, NC. When I called them a few days after the hurricane, I would have completely understood if they were neglectful in answering the phone, short in their responses, or generally didn't provide much in the way of basic customer service. Instead, what I received was a warm greeting, gracious assistance, and quick and helpful answers to my questions.

These people were probably inundated with phone calls all week from renters and home owners, while at the same time working hard to resolve dozens of issues with the properties they manage. I'm sure they were also handling all of these challenges while dealing with potential damage to their own homes and property, wrestling with poor communications infrastructure, and navigating some very dangerous or impassable roads. Every day leading up to our arrival, Village Realty was updating its website and Facebook page with valuable information for owners and visitors. I checked them both daily. Simply put, I was amazed at how helpful they were under such stressful circumstances.

When we arrived in Nags Head, our house was not only ready and waiting for us in excellent condition, it was available hours before we were due to check-in. Village Realty even called me on my cell phone while I was in the supermarket with my family to notify us that the house was ready for occupancy. When we drove up to the front door, someone was already there cleaning out the hot tub so we could use it that afternoon.

It wouldn't have surprised me if the realtor made us wait several hours or a day to check-in. But they didn't. Village Realty went out of its way to ensure that our vacation was as pleasant as possible, even though it was probably one of the most difficult weeks of they've ever experienced. Now THAT dear readers...is customer service!

I hope that I can emulate Village Realty and provide the quality of customer care they provided me and my family. Therefore, I want to give them a plug. They've earned it. If you're ever renting a home on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, call Village Realty at 800-548-9688. They are good, good people, and have converted me into a loyal customer.

While Digital Media is the Future, Traditional Media is Still the King

2011-08-31T12:50:00.000-04:00

I am inundated daily with information on how to use digital media as a marketing tool. And for the record, I'm one of the biggest digital and social media advocates you'll ever find. While the channels and platforms will likely continue to change over time, digital media usage isn't going away. Therefore, it should continue to be a part of any integrated marketing campaign. However, with a few exceptions, it should still only play a supporting role...for now.

To reach the largest number of consumers in your targeted population, traditional media, like TV and radio, is still King. I wouldn't even rule out "print" if we can still call it that. While print in its traditional form (paper) is on its last legs, traditional print content is still available online, where its usage is quickly growing.

According to findings from a recent study conducted by Barkley, in partnership with Service Management Group and The Boston Consulting Group, to no one's surprise, Millenials are substituting the use of traditional TV and print with more online media consumption. However, one must note that Millenials are STILL watching TV and reading articles; they're just doing it more on their laptops.

Additionally, while only 26% of Millenials indicate that they watch more than 20 hours of traditional live TV each week, 49% of Non-Millenials do.

And while the face of traditional radio is also changing with the advent of iTunes and Pandora, traditional radio is still the preferred medium of choice in the car with Gen Xers and Gen Yers. Additionally, the use of online radio has almost doubled since 2006 going from 1.3% to 3.7% of all radio usage, according to SNL Kagan. And in many cases, online radio is nothing more than an audio stream of terrestrial radio content.

So while the face of traditional media may look a little different, its viability as an advertising channel is still very strong! Continue to study and integrate social and digital media as a marketing tool, but don't throw all of your eggs in that basket just yet.

You too can make a profit off a natural disaster!

2011-08-26T10:04:00.000-04:00

Who would have ever guessed that Washington, DC and the majority of the American northeast would experience an earthquake and a hurricane in the same week?!

Are the planets aligning? Is the Mayan calendar coming to an end? Are cats and dogs sleeping together?

Whatever the case may be, from a marketing standpoint, it is creating an opportunity like no other, IF you are smart enough and fast enough to capitalize on it.

Grocery stores, hardware stores and gas stations are making a killing this week. Anyone on the east coast who isn't advertising on the local news/talk radio station or the weather channel is missing the boat!

Are you offering earthquake, hurricane or "earthicane" specials?

Goodwill of Greater Washington will soon be selling "I survived the DC earthquake of 2011" tee shirts on its Facebook page. Who doesn't want a keepsake commemorating one of the rarest occurences in a lifetime?

So whether you're reviewing your crisis management plans or celebrating during your hurricane parties, spend a few minutes thinking about how your company can benefit from the aftermath. There is always money to be made if you're quick enough to react or proactive enough to anticipate.

Disclaimer: While my comments are intended to be humorous, my objective is not to make light of a very dangerous situation. However, sometimes a little levity can help make difficult circumstances more manageable. I thank God that the damage from the recent earthquake was extremely minimal. And I pray that damage and loss of life from Hurricane Irene are just as minimal.

Why you should spend more time at the bar when attending your next conference...

2011-08-19T10:12:00.000-04:00

The best learning at a professional development conference is often not done in the classroom; it's done on the bus and at the bar. And I say that with all sincerity!

I recently returned from a national marketing conference where I was asked to sit on a mobile marketing panel. It was an excellent three days. I learned as much from the people in my session as I hope they learned from me.

There were several very good workshops where I gleaned some useful information that will help me as I continue to try to improve my organization's marketing strategies and enhance my personal knowledge.

However, as I was reflecting on the event during the plane ride home, and was looking at the action steps I considered the highest priorities, I discovered that all of them except one came from a conversation I had with someone...outside the classroom. One came during a conversation at the bar, one came from a conversation on a bus ride to a site visit, one came over a cup of coffee in between sessions, and one came from someone who was sitting in my session trying to learn from ME!

I'm not dismissing the value of the information I gathered at the workshops and panel discussions. There was some great idea sharing and thought provoking content. However, the broader professional development sessions generally tend to center more on philosophical or conceptual ideas. Often times programs consist of case studies with presenters explaining "what and why", but not "how". And sometimes sessions will focus on data sharing, that while interesting, isn't adequately translated into an action plan.

But the casual conversations with peers, outside a formal setting, often tend to generate organic, actionable ideas that result from shared challenges. Sometimes the person I spoke with already had a solution that I thought would work for us. Other times, our impromptu brainstorming resulted in a strategy that we both thought might work well for us independently or by leveraging our combined assets.

Why? Because typically these conversations are just that...conversations! Both parties are listening, speaking and debating. In a professional workshop, everyone in the room but the presenter/s is listening, while only one person is speaking. It's not a two way dialogue. Yes, there is often time for Q & A at the end of a session, but sharing that opportunity with 20 or 30 other people doesn't really allow for a meaningful discourse.

Here is an idea that conference planners may wish to adopt in the future: Allow for one on one time with every presenter. Schedule it almost like a speed networking session but for longer periods of time (perhaps 15 minutes). Attendees can register for individual consultations during the conference. While it may seem unreasonable to expect a speaker to spend an entire day in one on one sessions with guests, some may actually appreciate it, as they are often business executives using these speaking opportunities for prospecting anyway. For those that don't wish to participate, make it optional. Having spoken at many conferences, my guess is that most presenters will be willing to give up a couple of hours. The majority of attendees may not take advantage of the opportunity, but for those who do, it will be a tremendous benefit.

Next time you attend a conference, don't judge the overall value based solely on what you learn sitting in meeting rooms. Judge it based on what you learn both inside AND outside the meeting rooms. I think you'll find the conference to be more beneficial than expected.

Sorry Seth, but you don't understand the nuances of nonprofit marketing!

2011-08-09T13:32:00.000-04:00

Seth Godin posted a blog entry yesterday claiming that charitable agencies need to place a greater focus on the community benefits that come from making a donation. His assertion is that nonprofits don't do a good job of promoting the personal reward that comes from supporting one's community, instead placing too much emphasis on providing tangible benefits in exchange for giving.

While his intentions are honorable, Seth's assessment and understanding of nonprofit marketing are surprisingly incomplete.

I’m not suggesting that giving out a nifty tote bag will drive donations, but it may be enough to convince someone to give one organization their charitable dollars over another organization just as deserving. On the other hand, it may work against you, since many donors don’t want charities to spend their money on gifts. They want them to spend their money on the mission. But every donor is different. And while many may claim they are donating to be philanthropic, just as many donors still take full advantage of the tax deduction they receive for their donation. Does that make their gift any less honorable? Of course not. But they're still recieving a tangible benefit in exchange for their gift. The only difference between the tote bag and the tax deduction is that the tax deduction is coming from the government, not the charity.

My point is that Godin's argument is overly simplified and doesn’t take into account the complexity of convincing a donor to choose one charitable organization over another. We live in a very competitive environment, and every charity is fighting for its survival, just as corporations are. There are a lot of good charities that fund great causes. Which one should you support? A charitable agency can pitch the personal rewards of giving all day long, but if the message doesn't resonate with donors or prospects, a group sometimes has to shift gears and find another way to gain access to charitable dollars. If that happens to come in the form of a Persian rug discounted at a silent auction…so what? It’s bringing in money that at the end of the day is still helping an important cause.

Many businesses do not give to charity purely for the philanthropic rewards that come from doing so. Corporate Social Responsibility is a strategic business decision to help position practitioners as good corporate citizens in order to convert their customers and prospects into brand advocates. In many cases the community benefits are secondary to the corporate reputation. By allowing employees to take days off for service projects, many businesses aren't just trying to make a difference in the lives of others. They're also seeking stronger employee loyalty in an effort to reduce turnover and improve productivity. So what? Does that make the corporate effort any less meaningful? Of course not. So why shouldn't a charitable agency promote the tangible benefits of supporting it, whether it be in the form of an improved bottom line or a tote bag?

There are many reasons why people give to charities. While the mission will always be (and should always be) the driving message, an organization cannot survive using a one size fits all strategy. It has to understand the motivations of the individual. Of all people, I would think Seth Godin should understand that.

Personally, I completely disagree with Seth's assessment that many nonprofits are ineffective in communicating the community benefits of giving. I think that by and large, most charitable agencies do a very good job of it. However, those subjective rewards are not always enough, especially in a challenging economy where every competitive advantage can make a difference. It requires that nonprofit agencies diversify their sources of income by finding new and innovative ways to generate revenue.

At Goodwill of Greater Washington, the community benefits continue to be the primary message used in its cash appeals, but they are a secondary message in its retail and donated goods appeals. The majority of Goodwill's retail customers aren’t shopping in its stores to benefit the charity or the community. They’re shopping to benefit themselves and their families. They're trying to find quality, low cost goods that will allow them to stretch every dollar. Many of Goodwill's household goods donors aren’t donating to help the community either. They’re donating out of convenience because they don’t want to throw their items in the trash or because they want a tax deduction. And that's fine with Goodwill! So for a marketer to ignore the true motivations behind the reasons a donor gives is simply foolish.

I can tell you this with 100% certainty: If congress were to eliminate the tax deduction for the donation of household goods, those donations would all but dry up, and our landfills would overflow. Look at what happened after the tax laws on vehicle donations changed only a few years ago. Donations dropped by 40% virtually overnight. Was that because charities did a poor job of promoting the community benefits of donating a car? Of course not. It was because the tangible benefit for making the gift disappeared.

So while I appreciate Seth's sentiment, he should give nonprofit marketers a little more credit for understanding the nuances of securing disposable funds in a very challenging economy. The importance of the mission is critical, but it simply isn't enough anymore.

Trying to reach affluent consumers online? Provide free content!

2011-08-02T13:20:00.000-04:00

According to a recent article in the Biz Report, new research from the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB), shows that affluent consumers "are more willing to share information to allow the customization of ads that accompany free digital content."

The article goes on to say that, "Despite their affluence, they prefer free ad-supported content to having to pay for the privilege. The IAB's study found that affluents appreciate the relationship between free content and advertising more so than the general population (72% vs. 61%). As such, they are more willing to share personal information to help create a more relevant online experience (32% vs. 23%)." I guess they didn't become affluent by spending frivilously.

Most affluent consumers tend to use much less traditional media than less affluent consumers, and are much more likely to be online using digital media.

So what does this mean for today's marketer? It means that digital channels, and mobile channels in particular, may be the long sought after solution for reaching and activating an audience ($100,000+ AI) that spends 3x more than other consumer populations.

Digital content providers listen up! If you really want to make money off your app or website, perhaps charging a subscription fee isn't the best option, assuming you want to reach consumers with plenty of disposable income. Advertising is still a relevant revenue stream. You just have to stop using 1995 business models.

Maybe it's time to regroup. I'm just sayin'...

The ONE AND ONLY reason Twitter is a Valuable Marketing Tool

2011-07-28T13:18:00.000-04:00

Marketers will argue ad nauseum about the number of benefits Twitter offers as a marketing tool. However, in my opinion, there is only one that matters: Brevity!!

I often wonder why some marketers believe the best way to communicate a message is by writing a dissertation. I've never met a marketer who preferred reading a two paragraph ad or a 500 word flyer, yet so many of the same people seem to think others do. The very logic is mind boggling.

Research will tell you that the average consumer is hit with 600 to 3,000 marketing messages per day. Even on the very low end of that range, how does the mind comprehend and remember even a small percentage of those messages? The answer is "interest and brevity".

First and foremost, no one is going to remember a message if it doesn't have any perceived value. But many messages might have value if they were short enough for the consumer to read and remember. This is Twitter's primary strength! It requires marketers to keep their messages very brief, thus forcing them to focus ONLY on the most critical information.

An image is worth a thousand words, but without an image, you're stuck with a thousand words. Really bad marketers seem to think you need both!

During my entire 20 year career as a marketer, I have always argued this point with the product and sales departments. The good ones get it. The bad ones simply don't understand that just because they think something is important doesn't mean the customer thinks it's important. The best way to ensure that your marketing message won't resonate with an audience is to make it long. People just don't have time for long messages anymore. Get their attention first. If you generate interest, the consumer will do the rest of the work. Believe me, they'll find you, as long as you tell them where to go.

Here's a little exercise (and challenge): Take a look at any text based ad that you've created in the past year and try to convert it into a tweet (no more than 140 characters for those of you unfamiliar with Twitter). If you can't, then you're providing more information than the average consumer is likely to absorb. If you can, then you've successfully converted your message to one that is much more likely to be read, by identifying the points that are most important to your target audience. Now try integrating that short message back into your original ad. Does it still work? The Magic 8 Ball says, "The odds are in your favor".

Good job! Now practice it.

Nonprofits Need to Start Playing More in the Corporate Sandbox

2011-07-20T10:45:00.000-04:00

Because I transitioned into the nonprofit sector from the corporate sector, perhaps I view this subject through a different lens than many of my peers; but I still see one major problem with nonprofit marketers: They tend to spend too much time associating with other nonprofits.

For the record, I'm not suggesting that they stop doing so. As a matter of fact, I recently attended the AMA/AMAF Nonprofit Marketing Conference in Washington, DC which provided a great opportunity for nonprofit marketers to share best practices and learn from both peers and experts. They were even kind enough to present me with a tremendous honor as the 2011 National Nonprofit Marketer of the Year! It was a wonderful experience and I'm quite certain I'll be back.

So, I'm not recommending that nonprofit marketers stop associating with other nonprofit marketers. However, I am recommending that they start spending more time associating with corporate marketers and business leaders.

How many nonprofit marketers have attended regional business lunches or events and been seated at the "nonprofit table"? When that happens, I feel like I'm being placed at the kiddie table at Thanksgiving dinner. I've begun specifically requesting that I not be placed at the nonprofit table. While I find great value in my nonprofit relationships, I'm not going to secure funding for my organization from other nonprofits, unless they are foundations whose goals happen to align with our mission. The greater value to me as a nonprofit marketer is in developing relationships with the corporate sector; positioning my organization as an impactful regional business and community leader, not just a nonprofit leader. I want to leverage the national power of the Goodwill brand to strengthen my organization's regional influence.

Strategic partnerships that will enhance our brand, while driving revenue and reputation will more frequently result from alignment with corporate partners who have deep pockets and tremendous reach. Not with other community based organizations that have databases composed almost exclusively of individuals passionate about any cause other than our own.

Strong nonprofit marketers should be joining groups like the AMA, chambers of commerce, boards of trade and other regional business associations, giving them greater opportunities to network with decision-makers who can have a direct impact on their mission, reputation and revenue. But taking on leadership roles is critical! There is little value in joining for the sake of joining. You MUST get involved.

Working side by side with corporate leaders and proving your capable of achieving results will increase the likelihood of getting corporations to listen and respond positively to your "partnership" proposals when the time is right. You'll also dispel the negative stereotypes associated with nonprofits simply looking for handouts.

Let's face it, businesses want to associate with other strong businesses, whether they are for-profit or nonprofit. If powerful corporations (with good brand reputations) see it as a benefit to align themselves with you, then you've already achieved a major victory. The stronger your reputation, the louder your voice becomes. The louder your voice becomes, the more people will hear you. The more people that hear you, the greater the impact your message will have. The greater the impact of your message has, the more people want to associate with you. The more people want to associate with you, the more revenue you are going to generate. The circle never ends, it just gets bigger and perhaps a bit more complex as more corporate partners join the ranks. However, the bigger the circle becomes the more leverage you have as well.

Komen is a case study in how successful this type of strategy can become. They have done such an amazing job building brand equity that they are dictating sponsorship terms, not the other way around. I know...I worked with them when I was on the corporate side, and I understood the value the brand association with Komen would have on our reputation.

However, that brand strength didn't result organically. It took a great deal of work on Komen's part to position themselves as a change agent who could make things happen. They didn't do that by aligning themselves exclusively with other nonprofits. They did it by engaging the corporate sector, positioning themselves as a global leader in breast cancer research and then leveraging their brand reputation to further enhance their brand reputation, leading to critical corporate and foundation funding. However, I think Komen is the exception, not the rule.

Nonprofits need to have a better understanding of the power of their brands. Unfortunately, few nonprofits place an emphasis on brand and reputation building. In my opinion this is a result of few nonprofit leaders understanding the value and importance of a brand.

The Millward Brown 2010 Value D Study found that 81% of consumers make purchasing decisions based on brand, while only 7% make purchasing decisions based on price. What this tells me is that donors and corporations aren't afraid to give money to good nonprofits. They're afraid to give money to good nonprofits they don't know or trust. And that's what brand building is all about!

In today's economic climate businesses are placing a greater emphasis on corporate social responsibility not just to build brand loyalty, but to protect their brand reputations. They need to align themselves with strong nonprofits because they want to convert nonprofit constituents into brand advocates. There is tremendous opportunity here for innovative nonprofit marketers who can find a way to get themselves "a seat at the corporate table". One of the best ways to do that is to start playing more in the corporate sandbox. Go where they go, read what they read, find ways to lead corporate leaders rather than waiting for them to lead you. Building your nonprofit brand starts with building your personal brand. If you're a strong regional leader, your organiztion will be perceived similarly.

So if you want to make a real and measurable impact on your organization, don't stop networking with other nonprofits. Just be sure to place as much emphasis on networking with your corporate peers. Your seat at the table awaits you.

Crocs: Stylish? You decide. A marketing success story? You bet!

2011-07-05T13:18:00.000-04:00

Okay, clearly I am not the target market for Crocs. Personally, I think they are among the ugliest forms of footwear I've ever seen. Though in fairness, I don't claim to be a fashion icon or stylist. I haven't even purchased a new suit in two years.

However, from a business perspective, Crocs is a case study in how marketing can have an incredible and measurable impact on a brand's success; or in this case, a brand's turnaround.

A recent article, Crocs, Feeling the Love Again, on Brandchannel.com, discusses how Crocs' new CEO, John McCarvel, received a Stevie Award as the "Turnaround Executive of the Year" at the 2011 American Business Awards for successfully revitalizing the footwear brand, resulting in a 200% jump in stock value over the past three years.

According to the article, here's how McCarvel transformed Crocs from a dying brand to a successful one...again:

• Cleaned up distribution channels — moving out of hardware stores and gas stations

• Controlled rip off copies, through the use of Crocs' propriety croslite technology that eliminates odors and helps the soft material conform to your foot

• Expanded product offerings to more than 250 styles including sneakers and boots, making it a viable four-season brand

• Opened 61 new retail stores worldwide

• Increased its online presence

• Reinvigorated its corporate social responsibly platform, Crocs Cares, focused on children and families in need

While McCarvel deserves due credit, I am excited to see how heavily he relied on marketing to play an instrumental role in the Crocs transformation. New CMO, Andrew Davison, and his predecessor's fingerprints are all over the brand's CSR platform, distribution channel strategy, online presence, expanded product offerings and brick & mortar expansion.

The New York Times also recently wrote about Crocs' successful new image campaign that helped launch the turnaround.

While I'm still not a big fan of the footwear, kudos to McCarvel and his marketing and product development teams for an amazing effort!

10 Things CEOs expect from their CMOs. How do you stack up?

2011-06-27T14:51:00.000-04:00

Last week I blogged about a Fournaise study that found that 73% of all CEOs believe marketers lack credibility because they cannot quantify the value of their marketing efforts.

So the next logical blog post would be to share and comment on an article from MarketingWeek that outlines what CEOs expect from their CMOs. If you can meet all of these expectations, then your CEO is probably in the 27% minority in the Fournaise study.

How many of these expectations are you fulfilling?

1. A focused financial steward
     - Do you manage your budget, maximise every dollar spent and measure ROI to the best of your ability and resources?
2. A consistent innovator
     - Do you constantly look for new and different ways to communicate and strengthen the corporate brand, drive revenue or reach new audiences?
3. A customer whisperer
     - Do you know who your customers are and what they want? Do you know what the customer of your customer wants?
4. A dedicated brand steward
     - Are you the protector of the brand (internally and externally)? What steps do you take to ensure that the entire organization is protective of the brand as well as an advocate of the brand?
5. A social media maven
     - Every business is trying to get on this bandwagon and you should be leading the way. How much do you know about social media, and can you communicate the value to your business?
6. A business strategist
     - Do you spend all of your time on marketing campaigns or do you get involved with, and understand the needs of other departments? That broader understanding will not only get you a seat at the executive table, but also help improve your marketing efforts.
7. A capable Crisis Communications Manager
     - How prepared are you for the unexpected? Do you have a plan in place? If so, do you share and practice that crisis management plan just as you would a fire drill? When a crisis occurs, you're going to be expected to take the lead on protecting the corporate reputation.
8. A data analyst
     - What data do you have access to that will help sell your marketing story internally? If you don't have any analytics, you need to demand them, otherwise, you will always be fighting an uphill battle.
9. A customer advocate
     - Too often when budgets are tight, or revenues slip, the easy solution is to sacrifice the needs of the customer to impact the bottom line. How often do you fight to protect the people who are paying your bills?  The customer needs a voice. Why not make it yours?
10.A motivator-in-chief
     - How much do you work to motivate your entire organization, not just the marketing team? Do you work with HR on motivational initiatives? Your customers are not just those on the other side of the cash register. What efforts do you make to build loyalty with your internal customers?

This is a pretty big list! How do you stack up? Are you successfully delivering on these 10 demands?  I readily admit that there are some areas where I am stronger than others. However, there is nothing on this list that every marketer shouldn't already expect of him/herself.

The key to success as a CMO is ensuring that you have an open dialogue with your CEO and that expectations are clear. While I question whether many CEOs truly appreciate the value of marketing, the best way to solve that problem is to be proactive. Make yourself heard by understanding your business and offering constructive solutions to problems. Afterall, isn't that what marketers are supposed to do best?

73% of CEOs think marketers lack credibility - Why?

2011-06-21T17:01:00.000-04:00

A recent study by Fournaise found that almost 75% of all CEOs believe marketers lack credibility. They think marketers place too much emphasis on brand values and brand equity without enough measurable data to prove how marketing drives revenue.

Will someone who feels this way please define success for me? Define love. Define the shade of gray. If I got 100 definitions for each, they would all be different. My point is that success, love and shades of gray are all subjective, yet the diversity of the definitions doesn't make them any less valid or accurate.

Marketing is a science that requires both creativity and access to data to accurately measure ROI. Yes, sometimes measurement can be subjective, but often thats because the research needed to quantify its impact can take a significant amount of time or isn't given the proper infusion of resources (financial or otherwise). I can think of several companies (Amazon, Sony, Ford) that didn't make money coming out of the box. It was continuous product development and marketing that ultimately led to their success.

While I agree that every company should demand marketers understand and measure ROI and its impact on P & L, companies must also be willing to invest in the tools necessary to collect the required data. If not, what analytics do CEOs want marketers to use? The number of daily sales isn't a very accurate way to measure ROI if you don't know how many people are entering the store.

Additionally, the success of a marketing campaign can be directly impacted by internal or external variables that are often out of control of the marketing department. A campaign might increase store traffic by 100%, but if inventory management is poor, that campaign may have no impact on sales.

A good marketer will experiment with new communication channels like social media to determine their effectiveness, just as a medical researcher will experiment with a new drug to determine its effectiveness. There are no guarantees that either will work. So should a smart company just sit back and wait until the competition is effectively utilizing a new channel before making the decision to invest in it? They could, but then they'd be fighting an uphill battle trying to win back the loyalty of the customers they lost to the competitor who was innovative enough to try something new. We invest in research for new designs, new products and new systems every day without knowing what the outcomes will be. Business requires calculated risk. Marketing needs to be included in that equation.

Viewing marketers as lacking credibility is commonly the result of not understanding the science of marketing or not placing the proper emphasis on marketing. Often companies will expect champagne results on beer budgets. But when goals aren't met, how often is the budget looked at as the problem? I'm willing to bet not as often as the people.

That is not to say that there aren't bad marketers out there who try to avoid quantifying their value. I don't trust those guys anymore than the CEOs in the Fournaise study do. Though I don't think the problem is any greater in marketing than in any other profession. Can the value of HR or IT be quantified? It's hard to do, but they are still valuable and necessary. I've worked with many colleagues and business partners who weren't worth the paper their paychecks were written on, and I can think of several occasions when the marketing department bailed out other divisions without getting the credit it was due.

Marketing & ROI measurement should always go hand in hand, but expecting it without providing the proper tools and a willingness to take calculated risks is neither smart nor sustainable.

So before CEOs view marketers as lacking credibility, perhaps they should take the time to understand and invest in marketing first. I'm willing to bet that those who do are probably not reflected in the 73% identified in the study.

PASSION! Do your customers have it?

2011-06-15T15:10:00.000-04:00

Passion...

According to Webster's Dictionary, passion means, "an intense, driving, or overmastering feeling or conviction".

We all experience passion from time to time. Some of us more often and more intensely than others. Sometimes passion is a good thing; other times...not so good. It can cause us to act with emotion rather than logic or reason. It can lead to unimaginable achievement, or unmitigated failure. Whether good or bad, passion generates action.

We've all heard the phrase, "Love me or hate me, but spare me your indifference". In business, the worst reaction you want to your brand is indifference. It will be the death of you. So building passion for your product should be the first step in establishing brand loyalty.

According to a recent study by SAY Media, TRU and ComScore, brands, especially those using using social media, need to find "passionate voices" more than ever.

- Consumers who identify themselves as 'very interested' [or passionate] about a category follow at least 10 "voices" [brand advocates and brand devotees] in that category.

- 83% of these followers tell friends or family about products/brands they like

But how do you build that passion within your customers? That's a difficult question to answer because passion is driven by any number of personal and very subjective factors. Passion can come from consumer emphasis on cost, convenience, comfort, ease, taste, quality...the list goes on and on. However, the simple and all encompassing answer is "value", or more specifically, "significant value".

In order to provide significant value, businesses need to place greater emphasis on the consumer end of the demand chain. Identify how your customers define significant value. Don't just find out why they buy your product/service; find out why they LOVE your product/service (or what would result in them loving your product or service) and then give it to them in spades.

Social media is a great tool for identifying where the passion lies with your customers and who those "passionate voices" are. Your advocates are out there. How often do you converse with them? Find those voices, follow them, cultivate them and support their efforts to advocate on your behalf. Geo-social platforms like Foursquare or Places are great channels for rewarding your "passionate voices", but simple customer engagement is a passion builder as well. Let them know their voices are being heard. Loyalty isn't always established through rewards. It's just as often built through appreciation and trust. A combination can create a passionate voice that will never go silent.

What are you doing to generate passion?

Mobile Marketing Skeptics Take Heed! The Day of Reckoning is at Hand!

2011-06-02T08:28:00.000-04:00

According to a recent article on Marketingprofs.com, "more than one-half of smartphone owners (55.9%) say they prefer using a smartphone to a computer when accessing the Internet", based on a new survey from Prosper Mobile Insights, with 53% saying they use their smartphone so frequently that, "it's their life."

The study also found that only about 16% of smartphone users used their devices "just for calling, text messaging, and email", with texting and internet access being the top two functions they absolutely must have.

When I see this type of data, I'm amazed that I still read articles and comments by doubters who are unwilling to accept the simple fact that mobile marketing needs to be considered as a core element of any B2C marketing plan.

We live in a mobile society. Mobile communication channels are only growing, while geographic and financial barriers to mobile accessibility are being eliminated daily. There is no need to sit at a desk top computer, or heaven forbid read a newspaper, because almost any information you need can now be accessed through a smartphone. I have seen no indication that this trend will reverse course anytime soon. While the product lifecycle of the smartphone itself will eventually go the way of the dinosaurs, some other form of mobile device will simply pop up in its place. Believe me, Dick Tracy like gadgets are only a few short years away.

More and more businesses are using geo-social mobile platforms like Foursquare and Places to build brand loyalty through customer reward programs, or encourage sampling through discount offers. Almost every TV and radio station now offers podcasts to better communicate with and engage their stakeholders. And virtually every large retailer has a mobile app for greater shopper convenience. For pete's sake, even Goodwill of Greater Washington has a very successful mobile app with plans in development to add a shopping portal and a mobile donation receipt.

According to a study by Chetan Sharma Consulting the mobile app market will surge to $17.5 billion by 2012.

I've heard the argument by cynics that 1 in 4 mobile apps that are downloaded are never used again. But here's a more powerful figure: 3 in 4 mobile apps that are downloaded are used multiple times! Wow, where'd that come from? Like any other strategy, a company that steps into this space needs to be smart about it and not jump in without a plan.

In most cases, mobile marketing is not ready to become the primary marketing channel just yet, but it needs to be added to the equation. Though clearly adoption is growing. A well designed mobile marketing campaign integrated into a multi-channel marketing mix can help a business stay in front of consumers in all stages of the customer lifecycle.

Is mobile marketing right for all businesses? Of course not, but not all businesses need storefronts either. However, businesses who haven't yet, should begin evaluating the strengths (and weaknesses) of mobile marketing and whether it can ultimately help grow their business or strengthen their brand.

Mobile technology isn't going away.

McDonald's takes a hard line on mascot bullying!

2011-05-20T09:24:00.000-04:00

"Ronald McDonald is an ambassador to McDonald's and he is an ambassador for good. Ronald McDonald is going nowhere."

- McDonald's CEO, Jim Skinner

I've blogged about this before (see March 29, 2010 post), but given recent events, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to defend my pal Ronald McDonald once more.

Yet again, obesity watchdog groups have targeted the beloved fast food icon, because they mistakenly believe that a clown is to blame for our country's childhood obesity problem. That's right ladies and gentlemen, the clown did it!

Dr. Andrew Weil and his other kookie allies who seem to believe that parents shouldn't be held accountable for what their children eat, have launched an aggressive campaign to oust the 43 year old smiling face of the burger franchise through lobbying and grass roots activism.

I'm glad that McDonald's is taking a very dismissive approach toward this misguided effort. For some reason these activists simply refuse to acknowledge the real problem: parents who allow their children to eat unhealthy food all day. And the federal government seems to be in their camp by clamping down on how companies market to children.

When did McDonald's become the authoritarian voice on what children eat? I'm a parent, and so far no one from McDonald's, Wendy's or Burger King (whose mascot should be targeted because that king is friggin' creepy) has knocked on my door demanding I shove burgers and fries down my son's throat. When I was a child, I couldn't wait to eat at McDonald's, but my parents were smart enough to allow me to enjoy fast food in moderation while encouraging an active lifestyle. I'm very unclear as to when that responsibility shifted from the parents to Ronald McDonald. I guess I'm just out of touch.

Seriously, child obesity is a growing problem. No one is denying that. However, advocates need to become more sensible and pragmatic by placing the blame where it belongs: squarely on the backs of ambivalent parents who simply refuse to hold themselves accountable. After all, it's always easier to blame big business. It's become such a popular sport. But targeting a clown mascot?

If this is just some sort of PR stunt to bring greater attention to the problem, then I think Dr. Weil and the clowns he surrounds himself with are doing their cause a disservice because this campaign risks damaging their credibility, which will ultimately hurt children even more.

The problem starts in the home. Maybe the activism should start there as well.

Do you manage your consultants or do your consultants manage you?

2011-05-17T08:59:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, I was having a conversation with a colleague about a consultant who is providing supportive services to his organization.

My colleague's perception is that the consultant is beginning to portray himself as the decision-maker, who doesn't like opposing viewpoints or people questioning his recommendations. While incredibly bright, the consultant can become irritable, patronizing and on the verge of unprofessional. Mind you, my colleague is a very accommodating individual who works well with everyone. Additionally, I have worked with this consultant before and had similar problems, though not to the same extent.

My colleague isn't opposed to having a spirited dialogue when disagreements occur. A healthy discourse often results in identifying the best strategy. But when input is neither wanted nor welcome by someone you're paying, perhaps the next conversation should be about the future of the relationship.

While a consultant's job is to make recommendations, the client is still the ultimate decision-maker. Simply asking for clarity or suggesting a preferred strategy is the client's prerogative. If the consultant disagrees, they have a duty to state their position clearly, but not to become abrasive or unprofessional.

I have worked with consultants before who felt that their opinions were infallible. I recall working on a major event several years ago that was the linchpin to a broader marketing strategy. It was a huge undertaking so we hired a consultant to provide creative guidance and production support. While I had some reservations before we contracted with the consultant, my concerns grew into complete frustration as our relationship became more and more contentious. Ultimately, the event was successful in spite of our differences. As a result the consultant felt that she had earned a new contract to produce the following year's event. However, I clearly explained that we would not be working together again as I had no desire to continue battling with her to get things done. The success of the campaign simply didn't outweigh the challenges of the strained relationship. I wasn't looking for someone to tell me what to do and have me execute their vision. I was looking for someone that would work with me and help execute MY vision. I wanted recommendations, suggestions, ideas and support. She acted unilaterally, was dictatorial and dismissive. She simply didn't get it.

The following year, we managed the event completely in-house and it became an award winner.

According to 5924MCAndrews.com, "a client will perceive a consulting firm highly if there is the assurance that the passion and drive of the experts are in line with the goals and objectives of the individual or corporation that is in need of help."

So the question is, why do so many companies allow their consultants to run their businesses? How many companies have you worked for that showed greater faith in the opinions of their consultants than in the opinions of their employees? If I were to value the opinions of a consultant more than those of my employees, I would have to question whether I had the right employees in place. While I understand and appreciate the value of consultants, businesses must remember that consultants are their to "consult" not "direct". The businesses leadership team is still much more engaged in daily operations and most likely has a better sense of what will have an impact on the customer. That doesn't mean that an employee's opinion should always carry more weight than a consultant's, but the employee's position shouldn't be dismissed either, just because it may be contrary to the consultant's. Unfortunately, I've seen the latter occur frequently to the detriment of the company.

A good manager will find the right balance while respecting the opinions of both the consultant and the team being consulted. They must be aligned. A consultant should not be given the keys to the candy store. Defending a position is fine if the consultant feels strongly about it. Becoming overly aggressive in that pursuit is not. However, at the end of the day, a consultant can only do what the client allows him/her to do. If the organization's leadership allows the consultant to dictate policy and procedure while refusing to listen to diverse points of view, then the company only has itself to blame if things go awry.

So I ask again - Do you manage your consultants or do your consultants manage you?

Is Ning on the Ropes?

2011-05-02T12:48:00.000-04:00

So much for creating your own gi-normous social network for free on Ning, which was touted by everyone from Silicon Valley to Wall Street as the "next big thing". It appears Ning is no longer giving away the house for free.

According to an article in econsultancy.com picked up by CMO.com, Ning is eliminating its free model, and laying off 40% of its staff.

So what happened to the up-and-comer? Well, apparently "free" doesn't pay the bills.

Ning has raised $120 million in venture funding since its launch in 2004, but seven years later, it has yet to turn a profit. Interesting that this model was attempted again after the collapse of thousands of dot coms 10 years ago that were long on ideas, but short on revenue streams.

It's great if you can take a strong understanding of code and a good concept to develop a unique digital business model , but companies still have to incorporate the fundamental principles of economics into their business plans. You can't spend money without making money, and you can't spend more than you make. Seems that the golden children at Ning may have forgotten this, not to mention all the big spenders on Wall Street who couldn't wait to invest.

"Free" is a powerful word to be sure. But "profit" is a more powerful word.

Your Personal Brand Doesn't Have an "OFF" Switch

2011-04-29T08:46:00.000-04:00

Developing a personal brand is a "must" these days as you navigate your future.

A strong personal brand can be good for business, your career and your life. A poor personal brand can result in a reputation that makes you and your company taboo. To develop a personal brand, you need to identify how you want to be perceived and then work day and night to build that identity. However, far too many people tend to believe that a personal brand only exists in business meetings.

In today's digital world, your brand is not just a reflection of how you perform when people are around. If you actively engage in social media, your personal brand is engaging with you. Your brand is on display for the entire world to see anytime you're on Facebook, Linkedin or Twitter. Before I post anything online I always ask myself if there is anyone who might see the post that would cause me or someone else embarrassment. If the answer is "yes", then it won't go up.

Your brand is always on display offline as well. If you run into a business colleague at the supermarket on a Sunday afternoon, your brand is standing right beside you. Do you care if your colleague sees you unshaven in a ripped tee shirt and flip flops? Some people may, others may not. Only you can define the parameters of your personal brand.

However, your personal brand doesn't have an "off" switch that you can just flip when you leave the office. We're all constantly being judged and we're all constantly judging others, whether we'll openly admit or not.

Recently, I was invited to visit the home of a colleague who lives there with his wife and son. The wife uses the basement as an office for her business. My colleague apparently failed to communicate with his wife that I would be stopping by so she was very surprised when I was escorted into her office to say "hello". She graciously welcomed me, but was clearly a bit bothered by the unexpected visit. I felt bad as either she forgot I was coming or her husband forgot to tell her. They actually spoke about the misunderstanding in front of me which made me a little uncomfortable.

I'm sure one of the reasons the wife was troubled when she saw me was because her office was a mess! It was in complete disarray. I would never want to have a client or colleague in my office if it looked the way hers did. Boxes were everywhere, piles of paper on the floor, food on the desk, drawers and cabinets hanging open, clothes piled up in the corner. She was a bit disheveled since she probably had no meetings scheduled that day. She simply didn't have the polished look I was used to seeing. While I'm sure she had no intention of creating that scenario, I couldn't help but wonder if she ran her business that way. If she couldn't even keep her own office organized, how did she keep her client's needs and projects organized? I'm sure she was quite embarrassed.

While I understand that this was her home, which most of us rightly view as our personal sanctuary, it was also her place of business. And in business, you never know when something unexpected is going to occur, so you always have to plan for those occasions.

Though we aren't close, I have known this woman for several years so my impression of her wasn't dramatically altered. But what if it wasn't someone who knew her as long as I have that walked into the room that day? What if it was a prospective client? I'm sure that being incredibly sloppy and unorganized is not the impression she would have wanted to make.

My point is that one's personal brand is a reflection of who you are and how you are perceived whether you like it or not and whether you are prepared for it or not. You have to be "on" all the time. Now that doesn't mean you have to wear a business suit whenever you go out to the supermarket or that you can't show a little passion when watching your favorite sporting event. But it does mean that you need to recognize that others are passing judgment on you 24/7, not just between 9 and 5. Your personal brand is always under the microscope.

Is there a bit of paranoia attached to maintaining a personal brand? Perhaps "paranoia" is too strong a word. But in a world where first impressions AND second impressions count, you have to remain vigilant in building and protecting your reputation. You never know when an opportunity may pass you by because you let your guard down for just a moment.

What's the old saying? "You can fool all of the people some of the time, and you can fool some of the people all of the time. But you can't fool all of the people all of the time."

Why Doing More with Less Is a Fallacy!

2011-04-21T13:48:00.000-04:00

"You need to do more with less!"

That's a demand that you hear often in business these days; especially in marketing. However, is it really possible? Does it even make sense? Can you actually do more with less?

You can’t bake a bigger cake with less flour…unless…you use more icing!

You can’t build a stronger house with less wood…unless…you use brick!

You can’t make a car run without gas…unless…it’s an electric car!

The point of these three metaphors is to emphasize that you really can't take away resources and expect that someone is going to be able to do more with what remains. That's simply illogical. However, by making better use of other resources (adding a pound of icing may make a cake appear bigger even though it really isn't), by reevaluating your strategy (perhaps brick is a better resource than wood for building a house, but you just hadn't considered it before) or by eliminating barriers (if a gas operated car isn't optimal, then switch to an electric car), you can still achieve success, even though a previous resource may be less available.

When my media budget was dramatically slashed a few years ago, I was forced to find a new way to communicate the value of shopping at Goodwill retail stores. I couldn't get more advertising for my limited spending. Most of the radio and TV stations we were using were angry that we made the cuts! They weren't about to go out of their way to give me more ads for less money. Therefore, we had to look at alternatives. We decided to invest more time and resources into social and earned media. That decision made a huge impact on how Goodwill stores were perceived and resulted in a significant amount of visibility worth far more than we could have purchased through a traditional media buy. So while we didn't get more paid media by spending less on it, we ultimately received a greater return on our investment by changing our strategy and placing more emphasis on another communications channel that cost less money. Our message didn't change. Only the way we communicated it did. Additionally, we removed a critical barrier by eliminating staff that simply weren't cutting the mustard. We had to create a fast moving, well oiled machine. If we didn't have people who were capable of keeping up with us, we found new people who could. Your biggest asset is the people around you. Don't let them slow you down.

So if anyone tells you that they need you to do more with less, what they really mean is you need to find new and innovative ways of marketing your product or service that don't require as much reliance on the resource/s being cut.

After all, you can't empty a pond of its fish and expect to keep bringing home dinner...unless....you start fishing in another pond.

Is Traditional Networking a Dead End for Job Seekers?

2011-04-11T18:33:00.000-04:00

I was reading a series of comments recently on Linkedin regarding a list of things the HR department won't tell a job seeker about his/her resume.

Some of the items on the list were no surprise, others were eye opening, and a few were potentially disheartening to job seekers.

The string of comments eventually evolved into a series of recommendations about networking to help job applicants.

While I have no issue with networking and I fully encourage it for both job hunting and new business development, I simply don't believe that in today's competitive environment, traditional networking is much help to job seekers unless you are very experienced and have already established strong relationships with influencers. While some may disagree with me, the reason why I hold this view is simple.

Most traditional networking functions are now saturated with job seekers. Professionals who traditionally attend these types of events for business development purposes no longer participate because they are bombarded with people trying to hand them a resume. While I feel for each of these individuals because I have been in their position before, the reality is that job seekers passing out resumes at a networking event to anyone within arms reach are just as likely to be passing them out to someone who is in the job market himself. Additionally, those events where job seekers can actually network with executives who can influence hiring decisions, are events to which the unemployed aren't often invited. That's the sad but true reality of it.

Social networking sites, on the other hand, provide an easier and more direct path to potential influencers. You can locate someone within your network who is connected to the person you're trying to reach, and within the time it takes to draft a simple message, you can secure a referral.

However, I don't feel comfortable when a peripheral contact asks me to recommend him/her for a job just because the hiring manager happens to be in my network. While I don't want to be rude or insensitive, I also don't want to jeopardize my own professional reputation by recommending someone I hardly know. This happened to me recently, and I was amazed at the sense of entitlement displayed by the person making the request. I hadn't even spoken to this individual in more than 10 years! However, I agreed to introduce her to the person she was seeking and take myself out of the equation without offering a reference. Therefore, while I didn't grant the original request, the individual making the ask did get an introduction to the hiring manager, which put her in a better position than most applicants.

While online professional networking may generate better results with less effort than traditional networking, I believe that the best form of job hunting comes from placing a greater emphasis on professional development.

By joining associations, chambers or other professional organizations and then playing an active role, a job candidate can dramatically improve his/her marketability and opportunity to meet decision-makers.

Don't just join for the networking events. Get on committees that plan programs, join the organization's leadership team, run for office, etc. Be where corporate executives or hiring managers are going to be and show them what you can do. Work side by side with business leaders and build your personal brand! This will not only showcase your capabilities while also getting you a great contact; it will help fill the holes in your resume. Would you rather have a six month gap that you have to repeatedly explain to potential employers, or fill it in with "Director of Programming for the American Marketing Association"? Associations and chambers are always looking for volunteers.

Volunteer for a charitable agency. Two of my best employees in recent years started out as volunteers for Goodwill. One of them is now the Director of Marketing for Zipcars. The other still works at Goodwill and has proven to be an outstanding hire.

Another option is to seek out a certification program. While this obviously requires a financial commitment, which I acknowledge may be a challenge for some, it will allow job seekers to improve their skills, while enhancing their value to potential employers. It also demonstrates that a candidate isn't just sitting on his/her arse waiting for the right job to come along. They're actively working to improve themselves, which is an attractive quality to any recruiter. Additionally, many certificate or master's programs have placement offices whose sole responsibility is helping students find jobs.

So again, I think that networking plays a role in job hunting, but if you don't make it a more active role that can improve your marketability, you may be doing it forever.

U.S. Beers Fight it Out! Bud Falling, Craft Beer Climbing

2011-04-04T13:41:00.000-04:00

According to a recent article in Brandchannel, Budweiser is about to be overtaken as the #2 beer in the U.S. by Coors Light. Bud Light still leads all beers with a whopping 19.1% share of the U.S. beer market, followed by Budweiser at 8.7% and Coors Light at 8.5%.

To continue building momentum, MillerCoors is increasing marketing spending in 2011 by $50 million. Imagine that...a product that is gaining market share by increasing its marketing spending. Funny how that works! But I digress.

While the major breweries are duking it out at the top of the mountain, it seems the real action is in the micro-brew or "craft beer" scene. According to the Brewers Association, which recently reported that while overall beer sales were off by 1% in 2010, "beer sales [for craft breweries] jumped from $7 billion in 2009 to $7.6 billion in 2010. The number of barrels sold by craft brewers rose from 8.9 million in 2009 to nearly 10 million in 2010."

Portfolio.com, cites several reasons for the increase in craft beer sales: "For people who can no longer afford a luxury vacation, the ability to treat themselves to a tasty local beer for just a few dollars more is a reward they still can afford, said Todd Usry, Breckenridge Brewery director." Additionally, "At a time when large corporations are laying people off and becoming less relatable to average Americans, craft breweries are still seen as a local product and member of the community, said Eric Wallace, president of Left Hand Brewing Co. of Longmont."

It has become very chic and trendy to drink craft beer. Sitting on a stool in a bar asking for a Bud Light, when a slew of micro brews are on the menu, is often viewed as conservative and perenially "unhip". Craft beer is to the brewery world, what Mac is to the home computer world.

Is this a sustainable trend? Who knows? But if the big boys don't figure out how to put themselves back on the socially "in" column, you can bet that major brands will continue to see a drop in sales.

Though overall, craft beer sales still only make up about 4.3% of U.S. beer sales by volume.

I'll leave you with some fun beer drinking factoids pulled from a recent Advertising Age study:

• Craft beer drinkers spend more time thinking about beer than work
• Fans of Budweiser are 42 percent more likely to drive a truck than the average person
• Bud Light drinkers are 34 percent more likely to shun organic products
• Michelob Ultra drinkers are conceited, while those who drink Heineken are posers
• Blue Moon consumers are 77 percent more likely to own Macs and a whopping 105 percent more likely than the average person to drive a hybrid
• Corona drinkers are 38 percent more likely to own three or more flat screen TVs

Now, I'm in the mood for a cold one. Give me a Michelob Ultra...(heh), I mean a Dirty Dan's Mean Ale, please!

Five Steps that will Guarantee Customer Loyalty

2011-03-31T08:29:00.000-04:00

I've been in the marketing profession for many years, with experience in both the for profit and nonprofit sectors. I've been on the sales side and on the client side. Call me a geek, but I love marketing. I think there is a tremendous payoff, both personally and professionally, when a marketing strategy succeeds.

However, after years in business, what bothers me most about my own profession is how little respect other marketers have for it.

I recently read a blog post by an author who was advocating for greater certification in the marketing profession. What a great idea! I think that it would weed out those who have little concern for the customer or the company. A more educated, informed and accountable a marketer is more likely to enhance the profession and improve his/her performance!  Marketing is a talent that requires skill, creativity, ambition, and innovation.

However, while there is definitely a science to marketing, when push comes to shove, I believe successful marketing only requires you live by five simple rules:

1. Ask the customer what they need or want
2. LISTEN to the customer's response
3. Give the customer what they need or want (not what you want to sell them)
4. Negotiate a fair price
5. Thank the customer for their business

That's it! If you do these five things I guarantee you will gain and keep far more customers than you will lose.

Do I have the data to back up this bold claim? Yes, it's called "every successful sale in the history of mankind".

How you execute these steps is up to you.  I recognize that there are any number of variables that can impact the process. But if everything you do from a marketing standpoint is built on the foundation of these five simple principles, you will succeed.

So why is it that so many marketers and sales professionals fail to follow these five easy steps? Simple. Because they're either uneducated in marketing 101 or they're lazy.

It really doesn't take brain surgery to figure out that the best way to sell a product or service is to ensure that it meets the needs of the consumer.  Failing to appreciate a customer by attempting to force them to buy something they neither need nor want, only results in working twice as hard as you need to, while damaging your reputation and all but eliminating repeat business.

After all, everyone knows that keeping a customer costs much less than acquiring a customer...don't they?

Happy Birthday to Twitter!

2011-03-22T09:28:00.000-04:00

It's been five years since the launch of Twitter.

Most products and services would still be in the infancy of their lifecycle after five short years, but Twitter has already helped influence global change both politically and economically. Who would have thought that a mico-blogging service would achieve so much in so little time? Pretty amazing!

What do you think has been (or will be) Twitter's greatest social impact?

Perhaps this short video will give you some ideas.

Tweet on! :-)

@HurleyB

Recent Study Shows Brand Heavily Outweighs Price on the Value Scale!

2011-03-14T13:07:00.000-04:00

In a recent BizReport article, Helen Leggatt writes about how brand now heavily outweighs price on the value scale.

Where do you fall on the value scale?

The findings of a Millward Brown's Value-D study show that only 7% of respondents made purchases based on price (down from 20 percent ten years ago), while 81% made purchasing decisions based on the brand.

According to Peter Walshe, Global BrandZ Director for Millward Brown, "Too many brands fail to fully optimize their power and instead overemphasize price and downplay desire. The consumer usually desires a brand first and then considers the price to determine whether to purchase or not."

The article goes on to list the Global Top 10 Value-D brands:

1. Amazon
2. Colgate
3. Nokia
4. Pampers
5. Visa
6. Coca-Cola
7. Microsoft
8. McDonald's
9. Nescafé
10. Lidl

To see the Top 100 Global Brands or top geographic rankings, view the BrandZ report.

While brand has always played a big part in the value equation, I'm surprised that it so heavily outweighs other purchase drivers such as price, location, convenience and habit, especially during the recent and sustained economic downturn. Though during tough times consumers often tend to take fewer risks, which means they are perhaps more likely to rely on brands they trust.

Do your purchasing habits match the Value-D study? Is the brand more important to you than the price? I'm going to have to do a little self-analysis to see where I tend to lean on the value scale.

Is there a limit to exceptional customer service?

2011-03-07T09:19:00.000-05:00

A colleague of mine who works in the executive office of a luxury hotel, recently shared an internal customer service debate with me.

Like many B2C companies, this hotel had budgeted for gift certificates that it would use for VIPs, promotions, disgruntled guests, etc with the goal of enhancing the hotel's reputation by making valued customers, partners and prospects happy.

The internal debate was whether or not the hotel should assume any balance on a gift certificate used in its restaurant if the value of the gift certificate didn't cover the full cost of the meal. In other words, if the gift certificate was worth $100, but the check came to $150, should the hotel assume the $50 balance to further enhance its brand as a five star, customer focused property?

There were some members of the team who felt absorbing the additional cost (within limits) was a small gesture that could have a big impact on the hotel's reputation, while others believed it was unnecessary, as the gift certificate itself was a generous gesture that exemplified the hotel's goodwill and hospitality.

This debate raised an interesting question: When does good customer service end, and being taken advantage of by a customer begin?

I remember when I was the marketing director for Clear Channel Radio and one of the radio stations I was responsible for held a contest for a trip to a couples only resort in Jamaica. What we didn't know at the time was that the resort didn't accept same sex couples, and the winner of the trip was gay. Needless to say he was not happy that the resort wouldn't allow him to bring his partner, and quite honestly, neither were we. We offered to send him to another resort, but he insisted on staying at the resort promised in the prize package. After some negotiating with the resort, they agreed to bend their rules and allow the winner to bring his partner. However, the problem wasn't resolved yet. The winner also wanted to travel on a holiday weekend, even though the contest rules and the airline voucher both clearly stated that holiday black out dates applied. After having already resolved one delicate situation with the winner, we spoke to the airline and they graciously agreed to waive the black out dates. NOW the problem was solved right? Wrong! The winner was upset that he had to pay for his airport transfers. Therefore we agreed to pick up the cost. Resolved now? Not yet. The winner was still angry and felt that due to the anguish we put him through we should also provide him with a cash stipend for his trip. In an effort to provide the best possible customer service and finally resolve the matter, we agreed to give him $250 in cash. But he demanded $500 ($250 for him and $250 for his guest). At this point, we drew the line. We felt we had done everything we reasonably could to make him happy, but it just wasn't enough. We came to the realization that nothing was going to please him, and the more of an effort we made, the more he was going to demand from us.

I actually debated for quite some time about whether to draw the line; though in retrospect, the decision to do so seems clearly justified. It is one thing to make every effort to please a customer, but another thing to sacrifice the integrity of your product/service for someone who is making unreasonable demands. In this particular case, the winner wasn't even a listener of our radio station. He won the contest by registering for it at a sponsor location.

The question still remains however: At what point do you draw the line? Where does a company cross over from providing excellent customer service to being taken advantage of?

While every company should strive to provide outstanding customer service, as the vast majority of customers will never take advantage of a company's goodwill, is there a point when potentially losing a customer is the lesser of two evils? Please feel free to share your experiences and where you believe the line should be drawn...if at all.

Does your team understand the importance of your mission and vision statements?

2011-02-28T14:35:00.000-05:00

Be honest with yourself. As an entry level employee did you fully understand the difference between your corporate mission and vision statements? Did you even know what your organization's mission and vision statements were?

I don't know if a mission or vision statement even existed for the first three companies I worked for after college. No one in a position of authority ever bothered to share them with me, and I was too green at that point in my young career to think of asking.

How naïve of me. But how ignorant of them.

A mission statement illustrates a business' goals and purpose. It has one common function: to guide you and your employees in making critical decisions that effect the direction of your company. Every employee in an organization from the top down should know the corporate mission.

Disney has one of the shortest mission statements I've ever read, but also one of the best: "To make people happy". This mission statement couldn't be any easier to understand, both internally and externally.

While a mission statement proclaims what you want to achieve as an organization, a vision statement asserts what you need to accomplish in order to achieve it.

For example - Coca Cola's mission statement (what they want to achieve):

•To refresh the world...

•To inspire moments of optimism and happiness...

•To create value and make a difference.

Coca Cola's vision statement (what they need to accomplish in order to fulfill the mission):

•People: Be a great place to work where people are inspired to be the best they can be.

•Portfolio: Bring to the world a portfolio of quality beverage brands that anticipate and satisfy people's desires and needs.

•Partners: Nurture a winning network of customers and suppliers, together we create mutual, enduring value.

•Planet: Be a responsible citizen that makes a difference by helping build and support sustainable communities.

•Profit: Maximize long-term return to shareowners while being mindful of our overall responsibilities.

•Productivity: Be a highly effective, lean and fast-moving organization.

Coca Cola's mission and vision statements are very complementary. They don't believe one can be achieved without the other.

Having both a vision and a mission statement is of critical importance to an organization. But if the statements aren't complementary, and aren't shared with internal and external stakeholders, what's the point? Your employees will begin working in silos and your customers won't understand the value of your company.

Most organizations tend to spend more time focusing on the strategic plan than they do on the mission and vision statements. But while also of obvious critical importance, if the strategic plan isn't designed to serve the mission and vision statements, the plan will become nothing more than a document full of independent "tasks".

A strong business regularly reminds its employees and customers of its vision and mission, or it runs the risk of becoming unfocused and losing its identity. And nothing will destroy a company faster than one that doesn't know who it is.

Why don't banks embrace social media? What are they afraid of?

2011-02-22T10:20:00.000-05:00

The other day I went on Facebook to try and find the fan page for a very well known bank, which I won’t identify.

I found it odd that the bank wasn't on Facebook. There were a few community pages dedicated to the bank, though they offered very little information.

I then decided to scour the internet for a blog written on behalf of the bank. I had no luck, other than finding a blog written by an angry customer. What an opportunity missed here!

I began to scratch my head, as I have become so accustomed to big B2C companies using social media platforms, that I just assumed my bank would be using one as well. My assumption felt as safe as a sunrise.

Just for fun, I decided to search for Facebook pages for several other large financial institutions. Out of the four additional banks I looked up, only ONE had a Facebook page, and it was the smallest bank of the four. My subsequent search on Twitter was only a little more fruitful, as I located two of the banks I was researching.

According to a recent article in Bank Technology News, "New research from Ovum finds that only six percent of the 150 global banks surveyed use social media to answer customer inquiries, with only one percent planning to do so within the next year." The article goes on to say, "Twitter and Facebook are only marginally more popular as venues for marketing, with about 14 respondents using the channels for this purpose, and 12 percent planning to make a move in the next 12 months."

I can appreciate why a bank would approach the use of social media very cautiously. It provides a global platform for criticism. And let's be honest, financial institutions aren't on many Christmas card lists these days. To be fair, as one of the comments below so eloquently points out, there are also several regulatory issues that banks must address if they use social media. Though obviously some banks have overcome those barriers, so I'm willing to bet that concern over negative feedback is at least part of the equation.

The primary strengths of social media from a business’ perspective are consumer engagement and community building. Yes, corporate blogs and Facebook pages may invite negative commentary, but they also give a company the opportunity to address consumer concerns, offer factual data that may change negative perceptions, and improve the quality of customer care. In the banking world, social media can provide a measure of transparency where many consumers believe none exists.

Unfortunately, a myopic view of social media is not limited to the financial services industry. Many large and small businesses haven't yet figured out the strength of social media and the competitive advantage it can provide in a rapidly expanding global economy. Some businesses simply don't have the resources to dedicate to social media (which is a discussion for another day), but others have simply made the strategic decision not to adopt it as a communication and customer service platform.

It's time for businesses to recognize that they can't live in protective bubbles anymore. The world is watching and talking about them whether they like it or not. Therefore, they might as well be a part of the conversation.

Walgreens leaps on the "value" bus! Smart or Silly?

2011-02-14T09:02:00.000-05:00

With the U.S. economy stuck in neutral, Walgreens Drug Store has taken a leap onto the "value" bus by launching a national campaign to promote its private-label branded health and wellness products according to the New York Times.

Walgreens believes that value is defined as "quality and affordability"; a definition most consumers would share.

However, while private label or "generic" brands have always been synonymous with affordability, they've not typically been associated with quality. So only time will tell if Walgreens is able to convince consumers that its brands are just as effective at treating health related issues as the bigger brands.

According to the Times article, "Of 1,006 adults in the United States surveyed by Walgreens and the Opinion Research Corporation in January, 84 percent said they purchased store-brand over-the-counter medications when they were available and 36 percent said they had increased their purchases of store-brand products in the last year, according to a statement provided by the company."

While the reliability of an in-house study can be dubious, if Walgreens' research holds true, the drug store stands to reap huge benefits from its new campaign.

Though Walgreens has always advertised its private label, those campaigns have typically been limited to the use of Sunday circulars or in-store signage says the New York Times. Therefore, it will be interesting to see if a much larger campaign has a negative impact on the co-op dollars Walgreens receives from the very companies it is now going toe-to-toe with.

Assuming the private label campaign is successful, Walgreens probably won't care. But if it falls flat or if major suppliers begin moving product through other retail or distribution channels, how will a lack of consumer options impact Walgreens' bottom line?

Walgreens' integrated campaign is web and social media heavy, focusing on 25-54 women and moms; a very cost-conscious crowd. Look for the Walgreen's ads on your favorite fashion blogs and parenting websites.

Super Bowl of Ads was a Draw

2011-02-07T10:01:00.000-05:00

So what did you think of the "Super Bowl of Ads" during last night's big game?

Here are a few thoughts of my own, though I welcome yours.

I was looking forward to the Ozzy Osbourne/Justin Beiber spot for Best Buy, but I didn't find it humorous at all. I actually found it kind of stupid.

The Dorito's commercial featuring one guy licking the cheese off the fingers of another guy was just gross.

The Kim Kardashian spot for Skechers only confirmed what everyone already knew: Kim Kardashian can't act her way out of a paper bag. Though she did look pretty good!

Audi's, "Release the Hounds" ad was a great little story packed into 30 seconds..

I didn't really get the homeaway.com commercial. There was simply too much going on in that spot to follow it. And as the father of a small child, I didn't find the baby doll splatting against the window at the end of the commercial the least bit humorous. I just found it misplaced.

The big winners of the night:

Teleflora: The unexpected comment from the kid getting advice from country music icon Faith Hill had me on the floor.

Bridgestone Tires: Loved the guy running all over town trying to disconnect computers, because he was mistakenly told he hit "reply all". Fun and amusing take on one of our biggest workplace fears.

Loved the Volkswagen and the mini-Darth Vader spot featuring the little kid who believes that "the force" actually allowed him to turn on the car with his telekinetic powers, though it was actually his dad using the remote control. Very cute and memorable commercial.

NFL.com apparel: Cool spot featuring clips from old TV shows that were digitally manipulated to show the characters wearing apparel from their favorite football teams. That was a pretty incredible use of technology!

The best spot by far: GoDaddy.com featuring the digital placement of Joan River's head on the sexy body of a bikini model, while claiming she is the new face of GoDaddy.com. Hysterical and completely unexpected!

There were a few others that were less than memorable, and some I didn't have space or time to mention, but I'd love to know what you thought!

When will companies ever learn that "opt-out" kills!

2011-02-03T10:48:00.000-05:00

I got a wonderful email today from Whirlpool. They were kind enough to inform me that their corporate privacy policy had changed in November of last year. Specifically, Whirlpool's e-mail communication policy has gone from "opt-in" to "opt-out".

It was nice of them to notify me of this change three months after it was made. If Whirlpool sent me any notifications prior to making the change, I don't recall them. But maybe that was the intent.

The timing is amazing, because I have been busy this week trying to unsubscribe from the DAILY emails I get from FTD. Geez, for a florist, they sure do have a penchant for sending out emails. I'm guessing that the person responsible for developing FTD's email strategy must be a volunteer, because I can't believe anyone would actually get paid for creating such a horrible email communication plan.

I don't mind receiving offers or gentle reminders when holidays are approaching that might require purchasing flowers, like Valentine's Day or Mother's Day. But the onslaught of daily emails only resulted in complete frustration! I got tired of hitting "delete" day after day, and finally went to their website multiple times to try and unsubscribe. Does FTD think that this type of marketing is going to turn me into a loyal customer? If so, then they truly don't understand permission marketing or brand loyalty. I will probably never purchase from them again because I don't want to fall victim to another tsunami of emails.

Whirlpool will likely run into the same problem if they begin force-feeding unwanted messages to anyone who has the audacity to contact them. Nothing will turn off a consumer faster than an in-box filled with unsolicited emails from the same company. Perhaps they think that because they are FTD and/or Whirlpool, that we want to bury ourselves in their branded communications. However, if they don't rethink their opt out strategy, the only thing they'll be burying is their profits.

Please marketers, do yourself a favor...don't adopt an opt-out strategy for your email communications. It just seems illogical to require consumers to choose "not to communicate with you".

A sneak peak at Super Bowl XLV ads

2011-01-31T09:34:00.000-05:00

Super Bowl XLV is less than a week away and the buzz is hitting a fever pitch. And I'm not talking about the action on the field! The chatter in marketing and pop culture circles is that we may see some fun and creative content in between plays on Sunday.

This year's Super Bowl ads, which will run about $3 million for a :30 second spot, will feature several regulars as well as some newbies. But all are hoping to make a splash on the world's biggest advertising stage.

Here's a sample of what to expect:

The exotic Kim Kardashian will be selling shoes in a provocative ad for Skechers. Kardashian has a reputation for selling her personal brand to the highest bidder, so I'll be interested to see how this ad plays out. Though I doubt that most men will be spending much time looking at the shoes.

Bridgestone Tires makes light of everyone's worst email fear...unintentionally hitting "reply all"!

Country singer Faith Hill doles out Valentine's Day advice for Teleflora.

Ozzy Osbourne and Justin Bieber shot an ad for Best Buy in early January on a futuristic set at Universal Studios. The rumor mill says the spot is a laugher. Hard to imagine an ad that places Justin Beiber and the "Prince of Bloody Darkness" on the same set as being anything but!

Audi will showcase an ad that is an extension of its present "Goodnight" campaign with literary inspiration from Goodnight Moon, the 1947 children’s book by Margaret Wise Brown, one of the best-selling children’s books of all time.

Two new movies will be teased during the big game including Paramount's Captain America and Universal's Cowboys and Aliens.

There will also be more of the usuals including Budweiser, Doritos and Pepsi. Rumor has it that Ted Williams, the homeless man with the golden voice may make an ad cameo. Hmmm...wonder if it was taped in rehab.

Other advertisers include BMW, CareerBuilder and CarMax.

Come back next week and let me know what you thought of the ads - good, bad and ugly!

Will mobile shopping become as big as online shopping?

2011-01-24T13:14:00.000-05:00

A recent article by Sarah Kessler, compares mobile shopping today to the early stages of internet shopping back in the '90s; and I think she has hit the nail on the head.

I am extremely excited about the prospects mobile shopping presents.

Much like internet shopping 15 years ago, mobile shopping is only now beginning to take root. As Kessler points out in her article, smartphone penetration in the US (in 2009) was just 17%, but sales are soaring! According to mobilemarketingwatch, in 2010 mobile ad impressions in iPhone shopping apps grew by 249%.

We live in a world of value and convenience. The easier you can make it for the consumer to purchase from you, the more likely you are to generate a sale. Consumer focused social media and group discount platforms are on the rise. Consider Foursquare, Places, Yelp, Groupon, LivingSocial, Wow, etc.

Whether your goal is prospecting or loyal customer cultivation, your business needs to recognize that consumers are going mobile with greater and greater frequency. But much like social media cultivation, don't anticipate that a smartphone user will begin immediately purchasing from you just because you've built a mobile portal. They may first use the site for research and price comparisons, discount offers, brick & mortar street addresses, or Q & A. However, if their initial "courting" experience is a good one, they'll feel more comfortable making a purchase from you when the time is right.

Remember, regardless of why they are engaging your business; the simple act of doing so is an indication that the consumer is interested in developing a relationship that could lead to customer conversion. Then it's up to you provide a positive mobile experience and guide them along the customer lifecycle.

Don't make the mistake with mobile shopping that many businesses made during the dawn of internet shopping by dismissing it as a fad. Be very aware of the important role mobile communication plays in the lives of consumers worldwide.

I'm not advocating for jumping on the bandwagon without doing your due diligence; but I am advocating for doing your due diligence.

Do Facebook ads work?

2011-01-17T10:29:00.000-05:00

Much like every other marketing channel, the answer to that question depends upon your goals.

However, here are a few "positives and negatives" to consider before investing in Facebook ads:

POSITIVE+

1. To most Americans under the age of 35, Facebook is one of their top 3 communication platforms

2. 74% of Facebook users are on the site multiple times per day

3. Facebook ads can be geographically targeted. You are not committed to buying national ads if you're a local business

4. Facebook ads can be further micro-targeted though the use of member provided demographic and psychographic data (this is very different from key word searches on Google or Yahoo)

5. You can manage your budget by placing a cap on the amount you want to spend per day, or pay only for each click

6. The Facebook Responder Demographics Report will give you info on who is reviewing or taking action on your ad so you can measure its targeting effectiveness

7. Almost 54% of Facebook users do not have a negative opinion of Facebook ads

8. Facebook ads can be a strong lead generation source, provided you are driving users to your own Facebook page since the majority of Facebook users prefer ads that keep them inside Facebook

NEGATIVE-
1. Not an effective a way to reach Gen Xers or Baby Boomers...yet

2. Though click through rates (CTR) are typically not high anywhere, Facebook ad click through rates have been reported as low as 0.01 – 0.05% (However, strategic content and user rewards can have a positive measurable impact on click through rates)

3. Using impressions as a form of measurement is subjective at best. Just because your ad is on the page a member happens to be visiting, doesn't mean the ad is actually being noticed

4. If your business is a dating site or an educational program, FB ad statistics don't look good for you

5. FB ads are typically not a good source if you're trying to build traffic to a non-Facebook site

So are Facebook ads right for your business? Only you can decide, but go into it with your eyes open. Personally, I have had some measurable success using Facebook ads, but my goals were simple: Brand awareness and lead generation. And the level of success fluctuated based upon the location and length of the campaign.

I suggest gathering supportive data, and analyzing a few case studies before making an investment. But as a general rule of thumb, I wouldn't recommend making Facebook your only advertising channel.

Print media needs more than diversification to survive!

2011-01-10T14:50:00.000-05:00

According to a recent Biz Report article by Kristina Knight, A new report from the American Press Institute and ITZBelden shows that the flagging print media industry can survive if it diversifies the channels it is offering its advertisers.

The API/ITZBelden report states that "media companies - newspapers, magazines, etc. - offering a broad range of services - online, print, etc. - serve the needs of local businesses better. Local businesses, according to the report, are looking for a kind of ad-agency-approach, which newspapers can offer by giving more choices to the local advertiser." The key, according to the report, "is in understanding where each local business will get the biggest advertising benefit."

Forgive my cynicism, but is this really a surprise to anyone? I suppose it's nice that the report confirms what every print media outlet (and most marketers) have known for quite some time now, but I don't think this is a watershed moment.

There are two bigger issues that the print media industry needs to address to solve its advertising challenges, as I see it.

First, finding sales and marketing teams that know how to sell a diverse advertising portfolio; and second, finding a way to compete with other traditional and burgeoning marketing channels that are much less expensive.

The cost of a full page black and white ad in The Washington Post can go for as much as $100,000. For the same amount of money in the DC market, I can buy a fairly robust six month radio campaign with a frequency much greater than "1", or a very large, geo-targeted Facebook campaign generating millions of impressions and thousands of click throughs. To be fair, the price of a print ad will be less in smaller markets, but so will the cost of other advertising channels. Print advertising is still wildly overpriced for a dying medium even when packaged with digital offerings.

So - can print advertising survive through diversification? Sure. But at what point do you stop calling it "print"?

Exercise and weight loss? There's an app for that!

2011-01-03T08:30:00.000-05:00

Two Washington, DC area entrepreneurs are on the verge of launching Nexercise, a new smartphone app that will help millions of people keep their 2011 New Years resolution: A commitment to exercise and fitness.

According to an article in today's Capital Business, "[Nexercise] users select a physical activity, such as aerobics, running or badminton, then choose a workout time of 15 minutes or more. The program uses sensors already built into the iPhone and other smartphones to detect motion and other metrics that verify the activity actually takes place."

The founders of Nexercise, Benjamin Young and Gregory Coleman, say the app will also offer rewards and discounts to users, providing additional incentives.

This is an interesting concept and I'm intrigued. However, if a healthier lifestyle, more energy and a leaner physique aren't enough to motivate someone to exercise more; a "free" Power Bar or a discount on a CD certainly aren't going to do it. The rewards will need to be substantial to motivate those who are not self-motivated.

The app does have some value though, especially for those folks who don't belong to a health club where numerous forms of measurement are already provided. The social component that allows users to compete with other smartphone owners or interact on Facebook and Twitter is a unique feature that might generate a viral following. While I'm not certain that I would want to share my weight loss goals and exercise regimen online for all to see, social networking has certainly broken down many personal information barriers far worse than that. Nexercise will allow two friends who live far apart to compete with and motivate one another in real time. That's pretty cool.

According to the Capital Business article, the primary financial model is built around transaction fees from coupon redemption. Though Young clarified on this blog that the app will be free and, "users won't have any additional fees. The transaction fee is a nominal fee (think paypal, ebay, etc) that is charged to the retailers when users redeem their rewards." This is not a fee charged to the consumer like when purchasing a gift card or an airline ticket.

I can think of numerous sponsors who might be interested in supporting a service like Nexercise (though McDonald's isn't one of them).

I'll be following the launch of this new app, which is scheduled for Q2 of 2011, especially since my New Year's resolution is to exercise more.

Good luck guys! I hope this app is successful. Let us know when it launches.

Happy New Year!! Welcome 2011!

2011-01-01T09:58:00.000-05:00

Here's to a year filled with more opportunities than challenges; more smiles than frowns, more successes than failures, more love than hate, and more peace than war.

Important tips for making end of year donations of household goods

2010-12-27T09:57:00.000-05:00

During this season of giving, Goodwill of Greater Washington would like to offer 10 useful “Do’s & Don’ts” when making a year end donation of clothing, computers, household goods or vehicles. Goodwill hopes that these recommendations will make the donation process a more convenient and pleasant experience.

When donating clothing, computers, furniture, household goods or vehicles, please DO…

1. …try to make your donation as early in the day as possible when lines will be shorter. Most donation sites are open by 9AM Donation sites and hours of operation can be found on the DC Goodwill website http://www.dcgoodwill.org/. If you're not in the DC area, your local Goodwill organization can be found at http://www.goodwill.org/.

2. …try to make your donation Monday through Thursday when the lines will be shorter. While New Year's Eve falls on a Friday this year, it is a holiday for many, so lines may be longer than usual. New Year's Eve is always the busiest donation day of the year.

3. …try to make your donations in one trip as the week between Christmas and New Year’s Eve is the busiest week of the year for donated goods.

4. …remember to get a donation receipt, and make an accurate recording of your donation, as well as a copy of your receipt. You will need this if you wish to claim a tax deduction.

5. …make sure the donation receipt is signed and dated before leaving the donation site. It will save you an unnecessary trip back to the donation site.

6. …remember to check for the closest Goodwill donation site before leaving your home. A complete list of attended donation centers and donation bins and stores can be found on Goodwill of Greater Washington’s free mobile app for the iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch, or by visiting http://www.dcgoodwill.org/.

7. …sort your donated items as best you can (tie shoelaces together so shoes don’t get separated, put suit jacket and matching pants on same hanger, please fold clothing if possible, etc.). Separated or lost items cannot be resold.

8. …remember to clean out your donated computer of all files, documents, discs and CDs before donating it. Cleaning software can be found at www.dcgoodwill.org. All computers and related equipment donated to DC Goodwill are now recycled: http://www.reconnectpartnership.com/.

9. …call Goodwill’s vehicle donation line at 202-715-2636 or visit http://www.gwcars.org/ to schedule a home pickup of your donated automobile.

10. ...call DC Goodwill's home pickup line if you wish to make a very large donation of household goods. Goodwill now offers both a free home pickup service and a priority home pickup service for a small fee. Visit the DC Goodwill website to schedule a pickup.

Please DON’T…

1. …donate large appliances such as dishwashers, freezers, hot water heaters, large refrigerators, stoves, trash compactors, washers or dryers to DC Goodwill. Goodwill doesn’t have the space to store or warehouse such large items. However, other worthwhile organizations such as Habitat for Humanity may accept them.

2. …donate broken, incomplete, severely damaged or other unusable items including furniture, toys, mattresses, box springs; mildewed or soiled clothing; firearms, ammunition, automobile parts, windows, doors or aluminum siding. A good rule of thumb is “if you wouldn’t give it to a friend or family member, perhaps you shouldn’t give it to a charity.”

3. …drop off items after donation sites have closed for the day unless a blue metal donation bin is provided (this is to protect your donation from the elements and from theft).

4. …donate recalled toys. Please consider the safety of all children. You can visit http://cpsc.gov/ if you aren't sure if a toy has been recalled.

5. …ask for a 2010 donation receipt if making a donation after December 31, 2010.

6. …ask someone to pick up a donation receipt for you if you forgot to pick one up when you made your donation.

7. …forget to estimate the value of your donation for your taxes (an IRS value estimator can be found at http://www.dcgoodwill.org/).

8. …forget to secure supporting documentation when claiming a tax deduction, such as an IRS form 8283 and/or an independent appraisal on all large donations.

9. …forget that Goodwill is very grateful for your donation and our attendants are working as hard as possible to expedite the donation process. This is a very busy time of year for donated goods, so your patience is appreciated.

10. ....forget to confirm that the organization to whom you are donating your houseold goods or vehicles is a 501C3 charitable agency. There are numerous thrift retail businesses and donation bins that claim to be affiliated with charitable agencies, but are actually privately owned, for profit companies. If you donate to one of these organizations you cannot claim a tax deduction for your donation.

To everyone who donates used goods, cash or services to Goodwill or any other worthwhile charitable organization…thank you and Happy New Year!

What Marketers Should Expect in 2011

2010-12-20T19:29:00.000-05:00

Well, 2010 is coming to a close, and traditionally the end of one year brings with it predictions for the New Year. 2010 is no exception.

CMO.com generously provided a handful of marketing predictions for 2011. Following these prophecies by some well respected marketing experts I’ve added a few of my own. Feel free to include your thoughts to the list.

From CMO.com –

Doug Kessler, Creative Director & Co-Founder, Velocity Partners:
"Lines between sales and marketing will blur, and the functional silos will start to blend into one revenue department. After all, a marketer is just the first salesperson, and a sales dude is just a marketer working a bit lower down the funnel."

Tim Suther, CMO, Acxiom:
"Broadcasting--a strategy based on reach, where targeting and segmentation are limited--will migrate to narrowcasting. Marketers will leverage data to reach the most valuable prospects with greater certainty of message delivery, acceptance, and, most importantly, participation. These narrowcast audiences will be multi-dimensionally defined across shopping, purchasing, and attitudinal behaviors. Utilizing the narrowcasting approach will require a shift in campaigns."

Bill Koleszar, Executive Director, The CMO Institute:
"With the increasing emphasis on transparency and reputation management, CEOs will work to add board members with deep marketing and public relations experience. This will result in additional expectations for already-stretched CMOs relative to increasing and protecting the value of their brands."

Jake Wengroff, Global Director of Corporate Communications, Frost & Sullivan:
"Some companies will actually scale back social media. Here's why: Some strategies are not working. So rather than, say, continuing to keep up a company's blog or collection of blogs by several company executives, companies are going to turn them off or instead have their executives or thought leaders serve as regular or guest bloggers for larger, more well-established sites."

Donovan Neale-May, Executive Director, CMO Council:
"Watch for the dawn of 'Mobile 2.0.' Mobile marketing will push beyond the one-way point to multipoint-message push of first-generation mobile marketing and then evolve into mobile relationship marketing--a multi-touch, bidirectional engagement channel. The quest for targeted, personalized, highly relevant, and localized marketing that seeks to activate customers, foster loyalty, and drive a passive customer into an active buyer will look to manifest in this next generation of mobile."

Steve Rubel, SVP, Director of Insights, Edelman Digital
"In 2011 marketers will begin to realize that return on attention--starting with their share of time per user per month--is a far better way to measure conversions. Reach and impression metrics will slowly fade into the background as supporting data points."

Paul Parkin, Founding Partner, SALT Branding:
"2011 is going to the year of 'brandalism.' Consumers want engagement, and this year they are going to get it--with or without your help. They don't want to just participate in your brands conversation; they want to shape it, control it, sell it, evangelize it, or even destroy it!"

Kate O'Neill, CEO and Founding Partner, [meta]marketer:
"This coming year brings great opportunity for marketing to drive the decision-making process, provide strategic definition around cost and value, and deliver ROI insights for companywide programs. With the data available in most marketing departments, companies can prepare relevant programs to acquire and retain customers profitably, even as customers' motivations shift and they become increasingly savvy online."

Vikram Bhaskaran, Director, Strategy and Business Development, L2:
"In 2011, marketing will get harder--there are only so many brands that people will 'like' and 'follow'--but could also get cheaper as the most innovative brands develop creative programs and generate compelling content, allowing them to build direct relationships with their consumers as opposed to paying ad dollars to media companies."

Brent Dykes, Director, Consulting & Excellence, Adobe Systems:
"More companies will invest in social plugins and Facebook for Websites (Connect) in order to bring Facebook's single sign-on and features to their own Web sites. It's win-win for both sides. Customers use the same features they love on Facebook, and companies can acquire new visitors and gain valuable demographic insights into their customers."

Now just a few 2011 predictions of my own:

1. Companies will begin to place much greater emphasis on the customer experience both on and offline. Consumers are getting weary of sales associates who don’t seem to value their business, and ecommerce sites that make it virtually impossible to get a quick response to a simple question. Management is finally beginning to realize that consumers have far too many options to put up with poor customer service for long.

2. Brick & mortar businesses will pay more attention to brand loyalty online. With geo-based mobile and social media platforms like Yelp, Foursquare and Places allowing online users to instantly influence consumer behavior virtually at the point of sale, companies will proactively seek to impact perceptions by offering greater rewards and incentives to loyal customers and advocates digitally. (See Donovan Neale-May prediction)

3. Companies will begin to realize that the rewards of corporate social responsibility come from practicing it for the benefit of the customer and community, not for the benefit of the corporate reputation. When CSR is practiced appropriately, the brand benefits will take care of themselves.

What do you think marketers should expect to see in 2011?

CMO vs. CIO: Who rules the digital world at your company?

2010-12-13T09:40:00.000-05:00

Last week, I received a call from a colleague in Canada asking for my opinion on the role of IT in the development and management of an organization's digital and web based initiatives. She was being challenged over that role by her new CIO who felt that the IT department should be managing content as well as technical support. I told her quickly and candidly that I didn't think IT should play any role at all in the content management of our digital initiatives, and that they should play only a supporting role in the development of those initiatives. I think my exact words were, "they should help ensure that we have the technical resources and bandwidth to achieve our objectives."

Shortly after having this conversation, I stumbled across an interesting article on the animosity between CMOs and CIOs over the challenges of meeting customer expectations in a digital world. It suddenly dawned on me that this was a real issue for many organizations.

According to a recent study by Accenture and the CMO Council, "69% of marketers said the CMO should be the primary leader of digital marketing, and only 19% of them see the CIO and the IT department important to defining digital marketing strategy. However, 58% of IT executives see themselves as the true champions of digital marketing."

I guess I'm fortunate that I've not experienced these challenges at my organization. Our CIO and I are both in lockstep on what needs to be done to try and improve the quality of the customer experience both on and offline, and who is responsible for the technical development and content management of our digital initiatives. We actually share the same primary frustrations as most organizations: limited time and resources. Though we have a common vision and work well together.

However, my belief has always been that marketing is the manager of the message and how the message is delivered. IT's role should be to provide the technical infrastructure and resources necessary to maximize the marketing department's ability to deliver that message in a manner that is most convenient and appealing to the consumer.

If you can, download the executive summary from the Accenture study linked to above. I think you'll find it a compelling read.

What role does the CIO play in the development and management of your digital marketing initiatives? Have you been faced with challenges similar to my colleague's? If so, what have you done to mitigate the fallout and create a collaborative environment?

Why are you paying to distribute digital coupons?

2010-12-06T13:50:00.000-05:00

I've been reading a lot of stories lately about the popularity of online coupon sites like Living Social and Groupon. As a consumer, I can see why these sites have value. Who wouldn't want to get substantial discounts at local and national retailers, restaurants, theaters and other businesses?

But do online coupon sites have value for the advertiser? According to some articles, small businesses that have used the sites are questioning the benefits of offering big discounts in the hopes of converting prospects into customers, when the costs are so high, and their level of control is so low. Living Social and Groupon charge a huge fee for posting discounts on their sites. To generate a measurable return, businesses need to start with large margins and/or hope that a significant percentage of consumers who redeem the offers will return at some point ready to pay full price. The retailer also needs to hope that the coupon offer doesn't alienate the business' loyal customers who are already paying full price and are not being rewarded for doing so.

As a business, one of the competitive advantages of using location based social media platforms like Foursquare or Places is that a retailer can offer digital coupons, at no cost, to anyone who happens to be near one of its locations. Additionally, the retailer controls the amount of time the discount is offered, how many coupons it wishes to distribute and whether or not it wants to require the user to "check in" multiple times before he or she can access the coupon, thereby significantly increasing the possibility of repeat business.

While coupon sites like Groupon may presently have more members worldwide (35 million), they don't offer the geographic convenience of geo-based sites like Foursquare. Granted, Foursquare offers aren't delivered directly to the consumers email inbox, but by simply logging onto a geo-site through a smart phone, a consumer can immediately identify any retailer in his/her vicinity that is offering a special. Therefore, any perceived inconvenience with redeeming the coupon is mitigated by the retailer's proximity to the user. And there is no 24 hour wait for the coupon download. It pops up on a smart phone ready to use. Additionally, if the consumer wants to share his or her experience with friends, they can easily do so on geo-sites; a benefit that sites like Groupon and Living Social don't provide.

So if you're interested in distributing digital coupons to drive new business, don't be misled. Big coupon sites like Groupon, WOW and Living Social aren't your only options. Nor are they necessarily your best options. It's only a matter of time before burgeoning platforms like Foursquare or Places become the preferred digital coupon distribution channel for small businesses...and probably even large ones.

Guess what small boutiques can offer this holiday shopping season that big retailers can't?

2010-11-29T17:29:00.000-05:00

There was a great article by Danielle Douglas in Capital Business this week about how small retailers are trying to compete with big box stores during the holiday shopping rush.

Working for a relatively small retailer myself, I found the article fascinating.

While the story points out that margins for boutiques may be much smaller than those for large retailers, and that trying to compete by offering deep discounts is unsustainable, the opportunity to close the year on a positive note exists if the independent retailers can find a way to entice shoppers with benefits other than severely discounted prices.

According to the article, Amy Rutherford, owner of Red Barn Mercantile in Alexandria, VA says, "People are starting to get the fact that good customer service is starting to outweigh just the really good bargain. If we can keep our prices in a range that makes it palatable for people, they will come to our stores."

As a consumer, I completely understand the value of deep discounts, having spent the past two weekends shopping at a local outlet mall with my wife. However, I am also taking the time to get those very "special" gifts at independent retailers. Not just for the quality of the customer service (which generally is much better), but also because there are far fewer lines, easier parking, and more unique products than you can often find in big department or chain stores. There is someone on everyone's list who deserves the extra effort, and it doesn't hurt that shopping at boutique retailers also helps the local economy by providing a boost to small businesses.

Take the time to shop at your local independent retailer (blatant plug coming) or Goodwill store this holiday season. You'll find great gifts that will make you a much more appreciated Santa, while also helping to protect someone's job.

Top 10 Reasons why Marketing Gets a Bad Rap

2010-11-23T09:45:00.000-05:00

Thanksgiving is only a few days away, so I thought that I would have some fun with this week's blog post. For the record, I've got a great deal to be thankful for; too much to post here. I only hope that in the future, I take the time to recognize the many gifts I've been given more than just one day a year.

Here are my top 10 reasons why marketing gets a bad rap. These are phrases that I can't stand hearing or seeing a company say or use.

10. “If you want us to show you how to use it, that will cost you extra”

9. “That’s not what the ad said”

8. “Offer good Monday thru Thursday only, holidays excluded”

7. “If you don’t wish to receive anymore emails, please click on the link below”

6. “25% off entire stock (discount off of manufacturer suggested retail price)”

5. “25% off entire stock (after rebate)”

4. “It says right here…”

3. “Only 19.95 plus shipping and handling”

2. We’d like to offer you a two month free trial (then you’ll automatically be billed for the remaining 10 months unless you call us to cancel)”

1. “…with proper diet and exercise”

Feel free to add your own! Have fun and Happy Thanksgiving!

So your company has multiple social media sites and a mobile app...but how are they contributing to the bottom line?

2010-11-16T11:19:00.000-05:00

Yes, every marketer believes that you need to be well entrenched in social media to be competitive in today's customer-centric business environment.

While most marketers are still unsure what to do with their social media channels and how to measure or monetize them, they are still convinced that they need to be there. Hmmm...sounds like a similar conundrum that business experienced about 10-12 years ago during the dot com boom. Everyone had to have a website right? But how did you measure its success? A lot of businesses are STILL trying to answer that question.

In any case, I'm a firm believer in social and digital media, though my philosophy on measurement may not be consistent with many. While the measurement methodology you choose can depend upon how far along your social media constituents are in the customer lifecycle; based on the relative recency of consumer activation through our digital channels, I don't believe that monetization of our social media initiatives is a necessity...yet. I think the value is in the acquisition and cultivation of advocates for the product or service. I tend to measure success today based on blog readers and retention, Facebook comments, Twitter retweets, app downloads and usage. To me, this activity indicates whether my constituents are finding our content useful. Strong (and positive) activity should result in greater brand loyalty and advocacy. However, I recognize that even this form of measurement has its limitations. Remember that most participants are "lurkers". This means that they read your social media content, but don't actively participate by responding, posting or retweeting. They simply appreciate the content for what it is. Their lack of activity doesn't mean they shouldn't have value to your organization. They may actually be your best customers.

So what's the answer? How do you prove that digital media has value to the sales process?

One method may be the growth of marketing automation services. Marketing automation can be a great tool for marketers who are struggling to integrate all of their digital media channels in order to ensure message and brand consistency, assess and deliver on customer needs, improve content quality and evolve from reactive to proactive.

According to a recent article by Erich Flynn, CEO of Treehouse Interactive posted on CMO.com, "One of the biggest benefits of using a marketing automation solution is that it has the potential to put sales and marketing teams on the same page. The ability to define what a lead really is and then use your marketing automation system to qualify, nurture and pass along those leads is a basic benefit. In 2010 there will be many integrations between marketing automation and CRM systems that will change how teams work together to close business."

Therefore, integrated marketing automation should enable marketers to better monetize the value of their digital channels because the data available through those channels can have a direct and measurable impact on revenue contribution.

Will marketing automation services be the ultimate solution to the question of social media monetization and customer conversion? Don't know yet, but its certainly intriguing.

When did the US government get into the pizza consulting business?

2010-11-10T09:27:00.000-05:00

A recent article in the New York Times revealed that the U.S. Department of Agriculture was involved in consulting and recommending to Domino's Pizza that it add 40% more cheese to its pies!

I didn't realize that the government was in the pizza consulting business, but I could spend days discussing that.

According to the article, "Dairy Management, the 'consultant' [hired by Domino's] which has made cheese its cause, is not a private business consultant at all. It is a marketing creation of the United States Department of Agriculture". Yes, the very same Department of Agriculture responsible for leading the government's national anti-obesity campaign. Talk about "speaking out of both sides of your mouth"!

One slice of Domino's pizza has as much as 2/3rds the recommended daily allowance of saturated fat. So, on the one hand, the USDA is recommending to the nation's largest pizza chain that it add significantly more cheese to its pies, while on the other hand, recommending that Americans eat less saturated fat, something cheese has in abundance. Obviously, I'm not the only one that sees some inconsistencies here that could be potentially problematic for Domino's, but highly problematic for the federal government. Unfortunately, we're talking about a federal agency. Traditionally, federal agencies have never seemed to be too concerned about their reputations. They let congress worry about that.

Here's my favorite quote from the article: "The department acknowledged that cheese is high in saturated fat, but said that lower milk consumption had made cheese an important source of calcium. 'When eaten in moderation and with attention to portion size, cheese can fit into a low-fat, healthy diet'."

I get such a kick out of health and dietary ads that use the disclaimer, "with proper diet and exercise". The fact is that if everyone maintained a healthy diet and exercised regularly, there would be no need for dietary supplements or weight loss pills. With "proper diet and exercise", I could probably take diet pills made of bacon fat and still lose weight.

The government is bad enough when dealing with bureaucratic legislative and regulatory issues. I really wish they would stay out of the marketing business. They're going to give us all a bad name. Next thing you know, they'll be selling used cars or launching an airline.

Can Social Media Improve Face-to-Face Interaction?

2010-11-04T11:22:00.000-04:00

A recent article in BizReport shared the results of an ExactTarget and CoTweet study that found that many avid social media users are actually spending more time with their friends and colleagues offline even though they are also spending more time online.

According to the article by Helen Leggatt, "Over a quarter of those surveyed (27%) said they had spent more time with their fellow human beings, in person, despite also using Facebook more. Only 13% said their face-to-face time with friends had decreased. Likewise, of those who are using Twitter more, almost half (46%) hang out with their friends more often and only 7% do so less."

Like many, I have always shared concerns about whether social media will have a long-lasting negative impact on the social skills of future generations. However, these findings not only provide me with a muted sense of relief, but also reinforce what I've always believed is a strength of social media from a business standpoint: To bring people together both on and offline.

Smart organizations will integrate social media with their offline social initiatives such as learning events, advocacy and fundraising gatherings, or simple meet-ups. There are few communications platforms that can generate a call-to-action response faster than social media due to its reach and immediacy.

One well known example is the use of Twitter to mobilize international support and communicate what was actually happening behind the Iranian curtain following the country's disputed 2009 elections and government crackdown. Massive protests sprung up around the world within days; some within hours!

With businesses strategically adopting more socially conscious missions today, they can and should use their large social media networks for purposes beyond just product promotion. By supporting social causes both on and offline that are important to their stakeholders, companies can build greater goodwill with their constituents ultimately strengthening their corporate reputations.

Therefore, don't limit your social media strategies to the online world. To maximize their effectiveness, try to find ways to integrate them with offline and community based efforts as well.

Goodwill of Greater Washington Launches Mobile App to Improve Donor & Shopper Convenience!

2010-11-01T16:45:00.000-04:00

I'm wearing my corporate hat today, but I'm very excited about making this announcement!

Goodwill of Greater Washington (GGW) just launched a new mobile app that will provide greater convenience to its diverse shoppers and donors while also educating users about Goodwill’s workforce development programs.

The DC Goodwill app, which is the first fully integrated mobile application within the 167 member Goodwill movement and can be downloaded for free through the iTunes app store, will allow users to locate any Goodwill retail store, donation center or donation bin throughout the entire greater Washington metropolitan area, complete with images, distances, directions, hours of operation and contact information. The app also allows users to engage GGW via Facebook and Twitter, read Goodwill’s nationally recognized fashion blog, learn about Goodwill’s workforce development services and even make a quick, easy and secure online gift.

The goal of Goodwill of Greater Washington’s new mobile app is to enhance the ease and convenience of supporting and engaging the charitable agency. Goodwill is constantly looking for new and innovative ways to improve its ability to communicate with its constituents in a manner that is conducive to their busy lifestyles. This app will help.

In addition to the new mobile app, Goodwill of Greater Washington has also launched several other successful digital marketing campaigns including a customer loyalty program through Foursquare that rewards customers for multiple “check ins” on the location based social media platform. Fans of Good Willy (DC Goodwill’s handle) on Facebook can also receive monthly retail store discounts while learning about and discussing Goodwill’s mission, programs and workforce development issues. For the past several years, GGW has also been actively engaging supporters through Twitter and it’s nationally recognized English and Spanish fashion blogs.

For information on the mobile app or any other questions about Goodwill of Greater Washington, please contact Brendan Hurley at (202) 715-2605, via email at Brendan.Hurley@DCGoodwill.org, on Twitter at HurleyB.

Special thanks to Stella's Pop Factory, who designed the app interface and been hugely supportive of Goodwill; Mindsea Development for an incredible job developing the app, and SMthree, LLC for managing the development of GGW's Foursquare customer loyalty campaign, which is starting to take off!

Better Get Your Holiday Shopping Ads Online NOW!

2010-10-27T14:57:00.000-04:00

According to a recent article in Marketing Daily, research shows that online shoppers tend to be less receptive to holiday ads as the holiday shopping season progresses.

Max Mead, VP of Business Development & Analytics for PointRoll, who conducted the recent study, told Marketing Daily, "On average, anywhere between 4 and 6% of online shoppers interacted with retail ads in the fourth quarter -- beginning in November at 6%, then drifting lower, with interaction rates hitting their lowest points in early December, most likely due to the heavy levels of online ads. In the final weeks of December, interaction rises to 5% again".

The likely culprit for the fall after early November: Online retailers offering greater discounts for early buying.

Why the rise on the backend? Because late online shoppers can also take advantage of last minute sales from retailers trying to move extra inventory.

Christmas shopping has become a year long process for many. Though the convenience of shopping online hasn't reduced the cattle drives at the mall. Personally, while I enjoy the "spirit" of holiday shopping; I can do without the long lines of traffic trying to get into the mall and the longer lines trying to get out!

However, while my online shopping has increased over the past few years, I'm a traditionalist at heart, and I will never stop shopping at brick & mortar stores during the holiday season. Regardless of the hassles; the decorations and the music at the malls just make it feel more like Christmas. I guess it still brings out the kid in me.

If you want to get a head start on the holiday bargains though, begin your e-shopping right after Halloween. If you're a retailer, you better get those online ads placed now!

Yes, Social Media is the Future, but Here are 10 Reasons Why Traditional Media Still Rules…For Now

2010-10-18T15:13:00.000-04:00

10. Terrestrial radio is still a powerful tool for reaching a highly targeted local (or national) audience

9. Television is still the primary entertainment and news medium of choice for baby boomers and gen-Xers

8. Celebrities will provide endorsements through traditional media, but few, if any, will utilize social media to promote a product or service

7. Print media coupon distribution is a great support channel for targeted radio or TV buys and a preferred coupon distribution channel for baby boomers

6. Prices for traditional broadcast media are much more competitive today than they have been in years (However, print is still overpriced)

5. Most TV and radio stations will still write and produce your spots for you at little to no additional cost

4. Direct mail is still a very cost effective medium for geo-targeted, call-to-action marketing campaigns and for measuring coupon redemption

3. While intrusive (unless you have Tivo), broadcast media advertising still reaches large numbers of consumers and continues to be impactful

2. You can still leverage the use of social media through your traditional media buys, enhancing your reach, frequency and ability to engage and activate your target market

1. You should never put all of your marketing “eggs” in one basket. Social media can generate powerful and measurable results, but in most instances should still be integrated into a broader multi-channel approach that includes and is often led by traditional media

Convenience Rocks My World!

2010-10-11T14:49:00.000-04:00

In a recent article in Advertising Age, Hulu CEO, Jason Kilar, was critical of Jeff Zucker, CEO of NBC Universal, for trying to protect outdated business models. Kilar was quoted as saying to Zucker that, “Content is discretionary, so you better focus on convenience.”

The point Kilar was trying to make with that comment was simple: People may want NBC’s content, but they don’t need NBC’s content. If Zucker doesn’t make it easy for viewers to access the network’s programming online, they'll simply find their entertainment elsewhere.

We no longer live in an age of three television networks that basically share a monopoly on mass entertainment. Internet based programming is virtually endless and new content is being created every minute of every day. Therefore, the more convenient you make accessing your content, the more likely people are to view it.

Marketing other more tangible products is no different. The easier you make it for consumers to find, browse and purchase your product or service, the more likely they are to do so.

Goodwill of Greater Washington is about to launch a new mobile web app. The goal behind the development of this app is simple: convenience. Goodwill hopes to make it easier for donors and shoppers to find its retail stores and donation centers. They want to make it easier for fashionistas to find the DC Goodwill fashion blog and for friends of Goodwill to engage them on Twitter and Facebook, or learn about Goodwill's regional workforce development programs. Want to get exclusive discounts on already low prices at a DC area Goodwill store? Just check-in on Foursquare!

Goodwill understands that its constituents have a lot of options available to them. By making it more convenient to support the charitable agency while providing rewards for doing so, Goodwill is much more likely to build loyalty among its followers while gaining new advocates.

Convenience is a strategy that businesses have been implementing for years. Many just haven't yet made the digital transition.

Here's a simple equation to live by: Convenience equals value. Value equals loyalty. Loyalty equals revenue.

Why do celebs promote products, but not social media sites?

2010-10-04T09:27:00.000-04:00

Companies have been using celebrity endorsements to promote products and services almost since the advent of advertising. Today celebrities are promoting everything from skin care products to automobiles.

However, while celebrities seem very willing to promote products, shouldn't the manufacturers also be requesting that celebrities promote their social media channels as well? If social media sites are being used to develop and cultivate relationships with customers and prospects, wouldn't it make sense to have the celebrities who are endorsing the products communicating directly with the product's users?

Why aren't Katy Perry, Jessica Simpson or Justin Bieber posting a few comments on the Proactiv Facebook page, or writing guest blogs about skin care and how readers may benefit from Proactiv. Sure, there are short video snippets from the celebrities on the company's website and Facebook page, similar to what you see in the Proactiv TV ads, but those videos aren't interactive.

If Katy Perry were guest blogging on the Proactive site, can you imagine how many new visitors it would draw to the site and how many new fans it would generate? If Justin Bieber commented even once a month on the Proactive Facebook site, how many customers would return regularly hoping for an opportunity to read his comments and seek feedback? Talk about a strong endorsement, customer experience and relationship building opportunity?! Why doesn't Kate Walsh blog about the luxury of her "Cadillac driving experience"? Wouldn't that be a nice supportive effort to what most customers know are "paid" endorsement ads?

I'm not sure why more companies haven't already integrated these efforts into their celebrity endorsement deals, but believe me, its only a matter of time. Digital cross promotion between the company and the celebrity endorser seems like a logical next step in the evolution of social media as a marketing channel.

It's not the plan that counts, it's planning that counts!

2010-09-27T08:34:00.000-04:00

I once had a professor in graduate school who was very fond of the phrase, “It’s not the plan that counts, it’s planning that counts”.

His point was that the most important part of any plan is the planning process itself. A good strategist is smart enough to understand that plans may require adjustments. If you develop what appears to be a sound plan, and then discover that it isn’t working, do you stick with it or do you consider other options? I think most would argue that making adjustments would be both prudent and logical. This isn’t to say that sticking with a foundering strategy may not ultimately result in success. Sometimes a strategy takes time to build, and requires early losses before generating results. However, failing to even consider change is neither strategic nor wise. It’s a sign of arrogance and stubbornness.

Having to adjust your plan doesn’t mean you’re wrong or that you’ve failed. It means you’re learning and adapting. A good strategist is constantly scanning the environment, gathering data and evaluating alternatives. This applies to almost any type of planning: military, sports, personal finance, or of course business.

A good business plan is developed based on the information that you have at the time the plan is created. In a dynamic business environment, knowledge that you glean today, may be obsolete tomorrow. A smart business will constantly be scanning and observing its surroundings, while reviewing and evaluating its strategic plan, then making the appropriate adjustments to help ensure the business succeeds.

How often do you review your strategic plan?

How much social media is too much?

2010-09-20T13:30:00.000-04:00

Facebook, Myspace, Twitter, Foursquare, Places, Yelp, Blogs, Vlogs, YouTube, Flickr, Linkedin, Plaxo and the list goes on and on.

How to properly utilize social media continues to be a very hot topic in marketing circles. But how much social media is too much?

Should you be everywhere? Should you limit the number of comments and posts? How do you know if people are paying attention or if you're wasting your time? When is more, better? And when is more simply...more?

Unfortunately, regardless of what any "Social Media Expert" might tell you, there are no black and white answers to these questions. It is completely subjective and only through experimentation and self analysis can you know for sure whether or not you're over using or under utilizing social media. However, here are a series of questions to consider as you launch your social media campaigns:

1. What social media sites make the most sense for my business operation? Review your business model and the nature of how your customers and prospects use your business. Make sure that the functionality of the social media channels you choose is aligned with your strategic business goals. Linkedin is generally better for B2B or professional networking, while Facebook and Foursquare might be better for B2C operations. You may even realize that social media isn't right for your business. Don't automatically assume it is.
2. How much time should I dedicate each day to managing my social media sites? There is no magic number here, but you should understand that the less time you can dedicate to it, the less frequently you can post new content or reply to posts Social media shouldn't monopolize your day, but you should be prepared to dedicate a portion of your day to managing the content on your site/s. You must also consider social media a long term strategy as it takes time to build fans and followers.  An immediate financial return should rarely be the primary objective when launching a social media campaign.
3. How often should I post new content? Again, no magic number. However, the first contacts that I delete from Twitter are those who seem to feel that the only thing I have to do all day is read their minute by minute updates. The frequency of your posts is less important than the quality of the content of your posts.
4.  Should I be on as many social media sites as possible? It depends upon your strategic objectives. However, I believe that a Facebook account and/or a blog are the best places to launch your social media campaigns and should be the cornerstones of most social media efforts. Primarily because they give you the best opportunities for content development, customer engagement and feedback.
5. If people don't respond to my posts, does that mean that my content has no value? The answer to this question is unequivocally, "NO". Just because people don't respond doesn't mean they don't find value in your content. Most people prefer not to actively participate. They like hearing what others have to say before formulating an opinion. It doesn't mean they're not engaged. It just means they aren't vocal. The best measurements of the success of your social media efforts are retention and referrals.
6.  How much should I promote my social media channels?  As often as possible. You have to treat your social media channels like a product. It is a meeting place to engage your customers and prospects. If you're not telling them you're there, how are they supposed to find you? If your social media sites aren't getting much attention, this may very well be the cause.

Most importantly, don't feel that you should jump in all at once. It will only confuse you and burn you out. Start slow by opening one channel, then build an audience before you consider launching a second social media channel. Once you have a built in audience, it will be easier to migrate that population to your new platform than to build a completely organic following. Plus these visitors will become your best advocates and a resource for driving new traffic.

When did a handshake stop representing mutual respect?

2010-09-13T08:59:00.000-04:00

According to Webster’s Dictionary, the definition of a handshake is: a gripping and shaking of each other’s hand, as to symbolize greeting, agreement, or farewell.

Growing up I was always taught, both in school and by my father, that a handshake was a gesture of mutual respect. To shake a man’s hand in agreement was as solid a commitment as a more formal signed contract because a “man’s word is his bond”.

In today’s cynical world, I see more and more signs that a handshake doesn’t seem to have the same symbolism as it once did, and I think that’s sad.

My father-in-law recently shared a story about agreeing on the price of a new car, then sealing the deal by shaking the salesman's hand. While sitting in the sales manager’s office going over the paperwork, the salesman and the sales manager tried to tack on a handful of additional fees and charges that significantly raised the final price of the car. How many of us have had similar experiences? My father-in-law refused to pay the additional money and proceeded to lecture the sales manager on the verbal agreement he had made with the salesman and how his handshake on the price was an indication of the salesman's (and thus the dealership's) agreement on the matter. To change the price after the handshake was highly unprofessional and dishonorable. Eventually, the dealership conceded, but only after my father-in-law threatened to walk out.

I remember at a previous job, I had agreed to contractual terms on a partnership with another business only to eventually learn that the partner wouldn't honor its end of the agreement. To make matters worse, the partner then lied about bringing on board a third party who was a direct competitor to us. When I was invited to a meeting the next year to discuss renewing the partnership (a meeting that someone else had scheduled), I initially refused to shake the company principal’s hand. I always believed that a handshake wasn’t something that was entitled. It was something that was earned or offered. My failure to shake this man’s hand got me in a bit of trouble with my supervisor, but a handshake is a sign of respect, and I had none for this man given his history of dishonest business practices.

Too often today businesses fail to look at agreements as true commitments. Contracts are made with the understanding that they can easily be broken. Fulfilling the terms of an agreement is far too often subjective. Lawyers get involved, contracts are “interpreted” and ultimately an arbiter has to decide which party it believes is interpreting the terms of the agreement correctly.

In my world, a contract is a contract. An agreement is an agreement. Your word is your bond.

A handshake symbolizes trust and respect. If you don’t intend to fully honor an agreement, then don’t shake someone’s hand. Just give them a fist bump. I don’t think it shares the same symbolism as a handshake.

Happy Labor Day!

2010-09-06T12:16:00.000-04:00

I appreciate all the years of hard work that my parents put in to give me the opportunity to succeed in life. I hope I can give my son the same opportunities.

Happy Labor Day!

Foursquare, Places, Gowalla… Geo-marketing: Are you there yet?

2010-08-30T11:08:00.000-04:00

For years, we’ve been hearing the business and real estate mantra: ”Location, location, location”.

For marketers this is truer today than it has ever been, but not for the reasons you might think. Geo-marketing through platforms like Foursquare and Facebook Places is the next trend in super-targeting for marketers.

By identifying where customers and/or prospects are during the day, marketers can get a better idea of consumer interests and patterns that will give them a competitive advantage in the battle to increase customer loyalty.

I have recently been studying geo-marketing more and more as Goodwill of Greater Washington considers whether it would enhance our present marketing strategy. DC Goodwill is already developing another Goodwill first: an iPhone web app designed to allow donors to locate the nearest Goodwill retail store, donation center or donation bin through geo-coding, while also allowing the user to more easily communicate with us via our blogs and social media sites. The more value we can provide to our shoppers and the more convenient we can make the donation process, the more likely we are to build customer and donor loyalty. Geo-marketing might allow us to take this a step further.

Imagine the loyalty programs that can be created if we begin incentivizing donors for giving their used goods to Goodwill (and checking in when they do so) versus another charitable agency; or provide them with incentives for every 10 visits to our retail stores. How about cross promotional opportunities with partners to incentivize visits to each partner’s locations?

Certainly these types of promotional and customer loyalty programs are available now through more traditional means, but geo-marketing significantly reduces the cost of execution and management, while also allowing us to track the geographic and shopping habits of our customers.

Don’t get me wrong, while I view this burgeoning trend favorably, it does have its challenges. First of all, one doesn’t actually need to be in the location at the time they are checking in. They only need to be nearby. Second this is one way communication, so I wouldn't eliminate other forms of social media and/or market research in favor of geo-marketing exclusively.

Much like the web, this too will require some experimentation before a solid and measurable strategy evolves. However, it is still another means of engaging consumers and converting them into loyal customers and advocates, which in and of itself provides a tangible benefit to any business on the leading edge.

Why Effective Marketing Both Integrates & Segments

2010-08-23T11:05:00.000-04:00

I love Helen Leggatt's writing. She always provides me with excellent ideas for this blog.

In the August 23rd issue of the Biz Report she writes about how older internet users are not as receptive to online advertising.

According to a study by Connect Insight, which Helen quotes in her article, "younger [internet] users were more likely to engage with online ads than their elders. For instance, almost a quarter (24%) of 16-34 year olds found online ads impactful while half of over-55 year old Internet users made a point of avoiding online destinations where ads were intrusive."

This study supports the argument that the best media strategy is an integrated media strategy. One that takes into account the diversity of a business' target audiences and identifies the best forms of media to reach and impact them.

While the 50+ audience is the fastest growing demographic for online usage, they are also the slowest to adopt new technologies; which explains why they are growing so fast. Younger audiences have been active online for years. Most Gen Xers, Gen Yers and Millenials have grown up with digital advertising and have generally identified it as an acceptable marketing source, provided the ads have value. "Value" is the critical factor here because online users can choose to bypass most digital ads. Older online users most likely tend to view all advertising as intrusive because it always has been to them. Terrestrial broadcasting such as radio and TV doesn't traditionally allow users to "opt out". Therefore, the opportunity to bypass it without taking into consideration any value it may have is probably a pretty natural inclination. However, in time, this too will gradually change as younger audiences age and older audiences adopt (or begin using Tivo).

I've always been a believer in integrated marketing while segmenting my audiences. It just seems logical to use multiple channels to communicate with desired consumers, in order to avoid "throwing all my eggs into one basket". However, I try to be smart and strategic about what channels and how much of each to use.

The message we use to promote Goodwill's retail stores is always consistent: "value, value, value". Our tagline continues to be "Good merchandise - great prices". However, how we position our stores and communicate the value to each audience differs.

We tend to use traditional media to reach older and/or less affluent shoppers who more frequently utilize free media. We position our stores as a great place to stretch a dollar for good quality merchandise, placing more emphasis on the savings.

While we use some traditional media to reach younger, more fashion conscious audiences, we place a greater emphasis on digital media to communicate our brand value to this crowd. Our use of social media has had a tremendous impact on perceptions of Goodwill stores, helping to make them a more socially acceptable place to find inexpensive vintage and contemporary fashions with an environmentally conscious slant - reuse and recycling.

Therefore, while I'm not surprised by the findings from the Connect Insight study, I'm pleased that they tend to support a long held belief.

It always comes down to this: Understand your target audiences; their demographic, psychographic and geographic tendencies. If you understand your customer, it will be easier to develop a message that resonates with them while identifying the best ways to communicate that message. It makes no sense to sell skin cream to a 12 year old or Cap'n Crunch cereal to a 60 year old.