Marketing

Your Logo Used Without Your Consent

The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) is responding to criticism that it approved an advertisement depicting numerous commercial aircraft flying into lower Manhattan in an scene reminiscent of 9/11. The WWF says it never approved the concept and that the Brazilian advertising firm submitted the image where it won a best public service print ad award. The World Wildlife Fund’s logo is on the print ad and it appears that bloggers have been especially quick to criticize the WWF. It has put the organization in a public relations challenge, responding to situation it claims to have never created.

Daily News article

Is your organization prepared should you find yourself in a similar situation?

A Fall Off A Cliff Or A Pause?

I stopped watching CNBC a couple months ago because I was no longer connecting with the content (plus bad news on a daily basis is never fun). I came across an article this morning that made me wonder why so many other viewers had abandoned the network over the past year. John Carney outlines a couple theories. The article is a reminder of how quickly an enterprise can be impacted by events and the speed, sincerity, and effectiveness in which your organization addresses the issue is critical. Anecdotal evidence from other consultants suggests that it takes at least 18-24 months before an organization can begin to recover its reputation after a scandal or major incident.

CNBC’s Ratings Fall Off A Cliff

Mistakes Were Made

My kids occasionally watch a Nick cartoon TV program, “The Penguins Madagascar.” In one episode the penguins believe they have traveled to the moon only to find out at the end of the show that they only flew in a rocket to the top of an adjacent building and then back to their enclosure at the Central Park Zoo. When the penguins question one another about the failed mission, one replies, “I forgot to carry the two.”

Yesterday, I incorrectly tweeted that Four Seasons Hotels use Twitter effectively and Hyatt Hotels does not. I ‘follow’ both Four Seasons and Hyatt on Twitter. I receive numerous daily updates from the Four Seasons but none from what appears to be the official Hyatt profile. Best I have learned, Hyatt leaves it up to each property to set-up and maintain their own Twitter profile. Since I am staying at one of their properties this week (one of my favorite) I immediately began following the particular property on Twitter. There is a lot of useful information and specials posted.

Four Seasons has the same arrangement where each property sets-up a Twitter profile. In addition they uses their corporate profile of @Four_Seasons to share information about each property and tweet about the company in general.

It is a complicated decision. Does the ‘brand’ maintain the relationship with the customer or is it the individual properties? Or does some hybrid method work better? I patronize both companies but more often Hyatt for a variety of reasons. There are particular properties that I am especially fond of and will follow on Twitter. As a frequent guest I also wonder how I should keep undated with specials and events at properties that I may not follow. On the other hand, there are days when I feel like the I heard enough from the Four Seasons because none of the tweets peak my interest.

So I apologize to Hyatt for my incorrect tweet. I wonder who you follow on Twitter? Why? What makes them worth following? What is effective tweeting?

Post-it Marketing

I follow a variety of blogs as many of you do. The other day I noticed that a blogger I know was using post-it notes to spread messages containing statements that had a social awareness theme. It reminded me of the power of grass-roots marketing. When you take existing infrastructure and give it a new use paradigm shifts are possible. Check out http://samaritanblog.blogspot.com/2009/07/post-it-inspiration_21.html.

How can you enhance your message and brand using the most basic of tools? Do you tend to notice a child’s lemonade stand at the side of the road more readily than the local convenience store? Is the story you are telling remarkable?

Spokesperson


Attended the Jonas Brothers concert with my daughter the other night. It was loud, mostly the screaming and then the music. It clearly met the expectations of the young pre-teen and teenage audience judging by the shrieking, texting, photographing, dancing and swinging of glow sticks. This was my first venture into the teenage concert scene and it was memorable.

Nick Jonas (as I was informed by my daughter) took a moment in the middle of the concert to give a personal account of his struggle with diabetes. He played the piano in the middle of the elaborate stage set-up and recounted his journey. For a few minutes the crowd was quiet and listened to his story. The brothers are selling a dog tag at their concerts (http://www.daily-diabetic.com/50226711/nick_jonas_diabetes_dog_tags_to_raise_funds_for_jonas_brothers_foundation.php) as a fundraiser for diabetes support. The dog tags are the equivalent of the LIVESTRONG wristband.

By giving a personal account of his struggles the concert goers seem to take the story as genuine. I believe if Nick had been representing a cause that had not touched him personally his fans would have been less attentive and not as willing to invest in the dog tags.

Who can best communicate the cause your organization is meeting? Are they authentic? Are they passionate? Does the audience trust them?

A Fine Bottle of Wine

I was a presenter at a conference focused on nonprofits and foundations yesterday. My good friend Mark at ClearRock Capital has been a great advocate to the nonprofit sector and hosted this event for years. I always learn something from the other presenters and appreciate the opportunity to create a fun and dynamic presentation (at least my perception).

As I drove home from the conference I started thinking about how to enhance my presentation. I started thinking about the challenge of creating a mission statement, I reflected on how challenging this process is for most organizations. How does an organization state what cause it meets and yet make it inspiring? I started thinking about the marketing on a bottle of wine. If you read the label on many bottles of wine they tell you that it not only contains a specific varietal of wine but also goes to lengths to describe the wine in unique and juicy adjectives. Some labels also add descriptions about the vineyard, proprietor and wine maker. The rich details makes you want to uncork and sample the ‘art’ inside (because the description has made you realized that it is far more than just grape juice).

What language do you have to describe your organization’s work? Is it as appealing as a good bottle of wine? Do people naturally ask you to tell them more? Have you engaged the right people to tell your story?

Cheers!

Yield is what matters, and yield comes from getting through the Dip. You punch through the clutter when you allocate more resources and more dedication than everyone else (in that market). Ignore the other markets and the other channels. They’re dead to you anyway.” Seth Godin’s 6/12/09 blog entry

lancearmstrong

A quick example. Lance Armstrong has become universally available on Twitter. I can follow every details he chooses to share about his cycling career, family, LIVESTRONG Foundation, travels, music choices, etc. He is not trying to duplicate his posting on Facebook, My Space, You Tube with the same frequency. He has one million followers on Twitter who are willing to get information 140 characters at a time. This is a classic example of owning a market.

What market do you own? Do you try to cover too much (the shotgun approach). Be precise and own a market today!

Not Any Old Starbucks


Have you ever noticed that not all Starbucks are the same? Typically the drinks offered and the aesthetics are similar. It is the employees that really add the flavor- so to speak. My wife mentioned the other day that we have two Starbucks in our town that always give the impression that the team is thrilled to be working at that particular store. They greet you quickly and cheerfully. The drinks are made with extra attention to detail. They are quick to recognize a problem and correct it. Somebody normal offers a ‘thank you’ as you depart. At the end of the day, I walk out with a similar product but my perception of the experience at the different Starbucks is dramatic. The dynamic ones make me remember them. The less energetic Starbucks make me remember the drink, which is usually average at best- or at least that is my perception when it is not made by a barista with a flare for adding something extra.

What have you experienced? What companies standout?