Verbz - the wiki

I have decided to create a mirror Verbz wiki. Every time I post I will now also put the post on the wiki.

If you want to join in, just shoot me an email at verbzwiki@gmail.com

Want to do more then comment? Please do! --- http://verbz.wikispaces.com/

Everyone needs no babysitter

I am halfway through Clay Shirky’s latest book “Here Comes Everyone.” The treatise has many great insights into the social front of the ongoing digital revolution.

Here are the top three points from the first half of the book, as well as my questions that we as marketers must be asking in regards to each:

1. Massive amounts of energy previously spent on passive media consumption are now being redirected into social networks and digital spaces such as Wikipedia. *
Question: Does your organization understand the relevant ways and places this is happening?
This is not about discussion boards or CEO blogs, rather it’s about where your customers are now in charge and where they will take control next and how you must change and prepare.

2. True democratization of expression and communication, nearly unparalleled in history even by tectonic shifts such as movable type, are taking place.
Question: Are you playing it too close to the vest?
Newspapers did, and look where they are today. How can you let go and be a part of the wave? If you don’t, it is very likely your brand/cause will drown.

3. Everyone needs no babysitter.
Question: Are we looking at our organizations and markets as managers or as facilitators?
Yes we must advertise and we must drive revenue, etc.; however, to excel I believe it’s an imperative of our roles to provide platforms, environments, and tools for our organizations and markets to collaborate together. If we don’t, they will go elsewhere.


* I cheated on this one a bit, this is actually from a speech Clay gave recently and not from the first half of the book (although they are related and I am expecting to see this at least implicitly before the volume’s end). You can find this video here, its well worth the few minutes.

Remembering PC Magazine, print

The Wall Street Journal reports that PC Magazine is closing up the print side of their business and going all-digital. The article also mentions other major players that have recently done the same, including U.S. News and World Report.

I am guessing that the currently heavy economic pressure will force others to make a similar decision.

The measurability, flexibility, extensibility, and efficient reach of digital channels make this an easy decision.

It’s good to live in the digital world.

Hello customer. How are you?

I was thinking about how I communicate at work, and trying to relate that to brands.

In the past I have used more written channels like email or memos, and I used to set more official meetings than I do these days. Communication these days is different. I have much more frequent communication, it is often less formal. With my colleagues here at THINK communication is face-to-face more than ever. Technologies such as AIM, SMS, social networks, and Twitter have connected me to everyone I need at almost anytime, and in a much less intrusive fashion than did cell phones when they arrived. I believe these technologies have made it more natural to just “reach out” or “ping” someone instead of more formal dialogue modes. Also, I heard someone say years ago that the most successful managers walk their office hallways often, and slowly; I try to do this everyday. I think all of this is working well for many, me included.

So, does any of translate to how brands might think about communicating with their customers? I think it does. It appears to me that most brands still communicate in a rather stiff fashion. Letters, trigger-based emails and phone calls seem to dominate. Most on-line forums are really monitored communications between customers. Blogs are nice, but again are really rather formal and directed. What if brands started mastering the art of the “ping”? What if they started reaching out to customers more often, what if the just started “checking in”?

One of the brands I like is Men’s Wearhouse, I shop there a lot. What if I could pop them a quick IM to see if the winter sweaters are in yet? How about an SMS from them asking how my winter wardrobe is looking? What if a representative just walked the mall on Sunday afternoon chatting with people with MW bags? I know there is some use of these channels and techniques, but it seems predominately for things like voting, entering a sweeps, or ordering a product. I have not seen much usage for less formal dialogue.

I think the trick here is to get to a point where your brand does not always have something to push, sell, confirm, or offer every time you touch your customers. In my experience, when you just “check-in” with people you get a very different dialogue pattern than when you approach them with a formal request or agenda. Obviously this will only work for customers that want that intimacy level with your brand, but for them and you it could be powerful.

j

Idea generation recipes?

Ideas are in the “air”, right? They are there for the taking. A little research, a little net surfing, a quick brainstorm, some post-it notes, and you should be able to create a couple of dozen great ideas against any particular challenge. Or, does it take a skilled chef(s) and all the right ingredients, blended with care and tended carefully?

I think it is more the latter. We are in the process of defining some “recipes” for ideation based on our successes. In the past managing all the right factors has happened organically, it will be interesting to see if the cookbook approach helps.

What I have experienced and witnessed over the years is that great idea generation requires the confluence of several factors, a few of which are chemistry, skill, data, preparation, intensity, humility, and structure.

- Personalities need to be at least somewhat compatible. I have seen a group of brilliant people in a room for hours with all the other ingredients there, and nothing happens. Conflicting personalities can cause nerves to be frayed, people to not hear each other, people to unplug, and other spark-killing phenomenon. You need chemistry.

- The players need to have the right skills. Several books have been written about the roles needed in a great ideation session. A few examples are moderator, users/personas, client, referee, etc. You must be sure that you have the right players on the flied.

- Who is the user? What are they feeling and thinking? What are you trying to make happen? There is a host of inputs that you will need based on your particular challenge. Be sure you cover all your data bases ahead of time.

- Don’t have people come in cold. Give participants homework. It could be about getting into the target’s head, understanding the product, or thinking in advance about the goal. The point is to get juices flowing, focus on the right things, and to come in with guns blazing. Preparation.

- This is related to the chemistry ingredient. You need to have energy and enthusiasm. There are many factors that can tamp down the fire. If you need to, invite outsiders into the session to inject energy and keep people on there toes. Keep people engaged with breakouts, exercises, etc. Don’t let the session go flat.

- If you have individuals that want to “win”, you are going to have trouble. It has to be about getting to the best solution and not defending or selling individual ideas. Everyone needs to clearly and passionately state their case, but also must bow to the wisdom of the group and be prepared to “let it go.”

- Have a plan. I mentioned exercises (btw – I am talking not about the jumping jacks type, but rather mental exercises related to the challenge). Also think about a rough agenda, voting on elements of the idea, telling stories, reformulating your plan as you go, have a parking lot on a white board, etc.

One size or plan does not fit every situation and team. But paying attention to the above ingredients, the particulars of your team and challenge, and tending the process carefully should help you generate great solutions more consistently.

j

Pornography as broadcast on Fox News

Usually agree with Seth's stuff, great stuff. He missed this one though. Seth pointed out this video of "misogyny and pornography as broadcast on Fox News".

Just a simple reminder: news organizations are a reflection of us. They are simply showing us a mirror of some of what is going on in our world. Do they want ratings? Of course they do. But they are not making this stuff up or showing it out of context.

J

Perfect Speed

I am working on a project these days with a lot of effort around balancing speed of delivery with level of testing, design iterations, and QA.

The easy way to say that is: What is the right balance of speed versus perfection of output?

There is parity-of-knowledge in our world; if you use available resources you can know what your competition knows. Quality has been a cost of entry for decades. Even innovation it could be argued is now much more of a price to complete.

So what is left to leverage? How to edge the competition? Just a few thoughts:
1) Radical innovation. Everyone focuses on innovation but not everyone can find a real breakthrough or has the nerve to take the risk.
2) Rapid, incremental, innovation. Google uses this with their constant flow of beta products and versions.

I think the second option is more attainable for many enterprises. Here are a few points in that direction:

• Go to market when you have a core concept. Don’t wait to flesh out every conceivable issue.
• When to pull the trigger on a program or product? As soon as you think you will not have negative impact.
• Build for change by using the most open technologies you can.
• Listen to customer reaction as much as you can via measurement, discussion, and monitoring.
• Iterate often.

There is a version of this approach that will be the "perfect speed" for your team.

There is much more here to explore.

J

STOP! - Look at your cell, try to dial this!

Cell Phones and toll-free numbers are not mixing well. Take this TEST:

Look at your cell phone key pad, now try to dial this number 1-800-GetStuf

How did you do?! You couldn't dial it, could you?

Oh sure, if you find a land line phone and look at that then you could. Or if, like some people I know, you are super smart, then you could figure it out in your head. But for the rest of us this does not work!

MARCOM managers please listen: STOP PUTTING OUT PRODUCTS, MATERIAL AND ADVERTISING WITH WORD-ONLY PHONE NUMBERS!

My family and I ONLY use cell phones, cell phones have been ubiquitous for a long time. Please add start adding the numbers underneath ALL the catchy toll-frees that include words.

Thank You!

J

Idea Smelting - Devil or Savior?

I started reading The 10 Faces of Innovation. Only a little ways into the volume so far, but already have run across a very interesting point. The author’s, from IDEO, take the position that playing the “Devil’s Advocate” during creative or innovation sessions is damaging. The language they use is very strong, they are passionate about this. They actually ponder situations where they might tell such a role player to “Go to Hell.” This is obliviously just a play on the devil theme, but I find it telling nonetheless.

Let me take a different slant on this. I hold that when played intelligently, honestly, and with care this role is extremely important and helpful. The key skill needed to play this role is an ability to “ask the hard” questions. This is about seeing pitfalls, dangers, gaps, or unnecessary risks. Without this skill/role failure can loom. Over the past 15 years I have seen many ideas pushed through to execution without any rigorous challenge.

Similar to the way metal can be purified from raw ore via smelting, so too can a cleaner more effective initiative be birthed by taking an unchallenged idea and putting it through the “fire” of a devils scrutiny.

This “idea smelting” needs to be done at the right time and in the right way. There is no doubt that this book holds some great insights, I have already found the redefined roles a stimulating concept. However, I think devil needs to get his due.

Here are some golden rules I would propose to make playing this role effective:

1) Do it at the right time. If done while ideas and concepts are in early stages, creativity and innovation could be squashed. Reserve comments in these stages to only critical flaws in thinking.

2) Offer alternatives. Don’t simply shoot holes, ask “what if we do x instead of a”. Assuming the ideation is going in a good direction generally, this is about steering and less about quashing.

3) Look for gaps. Ideas have a better chance to come to fruition if the gaps are noticed and addressed by the team before they are socialized more broadly. A more complete idea is better than one with holes, right?

4) Don’t just play one role. I agree with the authors that changing hats is a positive, needed skill. By playing other roles and thinking from those POVs, the devil can come across as less of a “naysayer”. Perception is half the battle.

5) Don’t get married to your positions. Just like all input to a collaborative process. Devils need to be flexible and prepared to go with the energy and flow of the group.

6) Pay attention to the room. If there are less mature, emotional, or insecure players on the team, perhaps the devil needs to play his role offline or in a separate session with more senior team members only.

J

Gap Analysis - Continuing Ed

I have been thinking about continuing education. I am working on getting my real estate license. I invest in real estate and just want the knowledge. Anyway, part of the deal with a real estate license is a continuing educational requirement. I think this is good, although I am not sure it is the exact model we need in marketing.

However, I do think that there seems to be a lack of "educational" opportunity in our field. It seems that there are a few options: read, take college classes, OJT, seminars etc. But where could I go if I wanted to get "certified" on the latest CRM techniques? I think that there is a great opportunity for someone to step up with some good on-line courses that sit in-between college classes and webinars. How cool would it be to sign-up for a series of CRM classes on-line, say 4 levels from basics to advanced, and to get a certification afterwards. If this was done by a college or a Forrester or similar firm, I think it would carry some weight.

If you know of some things that exist in this vein, please share.

J

My New Home

I am happy to report that I have jumped back into the fray. I am now with THINK Interactive here in Atlanta...


Drop me a line:

THINK Interactive, Inc. | 1350 Spring Street, Suite 300 | Atlanta, Georgia 30309 | 404.962.8976 | www.thinkinc.com

Primal Change

Went away to the mountains for the weekend and took Primal Branding, good to scan that again. One note towards the end caught me eye, “All belief systems need to be reenergized lest they grow stale and risk public refusal.” I buy it.

I thought about why brands that I have worked with do refreshes. More often than not it has been for reasons that are not about re-energizing because it’s just time and the brand is due. Emergence from bankruptcy, lagging sales, fierce new competition, new chiefs, these are the reasons that have been the impetus for the branding work I have done. Maybe now is a good time to think about more frequent pulse-taking for your brand? Do consumers say you need to refresh?

On a personal level here is my list (it is Monday) of things I need to refresh for my “personal brand”:

1) Endurance

· Once on a path, if its good and right, stick to it

2) Extra Mile

· Everyday, try to do a little extra, for the family, faith, and the agency

3) Focus

· Research seems to be indicating we are all overdoing the multitasking thing, and it is hurting productivity

4) Simplify

· People get way too much data these days, boil communication down. Power point slides? No more than 3 points per slide and keep them clean

5) Fear Not

· At the end of the day, you can only control what you can control. Do the homework; give it your all, and what will be will be

Is it time for you to re-energize?

J

Other Sites - Marketing Profs

Have been enjoying the posts at their collaborative blog, Daily Fix.


J

Democratic vs. Social

Reading in Google Reader earlier today and ran across a reference to blogs as “social” media. Interesting. For me they are not so much social as they are democratic. I think that this is an important nuance in our dialog concerning the evolution of digital marketing.

Democracy can be defined as:

“the doctrine that the numerical majority of an organized group can make decisions binding on the whole group”

reference

Thus, democratic media or marketing would be concerned with control of media, pricing, marketing, etc, being in the hands of the masses more so than in the hands of executives or corporations. I believe this is indeed part of the impact of the blogosphere (and digital media/access generally).

So for me, blogs are more democratized-media than they are social-media.

Social can be defined as:

“living together or enjoying life in communities or organized groups...”

reference

So social media or marketing would relate more to places where community happens, where people aggregate to enjoy and share common interests. Facebook, MySpace, and LinkedIn all come to mind.

Perhaps at a macro level a set of blogs on the same subject with lots of linked and shared topics may be a social phenomenon.

A little analytical? Sorry. But being very clear on this distinction could be useful as you try to determine whether or not you are leveraging both forces to your advantage.

J

5 Digital Musts

Here are Five things that you need to be testing or doing now:

1) Loosen Your Grip

Find some area of your business, products, or brand that you can loosen your grip on. The most powerful force in business today is democratization. By ceding some control to your customers you will gain far more insight, buzz, and loyalty more that you will risk. Connect with your customers via dialog and collaboration. Let them create your next commercial. Look to Amazon's user reviews and Apple's iMix for inspiration.

2) Be Social

It is no accident or teenage fad, social is a force. LinkedIn, Facebook, MySpace and others are for real. Can you allow customers and prospects to share, discuss, explore, and contribute to your brand? Can you leverage what is happening already in those spaces? See the Microsoft Student Group on Facebook.

3) Speed Up

While still developing, real time or instant marketing is coming on fast. Email is slow by today's standard. I have to notice and open an email. IM, mobile, micro blogging, and other touch points are compressing time. If it's hot, get it out there right away. Check out Dell on Twitter.

4) Get off the Page

User experiences based on clicking from one HTML page to another are going away. Broadband is here in a big way, already in 48% of homes. Your website and digital marketing experiences need to be rich. Customers should be in an experience that moves smoothly and that transitions and updates seamlessly. Check out Kayak's great shopping interface.

5) Do It

Get yourself and staff involved in this stuff. You need collaborative workspaces for your teams. Thought leaders need to have blogs. Play around with Twitter, start a social network of your own with Ning. Only by living with these things will you be able to understand their value, challenges, and be able to implement them to your advantage.

J

Distributed Marketing – Part II

So, in Part I we were asking ourselves: If we set out to create the first distributed marketing program, what might it look like? (I am aware of course that someone may have done this before. If you know about it, please share.) By looking at the distributed computing model I identified three elements that seem to make it work:

a) Its is quick and easy to do

b) It is altruistic

c) It's cool technology

The first example I used, Toyota and a new Hybrid model, was as admittedly a bit of a softball. So, we left off by asking: What about a tougher challenge? What about a pure marketing play?

Let's take a product and brand that has no connection to a “cause”, say Coca Cola and their Mountain Dew product. Now what can we say about Mountain Dew? Its established, its edgy, and it has a youth slant.

If we deep dived into the brand-loyalist profile I am guessing there is a desire there for a sense of belonging. If that is the case then I think that would be the insight to leverage.

I could envision a program that pits the Dew loyalists against the “other” guys, some soft drink that is less hip. The message to the loyalist could be something to the effect “the Dew Nation is taking over!” Those poor people drinking that other stuff need to be rescued! The invitation to them could be to join the effort by donating space on all of their electronic communications.

We could create a small download that when installed would automatically insert the Dew rally cry and call to action into all the participants IM's, emails, My Space, etc. To spice it up we could also provide a mass incentive like free six packs if the goals are met, individual contribution tickers and incentives, and program dashboards. That actual success could be measured via how many new drinkers self-identify on a micro-site using unique codes from caps/cans.

So let's look at this through the lens of the three elements:

a) Easy – Quick download and install.

b) Altruistic – While not moral in nature it would allow a fun way for loyalist to support a favorite brand. The incentives cloud this element a bit.

c) Cool Tech – Done right, the interface and tracking elements could be very cool

At the end of the day this is really a flavor of viral marketing. However, it is interesting to look at the possibilities through this distributed-computing lens.

Well thanks for letting me share that. I hope it will stay out of my head for a while now!

J

Distributed Marketing – Part I

Well I can't get this out of my head. After I posted the Monday list the idea of “distributed marketing” popped into my head, and I am unable to get it out. So even if this post makes no sense to you, its still helping my sanity!

So: If we set out to create the first distributed marketing program, what might it look like?

First I think about what makes the distributed computing model work, at least the model I mentioned that pertains to medical research. Here is what I think makes it tick:

a) Its is quick and easy to do

b) It is altruistic

c) It's cool technology

Now what exactly am I saying by “distributed marketing”? I am not talking about RSS or email newsletters which some refer to as such. Rather, I am thinking of a marketing program in which customers would volunteer some resource to promote said campaign. Many product and brands would have little or no shot to tap the altruistic vein, but some might.

Let's take an easy example, say Toyota and a new Hybrid model. How could they capitalize?

a) Quick & Easy: Create a small download that can be grabbed from a website or banner

b) Altruistic: The download would help work on global climate change calculations for a partner university

c) Cool Technology: Show interesting visualizations of the work; include a trivia game; co-brand the interface, e.g. “Harvard & Toyota”

Admittedly I cheated a bit here. A product that was not green would have to take a different and more imaginative approach. Also, I am really talking above about sponsoring/branding a distributed computing model. What about a tougher challenge? What about a pure marketing play?

I will post my thoughts tomorrow!

J

Not-So-Broad-Band

Washington Post reports that the U.S. is far behind in broadband speeds; way, way behind. This is not good news.

This is a negative for all concerned:

- Science and industry are slowed

- Consumers choice is limited and time is wasted

- Media companies are not able to innovate as aggressively

- Advertisers have less effective tools

- Work productivity is likely impacted as well

- Also...well, its just a little embarrassing. Don't you think?

We should get caught-up. We should lead. Perhaps a nice little plank for a 2008 candidate.

Sex & Violence - Bad for Ad

Here is another interesting note about recall: Violent and sexually explicit shows hurt recall. According to a 2003 study:

"...people are 19 percent less likely to remember the same ad if it is embedded in a violent or sexually explicit show."

(2003 U-M Institute for Social Research, referenced from Science Daily)

Now I have to wonder about a few things:

• Is the reverse true? Do racy ads detract from clean shows?

• If racy ads are put into racy shows, does that work better?

J

Above all, be true to thy brand

Interesting to look at the iPhone price cut from a brand standpoint. An analysis I hear on a Harvard Business Review podcast today was spot on. Essentially the point was that the $200 downward move was not true to the Apple brand in form or function.

Apple has been very much about being different and in control. Their products are stand out, unique; and they have thrived on closed systems that they control. However, they reacted to slower than expected sales by slashing price.

Some points:

1. As Apple, should they allow sales numbers to dictate pricing so quickly? Probably not:

   - What was the message this sent to folks who paid $600 bucks? Not a good one.

   - Do they look in control here? Or, do they look a little reactive? I argue the latter.

2. So they reacted. OK. But was the reaction at least in line with the brand? It seems not:

   - This is what many brands do when sales are weak, cut price. Nothing original here.

   - The cut itself was not interesting, it was a normal offer.

   - Why only ½ the difference?

So some trade-offs to consider, that maybe Steve did not this time:

• How will your action make your most loyal and profitable customers feel?

• Are you sure a sales bump is worth stepping out of brand?

• If you must react, are you doing so in a way that will help your brand and your bottom line?

J