Blog

When an internal corporate video goes terribly wrong

April 26, 2008

This just goes to prove that a big budget does not guarantee you can make a purse from a sow’s ear. Check out this internal (no doubt sales team motivating) video from Microsoft. Brace yourself — it really is that bad.

Of course, that might not be the whole story. One version of the story is that Microsoft made this (according to an unidentified employee) as a joke.

Here’s the real lesson — in today’s world, you can’t really afford to be this lame, even if it is a joke.

I’ll bet that 9/10ths of the almost a million people who have viewed this on YouTube took it as a true Microsoft team video. The other 1/10th who believe it’s a joke are still shaking their head.

Whether you are a powerhouse brand like Microsoft or the local bait shack — everything you do is shareable and accessible. What do you really want your customers and peers seeing?

What do you think? Does all this sharing and accessibility put an unfair choke hold on companies that want to just let loose a little?

Are gas prices impacting your spending habits?

April 25, 2008

If not, you are in the minority according to research released today by Kelley Blue Book.

"Gas prices are already affecting vehicle sales in every segment, and traditional sport utility vehicles have been especially hard hit," says Jack Nerad, executive editorial director and executive market analyst for Kelley Blue Book. "Other industries will feel the pinch as consumers cut out life’s little luxuries like clothes, eating out and entertainment just so they can pay the fuel bills."

Check out the chart to the right to see the significance in the numbers. The declines in spending are across the board — big purchases and small.

6 months ago, 43% of consumers said they were not going to change their spending habits. Today’s numbers show that almost half of those people have now changed their mind.

This is our reality, so it is certainly interesting from that perspective. But let’s look at it as marketers for a minute. The world has suffered recessions before and spending bounces back when the economy does, right?

But what happens when there is no bounce back?

Rising gas prices are not showing any signs that this trend is slowing down. In fact, here in the US, a gallon of gas is expected to top $4 by summer and rise to $5.50 by 2010 and $7 by 2012.

So waiting it out isn’t the answer. What do you think is? How will you have to change the way you market your product or service?

What social media tools are a must for business?

April 23, 2008

If you could only use/choose (up to) 10 different social media tools to enhance your business/organization’s performance and ability to get the job done — which ones would you choose….and why?

Be sure to build some fun into your brand

April 23, 2008

One of the things I enjoy about Google is that they understand that they don’t always to take themselves so seriously.

The way they play with their iconic logo/home page graphic is so smart and attention-getting. The fact that they only do it for holidays is also brilliant. Too often and it becomes common. Here was their offering for Earth Day.

How could you play with your brand in a noticeable, talk worthy way?

How NOT to re-name your company

April 22, 2008

An Iowa based insurance brokerage called TrueNorth Companies recently announced to its staff that they will now function under a new name, Bearence Management Group.

All well and good, right? No doubt they have given this a great deal of thought. So let’s listen in as they explain their new name. (I swear to God, I did not make this up.)

"Bearence is a word we’re still looking to define," company president Schwartz said, "but it obviously toys with definitions of "bear" and "bearing."

WHAT? Ah, it gets better. Here’s what the CEO added.

"We’ve grown dramatically over the last three years in Des Moines and feel our new name more accurately reflects our overall vision of redefining risk," Chairman and CEO Joe Teeling said.

Umm, how can the new name better reflect anything if you haven’t defined it yet?

The company launched a new Web site after a meeting with employees to reveal the new name and discuss the company’s future.

I wonder if the employees could explain the new name to their leaders?

To add another layer of disbelief to this story — the site doesn’t seem to be live. Staggering.

Re-naming a company isn’t something to be done lightly. Or at the speed of light. But even if you are going to do it without a lot of thought or time — please, have a clue what it means before you announce it to the media or your employees.

How sharp is your pricing strategy?

April 21, 2008

We’ve talked many times about pricing strategy but here’ s a little twist.

What does your pricing strategy say about your brand? Are you like everyone else…$9.99 instead of $10? Or register for our webinar by May 25th and get $200 off!

How about the early bird discounts at conferences?

Lots of sameness. Not right or wrong. Just the same as everyone else. How could you modify your pricing to reflect one of your brand’s values?

Walmart is by far the world’s largest retailer, with the promise of the lowest possible prices. Their current tagline is "Save money. Live better."

Walmart promises that they’ll sell us stuff as cheap as they possibly can. And they demonstrate that by not using the $9.99 standard price point but instead we’ll find items marked $9.83 or $19.67. Those pinpoint prices speak volumes. Without saying a word, Walmart is reminding us of their brand.

They’re using price as a tangible demonstration of the company’s commitment to their brand promise.

Pricing is one of the many tools of brand design and management. Your strategy should be as much about your brand as it is about your costs of goods or any other operational consideration.

How do you using your pricing strategy to reinforce your brand promise?

Looking for the spotlight?

April 19, 2008

When the tip in card promoting a book includes raves from Jack Trout, Tom Peters, Al Ries, Jay Conrad Levinson and others — you have to conclude one of three things:

It’s an amazing book
The author is a brilliant networker
Maybe both

Tsufit (think Cher and Sting, no last name needed) is a former attorney who left her law career to become a "seek the spotlight" coach. Her book, "Step into the Spotlight…’Cause ALL Business is Show Business!" is her guide to getting noticed.

As you might expect, a book about promoting yourself includes a fair amount of promotion for the author. But that aside, it’s a fun read. Tsufit draws wonderful pictures with her words and brings to life many scenarios where the reader could use a good kick in the rump to get out of the shadows and onto center stage.

This book is a little bit personal branding, a little bit public speaking, a little bit networking and a little bit publicity garnering. What’s great about this book is that it’s broken down into bite sized stories and tips. You’ll find yourself nodding and earmarking pages.

Perhaps the biggest value of the book is that Tsufit’s enthusiasm is contagious. She gets you excited about promoting yourself and your business. Mix that enthusiasm with plenty of "how to" tidbits and you should be shielding your eyes from the bright lights in no time.

Are you really going to buy something from me?

April 18, 2008

You get a call or an e-mail. You resist the urge to jump up and down. Boy, this one sounds good. They fit your client profile and they contacted you. Their buying signals are flashing like the Bat Signal in the sky they’re so blatant. You know you could truly help their business.

You might as well print off the contract now, right?

Not so fast, my friend. Any of these ever happen to you?

They already know they want to hire your competitor but need to demonstrate they’ve done due diligence by getting a few bids.
They’re using the "put it out to bid" pressure tactic to get their current provider to snap back into order.
Their RFP is awfully detailed — they’re fishing for free ideas so they can do it themselves.
You’d be their 4th or 5th (fill in the blank with your profession) in the past few years.

So how do you figure out if they’re really a buyer? Here are some signs that you can at least put the champagne in the fridge to cool:

Do you have access/time with the CEO and other top leaders? If not…odds are whatever you sell isn’t a priority for the organization.
Are they used to paying for services like yours? In the same price range? You don’t want to be the one to break in the new kid.
Does your sweet spot match up with one of their biggest pain points? They’re going to want pain relief and look for a partner who can promise them that, via pat experience or great ideas.
Are they the ones driving the process — being flexible about getting together and reaching out for more information, a demo, etc.?
Are they quick to answer e-mail, return phone calls, get you data that you requested?

If you answered yes to all five does it mean you are on Easy Street? You know better. But at least it means the opportunity is probably a good one. Now, it’s up to you.

Dear soon to be college grad

April 17, 2008

It’s April. Which means that all of you seniors who are graduating in a few weeks are getting a serious amount of pressure from Mom and Dad to send out those resumes.

And so you will. I thought I might offer a few helpful hints.

Do not address your cover letter to the entire company, i.e. Dear McLellan Marketing Group. If you don’t have time to find out the specific person to send it to, don’t send it. And if you do get their name, for the love of Pete — spell it correctly. If you can’t get my name right, do you really think I’m going to let you loose with one of our clients?

The time to start looking for your first job is not in April of your senior year. I know it’s too late for you but warn your little brothers and sisters. Tell them to start engaging in conversations with the companies they might like to work for when they are freshmen and sophomores. Then, by the time they’re seniors — these companies will be helping them find a job. Who is helping you?

Spell check. Then, read your cover letter and resume slowly and out loud. Find is not spelled fine. Again…do I want you writing to our clients?

I know it’s a common mistake, but when you say my resume is attached — attach it.

Cutting and pasting is tempting. I cannot tell you how many times I have received a cover letter addressed to another agency or agency principal. Odds are she got mine. Odds are, neither of us are going to hire you.

It’s tough enough to get a job in this field. Don’t let laziness or sloppiness make it even harder for you. I know you think the above is an exaggeration but I just deleted an e-mail that made 4 of the 5 listed mistakes. All in one cover letter!

Want more….read this free e-book written specifically for college grads and this post on what I would do if I were a college grad, looking for that first job.

Last piece of advice — hang in there. It’s as much fun and as rewarding as you think it will be.

Okay, I lied. One last thing. If you are going to try to impress me with your creativity — then A) Be creative. and B) Don’t let spelling and punctuation errors spoil the delivery.

Check this out. See if you can spot the errors (both in the video and description). Instead of helping himself by going above and beyond, he’s just proven that he hasn’t even mastered the basics.

Seth Godin: The Action Figure?

April 15, 2008

I’ll be damned. Don’t believe me? Check it out or order it here. (Hey Seth…I want an affiliate’s cut!)

« Previous 1 … 115 116 117 118 119 … 181 Next »