Life Archives - Page 7 of 8 - McLellan Marketing Group

Does nasty sell?

January 2, 2008

A couple notes before I climb onto my soapbox.

This is not a political blog nor really is this a political post. I promise.
I am not endorsing any of the candidates…they’re just my putty to mold into the point I’m trying to make.
Stay with me through the political example to find the marketing truth.

A few weeks ago, I had some of the hottest tickets in town. The Des Moines Register holds two final debates right before making their endorsement and because of the venue and security — it’s invite only for a 150 or so people. I missed the Republican debate because of a client commitment but was able to attend (and take my daughter) to the Democratic debate.

In the 90 minutes of usual rhetoric and weasel-wording that we’ve forced the politicians to use so we won’t crucify them later, there were two moments of sincerity. The first one got huge play on national media.

I guarantee that you saw it. It was Obama taking a little dig at Hillary about how she’s going to end up advising him. It added nothing of substance to the debate but it was probably the most played segment of the entire 90 minutes.

On the flip side, this second snippet created hardly a ripple. Very few viewings on YouTube and I never saw it on any national or even local coverage. And yet, it spoke to the character of the candidates in a very profound way.

The question was directed at Joe Biden and suggested he might be a racist. What you can’t see on the video is while Biden is responding, all of his opponents are nodding in support of what he’s saying. At the end, Obama speaks out to defend Biden and ALL the candidates applaud him (Biden).

That should have been big news. But it wasn’t.

So what does this have to do with marketing? Only everything.

One of the truths about marketing is that you have to work twice as hard to earn someone’s delight to the point that they’ll talk about it. Give them shoddy service or mess up an order and BAM! they’re telling everyone they know. But do it well — nothing.

You know what the big complaint was about these debates? They were boring. No fireworks. The media wanted blood and when they didn’t really get any — they settled for Obama’s one-liner.

I didn’t read one commentary that said how nice it was that there weren’t fireworks. Or how the candidates actually said nice things about each other.

You simply can not go out there and be good. It will be the death of your business. It seems as though our world can’t get enough of conflict (check out reality TV) or competition. But we’ve been so spoiled and catered to as businesses scramble to win our money — that the bar is not at good. It’s at remarkable. It’s at "I can’t believe it." It’s at "I would have never guessed you could…"

That is what we’re up against. We have to shout so loudly against the nasty, biting wind that we can be heard.

What do you have in your marketing plan for ’08 that is so remarkable that it will win the attention of your most cynical customers or prospects? My guess is that you’ve got nothing. Most businesses don’t go this deep. So I am challenging you…how are you going to be different? What stories will people tell about your business in ’08?

2008 wish?

December 31, 2007

First and foremost — Happy New Year! I hope this next year is filled with all that you wish for and a few surprises along the way.

Here’s my question for you. If you could wish (and grant that wish) for one thing…for one person (not a worldwide wish like world peace) this year…what would you wish, who would it be for and why would you wish it so?

Image courtesy of: www.new-year.in

Age of Conversation’s gift of life

December 24, 2007

Today seems like a very appropriate day to talk about the amazing gifts that the Age of Conversation has made possible.

All the proceeds of this remarkable book were donated to Variety, the Children’s Charity. Because we wanted the money to represent the international make up of our authors, we earmarked the money for one of Variety’s programs, Lifeline.

Lifeline’s sole mission is providing medical assistance to children with treatable and survivable heart conditions in countries where the appropriate medical facilities, expertise or resources do not exist.

Lifeline’s primary focus continues to be pediatric cardiac surgeries, but is also involved in pediatric neurosurgeries, cranial-facial procedures, tuberculosis, neo-natal clinics, pediatric rehabilitative medicine and plastic surgeries for children all over the world.

Thanks to the diligent efforts of the authors and other bloggers — together, we have donated over $11,000 to the charity in 2007.

I thought you’d enjoy seeing the faces of some of the children who have literally had their lives saved in the last few months.

There are children alive and laughing today because of your efforts.

And added plus — Lifeline’s efforts will be featured on the Today Show (NBC) on Christmas Day. Not sure what time…but tivo it!

School Daze? Tag, I’m It!

December 23, 2007

Over the past year, the 7 (or 5 or 8) things about you meme has made its rounds. I first revealed five fascinating (my rating, not necessarily yours!) things about me about a year ago. Then, about a month later, I got tagged again by Chris Brown and this time offered up what my five favorite brands told you about me.

Then, in July, David Reich got me — only this time it was 8 things. So I sort of cheated and re-used the five I had originally posted and added three new ones.

Now, my friend and fellow Iowa blogger Angela Maiers has caught me once again. Angela blogs about education and was one of the blogs I spotlighted in my November blogtipping post.

So, I will beg your indulgence (I’m pretty sure you know all you want to about me!) and offer up some new truths about Drew — this time, ala my experiences during my school years to pay tribute to the work Angela does.

My speaking career began early: I gave the valedictorian speech at my high school. I had to get my speech approved by the English department head, so I was ready far in advance. The night before graduation, I woke up in the middle of the night and decided I wasn’t happy with the speech– so I completely re-wrote it and decided it was better to apologize than ask permission. So my speech was a surprise to everyone. My mention of TPing (not in the original) got a standing ovation.

I am gifted at TPing: Through much of my high school career, I was lauded for my TPing ability. The height my tosses could achieve, the obscure places I could get TP and my ability to allude residents, dogs and the police.

I would make myself sick about grades: I was much more of a perfectionist when I was a kid. And I set some unrealistic goals for myself. Straight A’s and nothing less. This wasn’t my parents’ pressure — this was mine. I was making myself so sick they thought I had an ulcer and we had to do all these medical tests. That finally got my attention and I realized I had better let up a little — and did so.

I didn’t start off so well: My poor mom had to hang out at the school for the first week of kindergarten because otherwise, I would not stay. I’m proud to say…she did not have to go to college with me!

My first major was psychology: I fully intended to be a psychologist when I first went to school. Some early experiences my freshman and sophomore year made me decide that wasn’t the right path and voila, a marketing and branding guy was born!

I broke my finger on the playground: We were playing football at recess and during a tackle, my finger got caught in a guy’s shirt and broke. We didn’t get it looked at soon enough…so it is still crooked today. (And aches when the weather is going to change!)

I am utterly incorrigible. I had a 7th grade teacher say this to me. I’m not sure how she meant it, but I took it as quite the compliment and still do, to this day.

There you have it, discerning readers — a little peek into the twisted beginnings of yours truly! 🙂

Since its the holidays, I’m not going to tag anyone specifically, but if you’d like to play along…here are the rules.

Link to the person that tagged you and post the rules on your blog.
Share 7 random and or weird things about yourself.
Tag 7 random people at the end of your post and include links to their blogs.

Peas in a pod?

December 20, 2007

We talk about social media and its power to connect companies with their consumers. We explore the impact of getting down from the pulpit and standing side by side with your organization’s advocates and detractors.

Most of us are out here, teaching and learning because it’s part of what we do for a living. We do it with heart, but with a practical eye on the prize too.

And we remind everyone that it’s about the people. The listening. The authenticity. And boy is it.

Sometimes this social media stuff knocks me to my knees. It strips away everything but what really matters.

I don’t know Susan Reynolds in the traditional sense. We’ve never shared a meal or heard each other laugh. But I know her. I’ve followed Susan Reynold’s blog for some time. I love her humor and insights. Then, I connected with her on Twitter. I was rocked when a couple weeks ago, Susan shared that she had found a lump in her breast. Breast cancer has done a number on my family (like most) and I have a particular hatred for it.

Susan, with her usual style, decided to create a blog to share her story. One of the first tales she told was that she used a bag of frozen peas to ease the pain after her biopsy. Suddenly, in an act of support and solidarity at the suggestion of Connie Reece, people started changing their Facebook and Twitter avatars to what is now known as a pea-tavar. (see mine above).

In Susan’s words:

People who I am connected to through twitter have given me referrals, done research for me, baked for me, cheered for me, knitted for me, prayed for me, shared their stories with me, rallied around me, and started a fundraising campaign for the American Cancer Society in my name.

Tomorrow, Susan goes into surgery knowing that an entire worldwide, pea pod of people are there with her in spirit.

The majority of the world is still looking at applications like Twitter, Facebook and even blogging with great skepticism.

But I have to tell you…tonight when I think about social media, I’m not thinking about business or clients at all. I’m thinking about a woman who had the courage to share her very personal journey and how a community of support has welled up to surround her.

Tonight, social media humbles me with its compassion, ability to connect and the depths of human kindness it can share.

Peace on Earth…

December 15, 2007

This weekend will no doubt be a frenzied one as many around the globe rush to get those last minute holiday gifts, run packages to the post office, and think about all that needs to be done, business-wise, before the end of the year.

Like the rest of you, I am feeling a little harried and overwhelmed as the holiday prep time ebbs away.

It’s so easy to forget why this season, regardless of our religious beliefs, is filled with thoughts of laughter, family, friends and joy.

For all of us….here’s a little reminder that it’s really about something much bigger. (This video is a personal favorite of mine.)

Peace. Peace on Earth.

Do you know what’s impossible about this blog?

December 5, 2007

Well, to be honest, neither did I.

Which is why I was so excited when I received notice that Drew’s Marketing Minute would be the first blog EVER to be critiqued by the Kaiser (and Marcus Brown) in the new and free service….5 impossible things you didn’t know about your blog.

I don’t want to spoil the enjoyment of reading the assessment, so all I will say at this point is that I’m going to write about beer very, very soon.

And I know it’s difficult to control yourself, but do try.

Can you imagine a world without books?

December 2, 2007

I am very late to a meme that started in early November. My pre-vacation prep and time away just kept me from getting to this.

I was tagged by both Cam Beck and Phil Gerbyshak — both avid readers and among my favorite bloggers. Speaking of favorites — if you’ve read this blog for any length of time, you know I really love books. I love listening to them, reading them, and being surrounded by them. (Check out my bookshelves!)

You can learn a great deal about a person by discovering what books they read and love. That’s the goal of this meme. Let’s jump in.

How many books do I own?

Geez, I have no idea. The house is filled to the gills with books and we probably have 4 or 5 bookshelves at work too. So suffice it to say, many, many books!

Last book I read

Join the Conversation by Joseph Jaffe AND I Dreamed I Married Perry Mason by Susan Kandel.

Last book I bought

Not counting holiday gifts (I love to give books!) it was Now and Then by Robert B. Parker.

What I’m currently reading

I have several books going right now. Now and Then (see above), Herd by Mark Earls and Lead With Your Heart by Lewis Green.

What I’ll read next

On the road, I am getting ready to start Bad Business by Robert B. Parker (audio book), and the next two books in the pile are The Inside Advantage by Robert H. Bloom and The Watchman by Robert Crais.

What’s on my wish list

The list is, as always, bulging. But a couple that top the list are Walt’s People: Talking Disney with the Artists Who Knew Him by Didier Ghez and Juicing the Orange by Pat Fallon.

5 Meaningful Books (for me)

1. Odd Girl Out (Rachel Simmons)
2. Still Life with Woodpecker (Tom Robbins)
3. Radical Leap (Steve Farber)
4. Selling the Invisible (Harry Beckwith)
5. The Journey of Desire (John Eldredge)

Okay, tag time….(I apologize if you have already been tagged, I know I’m late to the party!)

Chris Wilson
Tim Johnson
Tom Vander Well
Liz Strauss
Tara

Mickey and Minnie send their best!

November 29, 2007

I'm back!

It looks like you all have been having quite a few lively discussions while I've been away. To my readers — thanks for welcoming the guest bloggers with open arms and plenty of comments. I am sure they feel well read!

And for my guest bloggers — thank you, thank you. You added a lot of spice and diversity to the blog. I really loved all the different points of view, topics and opinions.

Please…everyone, join me in a round of cyber applause for the superb guest bloggers:

Greg Verdino
Gavin Heaton
Cam Beck
Mark Goren
Matt Dickman
Roberta Rosenberg
Connie Reece
Susan Gunelius
Tim Siedell
David Reich
Lewis Green
Doug Meacham

And for your viewing pleasure….the Magic Kingdom's castle at night.

Putting out the welcome mat

November 20, 2007

Today begins my family's annual pilgrimage to the mouse house! That's right, we're Disney bound.

Last year, you'll remember that I wrote a series of posts about the magic of Disney marketing. (You can download the PDF) This year, I decided to take a break and really enjoy the down time. But I didn't want to leave you high and dry. So, I invited some of my smartest marketing blogger friends to pinch hit.

Every day, there will be at least one new post from a marketing blogger that you are going to love. They're going to cover everything from social media to cold calling.

Enjoy their wit and wisdom. And behave yourselves — we have guests in the house! (was that my dad's voice I just heard?)

My biggest fear is that you're going to love them so much you're going to start a collection basket to keep me in FL!

You're going to love them….and to my guest bloggers — a sincere thank you for stepping up, especially over a holiday week.

« Previous 1 … 5 6 7 8 Next »