Strategy Archives - Page 30 of 53 - McLellan Marketing Group

Viral video — are you looking for lots of eyes?

January 17, 2008

A couple days ago, I opened the topic of vlogging, viral videos, YouTube, etc. My question was….do you viral video? The statistics in the Pew study that I referenced in that post suggest that the number of people who are viewing viral videos (on sites like YouTube) is growing at a frantic pace.

But does that mean you should be doing it? And if so….how? Why?

I wrote a post about the presidential candidates marketing tactics and a couple people suggested that I should make a video because it would get some great exposure. My question back to them was — "I will gladly do it but I don’t want to just be a talking head. Other ideas?"

So far, we haven’t come up with anything, hence no Drew on YouTube. (And no, I am not donning an Uncle Sam beard and hat.)

One of the reasons why I think more people aren’t doing video is linked to my question.

It’s not that I don’t want to do it. But I want to do it well. And for a purpose. I thought it might be interesting to look at some different videos and talk about their purpose. Naturally, I am hoping that will trigger you thinking about how video might serve your business (or not) and jump into the conversation. (If you subscribe via e-mail, please check on the headline above to be taken to the blog – so you can view these videos.)

Let’s look at some videos that clearly are intended to get a lot of eyes. This trio of videos from HP were done to introduce the small business community to their Total care program. Much like the 5 top viral videos of ’07, these are high end, funny and short. Tailor made for being shared among a wide audience.

Life without HP: Car Wash

Life without HP: Experts

Life without HP: Bubble Wrap

Funny? I thought so. Did they clearly demonstrate some of the values of HP’s Total Care? I would say yes. Are they well done enough to get passed around? I’d guess so. They’ve been on YouTube for a little over a month and Car Wash (apparently the most popular) has had over 8,000 views.

Do I think these videos accomplished HP’s goals? It’s probably too early to know. But, I am guessing if they get a few hundred thousand views, the answer will be yes.

Would doing videos like these serve your business? If so…how? If not, what is missing?

Other posts in this series:
Do you viral video?
Viral video – are you looking for a lot of eyes?
Viral video — are you trying to educate?
Viral video – are you trying to be heard over the noise?
Viral video — are you establishing yourself as an expert?

Put a little heart into your business

January 9, 2008

If you’ve read this blog for any length of time, I hope that it does not come as a surprise to you that I was drawn to a business book called Lead with Your Heart.

Truth be told, I would have read it regardless of title, because Lewis Green wrote it. I have great respect for Lewis, his business acumen and his marketing skills. I also consider him my friend.

I know what you’re thinking. A book with a title like that could easily be all fluff and no real stuff. It had the potential to be touchy-feely without making the business case.

Have no fear. Lewis didn’t let us down.

You see, this book isn’t really about peace, love and feeling groovy — but instead it is a very practical, straightforward study on how to increase profits, retain your best employees and develop customer loyalty that will last for many years.

Lewis contends (and I agree) that a values-driven organization where people (employees, customers, vendors/partners) are more important than profits — yields the best of both worlds. Happy people AND a profitable business.

Lewis serves up relevant case studies and business stories. He holds up some of the best companies (Starbucks, GE and 3M) as learning labs. And he ends each chapter with a Points to Ponder feature that captures the most salient nuggets.

You’ll find sample sales letters, discussions about strategic planning and all kinds of marketing smarts in this book. But you’ll also find the human ying to balance the business yang.

I wholeheartedly agree with Lewis’ premise — and think you will too. Leading with your heart isn’t just good for the soul, it’s good for business. Grab the book. Read it. And in the spirit of leading with your heart — share it with your team and then brainstorm how you can put it into play at your workplace.

What did you learn from these PR Crises?

January 8, 2008

Now that 2007 has passed, we’ll see a flurry of lists, reflections and commentary.

PRWeek has done a very thought-provoking job of summing up the year in their downloadable 2007 Book of Lists.

Some of the lists are the 10 toughest communications jobs (like being the corporate communications VP at Mattel) and 10 brands that soared (Apple, Nintendo) and a list I thought we could all learn from — the top 10 events that tested PR Pros:

Jet Blue: Known to many as the Valentine’s Day Massacre, the ice storm that crippled the Northeast last February grounded planes on the runway for up to 12 hours. The PR backlash eventually led to CEO David Neeleman resigning.

Mattel toy recall: With more than 20 million toys recalled, this was probably the longest-running crisis story of the year. Regaining the trust of parents around the world will be an arduous task.

Taco Bell rats: After getting through an E.coli breakout in the Northeast, a video surfaced of rats running amok in a Manhattan Taco Bell/KFC restaurant. While it was an isolated incident, the PR hit was still nasty.

NBA’s gambling referee: Veteran NBA referee Tim Donaghy’s involvement in a betting scandal led to his firing and the league scrambling to maintain its integrity. Commissioner David Stern later altered the league’s gambling policy for refs.

Virginia Tech shooting: Only six hours after a gunman killed 32 people at Virginia Tech, the world’s media landed at the college. Larry Hincker, AVP for university relations, was forced to create a makeshift communications team from schools within the college to manage the more than 600 reporters covering the story on site.

US Attorney firings: The alleged politically charged firings of eight US attorneys put Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and the White House on the defensive. Before the Senate Judiciary Committee though, Gonzales was unable to recall… anything – and eventually resigned from his position.

Blackwater shootings: When a Blackwater security detail gunned down 17 Iraqi civilians in Baghdad, not only was CEO Erik Prince called to testify before Congress but it called into question the practices of the private security company.

GAP child labor issue: This year it was GAP’s turn to catch heat for child labor practices. The much-maligned retailer came under fire for working with a vendor in India who used child laborers.

Pet food industry recall: Recalls involving hundreds of products left shelves in the pet food aisles barren for weeks. In response, the industry created the National Pet Food Commission.

Don Imus: Though his ratings weren’t what they used to be, the original “shock jock” had to realize people were listening when he used a racially charged term to describe the Rutgers University women’s basketball team. Not only did advertisers pull out, but Imus was fired days later.

So….what was the takeaway for you, from these situations? Do you see any trends? Which of these do you think was handled the best? The worst?

Related posts:
Don Imus: The dark side of social media?
Jet Blue goes bold
What would you advise: PR Nightmare

Precision adds to credibility

January 6, 2008

I flew into Marco Island, FL on Saturday to speak at a conference. During the flight, the pilot came over the PA system to tell us that he’d "have us on the ground in 37 and one third minutes."

My first thought was…guess he knows what he’s doing.

In marketing materials, copywriters have a tendency to use round numbers or catch all phrases like "well over two thousand." What if instead the writer had used 2,482?

Which one feels more real? More accurate? Which one gives the communications piece more weight and credibility?

Exactly. So be exact.

Apparently the presidential candidates missed the memo

January 4, 2008

The Iowa caucus of 2008 is history. We all know who is viable, which messages resonated and which candidates need to re-tool.

But here’s what I know. Not one of the candidates got the memo.

What? You haven’t seen it either? Hmm. Maybe it got bogged down with all the holiday cards and political post cards. Okay…let me share it again.

TO: Presidential Candidates of 2008

FROM: The American people

SUBJ: How we’d like to hear your message

DATE: From now on

Thanks for caring about our votes. Really.

We appreciate that you want to share your ideas and vision for a different and better America. But things have changed since the last election and we thought it was only fair to clue you in on how we’d like you to conduct your campaign. Here are some key truths we’d like you to know.

We don’t want to be hunted down like rabid dogs: The good old days of you being everywhere we look are over. We want to decide when to listen. Where to listen. And who to listen to. Stop sending your volunteers to knock on our doors. Stop invading our homes with your stupid recorded messages. Don’t force us to hide from you.

Frequency is one thing. Overkill is another: We all know the marketing maxim — tell them and then tell them again. But know when enough is enough. We don’t need a new postcard every day. We don’t need to see the same commercial so often that we can recite it with you. Show some fiscal responsibility and stop wasting your supporters’ money.

We do care about your plans. But you can’t explain them in :30 TV spots: TV spots are a great medium for generating an emotional response. But we don’t want to just like you. You’re not selling beer. You are selling our future and our kids’ future. We want to know what you’re going to do. Tell us in detail. Give us facts. Not spun facts — real facts. Be relevant or go home.

And you can’t use weasel words either: As soon as we hear the standard political rhetoric, we start calling bull%$#*. You see, we’ve been advertising consumers for too long. We know all the tricks and we’ve stopped believing them. A long time ago. Talk straight.

Sometimes we don’t need you to talk at all: Give us places (websites, blogs, etc) where we can explore for ourselves. Put real content there — not campaign highlights. No fluff. Just honest details about what you have done and what you want to accomplish.

A monologue is no longer acceptable: We are tired of being talked to. We want to talk back. We actually want to initiate some conversations. No matter who wins this election — you’ll be just fine. But for many families and businesses — this is a make it or break it election. We want to participate and we do not want to be ignored until you decide to talk at us again.

Leave the other guys alone: You really should have gotten this one by now. When you take a swing at an opponent, it makes you look scared and desperate. Or like a bully. either way — not so good for you. If you don’t have anything important to say about yourself – then you probably need to just go home.

Be a good guest: There are two kinds of guests. Those you’re sad to see leave and those you can’t wait to wave goodbye to. How did you leave your Iowa campaign headquarters today? How will you leave the meeting halls in New Hampshire. What would happen if you sent your volunteers to do some good once a week or month. Read to some kids. Feed the homeless. Visit the elderly. Not because there are cameras running but because you want to set a good example.

Just try to be a real human being: We are really looking for a candidate we can trust to speak for us. We want to like you. More important, we want to believe in you. Stop thinking of every appearance as a "show" and every human being as a vote. Tune out your advisors, stop worrying about the perfect sound bite, don’t give us the thumbs up and goofy smile. Just be real.

That’s it. Easy stuff. We’d really appreciate it if you’d give these ideas a spin. Thanks for listening. We really hope you’ll try it again soon.

P.S. The same rules apply to your business and mine. How many of these old school marketing sins are you guilty of?

Start the new year with a BANG!

December 19, 2007

Here’s what I know.

Despite my harping about the importance of marketing plans and budgets, most of you don’t have either.

Even if you are one of the minority that has a plan — the truth is, you won’t get it all done. Painful but true.

But…you can get your year off to a running start. Check out my post over at Small Business Branding to learn how.

A holiday TV spot that stays true to the brand

December 15, 2007

This time of year, it seems like many companies choose between business as usual TV spots or dropping their key messages and instead — spreading some holiday cheer.

Leave it to Apple to find a way to do both.

P.S. Santa is bringing all the good boys and girls an Apple product this holiday season. Were you on the nice or naughty list?

(A hat tip to Paul Herring @ ChaosScenario for sharing the spot first.)

Hillary Clinton called me!

December 4, 2007

Yes….me. She wanted to tell me her stand on the issues. And I know you’ll be stunned to hear this, but Hillary isn’t the only one calling.

I’ve heard from Mitt, Mike, Obama, Rudy, Bill, John, Chris and all the rest.

Impressed? Don’t be.

They don’t want to talk to me, they want to talk at me. Welcome to living in Iowa during a caucus year. Spending is at an all time high (over $15 million to date and on the rise) and one of the more popular tactics apparently is the personal phone call.

Well, not exactly personal. In fact, downright impersonal. I pick up the phone. I say hello. I wait. I say hello again. Finally, a recorded message from a candidate begins.

I hang up.

Come on, people. You say you are smart enough to run the country but you really think the recorded phone call method favored by cable TV companies and other automated sales forces is an effective marketing tool?

I know it’s cheap at first blush. Pennies per Iowan versus the big bucks of TV, radio and print. But it’s annoying and costing you votes. Not so cheap, perhaps.

Robo calls, as they’re known in the biz, are the second most popular tactic for politicians. Nearly 2/3 of all registered voters in the U.S. received at least one call in the past year. The only thing that tops it is direct mail.

The calling is such an aggravating tactic that 9 states (including Iowa) are considering legislation to ban these robo calls.

The marketing lesson here — be smarter than a politician. If your marketing tactic is so irritating that people are proposing a law to stop you from doing it — best look for a new tactic.

I’m sure Hillary is going to call again. Anything you want me to tell her?

P.S…and apparently this brilliant marketing tactic isn’t just being used by American politicians!

Get a referral by offering to give one?

November 30, 2007

We all know and understand the power of referrals. Word of mouth is as potent as it gets. You can't buy it or force it. But you can encourage it.

John Jantsch of Duct Tape Marketing created a short video about how to get your strategic partners/vendors to help you grow your business.

What do you think?

I think just the act of creating the referral guidebook on your company would be a very eye-opening experience. I'd love to see yours, if you actually take this idea and run with it.

Who knows, this might create a series of case study posts.

Doug Meacham: People Don’t Want to Buy a Drill….

November 27, 2007

his book "The Innovator's Solution: Creating and Sustaining Successful Growth", Clayton Christensen writes:

"How do you create products that customers want to buy–ones that become so successful they "disrupt" the market? It's not easy.

Three in five new-product-development efforts are scuttled before they ever reach the market. Of the ones that do see the light of day, 40% never become profitable and simply disappear.

Most of these failures are predictable–and avoidable. Why? Because most managers trying to come up with new products don't properly consider the circumstances in which customers find themselves when making purchasing decisions. Or as marketing expert Theodore Levitt once told his M.B.A. students at Harvard: "People don't want to buy a quarter-inch drill. They want a quarter-inch hole.""

Put another way, people aren't looking for that thing you are marketing; they're looking for the best tool to get a job done. Unless your product is some sort of "collectible", your customers are only buying your product because they believe it will help them achieve that objective. Product features and functions may change at an ever increasing rate, but the things that people want to accomplish in their lives don't change that quickly. Brands that help customers accomplish their objectives more effectively and conveniently than their competition are the ones that will be successful.

Given this, why do so many companies attempt to market their products and build their brands using an approach focused internally on the thing and not externally on the customer's need? They conduct focus groups, assembling panels of customers to ask if adding this bell or that whistle to their thing would make it more appealing. They do extensive demographical analysis to determine those target customer segments that will find their thing appealing and then spend lots of resources convincing those customers to buy their new and improved thing. Sure, they get clear inputs on what customers want, but don't typically take the time to understand what customers were trying to get done for themselves when they use the company's thing. And this approach isn't isolated to just manufacturers. It carries over to retailers who are focused on the products they are selling and not the job the customer is trying to get done.

Consumer Electronics retailers (my background) are particularly guilty of this. They are constantly telling customers that they have "all the great technology you want (or need) at prices you can afford".

The fact is, very few people "want (or need) technology". Customers don't just wake up one morning and decide they need to go down to Circuit City to pick up some great new technology.

They DO want to have an incredible theater experience in their home. They DO want to capture and share family memories. They DO want to be able to print documents from any computer in their home.

How do the marketers respond to these needs? They dish out specs like 1080p, HDMI2.3, megapixels, and 801.11B, G or N. Whatever the latest spec is, that's what you want. For the customer, none of this hype guarantees a great experience. Marketers who choose to promote their things this way will have a hard time building a powerful brand.

Marketers who understand what customers are really looking for will succeed by focusing on the experience enabled by their brand. Apple is, of course, the often-cited poster child for this. The iPod has never been the best in class from a technical standpoint, but the way Apple enables the music listening experience is what has put their brand miles ahead of the competition. In fact, the term "iPod" is often used generically in place of "MP3 player". Customers looking for a portable media player will almost always think of Apple and iPod first.

My friend Ryan Karpeles wrote a great post on what he calls Reverse Branding which echoes this idea:

"People rarely think of your actual brand first. They think about what they want. Then they decide who, specifically, can fulfill that desire. Being that "who" is the essence of Reverse Branding."

Getting customers to drive your brand in this way is the holy grail of marketing. To get there, you first need to understand that it's the hole they want, not the drill. Once you get that, focus your efforts on being the best damned hole maker in the business.

Drew's Note: Doug recently took a job with IBM as a Retail Consultant. Before that, he was with Circuit City, focusing on their Innovation and Strategic efforts. Doug is another Disney regular, which makes him a good guy in my book!

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