Brains on Fire

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  Just Because You Can…

  Posted on May 31st, 2006 by Jennifer and currently 0 commenting.

  I’ve spent some time over the last few days trying to clean out my seemingly bottomless inbox. And I came across a couple of interesting ways… for me to get hit by a car.

  Let me explain.

  I am constantly amazed, with all the studies out there about how over-saturated today’s consumers are, that companies are still looking for ways to plaster every available surface. Russell Davies has posted on this ‘urban spam’ phenomenon a few times (here and here). Geno and I have complained about the fact that The Cheesecake Factory features a bushel of random advertisements within the pages of its menus. I’m sure you can name off plenty of similar examples. And granted, that stuff is all annoying, but some things are just beyond ridiculous. For example: this and this.

  Headlights and parking space strips. I suppose I can’t begrudge people the chance to ‘pimp their rides,’ but come on! Vehicle vs. pedestrian just waiting to happen.

  I would like to think it goes without saying… but I suppose the aforementioned links are evidence that it still needs to be said… a lot: Rather than trying to invent new ways to intrude into people’s consciousness, shouldn’t we be investing in those genuine customer conversations that all those expensive studies have already confirmed are far more effective, engaging and enduring?

  Tags: Customer Conversations, Effectiveness, Enduring, Engaging, geno church, Inbox, over-saturated, Russell Davies, The Cheesecake Factory, Urban Spam, Vehicle vs Pedestrian
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  Would you like WOM with that?

  Posted on May 30th, 2006 by Virginia and currently 3 commenting.

  Having very recently left my post at a very large brand, I understand how daunting the dive into word of mouth marketing can be. The more research you do, the more you understand how powerfully WOM influences purchase decisions and that it is imperative to get a handle on what is being said about you and to join the conversation. The challenge? Doing that takes time, money, and an ability to influence product development and the end user experience ” things that few marketers at medium and large business have.

  Knowing this, I can greatly relate to the desire to ‘Buy TV? Buy Radio? Buy Billboards? Now, buy word of mouth’ as a recent flyer we received from Bzzagent suggests is possible. I believe there is a terminology issue. I do not doubt the ability of networks of talkers to talk about products and juice sales in 6 week bursts, I just wouldn’t refer to that as word of mouth, but buzz. What we refer to as WOM has to be earned. It is earned through creating connections with your customers that extend beyond the exchange of goods for cash. It has the power to last and grow by empowering customers ” all of them, not just the talkers. The folks who already have a need for and use your products are the ones whom you invite to take ownership in the brand. They will still be talking about you and to you long after the next new shiny widget has come and gone.

  Harnessing the power of WOM is hard. It requires involvement from the company itself – no one can create the dialogue and intimacy with customers for you. It requires commitment as those connections can’t be turned off once made. It requires you to listen with the same intensity with which you speak.

  The excellent news is that the payouts are proportionate to the time investment. Just ask Mark Cuban, Meg Whitman, and Steve Jobs.

  Tags: Billboards, brand ownership, buzz, BzzAgent, connections with customers, empowering customers, Mark Cuban, Meg Whitman, Radio, shiny widgets, Steve Jobs, TV, WOM, word of mouth marketing
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  Improv Wisdom

  Posted on May 26th, 2006 by Jennifer and currently 1 commenting.

  I know I’m supposed to be reviewing Brand Hijack… but I just happened to look at the shelf over my desk today, full of books I’m supposed to read and haven’t yet, I was comforted by the presence of a book I have read, so I thought I would share.

  I’ve posted about improv before (here and here), so it should come as no surprise that the book Improv Wisdom by Patricia Ryan Madson was a quick read for me. I had the pleasure of meeting Patricia at the Applied Improv Network conference I attended last year, and I love her book. It has a wonderful set of lessons from which brands and business people and just plain people can learn a lot. So here ya go (my comments are in italics):

  • A good improviser is someone who is awake, not entirely self-focused, and moved by a desire to do something useful and give something back and who acts upon this impulse. Does this remind you of the thinking behind a brand ambassador program?
  • Blocking comes in many forms; it is a way of trying to control the situation instead of accepting it. Again… how many articles have we read lately about companies who insist on maintaining control of their brand?
  • To say ‘yes’ is to make a leap of faith, to risk oneself in a new and often scary relationship. A similar sentiment can be found in a book that BzzAgent is currently buzzing… The Breakaway Brand by Francis J. Kelly III and Barry Silverstein. They say that “Rather than risk being different or innovative, many products start and end their lives as me-too brands. They take the safe road and emulate the characteristics of the category leader.” Only the most courageous brands that are willing to say ‘yes’ to a risk are the ones that have any chance of distinguishing themselves.
    
  • The habit of excessive planning impedes our ability to see what is actually in front of us. The mind that is occupied is missing the present. This is a great thought in terms of consumer research. If you come to your research thinking you already know the answer, then you’re likely to miss the opportunity that’s right in front of you.
  • There is a widespread belief that thinking ‘outside the box’ (some call this the goal of creativity) means going after far-out and unusual ideas. A true understanding of this phrase means seeing what is really obvious, but, up until then, unseen. This is a good one… since ‘thinking outside the box’ has completely lost its meaning now that it’s such a mainstream business buzz phrase. We don’t have to re-invent the wheel to be successful. Sometimes we just have to close our eyes for a moment and embrace simplicity.
  • The most consistent road to unhappiness that I know comes from turning a blind eye to reality. To brands who hear customers’ input, decide they’re wrong and keep doing it their way anyway.
  Tags: Applied Improvisation Network, Barry Silverstein, Brand, Brand Ambassador Program, Brand Hijack, business people, buzz phrase, BzzAgent, consumer research, Francis J. Kelly III, Improv, Improv Wisdom, maintaining control, me-too brands, Patricia Ryan Madson, re-invent the wheel, The Breakaway Brand
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  Be True to Yourself

  Posted on May 26th, 2006 by Spike and currently 0 commenting.

  Isn’t it refreshing when a company knows exactly who they are and what they stand for?

  Case in point: The Big Ass Fan Company.

  It’s hard to remain true to your roots and what made your company great in the first place. Maybe it’s time for a gut check.

  Tags: The Big Ass Fan Company, True to your Roots
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  Suddenly I’m a Mavs Fan

  Posted on May 25th, 2006 by Geno and currently 0 commenting.

  I’m a college sports fan, so why did I sit in my parked car last night listening to game one of the NBA semi-finals between Dallas and Phoenix? Mark Cuban.

  I think Cuban is brilliant, he took a nobody NBA franchise in a football tradition town and turned them into a franchise that is the envy of other NBA fans. Notice I didn’t say teams. I was listening to callers on a sports talk show, and one after the other they were saying I wish Cuban owned the Lakers, or just about any other NBA team or better yet the Atlanta Braves.

  Cuban was a basketball fan first, and when he purchased the Mavs his passion for basketball has earned him fines, publicity, hatred from other teams fans, and more publicity. He’s turned this whole thing into us vs. them, and it’s working. The town has the fire, the fans have the fire. And the team has a chance to make it to the NBA finals.

  Call me a bandwagon fan but I have to pull for a team that the owner gets it. Cuban is a fan, and I feel a little more connected when I see the owner of an NBA team sitting in the stands biting his nails, screaming at the top of his lungs or hanging his head in disappointment.

  Tags: Atlanta Braves, bandwagon, Basketball, Dallas, Fan, Lakers, Mark Cuban, Mavs, NBA, NBA Finals, Phoenix, us vs. them