Google+ is Worth a Look, Maybe More

Groans were heard around the globe as another social media platform emerged. Another place to create content? Another place to engage? Are there enough hours in the day?

You bet. Especially when it’s Google+.

Google+ Pages for Business launched November 7 and with it, a social network that goes beyond just social. Google+ layers in tie-ins to search, advertising and more dynamic communications channels like “hangouts” that give it the potential to weave itself into the very fabric of the web.

The Google+ audience is currently rooted in a tech and marketing crowd. Brands may question the importance of engaging its users if that isn’t who their target audience is. However, because of Google+’s strong tie to search, a presence within it goes well beyond user engagement.

The bottom line: Brands whose success relies heavily upon search need to have a Google+ presence and +1 content to remain competitive in organic search.

With this brief background, short-term recommendations include:

• Create a Google+ Page for your business or at least claim it. This allows you to position your company or organization for potential future growth in this space at the right level of engagement for your brand – at the right time in the Google+ evolution.
• If search is key to the success of your business, create a more robust level of content within the platform.
• Create content unique to the platform. This isn’t Facebook, and it isn’t Twitter. Content can be topically consistent across the platforms, but should be written uniquely for the space.
• Allow your content to be shared. With this new platform, add +1 buttons wherever “Like,” “Recommend” and “Tweet” buttons live.

Are there limitations to Google+? Absolutely. However, we do know that Google is committed to it and will continue to evolve its offerings.

Want to see more? Check out what we’ve been up to with Culver’s and its Google+ page.

Marketers Beware:                                                 Transitioning to a Permission Economy

As we continue our transformation from marketer-managed monologues to greater and greater consumer-controlled conversations, we must recognize we are only shepherds of the passion brands under our care. It is a great responsibility to work on a passion brand, those that consumers care for so much that they have come to form their own expectations of what defines it. You have an advantage as a marketer with an involved core of enthusiasts who are willing to express their opinions and defend the brand against most detractors.  But be aware, you are held responsible for decisions those enthusiasts feel are inconsistent with the brand, and they will let you know it.

Coca-Cola is the latest company to feel the sting from this kind of consumer backlash with their latest holiday can. Coca-Cola has created limited-edition holiday cans for years, but this year’s can violated brand expectations by delivering regular coke in a (gasp) white and silver can. Coke (the most popular soda brand) comes in a red can—silver is reserved for Diet Coke (the #2 soda). It’s not an unattractive design, bringing back the polar bears from past holiday efforts, but Coca-Cola and Diet Coke loyalists are not giving their permission to this break in packaging convention. It will be interesting to watch as Coca-Cola marketing executives position their original intent as red cans replace white ones on retailers shelves and in restaurants. (Meanwhile, look for good deals on the white cans that have already been shipped.)

Coke cans are not a unique example of a company misreading which changes consumers would allow in the marketing mix of some of their favorite brands. Within the last year, Netflix tried to alter their product offering only to have to reverse course, and the GAP tried to update the logo of their popular retail stores only to revert to the old logo, just with a new color. Marketers now share the most popular brands with the consumers who love them; they have to be more open to including those same consumers in some of their decision making.  So remember, when marketing a passion brand, stay in stride with your target and understand what they will or won’t allow.

Danger, Will Robinson!

“Can you grab a water for me?”

“We’re going to start looking for an SUV.”

“I really need a new smartphone.”

Anything in particular stand out to you in those quotes? How about the fact that forms are taking precedence over brands? Marketers, consider it a warning sign of iffy brand health if your target thinks in terms of form first, brand second.

Litmus Test:

How would your brand rank if you augmented your awareness measures with brand versus form measures?

• Example:   When thinking about your next purchase of popcorn, please rank your top three considerations/desires in order of importance.
• Microwavable
• Kernels that are popped in oil
• Extra butter
• Orville Redenbacher
• No or Low salt
• Act II
• Flavored, such as caramel, cheddar or nacho
• Low fat
• Branded, not store brand or generic

I know how I’d answer this question:
1. Microwavable  2. Extra butter   3. Branded

Orville and Act II, you don’t make the list. They should worry.

Should you?

Your Comments Welcome!

Blogs are a space to share ideas. At their best they are an exchange of ideas, with blog readers building on or taking ideas in new directions or disagreeing and offering counterpoints.

Earlier this year the popular tech and consumer electronics blog Engadget turned off the reader comments. Engadget said the decision was made because the tone of the comments had turned ugly.

Which leads us to ask: Is the comment function necessary to a blog?

Moderating a blog can be time consuming. And as the Engadget example demonstrates, people say bad things. So why allow comments?

Because a blog isn’t a website. If a brand simply wants to share a point of view, there’s no need to create a second location for this. Say it loud and proud on the website. If a brand wants to spark or join a conversation, a blog’s the spot.

Please discuss.

Et Tu, WSJ?
An Ironic and True Business Tale

For years I enjoyed a prominent business newspaper named after a famous street in New York’s financial district. Once I got an iPad, though, I went digital and canceled the paper.

Recently, I received a terrific offer to return to the publication. I thought it’d be great to have the iPad version.

Without all the grim details, it took six phone calls to confirm that the offer I received for the paper would not transfer to the iPad. I faced silos (“not my department”), commands (“You need to…”} and disempowerment (“I’m so sorry, there is nothing I can do.”) No one has yet to follow up with me in the two business weeks since, even though I asked nicely.

What’s the message you’re sending?

At Hiebing, our sole focus is inspiring brand devotion. Judged against this criteria, my interaction with this leading brand of business knowledge was a major and ironic failure.

Everyone lost here. The brand lost a sale. And the customer is not only dissatisfied, he’s telling the whole world about it. Brand devotion built over years was wiped away in an hour of fruitless talk.

Sadly, my experience is an increasingly common one. I hear tales of disappointment daily. That’s why it’s vital for brands to view themselves holistically—and ensure every touchpoint stays true to the brand.

1. Mind the fundamentals of customer service. Give employees the power to say “yes” to keep a customer happy—or teach them to find someone who can. If you compensate by sales, make sure a successful referral to the “right department” counts.
2. Test your brand’s touchpoints to spot and remove barriers. Hire outside consultants, use employees or friends, whatever. Just regularly check to make sure your employees and technology work together to satisfy the customer.
3. Collect info and follow up. No one—not a single soul—asked if I would like someone to follow up with me. I had to ask and I have yet to get an answer.
4. Use your own experiences as a consumer of other brands to make your brand better. Capture your feelings—fantastic, blah and terrible. Write your insights down, then look for nuggets to apply to make your brand’s experience better.
5. Digital expands the landscape exponentially. Every interaction matters more than ever, since customers can veer to the competition in a heartbeat or opt to do nothing. Lead by example to foster a culture that finds answers instead of roadblocks and excuses.

One of my favorite stores—Abt Electronics in Glenview, Illinois—has a motto that goes something like “No reasonable request will ever be refused.” Unlike many big box stores, Abt has built a devoted core in Chicagoland and brings the same friendly, customer-focused experience online. Everyone wins at Abt. With the right focus, training and messaging, your brand can do the same.

Otherwise Known as “You do what? for a living”

Sometimes we just have to acknowledge the surreal-ness  of our jobs

Pet Food Marketer: “I wonder what substrate we should use for this package?”
Consumer: ‘That package looks interesting.”
Mutt: “Food?”

Pet Food Marketer: “Let’s discuss the merits of holistic vs. organic vs. all natural claims.”
Consumer: “I wonder what that means?”
Mutt: “Food?”

Pet Food Marketer: “Food sensitivities will be minimized if we eliminate poultry by-products and use human-grade protein sources.”
Consumer: “Ohhh, pretty picture of a dalmatian.”
Mutt: “My food?”

Pet Food Marketer: “This bounce-back, coupled with the web promo should lessen the purchase cycle from 45 days to 43 days.”
Consumer: “Oh look, I can get a free frisbee!”
Mutt: “Food!”

Pet Food Marketer: “If we make our launch date, that means we should hit our ACV goals by Q4.”
Consumer: “Oh, that’s something different.”
Mutt: “New food! New food!”

So go forth fellow marketers. Let’s continue our odd conversations about flighting, CPM,  CMS, CRM, cross-promos, end users and jpegs.

But always keep in mind, what we do is weird. Really really weird.

Millennials as Future Leaders?  Hmm … Good Question

Transparency note: This post is written by a Boomer and a father of two Millennials.

What will the future leaders of our companies and our country look like when the 70+ million Millennials come of age in the next several years? (Millennials being those born between 1981 and 1995 – the so-called “20 somethings.”)

This is a group whose childhoods were completely organized for them, from play dates to after-school activities. Raised to work in teams, they were rewarded for just showing up.

For Millennials, success is not about status and external factors but about internal factors such as relationships, happiness, doing good deeds and family. According to a poll by Twentysomething, Inc., 85% move back in with their parents after college. They are marrying later. They go through an average of seven jobs in their twenties (I’m still working on my second). They are not typically long-term planners.

Millennials are a generation of big thinkers, less doers. Richard Florida, an American urban studies theorist and author of the best-seller The Rise of the Creative Class, coined Millennials the “creative class” – a group whose common values are creativity, individuality, difference and merit. Florida says this generation will direct change in the way cities and companies will grow.

For Millennials, loyalty to employers, brands or political parties is not based on traditional satisfaction or value models. Millennials are loyal to relationships that are built on emotional connections and what the employer, brand or political party has done for them lately. Tenure is not a justification for leadership. Co-founder of Brazen Careerist, Ryan Healy, talks about how Millennials will change the workplace we Boomers know with things like shorter workweeks, promotions based on emotional intelligence and redefined retirement.

So back to the question of what will Millennial leaders be like? I suspect they will be the “doers” within this creative class. Just look at Zuckerberg. He didn’t come up with the idea of Facebook, but he executed the idea.

Millennial leaders may be the ones who can stay focused in the midst of chaos, with a management style of trial and error replacing thoroughly researched, step-by-step approaches. The top will be reached by those who can run the maze the fastest rather than those who can climb the ladder the fastest.

Are we looking at a paradigm shift in the making?

Why Doesn’t TV Just Die Already?

It’s fun to talk about new technologies and explore their new advertising opportunities. As marketers, we’re some of the earliest adopters of these technologies. So it’s easy for us to imagine a world where everybody gets to consume the media they want, when they want it, and on the platform they choose to receive it. After all, we were among the first to buy DVR’s, iPads and smartphones.

We know the media landscape is evolving and our clients are anxious to take advantage of it. We know that every year the mass aspect of mass marketing continues to dwindle, as TV ratings continue to decline, print circulations continue to drop, and banner response rates continue to dwindle. So why would anyone buy advertising on television anymore?

Well, we know that they are. The Broadcast TV Upfront marketplace just wrapped up taking in 4% more money this year than last. That is $9.2 billion that was spent across five networks for 75%-80% of their anticipated audience during the 2011-2012 broadcast season. Those networks received double-digit price (CPM) increases for the audience they had available to sell, with CBS commanding 14% increases. The cable networks got their share as well, selling another $9 billion, 12% more than last year for roughly half of their upcoming inventory. Television will be more than a $30 billion national industry next year, and that’s before local buys. Why is there such demand for TV advertising (nationally and locally), when there are so many other ways consumers are consuming video today? Mainly, because there just isn’t anything else around like television.

Video combines sight, sound and motion to emotionally engage us in ways that no other medium can, and television is still how U.S. consumers consume video. Nielsen just published its latest “Cross-Platform Report” for 1^st Qtr., 2011, essentially with the same data that last year was called the “Three Screen Report”. Year-over-year, Americans again increased (by 22 minutes) the amount of time they spend watching television the old fashioned way. Despite all of the claims of cord cutting, 91% of Americans are still paying for television to be delivered to their home. On average, people (ages 2 plus) in the U.S. watch 35 hours and 37 minutes of television per week. They watch another 2 hours and 25 minutes of time shifted TV through DVR’s (skipping about half of the commercials). While they are using the Internet on a computer for about 5 hours and 43 minutes per week, they are still only consuming about 33 minutes of streaming video this way, and about 7 minutes of video on mobile devices. Now, these are broad population averages, and small pockets of consumers are spending significant time watching video on these new technologies, but even those lightest TV viewing groups are exposed to some television advertising. In aggregate, television is still the best place to deliver your video (TV) commercials.

Moreover, TV is easy to buy, and we know what we are getting for our clients money. We can buy it nationally on broadcast or cable networks. We can buy it locally through stations or cable interconnects.

Buying streaming video ads is a little murkier. National buys are possible on Hulu or the major network websites, but Hulu is not well structured for specific spot market buys. Beyond Hulu, there are several different online ad networks that can sell streaming video impressions, across a wide range of “content partners”, as long as I am not too specific on what kind of content I want to be associated (or not associated) with. They can “geo-target” your geography, but they cannot guarantee that they can deliver the number of impressions you buy for each market in those markets; they just don’t have the inventory to do that yet.

We continue to monitor these opportunities, and they’ll be interesting to buy, someday. Sooner or later we’ll have to wade into these murky waters, particularly as we want to reach the younger age cells in urban markets that are more rapidly adopting their viewing behavior to these new technologies. But these new opportunities are still very niche and while television remains so ubiquitous, their growth will come slower than you might expect. Television will continue to survive for quite awhile yet and smart marketers will continue to leverage its unique reach potential.

Every Interaction Counts

Recently, I received an email prompt from a service provider that my bill was available for payment. In a free moment, I went to the site to pay. Here is what I found (the name has been changed to protect the clueless):

“We are enhancing your online experience, and BigTelecom.com is temporarily unavailable.

If you need immediate assistance, please contact BigTelecom at 555-555-5555.

During this time, hold times may be longer than usual.”

Really? Really?

I come at your invitation to pay you and this is the best you can do?

You don’t let me connect in the middle of the day.

And if I call, I can expect to wait even longer than normal. Swell. I can hardly wait for more enhancements.

How about just saying what’s going on and making it right? Something like:

“We’re sorry. We’re working on making the experience of connecting to BigTelecom even better, but to do that we have to take the system offline for a bit. We should be back by ___________. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause you.

You can still reach us by phone. We’ve added extra operators to handle your questions, concerns, orders and payments. Even so, you may experience longer wait times than normal.

When we are once again online, please use the promo code OURBAD for a five dollar discount for any purchase.

Again, we apologize for the inconvenience and hope you enjoy the upgrade when it goes live soon.”

In other words, show your customers you care—and that you recognize when you’ve inconvenienced them. Those actions speak louder than words.

Sammy Haggar + Caroline Kennedy = Insights

I subscribe to eight magazines, whoops, upon counting it’s really nine, belong to two book clubs and always have a stack of ‘to read IMMEDIATELY’ books laying around the house. During my prowl for the next great read, I always check out the NY Times best seller list. This is where my two great loves meet: reading + consumer insights (sorry husband, you’re #3). If we’ve met, then you’ve probably heard me talk about finding consumer insights everywhere. And yes, the list of top selling books is just one of those places.

What do Tina Fey, Ashley Judd, Shirley MacLaine, Caroline Kennedy and Sammy Hagar have in common? They’re all on a recent week’s top 10 list of nonfiction books. Wow, is that illuminating about our current culture or what?  With the demise of Bin Laden, I expect the list will have more of a political focus for the upcoming months. But my point isn’t about celebrity obsession or about politics and world issues. It’s about learning from everything we see and everything we do.

We often forget to use our powers of observation in our everyday lives. ‘Insights’ are a work thing for marketers, right? Au contraire…gathering insights is a way of being in the world, of keeping your awareness going at all times, of actually thinking about what you experience.

I challenge you to go through one day with a focus on insights. You’ll read the editorials differently, shop differently, even make dinner decisions differently. Be sure to let me know what you learn!