Smoke and Mirrors
While reading an article this week, i came across something that truly bothered me, but then again inspired me all at the same time. The article i am referencing has to do with a major organization, in a social media firestorm over their partnership with a charitable organization, and how it went all wrong...but for the right reasons.
No, i am not speaking about the Susan G. Koman and Planned Parenthood disaster....This story got much less publicity, but has an even stronger example of the power of social media and how consumers are not accepting the poorly thought out collaborations between big business and charitable organizations. The story i am speaking about is the social media firestorm that Scott's MiracleGro experienced over the past 2 weeks after their collaborations with the National Wildlife Federation took one GIANT turn for the worse.
First of all, Scott's MiracleGro has NO BUSINESS doing business with the NWF anyway. The NWF stands for saving wildlife and the preserving of wildlife. Scott's MiracleGro makes billions of dollars formulating chemicals that kill wildlife and destroy the habitat so a partnership with NWF seems fishy from the start. Am i being alittle aggressive?? Scott's MiracleGro's biggest seller?? RoundUp, produced by Monsanto, who is known WORLDWIDE for doing everything they can to ruin wildlife. Sorry as i digress as this isn't an organic blog, it is a marketing blog... so how does it apply to marketing??
Scott's MiracleGro thought they could make a smart move towards winning over the 'bird lovers' in the world and create a campaign with the NWF. the NWF obviously is looking for donations and money to support their cause and safe more wildlife. Scott's MiracleGro came with money, and obviously, there is a natural fit. What Scott's MiracleGro failed to consider was the fact they had a pending lawsuit with the EPA relative to their birdseed killing 2 million songbirds because of a harmful pesticide being in the seed mix, while stored in warehouses. (remember my statement about their purpose is making chemicals to kill wildlife?)
Turns out that the lawsuit's verdict came down at perfect timing..... 2 weeks after the campaign with the NWF launched, Scott's MiracleGro is fined 4.6 million for knowingly killing the songbirds. NWF, under a humongous firestorm, realized, they had to terminate the partnership, since their reputation was being adversely affected by their partnership. Scott's MiracleGro was the one with mud on their face. Partnership....gone wrong
Social media didn't need the lawsuit in order to levy their thoughts on the partnership. Shortly after the release of the partnership, both Scot's MiracleGro's facebook page and the National Wildlife Federation's Facebook page, EXPLODED with comments from supporters who chastized both parties for the partnership. Scott's MiracleGro has a very well known reputation among 'green' individuals, organic gardeners, and those seeking a sustainable lifestyle for their harmful chemicals. This partnership didn't go over too well with them. Battered by an onslaught of negative comments, Scott's MiracleGro does with every large organization hit with a Facebook firestorm has done.... ignored all comments and didn't respond with anything. As we have found out from countless other social media #fails, this obviously just fuels the fire and continues the onslaught. As i mentioned earlier, the NWF received their fair share of criticism as well.
The Lesson
Consumers are much smarter then major corporations give them credit for. As noted by many leading marketing minds, consumers have a stronger bond to the brand then the marketers running the brand do. Chances are consumers have been loyal for years, and the average brand manager lasts about 2-3 years in the same gig. So consumers could possibly have been loyal through 4 or 5 different brand managers.... and those brand managers are mostly tuned out to what their consumer's passions really are? I still find it absolutely appaling that brand managers and corporate marketers do not learn more about their consumer. Ask questions... people love to talk about their thoughts on specific topics... find out more... always be learning.
Those who fail to learn about their consumer will allow those eager to learn about your consumer, the one chance, they needed to take your business. and i hope they know... it only takes one chance to gain and one chance to lose a customer.
Brand Managers and corporate marketers - When you contemplate a partnership with a charitable organization, make sure the consumer of that charitable organization matches those of your business.... and make sure the campaign makes sense. Scott's MiracleGro has to realize that if the general public got wind of their pending lawsuit settlement, the partnership would look pretty shortsided.... obviously they felt immune to the backlash they would receive and they paid the price.
Consumers do not allow you to make a mistake. You are on public forum 24/7, 365 and you know what.... brand should be. brands need to be run by someone who 'lives' the product. That is the only way you can connect to your consumer. the times of people aimlessly pointing campaigns at the consumer and leaning on their heavy media buys and 'sex appeal' to pull them through. You have to connect... and social media is fueling that fire....and believe me... i am standing there with a can of kerosene.
Making a mistake is not an option and if you do make a mistake, own up to it.... admit your mistake and be transparent. do not hide, do not cover it up. transparency is what consumers relate to. we are all transparent and vulnerable. Explain how you are vulnerable and you made a mistake, and consumers will forgive you. cover up and lie, and consumers will chastise you.
The Cure to SOPA/PIPA (and a win for consumers, and MPAA/RIAA)
There has been countless press surrounding SOPA/PIPA and anyone who is anyone has weighed in on the subject and expressed their countless disdane for the bill. While i will not reiterate the thoughts echoed by the internet's best and brightest, but i will offer a different perspective to the situation from the people devising the bill, to the cure to SOPA/PIPA that will make everyone involved happy. Obviously, everyone has an opinion on this subject, so i invite your thoughts in the comments.
The people behind the bill
It goes without saying that Senator Lamar Smith is not the creator of this bill, but the lackey tasked with representing the thoughts of the actual creators: RIAA, MPAA, Universal Group, Comcast, and the countless other outdated media publishers who refuse to accept the natural progression of the internet. These shortsided entities are the same people who could careless about customer service and developing a product that consumers actual can rave about, or even enjoy. MPAA penalize companies like Netflix, RedBox and Blockbuster of allowing consumers to pay for a service in which they can enjoy the content made by professionals whose passion is to create content in which people enjoy. This is eerily similar to another medium in which content creators freely will display pieces of their work, or the entire thing for free in a digital format, and will rave about the benefits.... not complain about the lack of compensation.
The numbers do not lie, yes MPAA is enjoying countless millions upon millions in box office ticket sales, but at what price?? When you charge the prices that you do currently, aren't they experiencing a drop in ticket purchases because of the inflated prices?? the end tally must be the ultimate goal, but the number of people experiencing their content, has continued to diminish. Do you think they care, no they continue to raise the price of royalties, further alienating consumers and closing movie theaters as a result.
The Other Side
Take the other industry in which i elaborated to.... the online content creators of the written word..... The main difference between them and the MPAA/RIAA is they freely will give away content, to anyone interested or charge a discounted rate in order to increase the number of eyeballs..... those increased eyeballs = increased potential buyers. The MPAA/RIAA create such a disdane in the eyes of the consumer that they allow the most brilliant minds in the world (hackers) the ability to target them in order to steal their content. Rarely do you hear about hackers targeting the online content realm, because the readers understand the value of the content, they are not met with hatred and anger at the audacious and frivolous charges forced upon by the real creators of this bill.
The REAL idea behind SOPA/PIPA
The idea behind the bill was never to penalize the foreign content pirates, if you took the time to actually mine through the bill (which i did), you can EASILY see that this bill had the absolute intent to censor the internet, the exact same way that was publicly made available by great resources like Mashable, and Google. They see the absolute control that China has over the publicized content and are licking their chops at the idea that this could be a reality.
What i find the most humorous of the entire situation was the lack of publicity that this bill received by the mainstream media shows. Never did Fox, NBC, CBS, etc even mention this bill until the internet blackout day... and even then, the highlights of the bill were not express. The obvious intent to railroad this bill through the processes without as much of a mention of the repercussions and they were going to start to enforce the bill immediately.
When the internet fights back
Some of the biggest enemies of this bill are the same people who give away content, freely, without as much of a wimper. if you had to put a value on the amount of content that Google or Wikipedia gives away on a daily basis, it would dwarf those supposed losses experienced by this bill's creators. If Universal Group had its way, Wikipedia would cease to exist, or if it did exist, there would be some sort of a revenue generating endeavor. the sheer amount of knowledge that is given away daily on Facebook, Twitter, or G+ is worth at least twice as much as the opening weekend of the latest overhyped movie by the MPAA.
The ramifications felt by EVERYONE due to the internet blackout day sent ripples throughout the world, and most likely, to those creators of the bill. Just imagine this brilliant thought.... On Wednesday, January 18th, an executive in Universal Group is having a water cooler conversation with his associate about some random subject. They can't remember the answer to the supposed question and decide to take to Wikipedia for the source of the data.... they are shut out of the information and left on their own for the answer. This luxury experienced by those willing to give away info for the sake of the better internet, and through providing their users with relevant information, is one that will not be denied and will actually continue to thrive even past the death of SOPA/PIPA.
The future of the SOPA/PIPA....
I am honestly one of those people who think that SOPA/PIPA is completely dead in its truest form. The creators of the bill realized that their actions can not be swept under the rug and railroaded through the system without some of the best in the business, raising an eyebrow. MPAA need to embrace the fact that their content is going to get pirated and embrace ways they can utilize this to their advantage, similar to what ebooks have done for the content creation (reading) industry. Your consumers are more and more mobile, willing to still pay for your content, but refuses to shell out $20+ for something they can't even experience a taste of. Our money is too valuable now a days, to just waste it on poor content (which is obvious in about 99% of their 'masterpieces').
The most valuable lesson to all of this echos those thoughts already known by authors and online content creators for years.... "IF YOUR CONTENT IS QUALITY, IT WILL BE NOTICED AND IT WILL BE COMPENSATED."
the MPAA and RIAA have zero confidence in their product and would collect money on a poorly produced product, then spend the time and actually create quality content.... o the audacity of those consumers to want a quality product for their money... who do they think they are?
MPAA is going to have to embrace the companies such as Netflix, Redbox, Amazon (the obvious anathema of the MPAA, RIAA), and embrace streaming. Consumers want to be able to take movies with them everywhere they go and not be burdened with wasted physical disks. Why can't we employ the wonderful technology of the cloud, to store all of our purchased movies and enjoy them wherever we are... be it at our friends house, or at our own house. It makes me sick to think that they are so archaic in their thinking to not embrace the change and find ways to generate revenue through online mediums.
The CURE to SOPA/PIPA
Here is the answer to ALL of the MPAA/RIAA problems with pirated content and it is something completely OWNED by the Gaming industry. ALL content comes with a unique code needed to access the movie/album, etc. Or even better, all movies/albums have to be downloaded online. You can purchase the content in the store, or wherever you want, but you need to download it online or even access it online through your mobile phone or other device. This cures your pirated content right then. Everything has an encrypted code so pirates couldn't steal the product, and the MPAA/RIAA still gets to reap the ridiculous profits they current enjoy. I know i am not some sort of internet monetization prophet or anything to think of this idea.... but seriously how do they not use something like this?? Comcast is an obvious fan of purchasing movies right from your house for rent, so why not do the same for purchasing to keep. you could use a similar format to The Kindle store or even iTunes and keep all of your purchased content on the cloud so it can be accessed wherever. Talk about a brilliant experience for the consumer. I would purchase more content as a result because i could take it with me wherever i wanted....
Just a thought but seriously...
After a long hiatus…
I was taking a break...
Over the past 14 months, I have been absent from this blog. I wouldn't feel right sitting here giving you some sob story about one action that prevented me from blogging.... for that wouldn't be the truth. I have just been absent, choosing other aspects of my life as being superior to what started as an outlet for me. This obviously was incorrect... i too fell into the infamous rut commonly used by countless people who have left their blog go vacant into the abyss of 'blogging is dead' proclamations.
During my absence, what i found was a broken record-esque string of excuses to why i didn't have time to blog and this brought one thing to my attention. I continuously boast on Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and countless other outward facing mediums, but yet restricting my own rhetoric into the black hole, where all other thoughts go to die.
Instead of focusing on 'shipping' my own thoughts and work, i spent the 14 months consuming content. Boatloads of content and it has armed me with tools i used at my new role, but also in the battle to build my own brand. Now, armed with countless hours of data from some of the most well respected thought leaders from the likes of Mitch Joel, Seth Godin, Joseph Jaffe, Christopher S. Penn, Avinash, HubSpot, and countless other articles i could spend another hour listing. What has this taught me....
Obviously if i would have listened to Godin and Brogan, i would be out shipping my own work and pushing my brand heavily.... but that wasn't important. See 14 months ago, i had raw knowledge, unyielding passion, but missed the key element.... direction. my mind scattered in more directions then ants at the sign of one of my brand's organic gardening products. I knew i loved marketing, advertising, social, SEO, and design, but had no idea what i wanted to do when i grew up. i just knew i loved to spill ideas out to anyone who would listen, yet didn't know how to actually act on those ideas. Now.... i know exactly what i want and that was a direct result of my content consumption and soul searching. for that.... i thank all of you who share our content.
What you can expect from this blog moving forward....
Whether or not you have subscribed to my blog in the past, what you can expect moving forward is a more refined approach.... actionable ideas, educated and well thought out arguments. You will not receive daily blog updates.... I will leave that to the best of the best which i mentioned earlier. What you can expect is when you receive an update from me, it will be thought provoking and comment engaging... I do not only invite your comments, but i expect some criticism, as making this a forum is exactly what i want... I am not scared of failing (albeit my absence seems like that), i actually enjoy to fail (another lesson from Seth Godin). so please challenge my thoughts, tell me i am wrong....either way, both of us will come out more intelligent and well versed.
Netflix is STILL anti-social!!!!
Netflix = Anti-Social
Last August i wrote a post about how Netflix is anti-social and why it is adversely affecting their growth and could be the single most important factor holding back their monopolistic takeover.
To reiterate my opening from the initial post, i am a HUGE movie lover. I have been a member of netflix since its inception and have rented over 2000 movies from their service (either disc or streaming). I will sing the praises of Netflix from here to the end of the road. i have personally referred over 30 people who have joined Netflix and will continue to refer people.
The reason for another post is because i am not only apaled by the fact that they haven't made any advancements in this particular subject but i almost feel they have gone backwards. how could something so profound and something which could basically touch 60% of every household in the US fail at something so easy and obvious!!! What am i talking about you ask?
It is no mystery that Netflix wants to eliminate the discs all together and move to a all streaming platform. So chances are you are sitting on your couch with your internet enabled tv, blu ray player, ps3, wii, etc and you are just finished watching a movie or TV series, you are obviously excited about the show and could have even been very surprised by the tremendous ending of the movie (i.e. Law Abiding Citizen). The next thing you typically might do is turn to your loved one or friends you watched the movie with and give your thoughts on whether you thought the movie was good or parts that could have been better. The instant review is exactly what makes movies great. everyone's opinion is different and their interpretation is what makes the artestry so amazing!! but that is for another post.... Netflix has a golden opportunity right then to cash in on this opportunity with a simple feature..... the share button!!!
They already ask you for your rating of the movie upon completion so why not integrate a facebook post feature. you can instantly 'like' the movie and it will show up on your stream. I know this is revolutionary information (sarcasm should be sensed) but think of the impact this would have in multiple channels... let me explain
First of all, movies are social so when someone 'like's a movie or has a comment about the movie, it invokes conversations with others who might have seen the movie or want to see the movie. Bonnie could say, i love this part, or i wish they would have done this, or what a brilliant performance by XX. For those who haven't seen it, a friends recommendation is invaluable. (Google/bing obviously weights your friends feelings above just about everything with integration of social search.) so why wouldn't Netflix. The integration would be sooooo simple. you have to log into your account in order to stream, so integration would be simple there.
This would be beneficial for brand recognition with Netflix. Unless they have lived under a rock, everyone has heard of Netflix, but not everyone is sold on the service. but knowing they can share their favorite movies with their social circle could be the reason they sign up. But here is one of the most important factors....
It is YET ANOTHER feature unique to Netflix. Redbox and Blockbuster (are they even still in business?) can't have someone share their thoughts on a movie from watching a disc. Netflix would force the social revolution as it pertains to movie and their only competitors would be lagging behind....again.
One additional benefit is SEO.... this one is pretty obvious but the social posts weigh pretty heavily on search results so having the countless posts shared across hundreds of millions of people could do nothing other but increase the influence and reach of Netflix.....
Yet another benefit could be the resurrection of a failed endeavor from Netflix. Selling pre-owned movies. imagine you post that you thought Clockwork Orange was magnificent and a closet Kubrick fan thinks, wow i need to watch that movie and somehow i dont own it, they can instantly buy it. Would be even better if Netflix had a facebook store.... see where i am going here.
While i know this isn't necessarily a revolutionary idea but it definitely 'pokes the box' and something that would not only benefit Netflix but benefit my fellow movie lovers!!
i could go on and on about the benefits of a practice like this but i have given away enough ideas.... the rest will cost em... haha Let me know your thoughts on this...
Why YOU are lazy!! And so am I!
This is probably you!!
I am incredibly confused about something that we all do..... Why do we only show our true ability when our hand is forced? We glide through life with such apparent mediocrity, that we only choose to put forth an increased level of effort when our hand is forced. We do it in everything we do. We always write our best work when pressed to the deadline. We tend to perform at our highest level when our back is firmly pressed against the wall. But why?? Do we not see a benefit in constantly pressing forward? Is there not more to gain for those who choose not to run on auto-pilot?
Common sense implies if we put forth the same effort during times of status quo, instead of only times of duress, it would require less effort during those times of duress right?? We set our expectations to such a low level because they are 'achievable.' More like.... they are the exact amount that we can do to allow us to 'get by'. Instead of pushing the envelope and setting a goal just high enough that you know it requires tireless effort and dedication. Not only will you benefit from less effort being required during the stressful moments, you will build yourself up to a pace that will set you apart and allow you to achieve more success!!
I already know what you are thinking now.... Justin how could anyone keep up that pace?? I get that all the time. I am not just motivated... i am obsessed! Everyone asks me how i keep this pace. I look at them and say, how dont you have time for your future... or your body?
I read a post a few months ago from Amber Naslund named 'The Culture of Good Enough'. It was awesome. Completely validated the thinking that i have been stewing over for years! How could the vast majority of our society continue to 'mail it in' and claim that they are too busy?
I see it all the time in any job i have had. you have that designated number of people who continue to just glide by and go through hoops to not stand out and fly under the radar. Why?? what benefit do you have being just another fish in the sea?? why not be the piranha and run the fort? Be the 'Purple Cow'. Why must we continue to hinder ourselves in our development and then cry about why others are achieving a higher level of success. we are all capable of it, but only a few have the fortitude to actually try to pull it off. are you one of those? and if you are not?? what is holding you back? Hit me up in the comments... and i invite you... challenge me and if you want more of my thoughts on our shortcomings... view this previous post of mine.
Who really won the Branding Bowl…
USA Today came out with their picks for the top ads of the 'big game' but most of them are just biased upon the most entertaining or 'biggest supporter'. Bud Light's "Dogsitting" ad was entertaining but did nothing to really drive home the true value of their brand. Seeing a dog serving beer or washing dishes doesn't scream to me, to go purchase beer. When discussing it with friends the next day, I told them, "the Pepsi ad with the dogs was pretty good" and they agreed. None of them corrected me. Shown me that the branding didn't stick. Now when i asked them about the "Finger-licking" ad from Doritos, they all said ooo yea Doritos... that was disgusting. But the reality is that the premise of the ad is only disgusting because he is 'sucking the cheese' off of the other guy's fingers. But think about Doritos.... what is the one thing that you do everytime you eat them? Of course..... you do that!!! just probably not to someone else.
The message behind the ad is clear. The one negative attribute about eating Doritos was just spun into a positive one. The messy trait associated with Doritos has not become a conversational piece. The next time you decide to eat lunch at your desk and bring in your favorite cheese dusted tortillas, you will look around and probably chuckle to yourself trying to find the person who you feel would try to clean your fingers. 6 months down the road, 2 years down the road, when at your 'big game' party, when eating these delicious chips, you will begin to start another conversation based around this ad.
This is exactly what 'big game' advertising is about. Driving home a message to not only make it a water cooler conversation the next day, but leave a lasting impression which will continue to drive brand awareness when discussed in conversation for years to come. (just remember Bud's Wasssup ad, Apple's 1984 ad, GoDaddy's first ad).
Other big winners of Branding Bowl were another Doritos ad but not the one (Pug Attack) that people are talking about. The "Grandpa" Doritos ad is another fun-loving way to increase brand awareness. They once again used another negative spun into a positive outcome. It is virtually impossible to get through a bag of Doritos without having to deal with the cheese magma at the bottom of the bag. Instead of dwelling on the negative, consumers will now associate the crumbs with 'bringing things back to life' and might even try it to be funny.
Obviously, any marketer would be remiss to not think that the VW Darth Vadar ad wasn't a success. It was huge!! Knowing how people will categorize the ad in lists, screenshots will be of the child....which has the VW logo right in front of him. Increasing brand awareness. Instead of being lost in the mountain of car commercials which all tried various strategies to be the one you remember, why not continue to drive home the value of the ad by having your logo indirectly shoved in the face of every viewer! Never thought about it that way huh???
While many people feel the ads were weak, i thought they were very strong. the good ads were good and the bad ads were plentiful. Innovative advertisers thought outside the box but stuck to the core values of their audience, which is the true goal huh?? instead of trying to impress themselves and industry experts with flashy graphics, groovy music and industry jargon (Brisk with their Eminem commercial- You paid 3 million to show your product about 2 seconds and have a person who most people can barely understand when he yells say the name of your product 2 times?? that is value??).
This is the same philosophy by brilliant storytellers such as Julien Smith, Seth Godin, and Malcom Gladwell. all of them understand the true value of their customer base and think like their customers, and all of them have huge engagement numbers. coincidence huh??
Predictions are for Failures…
Why are you making predictions???
A prediction itself is a failure. A contrived and construed idea saturated with the convievable notion that failure is not only evident... but expected. The word prediction is a proverbial layup in terms of actual effort. It leaves an out-clause that if things do not go your way... you can 'kneel on it' and say 'oh well it was just a prediction.' A prediction is nothing more then a half brained idea only relevant because the predictor needs social reassurance to its perceived success. Not confident in their ability to accurately portray where their passion is going, they 'swing for the fences' in hopes of hitting the one big idea. Chances are, they will fail.
Simply put, real predictions are not communicated at all. They are lived out through tireless effort and dedication. Realization that failure is not an option, and the only foreseeable outcome is success. But then again what is success.... I already hit on that in an earlier post..
The common question tossed around every blog and news outlet is what will 2011 bring? it will bring what it always does. Innovation from the minds not stuck in neutral with a crystal ball like haze in their eyes, impeding their ability to actually see what tomorrow will bring or possible opportunities for growth.
Free thinkers, not clouded by their own shortcomings, will realize that 2011 continues on the advances 2010 ended with. Customer engagement and fulfillment are the immediate needs showcased by the top companies. Realizing that the only way you can accurately make a product worth its weight in widgets, is to listen to your customer. Be mindful of the fact you have shortcomings. Instead of trying to predict the location of the next golden ticket, pull back the layers of your own customer service model and find out where you can open your ears to what your customers are actually saying. The leaders in this arena are obvious.... Southwest Airlines, Zappos.com, and Amazon. They are obvious because their ideas are bold, their practices borderline reckless, but their number of evangelists grows faster a forum about gas prices. But there are many new companies following the teachings of Joseph Jaffe and Seth Godin's outward focus. These organizations include the likes of Safer Brand (organic gardening upcomer). Safer Brand creates products that work in the background for our everyday lives. Refusing to let our children and families consume harmful chemicals dished out by synthetic chemical companies, Safer Brand continues to pump out at least 5-8 new products annually, all generated from consumer requests. But most of all, Safer Brand creates them organically because we deserve to eat actual food, and not artificial chemicals.
Deep down, why do you create predictions over actions?? In 2011, i am not declaring predictions dead per say... but i am replacing them with actions. 2011 actions!! Deliverables with actual relevance and goals set. Not hair-brained haymakers hoping to make contact. Real goals you not only can achieve.....but will achieve! Follow the movement... lets get this moving!! #whatsur2011action