EURSSMarketing

5 sources of workplace inspiration

Thu, 23 May 2013 13:59:32 GMT

You’re an artist.

Just because you go into an office every day, or because you sit at a desk or share a cubicle or were relegated to the back of a converted supply closet, it doesn’t detract from that reality.

So, maybe you’re not an artist in the traditional sense, but your job requires creativity. You are often innovating and generating big ideas to inspire people. It’s on you to come up with something where nothing once was. That sounds like artistry to me.

Perhaps you’re the Picasso of publicity, the Sartre of social media, the Kierkegaard of corporate copy. You’re an artist, and artists need good, old-fashioned inspiration—the kind that makes you toss the covers aside and go tearing into your day the moment that alarm goes off. Heck, once you’re really inspired, who even needs an alarm clock?

But where does inspiration come from?

Many famous painters and writers had muses; some people are inspired by places. For Ernest Hemingway, it was the sea and Paris. Georgia O’Keeffe was inspired by the New Mexico desert. Many of us peer out our windows and see other buildings. Depending on where you’re working, that may not be all that inspiring.

If you can’t rely on the landscape or a muse, you’re probably not alone. Inspiration is no less important to us corporate creatives. Though I can’t tell you exactly where to find yours, I’ll share a few of mine, and perhaps you’ll be inspired to look elsewhere for your inspiration sources.

Here are five unlikely sources of inspiration that I draw upon:

1. Rising before the rest of the world wakes up: The best mornings are those when I wake up insanely early, make it to the gym and back home, eat a good breakfast and get ready for my day before most people have even hit the snooze button. It gives me a mental edge that will last at least until right after lunch—when I start yawning and wondering why the hell I got up so early.

2. Fear: Poverty isn’t imminent in my world, and I think I owe that in large part to my healthy fear of it. It seems non-artistic to allow my fear of being penniless serve as inspiration for doing great work, but if it helps me knock out great copy or try extra hard, so be it.

3. Tesla electric vehicles: It isn’t often you find a pure, absolute, undisputable truth in your life, but someday I will own a Tesla automobile. They’re beautiful, incredible cars, and I know the harder I work, the more likely it will be that I can afford one. Simple, electric inspiration. If a material possession can serve as your driving force, set that goal.

4. Things that withstand the test of time: Most of us would like our work to leave a lasting impression. I’m always so impressed with work that holds up over time—whether it’s a centuries-old painting, classic literature, or the movie “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.” Our art might never win a Pulitzer, but we can create lasting impressions and campaigns that are remembered. Especially with social media, there are so many opportunities to do something no one has ever done; it’s an exciting time to be doing what we do.

5. Working with passionate people: I’ve realized after several years in the professional world that it’s a luxury to work with passionate people. When I’m surrounded by peers who love what they’re doing and want to do great work together, I get rabidly inspired. On the opposite end of the spectrum are dispassionate, disgruntled creatures who just make things difficult for the rest of us. I’ve witnessed collaboration at its best, and that victorious feeling that comes after a great brainstorming session inspires me to keep striving for it.

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10 most valuable brands in the world

Thu, 23 May 2013 13:58:22 GMT

Tech companies are among the world’s most valuable brands again this year, as Apple, Google and IBM claim the top spots in the 2013 rankings from BrandZ, an online clearinghouse for brand data.

Apple remains on top despite a tumultuous year for the brand, which has seen its stock price plummet and Senate investigations into its tax payments in recent months.

Visa replaces Verizon in the top 10, and Microsoft dropped two spots. You can check out last year’s list here.

This year’s top 10 brands are:

1. Apple
2. Google
3. IBM
4. McDonald’s
5. Coca-Cola
6. AT&T
7. Microsoft
8. Marlboro
9. Visa
10. China Mobile

Click here to read the full, 20-entry list of BrandZ’s most valuable brands of 2013.

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5 journalism habits that brands should avoid

Thu, 23 May 2013 13:56:27 GMT

As a longtime journalist, I’m happy to see so many of my colleagues finding work at brands and agencies as content marketers, as brand journalists, and in other roles and titles.

Marrying communications and marketing with a journalistic approach can result in high-quality content that’s of value to the public, as opposed to purely promotional copy.

But there are some bad habits in newsrooms. Here are five things about journalists that a new generation of content creators should be careful not to emulate.

Circling the wagons

In the aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombings, the New York Post splashed two innocent men on its front page and painted them as possible terrorists.

So what did the Post have to say for itself after the cover went down in infamy?

“We stand by our story,” New York Post editor Col Allen said when he finally offered a statement.

Those five words have been the standard reply from newsrooms when the worst happens within journalistic ranks, such as plagiarism or fabrication.

Circling the wagons means refusing to acknowledge obvious failures or to otherwise engage in a discussion about your journalistic practices.

This destroys public trust. It’s long been a habit inside newsrooms, but it’s starting to fade.

So, if you’re working for a brand that publishes content, you need to engage your detractors and openly and publicly respond to requests for corrections. You need to be willing to engage in a conversation about your work, even if that seems like a distraction from your ultimate goal.

View this as an opportunity to demonstrate your commitment to high-quality content and accountability, rather than as a nuisance.

The echo chamber

Journalists get caught in an echo chamber when they spend too much time with the same colleagues covering the same beat in the same way. Views and perspectives begin to coalesce, and they fall victim to groupthink.

The echo chamber is the enemy of fresh ideas. It also leads to blind spots that preclude identifying important developments or oncoming trouble.

How do you escape the echo chamber? Make a conscious effort to read and engage outside your role and industry. Seek out nontraditional sources.

Attend a conference that’s outside of the norm for you. What can you learn from sociology, cognitive psychology, or political science?

Skimping on training

Training budgets were one of the first things to be cut at newspapers when classifieds, display ads, and reader revenue started to crater.

The decline occurred because of fundamental shifts in media and technology. The Internet and its disruptive effects began taking hold and haven’t let go.

Media brands needed to invest in training in order to adapt and thrive in a digital world. But with budgets shrinking and the pace of technological change accelerating, many newsroom staffs found themselves with outdated skill sets, workflows, and technology.

Budgets will rise and fall, and content marketers will feel the effects.

It’s up to you to ensure that you’re always learning and to foster a culture that’s focused on keeping skills and processes up to date.

Creating silos

One media habit that seems to have been replicated in the content marketing world is the separation of writers and editors from technology, product, and business people.

Within newsrooms, this created a culture that was hostile to collaboration and prevented people from coming together to solve problems and develop innovative business models. (I’m not saying that journalists and ad sales people should break down ethical boundaries. Those are crucial to credibility.)

Tearing down walls internally helps blow up echo chambers and gives life to fresh ideas.

Want to know what’s possible when you tear down walls and put a new mix of people in a room?

Have a look at the tremendous, Pulitzer-winning New York Times Snow Fall interactive piece resulting from collaboration by a writer, sports editors, graphics editors, a multimedia producer/designer, a digital designer, a video journalist, and a photographer. All within an organization that has a lot of moving parts, people, departments, and procedures.

If the Gray Lady can break down walls, you can, too.

Ignoring the competition

Companies do a lot of competitive intelligence and tracking. Journalists read and watch their competitors, too, but historically they prefer to not acknowledge their rivals’ existence. This is a horrible, venal tradition in media that’s thankfully starting to go away. It goes like this: If your competitor gets a scoop, you do everything you can to not credit them for the work.

That’s why you’ll sometimes read a news story that refers to “a report today” or “media reports,” without naming the source. The standard operating procedure in newsrooms was to re-report the story just so you could run it without having to note that the crosstown rival got there first.

This tradition carried into the online world to the point where some large news outlets only recently began linking to competitors.

Will you link to it?

Now, imagine one of your competitors writes a great blog post—not something that promotes its product, but a piece about your industry that’s insightful and valuable to your audience. Will you link to it?

I’ll say this: If your relationship with your customers or clients is so tenuous that sending them to a useful link on a competitor’s website will damage your standing, then maybe linking out is the least of your troubles.

Craig Silverman is the director of content for Spundge, a platform that helps professionals and organizations discover, curate, and create engaging content. A version of this post first appeared on SparkSheet.

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New Ragan website offers distance-learning for communicators

Thu, 23 May 2013 13:53:59 GMT

You're sitting in your office salivating at that new conference brochure. You'd love to attend, but you're chained to your desk.

Your boss is stingy with travel expenses, and you can't imagine being gone from the office for three days.

Does this sound like you? If so, you have good company.

Most of our 1.2 million readers at Ragan.com and PR Daily NEVER get to attend our live conferences.

They are either too busy or too broke. Or they live too far away.

Nearly 600,000 readers live in Europe, Australia, Africa, India and the Middle East. Some of you are reading this story hail from London, Melbourne, Bangalore, Sydney, Toronto, and even Lagos, Nigeria.

Well, don't worry. Help is now available.

It's called RaganTraining.com, and it contains more than 200 hours of instructions that you can view from your desk, your tablet, or laptop.

This was our goal when we developed this first-of-a-kind distance-learning portal:

* Deliver conferences to our customers wherever they are;
* Make the platform accessible from home, the office, the bus, or the gym; and
* Offer an affordable and "all you can eat" membership plan for individuals or entire teams.

Once you register, here is what you get:

* 160 hours of HD-quality video presentations from our highest-rated events;
* 18 interactive, learn-on-the-go courses by Ragan trainer Shel Holtz; and
* Unlimited access to our teeming archive of popular webinars.

And, as they say in those infomercials, THERE'S MORE!

Every month you'll receive 20 more hours of content to choose from AND a newsletter telling you what's new.

So what do we cover on RaganTraining.com? Here is a partial list of topics:

* Media Relations
* Social Media
* Crisis Communications
* Public Relations & Marketing
* Intranets
* Video
* SharePoint
* Writing & Editing

There's a lot more, but you get the point. Everything you do as a communicator is covered on this site.

Here is a new video tour we produced just for you:

And here again is a link to the site.

You can order an individual membership directly from the site at the special $300 discount we’re giving only to our readers. However, if you're interested in obtaining a multi-user membership for your entire team, send an email to: shallonb@ragan.com.

Ferrero backs off bid to quash ‘World Nutella Day’

Thu, 23 May 2013 13:51:17 GMT

A little more than six years ago, Sara Rosso, an American blogger who lives in Italy, started World Nutella Day, a tribute to the chocolate and hazelnut spread. It’s turned into a popular event, with more than 40,000 “likes” on Facebook.

It seems Ferrero, the Italian company that makes Nutella, wasn’t a big booster of the event, and last week attorneys from the company sent Rosso a cease-and-desist order.

Rosso didn’t post the text of the order, but upon receiving the notice on May 16 she did post a now-deleted message stating that she would be shutting down the World Nutella Day website and all its associated social media presences by May 25.

“The cease-and-desist letter was a bit of a surprise and a disappointment, as over the years I've had contact and positive experiences with several employees of Ferrero, SpA., and with their public relations and brand strategy consultants, and I've always tried to collaborate and work together in the spirit and goodwill of a fan-run celebration of a spread I (to this day) still eat,” she wrote.

World Nutella Day fans on Facebook were less diplomatic in their statements about the company.

“They're crazy,” one commenter wrote. “Do they not know good publicity when they see it? Well — clearly not. Idiots.”

That seemed to be the end of the story until news of Ferrero’s order hit news sources such as Businessweek and Time on Tuesday. Seemingly in response to the publicity, Ferrero reached out to Rosso and released a statement, pretty clearly translated from Italian, stating that it would no longer oppose World Nutella Day.

“The case arose from a routine brand defense procedure that was activated as a result of some misuse of the Nutella brand on the fan page,” the statement said. “Ferrero is pleased to announce that today, after contacting Sara Rosso and finding together the appropriate solutions, it immediately stopped the previous action.”

Rosso quickly deleted her post about the possible end of World Nutella Day and replaced it with a post stating that the observance would continue in 2014. She even said she’s not mad at Ferrero.

“I wish it hadn’t happened in the first place, but I’m pleased at the speed of resolution and that the site and holiday will continue,” she wrote.

Facebook commenters were mostly celebratory in regards to the turnaround, though some griped that the cease-and-desist order should have never gone out in the first place, and that Ferrero should have linked the World Nutella Day website in its statement.

The big lesson from all this, according to Jonathan Bernstein of Bernstein Crisis Management, is that corporate attorneys just shouldn’t threaten private citizens without considering the PR outcomes. Robert Holland of Holland Communication Solutions adds that it’s a sign of a changing media landscape.

“Ten years ago, World Nutella Day probably wouldn't have gained such traction and this matter wouldn't be news,” he says.

Likewise, the story proves that relationships between customers and brands are changing, too, Holland says.

“The automatic legal response triggered by Rosso's use of the Nutella name and images just doesn't cut it today,” he says. “If someone at Nutella had been aware of what Rosso was doing, this embarrassing situation for the brand probably would not have happened.”

That said, Bernstein posits that Ferrero pulling back its order for the holiday to end will likely prevent the company’s reputation from being hurt too badly.

“Nutella's amends-making message and action with Rosso were quite appropriate and I don't believe there will be any long-term damage to their brand,” he says.

Matt Wilson is a staff writer for Ragan.com.

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7 challenges that marketers face

Thu, 23 May 2013 13:46:00 GMT

Marketing today remains a great challenge, in large part because of the consistently changing technology and media landscape. Information sources (conferences, blogs, etc.) consistently address these challenges, yet many issues persist.

It may be time to take a step back and look at how education and information sources are meeting these challenges.

Here are the seven difficulties for today’s communicators, each followed by an idea or three about how to address them. Please add your own thoughts in the comments section.

1. Technology adoption and automation: An ongoing challenge is balancing human intelligence, strategy, and likability with the precision of analysis gleaned from big data.

There’s much professional fear of technology. Some deals with nomenclature and the failure of tech and social media firms to make their products easily accessible. We also need information and education to get more specific, refine roles, and better define which data sets matter, as well as how people can master these evolving tools.

2. Integration: “Marketing in the Round” (co-authored with Gini Dietrich) has been out for a year, and most marketers agree that integration should occur in marketing, but it remains a huge issue. People still think in silos and are not stretching to create better results by teaming with other communicators.

Frankly, this is an issue for the C-cuite. Until CEOs and presidents demand successful integration, it’s going to be hit or miss depending on the level and training of the lead marketer in each organization. The good news is that leading educational institutions are now teaching integration.

3. Rapidly evolving media: Media evolution remains a huge issue. It used to be that you could become comfortable for a short period of time. Even the first wave of major social networks (MySpace, Facebook, Twitter) had staying power.

Today, media evolves quickly, and volatility is part of the game. What worked last year won’t this year. Look no further than the decrease Facebook has suffered in tactical viability for some types of business.

Marketers have to move away from channel-specific strategies and must adopt a truly liquid approach to communication. They must deliver a complete content and engagement effort to serve stakeholders wherever they are and however they like to receive information in that channel. Further, businesses should adopt an attitude of ongoing experimentation.

4. Transition to the Internet: The Internet is accessible everywhere—or close to it. The current responsive-design movement addresses the shift temporarily, but the market will soon discover that although making one-size-fits-all Web pages may be attractive, we need custom environments to differentiate.

There’s nothing wrong with a few mobile-specific pages. As marketing IT budgets increase, developing specific experiences for each conduit will best serve stakeholders and brands alike.

5. Video and visual skills missing: The visual revolution is here, and most small and mid-size businesses are not competing effectively. Some of that lag is a matter of financial resources, but most of it is training and skill sets.

Today’s communicators are writers, pitchers (PR), or networkers. They don’t think visually. The next generation of communicators will have a combined skill set of visual and verbal creativity. We need to get them into the workforce quickly. Seasoned executives would benefit from training as well.

6. Nurturing skills for inbound marketing: A majority of leads expected to come via online content and other forms inbound marketing. To succeed communicators have to understand customer experiences and needs and must build more intelligent conversion paths on their sites, in call centers, and in stores. Through the use of data analysis and intelligent content, nurturing customers should become more customized and targeted toward niches.

Education and experience will provide a better understanding of customer service, email marketing, the role of landing pages, and the creation of value-added content for core community members. Communicators steeped in broadcast or public social media paths will need to expand their knowledge.

7. Stuck in social media/community management: Perhaps this is a function of the social media expert/blogger, but the general conversation online seems to lag the challenges that CMOs face. Single-person or small social media consultancies with fewer than 10 people don’t deal with enterprise-level issues like this. Instead, they are often limited in conversation to their tactical area of expertise.

What do you think about these challenges facing the marketing sector?

A version of this article first appeared on the Vocus blog.

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Emoticons for brands: The dos and don'ts

Wed, 22 May 2013 13:53:59 GMT

Are you a serial emoticon user?

I’ve been known to include a smiley face or two in my tweets and Facebook posts. It’s a sign of humor, a signal to my recipients that I may be stating something a little tongue in cheek.

Emoticons have become part of the online lexicon. Whether it’s on Twitter, Facebook, blogs, you name it, emoticons show up in some way, shape, or form. As more people have used emoticons online, the trend has spilled over into business communications.

We’ve all seen it—an email or note from a colleague with a smiley face at the end. But does that mean it’s acceptable, or should be?

That depends. Let me lay out a few scenarios and when I think it is and isn’t appropriate in business.

Appropriate uses

Scenario 1: I’m sending a private message on Facebook to a partner I work with closely on a project. I want to share a funny anecdote as part of the note and include a smiley face.

Scenario 2: I write a tweet that is lighthearted and pokes fun at a mainstream trend for a fun-loving client I work with; it includes a smiley face with a wink at the end.

Scenario 3: I’m sending a text to a business colleague I know well, asking him about a potential partner I’m considering. I add a quick joke at the tail end of the note with a smiley face.

In my view, appropriate uses fall into two big camps: When you’re emailing/texting/private-messaging someone you know very well in business, or when it makes sense for a playful brand or company you represent.

Inappropriate uses

Scenario 1: You’re sending an email to your manager discussing client work and you throw a smiley face in as you make a joke about the client.

Scenario 2: You’re writing a short article for your company’s intranet, and you decide to insert a smiley face in the post to convey some humor, even though it’s a serious topic.

Scenario 3: You’re penning a short email to your client wishing a great Memorial Day weekend, and you add a smiley face to the end simply out of habit.

In general, I would probably refrain from using the emoticons anytime you’re communicating with your manager or boss, communicating with your client (unless you know them very well), or communicating with a mass audience, internally or externally, about a serious topic. The same goes for a brand that is generally more serious in its tone.

So, what do you think? When is it appropriate or inappropriate to use emoticons in work situations?

Arik Hanson is principal of ACH Communications. A version of this article originally ran on his blog, Communications Conversations.

Distinguishing paid, owned, earned, traded, and shared media

Wed, 22 May 2013 13:51:10 GMT

Even seasoned PR pros sometimes have difficulty distinguishing between different forms of media in the digital age. That’s because they all bleed into each other, blurring the lines.

So, what is shared media versus earned media versus owned media versus paid media? And what exactly is shared media?

The nuances can be especially challenging for junior folks cutting their teeth at PR agencies. I’ve seen more than a few otherwise bright eyes go full Cookie-Monster-googly when I discuss this topic in meetings.

An easy way to understand and remember the differences within the media landscape is an acronym Matter Communications came up with called: “POETS” (Paid, Owned, Earned, Traded, Shared). There are exceptions to all of these, and some of them can peacefully co-exist within other categories, but this will get you smart enough to be dangerous:

Paid: If you buy a banner ad or place an ad in a magazine or on the radio, that’s called paid media. You didn’t earn it; you paid for it. No matter how good or bad your product is, the audience will see/read/hear exactly what you want them to. Paid Facebook and LinkedIn ads fall into this camp, as does (in some instances) rewarding bloggers for coverage. In general, consumers are growing more distrustful of ads than ever, because it’s obvious the media was bought and paid for by a company with its own best interests in mind. That’s where native advertising comes in (in which an ad ostensibly poses as valuable content), but that’s a column for a different day.

Owned: If a company has a blog, pumps out e-books or newsletters, creates infographics or “think pieces,” these are all forms of media they “own” and can use to attract eyeballs to their respective websites or landing pages. These typically fall into the content marketing bucket, and, like Paid media, this helps companies keep control of the brand (to an extent).

Earned: This form of media is synonymous with traditional public relations. A company hires a PR agency, the agency weaves a narrative around the company’s products and/or services, and then the agency pitches that story to online and offline publications, blogs, or news outlets. The resulting editorial articles, broadcast hits, or blog posts are called “earned” media, because the company didn’t pay the outlets to write about them. The coverage, therefore, was earned.

Traded: Sometimes two companies will agree to do guest posts on one another’s blogs or will work together on a video series on the same topics. Perhaps they’ll even share booth space at trade show or team up for speaking gigs. In these cases, one company is yielding part of the discussion to another entity, betting that trading part of the stage will return bigger results from a larger network of interested parties. Here’s where it gets nuanced, but many companies are working with influencers and bloggers to garner coverage or social media love in exchange for access, information, or input on a company’s product, etc. The lines can become blurred.

Shared: This one is trickiest to explain and can take on many forms, but essentially, consumers are working in concert with a brand to create and share/promote the brand’s content. For this to happen, the brand must have fans and followers who feel passionately about the brand and want to engage, or the brand has to be giving away something of significant value. A recent example is Lay’s “Do us a Flavor” contest, in which the company asked fans to help pick the next flavor of potato chips. I participated in this form of shared media, and I happened to recommend Sriracha as a flavor. Alas, Cheesy Garlic Bread won.

Parry Headrick is vice president of marketing and communications at Matter Communications. A version of this article first appeared on the company’s blog.

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Why controversies might be good for brands—study

Wed, 22 May 2013 13:48:43 GMT

A lot of brands have taken flak over taking stands on political issues.

There was Chick-fil-A’s flap over the COO’s anti-gay marriage statements last summer. Starbucks, meanwhile, has publicly supported gay marriage. Hobby Lobby has chosen not to offer its employees contraception coverage. The list goes on.

Though PR people certainly remember those incidents, most in the public forget them soon after they happen, according to a report from marketing consulting firm WrightIMC. It found that, largely, brands that stick to their positions may face an initial dip in sales in the month or so after a controversy, but soon afterward, the increased attention the stance brought the brand is actually beneficial.

“Because a brand takes a stand, they get attention,” says Tony Wright, founder and CEO of WrightIMC. “You can’t buy that kind of press.”

As long as brands can tough out the initial pain, stay aware of who their audiences are, and don’t waffle, the outcome might be positive, he says.

Audience awareness

“In the research, one of the things that was very obvious to me was that there are a lot of people that agreed that a brand’s stand affected their purchasing decisions, but not a lot that strongly agreed,” Wright says.

What does that mean? People who aren’t really passionate about the importance of a brand stance will come back, if what you have to sell is good enough.

“Most of the ones that disagreed with you initially will drop off and forget. If your product is high-quality enough, they’ll continue to buy from you down the road,” he says.

Wright offers a caveat, though: Certain audiences care more about political stances than others. For example, consumers in the South tend to agree that stances are important, but not too strongly. In the Northeast, passions run a little higher. Age and income can make a big difference, too, he says.

The long-lasting effect of taking a political stand, Wright says, is lots of online articles about the brand. For companies that have a smart search engine optimization plan in place, that means an increased Internet presence that can supersede the controversy, if the right links make it to the top of search engines.

Making the right moves

Before stepping into the political arena, brands should make sure they have the resources to ride out the month or so of media coverage that will come from it. That includes having crisis plans in place.

“Chick-fil-A and Hobby Lobby, specifically, had more of a framework for how they were going to respond to things based on their culture and their company ethics,” Wright says.

The Susan G. Komen Foundation for the Cure, which revoked its funding for Planned Parenthood, then restored it, erred in doing a complete 180 on its position. That’s the worst thing you can do, he says.

“Companies need to have a personality,” Wright says. “It’s not enough anymore just to be a fly on the wall. Not everyone is going to like you, and that’s OK.”

With more conversation between customers and brands on social media, consumers have an expectation to hear what their favorite brands stand for.

“If you like a company and like what they stand for, you’re much more likely to have a brand affinity,” Wright says. “If a company stands for nothing, they very likely do not have passionate brand advocates.”

Companies shouldn’t force things, though; public stances have to come from the company culture.

“If your company doesn’t have a strong opinion on a specific item, I would not recommend taking a stand,” Wright says. “The point of the white paper is to not be afraid to take a stand because it’s something your company strongly believes.”

More research needed

One interesting detail about WrightIMC’s survey of 3,000 consumers is that the most common answer—about 35 percent of the total—was that respondents said they “neither agree nor disagree” with the questions.

Wright says that answer likely equates to “I don’t know” or “undecided.” WrightIMC used Google Consumer Surveys to collect the data, and the questions were a gateway to premium content. Quite a few users probably chose the middle-ground answer to get through the survey as quickly as possible, Wright theorized.

Because of that, more research is needed on the topic—research that doesn’t come with the limitations of the tool WrightIMC used.

“I would hope, down the road, that someone else would take this up, maybe in academia,” Wright says.

Matt Wilson is a staff writer for Ragan.com.

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5 questions brands should ask before using any social media tool

Tue, 21 May 2013 13:52:40 GMT

I’ve often heard this question from clients: Should we be on (insert shiny, new social media platform here)? My instinct is to say yes, because we want to expand our scope of work with them, and we’re always looking to be innovative. But being a good social media partner requires much more in-depth analysis.

When I was overseeing content strategy and execution for my clients, we would generally work on a POV for each new platform that would come into play. We did this for Pinterest, Instagram, and Vine (among others) over the last few years. Part of that POV was assessing which brands would be a good fit for the platform.

That doesn’t mean the client would automatically sign on for that platform, but it was incumbent upon us to make sure we at least made the recommendation (sometimes over and over and over).

Here are five key questions:

1. Are people using this platform to talk about your brand, your industry, or your competition?

This is easy enough on platforms that use hashtags. I can search #Starbucks on Instagram, for example, and see that nearly 1.9 million photos bear that hashtag. If I’m managing the brand’s social media presence, this tells me that there are 1.9 million potential conversations and pieces of user-generated content out there. This is definitely the right move for that brand to be using that platform (and Starbucks is using it—quite effectively as it turns out).

Part of your research on new platforms should be to assess not just who is talking about your brand but how they’re talking about your brand. If people are actively complaining or bringing up customer service issues on this platform, your strategy will differ from what you’ll do if people are raving about you.

When it comes to your competition, just because they jump off a cliff doesn’t mean you should follow—unless they’re jumping off a cliff into a crystal clear pool of water filled with your current and potential customers.

2. Does this platform align with your demographic?

Maybe people aren’t talking about your brand (or perhaps they’re talking about you sparingly). That certainly shouldn’t preclude you from entering into that platform—especially if it’s used by a demographic that you’re looking to target.

For instance, if you’re looking to reach influential, educated, millennial women, Pinterest is a platform you should strongly consider. Instagram might not be your best bet if that’s the only group you’re looking to target.

3. Is there an opportunity to tell your brand’s story in a new/unique way on this platform?

Brands that are using Vine in an interesting ways—Lowe’s, Smart Car USA, General Electric (sometimes)—are using the platform to tell a good brand story that goes beyond “buy this.”

When Smart Car wanted to show how easy it is to charge its new electric version, a six-second video was the perfect way to do it:

Lowe’s went beyond providing DIY tips in text to show their users how to do things like unscrewing a stripped screw:

If your team can find a way to use a new platform in an interesting fashion, that’s half the battle. So often brands will launch their presence in a new platform, and it’s just a dud.

4. Do you have the resources to maintain a robust presence on this platform?

The days of launching a social media presence to cover an event or product launch are over. Unless you’re going to commit your brand to building and maintaining a robust presence on a platform, don’t do it. It’s up to each individual brand to decide what “robust” means for them, but launching an event-specific account and then shutting it down no longer makes sense.

5. Does this platform logically fit in with your existing digital ecosystem?

Consider the rest of your digital presence, and whether this new platform logically integrates or if it would be on an island. If you can’t fit your always-on and campaign strategies into this platform, it’s probably worth waiting until you jump into it.

These questions certainly aren’t exhaustive, but they can at least get the conversation started. Remember: Any foray into a new platform will require your team to perform a risk assessment and understand any potential pitfalls. Your legal team will want to get involved (and will likely work tirelessly to quash your dreams, as they are wont to do).

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Why marketers choose certain colors

Tue, 21 May 2013 13:51:39 GMT

It’s no secret that different colors evoke different emotions in us, and that marketers have been taking advantage of this for years.

But which colors spur which emotions?

Perhaps most notably, it is said that red stimulates the appetite. That’s why the color is so prevalent with national food chains like McDonald’s, Pizza Hut, KFC, Wendy’s, Popeye’s and Chipotle.

Blue, meanwhile, is the color most preferred by men, and corporations often use it because it is thought to be productive and not invasive.

These and other color-related insights can be found in this infographic from CertaPro Painters:

(via Social Media Chimps)

KFC gets free buzz—from Gaza, of all places

Fri, 17 May 2013 13:54:04 GMT

Just how crave-worthy is KFC’s chicken? In the Middle East, they’re tunneling under the Egyptian border to deliver it to Gaza, according to a New York Times story.

The Times’ Fares Akran explains why something so common to some is revered by others:

Palestinians generally refer to Gaza as being under siege or blockade by Israel, and isolation from the world is among the most common complaints of people here. That can create an intense longing for what those outside Gaza see as mundane, or ordinary.

The story describes the complicated four-hour journey to get from El Arish, Egypt, past the Israeli blockade and into Gaza. There, customers are paying nearly three times what it would cost in stores.

Khalil Efrangi, a 31-year-old entrepreneur, started the delivery business. To avoid complication, his KFC orders are limited to chicken pieces, fries, and cole slaw.

In other finger-lickin’-good news…

The fast-food chain’s “I ate the bones” campaign has met with a positive response—notably from millennials—so KFC’s original recipe might go completely boneless in the near future, according to Fast Company.

(Image via)

7 marketing words to use (and 5 to lose)

Fri, 17 May 2013 13:48:17 GMT

Recently, food marketers targeting millennials have been using "crazy " or "loco," the Spanish word for crazy.

Pizza Hut has Crazy Cheesy Crust pizza. Taco Bell serves Doritos Locos Tacos. Pop-Tarts uses the slogan “Crazy good.”

Though “crazy” is probably a fad, marketing has go-to words that help create conversion regardless of age, industry, or era.

Here are seven words to use in marketing copy to earn better results.

1. Because—People are more likely to do something for you if you give them a reason, even if it’s a crappy one.

A study tested the power of “because” by having participants interrupt someone waiting to use a copy machine.

Sixty percent of people allowed someone to cut in front of them when they said, “Excuse me, I have five pages, may I use the Xerox machine?”

That number jumped to 90 percent when the line cutter said, “I have five pages. May I use the Xerox machine, because I am in a rush?”

2. Value—When considering a product, people want value. They will pay more for something if it provides lasts longer, performs better, etc.

Whereas “value” implies that customers gain something, the words “price” and “cost” (two no-nos listed below) imply that your customers are losing something, most often money.

3. Free—“Free” is a word powerful enough to grab your customers’ attention and even change their buying habits.

Consider a study that offered participants a truffle for 15 cents or a Hershey Kiss for 1 cent. Three-quarters of participants bought the truffle.

When the study dropped the price of both candies a penny, making the Kisses free and the truffles 14 cents, two-thirds of participants chose the Kiss.

4. Secret—Everyone wants to be in on a secret. Using “secret” will draw customers in and make them feel special.

A bonus for using “secret”? It makes content more shareable. Jonah Berger notes that once people learn something is a secret, they have the urge to spread the word.

5. You—Using the second person makes customers feel that you’re speaking directly to them, creating a powerful subconscious connection.

According to StartupNation, “you” is “listed as the No. 1 most powerful word in every study reviewed.”

Use “you” in your headlines, ledes, and anywhere else you can fit it. Many marketers will discard a headline that doesn’t use the second person.

6. The—When analyzing The Economist, two colleagues of mine noticed a theme among the headlines on the cover: “The.”

They determined that using “The” at the beginning of headlines makes it sound like the definitive answer to a question.

Compare these two sentences: Five Secrets of Making Sales on Twitter / The Five Secrets of Making Sales on Twitter

7. Instantly—People like immediate results, a line of thinking unlikely to change in a world of smartphones and Twitter. “Instantly,” “now,” “immediately,” and similar words appeal to this need for instant gratification.

Other words to use: Amazing, Understand, Easy, Free, How to, New, Now, Love, Discovery, Deserve, Happy, Fun.

Five words you should lose

1. Will—“Will” puts customers in the future. Instead, make the benefit of the product appear in the present, enabling your customer to envision using the product here and now. The more connected they are, the more likely they will be to buy.

Example: Your computer will run faster with this new software. / Your computer runs faster with this new software.

2. Exceed expectations—When saying a product or service will exceed expectations, you automatically raise customer expectations. Instead focus your content on what the product does.

Case studies are an exception to this rule. You can certainly quote customers who talk about receiving surprising results.

3. Seasoned, experienced, veteran—Experience doesn’t always equal success. Just because someone cooks dinner every night for the past 10 years, doesn’t mean they make good food. Instead of talking about experience, use concrete evidence to show the effectiveness of your product or service.

4. Noncommittal words (generally, relatively, sometimes, somewhat, etc.)—Copy that sells is authoritative. Customers research because they are informed or have doubts or concerns. Be the authority that delivers the answer.

Note: Avoid noncommittal words in calls to action, especially.

5. Adjectives—Writing copy without adjectives makes copy shorter and more straightforward. Eliminate adjectives whenever possible, especially when giving instructions. If compelled to use an adjective, make sure it enhances the copy.

Other words to lose: Deal, Cost, Pay, Contract, Worry, Loss, Lose, Hurt, Buy, Bad, Sell, Sold, Price, Decision, Hard, Difficult, Obligation, Liable, Fail

Brian Conlin is a copywriter at Vocus. A version of this story first appeared on The Vocus Blog.

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4 lessons marketers can learn from yoga

Thu, 16 May 2013 13:53:26 GMT

As a yoga practitioner and a marketing professional, I have come to see parallels between these two seemingly unrelated practices. The foundational principles associated with yoga can direct our day-to-day and even high-level strategies as marketers.

Read on to learn four marketing lessons from this ancient practice. No headstands or lotus poses required.

1. When the foundation is clear, the execution is successful

In essence, yoga is the continuum of theory and practice. As a marketer, isn’t it our job to create a theory (or strategy) through marketing research and execute upon the theory’s key findings or practice?

A successful marketer does not use one or the other; the back-end research is needed to support the execution. Extensive knowledge of your brand’s intangibles (demographic or psychographic customer insights) drives the tangibles (revenue, product development, sales). Marketing theory and practice can be executed with the smallest tasks or biggest campaigns. When the foundation is clear, the execution is successful—ergo the transference of yoga’s theory and practice to marketing.

2. A mental clean slate helps you think without preconceptions

Yoga is what is traditionally called a liberation teaching (or moksha-shâstra). Liberations of any kind seek to admonish any notions of “why we are” or “what we know.” Liberation allows for a mental clean slate, which allows us to think more clearly and profoundly.

Think of the transference to marketing. We are often clouded by preconceived notions of how we should be communicating with our end customer, even though those notions may not even be relevant or effective. It’s just the time-tested way within your organization to do something, so we continue to do it.

I was in a client meeting last week, and I asked, “Have you ever polled your current customers on how they view your company?” The answer was no. Many companies have a hard time trekking out of their offices into the “field” to chat with folks who have firsthand experience with your business—your customers.

Having a clean slate or a liberated notion of your business will allow you to uncover brand promises that could be one step away coming right from the mouth of your valued customer.

Why do you think consultants exist—for an unadulterated perspective, right? From there, you will be able to move forward with marketing activities that allow you to better reach your current customer. It all starts with a clean slate, free from preconceived notions.

3. Small gestures of kindness can establish customer loyalty

A yogic life is guided by the principle of dharma, which means “law,” “order,” and “virtue.”

Just last week I watched a TED Times Square lecture by HARO founder Peter Shankman. His presentation was “Why Nice Finishes First.” He shared cases of corporations going the extra mile to make small gestures of kindness—and how these gestures turn one-time customers into brand advocates for life. Those gestures seemed to be founded in virtue and morality.

So what can you learn from the principle of dharma? Not only should we be virtuous for the sake of being virtuous, but we should also transfer the principle of kindness and morality to our marketing and business practices. It pays off with customer loyalty in the end.

4. Simplicity helps consumers know your brand better

Yoga teaches us to get back to basics; the more we untangle our lives the better off we are said to become. That yoga principle transfers to marketing perfectly. Are our marketing messages or campaigns clouded by “too much”? Too many graphics, too much copy on our websites, too many calls to action—just general clutter?

Think about the most famed advertising taglines. They are simple yet memorable: Nike’s Just Do It, Apple’s Think Smarter, the Dairy Council’s Got Milk? and Avis’s We Try Harder.

Their websites are equally as succinct with simple, profound, and uncluttered content. That simplicity allows for a clear understanding by consumers of what the brand is all about. As a result, those brands have saturation in just about every home in America.

Allie Gray Freeland is the PR director at iAcquire, a digital marketing agency based in New York City and Phoenix. A version of this article originally appeared on Marketing Profs.

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Edgy ads or just really bad taste?

Fri, 10 May 2013 13:58:19 GMT

Should advertising agencies start calling in PR firms before embarking on edgy mass-awareness campaigns?

After three renowned agencies recently developed advertisements resulting in public humiliation for their blue chip clients, one would think so.

In recent weeks, heads rolled over at JWT India for the apparent leak of an ad depicting the controversial Silvio Berlusconi driving a Ford Figo with three women bound and gagged in the trunk. Ford followed up with a public apology, setting sensitivities on high over potentially offensive campaigns.

Yet in the past two weeks, Hyundai Europe, Pepsico, and General Motors have all circulated public apologies for ads that fueled public disgust instead of piquing consumers’ interest.

“I believe that today, more than ever it is important to have a check and balance before pushing messages out to the public,” says Karen Swim, PR and marketing communications professional. “PR can help identify potential landmines and ensure that content does not diminish a brand’s reputation and credibility with the intended audience.”

Recently, Hyundai Europe generated a tsunami of negative buzz over its ad, Pipe Job. The ad, created by Innocean Europe, showed in harrowing detail a man’s failed suicide attempt while sitting in the eponymous car as exhaust fumes filled his closed garage.

Thanks to Hyundai’s clean emissions technology, the suicide fails.

As soon as the ad aired, the manufacturer took a public beating as consumers lit up their Twitter and Facebook feeds with messages of disbelief—including this poignant blog post from a woman who lost her father through similar circumstances.

“This ad is incredibly insensitive,” says Jodi Echakowitz, owner of Toronto-based Echo Communications. “I get the company has evolved somewhat and they want to be edgy in how they promote their vehicles, but to do so in such a hurtful way is not acceptable for any business.”

Then last week, Pepsico aired a Mountain Dew commercial now known as “the most racist ad ever” featuring a woman who was asked to pick out a criminal suspect from a lineup of black men and a goat. After mainstream and social media channels railed against the implications of the content, the soft-drink manufacturer pulled the ad and apologized.

General Motors quickly followed suit ending an ad purchase for Chevrolet featuring the song “In the Land of Fu Manchu,” in which the girls sing “ching, ching, chop suey.”

“These ads became car wrecks that could have and should have been prevented,” says Jeremy Pepper, public relations and social media consultant. “From the outside it appears these were situations where advertising wasn't aligned with public relations or social media and no one thought beyond the clip for award season.”

Do you think ad agencies are ignoring the implications of bad PR for their clients in search of over-the-top creativity?

(Image via)