Servant of Chaos

Why Social Networking is Imperative for Business and Brands

In the wake of the Enterprise 2.0 summit in Boston this week, I have been taking a peek at the blog coverage and thinking through the opportunities and challenges facing organisations struggling to find their way. (BTW, Stephen Collins has a couple of great posts here, which I am sure he will drill down into on his return.)

A clear intersection for me is the collision between the demands/desires of knowledge workers and the expectations of the business/management. The same is true for branding. We are effectively seeing the 20th Century modes of business (command and control) being subverted by the activities of individuals. The strict hierarchies and mechanisms of control are being called into question by active (consumer) participants and employee evangelists determined to achieve outcomes (often in spite of the barriers placed in their way). As Stephen Collins says:

... there is an active and engaged community out there who want to do this stuff in their organisations or are keen to be a part of organisations that do.

And while many businesses/brands react by blocking or disabling access to social networks, the fact remains -- the PRACTICE of business (just like the PRACTICE of marketing/advertising) is changing in ways that have never before been imagined. These EMERGENT practices require new skills and flexible thinking ... and they may not yet, deliver the value you want. But they will (even the CIA agrees). We (and I do mean "we") just need to create the connections between the practices, our business strategies and our bottom lines -- this is the hard, behind the scenes activities that also need to happen (who said Web 2.0 is all fun and games).

In the meantime, if you are like me, and was unable to attend in person, get your fill of Enterprise 2.0 thinking at the Conference Community site, and start saving for 2009. And before you go, take two minutes to listen to Karen Appleton, VP of Business Development of Box, the file storage utility, talking about the importance of social networks to your business (via Enterprise 2.0 blog).

There Are No Masses

When I was studying at university I fell in love with the poetic, critical analysis of the post-structuralists. For these writers, the location of truth was always shifting which meant seeking it in other places -- context, place and so on.

Two of the most important side effects of this search are "surprise" and "curiosity". We are curiously drawn to the new, unique and novel, holding our surprise in abeyance until it leaps from us shrieking. The post-structuralists deliberately used creative language to tap into this sense of the world, but also to interrogate it. This quote by Raymond Williams (while not really a post-structuralist) is a great example of a shifting truth -- and it seems to apply even more stringently today to brands, consumer culture and marketing than ever before.

So next time someone asks for your mass media strategy, you know how to respond. Go digital.

With thanks to Blaiq.

What's Your Brand's Tag?

When you think of a brand, what word pops into your head? What about your favourite products -- what word? As a marketer, I often wonder what this one word would be ... I wonder whether the messaging that has been constructed is cutting through and whether it resonates with people.

More importantly perhaps, is another question -- do these messages build on or extend the experience of the brand? In particular, I am interested in understanding whether people adopt these words as a way of describing their relationship with the brand -- and if they do, great. The importance of this, is that the foundations of our brand's story lives in the WAY in which your brand is experienced. It is not about the MESSAGING or even the DESIGN appeal, but in the way people construct their STORIES of using, engaging and even consuming your brand. After all, every experience is captured as a story.

Think about it ... what is your best childhood memory? To explain to me, you need to tell a story. You will have told this story to yourself many times over the years. It will have been reinforced. Changed. Revised with new insight and knowledge. But it is the story that captures the ESSENCE of the experience. And this is why messaging is still important -- it provides a framing device around which (hopefully) people will interpret their experience with your brand.

This is why I find Noah Brier's Brand Tag experiment so fascinating. First up, you observe a logo and then enter a single word response describing that brand. You can do this for as many logos as you wish. But then, the best bit -- you can browse the brands and see the responses as a tag cloud -- with the more common descriptors shown in large type.

Now, here's a challenge to all the marketers out there ... write down three words describing your brand. Go to Brand Tags and browse to your brand's tag cloud. How prominent are your three words? Hmmm. Scary.

The Future of Your Brand Is ... Micro

This article is part of the series -- The Future of Your Brand Is ... which will be unfolding here over the coming weeks. Be sure to check out The Futue of Your Brand is Play -- Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3.

If you read blogs, whether they be technology, marketing, education or even business focused, you will be repeatedly hit with the message that the world is changing. Or worse ... that the world has changed, and it is we, the business folks -- the marketers, accountants, analysts, managers and teachers who are needing to catch up. For those working in agencies, the call is also shrill -- with writers variously predicting the death of agencies or demanding a refocus. And while this is one of my favourite topics, the larger picture is about the future of brands and the way that we, as category-resistant consumers are embracing, shunning and extolling them.

But while the consumer landscape has undergone a profound change, it is easy to see why business is slow to move -- for no matter how advanced we are in our "home life", evidence of a leakage from home to profession is minute. Take for example, the humble wiki. How many of you heard of a wiki? How many of you have you have used one? How many have set one up? Who has read something on Wikipedia?

Now I am guessing that many of my blog's readers would raise their hand at at least one of the previous questions. But now ask yourself, does this apply at work? Extend the same question to blogs. Does your company have a blog? Are you involved in it? If not, why not? What are the barriers preventing you?

The skunk blog

There was a time where I did not think that every company or brand needed a blog. I saw blogs as yet another communications channel to be chosen or rejected based on an understanding of your audience and your objectives. But as the pace of digital innovation accelerates, and as it is matched, step for step, by our interest in technology, the measures by which we understand "audience" are shifting. With longer working hours and a blurring of the boundaries between "work" and "life", we are always on the lookout for approaches, tools and technologies (not to mention friends, networks and colleagues) that will help us filter, assess and analyse information regardless of its source. We are in effect "Continuously Connected". This has a profound implication for brands and consumer experience ... and in many ways it is making our experience SMALLER, not larger.

If we think about (and measure) the impact and reach of a brand based on the touchpoints that we have with it, then the digital brand is going to be leaps and bounds ahead of the non-digital brand. And while this takes brand valuation down a "transactional" path, there is some benefit to this. With every click of a mouse, every read of an article or completion of a search query, the digital brand delivers on its promise (unless of course your site is down). And while the transactional value of this brand interaction is small, it creates an impression. It delivers some small piece of value directly to your consumers.

This is where the skunk blog comes in -- the blog that flies below the organisational radar.

Even if your company is slow to start with blogging. Even if there is resistance to the concept. No budget. No interest. The surest way to demonstrate the value of blogging is through blogging -- and there is a long history of skunk projects that have delivered value to companies such as IBM. Sure you will need some type of executive sponsorship to start -- but make a personal approach. Explain the opportunity. Outline the plan of approach and start slowly. Start by listening.

Setup some feed readers or Google alerts for your company name and your main product/service line. Start finding out what conversations are already circling. Find out the best and worse impressions of your brand. Identify your evangelists and anti-evangelists. Compile the data and present it to your friendly executive together with a clear action and activation plan.

Then you start small. Remember -- the future of your brand is micro. Begin to write blog posts, engage with your dissenters and supporters. Comment on their posts. Discuss topics. Dig beneath the surface of issues. Remember, with every page view and every comment, your are building value for your brand.

And while this is brand activation in a microscopic form, there is a macro view too. Google have almost single handedly brought about a revolution in economic models. When we think of digital branding and digital advertising we think Google.

The Behemoth Google Ushers in the Micro

Umair Haque's great article reminds us of the branding challenge that comes about in an economy based on micro-transactions. Based on Google's new position as the #1 global brand (as defined by Millward Brown's Brandz report), Umair describes how ubiquitous and cheap interactions are changing the nature of our relationships with brands. For with every returned search request, with the delivery of a targeted AdSense ad, the insight that comes via Google Analytics or the easy collaboration of Google Docs, Google grows and compounds its brand promise. It really is a brand built click by click.

In fact, when interaction is cheap, the very economic rationale for orthodox brands actually begins to implode: information about expected costs and benefits doesn’t have to be compressed into logos, slogans, ad-spots or column-inches – instead, consumers can debate and discuss expected costs and benefits in incredibly rich detail.

Where many brands invest 5-10% of revenues in the building and expansion of their brands, Google have climbed to the top of the brand heap with minimal brand expenditure. They have no need. Their brand promise manifests with every interaction. With every click. With every page load.

So where does this place the brand or company that has no online presence? What about those brands with outdated websites and no blogs, social network information or visible online community? What does the future hold for them? They may not disappear overnight. But their relevance to a marketplace that has already moved will amount to dollars that Google invests in its branding. Almost zero.

This is not the future you want for your brand.

Update: Seth Godin has a nice post linking this drip-feeding of your brand promise to the power to build trust over time.

Branding is All About the Story

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I have always thought that storytelling was an important part of branding. In fact, much of my work over the last couple of years has been around brand storytelling. And while much of this has had a digital component (or was largely digital in execution), I relied on an understanding of storytelling, brand building and marketing to piece the whole approach together. But fundamentally, you need to have a product or a service that can be talked about. You need something to build your story around. And in the space between the story and the consumer, you have the "experience". It is the experience that is a moment of sharing between your brand and your consumers (more on this in the upcoming The Future of Your Brand is Content).

The way this works is by adding value to the point of interaction within the life of a consumer. For example, when I rode a Ducati motorcycle, I loved it. It made me love the brand. There was nothing like that small adrenaline rush I got while riding. The street cred was awesome. And you could see it in the eyes of everyone around you (and in the eyes of your fellow Ducatisti). But what happens if you have a product that isn't sexy? How do you find a way to build that connection with your consumers and allow them to tell your story?

In this great presentation above, Paul Isakson provides the answer -- "add value through content". Now, of course this is easier said than done, but Paul also provides some great examples of campaigns that are already doing just that -- Nike, My Vegas and the Dominos Pizza Tracker. But for all those agencies out there, just remember there are pitfalls -- see content will kill your agency.

Update: Iain Tait has a nice post that tracks the rise of the ad agency from the boom in the 60s and asks what a NEW agency would look like now (via Kevin Rothermel).

The Future of Your Brand is Play -- Part 2

This article is part of the series -- The Future of Your Brand Is ... which will be unfolding here over the coming weeks. Check out The Futue of Your Brand is Play -- Part 1 here.

When I think back on my childhood friends and how those friendships started, I am amazed. I try to think what it was that drew me towards a particular child. I wonder what he or she saw in me. How did I negotiate the subtle rituals of friendship and why does "finding" new friends become more difficult as you grow older?

One of my nephews is master "friender" and I have been fascinated by his approach for years. I watch as he approaches groups of unknown kids. I observe his body language ... when he hesitates, when he moves forward. I listen to his tone of voice. And I watch the other kids too. I love the naivety and openness of the way he interacts. It is both completely self conscious and unknowing. It is a complex performance which I should, by rights, pay to see.

But the thing that makes this work is that the kids are playing with the same building blocks. At this stage of life, the world is relatively small. Our personal knowledge bases are just being established. We are still learning. Filtering. Growing.

And while the ease with which most kids operate are bound up in the complex rules of our societies and cultures, they are also subject to the developmental themes that permeate our young lives. Understanding these themes explains at least a little, how we make friends and provides vital clues for brands seeking to reach new markets. We only need to test against a certain number of criteria before we discover an affinity ... and from that affinity we can build a more grounded relationship -- one experience at a time.

Branding and kid's play
In the first part of The Future of Your Brand is Play, I talked about why some kids advertising works really well -- because it taps into the nature and methods of kid's play (and I used the Green Machine as an example). There are four major elements to this:
P -- for power
L -- for learning and curiosity
A -- for adventure
Y -- the yelp of surprise and delight

By structuring your messaging and experience design around these elements you are actually working with the major developmental themes of childhood. For example, when kids introduce themselves to each other, one of the last things they do is say their name. It is peripheral to the task at hand. The first step is to establish affinity -- to walk through the building blocks of personal development, giving and taking, finding connections and moving to the next. If there are enough connections across these developmental themes, then the kids will become friends -- at least for a period of time -- and they become friends because they have created a context within which "friending" can occur. From that point, it is all about shared experience, social currency and, to be honest, shared infatuations.

But for brands to manifest these elements correctly, it needs to go deeper. There are four elements but a number of themes ... and the more themes you touch upon, the faster and more completely will your strategy work. The themes and corresponding elements are as follows (let me know if you can see more):
P -- for Power

• Demanding of attention
• Testing limits (boundaries around behaviour, responsibility etc)
• Controlling the controllable
• Belonging

L -- for learning and curiosity

• Skills development
• Negotiation

A -- for adventure

• Exploring an ever changing world
• Actively making the world a better place

Y -- the yelp of surprise and delight

• Recognition and reward
• Self expression

Green with Envy? No it's a Green Machine!

Using the Green Machine example, let's take a look at how and why these elements and themes work.

P -- for power
The name of the "Green Machine" provides a link to power. It organises the product around the sense of power that comes from automation. Clearly the child who rides a Green Machine is a tester of boundaries.

The design of the product is also aggressive -- and innovative. While bikes have a standard set of handle bars, the Green Machine forgoes these, using hand levers instead. This means you will stand out from the crowd -- attention (and plenty of it) will be yours.

L -- for learning and curiosity
As infants start to gain a sense of their bodies, a wonderful transformation comes over the faces. They hold their hands up near their faces and watch as they control the small movements of their fingers. Not only is this a moment of mastery, but also a powerful stimulant to learn.

The design of the Green Machine is clearly radical. It immediately raises a lot of questions. What is it like to ride? How does the steering work? Will my friends think I am cool with this? There are questions of aspiration but also questions to do with the EXPERIENCE of the Green Machine. Just like the infant who suddenly becomes aware of her fingers, tapping into the experiential nature of this toy is a powerful attractant for kids.

A -- for adventure
One of the things that I like about the Green Machine is that it is a DISRUPTIVE experience for kids. It turns the idea of a bike on its head. It moves away from "function" and focuses on designing a powerful experience for kids. In many ways the Green Machine is a non-linear innovation in the trajectory of bikes, and while it may not represent a permanent break -- it exposes kids to the IDEA of an alternative.

And, of course, there are the standard elements of adventure in the product as well -- a sense of challenge and "otherness", the opportunity for mastery and control and the alignment of our sense of self with a brand/product that exists on the margin.

Y -- the yelp of surprise and delight
Crossing over with Adventure, the sense of self expression that comes from the Green Machine is powerful. It is quite visceral. In my mind, I can hear the sound of the plastic wheels crunching across the concrete. I can feel the skidding. But most of all, I can hear my yell as it all happens. Clearly, this is going to be a fun toy. A fad perhaps. But a lot of fun.

Developing infatuations
One of the things that the Green Machine also does successfully is to provide its owner with instant social credibility. But this also extends to friends and acquaintances. There is an abundance of social currency in even standing next to it. The lure of social currency introduces us to the idea infatuation. Is it really the product or the brand that we want? Or is it what comes with it -- the experience, the kudos, the shiny sheen of adulation (real or perceived)?

This public infatuation provides kids with a topic around which they can communicate that extends beyond their common developmental bonds. Through the experience of playing, using and sharing the Green Machine, kids are able to enter into a language that describes their shared world while also reinforcing it. Even the child whose infatuation is unrequited (ie who does not have access to the toy) can share in this experience. The product designers and copywriters have done their job well -- providing kids with a language for infatuation -- from the "adjustable bucket seats" through to the "hug the road tip-proof design" (and let's face it, how many kids really will ride this on a road?). But by activating the PLAY elements and series of developmental themes, there is something greater to be learned ... this is not just about kids, kids marketing or even play. It is about centering your brand around the experience of its greatest proponents. What we now call "word of mouth" was practiced daily in the schoolyards of my youth. Understanding that play is ageless opens yet another door to the future of your brand.

Play is ageless -- content in the age of digital strategy
The Internet, social media, Web 2.0, game consoles and so on have brought a level of play into the world of adults and into the world of business. As Jordan McCollum points out, a study by Burst Media demonstrates that a range of age groups consider that Internet content is focused on their age group:

• 76% of 18-24 year olds believe this
• 73.9% of 25-34 year olds believe this
• 55.7% of 35-44 year olds believe this

And while the figures are massive from a targeting and positioning point of view something doesn't add up. Well, it doesn't add up in the world of old media and stale demographics. What this does suggest is that those who engage with and consume digital media do not conform to the patterns of behaviour that we have come to expect. This also means that if there is a belief that Internet content is focused around a wider number of people, then the potential reach of your branding efforts is mind bogglingly large. But how does a brand reach out to and engage with this wide, savvy and individualistic audience? This is about creating a bi-directional brand model. It is about tapping into the elements of PLAY and building your strategy around this. It is about KIDSPERIENCE.

My next excursion will take you into the world of "kidsperience". Check back later this week or make it easier and subscribe to my feed.

Bank Turns Its Back on Lifetime Value? Which Bank?

DSC0195601
Originally uploaded by freddoslife

It was exciting. Truly exciting. The tall man with short, dark hair leaned down over my desk and put something small and dark on my desk. I looked closely. It was a grey book with black writing on the front. The book itself, sat neatly in a plastic sleeve -- clear on the front and a bright green on the back. A quick smile. A word of thanks. And he was off to the next child waiting expectantly.

Like all the other children, I eagerly picked up the package, slipped the book out and felt its surprising weight in my hot little hands. Inside the book it was a new world. There were no pictures. It was neat. Official. And there was my name, written in capitals in full. At the top of the page, a single number shone out. 4.00. It was a whole world in numbers. My life savings. Four dollars. And I was as proud as a button.

In my school, like in many others across the country, the Commonwealth Bank would sponsor children in primary school so that they could open a bank account. In many cases, this is the first "official" document in a child's name, and for me, it was a vivid moment of self identification. This program helped to establish a pattern of savings, to introduce us to the concept of banks and "interest" -- but it went further. It was part of our education ... it included a visit to the bank -- an excursion. There was an almost mystical induction into the world of finance and there was the weekly repetition of class deposits -- each Wednesday we would bring our savings into class in small brown envelopes. Magically our passbooks would return at the end of the day with an updated total.

From a branding point of view it was an absolute coup -- the bank through the "Dollarmites" program has early and sponsored access to a new generation of customers. The ritualistic induction created a memory and provided an experience unlike any other, and our behaviours were moulded and reinforced each week.

With such a powerful program in place, it confounds me that the Commonwealth Bank would do anything that would bring this program into disrepute. As reported by the Sydney Morning Herald, a young girl had opened a school account and was waiting for the arrival of her passbook. But instead of a crisp new book, she received a curt, impersonal letter:

Dear XXX… We acknowledge receipt of Katelyn's Youthsaver application dated 19 February 2008. The bank is not prepared to offer you this or any future banking facilities unless you receive written advice to the contrary.

Yours sincerely, John Steny.

This rejection was based on the child's mother's credit rating and previous dealings with the bank. And while the bank has since changed its mind and offered the girl an account, this impersonal action will have had a number of impacts on the girl, her family, her network of school friends and her local community. It is hard to believe that a bank would be willing to forego a potential lifetime relationship and to risk wider damage to its school program and brand -- for the sake of $450.

The bank certainly seems to be living up to its motto of "determined to be different".

Ikea Ads Put it Together

David Koopmans sent me this very funny compilation of IKEA ads. My favourite? I am sure you will be able to tell. Just watch it through.

Five Impacts of New Media

  on the press 
  Originally uploaded by Nick Sherman

Looking at new (or social) media, it is easy to see that there are some powerful forces driving change across our cultural, our social and even our political landscapes. These five impacts can be summarised, broadly as:

• Experts coming under pressure from new voices who are early adopters of new technology
• New organisations emerging to deal with the social, cultural and political changes
• There is a struggle to revise the social and legal norms -- especially in relation to intellectual property
• The concepts of identity and community are transformed
• New forms of language come into being
• Educators are pressured to prepare their students for the newly emerging world

Now while this seems obvious, pause for a moment. This list comes from Elizabeth Eisenstein on the invention of the printing press, and while it speaks to us in our current state, these changes have actually been underway for hundreds of years.

Why is this important? Because the printing press ... and for that matter, blogs, social networks, video and picture sharing tools, conversational and other "Web 2.0" sites are not just tools. They don't just FACILITATE communication and interaction. They MEDIATE it. The impact of this is profound.

If the way that we understand the world is, in turn, mediated by it, then those brands that do NOT engage with new media are placed at a significant disadvantage. This goes beyond the question of whether your company or brand "should have a website" or a "blog", but whether it is important for you to be part of the web of signification that creates the worlds that we live in.

There is a great shift and a great debate still just beginning (remember, for all the joy and speed that comes with the Internet, we still buy books in record numbers). Can you and your brand afford to ignore these changes? Or worse -- will you ignore the chance to engage with and SHAPE the future of media (and therefore our future lives)?

Given the ease with which you CAN engage, it's not a question of how, but how much. Even dipping your toe in the water is a start. Begin here.

Oh, and if you want to go deeper, check out Michael Wesch's presentation on Human Futures for Technology and Education. More power to you.

Digitial Natives -- Is Your Google Tattoo Showing

Tattoogle
Originally uploaded by lowereastside

Last week I gave a lecture to Dennis Price's MBA class on social media. It was great fun (for me), and I hope, beneficial for the students. One of the questions that kept coming up was "why do you blog" -- or more precisely, what is the value model that drives/informs my blogging.

My standard response is this -- blogging provides me with a disciplined approach to creativity, innovation and writing. This blog is a scrapbook of my ideas that I use to map and document my thinking, often returning to an idea months later. This makes my blog, for me at least, a veritable feast of content and concepts -- though sometimes the connections between ideas and actions, between strategies and activations are less than clear. Often this is because I am wanting to provoke potential methods of activation, not constrain them.

Often an idea will come upon me unexpectedly. In this situation, I normally login to the blog and type up a one line or one paragraph entry. If there is a link I will include it. Then I publish this as a draft. Later, when I have more time, I return to the draft to think it through and provide some context.

One such draft that I have been meaning to return to is this one. It is on the concept of digital natives, and in particular, on the podcast between two very clever social media thinkers and commentators -- Anna Farmery and Paull Young. And while I admit that there are problems with the terms "digital native" and "digital immigrant", they do provide a starting reference to form a conversation as you will notice in Show #136 of Anna's The Engaging Brand podcast.

I won't spoil the podcast for you, but there are some excellent points that Paull and Anna make, including:

• The identity of digital natives is in flux (as it is for all of us in our early 20s) -- and as such it is not yet aligned with our profession. This means there is a focus on the way that "work" and "life" co-mingle
• One of THE most important aspects of job choice is the opportunity to work with friends (or to make friends)
• This brings a special focus on the alignment of PERSONAL values and BUSINESS values. For businesses wanting to attract and retain digital natives, this touches concepts such as corporate social responsibility, flexible working conditions and accelerated responsibility
• Digital natives are impatient for outcomes. They are caught between wanting to overcome barriers to action (short term achievement) and achieving longer term beneficial change in the workplace and the world.

There are many other great points raised through the podcast, so it is well worth a listen (or you could simply subscribe to Anna's iTunes store). Paull mentioned that the digital natives are the first generation to be born with a Google Tattoo (he attributes this to Geoff Livingston). Think about that from a brand point of view. Listen to the podcast. How is understanding that level of commitment going to impact your hiring practices (it should), how will it change your search for talent (it will) and why will this transform the marketplace for your products and services (it already has)?

Remember, if the digital natives have a Google Tattoo showing, then the digital immigrant also displays the marks of their history. How are your markings influencing your future strategies and visions? Perhaps it is time to recast our ideas and approaches.

When a Brand Speaks with a Customers Voice

Erin Esurance
Originally uploaded by scottmw1971

Conversations swirl around the touchpoints of a brand. We mention our favourite brands over lunch, we wear them, carry them and sometimes even drive them. And what makes their study so fascinating and the demands of their stewardship so challenging is that they can and do embed themselves very deep in the human psyche.

In the claiming of a brand, we seek to own, consume and digest some spirit that projects beyond ourselves. And the open identification of our selves with a brand allows others of the "tribe" to spot us in a crowd. The brand marks us out to our kin and kind -- fugitives, family and refugees all at once.

And yet even as we begin to take ownership of brands, even as we incorporate branded trademarks and language into our everyday speech, there are many companies who fail to notice our actions. They avoid our incantations, turn away from our devotions and swivel their eyes inwards. Meanwhile our efforts of brand cocophany provide the meaningless backdrop for discussions on typeface, look and feel or customer experience. Surely a moment's attention is not too much to beg?

Ah yes, but what happens when a brand that you have lovingly crafted takes on a life of its own? What happens when your own efforts at outreach fall flat, while the community's efforts vastly outstrip your own -- in popularity, in style and in AUTHENTICITY? What happens when your brand voice sounds better coming through the mouths of your customers?

I only ask because of this discussion started by Chris Kieff around Erin Esurance. Chris nicely documents a series of brand eruptions that have broken out across the social media landscape and charts their effectiveness. It is clear that the work of fans resonates more strongly than efforts of the company and its agency.

So what is one to do? Chris has some good answers. What are yours?

Towards a Holistic Brand

No matter what you think of Microsoft or the philanthopic efforts of Bill Gates, there is no doubt that Gates' work is having a significant impact. It seems that Gates is now taking on the influences of writers such as CK Prahalad and Hans Rosling -- and considering that money -- that economic power, may not just be the force for change. In this WSJ article, Gates calls for a "kinder" form of capitalism that cares for the poor as well as the rich.

Dino Demopoulos discusses this in a great post, Doing Well By Doing Good. In it he touches on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and a renewed rejection of it by The Economist. But in a empassioned plea for a more inclusive future, Dino hopes that CSR is not stamped out in a purely rational vision of the corporate future:

Social entrepreneurism, "creative" capitalism or whatever else it is being dubbed is a good thing that we're hearing more and more of. I know that sounds blissfully ignorant, kind of superficial and overly optimistic, but it's what I believe.

The fact that Bill Gates has taken a step back to consider the short-comings of capitalism is a milestone. Not that the world's richest man is proposing some radical change -- he is simply focusing on an outcome that he wants to achieve and then considering and planning how he can get there. He is combining strategy with execution.

I think we should turn debate around a little and ask, how this approach applies to brands, to markets and to the consumers/marketers/strategists/participants in global conversation that we all are (in one form or another)? Sure we need to consider the business of marketing and of brands. We need to ensure healthy consumer relationships, brand equity and ongoing sales and profit margins. But these can no longer be seen in isolation ... they have to be seen as part of the interconnected flow of economies that encompass our personal, professional, political, creative and ethical dimensions. All these impact our decision making, our identity and inform the choices that we make about who we work for and why, how we live our lives and how we spend our time and our resources.

It is time we thought through the holistic brand ... and how it changes the way we define what it is that we "do".

Measuring Audience 2.0

  Eyeballing 
  Originally uploaded by fotologic

So I am sitting there in a meeting in a far-off Asian country. Seated all around me are marketing managers and directors from my client's company. My colleagues and I are slightly jet lagged but hyped -- the countdown to our presentation is only minutes away. We just have to wait through one more presentation on "digital strategy" from another agency. The irony is not lost on us ... we are, after all, about to present a solution to the challenge of digital strategy -- and we feel like we have nailed it.

Then it starts. Well, I thought -- "I don't know a lot about digitial". Hmmm. "But what I do know, is you can't measure it". What? I stifle the intake of my breath. This is not the time. This is not the place.

To my surprise I look around the room and observe a sea of nodding heads. Not a dissenting voice. Not one.

As I mentioned in this post on measurement some time ago, the idea of tracking hits and even page views seemed quaint and outdated. But what if there really was an AUTOMATED way of measuring what your audience ... or what your PARTICIPANTS were interested in? What if you could use this to refine your site/project/marketing efforts -- on the fly?

Josh Catone has an interesting article on the new Alenty  site engagement measurement tool. Sure it seems to be focused on banners, but I have a feeling that it would be much more beneficially deployed under the hood of your community system. Imagine if Microsoft turned this on for Facebook? How about a widget for Typepad that allows bloggers to tap into the data about their blogs? Or imagine what this would mean for game developers?

In the future, this sort of technology will be mandatory for all branded content. Not only that, when combined with upstream and downstream analytics, the potential for us all to understand what works, what doesn't and the IMPACTS of our cohesive branding, design and experience efforts will transform the business of branding. And yes, it really is all about the audience. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

Brands -- Are Bloggers in Your Sights?

From the outside, the "blogosphere" is a weird, anarchic and slightly self-obsessed world. With over 70 million blogs and countless thousands starting up each day, it is little wonder that most brand managers, marketing directors and CEOs have no idea where to start.

But have you thought about it? Who are these people who write blogs? And how would you respond if a "blogger" contacted you? Do you have a strategy? A policy? Any idea?

Here is how one leading brand responded to an inquiry about their latest ad campaign:

“Unfortunately we are unable to respond to your inquiry because [we do not] ... participate with nontraditional media outlets. This practice is in place to allow us to focus on publications that reach our core guest".

Can you guess which brand this is? Have you heard about it already?

To my surprise, this was the response that was sent by Target to Amy Jussel, Executive Director of Shaping Youth. Amy had written to Target protesting about the depiction on their latest billboard -- they are, after all, a family brand and one which should have an affinity with organisations such as Shaping Youth. Indeed, Target's "values" include the following statement:

From national partnerships to local initiatives to our own programs, Target is committed to making our communities better places to live.

This story has now been picked up by the New York Times ... and has spread like wildfire. And while the focus of discussion by NYT has been around whether brands should treat bloggers the same as traditional media outlets, there are other things to consider. Amy is not your average blogger -- she runs a professional and high profile not-for-profit organisation. She is a parent and she is a regular patron of Target. Before this episode, there was clear a affinity between Amy, Shaping Youth and the Target brand. But the actions (or non-actions) of one of Target's employees (or PR team) has had an amplified reaction. What could have been done better. Let's take a look:

• Keep it real: Clearly Target has a digital/social media strategy of some sort. They have done some high profile work with Facebook and have amassed over 20,000 members to their group -- so clearly the response was not completely honest.
• Quick research: In the time it takes to send a form response to an inquiry, you can easily do a search on the domain, the blog or the profile of the person writing in. In Amy's case, Shaping Youth clearly appears at the top of a Google search with the following description -- "Shaping Youth is a consortium of media and marketing professionals concerned about harmful media messages to children". A moment's research can help guide your response.
• Blog it for free: Time and time again, companies ask whether they should blog or not. Clearly a consumer brand could actively use a blog to engage, converse and discuss a range of topics. A blog would have provided a space for this discussion and would have allowed them to enter this conversation in a more natural and harmonious way.

For brands, the question might be "are bloggers in your sights"? The reverse is certainly true -- brands are in the sights of bloggers. And while one blogger acting alone may have limited impact, en-masse, it is a very different ball game. Perhaps Target could benefit from the social media insight and skills of Mack Collier, Drew McLellan or Christina Kerley.

What do you think? Is TargetGate a parallel to Dell Hell?

Some Marketers are Liars. Some Just Stupid.

Sometimes I wonder why marketers have a bad name. There are many that I know who actively strive to do good things, raise awareness, build brands, generate sales, prod, poke and provoke us into doing better work, create job and professional opportunities and to bring people together. These are smart, passionate people who can deliver creative and compelling business value and would have no problem taking a seat at the boardroom table.

But then, you see something that draws your breath. Makes you see the marketing world as others do ... as illogical, tactically oriented and slightly foolish. This piece of "brand insight" from Martin Lindstrom surprises me ... he is talking about the way that branding bottled water with "PWS" (public water source) can actually drive sales ... that by publicly admitting that you are using PWS (ie tap water) that you can create a "first mover" advantage in the North American beverage market -- and that people won't actually mind. By way of example, he cites the tobacco industry. But these are very different products and categories. And unless I am mistaken, there are no addictive elements added to water.

Dennis Howlett points out that telling the truth should not hurt the beverage industry, and says, "If you can't trust the brand, then what can you trust?". This is exactly the point that seems lost in Lindstrom's analysis. Encouraging any brand (let alone leading brands such as Coke) to play fast and loose with the truth is inviting a tidal wave of social media criticism. In an increasingly connected world, brands are only as squeaky clean as their last campaign -- and we consumers, audiences, segments and participants are far less forgiving and more determined than ever before. The sooner brands start to rethink their network of advisors and start listening to agencies that get it, the better off we all will be.

Bridging the Gap

The more I think about Heart Intelligence, the more I like it as a way of understanding communications. It is like a lovemark with ... well, a lovemark with a brain. It takes "gut instinct" and recontextualises it as a form of logic -- it gives us a way or perhaps, a reason, to confirm our sense that there is something deeper at play in the way that we communicate. It certainly provides an understanding of the desire or impulse to "connect", but it also provides a tangible link to our bodies. At first instance, heart intelligence makes a great deal of sense in relation to communities -- both on and offline -- but it also makes sense in terms of any form of human communication. (Bloggers should be able to relate to the increased heart rate and adrenaline rush that comes when you receive your first comment.)

When I was looking through the presentation deck below (courtesy of Katie), I was struck by the way that the principles and approaches to bringing brand strategy and design together reinforced this idea of heart intelligence. However, I am thinking that heart intelligence is a way of understanding brands and communication from the consumer backwards, not the brand forwards. More to come on this!

Social Media is Not a Silver Bullet

I almost always read Richard's Adliterate blog, but with the drama in the lead-up to Christmas last year, I must have missed this post on building better brands. The diagram here came out of another discussion that Richard was hosting, and it distills a whole range of thinking around whether or not you have a brand idea. What Richard was driving at was the difference between a brand idea and an advertising/creative idea.

In that I have been thinking about the nature of brands in some depth recently, it is quite fortuitous that I have stumbled upon this. I love its simplicity. And I think this is well timed considering the resignation of Cramer-Krasselt, Chicago over CareerBuilder's Super Bowl ads (via JaffeJuice):

Cramer-Krasselt, Chicago, has resigned as CareerBuilder's agency of record after a five-year run. In an internal memo issued today, the agency's president, Peter Krivkovich, said CareerBuilder put its account up for review after the agency's Super Bowl ads failed to rank in the top 10 in USA Today's viewer poll.

It seems unbelievable that the measurement of the success of a Super Bowl ad could hinge on a viewer poll. But it is even more unbelievable that the marketing team over at CareerBuilder could have such a narrow view of a brand -- or at best, a confusion over the nature of a brand idea.

But it seems that this is not as crazy as first thought. Reading through the comments over at Adliterate, I found this interesting comment by Robert:

When planning, I try to find a truth people can embrace. I guess 'beauty' is about attraction. They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder and I think that is right. When someone feels attracted to a conceptual thought, proposition, message, story - whatever you want to call it - it is because they recognize something important from themselves in it. People don't see the world as it is; they see it the way they are. And if they feel attracted to an idea, that is because they see their truth. A truth that ties in well to their beliefs.

Marketers are also attracted to ideas. The CareerBuilder team were focusing on user polling. They must have expecting buzz. Or YouTube viewing statistics. Or ... Or ... And while their expectations were obviously not met, it is clear that the "idea" of social media was top of mind. Whether this was communicated to the agency or not ... I don't know. But just because social media is growing in influence, it doesn't mean that its measurements can be used to judge all media/creative. Sometimes social media is NOT the answer ...

It is just a shame that ideas can sometimes overtake commonsense. It is why I prefer lots of small, momentum building ideas than one BIG one ... when your big idea misses the mark, it can take you out.

How Deep is the Hole Your Brand is In?

Cliffs End Farm - digital survey
Originally uploaded by Wessex Archaeology.

Interbrand's Brand Marketer's Report for 2007 has been released and makes for some interesting reading. You can download your own copy here.

Interestingly, "consistency" is seen to be the most important aspect of successful branding. This made me think. It made me wonder. It made me realise that there are many brands and brand managers out there digging themselves a very large hole.

If consistency is one of the most important aspects of branding, then how is your brand going to withstand the forces of co-creation? How will you and your organisation cope with the ravages of consumer generated content? What will you do about blogs? YouTube? Flickr?

I am all for consistency -- but consistency of story ranks high for me. Get that right and your brand is safe in the hands of your consumers.

The End of Advertising?

I love this picture by David Armano. I am particularly fascinated by the way that David is able to tease out a problem and turn it into something visual. I guess that is, in part, what makes him and his work + blog so successful (does this sound like blog envy). But one of the reasons that David's work is so strong is because of what his visuals DO NOT say.

There is no doubt that David is tapped into the blogosphere zeitgeist ... a quick review of his most popular posts will show that his thinking is at the very forefront of blog/interactive strategy. But where he is consistently strong is in positioning the questions that allow us all to enter the debate. He certainly stimulates my thinking and pushes me to ask questions about my own approaches, theories and working processes.

This recent post is a great case in point. On the surface, this post is about R/GA being awarded AdWeek Interactive Agency of the Year, but as David explains, combining storytelling with a compelling experience is not easy (if it was we would all be doing it). It is clear that new modes of storytelling and new forms of engagement are emerging -- in fact, they are being demanded by consumers -- but central to this shift in the consumer-brand dynamic is the seismic shift in technology that continues to undermine the role of agencies. But not all agencies ... just those that refuse to acknowledge and adapt to the shift. (OK this is really the subject of another post ...)

Perhaps what is most interesting in this is not the agency world, but the consumer world. For example, if consumers are the ones who generate your ads, then are they still called ads? If the direction of your art comes not from "creatives" but spills forth from the fertile imaginations of your most passionate brand advocates, is it owned by the brand or by the creator? And if the emotional resonance of this work carries more weight and generates more sales than "professional" work, does the applause ring out or does it sound like the end of an industry?

Wiggling your way to the top

  Wiggles & The Big Red Car 
  Originally uploaded by Bj74.

What makes a good brand great? What do you need to wiggle your way from the bottom of the pile to the very top? And how do you bring your audiences along with you?

Last year, The Wiggles were Australia's highest earning entertainers. But they didn't start at the top ... they started in car parks, playing to four people. Find out a little more about the way that they built their brand in my article over at The Daily Fix (the feature article today, thanks Ann!).

Toot, toot, chugga, chugga!

Knowing Your Consumers

The tag
Originally uploaded by chuvaness.

A great lesson today in knowing your consumers and how to respond to them ... found by following my nose along the rich Z-lister path.

The folks over at ExtraTasty point toward this interesting article on Goyard, the luxury goods brand that REALLY focuses on "personalised" service. It is interesting that they focus on "personalised service" rather than "customer service" or even "customer experience".

Special stripes and personal monograms can be included in your Goyard luggage/accessories when you order, but you need to KNOW where to go before even thinking about it -- there are only 12 stores around the world. And you CANNOT (as far as I can see) order online. You see, the focus is on allowing customers to "feel a kind of authorship in the process".

With my interest in writing I am sure you are not surprised to see this comment pricked my ears. When I look at the elegant travel luggage it reminds me of a time when international adventuring took weeks not hours and provided time for reflection, drinking, diversion and writing (I am sure I am romanticising here). However, there is no escaping the allure of a a slow-boiling brand or the benefits of quality, prestige and access to a long tail.

With a ZERO advertising spend but 90% sales growth in its only wholly-owned boutique in Paris, the Goyard team obviously have a great handle on "non-traditional" approaches. They certainly have a story to tell -- and even better -- their product IS the story. I expect that this style of luggage would actually PROMPT conversation while in the act of travelling -- while waiting at the carousel playing luggage roulette, in the Club waiting for a boarding call, or at the hotel checking in.

Now, that is clever.
S.

Context is King

I was just over at Asi's blog following up some juicy hypertext love, and came across this great quote. And following on from this post on copywriting, I was struck by the way this quote readily applies to other situations ... particularly the challenge of new/social media (actually that was kind of easy because that is the topic of Asi's post).

Asi has taken a piece of copy supporting An Inconvenient Truth and brought it into the discussion about measuring the effectiveness of YouTube over a Super Bowl spot.

The thing is, this goes to the heart of the marketing/advertising industries ... the answers to this are going to be seismic. The challenge for agencies is not how to keep afloat as the world changes, but how to reinvent themselves in a meaningful way. As Google and Yahoo and MSN etc all consolidate or dis-intermediate the agency space, there will be increasing fallout and change. And the winners will be ... you all know already ;)

Don't pretend that you don't!

S.

Regal Insight

Stephen King
Originally uploaded by denisol.

The Staufenburgers have done it again! While digging around in the famous Repository, Patrick has uncovered yet another gem.

This time it is a paper entitled "What is a Brand?" by Stephen King. Check it out while it is still available here.

Makes you remember that the fundamentals have not changed ... and that while it can be easy to get carried away with technology, it should not be an end in-itself.

Wishing is Not a Business Strategy

Orb
Originally uploaded by _mpd_.

Sometimes our clients think that we have a crystal ball ... that somewhere in a dark corner of our offices there is a black velvet curtain under which lies the holy of holies ... This magic orb is supposed to house a potent mix of business/brand strategy and the ingredient that will turn an idea into reality.

Of course, this is the role of the agency ... so we should not complain (and I keep my crystal ball in my bottom drawer) ... but an agency cannot manage a client's internal alignment. We can talk big picture strategy and brand-customer engagement but we also need to make sure we truthfully tell our clients what it will cost to DO what they want. We need to prompt the conversations that will ensure the project succeeds for our client WITHIN their organisation as well as with their target audience.

Steve Vaught has a great post over at Mike Wagner's Own Your Own Brand blog that speaks to all of us who deal with clients -- internal and external. He references the five forces of brand ownership, focusing on "truthfulness" and explains the challenge for strategic execution is to deliver on your promises -- "branding isn't about something you say, it's about something you do".

As marketers our challenge is to take on some elements of brand ownership. We need to be responsible for helping our clients understand where a program will work -- what the barriers may look like and how to avoid them. We need to be realistic and advise our clients about the business impacts of success and wild success. And even though they may provide poor briefs we can't just with the challenges away. We tell our clients not to expect a wish to come true, and we shouldn't expect it either. We need to plan and prepare and guide the way. As Steve says "wishing is not a business strategy". But planning should be.

S.