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Filed under: marketing | Tags: baby, birth, LDS Hospital, marketing, Portrait Studio, Sears
One month ago I talked about being in right place at the right time. This last weekend, I saw this forcefully and not-so-forcefully in action (but neat for the advertisers, nonetheless).
On Saturday, August 23rd, I took my wife to the hospital. She was well into labor and I was about to embark on one of my biggest life-changing experiences. It was around 4 am when we finally got to LDS Hospital, and she and I were quite tired, excited, nervous, and I, who, in my fatherly role, was about to leave my soon-to-be child and the love of my life into the capable hands of the nurses, doctors, and staff at this institution—I was quite unsure and honestly scared. I brought her to the front of the hospital so she could start the admittance process and I went to park the car. While hurrying back from the parking lot, I stopped to notice a sign above the entrance door.
It says:
We’ve been named a top hospital by U.S. & World Report. Again.
They may be named for being a top hospital for appendectomies, I don’t know. But to read that, at a fearful time, at 4 am, right before you know that they will be treating your wife and bringing your child into the world, I cannot express how much that message at that place at that time meant to me.
5 hours, 23 minutes later, we welcomed our little one.
When I brought her and him home yesterday, I took a little time to grab our mail when I had a few free seconds (turns out, there is not often now that I have a few seconds). In the mail was a mailing from Sears Portrait Studio that read, “congratulations. your new baby is here.” and then offered a free portrait and sitting. Not as emotionally needed as the hospital validation, but it was perfectly timed and is now not sitting in the trash as is most of the direct mail pieces sent to our home.
Filed under: innovation, marketing | Tags: Apple, execution, Flickr, Google, marketing, Microsoft, perceptions, PhotoSynth
Yesterday Microsoft Live Labs did a consumer release for PhotoSynth, a cool photo, combining software. If you haven’t heard of it, it “stitches” images together
allowing users to create their own virtual scene from a series of 20 to 300 pictures (source: Wired).
As I started to try it out, I thought, “Is this really Microsoft?” I mean, this sort of innovation seems more like Apple, Flickr, or Google. I was pretty impressed with the concept, especially that Microsoft had come out with it.
And then I actually used it. I gave it an easy task: put three pictures of adjacent areas in a park near my home together.After crashing my application twice so far, and now still “in process” with my “synth”, I saw that Microsoft’s personality has come through; I am unsure if my project is in process or just stuck (there is no status bar).
Fair enough that they are probably overwhelmed (they have mentioned that a few times today), and I should give them some more time to work out the bugs. The concept is very cool, they simply weren’t ready for people to really try. It’s too bad; it really has lowered Microsoft’s chance to become a more creative company in consumers’ eyes. First impressions are important but not absolute—confirmations of previous perceptions are much more dangerous.
As much as we talk about mindshare and positioning and other high level strategies, proper execution is tantamount to success.
Filed under: brands, community, marketing | Tags: Brains on Fire, brands, communities, marketing, Spike
As I pointed out in Manifesto 02, the secret to great brand building is to “understand [a] consumer community.” Not to be the leader necessarily, but to be “an integral part of the tribe.”
Too often it seems that brands are trying to be built on a delusional platform that the brand will be the center of their consumers lives. And many marketing thought-leaders (whether real or imagined) espouse this notion that all brands can be such. It was, therefore, nice to read Brain on Fire Spike’s comments yesterday on this subject:
What’s been forgotten is the basic principle that we all learned from the beginning: We cannot be the center of anybody’s universe. They will not rotate around it. Fixate on it. Or make their lives all about your product or service. But what we CAN hope to achieve is to become included in their universe. To be a part of it. To fit within their lives. It’s a common thing to hear around here that “it’s not how that customer fits into brand X. It’s about how brand X fits into that customer’s life.”
That’s how the really effective (and often less-than-glamorous—except to stakeholders) offerings succeed. It is not being the figurehead; it is being the irreplaceable backbone.
Filed under: community | Tags: Aaron Peirsol, Apple, baby name, Brendan Hansen, communities, Cubs, fire, gold medal, Jason Lezak, Michael Phelps, olympics, relay, Seth Godin, Triiibes
The afternoon my grandparents home burned to the ground was one of the coldest days on record for Western Idaho. Our pipes froze and then burst that morning, and my Mom thought that bursting was the reason that a family friend had remarked (while she was out shopping) that he was sorry about the “trouble we had had out on the farm.” By the time she was made it home, she could see that the small fire had moved from its origin (a heater beneath an engine block) to consume the entire structure. The firefighters’ hoses were ineffective in the cold against the blaze, and after experiencing increasingly dangerous conditions and the outset of hypothermia, they had give up the battle.
And yet, something was created that day. Dozens of helpers emerged spontaneously, saving pictures and heirlooms and furniture. In families and farm towns, grievances are known to fester, but on this day, they were forgiven through hugs and tears. On that day, the Tribe of the Fire was born, evermore connected by their mutual actions to support their fellow human, in this case, at risk of their safety and well-being.
The Tribe of Michael Phelps is incredible and massive. It crosses all social and economic divisions and is well worth examining has hero worship (of an atypical hero). But, in spite of this, I was more interested in a much smaller Phelps’ tribe. One of the most touching scenes of this year’s Olympic Games was following Phelps’ 8th gold medal, this final one in a relay, he, with overflowing thanksgiving, expressed his gratitude in words and an embrace to Aaron Peirsol, Brendan Hansen, and Jason Lezak—each member of that relay team. This team-led creation is powerfully bonding. Together they accomplished something that he, in his multiplicity of talents, could not. This Tribe of the Relay will always be bound by their striving together to do something greater. I, like I am sure others, have felt similar gratitude when being part of a successful team.
Last week, I issued a challenge for help on Seth Godin’s Triiibes; my wife and I hadn’t yet decided on our soon-to-be-born baby’s name. As I mentioned in the post, I wanted to experiment with what would happen if I asked for help. The results were fantastic. Seth wanted Dumbledore, Ed was incredulous about that suggestion. Multiple Triiibe members did some homework to find out what domains were available (Ted informed that AlistairFisher.com was available). There were many other comments (20 in total), some helpful, some not so much.
During the course of this little test, the little transient Tribe of Naming Our Baby was born. Rules began to be established (more than what I had set), for example, Steve said to have the given name as the first name, and Bernadette and Ted warned against too unique of names. Of course, one thing we will see is where the real power lies (in this case, my wife).
One way that tribes succeed is in the work for something beyond the individual members, and through this work, they become closer and more connected. The large tribes: Apple, Cubs, Michael Phelps—they have their leaders, rites, and rituals, but the strength of affinity is often no match for these spontaneously created tribes that are formed around the common motivation of something greater.
Investing just a little time in these outreaching efforts—it’s what binds us as humans; it is a transformative power to change crowds of people into communities of friends.
That is an incredible power to harness.
Filed under: community | Tags: Boston, communities, England, Idaho, Triiibes
While in college in Idaho years ago, I took my then non-Idahoan girlfriend on a long trip to see a friend of hers. Along the way, my puckish car, which still promised me a full quarter tank of gas, decided it would run out of gas (this car made a habit of stopping when I had a young woman in the car and we happened to be in the middle of nowhere; it never understood why I didn’t appreciate it, even if my passenger did coyly say, “Well, isn’t this convenient”).
While stranded, my girlfriend asked what we would do next, and I said, “We are in Idaho, let’s start walking and someone will pick us up in a few minutes.”
It took about thirty seconds before a cowboy in a truck picked us up and bought us some gas (refusing our payment).
A few years later, when my now wife and I moved to Boston, we were told by many that the New Englanders were a cold people to outsiders, and that we shouldn’t expect any courtesy when we inevitably got lost in their winding streets and neighborhoods.
It’s not that the Bostonians were bubbling extroverts (except at Red Sox games), but every time in our newbie days we got lost downtown, we had multiple people immediately approach us to see if we needed help.
And the same thing happened when we moved to England.
At Triiibes, I have noticed that there are multiple groups that formed around simply helping others. This is inspiring, people really are generally good, and when given the chance, they will help. That’s why tribes are so important. These communities connect like-minded people and together they can do more than just ad hoc good deeds. They can change entire nations.
Filed under: community, innovation | Tags: Annie Reed, CAPTCHA, certificates of deposit, Chris Anderson, communities, FDIC-insured, Firefox, hybrid vehicles, Otis, Wolff Olins
When David Arthurs created the first hybrid vehicle, one of his steps to success was understanding that the power lost in braking could be regenerated to run the vehicle. It was simply wasted energy that ought to be used. Boring old Otis elevators (which, incidentally, is one of my favorite brands) uses the same concept in their newer elevators.
It was just a matter of time when we figured out how to make people to use their energy more effectively, whether by the cancer fighting screensaver from years ago to the more recent CAPTCHA method for digitizing old texts.
Chris Anderson (yes, that Chris Anderson) explained earlier this year that part of the new “Free!” economy has to do with labor exchange: having users do part of the work for an organization so that the end value benefits both user and provider with no monetary cost to the user. Further research indicates that this area of co-production represents a strong area for future organizational growth, an area that has been harnessed by progressive organizations throughout industry, whether it is a popular web browser, an up-and-coming brokerage, or a small dress shop.
The questions that are necessary to answer before embarking are:
- Is this work-sharing approach the proper approach for your brand and offering (it might not be), and
- If number one is a “Yes”—is this good for the community in which your brand lives?
Think hard if you said “No” on number two; you may be surprised.
Disclosure:
You may see that I like Zions Direct Auctions. I also work in marketing on that product, which means I may be a bit biased (but it also means I do something that I believe in).
Filed under: economy, marketing | Tags: Eritrea, L Report, Emperor's New Clothes, cool, The Simpsons, Foreign Policy
In Eritrea, 15% of all people have access to any sort of bathroom. That number changes to 5% in the rural areas. For the sake of dignity and the needs of sanitation, this is a big problem.
It seems like a lot modern marketing advice and/or case studies focus on what is and isn’t “cool.” Coolness can be powerful, but is, as The Simpsons points out, often out-of-reach:
Homer: So, I realized that being with my family is more important than being cool.
Bart: Dad, what you just said was powerfully uncool.
Homer: You know what the song says: “It’s hip to be square”.
Lisa: That song is so lame.
Homer: So lame that it’s… cool?
Bart+Lisa: No.
Marge: Am I cool, kids?
Bart+Lisa: No.
Marge: Good. I’m glad. And that’s what makes me cool, not caring, right?
Bart+Lisa: No.
Marge: Well, how [...] do you be cool?! I feel like we’ve tried everything here!
Homer: Wait, Marge. Maybe if you’re truly cool, you don’t need to be told you’re cool.
Bart: Well, sure you do.
Lisa: How else would you know?
Of course, like the Emperor’s New Clothes, this coolness is often inauthentic and based on the clouded fancies of our peers. It may create success in the short-term and may be appropriate for faddish brands, but pursuing it is likely an ill-conceived and wasteful effort for a sizable number of organizations.
For example, creating a wonderful marketing strategy that can help solve Eritrea’s sanitation problem is not an approach that millions of teens will think is cool. Although such a solution will not make the L Report, it could change the world for millions of people. That’s cool.
Filed under: community | Tags: Blaise Pascal, Christopher Long, communities, movements, Patrick Pogan, tribes
When I wrote about Patrick Pogan and Christopher Long, I received some strong responses to my post because I included the phrase “I feel bad for Patrick Pogan.” While filtering through the vile language and overreactions, I realized that I had two problems:
- These readers weren’t reading everything (apparent since I was most decidedly against Pogan’s actions), and
- My postings are likely way too long (I need to come to my conclusions quicker)
I don’t blame anyone; I often am guilty of writing what I want to say rather than what my audience wants to hear. Communities, tribes, audiences—the members are decidedly focused on their needs, not mine. Messages that are simple and powerfully put across are usually much more effective.
If you want to bind a community, if you want to start a movement—say what you want to say simply.
It’s much more considerate anyway. As Blaise Pascal remarked:
Je n’ai fait celle—ci plus longue que parce que je n’ai pas eu le loisir de la faire plus courte.
Filed under: innovation | Tags: Air Force, Bernie Fisher, innovation, Medal of Honor, Parkinson's Disease, Silver Star
My two grandfathers have meant a lot to me. I am a lot like one of the two. We argue a lot as a result. Often over who drank more Reed’s Dairy chocolate milk. My grandmother has actually had to buy each of us our own carton. But mostly we enjoy each other’s company and our shared idiosyncrasies.
My other grandfather is the farmer. It was on his farm that I grew up. He was also a pilot, and I spent a lot of my youth in one of his trucks, on one of his tractors, or inside his plane. He was quite a good pilot for the Air Force. He was a finalist for the Thunderbirds, was a test pilot, and flew many missions during Vietnam.
The third highest military decoration (and third highest for valor) is the Silver Star. The highest in both categories is the Congressional Medal of Honor. My grandpa won both—over the course of two days in two separate events (same battle). He is considered among many as one of the great living war heroes. Numerous news articles have been written about him, a handful of short stories, one book and a documentary. He ran for governor of Idaho, has had two parks named after him, one highway, one ship, a room, and an ROTC squadron. And he humble, soft-spoken, and has great personal strength.
And he is losing a battle with Parkinson’s Disease.
Celebrities causes have never met as much to me as Michael J Fox’s Foundation. Consequently, I have also have never been quite as irritated at Rush Limbaugh except during the last couple of years. (Limbaugh remarked that Fox was “exaggerating the effects of the disease [...] He’s moving all around and shaking and it’s purely an act” in an ad for a Democratic candidate; neuroscientist Elaine Richman remarked, “Anyone who knows the disease well would regard his movement as classic severe Parkinson’s disease.”)
We live in a invention-driven world. A century ago, there would be no hope when someone contracted this degenerative disorder. Now, there is hope. For some, it is too late, but the chance for success becomes more and more in reach with every discovery and development.
It’s why we need be an innovation-focused people. Innovation doesn’t just enrich us financially; it connects us as humans and makes the hitherto thought impossible possible.
Filed under: community, marketing | Tags: communities, manifesto, Net Promoter Score, Seth Godin, Triiibes, USAA
See also Manifesto 01.
The question has arisen to what is a tribe. Seth Godin remarked:
Crowds are pretty common. Facebook is a crowd, so is parking lot at the Dragon Boat festival in Queens.
A tribe on the other hand, has a mission (or at least an engaging topic), a leader (usually) and an identity. There are conventions and relationships and a bias to give the other guy a hand.
Tribes are not connected to tactics. Tribes live offline and on. They are secret societies and public phenomena. Some tribes live for just a short time, while others last for generations.
Tribes have insiders and outsiders. By definition. If everyone is in a tribe, it ceases to be one.
image by Dom Dada on flickr.com
This is something I heartily agree with. As I mentioned in Manifesto 01, marketing is about people, about tribes, and not (as Seth also points out) about tactics. It’s about reaching and joining that community (the difference between a tribe and community is academic) in such a way that you are part of the culture. But leading a tribe should not necessarily requisite for success in a particular market.
Sure there are some brands that act as leaders, for example Apple and Disney (not necessarily for you, but who said you are included?). The leadership is powerfully effective when successful (and amazingly catastrophic when once gained and lost), but it is a tough proposition and not all companies have the ability to be in that position, nor should they. Whether a leader or a member, the key is to be included. The key is to be a part of the culture.
Imperfect as it may be, the concept of a Net Promoter Score is a simple concept to see how accepted you are within a particular group. Disagree as you may with this quick measure, it is the simplest test for this example.
One brand that gets a lot of positive press about it’s community is Southwest Airlines. They may or may not be a leader of their community, which is not necessarily important, but their score is included for comparative purposes: 51% (higher is better). That score is pretty good (33% means for every one detractor against your brand, you have two promoters). eBay, who I think can easily be argued as a tribal leader, has a net promoter score of 71% (all figures from 2006). Harley-Davidson, who in many respects is the typification of a tribal brand, has an amazingly high score of 81%. USAA, who definitely is not a leader of any tribal-type crowd, has a net promoter score of 82%.
I speak from the experience as a customer when I talk of USAA. They have never tried to be a leader or gathering place or anything other than a great service to their customers. But the secret is, they understand their consumer community. They understand this community in ways which most other companies have never even considered. They are not leaders, but they are an integral part of the tribe and, as a result, their brand and offering flourishes.
Among the more community-heading-type leaders in Net Promoter top-scorers: Vanguard, Harley, eBay, Amazon—are the not so leader-focused organizations: USAA, HomeBanc, Costco, Chick-Fil-A. Wolff-Olins separates services companies into four categories, and it’s generally correct to view the organizations in the bottom-left area of the matrix, such as London Underground’s Oyster Card, as not really being in the business of being tribal leaders. As a result, they need to determine their place in the appropriate community and, if they truly add value there, they become nearly as essential as the community head to the members (think PayPal and eBay). But don’t allow commodification; the secret is to add value and continually innovate in such a way that your deepened strong position makes you become irreplaceable.
It’s at that point that you become disruptive; at that point you become remarkable.
