Forget Comcast & Zappos – Let’s Help OUR Clients Shine

Posted on December 29, 2010 by admin

As someone who has read plenty of marketing/social media blog posts and seen quite a few conference presentations and keynotes, I’m starting to get a little frustrated. Why? Because it seems like the ONLY examples of “great customer service through social media” that presenters have used over the past two years are Comcast and Zappos.

I recently watched yet another webinar in which those examples were used. Funny to me is the fact that Comcast has been used as an example for so long that Frank Eliason – the guy most people refer to in presentations for building Comcast’s online customer service reputation - doesn’t even work for them anymore.

So, if Comcast and Zappos are ALWAYS referenced in the presentations and keynotes of the “top” social media and marketing experts, why don’t those same experts have their own clients who have done praiseworthy work? If a marketer can pinpoint what it is that makes a company’s customer service remarkable, why aren’t his or her clients able to put that insight to good use?

As marketers, let’s spend less time citing worn out examples and more time making our clients stand out. Less time repeating what everyone else has said for the past 24 months and more time helping our clients become the nextworn-out examples of excellence.

There’s nothing wrong with citing a nationally-renowned example to make a point in our presentations. But if we can’t also mention our own client’s similar success in the same (or at least a similar) context, we’re not really proving our expertise.

It’s great to recognize examples of great work or great customer service. Let’s just make sure we can also help our clients provide an exemplary level of great work and great customer service.

Sound like a plan? Awesome.

-Mike B.

Photo by Nate Ritter. Thanks Nate!

Don’t Buy That, Bye This!

Posted on December 27, 2010 by admin

I saw an interesting Ford commercial this weekend with an ending that absolutely blew my mind. And definitely not in a good way. Here’s why I think Ford made a major mistake with their latest Ford Fusion commercial.

The spot (which I’m struggling to find video of at this exact moment) features Mike Rowe—an excellent choice for a spokesperson as far as I’m concerned—convincing a young shopper to ditch her Toyota Camry in favor of the new Ford Fusion. Focusing on the Fusion’s numerous features and benefits, Rowe is very persuasive and the commercial presents a valid case for choosing the Fusion.

Then, as the commercial went into its close-out finale, my mind nearly exploded. If I’d had a drink in my mouth, I’d have done a sitcom-esque spit-take for sure.

The spot closes out with Rowe telling the female shopper something along the lines of, “There’s just one thing left to say…” and she responds by saying, “Bye Camry.”

I just stared at the TV. Do mine ears deceive me? Did that really just happen? Now if you haven’t yet seen the spot, reading the “Bye Camry” might not seem like such a terrible offense. She’s merely saying goodbye to her old car and welcoming her new Ford Fusion, right?

But if you only heard the commercial (or simply caught the last 3-5 seconds and missed the point of the entire spot), all you would hear is:

“Bye Camry”

Say that out loud. Does it sound a little like “Buy Camry” to you? Because that’s the first thing my mind went to. Honestly, I’m not sure how this managed to slip through the cracks. Assuming it cost a few hundred thousand dollars to produce the spot and several million to run it nationwide, you would thinksomebody would’ve picked up on the “Buy Camry” slip before it began airing across the country.

The bottom line? As marketers, it’s important we try to view EVERY aspect of our work with a focused eye (AND ear). Within its context, “Bye Camry” seems innocent enough. But in an era of short attention spans and advertising overload, the final message your customers hear from one of your commercials should NOT be “Buy _____ [insert your competitor here],” no matter what your intent was.

Do you agree? Or is it possible I’m just making too big a deal about this? I know it’s hard to share your opinion without seeing the actual spot, so I’ll try to embed it as soon as I find it online. For now, what do you think? Did Ford make a huge mistake or is this a simple oversight that most people won’t even pick up on? Feel free to let us know what you think in the comments below. We’d love to hear your opinion.

-Mike B.

P.S. – If the folks at Toyota are smart, they’ll figure out a creative way to jump on this. The simplest way would be to say something along the lines of “even our competitors are telling you to ‘buy Camry,’” but I’m sure the right creative team could come up with something fantastic.

Photo by Latente! Thanks!

What Businesses Can Learn From Holiday Jam

Posted on December 22, 2010 by admin

For the second year in a row, Holiday Jam with the Hegg Brothers rocked the main stage at the Washington Pavilion, and some of us ADwërkers (and our significant others) got to enjoy a killer performance.

While the music was fantastic, I think the biggest takeaway I got from Holiday Jam was the importance of storytelling to the entire night’s events. Specifically, storytelling with a purpose. (This is the part you business owners might want to pay attention to…)

A Stronger Connection

The Holiday Jam crew managed to keep a room full of hundreds of people (not all of whom were diehard “Christmas jazz” fans, I can assure you) entranced throughout the 2+ hour performance. How? Through storytelling.

In between songs, an emcee (John Beranek) would come out and share a joke, explain a song’s significance or simply talk about a band member’s background or personality. Each time he did this, we in the audience were brought in closer and closer to what Holiday Jam was all about. This culminated in a deeper sense of significance than we’d have ever gotten from simply hearing 18 songs in a row and going home.

More Than Just A Story

At one point in the show, John explained how he took a tour of the Sanford Children’s Hospital. Describing the extremely moving and inspiring experience, he talked about the undying optimism of the sick children, even when they don’t get to “live a normal life” like most kids their age. Then he explained how the Children’s Miracle Network offers summer camps for those sick children to attend so they can have that “normal” life experience they rarely—if ever—get to enjoy.

After the entire story had been told, John closed with a heartstring-tugging caveat – the proceeds from the “Holiday Jam” (like, jelly “jam”) on sale in the lobby would go toward the Children’s Miracle Network.

Suddenly, the crowd wasn’t simply buying a $5 jar of jelly. In fact, it wasn’t about the jelly at all. It was about something much bigger and much deeper. Within seconds of the intermission beginning, the Holiday Jam table was overwhelmed with buyers. Not because people were desperate for grape jelly, but because they were now a part of the story behind the sale of Holiday Jam. They, too, were making a difference in the lives of those sick children.

How Are You Using Stories?

All in all, telling the right story makes a difference. Without it, your product or service is just a product or service. But with it, your product or service becomes a part of your customer or client’s life. And that’s where you’ll really find success.

Don’t be afraid to share a little bit of your story with your customers or clients. You’d be surprised at how much stronger the connection becomes when you do.

-Mike B.

Photo by Xopher Smith. Thanks for the photo (and great job jamming), Xopher!

Well Do Something Then

Posted on December 20, 2010 by admin

For some reason, it seemed like a lot of people in my high school wanted to resolve disagreements by fighting. Why that is, I don’t really know. Oftentimes, asking someone to stop doing something I didn’t like (cutting in line at lunch, drumming on a desk in class, jumping ahead of the team that had the next game of pickup basketball, etc.) was met with a pretty common response:

“Well do something then…”

(To be clear, the implied do something was not “go tell a teacher” or “say please.” The implied do something was typically an invitation to physically “do something about it.”)

As stupid as I thought that was back then – mostly because fighting wasn’t my strong suit – I’m starting to realize now that, fair or not, that really seems be how the world works. If you don’t like the way someone does something (and what they’re doing isn’t actually illegal), there’s not much of a way to get them to stop. They can just look you in the eye and tell you, “Well do something, then…” And they do this on a daily basis. Your competitors do it. The companies and organizations you partner with can do it. Your customers do it.

So what can you do about it? I guess our advice would be… do something then. Take a look at what it is that’s bothering you, and figure out how you can do something to solve your problem.

If your competitor is undercutting your prices, how can you show your customers that the value of your product is worth more than your competitor’s low price?
If a company you partner with is taking advantage of you, can you find a suitable replacement (either in person or online)?
If your customers are publicly complaining about you (say, in the social media sphere), how can you come up with a solution to curb their complaints and make that negative feedback positive?

When someone challenges you to “do something then,” you ultimately have two choices. Your first choice is to stay frustrated and let them keep doing what they’re doing. Your second choice is to take them up on their challenge and change the game in your favor.

Choice #2 is rarely (if ever) easier. But there’s a good chance it will have a major, positive impact on your business. And if someone has a problem with your course of action, you know what you can tell them?

“Well do something then…”

-Mike B.

Photo by Chewonki Semester School. Thanks!