Want Customer Insight? In Real Time?

In the world of social media, it’s a constant conversation. All hours of the day, every day. So, how do you know whether they’re discussing your business? Want to eavesdrop on the conversation and get an insight into your consumers’ perceptions? It’s easier to do than it sounds. Get online and start listening.

Yelp.com, CitySearch.com and local.yahoo.com are good websites. Or set up a Google alert to notify you when your business is referenced in any review, blog or online publication. Run a search on Twitter.

Listening will provide you insight. But to take it a step further and provide good customer service, you should respond to customers’ posts, both good and bad. It demonstrates that you’re a caring and engaged business owner. That said, if you receive a scathing review, it’s advised that you hold off on an immediate response and allow yourself time to cool down before responding.

Whatever you do, don’t post false reviews to bolster your business or badmouth a competitor. It could potentially ruin your reputation and even get you into legal trouble. Not worth it.

Now, go forth and start listening!

--Kara W.

No “Spin” Needed

I’ve worked with the media for more than 30 years, helping companies and organizations share information with their respective audiences. Here at Asher Agency, public relations and media relations planning and execution are just two of the services we provide our clients.

A recent media event we completed for Habitat for Humanity here in Fort Wayne reaffirmed my belief that good media coverage is accomplished most successfully when the activity includes the simple basics of a solid news story. This particular event, a ribbon cutting (we did a “board cutting”) garnered exceptional news coverage—before it was held and after.

Why the success? First, we worked hard on the project, and certainly the folks from Habitat for Humanity and the ReStore worked hard getting things ready. But hard work, a good plan, networking and a strong knowledge of good public relations practices aren’t always enough.

The basics of a good news story with several hooks helped propel this seemingly simple event into the success category.

Habitat for Humanity by itself is an organization with a mission that is good for people and good for the environment. Habitat’s ReStore furthers these efforts by reselling donations of building materials and used items that normally would go to the landfill and recycles them into new lives with purpose. And Habitat invests the proceeds from the sale of donated items into new housing for deserving families.

Those elements comprise news stories with several possibilities: a feature on the environment, a positive economics story in difficult times and a human-interest piece.

No spin was needed!

The word “spin” is often associated with public relations and PR activities. Some stories need more than spin; others, like this new Habitat for Humanity ReStore in Fort Wayne, carry themselves.

The term “spin” has a negative connotation in my mind. I’m not sure why. I’m curious what others think about the term and its application. Let me know what you think.

--Mike B.

Late Fringe Morphs Into Prime with Leno

It’s not really a new show, per se, but rather an old show redefined and uprooted to a new time period. Jay Leno is moving from the 11:30 p.m. late fringe time slot he inhabited for 17 years as host of NBC’s “Tonight Show,” to 10 p.m.—the final hour of prime time. The show will air every day, Monday through Friday.

It is hard to predict whether NBC is crazy or brilliant. According to NewMediaMetric’s research, Leno may be able to pull off a ratings win on Tuesday night, when other networks are showcasing new and unproven dramas. The other nights will prove more difficult, when Leno has to compete with hits such as “CSI: Miami,” “CSI: New York,” “Private Practice” and “Numbe3rs.” Can Leno compete with first-run programming that has a solid and loyal audience?

Giving one program monopoly over five nights of prime programming is a very risky move on NBC’s part. They have the potential to lose shares (and revenue) every weekday. Leno jokes about his precarious position in the fall 2009 lineup: “Do we expect to beat ‘CSI?’ No,” he admits. “Originally I wasn't going to stay at NBC. But I remembered something my parents always told me, ‘Whatever I do in life, make sure I come in fourth.” The show would have had a much better chance of rising above fourth place had it premiered during the summer months, when other networks are in repeats.

“The Jay Leno Show” premieres September 14 at 10 p.m. (Eastern).
--Tessa G.

Marketing Mistakes: Six Red Flags to Avoid

I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again: Most marketing is bad. Awful, actually. When the creative is good, it’s often poorly targeted; when the targeting is dead on, the creative usually sucks. And more often than you’d think, the creative and the targeting aren’t what they should be.

Here’s one example: Six Flags’s revived campaign for its theme parks, featuring “Mr. Six,” whom Time calls a “creepy dancing old guy.” And that’s not the only insult Time and its sources hurl at Mr. Six:

“[H]is troll-like antics may prevent you from ever setting foot in a Six Flags park,” Time writer Sean Gregory says.

“It's a pretty miserable piece of advertising,” says Barbara Lippert, a critic for Adweek, the trade publication. “It's as dumb as can be, and talks down to us. He's like an Elmer Fudd who never made it out into the country.”

So what’s the root of evil campaigns like this one? Why does bad marketing happen? There are a lot of reasons, but in honor of Mr. Six and his favorite theme park, here are Six Red Flags to avoid:

• Too many decision-makers. Marketing designed to please everyone in the boardroom usually pleases no one in the audience. If you find yourself making concessions that ensure your campaign flies, it’s time to make a difficult decision. Either risk making someone unhappy, or start over.

• Not focused on the right audience. Who is Six Flags’s audience? Teens and tweens, right? Now, does Mr. Six look like a character who resonates with teens and tweens? Take a look at his Twitter bio. Do most teens and tweens even know who Fred Astaire is?

• No clear branding strategy. If a company cannot concisely and quickly say how they are differentiated, it’s going to be hard to develop a 30-second message that tells the audience why they should care.

• Too much navel gazing. Comments like this one from a Six Flags exec are a good reminder that your audience doesn’t think about your brand nearly as much as you do: "We had a lot of internal conversations about Mr. Six, and we were like, look, he's beloved by our guests," says Vieira Barocas. "There are definitely people who are not fans of him. But he has more fans than not. And at a time when there's all sorts of uncertainty, people like the familiar and the known." Remember: “familiar and known” to you does NOT necessarily equal “familiar and known” to your audience.

• Doing what you’ve always done. Change is hard. It’s clear that one of the main reasons why Mr. Six was revived is that bringing him back seemed easier than starting over. Easier, yes; but better? Not so much.

• Not knowing what else to do. Six Flags is in trouble—they filed for bankruptcy protection in June, as Time notes—and Mr. Six seems like an act of desperation. Would the company have been better served by some market research? Might have their money been better spent on rebranding its theme parks? Probably. But the unfortunate, common rule of thumb is, “when you don’t know what to do, throw more money at the ad budget.”

There’s good news in all of this. Avoid these marketing red flags, and your campaign will stand out. It’s not easy, but it’s worth the extra effort.

-Anthony J.

No mayo on my website, please

Burger King’s “have it your way” slogan is not just for burgers anymore. Now you can customize its website. Sliders across the top of the home page allow you to view more games and video—something my 12-year-old would love—or more food and nutrition information—where I get calorie counts on my BK Veggie or Whopper Jr.

While we’re both there, we can see some of the fast-food vendor’s cult classic commercials. Burger King has collected all the old creative that lived in YouTube and other cyberspace hidey-holes and put it in one spot again.

It’s an interesting take on the challenge of creating a single website that serves everyone. I’m a little leery about the “Angry Gram,” which allows you to send a message via screaming Whopper to someone who “annoys the hell out of you.” That, I might not want my 12-year-old to find.

But it’s almost a game in itself to play with the sliders and see what appears or disappears. Of course, even if you push the “food” slider all the way down to zero, some buttons for chicken tenders and cheesy tots and apple fries stay, linking to nutrition information. The food and beverage industry isn’t all fun and games.

But you want cheese on your website? Burger King’s got it.

--Julianne W.

Networks Balk at C3 Ratings for Sports

The C3 ratings system, which averages live ratings with three days of DVR viewing, was implemented for network television in 2007. These ratings differ from traditional live program ratings in that they take into account commercial viewing during DVR playback. Nielsen believes it is ready to apply this metric to TV sports starting with the 2009 NFL season, but networks are resisting the change.

Sports were not initially included in this system because the regional nature of sports programming makes the process a bit more complex than for consistent national programming. Commercial breaks occur at different times in different markets and fluctuate from game to game. Nielsen needed some time to fine-tune the new metric and ensure there were no technical problems. They now feel confident that C3 can do for sports what it is doing for other programming: offering advertisers a more precise measurement of who is watching their commercial.

But networks (who refused to officially comment) are not convinced. Their main concerns are the methodology and potential errors. Compounding the issue was a memo from Nielsen recently acknowledging that it made errors processing the ratings for five NFL regional and national telecasts, as well as mistakes for a number of pre- and post-game shows and other segments.

Then there’s the fact that ratings will most likely drop an estimated 6 percent with the C3 system. This drop in ratings could equate to significant revenue loss for the $8 billion sports market. This, most likely, is the rub.

--Tessa G.span>

GM uses social media to engage customers in a conversation

Large companies are beginning to understand the power of using social media to listen to their customers. The latest example: General Motors CEO Frederick Henderson’s “Tell Fritz” portal on the company’s “Re:invention” site.

The portal, which the Wall Street Journal calls an “Online Suggestion Box,” encourages visitors to share their “ideas, thoughts and suggestions.” “He'll read them and respond to as many as possible each week,” the site promises.

I dropped Fritz a note this morning, suggesting that if GM wants to “reinvent” itself, it should fast-track the Volt and invest in other new technologies that will truly change the way we drive and consume resources. I’ve had this thought for a while, but the “Tell Fritz” portal gives me the opportunity to do something with it—and it gives GM the opportunity to listen and respond.

If a company as large as GM is using social media to engage customers in a dialogue, other organizations should be able to do the same. How is your company using social media to start a conversation with your audience?

--Anthony J.

What’s Happening Now?

Did you know that 6,000 people are researching restaurants from their cell phones in cabs? And that 29 of them just left their phones in those cabs?

Did you know that 23 million people are talking on their cell phones? And that 308,000 of them just hung up?

According to Sprint, that’s what’s happening now.

Yep, it’s one clever campaign. Has it conveyed that Sprint is introducing America’s first 4G Network? Not necessarily, but their ads sure are entertaining. And they’re relevant to today’s society, because everything is instant—primarily thanks to cell phones. Whether it’s Twitter, Facebook, or text messaging, people are in touch with each other and the world around them on a minute-to-minute basis.

It’s amazing how quickly cell phones went from being an extravagance to a necessity. I bought my first cell phone about eight years ago as a safety precaution for a long road trip. It has now been at least six years since I’ve had a landline. From business emails to monitoring Cubs scores, the cell phone is my lifeline to the world. Maybe I’ll need that 4G Network, after all!


--Kara W.

15-year-old speaks, whole markets collapse

Twitter is for the geriatric set, says a 15-year-old in the U.K. after a thorough and scientific analysis of teen media usage that involved texting a bunch of friends and writing up the results in a day.
No one buys music, either, and phones are rather useless unless you want to talk to girls.

This one boy’s perspective, written at the end of a two-week internship and just before he headed to scout camp, has been republished and probably even re-Tweeted by a few senior citizens around the world as the holy grail of youth media and marketing.

It’s doubtful young Matthew meant to speak for the world, but the world thinks he has. I anticipate an imminent plunge in Twitter popularity.

As unscientific as the teen’s report might be, he’s not far off from some real reports. Twitter’s appeal is shaky by many accounts. The music industry has bemoaned the decline in CD sales for years. And lawyers for the movie industry already were busy with pirating cases.

What would be really interesting is a scientific and broad look at young-teen media consumption. It would be even more fascinating if it crossed international borders, considering media does, too. Most fascinating? Trying to determine how to reach a statistically large pool of those young people who don’t read newspapers, don’t use the phone for calls, don’t consume mass media. Matthew did mention Facebook…

--Julianne W.

NakedPizza: a Twitter success story

I’m one of those communicators who’s at least somewhat of a Twitter skeptic, but it’s undeniable that a few companies are tweeting their way to profitability. One example: NakedPizza. On its way to reinventing pizza, the New Orleans-based business is also redefining the ways in which social media can lure customers. This post on the Social Media Optimization blog provides a great overview of NakedPizza’s twitterage, but here are a few highlights:

• NakedPizza understands that Twitter is best used for short-term, immediate-action promotions—like this recent tweet: “looks like rain. good night for piza. we deliver. any lrg specialty piza only $12.95" - menu

• But they know that promotions should represent only a fraction of tweets, so NakedPizza spends a lot of time tweeting in ways consistent with their mission of delivering great-tasting pizza that's actually good for you—for example, “>50% evry food $ is spent on food from restaurants, vending machines, movie theaters, and schools. oh my.”

• And occasionally they just thank their customers: “Shout out to Americorps big ass pizza order. Massive. Thx for helping in new Orleans.”

• How do they generate followers? By offering a combination of good information, Twitter-specific promos and lots of retweets, and by integrating Twitter into their larger marketing efforts, like this billboard above their store.

To learn more about how NakedPizza is using Twitter, follow them at Twitter.com/NAKEDpizza.

--Anthony J.

Advertising in Kindle’s Future

The Kindle ebook reader, the newest gadget everybody wants but nobody needs, is planning on adding advertising to its ebooks.

According to patents filed by Amazon, the Kindle would include ads throughout the ebook, in its margins, between chapters or every 10 pages. The ads could be targeted based on the consumer’s profile as well as the content of the novel. Imagine settling down to read “Moby Dick” and being sidetracked by an ad for a whale-watching cruise from Expedia.com.

Users would have the opportunity to purchase the book at a lower price if they agreed to view the ads.

This is a novel (pardon the pun) way for advertisers to target their audience; but from the perspective of a consumer, I would have a hard time really losing myself in a story if ads were incorporated into the pages. It would be a distraction that may negatively affect my perception of the advertiser.

--Tessa G.

The first to get the scoop

Starbucks announced a campaign yesterday in which Facebook users can give their friends a free pint of one of Starbucks’ new coffee ice creams.

By logging on, you can send one friend a coupon to be redeemed for one free pint. But there is one catch: You must be one of the first 800 to click at the top of each hour.

Limiting and pacing the free-for-all may save Starbucks’ long-running campaign (through July 19) from the plight suffered by KFC when its grilled chicken giveaway was too successful: Demand exceeded supply, angry people bearing coupons stormed the stores, and the campaign was yanked amid clucking about poor planning.

I have yet to scoop the competition in the Starbucks hourly giveaway, however. Apparently my mind only wanders mid-hour.

And I will choose carefully with whom I share a pint. If I send you one, please keep in mind that I’d really like one back. The Caramel Macciato looks tempting…

--Julianne W.

Why we love Facebook

This week I’ll be travelling back to Boston, where I grew up. I moved away after college, so I’ve been in Indiana for 15 years. That’s a long time, but Boston’s my home, and it’s where I can still find most of my family and many of my best friends.

There’s also another place I can find them: Facebook. Thanks to the recent graying of social media, I’ve reconnected with a lot of my high school and college friends, and as a result:

• I’ve rekindled friendships with people I’d lost touch with, sharing old stories and catching up on the past 20 years
• A few acquaintances have grown into friends, as their interests and mine have become more alike than they were 20 years ago.
• Conversations with all of these people have become much more efficient. Now, instead of asking people what they’ve been up to, a glance at their status, photos or info page allows me to ask more specific questions and ultimately have more substantive conversations.

I hope to see many of my friends on my trip back home—and thanks at least in part to Facebook, it looks like that’s going to happen. Is it possible that we would have reconnected without social media? Yes, but because we’re connected online, I’m guessing the conversations will be a little better—and that those conversations will continue long after my plane brings me back to Fort Wayne.

--Anthony J.

MRI Launches New Ratings System for Magazines

Mediamark Research & Intelligence (MRI) unveiled the first ever ratings measurement for magazine advertising. The new service, AdMeasure, will focus not only on circulation or potential readership of an ad, but will go a step further by measuring the ad’s effectiveness.

The metric will answer the questions:

Was the ad noticed by the reader?
Did it affect consumer behavior?

“Historically, a magazine’s total readership was accepted as a proxy for ad exposure,” said Kathi Love, president and CEO of MRI. “AdMeasure sharpens the focus of magazine accountability by moving the needle from measuring the ‘opportunity to see’ a print ad to measuring how many readers actually saw the ad, as well as how many took an action as a result of seeing it.”

There seems to be a trend in media’s desire to give marketers more precise and qualitative measurements of their advertising. From the new Eyes On rating system for outdoor advertising to this new AdMeasure for print, those media once considered to be a complement to TV and radio are stepping up by offering better accountability and giving advertisers more reason to spend their ad dollars with them.

AdMeasure will provide ratings for national ads one-third of a page or larger in roughly 645 consumer magazines nationwide.

--Tessa G.