luni, 9 septembrie 2013

Seth's Blog : Q&A: All Marketers... and the challenge of telling the right story

 

Q&A: All Marketers... and the challenge of telling the right story

Our series continues with All Marketers are Liars, a prime example of what happens when you tell a story wrong. I've done some pretty poor book titling over seventeen books, but this one was too clever by half.

Most people, of course, have never read any of my books, and even most of my blog readers haven't read any given Seth Godin book. So a book is judged by its cover, just as you and your brand and your product are judged by your (conceptual) cover.

People saw this cover (with the original ridiculous photo) and immediately assumed that they knew what it was about (how to lie) and that the title offended them ("hey, I'm a marketer and I'm not a liar").

But, of course, the book isn't about how to lie, it's about the imperative to tell the truth, a truth that resonates, a truth you can live with. The title messes with our perceptions, but in a way that instead of welcoming in my very busy, very picky potential reader, pushes her away. One newspaper reviewer slammed the book without even reading it, deciding that the title alone was sufficient cause for dismissing it.

So, to answer David Meerman Scott's (and others') questions: I changed the title for future editions to All Marketers Tell Stories because, even though it's less artistic, it takes my own advice (at least a little). An even better title would have been: TRUE STORIES (and the Smart Marketers That Tell Them).

The advice: find the worldview and the bias and the cultural preconceptions that your audience carries with them and then place your story (you do have a story, whether you want to or not) as a hook that leverages those biases.

In the internet era, your story is going to be inspected, held up to scrutiny and scoured for half-truths. But if your story is true, if it not only resonates with the worldview we insist on but actually delivers, then you've created something of lasting value.

       

More Recent Articles

[You're getting this note because you subscribed to Seth Godin's blog.]

Don't want to get this email anymore? Click the link below to unsubscribe.




Your requested content delivery powered by FeedBlitz, LLC, 9 Thoreau Way, Sudbury, MA 01776, USA. +1.978.776.9498

 

Don't Take Your Brand Too Seriously

Don't Take Your Brand Too Seriously


Don't Take Your Brand Too Seriously

Posted: 08 Sep 2013 04:18 PM PDT

Posted by Rob Toledo

Everyone likes humor; we all know this.

But humor can seem risky when it comes to brandingâ€"it has certainly backfired on numerous occasions when a company takes things perhaps a bit too far (or sometimes when it is just misunderstood).

On the other hand, playing it too safe is also a great way to remain somewhere in the middle. Almost everyone likes the middle. Nobody loses their job in the middle. Customers come and go at a steady rate in the middle. Nobody boycotts the middle.

To quote the greatest show of all time, "Ain't nobody got nothing to say about a 40-degree day."

From HBO: source

A lot of brands talk about wanting to take risks. They might even discuss some radical ideas in the safety of their own conference rooms. But most of the time we end up with "safe" when it's time to execute on a strategy.

Does any of this sound familiar?

"Let's tweet more!"

"How about we make a hilarious infographic!"

"Let's put one of those meme things on our blog!"

"Our competitor just did that one awesome thing, let's do the exact same thing!"

Don't DO something, BE something

One of my favorite books of all time, Hey Whipple, Squeeze This, discusses the topic of "being something" as opposed to just "doing something."

"When a client says 'we want to seem cooler' the answer isn't an ad that says 'we're cool'â€"the answer is to BE cool."

It's important to make any attempt at a strategyâ€"especially when it involves humorâ€"a full effort where you're not simply doing something for the occasional chuckle. You are going to have to fight a much more difficult (but fully worthwhile) battle of changing the overall perception of your brand.

I asked Joel Klettke, resident internet funnyman and owner of Business Casual Copywriting, for his thoughts on the topic:

Do you think every brand should partake in a strategy involving humor?

I think every brand is capable, but not every brand should try. I think the downfall of humor in advertising or online is when a business starts becoming a sideshow and the brand is lost in the mix. A lot of brands get too focused on laughs: Entertaining an audience is great, but you're still trying to sell things.
I also think that there are some products or services where humor needs to be considered extremely carefully - things like child welfare, etc.

Can you list some examples of brands that overstepped the boundaries on using humor?

Yup, the Hyundai suicide commercials were terrible attempts at humor. Summer's Eve had a series of commercials [NSFW-ish] that were a terrible choice.

What are some of your favorite examples of brands using humor as a strategy well?

OK great, humor is good; but where do we draw the line?

Well, that's a tricky one as the line gets a bit fuzzy depending on a lot of variables. Every brand is going to have varying persona research, and you should know your customers better than anyone, so you'll likely have to find that line on your own. Good customer research will be the key here.

For an extreme example, I think this KMart "Ship My Pants" campaign is the stuff of legends. It's hilarious and teeters right on the line of offensive, all while remaining relevant to the brand (free shipping at KMart). They wanted to grow their online presence and drive traffic to their site with this campaign, which this ad certainly did as it got massive amounts of attention. It's been hailed widely as a success, earning 19.5 million YouTube views, but they did earn themselves a small boycott from some folks who were offended, which has mostly fizzled.

This raises an important point: Take as much risk as you want, but try not to offend people in some key areas. I can ignore something I find slightly annoying pretty easily, but if it strikes a chord that offends one of my core principles, that's when I'm going to get on my social media soapbox and start ranting.

Some things that are guaranteed to offend:

  • Racism
  • Sexism
  • Stereotyping
  • Religious focus
  • Political focus
  • Being a bully (don't pick on the little guy, even in retaliation)
  • Making the wrong assumptions (research, research, research!)

So, how do you get started?

Make sure your humor is somehow relevant to your brand

"Oh, I see. All I have to do is show something interesting and funny for the first 25 seconds of the ad and then cut to the product?" â€" Luke Sullivan

While running a campaign where you just tell jokes and make funny videos might get a lot of attention, at the end of the day, making "cool stuff" is not a content strategy.

Find the ridiculous parts of your brand and "go there"

Vintage VW ad: source

"You know those really funny ideas you get that make you laugh and say, ‘Wouldn't it be great if we could really do that?' Those are often the very best ideas, and it is only your superego/parent/internalized client saying you can't do it. You've stumbled on a mischievous idea. Something you shouldn't do. That's a good sign you're onto something you SHOULD do. Revisit it." â€" Luke Sullivan

Here are some of my most recent favorite examples of brands poking fun at themselves:

Bigstock Photo

Making fun of your core product can be risky. VW used this strategy during its early advertising efforts and it paid massive dividends. Bigstock recently took that approach and fully embraced the concept of "awkward" in their photo collection.

It's no secret that there are plenty of these awkward stock photos out there. But were you aware of the assortment of awkward "steak" photos available? Puns might be considered the lowest form of humor on the joke food chain, but be honest: You like them, no matter how deeply buried that linguistic love might be.

Air New Zealand

Taking the bland and boring parts of your business and attempting to make them exciting takes quite a bit of creativity, but it's a powerful angle.

Nobody has paid attention to an airline safety presentation since 1974. Air New Zealand aimed to change that (and bring themselves plenty of brand recognition in the process) by making a mockery of the otherwise mind-numbing instructional sessions. Featuring Bear Grylls, The Lord of the Rings, and naked employees, these videos quickly grabbed the attention of all those aboard the aircraft as well as everyone online.

The Seattle Police Department

Criminal justice is hardly ever intentionally humorous, but the Seattle Police Department made it a part of their rebranding strategy. The department has been in hot water for the past several years from both local citizens as well as the federal government, so they brought in local journalist Jonah Spangenthal-Lee to attempt a rebrand. To say he has been knocking it out of the ballpark would be a major understatement.

Some recent highlights include their distributing Doritos to Hempfest attendees, releasing the funniest blog post about marijuana legalization of all time (seriously, read that one), pictures of their mounted patrol horses at the dentist and just generally being ridiculously responsive on social media, even to trolls.

Source: Seattle Police Department Twitter page

What happened here? The city population started to view the department differently. Public perception quickly shifted positively, and before our very eyes, our police department had personality. There were real people that worked behind the badges. It was a huge risk to take on a humorous strategyâ€"especially as a government agency--but it has quickly earned positive national attention with very little push-back.

Funny isn't everything; it has to be based on something smart

"Should you do something humorous, don't mistake a good joke for a good idea. Funny is fine. But set out to be interesting first. You must have an idea [of where to go next]." â€" Luke Sullivan

I'm repeating myself a bit here, but it's always important to make sure that this humor is based on a solid overall strategy--that it is well researched and planned. Always think: Who is your ideal customer, and what do they find funny?

Lastly, keep in mind the Internet has a short memory

I know a lot of people worry about taking risks in fear of potential backlash, but ask yourself: Can you truly name more than a handful of brands that got a bunch of bad press in 2012 for a risky campaign? I understand that it can seem as if the world is ending when your brand takes a few days of heat for having taken a risk. But truthfully, in this day and age, unless you say something completely tasteless, I can assure you that a slight misstep here and there will come and go faster than you can brainstorm your next ideas. Just apologize and move on. Most importantly, quit being so afraid of taking chances in your next strategy.

What about you? Got any favorite creative campaigns that you felt have really worked? How about anything your own brand is doing?

Let me know in the comments below, or feel free to reach out on Twitter!
@stentontoledo


Sign up for The Moz Top 10, a semimonthly mailer updating you on the top ten hottest pieces of SEO news, tips, and rad links uncovered by the Moz team. Think of it as your exclusive digest of stuff you don't have time to hunt down but want to read!

National Security Advisor Susan Rice Speaks on Syria

Here's What's Happening Here at the White House
 
 
 
 
 
 
  Featured

National Security Advisor Susan Rice Speaks on Syria

At 12:30 p.m. ET, White House National Security Advisor Susan Rice will discuss the Assad regime’s use of chemical weapons against Syrian civilians, the longstanding international norm against the use of chemical weapons, and the need for action to deter the Assad regime from future use of chemical weapons.

Click here to watch Susan Rice's speech.

 
 
  Top Stories

Weekly Address: Calling for Limited Military Action in Syria 

In his weekly address, President Obama makes the case for limited and targeted military action to hold the Assad regime accountable for its violation of international norms prohibiting the use of chemical weapons. 

READ MORE

Weekly Wrap Up: Syria and the G-20

Last week, the President continued to address the conflict in Syria, met with Baltic Leaders, and embarked on a three day trip to Sweden and St. Petersburg.

READ MORE

Nominate a Connected Educator as a White House Champion of Change

In honor of Connected Educator Month this October, the White House will host a “Champions of Change” event to celebrate local leaders in education.

READ MORE

 
 
  Today's Schedule

All times are Eastern Time (ET)

10:15 AM: The President receives the Presidential Daily Briefing

11:20 AM: Vice President Biden speaks at the Port of Baltimore  LISTEN LIVE

1:00 PM: Press Briefing by Press Secretary Jay Carney WATCH LIVE

2:15 PM: The President and the Vice President meet with Secretary of Defense Hagel

Did Someone Forward This to You? Sign Up for Email Updates

This email was sent to e0nstar1.blog@gmail.com

Unsubscribe | Privacy Policy
Please do not reply to this email. Contact the White House

The White House • 1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW • Washington, DC 20500 • 202-456-1111


Seth's Blog : The closer you get to the front, the more power you have over the brand.

 

The closer you get to the front, the more power you have over the brand.

Krulak’s law is simple: Soldiers in the field interacting with local people are the most important element of nation building and counter insurgency. It has wide applicability to any organization that interacts with the public.

One errant minimum-wage cog in the machine can cripple an entire brand, or at the very least, wreck the lifetime value of a customer. The two kids at Domino’s who made a YouTube sensation out of cruelty to pizza did more damage to the Domino’s brand than any vice president ever could.

The instinct, then, is to tightly control that last step, to be sure no one has any leeway or can take initiative when dealing with customers, because, after all, you can't trust them.

This is a self-defeating precaution. As soon as you elminate humanity from the interactions you have with customers, you've guaranteed that your (now sterile) brand will mean less than it could.

Hire better people. Trust them more. And be prepared to make it right when they don't.

       

More Recent Articles

[You're getting this note because you subscribed to Seth Godin's blog.]

Don't want to get this email anymore? Click the link below to unsubscribe.




Your requested content delivery powered by FeedBlitz, LLC, 9 Thoreau Way, Sudbury, MA 01776, USA. +1.978.776.9498

 

duminică, 8 septembrie 2013

Mish's Global Economic Trend Analysis

Mish's Global Economic Trend Analysis


"If Americans Could Read Classified Documents They'd Be Even More Against Syrian War"

Posted: 08 Sep 2013 08:05 PM PDT

Here's a quartet of interesting tweets from House of Representative member Justin Amash Republican from Michigan.

Tweet #1: If Americans could read classified docs, they'd be even more against Syria action. Obama admn's public statements are misleading at best.

Tweet #2
: Attended another classified briefing on Syria & reviewed add'l materials. Now more skeptical than ever. Can't believe Pres is pushing war.

Tweet #3
: Asked Obama admn officials to correct admn's public statements that are inconsistent w/ info presented at briefings. Public must have facts.

Tweet #4: If you're voting yes on military action in Syria, might as well start cleaning out your office. Unprecedented level of public opposition.

Amash Amendment

Amash sponsored an amendment to limit data gathering by the NSA.
The Amash-Conyers amendment ends NSA's blanket collection of Americans' telephone records.  It does this by requiring the FISA court under Sec. 215 to order the production of records that pertain only to a person under investigation.

The amendment has three important practical effects.  First, it ends the mass surveillance of Americans.  The government no longer is authorized under Sec. 215 to hold a pool of metadata on every phone call of every American.  Second, the amendment permits the government to continue to acquire business records and other "tangible things" that are actually related to an authorized counterterrorism investigation.  The government still has access to this tool under the amendment, but it's forced to comply with the intent of Congress when it passed Sec. 215.  Third, the amendment imposes more robust judicial oversight of NSA's surveillance.  The FISA court will be involved every time NSA searches Americans' records, and the court will have a substantive, statutory standard to apply to make sure the NSA does not violate Americans' civil liberties.

What steps would the government take to collect records if the Amash-Conyers amendment were enacted?  The government would have to provide facts to the FISA court to show that there are reasonable grounds to believe that the records sought (1) are relevant to an appropriately authorized national security investigation and (2) pertain to the person (including any group or corporation) under investigation.
Unfortunately the Justin Amash Amendment To Stop NSA Data Collection Voted Down In House
The House of Representatives on Wednesday evening narrowly defeated an amendment from Rep. Justin Amash (R-Mich.) meant to halt the National Security Agency's bulk collection of phone record data.

"We're here today for a very simple reason: to defend the Fourth Amendment, to defend the privacy of each and every American," Amash said as he introduced his measure. Lawmakers' votes, he said, would answer one simple question, "Do we oppose the suspicionless collection of every American's phone records?"

On Wednesday, at least, the answer was no. The House voted 217-205 to defeat the amendment after intense last-minute lobbying from the White House and the NSA.

Democrats voted for the amendment by a 111-to-83 margin. Republicans, meanwhile, split 134 to 93 against it.

Although Amash's amendment was defeated, civil liberties advocates found something to cheer in the closeness of the vote. Just two years ago, the House voted by a comfortable 250-153 margin to reauthorize the Patriot Act, which the administration uses to justify its phone metadata collection. On Wednesday, by contrast, a swing of just seven votes would have put Amash's amendment over the top.
Amash is a true republican constitutionalist-hero as opposed to fake-patriots who sided with President Obama, such as majority leader John Boehner and Nancy Pelosi.

In all 134 Republicans should be absolutely ashamed of themselves as noted in the Roll Call.

Mike "Mish" Shedlock
http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com

US Economic Activity Poised to Soar?

Posted: 08 Sep 2013 02:21 PM PDT

Is economic activity in the US about head to the next level higher? If you think so, please consider a chart from my friend "BC": Weekly real year-over-year growth of bank lending per capita and real final sales per capita.

Growth in Bank Lending Per Capita (Black), Real Final Sales Per Capita (Blue)



My friend BC writes (and I concur) "It seems rather unlikely that private economic activity is poised to accelerate under these conditions."

But what about "public" activity such as a war with Syria?

If you are looking for another reason besides energy Obama wants a war with Syria, there you have it.

In regards to energy, please see ...

  1. The Dick Cheney-Syria Oil Connection
  2. Separating Politics and War From Oil and the Economy 


Mike "Mish" Shedlock
http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com 

Hate Your Commute Now? It's Going to Get Worse

Posted: 08 Sep 2013 11:07 AM PDT

Liz and I traveled this past Labor Day weekend. We drove from Crystal Lake, Illinois to a golf resort in Manistee, Michigan.

Traffic was bad in the Chicago area as expected, but exceptionally slow traffic continued all the way through Indiana, and even into Michigan, all along I-94 until we reached Michigan 31.



M-31 breaks off from I-94 roughly at St. Joseph. It was several hours of driving hell starting out, and continued late into the evening, near midnight.

I bring this up because I stumbled on a MarketWatch article Hate your commute now? Just wait 5 years

Here is slide number 5 of 13.



Indianapolis to Chicago, I-65

Labor Day traffic on Interstate 65 from Indianapolis to Chicago is 49% higher than average at its peak. Unless a major transportation project is undertaken in the next five years, commuters will experience this level of congestion on the average day by the year 2033.

I-65 intersects I-94 near Gary Indiana. I-80 and I-90 merge in close by. It is one hell of a congestion. My experience previously was things start getting better near the Indiana-Illinois border.

That didn't happen this Labor Day trip.

Obviously states are strapped for cash, but there were three or four sections of highway under repair in Indiana and a couple more in Michigan.

One of the problems is prevailing wage laws such as Davis-Bacon drive up .cost of repairs. Unions and prevailing wage laws massively drive up construction costs.

Even FDR was against the notion of public unions.

Davis-Bacon Background

I have discussed Davis-Bacon on many occasions. Inquiring minds interested in a background on the original purpose of the act should read My Thoughts on the Davis-Bacon Act.

"... while the sponsors and supporters of the Act also intended it to disadvantage immigrant workers of other races, these thinly veiled references make it clear that the Act was primarily intended to discriminate against blacks."

The Davis-Bacon Act as amended, requires that each contract over $2,000 to which the United States or the District of Columbia is a party for the construction, alteration, or repair of public buildings or public works shall contain a clause setting forth the minimum wages to be paid to various classes of laborers and mechanics employed under the contract. Under the provisions of the Act, contractors or their subcontractors are to pay workers employed directly upon the site of the work no less than the locally prevailing wages and fringe benefits paid on projects of a similar character. The Davis-Bacon Act directs the Secretary of Labor to determine such local prevailing wage rates.

There are 117 classifications of jobs for which some set of bureaucrats must determine "prevailing wages".  Here is a partial list:

ASBE = International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Asbestos Workers
BOIL = International Brotherhood of Boiler Makers, Iron Shipbuilders, Blacksmiths, Forgers and Helpers
BRXX = International Union of Bricklayers, and Allied Craftsmen
(bricklayers, cement masons, stone masons, tile, marble and terrazzo workers)
CARP = United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America
ELEC = International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers
(electricians, communication systems installers, and other low voltage specialty workers)
ELEV = International Union of Elevator Constructors
ENGI = International Union of Operating Engineers
(operators of various types of power equipment)
IRON = International Association of Bridge, Structural and Ornamental Iron Workers
LABO = Laborers' International Union of North America
PAIN = International Brotherhood of Painters and Allied Trades
(painters, drywall finishers, glaziers, soft floor layers)
PLUM = Operative Plasterers' and Cement Masons' International Association of the United States and Canada
PLAS = United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing and Pipe Fitting Industry of the United States and Canada
ROOF = United Union of Roofers, Waterproofers and Allied Workers
SHEE = Sheet Metal Workers International Association
TEAM = International Brotherhood of Teamsters

Even FDR Understood the Problem

Public unions get into bed with management and politicians and work out sweet deals for themselves at taxpayer expense. No one looks out for the taxpayer. Even FDR understood the problem.

Message From FDR

Inquiring minds are reading snips from a Letter from FDR Regarding Collective Bargaining of Public Unions written August 16, 1937.
All Government employees should realize that the process of collective bargaining, as usually understood, cannot be transplanted into the public service. It has its distinct and insurmountable limitations when applied to public personnel management.

The very nature and purposes of Government make it impossible for administrative officials to represent fully or to bind the employer in mutual discussions with Government employee organizations.

Particularly, I want to emphasize my conviction that militant tactics have no place in the functions of any organization of Government employees.

A strike of public employees manifests nothing less than an intent on their part to prevent or obstruct the operations of Government until their demands are satisfied. Such action, looking toward the paralysis of Government by those who have sworn to support it, is unthinkable and intolerable.
Time to Scrap Davis-Bacon, End Public Union Collective Bargaining

Before any project can be economically viable, labor costs must be addressed, and that is exactly why we need to scrap Davis-Bacon and all prevailing wage laws. We also need to eliminate collective bargaining of public unions.

Unless and until we do that, we will dramatically overpay for infrastructure projects and taxpayers will pay through the nose for them.

Government should strive to provide the most services at the least cost. Public unions strive to provide the fewest services at the most cost. Is it any wonder cities and states are broke?

Mike "Mish" Shedlock
http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com

Seth's Blog : Being found vs. being sought

 

Being found vs. being sought

There are proven strategies that generic products can use so that they're more likely to be stumbled upon by someone searching. Name your new book with all sorts of keywords in the title, for example, so it organically ranks higher for those very keywords...

The alternative is to create a product that earns a reputation sufficient that people choose to talk about it, choose to argue about it, choose to look for it. Not something like it, but it.

Nice to be found. Essential to be sought.

This was always a good idea, but in a post-search era of mobile and social, it's now the best idea.

       

More Recent Articles

[You're getting this note because you subscribed to Seth Godin's blog.]

Don't want to get this email anymore? Click the link below to unsubscribe.




Your requested content delivery powered by FeedBlitz, LLC, 9 Thoreau Way, Sudbury, MA 01776, USA. +1.978.776.9498