Archive for the ‘Branding’ Category

Mobile technology will make you think twice about your customer data.

I recently attended the summer session of Making Digital Work, an intensive two-day seminar series and hands-on learning experience put on by Boulder Digital Works in partnership with University of Colorado. My colleague and I were challenged to consider how digital media is impacting our organization, our customers’ businesses, and how we can better leverage web, mobile, social, and other technologies to move the brands we manage forward.

We were treated to frank, honest, and open conversations from technology-minded executives at Google, Microsoft, and Crispin Porter + Bogusky, among others − social media gurus on the bleeding edge of the medium, agency directors who were restructuring their agencies for a digital future, creative types excited for new canvases to work on, and nonprofit warriors with new ways to reach out to their constituencies. These individuals shared the approaches they used to harness technology to deliver new types of brand experiences.

Boulder Digital Works was unlike anything I have ever attended. We weren’t offered the traditional business tracks that keep us among the people we relate to easily: creatives, interactive folk, project managers, strategists, or executive management. Instead, everyone and everything were purposefully mashed together, and collectively we learned how removing silos helps us create more impactful brand experiences that are more intimate and relevant to our customers.

Since this was a digital conference, there was an ever-present slant to the conversations, challenging our teams to think digitally when facing customer challenges. On one hand, the concepts helped us understand how to uncover new ways to market to customers, but they also helped us appreciate how technology can be a cost-effective way to deliver and measure the impact of our efforts − thereby dialing in the effectiveness and justifying creative thinking. The introduction and elevation of the evolving role of the creative technologist was another topic of discussion. These individuals have the ability to blur the lines between the siloed worlds of programming, design, project management, and strategy. The creative technologist is critical in helping to educate the business of new technology opportunities,  synthesize new technologies into the conversation of customer experience, and facilitate cross-discipline teamwork at an ever-increasing pace.

Exposing the pizza process

One example in particular described how a “digitally thinking” agency leveraged Domino’s Pizza’s internal order management system to create a real-time, socially relevant, mobile customer experience that increased both loyalty and satisfaction. This new brand experience took data that was already being tracked for quality control purposes and made that information available to customers, enabling them to track their pizzas throughout the process. In addition, it gave customers the ability to provide instant feedback to the person who made their pizzas. Since the data and system already existed, the agency just turned the concept on its head to create a new brand connection with customers.

How many of us have similar opportunities to “think digitally” and turn everyday data into rich experiences that draw your customers closer to your brand?

Rob Bean is the senior account director/interactive director at Burns.

Learn more
Making Digital Work (feed): http://makingdigitalwork.posterous.com/
Boulder Digital Works @ CU: http://bdw.colorado.edu/
LinkedIn: Creative technologist group: http://www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=2830357&trk=hb_side_g
The Pizza tracker story: http://youtu.be/W5Q2Y2ZQ-4Y

In arguably the most useless (and obvious) research ever, social media experts have quantified that cleavage sells stuff.

That’s why it’s no surprise that cleavage thievage has increased dramatically (not proven by research).

Case in point. An online ad in the Coloradoan stole (ya, I said it) a photo taken three years ago at ad:tech San Francisco.

Happens all the time, right? So how are we connected to this story? Our senior copywriter broke the news to the fine folks over at adrants. Turns out that the woman’s strategically placed name badge — which was accentuated by her profitable cleavage — was just the type of picture nefarious ad makers covet. Read the adrants article here

Just goes to show that despite tremendous increase in ad response rates, we need to keep our cleavage to ourselves — otherwise it might get stolen.

As you’ve been walking through your office this week, do you keep hearing something… something very faint… something coming from the desks of the women-folk in the building?
Is it the heart-warming Old Spice whistle that you keep hearing?

It probably is.

The spark of the Old Spice commercials (jewel-encrusted scepter) that have snatched the hearts of so many (random crown) have fueled a viral impact unlike we’ve seen thus far (fresh water fish).

But it’s more than Isaiah Mustafa’s charm, perfect smile, abs, freshly washed towel that probably smells like a mixture of Old Spice and fresh laundry (too far?)… it’s the personalized feel of the messages. Yes, Old Spice is speaking to millions of people, but Isaiah Mustafa is simply speaking to me.

Check out this Read Write Web article that gives insight into how they pulled it off.

Don’t be fooled, Marc Delphine, Oregon’s Libertarian candidate for U.S. Senate, is not big into hockey. You might assume he’s a huge Columbus Blue Jackets fan, but you’d be wrong. So why the assumption?

You see, Delphine’s patriotic Senate campaign logo has an uncanny resemblance to the Blue Jackets’. But when word got out that the logo was a copy-cat, it was quickly removed from his web site and Facebook page.

Delphine’s logo Blue Jackets’ logo

It appeared that the Blue Jackets’ logo was simply flipped to the opposite side, the red circle removed from the flag, and voila — Delphine’s campaign symbol.

And that’s why you shouldn’t use a donated logo “designed” by a volunteer to represent you and your campaign — at least without some due diligence.

We run across name changes every now and again and, as consumers, we don’t forget the negatives just because we call you something different. Paying homage to Comcast, and saying hello to Xfinity, Time is listing the “Top 10 Worst Corporate Name Changes.”

As already mentioned, Comcast is sneakily changing to “xfinity,” and we can’t help but share this hilarious line from the Time article: “Will the name change work? Probably not, but at least it’ll sound a bit edgier when you’re put on hold … with Xfinity. ” Edgier indeed.

When Andersen Consulting split ties with the accounting group, a name change was required. Accent turned into Accenture and cost an estimated $100 million to execute. Submitted by an employee in Oslo, this was an attempt to incorporate “accent on the future.” It actually worked well when the Enron debacle went down and destroyed the reputation of the company’s accountants, Arthur Andersen.

When the realization that “Sci Fi” couldn’t be owned because it was a genre and not a channel, the execs decided to revamp the name into something that could. Sci Fi transformed into Syfy. There is a method to the madness — we guess.

Check out Time’s article for the other 7 worst name changes.

Everyone agrees the Microsoft ads featuring Seinfeld and Gates were mind-numbingly lame. And, we all kind of agree that the new creative direction is sort of cool, but fairly unoriginal. (They humanize PC in a National Geographic way.) Where we all disagree is over the effectiveness of all that press. There are two schools of thought:

1. For better or worse, those ads shifted the conversation away from Mac vs. PC and got everyone talking about Microsoft. Therefore, Microsoft wins.

2. A major brand does not benefit nor build equity from people ridiculing it — especially when the ridicule comes from everyone, everywhere. Ideal brands invite people to embody their cool, not mock their shortcomings.

Our Monday staff meeting got pretty vocal about both sides of this argument. For what it’s worth, staging an accident where an 18-wheeler spills your product all over the Interstate will get people talking, too. But is that effective? Guess we’ll all see how Microsoft fares from here.

At Burns Marketing, we’re quite eager to watch the rest of this campaign. This effort is certainly making a strategic, lasting impression.

Ever wonder what an agency like ours thinks about industry buzz? Here’s a limited-time only glimpse into our minds. (Names have been redacted to protect the belligerent.)

To: Burns + Part Time/Interns
Sent: Friday, September 05, 2008 8:46 AM
Subject: Windows, yada, yada

The 300 million dollar Microsoft ad campaign has finally kicked off
with Jerry Seinfeld and Mr. Microsoft himself. Let’s see where this
crazy PC comedy duo takes us… first stop the discount shoe store.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afR5J7eskno

To: Burns + Part Time/Interns
Sent: Friday, September 05, 2008 8:48 AM
Subject: RE: Windows, yada, yada

Ok, that was weird. They only talk about Microsoft in the last 15 seconds.

To: Burns + Part Time/Interns
Sent: Friday, September 05, 2008 8:48 AM
Subject: RE: Windows, yada, yada

I saw it yesterday and personally think it may be one of the most pointless ads ever.

To: Burns + Part Time/Interns
Sent: Friday, September 05, 2008 8:50 AM
Subject: RE: Re: Windows, yada, yada

This is a good example of what happens when a brand has to re-define the persona that their competition has labeled them with. Mac vs. PC has been brilliant, and this ad shows that Microsoft is hurting from it. Now they seem to be trying to humanize Bill — the Microsoft surrogate — but not afraid to let him still be a nerd. In fact, they seem to be suggesting his nerdiness is what will bring great things from Microsoft in the future. It is a shame that their subtly just comes across as …. what the?
 
I don’t know if that really is the campaign strategy, but if it is they are still a long way from making Microsoft a cutting-edge, consumer-centric brand.
 

To: Burns + Part Time/Interns
Sent: Friday, September 05, 2008 8:51 AM
Subject: RE: Re: Re: Windows, yada, yada

I think they’re playing off of Seinfeld being a show about nothing.

To: Burns + Part Time/Interns
Sent: Friday, September 05, 2008 8:53 AM
Subject: RE: Re: Re: Re: Windows, yada, yada

Yeah, but Seinfeld was actually funny.

From time to time, we’ve been called upon to clarify confusion surrounding two valuable parts of brand strategy — the tagline and the positioning statement. While some people consider these two things the same, they are different. And here are four important reasons why…

1. Audience. A positioning statement is aimed at your internal stakeholders, whereas the tagline is targeting your customers.

2. Purpose. Your positioning statement provides direction to your business and is the basis for all marketing efforts. Your tagline sums up your brand and helps you connect with your customers.

3. Communication. Because you’re speaking to two different audiences, the language you use in each should be different as well. A tagline is a short, compelling statement that sums up your positioning statement in a way that attracts your customers. Your positioning statement is a more intensive description of your place in the market, why you are unique, and where you are headed.

4. Timing. The positioning statement should always come first. Only after you have clearly identified what your product/organization is, does, and for whom, can you develop a strong and meaningful tagline.

Tens of millions of people around the world will watch this year’s U.S. Open. Is that logo the best impression Torrey Pines golf course could make? Not to be critical of other people’s hard work or anything, but… that logo looks like clip art.

What is it with all these poorly conceived logos and campaigns lately? For instance, refer to 2012 Olympics, 2008 Republican National Convention, Let’s Talk Colorado, and Welcome to Scotland.

I recently flew to Oregon on Frontier Airlines for my brother’s wedding. While waiting for the plane to load and the passengers to take their seats, all of the little TV screens play ads and promos for Colorado companies. As I was ignoring the especially unpleasant young man seated next to me, I saw an ad for the Colorado Film Commission. Their tagline at the end of the ad was absolutely perfect “Everything but the Ocean.” It’s amusing, it makes sense, and it encapsulates everything about Colorado’s assets perfectly.

So often taglines don’t actually make sense for the brands they’re supposed to highlight. But this one was one of the better one’s I’ve seen out there. So simple, and so just right.