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Archive for the ‘Business’ Category
Second Screens
Friday, February 3rd, 2012 by David MorganSeventy to Eighty percent of those who watch TV, also are watching a “second screen” during the same time. That second screen is a smartphone, Ipad, or laptop. And what are we doing? We’re checking email, surfing the web, and looking up material that has to do with the show we’re watching! This weekend will be no exception. During the Super Bowl, there will be “calls to action” by many advertisers to take their commercial message one step further– to watch that second screen. Viewers will be able to see “the real story” behind the commercial, see “what happens next”, and participate in polls.
The “second screen” will be with us (at home at least…) for a long time. There are apps that “listen” to your TV, determine what episode you’re watching, and give you more information about the show. And this weekend, we can watch the Coke bears–(one bear per team) watch and react to the game!
(so, instead of watching the game, we can watch bears watching the game…hmmmm)
Marketers will have to consider second screens in the future. Are they distracting, adding, or just complicating the message?
Have a great time this weekend—whatever screen you use.
Can you Insure Me from Myself?
Monday, November 7th, 2011 by Jason StrattonSetup Picture – I am sitting at the Apple Genius Bar, ya I know they call it a “Bar” but not a drink in sight, working through my iPhone issues with the savvy, half shaven, twenty something, blue t-shirt wearing apple genius who is just about finished with my antenna issue. When to my surprise the next customer introduces himself to my genius with the problem of “Dude, my iPhone was only in the washer for just enough time for me to realize it wasn’t in my hands” – Yes, I am quoting his first sentence, I can’t make this up any better than reality. These folks really are geniuses of not only apple stuff but of multi-tasking, the proof is that my genius finished my issue while keeping a straight face and not laughing at the laundry dude. I have to admit that for the sake of all our Force 5 readers, I just had to stick around to hear the rest of the laundry story – You’re sitting on the edge of your office chairs, Right?
Laundry dude continued to explain how his iPhone was in his favorite jeans pocket and probably didn’t get that wet. He showed some smarts and called Apple before turning on his now sparkling clean iPhone. Apple instructed him to go to the nearest store and ask the genius to turn the phone on for him – Do Not Try This At Home should apply here. The genius listened and was very sympathetic to laundry dude. But, when the laundry dude finally confessed and said that this was his “THIRD” iPhone within the past year, the conversation was at a cross roads. In my opinion, the genius could have said “Sorry Charlie” and had every right to do so. But, to my surprise he offered laundry dude a new iPhone 4 at a greatly reduced rate of $199.00. Of course, laundry dude asked “Isn’t there any kind of insurance or care plan I can purchase that will cover me from stuff like this?”
Lesson of the story, we all have done some silly things in our lives and careers. So, what makes you different is the ability to ask yourself “Ok, that marketing effort was a flop and WHY?” If you can’t ask the question, you can’t learn the answers of tomorrow’s successes. Need someone outside of your organization to ask that tough question? Force 5 can help and we promise not to wash your cell phone.
What’s Your Voice?
Tuesday, August 23rd, 2011 by Jason StrattonWe have all done it, you see a cute puppy or kitten or any kind of baby animal. Your voice changes to that of a 4 year old as you try to talk and make this adorable creature smile – “hello little puppy”, “Your soooo cute”, you get the idea. You’re probably saying it out loud right now as you read this – I did every time I proofed this post. This honest voice is to be pleasant, soothing, trusting or to just share a smile. Usually the response is great, you get a purr or a wagging tail or even some polite slobber if you’re lucky.
So how in the world does this relate to marketing? Ask yourself this – “What is our company’s “customer” voice?” I’m not saying to talk to your customer like a puppy, unless that’s your customer, but to force yourself into that state of being the most honest and polite voice you can. By honest, I mean that your voice, or the voice of your employee is the voice of the brand, and your staff are the ambassadors of that brand. The way we speak to a customer, the way we “handle” them are reflections of the brand. We’ve seen it time and time again—we approach a sales counter—no eye contact, no hello, just “what can I do for you” in a monotone. That is your first impression of the brand. On the other hand, the glad-handing, high energy sales rep with a commission gleam in his eye is also a reflection of the brand. So if the brand experience, not to mention the product, falls short of your expectation, are you going to purchase from that company again? Not likely. That’s because those companies don’t care, or are talking to you in the voice they think you want to hear. But when the voice and the product live up to or exceeds your expectation, you become a repeat customer.
When you get to your true voice, your honest voice, then you are showing your brand, your identity, who you are and why it matters. Those who take the risk of being out there for the world to understand receive the largest gains. It doesn’t matter if you are trying to build more likes on your Facebook page or selling million dollar yachts’, your voice needs to say who you are in the most honest way possible.
Here is a portion of the definition for “human voice” provided by Wikipedia:
“The human voice consists of sound made by a human being using the vocal folds, a body part, for talking, singing, laughing, crying, screaming, etc.”
So you see, we are born with the ability to change our voice, but can you speak to your customer, your staff and/or your investors in your best brand voice? Do you need help with your Brand Voice? – Force 5 can help. Oh, we can help with the puppy voice too. Our staff members, Brady and Sophie can be ready at a moment’s notice!
A Missed Opportunity
Monday, July 25th, 2011 by Deb DeFreeuwI was at one of my favorite weekend spots on Saturday having breakfast. I was waiting to pay my bill and heard a rather loud conversation in front of me between the cashier and a customer. The conversation went something like this; “Why is the bill so much?” “Well, you ordered everything a la carte, you really should have ordered from our specials or regular menu.” “It would have been nice if the waitress had told me this, it is our first time here and now it will be our last time here.” Then dead silence as the cashier finished the transaction. It would have been so easy for the cashier to remedy this situation by charging the customer a regular meal price. Did she? No. Now they have lost a potential return customer and you can be sure that this disgruntled person is sharing her story with all her friends.
I had to wonder, does this employee not feel empowered to make this kind of decision? Maybe they have not had training on handling these types of situations? At any rate, the opportunity to make and keep a new customer was missed. I felt bad for the cashier who was not prepared to “make the save.”
If you own or manage a business, this is a good reminder to be aware of those brand touchpoints, anything that touches your customer has an impact on their experience. In this case some simple training would likely have prevented a poor customer experience.
Pricing That Shapes Reality
Wednesday, July 13th, 2011 by Butch WhitmireI read a great article yesterday, Why it Can Feel Good to Overspend, and it challenged my thinking. Several months ago I wrote a post on the Force 5 blog saying that marketing promises set customer expectations; and that unless the customer’s experience meets or exceeds those expectations, customers are not satisfied.
However, according to a study conducted in 2008, when it comes to setting high expectations based on price, customers can actually experience more satisfaction. Researchers placed the same wine in two different bottles. One bottle was a $90.00 label, the other a $10 label. When the volunteers were told the prices of the wine they were drinking, they ranked wine from the $90.00 bottle as twice as good.
Volunteers were not simply tricking themselves. Brain scans of the drinkers showed the areas of the brain that detected pleasantness being activated while consuming the $90 bottle. This meant that the drinkers we actually experiencing a better-tasting wine from the $90 bottle even though the two wines were identical.
So, what do you think? Does setting high expectations for customers have greater potential to increase their experience with your business or diminish it?
Bringing Next Generation to This Generation
Thursday, July 7th, 2011 by Butch WhitmireForce 5 remains steadfast in its commitment to be a “next generation brand development and marketing communications firm.” Determing what that next generation technology is and how to bring it to clients in an effective and practical way is the real challenge in fullfilling our commitment.
One next generation technology is mobile. Today, all indicators show that in the foreseeable future, mobile will play a larger and larger role in marketing strategy. As mobile continues to expand rapidly, enabling clients to embrace that technology in a manner that delivers a solid ROI is crucial. Recently, Visibility Magazine published a case study about Force 5′s client, Starcraft Marine. To help starcraft more fully embrace mobile technology and utilize their existing marketing collateral, Force 5 developed a practical mobile interface. (detailed info can be found here.)
The interface utilized MicroSoft TAGs, and Starcraft Marine’s existing video and web to leverage the growing power of mobile. Because it continues to utilize effective legacy strategies, this Force 5 solution brings clients closer to the next generation today.
Customer Advocacy and Company Blasphemy
Wednesday, June 29th, 2011 by Butch WhitmireLast week when I realized we were out of bottled water in our offices at Force 5 a few hours before a potential client was stopping by, I decided to make a quick run to the grocery store. After loading my cart with some H2O, I quickly made my way to the checkout register. Along the way I noticed my favorite cookies – old fashioned sugar cookies. I grabbed a tray and thought, “our guest will like these, and if not, our staff will.” (Yep, staff members are the most important brand ambassadors you have; so treat them well.)
So, I’m in line to pay and Ethyl the cashier says, “Look at that!” as she points to the price tag on the cookies, “those cookies are $3.59!”
“I know,” I say, “but man, are they good!” (I’d bought them at least 5 times before.)
She picks up the clear container and starts for count them out for me, “two, four, six … eightcookies! I can’t believe how expensive they are. I wouldn’t pay that for just eight cookies.”
I just smiled and bought my cookies. I smiled at her manager too, who had listened to the entire conversation.
Ok. Ethyl meant well. She wanted for me what she valued for herself – maximum cookie quantity per dollar spent. Ethyl wanted me to be happy.
Unfortunately, Ethyl did the opposite. In this exchange Ethyl communicated three pretty awful things:
1) You must like to waste money.
2) Apparently you can’t read or count or make decisions.
3) Be careful. Unless I was here to protect you, this place would screw you over every chance it gets.
There’s a fine line between customer advocacy and company blasphemy. I’ve found throughout my career that sales people who understand the difference are the ones who are the most successful. Have you ever run across a salesperson like this and how did they make you feel as a buyer?
Pent Up
Thursday, June 23rd, 2011 by Butch Whitmire
I read in a brief from Ad-ology that nearly 35% of U.S. adults said they intend to buy a new or used car in the next 12 months. One explanation is pent up demand. This means consumers have been holding back on their spending like a corralled stallion and now they are finally going to let that stud burst out of its pen in a money-spending whirlwind of hooves and mane.
I am hopeful this is the reason that people will be buying cars this year. Pent up demand suggests that consumers who were once caution-filled about the economy are now optimistic enough to let go of their cash or comfortable enough to take on debt. This type of demand reflects consumer confidence.
Another explanation as to why consumers will purchase cars this year is simply because they have to. That is, they are neither confident nor do they have any greater belief they will remain employed long tern or have more disposable income; they must buy a car. Their current car is just too old and worn out and to get to work, or to the unemployment office, they need a car. This type of demand, a replacement demand, reflects consumer fear.
Now don’t get me wrong, regardless of the reason, people buying cars or any product or service will be good for our economy. Demand creates production, which creates jobs, which encourages spending which creates more demand. Wonderful!
The challenge for marketers will be determining the latent, emotional cause for their customer’s demand: do customers want to buy or do they have to buy? The marketing message you send to someone who is afraid should be much different than to someone buying eagerly. Helping our clients determine their audience and the message they should send them is part of our Soul Searching™ process here at Force 5 and we’d welcome the opportunity to talk with you about our methodology. Feel free to contact us.
So, will your customers be buying from you like an unleashed stallion this year, or like some other creature? We’d love to hear your thoughts.
Social Media Trends for 2011
Tuesday, June 21st, 2011 by David Morgan
In a May 2011 Report authored by Michael Stelzner and sponsored by Social media Examiner, the 2011 Social Media Marketing Industry Report set out to uncover the “who, what, where, when and why” of social media marketing. More than 3300 marketers provided insight on the latest trends in Social Media.
Here’s a quick summary of the findings:
Marketers place high value on social media- A significant 90% of marketers indicate that social media is important for their business.
Measurement and integration are top areas marketers want to master- One-third of all social media marketers want to know how to monitor and measure the return on investment (ROI) of social media and integrate their social media activities.
Social media marketing takes a lot of time - The majority of marketers (58%)are using social media for 6 hours or more each week, and more than a third(34%) invest 11 or more hours weekly.
Video marketing on the rise- A significant 77% of marketers plan on increasingtheir use of YouTube and video marketing, making it the top area marketers will invest in for 2011.
Marketers seek to learn more about Facebook and blogging- 70% of marketers want to learn more about Facebook and 69% want to learn more about blogging.
The top benefits of social media marketing- The number-one advantage of social media marketing (by a long shot) is generating more business exposure,as indicated by 88% of marketers. Increased traffic (72%) and improved search rankings (62%) were also major advantages.
The top social media tools- Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and blogs were the topfour social media tools used by marketers, in that order. Facebook has eclipsed Twitter to take the top spot since the 2010 study.
Social media outsourcing underutilized- Only 28% of businesses are outsourcing some portion of their social media marketing
You can find the original page for the report here.It’s a 40+ page read—probably not your “summer novel for the beach”—but important. When you can, look it over. At Force 5, we realize Social Media is a tool in the Marketing basket, and a moving target. Reports like this are important to review-Take some time and take a look.
Be careful delivering that brand!
Friday, June 17th, 2011 by Deb DeFreeuwI have to say I have a love-hate relationship with Jimmy John’s. I love the sandwiches, they are good and freaky fast. The thing I am not so enamored with is walking into the restaurant and having the majority of the folks working behind the counter yell “HELLO” at me. Most don’t even look up, it feels more like a pavlovian response to someone walking in the door rather than anyone really caring that I am there or not. The girl at the counter today didn’t even look at me when she was taking my order. My sense is that they are trying to create a hustle-bustle, friendly atmosphere, and for me this misses the mark. Then, when I leave everyone yells “GOODBYE” to me – truthfully it makes me more uncomfortable than anything. I do my best to leave unnoticed if possible.
The lesson here is, if your business has a brand that is centered around a particular feeling or personality – make sure when it is delivered, it is genuine. People see right through it when it’s not!
