my 2 cents

"Get me on Oprah"

Susan Young, writing at p.r. newsletter Ragan.com last week, lists ten things clients say that scare public relations people.   It's a good list with some client comments and requests that will seem all too familiar to many of us in the agency world.

I have a running joke with my contact at one of my clients, echoing the CEO's frequent request to get him on Oprah.  And what do you think is the #1 item on Susan's list?  Yes, it is "I want to be on Oprah."

Few media personalities seem to have the clout with the public that Oprah has.  Years ago, a p.r. person would have been lamenting the phrase "Get me on Carson," referring to late-night king Johnny Carson's Tonight Show.  These days, though, the late-night audience is split into small pieces between Letterman, Conan, Nightline, Seinfeld reruns, quality first-run shows on cable and what are probably the vast majority who are online, texting or tweeting.

Yes, it's a very different media world today.  But it doesn't stop clients from making outlandish or unrealistic demands.

Beyond "Get me on Oprah," here are a few I've heard...

*  Let's make a video that will go viral on YouTube

*  Put me on Twitter (or Facebook) and get me as many followers (or friends) as Ashton Kutcher

*  Get me on the cover of (fill in the blank -- any major magazine will do)

*  Lie about the numbers.  No one will know.

Part of an agency person's job is managing expectations.  There's a lot we can do, especially in this fast-changing media marketplace.  But there are still some things we simply can't accomplish, and some we simply shouldn't even try to do because they're not ethical. 

Setting the level of expectations at a realistic and honest level is an important part of client relations and if it's done as soon as the first offbeat request is made, chances are you will be a lot happier.  Maybe not as rich, because some clients don't want to be told no and they'll fire you.  But in the long run, you'll survive and -- most important of all -- you'll be able to look at yourself in the mirror.

Other Voices: Rush to Technology Outpaces Need to Use Intelligence

Other Voices

This guest post is by Kenneth J. Weiss, director of e-commerce for Hoover.  Ken has a new book out titled Slightware -- The Next Great Threat to Brands.  You can download the first chapter free at www.slightware.com.

.....

Companies are turning up the use of technology for marketing and operations.  Unfortunately, the rush to do it is outpacing the need to do it intelligently.  Last month, the brand hits kept on coming and, remarkably, companies thought they could shrug off brand damage with a carefully constructed press release.  Some examples...

App Absurdity

A few months ago, Apple took a huge PR hit when it released a "Shake the Baby" game in its App Store.  When the animated baby started to cry, the user needed to shake the iPhone until the baby stopped.  After a huge backlash, Apple simply removed the app and offered the typical "Sorry" press release.  Not to be outdone as the leading classless iPhone app, Pepsi launched one in October to help users "Score with women."  Enter the type of woman in question and the app would offer ways to make her feel bubbly.  The app got plenty of coverage, but nearly all of it was negative.

PhotoSchlock

The fashion industry has been hammered repeatedly for settinn impossible standards of "thinness" for women.  So how does Ralph Lauren respond?  By Photoshopping a model to non-human, stick-thin proportions and then firing her when she complained.  The story broke in mid-October when Fillipa Hamilton was fired for being overweight.  Ironically, the Photoshopped ad showing Fillipa was supposedly approved by Ralph Lauren himself.  The company claims the ad was only intended to run in Japan.  Somehow, an internationally known model and brand would be immune to the dynamics of the "World Wide Web," right?

Lose Data - Lose Customers

T-Mobile and Facebook are supposed to be brands that are good with technology.  Well... both suffered massive data problems last month.  T-Mobile experienced a glitch that compromised personal data and information for thousands of users.  The company eventually came clean and said "most" of the data had been recovered.  "Most?"  How well is the company perceived if you are one of the people not part of "most?"

Facebook took a page from the corner-crack-dealer playbook.  First it gets people addicted to checking their Facebook page with relentless emails, and then it blocks 150,000 people for nearl;y a week.  How bad do they want it now?  Some want it more and others have happily decided to go cold-turkey.

Banks You Can Trust - Technology You Can't

No industry has more trouble with consumer trust than banking.  October started with Rocky Mountain Bank attempting to explain why it sent confidential information of more than 1,000 customers to an unauthorized Gmail account.  Next, TD Bank, which bills itself as "the most convenient bank in America," had a technical problem that prevented deposits from showing up in people's accounts.  Convenience quickly turned to panic when paychecks were vaporized.  Bank of America followed with a glitch that stopped people from making ATM withdrawals.  The problem then expanded to drive-ins and tellers.  In all instances, competitive banks reported an increase in new customers.

The drive to do business faster and cheaper will continue to fuel the rush to technology, and mistakes are likely to continue.  Brands need to realize that an apology may make the brand people feel better, but the consumer will feel differently once they've been burned by the brand.

A note from David Reich:  Ken's piece points up the need to think things through carefully by trying to put yourself into the mind of customers and non-customers.  Had that been done, it's hard to imagine the examples of Ken's "App Absurdity" section would have advanced beyond the brainstorming session.

Embrace new technology, for sure.  But don't forget to use good old common sense as well.

An example of great (not) customer relations

Television Week and Ad Age ran stories last week under the headline:

TV Networks Resist Discount Requests from Advertisers

Advertisers struggling through tough times and tightening budgets have been asking the networks to reduce their rates, whether for ads bought in advance during the upfront market last summer or for scatter ads being bought now.  For most marketers who use national TV, media costs make up the bulk of their marketing budget.

Advertisers are, understandably, trying to stretch their ad dollars.  But the networks are exhibiting an arrogant and short-sighted "take it or leave it" attitude, claiming there's enough demand now for them to hold the line on their prices.

Have the network sales execs taken soie pages from Detroit's playbook?  Never mind what the customers (advertisers) want.  Give them the same old thing at higher prices.

As the recession continues and budgets get tighter, many experts are predicting that the nets may be facing a much less robust market for the 2nd quarter.  Weaker sales in the spring could impact the prices they'll be able to get in the next upfront market in June/July.  With so many channels out there, some advertisers who feel railroaded by the major networks may just put their money elsewhere, like on other cable nets where the sellers are showing some cooperation and understanding of their customers' situation.

The networks are a business too, of course, and say they need the added revenues from higher ad rates to enable them to produce content that viewers and advertisers want. Does that mean more reality shows and more Leno in prime time?  Both formats are much less costly to produce than scripted series.

I'm seeing forecasts that network revenues will be down by 7 - 10 percent in 2009 as ad spending continues to tighten.  So is the solution to charge more for fewer viewers?

TV may remain king for a long time, but online media continue to make inroads.  Ignoring customers' pleas for help hardly seems like the way to build relationships and loyalty, which may come in handy a few years down the road when TV isn't still the advertising king.

The Importance of Earnest Service

 
Customer service has always been an important part of any business, but especially so in the retail business.  Unfortunately, customer service over the years is one of the things that too many businesses have let fall by the wayside in the rush to compete on price and maximize profits -- to me, a short-term and short-sighted business philosophy.  It's the thinking that, arguably, is partly to blame for the mess Detroit now finds itself in.

While companies now scramble to hold onto business as we hear daily reports of economic gloom and doom, excellent customer service may be a way to keep existing business or even win new business.  But I fear that many organizations, in a cost-cutting mode, will put customer service on the back burner... or on an even smaller flame than it's been on all along.

It's fitting that an interesting new blog has just come online that deals with the importance of earnest service.  In fact, that's what the blog is called -- The Importance of Earnest Service.

It's written by a friend and colleague, Jeanne Byington, who is a longtime public relations pro with a specialization in home furnishings and table-top.  She's served clients ranging from 3M Company to some of the leaders in the wallcovering industry.

As an aside, I find it ironic that as Jeanne was thinking about getting her blog started and was expressing anxiety about it, I was cheering her along and giving her advice.  It made me smile, to think that it was less than two years ago that I was in that same position -- unsure of myself and terrified of this great unknown called the blogosphere.  I was lucky to have a friend -- CK -- to guide and at times push me along.  And now it's my turn to act as a blogging guide and cheerleader.

Check out Jeanne's blog.  I think you'll enjoy it.  Her insights will be a welcome addition to our space online.

Musical magic

The Detroit News recently reported how Delta Airlines is using carefully-selected music to get passengers into their seats faster and then keep them calm once they're seated.

Instead of playing nondescript elevator music as passengers board, sly Delta uses a mix of upbeat contemporary pop songs to get passengers moving quickly.  Two years ago, when Delta began playing contemporary tunes during boarding, the flight crew noticed that passengers boarded and got themselves settled in more quickly.  Once seated, passengers didn't get as impatient as before while waiting to leave the gate and taxi.

The playlist is changed every month, after careful selection by a music branding firm. The music has become another tool in Delta's arsenal of ways to engage travelers and have them choose Delta over the competition.

We've seen how music can be used in a variety of ways to motivate action, whether it's techno music in a trendy clothing store or music of the '60s and '70s in  ads aimed at boomers.  The political conventions both made use of an interesting combination of music to stir emotions, from Sousa marches to Stevie Nicks.

Using music while boarding planes is a great idea, but I'm not sure how much it will "engage" or calm passengers hit with extra charges for baggage and carry-ons, or for pillows and blankets, or water and coffee.

Or am I just singing the wrong tune?

Should P.R. take the lead in corporate social media?

Public relations is a lot more than publicity.  It encompasses (or can encompass) all aspects of marketing communications, even including advertising in some cases. It touches investor relations, customer relations and employee relations.

A big part of the publicity component involves media relations.  As media has changed over the years, p.r. people learned how to interact with new forms of media in order to get a message across.  That's happening now as social media become more widely used by the public.

A key difference between traditional media like TV and new interactive media is the interactivity.  The public we are trying to reach via the media can talk back to us -- and to all other viewers, listeners or readers -- immediately and, often, unfettered.

So who should be responsible within an organization for oversight of communications via social media?

I've seen some debate online, with arguments saying social media should come under the purview of public relations, marketing, customer relations or even the IT department.  Some are saying social media should have it's own distinct department.

Jason Falls in Louisville addressed the topic a few days ago, and there's a great discussion over at his blog.

I think the public relations department or an organization's p.r, agency, if they have one, must have significant involvement in outreach through social media.  Marketing or customer relations might have the day-to-day responsibility for handling a corporate blog or key executives' Twitter activity.  But Public Relations, working in close tandem with Marketing, needs to be involved as the organization begins its social media involvement -- laying out key messages, suggestions for handling questions and especially negative or erroneous comments.  There also must be a method for frequent monitoring by Public Relations, if they are not actually handling the day-to-day operation.

Before this can be done, of course, the public relations people must have real hands-on knowledge and experience with social media.  Unfortunately, that's something that too many p.r. people don't yet have, which is one of the key points of Jason's post.

Who do you think should be taking the lead?
 

 

 

Guest Post: Drew McLellan on Initiating Conversation

Not too long after I began blogging, I received an email from the author of a blog I regularly (and still do) read -- Drew's Marketing Minute.  It seems I had posted the 1,000th comment at Drew's blog, and he asked if I would, to commemorate the milestone, write a guest post.  I was honored and flattered and, of course, I said yes.

1,000 comments!  At that point, I was lucky if I had much more than 100 comments here.

So how ironic and funny that I recently received my 1,000th comment and who was it from?  You guessed it -- Drew McLellan.  (My good friend and blogging instigator CK was # 999.)

What better way to celebrate the milestone than with this guest post by Drew.

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At this post in celebration of David's 1,000th comment and his ability to not only welcome but nurture comments and conversations, it seems fitting to talk about how we initiate conversations with the audiences we're trying to attract.

I have to admit, I don't really understand why businesses are so bad at this.  But most of them truly don't get it.  And yet, we live the model every day.

You wouldn't walk into a party, stick your hand out and say, "I'd like to tell you why I am going to be much more interesting to talk to than anyone else here."  Would you?

Think about when you meet someone new.  How does that initial conversation usually begin?  If you're like most people, you start off by asking a few questions to get your footing.  Is this someone you have something in common with?  What connections might you share?

Once you've demonstrated your interest in this new person, odds are they'll do the same.  Ask a few questions.  Learn more about you.  And so it goes, back and forth until one of two things happen:

• The foundation for a relationship is built
• One or both of you decide there isn't a good fit and you move on.

Either way you win.  You've either made a new connection or you've avoided a bad one before you invested too much into the relationship.

The same truths hold for business communications.  When we do it right, we filter out the potential clients who are a bad fit. Which saves us time and money.  But to do that, we need to model our initial foray around communicating, not talking at them.

Look at your marketing materials.  It might be your website, a PDF you e-mail, or an old-fashioned brochure.  Does it connect with your audience right away by focusing on them?  Do you ask questions to get to know them better?  Or do you demonstrate that you have something in common?

Or like most businesses, is it all about you?  Your products. Your awards? Your prices.  Your guarantee.

Which conversation would you find more appealing?

-- Drew McLellan

The secret to successful customer service

 

So much is written about customer service -- books, magazine articles, white papers and, of course, posts on blogs, including this one.

We talk about listening, how to get and evaluate feedback, and encouraging conversation with customers.  But today, unexpectedly, I heard The Secret for outstanding customer service.

I wasn't at a seminar, nor was I talking to a customer service guru or a  B-school professor.  I heard The Secret from a friend who doesn't have an MBA.  He didn't go to college.  In fact, he didn't finish high school.

My friend Eric has been serving customers all of his working life.  For many years, he was a successful salesman for large commercial printers. When the printing business dried up in New York, he became the night manager for a gas station,  For the past dozen years, he's been the night manager at a busy all-night diner in rural Putnam County, about 60 miles north of New York City.

Eric stopped by my house to visit today, and he was talking about happenings at his diner.  As I listened to him explaining how he instructs his staff to treat customers, and how he deals with customer relations problems that arise from time to time, I realized I was hearing  wisdom from a very astute customer relations person.

And I realized that The Secret is as obvious as the nose on your face.  Yet, so many companies get it totally wrong, including many of the biggest businesses around.  Like me, you can probably count on one hand how many businesses do an outstanding job in serving their customers. And it's the rare company that can take a service problem and transform it into a positive customer experience that both solves the problem and creates  a loyal customer who can become an advocate for that business.

Eric's secret?

Treat the customer just the way you would like to be treated.

It's so obvious and simple that it's almost laughable.  The business version of the Golden Rule.

Why, then, do so many organizations get it so wrong?  Why can't they train their employees to put themselves into the customer's place? 

Maybe they're too hung up with process.  Or profits.  Or cost-containment.  All are important, of course, but without good customer service, you don't really have much to offer.

Perhaps a good training program for new employees would be to put them through a typical customer experience at that company.  If it's a retail store or a restaurant, have them shop or dine.  If it's a company's incoming call center to place orders or get help, have them  make some calls and see how they're treated.  Then, review the customer service experience with them and ask how, under ideal circumstances, they'd like to be treated.

Their answer is what they should strive for on the job all the time.  Companies that realize The Secret and try to adhere to it stand a better chance at offering good service and profiting in the long run.

Think about it, and thank my friend Eric.  He's there behind the cash register most late nights at the diner in Lake Carmel, NY.
 

Holding the bag?

The weekly Ad Age online poll, out Thursday, asks if American Airlines' move to charge for all checked luggage offers a marketing opportunity for rival airlines.

In asking the question, Ad Age says that the airline expected the $15/bag charge would be unwelcome news for travelers and had a detailed communications plan to try to get across key talking points that it hoped would justify the surcharge --  rising fuel prices, fuel conservation efforts and the ever-increasing cost of running a passenger airline.

Those carefully crafted talking points went virtually unheard in the consumer and media uproar after American made its announcement.

So does that open an opportunity for other airlines to jump in, proclaiming they don't charge extra for luggage so aren't they wonderful?

The airline industry overall suffers from a very poor image, which they've brought upon themselves by shoddy service, unreliable scheduling, long layovers at hubs as they've eliminated many direct flights, etc.  Even seemingly little things like charging three bucks for a bag of chips has caused so much irritation.

Air travel used to be fun and comfortable.  Now, it conjurs up long lines, cramped quarters, surly personnel, and a generally negative experience, capped off by high prices.

That's the image the airlines face.

Will travelers choose one carrier over another to save $15 or $30 dollars?  In many cases, the choice comes down to a combination of departure/arrival times, direct vs. connecting flights and the amount of layover time.  Price figures into the equation for many, but  a relatively small difference like $15 or $30 won't change too many minds.

I think the decision of which carrier to fly is still largely based on past experience and the overall impression of how much does this airline want my business.  Charging per piece of luggage seems like nickel-and-diming, but so does eliminating even a small snack on the flight.  The luggage surcharge is more of an attitudinal thing, and it seems to me that American's p.r. team totally underestimated how angry and disgusted the reaction would be.

That said, the public and the media have short attention spans and before you know it, the newscasters will be on to the next big story.  Once the hubbub dies down, American should  continue to tell its story of why it did what it did.  And at the same time, they should focus as much energy as they can on giving excellent service so many travelers will feel they're getting value -- even if it costs them a few dollars more.

And the reality probably is that even if rival carriers try to exploit the fact that they don't charge extra for bags, they'll have to be cutting back somewhere in order to save money and stay in business.  If those cuts impact the quality of service -- the total travel experience on that airline -- they'll lose customers anyway.

Trying to exploit  the surcharge seems, to me, like a very short-term tactic.

Any thoughts?  Or are you up in the air about it?

Big Truck Day

Public libraries have evolved over the years.

When I was a kid, the library was simply books.  Borrow books, browse books, and use books for research.  (This was before the internet, when most of us do our research online.)  It was about books.

I remember when the local library added records to its collection, and later CDs, and then videos and DVDs.  And now you can surf the web at the library as well.

Really, it's always been about more than books... sharing information and experiences with the public.  And reaching out to attract everyone, young and old, to the library through community relations programs.  Many libraries have lectures and host events where people can interact first-hand with people or things they might not normally see close-up.  Baby animals for the kids, experts giving advice for seniors, local arts & crafts and much more.

The library in Topsham, MaIne the other day had a program that, to me, trumps them all.  It was called Big Truck Day.

I heard about it from someone who was there -- our daughter Jennifer, who went with our 2-1/2 year old grandson Jack. 

According to Jen, there were several dozen kids -- almost all boys, accompanied by a handful of female siblings and their moms.  But considering it was a weekday, Jen said there were quite a few dads there as well.  (Of course there were.  Guys love Big Trucks, no matter how old we are.  If I lived in the area, I definitely would have played hooky from work for the afternoon to see the Big Trucks, even if I didn't have a young grandson.)

As each truck pulled into the parking lot, a collective cry went up from the assembled boys, calling out the name of the truck.  To these boys, it wasn't just a fire engine.  It was a pumper truck.  Or it wasn't simply a construction tractor; it was a front-end loader or a back hoe.  These kids know their Big Trucks.

Big Truck Day was fun for the kids and it reinforced, for the kids and the parents, the idea that the library is a place for them and that it's about more than books.  So much more.

Jack in a tractor.  (Oops, I mean a front-end loader.)