Pro global business

All the fuss has died down on Seth Godin’s Meatball Sundae book so I thought now would be a good time to chat on it.

The book is very easy to read and I liked how he wrote in 1-2 page chapters. Made it very easy to follow along. His explanation of new marketing was on target.

Here’s what was missing… Branding. Nothing really ever mentioned on how companies can translate new marketing into a big picture branding strategy. After all new marketing is really just a bunch of tactics. Write a blog, build a forum etc. All of these are mere tactics. How do they translate to and interact with a companies brand identity?

I also felt that Seth was somewhat harsh on traditional media. He lumps TV advertising into one bin and says it’s done. And although I do agree to some extent I also believe that GREAT, targeted TV Advertising works exceptionally well. And here’s where the rub is…Permission Marketing.

Seth believes that interrupting consumers is bad, hence his disdain for spam, tv commercials, radio ads etc. Whereas I believe that consumers expect interruption but because it’s generally bad they despise it. But I also believe that good, targeted interruption can be very beneficial. Here’s an example:

Say I have a great diabetes cereal product like Glucerna (http://glucerna.com/product/cereal.aspx), a well targeted email campaign to people with diabetes could be very helpful. Is it Spam? Technically, yes. But it will be of serious help to this targeted list. Will they see it as an interruption? I don’t think so. I have diabetes and saw Glucerna’s TV commercial and immediately went to their website to learn more.

So I do feel like there is a grey area to Permission Marketing. What are your thoughts?

According to Seth Godin who coined the phrase, no. But is there a grey area? For instance I received this “spam” email from Lisa Rossi who is a naming specialist.

Attn: Brand Identity Guru,

My name is Lisa Rossi and I have over 12 years of naming and branding experience working with both advertising/branding agencies and corporate clients around the globe.
 
My industry experience includes consumer products, industrial, medical, pharmaceutical, agricultural, professional services and technology.

I am one of the 237 authors in the new book Age of Conversation 2 so I was excited to purchase the book today. I went to the Lulu website to make it so.

I signed up and placed an order for 10 hard covers at $29.99 (I would imagine the average person buys just one version). On checkout I got this message:

The apartment number you entered doesn’t match any address in our shipper’s database. Huh?

Lulu wouldn’t allow me to move forward. I couldn’t place the order? So I went to Lulu’s live chat feature for help. Here’s what transpired:

Aimee G: Welcome to Lulu.  How can I help you today?

swhite@brandidentityguru.com: I’m trying to place an order and I get this message: The apartment number you entered doesn’t match any address in our shipper’s database.

swhite@brandidentityguru.com: it’s the right address

Aimee G: Hi there. Sorry to hear that, one moment please while I check on this

Aimee G: Is this the first time you tried to place an order to that address please?

swhite@brandidentityguru.com: it won’t let me move on? My address is:

swhite@brandidentityguru.com: 304 Newbury St. Suite 555, Boston, MA 02115

Aimee G: Thanks for the address, did you use this address before please or from your previous order?

swhite@brandidentityguru.com: No, first time ordering but that’s my address.

swhite@brandidentityguru.com: It works for the rest of the world….

Aimee G: Sorry to hear this. Can you try to click on Back to get out of the error message please? Then click on your My Lulu tab, then go to CONTACT LIST on the left navigation column, then add your shipping address in there. And then go back to your cart and try it again

swhite@brandidentityguru.com: one second

swhite@brandidentityguru.com: I’m getting a blank page when I click on contact list

Aimee G: Please try to refresh your page

swhite@brandidentityguru.com: nothing, this is a joke. Do you make it this hard on everyone to order or just me?

swhite@brandidentityguru.com: Can someone call me to take the order?

Aimee G: I am sorry  but the blank page looks like a browser issue. You may need to change some settings on your computer or in your browser. First try clearing your cookies.

swhite@brandidentityguru.com: no, call me and I’ll place the order

Aimee G:If it doesn’t solve this, would it be possible for you to switch browser and try Firefox? We’ve found that users using Firefox have less trouble with Lulu than other browsers. It’s a free download if you wish to try it.

Aimee G: www.mozilla.com/firefox

Aimee G: I am sorry but we only take orders online

swhite@brandidentityguru.com: no

swhite@brandidentityguru.com: i am an author

swhite@brandidentityguru.com: the first call i make is to Drew and Gavin

swhite@brandidentityguru.com: this is bad, really bad

swhite@brandidentityguru.com: can I call you to place the order?

Aimee G: I am sorry for the inconvenience. I will create a ticket and will pass this on to our site engineers so they can check and sort this out

Aimee G: Sorry no, we do not currently have phone support

Aimee G: I have created a ticket for you. Please be sure to keep your ticket number in a safe place so all of our operators will be able to see the history of this issue and can better assist you. You will also need to include the ticket number in any emails that you send to us regarding this issue, preferably in the subject header. We usually respond to tickets in 1 to 2 business days so you should have an answer on this issue soon.

swhite@brandidentityguru.com: So at this time I am unable to purchase 10 books at @$29.99? And no one will call me to place the order, is that right?

Aimee G: I’m afraid yes. Sorry for this trouble. Our site engineers will check on this and contact you via email

Later in the day I did get this response from customer service (who have obviously not talked with Ben). Look at the amount of work they ask me to do to resolve their problem:

Dear swhite,

I am sorry that you are having problems ordering on Lulu. Can you first of all please try the following ?

First of all, please delete any order made thus far at the cart / check out.

Then, please go to My Lulu, then go to the link ‘clear credit card information’ click on that, then click on the link to confirm that, then, go to the link for your Lulu contacts, click on this, then delete all billing information, then, delete cookies, delete cache, ensure the pop up blocker is off, then try again, If you still cannot order, then please do peruse the followiing pointers:

I am sorry that you have had problems making a purchase. Although it is always best to come on to Live Help where can assist better with problems like these, here are a few pointers to consider. If you find none of the tips work, or none of it applies to you / your order, then please do come on to Live Help.

Why do word of mouth marketing folks hate on traditional advertising? Today Seth Godin writes:

This is why the Journal’s report that Google is flirting seriously with a big advertising buy is so troublesome. Once you start buying TV time, you just added another tool to your marketing belt. Now, plenty of your development and marketing team will say, “Oh, we’ll just buy ads. People will use it!” Suddenly, you don’t focus so much on building word of mouth and remarkability into your products, because now you can easily use TV to spackle over less remarkable products.

Think about that for a bit. Here’s what I say, that’s freakin ridiculous. Sure, running bad TV spots won’t work but a good strategic integrated branding strategy will. What these Kool-Aid drinking word of mouth marketers never seem to understand is the impact of a strategic integrated branding approach. One tactic lifts up another, they work hand and hand. They all leverage the brand identity. Bingo, it all works.

But, if you do crappy stuff you get crappy results. Don’t hate on any one tactic it’s just shortsighted. Word of mouth marketing can be fantastic, I agree. But great TV ads (insert Mac vs PC here) can also do great things and Apple’s TV ads certainly hasn’t taken away from their word of mouth marketing, has it?

Last week I defended direct mail when word of mouth marketing company Brains on Fire dismissed the entire tactic (read about that here). Today I defend TV advertising. I do this if and only if it’s part of an integrated, strategic branding approach. Focusing on just any one tactic is not something I will ever recommend to a client.

I would be wary of any marketing company that only promoted one tactic, because it’s most likely the tactic they’re selling. Brand Identity Guru is not tied to any tactic, we only use the tactics that are best for the client based on their brand identity goals. BIG difference.

Is it me or have I have just agreed again with Seth Godin? His latest blog “You Get What You Pay For” is right on point. Here’s a snippet:

If you don’t like bait and switch marketing, where promises don’t match the product, don’t buy it.

If you don’t like snarky, angry blogs, don’t read them.

If you deplore the lousy service at big chains or certain airlines, don’t shop there, even if it’s cheaper.

In other words, stop whining about it. You don’t like the way you’re treated on American Airlines don’t freakin buy another ticket with them! If enough people actually follow through guess what happens?

Change!

As my loyal readers know I often disagree with things Seth Godin says. I haven’t purchased any of his books but do read his blog. For the most part his blog has been pretty mundane as of late but then he posted an article on being lucky. This caught my attention immediately.

The name of the article is “The Difficult Choice”. Check it out.

Sit back people because everything Seth says in this post is solid and the truth. If I had a nickel for every time a poor boy like me was referred to as lucky, well…I’d be even richer than I am today.

It’s funny how someone like me can be SO lucky all the time. Look folks, it ain’t luck. I’ve been responsible for all my luck but sometimes it’s easier for people that haven’t accomplished what they want to call other people lucky. Seth’s not lucky.

Like Seth I take big time risks. Some fail miserably (no one ever calls me lucky then) and some pay big dividends.

When 911 came we lost 75% of our business. Almost all our clients got laid off from their companies. What did I do? I closed down the office and gave everyone the opportunity to work virtually from their homes. This saved me tremendous capital expenditures and it made the employee’s who stayed much happier. Was it luck? It was a big risk for sure that paid off. I made my luck. and in return my employee’s are the happiest they’ve ever been.

So the next time you question someone’s success whether it be a company or individual remember one thing. It’s a lot easier to call someone else lucky than take the chance at making your own luck.

Green cars, green this, green that. Every company in the world is green. You’re shunned if you drive a big SUV. Hogwash, all of it. They’re all hypocrites!

I just read a blog post over at Seth Godin’s titled “Packaging for Retail”. Here’s an excerpt:

Item 1: My Logitech cordless remote (which I like a lot) came in plastic, non-recyclable packaging that weighed twice as much as the remote itself.* The plastic was so well sealed and so thick that I actually broke a kitchen knife trying to open it. (*this is not hyperbole. I weighed it).

This is expensive, time-consuming and positions the product as extremely ungreen.

Seth mentions “being green” a lot. But here’s where he’s hypocritical (like most people). He writes books. Books are made from? Paper. Paper means cutting down trees? Is that green? Okay, so it’s assumed the books he writes are on recycled paper right? BUZZZZZ. Check out his latest book “Meatball Sundae”, ah, er…not made from recycled paper as far as I can see. No pretty recycled logo I can find anywhere. Hypocritical if in fact true? Me thinks so. If he were REALLY green he’d sell his book online but I have to guess that there is no money in that.

Companies try and say they are green (marketing spin) but they’re really not. They do some limited “stuff” but in reality what they do is pointless. People say they are green by doing limited “stuff” like recycling, buying smaller cars etc.

But if you want to be green, really green then do it. Don’t just change a few things and think you’re saving the world because you’re not. Stop having children, that’s green. More people on this earth is the worst thing you can do if you’re really green. Walk to work with shoes made from something that doesn’t add to the greenhouse effect (good luck with that one).

You see being green requires a commitment. A real genuine commitment. Not a hypocritical, sort of green, try and make yourself look good commitment. Being green is a lifestyle. It’s not something you brag about to your friends.

That’s why 99% of people who say they are green are hypocrites. I don’t say I’m green even though I’m more green than most of the 99%.