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Strategic Twitter Challenge

Advergirl readers may remember the name David Griner. Either from his much-more-successful blog or - I can hope - from our fabled battle over the rightness of Wendy's Red Wig. (Speaking of - I noticed they didn't get bought out until after they dumped my favorite wig for that squeaky Girl Wendy rehab. Moving on...)

Today Griner spotted a great class project for readers and writers of the social web. I'd love it if we could all get involved:

Background: This week, a fair-trade coffee roaster is promoting his new bakery on Twitter by offering to give out free coffee after reaching 100 (Twitter) followers. (Griner was Follower No. 2.)

A rather un-authentic approach, but, hey, at least he's trying to use the medium.

So, here's the strategic challenge: Begin by logging on to Twitter. (If you're not signed up yet, this is a great opportunity to try it out and be part of a productive little case study at the same time.)

Then, tweet how you would use Twitter to promote a bakery you've just opened.

Griner's already collected some responses that are pretty interesting, but we think this can go much farther in showing the possibilities of social media.

One rule: Remember to put #bakery at the end of each Twitter post, so that Griner can track the answers here: http://twemes.com/bakery

Follow Griner @griner

Crisis Communications and Social Media

Last week on Twitter, David Thulin wondered:

"who will first fully use the power of interactive Social Media to handle a large corporate crisis"

Great question. Followed quickly by - how?

If you haven't already written social media into your crisis plans, here are a couple of ideas on the how:

• Find the windows. Before the story is written, it is Twittered, or posted or boarded.
  
  If the issue is a big one, our impatient, chatty online talk leaders won't start with a long-form blog post or a call to their editors, they'll test the waters. See what other people know. Show a few of their cards. These short-form - what the heck is going on(?) - snips are a window into how your story is being told and who is telling it.
  
  For most consumer products, Twitter is an easy entry into that chat. Simple tools like Tweetscan let you search (on demand or all the time) your brand by name, product, etc. Have an all-common-nouns name? You may have to follow your brand followers by setting up a Twitter account and listening to people already talking about your industry or easier-named competitors.
  
  (If you're building a case for a champion, Billy's got lots of Twitter basics over on B&A's blog)
  
  For B2B products, the medium changes with the industry. A lot of IT gurus, for example, still use closed boards - ones that will be completely worth the registration fees for you to listen in on.


• Empower trustees of the brand. Ok, you've found someone tweeting about about The Crisis. What now?
  
  Luckily, you've prepared in advance by tagging 3 - 4 storytellers within your organization. Their actual job titles don't matter. You're looking for savvy users of the very technologies you're targeting (online communities, blogs, etc.) who are passionate about the brand and have excellent judgment.
  
  This online response team is tasked with three things: (1) understanding the shared brand story (what we stand for, who we are, who we serve), (2) understanding the current crisis or issue (knowing how to get the briefing and what questions to ask), and (3) using their best judgment to engage online talk leaders.
  
  Once activated, their job is to talk to people who are already talking about the crisis or who are likely to. Ask questions, share perspectives, talk to real people like real people. Yes, you can quote me.
  
  Way too scary? Another option is to engage people just to drive to a more controlled event. Maybe your product development leader or CEO is willing to field questions from customers, bloggers, other conversation media makers. Use the response team to drive people to that call / webcast / chat room.



• Create a credible voice. If the crisis is significant, eventually someone is going to have to talk to the masses without the filter of traditional media. The chef-ed up quotes in press releases and no comments are going to need to be replaced with a genuine interaction with a credible leader.
  
  There are easy ways to do this. And hard ways. A hard way is propping up your already beleaguered chief spokesperson to talk to a bunch of people she may consider ankle biters and watch the recriminations flow.
  
  An easier way is to already have a credible voice in social media. Newsgator is the latest brand (following Comcast, Southwest, etc.) to use a social media persona to interact with real customers. Say you tweet about wanting a Newsgator widget. Newsgator will track you down and find out what kind to inform their market-driven product development.
  
  Or, looking at it in a more traditional way - support a chief blogger (or committee of bloggers). Someone already ensconced in talking about the company and to the customer long before a crisis hits.
  
  Lauryn spotted this AdWeek article with some great corporate blogger examples.


• And, don't forget the golden rules: Don't lie (actual lies, fake email accounts, faux online personas, etc.). Don't send press releases (you wouldn't believe how many of those I actually receive). We're people. You are, too.

Follow David @DavidThulin
Follow Advergirl @Leighhouse
Follow Lauryn @LaurynByrdy

Wendy's: the brand struggle

Griner may think the debate on Wendy's ended when he celebrated the demise of the Red Wig campaign, but, after having my post-writers-strike prime time interrupted by the Wendy's fish sandwich love fest these past few weeks, I've got to say: I miss Red Wig. At least I understood its role in the brand story.

Let me step back.

I'm not a food marketer, never hawked so much as a warm roll, but I've watched the industry on and off over the last few years and am close enough to other customer segmentation strategies to have developed a theory.

From the advertising and product mix out there, it strikes me that there are four main types of fast food customers:

• Families and Kids. Hungry people looking for a meal that's easy, affordable and in a place where ketchup smears and screaming babies are par for the course.


• Convenience Eaters. They're dashing from here to there and would probably like to eat something else, but when life has you on the go ... well, you hit the drive through lane.


• Calorie Nullifiers. Blue collar guys busting ass on the work site all day. Just getting to noon burns more calories than convenience eaters consume in a week. They need a big meal to keep them going.


• All-Day Eaters. Let's be honest, maybe they're a little drunk. Either way, they've got wacky schedules, demand ooey-gooey satisfaction and, frankly, probably have enviable metabolisms.

So, when Wendy's started up with Red Wig and introduced the Baconater, I started to get it. They were transforming from a family brand to something straddling the Calorie Nullifiers and the Any-Time Eaters. They were getting back to the Where's the Beef, taste matters heyday of  - screw the nutrition label, this stuff tastes great (for fast food).

Now enter the 'healthy' fish sandwich spot.

We're back to advertising core product. And, to convenience eaters, no less. Meanwhile, product development is adding jack cheese, jalepenos and bacon to any meat-bread combo they can dream up. And, the stores are still featuring cute little Wendy. Where are we red head?

The good news is, Wendy's has all the right tools. Bold product development and real estate teams. Solid footprint. And enough historical brand equity to ride out this blip, but, it's going to take a hard look at the core brand and the customer to get them back on track post-Dave Thomas.

Miller brand wins with 'second tier' media

After rejecting Miller Lite's Bud-mocking spots in 2005 over fear of offending the bigger beer sponsor, the Super Bowl ad sales division got smart and locked in exclusivity with the King. Now only Anheuser Busch can show its sweaty bottles during the game. But, that hasn't stopped Miller's pesky harassment of big brother's ponies and puppies on the big day.

This year, Miller showed its contrarian side - buying out all the non-Super Bowl inventory to catch viewers who might be channel surfing during cut #7659 to Payton Manning shaking his head at Eli. Then, layered it on the next day with full-page print ads in major newspapers offering to by Bud a beer for their Super Bowl commercial 'win' (a better beer that is) and with some great online snark, like this YouTube video featuring the Miller High LIfe delivery man commenting on the big game ads:

As Bud's product development, packaging design and advertising continue  up-market, appealing to a somewhat more discriminating drinker (uh, beer consumer), Miller Lite heads down-market toward the blue collar beer of choice. And, fiesty really fits for these second place suds. Up with the Miller.

The Myth of ElfYourself.com

Ok, I can't take it anymore. What is it with these office supply companies and their ability to create marketing juggernauts that every other client in America wants emulated? The next Easy Button, the next ElfYourself, the next...

Wait. That last one. ElfYourself. Let's look at that.

First, credit where credit is due: The site has been rightly equated with a pop culture phenomenon:

• The hottest holiday greeting Web site two years in a row
• Roughly 100 million visitors created elves. (Including my DAD!)
• And, the site helped OfficeMax win nearly half of the December traffic to consumer goods sites.

No question, the site has been a runaway success for OfficeMax and agency creators Toy and EVB. But that's not the full story:

• First up, this was not just a random great idea from some creatives loopy on spray glue fumes. It was a the winner of a very well-funded test of over 20 holiday sites - each of which was intended to be viral. (That level of upfront investment would make most marketers cringe!) A few examples of the OfficeMax sites you may not have heard of:
  
  • Reindeer Arm Wrestling
  • Roast A Turkey
  • Greetings from the North Pole
  • Shake the Globe
  • Yes I'm Working
  • Save the Snowman
  • Faux Charity Donation Generator
  • North Pole Dancing


• Second, it didn't magically go viral. OfficeMax (and/or Toy) has a strong understanding of how to pounce on an opportunity. They took early adopter posts on Flickr, Digg and Facebook and leveraged them into a PR pitch that landed spokespeople on Letterman, The Today Show and others. From there, they juggernaut ... well, juggered.  Mainstream media coverage included USA Today, ABC World News Now, CNN American Morning, CBS Early Morning, and US Weekly's "Buzz-O-Meter." Online, nearly half a million pages reference the site.


• Finally, let's wait and see the results. Buzz is OfficeMax had a tough fourth quarter. Despite 120 million ElfYourself.com visitors having spent the equivalent of more than 1,500 years with the brand.

Mazda culturally tone deaf?

I think this spot premiered last month. But I believe the controversy it will create is yet to come. Watching the spot the first time I was uncomfortable. Since I've seen it more, it's genuinely changed my perception of the brand.

An all-black chorus singing in gospel-style ... a song that includes the phrases 'come shine here with me' and  'I'm finally free.' The the zoom out hits as they sing the brand's hallmark 'zoom, zoom' in a closed circle around a car.

Excessive religious references aside, it seems like a particularly offensive cultural lift.

In principle, I agree with the approach. Car buyers have changed. Over 50% of them are women. Growing numbers are Hispanic and African-American. Yeah, we need to get away from the white guy in a convertible zipping around the windiest roads of the Italian countryside with a thrilled woman by his side. But, there's a big, big 'in between' from talking to a niche to lifting an experience.

Web 1.0 vs. Web 2.0

Ok, smart people. I need your help. I'm gathering all my samples and bookmarks for a brown bag lunch chat re: what makes a Web site 2.0?

First, in deference, I must say, I do get the 'real' definition. At least as far as you can 'get' a highly contested definition of a very smooshy topic. 

But, still, I want to take to farther. To play with how the technologies and ideas impact what consumers demand from sites. So, here are my 9 principles. Each with an example of a Web 1.0 counterpart, a Web 2.0 in the raw and a Web 2.0 by a retail brand.

Take a look. Question me. Fight me. I'm intrigued enough to get this right.

1. FROM FINDING INFORMATION TO MAKING CONNECTIONS

• Web 1.0: Switchboard.com
• Web 2.0 in the raw: Linkedin.com, Facebook.com
• Web 2.0 by a brand: Prosper.com

2. FROM DIRECTED BEHAVIOR TO FINDING BY BROWSING

• Web 1.0: CrateandBarrel.com
• Web 2.0 in the raw: StumbleUpon.com
• Web 2.0 by a brand: HomeDepot.com, BN.com

3. FROM ANSWERS TO CONNECTING TO SUPPORT

• Web 1.0: WebMD.com
• Web 2.0 in the raw: SisterWoman.com
• Web 2.0 by a brand: RevolutionHealth.com

4. FROM VALUE PROPOSITIONS TO SIMPLE VALUE

• Web 1.0: Costco.com
• Web 2.0 in the raw: Google.com
• Web 2.0 by a brand: INGDirect.com

5. FROM READING TO WRITING

• Web 1.0: FoodTV.com
• Web 2.0 in the raw: Squidoo.com
• Web 2.0 by a brand: Blogs.HillandKnowlton.com

6. FROM ACCESSIBLE TO PERSONAL

• Web 1.0: AARP.com (newsletter signup)
• Web 2.0 in the raw: NewsGator.com
• Web 2.0 by a brand: Target.Com, FireFox.com

7. FROM EXPERT VOICE TO PEER CREDIBILITY

• Web 1.0: Fodors.com
• Web 2.0 in the raw: Yelp.com, Digg.com
• Web 2.0 by a brand: NewYorkTimes.com

8. FROM YOU TO ME

• Web 1.0: Bouncesheets.com
• Web 2.0 in the raw: MySpace.com
• Web 2.0 by a brand: Kashi.com

9. FROM CONTENT TO MULTIMEDIA

• Web 1.0: About.com
• Web 2.0 in the raw: YouTube.com, Flickr.com
• Web 2.0 by a brand: Chow.com

THE most over-exposed man in advertising

I know what you're thinking: Alex Bogusky.

But, we're in a presidential-campaign-driven media blitz at the moment. Pundits and reporters alike are on a mad hunt for the  hottest catchy demographic moniker since the birth of the 'soccer mom.'

Today, this week, this month, the most over-exposed man in advertising is Mark Penn.

***

Now that even those of us who cloister our media consumption to the rarified liberal world of NPR, NYTimes and blogs have been inundated with his story*, I'm sure you know it: Penn is C.E.O. of Burson-Marsteller and chief strategist and pollster for Ms. Clinton's upcoming presidential bid. And, he recently released a book called Microtrends: The Small Forces Behind Tomorrow’s Big Changes.

Four notes:

• Adorable that he's stayed so on message and let whisper only a few of his named trends when anyone with an Internet connection can see the full list in the book's Table of Contents on Amazon.com ... unfortunate that the Internet has changed the playing field for an author's 'tease'
• I'm a huge, huge proponent of niche marketing for big brands - in narrowing your audience to build brand love based on affinity vs. the bland utilitarian approach of being all things to all people. BUT: very interesting when he talks about who will use the book, it's more skewed to entrepreneurs and business types who might leverage the insights for product development.
• Are teenagers really still into knitting? That seems kind of 2006 to me.
• Now that Penn's content creation has Burson-Marsteller on everyone's lips, I think Resource is going to have to step it up a bit to be the talk of thought leadership next year...

*He's even on Change This. The man is everywhere. (Are you really not reading Change This yet? Come on, it's manifestos - go forth and sign up.)

Web design ROI

It's annual planning time again in client-agency world. A magical time of year when we examine all the possibilities, compare them to the budget of time / people / and money and proceed to wildly whack away at the dream.

It was in the midst of this cacophony of contentious meetings, PPT slides and bound reams of review books that a favorite AE of mine came to me with this question:

Last year, we recommended that the client redesign their consumer products site, but traffic still hasn't increased. What now...

So, we figured out "what now."

But, if we could go back a year, I'd rather ask the question: what metrics should be on the table to define the ROI of a Web site redesign?

Traffic - in my opinion - doesn't even make the list. That's a metric of SEO or advertising or marketing... not really design. Design's* role is being more effective with people who land at the site - not getting them there.

*I'm assuming design = usability design, copy, art direction and programming

Here are my top picks for metrics for your next annual plan:

Taking on Griner: Why I like Boy Wendy in the Woods

Ok, David, now that you’ve convinced me to return to blogging, I’m going to have to make a pest of myself.

First up: The issue of Saatchi & Saatchi’s pig-tailed play in the woods.

To catch everyone else up:

AdFreak’s David Griner – and, in fairness, other industry notables – have panned the new Wendys spot as too long, derivative and flatly executed. Here’s why I think the spot was smart, strategic and an overall win:

Real estate: Chain-wide, Wendys has 6600 stores. Compare that to category leaders: McDonalds at 31,045 and BK at 11,184. They don’t have the built-in marketing hammer of being top-of-mind via ubiquitous presence. When lunch time rolls around, Wendys needs you to be so wanting their square burger that you actively seek it out. In :60 seconds they pounded that brand and the idea of a hot and juicy burger into memory.

Client culture: I wonder what decades of casting cuddly founder Dave Thomas as the primary brand spokesperson have done to the marketing culture at Wendys. I would guess it’s fairly conservative. This is a huge and bold departure – one they should really be proud of in terms of contemporizing the brand and niche-ing their approach to the market.

Noise: You watched it, right? The visual is ridiculous; the audio is unexpected.  It broke out of its 3-minute Idol pod and got watched. That’s successful.

After-School Special Effect: I’m not convinced Saatchi was following Crispin. The spot actually seems a little snarky – almost making fun of the category. It’s got that feel of intentionally-off on authenticity … think: after school specials. And, I’m guessing Wendys customer is a little older than BKs – so, that might be just the right tone and fit.

Anybody out there from Saatchi? Come on, tell me I’m close…

David: Here’s one as annoying as those BK ads, linked just for you

Designers Fight the Man

In an industry so often called out for a lack of integrity (we are the people who sell beer almost exclusively with bouncing boobies), Beyond Madison Avenue tracked down a group of designers who take their ethics seriously. National Design Awards winners, Michael Rock, Susan Sellers, Georgie Stout, and Paula Scher, declined a congratulatory invitation to the White House from First Lady Laura Bush.

Because they hate the war? Because they think Bush is an idiot? No, because they believe that Bush has been unethical in his use of language and communication - their bread and butter.

Graphic designers are intimately engaged in the construction of language, both visual and verbal. And while our work often dissects, rearranges, rethinks, questions and plays with language, it is our fundamental belief, and a central tenet of "good" design, that words and images must be used responsibly, especially when the matters articulated are of vital importance to the life of our nation.

We understand that politics often involves high rhetoric and the shading of language for political ends. However it is our belief that the current administration of George W. Bush has used the mass communication of words and images in ways that have seriously harmed the political discourse in America. We therefore feel it would be inconsistent with those values previously stated to accept an award celebrating language and communication, from a representative of an administration that has engaged in a prolonged assault on meaning.

Read the entire letter at BMA.

A compelling gesture. Thank you all.

Pharma marketing is for ad pussies

The agency I work for has a tough competitor in town for staff and reputation - a pharma ad giant that seems to sign a $30 million deal for every $3 million win of our own. My boss always kids that we wouldn't like working there anyway - too easy. Here's the value proposition for every product: you hurt. We can make you stop hurting. Bang, you're done.

Every time it makes me laugh. And, reading this article in NYT today really  brought it to mind:

An anti-addiction pill. Already have a propensity to solve your problems with a drug? Gotten out of hand? Ok, here's one to counteract it. Bam. Sold. Were it not for the legal nightmares, who wouldn't want an account like that?

Read the article.

Copywriting Assignment

Meet my delightful new kitten. She was a surprise addition to the household and comes equipped with an overactive purr box and incredible leaping abilities. So far, she's a great balance of super playful (can take on three fuzzy stuffed mice at once!) and really cuddly (sleeps on laps, under blankets, etc.)

Her brothers (Bug and Bear) are a little tense about the situation, but I'm hopeful.

Here's the problem: she has no name.

And, I'm not great at this process. Buggy went probably three weeks without a moniker.

I know this is highly off topic, but I also know that copywriters from McCann in San Francisco to BBDO in Atlanta read this blog; so, I am soliciting your help to NAME THIS BEAST!

So far, I have Chairman Meow, Snuggly Waumpus, Princess Buttercup, Biscuit and Fishtail.  I need your skills ... contribute, vote, whatever ... help me name this kitten!

Smart is the new dumb

Just a little jab at my more accomplished colleagues - a new study covered in AdAge found that MBAs may be a liability for successful marketing. It compared underperforming brands to outperforming brands and found tons of MBAs holed up in the underperforming bunkers.

Sure, the methodology sounds pretty dicey, but, it's fun water cooler conversation anyway.

Need a login, try bugmenot.

Oh, and MBA or not - if you're a PR or retail ad guru and live in Columbus or would be willing to move to the little city, track me down to talk about some new opportunities.

Could it be that Microsoft really gets it?

Ok, I know this is being covered everywhere today, but I just have to say - Wow.

First, assuming that mine is (naturally) the first blog you read - let me preface by saying that Microsoft confirmed that it released the very funny "What if Windows designed the iPod packaging" video last month. The current story is that it was an internal video that just happened to get passed on to friends of the company and was quickly loosed to the Web.

But, I wonder.

The current path of marketing is personalizing the corporate behemoth. Giving the business an identity that people can emotionally connect to. And, who doesn't have a self-effacing, funny friend in their circle. Is that who Microsoft would like to be?

I'd like to think that Microsoft truly gets it. That this was more than an office lark. And that even a company this large can be of its people. Here's hoping. Until more news breaks, enjoy the video.

Edelman's Blogging Blunder or Bloggers Edelman Blunder?

Hmm, what does it mean when your boss sends you (a known blogger) an article that includes the phrase "most of us know bloggers need to be watched"?

Not much of a conspiracy it turns out - just another great story about what happens when BDAs (big dumb agencies) and even bigger clients (Wal-Mart in this case) rush into word-of-mouse media with all the customization and audience awareness of a big clunky direct mail campaign.

This time - Edelman PR gurus appealed to blogger egos with an offer of exclusive access to PR-generated "news stories" about Wal-Mart.

Interestingly, the Motley Fool criticizes bloggers for the ethical lapse of just repeating the company line verbatim and - in doing so - dinging their own credibility. And, the New York Times questions why bloggers didn't cite the source in their praise of Wal-Mart.

These PR tactics may make the hiring companyies look sneaky and under-handed, but the media is holding bloggers accountable, too. Turns out playing online in your jammies requires social responsibility.

In other blogging faux pas news - Bob Lutz of GM is being criticized on the Web for calling for customer feedback and then not responding to it.

No question - it's hard to do everything right in this new customer-focused conversation marketing.

Question: We've seen a number of these heavy handed blog strategies go bad lately. Do agencies who blog (like the fabulous Hill & Knowlton writers) have a better pulse on bloggers than agencies who just stick to their clunky Flash Web sites?

What do you think?

See Crispin market to Dick

Interesting question from Nicole on yet another Crispin creative post below:

"...does Crispin do anything targeting women?"

It does seem that while Saatchi and McCann are leading with smart, widely appealing campaigns, Crispin continues to wail away at the beer-guzzling, burger-biting, prime-time watching 20 - 30 male set.

Little reminder from Inc:

"Reality: Women are the primary consumers in the United States.

Women represent an economic powerhouse, making over 85% of the consumer purchases (in the United States) and influencing over 95% of total goods and services. 1 Women's consumer spending is $3.7 trillion and business spending is $1.5 trillion. 2 Women also purchase 50% or better in traditional "male" categories like automobiles, consumer electronics, and PCs."

AdAge: White House spent $1.62 billion on advertising this term.

Apparently the controversy isn't around the massive amount of tax dollars going into ads, but rather around the content of what some opposition party leaders are calling "propaganda."

The specific accusations are about VNRs that didn't identify the White House as the source and paid columnists.

The spending - on everything from military recruitment to promotional materials for a golf program - ran primarily through six agencies: Leo Burnett, Campbell-Ewald, GSD&M, JWT, Frankel & Co., and Ketchum.

In other amusing AdAge news, apparently wine drinkers are watching NASCAR. This year Randy Lynch’s car is sponsored by California's Bennett Lane Winery. And, Ravenswood Winery announced last week that it will sponsor a car in three races, and will create a tailored marketing campaign to push the association.

Yikes. Time are a changin'