Hard Knox Life: A Brand Manager Blog by Dave Knox

“Screens Are Getting Boring” – Russell Davies

February 16, 2009

screens are getting boring

Originally uploaded by Will Lion

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Posted by Dave Knox

Business Inspiration for the New Year

January 5, 2009

As I was catching up on my RSS reading, two posts by Seth Godin and Fred Wilson really caught my attention as inspiration for the New Year.

In the first, Seth Godin posed the question, “Do ads work?” In particular, Seth is asking about digital ads where he feels the mindset of marketers should be “We have an unlimited budget for ads that work.” In his own words:

Digital ads are different (or they should be). You should know cost per click and revenue per click and be able to make a smart guess about lifetime value of a click. And if that’s positive, buy, buy, buy. And if you don’t know those things, why are you buying digital ads?

Seth goes on to give the example of Amazon during the Dot Com boom of the late ’90’s. He says that during this time, the mantra at Amazon was $33. “They would buy unlimited ads, of any kind, as long as they generated new customers for $33 or less each.” Was $33 too high of a number to be sustainable? Possibly. But their internal ROI showed that $33 was the magic number and there was unlimited money to buy ads under that figure.

In other words, don’t use the excuse that you don’t have the budget.

Any idea that you have proven will build your sales and share should be invested in…and it should be invested in at the expense of ads that aren’t proven.

In the second thought-provoking post, Fred Wilson talked about creating a great business team in “Putting the Band Back Together.” Fred has noticed that as times get tough, many successful serial entrepreneurs are rejoining people they have worked with in the past. Or as he puts it, “they are getting the band back together for awhile.” Fred sees this as an encouraging sign because:

Teams that have worked together successfully before know the strengths and weaknesses of each other and they know how to get along, make hard decisions, and move the ball forward each and every day.

I think this is a brilliant insight and one that most businesses don’t think about often enough. Think about your own brand team at work. How long has the most junior person been on the team? Or how long have the most senior members worked together? What about your agency? Have the same people been on the account as long as the Brand Manager or Marketing Director? I’d be willing to bet that there has been considerable change over on both sides.

I think more brands need to follow the advice of Fred and “get the band back together.”

If you have a successful brand and agency team, then practice continuity and keep them working together.

Business is a game of teamwork and it takes time to develop good working relationships. In sports, All Star games are boring because the best players don’t practice together every day. So when you throw them together, they don’t know how to work together. Just look at what happened to the USA “Dream Team” in 2002 – 2004 when we lost to teams that had played together for years.

The same thing might be happening to your brand when you change the players every year.

3 Comments | Thought Provoking, Weekly Round-Up | Tagged: Amazon, blog, brand management, Dot-com bubble, Fred Wilson, seth godin | Permalink
Posted by Dave Knox

Will Yahoo and Intel finally deliver on the promise of Internet-enabled TV in our Living Room?

December 29, 2008

Yahoo's Widget Channel software for TVs shows a link to Yahoo's Flickr photo-sharing site, stock prices, and an advertisement. (Credit: Yahoo)

At CES 2009, Intel and Yahoo will reveal the latest in their Connected TV initiative, a program they hope will “mark the beginning of their Internet-fueled expansion to the world of TV.” According to CNET, the companies have different goals with the Connected TV initiative.

For Yahoo, it’s establishment of the Widget Channel, a software foundation that can house programs for browsing photos, using the Internet’s abundant socially connected services, watching YouTube videos, or digging deeper into TV shows–and through which Yahoo will be able to show advertisements. For Intel, it’s a foothold in an industry whose microprocessors have typically been cheaper, less powerful, and less power-hungry.

Internet-enabled TV (also called IPTV) has been a buzzword for years now, but it has also been filled with lots of empty promises for consumers. With that in mind, the Connected TV initiative has taken a consumer view, instead of a technology view, to figure out the future looks like. Thanks to the help of several of Intel-employed anthropologists, they concluded that:

Unlike the PC, TVs are social. People watch it together, and what they watch turns into what they talk about. Another difference from PCs: it must be simple and reliable. When bringing the Internet to the TV, You couldn’t just turn it into a PC.

Probing further, the anthropologists asked people what they thought the future of TV would look like. CNET reports that the answers fit into several key buckets:

Something that would provide relevant information in real time, such as the weather right before heading to a sporting event.
Something that would connect them to other people they care about, a variation of social networking.
Something that would let them participate more with what they’re watching, for example by figuring out where a show’s cast members already had acted, or finding, rating, and sorting content.
Not a full-on Web browser, nor a keyboard to clutter up the room.

Additionally,when Connected TV initiative showed consumers initial concepts, they learned that:

People didn’t like the Widget Channel controls appearing on the left edge of the screen. Instead, people prefer the bottom, where they’re accustomed to seeing text already.
People expressed a powerful desire for a big button to make the software go away in one fell swoop–no menus or arrow keys or complication–so they could get back to watching TV when they wanted. That big button is also used to activate the Widget Channel.
Nobody wanted yet another remote control.

All of this research has led to the latest iteration of Internet-enabled TV that Yahoo and Intel will unveil at CES 2009. While I may be an optimist, I really think they have potential of pulling this off and bringing the promise of IPTV to life. Here’s why:

An industry alliance can drive simplicity: The struggle for IPTV has always been the number of players involved. You need a solution that works for the TV manufacturers, cable companies, Internet media players, etc. The Connected TV initiative shows promise because it brings together Yahoo, Intel and multiple TV manufacturers. If IPTV is ever going to live up to the promise, it will take an alliance like this to pull off.
Connected Consumers want information at their fingertips: When I mentioned this article on Twitter, Jon Burg asked if web-enabled TV is something consumers will care about in 2009. I think they will but only if it is information they care about and want in real-time. For instance, every Fall I sit with my laptop open on Sundays, tracking my Fantasy Football teams. I’d much rather have that info streaming through widgets on the TV while I watch the games. Same goes for customized CNN news feed or stock tracker running across the bottom of the screen.
Advertisers want a replacement to interruption marketing: Lots of people have been forecasting the death of TV advertising. But let’s face it…that industry isn’t going away anytime soon as long as TV is central to people’s lives. However, marketers do want a replacement to the ever-increasingly DVR skipped :30 second TV ad. If marketers can join in the Connected TV initiative, they might just be able to help shape the future of TV advertising to one that is consumer-friendly…and dare I say, even beneficial to the consumer.

Whether or not the Connected TV initiative finally delivers on the high hopes of IPTV is anyone’s guess. But I’m hopeful they pull it off and equally intrigued by the opportunities it will open up for Brand Managers and marketers worldwide.

4 Comments | 21st Century Media / Social Media | Tagged: consumer, Digital, Intel, IPTV, Marketing, Yahoo | Permalink
Posted by Dave Knox

eBay’s Holiday Contest SNAFU a lesson for all eMarketers

December 22, 2008

Guest Post: This post was contributed by Kelly Kilpatrick, who writes on the subject of MBA admissions. She invites your feedback at kellykilpatrick24 at gmail dot com.

In the TechCrunch article (12/4) “eBay Holiday Contest Overrun By Automated Scripts, Honest Users Disgruntled,” it would seem the Internet behemoth messed up on its latest promotional effort, a holiday contest that was supposed to allow users of eBay to find valuable items in various listings for merely $1.

“E-commerce juggernaut eBay is under fire because of a holiday giveaway contest gone awry. On Tuesday 25 November, eBay announced its $1 Holiday Doorbusters deals promotion, giving away 100 gifts ranging from jewelry, clothing, digital cameras, GPS devices to a brand-new Chevrolet Corvette for a $1 fixed price on a daily basis. The only catch is that there’s no announcement on when these items are released or in which category they will be in.

But cheaters came up with a clever way of winning deals on an automated basis by running scripts to continuously bid on items for $1. That way, they’re gaming the system and winning hundreds of auctions before the items are even available to the public.”

Not the desired outcome for eBay and a serious black eye to the brand integrity of an organization so committed to keeping things honest on its site.

So, what’s the lesson I mentioned for eMarketers here? Well, it’s the lesson we all know but commonly ignore: the devil is in the details.

Here are some tips for anyone planning an e-promotion:

Take a look at who’s done a promotion similar to yours and see what they did well and where they may have misstepped. Learn from the mistakes of others (i.e. eBay!).
Be sure you officially announce your promotion to the public (both via press release and your Web site) with plenty of notice (several weeks) to ensure fairness for all who want to participate.
Review, review, review. Run it through your marketing team, legal, PR – everyone to make sure you haven’t forgotten any important details, and let them all tear it apart. It’s time-consuming and painful but the input is helpful. Have someone review it externally as well. It can be hard to see mistakes in copy you’ve been staring at forever.
If you sense any sort of shenanigans with the promotion/contest once it starts, discontinue it immediately and be honest with your audience. They’ll respect your integrity.
If nothing goes wrong, be sure and keep site visitors informed about the contest results. People are wary of contests online and often think it’s nothing more than a ploy to generate traffic and incremental business.

Online promotions and contests are a great way to drive traffic and build awareness. You just need to make sure you’ve done everything you can to make it a good experience and so anyone who wants to participate gets a fair shake.

5 Comments | Guest Post | Tagged: Auction, eBay, Shopping | Permalink
Posted by Dave Knox

Lessons in Charitable Giving and Cause Marketing for Digital Millennials

December 19, 2008

Great presentation from the folks at Resource Interactive on how Millenials approach the concept of helping others. As Brand Managers think about cause marketing programs, they should consider these facts:

87% of Millennials (defined as 16-29) agree that my priority is to look after my family, charity begins at home.
50% of Millennials agree that regularly donating your time to help others in need is a sign of success and accomplishment.*
There are four types of Millenials when it comes to their views on “giving”: 1.) Consistent Givers, 2.) Uber Givers, 3.) Not There Yet, & 4.) Spirit Givers

5 Comments | Uncategorized, Youth | Tagged: branding, generation y, Marketing, Resource Interactive | Permalink
Posted by Dave Knox

Mashable says brands don’t belong on Twitter

December 15, 2008

Mashable sparked an interesting debate on Friday when Dr Mark Drapeau made the bold statement that Twitter should ban brands from the site. In the post “Do Brands Belong on Twitter”, Drapeau stated that:

Thinking about what might be best for people, in my opinion Twitter should not only not charge brands for membership, but also ban them altogether. Not unlike Facebook and other sites, every account would represent a person using a real name, location, and picture.

Drapeau explains his stance by arguing that a brand must have a person behind it:

Twitter is about people sharing information with other people. So how do one-dimensional organizational brands fit into this mix? When you really think about it, they don’t. As an analogy, when you call customer service, a human answers the phone (eventually) and tells you their name – and you’re not talking to “Sprint” or “Dell” but rather “Steve” or “Danny.”

Now while I completely disagree with that statement that Twitter should “ban brands altogether”, I do see the rationale that Twitter is about sharing information with other people. I actually think the brands doing Social Media right are the ones that base their strategy off of this simple point. If you just throw up your brand logo on Twitter (or any Social Media platform) and expect to have a conversation with consumers, you are doing it all wrong. You are just trying to act the easy way out with one-way communication.

Brands belong in Social Media, but you need to humanize the brand

On the same day that Mashable said brands should be banned, the folks at iMedia highlighted “How to be a Twitter All-Star.” Focused on brands like Flying Dog Brewery, Zappos and Southwest Airlines, the article proves the point that brands can enjoy great success on Twitter or any other Social Media platform. But doing so requires them to humanize the brand by putting a person behind the logo. And requires them to work with a different set of rules.

Christi Day, the Social Media face for Southwest Airlines, explained their approach as follows:

“Twitter empowers us to be authentic. Getting real means being empowered, engaged and prepared. It is necessary to have the person in the Twitter role equipped to handle news management, customer communications, to be able to write compelling tweets and be willing to be engaged at all times.”

Let’s face it, this isn’t the type of marketing approach that most Brand Managers are use to. But Twitter is just the latest technology to force us to think about change in our jobs. If you haven’t sat down and thought about the impact of Social Media on your brand (and your career), maybe it is time you did.

NOTE: Michael Brito from Intel joined in on the discussion with a great post on why brands do belong on Twitter.

6 Comments | 21st Century Media / Social Media | Tagged: customer service, Online Communities, Social Media, social network, Twitter | Permalink
Posted by Dave Knox

How should Brand Managers approach the Social Graphs of Facebook Connect and OpenID?

December 7, 2008

Over the past week, it would be hard not to notice the debate around social graphs and in particular, Facebook Connect versus OpenID. The folks over at ReadWriteWeb summed it up best when they wrote:

This battle isn’t about “single sign-on” – it’s about the payload that comes with it (friend networks, personal data, maybe more), it’s about the developer communities, usability and ownership. It’s very important to the future of our user experience online and it’s a fascinating study in contrasts.

The importance was further embedded in my mind after I finished a stellar presentation from the folks at Razorfish where they envision the potential for social graphs for brands. As they put it:

We believe that portable social graphs coming from Facebook, MySpace, Google, Yahoo and Microsoft are going to transform how consumers interact with digital technology and each other. Marketers and web product managers must take notice today.

So what does this mean for Brand Managers?

In my eyes, Social Graphs have the potential to be one of the biggest influences on our Digital Strategies for years to come.

But don’t just take my word for it. Consider what Forrester’s Jeremiah Owyang outlined as key takeaways from the Razorfish presentation.

The social graph, when linked with traditional websites will radically change how we find, research, purchase, and support products.
Reviews, ratings, and critiques about products will become more relevant as you can start to get information from your own network.
Soon, social technologies will be pervasive and will impact every website –even if they choose not to participate
Brands, and their interactive marketing agencies, are starting to include social elements in all aspects of their marketing efforts.

Consider these opportunities for brands that Razorfish outlined:

Key influencer identification: Brands make a lot of guesses today to determine influencers. But imagine the potential if you could easily see the number of Twitter followers a person has, the number of Facebook groups they belong to and the number of posts they do on their blog.
Product suggestions through profile scraping: Amazon gets a lot of praise for their product recommendations. But consider how much more powerful these reco’s would be if they could also use all the information listed in your online profiles.
See reviews from people you know: Pretty self explanatory. I’d much rather see reviews from my circle of friends & co-workers than wade through hundreds of reviews from strangers.
Consult your friends at the point of purchase: If your Social Graph is connected to an eCommerce engine, you could instantly ask your friends for advice on a purchase without leaving the buying process.

Obviously the potential of Social Graphs should not be debated. Instead, the debate should be on which format offers the biggest opportunity for Brand Managers. Should we side with one format? Or should we offer consumers both sign-ins as part of our digital brand experiences? Or should we sit on the sidelines and see what consumers decide? Or should we use our influence as brands (and holders of marketing budgets) to force the companies to work together to create a common Social Graph for the entire web?

What do you think?

NOTE: For another interesting take on social graphs, you should read the thoughts of Louis Gray of Google Friend Connect.

4 Comments | 21st Century Media / Social Media | Tagged: Facebook, Facebook Connect, Google Friend Connect, Jeremiah Owyang, MySpace, OpenID, social network | Permalink
Posted by Dave Knox

Congratulations Motrin. You just proved why every brand needs to understand Social Media

November 16, 2008

Are you still trying to convince your management why your brand should be monitoring Social Media? Well if you are a Consumer Packaged Good brand (or any brand really), just look at what happened to Motrin over the past couple of days and the reaction of Motrin Moms.

A simple search on Twitter of #motrinmoms will show you that they pissed off a lot of people with their latest ad around “babywearing.” Mommy Bloggers are not people you want to mess with and you sure better understand the sandbox you are playing in if you do them wrong. For instance, just look at this Consumer Generated Media that has already popped up in response. Not exactly brand content you want at the top of search results.

The Lesson for Brand Managers:

Motrin screwed up. It happens. But in today’s world of Social Media, the place they really screwed up was in not monitoring what people were saying about the brand. This PR disaster is happening underneath their nose and no one on the brand is responding. Not their advertising agency, not their Public Relations group and not the brand itself. The unfortunate fact is that company’s haven’t trained Brand Managers to respond quickly to situations like this. That needs to change….and it needs to change fast.

People are going to be talking about your brand, with or without the Brand Manager‘s permission. This simple fact is reason enough that you should be monitoring the conversations around your brand. Motrin is just the latest brand to learn this lesson the hard way.

UPDATE – Well it looks like Motrin is trying to respond. If you commented on their website, it looks like their VP of Marketing has a response that is being sent out (Thanks to Amy Gates for the lead). And the Motrin.com site has been taken down for now, but thanks to the power of YouTube, you can still see the video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BmykFKjNpdY (Thanks Bill Seaver)