NOVEMBER 24, 2008

There’s no question that the pizza industry is clamoring for our business by creating new ways for us to order and promotions to entice us to choose their pies.

TiVo in your pizza order from Domino’s

Order online from Pizza Hut and get free music

Friend Papa John’s on Facebook for a free pizza

However, getting pizza online by text message or through TiVo seems a little overboard. Call me old school, but I actually prefer looking up the the nearest pizza place and phoning in my order. I wonder if the chains are giving us what we really want, or are these just gimmicks that will soon go away? I’d choose lower prices and better quality over convenience any day.

Have you ever ordered pizza in any of these non-traditional ways?

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NOVEMBER 21, 2008

I LOVE flowers.  I love all types and shades.  As far as plants go, I think they’re great indoors or out, but I have a problem… I have never been able to keep one alive by myself - ever.  That’s why, this weekend, I was somewhat disappointed when my mother gave me an Amaryllis bulb.  How could she give me this poor innocent plant that we both knew would die in my care?!?

According to PRWeek, I’m not alone: “Americans spend nearly $44 billion on plants and plant care products each year, but more than a third of plants die within a year of purchase, according to the National Gardening Association.”

One-third of Americans are just like me and can’t keep a plant alive, but it doesn’t seem to stop them from trying!  Luckily, new products such as the EasyBloom Plant Sensor by PlantSense recognize America’s not-so-green-thumb problem, and have designed a way to help.  PlantSense makes soil sensors that collect data and recommend what to grow in your soil.  Genuis!

The smartest companies are the ones designing products have the ability to tap into and enhance the passions of consumers.  Figuring out how consumers spend their time and money - and understanding their passions -  will give companies an advantage in this competitive marketplace.  Now, does anyone know how to make a goldfish live longer?

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NOVEMBER 20, 2008

Warren Buffett once said, “My favorite holding period is forever.”  Apparently, James Altucher, President and founder of Stockpickr, agrees with him. He wrote a book called “THE FOREVER PORTFOLIO: How To Pick Stocks That You Can Hold for the Long Run“, and during an interview on CNBC yesterday, Altucher suggested investing in companies providing services in the following areas:

• Obesity: 33 billion dollars are spent each year on services for the obese.

• Dirty Water: Developing countries are finding it much harder to deliver clean water to their growing populations, and companies that sell clean water treatment technologies will thrive.

• Luxury: The rich are recession-proof, and the stocks of luxury producers make a great hedge against any slowdown in the global economy.

Now I’m no financier, that’s for sure, but from a New Persuasion point of view, his advice makes perfect sense. The future looks a lot more predictable when you actually take the time to pay attention and study the trends/issues that are presently hidden in plain view.

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NOVEMBER 18, 2008

When I was in high school, I shopped at the Gap… a lot. Most of the kids in my high school did.  It was actually considered a “hip” store in 1995.  I’m not exactly sure when or why I stopped shopping there – maybe it was because my style changed over the years and Gap’s didn’t – but, apparently, I’m not the only one.  A recent article in The New York Times discussed the troubles Gap is facing, and questions whether the clothing company, famous for its holiday commercials, has lost its edge.

I think that Gap’s troubles extend beyond losing its edge; it appears to have lost its focus too. One thing is for sure: when I was a Gap shopper, the chain was not attempting to sell $6,000 Vespas or $500 bicycles!

Last year, Gap partnered with Vespa to offer consumers the “Crazy Stripe” Vespa LX50 for $6,000. And this year, I suppose in an attempt to be “greener”, it decided to partner with Electra bikes and sell “The Gap Argyle Cruiser” – an actual bicycle with a blue argyle pattern – for $499.  Wait…what?!  I don’t get it.  I mean, I’m all for companies branching out, reinventing themselves, and being open to change, but this just doesn’t make sense to me.  A bicycle does not scream “logical extension of a clothing brand” to me.

At TMG, we believe that the most important thing a company can do is listen to consumers, in order to design and offer products and services that meet their wants and needs.  I’m not so sure that Gap is listening. What do you think?  “The Argyle Cruiser” - good idea or bad idea?

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OCTOBER 21, 2008

Here at TMG Strategies, we place a lot of value on public opinion research as a tool to help our clients understand how their products and issues are being perceived and understood by the average consumer.  And, as the social media team here at TMG often says, social media provides some of the best market research out there - it’s free, it’s authentic, and it can be accessed by anyone.

One of my favorite sites for free, authentic public opinion research is the Compete blog, which takes a look at traffic metrics across the Internet to answer various questions, like: 1) how is a particular marketing campaign doing?; 2) how do two companies’ marketing strategies compare, in terms of success?; 3) how effective are various online tools at driving sales or traffic?; or even 4) what’s on people’s minds these days?

A recent Compete post addressed question #4, above. Given the news of late, it’s not surprising that people are worried about the economy and are keenly interested in the presidential election.  But, according to Compete’s list of the fastest growing sites for September traffic, last month people were also interested in storms (the second fastest growing site was stormpulse.com and the fourth was FEMA’s home page); Halloween (costume stores held the sixth and seventh places on the list); and tennis (usopen.org was #11).

Maybe it’s just me, but I find this kind of information fascinating. How are we coping with all of the bad news around us? Are we bravely, solemnly trying to understand the crux of the problem, thus propelling the FDIC site to #5 on the list? Or are we escaping into fanciful traditions like Halloween or old standbys like sports? Or is it some combination of both?

I believe that people are in a natural state when they are online, meaning they do pretty much what they want and spend time in the places and communities that truly interest them. The Compete list is just one small piece of a world of online data waiting to be explored and analyzed.

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AUGUST 7, 2008

Blame it on my Italian-American upbringing where family wine is made to our liking in my grandfather’s garage and using Prego is like using a four-letter curse word, but if there’s one thing I take seriously, it’s food.  I realized this on a deeper level when it came to food shopping and making decisions on buying generic versus brand name products.  No matter the cost (to an extent) I rarely compromise when it comes to food products.  For example, lunch meats and cheese always come from the deli counter, never prepackaged, and I’ll only buy the Skippy brand of peanut butter.

For most consumer products, I never considered myself loyal to any particular brand.  I can’t tell you what kind of toothpaste I use other than it starts with a “c,” I buy clothes from stores with sales and the right fit, and I purchase gas usually from the most convenient station.

But food, food makes a difference.  For me, food more than serves a nutritional purpose.  Preparing it can be an art and eating it (especially around the holidays) can bring much joy to your life.  And when it’s unsatisfactory the experience of food and the activities surrounding it are spoiled as well.  Any food marketer who knows this and reaches me on this level may have a chance of selling me their product.  The key here is the ability to know these small individual details about a consumer’s buying preferences.  Sure, Google can track my searches and Facebook can record my applications and border my email and profile pages with related ads, but identifying what I’m interested in is only half the battle.  Why I’m interested is the more important question to answer.  This requires what we at TMG Strategies call Deep Listening. 

Want to know what consumers really care about?  It’s going to take more than tracking their search histories.  There are personal, tangible, reasons why I purchase what and how I do and those reasons exist for every consumer – getting to the bottom of them, making the extra effort to truly listen to what consumers want and why they want it will ultimately sell the product.

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JULY 22, 2008

Nike’s Just Do It turns 20 this month. 

And I bought Nikes before they had the slogan? What was I thinking? Now the slogan has become part of everyday parlance. Why does that matter?

Nike practiced something many companies forget: message simplicity and message consistency.

For twenty years, we’ve heard mostly one thing from Nike: Just Do It. You may love it or you may hate it. Like vanilla or chocolate… everyone has an opinion, but at least they have one. In the case of Nike, it’s mostly favorable.

To me, the phrase embodies a can-do attitude. It is about the art of the possible. It is about making things happen, rather than waiting for life to happen to you. I want to believe in a product, a company, that espouses those values.  And it is, in part, because of Nike’s investment in this brand image that the negative issues the company encountered along the way could be addressed – the Nike way.

An example of Just Do It’s opposite, or “message complexity,” was Bill Clinton’s speech at the Democratic National Convention four years before he ran for President. In reflection he said, “It wasn’t my finest hour. It wasn’t even my finest hour and a half.” His was the classic case of an intelligent person who didn’t want to say the same thing in the same way twice, much less in a succinct way. It was supposed to be Clinton’s national coming out, but the only thing people remembered was that he spoke too long. There was no message, no story.  He learned this lesson before starting his campaign for the Presidency.  During his Presidency, proof of his message consistency could be heard when the traveling press corps would groan and even recite some of his repeated stump speech lines. For Clinton, who was seeking to persuade new audiences, message consistency and simplicity was the goal. Repetition of simple messages gave Clinton a chance to have his message, his story, heard. 

Paul Begala, in making the point for message simplicity, asked Clinton “Do you know what John 3:16 says?” Begala’s logic is if the Bible can explain the reason to believe in God in less than 30 words, then their White House team should be able to explain to the American public why its economic plan made sense without giving long speeches or showing mind numbing charts. It’s hard to argue against.

Whether it’s political campaigns or athletic apparel, the landscape is always changing and the competition always trying to win - a marketplace, a consumer or a vote.  Today, Under Armour is the Chihuahua (or maybe it’s a Terrapin) sneaking into Kruger Reserve and eating next to the lions, Adidas and Nike. The latter both know they must continue to fulfill and enhance their brand images. Nike is launching a new campaign called Courage. Smartly, consumers are asked to engage. Nike understand that a conversation can enhance its brand. Adidas is investing millions in global advertising that is meant to sweep the Beijing Olympics. And the Chihuahua, Under Armour, is plotting its next moves. It’s even hired a new CEO who is familiar with the lions.

As we talk about at TMG, the message is part of the mix, but innovation and leadership are also essential. Under Armour has had a surprisingly strong start. But can it keep it up and build a global brand? Can it harness the power of message simplicity and message consistency? This Chihuahua (Terrapin) fan hopes so.

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JUNE 24, 2008

A few weeks ago, I was doing research on ordering custom t-shirts for an event for work.  A quick search online led me to ePromos and its plethora of shirt choices and pricing.  The website allowed me to build a quote for my order. However, in order to build a quote, I needed to either register online or call the company directly. In  hopes of bypassing a frustrating series of automated phone prompts, I opted to register online and just deal with the resulting spam.

Building a quote was quick, easy, and extremely helpful. Within an hour of registering I received an email from ePromos stating that they noticed I had built a quote and wanted to share what they could do for me, including assigning my project its own ePromos representative. Shortly thereafter I got a phone call from Steve (my ePromos representative) assuring me that he was available any time to help me with my project or to answer any questions. And while we were on the phone I got a second email from Steve letting me know all his contact info in the event I needed future assistance.

Granted, the emails and phone call were unsolicited, but they weren’t obtrusive or annoying. To the contrary, they were courteous, informative, and very low key. And, even though in the end I didn’t need ePromos’ services, the company certainly gained my respect and confidence that it would be capable of handling any future business needs I might have.

We’ve been talking a lot about Deep Listening on Undercurrents lately and my experience with ePromos is a perfect example of why it is so important. ePromos engaged me on a personal level. By simply picking up the phone and connecting me with a human, ePromos transformed itself from a faceless digital entity to a company I wanted to give my business to.

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JUNE 19, 2008

Back in April, Lisa wrote about My Starbucks Idea. Now here we are in June, enjoying the benefits of Starbucks listening to its customers. So far I’ve registered my Starbucks card to get free flavor shots and soy milk with my drink orders. That saves me 70 cents per grande vanilla soy latte!

As exciting as this discount is, I’ve encountered an annoyance along with the much appreciated benefit. Most of the cashiers at the Starbucks near my office are not informed of the benefits of registering one’s Starbucks card online. Every time I’ve made a drink order with my card, I’ve had to remind the barista to give me the discount. Shouldn’t it be automatic? When I’m in a rush, like most people are on weekday mornings, it is a hassle to explain to the cashier why I shouldn’t be charged for the vanilla flavoring and soy milk. The people behind me in line probably don’t appreciate it either!  It has even crossed my mind  to go to a different coffee shop because of the frustration. I wonder if the 70 cent savings is worth it to busy commuters if they have to spend more time just to get it.

Another benefit Starbucks is currently offering is free WiFi for cardholders in many stores for the first two hours per day. While this is definitely better than nothing, if I were looking for a place to relax with my laptop and a cup of joe, I’d much rather go to a place that offers unlimited WiFi (places like Corner Bakery, Panera Bread, and countless small coffee shops) rather than getting kicked off after the first two hours.

While My Starbucks Idea is a great example of Deep Listening, Starbucks still has a long way to go before consumers get a warm fuzzy feeling when they think of the coffee chain. Kudos to Starbucks for giving us the opportunity to let them know what we want, but so far I’m not entirely convinced the company is 100% dedicated to this program. Who’s with me when I say most of the ideas implemented so far don’t seem to go that extra mile?

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JUNE 16, 2008

Here at TMG, we have a team of people tasked with advising our clients on how - and if - they should use social media tools to engage with existing and potential customers. Many times we are asked, “Should we do a blog?” or “How do we connect with people online?” or the dreaded “Can we make a viral video?”

Part of understanding Web 2.0 is knowing that there are times when some of these tools just aren’t appropriate. Perhaps they will (rightfully) be criticized as unauthentic, or maybe they are the wrong fit for the intended demographic. Of course, there are other times when a social media foray is just the right strategy for a client to use in order to connect with its customers.

Jason Heller from MediaPost had a recent column on this very topic: the need to make well thought-out, appropriate moves in the social media space rather than diving in headfirst just to make a splash. He said:

Tapping into this exciting media shift is not as simple as moving to a new fishing spot and bringing along the right bait, but rather living in the ocean and becoming a fish yourself. Social media marketing is a commitment to participation, immersion, transparency, engagement and authenticity.

Our team loves discovering companies who are doing it right, or finding orginal, authentic ways to create community online. I recently found one in the unlikeliest of places: my car insurance company. Liberty Mutual just launched an online community called The Responsibility Project. When I first read about it, I wondered why an insurance company needed an online community competing with all of other online destinations out there clamoring for our surfing minutes. But as I read more, it got more and more interesting.

The Responsibility Project was borne from a “Pay It Forward”-esque TV ad depicting one good deed setting off a chain of responsible actions. The online community of the same name is meant “to encourage people to think, talk and even disagree about what responsibility means to them.” It’s definitely a thought-provoking site - you can find short films exploring themes of responsibility and living up to expectations; a blog about moral and ethical dilemmas; and an interactive section where readers can help define what it means to be a responsible parent, employee, neighbor, etc.

This site is definitely a bit cerebral. It’s not the place you’d turn for an insurance quote or a list of items to keep on hand in case of a hurricane. But it’s compelling nonetheless, because of the quality of the content and the deeper connection it draws between Liberty Mutual and the larger issue of how to live responsibly in an increasingly more complicated world. My opinion of Liberty Mutual as an organization has improved because of this site; I like that it trusts its subscribers to think intelligently about what can be very complex issues.

The Responsibility Project launched fairly recently and is clearly still in the growing stages. But I think it’s a great move for Liberty Mutual. I will certainly be encouraging clients to check out the site and think about how it helps build community and discourse around the company’s core values. Because at the end of the day, isn’t that the point of Web 2.0?

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