All You Need Is A Good Idea!

CALL ME CRAZY

I have always believed in having an agreed upon strategy before attempting to create any marketing communications. While it is not a road map, it does help you decide if you have arrived at the proper destination. And those who think that a strategy confines their creative efforts like a straight jacket, well, I think they are loony.

Abraham Lincoln, a heck of a creative writer, put it this way: If we could first know where we are, and whither we are tending, we could then better judge what to do, and how to do it.

Recently I found this video of Dan Heath on the Idea Sandbox blog of Paul Williams, where you will invariably discover interesting articles. The first minutes in Dan’s talk, about “in the box” and “outside the box” thinking, are particularly relevant to the point I am making about strategy. (Full disclosure. My book, “All You Need Is A Good Idea!” was featured on one of Paul’s virtual book tours. Plus it is listed (twice) on his blogroll. And I’ve never even met him!)

Enjoy the video.

 

 

DISRESPECTFUL LAUGHTER

My blog title is a definition of the word snicker, which is also the name of a candy bar. In fact, according to Wikipedia, Snickers is the best selling chocolate bar of all time. Created in 1930, and named after a horse, it has annual global sales of US 2 billion. So they must be doing something right.

But not, I think, with their current ad campaign. It uses its iconic packaging as the basis for a silly series of ads, each with a weak, forced play on word replacing the word Snickers. Such as:

Now, it is more than possible it is a generational thing, and their target demographics think it is clever beyond imagining. And they do even have an interactive site for their audience, where you can type in a word and it changes into what they call Snacklish. In fact, here is what “dumb campaign” turns into:

 

 

Candy is a treat, a small indulgence and just plain fun, and does not need a lot of intellectual marketing arguments to get people to enjoy it. It just has to taste good. And Snickers certainly fills that bill (have you tried them frozen? Exceptional).

I guess it just comes down to personal taste, the same way you may (erroneously) prefer black licorice, while I always choose red. But I simply believe that Mars has missed a chance. If the purpose of this marketing is to gain further name recognition, well, hey, they already obviously have that. Why not spend the massive budget to expand their user franchise?

What do you think? 

HAPPY FOURTH

Just want to wish everyone a happy—and safe—Independence Day. (For a thrilling version of the Star Spangled Banner to accompany that thought, just click play.)

And remember, any live fireworks display…school, town, or whatever…is many times more exciting than even the spectacular Macy’s fireworks display when it’s seen on TV.

And though I am sure there is a marketing message to be gleaned from that observation, it is a holiday.

WOULD YOU HELP ME FOR ONE MILLION DOLLARS?

How would you like to have thousands of people help design your next product improvement?

Netflix, the online DVD rental company, set up a contest offering a million-dollar prize to anyone who developed algorithms that improved their movie recommendations by more than 10 percent. After almost three years, and entries from over 50,000 contestants, a group says that is set to win the prize.
(Here’s more information than most anyone would ever need about all this.)

First, does this seem like a lot of money to spend? Well, Netflix points out that it’s a low price for an improvement, which would increase both their customer satisfaction levels and their movie rental business.

Second, and the "good idea" part of this post, is that this is, to a great extent, really about marketing. Look at all the press, PR, viral conversations, and so forth that NetFlix is receiving, along with all the entrants and their friends and colleagues that are taking part and talking about the project. How much is it worth to your business to find an audience this large and involved to focus on your project?

What do you think? (Sorry, no prize for your thoughts.)

ONE BIRTHDAY. TWO VERY DIFFERENT DINNERS.

My birthday was last Wednesday and, it being a special one, we celebrated it twice. Once on the actual day, with a casual dinner, and again last Friday evening at a higher end dining venue.

I was allowed to select the casual place, and chose a local Mexican restaurant. When I booked they asked, as a matter of course, if it was for a special occasion, and I told them we were celebrating a birthday. When we came in and gave our name, I noted in the reservation log that there was a small “HB” next to my name, which I (correctly) assumed was their code for “Happy Birthday.”

Sure enough, at the end of the meal I was given a sombrero to wear, we were serenaded, and they gave us a nice little festive dessert with a candle. Delightful!

For the more costly dinner, my wife and daughters selected the place. They booked it on OpenTable, an online restaurant reservation web site. There is a place for comments and requests, where they put in the fact that we were celebrating a birthday.

We arrived, and the reservations lady wished me a happy birthday. When they showed me a table and I said if it would not be a bother I preferred a booth, the person seating us said, “No problem. After all, it is your birthday.” After dinner, on the way out, a different person at the desk said “Happy Birthday.”

That made three people who were aware that it was a birthday dinner. And what did this higher end service establishment do to help make it a special meal, to entice me into coming back, to make me want to tell the world about them? Absolutely nothing!

We had ordered three desserts, and no one thought of at least putting a candle in one of them. Or offered up a complimentary beverage, flowers for the table, or a little special side dish. I expected nothing elaborate, but since they obviously knew about the event, I did look forward to some small tangible recognition of the occasion.

A year from now I will not be able to remember what I ate in either of these two places, but there is no doubt as to which one I will return during the year.

Yes, I realize that restaurants are in the hospitality business, and you call your company’s client interactions “customer service.” But no matter what you provide, it is the little things that customers notice, comment on and remember.

The truth is, as far as your customers are concerned, you are indeed in the hospitality business.

Think about it.

Risk The Unpredictable

New York’s newest attraction is the High Line. It is a park built on an abandoned elevated railroad track on the West Side of Manhattan. There is a wonderful article about it by Julie V. Iovine in the Wall Street Journal, with a video tour online.  (Paid subscription required, unfortunately. But here is the FREE official High Line website.)

As interesting as this new park is, it is the story of community doubts, prohibitive costs general opposition, and their eventual resolution that is more to the point of this post. All because in reading the article I came across this great phrase: “…and a willingness to risk the unpredictable…”

Yes, Ms. Iovine uses it in the context of urban development. But I’d like you to use it in the context of every marketing communication you create. Don’t settle for the same predictable results. There is a big difference between, “Try this, and that will happen,” and “Try this, but who knows what might happen.” And the truth is, nothing is ever completely predictable. (Fill in your own example here.)

Take a risk, and even if it does not achieve all you had hoped for, I bet you will have learned something valuable.

See you on the High Line.

A SHOE STORY

I never thought I would purchase a pair of shoes online; the correct sizes are difficult enough to figure out in shoe stores, let alone when you can’t try them on. And who knows what the actual color might be (Brown? There must be 67 shades, each called “Brown.”).

Then I found a site called Zappos, which sounded terrific —and this does have a very happy customer service ending. They offer free shipping both ways, and a 365-day return policy. Plus, free phone service or live chat. And if the pair they sent does not fit, they will send you a different size to try, and you just return the one that does not fit properly.

The glitch was that though they offered me free VIP overnight shipping, (for no reason I could discern), the shoes actually were shipped out standard delivery. This meant I would have to wait 4 or five days, which would have been OK, except for their promise, and my expectation, of speedier delivery. I wrote to tell of my disappointment, and they called and offered up a $25 coupon on my next purchase, which certainly quickly took the sting out.

And then came the service surprise. Below is the front of the card I unexpectedly received from them.

 When I read the inside, I was blown away.

The handwritten note had a drawing of a light bulb, and the thought, “Keep those ideas coming.” Obviously Eric, the note writer, had taken the extra effort to visit my blog—the address was on the bottom of my cranky complaint e-mail—and personalized a thank-you note. My first reaction, being a New Yorker, is, “Hey, this guy is stalking me.” But then my paranoia receded, and I accepted it as the exceedingly grand gesture it was.

Do your service people go that extra mile? Few do, but those that do can make a real difference, just as the wicked witch of the west approach can ruin a relationship. Perhaps in this day of instant communication, it makes sense to picture the customer on the other end as a major blogger, or Tweeter; though you are talking to one voice, you may actually be dealing with a full chorus.

Oh, and Eric…ask for a raise.

ERWIN URIAS HAS SOME GOOD ADVICE FOR YOU

Erwin is a motorcyclist in the Globe of Steel, at the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus. He drives 50 miles an hour in a 16-foot globe, according to an article in Snapshot in the New York Times by Glen Collins. (Erwin is on the right, with his brother.)

Here’s what he has to say: “We are obsessive-compulsive about maintaining our bikes…but chains come off, you get flat tires, the engines cut out. The bike could come down. You are going to have an incident here and there.”

A fairly casual way of reminding himself —and you— that unexpected stuff is always going to happen. No matter how thoroughly you prepare, there will be the sudden supplier strike, or your files for the ad vanish, without a trace or a backup, or the logo won’t scale. "You are going to have an incident here and there."

You can’t plan for any specific problem, because usually the ones you plan for are not the ones that cause the predicament. Your best option is to realize it is inevitably going to occur. When it does, fix it the best you can, take the blame, and get on with it. And be thankful you are not on a Yahama going 50 MPH in a steel sphere. (Here’s a slideshow of all the photographs by Damon Winter.)

What do you think?

HOW'S YOUR "AHA"?

I was reading an article in the Science Journal in today’s Wall Street Journal, about Archimedes, René Descartes, Nicholas Tesla and…Wait…Wait...Come back. This is about you and creating ideas. Honest.

The article, by Robert Lee Hotz, discusses the role of insights, the bursts of mental clarity, the “Aha” moments that we have all experienced. The point is that our daydreaming brain often leads us to the unexpected ideas. Solving a problem with insight is fundamentally different from solving a problem analytically.

So when your mind is wandering, let it do its (unconscious) thing. You can’t always rely on it, nor should you lounge around waiting for that magic moment. But it’s nice to know it happens.

And one last hint. “People in a positive mood were more likely to experience an insight,” researchers at Drexel and Northwestern found.  So put on a happy face, and go get ‘em.

Get the idea?

BOSTON RED SOCKS

Daria Meoli recently wrote an article in The New York Enterprise Report, about Jonna Straw and his company, LittleMissMatched socks.

Straw credits the company’s emphasis on innovation for the company’s success. “It’s about keeping your eyes and ears open, talking to your customers and your employees.” If you love good ideas, you have to love that philosophy. And Straw puts his money where his philosophy is.

•    In their headquarters they a have a jar called “The Big Idea Jar,” and everyone is encouraged to put in an idea.
•    They also have staff meetings three times a week, where people talk to each other about something other than what they are working on.
•    Finally, there are no offices; everyone works in an open format, to encourage collaboration and to talk with people who are not in their department.

I am not suggesting your company has to go to this extreme. But these seem like excellent ways to come up with good ideas, both for product and marketing. Of course, I would have called the jar, “The Good Idea Jar,” but Jonna never asked me.

What do you think?