Think Your Company’s Reputation Is Rock Solid? So Did Berkshire Hathaway.

Posted on March 27, 2012 by admin

Results of this year’s Harris Poll Reputation Quotient® (RQ) study recently were released, and several companies, including Berkshire Hathaway and Bank of America, are longing for the days of yesteryear.  These companies, once regarded as firms with stellar reputations, were not among the public’s choice of today’s top firms.  Berkshire Hathaway experienced one of the most significant declines.  Ranked No. 1 in the 2010 poll, the company fell to fourth in last year’s poll and dropped to the twenty-fourth spot this year.

Conducted for the past 13 years, the RQ study measures the reputations of the 60 most viable companies in the country.  Approximately 17,000 people were interviewed for the 2012 study.  In evaluating the scores the public assigned to companies, it appears that strong leadership and technological innovation are among the most valued characteristics.  This year, Apple reigns supreme.  Google, which ranked first in last year’s poll, fell to second this year.

A look back at the RQ most visible list from 10 years ago shows a dramatic change in the public’s perception of reputable companies.  In 2002, nine industrial manufacturers and six retailers made the list.  This year, only two manufacturers made the list, and 14 retailers made it. Among the retailers listed are: Best Buy, Costco, J. C. Penney, Kohl’s, Walgreens, and Macy’s.

What are the retailers doing right?  Dr. Charles Fombrun, professor emeritus of the Stern School of Management at NYU and the founder of the Reputation Institute, says there are four principles of a company’s RQ:

Distinctiveness – A strong reputation results when a company holds a distinctive position in the minds of its customers.  Much of this attribute correlates to a company’s brand positioning and marketing efforts, but believability is directly linked to other principles.

Authenticity – A company must be genuine.  It must “walk the talk” in media relations, corporate performance, and governance.  This is the area where many companies falter and find their reputation flagging as a result.

Transparency – A company must be transparent in its business affairs.  This means lots of communication, creating highly visible presences across whatever media is available, and engaging stakeholders in continuous dialogs.

Consistency – A company must focus its actions and communications around a core theme.  This almost single-minded focus, when continued over time, builds a belief presence in the mind of the stakeholder that a company will do in the future what it did in the past.

In short, to establish and maintain a strong reputation, a company must develop a strategically sound brand position and effectively live it and communicate it to their customers on a consistent basis.  Does your company do this?  How would your company rank in the RQ poll?

Debbie Dryden
Director of Thought Leadership

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Study Predicts Effects of Hyperconnected Lives

Posted on March 22, 2012 by admin

I’m a visual learner. I like to know how things work so that, as is often the case, I have an outside chance of fixing them if they become unresponsive (read: broken).

To me, research is a form of visual learning, since it allows me to see how certain things interact with other things.

I had one of those research moments the other day when I came across a survey by the Pew Internet Research Center entitled “The Future of the Internet.” The survey targeted “technology stakeholders and critics” and offers a fascinating view of what these stakeholders feel will be the effect of the new technologies on the current younger generation in the year 2020.

Those surveyed were asked which of these two statements they agreed with:

  • “In 2020 the brains of multitasking teens and young adults are “wired” differently from those over age 35 and overall it yields helpful results. They do not suffer notable cognitive shortcomings as they multitask and cycle quickly through personal- and work-related tasks. Rather, they are learning more and they are more adept at finding answers to deep questions, in part because they can search effectively…”
  • “In 2020, the brains of multitasking teens and young adults are “wired” differently from those over age 35 and overall it yields baleful results. They do not retain information; they spend most of their energy sharing short social messages, being entertained, and being distracted away from deep engagement with people and knowledge. They lack deep-thinking capabilities; they lack face-to-face social skills…”

Over half (55%) agreed with the former; 42% agreed with the latter.

I agree with many of the points expressed by both camps. I think that today’s younger people access and process information in a different manner than previous generations, and the next generation will do so as well.  Whether or not they’re “wired” differently, I don’t think so.

However, I also feel that with this ease of getting information and with the myriad devices providing access, a Millennial’s ability to focus (a word often repeated throughout the report) and therefore, their ability to think critically, will be lessened.

What I didn’t see referenced often (if at all) was human nature.  Human nature has not changed in the thousands of years man has been on Earth. We adapt well to changing environments. We’ll continue to adapt. What won’t change is that there will be those who excel and those who won’t. That’s going to be the same no matter what the time or technology is.  Call it a “digital divide” or a “technological imbalance,” it’s the same thing. Darwin referred to it as “survival of the fittest.” There’s really no way to “fix” it, because each of us processes information in a different way.

In 2020, I bet we’ll still be having this conversation.

Dave Capano
EVP, Director of Connection Planning

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Digital engagement lessons for B2B and B2C

Posted on March 20, 2012 by admin

Today, there are so many channels for interacting with (and sharing our passion for) the brands we love or admire, many of them online.  Our insatiable demand for instant gratification is fed by giant digital spoonfuls of new content every day.   Fueled by the technology tools we use, the competition for our attention, and our constant appetite for consuming media, the bar has been raised significantly on how brands keep people engaged.

Not surprisingly, the entertainment industry does this very well.  Case in point, my current favorite show, AMC’s “The Walking Dead,” is pulling out all the stops for the finale of Season Two.  As a fan, I received an e-mail entitled “Ten Ways to Get Ready for The Walking Dead Season 2 Finale.”  While they’ve been packaged to promote a single episode, most of these ideas can keep fans interacting with the brand long after it has aired.  With just a click of the mouse, fans can:

So many ways to keep feeling the love for the show – some more passive, others more interactive, all engaging!

But what to do if you aren’t a sexy consumer brand?  Do you just do the same old analog, one-way marketing you’ve always done?  Not at all.  Think about how people want to interact with your brand.  What do they need or want from you? What problem can you solve for them?  Let’s say it’s helping them keep up with industry trends or helping them understand a complex technology.  You could position your brand and key employees as thought leaders that they’ll keep turning to over and over, by doing things like:

  • publishing a series of white papers and making them available on your site or via a spongecell ad
  • producing webinars or lunch & learns
  • writing a report on the state of the industry
  • Creating a custom channel on YouTube and using video to tell the story of your brand
  • Using Facebook,  Twitter, and LinkedIn to provide useful information and encourage dialogue

There are so many ways to engage your target(s) with your brand today, no matter what business you are in.  Are you thinking as creatively as you could be?  If not, think again, lest your competitors beat you to it.

Ellen Repasky
VP, Account Director

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GETTING OFF TO A GOOD START… AND KEEPING IT THAT WAY

Posted on March 15, 2012 by admin

My colleagues and I have written numerous blogs on the importance of measuring your marketing programs… and rightfully so. ROI is a key part of our agency’s DNA. One element that hasn’t received as much attention is our belief in monitoring, measuring, and reporting on the health of the client/agency relationship on an ongoing basis. Without a formal tool to track the relationship, small issues can become larger issues over time, and large issues can get you fired.

For many of our clients, we have created a custom relationship dashboard of key client and agency influencers – 5-6 key measures from each perspective. Baselines and goals are set up front, and data is captured from core members of the client and agency teams twice a year.

Some sample influencers from the client perspective could be:

  • The agency produces error-free work and does things right the first time
  • The agency has efficient systems that result in smooth workflow and timely project completion
  • The agency ensures consistency in brand communication and acts as guardian of the brand
  • The agency recommends and executes programs that help differentiate the brand from the competition

Some sample influencers from the agency perspective could be:

  • The client works in a collaborative way that puts a premium on mutual respect
  • The client delegates appropriate responsibility to the agency and allows the agency to do what it does best
  • The client provides clear, complete direction that helps minimize false starts and revisions
  • The client involves appropriate decision-makers and allows access to senior-level executives

In addition to the dashboard, we schedule regular contact between our principals and the client’s senior executive team. This may be as simple as a breakfast or touch-base call, or as formal as a Brand Summit, where senior members of the team get together to discuss big-picture issues.

We also find that it helps to clearly define expectations for the working relationship up front. To get things started on the right foot and avoid growing pains, we like to conduct a formal, face-to-face expectations meeting with every new client that includes all key members of the client and agency teams. This meeting is an open dialogue that:

  • Starts to build a rich, mutually rewarding relationship, discussing the values and behaviors that are most important to each organization
  • Develops an understanding of potential danger signs and determines how to engage with each other if things break down
  • Establishes core processes and procedures to make things run smoothly and efficiently
  • Clarifies deliverables and begins to determine measurement criteria and the definition of success
  • Immediately forms a collaborative team with shared expectations

At the end of this meeting, the group walks away with a detailed agreement, in writing, that describes how the relationship will work. This ensures that the entire team is working from a common base of understanding and that goals are aligned.

The expectations meeting and relationship dashboard are two great tools to get a new client/agency relationship off on the right foot… and keep it that way.

Stephen Weinstein
VP, Director of Account Management

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How Your Company Can Be Flawsome

Posted on March 13, 2012 by admin

As the market seems to gain momentum from the recession that began in 2007, companies are trying to gain back the trust that was lost among their customers. But the acquisition of a trusted customer isn’t anything new in 2012. Despite the recession, marketing campaigns continue to center on trust, even during a period of decline.

Last year, we presented Edelman’s 11th Annual Trust Barometer, mentioning that for a prospect to consider selecting your brand, you must first establish a base level of knowledge and trust.  At that time, one-quarter of the U.S. respondents indicated that they needed to hear something about a company six or more times before they believe it.  This year’s report reveals that a majority of respondents only need to hear about a company three to five times in order to believe it.

Why the decrease in number of times people need to hear about something until they believe it? Are companies more trustworthy in 2012 than in 2011? According to Edelman’s Trust Barometer, key attributes that determine future trust levels are tied to societally focused competence.

But what can a company do to show their ability to place customers ahead of profits? Listen to their customers’ needs, respond to feedback, and have positive sentiments shared by employees. Once again, social media takes the gold medal.

Social media comes with a great opportunity for transparency, and transparency can lead to honesty and trust. Edelman’s Trust Barometer has measured an increase in trust of information gathered from social media sites of 75 percent from 2011. (Traditional media is up 10 percent.)

What is it about transparency that makes a company more trustworthy?

  1. Companies utilizing social media listen and provide feedback directly to their customers. Trendwatching.com calls this attribute “flawsome.” It’s the attribute of “brands that are brilliant despite having flaws; even being flawed (and being open about it) can be awesome.” They don’t pretend that problems don’t exist. They directly address them and oftentimes fix them – making a bad situation good and becoming a hero.
  2. Employees that are treated well will also report positive things on their blogs, microblogs, and various social media sites. And because this information is coming directly from an employee and not the CEO of a company, consumers are able to relate and find the information more believable.

As a company trying to earn the faith of your consumers, you may already be awesome, but don’t be afraid to be “flawsome.” Instead of dismissing or hiding negative comments and reviews online, accept that they exist, acknowledge the issue, and fix the problem.

- Jonathan Ginburg, Account Supervisor

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Interacting with TV commercials à la Shazam

Posted on March 8, 2012 by admin

No doubt, the way Americans watch TV has changed.  Just watching TV isn’t enough anymore. People are now splitting time between multiple screens.

I recently read an article that said 40 percent of tablet and smartphone owners use their devices while watching TV—and not surprisingly, the majority diverts attention to the small screen during commercials.

As an advertiser, don’t freak out just yet.  Nineteen percent of people using their phones during commercials were searching for product information based on an ad they saw. And 13 percent were searching for deals and coupons based on ad content. So, instead of being threatened by this statistic, marketers should take advantage of it!

Give the TV viewer a quick way to connect with the content they just saw. To provide a unique URL is the obvious and safe answer. But, is it too 2011?

The most intriguing trend I’ve read about recently is “Shazamming” a commercial.  This involves using the Shazam app to scan a sound byte of a TV commercial and unlock exclusive content.  Same concept as scanning a QR code in a magazine. Just, in my opinion, more impressive.

Many big brands have already jumped on board with Shazam for TV:  Walt Disney, Anheuser-Busch, Pepsi-Cola, American Express.   Over half of the ads that were aired during this year’s Super Bowl were compatible with Shazam.

Quick access to special content is changing the way companies can (and should!) advertise. Viewers can instantly go from watching your commercial to surfing your mobile landing page, at the swipe of a finger.

Have you had any experiences with “Shazamming” TV commercials?

Karie Hayden
Account Coordinator

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“Positively Outrageous Service” – The Key to Account Service

Posted on March 1, 2012 by admin

Positively Outrageous Service, what is that? Well, allow me to explain…

A few years ago, I read a book about how to generate success with clients. In this book, Positively Outrageous Service: How to Delight and Astound Your Customers and Win Them for Life, written by T. Scott Gross, Gross defines Positively Outrageous Service as having four components:

1)      It is random and unexpected
2)      Out of proportion to the circumstance
3)      Playful and personal to the customer, and
4)      Compelling, leading to positive word of mouth

The author of this book goes on to suggest that by using Positively Outrageous Service the client should always be able to count on courteous, fast, accurate, and complete service. However, random acts of outrageous service will impact all future encounters. The client will keep coming back for the standard of good service but will hope to be served outrageously once more. Furthermore, participating in Positively Outrageous Service presents major competitive advantages and helps establish what the client wants. When you listen to your clients, they will tell you how to make them say, “Wow!” And when you wow them in a personal way, it tells them that you are listening, and that in turn tells them that they are important to you.

Through my own professional experiences and a helpful reminder from reading this book, I realized that exceptional customer service is an absolute must. Whether you service your clients through sales, marketing, or some other line of business, always remember that your success will depend on a simple business standard, and that is exceptional customer service, but more importantly, Positively Outrageous Service!

-Brandon Holcomb
Account Executive

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Embrace the Power of Customer Analytics

Posted on February 16, 2012 by admin

Analytics technology has been changing rapidly and is now the No. 1 technology priority for both CIOs and CFOs, according to Gartner.  The reason is clear.  Nucleus Research recently released a report revealing that organizations get $10.66 of value for every $1 invested in analytics.

Even nonprofits are recognizing the power of customer analytics and beginning to embrace the practice in an effort to raise donor contributions to pre-recession levels.  One such example is the partnering of the American Red Cross with the Wharton Customer Analytics Initiative (WCAI) to develop tools for improving the organization’s outreach efforts.

Major disasters draw donors, and the challenge for the Red Cross, according to Tony DiPasquale, senior director of intelligence for the Red Cross, is to convert the disaster-response donors to ones who support the organization’s mission.  According to DiPasquale, in a year following a major disaster, less than 10% of those who give become repeat donors.  The goal of the Red Cross’s project with WCAI is to increase that percentage.

The issue facing the Red Cross as well as businesses across the board is sorting through the huge amount of data available.  Over the past couple of years, information gathering has become easy; however, managing it is a stumbling block.  A recent study conducted by Mark Jeffery, senior lecturer of technology information management at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, revealed that less than 18% of large firms were using their customer data effectively.

Here are four tips to help organizations get the most value from customer analytics:

1. Analyze what’s most useful and actionable, not just what’s easily available – Demographic data may be readily available, but likely is not an indicator of future behavior.

2. Create a fact-based culture – Now that data is available, minimize the urge to “shoot from the hip.”

3. Empower employees – Get managers more comfortable with analytics, and ask them what data would help them better meet their goals.

4. Trust the data – If the analysis finds something surprising, be willing to change course.

Is your organization collecting customer data?  Is it being used to make business decisions?  Would your company change strategies if the data revealed the current path is not the best one to achieve the desired results?

Lastly, gathering customer data calls into question the issue of privacy.  Organizations that gather and manage customer data should follow the lead of many big companies, such as IBM, General Electric and Apple, all of whom have created senior management positions aimed at managing privacy issues.

-Debbie Dryden
VP, Thought Leadership

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5 Tips for Trade Show Success

Posted on February 9, 2012 by admin

If you are involved in managing your company’s trade show, you know that there is a lot of prep work needed to make it a successful event.  If you’re new to managing trade show production, here are a few tips that will help you with your planning:

1)      Choosing a Vendor Partner – Take the time to do the research on exhibit groups. There are plenty of players in the game, and your budget will always drive the selection.  When evaluating partners, take a look at what companies have used the group previously and look at what they produced – do they match your style?  Do you need a large floor display or will a smaller pop-up display work for your event?  The biggest exhibit group is not always the best, so consider a number of companies before making your selection.

2)      Explore Pricing Options – Once you decide what type of display you’ll need, ask your selected exhibit company to compare the costs of buying versus renting a display.  Be flexible on what you choose – you may want to have a combination of  hardware you’ll own outright, which will give you the flexibility to rent pieces you know you’ll only need for one event.

3)      Floor Layout and Display Schematic – Your booth orientation on the trade show floor is very important to your show’s success. Ask your exhibit company to show you layout options that reflect the traffic flow and how to maximize your display visibility with the space you rented.  Look at what type of companies rented space next to you and the size of their display space, since this can impact your sight lines and orientation options.

4)      Check It Before You Ship It – If you have chosen a local supplier, you need to see the display assembled before the exhibit company ships it to the show warehouse. This is your last chance to see how everything comes together and fix anything that needs to be corrected.  If you choose an out-of-town supplier, ask them to take pictures so you can see the assembled display before it is crated for shipping.

5)      Keep It Fresh – Make sure you keep your graphics fresh if you have scheduled several shows throughout the year. Many of the same attendees will be going to the same shows, so you want to show them something new to catch their eye. Over time, graphics can also get dinged, faded, or damaged from show to show, so review them carefully – it is well worth the cost to replace them.

Remember these easy tips and you’ll be well on your way to making a memorable impression at your next trade show, which will draw prospects and hopefully drive sales.

-Tim Kedzierski
Production Manager

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