.::|TheDish|::.

Joseph Jaffe Could Be Yours!

I am a big fan of Joseph Jaffe. For those of you who aren't in the digital marketing industry, he is truly a thought leader in the new marketing space, a hell of a speaker, the author of the blog Jaffe Juice, the voice behind Across the Sound new marketing podcast, the author of Life After the 30-Second Spot, and President and Chief Interuptor of the marketing firm, crayon.

So to my fellow marketers, Jaffe fans, and all the ladies who get juiced over his accent, well, his consulting time is being auctioned off and there's just 24 hours left! The highest bidder will get a dinner brainstorming session with Jaffe himself, to raise money to help fight leukemia and lymphoma (a cause that is personally very dear to me).

Bid here!

[image via]

Poor Service, One Less Customer

I haven't been able to totally shake an experience that I had earlier this week, and I'd love to hear what you have to say about it. I stopped by the dry cleaner to pick up a few articles - two dresses and a sweater - that I had dropped off about a week ago. The next morning, I went to put on the sweater, and noticed the adorable little belt/tie was missing; I was disappointed, as this belt accent really is the focal point and what gave the otherwise average sweater a little bit of character and femininity. I then noticed that the belt/tie on one of the dresses was also missing. I know, without a doubt, both were securely attached when I dropped them off. Grrrr.

So, that morning I stopped by the dry cleaner, of which I have been a loyal regular for the almost 2 years I have lived in the South End, to show them the sweater and the dress with the missing pieces, to voice my disappointment and see if perhaps the belts had simply been removed, cleaned separately, and hung on a different hanger. The woman behind the counter offered to contact the folks that actually do the dry cleaning, and asked me to stop by the next morning.

And so I did. No belts, as expected, and then this story goes awry. The woman behind the counter then said "did you check in your home?". I am not sure if my jaw dropped or not, but it should have. I could not believe that she was turning the fault on me, the customer... her very regular, loyal customer! In retrospect, I should have battled that morning, demanding a refund of some sort at the very least. I am not sure why I didn't, perhaps it was too early, and my reasoning power had not quite woken up yet.

I left. And when I ask myself if I will continue to use that cleaner, my answer is unequivocally "no", they have lost my trust, respect, and my business indefinitely. I think what this story further colors is how critically important and fragile the relationship is between a brand and its loyal customer, no matter what product or service that brand provides. With one negligent move (OK, more than one as she turned the blame on me), and the inability of the cleaner to repair our relationship say through a discount on my next order or a refund on this one, they have not only failed to retain me as a customer, but they are also potential victims of (deserved) negative word of mouth marketing, probably one of the most powerful means of marketing today, as I tell my story to friends and neighbors. As Paul Isakson noted in his kick-ass presentation What's Next in Marketing & Advertising:

brand = collectively, what people say, feel & think about your product, service or company.

Need I say more? I am not out to bring down a local business, hence why I am not naming this particular business, and I don't necessarily think that the people behind the counter are bad people; but, I do think they offer a poor service to their customers and that directly sheds a very negative light on their brand. All they had to do was show me that they appreciate my business. I am telling this story as a personal experience that further exemplifies all the chatter in the marketing community these days around how important it is that brands, and the marketers, agencies, etc. who work for them, recognize the power of the loyal customer voice and the importance, strength and influence of that relationship and it's retention.

[image via]

The Secret Underground Guide to Social Media for Organizations

I, like pretty much everyone in the digital marketing industry, have been talking about (& listening to) social media tactics & strategies a lot lately, both at work and within my personal life. I am a huge advocate of experimentation with social media by companies, brands, organizations and individuals within every industry, from those in the rigid, complex bureaucratic sectors like healthcare, to the individual entrepreneur opening their first shop or forming a club or organization in a small town. What I find challenging is getting people who are not digital natives, marketers or innovators to be comfortable with social media, helping them understand the plethora of social media tools that they have at their fingertips, and how they can experiment with and utilize specific ones to understand their customer needs and concerns, promote their brand, sell more products, make money, etc.

So, I was listening to a new media podcast the other day, and was directed to The Secret Underground Guide to Social Media for Organizations (pdf), by Colin McCay of canuckflack.com. I am not going to strip excerpts out of the 23 page document, as it's really a quick read - like 20-30 minutes quick. McCay provides valuable tips that will help me talk about social media and get the conversation started with people not already engaged and thinking about the topic. Also, he writes in a direct way without a lot of marketing speak (ok, some, but not a lot), so you don't need to be knowledgeable in the space to gain some great takeaways. If you are interested in social media, and how to implement a tactic in your organization or start the conversation, I suggest you download it.

OK, I guess I fibbed. I am going to pull this little tidbit from his guide. It's a quote by Dale Carnegie that I just really, really enjoyed:

 

Adi Dassler Spot

Props to 180 Amsterdam for introducing me to Adi Dassler, the German shoe maker behind the iconic Adidas brand, via this digitally animated 60 second spot. I don't know about you, but I get all warm n' fuzzy from watching and listening to the story of the man behind the magic, the evolution of the brand over the last 60 or so years, and how it has impacted - or at least touched - most of us. My first & favorite soccer cleats were Adidas, and now I know the man to thank.

Courtesy of YouTube.

Favorite Levi's Spot

I have taken quite the liking to the Levi's commercials and the designer jean comeback this all-American brand has taken over the last couple years (my favorite pair of skinny jeans are Levi's and a lot cheaper than my Sevens, Paper Denims, etc!). Their Walk the Line spot has been my favorite until I just discovered this 90 sec spot, showing the evolution of the brand spanning decades (and probably not airing here in the States!):

Buy Shoes from Zappos

This morning, via the Beyond Madison Avenue blog, I linked to and read this touching story on a woman's experiences with the online shoe store, Zappos. Here is the full story:

I Heart Zappos

I really do.

One bright, extraordinary note in all of the sad stuff of the last few weeks - in May we had ordered several pairs of shoes from Zappos for my mom. She’d lost a lot of weight, and her old shoes were all too big. She had a whole new wardrobe of clothes in pretty colors, that fit, so I wanted her to have some pretty shoes that fit, too, when I took her up to Oregon to stay where her sister is. Out of seven pairs, only two fit. Not bad considering she’d never been this thin, so I was winging it, and the return shipping is free.

The rest were here waiting to be returned. Because of various circumstances - lost label, my mom being hospitalized and me being away, the shoes were never sent back. There’s a time limit on the return of 15 days. Remember this. When you do a return to them, they pay the shipping, but you have to get the shoes to UPS yourself. Remember this, also.

When I came home this last time, I had an email from Zappos asking about the shoes, since they hadn’t received them. I was just back and not ready to deal with that, so I replied that my mom had died but that I’d send the shoes as soon as I could. They emailed back that they had arranged with UPS to pick up the shoes, so I wouldn’t have to take the time to do it myself. I was so touched. That’s going against corporate policy.

Yesterday, when I came home from town, a florist delivery man was just leaving. It was a beautiful arrangement in a basket with white lilies and roses and carnations. Big and lush and fragrant. I opened the card, and it was from Zappos. I burst into tears. I’m a sucker for kindness, and if that isn’t one of the nicest things I’ve ever had happen to me, I don’t know what is. So…

IF YOU BUY SHOES ONLINE, GET THEM FROM ZAPPOS.

With hearts like theirs, you know they’re good to do business with.

The folks over at BMA commented, "...and what does Zappos get from this? Technically nothing. Unless you take into account the 100+ comments and countless links that this woman’s blog has received from this story."

I think we all "get" something from this story, and I wish there were more brands out there like Zappos (update: Danny from BMA - I didn't mean to come across as saying you guys don't get it -- thanks for the comment, and yes we are totally on the same page!). I don't believe that Zappos' objective here was to further brand loyalty via brand-to-consumer connection, and I'd like to think that they did not see this as an opportunity to "create" a viral or word-of-mouth marketing campaign (us marketers should never have this as a strategy!); but, I do commend the folks at Zappos for adding the powerful human touch back to a brand. At the end of the day, after all the strategizing, planning, execution and optimization... we are all humans. Although this story has so many elements of a brand marketer's dream, it's not about that for the woman who lost her Mom, or for the folks behind the Zappos brand. It's about the power of human connection, be it between friends, family, colleagues, and yes... even those brands that market to us every day.

Core Vodka Leading Design

Thanks to those who voted on the best label for Core vodka. (See the poll here). And the leader thus far, with 57% 50% of the votes, is:

If you haven't voted, there is still time. Vote here.

Core Vodka: Vote on the Label!

My buddy Derek needs our help! Derek left the interactive marketing space about 5 years ago to reunite with his family and his roots in New York state. He is now opening his own distillery called Harvest Spirits on his family's apple farm, Golden Harvest Farms, at which he now serves as the the CMO, COO, and the coolest apple farmer I know :). His first spirit will be vodka made from apples; note, this is NOT apple flavored vodka, but rater vodka made from cider apples instead of potato or rye. I've tried it, its tasty.

He is losing sleep these days, perhaps resolved by his own libations :), trying to chose the best label for his CORE vodka. So, I'd like to take a poll.

Go to this page (http://harvestspirits.com/labels/) containing the different label designs and vote here! Feel free to leave a comment to this post if you want to provide further insight into your decision & vote...

Bucks goes Mobile

I love coffee, and I happen to love Starbucks, despite is ubiquitous presence. Well, I love the brand more for staying on top of marketing trends and technology, specifically within the emerging emerged mobile space which has consumed my interest lately. As reported by CNET News, to locate a Starbucks near you, simply send a SMS (text message) with your zip code to "MYSBUX" (697289). I tried it out, and received three locations close to my home: Tremont, Westin/Copley and Marriot/Copley, each containing a link to the Starbucks WAP deck, with a map to that specific location.

If you don't know the zip code of your current location, you are out of luck; that's my only problem with the campaign. Perhaps incorporating a zip code or a city keyword would assist those caffeine addicts on the road without access to the current - or neighboring - zip code.

We are seeing more and more brands incorporating this "locator" functionality, maximizing the ease of access to information for the on-the-go consumer with a mobile device.

TIME Magazine Person of the Year: You

Congratulations! You have been named the TIME Magazine Person of the Year "for seizing the reins of the global media, for founding and framing the new digital democracy, for working for nothing and beating the pros at their own game," according to TIME. "The winners this year were anyone using or creating content on the World Wide Web."

OK, I get it, but I can't help but to be a tad disappointed. Yes, 2006 was a breakthrough year in the digital community as we watched the web turn upside-down, as consumers collectively grabbed the reigns and changed the face of interactive marketing and brands as a whole. It's about consumer-generated content: YouTube, MySpace, Second Life, the blogoshpere, RSS, and Wikipedia. It's about you and me, and the world, staring at our laptops in a completely different light; and as an interactive marketer, its been - quite honestly -climactic! But I struggle with the authenticity of such a claim by TIME; it almost seems like a cop-out to me, like it was the easy way. And the following quote from Richard Stengel, who took over as Time's managing editor earlier this year, only reinforces my sentiment:

"If you choose an individual, you have to justify how that person affected millions of people. But if you choose millions of people, you don't have to justify it to anyone."

Sony Bravia TV Spot

Now it would have been a total blast to be a part of the production of this Sony Bravia TV spot! Apparently it took 10 days and 250 people to film, and 5 days and 60 people to clean-up!

Who Needs a Headline?

I think this ad campaign is brilliant! If only some other brands would take a risk and be just a tad more edgy! Props to Bentley, you arrogant snob!!