Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Worldviews



So often in business we are talking to bigger issues than our products.

It may be hard to see with balance sheets, profit margins, ROI, corporate politics, etc. but the reality for anyone in business is that people are always our customers.

When crafting a message for a campaign we all have an option of using trickery taping emotion to sell our products. It is something that can be very good for our consumer, it also can sack consumers with products they dont need or want.

When people get sacked with products that turn out to be junk they feel betrayed. This is using people in the worst way. Another more subtle way this is often done is by short sighted marketers with a flair for the dramatic. Ofender's perpetuate this with the use of charity... something like "we will give 10,000 to cancer research if you buy our product"... This often provides a net profit of over $1,000,000 and often its for products people would have never purchased otherwise. Our worldview tells us we should be doing good, and many get used because of it.

There are 3 companies I know that are being honest to this worldview in its entirety...

They sell recycled clothing for new futures for children in Thailand.
If you dont know Thailand is the capital of the sex trade
This company is both green and good... which is very very cool!

Jewelry made out of 100% recycled paper by women in Northern Uganda
If you don't know Uganda is a war torn country in desperate need of hope.
This company is both green and good... which is very very cool!

"Get a pair, Give a pair"
Shoes save lives, and provide opportunities for education in the developing world... this company produces shoes with minimal material and is constantly reducing it's environmental impact.

Honest stories... great people... fits a generous worldview.

Saturday, April 17, 2010

Why my twitter rules are right!


I love twitter, its one of my favorite places to hang out online. It's quick, simple, grammar rules don't always apply, and I have almost 900 friends... not just followers but people I actually like and respect. Honestly my friends on twitter in some ways are better than many of my real life friends. I honestly think a lot of it has to do with rules I follow in the way I communicate. I think it is high time I extend these rules into my every day life!

Here they are...
1. People matter and have interesting stories to tell:: This rule means I don't have to spit my thoughts out all the time. It forces me to ask more questions and to get to know people. It's less about being right and more about enjoying there content. (Jesus is all about this I have never seen a gospel story where he has written someone off as not counting)

2.
Arguing is off limits:: I read a lot... I really do ..but I on twitter I try not to engage in discussion if I have a strongly differing opinion. This means I give up my right to be right. Political arguing just isn't something I let my self do. I often see stuff go by want to comment but leave it. I don't have control over major policy issues, so it isn't worth my energy to debate this stuff. There are rare occasions I break this rule (outside of hockey which is just fun banter IMO) but it is always done with respect and a genuine desire to understand someone else's point of view. (Jesus gives up this right so much he goes to the cross in part because of it)

3.
Attackers get space:: In life we have people that will send us into a tale spin. They are hard people to deal with and know how to press our buttons. On twitter I give these people space. It isn't in my best interest to give them air time on my feed. Sometimes I mute people for a few days sometimes I just let people go away from my feed altogether. (Jesus uses this mentality a lot he doesn't keep people that want to rip him apart very close)

4. Look for their interests::
This goes back to my first point, however I do try to share relevant information around people's interests. The other thing I try to do is get information from them. I follow people because they are the expert in what they know... I get 10 inputs for every 1 input I offer. I listen more often than I talk. This is a hard rule for me in real life but its something I need to do. (James says "be quick to listen, slow to anger and slow to speak" I think God is on to something)

5. Help people::
I often search the word help on twitter just to see how I can help people... its pretty obvious but my generosity earns respect and helps establish a very positive tone. I don't think I need to break out the biblical rule for this one... Generosity is good!

To my twitter peeps you guys rock! And you have helped me be a better communicator in everyday life!

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Pampers Ad? Wait Huggies Ad...

This is a little weird but I would like to break this out a little bit... If you havent seen the Ad below yet check it out...



When I first saw this ad i thought it was brilliant creative, cuts through the noise, and communicates a clear message via story. However the creators forgot about their target market when it came to selling the product (really busy moms and dads). For some reason they decide to name Pampers by name 1st... WHY?
This is a classic case of paying too much attention to the wrong details. When a buyer goes to the store they now have to balance two brands in their head. This balancing act complicates a simple transaction. This is a fail and my hunch is Pampers will also see a bump in sales. Who ever made the ad should take note, the public isn't paying that much attention to Ads.

Thursday, April 8, 2010

Disqus::

Today I started using Disqus on this website... it is a comment system which allows users to hub information around the posts /comments they make. If you have questions click the logo...

Nike's Tiger ad is brilliant!

I know many "experts" think the new Nike ad with Tiger is dumb, random or just plain bad. They dont see the benefit to the brand and to many it looks like a peice about Tiger...but its not.

If you havent seen the Ad I posted a the video yesterday on Nostrum's blog... (if you follow this blog you should follow that one too). I reposted the video on this site...below


Personally I think the Ad is brillant... here are 3 reasons

1. Its not about Tiger:: At the end of the Day its a million conversations about why Nike would place tiger so soon. Why Nike would want to use Earl Wood's voice? How Nike will or won't sell product because of this ad? Its a million conversations about NIKE

2. It deals with a sensitive issue in a sensitive way:: I have seen many on twitter ripping this Ad because it endorses affairs. . .. I have seen many on twitter rip the Ad for being to soft on tiger... and I have seen people on twitter rip this ad for being too hard on Tiger. The scale and extent to which these opinons differ suggest that the Ad was in a very classy spot... the Middle.

3. Its simple:: In a world so focused on glam and glitz this piece just stops. The Ad has no background, no fancy edits, and isn't in your face (With graphics at least). As a result of the simplicity your eyes have nowhere to go but the logo.

Why I think people refuse to like the ad publicly. . .

In all honesty its easier to be a critic. In general the only people that benefit from complementing an ad are the ones that came up with it. That is why complements are rare in advertising.

One interviewie in a Fox story said "I wouldn't run out and buy sneakers [because of it],"
Think about that... he is thinking about Shoes and Nike... that can't be a bad thing. Even if he doesn't buy Shoes now he is thinking about Nike Shoes! That is a win.

Update... real experts actually agree with me... look at this article ... Nike didn't have a choice in this move it had to happen at some point.









Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Coca-Cola: Now That's a Brand!

Coca-Cola is the benchmark of powerful branding... its not all in the name, its all about delivering quality product over and over again. When you open a Coke you know what you are getting!

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Social Media and Mobile Phones

If you read the nostrumstats blog you will have already seen this Infographic. There is no doubt that the wave of the future is Smart phones. The effect on business is going to be very drastic, even in the B2B market (which has had use of smart phones for over a decade).

It may seem like smart phones are already the majority in the market but Im not sold on this. Until recently products like Palm, Windows mobile, Blackberry's were all items for e-mail and very limited web (expensive ones at that). The iphone offered a major shift to the general population as an information device. The next shift will take us away from information and to relationships. It is possible that Smart Phones will make us the most connected society in history.

If you own a business, and you are not thinking through how Smart phones are going to change your business, you are not thinking hard enough.

This isn't a fad... It's like TV... It's like the Internet... it's a major shift.

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Monday, April 5, 2010

Google's new chrome ad

I saw this post earlier today on digital inspiration's blog. Its a lot of fun...

Google is getting better and better with highlighting the benefits of their products in Ads. I feel like this is just another extension of that great work.

Without further ado I welcome "The Google Chrome Ad"


Let me know what you think!