« March 2007 | Main | May 2007 »
My employer has an annual employee appreciation event.
This year, as part of the to do, they transformed five stories of our seven-story building façade into a billboard.
This morning we’re following the second half of the work hard, play hard mantra.
We’re all headed south for the day to play the ponies.
UPDATE: The Cincinnati Enquirer did a story on our event.
Work Hard, Play Hard uploaded by prblog
| | | |
| | |
Saw a note from Jeremiah about Dell’s Ideastorm blog and finally checked it out.
The blog’s been around for a few months. It’s an interesting example of how brands can weave customers into the product development process through simple voting capabilities. It will be interesting to see over time the impact Ideastorm has on the Dell product line. Hopefully Dell has enough safeguards in place that its customers don’t create The Homer of computers.
Dell’s come a long way. Jeff Jarvis even made nice with Dell over drinks.
Dell’s full-circle story, experiencing both sides of social media, reminded me of Kryptonite. Donna Tocci personally dealt with the slings and arrows of bikers, bloggers and media after Engadget posted the bic pen video nearly three years ago.
Kryptonite’s Unbreakable Bonds blog also shows how much companies can learn from their mistakes.
So riddle me this. Which brand had a tougher road to recovery from their mistakes? In hindsight, who do you think is doing the best job moving past their infamous blogosphere communications crisis? Weigh in with the handy dandy poll below.
tags | public relations | PR | Dell | Kryptonite | social media
| | | |
| | |
Uber customer service snafus like Jet Blue aside, a business is bound to catch a customer on a bad day – or vice versa. This can spawn a fiery blog post which, in plain view of Google, can morph into an issue with “negative fiscal ramifications” for the business in question.
Some companies ignore bloggers and regret it. Other companies seem to overreact to their demands, er, requests. Some rants about a company/product/service read more like ransom notes or soap opera scripts. Perhaps I’m reading too much into them.
However, something clicked when I read Oliver Blanchard’s amazing experience with Sticky Fingers (mmm, ribs).
Instead of "making it right," smart companies responding to customer complaints are making it even better and exceeding customer expectations.
Paraphrasing Blanchard’s post at The Brand Builder Blog, reversing the cycle of negative word of mouth (online or offline) requires a few key elements.
1. Never blow off the complaint.
2. Do not make excuses.
3. Offer to address the issue – immediately.
4. Do not make a token gesture. Overdeliver.
6. Aim to earn back the customers trust, and their business.
7. Make the customer a hero. Over-delivering to them gives them the opportunity to spread the wealth and turn more people into excited, happy customers.
It may read unrealistic and it's certainly not universally applicable. But you’ve already identified the customer as vocal. Why not use it to your advantage and give them something great to talk about?
Smart companies like Sticky Fingers aren't overreacting or being excessive. They're turning negative word of mouth into a strategic opportunity. Oversimply put, think bonus instead of band-aid when handling customer complaints.
Amber: Waffle House Waitress uploaded by shundaroni (mmm, waffles)
tags | customer service | Sticky Fingers | Waffle House | word of mouth
| | | |
| | |
OK, maybe not havoc. But CareerBuilder’s news that it will let job seekers add video highlights to their resumes should prove to be painful and entertaining.
Web 2.0 video has bloomed thanks to computer technology’s increasing capabilities and decreasing costs.
Today’s home computer comes with enough software to turn Aunt Fannie’s “vacation slide show of death” into a bearable music video. Cell phones and digital cameras have joined hands with the Internet to become the ultimate video collection and distribution network.
But the other reason it‘s taken off is that expectations around production value have flown out the window.
In fact, the shaky amateur video seen on shows like America’s Funniest Home Video are now being copied by marketers trying to replicate their imperfect edginess and authenticity. Ironic, huh?
So if you’re one of the more than 4,100 folks already posting a video resume on YouTube, think twice before you post your video to CareerBuilder. The decision is fraught with peril. OK, maybe not peril.
Aleksey Vayner spoiled it for everyone when he created his video ”Impossible is Nothing.” You must keep your audience in mind when producing a video resume. Tell a story, be yourself and take advantage of the low cost of entry and the raft of tools available. But aim for a polished finished product just as you would with your print or electronic resume.
The use of imagery as a communication tool is powerful and proven. Just make sure you stand out for all the right reasons. Holding your cell phone at arms length and rambling on about how you want a career and not a job will only work against you.
Oh, and a comb and a shave wouldn't hurt either.
tags | CareerBuilder | YouTube | resume | video
| | | |
| | |
The horror that’s unfolded at Virginia Tech is an inappropriate topic for most business blogs. But everyone is affected by this tragedy. And to those directly connected to it, please know you are in my thoughts and prayers.
Reading through the news and the posts sheds light on an all too familiar pattern that brings out the best and worst in people.
Discussions around social media’s role in the crisis read odd to me initially. But technology is helping people mourn and looking at ways it might help prevent something like this from happening again is reassuring.
As the whole story emerges, the conversations around this tragedy help us in many ways. It offers insight on how communications professionals can prepare other organizations for a crisis -- and it reminds us the necessity and importance of this preparation.
Preparing for something and living through it are quite different. With that in mind, Virginia Tech’s communications team should be commended for its handling of this crisis.
tags | Virginia Tech | media relations
| | | |
| | |
Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.
1922-2007
One of my favorite Vonnegut quotes:
"Be careful what you pretend to be because you are what you pretend to be."
His impact measures far beyond his books. He is already missed.
tags | Kurt Vonnegut
| | | |
| | |
Today's WSJ includes the story How Blogging Can Help You Get a New Job. There is a L-O-N-G list of PR bloggers that have traded up and can point to their social media skills as having helped make the transition happen.
One of those PR bloggers is me and, as a result, I'm mentioned in the article towards the end.
This post was delayed as I spent part of my day making sure my boss and current employer know that I'm quite happy in my current role and have no plans of heading elsewhere. They do know.
A friend noted that if I were in the market for a career move, would I really tell The Wall Street Journal in an interview on this specific topic? Good point.
Yeah, if I were in the market, I'd simply flex some of my other sweet skills like drawing ligers, eating tater tots and killing wolverines with freakin' 12-gauge shotguns. Gosh.
Napoleon Detail uploaded by sammo371
| | | |
| | |
A recent luncheon at my local public TV station, CET, revealed some interesting news about what’s now and what’s next for this valuable resource.
What’s Now: Cable has created challenges and opportunities for public TV in every market. While channels like A&E and The History Channel are competitors on the surface, their programming is expanding well past topics germane to their names. Just look at The Sopranos on A&E or a recent airing of Planet of the Apes on the History Channel as examples.
The explosion of cable channels has required many stations to rebrand. CET used to be Channel 48. A speaker noted the challenge of explaining to his kindergartner how Channel 48 was actually on channel 13.
What’s Next: With stations recasting themselves as cable channels dilute themselves, public TV has some interesting opportunities. CET pushes its content online and also dedicates resources to online-only content. One example is a partnership with the local American City business journal to do interviews with the newsmakers of the week.
As an on-demand resource, CET’s traffic has flourished and is competitive with stations in the Los Angeles and New York markets. Long-term, with the third screen becoming second nature to younger consumers, public TV could evolve to an online only resource. And based on the evolution of mainstream media, it will continue to thrive in this new environment.
| | | |
| | |
Great quote from Fortune magazine senior editor David Kirkpatrick on having passion for the idea you’re selling.
“…if you're not interested in the idea or company—then a journalist won't be, either.”
Swap out journalist with client or customer and the quote still applies. If you fake it and act passionate, results will vary.
More from Kirkpatrick here.
as is uploaded by helveticaneue
| | | |
| | |
The latest issue of ChangeThis is out. One manifesto encapsulates the online response to the infamous “Starbucks CEO memo.”
Howard Schulz is concerned Starbucks will lose its soul as it grows from 13,000 to 40,000 locations. Go figure. He challenged employees to find ways to stay true to the story behind the uber-brand.
John Moore at Brand Autopsy called for ideas from the blogosphere. Based on my contribution, I’m included in the manifesto. along with Moore and the "Starbucks Board of Customers."
Check out the pdf if you're interested in a deep dive into the Starbucks brand.
tags | marketing | Starbucks | ChangeThis | brand
| | | |
| | |
Recent Comments