UGC Ad Parody of the Day

Let me start by saying that I own an XB, and I love it more than anything. But this is funny!

Heckle Me This

They’re out there. No matter how great your brand is, there are people who are bitching about it to someone. If they are doing it online, their audience size can be tremendous. I know of one brand that has a detractor that received tens of thousands of uniques a month to his bitching site. I won’t tell you WHAT brand, because it’ll just add thousands more, and get me in the middle of something that is none of my business. But your brand is your business. And taking an active role in digital reputation influencing is absolutely critical.

The Control Fallacy

You cannot control what people say about your brand. I’d add the word "anymore" to that sentence, but the reality is that you never could. What is new is the potential audience size that a brand heckler can reach.

Unless you’re the Chinese Government, and you are capable of censoring ALL of digital for your users, control is simply not an option.

But there is a ginormous difference between control and doing nothing. You CAN help to influence discussion about your brand, and with it your brand’s reputation. But to do this effectively, you need a brand reputation plan.

Seven Basic Steps

Broadly, digital reputation influencing is a seven step process:

1. Monitor the digital ether. You can start by doing a Yahoo or Goggle search for your brand. Follow the links, especially to blogs, posts, videos, and other UGC. This can give you some sense of what the broadest reaching messages are saying. Do a simple calculation: Percent positive comments, percent negative, percent neutral. This is often enough to interest the company in the issue and demonstrate its potential importance.


To do really do a thorough job monitoring, you need to do it on a more comprehensive and ongoing basis. Services like Cymfony and Nielsen Buzzmetrics offer ways to conduct comprehensive brand monitoring services across digital. There are many others, and I would be delighted to hear your experiences with these or other services. I have no relationship with either of the mentioned companies.

2. Analyze what you find. What do people say? What are the themes? Are users the key sources of info? Non users? Employees? This will help you develop a plan of action. In my experience, it’s best to define ways to quantify the data so you can set goals for improving the digital reputation environment. Of course, improving will mean different things for different people. For some it will be driving down negatives. For others pushing up positive messages. For still others it might mean trying to get people to talk about your brand at all. A good plan probably should involve all three. But it’s usually easiest to get money to deal with the negatives. ;-)

3. Plan an approach to address. You should never go at digital willy nilly, and this is especially true for reputation influencing. What are your goals? How are
they quantifiable? How will you measure progress? How will you know you have succeeded? What tools will you use?

One of the most overlooked approaches is to reach out to hecklers and ask them why they feel the way they do. Most people will be impressed if you show genuine concern and reach out.

Major “macro” issues might also be in play. Ecology and green are going to be major sources of kudos and raspberries in the next few years. Are you prepared? Do you have a positive message to deliver? Or are the issues blurry? Having a communications plan focused on the millions of citizen journalists out there would probably be wise.

4. Message to impact the dialogue: This is where you put your plan into action. Say what you planned to say in the ways you planned to say it.

5. Empower your evangelists: Almost all brands have megafans. Even the most maligned brands. I, for example, am huge defender for the United States Postal Service. I won’t get on my soapbox for long, but how amazing is it that for less than 1/6 of the price of a Starbucks latte they can get a birthday card to my Mom across the country in a couple days?

By giving your fans tools to talk you up, you influence the digosphere hugely. Hey Postmaster General, are you listening???

Take this example. If you were looking at a hybrid car, and there were 65 negative comments online, and 80 positive, you’d probably feel ambivalent. But if the hybrid brand had succeeded in encouraging 1000 of their drivers to talk the car up, you’re looking at 95% online favorability. Your prospect will feel much better buying you with that behind them. Since people are by some estimates 20 times more likely to heckle then to applaud, you can simply level the playing field through proactive user empowerment.

6. Assess your effectiveness: Is what you’re doing working? Did you deliver? Prepare your scorecard. Be honest.

7. Optimize your plan by identifying what works and learning from mistakes: Remember this is not a sprint. It is a marathon. And with digital, nothing is permanent. Nothing is “done”. It’s all constantly in process. And by continuous optimization you’ll get better and better at this.

Talk to an Expert

I ain’t one. But I am a firm believer that marketing ain’t rocket science, and I have an opinion on everything. I am also a believer in finding someone more adept and experienced in important areas like this. Your corporate comms people may fit the bill. Or an agency. Or a consultant. They can breathe life into your program in ways I can’t even imagine.

Thanks for reading. And don’t forget to write…

UGC Ad Parody of the Week

If You Want a Good Virus, Find the Carriers

After a lot of years doing digital, I am certain that the toughest thing to do is make a good viral video or application. How do you find the idea that will spawn millions and millions of people to view or participate AND send it to friends? You can’t research your way to it. Nor is it possible to write a viral idea spec. It’s kinda like what Justice Potter Stewart said about hard core porn in 1964 – “I can’t define it but I know it when I see it.”

By now you may have heard of XLNT Ads ( www.xlntads.com ), the fascinating start-up that connects marketers to video producers. No, not like Select Resources or Pyle. This is a service that helps brands get consumer generated advertising developed through a vast network of video producers. Some of these video makers are seasoned pros, while others are more modest outfits.

But for a truly affordable price, you can get a great video made – or throw a jump ball contest in which a group of video producers compete for a prize of a few thousand bucks.

The people of the web are making the video of the web. That’s what I mean about going to the carriers for viral.

What I love about XLNT Ads is that it opens up the creative field to a remarkable range of voices – let me say that again, a REMARKABLE range of voices. I just wandered through the entries for a Slim Fast contest (http://www.xlntads.com/assignments/slimfast/)and the different takes on the assignment were mind bogglingly wide ranging. People were given the “finding your own slim” idea of getting to the weight that’s right for you, and then told to run with it.

And run they did. Several vids were the sort of things that give you that gooseflesh feeling that, before digital, used to only happen very occasionally in creative meetings.

I am not for a moment saying this sort of approach means agencies are dead. For one thing, this kind of video is, in my opinion, web appropriate but not TV appropriate. I’m sure that there are people who would disagree with that. But this is MY blog, so I’ll say what I want. ;-)

For another, it appears that in many cases the video producers are taking a concept developed and executed by an agency for TV, and providing interpretations on the idea for the web. That’s OK for agencies, I think, because it demonstrates how real ideas have legs. And because as video production gets more and more cheap and commoditized, it’s the selling of ideas and concepts that will differentiate a great agency. Not making “beautiful film.”

One sad fact of advertising is that too many great ideas get thrown out after a few executions. I really think that agency produced ads combined with citizen generated executions can demonstrate the raw power of a great idea and keep it sold for years.

But if I am wrong there, don’t sell the immediate value of citizen generated video short. These producers may just be the key to making YOUR message viral.

There is no ulterior motive in this flagrant plug. I just think XLNT Ads is XLNT.

Thanks for reading, and don’t forget to write.

Thanks to the Web, I Care Deeply About Toilet Paper

Years ago I worked on the advertising for a drain opener. It sounds like the first line of a joke, but it’s true. And the strongest memory I have of the experience, other than secretly wondering how on earth we could be talking about a drain opener storyboard for six months, was when the brand manager made a really interesting point: “There are some things people aren’t destined to care about. They care about a drain when they have a clog. Not before.”

This was a really important insight because at the time the category was obsessed with getting people to buy into the idea of clog prevention. In other words, that by pouring a magic elixir down your drain once a week instead of waiting until you have a clog (say, every three months,) you’d live a happier and more carefree life. Not to mention buying 12 times as much product!

We called it a win-win for ourselves and the consumer. Not my proudest moment. Naturally, it didn’t work. Because, as the brand manager so succinctly pointed out, there are just some things people aren’t destined to care about. And one of them is an open drain.

With the advent of digital, I’m no longer sure there are things that it is impossible to make people care about.

People are a diverse bunch, and now that 70% or so of Americans are online, we all get a chance to see what goes inside the heads of the fellow nutters we cohabitate the planet with.

For example. 10 years ago, I would have agreed with the idea that developing an online presence for a toilet paper brand is pointless. I have a friend who once worked in marketing for a major toilet paper company. He sent me an email about their first digital efforts that went something like this:

Well, we just spent $500K to build a website and learn that people don’t want to read about toilet paper, learn interesting toilet paper facts, IM about toilet paper, receive emails abut toilet paper, or attend celebrity chats about toilet paper. Lessons for the ages.

And so, I have lived a blissful eight or so years accepting the idea that toilet paper and online marketing don’t mix except in a basic three-pages-of-product-info way.

But then I happened upon a website. Toilet Paper Origami (http://www.origami-resource-center.com/toilet-paper-origami.html) offers a host of how to illustrations and photos of “diamond fold”, “pleated fold”, “pleated tuck”, and “flourish” toilet paper ends. The page also alerts the reader to the availability of a 52 page photo book chronicling the amazing toilet paper end designs witnessed by the photographer, Stephen Gill, over what have been three magical years of research. Buy the book now for £25 here http://www.stephengill.co.uk/nobody/books.html#ao.

But wait. It gets odder. The origami resource center also tells we lucky readers that in Japan, there is now a device available called the Meruboa (photo here) that AUTOMATICALLY gives the roll a fold ( I believe that professionals in the field would call this the triangle fold) every time you tear some squares. The device costs about $99.

A blogger named Techiediva (http://www.techiediva.com/) tells us that Meruboa was originally developed because “some people were sickened with the idea of using toilet paper that somebody else had folded.” Again, according to Techie, the company has made more than ¥1,000,000,000 ($9.8Million) on the clearly revolting idea of pretouched TP.

I called a friend who works for a major hotelier who told me they provide fancy toilet paper folds in their guest rooms once per day to demonstrate the special touches that make staying with them lovely. And to prove that the maid had been through. What must those Housekeeping people be thinking as they make the seventh fold of a flourish end?

Anyway. As is easy on the web, I found that each link to TP content led to another even more fascinating link. Pictures of wedding dresses made of toilet paper. Pictures of kids using toilet paper to make Rambo style headbands.

So WHAT ON EARTH DOES ALL THIS HAVE TO DO WITH DIGITAL MARKETING? Well, I bring it up to demonstrate that there is someone (indeed, many someones in this case) who is passionate about everything. And their passions get reflected in uniquely personal ways online. In captivating content.

Now, millions of people might not be willing to visit beauty shots of your product every day. But I think this toilet tissue example demonstrates that it is possible to make content for any brand that can grab eyeballs and endear products to people. Marketing online requires providing entertainment value, and your fans are probably out there providing it every day.

The question is, will we have the open minded nature and inventiveness necessary to leverage it for our brands? Open minds mean full coffers.

Thanks for reading, and don’t forget to write.

Corporate Spokesman Mr. Penis Wrinkle Could Not Be Reached For Comment...

Today I conducted an experiment. I decided to friend a packaged good on MySpace.
First I tried Clorox. It’s a brand I have some heart for. I like to get whites their whitest and colors their brightest. So I typed in www.myspace.com/clorox. And what did I find?

Well, apparently the url has been claimed by a 24 year old man who goes by the nom du plume “Penis Wrinkle.” I am not making this up. He likes to skateboard in old empty pools. Since I don’t imagine that Clorox wanted to be associated with penises, least of all wrinkled ones, I thought it best to move on. I am fairly certain this is not an official site.

Next I tried www.myspace.com/colgate. There I “met” a 20 year old woman who’s motto is “R.I.P. to all the females dying to be me!!!” While she has lovely teeth, I am guessing that this is not an official company page either.

My visit to www.myspace.com/pepsi was rather more graphic than the others. An 18 year old Ohio resident has his profile set to private, but did see fit to broadcast the motto “Respect the (vulgar slang term for a part of the male anatomy beginning with the letter c.) And tame the (vulgar slang term for a part of the female anatomy beginning with the letter c.)” Ah, the leaders of tomorrow…

I tried some non packaged goods as well. www.myspace.com/oldsmobile was instructive. I am of course aware that Oldsmobile is no more. But it seemed an intriguing thread to follow precisely because of that. The url is that of a 20 year old Chicopee Massachusetts native who’s aspiration is to meet “A lot of hot women.”

And so it was for about 20 minutes until I found www.myspace.com/spraynwash, a page that featured a beauty shot of the pump bottle in the photo section. Was this what I was looking for?

Spraynwash, according to the profile, is 40 years old, male, a citizen of the world though his heart belongs in Tennessee. His motto: “Better than Shout® and Oxyclean®” Whoever made the page even remembered to include the circle rs on the competitive brand names, which I found rather gallant.

Here’s what Spraynwash had to say: “Hi, I'm Spray 'n Wash. I spend most of my free time in washing machines, fighting tough stains. I guess you could say it's my job. When I'm not at work I'm usually sitting on the shelf above the dryer, minding my own business. I don't really get along with the Clorox, but the detergents seem to accept me. I'm not seeing anyone right now, but if the opportunity arises I may jump on it. Anyway, that's pretty much me.”

I was intrigued to say the least. Did we have friends in common? I spent a lot of years marketing cleaning products, so there’s always that possibility.

Alas poor SpraynWash has only one friend. A man named Joel Malin, who bills himself as a Christian/Garage/Indie musician. I liked his music. And needless to say, his clothes look very clean. Actually he looks like an excellent friend, so perhaps SpraynWash is rather luckier then the Tila Tequilas with all their fair weather gawkers. Quality over quantity and all that.

But that’s too philosophical for shallow me. Here’s my point. There is all this brand real estate out there that we are not claiming. We worry about the content adjacent to our banners, while in some of the most popular and active venues on the web, men named Penis Wrinkle claim urls containing our brand names.

Now, in some cases, these homesteaders are brand advocates. But in others, your brand will be tied to respecting some body parts and taming others.

I want to emphasize that I am not suggesting that “If you build it, they will come.” Lots of brands are not the sort of entities that people naturally will gravitate to friending. But given the explosive growth of social networks, it might make sense to at least claim the page and put up a little product info.

Thanks for reading, and don’t forget to write.

Regular Brands and Regular Marketers

It’s a fairly regular occurrence that I, at aged 43, am 15 years older than the rest of the room in a digital marketing meeting. 10 years older is almost a given. Mind you, I am not complaining. What strikes me about this is that digital marketing and especially digital marketing buzz are driven by some very bright and very young people.

It’s also amazing what a difference those 15 years make in your perspective of what matters. I come from a different world than many of the people who have pioneered digital. For one, I’ve spent most of my career marketing giant brands. I got into digital about 8 years ago and had to learn a whole new world. Digital has largely been driven by smaller companies, at least until about the last 18 months or so.

What you’ve done in your past affects what you do now.

I really value the perspectives of these very bright gen ys. But the flip side is that those of us who remember Brady Bunch in first run also have some perspective that the digital CW would do well to consider. Ideas like:

1. That for most brands, a marketing vehicle becomes important not when it is a gleam in the eye of the founder but rather when 3 or 30 million people are using it.
2. That if a little more than 80% of the world’s stuff is purchased BY WOMEN, it makes sense to create digital environments that aren’t solely showcases for thrasher videos or teens falling out of their tops. That violence and porn and sarcasm will not be the lifeblood of digital going forward.
3. That a marketing vehicle is worth consideration AFTER it has figured out a way to…market things in a consumer acceptable way, not BEFORE.
4. That consumer control is a critical consideration in the digital space, but so is giving marketers some real value for their money. If we care solely for what people say they want, we’ve got a bit of a problem. Because what they want is everything, for free.
5. That the long tail of the consumer tadpole is important, but so is the big blob of consumers at the front of the tail.
6. That teens and young adults are very valuable consumers and deserve our attention, but so are boomers and seniors who have more bucks to spend.
7. That brands that are concerned about the content of the pages on which their messages appear aren’t prudes or killjoys. They just care about the content that their dollars are paying for.

There are many excellent commentators telling us what the latest is in digital, and what it may mean. That is absolutely critical in a time when our environment changes so quickly and what works can evolve rather rapidly. I work with a couple of guys that are truly first rate at seeing trends before they happen. I am always amazed by what they see.

But there’s also room for others in digital. People who can focus and say, THESE are the things that can make a difference for my brand today. We’re not all innovators, either as marketers or as consumers.

Most brands are not aimed at the innovators, and wouldn't be well served by an innovator digital marketing approach. Rather its appeal is for the broad majority of people who aren’t among the 170 people who are the first to do anything digital.

For those kinds of brands, it’s critical to separate the gold from the pyrite, to identify the digital platforms, technologies, ideas, and companies that offer stuff that regular people are going to use. In this environment, it’s just as important to put things on the back burner, to wait and see at times and focus on the stuff that will make a difference.

I say this because it is so easy to get completely overwhelmed by digital. There is typically a day or two a month when I look at the 35 newsletters in my inbox and think, “oh, good Lord, when will it stop?” The answer is that it won’t for the foreseeable future. But in times like these, it’s important to figure out what is going to matter. What’s going to help you move 80,000 extra cases this quarter, or lower your CPA by 15%,. Or what’s going to really pop the awareness levels of your new product.

As always, we need to figure out what the “on” buttons are for our brands. What moves the needle in significant ways. The alternatives are to do everything digital, which is impossible and a big waste of time, to do what’s hot, which will put you in a lot of flash-in-the-pan opps, or to do nothing, which is perhaps tempting but you might as well end your career now if you go that route.

So what is going to be an “on” button for your brand? I can’t tell you, of course, because I don’t know what brand is yours. But, for most brands, I think we can agree that it will probably have something to do with most of the following:

1. Blogs: My best friend’s GRANDMOTHER has a daily blog. Nuff said
2. Social Networks: MySpace has roughly 60 million monthly users. Facebook 20 million. The average age of MySpace users is over 30. American Idol is scoring roughly 30 million a night. So MySpace is reaching more people than Idol. How’s that for relevance!
3. Video: Pew says ¾ of broadband users are consuming online video. And people seem to be pretty chill about pre-roll ads. Also, we’re seeing more and more overlay ads on YouTube, so that nut is getting cracked as well.
4. Mobile: Roughly 4 in 10 mobile subscribers use text, but the figure climbs to 8 in 10 among teens. Rates are even higher among Asians, African Americans, and Latinos. While industry observers have been heralding every year as the year that mobile will really take off in the US, some year they are going to be right. I am guessing 2009.
5. Gaming: If your target is young and male, they play console games. If middle aged and female, they play casual games on sites like Pogo. Nearly everyone games, and spends a lot of time doing it.
6. Widgets: I have seen such a broad range of stats on widget use that I hesitate to list a single figure. But leading researchers put penetration above 50% of wired users. That’s a lot of eyeballs.

My focus in this blog is going to be on stuff that matters now. It won’t be the place to read about the latest whizbangery. It’ll be a place where, if I do my job, we’ll talk about the things that are proving out and deserve the attention of brands for regular people.

Thanks for reading, and don’t forget to write.