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Welcome To My Den
This is the new, improved and reincarnated Dunn's Den. This blog is about marketing, advertising, social media and the goings on in my local community; from MY VIEW!
I look forward to connecting with you!
Here’s the marketing outrage of the year. The Port Authority of New Jersey and New York has changed the name of the new signature building at the 9/11 terrorist strike from “The Freedom Tower” to “WTC I.”
Why? Because the word “freedom” makes it hard to sell, they say. They are trying to find tenants for the 1776 foot office/monument, and its tough sledding. But the rumor has it that China has popped for about three floors. Did China insist on the change? Why should they object? Are they afraid of the word? Or of the concept?
To me, “WTC I” invokes sad memories. It makes me think of bad, past days. Dark days of heroism, grief, and, yes, terrorists. But “Freedom” is inspirational and looks forward to days of light, progress and joy.
The old Twin Towers were not a raging success. I don’t think their occupancy was ever that great; I don’t know why. Maybe the new building will have a curse on it, and be hard to rent no matter what name it bears. If I were a salesman for the project, I know I’d rather be selling freedom than a tombstone.
There will be a brief chapter in my new textbook called “Courageous Marketing.” It will cover brands that survived the recession by plowing forward. It will describe the guts of taking uncertain paths. It will honor those who are single minded, despite pressure to diversify. It will not include the chicken-hearted politically correct sycophants like the Port Authority of New Jersey and New York.
The climate these days is to decry the greedy capitalists. The ones who make profits on the backs of the needy unfortunates. But they’re the ones who take risks for freedom, the brave people who aren’t afraid to step up with pride and say, “This is what I stand for. Want a piece of it?”
Be careful what you tweet! Twitter has been around for the last three years or so and has become all the rage with the Internet 2.0 crowd. One thing that I caution my clients about when they go onto twitter is this: Make darn sure you UNDERSTAND that anything you write can and will come back to bite you in your ass…so be very, very, very, very careful what you tweet about. For some strange reason many people think that because a few tweets a day are good, a tweet a minute must be better. Or because I have a thought right now, I must share it with the world. Not so says I. DO NOT tweet, just because you think you need to.
This Tweet came back to bite the person from Ketchum (New York office) who made some disparaging remarks about the city of Memphis the morning before he presented on digital media to the worldwide communications group at FedEx (150+) people. A Fed Ex employee found it, was offended by it (as well they should be) and responded as such. But wait, it gets better…they also copied the FedEx Coporate Vice President, Directors and all management of FedEx’s communication department AND the chain of command at Ketchum.
The tweet:
What not to say when your client is FedEx
The employee response:
Mr. Andrews,
If I interpret your post correctly, these are your comments about Memphis a few hours after arriving in the global headquarters city of one of your key and lucrative clients, and the home of arguably one of the most important entrepreneurs in the history of business, FedEx founder Fred Smith.
Many of my peers and I feel this is inappropriate. We do not know the total millions of dollars FedEx Corporation pays Ketchum annually for the valuable and important work your company does for us around the globe. We are confident however, it is enough to expect a greater level of respect and awareness from someone in your position as a vice president at a major global player in your industry. A hazard of social networking is people will read what you write.
Not knowing exactly what prompted your comments, I will admit the area around our airport is a bit of an eyesore, not without crime, prostitution, commercial decay, and a few potholes. But there is a major political, community, religious, and business effort underway, that includes FedEx, to transform that area. We’re hopeful that over time, our city will have a better “face” to present to visitors.
James, everyone participating in today’s event, including those in the auditorium with you this morning, just received their first paycheck of 2009 containing a 5% pay cut… which we wholeheartedly support because it continued the tradition established by Mr. Smith of doing whatever it takes to protect jobs.
Considering that we just entered the second year of a U.S. recession, and we are experiencing significant business loss due to the global economic downturn, many of my peers and I question the expense of paying Ketchum to produce the video open for today’s event; work that could have been achieved by internal, award-winning professionals with decades of experience in television production.
Additionally Mr. Andrews, with all due respect, to continue the context of your post; true confession: many of my peers and I don’t see much relevance between your presentation this morning and the work we do in Employee Communications.
Wow!!!
Did I say content was king?????? You have the power to the information highway, what you do with it is up to you. What you tweet about, will be held against you.
By the way, this happened in January. Not only is it still being discussed at the major social media events (like the one last month at Kennesaw State), but it is also still being written about. I know I always say there is no such thing as bad press, but I might have to rethink that!
Bottom line: No mater what you think about the social media space , it is here to stay. So, learn how to use it to your advantage and create something good.
Attached is a press release from a client, Emory Johns Creek Hospital (EJCH), who just won the E-HEALTHCARE LEADERSHIP AWARD.
We at Town Planner Calendar are both proud and honored to have been chosen to develop this project with Emory Johns Creek Hospital. I appreciate EJCH’s leap of faith in choosing our agency to help them in launching their first social media site. We at Town Planner Calendar are very passionate about Social Media and its limitless roles in procuring tangible results for our clients.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Media Contact: Johnel Reid November 18, 2008
EMORY JOHNS CREEK HOSPITAL WINS E-HEALTHCARE LEADERSHIP AWARD FOR VIDEO BLOG
JOHNS CREEK, GA – Emory Johns Creek Hospital was recognized for its outstanding website at a special presentation in Orlando on November 11 during the Twelfth Annual Healthcare Internet Conference.The EJCH blog and video blog sites earned the Award of Distinction, the number one award among hospitals of 200 beds or less, in the category of Best Web 2.0/Rich Media category.“It is an honor to be recognized for our considerable efforts this past year,” said Johnel Reid, Director of Marketing for the hospital.“What began as an experiment for us, has gained momentum and produced significant results,” she added.
Emory Johns Creek Hospital’s site was chosen from among 1,100 entries by a panel of 114 judges familiar with healthcare and the Internet. “A growing number of healthcare organizations are clearly embracing the Web and emerging technologies,” says Mark Gothberg, eHealthcare Leadership Awards chairman.Gothberg notes that many organizations have invested in new sites or made significant improvements in their existing sites.“Such rich media forms as video, audio, blogs, and discussion groups are changing the landscape of Web sites,” he says.
The hospital launched its blog and video health library with the help and video production of Scott Dunn, of SONARconnects.“We know that people are changing the way they receive their news and information and we know the Internet plays a significant role,” said Reid.The team videotaped interviews with their medical staff about a variety of health related issues and then posted the videos to the Internet.“In less than four months, the 150 videos we have posted have received more than 11,000 views,” Reid said.
“Our audience can expect to see our blog continue to evolve,” said Reid.“We are finding ways to become more interactive and build relationships with our patients and the community.Healthcare marketing, at its core, is about relationships — building trust among physicians, hospitals and patients,” she said.“Traditionally, healthcare marketing has been fairly conservative.We are fortunate to have leadership that embraces this experiment ,” Reid added.“We have exciting plans for 2009 that will include improving the quality, server response and using more social media elements.”
“It’s rewarding to work with clients to help them find ways to reach their markets in new ways.The Internet is changing how people get their news, their information, even their entertainment.It is changing how people connect with each other and with the companies they choose to do business with,” said Dunn.“In the case of Emory Johns Creek, we found a way for doctors to reach their target audiences in a very personal, non-traditional way.It’s a win-win situation for everyone – the doctors get the value of knowing their messages are being heard, the audience gets the information they were looking for, and the hospital builds relationships with the communities they serve.
Emory Johns Creek Hospital is known for its state-of-the-art technology in a luxurious, hotel-like setting. Services include advanced orthopaedic surgery, joint replacement, spine surgery, 24/7 emergency care, state-of-the-art all digital imaging including a 64 slice CT, The Birth Place with Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, 24-hour anesthesiologists, intensive care, advanced cardiac care, rehabilitation services and women’s services. Emory Johns Creek Hospital is home to the Atlanta Bariatric Center, designated a Center of Excellence by the American Society of Bariatric Surgeons.
For more information, please visit emoryjohnscreek.com. To find a physician close to where you live or work, call 678.474.8200
In today’s blog, I cover why Word of Mouth Advertising is the most powerful form of advertising your business can ever do. The Return on Investment with Word of Mouth Advertising is higher than any other form of advertising you implement.
Why is it so powerful and why does it work so well? Easy… it’s called Raving Fans. Raving Fans not only purchase from your business on a regular interval, they also are the ones telling people to do business with you.
You are probably thinking to yourself how much money you are going to save this year in advertising. Not so fast. LESS THAN FOUR PERCENT of your client base turn into raving fans. (Let me say that again: LESS than FOUR PERCENT!!!!) This means that 96% of your business comes from your customers and clients. How do they find you? Through traditional advertising.
Most businesses use Word of Mouth as a cop-out because they either do not understand their Target Market or have not developed their Unique Selling Proposition. Do not put your organization in that predicament. Understand how to harness ALL forms of advertising and grow your business. Traditional advertising works. If yours is not working, then make changes today and start making it work for you.
Bottom line: While Word of Mouth Advertising is the most effective form of advertising for your business, it is simply a spoke in a wheel. For a wheel to roll properly, their must be multiple spokes. Understand your target market and use different advertising mediums to reach them. Word of Mouth Advertising is simply not enough to sustain your business. DO NOT MAKE THE MISTAKE THAT WORD OF MOUTH ADVERTISING IS THE ONLY ADVERTISING YOUR BUSINESS NEEDS!
Please click on the arrow below and I look forward to your comments, questions and input.
I came across an article the other day in the New York Times (it was sent to me by a fellow Town Planner Publisher) which asked a simple question: “Does it pay to advertise during a recessionary period?” My first thought was why would someone (especially the New York Times) write about advertising in a recession when we are not in one. A recession is defined as two straight quarters of contraction (I knew my Economics degree was going to come in handy some day). As of this writing, there has not been one quarter of contraction, much less two. I guess when you work for the media you actually start believing your own hype! Never the less, I did find the content of the article very, very, very interesting. It is nothing new, revolutionary or something that has not been said for hundreds of years. YES, you MUST ABSOLUTELY ADVERTISE in a recession.
I know, I know…I sell advertising, so what else would I say? No?? While it is true that I sell “Kick Ass Advertising”, another company actually came up with the findings. No, that company does NOT sell advertising. The name of the company is McGraw Hill Research. They actually use this thing called math to figure it out.
In a nutshell what they found is this: After analyzing 600 companies from 1980 through 1985, those who advertised the same or increased their advertising averaged significantly higher sales both during the recession and after it. My first question was this: What does significant mean? According to McGraw Hill, significant means 260% over those who stopped advertising. If you don’t believe me, see the graph below.
Lastly, the article went on to explain that a company by the name of Meldrum & Fewsmith found that advertising during a recession not only increases sales but increases profits as well. How can this be you ask? Simple…it is called Top of Mind Awareness. When I say car, what do you think of? How about TV or computer? That is called Top of Mind Awareness. If you stop advertising for one second, you risk the chance of losing Top of Mind Awareness.
Still don’t believe me? I guarantee you that every single one of your answers was influenced by advertising. How many of you came up with TATA Motors? (Go on and google it.) Unless you have lived in India, you are not familiar with them. TATA Motors does not advertise in the USA, so how could you be?
As always, please post your thoughts and comments. If you would like to see something covered in a blog, shoot me an email or give me a call.
I came across a couple of interesting articles yesterday. The first is that Dunkin’ Donuts has launched an on-line customer loyalty program that offers a cash back program and company news. My first reaction is: WOW- a customer loyalty program….what a novel idea. This is truly a cutting edge, out of the box idea on how to connect with your customers to keep them coming back. NOT!!!! Second, I read that Starbucks is offering FREE refills in certain stores and coffee for only a buck($1.00). The company spokesperson for Starbucks says they too are looking for ways to connect with the customer. Um-mm, I don’t feel a better connection with you Starbucks. It is going to take more than free refills and a buck for that.
Let me get this straight. Two established brands want to connect or re-connect with customers and this is the best they can come up with? An on-line rewards program and $1.00 cups of coffee. In my opinion, this is a knee-jerk reaction when revenue tapers off and the company does not want to invest (spend) money back in itself.
While I applaud the fact that Dunkin’ Donuts realizes (after all these years) the need for a customer loyalty program, how does a customer loyalty program drive NEW customers? When Starbucks decided to offer free itunes cards to it customers, how many NEW customers came into the stores because of that program? My guess is not many. Why offer $1.00 coffees one month later? Our existing customers are the life blood of all of our business, I understand that. However our existing customers can only purchase/consume so much. I am not going to drink 10 cups of coffee in a day when I normally drink 2. An increase in sales must come from NEW customers. See where I am going with this?
As for Starbucks, you are playing with Pandora’s box when you go from a position of a market leader to just another Joe. Do you really want to compete with McDonald’s for coffee sales? So what they are putting coffee bars in their restaurants. Step up to the plate and create something of value for your customers. What message are you sending your TARGET market? That after all these years of paying $2.00 for a cup of coffee, the coffee is really only worth a $1.00? How much money has Starbucks spent developing their brand and does $1 coffee fit it? (I think you get my drift here.)
In my opinion, both companies need to go back to their Unique Selling Proposition, define their target market and create a message that their target market understands. Their current customers already identify with the message and NEW customers can too if they are exposed to it.
Lessons: First, EVERY BUSINESS MUST HAVE A CUSTOMER LOYALTY PROGRAM. If you do not have one, stop reading this now and make one. (If you need help, give me a call. I have helped other businesses with this). Second, knee-jerk reactions can have long, long, long lasting effects on your business. Lastly, when you have a down turn in business ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS revert back to your Unique Selling Proposition. It is the reason why you started the business in the first place….right? Playing into your competitions hand almost never works.
Dunkin’ Donuts, if you are reading this, please click play below and listen to the message. It is what built your brand.
