The BrandForward Blog - Latest Comments

Re: What is the Best $500 Laptop?

core_corer — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 05:26:09 -0000

I used to work on a thinkpad computer and it certainly wonderful

Re: Screw the Bling, Brands Are a Girl’s Best Friend

Gulkin Gazette — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 11:11:34 -0000

This is an amazing and intuitive article. Your writing is exceptional, and it's not easy to keep someone intrigued about brand marketing for the entirety of their blog discography. Bravo. You Rock. Write On!
:)

Alex

Re: What is the Best $500 Laptop?

Sallie — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 23:11:39 -0000

lol, another apple fanboy. Why spend so muc more for the brand premium. Those who get viruses tend to get them for a reason. It's a price you pay for visiting unsavory websites. And sure the cheaper laptops will have lower specs, but there's so muc more selection in terms of getting to choose which specific components go into a machine. I used to work in a Mac computer lab in college(graphic design lab) and they certainly have their share of problems.

Re: SXSW 2012: The Social Graph is a Bloated Corpse

Sara Conrad — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 20:18:03 -0000

Hi! Great concept. It will also be a great experiment in seeing who gets "interactive" with you. The people first on participating and then the rest in waves. I'm actually anticipating a job market for twitter feed sorting. I think Micah has one, at least he mentioned it. I hope you don't get a 8 a.m. slot..

Re: The New Yorker Gets Brilliant With iPad Advertising

advinpitersen — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 15:45:38 -0000

A complete archive online will be adapted weekly, but requires an Internet
connection. The Complete New Yorker for iPad are saw on an Internet
connection. The Complete New Yorker, can be ordered from The New Yorker
Store.

Re: Social Media Footprint is the New Resume

William — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 12:17:33 -0000

Excellent post ... and very thorough. I hope you don't mind, but I shared it with both my Facebook and LinkedIn followers. I look forward to reading more of your posts in the future.

Re: Are You Marketing Like MacGyver or MacGruber?

steveolenski — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 17:26:33 -0000

Hi Michelle,

Awesome, awesome post... very well-written and clever and anytime someone can weave in an 80s fictional hero into a post, I'm there...

Reading this post I am reminded of a classic line from one of the Star Trek movies from, when else, the 80's

"The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few."

That's how a MacGyver sees it.

A MacGruber of course sees it the other way around.

Again, great post Michelle!

All the best,
Steve O

Re: Are You Marketing Like MacGyver or MacGruber?

therealkazia — Thu, 30 Dec 2010 15:36:01 -0000

Really love this post!

The thing is I think we all have a little MacGruber in us. It can be hard when we have deadlines and clients to stay focused and on task. There are times when the easy way out becomes very tempting. Especially when you have a client looking for the flash and quick-fix of the MacGruber style.

So thank you for keeping it honest. Bookmarking this post for future use.

PS. I like my cape ;)

Re: Are You Marketing Like MacGyver or MacGruber?

michelletripp — Thu, 30 Dec 2010 10:55:37 -0000

Jon, thanks so much for supporting the blog! It means a lot!

If you've missed the cultural phenomenon that is MacGyver, you're missing out. (Grab it on Netflix!) I love MacGyver and writing this post has made me wish there were some reruns on.

To answer your question... I think it's up to the people around a MacGruber marketer to use logic as a way to reach them. When someone (whether it's an actual marketer, a principal, or a team member) starts coming up with ideas or taking actions that lack strategy, focus, or accountability for long-term objectives, necessity dictates that you respond to their plans and explain the logical progression of what will happen if it's implemented.

The thing about MacGrubers is that they want to look smart and gain respect, so if you educate them in a tactful, respectful way they'll be more likely to adopt your line of thinking. And learn. Of course educating someone to use better practices is never as easy as that, but it's a start!

Re: Are You Marketing Like MacGyver or MacGruber?

michelletripp — Thu, 30 Dec 2010 10:45:51 -0000

Thanks for the comment, CV! You bring up a great point about having respect and empathy for MacGruber marketers. It goes without saying we should always have empathy for everyone we encounter. But it's also good to bring shortcomings out in a light-hearted way.

From what I've seen, most practicing marketers who might qualify as a MacGruber aren't 100% MacGruber. They probably also do some things right. Where they fail is that they probably haven't had many opportunities to be accountable, so they don't have the experience, perspective, and growth that would help them realize they're being inefficient or counter-productive.

In defense of MacGrubers, a lot of the trouble they get into comes from being very reactive. That reactiveness has probably served them well in the past, but the more complicated the issues become and the higher the stakes and expectations, the less effective that reactivity is. Being an energetic "dynamo" early in their career might have gotten a MacGruber into the role, but their energy and ideas eventually work against them if they become a crutch that make up for lack of discipline, planning, and accountability.

Re: Are You Marketing Like MacGyver or MacGruber?

Jon Buscall — Thu, 30 Dec 2010 07:08:38 -0000

Loved this Michelle (just wish my Reader would fill up with posts from you more frequently :)

Although I don't get the cultural references from this side of the Atlantic, I picked up what you're saying with a bit of help from Google. You're spot on, but how do you sit down the MacGrubers of this world and get them to breathe, take a moment and listen. CVH's comment was a good start, but I'm curious on your take about this. Do you step in or do you just abandon them to their own fate?

Just getting people to listen – and especially the MacGrubers of this world – can be a job in itself.

Re: Are You Marketing Like MacGyver or MacGruber?

cv harquail — Wed, 29 Dec 2010 14:29:06 -0000

Michelle- I'm a little bit embarrassed to admit that when you put MacGruber in the title of this post, I could guess where you would be going. ...So if you tell us in the next post to stroke the furry wall, we will all have to agree that tigers love pepper, and be done with it. < wink >

Seriously, though, I know the moment you speak of... when you see someone who thinks he knows what he's doing, and from your professional perspective you also see that really he's just on the way to screwing it up, monumentally.

When it comes to stepping in to help right the situation, what matters most is acting on the insights you unfold in the section on ROI: "And when he feels busy, he feels valuable. ... Being in the middle of everything happening is gold."

Approaching the MacGruber with respect and empathy, helping him stay in the middle (or at least feel in the middle) and helping him take relevant, effective action (gently guided by you), can get him closer to effectiveness.

Alternatively, you can give him his own role of duct tape and hope for the best.
cvh

Re: Killing the Coupon

Don Hogan — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 14:30:27 -0000

It is interesting that the geo-local crowd is bent on coupons and check-ins. I believe that SCVNGR is on to something with its "game-mechanics" and might open the door for more game-oriented geo-local services. The reason why I don't think that SCVNGR is going to be company to do this is that (in my opinion) in order to become mainstream check-ins will have to be ditched.

It sounds a little counter-intuitive to say that checking in is not a part of geo-local but SAYING you are at a place doesn't count as a game mechanic nor is it really that fun. I think that the requirements for geo-local to go mainstream are motivating the individual to accomplish goals/tasks individually with out the need to let the world know, motivating the business/brand to create a unique experience for the individual, and for the experience of the goal/task be the driving motivator for the individual.

A little circular but I think thats what would make it engaging. The strongest point I could make is that I don't think it will be a check-in based service that will push this boundary.

Re: Killing the Coupon

socksandstocks — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 09:01:58 -0000

Coupons aren't marketing opportunities. They are price discrimination for firms engaged in monopolistic competition.

Re: Killing the Coupon

Drink Recipes — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 03:37:15 -0000

HI a coupon is usually time limited and now geo-limited - the opposite of an ongoing relationship with a customer and experiential advertising.

Interesting report, thanks.

Re: Killing the Coupon

michelletripp — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 13:36:41 -0000

Thanks for the comment, Steve! You nailed it when you said it's about fear. If you'd seen the panel you'd probably agree it also felt like the proverbial "ostrich with the head in the sand."

Yes, the word coupon has a stigma that is probably driving some of the immediate backlash, but essentially the issue is that coupons are an easy, obvious solution... and baking in brand goodness takes creativity, strategy, and actual work!

Re: Killing the Coupon

steveolenski — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 11:29:16 -0000

Hi Michelle,

A very intriguing topic you've touched on... I think a lot of this (this being the panelists attitude toward young Seth) can be couched under the heading of FEAR.

We fear what we do not know... we FEAR what is different.

I also happen to think that the connotation of the word "coupon" is at play here.

People's (businesses & general public alike) perception of the word "coupon"... would make for a fascinating survey re: what is your perception or what;'s the first thing you think of when you hear "coupon"... Does the word in some way "cheapen" the product, service or ware in question?

Or does it have the opposite effect and entice you to try the product, service or ware in question?

Very, very interesting topic for sure...

Thanks Michelle!
Steve O

Re: Social Media Smack Talk: When Having a Bad Day Goes Wrong

michelletripp — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 10:25:20 -0000

Hi! Åsk, I agree with Nestle on the logo issue. And they were within their right to let the readers know that anyone who used it would have their comment deleted. How they approached it was where the train ran off the track. It might have been better if Nestle had said something like "We don't want to censor out followers, but any comments that use our logo will be deleted. (Hey, our attorneys are making us!) We encourage you to repost with your own photo, and we continue to welcome your thoughts on the topic, even if we don't agree. If you want to get into a deeper discussion, here's a link to a blog post where we go into detail on the issue."

In doing that, Nestle could have made it clear in a non-confrontational way, while winning respect by being polite and friendly. Writing a special blog post about the issue (like Jet Blue did) could have also been used to gently lead the conversation to a more appropriate venue.

I still can't believe the tone and language used by the Nestle Facebook page administrator, though. It was very reactive, and seemingly without much thought. It's like they were taking it personally, and making it personal. Seriously, on a global brand's Facebook page, who would do that??

Great point on the varying tones and etiquette used by people from different countries BTW!

Re: Social Media Smack Talk: When Having a Bad Day Goes Wrong

michelletripp — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 09:58:44 -0000

Thanks for your thoughts, John. It may surprise you that many of us who use social media as part of the marketing mix believe social media actually diminishes an advertiser's ability to control, censor, put out propaganda, or delete critics.

Before social media emerged, convincing a client to connect with the consumer and listen to them was a difficult task. In many cases, consumers were still viewed as a number and didn't have influence other than being able to call customer service or hold signs in the street in front of the building. Agencies that were strong consumer advocates could sometimes have a hard time getting through to the client. Now, customers must be listened to because they have a voice in social media. Advertisers who do what you accuse everyone in social media of doing, (eg. censoring, controlling, putting out propaganda, and deleting critics) are the ones that lose. Just like Nestle, who apparently wasn't taking social media seriously and hoped their detractors would just go away.

Social media is not the problem. Marketers that sell social media without business strategy are the problem. I agree that anyone who tries to convince a company of any size to do social media (or any other service!) before undergoing strategic analysis and problem-solving is, yes, selling a boondoggle. Thanks for contributing to the conversation, John.

Re: Social Media Smack Talk: When Having a Bad Day Goes Wrong

Dabitch — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 09:21:46 -0000

Looking at the initial conversation though, Nestle isn't being super-sarcastic or mean, but that Mr Paul Griffin is being a bit of a prick, and has no concept of derivative work: "If I alter it, it's no longer yours".
*groan* when did the collective knowledge of Ip/copyrights and trademarks become so bad?
If Nestle doesn't guard their trademark (logo!), they will lose it, and the Nestle person is simply saying that if people are running around with a logo-photo on their page, they'll delete that. It's neither mean, nor snarky, and it's quite likely legally required of them to do that (or they have no defense when someone is REALLY messing with their trademarks) - a policy set in the boring law-department of Nestlé that the social media guy has to follow. The Nestle person is stuck between a rock and a hard place. Or a stupid law and a guy from the self-entitled generation. These people are not on the same page.

And THAT is an interesting aspect of social media, especially when it spreads around the world wide web, where real laws, etiquette and unwritten rules are all different. What is a regular reply from an Englishman is read as a curt reply by an American. What is a freindly joke by an Australian is seen as crossing the line by a Swede. We might all speak the same language, but we don't really.

Re: Social Media Smack Talk: When Having a Bad Day Goes Wrong

Midasjohn — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 12:03:59 -0000

Oh dear, once again you Social Media Evangelists are missing the point ...... Social Media Marketing is not for "winning friends, engaging and having conversations about your brand" .... No, that is what YOU exist for, to earn money peddling those concepts to small and medium sized businesses from your littel creative boutiques ..... it's about CONTROL .... its about CENSORSHIP ...... it's about PROPAGANDA and you DELETE your critics etc
Now THAT is the real world and really, you shouldn't all be all migrating from the pseudo-industry of SEO to be selling your boondoggle to real Business in Social. Stay real people - stop selling the BS.
Please get a real job, one that produces something instead of BS boondoggle peddled to small businesses who can do without it or the expense.

Re: Go Ahead, Blow Off Your Interns!

delvinialinkpool — Sat, 25 Sep 2010 11:35:37 -0000

I've worked with several interns over the years and always went by golden rule 'treat them as you would want to be treated'. I would provide them with design work and not busy work. It might start with production duties as I gave their true skill sets. They would be included in the team from the start, including production meetings, briefings as well as lunches and after work outings. It was inspiring to see them grow in heir skillset and confidence during the internship period and beyond as they found work with other companies in the industry. I still am in touch with most of them (thanks to social media) and count my work with them as high points in my career.

Re: Go Ahead, Blow Off Your Interns!

Jon Buscall — Sat, 25 Sep 2010 08:21:27 -0000

Great post, Michelle. What an great story too. Inspiration for would-be interns.

I'm a firm believer in the old do-as-you-would-be-done-by. Interns often go on to do very well. Besides, there's so much to learn from bouncing ideas off people who are a little closer to what's happening out in the real world.

As I learned this week, 19-20 year olds still see interruptive marketing as a viable option.

(Glad to have you back. I'm still looking forward to that next podcast :)

Re: Go Ahead, Blow Off Your Interns!

michelletripp — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 13:39:58 -0000

Thanks for commenting Shelly! I'm with you on this one. Treat everyone with dignity and respect. It drives me crazy to see people being treated like they don't matter. It's a human thing.

Glad you enjoyed the post and thanks for taking the time to respond!

Re: Go Ahead, Blow Off Your Interns!

ShellyKramer — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 08:48:20 -0000

Great post, Michelle! And the broadest point is a huge life message: treat people with respect. All people. Whether they are interns, janitors or CEOs. Don't judge them because of a title or because of something you infer because of what you perceive to be their "station in life." So many people do this and it drives me crazy -- soooo short-sighted.

I really loved this post - and treat my interns the same way. Giving them the gift of my time and the crazy roller coast experience that it is working with me on a daily basis seems the least I can do. And a great learning experience for me, too!!

Thanks again for the wonderful words.

Shelly
@shellykramer
http://v3im.com