Tag Archives: Marketing

Marketing Seasons

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Lights are Great During The Holidays, But a Nuisance After Flickr Credit: Patti Haskins

I think you’ll agree with me that Christmas lights on homes in November and December are super cool. Christmas lights on houses in May and June are just wrong. Hence, the purpose of my post today is talk about marketing seasons and whether or not some top marketers are super cool in knowing the proper length of time to run their campaigns.

YUMMY RED CUPS

First up…the Starbucks Holiday cups. We all know them and when they are in our hands then it is in our heads that the holidays are upon us.  Guess what? The new holiday cups have already arrived and are being held hostage at your local Starbucks until November 1.

Starbucks Holiday Cups Hit the Stores November 1 -Flickr Credit: Mastemaq

Yes, that’s right. The day after Halloween Starbucks thinks its time to start getting ready for the holidays. With that, comes your favorite perennial drinks like Eggnog lattes and Peppermint While Chocolate Mocha (I can taste it now). But, don’t you think it might be a tad bit too early? I mean don’t you think Starbucks is short-changing fall and Thanksgiving a bit. I mean I love the Pumpkin Spice latte too, but it doesn’t hold a candle to the Peppermint Mocha. Do we ever get a breather from October through January 1? I mean we’ve got Halloween costumes to buy, then turkeys and pumpkin pies and after all that Christmas presents. It’s buy, buy, buy.

MONTH-LONG MARKETING CAMPAIGNS

On another note, I’d like to take a look at Month-long marketing celebrations like October being Breast Cancer Awareness month. This was a time that was personal to me and I did my best to bring attention to its importance and even turned this blog into pink hues to commemorate this campaign. There were newspaper features, TV news segments and movies of the week devoted to this cause at the start of the month. But as we end it…have you noticed it is petering out.  This weakening is making me feel that a month may be too long of a time to sustain a movement. I mean couldn’t it all have been just as worthwhile, marketingwise, if it was just a week!

LAST THOUGHT

If you are a marketer I hope that you carefully examine the length of your campaigns. It’s so important to stay in that sweet spot of effectiveness. If you ask me I’d tell you its a better practice to end an campaign on a high note, then extend one too long. Seasons are tricky so do your research. I don’t want you to lose the impact of your brilliant marketing campaigns, because you left your Christmas lights up too long.

Me. Well you’ve guessed it. I’ve taken down my “pink” breast cancer color with this post…I hope I did it before it became un-cool and come Tuesday, I’ll be in line for my Peppermint Mocha.

See ya online.

Cindy

Best Customer Service Practices Include the Human Touch

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Clever Way for A Customer to Make A Point!

Are businesses ever allowed to provide mediocre customer service? Is it okay to leave customers hanging on a phone tree for more than five minutes? Are there industries that should provide excellent service more so than others?

The answer to all three questions above is a resounding NO-at least that’s my $0.02 worth. But, unfortunately, we all experience poor service on a daily basis as customers even from blue-chip enterprises to boot.

If you are a small business owner you are probably cringing at this thought because YOU know that your success lies in the quality of your customer service. So then why do we allow large conglomerates to do that to us all the time? Why do we still give these companies our precious dollars, especially when we expect more out of own business services?

Today I experienced such an experience. Unfortunately, I am dealing with medical issues associated with a loved one. As such, I had to wait for four hours in a hospital lobby while a family member had tests conducted. Since I was just sitting there I had hoped that I could log on to the Internet and quietly get some work completed. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that they had a daily wi-fi access code, however, I soon found out that the system does not allow access to Apple devices only PCs. Say WHAT???

PHONE TREES DRIVE YOU UP A TREE!

I think I'll Skip This Place.

This wasn’t a life-threatening situation and I could do other work offline, but this example just got me thinking about all the other times that I’ve been frustrated by poor customer service. I attend dozens of small business connector meetings and each always stresses the importance of guest relations. So why is excellent customer service applicable to small owners and not large conglomerates?

A HUMAN VOICE GOES A LONG WAY IN CUSTOMER SERVICE

I would rather do anything than call my satellite provider, healthcare company or phone service. I know that when I call them I’ll be sitting there for a while. Phone trees that put you in sequence are annoying as are the companies that don’t provide any voice connection like Facebook. Most tech companies now provide email customer service and hide their main phone numbers. I don’t care how great you are in answering email support questions, yes I’m including Google, in this rant as well. There are times when a human voice is the best possible service a company can provide.

What companies drive you crazy with poor support and what companies do you think deserve some applause. Do tell.

5 Best 2011 Emmy Award Screeners

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The Emmy Award Process Is Just That...A Process

The countdown to the Prime Time Emmy Awards has begun.

Well, the process began months ago, when producers/production companies and networks began thinking about which shows, actors and crew would be nominated for TV’s  highest awards. April 29 was the deadline for all entries and since that time, members like me have been inundated with DVD screeners.

THE PR POSTMAN COMETH

For you see, producers, production companies and/or networks, often create DVD screeners which are mailed during the nomination window of March to June 10.  These people think that by investing in screeners that their show has a better chance of being voted on for who in their right mind, besides a TV critic, is able to sample everything on air. It’s impossible.

For over 15 years I have been a member of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences’ and as such, I have received DVD screeners for that length of time. I love getting them and yes, I do watch them.  They prove extremely helpful when it is time for me to cast my vote. In addition to having an additional opportunity to catch particular shows, I love observing how each DVD is branded. Each has its own unique nuance and price point and so I thought I’d show the DVDs I was mailed this year. For examples, please view the video below.

 

TOP 5 EMMY SCREENERS

As you see, producing and mailing screeners are not a cheap endeavor, it is quite an investment.  However, if I was able to vote on which were the best, these would be my top five.

She's Literally "Torn" Between Them - Spot On Brand Marketing

(1) HBO – They packaged their series, documentaries and specials in easily identifiable box cartons. They use this same box design every year as they should because it’s brilliantly useful and its cover art is stunning.  It reeks of class and prestige and it showcases dozens of shows in a small space. Magnificent.

(2) THE GOOD WIFE - HBO may be my overall winner, but “The Good Wife’s” design and messaging was my top choice for a single program. I do not watch the show, but I am aware that the lead character in the series has been struggling deciding between two men in her life. Therefore, by having a spot in the middle of the package that you have to tear to open was brilliant. The tear literally separates the main character from the two men.

(3.) BIO – I thought Bio’s packaging was extremely smart and classy and compact. They included a page for each of their shows and bundled it all up with one nice case that had a magnetic clasp.

(4.) MODERN FAMILY – I have to give ABC’s “Modern Family” marketing team an A for ambition. They organized a separate photo shoot just for the DVD screener. All others just used gallery photos.

(5.) FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS’ DVD screener is a definite keeper. I have to admit my bias here…but I absolutely have loved every minute of this TV series. And its screener is spot on perfect in carrying off the tone and sentiment of the show. Fans of this series will not soon forget it and thanks to the producers, we don’t have to with this screener.  In addition to providing every episode of the last season, they have tucked away in an inside compartment small photographs of key moments and characters in the show.  This extra touch was wonderful just like the show.

Friday Night Lights DVD Screener Carried the Sentiment and Tone of the Show. Hopefully, Emmy voters will have clear eyes and full hearts so it can't lose.

Well, that about wraps it up for me with this post. I hope you have enjoyed this behind-the-scenes peek at the Emmy voting process. I have to be going now for I have a lot of  television to watch before June 24. That’s my deadline to send in my Emmy ballot.

Until next time,

Cindy

 

How Hashtags Improve Tweets

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Talking Hashtags with Darin, Lisa and Kate McClure. Photo Credit:@Amykimesdesign

For those of us who are involved in the television industry, the rule of thumb has always been to put titles of TV shows in quotes whenever they are written about in releases or press articles. Therefore, if I was writing a press release about Fox’s hit show “Glee,” I would have it written with the quotes as I did in this sentence.

Yesterday I was looking at my Twitter stream of some of my media colleagues and I noticed that they were not using hashtags properly and in fact, really not using them at all.  For you see, these reporters are tweeting about specific TV shows, but they are putting the titles in quotes when they should be putting a hashtag instead.

Do you know what a Twitter hashtag is and are you using them on a regular basis?

In case you are new to hashtags, here’s how Twitter defines them: The # symbol, called a hashtag, is used to mark keywords or topics in a Tweet. It was created organically by Twitter users as a way to categorize messages.

THE PROPER USE OF HASHTAGS

Corporate Media Strategist Darin R. McClure of Ready To Go Information Technologies is often overheard saying that search is not the problem with the Internet, its sorting the information which is the most difficult. He and his wife, Lisa, are advocates of Twitter and both have a in-depth knowledge about Twitter’s multiple uses for companies and users. If you follow their respective Twitter streams (@darinrmcclure, @lisamcclure) you will watch poetry in 140-character action. They are extremely gracious and informative and involved in organizing several high level Twitter chats (full blown regular conversations). I highly recommend you follow them.

I recently was able to catch up with both Darin and Lisa and interview them about the merits of using twitter hashtags.  That interview is below.

[youtube width="960" height="540"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1eJkVPo-Cug[/youtube]

HOW HASHTAGS ARE HELPFUL

1. People on Twitter use hashtags before relevant keywords to categorize their tweets so that a particular topic shows up more easily in Twitter Search.

2. If you click on a hashtagged word in any message, you will see all other Tweets in that category.

3. The most popular hashtagged words often become trending topics and if your tweet is re-tweeted a lot, it can become the top tweet for that topic.

Can you Over Hashtag? As a general rule of thumb, Twitter.com recommends no more than three hashtags per tweet. Anything over that number is considered  over-tagging and yes, they even call it hashtag spam.

IN SUMMARY

  • When tweeting about topics, use a (#) and not (” “).
  • Don’t start your tweets with an @ symbol. Put some letter or words before it…Like “Hi” and then address the person in the tweet. That way your tweet is open to your entire twitter stream.
  • Check out Tweetchat.com when wanting to connect with others who are passionate about your same topics.
  • And follow me, Lisa and Darin too. We’d love to continue this hashtag conversation with you!

Special thanks to videographer @jasontucker and photographer @amykimesdesign. Follow them too.

Cindy often uses #PR to sort her tweets.

About the Author: Cindy Ronzoni loves conversations on any platform. As an experienced communicator, Cindy often writes about devices or methods to promote people, places and products. She also is an active member of Orange County, California’s social media endeavors and as such, gets the privilege of rubbing elbows with such astute practicioners as Darin and Lisa McClure. Cindy also frequently writes about small business matters on her company blog at: http://socialspreadmedia.com.

If you feel like giving her some +klout support, feel free to put it toward #pr.

 

 

Can You Be A Brand?

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A savvy award-winning marketing colleague of mine took me to task today regarding my incorrect use of the word “brand.” He especially brought attention to how I’ve been using the term “personal branding” wrongly, for according to his experience a brand is not a person, but an inanimate object. And as it turns out he’s right. Here’s the definition of “brand” from netlingo.com

brand

A logo, corporate image, or distinct product or service identity that can become firmly rooted in the public’s mind. Its purpose is to establish a meaningful, differentiated presence that will attract and retain loyal customers.

To drive it a bit more home, here are some illustrations for you.

Are You One of These Products?

Products are Individual Brands

Bleach and Clorox Are Co-Brands

*An Author is Not a Product, But His Books Are

So if brands are products, like the three to the left. Then what do people have, if not personal brands?

It was explained to me that people have reputations. They have personality. They have interests, desires, ambition, talents, integrity and passions.

They are not objects like Q-tips, or Valvoline Oil or bread crumbs or WordPress Themes.

However, as the definition states above, the purpose of brands are to attract and retain loyal customers. Couldn’t the same be true for individuals?

Let’s look at the case of real estate executives for they are a perfect example. Realtors often work for a firm, (i.e., First Team Real Estate), but they act as individuals and are chosen by consumers for a variety of reasons. They pick up clients via referrals, online presence, personality and/or knowledge of the area.  Like branded products, “trust” plays a major part of their sales. (BTW-Trust is important for every professional by the way.) So if there are branded products that we “trust” couldn’t we say the same for people that they have “trusted” brands as well? Or is it more correct to say that you “trust” a person’s reputation instead?

I thought this topic was delicious food for thought and one I’d love to hear your opinion on…Are We Brands or Not?

Do tell.

*(I recently attended a speaking engagement featuring super savvy and smart social business consultant Gary Vaynerchuk, hence, the reason why I used his new book “The Thank You Economy” as an example of a brand product. This was my way of giving him a nod and a way to promote his efforts. I’m a big fan and will blog about my him in upcoming posts.)

Extending Customer Service Through Interactivity

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Handwriting on the Wall Proved to be Great Customer Service

Today’s post is about a great customer service example that I experienced just yesterday.  As it was Sunday, my normal routine is to wake up and promptly go to church.  I did that even though I was bit sleepy from coming home from curling the night before at 2:30 AM…I was sort of three-quarters alert. However, I quickly woke up during the service when Pastor Bill Ankerberg told us that he was letting us out early to go write on the walls of the new entry! My own mom never allowed me to do that!

THE POWER OF SHARING

My church, Whittier Area Community Church, is finishing up a three-year building project in a month or so.  The last phase is the construction of our entry way.  This area has been walled up since Christmas so this was the first time we could walk in the space.  Over this week the walls will be painted and the floor carpeted, so our messages will be hidden from site. I guess you could say this is a new way to look at a time capsule.

But, to me, this was a wonderful example of customer service and marketing creativity. I thought it was absolutely brilliant. What a genius way for us, the congregation, to become invested in the building in a personal way. To have the ability to put our mark on this landmark and tell our friends and family about it for years to come – this experience can’t be replaced.

AN EVERLASTING MARK

Our marks are there literally until the walls come down.

For the mere cost of purchasing a few black Sharpies, over 3,000 people became connected with a project that will potentially last their lifetime. I wish I could show you the images and the words written. They were as diverse as the authors. Kids, teens, young adults and seniors all took part. There were cute “child-like” drawings, beautiful images of crosses from true artists, signatures with dates, and inspiring words.

The Author Cementing Her Words in this Interactive Marketing Experience

This opportunity was just too good to pass up. So I had to put my words to the ground.

I chose to write my words at a spot where people will enter and exit. And what did I say?

I didn’t want to use my words, but God’s. I knew His words are everlasting and well, mine don’t measure up in that same regard.

I left behind this thought.

The LORD will keep you from all harm—
he will watch over your life;
the LORD will watch over your coming and going
both now and forevermore.  Ps 121: 7-8

What a wonderful way to extend The Experience.

Perhaps you can apply this idea to something you are building.

Cindy

 

 

HOW TO SET UP A TWITTER ACCOUNT

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Twitter was one of the most valuable sources of communication immediately after the earthquake and tsunami struck Japan recently. Those affected by the quake and tsunami were able to send out tweets even though they were not able to make cell phone calls.  These tweets meant the world to their loved ones for they could physically see that their family member was alive and/or needed rescuing.  Twitter literally saved lives.

TWITTER TO THE RESCUE

With that being the case, I recently wrote about the importance of having a Twitter account in the case of emergency.  You don’t have to use it, but you should understand how to when needed.  To help show you how easy it is to set up an account I’ve produced this brief screen cast.

If you have any further questions, please just let me know. Enjoy and be sure to set up that account! You mean too much to me not to have one at your finger tips!

WELCOME TO THE O.C. MR. SETH GODIN – AN INSPIRATION TO US ALL

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To be successful, one does need to be inspired. I know that’s true for me. Inspiration and encouragement are my medicine of choice, that along with my faith.  One person whom I regularly mention is Marketing Visionary Seth Godin.  Seth is visiting my county today, Orange County, which is rare. He normally sticks to the East Coast which is his homeland. But, thanks to Social Media Guru’s like Bryan Elliott and his amazing LinkedOC group, Seth is speaking to a roomful of others who dare to conduct their lives and business differently than the norm. The norm is not good enough for us-we want to achieve more.

Seth Godin Shares His Thoughts to Help Others Make A Difference

INSPIRATIONAL THOUGHTS

I, unfortunately, will be missing Mr. Godin this time.  However, I wanted to welcome him to Southern California nonetheless and let him know that his voice is important and matters on the left coast. I wish we could have welcomed him with sunny skies, but his words will be uplifting enough despite the predicted rain.

If you haven’t subscribed to his daily newsletter, it’s a must for EVERYONE. Do it right now by clicking here.  And if you feel like you’ve missed out on something, you can follow another website that features Seth’s inspiring words at www.sethsaid.com

A MUST READ FOR PROFESSIONALS

Yes, Seth is someone you need to pay attention to for a number of reasons. And besides my Pastors and mom…I listen and learn from him daily.  What sort of things do I learn? Here are few of my takeaways.

  • Work is art.  You are always creating.
  • Think differently and create. Don’t put yourself in a box.
  • You don’t need more time, you just need to decide.
  • Cheaper is the last refuge of the marketer unable to tell a better story.
  • Selling to people who actually want to hear from us is more effective than interrupting strangers who don’t.
  • Focus on outcomes not fanfare.
  • New Media has become a synonym for “No Budget.”

Why I like him so much is that he inspires me to be the best person I can be.  I like hanging around folks like that, don’t you?

Please share your thoughts about Seth Godin. I’d love to hear them.

And Mr. Godin, this post is my way of welcoming you to Orange County and shaking your hand.

Thank you for coming and for inspiring me.

A Linchpin in Training,
Cindy Ronzoni

 

 

 

 

 

PR Campaign Series – Introduction Pt. 1

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The Super Bowl is the Oscars of Marketing Campaigns.

Marketing campaigns have always been my favorite piece of business.  They are fun to create. They involve multi-department brainstorming sessions. And they have a start date and more importantly a finish date.  Therefore, you can always see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Another reason why I enjoy marketing campaigns so much is the fact that they are usually innovative and unprecedented.  And there’s nothing more fun as a PR professional than being able to break news.

BEST EXAMPLE OF MARKETING CAMPAIGNS

I thought it would be fitting to concentrate a bit on the subject of campaigns with the Super Bowl of all Marketing Campaigns right around the corner. Yes, I’m referring to the Super Bowl next Sunday.

The Super Bowl is the premier content event for any corporation, product or brand to be a featured product.  With that many eyeballs (106.7 million watched last year’s Super Bowl) fixed on you for a mere 30 seconds, you can easily launch a new concept, company and receive more media attention than any other time.

Just by paying three million for a 30-second spot, your ad will be judged, reviewed and commented on by just about every journalist and/or blogger watching the program. Not bad exposure, but too bad it comes with such a hefty price tag. And the tweeter stream will be on fire.

THREE MIL INVESTMENT

With the evolution of social media you’ll see a change this year in the ads.  I’m sure every car commercial, career advertisement or software developer will include call-to-actions to visit them elsewhere after the commercial.  The campaigns will have more robust offerings than just the single 30-second message – they’ll feature online contests and other further engagement opportunities. These Super Bowl advertisers will try and get as much bang for their buck as they can. And who can blame them.

As reported in the Wall St. Journal, CareerBuilder, who has been a Super Bowl sponsor for the last seven years, is including digital tie-ins with its message.  Apparently, you can upload photos and have the people in the images be transformed into monkeys.  I bet that will get a ton of interest, however, not mine.

The Super Bowl commercials are great case-studies for anyone in the content biz. If you are watching the game with a bunch of friends, you instantly have a focus group at your finger tips.  It’s fun chatting about what commercials stood out from the rest in addition to talking about the actual NFL contest.  And if the game is one-sided…thank goodness we can fall back on the excitement of the commercials.

In addition to the barrage of pre-pre-pre game programs, we also have to endure the endless stream of network promos. So stay tuned for those…they’re coming.

And speaking of what’s coming up….this week I’ll be blogging about specific PR campaigns that have caught my attention.

But my question to you today is….if you had three million dollars to spend advertising during the Super Bowl would you?

Me. My answer is HECK YES and I’d never look back.

So stay tuned.

Best,

Cindy

Foursquare Needs Some PR and PC Cleaning

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Foursquare is getting a potty mouth

How were you punished when your mom caught you saying a “not so nice” word? Did she make you wash your mouth out with soap? Did you get sent to your room or were you grounded for a week?

FOURSQUARE’S BLUE-NESS

As I was using the geo-tagging, hyper-local service Foursquare today, my eyes stumbled upon names and words that I normally do not like to read – and I was offended.

I know some peeps will call me old-fashioned with this post – and I do understand freedom of speech – but I never expected to see what I read today and the volume.  For you see, I simply wanted to check into my local grocery store this afternoon on Foursquare and in doing so I had to scroll through so many crazy dumb names before I landed on Vons.  Such places were listed like “Whore House,” “Sexy room,” or the “Sex Cave,” etc., etc., etc. I even noticed that someone in my vicinity listed her home as “the town drunk lives here!” What’s wrong with people?

I’ve noticed this happening for some time, but it wasn’t as prevalent as it is now.  Try searching the word “whore” on Foursquare and you’ll be astonished what comes up! You will see what I mean.

There's Always Some Rotten Apples that Taint A Good Thing

With potty mouth taking over this platform, I would like to recommend Foursquare start to enforce some policies where certain terms (i.e., whore) are not appropriate and thus are banned from the service.  Other services do watch what’s posted, like Facebook and myspace. Sometimes we have to police people for themselves.

I do like Foursquare and have enjoyed it, but if it continues to get more and more vulgar, I will stop and recommend others do so as well.  It’s getting quite the potty mouth lately.  Have you noticed it too?

FOURSQUARE MAY NOT BE GOOD FOR BUSINESS

I have a been a giant fan of the application and think it is a tremendous service for businesses. I would hate for it to become a place where childish blue humor hangs out.  I’m all for creativity…but seeing ho and drunk and sex all over the place isn’t good for business. For what business wants to be listed being near “the town drunk?”

Note to Parents: In addition to checking in on your kids Facebook comments, also check about how they have listed your crib on Foursquare.  You may be surprised what they’ve labeled your lovely home as and more specifically, their bedroom.

I wish Foursquare would issue a badge for good behavior on Foursquare! Now that’s an idea I would endorse.

Cindy