Pete Blackshaw: Satisfied Customers Tell Three Friends, Angry Customers Tell 3,000: Running a Business in Today's Consumer-Driven World
First jump out of the gate on publishing, and a thrill beyond thrill to have this opportunity. Very important message about what it really takes to manage a business or brand in the era of consumer control. This book is far less about social media marketing campaigns than the role of customer service and "consumer affairs" in the marketing mix.
Charlene Li: Groundswell: Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies
More important validation about the role of CGM and social media as it impacts business. Both writers very smart and experiences in the space. Will write more once I get through the entire book.
Gerald Zaltman: How Customers Think: Essential Insights into the Mind of the Market
Gerald Zaltman doesn't write specifically about CGM, but his core themes about the unconscious drivers of brand affinity provide some critical clues and insights behind what's really going on among today's passionate and viral consumers. (*****)
Don Novello: The Lazlo Letters
My dad was in advertising, and he would uncontrollably laugh while reading this book that. In many respects, Lazlo was the first "citizen's journalist" or blogger for that matter. His CGM was all about experiences with companies, brands, or VIPs. (*****)
Seth Godin: All Marketers Are Liars
I'm a huge fan of Seth Godin, but this one was just OK. I probably read it with a higher set of expectations that the book would be a bit more critical of the marketing industry. It's hard to disagree with the core premise of authentic story telling, but some of his points overstated the obvious (**)
James Heskett & Others: The Service Profit Chain
A major inspiration for much of my thinking about CGM. Heskett's a former b-school professor.
Seth Godin: Free Prize Inside
I'm not going to tell you what's inside, but I guarantee you'll be surprised. (*****)
Jeffrey Rayport: Best Face Forward
Rayport taught the HBS class that fueled my fanaticism for the "marketspace." The inspiration continues. (*****)
Malcolm Gladwell: The Tipping Point
How does the ripple create the wave? Read on! (*****)
Malcolm Gladwell: Blink
Trust your gut! It's not as irrational as some claim. (*****)
Kelly Mooney: The Ten Demandments
Kelly gets it! She's been working with some of the nation's top brands. Deep understanding of shopping behavior. (****)
Jon Berry: The Influentials
A solid case for why so-called "Influentials" matter. Authors really know their stuff. (****)
We're written a great deal on this blog about Dove Evolution, one of the most celebrated examples of Consumer-Fortified Media (CFM) on the web. Here's round-two entitled "Onslaught." Hard not to engage to the finish. This blog will keep an eye on the conversation. Here's a sample of what folks are saying so far.
At what point does "sight, sound, and motion" make a difference when trying to connect with consumers during a crisis? Well, let's start with everything we as marketers picked up in TV copy Training 101. TV ads work well because they drive or reinforce emotional connections; they enable "benefit" visualizations, and they typically have some form of dramatic effect you don't find in other forms of advertising. Which is a long way of saying that I think Mattel's use of online video featuring it's CEO reaching out to consumers on the toy recall issue is right on the mark. It works far better than a letter, a newspaper ad, a website button, or a downloadable PDF file (the curious, impossible-to-share format of choice in crisis management these days -- e.g. pet recall).
Out of the Woods? This isn't to suggest Mattel is out of the woods, or even close. Indeed, the consumer fear factor around this issue, reflected in just about every form of CGM, is just warming up. My wife and I, parents of twins who reign over countless toys of every shape and size, were just talking up this issue yesterday. But the video works, and represents a smart first step. It connects emotionally, demonstrates empathy, and appeals to the highest "trust" figure in the organization. Here it's hard not to recall Jim Burke, CEO at Johnson & Johnson during the Tylenol crisis, who in an case-study codified interview (I watched it a dozen times my first year at Harvard Business School), used compassion, sincerity, and "I'd be upset too" empathy to address an impossibly difficult issue. In fact, many would argue that that poignant moment turned the corner for J&J. Even then, well before the online video age, no print ad could compare to seeing the eyes, and hearing the voice, of Burke talking about the issue.
Mattel Vs Menu Foods: Now, compare this to the near lifeless approach of Menu Foods in
addressing the recent pet food recall. Yes, there's were words of concern, even compassion, from the Menu Foods CEO, but the message is carried in words only. And you don't even feel like he's talking to everyday pet owners. The one document posted with CEO commentary on the matter reflects formal remarks at the "Menu Foods Annual Meeting." The content of the message is right -- "As pet owners ourselves, we have been saddened by the events of the last four months," he notes -- but you just wonder whether he'll get even 10% of the credit for those words given his choice of communication formats. At the end of the day, half the equation in crisis management or defensive branding is appearing real and accessible.
The Consumer-Fortified Media (CFM) Effect: There's no guarantee of anything in a crisis, but companies that strike the right emotional
connection with consumers typically get rewarded in the CGM currents. We saw that clearly in the then Jet Blue CEO David Neeleman's well received (and appreciated) video apology posted on YouTube (arguably an even bolder than Mattel's effort). Consumers fortified the brand generated media with their own commentary, reactions, opinions, and, fortunately for Jet Blue, reinforcing views. I like to refer to this as Consumer-Fortified Media (CFM), and you'll recall earlier ClickZ and blog commentary on this. Of course, you can't take any of these tactics for granted. If the gesture doesn't appear real or authentic, or if it comes across as a spin-job, you won't get anywhere! Looking ahead, brands need to invest more energy in carefully thinking through how they can leverage the interactive platforms -- upon which on-demand video now practically falls in the "add water and stir" category -- to drive deeper emotional connections and trust with consumers. (I talk more about all these things in a more official capacity in a recent For Immediate Release podcast with Shel Holtz and Neville Hobson on Defensive Branding.)
Here I am watching the CNN/YouTube presidential debate on our home TV while a stream of real-time blog entries gush out in front my laptop. The conversation is truly alive, and it's a truly fascinating real-time experience. Here's a sample of the debate flow.
The explosion of online video has pushed the definition of what we mean by consumer-generated media, or as some like to to call it, user-generated content. In my ClickZ column this morning ("The Official CGM Glossary"), I thought I'd take a crack at drawing some key distinctions between what we mean by "pure" CGM versus other forms, including CGM2 (consumer-generated multi-media). Definitions include:
As I note in the column, there are host of other terms used to describe what's going on the so-called "conversational"
space, especially with the advent of video: social media, user-generated content (UGC), participatory media,
we media, conversation marketing, and more. All are fine, and in some situations they may be
more appropriate.
I tend to emphasize tried-and-true vernacular like "media" and "consumer" with my
clients because it helps bridge understanding much faster and helps the
client sell the vision to higher levels (which is critical to drive organization alignment). For example, I emphasize "media" rather than "content" precisely because CGM acts
like paid media. Whether through search queries or serendipitous
discovery, CGM frequently intercepts other consumers during the
purchase cycle and, coupled with high trust levels, impacts business
results. As for use of the term "consumer," at the end of the day, we're
all answerable and accountable to consumers who try, buy, and judge
our products. The simple distinction between "consumer" (buyer) and
"marketer" (seller/persuader) helps keep us out of the fuzz.
Building on my previous post, here's the video announcement by Governor Bill Richardson of New Mexico. What makes this one stand apart, underscoring once again the unique power video brings to the table, is that it's in Spanish. Traditional advertising consistently forces us to make choices about what "makes the 30 second cut." Now, rather than waiting for the first cycle of mainstream advertising, politicians (or marketers) can parallel process the targeting of key audiences, especially Latinos / Hispanics.
For additional perspective re: Hispanic marketing, see previous ClickZ articles: Beyond Cinco De Mayo (2005), Moviemento Marketing on the Radio Dial (2006).
I've written a great deal in the past about the notions of "indirect product placement," and more recently, about the notion of "Consumer Fortified Media" (CGM). Both of these concepts are nicely captured in this morning's front page article in the New York Times. (Hottest Ad Space in Times Square May Be on Tourists' Cameras). The article captures how advertisers are getting an extra return -- I call this a "CGM multiple" -- from their advertisements showing up in camera and video phone imagery. For example, the Charmin brand's portable
bathrooms in Times Square scored an extra "CGM Multiple" through
tourist discovery and image and video capture. Same could be said for the Hershey store. Heck, and impression is an impression, right? In this new consumer-controlled surveillance culture, brands constantly dot the backdrop of our environment. 
Branded experienced dot the backdrop of our blog narratives, and brand imagery dots the backdrop of everyday experiences captures through a growing host of "capture mechanisms," from digital cameras and camera phones to video-enabled PDAs. This presents both challenges and opportunities. For every great brand experience a consumer can readily capture, a bad one lurks around the corner. That's why, in this environment, it always pays to listen.
As I note in my ClickZ column this morning "Real Beauty, Real Breakthrough in Consumer-Fortified Media," I've been a bit obsessed of late with the Dove brand's Evolution video spot. (See spot below.) It borders on compulsive, as I've been having e-mail alerts sent to me virtually ever second a new blog posts shows up related to this campaign. As I see it, what makes
this spot special and worthy of conversation is it brings a unique set
of fresh learning about both consumer behavior and the future of
digital marketing. I'm not convinced it's easily replicable, or even scalable beyond the current execution, but it still ranks at the top of my brand "breakthrough" list. I outline the reasons in the article, but here's the quick summary:
There's
clearly a strain of counterculture in this ad campaign, and it's just
too early to tell if there will be any side effects from this approach.
In essence a beauty care brand is swimming upstream against a "makeover" culture of which they too are a part. Looking ahead, what we'll want to pay close attention to in relevant CGM expression venues is the the extent to which the positioning remains believable and credible. So far so good. (Other good links. Ad Age Cover Story (Jack Neff): Bob Garfield Review, BlogPulse Conversation Tracker)
(Full disclosure, my firm Nielsen BuzzMetrics provides syndicated data/reports to dozens of CPG companies, including Unilever, parent of Dove brand.)
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