cgm

The Latest Domino to Fall: The YouTube Video Itself

This morning I decided it was my duty as a digial consultant and author of a book about the viral power of complaints (Satisfied Customers Tell Three Friends, Angry Customers Tell 3000, Doubleday Business), to take yet another look at that disgusting, now legendary video posted to YouTube by two former (and now being sued) Dominos employees.  Aside from the video itself, the comments are a rich source of insights, ever revealing of brand credibiliy and reputation, and I wanted to give them a good look as well.  Alas, much to my surprise, this infamous video -- this "when bad things happen to brands" case study of the year -- was nowhere to be found.  Instead, YouTube, posted the following curious comment:

This video is no longer available due to a copyright claim by Kristy Hammonds.

Kristy Hammonds is one of the former employees in question.  The specific nature of her "copyright claim" is yet to be seen, although it could be related to her prior record. What I do know is that there are going to be a ton of surprised folks over the curious removal of this video.  I also predict a viral rush to any TV news clip (see example here) or non YouTube versions of the clip on the web.  Once the viral Domino-effect starts on the web, it's really tough to remove.  The good news for Dominos is that YouTube version generated the lion's share of exposure, generating so much link-love that the video now ranks #3 against general "Dominos" queries on Google.  Now the highly incriminating video hits a dead-end...for now at least.

Irrespective of the damage control tactics employed by the brand or others, this incident represents yet another sobering wake-up call for brands about the power (and potential ugliness) of consumer expression. My Ad Age column this week focuses on the power and potential of "earned media" versus paid media (Earned Media May Be More Efficient, But Its Far From Free), but it also seeks to temper our social media exubberance by introducing a new term into our vernacular: spurned media (earned media that goes negative).  Indeed, expression cuts both ways.

This incident also underscores, once again, the importance of understanding the relationship between business processes -- product quality, customer service, employee training -- and word-of-mouth.  Much as we bear-hug viral "campaigns," the most viral word-of-mouth emanates from more foundational business processes.  Just think about the Taco Bell "Rats" incident.  Hygiene and cleanliness in particular is one of the most viral issues in the fast food industry, an issue I've come to appreciate in monitoring buzz for Nielsen and earlier in my founding of PlanetFeedback.com. 

Put another way, know thy talk drivers.

Social Media Confessions & Choices (First Official Post of 2009)

And so this blog enters year five of its existence - hard to believe!  CGM has evolved from peripheral curiosity for companies and brands to major focus. True, the term "CGM" plays a big second fiddle to the all-encompassing term "social media," which includes media and brand initiated content (and beyond). That said, I still think the "consumer" side of the equation sets the pace in this new "age of participation." It's also what excites and energizes me!

In terms of 2008 recaps, I humbly (and introspectively) teed up both reflections and predictions.  In my latest Ad Age column, for instance, entitled "Consumers to Suffer from Social Media Indigestion in 2009," I offer a handful of predictions for the new year, many of them deeply grounded on my own personal experiences...and painpoints.  I write:

Many of us are going to wake up in 2009 wondering "what did we eat?" and "why did we devour it all so fast?" We impulsively adopted everything from hastily assembled Facebook friends and Twitter followers to groups, apps and widgets (usually while shadowing others, such as uber-early adopter Robert Scoble), yet rarely revisited them. Many of us will feel compelled to join the social media equivalent of Weight Watchers, eager to trim the excess and rediscover a modicum of don't-follow-everything discipline. Meanwhile, a new wave of "diet" apps and services from the still-revenue-hungry social media entrepreneurs will flood the market: "For $10 a month, we'll promise you a downsized, manageable, and authentic Friends list." In 2009, less may well become the new more.

On this point, I do worry we've all jumped into much of the "new" social media stuff too aggressively, often leading to an almost-compulsive need to post, twit, friend, link, and share every mundane detail of my life.  In many respects, it's hard to resist.  As an early leader and adopter -- even a published author on the topic of CGM & social media -- I almost feel an obligation and duty to "keep up with the crowd" and "walk my talk."  Despite all the Twitter banter about convenience, efficiency, empowerment, lower feedback barriers, at times it all feels a bit frenzied -- a perception perhaps biased by the fact that I now have three kids under four years.

Looking into 2009, I need to weigh in on a number of key choices:  

• Popularity versus Intimacy:  A huge friends list begets marketing opportunities (not unlike a good mailing list), and can obviously contribute to building a "personal brand," but is it really a "friends" list? It's hard to do both. Often, when I send a "Dude...let's catch up soon" blurb on Facebook I wonder whether I've cheapened or trivialized the relationship. (It feels that way on the receiving end.) Then again, I did send a wee small sign of life, right? 


• Short Form Versus Long Form:  My blog posts on ConsumerGeneratedMedia.com actually plummeted in 2008...mainly because I found myself perfecting short form messaging on Twitter, Facebook "what are you doing" forms, and Blackberry email.  I'm inclined to return to the longer format lest my Twitter-induced glorification of the "mundane" (e.g. "Hey, watched a movie tonight!") gets the better of me.  My blog played a huge role in laying foundation for my Tell 3000 book, and that's because it afforded me the opportunity to test hypotheses, write "pilot" chapters, take a big step back here and there, and the like.  I don't want to lose that discipline. Of course, like others, I can aim for that perfect symbiotic relationship between long and short form, but that also carries risks.

• Big Tent or Narrow Tent:  Social media now encompasses just about everything -- it's as much of an "organizing principle" as marketing strategy -- and that makes it more difficult to focus content choices.  I also hate the thought of simply reinterating what hundreds of others are already saying, a reality that hits me everytime I inventory the fire-hydrant of self-described "social media consultants" on my Twitter follower list.  Even on this blog, I've noticed no shortage of "topic creep." (Just look at all my categories.)  I'll need to think a bit harder about where I'd like to focus my best thinking. Since taking on my new role as Chair of the Better Busines Bureau, my obsession with the issue of marketplace Trust has jumped to the next level, and I'll likely focus attention in that area.  

Despite all this, I enter 2009 with a great sense of optimism about what's possible.  In a recent post for Nielsen's Newswire entitled "Social Media Comes of Age," I outlined a number of key developments from which I drew inspiration and motivation in 2008, from all aspects of the Obama campaign's web and voter-participation strategy and MyStarbuckIdea.com  to Intel Chairman Scott Cook's Harvard Business Review cover story on "User Contribution Systems."   I welcome any and all feedback.

Dishing Up the Web 2.0 Mix With Susan Bratton

If you haven't yet met Susan Bratton, you haven't truly lived in the online advertising and Web 2.0 world.  Susan lives right smack in the center of Silicon Valley and has worn a host of high-impact digital "hats," so to speak, in our still-nascent industry:  head of advertising for the former @Home broadband play, long-tme chairwoman of Ad-Tech (arguably the largest online trade show in the world), and so much more.  Way back when we were just getting P&G's first interactive marketing team off the ground, Susan was an invaluable resource and digital "tour guide," so to speak.  Recently, Susan started -- nay, threw her unmistakable energy and passion into -- Personal Life Media, which is essentially a blog and podcasting network covering a host both expected (e.g. online advertising industry developments) and unexpected (religion and spirituality, society and culture, sexuality) topics. Oh, and she's building a great audience.  Her husband Tim, no Spring-chicken as web culture goes (he invented Rhapsody), is her partner in this ambitious endeavor.  Anyway, this is a long preface to the fact that I had the honor of being interviewed by Susan recently for one of her DishyMix podcast shows, and I must say it was the most fun I've had all year.  She's engaging, disarming, and knows her subjects well enough to potentially get them into hot water. (But I say that in a good way!) Credit to Susan, she really got me worked up about the things I love -- in my business, in my personal pursuits related to Web 2.0 (such as building blogs and sites dedicated to my kids), and so much more.  Oh, and we talk lots about my recent book, Satisfied Customers Tell Three Friends, Angry Customers Tell 3000 (Doubleday Business), especially around "talk drivers" and what I call "the love spot" (sorry you just have to listen first to know what I'm talking about on that one. )  Click here to Listen Now!    Of course, if my pontification bores you (always a possibility), I can assure you that you won't be disappointed with her other interviews, including recent ones of breakthrough advertising thinker Paul Woolmington (founder of Naken Communication), agency pioneer Alex Bogusky, search expert John Batelle, groundsweller Charlene Li, and "Personality Not Included" author Rohit Bhargava.

August "Tell 3000" Book Notes

A couple new interviews and podcasts have been published related to the book. If you are looking for a quick digest, here they are.

• Q&A with the Council of PR Firms Publication: "The Firm Voice: Trends, Insights and Analysis for PR Firms"  Helping Clients Communicate with Consumer in a Consumer Driven World
• BNet Podcast Interview of Pete Blackshaw: How to Build Credibility into Your Business

Tell 3000! My Book Just Launched! Keep Listening, Stay Credible!

I’m incredibly excited to announce today's release of my very first book, “Satisfied Customers Tell Three Friends, Angry Customers Tell 3000: Running a Business in a Consumer-Driven World.”  Published by Doubleday Business, the book is now available in most major bookstores as well as Amazon.com and other online venues.   

The book’s core question is critically important, and one I’ve been thinking about since testing new feedback models in the California legislature back in the early 1990s (and all the way up through my tenure today at Nielsen Online):  how to establish and maintain credibility by being authentic, listening and responding to customers, and forming relationships built on openness, transparency, and trust.  The growth of the web, and the unprecedented power and leverage it provides consumers, puts this question in a unique, if not urgent, context.  This Q&A from Sunday's Edition of the Cincinnati Enquirer provides helpful background on the book themes.

Ongoing Participation: Beyond just reading the book, I also hope you will participate in a sustained conversation and debate about its themes.   Toward that end, I’ve created a website entitled Tell3000.com that provides key resources, open-forums, video reviews, and most importantly, a series of audio-based consumer interviews about brand experiences that I hope to update nearly every day.  Here’s the short list of ways you can stay involved.

• Participate (provide comments, even complain) on the Tell3000 blog

• Sign-Up for Tomorrow's Nielsen and Nielsen Online sponsored webinar

• Join a Discussion in the Tell3000 Open Forums

• Join a “Tell 3000” Facebook Group Dedicated to the “Service is Marketing” Theme

• Join Me at a New York, Cincinnati, Chicago, San Francisco, or Pasadena (My Home Town) Event.  All events will be posted here.

• Follow Me on Twitter or the Tell 3000 feed of brands that respond/engage

• Send ideas or suggestions for my new bi-weekly column in Ag Age about the symbiotic relationship between “service and marketing.”  Here's my last article. Send to the following.
  

• Share your candid (even critical) reviews, or join a discussion forum related to the book themes, on Amazon. 

A much longer list is cited in my book, but an enormous and grateful thanks to all of those who provided support and encouragement,  especially my wife Erika (who's featured in this "day before launch" commemorative photo along with my three kids: Liam, Leila, and Sophia.)

Kicking off the "Tell 3000" Book Launch With a Webinar

Time grows short.  My new book, "Satisfied Customers Tell Three Friends, Angry Customers Tell 3000" officially hits the bookstore Tuesday, July 8th.  The book takes a look at how marketers and brands can establish and maintain credibility in today’s consumer-driven, digital world. Launching a book is like having a party and waiting to see who shows up, and at what precise time. I'm excited and terrified at the same time.  Early buzz is really encouraging, and Amazon pre-sales certainly show signs of genuine interest.  On July 9th, I will be providing a sneak preview into book themes in a Nielsen hosted Webinar from 2-3 PM EST.  I'm deeply honored to have Beth Thomas-Kim, Director of Consumer Services, Nestle USA (and chairwoman of the Society of Consumer Affairs Professionals, SOCOP), and Tom Asher, Director of Consumer Relations North America, Levi Strauss & Co. join me to talk about the key book themes. As I walk through each of my "Six Drivers of Brand Credibility," Tom and Beth will offer candid reactions and perspectives based on their experience.  I'll be sharing more information about the book in the coming days, but if you want more information, here are a couple links:

• July 8th Webinar Sign-Up
• Official Book Website, Tell3000.com
• Official "Tell 3000" Blog

 

Highly Caffeinated Feedback Loops

My first official review just came in about my upcoming book, Satisfied Customers Tell Three Friends, Angry Customers Tell 3000.  Publisher's Weekly notes the book is "thoughtful and engaging."

"Informative, energetic and entertaining, this is a marvelous argument for corporate responsibility and accountability, interesting to laypeople and instructive for executives."

Whew! Much as I'm a tireless advocate for feedback, I'm also the first to concede a certain anxiousness about subjecting myself to the same standard.  When my publisher sent to first round of galleys to so-called "key influencers" (other authors, corporate bigwigs, thought-leaders), I found myself breaking a sweat when the deadline for testimonials passed and only a trickle of quotes had come in.  Alas, I thought, they think this book is destined for the trash heap.  Or maybe they strongly disagree with my argument, or think it's yesterday's news.  Or maybe they gave a big "Pete who?" and moved on to the next piece of mail?  The feeling was worse with folks I knew; nay, the silence was deadly.  But in the end, plenty of quotables came in, and in most cases a quick reminder did the trick.  Folks are busy, and reading a book -- even zipping through the first several chapters -- takes time.  You can't take it personally.  And even if they don't think it measures up, you can't take that personally either.  True to the title, I've no doubt lots of complaints will also work their way through the system.  But I guess that's also the point, right!   

Starbucks & The Feedback Loop:  On a related front, I recently talked to Elizabeth Gillespie of AP about Starbuck's customer feedback campaign, MyStarbucksIdea.com.  Here's a link to the story.  Although the campaign's received some understandable skepticism in the blogosphere, I frankly think it's a very strong example of reaching out to loyal, even critical customers for feedback.  And there's real participation in this exercise, far more than most expected.  As I've said repeatedly when I started PlanetFeedback.com, "All feedback is gold, every complaint a gift" -- and I believe this principle holds more than ever. In the case of Starbucks, some terrific ideas are now piping through the system, and site users are rating the best ones.  Like Dell, I also think it's powerful that Starbucks is making the investment to nurture meaningful dialogue and conversation in its own "backyard." Then again, the ultimate "credibility test," of course, will be whether Starbucks management acts on the feedback.  I'd be shocked if they didn't -- there are some really good ones up there.  Let's stay tuned.