What We Can Learn From The Election Campaigns

I read an excellent post this morning that was written by Uriah Av-Ron on critical things to do in digital marketing - for that matter marketing in general. Whoever you supported in the presidential election I think you will agree that Senator, now President-Elect Obama ran a very good campaign, connected with his key supporters and raised a record amount of money for his campaign

Mr. Av-Ron offers 5 suggestions.

1. Maintain a consistent brand message
2. Use Social Networking and other means to talk to your customers and allow them to talk to you
3. Address customer pains - keep in short, relevant and consistent
4. Seek out new market opportunities
5. Implement strategy with tactics - all tactics must tie back to an overall strategy
   

Have a plan. Change it slightly if and when you need to but maintain an overall plan, measure the results and stick to it.

I copied the entire article below.

Until next time - All the best!

RolandB

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What We Can Learn From The Election Campaigns
by Uriah Av-Ron, Thursday, Nov 13, 2008 7:32 AM ET

As a U.S. citizen, I am inspired by this election process which culminated in President-elect Barack Obama's historic victory. And as a publicist working in digital marketing, I found a lot of valuable learning experiences from his campaign that are extremely relevant to online marketers.

1. Maintain a consistent brand message
In this election year, when a campaign could edit and upload a video to YouTube in less than an hour, Obama showed a level of consistency of message that is unprecedented. Though the Obama team did respond to challenges and opportunities from Sen. John McCain's campaign, the overlying message of change was consistent throughout.
This consistency was accentuated in the final month of the campaign by McCain's inconsistency following the financial crisis on Wall Street. First McCain stopped his campaign to take care of the crisis, and then flip-flopped by participating in the first debate a week before Congressional bailout plan was passed. Even Obama's even-tempered disposition during the three presidential debates stood in stark contrast to McCain's tempo, facial expressions and pacing.
In reviewing some of Obama's initial online videos uploaded onto YouTube from early 2007 and 2008. The messaging theme of "change" was already evident in these early videos.
By maintaining a consistent message, Obama also managed to deflect some of the challenges to his campaign, including his lack of executive experience and his association with William Ayres.
As marketers, we all too often have the urge to change something -- a tagline, ad creative, a messaging point -- with something newer. But as we can learn from the Obama's campaign, in this case, change isn't necessarily a good thing.

2. Use of Social Networking
We keep hearing that social networking websites are only good for branding campaigns, yet Obama raised much of his $600 million war chest using social networking. That's quite a result for an ad vehicle that's not supposed to generate results.
I suspect the secret here is in inspiring passion. The challenge for most marketers is that the products or services we are marketing don't inspire passion among the masses. But even if our products or services don't inspire passion, we can all find a way to tie our products or services to ideas that do inspire passion. For example, for a client in online publishing, I'm pitching a charity drive where monies are raised and donated to support literacy. A component of this effort should involve having my client's employees become personally involved in a literacy outreach. There is nothing like the inspiration derived from helping a little boy or girl learn to read.
But a charity campaign is only one way. There are many ways to inspire passion in our customers and communities. And as good marketers, it's up to us to figure out ways to inspire passion.

3. Address customer pains
I watched Obama's response to President George W. Bush's State of the Union Address from January of this year on YouTube where he referred to a sagging economy and problems in the banking system. Though Obama didn't make the economy the main issue of his campaign before September, he clearly understood the importance of economy in the election. And of course, Americans were ripe for change.
In contrast, McCain focused on a range of issues including Iraq and earmarks, which did not resonate with enough Americans.
So when was the last time you spoke with one of your customers? I have learned some of my best marketing lessons from conversations with customers. Marketers should speak at least once per week (if not more) with customers.

4. Seek out new market opportunities
The two main ways to increase sales are to (a) increase your share of the market, and (b) to look for new markets where you can increase your sales. But how many of us expected to see Indiana in the list of markets Obama would pursue?
One of the reasons cited for the Obama campaign's primary victory over Senator Hillary Clinton is the presence of an Obama organization in almost every state. Obama used this organizational advantage to win most of the primaries held immediately after Super Tuesday. He then took the lead in the delegate race and never looked back.
Again in the national election, Obama had strong organizational networks in place in a number of states that had voted for President George W. Bush in 2004, including Virginia, Indiana, Florida and North Carolina. These efforts enabled registering millions of voters and encouraging them to get out and vote.
So how can marketers tap into new markets? There are no easy answers here, but it takes an open mind that's willing to look in unconventional places and through partnerships that enable opening new market opportunities.

5. Implement strategy with tactics
In difficult economic times, there is a tendency to forgo strategy and focus on tactics. But the best tactics are an extension and implementation of a properly defined strategy.
Obama focused on a consistent message centered on a strategy of change and utilized defensive tactics to marginalize McCain's challenges in the face of his own messaging.
In the final month and a half of the campaign, McCain focused exclusively on a range of changing tactics in attempt to improve his poll numbers.
Specifically in the current economic climate, digital marketers need to define strategies that will carry them through the next couple of years and develop tactical plans that will enable them to deliver according to the strategy.
In his concession speech, McCain showed his dignity and humility which have characterized the bipartisan spirit of his tenure in the U.S. Senate. Just maybe, that tone, tempo and messaging, minus a Wall Street crisis, could have brought about a different result.
Av-Ron is the founder/partner of www.oasis-pr.com, an Internet & technology-focused PR agency.

Are you LinkedIN?

I was reminded several times over the past few weeks of the value of LinkedIN or other social networking sites. I reconnected with several good friends from my past. They "found" me over LinkedIN. I had dinner with a old friend last week in San Diego that I had not seen in years. I had breakfast with a fellow submarine officer that is here in Indianapolis.

I'm up to 194 contacts and I am not really trying.

It is a great way to stay in touch with business collegues. You never know when you may need one.

Until next time - all the best!

RolandB

A visit to the license bureau

This is a note I sent to Matthew Tully, the political reporter at the Indianapolis Star today.

I went to renew my driver’s license today. Not a big thing but something I don’t look forward to. The last time, 4 years ago, I stood in one line to check in, waited for 45 minutes, stood in another line to take my eye exam, stood in another line for my picture and another line to pay the bill. The entire visit was over 2 hours of frustration.

I visited the Nora branch today over my lunch hour. There were only about 10-15 people in the office. I was helped immediately. I was out in 15 minutes. The thing that hit me was the mood in the office. Everyone was smiling!! “Tell your friends we have the best branch in Marion County”. The staffer told me.

Wow – things have changed at the license branch.

My profession is marketing. One of the first lessons one learns is if you want your customers to return listen to them and treat them well. I never thought a bureaucratic organization like the license branch would make me smile. I don’t know how the governor and his staff did it but they have created a great organization at the license branch and deserve to be congratulated.

Now how do we get the same spirit into the Post Office?

Roland Bydlon
Indianapolis

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Politicians always seem to promise something and then come up with reasons/excuses why it never happened. The license bureau has been the whipping boy of inefficient government for the 20 years that I have lived in Indiana. I find it energizing that things are improving.

Yes Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. You just have to look and appreciate the many small things that are improving our lives on a daily basis.

Until next time,

RolandB

Proactive Word of Mouth

I read a very good article over the weekend on Word of Mouth marketing. It was published in the April 15 edition of Marketing News (American Marketing Association). The article titled “Spread the Word” by Michael Krauss discusses Paul Rand the CEO of the Zocalo Group. Zocalo Group has put in place a series of proprietary templates and frameworks for clients to establish a strategic and tactical approach to word of mouth marketing.

The key principles are: (taken from the article)

1. Own a position: Articulate an ownable position for your company.
2. Map the story: Create a sharable story that puts your case forward
3. Identify influencers: Define and connect with the advocates, including customer evangelists, industry thought leaders, recommenders and determined detractors.
4. Engage: Engage with influencers online and offline.
5. Measure: Evaluate the program impacts.
6. Sustain: Invest only in sustainable word-of-mouth programs.

A key part of this is to make WOM measurable and methodical. Implement regional campaigns some with WOM and others without then measure your results. How much response are you getting and at what cost? There are a number of ways to perform the measurement. The key thing is to measure.

Also interesting that influencers include determined detractors. As the saying goes keep your friends close and your enemies closer.

Good advice.

Until next time- all the best!

RolandB

Should Marketing Executives Blog?

I have been asked by a number of individuals, "why do you blog?" and "how do you find the time to blog?" Probably the best reason is that I blog because I find it interesting. It gives me a chance to experiment with a channel that is growing exponentially. It allows me to participate in a dialog with other interested persons I may not see or touch by other means. I am learning a lot and I think in the long term it will help me professionally by helping me explore ideas for promoting my business and also personally by helping me meet and establish relationships with some very interesting people. Social networking via Linkedin is helping there as well.

I came across the following article by Dan Schawbel titled "Should Marketing Executives Blog? Dan provides good rationale why executives in small and large companies should consider blogging.

If you want to know what people are saying about you (and/or your company/product) you need to be part of the conversation.

Until next time - all the best!

RolandB

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Should Marketing Executives Blog?
By Dan Schawbel

From the board room to the cubicle, there have been very few discussions about the role marketing executives should have when it comes to social media and blogging. At its core, social media breaks down communication barriers within an organization and allows a company to talk directly to stakeholders like never before. It provides an opportunity for businesses to change the way they interact with customers and receive feedback. Social media’s effect on the world of business was once a threat and is now inescapable.

As the size of companies increase, corporate governance over blogs becomes more convoluted. There are a few reasons why this happens. First, enterprises have the largest and most complex legacy processes. Second, they have sustained business growth without ever implementing a social media program, which makes them less likely to switch over. Finally, their labor force is of great mass and spread globally, which makes the message harder to control and blogs impossible to monitor.

Smaller companies, especially startups, have an advantage because they are starting to emerge and develop their businesses and can readily include social media components in order to achieve their growth goals. In each situation, the face of the corporation is directly tied to that of each employee, with an even greater impact at the executive level.

The Truth Comes Out
There is a lot of speculation in the blogosphere about whether marketing executives should blog. One train of thought is that if they were to blog it wouldn’t be authentic or transparent. Some assume the message would read as spin, typically included in press material. People automatically label marketers as people who are just spitting back corporate messages that may or may not be true. Are all marketers liars? Well, one thing is for sure, when you are actively involved and participating in social media, the truth does come out. If you aren’t true to your subject matter, then you and your company will endure bad publicity.

If you think there are no marketing executive bloggers out there in cyberspace, think again. Some are under your radar, while others are out in the open. Randy Baseler, VP of Marketing for Boeing, was one of the first marketing executives to actively blog. He posts about twice a week, with an average of 20 comments per post and about 460 blog reactions on Technorati.com (trackbacks). Then there’s Rohit Bhargava, who is a SVP at Ogilvy and Mather, and owner of the Influential Marketing Blog, which has over 5,000 subscribers and has given him the opportunity to speak at almost every high profile industry event. Both bloggers promote research, thought leadership and advice before even mentioning where they work.

Like Rohit, many marketing executives choose not to dwell on their own corporate template websites. Gary Bembridge, VP at Johnson & Johnson and C. Edward Brice, VP at SAP, choose to keep their personal identity, but also contribute knowledge from their fields. Social media is most prominent in the technology industry, with companies such as EMC, HP, and IBM, who all have formal blogging programs. Marketing executives, such as Chuck Hollis (EMC), Eric Kintz (HP) and Surjit Chana (IBM) have been highly regarded and received by partners, customers, journalists and even competitors. In this way, they have humanized their businesses and their roles.

The Benefits of Blogging
Blogging has been a great decision for marketing executives who don’t understand the basic fundamentals and want to get a feel for how the medium works. Ted Demopoulos, co–author of Blogging for Business, says, “All Marketing Executives should consider blogging. They need to understand social media marketing techniques, and there is no better way than first hand experience. If they don’t want to blog on something related to their profession, they can start a ‘throw away blog’ on an unrelated topic in order to gain familiarity with the medium.“ Aside from an unrelated blog, they can do a private blog or an internal blog, behind the corporate firewall. If the marketing executive isn’t aware of social media, then their organization will suffer.

There are even more benefits for marketing executives. Some of these benefits include positioning power and recognition in both traditional and new media sources. In a recent Brodeur study, over three quarters of reporters see blogs as being helpful in giving them story ideas, story angles and insight into the tone of an issue. Also, involvement within an organization can help a marketing executive gain visibility or a sales force deliver its message. Social media is a channel where the reader does more than respond to products or new and innovative ideas, they also observe and listen.

I think Jackie Huba, co–author of Citizen Marketers and the blog, The Church of the Customer, said it best, “I see no reason for a company not to blog, unless they’re sleazy. Companies have a unique opportunity in time to speak to consumers in a human voice. Provide understanding, clarity and void of corporate bunk. It’s an amazing time to be in Marketing, Communications and Advertising. There is no reason for a company not to leverage this channel to build credibility, loyalty and add humanity. I write this from an airport while dealing with flight delays, so trust me – a corporate blog and humanity does (and could) go a long way.”

So, the answer is yes. Marketing executives should absolutely blog.

Dan Schawbel is the leading personal branding expert for gen–y. Dan publishes Personal Branding Magazine and Personal Branding Blog. He is also the first social media specialist at EMC2 and has seven years of experience in marketing.

Common Sense

This news story came out this afternoon. The air passenger rights law was drafted and approved after hundreds of passengers were stranded at New York City airports a few years ago due to bad weather. Passengers were on planes, stranded within site of the gate, for hours without access to food or fresh water after the plane ran out. The airplanes would not go back to the gate because they were afraid they would lose their place in line. People were so mad they slammed the airlines and politicians got involved by passing a state law. It was a public relations and word of mouth disaster.

Now it seems the airline industry got the law overturned. Are these companies more fearful of lawsuits or angry consumers? Seems the fear of lawsuits won.

I’d like to see a gutsy airline guarantee that they will operate as if this law was in effect. Tell consumers that they matter. Then use the pledge as a way to differentiate their service from everyone else.

Which airline would you rather fly on??

It just may work.

Until next time – all the best!

RolandB


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Court Overturns Air Passenger Rights Law
By LARRY NEUMEISTER (Associated Press Writer)
From Associated Press
March 25, 2008 1:11 PM EDT

NEW YORK - A federal appeals court has rejected a law requiring airlines to provide food, water, clean toilets and fresh air to passengers trapped in a plane delayed on the ground.
The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Tuesday that New York's new state law interferes with federal law governing the price, route or service of an air carrier. It was the first law in the nation of its kind.

The appeals court said the new law was laudable but only the federal government has the authority to enact such a regulation.

The law was challenged before the appeals court by the Air Transport Association of America, the industry trade group representing leading U.S. airlines.

A true hero

I had the honor of attending a party celebrating Don Moreau’s 20th birthday this past Friday. Don is a “leaper.” It was his 20th February 29. If you count the years since the day he was born on February 29, 1928 he was turning 80.

I did not know Don before the event. His daughter-in-law is one of my son’s (Kyle) teachers. My other son (Tim) did his Eagle project in support of HVAF, one of Don’s favorite charities, so there are a couple of degrees of separation between us.

Sue and I went to the event to show support for HVAF and Don. What I came away with was appreciation for a man that will stay with me for a long time.

Don volunteered for the Navy on this 17th birthday in 1945 then spent over 27 years in the Navy then the Army retiring as a full Colonel. Over the course of his military career he participated in World War II, the Korean War and the conflict in Vietnam. After his retirement he settled in Indiana and worked for and with five Indiana governors (both Republican and Democrat). He was in charge of the Indiana Toll Road and the Indiana State Fair for a time. He was the project director to build a monument to honor the Indiana natives that died in Korea and Vietnam. He was the president of HVAF, an organization supporting homeless Hoosier veterans during a critical time in the organization's existence.

The master of ceremonies was Joe Kernan, a former Indiana governor. One of Don's men from Vietnam, Governor Bob Orr’s widow, Don's cardiologist, the current director of the Indiana State Fair, one of Don's granddaughters, a state senator, a representative of the current Indiana governor, a representative of the mayor of Indianapolis and finally Don's son Bill all gave short speeches about Don and what he meant to them.

The common theme was Don stood for integrity, love of family and friends and hard work. Don saw good in everything (every room full of manure had a pony somewhere). Everyone mentioned that Don’s energy and “can do” attitude was contagious. People around him performed better because of him and they were there to thank him.

Finally all the tributes were done. Bill (his son) announced that food was being served and thanked everyone for coming.

They were not going to let Don say anything …………… (I guess they were worried that the crowd would die of hunger – Don was not short on words)

Don stood up; he had been sitting on a chair on the stage, and began to address the crowd. “I don’t need a microphone,” he said, “Can you all hear me.” Of course everyone laughed. Don is at least 6 foot 6 inches and has a booming voice. I want to thank God for getting me here he said. Then this gentleman of numerous talents paused, looked over all of us and said I just want to thank you. I could never have accomplished anything if it hadn’t been for you. (I don’t know if those were his exact words but that was the intent). I don’t think there was a dry eye in the place.

Special mentors of mine throughout my life have told me to study people you admire, find out what makes them tick and copy them.

In this age when the news is filled with politicians trying to destroy each other, businessmen treating colleagues like Donald Trump treats interns and many people feeling teamwork is more about being a survivor than finding a win/win solution I find it nice to know that Don Moreau and people like him still exist.

Happy Birthday Don. I hope I am invited to your 25th birthday.

Until next time – All the best!

RolandB