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Archives for February 2009

The CokeTag Experience Builds Brand and Connects People

Coca-Cola has for decades established themselves as a brand reckoning force through catchy slogans, effective advertising and strategic placement. Remember this commercial from the late 70s featuring Mean Joe Green?

 

This commercial made Coca-Cola an even catchier household name. For years afterwards, the commercial and the actors appeared as a part of the Super Bowl activities, making them even more popular and the catchy slogan even more effective. And although Coke has a dedicated, established following, they still work incredibly hard to continue branding themselves and making their presence known in most every venue.  This is evidence that no matter how popular your brand is, or how strong your advertising efforts are, you must still work diligently to ensure that you remain number one and a viable, competitive force.

The world of online social media marketing is immensely effective. Its popularity is becoming even more noticeable with the frequent introduction of new sites, some appearing almost weekly. Smart companies and even smarter bloggers know what the impact of being connected with the right social networking sites can have for their businesses. In order to make a difference, the sites have to update their blogs or sites frequently, spend a fair amount of time networking, publish information that provides value and offer their services. Doing these things are critical to the life of the online business.

One particularly interesting social networking idea that I have recently discovered by the infamous Coca-Cola is the site called Coketag. According to their site:

CokeTag is a new Facebook widget for sharing links developed by none other than Coca-Cola. Basically, CokeTag allows you to make a customizable widget including links from anywhere and share it with your friends.

Facebook is the social site of choice that CokeTag uses to promote its features. They offer that the widget will be available on other platforms soon, but right now Facebook is it. I really like the concept that CokeTag offers (connecting people). I especially like the branding technique that they employ. Their name and label are on the product and the customer experiences that each time they use the CokeTag product. Very well done. And from what it appears, the Coca-Cola folks are the first, if not only, corporate giant to market this service. (See reviews.)

But, connecting people via social marketing isn’t so new, is it? No, it really isn’t. All the cool kids are doing it. But, I wonder what makes Coca-Cola’s CokeTag so special and so popular then? Is it their effective branding technique? Their household name? Their wonderful flavor? What do you think? Would you even use the CokeTag platform?

Coca-Cola has spent a lot of time building their presence and that has made them very popular. Period. Essentially what Coke is doing is what every online corporate entity should do: embrace heartily the effects of an internet presence and capitalize on it. Even if one doesn’t “get” the platform at first, Coke would have been successful in their efforts which is to (continue to) brand themselves in the industry through all media efforts.

Yes, I do think they’ve done it again.

The New Trend in Branded Cities – Love It or Hate It?

times-square-new-york-cityBranded cities are the new ad rage – outdoor destinations built for the purpose of delivering ambient marketing messages. 

The newest entrant to the branded city trend is El Portal in Los Angeles, California.  This branded city was built from the ground up with advertising in mind under the guise of providing outdoor entertainment and community events.  El Portal is 4,500 square feet and includes shopping, entertainment and town hall areas with a large number of digital displays to communicate more advertising messages than anyone could possibly remember. 

El Portal holds 4,000 people and is not the first branded city, but it is one of the first built from the ground up.  For example, areas in Dallas ,Texas and Glendale, Arizona near sports arenas have been turned into branded cities.  El Portal, however, also represents the first branded city targeted to a specific demographic — the large Hispanic population that lives in the South Gate area of Los Angeles. [Read more…] about The New Trend in Branded Cities – Love It or Hate It?

Google, Keywords, and Trademarks – French Companies Cry Foul

gavelNews is making its way across the Internet today about two French companies that are suing Google because their trademarked names were purchased as search ad keywords through the Google AdWords program by the companies’ competitors, and ads were served by those competitors when people typed the trademarked names into Google. 

The two companies, Voyageurs du Monde and Terres d’Aventure, are suing for significant sums of money according to The Register, despite the fact that a judge has already determined that the loss of business to both companies as a result of the served ads based on those trademarked keywords was very marginal.  Apparently, two other companies have won similar suits against Google in France the past, Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy and Meridien Hotels. [Read more…] about Google, Keywords, and Trademarks – French Companies Cry Foul

The Fortune Follow-up

Fortune Top 100 commentsIn the final installment of the Employer Brand series, I promised a postscript on how the Fortune list of ‘100 Best Companies to Work For‘ has been received by readers—and here’s the summary, along with a couple of takeaways. Then read on to see some runners-up for the ‘Cynthia’s Favorite Five’ list.

  • Several people comment that their companies either won’t participate in the ‘100 Best’ contest, or used to participate and have now quit. (Southwest Airlines, which was once prominent on the list, is mentioned in the latter category.)
  • A few commenters allege their companies actually run campaigns and/or create false impressions to garner high marks.
  • The most frequently found single comment type is some version of “Why isn’t IBM on the list?” (Not sure why the obsession with IBM.)
  • Many comments have the theme “maybe Company X is great somewhere else, but not in my location/department/position.” (One person comments that Google is not fun for people over 35, which seems believable.)
  • Company enthusiasts frequently mention that they personally have been treated well; that company leaders exhibit the company values; and/or that the company is not laying off.
  • Company detractors frequently mention toxic culture, poor leadership, depressed employees, hypocrisy, and/or that the company is laying off.

Relevance for improving Careers sites? (a) People have a lot of passion—positive and otherwise—about their employers, past and future. Give site visitors something they can respond to with feeling. (b) Employee testimonials on the site can have value. But be sure they accurately reflect the company’s culture and circumstances. Even a suggestion of hypocrisy or manipulation will turn off some visitors.

PCLRounding out Cynthia’s excellent adventure: As mentioned in the last post, I chose Alcon as the most energizing site among the bigger companies I visited. Actually, though, Alcon is tiny compared to Starbucks–and at 7,000+ employees, is among the smaller companies on the Fortune list. Better to say I was looking for something interesting among companies in more conservative industries or business sectors.

And in that spirit, here’s a shout-out to PCL Construction (I liked the stylishly industrial look of their design, plus the prominent placement of the sub-menu) and to Johnson Bank (the pinstripe look done well, with a sophisticated yet sincere feeling). As for the biggest company on the list . . . the FedEx Careers site earned my entry-level praise phrase: ‘Functions well and fits the brand.’

Using Press Releases to Convey Ideas

Do you use press releases in your business? If you do, or if you ever have before, what feedback did you get from it? Were you receptive of the response or activity that you were hoping to see?

Many online businesses use press releases as a communications tool for their readers. They announce products, convey information, cover developing news stories and even give themselves a little public relations action. They are generally written in response to anything that is pertinent to the company, or, the topic will somehow link back to the company. If used properly, press releases can be a very powerful marketing and communications tool that can drive high traffic to the blog or site and create a buzz of valuable information. The whole idea of the press release is to highlight a specific focal point of information and convey it in a way to the readers that will leave them with a message and a particular thought pattern. In other words, the information provided in press releases have the propensity to make a company become a household name.

Which type of companies benefit from press releases? Is there a such thing as a “useless” press release? What’s the difference in an advertisement and a press release?

Companies that benefit greatly from press releases are those that have a constant flow and change of information. The company doesn’t have to be necessarily large one or a Fortune 500, but one that is progressive and fluid in their growth and development. What can make a press release sound stale or boring are those that repeat the same information in the same way. For instance, if within a five-year time span the Vice-President of Marketing is changing offices again and is on their third executive, the reader might not necessarily feel comfortable with that many personnel changes within a short period of time. Their uneasiness could translate to a drop in sales if they feel uncomfortable in spending. Any internal company issues don’t convey clearly to the public and it is a challenge to try to make it be so. To keep the press release from sounding like a report on Human Resources matters, highlight in the press release just why this third candidate is going to significantly impact the company’s marketing efforts. Focus on the executive’s proposed marketing ideas and changes that he will bring to the corporation. This takes the focus off of anything negative and still allows you to write a good, solid press release that is enjoyable to read.

Press releases are great to share, but then there are some that are pointless and really do not add any value. This is obvious when within the release there is nothing really significant that is reported, the information is not customised for the company, or, the information is readily available anywhere on the internet. In other words, what was the point of the release? You must give your readers something to “take away” from the press release to really feel that it has done something for the them. Don’t focus so much on issuing a press release simply for the sake of it, but ensure that you are engaging and enlightening the readers. They will remember and it and be back for more.

Advertising is not a press release and a press release is not advertising. Why not? Advertising is showcasing a product and enticing the audience to buy while press releases are sharing information. Sure, within a press release you can entice the audience to buy, but it is done so subtly that the reader doesn’t think he’s been “sold.” Carefully word press releases so that the reader feels in control and can decide what to do next. Don’t ask for a sale. Don’t provide overt links. Don’t use too much marketing jargon or hype that is reserved for sales pages. Maximize the use of the press release by capitalizing on the information that you are already sharing with the readers. Get your point across and let the audience absorb it all in.

In using press releases as a part of your company’s marketing efforts, the bottom line is to concentrate on the customer. Build into the ideas that your customers are seeking without being too extreme. Eventually, your traffic will begin to show what’s working and what is not working in your efforts to attract readers to your site. What press releases have you published that have been profitable for you? What would you change about the ones that you are currently publishing?