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Archives for 2009

Thrift and the corporate website

Thrift and the corporate website

Are you really making the most of your corporate material? All of it?

I was with a motion-graphics designer the other day, and he showed me some of his showreels … which included quite a bit of communications presentations, film and Flash work for major companies. You’d have heard of most of these companies, and I’ve visited their websites. Often.

Yet this fantastic work that he’d developed, that was being used for internal conferences or for trade-show backgrounds, wasn’t available on their websites.

I wonder why not?

Internal communications … I can see that there might be something that wasn’t to be communicated outside the company. But how difficult would it be to get that bit edited out?

Trade-show work … that’s already been made available to the public, hasn’t it?

It just seems like such a waste. Not only of these beautiful pieces of work, but of the money and time spent on developing them. A bit of re-use, particularly in these straitened times, can go a long way.

What visual material have you developed in the past that could be re-used on your site, either as it is, or in another form?

Economic Crisis — Risks…And Opportunities

First let me share what I think is the seminal quote on the root cause of the current Economic Crisis. This is from Stephen Green, Group Chairman, HSBC, UK, speaking at the Economic Forum at Davos–

This is about values that have developed in the markets in recent years. We have moved from the old cliché ‘my word is bond’ to a culture and atmosphere where ‘if there’s a transaction, if there’s a market for it, and I have a contract, and it’s legal, that’s it; I don’t need to think about the underlying right or wrong, suitability or unsuitability. The Values behind Market Capitalism • Tony Blair • Stephen Green • Indra Nooyi • Shimon Peres • James J. Schiro • Jim Wallis
Moderated by • Maria Ramos Thursday 29 January 2009

Brilliant!

Source: NEOFORMIX

The Chinese Culture has long associated crisis with risks and opportunities and so it is with the current World Economic Crisis. The risks are well known and widely publicized. But, there are opportunities if you are smart enough to look for them.

Business leaders first need to come clean and admit that they failed and then focus  on opportunities. For example GE‘s CEO Jeff Immett in his letter to shareowners says —

Let’s face it: our Company’s reputation was tarnished because we weren’t the “safe and reliable” growth company that is our aspiration. I accept responsibility for this. But, I think this environment presents an opportunity of a lifetime. We get a chance to reset the core of GE and focus on what we do best. We can reset expectations for our performance. And we can participate in the changes required in the broader economy.

… The current crisis offers the challenge of our lifetime. I’ve told our leaders at GE that if they are frightened by this concept, they shouldn’t be here. But if they’re energized, and desire to play a part in transforming the Company for the future, then this is going to be a thrilling time to be a part of GE.

GE’s Board seems to have felt the pain and see the need for change. The need for change must start and be embraced from the top.

In the McKinsey Report The crisis: Mobilizing boards for change —

The solution is to explicitly change the way the board interacts. The chairman should insist that members articulate what they have thought but have not had the confidence to express. These conversations will often be more conceptual than rote, and participants will have to take the risk of “saying something stupid.” Chairmen will need to muster up the courage to drive relentlessly the discussions that will take most boards into deep and frightening waters. Long-cherished assumptions, existing plans, or defined ambitions may go down the drain.

Next, crises open up changes that were not possible in “normal times”. There must be a realization that disruptive changes will be needed —

A crisis is a chance to break ingrained structures and behaviors that sap the productivity and effectiveness of many organizations. Such moves aren’t a short-term crisis response—they often take a year or more to pay dividends—but are valuable in any scenario and could help a company survive if hard times persist. Although employees may dislike this approach, most will understand why management aims to make the organization more effective.

This may, for example, be the time to destroy the vertical organizational structures, retrofitted with ad hoc and matrix overlays, that encumber companies large and small. Such structures can burden professionals with several competing bosses. Internecine battles and unclear decisions are common. Turf wars between product, sales, and geographic managers kill promising projects. Searches for information aren’t productive, and countless hours are wasted on pointless e-mails, telephone calls, and meetings.

Leading through uncertainty

More resources at — The Crisis A new era for management

The Economic Crisis provides an opportunity for companies who aren’t already, to get serious about Ethics. Now is the time for the Board to set the “Tone at the Top” on Ethics, to establish an Ethics Officer and develop an Ethics based Corporate Culture.

Another opportunity is to improve your Corporate Reporting to stakeholders. Companies need to use their websites to maintain or rebuild their reputations — clearly explain your strategy and how you will accomplish it, improve how you display the Board and the Management Team, and clearly show the risks the company is facing and how it will manage them. More on this in a future post.

Smart leaders will find opportunities in the current Economic Crisis to build the way to an improved future.

The Obama Brand and How it Can Help Your Organization

Since President Obama has taken office, things have been pretty steady and busy with policies, changes, developments, etc. Suffice it to say, that a dull moment there hasn’t been! But while there is a lot to do in the office of the most important job in the free world, President Obama has been making lots of strides to make sure that his “brand” is melded into the minds of the citizens and the voting population. He wants to make sure that you remember him. And as a corporate entity, you should want and aspire towards the same branding for your business.

President Obama effectively uses the tools of social networking very well and has shown that he is able to manipulate  them with ease. Of course, it takes a team of specialists and experts to position him to be this effective, but it is done nonetheless. His weekly radio addresses on YouTube are one of “firsts” that the president has used in his office as a means of mass communications to reach the people. He uses the weekly addresses to bring the citizens up to speed on where things stand with the economy and what the next step(s) is.

He also effectively uses email campaigns to reach the taxpayers, briefing them on where the state of the economy is, what’s next on his agenda, what key areas he wants to focus on next, etc. It is almost as if he wants to make sure to address everything that could possibly be on the taxpayer’s mind. Possible? Hardly, but the effort is made nonetheless.

Social networking, marketing and branding. All three effectively implemented by the president. So can you do the same? Yes you can!

Branding your company, product, or image is not difficult to do at all. Start with social networking and begin building your “image” into the minds of your customers. Be “in their face” at every available opportunity. Compile your mailing lists. Ask questions. Answer questions. Become the expert and the “go-to” person. Brand yourself by becoming something and/or someone that people will search out for the answers.

What can you do to start branding your corporate image? Make a deliberate and calculated use of whatever social platform that you wish to affect. In other words, don’t just start a Facebook page or a Twitter page just for the sake of it or because “everybody’s doing it.” Develop a plan and a desired outcome for your goals. Obama’s campaign certainly didn’t start last year or two years ago building a network of supporters. It all started with a deliberate use and a reason for a Twitter presence. His exact use of media platforms is one of the key components that catapulted him to political stardom. His staff was able to deftly use the social media networking sites to create the Obama brand. It strengthened his network, increased his following and furthered his political platform. You can do the same with and for your corporate brand.

How can you effectively use online tools for your organization in particular? What platforms do you feel would benefit your corporate entity the most?

Johnson and Johnson Want More of the Social Media Pie

Johnson and Johnson is a very popular, industry leading manufacturer of baby care products; baby lotion, baby oil, bath wash, baby equipment, and so on. They’ve been around for quite some time now, and are actively and aggressively jumping on the bandwagon with a new campaign that’s targeting mommy bloggers. They are using social media’s platforms like Facebook and Youtube, having mommy bloggers further their message and excite online users about their products.

Many corporate entities are realizing the force and the persuasion that mommy bloggers carry. They see that educated, professional yet domestic divas also have the ability to persuade audiences to buy particular brands. This is why they are actively pursuing them evangelize their products. Who else to blog about a product but the very users of them? Where else can you get an unbiased, real and truthful opinion about a product than from the very users who are serviced? After all, if the users are happy, the company is too. But, what’s the catch?

 The company is launching a “Big Bubblin’ Stars” contest on YouTube behind its recently launched bubble-bath product, offering a grand prize of $10,000 and a chance for the winner to become host of a channel launched in 2005. To enter the contest, moms upload three-minute videos of their kids.

Not really a catch, I wouldn’t say because it’s all enjoyable. I’d love the opportunity to videotape my kids (the hams they are) upload it to a social networking site, share it and secure a chance to win ten grand. Who wouldn’t? All moms love making pictures and videos of t heir little ones, so a boring time this shouldn’t be for anyone, including the moms who participate and the judges who judge the selections. But, how well will the campaign do?

Moms are all over the Facebook site, much to the delight of Facebook and to the advantage of Johnson and Johnson. Good news in that it means that their message will reach many more people in more of a “customized” fashion from people who know people. And, in this case, those other “people” are moms who are influential.

So does this mean that the folks at Johnson and Johnson recognize a good thing when they see it (as far marketing goes), or do they want more exposure in the social arena? Or both? Probably both!

Any solid company with a forward thinking marketing department realizes that they only way to grow is to go – go with the direction and trends that are happening right now, especially if they are sound. And right now, social media is quite sound and very profitable for most industries and lots of users. Johnson and Johnson is going to make a mommy winner very happy with this contest’s grand prize. There will be a lot of buzz going on as well on many Facebook pages. Which reminds me…I’d better go check mine now!

Do you think Johnson and Johnson are on to a good idea or the same idea re-packaged? Do you see any value in offering this type of incentive for the users? Or, is all the benefit for the company only?

http://adage.com/digital/article?article_id=135588

Skittles Website – Zany or Just Plain Crazy?

Skittles launched a new version of its website that Carole Walker, Skittles vice president of integrated marketing communications calls, “zany,” but just about everyone else calls plain crazy.

What’s the buzz about?  Rather than providing a traditional website that a consumer would expect to find after typing www.skittles.com into their browser search bar, consumers find this…

skittles_website_550px

What the heck is that, you ask?  Well, you’re not the only one. 

If the goal was to stir up a negative online buzz, then the Skittles marketing team succeeded.  If the goal was to meet customer expectations (or exceed them), as every brand’s goal should be, then the Skittles team failed.

You see, the Skittles team is trying to bring interactivity to its website by basically replacing the site with either a Twitter page (like the above version) or a Facebook page or even a Wikipedia page to which visitors can add content. 

So what do you think?  Clever, useful and whimsical as the Skittles team seems to think – or not?  I vote not. 

When a consumer visits your website, they’re looking for information.  They don’t have time to weed through a bunch of cr*p to get to the information they want or need.  Bottom-line, when your website causes consumers to stop and say, “What the h*ll is this?”  it’s not a good thing.  I’m all for adding interactivity to websites and allowing consumers to take control thereby deepening their relationships with a brand, but from the consumer perspective, my feeling is – give me the information I need, and give it to me now, or I’m going to look elsewhere.

My opinion, go back to the drawing board, Skittles. 

Your opinion?

Places I want to work (Surprise #1)

Home Depot Careers

As I surf around looking at Careers sites, I try to put myself in the place of someone who really might want a job at that company. For example: If I wanted to work at (say) Home Depot, how would I react to their Careers presentation?

Let’s specify that Home Depot would not be a natural fit for me. Although I actually am very handy, and love tools–I’d be hard-pressed to work eight hours a day in a retail environment. (At least for more than a few weeks.) And for various reasons, I don’t think they would hire me! But I was surprisingly charmed by Home Depot’s Careers site, and found myself wishing that I could join “the team.”

What won me over?

  • A clean look that captures the company brand, but also adds a Careers personality.
  • Attention to detail—little things about the messaging that add up to a nice impression.
  • An inviting, inclusive emotional appeal that’s not too obvious.
  • A “bigger picture” view of opportunities with the company.
  • A feeling that the company respects job seekers.

Drilling down to specific sections of the page:
Home Depot Careers

First, I like the picture at top in the main area because the smiles seem sincere, not posed. Second, I like the picture because the diversity seems natural, not forced. And third—I like the effect of the whole composition, especially how the word “Passion” stands out and draws my attention.

Attention to design detail shows up with the reflection effects beneath the three smaller pictures. A simple touch, but it creates a depth and reality that wouldn’t be there if the images were set in flat. And care for messaging is evident in the headline question: “What Will You Build?” It uses the brand-appropriate metaphor of building in just the right way—to connect the Home Depot business model with my personal career.

The next bit of detail adds a little fun:
Home Depot Careers

Since video testimonials are found on so many sites now, the extra touch of a playful title (“Behind the Apron”) makes this feature stand out. And the photographs have active energy—especially the Merchandising high-five and that great attitude from the “Pro Sales Associate.”

Home Depot Careers
A big plus for me was the prominent list of Career options. As a Home Depot shopper, my image of the company was mainly about people stocking and selling in the warehouse-style stores. I hadn’t thought about EXPO Design Centers as part of Home Depot, or about opportunities in Installation, Call Centers, etc.

So this information expanded my perception of the company and made me think—wait, there might be a job fit for me somewhere in Home Depot after all.

Home Depot CareersFinally, I appreciated the easy access to tools and information provided on the left-side navigation bar. I get a quick impression that Home Depot has taken my needs into consideration, both as a site visitor and as a potential employee. They have provided a language choice and search functionality, and they are offering me information on customized employment programs, growth opportunities, and the Home Depot work environment.

Plus–the employee access gateway invites me to wonder what’s on the other side of that “Career Depot” button! And here we take a crucial step in engagement, because now I’m imagining myself as an employee.

All in all, Home Depot Careers doesn’t break any new ground—but it covers the basics very well and connects effectively with the visitor. So it’s made my very short list of sites that sell the company well!