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Defining Brands that “Suck”

Published August 13, 2008 Marketing , Strategy 3 Comments
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Rodney Rumford posted a review of Twitter blogs entitled “33 Brands That Suck on Twitter.”

After reviewing the list, it’s apparent that the criteria for suck-status includes:

  • You’re brand has been parked or hijacked
  • You don’t follow anyone
  • You haven’t tweeted in months

In an effort to document brand participation on Twitter (and the larger social segment), I linked to the report from the Index. I personally believe this level of criticism is flawed. I parked a twitter account for my former firm after I noticed a number of other, high-level firms being taken and spammed (most likely by a summer associate that didn’t get an offer). Criticizing someone for not coming to a party is counter productive and, odds are, they will feel the pressure to participate in short order.

As for brands that have been hijacked, how is this different from the mid-90s?

In regards to following: several brand managers I’ve connected with have a policy in place addressing followers. Why should a brand, executive or government office follow me? If I have a problem with a product, I would rather have the person on the other end focused on the signal from the community (e.g. summize) than listening to tweets about being drunk on a bus.

Tweeting frequency is something that I also believe is important, but I was proved wrong earlier today. Someone from oWater got in touch with me after reading about my tweets about their coconut infused water. (Sidebar: it’s incredible!) So this person, who has a twitter account and doesn’t tweet often, offered assistance in helping me find my fav beverage!

In thinking about twitter or other social application, it’s important to remember the Web is a heterogeneous environment. How an organization will use an application must be tailored to it’s community and existing culture.

The Index expands…

Published August 11, 2008 Strategy , twitter 1 Comment
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So how many people noticed the Twitter Brand Index, a list of organizations participating in the social environment, is:

a static list?
not at all fluently simple?

Well, I’ve listened to the great criticism and have reposted the Index: http://www.socialbrandindex.com/.

This new framework will provide for better scalability, collaboration and will help me leverage others for this human-powered Index. I welcome any and all comments, so please, send them on! I realize that moving to a new domain isn’t always a good move, but I hope the content and the need to find and connect will help faciliate this move.

Now for some sleep!

Twitter: Crime Fighter?

Published August 3, 2008 Strategy 0 Comments
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In flipping over the guide on the DVR, I noticed that “America’s Most Wanted” was on TV. This show has had a long run and a pretty successful mission. An idea popped into my head: why doesn’t this show, or any government agency, use twitter to communicate “most wanted” information to people online?

To date, the only example I’ve seen of government conveying ciritical information to citizens in the twitter account of the LAFD. Establishing a model for use is pretty simple: use both the twitter design options and tweets to display critical information. Who’s the top person on a “most wanted” list? Put up their picture, mention latest sightings and offer links to contact with information. As users become more mobile and comfortble with apps, the number of eyes and ears on the street increases substantially. The NYPD had a campaign running: See something, say something. While NYC has serious security concerns (seeing heavily armed officers on the subway was always a bit disconcerning), the approach is a natural extension of social apps.

Are there examples on twitter or other government-run systems, either here in the US or elsewhere?

Reputation Risks: Twitter and Beyond

Published August 3, 2008 Marketing , Strategy , Technology 0 Comments
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The response to the Brand Index has been fantastic. However, there have been a few bumps in the road. Take Seth Godin — who’s twitter account was unofficial. The other day it was pointed out that the ExxonMobil account was also a fraud. See Jeremiah’s comprehensive post on the matter.

As a matter of policy, any individual, organization or other entitity legally entitled to a brand identity who is listed on the Index may exercise the right to have it removed or corrected. I chose to do the later in an effort to indicate to twitter users the reliability of a given account.

The social landscape is one that places reputation and identity at risk. As social manager/strategists/etc, how we choose to deal with this risk is critical. SImply putting one’s head in the sand is insufficient, as there could be someone who comes along and takes actions (either blindly or intentionally) against your organization. This very issue could be a focus at an upcoming SM event in Washington, D.C. Details to follow.

Review of Corporate Twitter Use: Dell

Published July 30, 2008 Operations , Strategy 0 Comments
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A new page was just posted within the Brand Index covering Dell’s use of Twitter.

Check it out: http://blog.fluentsimplicity.com/twitter-brand-index/dell/

Several points are worth mentioning:

  1. Dell’s approach includes promotiona (such as small business offers), customer service and  community building activities.
  2. There is a master account which drives traffic to more specialized segments. Start at direct2dell and go deeper by looking who the account follows. Policymakers take note: who you follow may influence your customers.
  3. A number of core functional areas are represented on the Index. Instead of navigating phone menu’s with 7 digit extensions, I can find someone on twitter to start a conversation. If I was on the hardware side, I would view this as a major advantage.

Comments, thoughts? I know Zappos has a high rate of employee participation on twitter. Any other companies?

Strategic Management

Published June 7, 2008 Operations , Strategy 0 Comments
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My love for twitter has waned a bit, as has my blogging frequency. Why? I’m in the early throws of my first formal seminar. This round focuses on strategic resource management. One of the books we’re using is Strategy Maps by Kaplan and Norton. In the opening chapter, there is a discussion of von Clausewitz, the great military strategist. I’ve been intrigued by his work for years.

The notion of assigning value to the intangible and being able to act on it is extremely powerful. We all know that providng employees with training and a positive work environment benefits the company. I’m beginning to see how it can be measured quantitatively.

This is important on both a micro and macro level. The micro level is easy to identify. As I use tools and approaches that show a causal relationship between intangible resources and strategic goals, my business will succeed. The macro level is a bit of a reach: what is there is a way to demonstrate that social initiatives (foundations, non-profit work and social-based businesses) have a measureable and positive impact on society. Various spiritual belief systems and emerging science speaks of actions - and people - being interdependent. How might markets and investors respond if returns existed beyond pure profit?

Failure to Monetize

Published May 27, 2008 Strategy 0 Comments
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FT.com states the obvious with the article: Web 2.0 fails to produce cash

Many members of the Web 2.0 generation of Internet companies have so far produced little in the way of revenue, despite bringing about some significant changes in on-line behaviour, according to some of the entrepreneurs and financiers behind the movement.

Do social networks change the game? Yes, absolutely. Technology has bridged the gap between manufacturer and consumer through mass customization. Social apps take this one step further and bring a greater degree of “closeness” upstream. Companies looking to succeed must enter the space strategically.

Let’s not forget that simply changing the game is not enough. If you’re not profitable, you’re wasting the time and money of investors. Relying on advertising is what I would consider dangerous ground.

Here’s a radical thought: use a social app to leverage existing services and products. Build off of existing communities and revenue channels in a way that is logical and sustainable.

Migration of Social Apps

Published May 23, 2008 Operations , Strategy 0 Comments
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Twitter, the poster child of microblogging, conversation and social interaction, is suffering from serious stability issues. You might also say it’s in the process of imploding. Whether the issue is hardware pr application scaling, it’s clear the company is doing a poor job of maintaining service. They need to get to add a few nines to their uptime.

Unfortunately, twitter isn’t the only social/2.0 site to suffer from serious problems. Muxtape is another great site that bombed out this week. Problems might also be related to business issues instead of IT systems. Facebook execs manage to annoy users frequently; we won’t even discuss monetization.

What’s a site to do? Agencies and exisitng brands need to embrace the brilliant ideas found in social/2.0 sites in order to drive business to their sites. Muxtape is a great example… if their site is working (a mixtape site), you’ll see the ability to purchase uploaded songs. User behavior and sales of media would be a boon to any company looking to challenge Apple or Amazon. Comcast is obviously aware of the need to engage the users. I’m still a bit stumped by the acquisition itself. Comcast, wouldn’t it have been easier to simply build your own network?

Twitter as a Political Communication Channel

Published May 17, 2008 Operations , Strategy , Technology 0 Comments
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A senior staffer at a reelection campaign staffer asked: do “you have any suggestions or 
ideas to improve our use of Twitter?” After some thought and consideration I provided the following feedback.

Continue reading ‘Twitter as a Political Communication Channel’

Technology and Service

Published May 14, 2008 Operations , Strategy 0 Comments
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Twitter, blogs or other social apps will not help a business with poor leaders hip. Like my high school photography teach told me: you can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear.

It’s critical to remember that these approaches offer new avenues for communication and service. The notion of twitter providing a “revolution” in community or customer service is ridiculous; as with any other strategy, its dependent on planning and research.

Why am I bucking the trend of industry experts? Because of history, in particular, leaders in professional service industries. Take Joe Flom of Skadden, Arps (a firm I am very fond of for certain reasons): returning client calls and providing excellent service is one of the factors that has made Skadden #1 of the AmLaw list. It’s not the latest technology or marketing-catch phrases: it’s hard work and a belief that service and excellence drives businesses. Read up on Marshall Field, a pioneer of service within the retail space for another great example.

The Web has shortened the distance between the customer and a business. The rise of mass production and large scale economies perhaps is to blame. With technology comes mass customization and immediate feedback on product quality, complaints and praises. When thinking of any technology, look past the technology itself. What we do with those tools to drive business is the most important concept to focus on.

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