Laura Ries has come up with a list of the 5 Best Line Extensions of 2007.
This is a nice compliment to my list from last month, How Far Can a Brand Stretch?, which pointed out some of the all-time worst line extensions (along with one good one which didn’t make it to Laura’s list).
At the beginning of this month I posed a question to all of you Peelers. I wanted to find out what company or organization you thought showed that they were truly listening to their customers in 2007.
The results are in. (Thanks to everyone that responded!)
We received some interesting responses. I surprised by a couple of things that did and didn’t show up in the responses:
You can read all of the responses below.
Agree? Disagree? Did anyone get overlooked?
His Pick: Toyota Scion
They speak to a very specific target market in very unique and interesting way’s. Even as sales increase with people outside of there target demo Scion continues to stay dead fast with their efforts. They know who they want, and continue to go after them. Most importantly, they are have a relevant message that speaks to their target market.
His Picks: Jet Blue & Virgin
Jet Blue: I believe their prompt response after the flight delay crisis and assuming full responsibility placed them very high on the list.
Virgin: They are offering pretty much what every frequent traveler expects in a transcontinental flight. Now, let’s see if they can be profitable and remain in business.
His Pick: Procter & Gamble
They continue to grow year on year by launching products that their consumers want to buy – the parallel mantras instilled by AG Lafley of “The Consumer is Boss” and “Winning the Moments of Truth” are brilliantly simple in their succintness and simply brilliant in terms of execution.
Great consumer listeners and consequently great consumer products.
Her Picks: Facebook, Smaller Airlines
Considering the news today (12-07-07), I’d say that Facebook was forced to listen!
A number of the smaller airlines seem to be doing a good job of implementing services that the major carriers have eliminated and alienated their customers…Southwest, AirTran and Frontier are several that I’ve had some experience with that has been far better than any of the ‘majors’ have done in quite some time.
His Pick: Auto Craft
Auto Craft, who make products for Fallbrook/NuVinci has Listen to the Customer meetings every week. They keep a continual living document going for every client contact regarding their products. Because they develop cutting edge technology that will be used daily on a global scale, they like to keep close tabs on products and customers.
Her Pick: Dell
I blogged about the process of buying a new laptop. I bought a Dell, and they participated in commenting on my blog and even contacting me privately.
They’ve created a website where people can make recommendations for their products. It’s a brilliant way to find out what consumers really want.
Dell employees are on Twitter and comment on other blogs as well.
And they’re reaping the rewards. I can’t remember the stats, but they’ve seen a big turnaround in their favor as far as their reputation is concerned.
Oh and my laptop is awesome!
Her Picks: The Green Bandwagon, Healthy foods, Nivea
I would say that companies jumping on the Green bandwagon are listening to consumers. Examples include:
Ikea: they are now charging customers 5cents a bag to encourage customers to cut back on plastic bag usage and also sell the $1 reusable bag. Pretty much most well branded retailers such as Loblaws, Maxi, Pharmaprix, Lasenza offer customers reusable bags. Not only is this creating a positive image in customers minds, but it also creates mini walking billboards for these companies who still make a nice profit at selling the bags in the $1 to $3 price range. Some companies do however donate the profits to charities.
Health eating is another major trend. Just salad (which is a fast food joint found in malls) is listening to customers by offering a product which caters to health conscious shoppers, it’s fast, convenient and couldn’t be healthier.
Nivea – offering skincare line targetted to men.
His Pick: Sprint
Sprint nixed a thousand or so annoying customers. A bold move such as this deserves a round of applause. (SFX: APPLAUSE). I suppose that Sprint must have been truly listening to these OCD pests to discern that they were, indeed, pests.
Her Pick: Apple
I would say Apple is a company that’s listening to consumers. For example, the iPhone. Consumers wanted a phone that was intuitive, user-friendly, and could combine several electronic gadgets in one. Although I’ve heard that the iPhone still has some quirks to work out, most people who have iPhones really love them. They can surf the web, listen to music, email, text, and talk all with one device instead of several. Plus their commercials are informative, simple and straightforward. Now if Apple can find a way to bring down the price, I would happily buy an iPhone.
My Response: What would you say to those that question Apples iPhone price drop not long after it’s release? Was their 100 in store credit enough to show they were listening, or was this just a slap in the face?
I wouldn’t say it was a slap in the face, however it was poor timing on Apple’s part. I’d say that in that case it was a bad marketing move strategically. I’m sure that move did make consumers angry and cause consumers not to buy iPhones. It will be interesting to see what the final fallout is for the iPhone as a result of that bad marketing move.
His Pick: Facebook
I tend to think that people aren’t always entirely sure what they want, they just know what they don’t like. The iPhone was just mentioned as an example of a company listening to consumers, and while the device itself is hard to fault, the way it has been brought to market is completely out of step with Apple’s usual focus on user-centricity. The business arrangements around the device could not be less consumer friendly.
The best example I can think of in recent times is the rollercoaster ride that Facebook has been on. The only time they’ve needed to listen to consumers is when they’ve gotten on the wrong side of them, but they’ve been quick to listen and alter what they were doing, even when it affected a core component of their business model. Not everyone is in the position Facebook is, but it sets an interesting precedent – how many other companies can you think of that would fundamentally alter their plans based on .04% of their user base petitioning them?
In terms of listening to and involving the community in your product development though, I just read this article and it is well worth the time! – User Community and ROI
His Pick: OXO (a housewares company)
Obviously Apple creates some of the best consumer products, but I have heard that they conduct little if any consumer research to understand needs. Their greatest strength is truly thinking outside of the box in understanding that the iPod is not just a portable music player, but a totally new entertainment experience.
OXO, a housewares company that targets the kitchen utensils and gadgets market has revolutionized products that you would never think could be innovated. Their ethnography observations/analysis has uncovered drastic innovations from measuring cups to can openers and spatulas to name a few.
It is apparent that OXO owns the innovation position in their market. Being that they were the first to seriously concentrate on consumers, not just listening, but applying science to consumer observations, their competition has been extremely unsuccessful in trying to steal that position from OXO.
Her Pick: Discount Dance Supply
Discount Dance Supply sells dancewear for children, teens and adults through online sales and print catalogs. This year, the company held a model search and selected 10 finalists. The finalists, dancers in their early teens to twenties, were featured on their website. They then emailed all catalog subscribers to vote for their favorite model to represent the catalog and its dancewear in 2008. This company competes with other discount dancewear companies selling the same brands and items.
The consumer-chosen model is a great marketing approach that more deeply connects consumers to Discount Dance Supply and gives them another reason to check out their products in 2008.
Integrated campaign? How about an integrated holiday card?
This year at Hester Designs we did something a little different for the holidays. We turned our holiday card into sensual experience, complete with 3D glasses and peppermint scent, all leading to our Holiday in 3D web site.
If you don’t have any 3D glasses, have no fear. Just fill out the request form on the site and we will be happy to get some in the mail for you. And be sure to tell us that The Fresh Peel sent you. Enjoy!
A while back I gave you a look at my reading habits in a post titled in 7 different languages, Books, Libros, Bücher, книги, Bøker, 书, 本.
Well today I received a pleasant surprise in the mail. It seems that Ben McConnell and Jackie Huba are doing a great job tracking talk around the web about their book, Citizen Marketers. In the post, I had listed the book on my wish list. Then this afternoon, in a neat little package, arrived my own personal copy of the book along with a cool little 1% patch and nice handwritten note.
In the note, (Click image to view larger) they say they “saw that I had Citizen Markers on my book wish list” and to “consider this an early Christmas present!” At the end of the note it says, “Hope you enjoy it. (If you do, we’d love to see your mini-review of the book on Amazon.)”
I thought I would do them one better for now by sharing this experience with you.
Thank you Ben and Jackie for the awesome book and for proving your belief in the power of the 1% rule.
Update: The Age of Conversation has been rescheduled for March 29th. More details here.
It’s been almost a full month since I first proposed the idea of a “Bum Rush all of the social media you can get your hands on.” Since then, we’ve learned that the book will be moving to Amazon and the initial date of the bum rush had to be rescheduled.
With all of that going on I thought it would be a good idea to recap our plans.
So, I’ve (1) updated the plan of action list, (2) created some Bum Rush “bling bling,” and (3) provided a couple of new ideas for things you can start doing right now.
Plan of Action List (for Jan. 5th)
Ryunosuke Satoro once said,
“Individually, we are one drop. Together, we are an ocean.
The same is true with all of the actions on this list. By ourselves they will do very little, but together we can make waves.
Age of Conversation Bum Rush Badge
For anyone who wants to add some Bum Rush flair to their blog or website, have I got something for you. I’ve designed a badge and provided the HTML code that can be easily copied and pasted. Right now the badge links to this post, but feel free to change it to a post that you’ve written about the Bum Rush event.
If you need any help with the code or have any problems just let me know and I will do my help you get the Bum Rush “bling bling” added to your site.
Just copy and past the code below:
What You Can Do Right Now
—
I would love to hear any ideas or additions you can make to this list.
Marty Neumeier and his team at Neutron have put together a sweet collection of historical icons they are calling the Great Zags of History.
It’s amazing to think of how some of the most commonplace things of our time were truly revolutionary in their day.
It’s definitely worth a look. Enjoy!
While rummaging through English graffiti artist, Banksy’s website, I came across this video. Like most of his work, it sends a simple message identifying a complex problem.
(Feedreaders click through to see video)
This act of vandalism speaks volumes about one of the biggest problems that we face in our industry, clutter.
Consumers are constantly being bombarded (especially this time of year) with what are largely unwanted and irrelevant ads. For many consumers advertising has gone from being annoying to just plain offensive.
So what’s the solution? How does a product or brand rise above the clutter without becoming clutter itself?
Here are some words of wisdom from “The Father of Advertising” himself, David Ogilvy, which I believe will begin to shed some light on a solution.
- A good advertisement is one which sells the product without drawing attention to itself.
- Ninety-nine percent of advertising doesn’t sell much of anything.
What Ogilvy is saying here is to cut the gimmicks. Don’t do what the 99% of the advertising is doing. Find truth, the story, the bedrock of your product or brand, what it’s all about…..and then speak. Don’t shout. Just a whisper will do.
Better yet, start a conversation.
Calm your itchy little mouse-clicking fingers and hold off on the blog posts. We are going to have to reschedule the Age of Conversation Bum Rush.
I know. I know. You have been anticipating this for weeks now. I was rearing to go myself. In fact, I and was about to post an update preparing everyone for the big day when I received an email from Drew McLellan explaining that he and Gavin Heaton have been “scrambling to jump through Amazon’s hoops” and that the book has finally been accepted. The only problem is that it looks as though the book won’t be making the site before December 14th.
So we are going to have to push the bum rush back, and with the holidays nearing it may be hard for some to participate if we reschedule any later in the month.
Here’s what I’m thinking. Instead of having a year end push for the book, lets start 2008 off with a blowout! Let’s bring back the buzz that once was (this time bigger than ever).
Saturday January 5th will be our new date for the Age of Conversation Social Media Bum Rush.
And when the day comes, don’t think we are going to just sit and watch the ranking of a book on Amazon. We are going to start a conversation.
What You Can Do Right Now
I’m doing a little end of the year research that might result in a post later on this month.
I kicked things off by submitting a question to the community at LinkedIn, but I want to give you Peelers a chance to voice your votes as well.
The question is:
In 2007, what companies or organizations showed that they are truly listening to consumers? Please give examples.
Examples can come from any company, large or small.
You can either leave your responses in the comments or leave an answer at my LinkedIn question.
The first speed limit was put introduced in 1861 in the UK. That is also the exact date that people started scheming of ways they could break the speed limit without getting caught.
Over time, Radar Detectors, Laser Detectors, CB Radios, PBA decals along with crazy theories, such as always traveling in the right lane as much as possible, developed in an attempt to outsmart the law and avoid speeding fines.
Of all the tactics that have developed, one of the most interesting (and most logical if you really think about it) is “The Shield” or as I like to call it, “Highway Hero.” Here’s how it works: Basically you find someone who is speeding (Your Hero) and then you hang back and follow them from a safe distance. This way if Hero runs up on a speed trap and hits the breaks you will have fair warning to react and slow down before you get to the trap yourself.
So you basically drive as fast as the Highway Hero, but with a greatly reduced risk of getting a fine for speeding (or so you think).
We see companies and brands using this strategy all the time. They fear the risks associated with entering new territory and speeding ahead so they let someone else do it instead. The mentality is that “it will be safer if we just wait and react when we see things happening in the marketplace.”
The problem with this logic is that usually once you see it, it’s too late. By that time, the Highway Hero has gained the number one spot, and they are stuck in the back with all the other “Hang Back Zeros.”
So are you a Highway Hero or a Hang Back Zero?
Books have been a hot topic of late. Maybe Amazon’s release of the Kindle has gotten us thinking about exactly how important (or unimportant) aesthetics are in the ole’ book reading experience. Or maybe we’re all just scrambling for Christmas gifts and books make wonderful stocking stuffers.
Whatever it is, I’ve seen a lot of conversations floating around the web on Authors, Books, Writing, Reading, Buying, Bum Rushing…..and now Drew McLellan has added me in on a meme.
So here we go!
—–
Reading books is a passion of mine. I am very much addicted to the knowledge that they hold.
How many books do I own?
It’s surprising, but for being such an avid reader, I actually own less than 20 books. I’m a library man myself. (OKC has an awesome library system.)
Last book I read
Elements of Persuasion (Richard Maxwell and Robert Dickman)
Zag (Marty Neumeier)
QBQ! The Question Behind the Question (John G. Miller)
I finished all of these books up over Thanksgiving. (I yanked QBQ! from my father-in-law and gave it a quick read. It has some great stories in it.)
Last book I bought
Join the Conversation, which I purchased during Joseph Jaffe’s Amazon Bum Rush
What I’m currently reading
Join the Conversation (Joseph Jaffe)
What I’ll read next
Rules for Renegades (Christine Comaford-Lynch) and Getting Things Done (David Allen)
Picked them both up today as a matter of fact.
What’s on my wish list
Ogilvy on Advertising (David Ogilvy), Good to Great (Jim Collins), Citizen Marketers (Ben McConnell), The Future of Management (Gary Hamel)
5 Meaningful Books (to Me)
1. The World Is Flat (Thomas L. Friedman) – This book changed so many of my personal views.
2. The Brand Gap (Marty Neumeier) – Finally someone has put my inner recognition of the “marketer vs. designer struggle” down on paper, and shows the power of these forces working together to boot.
3. Purple Cow (Seth Godin) – My introduction to Seth Godin.
4. The Guru Guide to Marketing (Joseph H. Boyett) – When I entered, what I will call, “the real world” of marketing.
5. Bill Peet: An Autobiography (Bill Peet) – This book from my childhood still makes me smile. It’s possible that I read it more than 50 times. (Drew you would like this. In part of the book Peet describes his experiences meeting and working for Walt Disney.)
—–
Alright, lets send this baby where we are sure to get some different points of view:
Are you boring customers? Are you having trouble generating the interest that you used to? Has the Forrest Gump-like crowd that used to follow you around long decided to return home?
Part of it could be that you are filling in too many of the blanks.
There is often a tendency to feel as if we have to spell everything out about our products or brands. After all we wouldn’t want consumers to get any of the facts wrong. Somehow we feel that for each consumer there is that one benefit or selling point that will tip the scales in our favor. This mindset leads to one thing….boredom.
Here’s a tip: Let the consumer solve the puzzle.
There is definitely something to be said about keeping it simple. In fact, keeping it simple is the best way to create a puzzle for consumers. By not writing that lengthy block of text describing your product you will be leaving room for consumers to explore your product or brand and keep interest alive.
It’s not what you say. It’s what you don’t say that creates the puzzle.
People love puzzles. That’s why you still find crosswords and seek and finds in newpapers and magazines. They are some of the most popular sections.
It just feels good to solve a puzzle. According to Richard Maxwell and Robert Dickman in their book The Elements of Persuasion, solving puzzles gives your brain a shot of endorphins. Maxell and Dickman say,
“A side effect of endorphins is that they make you a little talkative, so you want to tell your friends what you just did.”
If you want to create buzz about your brand, product or promotion, turn it into a puzzle. Consumers will go out of their normal boundaries to figure out solution, and once they figure it out you can be sure that they will tell their friends about it. Who doesn’t like to look smart? Especially all of us ego driven bloggers.
Millions of people are traveling this year for the Thanksgiving holiday. If you are one of them be safe and remember to remove all metal objects before going through airport security.
Thank you for the conversation. Have a great Thanksgiving.
Illustration via Erik T Johnson
Lets Bum Rush the Social Media World!
Over 4 months ago The Age of Conversation, a collaboration of 103 authors from 10 different countries from around the globe was launched, with all of the proceeds going to Variety, The Children’s Charity. In a little over 90+ days, the goal of $10,000 in charity money was raised.
But now, as Drew points out, sales are slowing. It’s time to hit high with a serious spike in social media activity. I’m talking about bringing even more clout than we saw with the initial launch of the book. I know we can do it!
The idea is one that I am borrowing from Joseph Jaffe, who used this technique to send his book skyrocketing up the bestseller’s list at Amazon. I won’t feel bad about taking the idea from Jaffe though, because he borrowed the idea from the band Black Lab, which held an iTunes bum rush launching their single Mine Again up the charts. Both were very successful efforts.
So what exactly am I proposing?
I’m calling for a “bum rush” all of the social media you can get your hands on. Since The Age of Conversation isn’t listed on Amazon we will have to “bum rush” another outlet, and with most of the AoC authors (if not all) being bloggers, mini launch pads are sitting and waiting to give the book the push it needs.
With the infinite amount of social sites and connections on the web, this is a huge undertaking. That is why I came up with this plan of action list with the highest priority items at the top. The idea is to generate as many touch points around the web as possible so that it will be hard not to the Age of Conversation activity.
Just start at the top and work your way down the list as far as you can:
(I will re-post this plan of action again with the trackback/comment post on Dec. 13th.)
What Should We Expect?
It’s like a human pyramid. If we can get everyone carrying their weight then it should be easy to reach new heights!
Here’s what Greg Verdino had to say after Joseph Jaffe’s Amazon Bum Rush:
There’s nothing to stop pretty much any marketer from applying these techniques to garner attention for their own new product launches and spur on-demand sales. Nothing, that is, if that marketer takes the time to build their own community, fosters meaningful relationships with the members and then makes a coordinated effort across a variety of conversational channels to connect with the community at just the right time to move the needle. None of these things happens overnight. They take quite a bit of effort and long term commitment.
—
Did I leave anything out? Second Life? You fill in the blank ________.
With Thanksgiving right around the corner, I’m sure all of the Weekend Road Warriors have a Harley Davidson Cake Decorating Kit lined up as the perfect addition to their Roughneck Thanksgiving feast. Well maybe not.
Can you really picture the a Harley owner firing up the HOG and riding to the local grocery store with ingredient list in hand, so that he/she can make the bake cake?
Harley’s not the only brand that thinks it possesses superhero strength to stretch infinitely. Here are a few noteworthy examples of brands being stretched too far:
Are all brand extensions bad?
No. In fact some brand extensions happen quite naturally.
Take Mr. Clean’s Windshield Wash and Wiper Blades for example. The products are a very natural and logical extension. Everyone is familiar with how well Mr. Clean products work in cleaning their homes, so the products are an obvious choice when it comes time to pick the best product to clean their cars. Adding the wiper blades to the mix turns the task of changing your wiper blades into a routine maintenance item.
So how do you know if your brand extension will be a Harley disaster or a Mr. Clean success?
First decide if it feels natural? Does it make sense?
If it passes that test, be sure weigh the pros and cons that are associated with brand extensions. Even if the brand extension makes sense it may not be worth risking the dangers entailed.
Marty Neumeier, the author or The Brand Gap and Zag, has come up with, The 4 Dangers of Brand Extension. This is a great place to start before diving into a brand “leveraging” effort.
I hope you aren’t allergic to peanuts because Advertising for Peanuts is ditching it’s old model of serving up samples of advertising from around the industry moving towards what they hope will be a more conversational platform for advertisers, marketers, designers, those analytics guys, and really anyone in the industry to come together. Littlejohn, the brainchild behind Advertising for Peanuts, hopes you will express your,
…comments, insults and complaints. Whatever gets the conversation going. Whatever changes things up a bit. Whatever keeps you coming back.
The exciting part of all this is that Littlejohn has recruited an eclectic group of individuals with a vast array of expertise to be a part of this new direction.
Here’s a rundown of the new team, each of which have been assigned a different day of the week as their day to blog:
Even though the copywriters weigh in heavy on this list, the opinions are sure to be far and wide. I’m predicting this will be a great resource for marketers wanting to become familiar with how the ad world thinks and for anyone trying to bridge the gap between strategy and design. I just wish they could have pushed the analytics guy up earlier in the week. I don’t know if I will have the brainpower to read anything too deep on Saturdays.
Malcolm Gladwell has announced his return to the blogosphere after he left many of us thinking that he had left his last post on January 4th. So with 10 months to think about what to write, he is back in action (and some of you think that I am slow to post).
Gladwell’s is a big part of why I started blogging, so I’m excited that he didn’t give it up, even though at times I’m sure his blog has been a source of frustration to him.
If you want to read some deep thoughts on any and everything, in a language that you can still understand, he’s your man.
Anyways, I just thought I would give notice, since I’m sure that after 10 months he was removed from a lot of feed readers.
There is a time to preserve and a time to just throw it away and start from scratch.
Via RSS
Via E-mail 
Recent Comments