Category: Change Management

Change Management, Culture Optimization

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Southwest Props for Customer Listening – Kinda Sorta

Everyone has heard the rumors about Southwest moving to assigned seating. They gave me the impression that they were clearly listening this morning for a moment or two.

I was sent an e-mail asking me to vote on the issue (Including using my frequent flyer number to create integrity) – though the questions were not detailed and there was no comment box option. It’s clear that they are looking at a few seating options.

OK, Dave, what could they have done better? Well, for one while they sent me the e-mail the poll is not mentioned anywhere on their blog at this time and it should be. Secondly, they should have made the poll results transparent to the voter afterwards so they got the feeling their opinion matters.  But overall, props for taking the time to ask!

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Wall Street Journal Says Google “Stumbles” in Video

Today’s Wall Street Journal has an awesome article about Video ads and discusses MSN’s early dominance. The article states:

“MSN’s early success positions the portal to benefit from the explosion in online video advertising now under way. It also raises questions about Google Inc.’s ability to maintain its stranglehold on Internet advertising.”

“Advertisers say there aren’t enough ad spots to go around. A June study by McKinsey & Co. estimates that 80% of video inventory was soaked up in 2005 and that demand is likely to rise five-fold next year, outstripping current supplies. “Whenever we create more inventory, the sales force can sell it instantly,” says Rob Bennett, general manager of MSN Video. “There’s a tremendous demand.””

“Jason Zajac, general manager of social media at Yahoo, says Yahoo currently runs banner ads only on the home page of video.yahoo.com, Yahoo’s page for homemade videos, which are vetted by Yahoo editors. Mr. Zajac says that Yahoo hopes to be able to offer 15- to 30-second ads inside user-created videos soon.”

“At the same time, portals are keeping an eye on Google. The search giant stumbled in an effort to move into video early last year.”

It’s interesting to see people questioning Google’s potential in this area so early in the game. Just like mobile marketing, the premise that Google will dominate is being questioned very early here.  

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Interesting Concept – Think Customers – Not Campaigns

If they truly live what they say, it sounds like I’d like these people.

“Too many marketing organizations are still underperforming due to a “think campaigns” mentality rather than “think customers” mentality. But it doesn’t have to stay that way. To make the transition from campaigns to customers-and reap the rewards-organizations must begin by gaining a strategic focus. Using the four best practices of relationship marketing, help identify your marketing organization’s weakest link when it comes to building more profitable customer relationships and then choose the best Enterprise Marketing Management solution for filling the technology gaps. From increasing their customer IQ to bringing measurement up to customer speed, companies like BMO Bank of Montreal are becoming relationship marketing leaders, and they have the results to prove it. Think customers.”

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Yes.com Tells You the Song on the Radio

It would have been so cool if they had things like this when I was a kid. I know what some of you are saying, “Dave, they do have stuff like this and you still are a big kid!” Well my youthful appearance aside, the concept of yes.com is certainly neat. Hear a song and know the time it was played and don’t know what it is? No problem. Just go to yes.com within 24 hours and you can look it up, rate it and even buy it from Itunes if it’s available. You’ve got to like that. The rating is potentially a great example of customer listening if the feedback were to reach a critical mass. 

I would have done one thing differently in launching the site however. While it was a smart more to put the radio station access panel on a different site(many sites with two audiences fail to do this and blur their value proposition), yes.net (now redirected), to segment the customer base, they only got it partially right. The yes.com site is nowhere in the top ten for the phrase “find song on radio” and the yes.net site shows up with out a description tag. They should have launched a “coming soon” e-mail collection page for yes.com and developed a linking campaign to it as it should be the #1 Google result for the term.

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ad:tech Chicago 2006 – Developing an Integrated Local Media Strategy

Warren Kay – Yahoo!

Fred Lebolt – Chicago Sun-Times

Shawn Reigsecker, Founder and President, Centro

Marc Barach, CMO, Ingenio, Inc.

Local based online advertising will likely mirror offline advertising; becoming 1/3 of all spending over time.

Fred Lebolt – Integration must occur before local and then integrated local. Most have not begun the integration process. Audience targeted delivery.  F+B+M = A Frequency + Branding + Messaging = Audience – the integration piece. Marketing analysis to figure out integrated strategy. The second strategy is local strategy. To me it means geography. Advertisers say they want mass media at the local level. Changing these messages is work. Hard work. Having the offline piece is our greatest advantage. Client example – US Cellular, bundled offline and online campaign covering.

Warren Kay – Two sides of the equation – location and advertisers. National advertisers increasingly want to tailor – zip code, etc. Subscription based model for small businesses.
Pay for performance that is variable. National advertisers can adjust the message.  Online portal. We struggle with what is local internally. Local small businesses spend money nationally.

Marc Baruch – We are so early in this game. 98% of businesses have never purchased online advertising. There is a huge disconnect. When I think of integration, I think that is step two. Getting more people online is step one. Driving customers to a web site is a tactic, not a strategy. Pay for performance is the model for now. Before we get to integrated platforms, we need an expanded group of products. Any media is not susceptible to pay for performance adverting. I think integration is a long way off as the number of ways to do things is expanding.

Shawn Riegsecker – We are the leading provider of local media. We have access have access to over 3,000 publishers. This is a really timely topic. This is the first local panel at an ad:tech. When you think about clients, very few are truly national. How search drove advertising for the last few years, local will be doing now for the next several years. Brands want content. When I talk, I talk about national versus local, I’m not talking local versus local. I come at it form a different view. We are missing out on the largest content play available. You can’t buy the search engine front pages at the local level. To move forward, there needs to be a common platform.

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ad:tech Chicago 2006 – Disruptive Technology for Fun and Profit, Sponsored by Avenue A | Razorfish

Moderated by Dave Friedman, president, Avenue A | Razorfish Central region

Denise Chudy, Google

Marc Stephens, Michael Miller, Bruce Woolsey – Avenue A | Razorfish

This session was awesome in that they just took questions from the get go and it was a confident and free flowing session with a lot of progressive thought and positive energy in the room!  

Mark – Apple, Ipod, Itunes

Denise Chudy – Automotive – now Consumer Package Goods – General Motors is taking risks.

Michael Miller – Online properties of ATT – ATT/SBC – through Word of Mouth

Bruce Woolsey – New Media – Buzzmetrics – algorithms of data analysis – leveraging data of combinations Gatorade – Buddy TV – interactive – 125,000 friend on myspace from simpler. People are still cautious with banners.

Denise – Use Google Video

Michael – how to you measure the value of the something on myspace. Using myspace is a delicate balance.

Mark – It will continue to evolve.

Michael – Dremel – don’t try to replace fragmented discussions.

Bruce – Get over the fear. It’s done. More ways to engage with consumers!

Denise – build the niche audience. Movie studios are getting word out quickly.

Audience – How do I make fragmentation my friend?

Bruce – Mobile media. You don’t need to be yet. 18 months from now, it is going to be different. Do some test marketing with Mobile.

Audience – Where do you see marketing going?
Bruce – Evolution. People are in control. Do you really want to copy TV? (as it is dying).

Mark – Higher level of accountability points to the digital side leading it.

Michael – Percentage wise – are less than 5%

Audience – How do you see mobile marketing transforming and developing in the US?

Denise – Click to call – relevancy – short messages – testing it in Japan – Google Maps. When they are looking – not push.

Mark – Largest platform. Can’t blast things out. The industry needs to self-police this issue. Mobile is going to be powerful. Ad supported content.

Dave Friedman – Could there be ad supported content model for mobile?

Bruce – Video is going to be interesting. Advertainment. Branded applications. I can download running routes.

What disruptive technologies are getting ready to launch and create adoption?

Denise – API adoption in consumer brands.

Mark – Google Video and Youtube are game changers.

Michael – The existing forms are getting better and better.

Bruce – Advertising approaches where the consumer is in demand. Interactive video is the most powerful medium we’ve ever had to use. How does one chose that?

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Hiring from Outside Your Industry is Smart

I’m reading “Creating Customer Evangelists” by Ben McConnel and Jackie Huba (Customer Evangelists blog RIP) right now. It’s a great book and a lot of world has not fully implemented the powerful lessons of the book.

The chapters on Mark Cuban stand out in regards to the hiring of Matt Fitzgerald as Chief Marketing Maverick: “Instead of selecting a marketing person from the NBA or the sports industry, Mark consciously made a decision to hire someone from outside the industry,” Fitzgerald says. “He believed the NBA marketing community was too in-bred so [Cuban] was looking for a marketing person with a fresh perspective and ideas.”

These concepts when combined with Robert Scoble and Shel Israel’s book, “Naked Conversations” make a powerful foundation for transformation. What is needed is these parts with a dose of change management as these changes are not at all little.