dissecting experiences with a critical eye
I took a slide by David Armano, and spun it differently, as a way to illustrate how brands use spokespersons, instead of their own customers. And showcase the individual, rather than the community.
What Brands Do:
(use spokespeople, rather than real people)
What Brands Should Do:
(take consumers, and put them front and center)
Check out a presentation I made called “Brands Are People” for more thoughts on this.
At least that’s what they need to become. Because today, most brands are like corporations — stogy, slow, monolithic… Many consumers might love a certain brand, but the brand rarely loves them back. And that needs to change if brands are going to stay relevant in today’s social web world. It also needs to change because well… companies just need to be nicer.
Now look at me talking in these fluffy terms: “brands should love” … “companies should be nice.” What biz exec will take that advice over quarterly earnings?! One that believes today’s companies’ most important asset is their brands, and that consumers make or break a brand’s worth and value.
So with that in mind, I created a framework called PEOPLE to help companies think about their brands as living beings. The PEOPLE framework has six key principals:
This framework is very basic — and meant to be that way. So it can be easily digested and internalized by executives as a guide for helping their decision making and strategy.
I’ve made a presentation of this framework. You can view it online. I’m hoping you’ll enjoy it. And if you do, please tell others — maybe I’ll get to present it for real sometime. :)
And with the “O” of the PEOPLE framework in mind, here’s some more about my reason for creating this presentation. I’m in the very early stages of starting my own consultancy called 9teen9d creative research (as in consumers born around the year 1990).
Before even making a web site for the firm though, I wanted to establish some thought leadership out there around the social web space. The “P.E.O.P.L.E” framework is that first step.
I’d appreciate any thoughts or gut reactions you have… be OPEN! :)
Viral microsites don’t adhere to the same usability and user experience rules as transactional, corporate dot com sites. But they still should be understandable even in an isolated context. Why? Because you never know how a consumer will enter a viral experience. Which is why I’m so frustrated with this microsite, part of a larger viral campaign that includes YouTube videos, a MySpace and a Facebook profile.
Whitegoldiswhitegold.com, a new microsite for the California Milk Board by Goodby, Silverstein & Partners. The site features a kitschy white-haired rock god who I’m guessing got that way from enhancing his rock & roll mojo with the greatness of milk.
The site’s production value is similar to what Sir Michael Phillip “Mick” Jagger probably sees when he’s on massive amounts of amphetamines. Stunning visuals with a fantastic aesthetic of white gold hues, awesome quality video and hysterical lyrics to a rock ballad.
But this site is one of the lamest things I’ve seen in a while, because it is a fantastic example of advertisers creating ads for themselves, not for consumers. So, here is a letter to the editor, so to speak. Goodby+Silverstein, you’re welcome to respond:
Dear Execs At Goodby, Silverstein & Partners,
Stop wasting your talent, time and your client’s advertising dollars on microsites that may win awards, but will only frustrate consumers and distotore brand impressions.
Your new site made me giggle. However, the experience provided no clear call to action or value on the onset, and nothing to prompt users to share it with others. Loosely integrated, disjunct viral campaigns don’t work — people want continuous, progressive experiences.
One can only assume you see your client’s target audience as some sort of “milk enthusiast,” stark-raving mad for digital marketing. Is it?
Sincerely,
- Ross
In Johnny Mnemonic, the Keanu Reeves rendition of William Gibson’s awesome sci-fi short story, basic social interactions are performed by cyborgs or machines. And in a Clockwork Orange, machines serve “milk” at bars — no more bartenders.
So does the future of service industries hold just vapid, emotionless interactions?Hells no.
Bruce Temkin wrote on his blog that, despite what a Time Magazine articles says is a top trend, customer service isn’t dead yet. And i agree with Bruce.
In fact, human-to-human interaction is becoming more critical for brands to differentiate and compete on the experiences they provide. The human element is unreproducible by a Web site or phone agent.
Case and point: Starbucks is bringing back in-store coffee griding. They took it away because it added noise pollution to the cafe atmosphere, but the aromatic effect of fresh ground coffee was lost. Schultz probably realized that this made Starbucks feel less real, and decided that engaging customers’ senses is critical to providing a unique experience.
Here’s the scoop [via USAToday]:
“Coffee again will be freshly ground and scooped in most U.S. locations so that the stores smell like coffee shops again.
Starbucks (SBUX) CEO Howard Schultz will announce that big “back-to-the-future” change — along with several others — at Wednesday’s annual meeting in Seattle.
Think of this as a hobbling Starbucks’ annual checkup.
Schultz — acting as both doctor and patient — will try to convince shareholders that he can fix what ails the chain. In an exclusive interview with USA TODAY, he made clear that a key first step is grinding beans for brewed coffee, reversing the switch to sealed bags of preground coffee that barely got time to breathe before use.”
Converse is producing a line of custom Kurt Cobain Chuck Taylors. I’m sure these shoes will sell with a hefty mark-up, and make Converse a pretty penny. But as a Nirvana lover, this bothers me.
Not to mention the negative impact to the converse brand could be significant, if loyal Nirvana lovers see this as diluting and destroying the legendary and sacred Cobain name.
After all, this man was is a rock gawd, and still is… So, sell a few shoes, but lose a legion of fans?
IMHO: Posthumous endorsements are lame. Converse … stick in the world of the living. It’s less risky and more relevant.
Enough about us being in a recession people. There’s so much talk as though we are already in one, and about what tactics to take as a result. But yet no one is talking about WHY or HOW we we got here. And how we will get out. Josh and Charlene from Forrester have their ideas, and I totally agree, not just as a Forresterite, but as a consumer.
We all might be pinching pennies in an economic downturn, but we’re all going to have the same amount of free time, and the same desire for entertainment and communication. And where’s the easiest place to go to fulfill that need? Online! Josh and Charlene describe this as the difference between advertising dollars that build awareness (traditional) vs. ad dollars that build consideration (interactive).
In an economic downturn, social networks, interactive campaigns, and brands that participate in conversations, rather then try to market messages, will succeed.
There are other things to keep in mind as well. Here are some ideas I’d like to add to the Recession To-Do List:
Ever hear of the faux-kids TV show Wonder Showzen? Probably not. It aired on MTV2 for two seasons, and like some other great “before their time” comedy shows, was canceled to much dismay.
But the show could live on, if a smart, youth-focused brand (Pepsi? Vans?) developed the characters from the show into a brand spokesperson. For example, if Vans was to take the amazing hand-puppet character Clarence, and have him interview famous pro skaters or teen/20 something celebrities, and post viral videos on microsites and You Tube… it could be hot. Much hotter than that Caveman character, which my colleague Kerry Bodine and I commented on in a report on Desirability.
See for yourself…
Hi, my name is Ross and I’m a design strategist, and I'm passionate about studying how audiences connect with products and ideas. I've worn many hats: a market researcher and consultant at Forrester Research, a game designer at Harmonix, a grad student at Carnegie Mellon's Entertainment Technology Center, a composer and teacher at New England Conservatory. You can reach me at ross.spw@gmail.com, or follow me on twitter.
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