CrapHammer

Say Hello to Ellen!

I'd like to introduce everyone to a wonderful woman and a new blog that just popped onto my radar.

http://www.ellendiresta.com/

Ellen has a serious and deep background with marketing.  Nothing new there, eh?  But there's something different about Ellen.  I met her at Overlap08 - a self-organized conference at a retreat center in upstate Connecticut with a focus on Design and Innovation.  Beyond being a sharp cookie, her work is anything but top-down and her perspective on engaging customers to generate real insights was eye opening to say the least. 

In fact, she refers to herself as "an innovation and growth strategy consultant."  And the focus of her work "is connecting consumer insight to opportunities to create value for my clients."

Woot!

Here are a couple articles on her recently "gone public" blog that I recommend checking out:

• How an aversion to saying "I don't know" is killing innovation
• Innovation through storytelling

 

The Role of Serious Play in the Boardroom

I recently penned an article on my consulting blog that I thought might be of interest to readers here.

I remember my first real experimentation with play to solve a serious business problem and it occurred way back in 2001.  I was a Senior Strategist with ICE and we were working on the second largest e-commerce initiative in Canada for a packaged travel company (packaged vacations).  We had recently wrapped up a 2 months planning phase that culminated in a dangerously heavy set of bound documentation.

continue reading

I look at one of the first times I used a "Serious Play" exercise in a boardroom with "suits" and how it led to a major insight on the project.

Dancing with Matt

The Internet can shock, educate and connect us in ways we never thought possible.

But can it touch us and change who we are and what we yearn for?

[link to embedded video]

Where the Hell is Matt.  A man who is traveling the world and dancing.

What I love about this story if you check out Matt's site is that it wasn't planned or even his idea.  It was to promote a gum company.  But something much larger has emerged now.  But I'll see what you all think after watching the video.

An extra helping of dementia, please.

I've been watching a lot of socially focused PSAs of late.  And I hate to say this but most of them are dreadful.

I was just watching the one with people carrying logs around for Greenpeace and had to sigh to myself.  And then a friend sent me the following and I wanted to slap someone at Zig/Greenpeace.

Embedded Video

I wish more organizations would look for opportunities to partner with demented but talented and caring individuals like Dr. Octagon.  What an amazing piece.  But no.  Let's go and spend money putting out some more PSAs that no-one will remember.

AppleTV: Be Wary...

WARNING:  Geeks everywhere should be very wary before embarking on the path of Apple TV.  Normal people should avoid like the plague.

Everything was roses until a movie downloaded and would not play.  It refused to authorize.  I called Apple support but was informed that my 90 days of complementary support had passed.  If I wanted to speak to someone I would have to buy a $60 extended applecare warranty.  Frustrating, but hey.  I shelled out the cash. My apple tv was worth it, no?

Cut to the chase, tech support had me reset my device to factory defaults. This is after spending a total of 15 hours and 4 days downloading this movie 4 times.  But no worries.  This would fix it and while it would wipe the hard drive, I was informed that I would be able to download anything I had "rented" but not played yet.

Not the case. Anything but.

Reality is that if you have a problem with something you've purchased, you have to visit the iTunes store support website and fill out a service request form at which point you will be emailed back within 48 hours.

But wait, I paid for phone service.  Yup.  But this doesn't cover anything touching the iTunes store.  And everything you buy or rent on your apple TV comes from guess where?  Yup.  The iTunes store.  So I paid $60 to end up in an email scenario and all my rented (and paid for) movies gone.

(NOTE: If you are VERY lucky and get the Canadian Call Centre, they seem to have god-like powers and will contact iTunes on your behalf. Austin: nope. India: nope.)  My last call, however, ended me at the US call centre.  Which it turns out is bad news but also where the majority of calls go.

Here's the best part.  They still weren't sure if my movies would play assuming the iTunes store agrees to allow me to re-download them.  They want me to wait 2 days for the iTunes store to respond and then call them back if it doesn't play this time.

Let's look at the process.

• DRM is nasty in even the best scenario.
• If it fails, you have to re-download (2-4 hours for an HD movie and pray this time it will work)
• Email is fine if you bought an album and it won't play.
• Email sucks tiddle shit when you are waiting to watch a movie.

Imagine having your friends gathered to watch a geeky HD movie.  And you can't.  Furthermore, you have to wait 48 hours for a response from the iTunes store.

TAKEAWAY:

Avoid AppleTV.  Great idea, but a SNAFU from start to finish when it comes to service and support.  A product way in advance of it's time and way in advance of Apple's ability to adequately support at this time.

NOTE:  If you push and pull your way through 2 separate escalations, you can achieve a level 2 support technician who can contact someone from the iTunes store.  But it took me an hour on the phone (fourth call), refusing a free shuffle and then demanding escalation four times.  The path is: general AppleTV call centre, then Level 1 Product Specialist, then Level 2 Customer Care or some such named group (who can actually do something.)

Image Source: Midnight-digital

UPDATE:  Wait a minute.  The iTunes store got back to me in only 24 hours.  But wait.  They reset my account, disabling my AppleTV AND gave me next steps for re-downloading on my computer using iTunes.  But I didn't buy it on my computer.  I bought it on Apple TV.   There is no "Authorize Computer" button on my Apple TV.  Gah!!!

Dear Sean ,

I understand you were requesting assistance by phone to resolve the movie rental error you received. I'm sorry, but the iTunes Store normally doesn't provide assistance by telephone. I'm happy to answer any questions you may have via email and I will do my best to resolve this issue for you.

I apologize that you received an error message 5103 when trying to download the movies you rented. New copies of the movies you described have already been posted to your account. You should be able to resolve it by following these steps:

1) Quit iTunes.

2) Follow the instructions in the "Remove the SC Info folder" section of this article:
http://www.info.apple.com/kbnum/n306424

3) After removing the SC Info folder, reopen iTunes.

4) Choose Check for Purchases from the Store menu.

5) If prompted, enter your account name and password, then click the Check button.

6) After the movies finishes downloading, choose Authorize Computer from the Store menu.

7) Enter your account name and password, then click the Authorize button.

You should now be able to play the movies you rented.

To make sure these steps would resolve your issue, I reset the number of authorized computers for your iTunes Store account to zero. Therefore, if you use other computers to play the items you purchase or rent with this account, you may be prompted to reauthorize those computers to play the items.

If you follow these steps and still receive error messages when trying to download the movies you rent, please reply to let me know. I will be happy to provide additional assistance.

I hope the information was helpful and that you continue to enjoy the iTunes Store.
Movies, TV Shows, iTunes U, Music, iPod Games, Music Videos, Audiobooks, Pixar Short Films, and Podcasts all available at the iTunes Store.

Sincerely,

Morgana
iTunes Store Customer Support
 

The Toad Speaks Out: Casting Your Social Media Team

For those of you who don't know the toad, or Alan Wolk for short, he's a wonderfully insightful "tradigitalist" from deep inside the agency world who tells it like it is.  The past month found me insanely busy.  To the point that I suddenly realized Alan had posted more comments on craphammer in June than I posted stories.  So I asked him to write a guest piece.  Here it is.

Something Extra

While we tend to think of “social media” as something scientific in nature, the truth is, it is every bit as subjective and dependent on executional considerations as traditional ad devices like TV commercials and print ads.

Take casting, for instance.

Casting is often what makes or breaks anything involving actors. Be it a movie, a play, a TV commercial. Or an outreach program.

That’s right- the same way the wrong chemistry between an actress and her leading man can ruin a movie, the wrong chemistry between an outreach person or evangelist and their audience can ruin a social media program.

This is less of a concern right now, when social media experts are few and far between and companies are treading carefully in the space, than it will be a few years from now when these programs have become ubiquitous and the ranks of potential talent have swelled.

The best evangelists are patient listeners who know how to engage. The type of person you’d be glad was sitting next to you on a long plane flight. They need to be able to diffuse tension, especially if they’re working for a  brand whose customer service record or actual product or service has been less than stellar.

Their personality will represent your brand: if people like them, then people will like you. It’s that simple. And that complex. You want people who are likeable. But not so likeable that they overshadow your company and your message.

Graphics are another important intangible that social media players ignore at their own risk. The right look and feel is key in all your company’s communications. Even the background of your Twitter home page. So if you’re a financial company, that means a Twitter home page with skateboard style graphics is inappropriate. But so is an undesigned solid-color background. You need to look as if you’re taking it seriously. That means designing something that tells your customers you’re thinking about them and that you know who they are. They’ll appreciate it and what’s more, they’ll feel that you “get” it.

Finally there’s language. Social media is a challenge for some, because business-speak is not appropriate in this space. People don’t want to hear your favorite buzzwords and platitudes. They want you to talk to them in plain English. Which means the English that adults speak in conversation with each other. It does not mean that otherwise sensible 40 year old middle class white people start adopting faux ghetto slang (“Yo Tweeple! Sup!”)  You remember what your dad sounded like when he told you something was “totally awesome!”

Exactly.

You need to speak to them like peers. Get your message across in a way that reflects your company. Authenticity is key here. As is a sense of humor. People want to connect with another person. Not someone who spits back pre-packaged sound bites.

Copy on things like widgets and apps is important too. This is where we need to take advantage of the skills advertising creatives have been honing for decades. Like how to write in an engaging manner. To keep copy short and sweet. To provide visuals that complement and enhance the copy, rather than merely illustrate it.

Now the ability to execute any of these elements well is not a given. They may look easy, but things like casting, good writing, design and art direction are talents. And if you want to succeed in the social media space, you’ve got to hire people who have those talents. They’re the ones who’ll give you that “something extra” that can spell the difference between failure and success.

- Penned by Alan, the Tangerine Toad, Wolk.

Image Source: wahoowins

Can't buy me love.

I've been thinking about loyalty and loyalty programs of late due to some conversations I've been having.

David Armano called this a "must watch video for marketers" and he was right.  It's a presentation by Brandon Schauer and David Verba from Adaptive Path about their new book titled "Subject to Change:".  The video is long:  An hour, basically.

I don't expect many of us to find the time to watch it.  So let me break down some of my takeaways from the last twenty minutes that were specifically addressed to loyalty programs.

• Over 75% of all customers have at least one loyalty card
• CMO of Orbitz said "If you want loyalty, get a dog."
• Loyalty has to be earned with great experiences across channels
  • Delight, anticipate needs, and provide pleasant surprises
  • Experience never lines up with how organization is built to deliver.  So it requires work.
• Peak-end rule applies
  • Basically, it's those high ("wow moments") we take a customer to that are remembered over consistency of delivery
• Critical that we have a better strategy and operational excellence at managing touch points
  • Draw from un-met needs
  • Create repeatable processes
  • Create spikes ("wow moments") at multiple points along a customer lifecycle

Brandon and David summarize their entire approach pretty early on by saying that the "Experience is the Product."  It think this is worth repeating.

"The Experience is the Product."

Shouldn't this apply to loyalty programs as well?

I'm assuming most people would agree that improving the experience and providing moments of surprise and delight would do more to engender loyalty than any card based incentive program. But this is a daunting task to implement.  A process that will impact disparate systems, groups, divisions and partners.  Something that requires a rethinking of the business from the perspective of the customer experience (inward facing) and not as it is currently structured and built to deliver (outward facing).

It is much easier to design a loyalty program around cash-back and redeemable rewards that are dangled in front of customers with the hope of influencing the desired behavior - ie: continued sales/consumption. But are the rewards used the REWARDS that really matter?  What we've learned in social networking circles is that there are many types of REWARDS that influence people to participate - status, ego, social status, good will, fulfilling experience, and more.

And so, in constructing a loyalty program I would hope to question what REWARDS are of true value to the customers/audience?

I believe quite strongly that people want more than cash rewards. Sure, I'd love a free airline ticket.  Who wouldn't. But I laugh every time I compute how much I have to purchase to get a free $500 flight somewhere.  On one of my cards, I have to purchase over $30,000 to get a $500 ticket.  I'm much more likely to wash things through this card that generate no or limited interest (business expenses) and game the system for the flight.

Shouldn't our loyalty program be a cornerstone of our evangelist program?  And by so doing, be a part of influencing and REWARDING our customers for being our customers?

Amex was running a campaign where semi-famous people were featured on ads with their dreams and desires around money and life spelled out (click on the above image to see the full size version).  Bingo.  Brilliant.  I imagine this applied to everyday card members and I get shivers.

I look forward to your thoughts.

And for anyone like Tim who came for the music.  Here ya go.

Image Source:  http://www.abouttheimage.com/

Government Engagement

My apologies for the delay in posting this.  Been a bit of a crazy week or two in my world.

Below is what Mark Kuznicki and I presented at Mesh this year regarding the Metronauts project.

| View | Upload your own

It's a look into an ongoing project that involves a veritable cast of hundreds and takes us from where transitcamp left off and into a world of citizens actively engaging government to solve larger issues - in this case, transportation for the Greater Toronto region in 2012.

We are using it to supplement an ongoing public consultation process.  A process that everyone recognizes as broken but which is required by law.  At a time when so many government groups are talking about how to change, Metrolinx is opting to learn by doing.

UPDATE:  I almost forgot.  Check out Get Shouty's awesome article on how Melbourne has launched an online consultation in wiki format.  The entire city can work together to create their plan online.