Think Humongous

The Motrin Momalogues: What did Motrin miss?

UPDATE: Kathy Widmer, VP of Marketing - Pain, Pediatrics, GI, Specialty for McNeil Consumer Healthcare just responded. Her email is posted here.

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Today I’ve been watching a brand that is tried and true get put through the court of public opinion. Oh, Motrin, how did this happen? As a mother, I’m irritated by your Momalogue videos. As a lifelong marketer I feel for you and your ad team.  

So what went wrong? For me, Motrin missed in three key areas:

 

Motrin underestimated my personal values: Despite a culture that may trend toward appreciating cynicism, sarcasm and irreverence (think Saturday Night Live election coverage) for many mothers having a baby instills a new found sense of sacredness and selfless sacrifice. Motherhood redefines love. Sanctity, selflessness and love are values that trump cynicism, sarcasm and irreverence which make up the creative basis for the Momalogues.

 

Motrin did not earn the right to assume a personal relationship with me: While moms can laugh with each other as women who have shared experiences, Motrin the corporation is not in a position to assume that role. The Motrin website says “The MOTRIN Brand wants you to know we feel your pain.” A brand cannot feel my pain. And it is even more unbelievable because the  brand is engaged in contrived sarcastic monologue about how I tote my baby. The first rule of empathizing with a woman; never say, “Oh, I know how you feel.” Especially if you are a corporation talking.

 

Motrin went half-way on the Momalogue execution: I’m in marketing and there are usually two reasons you don’t use on camera talent. It’s too expensive, and if the campaign is global, it’s too expensive to translate. The voice over and animated words make the ads even more impersonal for a topic that is highly personal. If those commercials were delivered in a dialogue by real women, and perhaps a comedian who was a new mother, with a few copy changes they might have passed. But in this execution? No way.

 

The lesson? When it comes to motherhood, and especially if you’re going to claim to know my pain, you better go for the aspirational values. As a Mom I will believe in the people and companies that remind me to take care of myself so that I can give the best to my children and family.

 

(Get a list of blogger comments about this here.)

Microsoft Surface Improves Retail Customer Experience

During the past month, I’ve been following Wirestone’s user experience and development team who are developing several retail applications on the Microsoft Surface. During this process, it has been become evident that it will be the retailers that understand the importance of experience-based differentiation that will explore how they can use the Surface platform to influence, sell to and service their consumers.

 

Unlike single-user, touch kiosks and point-and-click web in-store experiences, the Surface enables consumers to have a much more compelling, social and branded shopping experience. A table approachable from any side, the Surface removes physical boundaries, like the mouse and keyboard, and encourages people to interact with the experience together at the same time. Because the Surface interface is based on touch, every time a finger, hand or physical object interacts with a Surface, a response occurs making the experience feel alive and natural.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Surface takes retail technology to a whole new level because it is able to recognize and read objects (such as product tags and other objects) to start, facilitate and add to the exploration of a product or group of products. In looking at the applications Wirestone created, it was interesting how much more natural it was to search through large product selections and customize and configure products, using object recognition on the Surface.

 

Based on the application I’ve seen for retail applications, it is clear Surface customers will see several advantages to the platform:

• Increase customer engagement through a very friendly and addictive touch interface that tells your brand story while it sells

• Create rapport and build relationships between customers and employees because it enables playful and collaborative conversations around products and services

• Improve and simplify the shopping experience for products and services that have customization, compatibility or configuration options

• Place sell up options in front of customers in a compelling and persuasive way

• Increase reach by placing a Surface – an immersive brand and product experience – where customers gather, which may not always be in a traditional retail location

Because of these advantages, retailers should think about how to fundamentally improve

• Are there consultative transactions that would be better served sitting in lounge chairs around the Surface?

• Is it more productive to conduct traditionally multi-shopper experiences such as signing up for gift registries, buying a car or designing a house around a Surface?

• Would consumers buy more products (electronic gadgets, culinary products, etc.) if they were shown when and how to use them?

• Is there a segment of customer that would prefer an exclusive or private showcase shopping experience

The Microsoft Surface is giving retailers unique opportunities to redefine the shopping experience, improve customer engagement in the store, and most importantly increase the revenue at checkout.

 

Microsoft ad is GENIUS! Finally, Microsoft, finally.

Microsoft’s new “I’m a PC” commercial is simply genius. Regardless of whether you’re a PC or Mac person, the ad is brilliant.

 

For starters, the ad is a great “Aikido” move. In Aikido, the person being attacked redirects the force of the attack rather than opposing it head-on. Microsoft took the attack of the PC stereotype, a position that Apple has energized, and redirected the energy into celebrating the diversity of its own customers.

 

In addition, the Microsoft ad takes the higher road and in some ways makes the Apple ads – particularly those of late – seem a little snarky.  Microsoft elevated the conversation by busting through stereotypes and generalizations and delivering a message of power in diversity and strength in numbers. In this day and age, this is arguably a powerful message.

 

And finally the ad serves as a rally cry to PC users and gives them a platform for a little PC-pride. Microsoft has a big base of consumers to tap and this ad cleverly has fellow consumers issue the rally call, not Microsoft; smart for a company that is often perceived as the resident bully.

 

It remains to be seen if PC users will rally and how that translates at the cash register in terms of market share and staving the growth of Mac users. But it is a very, very good start and ad strategy at its best. Game on!

 

 

We Might As Well Win

Every now and again, a book comes out whose chapter titles alone are a good read and serve as excellent reminders for situations we face in everyday life. Johan Bruyneel has done just that with his book, “We Might as Well Win.”

Bruyneel was Lance Armstrong’s team director through his record seven straight Tour de France victories. In his book, Bruyneel puts everything he’s learned about winning in a fast-paced, easy read with great behind-the-scenes views into the rise and domination of Armstrong’s cycling career.

In the first part of his book, Bruyneel writes about what he learned from winning:

1. Follow Your Heart – But Bring Along Your Head
2. It Starts with Belief
3. Leave some Dents 
4. Do Whatever It Takes to Communicate
5. To Earn Confidence, Confide
6. Bluff When You’re Weak – And When You’re Strong
7. Lose a Little to Win a Lot
8. Recruit Too Much Talent
9. Trust People – Not Products

In the second part of “We Might as Well Win” where Bruyneel talks about what he’s learned from losing, the chapter headlines continue to serve as the mantras for developing a winning psychology:

1. “Lucky to Stare So Boldy at Loss”
2. When Failure Is Inevitable, Limit the Damage
3. Find a Victory in Every Loss
4. If You’re Breathing, You Still Have a Chance to Win
5. Build the Foundation of Victory During Defeat

In the opening of his final chapter, "Winning Leads to Winning," Brunyeel writes, "From the smallest vistory at home to the most public triumph, every win of your life might be the one that really ends up meaning something."

"We Might As Well Win" is a great quick read whose chapters are the sign posts for plotting the road to success. Visit Bruyneel's website.

Scour - Social Search with Benefits

I’ve been using a new social search engine called Scour for my searches today.

Scour aggregates content from Google, Yahoo and MSN into one results page. It is considered a “social search engine” which means it integrates algorithm driven technology with the user community’s input to increase the relevancy of the results. In this case, Scour takes the user contributed ratings and comments and adds them to the search results. People who use Scour get points for each search, as well as for leaving comments and ratings.

Registration was quick and easy with only a few fields of information required to get started. I could have chosen to add a bunch of friends and get points from their usage in a sort of network marketing, be then ambassador way. I’ll leave that to a starving college student.

When you search, you can choose to see the Scour results or Google, Yahoo or MSN’s results. If you have preference for which search engine results to display, you’re only a click away.

The user interface is very simple and follows all the normal search conventions. I liked the way the comments and rating features were integrated onto the search results page. It made it easy to remember to leave a comment and rate the content. (Because, you know, those are worth more points!)

Speaking of points, here’s how you earn them:

• Search – 1 point
• Vote – 2 points          
• Comment – 3 points
• Friend Referral – 25% of each friend’s points

Beside the points, what are the benefits?

Because social search leverages human judgment to determine relevance and rankings, it should yield more current and more relevant results. However, I’ve got to believe that’s somewhat offset by the fact that there are so many unique searches conducted it would take a long time for comments and rating to really impact results. During the time I searched today, I didn’t run into anyone else’s comments. But then, it just launched.

Scour is an interesting concept – particularly for people who like watching points accrue. I guess if you’re getting the same results you’d get on Google, Yahoo or MSN, but potentially earning a Visa gift card, why not? It will be interesting to see if it gains wide-spread adoption and among what demographic. After a normal day of search engine use, I’ve earned about 90 points toward the 6,500 I need to get a $25 Visa gift card. Just 73 days of searching left!

You can check out how Scour works here:

Hello Moto

Welcome to the Twitterverse.

@MotoDeals (Motorola) joined @DellOutlet, @JetBlue and several other companies figuring out how social messaging fits into their integrated marketing, brand, commerce and customer relationship initiatives.

It’s been interesting watching different companies adopt social messaging. The best have:

• Honored that it is a conversation and that it is as important to listen as it is to promote
• Balanced promotional messaging with community oriented content by providing a peek into the human side of their company
• Kept it real – no corporate B.S.
• Regulated the number of their messages – not too many, and not too few
• Acknowledged their followers and found fun ways to engage them

Are you a company that’s used social messaging? Has it worked? Why or why not?

Connected Customer Experiences: Cirque du Soleil

When I think of outstanding, connected customer experiences, Cirque du Soleil comes to mind every time. From buying tickets on their website through their mind-blowingly spectacular productions, there is a consistent and connected brand experience.

Recently, I experienced one more brilliant brand interaction by the team at Cirque (and their street team agency).

Over 20,000 people (of which I am one) commute by large ferries into downtown Seattle during the week. Thousands of walk on and drive on passengers offload through designated areas every day, creating a narrow, focused stream of consumers.

An announcement is made by the captain on one dreary morning, “Make sure you pick up your free coffee and warm pretzel when you get off the ferry today.” …..Huh?

As heads down, serious, fast walking commuters and cars start streaming off the ferry, they are greeted by a large angel clad street team, handing out coffee and warm chewy pretzels while cavorting about playfully. During the interaction they encouragingly remind the commuters that Cirque du Soleil’s latest production, Corteo is showing in Redmond only a short drive away, and that it would make for a great evening for the family. And, “You’ll remember to reserve your tickets today, right?” Right.

I had seen Corteo a few weeks before in another city so I could immediately appreciate how the promotion created a connected customer experience:

• The angels are integral character to Corteo’s story
• The angels were delightful, fun and entertaining and pulled their audience into the promotion (much like what happens during a Cirque du Soleil show)
• The pretzels are analogous to Cirque’s performance style
• The sight of angels along the streets caused buzz, stopping power and curiosity not just among the ferry commuters, but anyone passing that area
• They located a place for the promotion that had a very high density of Cirque’s target audience
• The promotion was memorable

Which all reminds me, I've got to go find out when the next Cirque du Soleil show is in town.

Twitter? Why would I do that?

Because you’re worth it.

After explaining Twitter to numerous friends and colleagues, “You can get quick answers, get directed to great information, find like-minded people and generally stay in touch … blah, blah, blah” I finally discovered, that there is a large segment of people who don’t think they have anything interesting to say. And it couldn’t be further from the truth.

The best way to get your colleagues, friends or family onboard the Twitter train? Tell them because you’re interested in what they have to say. You want to stay in touch and know what they’re up to. You want to know what they think. That they do indeed do things that would be interesting and fun to follow. And it’s fun, easy, and quick.

I’m still in awe of the all the great information I get from all the “information DJs” spinning URLs to great blogs, vlogs and websites. But the thing I appreciate the most is the funny repartee between fomer colleagues a couple states away, getting basic insights into my client’s lives and comfort in realizing that we’re not all as different as we think.

Why Twitter? Because there are people who care about you, what you think, and what you’re doing.

Leadership Traits Versus Management Traits: Blue Sky to Black Ink

When I had my own  marketing agency some of our largest conflicts arose out of the chasm between leadership thinking and management thinking. I always find drawing distinctions between the two interesting and important. Interesting because these discussions inevitably lead to judgement about which are good traits and bad traits and important because organizations clearly need both to succeed.

In our case, the business development team was always “out there” selling blue sky thinking and then engagement opportunities came back into the company and had to turn into black ink – something we could deliver. Sales people couldn’t understand why the managers in the company weren’t excited about the business. Managers couldn’t understand why sales people disregarded process and were reluctant to bring more definition to engagements.

Drawing distinctions between management and leadership and being conscious of when you need to be the leader versus when you need to be the manager often helps reduce the tension that can exist between the two.

A few distinctions to get you started:

• Management gets things done within the existing context of an organization whereas leadership establishes and evolves the context.
• Leaders lead people and managers manage tasks. You have your leadership hat on when you’re asking people to follow. You have your manager hat on when you’re enforcing a process. In this vein, leaders speak to people’s hearts. Manager’s speak to people’s head.
• Leaders often use conflict to create change. Managers often avoid or minimize conflict because they are working within predefined systems and are focused on getting people to accomplish tasks.
• A leader’s planning horizon is longer term. A manager’s planning horizon is short term. Here, leaders look to seize opportunities and managers are typically averting risks or threats.

Look at the situations you face and determine which hat to put on. Organizations need both. The best leaders articulate a compelling vision and take people and organizations to new heights. The best managers are the glue that hold people and organization together to achieve results.

Summize - Bringing Insight to Social Networking

Twitter is great. Summize is awesome.

Summize takes all the posts from Twitter and makes them searchable. Try these searches and see what information you can glean:

• Enter the name of a company or product and see what the vocal minority are saying (for example, try Microsoft, Apple, Blackberry)
• Enter the name of people who Twitter (try some of my Twitter Peeps: @liamorgan, @guykawasaki, @marobella, or @e_winters) and see what you find.
• Enter the name of an event (for example, Microsoft Partner Conference, NECC) and find out the hot topics and where to find event blogs
• Search for topics that interest you, and you'll find like-minded people to follow on Twitter

To get a peek at the role that all this micro-blogging will play in the future of search, check out Summize Labs sentiment ratings. Check out the sentiment of a brand or product and see what the latest posts reveal. While this has a way to go, imagine a day when you search for company, product or service and can see the latest "consumer reports" and can immediately tap into people who can tell you their about their direct experience with a product.