COMMENTS FROM THE MARKETING FRONTLINE - news, views, soapbox observations and general riffs on all things public relations, marketing and communications, PR 2.0, social media, word-of-mouth and brand engagement.
Governments are not noted for their wise use of the public purse, but in the case of the Victorian State Government, its decision to spend $3 million bringing Tiger Woods to Melbourne for the 2009 JBWere Australian Masters golf tournament has been a terrific promotional investment.
Check out the photo below - that's Tiger in the green shirt and white cap, besieged by fans and the media as he hits the fairway at Kingston Heath for a pre-tournament hit-up.
The buzz in Melbourne has been absolutely crazy. The media, as one would expect, is salivating at a the slightest glimpse of the Tiger; the public - even those not remotely interested in golf - have also been gripped by Tigermania.
The PR lesson? Celebrity marketing can be an incredibly effective strategy when the right person is engaged, and then leveraged properly.
Tiger Woods ticks every box. Three million dollars might seem like a lot of cash but for the Melbourne 'brand', it's money well spent as his appearance at the Masters strongly reinforces the city's reputation as a host of world-class major sports events.
Okay. I'm a sucker for a good marketing idea. And if it's for a good cause, so much the better!
This year I have succumbed to the retro marketing charms of the Movember campaign to support awareness of men's health, specifically prostate cancer and depression.
Great cause, and the campaign, which has been running for a few years now, continues to grow MOmentum (n'yuk, n'yuk) as it edges its way from the 'cool' fringes into the mainstream proper.
If you would like to follow the progress of the PR Warrior's hairy upper lip (or even better, donate to the cause), please click here.
Word is my partner in PR crime David Park is also embarking on a similar growth path. Interesting times ahead for the firm of parkyoung!
Oh yeah, and big ups to those behind the campaign. It doesn't focus on just getting people to donate but rather, creates a talking point that involves people emotionally in the cause. Great stuff!
Grey Executive Chairman, Paul Gardner, was reported as saying that Australians based brand trust on foundations including consistency, delivery on promises and open communication.
No argument from the PR Warrior on that score!
What is your brand doing today to build trust with its customers and broader constituency?
If this week's Kraft Vegemite iSnack2.0 saga tells us anything, it's that the people are (generally) always right and brands that get it wrong need to quickly and publicly make amends if they want to remain in favour with the public.
The story so far...
Kraft created a new Vegemite product (for non-Australian readers, Vegemite is an iconic Australian brand, albeit one that is now owned by a US company).
Part of the promotion of this new product was a competition for the Australian public to name it. Kraft, cannily, launched the product in-store with the words NAME ME featured on the label. It sold heaps and some 48,000 entries were received. You could say this part of the promotion was a roaring success.
Then came phase two: Kraft's announcement of the product's new name - iSnack 2.0
Reaction was swift with the new name well and truly being held up to public ridicule and derision (and you'd have to say for good reason - let's just put it down to a momentary lapse in marketing judgement).
Anyway...
The tide of public opinion was so great that Kraft backflipped and within days had announced they'd be dropping the new name.
The company announced that a shortlist of names from the original promotion would be voted on by the people, and the entry with the most votes would become the name of the new Vegemite product.
Skeptics were many. A lot of social media chatter (traditional media journalists weighed in too) floated the theory Kraft had deliberately chosen a crap name for publicity purposes. Kraft deny it did any such thing.
The Lessons
Kraft did one thing well in particular: they listened to the public and quickly changed tack by dropping the iSnack 2.0 name.
THEY SUCKED IT UP! They took the hit and bent to the will of the people (classic PR tactic) rather than going back in to their shell like a lot of other companies would have done.
This was exactly the right thing to do.
Unfortunately, their press release smacked of defensive corporate speak (here's a sample):
"The new name simply has not resonated with Australians" - No, really? Why not tell it like it is - we made a mistake, the name sucks, and we're pulling it.
And this (in response to the allegation the whole thing has been a publicity stunt):
"We are proud custodians of Vegemite, and have always been aware that it is the people's brand and a national icon."
Guys, cut the jargon. Who talks like that (apart from inward-looking marketers)?
Another lesson: Make sure you get the domain name and Twitter handle. Others have beaten the brand to it and have had a great deal of fun at Kraft's expense.
No doubt Kraft is pissed at the level of criticism thrown at it - as my 12-year-old daughter acutely observed: "Companies hate being told they're wrong" - but under the circumstances, I think the brand has come out of this okay.
Yes, egos have been bruised and the marketing department is probably feeling a little dazed and confused right now, but the level of publicity has been huge and the new product will probably be a roaring sales success.
In true 2.0 form, the debacle reached such a level of notoriety that the wonderfully-named Epic Fail Store quickly whipped up a t-shirt to cash in on the controversy (below). Hat-tip psfk Good Ideas.
Let's face it, once you're known around the world solely by your first name, you've got to be pretty famous. A really, really hot 'brand'.
But when your name is generic - a colour for instance - then 'wow', you've obviously done something right over a significant period of time.
I'm talking about P!nk, of course, who seems to be getting stronger and stronger while her peers such as Britney Spears, Avril Lavigne and Christine Aguilera tread water.
The P!nk story continues to gain momentum as she works her way through a record-breaking Australian tour - four months, 525,000+ tickets sold, and 14th and 15th new shows announced for Melbourne's Rod Laver Arena. Amazing stuff!
So how does P!nk manage to continue an upwards trajectory into the hearts and minds of millions of consumers globally?
Impressively, she successfully manages a massive fan base - from nine and 10 year-olds and teens right through to people in their 50s and beyond. Anyone in marketing, especially the music business, will tell you maintaining credibility with such a diverse audience base is excruciatingly difficult.
She's tattooed, sexy, sassy, potty-mouthed - mums and dads would normally shield someone like that from their children, but somehow, P!nk is an exception. That's the power of a strong brand.
AUTHENTICITY AND TRUST
P!nk is nothing if not genuine. She wears her 'Hart' on her sleeve (excuse the pun!).
(Quote from fans in Herald-Sun video - I'd embed the video but News Ltd's crappy video player doesn't allow it - good luck if the link works for you - doh!)
Her original goal was pretty simple: "Be famous, piss people off". But P!nk has always had a higher cause: to inspire people to be their true selves. This comes across time and time again in her songs, videos and her interviews.
When P!nk first signed to a record company, they made her take media coaching and etiquette classes. She felt the etiquette classes were "an insult to my mother" - and the media coach left after five minutes! (refer to video interview below).
What about your brand?
Is it authentic? Does it take itself too seriously?
Does it build trust by displaying consistently transparent behaviour?
Does it have a higher cause to use as a point of conversation?
CONSISTENT OFFERING
While P!nk is unashamedly an outlandish and colourful performer, she manages to combine high-impact visuals with substance. Not too many pop idols can do that!
To P!nk, the lyrics are everything. Yes, she may pull out some pearler 'feel good' pop songs (e.g. Get the Party Started) but she's not averse to getting deep and meaningful- Dear Mr President a case in point. Or she'll use humour to get her point across (see clip of Stupid Girls below).
In concert, she's not afraid to take a risk and mix it up a bit. On her Aussie tour, kicking off with a reportedly rip-roaring rendition of AC-DC's Highway to Hell is a smart way to win over local audiences!
What about your brand?
Is it consistent in its offering?
Is it well-packaged visually underpinned by substance?
Are you willing to take a risk with your brand marketing?
P!nk 'gets' that it's all about the fans. She may be a huge star but she still manages her grassroots support movement better than most.
It's easy to be cynical when a major celebrity visits sick children in hospital. This week P!nk visited Melbourne's Royal Hospital - she's not a fan of the media circus such visits create but realises it's not about her but the kids:
"If the kids are happy to see themselves in the paper, that's all good," she was reported as saying.
P!nk's website is immersive and tailored and heavy on engagement and interactivity. For example, P!nk encourages to interact with her in a number of ways e.g.
Importantly, P!nk has numerous tailored versions of her website.
For example, the Australian version is obviously skewed towards her local tour. This means content is going to be relevant to her various audience segments, and guess what, it works!
What about your brand?
Is there a willingness to develop a dialogue with consumers?
Do you use the internet to further engage fans of your brand?
Are you happy for consumers to play around and have fun with your brand?
Here's a cool online initiative from V Energy drink that focuses heavily on engaging its young adult audience.
It's called V-Raw, and it's now in its third year. The core premise is to create a dream job
program focused on industries notoriously hard to break into – music, fashion
and design.
Rather than give in to current economic circumstances, the people behind V - to their credit - have decided to increase investment in the program, adding
new features to inspire and motivate young Aussies to follow their dream.
Check out the website here. Content includes career advice, podcasts, and exclusive music downloads provided by
Modular Records plus job opportunities across fashion, design, music gaming and film/TV.
VRaw plans to promote 35 jobs this year -- a new job will be released exclusively every
weekwith creative
companies such as Universal Music, Channel [V], Vice magazine, Modular
Records and The Glue Society.
Also, one lucky applicant will be sent overseas to gain work and life experience in a major international city.
He/she with the best idea wins! The line between marketing disciplines is certainly blurring, even more so as social media starts to work its way into the communications equation.
Yesterday's announcement of the competition's winner - 34-year-old Englishman Ben Southall - continued the high level of online and offline buzz the campaign has generated since it started months ago.
It was a "fantastic PR stunt," I heard 3AW's Derryn Hinch say in his interview with Tourism Queensland CEO Anthony Hayes.
Congrats to all involved (I'm not sure who the 'exact' owner of the idea is - Hayes said in the 3AW interview it emerged from a session between TQ's marketing team and Cummins Nitro. Like any campaign this expansive, it's the collaborative effort behind it that makes it successful). Certainly, a hat-tip for TQ for being brave enough to tick off the project!
Even the Huffington Post carried the Ben Southall story...great stuff!
Which financial institution is spending too much time 'swatting at flies' while it's currently being 'burned at the stake by the mob'?
The company in question needs some no-nonsense, pragmatic PR advice - and they need it quickly!
Why waste time trying to sue bloggers who dare criticise you when what you should be doing is focusing on rebuilding your reputation (such as it is).
Put simply, this banking group is a 'fax machine in an internet world'. From where I sit, they're detached and out of touch.
However, the good news for them is they currently have the perfect opportunity to wipe the slate clean and rebuild their brand.
Which bank am I talking about and what advice have they been given?Click here for the full post on parkyoung's In Brands We Trust blog (written in conjunction with David Park).
The PR Warrior donned the bunny suit this weekend (Easter bunny, not Hugh Hefner's version - although that would be a good look!) and caught up with some excellent reading this Easter.
What was on offer? Plenty. Here is a sample to whet your appetite (in most cases, the heading says it all)!
Charles Arthur at The Guardian has been musing on his relationship with the PR business and in turn sparked a cavalcade of comment, mainly from PRs. Here's one of them!
Talk of the town has Alessandra Facchinetti (ex Valentino) already working on Tom Ford's nascent women's line. So reported The New York Times' T Magazine from Milan Fashion Week, however, the news was broken not by the print edition, nor even by the style magazine's blog, The Moment. Instead, a BlackBerry alert posted to The Moment's Twitter account informed 100,000 followers in a single "tweet" (N.B. it now has 330,000+ followers!!).
A look at a new report by Michael Stelzner about social media marketing - apparently nine out of 10 marketers are currently using social media but most (72%) are new to the game. The report is definitely worth a look - download it here.
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