The interweb and smart phones forever changed how we buy, what we buy, where we buy .. and who we take along on our shopping adventures.
What makes social shopping work is something so simple but at the same time it’s often a challenge for brands to achieve. The Social Share. Sounds like the next viral video dance!
One of the new ways to shop is taking your virtual entourage along. Your friends can be part of your shopping experience for seconds, a la SnapChat, or participate in in-depth discussions in Google Hangouts.
For some folks social shopping is an amazing adventure. Still don't know if it's really worth the extra money for the souped up camera? You have a way to bring friends, as the marketers might say, into the purchase decision. Girlfriend, are you in a quandary about which cute dress to buy? Through a few Snapchat photos of you modeling the potential new dresses you might justify buying them all!
If after their real time feedback you still can’t decide you can always create a Pinterest board, post on Instagram or start a Facebook or Twitter conversation. Upside: lots of opinions. Downside: lots of opinions.
If you can’t find the right ‘expert’ feedback from your family and friends, well there’s always the kindness of strangers. Odd as it seems, review sites like Yelp (www.yelp.com) influence purchase from the very important, your 27th pair of black shoes to the mundane, which dryer to buy. And then there is something in the middle .. Jelly a mobile app "knowledge search" from Twitter Founder Biz Stone. (It's my new favorite time suck.) Jelly combines your social network and your friends' network.
Retails both online and offline are launching mobile apps to complement our digial shopping experiences. Reseach from Internet Retailer indicates that in 2013 consumers on both major mobile platforms increasingly relied on mobile apps as part of the shopping process.
For others on-going opinions and reviews are a confusing maze of babble often resulting in a digital nightmare. Add to the mix input from brands and you have an over abundance of expert opinions.As Jimmy Fallon might say, “ew!”
Online and offline worlds collide in creating an important 360’ customer experience. For brands that have not built a digital community of people who will pass along reviews, photos, videos to their friends, social media is just another distribution channel. I ask you... why bother to invest resources in something that your website should accomplish?
Social Savvy Tips For Brands: It’s critical to monitor what customers and prospects are saying about their entire shopping experience from digital, in-store and of course the product. Often overlooked are hidden insights in comments on your own social platforms.
With those insights gained take action beginning with thanking your customers for sharing.
Social Savvy Tip For Customers: Before you take out the plastic to make a major purchase read reviews from multiple sources. A Twitter search on a brand may turn up some interesting insights too. So many opinions, so little time.
Friday Fun is Diva Marketing's virtual happy hour from cosmos to Jack to lemonade. A waiting for the weekend 'playground' time to be sophisticated-silly. Or sometimes just plain silly.
Recently, Fard Johmar, Path of the Blue Eye, told me he liked the sometimes quirkiness of Diva Marketing and the dash of irreverence and fun -- especially on Fridays. Since life is too serious these days .. Friday Fun is back .. at least more often than not.
For today's Friday Fun, let's take a look as some slightly different, slightly off the wall marketing, customer loyalty (sort of..maybe..we'll see) campaigns and an in your face ad site.
Do the airline over-booked bump! Cha Cha Cha. Delta Airlines, my home town airline, has a new approach towards appeasing customers if their flight has been over booked. No more first to run up to the gate agent with a bag full of Dunkies or Krispy Kremes donuts wins.
Nope, when passengers electronically check in they can join an auction. People indicate how much money they'd be willing to accept to change flights. Delta, of course, will choose the lowest bidder. Question: what's the value of a "free"airline ticket and more time spent at the airport? By the way, don't bother searching details on delta.com .. no where to be found. WSJ
Your ad will change the world .. not! It's rare to find an ad copywriter who isn't in love with his own words. Rarer to find a creative director who doesn't totally believe her concept will win the next Addy, create world peace and get Jimmy Choo to name a shoe after her.
Here I come .. ready or not! Winter + Films + Boots = Fun & Games! Seems to me that as we "mature" we often loose the sense of play. Perhaps that's why marketers turn to fun & games as a means to differentiate. The scavenger hunt, a game that is centuries old, is a favorite to morph into a experience brand campaign.
The lastest scavenger hunt is sponsored by Sorel, a company known for its beautiful boots that "take care of you." I rather like that tag line.
The 2011 spin that Sorel created includes a virtual scavenger hunt through augment reality. It's complete with the social and tech stuff like QR codes and Facebook .. of course. The coolest part is the venue .. the Sundance Film Festival. Players will look for the logo bears all over the city. Maybe a photo of Robert Redford will earn extra points!
Sidebar: Why oh why don't brands include their cool social media campaigns on their websites? Home page presence above the fold would be a very good thing.
What do people do on social networks and blogs? They "talk" of course! They talk about what is important and what is mundane. More frequently, however, those conversations are directed, not to friends or family, but to the people who represent brands. These chats are about service and product concerns.
"Social (media customer) service" and the "social customer" are impacting how business is being conducted and will be conducted.
In preparation for the BlogWorldExpo panel I spoke on last week, Creating Customer Loyalty Through Social Media, I was curious to better understand the social customer's expectations of the new social media kid on the blog .. "social service."
So like any good social media diva I dropped a question on a couple of social networks:
More companies are using social media to support their customer service strategies. What are your expectations of "social service?"
30 people responded. While this may not be statistically valid research, the responses from these early adopters provide valid learnings. Many thanks to all who shared their insights.
2. Customers want to engage with people who want to build trusted relationships
Although social service may not have reached mainstream adoption, those active in the social web have come to expect to be accommodated in this channel.
I expect companies to address my needs in the channels of my choosing. - Teresa Caro.
It's a great access ramp to getting a problem solved without the typical customer service brush off; however, I think the number of people using Twitter to complain about their cable service for instance, is small compared to the number of people going through the traditional channels. - Marianne Richmond
I think many consumers (those active social media users) have come to expect a response. Smart companies have gotten out in front of the customer service through social media curve and have spoiled the public into thinking that all companies should respond that way. - Jason Falls
The benefits of social service were varied and ranged from building relationships, building trust to gaining a competitive advantage, increasing personalized service and saving money (from responses seen by others who have similar concerns).
When combined with traditional marketing, social-driven customer service can be a force for more credible problem-solving, less expensive customer service, product ideation and customer lifetime value. - Dennis Dunlap
Gives us an opportunity to answer a question or solve a problem while reinforcing in a broad forum, our willingness and desire to do so. - Brendan Hurley
Real time brand building, loyalty extending and responding time enhancer. - Jody DeVere
Responses fell into nine broad topics:
i. I Matter
Social Service comes down to one thing: treat me like a person. I am a valued customer, not just a user. - Michael Rubin
Positive, direct honesty from service provider; not just one-way marketing communication speak. - Jake Aull
Social networks give companies an incredible opportunity to make things right and retain their customers, turning them into brand ambassadors. - Elaine Fogel
Loud and clear people want to know that they are important to your organization. Notice me, talk to me, acknowledge me was the the mantra for many.
Too often it seems that social media service reflects the philosophy of George Orwell's Animal Farm .. some people are more equal than others. The more Followers, the higher your Google ranking .. the more likely you are to capture the attention of a brand.
Lesson learned: Your best customers may not appear to be social media 'influencers.'
Challenge: How do you scale social service to acknowledge all or most people who take the time to engage with you?
ii. Real People
How well they can embody your brand's spirit and use common sense vs. a script goes a long way. - Mary Hunt
For all this to happen, all staff have to know the game thay are now in. May be (probably will be) need for cultural change. Snooty waitpersons whose idea of fun is to insult the customer need nto apply. - Des Walsh
I expect a company to show the social customer service by putting a person out front, not an anonymous company reply, who understands the brand. - Rob Peterson
I would expect proactivity, not just reactivity, and a more "human" less scripted and fake exchange. - Debra Semans
As with every other use of social media, our customers expect to use this channel talking people-to-people Not person-to-logo. There is little patience with those companies that are using social service as another messaging opportunity.
Those reaching out through the social web to solve a problem or ask an important question, don't want platitudes. These people are using social media to build long-term, trusted relationships with the people behind the brands.
Lessons learned: Customers expect personal conversations that are not scripted.
Challenges: Knowledgeable people placed in positions where the exchanges take both the customer and brand values into consideration.
iii. Understand the Social Media Culture
She obviously had no idea what Twitter is. I was not submitting a complaint to BofA I was mad and I was vetting to my friends and followers. - Sally Falkow
Social media is the only strategy (yes, I do think it is a strategy, but that's another post for another day) that I know of that is built on a culture. e.g., value driven, transparency, authenticity, conversations versus messages and throw in a some passion too.
If the people participating in social media don't understand the vernacular of the platforms there is a disconnect between the brand's customer service reps and their customers.
Lessons Learned: Customer service reps engaging in social media must understand the cultural norms and response/engagement expectations.
Challenges: Providing the right training for all employees who interact with customers in all service channels.
iv. Response Time
We live in a 24/7 world. Companies simply can't wait to respond. - BL Ochman
Set the expectations by listing response time on the selected social media touch points could be a solution. - Rajesh Lawani
Social media customer service is held to a higher standard than traditional customer service channels. Customers want Fast response and problem solving. However, there is no standard to what is meant by "fast." Fast ranged from 3-4 hours to within a day.
Lessons Learned: The bar is set higher for social media responses than for traditional channels.
Challenge: In order not to disappoint, customer expectations must be managed. The extent of resources (people, processes, technology, finances) will of course, impact response time.
v. Non Presence
Some of my favs are not on Twitter or Facebook yet, or their presence is silent on those sites. I'm beginning to question their commitment to me as a customer. - Yvonne DiVita
Not engaging with your customers in the social web is beginning to hurt brand goodwill. As Jamie Turner puts it, " Using social media as a customer service tool isn't an option anymore."
Lessons Learned: Organizations that are not listening and engaging with their customers in the social web are missing opportunties to expand the brand experience and create brand champions.
Challenges: It's critical that resources are in place if you plan to scale listening and engagement in social web conversations. As important is determining who will listen, how will they listen, what will they listen for and who, how, what will they respond to in the digital worlds.
vi. Keep Promises
One time a brand did interact; they promised something that they never fulfilled so that just reinforced my annoyance with the company. - Laura Bennett
Although the social customer service tweet or Facebook status update is directed at One person thousands maybe listening. The social service channel becomes a public exposure of how your company handles problems and relates to customers. You can WoW or your can stumble and fall.
Lessons Learned: A broken promise or a brush off response can result in more than one 1 lost customer. Promises kept can result in a new brand champion who influences segments you many have access to at this time.
Challenges: Servicing the individual customer, on a personal basis while being aware of the immediate impact on many.
vii. The Social Customer
I want to bear witness to change. - Jane Genova
A Tweet reply from a real person, with an invitation to DM them for follow-up assistance. - Debbie Weil
I do expect that if they offer an outlet online, they should be able to back it up online. If I mention something in a post or a tweet - it's always nice to have them acknowledge it - even if I didn't @ them or use a #. If they ask if they can help me, don't disappear after I say yes, here's the problem. - Sue Rodman
The social client can be vastly different from a client that utilizes other channels. The issue types that are observed via social media sites also tend to be ones that are escalated and to add to that tension, now the whole world is watching to see how you answer. - Bianca Buckridee
I do not want push communications through social media channels regardless of how they set up the use of these tools internally. If you put your brand out there, you should be ready to engage on all levels. - Donna Tocci
The social customer is not only an early adopter but sophisticated in terms of understanding how to leverage technology and the social web.
Although conversations may begin online as CK Hurley says, " I don't mind moving off social platforms (such as Twitter) on to email/phone as that's many times necessary given space limitations and sometimes it's necessary due to regulated industries."
viii. Impact on the Enterprise
All the well-intentioned listening in the world won't make a difference unless you fundamentally change the way your company does business and start respecting your customers giving them a voice and a chance at a satisfactory experience. - Alan Wolk
The customer service companies that utilize Facebook Open Graph to segment their messaging will be ahead of the game in proactively using social as a service tool. - Erika J. Brookes
Customer Service Reps: As we discussed above not only will social media reps require additional training in how to communicate in the social web e.g., no messaging allowed!, but understanding the culture is as important.
Infrastructure: Are the right processes and systems in-place including cross department communication? Has the impact on resources been analyzed? Are service levels across ALL channels consistent?
Lessons Learned: Social media impacts all aspects of the enterprise especially those who have contact with your customers.
Challenges: Change in the internal culture to allow people to not only participate in the social web conversations but to empower the customer service reps to publicly respond and WoW.
viii. Companies doing it right
Dell, Southwest, Comcast, Best Buy, AMC, Marriott, Charlotte Motor Speedway, Whole Foods, Jet Blue
We're in the business of making people happy and exceptional customer service from real reps in a totally unscripted environment makes people happy. - Melissa Lacitigonola
ix. Companies doing it wrong
Bank of America, Schwab
But at the end of the day does it really matter which channel you use to service your customers? The goal is consistency across all channels. As Dan Dooley put it, "The key driver is to not distinguish "social" customer service from any other - it's all social, it's all service."
Two years ago Becky Carroll, Customers Rock, invited me, along with Tony Hsien, Frank Eliason and Brian Solis, to participate on a BlogWorld Expo panel about a fairly new, innovative use of social media. Fast forward 24-months and "social service" is on its way to becoming the new darling of social media.
As I told the packed room (thanks to everyone who attended!) in 2008 we were so innocent .. or perhaps a better word might be naive. Although in 2008, we were seeing an up-swing in the use of social networks, today participation has escalated to include segments and "tribes" that were just tip toe-ing through the social web. Add to that more shiny toys to play with like FourSquare and apps and peer-to-peer on-line engagement is on a course that will take us who knows where!
In thinking about adding social service as an additional avenue to support customer care, consider a 2-sided model: internal (company) and external (customers). Balancing expectations for both sides of this see saw ride is not always simple. However, when it comes to digital social customer service it is critical to get right.
From the perspective of the company
It's very clear that my pal Shel Israel was spot on when he told me in 2005 that social media cannot be contained in one corporate silo. Conversations that impact the brand continue to evolve on social networks.
Don't be fooled by what might appear to be seemingly casual chats. These conversations can impact brand goodwill and every aspect of the enterprise, especially those that interface with our customers.
Even the first step of a social media strategy, listening, grows more complex. There are many decisions must be reached and questions answered. Who takes ownership of the listening and of the direct customer engagement? Will you be proactive or reactive? What do those terms mean to your company? Who will take ownership of what? How will internal communication be structured? Organizations are exploring involving multiple departments. What that looks like will differ for every organization.
From perspective of the customer
I was very curious to understand what this new channel of service meant to people. Were expectations different in new media versus tradtional call centers? I dropped a question in a few social networks and received some fascinating responses. People expect a human approach not a logo response.
Although a company (or a person from the brand) may respond directly to a customer, in what may appear to be a 1:1 conversation, the brand experience extends to whomever maybe watching the exhange. The digital brand/customer service experience is more reflective of the in-person "corner grocery store" exhange versus that of eMail or the call center.
More on the Pulse of Social Service next week. In the mean time, think about what Dennis Dunlap, CEO American Marketing Association told me ..
Done well a social media customer service approach can augment strong phone, email and online support. But it requires a commitment to managing heightened expectations of customers engaging in digital channels.
Customer service has sure come along way bebe from when, in another life time, I was a rep for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Massachusetts!
Random thoughts on a late summer afternoon. How do you define a "brand
experience?"
It seems to me .. the traditional "brand experience" is evolving into what it might be more appropriate to call .. the
"human experience." It seems to me .. brand experience goes beyond the customer use of the product/service, ad messaging, PR spins or slick logos that are all wrapped up in a beautiful bow of consistency across all communication channels.
It seems to me .. that while those elements may be
important to build the structure of a brand promise, they become part of the
new brand equation. Add to that a not so minor detail of peer-to-peer
influence.
Example: What makes Zappos a great brand? It's not so much its offering of a zillion different shoe options or even the free return policy. It's the commitment to customer care which begins with its trust in its own employees. Employees are encouraged to take good care of its customers, as well as, to build people-to-people not brand-to-people, relationships from call center exchanges to tweets.
How odd it seems in 2010, to build a relationship with an inanimate
object when people (employees & customers), who are really the heart of a
brand, are out from the shadows.
Imagine this scene - You've invited me to your home to discuss my ideas that may help you .. fill in the blank .. do your job better/make a better product/write a job description, etc. You also invite lots of other people. We find our way to your house. Instead of drinks together in your living room or coffee around your kitchen table you show us to separate rooms.
Then you walk away. However, naive that we are, we assume you are listening, care about us, that we matter to you. So we happily share our creative ideas. Although our thoughts echo in our empty rooms we smile pleased to be of service to you. Every once in awhile some one wanders by and chats briefly. But rarely if ever is it you. Not even to say "thank you."
Where are you? You're sitting behind an online dashboard gathering our intellectual capital as if it were digital diamonds. No girlfriend, it's not a focus group. Or maybe it is. Maybe this is the social media version of a focus group but with less honesty and less transparency. It's called IdeaXYZ or IdeaFireStorm or My(your brand) or ShareYourIdeas ... But don't expect anything back other than the satisfaction you derive in a bit of ego boosting on a brand site with some people who might vote you up or vote you down.
Are The Brands exploiting customers in the name of "engagement?" Are we so excited that The Brands have given us a way to directly and easily express our opinions that we clamor to give mega brands our creative ideas without even expecting a "thank you" in return?
Or is this simply the way that Brands approach the interaction of social media. Is it the way they view their role in the "conversation" of social media? Is it naivety or is it digital social media ineptness on how they perceive what is appropriate to build and nurture relationships?
Social media has two aspects. The first is digital research. That simply means reading posts and tweets of your customers to better understand who they are, what they care about and what they say about your brand. I think of it as raw, informal, qualitative, real time or what should be the "first listening post" in your marketing research strategy.
The second aspect is something that is unique to social media. Other than trade shows, there are no business initiatives that I know of where marketers can hang out with their customers. Like any person-to-person exchange it's rarely structured. It can get messy and to make it work there has to be genuine interest on both sides.
Establishing an authentic presence in social media is where many
marketers fall down. "Most brands aren't doing it successfully." Shiv
Singh, vice president/global social media lead Razorfish (study)
Then there is a new kid on the block - Digital Idea Management or Viralsourcing - which seems to me a mash-up of these two concepts. Although based on the user group experience this has a stronger social media overlay. Customers are invited into a special company-based website to talk about what would make a better computer or latte or retail experience.
It's highly social since comments are open, often voting of each idea is encouraged and of course every post comes with the opportunity to be Dugg, Tweeted, Facebooked (new word) etc. One would naturally assume that the people who are on The Brand side would pop in to offer encouragement, provide feedback, say thank you. In other words to join in the conversation or as Shiv Singh says, "Establish an authentic presence." Rarely happens.
If I were a bettin' diva I would say that Digital Ideology sites will become more prevalent across industries and sectors. Maybe even to engage in real exchanges. For now it seems that companies are using it in a traditional media/marketing way.
Dell is exploring this model and sharing learnings. This presentation from Dell details their Idea Management strategy behind IdeaStorm. On slide 12 Dell outlines customer expectations as positive experience, action taken on ideas and recognition. With tactics on How To Address including: timely feedback, clear status updates, thank you mechanisms.
Happy to help you out dear brands but I expect you to join in the conversation with me and at least say
The recent rains awaken the heady scent of the lavender bush at the front of my house. I pass by it every day. I planted it several years ago but today the scent was exceptionally strong .. almost intoxicating. I had to stop what I was doing for an extra moment or two. Sometimes what we see all the time, what
is in front of us can be overlooked.
This afternoon an email popped into my in-box from a favorite dessert company - Dancing Deer - from Boston. I send Dancing Deer gifts all the time. Somehow I feel connected to the company for a number or reasons: Boston, my friends love their presents, the site is graphically whimsical, frequent coupons, they have "heart" in giving back to the community.
The subject line "Sweet deals and ice cream cookie sandwiches" caught my eye (it's summer and I'm making ice cream .. there goes the diet again!) and I opened and clicked into the site to find out more. The click took me to a blog. Way cool! I had no idea. Dancing Deer and I had yet something else in common - social media. Must be new I thought. Nope .. it's been around for several months.
I went back to the home page - no mention or link. I went back to the blog and searched a round some more. Oh my .. the owner, Tish Karter, was in Atlanta in April for the start of a 1500 bike ride"..to engage the public in a conversation about how to end homelessness." She blogged and vlogged her journey.
Awesome but why did I not know about this? I guess I missed the email? Surely I would have noticed that email. I mean come on .. Atlanta, social media, a bike ride from-to the 2 cities I've lived in. They reached out to bloggers - some of whom are friends. They never talked to me.
Now I'll tell you something that you might think is rather silly .. I felt a little sad. Isn't that odd? I've never met Tish, homeless is not my "cause" but If Dancing Deer had
reached out to its customer base, If they had told me about their blog
or that they were tweeting I might have been able to help. Not only that there would have been a significant brand experience creating not just a fan but a raving fan.
Adding social media to your communication strategy you give your customers more than an email, or a press release or even a free cookie. You are inviting them into your world beyond the spin of advertising or PR. Odd as it may sound - when you talk to your customers it becomes personal for them.
Sometimes, like with my lavender bush, what we see all the time, what
is in front of us maybe overlooked. Developing All of your strategies with your customers in mind becomes increasingly critical if you step into the world of blogs, vlogs, twitter, Facebook, podcasts .. social media marketing.
Update: 11-18-08; Kathy Widmer, VP of Marketing apologizes on the home page of Motrin. This is the follow-up post to one I wrote on Diva Marketing on 11-17-08 on how social media changed the direction of a Fortune 500 company's marketing campaign.
As is always the case in a slide down the slippery slope of social media, there are lessons we can take away from the Mortin Moms Social Media Case Study. I've reached out to Bonnie
Jacobs, VP Communications and Kathy Widmer, VP of Marketing at McNeil
Consumer Healthcare offering Diva Marketing as one platform to tell
their story. (Btw .. would not be surprised to see someone from the
Morin marketing team making the conference rounds.)
The influence of "just" a few thousand people changed the marketing
direction of a Fortune 500 company's multiple channel advertising
campaign (McNeil Consumer Health is a division of Johnson and Johnson). Within hours of social media conversations a website had
been taken down and put back up with an apology. Plans were in the
works to pull print ads and perhaps other initiatives that were set to
launch were halted.
Listening to, what went beyond the sentiments of "just" a few
thousand bloggers or tweeters, but perhaps reflected a signification segment of Motrin's target audience, may have
saved the company some hefty dollars in terms of ultimate goodwill and
stopped the ooze of brand erosion before it could spread further online
and off.
The social buzz is that the brand team could have responded faster. Perhaps. But for their actions to a Sunday Social Smackout McNeil Consumer Healthcare gets a gold star from Diva Marketing.
In trying to understand what happened, we don't have a lot to go on .. We don't know what research went on prior to the launch of the campaign. We don't know the infra structure or
the communication that most certainly flew from site to site to phone
to office meetings. We don't know when Mortin's marketers begin to
"listen" in on the tweets and blogs or when they first found out. Nor do we know when the decision
was made to send the letter to Amy Gates at Crunchy Domestic Goddess and why Amy and who else received Kathy Widmer's email.
We
can only guess the impact that this had and will continue to have on the human
resources at McNeil Consumer Healthcare and their marketing parners as they execute their new strategy. We can assume that it will cost a pretty
penny in terms of dollar investment.
We also don't know the end of the story. Or perhaps it is really the beginning of the story. What lessons did the Morin marketing team take away from the Mortin Mom's Sunday Social Smackout?
What counsel is their agencies giving? Will they embrace the women and men who
Helped them avoid an even bigger blow-up? Will they participate in the
social media conversations? Currently Motrin's people are messaging one-sided .. there is no dialogue that I can find.
Morin's social media experience reinforces that social media marketing is a complex, multi-faceted strategy.
It is critical to have strong communication systems in place that integrate muliple departments: marketing, PR, customer service, legal, sales, operations, etc.
It is critical to listen and participate in your customers' online exchanges.
It is critical to be humble.
The end game to this post: There is value in the asset: Mortin Moms. Mortin marketing team .. what will you do with that one?
Sidebar: Thanks to Mark Story for posting the updated Mortin website.
Subtitle: Motrin'sWe Feel Your Pain Ad Campaign Targeted To Moms: Proof of the Influence of Social Media
Background
Today sipping my morning coffee I clicked into Twitter and was intrigued by a tweet from @chrisbrogan.
What I found was a video that was apparently an element of Motrin's We Feel Your Pain campaign that was targeted to moms. <the link to the page has been taken down>
Script: "Wearing your baby seems to be in fashion. I mean, in theory it’s a great idea. There’s the front baby carrier, sling, schwing, wrap, pouch. And who knows what else they’ve come up with. Wear your baby on your side, your front, go hands free.
Supposedly, it’s a real bonding experience. They say that babies carried close to the body tend to cry less than others. But what about me? Do moms that wear their babies cry more than those who don’t. I sure do! These things put a ton of strain on your back, your neck, your shoulders. Did I mention your back?! I mean, I’ll put up with the pain because it’s a good kind of pain; it’s for my kid."
Situation
Surfing over to #MotrinMoms (a summary of tweets tagged with #MotrinMoms) I was overwhelmed. At that time there were 65 pages, with 15 tweets per page, or 975 posts. I can only imagine what the team at McNeil Consumer Healthcare, a division of Johnson and Johnson, must be feeling.
The majority of tweets were from moms who were Passionately outraged about the video. They felt hey and their babies were being disrespected.
So passionate that Mamikaze designed t-shirts, mugs, buttons and bags for sale at CafePress. So passionate that Katja created avideo of what she felt was should have been the message. In social media style it was uploaded it to YouTube. Before this post went live there were 2014 views.
People are wondering ..
Solutions
So .. I've been thinking .. if McNeil Consumer Healthcare were a social media marketing client how would I advise them?
First I'd say, especially to Bonnie Jacobs, VP Communications and Kathy Widmer, VP of Marketing - McNeil Consumer Healthcare - take a deep breath and be prepared for some long nights.
Second I'd say "listen" to the angst of what should be the community of Motrin Moms.
Sadly, you will learn that you have lost some customers.
You will learn what went wrong for these moms and how they felt.
You will learn from women who were so upset that they took online, tweets and blog posts, offline to main stream media, advertisers and friends.
You will also learn from women who generously offered ideas on what McNeil Consumer
Healthcare could have done with the campaign that would have added
value and increased brand appreciation.
Laura Fitton aka Pistachio wrote a detailed post that includes a few lessons for the Motrin marketing team:
But
not tuning in while you launch a new tactic borders on gross
negligence, in this day and age. Rolling out a new tactic is THE most
important time to lend an ear.
The
lesson here for corporate America? This didn’t have to happen. All you
have to do is ask and Moms will help — with your creative, your
research, your buzz.
Third, I'd say join the conversation sooner than later. That is the challenge.
Neither Motrin or McNeil Consumer Healthcare have a presence in social media. However, there is the Johnson & Johnson blog - JNJ BTW and the social networking community Baby Center where they could tell their story. Perhaps Twitter is an option .. if they can put people resources against it
How do you reach out to over a thousand people who have written about you? Do you invite a handful of mommies to corporate headquarters and wine and dine them? How do you determine the "influencers?" No matter who you tap there will be hurt feelings.
How do you give back to a community? Maybe you make amens by identifying moms in need. Maybe you do something Big that is Important. Maybe you ask the community's help in identifying what that should be.
The big lesson that we continue to learn
Not stepping into social media especially when a significant, vocal, powerful segment of your market .. IS stepping into social media.
“It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change." Charles Darwin
Update: McNeil Consumer Healthcare Responds to Amy Gates, Crunchy Domestic Goddess. Amy posted the email:
Dear Amy -
I am the Vice President of Marketing for McNeil Consumer Healthcare. I have responsibility for the Motrin Brand, and am responding to concerns about recent advertising on our website. I am, myself, a mom of 3 daughters.
We certainly did not mean to offend moms through our advertising. Instead, we had intended to demonstrate genuine sympathy and appreciation for all that parents do for their babies. We believe deeply that moms know best and we sincerely apologize for disappointing you. Please know that we take your feedback seriously and will take swift action with regard to this ad. We are in process of removing it from our website. It will take longer, unfortunately, for it to be removed from magazine print as it is currently on newstands and in distribution.
... life just happens. However, every once in awhile when you round a corner, when you least expect
it, you bump into something that causes you to pause. No where is that
more magical than in New York City.
Big bronze pennies leading to whimsical art, created by local sculpture Tom Otterness, was one of the many little surprises that my friend Kate introduced me to during our walk along Rockefeller Park (Battery Park City) this weekend. I found it interesting that the name of this wee park is The Real World but the children call it Penny Park. I couldn't help but think .. what's real and what is play and how as adults we loose our sense of wonder and miss the moments of delight.
It's only a description of what I see in New York: the constant clash between people walking on the same street, living in the same world. I see small vignettes of meaning, but the connection between the events is beyond my understanding. Tom Otterness
Later that night Otterness' words would ring true for me. In a NYC taxi my aunt lost her purse. Panic set in as she was told by the 311 operator that due to the holiday weekend no one would be able to help her for 7 long days. Her lost money and cell phone were not so much a concern as her identification. How much of a hassle would it entail to get through TSA security? Life can be so complex.
The cabbie had found her purse. Taken the initiative to call several people from her phone list who in turn called family who was with my aunt. Happily ever after occurred when this good samaritan took time out from his job to return her pocket book.
I see small vignettes of meaning, but the connection between the events is beyond my understanding.
What might this have to do with marketing, or branding you may ask? In my way of thinking it is a reminder that be it taxi rides or art it's the people who we touch .. who we connect with who matter. For me social media marketing is making that happen more so every day. Because business is personal.
