nFusion recently sponsored the 2012 Social Summit presented by Bazaarvoice and I had the pleasure of attending the event for the first time. I was struck by how major marketers have embraced the power of user ratings and reviews, not only for helping customers make decisions but for getting feedback on which products may have issues. If you missed the event, videos are now posted at http://summit.bazaarvoice.com/session-videos/.

Bazaarvoice Social Summit 2012, Austin, TX

If you can’t watch all of the videos, these are my three favorite sessions:

1. Information is Beautiful by David McCandless. David is a visual journalist and tells stories by turning data into infographics. His approach got me thinking about how to tell complex stories more simply. Never has the idiom “a picture is worth a thousand words” been more true.

2. Social Data: The Genome of Your Business. This session is a great overview of how social data is being used to improve marketing effectiveness. Presented by several Bazaarvoice executives, this session is a good crash course on what is possible in the world of social commerce.

3. Building Engagement: How to Foster Strong Consumer-Brand Relationships by 3M’s Raj Rao. Can a big company really embrace the possibilities of using social data to be more innovative and responsive? Raj shares how the 3M team taps the power of customer feedback to move the giant company forward.

How is your company turning user ratings, reviews and peer support into competitive advantage for your firm?

This is a post from Marketing Has Changed by John Ellett. Subscribe to my feed.

Highlights from Bazaarvoice’s Social Summit

(I originally posted this on Forbes.com CMO Network in early October.)

This week we lost one of the true marketing geniuses of our lifetime. For much of my professional career (IBM PC, Dell, Power Computing) I competed against Apple. While Steve Jobs was the chief executive officer there was no doubt he was also the chief marketing officer as well.

Image by anredchinn via Flickr

There are three things that he and Apple did better than anyone and I’ve tried to put them into practice whenever possible.

1. Make things easy for customers: Apple has been legendary for its focus on “ease of use,” and the company has pioneered many great products with this mission in mind. But making products and services easy for customers to have a great experience should not be limited to technology firms. Banks, hospitals, insurance companies, auto makers and airlines could learn this lesson from Steve.

2. Develop “whole products”: For years Apple was criticized for the “closed” system approach it used for its Macintosh computers. By controlling the hardware, operating system and many of the peripherals, Apple made the Mac easy to use, but also much more expensive. This ultimately limited the market share for the Mac. However, this whole product philosophy was critical to the success of the iPod. Steve not only envisioned a highly portable music device, he pioneered a new and fair pricing model for music that was made available through the iStore. The music could easily be managed through iTunes, and this combination of iPod, iTunes and iStore transformed how we buy and listen to music. It also reignited the Apple brand and paved the way for the highly successful iPhone and iPad.

3. Create a beloved brand: Few brands have as many passionate fans as Apple. This brand fanaticism has been a result of not only lessons #1 and #2 but also the consistency with which the company communicates. Every touch-point in a consumer’s experience has been executed with the same visual identity and simplicity. From product packaging and advertising to the website and retail stores, the Apple brand has been clearly and consistently delivered. Steve would have it no other way.

While we mourn the loss of a real pioneer, let’s be grateful that Steve Jobs had the vision and courage to show us all how marketing could be done. For me that will be his enduring legacy.

This is a post from Marketing Has Changed by John Ellett. Subscribe to my feed.

Marketing Legacy of Steve Jobs

Samsung Central Station for mobile

If you are like me, your smart phone has become an indispensable companion. And it is changing the way we make purchase decisions. Whether getting real-time information on product ratings and reviews, finding directions to the nearest retail outlet or scanning a QR code to learn more before you buy, mobile devices are becoming integral to the buying process.

We recently helped launch a mobile microsite for Samsung’s Central Station (type http://samsungcampaigns.com/centralstation into your smart phone’s browser to check it out). Our data is showing more and more business decision makers are exploring information from their mobile devices, so having content formatted for that experience is very important.

Consumers are even more actively using smart phones in the shopping process. Here’s a good report with more insights from GS1 if you are interested in the many ways mobile devises are reshaping retail experiences.

This is a post from Marketing Has Changed by John Ellett. Subscribe to my feed.

How smart phones are changing the way we buy

If you were like me and millions of other attentive golf fans who followed the U.S. Open this past week, you were treated to a performance of historical significance. Young Irishman Rory McIlroy broke just about every tournament record there was and endeared himself to fans around the world in the process. As marketers, there are three things I believe we could learn from Rory (@mcilroyrory).

1. Focus on solid execution, not heroics: With the exception of a hole out from the fairway on Thursday and a near ace at #10 on Sunday, his rounds of golf were brilliantly boring. No miraculous Seve-like saves, just solid drives, approaches and putts. Companies like Amazon, Southwest, FedEx and BJ’s Restaurants know that the way to be a great company is to deliver on your promise every time. This takes discipline to train people and to manage execution superbly. At this U.S. Open, Rory was disciplined.
2. Be accountable for your mistakes and learn from them: At this year’s Masters, Rory blew a four shot lead on the final day of the event by shooting an embarrassing 80. After the round he was gracious with the media and acknowledged he “wasn’t ready to win a major yet.” No excuses, just acceptance. Over the next weeks he not only reflected on what he could learn from the experience, he reached out to golfing legends Jack Nicklaus and Dave Stockton, among others, to get their insights. When faced with a similar lead this weekend, he was ready. Unfortunately, organizations like FEMA, BP and Enron never learned the lessons Rory did. Domino’s Pizza did. The company learned that its pizza was sub-par (not a good thing for pizza) and not only accepted that fact but openly admitted it and responded appropriately. The performance of the brand has been stellar ever since.
3. Character matters: I discovered Rory a few years ago during a trip to Northern Ireland. He was still an amateur at the time and a local television station ran a profile of the Holywood prodigy. I was impressed not just with his golf game but with his character. He now serves as an ambassador for UNICEF, he was gracious in defeat at Augusta and humble in victory at Congressional. To have tens of thousands of American fans chanting “Rory! Rory!” for a member of the European Ryder Cup team is a testament to the way he has handled himself off the golf course. They were cheers for Rory the person, not just Rory the golfer. Many brands are starting to get this, including Tom’s Shoes, Pur Water Filtration and Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream. Character in a brand can’t be faked or it will ultimately backfire. Rory appears to be the real deal.

How is your company applying these lessons? Which of the three lessons is the hardest to learn?

This is a post from Marketing Has Changed by John Ellett. Subscribe to my feed.

3 things marketers can learn from Rory McIlroy

Last week, I shared a quote from the CEO of PF Chang’s China Bistro:

“If you are going to open up a dialogue with customers, you better show up to the conversation.”

So when I saw an article in Nation’s Restaurant News entitled, “Speed matters when it comes to Facebook,” I began to wonder how well companies are actually conversing with their customers. According to a study by Expion, which was published in the article, there are wide variances in the speed and frequency with which restaurants respond to comments posted on Facebook.

Opinions vary from one restaurant to another about what percent of comments they should respond to.

“We think nearly everything warrants a response,” said Chris Arnold, spokesperson for Chipotle. “For a company like ours where so much of the marketing is driven by word-of-mouth and things that feed word-of-mouth, these platforms are really great tools to use.”

KFC and Panda Express clearly exhibit a different philosophy.

This leads me to pose five questions for which every company should have answers:

1. What is our desired response time to comments on Facebook, Twitter and other social media platforms?
2. Should our desired response time vary by platform and type of comment?
3. Which types of comments warrant a reply and which types do not?
4. What is our actual response time and response quality?
5. What will be our systems and resourcing plan to achieve our desired responsiveness goals?

Companies that operate call centers to interact with customers have all these questions answered and have standardized metrics and procedures in place. It’s time to bring the same discipline to interacting with customers via social media.

How many of the five questions can your company currently answer?

This is a post from Marketing Has Changed by John Ellett. Subscribe to my feed.

How fast should you respond to comments on Facebook?

One of my highlight’s from this spring’s SXSW Interactive conference (#sxswi) was a discussion I had with Julie Hamp. In her role as SVP, Chief Communications Officer at Pepsico, she sees first-hand both the challenges and opportunities associated with social media.

She is quite candid about the difficulties of integrating all touch-points, including social media engagement. But she is bullish on the power of  “dynamic engagement loops” and the ability to use real customer feedback via social media to shape company decisions.

Here, in her words, are her insights (and my poor cinematography).

This is a post from Marketing Has Changed by John Ellett. Subscribe to my feed.

Pepsico’s Julie Hamp on integrating social media

Last week I was fortunate to attend the annual conference of the National Restaurant Association’s Marketing Executive Group in Chicago. There were several great speakers from inside and outside the industry. Here are some of my favorite quotes (or paraphrases) from the event.

1. Howard Putnam, former CEO of Southwest and Braniff Airlines: “Turbulence is inevitable, but misery is optional.” Quite appropriate for the economic mess we’ve all been trying to navigate.
2. Scott Davis, chief growth officer at Prophet and author of Shift: “Insights are the new currency for marketers.” This certainly highlights the important role marketers play in bringing actionable customer insight to the table to guide their companies’ actions.
3. Lane Cardwell, CEO of PF Chang’s China Bistro: “If you are going to open up a dialogue with customers, you better show up to the conversation.” Lane highlighted the all-to-common problem of rushing in to social media and then leaving it unattended. This leads to frustrations among the loyal customers you were trying to engage.
4. Amber Mac (@ambermac), author of Power Friending: “Drive people home; don’t forget your website for social media.” She echoes our belief that consumers are still finding value in well-executed websites. Facebook pages on their own are just not enough.
5. Russell Weiner, CMO of Domino’s Pizza: “To be transparent, allow consumers to double-click and go deeper.” He put this into practice by creating a website to share candid videos about the restaurant’s Pizza Turnaround.

What tasty quotes have you seen or heard lately?

PF Chang’s China Bistro: “If you are going to open up a dialogue with customers, you better show up to the conversation.” Plus you might eat some really good food.

This is a post from Marketing Has Changed by John Ellett. Subscribe to my feed.

My 5 favorite quotes from leading restaurant marketing executives

There are few events as old school as this week’s Masters golf tournament. Anyone who has had the good fortune to visit the tournament appreciates the manual scoreboards, the lack of jumbo televisions and the infamous pimento cheese sandwiches.

But I’ve been impressed with how actively the tournament has embraced digital media this year. Through the website, the iPad app and the iPhone app, a Masters junkie like me can not only watch live video on any of my devices but can get real-time scoring, video interviews and interesting historical information. And, best of all, we can apply for the ticket lottery for next year’s event online.

I particularly like the iPad interface. It provides easy access to a lot of video content and to journals of some of the players. This app highlights the new possibilities that a touch-based tablet can bring to improving the user experience.

While I am lamenting that I’m not in Augusta this year, I have to tip my cap to the new school guys on the tournament staff who are sending “a tradition unlike any other” directly to my mobile devices. Maybe next year I can say thank you in person!

This is a post from Marketing Has Changed by John Ellett. Subscribe to my feed.

The Masters embraces the digital world!

Any marketer who is trying to drive business through a local venue is challenged with the increasing array of ways to engage consumers. Improving the efficiency and effectiveness of local store marketing has never been more daunting or more critical. The historical methods of Sunday circulars and television ads are losing steam while new approaches like search marketing, digital coupons, social media and mobile apps are growing in impact.

This is because consumers’ use of technology is altering the way they live and shop. One good example of this is how location-based services on smart phones make life easier for users, whether it is finding directions, getting other people’s opinions or finding special deals.

Use of location-based services

Marketers who already have a full day’s work often find it difficult to stay on top of all the digital techniques that could help them drive more traffic within their budget limitations. To help them with this problem, our agency just released a white paper that simplifies 10 top activities that they should be looking at more closely. The paper is free, so if you are interested, download it here.

How has your buying behavior changed in the past year? What has impacted you the most? Deals from Groupon? Reviews on Yelp? Likes on Facebook? Apps on iPhones? I’m curious which of the digital and social media options have been most useful to you.

This is a post from Marketing Has Changed by John Ellett. Subscribe to my feed.

10 digital ways to activate local store traffic

…was that there wasn’t any big news. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing. What this told me is that digital and social marketing have become part of the mainstream conversation among marketers. The questions are no longer, “What is it?” and, “Should we?” The questions most frequently asked are “how” questions.

How do we get our bosses to approve our plans?
I had coffee with Deb (@va_deb) from AARP and learned about how the organization has embraced social media marketing. AARP is now committed, so that should tell you something about how far we’ve come. eMarketer reported that 79% of companies are now funding social media initiatives. Listening to Fara Howard from Dell, she suggested letting your customers’ voices convince your leadership to do things. Nicole Cochran from Chili’s reminded us that “executives are kids at heart, so expose them to the fun and they will buy in.”

How do we assess what is working?
Experts in the area of social capital acknowledge that the tools are still improving. Bill Parkes (@BillParkes) projects improvements to occur with increasing rapidity, monthly not annually. Zach Hoffer-Shall (@znh) from Forrester advocated using multiple measures and not limiting your view of social success to what is easily measured in one channel. Mike Spataro (@mikespataro)  reinforced that perspective. Richard Margetic (@margetic) reviewed how Dell oversees a global command center to monitor social conversations about its brand and evaluates the ripple effect of a customer’s voice. Understanding the connections will be an important part of assessing impact.

How do we connect all the dots?
I had a great conversation with Julie Hamp, Chief Communications Officer at Pepsico, about the importance of integrating all touch-points, both traditional and digital. She openly questioned why the Pepsi delivery trucks don’t have a URL or Facebook icon on them. I like the way she thinks! Organization silos and services provider fragmentation will continue to make this a problem, but astute marketers are beginning to realize the synergistic impact of linking all the digital touch-points.

Along with these meaty issues, attendees did get to see some new things. A good summary of eight companies to watch was recently provided by AdAge. Here’s the link.

What will SXSWi 2012 have in store for us? My guess will be a few new ideas and lots of discussion about how to leverage what we already have. Any predictions?

This is a post from Marketing Has Changed by John Ellett. Subscribe to my feed.

The big news at SXSWi…