One of the many things I love about working at Go East is that I have lots of colleagues who enjoy reading and learning as much as I do. So when I heard Carla and Ric talking about Malcolm Gladwell’s book, Outliers, I knew I had to read it.

It was fabulous. For those that haven’t,  I highly recommend reading it. It’s a new way of thinking about what defines success.

In the beginning of the book, I wasn’t sure where Mr. Gladwell was going with his theory on how to be successful. For instance, one of the examples he used is that an overwhelming majority of “successful” hockey players are born in either January, February or March. Something as arbitrary as this makes a person feel helpless in paving their own success path. But as the book progressed, he dug deeper and revealed that there are ways to influence success in our lives.

Translating the core of the book’s message to the marketing communications world, the question becomes: Why do some brands succeed, while so many more never reach their potential? Gladwell would say that successful brands don’t rise out of nowhere. Instead, “they are invariably the beneficiaries of hidden advantages and extraordinary opportunities and cultural legacies that allow them to learn and work hard and make sense of the world in ways others cannot.”

Putting the theories outlined in this book in the context of marketing communications, it totally shifts the way I think about planning for my clients. The tried and true is not so relevant. In fact, it’s sure to lead to mediocrity. How can we make our brands true outliers?

1. Practice. To truly stand apart from the crowd it takes 10,000 hours of practice, according to Mr. Gladwell. What does that mean for a brand? First and foremost it means that marketing can’t be viewed as an expense. It needs to be an investment. A serious investment with experienced professionals leading the way.
2. Seek opportunities. Not only that: Take advantage of them. This is almost a subcategory of practicing. Get out there. Listen to what your customers are saying. Maximize those opportunities. Had Bill Gates not snuck out of his house every night between 3 and 6  a.m. to get in extra time on the computer at the nearby university, he would not be the man he is today. Breaking the rules to take advantage of opportunities is what will truly set your brand apart.
3. Surround yourself with like-minded team members. Both internal and external partners. Those that support your desire to drive the brand towards true marketplace dominance. People who not only say “good job” but also work with you to meet that goal. An “I’ll do whatever you tell me,” partner is not going to make your job easier. Seek true thought leaders.

Thinking of Gladwell’s book in the context of marketing communications is super exciting. There is so much potential for so many brands and the formula for success is clearly spelled out.

Who is your favorite risk taker?

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Integrated marketing recognizes that ALL contact points with customers are important, from the truck making a delivery to the CEO in the news. I’d take this a step further to say, “When hearing complaints that seem improbable, give your customer the benefit of the doubt.” For example …

A few years ago, when I was living in Eagan, I stopped in Jensen’s Supper Club one night for a beer. I sat at the bar, watched a little TV, paid my $6 tab with my debit card and went home. Upon reviewing my bank statement about a month later I saw, to my horror, that this little nightcap cost me $224.16!

Obviously, someone screwed up and switched my card with someone else’s card. So while I was sipping a Summit Extra Pale priced more like a bottle of a Château Mouton Rothschild ’45, a party of four in close proximity enjoyed a dinner of succulent cuisine at a very, very reasonable price!

Subsequently, around 3:30 on a Saturday, armed with copies of both my bank statement and humble brew receipt, I walked into Jensen’s and asked the host if I could speak with the manager. I was immediately given the bum’s rush and told that they were busy preparing for the dinner crowd. I briefly explained my situation and after trying to blow me off again, the host reluctantly came back with the manager in tow. “Is there a problem?” he asked. I explained the situation again and was told that it must be an accounting error on my part and besides, why did I wait almost a month before noticing it? (Answer: because I didn’t receive my bank statement until about a month later.)

Finally, he agreed to “look into it,” a response that was ultimately scripted to get me out the door.

Next, I went to my bank to advise them of the restaurant’s error so that I would not potentially be hit with an overdraft fee due to the bogus charge. The teller looked at me with tired apathy. She had obviously been down this road before, probably on a daily basis, from clients who didn’t know how to manage their finances and chose to blame a large institution possessing superior financial skills.

She gave me a few forms to fill out, along with her business card, but her look told me that she didn’t believe me. With my personal reputation now on the line, I told her “I will be back with a check from the restaurant, and I am going to ask for you personally when I am ready to deposit it!”

It took about another week of me calling the restaurant and leaving messages, before I finally received a message back from them: “Mr. Madore, we found the error and you are correct. A waitress mixed up your card with someone else’s and the amounts were switched. We are so, so sorry. Please call us to make arrangements to pick up your check.”

Vindication was finally mine (not to mention the cash)!

I picked up my check the next day, where I was given another apology, this time in person. “Please accept our apology, Mr. Madore. We are so sorry for the inconvenience.”

Next, I called the bank to make sure the same teller was on duty (she was). As I approached her, I said “Hi! Remember me? The guy with the bad charge from Jensen’s Supper Club? Well, here it is!”

She looked at me like I had three heads! Her former tired apathy was now replaced with enthusiastic courtesy! Vindication was mine — a second time (not to mention the cash)!

Basking in the glow of another round of “please” and “thank you,” I deposited my check with my dignity restored.

Both Jensen’s Supper Club and TCF Bank ultimately did right by me as a customer.

If only they would have treated me that way from the beginning …

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When it comes to social media, companies are often puzzled by what they should talk about. Social media content must be deeper than just what the company sells. Content should come out of the brand strategy.

Brand strategy helps a company discover what relevant, credible differentiation it holds as well as what is at the heart of the company. It documents what the company or product is about, and that allows it to stand out beyond features and benefits. Brand strategy brings personality and life.

Bottom line: You simply cannot go into the social media arena with product features and benefits. Believe me, your brand will take a blow if you do. To use social media to focus solely on product features and benefits is like entering a pre-existing conversation and changing the topic to focus on yourself. That’s a big no-no.

Ultimately you are building your brand. So what do you talk about?

Relevancy
What does your community value? What does your audience care about? To determine this, the first step is to LISTEN. Then ask yourself what you can bring to the conversation or experience.

Credible differentiation
Know what is behind your great product. Is it thought leadership that can lead to sharing brilliant insights? Deep expertise that can form great education? Maybe an ingenious spirit that can bring creativity to the conversation? Develop a social media marketing strategy based on how you are positioning your company as outlined in your brand platform.

Sum it up
You have listened. You understand. Now engage, not impose.

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When marketing communications plans focus on connections rather than integration, does it follow that customers feel more connected? It seems probable. So how does one develop a connection plan? It’s not so different. It just requires a shift in the way we think about our customers and the way we plan. Gone are the days when we can put together a nice, tidy integrated communications plan grid with audiences listed down one side of the page, key messages across the top and tactics and timing for the entire year in the center. Connection planning is much more fluid.  Sure, you still begin with a basic idea of key messages and audiences, and you know that your list of media and tactics will grow bigger and more complex by the day, but connection planning requires disciplined listening and quickly responding to customer input.

This means that, in connection planning, we have to let customers drive. At Go East we believe that, as marketers, we have to take on the role of the passenger by listening and observing. It’s not about sending messages out; it’s about having a conversation and adapting to feedback and sometimes to the fickle nature of the consumer.

Luckily, today it’s easier than ever to listen to customers through social media channels. If you think about it, it’s really what marketing is all about in its most simple form: identifying a consumer need and then developing a product and/or service to meet that need. It’s listening to the customers first and responding to their needs and wants, rather than trying to predict them.

Ultimately, connection planning requires developing some principles and discipline for how to respond quickly. First, it’s deciding who will respond to consumer comments and questions. And secondly, it’s setting up standards for how to respond in a timely manner. Connection planning is constant. It requires adjusting your plan to consider what you are learning on a frequent basis.

How do you connect with customers?

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Have you ever said something that was completely misunderstood or taken out of context? At Go East and at home I’ve been known to make the occasional slip up and say something that received an unintended reaction from time to time. It happens to the best of us, and while it can leave us red faced and embarrassed, we’re not alone in our self-inflicted humiliation.

Marketers are not immune to unintended messages either. I came across a list of  “Top 13 Worst Marketing Slogan Translations Ever” and thought I would share a few.  I’ve narrowed it down to my top four. You can see the entire list here.

1. An American T-shirt maker in Miami printed shirts for the Spanish market that promoted the Pope’s visit. Instead of “I saw the Pope” (el Papa), the shirts read “I saw the Potato” (la papa).
2. Scandinavian vacuum manufacturer Electrolux used the following tagline in an American campaign: “Nothing sucks like an Electrolux.”
3. Pepsi’s “Come alive with the Pepsi Generation” translated into “Pepsi brings your ancestors back from the grave” in Chinese.
4. When American Airlines wanted to advertise its new leather seats in first class to the Mexican market, it used “Fly in leather,” which means “Fly naked” (Vuela en cuero) in Spanish.

Like these? You might also enjoy the “Top 10 Worst Marketing Gaffes, Flops and Disasters.”

These are good reminders that we need to consider all of our audiences and what we’re saying when it comes to our integrated marketing efforts.

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When I Googled “What is integrated marketing communications?” I received several fairly similar results. For fun, here are four definitions, in no particular order:

1. “Integrated marketing communications is a term used to describe a holistic approach to marketing communication. It aims to ensure consistency of message and the complementary use of media. The concept includes online and offline marketing channels.”

2. A different way of saying that is: “The practice of blending different elements of the communication mix in mutually reinforcing ways.”

3. “A strategy in which a company coordinates advertising, sales promotion, personal selling, and publicity in order to present a single consistent image for the product and the company.”

And my favorite:

4. “Where all aspects of a company’s promotional efforts work together with a unified purpose to deliver a consistent and positive message; [integrated marketing communications] recognizes that all contact points with customers and prospects are important, from the truck making a delivery to the CEO in the news.”

I have a favorite, yet I don’t believe any of the above definitions are 100 percent accurate. Here’s what I consider my perfect definition. It’s worked well for me in my experiences at Go East. It’s an amalgam of the above, with new content as well:

Integrated marketing communications is a holistic approach to marketing communication. It aims to ensure consistency of message and the blending of different elements of the communication mix in mutually reinforcing ways. The goal is to present a consistent message to the core audience(s) in a variety of channels, including online and offline efforts involving advertising, personal selling, sales promotion and PR. It recognizes that all contact points with customers are important and that while the way in which a company should communicate is different from tactic to tactic, the same key message can and should be delivered.

What do you think? I’m especially fond of the last sentence. How do you define integrated marketing communications?

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Working at Go East, I have access to the brand platforms for many different corporations. Big companies and small companies. We’ve either helped develop the brand platform for our clients, or we reference it as we work on marketing communications projects. In either case,  it’s always interesting to me to see what companies list as their values. And then it’s even more interesting to observe how companies behave and try to determine if they are in line with their values or not.

It’s refreshing to see companies walking the talk, so to speak. A value like “innovation” is easy to demonstrate. Which is great. On the other hand, how can companies demonstrate an intangible value such as “integrity”?

Recently, I heard that a potential client had commented on Go East’s integrity. As one of our core values, it’s good we’ve found a way to demonstrate something intangible. But what is it? What did we do in that meeting that demonstrated integrity?  What does integrity really mean?

The word “integrity” is a noun that means “the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles.” I think the most obvious way to demonstrate integrity is to do what you say you’ll do and if you don’t do what you said you would do, then take ownership of the mistake. It’s an important value, especially in a service business such as Go East’s.

But in the case of a potential client — where you haven’t even had a chance to make a recommendation, much less fullfill the promise — how can you exude integrity?  Thinking back on the meeting we had with the potential client, I can think of six key things that indicated we could be relied on to be an agency of integrity:

1. Make eye contact. You’d be surprised how many people cannot (or do not) do this. Right or wrong, when I meet new people, I make some initial judgments on a person’s quality of character based on their handshake and their ability to make/keep eye contact.
2. Answer questions directly.  Avoid dancing around the question. Avoid buzzwords. Just answer the question. Embedded in this point is to always be truthful in your answers. People innately know when you’re jive-talking.
3. Ask questions. The point here is to clarify and demonstrate interest in the other person. But you must be relevant and your questions must be authentic. You have to truly want or need to know the answers.
4. You can probably guess what this is based on #2 and #3 above. Listen. Listening skills aren’t natural — a person really needs to practice. A good listener uses all their senses to really absorb the full impact of what others are saying. (Ok, maybe they don’t smell the speaker.)
5. Don’t kowtow. This goes back to being authentic. There’s nothing less authentic than ass-kissing.
6. Be gracious. Thank your contact for spending the time with you. (Don’t overdo it though, then you’re back to kowtowing).

I believe that integrity can be demonstrated and the items above are ways to do so when you’re in a situation with a new person. But I also believe that integrity can’t be faked. So much of integrity is authenticity, which to me is something you just “feel.” (That’s a whole different philosophical topic…)

Integrity is important to many people and I know it made a difference with this particular person because she is now an actual client rather than a potential client.

What are your thoughts on this? I informally polled my friends and followers on Facebook and Twitter about this topic and received a lot of passionate results ranging from “integrity is everything to me” to “integrity is doing the right thing even if it feels wrong and yet, doing the perceived “wrong” thing because you know it’s right!”

How do you think this can be carried over into relationships with others, personal and business? How do you demonstrate integrity as a professional? Do you think anyone can demonstrate integrity? How important is integrity to you?

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