Checkmate - Cause branding

CEOs who make PR programs great

Sat, 15 Oct 2011 14:08:00-0400

I've collaborated with over 300 chief executive officers, from the world's largest global brands to established independents to VC-funded startups.

What jumps out is how few of them were personally instrumental at positively transforming communications and public relations programs.

The 80/20 rule holds true. 80 percent of my CEO experiences were middle of-the-road from the point of view of “making the PR effort better.” These middle-of-the-road CEOs didn’t do anything horrific, they just never put real skin in the game. They did what we needed them to do, nothing more, nothing less.Ten percent were dreadful. They paid lip service to public relations, never got genuinely engaged and expected miracle results without investing any effort. They’re the easiest to recall because they were often self-absorbed and sometimes arrogant, myopic and bullheaded, belligerent and autocratic. Some of these CEOs ruined their own companies. Others lost their personal reputations -- visibly and publicly -- due to fundamental personality flaws. Cases in point: one was arrested, prosecuted and ended up in prison. Two were profiled on the front page of the Wall Street Journal in scathing exposes.

The remaining 10 percent stand out in my mind’s eye as clearly as the dreadfuls, but for a better reason. These CEOs were enlivening, vigorous, catalyzing leaders who worked hard to take public relations programs to a new level.

My six best CEOs shared similar attributes: enthusiasm, personal humility, straightforwardness, class, and a belief that great reputations are earned, not deserved.

One of my favorite CEOs was an engineer by training. I call him Mr. Engage. He was most comfortable hanging with his software development teams, but once we pulled him out of the R&D labs, he lit up the room with his technical and competitive knowledge. He made PR programs better by becoming intellectually engaged. He didn’t just go through the motions, he shaped discussions. He disagreed, pushed back, offered refreshing points of view and always kept the discussion lively. He didn’t suffer fools lightly and was a great match for the toughest bloggers, reporters and analysts.

Mr. Credibility has endeared himself to customers, employees and media because he tells it like it is, the good and the bad, and isn’t myopic. When something isn’t right with his own product, he shares this. Conversely, when his company and/or products are clearly better than the competition, he isn’t shy to say this either, but does so in a way that proves his opinion is rooted in fact, not hype. Mr. Credibility sees the competitive forest clearly and doesn’t live in a “my company is always great” world. He made the PR program great by keeping the company vigorously focused on earning customer trust by delivering products that exceed expectations.

Ms. Social made an early intellectual leap to the emerging world of social media, then took bold action. Even though her company sells B2B vs. B2C, she understood the potential impact of building a grassroots following, especially with her customers. She figuratively jumped off the cliff, opening up her company’s brand to two-way conversations with newly forming online communities (which she helped create). Ms. Social embraced Twitter when everyone wondered if it was a fad. She made sure her company blogged at a high level with non-myopic issues, trends and topics that people would search on naturally. Ms. Social made the PR program better by taking risks and trying new things that had never been done. While some panned out and others didn’t, the net-net is she created competitive advantage over others acted slowly or failed to seize the opportunity.

Ms. Caring understands how great brands are built by going beyond solid products, profit and revenue. By creating an empowered culture of giving back within her organization, Ms. Caring has transformed her company's brand. She makes the PR program greater by increasing relevance with consumers, customers and other stakeholders who prefer buying from (and dealing with) companies who make the world a better place.

Mr. Focus is disciplined. Unlike many CEOs who want it all (or are satisfied for only a brief period of time), this particular executive continually pushes back to make sure PR efforts deliver needed value. While he’s passionate about focus, he’s also one of the most energetic and engaging CEOs I’ve ever worked with. He listens with excruciating patience and his expectations are adjustable. He makes the PR program better by truly understanding how public relations works, getting personally involved, pushing back, and focusing himself -- and us -- on the most important things.

Mr. Genuine headed a Fortune 50 company and personally made tens of millions of dollars but never let this consume him. He didn’t have a large ego, and was amazingly serene and genuinely personable. He made each individual feel like they were the only person in the room. He was patient and a great listener. He transformed his company from highly political to open and fair. He made the PR program great by subsuming his own ego and being able to take advice from his internal communications team and external PR firm.

If you have the opportunity to collaborate with a truly great CEO, enjoy the ride and remember to leverage this asset to the fullest. It’s a rare moment in a career, one that will remain as indelible as an early morning run down a fresh powder trail.

7 proof points validating the Dali Lama is right about our growing social consciousness

Fri, 21 May 2010 11:55:00-0400

The Dalai Lama visited the Today Show yesterday, his first visit to an American morning news show. It was surreal.

After making his entrance in a black limo, he greeted Ann, shook hands with Meredith, Al and Matt, and settled, sandal-free-foot-tucked-under.

Ann asked him if the world is getting better or worse. His Holiness quickly said “getting better.”

The spiritual leader of the Tibetan people contrasted the 20^th century with the 21^st, saying there will be “much change in the human experience,” and there will be much “more compassion” during this century. He discussed how positive action, vision and motivation will continue to manifest itself and why the right attitude can reduce man-made problems.

As one of millions involved in social responsibility, I instinctively agreed. The facts seem to bear it out.

Consider:

Plenty of data supports the growing humanization of our planet. Corporations that previously donated money and then considered their job done, now have a deeply and authentically ingrained giving-back ethic. They’re no longer posturing, or just being philanthropic, but working hard to solve society’s problems and genuinely make a difference.
According to the 2010 Deloitte Volunteer IMPACT Survey, more than eight in 10 companies (84 percent) believe volunteerism can help nonprofits accomplish long-term social goals. Corporate managers believe the top benefits of workplace volunteerism include alleviating a social issue (36 percent), helping nonprofits function more effectively (31 percent) and serving more clients (31 percent).
On the individual level, 84% of Americans believe their ideas can help companies create products and services that are a win for consumers, business and society, according to the 2010 Cone Shared Responsibility Study.
Bob Gilbreath, chief marketing strategist at Bridge Worldwide and author of “Marketing with Meaning,” reported that 71% of consumers are giving as much or more now as they were before the economic downturn. He reported 87% of consumers would switch brands based on association with a good cause and 50% of consumers would pay more for products from brands that support causes. The Cone Roper survey has validated this trend for years.
Chris MacDonald, who’s #61 on Ethisphere’s list of the 100 most influential people in business ethics, recently called this “the golden age of ethical business.”
The 2010 Corporate Citizenship Report, a collaborative project of the Entrepreneurs Foundation and the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, said, "Sustainability, the integration of people and planet into a company's purpose,” is on the radar for 73% of the respondents and becoming more important. “Environmental initiatives are saving money for companies and consumers, while environmentally conscientious companies are favorably perceived both in the marketplace and by prospective employees."
Dave Stangis, Vice President of CSR and Sustainability at Campbell’s Soup said, “The emergence of the VP of CSR and VP of Sustainability titles seems proof of the growing strategic business position of CSR.” As validation, SustainableBusiness reported the posting of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) jobs increased 33% in 4Q09.

The Dalai Lama said news media tends to “highlight negative things,” and we “take positive things for granted.” But media is beginning to transform too; the major network nightly news programs, for example, often end with an upbeat making-the-world-better story.

How to build customer communities

Fri, 21 Aug 2009 15:37:00-0400

As consumers, we instinctively sense product and service experiences at a gut-feel level. Within minutes, we can gauge whether a company is telling the truth, trying to evade, or scam us. We've developed a low tolerance for poor service - calls that aren't returned; e-mails that aren't acknowledged; rudeness; unnecessarily complex transactions; people who don't seem to care; interactions that should be easy, but aren't.

When companies do what they say they’ll do on a consistent basis, then we’re generally pleased and become loyal to that brand. When we’re not satisfied, we often start complaining, and ultimately stop buying.

Social media changed the game forever by giving us a voice (a.k.a. power, influence, clout) we never had. While the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) maintains an active Bureau of Consumer Protection, a bunch of other grassroots online sites emerged including complaints.com, pissedconsumer.com, iripoff.com, consumeraffairs.com and the influential consumerist.com.

Now when we're ticked off, we can immediately voice our dissatisfaction and get it spotlighted. People around the world are tuned-in and pass the word, triggering a "many-to many" conversation.

Take, for example, the recent "United Breaks Guitars" online video phenomenon, where one mistreated customer virtually turned the entire world against United for its poor handling of his damaged property. Or Whole Foods CEO John Mackey, who deeply offended a huge percentage of the chain’s progressive demographics and triggered a nationwide boycott when he railed against healthcare reform in a Wall Street Journal editorial.

Companies and organizations need to remember that a great brand is built when it dedicates itself to creating a product and service experience that consistently meets the needs of people who consume that service or product. The companies that try hard to listen and learn - and improve all the time – build the loyal followings. The ones that don’t fall by the wayside, are marginalized or die.

Listen to your customers and seek out their opinions on a regular basis. There are lots of ways to do this. Private, online, paid community platforms like Communispace encourage ongoing conversations. You can build relationships online for free with CrowdVine, Ning, Elgg and Joomla (some will be easier to set up and use than others). Discussion boards pre-date the Web, but are still an important (and often overlooked) tool in community building. Yahoo Groups and Google Groups are two of the most popular discussion forum platforms, and the original USENET/LISTSERV is still going strong. There’s also some open source discussion forum software you can customize to meet precise look-and-feel branding needs.

Use these tools to probe ideas, ask for feedback, debate and continually improve. Incorporate customer feedback into your offerings and they’ll know you appreciate their input.

If you don’t want your company to end up on consumerist.com or pissedconsumer.com, remember to:

· Build two-way relationships with your customers. People have relationships with people.

· Create an authentic persona for your company; give it a personality; make it human; share some behind-the-curtains perspective. Blogs are one of the best ways to nurture & sustain this kind of voice.

· Don’t avoid online problems, deal with negative online comments and emerging issues immediately. You don’t have to agree all the time, but you’ve got to listen. Share your perspective and be willing to entertain a different viewpoint. You may reach a logger-head where neither party will budge; that’s okay; just don’t be autocratic. It’s the genuine attempt & transparency that matters in social media.

· Make it easy for your customers to talk to you. Visualize those aggravating instances where your specific question as a consumer is answered with a generic email response, over and over again. Don’t do this. Be personal, be prompt.

When companies behave this way, they’re fulfilling the textbook definition of “living the brand promise.” Doing it right means beginning a conversation that never ends.

Strategy & tactics - the difference explained

Mon, 17 Aug 2009 12:10:00-0400

I was in a meeting the other day and a CMO kept confusing “strategic” with “tactical.” It reminded me of all the times I’ve encountered this in my career.

Strategy is rooted in a plan of action that’s focused on accomplishing a specific goal that’s high level. Tactics are the way the strategy is carried out.

Borrowing from the journalistic “five Ws and one H,” strategy is the “who, what and why” and tactics are the “where, when and how.”

Strategy involves proactively determining the ultimate endgame. Tactics are the things you do to achieve the strategic goal.

A few examples within a communications context:

Strategic Tactical

Deposition a key competitor around the value ingredient	Create a head-to-head comparison online
Transform a company's persona from stodgy to approachable	Create short, fun YouTube videos
Shift a negative public perception to positive	Conduct thoughtful, transparent two-way communication with online communities
Create a new category position	Secure an influential industry analyst to embrace and evangelize the new category
Transform a company from an “also ran” to a first-tier position	Engage delighted consumers to advocate on your behalf via Twitter
Craft thought leadership platform that leapfrogs current vision and depositions	Architect an inside-out and outside-in blogging effort
Create more widespread awareness for an issue	Get Michael Arrington of TechCrunch to blog about it.
Build a larger community of followers	Write and publish compelling content that creates many-to-many online conversations

Doing something strategicallyinvolves the following:

Identify a specific outcome you want to achieve
Conduct research (market, competitive, attitudinal) to establish a realistic “baseline” starting point that takes into consideration internal and external realities
Put together a proactive plan that leverages the research findings, anticipates issues, looks at the big picture and incorporates specific strategic objectives and end results
Engage in consensus building with appropriate groups and individuals; get key people on board to support the strategy

Doing something tacticallymeans you:

Understand the strategic goals
Create plans focused on specific activities mapped into specific timeframes with specific outcomes
Make sure the tactical activities are carried out well
Measure their impact and help tie tactics back to the strategic plan

Strategy includes creating a different reality via creative, smart planning. Tactics are focused actions. The two are deeply intertwined. You need both to achieve branding success.

Six branding lessons from Stand Up To Cancer

Wed, 04 Mar 2009 09:07:00-0400

When I spent time with Rusty Robertson and Sue Schwartz of Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) a few days ago, the expression “live the brand” came to life.

You’d be hard-pressed to find two people, anywhere on the planet, more energetic, committed and passionate. They’re inspiring, entertaining and driven - cyclonic forces of nature.

If you’re not familiar with SU2C, it’s the organization that launched itself publicly on September 5, 2008 in a one hour star-studded TV show simultaneously broadcast – commercial free - on CBS, ABC and NBC. The program aired in over 170 countries and featured lots of big-name celebrities, including Sidney Poitier, Meryl Streep, Halle Berry, Jennifer Aniston, Patrick Swayze, Jack Black, Sheryl Crow and Beyonce. Network news anchors Katie Couric, Charles Gibson and Brian Williams, reported on stage about cutting-edge cancer research.

Rusty is one of the top marketers in the U.S. She’s also an impassioned advocate, having founded the Margaret Thatcher Foundation and Susan G. Komen Foundation for the Cure®, the global leader of the breast cancer movement. Rusty lost her mother to lung cancer.

Sue has an innovative marketing background with leading companies like Revlon. Like Rusty, she’s worked hard to make the world a better place. She helped create the Noreen Fraser Foundation and experienced the pain of cancer having lost her mother to multiple myeloma.

Sue, Rusty and seven other women form the leadership team behind SU2C. The organization has raised more than $100 million to date for cancer research. And it’s just getting off the blocks; SU2C turns one year old in May.

“Nearly everyone’s been touched by cancer,” Rusty said. "One out of every two men and one out of every three women will face this disease in their lifetime. Cancer claims one person every minute of every day in the United States alone. Every year, it takes the lives of more than half a million Americans and seven million people worldwide. The moment is now.”

How has a 501(c)(3) been able to have so much positive impact in such a short period of time? Crisp differentiation.

While there are many phenomenal cancer-fighting organizations, SU2C isn’t competing with any of them. “We’ve all had enough with divisiveness – just give – no matter which cause. Just give,” Rusty said.

The purposeful efforts of Stand Up To Cancer can teach lessons to every organization attempting to build community, raise money, gain public support and differentiate itself:

Move fast. Rusty & Sue repeatedly drop words like “accelerate treatment,” “rapid funding” and “without bureaucratic delays.” SU2C isn’t a black hole funding effort; the projects it funds will have measurable impact within three to five years.
Be pragmatic. SU2C isn’t raising money to help fight cancer in a general pot, it’s focusing on a few “Dream Team” projects. They started with 237 project ideas, then narrowed the list to the top 25, then to 16, then 8 then 4.
Take risks. Unlike other organizations which fund institutional entities, Stand Up To Cancer is funding biomedical researchers directly who will address critical cancer research areas. Monies will be used to support innovative cancer research projects often deemed “too risky” by conventional funding sources.
Build a movement. SU2C is engaging Americans – and increasingly the global community – at all income levels and walks of life to join together to end cancer. “This is a movement,” Rusty said, “together we become a force unmistakable.”
Leverage the entertainment community. Arguably, no movement or organization has tapped so many famous people in one fell swoop. SU2C is a program of the Entertainment Industry Foundation. More than 100 celebrities were involved in the Sept. 5 event.
Build powerful partnerships. SU2C has leveraged media companies to join the fight against cancer. Its partners include Facebook, AOL, Condé Nast Media Group, Hearst Corporation, The New York Times company, Time Inc. and WebMD among many others.

What PR isn't nine things

Wed, 18 Feb 2009 10:31:00-0400

Most people equate public relations with media coverage and publicity or confuse it with advertising. They’re selling it short – way short.

1. PR isn’t narrow, it’s broad.

Public relations – properly practiced – takes into account every single stakeholder (or “public”) an organization deals with in its daily life. Employees. Consumers. Local communities. Local/state/federal governments. Bloggers. Partners. Policy makers. Channels. Reporters. Industry analysts. Buy- and sell-side financial analysts. Stockholders. Literally, everyone an organization touches. There may be different levels of priority, but they all have to be factored into the mix.

2. PR isn’t self-serving, it’s serving others.

Public relations has a broader - and more strategic – agenda. It’s all about earning a trusted reputation with stakeholders by acting in their best interests – not the organization’s own myopic agenda. An increasing number of smart companies are adding corporate social responsibility to their agendas for this very reason.

3. PR isn’t advertising.

Advertising exists to sell. Advertisers can communicate whatever they want (within reason of course) because they pay for it. They can decide what they want to say, where they want to say it and how often they want to repeat themselves. It’s a controlled process.

By contrast, public relations is an uncontrolled process. It’s an adventure, shifting constantly as it mirrors real-time happenings.

4. PR isn’t best at awareness building.

There are lots of ways to build awareness. PR’s “secret sauce” is its ability to build credibility.

5. PR isn’t sales, but it influences sales.
Some people confuse search engine optimization (SEO) with PR. They’re two completely different things. SEO is focused on optimizing a Web site to increase targeted traffic. PR is focused on earning a trusted reputation which in turn creates positive word-of-mouth.

6. PR isn’t publicity or marketing.

Public relations is typically relegated to the marketing function. This organizational structure may reflect the perceived role of PR within an organization, namely that it exists to help market products and services.

While promoting products and services may be a piece of the PR pie, it should never be its sole focus. When it is, public relations becomes a lower-level function called publicity.

7. PR isn’t one-way, it’s two-way.
When you send out an e-mail blitz to a prospect, run an online banner ad or issue a news release, these are all examples of one-way communication. The message is crafted and pushed out. These are closed-loop systems.

By contrast, true public relations is an open system and a two-way process. The goal isn’t simply to communicate, but rather to be understood and believed. To affect this attitudinal change, continual conversations must take place between the communicator and message recipients (publics). If companies/organizations don’t listen well or engage in open, honest dialogue with the people they want to influence – and change behaviors when necessary –trust isn’t built.

8. PR isn’t fabricated.

The technology industry learned a valuable lesson with the dot com bust. If you spin stories that aren’t true, the fabric doesn’t survive many wash cycles.

Effective public relations isn’t rooted in hype. People are smart and instinctive; they quickly figure out when unfounded claims are bogus. When they do, brands suffer damage.

9. PR isn’t about “me,” it’s about “you.”
To become a successful brand, a product or service must become a personal, positive thing – an individual experience – something that feeds a person’s own self identity.

Great PR is focused on helping a company strategically figure out how to deliver a consistent brand experience, which in turn, yields a community of interested, involved participants.

Corporate social responsibility finally finds a home in Super Bowl '09 ads

Mon, 02 Feb 2009 15:54:00-0400

There was plenty of usual advertising fare on last night’s Super Bowl, from Pepsi’s silly “Pepsuber” and Budweiser’s schmaltzy “Clydesdale Circus,” to Doritos’ frat boy “Crystal Ball” and GoDaddy’s steamy “Major league enhancement” spot.

But the ads that got my attention weren’t peddling products.

Among a sea of seemingly entertainment-for-entertainment-sake ads were a handful of visionary advertisers who aligned their companies with social causes while simultaneously driving traffic to their corporate Web sites.

Did you notice?

First time advertiser Pedigree used humor to make a bigger statement. It showed owners of exotic pets frustrated by their behavior:

An ostrich chasing a mailman
a wild boar sticking its head out a family car’s rear window to catch some air
a rhino rampaging through a living room as the owner called its name to go out for a walk
a bull that wouldn’t catch a Frisbee.

Pedigree capped off the frivolity with a crisp message:

Maybe you should get a dog. The Pedigree Adoption Drive. Help us Help Dogs.

Pedigree has promised to donate one bowl of food to animal shelters every time their Super Bowl commercial or related vignettes are viewed on the Pedigree Web site. Their objective is to get 4 million Web site views, enabling Pedigree to make the claim that every sheltered dog in America was fed for one day.

Frosted Flakes raised the bar with its 30-second “Plant a seed” spot, urging people to visit FrostedFlakes.com to nominate youth playing fields to be rebuilt pro bono by Kellogg’s. Tony the Tiger even made his Super Bowl debut. After sorting through thousands of nominated playing fields, Kellogg’s will narrow the list to 100. Then it will select 30 which will all be brought back to life by Kellogg’s.

Denny’s literally stepped up to the plate with its Super Bowl ad. While advertising their Grand Slam breakfast, Denny’s announced an amazing act of kindness: giving away free Grand Slam breakfasts for everyone in America on Tuesday from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. at all 1,500 locations. While self-servingly winning new customers, Denny’s is also building tremendous ‘helping others’ goodwill at a time when people need it most.

GE ran a clever spot - inspired by the Wizard of Oz’s Scarecrow character – plugging “smart grid technology.” Yes it was self-promotional, but it also conveyed a ‘larger than GE’ thought leadership message built around its successful “Ecomagination” campaign which urges a cleaner, greener world.

The NFL and United Way have long collaborated on many “giving back” campaigns, frequently communicating their good deeds via TV spots. This year’s Super Bowl featured a simple ad that tackled the subject of childhood obesity and promoted a mobile text link to donate.

It’s about time.

72% of Americans wish their employer would do more to support a cause and social issue. 87% are likely to switch from one brand to another brand if the other brand is associated with a good cause (Source: 2007 Cone Cause Evolution Study).

Last night’s advertising assault finally included companies with a conscience who understand that it’s good business when brands make-the-world-a-better-place.

Lance's comeback and the triumph of his brand

Wed, 10 Sep 2008 15:58:00-0400

A god on the bike, a font of hope for cancer patients, Lance Armstrong is a force as a brand.

Yet as Michael Phelps towers over sport, as Brett Favre defies middle age, as the presidential campaign burns up any remaining celebrity oxygen, Lance has been in the shadows. Now he is coming out of retirement to pursue an improbable eighth Tour de France victory, and more importantly, “raise awareness of the global cancer burden.”

Lance is as astonishing as a brand as he is an athlete. Along with Ali, he’s one of the few world-class celebrity athletes to successfully reposition himself as a humanitarian, and no one’s done it more effectively. Nonetheless, he’s far from pristine. Rumors of performance-enhancing drugs have dogged him for years, and he’s a little rough around the edges – a bit of a cutthroat on the bike, a stereotypical ugly American in Europe, and what was up with Ashley Olsen?

Since complexity makes good characters and nobody messes with Texas I guess, he gets a pass on the personality stuff. The drug rumors, however, are an undeniable flaw on the otherwise golden brand. So, consistent with his perfectionism, he’s reportedly pledging to have himself drug-tested constantly in cycling career 2.0 and be transparent with the results. You can believe he’ll follow through: other cycling teams have started doing the same and are building brands as certifiably clean sportsmen. (How about NFL linemen next? Naw, that wouldn’t be any fun.)

Lance’s transcendent brand draws obvious power from the enormity of his cause and the sincerity of his pursuit. But the subtler lesson from Lance’s personal brand revival is the same one he demonstrates on the bike. Never rest on your laurels, don’t go quietly into obscurity, and as good as you are, believe you can always get better.

Our operation pollutes like crazy!

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 12:52:00-0400

At a time when corporate greenwashing is as ubiquitous as mouthwash, international shipper First Global Xpress takes a refreshingly candid, open and authentic approach to greening the company.

The company is asking the world to help keep it honest as it attempts to reduce its carbon footprint by 66% before year's end.

Are you paying attention, FedEx, UPS?

Is 'Authenticity' fake?

Thu, 20 Mar 2008 10:15:00-0400

The #7 idea in next week’s Time cover story – “10 ideas that are changing the world” – is Synthetic Authenticity. “Promoting products as ‘authentic’ is serious business these days,” says Time writer John Cloud.

It’s also apparently a hot (or ‘kool?’) concept in some ad campaigns. Stoli Vodka headlines trumpet “Choose Authenticity.” Kool cigarettes urge people to “Be Authentic.” Even the state of Maryland jumped into the fray, Cloud says, with its “Even the fun is authentic” promotion.

One thing’s for sure: you can’t have a true marketing movement without a gospel, a guiding tome, a clever book.

Enter Authenticity by James Gilmore and Joseph Pine. It inspired most of Time’s # 7 world changing notion. Ever read The Experience Economy during the Internet bubble? Gilmore and Pine wrote it. It introduced the notion of consumers being willing to pay a premium for “staged experiences” perceived as having inherent personal value. Think Starbucks.

In Authenticity, the authors believe the current “aura of inauthenticity around some brands is killing them.” The crucial factor dividing success from failure, Time interprets, “will be whether a business is perceived as real or fake, authentic or inauthentic.”

How should a company convey authenticity? Three ways, say the authors.

Approach # 1 involves companies being totally transparent and true to themselves and their claims. Think Chipotle Mexican Grill which only serves non-antibiotic meat. The challenge with Approach # 1, however, is that when you screw up (think Jet Blue stranding passengers for hours) your authentic company’s reputation gets nailed.

Approach # 2 involves openly faking it. Case in point: Verizon paying for product placement on the TV show “30 Rock” and Tina Fey eyeballing the camera when she says, “Can we have our money now?” This strategy is total tongue-in-cheek transparency. It says ‘I’m authentic because I’m openly fake.’

Approach # 3 is to be “fake-real.” In this scenario, the company doesn’t have to be exactly what it says it is. The Canyon Ranch, a famous spa, isn’t really a ranch. The Daily Show isn’t a news show. Uh, okay.

Is this all a pile of crap or is there some nugget of validity?

Tom Asacker, author of A Clear eye for Branding, thinks authenticity is a “hollow cry.” He says “authenticity schmauthenticity!” To Asacker, it “smells of the marketing puffery we chide.” He continues, “What consumers really want is a good act. Like theatre goers, they want to suspend disbelief and ‘get lost’ in a well-crafted and well-executed brand experience – consistency, sincerity, and a perfectly attuned expression of their desires, sensibilities and identities.”

Maybe it’s me, but isn’t Asacker saying the same thing as Gilmore and Pine?

Then again, doesn’t Gilmore and Pine’s new marketing doctrine remind you of their 1999 Experience Economy? Check this out: “Stop saying what your offerings are through advertising and start creating places – permanent or temporary, physical or virtual – where people can experience what those offerings, as well as your enterprise, actually are.” It wouldn’t be the first time a marketing guru re-spins one brilliant idea.

So, here’s the question for you? Does any of this authenticity stuff have validity for B2B technology companies?

If you’re a B2B technology company selling signaling hardware or voice response systems or high performance computers or enterprise software or virtualization solutions, is it important for “users” to feel authenticity from their vendor? Or do they just need a product that works and keeps rolling along, seamlessly delivering value? Should B2B companies create feeling experiences for their customers?

You know what I think (or if you don’t, go here or here or here).

If a B2B company is in a commodity, price-driven market with lots of competitors sounding alike, one way it can differentiate is to invest some time and money making it a socially aligned business. This effort doesn't have to be the sole purpose of the company, but rather one genuine initiative among many.

Time’s John Cloud says, “People want their purchases to elevate them, to transform them. They want products to connect them to history or to a cause.”

Ditto for high level B2B decision makers who are increasingly saying, “Why not spend money with a company that has a great product and also cares about the world in which it competes?"

So allow me to introduce Authenticity Approach # 4: build great products, create trusted, high value partnerships with your customers and spend a little time and money helping others.

Let’s call it “Self-serving, genuine caring, B2B authenticity.”

Videophilia vs. Mother Nature

Wed, 06 Feb 2008 12:27:00-0400

Bad news: our deepening intimacy with electronic devices is apparently to blame for our growing apathy toward communing with nature.

“As a scientist and a conservationist, I find these results almost terrifying,” said Oliver Pergams, lead author of a new Nature Conservancy international recreation study published online by National Academy of Sciences. “We are seeing a fundamental shift away from people’s interest in nature, not just in the US but in other countries, too. The consequences of this could be deep and far-ranging for health, for human well-being, and for the future of the planet.”

Camping, hunting, fishing and national park visits have declined sharply for two decades, the researchers found. TV, video games and Internet use – videophilia is the term – are way up.

What’s a planet to do?

Almost as scary as the research is the fact it will take a new strategy to, yes, market nature: Said the authors, “Less exposure to nature seems to mean less environmental awareness and appreciation of nature for its own sake. Instead, people may come to value nature more for the goods and services nature provides, like photosynthesis and pollinators. Making people aware of the incredible value of such ecosystem services would become the more pragmatic approach.”

Ecosystem services? I think I need to take a walk.

10 lessons from Carol Cone on cause branding

Fri, 11 Jan 2008 09:45:00-0400

I broke bread with Carol Cone recently, enjoying a spirited discussion about social causes and how B2B companies can help make the world a better place.

If you’re not familiar with Carol, she’s widely regarded as the “mother” of cause branding, a philosophical and pragmatic movement she helped architect over 20 years ago. Carol created signature programs for a host of Fortune 500 companies, including the Avon Breast Cancer Crusade, ConAgra Foods’ Feeding Children Better Program, Reebok’s Human Rights Awards and Rockport’s Fitness Walking Program.

Last month, Ethisphere magazine named her one of the 100 most influential people in “business ethics.” She was ranked just before Richard Branson. In addition, PR Week named her one of the industry’s 25 most dominant figures last October.

I asked Carol what B2B companies need to know when undertaking cause branding initiatives. Here are some lessons from the master:

Lesson # 1: cause branding is a real commitment

Carol explains, “The company has to be in a state of readiness to do this. Cause branding won’t work unless it’s led out of the C suite at the highest corporate level. Social responsibility is driven by CEO’s.”

Lesson # 2: it starts with your own people

“This is purposeful work. You have to engage the whole person. Your employees are your brand ambassadors. It must be a shared value.”

Lesson # 3: it must be authentic

“You can’t put a ribbon on something and call it real. This won’t cut it. It has to be authentic. You have to align your marketing and corporate communications with the values, behaviors and culture of your organization.”

Lesson # 4: your cause can be self-serving

“It’s okay to find a social cause that benefits your business. I call this a socially aligned business initiative. You have to find the intersection between a social cause with the greatest business value and the greatest societal need and impact.”

Lesson # 5: sustainability

Alignment with a social cause must not change from one year to the next. It’s not a bumper sticker or a message. It’s a deeply ingrained belief and commitment. “It has to be built to last,” Carol says.

Lesson # 6: get everyone involved

“Cause branding is all about creating behavior change within the organization. You have to move it from awareness to engagement, from passive to active. Cause branding creates employee and customer glue. You need a cross-functional team within your company, not just marketing and PR folks. ”

Lesson # 7: tell people what you’re doing

Not very long ago, it was considered somewhat taboo to tell the world (or at least your stakeholders) how your company is helping make the world a better place. This is no longer true. Cone’s 2007 Cause study revealed that 88% of Americans (up from 86% in 2004) want companies to tell them the way in which they are supporting causes.

Lesson # 8: create your own special cause niche

The four leading causes in America – based on the 2007 Cone study - are health; education; environment; and economic development. These are too general, however, to create successful branding. You have to dig deeper and use research to find and create a unique cause. Carol says, “You don’t have to be first, but you have to find a segment where you are first in your industry.” She explained that PNC Bank had zeroed-in on education, but this was too general. “Thorough research revealed an unmet need in the pre-school through kindergarten niche, and that’s where PNC focused,” Carol explained.

Lesson # 9: it takes time

“It’s an arduous process to build an authentic, aligned program. In our experience, it typically requires six months to one year to put the key pieces together.”

Lesson # 10: it takes money

If you want to create a lasting, authentic cause brand alignment for your company, you have to make a financial commitment, not just a time commitment. Advertising is a common outlet for cause branding expression. “Be courageous,” Carol says. “Every company needs to be a good corporate citizen. We have to go so far.”

Making sense of Google's cleantech venture

Thu, 29 Nov 2007 09:57:00-0400

I've been trying to get my head around Google's surprise announcement this week about it getting into the clean energy business. Is it for for real, and if so, why? Or is it just a PR ploy?

While its new foray into the wireless and mobile phone business isn't too hard to understand, getting into the energy business seems like such a stretch for the search giant. Having plumbed the ecotech and business bloggers for reactions, Martin LaMonica at CNET's Green Tech Blog did one of the best assessments of the upside to Google's announcement.