Beiträge
Brandscapes 2011+
Brandscapes 2011+
View more presentations from Peter Fisk.
100 Inspirational Ideas
Thank you Helge
One hundred inspirational ideas
View more presentations from Helge Tennø.
Social Media Strategists at the Crossroads
Social Media Strategists, the inhouse alternative to Social Media Consultants and thus in the long-term often the cheaper solution (no mentioning of quality here), do not have an easy position these days. Confronted with high hopes from the very first day, they start their position in a company. Social media experts often have to define their position themselves and often have a hard time to explain their skills to a senior aged management. The embedded report by the Altimeter Group picked up the role of Social Media Strategists and analyzed who they are, what is being expected of them and which career patterns their future bears. As it turns out, many come to a decisive point which decides about whether their future lies in everyday helpdesk style routine or whether they can manage to take their company ahead of the competition. Definately worth a read! Please use fullscreen mode.
An elaborate presentation on Social Commerce
Social Commerce – What Are We Waiting For?
View more presentations from Jurgen Appelo.
Chevrolet to Bury "Chevy" in Corporate Communications
On June 10, I came across several articles dealing with an internal GM memo which apparently prohibited its staff to use the name „Chevy“ when speaking of Chevrolet models or the brand in general. „Why this?“ you may wonder. Isn’t this term common all over the U.S or even the world and doesn’t this express that to many people Chevrolet is more than a brand, something that has been part of American lives for centuries and that people have strong affection for? Damn right! And what is the corporate benefit of only using Chevrolet instead of Chevy? Should Coca-Cola avoid the use of Coke? Surely GM’s marketing department has had its reason for this. I use this opportunity to provide you with some interesting facets of the history of the US automobile market and the central role of patriotism.Many American automakers make heavy use of patriotism in commercials. Why? Well, simply because it works and it helped sell cars for many centuries.
When in the late 70s Japanese makes with surprising product quality and price-quality-relation entered the U.S. market, pointing to U.S jobs and the economy helped push sales of U.S. automobiles. Using the country-of-origin effect to gain a competitive advantage towards foreign makes and playing the patriotic card is what I term „patriotic marketing.“ Especially the U.S. is a country most popular for its loyalty towards its nation and its cultural heritage and thus patriotic marketing has seen great success throughout different industries. Wal-Mart, Ford, Chevrolet and Budweiser are just some examples. And patriotic marketing is not a recent phenomenon. It can be found in markets all over the world. In the the U.S. it has been applied already in the days of the early colonies in order to support the local economy and to push the independence from British goods and dominance.
The sad side: Patriotic marketing has the same effect on domestic economies as other trade barriers have. They hinder foreign goods from entering the market. If they had been produced more efficiently , the tariffs make them more expensive than they actually would be and thus less attractive to the US consumer. Unfortunately this did not give U.S. auto brands in the 80s the time and space to improve in terms of productivity and quality. Instead patriotic marketing just helped to distract consumers from the obviously lower quality compared to German or Japanese makes. By avoiding direct competition and by producing specifically to a patriotic US target group, US automakers lost touch of the Japanese and European competitors. This is the reason why in the past you could barely sell US automobiles outside of the US. As a result GM, Chrysler and Ford all have been struggling in the beginning of the 21st century.
Status Quo: Today Ford and GM have realized that future market share comes from quality and innovation and from producing globally competitive vehicles that are attractive to auto buyers all around the world. Ford today is known for a strong focus on Social Media. Why? To connect with young target groups and in order to rejuvenate the brand. In the US more and more small-sized cars enter the U.S. market and GM is among the leaders when it comes to Hybrid technology or battery-powered vehicles such as the promising Opel / GM Ampera. Also GM started to introduce successful European Opel models in the US (under the Saturn brand). And they did NOT sell Opel, which may be playing a central role for the future of the GM corporation.
Learning: Patriotism may work nicely in domestic markets but in a global economy values such as quality, innovation and fit-to-market is what matters. President Obamas decision against a major Buy American campaign to boost domestic economy may have cost a short-time boost, but in the long run and in a global context, this was certainly the right decision. The recent financial reports by Ford and GM show that they obviously have made the turn: They again make good money with better vehicles. And Toyota who has always been ahead in terms of quality and reliability now has the quality troubles…. If this GM memo has been a move away from the patriotic American background towards a more global positioning, I cannot tell. Future commercials may provide an insight. But I am sure that the future of GM can only lie in becoming a strong global brand such as Ford or VW. Only then you can selll enough vehicles, profit from economies of scale and invest in order to be able to equip your vehicles with the latest technology.
Today, we are experiencing exciting times in the global automobile industry. Never before have there been challenges such as gas prices, battery technology, etc that may fundamentally change the auto business.
But let’s get back to America’s love for Chevy and how important a role Chevy had been playing in the past. When writing my master’s thesis on „Patriotism and American Values in U.S. Advertising“ I came across numerous examples of patriotic marketing applied in US TV commercials. And I must admit that some of them also have a strong impact on me. To many proud Americans, these commercials may feel like a confirmation in their beliefs, in the cultural values many Americans so proudly cherish. I have provided you with a selection of commercials that are filled with references to American cultural values such as „work ethic“, „freedom“ „risk-taking“ and „individual achievement“. And in almost all of them you come across „Chevy“. Enjoy these colorful, moving commercials. Some of you may find them pathetic or stereotypical. But just imagine how these images may move a patriotic American citizen and ease the complex purchasing process…
1994: „Like A Rock“
2007: Chevrolet Super Bowl Commercial „Ain’t We Got Love“
~2006: This Is Our Country (Chevy Silverado)
1991: Chevy Truck „The Heartbeat of America Campaign“
1992: Chevy Like a Rock
Ads like these show that Chevy is a positive synonym for Chevrolet, a brand that helped make America what it is today. A brand that brought mobility to generations of Americans.
Article dealing with the issue:
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN1024152620100610
Don't go Social Media if….
well, plenty of reasons to enumerate!
As I had been previously writing about the fact that not every company or organization should blindly invest in Social Media campaigns or open up a group, account or whatever wherever possible, I much enjoyed an article by Lisa Barone on her blog. She lists up „10 signs your company isn’t suited for social media“ – which pretty much covers the issue.
Here they are:
1. You have no social skills (and don’t want to fake them)
2. You have no sense of humor/can’t handle criticism
3. You’re going to forget about it in the morning
4. Openness is a problem for you
5. You’re only there to sell
6. You view social media as a numbers game
7. You’re inclined to call people’s wives ‘douchettes’
8. You think Twitter is a social media strategy
9. You don’t have a ‘social’ culture
10. You don’t have permission
For the details, well you know where that is to be found!
Please see her blog for the entire article.
SOM is back and here's a goodie on B2B Marketing
After a brief cold that came across my way and totall corrupted my schedule I am back on track. Having barely found the time to provide content for this blog here is a goodie published today on mashable.com.
Social Media still is in every mouth and this is very likely to continue for much longer. These two words combine the hopes of oh so many companies out there, fearing to lose touch of their consumers as times change faster and faster. But Social Media can also be of help in the B2B sector. The only trouble is that solution are not as evident as in the B2C field. Open a Jaegermeister youtube channel or a Nike facebook page. No big deal. But in the B2B area you need to be a little more fact-oriented and less entertaining. To successfully apply Social Media here, you might need more phantasy than in the B2C field. Sounds weird? Well, who would have thought that an electronic devices supplier such as Farnell would successfully establish a community (element14) for its business customers where they can exchange their insights, tips, troubles and so on about Farnell products. And it obviously does work and they do love it!
Another aspect is going out into the existing platforms such as facebook, twitter, and so on. This may not be the ideal place to sell B2B goods, but at least what you can do is learn and find the appropriate partners. Mashable.com’s today article provides you with 10 essential Social Media Tools for B2B Marketers. If Social Media is a topic in your business you might wanna check their article. But do not forget: in the end it is still you who has to find out if Socia Media does make sense and does generate real profit for you business! Enjoy!
Here is the link:
http://mashable.com/2010/04/08/b2b-marketing-tools/
