Politics has always been a controversial business, yet brands are willing to take political stances. Taking into consideration the fact that brands are not politicians and cannot lobby or make an advocacy group, they are mainly executing a political agenda on behalf of an “interested constituency.” Where this strategy is perfect in advancing a political cause, it might have an opposite effect for brands, as brands cannot win by using this strategy.  In order to win more business, brands need to use a different strategy- they need to extend their consumer base. It is largely believed that a brand’s growth is dependent on consumer loyalty. However, loyalty is not enough for a brand to grow; brands must have a widespread appeal. Brands also need to unite different group of consumers with divergent values and preferences.

While it is smart and safe for brands to ignore politics and make most of it a secondary concern, they cannot be completely passive. Politics  nowadays  blends with lifestyle and can no longer be treated separately. That being said, brands need a new vocabulary for communicating with consumers. Most interestingly, brands are finding themselves as the advocates for enforcing civility and decency in public life. These various roles urge brands to answer every challenge with purpose, not with politics. Political brands will eventually get lost in the crowd of bitter divisiveness. Brands make a difference that matters when they take a stand as brands with purpose, not a political agenda.

The Global Strategy Group has been measuring Americans’ views on business and politics. The main question being asked was – How did Americans feel about politically involved companies? The results were balanced: Americans treated the brands as individuals and expected them to have their own political identities and beliefs. According to January 2017 results, 81% of Americans believed that corporations should take actions and address the society’s more salient issues. However, consumers were more supportive of companies that took a stance on issues directly affecting the company; such as the minimum wage, pay equality, industry-specific issues, and economics. Acceptance was the lowest on more diverging social issues, like abortion and marijuana legalization.

The results also indicated that Coca Cola and the Walt Disney Company tended to enjoy the highest ratings. Uber and Google also showed heavy political involvement, while their ecosystem was fairly young and progressive. Starbucks, however, had very contradicting results, as some consumers were supportive of its role for taking a stand against building the US/Mexico border, while some were outraged by it. However, it is evident that these companies have made the environment a core piece of their brand identity. So, it is no surprise to either customers or stakeholders when the leadership speaks out in support of environmental issues.

References

Brehse, T. (2017). Should Your Company Take A Political Stance? Retrieved from: http://blog.ignitespot.com/should-your-company-take-a-political-stance.

DeMers, J. (2017). Getting Political Can Cause Your Business Dearly If You Are Not Cautious. Retrieved from: https://www.forbes.com/sites/jaysondemers/2017/02/16/is-it-dangerous-for-your-brand-to-get-political/#647a78438611.

Smith, J., W. (2017). Why Taking A Political Stance Is The Biggest Mistake The Brand Can Make. Retrived from: https://www.ama.org/publications/MarketingNews/Pages/brands-shouldnt-be-policital.aspx.

Government has two main functions— to take care of the people they represent and to make things happen.  It develops policies and  funds projects. There is little competition. After all, where can you get a driver’s license other than the DMV?  An effective government means that it delivers quality services;  responsibly manages public funds and represents the best interests of the people.

Unlike public corporations, Government does not prioritize  profit margins, sales benchmarks and stockholders. Public officials, elected or appointed, are concerned about constituents.  When the people do not like the status quo, they organize and  things can change.

What does this have to do with marketing and branding?  Everything.  Efficacy boils down to perception. How a government organization, a municipality or  a public service is viewed by  stakeholders  lays the foundation for its overall  sustainability and  well-being.

Here are some of my favorite government logos and my interpretation.

New York: a City where dreams come true

Amsterdam: A City that celebrates diversity

NASA: A government organization that is devoted to space exploration and science

How do you brand government?  The starting point is to identify the institution’s core values. What does it represent?  In the case of municipalities, what do residents pride themselves upon? What is going to lure tourists and business (Salman, 2008)? It’s a communication dance – synchranizing different audiences to generate a worthwhile message.

By implementing integrated communication strategies,  governments can attract and maintain a viable reputation. Through digital channels,  public sector marketing needs to  do more than publicize policies,  services and events. It can  foster vibrant communities. Through  interesting stories of  stakeholders,  sharing photos and memories  of its landmarks and distinctiveness,  social media can help reinvent the government brand. The sky’s the  limit. Afterall, nothing is certain but death or taxes.

Reference

Salman, S. (2008) Brand of gold. theguardian.com. Retrieved from  https://www.theguardian.com/society/2008/oct/01/city.urban.branding

If you are a big sports fan then you are likely familiar with ESPN and Fox Sports, two of the largest and most dominant sports broadcasting networks in the world. You have probably visited both their websites to check out the latest scores or to play fantasy football. You probably noticed they are pretty similar, considering they report on the same source content. So how does one network try and gain a competitive advantage over the other, especially in the hotly contested online arena? Move away from the norm.

In June 2017, Fox Sports overhauled their web content by scrapping all written content and replacing it with video content (Shaw, 2017). Their website has no written articles. They let go of 20 journalists and replaced them with video production personnel. Fox Sports’ overhaul is a move away from traditional sports reporting content which is mostly written articles. Fox is attempting to separate itself from other sports websites, namely ESPN, by shifting from traditional sports reporting to opinion-based video content that complements their television content, increases web advertising opportunities, and exposes viewers to Fox Sports on-air personalities (Shaw, 2017).

But is it a smart move? The shift was recent, so only time will tell, however, research has shown that consumers are far more likely to be drawn in to video content than text. Benefits of video content include:

• Increasing consumer understanding of a product or service by 74% (Gardner, 2016)
• Consumers are 64% more likely to buy a product if they view a video (Gardner, 2016)
• Video promotion is 600% more effective than print and mail (Gardner, 2016)
• Consumers retain 95% of a message when they watch it in a video compared to 10% in text (Young, 2016)
• Video increases the chances of a website landing on page 1 of Google by 53% (Young, 2016)
• Adding video to a website makes it six times more likely to convert a “browser” into a paying customer (Young, 2016)
• 60% of consumers would rather watch a video on a website (Young, 2016)

Overall, adding video content to a website has far more benefits than only text and many websites are taking notice. 79% of global internet traffic is predicted to be video by 2020. Video support both consumer perception and marketing strategies when considering that 90% of information transmitted to the brain is visual and a single minute of video is worth 1,000 words (Young, 2016).

It’s too early to tell if Fox Sports’ move will pay off but the benefits of incorporating video format into web content is something that should be considered when developing online strategy. Use text as a complement to video. Create websites with video content in mind and consider how the consumer will absorb the content. It can only help increase productivity.

References:

Gardner, M. (2017, January 18). Video vs Text – Which is Most Effective? Retrieved August 06, 2017, from http://www.gandbagency.com/video-conversion/

Jarboe, G. (2017, March 09). Video Will Account for 79% of Global Internet Traffic by 2020. Retrieved August 06, 2017, from http://tubularinsights.com/video-79-percent-internet-traffic-2020/

Shaw, L. (2017, June 26). Fox Sports cuts web writing staff to invest more in online video. Retrieved August 06, 2017, from http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/breaking/ct-fox-sports-layoffs-more-online-video-20170626-story.html

Young, M. (2016, June 06). Looking at the Facts-Why Video Content Has the Highest Retention Rate. Retrieved August 06, 2017, from http://www.popvideo.com/blog/looking-at-the-facts-why-video-content-has-the-highest-retention-rate

(image courtesy of mpamag.com)

If there is one group of people the housing market has not figured out, its millennials. This is not just a “feeling,” this lack of understanding is found in the media. Take two recent articles from NBC News and Forbes. Although published less than two months apart, one would think that they were reading two contrasting articles, about two different generations of people, in two separate times.

In a June 2017 NBC News article titled, “Who’s Powering the Housing Market? Surprise! It’s Millennials,” Herb Weisbaum makes the case that contrary to popular belief, millennials are just as interested in owning a home as anyone else. He even quotes a study saying that millennials now make-up the largest group of people looking to buy a house (34 percent) (Weisbaum, 2017).

Fast-forward two months, and one may read a strikingly different story in Forbes. In an article by Annabel Acton titled, “10 Things You Need To Know About Marketing To Millennials,” a far more grim picture is painted about millennials and their relationship to home ownership. The article states, “Millennials are in a financial bind. They’re in debt (in 2016, the average college student graduates with $37.2k in debt), they can’t afford houses and are staring down the barrel of some pretty epic changes to the workplace, namely automation. Saving for a big house doesn’t make sense. Spending $800 on a primo festival experience does” (Acton, 2017).

This week, I also saw an article floating around Facebook called, “Millennials Are Buying Homes Because of Their Dogs – Not Their Children or Marriages” (Lewis, 2017). However, further examining the relationship between children and millennials can make this already complicated matter even more so…

One could sit here and argue who is right and who is wrong. Quite frankly, both are probably right to an extent. Millennials can easily make up the largest group of people looking to buy a home, but can also be largest group looking to rent and/or is plagued by debt. That argument aside, what seems to be more interesting is the fact that an entire industry (real estate) has neglected to understand and appeal to a generation that is a point in life where home-ownership is a serious consideration. Not only that, there also seems to be a lack of desire within the real estate industry to market to millennials.

In the NBC article, a Keller Williams agent in the Seattle-area states, “They can use the technology to find what’s on the market, so our role tends to be different for them. They understand the role of a real estate agent, as far as negotiations, contracts and paperwork, but they don’t necessarily need us to find the homes. Our role is to facilitate the sale” (Weisbaum, 2017).

Granted, the real estate industry has different challenges and considerations than a more traditional corporation, especially when one takes into consideration the shift from an “owning” economy to a “sharing” economy, and the rate of affordability based on location. Nevertheless, if a marketing pitch included the phrase, “They can use technology to seek us out,” I doubt that would go over well in the conference room.

The only thing that can be argued is that if the real estate market does not take time to get to know and understand the largest group of homebuyers, they are clearly missing an opportunity to sustain its industry in the long run. Moreover, the question remains, is there an untapped market here?

References

Acton, A. (2017, August 02). 10 Things You Need To Know About Marketing To Millennials. Retrieved August 04, 2017, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/annabelacton/2017/08/02/10-things-you-need-to-know-about-marketing-to-millennials/#1c87fccf2e6c

Lewis, R. (2017, July 27). Millennials Are Buying Homes Because of Their Dogs | Money. Retrieved August 04, 2017, from http://time.com/money/4876151/millenials-homes-dogs-children-marriages/

Weisbaum, H. (2017, June 05). Who’s Powering the Housing Market? Surprise! It’s Millennials. Retrieved August 04, 2017, from http://www.nbcnews.com/business/real-estate/who-s-powering-housing-market-surprise-it-s-millennials-n768196

Some marketers are still using social media like traditional media. And they wonder why they are struggling? (Source: Course Materials)

The Right and Getting Left Behind on Social Media

“But I’m doing social media.” This phrase came out of the mouth of one of my potential strategic communication consulting clients. She had been shooting her TV show “Cindy’s Table” for years. She had even managed to book a few media appearances. However, her audience hasn’t been growing. Why not?

Her content is good.

Her recipes are delicious.

Her show is pretty cute too.

What Cindy Anschutz Barbieri is missing is building a relationship with her viewers and engaging in a real conversation. She had the learning aspect down. But what she didn’t understand was engagement equals more than page follows and likes. Although her show is very educational, Cindy isn’t using social media as effectively as she could be. Her team of interns simply reposts her show or post a photo with a general comment. If Cindy would be open to innovation, her social media could grow her audience. In fact, if you look at the top 10 social media mistakes made by small business owners, Cindy is making many of them. Reviewing two channels, Facebook and YouTube, what mistakes do you see Cindy making? How could she fix them so she is using her social media channels to the fullest?

As of today, Instagram Stories is a year old. Stories is a feature on Instagram, similar to Snapchat, which allows followers to post pictures and videos taken within the last 24 hours or have live video sessions where followers can tune in. According to one AdWeek article “Stories was a way for users to get away from only posting highlights of their lives.” By incorporating this feature into the social media platform Instagram created a home for the everyday moments that some users may deem an impulse capture but not necessarily Instagram feed worthy.

Instagram stories can also be executed by brands looking to engage with their followers. For example, J.Crew used the Instagram’s Stories feature to launch GIFs and photos of exclusive pink sunglasses being sold to followers. There were only fifty pairs being sold and the short-lived nature of the social networking tool reinforced the hype behind the limited series launch.

Using the twenty-four hour social networking feature that captures over forty percent of millennial and generation-Z users on a daily basis, the J.Crew campaign for it’s pink sunglasses sold out in a day. The use of Stories created an immediate need to obtain an item that wouldn’t be available the next day. Though it was a very limited release, Stories was able to create a fear of missing out among loyal customers resulting in a sold out product.

General Instagram Statistics:

• 700 Million+ people worldwide use Instagram every single month.
• 400 Million+ people worldwide use Instagram every day.
• Those under the age of 25 spend more than 32 minutes a day on Instagram.

Instagram Stories Statistics:

• 250 Million+ Instagrammers use stories every day.
• 80% of Instagrammers follow a business on Instagram.
• Over 50% of businesses on Instagram produced an Instagram Story.

In celebration of Global Delivery Day on July 26, Mc Donald’s launched a new apparel and goods line called the “McDelivery Collection”. The limited edition collection, which was available via the UberEATS app in select countries – includes long sleeve shirts, sweatshirts, sweatpants, slide slippers, pillows and more.Oh, and did we mention that its also free?

“At McDonald’s, we continue to raise the bar for our customers—with new recipes, a fresher look, and now new levels of convenience through McDelivery with UberEATS,” McDonald’s spokesperson Lauren Altmin tells AdFreak.

“To celebrate, we created the McDelivery Collection, a fun line of items designed to help people savor the delivery experience, whether they’re craving a Big Mac snuggled up on their couch or sharing some fries with friends in the park.”

Although this promotion only lasted one day, Mc Donald’s received a good amount of publicity with the help of celebrity endorsements on social media.

Want a Burger? Eat a Burger! 🍔 thx @mcdonalds #mcdelivery

A post shared by lancegross (@lancegross) on Jul 20, 2017 at 8:07pm PDT

Mc Donald’s might not be the healthiest, but it’s trying to be the trendiest, are you feeling it?

References:

Ellis, S. (2017, July 22). McDonald’s Apparel And Accessories Hit The Market. Retrieved from https://www.vibe.com/2017/07/mcdonalds-apparel-collection/

Natividad, A. (2017, July 20). McDonald’s Apparel Is Here, So Make Room in Your Closet Next to Your KFC and Pizza Hut Swag – Adweek. Retrieved from http://www.adweek.com/creativity/mcdonalds-apparel-is-here-so-make-room-in-your-closet-next-to-your-kfc-and-pizza-hut-swag/

At BBQs and family gatherings, in class discussions and conversations with friends or even colleagues at work, I’ve had many conversations about this grey area that some of us feel when it comes to generational labels like Baby Boomer, Gen Xer, Millennial, etc.  I’ve personally always been intrigued by who or what entity gets to officially decide what characteristics define a generation, the name of the generation and the cut off years for each generation.  In the case of Millennials, the term was apparently coined by historian Neil Howe who first made mention of the term in a 1991 book called Generations which he co-wrote with William Strauss (Raphelson, 2014).  

The term Millennial appears to be a nod to the generation who came of age during the turn of the century AND the turn of the millennium.  “They would be the first to graduate high school in the year 2000, so the name millennial instantly came to mind” Howe says (Raphelson, 2014).  I, who would graduate a year later from high school, remember hoping that every computer and electronic device in my home, school and America wouldn’t crash and the entire world would not end once the clock struck midnight on January 1, 2000.  As we all know, nothing major happened.  

Back to this grey area: when I google Millennial, almost every website, blog and official source gives a different age range which makes the generation somewhat difficult to define by year.  In most instances, the first few years of the generation land between 1980 – 1982 and ends around 2000.  A recent Huffington Post article gives 2004 as a cutoff for Millennials (D’Souza, 2017) which in my opinion is indeed a stretch.  In most cases, Gen X is defined by people born between 1965 – 1979.  Generation X spans about 15 years, but the generations before and after span 20 years or more.  

Technically, by date of birth, I am an older Millennial (year 1 or 2 of the cohort depending on who is writing the article that day).  Both of my parents were born in the middle of the Baby Boom and they raised me with many of the old school values from their upbringing.  These are the nuances I believe marketers often fail to realize when targeting audiences and why relying too heavily on these generational labels and stereotypes can be misguided.  When I read articles by Forbes or longitudinal studies/reports by Deloitte about Millennials this, Millennials that, shopping habits, voting tendencies, positions on social issues, retirement planning, job hopping every 18 months, only uses Instagram and Snapchat and have abandoned Facebook (which has been debunked by market research), etc. I often cannot relate to these conclusions.  Many of the reports that I read tend to reflect the 18 – 24 year old segment of the cohort and not the mid-30 year old segment where I reside.

As someone who often feels in a generational Twilight Zone, the idea of microgenerations (D’Souza, 2017) is music to my ears.  So apparently for folks like me who firmly identify with some of the stereotypical characteristics of Generation X and Millennial [folks born somewhere between 1977 – 1983 (D’Souza, 2017)], there is a microgeneration called Xennials.  Xennials or the so-called “Oregon Trail Generation” (Stankorb and Wudel, 2017) is honestly a great start for a happy-medium classification for folks like me whose early childhood was steeped in the analog era.  

For Xennials, even though our parents may have still had turntables, LPs and 45s laying around when we were growing up and not just for nostalgia’s sake, we grew up with cassette tapes, then CDs and MP3 players, word processors, then Macintosh and IBM.  Then we transitioned from no internet to Prodigy, then AOL, to pay phones, land lines to pagers to cell phones, VHS to DVD, then TiVo, the list goes on.  We basically grew up during a fast wave of technological advances that didn’t happen at this pace for previous generations.  By the time younger Millennials were born, many of these technological advances (internet, cell phones, etc.) were commonplace.  

This is precisely why advertisers who want to be smarter about connecting with their intended audiences need to be more targeted about the demographics of focus for advertising spending.  They should pay particular attention to the concept of microgenerations for media planning.  What appeals to Millennials born in 2000 will not always appeal to those born in 1982.

References

D’Souza, J. (2017, June 28). Xennials, The Microgeneration Between Gen X And Millennials. Huffington Post. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2017/06/28/xennials_a_23006562/

Raphelson, S. (2014, October 6). From GIs to Gen Z (or is it iGen?): How generations get nicknames. NPR. Retrieved from http://www.npr.org/2014/10/06/349316543/don-t-label-me-origins-of-generational-names-and-why-we-use-them

Stankorb, S., & Wudel, K. (2017, July 1). The person who came up with ‘Xennials’ has the definitive quiz to help you figure out if you are one. Good. Retrieved from https://www.good.is/articles/quiz-xennial-gen-x-millennial-do-you-know-if-you-qualify