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Short post today, just something to think about.
Everyone is healthy for the hour that they’re in the gym.
Everyone is eco-friendly for the hour that they’re driving their hybrid.
Everyone is open and forward-thinking for the hour that they’re blogging.
But the thing is, it doesn’t matter what you’re doing with that one hour.
What matters is what you do with the other 23.
One of the biggest criticisms of blogs is their lack of credibility. The fact that anyone who wants to can get their ideas out there has been both a blessing and a curse.
But I think that when most people make the credibility argument, they’re missing the point.
A lot of the content on blogs is creative. Ideas, thoughts, conversations, predictions, opinions. All stuff that doesn’t necessarily need “credibility” to be valid.
I think that TV ads are annoying and interrupting. I think that brands should be open to conversation. I think that capri pants generally look bad on everyone. Are these things credible? I don’t know, thats up to you. Are they valid? Absolutely.
Thats not to say that blogs aren’t credible (i.e. Godin, Jaffe, Armano, Kawasaki, Verdino, Defren, etc.), but credibility isn’t always the point. Creativity and expression is.
Normally the front page of Amazon.com is filled with product recommendations, sales, and more recently a showcase for their e-book reader, the Kindle.
But today all the front page has is a note from the Founder/CEO Jeff Bezos explaining the high level of demand and how it’s causing Kindle shortages. Standard corporate line sort of stuff. We hope to get it back in stock, Order and ship same-day…you get the picture.
But then Bezos does something interesting and incredibly smart. He acknowledges the community by showcasing a big picture of a Kindle-shaped cake he found on the internet, saying “I found this delectable-looking Kindle cake on the web - it’s the ultimate geek compliment!”
With this simple picture and link he turns the standard CEO line into something fun and engaging. Clearly Bezos is paying attention to whats being said (and baked) about Amazon and it’s products.
Are You?
Big companies are like huge boulders. Hard to get moving, but once they are, forget about stopping or changing direction quickly.
This is a bad thing.
A lot of times little things will happen (the kid who built furniture out of FedEx boxes, or Starbucks closing their doors for a night of training), and these little things represent a big opportunity. But the problem is that most big companies can’t react quick enough to do anything meaningful about it. The bureaucracy slows them down.
Big companies need to develop a rapid response group. A small group of marketers with different talents that have a small (but actionable) budget and the ability to execute their initiatives.
You can call it the Brand A-Team, Captain Brand-it, or The Fellowship of the Brand (if you’re a nerd), it really doesn’t matter. As long as they have the right people, a small budget, and a direct line, bat-phone style, to the CMO, that’s all they need.
What do you think? What are the problems? Would this work and would you like to be on a team like this?
You know the kind.Mean, self-centered, maybe even a little bit crazy. But you love what they’ve got so you keep coming back.
That’s Apple for you. I can’t think of any other brand out there that consistently mistreats their customers, yet has a fan base that would lay down on train tracks for them.
Price gouging early adopters? Sure why not. Removable batteries? Keep dreaming. But still, I know people that almost wet their pants waiting for Steve to unveil the MacBook Air.
The big thing for me here is that, apparently, consumers will ignore or forgive a brand’s missteps if their product is exceptional. But how long can this last? Will Apple be able to plow along, doing whatever it pleases and still create new fans? Or will someone else come and deliver a great product AND great customer interaction.
What do you think?
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