JimJosephExp

Bacon

2013-05-20T05:03:00.003-04:00

What in the world is going on with bacon these days? There's nothing hotter.

Bacon Margaritas. Bacon Cotton Candy. Bacon Cupcakes. Bacon Apple Pie. Bacon Soda. Bacon Vodka. My client, Sonic, just introduced a Peanut Butter and Bacon Shake. I even saw Bacon Roses ... a bouquet of bacon slices rolled up to look like a dozen roses. Oscar Mayer' just came out with a new Bacon Hot Dog which actually doesn't feel like it's that much of a stretch! But I did recently buy a Dark Chocolate Bar flavored with Bacon from Vosges. Strange, but it was amazingly delicious ... I couldn't believe it.

There are bacon cookbooks, bacon fan clubs, and bacon societies. There's even a website called BaconToday. com and they sell t-shirts that say "Team Bacon" and "You Had Me At Bacon." Let's not forget BaconFreak.com where, gosh, you can learn everything and anything about what to do with bacon. It's a bacon bonanza.

Don't get me wrong, I'm a bacon fan. But it's still a bit of a surprise that it's popularity is surging. Not because I'm not a lover but more because it's not like it's anything new. Although I do have to say that Bacon Dental Floss is new to me!

Anyone know why? What's your experience? Jim.

Jim Joseph
- President, Cohn & Wolfe NA
- Author, The Experience Effect series
- Professor, NYU
- Contributor, Entrepreneur

P.S. - what's next? Bacon Greek Yogurt?!?

Sketchers Claim

2013-05-17T04:53:00.001-04:00

My editor at Entrepreneur asked me if I'd like to write about the recent class-action lawsuit brought against Sketchers, and the recent $40million settlement. I passed on it, because honestly I wasn't sure what I had to say about it. I stumped myself, because rarely do I not have a point of view.

But then I really got to thinking about it.

While I don't know many details about the case, I realized that this is why there are regulations in place ... to protect the consumer and to protect the brand quite honestly. We work in many regulated industries including healthcare, spirits, OTC products, etc. All of them have their own sets of regulations that we must follow, or we potentially get ourselves in trouble. Those regulations are there to protect us too!

Now claiming that a sneaker in and of itself can "help people lose weight, and strengthen and tone their buttocks, legs, and abdominal muscles" does seem a little out there. That's a lot to put on a pair of shoes, and I would think you'd have to put a whole lot of sweat into it to get those results. I remember seeing the advertising with Kim Kardashian and thinking, "oh, come on!" But that was probably more about her than about the sneakers!

Either way, it's easy to get caught up in marketing and lose sight of what messaging you're putting out there. The FTC, FDA, and all the other regulations keep us in check. So at those times when we scratch our heads and try to make sense of them all, I'm going to remember Sketchers and be thankful for the guidance.

What's your experience? Jim.

Jim Joseph
- President, Cohn & Wolfe NA
- Author, The Experience Effect series
- Professor, NYU
- Contributor, Entrepreneur

#FitchTheHomeless

2013-05-16T04:39:00.001-04:00

Never before have I gotten more "Hey Jim, have you seen this?" messages in one day.

And never before have I seen a consumer (a consumer!) take over a brand quite the same way.

I talk all the time, as do many others, about how consumers are taking control of brand messaging, and influencing brand activity as a result. Sometimes it's incredibly positive (ala JCPenney), and sometimes not so much.

Well in response to Abercrombie & Fitch's CEO recent comments about "cool kids," one consumer took the matter in his own hands. He made a video encouraging people to donate their Abercrombie & Fitch clothing to the homeless. A video that has now gone viral.

And as only can be done "now a days," he's making a movement of it through social channels and his hashtag #FitchTheHomeless. Love how it turned it into a verb! A movement, of sorts!

Now there is a little bit of uncomfortableness here, which makes me wince to tell you the truth. Not sure that I like the idea of "using" the homeless to prove a point, but I do admire this man's efforts. And I do love the idea of donating clothing you no longer want to the homeless as well. In that effort, it's a win-win.

The marketing point I'm trying to make here, though, is that we see once again consumers responding to a brand "platform" and either supporting it or negating it ... and using their individual power to influence others. While consumers have always had the power to purchase, they've not quite had this level of ability to communicate and persuade.

From that perspective, I say Bravo!

What's your experience? Jim.

Jim Joseph
- President, Cohn & Wolfe NA
- Author, The Experience Effect series
- Professor, NYU
- Contributor, Entrepreneur

Child Abuse's Two Faces

2013-05-15T04:51:00.000-04:00

There's an incredible organization in Spain called ANAR who is fighting child abuse in a very creative way.

The company just launched a new transit advertising campaign showing two faces of child abuse ... one from an adult's pov and one from that of a child.

As an adult, you can see the face of a young child with messaging geared towards adults to get them to understand child abuse. But if you are in fact a young child who is much shorter, you see a very different ad from that vantage point. This view shows a young child who has been obviously abused, with messaging on where to call if you need help. Where a child who is being abused should call for help!

It's a very creative use of lenticular printing, and a very creative messaging approach.

The cool part is that neither party knows that the other party is viewing a different message. Clever indeed, and let's hope effective. Ironic because often adults don't know that it's happening and children are afraid to tell adults. I guess that's the point.

What's your experience? Jim.

Jim Joseph
- President, Cohn & Wolfe NA
- Author, The Experience Effect series
- Professor, NYU
- Contributor, Entrepreneur

The University Look

2013-05-14T09:09:00.002-04:00

In writing yesterday's post about Abercrombie & Fitch, it occurred to me that I was once a devotee and even wrote about it in my first book. The only reason I stopped is because I got too "old" for the brand and my teenage kids didn't get into the brand essence. Interesting.

But even more interesting, as we see perhaps the allure of A&F fade, is how other brands are coming into play.

I believe that the "University Look" is still relevant, it's just how it gets executed. Now Ralph Lauren also recently shut down it's "Rugby" brand, but I think that was more about the company's own portfolio management as it was anything else. Just my bet.

We've seen other brands take on the look recently with what appears to be great success.

The UK brand Jack Wills is hitting the US by storm, popping up with stand-alones in major markets where there are large university bases. Brooks Brothers has also reinvented a new line appealing to a much younger, college-age crowd.

The looks are all very similar, although admittedly less "athletic" than A&F, but still in the same space. So as a brand or two go "out," there appears to be room for a brand or two to come "in." Now this is probably particularly true in fashion, but I think it's a key component of any marketing. If you have a core idea that resonates, you need to keep it alive and keep it ownable, or it will quickly fade or be taken over by someone else.

I think that's what we are seeing with the "University Look."

What's your experience? Jim.

Jim Joseph
- President, Cohn & Wolfe NA
- Author, The Experience Effect series
- Professor, NYU
- Contributor, Entrepreneur

Targeting Abercrombie & Fitch

2013-05-13T04:51:00.001-04:00

I recently wrote this article for Entrepreneur about Abercrombie & Fitch. I'd love to hear what you think....

There's no misunderstanding the message that the CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch, Mark Jeffries, recently sent out: the brand delivers a certain "look" and wants to maintain it.

His comments about "fat people", being one of the "cool kids", and "thin, beautiful customers" have, for the most part, been seen as grossly offensive, and as a father of two teenagers, I myself wince.

But from a pure marketing perspective, I'm not sure that he was wrong. When you look at it without any emotion, you'll see that he is applying classic marketing techniques to his business.

Read more at Entrepreneur: http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/226643#ixzz2T1POxS2q

What's your experience? Jim.

Jim Joseph

- President, Cohn & Wolfe NA

- Author, The Experience Effect series

- Professor, NYU

- Contributor, Entrepreneur

Where To Start

2013-05-10T05:30:00.000-04:00

One fundamental question comes up all the time in the halls of marketing big and small: where do I start? If you've never done marketing before or it's become "old hat" (now that just aged me), it can be a daunting process for sure.

And while I believe that marketing begins and ends with the customer, you still have to start somewhere when you are starting a brand from scratch or trying to refresh the one you have.

Over at Entrepreneur, I've been writing a series of articles examining how to build a brand experience. Today's column talks about where to begin. It all starts with defining your brand and figuring out what you want your brand to be. You can read it here.

What's your experience? Jim.

Jim Joseph
- President, Cohn & Wolfe NA
- Author, The Experience Effect series
- Professor, NYU
- Contributor, Entrepreneur

McDonald's Decides to Tweet

2013-05-09T05:37:00.001-04:00

I always say that marketing is about making good decisions ... there's a hot debate raging right now about McDonald's decision to reach out to "Ohio kidnap" hero Charles Ramsey.

If you don't know the story, Charles was eating food from McDonald's when he realized that the kidnap victims needed help. He pretty much single-handedly helped those women escape. After much encouragement online, McDonald's finally reached out to Charles, via Twitter, celebrating him and saying that they'd be in touch.

Many are calling McDonald's action inappropriate, others saying that it's great that the brand is recognizing this sudden hero.

Surely it's a fine line how and if brands should enter a sensitive storyline. We've seen it repeatedly now with the bombings in Boston, Hurricane Sandy, and the shooting of Trayvon Martin who was holding a bag of Skittles. Sometimes it's just completely inappropriate to join the discussion and other times it's almost mandatory. The line is fine, it constantly moves, and it's completely invisible!

Given the fact that so many people prompted McDonald's to respond, however, I believe that the brand did the right thing by reaching out and offering their congratulations. Whether they will do more than that, they say is a private matter ... appropriately so. Others feel that the brand is just taking advantage of the situation and trying to steal the spotlight.

I can see both sides of the argument, but I strongly believe that you should listen to your customers. In this case their customers wanted McDonald's to do something. We're living in an era where brands are living right along beside us, online and offline, and they are a part of our community. The good brands are behaving appropriately as members of the community. With encouragement from the community, McDonald's did just that.

Here's an article from USAToday which highlights the debate, including my point of view (along with an interview with Charles Ramsey).

I'd love to hear what you think. Did McDonald's do the right thing? What's your experience? Jim.

Jim Joseph
- President, Cohn & Wolfe NA
- Author, The Experience Effect
- Professor, NYU
- Contributor, Entrepreneur

Mike and Ike Reunite

2013-05-08T06:58:00.001-04:00

In what has become a very clever "pr" stunt, the candy brand "Mike and Ike" has gone through a roller coaster year in their relationship. About a year ago, Mike and Ike broke up, citing "irreconcilable creative differences." Well evidently, their love of candy has brought them back together, complete with a completely new marketing campaign.

The split was pretty dramatic, I have to say, and actually included new packaging that featured one and then the other of the names scratched off the packaging ... two versions actually where consumers could vote with their dollars on who they sided with. Mike or Ike?

Now that the duo is back, they're launching new packaging, a new flavor, a refreshed website complete with social media activations, and a movie trailer that debuts during peak movie season late Spring and into the Summer.

It's a well rounded campaign to celebrate Mike and Ike getting back together. If you are a candy lover, then it just doesn't get better than this! It's a great way to differentiate in a sea of category sameness, and a great way to form an emotional connection with consumers in what could seem like an emotion-less category.

Of course those of you who know me know that I believe there is no category that is emotionless!

Take a look at the movie trailer ... drama!

What's your experience? Jim.

Jim Joseph
- President, Cohn & Wolfe NA
- Author, The Experience Effect series
- Professor, NYU
- Contributor, Entrepreneur

When Your Brand Gets Trashed

2013-05-07T03:28:00.000-04:00

Social media has given consumers a voice and a choice ... they can embrace your brand or when they feel like it they can also trash it. As a brand, though, what do you do when consumer comments run out of control?

Here's my take on the subject, in an article I wrote for Entrepreneur. It gathers inspiration from amazon's banana slicer and McDonald's #UnwrapWhatsFresh.

What's your experience? Jim.

Jim Joseph
- President, Cohn & Wolfe NA
- Author, The Experience Effect series
- Professor, NYU
- Contributor, Entrepreneur

Katy Perry for Popchips

2013-05-06T05:59:00.001-04:00

We've seen a number of celebrities getting heavily involved in brands over the last few years ... seems to be a continuing trend. Gaga for Polaroid, Sean Combs for Ciroc, and Justin Timberlake for Bud Light Platinum just to name a few. All of them "Creative Directors" for their respective brands.

These "arrangements" go far beyond the typical spokesperson or brand ambassador role, and way beyond celebrity seeding. They actually involve putting the celebrity into the company, giving them "ownership" and a vested interest in the brand's success.

In this case, Katy Perry is so much more than just the "talent" in the latest brand campaign, but is also an investor. To help boost the chances of her investment growing, she's supporting the brand every way possible including a new flavor, Katy's Kettle Corn. Positioned very much like, well, like she is (for those who know her and her background).

Now when you look at the new packaging, you wouldn't necessarily get it right away ... it's pretty subtle. But you can't say the same about the new advertising campaign. While it doesn't offend like the brand's run with Ashton Kutcher (which later got pulled for being culturally insensitive shall we say), it does push the envelope, in a very bubblegum Katy Perry kind of a way. Love the brand consistency.

Of course, also perfectly timed with the release of her forthcoming new album. There are no coincidences in good marketing.

I believe that this is a trend we are going to see continue for awhile now, as celebrities look to continually increase their exposure and brands look to make their money work harder.

Will it make you try? What's your experience? Jim.

Jim Joseph
- President, Cohn & Wolfe NA
- Author, The Experience Effect series
- Professor, NYU
- Contributor, Entrepreneur

Brands With A Voice

2013-05-03T06:24:00.001-04:00

We are in the midst of a revolution of sorts in marketing ... brands stating their opinions on socio-political issues. It appears to be a huge shift in how we think about engaging with our consumers.

Here's an article I wrote on the topic for MediaPost. Click here if you'd like to read it.

What's your experience? Jim.

Jim Joseph
- President, Cohn & Wolfe NA
- Author, The Experience Effect series
- Professor, NYU
- Contributor, Entrepreneur

Only One Kind of Milk

2013-05-02T05:09:00.001-04:00

I recently spent a few days in Paris ... honestly the first "real" vacation time with no kids that I have spent in years. Sure, I've taken days here and here, often tied to business trips. But I had not been "away" for the sole purpose of selfish relaxation in over a decade. That's life, right?!?

Well I finally unplugged and spent some time enjoying the simple things in life: strolling through a beautiful city (rather than rushing to make a train), visiting flea markets (instead of feverishly buying online), sipping lattes at an outdoor cafe (instead of gulping them down in line at Starbucks), and eating lots and lots of French bistro food (the kind you just can't find anywhere else).

I had two moments that really struck me and have stuck with me ever since. Two moments that made me realize that (dare I say it) perhaps we are over marketed and perhaps (dare I say it) we have too many choices.

One moment was at a little cafe we popped into because it had started to rain one afternoon. It rained just long enough for us to have a latte and a pastry, almost as if someone had wanted us to sit and enjoy something new for a spell. When the waitress came over, I asked if they had soy milk. She laughed and said to me, "sir, we only have one kind of milk in France and it's the milk we use to make delicious lattes."

Only one kind of milk!

The next night we asked our hotel where we could go for the best steak frites ... we wanted a classic French bistro meal. We were pointed to a place not far away that only served steak frites. Little did we know that they take that point seriously ... that's all they serve. In fact the only choices you have is how you want it cooked (raw, medium, or well and nothing in between) and if you want red or white wine (just those two choices).

Only steak frites! Only red or white!

There was something quite liberating about both of these experiences. I spent no energy making a decision, just sat and enjoyed the experience the way the restaurants and servers intended. No weighing of options, no debating about what to have, and no substitutions to complicate the process. Just delicious food, beautifully prepared.

Quite freeing, actually, and made me think that perhaps we've gone too far with so many options that don't really add a lot more value. Too many options that don't really make a difference except to complicate the purity of the experience. Too many options that make the decision a little more stressful.

Are there just too many options? What's your experience? Jim.

Jim Joseph
- President, Cohn & Wolfe NA
- Author, The Experience Effect series
- Professor, NYU
- Contributor, Entrepreneur

Dos de Mayo?

2013-05-01T07:19:00.002-04:00

Houston, we have a problem.

One of the biggest drinking occasions of the year, Cinco de Mayo, falls on a Sunday this year which is generally not one of the biggest drinking days of the week. While on the surface that may not seem like a big deal, if you are a brand that relies on certain holidays to drive your business, it could be devastating to your sales.

Like Dos Equis for example.

What's a brand to do with a problem like this?

Move the holiday!

This year, the brand Dos Equis is encouraging us to celebrate Dos De Mayo instead, which is on a Thursday ... indeed one of the biggest drinking days of the week for one of the biggest drinking holidays of the year.

Brilliant. And a nice tie to the brand name as well.

Here's a video promoting it. Cheers!

"Mobilize your friends!" What's your experience? Jim.

Jim Joseph
- President, Cohn & Wolfe NA
- Author, The Experience Effect series
- Professor, NYU
- Contributor, Entrepreneur

Marketing During A Tragedy

2013-04-30T08:42:00.003-04:00

We've sadly had a number of tragic events in the last few years. With brands as members of communities, it's important to respond appropriately. Here's an article I wrote for Mediapost on just that topic. Click here to read.

What's your experience? Jim.

Jim Joseph
- President, Cohn & Wolfe NA
- Author, The Experience Effect series
- Professor, NYU
- Contributor, Entrepreneur

Of A Certain Age

2013-04-29T04:28:00.000-04:00

I just recently hit a milestone birthday, a big one. Celebrated appropriately by leaving the country for a little getaway. The funny thing is that ever since I have come back, I keep hearing the same phrase over and over. I'm sure I heard it before, it just never hit my radar before.

Being "of a certain age." Guess it means being middle-aged or even just plain being old. I guess I am now "of a certain age." I was at breakfast with a colleague on Friday and the term came up two times!

It does make sense when I think about it because it's not like "senior citizens" or "seniors" really applies anymore. Being 50 is not old and it's not "senior" anymore, despite the AARP card that arrived in the mail last week as well. Old timers are now a lot older.

Made me realize that I have to be careful in guiding clients on how to refer to older audience segments. They're not as old as they used to be! They're just "of a certain age."

What's your experience? Jim.

Jim Joseph
- President, Cohn & Wolfe NA
- Author, The Experience Effect series
- Professor, NYU
- Contributor, Entrepreneur

Totality and Tonality

2013-04-26T06:30:00.001-04:00

I just finished one of my double weekend intensive courses at NYU and I'm also about to finish my grad-level class as well. What a semester ... so much fun!

Both classes are all about brand building, with slightly different focuses and one a lot more thorough than the other. But in both we talk about building the brand experience and specifically about the TOTALITY of that experience as well as the TONALITY of that experience.

In honor of my NYU students, I post this article I recently wrote for Entrepreneur about totality and tonality as it relates to brand marketing. Click here. Happy Spring Semester!

What's your experience? Jim.

Jim Joseph
- President, Cohn & Wolfe NA
- Author, The Experience Effect series
- Professor, NYU
- Contributor, Entrepreneur

The Netflix Rebound

2013-04-25T05:06:00.001-04:00

I say all the time that marketing is all about making good decisions and I have tremendous respect for brands that make consistently smart decisions over and over again ... and rebound from making an occasional bad one.

We were recently talking about Netflix in my class at NYU for this very reason. Netflix is on a complete rebound, making good decision upon good decision after making quite the snafu that almost cost its brand not too long ago. Respect.

The irony that we were reviewing the case study in class and next thing I know I get a call from PRWeek to comment on a story. We were talking about how the brand is originating new content, posting marathon sessions, and of course now streaming video, which is exactly what the reporter was investigating.

I love when the classroom ties to reality, especially when it's about good marketing.

You can give the article a read here.

What's your experience? Jim.

Jim Joseph
- President, Cohn & Wolfe NA
- Author, The Experience Effect series
- Professor, NYU
- Contributor, Entrepreneur

Here We "Dove" Again

2013-04-24T04:47:00.000-04:00

There's a new video circulating social channels that is captivating women. Again. While the video is new, the concept is not at least not for this heritage brand ... but it's a must see for anyone inspired by great marketing.

Dove and its campaign for real beauty.

Once again, Dove is capturing the real beauty of real women, and real women of all ages seem to be resonating with it. The brand owns this space and they continue to work it. And impress. In fact a friend at my agency inspired me to write about it.

The video kind of speaks for itself, and it definitively speaks to the power of a consistent brand experience driven by a consistent brand equity created from a consistent yet powerful consumer insight --- and a consistent brand promise rooted in consistent product features. Consistency!

Perhaps it's the pace or the long format or the sort of sepia feel, I'm not sure. But the video is captivating story telling at its finest, at least in my mind.

A marketing classic, still and again ... consistently.

Give it a view and let me know ... What's your experience? Jim.

Jim Joseph
- President, Cohn & Wolfe NA
- Author, The Experience Effect series
- Professor, NYU
- Contributor, Entrepreneur
Oh ... And winner of a 2013 Social Media Icon award for this blog!

PS - here's the sign of the holy grail in marketing ... when your work gets a parody! It's not that it's cool to be mocking this, I'm just marveling at the fact that it's hit pop culture status. For a brand that's huge.

Social Media Icon ... at 50?

2013-04-23T04:47:00.001-04:00

Last week was a big week for me. I'm putting the finishing touches on my next book (the third in the series), which is coming along quite well I am happy to say. It's all about personal branding and getting what you want out of life by marketing yourself like a brand. I really hope that people like it.

And ... I won a Social Media Icon award from PRNews for this very blog that you are reading right this very second. I am thrilled beyond belief, as you can imagine, for the recognition and vote of confidence. It's not always easy writing a post every day, but I really enjoy it. A little nod along the way really helps though.

The irony of these two seemingly different events is that they both occurred the week I am celebrating a major milestone birthday. So to get a Social Media Icon award at 50 (FIFTY!) ... and to write a book about personal branding at 50 (FIFTY!), is not lost on me.

We tend to think that social media is for the young and we tend to think that getting what you want out of life is for the young as well. Well, not so much, at least not exclusively.

I just turned 50 and I have never been in a better "place" in my life. I work on my "brand" every single day and I am surrounded by people that I thoroughly enjoy both personally and professionally. I get up every morning and comment on something going on in marketing that is helping me to continually learn. Social media has given my "brand" a voice that perhaps would have never been heard before, and for that I am eternally grateful. If that makes me an "icon," then I will take it.

Thanks for every one of you who reads my blog and listens to my brand's voice ... you are a huge part of my brand.

What's your experience? Jim.

Jim Joseph
- President, Cohn & Wolfe NA
- Author, The Experience Effect series
- Professor, NYU
- Contributor, Entrepreneur

Lessons Learned from JCPenney

2013-04-17T05:30:00.002-04:00

I have a particularly affinity for the JCPenney brand, mostly because it was my very first job in high school and then all throughout college. I learned a TON there, and it helped me pay my way through school expenses. I will always have a sweet spot for the company and the brand.

Now enter the developments of late, making for a roller coaster of a story in brand marketing.

I wrote a piece about it for Entrepreneur that I'd like to share here ... the lessons we can learn from the past 12 months of the JCP. Marketing is, after all, a spectator sport.

You can read it here.

What's your experience? Jim.

Jim Joseph
- President, Cohn & Wolfe NA
- Author, The Experience Effect series
- Professor, NYU
- Contributor, Entrepreneur

Keeping Kool-Aid Man Current

2013-04-16T05:46:00.002-04:00

As I myself near a milestone birthday this week, I thought I'd pay homage to a fellow marketer who's about to celebrate an even bigger milestone birthday next year and who is getting a pretty major makeover in advance.

The Kool-Aid man.

Born in 1954, the big guy has been around for decades trying to engage kids in the brand and trying to be Mom's BFF. I guess it was time for him to enter the digital age. So in coordination with a new sugar-free liquid mix product launch, Kool-Aid man is going CGI with a new animated getup along with a Facebook page and app.

Hey, it's not easy staying current. A fresh new look and some new digs go a long way toward keeping up with the newer kids on the block. Gotta stay current to keep those Moms interested and the kids engaged in what you have to offer.

See, you can teach an old dog new tricks!

What's your experience? Jim.

Jim Joseph
- President, Cohn & Wolfe NA
- Author, The Experience Effect series
- Professor, NYU
- Contributor, Entrepreneur

I Shipped My Pants

2013-04-15T04:52:00.004-04:00

There's a new advertising campaign from none other than KMart that is getting a lot of buzz all over social media as well as some broadcast news coverage. It's actually quite good, to tell you the truth, and it had me laughing.

It's called "I Shipped My Pants."

Now why is this so darn good?

First of all, it started out as a "viral video" and got so much attention that the brand decided to use it on broadcast. While not necessarily rare, it's an interesting use of "market research" to see if your advertising is going to resonate with your consumers.

Second of all, there's nothing unique about the product offering here. The brand offers shipping from its .com site. Don't they all? Good example of what is generally the case ... all the functional benefits within any given category are generally the same from all of the competitors. Generally. Any .com e-commerce site will ship its products to you.

Which is the reason why you have to find a higher order emotional benefit to break through. Now in this case it's good old fashioned potty humor, but hey it works. Not solving world peace here, or healing relationships with your mother. Just getting you to laugh as you consider engaging with the brand.

The other thing that struck me was the change in tonality for KMart. I would never think of the brand as being funny or snarky ... it's not the brand character we would expect. I guess the inconsistency breaks through the clutter, but it is very different from what we've seen from the brand. I'm generally not a fan of inconsistency, but in this case we'll see if maybe this is a permanent shift in the brand's tonality in an effort to better connect with their customers.

In the end, it got me to think about KMart differently which is exactly the point.

What's your experience? Jim.

Jim Joseph
- President, Cohn & Wolfe NA
- Author, The Experience Effect series
- Professor, NYU
- Contributor, Entrepreneur

Social Referencing

2013-04-12T12:00:00.000-04:00

This week I spent some time at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) at the International Business Forum where I was one of four keynote speakers. Great fun.

My talk was about recent trends in the brand experience ... initiatives that we see the big brands doing that are causing a stir in marketing. Oreo's "Dunk in the Dark" was a hot topic.

A very interesting phenomenon happened when I started speaking about how employees have become an active part of the brand experience, and should be "marketed" as such. I noted a trend toward "social referencing" which is when potential employees check out candidates via social media. Many firms are starting to pay attention to the digital footprint of people they are thinking of hiring.

There was a collective "ohhhh" in the audience ... and a catalytic spark of questions about the kind of social media presence you should have.

Of course the answer is all about personal branding. You need to decide what you want out of life and then behave accordingly ... toward building your personal brand ... and activate your social channels accordingly. One of my colleagues pointed out that you shouldn't completely "sanitize" your persona online. After all, we like to see texture and human-ness in the people we hire. But you should make sure you are projecting the kind of image you intend - to your friends, family, and perspective employers.

Social referencing. It's become the new "first impression" that you want to manage when interviewing for a job.

So I must ask ... what's your experience? Jim.

Jim Joseph
- President, Cohn & Wolfe NA
- Author, The Experience Effect series
- Professor, NYU
- Contributor, Entrepreneur

Whoops I Did It Again

2013-04-11T04:56:00.002-04:00

I often say, "marketing is a spectator sport." We can learn by watching each other in the marketplace ... in terms of what works and what doesn't work with consumers.

Today I've got two examples where we can learn from blockbuster brands that generally do amazing marketing, proving that marketing is full of ups and downs and it's nearly impossible to always get it right 100% of the time. Two examples where the court of social opinion weighed in quickly on the effectiveness of these brands' communications. We should know by now that consumers are going to let us know what you think of our marketing behavior!

Tiger Woods and Nike. "Winning Takes Care of Everything.." Not completely in social media and around the water cooler which has largely denounced this ad as being insensitive, shall we say, to Tiger's history. Is this actually a core consumer insight or a big "whoops?"

Victoria Secret. Long been seen as the brand that defines "sexy," and long been seen as the brand that pushes boundaries. Did "Bright Young Things" push too far? Seems as though some consumers certainly seem to think so. Is it engaging and enticing or just another "whoops I did it again?"

The consuming public, thanks to social media, is very quick to judge and now the mainstream press including broadcast outlets is quick to report. The problem is that understanding where to take your brand is a really thin line and it's completely invisible, so as marketers you have to constantly guess what's appropriate and edgey, versus what's tacky and inappropriate. And it changes daily, all day long.

But trust me, you do know the minute you get it wrong. Snap!

What's your experience? Jim.

Jim Joseph
- President, Cohn & Wolfe NA
- Author, The Experience Effect series
- Professor, NYU
- Contributor, Entrepreneur