1) Search.twitter.com: Use Twitter’s search function to find conversations about whatever you’re into. Gardening? the iPhone 4? World Cup? Iced Tea? Whatever suits your fancy, you can seek out and follow other users based on conversation content. Similarly, type a # (”hashtag” in Tweet speak) before the search term, and see tweet conversations indexed under this topic. Want to learn more about hashtags, what’s popular long-term, and what’s trending? Visit The Hashtag Wiki to see a hashtag index. Follow users who participate in hashtag conversations about your favorite topics, and chances are they’ll follow you back.

2) Hootsuite.com: If you manage more than one twitter account, using Hootsuite or Tweetdeck is a must! That being said, even if you only tweet from one account, Hootsuite makes meeting potential new followers a cinch. Use the Hootsuite search function to search twitter for anything you can think of, and click “Save As Stream”. Do this for as many terms as you want! Now every time someone tweets the word you indicated in your search, it appears on your Hootsuite dashboard. Check your columns regularly, follow people with valuable content related to your preferred topics, and tweet away with all your new followers!

3) #FF: If anyone sends out a tweet with the #FF hashtag, be sure you pay attention! #FF stands for Follow Friday, and it’s great. A list of usernames will accompany the hashtag. These are personal recommendations of other people to follow. Click the usernames listed in the tweet, check them out, and follow away!  Most good tweeters will reciprocate the follow, so watch for the double F on Fridays, and watch your network grow.

4)Twitter Lists: Lists, as Mashable puts it, “… aren’t just static listings of users, but rather curated Twitter streams of the latest tweets from a specified set of users”. Many of the people you already follow have made lists based on topics or professions, and you can easily follow any list you want. The trick is to be sure to follow individual users within the list, then wait for the followbacks!

5) Bloggers as tweeters: Chances are you subscribe to a number of blogs (if not, get to it! See my previous post and get your RSS on!). And any blogger worth their keywords is going to make a tweet or two. Be sure to click the Twitter icon on your favorite blogs and follow their tweets. Follow their followers too, and soon you’ll have more twitter friends than you know what to do with!

6) Fill in the blank: Okay, I realize this is the Friday 5. But I couldn’t help but include a 6th item on the list. Tag, you’re it! Leave a comment with the tips and tricks that you use to help grow your twitter network.

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Image from Time on CNN

Brand values: Every company has (or should have) them. What does your company stand for? Have you taken time for brand cascading to make sure the whole company understands brand values and knows how to “live” them? What happens when brands lose sight of their values?

Over the course of a few short months, we have witnessed an unprecedented spate of apologies and contrition from the CEOs of some of the world’s [previously] most reputable brands: Toyota, Goldman Sachs, Johnson & Johnson and, most recently, BP. All of these brands were shown to have failed on the very attributes their vaunted brands were built upon: Reliability for Toyota; Financial acumen for Goldman Sachs; Health for J&J and Environmental Leadership in energy for BP. Does this mean that branding is just a marketing “snow job” that pulls the wool over people’s eyes? I think not.

At one point in time these companies actually lived by their brand values and became successful because they delivered on these values. However, I do think it means that companies can become so large and successful that they grow estranged from what made them successful in the first place, either by inattention or because they feel they can be even more successful by cutting corners (never a good brand strategy!). The smart organizations will take heed of the misfortunes of the above mentioned companies and reaffirm in word and deed their company’s commitment to their brand values. Some may even choose to conduct a brand cascading project to re-align everyone around their brand values. These companies will protect their valuable brand reputation and equity.

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The Swagger Wagon music video rounds out the ironic hilarity of their “Sienna Family” series. Toyota introduces us to the average young family, reluctant to admit that they need a minivan, and showcases their never-ending ’style’ and pride in owning a Sienna. Sure, the videos mention the Sienna and it’s convenient features, but the parental jokes in the films are so funny, we sort of forget we’re watching commercials. That’s the epitome of good online marketing. With over 2 million views on the ‘Swagger Wagon’ music video alone, and multiple thousands on the other shorts on their YouTube channel, it’s clear that Toyota has validated the viral value of corporate YouTube videos.

Now I only wonder… how has the recall affected Sienna’s sales, even with clever videos and funny marketing?

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Some of these stats include:

• One in eight Americans who married last year met online
• 96% of Gen Y’ers have joined one or more social networks
• 80% of companies are using social media to recruit talent
• Generations Y & Z consider email passé

The real question may not be, “Is social media here to stay, or a fad?” but rather, “How will social media evolve over time?” Check out the video, and let us know your opinion.

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Image courtesy of PSDGraphics.com

As branding strategists, it’s sometimes our job to make the unpleasant more palatable with creative advertising, marketing, and brand strategy. Some of the most mundane terms we hear every day are really nothing more unpleasant ideas, masked with marketing or branding euphemisms. “Erectile dysfunction” is really “impotence”, “The Peacekeeper” actually is the “MX-missile” and “previously owned” actually is “used”. A “credit card” actually is a “debt card” (and, yes, that’s still different from a debit card). This is particularly poignant, since countless consumers and businesses got into trouble in the recent past when “credit” was abundant and doled out with seeming abandon.

A factor that contributed to the ensuing pain of too much debt lies in the euphemistic term “credit” which sounds positive and desirable. We hear about how good a high credit score is, how good it is to have credit, etc. But make no mistake, credit is nothing other than debt or the potential for debt. “Credit” is a term invented by lenders to help them market their debt products; Products that put you in their debt. Consumers and businesses would do well to remind themselves that credit is nothing but debt and to think “credit” as “debt” whenever they hear the term.

So what if we were to re-brand credit? Give it a dose of our own medicine, and reverse ‘credit card’ to ‘debt card’. Do you think it would help to encourage a bit more caution for consumers and businesses?

Consider the recently proposed measure in Australia that re-brands cigarette packaging. The new “plain packs” would sport a large health warning such as “Smoking Causes Lung Cancer”, accompanied by a corresponding photograph of the ailment. This removal of attractive branding and euphemism reveals the reality to consumers. Do you think it will be effective? I believe so.

After all, who wants to be caught buying lung cancer or using a debt card?

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Photo courtesy of London Evening Standard

How can a brand like Goldman Sachs, seemingly damaged beyond repair after recent news, ever recover? I believe the answer lies in brand strategy.

There’s no shortage of coverage these days on Goldman Sachs and its Abacus CDO/CDS guaranteed double-dipping deal. Top management must be feeling like they’ve been thrown in a blender, spinning as they have over the course of a few weeks from a $4 billion Q1 profit announcement to an SEC fraud charge, shareholder lawsuits and public outrage. But will recent disclosures and events damage the brand in the long run, or help the brand? Most pundits seem to think the brand is and will continue to be damaged. But is that true?

The answer, I believe, depends on how one defines the business of Goldman Sachs. Maybe the current brand is damaged beyond hope of future brand profitability, but perhaps actively and strategically managing brand perceptions might do the trick. Historically, Goldman Sachs operated as an investment bank, serving its clients and profiting from the deals it put together. As an investment bank, it supported the continued growth of the American economy as a value-adding institution. So defined, the Goldman Sachs brand has been notably damaged by recent disclosures of past behavior. But arguably, that Goldman Sachs has been eclipsed in recent years by the new Goldman Sachs, which functions less like an investment bank and more like a producer and marketer of theoretical financial products (“synthetic CDOs” and CDSs) that add no appreciable value to the broader economy.  In other words, more like a gambler who plays both sides against the middle than a serious market maker and player.  Interesting approach to brand strategy. In this context, Goldman’s brand reputation, particularly among those who admire making money from nothing and without concern for any consequences, is likely increasing.

Goldman’s management, directors and shareholders now just need to decide what kind of business they want to be in.

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Image courtesy of Steve Rhode

After nearly 50 years of being the face of McDonald’s, Ronald may be being forced into early retirement. With creative advertising and brand strategy over the years, McDonald’s has managed to become the most dominant fast-food restaurant, and Ronald is recognized by 96% of American children. However, he is now being blamed for the rise of childhood obesity and weight-related illnesses, and some groups want him gone.

Their reasoning:  his favorable brand image is causing children to eat too much unhealthy food. Never mind that Ronald McDonald has been the face of the Ronald McDonald House Charities that have helped thousands of families whose children are suffering from cancer.  Suddenly he’s become the evil food clown and should be laid to rest. Corporate Accountability International has even launched their own website (almost a direct copy of the McDonald’s-owned site) dedicated to raising funds and awareness for their “Retire Ronald” campaign. Now the question: what responsibility should brands be expected to have when a brand strategy a bit too effective? Remember what happened to Joe Camel and Spuds MacKenzie?

We all agree that fast food is not the ideal meal for children (or adults). However, parents have responsibility in deciding what children are having for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I’ve never seen a  7-year old maneuver the family SUV to the drive up window to place his order. And if we decide to end the life of Ronald, what about other mascots like the Pillsbury Dough Boy, Tony the Tiger on Frosted Flakes, or the Keebler Elves?  Many of the companies that own these brands also do a great deal of good for people around the world.

Perhaps I’m a bit more passionate about Ronald because of personal experiences with the Ronald McDonald House Charities.  Or maybe it’s just because I have become a bit tired of people who don’t take responsibility for what goes on in their own houses.

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• Friday 5 (2)

1.  Twitter. Track your mentions on Twitter, and respond when you can. Use Hootsuite to create an account, and save a search column for “Your Brand”, updated in real-time. Each time anyone mentions “Your Brand”, you see it. This requires constant monitoring, which not everyone will have time for, but it’s worth it if you can.

2.  SocialMention.com. Search for “Your Brand” in blogs, microblogs, networks, videos, photos, news, comments, or all of the above. It requires sorting through noise and irrelevant info, but the nuggets you find may be gold for your brand.

3.  Google Reader. Set search terms, receive Google Alerts, read RSS subscription updates. Easy as 1,2,3. Just remember to check it frequently!

4.  Technorati. It’s the world’s largest blog search engine. If you have a blog, claim it on Technorati as well.

5.  Get a monitoring report. Easy, effortless (literally), and worth it. Check out ePulse. Also, listen to the podcast.

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Image from Textually.org

Many companies have trouble convincing their “c-suite” to buy into social media and word of mouth as an online marketing or online branding tactic. Many other companies are already participating. By now, we all know it’s here to stay.

Consumers have a voice, and it’s being heard loud and clear to those who are listening. Positive, negative, neutral, and otherwise…people are using the internet to communicate how they feel about your brand, product, service, or company. What they say could affect your bottom line.

So, here’s the other bottom line: People are talking about your company/brand/product online. Yes, yours! You can decide to engage or not, depending on company policies. But you have to listen, track, and monitor. If you don’t catch these conversations, you miss out on valuable information. Nobody can afford to ignore customer feedback.

How will you do your social media listening, and incorporate findings into online marketing strategies? With so many conversations happening on so many channels, and so much noise and clutter, how to capture only the most relevant information? We welcome your input! Share your ideas by commenting on this post.

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• Post Advertising: Great Ad news complete with snappy commentary. Always a fun read.
• Ad Age: Editorial content, columns, news, blogs. Respectable content.
• 300&65 Ampersands: An ampersand for every day of the year. Beautiful, puzzling, inspirational.
• Brand New: A look at logos, before and after re-designs. Who doesn’t love a good before/after story? Regularly updated, and readers can cast their own opinion votes.
• Design Mind: Well-written articles on design. Interesting topics, great photos, enough said. Also occasionally includes “Writings in partnership with GOOD Magazine on the subject of design and social innovation.” Always interesting.

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