Citizen Brand

Say it ain't so Joe

2011-11-09T10:53:21-06:00

We are watching the disintegration of a reputation right before our very eyes. Joe Paterno, the molder of young men and the shaper of great football teams, is the latest example of someone who turned away from responsibility instead of turning in someone to the authorities.

There is no excuse for any of us who witness a wrongdoing making it worse by doing nothing about it. Simply moving the problem up the food chain as Paterno did is not enough. In this case, wrongdoing is not near a strong enough description of what is unraveling at Penn State. The extent of the cover-up that occurred in the PSU situation rivals Watergate. Simply put, no one with any authority took any responsibility for what was happening to those innocent children. It's difficult to believe this could happen. But it did.

When we talk with clients about crisis management, one of the cardinal rules we discuss is the necessity to take responsibility when things go wrong. Good things happen when we take responsibility for our actions or for the actions of others in our companies or organizations. The problem will be resolved faster and the hit to the organization's reputation is minimized.

Neither of these will happen in that place now inappropriately named Happy Valley. And Joe Paterno becomes the latest person to vividly demonstrate why taking responsibility is all that matters when it comes to having a great reputation.

A little PR for public relations

2011-09-07T14:04:25-05:00

I just read two stories that should make public relations professionals everywhere take notice. The first one talked about how we as a profession have generally ignored the pleas of the media to halt the outdated and useless practice of sending press releases. The second one was from a university professor who had his students tell him that they thought it was okay to lie because that is what public relations pros are supposed to do.

The continued proliferation of press releases is inexcusable. We have worked hard at Barkley over the years to move away from releases when possible and focus instead on building relationships with the right media, and now bloggers and social communities. We then work to identify the stories our clients have to tell and the right person to tell them and then bring everyone together. Very little paper need be used for this approach.

The fact remains that there are clients who still want a release sent out to preview their story with media etc. And the fact remains that too often, we as PR pros go along with the client when we should be telling them the press release is a dead tactic and should be properly buried. Public companies will continue to need to issue formal financial statements but beyond that, external communications today must be conversational in nature. You don't script conversations.

The issue of releases is easily fixed. The second problem is not. The fact that some college students have it in their head that successful public relations is based on dishonest discourse is disheartening at best. No one is naive about where this notion gets its fuel. We all see and hear politicians today basically saying whatever they want regardless of whether its true. Of course, behind every politician there is a "communications consultant" helping them figure out their next soundbite. Politics permeates our lives in so many ways. Therefore it's unfortunately a short hop for a student to assume this must be the way it is done across the board, not just in politics.

I have been in this profession for nearly 30 years after six years in the news media. I can honestly say without hesitation that the public relations professionals I have worked with or know do not suggest lying as a successful strategy. It is just the opposite. A client must walk the walk in order to talk the talk. Truth, transparency and authenticity are today's measuring sticks in the marketplace. Anyone can fake it for a while, but in today's wide open social media environment, the fakers will be found out quickly.

While it would be nice to think this one classroom of students was the exception and not the rule, we all know what happens when one assumes something. My challenge to public relations pros everywhere is to call your alma mater or other colleges and make an appointment to speak to as many classes as possible as soon as possible. Let's turn the bright light of the real world on in college classrooms everywhere and demonstrate what real, authentic public relations is all about. And what the power of it done right can do for every organization's most important asset - its reputation.

Greenland is melting

2011-09-01T10:15:28-05:00

As they say, pictures say a thousand words.

2009:

2011:

We can stick our heads in the slush or we can face reality. What will we choose?

Link here to see what the scientists are saying about these photos.

Willie sends a message

2011-08-31T12:56:14-05:00

Willie Nelson is not only an American original and a pretty decent songwriter, he has made it his mission to do what he can to save the family farm. One of my grandfathers was a wheat farmer in north central Kansas and he and my grandma raised my dad and his brothers on that family farm. I'm a long way from that farm in many ways just as all of us are a long way from understanding what the evolution from the family farm to the corporate food machine we have today is doing to us.

Thanks to my colleague Terre for pointing me to this video from Chipotle featuring Willie Nelson.

Priceless

2011-07-12T11:11:21-05:00

Hey marketing communications professionals, ever have trouble explaining to others what we do? Just show them this video.

Heads in the sand

2011-06-17T10:47:17-05:00

I'm sick and tired of politics dictating the future health of our planet. Are you?

The cold, hard facts exist. Here is an excerpt from a recent article in Newsweek:

The burning of fossil fuels has raised atmospheric levels of heat-trapping carbon dioxide by 40 percent above what they were before the Industrial Revolution. The added heat in the atmosphere retains more moisture, ratchets up the energy in the system, and incites more violent and extreme weather. Scientists disagree about whether climate change will bring more intense or frequent tornadoes, but there is wide consensus that the 2 degrees Fahrenheit of global warming of the last century is behind the rise in sea levels, more intense hurricanes, more heat waves, and more droughts and deluges. Even if the world went carbon-neutral tomorrow, we’d be in for more: because of the CO2 that has already been emitted, we’re on track for another 5 degrees of warming. Batten down the hatches. “You can no longer say that the climate of the future is going to be like the climate of today, let alone yesterday,” says Judi Greenwald, vice president of innovative solutions at the Pew Center on Global Climate Change. “In all of the plausible climate scenarios, we are going to have to change the way we do things in ways we can’t even predict.”

As is usually the case, there are people at a grassroots level that are beginning to make small changes. the city of Chicago has several initiatives underway. One example, they have started planting trees in public areas that will survive warmer climates. They are trading out white oaks for swamp oaks which will survive in warmer climates. There are plans by the city of New York to paint all rooftops white to help reflect the sun in an attempt to keep Manhattan from becoming a heat island.

As the saying goes, all politics is local and it is clear political leaders at the local level have grown tired of waiting on national and global leaders to quit talking and start doing something. And here is where those of us engaged in supporting causes can try to help.

There is no more important cause than the environmental health of our planet. What I want to try to do and encourage others in cause to do as well is to find companies that are ready to step up and help. This could be companies of all sizes. Work with the cities at the local level to support through awareness, dollars and time the efforts they are undertaking to prepare for what a large majority of scientists say is going to happen.

It is these types of public-private partnerships working at the grassroots level that can make a difference. We can no longer wait on the national or global governments to take action.

Cause marketing for Venus & Mars

2011-06-08T11:32:32-05:00

Late last year, the annual Barkley cause survey made a big discovery - men do have a heart. We talked to male consumers all over the USA and found out that men are impacted by cause marketing in nearly the same numbers as women. We also found out that only 3 out of 10 chief marketing officers were contemplating targeting men with a cause program. Sounds like some fertile ground for the right brand and nonprofit doesn't it?

At the Cause Marketing Forum in Chicago last week, I had the opportunity to meet with two small groups of fellow cause marketers to discuss cause and men. We had a great mix of people from agencies, companies and nonprofits. The discussion was spirited and we arrived at some interesting insights. The most significant one came when we talked about what motivates men in general and then discussed what that means when developing cause programs.

We all can agree that emotion plays a huge role in cause marketing. But while that is a primary motivator for women, is it the same for men? Our group in Chicago decided that it probably is not the primary motivator for men. Emotion will always be a factor in cause programs, but for men we decided that other dynamics may matter more - competition and accomplishment.

Men like to compete and men like to be able to see the results of the work they do. If you agree these are two big motivators for men, then the cause programs we develop to target men may look different than most cause programs today.

A cause program for men might have a component where the consumer is asked to take specific action or do some work as opposed to just writing a check or swiping a credit card to make a donation. A cause program for men might involve a competitive component where consumers who raise the most money for the cause or solicit the most participants for a cause are rewarded. The reward doesn't have to be a personal reward for the consumer. Instead it could be a brand increasing the amount it donates to its cause recognizing the milestones achieved by the male consumers it is targeting. Thus, the consumer can point with pride to what he has "accomplished." Starts to makes sense doesn't it.

We only had a couple of hours in Chicago but we all believe we identified some insights into how brands and nonprofits should look at programs that would get men involved. I look forward to hearing what others in the cause community think. Let the collaboration begin!

Lessons from a tornado

2011-05-26T10:06:23-05:00

The devastation we have seen from nature in the past few years is mind numbing when you think about it all at once. Earthquakes. Tsunamis. Hurricanes. Floods. And this spring in the USA, we have seen historic destruction and loss of life from tornadoes.

Being a fourth generation Kansan, tornadoes are part of the landscape. The Wizard of Oz jokes get old from my coastal friends, but let’s face it, we live in a place dubbed Tornado Alley so what do you expect?

When I was ten years old, I lived in Topeka, Kansas and my family had just moved to the southwest edge of town near a big hill named Burnett’s Mound. Native American legend had it that as long as there was nothing constructed on Burnett’s Mound, the big hill would protect Topeka from tornadoes. I guess since I was living in a house built on the lower slope of the hill the protection clause was null and void.

And sure enough, on June 8, 1966 a killer tornado formed outside of town and powered its way over Burnett’s Mound and cut a 20-mile diagonal swath from southwest Topeka to the city limits on the northeast side. Our new house suffered some damage but we were far enough outside the core that we avoided the complete destruction that occurred just a quarter mile from our house.

The images from Tuscaloosa and Joplin are vivid reminders of that day nearly 45 years ago. But what I also remember vividly is the way the city of Topeka came together and didn’t let nature’s dark side cut a permanent swath through the real heart of the city.

The people of Tuscaloosa and Joplin and smaller communities like Reading, Kansas that was virtually destroyed the day before the Joplin tornado will show the same spirit as we did in Topeka in the 1960’s and the city of Greensburg, Kansas has demonstrated in the last four years.

May 4, 2007, the city of Greensburg was completely destroyed by a tornado. I think what that city has accomplished is one of the greatest examples of a community coming together in history. They not only are rebuilding their town on the plains of Kansas, they built a true community of the future making their name of Greensburg more than just a name. As they put it – “Rebuilding Greensburg: Stronger, Better, Greener.”

While this is an almost unbearably tough time for the citizens of Joplin, Tuscaloosa and Reading as well as so many other places across the globe, let’s shine a little light on everyone with the example of Greensburg, Kansas.

As I think about the work we do in cause marketing, I want to use Greensburg as a shining example of what great cause programs should be all about. At the end of the day, it isn’t about a halo for the corporate brand and it isn’t just about raising more money for a cause. The only result that matters is that the world becomes a better place because people got together and worked to make it better. That’s a cause we can all rally around.

Like Topeka, Greensburg, New Orleans and Japan - Joplin, Tuscaloosa and the citizens of other locations hit by nature's wrath will show us how to do it now.

Marching Babies

2011-04-08T13:24:54-05:00

Here is the new PSA promoting the March for Babies - March of Dimes' primary fundraiser to support their mission of stronger, healthier babies! Work produced by Barkley in our continued partnership with the March of Dimes.

We all must learn to adapt

2011-04-07T09:16:15-05:00

Anytime you attend a gathering of marketers these days, the discussion inevitably turns to when will traditional forms of advertising be declared officially dead. Some would say newspaper and television advertising is already dead. Maybe they are right. But at this week’s ANA conference in New York City, here is what I saw and heard.

We heard from conference sponsor The New York Times that they have made the decision to begin charging a subscription for their online content. And why shouldn’t that be the case? When was it decided that the same level of journalistic content and the effort it takes to produce it is suddenly free because it isn’t thrown on your driveway every morning. Why it took The Times so long to do is another debate, but they have put a stake in the ground that says our content has value. And advertisers who look on now know that the readers of the Times from this point forward are different than those that were reading it for free. They have an investment in it now and advertisers will be able to target these readers better.

We also saw one of the truly great television campaigns of the past few years and heard the back story. Dos Equis’ “Most Interesting Man In The World” is smart, funny and risky. The marketing team and the agency had to convince executive management that it would be a fantastic idea to have a 70-year-old spokesperson who told the world that he doesn’t drink beer, but if he did, it would be Dos Equis. It is the kind of campaign that seems to have no boundaries for where it can go and it is primarily driven by television. Sure, it gets huge viral play, but from the beginning it has been :15 and :30 spots that built the foundation.

What this teaches us is that we have to know how to adapt today. Newspapers aren’t dead yet, but the ones that are surviving are learning to adapt to the new world. One year from now, the concern about The Times charging for on-line subscriptions will be a distant memory. And I would also bet one year from now that the “Most Interesting Man In The World’ will still be telling us to “Stay Thirsty My Friends.”

I attended the ANA to do a presentation on cause branding with our client, Danielle Vona, of Sonic. She and I talked about cause in general and about the two-year-old cause program we worked with Sonic to create – Limeades For Learning. We had a lot of great feedback and questions and my last learning from the ANA is that cause branding is here to stay. But like every other marketing strategy, we must be ready to adapt. I will talk more about in the future.

AIDS can be reversed

2011-03-04T09:19:43-06:00

This powerful PSA from The Topsy Foundation needs no explanation. Please share with all your friends.

2011 March For Babies

2011-02-05T12:28:26-06:00

It's time to start thinking about March for Babies. Lots of bad weather right now, but it won't be long before we can look forward to taking our steps to help more babies be able to take their first steps. Check out the new PSA produced by the March of Dimes and Barkley.

Don't end the cause party before it begins

2011-01-13T10:34:48-06:00

It is encouraging to me how much more conversation there is about cause these days. For so many years, those of us engaged in the practice almost needed to bribe people just to get them to listen to us wax poetic about the wonders of cause marketing/branding. Today, the conversation has entered into the mainstream. And whenever that happens to a topic, it means the critics and skeptics increase in number.

The good thing about critics and skeptics is it makes those of us who believe in the core values of cause marketing check the mirror. That's a good thing. No idea lasts forever. No program can last forever without a constant commitment to keep it fresh. And with today's consumer dictating to those of us in marketing communications what content they want to hear and where they want to find it, our cause programs must be 100 % transparent.

Timothy Ogden wrote a piece for Forbes.com this week titled "How Cause Marketing Can Actually Backfire." In it Timothy underscores the importance of transparency and takes it a step further by imploring companies involved in cause to take transparency to a new level. His suggestions make sense. Ogden says companies must select charities based on their effectiveness.

Once they choose their nonprofit partners, he says companies should explain why they chose them and be specific about how much money is being raised. Most important, Ogden says companies must be exact about where the money is going and what it will do. Finally, companies should communicate after the program is complete to demonstrate to consumers that their commitment is ongoing.

I think Ogden is voicing the opinions of so many of us that work in the cause space day in and day out. I do have one caution for all of us. Since cause has just entered the mainstream of acceptability among a growing majority of companies, let's make sure we don't scare off those who have just entered the arena by making the cost of entry too high. We need to keep encouraging every company, large and small, to view cause as the win/win we all know it is. And we need to be willing to accept the fact all companies will not be ready to do it exactly how we would like them to do it from the start.

I just want to be sure that in the reality of the day to day battle that goes on in the marketplace, we don't discourage companies from employing cause marketing. Once we have them involved, we can make sure we show them the right way to do it. And what Ogden has spelled out is the right way.

A Twitter success story

2011-01-07T16:47:50-06:00

If you need some proof that Twitter can work for small business, look no further than the Three Tree Inn in Geneva, New York. This quaint bed & breakfast located in the heart of New York's fabulous Finger Lakes region, is owned by an incredible couple, Paul and Marcia Swenson. We share the same last name, but don't think we're related. But my wife and I consider them our best friends.

We lived next door to each other for seven years in Lawrence, Kansas and always shared New Year's Eve together in those years moving the festivities between our homes. Life happens and we both moved from Lawrence five years ago or so. Paul and Marcia eventually returned to their home area in upstate New York and bought a bed & breakfast in Geneva.

They completely renovated the place and between Marcia's impeccable decorating tastes and Paul's incredible cooking, the Three Tree Inn took off in 2010. They did it basically with word of mouth and referral and did well. But they knew they wanted to do more and that is where Twitter comes in.

Char and I traveled to New York over the holiday to renew our New Year's Eve tradition with Paul and Marcia. One night, our discussion turned to PR and marketing (I wonder who did that) and one thing led to another and on New Year's Eve morning,@threetreeinnbb was born.

We set up their Twitter account and then spent some time over the rest of the weekend identifying the right people to follow and as always happens, people began to follow back. It was so much fun to see how fast a social media strategy works. As I write this post, @threetreeinnbb has 101 followers and is following 435 other tweeps and it has been one week. Marcia is fast becoming a pro Tweep!

Sometimes in our business, we have to wait a while to see a strategy work. Watching what is happening to our good friends at the Three Tree Inn is a good reminder of how great social media is for small business. Oh, I forgot to mention the most important metric. After just four days, the hits to their website were eight times the norm for this time of year. And they got some bookings for January right out of the shoot.

So check out @threetreeinnbb on Twitter and more importantly, travel to the Finger Lakes and stay at The Three Tree Inn. The wines being produced in that region now are incredible. The restaurants fantastic. And the landscapes are beautiful. I'm a Finger Lakes convert and I know a great place to stay whenever I go there.

Three Simple Words

2011-01-06T14:28:00-06:00

Stand for Something.

Three simple words that demand immediate action.

Three simple words that force us to look inward and examine our values.

Three simple words that can be the difference between a good reputation and a great one.

Let's all resolve in 2011 to breathe life into these three simple words. Whether we do it as individuals or as groups or organizations, making a difference begins here.

Stand for Something.

The Death of Cause Marketing - Act Two

2010-11-08T11:10:47-06:00

One can't help but take notice when the person who is considered the originator of cause marketing says it is dead as we know it. Of course I agree with Carol Cone, founder of Cone and now representing Edelman. In June, AdAge ran a column I penned and headlined it "The Day Cause Marketing Died." We are essentially saying the same thing. But in the rush to get headlines, maybe our real point was missed by some.

Cause is not dying. It is evolving. But there are those who have come late to the party and believe they are doing cause when in fact they are not. For some in corporate leadership today, cause is a box they are checking off on a list so they can say they are doing it. For those companies who are interested in doing more than checking off a box, cause is a wide open arena of possibility to demonstrate to customers, employees and all key stakeholders that they actually do want to make a difference over the long term.

For so long now, there has been a belief among brands that cause programs were successful if they made people feel good about their brands. What we now know is that the best cause programs make people feel good about themselves. When that happens, brands will be rewarded in a way that nothing else they do can achieve.

And if those same companies are paying attention, they now know that men are attracted to brands doing cause right almost as much as women. Our just released Barkley/PRWeek Cause Survey also says that even though men will buy, refer and support brands that support causes in a real way, two out of three corporate CMO's are not planning on targeting men with cause programs. Another evolutionary turn for cause is teed up for brands that care.

Cause is maturing and these kinds of discussions are healthy for all of us to have. We all have a responsibility to make sure that cause does not die, but rather continues to evolve. When done right, it is the most powerful form of purposeful engagement a brand can have with its customers.

A Modern U.S. President

2010-10-16T19:57:22-05:00

Enjoy this spoof with President Obama being portrayed by actor Ronnie Butler, a great friend of my brother Scott. Share this with all your friends!

Felicity Huffman talks up Lee National Denim Day

2010-09-30T17:52:10-05:00

It's almost time to put on your jeans and fight breast cancer. The 15th annual Lee National Denim Day is Friday, October 8. Go to www.denimday.com and sign up today. If you have already signed up, tell a friend to get on over there and support leading research in the fight against breast cancer.

Coming Home

2010-09-07T15:35:47-05:00

Barkley has been proud to be the agency partner for the March of Dimes for over three years now. It is a fantastic organization that has been doing great work for 70 years and counting. The MOD's focus has always been on the health of children. In the past decade, March of Dimes has made prematurity its primary cause. It is sometimes an uphill battle because even though premature births continue to rise and the links between premature births and lifelong health issues become more apparent - most of us still don't see it as a big problem.

It is, however, a big problem. And the persistence of the March of Dimes in focusing our collective attention on it is beginning to pay off. The organization is using many forms of communication to get the word out. Here is the newest Barkley produced PSA that carries a strong message about prematurity.

No laughing matter, but.....

2010-09-03T10:43:30-05:00

London agency Kitcatt Nohr Alexander Shaw has produced one of the best PSA's I have ever seen. It is for WaterAid. We all know how much young kids love to make jokes and laugh about anything having to do with - let's see how do I say this - going number two.

But it is that insight that makes this spot so powerful. Watch it and see what I mean.