Best of Marketing Genius: Repairing a Damaged Reputation

Repairing a Damaged Reputation
[first published here April 2008]

Rehabilitating a damaged public image. This is one of the most popular topics that I am asked to address. From time to time, whenever controversy arises (and that seems to be more frequently, doesn't it!) the question is presented: how does one rehabilitate or repair a damaged image? How can someone rebuild his or her reputation?

It takes time to rehabilitate one's image: such a matter does not lend itself to a quick fix. Many people hope that if they say the right thing at the critical moment all will be made good. That's just not how the world works.

We, as human beings, form perceptions about other humans over time. This is the basis of reputation. If a person has made a major blunder, it equates to a big, negative hit against his or her reputation. This cannot be overcome with one press conference. No, the perfect statement at the perfect time will not wipe the slate clean. Instead, those in the audience will watch and observe, most likely in a cautious manner at first. Some will be inclined to forgive; others may become embittered permanently toward the person who made the major mistake. Over time, most people in the audience will adjust their assessments of the person in question.

So if the perfect words will not do the trick, what can rebuild a tarnished reputation? One word: actions.

As we've all heard, actions speak louder than words. Once a person has made the gargantuan gaffe, the best thing he or she can do is to consistently do good and do right. According to the laws of communication theory, 93% of the information that human beings process and learn from is related to non-verbal signals or cues. By contrast, words account for only 7% of that which we process and upon which we form perceptions. With this fact in mind, it is easy to see why actions are so much more important than words in regard to mending one's reputation.

With the clear understanding that (1) rehabilitating a reputation takes time and that (2) actions speak louder than words, let's shift the focus toward the public relations strategy. What are the right tactics to use in a situation where a person has made a career-threatening mistake?

I would advise my clients and anyone else to adhere to the following ABC principles:

A - Apologize
Admit your mistake and ask for forgiveness. Demonstrate that you have a contrite heart. This is done by speaking in a humble manner and expressing remorse.

B - Be genuine
Show some emotion. No one will forgive an over-rehearsed, stiff emotionless robot. Speak from the heart and use natural, appropriate hand gestures and other non-verbals. Obviously, we don't want to see a blubbering basket case, but genuineness and emotion can be very helpful.

C - Compassion
Show compassion. The root of the word "passion" is "suffer." To show compassion is to demonstrate that you are suffering with the person (or parties) who were affected. The audience will identify with compassion and respond favorably to it. Perhaps no one understood this better than Bill Clinton who repeatedly emphasized: "I feel your pain."

Remember that non-verbal communication is crucial. People in the audience are watching, more than listening. Therefore, the speaker's emphasis should be placed upon apologizing, being genuine and demonstrating compassion. It may be acceptable to speak briefly about one's past track record (which may have been glowing and heroic) but only in the context of remarks about future plans to atone for this incident. Specifically, the speaker may want to briefly discuss specific plans about rehabilitating himself, through counseling, clergy, medical care, training or community service, to demonstrate that he is focused on atoning for his actions and preventing future blunders.

All in all, the majority of the positive impact, or image rehabilitation, will come in the weeks and months that follow the initial episode. Sorry ... there simply is no quick fix.

Accordingly, we would work with our client to establish an ambitious, pro-active outreach plan to lead them through this subsequent phase. Ultimately, the key to successfully rehabilitating a reputation is consistently repeating good deeds, rightful and helpful acts, over an extended period, in a manner that reestablishes trust.

Best of Marketing Genius: The Five Benefits

The Five Benefits
[first published here, July 2005]

In marketing we are constantly advising our clients to promote the benefits of their product or service, instead of features or functions.

"This new device has 65 Terabytes of bandwidth and a 125 gigahertz processor."

So what!

You have to tell me what that will mean to me.

Anyone attempting to promote or sell anything must drill down with his thinking until he discerns the real benefits.

What's the benefit, then? In this case I can think of two: make more money and have more time to spend with family. The device works faster so you will get work done more quickly, enabling you to shave time off your work day to devote to family. Or, you can do more work in a given time period and (ostensibly) make more money.

A PR consultant from New York City taught me that there are really only five benefits that anyone can mention. According to him, it does not matter what the product is or what industry one inhabits, we have to present our case so effectively that we tell our audience within the first ten seconds which of the five possible benefits we are offering.

There are five, period. F-I-V-E.

Are you ready for them?

Here goes:
1. Make me wealthy
2. Improve my appearance
3. Help me to be more well-liked by my family or friends
4. Make me live longer
5. Get me laid more often

Money, looks, popularity, health and sex. That's it.

Best of Marketing Genius: Duracell - Sellling the Benefit

Selling the Benefit: Duracell
[first published here May 2007]

I am very impressed with the new Duracell battery advertising campaign. Have you heard it or seen it? I've caught this campaign on TV and radio. The most impressive part to me is that Duracell understands that it is not selling batteries. No, the company is selling the benefits that its batteries provide.The advertisements are a series of 30-second case studies. In each, the Duracell battery is feature in a critical application. Here are a few examples:

The SignalOne Voice Alarm - studies show that when a fire happens in the middle of the night, the most reliable method of waking a sleeping child is to have the fire alarm loudly project the sound of his mother's voice (a pre-recorded message: "honey wake up; there's a fire in the house.) The SignalOne alarm is equipped with the Duracell battery. To whom would you entrust your child's life in the event of a fire? Duracell the battery that's trusted everywhere.

Heart Monitors - in hospitals the heart monitors that are used on patients following open heart surgery are equipped with Duracell batteries. When monitoring every heartbeat matters, which brand of battery do hospitals trust? Duracell, of course.

Glucose Meters - its more than just a finger stick. It's your health. Some things are too important to take chances with. Make sure your glucose meter is equipped with a Duracell battery, the brand that is trusted everywhere.

Zoll Defibrillator - a vignette ad that alternates between a proud mother snapping photos of her son at graduation ... and a sequence in which that same boy one year prior had a heart failure during a basketball game. The same battery that enables Mom and her camera to preserve the family's memories allowed the medical team to preserve her son's life with a Zoll Portable Defibrillator, powered by Duracell batteries.

What is Duracell selling? Far from promoting batteries, Duracell is selling peace of mind. Duracell is selling the benefits of avoiding worry, living longer and improving one's health. That's smart marketing and a great ad campaign. Kudos to the marketing geniuses behind the Duracell campaign!

Best of Marketing Genius: Successful Event Promotion (Pt. 2)

Keys to Successful Event Promotion - Part Two
[first published here July 2006]

It is getting tougher and tougher, to get the people you want and need to come to your important event to actually attend. The problem is two-fold. People are busier. They are also being bombarded with requests to attend events. That means there's more competition for their valuable, scarce time. No matter if your event is an annual meeting or a fundraiser or an educational seminar or a sales presentation. No matter if your event is in the morning or the evening ... food or no food, you have to be lucky or smart to end up with a full room on the appointed date and time of your big event.

Oh sure, you could pay people $100 to attend ... or you could hire a celebrity or sports hero to entice people to attend. Either tactic might boost the numbers. Most of us do not have such a rich marketing treasure chest. Now, as for luck, we'll leave that to others and focus on helping you become a smarter event promoter. So here goes!

Earlier this month we introduced you to the RSVP model for event promotion. Here are more helpful insights for you:

V - Variety
To get your invitee to respond, it is no longer enough to mail him an engraved invitation. You have to communicate the information about your event through a variety of channels. Invite them by way of a mailed piece, fine. But combine that tactic with an e-mail invitation. And don't forget to use the media. Hit your invitee in her mailbox. Hit her in her inbox (e-mail). And also hit her in her newspaper and even her radio station. Yes, if you are crafty and persuasive you can get your event covered in the media. Don't expect an expose, though; a simple announcement is much more likely--and still helpful.

P - Packaging
If you want to cut through the clutter and have your invitees pay attention to your invitation and your event, you have to package it. Make it interesting. Add some sizzle. Build up anticipation for the event. Make it the don't-miss-event-of-the-year. Explain why your event is valuable and important. How can you make it more fun ... more important ... or more enticing?

Example: "Attend our annual meeting where you'll have the chance to visit with 20 of the city's most successful business owners."

Another example: one of our clients opened a new facility in one of the city's oldest hotels, a 1920's era building. We gave the grand opening a Roaring Twenties theme, complete with period props, caterers dressed in period costumes and a big band playing swing tunes. It was a smashing success, something different.

Look, there's no cookie-cutter solution. You have to be creative--and you have to know your audience. To be sure, there's a fine line between unique and cheesy; your job is to know that balance point. We're not here to give you the one answer. The point is that marketing geniuses avoid going through the same old tired, mindless tactics that no longer work.

In closing, we ask you, marketing geniuses: what have you done or seen that packed the house for a special event? Please share your stories with us.

Best of Marketing Genius: Successful Event Promotion (Pt. 1)

Keys to Successful Event Promotion - Part 1
[first published here in July 2006]

In our increasingly saturated, information overload world, it's getting harder and harder to get people to attend events. It doesn't seem to matter whether it is a party, an educational seminar or a demonstration. People are busy, to be sure. It also seems that the people who we want to come to our event are getting hit with tons of other invitations from people urging them to come to their events. Not to mention the fact that our invitees are working longer hours, and they're busy parenting their active, involved kids.

So what's a marketing genius to do? Before you raise your arms in exasperation, try the 'RSVP' approach. It's the smarter way of promoting events.

R - Repetition
You have to send your message multiple times. That busy invitee may toss the first invitation. The second one might come at the wrong time ... but that third request catches her just when she has a free moment to focus. If your budget allows, plan and deploy a series of communications to promote your event. Start with a teaser, then send a "Save the Date" message. Continue with the official invitation and follow it with a news clipping about your event. Later, send a friendly reminder, followed by a blurb along the lines of "Look Who's Coming!" If you are operating on a shoe-string budget, you would be wise to send the exact same invitation two or three times, simply to ensure that it gets through. A repetitive communication series gets results. A one-shot invitation gets ignored, misplaced or trashed.

S - Simplicity
How simple can you make it for your invitee to attend your event? I mean, really, really simple. Can you make it so easy that all she has to do is show up? Ask yourself: Is the response step really necessary? Could we go with "Regrets only?" Do not require an RSVP, unless it is truly needed. If you are inviting via e-mail, make it simple for them to just click "Reply" to register. Avoid using a complicated Web form, if possible. Simplify your process; it will make things easier on you and your guests.

There you have it: the "R" and the "S" of the RSVP approach. We'll share the rest with you over the next couple of days.

Best of Marketing Genius: 4 C's of Marketing

More Marketing Basics: The Four C's of Marketing
[First appeared on Marketing Genius February 2006]

We've all heard about the four P's of marketing. Now, let's take a look at another categorization system--the Four Cs. This system is newer, and in my opinion, is applicable to a wider range of marketing challenges.

The old system of four P's was created before the service/information economies were born--and thus it is best applied to the marketing of products, especially mass retail products. Now, for the 4 C's:

C - Customer
Who is your customer - or prospective customer? What are their needs? Where do they live; where do they work; and what do they do for fun? Where do they get information?

C - Competition
What competitors exist in the market space in question? And what are their strengths, weaknesses and positions?

C - Cost
What will your product (or service) cost? How does this compare? What effect will the cost of your product have on it's perceived value (or position) in the competitive marketplace? And most importantly, what are customers willing to pay?

C - Communication
How will you communicate your offering to customers? What modes of communication are available to you (or your client)? Which will be most effective ... and what will be the strategic mix of communications?

*C - Collaboration (We've added a fifth C)
Can you identify allies or partners who might be willing to help you promote your product or service? Can you share a reciprocal Website link? Is it possible to negotiate a cooperative marketing allowance or program with an organization (or company) that has complementary needs and objectives?

The 4 Ps ... the 4 Cs ... what use is all of this? These are purely and simply tools for analysis and planning. Yes, we really use them ... really think about them. And I encourage you to refer to the four C's or the four P's when you are planning your next marketing program or campaign.

Best of Marketing Genius: Behind the Scenes of Branding

No doubt, you've heard such phrases as brand awareness and brand equity. If you've been visiting Marketing Genius for a while, we hope you've become familiar with other important terms such as brand positioning, brand essence and brand mission.

Recently, several of us Mapleonians reached a mutual conclusion: it is time to take you behind the scenes of the branding work we do. We feel that you are ready for it and that you've earned this special privilege.

So c'mon ... step around that stanchion, follow that rope, just beyond that black curtain. And--whoa--don't trip over that easel!

Good, you've arrived! Ready to have a look at what else goes on?

Ahh - here's the good stuff. This is what really goes on ... behind the branding.

Brandana Potential - an important measure of any brand, this determines how good (or bad) your brand logo will look on a 'doo rag (i.e., a bandana).

B.A.C. - brand alcohol content - the degree to which your brand appeals more strongly to slightly intoxicated consumers (i.e., at cocktail parties, tailgating and keggers). Not to be confused with BUI (more on that later).

Brandapalooza Index - an assessment of your brand's adaptability and potential usage on a concert T-shirt or tie dye.

Brand Stripper Name - a composite consisting of the name of your brand's first pet (typically a pet dog or cat) plus the name of the street that your brand grew up on - mine happens to be Buffy Lincoln, for the record. You must always check this before you launch any new brand.

Brangelina Factor - a predictor, used to measure the probability that your brand will become "adopted by" the Hollywood elite crowd. (Will it become trendy in LA? Is your brand logo likely to become tattooed on Angelina, for example?)

Brandy Warhol Syndrome - inevitably your brand will be given its 15 minutes of fame. Is it ready? What would Andy Warhol do with it? How would he shoot it, or paint it?

Only small doses of this powerful new knowledge are permitted. That's enough for today. We'll show you more next time.Yeah, we had fun, too. You can just find your way out of the backroom. Careful as you go, now. You might be feeling a little light-headed. It's probably just those SprayMount fumes.

[Originally published November 2007]