My husband and I have Sigg water bottles. Have you heard of the brand? It’s what all the cool kids use to cart around their water. Better for the environment than plastic bottles and better than a lot of sports bottles because they’re BPA-free. BPA, or Bisphenol-A, is considered toxic by some countries (Canada has banned it) and is a source of controversy here in the States. Nevertheless, the environmentally conscious, and certainly Sigg’s consumers, are all about BPA-free bottles. So Sigg promoted themselves as BPA-free and they basically lied. It turns out their liners do contain small amounts of BPA. They did a little verbal sleight-of-hand by saying that their bottles didn’t “leach” BPA in tests.
They knew what they were saying. They knew it was dishonest. That they didn’t know they’d get caught is shocking and stupid.
I honestly don’t think there’s enough BPA in the bottles for it to be a problem. But I’m pissed that they lied and I, like millions others, will never buy another Sigg bottle again. This is a bummer. I liked them so much I’ve blogged about them on my personal blog. Even bought a cute custom wrap for my husband’s bottle.
And the CEO of Sigg does not seem to know a lick about damage control. Sure, he claims to be reading and responding to emails personally. But then he goes and says stupid things like, “if retailers keep our old bottles on the shelf, there’s nothing we can do about that.” (I’m paraphrasing slightly.) Dude! You should be out front, apologizing, replacing bottles like crazy, getting independent testing to verify that your bottles and liners are now 100% BPA-free, etc. Actually, you should resign and let someone else clean up your mess. Because you lied. You double downed on your lie when questioned about it, and you’ve broken the consumer’s trust. That’s hard to win back. And since nobody will trust a word you say, you should step aside and let someone else try to mend the fences.
I would not want to be this guy’s PR firm.
I once worked for a guy who asked me to lie to the media. I looked at him like he had two heads and refused. He told me that I was his Vice President, that I was playing in the big leagues, and that I needed to do what was expected of me. Regrettably, I didn’t tell him to go f-himself. Fortunately, the magazine did not pick up the story and none of us had to decide whether we were going to do as we were told or risk losing our jobs.
If Sigg’s CEO had really come clean and reached out as I described above, his customers might be forgiving. As it is, he just handed his competitors several market share points. Kleen Kanteen, here I come!
Footnote: I tried to link to Sigg’s Facebook page but it’s disappeared. Is some ticked off fan messing with them? Or are they shutting down their community to avoid letting people have a place to post negative messages? Do they actually think the conversation will stop? No, it’ll just move on to someplace else where they won’t get to insert their voice . . . like Twitter or blogs. Stupid, stupid, stupid.
The IABC (International Association of Business Communicators) is hosting their annual mini-conference Tuesday, July 28th at Maggiano’s in Buckhead. I’m speaking on using Twitter in business. Registration deadline is Friday, July 24th. Would love to see you there and get your insights on how you’re using social media.
On this subject, I know so much, and yet, so little. I know what most of you know from watching the news, following the tweets, reading the blogs. I know a little more because I’m half-Iranian and lived there as a kid for three years before the Revolution. I’m not sure that experience gives me any meaningful insight, but I feel as if I know the people, understand their passions, and share their longing for freedom.
I could weigh in on the current uprising, the politicians, the process, the government, the mullahs, but there are smarter, more informed bloggers and reporters (See Andrew Sullivan, the Lede, Nico Pitney)Â that can better educate you on those topics. So while I am blown away by the movement, and the courage of the protestors, what I want to write about today is the marketing of the movement.
Time magazine calls Twitter the “medium of the movement.†Much has been said about how Iranians are using Twitter to communicate with one another and with those of us outside the country who are watching. They are using it as an organizing tool (tweeting out what time and where the protests are occurring) and as an information-dispenser (tweeting out in real time what is happening, the beatings, the violence, the non-violence, etc.). The government shut down texting and almost shut down the Internet (they slowed it down to low, dial-up speeds to discourage people from uploading videos), but folks were able to use Twitter. And because the regime is monitoring Twitter, folks outside of the country helped the Iranians set up proxy servers to hide their Internet trails.
I’m sure Tom Friedman would call the revolution “flat.†In the past, when people protested (think Tiananmen Square), all most of us could do was helplessly watch it on TV. Today, Americans are engaged with the protestors, setting up the proxy servers, retweeting their news and information, helping to spread the news and photos to the world, all in defiance of the Iranian government. While we aren’t physically there, we are able to show our support, albeit limitedly. Hence, the “flat†world.
” . . . as a medium gets faster, it gets more emotional. We feel faster than we think. But Twitter is also just a much more personal medium. Reading personal messages from individuals on the ground prompts a whole other sense of involvement.” – NYU Professor Clay Shirky
It really is remarkable how the Internet has changed things. Before, if a government clamped down on its citizens, we might hear rumors and whispers. Today, we have thousands of cell phone pictures and videos distributed online almost immediately. We have real time, unedited “man on the street†reports in the form of tweets and blog entries. We have Facebook updates from the incumbent candidate and his opponents, like Mousavi. The Ayatollah reportedly even has a Facebook page.
What we don’t have enough of are reporters in the region, giving it all context. Most of what we’re receiving is raw and unedited, so “buyer beware.â€
The protestors are controlling the conversation right now. From a marketing standpoint, whoever controls the conversation “wins.†If I jump out of the box and claim that I’m supporting freedom, I’m automatically implying that you aren’t. If I get a whole bunch of people to agree with me – and find a way to get that word out – then guess what? I’m the freedom lover and you hate freedom. This is what we call positioning. And in the battle for the minds, the protestors are winning right now in spite of the government’s vast tools (they control the mass media and are reporting little on the protestors, they control the army, etc.). Social media has allowed the protestors to spread their news quickly all around the world. And the world is watching.
There is a lesson here for marketers as well. While we talk about social media and help our clients develop programs, at the end of the day, WE DON’T CONTROL THE CONVERSATION. The users do. We can set up the Facebook fan pages, the Twitter accounts, build initial followings, and create promotions to draw attention to our efforts. But at the end of the day, the people decide what they’re going to talk about and how often they’re going to talk.
And as the Iranians have shown us, if the people are passionate about their subject matter, nothing will stop them from communicating.
I swear I feel like a broken record. I remember creating a presentation 20 years ago (before PowerPoint) on why and how marketers ought to target women. And every year, I read more research and articles on that very topic. The stats change, but the conclusion is almost always the same: ignore women at your peril.
Today’s addition to the target women research pile is from Nielsen. Nielsen has released data on what it is terming PowerMoms. You know, women like . . . well, like most of the women you know. PowerMoms work (more than 78% work outside the home), they read blogs, they tweet, and oh yeah, they shop. Online and off. They tell others about their favorite purchases through their social networks — both online and off.
And women just want to be heard. Smart husbands already know this. Smart marketers are learning that they need to listen to what women want, engage them in a conversation and dialogue about their brand. Talk with us, not at us.
I spoke to a guy today who wanted our help with his social media strategy. He professed to know very little about technology, but is a personable, articulate fellow who networks a lot in the “real” world. (Remember networking events? Boy, those were the days, huh!) I told him that makes him PERFECT for social media because a lot of the same rules apply in the virtual world. For example, it’s important to be friends with someone before you ask them for a favor. If you just met somebody, you wouldn’t shove your product in their face and beg them to sample it. But online, that is what happens all too often.
People use Twitter and Facebook and LinkedIn for self-promotion and only self-promotion. Not smart. We tell our clients it takes a while for us to build a social networking community for them. We have to engage in conversations, get to know people — then we can ask them for a favor, like checking out our client’s site, or blog posting, or latest news. Better yet, we can ask our friends for a favor that also benefits them, like participating in a promotion or contest.
Seth Godin points out that you market to a friend differently than you do a stranger. And it’s true. If I tell Terri about this great hairdresser I just tried, she’s pulling out her phone to save his number. That may or may not work with a complete stranger. Depends on if I’m having a bad hair day or not, I suppose.
Yesterday, we conducted a Twitter Tutorial — what Vesatee dubbed a “Tweetorial” — at the Nirvana Cafe in Roswell, GA. We had a full house and covered the basics of Twitter: why you should do it, how to set up an account, get followers, do some research and use it for your business.
Well, it’s Friday and I didn’t tell my Tweetorial students that it’s “FollowFriday” on Twitter. Every Friday, power users will tweet out the usernames of people they think are interesting and that others might follow. If you’ve enjoyed someone’s tweets, and you recommend them to your followers, it’s another way to develop your relationship with the person you’re recommending. And if you’re new to Twitter and looking for people to follow, you might want to follow some of those recommendations.
In the spirit of Follow Friday, I’ll be tweeting out the usernames of the folks who came to yesterday’s Tweetorial, asking my followers to help the newbies out.
To set up your own FollowFriday, simply add the hash tag #followfriday to your tweet, followed by the usernames you’re recommending. Precede each username with the @ symbol. Here’s an example: #followfriday – some of my colleagues @terrijacobsen, @vesatee or my hubby: @dunrungill.
We’re often asked by clients and colleagues if they should be Twittering.And of course, our answer is, it depends.Let me ask you a few questions first:
Are your customers on Twitter?The answer is probably “not many,†unless your customers are tech-savvy or other marketers.If they are tech-savvy or early adopters, then you absolutely need to be here.(Also consider if your customers will be the next group to get on Twitter; if so, then you might want to jump on ahead of them.)Caution:Twitter’s growth is so explosive; you may answer “no†today but “yes†in just a few months.
Is your business reputation dependent on being a leader?If so, then you need to keep up with the latest trends.
Is your business large enough that people are talking about you?If so, you need to monitor and participate in the conversations on Twitter.
Are your competitors there?What are they talking about?How are they using it to build their business?
Is networking an important tool?Twitter, and other social communities, are becoming a new form of networking.
Right now, Twitter is a bit like “Inside Baseball.â€It’s not that easy to use at first so that keeps a lot of otherwise casual users away.The folks who are on there have their own Twitterspeak, as they tweet with their tweeps in the Twitterverse (“talk†to their “people†in the “Twitter Universeâ€).When you first start tweeting, you’re not likely to have many followers. We’ll discuss that in future Twitter posts.
We’ll be writing more about Twitter in the weeks and months to come. We’re also working on a webinar for small and medium-sized businesses on how to use Twitter (and how to tell if you need to be on Twitter). For those of you who want to check it out and don’t know where to start, this blog post will give you a good overview. Twitter is both absurdly easy and maddeningly frustrating. People ask me all the time how to use it. Check out Pogue’s tips, and let me know if you have questions.
The makers of QuickBooks were looking for a fun way to increase trial usage of their software so they developed a tool for small businesses to create their own jingle: The Jingle Generator. This could be a nice little distraction on a Friday.
According to Marketing Profs, the Jingle Generator was promoted using a number of new media techniques, including:
Blogger outreach: Intuit contacted bloggers with whom it already had working relationships to share the campaign story.
Participation on forums and blogs: The company also joined in conversations on forums and blogs that relate to small-business issues, ’80s music, social marketing, etc. Company representatives aim to add value to the conversation when posting responses and do not solely promote the site.
Social-networking sites: The company posted a video on YouTube, and profile pages for Tommy Silk were established on Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter. Participating Intuit team members help build awareness by adding Tommy as a friend or follower to their personal networks and “re-tweeting” Tommy’s posts.
Shared examples: Early in the campaign, employees were encouraged to create their own custom jingles on the site and forward them to friends and family members, especially small-business owners, who might have an interest in the software.
I’m a few days late to mention this but Twitter has grown from this thing used by only hard-core geeks to . . . well, I still don’t know how to describe Twitter but a WHOLE LOT of folks are using it now. 752 % growth last year? One million new users in December alone? Wow.
Like many new media in the digital age, we don’t know yet what to call it, how to describe it, and how to use it for business. There are theories, certainly, but there isn’t much collective wisdom. Together, we are building a knowledge base of what works and what doesn’t and eventually, usage conventions for Twitter will form. Maybe more businesses will follow Comcast’s lead. In the meantime, if you want to follow us on Twitter, you can here: New Thought Marketing on Twitter. We’ll try to keep the conversation going!
We're the brains behind New Thought Marketing, a consulting firm based in Atlanta. When it comes to marketing, we know how to push the envelope and we know when to keep it simple. If you need assistance in strategic thinking, contact us. Otherwise, sit back and enjoy our blog.
Today’s addition to the target women research pile is from Nielsen. 
