Author: Drew Neisser

ExpenseASteak.com is a Double-Edged Service

Posted on by Drew Neisser

Last Friday, I sent out this tweet about ExpenseASteak.com:

CFOs face flood of flawless faux receipts http://pic.gd/7ab1a9; ExpenseASteak.com vies for guerrilla site of 2009 http://bit.ly/IsLY3

Today’s AdAge article on ExpenseASteak.com by Bob Garfield reminded me of both the brilliance and limitations of Twitter. While Tweets are timely treats, they simply can’t deliver the whole meal. My tweet tried to call attention to both the ethical issues and the sublime cleverness of Expense A Steak.com and did neither very well. And since I don’t have a lot of time at the moment, I’m going to borrow a few of the highlights from Garfield’s review.

Just in case you haven’t visited the site for yourself, here’s how Garfield described it:

Go to expenseasteak.com and fill in the obscenely large amount of your Maloney & Porcelli meal. Out will come a PDF of receipts for exactly that amount — innocuous (and extremely realistic) proof of purchases for taxis, panini lunches, office supplies, business books and so on. Accounting doesn’t ask why you’ve bought $700 worth of anti-static floor mats and toner? That’s their problem

And here’s Garfield’s appraisal of the stunt:

We LOVE this thing. It is brilliant. It is charming. It is hilarious. In short, it is brothermucking genius.

And here’s Garfield’s acknowledgment of the potential ethical dilemma of putting highly realistic looking phony expense reports into the hands of meat lovers and vegetarians alike:

All right, granted, the 61,000 phony receipts downloaded over the first four days might suggest the stunt is actually being slightly “abused” for a touch of “fraud” by a few tens of thousands of bad-apple “thieves.” But, c’mon. Expense-a-Steak apps don’t defraud corporations. People defraud corporations. In the meantime, Maloney & Porcelli is suddenly on the lips of those who hitherto could remember only Smith & Wollensky, preempting its major competitor into a corner. Because how to top expenseasteak.com?

From my perspective, ExpenseASteak.com is a rather clever and potentially degenerate example of Marketing as Service. It is unquestionably relevant both to the economic times and the restaurant brand it supports. It is remarkably entertaining–be sure to print out your own receipt and read some of the clever details baked into them. It also delivers the basic service of creating fake expense reports which is humorous until people actually turn them in at which time it becomes a nightmare for CFOs–proving once again that “everything is funny until it happens to you.”

Which begs the question: will companies send Maloney & Porcelli the bill when false expense reports are actually filed using their cute little app? Or will consumers sue Maloney & Porcelli when they lose their jobs after submitting false expense reports? Hopefully none of this will happen but stunts like this can go bad–just ask Toyota who is getting sued because of a Matrix prank campaign that according to AdAge terrified one consumer. Evidently, she missed the joke. Just in case someone misses the expense joke, I hope that Walrus, the NYC-based agency that created the site, carries as much liability insurance as we do!

AmEx Serves Up Fashion

Posted on by Drew Neisser

Ran into a neighbor this morning who asked me about my blog. I had to admit that for a variety of reasons I’d been neglecting it. Perhaps the biggest reason is that I simply haven’t seen any interesting example of Marketing as Service, that is until today!

American Express, one of the true believers in this approach, is at it again, this time providing exclusive experiences during New York’s Fashion Week, including a fashion show by Phillip Lim.  This is a text book case on how to do Marketing as Service as reported by MediaPost:

The exclusive cardmember-only consumer show by Lim will be hosted by André Leon Talley, editor at large for Vogue magazine, and Linda Fargo, senior vice president, fashion office and store presentation for Bergdorf Goodman.

The event will provide cardmembers with access to the coveted floor seats. Along with Lim, the evening’s hosts will open the event by offering expert insights from their respective designer, editorial and retail perspectives on a selection of 3.1 phillip lim looks currently available at retail

In addition to this one-time event, AmEx is extending exclusive access to fashion experts:

…including Project Runway’s Tim Gunn — to speak directly with cardmembers. Throughout this week, Platinum Card and Gold Card members will be given an up-close view of the runway shows from the Jonathan Adler-designed American Express Skybox under the Tents at Bryant Park, where they will meet with designers and industry experts who will help translate the looks they are seeing on the runway into their personal style.

By Invitation Only experiences provide an even deeper look into the world of fashion via coordinated meet-and-greets with elite insiders, a behind-the-scenes tour of the Tents at Bryant Park and hair and makeup touch-ups done by industry professionals who work backstage with the designers and models throughout the week.

Wisely, AmEx is also showing its commitment to the fashion industry:

American Express will donate proceeds from the sale of event invitations as part of its $250,000 donation to the Council of Fashion Designers of America/Vogue Fashion Fund, a program (of the council) to help emerging American designers succeed in the business of fashion by providing ongoing support.

Reinforcing their commitment to personalized VIP service, cardmembers can also avail themselves to American Express concierge who will be in the lobby throughout Fashion Week:

The concierge can provide cardmembers with access to highly coveted reservations at a selection of New York’s restaurants across all five boroughs, as well as transportation and additional hospitality needs.

And for customers who simply can’t make it to NYC, AmEx is posting videos of the show online exclusively for cardmembers.  This will also significantly extend the life of this service.

Frankly my dear readers, it would be hard to design an example of Marketing as Service any better than this.

Shaky Shack?

Posted on by Drew Neisser

The Dallas Morning News carried an interesting story on Radio Shack’s new marketing campaign. The reporter, Maria Halkias included a lot of commentary from yours truly so I thought I just post the whole story. Enjoy.

RadioShack to launch rebranding effort as The Shack

RadioShack is trying to turn up the volume on its image by turning off the “Radio” and calling itself “The Shack.” Not to be confused with the Shaq who’s famous in basketball circles, The Shack apparently is a nickname that employees, customers and investors have used for RadioShack.

The Fort Worth-based consumer electronics chain’s rebranding effort begins Thursday with a national television, print and digital campaign and the start of a three-day launch event in New York’s Times Square and San Francisco’s Justin Herman Plaza.

The bicoastal hoopla will include 14-foot laptops hooked up to webcams for live video and audio exchanges. The company isn’t changing the name of its stores. Chief marketing officer Lee Applbaum said the nickname is an attempt at “contemporizing the way we want people to think about our brand.”

“The Shack speaks to consumers in a fresh, new voice and distinctive creative look that reinforces RadioShack’s authority in innovative products, leading brands and knowledgeable, helpful associates,” he said. The company believes it has “tremendous equity in consumers’ minds around cables, parts and batteries,” Applbaum said. Now it needs to get consumers thinking about its ability to keep them “connected in this highly mobile world.”

Ads in the campaign will focus on mobility and wireless products from AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, Apple, BlackBerry and Samsung. “Radio Shack is in a desperate battle to remain relevant,” said Drew Neisser, chief executive of Renegade, a New York-based brand marketing agency.

“The name RadioShack is a quaint artifact in a rapidly evolving marketplace in which mobile devices have become the CE [consumer electronics] portal. Using The Shack as a nickname is a bid to update its image and represent the passion loyalists have for the brand,” he said.

However, company leaders may be “hedging their bets,” he said.

When Federal Express decided to become FedEx, consumers had already been calling the company that, and using the shortened name was a no-brainer, Neisser said.

“If consumers are really already using The Shack, then why not commit fully?” he said. “The only reason I can think of is that they are worried about abandoning the awareness and any positive equity remaining with their old name.” Using The Shack in ads only, “the whole thing could come across as forced at best and confusing at worst,” Neisser said.

The creative campaign was developed by Butler, Shine, Stern and Partners of Sausalito, Calif., which was named RadioShack’s creative agency of record in April.

Twitter Has Limits But Dive In Anyway

Posted on by Drew Neisser

Twitter Has Limits

The limits of Twitter for brands are as vast as the opportunities. Public companies have to be extremely sensitive to not violating SEC guidelines since every Tweet could sway investor opinion one way or the other. Big brands also face the challenge of finding a voice that is both worth following and true to the brand. Most brands that Twitter offer up banal and self-serving content that is devoid of personality. These kind of adver-tweets simply add to the clutter and do nothing to involve the consumer. They do not create an opportunity for dialogue. They do not entertain, enlighten or engage. Compare that to the VW Twitter tool that prescribes a VW model after analyzing your tweets. This is both entertaining and engaging. Another issue brands need to acknowledge with Twitter is that most Tweets go unread and are lost to the universe. This is simply the price of entry in this ethereal nexus of monologue, dialogue and epilogue.

Another limitation of Twitter is that it might not reach your intended target. If you are an alcohol brand targeting 21-29-year-olds, you may be surprised how slowly this demo has been to adopt Twitter relative to older generations. That said, if you are a mutual fund targeting boomer males between 48-55, you might find your bulls-eye here since this group indexes quite high on Twitter.

Dive in Anyway

All that said, every brand should have some presence on Twitter for any one of the following reasons:
-customer service (Comcast, JetBlue, Starbucks, H&R Block, BestBuy)
-crises management (Domino’s)
-news & promotions feed (Dell, Molson)
-customer engagement (Zappos, Whole Foods)
-to drive web traffic (Samsung, Marvel)
-dissuade impostors (lots of consumers are pretending to be brands Capt’nMorgan, CoorsLight)

Tweet From Your Point of View

To be effective on Twitter, brands like people need to have a distinct point-of-view. This point of view needs to be rooted in a brand truth and enable the brand to speak with clarity for and against certain topics. Once they can define their point of view, finding something worthwhile to tweet about is relatively easy. Keep in mind that the brand does not need to generate all original content, but rather it can add its own particular flavor to existing news items. Sharing this content with brand-appropriate commentary via Twitter can be a genuine service to prospects and customers alike.

Tide Detergent might take the point of view that no matter how much dirt gets thrown, they’ll be there to clean it up and provide links from literal messes (Twitpic links to muddy disasters) to figurative messes (like the situation in Albany). Bud Light could take the point of view that every one accomplishment big or small is worth celebrating and then call attention to minor accomplishments with text/photo links (here’s to you Mr. Dressed Like You’re Ready to Take Center Court Guy).

Why Brands Should Twitter

Posted on by Drew Neisser

The other night at a cocktail party a good friend asked “so Drew, give me three good reasons why brands should Twitter?” I offered five off the top of my head; deliver news, manage crises, enhance customer service, build loyalty and drive web traffic. I didn’t have time to explain to him the substance behind these reasons which of course is very Twitter-like. You tease in Twitter, you consummate via blogs. So indulge me while I finish the conversation on why brands should Twitter.

1. Deliver news

Presumably, if someone bothers to follow a brand, first and foremost that individual wants to have the inside track on news about brand related activities. Depending on your category, the news could be related to product development, distribution changes, customer successes, promotions, stock price or what have you. This is the very essence of PR, you either have news or you create it. Twitter is a great channel to deliver that news as @DellOutlet with 760,000 followers demonstrates daily.

2. Manage Crises

You never know when a wacky employee might stick a piece of cheese up his nose, drop it on a pizza and then serve the sizzling video up on YouTube. While this particular example presented a challenge for Domino’s, every mass brand is vulnerable and needs to have a crises management plan in place. These days, Twitter should be part of that plan as it provides one of the fastest ways to mount a counter-attack to your core audience. Domino’s set up the Twitter account, @dpzinfo, after the fact but was still able to use it as part of its effort to successfully defuse the crisis.

3. Enhance Customer Service

Ever since Bob Garfield set up his Comcast Must Die blog, at least one company has come to see customer service via social media as a “must have” versus “nice to have” component of their on-going marketing activities. Comcast, which went from laggard to leader in this area, created a digital customer service director, Frank Eliason, who as the voice of @ComcastCares now has over 24,000 followers. JetBlue, another brand that faced a PR crises after an extraordinary service gaff, has become a huge voice on Twitter, engaging over 780,000 loyalists with a steady stream of helpful twavel tweets.

4. Build Loyalty

While cynics might say “get a life,” a lot of people enjoy engaging with their favorite brands on Twitter. In fact, one study found that 97% of Twitterers think brands should Twitter and 80% feel comfortably recommending a brand based on its presence on Twitter. Twitter can give a real voice to a brand and provide a level of engagement that goes well beyond the initial purchase. @WholeFoods cooks up healthy tips for its ravenous followers (907,000+) faster than an Emeril “bam!”

5. Drive web traffic

Twitter need not be an end in and of itself. In fact, it is a great way to start a conversation with your customers and prospects, a conversation that can be continued elsewhere. If the tweet is tantalizing enough, the consumer will thirst for more and follow you just about anywhere you suggest. @Marvel directs its 28,000+ fans to a variety of other Marvel sites including its official home on Flickr pages, “free Monday” comics posts and online polls on Marvel News. I have also since this work on a microlevel as my Twitter posts dramatically increase my blog traffic.

Keep in mind that the costs of keeping up a Twitter account are quite small compared to brand advertising. Of course, the reach is too unless you can achieve the kind of followings that Zappos and JetBlue enjoy. And that begs the question “how brands should Twitter” which I’ll just have to leave for another day or cocktail party, whichever comes first.

Spirits that Twitter

Posted on by Drew Neisser

In the spirit of my last two posts, here is a quick overview of the liquor brands that use Twitter. For the most part, the well established brands are sitting on the sidelines while the younger upstarts figure out how to gain traction via this nascent channel.

  • @BaconVodka: Living up to its porcine name, Bakon Vodka provides tasty drink recipes while keeping their 2,055 followers informed on where and when they can buy this product.
  • @MR1X supports a relatively new line extension from Belvedere Vodka that is imbued with the lifestyle of Parisian graffiti artist Andre. With over 880 followers, the tweets track Andre’s world travels and endless nightlife. MR1X aggressive use of Twitter, Flickr and YouTube may make it the first generation of truly social media-driven spirits.
  • @Belvedere_Vodka keeps their 539 followers buzzed with a steady stream of summer drink recipes and other self-promotions.
  • @DonCenobio: This tequila brand has about 500 followers and focuses on brand-related event activity.
  • @Blackbottle: This whisky brand enthusiastically covered their appearance at the Taste of London for its 353 followers which may be just enough for them.
  • @CieloTequila: This Mexican based tequila has 300+followers and claims to be “the smoothest tequila on the market” but with no events listed it would be hard for anyone to know since it hasn’t updated its page in over a month.
  • @NudeVodka09: This scantily veiled brand keeps its 300+ followers updated on events and new concoctions. They seemed to be more engaged than most as many of their posts are fan offered thank you’s.
  • @RepublicTequila: By Texans for Texans, this brand seem to focus solely on The Lone Star state reporting on local promotions for its 230+ long horned followers.
  • @SoloranzoTkila: …..Tkila…..get it? The text-friendly name is about all this tequila twitter page has to offer its 178 followers unless they’re into historical facts about tequila, such as one of its most recent posts “For many years it was known as “mezcal wine” or “mezcal tequila,” since mezcal or mexcal is another Nahuatl term for agave.”
  • @PinkyVodka: Despite this vodka’s small following (only 91), their enthusiastic self-promotion of the “world’s most beautiful vodka” and constant reminders of Pinky-drink ideas lets one know how to get and what to do with this product.
  • @Mragave: After reading this site’s post you will know how strong this tequila is- but not much else. With a mere 37 followers, this brand claims to be more popular in “Agave Friendliest States” like CA, TX,NY, IL,FL,AZ, and CO.

Noticeably absent from this list are any Diageo mega-brands like Smirnoff, J&B, Captain Morgan and Johnnie Walker. Since there is no way currently to “age gate” your Twitter followers, perhaps they are simply electing to “keep on walking” rather than risk the potential wrath of watchdog groups. Given the relatively small size of the followings of other spirit brands, at the moment being “ready to Tangueray” need not include tweets.