Author: Drew Neisser

POTUS is Renegade: Now What?

Posted on by Drew Neisser

Thanks to many of you for the various links noting that President-Elect Obama’s Secret Service codename is–damn straight–nothing other than Renegade! Here’s what they said about it on YahooBuzz:

The Renegade Is Loose. We Repeat, the Renegade Is Loose.

The Secret Service takes a lot of risks for the first family. So it’s only fair that the agency gets the honor of coming up with code names for the president-elect and his family. Various sources within the Buzz recently revealed the not-so-secret nicknames. [DREW NOTE–according to Wikipedia, the White House Communications Agency actually comes up with the codenames!]

Mr. Obama will be known as “Renegade” (move over, Lorenzo Lamas). Michelle, a woman of many talents, will be referred to as “Renaissance.” Malia Obama’s name will be “Radiance,” while little sister Sasha’s will be “Rosebud.”

Former Renegade, Rich Ullman who recognizes opportunity when he sees it, asks “now, what are you going to do with it?” Well, great question, Rich. First, let me assure we are delighted with the Secret Service’s selection and honored to share that name with the President-elect but of course, we will be expecting royalties;-) Second, I am working on my annual predictions letter which will be entitled, The Year of the Renegade and will feature hoops as the annual metaphor. Third, for the moment, there is not third. Any thoughts? I’ve got signed photos of my Obumkin and one unused Obama for President bumper sticker for the best idea out there.

While you’re thinking up ideas, here’s a list of secret service names for past president’s. Can you guess who’s who? For the answers, click here.

  • Scorecard or Providence
  • Lancer
  • Volunteer
  • Searchlight
  • Pass Key
  • Lock Master
  • Rawhide
  • Timberwolf
  • Eagle
  • Tumbler

Marketing as Zervice

Posted on by Drew Neisser

Zurich Financial is taking a service, or should I say a zervice approach with its recent Z-booths at airports. Here’s what the New York Times reported about it (thanks to Theresa for spotting):

Speaking of airports, for travelers rushing through the London Heathrow or Frankfurt airports this week with a dead mobile phone or a missing hotel reservation, there may be a place to turn. Look for booths marked with a big blue “Z” in the international departures areas. The stands are help points set up by Zurich Financial Services. They will offer free Internet access, cellphone and laptop charge-ups and other assistance for travelers, including cleaning materials to deal with spilled coffee and information about travel destinations, the company says. One thing they will not offer is insurance, Zurich’s usual line of business.

Why is Zurich getting involved in the kinds of things that airlines used to do for their passengers? The stands are part of a new marketing campaign aimed at “focusing on customers when it really matters,” said Arun Sinha, head of marketing at Zurich Financial. Market research has shown that fewer than 15 percent of consumers trusted any insurance brand, he said. “This is not about hard sell,” Mr. Sinha said. “This is more about trying to build consideration and favorability for the brand.”

Delivering genuine value to people in a time of need is sure way of making friends for the long haul. I sure hope it zerves them well.

Marketing as Service is not a Band-aid

Posted on by Drew Neisser

To be effective, Marketing of Service needs to a genuine commitment versus a one-off stunt. While few marketers will have the perseverance to make it 108 years like Michelin with its peripatetic guides, I suspect they can make it longer than a weekend like the recent painfully misguided “free taxi” effort by Tylenol.

Thanks to Jason Wurtzel for spotting these when they first arrived in the city on November 3rd. Not knowing anything about the program at that moment, I neglected to post Jason’s shots (see below) or to feel any sense of flattery since these were another attempt to copy the HSBC BankCab, which I might add is in its sixth year of driving loyalty to The World’s Local Bank.

Tylenol TaxiTylenol Taxi close up

Still on the case, Jason then forwarded this snippet about the cabs on The Gothamist:

The Tylenol (global?) “Warming Taxis” will take you anywhere in Manhattan, today through Sunday, from noon to 8 p.m. Your best shot of catching one is heading to a CVS at 630 Lexington, 540 Amsterdam, 272 8th or 307 6th Avenues and waiting for a stranger in a white car to offer you a lift and some Tylenol.

One weekend? Is that really supposed to heat up our feelings about Tylenol? As the Renegade behind the BankCab, that just plain hurts. It wasn’t even a cold weekend by November standards so the warming part fell flat. J&J, a usually savvy marketer, should know better than to treat Marketing as Service as a Band-Aid or perhaps they got ripped off by an unlicensed guerrilla practitioner.

Notes on Social Media

Posted on by Drew Neisser

At The CMO Club Summit today, I moderated a discussion among 35+ CMOs about social media. It was really a lively conversation representing the range of experiences of these CMOs. The group divided into three segments, from novices to making their way to “kicking butt and taking names.” David Spark provides a quick overview of the discussion on TheCMOClub site (yes, the very same social network that Renegade helped create!) but I thought add some more detail given the broad interest in the topic.

Introduction to Social Media
Here’s the definition of social media marketing from Frog Design’s blog that I used to start the discussion:

Social media marketing is all marketing that utilizes the social graph of both marketer and audience (in fact, the interesting thing is that they can be one and the same) to facilitate and cultivate a conversation. Social marketing is whenever more than two individuals collaborate online or offline for content generation and distribution. Social marketers harness the viral power of social networks in order to grow both the frequency and the reach of conversations exponentially. They know how to feed the social orbit with content that catalyzes conversations. And they understand that an “architecture of participation,” that lets employees be marketers, has become paramount for turning brands into live brands.

Social Media Numbers (or why CMO’s should care)

  • 62% of consumers actively seek out and read customer reviews prior to purchase
  • 82% of consumers found reading reviews better than researching a product in-store
  • 60% of Americans use social media
  • 59% interact with companies via social media; 25% do so once a week or more
  • 93% of those that use SM believe companies should too
  • 56% feel stronger connection to companies that they interact with via SMcompanies should use social networks to solve my problems
  • 43% believe companies should use social networks to solve my problems
  • 41% believe companies should solicit feedback on their products/services
  • 37% want more ways to interact with companies

Renegade also created a Social Media IQ test for these CMO’s at CMOquiz.com which may be of interest.

Packaged Good

Posted on by Drew Neisser

Add this one to your lexicon of “new” marketing approaches–“purpose-based marketing.” Somewhere between Marketing for Good and Marketing as Service, this one is being touted by former P&G CMO Jim Stengel which helps explain why it was prominently featured in last week’s Wall St. Journal:

Starting Monday, the 25-year P&G veteran is opening Jim Stengel LLC, which will try to persuade companies to buy into a newfangled way of selling. It’s called “purpose-based marketing,” which Mr. Stengel says is about defining what a company does — beyond making money — and how it can make its customers’ lives better.

I am truly excited to see someone as prominent as Mr. Stengel endorse what for traditional marketers like P&G would have been considered a radical approach just a couple of years ago:

The well-known adman maintains that the idea of “purpose” isn’t just the latest cooked-up marketing-speak. He says dozens of companies and brands have used this approach. He points to P&G’s Pampers brand, which several years ago decided it had a higher purpose: helping moms develop healthy, happy babies, rather than just keeping babies’ bottoms dry.

So I write this open letter:

Dear Mr. Stengel:

If you have a spare minute, we should talk. I’ve been gathering cases that support your thesis for the last 4 years and have no doubt what you say is true. More importantly, while having a purpose-based strategy provides a solid foundation, you still need an agency that can create a transformative 360° experience–an agency like Renegade.

Finally, as a fellow punster, I love the title of your upcoming book, Packaged Good, and can’t wait to read it.

Cheers,

Drew

CEO, Renegade

DM as Service

Posted on by Drew Neisser

Marketing as Service can be delivered in all shapes and sizes. Recently my assistant Kirsten spotted an example in a direct mail package from Queue Associates, a specialist in configuring Microsoft Dynamics (ERB & CRM) solutions for agencies. This particular mailer was about the only DM piece that made it through her rigorous screening process since last year’s jumbo holiday gift basket that must have been misdirected from Senator Steven’s office.

DM Piece

This package caught her eye because it contained useful stuff and information she thought I’d appreciate and she was right. I travel a fair amount and like everyone else, struggle to keep up with the security rules. This package not only contained the latest guidelines for carry-ons, but also it included a pouch with 4 empty plastic containers (see picture below.) With such handy largess, I simply felt obliged to read the letter which also didn’t disappoint:

You’ve heard the saying, “its not the destination that counts; its the journey.”

We’re sending you this TSA-approved carry-on pounch, along with time-saving tips for getting through security at airports, to make yournext journey easier. It’s our way of saying “thank you” for taking time to consider another journey–the one that takes your agency to successful outcomes and higher profits.

The letter goes on to explain what Queue Associates does and suggests that I call them or visit a website for more information. Unfortunately, that’s where the fun ended because before I could learn anything more about them online, they wanted me to fill out a log-in form. [Come to think of it, that’s kind of ironic for a company that already had my mailing info and is selling CRM solutions–couldn’t they have generated customized URLs that recognized me immediately?]

I also think they could have carried the travel theme to the landing page/microsite, offering even more content and thereby continuing to earn my gratitude and trust. Marketing as Service works best when it is genuine commitment (think 108 years of the Michelin Guide) versus a one-off teaser. So, Queue gets an A+ for a DM piece that was rich with value and C- for not carrying it through it the final destination!

All that said, I wouldn’t be surprised if this mailer proved to be a trip well taken for Queue.