Thursday, July 02, 2009

Talk About Transparency!

When you've flown, how many times have you ignored the safety instructions? We've all heard the same boring routine over and over, and let's face it - if you don't know how to fasten a seatbelt, you probably shouldn't be flying alone.

Air New Zealand has done something to ensure they'll have your attention: they've made a safety video where the flight attendants are wearing nothing but body paint. See if you pay attention to the entire announcement now.

That's what Seth Godin would call remarkable. How is your company being remarkable - and most importantly - making it easy for people to remark about it? Air New Zealand could have kept their video locked up on their planes, but they put it on YouTube. Why? It's not like people need to watch an airline safety video at their desk. But people do have the power to tell everyone they know about this cool airline and what it's doing.

And that's how great content is spread.

Posted via web from The Full Monty

Labels: innovation, Marketing, Video

Posted by Scott Monty at 9:02 AM

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Tuesday, June 30, 2009

The Herculean Effort to Stop Ignoring Customers

via The Buzz Bin by Geoff Livingston on 6/30/09

Note: this is somewhat of a guest post by Geoff Livingston. I saved it to my Posterous page with the intent of bookmarking it; evidently, it resulted in a posting to my blog here. Full credit goes to Geoff.

If social is but a channel, then the real issue for companies lies in embracing feedback from their most important stakeholders: Their customers.
That was the focus of the Forrester Customer Experience Forum last week in New York City (photos here).

Organizations struggle with corporate barriers to moving towards their customers. Controlling the experience has long been the domain of various departments from product marketing to customer service. Giving stakeholders a voice in that process — via phones, email, mail, participation and yes, social media — has been the antithesis of many corporate cultures for decades. Yet according to Forrester, by failing to embrace their customers and bulwarking their experience, companies are denying themselves serious benefits:

14.4% of customers would purchase more
15.8% of customers would be less likely to switch brands
16.6% of customers would refer the brand more often

Yet in spite of these beneficial numbers, progress seems daunting. During the Chief Customer Officer panel (yes, this is apparently a title), two panelists indicated they were making progress, meeting with company executives as often as once a month or more… Once a month? That’s it?

But for every ten companies haltingly talking to and listening to their customers, there is a Virgin America. The entire company seems to be built around creating the ultimate, enjoyable (gulp) airline experience. As CEO David Cush went through his session, you couldn’t help but smile and admire the audacious brilliance of Richard Branson as he turns the American airline industry on its ear. This is how companies should be built.

Barriers to Adoption

We’ve discussed this before here on the Buzz Bin. There are serious cultural barriers to adopting social media, and in general, customer feedback (find a link to a white paper here). Siloed corporate structures prevent companies from listening to and embracing their customers.

Forrester outlined a five stage process that organizations need to go through to foster the evolutionary change towards a customer-centric organization:

1) Interest - Discuss that there may be a problem with customer interaction and that the company may need to research its stakeholders

2) Invest - Upon realizing that there is a lack of understanding about customer needs, get the company to invest in a “voice of the customer” program

3) Commit - This is where getting C-Suite buy-in is absolutely necessary for success. The company must commit to responding to customer feedback.

4) Engage - Take the feedback from customers, and apply it across the line. Change the experience.

5) Embed - Make the customer experience feedback loop and product innovation part of the actual cultural lifeblood of the organization.

According to Forrester, most American companies are either in stage one or two of the five stages. I think part of the failure to adapt has to do with the tendency to use old ways to affect change. Consider the siloesque idea of a customer department or initiative, rather than realizing customer centric behavior affects a company across the line.

Consider how David Armano and the team at Dachis are starting to address the challenges of cultural barriers to customer interaction (pictured above). They see multiple nodes touching hubs throughout an organization. Similarly, Charlene Li’s latest research is focusing on how companies embrace their customers to become socialprises.

The challenge to becoming a customer-centric organization is not as easy as simply listening. It involves reinventing many an organization’s actual structure and workflow. Cultural barriers to success cannot be underestimated.

The Social Backlash

Throughout the conference there was a very clear and present resistance to social media hype. Every single discussion around our new media certainly recognized its value as a great way to converse with customers. Every successful company featured at the Forum had some kind of social component, even if it was just listening to feedback.

But more and more, you heard executives rejecting social media as a panacea for customer ills and feedback. In fact, there were discussions about the viability of Twitter in the long term as a scaleable tool, and whether it really could supplant news organizations for information.

While companies recognize social media for its value as a toolset, they don’t see it as the cure all for an actual experience, and don’t see it as the alpha and omega for customer contact points. Instead it is one of several ways customers discuss their experiences from calls, web site chats, email, etc. There was a huge emphasis on multichannel integration of customer voices throughout the conference.

This backlash seems to me be a result of overhype. A smart communicator can see this. Customers don’t touch a company in one, singular channel. They have many touches from ads, news, web sites (standard and mobile) and packaging all the way through to the actual product experience. To think that social media is it for a company is a horrific error. And the implication of the current hype cycle would only have companies communicating in 140 character sound bytes. Thus the very natural backlash.

Related Buzz Bin Posts

Posted via email from The Full Monty

Labels: customer relations, enterprise, social media

Posted by Scott Monty at 8:36 AM

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Monday, June 29, 2009

Are Your Priorities Screwed Up?

The recent news of Michael Jackson's death has a lot of people rattled. When an icon of that stature passes, it's natural for a whole generation of people to reflect on nostalgic times, pine for what could have been, and think about lessons for our own lives.

In this case, I couldn't help but be struck by a similarity between Michael Jackson's status and that of some so-called social media "rock stars."

I've always been a little hesitant to anyone self assigning expert or "rock star" status. To me, experts are deemed so by others, after an individual has put in plenty of hard work and dedication. And the whole "rock star" thing boggles my mind. There seems to be a cult of weblebrities - people who are Internet famous - where social media types celebrate each other with more and more fervor. My question is: why?

The reason I tied it in with Michael Jackson is because I read a recent column written by the Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, who was MJ's spiritual advisor for a time. He makes a very profound yet simple observation about what fueled Jackson's passion for fame:

"He needed the throngs, he thrived on the adulation of the crowds...In many ways his tragedy was to mistake attention for love...Money [or fame] is not a currency by which we can purchase self-esteem and being recognized on the streets will never replace being loved unconditionally by family and true friends."

The strange thing is, I see a lot of this behavior in some social media types. And it's kind of sad, really. It's like they're busily trying to replace something that's missing in real life. To understand the absurdity of it, I'll give you an example of an exchange I witnessed:

Person 1: "You've never heard of [insert name of social media "rock star" of your choice here]??" (I'm leaving the name out to protect the innocent)

Person 2: "When my mother has heard of him, then you know he's famous."

But let's not kid ourselves. Using social media as part of your marketing mix is far more than recruiting some uber-connected individual who can bring attention to your brand. It starts with crafting a strategy and understanding what your business objectives are. And it means never, ever taking your eye off the customer and doing what matters - providing value to them. After all, isn't that what you're in business for?

A poignant reminder from Seth Godin (as interviewed by Debbie Weil) on that very topic here:

(Facebook readers, click through for the video)

Photo source: ovaratli (Flickr)

Labels: customer relations, social media, social media takeaways, strategy, trends

Posted by Scott Monty at 9:35 AM

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Monday, June 22, 2009

What Matters in Most Word-of-Mouth Marketing?

We all know that people trust people like themselves the most, and that "real" friends are more influential than online contacts. But how does this shake out, exactly?

According to a recent Mintel study cited by eMarketer, people who bought a product based on a

recommendation did so based on this breakdown:

And while you'll see that bloggers make up only 5% of the recommendation source, for those of

you who have resources tied up in blogger relations programs, this is not some sky-is-falling panic to get you to halt your efforts. On the contrary, how many friends, relatives, spouses/partners do you know that have a blog or a social network presence? They're still likely to talk about it with others, both online and off.

But if you're going to be effective at tapping into word of mouth marketing (WOMM to some), you at least need to take into account the other acronym: WIIFM.

What's important to them?

I recently shared a link to an old post in which I quoted that master orator, Cicero:

If you wish to persuade me, you must think my thoughts, feel my feelings and speak my words.

No matter what your word of mouth tactics consist of, your content needs to resonate with the people you're trying to reach (and consequently, with their contacts). According to that same study, here are the top three things that matter when it comes to product recommendation:

It's not terribly surprising that people are currently focused on price, is it? We're always looking for a bargain. And, consistent with human nature, we want the best quality at the same time too. :-)

You would think that a clever marketer would simply drop prices and compete based on offering the lowest prices around. Some have. Others have simply shrunk their product size and left prices intact. But those tactics can only last for so long - prices can't drop to zero (or only the largest companies have the scale & leverage) and packaging can't shrink ad infinitum - and in my opinion, it develops into a spiral of decreasing expectations from your customer. It's untenable.

But let's stop and think about price for a moment and recast it in another marketing term - pricing's close cousin value. Recently, Seth Godin wrote about the value equation:

Value = Benefit / Price

What if companies focused on increasing value to the customer by increasing benefit instead of decreasing price? Indeed, if you're providing consistently high benefit, you might even be able to hold the value level high and modestly increase prices.

And that would be something worth talking about.

Labels: Marketing, WOM

Posted by Scott Monty at 5:40 PM

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Wednesday, June 17, 2009

I've Been on a Calendar, But I've Rarely Been On Time

#hotmen And to prove it, I'm late with this blog post.

A few weeks ago, I was contacted by the never predictable, always thoughtful Dave Delaney with a scheme that I can only describe as ~~hairbrained~~ inspired. I've known Dave to go to bat for individuals before, raising money for good causes. Many were local businesses or colleagues, but Dave's passion always rang true and led him to success.

So that's where the latest idea came in. Dave decided to plant his tongue firmly in his cheek and ask a number of us (18, to be exact), to pose for the Hottest Men on Twitter Calendar. No lie.

But if it were all about just seeing (cough) hot guys, we wouldn't sell a single copy. Well, that's not entirely true - Jason Falls would buy one so he could hang Mr. April in his office.

But there had to be a hook. Dave's angle: 40% of the proceeds of the calendar (the net after production costs) will go to DonorsChoose.org, where teachers post projects and how much they cost, and you can choose what to fund. It's a great cause.

So, if you're in the market for 18 months worth of photos, including a hot & sweaty new media consultant, a buff and bronzed mobile marketer, a fearless community leader, a voice-over guy like no other, a humorist extraordinaire, a woodcrafter-cum-social media marketer, a podcaster across borders, and possibly the bravest geek I know - then this is the purchase for you. Even the Village Voice is taking notice. Oh. Wait.

"But I have absolutely no interest in this kind of thing," I hear you saying. Fine. Don't make me pull a National Lampoon. Do it for the children, for I believe the children are our future. Here's what you can do:

1. Please purchase the calendar by clicking here.

2. And share the link around, using the hashtag: #hotmen.

And just for fun, vote for your favorite "hot" man on Twitter. I haven't got any favorites, but I hear there's an October surprise. (Not-so-subtle hint: I'll reward you with many fine blog posts).

Thanks for joining in the fun here. Let's work together so we can help raise enough money to give these deserving teachers and children some resources they need.

Labels: fun, social media, Twitter

Posted by Scott Monty at 7:59 AM

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Friday, June 12, 2009

The Microphone Is Always On

Andy Warhol once noted "In the future, everyone will be famous for 15 minutes." Now that we're constantly publishing, sharing, microsharing, updating, vlogging... (I could go on), it seems to me that in the future, everyone will have 15 minutes of privacy.

I've noted before that it's extremely important to live your life in a way that reflects positively of you, because you never know who's capturing what image, sound file or video. Put more bluntly - if you'll allow me to turn another phrase - whatever happens in Vegas stays on Google. Every action counts.

Want proof?

One need look no further than Michael Richards, who was caught via cellphone video making a racist rant at a comedy club. It's still the #1 search result on YouTube for "Michael Richards." And President Ronald Reagan made a famous gaffe during a microphone check, unaware that he was being broadcast live:

How does that apply online or in social media? Every tweet you make, every blog post you write, every video you record - it all adds up to showing the world who you are. And since content is easily discoverable by Google, the content you (or your company) produce needs to reflect what you want it to. For example, just the other day, I was told that I was the subject of someone's presentation, and they showed my Twitter feed up on a big screen. If I were careless about what I wrote, my stream might have been embarrassing. Luckily, that's not the case.

Since you never get a second chance to make a first impression, every single piece of copy, every minute of video, every utterance you make can become a decision point for someone. It may be a potential customer, a prospective employer, maybe even a family member. Make your actions count.

Have you run into a situation where you you either gave someone an impression you didn't intend to, or you discovered something about someone that made you think twice about them? I'd be interested in hearing from you.

Photo credit: iNafih

Labels: brand, personal branding, PSA, Risk

Posted by Scott Monty at 9:10 AM

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Friday, May 08, 2009

Oh, Mama!

There's no question that so-called "mommy bloggers" are an interesting demographic. Recent statistics show that there are more than 36 million of them online, and they definitely wield influence in purchasing power. Which is why many companies think this community can be a key in their word of mouth efforts.

A few key facts:

Of the 36.2 million women actively participating in the blogosphere weekly as either publishers or readers, 46% -- or just over 16.5 million -- have children at home.
67% of moms online look for help making a purchasing decision.
Overall, full-time working moms use technology at the highest rates.
The cell phone is the technology used most often by moms to communicate with their kids, and 80% say it is the direct line to their child and babysitter.

But I think the notion that all mommy (or daddy) bloggers are the same is extremely shortsighted. They're just as diverse and different as any of us. And while it's tempting to think they do things in lock-step, there are many different niches and interests that can be explored - lifestyle, safety, green, frugality, parenting, sports and family issues are just a small set of the many segments you'll find.

And aside from the blogs, what are moms actually doing online? Here's a chart that breaks down the top 10 activities of moms online:

Looking at the points of transaction, it opens up an opportunity for conversation and engagement with moms on other sites & platforms as it relates to those activities. And let's not forget those cell phone statistics - busy moms are on the go and use their handheld devices more.

Image credit: Top 10 Online Activities for Moms (MarketingCharts.com)

Labels: blogging, blogs, Marketing, mobile, moms, study

Posted by Scott Monty at 8:30 AM

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Saturday, April 18, 2009

Susan Boyle Knows Something You Don't

Over the past week, the name Susan Boyle has been pegged at the top of the Trending Topics on Twitter. You can always tell when there's an item related to pop culture, current events or breaking news, because it rises to the top of Twitter's barometer of culture on http://search.twitter.com.

In this case, the name belonged to a woman who has ascended to the 15 minute throne because of a television show (in this case Britain's Got Talent), the immediacy of YouTube and an amazing talent. Rather than try to describe what's been happening, I'll let you see for yourself. Since embedding is disabled for this video you'll have to click through to see it.

When you come back, we'll talk about another equally as remarkable video.

Just about two years ago, a car phone salesman by the name of Paul Potts had a very similar story unfold on the same show. You can see that video by clicking here. I wrote about it in two posts: "Your Next Creative Genius May be Closer Than You Think" and "What I Learned From Paul Potts."

In both situations, we see something happen with the audience (and perhaps with ourselves) that seems to universally apply to human nature: there's initial skepticism, followed by awe. But ultimately, we want the underdog to win. Why? Perhaps because we can relate to a "regular" person and we like the idea of overcoming odds to be successful.

The lessons that I wrote up in the Paul Potts post also apply to Susan Boyle's situation:

Assumptions can limit your creative output
It's okay to take risks
Know your audience and connect with them on an emotional level
Exceed expectations
When we're constantly hit over the head with polished, branded, uber-cool ads, campaigns and come-ons, it's refreshing to see a down-to-earth, humble approach. It gets more attention.

But here's another thing that's going on. It's been just two years since Paul Potts made his first appearance, but the Susan Boyle phenomenon is being treated like an anomaly. How quickly we forget - the social media pundits and even the the show's judges seem to have forgotten Paul. The reality is we're overrun with the latest headlines, shockers, tragedies, personal issues and more, and things like this will always come and go. I still remember Paul, but mostly because I wrote about him before. I wonder how many others forgot?

Turning this to practical business advice (I wouldn't let you down!), do you think your company's product or service is that memorable? If a Paul Potts with 44 million views on YouTube doesn't even come to mind for the public and even the judges involved, what can you do that's going to stick with people?

Giving them a predictable, repeatable experience each time they use your product is one way - I'd say it's the price of entry. No amount of viral videos, marketing gimmicks or slick mailers are going to matter if you've got a shoddy product. But beyond what's expected, how are you exceeding expecatations, creating the "wow" factor, and still being on a level that they can identify with.

And that's the challenge, isn't it? Britain's got talent, but have you? If you don't, then go out and hire or partner with someone who does.

Maybe a Susan Boyle or a Paul Potts can help you.

Labels: customer relations, fun, Marketing, Paul Potts, Susan Boyle, Video, Viral

Posted by Scott Monty at 9:30 AM

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Thursday, April 16, 2009

Have You Got a Boss or a Leader?

Yesterday I had the pleasure of collaborating with Alan Mulally, CEO of Ford Motor Company (my employer) on Twitter. He was so excited about the opportunity to connect directly with the public again (you may recall his first exchange on Twitter).

The thing that I was looking forward to the most was just seeing Alan in action. With our CEO, what you see is what you get - he's the real deal. He takes the time to listen to people and he responds thoughtfully and genuinely. He gets social media, whether or not he knows what blogs, Twitter, Facebook or Plurk are - he knows that it takes an investment of time and truly caring about customers to make it work. And to me, that's the critical difference between success and failure as a communicator.

I don't know how many Fortune 500 executives are like that, but I think it's a strategic asset at Ford to have an executive who can not only lead with laser-like focus and strategy, but who can inspire through simply being a decent human being. To me, it's the difference between being a boss and being a leader. And Alan exudes that. See what I mean in this short video of Alan:

Here's the transcript of what was said on the @Ford account for the 30 minutes that Alan was on. We answered 37 questions and we have about 40 more that Alan will respond to shortly. The hashtag we used for the day was #FordCEO and all of the tweets from Alan were signed ^Alan. As he states in one of the responses, Alan loves customers. I don't think anyone can doubt that.

irasocol: #FordCEO when will Sync work with all Blackberries?

ford: @irasocol SYNC works with most bluetooth devices. Scott says to check www.syncmyride.com for more info ^Alan #FordCEO

irasocol: #FordCEO, why not give the Ka to US Mercury dealers, and create buzz. Same car as the FIAT 500 which is supposed to 'save' Chrysler.

ford: @irasocol Re the Ka: we're trying to understand the U.S. market needs for it right now. It's a REALLY neat car! ^Alan #FordCEO

BradConley: @Ford What part will the Lincoln brand play in the resurgence of FMC?

ford: @BradConley Lincoln is a key luxury brand for us, we have a completely new family of Lincolns now. ^Alan #FordCEO

drivingsales: @Ford if GM & Chrysler get big UAW concessions through BK protection, how will that affect Ford's agreements? #FordCEO

ford: @drivingsales We continue to work with all of our stakeholders on our plan and we will not be distadvantaged. ^Alan #FordCEO

j_navarra: @Ford are there plans to replace the NA Focus line with the Euro Focus line, or the Fiesta replacing the NA Focus's place in the lineup?

ford: @j_navarra Yes. Over time, the products will come together around the world on our wonderful platforms. ^Alan #FordCEO

DRients: @Ford Alan, I would like to know what you think the strongest car/truck is in Ford's fleet? And Why? Thanks! #FordCEO

ford: @DRients Stong cars: the Ka, Fiesta, Focus, Fusion, Mustang and Taurus. ^Alan #FordCEO

ford: @DRients Strong utilities: Escape, Edge. Flex, Explorer & Expedition. ^Alan #FordCEO

ford: @DRients Strongest trucks/vans: Ranger, F-series, E-series and the NEW Transits ^Alan #FordCEO

ford: @DRients Oh yeah, one more: strongest new way cool van: Transit Connect Family One ^Alan #FordCEO http://bit.ly/IGXd

lombertop: @Ford what made u think so far ahead re. the obtaining of funds in case of an economic downturn?

ford: @lombertop We are so excited about our products, transformation - we wanted to ensure we had sufficient $ to complete it http://bit.ly/IGXd

lombertop: @Ford What do u think of the Fiesta Movement campaign so far?

ford: @lombertop "Moving" along really well. SO exciting & useful to gather customer input/feedback ^Alan #FordCEO

ford: @lombertop The Movement is the future for creating vehicles we all really want. ^Alan #FordCEO

radiomantodd: @Ford What role does a grassroots motorsports racer, such as a#SpecFocus team, have in building up a brand such as Ford? #FordCEO

ford: @radiomantodd "Race on Sunday, sell on Monday." Go Ford, go!! ^Alan#FordCEO

AtaruSVTF: @Ford If the Fiesta Movement is a success after it ends, is this the type of marketing you would consider doing again in the future?

ford: @AtaruSVTF RE Fiesta Movement - YES. More than marketing, we're creating our new products we all want together. ^Alan #FordCEO

azulejost: @Ford #FordCEO With the IIHS crash tests released yesterday, how confident are you that the Fiesta will outperform the Fit, Yaris, etc.?

ford: @azulejost That IS the plan. ^Alan #FordCEO

paul_db_weber: @Ford Is Econetic coming to US?

ford: @paul_dB_weber We're going to deliver the best fuel mileage forever. That's the plan. ^Alan #FordCEO

leeanthro: @Ford We are Ford family looking to replace Taurus wagon. We buy 1-2yo vehicles to save. What wld we gain buying NEW this summer? #FordCEO

ford: @Leeanthro Great design, better fuel efficiency and safety improvements...and great value ^Alan #FordCEO

povertyjetset: @Ford happy about Fiesta's fuel efficiency. More small cars from Ford in the works? #fiestamovement

ford: @povertyjetset Yes. Ford will provide a complete family of small, medium & large cars, utilities & trucks going forward. ^Alan #FordCEO

DaveBenjamin: @ford: #fordceo- Do you anticipate suppliers will survive much longer without substantial government financing? How does this effect Ford?

ford: @DaveBenjamin Yes. They'll continue to consolidate & align with successful companies. Like Ford. :-) ^Alan #FordCEO

byronpope: @ford Would a GM/Chrysler bankruptcy negatively impact Ford?

ford: @byronpope We are so pleased that customers are preferring Ford.(Hi, Bryon!) ^Alan #FordCEO

DonStugots: @Ford when can we expect a hybrid "edge" model? if not, then why? #FordCEO

ford: @DonStugots We're reviewing it now. ^Alan #FordCEO

azulejost: @Ford #FordCEO Mr. Mulally, congratulations on attaining 10% of Europe's market share last month! You're doing a great job.

ford: @azulejost Thank you! The customer decides, and we're SO pleased. ^Alan#FordCEO

Turbochacha: @Ford #FordCEO Is there any thought to bringing back iconic namplates like Thurderbird or Bronco since Taurus has been well received?

ford: @Turbochacha We continue to consider this, but our focus is consistency of purpose/continuous improvement with what we have. ^Alan #FordCEO

@Mooncricket: @Ford Alan where do you see Ford full size trucks in the next 5 years. Gas, hybrid, electric, power, same size or smaller?

ford: @Mooncricket Yes. ^Alan #FordCEO

DRients: @Ford..Alan, what are some of your talent acquisition and retention strategies in these tough times?

ford: @DRients Compelling vision for Ford, wonderful creative work, talented people working TOGETHER, making fabulous products ^Alan #FordCEO

ursch1311: @Ford Alan, you are doing an amazing job...can u give me hope for an ecoboost Fusion, and maybe how long I'll have to wait?

ford: @ursch1311 Yes. Soon. Such a neat drive with the additional torque at lower rpms. Yahoo!! ^Alan #FordCEO

joelandmandy: @Ford #FordCEO -- looking at the new Transit for our business. Could a 6' person stand up in the back?

ford: @joelandmandy Not quite. Scott showed me your video, btw - you rock! ^Alan #FordCEO

WirelessLife: @ford MS SYNC project is great. When does Ford plan on taking the next step in making the vehicle a connectivity hub? Media via mobile INET?

ford: @WirelessLife More capability in connectivity each year. Seamless connection, information will be ubiquitous as we drive Ford ^Alan #FordCEO

phenom1984: @Ford What are you driving these days?

ford: @phenom1984 I drive a different vehicle each day, including the competition. Last night = Ford Fusion hybrid 41 mpg ^Alan #FordCEO

mpgomatic: @Ford Any chance I could borrow a Fiesta ECOnetic to set a new 48-state fuel economy record for Guinness? #FordCEO

ford: @mpgomatic Need your help changing the regulations to make the dynamite new diesel to be more affordable ^Alan #FordCEO

mpgomatic: @Ford Sure thing, Alan! I can start by setting high MPG numbers on roundtrips to DC. :) 4/30 too early to start? #FordCEO

ford: @mpgomatic Go for it! Call me along the way. ^Alan #FordCEO

JamieGeek: @Ford any plans for a Hybrid truck (F150/F250/F350)?

ford: @JamieGeek EcoBoost is the next dramatic step in capability & fuel efficiency in our trucks. ^Alan #FordCEO

brittanitaylor: @Ford My family are Ford drivers, but to others who are not familiar with your brand,what would you like them to know about your company?

ford: @brittanitaylor Ford cares and has *great* choices. Please drive one, and feel the difference. ^Alan #FordCEO

raywert: @ford Alan, Ford Fiesta. Which comes stateside first, sedan or hatch?also, will mustang get ecoboost?

ford: @raywert We'll be announcing that soon (Fiesta). Can't get enough models around the world. ^Alan #FordCEO

BrentSnavely: @Ford Is Ford Advantage working? #FordCEO

ford: @BrentSnavely Yes! ^Alan #FordCEO

mlaspina: @ford #fordceo Thx for the oppty Alan. Do you expect to merge any current brands?

ford: @mlaspina No. We are laser-focused on our complete Ford family of vehicles. ^Alan #FordCEO

DaveMora: @Ford still has the "Fix Or Repair Daily" reputation. i 4 1 dont believe it but is Ford conscius about it and working on it on the PR front?

ford: @DaveMora Yes we are - the data says every new Ford vehicle is best in class worldwide. We have a great story to tell. ^Alan #FordCEO

mcritz : Why is @Ford producing the 2010 Fusion+Hybrid in Mexico?

ford: @mcritz We produce our vehicles all around the world. The vast majority of U.S. vehicles are made in the U.S. ^Alan #FordCEO

poptent: @Ford love that you guys are using Twitter for marketing + community - have you fallen in love with social media yet? #FordCEO

ford: @poptent We love customers, and can't get enough of 'em. ^Alan #FordCEO

Jeb_Hoge: @Ford Can enthusiasts expect SHO or RS versions of Focus, Fiesta, or Fusion?

ford: @Jeb_Hoge Yes. Over time. ^Alan #FordCEO

BRGT350: @ford Alan, I wanted to thank you for everything you have done for Ford. You are one of my hero's of American buisness.

ford: @BRGT350 Thank you. It is an *honor* to serve an American and global icon. ^Alan #FordCEO

Expect to see more of this kind of interaction from Alan and other executives at Ford. We believe that social media is an ongoing way of doing business rather than a marketing effort or ploy - it's not about one-way messaging or advertising. To us, social media is not a campaign, it's a commitment. And we're committed to listening.

Labels: corporate blogging, Ford, social media, Twitter

Posted by Scott Monty at 9:55 PM

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Saturday, April 04, 2009

Everyone's Got a Story

What's your story?

If you stop to think about it, we live our lives as a series of tales. From the beginning of human existence, we have have developed the unique ability to be storytellers, whether it was through cave paintings, the oral tradition of Homer and other epic poets, or the latest episodes of Heroes. We convey our fears, joys, grief, thrills and more through recounting where we've been, what we've seen and how we envision the world. Why?

It's one of the most basic human needs after food, shelter and love - to be heard and to be understood, and ultimately to be able to relate to others.

Everyone's got a story.

Last fall, Ford ran a contest called Mustang Stories, where we encouraged people to submit their own stories about the iconic Ford Mustang in advance of the 2010 Mustang launch. In a photo and 250 words or less, they were encouraged to share their own unique experiences with this iconic brand. The winner, selected by the community by voting on the top 25 stories, would receive a trip to the L.A. Auto Show to see the reveal of the new car, and would walk away with the car as well.

Kory Chesher, who was at the time deployed in Iraq in the U.S. Army, submitted the winning essay and photo:

It started when I was about six years old. I was in the truck with my father and we were at a stoplight. Across the road at the other light was this "car." It drew my attention away from everything else in the world. I asked my dad what it was and he simply said, "Oh, that’s a Mustang." I remember it like it was yesterday. I now know that it was a 1968 black fastback. That was almost 20 years ago. 20 years of love, addiction, obsession. 20 years of longing and desire. Now I’m a soldier in the United States Army deployed to Iraq. I spend my spare time tearing through Mustang magazines that my family and total strangers are kind hearted enough to send to me. Every opportunity I get I’m online poring through forums and pictures; studying every little tidbit of knowledge I can get my hands on; meticulously memorizing seemingly insignificant trivia. Names, dates, specs, colors, paint codes, production numbers, costs, anything, everything. A Mustang of my own wouldn’t quell this life I live; it would supercharge it. The only thing greater than a life loving Mustangs is a life with a Mustang. With a Mustang to call my own I could finally experience the pride and freedom that I have only been watching from afar. It will ignite a passion like nothing I have ever experienced. Mustangs are my one true love. I am ready to go driving now.

Who wouldn't want to give that guy a car?

Just this evening, I was on Twitter, helping a woman with vehicle choices, and unprompted, she shared her own Mustang story:

Carissa_MomIF: @ford Uh oh, now you get a story, for anniversary, got a convertible mustang rental, drove to Park City, VERY COOL, and no room for kids!

I love it when people instantaneously share like that! We got into talking about test drives, so I did a return volley and gave her a link to one of my favorite test drive stories - in this case it was the winner of the film version of the Mustang contest that Ford ran through a partnership with Filmaka.

And there on Twitter, separated by about 2,500 miles, we admitted to each other that watching that video brought tears to our eyes. The magic of storytelling and sharing a unique view of the world brought two people closer together for a moment in time. She said that she was going to share the video with her husband; I'd imagine she'll tell others about the experience as well.

Now, the cynics out there will undoubtedly be asking, "Yeah, great. But did this help Ford sell a car?" Maybe. If she got the information she was looking for in the first place and it was backed up by a warm & fuzzy feeling of sharing a moment like that, then maybe it will contribute to the sales process.

But storytelling in and of itself is not about selling; it's about connecting. Connecting with people, whether briefly or repeatedly over time, to make them feel like their time was not wasted and that they mattered enough for you to make an effort on them. If you're effective, they'll want to return the favor. And then you'll have another story to tell.

Everyone's got a story. What's yours?

Photo credit: Ford Motor Company (Flickr)

Labels: customer relations, Marketing, Twitter

Posted by Scott Monty at 8:30 AM

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