soulati.com

Digital Marketing Strategy, PR and Messaging

Soulati-'TUDE!

Media Relations and P&G’s What-If Plan

By

Today’s post is a compendium of news about Fortune 100 crises. If you’ve watched this space, you’ll recognize these names – Nestle, BP, and Proctor & Gamble. Don’t know the crisis each is managing? Then perhaps you’ve not been consuming social and traditional media, for these corporations are in the news several times a day of late due to rain forests, oil and diapers.

To bring you up to speed, here’s the Soulati-‘TUDE! Nestle post. This week, my “Got a What If Plan?” oriented to the oil debacle paved the way for the next day’s post on diapers, rash and Procter & Gamble.

So great to see a sequential flow, and the only reason I re-introduced this content here is as a foreword to this article in Advertising Age “Inside P&G’s PR playbook: How Pampers Battled Diaper Debacle” about a behind-the-scenes look at the public relations machine for Proctor & Gamble. The internal team and its agency kicked into high gear at the onset of mommy complaints that the new Pampers Dry Max caused diaper rash and “chemical burns” on babies’ behinds.

For anyone in corporate or agency public relations, I strongly encourage you read this piece. It is a fascinating unfolding of a public relations machine in synch with product marketing, corporate strategy, and internal response to a brewing external crisis.

The story was written by Jack Neff after Advertising Age was granted an insider view of the marketing public relations team in action. He followed them for half a day to watch strategy and execution. I’ve not seen a story of this nature delivered smack in the middle of a crisis. If I were a stakeholder, you can bet my concerns would be alleviated after reading this piece.

In companies the world over, there is crisis. Social media has elevated these issues beyond comprehension and presented them to the consuming public on a silver platter. This trifecta is a textbook case for students, and I hope academicians and volunteer public relations professors are watching these three situations closely. There’s no better way to teach than by real-world example, and none of us are too old to keep learning.

Only one word of counsel for today:

It’s more critical than ever to shore up external messaging. When social media comes calling, one word gone awry can upset the entire apple cart.

Word of Mouth Marketing and Diapers

By

My diaper-buying days are over (until 100 years from now when I’m a grandma, perhaps). But, when I did buy dipes, I bought Pampers, just like a gazillion moms today and tomorrow. And, that’s why Proctor & Gamble is having such a hard time convincing moms there’s nothing wrong with its latest innovation in diapers called Swaddlers Dry Max.

Irate mothers launched a Facebook page, “Bring Back the Pampers Cruisers, Dump Dry Max” claiming the new diapers cause chemical burns. They very well may in spite of the 50 mommy bloggers who tested the product prior to launch. If my beloved newborn had heat rash beyond normal, I’d point a finger at the diaper, too.

On May 16, the Facebook page had 1,052 “likes.” In the scheme of things, that’s a paltry figure compared to the population of diaper-buying families. But it’s enough to warrant positioning in a front-page story in the Wall Street Journal’s “Marketplace” section, on blogs across the country, and in conversation from mommies’ mouths to other mommies’ ears. In a quick run through the blogosphere, the story is growing with a thousand+ views at this post on Gather, for example. 

So, what gives?

It’s the power of word of mouth marketing and the influence mommies have on product success. This is another fascinating study (marketing classes are very busy watching corporate America struggle with negative case studies in word of mouth marketing) about the influence of viral social media.

An extremely tiny proportion of customers have taken action against a behemoth, and they’re being heard. Could there be a diaper recall? Some are suggesting so.  If I were a diaper-buying mom, I’d be watching my kid’s behind closer than usual, too.

The question becomes…why do companies believe they must fix something that’s not broken in the name of innovation? If you’ve got a good thing going, don’t mess with what works…no complaints are a really good thing P&G.

Moms and Dads, care to weigh in?

Vehicle Buying Habits

By

I’m impressed with my impression of how much a story (good old traditional media relations) in Fast Company has me eager to explore a Ford as my next vehicle. Never in my wildest dreams would I have expected to say that; my grampa drove Ford (enough said!).

Back step a minute…

The quest is on for a 7-passenger SUV (not a soccer mom mini-van, please, although I do coach my daughter’s team) that may or not remain a Toyota. The more news I consume, the more confused I am about which direction to head. Factors strongly in the nay column are companies that accepted government bailout monies we taxpayers funded, as well as the overall  health of the corporation (GM? Nope).

I certainly won’t end up “like” Simon…

Simon Dumenco is (sdumenco@adage.com) The Media Guy for Advertising Age. In his opinion column April 12 he writes “What a pathetic, passive, compliant consumer I’ve become! Like, over there, in the kitchen: my incredibly easy-to-use Senseo coffeemaker, which I thought I loved. But it only accepts certain kinds of coffee pods. How devious! And my sleek Braun toaster: Sure, it can accommodate sliced bread and bagels, but could I cook a pot roast with it? No! Does it have a camera? No!”

I’m fiercely loyal to Toyota and have always loved my three-row Highlander from the get go. According to Advertising Age, Toyota sold more cars in March than it did in January and February combined. The “impressive bump” is a credit to the brand’s “almost fanatical consumer base and bargain hunters.”

Case Study with Self

I decided to use my own situation as a case study in consumer-buying habits. As I move through the steps toward this large purchase decision, I’ll share the various communications channels I’m using to get there.  To date:

  • Word-of-mouth marketing — Twitter helped direct me to Ford and Volvo 90. After taking a look, I was impressed by both and swayed by the Volvo brand.
  • A comment on this blog directed me away from Volvo because it’s being sold (don’t want to be stuck like Saturn owners).
  • Upon reading the April Fast Company story, “Ford’s Big Reveal, The next generation of Ford’s Sync technology will turn its cars into rolling, talking, socially networked, cloud-connected supermachines. Introducing America’s most surprising consumer-electronics company.” (And that’s merely the headline!)
  • In a nutshell, Ford’s alliance with Microsoft is bringing leading-edge connectivity to its now pared down and more manageable line of vehicles.  Voice- enabled and hands-free phone dialing and answering, music selection, navigation, climate control, and so much more are putting Ford vehicles ahead of the curve.  
  • Worth looking at, don’t you think? Then again, perhaps the thought of owning a talking car like David Hasselhoff in Knight Rider is what’s compelling.
  • Two soccer moms sat in their Toyota Sequoia monstrosities (I think they were matching). Upon walking up to them (windows were down) I queried them about Toyota. Immediately, they both said, “I’d buy another Toyota in a heartbeat, the problem has been fixed already!”

Indeed.

Word-of-Mouth, Toyota and Me

By

I did a bit of word-of-mouth (WOM) marketing yesterday asking my tweet stream for opinions in re my Toyota dilemma — buy my Toyota Highlander off lease, turn it in, buy another Toyota, or purchase a new brand altogether?

Yesterday’s Wall Street Journal pushed me one step closer to the latter. I’m a fiercely brand loyal consumer; yet, all the news of voluntary recalls across the spectrum of Toyota vehicles has me increasingly nervous. In Toyota’s defense, my 2007 vehicle escaped floor mat and brake pedal recall, although the engine did rev while in park in the driveway.

A Twitter pal suggested I look at the Ford Freestyle and Volvo 90. So, I did and was impressed with both from the looks of Web marketing collateral. A family member has suggested the Chevy Traverse.

Then, I read McKinsey Quarterly: The Online Journal April 2010 article, “A New Way to Measure Word-of-Mouth Marketing,” and it got me thinking. Several statements are worth noting:

  • “WOM is the primary factor behind 20 to 25 percent of all purchasing decisions. Its influence is greatest when consumers are buying a product for the first time or when products are relatively expensive.”
  • “Consumers are overloaded and skeptical about traditional company-driven marketing and advertising and increasingly prefer to make purchasing decisions largely independent of what companies tell them.”

For anyone engaged in WOM marketing, Toyota owners (me included) are a classic audience for this channel of communication. I’ve already engaged with reliable sources within social media, and as a blogger, I’m asking for other opinions from readers which I’ll weigh and consider heavily. My trust in Toyota is waning, sadly, which means I’m seeking new information during a lengthy research phase that will influence my purchase.

Was Toyota transparent? No. Did it used to be trustworthy? Yes. Is it now? No. Does it deserve another chance? Not sure, and that’s where WOM comes in to play.

How has WOM affected your purchasing decisions of late? Is this truly a form of viable marketing, or is it just another label for something we consumers have been doing for years? Please, join the conversation!

Happy Anniversary, Terracom!

By

In the ’90s, I was president of the Publicity Club of Chicago. I served on its board of directors six years, served on and chaired nearly every committee, won distinguished service awards and a Silver Trumpet, and met some amazing colleagues who are now friends.

One of these dear women is Christine Esposito, founder of Terracom Public Relations in Chicago.

Because I can, right here in my treasured space, I am blowing a Golden Trumpet in honor of Terracom’s 20th year in environmental public relations. As Earth Day hits 40 this month, Christine hits 20 green years. Happy Anniversary, Lady!

Christine is one of the most vibrant women and consummate professionals within our trade. Why she impresses me has much to do with her moxie in self-promotion. As a SMB, marketing is a challenging task we all love to hate; Christine makes it go as smooth as silk.

  • She’s been pitching stories about herself to Chicago media; I even flagged her mention in U.S. News & World Report as a spokesperson on green, recently.
  • She launched a Facebook fan page I encourage you to join.
  • She became a Twitter pal, and we are frequently connected.
  • She just launched her latest installment in celebratory marketing with a video (accessible on Facebook with link above) — putting herself in front of a camera to wax poetic about the founding and growth of her business over 20 years.

Today, I gift unto you deserved recognition, Ms. Esposito, for your two decades as a successfully green and sustainable womenpreneur, colleague and friend. Congrats!

Terracom Public Relations advances the goals of nonprofit organizations, government agencies and small to mid-sized companies through strategic public relations and marketing communications. Christine Esposito, President