THINKing

Dumbass Marketer Redux

Photo credit: chaka from morguefile.com

We have talked here before about dumbass marketers, and this probably won’t be the last time, unfortunately. Let me tell you a story about one. This firm, to which we have brought a lot of business including that of a Fortune 500 company, has made such a dumbass move that they will never get additional business from me.

Netflix’s Corporate Seppuku

It’s good that Netflix has a red background on its logo. That way the blood doesn’t show from its self-inflicted wounds.

Bad Marketer, Naughty Marketer

I’ve been in marketing communications since shortly after the earth cooled and I have seen a lot of poorly conceived advertising and marketing programs. But in today’s unstable market, I’m seeing some unstable marketing, too.

A Fresh Wind Is Blowing

The business winds are changing direction, but there are some organizations that don’t get it and never will. The news media and big ad agencies are two industries doomed to be swept overboard if they don’t keep a weather eye out. Today, it’s about transparency and a new focus on customer service, doing what’s right for the customer. I’ve found if you do what’s right for the customer, you, too, will ride under full sail.

Aligning Metrics

Years ago, I worked with a Fortune 500 company on an integrated marketing communications program. It was integrated everywhere except with sales. And therein lies the rub. Our marketing metrics were highly successful, but our sales metrics weren’t. Let me explain.

Check Please

Let me know if I’m off base here, OK? I got a check from my mother-in-law for my birthday. She has written it on her Wachovia checking account. The good news, I initially think, is that there is a Wachovia branch very close by.  So, I head over and pull into the drive-through.

Bad PR Call

So, let’s say you take your Audi to the dealer for some repairs and leave it overnight. The next morning you get a call from the dealership telling you that your tires and rims have been stolen. And, oh by the way, the dealership is not liable and is not going to pay anything. To make matters worse, the customer is a single mom with triplets.

I’ve Got Your Policy Right Here, Dude

Want to know how a company can make me really angry? Well, it makes about anyone angry, really.  All they have to do is indicate their inflexibility by saying “it’s our policy…” We’ve talked about bad customer service here before. But I had something happen just today that blew my mind.

The Value Of Connections

As we have discussed before, the value of connections in business cannot be underestimated. I’m talking primarily about tight connections that you use ruthlessly to help you achieve your personal and professional goals. Friend and business coach Brent Dees of Focus Four tells us that you if want a $1 million business, you should have 40 contacts (your Focus 40) each of whom can bring you $25,000 in business. Your job is to help each of these contacts achieve their goals and they, in turn, will help you reach yours. This is a spin on the method that made Andrew Carnegie a millionaire many times over.

When Billboards Go Bad

Some people are fans of good things. I tend to lean toward the dark side. There is nothing funnier to me than an ad execution gone horribly wrong. If you like this kind of thing, you’ll appreciate The Bad Billboard Project, which calls itself,