Place Names and Presentation Pacing

Tonight, Tony and I attended IgnitePortland 4, an event sponsored by the Legion of Tech. In this event, 13 presenters each had 20 slides and 5 minutes to teach the audience about a topic or entertain them in some way. Some of the presentations were really outstanding.

The first was from a guy from Kentucky, who now lives in Portland (although his accent might still live in Kentucky). He had several pieces of advice on what Kentucky can teach Oregon. My favorite had to do with place names. He said that Kentucky has a lot of brands and companies that are named after the state. Bourbon is from Bourbon county. Louisville Sluggers are from Louisville. "We didn't invent fried chicken, but because of KFC, everyone thinks we did," he proposed. He said that more companies need to name themselves something local and then go national to bring attention to the region. This was very interesting to me. Most companies choose a company name that could be "from anywhere," despite the fact that all companies are from "somewhere." Let that be a lesson to all those would-be entrepreneurs out there.

Did I mention that the presentations were on auto-forward? This means that after 15 seconds each slide moved along. This added a degree of sport to the presentations. They couldn't fall behind in their presentations (without it being painful for the audience to watch) and the whole thing kept on time, more or less. I think this is brilliant and something that should be required for all PowerPoint presentations. Keep them moving. Keeps the text to graphic ratio in line. Keeps the pace of storytelling at an appropriate level. I could see this being used in corporate environments and in church. 20 sermon slides in 5 minutes. Go!

If you are in the area, plan to come to the next IgnitePortland 5. It will be in February and the tickets are free!

Storytelling and Branding

I was reminded recently of the important connection between storytelling and branding. There was a good presentation about from Mickey Connolly, who is a founder of the training and development company Conversant and co-author of the Communication Catalyst (another one I'd recommend).

Danny Meyer in his book Setting the Table related how he tries to turn diners in his New York City restaurants into evangelists. He talked about taking a page from the auto maker and watch manufacturer's playbooks, who have "long understood that people buy their products not just ecause of how the product itself performance, but to tell a story about themselves." His job as a business owner is to "give people a story worth telling."

So, what does your product brand tell your customers about themselves? Do you sell leading-edge technology so that your customers can feel like they are early adopter and insiders? Do you sell fashionable items, so that customers can feel chic? Do you sell at value pricing so that customers can feel frugal and responsible? Do you sell green products, so that customers can feel a part of a larger environmental movement? All products tell a story, some better than others, and the brands that understand that have a huge advantage.

It is a challenge for business leaders, no matter the size of the company, to think about what they want their customers to feel about themselves having bought, used or experienced the company's product. I have spent some time thinking about it for Creative Outlet Labs.

Getting Googled

Apparently it is very common for corporate recruiters to Google (the verb) a candidate's name. I am sure it is common in other circles as well (if I, heaven forbid, was on the dating circuit right now, Google would get a work out searching for skeletons in the closet of any would-be boyfriend). Not only that, but if you want to make a name for yourself in any field, reinforcing your expertise online is critical. So, the good folks at TheLadders have put together their recommendations on how to build your online brand and I thought it was worth summarizing here. The authors are William Arruda and Kirsten Dixson nauthors of Career Distinctions.

• Publish: Get articles or white papers published in online publications, preferrably those highly ranked themselves.
• Posting: Post a review on Amazon or BarnesandNoble on subjects that are "on topic" with your expertise.
• Pontificating: Post comments on other people's blogs. You can find relevant blogs at BlogSearch.Google.com. You can subscribe to the best ones in your field directly or you can keep your eye on the entire landscape by subscribing right on BlogSearch to any blog that contains your keyword choices.
• Publicizing: Write a press release and post it. PRLeap or i-Newswire will release them for free. Check out an earlier article I wrote about doing your own PR.
• Partnering: They recommend networking sites like LinkedIn, Ryze, ecademy, and Facebook. I personally like LinkedIn.
• Profiling: They recommend creating the basic online profiles at Ziggs, LinkedIn, Naymz, and ZoomInfo, which I have written about before to make sure that they are complete and show your expertise clearly.

I guess I have some work to do...this personal branding thing could be a full-time job!

Free Market Pricing

I hired a doula when my son was born and her published rate was a range. She encouraged her clients to pay whatever they felt fair within that range, based on the quality of the services provided. At the time it struck me as an interesting pricing model. Very collaborative. Very service-oriented. Horribly unpredictable.

The band Radiohead has made news recently by letting their fans pay whatever they want for the new album. The magazine Paste is following suit, allowing people to pick their own subscription price (at least for a couple of weeks).

Following Radiohead's 'pay what you want' pricing scheme for their latest album, In Rainbows, indie pop culture magazine Paste is giving its readers the option of paying whatever they like for a subscription. "We were curious to know what our customers thought we were worth. And what better way to find out, than to let them tell us?" explains Paste President/Publisher Tim Regan-Porter. "While it's certainly a bit unconventional, we also see it as a chance to get our product in the hands of people who could become lifelong fans."

So, part "puppy" strategy (as in, no one wants a dog, until they get a cute, little puppy) and part pricing research, this new tactic may be crazy or brilliant. I love the idea of getting real feedback on the pricing elasticity of a market by allowing people to set a price.

That said, so much of how we view pricing (both from a customer and company perspective) isn't absolute, but relative. If someone could pick their price of a Rolls Royce, would the brand have the same cache? If the marketplace decided that you could only charge $5, for something that costs $7 to deliver, is your marketing "bad" (feature/benefit positioning, awareness, channel coverage) or is your cost structure out of line?

Sticky

I am reminded of a poem I once read when my youngest brother was small that read "Even when removed of all obvious confections, children are sticky."

To be sticky in a business concept is to have an idea, product, or website that keep people keep coming back to (in their actions, their words, etc). I have read that you need to be controversial and polarizing if you want to create buzz on the internet (as measured by trackbacks). I guess the adage is true that "bad publicity is still publicity," even on the internet.

In broader terms, businesses want to have sticky products to build customer loyalty. Marketers and campaign leaders want sticky ideas. Chip Heath author of "Made to Stick" contends that all sticky ideas share six principles:
1. Simple
2. Unexpected
3. Concrete
4. Credible
5. Emotional
6. Story

Perhaps that is why children are sticky afterall.

P.S. If you want to find out how sticky your ideas, products, or company might be, here is a link to some tools that you can use to monitor web buzz.

What Again Are You Selling?

We are all familiar with the perfume or underwear ads that don't mention or show their products at all. Instead, they are clearing promoting the idea that if you had their product you live would be as beautiful or glamorous as the folks in the commercial. Even the tame ones, like the ad for Sarah Jessica Parker's Lovely, clearly tap into the demographic and the underlying reasons for purchase. This is the basics of branding.

So, why should the advertisers have all of the fun? The most successful salespeople have long recognized that the key to product positioning is to get at the heart of the emotional motivations of the buyer. What are their greatest fears? How is their performance measured at work and how you can help them win points with the boss? In essense, the job isn't selling or marketing a product. It is selling piece of mind.

The famous addage "No one got fired for buying an IBM," wasn't about the product. It was about risk mitigation. Certainly, these products (and their marketing) tap into a whole different set of emotions. Note the graph on the computer screen to the left...up and to the right! Just what that risk intolerant executive wants to see, in light of his decision to invest in computer equipment!

Today, I ran across a very interesting concept in co-marketing with risk mitigation in mind. Carpisa, a well-known brand of fashion handbags and leather goods, has joined with an insurance company to create a bag bundled with travel insurance. They guarantee the bag for craftsmanship and also for outright loss. Piece of mind for a piece of luggage.

This fires the imagination. Just sticking with this theme, what other products could be bundled with piece of mind, in the form of insurance? Technology products bundled with insurance that says if a new product comes out with better performance (or Apple releases a new version of the iPhone with expandable memory and the ability to change the battery), they get it for free. Online photo processing companies offering archiving services, in case your printed pictures are ever lost or damaged (they could use footage of family photos after Hurricane Katrina and people would immediately get it). Offering insurance to parents who buy a Gund or Build-a-Bear stuffed animal that if this one becomes your child's favorite and it is ever lost, they will overnight you a replacement to avoid permanent trama. This is beyond product warranties, or even extended warranties. This is understanding the full set of emotions triggered in the context of selecting or using a product.

Case in point. I use Plaxo because I never risk losing my contact database ever again. I wonder if they know how many of their customers are actually buying piece of mind, as well as convenience.

Speaking of convenience, what products could be bundled with corrolary services? I am a big fan of companies bundling products with other service offerings that would make the whole experience less stressful. Going back to luggage and things that could be used to reduce the hassles of travel, here are a few ideas. I would certainly pay more for a suitcase that allowed you faster access through security through a special line, a rental car service that dropped you off at the terminal and checked your bags for you (or started providing service in your departure location by offering to take you to the airport in the first place), or a laptop bag that was insured against theft.

I leave you with two questions: What are the risks associated with products or services that could be addressed by bundled insurance offerings? What are the convenience offerings that should come with some of your favorite products?

Brand or Business?

This great presentation outlines the Tribal Knowledge at Starbucks. My favorite starts on slide 13 where they talk about brand building and the difference between marketing, advertising, PR, and branding. Brilliant! They also have some great things to say about making employees ambassadors and believers in the brand.

What's in a Name?

It is a sunny Summer afternoon in the middle of a long, holiday weekend and my mind drifts to the ridiculous.

Having just named a new baby, I know the stress associated with choosing the "perfect" name. The same stress faced in corporate conference rooms as marketeers chose relevant and protectable brand names. All of this brought to mind a few tools I have run across online to generate names. Below is a list of some of these. Enjoy!

• Brand Name Generator
• New Media Company Name Generator
  (with free bonus taglines)
• Random Human Name Generator
  (great for professional services companies and newborns)

Now, for those of you that are naming pets or are in the pet food business, here is a cat name generator. There are others for Hobbit names, Jedi names, country music names, "pimp my name," pro-wrestler names, band names, pharmceutical product names, and others you can find on Google.

Once you have your name or brand, now you can use a whole other genre of useful webtools - see the advertising slogan generator or the Sloganizer.

Have a great holiday!