Wednesday January 24, 2007

All good things...

Greetings -- just a quick note to let you know that this is my last post at this blog. I'm departing Sun (and regretfully, departing this blog), and am joining Elias Arts as their directory of strategy, focused exclusively on audio branding and identity. Meanwhile, the coals will always be stoked over at my Intentional Audio Branding blog. Stop on by and say hello when you get a chance.

 

Friday September 29, 2006

Customer service: amp up the love, boost the prosperity

Earlier this week I was calling one of my credit card companies to cancel the account. I've been a cardmember with these guys for 13 years. I don't want to think about the money I've made for them over the years -- let's just say it's in the thousands on annual fees, late fees (back in my post-collegiate freewheelin' days), the data they've shared about me with their partners, and fees raked in by retailers with each usage.

The account rep tried her best to keep me along, touting the many advantages of using the card that I honestly hadn't used at all in the last three years. (Better benefits elsewhere.) And, sure, I was open to a conversation that could gain me some leverage: could you do me better than my other cards? Cut the annual fees? Offer better travel rewards? If so, I'm in. Sell to me. So she tried, but the benefits weren't adding up. And it became clear to me that this was a form she was reading from. Not a relationship she was trying to save.

Our story closes with her best and final offer: "Sir, let me tell you what. I'm going to throw in a little something for you which I think will make you very happy. I'm going to credit your account for $20."

Twenty bucks.

Which doesn't even cover the annual fee. For the card I don't even use.

Twenty bucks to save a 13-year relationship that's made them thousands.

Twenty bucks to string me along for another 13, when my prime-earning-and-spending years are taking root. (Add up those Ben Franklins, kids.)

All this has left me dazed. I thought I was happy letting them go immediately after her best and final offer. But now I'm wondering if I really would have preffered the AOL approach to account cancellation instead. At least I would have felt...wanted. Sniff.

Moral of the story, just add it up. And for those of you looking for a value-add angle or an experience design angle (that's what we do here, after all) I would suggest that each and every customer interaction you plan, create and implement -- every service, feature, upgrade, conversation, pitch, click-here button, sonic expression or other way of touching your customer -- be one of intentional love and prosperity, rather than blind indifference.

Now get to work. There's love to be made. Go.

Monday September 25, 2006

Aduio clip: Saints' Return Marks Life in New Orleans

New Orleans Times-Picayune Columnist Chris Rose explains why a football team in a large building means so much more than a football team in a large building. Includes audio.

Thursday August 10, 2006

Bad advertising and good experiences

David Polinchock at the Brand Experience Lab has called out some interesting numbers that have popped up over at Advertising Age: amidst a massive decline in TV advertising effectiveness, "44% of purchasing decisions at one telecom company were influenced by customer interaction rather then advertising." All I can say is...wow.

Monday August 07, 2006

Forget brand. Get customers to fall in love with you instead.

I spend a lot of tie pontificating on brands and "the user experience" here, but today's note is brief and has very little to do with "brand" at first glance. It's a customer reference from the producers of Barnyard that was published today at Sun's site:

Sun became an extension of our crew, establishing the kind of
relationship that is critical for any film's success," says Parry. "Our
honeymoon period has lasted and lasted, and the level of support we
have received has increased over time. We have experienced the power of
a Sun partnership, and it has made all the difference to our success.

Great news for a company like Sun. And like I said, this nothing to do at first glance with  "brand." On the other hand, it's a simple reminder of something all branding and marketing efforts should be working towards: making customers happy. Because the happier your customers are, the more likely they are to be your brand ambassador and do your own marketing for you.

(Ahh, that sounded so good I have to play it again: "it has made all the difference to our success." What a great way to start the week.)

Thursday August 03, 2006

Speaking of Great Ideas...

Okay, so Marc and Bruce (see entry below) had a great idea and ran with it. Which got me thinking about something I came across recently that's been on my mind in the last few weeks since I've read it: success is rarely built on a great idea, but rather on a pretty good idea exedcuted very well.

In fact, The Great Idea is a big fat myth, says Ramit Sethi:

The myth of The Great Idea is a dangerous one. It makes you constantly search and search for something that you'll probably never find. My friends, for example, are still searching, and it's two years later. How many of you know an older person (maybe a parent?) who is always tinkering and muttering about the Great Idea he wants to find?

Follow that link for some practical ideas on how to execute. And get to work on something simple.

( Aug 03 2006, 11:16:12 AM PDT ) Permalink

Solar wi-fi a reality?

Sun employees -- current and former -- are moving forward with a plan to make solar wi-fi a reality in places where it's needed most. Seed financing by the One Laptop Per Child Initiative.

Kudos to Marc Pomerleau and Bruce Baikie for choosing a damn hairy audacious goal in ways that certainly make the rest of us (okay, me) jealous.

( Aug 03 2006, 11:07:34 AM PDT ) Permalink

Monday July 31, 2006

New Orleans -- Rising Beneath The Radar

New Orleans: sure, you've been hearing a lot about murders...still unidentified Katrina victims, and the National Guard. And all other sorts-a-things that methinks contribute unfairly to the perception that New Orleans is somehow disconnected from the rest of this country -- both culturally and economically.

And although I think New Orleans is a wholly unique place for a panopoly of reasons both good and bad, the "disconnected" perception, of course, is based on a very small sample. New Orleaneans still wake up each morning, turn on their tvs and radios to the same channels we do, still send their kids off to school, still work a job, still care about their neighborhoods, still bring new businesses to life and still keep the old ones churning along. It's challenging, but it's still life in America.

So today we look at three stories of the roll-up-your-sleeves variety that, although they've been published or broadcast in major media outlets, may have fallen off your media-diet's radar. Each contributes to a bigger picture of progress and hope than what I've become used to reading about in the last 10+ months since the hurricane hit.

From the New York Times: Despite a City’s Hopes, an Uneven Repopulation

"There may be no clearer indication that the people of this city have taken the recovery into their own hands than the homemade street signs in the Claiborne-University area. Along Nashville Avenue, the signs, made mostly from scraps of wood and debris, announce Rocheblave, Tonti, Galvez and Miro Streets with the decorative flair of flowers and stars. Such homemade signs can be found all around the city."

From NPR: Tasty Summertime Tradition in New Orleans

My wife and I were excited to hear college-friend Ashley Hansen on national radio last week. Her story: the family's decades-old Hansen's Sno-Bliz business [Flickr pics] suffered a major blow when the founders (Ashley's elderly grandparents) both passed in the hurricane aftermath last year. Now Ashley's re-opened, and it marks the continuance of a gastronomic staple in a city still known for its food. Interview includes audio.

From the Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Roadside Renaissance for Farm Stands

Can farmers be the new "rock stars of agriculture?" Richard McCarthy (another college compadre[!]) of Loyola's Economics Institute and the Crescent City Farmers Market thinks so. But that's just a catchy hook for me to lure you into reading about the model he's building for tweaking the all-too-familiar concepts of markets. His work is gaining significant traction in the South -- and it all started with a small stand on Magazine street in downtown New Orleans.

( Jul 31 2006, 11:41:35 AM PDT ) Permalink

Friday July 14, 2006

What's your Brasil name?

Great fun for a Friday lunch break:

Get your own BrazilName here. There's a 95 percent chance your name won't be as...uh...dorky as mine.

( Jul 14 2006, 01:56:10 PM PDT ) Permalink Comments [2]

Monday June 12, 2006

Midwest Express

We're heading over to the shores of Lake Michigan for the next week-plus as I visit Neocon in Chicago and spend the rest of my time this week working from Milwaukee.

One subtle plus to Milwaukee: deep inhale -- yes, you can still sniff the hops and the mash wafting from Miller, Sprecher and Lakefront Brewery as you make your way around town. Most of Milwaukee's big brewing labels have left town, but you nose won't know, as craft breweries have popped up throughout the city...it'll feel just like home back in Portland, Oregon.

While I'm on the subject of smell, Chicago too has its own distinct odor, and it's not half-bad, either: chocolate. Stroll out of any building in the River North area and catch your free whiffs as a nearby chocolate factory (bonus points to anyone who can name the company) cranks out the sweet stuff.

It's funny how smells force certain memories upon us. Clearly Chicago and Miwaukee have left an impression on me. (I'll leave New Orleans out of the mix, with all due respect.) Smell is the strongest sense associated with memory, they say, and I'll go for that. And today's lesson, kids, is to capitalize on that if you're in the business of being in business. Here's a link to a Fast Company article on sensory branding to get your nose thinking...

Two more quick hits before I catch that plane east:

--- Honk if you can hear this: apparently students have found (and are using) ringtones that adults can't hear.

--- Design like you give a damn: The IDSA has kicked off its Business and Design Catalyst awards, which focuses on the impact of thoughtful design on the bottom line.

All for now. See you somewhere along the shores of Lake Michigan.

( Jun 12 2006, 09:18:43 AM PDT ) Permalink

Tuesday June 06, 2006

Back on the air

After a brief stint with a collaborative brand-based blog, a new baby in our lives, countless visitors and so many undocumented ideas that my brain's about to explode...I'm back. And for the forseeable future, this is where I'll be writing.

Glad to see you here. Looking forward to kickstarting the conversation on all things we advanced cave-people call "brand." Stay tuned.

( Jun 06 2006, 04:38:59 PM PDT ) Permalink

Tuesday January 17, 2006

Customers, printers, music and signs

Back in the saddle. Hit it:

- - - HBR has a blurb of anecdotes on why asking customers what they want isn't a good idea. As for knowing why they want what they want -- that's gold, baby.

- - - Should you pull the pitcher from the game? Your data has the answer. The only thing this nifty info-visualer tool doesn't account for is that queasy look on the nervous rookie's face...which is something you just can't quantify.

- - -"I've got an ongoing project, reprogramming the firmware in these 1985 Epson LQ-500 printers to turn them into musical instruments."

- - - Related oddball audio: Words That Sound Dirty But Aren't...with beats thrown in for good measure. (Direct MP3 link. Disclaimer: made by me, inspired by a list-loving brother-in-law.)

- - - Attention marketers: Oakland International Airport knows where the men are.

(Hunting down prospects doesn't get any easier than that, does it?)

- - - Core77 and a few other big brand brains are having a "Design 2.0" hootenanny on design strategy and innovation. Save the date: February 28 in NYC.

( Jan 17 2006, 12:18:00 PM PST ) Permalink

Friday December 23, 2005

Video goodies heading into a break

We're off for a while. Which means my head won't be anywhere near here for at least a week. Before I go, let me point you to two video goodies that'll warm up your video ipod like nobody's business:

My daughter Beatrix adds a little lagniappe (QT, 2.3 mb) to the traditional Twinkle Twinkle song. Much more than your typical cute-kid-singing video, as long as you watch the whole thing. Promise.

And then...WGN Chicago offers its Yule Log a-burnin' for your personal, on-demand viewing pleasure.

Gawlly, the Christmas, Chanukah, Kwanzaa, Winter Solstice, and Heaps of Consumer Debt seasons don't get any better than this. Season's Greetings!

( Dec 23 2005, 11:35:54 AM PST ) Permalink

Tuesday November 29, 2005

Visually stunning Java art?

Saw this post over at Ask MetaFilter and I thought I'd ask here: what's the coolest, most visually compelling interactive Java stuff you've ever seen? For example, Random Blue Lines is both playful and beautiful.

I don't think I've seen anything resembling a comprehensive gallery of nifty Java stuff like this, and I don't mind putting one together if there's enough material.

( Nov 29 2005, 06:16:15 PM PST ) Permalink Comments [0]

Wednesday November 23, 2005

The Safeway Experience List, Tuesday, 11:15 p.m.

The task at hand
Ground pepper, Majoram, Savory
Maple syrup
Cranberry sauce
Spinach
Yams

Heard
Simply Red, "Money's Too Tight to Mention"
Foreigner, "Urgent"
A band I don't know, but I'm guessing might be the Dave Matthews Band
Rolling Stones, "Wild Horses"
Paul Simon, "Late in the Evening"

Seen
Totally Toned in Just 7 Moves!
Britney Dump Kevin Now!
Baby Talk with Gwyneth Paltrow
You, 43 Pounds Slimmer By Christmas
Jughead's Double Digest

( Nov 23 2005, 10:33:02 AM PST ) Permalink Comments [0]