Tropicana Design Mishap

As noted on "Under Consideration," Tropicana is reverting back to its old design...or the one that was recognizable.   The design may have been acceptable for a Web 2.0 site, but is not the right move when consumers, especially those in your tribe, are trying to find your product in the commodity laden refrigerated section.  The iconic logo was easy to spot and differentiated from other OJs. The new (now old) logo looked more like a generic.  

Perhaps the PR team will argue that this is generating buzz, but I don't think it's going to have a long-term positive effect on sales or the brand.  I'm curious to know what, if any, research when in to creating the creative blueprint for this.  I must say that this post makes me want to pour myself a nice glass of of pulp free Minute Maid.

Thanks to Rett for the link.

Welcome to the Iowa City Readers: Constituent Lifecycle Revisited

I realize that we may have an increase in readership to this blog from readers in the Iowa City/Cedar Rapids area. To that end, I will repost some more in-depth entries that will apply to specific marketing and communication roles. As a start, please take a look at this post regarding student life cycles, constituent relationships and the symbolic identities associated with higher education institutions.

If they were smart...

Great post on Church of the Customer regarding CEOs travelling to DC with their hands-out for a handout.

If they were very smart, the CEOs would drive unreleased, next-generation
cars that get 100 MPG. They'd stop in a half-dozen towns along the way and
invite a newspaper editorial board writer to ride shotgun for a dozen miles.
They'd update their status on Twitter. They'd write a few posts for the company
blog. They'd shoot video on a Flip camera and talk about how they screwed up at
their first appearance, how they're selling their
fleet of corporate jets, and their plans for the future. If they behave like
real people instead of CEO machines, they might arrive in D.C. backed by some
pretty good word of mouth.

Election Follow Up

So, long time no posts. The election was nuts for a political communication junkie. On top of that, I took a new job, as an online channel manger for Best Buy. It’s been a fascinating ride so far. Now here’s my quick recap of the election from a brand and symbolic identity perspective. My analysis is not meant to explain all facets of the election or the psyche of the electorate, or talk about spending, I just want to highlight some things that interested me and helps explain why Obama won.

Obama had a better use of technology and connected more with young and first-time voters. C’mon he even had an iPhone app that could provide localized news. Obama seemed more presidential, as he remained calm. While his election is historic and he ran a great campaign (even the conservative CNN talking heads agreed – the only big mistake was the “clinging to guns and religion” statement). However, I feel that McCain’s team did a lot to beat themselves by not grounding their symbolic vision. As I outline these items, they are not on my ethics, but rather based on where brand promises are broken.

*McCain’s “maverick” status would have worked to separate himself if he didn’t vote with Bush 90% of the time.

*McCain’s choice of Palin was a high-risk choice. At the end of the day, may have hurt him more than helped (which is out of the norm for a VP choice).

*Joe The Plumber – was not really a plumber, was not trying to buy a business, and could not afford a shopping spree the likes of the Palins.

*The key issue moved from Iraq to the economy in late summer. McCain looked erratic and indecisive (yet wanted to be the one with experience to lead). He wasn’t sure if he would be at the first debate, if he would be on Letterman, etc. At the end of the day, he votes for the bailout (like Obama). So there was no unique differentiator on the vote, and how he got there did not instill confidence as a leader or a maverick. I had a conversation with conservative friend of mine who felt that McCain could have won if he made only two different choices: Pawlenty for VP and voted against the $700B bailout.

*Economy part II: Warren Buffet endorsed Obama. Among most voters, Buffet has recognition of being a smart investor. The Obama endorsement is hard to overcome for McCain. Obama’s weakness on foreign policy and experience led to the choice of Biden. McCain’s admission of not being strong on economics led him to the choice of Palin. It’s hard to say that the nearly “socialized” economy of AK would translate to a strength on the National or International level.

The takeaways: Don’t break brand promises. When trying to ground a brand identity, make sure that are reality links to can make the symbolic tangible. You can’t be all things to all people. The here-and-now changes the landscape. If the economy wasn’t the chief here-and-now issue, McCain’s weakness on economic issues may not have mattered.

Politics brings out incongruity and some of it is laughable, but too much of it and a vision can not be grounded or reach critical mass.

The Politics of Incongruity

With the DNC starting, we are clearly in the thick of campaign season, and with it an assault on our symbolic reality. Campaign managers will serve as symbolic pyromaniacs for the next ten weeks -- throwing their matches of ideas to see what catches and spreads like wildfire among the populous. With these efforts, we're going to see a lot of political and symbolic incongruity. A broad example is Biden's about face from the primary season to now partnering with Obama; or McCain running against Bush's agenda and now trying to legitimize himself among conservatives by supporting the Bush agenda. As a bit of a cynic, I'm used to these, but do find them funny.

What's harder for me to take is when an individual chooses to sum up their beliefs in bumper stickers (arguably the symbolic cue of the fantasy themes and dramas that comprise that person's symbolic reality). In the case of one of my neighbors, s/he has two bumper stickers on their car. The first says "Got Experience?" -- that was the pro-Hillary, anti-Obama drama. Fair enough. But then the next bumper sticker is Al Franken for Senate. For those not familiar with the MN Senate race, satarist Al Franken has no experience as an elected official. It's hard to take your bumper stickers seriously when they demonstrate a lack of political consistency or the good sense to remove one when that drama has died.

Brand Lessons with The Big K

Rockford, IL, my hometown is the source for some new store testing by K-Mart... or more accurately new testing in old stores. This effort is interestingly detailed in a recent Chicago Tribune article. You may know Rockford as the former screw capital of the world, not because of Ginger Lynn Allen, but because of its status a leading manufacturing town from the 1940s – 1970s. Towards the end of Rockford’s glory days came K-Mart. K-Mart is trying to figure out its brand identity and how to ground it in a meaningful way with constituents. In a similar way, Rockford struggles to attract new business and industries to the once proud city.

I think there are a few interesting take-aways from the article:

1. As mentioned with politics in the previous post, when it comes to brand identity, it’s a position or be positioned proposition. K-Mart had the lead from a timing perspective and Wal-Mart outflanked K-Mart pragmatically on price. Target claimed a social position based on shopping experience. That kind of leaves a righteous position, but it’s hard for any consumer to think blue light and quality together.

2. Test. I think it’s a great idea to test concepts. In this case it’s a low-risk proposition, as Rockford is not a trend-setting, high visibility hot spot. Yes, I know, the greatest power pop band ever came out of Rockford, but that’s not going to help K-Mart. So, K-Mart may want us to want them, we’re not going to surrender to their whims. Ok, back to my point about testing. Try to figure out what might work. Iterate. Rinse, lather, repeat. Progress, not perfection. Then when you’re feeling confident, notify the public. Not the other way around. Especially if you’re trying to re-brand or reposition, don’t lead with the awareness campaign, then try to figure it out. You can do more brand damage if you deliver a bad experience when you’re saying you’re new and improved. The customer is left to believe that you’ve gone from bad to worse.

3. All symbolic, or brand, identities have a shelf life. Perhaps the Big K has run its course. From it’s regional days to the high points in the 70s, K-Mart has clearly gone through consciousness creation (new, unique drama), consciousness raising (growing/expanding the identity among more people), sustain the vision (shielding the committed, staving off new visions like Wal-Mart or Target), decline (your identity loses currency in the market place and your customers seek new visions that meet their needs) and then implosion (the vision dies).

Minnesota's Sesquicentennial

This week the State of Minnesota is celebrating its Sesquicentennial. I think it’s another great example of how we live in a symbolic reality with competing converging and diverging interpretations of symbolic fact. The material facts are pretty simple with this one, the State of Minnesota (as it was charted and brought into the United States) is marking its 150th anniversary. The symbolic facts can generate a little more positive or negative energy depending on your vantage point. Also the symbolic facts are those that are up to the audience member and convey emotion, identity, meaning, and motive for action. As this article by Kara McGuire in the Star Tribune points out, the history and its meaning are quite different for Native Americans than it is for the descendents of European settlers and immigrants. For Native American tribe members, the emotion is much different than that of the proud politician. The motive for action is clearly different as well – rather than music and banners, one might want a somber reminder of the deaths of their forefathers.

In another article/editorial from the same paper, we have another perspective on the celebration – more specifically why the celebration can’t be too loud and that loud noise could break some buildings. Given the bridge collapse last August, the State doesn’t need to remind its citizens of how tax dollars have or have not been spent and how that spending has protected, or not protected us.

So, one basic element, a 150 year anniversary, can be seen as a celebration, a dark reminder, or a potential hazard. There are many more items that come to mind for people who have lived here for generations and for those of us “outsiders” who were born elsewhere. The way these symbolic facts generate emotion and identity can bring constituents together or drive them apart. A skilled communicator can help position the positive elements of the state’s rich history and not have their story derailed by competing interpretations.

Communication 2.0: Symbolic Identity, Interactivity, and Research

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been in an extensive dialogue with some professional colleagues regarding the importance of reputation management (which in many ways is a return to good, solid communication and public relations practices) to provide communication value in a (long-tail media) world of fragmented communication channels.

Our discussions have reinforced my thinking about some of the key areas that are/will be needed by communication professionals in the 21st century. In short, I believe that communication professionals must embrace and master a holistic approach when it comes to integrated communication. There are three areas that comprise this holistic approach - (1) symbolic identity (or brand management), (2) interactive strategies and tactics (continuing to master all media and channels at your disposal), and (3) communication-based research.

Symbolic Identity & Brand
As the number of media channels continue to expand and traditional (and not so traditional) audience groups continue to segment the need for a strong brand and understanding of your symbolic identity is imperative for marketing and communication professionals. Having a cohesive, understood symbolic identity helps you cope with the changing elements of your audience. We, as humans, continue to re-tribalize through our symbol systems – most of which are now delivered electronically. This retribalization makes it nearly impossible for communication practitioners to master, let alone manage, all available channels. Instead, one should understand the symbolic dramas that comprise their brand or identity (see research). In many ways, as Reis has said, it is the rise (or return) of PR, as communication professionals need to manage reputation (and symbol systems) rather than channels. One way to do so is to be honest to your identity – know what it is you are and embrace it – don’t try to be all things to all people, it will help you in the wild, wild west of Web 2.0. It is my belief that most brand damage comes from within – try not shoot yourself in the foot buckeroo.

Interactive Strategies & Tactics
The name of the game, so far this century, is interactive. The Web, Web 2.0, Social Media, etc. continue to be new, or emerging, channels that introduce a new vernacular. We need to continue to use good, sound communication practices and balance that redundancy with the novelty of new channels. The channels enable and restrict the message as well as the potential bandwidth for our symbols. We no longer have the luxury of mastering a few channels and messages – in a world when we generally had similar shared experiences when it came to the places and types of media we consumed. However, we need to understand how the Web, interactive, and mobile is changing the way we negotiate meaning with our publics and the cue-givers. Appointment television is over. Newspaper readership is dying. However, interactive continues to grow and better yet it is measurable (with the caveat that just because you can measure doesn’t mean it’s valuable). With the growth of interactive channels and devices it is important to know how new technology enables and constrains your communication with your audience segments. Strategically, you need to understand and master grounding your symbolic identity in a valuable way with your constituents. Tactically, you need to consider messaging and CRM tactics that leverage an interactive world that is continuing to leave the desktop and mouse behind. Think about the iPhone and gesture technology, texting (and the vernacular or vulgar, depending on your point of view), and search engines influencing web traffic as examples of how new media is changing the communication landscape.

Communication-Based Research
Finally, research. Specifically, communication-based research (qualitative and quantitative), like that in SymbolicID. What’s research have to do with the two items above? Well, a lot frankly. You need to know what symbolic visions or dramas your audiences are participating in. The best way to get there is to use communication-based research. Communication professionals need to understand how to operationalize communication variables and constructs. This is what helps you tell a fact from a not-fact and avoids expensive scavenger hunts with your communication campaigns. You need to know what creates value for your constituents. You need to measure and manage the customer-experience. Beyond traditional marketing and research metrics (which are necessary but not sufficient), you need to be able to understand meaning, motive, identity, and emotion as the construct a symbolic reality for your audience segments. You also need to understand the current value and life cycle standing of your symbolic identity. This understanding impacts your communication strategies and tactics. Remember, all symbolic visions have a life cycle, which includes five stages:
1. Consciousness Creation (bringing a new symbolic identity to life - -think innovation);
2. Consciousness Raising (growing the vision, expanding your audience);
3. Consciousness Sustaining (shielding the committed, inoculating against competing visions);
4. Decline (the vision loses currency in the symbolic marketplace) and; finally,
5. Implosion (the vision dies as there is no symbolic value in the market place).

Research helps you better understand, explain and predict audience behavior. Through a mix of research tools available to us, it becomes easier to conduct research from easy to conduct quantitative surveys and polls, to in-depth qualitative work. While it becomes easier, like our communication practices, you need good, solid research practices to help you separate facts from noisy and expensive non-facts. Communication-based research is the key to "cracking the code" on constituent behavior. Research is sounding pretty valuable right now isn’t it? To what extent can you currently explain and predict your audience behavior?

In summary, the three components of symbolic identity, interactivity, and research helps tie together a unified and valuable approach to communicating with our constituents in the 21st century. A holistic approach, grounded with the previously mentioned touchstones, will prevent a confusing smattering of shotgun tactics that can hurt more than help your brand. Instead the approach enables you to effectively tie together your strategy and tactics in a valuable and meaningful way. Utilizing these elements will prevent you from wasting energy trying to keep up with the Joneses 2.0. Right, everything just sounds more authoritative if you throw a “2.0” on the end. But seriously, you should really focus on the trifecta of symbolic identity, interactivity, and research.

Lying & Symbolic Identity

Hillary misspeaking...er, lying. about what happened in Bosnia 12 years ago may be her Howard Dean scream, the Quayle "potatoe" moment, Dukakis in an ill-fitting helmet riding in a tank, or a George Allen "macaca." One that reminds voters of what they might fear about the candidate and lets that dominate the media. Dean (crazy), Quayle (dumb), Dukakis (weak on military), and Allen (racist) become hard to shake when the candidate themeselves provide the ammo to "ground" a negative idenity. This nearly innoculates them from success as they reinforce a negative dramatic vision of their personae. Maybe Hillary can ask hubby Bubba how one should tell the truth. I did not have sexual relations with... Oh wait, he did.

Remember kids, you want a sane person on the other end of that red phone, not one that thinks she's under attack.



Take aways:
1. Meaning is co-created -- just because you say it doesn't make it so, your audience participates in the construction of a symbolic reality.
2. Today's technology and media cycles make it harder for you to try and recreate your image, especially when you leave behind such easy targets.


Gotta run, I'm under fire...head down, zig zag.

Be Authentic

Greetings. It’s been a while since the last “Notes from the Field” post. No excuses worth posting – just wanted to acknowledge the fact.

Earlier in the month I was at a First Tuesday luncheon at the Carlson School. Lynn Casey, CEO of PSB, was the speaker. In the name of disclosure, I'm also working with some PSB employees on a web redevelopment effort for a client. Lynn spoke about how internet-enabled technology is (re-)defining PR. It was a good talk. I’m paraphrasing here, but the speed of the Internet is further forcing authenticity -- if one is going to ground and maintain a unique symbolic identity, they have to be authentic. The Internet, and consumer generated content, are Toto (the dog, not the band) to the digital image curtain.

A couple of take-aways:
1) Gen Xrs & Echo Boomers are now spending more time on the internet than watching TV. Does your marketing spend and/or understanding of media match this?

2) Be authentic if you want to protect your brand/symbolic ID.

Subway Dissonance

Over the past few weeks, I’ve noticed some strange advertising choices for Subway. Subway over the past few years, primarily through Jared, have worked to differentiate themselves as a healthy alternative to traditional fast food. Beyond the sandwich having less fat (their qualified claim when there’s no cheese, oil, or mayo on your sub) than a Big Mac, Subway is now promoting ways to have a healthier meal – complimenting your sandwich with fruit and milk, rather than chips and soda. This makes sense to me. However, during the same television program I saw two Subway spots. The first one had Jared talking to little leaguers about Subways smart choice meals or fresh fit, or something like that – basically, “hey kids, don’t get fat, eat smart.” Less than twenty minutes later, Subway has another add that promotes a ginormous sandwich – so big they’re not sure how you’ll eat it. One is a steak and cheese sandwich – lots and lots of gooey, fat-laden cheese. This spot seems to say "you've given up on eating health, you’re happier when you’re full – chow down Sumo Sam!” The messaging creates a disconnect, even if the spots are hours apart, but minutes apart creates a fair amount of dissonance. So, I wonder what does Subway stand for? Their positioning doesn’t seem to ring true. Not only was a ball dropped on the creation of competing identities, another one was dropped by those doing the media buys and placement.

Which brand is hurt more?

In a lose-lose that only the fine folks at Wal*Mart can dream up, REO Speedwagon is touring Wal*Mart stores.

Polarize Me

In the latest issue of Fast Company, (subscription required) Dan & Chip Heath, authors of Made to Stick, state “if you want people to like you, first decide who needs to hate you.”

As I’ve pointed out on this blog, you can’t be all things to all people if your brand is going to be meaningful and equitable. You need to be unique (differentiated), you need to ground that identity, and it must be profitable.

The Bros. Heath demonstrate through tea, vodka, and personal ads how one may differentiate or may just be a part of the “hey – I’m here too” group.