17 July 2006
Biz Blogs & The Consumer Generated Media Conundrum
Interesting article on business blogging & CGM via LOHAD.
16 July 2006
Primal Branding: Response & Reaction Part II
IntroductionLast week I began my discussion to Hanlon’s Primal Branding. While I see the book helping move marketers in the right direction (that being a better understanding of the phenomena at play in audience groups and segments), it’s incomplete. Like Lewis Carbone’s Clued In, it’s as if they’re dealing with a ship in the bottle. They have most of the parts in there, but lack the tools to pull it all together to provide a rich explanation for human action as it relates to brand building.
I believe that Symbolic Convergence Theory (SCT) has all of the parts and the tools needed to help make the abstract more concrete and actionable; as it has rich explanatory power that addresses the meaning, emotion, identity, and motives associated in a group’s (tribes, organizations, communities, etc) symbolic identity. Primal Branding claims that brands are a belief system that contains seven parts (creation story, creed, icon, ritual, sacred words, non-believers, and leader). These components are necessary but not sufficient when it comes to building a good brand and they do not capture the predictive utility of a good theory. Just because you have the ingredients, doesn’t mean you know how to make a recipe come to life, let alone tasty.
As Kurt Lewin said, there’s nothing more useful than a good theory. Simply put, a theory parsimoniously helps us understand, explain and predict phenomena. While some may scoff at theory saying “that’s fine in theory, but not in the real world.” Well, then you didn’t have a good theory. I’d be happy to discuss in another format, but for the sake of this series of posts, a “good” theory is incredibly useful when were trying to better understand the meaning, motive, identity, and emotion associated with group (audience segment) behavior.
So, let’s talk about SCT, by looking at its technical terms to start to understand its utility in understanding group behavior. Symbolic Convergence TheorySCT explains the what, the why and the how of group identity and behavior in a symbolic reality. SCT was developed/articulated over 30 years ago at the University of Minnesota. I’ve had the good fortune to study under, research with, and work for John Cragan, who along with Don Shields, is one of the world’s experts on SCT. Cragan has used SCT to guide much of his academic research, publications and a powerful consulting practice. I’ve built Sanctioning Agent as a consultancy dedicated to helping organizations understand the meaning, motive, identity and emotions at play as groups participate in a symbolic reality.
A good start for understanding SCT is by examining some of its technical terms and providing and some examples for each term.
SCT Technical Terms
Rhetorical Vision - The Rhetorical Vision is a composite dramas that catches up large groups of people in common symbolic reality. This vision contain fantasy themes that depict villains and heroes in action. The Rhetorical Vision represent symbolic facts that help groups that help participants make sense out of potential confusing events.
Exemplar: Citizens of a country, members of a religion, participants in political party or movement.
Saga – the oft told, or repeated stories, that describe achievments and events in the life of a person, community, or organization.
Exemplar: King Arthur, Jesus, The ’85 Bears, Abraham Lincoln, Jack Welch
Fantasy Theme - A dramatizing message that triggers the shared "fantasy" of those participating in a rhetorical vision. Fantasy Themes are manifested in the form of word, phrase or statement which interprets past events and envisions future events; and are used in consciousness creating, raising, sustaining; and are used to "kill" old or competing visions.
Exemplar: A scandal that uses “gate” to dramatize and recall Watergate; Neo/another.
Fantasy Type – a stock scenario used to explain new events and may be more specific than dramatic.
Exemplar: Restoration; fulfilling a promise; fetching good from evil
Symbolic Cue - The short-hand version of the fantasy theme; such as a code word, phase, slogan, sound bite, gesture or symbol. Parts of entire dramas and symbolic identities can be reduced a single cue that can trigger meaning, motive, identity, or emotion. – positively or negatively.
Exemplar: "X" (Malcolm X); the peace sign; a handshake; a bumper sticker.
Dramatic Personae – the characters in the vision; heroes, villains and supporting cast in the drama. Helps identify who’s in and who’s out.
Exemplar: Slackers, Sweathogs, Flash Mobbers, Dead Heads, FIBS, students
Scene – symbolic location of the dramatic action, where the action takes place.
Exemplar: the wild west, cyberspace, the hearts and minds; land of opportunity, the new frontier.
Rhetorical Community – groups of individuals who possess some symbolic commonality, or share some symbolic ground.
Exemplar: organized religion, members of a political party, students, union members
Sanctioning Agent - The individual, person, concept or thing that legitimizes the symbolic reality. Also the name of my consulting practice.
Exemplar: a religion or myth’s god, the constitution, an expert.
Value of SCT
By understanding SCT, its terms, and analysis via fantasy themes, communication and brand practioners can better understand how to understand, explain, and predicate actions, behaviors, meaning and emotion of its audience segments. As noted, “Primal Branding” and “Clued In” provide a description of the necessary components of a drama, they fail to have a predictive component of what will positively or negatively resonate with desired audience segments and the extent that there’s a shared group conciseness to those desired segments.
Next
The next post will:
1. Look at the lifecycle/shelf-life of a rhetorical vision or drama. Whether it’s a Warholian fifteen minutes or a millennia, all visions are created, raised, sustained, fall, and die. Understanding your brand’s lifecycle position is critical to creating meaningful campaigns.
2. Address the master analogs (position/segments) that compete for explanation within a community.
I believe that Symbolic Convergence Theory (SCT) has all of the parts and the tools needed to help make the abstract more concrete and actionable; as it has rich explanatory power that addresses the meaning, emotion, identity, and motives associated in a group’s (tribes, organizations, communities, etc) symbolic identity. Primal Branding claims that brands are a belief system that contains seven parts (creation story, creed, icon, ritual, sacred words, non-believers, and leader). These components are necessary but not sufficient when it comes to building a good brand and they do not capture the predictive utility of a good theory. Just because you have the ingredients, doesn’t mean you know how to make a recipe come to life, let alone tasty.
As Kurt Lewin said, there’s nothing more useful than a good theory. Simply put, a theory parsimoniously helps us understand, explain and predict phenomena. While some may scoff at theory saying “that’s fine in theory, but not in the real world.” Well, then you didn’t have a good theory. I’d be happy to discuss in another format, but for the sake of this series of posts, a “good” theory is incredibly useful when were trying to better understand the meaning, motive, identity, and emotion associated with group (audience segment) behavior.
So, let’s talk about SCT, by looking at its technical terms to start to understand its utility in understanding group behavior. Symbolic Convergence TheorySCT explains the what, the why and the how of group identity and behavior in a symbolic reality. SCT was developed/articulated over 30 years ago at the University of Minnesota. I’ve had the good fortune to study under, research with, and work for John Cragan, who along with Don Shields, is one of the world’s experts on SCT. Cragan has used SCT to guide much of his academic research, publications and a powerful consulting practice. I’ve built Sanctioning Agent as a consultancy dedicated to helping organizations understand the meaning, motive, identity and emotions at play as groups participate in a symbolic reality.
A good start for understanding SCT is by examining some of its technical terms and providing and some examples for each term.
SCT Technical Terms
Rhetorical Vision - The Rhetorical Vision is a composite dramas that catches up large groups of people in common symbolic reality. This vision contain fantasy themes that depict villains and heroes in action. The Rhetorical Vision represent symbolic facts that help groups that help participants make sense out of potential confusing events.
Exemplar: Citizens of a country, members of a religion, participants in political party or movement.
Saga – the oft told, or repeated stories, that describe achievments and events in the life of a person, community, or organization.
Exemplar: King Arthur, Jesus, The ’85 Bears, Abraham Lincoln, Jack Welch
Fantasy Theme - A dramatizing message that triggers the shared "fantasy" of those participating in a rhetorical vision. Fantasy Themes are manifested in the form of word, phrase or statement which interprets past events and envisions future events; and are used in consciousness creating, raising, sustaining; and are used to "kill" old or competing visions.
Exemplar: A scandal that uses “gate” to dramatize and recall Watergate; Neo/another.
Fantasy Type – a stock scenario used to explain new events and may be more specific than dramatic.
Exemplar: Restoration; fulfilling a promise; fetching good from evil
Symbolic Cue - The short-hand version of the fantasy theme; such as a code word, phase, slogan, sound bite, gesture or symbol. Parts of entire dramas and symbolic identities can be reduced a single cue that can trigger meaning, motive, identity, or emotion. – positively or negatively.
Exemplar: "X" (Malcolm X); the peace sign; a handshake; a bumper sticker.
Dramatic Personae – the characters in the vision; heroes, villains and supporting cast in the drama. Helps identify who’s in and who’s out.
Exemplar: Slackers, Sweathogs, Flash Mobbers, Dead Heads, FIBS, students
Scene – symbolic location of the dramatic action, where the action takes place.
Exemplar: the wild west, cyberspace, the hearts and minds; land of opportunity, the new frontier.
Rhetorical Community – groups of individuals who possess some symbolic commonality, or share some symbolic ground.
Exemplar: organized religion, members of a political party, students, union members
Sanctioning Agent - The individual, person, concept or thing that legitimizes the symbolic reality. Also the name of my consulting practice.
Exemplar: a religion or myth’s god, the constitution, an expert.
Value of SCT
By understanding SCT, its terms, and analysis via fantasy themes, communication and brand practioners can better understand how to understand, explain, and predicate actions, behaviors, meaning and emotion of its audience segments. As noted, “Primal Branding” and “Clued In” provide a description of the necessary components of a drama, they fail to have a predictive component of what will positively or negatively resonate with desired audience segments and the extent that there’s a shared group conciseness to those desired segments.
Next
The next post will:
1. Look at the lifecycle/shelf-life of a rhetorical vision or drama. Whether it’s a Warholian fifteen minutes or a millennia, all visions are created, raised, sustained, fall, and die. Understanding your brand’s lifecycle position is critical to creating meaningful campaigns.
2. Address the master analogs (position/segments) that compete for explanation within a community.
07 July 2006
Primal Branding: Response & Reaction Part 1
A friend of mine recently recommended Patrick Hanlon's "Primal Branding." Overall, I find the book to be an easy read and appreciate Hanlon's ability to help marketing people move beyond the rote practices of awareness generation to a better understanding of how humans create communities around brand (or symbolic reality). However, I still find the explanations incomplete. I believe that the work done on Symbolic Convergence Theory is a more thorough and parsimonious explanation of human behavior. For many in marketing, it was an important evolutional step to understand the emotional connection that people have with brands - we do things for reasons the rational mind can't explain or understand on an empirical level. I believe Hanlon moves the dialog further in a more intelligent direction with "Primal Branding" yet I feel that if fails to explicitly account for the four major components any person, group or communities' connection to a "brand" (belief system, symbolic entity, etc). The four components are (1) meaning, (2) motive, (3) emotion, and (4) identity. SCT helps us continue to evolve our thinking around communities and symbolic identity.
These help get us on the road, but don't quite get us to the destination. Over the next week, I will post the similarities between Primal Brand and SCT (along with Sanctioning Agent's SymbolicID process and other big ideas in communication theory and practice) and ways that SCT can help you better understand the meaning, motives, emotions and identities associated with brands, symbolic realities, and communities. Topics to be covered include:
- Compare the technical terms or constructs between Primal Branding & SCT*
- Look at the shelf life/life cycle of symbolic realities
- Address the master analogues that compete for explanation in a symbolically created reality.
* Note: The technical terms of SCT (and Bormann's dramatism theory) have appeared in hundreds of articles from the 1970s to present day.
30 June 2006
What if I don't want to turn into a chicken?
McDonald's latest commercial campaign has me a bit perplexed. It's the one with the man, a loner, who loves his chicken sandwiches so much he starts turning into a chicken. The defensive ad person may say "hey it's memorable and you're talking about it." True, but that doesn't translate into sales or excite desire for the object. When I see a chicken-man freak eating a chicken sandwich, I'm less inclined to stop in and get some of that cock-a-doodle.
Avian flu, I'm lovin' it.
Avian flu, I'm lovin' it.
13 June 2006
No More Sissy Soap
Marketing for MEN great idea!!!! Seriously, very original. You should be proud of yourselves in a very manly way. Who bought off on the Dial for Men campaign? You know Dial, that sissy soap that killed germs. Well, turns out that it must of been mothering and smothering those germs, because men need to take back the bathroom. Please, what hacks write this tripe and what boneheads buy off on this junk?
Better clean up with some manly-man soap before you go to Friday's for their meat platter (BEEF!! PORK!!! RIBS!!!). I hope to God they don't have my tractor pull event presented on one of those new Sony TVs that are for men AND women.
I fear that the writers of beer commercials have breeched security and are now taking a faux homme campaign to new fronts. I need my commodity chain restaurants manly and my soap manlier. That can be a man-law, right?
Seriously, I can understand a new product campaign/brand extension based on gender when the brand had previously been known as being for one gender. Especially, higher-end cosmetic companies introducing skincare products for men. But Dial soap? Ugh! If you're that much of a man, you'd use Lava. Then take some Flomax, so your homo-erotic fishing trips aren't interrupted by frequent trips to the bathroom.
Better clean up with some manly-man soap before you go to Friday's for their meat platter (BEEF!! PORK!!! RIBS!!!). I hope to God they don't have my tractor pull event presented on one of those new Sony TVs that are for men AND women.
I fear that the writers of beer commercials have breeched security and are now taking a faux homme campaign to new fronts. I need my commodity chain restaurants manly and my soap manlier. That can be a man-law, right?
Seriously, I can understand a new product campaign/brand extension based on gender when the brand had previously been known as being for one gender. Especially, higher-end cosmetic companies introducing skincare products for men. But Dial soap? Ugh! If you're that much of a man, you'd use Lava. Then take some Flomax, so your homo-erotic fishing trips aren't interrupted by frequent trips to the bathroom.
Baby Related Fear Appeals
As a new father, one of the marketing/branding/advertising themes that I'm noticing is the use of fear appeals. Basic formaul of the appeal - create dissonance, provide solution (which involves purchasing your product or service) for the dissonance.
Some are as simple as you want to be a good parent, without our product you're not. Other's are a bit more extreme, implying retardation or death if you don't use their product.
I suppose it's easier to cultivate fear than it is to create and ground a winning, unique identity when you're trying to separate new parents from their wallets -- in the name of their babies. You're not against babies, are you?
Some are as simple as you want to be a good parent, without our product you're not. Other's are a bit more extreme, implying retardation or death if you don't use their product.
I suppose it's easier to cultivate fear than it is to create and ground a winning, unique identity when you're trying to separate new parents from their wallets -- in the name of their babies. You're not against babies, are you?
05 June 2006
Agent Fiona Mae
The newest member of the Sanctioning Agent team joined the agency on May 31. We're excited and expect big things from her.
Here are some key stats:
Weight: 7 lbs, 15 oz
Length: 22"
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Black
08 May 2006
Babies & Brands
As my wife and I prepare for the birth of our first child (expected later this month), I find myself making product decisions and forming opinions where none had existed only months ago (much like our wedding).
Preparing for baby, made me think of a piece of flawed logic in an otherwise decent book about consumer behavior. Lou Carbone makes an illogical comparison in Clued In. He compares the brand equity and ad spends between Starbucks and Huggies. It’s a comparison of caffeinated apples and disposable oranges. One product is addictive and the other is not used by the purchaser. Diapers are purchased by people who don’t use the product and had no idea that they would need to make the purchase months earlier.
I find myself engaging in righteous, social, and pragmatic evaluations of potential products and services for the home. In this case, diapers:
Righteous – nothing’s too good for our future daughter, as my wife and I bring multiple consumer guides to baby stores.
Social – asking my friends what diapers they’re using and why. Turns out that Pampers has less blow-outs than Huggies. It sounds like we’re going to be Pampers house.
Pragmatic – what’s the cheapest way to get Pampers? Costco, here we come.
The above assumes the pragmatic argument of disposables beats out the righteous eco-argument of cloth diapers.
Preparing for baby, made me think of a piece of flawed logic in an otherwise decent book about consumer behavior. Lou Carbone makes an illogical comparison in Clued In. He compares the brand equity and ad spends between Starbucks and Huggies. It’s a comparison of caffeinated apples and disposable oranges. One product is addictive and the other is not used by the purchaser. Diapers are purchased by people who don’t use the product and had no idea that they would need to make the purchase months earlier.
I find myself engaging in righteous, social, and pragmatic evaluations of potential products and services for the home. In this case, diapers:
Righteous – nothing’s too good for our future daughter, as my wife and I bring multiple consumer guides to baby stores.
Social – asking my friends what diapers they’re using and why. Turns out that Pampers has less blow-outs than Huggies. It sounds like we’re going to be Pampers house.
Pragmatic – what’s the cheapest way to get Pampers? Costco, here we come.
The above assumes the pragmatic argument of disposables beats out the righteous eco-argument of cloth diapers.
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