Insights

Connecting Your Brand to Your Customers the Whyte & Mackay Way

In social media, we often talk about the need to connect to our customers more. Yes, we speak about that outside social media too, but the medium allows us the opportunity to do this better and on a larger scale.

However, saying something and actually doing it are two very different things. It’s all well and good saying, “Let’s connect!”, but implementing isn’t always easy.

Except, it can be.

Every business is a customer – if you’re not thinking like that, you’re already behind. We’re not just providers – we’re recipients of knowledge. The feedback our customers give us should be viewed higher than any financial transaction they give, because that helps us improve, and grow, and understand how we connect better.

Whyte & Mackay understand this. Instead of just buying blanket ads and dead space to fill, they speak of what their customer loves – the experience of being a whisky drinker.

They talk of the smell; the warmth; the delivery. Their words help the customer experience their product to the fullest, and when you enjoy something the way it’s meant to be enjoyed, you want to experience that feeling again. And again. And again.

This video by Whyte & Mackay Master Blender Richard Paterson is the perfect example of how to sell your product while truly connecting with your customer.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zjrkd_RZFFY[/youtube]

It’s fun; informative; no buzz words; and takes pot shots at some industry practices while educating on the reasons why they’re wrong.

Now, while not every brand can deliver a video in this way, it’s a great primer on what works – being yourself and being your customer.

Works for me. You?

Hat-tip Phil Baumann for sending me the video.

The Richard Paterson Experience – Tasting 1868 Dalmore (scotchhobbyist.com)
Whyte and Mackay – The Sample Room (scotchhobbyist.com)
How to Beat the Clutter and Your Competition (inklingmedia.net)

Sunday Shorts – Facebook Edition

It’s been quite the couple of weeks for Facebook – from the long-awaited launch of its IPO offering, to chief egg Mark Zuckerberg getting hitched, and the announcement of its own photo app just weeks after buying Instagram.

Here’s a short recap of what’s going on in Facebook’s world.

Was the IPO Really All That Bad?

By now, everyone and their mother will know that Facebook launched itself onto the publicly traded stage with a lot of fanfare and then promptly fizzled out. Shares in the social giant topped at around $42 (after coming out at $38) and are currently sitting around the $28 mark – losing a third of its value since the launch.

So a complete disaster, right? Maybe not a complete one. The IPO market when Facebook launched was a shaky one – Dealogic said six IPO’s were stopped before going public around the time of Facebook’s offering because of market conditions.

Additionally, last year there were only 80 IPO’s in the U.S.,which is a third of the number between 2004-2006.

Given that one in 10 IPO’s normally trade at least 20% below their offering price, and there’s still probably life left to reinvigorate Facebook yet before we call it a complete failure.

Counters and the Truth About The GM Pull Out

Part of Facebook’s shaky entrance into the public stock exchange was believed to have been the after-effect of the announcement that General Motors had pulled their Facebook ad campaigns to the tune of $10 million.

GM’s official take was that “the ads on Facebook have little impact on consumers’ car purchases.” The reactions were quick, with many pointing out the flaws in the ad model at Facebook for brands.

But how much of GM’s statement was a bigger issue for brands, and how much of it was down to GM’s failings themselves?

For example, while $10 million isn’t chump change by any standards, it pales in comparison to GM’s overall ad budget globally, which stands at $1.8 billion.

Then take a look at their big rival Ford, who wasted no time in piling on the agony for GM by saying their ads work just fine – because they have a strategy. Ouch.

The most interesting part, though, is Facebook’s take on the matter. They claim that GM wanted full page advertising, as opposed to the more subtle Sponsored Stories approach that brands and advertisers currently use. Facebook said no, citing user experience as more important than GM’s budget.

If this turns out to be true, it’s a major win for Facebook in the eyes of their users, and a warning to brands that old school advertising isn’t welcome on their platform. Works for me.

Money Well Spent?

Short recap. Facebook buys photo app Instagram for $1 billion. Cue gnashing of teeth from Instagram users about the platform being ruined, and assurances from Facebook the app will be left alone. Looks like Facebook was right.

Shortly after the purchase of Instagram, Facebook announces its very own photo app, called Facebook Camera, whose features make it sound an awful lot like Instagram. So why bother purchasing them in the first place?

Simple – kill the competition and buy your way into the mobile market fast. Facebook’s mobile experience so far has been crap, to say the least, on all platforms. Their official Facebook app sucks, and many of the core features aren’t usable on third-party apps.

By buying Instagram, they take over one of the best way to share photographs on Facebook and combat Google’s easy upload feature to Google+ via that platform’s superior app.

Then, by announcing Facebook Camera, they now have a bona-fide app that will make the mobile experience on Facebook (and not just image sharing) a lot smoother than it currently is. Everybody wins – Instagram users keep their beloved app and Facebook users who don’t have Instagram get their own version.

So, quite the few weeks for Facebook, and this is bound to be just the start. Who says all the interesting stuff is happening over at Google+?

Game on.

Facebook Might Make 2 More Acquisitions (newser.com)
Facebook launches ‘Instagram rival’ camera app (telegraph.co.uk)
FACEBOOK FALLOUT: These Companies Just Got Downgraded (FBZNGA) (businessinsider.com)

Why Excellence Starts From the CEO Down – Or Should

When something isn’t right at a business, usually you tend to find that the person viewed as responsible takes the fall.

So, for example, a marketing campaign that fails could be tied back to the agency, or Marketing Director, or team lead. Similarly, a new employee appointment that turns sour can be traced back to HR, or the manager that interviewed the candidate for the position.

Yet, while there’s definitely accountability to be taken by those directly in the front line, there’s (increasingly) also the option of some accountability and involvement going back to the top, at CEO level.

Pipe dream? Maybe. Unrealistic? Maybe. But it can be (and is) done on a growing basis. And when the CEO takes an active role, everyone benefits.

The Ford Example

My friend Marc Girolimetti will always be happy to tell his Ford experience if you ask him and, given the story, rightly so.

Marc was in the market for a new car, and as a staunch Audi supporter until then, was looking to release from the German manufacturer again. Unfortunately, the local dealer wasn’t great, to say the least. So Marc looked around.

He noticed Scott Monty talking about “the new Ford” a lot on Twitter, and decided to check out their cars for himself. Again, though, he had a less than stellar experience at two local Ford dealers.

So, for fun, he tweeted Scott and advised he was in the market for a new Ford and asked him to get Alan Mulally (the Ford CEO) to call him to discuss. And guess what? Call him he did. That’s led to a great relationship and loyalty between Marc and Ford, and probably over $250k in sales from Marc’s referrals.

It’s Not Easy, But It Can Be Done

Now, I’m a realist. I know CEO’s are busy people, and they hire smart folks like Scott to do the work that they can’t do themselves, due to time constraints and other business needs.

But knowing exactly what your customers are thinking, and acting on it, doesn’t (shouldn’t) need to be left to the front line folks all the time.

Sure, they’re the guys that can often dictate a business’s success from their reactions and actions. But they can only do so much.

Often, the real change comes from the very top, or at least the power to make the change real. And, as Ford’s experience shows, having an active CEO immediately adds another bow to your business arrow – especially in the social media-led world we live in, and the public image that can be both created and destroyed in a heartbeat.

Something to keep in mind the next time your customer reaches out to you.