Posts Tagged ‘Outdoor Industry’

Choose Two

Aug 17, 2010 | tags: , , , , ,

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Channel Signal loves the article Real Time, Real Discussion, Real Reporting-Choose Two by Tech Crunch. This, of course, is a take-off on the old adage: “Do You Want it Cheap, Fast or Good. Choose Two.” Here’s the article.

Choose Two of These

Author, Devin Coldewey, explains that there is only so much that a certain channel of media can provide. Twitter is real time discussion. Broadcast media is real-time reporting. (NBC, CNN, ABC radio,etc). Print and other delayed media is delayed reporting and discussion. (NY Times, etc.) All media is quickly evolving, but for the moment we believe these premises basically hold true. The author points out that blogs, in this mix, are the wild cards. They can be real reporting, real-time discussion and delayed reporting and discussion.

Here’s a new perspective on the premise of choosing two.

Twitter- Real-time discussion. Blogs-Thoughtful analysis. Facebook-Customer engagement and storytelling. Choose two.

We believe a company should engage in just two. Concentrate on doing one very well, and support it with the second channel. For example, concentrate on Facebook but support it by broadcasting its content through Twitter. Or concentrate on Twitter but provide in-depth commentary of the conversation flow via a Blog. What channels are chosen should be matched with what best reflects your company’s voice.

Here’s the run-down of the three major Channels.

Twitter. The commitment to real-time discussion is time consuming and its demands are relentless. A company must assign a person to Twitter and that person must not only tweet (and make sense) , but retweet great content, and stay up with the conversation. Zappos has done real-time conversation very well by encouraging all employees to tweet. This strategy is revolutionary because many Zappos employees are broadcasting and a part of the brand’s collective voice. This requires that a company let go, something many brands can’t do. I attribute the Zappos success to the CEO, Tony Hsieh, who has provided the freedom for employees to talk, engage and make mistakes…all in real-time.

Employing Facebook means your employees and your customers are engaging in storytelling. This is really a scrapbook about the customers who have stories to tell about their experiences with a brand’s products and events. The brand needs to provide the products and events…and then encourage consumers to tell their stories on its platform. Time intensive again. A brand must respond to customer stories, encourage them, and, at times, reward great storytellers with product. A brand should assign several employees to this task. They speak for the brand, are encouraging, provide content which sponsors reaction, and customer interaction. Vibram does a great job on its FiveFingers FB page. 70,000 friends and growing. Customers who are now barefoot runners go to this FB page because it is a true community. Vibram FiveFingers

Blogs. Thoughtful analysis. Again, time intensive.  They must, at times be controversial, edgy and logical. It takes work, and guts.  Here’s the problem. Many in senior management have accepted the challenge of a blog for the company website only to find that they don’t have the time to devote to it. Or they don’t have the writing talents or thought processes to engage readers. Consequently, many of these blogs have fallen by the wayside. Or the posts degenerate into a pep rally for the brand, which is boring for everyone. A rock climbing blog we like is this one: rockclimbergirl. Sara Lingafelter does a good job of covering the climbing landscape and occasionally takes on tough topics with an honesty that is refreshing.

Why not include YouTube,Vimeo or the other video platforms as channels?  Because they can be easily incorporated into the other three major platforms.

So, choose  two. Real-time discussion. Storytelling by your customers. Thoughtful analysis. Why no more than two? Because most brands engage in all three but invest the human resources to do a good job on just one, with another channel as support.  And one channel normally fits the brand voice the best. Engaging in a second platform will push and pull viewers to the primary communication channel.

Paul Kirwin

Paul Kirwin, Founder and CEO of Channel Signal

Mele Kalikimaka

Dec 25, 2009 | tags: , ,

YouTube Preview ImageA Christmas card and tribute to our Aunt, Haleloke.

Paul Kirwin

Paul Kirwin, Founder and CEO of Channel Signal

Wallenfels Goes to Timbuk2

Nov 6, 2009 | tags: , , , , , , ,

Just got off the phone with old friend Mike Wallenfels, the President/C0-Founder of Mountain Hardwear. Because of Channel Signal I get early access to all sorts of information. Sometimes too early, but not this time.

So…I am working and a Channel Signal analyst sends me a link, I open it and read. Then I smile, and say damn, Wallenfels. I pick up the phone and call his cell.

I start things by saying, ” So, why am I looking at this information on my monitor?”  And he laughs.

Our conversation quickly gets past the “hardest decision I’ve ever made” and “pursue other interests” and we get to the heart of the matter.

# 1 Mike spends about 70% of his time traveling, and he doesn’t want to do that anymore. He really does want to spend more time with his wife and kids.

# 2 Once a CEO builds a company into almost 100 million in revenue, challenges to move that company forward change.

# 3  Columbia didn’t want Mike to leave. This is his decision.

So, now he’s going to Timbuk2, a company a little north of 20 million. Here’s some speculation on my part. A company this size must have a CEO that gets into the dirt with his employees. Product development. Pricing. Retailer visits. Market expansion. All growth issues that challenge a company of this size. It’s also a company that focuses on outdoor and bike…in the pack business. So, it seems to me that Mike is matching up with his passions.

And now to Columbia. Another old friend, Kirk Richardson, will be the Interim President for Hardwear. Tim Boyle is very lucky to have someone with Kirk’s skill set to step in and take over. He was a long time leader at Nike, then to Keen, and then to Columbia.

And Kirk is the kind of guy that will walk into the CEO role and make the transition seamlessly. And that needs to happen because Hardwear is a very well run company with solid people and product.

So, Mountain Hardwear is under good leadership.

And Timbuk2 is too. (Sorry couldn’t resist that.)

Good luck to both companies and their new leaders.

Paul Kirwin

Paul Kirwin, Founder and CEO of Channel Signal

When Lawyers Should Leave the Room

Oct 22, 2009 | tags: , , , , ,

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Recently several companies have found themselves defending their logos and company names from this new creature called “the new media entrepreneur.” Logos are being bastardized and product knocked-off…all with the purpose of making people laugh, and then buy from these small start-ups.

Back in the day, big companies would bring in their crack legal team, and those guys would write a very nasty letter threatening legal action at the least, and  possibly “pain of death” if the action by the perpetrator continued.  My brother started a company called Bean Reef. Small tee-shirt company. Well, you guessed it. He got a “hang em high” letter from no other than L.L. Bean threatening legal action if he didn’t change the name. Now what L.L. Bean has to do with  a surf break off the coast of Puerto Rico…I’ll never know.

Things have changed. A couple of weeks ago, a large company directed its legal team to write a cease and desist letter, and the young guy  starting the company hired a lawyer, and went to the media and said “bring it.”  Fox News picked it up. So did new media. And the ball started rolling the wrong way for the  big brand.

Collateral damage in new media will hurt a company, even a large one, if they pick the wrong battle. Small companies who capture the fancy of the public by making products or creating marketing campaigns poking fun at a large brand  must be handled carefully. Otherwise, damage in the form of negative new media could end up in the millions of dollars.

With all due respect, lawyers are not trained to handle many new media problems. Marketing, public relations, and sales people are much better equipped to engage a small company in conversation. Perhaps there is a possible partnership. Perhaps this new entrepreneur could help bring the younger market to the larger brand.

But before the legal guns come out, companies should try a little conversation to learn the real extent of the problem. And work to find a mutual solution.

And it wouldn’t kill a brand to sometimes laugh at a funny new start-up, and do it publicly.

And this comes back to a bigger challenge for many large brands in new media, showing their humanity.

Paul Kirwin

Paul Kirwin, Founder and CEO of Channel Signal

Inside the Chatterbox

Oct 2, 2009 | tags: , , , , ,

Just got back from San Diego and the annual conference of the outdoor leadership known as the Rendezvous. I was asked to speak on new media and so I built a session called Inside the Chatterbox. New media lawyer Andrea Anderson of Holland and Hart was my partner in the presentation. David Sweeney and Brad Werntz of Pemba Serves also were part of the program; David as an analyst and Brad presenting PembaServes’s new media strategy. Pemba is a rep group. Mike Wallenfels, president of Mountain Hardwear, also added valuable comments to our Hardwear section of the seminar.

Special shout-out to Darren Bush of Rutabaga, who introduced our event to the audience. He and the Pemba boys built a video to introduce me. Very funny and creative…it got the event off to a great start.

The audience was attentive and asked great questions throughout. Used Channel Signal as the monitoring and measuring tool for all of the case studies. The audience was impressed with the power and clarity of Channel Signal. We couldn’t have done the presentation without it.

I thank everyone; the sponsors, the Outdoor Industry Association, my partners and the audience for the seminar and the event. A real testimony to the men and women who work in this industry. We do not cut and run when it gets tough. We keep working at the problems. Good for us.

I also attended a gathering of new media folks in the outdoor industry before the Rendezvous. Informal, it was a great session where thinkers outside of the typical Outdoor Box expressed themselves about how new media could drive the industry forward. This group wants more of the passion to come back to the core group. They also admit that we need to reach out to more communities and groups to introduce them to the outdoors…but in a very organic way. Just like we were all introduced to it.

How? That is the question. New media is a central part of the answer. However, we do need to wrap it into our core personality and deliver. This is a problem that every vertical market faces. We are very fortunate to have smart passionate people who care more about the industry and the outdoor experience then the money.

That’s enough for now. I have so many thoughts in my head from these two events that I’m gonna walk away for a day or two. My sub-conscious will help to work through the terrific challenges coming up.

Paul Kirwin

Paul Kirwin, Founder and CEO of Channel Signal

Why Storytelling Matters in New Media

Mar 11, 2009 | tags: , , , , , , , ,

Strong storylines have been the backbone of the great religions, kingdoms, and peoples throughout history. They were the glue to unity, cooperation, and belief. The Power of Myth by Joseph Campbell maps out a compelling case for this. 

As we entered the industrial age, brands also became big players in society. Some brands have adhered to a strong storyline and have prevailed.  Others have had no storyline, and consequently have been whip-sawed by every turn of event in the road.

Here’s why strong brand storylines are important as we enter into the New Media era. 

1. An authentic brand story leads to a credibility that resonates with consumers both

 online and offline. 

2. The brand story puts a human face on your company, which allows many others to associate.

3. A well told story is viral. It travels nicely through all channels of New Media. 

4. The story is the critical starting point for all great communication initiatives.

5. A solid story is timeless, and therefore cost-effective. 

6. A brand story demands continuity no matter the management team. 

7. A brand story sponsors loyalty which means many will defend when under attack.  

 

Develop your brand story. It will pay huge dividends as we move into the future.

Paul Kirwin

Paul Kirwin, Founder and CEO of Channel Signal

Barack and his Blackberry

Jan 13, 2009 | tags: , , , ,


 

Recently the news has been full of references to the new president-elect fighting to keep his Blackberry. Apparently Mr. Obama likes the instant unfiltered communications he gets from his family, team members, trusted friends, and consultants. This worked particularly well for him during the campaign. He’d be in Boston and could receive an immediate update about how things are going in California, or about a problem in Florida. He was in the loop…in fact, the center of the loop. 

He’s a new media guy and likes the instant communication. It keeps him grounded.  Now the secret service is telling him that because of security reasons it’s back to the bat phone. He is now forced to  operate in a cocoon where all of the information is filtered and often biased. This new president wants information from all angles, unlike his predecessor who liked one page briefs from the inner circle. 

If I was the CEO of RIM, the maker of the Blackberry, I would get a message to the White House and tell them I am willing to send my top team of technicians and work with the secret service to make every message from Obama’s Blackberry secure. How? Don’t know, but I bet there’s a way. 

The bat phone mentality will only frustrate this new president. He won because he was connected, totally, with his team, and his team with the American people. For him to effectively lead, he can not be cut off from the strum and drang of America. He thrives on it. So do many of us, and that’s why New Media needs to be worked into the presidency. It will be good for democracy.

Paul Kirwin

Paul Kirwin, Founder and CEO of Channel Signal

With or Without Your Company

Jan 6, 2009 | tags: , , , ,

Let’s say a company has 200 employees. And the company itself has no New Media strategy or presence. Well, that company has a presence by default because it is likely that at least 40% of those employees are on Facebook, My Space, Twitter, posting on Blogs, have their own Blogs, etc. And what do they talk about? Themselves, which means they talk about work at least some of the time. They carry a message into the marketplace about the company, for good or bad.  

What is the best approach for engaging online? Decentralized where employees carry the New Media load or centralized where the company carries the load with a strategy and an execution plan.  

1. Decentralized: 

        a. Employees are personally engaging online and, at times,  represent the company. If all employees are loyal well-trained ambassadors of the company this can be good. A lot of voices saying generally, the same thing. 

        b. And it can be bad. An employee with an ax to grind about compensation, vacation policy, or management can create a problem, especially if it gets picked up by others and becomes viral. 

       c. There is no way to measure this kind of unsupervised activity, no metrics for the company. 

       d. The brand called Me. Employees are not employees when online for personal reasons. They are ever mindful of branding themselves for a variety of reasons, one  is furthering a career. Nothing wrong with it. Just don’t expect the company to compete with that. 

2. Centralized:

        a. A company has a strategy in place, an engame for New Media conversations.

        b. An employee or department is responsible for the company’s New Media Presence. H/she has the power to engage other departments and solicit help with responses.

        b. Metrics are assigned in the pursuit of a meaningful ROI for the effort.  

        d. Employees who have their own online presence know the general strategy of the company and are mindful to perpetuate it when addressing work or the company.

        e. The branding, product, and service conversations are all real-time feedback for the company. 

3. A Mix of Decentralized and Centralized

       a. This is probably what is happening with many companies who have embraced new media. 

       b. The companies have a strategy, execute the strategy, assign responsibility, engage in the collective conversation, and measure. 

       c. Most all departments are touched by New Media, so many of the employees are tuned into the company strategy, have engaged as a company rep, and now take it personally when a blogger’s sentiment is negative about the company. “Hey, that’s my department he’s talkin’ about!”

It’s not hard to figure out that I’m on the side of a centralized approach to New Media. When the company engages, employees engage. Often, on their own time and in their own voice… to the benefit of the company. Can’t get much better than that.

Paul Kirwin

Paul Kirwin, Founder and CEO of Channel Signal

Completing the Loop

Dec 25, 2008 | tags: , , , , , ,

TNF and REI have just come out with iPhone applications that provide great information about ski and snowboard conditions at various resorts. Good idea. Both brands can benefit from providing a service and driving traffic to their branded apps.  You can learn the weather report, get snow depths, get directions, and view trail maps, all on your iPhone while driving to the lifts. 

 

And here is my problem: neither app completes the loop. Shouldn’t these apps help the consumer find where to buy products from these companies? Shouldn’t it be easy to do that? After all, aren’t both companies in the business of selling stuff, good stuff, to consumers? And shouldn’t this app help do that?

Why aren’t store locations on the resort main pages of the apps?  In order to find a store at a resort, you have to go onto their web sites, find the dealer locator, and plug in your location. A lot of steps.  

Let’s say I’m traveling to Breckenridge.  So I connect in with the app and get the resort information. High of 10 degrees F today. Now, what I really want is a pair of gloves because mine are too light for stinging cold. Hey! Right here on the main page is a nearby REI store where I can pick up gloves. Cool. Now, REI just supplied great information AND sold something to a willing customer. The loop is complete. 

Sorry to disagree with many in the New Media universe, but if New Media can’t connect back into selling stuff, then it will die. REI and TNF are not media companies who publish content and then profit from the advertising. They make money by selling stuff. So when they publish they must build a road back to selling stuff…or they are losing time, money and market share.  

Great idea on the app. Now REI and TNF…place your store locations or dealers on the resort main pages. And after that track who is using the apps, where they are riding, and start promoting the service and the stores in the target markets.

Paul Kirwin

Paul Kirwin, Founder and CEO of Channel Signal

The New Consumer and the Outdoor Industry

Dec 15, 2008 | tags: , , ,

Just read a great piece of research called Grounding the American Dream. Put together by Context Based Research Group and Carton Donofrio Partners, Inc.,  it makes some strong points that outdoor recreational businesses ought to examine.  Here’s a short entertaining video on the Grounded Consumer.

 

   

 

Here’s my take. 

1. “What you buy is not who you are.” Consumers are now realizing that purchases don’t reflect personal identity. So, purchasing is going through a tougher filter.

2. “Living on credit sucks.” Consumers don’t want that monkey on their back anymore. Enough and be gone.

3. ” Me is okay, we is better.” Consumers are beginning to balance what is good for them with what is good for others in their lives…family, friends, and social issues. 

4. “Too much stuff.” The late George Carlin had a great bit about “stuff”. Everybody needs places to put stuff. Well, consumers are realizing they have too much stuff. It costs money and much of sits idle.

5. “I want to change, but keep the stuff that is important.”  All of the above points lead to consumers making major decisions about lifestyle, personal identity, and social causes. 

What does this mean for the outdoor industry? Some good things, I think. People will take their recreational pursuits seriously. And they will continue to purchase outdoor recreational stuff because that part of their identities will stay in tact. They like that about themselves. 

In fact, Snowsports Industry of America is reporting that sales figures are up over last season: 6% for integrated ski systems and 8% for winter apparel. And the Outdoor Industry Association reports that October core store sales grew by 8% over October of 2007.

New media is helping here. Thousands and thousands of consumer reviews are being read every day by thousands other consumers. This viral link is driving consumers into brick and mortar or online and giving them the confidence that the product is a good buy, and well worth it. 

Another good thing. Our industry has over designed and over-enginnered the crap out of our hard and softgoods for so long that we don’t know any other way. We have two different technologies in our socks! So…our stuff is good stuff and it lasts a long time. 

Now, we need to go sell that through the new media channels. Why? Because that’s where many of these new consumers will interact about an important part of their revamped lifestyles.

Paul Kirwin

Paul Kirwin, Founder and CEO of Channel Signal