Posts Tagged ‘Outdoor Recreational Industry’

Real-time Means Less Time

Jan 4, 2010 | tags: , , , , , ,

Cheetah

In 2010 the whole world will be talking. Discussing everything on many different platforms. And now that new media has shifted to real- time the speed of those discussions accelerate…greatly.

In the middle of December Google announced that real time results will be displayed from Twitter, Facebook and MySpace. This means that you, literally, can follow an event or issue on a minute-by-minute basis.

Let’s go back and look at the Motrin situation. In about 24 hours after that television commercial broke, mommy bloggers were aggregating in mass. And over that weekend while the Motrin execs were on the golf course, the mommy bloggers were scaling the walls of the corporate castle. On Monday morning, the execs were being greeted with a crisis. The great unwashed were inside the castle walls.

Again, that happened in 24 hours. That will be nothin’ compared to what will happen in real time. Take 24 hours and bring it down to 2. Here’s an fictitious example:

Let’s say that an outdoor company makes baby clothing and a Mom sees that a rash has developed on the back of her child. After a couple of minutes of investigation she determines that it is the baby shirt that is causing the problem. Onto Twitter she goes.

Tweed: My baby has a rash on her back. Has anybody seen this? Think it could be the BRAND shirt.

( 1 minute later.) Response Tweet: OMG! I had that same think happen two days ago. And my baby wore that brand.

( 90 seconds after the first Tweet) Another Response Tweet: Me too. My child has a rash and we have the same shirt!

In the real-time world…right here is where the BRAND needs to both catch the conversation, and react to it. The BRAND can not wait until somebody sees it on Google Alert because Google Alert may wait an hour before posting. And then it gets circulated within the company, and perhaps a day passes before action is considered, or taken.

Ian Capstick writing in Media Style Blog writes . “Don’t get me wrong. I use Alerts. They are useful. Helpful even.  But it’s important to note the system is unrefined, often missing data and is only one part of a comprehensive listening program you should be undertaking. If Google Alerts are your primary online listening tool; you are missing information.”

Back to the rash incident. So, a whole day goes by while a BRAND gathers information, that info is distributed, decision-makers engage and action is finally taken. The Rash Incident may have grown into an Issue…or even a Crisis. And if a Crisis…a recall may be the result.

Why? Because in two hours…a hundred Moms might be tuned into and engaging in the conversation. And within 3 hours a thousand Moms might be in the conversation. 24 hours…well. I just don’t know how big it could get.

Andy Beal writing in his blog, Seeking Alpha, believes…

“Twitter serves as a real-time information network powered by people around the world discovering what’s happening and sharing the news…In the new year, Twitter will begin supporting a billion search queries a day. It will be delivering several billion tweets per hour to users around the world.”

Several billion tweets per hour.

And Google and Bing? Well, Google is handling around 300,000 to 500,000 million searches a day.

Google and Bing can not keep up with the volume of Twitter. Beal further reports, “and that is why Google ‘alerts’ for breaking news items show up 10 – 45 minutes earlier on Twitter or monitoring packages/systems.”

So, there is new velocity in social media.

With real-time search…brands have even less time.

The search must be thorough. The response quick. And a strategy in place to handle Incidents so they do not become Issues.

All in, almost, real-time.






Paul Kirwin

Paul Kirwin, Founder and CEO of Channel Signal

Three Things Companies Must Remember

Oct 11, 2009 | tags: , , , , ,

  1. Choose only communication channels that best match your goals.
  2. If the news turns sweet or sour, monitor and measure across your channels to find the real issue. Only then do you respond with the corporate answer.
  3. Engage when the news is good, engage more when the news is bad.
Okay, let’s take these one at a time.
1. Choose only communication channels that best match your goals.
Just because Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, and Twitter exist doesn’t mean that your company should employ them as communication channels. Remember when all the buzz was about the power of newsletters. Well, 95% of those companies who launched newsletters found them to be a lot of effort for very little return.
I also like what Jim Tobin of Ignite Social Media says in his presentation. One of his clients said to his management team when they wanted to engage in all sorts of social media. “It’s like a puppy. Are you gonna feed the puppy? Take care of the puppy? Nurture the puppy?”
So, do you have the resources and commitment to employ all of these channels? Respond to all of the questions, comment on posts, and generally be in four conversations at once?  I think not, no matter how big you are. So, focus on what communication channels hit the target, write great content, engage, and do it well. To start, choose no more than two.
2. If the news turns sweet or sour, monitor and measure across your channels to find the real issue. Only then do you respond with the corporate answer.
Ad Age wrote an excellent synopsis on the Motrin Mom problem. As you’ll recall, Motrin created an ad aimed at young Moms carrying their babies around in slings. Message: take Motrin because you probably have a sore back or hips from lugging junior around. It back-fired and Motrin yanked the ad after only a few days.
Research indicates that:  1). not that many people were paying attention. Twitter, where much of the firestorm lived, is responsible for only .15% of the Internet audience. The ad received less exposure than a one 30-second spot on a cable news network. 2. 35% of the audience that was paying attention was offended by the television ad. So, 65% of the interested audience was positive or neutral on the ad.
Measure before you react. Don’t react because your VP of Marketing has 10 emails in his inbox lambasting an ad. Get a bigger more accurate picture.
3. Engage when the news is good, engage more when the news is bad.
Many companies fall all over themselves to respond when the news is good. ” Thanks so much.”  ”Working hard to develop good products.”  ”Appreciate your loyalty to the brand.” Many employees respond because it is very hard to make a mistake. Senior management simply hears of the good news and grins.
However, when the new media news turns bad, everyone in the company is called into a meeting and kept there for hours and hours. “What is our response?” “We must speak with one voice.” And once it comes out of committee the response is canned, wooden, legal…and useless.
When the news is bad, make sure it is bad. Measure while you are initially responding. Find out where the bad news is coming from and learn who the Influencers are. While doing that, measure the entire Internet with regard to that issue so you get a 360 degree read.
Tell the truth. If you are getting to the bottom of the issue, tell the Influencers. Tell them when you will get back to them. And when you do, have real information.
If you made a mistake, communicate that. And quickly follow that up with what steps you are taking to correct those mistakes. If you didn’t make a mistake, then find where the misinformation is coming from
and take action with that source. If you are not at fault…be a rock, but continue to communicate.
And have several people carrying the message into the market place. Remember, companies are groups of people. Portray yourself as a large concrete building talking with one Wizard of Oz voice and you will receive even more heat.
Be human.
Paul Kirwin

Paul Kirwin, Founder and CEO of Channel Signal

Astroturfing and Flogging

Sep 20, 2009 | tags: , , , , , , ,

From Wikipedia-Astroturfing is a word in English describing formal political, advertising, or public relations campaigns seeking to create the impression of being spontaneous “grassroots” behavior, hence the reference to the artificial grass, AstroTurf.

And flogging is a new word that is basically fake blogging.

Astro-turfing and flogging are mirages with fake authors, intended to mislead, and written to create a false impression of popularity.

I had a long conversation with new media lawyer Andrea Anderson of Holland & Hart recently about flogging and astroturfing. She made an excellent point. If a company hires floggers or astroturfers to seed the blogosphere with false impressions of popularity, and if one of those authors states a fact that is false, then the company sponsoring the campaign is liable for false advertising.

Companies should drop the use of these people, authentically engage in the online conversation, and attract solid influencers who have real followers for a reason. They are good. They know their facts. And they provide great information.

Astroturfing and flogging should disappear. But alas…as long as there are bad marketers we will have to live with bad marketing.

Paul Kirwin

Paul Kirwin, Founder and CEO of Channel Signal

The Death of Traditional Media-NOT

Sep 1, 2009 | tags: , , , , , 

Art Smith at Ogden Newspapers

Recently I have been involved in some great email exchanges with writers that I admire. Two of them are Michael Hodgson and Kris Versteegen. Well, the point was made that traditional media was not dying, just morphing to new platforms.

Let’s take a look at the facts. Nielsen reported this the first of the year.

Nielsen Online, a service of The Nielsen Company, today reported a 16 per cent year-on-year increase in unique visitors to the top 10 newspaper Web sites, growing from 34.6 million unique visitors in December 2007 to 40.1 million in December 2008.

Here’s the Nielsen list for August:

NYTimes.com — 14,277,000 — (-27%)

washingtonpost.com — 11,565,000 — 29%

USATODAY.com — 9,761,000 — (-6%)

Daily News Online Edition — 9,131,000 — 112%
LA Times — 8,938,000 — 2%

Wall Street Journal Online — 8,341,000 — (-4%)
New York Post — 6,535,000 — 32%
Boston.com — 5,274,000 — 8%
SFGate.com/San Francisco Chronicle — 5,092,000 — 13%
Chicago Tribune — 4,442,000 — 14%

Politico — 3,401,000 — 47%
NJ.com — 2,926,000 — 41%
Atlanta Journal-Constitution — 2,747,000 — (-31%)
The Houston Chronicle — 2,569,000 — (-3%)
Philly.com — 2,500,000 — 47%

Chicago Sun-Times — 2,480,000 — (-6%)
Newsday — 2,428,000 — (-28%)
The Sacramento Bee — 2,426,000 — 84%
Orlando Sentinel — 2,089,000 — 49%
The Seattle Times — 2,040,000 — 55%

Azcentral.com — 1,999,000 — 41%
MercuryNews.com — 1,871,000 — 16%
DallasNews.com – The Dallas Morning News — 1,832,000 — (-12%)
MiamiHerald.com — 1,829,000 — 36%
The Washington Times — 1,803,000 — 56%

tampabay.com — 1,758,000 — 24%
KansasCity.com — 1,708,000 — 59%
Baltimore Sun — 1,697,000 — 7%
Star Tribune — 1,662,000 — 8%
Detroit Free Press — 1,648,000 — 9%

Look at those numbers. And the numbers are also big when it comes to good magazines, and vertical publications that offer content online.

Why? Because most people want their news and serious information delivered by reputable brands. They know that journalists who work for those brands dig for the story, present both sides, and can back up what they write with facts. Editors make sure of that.

We see this on Channel Signal all the time. We have a Channel called Online Traditional Media, and the traffic is almost always much larger then any blog. Online Traditional Media is not dead. If anything it is growing. And as it morps it will get healthier as it develops a new system of payment.

I believe that people do want the facts, especially when first trying to understand an issue.

So, media employing professional journalists (to escape titles for a moment) will find a way to make money. Consumers understand the value and will pay for the privilege of solid information.

And we need debate and dialogue that is filtered with facts and reason. Spewing just isn’t working for me anymore.

Paul Kirwin

Paul Kirwin, Founder and CEO of Channel Signal

The Largest Sales Floor in the World

Aug 14, 2009 | tags: , , , , , ,

Recently I got this research and statement from Gartner Consulting.

Media and advertising follow consumer attention, and consumer attention has shifted massively toward social media on the Internet. Social media currently reaches nearly half of the U.S. population, and usage has nearly quadrupled during the past two years, according to comScore Media Metrix.

Now, to be clear Gartner defines social media as all blogging and social networking. All interactive media. That means all blogs, social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Flickr, and all online traditional media like the New York Times and CNN. No matter. It is still a staggering stat.

Welcome to the new Sales Floor. It is the largest in the world. If Media Metrix is right then over 150 million people are on this sales floor, just in the United States alone.

150 million people buying, trading, reviewing recent purchases, talking with others about future purchases, talking about brands, praising or complaining about a brand’s customer service, discussing a brand’s message, passing information back and forth about pricing, reading the news of the day and expressing opinions. Feedback loops everywhere.

The architecture of this Sales Floor would be like combining all the major cities of the world into one road map.

And it is growing larger.

And every one of these people wants to be treated as an individual.

Media and advertising follow consumer attention.

If you want to grow your business, you should follow and engage this mass of consumer attention while learning to treat each as an individual.

We have a lot of work to do.

Paul Kirwin

Paul Kirwin, Founder and CEO of Channel Signal

Impressions of the Outdoor Retailer Show

Jul 28, 2009 | tags: , , , , , , , ,

First, I thought ORSM09 was a very positive show. Two things continue to happen. The stock market continues to move upward, reaching 9000 just before the Show. Second, this staycation thing is the real deal. People are staying home, taking up new sports, planning local family vacations, and the outdoor industry is benefiting.

It’s all working and our industry, although listing to port a little, is not capsizing. 

And I like the general attitude. “Yeah, things could be better, but we are still making some money, running a tighter ship, and we will make it through.” 

New media is growing in the outdoor space. Tweet-ups, constant tweeting from the Show floor, and many of the major brands looking at or engaging in the blogosphere. Outdoor Retailer is embracing new media and supplying more portals on the Show floor. All good. 

I still strongly believe that the Show should open its doors to the public on the last day. It will happen someday. It is inevitable. 

Now, to the darker side. I heard from several very reliable sources that a certain large retailer threatened several large brands if those brand did business with online powerhouse Amazon.

Let’s start with this. After too many years in the marketing business I must emphasize again that retailers and brands can not fight the market forces. For example, I remember about ten years ago, medium sized specialty retailers were running around the Show telling the brands that they would drop any brand who sold online. Several brands sought my advice. I asked this question,” where is your growth?” And they replied, “Online.” And I asked why? And they said, “Because we think that is where a growing percentage of the consumers will be.” 

Right direction. Right thinking. 

YOU MUST FOLLOW THE CONSUMERS. YOU WILL NOT LEAD THEM. YOU CAN NOT BULLY THEM. THEY ARE TOO BIG. THEY ARE IN CONTROL. THEY HAVE ALWAYS BEEN IN CONTROL. AMAZON IS GROWING FOR A REASON. 

So, to this large retailer, I say, you must stop this nonsense. Brands will follow the money. They will sell to retailers who bring them customers and offer growth. They have no choice. Their shareholders have put a bulls-eye out there and told management to hit it. Unless, you, large retailer, want to guarantee the returns necessary to keep these shareholders happy, then you must do it the old fashion way.

You must compete. You must continue to create a unique position in the marketplace, buy creatively, attract more consumers to your doors and online, offer great customer service and sponsor customer loyalty programs. You will sell more, and order more merchandise. And the brands will support you more. 

And speaking of support…how can you, large retailer, threaten brands when almost 50% of your floor space is now your own branded products? You, at times, drive consumers into your stores using other brands as the bait, and then you offer your branded products at a lower price while your salesforce whispers that your product has the same quality only it costs less.  

So you are partners with the brands, you compete with them in your own stores, and now you threaten them because they want to grow their businesses. No wonder brands are confused and, at times, angry.

You are a retailer. A damn good one. Probably, the best.  You have been solidly on the side of “good”. You have helped grow the outdoor business. Now, others with a different business model, want to do business and help grow the industry. Invite them in.  And sure compete with them, hard. But also talk with them. Educate them about expectations. Talk to them about the environment, sustainability and participation. Show them how to be a force for good in the business. Both of you will profit. Why? Because you are both capable of bringing millions more consumers into our business. And everyone will profit. 

So, be the leader that you are, and stop baring your teeth.

Peace. 

Out.

Paul Kirwin

Paul Kirwin, Founder and CEO of Channel Signal

Smile Away On Twitter

Jul 10, 2009 | tags: , , , ,

 

Recently I have heard from a growing number of my fellow tweeters who have been receiving “follow” requests from, well, not people they want to follow. I too have been getting them. These requests come from people who are trying to sell me stuff and its the kind of stuff that I don’t want to buy. 

a. I don’t want to work from home and make 50k a month selling god-knows what

b. I have no interest in establishing a relationship with a hooker or stripper. 

c. I do not want to be sold the latest stuff in marketing or branding.

d. I have no interest in a consultant who reaches out to me via Twitter…me and thousands of other people. 

Here’s what I want. I want to follow quality people who help me grow. I want followers who find what I am writing about worthwhile. And I think that is what most people honestly using Twitter want. 

So, if I have 100 followers and they are the right people, I win. And if I follow 100 people and they provide great insights, I win.  If new media is like a cocktail party, then throw a small one, invite the best people you can, and have meaningful conversations. 

So. as we conduct more and more searches at Channel Signal, we are becoming less intrigued with a tweeter who has 3,000 followers. Why? Because many of those followers are just hoping to get followed back. There may be no substance to that Twitter account.

To be sure, there are tweeters out there that have thousands of followers who are sincerely interested in the thoughts and experiences of that tweeter. Think Lance Armstrong, especially now since the Tour is happening. However, that is a minority.

Unfortunately here is the thinking of many tweeters:

“So, you follow me and I’ll follow you. I don’t really care about you and I can’t possibly read 3 thousand tweets,  but understand I’m using you to beef up my numbers. I, in turn, am beefing up your numbers, so you should be okay with it,  right?

Wrong. Twitter is a great tool. It broke the news in Mombai, Tehran, China, and in Honduras. It is the national dialogue running underneath our daily lives. It is a great search tool for understanding the discussions around very important topics. Twitter is wonderful and that’s why it is an important Channel in Channel Signal. 

However, we can not let the riff-raff into the conversation. Hit that “block” button that Twitter provides. And don’t feel bad. These people don’t know you, don’t care about you, and aren’t going to read what you write. They are either playing a numbers sales game or they want to beef up their traffic. 

Soon, technology will qualify the number of followers a tweeter has, and who that tweeter is following. Influencers will be judged not only on the quantity of followers but also the quality…particularly the quality. 

From his first and best album, Ram, Paul McCartney wrote a great rocker called Smile Away. “Block” when you don’t want to enter the conversation, say no thanks…and smile away.

Paul Kirwin

Paul Kirwin, Founder and CEO of Channel Signal

Companies Should Not Outsource New Media

Jul 2, 2009 | tags: , , , , ,

                                  ”The biggest threat to companies is not disruptive technology

                                   or global competition but complacency.” Beyond the Brand by John Windsor

 

I’ve had several conversations with companies recently where the leaders have indicated that they are outsourcing new media to their public relations firms. I ask them, “how’s that going for you?” And they reply, ”Well, I assume okay. You know, I really don’t understand this stuff, but they tell me the pr people do.”

Dangerous position.

By outsourcing new media you put another layer between the company and your customers. Which means that you are further from the online conversation about your brand, products, and customer service. At a time when you need to be closer.

You want your customer service reps to be right on top of the customer conversations when praise is given and the pissed-off vent. Right?

And you want your product development people to be talking directly to influencers who have criticisms of a product. And to hear why the zippers are placed wrong on the jacket. And why the hood doesn’t work. And why the shoe laces are too long. Right? 

And your marketing people to listen to why a new brand message isn’t connecting or why the latest advertising is knocking it out of the park. Right?

For years and years and years…I’ve listened to leaders lament how they only wish they could measure advertising in some  way. They always said some variation of this: ” I know I have to spend the money but I sure would like to know what I’m getting for that money.” 

Well, now you can know, in real time. Instant feedback. A sensor placed directly into the marketplace. And you are going to outsource it???  You are going to have a third party decide what feedback is important and what isn’t? To package and then spoon feed you customer information critical to the development of your business?

Thousands of customers everyday are taking the time to talk directly to companies, most with sincerity and a real message. CEOs should shove aside all vendors who want to get in the way of that.

Go ahead Mr./Ms. CEO, get your companies up on the front lines. 

It will change your company, for the good.

Paul Kirwin

Paul Kirwin, Founder and CEO of Channel Signal

Brother, Can You Spare A Dime?

Jun 25, 2009 | tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

Recently I was in downtown Salt Lake and came across two people begging for money, clothing, anything. This time I looked closely, without the “go find a job” attitude that I normally carry. These were people who were looking for jobs. The signs were heartfelt, and I thought, authentic. I believed they would drop everything and follow me if I offered them a job. 

And then I started thinking about all of the excess inventory that the outdoor recreational industry dumps every year. Jackets, socks, pants, long underwear. Inventory that manufacturers try to hide from retailers by putting the stuff in the backchannels and then the product sells for dirt cheap. Or retailers try to hide excess inventory from the manufacturers by going online under another banner and selling stuff at a steep discount. (More about that in a post coming up.) 

Is there a better way?

I think so. Here’s an idea. 

Instead of dumping inventory into these back channels, take it and offer it to the out-of-work/homeless folks in ten major cities. It comes with a price tag. To receive the clothing package each person-in-need must sign-up for the brand’s environmental or humanitarian cause in that city.

Brand volunteers go out into a city and find the real people who want to work and contribute. These people get assigned to a project and are told where and when to show up. River clean-ups, parks, beach clean-ups…there are a millions projects out there. 

The projects last for a weekend. On Saturday and Sunday…breakfast, lunch, and a dinner will be served to the homeless at the project locations. At the end of that weekend the volunteers get a great clothing package from the outdoor manufacturer. 

Local retailers would volunteer and offer other types of support… and benefit by having their establishments featured in the local press. 

Can you imagine the public relations benefits of such a program? Every local television station would go “live” from a volunteer location. Radio and print would be all over it. And in ten cities. Get your PR folks to talk with the big guns…like The Today Show, GMA, etc. Would this appeal to them? Uhhhh, yea. A manufacturer giving back to ten cities and to the folks who need some help. Headline:  Manufacturer, Homeless, and Local Environmental Groups Combine To Make A Difference. 

And new media would take the story and run with it. Outdoor blogs. Green blogs. Political blogs. Big time. Bloggers would be wondering how else we can employ the unemployed for the benefit of all? Twitter would be on fire with the brand volunteers, press, bloggers, etc.  who witnessed these events. 

So, instead of dumping product, a manufacturer is putting that clothing to good use. And leveraging it by getting more publicity then that manufacturer has gotten in the last three years-combined.

Too expensive? How expensive is it to find a home for all excess inventory that disappears without profit, with no benefit to the company, and all the while contributing to price erosion?

So find a home for that excess inventory in a place of gratitude, work, and good will. Who knows, the company might change lives, and those are follow-up stories worth gold. 

Outdoor recreation has soul. I’ve seen it. Show more, and the benefits to the company will come in all forms.

Homeless person to a brand representative:  ”Thank you for the long underwear. I’d like to help further with the clean-up. Will you be doing this again?”

Paul Kirwin

Paul Kirwin, Founder and CEO of Channel Signal

Sales Meetings

May 28, 2009 | tags: , , , ,

It’s that time of year when brands spend an enormous amount of time preparing and presenting new product, sales material, and shifts in strategy to the sales force. It’s also a good time for building positive momentum that carries into the market place.

I’ve been to many of these and have always been struck by, in general, how well the event was managed. It seems to consume all facets of the company, including the top. Recently I’ve been communicating with executives and they have all been saying that “for the next two weeks I am out of pocket. Have the sales meeting coming up?

I have a suggestion on how to further leverage all those dollars invested in sales meetings

The Sales Meeting is still aimed at Sales Reps and their organizations. Not to minimize reps, but there are other forces at work besides the reps. Your online retail partners, powerful bloggers, athletes…all of these have growing influence in New Media.

Bring all of these forces together at once. Have each entity present to the group. Choose a rep to talk about challenges and potential solutions as they present, sell and clinic in the traditional distribution system. Have that rep talk about what rep orgs are diving into new media, and the results. (Pemba Serves comes to mind here.)

Also have a major blogger/influencer in the new media outdoor space address the group. One who is on board with the brand and its products. Have him or her talk about the trends…what’s working for brands and what isn’t. Give examples.

Same with a traditional retailer and an online retailer. Have each address their markets and what they are seeing.

Give each group 1/2 hour. Then at the end of the sales meeting set aside two hours for brainstorming about the brand and what it should be doing the following year. Have brand leadership in these meetings and taking notes.

Now, you have a sales meeting that is addressing the ever growing distribution system.

And leverage? All will be talking, blogging and tweeting about the exciting future of the brand.

Paul Kirwin

Paul Kirwin, Founder and CEO of Channel Signal