I don’t mean to fire another shot at the marketing community in the U.K., but…

What the heck are the marketers for the London 2012 Olympics committee smoking?

VIDEO:

Sorry about the auto play… (Notice the kids giving the Nazi salute to them? WTH?)

To have such a prestigious organization adorn your city would be an honor to last a lifetime. But it seems like the folks marketing for the occasion have taken the opportunity and turned it into a Duran Duran meets The TeleTubbies on LSD experience.

Let me back up about four years… If you haven’t read it yet, I did a blog post (June 2006) about the incredibly ill-conceived logo designed for the London 2012 Olympics. Saying:

“I’m saddened when I think of the world’s athletes that have put so much effort and time into achieving the honor of competing in the Olympics having to walk around the Olympic Village slathered with a logo that looks like they just got back from a Duran Duran concert.”

And now the marketers have launched a campaign to show off the new mascots. All I can say for them is at least they’re consistent.

Good Lord, They look like the love child of Timothy Leary and TinkyWinkie! I’m thinking the Aztecs saw this for 2012 and just decided to end it all there. What the heck would be the point of living after that?

Marketing in a Vacuum?

Normally, in these horribly off-the-mark situations, I’d point my finger at some self indulgent agency or myopic company trying to be “cutting edge” without the first hint of research or understanding of the target market. But according to The Telegraph UK, the chairman of the London Organizing Committee, Lord Coe and his marketing group spent 18 months and did over 40 focus groups in preparation and development of these atrocities!

40 FOCUS GROUPS?!?

What did they do, design them AND THEN hold focus groups until they found someone to say they liked them?

Here are a couple more images that come to mind when I see these mascots:

At least Vancouver 2010 Mascots related to the region and didn’t scare the hell out of people…

Also from The Telegraph UK:

Stephen Bayley, the prominent design critic, said: “What is it about these Games which seems to drive the organisers into this cretinous infantilism?

“Why can’t we have something that makes us sing with pride, instead of these appalling computerised Smurfs for the iPhone generation?”

“If the Games are going to be remembered by their art then we can declare them a calamitous failure already.”

I mean c’mon, if one of the biggest design critics in your country says they suck, shouldn’t you reflect on the direction you’ve taken?

So, what is the London 2012 Olympic committee to do? It’s too late to start over. It’s too ugly to ignore. Is this a public relations issue now? Can they make this all make sense somehow?

I’d love to know what you think. And for a little fun, here’s a little spoof from Gawker…

Keep Cooking! (at least tasteful branding decisions)
Andrew B. Clark
The Brand Chef

There are a lot of positive signs that small businesses are starting to adopt social media marketing as an integrated component of their overall business plans.  One significant change, based on a February 2010 Small Business Success Index report, is the fact that social media usage among small business jumped from a meager 12% in 2008 to 24% in the following year (Yes, doubled).

Of those using social media, 69% post regular updates / articles of relevance to sites like FaceBook and LinkedIn. Two additional stats that made me smile were: 54% monitor positive / negative feedback via social networks, and almost 40% of the small businesses author a blog pertaining to their field of expertise.

OUTSTANDING!

But hold on, that’s still only 1-in-5 of those surveyed.

So, let’s address some of the restraints keeping small businesses form jumping on board?

According to the report, 50% of the users say it takes more time than they expected.

This is a surprise? Okay, I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt, but the reason they may have been caught off guard is a result of one or a combination of following:

1. Some “Social Media Expert” duped them with dollar signs and drummed up statistics, set up a Twitter account and a FaceBook page and then ran off with  little to no strategy or support.
2. They took it on by themselves with little to no understanding of building a social media community or marketing.
3. They underestimated how little they knew about their brand, the audience and the business.

Of course social media marketing takes time! Just like scheduling  time to check voice-mail or email, small business owners need to adapt to make time for a little proactive community engagement. It pays off in the end.

Then there’s the statistic that made me laugh the hardest.  17% expressed that social media gives people a chance to criticize their business on the Internet.

Do they actually think criticism won’t happen if they stay away?  Go ahead, try it.  Then, call me when the business folds.  I know Realtors that need the square footage.

***

Come on, folks, this should stand as a call to action for all small business owners (as well as those that market to/for them).  Social media is not going away any time soon.  And the quicker you figure out how to use it to your advantage, the better chances you’ll have for surviving the years to come.

Here are 10 starting questions I like to ask those looking into social media for marketing.

1. What will make you stand out among the others “yelling into the chasm?”
2. Who is your target audience?
3. Who are your direct competitors?
4. What could be some indirect inhibitors?
5. Do you have a marketing plan – written down with goals, strategies, tactics and a reasonable budget?
6. Is there a strategy or tactic within your marketing plan that social media could compliment / support (Public Relations, etc.)?
7. Do you have the manpower/ time for social media marketing?
8. (If not) Do you have the budget to outsource components of social media marketing?
9. Do you know how to carry on an engaging conversation?
10. Do you have patience?

As with any marketing tool, social media has a unique profile in each company’s marketing plan. While a blog is a great core component to a social media marketing strategy, Twitter, YouTube and FaceBook may not always apply. Heck, If your target audience isn’t active online, don’t be a fool and put your time into broad social media integration. Just make sure to do a little research before jumping in and you’ll know what’s right for you / your company.

Where does your small business stand when it comes to integrating social media into your marketing plan?  Is it an add-on that will eventually fade away?  Or do you have the plan and vision to make social media work for you?

If you’re a small business that hasn’t embraced social media as a marketing tool, then I have two things to say:

1. You’re losing out on a fantastic way to extend your marketing message as well as build brand equity.
2. You’re probably not reading this and I’m writing for my already savvy followers and this is pointless.

Food for thought.

Keep Cooking! (Purposeful, results-oriented decisions)
Andrew B. Clark
The Brand Chef

Picture this.  How do you share those “special moments?” Think back.  Is there an old family photo album somewhere gathering dust in the living room?  Sure.  Ours has one of me and brother in the bathtub, naked! Thanks mom. As disturbing as it is, it certainly is a memory (probably not one I wish to share with you).  How about those old school portraits? Reunions? Sporting events? Birthdays? Vacations?  How do you share those memories?  From the early 1900′s and on into today’s digital age, we’ve all done the same thing.

Take a picture, it lasts longer…

Last night, while watching Glee (yes, I’m a Gleek), I was sitting and lamenting over the how Miss Sylvester  was treating poor Mercedes, and off to a commercial break we went.  Now, I normally channel surf or jump up to get another Popsicle at commercial breaks, but last night I was held in my seat by the following Kodak spot.

I loved it immediately.  While I’m a sucker for any squeaking baby, I thought the spot, from a brand marketing standpoint, was perfect! It was targeted, engaging, current and allowed a brand, Kodak, who has been languishing in technological and directional confusion to stand up and re-root itself in our communication and social culture.

On the Kodak blog, A Thousand Words, Leslie Dance, VP of Brand Marketing & Communications for Kodak shared their vision with for the new marketing:

“As our agency Partners + Napier, who helped us create our new campaign defined it, the core insight into what really motivates our consumer (whom we call Katie) is that ‘My memories make me, me, but it’s only when I share them that I become complete.’

Which led us to the campaign idea, ‘the real Kodak moment happens when you share’.
 We’re taking the Kodak Moment of the past 50 years and redefining it to make it relevant for today.  The Kodak Moment that used to be the moment of capture, when we take the picture, is now more powerful when we apply it to the moment of sharing the picture.”

As a photographer, I’ve been painfully aware of the dilemma the photography industry has been in.  Since the mid 1990′s, it’s been go digital or pack up your lenses. While I love digital photography for its ease and speed, as someone that was educated in the techniques of traditional photography, processing and lab printing, I long for the days when I can turn a photo over and see “Printed by Kodak.” And with online printing taking quality and speed, and economy to new levels, I’d basically given up on Kodak.

Boy, was I wrong!

This is why Kodak has been around for over a century:

Kodak took the right (smart) approach to the technology challenges that faced them and their industry.  Instead of folding up and saying “Woah, It’s been a great 120 years, we’ll see ya’ later…” they chose to innovate, recreate and re-engage, sidestepping the “road block” and blazing a new trail for future market growth.

By providing people easier, more economical digital access – just push the button to share your memories - Kodak has positioned itself as the leader in the (previously unoccupied) “memory sharing” niche…  A brilliant way to redefine your brand for changing times and subtly shut my doubting mouth for ever.

Kudos!

So, what’s the next step for Kodak?  How can they continue to broaden their relevance with their new campaign.  How do they compete with the ever evolving mobile phone/camera niche? Can you think of other companies that have created a brand shift like Kodak’s?  I’d love to hear more!

Keep Cooking!
Andrew B. Clark
The Brand Chef

“I’m sorry, our network only features prefabricated breasts. If you’re a woman with a healthy body image, you’ll need to step to the back of the line.”

Or so I expected to hear from networks ABC and FOX after reading a BrandWeek post this morning.

Reportedly, on Lane Bryant‘s blog, Inside Curve, the company claims, “ABC and Fox have made the decision to define beauty for you by denying our new, groundbreaking Cacique commercial from airing freely on their networks. …these are the same networks that have scantily-clad housewives so desperate they seduce every man on the block — and don’t forget Bart Simpson, who has shown us the moon more often than NASA, all in what they call ‘family hour.’”

All commentary on the objectification of women in advertising and how “big girls” are portrayed aside; I want to address this from a branding, marketing and public relations standpoint.

First off, to Lane Bryant, I’m on your side, BUT I wonder if the approach to this issue was handled with passionate brand focus and the community your brand serves in mind.

That said, here are a few things Lane Bryant should think about (as well as any brand that serves a specific, sensitive demographic):

Your brand lives on and grows through your community. Help them advocate for you!

While doing research for this post, I, of course, wanted to see the spot in question. From all angles, I found a lot of Lane Bryant brand advocates voicing their opinions on being slighted by the networks (here, here and here). But when I looked for Lane Bryant’s discussion or a YouTube video with commentary, I find a membership-only site and the “groundbreaking” spot taken off YouTube.

Why? They’ve pulled their community (their advocates) out of the conversation.

This is a perfect public relations opportunity for Lane Bryant. Lena Bryant (the original voice of plus-sized women everywhere) should be rolling in her grave at the idea of the big boy networks slighting the integrity and creativity produced on behalf of the legions of women looking for fashions complimentary to “real women.”

Does your brand have the “Balls” to fight the big girls? If not, don’t pretend it does.

While this is purely speculative, I wonder if Lane Bryant’s marketing and public relations crew simply doesn’t want to play in the same court as the brands that they imply get “preferential treatment” from the networks – referring to their comments on Desperate Housewives, The Simpsons and their comment on the über-sexy Victoria’s Secret spot:

“While it’s no secret that Victoria’s Secret ‘The Nakeds’ ads are prancing around on major networks leaving little to the imagination, steaming up TV screens and baring nearly everything but their souls, our sultry siren who shows sophisticated sass is somehow deemed inappropriate … Does this smack of a double standard? Yep. It does to us, too.”

GREAT argument, but if you walk up to the playground bully and slap her on the cheek, you’d better be prepared to defend yourself. Again, what good is it to complain and then withdraw all access to a productive dialogue? I get the impression that Lane Bryant, while advocating for the “poor big girls out there,” seems to be content playing the victim.

Social culture is harder to change than marketing culture. Advocacy for cultural change needs to come from the heart and not from the bottom line.

Bigger picture – like it or not, “little” girls in risqué attire have been a standard in advertising since anyone one of us can remember. We complain. We protest. Shaking our fists at the TV, we swear off beer, sports cars and restaurant chains. But when it really comes down to it, changing the American culture is much harder than it looks.

Culturally, changing the perspective of the “Big Girl Taboo” needs to be an effort driven outside commercial aspirations. Since Lane Bryant has a stake in changing how “real women” are perceived, driving the message through marketing and advertising, (while trying to compete in the same vapid market as Victoria’s Secret) may not be the best approach.

Food for thought:

While I have no idea what FOX was thinking, ABC IS owned by Disney. While that doesn’t explain the hypocrisy of Desperate Housewives and other spots we’ve seen on their network, they can still wave their “Family-friendly” flag with a modicum of legitimacy.

Without seeing the spot, your comments can only be formed by my post and your perspective of Lane Bryant. But I’d love to hear what you have to say.

Do you think Lane Bryant responded appropriately? Do you think ABC and FOX have a responsibility to respond to accusations of “favoritism or discrimination?”

I’d love to hear from representatives from Lane Bryant on some of the points I’ve made here as well. Are there set plans or processes in place for reacting or have we seen it?

Until next time,

Keep Cooking (big, beautiful, brand-driven decisions)!
Andrew B. Clark
The Brand Chef

Additional Articles on the networks’ decisions to ban the Lane Bryant spot:

Fox News | Styleite.com | zimbio.com | BrandWeek

I want to preempt any debate from this post and explain to you all, I am no outdoors man.  I don’t like camping.  “Roughing it,” to me, is a Super 8 without a whirlpool. I don’t like hunting and I’ve been fishing once in the last 10 years.  But, I’ll tell ya’ what,  that one fishing trip resulted more than a pile of smelly clothes and a few days of hangovers.

As we sat, through torrential rain, heat, mosquitoes the size of mature poodles and some pretty overwhelming odors (from more than the fish), conversations turned from day-to-day work issues and family musings to some pretty unbelievable fishing strategies.  While I, the novice of the group, simply jabbed a leech (yes, the blood-sucking invertebrate) on the end of the hook and threw it out in the water, others in the group pulled out what seemed to be a Roland Martin-esque playbook for the event.  Even before we boarded the “boat,” (I put that in quotes, because a boat, to me, is something you can sail or ski behind… not these little canoes) there would be long, deep discussions about the strategy behind our expedition.

Can see where I’m going with this?  Yep…  Marketing is a lot like fishing…  I’m sure you’ve heard that before, but I wonder how many people really think about the similarities.

When you’re working up your “plan of attack” in marketing sessions, do you ask your team (or yourself) these questions?

• What EXACTLY are we fishing for?
• What bait / lure is better for muskie versus trout?
• What time of day is best for fishing here?
• Is it better to cast multiple lines or to target a specific area with one line and diligent effort?
• Are others having success in this area of the lake?
• Should we cast our line in uncharted territories?
• Are there limits to the size of fish we want (too big or too small)?
• Are there limits to the amount of fish we can catch (Is one enough? Can we handle 100?)?
• Do these hip-waders make my butt look big?

Never the less, if that one fishing trip taught me anything, it was that you need a plan before casting your line into the waters. Fish (like clients) are capricious little buggers and unless you have the right strategy, you’re going to pull back an empty hook.

“Give a man a fish; you have fed him for today. Teach a man to fish; and you have fed him for a lifetime”— Chinese Proverb

Keep Cooking (with a little lemon and butter sauce)!
Andrew B. Clark
The Brand Chef