“How in the heck can 140 characters make any impact on my customers?”
Just a one of the response I’ve received from Nay-Sayers when I talk about using Twitter as a marketing tool.

“Mindless babble…”
“Fanboy frivolity…”

I usually sit and listen (patiently) while they list out the need for a drawn out conversation with their customers to explain the intricate mechanics of their products and the magnitude of value that their employees’ commitment provides to the bottom line – NOT TO MENTION their commitment to quality and the….

SNORE….

“Cult obsessions…”
“Waste-of-time…”

“INSANE”

Before you use that particular word, consider a recent example:

How hard do you think it would it be to produce and then promote a musical about a woman with bipolar disorder? Imagine the media.  Imagine the freakishly insensitive commercials and awkward attempts to make bipolar disorder “entertaining” (let alone make it a MUSICAL)!

The Broadway hit “Next to Normal,” did just that.
(Please click through to read about the musical.  It’s moving - Wikipedia-Synopsis, Show Site)

The producers and marketers of this compelling (and painful) story about a woman with bipolar disorder and her troubled relationship with her family, used Twitter to build audiences. According to a recent report by The Wall Street Journal, the play’s marketing team tweeted the entire show at 140 characters per installment, over five weeks through May and June.  At the time of this post, their Twitter account (@N2Nbroadway) had more than 730,000 followers and had sold more than 90 percent of their available seats!  Talk about ROI!

As added flair, due to their unique approach to using the tool, Twitter selected “Next to Normal” as a featured tweet. Saying so makes them an automated opt-in for new users of the service.  To be featured by Twitter is one thing, having almost three quarters of a million followers in just a few months (auto opt-in or not) makes quite a statement for this little bit of insanity.

There’s plenty of coverage about the massive success “Next to Normal” has had using Twitter to market (just to a Google search for “Next to Normal” and Twitter)

Think it’s so “insane” now?

How could Twitter fit into your marketing strategy like it did for “Next to Normal?” What could you or your company do to harness the power of Twitter’s network – or any social media marketing network for that matter?

Food for thought…

Keep Cooking (remarkable ways to connect to your audience)!
Andrew B. Clark
The Brand Chef

Straight jacket image from: http://theshockdocshow.com/

Before you delete that “junk mail,” you may want to reconsider…  And here’s why…

I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t get a lot of email through my Studio 24 site. I rarely look at it and it’s grossly out-of-date. When I do get email from there, it’s usually SPAM.  So, out of habit, I hit “delete” – without even reading!

REALLY BAD IDEA…

Recently, I almost messed up a HUGE opportunity for the Brand Chef blog to be included in some pretty heavy company.  It was a simple oversight, but looking back on it, I realize what a monstrous gaffe it would have been.

***

On a quiet Sunday morning, over a bowl of Grape Nuts and a cup of coffee, I decided to weed out my in-box - after over a MONTH of negligence…

You know how it goes…  Facebook notice…  delete… delete…  Twitter…  delete…delete…delete…  SEO Guarantee…  delete…delete… I was in a pretty good groove!  “Special” offer…  delete… delete… “Need a Date?”…delete… delete…

and then…  BrandManagement.com… de-HUH?… I had to pause.

I read it again. “A Message from BrandManagement.com”

Edward Mance, Co-founder and CEO of BrandManagement.com sent me an email.  Odd. But odd because of the long path his message took…

Edward found me through my old blogspot blog, and subsequently through the form on the Studio 24 web site.  This simple fact shows that he made a concerted effort to contact me.

With the push of a button, the story could have ended there. But it didn’t.

As I opened the email and read, my jaw about hit the counter (thank God it didn’t, my mouth was full of partially chewed Grape Nuts)…  Brandmanagement.com was being launched in late May, and according to Mr. Mance,

” …a significant element of the site will be comprised of leading thought writers’ most current, daily/weekly works.“

And he continued on to say,

“In short, we love the blog entries on your site, and we would love to republish those entries on the BrandManagement.com site as they become available on your site…”

Wait a minute… Me? I had to read it two more times and once to my wife, just to clarify who it was really addressed to…  Not only was I honored, but I was astounded that someone else (besides me) thought I had something of value to say.

As I reviewed the site, I realized that Mr. Mance was including The Brand Chef in a pretty darn respectable group of branding consultants, professionals from advertising agencies, the marketing communications field and respected commentators and branding advocates – people that I’ve read and respected for years – Oliver Blanchard, Anna Farmery, Tom Fishburne,  Katie Konrath, Laura Ries,  Dan Schawbel, and Chris Wilson just to name a few!  Go here to see a full list.

I immediately gave Edward my contact information, my RSS feed and anything else he asked for (could have asked for my first-born son, I would have considered it).  And, low-and-behold, the site was launched, on schedule, and there I was, right next to some of the biggest names in branding commentary and blogging.

What’s my return?  Self respect.  And click-through traffic has jumped a bit, but the sheer fact that I was included is return enough for me (honestly).

So, as a direct message to Edward Mance, Thank you!

My lesson learned from this?  Be careful what you delete from your inbox, because opportunity may be knocking - albeit quietly.

Keep Cooking!
Andrew B. Clark
The Brand Chef

Morsels making brand history: On this day, in 1912 was the first time Rueckheim Bros. & H.G. Eckstein, owners of Cracker Jack decided to put a surprise in every box of their nutty, caramel popcorn concoction.

Until that time, the snack candy company was finding difficulty positioning themselves in their respective market – finding their product a mere commodity in the consumers’ eye…

Why? There wasn’t a hook. There was no UNIQUE brand advantage.

Enter the hook – A Surprise In Every Box! What kid (let alone most adults) don’t like a fun surprise – guaranteed?!?

And the rest is tasty history.

How many brands can guarantee that kind of draw? What brand can cement itself in the pop culture lexicon by adding one simple surprise? Ever sing “Take Me Out to the Ball Game?” (make sure you turn up the volume)

What surprise does your brand offer? Can you think of one thing to add (a surprise in your brand box) that would catapult your brand like Cracker Jack?

Food for thought…

Keep Cooking!
Andrew B. Clark
The Brand Chef
Technorati Profile

A picture is worth a thousand words. We’ve all been told that since we could speak. But, what if you turned it around. Have you ever wondered what our thousands of words actually portray?

Let’s take a look…

I write – sometimes all day, every day – everything from ad copy to outlines for annual reports to blog posts, comments, and tweets. But not until I started reading did I learn that the words could be saying more than what was being read.

Confused? So was I until I saw a couple of posts (here and here) over at Angela Maier’s Blog, making me pause.

Are the words you’re using really portraying your message?

Wordle is a great visual tool to see if the actual words you’re using are communicating your story. Or are you using words that confuse and distract from the overall picture?

Try this. Have Wordle crawl your latest marketing piece. It’s easy, just cut and paste the copy into their Web site. Or if you have an RSS feed, just paste that into the space provided. It’s eye opening.

Here are a couple of examples:
(Click on the thumbnails to view larger images)

The Brand Chef blog:

My LinkedIn page:

This post:

Go ahead and try it. Try it on your marketing copy. Try it on your Web site. Try it on your competitors’ Web sites.

Are your words portraying your brand? Are they True, Relevant, Unique and Engaging?

Run a couple of tests and email me {thebrandchef(at)gmail(dot)com} your link.

I’d love to SEE what you have to say!

Until next time…

Keep Cooking!
Andrew B. Clark
-The Brand Chef.

There’s a segment out there for everyone. It’s YOU. It’s truthful, relevant, unique, and engaging

So, in this economy, instead of trying to bark louder than the big dogs, try something unique

Avis has a great twist on it…

Try harder at being YOU, and the rest should follow closely behind.

Food for thought…

Keep Cooking!
Andrew