Old Brand, New Tricks

I caught this posting on Marketing Profs, and thought really relevant and well written.  So much so, that I’m going to take the lazy route, and simply repost it here for your reading pleasure.

Good news: You don’t have to lose sight of your brand’s tried-and-true persona to participate in the quest for deeper engagement at the new social sites. Just think of the social-media generation as a silver-dish serving of people who already want to talk to you; you just need to make them feel comfortable doing it. Easier said than done? Not necessarily. Here are a couple of older brands that are getting it right:

Sharpie, well past pushin’ 40, managed to tap into an enthusiastic user culture in a way we’re pretty sure no other pen brand has. Its Sharpie Uncapped gallery enables fans far and wide to express, in vivid (and permanent!) color, how they incorporate the inky wonders into their creative undertakings.

Think about the number of years kids have been using Sharpies to scribble on jeans, decorate casts and prettify their Converse tennies. Now there’s a fun place to show all that off? Score!

Little Debbie, who first made the scene in the 1960s, is using flickr, Twitter, Facebook and blog outreach to promote a cupcake Share-a-Thon this fall. A series of Smart cars demonstrate Little Debbie’s commitment to the eco-cause, and are also outfitted like the cupcakes themselves. Thus far, the aging mark has done a tasty job of reminding fresh generations of its relevance.

Now, not all instances of successful social-media outreach are even intentional. Case in point: When gay couples were finally permitted to wed in Vermont, 31-year-old ice cream brand Ben & Jerry’s celebrated by renaming its Chubby Hubby ice cream Hubby Hubby within the state. Thousands of blog posts and twitter updates later, they realized they had a winner.

How’d these old-timers manage to wow a fresh-faced crowd? At ad:tech Chicago this year, reps from Ben & Jerry’s and Sharpie said they felt social media was just in their DNA. That is to say, the key to winning hearts hasn’t changed with time or tech: It’s still about communicating a message in a relatable way.

What are your thoughts on this?  Is social media quickly becoming an integral strategy for these and other brands in the market?  What kind of social media integration have you experienced that you think is a good use of the media?

Simple Tips For Renewable Energy Companies To Build Their Brand.

As we’ve all experienced more in this economy than in any other recently – you can’t make a sale unless the value of your product or service is clearly understood.  This is especially true of the rising “green” sector of our market, as many new and emerging companies struggle to find new prospects and buyers that are willing to spend their precious budget on a new product or service.

We believe that nearly everyone prefers to be considered environmentally conscious.  In this current recession, the costs of “going green” and the confusion about how to actually do it is just enough for most consumers to throw their hands up, and surrender to their comfortable habits. This is just one reason it can be a real challenge for sustainably oriented renewable energy companies to clearly market their value today, and gain enough momentum to launch their product or service line.

Add the perception that their products usually come at a higher cost to what is often a very complex set of industry related language, and you’ve got a formula that turns new consumers away in frustration and fear.

From our experience, many emerging renewable energy companies speak in their “native tongue”, using a high degree of acronyms and technical language without simply communicating their basic values.  If they can’t provide a convincing brand message to their buyers about their economic and personal value, it’s doubtful they’ll make or continue sales.

So what can renewable energy companies do to overcome these initial challenges in perception?  Here are a few tips they might consider…

Get Local

While we’d encourage any renewable energy company to maintain their own corporate online presence through a company website, we’d encourage them to also offer individual landing pages that show their products locations and installation.  Not only will this help with their online search engine rankings, but it provide a local portal for people looking for their products in their own backyard, and helps provide new and existing customers with a sense that the company is a community entity, and not a cold, distant corporation.

Speak Your Customer’s Language

As many renewable energy companies are founded by technical and academic professionals, the language they’re familiar with often becomes the messaging to their public – and this intimidating form of communication can lead new customers to leave their sales process before buying.  To be truly successful, you need to present your information to the public in a user-friendly way that easy for your potential customer to engage and relate to on all levels.

Don’t Just Advertise, Build Conversations

Social media channels provide one of the best platforms for engaging new customers and prospects in an ongoing conversation that can help leverage leads into sales.  Current customers can serve as testimonials, and share their passion about the renewable energy’s product or services to new contacts.  We highly recommend that renewable energy companies use social media in their overall marketing strategy – while giving traditional media its due as an integral part of any campaign.

Measure Success

Whatever initiatives any renewable energy campaign undertakes, it’s critical that every effort, every channel, every initiative have some form of tracked measurement.  Without a method to know exactly who is responding to your campaign, and why – you’ll not be able to make the needed adjustments to fine tune the campaign for ongoing success.

Those are just some very basic considerations – there are many more.

What has your experience been in trying to work with renewable energy companies recently?  What’s been your impression of their products or services?  We’d like to know about your experience in this sector, so that we can help this emerging economy grow faster for all our benefit.  Please share your insights  with us!

Sparks Nevada Bets On “It’s Happening Here”

For those of you who frequent this blog, you’ll recall a somewhat heated discussion about Reno’s “sister city” to the east, and its efforts to define it’s tourism message with a new brand platform.

With less “bang” and more “whisper”, The Sparks City Council adopted a campaign platform aimed at marketing their community based on their perceived unique value – special events.  When proposals were first announced in conjunction with Destination Development International’s (DDI) research and recommendations, the public outcry could be heard even here in Reno – several miles away.  Many could not believe that public funds (reportedly $114,000) were spent on such a campaign awarded to an out-of-state agency.  Some, like me, wondered how they would accomplish repositioning The Rail City as “Nevada’s Festival City”, expense aside.  I believe hiring an out-of-market agency is a smart move as they can provide perspective often difficult to find within the community itself.

Then came allegations that the concept was not entirely unique, while a debate ensued over why it would be necessary to rename several of the City’s landmarks and community centers, including the Sparks Marina and central Victorian Square.

Needless to say, the announced “Nevada’s Festival City” drew criticism from many community stakeholders, although the process itself included several key representatives to help participate (and guide) the new brand’s development.

This week, Sparks’ “Brand Leadership Team” (or “BLT” – which, I have to say, could use a new name itself), proposed and adopted part of the recommended campaign direction, the tag line – “It’s Happening Here”.

Currently, the City “famous” for its festivals and events hosts some 60 annual event days throughout the year – from the large Rib Cook Off to much smaller endeavors.  The goal, according to this new campaign, is to develop up to 200 event days by 2013.  Many have seen this an unattainable in today’s current economy, and certainly not within Sparks’ capacity as a City to achieve.  Many question the four to five year plan that is to provide the time and infrastructure development needed to achieve this events based goal.

I met very briefly with Sparks officials off record to review this initiative before it was presented to the Council for approval.  And in that short meeting, noted the same problem I’ve personally had with this approach since its very inception.  I simply don’t believe that brand positioning should be based on an aspiration – but rather a leveraging of the best assets to promote the unique values of the company or product – in this case, the City of Sparks.  Sparks, if you’ve ever been there, IS unique in so many ways, but yet they aspire to “build” their brand perception rather than leverage what they currently offer visitors.

In the presentation given to me, the Brand Leadership Team notes that “branding (is) what you want to be known for”, while “development (is) what you have to do to ‘own’ the brand”.  While I understand the intent of those statements, my concern is one of timing in this overall effort – and the urgency to create a believable brand message that can be readily adopted by stakeholders and the target audience.  Once again, I’m reminded by the presentation that “Brands are earned.  You NEVER ‘roll out’ a brand”.  Personally, I can’t agree with that, which was the basis of the controversy to begin with this past February during DDI’s initial release.  Once you begin announcing your brand position – even in an informal announcement to media – you’ve “rolled it out” for review.  It may not be the anticipated brand experience or perception, but you’ve let your audience know what you intend to be known for, and invite questions and comments to that projected brand platform.  You (including municipalities) ARE a brand – the key is to leverage your unique values to your advantage.  Quit trying to be percieved as something you’re not – or worse yet – may not be able to achieve before the “promise” rings untrue.

I believe Sparks officials understand (and accept) the limitations of the 26 recommendations produced by DDI.  The BLT used these recommendations and research as a “guidebook”, and “a starting point in creating a brand” for Sparks.  I question the validity of those recommendations if they did not result in a sound brand platform that could be readily adopted by City officials – and Sparks’ stakeholders; including business and residents.  After all, the research came from those key groups, so why were they so openly rejected when reported?  That may be “water under the bridge” at this point, and the work of positioning Sparks as a viable, enticing place to visit still remains.

While “It’s Happening Here” may seem (to some) like a lackluster attempt to position the community with any memorable value – it may also provide the ambiguous positioning needed if the campaign’s infrastructure to support it cannot be produced in time.  And time will tell.  Personally, I don’t think the campaign’s tag line invites interest or investigation – but that’s solely my opinion.

In the meantime, our regional tourism authority, the RSCVA works diligently on a similar branding effort – but with very different results to date.  I believe they’re on the right track in retaining the San Francisco agency, Mortar, to develop a unique brand platform and message that will resonate with our target tourism market, while providing the kind of creative energy and momentum to carry the campaign from its intended launch in early 2010 for many years to come.

Given the 11 year decline in tourism to our region, can Sparks afford to wait four or five years to achieve its brand promise?  And in the end, will Sparks be able to depend on 200 event days a year to provide businesses and residents with the kind of tourism dollars to reverse the past decade of trending?

What do you think about these latest developments for Sparks’ brand today…and tomorrow?

Bigger Isn’t Always Better – The New Agency Paradigm

As the economy seems to hit hard in our region now, we’ve been seeing a new trend in advertising agency developments – the “virtual agency”. Large to small agencies that once flourished with as few as 5 to as many as 60 staff have all cut back in both size and operations.

With this new moniker comes a kind of subtle embarrassment – as if being a virtual agency is surrender to “real” agency status. These newly reduced agencies are obviously not proud of their new found reductions, and often refer to the non-centralized operations as “an experiment”, or a “temporary downsizing”. The virtual model rips apart the dynamics that traditionally operate at big ad agencies.

Given our technology-assisted ability to effectively manage both projects and clients via non-centralized tools and resources, we SmartBrander’s are a bit perplexed at this subtle perception of status. As a collaborative agency for since our beginnings in 2006, the “virtual” structure has worked perfectly for our teams – and our clients. Granted there have been minor challenges at times, and nothing replaces face-to-face meetings with clients and partners (which we continue to have). But overall, our “virtual” structure was the very reason we formed SmartBrand – and it works.

It’s true that the long hallways or conference rooms full of awards help clients and prospects breath a sigh of relief that their investment in the firm is a sound decision. Those of us with similar awards in boxes don’t have the need or space to display our accolades. Frankly, I find awards to be self-serving, and often subjective and pointless (depending on the type of award). But they do make great doorstops and file dividers in a pinch. I’m not degrading awards, but they often do not measure the effectiveness of the agency’s work – but rather the creativity that is judged by other creatives rather than other client types. We have ample amounts of awards and recognitions among our virtual team to support the “award winning” claim – but find those accolades are best served to our clients than to our prospects.

However, if I had say, ten million dollars to spend on a brand – I’d look first to the large, proven agencies because of their ability to provide the kind of scaled attention to protect that investment. But in these days of tightening budgets, and hesitant economies, those with larger-than-life communications budgets are not investing with the same kind of confidence they did just two years ago.

Is this the time for the virtual agency to become mainstream? If you were to consider working with a virtual agency – what differences would you be willing to accept as part of that relationship, if any?

Ten “Easy” Questions About Social Media

I was asked to participate in a panel presentation today about social media with two other savvy individuals – Tommy Inglis of Xpositioning and Dr. Bret L. Simmons  from Positive Organizational Behavior.  The three of us sat in front of a fairly young crowd – I’d say 40-50 people total, with a daunting task.  Answering these ten questions:

1. What are the best tactics to use?
2. How do I measure the effectiveness of social media?
3. Where do I start?
4. How do I manage the social balance?
5. What are the best sites and tools out there?
6. How do I make the most of my available time?
7. How do I find and focus my efforts on my target audience?
8. How do I convert my social media marketing efforts into tangible results?
9. How do I cohesively tie different social media efforts together?
10. Does social media marketing work, and if so, how effective is it?

Each of us approached these questions from our own, unique perspectives.  Tommy’s work with Xpositioning is very focused on social media for businesses.  Dr. Simmons, as you can see from his site, is an accomplished advocate of leadership and management skills and processes, while I think I represented a more overall marketing-centric approach to social media.

What fascinated me was our agreement on so many key levels.  First, establishing a strong brand platform and message before venturing out to any social media campaign.  And secondly, tailoring that campaign to very specific markets with a consistency in messaging and process to build a community around the brand.

I had to seek a bit of clarification for a few of them in order to position my answer correctly, as some of the questions are very broad in scope.  A few terms, like “tactics” could mean quite a few things – but our discussion helped clarify the context of the question itself.

All this lead to my wondering…how would you answer these basic ten questions about social media today?

Sustainable Energy and Communities Summit Hosted In Reno October 16th

One of our innovative collaborations, REA250, is proud to volunteer our efforts to facilitate this important renewable energy discussion.  Tickets are $10, $8 for Nevada Museum of Art members.  Seating is limited.  Tickets can be purchased online in advance at the NMA online ticket office.

About
Regional and national business, education, community, and arts leaders converge at the Nevada Museum of Art for a half-day summit charting Northern Nevada’s course toward developing new vibrant communities growing out of the arts, sustainable energy businesses and economies, workforce education and training initiatives, and the environment in the twenty-first century.

Why
As the nation begins to recover from the current economic downturn, the only precedent for which is the Great Depression, Northern Nevada is poised to lead the way to recovery in a New Economy based on clean, sustainable, and renewable energy; strong, effective businesses that create good jobs and foster long term economic prosperity; and rich environments in the arts, education, and the outdoors.

Why the Nevada Museum of Art
As a catalyst for innovation, education, and economic development, the Nevada Museum of Art plays a powerful role in creating a vibrant community fabric by initiating and convening dialogue around important civic issues such as sustainable energy.

Format
Four panels—one each on art, environment, business, and workforce training and education—followed by a keynote address delivered by Chevron Energy Solutions CEO Jim Davis, address how art, business, education, and environment each serve as catalysts for stimulating a new paradigm in Northern Nevada’s culture and economy.

Keynote Address
Jim Davis, CEO of Chevron Energy Solutions (CES), will present a keynote address about the prospects for expanding and sustaining renewable energy programs in Nevada. Chevron Energy Solutions (CES) is one of the world’s leading energy efficiency and renewable energy services companies and the largest developer of solar power solutions for education facilities in North America.

Joan Myers: Western Power
Photographer Joan Myers recognizes that as consumers we often take the source of our power supply for granted, paying little attention to how energy is generated and distributed. In her series of panoramic photographs, Western Power, Myers makes visible a range of power plants—fueled by uranium, oil, gas, coal, water, solar, wind, and geothermal energy—throughout the Western United States. The photographs in this exhibition are a part of the Nevada Museum of Art’s Carol Franc Buck Altered Landscape photography collection.

EXHIBITION DETAILS Joan Myers: Western Power features six platinum palladium photographic prints in the Museum’s Prim Theater Gallery. The exhibition is organized by Ann M. Wolfe, and accompanies the Nevada Museum of Art Sustainable Energy and Communities Summit organized
by Colin M. Robertson on Friday, October 16, 2009. Joan Myers, Solar Troughs, Kramer Junction, 1999/2002, platinum palladium print with watercolor Collection of Nevada Museum of Art, The Altered Landscape, Carol Franc Buck Collection

Panel 1: Art and Architecture

Moderator: Colin Robertson, Curator of Education, Nevada Museum of Art

Objectives: a) to launch the Summit and one of its central ideas—that vibrant communities are created through networks connecting the arts, education, and business; b) to express the ways in which art and architecture, and the modes of artistic practice artists and architects use every day, catalyze cultural and therefore environmental change; c) to address the ways in which art can precipitate dialogue about renewable, sustainable energy
Panelists: Heather Lineberry, Interim Director, Arizona State University Art Museum; Don Clark, AIA, Cathexes Architecture; Christine Fey, City of Reno Arts and Culture Manager; Dr. Howard Rosenberg, Chair, University of Nevada Department of Art

Panel 2: Community and Environment

Moderator: Colin Robertson, Curator of Education, Nevada Museum of Art Objectives: a) to illustrate how the physical environment of
Nevada functions as a kind of catalyst for technological innovation in renewable energy production, making Nevada the environment for building new communities and economies based on clean energy; b) to present the ways in which Reno, specifically, and Nevada, in general, are utilizing the physical environment, institutional and intellectual resources, and organizational and community leaders to effect lasting change in the socio-economic and cultural fabric of the region through sustainable energy evolution; and c) to demonstrate that Nevada’s business and educational environments can foster long-term economic prosperity and the conditions necessary for strong, vibrant communities and environmental sustainability

Panelists: Philip Satre, Chairman of the Board of Directors, NV Energy; Jason Geddes, City of Reno Environmental Services Administrator; Dr. Steve Wells, President, Desert Research Institute; Stacy Crowley, AIA, LEED, Kiley Ranch Communities

Panel 3: Business and Sustainable Energy Business Incubators
Moderator: Jill Derby or Susan Clark Objectives: a) to demonstrate how Nevada is using safe havens, business incubators and accelerators to create the conditions for innovation and competition essential to stimulating new economic drivers in industries cultivating opportunities in renewable and sustainable energy sectors; b) to address the ways in which business and institutions of higher education are working together to precipitate a surge of businesses and future business leaders committed to lasting energy sustainability, independence, and efficiency

Panelists: Dr. Thomas Harris, University of Nevada, Reno; Fred Sibayan, CEO, Vortex IP; Amy Berry, Manager of Corporate Communications, Mariah Power; James Croce, President/CEO, Nevada Institute for Renewable Energy Commercialization

Panel 4: Education and Workforce Training
Moderator: Susan Clark
Objectives: a) to demonstrate that education and workforce training in new technologies is essential to creating the conditions that will yield successful businesses in an economy revolving around renewable and sustainable energy; b) to illustrate that Nevada’s institutions of higher education are ready to begin training and education programs in collaboration with labor organizations to prepare  workforces for new job opportunities in sustainable energyrelated industries, and supporting the successes of businesses in a new energy economic paradigm

Panelists: Dr. Ted Plaggemeyer, Dean of Math, Science, Technology & Engineering, Truckee Meadows Community College; Danny Thompson, Executive Secretary/Treasurer, Nevada State AFL-CIO; Larry Mosley, Director, Nevada Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation

RSCVA To Author Revised Reno-Tahoe Campaign Tag Line

In a somewhat uncomfortable turn of events, the RSCVA Board did not approve the proposed “A Little West Of Center” tag line in this morning’s meeting.  Prematurely, yesterday’s post assumed that the stakeholders had been vetted, and the process of approval was nothing more than a formality.  Certainly, the Reno-Gazette Journal made note of the campaign’s pending approval as though the information may have been provided to them by the agency directly.  Not so.

While the strategy and basis of the new brand positioning was already approved, the Board did accept an important part of the proposed new campaign’s tag line: “A Little West of Center”.  However, the year’s worth of research was adopted and accepted – but there were many who simply could not understand or accept the campaign’s slogan.  This is an issue that can be fixed – and quickly.

Mayor Cashell, in a rather shocking turn of events, wagged his finger at the agency’s Marketing Director, admonishing his comment that the region must stop “apologizing” for itself.

What struck me as odd was – how did the campaign get this far without vetting the key stakeholder’s approvals?  Certainly, the Mayor should have been given the time to review the campaign in great detail, and hopefully convinced of the strategy and creative long before a formal, public presentation.

Gaffes aside – the RSCVA and its San Francisco agency, Mortar should be commended for taking such bold steps to reposition our region in the face of 11 years of declining revenues.

Now comes the task of damage control – and stopping what must be a flow of criticism from the public who cannot fully appreciate the year of research and testing that has gone into the proposed new brand positioning campaign.

When they get this settled – we’ll all need to help support the cause.  The RSCVA and Mortar should be applauded for their hard work and creative thinking.  Certainly a tag line for this campaign will be resolved quickly, and we’ll begin the much needed work of promoting Reno as it really is – a fun, engaging, unique destination in the minds of our tourism market.

The Biggest Little City In The World Is “A Little West Of Center”

Photo courtesy of visitrenotahoe.com

For loyal followers of this blog, you are undoubtedly aware of my ongoing rants about the fact that our region has suffered from a lack of a credible brand position for over a decade.  While our team has had the opportunity to execute several campaigns for our region in the past, none seemed as exciting or engaging as what had been abandoned.  (Who could forget the insipid “Reno Reno, Twice As Friendly”?)  Clearly, the city’s claim of “The Biggest Little City In The World” still rings out at the most recognizable brand statement we’ve had, as it was adopted in 1929.

Seven years ago, the Reno Sparks Convention and Visitors Authority placed its bet on a positioning that I personally could never embrace – “America’s Adventure Place”.  At the time, the agency was under entirely different management, and to those who actively adopted the positioning, it may have seemed natural to turn our attention away from the region’s underlying perception to promote the natural beauty and varying types of activities that can be found here.

While we might have wanted to be seen as “America’s Adventure Place” – the claim was not only aspirational, but without partnered funding and a coordinated infrastructure to support it – unattainable.  True, we have many forms of adventure here regionally.  From outdoor recreation to indoor entertainment (and I sense your referencing brothels here), the brand positioning was something we all hoped might change the perception of Reno as a “second rate gambling town” to something a little more honorable and positive.

But as any marketing or advertising professional worth their fees will tell you – you can’t change the perception of a brand with a creative position that isn’t factual.  The public at large, who may have been initially intrigued by the campaign, clearly did not adopt it.  Lake Tahoe (which the RSCVA partially serves) may be thought of in that adventurous light – but certainly not Reno-Sparks.  As much as Lake Tahoe carries a positive image associated with its incredible beauty, it will always be a 45 minute drive from Reno-Sparks.  Tourists from northern California, our main drive-in market, understood this fact.  They’d been to Tahoe without ever visiting Reno-Sparks, and vice versa.  They are, for all intensive purposes, completely different destinations.

Lake Tahoe maintains its own destination brand, which has been perceived as an entirely separate than our valley.  We were, for lack of a better term, “adopting” brand equity from our region without communicating the real values we all know exist here in other forms.  “Reno-Tahoe” works for our airport because it serves that region.  But as the core of a campaign to promote tourism, it was obvious we were borrowing on Tahoe’s positive brand association by associating it (and it’s unique benefits) to our city’s image.

And so…for the past 11 years, our tourism economy has been on a steadily downward spiral; with little hope that we could ever achieve the kind of brand recognition Las Vegas has iconically adopted (“What Happens Here, Stays Here”).  In the recent economic downturn, this was a problem none of us could afford as a residents or businesses to continue promoting.

When the RSCVA began to investigate this positioning – a collective sigh of relief (for many of us) was replaced with a gasp and (almost literally) holding of our breath.  We knew instinctively that getting it wrong again could well be the death knell to our rapidly failing casino/gaming based economy.  SmartBrand’s team discussed and debated this frequently, before and after the process began; and did our best to stay hopeful they would uncover a suitable solution.  With the proliferation of Indian gaming across the nation – we were no longer unique in our offering, and certainly not as convenient for those who enjoyed betting against the house.

We knew we were…to put it politely…uniquely odd.  We also knew that the general public had a perception of our region that wasn’t in-line with reality.  We were not, as many might think, the ugly sister to Las Vegas (a mere 480 miles away).  Nor were we so aligned with our own internal operations that we could claim to be “America’s Adventure Place”.  In a word – Reno is “quirky”.

With new RSCVA management came increasing expectations for greater results – yet they were saddled with a brand position that couldn’t be sold with confidence.  And so they embarked nearly a year ago to simply conduct an assessment of that positioning, which we all hoped might result in today’s announcement – the adoption of a campaign that was believable, and hopefully – unique enough to reflect our existing traits and assets.

Our sister city, Sparks Nevada, recently undertook a similar campaign repositioning… but with disasterous results.  Would The RSCVA fall victim to the same rehashed, unbelievable recommendations from the “big city agency”?  Would Reno find a path to the truths behind our region that could be marketable?  I personally didn’t have a great deal of hope – and I’m glad to report…I was wrong.

Although we were not invited to participate in the proposal process, the RSCVA wisely chose a very capable team in Mortar – a San Francisco based brand firm.  Finally – an agency that honestly understands the process of developing brands without preconditions and ego-centric recommendations.  With Mortar’s guidance, the RSCVA embarked on an aggressive effort to discover current perception in the target drive-in marketplace, then address those current perceptions with a strategy to leverage current thinking to a new reality – one based in fact and not catchy creativity.

While more than $111,000 was invested into the marketing study, the results of their research and creative has resulted in today’s annnounced and adopted positioning… “A Little West Of Center”.  The development of this position is just the tip of the budget iceberg, as the campaign is projected to cost  between $4 and $5 million when it is launched early next year.  This is a substantial investment by all the stakeholders in our region, and is certainly one we cannot afford to squander without both public and private support.

Results will not be immediately apparent.  Add that to what could be an expected public outcry that our city’s brand may not be entirely “pretty”, and the road ahead will be a tough one to navigate. Residents will not easily adopt this change, nor will they understand that the campaign need not be the usual lovely golf course and ski resort images of days past.  There may be a great debate ahead about the appropriateness of the imagery and creative direction.  Eventually, I hope they come to see this new effort as a reflection of our region’s true benefits, and not a personal statement about their singular lifestyle here.

And so, here is our chance to promote our region in a believable way.  And that, for me, is long overdue.

What do you think about this new campaign for our region?  Before you answer, try to think like the target drive-in market of northern California – not a resident.  Do you think this will work to benefit our region?

Cashing In On Kindness

At first, it seemed like a tried-and-true idea – aligning a shopping mall brand with good will.  In today’s tough economy, the standard “come to our mall” pitch wouldn’t likely work; especially in light of the fact that a much larger destination with highly recognizable brand name stores was about to open in the same community.

“Through ‘Kindness Is Your Currency,’ we will reward people who already spend time and money to support organizations in our community,” said Larry Hunt, Property Manager of The Summit. “But more importantly, we want to encourage others to be kind as well. These are challenging times and we want people to focus on the positive, get out and help each other.”  The campaign could be monitored through their “Kindness Is Your Currency” website, a Facebook page, twitter account and “numerous Reno blogs”.

A shopping mall dedicating its resources to create a campaign that encourages and acknowledges random acts of kindness?  Shocking, in a way, given the tough economic climate we’re all facing – let alone the advancement of real competition in the retail market locally.

I applaud The Summit for engaging their agency to do something different that might have a positive effect on us all.  The launch of their “Kindness Is Your Currency” campaign was both brave and innovative.

But then came the monetary payoffs for this random kindness:

They were never shy about this pay-off aspect of the campaign, and made it perfectly clear at the onset that not only is kindness a currency, but that you could be rewarded with shopping incentives for engaging acts of kindness in your daily life.

“Karma Cards” were  issued to individuals “caught in the act” of kind deeds.  These Karma Cards, unsurprisingly are retail marketing mechanisms to drive traffic to their retailers: 15% off coupons at Dillard’s, etc.  In addition, they also served as “drawing tickets” for final prizes that include The Summit gift cards, a top prize of $3,000, two $1,000 prizes and two $500 prizes.

So there you have it.  Kindness is apparently a physical currency as well.  Be kind to your fellow wo/man, and you might be rewarded with cash and prizes.  What kind of message is that about those acts of kindness that go unrewarded?  What motivation might inspire new acts of kindness based on the desire to be recognized?

As an avid supporter of non-profits, with a deep personal appreciation for the rules of Karma, I’m conflicted about this whole retail manipulation of something that should be ingrained in our personalities – and not positioned as a promotional campaign for a shopping mall.

While they may have their retail oriented hearts in the right place – why is it necessary to physically reward anyone with shopping money for something we should all do as part of our daily lives without compensation?  Doesn’t it take a bit away from the Pay It Forward philosophy that the act is the reward itself?

If I follow the logic, the reason I may now engage in a random act of kindness is in hope that I’ll be recognized on the campaign’s site and be physically rewarded with cash?  What does that say about those acts of kindness that are done without expectation of reward and return?  Granted – this is retail, and you can’t simply have a “do good” campaign out there for the sake of promoting goodness – there must be a financial payoff.  But is that a smart marketing position for a retail mall to take, however altruistic its intent may have been?

A shopping facility of this size and nature must spend its marketing and advertising dollars wisely; and they’ve dedicated a great deal of budget and energy to positioning themselves as the “kindness” place to shop.  But I’m concerned that this kind of positioning may not be sustainable – and kindness may run its campaign course when the chill of the holiday shopping season arrives.  Will kindness be tossed aside for the consumer dollar then?  And if it’s not sustainable – does it make The Summit appear as though they leveraged good deeds for the sake of short-term retail sales?

As I mentioned, I’m conflicted here, and welcome your thoughts and perspective on this effort – whether positive or negative.  What do you think about this campaign?

Bing’s Boom

According to Efficient Frontier,  a self-proclaimed worldwide market and technology leader providing search engine marketing (SEM) solutions, the total number of clicks performed by users on Microsoft Bing increased by 45% since the search engine’s June 2009 launch.

Granted, you’d expect a new product to be initially tried given the media blitz Microsoft has spent millions to launch.  But the increase in numbers is impressive.

Comparatively,  Efficient Frontier also notes  that the increase in clickshare for Bing was mostly gained at the fall of Google which reportedly lost 1.4% of its share, while Yahoo! took a smaller hit of 0.63%.

“The $100 million marketing budget for the launch of Bing alongside its new look and feel has obviously has some effect on the number of searches performed on the engine,” said Client Services Director at Efficient Frontier, Jonathan Beeston.

“Microsoft’s new category focused Bing features may have helped them capture more of the seasonal summer travel searching and the additional query volume related to the stock market recovery.”

He added, “Change doesn’t happen overnight but if trends continue, Microhoo might pose a very real threat to Google. The data provides a positive outlook for Bing and hope for real competition amongst the engines.”

So…the initial numbers are out, and Bing is gaining ground on the competition.

Have you had the opportunity to use Bing frequently?  If so…what do you think about this new type of search engine?