Addicted to Twitter

As I mentioned in a previous post, posting your every thought on the popular networking site can get you in trouble. But some people have admitted that they are addicted to the site and can’t stop Twittering.

According to an Adweek poll, Twittering is increasingly part of mainstream culture. In fact, some ad world CEOs have joined in on the fun such as JWT's Bob Jeffrey, AKQA's Tom Bedecarre, EVB's Daniel Stein, Deep Focus' Ian Schafer and Big Spaceship's Michael Lebowitz. These top CEOs have taken the opportunity to promote themselves and their agencies. Additionally, they’ve admitted that they find Twittering just plain fun. "I can lose myself in it," said Lebowitz, whose "bigspaceship" account has nearly 3,000 followers.

It seems as though people need to filter and re-read their Tweets before posting them. Tweets and status updates can spread beyond your inner circle of friends and family to competitors and frenemies. According to the article, Ketchum director James Andrews also threw caution to the wind when, in January, upon landing in client FedEx's home city of Memphis, Tenn., he Tweeted, "True confession, but I'm in one of those towns where I scratch my head and say, 'I would die if I had to live here.'" FedEx, needless to say, was not amused. (Relations between the two are now fine.)

Not only do people need to filter their Tweets, they need to be as transparent as possible and sensitive to the fact that current and potential clients are out there reading and listening. No client would feel comfortable if their agency of record or account team were Twittering about client-sensitive information.

I agree with Marian Salzman, CMO for Porter Novelli, when she says, "It's public communications, so you're still very aware.” She described herself as ‘obsessed’ with Twitter. "[CEOs] just have to realize that [Tweetering] is very different than talking to a close inner circle."

Although Twitter is a less formal medium of communication in the business world, readers are still disgesting CEOs comments and forming their own intepretations of the Tweets. CEOs and management need to be aware of this and understand how these messages are portraying their businesses.

The Power of CEOs

While times are tough, consumers are not making as many purchases and are concerned about how they spend every dollar. In these tough times, it’s interesting to see how consumers feel about their favorite brands and what comes to play when they actually make a purchase. Is price the major factor? Are they loyal to the brand and purchase its’ products despite the dismal economy? Do they pay attention to advertising? And if they do pay attention to advertising, do they like it when CEOs participate?

Over the years, there have been countless companies that have used CEOs in their advertising campaign. CEOs such as, Charles Schwab, Dave Thomas of Wendy’s, Frank Perdue of Perdue Farms, Dan Hesse of Sprint and Warren Buffet of Geico have either appeared on television or in print campaigns. While prominent and confident CEOs have taken the spotlight in recent years, an Adweek article has raised the red flag that companies should rethink this strategy.

“These CEOs have chosen an interesting time to be in the spotlight. With the news filled with images of overpaid executives flying corporate jets to Washington, D.C., as they plead for government assistance to keep their companies afloat, no CEO at a major corporation-even those not related to the banking or car industries-can count on any goodwill coming his or her way,” said Eleftheria Parpis, the writer of the article. Additionally the article refers to a recent Opinion Dynamics poll from Fox News. The poll found that 73% of respondents felt corporate CEOs were not honest or ethical.

Despite the poll and the state of the economy, several companies are still using high-level executives in their advertising campaigns. As I was reading this article, I found myself wavering back and forth as to whether I thought it was a good idea to have CEOs front and center. As a worker bee in the corporate world, I admire high level executives and firmly believe their statements and opinions when it comes to the company’s mission and dealing with the ever-changing world around us. On the other hand, I can understand how so many consumers are weary of CEOs based on the recent events pertaining to the financial world. The CEO is the ultimate decision-maker and is supposed to have a tight grip on all aspects of the business. This type of thinking and assumption is why so many Americans, including myself, are confused and frustrated as to how things got so bad.

Advertising and media agencies will continue to be creative when it comes to building campaigns for their clients. Although using CEOs might have been successful in the past, there is evidence that people are weary and suspicious of these high-level executives. One can only hope that the agency is well informed about the rumblings on the street and are aware of how the consumers feel about the company and industry as a whole. A true test would be asking consumers how they feel about certain companies and CEOs to gauge interest. Putting aside pictures in an ad campaign, I can promise you that if people saw certain CEOs of financial institutions out on the street they might not be too happy.

Not all CEOs have sneaky and selfish goals up their sleeves. Case in point, Dave Thomas built his multi-billion dollar fast-food restaurant chain from the ground up, earning him a reputation as one of the most successful and loved entrepreneurs in American history. He is also known for appearing in more than 800 commercial advertisements for the chain from 1989 to 2002–more than any other person in television history. Now something has got to be said for a CEO that has appeared that many times in commercials.

In memory of Dave Thomas, here is an oldie but goody:

What have you done for me lately?

A day in the life of a “Manhattanite” can make your head spin when it comes comprehending every brand message. While in grad school, a professor asked the class to track the number of brand messages we encountered in the course of one day. Tracking this one day was an eye opening experience for me. There were an infinite amount of touch points such as billboards, magazine stands, bus advertisements, television, radio, subway advertisements and many more. On a cold Monday morning, I encountered all these touch points before I stepped foot into my office building. As I turned on my computer to begin a normal work day, the frenzy continued. Other touch points I came across were emails, e-newsletters, websites, magazines and word-of-mouth.

The end result of the exercise was obvious. There are a ton of companies and brands sending out messages to consumers in a variety of ways. Although I was aware of my surroundings and the brand messages, there were times when I simply did not care to pay attention because they were irrelevant to me or the timing was inconvenient. So how do the worthy messages stay put in your brain and then encourage you to take action? My findings lead me to believe that brands need to do a better job of reaching consumers and more importantly, inspiring them. Ultimately, the key ingredients that increase the impact and satisfaction of the media messages are timing, placement, personalization and targeting.

There are some companies and brands that do an excellent job of targeting their consumers, as well as communicating the right message at the right time. My favorite company that does a great job of all of the above is Banana Republic. In 2008, the brand celebrated its 30th anniversary and made sure to let consumers know that they are listening to their needs and wants in the fashion industry. From an urban, chic safari feel, to adventurous and classy in the big city, Banana offers fun, flirty, affordable and sophisticated clothes. I find all my work clothes and evening attire in this one store as well as on their website. That being said, when I was asked to sign up for their credit card and receive wonderful benefits and perks, I gladly signed up. Banana welcomed me to their store with a letter and various coupons. Additionally, I got coupons to their sister stores such as Old Navy and the Gap. In fact, they were so excited to get me as a customer that they make sure to send me emails on a weekly basis about all the new trends and styles. Getting a coupon is only part of the excuse for a shopping spree.

For a glimpse of how Banana celebrated the 30th anniversary, check out this video:


Since I’ve become a brand loyalist to a distinct selection of stores and brands, I thought I would take the time to give my opinion on what the basic necessities are for retaining a customer and ultimately, making them a best customer.

My three tips for retaining best customers:
1. Welcome me to the “family.” Since there are plenty of similar stores, companies and brands out there, tell me the benefits of being part of this family.
2. Say ‘thanks’ for spending my hard-earned money at your store. Also keep me informed about new items, sales and store openings.
3. Reward me. Send me coupons via email and mail. The store knows what I bought so other suggestions based on my previous selections would be helpful.

Likewise, there are also brands that do not do a good job of communicating with their customers. First up on the chopping block is Citibank. But that explanation and rant is for a different day. Stay tuned.