Joe Paterno & Reputation: A Lesson for All of Us

When Joe Paterno was fired from Penn State Football and used as a scapegoat for the failings of several Penn State administrators, I stayed quiet. This blog was not the place for that discussion.

Now that Coach Paterno has died, I feel like I must say something. His story gives us valuable lessons in character and in reputation (or what we marketers call brand). What’s scary is his story also teaches us how forces much greater than ourselves can disrupt and seriously damage your brand, your reputation, and you may not be able to do much about it.

That’s why character and consistency matter most. Stay true to who you are at all times and people respond well to that, especially in crisis.

As a former Penn Stater, I can tell you that Joe Paterno was a man of outstanding character. His name, his presence, his influence was everywhere at that institution. And he quietly gave money, time or advice to almost anyone who needed it.

For the past few months, Penn State University has been trying to destroy that brand, that man. Why? To protect their own asses and because they know the most visible man at that school is JoePa—a man big enough to hide behind. Despicable that they decided to do that and worse that ESPN, Sports Illustrated and other prominent news organizations fed the fire.

There is no evidence that Joe Paterno did anything wrong. There’s no evidence he knew what Sandusky was doing while employed under him. He was not the man who gave Sandusky permission to use Penn State facilities after retiring. He didn’t witness anything and did exactly what he was supposed to do when Mike McQueary, the actual witness, gave him an incomplete recount of what he saw. But, when you listen to the Board, to ESPN, Sports Illustrated or the news, they all focus on Paterno.

And what did Paterno do? He stayed quiet. He stayed true to his character and his focus on others and reminded people that he would be okay, just “pray for those kids.” Classic JoePa. For as much positive attention as he always received, he also always deflected it and gave credit to others or downplayed his influence.

Urban Meyer, talking to ESPN after Paterno’s death, mentioned a rumor that Paterno kept a rotary phone. The lesson? To take time, take a deep breath before you react to something. Wise advice—something Joe Paterno was full of.

O.J. McDuffie (former PSU wide receiver) recounted memories of a “father figure” who turned boys into men and remembered everything that was important in your life.

Adam Taliaferro (former PSU football player) spoke of a “caring, honest man” who “always had your best interest at heart.”

This is not a man who would knowingly let someone he knew harm others—especially kids. This is not a man who deserved to be disowned by the very institution he helped build.

Paterno had every right to lash out, to blast the Board and the school for its own inaction and for their recent decisions. Every news outlet around mentioned his name more closely with child molestation than they did Jerry Sandusky’s.

Students rioted, alumni lashed out at the Board, yet Joseph Vincent Paterno—staying true to who he was and confident in his own character and the reputation he built—stayed quiet. Even when Sally Jenkins of The Washington Post gave him the opportunity to bash his detractors, he stayed classy and respectful. One final tremendous lesson he granted us all in the days before passing away.

There’s enough yelling and finger-pointing in this world, and it’s making us all ugly. Coach Paterno knew the secret to being a beautiful human being. He wasn’t perfect, but he was perfectly true. We Penn Staters don’t worship him, we admire him, know him and love him. He earned that in word and deed.

He said, “Believe deep down in your heart that you’re destined to do great things.” I would add, “and don’t worry what anyone else thinks. Just stay consistent and true to you and your own heart.” And maybe get a rotary phone.

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The Paterno family as a whole has shown how full of class they are. Read their statement on Joe Paterno’s death. Note they ask that in lieu of flowers, they ask that donations be made to Special Olympics of Pennsylvania or Penn State’s THON fundraiser for kids with cancer.

Target’s On the Dot is On the Mark

An e-mail landed in my inbox last week that made me instantly take a tumble. No, I didn’t fall. Target piqued my curiosity so much that I instantly clicked through to their new feature on Tumblr—On the Dot.

On the Dot is a sort of blogazine—my word, for now. It’s an informative little online style magazine, complete with features from big names in the fashion industry—like Nina Garcia and Jason Wu, in this month’s issue.

Target is not the first brand to interact with customers on Tumblr. In fact, fashion brands are already doing similar things (see The Bergdorf Goodman Swipe). What makes Target’s move brilliant is that they picked a seemingly perfect spot.

According to Quantcast, 55 percent of Tumblr users are under 34 years old, and another 30 percent are between ages 35 and 49. The average income of Tumblrs seems to be in Target’s sweet spot as well, with a low to middle class economic rating.

Sounds like Target’s perfect target audience. Tumblr is a great place to interact with and engage that audience. And with built-in tagging and sharing capabilities, the content they post is easier to find and more spreadable than many other social sites.

Customer/fan inclusion

Target not only offers customers value, but they also value their customers. It’s apparent in many moves they make, and this move on Tumblr is no different.

Like other Tumblr users and brands are doing, Target has found a fun way to integrate the very popular Instagram, offering fans a chance to be included in an upcoming issue of On the Dot.

“Want to be featured?” they ask. “Complete one of our style missions on Instagram and you may be next month’s Fave Find.”

Nice idea and pretty easy to do.

Final thoughts

Tumblr is quickly going from a small, fun platform for people to post quick thoughts, photos and blogs, to an important place for brands to be and interact with their target audiences.

In the era of the social web, successful brands stay fresh and creative and stay in tune with what their audience wants.

Target is doing that, time and time again.

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Read more about Tumblr’s rising popularity on SocialMediaMarketing.com and CNN. Also, check out Mashable’s HOW TO: Build Your Brand on Tumblr.

State of Confusion — State Farm Advertising

What is going on with State Farm? Do they understand brand?

They have a bunch of commercials out, but there seems to be no overall strategy. Okay, I admit, I think they have one, based on their “See the ways State Farm gets you to a better state” tagline. But, does it work?

Other than their tagline, there’s no obvious link to their currently airing commercials. You’d have to know each commercial’s title to even think they’re linked.

State of Chaos

First, and probably most offensive, is their blatant (and poor) ripoff of Allstate’s tight stream of Mayhem commercials. See what you think of State Farm’s State of Chaos.

State of Anonymity

This ad is an example of how you’d need to know the title to catch the link. Plus, it’s also much more different and serious in tone than all the other “State” commercials.

Their YouTube copy under this video gives a great explanation of the thinking behind the ads. Unfortunately, the ads aren’t cohesive enough to give you that same impression.

There’s also State of Unrest, which has a wife catching her husband talking to their State Farm agent at 3:00 a.m. And State of Confusion may be their silliest yet, showing men walking down the street with odd items (knight’s armor, a falcon) they bought with money they saved from State Farm.

State of Imitation

And finally, there are the relatively new commercials with Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers and the “discount double-check.” I love Aaron Rodgers, but this one is almost as goofy as the falcon ad.

So now you’ve seen all (well, most) of the evidence. What is your verdict? Smart marketing or complete state of chaos?

Oh yeah, and don’t forget, their Magic Jingle ads are still airing too. People in trouble sing “Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there,” and their agent appears, ready to help.

Maybe I’m biased—I do love Allstate’s Mayhem ads. But I just think State Farm’s strategy is all over the place right now. And I don’t think “Get to a better state” is resonating enough because of that.

Resolutions for Marketers in 2012

I’m not big on making specific resolutions for the new year, but I do take time to reflect and see what’s working and what’s not both in my personal and professional life. It’s a great habit to get into on a regular basis, not just once each year.

So, marketers—especially CMOs (Chief Marketing Officers)—what are your plans for 2012?

5 Resolutions to Bring Marketing Success in 2012

1. Listen to your customers more.

Technology and social networks continue to make it easier than ever to listen to your customers. You have no excuse for not knowing what your customers want. Focus groups are no longer the most powerful tools in your hand.

Many social networks (like Facebook and LinkedIn) let you conduct polls on as many topics as you want. SurveyMonkey allows you to poll customers in even greater depth. There are many tools you can use. The point is you should use them to your advantage.

Beyond polling, your employees who manage the social networks for your company can use all sorts of filters on each network to find out what people are talking about. Even better, platforms like Radian6 and Alterian do the listening for you, compiling comments and posts from across many networks.

I repeat, you have no excuse for not knowing what your customers think and want.

2. Learn how to speak the language of your customers.

No customer wants to hear about verticals, synergies or continuums. Listen to the words your customers use. Use those same words when you speak to them. Get rid of marketing jargon once and for all.

The more simply you speak, the easier it is for people to hear—especially among all the other noise out there. If you want to be heard, you don’t have to be the loudest, you just have to be the most clear.

3. Create the ideal marketing department.

Do you really have the right distribution of strengths and skills throughout your marketing department? Or is your marketing department still structured the same as it was in the 1980s or ‘90s?

Your marketing department should be full of people who understand three things—technology, human behavior and communication.

You need at least one person (ideally, more) who not only understands new technology quickly, but also keeps up on all the latest developments and can readily inform you and the rest of the marketing team. Being quick to adapt is crucial in this new age of marketing.

Communicators are also key. Your team must be able to understand and communicate well with all types of audiences. The immediacy of social networking requires communicators who can engage, entertain and stay calm under pressure.

4. Listen to your employees more.

Your employees are already on social networks in their free time (and while working). Use their expertise, even if they’re not in your marketing department. The best ideas often come from those who know what it’s like to be a customer and have good and bad experiences to share.

Find people most excited to spread the word about your company and let them. Marketing can be easily taught—personality and enthusiasm, not so much.

5. Don’t try to do it all.

Just because a social network exists doesn’t mean you have to be on it. Choose your channels wisely. (For more info, see: Which Social Media Channels Should Your Business Use?)

Consider the following:

• Where is your audience hanging out?
• Where is your audience engaging most?
• Do you have the resources to handle the channels you choose?
• If you could only handle one channel well, which would that be?

Don’t be afraid of only being on one social network. If that’s where your audience engages most, that one network might be enough.

And one more…

If you haven’t figured mobile out yet, you’re already behind. Hire designers, writers and technology experts who can start figuring out how to best reach your customers through mobile. With tablet and smartphone growth, you’ll need to have useful apps and promotions that appeal to customers rather than annoy. If you’re in retail, understanding this technology is even more important. So, get to it!

Good luck with all your resolutions this year!

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Photo provided by Kookkai_nak at FreeDigitalPhotos.net.

The Death of Innovation

With the holidays, my sister and nephew visiting and some other things going on for me this week, I decided to take the week off and repost one of my favorites (from Feb 2010). Hope you like it! To all my new readers, welcome! This will be new to you. Happy Holidays!!

It’s happening. Innovation is dying. Not the act of creating or introducing something truly innovative—the word itself. We are killing the meaning of it. True, the dictionary is as lazy as the rest of us—defining it merely as the introduction of something new. But innovation is more than that. Something that is truly innovative makes you say “wow.”

Don’t believe me? Did you notice Apple’s words introducing the iPad? “Our most advanced technology in a magical and revolutionary device at an unbelievable price.”

Why didn’t they call it innovative? Because innovative is like poison ivy at summer camp. It has spread all over the place, except it doesn’t make anyone want to scratch anymore.

Google innovative and you’ll see what I mean. There are innovative cell phone rate plans, innovative insurance agencies, innovative banks, innovative savings accounts, innovative computer workshops, innovative plays made by innovative athletes…I could go on and on.

Companies now have Chief Innovation Officers, Heads of Innovation, and, my favorite, a Senior Brand Manager, Innovation & Business Development. The job listing for this last position states (and I’m not kidding), “…is a very strategic innovation & business development position in our [type of] business requiring a dynamic innovation marketer.

Agree with me yet?

Apple does. They know innovative is tired and worn out. That’s why they called their new product “revolutionary.” Even though I don’t forsee corporate Heads of Revolution or Chief Revolutionary Officers, I give us three years (maybe two) before we beat the crap out of that word too.

Telling us your product is innovative (or revolutionary) seems forced. Besides, isn’t the crowd the ultimate judge?

If your product doesn’t make us say “wow,” it’s not innovative. And if you told us it was, you’ve just lost our trust—and probably our business too.

So, go ahead, be innovative. But don’t tell us. Show us. And, hey, try being relevant, convenient, efficient and effective. That all works too.

Emerging Interactive & Digital Media Trends in 2012

I’m sure you’ve seen many predictions already for social media and technology in 2012. Here’s your chance to add your thoughts.

There’s a great discussion taking place on LinkedIn (it’s been going for 4 months) in the Interactive & Digital Media group. It all started with the question:

What are the few new emerging interactive & digital media trends in the next 1-2 years?

Augmented reality

Forget the QR code (well, not yet). Augmented reality will eventually blow away QR codes.

Check out some of these iPhone apps that use augmented reality. They include:

• Golf range finder
• GPS and compass apps for hiking
• Sightseeing and travel guide apps

The detail and capabilities are what’s really exciting and impressive. We should see these capabilities explode in the next year or two or three.

Another interesting example is what the Moscow (Russia) Ministry of Internal Affairs did to try and improve road safety.

Near-field communications (NFC)

Many people agreed this was the field to watch. Cashless payment is just the start. Jon Cheung sees it as “an interesting social arena, that will make it easier to check into locations, easier to like things in the real world, and easier to share information, and a new element to games.”

Bruce Condit adds a nice sense of the integration available:

Imagine, your customer walks in the door, they receive a coupon via BlueTooth promoting your latest special. They purchase the item or service, using the coupon that was broadcast to them, and they pay for their purchase using NFC. This would enable business owners to really target their offers based upon time of day, location, season, etc. It could also provide powerful demographics based upon coupon usage.

Social TV

Some social TV products are already on the market. We don’t hear too much yet, but I think we soon will. It’s a logical progression, with many comments on social and connected TV in the group discussion. (Look for comments by Zach Weiner, Nick Meyers, and Sean Connors)

As Sean Connors suggests,

With the dawn of wi-fi enabled televisions finally becoming more widespread, we’re on the cusp of another level of interactivity. I easily see digital content providers creating ways for viewers interact…the ability to reach across multiple platforms is just another added plus.

There are so many possibilities here.

Personalization

We’re not just talking marketing and market segmentation here. We’re already seeing advances in personalization of search results. This will go even further to personalized decision engines or context-based recommendation engines.

Jon Cheung gives a great example:

Google knows what I like, who I talk to, and what I talk about, mash that against the Internet and Google should be able to customize a wall of content tailored exactly for me.

Many people talk about how facial recognition software will change things. And Megan Cunningham talks about how the entertainment industry is developing a more intimate relationship with its audience.

I think the emergence of personalized photo-apps (like the campaign we launched earlier this year with ABC’s game show, Wipeout) is another way of looking at personalization. And many other entertainment marketers have done this effectively as well, developing more intimacy (and often humor) between audiences and the characters in their shows.

Advertising

I think we all realize the benefits and challenges this creates for advertising. In fact, I’ve talked here about advances in display advertising that were highlighted by Google recently.

All these changes in technology will bring exciting new interactivity and creativity to advertising.

This will be fun to watch!

So, what are your predictions? Add them to the group discussion on LinkedIn, or feel free to talk about them right here.

World of Warcraft, Wipeout and Wit

As Christmas nears, we’re getting lots of gift ideas from commercials. I think ad agencies and brands should get ideas from some of the commercials too. In fact, I have two specific ads in mind.

World of Warcraft

First up is this brilliant commercial for World of Warcraft.

Boy, does this brand know how to target an audience—at least in this commercial. Their Chuck Norris ad was inexplicably dumb…but I digress.

I’m not a gamer, but I am a woman, which I think is why I like this ad so much. The girl in this ad has power, and that’s such an important message to get across to young girls and young women.

And no, I wasn’t offended by the obvious “motherf*cker” she mouths. You can’t hear it, but in the ad I saw on TV (not the above one) you can read her lips and see that’s what she says.

“So…my boyfriend gives me World of Warcraft for my birthday, and I’m like, ‘I said diamonds, motherf*cker.”

As a writer, I love this line because it’s so real. The “I’m like” is natural and so is the use of such a curse word. Plus, it gives us a sense of her personality. She doesn’t back down easily.

Wii Wipeout

The second commercial is for the Nintendo Wii Wipeout game.

Not only does Nintendo spectacularly use fun and humor in this commercial, but they entice you with a $50,000 prize.

I don’t watch Wipeout on TV, but I have seen plenty of clips. I do always wonder what happens to the contestants after—do they end up in the hospital? Do they end up on disability because of the way their body folded backwards when they bounced off a giant ball?

The Wii Wipeout commercial plays around with that notion very well. The former contestant, Joel, is frightened by sudden moves and noises. It’s exaggerated and just flat out funny. Plus, the demonstration of the Wii game itself, makes the game look like fun. If I had a Wii, I would probably buy that game.

And be happy I don’t because I’d try and win the $50,000 too. And I’m one hell of a competitor!

These two commercials are unique, creative, make you laugh and are just plain well done. Agencies and brands should take note. I had no trouble remembering what these ads were for after just one viewing. And I liked them so much I keep telling others about them. Truly the marks of terrific advertising.

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The young women in the ad is Aubrey Plaza. I didn’t know who she was when I first saw the ad, but I’d say she is a perfect choice to represent power. Read her bio on Wikipedia and learn about how she had a stroke at age 20. Pretty inspiring. 

Carrier IQ: Enemy or Impetus to Solve the Privacy Dilemma?

I know we’ve talked about privacy here before, but a lot has been going on this past week, so I thought maybe we should talk about it again.

Privacy certainly isn’t a new issue (for an informative introduction, read Privacy Control of Growing Importance to User Experience), but it’s an important one. And things seem to be getting worse rather than better.

That could be a good thing.

For a while, we’ve been consoled by the premise that much of our information out there is treated as anonymous data. But now, we’re learning that anonymous doesn’t really mean what we thought it meant.

Anonymous data usually includes general details from your browsing history and location data. No personal identifying information (such as birth date or contact info) is attached to it. For example, apps that you have on your smart phone or tablet use location data to forecast traffic congestion, offer up weather forecasts, suggest restaurants, and more.

The problem is that the trail of data you leave on the Web while shopping, browsing, and interacting on social networks can easily be examined and traced to your real identity.

So, in the wrong hands this could put you at risk.

Last week, news about Carrier IQ tracking of all activity on many smartphones spread like wildfire in gusty Santa Ana winds. Wiretapping suits have been filed. Many people are upset and yelling for changes.

This, again, is a good thing.

Carrier IQ may or may not be the scandal it seems. (Read why not here.) In my opinion, however, Carrier IQ is not the issue we should be talking about.

It’s time we all talk about solutions.

Crowdsourcing just may be the answer. Obviously, with the prolific use of laptops, tablets and smartphones, immense data tracking and recording is taking place. It’s the nature of the technology.

Also obvious is the need to step up protection of every user’s privacy. We don’t want to give up our devices, but we don’t want to completely sacrifice our privacy either.

Who better to ask about possible solutions than the users themselves?

What information are we willing to sacrifice (as a whole)? And what details need to be kept private and secure at all costs? How do we keep convenient features that rely on tracking but still feel secure?

The next great innovative company will be the one that solves these privacy problems. With the advances in technology today, we know it can be done. We just need all the companies that profit from tracking and sharing this data to develop the will to solve it.

Your voice on this issue is the key to stirring up that will. So, please, use it to keep telling phone carriers, manufacturers, retailers, government and more what you want. At the very least, ask them what data they track and how the information is used and shared.

The conversation is already started. It’s now up to you, me and all of us to keep it rolling.

2011: The Best in Social Media – Vote Today!

When I first started with social media, the most valuable website I found to help educate me was Mashable. That still holds true today.

Mashable is simply the most comprehensive and informative website around—especially for tech and social media—and they have a very engaging crew of writers. Follow them on Twitter, Facebook and Google+ and you’ll see what I mean. (Ben Parr is my favorite.)

With the end of the year approaching, Mashable just announced their nominations for the 2011 Mashable Awards, honoring “the best in digital media, companies and personalities.” And, you get to have your say.

Voting is open now and will be until December 16. You can vote once per category per day. Vote for your favorites in:

• Social media
• Technology
• Business
• Entertainment

Even if you don’t want to vote, check out the nominees list. You’ll learn about:

• New people to follow on Twitter
• Companies who are hot in digital media or great at promoting a good cause
• The best apps for phone, tablet, web and video
• The most innovative uses of social media for marketing, and much more

Don’t forget to go back and visit Mashable regularly (if you don’t already). It really is one of the greatest sources of social media and technology information on the web.

And, since one of my favorites is on the nominations list, I recommend that you follow Cory Booker on Twitter. He’s the mayor of Newark, NJ—that’s right, I just told you to follow the mayor of Newark. Trust me, he is a regular guy…wait, scratch that, he’s an extraordinary man who will help restore your faith in politicians. Hmm…that’s a tough order. He’ll at least make you wish he was running your town or state.

Have fun exploring and don’t forget to vote!

Black Friday Becomes Black Thursday: Is It Time To Bring Blue Laws Back?

Remember when stores weren’t open on Sundays or holidays? Was that really such a bad thing?

I know it got tiresome not being able to shop on Sunday, so I’m not saying we should go back to exactly that. But, this year’s retail Black Friday madness makes me think we need to figure out a new way.

Every year on Black Friday, stores try to outdo each other—opening earlier and earlier. Last year, the earliest opening in my area was at midnight. Most stores opened at 3am, one or two might have opened at 1am, and the Philadelphia Premium Outlets opened at midnight.

Is this really necessary?

Last year, I think midnight was pretty well accepted because it was a novelty. The outlets were still relatively new, so people seemed excited about staying up and heading off to the outlets. The problem with it was that we knew it wouldn’t stop there. It didn’t.

Here are just a few examples of Black Friday start times for this year:

Store	Time	Day
Kohl’s, Target, Best Buy	Midnight	Black Friday
Rockvale Outlets Lancaster	10pm	Thanksgiving
Toys”R”Us, Philadelphia Premium Outlets	9pm	Thanksgiving

Call me a traditionalist, but isn’t Thanksgiving night reserved for bars? Most people either go home and sleep off their turkey dinner or escape their family and go out for a drink with friends.

Not only will the retail workers have to cut their holiday short, but they’ll likely be dealing with drunk shoppers too.

People, it’s time to fight back.

Anthony Hardwick, a Target employee, started a petition on Change.org to get Target to change their plans for Black Friday. That took guts because he put his job at risk to do so, and the likelihood that Target will change is pretty slim. He’s getting a ton of media coverage and inspiring others to start their own petitions.

Customers might not understand this. After all, plenty of people think it’s okay to walk into a store one minute before closing and expect the workers to wait for them to shop to start closing. There’s not a lot of respect given to retail workers, but there should be.

Retail workers are some of the most poorly treated in this country—many by their employers and most by their customers. They work hard for low pay and deserve to have Thanksgiving off. It’s called a holiday for a reason, and it’s called Black FRIDAY for a reason. There’s really no reason to open the stores until Friday, preferably 5 or 6am Friday.

There’s just no need, especially with the proliferation of Internet and mobile shopping. If stores want to start their sales early with gimmicky Black Friday promotions, find creative ways to integrate these online forms of shopping and let your employees sleep in.

They’ll need their strength—to clean up after the customers that charge through the store like they’ve just been told there’s a million dollars hidden somewhere inside.

Disagree with me? Then, I urge you to work retail for one Christmas season. You really have to experience it to understand how unfair and unnecessary these Black Friday changes are and how much these workers deserve a break and deserve your respect.

And hey, speaking of respect, please, don’t talk on your cell phone while the cashier is checking you out. Remember, that’s a human being in front of you, please treat him or her like one.