Buzz Builder

Walking Man Brewing Gets Free Buzz from Washington State Department of Transportation

A few weekends ago, my wife, dog, and I went to to the Gifford Pinchot National Forest  for a day of hiking. After marching through the glorious green woods for about nine miles, we dreamed of finding the perfect place to quench our thirst. I had remembered trying some beers from Walking Man Brewing in Stevenson,  Washington in the Oregon Beer Festival last year and thought it might be fun to check it out on the way back to Portland.

As we drove to the brewery, I noticed the walking man signs on the side of the road. At first, I thought that Walking Man was an aggressive advertiser. Then, I realized that the signs were there because the Washington State Department of Transportation was advising folks to watch out for hikers who might be crossing the road (the only difference between the Walking Man logo and the highway signs is the inclusion of a beer mug).

I had remembered liking the simplicity of the Walking Man Brewing Company logo when I saw it last year. However, its cleverness wasn't apparent until I drove to the Gifford Pinchot Forest and realized that the Washington State Department of Transportation is providing great buzz for the company at no charge.  Also, speaking of buzz, you don't need to drink a lot at Walking Man Brewing to enjoy yourself. Their beers are some of the best we've tried recently. Their fruit-flavored beers are particularly noteworthy for tasting natural and fresh.

Do you have a logo or have you seen one that has leveraged a local icon to get people buzzing about the company? I would love to hear about it.

Multnomah County Judges Teach A Valuable Word of Mouth Marketing Lesson

When the Circuit Court of the State of Oregon called me to jury duty this week, I felt trapped. I had deferred service for a year and hoped that the "powers that be" would forget about me.  Exactly one year after deferring, I was called to serve.

When I arrived at the Multnomah County Courthouse, I was shepherded into a large room with about 100 prospective jurors. I heard a lot grumbling and statements about wasted time.

The mood quickly changed when Judge Christopher Marshall addressed the jury pool. He did an excellent job thanking us for taking time out of our busy lives to fulfill our civic obligation. His gratitude seemed very authentic. He reminded us that the right to trial by jury is one of our most sacred constitutional rights. As he spoke, I looked around the room and saw the expressions on people's faces soften. Perhaps, the Fourth of July, which was only two days away, made folks more accepting about this patriotic call to duty. But, I'm guessing Judge Marshall's sincere message made the difference.

I ended up getting picked to serve on a jury for two days. The case itself was fairly uninteresting. What left a lasting impression was the  respect that Judge Jerry B. Hodson treated all jurors. From the beginning of the trial to the end, he made us feel like the most important people in the court room. Today, I received a personal note from Judge Hodson thanking me for my service. I particularly liked this passage from his letter: "the willingness of citizens like you to serve on juries, generally at great personal sacrifice or inconvenience, is the backbone of our legal system. Without the involvement of citizens like you, the justice system would quickly grind to a halt."

You might think that it's a bit odd to write about two judges in a marketing blog. But, businesses can learn some great lessons that showing respect and thanking people sincerely are two fundamental ways to build positive word of mouth.

Website User Reviews More Popular Than Traditional Media Reviews

There was an interesting article in the Wall Street Journal a couple of weeks ago about Gold Star Events , a California-based online company that sells half-price tickets to live performances in Boston, Chicago, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, New York, San Diego, San Francisco and Washington. It is successfully reaching young audiences with personalized Web-based marketing techniques that match buyers with events.

Gold Star Events has over 300,000 members, mostly under the age of 45, who have signed up for a weekly email notifying them about discounted special events in their local areas. According to a membership survey that the company did in May 2007, members trust Web site user reviews far more than print-media reviews by "major local columnists." According to Goldstar, "More than 30% of respondents said negative user reviews on a Web site would 'strongly discourage' them from seeing a show. This is about 15 times more respondents than would be discouraged by a bad columnist's review." This is yet one more example of how we live in the Age of the Empowered Consumer.