Buzz Builder

The Dalio Family Foundation Honors the Spirit of Christmas with Charitable Giving Advertising Campaign

Yesterday, I was breezing through the Wall Street Journal and stumbled across a full-page ad  with sparse copy and a simple illustration lamenting the chaotic holiday shopping season and extolling the virtues of charitable giving.  Incredulous, I had to read the ad twice to see whether I had missed some veiled attempt to sell something beyond charity. I imagine that many others had the same reaction  since the ad seemed so odd in America's most widely-read business publication.

I whole-heartedly agree with the message, and I commend the Dalio Family Foundation for placing it in newspapers throughout America.  I learned about the reasons for and scope of the unconventonal advertising campaign in an informative article about the Dalios, who didn't want to attach their names to it, in The Chicago Tribune. As the ads continue to appear,  I have no doubt that they will generate conversation amongst those who see them and commentary from journalists and bloggers alike since they stand out so dramatically from the holiday season's commercialism. I hope the campaign inspires buzz which convinces people that donating to charity is an excellent way to honor the true spirit of Christmas.

Lessons from a Coffee Shop Losing Business Drip by Drip

This morning my wife and I were in Downtown Portland doing some Christmas shopping. In front of the Westin Hotel , we saw three bellmen and asked them where we could find  coffee. One said, "Well, the closest place is just down the block but the coffee isn't too good. If you want something better, I suggest that you walk a couple of blocks to Peet's Coffee." His two colleagues nodded their heads in enthusiastic agreement.

As we enjoyed our tasty coffees, we talked about the huge amount of business the cafe near the Westin must be losing because the bellmen were referring folks to Peet's. We have no idea whether it was bad service or poor coffee that convinced them to refer java seekers to Peet's.

How many businesses lose tremendous amounts of money or go under because people who have tried their products or services are so turned off that they decide to refer others elsewhere? When you never know how much impact that next person you serve may make on your business, the best strategy is simply to offer consistently great service and products.

Word of Mouth is Growing Exponentially as a Marketing Activity and Consumer Influence

Recently, a friend sent me me a few interesting stats regarding word of mouth marketing that I found quite enlightening. According to PQ Media, word of mouth marketing jumped 35.9% in 2006 to $981 million, and its expected to climb at a compound annual rate of 30.4% in the 2006-2011 period to $3.7 billion. Keller Fay Group found  that Americans engage in nearly 3.5 billion (!) brand-related conversations (that is, people talking about specific companies, products or services) per day, and 80% of all people trust recommendations from family, friends, and "influential" persons over all other forms of marketing and advertising.

In other words, you can be certain that people are talking about your company and what they have to say has a huge impact on your success. What are you doing to make sure that that customer buzz is positive?

Apple's Leopard vs. Microsoft's Vista Advertising Seeks to Leverage Word of Mouth Concerns

As the year winds down, I've considered upgrading our office computers. In the past, I simply would have purchased the latest and greatest PC. However, this time I'm delaying the decision because I have many doubts about Microsoft's new Vista operating system.

Many friends who use Vista say that it still has many bugs and they have struggled with both hardware and software incompatibilities.  Their experiences make me think that Microsoft has launched Vista too early. I'm sure that the system will improve over time; however, I'm very leery of serving as a Microsoft beta tester.

I don't understand why Microsoft has a consistent record of launching products before they work well. When Microsoft spends millions of dollars  launching a flawed operating system like Vista, they are actually accelerating negative word of mouth. Rather than spend money on marketing, Microsoft should focus on creating a positive product experience that gets its users excited to tell their friends and colleagues about the benefits of using Vista.

I'm seriously considering switching our  office from PC to Mac.  Why? The run of positive press for Apple's Leopard operating system vs. Vista such as a Walter Mossberg's  article and video  on the Wall Street Journal's website is driving my thinking. Also, Apple's funny and effective tongue-in-cheek  "I'm a Mac, You're a PC" advertising campaign is fanning my concerns about Vista and keeping the Apple option alive.

DressMonkey - Quality Online Custom Blazers Made Easy & Fun

Over the last few weeks, I've been speaking with the owners of DressMonkey, a fascinating prospective PR client  in Shanghai, China.

If you're tired of choosing from a limited selection of blazers at Banana Republic, Ralph Lauren, your local department store or you're a non-standard size like me,  Dress Monkey is worth checking out. For a fraction of what you pay at most places, DressMonkey allows you to choose from a wide variety of styles and fabrics. Even better, your blazer is cut to your specific measurements and you customize a myriad of details from the number and type of pockets to the color of buttons and lining materials.  I just heard from DressMonkey's owners that they'll soon be expanding into men's pants and suits.

I was a bit daunted with so many customization possibilities. But, Dress Monkey made measuring a snap with easy-to-understand sizing instructions. The company also has a hilarious online video "It's a Pleasure to Measure"  posted on its website and YouTube  which provides clear guidance on how to take accurate measurements. In fact, the company is so confident about its sizing instructions that they will even pay for alterations a customer needs to make. While shopping for men's clothing is usually a stodgy experience, Dress Monkey is different. It makes creating a blazer fun and easy.

Of course, satisfaction lies in the quality of the the final product, and I'm thrilled with my DressMonkey Green Herringbone Tweed blazer pictured above. The blazer arrived in perfection condition in less than three weeks from the order date and it doesn't require a single alteration. I'm the first DressMonkey on my block but I know I won't be the last.

Office Store in Portland Demonstrates the Power of Great Press & Service

Last week, I went on  a quest for interesting paper clips - hey, everybody has to have a strange little obsession. After striking out at Office Depot, I finally went to Office , a store which carries cool office items for modern design aficionados in Northeast Portland's Alberta Arts District. Over the past few years, I've admired how Office has landed great media buzz  in local and national publications. Yet, whenever I've driven past the store, I've always wondered why a small place off-the-beaten track has received so much press attention.

As soon as I entered Office, Tony Secolo, one of the store's two friendly co-owners, greeted me with a friendly smile. When I told him that I was just searching for eye-catching paper clips, I  thought he might lose interest since I wasn't shopping for a pricey item like a Jack Spade messenger bag. Quite the contrary! We ended up having a wide-ranging conversation about modern design and the perfect designer paper clip. I was thrilled to find the Italian-made circular Clipiola paper clips which only cost $8 for 125.  Now I'm convinced that Tony's friendly, knowledgeable demeanor played a huge part in getting journalists to report on his store. And, while Office's good press convinced me to visit, it's excellent customer service and unique merchandise will get me to go back.

Just a few blocks from Office on Northeast Alberta Street, another business, Alberta Street Oyster Bar & Grill, had landed outstanding press over the past few years.  Excited, my wife and I made  reservations to eat there with  friends. Although we arrived on time, we ended up waiting nearly an hour and we were never seated so we went elsewhere. After that, we talked to friends who had negative experiences at the same restaurant. Not surprisingly, it closed a couple of months ago. Perhaps it was the case of an owner who believed so much in his good press that he thought he could get away with sub par service. Recently, a new owner reopened the Alberta Street Oyster Bar & Grill and I wish him well. He should walk down the street a few blocks and visit the folks at Office to see how great service combined with excellent press generates lasting success.

Qwaruba Sets Example for Socially-Responsible Giving & Marketing Communications

Today, my wife purchased a comfortable pair of Qwaruba sheepskin slippers from REI Outlet, a fantastic shopping spot for name brand sporting goods and outdoor wear at cut-rate prices.  Neither of us had ever heard of Qwaruba but what a positive impression the brand made on us. The top of the slipper box is graced with a beautiful piece of art, a reproduction of an acrylic canvas featuring an Aborginal Australian painting. The side of the box says "ALL Profits Donated to Charity."

Attached to the slippers was a hang tag explaining Qwaruba's history and philosophy. Gary and Dianne, an Australian  husband-and-wife team, started Qwaruba in 1987 and found a niche for their comfortable sheepskin slippers and the business grew. As the years passed, they became quite reflective about their business. They thought to themselves, “life sure can be a luck of the draw kind of place for folks and we’ve been very lucky”. While reminiscing about their travels to far away lands and all the great people they met along the way, they recalled meeting so many wonderful people in this world that could use a little help to make improvements in their lives.

Tragically, in 2004, Dianne died at the young age of 46. Very close to the end of Dianne’s life, even though she was very weak, she drew her husband Gary a simple sketch of her smiling face and wrote the words “LOVE TO ALL”.   To see someone so close to death, who could still say that, affected Gary very deeply, and he came to appreciate how unpredictable, fragile, and short life is. 

In honor of Dianne’s love and compassion for others and in recognition of less fortunate people and animals, Gary decided that ALL Qwaruba slipper profits were to be given to  people and animals in need. The Qwaruba website does an excellent job highlighting the specific programs that it supports.

Qwaruba's story got me thinking about all the companies who seem to be jumping aboard the socially-responsible bandwagon. However, when I examine the fine print of what many companies actually contribute, I oftentimes become cynical because I notice that actual contributions are capped at very low levels or it's unclear what charities actually benefit. Of course, few businesses will give ALL their profits to charity like Qwaruba. But, they can take some lessons from Qwaruba on how clarity of communications when it comes to charitable giving makes a big difference in instilling goodwill in consumers.