Mediameme

Why not use the power of social media to REALLY learn what people really think about your brand?

This handy little app called Brand Tag throws up logo and asks you to define it in one word.  It’s creator, Noah Brier, calls it an experiment in brand perception. Part rorschach test, part zeitgeist, this tool gives a manager the tag cloud of brand attributes that is, quite frankly, brutally honest (if you happen to be the poster child for horrible customer service). On the other hand, even halo brands like Whole Foods have a few ‘undesirable’ qualities (look at the size of the cloud around the phrase, “whole paycheck”).

Based on the tag cloud results, here are some other brands that could use an increase in their strategic brand spend this year:

Cannondale – definitely loved by a select few who can afford the pricey ride, it seems to suffer from some larger scale recognition issues that other luxury brands (Louis Vuitton, Bentley) don’t seem to have, although they each respectively have some other issues to deal with!

NBA – one of the most prevalent tags is Michael Jordan, who retired more than a decade ago!

Suburu — seems to be suffering a brand identity crisis between “rally / motorsport” and “lesbians”

BlueCross – when the words that leap out are: death, evil, rip-off and scam…it’s probably time to invest money in marketing.

Zappos – simply put, stands for shoes…for the 37 people who have heard of them (and love them like me!

Go play, add your brands and post your comments about which brand caught your attention (and why).

<Hat tip: Ken Burbary>

Ever thought about the interactive landscape in a literal sense?  Where the web site is more like a landscape painting you might see in a museum?

Check out UK electronica group Goldfrapp’s web site. Whether the home movie clips that play immediately are authentic or artificially created (much more likely the case), the fact that it takes up every pixel of the screen immediately grabs the visitors attention. The clips are terrible — deliberately so. The camera wobbles, the lighting is too dark, the film is overexposed at points, the screen is pixellating at points and the subject is self-absorbed in her own exploration. Which is precisely what makes it so watchable.

The navigation information is pushed to the bottom or upper left corner, leaving a clean, unobtrusive viewing experience. Goldfrapp, centered at the bottom of the frame looks more like a signature, reminding me of a true canvas brought to life with interactive components: video, color, music, text, and so on.

The site eloquently exemplifies the philosophy of Jakob Nielsen (another Brit and web design legend in my book, although not all share my opinion):  all designs work in three main ways: visceral, behavioral and reflective.  The visceral level is the way the site looks.  You can love it or hate it, but either reaction means the design is working.  On the behavioral level — actual use — the site also scores pretty well. Information is straight-forward and easy-to-find.  As for the reflective level — what does it say about the brand (or in this case the band)?

Speaking of indie bands & web sites, check out the artists on the Ghostly label. If you are a design geek like me, there is a marvelous variety of web site landscape inspiration.  And the music is great too.

<Hat tip to my buddy, Dan Sicko for the info on this hot indie label.>

Influencers.

Chris Anderson’s Long Tail is a foundational theory for digital marketing. Perhaps you’ve heard the term and vaguely understand what The Long Tail means, but why is it important and how does it change marketing and business?

See where the dinosaur’s head is located?  Those are the generic places online that capture a wide cross-section of audience: Facebook, Google, YouTube, eBay, etc.  The tail refers to the more niche sites, for instance within social networking it may be bookworms who want recommendations by friends or cyberfriends they trust at Goodreads, so if you are in the publishing business, joining the conversation both at the head (e.g. Facebook — create a bookswap group) as well as a niche site like Goodreads means you are working both the folks who might have a more casual interest in your brand as well as the influencers who can catapult masses of people into your brand with a few lines in a post or comment.

Where do you find the long tail communities like Goodread? Mashable posted this great list of 350 social networks by interest, which is a good starting point. From there you may find people who blog on more specialized subjects. You’ll also find links to forums and other information in users’ profiles once you join the networks that are closely aligned to your brand.

Happy Hunting!

<image of the Long Tail for this post comes from Left Click, a NZ-based SEO and usability firm>

Thinking about exceptional experiences, I am drawn to the companies who are the proverbial ‘poster children’ for delivering on their brand promise: Apple, Nordstrom, Whole Foods, Google and BMW.

Like many people, I am a blend of logic and emotion when it comes to the buying experience. I want value for money but also something that I can get excited about and look forward to experiencing, particularly if I’m paying a premium for that product or service or brand association. So how to define my experience with their brand that was truly exceptional? And were there other examples I was overlooking? I went “old school” to the SERVQUAL dimensions developed nearly 20 years ago by Valerie Zeithaml and associates:

1. Understanding. The company needs to do their homework and understand what consumers (will) want before designing a product or service. Who knew we needed another device to play our music on-the-go before Apple launched the i-pod?

2. Communication. Listening, clarifying consumer needs and setting reasonable expectations for delivery. And then exceeding the communicated objectives in a delightful way, demonstrating the company implicitly understands the first criteria: understanding of what the consumer wants.

3. Accessibility. Whether it is the web site that is easy to navigate, a store that is open during hours convenient to customers (rather than a balance sheet) or a brand representative who is approachable, knowledgeable and trustworthy, being accessible is an important part of any exceptional experience.

4. Security. Maslow had to enter into this somewhere. Providing freedom from danger, risk, fear or doubt. Consider it conversely: could an experience be exceptional without this dimension?  Whole Foods understands the significance of this particular dimension.  Through education, it is waging advocacy campaigns warning consumers about the dangers of genetically-modified food, demanding all milk products be labeled if they contain r(BGH) and promoting locally-grown products.

5. Credibility. Do I trust this brand? Was the experience honest? Believable? Authentic?  Google is a terrific example of this important dimension.

6. Respect. Anyone who knows me  IRL, knows this is perhaps THE most important dimension to me. Are the representatives friendly? Courteous? Considerate? Does their copy (user manual, web site, print advertising) help or hinder the user experience with their brand?

7. Competence. ‘Nuf said.

8. Responsiveness. Prompt service. Calls are returned. Problems are dealt with as a priority until they are fixed to the customer’s satisfaction.  Nordstrom wrote the book on this subject.

9. Reliability. Does the service or product perform the promised service dependably and accurately?  Gotta pick BMW as the classic example here.

10. Product or Environment. What is their store environment like? Is their product well-designed and user-friendly? Does it put a smile on your face to interact with the brand?  Apple.  Again.

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Does this model work for you to determine an exceptional experience? Why or why not? What is your example of an exceptional experience?