Brand Autopsy

As part of my project work with The Keller Fay Group, I'm digging into their archive of research findings and providing insights which marketers can use to better tap into the power of word of mouth. There's a trove of insightful data prime for your picking (and using) on the Keller Fay WOM MATTERS blog. Go ahead, have a look.

Occasionally the word of mouth findings we share are more informational than actionable. For example, Keller Fay ran some of their TalkTrack® data of American’s brand-related word of mouth conversations to determine "The Most Talked about Pro Sports Teams" in 2010. The list is full of surprises.

The first surprise, for some, could be the New York Jets ranked as the most talked about pro sports team by Americans. Given the franchise’s storied history, its loyal fans, the exposure from the HBO series “Hard Knocks,” and the talk worthy cast of characters on the team, it can’t be too surprising the New York Jets were mentioned the most by Americans in 2010.

How about the other teams in the Keller Fay-compiled list of The Most Talked About Pro Teams in America? Where do the Green Bay Packers and Pittsburgh Steelers rank? Given the Lebron James departure to the Miami Heat, do the Heat make the list or do the jilted Cleveland Cavaliers make it instead? Which major league baseball teams make the list? Riffle through this SlideShare presentation to find out…

The Most Talked about Sports Teams in America from 2010

View more webinars from Keller Fay Group.

Looks like the Starbucks Petri Dish experiment has ended for 15th Ave. Coffee & Tea. According to reports, Starbucks is returning/rebranding this location to become a Starbucks Coffee, again.

When 15th Ave. Coffee & Tea opened up in July 2009, I was quick to call it a one-off experiment for Starbucks to relearn some of the personal touches it lost due to making so many compromises in order to grow to over 16,000 locations in 50-plus countries around the world. (We’ve gone over all these compromises on past Starbucks postings so read-up if need be.)

One of the comments in my post about this petri dish experiment didn't understand why Starbucks couldn't scale the 15th Ave. Coffee concept. My response was a short Lesson on Scale and Compromise...

DATE: July 2009
Why Starbucks can't scale its 15th Ave. Coffee & Tea concept...

my original comment:
Starbucks already scaled this [concept] into becoming the Starbucks we know today. Problem with scaling is COMPROMISE. Anytime a business “mass produces” something, compromises occur.

Think of a recipe for homemade cookies. This recipe yields two dozen of the most delicious cookies ever. Scale that recipe to yield 80,000 dozen cookies every day and lots changes. Industrial ovens replace the household oven used. Bulk ingredients replace hand-picked ingredients. Complex systematic procedures insure each cookie is the same diameter, the same weight, the same everything when scale happens. After enough compromises and changes take place from scaling, the taste of the cookie changes. It just doesn’t taste the same.

I bet McDonald’s used to make a very good hamburger. Not today. Scale happened.
I bet Quiznos used to make a very good sandwich. Not today. Scale happened.
I bet Taco Bell used to make a very good taco. Not today. Scale happened.

Very few companies retain its specialness after it decides to scale. At some point, too many compromises are made for the sake of growth and all those nuanced compromises, when added together, result in a product that no longer resembles the original intent. That’s exactly where Starbucks is today. Maybe 15th Ave. Coffee & Tea will teach Starbucks all the compromises they’ve made to grow have truly changed the original intent of the company.

I recently gave a VSOP ... Very Special One-time Performance ... at the ProductCamp 6 event in Austin, TX.

ProductCamp, like its BarCamp relative, is an unconference gathering of marketers, mainly product marketers, who network and learn from each other. It's a free event but the price of admission is participation by either leading a session, talking shop with others, and or volunteering to make the event run smoothly. I highly recommend you learning more about ProductCamp and definitely participating in one happening near you.

My VSOP for ProductCamp was titled, BUSINESS WISDOM FROM DRUG DEALERS. Long-time Brand Autopsy readers know this is territory I've covered before. Fans of 37signals know its founders recommend emulating drug dealers to find business success. While the topic is oddball, the lessons to be learned from street corner sellers are practical.

No video was taken of my presentation. However, you can re-live this talk by watching the following reenactment. (To recreate this prezo, I recorded one-take audio of me giving color commentary to the slides and to the transitions for the previously recorded video ditties shown during the prezo. Click play and all will make sense.)

BUSINESS WISDOM FROM DRUG DEALERS

>> Direct link to the video

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SESSION DESCRIPTION:
Business Wisdom from Drug Dealers
Before you dismiss this as outlandish and ridiculous – think for a second. To build a successful venture, drug dealers must design their business and develop their products in the same ways legitimate businesses do. Drug dealers, like marketers, must address issues ranging from Launching New Products to Customer Acquisition Strategies to Brand Dilution to Procurement. In this session, you'll learn vital and actionable marketing insights from a most unlikely source, drug dealers.

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PRESENTER BIO:
John Moore is a former "drug" dealer. For eight years he worked as a retail marketer with Starbucks Coffee selling an addictive drug, caffeine. These days, John leads Brand Autopsy, a marketing firm that consults with businesses aspiring to become a beloved brand. USA Today, Best Buy, Kraft, Little Caesars, and the Word of Mouth Marketing Association have all benefitted from John's past experience as a "drug" dealer.

Long-time readers know I read lots of business books. Over the years I've written reviews, shared "money quotes," and done kooky dramatic readings of interesting business books. In 2011, we're resurrecting the money quotes method of sharing worthwhile snippets.

First up are marketing-related money quotes from the recently published, NOW... BUILD A GREAT BUSINESS from Mark Thompson & Brain Tracy. Nothing in this book is groundbreaking. However, it serves as solid refresher material for owners and managers of emerging/enduring businesses.

For example, on page 21 the authors list vital questions businesses must ask to achieve ongoing success...

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Leadership: "What results are expected of you, and what do your people need form you to contribute their full potential to you business?"

Strategic Plan: "What is your plan to generate sales and profitability, and how is it working? Could there be a better way?"

Team Building: "How do you attract and keep great people and inspire them to perform at their best in achieving business results?"

Product: "What are great at building, who are your ideal customers, and what product or service qualities will attract more of them?"

Marketing: "What is your competitive advantage--that factor that makes your product or service superior to anything else available, and how do you convey this message to your potential customers?"

Sales: "What must your potential customers be convinced of so that they want to buy from you rather than your competitor?" [SOURCE]

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There are more knowledge nuggets from the book, including some marketing-related advice shared in this slideshare prezo ... enjoy.

NOW... BUILD A GREAT BUSINESS

View more presentations from John Moore.

[NOTE: I often receive free copies of biz books from publishers and publicists. I was sent a free copy of NOW... BUILD A GREAT BUSINESS to riffle, read, blog about, or use as kindling. The embedded amazon links are NOT affiliate links. That ain't how I roll, dig?]

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"You can tell a big man by the way he treats little men." -- Thomas Carlyle

For extra credit, watch Dr. Brown's TEDxHouston talk.

For extra extra credit, read her book, The Gifts of Imperfection.

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"Stories are just data with a soul." -- Dr. Brené Brown

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"If you don't have a competitive advantage, don't compete." -- Jack Welch

Why are we complicating the game of marketing by creating distinctions like social media marketing, content marketing, and shopper marketing?

Tactically, things have changed because of technology and consumer cynicism. Fundamentally, though, nothing has changed in the game of endearing a brand/product to a person.

Really good marketing is, was, and will continue to be about getting the right message to the right person at the right time in the right way(s) to deliver the right results.

Really good marketing is Ford using social media to create awareness and preference for the Ford Fiesta.

Really good marketing is Eloqua sharing relevant information with B2B businesses on how to do business better.

Really good marketing is Costco sampling goodies to in-store shoppers to increase sales.

No matter the tactics and tools we use, really good marketing is just that ... really good marketing.

Right?