Category: Branding Advice

Rain, capsule Snow, Sleet? To Infinity, and Beyond

In visiting the site for the US Postal Service, Beg to Differ was surprised to find that the characters from Disney Pixar’s Toy Story 3 had the Postal Service totally surrounded (see the screen capture below). And we wondered: is this kind of promotional co-branding the future of marketing for government agencies? And is that such a bad thing?

It’s not flying; it’s  falling with style

But it goes beyond the full Toy Story wrapper around the Web site (although that’s the one that really surprised me):

“The US Postal Service is also using an integrated campaign to tie its products to the family friendly Disney film. Disney agreed to produce the USPS’ springtime consumer-focused campaign, based on the Postal Service’s commercials starring “Al the Letter Carrier” promoting its Flat-Rate boxes. The push includes TV, print, direct mail, a website, banner ads, search, e-mail and in-store signage. USPS’s agency Campbell-Ewald worked on the campaign.” (from Brands Want Summer Film Magic at DMNews.com)

Here’s more info from a very promotional (non-critical) article.

But what do you think?

How much co-promotion is too much? It seems pretty benign tying public brands to universally-loved and family friendly movies like this.  But how far can tis go?

Please weigh in with your comments!

Toy Story 3 – US Postal Service ad

Toy Story 3 with Lego

Toy Story 3 for Visa with Morgan Freeman voice over

Okay, dosage so this is a bit different for Beg to Differ, adiposity but we wanted to share with you some images of one of our favourite hyperlocal events: the fourth annual Taste of Wellington West.

Last year I even did a proper blog post about the event – with brand strategy take-home messages and everything. But for today, I’m just reflecting on the event itself.

Taste is put on by the Wellington West Business Improvement Area – an organization that I helped found and still serve as marketing advisor. It seems I’ve also become the annual photographer / documenter – which I love to do, because it lets me see the whole event and meet all these great people again. Just look at those smiles in the slideshow below (or visit the Web Album).

Best parts of the event for me this year

• Charitable donations went to the Causeway Work Centre – with the biggest, friendliest (and best-looking) crew of volunteers ever.
• We *almost * got rained out by torrential downpours at the outset, but thanks to a never say die attitude from restaurant and shop owners, and a break in the weather later in the afternoon, it was a success.
• We grew to 36 shops and restaurants this year, and are shooting for 50 next year.
• The freshly cobbled sidewalks of Hintonburg featured a lot more action this year with first year participation from Heaven to Betsy, Fab Gear, and others.
• It is great to see several  new restaurants opening in Hintonburg East of Parkdale – two of which were offering samples at Taste 2010.
• Thanks to all the non-food shops and groups who participated in creative ways.
• Bouncy castles gave the kids something to look forward to – and something for parents to bribe their kids with to try one more restaurant.
• Thanks to Annie, Dianna, and the BIA board for all their hard work on this!

Foodie blogs about Taste (please let me know if you blogged too!)

• Simply Fresh – a glowing review of Taste, but wants less meat-on-bread (not planned, but there was a lot).
• Foodie Prints – the scoop on the new Dish restaurant coming soon to Hintonburg.

Like romance: “relationship” is only a good word if you never have to say it…

Yesterday Mitch Joel wrote a though provoking blog post on this theme: do people want relationships with brands – and should that always be the point of social media business efforts? And while we agree with his general conclusions, web Beg to Differ is thinking it might be the question itself that’s the problem…

No! People aren’t looking for relationships with brands

Try this sometime. Ask any average human: “do you want a relationship with your brand of dish soap?” Which of these responses do you think you’ll get?

1. They will question your sanity;
2. They will laugh so hard that the latte they’re drinking will spray out their nose; or
3. They will earnestly lean forward with a sparkle in their eye and say “oh yes, I’m quite passionate about my life-long commitment to Palmolive ™ Dish Soap – softens hands while you do the dishes!(tm)”

If you answered #3, congratulations, you are ready for a lucrative career as a brand manager – on a mystical planet where simple product choices change human lives in dramatic ways. In that world, the idea of building “relationships” with consumers sounds great.

But out here in human-land, it sounds a bit creepy. That’s because in human-land, the word “relationship” is not a word we associate with the products we buy, the services we use, or the brands we use to find them. “Relationship” implies humans relating to other humans – as humans, and equals.

Sorry brand managers, the shocking truth: brands are not equal to humans. Your customers actually own your brand in the same way they own their goldfish – and they will never care as much about your brand as you do.

But there is one thing your brand can do for humans…

People want brands to serve them

In human-land, we don’t have relationships with brands; we have expectations of them.

My Mazda is in the shop right now. And while I don’t think of having a “relationship” with Mazda – my car’s brand – I definitely have expectations of what Mazda as a whole brand should be doing for me.

I expect my Mazda (the car) to “Zoom Zoom” along. But when it breaks down, I call Mazda Roadside Assistance (a third party service), I visit Mazda online (a Web site) expecting answers about a potential Mazda (the corporation) recall, and then I bring it back to Mazda (my local dealer) and expect them to fix it. All the while, I expect Mazda (the people I deal with at all points) to be honest, helpful, and hopefully even cheerful.

So yes, there are human “relationships” involved.  But more important are my expectations: I’m the owner of the brand expectations I hold of Mazda. Mazda’s responsibility is to make me happy.

The new three R’s

So forget about relationships brand managers.  Here are the three “R” words I am looking for as a customer:

Receptiveness: be there when I need you, and be ready to listen to me. Help me get what I need and be clear, forthright, and honest with me.

Responsiveness: Serve me. Answer my questions. Change your service when you’re getting in my way.

Respectfulness: Treat me like the owner of your brand. Because that’s what I am.