Presentation given at LessConf 2009 about the chocolate covered grasshoppers campaign, branding, culture, and how to stand out from the crowd. See the video at http://b.lesseverything.com/2009/12/16/david-hauser-of-grasshopper-com-at-lessconf-2009
21. @GuyKawasaki - Chocolate covered grasshoppers: An example of a viral re-brand http://adjix.com/3s9q (see also http://marketing.alltop.com/) GR @JasonCalacanis- Wow... Thanks to the person who sent me chocolate covered grasshoppers. Really. Excited... Thanks. http://post.ly/X8l @kevinrose - just tricked a coworker (@dtrinh) into eating a chocolate covered grasshopper - I should probably buy him lunch @IncMagazine - Effective PR technique: send chocolate covered grasshoppers to everyone on a publication's staff. They are guaranteed to talk about it. @ckeene - Attended Web 2.0 Cocktail Party on a rare beautiful SF evening - talk ranged from chocolate grasshoppers to how fast SMBs will adopt cloud
Tricks Standing ovation (make everyone stand, and say like controlling a room like that) Move back row to front (Ben Zander) Get people clapping and saying hello for real
Graphics, not tons of text Death by PowerPoint Memory / brain ????? Use graphics, you will remember better and be interested Interrupt any time, questions, anything, this is interactive Techniques from Garr Reynolds and Nancy Durante (TED coach), can give more info if needed
Values Core values The base of everything we do The “how” we do things Answer difficult questions Not the standard crap of honesty and respect, those are expect to play Core purpose The “why” we do things
Culture Empower the team to own and do on their own 4 weeks vacation Balance, take a break, make it simpleWii room w/ turf Fun, connect employees, move around Summer Fridays Involve family, have fun, learn, enjoy the weather Healthy snacks, drinks, soda and lunch Quarterly reviews/bonus Connect goals with rewards Give people valuable feedbackGraphics: values, 3D people, globe, group, arms, grass, grow, nature
Put it everywhere Core purpose Core values BHAG Make it graphical
- Post it notes, wiki, pens, thank you notes, signs, everywhere
Authenticity Starts with values Heart / is who we are Agency could never do Create concept and then source best people for expertise Matches our core purpose Communicate with people, email, Twitter, phone, always open
Stand out Everyone sends crap in the mail (pens, shirts, stickers) Everyone sends press releases Everyone has a message Standout with something different, get the attention of the right people Combine your core values/culture and authenticity
Get the right people talking Do not copy, innovate Find the influencers / sneezers Hard to measure but the results come There is no quick hit trick, has to be unique and come from you
- Combines, sight, smell, taste and social medai
Passes the gatekeeper/screener and gets attention Crazy to see so many packages Fun, families came in FedEx actually helpful once we got deal Print labels Give help if need Billing challenges, large company They got good PR from it
User generated content, actual package People love showing what they got Exclusive, # on tag People posting the bag number they got
FedEx envelope no letter Just a tag, numbered, URL to the video Exclusive, since numbered out of 5000 Simple text, creating a “movement” Create curiosity, making them visit the page Is not “marketing” or “typical” Whole Foods looking bag, zip lock top, added to the why question
Who is on the list (5000 most influential entrepreneurs/people) Not to sell and not to customers Started with people we know 100 people Press we know 100 Now need 4800 more Authors and people that wrote forwards/quotes Top press, entire offices, TV, radio, entrepreneurs Social media, bloggers, top twitter people Obama, politics, senators, cabinet, DHS story Once had list needed addresses Crowd source with Amazon Turk via SmartSheet Double verify Cost: $900 ExclusiveLA Times story, wants to be included, special
Sales based PR Take what is there and create more, recycle Pushed for attention, was easy with the door open Blog outreach, video and bags separate Follow-up created more stories Fake follow-up, Called radio and TV and said you did not get, resend (never actually sent) Open up future doors and connections Not pushing the story, just there as a resource
- Case study available /5000casestudy
Economy, everyone says, no/stop we say now is the opportunity Fortune (money porn) founded during great depressionGraphic: stop, go, opportunity, door
A movement, bigger than you Meant to inspire Kinetic type, was the start and created something amazing Amazing writing and music is what made it what it is Real feedback from real people, cry, why they do what they do, a reminder, inspire something new
Recovery.gov story Lots of talk, but need action
Produce 13 times more patents per employee than large patenting firms; these patents are twice as likely as large firm patents to be among the one percent most cited.
WhyChange the world, inspire, and make our economy better BrandingGrasshopper = entrepreneur / entrepreneurship Results Very positive, no sales Conversation is active Get people saying I heard about that Customers are even more proud they are customers
Man on Wire - Philippe Petit Hyper focus Stay focused on our market, not just the product Solve real problems with simple solutions Never would have been created with out focus
Future – tools and services for entrepreneurs Empower entrepreneurs to succeed
Life goal speak at TED Obama see the video and help entrepreneurs Ask: if there is somewhere I should talk, help me make that connection