How to create advocacy and conversation, Planning-ness 2009

HOW TO CREATE ADVOCACY AND CONVERSATION frank striefler & thas naseemuddeen Planning-ness Conference San Francisco October 17, 2009

8.45 am – 10.15 am 40 min practical tips 20 min workshop 15 min sharing 15 min q&a

WHAT WE WILL COVER what is brand advocacy why is it relevant what it takes how to create conversations

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WHAT IS BRAND ADVOCACY? brand advocacy. [brand ad-vuh-kuh-see] n. -weber shandwick

WHAT IS A BRAND ADVOCATE? an advocate convinces others to purchase through independent credibility defends & supports your brand puts his own reputation on the line provides unsolicited praise and suggestions of improvement forgives occasional sub-par seasons or dips in product experience/service does not want to be bought

adventurous opinion leaders WHAT IS A BRAND socially well connected (50% vs. 12% non-advocates) ADVOCATES? express their opinions and viewpoints (65% vs. 12%) continually discover new content online 2-1 impact on conversion compared to non-advocates post purchase, 50% of all advocates turn on their megaphone want to be the first to know and spread the word on a specific topic needs an audience

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PEER ENDORSEMENT Let’s add nice graph with stats on how people rely on peer endorsement TRUMPS ADS With advertising ranking low in terms of ‘influence’ what influences purchase decisions? wom is # 1 purchase decision influencer even opinions of strangers online trump advertising -weber shanwick strategic planning

RECOMMENDATIONS = $ the most recommended company in its category grows 2.5x the category average - bain and co 2/3rds of the economy is influenced by personal recommendations - mckinsey and co 1 in 3 people come to a brand through a personal recommendation - weber shandwick 31% of brand advocates have increased spending at their primary retailer - ibm

RECOMMENDATIONS = $ proportion of recommendations 70% prompted by expectation- beating product experience 2% by advertising prompted -weber shanwick strategic planning

RECESSION DRIVES RELIANCE ON WOM are you more likely to refer to a friend when making a purchase (during a recession)? and accelerates the changes already happening -weber shanwick strategic planning

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1. DEFINE YOUR STORY cultural brand business audience + + objectives + insights context purpose = your brand story

2. DEFINE YOUR ROLE IN CULTURE discover a purpose in our culture that you care about commit to something bigger than yourself transcend beyond a product-only relationship

3. CREATE BETTER PRODUCTS

3. CREATE BETTER PRODUCTS trust in brands has eroded by 50% 25 % of decline of quality association 90% erosion of brand differentiation -brandasset valuator 2008

LAKE WOBEGEON SYNDROME 80% of CEOs think their brands offer a superior experience only 8% of their consumers agree

4. CREATE DELIGHTING EXPERIENCES & EXCEED EXPECTATIONS innovate -© wolff olins

STORY 5. BAKE THE INTO THE PRODUCT -© john winsor, alex bogusky

6. ADVOCACY MUST BE THE FOCUS OF THE ENTIRE ORGANIZATION (NOT JUST MARKETING)

LEARN Client + Wolff Olins filename 000008 Page 22

LEARN FROM OTHER SUCCESSES

LEARN FROM BOOKS

LEARN FROM OPINION PAPERS

LEARN FROM BLOGGERS

LEARN FROM THOUGHT LEADERS

BRAND BEHAVIOR MODEL Client + Wolff Olins filename 000008 Page 28

ADVOCACY MODEL align define a clear brand purpose get your whole company onboard stand for something bigger than yourself create delightful products & experiences let your people become your first advocates (re)commit recruit feed movement with fresh initiatives project your ideal world have no off times or dark times treat your advocates as your lifeblood make your belief be their belief do something buzzworthy over & over again enroll fans & creators listen, adapt & learn bring excitement to your cause encourage ignite highlight your successes demonstrate your vision & belief create a sense of ownership recruit members & drive participation give some control to advocate incentivize spreading the word celebrate activists for their contribution create communities & p2p networks let people interact up, down, and sideways collaborate & find co-conspirators when critics come knocking, invite them in create tools for people to recruit their peers reward for feedback, participation & advocacy and let them want to work for you

ADVOCACY TOOLS authentic advocacy brand space branded utility mobilizing tweeters engaged corporate citizen branded community branded blogs incentivizing p2p sharing tribal communications branded bootcamp blogger outreach branded social groups sponsored brand fests empathy space avatar branding branded skins organized fan events product customization branded online community alternate reality game innovation centerpop-ups co-created products branded virtual world user rating & reviews branded contact cards open source products mobile concierge service flickrtising customer service sampling/seeding webisodes/podcasts branded social networking perkonomics internal communication recruiting 1%ers brand journalism content aggregators creative contest consumer communities widgets

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NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND ACT

AUDIENCE BEHAVIOR SHOULD INFORM BRAND BEHAVIOR “a revolution doesn’t happen when the society adopts new tools. It happens when society adopts new behaviors.” - clay shirky

IT’S TIME FOR MARKETERS TO ADAPT NEW BEHAVIORS -@wilsh

6 DEGREES VS. TIPPING POINT

SOCIAL MEDIA IS WOM ON STEROIDS

SOCIAL MEDIA HAS TAKEN OVER PORN AS THE #1 ACTIVITY ON THE WEB

95% OF SOCIAL MEDIA USERS BELIEVE A COMPANY SHOULD HAVE A PRESENCE IN SOCIAL MEDIA -cone, business in social media study, 2008

NETWORKS MAKE UP MARKETING’S MOST POWERFUL MEDIA: RECOMMENDATION MEDIA

“the magic of social media is not what happens in social media, but what happens outside of it because of it.” -paul isakson

ADD VALUE TO THE CONVERSATION be entertaining be useful enhance the experience enable connections enable sharing provide knowledge encourage community building

ETHICS IN SOCIAL MEDIA be honest be personal be generous be supportive stay real-time be transparent be collaborative ensure relevancy be a good listener participate actively dump the salesman persona operate in a spirit of truth & honesty invest more time, love and passion (and less bucks)

DON’TS STEALTH MARKETING any practice designed to deceive people about the involvement of your company SHILLING paying people to talk about product INFILTRATING using fake identities to promote your product SPAM sending bulk or unsolicited email or other messages without clear, voluntary permission COMMENT SPAM using automated software to post unrelated / inappropriate comments to online communities DEFACEMENT vandalizing or damaging property to promote your product FALSIFICATION knowingly disseminating false/misleading information

SELECT YOUR AUDIENCE define sub-culture & individuals based on _credibility with the main market _affinity with the cause _willingness and persuasiveness (WIP) Add credit

UNDERSTAND YOUR AUDIENCE forrester’s social technographics ladder Add credit -forester research

UNDERSTAND THE DYNAMIC influence ripples + social media fragmentation

UNDERSTAND THE LANDSCAPE the conversation prism -brian solis & jesse thomas

FIND THE RIGHT PLATFORMS realize that not every platform is right for you

Don’t start with the platforms DON’T START WITH PLATFORMS “(when it comes to social media) companies focus on the features, tools and technologies, yet fail to understand the behaviors of their own customers online. as a result they, miss the mark.” -jeremiah owyang

“it’s not about social media. it’s about social idea.” –gareth kay

“have a social mission, not just a commercial proposition.” -gareth kay

WORKSHOP 4 groups 1 brand 1 group leader Client + Wolff Olins filename 000008 Page 53

SHARING 5 min / group Client + Wolff Olins filename 000008 Page 54

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A VERY BIG THANK YOU CONTACT INFO: FRANK@STRIEFLER.COM @FRANKINLALALAND HTTP://WWW.LINKEDIN.COM/IN/STRIEFLER Planning-ness Conference San Francisco October 17, 2009