Naked Brands

Posted on March 31, 2011 | 3 Comments

Catchy title, right? I thought so too … in fact, today’s post is all about nakedness! Before you get any thoughts, I’m referring to brands putting themselves out there … hold on, that still sounds wrong! OK, let me try that again. In our discussion today, we’ll be talking about the concept of bare & dare – I don’t think that explanation helped either. Anyway … here it goes.

In a much earlier post, entitled “Personal Branding – The 10 Commandments“, I discussed the concept of brand nudity – where you expose yourself to be judged, loved, hated, ridiculed, admired … after all , it’s not a beauty pageant, you’re not seeking everybody’s approval. Fortunately, some brands have adopted that level of transparency and laid their heart on their sleeves – with no protection, no conditions, no strings attached. A good example of that is Nokia.

On March 16, 2011, a friend on twitter, Tarek Shalaby, sent me a DM asking me to send him my email so he can fill me in on the launch event of Nokia E7. He also told me that they will be giving away the phone to test and talk about our experience!

Nokia E7 - John Antonios

FREE PHONE – what could more can one ask for? that sounds fabulous, i thought to myself. But then I asked if this great gifts comes with strings? Would I have to lie, and continuously push out positive feedback about the phone? The refreshing answer was: “NO – we’re actually looking forward to learn from your experience – so please, by all means, be honest!”

That was even more shocking than the FREE PHONE – wow, honesty in marketing.

Clearly, Nokia is not doing this because they just felt they had money to spare and simply started giving out phones worth $850 a pop (but i’ll get to that later). They sought out influencers in the social media sphere in Egypt to test drive the phones and talk about it in their circles. This is great marketing, since studies have shown that people are three times more willing to trust recommendations from a friend, than they are advertising. Its is daring move by Nokia – the crowd is dominated by iPhone and Android fans – with a couple of exceptions supporting Blackberry. Clearly not Nokia’s territory – then again, the number one place to gain insight and pick up on customer needs – raw, untampered, unedited data! How valuable is that!?!

Since we brought money into the equation, let’s look at this initiative from a financial perspective. The launch event took place at the Four Seasons Nile Plaza catering to 50 guests, including a 3-course meal, Hors d’œuvres, and a completely FREE Nokia E7. The setup was fabulous … and so was everything else. Sounds costly, doesn’t it? Uh, not really. Think of the alternative – mass media (TV, Billboards, etc …), where you addresses the mass public, knowing that only a very small portion would afford the phone (or would care to own one for that matter). Needless to say, the latter costs a whole lot of money that doesn’t start to compare to the direct marketing approach taken by Nokia.

Aside from the obvious costs associated with the alternative, I would also like you to consider the price tag on the following tools needed to support it: focus group, market research, advertising on different social networking platforms, consumer insights, brand advocacy … With the direction Nokia has taken in earning the attention of mobile users to the new Nokia E7, it covered all the aforementioned areas. So basically, Nokia did more for less – but more so, Nokia dared to be different.

What should Nokia do next?

To reap the benefits of this initiative, Nokia should:

  • Track the feedback across the different social networks from the lucky few receivers of the Nokia E7
  • Provide customer service online
  • Build a Q&A list generated from the questions presented online
  • Build a forum / blog or any other platform where these “test drivers” can share their experience and help share the knowledge
  • Provide tips and tricks on occasional basis to make the best out of the Nokia E7 experience
  • Measure conversion rate

These are but a few options Nokia could tackle to sustain the incredible momentum created by the event.

Questions to think about:

  • What do you think of Nokia’s approach?
  • If you were the brand manager of Nokia E7, would you have done things differently?
  • How can Nokia build on this initiative?

Think About It!

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SMART Revolution Falls Short – Focus #Egypt

Posted on March 10, 2011 | 2 Comments

In my last post, I was taken by all the emotions surrounding, what was dubbed as, the 2.0 Revolution in Egypt. I tried to reflect on the marketing lessons behind the success of this social media revolution. In conclusion, the key success factor was the emotional selling proposition represented by the brand elements of the uprise! However, that alone is not sufficient for the sustainability of such success.

The feelings of happiness, freedom, and love that were direct results of the revolution, were soon to be replaced by feelings of anxiety, fear, rage, and complete chaos. But why? where did it all go wrong? and when? Trust me, I won’t even try to analyse this from a political stand point – I would fail miserably as a politician because i’m not familiar with the shades of color between black and white. Instead, I would like to continue the reasoning started in my previous post, and try to extract the marketing lessons from the post-Jan 25 Revolution period.

The post-revolution period is a typical case of Headless Chicken Marketing! OK fine, I can’t really use the word “typical” to explain a term that I just came up with – but the idiom does seem self-sufficient.

This phenomenon is often seen in companies with marketing shortsightedness. They tend to go for tactics and forget strategy. They would rather spend on Ad-hoc marketing campaigns and get immediate short-lived  results instead of  building a sustainable plan resulting in continuous (yet slower) results. If post-campaign sales results are equivalent to pre-campaign sales results, than I have basically spend money to make money, but I’m still in the same position I was in, if not worse! This describes the 2011 Egyptian Revolution – we’re back right where we started!

Every marketing campaign has three phases: pre- (past), during (present), and post (future). All three phases are equally important and crucial to the success of the overall campaign. These phases are defined by SMART objectives (Specific, Measurable, Attainable/Achievable , Realistic/Relevant, and Timely).

  • What are the Specific objectives of the revolution?
  • How do you Measure these objectives? Where do we stand from our our specified objectives?
  • Do we all Agree on the objectives? Are we aiming for the moon?
  • Is aiming for the moon a Realistic thing to do given our resources in terms of human capital, time, etc …? Is aiming for the moon Relevant to our cause?
  • When is the deadline to achieve our objectives? when is the cutoff Time?

In my educated opinion, the 2.0 Revolution wasn’t that “SMART” – and because of that, we’re losing time, resources, and even lives!

In closing, I would like to point out that Freedom is not an SMART objective … it’s a beautiful dream! But you know what they say, “Be careful what you wish for!” Are Egyptians ready for the burden of freedom? From what I’m witnessing on the streets of Cairo, I don’t think we’re even close. Think About It!

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The Success behind the Social Media Revolution – Focus #Egypt

Posted on February 11, 2011 | 7 Comments

To write today’s post, I had to look up successful social media campaigns from around the world and try to understand what they have in common. What made them successful? How was this success measured? And much more …

Social Media Examiner featured an article entitled “Top 10 Facebook Pages and Why They’re Successful” written by Amy Porterfield. In her post, Amy examines top brands from around the world and highlights what made their Facebook page stand out from the crowd. These are the tips, I’ve extracted from this great article:

  • Invest in Creativity & Design
  • Highlight Product/Service Uniqueness
  • Engage the audience through Sweepstakes & Competitions
  • Incorporated customer support
  • Create direct purchase opportunities
  • Keep things simple
  • Build a personal connection
  • Create different engagement platforms
  • Start discussion streams

Amy gives clear examples of how brands from around the world have used these techniques to create successful Facebook pages. I was also interested in learning what some of the top brands on Facebook are.

  • YouTube     26.9 Million
  • Coca Cola     22.3 Million
  • Starbucks    19.5 Million
  • Disney        16.8 Million
  • Oreo        16.6 Million
  • Red Bull    15.1 Million
  • Skittles        15.0 Million
  • Converse    12.6 Million

All the success factors, mentioned Amy’s post, are present in these top pages on Facebook. Another factor that plays a huge role in the popularity of these pages is the actual offline fame of the brand itself. Let’s not forget that there’s a lot of money supporting these brands and their social media development.

In my previous post, I showcased the role of social media in the Egyptian Uprise of January 25, 2010. The logical question to follow is WHY?

Was the success of the Egyptian Revolution on Social Media attributed to the common factors present in the top Facebook pages? No!

The social media revolution in Egypt was created by the people for the people. The twitter streams, the YouTube videos shared, and the Facebook pages created all had one thing in common – PASSION! Coca Cola might have 22.3 million Likes; on the other hand, We Are All Khaled Said only has 696 thousand Likes, but each comment posted on their wall has on average 4500 likes and thousands and thousands of comments in reply (one of the comments actually had 14,696 likes and 49,675 comments – WOW!). If the purpose of social media is to engage with your audience, given the figures I just shared with you, which of the two “brands” is more successful? The answer to that is easy!

So how does a multibillion dollar brand come second in terms of engagement? The more appropriate question is what does We Are All Khaled Said have that Coca Cola doesn’t? A: Pure unsolicited Love!

The audience wasn’t lured in by great design & graphics, or coupons, or competitions, or promises, or any of the other reasons that make other pages successful – they were driven by an internal need. The marketing lesson behind all this is that a brand’s success lies in its ability to genuinely cater to that need. This way it guarantees the birth of advocates not just likes.

In developing your social media platforms, the key is understanding your target audience and delivering a platform where they can express their views freely about the brand. So many social media campaigns fail (or only experience a short term success) because they deliver off the shelf solutions. I see hundreds of Facebook pages offering the same thing – no wonder they end up failing. When I’m invited to “Like” someone’s social network, they have to give me a very good reason to do so! I’m not a “Like” collector, nor am I interested in following a million people, I want value for my very limited time. Remember that tip when developing your social media strategy.

Are you just another brand on the social media train, or do you make a difference? Think About It!

PS. In closing, I would like to congratulate the Egyptian population on pursuing their passion and cashing in on it!

BRANDING UPDATE (Feb 13, 2011): I did some further research and I was able to find the technical word behind the success of the Social Media Revolution in Egypt – they had an Emotional Selling Proposition (ESP). The whole branding of the Revolution 2.0 was perceived differently primarily because of emotional attachment. (source: Brand Sense by Martin Lindstorm)


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The Social Media Revolution – Spotlight on Egypt

Posted on February 3, 2011 | 4 Comments

I’m not sure where or how to start this post, but I will suffice by saying “YOU CAN’T SILENCE FREEDOM”. This post might lead to banning me from Egypt or worse, but this is my contribution to a country I love dearly. I dedicate this post to Egypt.

Censorship is not new to Egypt! In fact, people have been silenced, one way or another, for the mere thought of opposing the ruling regime. This post is certainly not intended to be a political one, nor am I fond of the subject; this is simply a showcase of the role of social media in the Uprising in Egypt (January 25, 2011).

The voice of the Egyptian people was never louder – thanks to social media!

On January 25, 2011, the Egyptian people took the streets in protest of the ruling regime. Social Media channels (including Twitter, Facebook, Youtube, Flickr, and blogs) were used to organize this revolution and as a platform of voicing the people’s frustration to the world and earn their attention.

A couple of Dedicated Twitter Accounts:

  • @25Egypt – Followers: 3,427 / Tweets: 2,664 / Created: Sun, Jan 23, 2011
  • @Jan25voices – Followers: 6,412 / Tweets: 579 / Created: Fri, Jan 28, 2011

Some Dedicated Facebook Pages:

Needless to say, that these are dedicated channels following up on the Egyptian Revolution. Let’s have a quick look at some random statistics:

WOW – No wonder they were very keen in shutting down all internet communication – the figures are scary, especially if they’re trying to hide something. You can run, but you can’t hide! Think About It!

In reply to the internet blackout, Google launched a service called “Speak2Tweet” Monday, January 27, 2011, giving Egyptians the option to call an international phone number (+97316199855)

and tweet via voicemail. After one day of complete communication blackout (including mobile networks and internet service providers), they reinstated the mobile connection and people of Egypt called in their tweets using this service.

How was social media used in this revolution?

  • Organizing Protests – Social media was used as a megaphone on steroids to spread the word about the demonstrations on January 25
  • Advice & Tips – Demonstrators were guiding others on what routes to avoid, what clothes to wear, what supplies to keep on hand – the international realm was giving tips on how to wash tear gas from their faces, etc …
  • Storytelling – Someone had to tell the real story since the local TV channels didn’t – filtering what’s real and what’s exaggerated was left to the reader, but it wasn’t hard, since the mass amount of videos, pictures, and articles helped paint a very clear picture.
  • Inducing Pressure on International Politics – Egypt is not alone; it doesn’t exist on an isolated planet with no connection to earth. So someone has to answer to all that has and is happening. The cry of the people on social media was too loud to be ignored by the international community. They earned the attention!

In closing, I would like to share with you a picture that was taken by a friend of mine, Beco G., who took part in the protests in Tahrir Square.

You Can't Silence FREEDOM

You Can't Silence FREEDOM - By Beco G.

In my next post, we’ll be looking at the social media lessons learned from the Egyptian Revolution 2011. Till then, I ask you to send your love and prayers to Egypt.

UPDATE – February 13, 2011: Dearest Readers, the different figures showcased in the this post were collected on the 3rd of February – I invite you to click on the different links for more updated figures, see the incredible growth rate to-date.

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You Only Get One Shot!

Posted on January 5, 2011 | 11 Comments

Do any of these situations sound familiar?

  • you’re in the subway and you notice that the CMO of Starbucks is standing right across from you. You know She’d be getting out on the next station. You build up the courage and walk up to her and then …
  • you see the girl of your dreams hailing a cab at the entrance of the hotel. You know that you can’t let her get away. So you put your best smile on and then …
  • you run into a well known VC at the checkout booth at Carrefour. Finally, you within arms length of getting some funding for your great project. You give her a slight tap on the shoulder and then …

… and then YOU FREEZE!

Look closely at the situations presented above – do you notice any overlapping factors?

  • it’s something you really want
  • it’s within your reach
  • you have a short window of time

You were so close … to get that job, girl, funding … but you blew it. Why? Because you weren’t ready. Louis Pasteur said it best, “chance favors the prepared mind”. And yours just wasn’t! Don’t blame your bad luck, because the latter was standing right there, in your face! You had one shot, and you let it go!

Elevator Pitch - John AntoniosUnderstanding your personal brand allows you to be in full control of your brand attributes – what I referred to as personal brand DNA in previous posts. This in turn allows you to formulate an elevator pitch in any situation your presented with. The name “elevator pitch” reflects the idea that it should be possible to deliver a pitch in the time span of an elevator ride, or approximately thirty seconds to two minutes (source: Wikipedia)

My personal brand DNA is best described as Creative, Passionate, and Dedicated – this applies to all aspects of my life, be it work, family, love, friends … this DNA strand inspires my situational elevator pitches.

Your DNA is acquired by matching your brand identity (what you think your brand stands for) with your brand perception (what others think of your brand). William Arruda and the team at REACH Communications Consulting have developed a FREE Personal Brand Assessment tool that can help you do that and much more. I would highly recommend it to be a first step to self discovery. Next I advise you think of your personal brand just like any other brand with strengths and weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Yes, I am talking about a Personal SWOT Analysis – you may think that is easy but I really want you to try it. Here’s a link to the template you can use. The combination of the results of these two tools would provide you with enough information to formulate your personal DNA.

So what are you waiting for? Will you freeze the next time you’re presented with a lifetime opportunity? Or will you be prepared? Think About It!

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