Congrats to Leigh Durst on publishing her first book!!!
In this episode, Leigh and I sit down and discuss SxSW, similarities between Built to Suck and Walk, Climb, Or Fly and Spirit Animals.
Buy the book here.
You can become a part of this show, just call in +1 (203) 689-8661 and leave a message.
You can download or listen live here or of course subscribe to the podcast via iTunes etc.
A Rant of the Week dedicated to the now infamous Fyre Festival that is doing its rounds on Netflix and Hulu with a pretty scathing documentary.
In this episode, I really focus on the Influencer Marketing component of the fiasco.
This week, it was announced that Supermodel "influencers" including Bella Hadid, Hailey Bieber, Emily Ratajkowski, Elsa Hosk and Kendall Jenner are going to be subpoenaed (as well as their agencies).
What role did they play in promoting this debacle? Should they have done more due diligence? Where was the disclosure? Will this destroy influencer marketing as we know it (and is that a good thing)?
I'll discuss this and cross-reference a post from Jim Tobin who gave his lessons learned.
Been a little quiet for the past month as it was holidays and all. Plus I started another podcast (a spiritual one) and most importantly, I've been in full-on editing mode for my new book, "Built to Suck" (March, 2019)
Felt inspired to do a new show this morning and keeping to the format of one discussion topic (roughly 10 minutes) and then Winners and Losers, Rant of the Week, listener comments/questions etc.
In this episode, I discuss the imminent Bezos divorce and what that will mean for both Jeff Bezos and the future of Amazon.
In Winners & Losers, I give the American Egg Board the +1 for @world_record_egg's successful attempt at dethroning Kylie Jenner's most liked Instagram post ever. The irony of course is that they probably don't even know about it!
My loser is Mastercard for their groundbreaking new logo and what this says about them and their future.
Occasionally I'm going to pepper in an interview or two with fellow authors, influencers, opinion leaders, subject matter experts (you get the drift) and so in this episode, I am pleased to share my conversation with a real life marketer and business leader, Chris Burggraeve. Chris was the global CMO of ABInBev when I met him and over the course of several years, we had the pleasure of working together.
He's now a consultant, VC, educator, speculator, all around entrepreneur and now...author.
He's written a book called "Marketing is Finance is Business: How CMO, CFO and CEO cocreate iconic brands with sustainable pricing power in the new Galactic Age." It's a mouthful but that's intentional. This guy knows what he's talking about. He doesn't just talk. He's walked the talk and ultimately, brings a unique perspective you're not going to see/hear every day (or any day)
So give it a listen and enjoy.
More importantly, you can buy the book here. There's a textbook version. A kindle version. And coming soon, the Galactic version (hardcover). Love it.
Or subscribe here.
I am thrilled to share that I've joined forces with West Virginia University's Reed College of Media.
I'm developing a completely original course titled, "Disruptive Innovation" which I will begin teaching in March of 2019.
Just like writing a book was a bucket list dream of mind (achieved x5), so too was the ability to teach and align myself with academia.
Learn more about the IMC graduate program, faculty and curriculum at http://imc.wvu.edu/
Here's the press release: https://lnkd.in/e7eTYXe
Go Mountaineers :)
Joseph Jaffe, an established author, entrepreneur and sought-after consultant, is bringing his expertise to the West Virginia University Reed College of Media as an instructor in the Integrated Marketing Communications online graduate program.
Jaffe is pulling from his experience as a reformed adman, strategic consultant and thought leader to develop and teach a new course, “Disruptive Innovation,” for the spring 2019 term.
Currently the Admiral and co-founder of HMS Beagle, a strategic consultancy that helps clients navigate the journey to survival, Jaffe has spent more than 15 years as an entrepreneur and thought leader on marketing and innovation. His clients have included Nestle, Purina, Colgate-Palmolive, Panasonic, Kraft Foods, and The Coca-Cola Company.
Jaffe is also the author of four books including landmark “Life after the 30-second spot” and “Flip the Funnel.” His fifth book, “Built to Suck: The Inevitable Demise of the Corporation…and how to save it?” will be published in March, 2019.
“We are excited to welcome Joseph to our faculty and to launch this innovative, new course in brand survival, “said Chad Mezera, assistant dean of online programs at the College of Media. “Our programs are committed to being at the forefront of marketing communications education, and knowledge of the changing digital landscape is imperative for our students.”
In this course, students will come up with strategies and tactics to help brands manage changing consumer demands and disruptive technologies, and succeed in shifting market dynamics. This elective course in the IMC master’s degree program will give students exposure to “survival planning” and innovative thinking for modernizing brand growth.
“Survival planning is entirely new, and it’s completely necessary because today, we’re all in the survival business. Indeed, large corporations are falling and from a marketing standpoint, the next ad campaign, tagline or real-time tweet is not going to move the needle,” said Jaffe. “The stakes are too high. Today’s student is tomorrow’s marketing leader and they need to be equipped with new skills in order to successfully navigate a new business reality.”
Jaffe was a featured speaker at the College of Media’s Integrate West Virginia Conference held in June 2017 in Huntington, West Virginia.
Hailing from South Africa, he earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Cape Town.
Learn more about the IMC graduate program, faculty and curriculum at http://imc.wvu.edu/.
I sure hope this works!
After way too much time (I don't even want to calculate), I'm trying to get the ORIGINAL Jaffe Juice - the New Marketing Podcast back up and running.
No author interviews.
Just me. And you.
The original format will reincarnate listener favorites, including - but not limited to the following:
In this week's episode, I talk about Black Friday in advance of the big day and big weekend.
You can download or listen live Jaffe Juice #183 or of course subscribe to the podcast via iTunes etc.
I am thrilled to announce the official launch of my new consultancy, the HMS Beagle.
For those of you who know your history, the HMS Beagle was laid down 200 years ago and on her second voyage, carried a rather conspicuous character by the name of Charles Darwin. It was on this voyage that he formulated many of his groundbreaking theories on Evolution (not Evol8tion but Evolution)
Darwin has a great saying, "it is not the strongest of species that survives, nor the most intelligent; but rather the one which is the most adaptable to change."
So that's where we come in. We help our clients navigate the journey to survival...because let's face it, we're all in the survival business nowadays. From small startups to large corporations; from an unsuccessful raise to death by a thousand budget cuts.
If the first journey is the one to survival and the generation of a survival plan, then the next is the journey to "thrival" - in other words a growth plan (or a return to growth plan for many larger corporations who yearn for the day where they can grow through organic customer retention and referrals as opposed to buying growth through acquiring revenue)
You'll notice I said, "we" and for the first time in my entrepreneurial career, I'm not going it alone. I have an equal partner in crime - Lynn Power. Lynn was most recently CEO of JWT in New York (I interviewed there when I came to the US in 1997) and before that, President of Arnold, New York.
Lynn and I share the vision that brands today have got to adopt a survival mindset if they are to have any chances of being able to "future protect" themselves (often times, from themselves!) Being able to plan upstream, anticipate future disruption and be adept at pivoting their very value proposition are all part and parcel of the survival mindset.
At the top of the stack is being open to these changes. There are no sacred cows when it comes to survival!
You can find out more at www.thehmsbeagle.com which has a topline overview of our service lines:
For now we're launching with a series of workshops, which we call voyages. We're able to drill down with any of the three service lines or combine them in our "Maiden Voyage."
So are you ready to set sail? If so....all aboard and anchors aweigh.
Admiral Jaffe
PS The Press Release if you want to Download Jaffe and Power launch The HMS Beagle
By way of context, if you don't know Sarah Fay, you should. I met her about 15 years ago back in the early days of digital. At the time she was running Carat Digital. Since then, she's run Isobar, Aegis Media North America until she left the agency world and now works in the VC business focusing on A.I.
Sarah introduced my former co-founder, Gina Waldhorn, to me and together Gina and I ran Evol8tion for 5 of the last 6 years.
Earlier this year, she introduced Annette Tonti to me (she co-founded and ran Bluestreak, which would ring a bell for all you Digital "Old Timers") and her Natural Language Processing / AI platform called The Innovation Scout.
On the surface, I guess I could have viewed them as a competitor, however I've always maintained that in small, nascent and/or emerging sectors, there is no such thing as competitors. The primary goal is to grow the pie and be the rising tide that floats all boats.
That said, the "startup matchmaking" space is pretty crowded with a bunch of players with "database envy" as in "my database is bigger than yours." This, combined with too much bottom of the barrel scrapping (speed dating or what I would call the Tinderfication of Innovation) created the need for a velvet glove, human-based, curated approach. That was Evol8tion and our strategic approach and proprietary process known as BrandMatch took care of the quality control issue, however what was truly needed was some kind of automated and intelligent approach that went way wider and deeper whilst maintaining the "currency" imperative i.e. recognizing the constant churn and revolving door associated with the startups (here today, gone tomorrow)
A while back, we began to develop what we call Pipeline to do just that. Pipeline become a white label version of our own proprietary database that our corporate clients could brand and essentially launch their own "Open Innovation" portal, combined with our existing startups, scoring methodology and brand-friendly classification or segmentation.
Our belief was that Innovation was too important to outsource to a third party and that brands needed to own and take control of their own destiny. The key difference was that too many corporates (you know who you are) have bet the farm by either trying to build it themselves or overpaying one of the 8oo-pound SaaS players to build what is essentially a White Elephant.
The Innovation Scout + Pipeline will offer corporates the best of both worlds and becomes a pretty balanced equilibrium between "man" and "machine".
It's why I have joined The Innovation Scout as a "Super Advisor' (Annette's words) and rolled up Pipeline into a better, cheaper and faster solution. Whereas the Evol8tion approach was a process, The Innovation Scout is a Platform and together 1 + 1 = 3.
The press release is below and you can get a free trial/demo of the platform as part of this launch announcement (just contact me.)
NEW YORK (PRWEB) NOVEMBER 29, 2017
The Innovation Scout announced today that innovation industry pioneer and well-known author Joseph Jaffe is joining their team. Joe joins as an advisor and will focus primarily on Innovation Scout’s Brand Innovation group to help major brands innovate faster and more effectively. Joe has been a pioneer in the art and science of digital innovation as a catalyst towards creating disruptive solutions that accelerate growth.
“More than ever, established companies need to connect with startups to keep them relevant. The Innovation Scout is doing this at scale by using Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning and Big Data to match established companies, guiding them through the innovation process” said Jaffe. “There is too much noise and clutter out there right now to help corporations find relevant connections. A manual, curated approach can only get you so far, however using automation and Machine Learning in tandem, a whole new set of possibilities emerge. AI changes the playing field for innovation and brand executives.”
Through Evol8tion, Joe has provided innovation solutions to brands by connecting startups since 2011. He has worked with a world-class roster of blue chip brands including Kraft Heinz, Mondelez, DPSG, Steelcase, Nestle, Purina, Chobani and Time-Warner.
“We are thrilled to join forces with Joe”, said Annette Tonti, CEO, The Innovation Scout. “He brings extensive experience and new capabilities to our team as a world-class Subject Matter Expert and confidant to senior marketing executives. Joe understands issues of both corporations and startups. That expertise is both rare and necessary to make the Startup – Brand connections work”.
Evol8tion’s proprietary startup database and platform known as Pipeline will now operate under the Innovation Scout umbrella.
Around the globe, corporations are engaging with start-ups to spark innovation, The Innovation Scout is at the heart of this movement. Working to match start-ups with large, legacy corporations to develop incremental and disruptive innovation.
The Innovation Scout offers a SaaS platform and programs that help corporations to discover, assess, engage and run pilots with startups and open research. The platform uses artificial intelligence to match relevant startups with corporate business challenges and to give insight and support across the innovation process.
In celebration of this partnership, The Innovation Scout is offering a trial of their Innovation Scout platform.
Yes I know I haven't blogged in about 10 years, but this is as good as any time to get back into to it :)
If you're in NYC on Thursday, November 16th, 8.30-11.30am, please consider yourself my personal guest at an event Evol8tion and Fulton Waters is throwing to celebrate startup-brand collaboration. Here are 10 reasons to attend:
1. It's free
2. There's breakfast
3-6. You'll get to hear from 4 cool startups: Arteria Network, The Innovation Scout, Mavrck and Sympler
7-9. You'll get to hear from a panel including these amazing people: Brian Cohen from New York Angels, Ben James from JWT and Robin Albin who most recently ran Innovation at Estee Lauder
10. I'll be Keynoting with a presentation titled, "The Startup Imperative"
PLUS A power exchange with our sponsor Davis & Gilbert and plenty of networking
We still have place and so if you aren't in NYC and/or can't attend, pay it forward and extend the invite to colleagues, clients etc that you think would enjoy the event.
You can register here.
Hope to see you there!
Shann Biglione, Chief Strategy Officer, Publicis Media Greater China, wrote a terrific article on LinkedIn (hat tip: Eaon Pritchard) titled, “People who predict the death of brands don’t understand why they exist.”
In it, he outlined how harbingers of doom (or marketer serial killers – love it!) who have been harping (or is it harbinging?) on the death of TV, advertising and now ultimately brands, point to 4 contributing factors for this proclamation:
He ends the article wonderfully, “Predicting the death of brands fails to understand their Darwinian nature: they do not exist because they were imposed unto us, they exist because of us.”
So I thought I would provide a counterpoint that is less a rebuttle and more a triangulated perspective.
To begin, I think the assertions of “death of” TV, advertising and brands are absolutely connected and evolutionary in nature. TV is a subset (and the biggest component) of advertising; and advertising has been the predominant input or contributing ingredient of the brand recipe. Classic marketing theory has been built upon the 4 P’s (Product, Price, Place, Promotion) and it is the P of Promotion that similarly has enjoyed the lion’s share of attention and investment in the Brand Mix.
I wrote, “Life after the 30-second spot” some 13 years ago and in it, I asserted that the 4 P’s have become commoditized. All washing detergents work; all toothpaste cleans; all candy tastes good but is bad for you. Pricing is essentially transparent. Location is ubiquitous. And don’t get me started on the backlash against advertising.
If you think about it, Shann’s 4 variables fit quite nicely into the 4 P’s paradigm:
To be clear, I’m not sure I would necessary “harb” on the same 4 points (I was just reconciling them).
My concern is with the final statement: brands exist because of us and the key word here is “us.” So who is us? It’s not the consumer. It’s Don Draper. It’s the marketing profession and advertising industry who have perpetuated this Wizard of Oz façade for so long, where packaged goods, tires or food are brought to life with animated mascots like Jolly Green Giants or Marshmallow Men or weird Peanut Englishmen trapped in time; where brands make promises but never keep them; where brands are supposed to capture the values, touchpoints, ideals and beliefs of the companies that keep them and yet those same companies are being taken over by private equity cutthroats, cost-cutting and jettisoning brands at alarming regularity; where new “brands” like AirBnB, Uber, Snapchat or Instagram burst onto the scene attracting massive market valuations (or did I mention used zero paid media to build their….brands)
WE created brands. WE kept them alive (and some on life support) by romancing and doubling down on the formulaic narrative. And now WE will need to figure out how to save them.
The fact remains, if brands are to survive, they’re going to need to remain relevant and provide real value to their entire ecosystem and their stakeholders. They’re going to need to evolve. And by definition, evolve implies the openness and ability to adapt to change. And that change will absolutely pivot around distribution, promotion, loyalty and advocacy, R&D, innovation, customer service and more.
Right now, I fear that many of these items are being ignored or neglected at worst, and paid lip service to at best. And if that continues, those same harbingers will be moving on from the death of brands to an even more ominous prediction, the death of corporations.
Oh wait, that’s already happening…
For some strange reason, Westport CT was very quiet last night (where last night = Super Bowl.) Instead of several parties or bars to choose from, it seems like everyone just stayed home to watch with their immediate family.
We did the same.
Made our boxes (I won $20 of my own money for having the second quarter score). Put out chips and dip. Settled in for what started as a blow up and ended with a melt down if you’re a Falcons fan or the greatest comeback in the history of NFL Football if you’re a Pats fan or conceding reluctantly if you’re a fan of any of the other franchises.
It also gave me a chance to watch pretty much all the commercials with the sound on (as opposed to the hullaballoo of partygoers)
As always I hoped to see the advertising industry show the rest of the world what we’re made of and in true form, we completely failed miserably and instead, capitulated that creativity is pretty much DOA.
From a media standpoint, if you bought 4th Quarter, give yourself a….’er…..pat on the back. You’re a hero unless of course people switched off in the 3rd quarter and went to bed. I almost did…
Politics and Pigskin don’t mix
A lot of political undertones on this one. From the Kraft-Belichick-Brady Presidential connection to the LGBTQ lyrics from Lady Gaga (who killed it) to Avocados from Mexico. (I’m kidding)
And a LOT of statement of Unity, Tolerance, Equality and the like from a bunch of advertisers like – if I recall correctly – Coke, Google, AirBnB and of course Anheuser-Busch. If there were others, sorry guys you blended in the sameness of togetherness.
The A-B commercial was very interesting because they claim it has absolutely nothing to do with the political climate and I totally believe them, which – in this case – is not a good thing. Ultimately, Budweiser is a mass brand that requires both “red” and “blue” to buy and according to all the advertising trades, this isn’t happening as much as they’d like. After all, they renamed the beer, America over the summer months! In this particular case, whilst I applaud them for running it, I wonder if it made sense to pull it….
Creepy Rules
There were a lot of creepy commercials. I’m quoting my son as well here. Ghosts, Talking Yearbooks, Sexual liaisons with cartoon mascots and I might as well slap T-Mobile on the wrist for a ridiculously inappropriate mismatch of the actress (I forget her name) from Flight of the Conchords and I guess, 50 Shades of Grey and the orgasm from When Harry met Sally.
Telco War
This was the war of the telcos. Perhaps only AT&T is the big winner because they didn’t participate. Unless of course they did and I didn’t even remember, in which case I withdraw my compliment.
T-Mobile had a real message: unlimited data? Wait, what??? Can you say the word, “throttle?” They purchased at least 3 commercials and the one with Justin Bieber would have been enough. It was a perfectly executed Super Bowl commercial: borrowed interest from a celebrity + frivolous humor + a singular, clear message + a call to action for those that give a damn.
Big winner of the night: Lady Gaga. No more words necessary. Her brand shone (and if you’re looking for a startup/innovation connection, hat tip to the drones powered by Intel)
Big loser of the night: All the automotive brands or perhaps I should say blands with one notable exception: The Coen Brothers Easy Rider Mercedes spot with Peter Fonda (so to be clear, I like the Mercedes spot!)
Special mention: AirBnB’s social statement had pretty much minimal to non-existent branding. Rather than say, “make the logo bigger,” I saw this as them saying:
Final word: Come on advertisers and your agencies, Super Bowl advertising isn’t an enigma. It’s pretty formulaic really. Next year make sure you do the following:
Update: Just 30% of Super Bowl ads displayed hashtags, a dip from 45% in 2016, Marketing Land reports. Forty-one percent of spots included links to websites, 8% mentioned Twitter, and 6% referenced Facebook and Instagram.
All in all I can’t complain….I won $100 for the O/T Pats win.
So there’s that.
My co-founder and COO of Evol8tion, Gina Waldhorn, just had a baby.
How selfish of her, right?
How on earth could she neglect her startup duties of growing this business in favor of starting a family?
Even worse is that she intends to take off until the end of the year? The Donald is rolling in his grave...and HE'S STILL ALIVE!
My message to her was simple: take the time you need...come back on your terms...you CAN have it all.
When it comes to diversity in the workplace and specifically the conversation about women in the workplace, anyone who tells you this isn't a problem (anymore) is deluded and/or detached. And if they are in a position of authority/power, this kind of attitude is a one-way ticket out of the organization (the larger the organization, the quicker the exit). Just ask Kevin Roberts.
Worse still, you'll get Cindy Gallop on your tail and you do NOT want to make her mad. You wouldn't like her when she's mad.
Don't get me wrong, I miss Gina (already) terribly and it hasn't been a full week. I'll get over it. I have to.
She doesn't need to be physically in this office to lead and maximize her contribution to the company. Not any more. Not in today's times with software solutions like Join.Me, Slack, Dropbox, Google Drive, Skype etc.
If you are a woman, you CAN be a full time mom AND a full time executive without sacrificing one for the other and without spending more time in the process. They are not (or should not be) mutually exclusive; nor are they zero-sum. Work-life balance is inextricably intertwined and interconnected.
Ultimately, quality time should trump quantity time 10 times out of 10, especially with the collateral damage is the opportunity cost of a shorter commute and/or less endless meetings, where the only outcome is to set up another meeting.
Of course, I hope Gina will get bored sooner rather than later. After all, she is a serial entrepreneur and this is her company. Of course, I hope she will ease her way back and pick and choose moments to keep her professionally engaged and stimulated. At the same time, I also need to walk my talk and put my own vision and passion into practice and as that relates to the new way to work...you CAN have it all and she CAN (and WILL) have it all.
Corporations will just need to accept (it's easier and less painful if this is done willingly) that the only way to attract and retain Millennials (I'm not giving away Gina's age) will be to feed their life force (emphasize the word, LIFE) and not micromanage, control and/or smother the ability to dream big, reach higher and maximize potential.
So take your time, Gina...but not too much time, ok?
How was your year?
Be honest.
Awesome?
You shattered your KPI records? You delivered more from less and more with less? You found inefficiencies and eliminated points of friction across your marketing communications and consumer journey? Your agency brought you bold, fresh, new and innovation ideas? Your procurement department saved you some money without hampering or hindering your creative process? You successfully experimented with several emerging platforms and exciting early stage startups? You attracted and retained talented young Millennials to move your brand forward?
You did? TERRIFIC! You rock! You don't need to continue reading, but I would love it if you would comment below and share your success stories, best practices or next practices and some key learnings with the rest of us constituents.
We need more people like you to step up and share. We need leaders who are gracious enough to help raise the collective bar or rising tide in order to evolve our industry.
For everyone else (and I have a sneaky feeling it's the overwhelming majority), I have some bad news and good news. They're actually both the same: everyone else is in the same boat. So you're not behind but you're not ahead either. That's either exceptionally frightening or empowering depending on how you look it. If the former, you run all the risk in the world to be disintermediated by a direct competitor or even a startup. If the latter, you have everything to gain by making the first move (first mover advantage is not a myth; it's very real)
The choice is ultimately yours.
And the real good news is that there is still time! Not much, but enough to make a difference.
So here's my challenge to you: you have roughly 100 days left in the calendar year. Do something. Do something you've never done before. Not because you can, but because you have to. Actually you can and you should. Maybe you have some of those yummy use-it-or-lose-it funds left over in your budgetary coffers. Maybe you don't, but let's be honest, you can find it if you really want to.
This isn't about money. And besides, it's not yours anyway; it belongs to your shareholders, so why not repay their loyalty with a proof of concept that demonstrates you are genuinely committed to changing with the times.
I can't believe I'm actually quoting #DJT, but "what the hell do you have to lose?" Seriously, what do you have to lose? At worst, you might make a few embedded stalwarts a little uncomfortable.
So take the 100 day challenge, commit to a "Test 'n Learn Combo" (it's #4 on the McDonalds value menu); invest in a pilot or "experiment"; make a commitment to doing something you've never done before (here's the kicker) in a category you unequivocally know (beyond a reasonable doubt) is already - or will soon become - a mission critical sector for your business.
By all means, go it alone should you so desire. Or task it to one of your roster incumbent agencies if you are convinced they'll execute it "better, cheaper, faster." Or why not give a shot to one of the subject matter expert boutiques out there? (Evol8tion is one of them, but I would be just as happy to refer you to another company if you want a shortlist to choose from)
We can always come up with 100 reasons to say no, but why not force yourself to come up with one real reason to say yes. How about ushering in the new year with a win; a data point in a set that will help you triangulate and get to the future...fast...and even first.
How can you say no to that? It's rhetorical.
September 7th is the BIG day!
For what you may ask?
The announcement of the new iPhone 7, dummy!
Oh, yawn!
I guess the real question is whether we care anymore. Or maybe we care too much and just have lost faith with Apple to wow us with the kind of form and function that changed our lives and even the world with the initial launch of the iPod and ultimately iPhone.
As I write this, it's just over 24 hours to go before the "big reveal" (air quotes = sarcasm) and current rumors are slightly better camera, bigger screen coverage to the entire surface, wireless charging, some degree of water resistance and no headphone jack at all (WTF?)
So apparently, the force touch of the 6s didn't exactly set the world on fire. Shocker! What about the other features? I guess the bigger screen coverage is pretty cool although I do like the tactile feel of being able to press a button and have it perform the functions of a button. I'm not sure about the disappearing headphone jack...I absolutely welcome a world of no wires (I probably spend 2-3 hours a day untangling my current headphones); I'm just unclear about the practicality of sticking a bud in my ear and what happens if it falls out...the white wires serve that "safety net" function in a very low-tech way.
I actually think our friends at Samsung have done an exponentially (arguably explosive) better job at out-innovating Apple when it comes to mobile phones. From screen coverage to screen curvature; from retina scans to the stylus option; from wireless charging to wider lenses for selfies.
...but perhaps the one feature that to me becomes the killer app is a phone that doesn't break when you drop it and doesn't fritz when you spill water on it. For me, my nails on a chalkboard moment is seeing self-respecting professionals walking around with a screen so cracked it looks like someone hurled a rock at a mirror (and is subsequently enjoying bad luck as a result).
That accolade belongs to the Droid and Android OS.
Also, before we give too much credit to Samsung, they just recalled 2.5 million (yes, 2.5 MILLION) Galaxy Note 7's, so one step forward, one step back.
I guess the lessons for innovation are as follows:
So no to point 10, but maybe or yes to the title of the article.
Well actually it was originally a typo but then Yogi Berra style, it made complete sense.
Let me explain...
A week ago, we had an offsite at Evol8tion. Actually it was an offsite follow up to our previous offsite...so kind of like off-off-Broadway if you follow me.
One of the action items on the agenda was to review our latest iteration of what we call a cost-benefit evaluation for pilot programs. Over the last 5 years, we've conducted over 60 pilot programs with early stage startups and/or emerging technology platforms on behalf of our clients and without exception, it always comes back to one question: how do we know if we were successful?
In other words, an output (the world of test 'n learns with its partner in crime: hard measurement KPI's) versus an outcome (behavior change, change management, learnings, moving at the speed of startup etc).
So we developed a simple template to help our clients evaluate whether their experiments were 1) BIG L'S, 2) small l's, 3) small w's or 4) BIG W'S.
Today I'll focus on the 1st item: The Big L or BIG LOSS. The F word....FAILURE.
I won't bore you with the conditions, questions, criteria or checklist we use to determine one from the other (and besides, that's part of our secret sauce), but sufficed to say one thing rings true every time: how do we - corporations/big business/multinationals/blue chip brands - become more comfortable with not being perfect. In other words, failing!
Startups are all too used to failing. And when they do, they fail fast. And they learn fast. They adapt. They come back stronger than ever before. They pivot.
Brands...not so much.
Failure is never really failure when it's a means to an end. And that is really commensurate with the strategic recommendation that comes from a "BIG L" or failure, namely to discontinue.
You tried it out. It didn't work for you - your brand, your Business Unit, even your company. Perhaps the startup in question was just the wrong partner. Or perhaps you were. Perhaps your vertical just isn't suited for this approach. Or perhaps the specific emerging technology just isn't a good fit.
So you discontinue. You live to fight another day. And you do it with your head held high. With dignity. Respect. And most importantly, budget. You never bet the farm. You didn't put all your eggs in one basket. You never got burnt. And hopefully you did this way ahead of your fiercest rival or competitor.
Wait, that doesn't sound like a loss at all, does it?
This is the "discount" you receive for moving quickly, test and learning...to fail fast and more importantly, fail smart.
Whereas the premium you are used to paying ("Advertising the premium you pay for being unremarkable" - Seth Godin) is essentially an opportunity cost with a tight and shrinking budget and an opportunity lost in terms of sticking to the status quo; rapid prototyping, experimentation in digital innovation and ultimately well structured and calculated risk taking is a an opportunity gained where even the worst case scenario (the big "L") has a remarkable silver lining.
Innovation is quite binary if you think about it: either stuff works or it doesn't. And when it does, you "rinse and repeat" or "scale with success". And when it doesn't you "pivot" or "discontinue" - I mean, "discountinue."
And so the next time, you stick your neck out and don't exactly come out on top, instead of waiting for the guillotine to fall, pat yourself on the back for having taken another step towards a future which is a little less uncertain, scary and unknown.
In a world where the only constant is change, doesn't it make sense to invest in the future at a discount?
As the saying goes, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. In the innovation space, that's not always the case...unless of course you're operating in China, where there is no such thing as a barrier to entry
As an entrepreneur, it's a tough game to be able to differentiate and ultimately own a piece of IP, process, algorithm or approach. For starters, it costs a lot of money and deep pockets in terms of resources. Keeping one's hand close to one's chest doesn't work either, where VC's just won't sign NDA's to the extent you would like them to. Founders are often between a rock and a hard place when it comes to putting their ideas "out there" and hoping (even praying) no one steals them.
Then there is Instagram (owned by Facebook) that recently blatantly copied Snapchat with the introduction of Instagram Stories.
I guess I should be grateful, because for the life of me, I just don't get Snapchat or Snapchat Stories. So this gave me an opportunity to get on the Story bandwagon.
It has taken me a while to "find my authentic voice" and I'm still not sure I'm there yet. I'm using it to say "Good morning!" which often entails a snap of the Metro North. Or clips from a training run as part of my journey to run the New York Marathon for a second time. This past weekend, I had a few clips from my day @ Yankee Stadium watching NYCFC beat LA Galaxy 1-0.
I'm enjoying doodling on my photos and videos too.
In general, I'm getting about 100-120 "views" of my story every 24 hours before it disappears into the ether.
I see the usual early adopters and influencers getting on the bandwagon too (David Armano, CC Chapman, iJustine)
When I see kids (as opposed to overgrown children) on it, they're generally just telling people to add them on Snapchat, which seems like a giant "Up Yours!"
So that's what I'm seeing. Here's what I'm NOT seeing: as many actual Instagram updates as before...
In other words, I'm wondering whether this is actually having an adverse effect on Instagram's core product and equity; cannibalizing the very value proposition that catapulted Instagram into our lives, namely giving amateur humans with average cameras on their smartphone the ability to create extraordinary photos with filters and apps.
Look, if there's one thing I've learned in this space is that you don't write off the 800-pound gorillas. Well, that and the fact Woolly Mammoths no longer exist AKA the bigger they come, the harder they fall (see: Twitter) Our default emotion is normally set to "rage" when it comes to backlash against any decision taken by the main tech players when they DARE to change even the most teeniest tiniest detail of their FREE UI, dashboard, design, button and/or functionality...and this rage typically subsides after a while.
So in other words, while it's probably foolish to short your Facebook stock on the singular condition of Instagram copying Snapchat, I also would pause for a moment to consider why Instagram felt it necessary to have to dilute, devalue and possibly downgrade their core offering and cash cow in the process.
Perhaps the big winner is Snapchat as they are further validated as the authentic and de facto platform of the younger Millennial/Gen Z'er, who would much rather post disposable snaps of themselves puking out rainbows than worry about tilt shift, early bird or sharpen.
PS I am enjoying Instagram founder, @kevin's story of his bike ride through France though :)
Warp speed and Teleportation may not quite be ready for Prime Time (or the Prime Directive), but the Holodeck appears to be gearing up for launch.
Last week, Evol8tion took one of our clients on a curated 2-day tour in Los Angeles of the Virtual Reality (VR) space. During this window, we visited various studio, tech companies and startups that are currently innovating from the front-lines and "imagineering" the future of VR.
Are any of these questions actually relevant?
My belief has always been: if you want to understand technology, you have to experience it yourself. You simply have to roll up your sleeves and get your hands dirty. You can't read about it in a book. You can't trust your agents or agency to deliver an informed "POV" (unless of course they are bona fide subject matter experts.)
So unless you've tested out the technology and applications yourself (and no, a quick demo at SxSW does not really count), you really need to park your opinion at the door of ignorance before opening your giant yap and passing any premature judgement.
When you look at progress and in particular with innovation itself, it's important to recognize the "failed attempts of the past" all played a part in paving the way for their successors. Timing and luck are both important contributors and factors in combining to deliver an idea that sticks or tips. In other words, Pokeman Go has Minecraft to thank, which in turn has Second Life to thank for doing the thankless job of pioneering.
(not your problem I know, but still...)
As for the headsets, I don't think it's a stretch to imagine a time where they don't exist or if they do, they are no more intrusive (culturally, socially, behaviorally) than reading or sunglasses. I'm actually not sure this is even a "thing" to be concerned about as a barrier to entry.
It might even be a necessary precursor to fool your brain into accepting you're somewhere else, which is a primary characteristic of the space.
In any event, Google Cardboard and the equivalent sells for around $10-15 on Amazon.com
For what it's worth, it's pretty insane to think of the sum total of the progress to date in a VERY well funded space as a hodgepodge of duct tape and chicken wire via cobbled together Samsung phones that snap into headsets or modified or hacked cameras that look like Battlebots and Go Pro had an unholy union...
We are literally at the infancy or dawn of a new era...
The transformative or perhaps a better word is transcendent experience that comes from stepping into a Futuristic kitchen (Job Simulator on HTC Vive), avoiding a Blue Whale under the sea, standing next to American Ninja Warrior's Vertical Wall or hanging out in a Tibetan hut is worth it.
These were some of my more memorable VR experiences. Oh, and also being teased by Nina Agdal as part of SI's Swimsuit VR Edition which was - ahem - fairly interesting (note to self: do not watch this EVER in front of other people, especially clients!)
I also enjoyed whizzing around a track with a fan blowing air into my face to simulate the whoosh of being in a racing car.
The list goes on. And that's the point.
Each time you experience a different interpretation or application of a narrative, evolved and adapted to an immersive and pervasive presence, it opens a multitude of possibilities for new use cases.
In some cases - such as travel & tourism - I would be as bold as to say that they should cut their entire advertising budget in favor of VR. I'm not exaggerating here. Hey, I did write "Life after the 30-second spot" and Z.E.R.O. Paid Media as the New Marketing Model after all.
In other cases, such as Consumer Packaged Goods, it's a little more challenging. I said, challenging; NOT Impossible.
And if all else fails, you can always resort to brilliant creative such as this one:
..or this one
I heard a great quote from the tour that sums up the world we came form versus the one we are heading towards: Create the Experience or Experience the Creative. It's not an either/or, but in fact an "AND" - so why wouldn't you proactively do both?
Perhaps this is why Robert Scoble jumped ship from reality to virtual reality.
Perhaps this is why Google has a Global Evangelist for VR
Perhaps this is why LA is a VR hotbed of growth and investment?
If you are wondering what all the fuss is about, perhaps you should take a tour (virtual or otherwise) to experience this phenomenon first hand and decide for yourselves if this is hype or hope? Perhaps you'll want to take a voyeuristic route and watch from the sidelines, which ironically is kind of the VR point, but not especially beneficial in terms of first mover or competitive advantage.
Every journey begins with a step and now you can take that giant leap for marketingkind. No really, you can actually step on the moon! Or climb Everest!
Whatever you do, I would caution against ignoring VR. You do so at your peril. I would recommend you frame your perspective against a blue ocean of possibilities versus searching for research or best practices. In a world of test 'n learns, it's time to focus on the learn part.
Sure you might have bigger fish to fry, so don't bet the farm unnecessarily on VR (especially if you're in the toilet paper business). For everyone else, there is a pretty robust and fertile sandbox to dream...or even daydream.
VR is not the next big thing. It's an evolution of the last big thing. And that is in of itself, not a small thing.
Jason Schlossberg wrote an opinion piece in Ad Age last week, titled, "Why I am (Probably) Not Coming Back to SxSW Interactive Next Year."
The sub-head was "Four Reasons Why Discovering Something New is Getting Harder at Event." and they were:
He ends with the following paragraph:
So is it still worth attending SXSW Interactive? If you've never been, then I say yes. But if you already have then I say, maybe. It's simply no longer the requirement that it once was. I'm not sure that I am leaving any more informed or inspired than I would be reading about it from afar. Having said all of that, I still had a great time. I met and reconnected with many good friends and colleagues -- most of whom, ironically, live in New York City like I do. And Austin is itself an extremely inspiring place to visit. But I (probably) won't be back next year.
So kudos to him for a) getting my attention, b) being smart about covering his a$$ with the word (probably) #fomo and c) getting his piece published in Ad Age.
Personally I disagree with him. Respectfully of course.
To address his points:
...and to his concluding paragraph, I actually think it's a lot harder for virgins than grizzled old timers. First timers tend to get overwhelmed with the tyranny of too much choice. They cram too much into a day, spend too much money with third party vendors that "program" their itineraries to a fault where serendipity and chance are pretty much eradicated, are disappointed when they are turned away from sessions that are too full, spend too much time waiting in lines and haven't discovered "The Onion" yet.
I went solo this year and never found myself wanting for a second to find stimulating conversation from random people I bumped into, mutual admirers I finally met like Mark Schaefer or old friends I reconnected with like C.C. Chapman.
I went determined to be positive at all times and my litmus test was to have 1 quality conversation with 1 quality person at every venue. Like George Costanza (in the Seinfeld episode where he cracks a joke in the meeting and when everyone roars with laughter he ups and leaves on a high), when that happened I would leave and go to the next soiree (even if I had been there for less than 30 minutes).
Jason is right...you do tend to connect with people who are a stone's throw away in the very city you live or work, but sometimes it takes getting out of the madness and chaos to find the time to have genuine conversations, like my breakfast with R/GA on Sunday morning for example.
So what was "the next big thing" at SxSW this year? From what I heard, it was Snapchat as a messaging platform. I missed that memo. Perhaps it was the fact my cellphone worked so well (and the connection problems from previous years was just a thing of the past). I also discovered "Low Power Mode" on my iPhone which is my new favorite function...that and "Night Shift" (but you can't use them together).
Actually, my big takeaway this year was one word: TALENT. I was blown away by how many BIG companies (from blue chip brands to agencies or management consultancies) set up their lavish activations with a primary goal of using it as a recruitment tool (and I suppose retention as well). Makes total sense when you think of the tech savvy, influencers and Millennial talent "on show".
On the flipside, I continue to be appalled by the LACK of vision from the same Fortune 500 brands and service companies who DO NOT invest in sending their people to SxSW. You would be shocked at how many people were NOT there because their companies wouldn't pay for it, or worse still...they were there ON THEIR OWN DIME.
I don't believe SxSW has jumped the shark...well, not any more or less than in every previous year that I've been going down to Austin. SxSW is what you make of it and what you put in is almost always what you get out.
I had moments of serendipity like sitting next to Bryan Bundesen, the founder of legendary Grumpy Cat, two years running on the plane coming into Austin and he kindly gave me ride into town or seeing an ignorant bouncer refuse VIP entry to Steve Case at a startup event (oops). Or blowing off MDC and IAB's brunches in favor of watching Spurs beat Aston Villa at NBC Sports Experience at the Four Seasons. Come on you Spurs!
I'm probably with Jason that I didn't necessarily learn anything new this year, but then again I never do. Rather, I get inspired by networking with amazing, diverse, talented and visionary people. Some of it sticks. Some of it disappears into the Red Bull and Vodka void of too many late night cocktails...but I always emerge just a little excited about the possibilities that lie ahead.
And for that, I (probably) will be back next year.
P.S. Jason, we should connect as we're both in NYC. Or better yet, let's meet in Austin next year :)
In Flip the Funnel, I outlined Obama '08 as one of the best in class case studies exemplifying what it is to deploy a "retention as the new acquisition" inside-out approach to marketing. Little did I know, I would be turning to politics once again to demonstrate and validate my* 4th book, "Z.E.R.O."
Donald J. Trump - hate him or love him - and I will keep my personal opinion separate to this piece (you just need to visit my Facebook page to see what I really think) has shown without much wiggle room or doubt the power of "Z.E.R.O. Paid Media as the New Marketing Model".
Before I continue, let me just state a point which I think is clear and obvious: Have any doubt in the assertion that Paid Media is on the precipitous decline - or just plain doesn't work - why not look towards the political process itself? Think about a race where both candidates are spending obscene amount on paid media. One is going to to win and one is going to lose. And so if you're going to point to the efficacy of paid media in helping one candidate declare victory, then surely you need to declare paid media as being completely ineffective and wasteful in the loser's failed quest...
Oh I know where you're about to head...you're going to blame the "message" vs the "medium" Stupid creative! Be more persuasive next time (to the tune of Homer Simpson)!
Still fighting me? Of course you are...you're going to blame the "product" versus the advertising and possibly cite that ridiculous and pathetic excuse, "there's no better way to kill a bad product than with great advertising."
Hey, I'm just demonstrating that paid media is not the panacea it once was. Don't shoot the messenger (regardless of your position on the second amendment)
Hang on, you're still protesting that the political bubble is unique and is not representative of the real world. You're right...it's much simpler than the cluttered, noising SKU-infested REAL world of toothpaste, detergent, cellular providers, cars and home mortgages where the tyranny of choice makes life damn near impossible for you.
...and now we return you to our regularly schedule program, the reality show that is Donald J Drumpf.
The Donald might as well be called "The Dude" when it comes to playing the system; the media; and well, playing you as well with a simple spin on "Sticks and stones make break my bones, but words will never harm me."
As a conspiracy theory aside, I've wondered whether he was always trying to pull of a Verbal on us by pulling off the greatest MEDIA con in the history of the business...using the MEDIA as the perfect conduit and weapon of mass distraction. I always felt there was going to be an A-HA reveal; a gotcha....but it never came. The Jimmy Kimmel skit with Producers' Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick was not far off.
Perhaps Trump was looking to further his brand, which he currently values at $3bn!
...and then, when the media, together with the gullible, desperate and/or dumb populous lapped up the rhetoric and did not immediately reject and regurgitate it in disgust, something weird happened: he either started to believe his own lies (a common side effect of narcissism) or unequivocably did not and instead doubled-, tripled- and quadrupled-down on nonsense in an attempt to shock the body to reject its host.
Think about it: xenophobia, bigotry, veiled threats of murder, racism and EVEN TAKING ON THE POPE!!!! Nothing seems to work (and here I type this on Super Tuesday...gee, I wonder how today is going to go No surprise, he did pretty well.)
Personally, I think - I KNOW - that should he be offered "The final rose", he will break our hearts by telling us he is not in love with us...but in fact with someone else (HIMSELF) and reject our proposal.
So what does this have to do with Zero Paid Media as the New Marketing Model? Besides, everything???
...oh and Trump knows a thing or two about being a landlord for what it's worth.
Z.E.R.O. is also an acronym for Zealots, Entrepreneurship, Retention and Owned Assets and Trump comes up "trumps" in the Zealots (can you say Trumpets?), Entrepreneurship (the American dream is not to make it...not make it great...again) and Owned Assets categories.
The earned media he's received is beyond compare. It's priceless. This is content strategy at its best. Or worst. Or best.
Whilst I still don't think he is going to become President, it doesn't really matter at this stage. He has proven that "telling it like it is" is less about telling the truth and more about being a mirror or lens reflecting what - some - people are really thinking. And isn't that what a brand is at the end of the day? Nothing more than a mirror or reflection of a company's values, beliefs, and principles and a projection or connection to the people it hopes to serve, service or sell to?
This might be a good time to purchase a copy of Z.E.R.O. - it's purchase price is less than the average contribution to Bernie Sanders and 100% of the proceeds is going to go towards burying the asbestos-laded "Make America Great Again" caps (well then ones that don't go to the Smithsonian)
...but in all seriousness, Donald J Trump has shown - beyond the shadow of a doubt - that power of Advocacy multiplied to the power of the ultimate asset, one's mouth.
He's right you know: we wouldn't be talking about this stuff without him. You know, like racism. Real racism...not like #oscarssowhite. And I'm as guilty as the next. I still have 9 unplayed episodes of Homeland to watch...can't get to them as I'm watching the new reality show hit; the new must-see TV, CNN.
I leave you with the words of CBS head honcho, Les Moonves: It may not be good for America, but it's damn good for CBS.
Yes, the media could just stop reporting on this. Yes we could just stop watching, but we can't. Forget "Yes, we can"; the new normal, is "No, we can't!" (stop watching)
We're all disciplies of the Church of Z.E.R.O.
Amen. Hallelujah!
P.S.. Thank you Drumpf for curing my writer's block!
Photo credit: Designcrowd.com
* actually our as in co-authored by my ex-client and current-friend, Maarten Albarda
My brother-from-another-mother, Mitch Joel (a 2-time best-selling author with 6 Pixels of Separation and Ctrl-Alt-Delete, as well as a successful entrepreneur, having recently sold his agency, Twist Image to WPP) get together once a month to do a healthy debate about the state of the agency business, creativity, innovation or whatever is on our mind. We put this out on our respective podcasts (Jaffe Juice and 6 Pixels of Separation.)
In this episode we discuss live and streaming (they are not the same thing), the rise of Periscope (and fall of Meerkat) and a few zings on pundits and punditry to boot.
Give it a listen by downloading or listening here. Or you can subscribe to the show here.
Hello strangers...
How about 2 episodes of Jaffe Juice - The New Marketing Podcast for the price of Z.E.R.O.? No actually, zero.
Plus you get Mirum's Mitch Joel as value add.
The first episode is #179 where we discuss the Wall Street Journal article, Tech Firms Pull Talent Away From Ad Agencies.
You can listen live by left clicking or download by right clicking here
The second episode is #180 where we do an armchair quarterback deconstruction, unpacking, post-mortem of Cannes 2016. And yes, there is some bitterness, jealousy, cynicism and good old fashioned ranting as well.
You can listen live by left clicking or download by right clicking here
Image credit
I know I have been long remiss in updating the podcast. So much so that Apple has removed "Across the Sound" from iTunes (ugggh) and I'm now trying to get the feed back up and running.
In the interim, you certainly can download it / listen to it via the Jaffe Juice blog and newsletter, as well as subscribing to the Jaffe Juice feed, which will give you an aggregation of blog posts, audio podcasts and Jaffe Juice TV video content.
So here are the 3 most recent:
Jaffe Juice #176 - Mitch Joel and I discuss Millennials
Photo credit
Jaffe Juice #177 - Book interview with author of The Power of Visual Storytelling, Ekaterina Walter
Buy the book here
Also co-authored with Jessica Gioglio
Jaffe Juice #178 - Book interview with author of fizz, Ted Wright
Buy the book here
Last month, I sat down with Altimeter's Charlene Li to discuss her new book, "The Engaged Leader." This is Charlene's third book and you may recall her first book, best-selling Groundswell.
Charlene is gracious, giving, smart, insightful and really understands the depth behind the superficiality of social media.
Hope you like the conversation and don't forget to buy her book.
I recently sat down with my brother from another mother, Mitch Joel, to discuss the Super Bowl, Life after the 30-second spot, the life, death, after life and rebirth of creativity. And Miriam. @mitchjoel and @jaffejuice
It's another well spent hour of my life and I suspect it will be of yours as well. So give it a listen by downloading or listening here. Or you can subscribe to the show here.
PS I apologize for Mitch's singing. Really I do. Profusely.
PPS Mirum is now the agency formally known as Twist Image and Six Pixels of Separation Podcast, but it's still the same Mitch we all know and love.
Andrew Keen is mad as hell...and he's not going to take it anymore. Actually he's just a big softy with a big brain and a big heart. Either way, he's not afraid to stick out his neck and have an intelligent conversation or debate about things he cares about...deeply. And in his new book, The Internet is NOT the Answer, he doesn't pull punches when he calls out certain greedy entrepreneurs, monopolies, plutocracies (I think that's the ruling power on Pluto) and Uberocracies.
GIve him a piece of your mind (if you can spare it) at @ajkeen, but only after you listened to this podcast, which you can download here.
And if you'd like to subscribe to this podcast, you can do so here.
Mitch and I had a great conversation debate about creativity, the legitimacy and integrity of advertising, Jerry Seinfeld's zinger filled "acceptance speech" for winning an honarary Clio (you can read the full text here) and more.
Personally I think the last 5-10 minutes are particularly powerful.
Follow us @jaffejuice and @mitchjoel
Listen live or download here.
Subscribe to the show via iTunes here
Photo credit: qz.com
I was keynoting at a Satmetrix (the Net Promoter People) customer experience conference earlier this month in London -- and over fish ‘n chips during lunch, I ended up chatting with one of my fellow keynoters, Ian Williams (@CustExpMan), about making mistakes.
Ian had a rather controversial point of view that organizations should go out of their way to make mistakes ON PURPOSE. I immediately thought of Apple versus Microsoft. While the former seemingly makes mistake after mistake (remember AntennaGate?) and seemingly gets away with it every time, the latter -- in an effort to be perfect to market -- gets vilified for even the tiniest deviations from the norm.
In the startup world, there is a popular saying: “Done is better than perfect.” This statement speaks to the ability get a release in the market warts and all, as opposed to obsessing on ironing out all glitches and gremlins before allowing consumers in.
Failing fast, embracing failure, pivoting and “iterating, iterating, iterating” are all healthy signs of life in the entrepreneurial world, but how does this translate into the corporate world of innovation? Or in this particular case, the world of customer service and customer experience?
Furthermore, what about the ability to purposely make mistakes? It’s one thing to make a mistake (that’s why they call it a mistake), but when this is deliberate, surely it falls somewhere on the continuum of corporate sabotage to corporate insanity?
When I’m asked what makes a brand social, or how a company can become more social, I talk about R.E.A.C.H., an acronym (hey, I’m a consultant) for responsive, empathetic, accessible, connected and HUMAN. What is it to be human? Corporations aren’t human, but their employees are. Brands are not human, but they are symbols that reflect the beliefs, ideals and philosophy of the founders, leaders, employees, partners -- and customers of the company it keeps.
The Starbucks promise is that if you aren’t absolutely happy with your drink, they’ll make another for you. That’s their assurance to you if the barista at the register, the one with the Sharpie or the one that presses the buttons at the machine, isn’t always on top of his game.
If it is true that “to err is human, but to forgive, divine,” surely this is a sign to empower our front line to make more honest mistakes. Humans aren’t perfect, and it is precisely this imperfection that endears us to one another. Surely our customers would be the first to recognize this. Surely empathy works both ways.
I saw a stat that shows that companies who aren’t able to sufficiently solve a problem, but went about it in a genuine, compassionate way, scored higher net promoter scores than companies who did solve a particular problem, but did so in a rude, uncaring or abrasive way. That’s an incredible insight into aptitude versus attitude.
In a world where we punish our customer service agents if they spend too much time on the phone, what if we rewarded them based on how many times they messed up? What if we incentivized our people based on their ability to volunteer times they were prepared to take a chance to tackle a challenge, versus handing it off to the next in line? And if they were to fail, celebrate and encourage them to share the learnings and insights that have the potential to iterate, evolve and grow with the entire company?
Of course, I recognize the irony that if one sets out to make a mistake on purpose, it isn’t a mistake at all, is it? Which is in of itself… perfect!
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