Canada: So near, so far …

Air travel, at its best, is a series of inconvenient experiences. At its worst, even experienced travelers can be stymied and stumped at every turn. That’s why I’ve compiled tips to make air travel less painful, like suggestions for international travel and suggestions for dealing with delays.

But in my most recent travels, a delay would be an understatement. So I’m adding a few more tips to the running list:

• Don’t rely on airlines to alert you. Check your flight before exiting the building.
• Use a travel agent. He or she will make for a great proxy when it’s time to be on hold.
• Fly on airlines you trust, even if the flights may not appear to be as convenient.

Here’s our latest travel saga — a trip to Toronto for a weekend of workshops with our friends at tag idea revolution, BBN Canada — to illustrate why these tips are so important.

Our scheduled 11:30 a.m. nonstop Air Canada flight should have saved time and eliminated connection challenges … had it ever left the ground.

Frequent fliers typically get airline emails, texts or phone calls about any flight delays. Not Air Canada. A routine online check on flight status just before heading out the door delivered the news: CANCELLED. At least I could share that news with teammates before everyone arrived to a big surprise at Mitchell International Airport.

Time to rebook. The website only offered instructions to phone Air Canada for rebooking, and the automated voice advised “extremely heavy call volume” would delay any further discussion. Hold, please.

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I’m in love with GE and I don’t care who knows it!

Of the companies whose names regularly appear on the “doing social right” lists, General Electric (GE) is right up there (and if it isn’t on the list you’re looking at, find a new list). Why? Well, it’s not because jet engines are sexy, or because windmills are cuter than kittens. It’s because they aren’t, and GE still is finding ways to engage its audience.

So what’s GE’s secret? The content. This company has found a way to celebrate technology using everyday language, incorporate striking visuals and focus on truly engaging with its audience.

This trifecta is why I have a small (OK, not so small) crush on GE. I’m particularly impressed with the engagement component, because as the needs of social audiences and community management grow, one of the most difficult things to maintain is engagement with your audience. GE does it beautifully, and I was fortunate enough to have experienced it firsthand recently.

It all started with a simple tweet:

I never even expected a reply, so you can imagine my surprise when I received this message:

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3 lures to catch your reader

A fish, a package and a formula: it’s Ann Wylie’s recipe for creating good content.
Wylie — a PR professional, writing coach and editor — spoke recently at a workshop that several Bader Rutter associates attended. Here’s what she shared:

First ingredient: a fish
Wylie offered this advice from a fisherman: If you want to catch a fish, think like a fish. Use bait that fish like, not bait that you like. Readers want to invest as little effort as possible: more gain for less pain. She offered several ways to do that:

Write how readers enjoy reading. With so much content out there, readers don’t seek, they select. Writers need to make products, services or subject matters personal and desirable to readers. Reach out to them. Use the word “you.” Let readers know what’s in it for them and what it means to them.

Instead of “ABC Insurance announces a new disability insurance program,” try “You’ll get back to work faster, thanks to the new Awesome Assurance plan from ABC Insurance.” Make it personal. Tailor it, as Colleen Grams explains in point No. 6 of her recent blog post.

Keep it short. Readers like short words. They are used to them. WordCount.org lists the most frequently used English words. What’s the first word with more than four letters? It’s “which,” and it’s all the way down the list at No. 31.

They also like short sentences. The American Press Institute did a study on sentence lengths. It found that sentences up to 14 words registered 90 percent comprehension. For each additional word in a sentence, comprehension steadily decreased.

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MKE is the place to be

If you were to walk around the BR headquarters and ask associates what they think of Milwaukee, I bet you’d hear some nice things about the city in which we work and play. Apparently, we’re not the only ones.

Milwaukee recently found itself on a few impressive lists:

• No. 7 on the list of the 10 Most Exciting Cities in America
• Esquire’s Bar City of the Year for 2012
• One of America’s top 12 “ArtPlaces” for 2013

Surprised? Even Movoto, the creator of the 10 Most Exciting Cities list, said, “We would have never guessed that Milwaukee would make our list. It turns out that Brew City is simply solid on all of our criteria.” Check out the post for details on these checklist items, which included things such as park acreage per person, population diversity, theater companies per square mile and, of course, bars per square mile.

So for those of you who don’t already get to enjoy MKE on a daily basis, be sure to add the Brew City to your travel plans in the near future. Whether you visit the Quadracci Pavilion — a sculptural, postmodern addition to the Milwaukee Art Museum designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava — or one of the many other amazing area attractions, I bet our unique city will impress.

Giving a presentation? Lessons to remember

Unlike the competition shows on television, there were no celebrity hosts, no branded beverage cups and no one berating the competitors.

So while I’m not ready to quit my day job to become the judge of a singing competition, I can say that evaluating entrants in the student marketing competition at the National Agri-Marketing Association (NAMA) annual conference was rewarding.

With these great student presentations top of mind, here are some timeless tips for giving clean, meaningful presentations:

Details matter
Maybe it’s the attention to detail required in my job, but whenever I see a typo, I cringe (or laugh as was the case during one presentation when the team put the word “costumer” on the screen).

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Big Data … in small steps

“Big Data” is all the rage: Seminars. Webinars.  Articles. Conferences. Hallway conversations. Yes, it is a force to be reckoned with, but it is not an “all or nothing” venture for companies.

Click to view the whole infographic about Big Data, published by Wipro.There are many different definitions of “Big Data”; however, the one that rings the most true is this: Big Data is simply the data that exceeds your organization’s ability to store, manage and analyze effectively.

Stats show that 90% of the world’s data has been produced in the last two years. “Big Data” is not new. Yes, there is more data available, but the important part is conquering the low-hanging fruit in your organization and creating action steps to put that data to good use. Even if you take just small steps with big data, you can create a better end product, service or brand experience for your customers.

Here are some small steps that you can take to join the “Big Data” party:

• Conduct a data audit. Find out what information you already have about your customers and prospects so you can determine areas of need. Then, choose a couple of categories of desired data and create a checklist, timeline and action steps associated with capturing the additional information. For instance, if you find out you only have 50 percent of your contacts’ email addresses, make the collection of more emails a priority and develop an actionable plan to acquire them.

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UPAF wakes up BR with music

What better way to kick off the workweek than with a fantastic musical performance?

That’s what our associates were treated to this past Monday morning when representatives from UPAF (including the former news anchor Joanne Williams) visited us to talk about the many performances, educational programs and outreach activities that our world-class arts organizations provide throughout the year.

Not only did this group wake us up on a Monday morning, they also opened our eyes to the great performing arts community we have here. It’s true — we live and work in an amazing community. One of the distinguishing characteristics of our region is our extraordinary arts and culture scene. The performing arts — music, dance, theater — are essential elements of a vibrant community and a healthy regional economy. That’s why Bader Rutter is so excited to be participating in the 2013 United Performing Arts Fund (UPAF) Campaign.

Thanks again for the delightful performance, UPAF!

Secret to success: Don’t wait

What kind of mind-set does it take to be successful in our business?

I was asked this smart question the other day when I was interviewing a prospective. There are many ways to answer that, but I chose something that all of us should keep top of mind: Whether you’re working with one of our internal team members or a client, don’t wait for it to come to you — go get it.  Basically, it’s all about taking initiative.

Wayne Gretzky, probably the greatest hockey player of all time, said it best:

“A good hockey player plays where the puck is. A great hockey player plays where the puck is going to be.”

Take responsibility; you don’t have to ask for permission to do what’s right. Anticipate what the need is and then make something good happen.

Do you have any other tips about what it takes to be successful in our business? Please share your ideas in the comments.

A classic video game helps us learn today

Do you remember sitting in front of the television as a kid, clutching your Atari 2600 joystick, eager to  blast those pixilated enemy aliens in Space Invaders?

We recently got a blast from the past when our new game developer, Brad Manderscheid, recreated this classic using some new software. Space Invaders was created by Tomohiro Nishikado, who spent a whole year designing the game and developing the necessary hardware. Brad did it in just two days.

Aside from providing a fantastic dose of nostalgia, there was a purpose for creating this game. Adobe Edge Animate is a software that is compatible with HTML5. It’s an alternative to using Adobe Flash, which website developers are ditching for lots of reasons, including poor search engine optimization.

So what better way to learn about this new software than to test it out?

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Global relationships make our agency stronger

I had the privilege of traveling to Germany recently to meet with some BBN colleagues to discuss best practices for business development and how to market BBN from a global perspective. The most important takeaway from this meeting was that there are more things we can and should do to strengthen our appeal to companies with which we’d like to do business.

BBN is the global network of B2B agencies to which we belong. It is the only truly B2B communications network in the world. Each partner shares the same strategic and creative platforms, enabling us to work seamlessly across our sister agencies and create meaningful work for our clients.

The first parts of this castle in Heidelberg were constructed around 1300.This meeting brought together BBN agencies, including wob (BBN Germany), IAS (BBN UK, with offices in Shanghai, Paris and New York) and Fifth Ring  (with offices in Houston, Aberdeen, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Singapore).

Together we shared our individual approaches to developing new business for our agencies, some of which we will be incorporating into our practice here at Bader Rutter. While it was fascinating to learn the different philosophies and share best practices, we all agree that it’s about developing and nurturing relationships.

To be a global agency, it’s important to understand other cultures and economies of the regions in which we do business on behalf

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The Brand of Five Rings

Earth. Water. Fire. Wind. Emptiness. According to ancient Japanese philosophy, these five elements form the essence of existence. They also form the basis for “The Book of Five Rings” — the master work of renowned 17th century warrior Miyamoto Musashi. His book collects teachings on strategy that are still studied today.

Musashi’s wisdom isn’t limited to the art of swordsmanship. Contemplate and apply these lessons with diligence if you want to find “the Way” to brand enlightenment.

“From one thing, know 10,000 things.”
Before anything else, get to know your customers on an individual level. How do they think? What matters to them? The essence of connecting with one customer is the same for 10,000.

“There is timing in everything.”
Few purchases are made purely on impulse. That makes timing key to brand strategy. Once you understand the decision-making process that your customers go through, you can reach them with the right message at the right time.

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Paddle royale: Knurr reigns as pingpong champ

Some 120 Bader Rutter associates took over SPiN in Milwaukee’s Historic Third Ward on Thursday for the agency’s second-annual pingpong championship. They all enjoyed drinks, food and showing off their costumes (see contest winners below), but there was just one championship team. The duo of Karen Knurr/Marisa Riley beat Jim Jessen/Bruce Herz in the title match. It marked a consecutive championship for Knurr, the agency’s traffic manager, who won last year alongside Brian Krueger.

I caught up with Karen a few days after her victory. She reflected on the emotional ride of successfully defending the title.

Marisa (left) with the two-time champ, Karen.

Q. So how do you become a two-time pingpong champion?
A. Lots of practice. And really good partners. Talented partners. The first question I asked both was whether they are competitive. Both answered yes, so I knew I had a chance.

Q. By the nature of the way the game’s played, it can’t be just you. But it does say something about your skill and your ability to be compatible.
A. I think that’s a big thing. I think that if you are both on the same page, and one isn’t a prima donna, I think you’ll do OK. I’m hoping I have the same kind of partner next year.

Q. You have a pingpong table in your basement. Unfair advantage?

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Bring your writing to life

Great writing isn’t easy. Finding the right words for what you want to say can be a struggle.

That’s exactly why writing matters: because it’s hard.

Many brands don’t give content the time it deserves because they’re challenged with producing such a vast amount.

Your brand deserves better. Great writing — writing that intrigues, informs and inspires — can help express what makes it unique. Language is an invaluable tool for setting your brand apart.

With a little extra attention, you can completely transform your writing. Breathe new life into it. Give it a personality and style all its own. Infuse it with color and energy.

Connecting with customers isn’t just about what you say. It’s about how you say it.

All it takes is following some simple guidelines. They apply to any communications tactic — whether it’s a print ad, blog, news release or an email.

1. Focus on the main idea
What’s the one thing you want your audience to know? Always keep this in mind.

2. Lead with the benefit
Write about what matters to your audience, not what’s important to you.

3. Be concise
Edit ruthlessly. Saying it in fewer words makes your writing easier to understand.

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What Jack Frost can teach us about marketing

I took my daughter to see “Rise of the Guardians” recently. Even though I was in full “mommy mode” juggling her suckers, Skittles and lemonade in the dark theater, a line from the movie sucked me right back into a marketing mind-set.

Jack Frost asked the other guardians (imaginary characters such as Santa, the Easter Bunny, the Sandman and the Tooth Fairy), “When was the last time you guys actually hung out with kids?”

The Santa character answered, “We are too busy making joy for children. We don’t have any time for kids.”

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Why Google hates your PR program

By Max Ranft and Cassandra Koehler

Imagine this: Valentine’s Day is around the corner and you represent a huge player in holiday flower deliveries, Interflora. To generate buzz around how gorgeous and damage-free Interflora’s flowers are upon arrival, your PR group sends a dozen roses to popular bloggers in a pre-Valentine’s Day campaign.

The deliveries surprise the bloggers, who then write posts about their Interflora arrangements, linking back to Interflora’s website. This is a huge win for the PR team; the number of pro-Interflora posts exceeds all expectations.

However, instead of celebrating this PR win, Interflora found itself in the middle of a search engine optimization (SEO) nightmare. After the deliveries, Interflora’s website was nowhere to be found on Google. How could this happen? Interflora’s disappearing act is a clash of two marcom disciplines — public relations and SEO — that until now, have lived in their separate worlds.

This humorous image was created by Blueclaw.

In the PR world, providing product samples to the media is a normal practice, but when you put blogger outreach into play in the SEO world, you run the risk of angering the gods that control your Internet destiny: Google.

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