The lost art of the phone conversation

My family and I recently moved across town. Among our many decisions was whether we should sever ties with our land line phone. When convincing my husband that we are ready to go all mobile, I pointed out how rarely we actually use our land line, or even use our mobile phones as phones for that matter. But it made me wonder, is that a good thing?

It seems our lives are so fast-paced we can’t be bothered to actually have a phone conversation anymore. We’d rather text, IM or email. And the cell phone companies have made it easy for us to do that — just think about the concept of an ignore button. How rude!

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Marcom A to Z - S for Status Quo

Seth Godin is a marketing god. And he has a big head. You actually have to click on it to read his blog.   I don’t know the man personally, but I like to think this metaphorically communicates intelligence (as opposed to the other association).

In a recent post, he talked about the desired or disastrous effects of this statement: “That’s not the way we do things around here.” As he points out, by saying this you define a norm. That may be positive. On the other hand, it might stifle innovation.

I feel the same say way about the response, “No, that’s not what we’ve done in the past.” We’ve all heard several variations of this sentiment. If ever there were a response that has the potential to guarantee status quo, this is it.

If you’re punched in the gut with this frightening challenge to new thinking, channel The Fighter in you and push back (professionally, gracefully, with clear rationale and logic). Last year’s approach, or idea, or execution may be suitable. But if you don’t at least consider new options, you’ll never exceed the same old, same old results.


B2B can play in the B2C field

Just because your company plays in the B2B field doesn’t mean you can’t take advantage of media opportunities that are typically associated with B2C marketing, such as TV product placement. In fact, more and more popular cable programs on networks such as TLC, Discovery Channel and Science Channel are focusing on industrial trades.

There can be strategic benefits to being featured in a reputable program. Our client, The Raymond Corporation, will be featured in the upcoming season of Motor City Motors that premieres Dec. 28, 2009, on Discovery Channel. Set in Detroit, Motor City Motors follows two brothers as they are challenged to engineer unique custom vehicles. The cast will use Raymond lift trucks to help lift, transport and place parts and other heavy components used in building the vehicles, helping to showcase the lift trucks in real applications.

Viewers of programs like Motor City Motors are general consumers, some of whom might be current or prospective customers. Sure, there are more efficient ways to reach your target audience, but TV shows make it possible to reach a broader audience to share important brand messages in a real-life, less sales-oriented environment.

Ways to make the most of your investment

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Marcom A to Z — F for Fun

I’m writing this blog post while on vacation in Door County, Wis. Fun exists five seconds or feet from any point in time or geography up here. In fact, regardless of the location, fun abounds when you’re on vacation. So why am I writing when I could be playing croquet? For me, called work or hobby, writing is fun.

Among other brands of fun distilled at our agency, this blog plays to my professional sense of fun. Creating that kind of office environment, one that embraces or facilitates fun for its associates and defines fun according to its culture, is more important today than a few years ago. With budgets slashed, travel limited, marketing programs put on hold, raises reduced and/or associates released, many offices have put fun on hold. Actually, fun is a controllable resource that may play an important role in associate and business retention when the economy finally swings in the right direction.

What’s fun about your company, office or professional culture? Have you had fun at work in the last week? Have your associates? Would your most lucrative client or customer say that they have fun working with you?

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