60 Second Impact
November 2005
| Contents 60 Second Articles |
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| 60 Second Articles November 2005 � Estimated Reading Time: 60 Seconds per article 60 Second Articles 1. A Marketing Lesson Courtesy of MTV 2. Are We Approaching a Time When We'll Only Use Cell Phones? 3. Companies Beware: The Rise of Customer Vigilantism 4. WI-FI is Everywhere: Internet Access in Airplanes 5. The 60 Second Close: Narrowing the Management-Customer Gap ********************* 1. A Marketing Lesson Courtesy of MTV � Rather than taking their pivotal place in the world as the premiere broadcaster of the Live 8 concert, MTV supplied viewers with hours of endless banter and interviews, rather than focusing on "The Big Event." � In hard terms, MTV lost their focus of what they stood for and what their viewers wanted - which was simply to enjoy the music of Live 8. � Amidst a sea of rising negative publicity about their weak broadcast, MTV quickly offered a five-hour package of the musical sets from the concert - yet there was no apology. � When any company makes a mistake, a quick apology is critical. MTV should have said, "We made a mistake; we thought we were doing the right thing, but you told us differently. We are sorry and for that we are offering you this five-hour package of musical sets - the way in which we should have broadcast the Live 8 event in the first place." � Companies need to realize that there is nothing wrong with admitting guilt and apologizing. This is the best way ever to get a disenfranchised customer back into the fold, immediately. ********************* 2. Are We Approaching a Time When We'll Only Use Cell Phones? � Research from Arbitron (arbitron.com) tells us that the number of people who use cell phones either exclusively or primarily is growing each month. � This means that consumers are turning away from the more expensive "Bell-type" household plans and are taking advantage of the many long-distance savings benefits offered by the various cell phone carriers. � The answer for the landline phone companies? Roll over the unused long distance minutes to each successive month. ********************* 3. Companies Beware: The Rise of Customer Vigilantism � In the past month, Dell Computer became the target of a series of high profile Blogs regarding the computer manufacturer's customer support department. � The articles multiplied and the comments to each Blog resulted in a snowballing attack of bad publicity towards Dell. In a matter of days, Dell had no choice but to bow to its knees and promise changes to their customer support department. � Could this happen to your company? Yes! And, if it does, then years of building a good reputation could be destroyed immediately. � With Blogs and the various "sucks.com" websites, customers realize that they don't have to take it anymore. They don't have to accept shoddy products and services. � Customers now have, not only the power, but also the communication channels to let others know about their experiences and are quick to share them with the huge worldwide Internet audience. � Dell's experience could have been avoided: Possibly by having a Blog, where customers can interact with management, the fire may not have spread as far as it did. ********************* 4. WI-FI is Everywhere: Internet Access in Airplanes � The company that builds airplanes is putting WI-FI in the air. Boeing has introduced "Connexion by Boeing" (connexionbyboeing.com) where select international flights allow the passenger to bring a laptop onboard and get online while flying. ********************* 5. The 60 Second Close: Narrowing the Management-Customer Gap � How does your company interact with your customer? Do you know how they feel? Do you know what they want? How do you follow-up with them? � Here are three ways to reach out to your customers: - A direct email address or special hotline phone number - A website survey such as Survey Monkey (surveymonkey.com) - A company Blog � Remember, the more you know, the more you grow. Call us; we can help you get there. Best Wishes Chris Lambrecht Come visit our website! |