I’ve been thinking quite a bit about Nikon and alli. Not because I am considering becoming a customer of either because, in order, not now and not likely.
Because the blog campaigns of both have taken a few hits lately. Some deserved and some not so.
Many bloggers,myself included, didn’t have any major problems with the campaign. The outreach was well within recommended guidelines, and the recipientsof theloanercameras all disclosed their participation in everything they wrote about the camera.
Well, Chicken Little, get out of the way and NEVER underestimate our collective ability to navel gaze. In the eyes of somemarketingbloggers, there were serious flaws with the program, and recipients of the loaners couldn’t be objective about the program, let alone the camera. [Note: I am not a camera recipient.]
Did the value of the camera, far more than the usual product sample, create the problem? Perhaps, but readers are smart enough to filter what they read, provided there is full disclosure. Which there was.
Another criticism was that the 50 or so chosen participants were people with whom Nikon’s agency already had relationships. Uhmm. This is one of the key recommendations we make in blogger relations — know your customers. If marketing types are likely prospects for a product, which in this case they are, why shouldn’t you reach out to them? If your goal is to get people talking about your product, why wouldn’t you select a group that would be highly likely to try the camera and then tell others?
Some bloggers felt strongly that blogger relations programs should always benefit the larger community, not just those selected to participate. They asked, how does giving cameras to some benefit all? This is a lovely thought, but not terribly practical, and not really necessary. We cannot expect every outreach, from every company, to benefit every member of the community. It’s nice when they do, and I am a firm believer in companies giving back. But sometimes, they just want a little talk about their products, so they reach out to influencers. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that.
The one thing I would fault Nikon on is not getting more involved with the people trying the camera. Hands off is one thing. No engagement is another. If the recipients are part of a community you want to reach, you ought to at least talk with them….Doesn’t have to be a focus group or even structured feedback. I’d also like to see the company do some sampling programs with other bloggers that would be equally interested in Nikon cameras. Not just this group of marketers.
But these are quibbles. Overall, I still put the Nikon campaign into the "good" column.
Was asking for comments wrong? Maybe. But that’s not what I want to talk about, and that horse is pretty dead anyway.
It was the wrong question. The right question, as I left in a comment on Debbie’s blog, was Why wasn’t the blog getting comments? If Debbie had asked this question, the response would have been far different.
I don’t think the alli blog and bloggers are fake in their concern or desire to help people lose weight. Sure, they have commercial imperatives, but they really seem to believe in their product. So why no comments?
Quite literally, because nobody wants to talk about this shit.
I commend the folks at GSK for their frankness about the side effects of alli. But, let’s face it, how many people want to read about "treatment effects?" Or write about their own, assuming that is even allowed. When we keep reading about how potential employers are googling us to find out about our pasts, who would want to admit that they depend on Depends?
The problem with the alli blog, and the conversation or lack thereof, is that it focuses on the product, not on people. And that’s the wrong focus.
People may consider taking this drug, but not because they want to be alli users. Not because there is any cachet in being an alli user. I think we are all quite clear on that. They’ll consider this drug because they want to lose weight and other alternatives either haven’t worked or don’t appeal.
That’s your community: people who want to lose weight. So if you want to serve the community, you provide information and resources that meet the needs of the community. Sure, you can provide information on your product. It would be silly not to. But everything can’t be branded, sanitized, corporate-approved alli content. That’s a bit dull. And doesn’t inspire comments.
So let me step into my monday-morning-quarterback chair and share some thoughts on what I think might work better. And perhaps start a little conversation.
A big part of the alli message is that you have to change your lifestyle, not just pop a pill. Exercise more. Eat better. So, find some experts, preferably people who are already blogging on these topics, and ask them to write for you. Find a food blogger who writes about low fat cooking and ask her to write a food column. I am certain that a major worry for many considering alli is how they can continue to eat well with their families. Offer a recipe makeover that takes a family favorite down to reasonable fat levels.
In other words, give back to the community before you ask them to buy from you. And make sure that what you are offering is useful whether a person ever takes the drug or not.
Link out to other reputable weight loss sites and resources. Do you run the risk that the dieter might go with South Beach instead of alli? Sure, but you run that risk anyway. By being open, by providing access to alternatives, you move away from simply being a corporate product site to becoming a real resource for the community.
And that’s how you become part of the community.
Now, a company, GSK or any other, doesn’t have to do any of this. In which case, I’m not sure it really needs a blog.
If all you want to do is push information out, stick to a Web site. Nobody really expects to talk to you there.
Last month, I told you the story of Katie Gardner, off to Uganda to take photos with children in the IDP camps. Katie was a recipient of donated photo gear that HP sent bloggers who wrote about the Capture Your Ever After photo contest.
Today, I want to tell you what Melody from Slurping Life has decided to do with her thank you gear. She is hosting an "online love offering"to raise money for the healthcare costs of a young boy with numerous medical issues. The HP photo gear is the featured prize in the associated raffle.
When we came up with the idea to give the bloggers some gear to donate to a charity of their choice, we knew they would have no trouble coming up with deserving recipients.
But the creativity of their choices has exceeded my wildest expectations. That a digital camera and printer and some photo paper could make a real difference in the life of a sick little boy and his family… That a digital camera and printer and some photo paper could make a real difference for the children in the IDP camps…
The contest starts next Tuesday, July 24th. Submissions end August 10th and we’ll announce the winners on August 24th. We’ve got neat prizes, including this cool pocket camera case donated by Photojojo and some stuff from the HP Store that kids would like.
Bayer has just launched a viral marketing campaign for its Aleve pain reliever. From the NY Times, July 12:
"By visiting a Web site, www.aleviator.com, Internet users will be able to follow a fictional storyline that leads them through a series of clues, taking them in and out of social networking sites, wikis and blogs.
For each person who clicks through to the end of the game, which takes at least a minute, Bayer will make a donation of $5 to $10 to the Conservation Fund, an environmental nonprofit group. The campaign will last a month.
The gimmick is intended to get people in the 25-to-49 age group to notice Aleve, a pain medicine that was introduced 13 years ago and is used mostly by people over 50 to relieve symptoms typically associated with aging, like arthritis and back pain."
So, given that I am both a marketer very interested in these sorts of campaigns and an Internet user in the target age range, I thought I’d check it out.
Prediction: the campaign will spread and people will click through to the end because Internet users will be motivated by the charity donation. Even though Bayer doesn’t advertise the donation upfront on the aleviator site, let’s face it, everyone who spreads the word will be prefacing it with the information. And knowing that outcome is going to be what keeps people looking for the links to move forward.
At least that was what kept me moving forward. The story itself was kinda hokey; it was trying so hard to be hip and funny, and ended up not so much of either. While it clearly wanted more engagement that I was willing to give it, it didn’t give me a good reason to bother reading or viewing more material. I just looked around for the obvious next link in the chain and clicked.
It wasn’t that it was bad. It just wasn’t that interesting. For me, the payoff is the donation. As it will be for many.
That said, I wouldn’t call this a failure. It will be interesting to see the sales results for Aleve in the target population after the campaign. Even if people (like me) click through as fast as they can, it doesn’t mean they won’t think more positively about Aleve and perhaps consider purchasing it.
Because that is the measure of success. Not how many people view the campaign. Not how much is donated to the charity, although it is an excellent by-product. How many people actually buy the product.
A lesson learned the hard way by many. Like Miller last spring, whose beer cannon campaign was a viral success and a sales flop. As reported in CNN Money:
MISS] No accounting for taste. In the midst of today’s viral-marketing epidemic, it’s worth noting that funny videos don’t always circle back around to the bottom line. That’s a lesson Miller Brewing learned the hard way with the "beer cannon" campaign it produced for its Milwaukee’s Best brand. Though the videos–featuring cans turned into projectiles and blowing away unmanly items like stacked teacups and ceramic kitty cats–have been viewed more than 4 million times on YouTube, they haven’t had much impact at retail. In fact, despite the direct hit with its target audience, Milwaukee’s Best sales fell 11 percent from the previous year.
Let’s hope Aleve can avoid that headache….
Disclosure: I already occasionally use Aleve when I have a particularly nasty headache.
Star Trek, x5. Battlestar Galactica, x2. Babylon 5. Farscape. Firefly. Dr. Who, x10 (Doctors that is). V. Red Dwarf. Blake’s 7. Lexx. Andromeda. Stargate SG1. Stargate Atlantis. Buffy. Angel. Lost.
No TV fan is more loyal, more devoted than the science fiction/fantasy fan. So loyal in fact that many of them start Web sites and blogs devoted to covering their favorite shows and favorite genre. And not just fan sites and spoiler sites. News sites that rival the mainstream media for their depth and breadth of coverage.
But quite often, these sites find it difficult to get access to the TV shows and stars they cover.
Until the Sci Fi Channel boldly went where no network has gone before and invited the digital press to Vancouver, where many of the network’s shows are filmed, for a special press tour.
I’m one of the sci fi fans who regularly reads these online sites for the latest news, and spoilers, from my favorite shows. I’ve also been covering the topic of blogger relations quite heavily here on the Roadmap so this story is kind of a dream come true. Or at least a two-fer.
One of the problems with most coverage of blogger relations is we tend to obsess over what is wrong with blogger outreach programs. Wal-Mart’sill-advised RV trip. The Microsoft Vista laptop snafu. Even criticisms of programs that really weren’t bad at all, at least in my opinion.
We spend a lot of time telling businesses what they shouldn’t do and not nearly enough time talking about programs that did work, that did achieve their objectives, for both the bloggers and the companies.
Well, beam me up, folks, because that’s going to be the focus of Marketing Roadmaps this summer. Starting with Sci Fi’s successful outreach to the digital press.
Sci Fi Channel invited the online editors and bloggers to Vancouver for a two day blitz during which they attended cast panels and toured the sets of Battlestar Galactica, Stargate Atlantis, Eureka and a new show for the coming season, Flash Gordon. The network organized some deals on hotel rooms and provided some meals, but the editors were basically responsible for their own expenses, which Michael welcomed:
"I’m a journalist in my regular, "offline" job, and SyFy Portal is a news site. If they had offered to fly us out, I would have turned it down. We went because we wanted to go."
Overall, Michael was very pleased with the event. It was his second trip to Vancouver. The first time he went, last year to visit Battlestar Galactica, he had to pull quite a few strings to get near a filming site, and only succeeded when he made a connection to Edward James Olmos. As a result, he was able to spend a day on set as EJO’s guest, but that is a very different thing than being welcomed as a member of the press. [Note: as Entertainment Weekly was prior to the start of season 3 last fall.]
This time, he felt like the network rolled out the red carpet to connect with the digital media. One of the things that really impressed him was how accessible Sci Fi executives Mark Stern and Bonnie Hammer were - leading and participating in the cast panels, attending the dinner and so on. Having the chance to sit down and meet with them gave him a better respect for them as people, not just network faces. He said that does make a difference, given how heated online exchanges can become.
For him, the biggest draw was getting access to filming sets:
"I really like to see what it looks like behind the camera. When I was there before, I was able to visit the New Caprica set while they were filming the scene in which Apollo finds out that Starbuck has gotten married."
While it would have been nice to have some of the bigger names like EJO and Mary McDonnell on the Battlestar panel, he was impressed that Sci Fi got Michael Hogan (BSG, Colonel Tigh) to participate, as he rarely talks to the media. Overall, he thought the Eureka panel was the best one, and mentioned that the Stargate Atlantis panel suffered from the fact that the series was on hiatus so not as many stars were available. Battlestar, not surprisingly, was the big draw for most of the editors.
Michael and I chatted quite a bit about why the network decided to do the digital press tour [Note: I have sent email to the network's PR rep at New Media Strategies asking for an interview, but haven't heard back yet. Update 13 July: heard from agency, interview is on, just need to find a mutually convenient time.] He commented that up until this tour, outside of a few times or for a few outlets, by and large, the network has ignored the online media. I asked him what he thought had changed:
"They are starting to realize how much people are using the Internet, especially for entertainment news. Sites like Monsters & Critics have huge readership and Zap2it is syndicated in print. Our site is getting huge traffic- 40-50 thousand visitors per day — as more and more people get their Sci Fi news from us. "
Although, he admits it is still tough to get attention. For example, in early June, at the same time the network was inviting the digital media to the special event in Vancouver, the news broke that Battlestar Galactica would be ending after the upcoming 4th season, but to Michael’s knowledge only one Web site (not his) was invited to the special teleconference with the show’s producers Ron Moore and David Eick.
But, in Michael’s opinion, the digital press tour was a good first step to improving the situation. He told me that the network is planning to provide a dedicated contact person for the online media which will go a long way toward putting them on an equal footing with the mainstream press. It’s not set up yet, but Michael is willing to give the network a little slack as the tour was just a couple weeks ago.
"It’s still not perfect, but it is getting better. Everything they did, and everything they promised as follow-up, showed that they recognized that online media not only exists but also has a significant audience."
As we wrapped up our chat, Michael told me that he appreciated that they were treated both as journalists and as fans:
"They made it really easy to get pictures of ourselves on the sets, in front of key props like the Viper and the Stargate. Something that perhaps a less invested journalist might not care about, but we did. They treated us the way we wanted to be treated."
They treated us the way we wanted to be treated.
That pretty much boils it down for me. As you develop your blogger relations programs, if you remember nothing else I or anyone else writes or says on the topic, remember that, and you stand a pretty good chance of being successful.
Now, strictly speaking, the Sci Fi press tour isn’t blogger relations in the "pure" sense. Many of the sites are Web sites with RSS feeds, not blogs in the generally accepted definition.While some of the sites are famous for their point of view, many of the invited editors are or consider themselves to be journalists and certainly, most approach their writing in a journalistic fashion. That means this is just PR, right?
So why am I writing about this press tour as a positive example of blogger relations? Other than the obvious excuse to write about Jamie Bamber, Tahmoh Penikett and Aaron Douglas?
Because it is about relationships, whether it be with bloggers or reporters. In its courtship of the online press, Sci Fi used some of the very best practices that I recommend for engaging with bloggers.
Give bloggers access to exclusive content and company principals. Bloggers need content for their blogs. Give them something good and juicy. Let them try your products. If you have interesting execs, give interviews. This in particular gives your company a more human face, just as the participation of the Sci Fi execs in the tour did for the network. But don’t force-feed the execs. Give ‘em what they want, not what you want.
And don’t just approach the bloggers (or the media for that matter) when you have something new. Stay in touch and be sensitive to their needs, feed them material when they need it too. One of the reasons the Sci Fi tour was so successful was that it met important needs of all the parties. There was something in it for everyone. Including the fans.
With the exception of Eureka, which had its season premiere this week, and BBC import Doctor Who which just started its 3d season run in the US, most of the top Sci Fi shows are over for the summer. Which means there isn’t a whole lot to review. And the shows are filming, which makes access to the cast a bit harder. You can of course dig for spoilers, but other than that, not a lot going on. The digital press tour gave the online Sci Fi press material in the dry-ish spell running up to Harry Potter month (formerly known as July.)
And it serves the needs of the network. The coverage, which was pretty extensive and generally good, keeps the shows top of mind for the audience, even as we wait months and months and months for the return of Galactica. And it introduces us to a new show, Flash Gordon, which might not have gotten anywhere near the play without being surrounded by the other three. Most importantly, when the new season starts, Sci Fi has built a better foundation for its relationship with the online press which should pay dividends in the long run.
Treat them with respect and treat them the way they want to be treated. I cannot repeat this enough. If you don’t know, ask. In the case of the online Sci Fi press, they wanted, and were enticed by, the same level of access that mainstream media get. Sure, they are fans, and many loved the little fannish touches like photos in front of Vipers and so on. But I doubt they would have flown to Vancouver from as far away as New York and Tampa for a few photo opps and a t-shirt. It was the cast panels, set tours and respect for their publications that drew them North.
It’s the same with bloggers. Understand what they want, what interests them. Don’t assume that just because they are your customers, that they will want the same things you do. They might, but your product, while of central importance to you, is only important to them in its ability to fill a need or desire. Your outreach must be grounded in what they want, not what you want. The good news is, if you do this, if you stay focused on what is in it for them, you are far more likely to get what you want than if you try to forcefeed your approach, your product.
Bottom line: I was impressed by Sci Fi’s digital press tour and hope the network continues, as it has promised, to reach out to the online media. Hhmm, maybe I should start a science fiction blog in time for the Battlestar premiere in January 2008…..
Yesterday, Web useability expert Jakob Nielsen distributed his weekly alert, in which he advised corporations to NOT blog. Likemanyothers, I disagree with most of his points.
However, there is one small bit of truth in his column to which companies should pay heed. He argues that the short, "bursty" form of blogs is not the best vehicle for corporate stories.
This in fact may be true for many stories a company wants to share with its constituents.
However, that doesn’t mean the company should reject blogging in favor of long form articles on the company Web site as Nielsen suggests.
Blogs can take many forms, from short bursty with lots of links, to long, more thoughtful essays. Amazingly <insert sarcastic grin here>, you can even use both styles in the same blog depending on the circumstances.
As with any communication, the company needs to identify its objectives and then select the tool that helps it achieve them.
If you want to have a conversation with your customer, consider a blog.
If you just want to talk at them, go ahead and follow Nielsen’s advice.
My money’s with, and will be spent with, the companies having conversations.
I am starting a series of blogger relations case studies, and I am interested in what you think are the three best blogger relations programs of the past few years. And the three worst.
I’m aiming for something similar to what I did last month with the CBS New Adventures of Old Christine outreach – interviews with the participants, both the bloggers and the promoting firms/groups, combined with third party analyses and of course my own take on the effort.
I have my own candidates for good and bad examples, but want to make sure I cover the cases you would like to read about. Leave a comment here or email me at sgetgood@getgood.com
Doesn’t matter to me because today is my birthday and I am pretty much goofing off, playing with puppies and clearing out my feed reader of all that good stuff I "saved for later."
Scenario: A marketer wants to reach potential buyers of her product. In the old days, you know — the 90s, she advertised, and maybe even online (ooh!), she did PR, she did sales promotion. Everything through the established, and mainstream, channels of communication.
Fast forward to 2007. You want to reach a well-defined audience of potential prospects for your product. Sure, all the old channels still have merit. But there’s this new thing called blogs. Hhmm. Bloggers seem to have some influence in the target market I am trying to reach with my story and my product. I’d like to reach out to them, but how? What if I do it wrong? Hell, what if I do it right, and a few bloggers just think, and write, that I did it wrong.
There’s no shortage of criticism of blogger relations programs. Even the recent Nikon program, which I think was handled pretty well, has its detractors.
Here’s the reality — you will never please everyone, so you have to stay focused on your customers. What do they want? What do they need? What do they care about? If you reach out to bloggers within your customer population, using whatever selection criteria you deep down believe is right, and tell them a meaningful interesting story — that has meaning to them as well as you — you are on the right track. Is sending them a product to try a good idea? Probably, but it behooves you to be clear about your expectations — do you want the product back, under what terms? And you cannot have any expectations. Tell a good story. Be accessible. Have a good product. That’s all you can do.
What about pay-per-post type services? They have their place, but they cannot replace real relationships any more than advertorials replaced editorial coverage back in the day. And caveat emptor: generic services that put your opportunity "out there" for all comers are probably not the best choice. You need to know whether the bloggers writing about your product actually have influence in your desired market. If they don’t, you are wasting your money, no matter how cheap it is.
But there’s nothing wrong with working with paid reviewers or hiring freelance writers to write your blog, as long as you don’t use either tactic to replace developing authentic relationships with bloggers in your space. Personally, I think it is absolutely terrific that folks like stay-at-home-moms and avid gamers are getting the recognition, and payment, for their expertise and excellent writing. Why shouldn’t they? If they are reaching the people you, the marketer, want to reach, why wouldn’t you want them to be compensated for their efforts? As long as they are clear about their interests and honest in their opinions — I was paid to write this review or I got to keep the product or I was hired to write this blog.
Do we have so little respect for the readers that we don’t think they can apply their own judgment to the material? What a shame. Because I think readers are far smarter than typically they are given credit for. They can tell when someone is blowing smoke, whether paid or just looking for some A-list love, and they can tell when someone is honestly sharing their opinion, whether the writer was given or loaned the product or bought it on his own.
In the end, the blogosphere has plenty of built-in corrective mechanisms, If the product sucks, it doesn’t matter how many you seed with friendly bloggers. The guy who got it for free may not diss it, but he won’t write about it either. Paid reviewers,whether in cash or in kind? They’ll tell the truth. The next gig and their readership depends on it.
The recipe for success:
develop great products that meet real customer needs;
tell interesting stories to people who care;
be accessible, honest and transparent about your intentions;
stay focused on the WIIFM (what’s in it for me) for your customer. Yours will follow;
give before you receive. Whether it’s cameras, access or consideration… bloggers will appreciate the respect.
What else do you think is necessary for successful blogger relations? Toby Bloomberg recently had some suggestions. Last week, I participated in a webinar that offered some of the answers.
In a country where ScooterLibby can leak information that compromises a CIA operative, lie about it, be found guilty of perjury and then have his sentence immediately commuted by Dubya…
It is perhaps a good day to remind ourselves of our foundations:
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.–That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, –That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.
And to think long and hard about what kind of country we want. 2008 is not that far away.
