Focus on them

Since Ask.com’s good old Jeeves was fired a few months ago, it’s been clear that something was brewing behind closed doors and that a great relaunch was bound to happen soon.

It’s now happened. A viral, out-of-the-box, really groundbreaking campaign about an information revolution. At least, that’s how it sounded back in the boardroom where the ideas took shape.

In reality, it’s one of the most blatant cases of astroturfing I’ve seen in the past few years. It presents itself as some sort of underground social movement, shrouded in mystery. [Disclaimer: Keeping in mind that I don’t live in London and my exposure to the campaign is limited to the banners on blogs I read, and these pictures snapped on the street and on the tube by some Londoners.]

The Wall Street Journal weighs in:

The online discussion has been dominated by people complaining they’ve been misled. “I thought this may be an informative Web site about how information is used on the Internet,” said one posting last week. “Instead I discover it’s just a cheap ploy for an inferior search engine.” The six-week campaign is designed to lift Ask.com’s profile in the U.K., where it trails Google, Yahoo and Microsoft. The Ask.com network, a unit of New York’s IAC/InterActiveCorp, was used for 4.3% of all Internet searches in the U.K. in January, according to comScore Networks Inc.

Fallon says it expected some criticism but felt there was little to lose, because Google is so much bigger. [via Search Engine Land]

Support for the campaign has been scarce so far. The campaign has been called a “load of drivel” and the agency producing it “cynical, manipulative hacks”. Some go as far as saying that Ask.com expected things to turn sour, figuring that bad publicity is better than no publicity at all.

Not so sure about that. If all it leads to is a couple of attempts at using Ask.com, when the user is already in a mindframe where they feel betrayed and bullsh***ed by the company in question, the likelihood of this user leaving with a positive, “yes, I think I’ll use them again” attitude is somewhere between unlikely and simply laughable.

Time will tell whether this campaign yields any positive visibility for Ask.com, but at the moment, it’s a bit on the ugly side… A bit of a shame, but really, if Ask.com felt that the right way to spark new interest in its search engine was to be deceitful and lie to its users, then it’s getting what it deserves!

Technorati Tags: Ask.com, SEO, Search Engines, marketing, advertising, viral campaign, when good campaigns go bad

Buying home appliances is hardly a rivetting experience, but a few companies are succeeding at making it friendlier, easier and… almost enjoyable!

Zanussi-Electolux takes a relaxed and friendly tone in presenting the different customer-related options on their Customer Service page.

Zanussi also have a stellar approach to product search. Picking an appliance based on name is impossible - you mean, you don’t know your ZSF2440S from your ZWF1631W? - and the specs all look the same after a while.

Their product search allows you to choose how important certain factors are to you on a scale of 0 to 4, to help narrow down the search to the most useful items. For example, looking at washing machines, it’ll ask you to rate five criteria:

• I want to use the maximum speed
• I like to select at the touch of a button what program to use
• I like to use the best energy performance available
• I want to wash all of my clothes in one go
• I wear a lot of clothes that need ironing

Each choice narrows the selection down by greying out the items that don’t meet the criteria you’ve marked as highly important, leaving you with a smaller selection.

Matt from 37signals writes on the positive impact of limiting the consumer’s choice, as opposed to leaving them with too wide a selection.

Offering shoppers samples of six items yields more sales than offering samples of 24, students who are offered six extra credit topics are more likely to write a paper than students who are offered 30, etc. In some cases, just one additional choice can produce outright analysis paralysis. People wind up frozen by indecision.

Washing machines, dishwashers and other home appliances are inevitably going to come in a wide range of shapes, sizes, features and colours, so Zanussi’s useful product search is probably as close as one can get to avoiding paralysis and chronic indecision.

How can you make decisions easier when it comes to your product? Less choice? Better support towards decision?

Fred from webreakstuff gives advice on successfully working with remote teams:

• Be ready to trust
• Always tell, never hide
• Help, don’t bother
• Be flexible

I can’t help but think these apply regardless of working at the next desk or halfway across the world.

Trust is key to successful delegation - How can you give a share of the work to a colleague or employee if you don’t trust them to come back with answers and quality work? It just turns into hours or days of worries that whatever comes back won’t solve the problem at hand.

Always tell, never hide - Not telling is like chucking a rock up in the air and hoping it doesn’t fall smack dab on your head. You might get away with it a few times, but keep doing it and when it hits, it’ll hurt badly.

Help, don’t bother - Isn’t this one even more applicable when working within earshot of each other? Micromanagement at a distance is bad, but it’s possible to close down email and IMs to get a few hours of focus a day. When in the same office, the “headphones rule” is respected by some, but ignored by the last people you want to talk to when looking for focus. They’re the people who come ask you inane questions that divert your attention from what you’re trying to do, expecting you to stand up and go sort their problem out on the spot.

I have to admit, this is a case where, if there are no physical headphones on the head, I’m useless at taking a cue as to whether someone’s busy or not.

Be flexible - Being agile and nimble, willing to accept change and adapt to the market quickly is a question of survival in any of today’s small businesses! Be open to change, or start digging your grave.

No matter what, I think it all comes back to trust, trust and trust. If communication is good and everyone has confidence in their teammates, it’s a recipe for success, whether the team’s in the same room or halfway across the world, no?

Some people have inspired me to start doing what I do, but also to continue and not give up even when times get tough or creativity dries up.

Seth Godin: Create an idea worth spreading.
Tara Hunt: Network, be yourself and have fun doing what you do. Oh, and embrace chaos.
Kathy Sierra: Passionate users are your greatest asset.
The Campaign Monitor Team: Marketing is within everyone’s reach, not just The Marketing Team.
My boss Paul: Don’t make decisions on a gut feeling. Analyse and the right decision will come naturally.
The 37 Signals Guys: Simple is good.
My friend Eric’s dad: He’s an entrancing and truly wonderful storyteller. The simplest story is presented with such theatre that everyone’s hooked and listens.

I think there’s a recurring theme with all these people. They love what they do, and they do what they love. They’re not the type to sit in a cubicle, mope around and moan about their fate. For that very reason, it shines through what they do and makes them a real inspiration.

There are undoubtedly more, but at this point in time where my energies are concentrated on juggling being a startup and having a full time day job, creative people with a seemingly endless source of drive and motivation are the best source of inspiration. Please don’t stop what you’re doing, guys!

Technorati Tags: Seth Godin, Tara Hunt, Kathy Sierra, Campaign Monitor, 37 Signals, inspiration, business development

• Drinking for Charity: Talking about Wine Relief, Hugh & Tim’s contribution to Red Nose Day.
• “I use this” vs “I heart this”: Tara on products we use, those we use and love, and those we love irrationally. We both agree that the Nabaztag falls under thoroughly irrational.
• Twitter: It’s not new, and I’m not new to it, but I’m somehow fascinated by it now. Irrational again. Add me, btw.
• Southwest’s blog effect: A company blog is a direct link with customers, and this is the kind of positive impact that comes out of it. From Church of the Customer blog.
• Little Charlotte is having a baby: I used to despise Charlotte Church, for being a traitor to real classical music, then I cringed at her early pop career, but as a tv showhost, she’s more than loveable. I give in to the Charlotte lurve!
• Choices = Headaches: Joel on why giving users too much choice is worse than not enough.

From the Notting Hill Carnival to the shelves of supermarket giant Sainsburys, via the Mobo awards and the Dragons’ Den. What a life path for Levi Roots, singer, songwriter and chef!

Since its first season, I’ve been watching Dragon’s Den with amusement. Occasionally, it’s been amusement at the poor preparation on the part of those pitching to the potential investors, having no idea what their profits have been for the past few years. Other times, I couldn’t help shaking my head at what seemed to be some missed opportunities for the Dragons.

In the first season, I had a bit of an issue with Rachel Elnaugh, who I consider to be a disgrace to businesswomen everywhere. Aside from that, however, the Dragons were fairly nice, gave constructive advice to the needy ones and acknowledged a good business opportunity, even if they weren’t ready to invest in it.

Now, it’s a different story. Sometimes I love it, sometimes I can’t stand it. First, there’s the annoyingly obvious show pattern; first pitch almost gets it, second gets annihilated, third gets the money. And second, the Dragons are just a bit on the wrong side of cocky. Yes, you’re a big shot, but you were once the little guy making mistakes too.

I’ve always thought that it’s a shame that there isn’t a more technology-savvy Dragon on the panel, since a few good techy business opportunities have been turned down. Anyone noticed the Verballs getting a short in-passing mention as someone who didn’t make it? Somehow, the Verballs don’t strike me as a failed business. Selling at £29.95 (or as little as £14.95 at the moment!!), I’ve heard even some of my less techy friends say they’ve used it to get into VoiP, and they seem to constantly be on the Firebox.com homepage and newsletter!

Put some music in your food…

Right, I’m getting off topic with the Dragons here. I really wanted to talk about Levi’s fascinating story. When he came up the steps in the Den, I thought there was no chance in hell someone could sway the investors with a song. But somehow, he managed to get his investment and charm the Dragons!

Levi turned out to be a genuinely nice guy, with a great product and a great story. The Jamaican jerk sauce is a family recipe which he makes in his own kitchen. Unlike a lot of other bottled sauces out there, it only has a life of 5 days after opening, but this is because it’s free from preservatives. Look at the label, and read the ingredients in his “secret recipe” - You’ll actually know what each one of them is, and you won’t see any E numbers or complicated chemical names. It’s fresh and real, just like the man and the story.

We tried the sauce last night with some chicken thighs and it was mouth-wateringly tasty! I bought a pack of large chicken thighs and cooked them in the oven with the Reggae Reggae Sauce, served with homemade cajun potato wedges and a tall glass of golden rum & coke.

Even the label has been wisely created. It’s simple, and still has this homemade feel to it. It makes us feel like we’re supporting the underdog, the little guy, the boutique-style product, even when bought from the supermarket, because the brand supports the story of 15 years of selling during the Notting Hill Carnival, and accompanied with a surprisingly catchy song.

If the Reggae Reggae Sauce stays in the shelves at Sainsburys until the BBQ season begins, Levi will have made himself a place in the diets and hearts of Britain. Good luck Levi, and wise choice Peter!

Little bonus: video diary from Evan Davis for those interested. “Debra, can you eat the banana in a really suggestive way?” Erk!

[Note: Sorry if anyone’s got a muddled feed with multiple versions of this entry… I lost part of the post through sheer clumsiness and had to rewrite it from memory.]

What’s the first thing you notice when you approach a Starbucks store? Almost always, it’s the aroma. Even non-coffee drinkers love the smell of brewing coffee. It’s heady, rich, full-bodied, dark, suggestive. Aroma triggers memories more strong than any of the other senses, and it obviously plays a major role in attracting people to our stores.

Keeping that coffee aroma pure is no easy task. Because coffee beans have a bad tendency to absorb odors, we banned smoking in our stores years before it became a national trend. We ask our partners to refrain from using perfume and cologne. We won’t sell chemically flavored coffee beans. We won’t sell soup, sliced pastrami, or cooked food. We want you to smell coffee only. [Solving Starbucks Problems, Idea Sandbox]

However, since Starbucks chairman Howard Schultz said this, things have changed. Coffee comes pre-ground, “FlavorLock” packaged for a longer life and, in some regions, food is being cooked within the store. The smell of fresh coffee, which used to wrap itself around you, inviting you inside, isn’t as omnipresent as before. Where’s the aroma? Where’s the theatre of beans being ground daily in front of you?

There’s no use pretending, human beings are all but rational, and your products need to have a spark that makes us feel special - whether it’s the aroma wafting from your bakery or coffee shop, the handcrafted feel of your beauty products or the shine of your electronics.

What are the key emotional deciding factors for your product or service? Why did your customers cross your doorstep the first time?

No aroma, or no enticing factor, means that no new customers being led in, but it also means no emotional reminder for your previously loyal users. The business decisions you make shouldn’t steer you away from the source of that emotional tie. Your Aroma doesn’t have an ROI attached to it, but you need to take it in account when making decisions. Don’t compromise on it.

We love to believe in stories that match our worldview. We like to buy from our local cheese shop rather than buying it pre-packed from the supermarket, even if it involves going out of our way on the way home. It’s more “real” and we feel we’re helping local business. Sometimes, that worldview is a romanticised truth. We like to think of Starbucks as fair trade, even though most people order regular non fair trade coffee.

It makes us all fuzzy inside.

So how does your product make users feel fuzzy inside like the smell of fresh brewed coffee in the morning?

In the email marketing industry, there is no greater sin than to be a spammer. No one seems to be one or know one, yet this unfortunate segment of “professionals” gives the rest of us a bad reputation.

With technology advancements, avoiding spam is becoming easier as filters become more clever. However, off-topic, noisy emails are becoming the latest nuisance to take away our concentration while dealing with our exploding inboxes.

Five ways to avoid irrelevance

1. Let your users know exactly what they’re signing up for when they’re opting in: Is it a weekly or monthly email? What will it contain?
2. Ask your users to confirm their interest: Make the sign-up a double opt-in, requiring users to click on a link you email them to confirm their address. This will give you a more responsive list, as your users will have made a very conscious decision to join. If you can’t or don’t want to do a double opt-in, at least send a confirmation email to those who sign up, thanking them for joining and reminding them of the topics, frequency, etc.
3. Make a route plan: Choose ahead of time what topics you’ll cover and how. Remember what your users signed up for and keep on topic.
4. Be consistent: If your topic, frequency of send or email style changes, tell your readers. If your readers see anything unexpected, they’re likely to jump to conclusions, forget they’ve ever signed up to your newsletter and unsubscribe, or worse, mark you as spam. If the new topics you cover are very different to the old ones, you might want to start a new list and ask your old list’s readers whether they’d like to join it. Give new readers the options when subscribing too.
5. Make unsubscription easy: You can’t keep your readers hostage and, believe me, it’s better to have unsubscribed users than to have a growing number of users who flag you as spam. Dealing with ISPs and trying to convince them you aren’t a spammer after getting blacklisted is a nightmare and not a pretty place to be.

Technorati Tags: spam, email marketing, business, customer loyalty, customer relationships