Categories
Musings

Happy Birthday!

What do Abraham Lincoln and this blog have in common?  Both were born on February 12th!

Hard to believe I launched my blog one year ago today … especially since I’m somewhat technologically challenged (as my son, Jason, will attest).

Special thanks to my blog “birth” parents: Toby Bloomberg of Diva Marketing and Dana VanDen Heuvel of Blog Savant … and to all my regular readers, visitors, and colleagues who provide feedback & encouragement.

I haven’t yet figured out how to share cake & ice-cream through the blogosphere.  Just know that I’ll think of you as I indulge in a little celebration.

Categories
Engagement Marketing

Marketing Role Models & Other Star Employees

As I’ve written lately, both Internal Marketing and Internal Branding are used to effectively engage employees for marketing and organizational success.  Managers who practice these concepts are strong proponents of the power of recognition & reinforcement — honoring employees who exemplify exceptional customer care skills and recognizing them as role models.

I have no problem with this approach, as long as it’s done sincerely and respectfully; i.e., providing support that encourages other employees to emulate the appropriate behavior without making those recognized (the “models”) uncomfortable in the process.

In terms of semantics, I’ve found a variety of labels used to describe these role models:

  • Brand Ambassadors
  • Marketing Heroes
  • Brand Builders
  • Service Stars
  • Brand Evangelists
  • Promise Keepers.

I recently discovered the term “Promise Keepers” in this context when reading Married to the Brand by Bill McEwen.  It’s a book I highly recommend, and I promise to tell you more about it in a future post.

In the meantime, do you have any additional labels to add to this list?  It would be great to hear what else is out there.

Categories
Musings

Another Vote for the Caveman Ad

My favorite “Super Bowl” ad goes to FedEx & their caveman spot for its creativity and humor. AND because it’s effective – everyone I heard talking about it today knew it as the “Fed Ex” ad. (Unlike some TV spots that folks enjoy, yet can’t remember who the advertiser was.)

However, despite the humorous scenario, there was something ‘dark’ about the ad that resonated with me.  When the poor caveman gets fired & tries to explain that FedEx hasn’t been invented yet, the Neanderthal boss claims that it’s not his (the boss’s) problem.  That’s the point where you can feel the caveman’s pain & frustration … especially those of us who’ve had the misfortune of working for bosses who blame you for things outside your control.  What a perfect set up for getting crushed by corporate arrogance & insensitivity.

Categories
Engagement Marketing

More on Internal Marketing & Internal Branding

As a follow up to my recent post on Internal Marketing vs. Internal Branding, here’s another difference-turned-similarity between the two concepts.

Internal Marketing requires an ongoing effort for the care & feeding of customers and employees.  Most people think of applying Internal Branding, however, only when they’re launching a new brand or revitalizing an old one.

But …

According to marketing & branding consultant Debra Semans, this suggests a limited view of Internal Branding:

“Too often,” she says, “companies just do internal branding when they launch a new or changed brand and then assume everyone gets it.  But people forget, new people come on board [who weren’t exposed to the previous internal branding efforts], and then you get brand creep.  The ideal is that it becomes part of the way they do business, their culture … you have to maintain it in order to maintain delivery of the brand promise to the marketplace.”

So Debra recommends Internal Branding be included in an organization’s ongoing training program as a “refresher course” as well as part of new employee orientation.

Makes sense to me … Internal Branding, like Internal Marketing, is not just a use-it-only-when-needed tool.

Categories
Engagement Marketing

Internal Marketing vs. Internal Branding

I’ve gotten a lot of questions lately about the difference between internal marketing and internal branding. Some folks use the terms interchangeably, but there are a number of differences beyond semantics … or so I thought until I began to clarify what these concepts mean, how they’re different, and where they overlap.

I asked my colleague Debra Semans, an Atlanta-based marketing & branding consultant, to help me with this. Debra has extensive experience with internal branding.

Exploring the Two Concepts

I define internal marketing as “the application of marketing inside an organization to instill customer-focused values.” It bridges marketing with HR (Human Resources) to attract, motivate, and retain employees, with an emphasis on getting employee commitment to marketing and organizational goals. Think of it as an umbrella concept encompassing any & all activities, events, internal public relations, etc., that reinforce the importance of customers AND the employees who take care of them.

According to Debra, internal branding is “the process of aligning day-to-day activities, business processes, job designs, and recognition & rewards with the brand identity to drive business results.” It is part of a focused brand strategy that helps employees understand and integrate brand value(s) in their respective roles to ensure they can effectively deliver on the brand promise.

Where Internal Marketing & Internal Branding Overlap

  • Both approaches recognize employees ARE the brand. As a result, both are focused on engaging employees.
  • Both are part of organizational and marketing strategy to strengthen competitive advantage.
  • Both involve leadership – i.e., neither can be effective without management commitment.

Where They Differ

  • Internal Marketing is based on the self-reinforcing relationship between employee- and customer satisfaction (“take care of the employees & they’ll take care of the customers”), whereas Internal Branding is based on making the brand part of the organization’s operations (“getting employees focused on delivering the brand promise”).
  • Unless Internal Marketing and Internal Branding are part of an organization’s culture from Day 1, their trigger points vary. The application of Internal Marketing may be in response to problems with employee- and/or customer satisfaction or turnover, whereas organizations may turn to Internal Branding when launching a new brand or revitalizing an existing one.
  • Internal Marketing focuses on organizational culture and values, whereas Internal Branding focuses primarily on brand values that are aligned and consistent with organizational values. [Hmmm … maybe this belongs with the “Overlap” list above?]

Regarding this last bullet point – as Debra describes Internal Branding’s scope: “From understanding the piece parts of the brand so that they can use it as a guide or standard for their day-to-day decision making, to communicating about the brand in ongoing internal communications vehicles, to building brand-based rewards into compensation models, Internal Branding is geared to making the Brand part of the organization’s operations – and yes, culture.”  [OK, the two concepts are similar in this context in that they both impact organizational culture.]

The Bottom Line

So the differences between Internal Marketing and Internal Branding aren’t as clear cut as I thought. Some of their tactical executions may vary, but the desired outcome is the same: engaging employees for marketing and organizational success.

As Debra says of her work and mine: “Internal branding and internal marketing aren’t all that different. Maybe the only difference is that I’ve been riding the brand wagon and you’ve been on the customer service train.”

What Do You Think?

And now, dear readers, tell me what you think of all this. Semantics aside, what do Internal Marketing and Internal Branding mean to you?  I’d love your input.

To Learn More …

For anyone who wants to learn more about either or both topics, come see Debra and me at the American Marketing Association’s Marketing Workshop this spring in Austin, TX.  On March 13, 2006, I’ll be presenting my session on Internal Marketing (“Marketing from the Inside Out: Engaging Employees for Strategic Advantage”), and Debra will be doing her session on Internal Branding (“Living the Brand – the Dimensions of Internal Branding”) on March 15, 2006.

Categories
Engagement

Managing All-Employee E-mail Communication

As mentioned in a previous post on employee communications, most organizations have more than enough content and sufficient communications tools they can use.  Because it’s easy for departments to issue all-employee e-mails, it’s not unusual to hear folks complain about being bombarded with internal e-mails.

Even if controls are in place to manage the stream of “need to know” info, there is still a need to communicate the “nice to know” stuff so employees know what’s going on and feel connected … the challenge is finding a way to effectively & efficiently communicate both types of information without overloading people.

Meeting the challenge

Just about a year ago, Hudson Valley Community College, based in Troy, NY, launched the Hudson Valley Campus Chronicle as the school’s official employee newsletter “dedicated to providing information that helps the employees fulfill the college’s mission.”  Information is categorized under the headings of general news, upcoming events, “accolades” (faculty & staff achievements), and classifieds (the ever-popular “items for sale, swap, or wanted”).

The project was a joint collaboration between the school’s Internal Communications Committee and Computer Services Department.  [In full disclosure, I helped the Committee develop their initial internal communications plan in which they identified the need to streamline their employee e-mail.  However, I was not involved in any follow up design or implementation.  This post reports on their experience that I thought may be helpful to others.]

According to Eric Bryant, Assistant Director of Communications & Marketing, the Hudson Valley Campus Chronicle has been well received.  I recently got a sneak peek at it & was impressed with how user-friendly it is.  So I asked Eric to share his experience in developing and managing the Campus Chronicle.

Lessons Learned

  • Employees were anxious for an alternative to streamline the all-campus e-mails they received, so getting buy-in for this e-newsletter was not as difficult as anticipated.
  • In getting employees to use the Campus Chronicle, it was important to convey that it’s THEIR publication – an open platform for information, not just top-down communication.
  • Those involved in the project worked hard to make it easy to navigate (so people would read it) and easy to submit information via template (so people would use it).
  • Recognizing some employees need extra hand-holding to become more comfortable in submitting information (especially those who are not web-savvy), Eric felt they could have been more proactive in providing training in this area.

For other communications professionals about to engage in a similar initiative to streamline all-employee e-mail communications, Eric acknowledged an ongoing effort in continually “tweaking” the newsletter to meet employees’ communication needs and continually promoting it.  He also advises being flexible and having some fun with it.

Thanks for sharing, Eric.  And I’d love to hear from others who have experience with this.

Categories
Customer service Marketing

Holiday Shoppers: A New (Unscientific) Segmentation Model

What a relief!  The holiday shopping frenzy (pre- and post-Christmas sales) is over!

For my own shopping, I use a mix of in-store and on-line purchasing.  The in-store retail experience gives me the opportunity to observe the behaviors of consumers and service providers.  (I’m a social psych major who ended up as a career marketer, so I can’t help it.)

While waiting in long lines at a few stores with centralized check-outs, I noticed three types of consumers:

  • the impatient ones – characterized by frequent checks of their watches, heavy sighing or expressions of disgust, and/or glaring looks at the cashiers in front of the slow-moving lines
  • those clearly overwhelmed by holiday pressures – who wandered around the stores with that “deer-in-the-headlights” look
  • the more patient consumers – who made the best of the situation by socializing with other like-minded folks in line, maintaining goodwill given the spirit of the occasion (“You’ll have this during the peak of the Christmas shopping season …”), and/or rationalizing the trade-off of low service levels for discount prices.  (It’s also possible for some in this segment that their extended tolerance was induced by eggnog or other pre-holiday toasting.)

Granted, some people enjoy the hustle & bustle, sometimes push ’em & shove ’em experience of holiday shopping (including those procrastinators whose goal is to get the latest possible postmark on their April 15th tax returns); but I don’t think it applies to most of the shoppers I observed.

Inclement weather & transit strikes aside, is it any wonder that on-line retailers did so well this holiday season?

Categories
Engagement Marketing Training & Development

2006: Recognizing A Special Anniversary

This new year is a very special one: 2006 marks the beginning of my 18th year in business as Quality Service Marketing.

Most small business statistics cite the first five years as being critical for survival, which is the reason I celebrate my business anniversary in five year increments.  But the number 18 has special significance for me – in Hebrew numerology, it represents “life.”  So I wanted to recognize this special year by acknowledging:

  • My clients (past & present) – I’ve enjoyed working with all of you, and it’s been an honor to serve you over the years, helping you with internal marketing & communications, marketing & strategic planning, and marketing & customer-focused training.
  • Special thanks to my long term relationships with Peg Portz & Jim Brown at Lehigh University’s Office of Distance Education; Pat Lawless at the Northeast PA Area Health Education Center; Ned Boehm at Keystone College; and Pat Goodrich, Lynn Brown & the rest of AMA’s professional development staff.
  • My colleagues – I’m fortunate to have a truly incredible network of marketing professionals & mentors whom I’ve relied on since starting QSM.  Time & space preclude me from mentioning everyone who’s helped me, but I need to acknowledge a number of special advisers (in no particular order): Frank Haas, Chris Bonney, Alan Kay, Toby Bloomberg, Len Berry, Steve Brown, Mike McDermott, Bill & Carolyn Neal, and Linda McAleer (she may not remember, but she helped convince me to start my business).  Special thanks, also, to my colleagues who continue to help make QSM look good: Glenn Wampole of Waitz Corporation and John Bartorillo & AJ Zambetti of Maslow Lumia Bartorillo Advertising.
  • Last (but certainly not least), my family and inspiration – my devoted husband, Michael (who’s still waiting for me to define success beyond professional & personal fulfillment. He loves to say, “Show me the money!”), and my wonderful son (and technological adviser), Jason.  I also need to acknowledge my mother, Ruth Fischman – a retired English & journalism teacher, who is still there for me when I need help with my writing.

Thanks to all for helping me reach this milestone 18th anniversary.  I couldn’t have done it without you!

Categories
Musings

Best Wishes in the New Year

Dear readers & fellow bloggers,

With the New Year approaching, this quote from comedian Joey Adams is timely:

May all your troubles last as long as your New Year’s resolutions.

Best wishes for a happy & healthy New Year!

 

Categories
Engagement Marketing

When Employee Engagement is a Joke

For some time now, I’ve enjoyed the tongue-in-cheek philosophy of E. L. Kersten, author of The Art of Demotivation and provider of anti-motivational posters & products on his site: www.despair.com. Here are a few choice quotes:

  • “Apathy: If we don’t take care of the customer, maybe they’ll stop bugging us.”
  • “Get to Work: You aren’t being paid to believe in the power of  your dreams.”
  • “Worth: Just because you’re necessary doesn’t mean you’re important.”

(Enjoy checking out the complete list of demotivational quotes.)

But I’ve also had mixed feelings.  We all need to lighten up (like Sergeant Hulka, I have a “hell of a sense of humor”), yet I wonder if displaying these cynical, anti-Successories-type items might send the wrong message or be misinterpreted.

The sad truth is Kersten’s Despair, Inc. business wouldn’t be successful if it didn’t resonate with people.  There are too many organizations out there whose only effort to engage employees is to display motivational posters and/or initiate token recognition programs. Kersten’s satire is an effective way to deal with these shallow efforts.

And for those of us who are passionate about employee engagement, it’s also an opportunity to poke fun at ourselves … while reminding us of the importance of our work.