Does Your Brand Celebrate Leap Year?

The rarity of February 29, also known as Leap Day causing the year to be referred to as a Leap Year, appears on the calendar every four years and has long inspired marketers to get creative.

But first, a little history about the day. According to PieceofCakeMarketing, "The tradition of adding an extra day to the calendar during leap years, specifically on February 29th, has its origins in Roman superstitions. It was considered an inauspicious day for many activities. Some Romans believed that it was a day of bad luck, which led to the tradition of avoiding major events, such as, marriages and business transactions on that day. Today, Leap Day serves the practical purpose of keeping our calendar in sync with the Earth’s orbit."

Here are some promotional themes for your brand to use on Leap Day:

(1) Leap Day happens once every four years, so use "once every four years" messaging

(2) February 29 is an "extra day" in the month, so customers can take advantage of "extra" savings

(3) Since Leap Day is the 29th day of February, promote a product or service at the $29 price point or offer $29 off a regular price; offer free shipping with a minimum of $29 spent; highlight products or services with "29" in their prices (e.g., $299, $2,900, etc.), or if appropriate, promote a "buy one and get two for $29"

(4) Add the concept of "leaping" into your brand messaging, e.g., "leap into" the spring fashion collection, garden accessories, etc.

(5) Because of the association between Leap Day and frogs (hence the term "leap"), incorporate a leaping frog into your marketing promotions

(6) Add a new hashtag to your marketing, e.g., #LeapDay2024

(7) Offer ridiculous promotions for your lucky customers with birthdays on February 29th - the chance of someone having this rare, once-every-four-years birthday is only 1 in 1,461

(8) Make a difference/Pay it forward: In some cultures, it is considered a tradition to perform acts of charity or kindness on Leap Day. People might make an extra effort to help those in need, donate to charity, or engage in random acts of kindness. Perhaps, your leadership team might close the office early ‌in order to do volunteer work.

Who are some brands with Leap Day promotions this year?

The Seattle Kraken hockey team will play the Pittsburgh Penguins in a special "Leap Year Night" presented by Pitchbook on February 29.

Jeremiah's Italian Ice, the premiere frozen dessert brand based in Orlando, Florida, is "hopping" back through time during February with its new Leap Back campaign, designed to celebrate the brand's journey over the past three decades by giving back to its guests. The brand's first-ever Leap Back campaign includes a full month of promotions for J-List loyalty members, culminating in a Leap Day celebration at all locations, with throwback pricing of $0.96 treats all day long for J-List members to honor the year it all began: 1996 (another Leap Year).

Home Run Inn, Chicago's very own thin crust pizza, announced a National Pizza Day offer for those with a Leap Year Birthday of February 29th. To mark the holiday, Home Run Inn will give away FREE pizza for a year, to the first 29 leap year babies whose birthday is on February 29. To redeem the offer, the first 29 customers must present a valid ID showing their birthdate as February 29 to Home Run Inn's Instagram page (https://www.instagram.com/homeruninn/) by 11:59PM CST on February 29th to receive 12 frozen classic crust pizzas on the house. This offer is valid from February 9 through February 29, 2024.

Who could forget what Zappos did to celebrate Leap Day in 2016?

Zappos asked fans and customers to sign the petition to make Leap Day a national holiday. According to Digiday, Zappos gave "all of its employees a paid day off in hopes of inspiring employees and consumers to #TakeTheLeap and use it to do something they’ve always wanted to do."

And who could forget what Krispy Kreme did to celebrate Leap Day in 2020?

According to FoxNews, "Krispy Kreme announced its new nationwide delivery program to launch on February 29 with partner DoorDash to facilitate delivery from nearly all of its 350-plus U.S. locations, to folks within 10 miles of a doughnut shop. And because this promotion launches on Leap Day, Krispy Kreme is planning to send special deliveries to hospitals' maternity wards within the delivery range. To receive the doughnuts, families or staffers at those hospitals are required to share news of their Leap-Day deliveries, using hashtag #KrispyKremeSpecialDelivery and tagging @KrispyKreme on Twitter and Instagram."

Dave Skena, Chief Marketing Officer of Krispy Kreme, explained, "Krispy Kreme doughnut delivery is pretty sweet, and so are Leap Day babies. Using 2020’s extra day to make the leap to national delivery, while celebrating Leap Day babies, will be a fun moment for our brand and fans."

Some final words from PieceofCakeMarketing, "February 29th provides a golden opportunity to think creatively and connect your product or service with the spirit of leap day. With thoughtful planning and execution, your campaigns can earn valuable media coverage, drive user engagement, and foster brand loyalty."

So what will your brand do to leap apart from the competition on Leap Day?

SHARE THIS: February 29 provides a golden opportunity to think creatively and connect your product or service with the spirit of #LeapDay. ~@POCakeMarketing #DebbieLaskeysBlog


Image Credit: Home Run Inn and Jeremiah's Italian Ice.

Recent Marketing News: Product Launches, Banking, Social Media and More

During the past few weeks, there were news stories that reflected new product launches, personal branding, corporate sponsorship, and more.

TIGER WOODS NEW BRAND ANNOUNCEMENT
Remember the marketing news discussed here on this blog back on January 22nd? I wrote, "Golf legend Tiger Woods and Nike ended their advertising partnership that began in 1996. According to Tiger, "Over 27 years ago, I was fortunate to start a partnership with one of the most iconic brands in the world. The days since have been filled with so many amazing moments and memories...Phil Knight's passion and vision brought this Nike and Nike Golf partnership together, and I wanted to personally thank him." I asked, "Does this mean that another co-branding and advertising partnership is on the horizon?"

Well, less than two months later, here's the announcement according to GolfWeek: "The worst-kept secret in golf was officially unveiled: Tiger Woods and TaylorMade have partnered to launch a new premium active-lifestyle apparel and footwear brand. According to TaylorMade CEO David Abeles, "This was not an endorsement, but instead, a full-blown, unequivocal partnership with Tiger...We're going to sunrise a brand, Sun Day Red, as a standalone business."

COCA-COLA'S NEW FLAVOR
Coca-Cola has launched its newest flavor, Coca-Cola Spiced, to cater to tastes changing along with America's demographics. The company explained that the new Spiced flavor blends the traditional Coke flavor with raspberry and spiced flavors. It will be available both in full sugar and zero-sugar varieties as well as in both cans and bottles. According to Coke's VP of Marketing for North America, Sue Lynne Cha, "Spiced was selected because it's all about being responsive to our consumer preferences. Consumers are looking for more bold flavors and more complex flavor profiles. That's a trend we started to see in food, but also in beverage, and we thought that was a unique space for us to play in."

POP TARTS
William "Bill" Post recently passed away, and while you may not recognize his name, you will definitely recognize his claim to fame: He was credited with inventing the beloved Pop Tart breakfast treat. He was one of seven children born to Dutch immigrants in Michigan, and at the age of 16, he went to work at the Hekman Biscuit Company. After serving in the military during World War II, he returned to Hekman and worked in various divisions of the business. After 20 years, he was plant manager of Hekman, later known as the Keebler Company, and he invented the concept of "a shelf-stable toaster pastry" that was brought to market in the span of four short months. Pop Tarts made their debut in 1964 with four original flavors: strawberry, blueberry, brown sugar cinnamon, and apple-currant; and today, 60 years later, there are between 20-30 flavors at any time with new flavors constantly in development.

STARBUCKS PARTNERS WITH BANK OF AMERICA
Starbucks customers who use a Bank of America card will now get additional cash back for their purchases as part of a new partnership between the two companies. However, in order to be eligible for rewards and cash back, a customer must be a member of the Starbucks Rewards program and either use Bank of America online banking or Bank of America Mobile Banking.

CAPITAL ONE'S PURCHASE OF DISCOVER
Capital One announced that it will acquire Discover Financial Services for $35.5 billion in an all-stock deal; and the deal will close in late 2024 or early 2025. Discover is considerably smaller than the other three major credit card networks in the United States: Visa, MasterCard, and American Express. But with the acquisition of Discover, Capital One will have a major leg up against competing credit card-issuing banks, such as, JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, and Citigroup.

CHICAGO CUBS' SOCIAL MEDIA CAMPAIGN
According to the Daily Mail, "The Chicago Cubs were forced to rapidly change their marketing campaign ahead of the new MLB season after fans claimed its slogan resembled an X-rated term. Four days before their spring-training schedule begins, the Cubs released a promo video on their social-media pages to build anticipation for the 2024 season. However, fans were quick to poke fun at the team for using the hashtag: 'YouHaveToCIt'. What seemed a clever marketing tweak to the phrase 'you have to see it' quickly backfired as several users on X (formerly Twitter) pointed out the rude meaning it could have if read as an unfortunate typo. And after realizing their error, the Cubs later edited their post to include a new hashtag of 'YouHaveToSeeIt'."

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL UNIFORMS
When you watch a professional baseball game, do you pay attention to the uniforms? Most of the time, the home team wears white. Other teams, such as the Colorado Rockies, have four different uniform color choices. For the 2024 season, Major League Baseball hired Nike to design new uniforms, and they are being manufactured by Fanatics. However, many players are complaining about the poor quality, the smaller letters and numbers on the jerseys, and the fact that the pants are see-through!

According to MLB officials, “The new uniforms improve mobility by providing 25 percent more stretch and will also dry 28 percent faster. The lettering, sleeve emblems, and numbering are less bulky in an attempt to make uniforms more breathable and comfortable.” Players and fans hope improvements are made before Opening Day so that the everyone can focus on the brand (baseball games) versus product packaging (the uniforms).

EIFFEL TOWER STRIKE
Strikes can impact local economies, and more so, if the people who go on strike work at a tourist attraction. The Eiffel Tower in Paris welcomes nearly 7 million visitors each year and is the defining image of the French capital and the “city of lights” brand. So how can workers who maintain the Eiffel Tower go on strike? Eiffel Tower employees went on strike for six days and demanded changes to the landmark’s business model and better maintenance of the structure, which is showing widespread traces of rust. Since the Paris Olympics are set to begin in July, the 135-year-old attraction will feature prominently (in tourist visits as well as in all forms of media coverage).

TWITTER REBRANDED – OR DID IT?
How valuable is a name? If you’re a well-known international brand, there is incredible equity, association, and positioning resulting from a brand’s name – think of Disney, Nike, Coca-Cola, to name a few. But in the case of X, other than Elon Musk, who will admit to calling the social platform X? The reality is that most of us refer to the social platform as “X, formerly known as Twitter.” This is certainly not what Musk envisioned when he changed the name in July 2023 and rebranded the platform – especially since the URL continues to be twitter.com and even x.com redirects to the original link. According to Wikipedia, “A few days after the rebrand took effect, an AP Stylebook update recommended that journalists refer to the platform as “X, formerly known as Twitter;” and in September 2023, The Harris Poll noted that the rebranding had not publicly caught on, with the majority of users as well as notable brands still referring to X as Twitter.”

According to CNN Business, “Twitter pervaded every part of online life and popular culture. In 2011, the phrase “tweet” was added to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, and “retweet” was added to the Concise Oxford English Dictionary in the same year.” According to Ramon Jimenez, Global Principal at brand consultancy Wolff Olins, “Twitter became one of the few companies with a product experience so unique that its brand name has become synonymous with a behavior. We tweet, we Google, and so on.”

SUPER BOWL VIEWERSHIP
And, did you hear that an estimated 123.4 million people watched Super Bowl 58 on February 11, 2024, across all platforms? That number was the most-watched American television broadcast in a generation, so large, in fact, that it approached the all-time most-watched television broadcast in the United States set in 1969, when an estimated 125 to 150 million viewers watched the Apollo 11 moon landing, according to ABC News.

Of course, we could chalk up the reason for the high viewership to the ads - even though the football game was probably the most exciting of all Super Bowls, since the winner was decided in the final seconds of OVERTIME. But again, there were those $7 million ads!

What other recent marketing buzz caught your attention? There's always something happening that impacts marketing, so tune in to #DebbieLaskeysBlog for the scoop!


Image Credits: Tiger Woods/TaylorMade, Coca-Cola, and Pop Tarts.

Celebrating Post Number 600 on #DebbieLaskeysBlog!

I have enjoyed writing blog posts and sharing my commentary about marketing and leadership for many years, since 2009 to be exact. Post number 500 was written and published with no trumpets blaring and no big celebration - however, not 600. For post number 600, I've decided to share a recap of my favorite topics, posts, and guest experts. So find a comfortable chair and join me on a journey down memory lane.

My first post was published on October 9, 2009, and was entitled, "GM Hired a Woman to Lead US Sales - Yes, a Woman." I vividly recall my discussion with my company's web designer at the time as we discussed this exciting announcement. He suggested that, if I felt strongly about the news, I should start a blog to share my commentary. I did, and my blog is going strong nearly 15 years and 600 posts later.

As the URL evolved into the name of the blog, Debbie Laskey's Blog, it was time for a hashtag to also appear, thus, the creation of #DebbieLaskeysBlog in August 2021. It has since accompanied all posts on Twitter/X, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Threads, and Mastodon.

As I wrote in November 2009, "Should You Blog? Blogs have been around since the early 1990’s, but should you have one? If you answer YES, then find your voice. If you are an individual, write as you speak and share your expertise. If a company, determine your company’s voice and make sure that the senior management team approves. Second, develop a timeline for updating your Blog. Daily may be too much work – weekly or monthly may be better options. Third, create a strategy for content. Decide on key themes or topics. Future topics will be derived from visitor feedback, and research industry-specific venues for additional ideas. Now, start blogging!"

Some memorable posts include the following about brand identity, brand strategy, personal branding, leadership tips, and brand promotions:
 
*April 2016: When Creating a Product Name, ONE WORD Can Make a Difference
*October 2016: Three Branding Lessons from Binge Watching
*November 2016: Five #LeadershipTips from the 2016 Presidential Election
*November 2016: Six Branding Tips from the LA Auto Show
*February 2020: What's Your Favorite Valentine's Day Brand?
*April 2020: What's Your Favorite Easter Brand?
*April 2021: Does Your Brand Recognize April Fool’s Day?
*November 2022: What Brand Stands Out on Thanksgiving?
*December 2022: What Are Your Favorite Holiday Ads?
*December 2022: Five Personal Branding Lessons from Santa
*December 2022: What's Your Favorite Brand the Day After Christmas?
*December 2022: What Are the Most Famous Brands on December 31st and January 1st?
*April 2023: Don't Fool Your Customers TOO Much on April Fools' Day
*December 2023: Happy #NationalChampagneDay
*January 2024: "Top 10" New Year's Resolutions for Leaders

Beginning in December 2022, I created a weekly series called "Marketing News of the Week." From the health scare of Buffalo Bills Damar Hamlin and the amazing amount of donations to redesigned products promoting the Lunar New Year, these posts provided explanations as to how mainstream news impacted marketing. While intended to be a weekly series, these posts sometimes appear a couple of times a month.

As a lifelong fan of reading who has shared a myriad of book reviews on my blog, during the fall of 2023, I created a series called the "Fall Back to Reading Series" and invited 30 leadership, marketing, and customer experience experts to answer the same questions ranging from the three business books that made the biggest impact on their careers to their favorite authors to creative names for a nonprofit to promote reading to children and young adults. Series highlights appeared on my blog on January 31, 2024.

Each year while watching the Super Bowl, I also watched the ads, also referred to as the #AdBowl and the #BrandBowl. I sometimes annoyed family and friends because I took notes during the ads and asked my fellow game watchers to quiet down during the ads - not something easily accomplished during the year's most important football game. And then, the following Monday, while football experts played "Monday Morning Quarterbacking" about the game's highs and lows, I always posted my recap of the best (and sometimes worst) ads. To date, I've written 12 of these posts.

As a marketing pro, without a doubt, my favorite series has been my annual "Top 10 Marketing Highlights" posts. They were written with a nod to David Letterman for the format and appeared on the first day of each year. To date, I've written 14 of these posts.

Starting in 2022, I created an annual series called "(year) Was the Year of #BrandIdentity Changes." In this annual recap published in January, I provided details of interesting brands that either rebranded, changed their logo, changed their name, co-branded, formed an interesting partnership, created a unique hashtag to match a campaign, changed iconic packaging, or in some other way made branding news during the year. So far, I've written two of these posts.

Also starting in 2022, I created an annual series called "Words and Terms that Told the Story of (year)." In this annual recap published in January, I shared key words that appeared again and again in news broadcasts as well as the most searched term on Google. So far, I've written two of these posts.

Also started in 2022, I created an annual series called "Notable Deaths in (year) and Some Personal Branding Tips." In this annual recap published in January, I shared a list of individuals who passed away the previous year and why they inspired me. So far, I've written two of these posts.

Also starting in 2022, I created an annual series called "Barbie Made News in (year)." In this annual recap published in January, I provided details of the Barbie dolls released by Mattel during the year to celebrate important women and their accomplishments. Of course, during 2023, the blockbuster film made news. So far, I've written two of these posts.

From February 2013 through June 2014, I served as a writer for the "IBM Midsize Insider Program," and many of my posts during that time were written about marketing and social media put into perspective for midsize businesses. Those specific posts appeared first on IBM’s website, and once live, they then appeared on my blog.

Over the years, my blog has received some much-appreciated recognition. As a result of my posts, I was invited to be a "Featured Contributor" to Business2Community.com, and I wrote unique posts specifically for that online community. In addition, my blog was included in the BRANDING category in James Strock's SERVE TO LEAD BLOGS LIST in 2021 and also in the Center for Management & Organization Effectiveness TOP LEADERSHIP BLOG LIST in 2014.

Lastly, 18 experts (authors/speakers/coaches) graciously appeared on my blog in Q&A formats several times. I'd like to give a BIG shout-out with applause to them now: Erika Andersen, Melanie Bell, Julia Carcamo, Susan Colantuono, Doug Dickerson, Amy Diehl, Kevin Eikenberry, Joni M. Fisher, Lee Goldberg, Mark Herbert, Rebecca Herold, Shep Hyken, Eric Jacobson, Jim Joseph, Michael McKinney, Katherine Spinney, James Strock, and Ron Thomas. These individuals have made a long-lasting impact on my blog and on me, and for that, I am incredibly grateful.

Writers often talk about writer's block or looking at a blank piece of paper with a big question mark. But this recap has shown that when you view the world through "marketing-colored glasses," then writer's block is not an issue. There are just too many marketing-related topics to write about. I wish to thank you for joining me on this trip down memory lane and for continuing to read my posts. See you next time on #DebbieLaskeysBlog - for post #601 and beyond!


Image Credit: Debbie Laskey.

Inspiring Tips to Celebrate #NationalLeadershipDay!

 

Today, February 20, is National Leadership Day. According to National Day website, "The aim of National Leadership Day is to inculcate the values of leadership in each one of us. A good leader not only leads but inspires those around him/her/they to be the best versions of themselves. Anyone can be a leader — you just have to show up and encourage others to do the same...We know that an organization is only as good as its leaders, which means that having empathetic and just leaders at the top who lead by example creates an environment in which everyone is inspired to be their best."

Therefore, today is an especially appropriate day for Erika Andersen to appear on my blog for a conversation about leadership. I’ve had the pleasure of knowing Erika for many years, and she first appeared in a Q&A on my blog in 2011. She is the founding partner of Proteus, where she and her colleagues support leaders at all levels to get ready and stay ready to meet the future. Erika advises senior executives and also shares her insights through her books, speaking engagements, and social media. In addition to her latest book, Change from the Inside Out, she is the author of four previous best-selling books: Be Bad First, Leading So People Will Follow, Being Strategic, and Growing Great Employees. Erika is also a popular leadership blogger at Forbes.com, and the creator and host of the Proteus Leader Show podcast.

QUESTION: One of your inspiring quotes is, "Great leaders don't do it alone...they get help." What are some tips for new leaders in order to embrace this concept of collaboration?
ERIKA ANDERSEN: One thing that gets in the way of collaboration for new leaders is that they’ve often been socialized to think that "Leaders should have all the answers." Allowing yourself to get curious as a new leader – about your team, their likes and dislikes, their skills – is a pretty gentle first step toward collaboration. For example, when you’re meeting with your folks, either individually or as a group, ask curious questions: "What should I know about you as a team?" or "What do you think are your/our most important strengths?" or "How can we best help each other succeed?"

And how you respond is even more important than asking the questions. Listen carefully, and make sure you understand – either by asking clarifying questions, or by summarizing what you’ve heard to make sure you’ve got their main points. If you immediately dismiss or disagree with what you’ve heard, without considering it, that sends a strong message that you aren’t really interested in or open to what they have to say.

After making sure you’ve understood, ask them how you might incorporate their insights and opinions into the work you’ll be doing together. For instance, if a team member says, "I think one of our biggest strengths is that we look for ways to overcome even difficult obstacles," you might respond, "How do you think we could use that strength in reaching our current goals?"

Voila, you’re on the path to collaboration.

QUESTION: In a post you wrote for Linkedin, "This is the first time in history that four distinct generations are together in the workplace: Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z." What are some insights to help everyone work together?

[Post referenced:
What Planet Are You From? Five Ways To Get Along With People Who Aren't Like You
https://www.forbes.com/sites/erikaandersen/2015/05/06/what-planet-are-you-from-5-ways-to-get-along-with-people-who-arent-like-you/]

ERIKA ANDERSEN: I think three of the five approaches I suggested in the article you’ve referenced are particularly helpful when working cross-generationally.

First, realizing that other people are not you. It might sound silly, but when we’re dealing with people who have different assumptions or outlooks, we tend to filter their responses as though those people are us. In other words, that their responses mean the same thing as they would if we were saying or doing them. An example: a few years ago, I was coaching a Gen X executive, who was very irritated with an extremely smart and ambitious Millennial employee. He had asked her how he could become a vice president, and she was complaining to me about it.

I asked, "Why do you think he was asking you that?"

She responded, "Because he thinks he should get promoted right away, and that’s just ridiculous – he’s just been promoted to manager."
 
I then said, "Maybe that’s what you would have meant by that, if you’d asked the same question at his age. And I’m betting you never would have asked it."

"Darn right," she grumbled.

I proposed, "But what if he was asking something very different. Millennials are used to being able to get all the critical information they need online, and he may be frustrated about the lack of a clear path to get from where he is to where he wants to be. He may just be asking for that pathway."

She acknowledged the possibility, and they went on to have a good conversation.

Leveraging complementarity vs. similarity is also an important tool in working with other generations. For example, Boomer and Gen X bosses can take advantage of most Gen Z employees’ knowledge of and comfort with AI and other forms of technology, and work with those younger employees to figure out how to best incorporate those technological advances for better and faster results.

Millennial managers - and now even newly-minted Gen Z managers – can leverage Boomer and Gen X team members’ experience and connections in an organization or an industry to smooth difficult negotiations and avoid unseen pitfalls.  

I’d encourage managers to do this "out loud," perhaps, by having a meeting where each person can share how they think the team could benefit from the strengths, skills, or knowledge they bring as a result of their age and the environment in which they grew up.

I predict people will find out a lot of interesting and useful things about each other, and it will also help to promote the final approach: starting from neutral. Unfortunately, one of the most common responses to differences between generations is to assume that different means WORSE. This seems to have been happening for most of human history: witness this quote from Socrates: "The children now love luxury; they have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for elders and love chatter in place of exercise."

If you can make a habit of saying to yourself, "This person sees things differently than me – I want to find out more about why," instead of "This ____ (fill in the generational blank) is so wrong/bad/unprofessional," then you’ll be well on your way to figuring out how to work with great people of any age.

QUESTION: You wrote a post for Forbes comparing great leaders to movie heroes. Who are some recent movie heroes that demonstrate effective leadership?

[Post referenced:
What Do Great Leaders And Movie Heroes Have In Common?
https://www.forbes.com/sites/erikaandersen/2015/07/20/what-do-great-leaders-and-movie-heroes-have-in-common/]

ERIKA ANDERSEN: My husband and I rarely watch movies these days, but we do watch a lot of TV! There are so many really well-made shows these days, and we especially like good science fiction.

One show we’ve been enjoying is Strange New Worlds, the most recent show in the Star Trek franchise. I’ve really been enjoying Captain Christopher Pike, as played by Anson Mount. One thing I’ve noticed is that Mount, in contrast to earlier versions of the show - particularly the original with William Shatner – is much more vulnerable. He lets his crew know when he’s struggling with a decision, and invites their input. He’s also much more likely to listen when a crew member who he respects disagrees with him.

I find this heartening, because I believe that TV and movies tend to reflect the beliefs and mores of popular culture, and what this says to me is that we, as a culture, are generally starting to be open to more collaborative and egalitarian approaches to leadership (back to your initial question!) 

SHARE THIS: TV and movies tend to reflect the beliefs of popular culture, and what this says to me is that we, as a culture, are generally starting to be open to more collaborative and egalitarian approaches to leadership. ~@erikaandersen #Leadership #DebbieLaskeysBlog

QUESTION: What inspiring leadership books have you read recently?
ERIKA ANDERSEN: A wonderful book, and one that I’d recommend highly, is "Speaking While Female," a compilation of 75 largely unknown speeches by American women over the past four hundred years. It was compiled and published by Dana Rubin, a speaker, coach, and consultant who runs the Speaking While Female speech bank. The speeches are inspiring, riveting, insightful, thoughtful and unexpected, and the book is one step toward redressing the imbalance in what we are all taught about who are/were the important figures in American History.

QUESTION: Lastly and sadly, Associate Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor passed away in December 2023. How did she embody effective leadership to you?
ERIKA ANDERSEN: Justice O’Connor was so thoughtful. Even though she was considered primarily a conservative, she ended up being a swing vote because, often, based on her research into a case and its issues, would vote with the more liberal judges.  

As the first woman on the Supreme Court, she focused on demonstrating that a woman could be as effective as a man in that role, and although she didn’t draw attention to herself as a woman on a regular basis, she quietly and firmly stood up for herself when necessary. For example, two years after she joined the Court, The New York Times wrote an editorial that mentioned the "nine men" of the SCOTUS. She wrote a letter to the editor, reminding the newspaper that the Court was no longer composed only of men.


My gratitude to Erika for sharing her leadership insights to make us ALL better leaders!

Image Credit: Debbie Laskey's design showcasing Erika Andersen's vision.

Connect with Erika at these links:
Website: https://erikaandersen.com
Website: https://www.proteus-international.com
Books: https://erikaandersen.com/books

Check out Erika’s previous appearances here on my blog:

FALL BACK TO READING SERIES – Featuring Erika Andersen (October 2023)
https://www.debbielaskeysblog.com/2023/10/fall-back-to-reading-series-featuring_01710409622.html

How Magic and Happiness Impact Leadership (April 2023)
https://www.debbielaskeysblog.com/2023/04/how-magic-and-happiness-impact.html

Tips to Become “Change-Capable (May 2022)
https://www.debbielaskeysblog.com/2022/05/tips-to-become-change-capable.html

Three Leadership Secrets: Build Consensus, Be Open to Challengers, and Delegate (May 2021)
https://www.debbielaskeysblog.com/2021/05/3-leadership-secrets-build-consensus-be.html

Review of: Leading So People Will Follow by Erika Andersen (October 2019)
https://www.debbielaskeysblog.com/2019/10/fall-back-to-reading-with-12-thought.html

Leadership + Strategy = Amazing Employee Experience (November 2018)
https://www.debbielaskeysblog.com/2018/11/leadership-strategy-amazing-employee.html

Review of: Be Bad First by Erika Andersen (October 2018)
https://www.debbielaskeysblog.com/2018/10/fall-reading-recap-leadership-branding.html

Are You the Type of Manager or Leader YOU Would Follow? (January 2014)
https://www.debbielaskeysblog.com/2014/01/are-you-type-of-manager-or-leader-you.html

Want to be Nicknamed Strategy Guru? (July 2011)
https://www.debbielaskeysblog.com/2011/07/want-to-be-nicknamed-strategy-guru.htm

My Favorite Marketing Terms

While marketing may be a single bullet point in your regular leadership team meeting agenda, how much time does your team actually apply to marketing your products or services? With all the buzz surrounding social media, traditional marketing has taken a back seat, and that’s a shame.

All types of business – whether B2B, B2C, or non-profit – should spend the time and effort to understand all elements that fall within the marketing pie, and one important piece of the marketing pie includes the terms that appear again and again.

While marketing dictionaries exist in print and online, here are my five favorite marketing terms:

BRAND PERSONALITY:
With so many brands in the marketplace and so much noise as a result of social media, now marketers treat brands as if they had personality traits. When brands are given human personality traits, such as, creative, friendly, happy, etc., brands quickly stand apart from the crowd.

UNIQUE SELLING PROPOSITION (USP):
Years ago, people joked that if they had two minutes in an elevator with Bill Gates, they had to be prepared to articulate their company’s competitive advantage or their personal brand in two minutes or less in what became known as an "elevator pitch." The elevator pitch has gone the way of the Ford Edsel, and in its place, we now have the unique selling proposition. What makes a company unique? Why should a company stand apart from the competition? Why should a company be an industry leader? And for personal brands, for example, what makes Taylor Swift different from other singers?

SOCIAL LISTENING:
Sprout Social has a wonderful definition: "Social listening involves analyzing conversations and trends related to your brand. These include conversations relevant to your company, competitors and industry at large. Insights from these conversations are used to make informed marketing decisions. Social listening is about more than tags and @mentions. Sure, listening involves acting on direct feedback from people. But it also involves reading between the lines."

Here's a breakdown of social listening:
(1) Who is your audience?
(2) What does your audience want?
(3) When is your audience engaging with you?
(4) Where is your audience active and engaged?
(5) Why does your audience talk about you?
(6) How can you better serve your audience?

CALL TO ACTION:
Everyone in a marketing capacity should always sing this tune and provide this reminder. For every campaign, initiative, strategy, you must always have a call to action to attract prospective customers. Here are some examples: Subscribe now. Download this case study today. Complete this survey now. Sign up to receive a free gift today.

KEY PERFORMANCE METRICS (KPMs) (also Key Performance Indicators or KPIs):
This term is so important that it should be on the mind of every business person each and every day. All marketing campaigns must be evaluated to determine the return on investment. How many click-thru’s to your main website or campaign-specific landing pages resulted from emails? How many leads came as a result of tradeshow attendance or telemarketing? How many likes appeared on your Facebook page? How many mentions and retweets appeared on Twitter/X? How many of your videos were uploaded on YouTube? How many sales resulted from your social media activities? Don't implement any marketing campaign without first knowing how you're going to measure it's success.

What are your fave marketing terms? Please chime in and share.


Image Credit: Stuart Miles via FreeDigitalPhotos.net.

To read more:
Glossary of Branding Terms:
https://brandsbyovo.com/glossary-of-branding-terms/

Branding Glossary - How Brands Are Built:
https://howbrandsarebuilt.com/branding-glossary/

The Ultimate Marketing Dictionary of Terms and Definitions
https://coschedule.com/marketing-terms-definitions

The Ultimate A-Z Dictionary of Marketing Terms:
https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/inbound-marketing-glossary-list

Monday Morning Quarterbacking the Ads from Super Bowl 58

What do you remember from Super Bowl Sunday? This year, the game went down to the final seconds in overtime yet, so for football fans, the game was a genuine contest. But for marketers and those who watch the game for the ads, there was not as much excitement.

There was no ad similar to Apple’s 1984 ad. There was no ad that was as memorable as Budweiser’s post-9/11 ad from 2002 with the kneeling Clydesdales. There were no animated Coca Cola polar bears, and there was no Tweet memorable enough to rival Oreo’s "dunking in the dark" from 2013. And one thing to note for this year's batch of ads: no brand mentioned the Covid-19 pandemic, which was a complete reversal from the ads during the 2021 game.

According to CBSNews, "This year's crop of Super Bowl ads featured dozens of top brands, from Anheuser-Busch's iconic Clydesdales to Uber Eats' spot featuring Jennifer Aniston and Victoria and David Beckham...This year's advertisers are not only spending $7 million to buy half a minute of airtime, but are also opening their wallets to secure stars like Jennifer Aniston and Snoop Dogg, as well as on glitzy productions. And many companies post their ads ahead of the Super Bowl, hoping to build buzz and capture attention."

According to Aimee Picchi, "Super Bowl ads command a premium because the game is typically the most-watched media event of the year. That gives brands a chance to reach more consumers at one time than anywhere else, and many companies use the opportunity to trot out new products or introduce a new slogan. There's another reason why brands are so willing to pay up: About 3 in 4 people say they are actually excited to watch the ads during the Super Bowl. Families and friends typically watch the game together, and often talk about the spots as well as the game itself — a discussion that can carry over at work the next day, experts say."

Jura Liaukonyte, marketing professor at Cornell University's SC Johnson College of Business explained further, "This shared experience can amplify the emotional resonance of advertisements, making them more memorable and effective. When viewers watch the Super Bowl, they are not just passive recipients of content — they are engaged in a communal event."

This quote from Landor Associates is timeless and worth repeating: "Here are three tips to help you, your dad, or even your football-crazed grandma decide which brands scored a touchdown with their commercials: Is the ad on-brand? Will you remember the brand tomorrow? And, does the ad speak to the times?”

Without further ado, here were the ads that stood out to me from this year’s group:

DOVE: The theme of this ad was to support, encourage, and empower female athletes. The hashtag was #KeepHerConfident.

DUNKIN: This ad featured actor Ben Affleck, his friend Matt Damon, and his wife Jennifer Lopez. Since Affleck had appeared in previous ads for this brand, the appearance continued his brand storytelling and humor.

BEST FOODS MAYO: This ad featured a cat who became famous by saying MAY-O instead of meowing. For cat fans, this was a very amusing and memorable ad.

KIA: A young female ice skater wanted to skate in front of her father and someone else who was represented by an empty seat at a skating rink. It turned out that the girl's grandfather was in a wheelchair at home and unable to attend the performance at a rink. So the girl's father drove her to the grandfather's home and hooked up his EV9 vehicle to strands of lights to create a beautiful rink in front of the house. The girl and her father brought the skating performance to the grandfather, thanks to the EV9. This ad tugged at the heartstrings.

BUDWEISER: The brand's famous Clydesdale horses made a return appearance and also featured a dog, who helped guide the horses through the snow to make a beer delivery. While the horses and dog are wonderful brand ambassadors, this ad was not as memorable as previous ads.

Also, there seemed to be lots of movie ads, more than in previous years. However, I am looking forward to WICKED THE MUSICAL, the next Minions installment, the Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, and the next installment of Kung Fu Panda.

During the game, while sharing posts on Twitter/X, the following brands stood out with their posts: Pantone, National Park Service, Library of Congress, and Elmo. If you missed their posts, check them out.

A few timeless words from Jacques de Cock, a faculty member at the London School of Marketing: "The Super Bowl is a phenomenon unsurpassed in the world. It is one of the few national social events, which is also why social media traffic during the game is so high...What is also remarkable is that advertising is not viewed as something to skip but is seen by 77 percent of viewers as part of the entertainment, and therefore, more watched and engaged with than any other television advertising during the year."

A famous brand stood out in New York City and also on Twitter/X for those around the world:

EMPIRE STATE BUILDING: During the game, the building changed the color of its lights based on which team scored a touchdown, and at the end of the night, the top of the Empire State Building was lit up in red to celebrate the game's winner, the Kansas City Chiefs!

Today, the official countdown begins for Super Bowl 59, scheduled for February 9, 2025, at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, the 11th time that New Orleans has served as host city. Will we see an ad or two that will go down as the best of all time? We'll have to wait and see.


Image credit: Pantone.


To read any of my previous Super Bowl ad recap posts, search #DebbieLaskeysBlog using the term “super” to access all the links.

To watch all the ads from Super Bowl 58, here’s the link:
https://sports.yahoo.com/super-bowl-commercials-grading-the-best-and-worst-of-the-2024-games-ads-161907255.html

Happy Lunar New Year!

 

Gong hei fat choy, or translated into Cantonese: "Wishing you great happiness and prosperity."

2024 is the Year of the Dragon and is celebrated by Chinese, Vietnamese, and Korean cultures around the world beginning today.

Will your brand add a dragon or the color red into your logo, mascot, promotions, or communiations? Here are some brands that are participating in the festive celebrations:

BARBIE
Mattel unveiled its 2024 Lunar New Year Barbie doll. According to Mattel, "Barbie is enchanting in a traditional xifu costume, inspired by the beauty of Peking Opera, a cultural treasure of China and often performed to celebrate Lunar New Year and other Chinese holidays. Her elegant robe in lucky red with a colorful peony print symbolizes good fortune. Her dramatic water sleeves are used to create beautiful hand motions and expressions on stage. The look is completed with an ornate headdress with peony accents and cyan blue shoes with pink poms."

CLINIQUE
Clinique's make-up line stood out with festive red packaging on its "dramatically different mosturizing lotion" and "cheek pop highlighter."

CHARLOTTE TILBURY
Charlotte Tilbury released a limited-edition Luxury Palette in celebration of Lunar New Year. This iteration of her best-selling eyeshadow quad, entitled Queen of Luck, features highly-pigmented golden pink, warm terracotta, and champagne gold hues.

PAT MCGRATH
Pat McGrath released a limited-edition Bronze Borealis New Year Edition, which features four bronze and copper hues. These shades deliver saturated color in a single swipe.

DISNEY
A plush version of Mickey Mouse dressed as a dragon was available for sale, and clothing was also available featuring other familiar characters dressed as dragons.

HELLO KITTY
Hello Kitty unveiled a red holiday-themed "Pineapple Cakes" gift box.

HONOLULU COOKIE COMPANY
Honolulu Cookie Company unveiled a "Year of the Dragon" green cookie gift box featuring a dragon and a large red pineapple.

POTTERY BARN
Pottery Barn designed a white and red "Lunar New Year Dragon Lazy Susan."

KATE SPADE
Kate Spade launched a Lunar New Year collection featuring dragon motifs on everything from handbags to dresses to dragon-inspired jewelry pieces.

TIMBERLAND
Timberland’s Lunar New Year collection features boots blending the brand’s classic design with unique dragon-themed elements. The Timberland Heritage 6-inch lace-up boot, crafted from Timberland premium leather, is available in red for men and black for women.

MACY'S
Macy's home department unveiled a red and gold "Lunar New Year Dragon Teapot and Cups Set."

According to Marca.com, "In the Chinese worldview, the dragon is not perceived as a fearsome creature, but as a divine being that bestows power and good fortune. It is associated with positive characteristics, such as, wisdom, vitality, nobility and benevolence. He represents primordial strength, prosperity, courage and renewal."

According to ChinaHighlights.com, do not give a clock or watch as a Chinese New Year gift. "Clocks and watches symbolize running out of time. This is especially an uncomfortable reminder for seniors. Giving a clock or watch as a gift is the biggest no-no in Chinese culture."

Next year, the Year of the Snake will begin on January 29, 2025. So, clothing and make-up brands, start counting the days!


Image Credits: Mattel, Clinique, and The Walt Disney Company.

Review of REEL MARKETING

I "met" Julia Carcamo on Twitter (now X) back in 2012. Since we were both marketing professionals with a passion for brand-building, marketing communications, and advertising, we decided to collaborate in a "She Said, She Said" format discussion about the 2012 Super Bowl's ads in posts that appeared on each other's blogs the Monday following the game. We followed that initial collaboration with several others throughout the years.

Recently, Julia published a book called REEL MARKETING, THE ART OF BUILDING A CASINO BRAND. As she explained, "After years of building and refining casino brands, I've been able to codify the process under five pillars for casino branding. This quick read is a valuable primer for anyone responsible for developing casino brands that will resonate with guests, team members, and stakeholders today and into the future. My wish is that you fall in love with branding in the same way I did."

Julia began her analysis of brand marketing by providing a checklist that will look familiar to most marketers:
(1) Start with WHY.
(2) Research your target audience.
(3) Develop your positioning.
(4) Create your brand identity.
(5) Develop your online and offline messaging.

However, Julia elaborated with what she referred to as "Jules Rules of Branding," that can actually be applied to brands in any industry:
(1) Know your audience/target/market.
(2) Brands are built from the bottom up - how well does the team member journey mirror the brand experience for customers/guests/stakeholders.
(3) Operationalize your brand - create a culture for your internal stakeholders, your employees, who need to understand your brand promise in order to be effective brand ambassadors.
(4) True brand programs share DNA - be selective and only offer the things that make sense to your brand.
(5) Make your brand iconic - iconic brands become symbolic of something more than a mere product.

"Your brand is what the world - outside of the four walls of your casino - thinks of you. Brands tell the world what you stand for with every color, word, and image you use. Effective branding makes you memorable, so guests can easily find you...But branding takes time. It takes effort. Creating an engaging brand can assist you in reaching your business's highest potential, but it takes strategy and vision. Thinking that slapping a logo everywhere and calling it a day is the opposite of strategic branding."

For brands, such as, casinos and others in the leisure, hospitality, and entertainment industries, the brand experience is critical for building successful brands. This is why employees and team members (also referred to as cast members in Disney-speak at Disney theme parks) must combine their culture and brand into a single set of values. Successful brands in these industries create a memorable and positive brand experience, also referred to as a customer experience.

"When team members are engaged with the brand, they will think and act "on brand." Team members become your best brand ambassadors because their belief in the brand promise is deep and emotional. They make decisions by thinking of what is right for the brand in the long-term rather than choosing what will produce short-term results...Internal branding is less about a logo an colors and more about a philosophy that will focus team members and your operations. It is centered on the company culture and promises to guests, team members, and partners, creating a passionate army of ambassadors. Although it has a slightly different focus, it is still an integral part of your external branding."

And lastly, how important is sound when creating a brand? Think about the "dun-dun" sound heard in the introduction to television's Law & Order franchise shows. You immediately know that "it's time for a story ripped from the headlines." The sound is reminiscent of a jail door slamming and is legally protected by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

What is the most recognizable sound in the casino industry? If you answered "the sound of slot machine coins falling into the tray" to signify winning, then you're correct. However, the industry transitioned to coinless machines. So, since customers/guests wanted to HEAR a winning sound, the sound of "winning" was engineered into slot machines.

According to Charles Taylor, the John A. Murphy Professor of Marketing at the Villanova School of Business and Senior Research Fellow at the Center for Marketing and Consumer Insights in Pennsylvania, "Sonic branding can be defined broadly as the strategic use of sound as a part of a brand identity."

Other examples of memorable audio or sonic logos include:
(1) "I wish I were an Oscar Mayer Wiener"
(2) State Farm: "Like a good neighbor"
(3) Folgers: "The best part of waking up"
(4) Netflix: "Ta-dum"
(5) T-Mobile: series of notes
(6) MGM films and television: lion roar
(7) THX: "The Audience Is Listening" with sound

My applause to Julia for capturing the key elements in building a memorable brand and for sharing them in a concise manner. My advice: read her book and take lots of notes!

SHARE THIS: When team members are engaged with the brand, they will think and act "on brand." ~@jccarcamo #brandbuilding #DebbieLaskeysBlog

Read Julia's and my original collaboration (February 6, 2012):
Which of the Super Bowl Ads Do You Remember?
https://www.debbielaskeysblog.com/2012/02/which-of-super-bowl-ads-do-you-remember.html

Read about Brand Experiences and Customer Experiences:
Want Your Brand to Soar Above the Competition? Learn from 6 Amazing #BrandExperiences (April 2, 2018)
https://www.debbielaskeysblog.com/2018/04/want-your-brand-to-soar-above.html

Read "The Need To Be Heard: Why Sonic Branding Is Growing In Importance" on Forbes:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/charlesrtaylor/2023/07/31/the-need-to-be-heard-why-sonic-branding-is-growing-in-importance/?sh=59b11c27673a

Connect with Julia at these links:
Website: www.jcarcamoassociates.com
Twitter/X: @jccarcamo
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/j-carcamo-&-associates
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jcarcamoassociates


Image Credit: Julia Carcamo.

Marketing News of the Week: TV Show News, Facebook, and More

This past week, there were news stories that reflected brand positioning, personal branding, social media, customer experience, advertising, and more.

Sam Waterstone's Departure from Law & Order
If you're a fan of this famous Dick Wolf TV dynasty, you know who epitomizes the law: Sam Waterstone's character, Manhattan District Attorney Jack McCoy. Since 1994, and in more than 400 episodes, his personal brand was consistency and honesty. The show's introductory sounds "dun-dun" just won't sound the same without Jack McCoy in the head office.

Jon Stewart Will Return to The Daily Show
Famous Comedian Jon Steward will return to The Daily Show each Monday night as guest host beginning after the Super Bowl. According to Howard Anglin of The Hub, "Stewart’s return starts with one big advantage over his whilom proteges: he can be funny. Another advantage is that he actually seems to care about normal Americans. His charity work, for example, is mostly in support of veterans and first responders. Finally, and most promising for anyone hoping for something more than a weekly court jester for the DNC, Stewart has a cranky independent streak that means he can sometimes surprise."

Facebook Celebrates 20th Anniversary
According to Euronews, "Facebook is now two decades old. And despite its slow descent into cultural irrelevance with younger generations, it remains the largest social network in the world. Today, Facebook counts over 3 billion active monthly users – a third of the world’s population. But Facebook’s age is starting to show, and like many people you may know, it’s veered way off course from its original goal – to bring people together (for free) and help friends keep in touch. Scroll through Facebook today and you’ll find less posts from your actual friends and more sponsored ads harassing you to purchase things you searched for once on the internet, fake news articles with thousands of comments from conspiracy theorists, and old family friends documenting every aspect of their lives in blurry photographs and cringey captions."

Customers Sour on Self-Checkout
Do you like self-checkout at stores? Do you use self-checkout? According to a new study by researchers at Drexler University published in the Journal of Business Research, "Regular checkout featuring a human cashier makes customers more loyal to a store and more likely to revisit in the future than self-checkout. The study comes as some companies remove self-checkout machines and others adjust their self-checkout operations. Customers feel more rewarded by a store and feel like they were treated more valuably when using regular checkout because it involves less effort and cashiers handle the scanning, bagging, and payment process, the researchers found. Regular checkout also makes people feel that they are receiving the service they are entitled to as customers, the study found."

In addition, a survey from hospitality product provider Tensator revealed that 33 percent of retail shoppers chose not to complete a purchase because of a bad experience with a self-service kiosk.

Consider how these negative experiences - where customers would like to pay and complete transactions - can affect a brand experience.

King Charles III Receives Cancer Diagnosis
According to a statement released on the Royal Family's website: "During The King’s recent hospital procedure for benign prostate enlargement, a separate issue of concern was noted. Subsequent diagnostic tests have identified a form of cancer. His Majesty has today commenced a schedule of regular treatments, during which time he has been advised by doctors to postpone public-facing duties. Throughout this period, His Majesty will continue to undertake State business and official paperwork as usual. The King is grateful to his medical team for their swift intervention, which was made possible thanks to his recent hospital procedure. He remains wholly positive about his treatment and looks forward to returning to full public duty as soon as possible. His Majesty has chosen to share his diagnosis to prevent speculation and in the hope it may assist public understanding for all those around the world who are affected by cancer."

It is surprising that cancer organizations around the world did not take this opportunity to promote cancer awareness, cancer screenings, etc.

Budweiser Clydesdales
And if you're eagerly looking forward to this weekend's Super Bowl in order to watch the very expensive ads, according to the premier magazine of the west, Cowboys and Indians, "Budweiser and the iconic Clydesdales are back with a timeless message of resilience, determination, and coming together over a beer. The spot is rooted in the scenes, storylines, and on-screen magic that shaped the brand’s legacy as one of the top advertisers of all time."

What other marketing news stood out to you?

What will be the marketing buzz next week, keeping in mind that everyone will be talking about the Super Bowl ads on Sunday and all next week. And don't forget to swing by #DebbieLaskeysBlog the day after the big game for my annual review of the ads!


Image Credits: Michael Dwyer/The AP (Facebook) and Anheuser-Busch.

To read about the history of the Budweiser Clydesdales:
https://www.anheuser-busch.com/about/clydesdale

Review of ORGANIC SOCIAL MEDIA

I "met" Jenny Li Fowler on Twitter (now X) a few years back. Fast forward to the present. The covid happened, of course, I had to mention that since the pandemic impacted life for all individuals and marketing communications for all brands. Jenny appeared on my blog in a Q&A in April 2022, and recently, she became a published author. Jenny's commentary is always enlightening, so when I heard about her new book, I knew I had to read it. But first, a few words about social media.

In many of my previous roles as marketing manager, marketing director, and marketing consultant, I've also served double-duty as social media manager for nonprofits, large for-profit companies, and emerging brands. While responsible for social media posts, I have been the voice of strategy for my brands, meaning that I have always explained to senior leadership teams, boards of directors, and sales teams that the voice for all posts must be consistent with the brand, the theme of the posts must be consistent with all other marketing messaging, and above all, a social media strategy must be in alignment with the overall brand marketing plan.

With that in mind, what social media posts or campaigns stand out? To me, the most memorable posts took place during the Super Bowl on February 4, 2013, when there was a power outage at the beginning of the game's third quarter. The following Tweets, that appeared on Twitter, were posted soon after the power went off and demonstrated that these social media teams understood social media, marketing, and their brand positioning:

Oreo:
Power out? No problem. [Photo: You can still dunk in the dark.]

Lowe’s:
Hey dome operators at the Big Game, there are a few Lowe’s nearby if you need some generators.

PBS:
This might be a good time to think about alternative programing. #SuperBowlBlackOut

Now, let's talk about Jenny Li Fowler's book, ORGANIC SOCIAL MEDIA - HOW TO BUILD FLOURISHING ONLINE COMMUNITIES. First, a little about Jenny Li Fowler. She is the director of social media strategy at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and is in charge of developing and executing Institute-wide social media initiatives and campaigns. She provides social media consultation and direction for more than 200 departments, labs, and centers; and manages the Institute’s flagship Twitter/X, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn accounts.

Jenny explained in the book's preface, "This book is for both rookie social media managers as well as seasoned social media professionals. It gives new managers a structure to build a social media strategy and tips to succeed in the position, and veteran professionals a unique perspective on navigating the challenges of the job and steps to advance the position."

Here were (what I considered to be) the stand-out questions posed by and written by Jenny:

What's the difference between strategy and tactics?

Why should your brand define your lane?

What are some reasons that people follow social media accounts?

What are Jenny's "Six M's of Social Media?"

Is your audience currently on that new platform?

Listening is a form of engagement.

Always explain the WHY behind your brand.

Don't plan content too far in advance.

Do you conduct a competitive analysis of your competitors' social platforms?

Since every member of the C-Suite wants to talk about metrics, Jenny wrote, "Numbers can't speak for themselves; it's the stories we build around them that are compelling or misleading...Just because a metric is large doesn't necessarily mean it's impressive or positive. The opposite is also true - just because a number is small doesn't mean it's not impressive."

An important section of the book explained the many roles comprising a social media team - since these roles are no longer performed by only one person: "Director of strategy; Twitter/Facebook/LinkedIn specialist; writer; photographer; videographer; graphic designer; animator; and data scientist."

And Jenny reminded readers that when mainstream news stories become the buzz on social media, before your brand enters the discussion, ask yourself these important questions. If not, your brand may find itself in an unexpected crisis:
(1) Does it fit your brand's voice or tone?
(2) Does this content support your social media strategy?
(3) Have you posted similar content before? If yes, how did it perform?
(4) Is it related to your brand or organization in any way? Is it a stretch?

SHARE THIS: Good content will always attract an audience. Content that entertains, is relatable, or adds value. ~@TheJennyLi #SocialMediaTip #DebbieLaskeysBlog

SHARE THIS: Social media is not always the most effective mode of communication for the audience you're targeting. ~@TheJennyLi #SocialMediaTip #DebbieLaskeysBlog

SHARE THIS: Social media is not a one-size-fits-all communication tool. ~@TheJennyLi #SocialMediaTip #DebbieLaskeysBlog

Jenny ended her book, "As long as social media exists, there will be a need for people to manage it and, like all professions, it will evolve...It will be interesting to see what social managers go on to do. There have been a lot of articles written on how social media managers are the next CMOs, but I think there are also many opportunities for social media strategists in the internal and strategic communications space."

Two points that Jenny discussed toward the end of the book have remained with me because they have dramatically changed the world of social media. When I added social media marketing to my resume in 2009 (by creating personal accounts on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, and a blog on Google's Blogger before working on accounts as part of my professional marketing roles), I can personally say that these two issues were not part of the social media landscape. However, fast forward to today, and it seems that everywhere you look, there is hate-speak, trolls, bullies, and misinformation. In addition, when HR professionals promote "work-life balance," they are definitely NOT talking about the lives of people who work in social media. The Internet never sleeps, and the news cycle is 24/7/365.

What do you think? Is a social media manager who lives and breathes a brand's promise and handles its digital communications ripe for becoming a future Chief Marketing Officer? Or, is the person in this role destined for a lifetime of brief posts on Twitter/X, Facebook, Instagram, etc.? The future of any social media manager is defined by what he/she/they achieve/s for their brand - and the tools found in Jenny Li Fowler's book will, without a doubt, assist in the individual's success. My advice: read the book and be inspired!


Read Jenny's Q&A on this blog (April 11, 2022):
Social Media Campaigns and Storytelling
https://www.debbielaskeysblog.com/2022/04/social-media-campaigns-and-storytelling.html

Connect with Jenny at these links:
Twitter/X: @TheJennyLi
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennylifowler

Image Credit: Amazon.

The Best Book I Read in 2023

Did you read a lot of books last year? I recently reviewed the list of books I purchased from Amazon and local bookstores and realized I read 50 works of fiction during 2023. This means that, during 2024, I have set a goal of more than 50. And Goodreads has made it easy by providing a hashtag for the project #GoodreadsChallenge.

Before I look through my "must-read" books - both fiction and nonfiction - and my "it would be nice to read" list, I wanted to take a few moments to reflect on my favorite book of 2023.

I may have been late to the adventure, but I read REMARKABLY BRIGHT CREATURES in late-2023. Simply put, it was a wonderful book, but before I dive in with my reasons, I would like to extend a shout-out of gratitude to Melanie Bell and her Leaders Who Fiction book club for the recommendation to read the book and the virtual discussion that took place in late-November.

I don't want to provide any spoilers because I believe everyone should read the book, so I will share a brief overview: An elderly lady meets an octopus, makes friends with an octopus, and meets her extended family.

Naturally, there is much, much more to the story, but I don't want to slip up and give away any of the exciting layers. And the title has an interesting twist too. Suffice it to say that this story will remain with me for a very long time.

According to an article in The New York Times, "Shelby Van Pelt, a former financial consultant, first had the idea that morphed into the novel in 2013, when she took a fiction writing workshop at Emory University in Atlanta. One of the assignments was to write a short story from an unusual perspective, and she came up with an acerbic octopus who was bored and frustrated by his confinement in an aquarium. Her teacher pulled her aside and suggested she build something larger around the character, and she began writing vignettes about the octopus."

So, if you have not yet read this book, add it to the top of your MUST READ LIST. You'll be glad you did!


Article in The New York Times:
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/30/books/remarkably-bright-creatures-shelby-van-pelt.html

Interview with the LA Public Library:
https://www.lapl.org/collections-resources/blogs/lapl/interview-author-shelby-van-pelt

If you'd like to join the next Leaders Who Fiction virtual book club meeting, check out @LeadersWhoFiction on Instagram for details.


Image Credit: Amazon.