What if we stopped calling X by X?

By now, everyone who uses social media platforms on a regular basis has heard that Twitter is no longer going by the name Twitter, and lots of Twitter users keep asking WHY. Elon Musk has dramatically changed the name of the social media water cooler to X, just the letter X. While this re-branding is crazy, it definitely caught the attention of the media.

According to Wes Davis of The Verge:

“The letter X has been on just about everything Musk has touched for the last two-plus decades. X.com was the original name for PayPal; it’s in his SpaceX company name; it’s in the name for the Tesla SUV; it anchors X.AI and his kid X Æ A-12; and he has said he wants to turn Twitter into “X, the everything app.” Now, he’s finally doing something with the X.com domain he bought back from PayPal in 2017.”

But, here’s a solution: What would happen if no one called Twitter by its new name? What would happen if no one changed the logo on their website or when using the platform? What would happen if no one changed the URL anywhere that they had Twitter’s URL?

This would make the name change and brand re-design effectively mute. It would be an uprising by users telling Elon Musk that they dislike his actions.

How about you? Do you miss the Twitter name and bird? Do you still use Twitter? Would you participate in a protest to keep the name and logo? Count me in.


Image Credit: Twitter.

Happy National Book Lovers Day!

How are you celebrating today? Do you always have a book on hand? What book are you currently reading? What are your favorite books?

When I have been asked to fill out a form or application, and a question asks, “What are your hobbies?,” reading always falls at the top of my list. Through reading, I am introduced to other cultures, my imagination takes flight, and I always learn.

I wanted to take a walk back through time and share my favorite all-time books to recognize and celebrate National Book Lovers Day! Here we go…

During high school, I was introduced to Danish playwright Henrik Ibsen, known as the father of modern drama. His play “An Enemy of the People” spoke to me then, and its relevance continues today. Read it to understand how the challenges of politics repeat again and again.

During high school, I read “The Count of Monte Cristo” by French novelist and playwright Alexandre Dumas. There’s only one word to describe this story: WOW! If you want to take an amazing roller coaster ride through France, Italy, and the islands of the Mediterranean during 1815-1839, then this is the book! According to Lucy Sante, a contributor to The New York Review of Books, “The Count of Monte Cristo has become a fixture of Western civilization’s literature.”

And lastly, during high school, the musical CATS became famous, and as a result, I read T.S. Eliot’s inspiration, a book called “Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats.” You certainly don’t have to be an ailurophile (a cat lover) to appreciate the poetry in this book.

Over the years, I’ve read too many business books focused on marketing, leadership, and the customer experience to count as well as works of fiction. However, there are definitely some stories that I will never forget. Here they are:

• “Sarah’s Key” by Tatiana de Rosnay
• “P.S., I Love You” by Cecelia Ahern
• “The Wedding” by Nicholas Sparks
• “The Sweetness of Forgetting” by Kristin Harmel
• “The Paris Daughter” by Kristin Harmel
• “Something’s in the Water” by Catherine Steadman
• The “Monk” series of books by Lee Goldberg

No matter which book you consider your favorite, today is a great day to support the writers who take you on unforgettable adventures! Give them a shout-out on Amazon with a positive review or send a DM on Twitter/X, Facebook, or Instagram.

Image Credit: Debbie Laskey’s Library.

Marketing News of the Week: Barbie the Movie and Twitter X

The focus today consists of the biggest marketing news of the past several weeks, since July 21st, when Barbie appeared in movie theaters, and since July 24th, when Twitter unveiled its new name, the letter "X."

Here's a little history first...Mattel’s Barbie has become one of the world’s most popular dolls. Introduced in 1959, the Barbie doll owes its success to adapting to the ever-changing markets of various cultures and countries by launching Barbie dolls of shapes, colors, and sizes, and customizations to the inhabitants of certain regions. Because Barbie has often been criticized for representing an unattainable beauty ideal for girls and women, the doll has evolved both in style and shape over the years. The Barbie brand also honors pioneering women from throughout history.

People descended on theaters to watch the Barbie movie directed by Greta Gerwig and starring Margot Robbie. Here are some of the movie's stand-out moments:

Barbie is crying on a bench in the real world and turns to the elderly woman (Ann Roth) sitting next to her and tells her, "You're so beautiful," and the woman replies, "I know." Director Greta Gerwig was adamant to keep this scene in the film even though others were advising her to cut the scene out. Greta believed it is the true heart of the movie and that Margot plays that moment gently and unforced. The scene has now been one of the most talked about moments.

Gloria's (America Ferrera) moving monologue is one of the film's most powerful quotes. Gloria describes the immense expectations and the unfair standards that females are subjected to in order to be viewed as desirable and liked by others. During the scene, Barbie has an emotional moment confessing how she feels she is not good enough for anything. Gloria tells Barbie how she is so beautiful, and it kills Gloria that Barbie doesn't think she is good enough. Gloria continues by saying, "I'm just so tired of watching myself, and every single other woman tie herself into knots so that people will like us."

As the movie comes to an end, Barbie no longer feels like just a doll and begins to wonder whether there’s anything left for her in the home that she’s known. Ruth Handler (Rhea Perlman) passes on some words of wisdom to Barbie while describing the relationship between mothers and daughters. Ruth tells Barbie that “ideas live forever, humans not so much.” Barbie, still assumes that she needs her creator, Ruth’s, permission to become human. Ruth tells Barbie, “You don’t need my permission. I can’t control you any more than I could control my own daughter. I named you after her: Barbara. And I always hoped for you like I hoped for her. We mothers stand still, so our daughters can look back to see how far they have come.”

In addition, another film appeared in theaters the same day, Oppenheimer, and many theater-goers watched both, creating a new term celebrating the twin release of both movies shattering box office records for opening weekend sales, "Barbenheimer." When was the last time that a movie got a different name by competing against other movies? Not in recent memory. Score one for brand marketing. According to Reid Goldberg at Collider, "The Barbenheimer phenomenon has become a global sensation and proven that cross-promotion can benefit competing blockbusters." And also stimulate the economy.

And do you consider Twitter as your social water cooler? Do you go to Twitter first when news breaks or to see what people are saying during big events, such as, the Super Bowl or presidential primaries? Well, the brand continues to evolve under the ownership of Elon Musk, and the latest transformation is the name. Users can no longer tweet, but post instead. How can the name change be effective as a single letter? Will this Twitter/X become a timeless branding case study for marketing students like "Intel Inside?" Time will tell if this latest change helps or hinders the social platform.

What will the marketing buzz be next week? Tune in for a recap.

Image Credit: Barbie Movie/Mattel and Twitter/X.


To read about Barbie's Inspiring Women Series, check out this post:
Barbie Inspires Today on National Doll Day on June 10, 2023
https://www.debbielaskeysblog.com/2023/06/barbie-inspires-today-on-national-doll.html

Why Podcasts Should Be Included in Your Marketing Strategy

Do you listen to podcasts? Does your marketing strategy include podcasts? Do you know the definition of podcasts? If the answer to these questions is NO, then this post is a must-read!

According to Wikipedia: 

"A podcast is a program made available in digital format for download over the Internet. A podcast series usually features one or more recurring hosts engaged in a discussion about a particular topic or current event. Discussion and content within a podcast can range from carefully scripted to completely improvised. Podcasts combine elaborate and artistic sound production with thematic concerns ranging from scientific research to slice-of-life journalism. Many podcast series provide an associated website with links and show notes, guest biographies, transcripts, additional resources, commentary, and occasionally a community forum dedicated to discussing the show's content. The cost to the consumer is low, with many podcasts free to download. Some podcasts are underwritten by corporations or sponsored, with the inclusion of commercial advertisements."

Kathi Kruse has previously appeared here on this blog in a Q&A about social media, employee engagement, and the customer experience. Since she is a regular podcaster, we re-connected to discuss podcasts, and highlights of our discussion follow a brief introduction.

Kathi Kruse is a retail car gal, dealership profitability expert, social media strategist, coach, trainer, author of Kruse Control Newsletter, co-host of The First Pencil podcast, and founder of Kruse Control, Inc. and AutoCFO To Go. She is a board member of Hanaeleh Horse Rescue. Ten percent of Kruse Control profits go to animal welfare.

QUESTION: Podcasts are rising in popularity as a promotional tool, so how would you explain a podcast to someone who has yet to use the medium?
KATHI KRUSE: Podcasts are digital audio programs accessed through dedicated podcasting platforms and apps like Apple Podcasts. You can subscribe to your favorite podcasts, receive automatic updates when new episodes are released, and listen to episodes on-demand.

The content of podcasts varies widely from educational and informative shows to entertaining and comedic programs. Some podcasts feature interviews with experts, celebrities, or ordinary people with interesting stories, while others focus on storytelling, news analysis, true crime, self-improvement, history, science, technology, or any other subject of interest.

QUESTION: How do you measure success of podcasts you create?
KATHI KRUSE: Podcasts are typically measured by the number of downloads. But some podcasters in specialized niches (me included) have smaller audiences, so downloads aren't as important. We do our podcast for fun and we're happy that others tell us how much they like the show.

QUESTION: How do you promote engagement of podcasts you create?
KATHI KRUSE: We share our episodes on social media, such as, Facebook and Linkedin. Our show has its own Twitter handle (@TheFirstPencil), but now that Twitter is dying, we'll move over to Threads. I also share links to the show in my weekly newsletter, which can be subscribed to at this link: https://www.krusecontrolinc.com/kruse-control-newsletter-subscription/.

QUESTION: According to an article entitled, “Is Podcast Media Buying Worth It? What Every CMO Should Know,” the following was stated: “Podcast listeners will increase 6.1% year-over-year (YoY) to 125 million between 2021 and 2022. The podcast industry is projected to reach $94.88 billion by 2028 Podcast audiences are not only large and growing. They also tend to be young, affluent, educated, and generally receptive to podcast ads. These are the same audiences that marketers are trying so hard to reach, yet often get hamstrung by technologies, such as, ad blockers in other digital media.” Therefore, do you think podcast media buying is a worthwhile strategy, and can you please elaborate?
KATHI KRUSE: Yes! I was a long-time podcast listener before I started my podcast. The ads on podcasts are typically read by the hosts, which make them more trustworthy and often keep my attention. Instead of fast-forwarding past them, I will listen to them, especially when the hosts are funny (example: Pod Save America).

Also, research has shown that using headphones to listen to podcasts, which is typical, actually enhances our perceived intimacy with the hosts. Experiments found that a voice coming from ‘inside our heads’ can be twice as persuasive as one coming from a speaker. As a listener, this is 100% true. (Source here: https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2022/mar/02/podcasts-headphones-perceived-intimacy-host-increased.)

(Read the full article here: https://www.oceanmediainc.com/is-podcast-advertising-effective/)

QUESTION: Lastly, what are some podcasts that you listen to that have nothing to do with your business, and why?
KATHI KRUSE: Here's a very short list:

1. Smartless: Will Arnett, Jason Bateman, and Sean Hayes. Hilarious.

2. Something Was Wrong: Super helpful real-life stories of women who have endured and ultimately escaped relationships with narcissistic sociopaths.

3. Pivot: Kara Swisher and Scott Galloway talk tech and business - both have been my heroes for a long time for different reasons.

4. Pod Save America - the hosts are former Obama admin guys. They are funny, conduct smart political discussions, and provide ways to advocate for the causes I support with Vote Save America.

5. Lovett or Leave It: Jon Lovett (one of hosts of Pod Save America) does a weekly live show here in Los Angeles. He's a writer for film and TV, he's funny, and his guests are always great.

6. Just Jack and Will: Sean Hayes and Eric McCormack (of Will and Grace, of course) just began this pod where they do a breakdown of Will and Grace episodes. I have a personal connection with the show (a long time friend was a producer), so it makes me very happy to hear details about the production.

7. Hard Fork: Casey Newton (Platformer) and Kevin Roose (New York Times) talk about all things tech, AI, social, etc. Both are well-connected and get scoops regularly. They also make me laugh.

My thanks to Kathi for sharing her marketing insights and for appearing here on my Blog.

Image Credit: CDX via Wordswag.

Check out Kathi's previous appearance on my blog:
Social Media’s Impact on Employee Engagement and Customer Experiences (October 2021)
https://www.debbielaskeysblog.com/2021/10/social-medias-impact-on-employee.html

Connect with Kathi at these links:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/krusecontrol/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KruseControlInc
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kathikruse/
Threads: https://www.threads.net/@kathikruse

Is Your Brand’s Email Marketing Effective?

 

Do you know what today is? On this date, I’m celebrating COFFEE DAY with an analysis of email marketing, but first, some history about the beginning of instant coffee and its branding.

According to TodayIFoundOut.com:

“Although instant coffee had been around before this date, the instant coffee we know and love was introduced on July 24, 1938. The Nescafe (a combination of the words “Nestles” and “café”) brand was the result of a more sophisticated coffee refining process than earlier versions of the product. The instant coffee odyssey began in 1901 with Japanese-American chemist Satori Kato, who introduced his version at the Pan American Exposition in Buffalo, New York. It was received well enough that in 1903, he formed the Kato Coffee Company. In 1906, an English chemist, George Constant Washington, created what he dubbed “a refined soluble coffee,” and began selling it under the name Red E Coffee.

By 1930, the Brazilian Coffee Institute asked Nestle to consider entering the instant coffee market but with a better tasting product than anything that was available. Brazil allegedly believed that an instant coffee that tested better with consumers would increase coffee sales. By 1937, a scientist, Max Mortgenthaler, had perfected a method of spray drying the coffee and adding carbohydrates as a stabilizer. These techniques led to an improvement in the taste of instant coffee.”

Recently, I received an email with the subject line as follows: Let’s Grab a Coffee. Once opened, the email read as follows: What to wear where, coffee date, grab a latte with the girls in effortless light layers you love.” Then there was a button to click: SHOP NOW.

However, that was it. This was a wonderful opportunity for brand-building around the color of coffee, perhaps, by showcasing clothing in different coffee shades. This was a missed opportunity to partner with Pantone, the color brand. This was also a wonderful opportunity to promote the concept of meeting for coffee, whether for groups of friends or family or for reading groups, sports groups, travel groups, etc. This was also an opportunity to partner and/or co-partner with coffee brands or coffee houses for the day. This was a missed opportunity to partner with Starbucks, Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, Dunkin, etc. And lastly, this was an opportunity for the clothing brand to create brand ambassadors to promote clothing in coffee colors on their social media sites.

What other branding opportunities did this clothing brand miss with this brief email? Chime in after you’ve had your morning cup of joe.


Image Courtesy: Chico’s.

How and When Should a Brand Apologize?

 

Recently, United Airlines experienced delays and flight cancellations due to weather in the Northeast. Naturally, this caused customer dissatisfaction. However, the most upsetting news surrounding this situation was that the CEO of United Airlines, Scott Kirby, took a private jet from Teterboro, New Jersey to Denver, Colorado, the same day that United canceled 750 flights.

Should Scott Kirby have taken a private jet? A spokesperson for United said, “Scott Kirby made the wrong decision, which was insensitive to customers who were waiting to get home.”

Should United Airlines have done more to accommodate passengers who were stuck at airports without hotel rooms?

Should United Airlines have done more to accommodate flight attendants who were also stuck in cities without hotels and waited on hold for hours to find out their flight assignments?

Who was monitoring United Airlines’ social channels to respond to customers with cancelled flights?

After what seemed like forever, Kirby provided the following statement, “Watching our team firsthand with our customers at four different airports and during countless meetings this week, it’s clear to me that they represent the best of United, and I regret that I have distracted from their professionalism. I promise to better demonstrate my respect for the dedication of our team members and the loyalty of our customers.”

Would that so-called apology work for you if you had spent the night at an airport while thinking of Kirby flying from New Jersey to Colorado? Definitely not! There should have been a better speech writer in Kirby’s team. And what about offering customers flight vouchers or free drinks at the airport upon arrival?

Has your brand ever had to apologize to customers? What words were used? What was the tone of the message? Did your CEO post a video to YouTube or your website?

In this era of seeing news almost as it happens, it’s important for all brands to have a crisis communications strategy before it’s needed – and adding a script for apologies should be part of that plan.


Image Credit: TravelWeekly.

My First Week on Threads

By now, everyone who uses social media (and who doesn't?) has heard that Meta launched a new social platform on July 6th intended to compete with Twitter as the social water cooler, where users discuss anything and everything ranging from the news of the day to cute photos of cats on Saturday, also known as Caturday.

The appeal of Threads (and I must say, what a great name symbolizing threads of discussion!) was the ease of creating an account if you already had an Instagram account. According to CNBC, there were 100 million signups in the first five days, representing one of the fastest debuting apps of all time. However, according to data from SensorTower and Similarweb, the platform has seen dropoff in growth and engagement following the first week.

While the platform is not being promoted as the place to discuss news and politics, there is no doubt that users will. In fact, many hope that hate speech and misinformation will not appear on Threads.

According to Anthony Bartollacci, managing director of SensorTower, "The backing of Meta and the integration with Instagram likely gives Threads a much higher flood (of traffic) than other services, but it will need a more compelling value proposition than simply 'Twitter without Elon Musk.'"

According to David Webb, senior insights manager of Similarweb, "While there was intense interest in checking out the app initially, not every user has made a habit of visiting Threads as often as they might other social apps."

Lastly, according to Jasmine Enberg, principal analyst at Insider Intelligence, "Meta only needs 1 in 4 Instagram users to use Threads monthly for it to be as big as Twitter."

So, have you created an account, and what do you think of this new platform?

Check out my link: https://www.threads.net/@debbielaskeymba.


Image Credit: Threads/Meta.