Ted Simon - Just a Marketing Minute

Top 5 Reasons...Why Microsoft Created Windows 7 "HostingYourParty" Video

Everything must have a reason. Some times those reasons are very good; some times they are not; some times they make sense; some times they are silly.

I'm starting a new feature on my blog: Top 5 Reasons. This is where I get to share what I think may be the reason behind many of the things we see going on in the business and marketing world today.

Granted, my "reasons" are my own and may not even be close to accurate...but I have fun speculating, and I invite all of you to join me in guessing what the minds behind the events and happenings were really thinking.

So, without further adieu, here is my initial installment.

Top 5 Reasons Why Microsoft Created “Hosting Your Party” Video
5. PR team had extra time on their hands and had to fill out time cards with something and viral videos will look good on their performance review and resumes.

4. Marketing Manager for Windows 7 got new video camera for birthday and wanted to put it to use.

3. Microsoft Training department left copy intended for Windows 7 "home party hosts" on YouTube...by accident

2. Microsoft actually thought that no one would notice their new operating system so they thought creating a really bad video would bring attention to the product.

1. Company wanted to distract everyone from the pounding they’ve been getting over their Windows 7 upgrading policies and process

Now, it's your turn...what are YOUR top reasons?  Pile on below!

P.S.  For a more business-like perspective on this effort, see my observations and comments in this post.

Viral Is as Viral Does - And YOU Can't Do Anything About It

I may be a latecomer to this Windows 7 party, but since I'm crashing late I just have to take a marketing minute here on this one.

Today's guest: Microsoft Windows 7 "Hosting Your Party" video. A great example of one of those "it's-so-bad-it's-good-or-at-least-shared-like- crazy" videos that may or may not have ever been intended to be placed on You Tube (Redmond says: no...was never meant to be an ad or a viral video).  Well, intended or not, it's #4 with a bullet on Ad Age's Viral Video Chart, and according to YouTube will soon be closing in on 1 million views.  (See my Top 5 Reasons why MSFT created this video)

After sitting through the entire 6-minute plus video (I may be one of the few -- I was hoping there would be something cool to see if I stayed with it till the end, like at the end of "X-Men 3" or something),  I'm pretty convinced that each of those YouTube views are unique visitors.  No one can watch this more than once.

I think the acronym "OMG!" applies here. I'm laughing, I'm crying, I'm cringing all at once. To say this video is bad is to say that the Titanic was a boat wreck!  It's actually so bad I have to wonder if it was purposely scripted, directed and acted that way, like a Saturday Night Live commercial spoof (again, MSFT says this was never intended to be an ad...hmm, one has to wonder...).

While many would say the acting was terrible, I beg to differ. I mean, if these people were not good actors, how else would they keep a straight face through that script (“…and some of my favorite Windows 7 features are…”) complete with lame attempts at friends joking and ribbing each other. Yuk, yuk...yuck!  No matter what this was intended for, I'm wondering if those actors can look themselves in the mirror ever again. I don't blame them for taking this gig though...everyone needs to eat and pay bill.

I could go on and on about all that this video has NOT going for it. But so many have done that already, it feels like I'd be penalized 15 yards for piling on. Wait...one more rip...does anyone think that MSFT's idea for people hosting Windows 7 parties like some cool event is really a great marketing idea?  Thou dost try too hard.  OK...I see the ref's flag...give me 15 yards.

However, I do have a couple of points to make...or, rather that this video makes for me.

First, MSFT says this was never intended to be a viral video or an ad (and the cynic in me goes back and forth on whether to believe that or not). The key point is: it doesn't matter what MSFT intended. Viral activity is NOT in the strict control of the company or marketer! For good or for bad, love it or hate it, "virality" is in the hands of the people. A scary, but true, point in our brave new world of UGC.  Get used to it folks (if you aren't already).

Second, the words of Sgt. Esterhuis of Hill Street Blues are ringing in my ears: "Be careful out there." Now, more than ever, once you have an asset, good or bad, if you don't control it with utmost security, it can come back and bite you (which is why I am not 100% convinced that this was not "allowed" to leak out). So, all you Marketing, PR, Creative and whatever types...grab your assets and hold 'em tight. Unless you don't care what happens to 'em (which may be what you want...but see my first point...YOU are not in control).

Final point: Lost (almost) in all this is Windows 7. I'm a PC owner with some aging (XP) equipment, so this new operating system does have some relevance to me.  I've read some good things about Windows 7 (much better than Vista, etc.) and some bad things (upgrade nightmare). But any worthwhile or helpful messages about Windows 7 gets lost in this whole thing.  Or, worse, this product is made to look like a lame joke. And, that's what they call a "negative brand perception."  Not good for MSFT.  At the end of the day, as a PC owner, I sure hope Windows 7 is a whole lot better than this video...otherwise, I may start hanging out with that cool Mac dude in those Apple commercials.

 

Brands - Who Do YOU Trust?

It seems that everyone is having trust issues these days (see WMD's, Healthcare, baseball players and steroids, etc.). So, why should Brands be an exception?

BusinessWeek's article on The Great Trust Offensive (and the video above) highlights that Brands are indeed no exception.

But, I ask: is this news? Not to me. Trust is absolutely core to the meaning of a Brand and the Brand's relationship with its consumers. And, any time you have a relationship, it seems that you are bound to have "issues."  For Brand's, today's marketplace and technology have just made it faster and more obvious.

If trust has always been at the core of a successful brand, why am I writing about this?  There are two things I think bear noting.

Brands Can't Hide - No How, No Way
Today's technology and communication explosion has greatly accelerated the ability for a Brand to build its reputation and trust...and to lose it.  Web 2.0 and global communications means the whole world is watching, literally, and word travels at lightspeed.  It’s all out there - the good, the bad and the ugly, and you can bet that someone is going to find it and broadcast it.  This has created a new paradigm for Brand reputation building and management.  For whatever reason, many Brands (and companies) are still struggling with this new reality, which leads me to...  

It's not branding...it's a Brand
Many companies miss the boat when they pursue "branding" efforts. "Branding" efforts don't build trust. "Branding" is a verb; "branding" is an activity. It involves people at companies doing something to create a particular impression; it is intended to create a positioning, look, feel, identity in a meaningful, relevant, consistent manner for a product, service.  "Branding" is a portrayal of a Brand, but, that's not what builds trust.

A Brand is a noun (it's no accident that I have capitalized the word...I view a Brand as a proper noun).  A Brand stands for something that extends well beyond what "branding" does or can do.  Rather than the portrayal, it is the subject of that portrayal itself.  It's the relationship between the product and the consumer in all facets - rational and irrational; function, emotion, personality and some times even spirituality - that is a Brand.  And, like people, we trust those Brands who are true to who they portray themselves to be.  And, that means a Brand has to be real and genuine delivery in terms of it promises, delivery of benefits, actions in the marketplace, etc. 

So, it follows that if "branding" is the portrayal of the Brand, it needs to be in a subservient role.  Things get out of whack and Brands (and companies) get into trouble when they confuse one with the other or, even worse, engage in branding portrayals that are not true, genuine or consistent with the Brand. 

In today's world, liars and posers are not trusted, and easily “outed.”  Or, as my old colleague Carol Phillips (President of Brand Amplitude consulting and a marketing instructor at Notre Dame) puts it so eloquently:  "Consumers, and especially young ones, reserve a special place in branding hell for companies that say one thing and do another."

Welcome to the new (or not so new) world order.  We all better get used to it...it's not going away.  But, if you embrace it and understand it, you'll be truer to your Brand, stay truer to your Brand's consumers...and have a leg up on your competitors

And, please...stop "branding."  Focus on building your Brand.  Trust me on that one.


A Blog by Any Other Name...is Posterous

"Replace the subject line and body with your first blog post and hit send! Include pictures, an mp3, or anything else you want to share. It's just that simple."

Simplicity.  That's how Posterous is planning to make it's way into the hearts, minds and souls of newbies, casual bloggers and social media pros alike.  Just send an email (like this one). 

While I just discovered Posterous myself, it's been around since July 2008 and they've been adding features to the service steadily.  The creators have tried to make Posterous an app that anyone might use by including a range of tools for all levels of experience.  It's super easy to set up and get started, so those who are a little on the technophobic side can dive right in.  Casual bloggers might opt to use this service as an alternative to a Blogger or Typepad, or even as an alternative to Twitter (it's sort of an "in between" service).  And, for those with an existing network, Posterous can serve as a "feed mechanism" that will allow you to post to multiple social media platforms. 

It's easy to add media (pictures, video, music) to your Posterous site.  Plus, you can send an email from your iPhone and...ta daaa...you've just updated your Posterous blog (and any other you may have selected for "autoposting"). 

I've not yet researched all the features and benefits of Posterous, but if adding content is as easy as sending an email (and if you can easily feed this content out to your other social media networks), they could be on to something here. 

Business model?  Revenue?  Time will tell...it's free for now (seems we've gotten pretty used to that by now).  But, as a user, I'm not concerned about how they make money...I just want a satisfying user experience that allows me to do what I want to do, when I want to do it...and enables me to do it easily.

There are some downsides I can see already -- e.g., all Posterous sites have the same theme and layout.  That can get old and the creative and functional limitaions might be a turn off for a range of potential users (I suspect this might be one of the "premium features" that the company ends up charging to use).  But the company has added features since its launch, so I'd imagine that they will continue to fill in perceived gaps over time.

So, will Posterous really catch fire?  Hard to say.  But, I've been procrastinating on getting my own blog up and runningn for some time.  Now, I can finally say I'm procrastinating no more...I have a Posterous account and a blog up and running (not to mention my first "review"...if you can call this short observation such).  And, all it took was for me to write this email. 

More to come as I learn more about this service.  In the meantime, let me know what you think.