MBA Geek

I went to an interesting talk earlier this week and I was introduced to an interesting personality matrix called Firo-B. It stands for Fundamental Interpersonal Relations Orientation and is theory useful for analysing interpersonal relationships. It’s based around three different criteria which are Inclusion, Control and Affection, where people exhibit both Expressed and Wanted traits. Different people operate across different measures of these scales and it was interesting to see how these factors affect people’s behaviours.

It was interesting to see how different personality traits will affect behaviour. Obviously, these are all intrinsic factors, but there are others that also take their toll. The interesting thing is how you can apply these ideas to marketing. Say you’re trying to sell the best acne treatment around. You can appeal to different people based on their behaviour and what they’re looking for. You may consider it all psycho-babble, but if it can help you market your product better, it’s worth taking a look.

How many brands can you list off the top of your head? Well, I’m sure there will be quite a few in the list of Top 100 Best Global Brands of 2009. The last on the list if Campbells, but you might be interested to know the top 10 which are:

• CocaCola
• IBM
• Microsoft
• GE
• Nokia
• McDonalds
• Google
• Toyota
• Intel
• Disney

It’s interesting to see just how many technology firms there are in the list. You’re probably not going to find mundane items like companies selling FMCGs or fat burner in the list; the companies that make it have to be on everyone’s lips; so it’s a pretty prestigious list.

There’s been a lot written about social media and its impact on organisations today, but it’s easy to be caught up in the hype and dedicate a disproportional amount of effort into tapping into the medium. This may make sense of some businesses, but not all. For example, if you’re company selling a specialised form of rv warranty, then you may think that social media may be a good way to get in touch with your niche, but once you factor in that most of your audience prefer reading RV magazines, to spending time online, you have to start asking questions around the return on your investment.

The truth is, Social Media channels are really just one of a number of channels that exist today. They need to form part of your marketing plan, and not replace any previous campaigns you had without due consideration and careful thought. Look at where your audience is heading and that will give you an indication of to where you need to go. Social Media is becoming the place to be for many companies .. but not all of them. Which one are you>

I came across a really amusing marketing piece by the Weetabix Food Company where an advert on TV shows them using a minimising gun to make their mini Weetabix and the operator accidentally gets minimised. The advert encourages you to help Find Nigel by visiting a purpose built website. The website guides you through a few inane games, but always reinforcing the chocolately goodness that the new Weetabix Mini have. I thought it was a really good and cohesive marketing piece which immerses the viewer in an experience that would be too hard and expensive to convey by TV alone.

Obviously, different products would have different ways of encouraging action from views. A company selling information and cures for Mesothelioma cancer for example, would find it pretty hard to engage in this way. But for FMCG tyle products (Fast Moving Consumer Goods) I thought this was a genius campaign, both in its viral aspects and in terms of the depth of consumer immersion.

Great work guys!

I was thinking about my previous post, which was about our recent visit to Butlins and was thinking about the pointers that I picked up from the trip. I think the major take away was the success of Marketing as an encompassing function. You see, many organisations see marketing as a means to an end, a way to get clients through the door, a way to attract their attention. The great thing about our experience seemed to be the fact that marketing seemed to be engaged with the entire customer experience.

Does this mean that marketing should dictate how a company is run? Well, it depends. If the merits of your company isn’t based around the customer’s experience, then maybe not. For example, selling industrial equipment supplies is more than the customer experience. It’s about reliability and performance. But, if on the other hand, you’re engaged in delivering a valuable experience to your customers, then marketing SHOULD dictate the where and the wherefores of how the service is run.

What do you think?

What’s the best way to get people to talk about your services and products? Provide something that creates a buzz about the service you provide. I’m not talking about a company trying to sell blackhead remover by tapping into the celebrity market; but rather using something new and innovative that makes people talk about you. I was lucky enough to see something like this happen quite recently here in the Isle of Man.

My current Internet Service Provider, WiManx put together a great service for people who are here for the TT races. One of the attractions on Island is a massive Beer Tent that is set up by Bushys; they have live music ever night and provide a meeting and drinking venue for all the bikers who come to the Island. WiManx set up a free service providing streaming video over the web from 3 different points in the tent, as well as free WiFi for everyone present.

So, how has this worked to Wimanx’s advantage?

• It’s created a massive conversation item around the Island. Bushy’s Tent is an icon that anyone who visits the Island for TT knows about, and WiManx have linked their name with the success of the tent. This goodwill flows down to users of their service who’s behaviour is reinforced through this action.
• It puts WiManx in the forefront of people’s minds when talking about advances in technology. Previous webcam exploits around TT on the island involved static cams that refreshed every few seconds. WiManx has blown that out of the water with a choice of live streams at a great resolution
• It shows off products they offer. One of their products is the provision of a WiMax connection which offers broadband over-the-air at speeds comparable to SDSL. It’s a valid showcase to show potential clients what can be done with their products.
• It opens up a new market to them. In the future; when someone wants to offer streaming media services, they will be perceived as the leaders in the local market based on their success over TT.

I’ve been using their ADSL service for a couple of years now and I’m more than satisfied with the service and support they offer, so I wish them the best of luck. In the meantime; if you want to watch what’s happening down at Bushy’s Tent, check out the live webcam feed.