The BlackBerry Blackout and the Bigger Picture
Read moreAs nearly everyone is aware now, there was a period of time in October when European BlackBerries stopped receiving data, or only received it sporadically. Depending on location and service provider, the interruption lasted anywhere from a few days to nearly two weeks. For me, this period lasted about ten days. And, as luck would have it, it happened at
The hero of the modern brand story is no longer the brand
Read moreBefore I went on my digression about Steve Jobs and his untimely passing, I was writing a series of entries featuring Dunkin’ Donuts and their innovative use of e-marketing promotions. Let’s look at some of the lessons we can learn from this company’s use of social media. Branding is changing in some fundamental ways: Brands no longer shape people’s ideas.
My reflections on Steve Jobs
Read moreThis week was again full of travel for me, including an interesting visit to London to make a speech at the remarkable Soho Hotel for the UK Direct Marketing Association. Again, the question of Steve Jobs still seemed to be on people’s minds, so I thought I would write a little more about him here. In fact, with the continuing
Thoughts on the passing of Steve Jobs
Read moreThis week was busy one for travel, with speeches and book signings at a variety of venues in Brussels, Paris, London and Switzerland. Again, I was truly delighted to see the enthusiasm of the attendees for my message about how brands, organizations and individuals can learn to use storytelling more effectively in their communication. But, I am not going to
Give your fans a sense of belonging. Turn them into heroes
Read moreWe ended the last post with the concept of putting the consumer at the center of the action, and turning fans into brand advocates. Dunkin’ Donuts gets a lot of mileage out of its fan community because it finds ways to engage them actively in the brand conversation. Why is this so important? Fans who engage actively in your brand
Fan engagement at Starbucks and Dunkin’ Donuts
Read moreIn the previous post, I wrote that Dunkin’ Donuts seems to do better than Starbucks at engaging their fan community. Let’s look at why. As a regular visitor to Starbuck’s Facebook page, and a subscriber to their emails, I am often puzzled by the lack of storytelling in their communication. If there is a company with some good stories to