Well Played, Charter One Bank

Posted on April 29, 2011 by Anna

While visiting the Ohio homeland this weekend I had the opportunity to visit my parents’ local bank. By visit, I mean sit cheerfully in the lobby staring at things, but you get where this is going. The first thing I noticed about the Bainbridge, Ohio branch was how cheerful it seemed. If bottling sunshine and giggles in an professional manner was a design aesthetic, this place had it down. The thing second I noticed was their in-branch advertising tag line, “we treat customers like our neighbors, because they usually are”. I remember liking the ad copy, but thinking, “I bet those people are all stock photos.”  The branch seemed welcoming, but also a smidgen fake.

After dissecting the branch visually, I got in discussion with a teller, Tina. But more important than the fact I was talking to her, was how the conversation itself started. While eye vulturing the branch,  I realized she had “my daughter is a pyro” written on her name tag. Which of course led me to ask her about it. We then ended up having a delightful conversation about her daughter’s career as a fireworks designer at Disneyland.

After this discussion I realized the strategic beauty of that name tag. That little plastic placard leveraged many of the relationship building tactics socialmediates evangelize digitally, offline.

  • It was non-evasive: If I didn’t want to talk to Tina, I didn’t have to. The conversation would have to be started by me, the customer.
  • It was easy: The phrase on the name tag gave both of us an easy and immediate discussion point.
  • It was neutral: Unlike other badges that say “ask me about bladdity blah promotion” this badge has nothing to do with sales. I knew if I asked about its meaning I wouldn’t be pressured into some savings account I really didn’t want or need.
  • It was interesting: The phrase was exciting enough to make me want to talk to Tina. Something I may not have done otherwise.

In the end, I left the bank with a better opinion of it. I also realized that small efforts to build dialogue with consumers can be just as important as a large scale campaign. For example, a little name tag can lead to a change in perception. Well played, Charter One.

Posted in Advertising, Inspiration | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Describing myself online over 10 years

Posted on March 8, 2011 by Anna

Today I did some file and record clean up and I proudly present you with samples of how I described myself online over the past 10 years. Makes me  think yet again how interesting a large scale analysis of how people have describes themselves online has changed over the past 10 years would be.  For your laughter and amusement I have included a vintage Anna picture as well, where I am rocking my best “piss-my-parents-off-ill-do-what-want-in-college” hairstyle

Friendster (2002)

Well I am very good at falling, I do it often on campus and at home. One time a went on a date with real tall dude and we went longboarding and I totally biffed it. That’s kind of my thing, falling. I fully exploit 50 cent tuesdays at the the dollar theater. I know how to max the ticket output at the nicklecade. Oh yeah my cast glows in the dark.

What I enjoy doing:Designing clothes for extreme tacky Barbie make overs, longboarding, Kareoke night at Jerry’s, talking like Bill, falling down, exploiting the world through a wheelchair, thursday night dance parties, cookie night

Myspace (2004)

I hail from Cleveland, but some how got turned around and ended up in the middle of quirky P-town. I consider myself better than you and your mom. I love to just sit down and jam. I have yet to make it famous and I figure that’s not exactly where it’s at. All my songs are just random creations and variations on the same theme… life. While I might sometimes be sappy, I figure its only the result of overexposure to Utah waves. The way I look at it, all the world’s a zoo, but are you going to allow yourself to be locked up in a cage and stared at all day? I vote for watching everyone else making fools of themselves while enjoying cotton candy

Xanga (2006)

Interests: Shaky eggs, rocking out to “you’re no Irish Laddie”, flaunting my moderately attractiveness, writing,playing, and listening to music, putting peeps in the microwave so I can see them fight,
Expertise: Putting my hands in the air and waving them like I just don’t care

Facebook (2009)

Random facts about me: In college I financed a trip to Disneyland by asking strangers if I could borrow a quarter. I never graduated high school; my family makes fun of me for being the only student at Columbia Graduate school with a GED. I once set my house on fire with my underwear.  I like to write dumb songs on the spot with roommates/ friends. When I was younger I competed in math competitions and surprisingly I won a lot. But really I only did it for the school day off and free pizza.

Twitter (2011)

Anna the analyst… my name predicted my career. Go figure. Something-something at somewhere awesome.

 

Posted in Random Thoughts | Comments Off on Describing myself online over 10 years

Over 1,000 Friends? Hell No says Foursquare.

Posted on February 24, 2011 by Anna

This evening I got the below email from Foursquare. Apparently having 1000+ friends on foursquare now means you get auto converted to a “follow” account. And guess what, having more than 1,000 friends? Even if you wanted too- it’s no longer an option.  Do you think this is a step in the right direction or a potential faux pax for Foursquare?

Posted in Random Thoughts | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Looks like Ken Is Going to Get Some Action This V-day

Posted on February 13, 2011 by Anna

Today was laundry day or what I like to call the most painful day of the month. I  am not sure what it is about lugging 40 pounds of slightly dirty fashion awesomeness to a dark place that smells oddly of Chinese food that makes me so bitter. On laundry day its hard for me to find a way to keep myself from falling to my knees, raising my hands to the sky and screaming “WWWWWWHHHHHHYYYY???” let alone smile.  But today, was an exception. As usual, I stopped into the Magnolia’s bakery near my laundry mat to complete my usual cupcake for sanity exchange; I like to reward myself for doing something I loathe with such commitment. As I stared at the rows of frosted happiness, one cupcake stood out. It was frosted to impress. A top the sassy red velvet cake and pink sparkly frosting stood a wafer heart which read, “Your the only doll for me <3 Ken.” A smile spread across my bitter sweat and Tide encrusted face; love was in the air.

Sure, I had seen the mashable articles on Ken’s campaign to win Barbie back, but somehow it didn’t mean more to me than a casual tweet. Sure I took the time to pound out 140 characters to share it with my friends, but I didn’t really engage.  Why would I? Barbies just aren’t my thing ( on the other hand playdoh an easy bake ovens are).  But some how only a few sugar coated seconds was able to change a lifetime of predilections. Even thought I didn’t play with Barbies as a kid,  as soon as I saw this tasty sign of affection I felt connected to the age-old Mattel brand.  I pulled out my iphone, typed kenandbarbie.com, and vowed to bring back love to the now single dolls.  I was relieved to find after casting my vote that love is in the air and it looks like this Valentines Day is going to be marked as the day Ken and Barbie became the iconic duo once again

After my cupcake induced rush to help Ken woo Barbie back into his arms, I began to think about why it had been so successful. I could care less about Barbie; she’s totally the doll version of that mean girl in high school who was always cheating on her boyfriend and making fun of people. The same  girl that now works at taco hut, is pregnant with her third child out of wedlock, and still tries to tear people apart to make herself feel good.  How had I been so convinced I needed to step in and do something? That type of connection is nothing to scoff at. The truth of the matter is, I don’t know. All I am certain of is when advertising forces you to something unexpected, it’s great advertising. So hats off to Mattel. Thanks for making me smile and making me like Barbie. You win.

Posted in Advertising, Brand Thoughts | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Looks like Ken Is Going to Get Some Action This V-day

This is Not Utopia. Some Social Media Will Be Outsourced.

Posted on February 2, 2011 by Anna

I am getting really sick of reading articles about how social media should never be outsourced and that no one can truly understand the brand, but the brand itself. Really? In that case, the website should be built in house, call centers should never be outsourced, events should be planned by the company,  speech writers dare not be hired and etc etc. Quick check- do you see that happening? Good, neither did I.

I appreciate the outlook that social media should be run in house. I think in a perfect world, with unlimited resources and headcount, no internal politics and lots of tech savvy staff- maybe it is the ultimate answer. However, I personally have never come across any company living in this scenario. It seems there is a lot of chatter about what works in Utopia and not about what really works in the real world. I want to like this article by Econsultancy because I think they got it mostly right, but I have to slight them for the controversial title. It’s too absolute.

I have spent time in both roles ( agency and brand) and I can tell you there isn’t one perfect mix of agency and brand. You’ll notice that recently many former leaders of social media at brands  have recently moved onto agencies. There’s a reason. While, dialogue and customer engagement should live within the brand, that activity makes up a very small portion of building a social media program. You have to build the strategy. Resources must be organized and allocated to maximize results. Consumers have to be heard and their thoughts synthesized into actionable and tactical nuggets. Pages need to be built. Systems need to be acquired. And on and on… It’s a lot of ongoing work and much of it get shifted to an agency. Here are the reasons why:

Slow Production:
Social media is a fast moving channel; we’ve all had that beat into our brain at every and any social media conference we’ve attended.  Brands move slow. With small teams, there is no way a internal social media group could produce the work an agency of 45 could in the same amount of time. If a brand wants a quick turn around, they’re going to hire an agency.

Lack of Resources:
Engaging an agency works best with how large companies are structured. Many companies are limited in their head count, but have a sizable budget for agency spend- something you often overlooked in this argument. Only in social media utopia can a brand retain the type of headcount it would take to run a proper internal social media group. This is not a definite rule, but more often than not the case.

Lack of  In-house Skills:
Most internal social media teams are small with limited skills. Even if a team member has significant social media experience, they still are one person.  Additionally, outsourcing allows a brand’s employees to work where they thrive. Many social media team leaders are excellent project managers- with significant experience working through red tape and directing agency partners to get desired results.

Creatures of habit:
Brands are use to outsourcing work. It’s how the company is organized. So naturally, it’s easier to outsource that to hire. Often companies outsource work and the agency hire sits on site. It’s almost a hybrid between company and agency. That employee gets to soak up the brand;s culture, but is in many ways protected from some of the internal drama. There’s another reason this works out in the teams favor- it allows for acquisition of more internal budget. If you’ve worked in a brand you know that often budget= power.

Agencies  are going to remain a lasting part of the brand social media puzzle; they are in many ways faster, less biased by internal politics, and better equipped to deliver quick any high quality results. There’s less red tape, more focus on collaboration, and generally more comfort with the subject matter at a macro level. That said, an agency should be a partner to social success, not a social media overlord. That means empowering the brand to make decisions and drive the road map. This, unfortunately,  is not easy for most agencies to do.

Posted in Advertising, Brand Thoughts | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Screw Engagement, More Glitter!

Posted on February 1, 2011 by Anna

I like glitter. A lot. For heaven’s sake, I have been known to rock a gangsta chain made entirely out of huge crystals on top of a shirt covered with sequins. If it’s sparkly, I am usually on board. Hell, most of the time I am driving the shimmer train all the way to sparkleville. As pro-twinkle as I am, sometimes too much is too much.  Sparkle’s an accent, not a wardrobe. Glitter can’t be special and exiting when there’s tinsel everywhere. I know it’s usually not my style start a blog post with a soliloquy devoted entirely to shiny things, but this time I’ll make an exception.

Now this “sparkle manifesto” can be applied directly to what’s happening in Social Media right now. Currently we’re suffering from glitter overload.  Every brand is launching a new game, viral video, foursquare badge, Facebook meme, and etc.  There’s just so much glitter everywhere that consumers’ eyes are being singed out by the reflection.  As clever as these campaigns may be, they are limited. The content is only relevant for a limited amount of time, to a limited audience, with a limited purpose. What happens in when the badges disappear, the game come down, and the videos are done? For a lot of brands it means they’re left naked. They’ve gotten so caught up in the glitter that they forgot to invest in the basics.

One of the old adages I use all the time is,  “Social Media is not campaign based, but a campaign can be Social Media based.” In short, you have to keep the conversation going- it’s not a hit and run channel.  I see a lot of brands spending a lot on big bold “viral Social Media” campaigns that have little to no engagement component to them. Many of the day-to-day social activities are left undeveloped.  Strip back the interesting guerrilla marketing effort and there’s no actual consumer dialogue. Perhaps I am wrong, but I thought that was one of the main components of a true Social Media program.

Maybe I am being a selfish consumer here, but instead of trying to be the next big thing, I’d prefer a company that listens to it’s customers. Bonus, if they take time to write clever responses. Double bonus if their business changes as a result of the conversations that they’ve had.  Instead of doling out diamonds like they’re pennies, is it too much to ask companies to focus on building up the basics? Commit to engagement. Share exciting and relevant content. Create a rock solid and informative listening program. Evolve your business practices. Don’t just spam me with sparkle. I hope companies can evolve their thinking beyond the campaign and build real conversations that will endure.

NB: A little well placed sparkle never hurt anyone- just make sure you have a killer dress to wear it with.

Posted in Brand Thoughts | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Goodbye Citi. Why hello there, London.

Posted on January 21, 2011 by Anna

Today is a bittersweet day for me. It is my last day as VP of Social Media for Citi. I have been offered an amazing opportunity with a UK agency. Where exactly? Well, I am keeping that to myself because-as we all know- I have a flair for drama and a history of being a tease.  That said, with this move I am not only leaving behind my amazing coworkers, a better-than-average work husband, and a great company- I will soon too will be leaving the good ole’ US of A. Terrified and excited. Sad and overjoyed. Prepared and completely unorganized; I feel like I am living up to every stereotype my blonde hair affords me. My life is changing and changing fast.

When I joined the Social Media team in October of 2009, I never could have imagined that we’d be where we are today. I was naive and silly; I thought everything would be simple and that the entire bank would end up in a circle singing Social Media kumbaya by the end of my first week. My former boss, use to claim he was keeping me in a bubble- protecting me from the influences of banking culture. Somewhere down the road I guess the bubble popped and I realized everything it was going to take to make Citi successful in the space. Blood, sweat, and chapstick have gone into building Citi’s Social Media presence and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Over the past 18 months the company has gone from having absolutely no Social Media presence, to being an example in the industry.  The ability to witness the birth and growth of a brand in the space is an opportunity I will always be grateful for. Every messy situation and bump in the road helped me to learn and grow in unexpected ways.  I can only speak praise of all the amazing people I’ve had the opportunity to work with. I’ll miss the never-ending team meetings, late-night office sing-alongs, gossiping by the bathrooms, and being a part of the most elite floor fire safety team in all of Long Island City (and perhaps the entire 5 boroughs). These people were more then coworkers- they were & are friends. I am forever indebted to them (and their patience) for making me who I am today.

So it’s with much sadness that I close the doors on one chapter of my life and jump full swing into another.  As difficult as this change is, I am delighted to join my new team in London. They’re a smart bunch and I going to have to do my best work to keep up with them.  It’s a big adventure and I’m doing all I can to prepare. I can only hope the UK’s ready for glitter, snark, and animal hats- because one Anna Obrien is coming their way.

Posted in Just for Fun, Random Thoughts, Women in Tech | Tagged , , , , , | 18 Comments

Slacktivism or Why I Hate Facebook Profile Memes

Posted on December 4, 2010 by Anna

Today I log into Facebook to troll around, and I see post after post encouraging me to change my profile picture to that of a cartoon character  to help stop child abuse.  Wait…. so let me get this right. If I change my picture to Ren ( or potentially Stimpy), then some child somewhere is going to sleep safer tonight.  A quick google search to find a photo, a drag and drop to my desktop , and a quick upload is apparently all it takes to change the world today. Well,  that’s what stupid Facebook memes are trying to convince us can happen. Thus the birth of slacktivism.

We’ve seen this before (there was the breast cancer memes of 2009 and 2010) and sure, it has some results. In this case, people are thinking about their childhood or perhaps thier favorite cartoons. Plus, it does seem to get some press. However, most of this publicity is just used to explain to those out of the loop what the hell is going on.  What they aren’t thinking of or really talking about, is child abuse.  Sadly, the causes themselves- in my opinion- don’t benefit that much from this type slacktivism. There’s no  significant influx of new volunteers or substantial increases in donations. There’s simply a mass population who is patting themselves on the back for being cool enough to know that “child abuse” is the cool charity of the month. (unless you’re a hipster- then child abuse is so last week).

The problem with slacktivism is it teaches future generations that social change is obtainable with the click of the button. This mentality in many ways cheapens the work that is done by committed volunteers and propagates  a warped view of volunteerism. Furthermore, this type “of the moment” social action is rarely prolonged. That means while the charity might be thrust into the spotlight for a few days or a week at most, within a month they are right back where they started. The slactivists are onto saving the whales by liking Shamu. And thus, the trendy piece of social slacktivism did little to really help the long term success of a cause.  Moral of the story: We should stop doing cheesy status updates/ photo changes for the charity du jour and instead encourage each other to find a cause we believe in and get involved.

***Updated***

I wanted to add that the reason this incident drove me to write this post. Child abuse has affected people I love and care about. It is not a laughing matter and is something that no child should ever have to endure. Almost five children die in the US everyday as a result of child abuse. More than three out of four are under the age of 4.  Plus, abused children are likely to have criminal or abuse habits in the future.

If you see or sense a abuse in a household, please say something & report it to social services. The biggest problem with abuse is people’s comfort in turning a blind eye; it’s just easier.  If you want to help stop the cycle & get involved- please visit Child Help. (or any other similar org). Also, please feel free to leave other non-profit suggestions in the comments.  ( Thanks @Sue for the suggestion to add this. )

Posted in Non-profit | Tagged , , , | 26 Comments

How to Write Pitch Emails that Don’t Suck

Posted on December 4, 2010 by Anna

About once a week I get an email that usually reads like this:

Dear Anna,

I work for a social media company.  I will claim I met you at some event you registered for, and never attended. I will them blab about how awesome my company is- how it solves world hunger, cures aids, and makes you fart rainbows and smiles faces. I will try to help you understand social media, because obviously you- working for a large brand- knows nothing about it. Because I am so awesome and social media savvy I will educate you for the next four paragraphs with random jargon and cheesy terms like “sexy”, “mega” and “epic”. I will assume you have no social media strategy, no brain, and that you think my email is God’s answer to your many nights of praying & begging for social media intelligence. Not once will I mention how it will work specifically for your business, because obviously whatever I am selling will fulfill every need you have. It’s just so awesome! I will then end this email by splattering random famous social media names and sites, using the words “influence”, “ROI” Or “true measure” no less than 4 times and reiterate how effing awesome I am (exclamation points!!!!!).

New-age email closing phrase,

Company who would like to pitch you.

Really? You think that’s going to make interested in your company, let alone me take the time to respond to you? Hell no! If anything it’s forced me to permanently tattoo your name in the “do not do business with” file folder in my brain. In some cases, the emails I have been so bad I’ve even encouraged others to avoid doing business with them. I’ve seen all kinds of email hot messes. My personal favorite? One company had the nerve to do a mass email to several brands and forgot to BCC the recipients! Fail. Let me tell you how to actually get me to respond.

1.  Don’t lead with your business, lead with you: What your company does is important. Let me tell you what’s more important- that I like you. I have to know then when I call you at 5 pm on Friday with a massive issue that a) you can help b) you won’t be jerkwad supreme about it. And how do I find out if we get along? Meeting you. So, your goal of any first email shouldn’t be going in for the kill, but rather a casual invitation to -what I like to call- a vendor first date. Something away from the office that’s casual, not too private, and I don’t have to slip out the window to get away if it tanks.  Great examples are conference invites, drinks, industry events, etc.  (Note: this list does not include a “webinar”)

2. Do you research: When you write your email, do not send me a form email. YOU WILL NOT GET A RESPONSE. Do you see how I used the caps-lock there? It’s because sh*t’s getting serious here. Form letters are lazy and shows that you weren’t willing to do enough research to write an email that would actually resonate. Furthermore, Social Media is the complete antithesis of a form email. So if you’re trying to sell me on the fact you get social with a form email; I can assume you don’t and move the hell on. See how that works? Is it so effing hard to Google my name and title and learn a little bit about me? It’s not like there’s a shortage of data out there folks.  And if you did your research and found I was tweeting/ blogging about a problem you can solve- that’s a great way to get my attention.

3. Show don’t tell: When you talk about your business, do not tell me I am going to love it. Guess what? That’s my decision. Instead use whatever space you have to talk about your business, to talk about key differentiators. Other companies likely have similar capabilities, but I want you kn0w what makes you shiny and new. Proof is in the pudding; so don’t talk to me if you aren’t going to give me a proper demo. And by demo I do not mean a power point with a couple screen shots of your tool/ software, I mean a real life play space I can mess around with and form an educated opinion about your product. If I can’t test drive the car, I am not buying.

After writing this I can only hope that, maybe just maybe, someone will find this post and actually write me an email that I’ll want to respond to.

Posted in Brand Thoughts, Random Thoughts | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

10 Awesome Brand Youtube Videos

Posted on November 26, 2010 by Anna

It’s been far to long kids. Did you miss me? Because I certainly missed all of you. And by all of you, I mean the 2-3 people that actually read this blog once upon a time. Well kiddos, you might have noticed- I am back. But this time the punch is packaged with the snazziest disclaimer from here to the Hudson River. I can’t predict what I’ll be writing, I’ll just be doing it more often. Still awesome. Still funny. Still created by a moderately attractive blond girl with way too much crud in her apt. This is how magic gets made people.

Speaking of magic, this post’s subject is very near and dear to my heart: viral video. But, what makes a video “go viral?” Left and right people mouth off on the awesomeness that is viral video and I’m sure- if you’re a brand- that marketers have tried to sell you ideas to “go viral.” Making a video viral is actually very very simple. More than the marketing, the spread of the video depends on – *shock!*- the video itself. It has to be interesting. More than interesting, it has to engage. A viral video is one you can watch over and over again and still giggle, question, or end up shocked. More importantly, it has to be good enough to make users want to pass the love on. It’s like a blockbuster movie trapped into a frame of a few minutes. The more emotion it drives, the better place it will hold in viewers hearts.

So as a peace offering (in attempts to cover up the fact I have no blogged as often as I should have) here’s a list of my top 10 favorite brand Youtube videos. Maybe they’ll inspire you. Surely they’ll make you laugh. Most importantly they’ll make you want to buy their products AND tell your friends about it. Double whammy win! And that’s just it- if you want to make some movie magic you’ll see you have to make something truly incredible. Or just make it pants wetting hilarious. Funny always works.

1. Coca Cola | Happiness Machine– Here Coke delivers  something special with a surprising vending machine that serves up more than refreshing CocaCola; it serves up smiles.

2. Tipp-Ex | Man Shoots a Bear- In an effort to not ruin this video’s special twist, I’ll just say that this is the most engaging video content I have ever seen.

3. Sienna | Swagger Wagon- Mini vans are cool again, or at least this video from Toyota makes me think they are. That’s a big deal, a really big deal.

4. Old Spice | Re: Everyone– What better than the Old Spice commercials? Having a custom Old spice commercial made just for you. Genius.

5. Blendtec | Will it blend?- This brand has been cranking out videos for 3 years and people still clamor to see will it blend? Lucky for Blendtec, the answer is always yes.

6. OraBrush | Smell Your own breath– Ever wonder how to tell if your breath smells? Fear no more, this YouTube video from Orabrush teaches you just that,

7. BMW | S1000 RR. Dinner for RR.– Magic tricks aren’t just for kids. BMW takes a trick we are all familiar with and make it bigger, better, and puts some gas behind it. The result is both fun to watch and a selling point.

8. Air New Zealand | Bare essentials of safety– Sometimes taking something completely normal and adding a clever twist can make a video a social success. Air New Zealand takes cleverness to the next level.

9. Lotte | Fit Gum- This video is not in English and make no sense, but that hasn’t prevented me from showing it to everyone I know. Their videos aren’t just catchy, they’re down right addicting.

10. MiXta | Mixta y Mixto, una historia de amor- This fabulous video shows the progression of the relationship between a sandwich and Mixta. It’s clever and more than effectively humanizes the product

Honorable Mention: Loreal Spain | ClipDub Oficial Pasarela Cibeles 2010- I had to add this Loreal Paris Spanish channel video as an honorable mention. Why? Because It’s my blog and I can do what I want 😉

Posted in Brand Thoughts, Inspiration | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments