Check out what happened to the cubicle of my fellow co-worker. This is what happens when you have too much shredded paper lying around the office!
Archive for April, 2006
Starbucks Case Study: Great Customer Relations + Good Coffee = Success!
Published April 28, 2006 Case Studies 6 Comments
I was studying at my local Starbucks (I have about three in my immediate area) the other day and I overheard a unique conversation. This conversation took place between a patron and a barrista. The patron, obviously a regular customer due to his reception at the bar, was commenting on how he did not understand the success of Starbucks. “How can a company be so successful by charging three dollars for a cup of coffee when a person can buy the same drink for seventy-nine cents from the convenience store,” he asked. The barrista warmly smiled back and said, “I don’t know.” After a few more minutes of conversation, the two waved to each other and said their good-byes. It was at this moment that I started to smile because the answer to the patron’s question was staring him in the face, he was just too blind (or too close) to see it. The answer is great customer relations.
An old girlfriend of mine, who worked at Starbucks, told me that employees are instructed during training to remember the regulars’ names and to be friendly and energetic towards everyone. Thus the employees help produce a friendly, casual atmosphere. So friendly that many people rather meet their friends at Starbucks than at their own homes!
Starbucks employees are generally very helpful as well. I have seen customer after customer ask barristas how to make their favorite drink at home. Every barrista asked has always taken the time to thoroughly describe the process and has never said, “Sorry, I’m too busy.” I have even seen barristas give free drinks and various drink related trinkets to regular customers.
Starbucks obviously values great customer relations. Unlike many companies who claim that good customer relations is priority-one but often fail to prove it, Starbucks continually lives up to this claim. That is why they are successful. Well, that and good coffee!
Tags: PR, Public Relations, Marketing, Communications
Your Copy Sucks When…
Published April 25, 2006 Marketing Mistakes , Marketing Observations 3 Comments
Jonathan Kranz of Kranz Communications says your copy sucks when you use…
- Ridiculous, pretentious language that has absolutely no meaning for your customers.
- Lots of superlatives such as “excellence,” “cutting-edge” and “innovative.”
Also you know your copy sucks when you have a…
- Shortage of tangible, meaty specifics.
- Presence of self-congratulatory chest beating, i.e., “We’re the world leader in . . . “
- Reliance on jargon and business babble.
- “Me too” positioning that’s similar to your competitors’ messaging.
All of this can be avoided by focusing your writing toward your customers. Highlight how you can help your customers and write from a customer-centric perspective. And remember, do not use meaningless industry buzz words.
Tags: PR, Public Relations, Marketing, Communications
Matt Williamson, director of sales for Bronto Software, was honored by the Triangle Business Journal in their 40 Under 40 Leadership Awards gala. In an interview published in Bronto’s newsletter, Mr. Williamson had this to say:
Bronto: What is your favorite word?
Williamson: Relentless.
Bronto: What is your least favorite word?
Williamson: Deserve. The notion that anyone thinks that they ‘deserve’ anything in this life aggravates me. Nothing, not even our freedom or our right to exist is owed to us. It’s up to us to earn those things.
Bronto: What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally?
Williamson: The underdog story. There’s nothing that fires me up more  in a positive sense  than overcoming the odds and winning in the face of adversity.
Bronto: What turns you off?
Williamson: The sense of entitlement I mentioned, and a sense of apathy. If you don’t care enough about something to immerse yourself entirely in it, then go find something else to do. Life is too short to not be completely passionate about what you are doing in the present.
Tags: PR, Public Relations, Marketing, Communications
I came across a very inspiring post at the Creative Concepts blog. Valorie Luthor has definitely pinpointed the type of attitude that defines a great public relations professional. The great thing is that this attitude can be applied to everyone, not just public relations employees. Read the entire post by clicking here. Below, I have posted an excerpt of the part that motivated me. Thank you for this Valorie.
Successful people and businesses never turn away from their responsibilities. Beyond not turning away from their responsibilities, they go above and beyond to complete their job and help others so the whole organization succeeds. There is no place for defensiveness, for the words ”I can’t do it” or the word “no.” It’s about jumping in and doing no matter how fearful you are, no matter how many times people say no just do it.One day the hard working people with the service first business will succeed. The employees with the best attitudes, the true team players who also think out of the box will be able to walk around with their heads held high and be proud that their best made a difference.
Success comes from lots of hard work and the ability to say what did I do wrong, what did I do right and how can I help whether it be a public relations job or not!!!
I look at the successful people around me and wonder how they got to their present position or status. The one thing they all have in common is that all of them are never lazy and are always proactive.
Tags: PR, Public Relations, Marketing, Communications
Have you seen the Dodge commercial with the little fairy? I did and I thought it was hilarious. But, as usual, someone has been offended by it. Read Bob Garfield’s review of the ad at AdAge.com.
I am completely dumbfounded by his comments. I hate the fact that we live in a society that tries to make everything “hate speech.” So now we cannot show preppy, white men in commercials because someone will get offended.
This is completely ridiculous! Garfield’s review is an example of political correctness going too far!
Tags: PR, Public Relations, Marketing, Communications
What do you need to successfully serve your client? The answer is a relationship.
My company has turned away many agencies because they lacked the initiative to establish a relationship with us. Sure these agencies were friendly and had excellent portfolios. Not only that, they had giant, mega-corporations as clients. They were obviously capable of producing quality work and results. So what was the problem?
The problem is that most of these agencies did not take the time to adequately research our company. We are an IT company that deals with very technical information. Agencies cannot come into our board room, give us a generic pitch and expect us to be blown away. Agencies need to research our company, the industry and the constituencies we serve before they sit at the table. Not doing so shows us a lack of initiative and the agency comes off as not valuing any sort of relationship with us.
Remember, you never get a second chance to make a first impression.
Tags: PR, Public Relations, Marketing, Communications
Have you ever heard of the halo effect? It’s the idea that attractive-looking people are perceived as being more successful and happy than non-attractive people. The marketing guru, Al Ries, believes the halo effect rings (get it?) true in the marketing world as well. In an article he authored for Advertising Age, Mr. Ries describes how the halo effect worked for Apple Computer. Read his entire article by clicking here.
I agree with Mr. Ries. When you have an extremely successful and trusted product, your customers will start to explore your other product offerings. Such customer action is a further incentive to establish and maintain an effective corporate brand.
Tags: PR, Public Relations, Marketing, Communications
I originally came across this in the on MarketingVOX site. However, Mike Sacks wrote an interesting post on the Forward blog. Read it here.
Google and Earthlink have teamed up to provide the city of San Francisco with free WiFi access. To offset the costs, Google plans to sell advertising space to local businesses. Anyone surprised?
Personally, I think this is a great idea. I mean a city filled with absolutely free internet service. Imagine the possibilities. Need to find a nearby bakery while taking a taxi? Bam! Google will show you all the bakeries in the immediate area. Also, you could always have access to your email account, online social network and your World of Warcraft alter-ego. In short, whatever tickles your fancy. All this available at no cost to you!
However, I bet ISPs are very upset at this news. Think about it. How many people are going to be willing to shell out between $40 and $70 dollars a month, when they can get highspeed Internet for free?
Tags: PR, Public Relations, Marketing, Communications
The ever-enthusiastic Richard Laermer is a well-known public relations strategist. In his book Full Frontal PR, Laermer successfully covers the ins and outs of just about every aspect of the public relations function. At the same time, Laermer injects a much-needed dose of gusto, coolness and fun when covering the more traditional facets of public relations.
Richard Laermer is a recognized authority on public relations and media culture. Laermer is a former journalist who wears many hats. He is currently the Chief Executive Officer of RLM, a public relations firm that serves the consumer, technology, business-to-business, health-care, entertainment, publishing and financial services industries. Laermer is also a contributing editor to PR News and writes for publications such as
The aim of Full Frontal PR is to teach its readers how to generate hype and use it to their advantage. Laermer’s book succeeds at this in almost every way.
Laermer starts off with an introduction into the dynamics of exposure: word-of-mouth promotion and media coverage. Word-of-mouth, as Laermer explains, is the best type of exposure. However, he is quick to point out that attaining such verbal promotion does not happen by accident. Generating and maintaining word-of-mouth exposure is a skill that requires much diligence. The remainder of the book educates the reader on the various ways to attain word-of-mouth exposure and the role the media plays in doing so.
Laermer does an excellent job of defining the role of the media and journalists. The author refers to the media as “merchants of exposure.” They are the keepers of the gate that leads to a world of publicity. Laermer starts off his chapter on media by describing the journalistic process. He debunks the myth that journalists creep in the shadows, where they meet with their mysterious sources of information. On the contrary, Laermer describes journalists as being just like you and me. They work at their desks waiting for a phone call or email that will give them a good story idea. What Laermer is saying, is that public relations specialists should not fear journalists. Why? Journalists, to a certain extent, rely on public relations specialists to carry out their jobs. I found this concept to be very enlightening, seeing as how contacting a journalist is often intimidating.
The bulk of Full Frontal PR is dedicated to addressing the “hows” and “whys” of generating exposure and buzz. In the section entitled “The Nitty-Gritty”, Laermer shows the reader most of the available avenues of generating buzz. It is this section, chapters three through six, that make Full Frontal PR a must have for anyone who wants to learn more about public relations.
In chapter three, Laermer defines the power tools public relations specialists use to gain exposure. The tools and techniques described are analyst meetings, beta and product testing, producing b-roll footage, embargoing, exclusives, holding publicity events, in-person interviews, leaking information, performing media tours, holding press conferences, developing press kits and releases and producing surveys and trend stories. Laermer not only defines what these tools and techniques are, he also identifies the best ways to use them. This chapter further honed my understanding of all the various public relations tactics and therefore I consider it my favorite in the book.
Chapter four is another gem of information. Here, Laermer explains how to find the right news hook in order to sway reporters into using your story idea. Chapters five and six focus on how to pitch your story to the media and how to become a confident spokesperson in order to win over the press. The remaining chapters of Full Frontal PR focus on establishing and maintaining good media relations, gaining exposure on a national level and the new tools of exposure that the Internet offers.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading Full Frontal PR. Richard Laermer obviously understands public relations and its benefits. I found that the true value of Full Frontal PR is in its educational use. Laermer not only clearly defines public relations, buzz and various publicity tools, but he also explains to the reader how to best use those tools. Throughout the entire book, Laermer uses callouts to highlight special sections of information. These callouts usually contain very useful insights that expand one’s knowledge of public relations and generating publicity. As an added bonus, Laermer includes lists of his favorite resources. These lists contain everything from his favorite news websites, to stay up-to-date with the latest buzz, to his preferred tools for generating publicity.
In conclusion, Richard Laermer’s Full Frontal PR is a must read for anyone looking to educate themselves with the ins and outs of public relations. Seasoned public relations specialists would also be well served by buying and reading a copy for themselves.
Tags: PR, Public Relations, Marketing, Communications
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