What an Experience

Super Bowl thoughts:

• The NFL continues to lead the pack when it comes to merchandizing the big event.  The NFL Experience is flat out a great idea and adds to the already ridiculously high level of hype for the game.  Fans coming to the game are happy to have something to do that is related to the game.  Residents of the host city and anyone in town that doesn't have tickets can feel like they experienced (that word again) at least part of the big game's festivities.

• Entering Raymond James Stadium on the day of the game was kind of like going through the ten longest lines you've ever stood in at amusement parks all in one.  The seemingly endless maze of back and forth lines went on for at least 30 minutes.  Then, we were quickly frisked and on our way to the game.

• The crowd was surprisingly calm and jovial during the line maze game played prior to the game.  Steeler fans chanted incessantly and the 17 Cardinal fans were cordial while wondering what the hell was going on.  The Arizona faithful had to be thinking: "How did THEY get all the tickets?"  Seriously, it seemed at least to be a 10 to 1 ratio.

• It's an understatement to say the NFL knows how to put on a show.  From the minute you walk into the stadium, you feel the electricity.  The evening's agenda is down to the minute. Faith sings, Jennifer sings, loud ass jets soar over your head, explosions after each score, Springsteen, all kinds of entertainment...and then there's this football game, too.

• Each seat had a seat cushion with commemorative items and marketing stuff from corporate sponsors inside.  All the cushions in our section were wet inside where all the stuff was.  Did anyone else have this problem or was it just our section?  

• The Raymond James Stadium food vendors/concessions struggled mightily in my estimation.  They ran out of pizza at one point in the first half.  They ran out of draft beer near halftime so they decided to only offer bottled beer.  No problem.  Well, actually a little bit of a problem.  The bottled beer was warm.  The vendors said you could buy a cup and they would put ice in the cup for you to pour your beer into. Comical.   

• Tampa did a pretty good job with the traffic prior to the game as thousands of cars traveled with relative ease. Parking also didn't seem to be an issue and it was fun to drive through the streets near the stadium and see the locals offering parking spaces in their yards.  Their enthusiasm was much appreciated and the stadium vendors/concessionaires could have benefited from customer service training provided by these creative parking salespeople.  After the game, the traffic also seemed to flow pretty well...although I watched it for a couple of hours while celebrating the Steelers victory.  

• Overall, though, the positives far, far, far outweigh the negatives.  For example, you might have heard already that the game was somewhat exciting...In the end, it was simply a great experience.

Super Brand

David Fleming of ESPN wrote a column Are the Steelers the Greatest Franchise?  comparing the Steelers super success over the past 35 years to other sports franchises like baseball's New York Yankees and hockey's Montreal Canadiens.  

Fleming lauds the Steeler organization for building and maintaining a winning sports franchise over the long haul.  The column doesn't mention it, but the Steelers franchise is also successful in another American pasttime: Building and maintaining a strong brand recognized throughout the world.

The Steelers and their Terrible Towel are a great example of successful branding.  You've heard or read about it ad nauseum the past two weeks:

•  On the field, the team has subscribed to a hard nosed philosophy based on staunch defense and the ability to run the ball.  The style matches the work ethic and ethos of the city's people: Work hard, play hard and don't get too full of yourself.
  

• The Rooney family has owned and led the team since the 1930's.  They have also strived for continuity in the head coaching job--only three coaches have worked for the Steelers since 1969: Chuck Noll, Bill Cowher and now Mike Tomlin.

• Fans have a unique bond with their team. Games are an event, almost like extra holidays. Families reminisce about major life milestones and include the Steelers.  "I remember your baby shower.  The Steelers beat the Ravens that day..."

The aura and special place the Steelers have with members of Steeler Nation proves to be a case study in how to build and maintain a meaningful brand:

Visionary leadership and management:  The company vision is 'lived' by everyone in the organization from top to bottom.  Management motivates people while also managing budgets and processes in a sensible manner.

Consistency: Customers become loyal, passionate believers because they know what they are buying.  Noll, Cowher, Tomlin...Franco, The Bus, Fast Willie...Defense, Defense, Defense.

Simplicity:  When you see the Terrible Towel,  you know what it means.  The uniforms have looked pretty much the same since forever.  Even the relatively new Heinz Field is simplistic when compared with other "21st Century Stadiums."

Less is More.  The Steelers stay true to the core product: football in its purest form.  No cheerleaders on the sideline.  The owners don't try to become celebrities. Players who make it about "Me" are either ignored in the draft or soon gone from the team.  Can you say Plaxico?

The Steelers have remained focused and true to their vision and values for forty years.  The result is a Super Bowl team on the field and a Super Brand off of it.  

Smart, Smarter, Smartest?

A couple of buddies and me were talking about our respective smart phones the other day.  We were comparing the strengths and weaknesses of the iPhone, Blackberry's Storm and the Google phone.  

We came to the conclusion that the smart phone market is one iteration away from pleasing just about everybody...until something even smarter comes along.

When you think of how rapid the smart phone market has grown and changed, it's pretty amazing.  Even more impressive is the successful integrated marketing approach the major players have implemented:  

• Clearly defined target markets and products developed to meet the specific wants and needs of each market: Young hipsters, progressive business leaders, multitasking creatives...it doesn't seem to matter...there's a new phone for everyone on a regular basis.
  

• Strong messaging across the board tweaked to maximize multiple marketing vehicles to ensure each target market is reached and influenced.  

• Repetition of message until we are either sick of ads, phrases become part of our vernacular or both.  

• Cool design, hyped and timely distribution...everything except great customer service...but that's a whole other story.
  

It should be interesting to see how the current economic situation impacts these integrated marketing efforts as far as product development, distribution and messaging during a potentially prolonged recession.

Let's hope things keep changing for the better like they have been the past few years.  Maybe we'll all have that next iteration--the smarter phone--well before our latest service agreement expires...

Assertive Not Aggressive

Sometimes people are misperceived as aggressive or pushy when they confront others about an issue.  Potential solutions and fresh ideas are ignored because the message was personalized and viewed negatively.

In other instances, the message is lost because tone and content move from assertive to personal.  Emotions get in the way and prevent a healthy dialogue.  Instead of solving the problem, we add to it by forcing our point of view on others. 

Assertiveness involves striving for a win-win outcome by clearly communicating your needs, wants and thoughts, while acknowledging the needs of others. 

If you perceive someone as aggressive, make sure it is not actually assertive behavior featuring a message you don’t want to hear.  We often point out flaws in ‘style’ or ‘delivery’ when people confront difficult issues.  It could simply be misreading of the situation or a move into self preservation mode. Either way, productivity and personal growth are tied to our ability to understand when others are offering solutions in an assertive manner instead of misperceiving it as aggressive behavior.

How do we avoid becoming aggressive ourselves?

Most people prefer to be assertive but unintentionally become aggressive due to a combination of lack of preparation and an inability to keep emotions in check.

Before confronting someone, think through or even write down what you are going to say.  This enables you to clearly assess the nature of the problem, how it affects you, how you feel about it and what you want to change.  Preparation also increases our understanding of where the other person is coming from and reduces our instinct to make it about them rather than the issue.

Listen to other perspectives and be direct and concise when explaining how you see the situation. Offer creative solutions and show a willingness to explore other options. 

Being assertive can help you convey who you are and what you are about.  It doesn’t always result in getting exactly what you want.  But it does show you realize that other opinions matter and that you are interested in improving the situation. 

 

 

‘Getting’ Gen Y from A to Z

Marketers, historians and writers love to coin catchy phrases to describe generations with similar life experiences, values and attitudes. An entire column could debate the segmentation and descriptions of various generations. Instead, let’s focus on the communication challenges created as a result of four generations working side by side for the first time in American History, including:

• The Silent Generation, born between 1933 – 1945 (ages 63-75)
• Baby Boomers, born between 1946 – 1964 (ages 44-62)
• Gen X, born between 1965 – 1976 (ages 32-43)
• Gen Y, born between 1977 – 1989 (ages 19-31)
  

Current talk seems to be about the difficulty working with Gen Y. Since similar angst occurred when Baby Boomers and Gen Xers entered the workforce, we might want to acknowledge that it could be, as Yogi Berra famously said, déjà vu all over again. Each generation has similarities and differences.

USA Today, Time Magazine and other media outlets describe Gen Y as nurtured, programmed and pampered by parents more involved than those of previous generations. Academicians note Gen Yers grew up in the era of ‘latchkey kids,’ daycare and high divorce rates. This combination makes Gen Y the most independent generation to date, with a sense of security, optimism and in some ways entitlement. Their technological expertise, multitasking skills and educational experiences also make Gen Y more prepared to enter the workforce.

As a result, Boomers and Xers need to be patient, provide ongoing feedback (lots of it) and be flexible with respect to work environment and approach. The ‘command and control’ managerial style that sometimes still exists won’t motivate Gen Y.

Gen Y also has some work to do. They need to acknowledge Boomers and Xers actually know something and listen to them actively, instead of passively while checking text messages or emails.

In addition, Gen Yers need to improve their communication skills. Boomers lament how Gen Yers send an email or leave a voicemail and think they are ‘covered.’ The reality is effective communication requires a combination of face to face interaction, telephone conversations, email, voicemail and written correspondence. Far too often, Gen Yers do not take the next step after the initial email or phone message.

If you are not getting the results you need, be assertive. Telephone a vendor or client multiple times until they take your call. If they have not returned your call, drop in to see them. Seek advice from a co-worker or supervisor when you are not sure how to proceed. Do whatever it takes to finish the job or get the answers you need to move forward without making excuses.

Open communication and the willingness to learn from each other can help reduce the stress of four generations working together. Just remember, Generation Z or whatever they’ll be called is waiting impatiently to join us in the workplace!

Maybe Unusual is Good

Customer Centric Marketing is apparently so rare that when GlaxoSmithKline recently asked key customers what they thought about products during the R&D stage it was considered out of the ordinary.

A recent Wall Street Journal article noted the British pharmaceutical giant invited a group of healthcare officials from the U.K., France, Italy and Spain to London to examine drugs Glaxo is developing. The article went on to say that the company is ‘taking the unusual step of giving government healthcare systems a say in deciding which drugs advance in its research pipeline.’

Unusual, maybe. Smart, definitely.

Since bringing a single drug to market costs hundreds of millions of dollars, it makes a whole lot of sense to make sure your target markets want and need the drug before deciding to move forward with it. In the countries mentioned, the state healthcare systems pay for the vast majority of drugs sold. Asking the government decision makers for their opinion and obtaining their buy in before producing a drug is sound business strategy.

In an interview for the WSJ article, Glaxo's new chief executive, Andrew Witty, said the effort is part of his drive to help the world's second-largest drug maker adapt to a tough pharmaceutical market. In recent years, soaring health-care costs have led insurers, governments and other drug buyers to tighten their belts.

"I'm going to deal with the pharmaceutical realities of the next 10 years, and they're very different from those of the 1990s," Mr. Witty said.

The health care officials from the U.K., France, Italy and Spain had the chance to examine the drugs Glaxo is developing during what Witty described as "an opportunity for us to say, 'Look, here's what the development pipeline at [Glaxo] looks like, here's what these drugs are going to be...Which one of these do you think, 'This is exactly where I would prioritize healthcare dollars?' ”

The officials provided feedback on which drugs to prioritize and what data Glaxo would need to provide to help the healthcare systems make the decision to buy the drugs. As a result, Glaxo will change some of its development plans accordingly, Mr. Witty said in the article.

Why would this Customer Centric Marketing Approach seem ‘unusual?’

I guess because our perception of pharmaceutical marketing in the U.S. is skewed by the current push strategies involving thousands of pharmaceutical representatives buying food for physicians and their staffs while dropping off samples.

The good news is Glaxo is on the right track. Let’s hope they can build upon this ‘unusual’ marketing approach and expand it to the U.S. market.

Sampling Drugs...Online

In February, the post Buying Someone Food is Not Marketing addressed how pharmaceutical representatives sell physicians on their medications and how some health care organizations like University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) were responding to those marketing efforts.

UPMC took another big step toward changing the game by turning to web based technology to help physicians obtain sample medications for patients. As mentioned in a story in the Pittsburgh Post Gazette on June 28 (http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08180/893241-114.stm), the UPMC eSample Center will allow physicians to order medication through a "virtual sample closet" developed by MedManage Systems, Inc.

Wow. This could make things even tougher for pharma reps responsible for marketing to UPMC doctors. UPMC's new policy implemented on February 15 required pharma reps to be 'invited' to make presentations or visits with doctors. The new policy allowed the reps to offer medication samples, but not other gifts, including meals. Now, UPMC has gone a step further by providing UPMC physicians with an opportunity to obtain samples online.

If the pharmaceutical companies are able to distribute samples online, it could be a win-win for the companies (lower marketing costs) and physicians (added convenience).

But what about all those pharma reps? Hmm...In the early stages of the online sample program, pharma reps targeting UPMC doctors will have to be creative in obtaining the necessary 'invitation' to meet. And, they'll know that their long standing marketing tactic of providing free samples can be matched online by competitors.

As for the long term, if the online program takes hold and grows, those pharma reps would be wise to keep their eyes and ears open with respect to new career opportunities.