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Tuesday, June 29, 2010

for blog sake: More of those stupid branding practices

for blog sake: More of those stupid branding practices

More of those stupid branding practices

How to lose a brand credibility
Have you ever thought how companies–through their hired marketing and ad agencies–are eager to sell you their products and services, making the online transaction experience painless, fast and worry-free, but when you decide later on to cancel a service and wish to stop paying for it, there is no one to be found to address your request?

It happened to me. I posted our house for sale on Zillow, the darling site for home owners and the envy of real estate brokers. I purchased a display ad and paid to be found on its search results, and let it run for 8 months. I was happy to watch the clicks come by and the number of inquiries rise. It took a while and I finally sold the house. With a sigh of relief, and as a responsible citizen, I went online, with the sole aim of letting the world know that my house was no longer for sale. A simple task I thought. I logged on “manage my account” and there it was, clearly displayed: “Sale Pending”. One click should have shown me its other bright side displaying the proud word: “SOLD”.

Nothing happened though there was a “Change Status” option next to it.

I was determined to find some sort of “Cancel Service” feature. No such luck. And by now, I was getting e-mails asking me to update my listing, some five months after we sold the house. I decided to resort to conventional wisdom: Using the phone, but not before I sent several emails through the “Contact” feature explaining why Zillow should stop displaying my house for sale even after it was sold… A message came on suggesting I go online to resolve my problem, or get involved with world through online forums to find common answers to my problem, or wait 18 minutes to the next available agent.

So what’s the big deal you ask? If you don’t mind to wait 18 minutes to cancel a service you no longer wish to have, or joining forums to find out how to cancel a service you’re no longer in need, then it’s a little deal. Forbes announced that it would stop using Zillow statistics for its forecast on the housing market. The reason: A recent article in the magazine downgraded a California county as one of the worst in the nation. Not so, complained the county, saying the housing market has shown signs of modest rebound in the past few months. But with all houses that were sold but remained on Zillow as available, no wonder we’ll have a never ending disastrous housing market. A big deal indeed.

What I’d do? display a pleasant graphic on landing page which says: Not happy with our service? Please Cancel here.
And by its side: Happy and Satisfied Customers Please Proceed here.

Words and words that mean nothing.

A recent article in American Advertising Federation: “Spending Dropped 12% in 2009, but Things Are Looking Up. Last year's ad-sales drop was moderated somewhat by a fourth quarter in which nearly all media improved on their performances from earlier in the year. And things seem to be looking up further still -- depending on what happens with consumer spending.”

I ask: And what if consumer spending remains the same or drops slightly?

How not to sell

A letter I received not too long ago:
“Hi there,
…I have developed software that automatically places your ad on millions of blogs. You will receive thousands of targeted hits to your website as Blog Blaster places your ad on blogs that match your ad's category.”

Me: I am loving it so far, yes, I like it: thousands visitors, not just any visitors, but targeted visitors!

Me again: Read next paragraph.

Letter continues: “This method has never been released to the public before. Very few, if anyone has implemented this.”

Me: R U kidding?

Should we become paranoid?

The Daily Talk of Marketers: “How to convert these visitors into loyal, revenue-generating customers.”

Ever feel you have to be on guard as soon as you enter a web site, and you smell the threat from every click you make as if someone is watching your moves and try to convert you into a spending machine?

Me: The rest is up to you

Bad choice of wording for a service:
I was planning to get a cab to take me to a meeting in Houston, and I found online all the information I needed. Then I read that Houston City ordinance authorizes the cab driver to add an additional $1.25 “departure fee” to the total fare.

Me: I think it would be a better customer relationship management if they’d call it “Arrival Fee”…

True and simple to follow:
Employees ARE the Brand
…"Many employers might consider a non smiling employee the least of their problems, but at Ritz-Carlton, renowned for its on-site customer handling and service, it's serious business. The hotel is considered the gold standard because of its conviction that employees are the face of its company, and that service isn't just part of its brand, it is the brand…

Me: Many companies don’t get it: Good branding start within your organization. It’s not enough to engage your product with customers on social networks.

Written by Ariel Peeri
Visit my web site: http://www.arielpeeri.com
About me, click.