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Tag Public Perception

A PUBLICITY STUNT – GONE HORRIBLY WRONG

bostonstrongoutfieldWhat a semi-untraditional idea – having fans at a World Series game hold up cards spelling out something that sells your product.

However, no matter how fresh your execution is, it has to be based around a strong idea.

In this case, pandering and corporate chest-beating won out. And the Chevy Silverado brand got a huge black eye.

See, after the Marathon bombing earlier this year, “Boston Strong” has been a rallying cry for the town. As you can probably tell, “Silverado Strong,” the planned reveal for all those holding up cards in their seats, didn’t go over too well with the town. Matter of fact, it caused a huge stink, and the promotion was cancelled.

Lesson for today – think about your brand from the consumer’s point of view. Is what you have to say interesting? Would it cause others to want to find out more about you? Perhaps interact with you? Would it stir up any emotion?

Remember, telling the world about your brand is really easy. Saying it in a way that interests others is really really really hard.

by Francis George Brand Futurist/Minister of Creativity/Department Of Artisans

AN OPEN LETTER TO LINKEDIN: PLEASE BE YOURSELF

Dear LinkedIn,

I’ve been a fan and user for quite some time.  Until recently, most moves you’ve made seemed to make a whole lot a sense to me. Things like “groups” and “answers” and suggesting people I might “know” are very useful.  In general, LinkedIn is a great tool to build a professional network, get to understand and learn something from your peers and share with them.

And, Twitter’s loss seems to be your gain. The posts (updates) I receive are much more relevant because they come from within my network.

But to me, I think you’re beginning to lose your way. Why is it valuable to me when 90% of the “updates” I receive are about endorsements or who someone is following?  Who ever said they wanted this? By the way, I have yet to see one “like” on any of these posts. So hopefully I am not alone.

Let me double back to the new “endorse me” stampede. Is it really too much trouble for someone to actually write a recommendation about someone? Something we all can understand and read between the lines as to how worthy it is. What we have now is a check-the-box merit badge system. Scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours. To what end?

So here’s what I’m asking. Don’t try to be Facebook. Don’t try to be Twitter. Be yourself. Be someplace I can go and get a sense of what is going on in my extended world.

Thanks for listening

by Dwayne Fry Brand Futurist/Commander Strategic Ops

Photo Credit: courtesy of www.businessinsider.com, How LinkedIn Gets TWENTY Times More Money Per User Than Facebook

15-YEAR-OLD FORTELLS A FACEBOOK DECLINE

Like most 15-year-olds, my daughter is totally connected. Text and Facebook are her lifelines, or so I thought.  In spring, around the time of the pending Facebook IPO, I noticed a conspicuous absence in her Facebook activity. With a busy school and activity schedule I thought it nothing more than a function of available time.
I couldn’t have been more wrong. She and her friends have simply discovered social platforms that better fit the way they live – mobile. Instagram…take a picture, share it, 20 minutes later there are 65 “likes.” Pretty apt name. Twitter…group conversations and connections to peer group topics.  Pinterest…personal expression of self as individuals. What words can’t capture. Beautiful boards. Very revealing.
That’s the holy trinity for now. Along with ever-present text. This new world of social media supports her, not vice versa. And yes there is still some Facebook activity. But for her generation it is no longer the sun. Look around for yourself. There may be a world beyond Facebook. So far, I like what I see.

And now for the science. Two articles that prompted this post. The first is about Instagram: http://read.bi/OuFuVy  The second is about Pinterest: http://bit.ly/PApcZP  Both articles reinforce the utility of these relatively new offerings.

by Dwayne Fry Brand Futurist/Commander Strategic Ops

Photo Credit: courtesy of www.tgdaily.com, Has Facebook started its inevitable decline?

AMERICA ISN’T EVIL – THEY JUST NEED A GOOD PR FIRM.

Why is America’s brand suffering? Mainly because no one’s paying attention to it. We’re like the company you’ve always hated, but you soften up when you find out they’ve given billions to charity. America needs a kick-ass PR firm to remind the world that the reason we’re criticized so much is that we’re held to a higher standard. For example, if regimes in China, the Middle East, or Africa slaughter 10,000 of their own people, the world looks the other way, for it’s expected. If America kills 12 civilians in an accidental bombing raid, we’re universally condemned, and there’s calls to testify in front of a world body. How about, “America. We’ve killed less people in 225 years than many countries do in 3 weeks?”

No matter what anyone says, America is the freest country in the world, with the most opportunity, the highest standard of living, and the highest acceptance of foreigners, bar none. When was the last time you heard of someone wanting to move to France to open a business, or risking their life to escape America? Ask Craig Ferguson. How about, “America. Cubans never push off their make-shift rafts from the South side of the island” or”America. Good luck opening your business in France. ”

We need to remind the world about our standard of living. Our poorest people live better than most middle-class people in other countries. Put it this way – as a whole, our poor people have plenty to eat, have cable TV, own cars, and drive them on well-maintained roads. Their poor people work hard labor 18 hours a day, are hungry, sleep on the ground, poop in an outhouse (if they’re lucky) and have a life expectancy 25 years less than ours.

I suppose we get a bad rap when it comes to wars. Sure, America has interests. When we fight to protect them, we’re condemned. However, other countries are not. (China and Russia, we’re talking to you). America has the kindest, politest foreign policy of any great power in history. Really. America saved the world from the horrific and murderous Italian Fascist, German Nazi, and Soviet totalitarianism regimes. When we do win a war, unlike any other country, we do not annex their territory – we help rebuild it. For example, we destroyed Germany and Japan in World War II, yet spent billions to help rebuild them. North Vietnam’s biggest mistake was winning a war against us, for today, they are a poor impoverished nation. Had we won, we would have helped rebuild and modernize them, and maybe, put in a government friendly to us. Oooh – bad America!!

How about this for a PR campaign – imagine the world without the United States – like the scene in Back to the Future when the nutty professor gets out of a Canadian car. Or we could show the whole world speaking German, living under a socialist regime.

Then again, it might be difficult – I’m doubt if TVs, radios, and the Internet could have been invented under a socialist regime.

by Francis George Brand Futurist The Republik Commander Creative Ops

Photo Credit: Team America: World Police © Paramount Pictures

READ ON

“Best 110 books of all time.”  From classics and sci-fi to poetry, biographies and books that changed the world, Telegraph.co.uk provides us with the “ultimate” reading list. View the list here.

“I don’t read. But if I did, these are the books I would want people to think I’ve read.”

by Gerard Blanton Brand Futurist The Republik Corporal Creative Ops

Photo Credit: Unknown – Licensed CC-BY-NC-SA

IT’S ART, NOT TRASH

When life gives you lemons trash, make art. Tim Noble and Sue Webster seem to be doing just that. This makes me realize that everything one might need is already there at your feet. All that’s needed is inspiration and a change of perception.

“I am enough of an artist to draw freely upon my imagination. Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.” – Albert Einstein

by Robert Shaw West Brand Futurist The Republik Companies Chairman/CEO

Photo Credit: © Tim Noble and Sue Webster | “Dirty White Trash [With Gulls]” 1998 – Six months’ worth of the artists’ rubbish, Variable dimensions