Monthly Archives: June 2010
Scott Shamberg | Critical Mass Executive
I never used to think or care much about taking a vacation. It was always the wrong time or I didn’t feel like spending the money. Or maybe I was still shaken by seeing a grown man in a Speedo thong on a cruise once. That’s tough to get past. Thankfully my wife enjoys a vacation as much as the next person–maybe more–and since we’ve had kids I am much better at saying, “Yes, yes I would like to take a break”. But it’s just not as simple as that anymore, is it?
At a time when the term “tele-commuting” is part of the every day vernacular, it is almost impossible to completely disconnect. I’m on the train right now and 75% of the people around me are on a notebook, phone, iPad or other device working. Two people are reading the newspaper (yeah, that industry is in a bit of trouble!) and everyone else is asleep. The truth is you can work anywhere. Just this week, someone who works for me left for a trip to the Grand Canyon. About four day before she left she asked if she could have a wireless card to take with her. “So, you are going to be at the bottom of one of the biggest holes in the Earth, most likely on a pack mule, and you are going to be checking email?” Her answer was, “Well, maybe not while I’m on the mule.” In her mind, it would be easier to check in every once in a while than to come back to a mountain of work.
I agree with that. It’s no fun to get back on Monday and have projects that you have to get to but before you get to it you have to go through 500 emails (this is especially true if you are OCD about your in-box, as I am). Earlier this year I took a vacation to Mexico. I brought my laptop and my phone with me but made a commitment to myself that I would not check email the entire time I was gone. While I did talk to the office a couple of times, I never checked email. I found that I was more relaxed than other trips when I would check first thing in the morning and try to empty the inbox.
An article in the WSJ this week talked about how many people find it hard to relax on a vacation because they are thinking about all the work they are neglecting or all the emails they will have when they get back. The article also states that 49% of employers expect employees to check in while they are away. So is it the individual or his/her boss who is setting the expectation? The article included a quiz to determine what level of workaholic you may be. Go ahead and take it and comment here as to where you place.
I’m no shrink, but my belief is that given the on-demand nature of careers today, it is up to us as individuals to balance work and life. There is a connectivity expectation but if you can commit to disconnecting a couple times per year I think you will be better for it in the long run.
Scott is the SVP of our Experience Distribution practice and a part of the Executive Team, working from our Chicago office.
Book Review: Brain Rules by John Medina
Joel Stanley | Critical Mass Chicago
What is any organizations’ true competitive advantage? Vision, values and process are all necessary, but fundamentally what makes one company different than another is the people. People are always our most important resource…so, in our ultra-competitive fields, are we equipping our people to perform to the best of their abilities?
The following are 8 brain rules – concepts of how our brains work that directly impact how we work best. These are taken from and all credit is given to John Medina’s excellent book, “Brain Rules”. These 8 rules provide insight on how we can align ourselves and our work to how we’re wired as people (with the added bonus of scientific backing behind mid-day naps).
1. Exercise Boosts Brain Power
The human brain operates best with proper oxygen flow. One of the most interesting scientific findings of the past few decades is that an increase in oxygen is always accompanied by an uptick in mental sharpness. Exercisers outperform non-exercisers in tests that measure long-term memory, reasoning, attention, problem solving as well as ability to reason quickly and think abstractly.
Basically, fit employees are capable of mobilizing their God-given IQs better than sedentary employees.
The most productive business day (and meetings within that day) would include walking.
2. We Don’t Pay Attention To Boring
Better attention always equals better learning. But, research has shown you have about 10 minutes of an audience’s attention before attention starts to wane.
You must do something emotionally arousing at each 10 minute mark to regain attention…and it has to be relevant and interesting (random jokes won’t work). Inserting information/data that is unusual, unpredictable or distinctive are powerful ways to harness attention.
3. The Brain Cannot Multitask
The brain is not capable of multi-tasking. We can talk and breathe, but when it comes to higher level tasks, we just can’t do it. This doesn’t bode well for our always-connected culture, specifically at work.
The biggest problem comes from task switching, which is basically being interrupted from whatever is your primary focus. Research has shown that it takes someone 2x as long to complete a task if you are interrupted and you make 3x more errors as well. An error for a 4 year old means 2+2=5, an error for those of us in professional world means sub-optimal output. Whether it be in a new business pitch, creative presentation or strategic recommendations, we can’t afford those mistakes.
4. Repeat To Remember
We usually forget 90% of what we learn within 30 days. The human brain can only hold about seven pieces of information for less than 30 seconds. If you want to extend that, you’ve got to consistently re-expose yourself to the information.
Repetition is key in remembering ‘effortful’ information (kinds not easily remembered, as opposed to remembering first kiss – that’s ‘automatic’). Here’s the easy solution: 30, 60-90. Repeat information within 30 seconds to get information to working memory, then repeating within 60-90 minutes to get it into long term memory. Without repetition, your brain resets.
Read the next 4 Brain Rules to keep you going strong into the 5:00 hour
Todd Shamberg | Critical Mass Chicago
“People laugh at things that are true and we all remember something that was really funny.” -Tom Yorton
It can be challenging to use humor when speaking to a community in the digital space, but it is essential to find ways to “humanize” our voice. One of my jobs is to keep people coming back to my client’s social channels to learn, be entertained and more importantly, just be a part of something. A few great ways to keep the community growing is by posting links to various news articles, posting interesting and relevant videos and developing a rapport with the individuals. In order to use humor in social media, you need to first know exactly who it is you’re talking to, according to Yorton. “You have to know your audience, and you must know what’s true for them – what’s unique for them in that category,” he said. Yorton also talked about how knowing your audience allows you to build that rapport and when using humor in marketing, 
it is crucial to keep it short and sweet. Communities are usually formed in the social space because there is a common interest among members. Using that commonality and producing a little humor will keep people interested in the product or service and entertained by the content. Community members in the automotive world might be brought together by a passion for speed and horsepower. People in the acting world might have a common interest in Steve Martin (he DOES have a FB page).
For those of you that are curious to see how incorporating humor to tell a brand story can be done well, just take a look at the new Orbit “The Prom Date.”
Finding the common interest among community members is the easy part. Finding a way to incorporate humor in a way that’s relevant to the brand is the difficult part. I think one great way to effectively integrate humor in social media from the community side is creating a recurring content feature or theme. An idea I’ve personally been considering is something like Storytelling Fridays where every Friday the members of an auto community share stories about the first car they owned. Most likely you will see some humor come out through these stories and it also gets the community involved on a personal level, which is the surest way to to keep them invested.
I challenge you to use a little humor in your next encounter with an online community. Or have you already? Feel free to share here, we’d love to hear your great ideas.
Todd is a Community Moderator for Infiniti Global, working in our Chicago office.
Check out this collection of creative inspiration, online and off for the FIFA World Cup kicking off today.
Celia Jones | Critical Mass Chicago
The World Cup was first televised in 1954 and is now the most widely viewed and followed sporting event in the world, exceeding even the Olympic Games. Pundits are dubbing the 2010 World Cup the “first digital World Cup,” with expectations that the global sporting event will smash overall viewing records, thanks in part to the development of online TV and of smartphones such as Apple’s iPhone that will allow fans to watch on the move or—discreetly—at work.
In honor of the World Cup festivities kicking off today, we’ve assembled a round-up of creative inspiration, both in the online and offline arenas. And, in keeping with our theme, we’ve organized them based on the essential ingredients of a global sporting extravaganza.
Adrenaline
Nike’s “Write the Future”: This viral hit is a 100% pure adrenaline rush, spanning 32 countries across the globe, packed with superstars, and setting the stage for the epic rivalries that will take center stage in the weeks to come.
Patriotism
ESPN’s “FIFA World Cup Murals”: The 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa is the 19th time the tournament will be played, and the first time on African soil. To celebrate this historic event, ESPN, Wieden+Kennedy and Cape Town-based AM I Collective created 33 original pieces of artwork: one for every participating country and one overarching World Cup piece. Each painting brings to life the story of that nation. The look of the artwork is inspired by hand-painted African art found in the streets and townships across South Africa, and the entire African continent.
Superstars
Adidas Originals, Star Wars Cantina: Adidas is using the England versus USA match to debut a Star Wars-themed World Cup ad. The German sportswear giant has hijacked the bar scene from the first Star Wars film, splicing stars including David Beckham, Franz Beckenbauer and a light-saber-wielding Snoop Dogg into original scenes featuring Han Solo and Obi-Wan Kenobi.
Fan-atics
mi F50 adiZero: No red-blooded sporting event is complete without rabid fans—and this year’s World Cup is sure to be chock full of them. To ensure they’re wearing blazing hot shoes to match the war paint on their faces, we helped create this shoe configurator for adidas, offering fans the ability to wave their country’s flag—on their feet!
Keeping score
Who knew sport stats could be so sexy? It seems information architects and developers have been salivating at the chance to create infographics that help football fans keep track of all the action. Here are links to some of the top visualizers we found:
- 2010 World Cup – The Ultimate Graphic and Data Resources Guide
- World Cup Visualiser: Follow Real-Time Football Statistics on your iPad
- World Cup Explorer
More World Cup Must-Sees: Mini-Tron, Smack Talk, Office Pool, Flashy Uniforms and Alcohol
Chris Wells | Critical Mass Chicago
VIEW… DOWNLOAD… DELETE… SAVE… FORWARD… COMMENT… SHARE… UNSUBSCRIBE… BUY!
Consumers have a myriad of choices in today’s rapidly changing digital environment. As a result, digital marketers have to work harder to deliver extraordinary experiences that resonate with customers. Why is this important? Because it’s the extraordinary experiences we create for customers that allow us to build lasting and meaningful relationships with them.
In order to meet this challenge, it can be a worthwhile exercise to take stock of the terrific brand experiences we’ve recently encountered. To gain some outside perspective on capturing customer loyalty in the new digital social age, I asked a few friends to share their recent experiences with brands.
One friend recounted a recent direct mail piece he received from Southwest airlines and how it produced a significant and lasting positive brand effect for him. He explained that after coming home from a long workday, he opened his mailbox to find a birthday card from Southwest. It was personalized with his name and arrived a few days before his actual birthday. It was a simple birthday card that included a discount on an upcoming flight and a drink coupon. The message was also very simple and direct and included a statement to the effect of “Happy Birthday! Have a drink on us!” According to my friend, this simple gesture went a long way towards building a lasting relationship between he and the airline. Now he always checks for flights on Southwest before any other carrier.
Upon asking another friend, she recalled a recent experience with ProFlowers, an online flower delivery company. She received an email reminder about 2-weeks before her mother’s birthday. The subject line of the email was personalized with her mother’s name, saying, “Remember, Evelyn’s birthday is coming up soon!” Again, not a very complicated message, but a valuable one that made an impact with my friend and helped to ensure she’ll always think of ProFlowers each time she orders flowers for her mom’s—or anyone else’s–birthday.
Both of these are examples of simple but great customer experiences. The mere fact that my friends were able to remember the messaging, timing and impact of these interactions suggests they are the kind of brand experiences most marketers strive to achieve with their customers.
What do these two customer experiences have in common?
- They delivered VALUE and/or convenience.
- They were RELEVANT.
- They were PERSONAL.
We could all take these insights as lessons learned and call it a day. However, as digital marketers we are continuously challenged with how to take these kinds of customer experiences from “great” to “extraordinary” in order to build deeper customer relationships and brand loyalty. Forrester Research wholeheartedly supports this notion. Their 2010 Customer Experience Index indicated that favorable customer experience correlates highly to loyalty — especially when it comes to consumers’ plans for making additional purchases.
Read more about how to take these experiences from Good to Extraordinary
Celia Jones | Critical Mass Chicago
A couple weeks ago, I was returning home from a business trip and came across this scene at a gate in the United concourse of O’Hare. I took note not only because United is a Critical Mass client, but also because of the brilliantly simple idea behind this display. 
To promote their Economy Plus offering, they placed a couple of airplane seats in the gate and invited the captive audience of travelers to sit in the seats and feel the difference for themselves. Rather than a just battery of signage touting the benefits of extra legroom (the message), passengers could test out the seats, kick back with a magazine or set up their virtual office for a half-hour of extra productivity before boarding the plane (the experience).
Beyond those stretched out in the chairs, passers-by could observe these real people, relaxed and comfortable—quite a contrast to the typical airport image of crabby passengers stuffing themselves into cramped quarters, whether at the gate or worse, on the plane. Observers could log this “warm and fuzzy” scene, tucking it away into their memories until the next time they booked a trip online and maybe, just maybe, they might chip in the extra fee for the increased comfort and productivity.
The Economy Plus seating display is a great example of how the ability to “see, touch and feel” the benefits of a product or service can actually lead someone to purchase it. The interplay between the message and the experience is a powerful combination—a “one-two” punch in terms of reaching consumers and driving them to a desired action.
Now translate that dynamic to the digital space. Digital, by its nature, invites interactivity. Touch screen technologies, devices like the iPhone and iPad, and augmented reality have added a layer of sensory sizzle to consumers’ experience of brands. Now more than ever, we can design experiences that mirror the “see, touch and feel” interaction that previously could only be achieved in person, in real-life.
Harnessing the power of this technology as a complement or wrapper to your message can be the difference between merely encouraging engagement and compelling action.
