which comes first: the blog or the brand?

i should make my point/start the conversation on the front end of this post, as i'm guessing i'll lose you to the following link (coming later, keep reading). patagonia started a company blog, "the cleanest line" (still not linking). as with most things patagonia, it's darn near perfect from an execution and brand standpoint. i find very little to not like about patagonia and am continously impressed with the company's commitment to its socially-conscious roots of environmentalism and sustainable growth. so when i got the e-alert that the company was blogging, i was stoked.

after reading the blog, i got to thinking about the classic chicken or egg argument. more specifically, which comes first, the brand or the blog? you can argue successfully either way. many blogs have launched/solidified brands. many brands have beget wonderful blogs. i think we've seen that more often than not, having your brand's house in order yields better communication all around. very rarely is it the other way around.

with social media becoming a mainstream aspect of brand communication, many re-branding campaigns, product launches and company changes are introduced at least in part with a new blog. we marketers are almost conditioned to at least throw "blog" out in a brainstorm nowadays. with so many newer companies blogging about newish issues to help define the brand, the patagonia blog came well after the company has already established its brand identity and voice. and i think that's why the blog reads so well. seems darn natural and nowhere near a corporate communications tool.

i think the issue is worth discussing...in addition to the "what came first," thread, the cleanest line (still not linking) proves what many branding/communication folks have always known and seldom have the guts to tell clients: if you have nothing worth talking about, nothing we can do for you will start a meaningful conversation. patagonia proves this by its ability to first be focused on a wonderful product, innovative company and tried-and-true culture. then blog. then hold a press conference. then....

check out the cleanest line to learn more about patagonia. i can see this blog quickly occupying new media presentations as a blog/company that gets it. the byproduct of this blog is a more enthusiastic consumer base, more loyal evangelists and proud employees. who wouldn't want to work with a boss like this:

(posted on the cleanest line, e-mail from patagonia founder yvon chouinard's wife malinda)

From: M.CHOUINARD
Subject: Surf 3-4ft hot and glassy

Go now 245pm

Listening to - KCUR 89.3 FM - it's Fund Drive time in public radio! Donate.

Social network realization

After attending my first KC Coffee Morning last Friday, I had a lot of hope for the real-life realization of the conversations I enjoy via the blogosphere. It was nice to sit down with some new co-workers (John, Bruno, Seth, Andrew) as well as a few creatives from the area (Jeremy, Celeste). See, we read and comment. We forward and link. We admire and argue. And normally we hide behind a social firewall.

I've posted before about the power of unplugging and I was affirmed by the conversation and quickly-established relationships at the Coffee Morning. We nerds need to find more opportunities to shake hands, catch rolled eyes, hear laughter and wave goodbye to make our ideas, insights and interest tangible.

I enjoyed by this post from PSFK on social network realization. Good stuff to put into practice.

Listening to: Air, Talkie Walkie

A Brand's Social Priority

Recently, I've been thinking about social responsibility, both corporate social responsibility and my own responsible choices as a consumer. The first step was to ask myself, as a consumer and marketer, what social responsibility means. I kept going back to two qualifiers, priority and longevity of impact. Those seem to work both for judging a brand's social responsibility and a consumer's commitment to a cause. CSR can get a bad rap, oftentimes simply because a cause program or brand can't demonstrate the priority or impact of its social stance. Consumers aren't held to as high a public standard, so we get off relatively easy. So I started thinking in terms of brands and their social priorities?

I'd love some feedback here, as to what brands you recognize making an issue or cause a true priority. I'll fall back on one of my favorites, Patagonia. Since its founding, Patagonia has been tied directly to the environment, not as a marketing program or initiative, but as a way of life. A part of the employee and brand DNA.

Priority: Does the brand live its cause/social issue? If I crashed the company HQ, would I see a culture that embraces the cause? Or does the cause live only within the walls of the marketing department. If I met an employee at a bar, would that employee get excited - or even be aware - of what his or her employer has deemed an initiative?

Impact: Does the initiative/cause/charitable interaction truly enact positive change? Are the hands that hold a large check presentation callused with hands-on effort? And what is the longevity of the impact? Was the initiative set up to buckle down and impact an issue, or will the whole dang thing be forgotten in a year's time?

I'm already predicting I'll spend a good deal of 2007 blogging on emotion. If I can focus on one thing, as a marketer, this year, it will be emotion. At its core, CSR is emotional. Brands stick their necks out to take a stance on sometimes polarizing issues/causes. No matter how far those necks are exposed, a cause is always connected to consumers' emotions. The great brands have identified what matters to (or seek input from) consumers. They've created social priorities, not just programs. They share emotion with consumers.

Two recent examples have energized my thoughts on this topic. The first, relating to my beloved Apple brand.

In the past week, I've bought a new MacBook, visited the Apple store twice and received a new Mac as a work computer. So I was especially in tune with the brand when the "Green My Apple" campaign from Greenpeace came to my attention. Emotion played an instant role in my impression of this campaign - before sense or logic even entered into the equation. I'm a die-hard Apple brand loyalist. I'm also growing much more passionate about my environment and my role as a greener consumer.

As with most anti-brand campaigns (Note: Greenpeace does not call this a campaign against Apple), one has to search hard for both sides of the story. And as with most anti-brand campaigns, the side that harnesses emotion normally wins. Oftentimes with facts aside. First impressions matter.

First impression scorecard for this campaign:
Big score for Greenpeace in creating a nice parody site, and providing lots and lots of ways consumers can interact should they choose.
Big fumble for Apple, as it's innovative image is marred by its lack of action compared to its much less technologically innovative brand peers.
Spike in the end zone for Greenpeace, which understood its audience (hip, young, creative, viral) better, it seems, than Apple on this issue.

On to another example of brand priority, Starbucks' treatment of Ethiopian farmers. Oxfam launched the "Day of Action" to raise awareness for the 3 cents Ethiopian farmers make on branded "Ethiopian" coffee. Watch this video first.


Starbucks, to its credit, utilized YouTube to post its response.


Now, as a professional communicator, I am impressed with what I imagine is Coffee Team head Dub Hay's ability to read printed cue cards. Nice response. Well written. And, though he takes a page out of "How to be interviewed on camera/always look at the interviewer," he is less than emotional. Kudos for joining the fray, but you're Starbucks! Take a film crew to Ethiopia and show me, don't read to me. Engage me, make me stand next to your spokesperson.

Facts aside (and again, I was impressed by Starbucks response), if you're going with emotion, Oxfam wins.

Two social issues. Both campaigns deal with more than CSR (Apple and Starbucks have admirable CSR/environmental programs). These campaigns deal with Starbucks' and Apple's social priorities. They deal with emotion. Pictures of the affected. Heartstrings. You get the drift.

From a crisis communications standpoint, both brands would benefit from grabbing onto these issues and making the necessary changes or explanation a priority. Both scenarios are great illustrations of a "crisis" where neither brand has yet lost the reputation game. Both are great opportunities for these brands to prioritize their social outreach and in turn, build a relationship with a group of passionate consumers.

Where do the brands you champion stand on social issues? Are they doing the minimum to play the field, or have they prioritized an effort to the point it is ingrained in your overall brand impression? Are you proud to hold that to-go cup or wear that shirt? Have you purchased products to support your own social priorities?

The Four F's of Citizen Marketing...and Monk the Snow Dog

Great stuff on the "Four F's of Citizen Marketing" from the thought-leading brains at the Church of the Customer Blog. Ben and Jackie cite Filters, Fanatic, Facilitators and Firecrackers as the ways to classify user-created sites.

What excites me about the research and results above is the quickness in which the citizen/social media arena is evolving and the necessity to focus efforts to ensure relevancy and appropriate reach. As we continue to dig into the differences within this category, conversations will be better tailored, audiences will be reached in more relevant ways and ultimately, great relationships will be built.


And speaking of relevance, here's something that's probably not at all relevant:

Most know that our fair state-line-bisected city was involved in its first winter storm this week. Many of my friends have asked (as they do each year) whether my dog Monk likes the snow (I think this is the dog-owner equivalent to "how's he sleeping/eating/pooping" baby questions). Anyway. As with all things Monk, he likes the snow as long as I'm with him. Yesterday he spent about an hour plowing snow into his mouth as I shoveled my and my neighbor's driveway. This morning, the neighbor dog was outside waiting for him to run the fence line. They did. And by the time I bribed him away from the fun, he was covered in snow, looking more like a brave Iditarod musher than the co-dependent Labrador I love.

(Monk's favorite thing to do at the dog park) (Tougher dogs...with booties)

Listening to - South San Gabriel, Welcome Convelescence.

Doing the little things differently...and why I'm weird.

I've been sort of obsessed lately. Obsessed with finding different ways to do, represent, create or describe things. Finding not only a new, but relevant path is why clients pay marketers. Whether a designer labors over developing a color palette that sets the client's brand apart at first glance or a PR practitioner delivering new angles and information, the marketing profession lives and dies by the different.

Sure, it's overwhelming at times...the pressure to discover is large and demanded. This is an exciting time for ideas because technology allows almost any pipe dream to be realized. This morning I was on one of my favorite sites for inspiration - Lifehacker - and found the following tools to create messages using letters formed by buildings across the globe or bits of signage/graffiti/art:

Google's GeoGreeting




Spell with Flickr



These are fun to play with, but also represent a launchpad for opportunities to communicate differently. We live in an exciting time. Could my father have imagined sending a greeting pieced together entirely out of satellite images? Did my grandmother think pictures of signs, taken across the globe, could be compiled to form patchwork words? No. How weird would these now-simple opportunities seem to generations past?

The hard part isn't the realization of dreams...it's having the ability to dream.

Speaking of weird...my friend Jenne "tagged" me today, challenging me to answer the following:

List 5 things weird about yourself or your pets.

Well that's pretty darn easy. Here goes.
1) I do not like the Beatles...as in, I'll leave the room if the mop-tops are playing.
2) I love airplane turbulence. Sometimes I laugh when it happens. Also seems like airplane liqour - beer to wine, whatever - tastes better than terrestrial libations. Weird sub-point: for much of my young life I thought Ginger Ale was only served on airplanes.
3) I get sort of freaked out about the ocean. I'm not scared of the ocean. I think the ocean has some sort of role to play in our ecosystem, but I don't want anything to do with it. I especially do not want to be on a cruise ship.
4) I don't drink tap water.
5) I hate chewing gum: seeing people chew it, seeing it chewed, the packaging, chewing it myself, etc. I only chew gum in dire situations, such as just walking out of a Thai restaurant and seeing a beautiful woman with a sign that reads: "Will totally make out with someone named Andy."

My personal hell looks something like this: piped-in Beatles music, force feeding of DoubleMint, while stuck on a boat in the ocean.

Listening to - The Jayhawks, Rainy Day Music

Evening coolness

For your DIY-inclined hands: My buddy Tango's paint chip card holders. After posting a how-to for these great accessories, Josh Spear, Lifehacker, and Craftzine have already picked it up. He nailed del.icio.us' top ten most popular today. Tango and I had a conversation this afternoon on how quickly good things spread...as opposed to the PR-pushed, artificial seeding so many products/people must rely on. Tango's thoughts and goods are a great example of how easily great ideas ignite. Check out his Web site/portfolio.












For your eyes and ears: Lasse Gjertsen's amazing video. His follow up to "Hyperactive." All I can say is wow. And just for fun, play Lasse again, then start playing some Ben Folds (I suggest the intro to "not the same")...the comparison is creepy.

For the tech geek in each of us: I'm working on a project with some folks and tonight we were spread across the country. I couldn't explain how I needed something to look. And void of drawing software on my computer, a scanner or fax machine, I went to GE's Imagination Cubed site and drew my thoughts, sent them on and in minutes we were discussing. I'm going to continue using this as a communication tool. Here's a special note to you, reader.

Listening to - Old 97's, Fight Songs.