The Education Business Blog

One of the annoying parts of running a blog are the spam comments from people who want to surreptitiously sneak a back-link to their site on your blog. Askimet handles most of this automatically (thank you - thank you - thank you) but every day one or two servings of spam get past the filters.

Normally the posts are pretty lame "Great post - please write more...blah blah blah" hoping that your ego gets in front of your ability to see that the website link is "buy-cheap-crap.com."

Today was different. Whoever was at the other end of the intertubes was clearly making an effort to at least amuse themselves. While I won't post the link I will share the content of the comment for your amusement.

This post reminds me of when I was a boy growing up in Louisville. My grandfather used to say "When life give you lemons, make lemonade". But he was a hopeless alcoholic who never made much sense so I never paid much attention to him. Have a great day!

This just goes to show that ANY job, no matter how meaningless and annoying to other people, can be done with panache. We all end up in career cul-de-sacs during our lives - when you are there take heart from this example. The bad job will end one way or another - but self-worth can be wiped out if you let it get to you. Resist!

My hope for the poster is that he/she can find a more productive use of their talents - word problems for on-line math homework helpers perhaps?

Posted by Lee Wilson | Permalink | Email This Post | Comments (1)

Posted In: Bad Marketing , Culture , Meta

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Is it just me or is everyone else sick of getting "wishing you a merry christmas" emails flooding their inboxes?

I know, I know - we're all hella busy and this is the time of year we are supposed to reconnect, so sending an on-line card or email seems like a quick solution.

But it reeks of insincerity. And its spam. So stop - pretty please?

Say what you will about the post office but the physical act of writing something - even your name - and applying a stamp forced people to put some kind of filter on who they sent holiday cards to. Now we are all a wrist flick away from a list of 600 people you "care" about.

If you really care about me stop cluttering my in-box with holiday flavored spam. Just so you know - these emails are kill-on-sight for me - I don't even open them.

Social Media Meets the Holidays

Good social media is personal, sincere, and conversational. These on-line cards don't meet any one of these criteria. It is an old broadcast mentality hijacking the new technology.

Normally the Curmudgeon doesn't make suggestions - he just gripes and the world moves on ignoring the muttering figure in the corner with the askew elf hat and a fistful of cookies.

• Take the same minute you would have to write a physical card and send a personal note to those you truly care about. Ask them a question - start a conversation that will last into the new year. Write from the heart.
• Go on to Facebook and scribble on the walls of your real friends (you know - the ones who would help you move on an hot August Saturday).
• Pick up the phone and call already.

Posted by Lee Wilson | Permalink | Email This Post | Comments (3)

Posted In: Bad Marketing

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If you want to be taken seriously in the age of social media you have to speak authentically or people won't believe you. Your marketing messages are a promise. I've written about delivering on that promise. Today I want to focus on the words.

For the promise to be taken seriously the words you choose are just as important as the message they carry. If you dress it up too much you sound like you are selling - and almost no one is buying that any more.

Being authentic is scary. We have to reveal something of ourselves. We become accountable to others. But in an ocean of hype authentic voices are winning the day (blogs, wikis, Twitter) because people are hungry for genuine human connections.

In the end it comes down to respect. If you respect your customers you talk to them like adults (even when they are kids).

Consider this choice:

Company A - "Our Business Associates drive for extraordinary customer delight and win-win synergistic partnership solutions."

Company B - "When you buy from us we want you to be happy. If you are not, here are three ways you can let us know about it..."

In the education market people fall into this trap when we tie ourselves in knots trying to satisfy every politically correct usage we can think of. A lot of our marketing copy reads like it was written by a committee of committees. Strive for making clear understandable promises in authentic language - and then focus everything you have on fulfilling those promises.

That is the path to success today.

What set me off this time? In the San Antonio Airport this morning a promotional announcement about the Riverwalk made reference to "Tex-Mex Cuisine." Tex-Mex is grub, eats, cocina, hell it is just plain "food." But cuisine? Please don't put tacos and beans in a leotard and white face. Fake words = fake promise.

While we are on the subject of Tex-Mex if you want the real deal visit El Mirador the next time you are in San Antonio. Steve Gatland of MDR swears by their smoky salsa.

And another thing about false promises - to the folks at Boingo Hot Spots [no link for annoying morons] - the forced advertisement we have to see before we pay 10 bucks for your buggy wi-fi is not a "Welcome Screen." You've managed to take an annoying "monetization" of our time and insult us as well.

Idiots.

Posted by Lee Wilson | Permalink | Email This Post | Comments (2)

Posted In: Bad Marketing , Marketing Management

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Another entry in our sporadic series on bad marketing.

This video is hilarious. I love the "my daughter didn't get it" and "we've love it but have some minor tweaks." I've been known to say the latter.

From the target market definition to the creative it skewers slack thinking and over-engineering.

If this is how you manage your marketing - please stop.

http://view.break.com/542649 - Watch more free videos

This is why small companies will do OK in tough economic times - their available resources force them to make tough market driven decisions. The company in this video is anything but market driven.

Posted by Lee Wilson | Permalink | Email This Post | Comments (0)

Posted In: Bad Marketing , Marketing Management

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This video spoofs the phony voice of marketers and advertising. It is "office safe" so don't worry about the volume. Enjoy.

Does your marketing sound like this? You might have been able to get away with this 15 years ago but since social media has allowed people to opt out this kind of insincere over-dramatization you need to be careful.

For education publishers you also need to remember that many teachers teach critical thinking skills - if you are talking down to them they won't react well.

Just like those idiots in the Houston Airport I wrote about last week.

To drive home the point here is another video (props to Microsoft).

It is time to start building an on-line persona for your brand and company that is based on sincerity, honesty, and mutual respect. You can start with the copy on your brochure-ware site - but I strongly encourage you to wade into the world of blogs, Facebook, and We Are Teachers to build a true Socratic Marketing culture.

If you wouldn't say it to someone's face don't say it in your marketing materials.

Posted by Lee Wilson | Permalink | Email This Post | Comments (0)

Posted In: Bad Marketing , Marketing Management

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Bad marketing comes in two flavors. There is poorly executed marketing that no one notices. Then there is insincere, dishonest, and misleading marketing that everyone notices. The first kind is a waste of your money, the second kind gives marketers a bad name.

I've written elsewhere on finding a good target market, selecting a winning brand promise, and engaging in conversational Web 2.0 marketing. If you do those things well you can largely avoid execution error.

Today we focus on an example of the second kind that was so breathtakingly awful I had to backtrack and take a picture of it.

This idiocy was on display outside of a jewelry store in the Houston airport last week. I'm not going to name the store - it would only encourage them. Lets look at what is wrong with this.

First - they actually have a stunningly simple promise - and that is powerful. Everyone likes a deal and if you have been away from home for a week or two a little jewelry would help ease re-entry. Of course one's next thought is that they just jacked up the price on everything by 50% - so as promise it rings of insincerity. This is one step above the rug store in my old New York neighborhood that attracted tourists by "Going Out of Business" for the entire two years I lived there.

Second - they trumpet their insincerity with the "a few exclusions apply" small print at the bottom. They picked a promise they had no intention of actually delivering on - and they are open about that. This is a really bad idea.

Good marketers, sincere marketers, pick promises that the company can live up to. The goal is find something that you can organize the entire business around - even if it doesn't end up as your slogan or in your advertising. McDonalds does affordable family food really well. Wal Mart delivers low prices. Pearson has one of everything you might need in a classroom (or they will buy it soon).

If these weasels really wanted to deliver on this promise here are a couple of things they could do to live up to it.

1. Actually price things at roughly 50% of their competitors - and have display ads the show comparisons to prove it to you.
2. Get rid of the items they are excluding - that way they can eliminate the small print retraction.
3. Have a price guarantee - if you find it at another jewelry store at list price for more they will match whatever half of that is.

I would rewrite the add to say "Lets keep it simple, half off everything. We'll prove it and we guarantee it."

Barring these actions all we have here is the kind of sleazy marketing that gives all marketers a black eye. If they can't live up to this then they should keep looking for another promise that meets an urgent need of their target market. I guarantee there is something else they could do.

My guess is that the lie is so transparent that the campaign isn't even working very well for them. What a waste.

Posted by Lee Wilson | Permalink | Email This Post | Comments (0)

Posted In: Bad Marketing , Marketing Management

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Advertising isn't working as well as it used to. In an age of information overload people are tuning out distractions as a matter of survival.

Here are two visuals to help make this point.

1. It is far more important to be found when someone is looking these days than to be visible when they are just scanning. To visualize this look at the graphic below

When someone is scanning (watching TV, reading a magazine, walking a tradeshow floor) it is relatively easy to fall into their visual field. When they are seeking (googling, reading blogs, using RSS) you have to be right on point for them to see you.

2. Don't believe me - take this 20 second test.

As people adapt to the world of information overload they will scan less and seek more and advertising will become increasingly difficult to justify.

As usual Seth Godin sums it up nicely:

"Media rule of thumb: if people wouldn't miss your ads/content/noise if it went away, you should find somehting else to sell to advertisers. Not because it is ethically wrong to annoy people just because you can, but because in a world with a bazillion channels, people just ignore you if they choose to."

Posted by Lee Wilson | Permalink | Email This Post | Comments (1)

Posted In: Bad Marketing , Marketing Management

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