BrandingFire Blog

National Trust for Historic Preservation

I found another interesting blog from the folks at the National Trust for Historic Preservation. It’s called Show Me the Money and it’s all about federal grant opportunities that may help out organizations active in historic preservation. It’s a worthy read for any group needing money.

As a side note, the National Trust for Historic Preservation has really embraced blogging as a way to communicate important information to history sites and garner feedback from readers. Their willingness to open up to this process (as opposed to shutting it down and trying to control the conversation) is astounding, inspiring and should be applauded. They are really living their mission to the fullest online and I personally thank them for their leadership in the wired world!

Image via Wikipedia

Over the past two weeks I’ve witnessed two product rollouts (from the consumer side) and learned a lot from them - especially how many things can go wrong. The most unfortunate part of it is that a lot, if not most, of the problems could have been avoided… or at least contained. You may be wondering what this has to do with history. Every day, across the globe, people are rolling out new history books, movies, music and artwork. Historic houses, museum and organizations are rolling out plans for events and products. Maybe these experiences will help you prepare for a more successful rollout.

Firefox is a popular web browser and users across the globe have been anticipating the release of version 3 of the software. Someone came up with the great idea of feeding & building that passionate community. They set a goal to enter the Guinness Book of World Records for the most downloads in a 24 hour period. They declared June 17th as Download Day. A nice website was built that hosted community forums, featured event promoters who were the most active, collected commitments for downloads from hundreds of thousands of people and featured a world map that showed how many people had committed to the download from each country. People around the world were planning download parties and the Spread Firefox site was the central planning place. This was great work on their part and when midnight came and June 16th slid into June 17th, the Firefox world was full of… really ticked off people. And lots of them.

You see, the globe has time zones and while the Download Day folks did announce the time it would start (10am Pacific Time), they didn’t do it very prominently. Most people just saw the date, June 17th, which was featured and promoted heavily. And June 17th in Tokyo, Japan and June 17th in Mountain View, California, USA are not the same. Potential downloaders stayed up till all hours of the night and early morning waiting for the promised Download Day and then trying to figure out what went wrong when it didn’t materialize. To make matters worse, when 10am Central time came, the Firefox download page changed to “Download Firefox 3 Now” buttons. But when you clicked the button, it took you to a page to download the old version of Firefox 2. In fact, this error wasn’t corrected for at least a couple of hours. Downloaders were mad all over again. At last, the problems were ironed out, download links were corrected and more than 8 million downloads of Firefox took place in that 24 hour period. But how many angry people just decided to download the software another day?

The second rollout was Verizon’s introduction of the new LG Dare. It’s a strong contender against Apple’s iPHone (Verizon’s strongest yet) and Verizon customers were already excited about it, even though Verizon didn’t appear to be and kept it hush-hush. In my opinion, Verizon had already made a mistake by not organizing and feeding the growing community of people looking forward to the phone. Despite LG and Verizon being very mum on the subject, photos and reports on the Dare leaked out and each lead ratcheted up the excitement. Verizon could have done a lot to really build this excitement, but they pretty much ignored it, only releasing (as far as I could find) one vague press release about the phone. In fact, it’s on sale date wasn’t even announced until June 25th, the day before the phone went on sale in Verizon’s online store. It won’t be in physical stores until early July. To complicate things, Verizon didn’t even inform their own staff very well about the phone. The answers customers got on when the phone would be released and the price varied wildly from Verizon employee to Verizon employee.

Figuring the online store would add the phone around 12:01 am on June 26th, hundreds, if not thousands, of Verizon customers stayed up hitting refresh on their computers to make sure they got their order in. I was one of those people. 11:30 - refresh (just in case they were early). 12:00 - refresh. 12:01 - refresh. 12:05 - refresh. 12:10 - Refresh! 12:15 - REFRESH!! 12:30 - Argh! It still wasn’t showing up in my phone upgrade options online. I went to a forum dedicated to the LG Dare and, to my horror, I was a post that said the Dare was available online… and had been for nearly an hour! What?!?! I completely logged otu and then back into the store. There it was. I went to the upgrade page and… no Dare. I attempted to call customer service, but they had closed an hour before the phone went online and wouldn’t open again until 6am. (Note that the website doesn’t tell you what time zone. And they have offices across the US.) I tried the online sales consultant, only to receive a terse stock notice that said the live online sales area had closed for the day and I would need to try back tomorrow. About 1:30 am I finally gave up and resolved to call customer service the next day.

The next morning, too early and grumpy from the lack of sleep, I called customer service only to be told that their system hadn’t updated yet and the phone wasn’t actually for sale yet online (despite my having seen it). They told me I would have to try again later or go to a store. (Huh?! A store? This customer service rep told me the phones woud be in store this same day.) Eureka! I decided to just go to my local Verizon store and buy one. Too bad that info was wrong. Good thing I checked before hopping in the car and wasting my lunch hour chasing down the phone. I called customer service again and was told that they were updating their system now and I should be able to buy the phone soon. This was crazy. I then contacted their online live customer service. They told me that they were having technical problems that were preventing exisitng Verizon customers from buying this phone and they hoped to have them resolved soon. How soon? We don’t know. I was so frustrated. This had now been going on for more than 12 hours. As a last desperate attempt, I connected with the online customer service again and got someone else. I asked if they were having technical difficulty with people upgrading their phone online. (I wasn’t sure I believed the story.) I finally got someone with a brain who said, yes, there was a problem. But if I would call telesales, they would process my upgrade order right away, with full online discounts. Thank goodness. Someone was finally implementing a work around solution! I finally got my phone ordered, but I know from online communities that many others were still stymied throughout the day.

So, what is there to learn?

1. Plan for things to go wrong. They will.
2. Pay attention to the details, like time and date. They matter.
3. Communicate with your audience! A lot of the frustration and anger experienced by Firefox and Verizon customers could have been alleviated by posting simple situational updates and solutions.
4. Make sure a problem-solver is around. Verizon closing customer service an hour before the rollout was a really, REALLY bad idea.
5. Find a solution or workaround for the problem as quickly as possible. Verizon should have had the alternative ordering method going within an hour, if not minutes, of the problem coming up. It was a simple workaround until the problem was resolved. If you have a problem, fix it. If you customer has a problem, fix it FAST!

Here’s some intersting data I found by accident. Last week I was perusing one of Google Labs‘ projects, Google Trends. They compile search data from the last 4 1/2 years and reveal trends based on search terms. For instance, you can see trends for the search term “american history”, which is what I did. And after checking a few search terms, I came to realize that american history is taking a hit in the public consciousness - or at least in their searches. Keep in mind that this is in no way a scientific study and public interest in subjects is cyclical. Interests come and go in cycles. But overall, online interest in US history seems to be slipping away.

As a quick side note, the graphs included in this post are from Google Trends. The top blue line reflect the number of searches for a particular term from the beginning of 2004 until today. (The bottom blue line reflects news items reflecting the search term and aren’t really considered in this post.) The letters you see along the top blue line reflect the interest generated by certain online news stories.

Take for instance the search for american history (chart at beginning of post). As with all searches, you’ll see spikes in searches for this term (especially when some news event occured surrounding the subject, but the overall trend is down.

Likewise, here is a search for “United States history”. The trends is remarkably downward!

So, what if you search for specific places or events? Here’s one for Gettysburg.

And Antietam.

How about the Wright Brothers?

So, is the prognosis for history bleak? Not really. As I’ve said, interest in history is often cyclical and frequently spurred on by notable news, entertainment evens (such as Roots, Gettysburg and Cold Mountain). We’re just three years from the sesquicentennial of the Civil War (two if you start with secession in 1860). Furthermore, travel to historic sites is down due to economic woes, but that will turn around. Good historic site marketers should even be able to take advantage of this downturn and fuel pricing woes to lure in local visitors for “backyard vacations” that could save them travel dollars.

What are you doing to gin up interest in your site? Add a comment or drop us a line and tell us about it.

Image via Wikipedia

I wrote in an earlier post that when it comes to marketing, remember that it’s not about you, it’s about your audience. That was driven home for me again today. This evening I went to Best Buy to test out the new iPod Touch (a product which, by the way, really engages its audience). I really, really want one. Here’s the problem I encountered: half of the applications are web-based. In fact, testing the browser was a big part of what I wanted to check out. But Best Buy doesn’t have a wireless network so you can try them out. I sort of understand why they wouldn’t want an open network in the store, but trying out something like the Touch is a big part of the customer experience.

Likewise, my son and I were looking at the video game consoles. There was the XBox 360 which, as far as I could see, only showed demo movies of their games. Next to it was a Playstation 3, with a fun racing game with killer graphics. We had a blast playing that game. If I was seriously in the market for a gaming system, guess which one I would have walked out with?

This reminds me of the times I’ve taken my son to Toys R Us, where they have several cool toys on display… behind Plexiglas. That’s just cruel. It’s also one of the reasons I usually take my son to Main Street Toys here in town. They put the toys out where kids can reach them and play with them. That’s what their audience really wants!

So, are you engaging your audience or are you locking everything up behind glass?

“A person is smart. People are stupid.”
- Agent K, Men in Black

Several years ago, the “wisdom of crowds” became a popular concept. The theory follows the old adage that “two heads are better than one”. Today, the phrase “wisdom of crowds” has fallen out of favor with many people, but the theory is still sound when implemented in the right circumstances and manner. For instance, it works well with reader ratings and reviews on Amazon.com or Travelocity.com. It works well because the feedback informs a user and then they make a final decision themselves.

Where “wisdom of crowds” fails is when it’s utilized as a decision-making tool. Essentially, it was seen as an inclusive way of making decisions. One of the ways it was instituted was to let everyone air their opinions on the matter at hand and then a decision was made in a way that incorporated those opinions and “validated” everyone’s input. The trouble with this “decision by committee” is that it’s a breeding ground for a virus known as Groupthink. Groupthink is a type of thought exhibited by group members who try to minimize conflict and reach consensus without critically testing, analyzing, and evaluating ideas. During Groupthink, members of the group avoid promoting viewpoints outside the comfort zone of consensus thinking.

There is validation in seeking other opinions, from both people experienced in your subject and those who aren’t. Fresh outlooks are great to solicit. But eventually, someONE must make a decision for the process to move forward. Decisions made by multiple people tend to be muddy and lackluster.

A creative director I know recently went through this “design by committee” purgatory. She needed to get a new company logo, business papers and website designed and approved in 8 weeks. A daunting task under any circumstances. But in this case she had to run EVERYTHING through a committee of company executives and every one of them had to have a say about every little item and every change thereafter. The continual nitpicky changes back and forth and lack of a leadership decision frustrated the creative team and nearly broke their relationship with an outside agency they were using. After nearly ending up with ugly, in-distinctive art the creative director finally pushed through something decent by sheer force of will and a bit of subterfuge. However, the silliness of the decision process took seven weeks and obliterated the roll out time line. Everything had to be rescheduled and the executives grumbled that they couldn’t figure out what the delay was.

Decision by committee is a terrible way to get things done. Take other people’s opinions into account, but then task someone with being the decision-maker and get it done. Besides, everyone’s got better things to do with their time than to site in committee meetings.

Do you have an opinion on this? Share it and leave me a comment!

I recently found a cool website called PartnerUp.com. It’s a sort of social networking site for wantrepreneurs and entrepreneurs. You can create a profile with your abilities and experience. You can post business opportunities or browse opportunities from other members. If you’re willing to pony up a subscription fee, you can search other member’s profiles to help you find potential partners who match your specific needs.

But this really brings up the question of partnerships. Two of my mentors really, really don’t like them. They’ve both seen some very ugly business break ups in the past when one or more partners don’t or can’t keep up their part of the workload. It really puts a strain on a partnership when you rake in $5 million in revenue and having to split it 50/50 when one of the partners did 90% of the work. Or if the business struggles when one of you is working your heart out and the other is completely absent. There’s also the challenge of making sure all of the partners share a passion and vision for where the business is going.

On the other hand, there have been some successful partnerships: Hewlett-Packard, Sergei & Larry, Sears, Roebuck & Co. and Peanut Butter & Jelly! In all seriousness though, there have been many successful partnerships. And having more than one person to work on a startup would sure be helpful. The amount of work it takes, no matter if you fail or succeed, is rough and sometimes overwhelming. I think the key to success is to set up a well-defined partnership. One that defines who is responsible for what jobs, what is the definition of successful performance, what happens when someone doesn’t perform, how much everyone owns and a hierarchy of leadership. It’s also important to define how disagreements will be
handled. And all of this needs to be decided before anything else is done in the business.

I think a partnership can work out if it is well structured. That having been said, I haven’t decided yet if I will take on partners for one or more of my endevors. I’ll keep it in mind as an option.

Have you had partnership experience? I’d like to hear about it! Comment on this posting or shoot me an e-mail at darrin-at-brandingfire.com.

If you haven’t read the November/December issue of Civil War Historian, the Attention to Orders column (letter from the editor) is worth a read. Editor (and noted Civil War reenactor) Nicky Hughes sometimes steps aside and lets his wife Susan (equally noted Civil War civilian reenactor write in the space. This issue she writes about the hidden peril facing many historic sites: a lack of money and support. She notes that many of those sites that are in danger of closing look prosperous. She reports on two Baltimore sites and one near Richmond which closed this past Autumn.

Baltimore lost the Baltimore Civil War Museum and Fells Point Maritime Museum. Both were satellite museums run by the Maryland Historical Society. The society was hemorrhaging money and the closures would put the back in the black in about a year.

Flowerdew Hundred is a historic plantation nearly 400 years old. It was also the location of General Ulysses S. Grant’s crossing of the James River in 1864. Turning Flowerdew Hundred into a historic destination was to a great degree the work of lawyer and investment banker David A. Harrison III. But Harrison died in 2002 and the family has decided to stop funneling money into the site. The site cannot support itself financially on its own. The only option left to them was closure.

Susan Hughes says that even with the elevated public awareness historic sites have received in recent years, many of those sites are still struggling. She says it’s time for historic sites to start looking at their destinations with a “business” eye and mindset. Something that is alien and hard for the administrators of many of these site. Yet, Hughes is right. Sites all over the US that don’t have access to unlimited amounts of money are turning things around by using a “business” mindset.

How is the situation with your historic site or group? Are you struggling or are you thriving? If you have issues or would just like some fresh perspective, drop us a line and we’ll be happy to give you some input. In the meantime, keep fighting to tell your story and keep your branding irons hot!

I’d like to know more about you. What are your interests? Who do you admire? Tell me something about yourself. I really want to know.

Are you shy? How about if I break the ice and go first?

My name is Darrin Dickey. I live just outside of Nashville, Tennessee. My main interests are entrepreneurism, marketing and history. I enjoy spending time with my wife and son. I like to travel (some), but don’t get much of a chance to. I like to hang out with people who know more than I do about my interests, so I can learn from them. I admire smart people who are able to keep balance in their lives and still be successful.

See? It’s not so hard. Now it’s your turn. Tell me something about yourself. If you want it to be public, you can comment on this post. If you’d rather you can e-mail me at darrin (at) brandingfire (dot) com. I can also be found at LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook. Come “Friend” me!

Here’s one that definitely needs to be filed under “It’s a Small World”. I recently blogged about how Which Wich feels the love from their customers. In a very cool move, the president and founder of Which Wich, Jeff Sinelli, commented on the post about how they LOVE their customers. He also pointed me to their blog, which I had to check out.

You see, I’ve loved Which Wich since they opened up their local store. I keep two of their sandwich bags on my desk (I know, I’m strange). Once is from one of my first sandwiches there. The other is one with franchise information. I won’t be getting into a franchise anytime soon, but I really love the place and the concept and was enamored to learn more about them. I even read articles on Mr. Sinelli and hoped to meet him some day, to at least say hello and thanks.

My chance may come soon. When I read the Which Wich blog I saw a post about getting a free t-shirt. Since free is my favorite price, they had my attention. I read that someone had set out on an adventure to have all 51 varieties of Which Wich. The shock came when I realized I know the “someone“. Chris and I worked together at the same company for two years.

Here’s the really cool thing: Jeff Sinelli, or someone on his team, apparently has alerts in places like Google so that he’s notified whenever someone writes about Which Wich on the Internet. (Hint: If you’re not doing this, do it TODAY!) That means Mr. Sinelli can find people who are hot for his restaurant and fan that passion into a roaring fire. It also means he can head off customers’ troubles and deal with them immediately… and personally. Mr. Sinelli found out about Chris’s adventure and called Chris to support him in his endevor.

The Which Wich folks have even created this limited edition t-shirt (scarcity = demand) in honor of Chris (love your customers) and have offered them free to customers (love your customer… and collect their contact info). In addition, Jeff Sinelli and some of his team will be traveling to Nashville, TN to have lunch with Chris and 50 of his closest friends (love your customer, event marketing… & good PR) to celebrate. This is all such freakin’ great marketing that I almost can’t stand it. But it’s not normal, everyday, ooh-I-feel-icky, fake marketing. This is passion-for-your-brand, love-your-customers, open-the-lines-of-communication, un-ordinary marketing. I’ll be at that lunch, and I just want to shake Mr. Sinelli’s hand and say, “You and your team are awesome!” And to Chris Thomas I say, “Congrats on being the first one into The 51 Club!”

Now, I ask again, do your customers love you that much? Do you love them that much?

BTW, just found out the shirts are all gone.

I was waiting for my sandwich at Which Wich today and perusing their wall of bag art. If you’re not familiar with the place, Which Wich is a great sandwich restaurant. You order your sandwich by filling out a form on a bag using their red markers (go with it, it’s fun) and you receive your finished sandwich in the same bag. Some people have taken to writing comments and even drawings on the bags (in red marker) and leaving them behind at the restaurant for the staff. Impromptu comment cards, if you will. Some of the drawings are really, really good.

It’s cool that their customers are such big fans that they’re willing to do these comment bags. Are you customers that enthusiastic about your product? Have you ever received feedback in cool or unexpected ways like this? Tell us about it.