Working When Everyone Else Isn't

Ho, Ho, Oh No

When I was in college, far too long ago, there was a Thanksgiving weekend when I didn't have the cash to get home. So I stayed at school for the long weekend, and picked up four straight double-shift days at my work-study hustle job as a security guard. Sixty eight hours billed over four straight days.

I'm not going to mince words; it was terrible, even though the cash saved my holiday season, and I used the time well to catch up on all of my studies, along with an inordinate amount of reading, guitar playing, writing and so on. But there was one side effect that was valuable, in that no Thanksgiving since has been as bad as that. Also, that I was capable of that sort of sacrifice if I had to make it, which gave me a curious sort of pride about my motor, really.

When you work in advertising and marketing, you tend to take your time off at the same time as everyone else -- the week between Christmas and New Years', some time around Labor Day, and if you've got kids, maybe spring break. Which leads to the tendency among many in the field to wrap up the year in mid-December, since most of us have everything all set up well in advance of this time, and finding people who you work with is very hit or miss. Also, you might have a use or lose moment with your time off.

But just because many pros are fortunate enough to have this time, that doesn't mean your audience does -- or that there isn't major hay to make from last-minute adjustments and opportunities, particularly in e-commerce. You also might have contractual obligations to clear business before the end of the calendar year, which means you are doing more than you might want to, given the impact of seasonality on engagement. But if it can't be helped, and you find yourself churning while everyone else is getting their wassail on, a few points to keep in mind.

> Engagement might not be as big of a problem as it used to be. Smartphones make way too many people eternally tethered to their work or (especially) email, which means that the historical drop off might not repeat itself. You might even see a bit of a gain if your competitors close up shop early for the season.

> However, the send might be more harmful than you anticipate. In email marketing, unsubscribes spikes in Q4, because, well, people get too much of it, and take steps to control their intake. True email pros never neglect this metric, of course, but it's easy to disregard it in the face of revenue. Just remember that a spike in unsubs, especially if there isn't a strong corresponding intake of fresh addresses, is a serious problem for long-term growth.

> Don't overpromise. The worst brand moment for an e-commerce company comes when they can't fulfill their promises during the Christmas rush, and marketing and advertising that doesn't take this into account -- or, even worse, actively works to convince the leads that orders will be safely sent when they aren't -- is actively destroying the brand. Most folks in the space know this down cold, but unclear messaging on shipping is just not something many companies can survive, especially in a social media and review site age.

> Cramming rarely saves the season. If you've got a client that needs to change messaging on a daily basis, burns through creative like it's a free resource, and keeps you going 24/7 as if this activity is all that stands between them and a winning year... well, you are in the presence of a terrible managerial situation, and a business that can't survive in the long run. At a brand level, the client is training prospects to buy in low margin. At a business level, the client is keeping you from serving other clients to the best of your ability.

Don't think of it as squeaky wheel gets the grease. More, it's a lack of wheel stopping the entire cart. Oh, and the work's going to stink, too, because this kind of rapid fire force feed creates mistakes, fatigue, and turnover. Push back, if only to save your sanity. (Or get your resume out before everyone else does. That will also save your sanity,)

> Keep your perspective. Even the worst day in Q4 in marketing and advertising is spent (a) indoors, (b) without dealing with hordes of panicky and rude clients, (c) with no greater traffic or commuting problems than usual, and (d) for a salary that would boggle the mind of, say, the poor folks selling Christmas trees or working retail. There are, frankly, many folks in the work force who'd trade gigs with you in a heartbeat. Charity during the season is rarely a mistake.

And if all of that doesn't put a smile on your face, just remember... the holidays will be over soon enough, and then we'll be able to turn the page on a year that many of us consider to be among the worst in recent memory. 2017's got to be better!

* * * * *

Feel free to comment, as well as like or share this column, connect with me on LinkedIn, or email me at davidlmountain at gmail dot com, or hit the RFP boxes at top right. RFPs are always free, and we hope to hear from you soon.

The Next Level In Fake News: Content Attacks

As Seen On Not TV

There's a hard and cruel line in political science, which is that the people get the government they deserve. The concept is that if there's a tyrannical despot, and the people aren't rising up to overthrow, they are enabling it. That if there's corruption and graft, that the people are, on some level, comfortable with it, haven't been socialized or educated away from tolerating the practice, and so on.

It's a fairly cold and inhumane perspective, especially when it comes to moments like a violent overlord that is propped up by foreign action, but it's got the feel of truth about it. If you aren't prepared to commit to political actions to the extent that your opponents are, they will prevail. (A fairly famous quote from a recent symposium at Harvard of "I wouldn't want to win the way you did it" comes to mind.)

We pivot now to marketing and advertising, as we always do, because that's why you read this column.

The recent presidential election, and the continuing investigation by the CIA, is now at a point where it is clear that foreign powers tried to influence the results through the use of fake news stories that were designed to go viral. Whether or not these stories were successful in changing enough hearts and minds to sway the result is going to be open to interpretation; after all, very few people vote for just one reason or point, and it's not as if millions will recant their vote (or have the opportunity to).

But that's not the point.

The bigger issue, to me, is that the actors who just made money with fake news about politics aren't just going to go into hibernation now that they have developed skills and techniques, and where that goes next could have strong implications for our field. This also presumes that interest and traffic about politics eventually goes down, which might be an incorrect assumption. But anyway, let's move on.

I have one more concept to add to this message of worry, and that is towards a creative interpretation of ransomware. Ransomeware, in case you aren't up on your cybercrime, is a type of software that's designed to block access to a computer system until a payoff, usually in untraceable bitcoins. But instead of a program that's downloaded by mistake, fake news ransomware could come in the form of negative viral content about a brand or service, then the ask of the brand owners to pay for the content to get scrapped before social sharing.

If all of this seems a little far-fetched because people aren't going to be read and share a listicle about the top 10 things that experts don't want you to know about (targeted brand or service), well... I've got a pizzeria in Washington DC where the employees might want to have a word with you, in regards to your naivete about how much people will believe.

So what, if anything, can marketing and advertising pros do to try to safeguard against this threat? Much of the optimal practices that you should already have in place, frankly. Content that cross-links to well-established blogs in your space, so that organic search results won't pull up clickbait. Customer service that's so strong that your clients shout down the bad actors, or evangelize for you as part of a grass roots recovery plan after attack. A diversified revenue stream, so that an attack in a single consumer category doesn't imperil the entire business. An active social media program, in multiple channels, that helps get the word out about any issues you are encountering.

There's been a longstanding tendency in marketing and advertising circles, especially on the direct side, to deride the value of a Facebook like, a Twitter re-tweet, a Pinterest pin, and so on. But what you should really be doing is to stop trying to put a hard ROI figure on these activities, and start seeing them as an insurance policy against a content attack.

After all, the reputation -- and business -- that you save will be your own.

* * * * *

Feel free to comment, as well as like or share this column, connect with me on LinkedIn, or email me at davidlmountain at gmail dot com, or hit the RFP boxes at top right. RFPs are always free, and we hope to hear from you soon.

The (Price) Race To Nowhere

Only one place to go

Twenty years ago, in the throes of the Christmas season, I knew what my big gift idea for the year was going to be. I wanted to get the woman who eventually became my wife a high-end leather jacket.

This wasn't the kind of purchase that you'd do over the Internet, especially not in those low bandwidth days. Fortunately, I knew people in New York City who trafficked in high fashion circles, and knew the right places to go. They also knew *how* to shop in such a setting, and prepared me accordingly. So instead of relying on a credit card, on the instructions of my experienced friend, I pulled my cash out of a bank machine, then spent the better part of an afternoon going from shop to shop in Lower Manhattan.

After four or five stops, we finally found what we were looking for, at a price that, to my non-New York eyes, seemed high but fair. It was, after all, a really nice coat. My very sharp friend agreed with the choice, and then approached the shop keeper.

What followed was something out of a play. My friend offered half of the price. The shop keeper looked at her as if she had insulted his ancestors, but she didn't flinch or seem in any way taken aback. He repeated the sticker price, at which point she noted the seasonality, how the coat was more of a fall piece and wasn't likely to move in January, and her original offer. He came down 10%. She went up 10%. He complained about his costs, and talked up the piece. She shrugged and made as if to leave. We got halfway out of the shop before he came down another 10%. She replied with 10% more, final offer. With a frankly uncomfortable amount of venom, he agreed to split the difference for a final 5% less, or 25% off the sticker price, but only if we paid in cash. Which we did, in a transaction that somehow didn't involve sales tax.

The whole experience took about five minutes, saved me a significant chunk of change, and gave me quite an education. From what I learned later about fashion, the shopkeeper probably still made significant profit from the transaction. (The fact that he was willing to risk his margins to avoid paying sales tax also shows that even at 25% off, he might not have paid full price for his goods, either.) But to me, and to anyone who might have witnessed the conversation in what wasn't an empty store, we were all quickly trained to the idea that paying the full price was just a mistake.

Now, let's pivot to the current state of affairs in e-commerce.

There are a myriad number of ways to avoid paying full price online. Comparison shopping among vendors can happen with just a couple of clicks. If you've got the time and inclination, abandoning a cart and seeing what might come your way in a retargeting offer can drive significant coin. Checking coupon sites for codes, or just typing in common keywords before checkout, can pay off handsomely. Using a rewards credit card, buying in bulk, taking advantage of seasonal discounts, bundling purchases to avoid paying for shipping... it's all there for you, and you don't even have to handle cash or haggle.

The challenge this brings to marketing and advertising professionals is considerable. How do you protect your margins while still driving enough revenue to matter? Can you protect your brick and mortar stores while still having a competitive online presence? And when connectivity gets even more ubiquitous, and wifi more widespread, are we all on a race to the bottom?

The answer, as far as I can see it, can only come from protecting the brand through extraordinary value and customer service. My favorite grocery store has exceptional prices across the board and a down-market esthetic that makes me think they'll always cut corners; I don't check their prices or fliers, because life is too short. Instead, I just load up on stuff when I'm there. The company that makes my poker cards just has a better product, so I wait for them to go on sale, or just pay full price if I have to, because there's no substitute. When my wife and I researched our most recent car purchase, we tried over a half dozen models, but wound up fixating on one model in particular... which led to a purchase with less leverage, since the only thing we could do was pit different dealerships against each other.

But if your brand doesn't have exceptional service or value, and there's no way to invent it with your work?

Well, then, you're in the race with way too many other entrants. With the fading hope that new prospects won't find out about all of the ways they can cut your margins...

* * * * *

Feel free to comment, as well as like or share this column, connect with me on LinkedIn, or email me at davidlmountain at gmail dot com, or hit the RFP boxes at top right. RFPs are always free, and we hope to hear from you soon.