Blog Assignment 05: Enhancing Customer Experiences Through Social Media

Although once speculated to be a fad by some marketing professionals, it is plain to see that social media’s importance now dominates the marketer’s toolkit.  Today’s most successful companies have bolstered their brand equity – transforming their image, reaching new (or long-lost) consumers, and fostering meaningful partnerships – by incorporating social media into their marketing strategies.  However, it is difficult to meaningfully integrate social media into your marketing strategy.  The majority of attempts fail or become one-off campaigns that fizzle out less than a year later.  The reason for this is simple; marketers who are inexperienced with social media do not understand that Twitter, Facebook, Blogger, et cetera are just the tools, not the strategy.  

As explained in “Groundswell:”

It’s important to understand these technologies, but the technologies are the detail, and it’s tempting to get sucked into the detail…  You might think that understanding those technologies will equip you for the new world.  Wrong.  First, the technologies change rapidly.  And second, the technologies are not the point.  The forces at work are…  With that in mind, here’s the principle for mastering the groundswell: concentrate on the relationships, not the technology.  In the groundswell, relationships are everything.  The way people connect with each other – the community that is created – determines how the power shifts.

From my own personal experiences working at various ad agencies, I cannot begin to explain how frustrating it is to meet with a client who demands you bring them into the world of social media and, when asked why, gives you one of the following reasons:

·       “Everyone else is doing it.”

·       “I heard about it at a conference.”

·       “Our competitors did it and it worked for them!”

·       “My niece tells me I should be on it.”

·       “To cover our asses.”  (My personal favorite.)

Social media techniques are the tactics, not the strategy.  I have seen far too many companies try to reverse-engineer a strategy into a social media tool instead of defining their strategic goals and then investigating which social media techniques can make it better.  By doing this, they are effectively putting the social media tool at the center of the campaign rather than focusing on their relationships with consumers.  I can easily amass 1000 Twitter followers for a client, but how many of these followers really care about the brand?  Wouldn't you rather have 30 followers who actively engage with and are devoted to the brand? 

Social media has become a game of numbers in the marketing world, when it should really be focusing on quality of connections.  And, apparently, this is an issue of great concern to many agency employees.  During a recent interview, I was asked if I believe that social media is necessary for every client.  “Only if they have a damn good reason that I, as the consumer, am going to care about.”  The trick for companies that want to successfully implement social media into their marketing strategies is to find creative ways to translate their old-media relationships with consumers into the world of social media in ways that foster a community.

As an example, Kraft Foods is doing an amazing job of this.  They recognized that their consumers already have a strong relationship with the brand.  Even before the advent of social media, people were looking on boxes of Philadelphia Cream Cheese and Shake N’ Bake for recipe ideas.   

Kraft’s social media strategy – not a one-off campaign – focuses on consumer relationships by using the following tools:

·       My Recipe Box:  This section on KraftFoods.com is an answer to consumers’ needs for a simple way to find and organize recipes.  Consumers browse the website – whether by recipes that interest them, products that they have on hand, or products they intend to buy – and save the recipes to their personal recipe box.  The consumer is then given the option of exporting the specific contents of those recipes to a shopping list.  The shopping list can furthermore be organized by category to avoid repeat trips to the grocery store.  (“I forgot the ketchup!”) Not only does this benefit the consumer, but Kraft can also use the data to research which recipes are popular, what products should be featured more often, and even how products should be distributed geographically. 

·       iFood Assistant Application: In conjunction with “My Recipe Box,” Kraft also developed an iPhone application that allows users to search for new recipes when not near the computer and – even better – to access their personal recipe ox or shopping list created on the site from a remote location.  The application, which comes with the basic $0.99 price tag, grants customers access to more than 7,000 Kraft-tested recipes, nearby store recommendations, video demonstrations, and content sections that are updated daily.  Instead of simply creating an iPhone application because “everyone else is doing it,” Kraft has created a practical tool that aids in the shopping experience and is likely to be used and reused by its consumers. 

·       Kraft’s YouTube Channel: To engage consumers, Kraft’s site also features quick 2-3 minute tutorials on cooking techniques that coincide with the recipes.  The same videos are hosted on their YouTube channel, KraftCookingSchool.  This channel also pulls in user-generated content videos form Kraft’s sizable fan base of over 2,500 subscribers.  By feature user-generated content, Kraft is giving its consumer a voice in the community and giving them the opportunity to interact, rather than simply talking at them.

Blog Post 04: Walmart - It Can't Be All Bad

NB: I have a strange relationship with Walmart.  For ethical reasons, I boycotted them for eight years.  As I have come to understand their business model and marketing strategies, I have a greater appreciation for the challenges they face.  As a result, I now shop there fairly regularly and often use their stores to conduct informal consumer observations.  I believe they are the public's scapegoat for everything that is wrong in consumer culture, yet, despite these accusations, people continue to shop there.  While I defend them here, this does not mean I necessarily like them as a company or agree with their practices as a whole.  

Given the enormous amounts of data that Walmart captures, do you think that have been successful at converting them into an experience that serves as a competitive advantage for them?

When the majority of people think of “experience,” their minds usually jump to some deeply sensorial environment with free samples and personalized recommendations where the salesperson knows not just their name but also that of their family members. 

Walmart is not that.  Walmart does not give free samples.  Walmart does not allow product demonstrations.  Their employees are notorious for not knowing where things are (Suddenly this RFID technology doesn’t sounds so bad, does it?) and more than half the time their greeter stays slouched on his stool, staring at something behind you with his baggy, yellow eyes. 

The closest thing Walmart has done to providing a sensory experience was in the fall of 2008, when Walmart stores underwent an impressive cosmetic transformation that we can only assume cost the company at least millions (exact figures were never released).  They “softened” the warehouse look by adding a more modern color palette to their signage; they stopped keeping their back stock on the store floor and moved it to the back rooms; they changed the punctuations of their name from “WAL-MART” to “Walmart;” they changed their logo appeal more to feminine tastes.

What Walmart does do, however, they do better than anyone else.  They take great pains in being the most dependable retailer by keeping an always-replenished variety of items in stock for the lowest possible price.  And they do this thanks to the information they gather about the items you buy, not who you are.  

Of course this has become a huge competitive advantage for them.  Why else do you think other retailers and suppliers would give their firstborns to have a peek at their data?  Here’s a fun thought: all the market information marketing practitioners rely on does not include Walmart’s data and for that reason is not nearly half as accurate as it could be.

As a personal example of how Walmart uses their consumer data, my family lives in Corpus Christi, Texas where Hispanics make up 59.6% of the population.  If you were Walmart and you saw that your customers buy baskets full of tortillas, Goya beans, chorizo, horchata, and the latest Shakira CD, you’re obviously going to want to invest more in Hispanic products.  As a result, consumers are more likely to shop at Walmart because Walmart was savvy enough to invest in stocking specialty items.  Other companies, such as HEB and Target have been slower at realizing these trends because their data collection is not as streamlined and advanced. 

In short, Walmart has successfully used the vast amounts of data they collect about what consumers buy, when, and how to bring forth a variety of benefits to the consumer:

• Item availability: maintaining brand dependability - both for Walmart and the supplier - by ensuring that items are well-stocked
• Item variety: offering items and choices that are relevant to the consumers
• Demand forecasting: predicting when certain products will see a spike or decline in sales and increasing or decreasing supply correspondingly
• Alleviation of store traffic: making more cashiers, salespeople, and managers available during peak hours as well as reorganizing the store layout for better shopping "flow"
• Procurement of better suppliers: responding to consumer demands for quality by introducing brand names (such as Martha Stewart Living)

These all sounds like things that, as a consumer, I appreciate and for which I am willing to “pay” my shopping information. 

What do you think about the privacy issues associated with all of that data and the amount of personally identifiable data that they are able to capture?  Does it bother you?  Do you trust them with it?

Walmart’s ability to capture my personal information does not really bother me.  Because of technology, personally identifiable information is so easy to get a hold of.  Even so, Linda M. Dillman, Walmart’s chief information officer, explains that it is not necessary for Walmart to squeeze data from credit cards to learn about consumer buying habits.  “We can do that without the credit card information.  We can look at what’s happening in the market, and look at what’s happening in other markets that are similar.” 

Consumer advocacy groups are quick to sound the alarm.  “People don’t know that Walmart is capturing information about who they are and what they bought, but they are also capable of capturing a huge amount of outside information about them that have nothing to do with grocery purchases.  They can find out your mortgage amounts, your court dates, your driving record, your creditworthiness,” says Katherine Albrecht of Caspian.  My main issue with these statements is that these groups never say what can be done with this information.  I, for one, cannot think of a single thing Walmart can do with my court dates. 

From a business perspective, Walmart’s main concern is the products it sells, not the people to whom it sells them.  This is mainly due to the fact that too many different kinds of consumers shop at Walmart; targeting specific consumers would be an inefficient business strategy on such a large scale.

I firmly believe that people fear Walmart because it is the largest, most visible collector of consumer data not because they actually know what Walmart does with that data.  With 3,600 stores in the US alone and roughly 100 million customers each week, Walmart amasses more information about its products and shoppers than anyone else.

But here’s the real kicker: Everyone is collecting your data.  Everywhere.  All of the time.  Whether you buy something or not.

That’s right, even if you chicken out and don’t buy those Twisted Pleasure condoms with your credit card there was a camera watching the way you move about the aisles, measuring how long you stared at the display, how long you considered your options, how you reacted when people passed by.  (Why else do you think Walmart knows to stock them in the back, left corner of their stores?  Because no one goes there.)

This by no means makes it “right.”  But I think it is silly to expect Walmart not to when all other retailers are doing the same. 

Some critics argue that Walmart should simply collect its consumer data like most other mass merchandisers do, with loyalty programs.  I cannot stress this enough: Walmart does not participate in loyalty programs or discounts because that would undermine their business strategy.  Walmart cannot claim to be the leader in the everyday-low-price business and then turn around and offer discounts on what is supposedly already the lowest price. Even if Walmart were to use a loyalty program to track consumer purchases, the information would not be as generalizable.  And, more importantly, they would be accused of data mining their “most valued” customers.

These points aside, I do not trust Walmart with my information.  That is, I would of course rather they not have my personal information – my shopping history they can keep, I see it as an implicit price I pay for shopping there – but they do and I would not be surprised that they use it.  What I do trust is Walmart’s desire to stay ahead of its competitors (some people like to call this greed but I think we all prefer winning over losing).  They are not going to sell that information, at least not while it is still a valuable competitive edge. 

What impact do you think they are having on their suppliers?  Making them better and more efficient, or driving them too hard and reducing their profitability? 

Bruce Hudson of the Meta Group put it very succinctly when he said, “Walmart lives in a world of supply and command, instead of a world of supply and demand.”  I won’t deny that Walmart pushes their suppliers to their limits – so much so that the ethics of production are often questionable (a whole other topic on its own) – but I think this question presents two situations that are not mutually exclusive.

Suppliers are faced with the problem that, if they are not in Walmart, they are invisible (or, at best, a niche product).  Walmart presents a “big break” for companies who want to sell their products on a larger scale but with this access to millions of consumers comes a price. 

Walmart does indeed make its suppliers more efficient and better at meeting consumer demands.  Although they are tough in their negotiations, Walmart uses its advanced data-gathering technology to give suppliers sales numbers they need to maintain an efficient supply chain.  (Never mind that these suppliers can use this same data as predictors for performance in other markets as well.)  However, this exchange of information means that Walmart has the leverage to demand that suppliers keep up with technology. 

The most recent topic of contention is Walmart’s RFID initiative.  Walmart wants to implement RFID technology in its products but is passing that responsibility over to its suppliers.  That is, suppliers are in charge of tagging each individual product with these $0.07 labels, which in turn, increases costs for the suppliers but Walmart is not willing to raise prices.  In this sense, Walmart must be careful in how it chooses to pass savings along to its customers, lest suppliers begin taking drastic measures to ensure their bottom line. 

However, the fact remains that it behooves suppliers to keep up with Walmart’s demands.  RFID technology allows Walmart to alert its suppliers of when inventories are running low or predicting when there will be an increase in demand.  Were Walmart not to do this, there would be a loss of selling opportunities that result in less money for the retail chain, suppliers, and manufacturers.  And, of course, in the world of business, more money is better than less money.

As Walmart shifts to scan-based technology, whereby the manufacturers “own” the inventory until it is sold, suppliers will see a greater benefit to RFID technology.  They will become more interested in loss prevention, keeping inventories well-stocked, how long items sit on the shelf, and tracking what sells and what does not.  

In short, perhaps it is not a matter of how profitable it is for a company to be in Walmart but rather an issue of how unprofitable it is to not be.  By choosing not to do business with Walmart, companies risk losing a competitive edge, access to millions of consumers, and increasing product exposure (among many other things).  Profitability only measures dollar amounts but there are intangible benefits to being in Walmart.  Companies know this and, despite their protests and frustrations, continue to begrudgingly acquiesce to the retail giant's demands. 

Blog Assignment 03: Hidden Potential

A few weeks ago during a bi-monthly Walmart stockpile, I was walking down the cereal aisle trying to commit to the one flavor of cereal I would be seeing exclusively for the next two months.  You see, I live alone and cereal boxes are, for lack of a better descriptor, huge.  In the last decade or so, cereal boxes have exploded in size in an attempt to feed the increasingly hungry average American family.

My process is a bit obsessive: I first do a quick walk-through of the aisle, my eyes grazing over the selection in the hopes that something will jump out and my subconscious will make the difficult decision for me.  Usually, this fails and I have to walk down the aisle once more and actually devote thought to my selection.  This last time, however, was different.  As I looked high up on the very top of the shelf (the point at which, if you are as short as I am, the fluorescent lights almost blind you like so many artificial suns) two newcomers to the cereal aisle caught my eye.

The first was this:

Malt-O-Meal, the company known – or rather, unknown – for producing cheap facsimiles of popular cereals (example: Honey Nut Cheerios become Honey Nut Scooters) and selling them in large, dog-food sized resealable plastic bags, had decided to start selling their knock-offs in boxes.  What struck me is that they explicitly stated the purpose of their new packaging to the consumer on the back of the box (shown above). 

“Malt-O-Meal brand cereal (the cereal in the bag) is hiding out inside this small box.

Maybe now, box cereal lovers might finally give Malt-O-Meal a try.”

While the wisdom of telling your consumers your marketing strategy outright can be debated, the underlying customer insight is spot on.  That box went straight into my cart for three reasons.  First, it was by far cheaper than buying Honey Nut Cheerios.  Secondly, the box was only six ounces rather than the traditional 12-ounce behemoth. 

Lastly, and more importantly, is that Malt-O-Meal is banking on how packaging affects consumers’ perceptions of quality.  From personal opinion, I would never buy a cereal that is sold in a bag for my own personal consumption.  (Which completely flies in the face of logic since all cereals are kept in a bag and the box is simply for show.)  The moment Malt-O-Meal decided to package their cereals in boxes rather than bags they were making a bet that it would active consumers’ preconditioned notions of cereal quality.  After all, the quality of ingredients remains the same; it is merely the package that is being transformed and that seems to be enough to increase trial and (inevitably) sales. 

I am very interested in how companies can use consumer insights to enact positive changes in the marketplace; of particular interest to me are the purchases made in the supermarket since they are those most often made on the part of the consumer.  A shift in packaging seems like such a simple change.  But the more I thought about it the more I began to ask myself what other hidden potential lies in the packaging of consumer goods and how can these changes impact the market?  How can companies that rank lower on consumers’ perceptions of quality use packaging as an advantage?  And more importantly, what opportunities lie for companies to positively change the way we consume without sacrificing their net sales?  

Which brings me second item I found in the cereal aisle that day:

Cap’N Crunch, a company with a much more salient brand name than Malt-O-Meal, is following suit with their packaging but for a different reason entirely.  Consumer perceptions of Cap’N Crunch’s quality are already fairly established but by marketing smaller boxes and selling them at a lower price point, they are capturing consumers (such as myself) who do not feel the need to buy traditionally larger boxes of cereal.  This specific box, for example, only contains 5.5 ounces of cereal and retails for exactly $1.00. 

The hidden potential of packaging is not limited just to cereals.  Other examples of this strategy easily available at the supermarket include:

·       Single-serve sized bags of Orville Redenbacher microwaveable popcorn

·       Half-cans of Coca-Cola sold in four-packs

·       Green Giant Just for One 40 calorie servings of frozen vegetables

·       Häagen-Dazs single serve ice cream cups

What caught my attention more about this box is what it claims at the top: 6 servings.  What immediately popped into my mind is how, by selling products in smaller packages, companies can impact the amount of food consumers are eating and wasting.  A great amount of research has been conducted that indicates that people use external cues to determine how much food to consume.  Brian Wansink’s book Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think explores this topic and outlines his famous soup bowl experiment (“Bottomless Bowls: Why Visual Cues of Portion Size May Influence Intake,” Obesity Research 13:1 (January 2005): 93-100).  In the experiment the control group was ladled bowls of soup by a waiter while the experimental group ate from a bowl that (unknown to them) refilled itself through a hose mechanism under the table.  Those who could estimate how much they ate from external cues (the ladled bowls) ate an average of eight ounces of soup; however, this that could not estimate (refilling bowls) ate twice as much – an average of 16 ounces of soup. 

It therefore stands to reason that perhaps by buying food in smaller packages consumers can be influenced to eat less based on contextual cues of how much is available for their consumption.  This would ideally lead to healthier diets, less food waste, and an increase in welfare (money saved at the supermarket). 

However, smaller packaging is not without its faults.  The practice of smaller packaging has traditionally fallen into two camps of reasoning.  The first, as discussed above, is that companies see a need to package their products in smaller sizes to appeal to single-person households (whether for dietary purposes or for practicality of quantity). 

The second, more common, reason is to control for the rising costs of ingredients.  Rather than increase prices outright, some companies chose to decrease the amount sold per unit to reflect rising costs, a practice referred to as a weight-out strategy.  (This strategy, however, is not the same as a company purposely designing a new, smaller package for its product and introducing it as such, an important distinction to make when launching new products.)  While the average consumer rarely notices these changes on their own, they are quick to protest when they are reported on by the media.  An article from the Huffington Post (“Smaller Packaging Equals Hidden Eco Costs,” Huffington Post (June 17, 2008)) explains that smaller packaging invariably passes price increases along to the consumer by forcing them to pay the same amount for less product.  Furthermore, smaller packaging means more inventory, which means more packaging, which comes with hidden eco-costs. 

If done correctly, the hidden potential of packaging can enact real, positive change in the supermarket.  Companies, not just in packaged foods but also in beauty products and household goods, may begin to rethink their product lines in terms of size rather than just flavors.  My paper will focus on exploring these opportunities and developing a set of best practices for companies willing to develop smaller packaging.  Topics covered in my paper will include:

·       How packaging affects consumer perceptions of product quality

·       How the economics of smaller packaging can benefit both the company and the consumer

·       How companies can offset the eco-costs of smaller packaging

·       How smaller packaging can have dietary benefits to consumers 

Blog Assignment 02: Customer Experiences

I’ve known Andrew for twelve years.  He has been an unequaled best friend, confidante, and – sometimes – partner in petty misdemeanors.  He’s someone who is an exception to the revolving door of people in my life.  I know will always be there for me and, on the fourth of September last year, he turned twenty-four. 

During the summer, while he was away interning in Dakar, he sublet the cozy room of his Boston duplex to a woman who turned out to be as considerate as a prison guard and as destructive as a category three hurricane.  She ripped his prized maps, cracked his printer screen, and dented his brand-new furniture.  But worst of all, she neglected to water his bamboo after agreeing to do so. 

Now, to understand the severity of this transgression you need to know that Andrew is a no-frills, utilitarian kind of guy.  Every object in his room has a function and a purpose – a reason for being there.  You would never gift him stuffed animals or snow globes.  As if mourning a loved one, the loss of the single decorative element in his room sent him straight through the Five Stages of Grief.  He was uncharacteristically dejected as he sighed into the phone, “You know, Natalie, this is why I can’t have nice things.” 

I listened, feigning disinterest, as I made my plan to have a lovely new bamboo arrangement sent to him on his upcoming birthday.  I had worked with Teleflora before and knew they took great pride in their Find-A-Florist business model whereby they call local florists to take care of deliveries, ensuring that the flowers arrive fresh and on time.  I got on their website and selected a masculine, yet elegant, arrangement of four tall bamboo stalks nestled in a bed of soft vibrant peat moss and adorned with smooth, polished black rocks, all planted in a shallow pewter dish.  It was beautiful.  It was dignified.  It was the kind of gift that lets someone know how much they mean to you. 

I have received flowers before and I still maintain that the flower delivery business is not about the flowers themselves.  I don’t care if it’s twelve long-stem roses in a Swarovski vase or a fistful of wild daisies tied with twine.  What you are really paying for when you order flower delivery is the joy of surprising your loved one, the chance to brighten their day with the unexpected.  No one really calls ahead to let the recipient know that, “Hey, uh, on Tuesday sometime between 2:00-4:00 a florist is going to stop by your duplex and deliver your birthday present.”  No one.  …Right?

The bamboo was promised to be delivered by the third.  September 4^th rolls around and I call Andrew to wish him a happy birthday and ask him how his day had been.  As the conversation closed, he still hadn’t mentioned that he received the gift.  Odd, I thought, given Teleflora’s commitment to punctual delivery but I decided to give them another day. 

September 5^th: Not a word from both Andrew (who is likely nursing an André-induced hangover) or from Teleflora.  

September 6^th: Labor Day so no deliveries by Teleflora.  Interestingly, Teleflora seems to apply this liberty to other days of the week at their discretion. 

September 7^th: The local Boston florist calls me personally to explain that they have not been able to deliver because no one is at the residence.  I explain that that cannot be possible.  “I know the recipient has been home all day.”  Still, they promise to try again the next day.

[Note: at this point I am getting a bit upset that Teleflora has abandoned their role as the middle-man.  The local florist is supposed to coordinate with Teleflora, not with me.  If I wanted to deal with the local florist I would have just ordered directly from them, and bypassed Teleflora entirely.]

September 8^th: Andrew calls me early in the afternoon to ask me about a phone call he had received saying that some flower company wanted to know when he would be home and that they had mentioned I had something to do with it.  At this point, the surprise is dead and I admit to him that I had ordered him a birthday gift and that they will finally be bringing it to his home that day.  He agrees to reorganize his schedule to wait for the delivery. 

Two days after Andrew finally received the gift, the local florist called me again to see when they could come deliver.  The ridiculousness of this phone call just blew me away.  How can they not know that the arrangement had already been delivered?  It seemed almost comical to me, like an amateur Abbott and Costello routine:

“It’s already been delivered.”

“Who delivered it?”

“I don’t know who.”

“Well, I don’t know who either so how do you know it was delivered?”

And then I received the same phone call from the Teleflora representative.  After explaining to her that the delivery had already been made (which made me wonder who keeps track of the deliveries then), I told her, calmly, that I was really dissatisfied with the service and that I felt Teleflora was at fault.  To be clear: I’m not the kind of consumer terrorist who flies into a rage in an attempt to score free stuff whenever something goes wrong.  But, damn it, I paid good money for what I had been made to believe was a premium service.  I wanted them to apologize at least and refund the substantial service fee. 

“Yes, that was quite a little mix-up we had.”  And then she laughed.  She.  Laughed.

“I don’t think your ineptitude is funny.”  Silence. 

And then, “Well, I can give you a 10% discount off of your next order with us.”

“I can assure you, ma’am, that there won’t be a next order.”

Although my experience with Teleflora is obviously a negative one, the importance of Strategic Experiential Models (SEMs) still applies.

Sense marketing appeals to the senses with the objective of creating sensory experiences through sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell.  Flowers are naturally a sensory experience.  They’re beautiful to look at on their own and much more so when they are tastefully arranged.  Teleflora’s website presents them on a clean white background with a powerful zoom option.  Looking at the bamboo, I could imagine running my fingers lightly over the soft moss and then picking one of the smooth, cool stones and rolling it back and forth in the palm of my hands.  The arrangement was visually arresting as well, the tall, sharp lines of the bamboo contrasting with the delicate curvature of the vase.  The prospect of buying the product excited me and I wasn’t even going to be the one to experience it post-purchase.   

Feel marketing appeals to consumers’ inner feelings and emotions, with the objective of creating affective experiences that range from mildly positive… to strong emotions of joy and pride.  Giving a gift makes us feel good.  Surprising someone with something you know is missing from their life is even better.  Teleflora was supposed to be my partner in the surprise.  They were supposed to help me create that moment of happiness and accomplishment.  To put it simply: “Your bamboo died and for your birthday I wanted to surprise you and make you happy so got you a new one and Teleflora helped me make it happen.”  Instead Teleflora compromised my surprise.  They ruined it and, worse, they didn’t even seem to care.  Teleflora is that friend you don’t tell about the surprise party because you know she can’t keep a secret. 

Think marketing appeals to the intellect with the objective of creating cognitive, problem-solving experiences that engage customers creatively.  The purpose of my purchase from Teleflora was to solve the problem of Andrew’s withered bamboo as well as to celebrate his birthday.  The gift would have “killed two birds with one stone” by fulfilling both needs for me.  However, what would have been a problem-solving situation became a problem in itself.  It was as if Teleflora created these miscommunications and left me to deal with all three parties: Teleflora, the local florist, and Andrew.  Furthermore, Teleflora’s lack of control over the situation and their inability to keep track of deliveries leads me to believe that the are likely to create more problems than to solve them.

Act marketing aims to affect bodily experiences, lifestyles, and interactions.  Flower delivery often has a romantic connotation, especially when between a man and a woman.  Indeed when I have told others about this experience with Teleflora, I’ve been asked if Andrew and I are “just friends.”  I often assume these people have never ordered flowers for someone else.  A quick visit to the Teleflora website and you can see how flowery delivery breaks down into so many occasions and interactions, from “Get Well Soon” to “New Baby” to “Just Because.”  This seems to serve as a reassurance; it says that this interaction between the sender and receiver is acceptable and will be appreciated.  For me, just the fact that the bamboo arrangement as a product existed seemed to imply that “No, it wouldn’t be overstepping the line if you to buy this for your friend.” 

Relate marketing expands beyond the individual’s personal, private feelings, thus adding to “individual experiences” and relating the individual to his or her ideal self, other people, and cultures.  My ideal self is a considerate friend who listens and tries her best to make others happy.  Teleflora failed me on this count especially because Andrew had to reorganize his busy schedule to make time for the florist to come deliver.  Something that was intended to be a pleasant deviation from the ordinary routine of his day became an inconvenience, an obtrusion.  It made me feel guilty for taking away from his time.  Teleflora also failed to relate to me through its people, an extremely important experience provider in the service industry.  Not only was the local florist as confused as I was but the Teleflora representative was unapologetic and seemed to not give my concerns the weight I thought they deserved.  Indeed, what most infuriated me was the Teleflora representative's audacious assumption that I would continue to buy from Teleflora despite such a pathetic service failure.  

Epilogue: Weeks later, I checked the Yahoo! email account I reserve for online purchases.  I never received the 10% discount off of my next order.

Blog Assignment 01: Empathy Map

What do you think and feel?

What really matters to me is achieving and maintaining what I perceive to be balance.  As metaphysical as it sounds, for the past year or so, I have become much more aware of the daily balancing act that goes on in my head.  I love eating, but I fear mass-produced foods.  I want to be involved in my family members’ lives, but I don’t want to make their problems mine anymore.  I want professional success but I want to foster my social and personal lives. 

Right now, I am engrossed with being a student.  To be clear, the actual classes and homework don’t take up very much time but I have always felt that being truly knowledgeable is about how much you are able to teach yourself – and that pursuit is what really takes up time.  Graduate school was a last-minute decision for me.  Before graduating from my undergrad I thought I had it all planned out but I suppose that goes to show that you never know how things are going to change – even if just in the immediate future.  However, so far I am really enjoying graduate school a lot more than my undergrad years.  I feel freer to explore my interests and to express my opinions. 

Another major preoccupation for me is finally getting to enjoy the social life I have hitherto neglected.  When I was younger, there were other things that took priority over socializing but now I feel like I have finally figured out how to balance my responsibilities with my leisure time.  In the past semester I have met a lot of interesting people and made some really great friends along the way.  No one usually believes me, but I really do enjoy spending time with others and getting to know new people.  I put a lot of importance on spending time with the people in my life and sharing their great company. 

I’m really excited about finding a job.  I think I have been mentally prepared for it since my sophomore year in college; it’s just my experience and credibility that have needed to catch up.  I aspire to eventually settle into a job that I really truly enjoy and that makes a tangible difference in people’s lives.  I know that sounds a little vague but I don’t want to pigeonhole myself into one specific thing.  For a long time, I thought I would work as an account planner at a prestigious advertising agency but now I am looking into international marketing consultancy.  There are three big things I want in a job: fulfillment, travel, and money (but more on that later). 

Sometimes, I worry I am taking too long to get things started (and then I realize I’m just 23 years old so that’s ok).  I worry I don’t do enough for my health.  I worry I’ll become a crazed career woman who, as my best friend Celeste put it, “will miss her first child’s birth because she was busy sending a blast e-mail on her corporate Blackberry.”  I worry that as an adult I won’t have time for the things I really care about.  I worry my cynicism will win out and I’ll stop believing that we can ever really understand each other. 

What do you see?

I see people I know getting engaged, married, pregnant, and divorced (not necessarily in that order).  I see my own family dispersing and my friends moving away.  I see my parents become theirs.  I see myself becoming my parents.  I see need and excess in the same places.  I see us getting fatter and dumber and more entitled.  I see that blatant discrimination has become refined into a subtle, deleterious agenda.  I see people throwing plastic bottles away when there is a recycling bin right next to the trashcan and then throwing used tissues away in the recycling bin.  I see this city and for the first time in 5 years I think I am starting to love it. 

I see that my friends are facing a lot of the same uncertainties as I do.  I see that they are all intelligent, capable people who lead fascinating normal lives.  I see their enthusiasm to make themselves known. 

I see the market offers me 27 different flavors of Jell-O.  I don’t blame the market for making people materialistic because I see that the market really does try to give people what they want.  But people for the most part don’t know what they want.  I see that the market is getting better in a lot of ways.  I see that the market tries to enact social change.  I see that the market is everyone’s favorite scapegoat. 

What do you say and do?

I asked people who know me about this one – call it secondary research – and got a mixed bag of answers.  What I say and do really depend on the context or the situation.  I have always felt that the way I express my personality is fairly mutable.  I’ll never hear anyone say, “That is so Natalie!”  It also doesn’t help that I like to try on different personalities for my own personal amusement. 

In public I am usually reserved and friendly.  I am polite but not overly so.  I try to make people feel comfortable so I tweak the way I express myself quite a bit.  I have problems with eye contact.  I cross my arms too much.  I love talking, especially with my hands, and am rarely shy.  I walk with purpose.  I greet salespeople and thank waiters.  I treat everyone with respect always.  I’m nice to people until they prove to me that they don’t deserve it.  I’d rather hear what people have to say than talk about myself.  I hold doors open for people.  I buy rounds.

I hate feeling dirty or messy.  Showers wake me up so until I have had mine I feel like my day has not started.  I like being well groomed.  I get my nails done.  I’m always neatly dressed.  I love fashion and shopping for clothes but I don’t read fashion magazines because I believe they serve to bring down your self-esteem by making you want what you can’t have.  I have a penchant for solids but I am trying to get more prints in my wardrobe.  I’ve been told I dress “French.”  I rarely wear heels and I just started wearing make up last year. 

I run, swim, do yoga, hike, camp, and play.  I go to art museums but always skip the American and Egyptian wings.  I observe people; my most recent endeavor is figuring out if and why we think Laundromats are sexy.  I sing when I am alone, even if I don’t know the language.  I keep a Twitter feed of things people say that I find interesting or just clever.  I get out of my comfort zone on a daily basis and will try anything at least once.  I sponsor a little girl in the Philippines.  I advocate jelly multivitamins.  I spend hours at bookstores.  I say a lot of half-truths, self-deprecating remarks, and blunt observations.  I never say things to purposely hurt others.  I make 25 New Year’s resolutions each year and usually keep about ten of them. 

What do you hear?

I hear my friends’ worries about the future.  I hear their hopes and wishes and I want so badly for them to understand that they are all within their grasp.  I hear them reminisce about good times we have had together and plan for more memories.  I hear them make references to 90s pop culture that I’ll never quite understand.  I hear them talk about this new whatever they bought and how much they love or hate it. 

I hear my bosses complain about employees’ lack of good writing skills and motivation.  I hear them trying to make sense about how fast things are changing.  I hear them negotiate with the client then mute the conference call and let loose a string of expletives.  I hear them use a lot of marketing buzzwords like “synergy,” “core competencies,” and “touching base.”  I hear them ask me to teach them what I am learning.  I hear them say, “We’re sad to see you go; come back after graduation.” 

I don’t hear influencers.  I am an influencer.  I'm constantly buying and trying new products.  On any one given shopping trip I buy at least three new items to the market.  I'm the type who tells my mom she should buy Eggland's Best eggs because they taste better and she will because she knows I know what I am talking about.  I let people know what I think about that new movie or that one book and I tell them if I think they would like it or if they should pass on it.  I consider myself pretty good at approximating what people I know will like and what they won't.  

What are your pain points?

I don’t have a great many number of fears.  I don’t fear making mistakes or even failure.  I suppose my greatest fear is finding out that what I have heard all my life – “It’s never too late to change” – is a huge lie.  I fear being in a position where I have convinced myself that it is too late to change and that things will remain the same.

My greatest frustration is my lack of passion.  I know so many people who are dedicated to one or two things that they are absolutely passionate about.  My friend Bryan, for example, is passionate about heavy metal and MMA; these two things fulfill him and take up the inner orbits of his life.  I guess I am secretly envious of people like that; they make it look so simple to be utterly consumed by one specific thing, as if it were effortless.  And I suppose it should be.  I, on the other hand, am interested in so many things but passionate about very few.  And those things that I am passionate about I dedicate little time to so then I can only deduce that I am not truly passionate about them. 

My biggest obstacle always has been and always will be myself.  I often feel that I make life to hard on myself and don’t enjoy it as much as I should.  I take myself too seriously and wish that I wouldn’t.  I know I’ll regret it later. 

What do you hope to gain?

I know perfection doesn’t exist but I have this image in my head of what would make me happiest and I want to get as close to that as I can. 

I want to love what I do.  I want to always be curious.  I want to get better at cooking.  I want to be surrounded by the people who care about me.  I want a house with a garden.  I want to live in another country for a few years.  I want to have time to indulge my hobbies and interests.  I want to travel more.  I want to raise my children with my best friends’ children.  I want to one day make my husband deliriously happy.  I want to write a book.  When I retire I want to own a bakery/flower shop and just spend my day arranging hydrangeas and icing mille feuilles.   

I don’t believe people who say money isn’t important.  They’re either lying or have always had it.  I once had a trust-funder boyfriend whose only wise words were, “Money is a means to an end.”  He was so right.  I want to be successful in my professional life because I want to live well.  I don’t want to worry about how the bills are going to get paid or where the next meal is going to come from.  I want to be able to provide my family with all the things they need.  I want to be able to support myself in the event of a family disaster. 

The simplest measure to my success is happiness.  I don’t care if some of these things don’t work out as long as I am happy – and not just the kind of happy where you settle and decide “well, it’s the best I can do” – but real, true happiness.  That would be paradise.

My greatest obstacle as I mentioned before is myself.  Sometimes I put the things I want on hold so that I can do the things others expect of me.  I guess that was fine when I gave in to my parents’ wishes and went to college but I think now is the time to do what I want to do.