Clicky

close
  • Why V3B
  • Blog
  • Reports + Guides
  • Webinars
  • Contact
  •  Facebook
  •  LinkedIn
  •  Twitter
  •  Google +
  •  YouTube
V3B
  • Menu
  • Why V3B
  • Blog
  • Reports + Guides
  • Webinars
  • Contact
    • Guest Post Guidelines

People Are Watching – Every Minute of Every Day. What is Your Brand Doing About It?

By Shelly Kramer,

October 11, 2009
Anyone who knows me knows that I have 3 year old twins.  And, if you have children, you know that children, especially at this age, watch every move and imitate all that they see. Sometimes that’s a good thing, and others, not so good.  Here’s an example of imitation that I thought was so cute I couldn’t resist capturing on camera.  My husband enjoys both beer and Diet Coke in liberal doses – at different times of the day, I might add.  He drinks both directly from the can (plebian, yes, I know – certain things just are what they are).  He does, however, have a habit of turning the pulltab to the right before drinking.

One day, I noticed that I had some tiny cans of apple Juice in the pantry that I’d forgotten about.  My kids aren’t much into juice, but I pulled them out, thinking they might be good bribery material.  Sure enough, in no time, an occasion just right for bribery presented itself, and the Twinlet Twinkies were aptly rewarded for doing my bidding with a little can of apple juice.  I opened the cans, handed them out and went back to whatever earth-shatteringly important thing that I was doing.

I later found the empty apple juice cans (probably in the middle of the floor somewhere) and was immediately struck by the fact that they had, imitating their dad, also turned their pull tabs – in exactly the same way he does.

What does all this have to do with anything?

In much the same way that kids are watching their parents, consumers are watching brands. And in today’s world, consumers are empowered.  Brands who are not what they say they are, instantly run the risk of being found out.  Manufacturers who make faulty products will be, without question, called out, publicly – and quickly.  Consumers are no longer content to buy crappy products and live with the injustice if they happen to have fallen for a lemon.  The old saying “caveat emptor” is actually turning around and, in my opinion, given today’s world of new media, the power is surging into the hands of the consumer.  Nowadays, instead of the buyer needing to beware, brands need to beware.  If they do bad things, make crummy products, misrepresent themselves, behave unethically, treat customers poorly, etc., the ability to be a bad guy and the ability to hide are both things of the past.

In today’s world, transparency is a word to remember – and a concept to take to heart.  If you make a product or provide a service, know that just as my children watched their father turn the pull tab on his soda to the right, your customers and prospective customers are watching every move you make.  And, if you misrepresent yourself in any way, promise something you don’t deliver or provide bad customer service or a faulty product, it will, without question, come back to haunt you.  And is that really such a bad thing? Aren’t consumers entitled to good value for the money they spend on products and services?

The lesson here is to listen and pay attention. Always.  If you aren’t already monitoring what’s being said about you in the social media sphere, you’re taking a big risk.  People are talking about your brand, whether you realize it or not.  There are great monitoring tools out there – so, whether you opt for Google Analytics, Spiral16, Radian6 or a myriad of other “listening tools,” do yourself a favor and make the transparency of today’s new world of marketing today work for you. Conduct yourself ethically, pay attention to what people are doing, pay attention to what people are saying, and always be ready to provide unparalleled customer service. After all, isn’t that what makes good brands great?

Shelly Kramer
Shelly Kramer

Shelly Kramer is a Principal Analyst and Founding Partner at Futurum Research. A serial entrepreneur with a technology centric focus, she has worked alongside some of the world’s largest brands to embrace disruption and spur innovation, understand and address the realities of the connected customer, and help navigate the process of digital transformation. She brings 20 years’ experience as a brand strategist to her work at Futurum, and has deep experience helping global companies with marketing challenges, GTM strategies, messaging develoment, and driving strategy and digital transformation for B2B brands across multiple verticals. Shelly’s coverage areas include Collaboration/CX/SaaS, platforms, ESG, and Cybersecurity, as well as topics and trends related to the Future of Work, the transformation of the workplace and how people and technology are driving that transformation. A transplanted New Yorker, she has learned to love life in the Midwest, and has firsthand experience that some of the most innovative minds and most successful companies in the world also happen to live in “flyover country.”

Tagged:brandGoogleGoogle AnalyticslisteningmonitoringmonitoringtoolsRadian6Spiral16

Popular Posts

  • Instagram Phishing: How to Prevent It and What to Do If It Happens to You
  • Experiencing Twitter Analytics Problems – This May Be Why
  • Email Tips: Clean Up Your Inbox With A Google Apps Script
  • The Hanna Andersson Story: When Losing Customers is Okay
  • 7 Keyword Search Tools for Twitter

Recent Posts

  • How to Personalize Your Outreach Emails
  • Using Concepts From Other Industries to Create Innovative Marketing Materials
  • How to Keep People Engaged with Your Page
  • How Mobile Marketing Is Evolving and Expanding
  • The Importance of Customer Reviews in Marketing

Our Family of Companies

  • Why V3B
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • Guest Post Guidelines
  • Contact
© 2023 V3 Broadsuite. All rights reserved.
All content published by V3B is determined by our editors 100% in the interest of our readers, independent of advertising, sponsorships, or other considerations.