And few companies have mined the threat prospects better than Symantec, which frequently gets high-profile television exposure whenever a worm or a new phishing scam is unleashed on the Internet.  With the backdrop of a situation room that resembles the CTU intel center from TV’s “24” series, Symantec execs have been interviewed on “60 Minutes,” standing in front of monitors that flash with warnings of new viruses and bots. Wait, there’s another one! Incoming from eastern Russia!

So at San Francisco’s recent RSA Internet security conference, which featured  speeches from FBI director Robert Mueller and Homeland Security chief Janet Napolitano,  you would expect that Symantec would do something interesting to showcase how insidious and destructive these cyber attacks can be.  What better venue to promote paranoia?

Sure enough, next to its main booth in the south exhibition hall, Symantec unveiled its Black Market Store, a cleverly conceived iteration of how cyber crooks might peddle people’s identities.  There was no company press release about this display, though anyone who took the guided tour, including a few journalists, invariably came away with a sense of shock and awe. 

Was there a missed PR opportunity here?

The Symantec trade show team crafted as close to a Disneyland e-ticket ride as you can get in this environment.  Even if you knew nothing about cybercrime, you’d leave this place with a sense of dread.  I just gotta have the anti-virus, firewall and security software. Isn’t that the idea?

Entering the store with a group of eight people, we were greeted with bins of “stolen” credit cards and shelves of scam software, some that come with “technical support,” explained the guide.  There were also bundles of data with bank account numbers, driver’s licenses, Social Security cards, passports and ATM numbers.  The fresher the data, the higher the value in the underground market, he said.

But wait — there’s more. The guide flings open the neon lighted door of a soft drink vending machine and – voila – behold a secret room!  This is obviously the shadowy lair of cybercriminals, the very heart of darkness.

Indeed, it is dark inside, except for some flickering monitors. The walls are lined with LCD screens, and you just know that malevolence is brewing here.  In one corner the guide demonstrates how quickly a phishing scam, using the logo of a reputable bank, can snatch an account number and post it to the black market.  On another screen, lines of apparent gibberish – code for new “merchandise” and bidders for it – scroll up continuously.  This, explains the guide, is actual video capture obtained a few months ago. 

Yet another screen highlights a bot scam, which involves planting malicious code on unsuspecting PCs.  Bots lay dormant until the master (called the botherder) commands these machines, like robots, to carry out missions such as denial-of-service attacks and mass spam emailing.  Bot programs have fearful names such as “Piranha.”

And to underscore the ease with which cybercrooks can steal your identity, the guide punches a number into a machine about the size of a breadbox and within 30 seconds out pops a new credit card with a magnetic stripe.  The bad dudes don’t need your actual card; just the number will do.  This machine is similar to those used by hotels to make card keys for guests and is not all that difficult for underworld minions to obtain, said the guide.

On our exit from the Black Market, attendants handed out a mock tabloid newspaper called the BLKMKT News, which provides a glossary of hacker lingo and a list of the most popular web scams.  With the front page headline of “A Shadowy Economy Comes to Light,” this is a handy reference in case you forgot anything you heard on the tour.

The entire display was well-executed and provided a compelling, interactive experience even for reasonably tech-savvy visitors.

So why, I asked, didn’t Symantec promote this more heavily?   Well, I was told, the display had appeared at a few consumer events, so it wasn’t brand new.  Still, some journalists and TV crews managed, largely by happenstance, to discover the booth and develop their own reports, said one booth attendant. 

Most of the Symantec PR that came out of RSA involved new product press releases, with the usual language, and interviews with Symantec brass – certainly among the normal activities for a trade show.  Companies typically create cheesy dog-and-pony acts to get attention at their booths, and the PR staff seldom considers them worthy enough to hype.

But what struck me about this particular display was that it connected with people on a personal level, with enough realism to make the point of vulnerability.  The apprehension of opening an unknown email attachment or doing an online transaction through an obtuse website is a powerful motivator.  Maybe it’s even enough to overcome the computer repairmen and magazine writers who routinely advise consumers to skip the expensive software and just download a free anti-virus program.

Perhaps Symantec has such a well-stocked arsenal of reports to scare us witless that its Black Market scenario was seen as little more than a cabaret show in the worldwide theater of evil.

Still, I came away wondering whether one of the best media opportunities at RSA slipped under the radar.

– Ken Castle

Presenting: a marketing fantasy in three parts…

WORK LIFE

Several young, attractive, well-dressed men and women of various ethnic backgrounds are gathered around a conference table. A slightly older, distinguished-looking man is addressing them, a thoughtful expression on his face.

BOSS

…So as you see from this chart we have just over two months left of cash flow, and diminishing customer orders. Any suggestions?

FIRST MAN

Well, I found this website for a vendor that says their software can solve all of our problems.

BOSS, whips off his glasses:

ALL of them? Wait, how do they support this claim?

FIRST MAN

Well, they have a mission statement on their home page that says that their software is "industry-leading." And I downloaded a white paper that is… oh… 27 pages in tiny font. Also – and I think this is what convinced me – they have a Flash product demo.

WOMAN

Does it explain how the product works, what it costs, and how it would impact a business like us?

FIRST MAN

No, but it has some nice animation and features really cute little people icons.

BOSS

I'm convinced! Sign us up!

Everyone nods happily.

HOME LIFE

The setting: it's morning in the Brown household. BRAD, SHEILA, and ADORABLE CHILD are gathered around the breakfast table. The soft light of the morning sun is filtering through the window.

BRAD:

I am really liking this orange juice. It's more orange-y than regular orange juice… It's got this super orange kick to it.

SHEILA

Let me try. Oh my gosh – you can definitely taste the orange in there. I feel like I'm actually in an orange grove right now. I'm running through the trees, I can feel their leaves touching my skin now. It feels amazing.

BRAD

It feels like it's a hot day, and I'm diving into a cold, pure pool of orange juice. It feels so right, like I'm going home.

ADORABLE CHILD

I wanna twy da owanj joooz!

Everyone laughs. SHEILA wipes away a single tear of pure joy.

SHEILA

I forgive you for the affair.

TEEN LIFE

Setting: a high school. Two pretty girls are chatting in the hallway as students come and go around them.

FIRST GIRL

OH MY GOSH you have got to see some of these super-cool interactive brand assets that Brian sent me last night.

SECOND GIRL

Really? I was also interacting with some totally engaging social media brand presences last night. Did you Facebook-friend those new digital brand assets that he sent you? They sound SO fierce!

FIRST GIRL

I really like it when companies try to create edgy, teen-savvy content and rich, interactive web experiences. I feel like most brands just get me.

SECOND GIRL

Me too!!!!

They giggle and high-five for no apparent reason.

Try this exercise: do a Google search on the term "I hate ___", replacing the blank with your company name. If your brand is well known, chances are you will find whole web pages dedicated to the topic. Trust me, this can be a depressing way for marketers to spend a few hours, but remember: this is the Internet, where someone hates everything. "I hate the Salvation Army" pulls up 87,000 hits; "I hate the Red Cross" 166,000. Even "I hate puppies" returns over 230,000 hits.

         You’re not fooling anyone.

So how do you protect your reputation online? When and how should you intervene if you spot negative commentary about your brand?

1. Track reactions to your brand online. To react to issues, first be aware of them. Your approach for tracking your online reputation can be as simple as running periodic search engine queries on your brand, or as advanced as setting up a social media dashboard. You can find some good options here. The technology matters less than the commitment to building this into your weekly schedule.
   

2. Sort the issues into categories. This is pretty easy and an important first step. Is this a product issue? A customer service complaint? An upset investor? Set up a few simple categories and assign "response owners" from your team. Make sure they understand what’s expected of them.
   

3. Determine whether the issue is timely. Don’t worry about putting out old fires. If you find a year-old comment thread where posters are discussing with great enthusiasm how much they hate your new product, let it go. Focus on current situations where you have a chance to insert yourself into the discussion and head off a bigger problem.
   

4. Determine whether the problem can easily be resolved. One of our software clients was criticized by a popular blogger for not offering online product documentation. After a quick email from the company pointing out the link to their user manual, he happily updated his original post and praised them for their responsiveness. Many times, frustrated customers are simply looking for information.
   

5. Decide whether you are at fault. Is the complaint justified – or is there at least a chance that it might be? Or is it a clear misunderstanding or distortion? If there is something to it, a gracious apology or commitment to investigate the issue can work wonders. If not, a polite but firm clarification or rebuttal is needed.

6. Respond to the loudest, most influential voices first. Focus on those bloggers or tweeters that get the most traffic and carry the greatest influence. Often, they won’t be the point of origin, but will simply be reposting something from another smaller blogger. Unless they have a clear agenda against your brand, they will usually try to deal fairly with you.
   

7. Engage personally. Most bloggers and many commenters offer their email addresses. Start by sending a friendly, polite message directly to the owner. If you are offering an apology, be specific as to what you will do to correct the situation. If you are responding or defending yourself, provide details to support your argument. Sign the email with your own name. Most bloggers will post your message on their site. If they ignore you, take your message to the other blogs that have picked up the story, and be sure to mention that you started at the source.
   

8. Maintain the right tone. It can be infuriating to watch someone run down your business online, but settle down. Never lose your courteous, gracious tone. And never seek to intimidate or threaten anyone into removing content; those threats will end up online and make a bad situation worse. Be very careful before proceeding to any legal action, even if justified that tends to do serious damage to your reputation online.
   

9. Close the loop. Live up to your commitments. If in the process of responding to a customer’s issue you promised to give her a replacement product, make sure it gets done. And then post an update to the site where the discussion took place.
   

10. Engage with brand champions. Don’t spend all your time reacting defensively and putting out brand fires. If you find a group of people online who enjoy your brand, find ways to keep them engaged. These can include a simple "thank you" email, discounts or special offers, or a chance to preview your new product before it comes out. You can’t be in all places at once, and these champions will be far more effective at building and defending your brand than you could be.
    

Remember to keep perspective: you can’t please everyone. You can, however, win over current customers and potential new ones with your responsiveness and willingness to meet them on their own ground.

First up: so you want to start a blog…

1. Tailor your blog to your audience and goals. Is your goal to reach investors? Current customers? To support new customer sales? Or to get user input on your products? The content needs to fit your audience. Answer the question: what does this audience care about?
2. Define who should be featured on your blog.  Never publish anonymous, voice-of-the-company blogs; everything needs an author. Should the primary author of the blog be your CEO or other executive? Or someone from your development team? Do you want to make the blog a fairly open channel with posts from people from across the company, or more of a focused communication from one or a few senior voices?
3. Provide useful content – not marketing. Companies that repackage their PR or marketing materials in blog form will not find an audience.
4. Post consistently. Many blogs are started, few are maintained. Appoint an internal or external resource to manage the blog and to create a content calendar. Sometimes called an editorial calendar, this lays out key themes and blog topics by date.
5. Set the right tone. The concept of voice or tone is critical. Too bland or “corporate” and you lose what is supposed to be a personal message, too edgy or playful and you lose credibility and risk alienating your customers. When in doubt, err towards showing more personality in your blog rather than less; no one will read or remember a boring blog.
6. Manage legal risks. Particularly important for an executive blog. Work with your legal counsel to define some “fine print” to minimize risk. Never post on financial results or comment negatively on competitors. You will also need a content approval process for all blogs.
7. Manage comments. You need to offer readers a chance to respond with comments – but plan on moderating them to keep off-topic and hostile comments off the blog.
8. Work to create an audience. Many corporate sites do not get significant customer traffic. If your site is one of those, your blog will need both compelling content and a sustained demand generation effort to get the awareness, attention, and repeat visits of customers.
9. Be patient. Don’t expect instant traffic or results… as any good communicator will tell you, it takes a while to build an audience. Maintain your commitment to corporate blogging and results will follow.
10. Add video and audio. Did your company just have a user conference? Did  you CEO give a major speech? Take any video or audio clips, extract out a few brief highlights, and post them on the blog with appropriate context. Your users will appreciate it.

Some good examples… The Nuts About Southwest blog is a long-running example of a loose, enthusiastic employee-driven blog. GM’s FastLane blog has been a great communications asset to the company during its recent turmoil. Google’s blog features posts from people at all levels across the company, and gives the company a good forum to discuss upcoming products and innovations.

Last tip: don’t be afraid to reach out for help. Creating and maintaining an effective, customer-focused blog is usually well worth the effort, but it does require substantial work and attention. While you should never outsource your communications completely, the right outside content experts can help you build an audience while still being true to your voice. When we work with clients, we build a process that gives them input and editorial control over all blog posts. For many companies, it’s a great way to get started in corporate blogging.

Happy blogging!
 

Advertisers have made noticeable changes to their overall messaging strategies in the current economic down-cycle. Two things jumped out at me in this recent survey of advertisers by LinkedIn and Harris Interactive.

The first was the callout of the number two most popular strategy – empathy – because I’ve noticed it myself in some banking and financial services ads recently. "We understand what you’re going through – we can help."

The second is the skew on how the different age cohorts respond to the different ad strategies. Interestingly 18-34 year olds and 35-44 year olds respond most favorably to each of the tested messages (Value Propositions, Empathy, Chearleading, Luxuries for Less). Very different from how the 45-54 and 55+ cohorts responded.

Everyone hated the cheerleading messaging – "We’ve made it through tough times before and we can do it again."

Client awareness of behavioral economics as a part of the marketing analysis toolkit has been a really exciting development for us.  It really brings focus and a new vernacular for describing the pros and cons of messaging choices that clients face when confronted with a variety of audiences. From initial primary customer research through product launch, data is key.

But, interpretation brings it all together. Especially in today’s challenging economic environment, even with logic on your side, the right message means the difference between customer lock and moving carrots.

The top line revenue numbers are not looking good at the USPS. Internet marketing, which gets better and better in targeting and pull-through, has completely disrupted their traditional model.

They’ve been especially hard hit on their direct mail business as it has declined and is predicted to continue its decline.

Marketing metrics that actually work have fundamental criteria that define the short- and long-term usefulness of the metric.

1. The metric is aligned with desired business results

2. The metric being measured is something that can be influenced through management action

3. The metric can be measured with accuracy that falls within some  acceptable limit

Probably the hardest part of developing metrics is obtaining agreement and buy-in that draft metrics do in fact meet the criteria listed above.

Here are some good examples of marketing metrics that can be applied to your company’s products and services that I’ll explore in greater detail in a later post:

• Awareness levels
• Purchase decision drivers
• Rate of customer acquisition
• Market share
• ROI of marketing campaigns
• Cost of customer acquisition