Research on Social Marketing

On June 22, the MRIA Ottawa chapter is putting on a conference on research on social marketing. I'm excited about being part of making that happen. The format we use is very focussed on discussion and participation.

This conference is designed to showcase the results of sound research on specific social marketing programs and foster a discussion between researchers and social marketers on best practices, target audience orientation, and program development.


An excellent line up of speakers will address their work with a wide range of audiences. I'm looking forward to this day and most importantly the discussion. I've posted on social marketing here before and intent to add additional thoughts leading up to the conference.

Who answers phone surveys anyhow?

The answer should come on May 13! At the next MRIA Ottawa speaker's event:

"We’ve seen the evidence of declining response rates – the focus of discussion at our April 15 panel discussion - and we’re troubled or at least challenged. We’ve seen evidence that suggests lower response rates may not necessarily have a clear negative impact on the quality of the data gathered. Yet, we worry that it may just be a matter of time before response rates and other challenges conspire to change that.

We know that certain segments of society are less accessible: they may be less willing to do surveys, they may be less accessible because of schedules or how they use communications tools. There may be other unrecognized factors at play, or it may be some combination of issues."

Understanding something about finance

Have you read your organization's financial statements lately? Chances are they tell you more about the business your organization is in, ie what its success depends on, than its mission and vision statements.  Ask yourself: what's the biggest asset my organization has? And what are its biggest costs? Where does its profit come from?

You might just be amazed.

Leadership, influence and brand

I recently took a 5-day management course at Schulich School of Business. It was a very good course. I learned some things, validated expertise and I particularly enjoyed seeing profs who work in my field, marketing and strategy, teach.

The program consists of five parts: leadership, marketing, strategy, finance, HR. It is left to the participants to put this all together into a holistic thought pattern for themselves.

In my view, this is essential.  

For instance, marketing is not merely something other people do in your organization. 'Marketing' is what everyone who wishes to influence decisions - at any level - needs to do. The processes of getting consumers to buy product A vs product B are remarkably similar to what it means to leverage one's hard won influence. 

Indeed, in my view, influence is best defined as your personal brand equity expressed in the willingness of others to follow you. Frankly leadership is not about leading - it is about giving others reasons to follow.

Case in point: As an external consultant I never have the authority to change anything, I also have no way to reward my clients' staff with more money. Yet, I lead and we make good things happen. My success is tied to how well I infuse projects with meaning, communicate appreciation, and generate desired outcomes. Naturally, with each successful project my brand equity grows and my capacity to do more good work increases. That's why leadership (inspire) is such a powerful concept, as compared to management (perspire).

Customer Service - getting it right

My love for my Subaru and my Subaru dealership is well known and often mocked by my friends and colleagues...

But great customer service is one of the pillars of consumer loyalty, and there is no question as to which car dealership I'll go out of my way to use.

So, what makes the customer experience so good?

1. Friendly, helpful, human staff. When you call the dealership, your call is answered by a live, friendly, bilingual receptionist. She or he transfers you to a live, friendly and knowledgeable member of staff in the appropriate department. No voicemail unless you call after hours.

2. There are no stupid questions. Go ahead, ask them where the block heater is or how to open the frozen gas cap door. They listen to every question and make sure they answer each one and that you understand the answers.

3. Feedback and Follow up. After every service call, I get a short automated survey call to ensure I had a good experience and that I was satisfied with my service call. Subaru compiles this information and uses it to train staff. When I wasn't happy, they called back immediately and went above and beyond to made the situation right.

4. Living the brand. Subaru is known for safe, practical cars and kicking butt in rally events. Take the shuttle and you get a personable, calm driver who quietly and efficiently navigates traffic and alternative routes to get you to and from the dealership on time.