There was a fascinating article in my local newspaper, The Raleigh News & Observer, about the growing number of coyotes who are wandering onto the runways at Raleigh-Durham International Airport. Evidently coyotes are spreading like wildfire. My daughter and I saw one this summer as we were driving home one evening. It was sauntering across a field. It was quite a site. I haven’t gotten used to seeing coyotes in North Carolina – they seem like more of a Western animal. But clearly they like it here and are prospering. Eight coyotes have been trapped at RDU in the last five months. And those are just the slow ones! The speedy coyotes are still out there evading wildlife officials and airport workers. Heck, if they can’t keep up with my luggage, I don’t expect them to be able to catch a wily coyote. Although I bet those folks at Southwest Airlines could catch a coyote. And they’d treat him or her extremely well once the capture took place!

RDU International has developed a Wildlife Management Plan in an attempt to limit the impact that local wildlife has on the operation of the airport. The article reported that an American Eagle plane hit a coyote in September, but there were no injuries. It didn’t mention if the coyote survived. Check out the article at http://www.newsobserver.com/news/local_state/story/210141.html. Anne Blythe, the reporter, does a really nice job with the piece.

Post by Dan Dunlop, Brand Expeditions

There’s an interesting article on MarketingProfs’ website titled: “Fee-Fi-Fo-Fum.” It discusses Southwest Airlines’ strategic decision not to charge baggage fees. This step has served to differentiate Southwest from its competitors in a very meaningful way. That extra $15 or $20 (each way) can really add up! I’ve felt the pain when I’ve done my expense reports from recent business trips. And as you’ve probably noticed, Southwest has used its advertising to leverage the power of their decision not to charge baggage fees. Here’s one commercial below:

Check out the article on MarketingProfs’ website at http://www.marketingprofs.com/short-articles/1487/fee-fi-fo-fum.

Post by Dan Dunlop, Brand Expeditions

Yesterday I received an email from a colleague and the header read: “Join me in making a difference.”  The body of the email read: “This story inspired me to make a difference. Watch it to the end – YOU ARE IN THE VIDEO.”  And there was a link to a video from a group called The Big Warm Up. That was all the context I had before I clicked on the link.

When I clicked on the link I was taken to a video, what looked like a TV commercial, promoting a coat donation program sponsored by Lands’ End. The Big Warm Up is an effort to help make the winter season warmer for homeless people nationwide. When you donate a gently-used coat you’ll  get 20% off a new coat at any Lands’ End Shop at Sears through 11/30. The spot is engaging and features great music (no voice over). The cool thing is that at the end of the spot your name actually appears on the label of one of the used coats that has found its way to a new owner. And the copy on the last slide actually refers to you by name. I recorded the spot using my Flip camera and uploaded it YouTube. See the spot below; and please forgive the quality.

When you go to the Big Warm Up website, you can enter info about the person to whom you will be sending the link, and that allows for the customization. This is a very cool use of technology. It reminds me of PURL technology we use with direct mail – where we send a consumer a direct mail piece that includes a custom URL where they will receive a personalized greeting. Check it out and let me know what you think. Go to http://www.video.bigwarmup.com or view my customized video at http://video.bigwarmup.com/index.php?code=679n777KEU73WoM61Luc.

To get the full story about the Big Warm Up, go to www.bigwarmup.com. They’ve got a cool website. By the way, this is a great example of echo branding by Lands’ End – marketing shared values. Extremely well done.

Post by Dan Dunlop, Brand Expeditions

Yesterday I had the pleasure of spending some time in a recording studio with Dr. Bill Chameides, Dean of the Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke University. I’m fortunate to have some video clips from my conversation with Bill and will share them with you here.  Bill has spent more than 30 years in academia as a professor, researcher, teacher, and mentor with a 3-year stint as the chief scientist of the Environmental Defense Fund. According to his bio on the Nicholas School Website, “Bill’s research focuses on the atmospheric sciences, elucidating the causes of and remedies for global, regional, and urban environmental change and identifying pathways towards a more sustainable future.” In short, he is a rock star in the world of sustainability. And there’s nothing “academic” about his quest for a sustainable future. He is after real solutions.

Not only is the Nicholas School leading the way in creating a sustainable future, but they have embraced social media and are using blogs, Facebook and YouTube to spread the word. Bill maintains his own blog called The Green Grok. You can visit it online at http://www.nicholas.duke.edu/thegreengrok/. There you’ll find both video and text posts from the Green Grok himself.  “In The Green Grok, Dr. Bill Chameides elucidates causes of and potential remedies for environmental change and identifies pathways towards a more sustainable future.” Bill recognizes that we are currently on an unsustainable path that threatens our way of life. He is on a quest for a more sustainable course – and for solutions that lead to a sustainable future.  If this interests you, the Green Grok is also on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/thegreengrokcom/18954548244?ref=ts. Meanwhile, the Nicholas School’s Facebook page can be found at http://tinyurl.com/ygohagw. Check it out.

Here’s Bill talking about why he’s excited to be at the Nicholas School and how it differs from other academic programs:

They are doing remarkable things at the Nicholas School of the Environment. I encourage you to follow them online and learn more about how you can become part of their drive toward a sustainable future.

Post by Dan Dunlop, Brand Expeditions

Today in my Ragan’s Daily Headlines email blast from Ragan.com there was a piece about Walmart’s latest TV commercial. The retailer posted the spot to its YouTube site last week. It is a very well done, sentimental piece: The softer side of Walmart. It reminds me of some of the emotional and impactful spots that McDonald’s has produced over the years. The TV commercial uses the new “Save Money. Live Better.” theme line. The spot was produced by the Martin Agency. (FYI – my cynical creative director does not like it – but I am more of a sentimentalist.)

To check out the article and the TV commercial on Ragan.com, go to http://tinyurl.com/yg2evem.  For those of you who seek immediate gratification, I’ve posted the spot below:

Post by Dan Dunlop, Brand Expeditions

If you don’t follow Social Media Today, I suggest you consider doing so. Go to http://www.socialmediatoday.com and take a look. I’ve found it to be a great resource.

On October 30, 2009, I found a post by Jill Kurtz titled “Data on Twitter and Social Media Use” that caught my attention. Jill reviews the findings of Pew Internet & American Life’s daily tracking survey on Americans’ use of the Internet just released in October 2009. Check out Jill’s post at http://www.socialmediatoday.com/SMC/138349.

To download a PDF of the Pew Report, or to view it online, go to http://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2009/17-Twitter-and-Status-Updating-Fall-2009.aspx. According tot he Pew Report, one in five Internet users are now on Twitter or another status update service, representing a significant increase over prior studies. As common sense would dictate, social network users are much more likely to be found using Twitter than non-social network users.

“Internet users who already use social network sites such as MySpace, Facebook or LinkedIn are likely to also use Twitter: 35%, compared to 6% of internet users who do not use such social network sites.” (Source: Pew Internet Study, October 2009)

The report also shows that people using mobile devices to access the Internet, and people with multiple Internet-connected devices, are more likely to use Twitter. Again, nothing surprising there.

I encourage you to check out Social Media Today and to visit the Pew website to download the new Internet Report. While you’re there, you can review the other free resources they have available: http://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2009/17-Twitter-and-Status-Updating-Fall-2009.aspx.

Post by Dan Dunlop, Brand Expeditions

In my Engage:Boomers eblast today from MediaPost the focus was on social media and Boomers – as expected. And the interesting thing is that the post by Matt Thornhill challenges conventional wisdom that social media is now the way to reach boomers. According to the author, “We don’t share in the excitement that Boomers and older adults are truly smitten with social networking sites for three reasons — one based on experience to date, one based on psychology and one based on the math.” (Source: MediaPost eNewsletter, Engage:Boomers, October 26, 2009) To view the article online go to http://tinyurl.com/yzxzwbk.

Specifically, Thornhill mentions how despite the number of Boomer focused social media sites that have sprung up over the last few years, Boomers just haven’t shown an interest in them. In short, it appears that Boomers don’t have an interest in sites about Boomers.  As Thornhill points out, they aren’t an affinity group!  They are a “generational cohort.” They seek out the information that interests them online, and that is topical rather than Boomer-focused.

This is a really interesting article. Thornhill goes on to talk about the psycho-social reasons many boomers don’t seek out social networks. He quickly touches on “socio-emotional selectivity theory” – which basically says that as the end of life nears, we become more selective in how we use our time socially. We only invest in relationships that are emotionally rewarding. He sees this as another reason some Boomers may avoid Facebook.

To view the article online go to http://tinyurl.com/yzxzwbk.

The eBlast from MediaPost also contained an advertisement for a new book by David Weigelt and Jonathan Boehman titled Dot Boom. Evidently the text is about how to reach the Boomer market online. You can check it out online at Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/ccc3cb. Of course, there are a number of books out about marketing to Boomers. A few that I’ve seen include:

1. Boomer Consumer: Ten New Rules for Marketing to America’s Largest, Wealthiest and Most Influential Group by Matt Thornhill and John Martin

2. Turning Silver into Gold: How to Profit in the New Boomer Marketplace, by Mary Furlong

3. BOOM: Marketing to the Ultimate Power Consumer — The Baby-Boomer Woman by Mary Brown and Carol Orsborn Ph.D.

4. Ageless Marketing by David Wolfe – this is an old favorite of mine.

5. Marketing to Leading-Edge Baby Boomers: Perceptions, Principles, Practices & Predictions by Brent Green – This is another text that has been around for a few years

Post by Dan Dunlop, Brand Expeditions

For those of you who couldn’t attend my webinar on demystifying social media (October 20, 2009), or who didn’t know about it, I have embedded a video of the presentation below. It includes the slides from the presentation and my narration as I went through the presentation. I hope you find this to be helpful!

If you follow my marketing blogs, you know that I am passionate about social media and the social web. Well, I’ve decided to lead free webinars for marketing professionals, giving my perspectives on social media. My goal is to do no-nonsense, user-friendly, highly practical presentations on social media.

On August 27th I did a webinar titled “Demystifying Social Media.” The session was well attended, despite a baffling hiccup with the webinar technology, and we received really positive feedback from attendees. Based on that, we have decided to hold the same webinar again on October 20th at noon (EST) allowing for additional attendees. The last session was held at 9am (EDT) so it was nearly impossible for west coast marketers to attend. Here’s a quote from one of the participants in August:

“Your webinar this morning was the most useful presentation I’ve attended in the past 3 years. Nice job. We have begun incorporating social media avenues into our marketing and I think are on the right track. Your shared knowledge will help us maximize efficiency and leverage what we are doing for greater success. Great examples, good resources.”

Demystifying Social Media.
Join me for a free Webinar on Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Time: 12:00 Noon EDT
Space is limited.
Reserve your Webinar Seat Now at:
Register Now

The presentation provides a strategic pathway to follow as you lead your institution into the world of engagement marketing and marketing via social media. Plus it will answer two important questions: What steps should you take to bring along the administrators in your hospital? And what considerations should go into your social media marketing plan?

We will also develop the rationale for why hospitals and medical centers should be involved in social media, giving you the information you need to get started. We’ll cover Facebook, Twitter, Ning, WordPress, Blogger, YouTube, ICYou video and more. We’ll also talk about monitoring social media!

I have delivered this same presentation at the Spring 2009 CHPRMS conference, via an earlier webinar, and for numerous health systems around the country.

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The host of the webinar is Dan Dunlop (that’s me), President and CEO of Jennings, an advertising, branding and marketing firm based in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Audiences enjoy Dan’s unique combination of healthcare marketing experience, real-world stories, and engaging presentation style. In addition to speaking at conferences (SHSMD, CBM, AAMC, NESHCo, CHPRMS), he is a frequent guest lecturer on topics of branding and marketing at the University of North Carolina School of Public Health, Duke University Markets & Management Program, and UNC’s Kenan Flagler Graduate School of Business. Dan serves on the national advisory board of Healthcare Marketing Advisor, a HealthLeaders Media publication.

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Post by Dan Dunlop, Brand Expeditions

Does your organizations have social media policies in place? Most don’t. So you’re not alone.

Yesterday afternoon I was following some social media chatter on Twitter from the Mayo Clinic/Ragan Summit (MayoRagan ‘09) when I came across a Tweet referencing Chris Boudreaux’s online database of more than 80 organizations’ social media policies. Chris compiled this database while working on a book titled “Social Media Governance: Empowerment with Accountability.” You can visit his site online and read a few of the chapters in development: http://socialmediagovernance.com/chapters.shtml. Meanwhile, Chris has this terrific social media policy database that anyone can tap into – and contribute to. It includes organizations such as the American Red Cross, BBC, Dow Jones, Harvard Law School, Mayo Clinic and Sentara.

When I give talks on social media in healthcare, inevitably I learn that organizations do not yet have well articulated social media policies. I usually give Mayo Clinic’s policies as a starting point. But Chris’ database now gives any organization a number of options to review and borrow from as they attempt to develop their own policies. You can check out the policies database online at http://socialmediagovernance.com/policies.php. This is a wonderful resource.

Also check out Chris Boudreaux’s blog at http://firstintheroom.com/.

Post by Dan Dunlop, Brand Expeditions