According to Comscore.com, in March, 2012, 234 million Americans age 13 and older had mobile devices.  Half of those phones were smart phones.  Companies provide their employees with smart phones or tablets that have apps, email and Internet connectivity 24/7.  Those companies then expect employees to have those devices on 24/7.  Indeed, 50% of employed respondents in a survey felt that mobiles increase their workload.  That’s because, thanks to those hand-held devices, for many the work day doesn’t end.  Even for those who turn off their devices to honor the Sabbath, the hand-held devices are on 24/6.  That turns the 5-day, 40-hour work week into the 6-day, 144-hour work week.  In fact, many are addicted to their hand-held devices – such as iPads, iPhones, Blackberries (there’s a reason they call them Crackberries), Androids, tablets, iTouches, etc. — and cannot imagine life without them.  While many managers may consider this a good thing, few really stop to consider the price being paid for keeping staff constantly ‘connected’.  It is not just a vague social or emotional toll, but an actual hard cost.  Just as last week we did a cost-benefit analysis of providing employees with unlimited Internet access, companies may also need to weigh the pros and cons of hand-held devices.  Here are just a few drawbacks to consider.

Just about anyone can spout the myriad of benefits that hand-held devices provide including convenience, flexibility and immediate access to all types of information.  But few would be willing to acknowledge the shortcomings of having and using hand-held devices all the time.  Here are just a few.

1.  Driving and Hand-Held Devices

In 2008, 25 people died and 113 were injured when a commuter train collided head-on with a freight train outside Los Angeles. A National Transportation Safety Board investigation found that text messaging may have played a role since cell phone records showed the train’s engineer had sent a text message 22 seconds before the crash.  But the danger is not limited to driving a commuter train while using a hand-held device.  The National Safety Council estimated that at least 28% of all automobile traffic crashes – about 1.6 million crashes each year – involve drivers talking or texting on cell phones.

It stands to reason.  According to a survey in 2011 by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, over 37% of drivers indicated that they have sent or received text messages while driving, and 18% said they do it regularly.  That means that about one out of every five cars you pass on the road is likely to have a driver that is distracted with his/her hand-held device.

Moreover, according to Carnegie Mellon University, driving while using a cell phone reduces the amount of brain activity focused on driving by 37%.  Another study in Brain Research examined how multi-tasking driving and use of a hand-held device slows reaction time.  Researchers collected MRI images of 29 undergraduates as they simulated steering a vehicle along a curving road, either undisturbed or while simply listening to spoken sentences that they judged as true or false. They found that the listening task reduced driving-related brain activity—the spatial processing that takes place in the parietal lobe—by almost 40%.  In fact, talking on a cell phone while driving slows a driver’s reaction time to that of a 70-year-old.  Likewise, answering a text while driving takes the driver’s attention away from the road for about five seconds, enough time to travel the length of a football field.  A driver’s chance of getting into an accident increases 600% when texting.  In a survey, a large percentage of people said they knew distracted driving was dangerous, but did it anyway.  Results of the poll showed men were more likely to use a hand-held device while driving.  The 30- to 39-year-old age group had the highest percentage of cell phone use in fatal crashes. For those who think using a headset while driving is safer, think again.  Studies show that it is the distraction, not the act of touching the phone, that increases the danger.  Headset cell phone use while driving has not been found to be any safer than hand-held use.

2.  Leisure Activities and Hand-held Devices

For those who think that the deleterious effect of cell phone use is only associated with driving, think again.  The Accident Analysis and Prevention journal reported a study by a team from Tampere Institute of Technology in Finland on the impact of cell phone use and non-driving accidents.  Their study asked 6000 people if they had actually had any kind of non-driving accident – or had nearly had a non-driving accident – while using a mobile device.  They found that leisure activities posed the highest risk with 13.7% admitting to having had a “close call” and an additional 2.4% indicating that they had actually had some kind of accident while using a cell phone.  Their conclusion was that cell phone use scatters concentration and increases vulnerability to accidents.  Indeed, research by cognitive scientists has shown repeatedly that the brain has limited bandwidth.

In fact, the American College of Emergency Physicians Foundation warned against cell phone use while not only driving, but also bicycling, rollerblading and walking.  This was in response to a rise in injuries and deaths related to sending texts while engaging in those activities.   Indeed, the nonprofit London-based organization Living Streets installed padded lampposts on a busy street in London as part of a safety campaign targeting distracted pedestrians. The move was prompted by a UK phone survey of 68,000 that found that 10% had been injured while walking and texting on their cell phone.  Just ask anyone driving in Manhattan and they can affirm that pedestrians using cell phones while crossing streets are a hazard.

3.  Hand-held Devices and Family Time

Beyond the obvious problems of how hand-held devices distract users, hand-held devices hold other less-physical but just as detrimental dangers.  One big problem with hand-held devices is that while they provide great accessibility and availability, it happens at the expense of personal contact and good listening skills.  The line between work and personal time is at best blurred and at worst eradicated.  This is particularly detrimental to home life.  Parents who use their cell phones or other electronic devices during family time are absenting themselves from the family dynamic. They are physically present but emotionally missing.  This behavior also sets a precedent. When children get older and acquire their own devices, they too will consider it acceptable to use them during family time. Thus parents and children occupy themselves with devices rather than communicating with each other.

The results of a study published in the Journal of Marriage and Family in 2005 showed that increased use of cell phones and pagers was linked to a decrease in family satisfaction and increased stress over a two-year period. Researchers found work worries carried into home life by cell phone use had negative consequences for both men and women.  Additionally, women suffered from the opposite effect when carryover of home issues caused increased stress at work.  Another study in 2008 by the Pew Internet & American Life Project found that families “with multiple communication devices” were somewhat less likely to eat dinner with other household members.  They were also more inclined to be dissatisfied with their “family and leisure time,” than families who own less technology.  How do these findings impact companies?  Employees with unstable family lives are more likely to take sick leave, be tardy to work, leave early from work and are less productive than employees with healthy family lives.

Cell phone use may also cause people to be less conscious of others. A study conducted by the University of Maryland linked selfish behavior and cell phone usage.  The results of the study, dubbed The Effect of Mobile Phone Use on Prosocial Behavior, showed that cell phones could make users less socially minded.  In fact, the experiments showed that after a short period of cell phone use, subjects were less inclined to volunteer for a community service activity when asked and they were also less persistent in solving problems.  Apparently, cell phone use gave subjects a false sense of “connectedness” to others which replaced a desire to connect in person.  That selfish behavior carried into family and work life is sure to be detrimental to interpersonal relationships and teamwork.

4.  Vacations and Hand-Held Devices

The same way that hand-held devices interfere with family time during day-to-day life, it seems to do the same during vacation time.  Studies have shown that people who go on vacation and don’t disconnect completely to allow their battery to recharge are more likely to suffer health problems and ultimately be less productive.  And a weekend getaway is just not enough of a disconnection from technology.  Apparently, the body needs to completely disconnect for more than three days just to begin relaxing.

This was reconfirmed by Matt Richtel, a reporter for National Public Radio, who accompanied several scientists (all of whom were studying the brain), on a weeklong retreat to a remote corner of Utah. During the vacation, they were not allowed to take cell phones or any devices that provided Internet access or technological distractions.  Some of the scientists on the “vacation” thought that being bombarded by a constant data stream made it increasingly difficult to focus and concentrate.  They believed that heading back into nature could help recharge their mental battery. The other neuroscientists were more skeptical and thought that the benefits of having constant access to information far outweighed any consequences.  On the third day of the technology-free vacation, all the scientists noticed something significant begin to happen.  They began to feel more relaxed and slept better. They waited a little longer before answering a question and their sense of urgency faded.  They dubbed this the “three-day effect”.  Apparently, their brains did not begin to recharge until after the third day of vacation.

Similarly, in another study done by UC Irvine and U.S. Army, the researchers found that being cut off from work email for five days significantly reduces stress and allows employees to focus far better.  In the study, heart rate monitors were attached to computer users in a suburban office setting, while software sensors detected how often they switched windows. People who read email changed screens twice as often and were in a steady high alert state, with more constant heart rates. Those removed from email for five days experienced more natural, variable heart rates.

Like all things, there are pros and cons to the unfettered use of hand-held devices.  Although most people want to only focus on the positive, there are a myriad of ways that unlimited use of hand-held devices negatively impacts daily life.  While there are benefits, there is clearly a need for restraint and balance in how and when they are used.

Quote of the Week

“I’m acutely aware that the possibility of fraud is even more prevalent in today’s world because of the Internet and cell phones and the opportunity for instant communication with strangers.” Armistead Maupin

© 2012, Written by Keren Peters-Atkinson, CMO, Madison Commercial Real Estate Services. All rights reserved.

Setting aside the moral challenges raised by some of the questionable content found on the Internet (which is not the focus of discussion here), from a purely business standpoint, unfettered Internet access at work does have its drawbacks.  While most may be quick to embrace the advantages of the Internet, it may be wise to also consider and weigh its disadvantages carefully.  After all, business owners, leaders and managers are forever focused on making the most of their organization’s resources, minimizing the risks and maximizing the return.  It stands to reason that a similar cost-benefit analysis should be done on the impact of Internet use at work.

In a cost-benefit analysis, here are some significant costs to consider.

1.  Workplace Internet use results in reduced productivity.

This is the first — and most obvious — problem.  According to a number of surveys, employees spend on average between one and three hours a day surfing the Web on personal business at work.  That’s based on self-reported amounts which means the actual amount of time wasted is likely even higher.  Consider this:

• According to IDC Research, 30% to 40% of Internet use in the workplace is not related to business.
• A study by Vault.com revealed that 37% of workers say they surf the web constantly at work on personal rather than business matters.
• The cost of employees surfing the web from their office PCs is estimated to cost U.S. companies more than $1 billion dollars a year.

Moreover, time spent surfing gaming and social media sites, e-commerce portals and chat rooms on a regular basis not only detracts from a company’s productivity, but can be habit-forming which can then spiral into greater and greater productivity loss.

This significant productivity loss, combined with the concerns that employers have for “where” their employees are surfing the Web at work, is causing more employers to monitor employee use of the Internet, which amounts to even more time wasted time by management.

2.  Workplace Internet abuse results in a less-healthy staff.

In addition to the impact that Internet use may have directly to a company’s bottom line, it may also indirectly be affecting the already rising cost of healthcare premiums for companies and their employees.  When used in excess, Internet abuse can also be bad for employees’ health.  Constant Internet use can be addicting.

Employees who spend all of their personal time (in addition to the company’s time) hopping from shopping to social networking to entertainment sites tend to have more health problems including headaches, backaches and stiff necks, as well as carpel tunnel syndrome.  It also can cause eye strain, increasing the need for glasses or contact lenses.  Internet junkies are less likely to go outside and soak up a little sunlight or take a walk during lunch, which can help reduce weight, improve the circulatory system, clear the mind, provide vitamin C and pump endorphins through the body.  Ultimately, time redirected from healthy exercise to an unhealthy fixation on Internet activities is bad for business and bad for a business’s most precious resource:  its people.

3.  Workplace Internet use results in increased expenses or risk.

Providing employees with Internet access increases the company’s expenses or risk in a number of ways that is above and beyond the cost of computers, servers and support.

• Employers must protect networks from hacking and ensure that customer data is protected.  Data security is threatened when hackers or harmful applets enter the corporate network from unsecured websites.  Unlimited Internet use by employees to gaming and shopping sites increases the opportunities for such contamination.  That can lead to legal repercussions and risks for people whose personal information was stored in the databases, thereby increasing a company’s risk.

• IT departments must also guard against computer viruses. If a company’s network or workstations are infected by any kind of malware, this can interfere or halt a business’s daily operations. Viruses that attack computers on a company network can pose serious consequences for the organization.  Sales can be lost.  Orders may not get processed in a timely manner.   The supply chain could be interrupted. Again, unlimited Internet use by employees to some non-business related websites increases the opportunities for such contamination.

• Bandwidth limitations increase costs for companies when personal Internet use clogs up network access.  This forces a company to expand its bandwidth to accommodate the added use.

• HR and legal departments must deal with the repercussions when objectionable or dangerous material is introduced into the business environment.  Therefore, many companies feel compelled to monitor staff Internet use and emails to avoid legal issue, protect the safety of company information, prevent harassment and ensure productivity.  Monitoring of Internet use and email takes many forms including tracking content, counting keystrokes and time spent at the keyboard, storing and reviewing computer files, monitoring the blogosphere to see what employees write about the company, and keeping any eye on social networking sites. Companies use either technology tools to automatically monitor email or assign an employee to manually read and review email.  Either approach is a significant added expense for the company.  Companies who opt not to monitor Internet or email use increase their company’s exposure and risk.

4.  Workplace Internet use results in lack of privacy or security.

Personal information is perpetually at risk when using the Internet.  Employee and company information can be compromised due to identity theft.  An employee’s personal information such as their name, address, phone, email address, age or date of birth can be accessed by other people online.  Employees using a credit card online, whether it is a personal credit card or a corporate credit card to pay for office supplies or travel, risk that the credit card information can be ‘stolen’.  When a company or individual employee’s personal or credit information is breached, the business time lost reporting and fixing the problem can be significant.

5.  Workplace Internet use results in poorer customer service.

According to the 2012 American Express(R) Global Customer Service Barometer, 93% of Americans surveyed said that companies fail to exceed their service expectations and 55% walked away from an intended purchase in the past year because of a poor customer service experience.  Moreover, 32% of respondents felt businesses are paying less attention to providing good customer service, which was an increase of 26% from 2011.

Clearly customers are increasingly dissatisfied with the level of service they are receiving from U.S. companies.  Employees who are spending 10-40% of their time on the Internet instead of attending to clients’ needs certainly will not help the customer experience.  Employees who just want to get back to surfing the Web are likely to be more curt, brusque, unaccommodating and uncooperative to customers.  That can have a very direct impact on a company’s bottom line.

Even without taking into account the myriad of other legal and HR problems that come from employees who go to illicit or gambling sites at work, there are substantial drawbacks to providing unlimited Internet access to all employees at work.  While there may be benefits to giving every employee access to the Web, the disadvantages cannot be ignored by any company focused on its profitability and growth.  Cha-ching.

Quote of the Week

“All good things are difficult to achieve; and bad things are very easy to get.” Confucius

© 2012, Written by Keren Peters-Atkinson, CMO, Madison Commercial Real Estate Services. All rights reserved.

In every company, there comes a time when you need to ‘clean house.’ Sometimes that house-cleaning is done in personnel to dispose of unproductive or disruptive employees. Sometimes that house-cleaning is done to the physical office to reorganize, make better use of space and eliminate clutter. And sometimes that house-cleaning is done to a particular department’s work to maximize efficiency, increase creativity and catch mistakes. For marketing, that type of ‘cleaning’ is essential to ensure that the company’s strategy, messaging and branding are tightly aligned and working in tandem.

Last week, we reviewed three areas of marketing — collateral, promotional items and trade show materials — that often can benefit from a little Spring cleaning. This week, we will look at three more areas of marketing that often could use a little sprucing up and dusting off: websites, PR and advertising. While these areas of marketing primarily don’t exist in the physical world – as there is no marketing closet that houses your websites and most PR and advertising efforts today begin and end in the digital world – they can still benefit from a little virtual cleaning…. Some proofing, editing, updating and organization. Here’s how.

When’s the last time your company reviewed and refreshed your websites, PR and advertising? If your answer is more than six months ago, then it’s time to get out the cleaning supplies and get to it.

Websites
Websites should be policed regularly. But the truth is that they aren’t, even by companies with huge e-commerce sites. Small and mid-sized companies review their websites even less. When was the last time you reviewed your site from top to bottom? Just because you reviewed your site a year ago doesn’t mean that new errors haven’t popped up since then. A coder might have added, moved or removed something by mistake. A programmer might have moved or removed something because they weren’t aware of its value. Don’t wait for clients or a drop in sales figures to reveal an issue. Here are some steps to follow.

1. Read every word on every page. Sounds tedious. Print all the pages and split them among a few employees (who are good writers / editors) to read thoroughly. You might even reward anyone who finds a genuine error on their pages. That will incentivize them to really scrutinize the text carefully.

2. Click on every link. Broken links and redirection errors happen all the time.

3. Sign up for every one of your website’s offers. If you have a white paper that can be downloaded, register for it and download it. If you have an Estimate Request button, click on it, provide the information asked, and have an estimate sent to you. If you sell products, it may be impossible for you to test all items. But place at least a few orders to ensure that everything works smoothly.

4. Review your website from various different browsers such as Chrome, Firefox and Internet Explorer. Sometimes you will find that your website does not render properly on certain browsers. A photo might appear as an X or the margins or footers may be shifted.

PR
It may seem that PR is an area of marketing that never really needs a good Spring cleaning. Think again. PR efforts can often get stale or outdated without a watchful eye. It makes sense to go over everything and make sure that PR efforts have kept up with changes in the company. Here are some things to review and update.

1. Check your print and online News Archives. Are the most current Press Releases and published articles posted on your website? Are they being posted on your social media pages as well? If not, it’s time to update. A website that has press releases and articles dating back several years but nothing more recent gives the appearance of a company that has either gone under or has cut back on marketing so drastically that they no longer are able to update their website. Neither message is good.

2. Google some of the topics of your most recent articles and releases to see if they rank well. Also Google your company’s name(s) to see if any of the articles or releases appear as part of that search. Hopefully they do. If they don’t, it’s time to review the connection between your PR and SEO efforts.

3. Check your company’s Media Kit to ensure that it has the most current contact information and messaging. Has the company changed its strategy or brand in a way that is not reflected on the Media Kit? Has the company moved offices or implemented a new toll-free number that has not been added to the Media Kit? Update everything to ensure that all branding and messaging is fresh and current.

Advertising

Advertising is another area of marketing that may need a good Spring cleaning. Certainly ad agencies would agree. Is your company using the same tired ads, headlines, mascots or messaging from last year… or five years ago? If so, it’s time to pull out your ad campaigns and think about how to update your messaging to resonate with your potential clients today. For example, perhaps your marketing was directed to an older, more traditional clientele years ago, but today you find that the next generation of decision-makers is younger and more contemporary. It’s time for your advertising (and that includes online ads, mobile ads, print ads, flyers, radio commercials, tv commercial, online videos, etc.) to get an update.

1. Review the visuals (photos or footage) of every ad campaign, whether direct mail or e-blast, that the company has done in the past couple of years. Is there evidence that the campaign is dated? Do you see people using old calculators or oversized cell phones? Are people wearing clothing or donning hair styles that reek of the 1990s? If the rest of the messaging is good, you may just want to update the photography.

2. Then review the messaging of every ad campaign that the company has done in the past two years. Are the headlines dated? For example, companies ran a lot of patriotic-looking ads during the years right after 9-11 to show their support of the U.S. But if ads are still touting the red-white-blue theme a decade later, it’s time for an update… unless of course the company sells U.S. flags.

3. Even if the ad visuals and messaging are still good, consider creating new ad campaigns anyway simply to give potential customers a reason to check you out again.

Once you’ve removed all the cobwebs and polished up your marketing to a high, glossy shine again, you are ready to take your sales and marketing efforts to the next level, confident that your company’s brand is represented as it should be.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“The lamp burns bright when wick and oil are clean.” Ovid

© 2012, Written by Keren Peters-Atkinson, CMO, Madison Commercial Real Estate Services. All rights reserved.

With record high temperatures sweeping the nation in April, it’s clear that Spring has arrived. It’s time to put away the coats and boots, roll up the sleeves and do a little spring cleaning. After you’ve cleared the cobwebs in the basement or attic and cleaned out the closets and pantry, you should also do a little Spring cleaning at work. A good place to start is tidying up your marketing. Depending on how long it’s been since you did this last, it may take only a day or as much as a week… or for some poor souls who’ve put this off a long time, it may even take a month. However, whatever the investment of time, it is well worth the effort.

Just like when you clean the windows of your home, wiping away the winter grime so you can let the sun pour in, Spring cleaning your marketing will allow you to see your business more clearly. This will then allow you to focus on what is needed and what will generate the biggest return for the investment.  Here are six areas that could use a little spring cleaning: collateral materials; premiums; trade show booths; websites; PR and advertising. This week, we’ll look at the first three.

Collateral Materials

Collateral materials include any and all printed materials that a company uses for promotions and sales. This includes such things as brochures, flyers, sales sheets, price lists, circulars, catalogs, direct mailers, newsletters, etc. When was the last time that you went through your marketing room, cabinets or closets to determine just exactly what items you have left, how much and how dated the message is on each? Here are some tasks to guide this part of your spring cleaning.

1. Make an inventory of every collateral item you have for the company. That includes business cards. Ensure that the inventory lists not only the name of the piece and the quantity that remains, but also when the collateral piece was printed so you know how dated the messaging is.
2. Identify and discard any materials that cannot be used because of damage caused by exposure to sun, moisture or dust. Some materials that are glued, such as folders, may no longer have any adhesive properties as glue corrodes with time.
3. Review the messaging on each collateral piece. Determine if the information is still accurate. Ensure that catalogs that showcase products are still current. Check that materials that highlight particular staff are all still employed by the firm. Review phone numbers, addresses, domains and other information in footers to ensure that materials that might predate the company’s relocation aren’t still in circulation and might be used by mistake.
4. Determine if you are running low on a given item. Consider the time it takes to have more materials printed. Make sure you have enough on hand to hold you over, especially if a particular item such as a brochure needs rewriting or redesigning.

Premiums and Promotional Items

Premiums and promotional items are those branded items given by a company as giveaway at a trade show, such as a stress ball, or when redeeming a proof of purchase, such as a toy in a cereal box. Premiums can range from small items — such as golf balls with the company’s logo that are used at a golf tournament that a company sponsors or flash drives imprinted with the company website that are handed to potential customers containing samples of your company’s work — to really large items — such as a golf umbrella with the company’s icon — like Target’s bulls-eye — or large desk calendars.

This is an area of marketing that often desperately needs a little spring cleaning. It is easy to lose track of what items you have left. Items brought back after an event don’t always get put back where they belong. Premiums can become stale after a trend passes. Here are a few steps to clean up and clean out this area of marketing.

1. Create a digital library with a photo of each of the premiums and promotional items the company has available. Inventory the quantity. This helps to differentiate say, for example, the nylon tote bag with the short handles and company’s name emblazoned across the side distributed to employees at last year’s company picnic from the canvas tote bag with the long handles and embroidered logo that your firm hands out at trade shows.
2. Identify and discard any materials that can no longer be used because of damage caused while transporting to or from a show, or due to exposure to sun or rain.
3. Review each premium or promotional item. Some items are no longer useful because the campaign is done. Consider donating remaining items. For example, if your company no longer will use the t-shirts created for a tennis tournament sponsorship, consider donating the leftover shirts to Goodwill or an organization that helps the poor. Also consider that if there are too few of a particular item remaining to use at a future event (such as three logo’d baseball caps left over from client party your company hosted at the Playoffs), it may be best to discard the remaining items, rather than have them clutter your marketing closet and collect dust. In those situations, it may generate some goodwill with staff to place the remaining items in the Company Cafeteria or Kitchen with a sign that says “Free Giveaways” and let them take them home for friends and family.
4. Review all premiums and promotional items that are still useful to ensure that any branding or information is still accurate. For example, if the company updated its logo last year, any items with the old branding should be replaced. If the company has a new domain it is using, promotional items with the old website address should be discarded or donated.
5. If you are running low on a promotional item, consider if you still want more of that particular item. It may be time to consider what new promotional items are hot today. While logo’d mouse pads may have been all the rage a decade ago, they are becoming less and less useful with the advent of tablets and laptops. Perhaps your company would be better served giving away a logo’s portable wireless mouse with Bluetooth technology?
6. Ensure that all premiums and promotional items are organized (grouping all of the same item together), properly boxed and labeled on shelves. There is nothing worse that having to throw away promotional items because they were damaged from mishandling within your own marketing storage area. Or ordering more of a particular item because you think you’ve run out only to find a case of the item six months later shoved in a corner after it came back from a trade show. The time you spend organizing now will save you tons by avoiding waste later.

Trade Show Booths

Trade show booths and materials are those banners, displays and furnishings used when exhibiting at a trade show. Most businesses usually have at least a few items to use at a trade show that is either Business-to-Business or Business-to-Consumer. In transporting those back and forth, those materials often take a beating. Sometimes they are damaged during set up or in the rush to leave. Occasionally, they are lost in transport. It is important to do Spring cleaning of your trade show materials at least once a year to ensure that everything is in good, working order.

1. Open and set up every trade show booth and banner at your office. Ensure that all clips and Velcro pieces are in good shape. If not, replace them now while you have time. Order extras just in case. There is nothing worse that arriving at a show and being unable to set up a booth because it is broken or missing a key component. Also, materials that are dinged, dented or faded tarnish a company’s image. If your booth or banners look like they’ve been in a war zone, it’s time to invest in some new trade show displays.
2. Consider if you need to update your booths and banners. Design styles and colors change over time. Marketing materials should look current and fresh.
3. Another point to consider is whether it’s time to update a booth to make it lighter or easier to transport, set up and tear down. The old-fashioned, heavy booths with expandable and collapsible frames and carpeted panels are a thing of the past. These days, retractable banners, hanging signs, modular displays and light kits provide marketing canvases that are edgy, light weight and easier-than-ever to set up and tear down. The cost to buy and print display materials are also more reasonable than ever. Over time, the money saved in the cost of shipping lighter materials will more than pay for the cost of new trade show banners.

With these marching orders, it’s time to get start cleaning up and cleaning out your marketing. The time invested now will help position your company all year long. Next week, we’ll look at Spring cleaning your PR, website(s) and advertising. Don’t miss it!

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“Clean out a corner of your mind and creativity will instantly fill it.” Dee Hock

© 2012, Written by Keren Peters-Atkinson, CMO, Madison Commercial Real Estate Services. All rights reserved.

That’s what an obscure study done by Dr. Elizabeth Hurlock proved nearly a century ago.  In Hurlock’s 1925 study, students were divided into four groups during instruction.  One group was praised.  One was criticized.  One group was ignored.  The last group was ignored during instruction, but not in front of the others so they had no idea that some students were being praised or criticized.  Students who were praised in front of others during instruction improved their test scores by 71% while students who were criticized in front of others during instruction improved their test scores only 19%. The students who were ignored completely during instruction improved their scores by only 5% and that was similar to those who were separated from the others.  When it came to results, praise was the best motivator.  But is the same still true today?  And does praise motivate adults at work as much as it motivates children?  If so, does praise motivate employees as much as money or benefits?  The simple answer to all three questions is YES.

Yes, praise is just as motivating to adults as to children.  That’s because there is a fundamental physiological reason why praise motivates all people.  Let’s start by defining praise.  Praise – which is defined as using kind words, actions, facial expressions, or a gentle touch like a high-five or pat-on-the-back – is intended to communicate worth and accomplishment in others.  Also called positive reinforcement by scientists or words of encouragement by teachers and parents, praise lets children know that what they have done is good and worthwhile.  When bosses and managers praise employees, they are also letting workers know that the work they have done is good and worthwhile.

So why do people have such a need to know that one’s actions are good, worthwhile and successful?  Apparently, it has to do with how we are wired.  Recognition for good work causes the brain to release a chemical in the brain called dopamine.  What exactly is dopamine?  It is a neurotransmitter produced in the brain that stimulates the two parts of the brain that process rewards and create positive emotions like satisfaction, enjoyment, pride and pleasure.  Dopamine also reinforces the understanding that more of a given behavior will create more praise, resulting in more dopamine, and thus more pleasure.

The need to feel that pleasure is so important to the human brain that people will go to great lengths to get it, and get it on a regular basis.  Dopamine may explain why people play computer games and sports.  They are trying to get the dopamine that comes from the positive reinforcement of winning.  Winning is winning, and the brain feels the same pleasure whether the positive reinforcement (and thus the release of dopamine into the brain) comes from a boss, parent or game.  It may also explain why salespeople and entrepreneurs keep pursuing the next sale or deal, even long after they are wealthy and successful.  The short-term payoff for working hard day after day is the dopamine that generates a recurring feeling of success and enjoyment.

This desire for dopamine is hard-wired into our bodies.  It is human nature to want the positive reinforcement that then produces the dopamine. That makes this need incredibly useful to managers who want to motivate their employees.  Yet, few bosses leverage the power of praise to motivate their employees.  A Gallup poll asking U.S. employees about praise at work found that:

• 33% of all employees said they had not received any praise from their supervisor in the previous week.
• Employees who had received praise for doing good work in the previous week had generated a 10-20% increase in productivity and revenue.
• Employees who reported that they or their work was not recognized were three times more likely to indicate a desire to quit their job within the next year.

In fact, one of the top employee complaints in many surveys is that employees don’t receive enough praise or recognition.  The message:  bosses need to regularly praise their employees.  However, praise must meet five criteria to be effective.

1.  Praise works best when it alters the self image of the individual being praised. If someone is praised for sticking with a boring or difficult task, that person will incorporate that into their self image.  They will think “I have perseverance.”

2.  Praise works best when it is perceived as being sincere.  If a person is highly praised for mediocre work – work that they know is minimally standard – the person will believe that they are perceived as only being capable of producing mediocre work.  This will have the opposite effect of being de-motivating.

3.  Praise works best when it is perceived as being genuine.  That’s to say, if praise is given as a way to manipulate a person into doing something, the praise will not motivate the person.

4.  Praise works best which it is directed at a behavior, not a person or an innate ability.  It is best to praise someone’s work product, rather than their intelligence or one of their qualities.  For example, it is better to say “Your perseverance and follow-up skills in bringing in that deal were exemplary.” rather than saying “Your charm and intelligence really shone through in bringing in that deal.”  Studies have found that praise targeting a person’s efforts is motivating whereas praise that focuses on the person or their innate abilities is actually de-motivating.

5.  Praise works best if it is given intermittently and unexpectedly, and yet regularly.  If a person anticipates or expects to be praised after every project or deal, then studies show that the praise is no longer motivating.  However, if praise is given periodically and yet randomly, then the praise is motivating.

In the end, genuine, sincere, focused, yet unanticipated praise of employee’s work acts as a great motivator.  People want – or should we say need — recognition.  All people have a biological desire to be noticed and appreciated.  It’s not just about money.  While money and fringe benefits are motivating, praise is the one motivator that costs nothing and is as effective today as it was a century ago and will be a century from now.

Quote of the Week

“In every age and every man there is something to praise as well as to blame.” James Beattie

© 2012, Written by Keren Peters-Atkinson, CMO, Madison Commercial Real Estate Services. All rights reserved.

A lot has been learned about how lack of sleep affects the human mind.  As we reviewed last week, sleeping too little has a definite impact on mental ability.  It inhibits productivity.  It diminishes the ability to remember and consolidate information.  It lessens the ability to reason and do numerical calculations.  For most businesses, this can have serious implications such as reducing workplace safety and decreasing work quality.  Here is another consideration:  lack of sleep can also cause health problems.

Indeed, studies show that lack of sufficient sleep is linked with:

• Increase in body mass index – a propensity for obesity due to an increased appetite caused by sleep deprivation
• Increased risk of diabetes
• Increased risk of heart problems
• Increased risk for psychiatric conditions including substance abuse
• Decreased ability to pay attention, react to signals or remember new information which leads to increased amount of accidents

But, as it turns out, there is also a correlation between too much sleep and health problems.  In fact, just as it is possible to overeat to the point of obesity, it is also possible to oversleep.  A study found that extended sleep durations (over nine hours) is associated with increased illness, depression, accidents and death. Two surveys of more than a million adults conducted by the American Cancer Society found that people who (on average) slept seven hours per night had lower mortality rate after six years than those sleeping less than seven hours or more than eight hours each night.  The surveys showed that too much sleep can be ‘too much of a good thing.’  Thus, the goal for sleeping – just like eating, exercising, working and playing – is to get enough without getting too much.  The key is balance.

What Is The Right Balance Between ‘Not Enough’ and ‘Too Much’ Sleep?

Sleep experts agree that, in general, adults need seven to nine hours of sleep.  But the need for sleep is affected by the person’s individual body and their sleep debt (sleep previously missed).  When it comes to sleep time, one size does not fit all.  While most adults require an average of eight hours, children need more… a lot more.  According to the National Sleep Foundation, young children need twice as much sleep as adults.  Ironically, adults with small children are likely to get less sleep than needed because they are consumed by the demands of caring for small children.

On the other hand, while many believe that older adults need less sleep than middle aged adults, this is actually not true.  An elderly adult (over the age of 65) needs as much sleep as any other adult.  However, often health issues, lack of mobility and environmental factors keep them from getting the sleep they need at night.  That’s why many older people sleep in dribs and drabs day and night.

Assess Your Own Sleep Needs

Start by asking yourself some questions to determine how much sleep you may need:

• Do I regularly get a good night’s sleep?
• Am I overweight?
• Am I at risk for heart disease?
• Am I experiencing sleep problems?
• Do you depend on caffeine to get through the day?
• Do I feel sleepy when driving?
• Am I sleepy during the day?
• Do I get leg cramps or tingling in my legs while I sleep?
• Do I snore intermittently (as if snoring and then gasping for air)?

If you answer yes to some or all of these questions, you may have a sleep problem which could be impacting your productivity and mental acuity at work and your overall health.

Here are some suggestions to help you determine how much sleep you need to feel productive, healthy and happy.  Consider the recommended amount for your age, and then examine the lifestyle factors affecting your quality and quantity of sleep.  Pay attention to your needs by assessing how you feel on different amounts of sleep. Keep a sleep journal for three weeks.  Vary the amount of sleep you get over that three-week period.  Try to get seven hours of sleep per night (every night) for a week.  Then increase your sleep time to eight hours per night for a week.  Then try to get nine hours of sleep per night for a week.  Keep a journal of how alert, productive and energized you feel each day throughout this phase.  Try to limit and keep caffeine intake consistent during the three weeks so as to not skew results.  Pay careful attention to your mood, energy and health after a ‘bad’ night’s sleep (one in which you either woke often or were unable to sleep) versus after a ‘good’ night’s sleep. If you are consistently unable to sleep at least seven hours per night, you may need to see a doctor or sleep specialist.

Ten Tips for Better Night’s Sleep

For those who have trouble falling or staying asleep, here are some suggestions:

1. Exercise regularly during the day.  A sedentary lifestyle impedes sleep.
2. Establish consistent sleep and wake schedules, even on weekends.
3. End all eating and drinking at least two hours before bedtime.  This will reduce the need to get up in the middle of the night.
4. Complete all exercise at least two hours before bedtime.
5. Set up a regular bedtime routine that is relaxing.  Start an hour before sleep-time.  Bathe.  Listen to soft music.  Dim the lights.  Pray or meditate.
6. Make your bedroom sleep-friendly:  dark, quiet, comfortable, cool and inviting.
7. Invest in a comfortable mattress, pillows, and linens.
8. Avoid stimulus such as using a computer, reading or using a telephone after getting in bed.
9. Avoid beverages with caffeine or alcohol or foods that are heavy at least two to three hours before sleep-time.

10.  Make sleep a priority and make sure you build your schedule around your need for sleep, instead of sleeping during whatever hours you have left after all your other priorities are accomplished.

Getting a good night’s sleep on a regular basis is likely to improve mental alertness and an overall feeling of well-being.  A healthy mind and body makes for a better employee, manager or business owner, and that is a key ingredient for success.  Sweet dreams.

Quote of the Week

“It is a common experience that a problem difficult at night is resolved in the morning after the committee of sleep has worked on it.” John Steinbeck

© 2012, Written by Keren Peters-Atkinson, CMO, Madison Commercial Real Estate Services. All rights reserved.

What do the 1979 nuclear accident at Three Mile Island, the 1986 nuclear meltdown at Chernobyl, the Exxon Valdez oil tanker grounding and the explosion of the space shuttle Challenger all have in common (besides being major catastrophes that cost millions and took lives)?  Individuals who played a critical role in what went wrong were sleep deprived at the time of each accident.  There is also a link between lack of sleep and medical errors in hospitals. The Institute of Medicine reports that over a million injuries and 50,000 to 100,000 deaths occur each year from preventable medical errors, many of which are believed to be attributed to insufficient sleep.  Likewise, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that 100,000 police-reported crashes in the U.S. annually are the direct result of driver fatigue.  Also, the National Transportation Safety Board estimates that 70% of commercial aviation fatal accidents are related to human error and that operating crew fatigue is responsible for 15-20% of the overall accident rate.

While employee fatigue may not seem like a major concern for the average business, employees who do not get enough sleep — whether for just one night or over the course of weeks to months or on a regular basis — can significantly worsen productivity, work quality, customer service, and safety.  Employee sleep deprivation can negatively impact mood, ability to focus, and ability to access higher-level cognitive functions.  Sleep-deprived employees are less productive, creative, efficient, effective and engaging.

While sleep is as essential to all living creatures’ well-being as food, water and oxygen, many people do not get enough sleep on a regular basis.  Just as people cannot function for long without sufficient nutrition, hydration or air, the ability to function also diminishes without sleep.  Unfortunately, the hectic pace of daily life competes with the need for enough sleep.  And there is uncertainty about how much sleep is ‘enough.’ Although we hear a lot of hype about needing and getting more sleep, there is no consensus on just how many hours of sleep the average person needs and it’s even harder to tell if one is adequately rested.  Is there a set amount of hours needed by all?  What happens if a person doesn’t get enough sleep?  How much does lack of sleep affect a person’s productivity and mental ability to function?  And is there such a thing as “oversleeping” the same way that a person can overeat?

How Does Lack of Sleep Impact Work Performance?

First, let’s consider just how much sleep deprivation can impact a person’s performance at work.  Not getting enough sleep results in human fatigue and lack of motivation.  After a period of sleep deprivation, there is a noticeable change in brain activity, which corresponds to a lower level of alertness.  Performance measures are noticeably altered. The region of the brain known as the prefrontal cortex (PFC), which is responsible for many higher-level cognitive functions, is particularly vulnerable to a lack of sleep. As a result, people who are sleep deprived begin to show deficits in many tasks that require logical reasoning or complex thought.  Concentration, working memory, mathematical capacity, and logical reasoning are all cognitive functions compromised by sleep deprivation. Any period of continual wakefulness beyond the typical 16 hours or so generally leads to measurable changes.

Determining exactly how much performance is affected by sleep loss is difficult, in part, because of factors such as individual differences in sleep needs, individual differences in sensitivity to sleep deprivation, and individual differences in motivation to stay alert despite sleep loss. Notwithstanding, it is clear that lack of sleep affects performance.

Even Animals Need Sleep.

All living creatures need to sleep, but sleep schedules vary greatly from animal to animal.  Some scientists believe the differences are based on the brain metabolic rate of the animal. Smaller animals with higher rates of brain metabolism need more sleep.  Larger animals with slower rates of brain metabolism generally sleep less.  For example, giraffes can go weeks without sleep.  Indeed, most large land mammals, such as elephants and cows, all sleep less than four hours on average.  Land-grazing animals also spend so much time eating, there isn’t much time left for sleep.  Horses stand 98% of the time, making it difficult to sleep.  At the other end of the spectrum, brown bats sleep for nearly the entire day.   Other scientists believe animals’ sleep schedules are based on the danger each animal faces. For example, some birds literally sleep with one eye open which they use to track potential predators.  But the prize for most unique sleep habits goes to marine mammals.  When marine mammals sleep, there is always one hemisphere of their brain that is awake. For example, dolphins can swim and surface to breathe while sleeping. They can perform many of the same processes while sleeping that they do awake.

Interestingly, rats have similar sleep needs as people.  Rats need sleep to be alert and learn new tasks.   In fact, all mammals (human and non-human) need sleep and have the same basic sleep cycle.  Both humans and animals have rapid eye movement (REM) during sleep.  This is the state of sleep associated with dreams. Both humans and all other mammals display the same level of brain activity and increased heart rate variability during REM sleep.  REM sleep is when the brain gets recharged and refreshed.

So Just How Much Sleep Do We Need?

Although every living creature needs sleep, sleep experts agree that there is no “exact amount” of sleep needed by all people.  Sleep needs vary by age group and individual.  The amount of sleep one person needs to function best is probably different from that of someone else of the same age and gender.

There are two factors that affect each person’s individual sleep needs.  The first is the person’s Basal Sleep Need which is the amount of sleep our bodies need on a regular basis for optimal performance.  The second is a person’s Sleep Debt which is the accumulated lack of sleep lost to poor sleep habits, illness, and other factors that interfere with sleep.

It appears that healthy adults (ages 20-65) have a basal sleep need of seven to eight hours per night.  But determining sleep need doesn’t stop there.  One must factor the interaction between basal need and sleep debt. Even if a person got the basal sleep needed a few nights in a row, if there was a sleep debt that had accumulated from before, that deficit would cause the person to feel sleepy and less alert, particularly during circadian dips…  times in the 24-hour cycle when the body is physiologically programmed to be sleepier and less alert (when there is no daylight).  At those times, the person could become suddenly, overwhelmingly sleepy.  Thankfully, accumulated sleep debt can be paid off, just like financial debt.

One thing is certain.  For employees to be their most productive, creative, and logical (as well as friendly), they need to get a full night’s rest on a regular basis.  Sleep deprived employees are bad for business.  While employers can’t force employees to get enough sleep, competitive businesses can ill afford to have lots of sleep-deprived staff on the job, especially during busy times.  CPAs during tax season, mortgage lenders handling closings at month-end, and retailers during the holidays should all take note.  Staff will be more productive, effective and efficient if they get enough sleep regularly.  Expecting employees to work excessive hours (which ultimately cuts into sleep time) actually undercuts their overall performance.  Ensuring that staff schedules don’t interfere with their time to rest isn’t just the right thing to do for the staff’s well being, it also just good business.

Stay tuned.  Next week, we’ll look at how lack of sleep not only impacts employees work performance, but also their health.

Quote of the Week

“That we are not much sicker and much madder than we are is due exclusively to that most blessed and blessing of all natural graces, sleep.” Aldous Huxley

© 2012, Written by Keren Peters-Atkinson, CMO, Madison Commercial Real Estate Services. All rights reserved.

Last week, we looked at the psychological drivers and emotional triggers that can cause a video to ‘go viral.’  Specifically, we looked at Kony 2012, a video that had been viewed nearly 80 million times, shared 8+ million times and generated 650,000+ comments (at the time of the writing of the article nearly 10 days ago).  In addition to being #1 on the video viral chart for the last two weeks, the same video with Spanish subtitles is also ranked #11 on the Video Viral Chart.

What was interesting about the Kony 2012 video was that it wasn’t selling a product or service.  The video’s goal was to raise global awareness about Joseph Kony (who has been indicted by the International Court of Justice for crimes against humanity… particularly against children) and lead to his capture.  In that regard, the Kony video was a call to action.  From a purely marketing perspective, the video’s message was successful in generating strong emotional responses from viewers, educating viewers on a little-known topic, and aligning itself with a cause to which most people could easily identify and support.  These are considered some of the key psychological drivers that cause a video to be widely shared.

One may wonder, though, if brand-generated videos (such as a webisode or a commercial) could possibly generate such strong emotional responses as the Kony 2012 video did.  The simple answer is yes.  Even brand-generated videos can and do ‘go viral.’  But it doesn’t happen automatically.  There are factors that spur the viral effect.  So what did Invisible Children, the creator of the Kony 2012 video, do to become the fastest-spreading viral video campaign in history?  Besides offering a message that was emotionally-charged, aligned with an important value and full of little-known information, the creators also did a few other things.

1.  They grabbed the audience’s attention.

Kony’s video quickly engaged the viewer with a compelling text message, graphics and the first statement that “There are more people on Facebook today than there were people in the world 200 years ago.”  With that, the viewer’s attention was immediately focused on the power of social media.

2. They used social media to spread the word.

The Invisible Children organization had strong base of Facebook, YouTube and Twitter followers, which allowed them to spread their message using social media very effectively.

3. They got endorsements.

Invisible Children obtained endorsements from 20 global celebrities as well as from 12 major political figures including Past Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton as well as Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.  Those people then sent links to the video to their own Facebook, YouTube and Twitter followers.  They then urged their millions of followers to retweet the link.

4.  They urged viewers to get involved.

The Kony 2012 video urged viewers to join the effort to raise awareness about Kony’s crimes.  They asked viewers to help pressure Ugandan government officials to arrest Kony by the end of 2012 by writing to their elected officials. Viewers were empowered to help catch the Ugandan rebel.

5.  The made the video easy to share.

They made sure the video has the technical elements needed to make it easy to share it with others.

6.  They made the video findable by search engines.

They made sure that thumbnail images appeared in search directories and imbedded links.

While no brand-generated video has had as many views as the Kony 2012 video within such a short span of time, a lot of videos have been viewed tens of millions of times and two have passed the 100,000,000 threshold. This is based on views of the original clip uploaded by the brand or agency as well as the clips that audiences copied, mixed, mashed, spoofed and reposted across the web.

The most successful brand video series was made by Blendtec, a company that makes blenders.  Ranked at #1, their videos have had over 173,300,000 views as of August, 2011.  Evian, the bottled water company, put out a video that ranked #2, with over 158,000,000 views at that same time.  But few brand videos have crossed the 100,000,000 view threshold.  Getting over 100,000,000 online views of a ‘commercial’ is challenging.   After all, people actually record TV programs so they can later fast-forward through the commercials.  For people to actually choose to watch a brand video online is pretty impressive.  That is usually a sign that the video struck an emotional chord with the audience.

Here are some interesting things to keep in mind about brand videos.

1.  Videos continue to be viewed long, long after they are broadcast or posted. While Blendtec’s video may have been ranked #1 seven months ago and continues to have over 700,000 views each week, Evian’s video is getting over 1.1 million views each week.  At that pace, Evian’s ad will likely replace Blendtec’s video for first place this year.

2.  New videos are viewed more when they are initially released and then their popularity fades.  A video could generate 35,000,000 views during the first week, and within six months, be down to generating about 200,000 views a week.  That’s typical.

3. Videos that generated strong emotional responses not only can continue to reach audiences long after their initial burst of popularity wears off, but they can be revived when new videos are launched by the same creator.   This is called ‘viral reactivation.’

4.  Although most highly-successful videos are made by professional ad agencies, a few of the most popular ever were created in-house.  Videos don’t have to be slick to go viral.

Quote of the Week

“It’s essential to have a point of view that puts a stake in the ground and breaks through the clutter.” Lynn Power ArnoldNYC

© 2012, Written by Keren Peters-Atkinson, CMO, Madison Commercial Real Estate Services. All rights reserved.

Arguably the biggest challenge that businesses face today is for their brand to be ‘known’ — seen and heard – by clients and potential clients despite the onslaught of marketing noise bombarding our eyes and ears from all directions.  Newspapers.  Magazines.  Television.  Radio.  Social media websites.  Emails.  Blogs.  Even if someone tries to ‘turn off’ the noise and disconnect from telecommunications, it would still be impossible in the industrialized world to completely avoid marketing messaging.  Billboards.  Bus benches.  Street signs.  Unsolicited circulars (a/k/a junk mail).  Marketing is everywhere.  The challenge for any businesses, then, is to cut through the clatter so that potential customers can receive their specific message.

Yet, some messages are being delivered to millions of people with little cost or effort.  That is what happens when a video ‘goes viral’.  Case in point.  One 30-minute video posted on March 5, 2012, just 13 days ago, has been viewed 77,384, 697 times.  That same video has also been shared on Facebook 8,012,263.  Since the average FB user has 120 confirmed friend connections, that means that potentially, in time, 961,471,560 people may end up viewing that video.  (Note:  Studies also show that people will remain watching a video three times longer when it has been shared by a friend, as opposed to finding it online themselves.)  Additionally, that video has been posted on 7,472 blogs and has had 643,616 people post comments about it.  Indeed, that video is currently the #1 video online, according to the Video Viral Chart.  What causes a video to ‘go viral’ (marketing-speak meaning to spread like a virus)?  Opinions abound.  But new research provides some real insight on what causes a video to ‘go viral.’

First, let’s briefly consider the video causing such a sensation.  The video is called Kony 2012, and it is not a music video or a branded video (such as webisode or an extended commercial).  It is not selling a product or service…. it is selling an idea.  The video’s goal is to make the named target, Joseph Kony, famous – or should we say infamous.  The video, which was created by Jason Russell in-house — that is to say, the content is user-generated (amateur) as opposed to brand-generated (professional) — is part of a campaign by Invisible Children, a grassroots non-profit 501(c)3 organization, to raise global awareness about Joseph Kony (who has been indicted by the International Court of Justice for crimes against humanity… particularly against children) and lead to his capture.  Without getting into the politics or message of the video (which is not the point or focus here), the question is why has this video gone viral?

Consider the stats and characteristics of this particular video.  In addition to being #1 on the Video Viral Chart for the last two weeks, the same video with Spanish subtitles is also ranked #11 on the Video Viral Chart.  Practically the rest of the current top 20 videos on the current Video Viral Chart are music videos by popular musicians or music groups.  What is most interesting is that the Kony 2012 video defies some of the accepted wisdom about the type of videos that go viral; namely short and funny videos.  At nearly 30-minutes in length, the Kony 2012 video is not short.   Considering the subject matter, it is certainly not funny or even amusing.

In October, 2010, Dan Greenberg of Mashable Social Media suggested there were three basic psychological drivers that make people share a video.  The sharing is what causes the viral effect.

1)  The video captures an emotion that resonates with its audience.

2)  The video defines the person’s personality to his/her friends.  Thus, the viewer is able to align him/herself with the message, either because it’s a reflection of their humor, fashion sense, tech-savvy, popularity, politics, values, etc.  This is called the “this-is-me” effect.

3) The video teaches or informs the viewer and provides new and interesting information about a topic.

The Kony 2012 video does all three.  The video generates a strong emotional response.  It focuses on the topic of protecting children, an issue that surely resonates with many if not most people.  And it calmly and rationally explains a complex but little-known problem in the world.

However, it wasn’t until recently that scientific research was done to determine which emotions resonate most when people watch videos.  A study, led by Dr. Karen Nelson-Field, Dr. Erica Riebe, and Dr. Kellie Newstead of the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute for Marketing Science at the University of South Australia, identified the emotions that are most likely to trigger video sharing online causing it to go viral.  The study took 400 user-generated videos and worked out the average number of daily shares each clip generated on Facebook.  They then asked 14 independent people to watch a sub-set of the sample and indicate the emotions they personally felt from a list of 16 potential emotional responses.  Those emotions were: astonishment, exhilaration, inspiration, hilarity, surprise, happiness, calmness, amusement, shock, anger, frustration, disgust, discomfort, sadness, boredom, and irritation. Each video was “coded” twice to lessen the impact of subjectivity.  They then allocated each emotion an average number of daily shares.  The results:  hilarity and anger ranked at the top with 6,392 and 5,293 respectively.  Boredom ranked at the bottom with 622.  Here is what they found.

1.  Laughter is, indeed, the best way to get someone to share video content.  Hilarity is easily the most likely emotion to trigger sharing activity, not amusement or happiness.

2.  The stronger the emotion (laughter, anger, crying, shock), the more likely a video would be shared.

3.  Most videos currently generate either boredom or amusement.  That explains why most videos don’t go viral.  The majority of the countless videos in the vast digital realm too often failed to create enough motivation for the viewer to share.  For a video to be shared, it needs to hit strong emotional triggers.

Next week, we’ll look at whether brand-generated videos (such as commercials) can ‘go viral’ and what other factors may also help a video to spread like a virus.  Stay tuned!

Quote of the Week

“The brain wants to have fun. If you keep thinking about that every day, you’re always going to be interesting and relevant. The brain hates boring and expected.”
Linus Karlsson & Paul Malmstrom, Mother New York

© 2012, Written by Keren Peters-Atkinson, CMO, Madison Commercial Real Estate Services. All rights reserved.

Business systems can be a great support in businesses. But, like most things in life, they have to be monitored and nurtured, and sometimes even repaired. Poor performance and frustration within an organization is usually a sign of broken systems or processes. According to a law of physics, all things naturally tend to break down over time. That includes business systems. When they do, the business must repair, improve, or elevate the business system to a higher level of functioning in order to be successful.  For example, a manufacturer might need to retool a faltering process, tune up equipment, or replace an outdated machine to increase productivity. Each step takes him to a higher level of performance.

Causes and Solutions of Business System Failures

Today, the most common business system failure is related to technology or software. An exchange server goes down. A customer relationship management system fails to operate. An operations software system overloads. Technology failure is both the most ubiquitous and most impactful business system failure. However, business systems can fail in any department or any part of the business. Customer service. Operations. Accounting.

When a business system fails, the first step is to evaluate what has gone wrong. Stand back and look at an underperforming or failing system. What appears to be the cause of the system failure? Have faulty assumptions been made? Has the problem been misdiagnosed? Is the solution the wrong solution? There may be a need to re-examine the logic or perhaps drill-down to find the root cause of the problem.

Here are possible reasons and solutions for a business system breakdown:

1. Insufficient Input – The manager did not have sufficient customer or worker input during the system development process. The leadership or administration did not listen carefully to what the customer (internal or external) or employees want or need. Solution: Ask again.
2. Informal Process – The business system is not formalized in writing or lacks clarity, ownership, measurement, or reporting. An informal system is haphazard and is often passed on by word of mouth. By nature it is ever changing. Solution: Formalize it.
3. Poor Design – The business system is too slow or produces too many defects. Either of these can drive up costs. This is usually a sign of poor design, inadequate training, or no measurement and feedback. Solution: Improve design, provide training for users and increase measurement and communication. This eliminates defects.
4. System Overload – The business system is overloaded and cannot handle the demand. In-baskets are full. Things are stacked up awaiting staff to work on it. Solution: Eliminate the bottleneck by increasing the capacity of the system.
5. Fuzzy System – The business system lacks focus. It is too broad, far reaching, or complex to be effective. The system has more than one purpose or objective. Solution: Reduce and simplify the system into smaller, more manageable subsystems.
6. Dependent System – The business system is dependent upon other systems that are underperforming or failing. Solution: Identify the true problem system and then fix it.
7. Misdirected Management – System data and feedback are used to punish people rather than improve performance.  Bad systems usually result in poor performance. Solution: Identify faulty systems, not faulty employees. Improve the system and then provide effective training.
8. Poor Implementation of New System – A new system is not carefully tested before being deployed or staff is unprepared for the deployment. Solution: Test all new systems carefully before deploying. Prepare staff and operations carefully prior to deployment.
   If the failing system is new and has already been deployed, withdraw or remove the new system until all the glitches are resolved and the new system has been thoroughly tested. Once it is truly ready to be deployed, then redeploy the new system again.
9. System Misdiagnosis – Information about system performance is not based on facts or data, but rather ‘feelings.’ It does not reflect the true condition of the system. Feelings may sense a problem but may not be able to diagnose the problem. Solution. Gather data. Measure. Analyze. Determine if there is a real problem based on the facts.
10. System Failure Rejection – Leadership refuses to face facts about a system failure. There is a willing blindness to a system failure that continues to cause staff frustration and customer complaints. Solution: Reality check. Face the truth and then repair or replace the system.

System failures usually are the most frustrating part of doing business. Ask yourself what is the most frustrating part of your business. To what system does that frustration point? Lead generation. Customer service. Collections. Operations. Accounts payable. Technology. Consider which of the reasons above may be the cause of the system failure. Then consider how to implement the solution based on the specific system. Focus your efforts there and watch your business system roar back to life.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“We learn wisdom more from failure than we do from successes.” Samuel Smiles

© 2012, Written by Keren Peters-Atkinson, CMO, Madison Commercial Real Estate Services. All rights reserved.