BRAND NOISE REDUCTION

You know…there is something that is bugging me about social media and all of the hoopla surrounding it. I am deeply entrenched in helping brands get into the social media fray with my agency The Big Fat Mouth, but I also believe they need to do it the right way. They cannot just jump in and make a ton of noise and believe they are “doing social media.” In fact, if there is one thing that I say brands are guilty of in social media, it is that they are creating more Brand Noise. Isn’t that a good thing? NO!

Noise is defined as “a nonharmonious or discordant group of sounds,” and when we talk about Brand Noise we are basically saying a nonharmonious or discordant group of sounds as it relates to a brand or product. Isn’t that counterproductive? Many brands think they can go out there and use social media to increase their profile when the truth is they are simply clouding their message. At The Big Fat Mouth, we counsel our client on Brand Noise Reduction through social media. Basically, what that means is we show brands how to use social media to deliver high quality brand messages as instead of creating Brand Noise.

Brand Noise Reduction is all about trying to deliver the highest quality messages that are on strategy, versus just being out there and just making noise. Think of it as the right message, in the right place, at the right time, using the right approach. Sounds simple doesn’t it? It is astounding how many brands can not seem to get this right. They might deliver the right message at the wrong time or in the wrong place. Imagine of you had just signed a deal with Tiger Woods (which would have been exciting for any brand a month ago) and went out and announced that in the past two weeks. You would be shooting yourself in the foot. Regardless of how long Tiger disappears for, he is still a a marketing juggernaut and will be one of the most marketable athletes of all time. Just not this month! Of course that is an extreme example but you can see how important it is to get all four of those things right.

1. Right Message
2. Right Time
3. Right Place
4. Right Approach

If, and only if, you can say that your communication in social media meets those 4 criteria, are you practicing Brand Noise Reduction. I believe that as consumers find more and more places to get information, only those brands that practice Brand Noise Reduction will benefit fully from the power of social media.

Look for our white paper on Brand Noise Reduction right after the New Year.

TIGER AND HIS PRIVACY

I have been following the Tiger Woods story closely now since it broke earlier this week and I have to say that I am surprised by his lack of response, but to some extent understand it. I have read hundreds of articles talking about how he should come out and make a statement or hold a press conference or something else. There have also been plenty of article talking about how he OWES it to the public to do so. I agree he should have said something sooner, but he owes it to the public? You mean to tell me that just because he is successful at his chosen profession that he has to give up his privacy? Just because he put his face/name/brand on a bunch of products that people snapped up and continue to buy and made him a billionaire... he has to give up his privacy? That is where I completely disagree.

Tiger Woods is the best golfer in the world, and arguably one of the greatest athletes in the world. So what? Because his chosen profession happens to be on a world stage he is not entitled to privacy when he is not working? That is the most ridiculous argument I have ever heard. He has a work life and a private life and he is entitled to privacy in his private life if that is what he desires. Just because he is successful does not mean that he does not have all of the faults and weaknesses that any other human being has. He is entitled to make mistakes behind closed doors and we have absolutely no right to know about them. It is no different than if you or I make a mistake other than the fact that the paparazzi are not following me around or trying everything they can to get photos of my wife and kids. By the way this is not just about Tiger, but about celebrities in general.

When the kid who takes the tickets at the movie theater gets a DUI driving home from a party, nobody cares, but when a celebrity gets one it is big news. Same crime, same possible outcomes and same penalties, but different proportions. Now I understand if some primadonna storms off a movie set or off of a playing field...that's news. You know why? Because they are at work and their work is on a public stage. Imagine if some corporate executive stormed out of the office because they were unhappy with the way the CEO was treating them...oh wait... that happens all the time. We just don't read about it because the person is not a public figure. Public figures should be held accountable for the way they act when they are working. What goes on at home is none of your business.

Now I get the fact that we live in a world where there is a record of everything. In fact, I will go one step further and say that this next generation has no expectation of privacy the way we do. They put it all out there on social media for everyone to see. They want people to know what they do, who they are doing it with and where they are doing it. But for those who value their privacy and want to keep some things to themselves they can do so. Tiger deserves the same treatment. He didn't post "TTLY my wife is hitting me with a golf club" on his Facebook page. That clearly happened behind closed doors and that is where it should have stayed.

I guess you could say that I am old fashioned or maybe I don't get the whole celebrity thing, but I believe that Tiger and other celebrities deserve to have privacy in their lives when they are not on the public stage. If you don't like the way he is acting or what he is doing then here is an idea...stop buying his products. That is the best way to show your displeasure, not by dragging him over the coals in the media.

Hey that is just my opnion...I could be wrong.