Peter Pan Bus Line – Learnings From President Picknelly

I wish the buses still looked like this

I’d like to thank Mr. Picknelly again for taking the time to talk with me this morning. I learned A LOT about how and why the system is the way it is, and I was happy to give him some suggestions as well. And I will happily go on record as saying Mr. Picknelly is a nice, polite, fair, and open person. He was willing to take my questions, teach me, and listen to my feedback, I greatly enjoyed the conversation.

Mr. Picknelly, if I misstate/misrepresent any information here please leave a comment and I’ll be happy to correct it.

My Learnings

• Paper Trail and the Reservations
  

The reason they still use paper tickets is because many customers make several bus changes along their route – 27% of all tickets on Bonanza originate from somewhere else.

For example, if I buy a ticket from Providence to Dallas I would change buses several times, hopping between Peter Pan, Greyhound, etc. When I purchase the ticket I pay upfront to Peter Pan, but when I switch to the Greyhound, Greyhound bills Peter Pan for that ride. And any company knows that when billing is involved, a paper trail is involved (something the world needs to change, not just Peter Pan).

This is also part of the reason they don’t guarantee seating because they can’t (yet) track who will be coming from bus switches. Furthermore, one of the GOOD things about buses is the flexibility. When you purchase a regular ticket you can use it anytime within 1 year of purchase. So, if your travel plans change, you have the flexibility of coming and going when you please, and they can’t track when people will use that ticket.

This is not only understandable, but a good, marketable feature of taking a bus. All I asked, which Mr. Picknelly agreed with, is that they mention this on the pages of the website where you purchase your ticket instead of  burried in the FAQ page.

If I knew the flexibility of the bus I’d be more inclined to purchase a regular ticket. Furthermore, if I know that seating is not guaranteed, and the situation arrives where seats are full, at least I knew in advance and it was a risk I was ok with taking.

Customers are typically ok with things like that, as long as you’re transparent about the details and they know what they’re possibly getting themselves into. Risk vs Reward: the flexibility is great, but there’s a small chance seats aren’t available and you can get on the next bus. The reward there is often higher than the risk, so it’s a good thing.

So, the service is not like Bolt or Megabus which ONLY operate between city-pair specific destinations – which is why Bolt and Megabus don’t require the paper trail, and why they reserve seats.

They are in the long, complicated, expensive process of trying to fix the current system, and a new ticket system. The current guaranteed seats from Providence (Terminal not Kennedy Plaza) to NYC is a test for a reservation system. They will be controlling 30 seats on every bus. Furthermore, they will be launching a new ticket system by the end of the year, including on board scanners. I look forward to these changes and, Mr. Picknelly, if you need some feedback, you know I’ll be candid about it.

• The Providence Fiasco

We discussed the situation that my girlfriend went through in Providence and he agreed and admitted that it was simply a terrible mistake (part of why he was calling was to apologize about that – and I apologized for my angry rant).

What they try to do – and he admits its not the most sophisticated process, but just what they’re able to do right now – is they do a lot of research and analysis on passenger trends through dates and they try to anticipate when they will experience heavy volumes of traffic and they keep reserve buses on stand by.Very often they do it quite accurately.

Sunday June 12th is a rare occasion when everything went wrong (it happens to the best of us). They normally would have had the stand by bus come and bring the left over 11 passengers to NYC. However, the stand by driver had left and they didn’t anticipate heavy traffic that weekend (normally it’s the weekend of the 4th, which makes sense).

• Customer Service

Peter Pan does a survey of about 35-40 passengers everyday and Mr. Picknelly personally reads them.

I was shocked to learn that less than 30% of their customers buy their tickets online. 20% of customers don’t even have access to a computer (it’s what we call the Digital Divide), and 35% of customers don’t have credit cards.

Those are some surprising numbers.

They also employ a Mystery Rider system in which mystery riders purchase a ticket at the counter and note whether the representative is polite, helpful, asks if they want a return ticket, etc. Then they evaluate the bus driver as well. Is he wearing his seat belt? Does he play the video? Is he friendly? Etc. And they provide a report on the experience.

On my suggestion, they may also start asking other questions at the counter such as how do I get to the gate? As I’ve been steered wrong before.

However, in NYC at least, the counter representatives aren’t Peter Pan’s, they’re Greyhound’s. I can see how this can be frustrating from Peter Pan’s side because part of their riding experience doesn’t even hinge on their employees, which I told Mr. Picknelly, are rarely helpful or friendly. At least I know not to get mad at Peter Pan anymore.

As for the customer service management, that falls under Robert Schwartz – EVP of Communications – and he has a team of customer service representatives.

• Forgot to ask

Mr. Picknelly, one thing I forgot to ask is, with Greyhound you can purchase a ticket online and pick it up at a kiosk (when they’re working) at the station. Why don’t you use kiosks for that at stations, especially large busy ones where it can alleviate long lines at busy times?

If you don’t mind answering that in a comment I’d greatly appreciate it.

Mr. Picknelly, once again, thank you for your time and for candidly answering my questions, I greatly appreciate it. I have a much better, and happier, understanding of your business. I hope this post serves as a way for others to learn about it and alleviate some of their frustrations with the bus industry as well.

Cheers,
Neil

Peter Pan Bus Lines – Pre Chat

Peter Pan/Greyhound 50/50 Venture - Greyhound Owned Buses

If you didn’t notice, my last post about Peter Pan/Greyhound bus lines was kind of…an angry…rant. But hey, who can blame me after that experience?

After that post I was contacted on both this blog and Facebook by a very nice and helpful representative from Peter Pan named Debbie who wrote:

“Hello Neil,

A representative of Peter Pan Bus Lines would like to talk with you about your posting. Would you mind providingme with a phone number where you can be reached?

Thanks!

Deborah”

I told Debbie that for security purposes I wouldn’t provide my phone number (there are too many phishing attacks and what not these days) but I said I would happily speak to this representative if they provide me with a number.

Debbie was very understanding of this and helpful with setting up the phone call. I soon learned that this “representative” is none other than the Owner, and President, Mr. Peter A. Picknelly. Straight to the top! I like it. Thank you Debbie!

So, I’d like to take this post to clarify some misstated facts from the last post, provide some new facts about bus services, and pose some questions that I will discuss with Mr. Picknelly this morning.

Misstated Facts – My apologies.

First, the fact that Debbie contacted me via my blog post and Facebook – and has delt with this in a very polite, helpfuly, and timely manner – means they know what the internet is, and they do have some competent and helpful employees. However, I do still feel that their website and web presence could use some changes, and their counter/terminal service could use a lot of help/changes.

Second, after research, I have surprisingly learned that Bolt Bus is a 50/50 venture between Greyhound and Peter Pan. It was created to provide competition with Stagecoach Group (Coach USA) owned, Megabus, and the Chinatown buses. So, Bolt is not the example I should have used to reference how Southwest put old timers out of business. But this creates even more questions as to why they can run this service which is seemingly great, yet not update their flag ship name and service to provide the same website/boarding/more up-to-date experience?

According to Mr. Picknelly on eTurboNews.com:

“BoltBus caters to that segment of the population that prefers not to use bus terminals, a new market for us, and transports people non-stop to and from the heart of major cities using online reserved seating.”

I don’t think I’m alone when I say, I don’t care about not using terminals. When you’re in a city, almost anywhere is convenient for getting to and on mass transportation. What I care about are price, consistent, reliable, up-to-date service (everywhere – at the counter, on the website, and on the bus), and up-to-date technology – in that order.

Bolt carried 30,000 passengers in its first month of operation in 2008.

Third, their website DOES state:

“E-tickets are not a reservation; passengers will be boarded on a first come first serve basis.”

However this is BURRIED in their FAQ section and that’s simply deceiving, there’s no way around it. Why can’t it also be noted along with the other notes at the bottom of the page when you’re purchasing the ticket. You know, where it actually matters? Wouldn’t this also help increase sales of refundable/changeable tickets?

Lastly, they are NOT subsidized by the government (that I know of). Mr. Picknelly is on record in an article stating that they are not, and that railways actually are.

So, I apologize for the misstated facts. I would say I’ve learned not to angry blog – but then again, after many tries at talking things over with customer service on the phone and in person, this was the only thing that got their attention and sent me to the right people – the TOP!

Facts on the Biz

In 2006, it was stated that Peter Pan had 400 buses, employed 1,500 people, had $100 Million in annual sales carrying 4 Million people a year to over 100 cities (I’ll try to get more up to date numbers from Mr. Picknelly).

Peter Pan operates a partnership with Greyhound which has been argued to be a bullying partnership. I won’t comment on that, but it’s just something to think about.

I agree with Mr. Picknelly when he says that people are surprised when they learn how many and how often people travel by bus (I was surprised):

631 Million people ride the bus each year

More people take buses than trains and planes combined

Buses transport more people in 2 weeks than Amtrak does in 1yr

Does this include city bus transport? Or is this charter/intercity bus transport only? Worldwide or US?

This may be true, but it doesn’t make buses invincible. Service and experience is still important enough that people will pay the extra $20 ($10 if you purchase a bus ticket @ the terminal) to take the train so they don’t have to deal with the hassles of the current bus system.

If the service is that bad, we’ll even go so far as to take a competing, cheaper, bus to Boston and then a commuter rail down to Providence. It’s an extra hour but it’s avoids the possible disasters that I mentioned in  my last post and it’s STILL cheaper ($15 or less bus to boston + $7 commuter train = $23    $12 less than a bus to Providence and no headache).

In June, Peter Pan announced that they are spending $75,000 to install wireless on 150 buses and that it will be done in house and completed by July. Mr. Picknelly stated:

“We always move aggressively when it comes to adding technological advances to our fleet.”

I’ll ask if he meant that they move aggressively to actually install them (meaning installing it on 150 buses in a month is aggressive). Because, installing wifi on buses in JUNE 2009 is far from aggresive technological advances.

Other Comments & Questions

I saw this on the website today and found it hilarious

Now Offering GUARANTEED Seating Between Providence and NYC

Oh, so NOW you’re offering guaranteed seating between Providence and NYC? Could this be because of the fiasco my girl friend experienced that I wrote about on my last post?

And if you’re able to just randomly offer guaranteed seating between Providence and NYC, why not offer guaranteed seats ALL THE TIME? It doesn’t make sense!

One of the FAQs states:

Q: If I get to the bus terminal without a printed ticket, what can I do to board the bus?

A: It is recommended that you purchase a new ticket at the ticket counter and submit the e-ticket information and your receipt for the additional ticket purchased to our E-ticket Service Center for a ticket reissue that will be valid for travel on any date up to 1 year.

E-Ticket Servie Center 1776 Main St. Springfield, MA 01102

They also note that the reason they can provide low e-ticket fares is because we, as customers, print them out ourselves.

I have BIG problems with this.

1. You’re making me purchase a new – more expensive – ticket on the spot
2. I don’t get reimbursed, I get a ticket voucher (I want my cash back!)
3. In order to get the voucher I have to either visit the E-ticket office in person or snail mail it (you’re telling me you can’t do this via the internet? or even the phone?

If it’s not already a terrible customer service experience (which it is) you’re certainly setting the customer up with a high potential for one.

Lastly (for now), for a company that says it is so dedicated to customer satisfaction – of the 29 management (VP, Director, GM, etc) positions listed on the website – not a single one is the VP, Director, GM, Manger, Whatever of Customer Service/Customer Relations/Rider Experience, or whatever you want to call it. Shouldn’t that be a VERY important position?

I imagine with the experiences MANY people have at terminal counters, not many (if any) of the management has visited these locations in quite some time. The Picknelly family runs several other businesses – including the biggest office complexes in Springfield, several hotels, and a firearms distributor – so I doubt they have time to visit locations often.

One of the greatest things the CEOs of Southwest and Starbucks did was at LEAST once a month they would visit one of their stores/terminals and pretend to be a normal customer. This gave them a great look at the experience the customer has. They would also spend time in stores/terminals/planes watching customers, the interactions with employees, the systems and process they go through. This is a practice I HIGHLY recommend at these bus companies.

If Mr. Picknelly doesn’t have time to do it himself, this should be one of the CORE responsibilities of the VP/Director/GM of Rider Experience/Relations.

Again, these are just some thoughts/questions that come to mind.

Mr. Picknelly, I want to thank you, in advance, for taking the time to talk to me personally. I am greatly looking forward to it and I hope some positive and constructive learning and changes come out of it for the both of us.

Peter Pan Bus Lines – Shape Up or Give Up

Poor Management = Poor Service

I frequently travel from New York City to Providence, RI and the cheapest method is the bus. The train takes just as long (barring traffic) and is more than double (sometimes triple) the price. However, I’m starting to feel like saving the money isn’t worth the trouble.

Peter Pan  and Greyhound Bus Lines have the second worst customer service experiences I’ve dealt with- only Chrysler has topped them. All they’re lacking is intelligent management (top to bottom), up-to-date methods and equipment, and people skills – is that so much to ask for? Here are some things they could do to start improving, but I’m not sure they’ll ever be able to offer services like Bolt Bus.

1. GET RID OF THE PAPER!

I can’t believe that they still rely SOLELY on paper. If you purchase a ticket online you HAVE to print it. You cannot pick up at a kiosk, will-call, anything. Nor can you use your iphone, blackberry, computer, etc. Once, when I did not have a printer, I showed up with the email from purchasing the ticket and the pdf of the ticket they want you to print on my iphone. It’s the same ticket, it even scans. They wouldn’t let me on the bus.

I explained to them that Bolt accepts this (thank you Bolt, way to stay with the times). I explained that it’s the SAME ticket they want me to print, my ID matches the name, it’s even more secure because the email backs it up, and it’s MY phone. They didn’t understand. She told me the bus driver needs the paper for his records and that they scan the ticket.

First of all, they don’t scan the ticket, I’ve never had or seen that done. Second of all, if they do, IT SCANS ON MY PHONE! The driver needs it for his records? What records? The bus driver throws them away when we get there, I’ve seen them do it. Do you not have a record from when I purchased the ticket online? Is it to keep track of passengers? On Bolt they hire employees who can count. Before we leave he takes a head count. If we stop, he takes another before we leave. It takes 1min. None of this makes sense – it’s outdated and illogical – especially when newer, better bus companies – like Bolt – are allowing you to use phones and have done away with paper. Please, Peter Pan, do me a favor – save a tree, and my sanity – GET RID OF THE PAPER PROCESS!

2. KEEP TRACK OF HOW MANY TICKETS YOU SELL!

Yesterday, my girlfriend was taking a bus from Providence back to NYC. She had purchased the ticket at noon that day and it was an 8pm bus – the last bus of the night. She purchased the nonrefundable online special which is $32. The refundable online ticket is $45 (make sense? no, it doesn’t). Regardless of which one you purchase, NO WHERE on the website does it give a disclaimer, or a warning, or ANYTHING saying you might not get on the bus. NO WHERE! I can’t believe they haven’t been sued yet (maybe they have).
*It says it, but it’s buried in the FAQ section, which is sleezy and deceptive.

The Kennedy Plaza station had a line of at least 15-20 people waiting for that bus. When the bus showed up from the Providence terminal – where passengers can also get on – they only had 2 seats left. WHAT!? Anytime I purchase a plane or train ticket online it tells me SOLD OUT when they have no seats left – no matter how close to departure I purchase it – and they’ve been doing this for years, and years.

Even better was their solution to this. Of course, the bus driver got flustered and didn’t know what to do. So, he called his management – their suggestion shows the trickle down effect for poor management and decisions making in this company. They offered the passengers – who ALREADY purchased tickets – the ability to purchase a $10 ticket on the next Peter Pan bus to Boston, and THEN they could purchase a ticket for the last bus of the night from Boston to NYC and get in at 3am. My girlfriend was going to just take the next train so she asked if she could use the ticket another time. Of course not, its a nonrefundable ticket, even when it’s their fault.

So, let me get this straight. You messed up. You can’t count the number of tickets you sell for each bus. You didn’t tell me I might not get a seat on the bus. You won’t let me use the ticket another time. And you’re going to allow me to purchase 2 more tickets so you can get me to my destination 4hrs late? WOW! What brilliant service.

Customers got so rowdy – understandably – that police had to step in and calm things down. It was hilarious when the officers heard the story, agreed that it was egregiously wrong and instead of calming the crowd down tried to make Peter Pan provide a better solution.

If an airline over books a flight they ask if anyone is willing to stay behind AND they offer free round trip tickets and it usually works out great for people in no rush and for people who need to get to their destination on time. Has no employee of Peter Pan flown before and said, “You know, we should do this.”

Finally the officers helped convince the driver’s management to take them to Boston and then Boston to NYC for no extra charge. However, there was no guarantee that they would get a seat on the last bus from Boston. My girlfriend luckily got a seat, but some passengers unfortunately did not and were left stranded in Boston. Great job Peter Pan!

3. UPDATE YOUR EQUIPMENT!

Seeing as they’re subsidized by the government – aka my taxes – maybe I shouldn’t ask for this – but it would just make a world of a difference.

The kiosks could use a serious upgrade. 90% of the time they don’t work and when they do rarely do they recognize your purchase. Of course, this happened to me – and 10 other passengers on my bus. We went to the counter for help – all knowing it would be useless.

We told the woman that the kiosks didn’t work so we couldn’t print our ticket. First she told us to go across the street to the Burger King, “they have computers, you can print your ticket there.” Excuse me? Our bus leaves in 20min, YOU PRINT IT! Again, at airlines and trains I can EITHER use the kiosk OR the counter. The system SHOULD have record of my purchase, therefore you should be able to print it when I ask. Don’t tell me to go spend money to print a ticket I already purchased.

Of course, she couldn’t print it at the counter. She quickly had 11 outraged passengers in her face. Her solution: “Well, I can call another branch and they can print it and then fax it here.” “How long will that take?” “About 30min per ticket.” BRILLIANT!

I don’t need to explain any further for you to see how absurd that is.

Egregious has become my favorite word to describe their company and service. I once saw a Peter Pan video on a ride where one of the owners (it’s a long time, old, family run business – it shows), a wonderful, friendly sounding woman, explained how reliable and customer friendly Peter Pan is. I literally laughed out loud. I think people around me understood.

It’s funny that, like airlines, they adapted the video at the start of trips, but none of the stuff that matters.

I don’t mean to say that airlines or trains are perfect. They have problems of their own for sure. But its shocking how good these bus services make them look.

My advice to Peter Pan and Greyhound – shape up or give up. Bolt has you beat on everything but destinations – and with your outdated, mismanaged business you won’t hold on to that very long.

My advice to you, the passenger, unless you have no time constraints and no problem dealing with this kind of service, take Bolt Megabus or spend the extra money for a train or flight.

Have any Peter Pan or Greyhound customer service horror stories? Please share them here! Maybe they’ll stumble upon this blog post and wake up (doubtful, I don’t think they know what the internet is).
*They stumbled upon it, stay tuned to see if they wake up.

ADDENDUM: I recommend the CEO – or whoever makes the decisions at Peter Pan – read “NUTS! Southwest Airlines’ Crazy Recipe for Business and Personal Success.” Take note of how Southwest crushes Braniff in the end. Now picture you’re Braniff, and Bolt Bus is Southwest Airlines.
*Bolt is 50/50 venture between Greyhound and Peter Pan.

Punk Marketing – Baby, Be A Simple Kind of Brand

This will be the last in the Punk Marketing posts (though I will most likely reference it often). If you haven’t yet, get yo’ self a copy, you won’t regret it.

Total Max Simply Sparkling Overload

As consumers we are faced with an increasing number of choices everyday. Max Fresh or Sparkling White? Cinnamon or Mint? Paste or Gel? 16oz or 20oz? Tube or Bottle?…Brain aneurysm.

Richard and Mark note that, “Too much choice anesthetizes or paralyzes the consumer. In the case of over-choice, we’re standing there with our thumb up our ass when, if we could find our favorite brand in its natural state, we would be home in our pj’s already.”

Store aisles aren’t the only places where we are paralyzed by over-choice. We see it in web site user interfaces, on magazine racks, in car lots, on book shelves, in movie theaters, on TV, and in video games.

We can’t escape it!

If only we could go back to when things were

Were things ever?

Mark and Richard tell us, “It’s not that people don’t like some choice – it’s a bummer being told that’s all there is – but we do have a problem making decisions we feel good about after being thrown too many possibilities.”

This is true. It’s not that I don’t like having choices, or new content. It’s just that I don’t want the same old crap all the time. I’ll go to the store for deodorant – seems simple enough, I’ve been doing it for years – and leave wondering if this is really the fragrance for me. Maybe I’m more of a Tsunami kind of guy than a Phoenix.

Consumers like fresh content as long as its relevant, entertaining, and simple to understand.

You don’t have to be in a consumers face to be creative. One of the most creative people in history – Jim Henson – once told us, “Simple is good,” and I like that.

So, “Marketers, simplify a consumer’s life! The Punk Marketing Consumer Power Charter must be posted on the fridge. Preferably the one in the office…” I’ll share with you some of my favorites from the Charter

1. Consumers are looking to us to help simplify their lives so we will do our utmost to help them get simple.

2. Consumers have a right to expect a clear education about products being offered to enable them to make informed choices. That is our duty. Labeling should make it easy for consumers to quickly grasp what the product does and what it contains.

5. Me-too products that copy competitor items without trying to offer a distinct point of differentiation represent lazy thinking.

6. We need to use our marketing prowess responsibly and only when we have something meaningful to say.

8. There are no go places marketing professionals need to respect at all times. That’s right, Coke, at all times. Leave the potty alone.

9. We need to do more listening and learning from signals we get from consumers about their feelings toward marketing.

So, take this, go forth, and baby, be a simple kind of brand.
Be something, you love and understand.

Punk Marketing – Game On

In game advertising (IGA, not to be confused with the company) has exploded over the last several years. IGA network Massive Incorporated – a wholly owned subsidiary of Microsoft – has projected that IGA sales will reach between $1.6 billion and $1.8 billion by 2010. Regardless of how accurate that turns out to be, with almost 70% of households playing video games – and growing – it will certainly be a big number. It’s no wonder Google and Sony are looking for a piece of the pie.

In Punk Marketing Mark and Richard tell us that “At 2005’s video game monster show Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), Massive’s CEO, Mitchell Davis told the attending crowd that in-game ads can boost brand recognition by 23-35 percent, compared with just 6-7 percent for a decent TV campaign.” This may be true, but most of the advertising I’ve seen in games are already household names in the U.S. This is obnoxious overkill (I might understand if you’re trying to build recognition overseas). You billboard me enough in real life – if you don’t enhance the game, stay out.

There are two very important things for IGA:

1. Fit in naturally with the game
2. Create an EXPERIENCE around your brand (ditch the billboard)

“Video game Tony Hawk’s American Wasteland from Activision Inc. is a vehicle for superstar skateboarder Tony Hawk and the Chrysler Jeep brand. Research from Nielsen Entertainment tossed out a startling stat: players reported seeing a skillful 3-D rendering of a Jeep inside AW twenty-three times within the first twenty minutes. Hawk’s costars in the game were Jeep Wranglers, Grand Cherokees, and Jeep Libertys, which may seem like overkill until you learn that 96 percent who recalled the cars according to the Nielsen data had no problem with their appearance (‘They fit right in’). And…more than half the players said they’d recommend Jeep to a friend and almost two-thirds would consider buying one on the day they get off the couch,” or become old enough to have a license and purchase a car.

The beautiful thing about video games is that consumers are already in an interactive mode, now you -the brand – just have to create the experience around it. Don’t just place Nike shoes in there, let me wear them and run faster. Let me drive the BMW and fill my tank at an Exxon station when the tank is low. Let me spray the Axe on and get bonus points for picking up chicks. Let me, let me, let me, let me…get the picture?

And when you do let me, please refer to Article #1 in Punk Marketing – Get Off Your Ass and Join the Revoltuion. Because if I could blow up a building using Coke and Mentos – that would be awesome.

Punk Marketing – Get Off Your Ass and Join the Revolution!

I’ve been interviewing with ad agencies for the past 6 months – give or take a month – and there are several reasons why I’m still in that process:

1. The economy is in shambles and agencies are moving slowly and carefully, if they’re moving at all.
2. Maybe I shouldn’t be because the economy is in shambles, but I am being very picky.

I have only applied to certain agencies and have only moved forward with others. The reason being is, bad economy or not, I believe as Roosevelt once said, “far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing.” I’ll be damned if I’m going to spend years of my life pouring sweat, blood, and ideas into an agency whose work and principles I don’t believe in. It makes for a treacherous road now, but I’m sure it will pay dividends in the future (Dear Lord, please let it pay dividends in the future).

I’ve spoken with a lot of agencies whose mission says one thing and their work says another, which left me frustrated and confused. It also lead me to re-read one of my favorite books, Punk Marketing by Richard Laermer and Mark Simmons because I wanted to remind myself that there are actually marketers out there thinking about what the consumers want and engaging them with brand content, rather than finding ways the brand can spoon feed the consumer with yesterdays meatloaf (I hate meatloaf – especially old meatloaf – because its a bunch of stale unhealthy crap ground together and typically served in a square).

I feel as though marketers THINK they know this stuff and use it in their everyday work, but this careful economy has shown me that some could use a reminder. So, in celebration of Punk Marketing – and because now, more than ever, is the time to be doing it – I will be doing a series of posts sharing with you some of my favorite content from the book. This, however, barely scrapes the surface of Richard’s and Mark’s message so, I highly recommend you pick up a copy, if you haven’t already.

In this post I will share with you some of my favorite “Articles of the Revoltuion” from the “Punk Marketing Manifesto.” Again, buy the book to read them all (it’s worth it, I promise I don’t work for them, though I wish I did).

Article 1. Avoid Risk and Die (especially relevant in this economy)
“The trick is to take calculated jumps and share them among all stakeholders with your own blend of saucy verve and gusto.”

Article 3. Take a Strong Stand
“Trying to be all things to everyone inevitably results in meaning little to anybody.”

Article 4. Don’t Pander (My Favorite)
“[Consumers] want a brand to take charge, push them into a corner, stand proud, thump its chest and say, ‘This is me and this is what I’ve got to offer.’ What they don’t like is being asked what they want – because they don’t know! Henry Ford said it many years ago and it still holds true: ‘If I had asked my customers what they wanted, they’d have told me ‘a faster horse.””

Article 6: Expose Yourself
“A relationship of trust between brand and consumer, like that between two people, is built upon honesty…Honesty, once a way to stand out, is now the point of entry! You, the smart revolutionary marketer, can earn the trust of cynical consumers and show you are open to feedback from them. As [retired] billionaire Bill Gates once muttered, ‘Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning.’”

Article 8: Leave Them Wanting More (My 2nd Favorite)
“The temptation is for marketers to shout out all the brand’s strengths rather than let the consumers discover them over time. This always forsakes one of the most powerful marketing tools, the one we used back in high school to get sex: we’re talking about the tease!” It’s what Steve Jobs and Apple do brilliantly. They have you hooked, don’t they?

Article 9: Outthink the Competition
It’s what I’m looking for in an agency – don’t outspend, outthink!
“Having a huge budget to play with merely tempts marketers to do two things they shouldn’t” take only tried and tested (and, truthfully, dull) approaches; and treat consumers as a mas rather than a collection of individuals with tough-to-attend-to tastes.”

Article 12: No More Marketing Bullshit (Amen!)
“Get to the point. Express it clearly and simply. Einstein said – we believe he meant marketers – ‘Things should be made as simple as possible, but not any simpler.’ Our duty to consumers (and to our makers) is to cut through and make sense of an increasingly complex world before choice paralysis sets in.”

I hope this is a welcome reminder of how we should be treating consumers in todays cluttered “brandscape” (I wish I could take credit for that word. Damn you, Mark and Richard).

Pixar Perfect

Last week – before I left for Texas – I went to see Pixar’s new flim UP, and I was not surprised that I left the theater saying, “Pixar, you’ve done it again.” Tell me one of their 10 feature films or 7 short films are bad, in anyway, and I’ll call you a liar.

It got me thinking a lot about production companies who consistently produce quality work (there aren’t many), those that don’t (there are HUNDREDS), and why?

The big answer: no one LISTENS to one another. It’s a holier-than-thou business and when I ask industry veterns why this is I am consistently told “that’s just the way it is.”

I’m calling BS.

The week prior to seeing UP, my girlfriend had been working on a commercial with a bonehead producer and a narcissistic director. I had worked with similar personalities in the past and we spent a lot of time discussing how frustrating it is to work around those personalities and how they ultimately go over time and budget to produce a mediocre product.

The problem with the industry is that it’s  filled with people who have been promoted based on the amount of time they’ve spent doing the work, not the quality of the work. The consequence is a loss of passion and an inflated ego, and the problem is these egos don’t listen, they demand.

In my girlfriend’s case, the director wanted to make his vision and he yelled at the production manager when she said they don’t have the time and budget to do exactly what he wanted. The director had never worked on the business side before, he actually had no idea what she did on a daily basis. But instead of listening to her, and trusting her, he cussed her out and screamed “I’M THE DIRECTOR! YOU WORK AROUND MY VISION!”

What he should have done is sat down with her, looked at the budget and the schedule, and moved things around to accommodate his vision. Or, he could have come up with something that worked within the time and budget. EVERYONE is responsible for the time and budget, from the executives in charge, all the way down to the production assistants.

Mr. Nelson, an employee of Pixar, noted in a great New York Times article about Pixar that “the problem with the Hollywood model is that it’s generally the day you wrap production that you realize you’ve finally figured out how to work together.”

Pixar overcomes this better than any other company, thanks, in a large part, to Pixar University. With more than 110 courses, Pixar employees – from janitors to presidents – are encouraged – even if they have to miss work – to learn about every aspect of production, and to share what they’ve learned with their colleagues. This education culture allows for a free flow of ideas and collaboration. So, it’s no surprise that Pixar producers hit after hit.

In order for a production to work efficiently, in order for any business to work efficiently, people need to listen to and trust one another. Everyone, in every business, has a specialty, and is face-to-face with it everyday. Don’t come in as the executive, CEO, director, manager, producer, whoever, and think you know better because you’re in a position of higher power. Leave your ego at the door, ask questions, listen to opinions, discuss options, then you’ll have what you need to make good, informed decisions, and you’ll have the trust and respect of your team.

Aaaannnndd I’m Back

My apologies for being MIA this past week. My best friend got married and I’ve been in Texas performing my Best Man duties. The bachelor party was a blast, and so was the wedding. They are now living it up in Jamaica, mon, and I’m back here to write for you.

The Customization Conundrum

So, I guess today is hate on MySpace day at Listen Up!

I want to thank my friend Kim, who after reading my previous post, “Meinspace won’t save MySpace,” reminded me about one of my favorite debates – how much customization power should a site give to a user?

This was a topic that was researched, debated, tested, and debated again when we were designing Hangout.net. We all agreed that no customization isn’t the way to go, users need some ability to express themselves if they’re going to have a meaningful experience with your brand. Our quarrels were with how much customization, and there were two schools of thought:

1.Limitless customization – if they can see it, they can customize it, and in as many was as physically possible. Absolutely no limitations.
2. Controlled customization – make certain aspects of certain features customizable with a simple tool set. Mike, Hangout’s former resident art expert, used to call it “setting the users up for success.”

Customization Overkill

I subscribe to the latter.

Customization is certainly important, users want to express themselves and they want others to see how they do so. They want the feedback on their creations, even if it’s a simple “hey man, cool page.” The conundrum of limitless customization is that users end up not wanting to see anyone’s page but their own. This is the MySpace example. Most pages take frustratingly long to load, and when they finally do you spend your time on an ugly page trying to sort through the disasterous organization of all their crap. After a couple experiences like that it’s easy for a user to give up and not return, or go to no page but their own. I tend to have a higher patience than the average user, and even I run for the hills.

Blogs like WordPress and Blogger are good, simple, examples of the latter school of thought. They provide templates for customization which set the user up for success and allows the site to stay organized and manageable. The users choose their own layout, can upload their own picture, change text colors, and add widgets. It’s enough to show your style, give the site personality, and reamin clean and easy to navigate.

Furthermore, controlled customization doesn’t create clutter that the site’s brand ultimately gets lost in. I could be looking at a MySpace page but for all I know it’s just some 5th grader’s crappy HTML site. If you’re not at the top of the page, or if there’s overabundance of colors and flashing lights, MySpace’s brand is completely lost in the page.

Whereas, if you were to go to someone’s Blogger or WordPress page you know instantly whose it is and what site it was built on. Good for both the blogger and the host.

MySpace might want to look into partnering with professional designers such as Ashley Qualls of Whateverlife.com. Professionals like Ashley can provide high levels of customization to users while controlling the layout so that pages are organized, easy to navigate, are aesthetically pleasing to look at, and make sure the the site’s brand is visible.

One of my favorite quotes that I took from all those customization debates, is “A camel is a horse designed by committee.”

A Horse Designed by a Committee

Think about it…

Meinspace won’t save MySpace

Bruno

AdAge recently ran an article asking “‘Meinspace’: Can Bruno Save MySpace From Cultural Irrelevance?“

The answer is simply, No…No. No. No. No. NO!

An advertisement, no matter how popular, can NOT save a social site (or any site) from irrelevance because ads don’t draw long term users.

This ad will draw attention, for sure. Sacha Baron Cohen draws many fanatical and engaged fans and he will certainly draw these fans to his Meinspace, and they will interact with whatever is put in front of them. However, once this promo is gone, so are those users. Short term promotions will not keep MySpace afloat because, unlike sites like YouTube, it is not a content destination, it is a social tool. And unless they’re looking to get into the content biz (News Corp already co-owns Hulu), they need to focus more of their attention on usability. They should also be spending A LOT of time talking to users who have been fleeing the site so they can figure out how (if at all possible) they can fix the site to bring people back.

I personally don’t use MySpace, largely for 3 reasons:

1. It’s a sea of spam (not the canned kind)
Everyday I received a myriad of friend requests from fake female users saying “come check out my sexy pics.” I don’t have time to wade through all this BS, and more importantly its frustratingly annoying. I feel like I’m back in the pop-up days of the web. Like Facebook, there should be an entire department devoted to destroying these spam accounts, and if there is already, they need a re-org.

2. The site is a disorganized, UI mess
I was never able to find anything I was looking for on MySpace. It was a disaster trying to navigate that site and I got fed up with it very quickly. I understand that a site re-org is a huge undertaking, but when you’re a dying brand, sometimes a new package can make a big difference.

3. It’s a web billboard
Myspace spends more time shoving adds in my face and billboard branding their site then they do making sure I actually want to use it.

In the early days of MySpace (and social networks in general), their big appeal was their advertising potential. With millions of users interacting in one space, advertisers were licking their chops. Naturally, News Corp saw the dollar signs and gobbled it up. But, what they forgot, is that it always comes back to keeping the user happy.

It’s simple math. Users = Dollars. Don’t over advertise at the expense of the user’s happiness.

MySpace isn’t completely irrelevant yet, though they’re steadily slipping into obscurity. Compete shows them to have 56.8 Million uniques, down from almost 65 Million a year ago, and they’re ranked 10th overall, down from #6 a year ago. They still have time to turn things around, but I think it will take drastic changes, a site overhaul, and possibly a management overhaul to get some refreshing thinking over there in Beverly Hills.