Brands Need Face-To-Face Connection

MediaPost Publications, November 5, 2009 — We live in the most hyper-connected time in the country's history; and yet we exist in a constant state of disconnection. While Apple, BlackBerry, Twitter, Facebook, LimeWire, Match.com, Fresh Direct, and Amazon are well-designed, convenient, and address specific needs — and for the most part work well — they are also responsible for the undeniable erosion in the kind of personal interactions we used to take for granted during the course of a regular day

Is Customer Service a Media Channel? Ask Zappos†

Brand Turned Cost Center Into Unassailable Asset Even Amazon Looks Up to

Advertising Age, July 24, 2009 — Is customer service a media channel? It's a great time to ask that question, as it comes right smack in the wake of Amazon purchasing Zappos for nearly a billion dollars. That's a big number for an online shoe company.

Amazon Opens Wallet, Buys Zappos†

Wall Street Journal, July 23, 2009 — Amazon.com Inc., making the biggest acquisition in its 14-year history, said it would buy rival online footwear retailer Zappos.com Inc. for about $847 million in cash and stock.

The Seattle e-commerce giant’s purchase reflects its most serious effort to tap into Internet sales of apparel, the largest online-shopping category and one in which Amazon has had limited success in the past.

Zappos Review Incites Reproach From Agency Creative†

Ignited's Mike Wolfsohn Says Online-Retail Darling Exemplifies What's Wrong With the Process

Advertising Age, July 14, 2009 — Zappos is known for stellar customer service, but when it comes to dealing with adland, the marketer is portrayed in a blog post by a creative at ad shop Ignited as the poster child for a flawed agency review process.

Q&A: Zappos CEO on How to Build a Brand Without Spending Big on Ads†

Brandweek, December 22, 2008 — Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh has not only built a $1 billion a year in sales company but also a leading example of how brands are built that rely less on advertising and marketing.

The company's approach to building its culture and promoting its brand through customer service has gained adherents from organizations large and small.

Twitter Goes Mainstream†

A lot more people -- and businesses -- are finding new ways to tweet

Wall Street Journal, October 27, 2008 — One of the hottest technologies in Silicon Valley is also one of the simplest.

The online service from Web start-up Twitter Inc. prompts users to do one thing: answer the question, "What are you doing?" in 140 characters or less. People type these brief updates, known as "tweets," into Twitter's site or send them to Twitter as text messages. Friends and colleagues can then check the site to monitor each other's updates.

When the service first appeared a couple of years ago, its appeal seemed largely limited to narcissists who wanted to let everybody know what they were doing in real time. But, like blogs and social-networking sites, Twitter is starting to cross into the mainstream, as a wide range of people find interesting uses for the brief notes.

Zappos Shows How Employees Can Be Brand-Builders†

Is This 'Overlooked Resource' as Important as Paid Ads?

Advertising Age, September 2, 2008 — Every year Zappos.com, one of the fastest-growing e-commerce sites, publishes a "culture book." Three hundred pages in length, the book includes written — and often gushy — testimonials from employees about what it means to work at Zappos.com.

"Our Zappos culture is truly the best work experience I have ever encountered," writes Chris V. "As a new employee of the company, I was blown away by how amazing the company really was. When I started I felt so unreal," notes David J. And on and on and on — you get the idea.

Marketers Love Conversation, Unless the Consumer Starts It†

Listening Gets You More Than Complaints -- You Get Positive Brand Association and Word of Mouth

Advertising Age, August 11, 2008 — If the consumer voice is so important these days, why are brand feedback, or "contact us," forms so get-out-of-my-face unfriendly?

I dare you to find a feedback form that winks even a quasi-friendly smile. And if you find one that allows consumers to truly communicate in their native voices — complete with links, photos, audio clips or videos — I'll eat my just-published book.

How-To: Using Twitter to Build Brand Integrity

MarketingVox, April 23, 2008 — Enterprise blogging has been lauded for its ability to "humanize" a company and make distant executives feel available to ground-floor customers. Twitter can serve the same purpose much more quickly.