When the university flunks marketing research

As I prepare for a guest lecture to a group of MBAs I am reminded of a lesson in Marketing Research 101 from Drake University. It wasn’t the kind of case study that Drake University would want to brag about, however. As a reader told me a few years ago when the story broke, “I thought it was something from The Onion. I couldn’t imagine that a university would use ‘D+’ as its marketing message…at least not with a straight face.”

Well, there are some things you just can’t make up. Drake–a very solid institution, by the way–managed to violate some basic tenets of strategy and research and, in the process, tick off much of its faculty, staff members and alumni.

Two Out of Three is Bad, Part 1: When the Message is Missing

While doing interviews for a new client, I spoke at length with one of the company’s highly decorated, A-player-type sales people. He was no fan of his company’s website. “I steer prospects away from it,“ he admitted. “It has a lot of words but doesn’t say anything.”

I asked him for specifics. He showed me a section that actually read, “our platform facilitates world-class solutions for our customers’ business 

problems.” Yikes—he was right. The company’s self-focused and vacuous message only served to make them sound like everyone else.

While working with many different types of companies, I have discovered that three components—Message, Messengers, and Management—contribute to a company’s success (or failure) in customer conversations. Some organizations are strong in two components but need to address weakness in the third. In a case when the Messengers and Management are in place but the Message itself is weak, the result is commoditization in the eyes of potential buyers.   ...

Mangled Message: It was wrong, but it was great

Well-managed messages help a team, organization, or company stand out—in a good way. Mangled messages have the opposite effect, frequently damaging credibility with key relationships.

Mangled Message: The Word Salad

Have you heard the term “word salad”? It means that the words themselves in a message are recognizable, but the collection of them together makes no sense. In today’s intensely interactive environment, it is easier than ever to have your message called out. A recent LinkedIn post and string of comments illustrated the point.

The company involved (Neopost) says it is “a global leader in postage machines, folder inserters, and a major player in parcel delivery management and electronic document delivery.” Sounds good to me.

In a sponsored LinkedIn post, the company went a little far with its language. The post began with: “You know your company. And we know how to improve customer relationships. That’s why we listen to you and adapt our products and services to meet your needs. Together, we can create meaningful interactions that help you get the best from your business.”

To which a LinkedIn user named Scott Evans commented, “What does that word salad even mean?”

That caused me to laugh out loud. But the company’s reply doubled down on the overly-highbrow language: “Hi Scott. Our new brand positioning reflects our belief that in an era where change is increasingly dependent on technology, people have a key role to play. It's all about helping our customers better connect with their customers…” And it went on.

Scott, the LinkedIn user, then replied with “You don’t ‘create meaningful interactions’ nor do you really have a role to play in ‘improving customer relationships.’ Make great equipment that does what it is supposed to do.”

This being social, the exchange played out in front of millions of LinkedIn users. This being digital, I contacted Scott (who gave me his blessing to share the example with you). He said to me, “I recently sold my business after 21 years in the mailing industry—thus my disregard for the very specific B.S. of the mailing equipment business.”

Neopost did nothing harmful or dangerous. Their offense was merely semantic. However, it’s a funny if painful reminder that the word salad you create can be sent back to the kitchen—with millions watching.

Mangled Message: Destructive Instructions

It is almost a tired joke, isn't it? The hopeful customer buys some furniture (or a toy, or machinery) with "some assembly required." Said hopeful customer brings home (or has delivered to the residence) a box which contains the product, lots of packing material, and a set of instructions. And the intrigue begins.

I recently had my turn as the hopeful customer. We had a set of lounge chairs delivered from a high-end catalog retailer that will flank our pool. Lounge chairs are pretty simple; there aren’t many pieces to assemble. This should be easy.

The pieces, a package of hardware (bolts, washers, wheels) and a set of instructions were included in each box. But check out these instructions! There are no actual words, no sequence for doing things, and inadequate pictures. Note that even the quality of the printing was subpar; the print fades out toward the bottom so that one-third of the page is essentially unreadable. This sheet was no anomaly, either—there were four lounge chairs in the order, four boxes, four instruction pages all the same.