Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Try to ignore it. It won't go away.

I've been neglectful. I haven't posted consistently for too long. Still, this blog attracts readers. 30,753 page views, to be exact. It's a milestone.

I don't think it has much to do with me. I think it has to do with the interest in Marketing+Good. Marketers want examples; they want to see how it works.

And consumers like to see brands doing "Good" too. Maybe a few of them have stopped by, seen what the brands in these pages are up to, and become fans.

Last December I saw a TV spot that made my jaw drop. Not because it was hilarious, but because it was for such a huge brand, in such a critical time of year, and the spot had NOTHING to do with the holidays. It was a gutsy move by this brand. Every one of their competitors was talking about deals and gifts, and these guys deliberately zagged.


If you know anyone out there working at Subaru national marketing department, tell 'em to drop a line. Tell us all how well they did in December. Did committing to doing Good with their customers make it a December to remember?

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Can UX Save the World?

I work at an ad agency, and like many ad agencies, we are evolving quickly. When someone leaves us, we often replace them with someone more, well, digital. We speak in terms of concepts, but also usability. We're discussing the "mobile mindset." We're measuring bounce rates. We're not drinking martinis at lunch.

 This blog is about brands with purpose that do good in the world. Big picture stuff. UX, on the other hand, is about detailed user design metrics. That's why this is inspiring: "UX for Good."



First up, they're focusing on New Orleans musicians, whose cultural history and livelihood need help. They got an event coming up down there - #ux4good2012 - starting today, running through May 4th.

The "event" will include feet-on-the-ground research, and ideation sessions. Interesting sponsors signing up, like ad agency DraftFCB. They work with big brands like Dow, Dockers, Kraft, Kmart, Nestle, Sony, Taco Bell, VW ...

If DraftFCB sees the power in Doing Good for brands, I hope it starts some "Good" conversations with their clients. How doing good builds loyalty. How the UX can be designed for maximum results.

Follow the UX for Good team in NOLA this week on Twitter at @ux4good.