Results

The web has always been a ripe landscape for games and toys. Not only are traditional computer games introducing web versions where players can compete with friends, but online games are also adding social elements where people can meet and play against one another. Increasingly, these games are aimed at a demographic not usually represented in web advertising: kids. The ten-and-under set is a ripe market for advertisers hawking anything from the latest action figure or doll to snack foods, and they are perfectly able to influence the purse strings of their parents. Now, advertisers are luring younger kids online to play games and absorb marketing messages.

I was surprised to see my three year-old niece expertly navigate to PBSkids.org to play a game featuring Curious George. The site includes audio as you roll over buttons to help children who cannot yet read to navigate the site. While the games are educational in keeping with PBS’s mission, they all star characters from hit children’s shows, like Clifford the Big Red Dog, Dragon Tales, and Sesame Street. Kids are no strangers to these brands, and they will remember the awesome Caillou game they play when their birthdays roll around. PBS also has a similar site called PBSkidsplay.org, which requires a subscription of $10 a month.

Another site that caters to children is AddictingGames.com, which is owned and operated by Viacom, parent company to Nickelodeon and MTV. This site mixes clever Flash-based games with online advertising. Players are invited to play and rate games from sponsors like Acuvue and Neopets. As a recent New York Times article puts it, “Clicking through and hopping from site to site will give a child a crash course in the latest Bratz movies or Hannah Montana concert.” The site also features plenty of games for older children and adults, giving it a wider appeal.

On a recent visit, my eleven year-old relative would wake up in the early morning hours and head straight for my laptop. His destination was Line Rider, an addictive online game that challenges players to create line drawings for a virtual sledder to follow like the peaks and valleys of a real hill. The game has some of the lessons of elementary physics, but it’s really just about creating an entertaining and nearly impossible sledding hill. Unlike PBSkids or AddictingGames, Line Rider is not associated with a major TV channel or toy company, but it is quickly building a brand that transcends age groups. By the end of the week-long visit, the eleven year-old wasn’t the only one spending hours creating and saving tracks online.

While all of the above mentioned games are free (or boast free versions), still other sites catering to children have some free content and some that requires a parent’s credit card. The granddaddy of these types of sites is Webkinz, which pairs a retail item (the plush toy comes with a code for the website) with online content. The “pets” are both virtual and physical, and kids can go online to take care of their toys. Webkinz also incorporates a social networking function where children can visit friends’ pets and even chat, though parents can control their level of access. The site gives new areas for each different pet, and kids are urged to collect them all. As the New York Times reports, “Some parents have been known to load up on dozens of Webkinz at $14 each.”

While it may be tempting to park kids in front of the computer, even on child-oriented sites they are inundated with advertising and marketing messages. As the Webkinz generation ages, they will not only have an extraordinary level of web literacy, but they will also accept the presence of sponsored content and subscription sites in a way that older web users do not. With the integration of television shows, toys, and the web, we’re bound to see more and more online advertising aimed at the Barney set.

RSS feeds are becoming more and more popular, and businesses and individuals alike are using them to communicate with customers, vendors, journalists, friends, and family. Some industry watchers are predicting that RSS has the potential to replace email, and marketers are taking note of their popularity and power. In their current form, feeds are not personalized enough to eclipse email as a communication method, but with the right tweaking and features, they could be a powerful new tool for both businesses and casual users.

RSS, which stands for “Really Simple Syndication”, “Rich Site Summary”, or “RDF Site Summary” depending on who you ask, is essentially a self-updating content subscription. They are based on blogging tools that authors can use to post new stories, updates, and information. Avid readers can add a simple application (sometimes on the desktop, sometimes in the browser) which lists new content and keeps them up to date. RSS feeds are very commonly used on blogs, news websites, and podcasts. They are usually denoted by a small orange icon featuring a “sound wave” graphic.

Marketing groups are starting to use RSS technology also as an alternative to mass emails that serve to annoy and inconvenience even the most dedicated of customers. At this point, sources estimate that just 20% of internet users employ RSS feeds on a regular basis, but these numbers are expected to increase as the technology becomes more familiar. While it may not have as wide a reach for personal notes and messages, RSS has definite potential to change the way businesses communicate with customers. As a recent SiteProNews article suggests, “In the same way email eclipsed snail mail for content delivery, RSS will eclipse email as the consumer’s choice for opt-in messaging.”

One of the reasons RSS is so promising is that it actually reaches people who care. Even if you sign up for an email newsletter or HTML-based special offers flyer, the likelihood of it actually reaching your inbox shockingly 60% or less. RSS, on the other hand, does away with spam filters and allows users to check updates at their own convenience, ensuring that 100% of subscribers will get the message.

Another reason why marketers are turning to RSS is due to the rise of internet video. With sites like YouTube and Hulu topping the traffic charts, advertisers are turning to video as a way of grabbing users’ attention. Email, however, is a very complicated way to deliver a video message; even HTML emails are not a sure bet depending on subscribers’ clients and settings. Videos get stripped by email providers, and there’s no guarantee they’ll play within the message consistently, which is how users will expect it to work. RSS, however, was built to easily embed video and audio, just like a blog, and users don’t have inconsistent access to the message.

As RSS gains more users, businesses are seeing a unique opportunity to target their marketing efforts at their best customers. RSS provides a pain-free, consistent way to reach users who actually want to hear from them. It eliminates many of the inconsistencies and headaches of email marketing efforts, while still providing the wide reach that email creates. The potential upsides are enormous, and as the technology improves to allow for private messages and personalized content, RSS could well become the method of choice for online communication.

Online advertising has always been a risky business. Ad buyers rely on imperfect data, fluctuating prices, and visitor counts to determine when and where to place their ads. Top web measurement firm comScore has recently suffered from a drop in their stock prices as data they collected differed greatly from that released by Google. As a recent Wall Street Journal article reports, “It was another reminder that the science of tracking Internet usage is still far from perfect.”

The controversy began over paid click data released by comScore and by Google. In their quarterly earnings report, Google asserted that clicks on its advertisements had increased by 20% from the same quarter in 2007. As a Google press release explains, “Aggregate paid clicks, which include clicks related to ads served on Google sites and the sites of our AdSense partners, increased approximately 20% over the first quarter of 2007 and approximately 4% over the fourth quarter of 2007.” ComScore, on the other hand, had already estimated 1.8% growth in Google’s paid clicks. That’s way too large a discrepancy to be within a margin of error, and comScore stockholders let their flagging confidence show. The firm’s stock dropped 8% and shares closed down 40 cents at $23.18.

The key to the different numbers is all in the fine print. Google’s earnings report extends to global websites and were overall figures for all partner sites. ComScore measured only U.S. clicks and did not include non-search ads. A prominently displayed press release on comScore’s website accounts for the seeming error. Bold face type explains, “The main difference between the paid clicks trends reported by Google and comScore can be traced to the fact that the comScore paid click data cited in financial analysts’ reports (and subsequently reported by the media) are U.S. data only.” The treatise also warns, “Analysts’ efforts to use comScore’s domestic data to estimate Google’s global trends were misguided…It also needs to be noted that comScore does not currently provide a measurement of global paid click data and has never claimed that its U.S. data can be used to “predict” global trends.”

O.K., so it was simply a matter of comparing apples to oranges. Why the stock scare? Why the outrage? Advertisers, as implied in the press release, use the data released by measurement firms like comScore and Nielsen to find the most advantageous spots for their ads. As the Wall Street Journal put it, “Advertisers study their [comScore’s and Nielsen’s] data - including a Web site’s total visitors or page views and time spend on the site - to try to determine which sites are popular among particular demographic groups or in certain topic areas, such as news or sports.” If advertisers see comScore’s numbers and make decisions based on those, they’re barking up the wrong tree. They must delve deeper into demographic data to find real value on the numbers. However, comScore clearly deflects responsibility back to their users, who should not rely on their data for financial reporting or decision-making.

All of this has created quite a controversy in the web measurement world, and it has industry experts and marketers alike wondering exactly how to track internet data. It’s tempting to lean towards Nielsen or comScore data as a barometer for economic growth or financial status, but it is really most useful for media and consumer research. As comScore’s press release warns, “we should all be mindful that the primary uses of comScore’s data are for marketing and media analysis purposes.”

In our everyday lives, both online and in the physical world, we all present different versions of ourselves to others. People speak differently to their friends, a clerk at the grocery store, their boss, or a bartender at their favorite pub. These different personas, which are the focus of consumer behaviorists and analysts, have made a smooth transition to the online world. A version of you, complete with avatar and login name, will be vastly different on LinkedIn vs. Facebook, or Mog vs. World of Warcraft. So how can businesses coagulate all these different personas into a profile of one single customer? They may not have to.

Researchers at Gartner have coined the term Generation V (for virtual) to describe these consumers. They have created different imprints of their personalities on many different Web 2.0 sites, and marketers are struggling to identify with and appeal to them. As Baseline Magazine recently wrote, “Unlike previous demographic containers like baby boomer and Gen X, Generation V is not defined by age, gender or geography. Instead it is based on achievements, accomplishments, and a growing preference for digital media when it comes to learning and sharing.” These online personalities are not necessarily fake; they do belong to real consumers, and they do reflect real needs, desires, and behaviors.

One of the problems with multiple personas, however, is that they reflect a desire for anonymity in a web world that is increasingly open. Active online personas often say and do things online that they would never do in a real world setting. A good example of this can be found in vitriolic blogging and commenting. As blog Identity 2.0 points out, “With respect to comments on a blog…Since it takes a sequence of good behavior to build a positive reputation, there is a cost to that reputation, that good netizens will want to preserve if having a good reputation provides additional value.” While you might be circumspect and thoughtful when commenting on the election at the Huffington Post, you might let loose at Perezhilton.com with foul language about the actions of some drunk starlet. In both cases, you are essentially anonymous, but the setting influences your online actions, just as it would in the real world.

So how can businesses target both OrcSlayer21 and Bluegrass4Ever, particularly if they’re the same person? Adam Sarner, the Gartner researcher who coined the term Generation V, suggests to Baseline that marketers reach out to them individually. “We need to recognize that people have a different set of desires while on Amazon.com or Second Life,” he says.Gartner recommends targeting individual online personas in ways that appeal to the reputation and personality they’ve created for themselves. Sell to the personas, not to the people behind them.

The way to do this, according to Sarner, is to examine your product’s place in the customers priorities and needs, just the way you would for an offline consumer profile. People have vastly different desires for different products or services on theirwishlists, and marketers have yet to fully exploit this. For example, OrcSlayer21 and Bluegrass4Ever would likely find value in both new PC games and the latest Allison Krauss CD from Amazon.com. Amazon could send email flyers and targeted messages to each persona, even though they represent the same person. The same strategy could work for a single product, which might appeal to different aspects of a consumer’s personality.

The bottom line is that personas are not flat, simple organisms. They never were in real world situations, and they are even less so online, where it is so easy to segment one’s personality for different activities. Businesses who use consumer profiles will need to expand their strategies to appeal to every aspect of the customer. In an increasingly competitive online marketplace, there is room for all of our multiple personalities, and all the products and services that we crave. A marketing plan that capitalizes on this diversity will be successful.

The 2008 presidential candidates are taking a page out of the marketing book in trying to win voters. They are employing a strategy, called microtargeting, that is usually reserved for consumer profiling and customer segmentation. The process involves finding out which factors, values, and behaviors are common to groups of consumers (or voters) and using this information reach out to the undecided in upcoming elections. While the practice is common in the business world, microtargeting is lately being applied to politics, notably by Barack Obama’s campaign. Will microtargeting give candidates the edge they need to win over the country’s finicky voters?

Microtargeting is made possible by huge databases of consumer information, like those used by major corporations to track consumer spending and retail habits. Analysts look at the habits of groups to see where they might overlap with other groups. For example, let’s say that people who attend professional basketball games might also be likely to drink Pepsi (not necessarily so, just a random example). Marketers could then use this information to place Pepsi advertising at NBA stadiums or during March Madness broadcasts. Politicians can use similar data points to target undecided voters with messages that appeal directly to them. For example, if consumer surveys were to show that viewers of America’s Next Top Model were strongly right-leaning (again, random example) Republican politicians might have better luck with their advertising dollars on that station.

The process of microtargeting is painstaking, and it is usually carried out by powerful Washington organizations or by campaign volunteers. Voter surveys help not only identify which voters are possible supporters, but also helps candidates decide which of their messages is the most likely to mobilize them come election day. If a survey reveals that residents in a certain district are losing jobs due to employers outsourcing jobs overseas, political candidates can craft messages of reassurance and promise to address the issue if elected. This specific message, aimed at specific people, has the potential to motivate voters who might otherwise stay home.

One powerful microtargeting firm in Washington is TargetPoint Consultants. As their website puts it, “Our MicroTargeting is a virtual search and rescue mission, connecting campaigns and corporations with the voters and customers they need.” They use not only tailor-made surveys to gather information, but they also draw upon existing databases of consumer information available online and through marketers. These microtargeting agencies use everything from credit scores, real estate records, web surfing habits, and magazine subscriptions to reach voters who might identify with their candidate. Some of the information they’ve unearthed is surprisingly detailed. For example, as the Washington Post reported during the Bush/Kerry contest in 2004, drinkers of Coors and bourbon tend to vote Republican, while those who consume brandy and cognac lean towards the Democratic party. This kind of data gives a much more complete picture of potential customers and voters based on more than simply geography and socio-economics.

Democratic candidate Barack Obama has tapped the expertise of Strategic Telemetry, a microtargeting firm which worked with the Kerry campaign previously. Their website advises candidates to, “Focus dollars and time spent on persuasion phones, mail, door-knocking, radio and television on the voters most likely to be undecided.” This gives candidates not only the edge needed to reach those all important undecided voters, but also helps control campaign spending by using the resources where they can accomplish the most. Obama has been notably reaching out to young voters, who are historically unlikely to turn out at all. Many analysts have attributed his success to his online presence at sites like Facebook and MySpace, where young, Democratic voters are active and receptive.

While customer segmentation has been around for years in marketing circles, this type of profiling is beginning to take a strong hold in political circles. Strategists are taking lessons from the business world and applying them to the voting public, and it seems to be paying off for many candidates. Now that candidates are reaching out to voters with personal, specific messages, will they also begin keeping those targeted campaign promises? Here’s hoping (with a glass of bourbon in one hand and cognac in the other) that their targeted messages are more than just a marketing strategy.

Japanese automakers are scrambling to meet the needs of a different generation of drivers. According to a recent newspaper poll, only 25% of Japanese men in their 20s even want a car, down from 48% in 2000. These young, urban drivers cite rising gas prices, the environmental impact of cars, and their modern technology-driven lifestyles as a reason to depend on Japan’s public transportation system instead of purchasing cars. Automakers are trying to fight this generational shift with state-of-the-art concept vehicles that directly appeal to the hip youth of Tokyo’s Harajuku neighborhood.

Domestic sales of Japanese cars has fallen 31% since 1990, even while exports are rising. Studies attribute this slide to different values, where iPods, web-enabled phones, and laptops have replaced the car as a status symbol. Nissan in particular has been reaching out to the youth market with demographic studies and a design studio in the Harajuku neighborhood. The office, called “Creative Box,” is home to Nissan’s car designers, and it has very little resemblance to a corporate headquarters. Designers are encouraged to wander the streets, take in the flamboyant fashions, and frequent local clubs to see the most popular bands.

To reach out to young drivers, Honda has introduced the Edix minivan, designed to hold three passengers in the front in a V-shape to allow more cargo room in the back. This is meant to appeal to Japan’s youthful sporty set who want to carry bicycles, surfboards, and other sports gear in the van. They’ve promoted the Edix with this video from anime studio Studio 4°C, and while I won’t pretend to understand what’s happening in the spot, it is clearly aimed at a younger audience. Since its introduction, the Edix has been selling slowly.

Nissan has taken the youth-oriented design to a new level with different concept car models for young women and young men. The Pivo 2 is meant to provide a stress free, urban driving experience for young women trying to navigate Tokyo’s crowded streets. The car sports a pivoting cabin and wheels which allows it to drive sideways (to facilitate parking in tight spots) and also features a dashboard robotic interface (complete with wide eyes reminiscent of Hello Kitty) giving directions in a relaxing voice which reduces the stress of city driving.

For young men, Nissan is offering the Round Box, another concept car with an interactive touchscreen display that can be accessed by passengers and drivers alike. For example, a passenger could look up the latest karaoke bar and send directions to the driver’s display screen. The research Nissan conducted showed that young urban men weren’t interested in a car as much for commuting as they were for hanging out with friends. The Round Box is designed to function more as a social space than an average car.

With the inevitable demographic changes in Japanese society, automakers find themselves not only marketing to the youth set, but designing specifically for their needs. This strategy goes beyond the hype and right to the heart of good product development: the user. The new models of cars, concept or in production, consider research and consumer surveys to design a product for a targeted audience. Perhaps this user-centered approach can halt the slow disappearance of Japan’s car culture.

Online social networking and blogging sites seem to be the latest incarnation of “word of mouth” advertising. And, not surprisingly, this type of marketing strategy seems to be working well for some small businesses. Recently, the Wall Street Journal published an article about Etsy.com, an internet marketplace that caters to buyers and sellers of handmade goods. The site provides for a lot of user interaction through profiles, blogs, and forums, as well as rating-and-feedback system. The site boasts nearly 800,000 registered users, many of whom are artists seeking to sell their goods to others. For a minimal fee (20 cents for up to four photos of your product, and 3.5% commission on all products you sell), an average of 15,000 daily transactions take place, which has generated millions of dollars in profit for the site.

And to what does founder Rob Kalin attribute his success? Because the site has embraced so many social networking features, Etsy.com has not had to worry about marketing costs. It is all done by satisfied users online. This ranges from everything from user-generated YouTube videos to additional websites created by Etsy.com fans. One of the most noteworthy of these sites is We Love Etsy, created by Lis Kidder, a glass-jewelry designer and an Etsy.com fan. The site, which has nearly 2,800 members, allows subscribers to interact and trade tips in different ways than is possible on the official site. According to Kalin, all of this buzz being generated online about his site means “we don’t have to spend anywhere as much on marketing because there are all of these avenues for people to spread the word and talk about what we do.” From a strictly business standpoint, being able to generate this magnitude of free publicity is certainly a lucrative prospect for the website.

There is certainly a lot of activity the site’s forum pages. Users discuss everything from current hot items to shipping liabilities to other user profiles. One thread was even dedicated to the negative aspects of blogs (though this did not stop some users from posting links to their Etsy-related blogs!). It is also possible to navigate to some of the other user-generated sites (such as the aforementioned “We Love Etsy”). This extremely active web community has helped Etsy grow and improve the site.

Of course, Etsy.com is not the only website to use this kind of marketing tactic. Ebay.com, for example, has been using this kind of forum and feedback system for a while. Though they may now advertise in more traditional venues (television commercials, etc.), they were once completely reliant on the same viral marketing strategy that Etsy.com currently utilizes. Another good example of this is Facebook.com. This online community already has a very well established pool of registered users, and the site has recently begun supporting forums for the purposes of selling goods, advertising rooms for rent, etc. In addition to this, the site is now open to any and all users (whereas before it was strictly a community for college students). In both of these cases, like Etsy.com, this type of marketing plan was successful.

The marketing plan for Etsy.com basically relies on the fact that if a company can bring a group of people together who all share a common interest and give them sufficient means to communicate and interact with one another, then the results will be mutually beneficial. It certainly has proven true in several cases, and other web businesses are now scrambling to use social networking as a marketing opportunity.

Customization is king in the web world, and traditional consumer product companies have struggled to compete in a world where user-generated content is the rage. The auto industry, in particular, has lagged behind in creating a culture of individualism, and owners with a creative streak would visit specialized shops for the paint jobs, exhaust systems, and audio systems they wanted in their cars. Toyota is reaching out to these users, specifically devoted Scion drivers, who want to add an element of creativity to their cars.

Scion is a line of vehicles under Toyota’s umbrella aimed specifically at young, hip drivers. Their website is full of street racing imagery and slang, and even features music videos of upcoming artists and short documentaries by street artists. The branding is unique, strong, and varied, but it appeals to a very specific customer base, one that values creativity over conformity. For this reason, Scion has reached out to marketing firm StrawberryFrog, which has worked with clients such as Old Navy and Morgan Stanley, as well as SmartCar, another compact car brand under Mercedes.

StrawberryFrog has created a campaign known as Scion Speak, which allows users to create customized “coat of arms” online through an interactive website. They hired graffiti artist Tristan Eaton to design the graphics for the site. Eaton met with Scion owners to get an idea of what they have in common and how to reach them through art. His conclusion was that Scion owners form their own unique culture, and they have a deep desire to customize and set themselves apart. Many of them have tricked out their cars with added features and special paint jobs, which shows not only their tendency to be creative, but their willingness to spend money on cars.

Eaton’s designs are edgy, interesting, and modern. They include everything from mythical creatures (Phoenix, Dirty Rat, Hackoon, etc.) to tiny icons of spray paint bottles, cameras, crayons, sports equipment, tanks, and even a stethoscope, meant to represent the user’s interests, jobs, and skills. While the site allows you to create your own coat of arms for free, they have to go elsewhere to have their symbols made into window decals or custom paint jobs, which could cost thousands of dollars. You can also browse other user’s designs to get ideas for your own. Here’s the crest I created:

Toyota has taken a key step towards organic growth with Web 2.0 skills. While many companies have tried to create web-based buzz around a product or brand, Toyota is harnessing the buzz that is already surrounding the Scion brand. This type of interest and customer investment in a product is something that cannot be created with a marketing campaign or social networking site. StrawberryFrog’s campaign is aimed at current users, not future customers, and that is why is has the potential to succeed and generate real excitement for a brand. As a representative told the New York Times, Scion Speak aims “to reduce Scion’s investment on conquering new customers and increasing the passion for the brand among its core fan base.” While it seems counter-productive, the customers who will be thrilled with this campaign are going to be attracted to Scion’s brand for life. Sometimes the best customers are the most loyal ones, and Toyota has converted their loyalty into a Web 2.0 art gallery that will appeal to others like them.

Food companies have long suffered from public backlash regarding their marketing efforts. They have been continually (and rightfully) criticized for the way sugary snack and fast foods are marketed to children and adults alike. It seems, however, with our national discussion about health and wellness heating up, that food marketers are listening and responding to complaints. More and more companies have reformulated and repackaged familiar products to make them healthy, and the strategy seems to be paying off.

Health claims made on food labels must be authorized by the Food and Drug Administration. This is a consequence of the 1990 Nutrition Labeling and Education Act (NLEA), which was aimed at stopping food marketers from making unfounded claims about the benefits of certain foods. Any marketing material or label that makes health claims must now be validated by scientific evidence from a federal scientific body (i.e. CDC, USDA, etc.). For example, a company claiming that their yogurt can help build stronger bones must cite legitimate scientific evidence connecting calcium and bone strength.

In spite of strict regulations, food companies have responded to the consumer’s interest in healthy foods. A recent Wall Street Journal article profiles the reformulation and marketing efforts of General Mills. Beginning in 2004, the company set a goal to have 20% of sales come from healthy product lines. After succeeding beyond expectations, General Mills added another 20% to the goal, and many of their top executives receive incentives based on how well they meet health and wellness objectives. Their strategy was to reformulate products to match up with consumer’s expectations of healthy foods. “A product could meet the new health standard in a number of ways: a 10% reduction in fat, sugar, or sodium content; a 10% increase in healthful ingredients, including vitamins and fiber; or by meeting FDA guidelines that allow a product to carry labels such as ‘reduced sodium’ or ‘low fat’.”

It seems clear that these measures are not only helping average consumers make informed food choices, but also paying off for the companies which have marketed to the growing group of health-conscious shoppers. General Mills brought in an impressive $12.4 billion in fiscal year 2006, and they recent upped their profit forecast for this year, giving their healthy product lines the credit for increasing sales.

They aren’t the only food company attempting to cash in on this trend, however. Kellogg and Kraft have recently stopped using trans fats in their products, and Campbell Soup sold off Godiva Chocolates to focus on healthier fare. Heinz is another big winner in this marketing strategy, growing sales by 9 percent last year. They give the credit to their division called Pure Food Company. A representative from Heinz says, “From organic Classico pasta sauces to our expanding range of reduced calorie meals, soups, and desserts under the Weight Watchers from Heinz and Weight Watchers Smart Ones brands, we provide consumers with multiple options to suit their lifestyles.”

And more shoppers are indeed choosing a healthy lifestyle. Organic foods supermarkets are expanding, and U.S. consumers are embracing healthy food products as never before. Are these food companies truly providing a healthier product, or is it all just a marketing ploy? Certainly FDA regulations have helped to curb the “spin” and ensure that companies can back up their claims, but consumers need to be aware that the label “healthy” is always on a continuum. A Progresso soup which General Mills has labeled “50% less sodium” means only that it has less sodium than their original soup, not that it is necessarily a low-sodium food by FDA standards.

While the efforts of these food companies are a step in the right direction, it is still important for informed shoppers to look past the marketing to the real nutritional content of the foods they buy. As health and wellness move into the world of big business, it’s up to buyers to hold companies like General Mills and Heinz to their claims.

Branding is a common practice for businesses who want to put the right foot forward for their customers. Many companies make the effort to create attractive logos, craft marketing messages, and reach out to users by appealing to their cultural and aesthetic values. A great example of branding can be found in Dunkin’ Donuts popular commercials. This spot perfectly reflects the communities and attitudes of Dunkin’ Donuts’ stronghold in the Northeast. The actors are diverse, showing yuppies and blue collar workers alike, and it exemplifies the core of Dunkin’s customers.

But what about branding for potential employees? It’s rare to see a commercial or advertisement focusing on what it’s like to work for a company, though it could be the key to recruiting employees that would best fit in with the specific mission and values of a business. Branding for employment can not only help with recruiting efforts, but can also help current employees reflect your image when dealing with vendors, customers, and interviewees.

First, it’s important to have an accurate idea of the company’s goals, values, and mission in order to create an effective brand. What does your organization want to accomplish? What kinds of people do you currently employ? What are your goals for future hires? Examine company documentation for answers to some of these questions, and create an outline of your corporate culture. This does not need to be a fixed framework, and it should be able to adapt to changes within your business. By assessing current values and goals, you can establish future branding for your potential employees.

Aside from just looking at existing documentation, an accurate employment brand should include input from a wide variety of your current workforce. One simple way to gather feedback and determine the reality of your values is to survey employees from various business units, levels, and backgrounds. Many businesses conduct bi-annual surveys of employee satisfaction, and many even survey job candidates and hold exit interviews for those moving on to other opportunities. The feedback you gather could be surprising, and it will definitely help you get an accurate idea of how your company is perceived by those who know it best.

Once you have determined your stated values and the current perception of your brand by employees, it’s time to bridge the gap between the two. Determine how your actual brand is different from your desired brand, and take the steps necessary to match them up. For example, if a survey of your workers reveals that they see the chain of command is disorganized, make efforts to clear up the hierarchy and retrain management in communication techniques. Job hunters will pick up on internal problems from interacting with interviewers, and it may cost your business the best hire for the position. Listen to the suggestions of current employees, and you will be able to present the best impression to interviewees.

Walmart is a good example of a company which has struggled with employment branding. Though this commercial tries to show a festive, positive work environment, the public perception of working for the retail giant is better aligned with this satirical commentary. By listening and responding to the needs of current employees, businesses can avoid the Walmart curse of terrible employment branding. Remember, job candidates are not just interviewing to show you their skills, they’re also there to see if your work environment appeals to them. Careful branding, backed up by the willingness and ability to make changes, can help any business attract the talent they need to succeed.