Where Are We? Part 2...

... OR, "Who Should I Talk To?"

The questions posted yesterday should be posed to:

- INSIDE THE COMPANY
Key influencers
Decision makers
Beyond the obvious C-level people
VP of Customer Service
Customer Service reps
IT People
R&D People

- SALESPEOPLE
Not just yours... Salespeopole in any business bridge the "inside" and the "outside" every day. They are the closest thing to interviewing real customers and prospects. In fact, they're sometimes better because people in sales make their livelihood by listening and responding to real customers' comments and complaints almost every day, and they have firsthand insight into potential solutions.

Salespeople also spend their time trying to outdo the competition which makes them knowledgeable about competitors' specialties. As a group, salespeople are often the most practical thinkers in the organization because results are the only thing they're compensated for. And, results come consistently from what works, not from what works in theory.

- OUTSIDE THE COMPANY
Current customers
Past customers (i.e. those who've left for greener pastures)
Prospects you've pitched to and lost
Your target audience (unpitched)
Competitors (job recruits, ex-employees, current employees)
Industry observers (analysts, press, newsletter writers, bloggers, government regulators, industry attorney, investors, venture capitalists)

Where Are We?

Before your company can go anywhere, you've got to know exactly where you are today from both your own perspective, your employees' perspectives, your customers' perspectives, AND the general marketplace's perspective. So, as "A CEO's GPS," my first order of business is to encourage you to collect and catalog your company's reality by listening to the key stakeholders inside and outside the company in their own unscripted words.

You're listening for patterns, themes, and intelligence that tell an unvarnished truth about your business, its specialty, your competition, the market opportunity, and your unique capacities that can coalesce into a real selling brand.

- How does my company articulate its specialty now?
- Where does it rank in sales, product quality, and leadership status in its specialty?
- What's most important to customers when they buy? Removal of pain? Improvement of what aspect? What attributes? What end benefit?
- Where's the SWEET SPOT for the specialty's attributes... the dividing line between meaningful, measurable differentiation and ungraspable gobbledy-gook in the customer's mind?
- What sets your company apart? What does it do that nobody else does, and how important is that to the market?
- What are your company's values?
- What are its most serious weaknesses?
- Who's the competition? What are they famous for?
- What does the competition do better? Does the market know it?
- What's the biggest thing customers wish they had more of that they don't get now from any company?
- What will make your company #1 in its specialty?
- What will the industry look like in three years? Who will dominate and why?
- Where will your company be in three years?
- What should the market know about your company that it doesn't know today?

Coming tomorrow.... WHO to ask these questions!!!

Pharmer's Market-ing

DZX Medical is my first client in the healthcare/medical technology industry. And, as I begin working on the content they need for their marketing slicks/pdfs and media strategy, I'm realizing that my verbage is beginning to sound like every other bad drug commercial.

So, a resource I've found for you if your company is in this space... GREAT blog to follow: Pharma Marketing Blog

On a somewhat related note, if you're in the Dallas Area and would like to join Scott and me, we'll be at WordCamp Dallas 2008 the weekend of 3/29. Drop me a note and let me know to look out for you. The founder of WordPress, Matt Mullenweg, will be just one of the great speakers "prescribed."

Another Product RAVE!!!

FreshBooks -- "The fastest way to track time and invoice your clients. Send, track, and collect payments quickly"

FreshBooks is an online invoicing and time tracking service that saves you time and makes you look professional... Fortune 500 professional. Easily create, send, and manage invoices; Track time (yours and your staff); Send invoices by snail mail or email; Accept payment with PayPal, Authorize.Net, and more; Automatically send invoices and late payment notices; Create robust reports and import/export your data; Free account or 30-day money back guarantee.

What else could you ask for?!?

Moving Stage NEXT

Resources for startups are all over the place, but small companies need help stabilizing and managing their expansion, too. What should be No. 1 and 2 on their priority list? Make a "stop doing" list and a "process" list.

"CEOs in growing companies have to think about creating innovative systems that allow them to have control, but they don't have to be the one looking over the shoulder" of employees, says Dino Signore, who runs leadership programs at the Edward Lowe Foundation, a Michigan nonprofit dedicated to helping second-stage entrepreneurs, which it defines as those who head up companies with about $1 million in annual revenue that are beyond startup stage but not fully mature.

Business owners must understand that they have to start working ON their business instead of IN their business. That means both a "stop doing" list (i.e. doing some of their employees' jobs for them) and a "process" list (ex: repeatable and duplicatable procedures for every aspect of the organization to maximize productivity no matter who is performing the job).

The stakes are high. Companies beyond the startup stage thrive or fail based on their organization, according to Eric Flamholtz, a management consultant and co-author of Growing Pains: Transitioning from an Entrepreneurship to a Professionally Managed Firm.
"You ultimately win with infrastructure," says Flamholtz. "Most people think you win with markets and products. You're looking in the wrong place." He says there are some key signals that should tell companies they need to change: when many workers don't know what others are doing, for example, or when sales rise but profits stay flat.

Of course, business owners seeking organization can overdose on new systems and lose the agility that made their startup successful. You need the right balance of internal processes. On that note, be watching for new products and systems in the Ideas to Go section here... we have LOTS of tools-you-can-use coming soon!

The core lesson is that CEOs should create entities that don't depend on them. You want your business to be a legacy... to thrive and grow far past your day-to-day involvement. After all, that's why you went into business on your own in the first place.

Success = Power + Responsibility

From Indexed...



Why do we have "C-level" executives in companies? Why are we so enamored with the word "Chief?" The Chief has greater work to do, yet the Chief only has two hands just like all of us. Similarly, he/she is limited to 24 hours in the day... as is every human on the planet.

With greater power comes greater responsibility and the key to a successful business is delegation. When employees feel they're being given an opportunity to learn new skills, they gain more knowledge and feel more connected to the organization. If you manage your people well, your people will manage the rest well and your company will prosper with both financial rewards and productivity increases.

According to John Adams, society's demand for moral authority and character increase as the importance of the position increases. A similar tenet holds that the more you are willing to accept responsibility for your actions, the more credibility you will have with others.

You are always responsible for what you do, what you don't do, what you say, and how you say it. In the end, power is about the ability to make choices, and that reponsibility requires a benevolent "Chief" to consider the impact of decisions on all those involved.

The Glass is Half FULL!!!

"Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence." Helen Keller (1880-1968) American humanitarian and advocate for the deaf and blind

The business will grow. Clients will come. Customers will buy. And, if you think I'm wrong, maybe you should think differently.

Optimism's relationship with entrepreneurship is deep and personal. It's what goads the initial concept out of your brain and launches it into reality. Now, there's loads of research proving optimism contributes significantly to business success along with the revelation that such tendencies can be learned... a blessing for those of you whose dreams are threatened by a skeptical nature.

"Optimism is solely a habit," explains Michael Mercer, a business psychologist and co-author of Spontaneous Optimism. "It's not genetic and it's not something you breathe in the air."

How does optimism play into the life of an entrepreneur and CEO? "If you think something won't work for your business, you need to automatically focus on the solution," Mercer says. "Optimistic business owners lay out clear goals for how they want their businesses to succeed, make realistic timetables and spend 50% or more of their time focused on achieving those goals."

Keep in mind, however, that a touch of REALISM must be tempered with all this OPTIMISM. The true goal? To be realistic... to be optimistic to an extent, but to face the facts about your business and your products/services.

Then again, it's hard to tell which comes first: the attitude or the reality. If you think you can, you can. And, if you think you can't, you're right, too.

Target Practice

Being a Texas girl (Dallas native born and raised), I've spent a good share of time around guns and firing ranges. The key to hitting a good clean shot in the "heart" of the silhouette is to get calm and steady and just gently, but firmly squeeze the trigger (in other words, focus then commit).

The process of finding and studying potential customers for your venture doesn’t have to be complex or expensive, but it is extremely important. In a nutshell, it requires you to find out everything you can about the customers whom you intend to pursue. Once you have that information, you’ll have a much better chance of capturing those customers for your business.

The facts you need to know about your target market fall into these three categories:

1. DEMOGRAPHICS:
Begin your research by checking the demographics of the region that you plan to target. You’ll want to know the population’s make-up in terms of age, gender, income level, occupation, education, and family circumstances — married, single, retired, and so on. But to be truly effective, dive deeper.

Yes, I'm a 35-40 year old, single, white female living in Dallas who graduated from UT Austin and works full-time, but so are probably 200,000 other women. Is your messaging REALLY talking to me? I'm allergic to cats; I love music from country to rap to symphony; I'll gladly pay $1200 for a designer handbag, but won't spend more than $50 on a belt. I drive a 2008 Lexus IS350, but I cringe when I spend $4.50 at Starbuck's for a Chai Tea Latte. I love Neiman Marcus... I also love Target. What do these things say about me? Does your company know me?


2. GEOGRAPHIC / LIFESTYLE FACTORS:
Give some thought to where and how your target customers live. Are they Southerners or Yankees; urbanites, suburban soccer moms, or country folk? Are they risk-takers or conservative, athletes or couch potatoes, spenders or savers? The answers will help determine what you can sell to them, how you should sell it, and at what price.

Again, I live in Uptown and rent my apartment. However, I could afford a $400,000 home. Why don't I choose to own? I spend almost $150 a week on groceries, yet I live alone. Whole Foods organic products all the way, baby. What does this say about me? How do these facts relate to your company?

3. CUSTOMER NEEDS:
Consider all of the reasons why people might purchase your product or service. For example, if you’re opening a string of health clubs, will your customers come to meet other people, to take exercise classes, or to play racquet sports with their friends? Find out by talking to people in the local fitness industry and by quizzing friends or acquaintances who go to health clubs. Then you can design and market your club accordingly.

I work between 30 and 60 hours a week depending on the state of current clients' projects and how well I've scheduled my time and my team's time. Some weeks, I can take all of Friday off. Some weeks, I'm lucky to get the dishes out of the sink and into the dishwasher. It's chaotic. I really need a personal assistant / concierge service. I need a maid. I need a personal shopper. I want people who organize interesting lectures and organizations to reach out to me so I'll get out from behind this stinking computer. Is your company aiming for me?

When the Brand Specialist Can't Stay "On Brand"

So, I get a phone call yesterday from a woman who has been referred to me by a very close friend, confidante, and advisor. She proceeds to tell me that she's heard that I have a wonderful personality, that I'm easy to work with, that I have lots of influence in Dallas, etc., and that she has been told that I am the perfect person that she needs to have on her team to expand her company.

"Great!," I say, "When would you have time to meet next week so that I can learn what your marketing needs are?" "Oh...," she says. "I have marketing covered... I need a sales executive to close deals on online banner advertising for my firm." HUH?!?

Okay, I ask you, dear reader, am I not doing my job in correctly communicating EXACTLY what it is that I do and how I can help startup and small companies move to the next level? Even as the years go by, I still find myself having to "fight" to maintain a strict focus on my mission statement and set of solutions... without deviating or wandering over into the sales arena (there's good money to be made there!)... or the finance arena (I have a degree in Economics, though)... or HR-land (but, I have great people skills!).

No! Stay on task with your core competency. Yes, smart marketers evolve their brands over time to keep them relevant (no more buggy whips!), so if you are determined to make a change, I offer the following 10 all-too-common mistakes to avoid:

1. Navigating without a plan.
2. Not trying on your customer's shoes.
3. Not planning ahead for implementation and adaptation time.
4. Not calling the call center.
5. Forgetting that people don't do what they say... they do what they do.
6. Basing a rebrand on advertising.
7. Strategy by committee.
8. Believing you're too small to rebrand.
9. Not leveraging existing brand equity and goodwill.
10. Refusing to hire a branding consultant without industry experience.

The Business of Blogging

Blogging offers some compelling advantages for business. Every day more and more companies have blogs and here are some of the benefits:

1. Attracts new customers from new demographics. People who read blogs generally spend more money online than people who don't. Helps you answer the question: "Where are my next generation of customer coming from?"

2. Provides your existing customers with a new window through which to see you... and through which you can see them, via visitor statistics and/or comments.

3. Lets you bypass traditional news media. Alongside more traditional marketing methods, like press releases, you can speak in your own voice directly to your audience.

4. Increases your company's presence and placement in search results. Blogs constantly churn out new content full of keywords your potential customers will use to search online for products and services related to your company.

5. Puts a human face on an abstract entity such as your company.

6. Your blog is your company's best crisis communication channel available.

7. It's less expensive. And it's more effective than traditional methods of marketing and public relations.

By this time, the benefits of having a website are undeniable. As a supplement to websites, blogs magnify those benefits tremendously and deliver on them better than a non-blog website can.

Decisions... Decisions... oh, What to Do

In light of a major decision I made (and acted upon!) yesterday, I offer the following FRIDAY FUNNY:

Recession-Proof Your Business

1. Don't be caught off guard if the slowdown hits your company. Prepare a worst-case, 12-month cash flow scenario and identify what changes you would make the when. Improve your management reporting to identify the leading indicators for your business.

2. Set and measure inventory targets and keep in daily communication with your sales and operations staffs. Contrary to what you would think, this is now the time to weed out unprofitable customers. Every company has them... they cost more than they add to your bottom line. Either evaluate how to make them more profitable or politely refer them to your competition.

3. To prevent attrition, keep in close touch with your customers. Show them that you care about them. Think about how their business is being affected because lasting relationships are built in hard times. Recognize that when the business climate changes, customer needs will change as well. That means that new markets may open up for you.

4. Develop strategies to land more customers. That means spending MORE on marketing... not slashing it to pieces. The successful small business is going to have to win a bigger share of the shrinking pie. The way to do that, especially for retailers, is to create a positive experience. Another strategy is to reach out to new residents in your community. They're going to choose someplace to buy their pizza, gym membership, and shoes. You want an active campaign that greets them and bonds with them.

5. Spend on hiring. Again, contrary to first glance, most economic downturns are short-lived and it's easier to invest in training time for new hires during slower growth periods. Employees that are fired during recession will have to be re-hired... which costs companies a lot more in the long run. Another strategy is to look around for people who have been laid off from competitors and pick up some valuable talent. This is a great time to find top performers (possibly for less!) who will help bring your company to the next level.

Fun & NAMES

A great, descriptive, memorable name for your company is the AH-HA moment worthy of champagne toast and rounds of slaps on backs. The name is a work of art... give your brand the gift that leads to immortality.

Great names are:
1. descriptive, evocative, or colorful in some way
2. ownable by you
3. easy or pleasing to say

Some of my favorite brands have their distinct selling idea built right in! Like: DieHard Batteries, EZ Pass, Egg Beaters, Rainex, Honey Baked Ham, SuperBowl, Chain Link Fence, Head & Shoulders Shampoo, Hefty Trash Bags, Ziploc Sandwich Bags... you get the picture.

Even made-up or tech-y names can be inspirational when they "sound" right. Example: Compaq starts with computer but implies the friendliness of a pact between you and your machine. Drug companies make up amazing names that always hint at their descriptive purpose. Example: Viagra has virile and aggressive in it.

Rule of thumb: name only what is truly proprietary and pivotal to your overall brand. That usually means your company itself, a key product or service, and one or two specialty attributes, properties, or ingredients.

Lastly, watch out for the nicknames that your company brand can turn in to. After a while, no one wanted to say International Business Machines any more and IBM was born. This isn't a bad thing, once your brand is firmly established after years of dominance. Don't name your company Richard if you prefer not to be called Dick. And don't name your insurance division "P"remier "I"nsurance "G"roup, either.

Marketing Road Map

"You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose." says Dr. Seuss in Oh, the Places You'll Go! An effective marketing road map will help your company find it's way and stand out in the crowd.

1. Helps You Sell: An effective map accomplishes the sole purpose of marketing... to generate leads and assist the salesforce in closing a deal faster and more accurately.

2. Keeps Your Prospect Pipeline at a Consistent Level: Unless you market continuously, leads can vanish forcing you to scramble at cyclical times of the year. When an effective road map is an integral part of your business, you'll always know the status of your marketing efforts and you will always be pushed to be proactive and consistently.

3. Uses the Power of Focus: Great road maps aim squarely at targeted clients. Targeting your potentials with frequent and compelling content grabs their attention, and if your message is on point, you will get through.

4. Creates Confidence: Using an assortment of marketing tactics in a continuous pattern helps prospects develop confidence that your business is successful, profitable, has a compelling brand, and can meet their wants and needs.

5. Builds Your Brand: Although the first objective of marketing is to use your activities to generate leads, building your corporate reputation and image will also draw new customers to your business. Outstanding client service, effective marketing strategies, consistent identity, and compelling messages will elevate your brand recognition several levels.

Enjoy the journey... and drop me a line and let me know how the trail looks!

Basic Business Blogging

Lots of people have jumped on the blogging bandwagon, and although there is a danger of your new blog getting lost in the masses, this tactic can be a key factor in marketing and business success. The following includes some basic tips aimed squarely at people who know there is value to be found in having a strong web presence, but need to cut through all the buzzwords and hype to get the straight info on the what, why and how of business blogging.

1. Blogging takes commitment and time: You'll be dedicating time to providing customers and prospects with new information and/or commentary about your company's purpose and industry. This doesn't mean you have to type forever... some of the best blogs are short, pithy entries that the reader can view and understand easily.

2. The content must be relevant: Blogs can help to position you as an expert in your field if they're written the right way. They also enable you to promote your products and services with a personal touch as you can link to appropriate news articles, pictures, and web sites to support your positioning.

3. Links are important: It's easy to forget the business behind the blog and get lost in the content itself. Build links to the site from other web sites related to your business and expertise. More links generally mean more traffic and a better search engine position.

4. Blogs are interactive: Readers can normally post their own comments to your entries. This allows existing and potential customers to comment on your product or service. Install Google analytics to check the statisics on how many people are viewing your blog... and other pages of your web site.

5. Is there a call to action?: Does the blog link through to a special offer or service you're currently running? Or, even an invitation for an initial consultation? Calls to action will help you win new customers or encourage existing ones to try out new products or services.

This Week, The "G" in GPS Stands for "Giving Back"

You don't have to bother looking here for a new posting tomorrow or Friday. I'll be in Austin at my annual speaking engagement to the women MBA students at The University of Texas, the Women in Business Leadership Conference.

It is my annual opportunity to give back to my alma mater. It's also the annual "girl-y getaway" roadtrip with my Mother for her to purchase all things that are BURNT ORANGE (she is an alum, too) and for me to hopefully mentor someone in a meaningful way. (Aw, hell, let's be honest... it's an awesome two-day escape from Dallas to a great town and they treat me to a fantastic hotel for a night.)

My talk will be "Stand UP and Stand OUT: Personal Branding Strategies for Business Professionals." Look for the Powerpoint slides to be loaded to this site next week in the "Ideas To Go" section. That area is morphing into a repository of all my presentations, articles, and thought leadership in addition to the case studies that are still there.

Spitting and Sucking... Yeah, that sounds about like the Super Bowl

Okay, I had to wait an extra day before I commented on some of the Super Bowl ads... just to let my brain wrap around the stupidity of it all.

To explain my title this morning:
1. Spitting-- The ETrade baby sitting in front of the computer screen talking to you in a grown up voice, then promptly hurling baby food after telling you about his brilliant and instantaneous stock trade.
2. Sucking-- Justin Timberlake being "slurped" across town through the straw of a fabulously tasty Pepsi (cue the Tony Romo cameo).

Now, the point:
After seeing over $160 million worth of advertising in one afternoon, I know that viewers must pay attention to the ENTIRE commercial because they will only figure out what the hell company the commercial is for in the 2.5 seconds at the end.

Entertainment-wise-- A+, you brilliant advertisting agencies, you. ROI-wise-- F-, way too many who-the-hell-cares moments. But, maybe that has become the point. Maybe, the Super Bowl is the one day a year where we expect every single moment of the TV to entertain us, not inform us. And, certainly not contribute to these companies' brand value.

Geesh... but, what do I know. I've got a gigantic pizza hangover.

CLOVERFIELD and Viral Marketing Genius

It all began last summer. The trailer for a mysterious new film took audiences by surprise when it played before screenings of Transformers. A party scene, shot in camcorder style, gives way to complete chaos when a massive explosion is witnessed by partygoers from the rooftop of their building in Manhattan. Crowds flood the streets as debris, including the disembodied head of the Statue of Liberty, rains down on them. "It's alive! It's huge," someone screams, and soon the screen goes black. There's no hint of a title. Just a release date of 1-18-08. And the mania was born.

The Cloverfield viral campaign has taken the fake-media "Blair Witch Project" techniques to huge, new levels. To make it all more encompassing, now there are foreign news bites to check out. You can check out Spanish, Italian, and German news clips about the collapse of Chaui Station -- a drilling behemoth* in the Atlantic Ocean owned by the company who also owns Slusho. Each news clip has the same recorded video, with different news spins on the piece.

The movie's nondescript teaser site at http://www.1-18-08.com/ was the first to be discovered by fans. Initially, the site displayed a single still image of two young women staring up in shock at something unknown... the monster, or its path of destruction, perhaps. The image was timestamped "01/18/2008 12:36A." New photos have been added to the site over time with more captured moments from the party and post-attack events in the city. The most recent pics, however, appear to depict an air-sea battle of some kind and its fiery aftermath. How does this relate to the Cloverfield monster? Did the military know about its existence before the attack? Answer unknown.

The next viral website to emerge from the ether was http://www.slusho.jp/, the off-the-wall "official" site for a fictional Japanese drink that has a strange link to the events of the film. The first hint: Mike Vogel's character can be seen wearing a Slusho t-shirt in the movie's trailer. So, what's the connection? It seems that Rob Hawkins, the guy who's going away party is featured in the trailer, has been hired by Slusho for a marketing job -- more on how we know this later. Rob presumably scored the t-shirt and gave it to his brother, Hawk, played by Mike Vogel.

In the history section of the Slusho website, you can read the outlandish story of renown beverage-maker Noriko "Smallest Whale" Yoshida, who perished on a deep-sea search for a secret drink ingredient. Noriko's beverage-making enterprise was later revived by her son, Ganu, a scientist who was inspired to return to the family business after discovering an incredible "deep sea ingredient" that is the key to Slusho's flavor and lauded health benefits. Might this secret ingredient, as silly as it sounds, have some connection to the origins of the Cloverfield monster? After all, we learn that it was "discovered on the deep ocean floor, under amazing pressure and in the most extreme cold." Hmmm.

We don't expect the movie to answer any of these "expanded universe" questions about vast corporate conspiracies, eco-terror plots, or yummy frozen beverages. You'll have to look online for those answers. Cloverfield, instead, will tell the more human story of a small group of people caught up in the monster's attack. Want to get to know more about the movie's main characters? The film's intricate viral website also includes "official" MySpace pages for Rob and his crew.

A recent blog entry on Rob Hawkins' page reveals that he's just been offered a job with Slusho. You'll also find links to pages for Rob's brother Jason "Hawk" Hawkins, and his possible love interest Beth McIntyre. Then there's the rest of the gang: Hud, Lily, Marlena, and Jamie. The pages don't contain any juicy secrets, but it's an interesting way to see how the movie's characters are connected. One of the characters does have a secret, however. And it's one that may link her to the story's deeper mysteries.

The director explained, "It's almost like tentacles that grow out of the film and lead, also, to the ideas in the film. And there's this weird way where you can go see the movie and it's one experience… But there's also this other place where you can get engaged where there's this other sort of aspect for all those people who are into that... All the stories kind of bounce off one another and inform each other. But, at the end of the day, this movie stands on its own to be a movie. The Internet stories and connections and clues are, in a way, a prism and they're another way of looking at the same thing. To us, it's just another exciting aspect of the storytelling."

Brilliance...

Mandatory Marketing for 2008, Part 2

On to...

6. Get Social-- Involve your company in some form of social marketing whether it's on forums, social networking sites like Facebook or MySpace or even bookmarking destinations such as http://www.digg.com/, http://www.travelbookmarking.com/, and http://www.de.li.cious/
(MORE ON MONDAY about how the movie Cloverfield implemented the most amazing viral, social marketing campaign to date!)

7. Start Making Movies-- In two years time, experts predict that 80% of the U.S. online community will be viewing online videos... that's around 157 million people. Optimize your video files with keywords and ensure they are submitted to video search engines.

8. Smarten Up Your Email Marketing-- With the huge amount of spam floating around it has never been more important for marketers to get the message, the timing and the relevancy on track. Clean up your lists, segment and target your campaigns, keep rich media files small, track your ROI, and keep your content and subject headers targeted and personalized.

9. Article Marketing-- As a part of your SEO, distribute articles to relevant directories. Remember to maximize the article for search engines and place the same article on your corporate web site.

And, lastly...
10. Go Viral-- Again, more on this on Monday, but for now, the huge success of viral marketing, including the most recent "Elf Yourself" program and Cadbury's drumming Gorilla video, has show just how consumer action can promote your brand.