RTCRM Perspectives

Hot on the tails of President's Day, RTC's Digital Integration and Innovation department imagines what types of technology former Presidents of the United States might use if they were alive today. Read on to find out which POTUS would've been a Twitter fanatic, which leader might've starred in a weekly Youtube video, and which first lady would've been the queen of Pinterest. This is also our first issue of Perspectives with cover art, illustrated by RTC's Josh Scott, and it's pretty damn cool.

Don't forget to leave your comments, and share this with your friends. And now, to the main event....

RTC Perspectives: February 2012

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Don't Drop the Innovation!

Innovation is a great thing. It makes our lives easier and our selves feel trendy. I came across this really sweet innovation this week, can you guess what it is? No it's not Apple's new OS. It's not a new phone. It's not dresspants sweatpants...though those are kind of nice...Alright, alright I'll tell you. It's soap!!

But seriously, isn't that cool? Some of you are probably shaking your heads at me, but don't even try to tell me you've never gotten frustrated chasing the tiny remnants of your soap bar around the shower. The simplicity behind Stack is what is really so great about the concept. This is a problem so simple, and so common, that you wonder why this is just coming about now. How this will fare against the convenience of body wash is a different story, but I suspect that there are still some bar-soap users that are like, "About damn time."

Anyway, the point of this post isn't soap, because there's also this fantastic pizza plate. IT'S SO USEFUL! The point is, sometimes the simplest ideas are the best. Google can add a new service every month that we end up loving, but where are the people fixing problems that already exist?! These are examples of designing with the consumer in mind, which is really what we need.

If you're looking to come up with the next big thing, take some time to think about the things that you feel certain activities or programs would benefit from or the things that make you want to tear your hair out. Don't forget the tasks you barely even think about when you're doing them: ordering and eating food, hygiene, organizing and cleaning, things related to specific hobbies, the list goes on. Once you've had a good "aha" moment, think about a creative fix for that problem and design it to be intuitive and easily integrated into everyday consumer's lives. The goal, aside from becoming the next successful startup or selling the idea to a major corporation, is to make people do a double-take when they see your idea. You want that wow factor and physical attractiveness that draw people in, but once they find out what it is or what it does, you really want them to go "Holy shit, why didn't I think of that!"

After that you can smile smugly while they give themselves a facepalm or take pride in the fact that you created something that made people's complicated lives just a little simpler. Whichever you prefer.

What are your favorite innovations? Let me know in the comments section below!

Even an "I Love Boobies" Bracelet won't Fix this One...

Ahhh well this one's a case for the textbooks! Don't let that discourage you from reading on though, I promise I'm not a textbook.

If there's one thing I've learned in the last four years, it's that even a powerful brand can be damaged by a PR nightmare and in the last few weeks, the Susan G. Komen Foundation has been trying super hard to wake up.

Komen, one of the most important breast cancer foundations out there, gives money to lots of organizations that help women to stay healthy. Fun fact, Planned Parenthood, who often takes heat because of abortions, also refers women to clinics where they can get mammograms so they've been receiving funding as well. Komen recently decided to cut their funding for Planned Parenthood and then gave conflicting and ridiculous excuses as to why. Facebook and Twitter blew up as is typical, and Planned Parenthood itself made some pretty angry retorts. Komen really handled this situation horribly which just made the whole thing worse. Changing stories, then going back on their decision, failing to consider their audience, and then yesterday, to top it all off, the woman who started the whole debacle resigned. I heard on the news this morning that she left bashing Planned Parenthood till the very end. Very professional.

What I want to talk about here is the importance of a crisis plan in the age of social media. These types of counter measures have always been important (think New Coke), but today the backlash can happen instantaneously and spread like wildfire on a global scale. Woosh. Everyone encounters problems, but it seems like companies rarely expect them, which is why, like in this situation, they act like chickens with their heads cut off and run around making things worse. CEOs need to sit down with a team and outline a plan that says, "Here are the steps we will take if x occurs." The Foundation is now concerned about whether they will lose some of their key sponsors, which could be detrimental to their cause. Having a plan of attack in these situations can help slow the backlash and make key stakeholders take time to consider the situation before disassociating themselves.

The last thing I want to address is resignation. In some cases, I think it's right for a person to resign when their values clearly don't match that of the company. In other cases I think the company should stand by the person at fault, like when an employee mistakenly tweet a curse word and everyone goes crazy. What I don't like, and definitely feel is not ok is when an executive does something wrong and is let go, but then is also given a severance package that could feed a third world country. That clearly sends a mixed message and makes your customers sigh and shake their heads.

Obviously there are a lot of different problems that can arise, from health concerns to poorly thought out statements, but there are a few quick fixes that are universally applicable.

• Address the issue. Don't just sit back and try to wait it out. Announce a statement on Twitter and then make use of the traditional media channels to tell your side of the story. The media picks up viral stories like this one very quickly and official statements issued by the company in question get picked up and spread just as quick. Waiting around on the other hand, gives people the perception that you don't care and they will certainly say so. 
• Take responsibility. If the situation is your fault, own up to it. Don't blame suppliers or partners or anyone else. Trying to distance yourself from the issue only makes it worse when the facts come out and not in your favor. Denial also delays action which is what the people want. Komen tried first to give excuses for the cut and then tried to tie in the government and it ended up costing this VP her job. 
• Be real. When you do address the situation try to avoid giving a statement that sounds like you took it right out of a book on PR cliches. Speak and type in a voice that matches your brand, it makes you much more believable. Don't be afraid to express your true feelings either, just keep them professional. If the situation offends you, act offended, if you're sorry, sound apologetic and tell the people how you plan to earn back their trust.   

Censorship in 140 Characters or Less

Well Twitter made an interesting announcement today, telling the world that in other countries, if asked, they will censor tweets. The request has to come from some type of authority, which I suppose could mean a verified account holder, government official, or...I don't know, the description is vague.

No wonder Google has been pissed at Twitter lately, they're being EVIL!!!

But are they really? I think there are definitely reasons to take either side. Now I know that freedom of speech is possibly our greatest American freedom and it is largely accepted worldwide as a human right. But, much to our lament, there are still some places that are not free to openly speak their minds, even in 140 characters.

The situation becomes one of global strategy versus localized adaptation. Is it better or more important for a company to keep their values without compromise, or do you adapt to the region you're operating in? It's a really tough call and can depend heavily on the country in question. In class, we often discuss Google's failure in China, which is really a parallel to Twitter's announcement. Google refused to give in to the Chinese government and censor their content and as a result, was essentially blocked from business. The power to their building was shut down randomly, their links often went to competitor Baidu, and eventually their accounts were hacked and used to arrest anti-government activists. In the end, Google pulled out of China and went about their various other pursuits.

Americans have a tendency to think our policies and beliefs are greater than that of other countries, which is why so many people think we're arrogant. We bring Americanism where ever we go and sometimes show it off without much tact. Twitter clearly wants to provide its services to others, but they know if they are to establish and maintain a global presence including regions with authoritarian rule, they have to play under house rules. If, like Google, they try to subvert the system and remain open, the situation could devolve into much worse than censorship, like arrests or hacking. We really don't even know how often this will come up. As far as I can tell, there aren't key words or people that are automatically blocked all the time, but rather specific requests have to be made. It may not be an issue.

But Twitter is definitely going to take some heat for this decision, when they're really only trying to do what's best for their service. It relies on network effect just like all social networks and they are only trying to expand the network. I think that when it comes to ethical issues like this one, the field is gray. Making the decision requires careful analysis and good judgement, and unfortunately I can't say whether or not Twitter went through the proper motions. I can understand the rationale though. This decision is interesting though when you consider the involvement of Twitter and Facebook in last years Arab Revolutions.

I'll be curious to see what happens with this decision in the future. How do you feel about this decision and the idea of complying with local customs? Let me know in the comments section below!

Please Don't Text and Walk

There's really not much to this other than the video, but I thought it was funny and wanted to share.



You might want to watch the end again though, where the guy says, "Yeah it's dangerous, but I do it anyway." Good lord, how many of us have said that about things that really are dangerous like texting and driving or drugs or dating? What does that say about us?! I guess when it comes to certain risks we really just don't care.

Ah well, I probably shouldn't blog and walk either, but whatever, I don't give a shit.

Customer Service at UMD

Ahhh the semester begins again and that means it's textbook time. As usual, I preordered my books so that I could cross my fingers for a used copy that doesn't cost an obscene amount of money and today I picked them up. That experience is what prompted this post on customer service, something that is essential if companies want repeat customers.

Before I start, let me explain that at Maryland, there are a lot of people working at the various shops, diners, and desks that really seem to just hate their job. They sit with scowls on their faces that basically say don't bother me, and you can tell that they get tired of being treated like a sales person and not a real person all day long. If you constantly have that look on your face, no one will treat you any better, no one wants to stop and chat with you and make your day a little brighter. Now I should also mention that there are some very nice people on campus who make experience enjoyable, but I didn't meet any of them today so...that's that.

When I got to Stamp to pick up my books I was greeted with a line WAY out the door. Hooray for inefficiency! Maryland likes to host its poster sale in the same room as book pickup which means that the line gets squished into the wall, leaving room for about 15 people. Of course, when everyone is picking up their stuff at the same time, this creates a sort of cluster-fuck, made worse by the fact that of the eight or nine people behind the counter, only three are actually helping people. Today I heard this as I approached, "Hey I just finished picking out all the green and yellow Sour Patch Kids, does anyone want them?" Once I got to the front of the line things operated smoothly, though the girl helping me wasn't particularly friendly. There was a mistake in my order where a backordered book was actually instock and then they had to charge me for something but didn't really explain it all that well. I just let them do what they needed to do. Before I left with my heavy, open box of books, a manager(?) came up and asked if the girl had already charged my account. She then made a sort of mild "uh-oh" face and left abruptly. Needless to say I had some questions about that and I'll be checking the bill.

The other thing I was surprised with was how they handled backordered books. All the responsibility is on the customer. There's no cheery email telling you the books are in and you can pick them up. Instead there's a pink slip that I have to hold on to and check in periodically to see if they have it. I know there's a lot of people buying books, but you'd think with the money they make off of them the school could afford some database management software.

The point of all this is that customer service can really make or break people's opinions of a company. You may have a good product, but if I hate dealing with you I will probably switch to a competitor. Time should be spent working toward creating a warm, inviting atmosphere that matches your brand image. Retail employees may be bored, or hate their jobs, and they can nap all day for all I care as long as they muster up some energy when I need some assistance. Don't brush off your customers like they're wasting your time. Make your office, cubical, department, whatever a place you are proud of and enjoy being in. That way, your happiness extends to the customer and they will come back and keep your business alive.

SOPA, the wrong way to deal with piracy

The Stop Online Piracy Act, better known as SOPA has been in the news a lot lately and for good reason. This is a controversial situation, one that if passed could dramatically change the way the internet functions...in theory anyway. Techies are fuming, digital companies are choosing sides, and media companies are crossing their fingers. Online piracy is a serious issue, but personally I don't think something as extreme as SOPA is the answer. It won't pass in its original form, Obama has already said that much, but really the core concept behind the bill I think does more harm than good.

What SOPA wants to do is force search engines to blacklist and block sites that have been accused of copyright violation. Ideally what would happen would be that a lot of those sketchy torrent sites and other illegal download hubs would be shut down, thus reducing unauthorized sharing. But if you think deeper, how does this affect social media usage? And what is the definition of ownership on the internet? Consider Youtube. Under SOPA, large portions of the video database have to be shutdown because videos were repurposed from other sites, or uploaded without permission. The authorities would have to analyze individual Facebook profiles, blogs, and other networks for any videos shared that weren't from an authorized source. Figuring out what's ok and what's not sounds like a really messy matter that will inevitably leave the web savvy public unhappy.
Legislation like this really undermines the beauty of the internet. The web is a place for sharing, searching, and discovering, and this would discourage all of that behavior. Sure a lot of sharing is done illegally, but hackers are talented and they'll continue to find ways to amass and distribute content. If the summer's attacks by Lulzsec and Anonymous are any indication, it probably isn't a good idea to make these people mad either...

So in closing, maybe instead of trying to fight piracy, companies should stop being so stiff and concerned with their bottom lines, and creatively embrace piracy. It would not be an easy endeavor that's for sure, it's a major change from the traditional business mindset, but the internet has made business anything but traditional. I would argue, that brand personality, transparency, and interaction is about as important as operations and a business plan. Encouraging sharing, or distributing select content for free could have a lot of potential benefits. First, it might increase the quality of said content, so users don't have to browse through pixely video or watch a shaky camera recording. Second, this kind of thing can do wonders for brand image. You're essentially giving the people what they want and relating to them, showing that you're not a group of stiff old men and women around a rich mahogany desk plotting how to take people's money. Encourage people to share, and talk, and get some free marketing and increased awareness. If done right, you'll probably end up driving more traffic to your site and be better off in the long run. 

SOPA has implications for everyone who uses the internet. Think about what it means for you and how it can affect others. I encourage you to sign any of the various petitions that are circulating and if you're a corporation, consider a creative alternative and maybe change the internet for the better.