DIAL . LOG

Perception Analyzer dials used in Rhode Island gubernatorial debate

Following on the success of CNN's use of the Perception Analyzer for the 2008 presidential debates and 2010 State of the Union speech, Drs. Rita Kirk and Dan Schill bring Dialsmith's Perception Analyzer dials to Rhode Island College for the gubernatorial debate to air on NBC 10. Carefully screened audience members will use the Perception Analyzer dials to provide instant feedback on the debate.

Moment-to-Moment testing with the Perception Analyzer dials is used worldwide for real-time feedback on political debates, speeches and television ads.

Thing 1 and Thing 2 visit the Logo Zoo

                            Photo by: M.I.S.S.Y. from Flikr

                                       "But if I ran the zoo,"

                                 Said young Gerald McGrew,

                                "I'd make a few changes.

                                 That's just what I'd do...."

 

Changes.

“I’d make a few changes. That’s just what I’d do…”  Were these the words uttered at GAP recently?  It appears so, and based upon the social media uproar this change has brought attention to the brand. Was it the attention the company wanted? Was this the change they planned for?  Change is one of those words that is uttered often, every politician is going to bring change, every new product will change your life, even David Bowie sings about chchchanges. My personal pet peeve is that change and growth have become interchangeable in our modern vernacular. I could, and may in the future, do a whole blog post on that very thought process.  Today though, the purpose of this post is to focus on the changes made recently with logos.  There's a very timely example with GAP, but they are not alone in the world of logo changes. There are several examples such as Tropicana, Pepsi, and now the United and Continental merger have them considering their impending logo change, to save the United "tulip" or not?.  Thing 1 or Thing 2 what to do? Several of the logo changes just mentioned have been very costly to the companies. There is the initial cost and expense of creating a new logo, and with some companies there is a large loss of revenue from lost sales if the logo is not well accepted.  Tropicana is the glaring example, after their new design was released on the packaging of their Pure Premium line of OJ in January 2010, they saw a loss of 20% between January 1st and February 22nd 2010.  By February 23rd 2010 Tropicana announced they were scrapping the new packaging due to the consumer outcry.  They went from Thing 1 to Thing 2 and back again in less then 2 months.

Thing 1, or Thing 2 ? something new, or a redo ?

There appears to be an assumption that change is good, any change.  I disagree, I believe well thought out and researched change is best. When Hertz decided to change their logo, part of the process included a 25-30 minute survey including live chat, all focused very specifically on logo design and how the customer felt.  Some companies, ad agencies, and marketers believe they know best. I recognize there is a belief among some very talented ad agencies out there that take a gamble, because they believe they know what the next best thing will be.  They create ahead of the customer, showing them what they did not know was possible to see and feel about a company through creative logo design. A belief that I see weekly with a character named Don Draper.  When you watch Mad Men, (if you haven't yet you should), you will see an ad agency based in the United States in the 1960's.  An ad agency that existed in a time that was very Amerciancentric. Now in the year 2010, everything is a world market, or at least a viral world market, an opinion and a surge of millions of opinions is literally a click away. 

Whether utilizing crowdsourcing as GAP is now doing, or surveys and live chats like Hertz did, or placing your customers and employees fingertips on amazing research technologies like the Perception Analyzer, the access to input is here, you simply have to ask.  Possibly the modern Don Drapers who create ahead of the curve may want to listen first and change after.  Or as Mark Hansen, President of Gap Brand North America stated Octover 11th, "We’ve learned a lot in this process. And we are clear that we did not go about this in the right way." Market Research is an investment in knowledge of your customer, your employee, or end user that can save you millions of dollars, the right way.

Young Gerald McGrew has a First Impression about you!

 

Photo by: bredgur from Flickr

 

“It’s a pretty good zoo,”

Said young Gerald McGrew,

“And the fellow who runs it

Seems proud of it, too.”

 

Zoo Keeper First Impressions:

Young Gerald McGrew gets his first impression of the zoo from the “fellow who runs it” and “Seems proud of it too.”  First impressions are talked about extensively, from when your parents tell you to “stand up straight, don’t slouch” to business mentors teaching you what to wear, how to smile, what to say, how to mimic behavior and all the other tid bits we have heard, read about and been taught over the years.  In Gerald McGrew's world, pride is the first impression he gets of the zoo keeper.  However, we learn as we turn the pages that young Gerald McGrew does not necessarily feel the same way that the zoo keeper does.

The Politics Of The Zoo:

We are in the midst of some amazing political times. So I imagine instead of a zoo keeper, a political candidate, and they need Gerald McGrew's vote. You have 30 to 60 seconds to promote your platform on TV and radio and/or you have 45 to 60 minutes in a debate to clarify and showcase your views, while challenging your opponent(s).  You may be proud of it, and pundits will do what pundits do, but in the end what really matters is what is Gerald McGrew’s perception? Right now, probability is that Gerald McGrew is an independent voter.  There are many stories and studies and polls right now discussing the growth of the independent voter.  The Washington Post recently posted on this very topic "The amazingly unpredictable voter."

Unpredictable is right, and while that may be an exciting notion for voters, what about the candidates?  How can they possibly get a grasp on what these unpredictable voters are responding too?  As our two party, black and white (red and blue) system takes on shades of grey (and purple) this political season it is more vital than ever to utilize non-group-think political research methods, most notably the Perception Analyzer®

What is young Gerald McGrews Perception::

At Dialsmith we get to provide political candidates honest feedback on that all important first impression. More importantly we give them a chance to make a more qualified second impression.  Sometimes the proud “fellow who runs it” does not want to hear that Gerald McGrew does not like “it,” or only thinks “it’s pretty good" or as is the case in Dr. Seuss' If I Ran The Zoo, Gerald McGrew thinks it the same as every other zoo. This is the exact feedback, and trackable data that can create your winning zoo.  That swing vote for you could be one question away, or even one moment-to-moment overlay away.  Watching your ad from your proud zoo keeper perspective may create a warm fuzzy for you and those that already support you, but what matters is watching second by second how the voting Gerald McGrew feels about your ad or how you responded to an answer in a televised debate or town hall. 

If you are willing to put your pride aside and listen to honest perceptions directly from your base, the other zoo, and, of course, those unpredictable independent voters regarding your first impression, you will get a chance to create a second impression and be able to build a zoo for that Gerald McGrew, and then he will vote for you!