Activists' New Secret Weapon: Databases

A while back I wrote about the "scariest mobile application EVAH," Good Guide.  It's a leader in a new and growing field of mobile applications that use barcode-scanning technology, GPS, and a variety of databases to tell consumers about the product they just scanned. These applications give consumers unprecedented information about products, brands, manufacturers, retailers, and pretty much anything else at the point of purchase.  They include the popular Red Laser, which lets you compare prices among stores in your area and online, and Label Lookup, a production of the Natural Resources Defense Council that helps you "find labels you can trust."

Tech-savvy and issue-conscious consumers will be getting information not only about how a given product is a buck cheaper down the road or online, but also anything a database of that consumer's choosing says about the product, brand, or company.  And remember, this information comes just moments before the point of purchase, giving the company almost no time to share its side of the story.  So when I tried Good Guide I learned that the makers of my breakfast cereal "violated the Clean Water Act."   I never got a link to the company's explanation.

So think about the databases out there. Think about current events and politics. It's not just review sites/apps like Yelp (dealing with a somewhat iffy reputation lately). It's not hard to imagine a mobile app that tells you:

• If the CEO of the company that made a product contributed to Proposition 8 (Human Rights Campaign could probably tell you)
• If the manufacturer is headquartered in Arizona, where you can now be pulled over for looking Hispanic (I'm thinking National Council of La Raza might be interested)
• If a company is a "union buster" (just a matter of time before SEIU launches this bad boy)
• Class action lawsuits filed against a company (ATLA, anyone?)

Building a comprehensive, accurate, and huge database for mobile apps to access takes time, talent, and resources.  Even the Red Laser database isn't all-encompassing. However, it's not nearly as hard as it used to be. Some database developers may sacrifice a bit of accuracy to get more volume or speed.  Some will probably be built by crowdsourcing - my favorite crowdsourced database comes from the brainiacs at Cornell who helped put the Great Backyard Bird Count online.   In the not-too-distant future, government databases will be accessible from your phone - a company's EDGAR filings with the SEC, actions brought by the EPA, and so on. 

So there are a few things companies should be doing YESTERDAY to protect their reputations and their brands:

• Upgrade your social media monitoring efforts to see what's written about you in all these mobile-accessed databases.  Good Guide is a start.  Make sure the info is accurate. Contact them if it's not.
• Build relationships with the folks who make these databases and these apps.  Understand their motivation, work with them to make sure you're presented in the best possible light.
• Partner with credible organizations to build your own databases and applications.  Support some of these groups by underwriting some of the cost, providing technical support, and letting them know they can work with you. 
• Promote responsible efforts to give consumers all the information they want and need to make smart decisions.  Consumers reward the companies that advocate for them.

Or, sit back and wonder why people stopped buying your stuff.

The Interview: Chris Hogan

Chris Hogan is a family man, an exec at a major trade association in DC, and an old friend. If you really know Chris, you know he has a very strong interest in men's clothing - not really what's "hot" or what the latest boy band is wearing, but the cultural and historic aspects of classic style.

To the best of my knowledge Chris doesn't have "formal" training in textile science, marketing or design. He didn't have many contacts in the field and doesn't have a long resume in the fashion industry. He just really knows his stuff. So when Chris decided he wanted to make a contribution to the body of thought leadership in this community, he did what many people are doing now - he started a blog in late 2006 that focused on the issues that interest him. He calls it Off the Cuff.

He still has his "day job," and he never did much to publicize his work - when he had time, he just kept writing thoughtful posts that demonstrated his knowledge of the topic and reached out to just the right people online. His readership grew steadily as more people learned about the blog. Now he has major publications asking him for contributions and companies asking for his advice on marketing. He's an authentic, credible, and independent voice in this community.

I asked Chris to answer just a couple of questions about what he's doing - I think Off the Cuff serves as a nice case study about how it's possible to take simple, sustainable, and strategic steps to build and strengthen a reputation in a specific community. This is how it's done, folks. The Q&A:

Why did you start the blog?

I wanted to explore if I could actually become an acknowledged expert in the menswear field. I've always had the interest and felt that my more intellectual and culture-focused approach might be attractive. I didn't want to write about what was "hot" - I don't really care about that - I wanted to write about how classic and timelss style can easily be fit into modern life.

How has it evolved since you started it?

The core goal of becoming a leading voice in the menswear/lifestyle world is fairly unchanged, but as the site and brand evolved I found myself addressing weightier topics, like the mass luxury movement and how it destroyed the concept of craftsmanship in favor of profit. I still write about day-day topics, but overall, I'm the old timer in the men's style blogging space. In fact, most of the sites on my blog roles didn't even exist when I started.

At the same time I was being approach by several entities to provide content for some major sites like MensFlair and now Nivea For Men's corporate site. I also recently sent in my first major publication, a piece for The Rake magazine that will be in an upcoming issue. So, the bigest change for me is the level of attention and genuine benefit a lot of my readers get fromthe site and associated content.

What are the tangible benefits you've gotten from it?

Obviously being considered a leading voice, someone worth talking to, is a big plus. I originally wanted to see if I would ever be considered and expert in the area of interest and the answer appears to be "yes". That helps me gain access to a lot of interesting and knowledgeable people, but it also allows me to extend the OTC brand and refine my style of writing and presentation.

I never advertised and I've never really pushed the OTC site or brand on anyone. all the attention has been natural and organic - to me that means even more because it tells me that I have something to say that others want to hear. that matter the most, being useful and relevant. Pumping up site traffic means nothing to me because there is no value there. So, the attention I am getting gives me a sense of purpose - it really matters. I have gained in a umber of ways - OTC is a relevant advice and style guide brand in the classic/preppy/Ivy League segment of the menswear space. Niche, yes; but valued. I get tangible benefits like products for testing and evaluation and significant discounts in some cases so that I can purchase products to test and write about. I have been invited to attend several very cool events and have also been able to interview some talented in engaging personalities.

I have also been able to expend my own skill set, notably in branding and strategy, so much so that I have provided some rather extensive advice to a UK based apparel/lifestyle firm.

All of this flows back to reputation and value. On the web, and certainly in my postion, reputation is everything.

What would you like to gain from it next?

I would like to build the OTC brand into a real consultancy of some sort. Branding and style/lifestyle advice. I would also like to take the Monocle route and develop a highly edited co-branded line of products. If nothing else, and I just wrote about this, the whole concept of branding and the marketplace it fragmenting and becoming highly decentralized. While Mr. Blackwell's list is entertaining, today people make up their own mind about what's cool, what's in and how to best create their own look and sense of style.

I want OTC to be a leading resource in market shift.

Beyond Bizlex, Part II: AAEP's Dr. Jennifer Selvig

Yesterday I posted my Business Lexington column's full Q&A with Sally Baker, Director of Marketing and Public Relations for the American Association of Equine Practitioners and the strategic vision behind AAEP's blog, Out of the Starting Gate.

Today I'm sharing the Q&A from Dr. Jennifer Selvig, a first-year equine veterinarian and the voice of AAEP's blog. In addition to her obvious skill in equine veterinary medicine, she's a strong writer and an excellent strategic fit for the blog.

Why did you agree to participate in the blog?

I was originally asked by one of my vet school mentors, Dr. Julie Wilson, who serves on the AAEP student relations committee. She is a great advocate for students, and thought I would be well-qualified for this. I'd like to think she is right - I have always enjoyed writing. During undergrad and vet school I worked at The Minnesota Daily, the largest completely student-run daily college newspaper in the country. I held lots of different positions, including editorals & opinions editor and copy desk chief. So I suppose it was an opportunity to use a skill I have to reach out to future veterinarians.

Did you know much about blogs or social media before you started this project? What have you learned?

Only in the sense that I knew basically how they work and that they existed. I never thought I'd be a "blogger" - I'm not a good creative writer; I'm a much better technical writer. I don't really follow any other blogs consistently. I have learned it can be hard to keep up with demand - when I get "writer's block," people start to wonder what happened to me! It's actually a pretty big responsibility.

Do you think you’ll continue working with blogs and social media to share your stories and experiences with young people?

I hope so! If I have the opportunity and the support of a great community like the AAEP, it's relatively easy. I'm not sure about the long-term plans for this thing - it's kind of taken on a life of its own, but it seems to be popular, so I'm happy to keep going with it as long as it's entertaining and useful to people.

The AAEP blog is making you a bit of a celebrity and an ambassador for the profession. How does it feel to be AAEP’s answer to CNN’s Dr. Sanjay Gupta?

This part is kind of surreal. I have been to a couple of continuing education events since I started this and it's weird to be recognized by people I don't know, even if only by name. America's Horse, the AQHA magazine, published my first blog entry as a feature, complete with a gigantic picture of me with two of my horses, and it was very odd to have clients and friends come up to me and say, "Hey! You're famous! I saw you in this magazine that goes out to thousands of people across the country!" When I finally got a copy of the magazine, it was pretty weird to see that spread. At least all the feedback I've gotten has been positive!

As far as being an ambassador for the profession - I guess mostly it's daunting to be held up that way when I'm really just a first-year veterinarian. I graduated from vet school less than a year ago - by a lot of people's standards, I don't know anything yet! I just try to do right by the profession and the horses, practice good medicine and keep learning. I hope the more seasoned members of our organization see that.

Part of the way this blog has taken off is with non-veterinary students and non-veterinarians. The original intent of the blog was to give veterinary students considering a career in equine practice a little window into what their first year out might be like. But now it seems my audience is so much broader - so I have to try to balance writing for my original intended audience and remembering that, apparently, a lot of other lay-people will be reading it too. I don't know about being on CNN, though!!

What do you have to say to young people considering a career in veterinary medicine?

My ultimate goal is to balance my career with my life. I have a fiance - I'm getting married in June - and three horses to ride. I want to show the profession it's possible to have a good work ethic and put your time in without burning out, and still practice good medicine. I worked really hard to get where I am - every would-be veterinarian has to work hard. But it IS worth it. Even though you're scared to death the first time you have to make an honest-to-goodness critical decision for the life of a patient, it's still worth it.

My biggest piece of advice for students thinking about vet school: Make sure this is what you want to do - if your reasoning is that you want to be a vet because you like animals and not people, you're heading in the wrong direction. Veterinary medicine is a very human-oriented profession. And then get experience. Work at a clinic cleaning and walking dogs or doing barn chores - it's how I started. You never know when they'll need an extra set of hands to help with an interesting procedure. And it's never too early to start networking and building a reputation as a hard worker.

For the equine vet students, my advice is: Go after the job you want. If that's a prestigious internship, go for it. I was fortunate to have made the connections I did early that allowed me to get a job I love. I have a classmate who turned down a prestigious internship for a job on the other side of the country because he didn't feel right about it - and he's having a blast in the job he ended up with. There isn't a "right" or "wrong" way to go after graduation - look for something that makes you happy and fits in your life where you're at, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise. You won't practice good medicine and you won't learn anything if you're not enjoying your job.

Happnin's in the Green-O-Sphere

Seems Jeff McIntire-Strasburg has re-designed Sustainablog, one of my favorite enviro-blogs. Jeff is the Managing Editor over at Green Options, and it's hard to keep up with all the changes and evolution taking place there right now. It's nice to see him do his own thing as he helps other writers contribute to an engaging and important project.

It appears as though some other contributors to GO have re-designed their sites as well, such as Kelli Best-Oliver at Eco Child's Play.

I'm sure it's a really exciting time for Jeff and everyone at GO, so congrats to them. I'm looking forward to seeing the final product.

"I ain't got my taco"

So, over-the-top product placement, or opportunistic gem? You decide. Mark my words: this isn't the last time it happens.

I don't think the kid will live this down for a while

Jacoby Ellsbury claims his free taco.

may I never question the power of branding again

AP, via CNN:

Even carrots, milk and apple juice tasted better to the kids when they were wrapped in the familiar packaging of the Golden Arches.

If only my mom had known, all those years ago...