1)    Bank of America announces debit card fees
At a time when consumer anger about bank bail-outs and the economy was on the rise, a number of banks, including Bank of America, announced new debit card fees for its customers. The response was outrage, online petitions, and action—thousands of customers left the big banks in favor of credit unions and smaller community banks. On November 1, Bank of America, which bore the brunt of the negative press, abandoned the proposed fee (JPMorganChase, Wells Fargo, and other banks already had). However, as one PR specialist told the NY Times, had the bank road-tested this idea before announcing it, the bad publicity could’ve been avoided entirely.

2)    Netflix raises fees and announces Qwikster spin-off
My colleague Bill Golden wrote about this gaffe, which has been compared to the New Coke debacle of the mid-1980s. Netflix increased its prices and then announced that the company was going to split into two parts: streaming video to remain with Netflix, and DVDs-by-mail to morph into a new company called Qwikster (no one consulted us about the spelling). Customers and Wall Street responded negatively: Netflix’s stock dropped by nearly 50 percent and the company lost more than 600,000 customers. In October, just weeks after the announcement, Netflix nixed Qwikster.

3)   Facebook hires a PR firm to plant negative stories about Google
Unhappy about the Circles feature of Google+ and its use of “private” Facebook data, Facebook hired PR firm Burson-Marsteller to plant negative stories about its rival—a PR blunder in the most literal sense. A reporter figured it out quickly and Facebook ended up looking petty and hypocritical for trying to slam Google on privacy when Facebook itself is the company that frequently angers users for playing fast and loose with their data.

4)    Kenneth Cole: Inappropriate tweet, Take 1
For some the Arab Spring was about the fight for democracy. For Kenneth Cole, it was a way to sell more shoes and accessories. During the demonstrations in Tahir Square, the company took advantage of the popular “#Cairo” hashtag and tweeted this: “Millions are in uproar in #Cairo. Rumor is they heard our new spring collection is now available online at http://bit.ly/KCairo-KC.” The financial implications may have been minimal, but the social media universe was unhappy with the designer, who quickly tweeted an apology. A fake Kenneth Cole Twitter account didn’t let the company off the hook—pranksters started sending out inappropriate mock tweets (example: “Our new slingback pumps would make Anne Frank come out of hiding! #KennethColeTweets.”)

5)    The Red Cross: Inappropriate tweet, Take  2
Non-profits are not immune to controversy, though in this case, the Red Cross turned lemons into lemonade. When an employee mistakenly sent a personal tweet out to the Red Cross Twitter account, it was embarrassing. The tweet read, “Ryan found two more 4 bottle packs of Dogfish Head’s Midas Touch Beer…when we drink we do it right #GettingSlizzerd.” The social media team at the Red Cross took the tweet down in about an hour and decided to combat the incident with a humorous tweet of its own: “We’ve deleted the rogue tweet but rest assured the Red Cross is sober and we’ve confiscated the keys.”

The best part of the story is that Dogfish, the subject of the tweet, quickly sent out its own message asking its beer fans to donate to the Red Cross. In just a few hours, an embarrassing situation turned into a fundraising opportunity.

The term gimmick has a negative connotation. It smacks of beefy infomercial guys promising ripped abs in 30 days—or your money back. Originally, a gimmick was a memorable feature that stood out in customers’ minds, helping differentiate one product or company from its competitors. Today’s definitions, however, lean more toward manipulation and trickery and less toward tactic.

Since we’re fresh on the heels of Kim Kardashian’s divorce from her husband of two months, Kris Humphries, it’s hard not to wonder if all the hoopla wasn’t just for show—a type of publicity stunt some might deem “gimmicky.” But could you also call it strategic?

It’s tacitly understood that Kardashian, a socialite/reality star/endorser of many things, always looks to profit from pushing her brand. (Case in point: She’s been a spokesperson for both Carl’s Jr. and Quicktrim diet pills.) So following reports that her wedding was a sham, media outlets questioned how her personal brand would fare—some claiming it would actually benefit.

No publicity is bad publicity

If the goal is to stay in the media and profit from notoriety, then yes, Kim’s on the right track. She’s someone who isn’t taken very seriously, so her quick decision to divorce probably won’t do any long-term damage—or change the public’s current perceptions of her. She’s known for being outrageous and over-the-top; how’s this any different?

While the marriage was probably not intended from the get-go to be a sham, when the going got tough, she just threw in the towel. Her rationale? Could have something to do with the money she’s destined to make when she sells her side of the story to the highest bidder.

But, if pushing your brand by way of a celebrity wedding is a little out of reach, consider the following, more understated techniques.

Give and you shall receive

Recently, I’ve noticed an image floating around the Internet. Originating back in 2009—during the lowest point of the recession for many—the photo shows a sign posted in a the window of a dry cleaning business: “If you are unemployed and need an outfit clean for an interview, we will clean it for free.”

Not only is it touching, charitable, and down-right neighborly, it’s also a great marketing strategy. The owner’s willingness to help others spawned not only a photo that went viral (one that lives on years later), but also a number of other business owners willing to follow suit. Though the owner may have lost money on the free services provided, he may have also gained new business from those impressed by his kindness.

When it comes to pitching your brand in a positive light, consider a philanthropic act. Big brands (like Tide, Target, ConocoPhillips, and more) do it all the time.

Make honesty your policy

What do you do when your flagship product sucks? If you’re Domino’s Pizza, you own it.

“Our pizza tastes bad” isn’t an easy thing to say, but speaking the truth was a strategy that worked well for the chain restaurant, whose pizza was known among consumers as some of the worst around. Back in 2008, with sales plummeting and its stock at record lows—just $2.83 a share—Domino’s was a sinking ship. A market research study yielded such feedback as “this is the worst excuse for pizza” and “it tastes like cardboard.” Without doubt, something needed to change.

Rather than shy away from the truth, its strategy was to admit its faults then work hard to change customers’ minds. Domino’s owned up, revamped a failed recipe, and reaped the rewards. Since then, shares have risen 75 percent and its stock has gained 233 percent since the end of 2009.

The takeaway

The lesson here isn’t necessarily to give away free services to get on the public’s good side or to trash-talk your products to convince consumers of your candor (or even to avoid outrageous behavior—though that might be well-advised). The lesson is to think outside the gimmick and stick with sincerity. After all, the best marketing gimmicks aren’t gimmicks at all; they’re strategies.

Find out how closely you’ve followed the headlines.

Good luck!

The shock I felt after watching that commercial is the very emotion being harnessed through new cigarette packaging, to be implemented in 2012.  The FDA asks, “Will the gruesome images of cancerous lungs, rotting teeth, and corpses slash cigarette consumption?” The FDA has issued nine such images to cover half of all cigarette boxes sold, replacing the not-very-prominent warning, “Smoking causes lung cancer, heart disease, emphysema, and may complicate pregnancy,” which has been the protocol since 1985.

Following in the footsteps of 40 other countries, whose labels feature even more horrifying imagery, the FDA hopes forced exposure to graphic displays will not only cut the number of current smokers in half, but also prevent non-smokers from ever starting, something the written warning never accomplished.

Do images create more impact than words? Or do we just gloss over a phrase when we see it repeatedly over a long period of time? It will be interesting to see if these graphic images lose their impact after they’ve been in circulation for a year or two. According to a study from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, 25 to 50 percent of smokers say the images would make them more likely to quit, but we’ll have to wait a few years to find out if the actual numbers pan out.

Regardless, the survey results highlight the efficacy of images in marketing efforts, and the weight an image can carry—whether positive or negative—with an audience. For Tendo and our clients, image selection is never this controversial. But it highlights the point that images are content—just as words are content, and both types of communication deserve equal weight in the planning process. After all, if you spend a lot of time and effort making your point, you don’t want to overlook the importance of illustrating it.

Is the FDA’s use of imagery an effective one? We’d love to hear what you think!

This problem could be harmful to your brand if somehow your shortened URL is hijacked and takes followers to a spammer’s site instead of your own.

A recent report by security software firm MessageLabs warned that spammers are establishing their own fake URL shortening services to perform URL redirection. MessageLabs says this activity contributed to last month’s increase in spam by 2.9 percentage points.

The method the spammers are using is convoluted, but judging by MessageLabs’ figures, the trick is working. You’ll need a clear head to read the following, but this is how MessageLabs describes the spammers’ method:

“Under this scheme, shortened links created on these fake URL-shortening sites are not included directly in spam messages. Instead, the spam emails contain shortened URLs created on legitimate URL-shortening sites. These shortened URLs lead to a shortened URL on the spammer’s fake URL-shortening Web site, which in turn redirects to the spammer’s own Web site.”

You may remember “Rickrolling” in which, according to Wikipedia, gamers thought they were clicking on a link to the first trailer for Grand Theft Auto IV. Instead they arrived at a site showing a video of Rick Astley’s 1980s hit single, “Never Gonna Give You Up.” That’s an innocent example of URL redirection gone wrong, but sending people to a spammer’s site isn’t funny.

Perhaps partly in response to this security issue, Twitter earlier this month launched its own URL shortening service. Twitter will shorten links of any length into the Tweet box to 19 characters. The beauty is that Twitter produces a shortened version of the original link, so people will know which site the link points to. If you’re a marketer who’s tied to Bitly and others, don’t worry: Twitter will continue to support third-party shortening services.

Personally, I’ll feel a lot safer clicking on shortened URLs that still contain info about their destination as opposed to services that mask that destination.The best scenario would be for Twitter to provide analysis for their shortening service. Perhaps that is in the works.

Do the security issues surrounding shortened URLs worry you as a marketer?

Fortunately, my efforts weren’t entirely in vain. Perusing the Web, three social media marketing items caught my eye. You may find them both interesting and relevant.

The social evolution of SEO

Search Engine Watch had an interesting story by Guillaume Bouchard on June 2 about the impact social signals (Facebook likes, Tweets, Diggs, etc.) have on a search engine Web page rankings.

Bouchard points out that while search marketing and social media marketing once competed for budget, they should now be viewed together. Since search engines now use social signals to determine the relevance of a Web page, it only makes sense, Bouchard explains, to integrate your search and social media marketing campaigns. By Bouchard’s logic, search marketing and social media marketing are no longer an “either or” proposition. They’re complementary.

Bouchard also offers tips on how to make your Web page content more “shareable” (i.e., get people to “like” it, Tweet it, and Digg it), build a more engaged audience on Facebook, and use contests to attract social signals for your content.

Leveraging Facebook beyond the “Like” button

A recently published report from eMarketer explores Facebook marketing strategies, offering an in-depth look at how companies are going beyond simply employing the Facebook “like” button on their websites. eMarketer asks this logical question: “With thousands or even millions of ‘likes,’ what’s next?”

This is an important question because while it’s easy to embed a Facebook “like” button on your Web pages, it’s not as easy to keep those customers or prospects engaged after they click “like.” If you don’t have a plan for continued engagement, “Like” will lose its value.

The report, “Facebook Marketing: Strategies for Turning ‘Likes’ into Loyalty,” explores how marketers are using more compelling posts and interactions, as well as rewards, as strategies for building community and engagement on Facebook. It also features case studies for Adobe, Clarisonic, and Discovery Communications. Click here for an executive summary and a link to purchase the report. The full report (free to eMarketer subscribers) is available here.

Convincing your most ardent Facebook cynics

Lastly, I came across a list of interesting, and perhaps useful, Facebook stats.

Despite Facebook’s seemingly continued march to global media domination, every organization harbors one or two Facebook cynics. Perhaps you’re one of them! But it’s hard to question Facebook’s incredible impact on the Web as we know it. So if you’re a cynic, or working with one, I’ve got a presentation you need to see.

On May 31 Marta Kagan wrote a post on the HubSpot Blog titled “12 Essential Facebook Stats [Data],” which features some eye-opening information about Facebook. Have you ever wondered what percentage of total minutes spent online are attributed to Facebook? What about the average number of hours Facebook users spend on the site?

The post includes a link to a Slideshare presentation that also includes some good stats about what B2B marketers and SMBs think of Facebook as a marketing and customer acquisition channel.

Even if you don’t need to convince any Facebook critics, Kagan’s blog post and the HubSpot presentation feature a number of insights that will pique your interest—and perhaps even be helpful for one of your own presentations.

In the past two weeks, eMarketer has published two articles confirming that consumer buy-in to these services has been increasing.

In Q1 2011, according to “Interest Builds for Location–Based Services Beyond the Check-in,” “mobile Wi-Fi hotspot provider JiWire found that nearly half the users of its hotspots would be interested in checking in, up from 27% just the previous quarter. Services that would help them find store locations or other points of interest were even more popular, and interest had grown.”

In “Mobile Users Warm Up to the Check-In,” published in late May, research shows that “users of check-in services were more likely than the overall smartphone population to be female, under 35 years old and full-time students.”

Even though an April Nielsen survey on mobile privacy and security revealed that privacy has been a concern, it appears that consumer buy-in and acceptance of these services may actually be increasing.

What are your thoughts on location-based tracking? Share them with us below.