Big Brands and their reputation.

1. the big brand issue
Ornico’s KNOW HOW TO GROW
issue 3 • november 2011

2. inside Ornico‘s KNOW HOW TO GROW
Editorial – Oresti Patricios
BlackBerry’s Big Brand Bluster
Tribute to a brand giant
issue 3 – november2011
3
4
6
10 ways to improve your PR 11
Media 13
Social Media Insights 14
Social Media by the numbers (Infographic) 15
the big brand issue page 2

3. big brands
It has been an interesting couple of weeks on the brand and
reputation front. Malema marched with the ANCYL from
Johannesburg to Pretoria in an effort that many say won the youth
leader new respect. But the media coverage of the event was very
mixed. Our President Jacob Zuma flexed his own brand muscles and
reinvigorated his perceptions by taking decisive action on erring
government ministers and putting police chief Bheki Cele on
suspension.
There was politicking in the advertising world as well, but this time
it was about religiousity. The Axe advertising featuring those angels
got the chopped after one complaint to the Advertising Standards
Authority. The reason given was that the commercial was insulting
to Christians. The ASA bowed to that one mere complaint, the ad
became history and SA‘s advertising conservatism became global
marketing news.
But the biggest brand blowout this month of course was caused by
Blackberry. A global outage that deprived half of the brand‘s users –
some 70 million people – of services. That‘s 70 million badmouthing
brand ambassadors that included high profile opinion leaders that
stuck it to Blackberry. Unfortunately the mobile brand didn‘t handle
the outage well from a reputation perspective. Read all about that in
this issue of Ornico‘s Know How to Grow.
Lastly the world was expecting the passing of Steve Jobs, but it still
came as a massive shock. Hamba kahle to this global giant that built
the Apple brand.
Oresti Patricios
CEO : Ornico
Read Oresti‘s Tumblr blog
Follow Oresti on Twitter
Find Oresti on Facebook
page 3

4. Gizmodo said it all right. ―BlackBerry Picked the Wrong Day
to Die‖.
In the week that every newspaper around the world was
mourning the wizard of Apple, the late great Steve Jobs, and
Apple Inc‘s iPhone 4S made its debut, RIM froze. Stopped.
Went down. And took half the world with it.
Half the world‘s BlackBerry using population is a lot. More
than a lot. Particularly given most of them are influential, peer
modifying, vocal… and at the time of RIMS service outage,
angry consumers. This has enabled Apple to make one of its
strongest plays for dominance in the handset and mobile
device market.
Blackberry was already hurting following a dismal Playbook
launch. The Playbook was meant to be Blackberry‘s answer to
the iPad. Except it was nowhere close to the Apple tablet and
it appears that the company that Steve Jobs built is cleaning
up that market too. Blackberry Playbook‘s are now being
flogged in the US for discount prices.
BlackBerry‘s Big Brand Bluster page 4

5. But back to Blackberry‘s outage which put an estimated 70 million Long after BlackBerry‘s crisis had come and gone and
people in the dark. consumers for the most part had moved on, users got an email
from Reasearch In Motion‘s (RIM) joint CEOs to say how
As Gizmodo puts it: ―Every last bit of data that flows to and from a sorry they were for the outage.
BlackBerry does so through RIM's vast expanse of servers. When
those servers go kaput? So do the phones.‖ The tone was formal, the message was corporate and it was
too little too late for frustrated consumers. When people are
The problem with Blackberry‘s communication has been the test angry and upset, they want to be heard. BlackBerry‘s missive
pattern effect. All that‘s really been coming from the mobile brand is: came at a time when the emotion had passed, and probably
―Please be patient. We have a problem‖. Take a look at BlackBerry‘s only served to remind people of how bad Research In Motion‘s
service updates by way of example. communication had been during the crisis.
Yes. 70 million people around the world knew that the mobile brand For brands like BlackBerry the service is the brand. That‘s it.
was having a problem. That‘s because they‘ve went without Twitter, That‘s as simple and as complex as it gets. The big lesson for
email on their mobiles, Facebook and the hundreds of other apps BlackBerry now is how does it ensure this kind of outage never
and internet powered services that make BlackBerry such addictive happens again.
devices.
Then how does it try to unbundle corporate brand guidelines
A mobile brand is brilliant when it is working because it is such an that keep RIM inflexible, a massive monolith. How does it
integral part of our lives. It is perhaps one of the most intimate make the brand more approachable and reflexive? Sadly this
brands in that it insinuates itself into every part of our experience. global #BrandFail comes only months after BlackBerry was
But boy oh boy when things go wrong that love turns to hate very chosen as one of SA‘s top youth brands.
quickly.
It is fine and well having brand guidelines, but they are
The other lesson that BlackBerry taught the world was that supposed to help, not hinder. When brand tomes become
communication is everything when there‘s a crisis as big as BB‘s constructs that obstruct quick, fluid consumer
outage which touches such a massive market. communications in a social age of what help are they?
BlackBerry‘s Big Brand Bluster page 5

6. tribute to a brand legend
page 6

7. tribute to a brand legend
One of the world‘s greatest CEOs, it is
difficult to even comprehend Apple
without Steven Paul Jobs who died on the
5th of October this year.
Millions of tributes have poured forth on
blogs, at iStores, in newspapers, on
Twitter and televisions shows for a man
who was a business legend.
To commemorate the passing we can
think of no better way to salute Steve
Jobs, than through his own words, thanks
to Longform.org
page 7

8. tribute to a brand legend
Playboy Interview: Steven Jobs Steve Jobs: The Next Insanely Great Thing
By David Sheff • Playboy • February 1985 Gary Wolf • Wired • February 1996
A 29-year-old Jobs on the culture that gave birth to Apple: Having departed Apple, a slightly disillusioned Jobs describes
―Playboy: Why is the computer field dominated by people so young? his new project, NeXT, and his views on the future of
The average age of Apple employees is 29. technology:
Jobs: It‘s often the same with any new, revolutionary thing. People ―Having children really changes your view on these things.
get stuck as they get older. Our minds are sort of electrochemical We're born, we live for a brief instant, and we die. It's been
computers. Your thoughts construct patterns like scaffolding in your happening for a long time. Technology is not changing it
mind. You are really etching chemical patterns. much—if at all.
In most cases, people get stuck in those patterns, just like grooves in These technologies can make life easier, can let us touch
a record, and they never get out of them. It‘s a rare person who people we might not otherwise. You may have a child with a
etches grooves that are other than a specific way of looking at things, birth defect and be able to get in touch with other parents and
a specific way of questioning things. It‘s rare that you see an artist in support groups, get medical information, the latest
his 30s or 40s able to really contribute something amazing. Of experimental drugs. These things can profoundly influence
course, there are some people who are innately curious, forever little life. I'm not downplaying that. But it's a disservice to
kids in their awe of life, but they‘re rare.‖ constantly put things in this radical new light—that it's going
to change everything. Things don't have to change the world to
be important.
The Web is going to be very important. Is it going to be a life-
changing event for millions of people? No. I mean, maybe. But
it's not an assured Yes at this point. And it'll probably creep up
on people.‖
page 8

9. tribute to a brand legend
"You've got to find what you love": Stanford Commencement
Address
Steve Jobs • June 2005
Jobs, having been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, addresses
the graduating class of 2005:
―No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don't
want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all
share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be,
because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is
Life's change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new.
Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now,
you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to
be so dramatic, but it is quite true.
Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life.
Don't be trapped by dogma—which is living with the results of
other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions
drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the
courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already
know what you truly want to become. Everything else is
secondary.‖
Steve Jobs (February 24, 1955 – October 5, 2011) American
inventor, entrepreneur. Co-founder, chairman, and chief
executive officer of Apple Inc.
page 9

10. page 10

11. 10 easy ways to improve your PR
• Make the reporter or blogger's life easy. Reporters and
By Wendy Marx, in FastCompany bloggers, like all of us, are super busy. Provide the facts
straight up. Don‘t have a long windup before you get to the
―I want to get my company known and be perceived as a leader.‖ I point, unless you want your note trashed. Simply tell them
hear that request a lot from potential clients looking for PR, along why they should care and the value of what you‘re doing.
with people thinking there is some magic bullet to getting buzz. So
let me set the record straight and also share with you some easy ways • Keep it real. Nothing turns someone off more than
to get your company (or yourself) better known. exaggerating what you‘re doing. Most of what is said to be
unique, first of its kind, or leading, is hyperbole. The only
• Communicate what you do succinctly and simply. Too often person who believes it is you.
people try to explain what they do with five dollar words and a lot
of jargon, using words like ideate, holistic, endemic, and scalable, • Be on point. I sometimes get pitches that have absolutely
that simply gum up the mouth. They repel, not attract. Instead, nothing to do with my business. Why would I care?
in basic English, explain what your product or service makes it Understand what the person you want to cover your
possible for someone to do. Pretend you‘re talking to a 10-year- business writes about and personalize your note
old. I don‘t care how complicated and high falutin‘ your product accordingly. You might want to reference a previous article
or service is. No one has the time or patience today to try to a reporter wrote and say that you enjoyed that piece and
figure out what you mean. And that goes double for reporters have a related, but different, story idea.
and bloggers.
• Personalize. Reach out individually to reporters or
• Tout why anyone should care. Most people can‘t be bothered to bloggers you believe would be interested in what you‘re
know how something works, nice as that can be. They want to doing. Ideally, get to know them first. Read their articles or
know what it will do for them. Will it save time? Make you more posts, comment on these where you think it adds value or
money? Save you money? Let them know. can extend the conversation. Help them even when it does
nothing ostensibly for your company. Think of it as
• A good picture says it all. Sometimes what you do can be relationship building.
explained much more clearly in words. I can read, for example,
that the iPhone 4S has an 8-megapixel camera but when I see
magnificent images, I suddenly know what that means.
page 11

12. 10 easy ways to improve your PR
• Be your own best promoter. Content is the new thought leadership currency. If you have
time to write at least once a week or have someone in your company who can do so, blog.
Nothing engages more than your speaking conversationally about what you do. According to
Hubspot, companies with blogs attract 55% more website visitors than those that don‘t have
them. If you don‘t have time to blog, start engaging with customers and prospects on social
media. Listen first and understand the rules of engagement before you start actively posting.
Too many companies broadcast rather than have conversations on social media.
• Contribute articles. Trade publications today are always in the market for good content.
Read the publications and understand the type of articles they publish. A quick call to the
publication will let you know whom to pitch. Send a brief note explaining what you want to
write about, why the readers would be interested, and a few sentences about you and your
company.
• Create word of mouth. Nothing beats a happy customer touting what you can do. And if your
customers don‘t want their names attached to a quote or case study, don‘t forgo this.
Instead, refer to the company in a generic way, such as a major retailer or manufacturer. At
least you‘re providing an outside perspective on what you can do.
And finally, an oldie but goodie: Issue a press release. This old workhorse is still effective. Just
keep it brief, avoid hyperbole and make it easy to understand. Focus on a new initiative your
audience will care about. Include key words that prospects are likely to search.
If all of this sounds like too much, begin slowly. Carve out a few areas to focus on. I would start
with your making your communications easy to understand. And then work on creating a little
content, be it a blog or contributed article. After all, you don‘t have to be famous in a day. Just
get a little better known each day.
Author Wendy Marx is a B2B PR and Marketing Specialist, Marx Communications
page 12

13. media
City Press's new magazine the talk of the town
By: Oresti Patricios
Hot off the back of a strategy lead by editor Ferial Haffajee,
City Press is investing heavily in ensuring it becomes the
most noticeable and noted Sunday media brand. The latest
accent in that drive to own the Sunday newspaper market is
a magazine that Media24's publication has simply called i
magazine. Read the full insight here:
How the F-bomb made an obscure newsreader an
overnight viral celeb
Former newsreader Mark Esterhuysen has become an
overnight celebrity on social networks after swearing on the
air, but the question is how did it all happen? Because
Ornico monitors most, if not all, major news media the
brand and reputation research company was able to decode
Esterhuysen‘s viral effect. Here‘s more on the F-bomb by
the numbers and the social media swell that made
Esterhuisen a new media hit. Read the full article.
Innovating new brand markets.
How do you break into new markets and develop innovative
strategies that help grow emerging market share. Ornico
CEO, Oresti Patricios joined Urs Honegger, publisher/MD
of Panorama Publications on the Bizcommunity/Chai FM
Media & Marketing radio show. Listen to the podcast of that
show here.
page 13

14. social media insight
Reasons why people drop brands on Facebook
by Jonathan Cherry of CherryFlava
Shame – realizing that people spend some time on things
like Facebook and Twitter, brands have hired fancy social
media consultants and people like that to help get them a
‗presence‘ on these platforms. Read the full story.
Are Corporations Giving Up on Social Media?
Terms like ―blogging,‖ ―tweeting‖ and ―liking‖ are continuing
to gain traction in the lexicon of the marketing industry –or
so it seems. New research from the University of
Massachusetts at Dartmouth shows that the use of blogs,
Twitter and Facebook among the Fortune 500 actually
leveled off in 2011, and the results have me wondering: Are
the nation‘s largest companies giving up on social media?
Read more.
Twitter stories show social media’s impact
In its five-year history, Twitter‘s been used for inane updates
on what was breakfast, as a vehicle for real-time news and as
a way to spread revolutionary social ideas. On Tuesday, the
service launched a new site, ―Twitter Stories,‖ to share a
handful of stunning ways that the micro-blogging service has
made a positive impact on people‘s lives. The stories range
from the heartwarming story of a son who saved his mother‘s
bookstore with a tweet, to the bone-chilling tale of a man
who relied on Twitter for help when snipers entered his
backyard in Tunisia. The site even features the story of one
man who found a kidney donor after tweeting, ―[expletive], I
need a kidney.‖ Read the story.
page 14

15. infographic:
page 15

16. The four letter word we most often use …
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