Schlocking Barack- A Cautionary Tale

Preface: I'm a bitter, cranky old man. I don't play nice with others, I blame Society. And over 25 years in the Ad/Marketing biz. I also could never resist a snappy title. Caveat caveatted, read on.

You may be aware of my other on-line caper, The Electric Chronicles, as I build and ride an electric motorcycle from coast to coast. Through that community, a strange and different new landscape where RAW has an entirely different meaning than here, I found out about ShockingBarack.com, a ride by a Brammo team, retracing the trip of the automaker's CEOs to DC, except this time it was to present President Obama with an American-made solution- the Brammo Enertia, a 100% electric ride. Very cool stuff.

This wasn't as hairbrained a scheme as it may be presented on their website. Here's some interesting background on it, from the blog of Alex Bogusky, Co-Chairman of Brammo's (and Best Buy's) agency, Crispin Porter + Bogusky Indeed. It was, in fact, an attempt to leverage a small budget into a brand and product launch. It was really successful, too. They got picked up by the Associated Press and went to national media. Here's a story in the Political column, no less, of the New York Times.

So, OK, here's a shoestring caper that is really not much more than a publicity stunt, the likes of which we've seen since one guy started selling something to another. It's based on a thin veneer of altruism. "Bringing Obama the Answer to America's Transportation and Economy Problems". Please, spare me. Granted it has brought EVs to just a bit more of the public's attention, but if you scratch the surface, it's a publicity stunt, pure and simple. Not that there's anything wrong with that... but call a spade a spade. Here are some of my early misgivings about the project. Read the comments, too. I, for one, am getting really tired of being fooled, and my gathering mistrust of everybody and everything, from balloon boy to these guys (interestingly coincidental, by the way... and all during one of the most important debates in our history- Health Care.)

As a shoestring caper, it's a lesson in viral and social network marketing... but what, exactly is the lesson? Bogusky, himself, seems not entirely sure. In a few weeks the followers of shockingbarack, on Twitter, sits at only just over a thousand, not explosively viral by any stretch. I am profoundly interested in that five-letter word- sales - that results from this. I wonder how many bikes actually get sold because of this- but you can argue it's all part of the mix of a product release.

Finally, after what I'd hoped was a story line they planned, but turned out be simply lack of end-game, they chained the bike to a post in DC and sent a letter and keys to President Obama. Very classy. Not. They had me, 100%, then did this. For lack of a better way to say it, I'll repeat a post I made on an EV forum:

i must be getting old and cranky, but they do a publicity stunt, don't do their homework, then end up leaving their crap on the side of the road for someone else to deal with. who's gonna pay for cleaning up this mess? we are, we always do. just like the air conditioners on the sidewalk, just like the search and rescue for balloon boy.

great example of environmental and civic responsibility. good job branding Brammo.

I have little doubt that a lot of people have read my comments there and elsewhere, and just don't have any idea what I'm on about... so be it.

Well, here are the lessons I've learned from this caper.

Social and viral marketing is extremely powerful, and gives you a huge bullhorn to say what you need to say. This isn't news, but the louder you talk, the more important it is to have something to say, and say it right.

If you want to get picked up by the national press, get picked up by a reporter who works with a press agency like the AP, in this case. OK, that's one of those that's a "duh", but it needs to be said out loud. Now, the value of getting picked up by the national press... it seems, good, but is it? Many ad and marketing guys aren't so sure anymore, as the Press in general seems to be floundering.

Tell the Truth. Be Honest. Yeah, I'm a simple chump, but people put their trust in fewer and fewer places these days. If you have it, don't squander it.

Finally, my complaint with a lot of companies, including some photographers. Remember who is paying the bills. This caper feels like it's a lot more about selling the agency, CP+B, than it is about selling motorcycles. Granted, everybody is in the business of drumming up new business, but agencies, and photographers, for that matter, have to keep in mind that the goal here is to sell product, not just put yourself on the map.

How should this have been done?

Go into it with a plan, complete with end game, and make it a compelling story. The way it was done, it feels like a long joke with no punchline, or a nice, interesting bedtime story with no ending. With all the connections that Brammo, Best Buy and CP+B have, how hard would it have been to set up an appointment for someone to receive the bike, ceremoniously, instead of doing what amounts to one step above vandalism- chaining it to a post.

Keep mindful of the timeline of the story. Once they made it to DC it appears they literally were sitting around, trying to figure out what to do. They started losing me then, when I realized they really didn't have a clue how to handle this attention... unbelievable for an agency of that reputation, really, and it certainly didn't do much to make Brammo look good, either.

From the outset, put your cards on the table. It was a product launch, fine, but it is in the context of a bigger message. Tell us you're launching a product, not that you're saving the world, but that the product might... don't give me righteous spin, please. The success of EVs will help solve the bigger problems, and it's fine that you're working for the company because it's helping, but if you'd started with, "we're launching and selling this great bike, you should buy one, and by the way..." then I would be on the street trying to sell them myself.

It is an interesting story, and some interesting lessons and examples for anyone out there working Twitter, Facebook, whatever. If I only knew what it all meant...

Sitting down now...

(followup- One thing occurred to me. A lot of the chatter on Twitter was from the ad/marketing community, about the campaign. This skewed the read. I don't think that was good, and the point here is that the CP+B guys were tweeting away on their channels about it, ostensibly trying to beat the bushes. The audience was not about the bikes, it was about the agency, diluting the message. Just one man's opinion.

Also. Brian has posted this on ElMoto.net:

Guys,

Thanks for keeping up with the journey and I appreciate ALL the comments on the "conclusion". The intent of chaining the bike up was to state emphatically that we're not giving up. We may not be in DC right now, but the bikes surely are. Also, that is the real letter with the real keys and it did really get mailed by yours truly. Don't worry, though, the bike will not end up as someone's trash to clean up. Surely, you'd have a little more faith in us than that?! Keep checking back as we're working dilligently on a conclusion that would leave us all with a little less bitter taste in our mouths...

Thanks, again!

-Brian.

It confirms the not-thought-out-very-well thing to me, but also confirms that there will be a better "end game", and also, it prolongs the story a bit, doesn't it? Besides that, it was a classy move. Thanks, Brian.)