Meatball Sundae and Reward Programs

I went book shopping this weekend.  You will notice some additions to my "library" widget on the left side of the blog.  These are locked and loaded for the next few weeks. 

I jumped right in and finished Meatball Sundae this weekend.   

I got the same impression from this book by Seth as I have in all his others.  Great information, not a huge amount of depth and darn it – I wish I would have written it!  Seth has a way of putting thoughts together that makes for an easily digestible story. 

The book walks through 14 things that not only affect your marketing efforts but the product and service you provide – and the way in which you are organized to provide it. 

They are:

1. Direct Communication and Commerce Between Producers and Consumers
2. Amplification of the Voice of the Consumer and Independent Authorities
3. Need for an Authentic Story as the Number of sources Increases
4. Extremely Short Attention Spans Due to Clutter
5. The Long Tail
6. Outsourcing
7. Google and the Dicing of Everything
8. Infinite Channels of Communication
9. Direct Communication and Commerce Between Consumers and Consumers
10. The Shifts in Scarcity and Abundance
11. The Triumph of Big Ideas
12. The Shift From How Many to Who
13. The Wealthy Are Like Us
14. New Gatekeepers, No Gatekeepers

If you’ve spent any time researching and reading about Web 2.0 or any other information about how new technology and information management tools are affecting the "producer – consumer" dynamic there isn’t a lot of new information in here about that.  You’ll hear about blogs, wikis, consumer input, "prosumer" concepts, etc.

The big thing to take away (IMHO) is that these tools, techniques, etc. should really make you re-evaluate your basic business model.  In other words – the medium is now defining the product and the organization.  Seth’s point is that all this cool stuff in the marketing world today is the topping on the sundae.  If your basic building blocks are meatballs – all the gooey, good tasting stuff on the top won’t make the overall dish any better.  In fact, it will create a real taste disaster.  If you want to put the toppings on your sundae – re-evaluate the basic building blocks – your products, services, and organization.  These new techniques may just redefine what you do.  The book provides some good examples of how marketing techniques define organizations versus organizations defining marketing.

Why would this have any impact on incentives, recognition and rewards?  Why would a book on marketing impact how I set up my employee, channel or consumer programs?

Think about your employees, or your channel partners.  Are they not consumers?  Are they not part of the ecosystem that participates in the changes that Seth is highlighting?  Let’s look at a couple.

#1.  Direct connection between producer to consumer. 

A rewards program was a "no-name" activity or assigned to a "committee" with no name or face.  Now there needs to be a person behind it.  Consumers demand accountability and transparency.  I think that directly translates to your employee engagement activities (or channel.)  Whether that is a manager for a group or a group of managers – the participants want someone to associate with the initiative.  No longer is it a "management" program – it is – "Mary is your contact on the program in the sales division.  Brian is your contact in the Customer Service Department."

#8 Infinite Channels of Communication

How many programs communicate once a month via a "postcard mailed to the home?"  Too many.  What about instant messaging to the phone?  What about via a blog or other online conversation?  Participants are getting RSS feeds from their favorite online blogs – why not one on the program you’re conducting?

#12 The shift from many to who.

Participants today are less likely to look alike than they are to look different.  Does your program take that into account or does everyone get the same communication, measurement, award choice, etc.  The day of the "average" is gone, replaced by the individual. (See #5 – The Long Tail.)

My main point is that every company should reconsider their programs in light of these 14 ideas.  Work backward from these ideas and see if your program would be different. 

I still believe strongly that a program needs a strategic focus starting from a business need.  I also believe that combining that, with a backward look at the ways you can deliver the program will create a much different program. 

Don’t just add this type of stuff to an existing program because you can – that’s the sure path to a Meatball Sundae.