Blog - The Social Media Professor

My book “The Social Customer Journey” featured on CBS LA TV

February 6, 2018 by Niklas Myhr Leave a Comment

Admittedly, I was quite excited to see my upcoming book The Social Customer Journey highlighted on TV all over LA (CBS LA) as I was introduced for an interview on “Lady Doritos.” I thank Chapman University's PR maestro Sheri Ledbetter for reminding me that I should not forget to mention that I have a book in the making (pre-order here :)).

The story by Stacey Butler of CBS LA was about a statement that PepsiCo's CEO Indra Nooyi made on a podcast. During this interview, she speculated about targeting women with a special kind of Doritos. She suggested that women don't like the crunchy noise you make while eating traditional chips and also that they also are less likely than men to lick the resulting mess off their fingers when the bag of chips is consumed. The full 2-minute news segment can be seen here or by clicking the book image.

The Statement on Doritos for Women by PepsiCo CEO

Here is a direct quote by PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi on the Freakonomics podcast with Stephen Dubner:

“When you eat out of a flex bag — one of our single-serve bags — especially as you watch a lot of the young guys eat the chips, they love their Doritos, and they lick their fingers with great glee, and when they reach the bottom of the bag they pour the little broken pieces into their mouth, because they don’t want to lose that taste of the flavor, and the broken chips in the bottom. Women would love to do the same, but they don’t. They don’t like to crunch too loudly in public. And they don’t lick their fingers generously and they don’t like to pour the little broken pieces and the flavor into their mouth.”

Social Media Rejects Lady-Friendly Doritos

The idea of Doritos offering a special “Lady Doritos” version did not go over very well on social media. At all. Perhaps the social media backlash can be explained with the timing of this statement as it came out in the midst of all the focus on the #metoo movement. Even the slightest hint that you are not respecting women could be upsetting enough for reactions to occur even if they had not even advertised a new product in the making. Here are some sample tweets reacting to the news:

Yes, because all of my personal development work has been around being quieter and less messy. Ugh. (Dear #Doritos …possible fail…) All I can say is, they better package them in a smaller pink bag, and charge at least 15% more.#LadyChips ???https://t.co/Sd1m1m4EIN

— Deanna Burgart (@DeannaBurgart) February 5, 2018

Doritos Bites Back

After the social media backlash, PepsiCo issued a statement that the reports of a “Lady Burrito” was inaccurate and dismissed the whole incident with a marketing pitch :

“We already have Doritos for women–they're called Doritos, and they're enjoyed by millions of people every day. At the same time, we know needs and preferences continue to evolve and we're always looking for new ways to engage and delight our consumers.”

While it is true that reactions on social media often are based on unfounded rumors, in this case, it is worth to point out that the “rumors” stemmed from a direct quote by their CEO. Therefore, I think it is too easy to simply dismiss all the reactions on social media as misdirected or unwarranted.

Podcasting and the Lady Doritos Story

One thing that strikes me with this story is that perhaps this is another coming-of-age moment for the podcast medium. While more and more people listen to podcasts, it is possible that celebrities and executives being interviewed on a podcast are not yet fully recognizing that everything they say on this medium can be used against them and sometimes quoted out of context. At the same time, I am hoping that a greater awareness of the power of podcasting will not mean that the great conversations that I personally enjoy listening to on various podcasts will not become overly formal and cautious. Podcasting as a medium allows for longer and more nuanced discussions than short sound bites in other places and that in fact is why I am working on the launch of my own podcast, will you listen in?

The Fire Funnel Process by John Lee Dumas at Youpreneur Summit

November 11, 2017 by Niklas Myhr 8 Comments

The opening keynote speaker at the inaugural Youpreneur Summit John Lee Dumas, founder of the popular Entrepreneur on Fire Podcast, shared his Fire Funnel process for digital entrepreneurs. John started out by suggesting that you start with a “Funnel Up Process” to understand who you are going to serve before you design your sales of your “Funnel Down Funnel”.

The Funnel Up process

The Idea. What is your big idea that you want to build upon.
The Niche. Get that initial momentum is key, not easy, but once you get it, you can get things going. Then you can expand your scope. Rather than being Mr or Mrs Social Media of London, you'd be better off helping female dentists in Soho get one new client via Facebook Ads.
The Avatar. Who is that perfect customer, the listener to your podcast, the reader of your blog. Get to know that person in and out and try to identify their struggles.
The Medium of Choice. Blogging, podcasting, video, etc. Which one should you focus on?
The Content Creation. You need a system to setup to make sure you have a process to create great content on a regular basis.
The Repurpose. Once you have a good platform you can find content that can be used on other platforms as well. John uses Repurpose.io to get his podcast episodes elsewhere.
The Growth. How can you help others discover you.
The Audience Engagement. He gets millions of listens of his podcast each month which is absolutely absurd to him but he doesn't want to forget about doing things that don't scale. Don't be scared of having a one-on-one conversation. Yes, they can be time-consuming but that is where the gold is. You can learn about what works and doesn't and develop relationships.
The Solution. How can you help solve their problem and serve them. If you keep this in mind from the start, you will focus on generating the right leads and nurture them from the start.

The Funnel Down Process

Once you have gone through the Funnel Up process, you better know how you can help your audience and then you can design your Funnel Down Process to serve them.

Your lead generation. Now you know who to target.
Your Call to Action. Have a specific thing you want them to do.
Your Audience's Email Exchange.
Your Solution Delivery.
Your Audience Consumes.
Your Next CTA.
Live Training. Here John Lee Dumas emphasized the power of live webinars which is where he has made millions.
Live Q&A. Perhaps there is just one remaining obstacle remaining for someone to buy and if you make yourself available live, you can have it resolved right then and there.
Offer. Provide an offer that is supremely valuable for your audience.
Monetize.

The Fire Funnel by EO Fire

Finally, John Lee Dumas shared how he built an empire around daily podcasts with interviews of entrepreneurs. Check out Entrepreneurs on Fire or EO Fire and enjoy the show! John's final perspective he shared that sums up much of his perspective was a quote by Albert Einstein: “Try not to become a man of success. Rather become a man of value.”

Keynote Speaker at Public Sector Digital Transformation Conference

October 13, 2017 by Niklas Myhr Leave a Comment

Anna Bellman Niklas Myhr — Stage Selfie with Anna Bellman, Master of Ceremony

Got the opportunity to serve as a keynote speaker in front of an enthusiastic crowd of 700 public sector executives at a major digital transformation conference (eFörvaltningsdagarna & Publikom) at Stockholm International Fairs (Stockholmsmässan) in Sweden. I shared my perspectives on digital transformation with a specific focus on social media and digital communication strategies.

While I respect that many public sector executives are unlikely to jump all over the latest social media platforms and tactics, I was impressed by the curiosity shown both during my talk and in many subsequent discussions with attendees. Many of them also agreed with me that many of the same principles that apply to businesses also are relevant in the public sector such as the value of being faster than ever before with your communications such as in the following situations.

Social Media for Crisis Management

Niklas Myhr, #EFDagarna, #Publikom, Keynote speaker, digital transformation — Photo by Rikard Hällberg, Företags TV

A few years back, I worked with Orange County Government and their social media activities. One thing I remember one of their executives mention is that they strived to build a following on social media so that they would have established alternative modes of communications with the public before the big earthquake hits. That is, if you wait until a crisis situation to occur before you engage on social media, you may not have anyone finding your messages.

I also showcased the impressive efforts by various fire departments and other first responders in Orange County during the Canyon Fire 2 brushfire. Anaheim Fire & Rescue, for example, demonstrated their ability to use Twitter for continuous sharing of real-time updates with the latest news on mandatory evacuations, emergency shelters, where to bring your horses and other animals, as well as the status of their efforts to contain the fire itself.

Newsjacking and Fake News

Another reason why public sector executives may benefit from getting their updates out on various social networks in an expedient manner is that if they are not doing that, they will be more exposed to the threat by various fake news campaigns. For example, during the Las Vegas massacre, it didn't take long before fake news began appearing claiming that the event never actually occurred but was merely a conspiracy to force tougher laws on gun control. Therefore, it could be more important than before for public sector officials to get quickly get an official version of an emerging story out there to at least provide some counterbalance to various sources of fake news.

Focus on Customer Experience

Niklas Myhr, the social media professor, #efdagarna, #publikom — Photo by Patrik Koc Strömberg

Outside of crisis situations, more and more public sector executives are beginning to consider their citizenship as customers and are following the lead of the business world in trying to provide as much of a seamless customer experience as possible in dealing with various government institutions. I shared how I expect that my upcoming book The Social Customer Journey would be important in this regard. For example, the public sector would serve their citizens better by providing more options than before in terms of how you communicate with a government office. Also, that the institution is able to better serve what is needed, when it is needed, and not too much redundant information that isn't needed for the transaction in question.

Audience Interaction

One of the best parts of speaking at events is chatting with people afterwards to learn about their challenges and this conference was no exception. Se below for some people I met even including a nice testimonial by a happy attendee Lars-Erik Andersson, IT Director of Knivsta & Heby Municipalities:

Photo credits: Thanks for some of the pics by Patrik Koc Strömberg, Christina Nordström, and by Rikard Hällberg (Företags TV).

Isabella Ljungdahl och Niklas Myhr — With Isabella Ljungdahl of Hexanova Events

Niklas Myhr Helena Renström — Helena Renström from the City of Skellefteå

With Sune Lindström and Ola Lidström from City of Piteå

Niklas Myhr Anna Kelly Eva Sartorius — With Anna Kelly & Eva Sartorius

Swedish Tech Musketeer to Build Mega Battery Factory

May 17, 2017 by Niklas Myhr 1 Comment

Peter Carlsson, Helena Kristersson, Ingela Carlsson & Niklas Myhr

[Update: On June 12, 2019, Northvolt announced that they have raised the capital required to build “Europe's first homegrown gigafactories for lithium-ion batteries”!]

In the midst of final exam week, I enjoyed a brief visit to Silicon Valley to learn more about the exciting tech startup Northvolt from its CEO, Peter Carlsson, the proud dad of Chapman University student Amanda. The event was hosted by the Swedish-American Chamber of Commerce Silicon Valley/San Francisco and by Silicon Vikings in a beautiful office space generously shared by global supply chain specialists Elementum.

Peter Carlsson, with a past as the Chief Purchasing Officer at Tesla where he spent four years reporting directly to Elon Musk, shared the plans of Northvolt to build a mega-sized, lithium-ion battery factory to be located either in Sweden or Finland. He explained how such a factory would play an important role in our world's much-needed transformation from a reliance on fossil fuels to one in which we can live on and efficiently preserve green and renewable energy.

Electrification of society

Peter admitted that it may still be a couple of decades before we regularly commute 500 km via an electrically-powered, self-flying aircraft ordered via an Uber-like interface but technically, that would be quite doable already today, he argued! Complying with regulations, however, would be another matter that could take a long time to resolve.

One bright spot in the transformation to green energy sources is the mining industry in which companies are willing to pay two or three times the regular price to buy an electric excavator. What many people don't realize is that mining companies actually spend enormous amounts of resources transporting exhaust fumes out of the mines in order to create a safe working environment. By using electric excavators instead, they could simply focus on transporting whatever treasures that they are digging for instead.

A Vertically Integrated Supply Chain for Battery Production

Whereas many companies are outsourcing many of the things that they previously used to do themselves in order to focus on their core competencies, Northvolt is choosing a different direction. In their aim to build the largest European mega battery factory, they also want to secure the access to as many of the necessary raw materials as possible either with direct ownership or at least via strong European supplier partnerships. Peter Carlsson emphasized the benefits of operating in Europe and in Scandinavia in particular thanks to its relative political stability compared to many other places where mining is done.

The Location of the Battery Plant

In collaboration with Business Sweden, Northvolt is currently undergoing an extensive screening process in order to identify where the best location of its factory should be. They had hoped to have a list of twenty cities to consider. They got forty! Even now, Peter shared, new cities and even new countries are approaching him to try to be added to their consideration set. However, Northvolt recently declared that they had narrowed the number of possible locations to a short list of eight Swedish cities and two Finnish ones, all of which fulfilled a number of criteria.

In selecting the winner, factors they weigh include the access to reliable energy supply, industrial-zoned land availability, logistical concerns, access to a skilled workforce, university collaboration opportunities, and the degree to which the city could attract foreign expert engineers to move to and live in the area long-term with their families. The plan is to move quickly to get down to only two final candidates.

Why build only one mega factory?

Given that my hometown of Piteå is not on the shortlist, my unsolicited vote that I shared with Peter went to Luleå even if Skellefteå would be a close second. I am confident that either of these two great cities would deliver if they were to be selected and I even proposed to Peter to build two, not “just” one mega factory given that they predict that Europe's demand will be calling for seven such mega factories around year 2025. His response was that he didn't want to risk being accused of suffering from hubris given that the magnitude of this project is large enough as it is proposing the development of one mega factory which will require about 4 billion Euro in investment.

I wish Peter and Northvolt the best of luck and his family a nice transition in their move from Palo Alto to Stockholm. I am also very much looking forward to visiting their Stockholm headquarters this summer with my Chapman University MBA travel course Business in Scandinavia!

SACC-SF-SV team Lucas Eriksson, Tina Bragfeldt, Helena Kristersson, Marcus Oldby & Sofie Birkfeldt

Navy SEAL Agility in the age of Spaghetti Customer Journeys

April 25, 2017 by Niklas Myhr 2 Comments

Chris Brull Kawasaki Motors Scott Shaffstall International Marketing MBA Chapman University — Chris Brull, Kawasaki Motors (kneeling), and Scott Shaffstall (center) at Chapman University International Marketing MBA class (pic by Andres Vaca)

Had the honor of having two exciting guests in my International Marketing MBA class at Chapman University, Mr. Chris Brull, VP Marketing for Kawasaki Motors and Mr. Scott Shaffstall, CEO and Founder at Gen Now Agency as well as Chapman MBA Class of 2014 alumni. Scott has worked for Kawasaki Motors both in-house and as a contractor and we had a good interplay of ideas through the evening with my students.

As the theme of the day was international marketing communications, the discussion inevitably involved how you today need to use digital and social media channels to engage with prospective and existing customers. For example, when I asked Chris Brull about his take on customer journey mapping, I got the following intriguing response:

Chris Brull, Kawasaki Motors, Chapman University International Marketing MBA class

“Journey mapping is definitely important but it's table stakes now, everyone should be doing it so you get it with the insights you gain along the way but in this business, with one brand and all the sub-brands we have, it's spaghetti thrown all over! It's not as linear as it was when you were watching 30 second spots, perhaps with some direct mail, you see a billboard, print magazine, and you go in and hang at a dealership.

The minute you think you've got the map set, it changes, cause you guys (looking at my students), your generation have blown up every piece of marketing technology and in fact today's is already getting old. Why do you think Facebook is trying to reinvent, reinvent? Now the map goes everywhere cause everyone is insanely distracted, they've got their handheld, they've got their entire lives in their hand, so how are you going to connect? Is it a CRM program, an email program? I've gotta be on it 24/7, I've gotta be completely ready for every eventuality, it's almost like Navy SEALs, when they go in, they are ready for everything! It's insane!

But we've got to stay on it, I call it walking point, like in those war movies, they are out there in the jungle, it's scary, you've gotta know where you're going, sometimes you don't, it's dark, you get ambushed, you get shot, but you've gotta get back up, you need to be resilient. Sometimes I'd like to get in front even further but you don't want to get too far ahead. Where are my marketing partners, my agencies? Sometimes those guys want to play it safe but cannot be left too far behind.

What it really boils down to is that you have to be present, you've gotta know your customer completely, then you have a chance at engaging them in the right way in the right channel at the right time.”

Scott Shaffstall clients Gen Now Agency — Scott Shaffstall on clients of his Gen Now Agency

Exciting times to be in marketing, right? Or is it getting almost too scary? Are you feeling agile like a Navy SEAL out there? At least, I am confident that the role of social media to engage with prospects and customers in various channels at different times is not going to go away anytime soon. While the customer journey may become ever-more unpredictable, I predict that social media will play an even more important role going forward both for helping detect the need for and for actually engaging with customers through real conversations.

In fact, I believe so strongly in that the brands that manage social media engagement right are going to find more opportunities to succeed even in an age of marketing automation. This could be their key differentiator. That is why I am writing a book titled The Social Customer Journey and I would be thrilled if you choose to learn more about it by filling out the form below, thank you!