This is a tale of two pizzas.

Last night, I had a very curious food service situation arise. There’s this pizza place I really dig called Italia Express. I order from them regularly. They have excellent dough that crisps and puffs in all the right places. Their sauce is well-balanced and never too sweet or too salty. (As an 11-year Manhattan resident, sauce drift was an inevitable part of a much-loved pizza place becoming less-loved.) Their toppings are constantly fresh, and the green peppers are put on at just the right time to keep that slight bit of crunch. They manage their prices and you can get a real NYC-style extra large (18″) for $18.00. Compare that to Eno’s Local specialty pizza at $16.00 for 14″.

Let’s also compare the customer service of these two establishments. As I said, I order from Italia Express on the regular. The delivery guy knows me by name and voice. So, I was woefully confused about our customer relationship last night when I was not allowed to pay by check. I work in the service industry; I create and deliver advertising tactics and concepts. I know how important keeping a rich connection between me and my clients is.

With checks off the table, I did what any lazy, hungry person would do. I walked back over to where I left my wallet and took out cash. When I got back, I was steaming. I had to sacrifice my laziness to my hungriness. In America, we have delivery so that never has to happen. Also, since I’m a professional writer, I wrote the owner a short note about how inconsiderate this business behavior  was. When my delivery guy showed up, he apologized for the company, took my note and then tore off my name and email address, which I included for feedback. This was too surreal to warrant commentary.

Let’s look at Eno’s now. The very first time I ordered with them they were half-an-hour late. I only mentioned it to the driver, because I served pizza in Oak Cliff the year after graduating college. When you delivery drive, you’re supposed to spiral out, because the people who live furthest from the restaurant naturally expect their delivery to take longer. I live less than a mile from Eno’s. (It would be interesting to know what people think their response times are in terms of cooking vs. driving breakdown, but I digress…) This Eno’s driver came back unsolicited with a $10 gift card and an extra ice tea.

That business behavior proved crazy smart. I talked about my first Eno’s experience to all my friends. They recommended the shop to their friends. Eno’s response seemed unnecessarily generous and it was. Every action tells a story. Eno’s story is one about renewed and reinforced value. The Italia Express story is one of fearing your customer. I’m certain that Eno’s has gotten ripped off. And I’m equally certain Italia Express is turning a large profit.

What’s the moral of this story? One, at my age, I need to not order pizzas so big I have to freeze more than half of it. Two, Eno’s has a reasonably-sized pie made by people who value my business.

I am a very contrary person by nature. I relish being controversial, an agent provocateur, a gainsayer, a fly-in-the-ointment. That quality has been an absolute boon in terms of how I come up with and present creative ideas. I feel scared and alive and most in control combing the cat backwards. But, letting my inner ‘no-no’ free has saved me from setting many an…unworthy…idea to paper.

I bring this up as stage-setting, because I love the places cooperation has taken my ideas, my work, my career and largely my life. Sure could have said ‘no’ to a number of things I regret, but who hasn’t?

The thing that motivated me headlong down the path of the power of cooperation was developing an improv troupe in high school. Whenever I shoehorned my singularly funny line into a scene or undid an existing storyline, we bombed. We got a laugh, but we lost the audience. It took me MANY errors on stage to realize I wasn’t there for me entirely. I was there as a fraction of a team, who was there for an audience. Hardly a rocket science discovery, but when you’re adolescent, the big picture can be elusive.

Two practices I took away from that troupe have given me improved flexibility and bolstered my cooperative spirit.

The first is state the situation as it stands: I am on a spaceship running out of air. I am about to start a barfight. I am expected to put words on top of my professional colleagues who will provide art. Cooperation starts with a reality check. The head-swelling antigravity of advertising allows us to shoot off the floor and into the stratosphere. Define what is going on and what you personally will do to improve it.

The last is when someone changes the scene or–in my current job–defies my assertion, I ask them to repeat what they said, and then say it myself. (We deliver at warp speed in this business, which means we mentally create at faster-than-lightspeed, which means we speak out just slightly slower than that.) It’s easy to criticize someone without hearing those words come out of your own mouth. Give it a try. Something that seemed absurd when heard gains a lot of credence when you are the one saying it.

That’s it, I guess. A handshake. A pat on the shoulder. An open ear. Say you disagree when you disagree and leave it at that. And then, everything in your professional life sees the sun shining anew.

Look. We like you, so we need to talk. All we want is for you to be happy, to find that special customer and start a long, mutually satisfying relationship. Here’s a bit of candid advice, from one business to another.

1. Envision your perfect partner

Don’t be afraid to be picky. When you narrow down the characteristics of your perfect client, the more you can focus on impressing them. Listen closely, and then match their language. Trust us. You’re worth it.

2. Meet the right people where they hang out

You’ve heard this one before: Bars versus grocery stores. It’s not just being seen in trade advertising. It means putting your best foot forward with actual feet on the ground. Even one person dedicated to growing B2B sends a signal that you are ready to commit. Go to the trade shows your customers are interested in. Then buy them a drink.

3. Dress the way you want to be perceived

You don’t need an entirely different brand for corporate accounts. You just need that one accessory that tells your targets that they are being listened to in a different way. Make them feel special by elevating your corporate efforts with clear language (“Gold Club,” “Preferred,” “Plus”), a subtle visual cue and premium collateral that is bottom-line (theirs, not yours) focused. Also, invest in a lint roller.

4. Don’t be timid

Love is war, and so is business. Come on strong. Corporate customers are not low-hanging fruit. If their long-term strategies align with yours, you’ll make tons of money-babies in the future. Make an initial offer as attractive as possible, then seal the long-term deal with the kind of ongoing service that makes you impossible to break up with.

Ignite Partnership has been a matchmaker for lots of companies looking to show their B2B clients some love. Give us a call when you’re ready.

Remember all through the 2000′s, when you’d get those souvenir glasses where the zeroes formed the eyeholes? It’s been two years now since those were an option. Sigh. Sure at first, they seemed gimmicky and obvious. Yet, now they can never come back into our design vocabulary. That’s a bit sad.

Nostalgia…that longing for a time we can never return to.

As we stand on the platform of 2011, waiting for 2012 to roll into the station, let’s take a moment to observe all the great things that happened to us this year. Then, turn our focus to the future. Because, we don’t need gimmicky glasses.

Cheers. Let’s raise new glasses to 2012, and to us.

No one goes into competition—be it beauty pageants, sports or business—expecting to be a loser. Pessimism flies in the face of the competitor. We want accolades, trophies, rings, satin sashes, title belts, plum parking spots, bonuses, corner offices.

Still, we are, one way or another, all in the point-counting game. Offense moves yardage. Accountants move digits. Developers move innovations. Retailers move units. And, agencies move impressions.

At the end of the day/quarter/campaign, you know when you’ve won. We know too. Sometimes the competition is too tough and too big. It feels like every element you were up against had a one-of-a-kind coordinator talking into its earpiece.

As the Cowboys bring a very shaky lead back to Arlington on Christmas Eve for the last home game of the season, we here at Ignite Partnership ponder the homestand.

That symbiotic tour-de-force where brand meets fan base head-on amid cheers and great expectations. This is where the win really matters, where the uprights can get uprooted.

We have all seen this happen. It’s exhilarating. I recently saw Charlie Daniels bring his audience to fist-pumpin’ hoots that silenced his band when he changed the lyrics of “Folsom Prison Blues” to “I shot a man in Dallas/Just to watch him die. He was an Arizona Cardinal.”

As you’re watching the game this weekend, take stock of how excited you feel. If you want your brand to experience that same level of commitment, give us a challenge. We’ll be your coach/coordinator/cheerleader.

DISCLAIMER: If the Dallas Cowboys aren’t really your thing, we understand. Tell us what you are into and we’ll make your brand feel like that.

This time of year can often morph into a full focus on the new, glitzy and shiny, whether you are talking gifts or finding customers. You can get distracted from those loyal followers who have been with you throughout this year and many others. Yes, we’re still talking about customers here.

Perhaps it’s time to recapture the magic with current customers and show them your brand still cares. Like with loved ones, it’s not the size of the engagement that matters, but the thought itself that goes a long way to building continuity for annual plans to come. This thought deserves diligence and planning, from a surprise-and-delight value offer to a Facebook-only message of appreciation. Then, the gesture can go beyond thoughtful and into lucrative.

And guess what? Current customers still like the new, glitzy and shiny news you have to offer. And, they are more likely to convert their engagement into sales over new customers. These loyalists are the gift that keeps on giving.

We’re ready to show you how to reach the full variety of your stakeholders—the new and new-to-us.  Contact jolly ol’ Karl – klangston@ignitepartnership.com

This video I heard about from TechEBlog made me think. It shows real people (how real, you never know – thanks CGI) encountering one-in-a-million occurrences, all clipped together for 3 minutes of "Huh, can’t believe it." 

It reminded me of this as it might pertain to marketing and consumer engagement:

When our lives are all truly connected like this as never before in the world, one-in-a-million happens more often than the common cliche is supposed to mean.  So, it’s important that we build brands that can communicate about and respond to those one-in-a-million consumer encounters with our products and services. Good and bad, these encounters are available for the world to see. And they can take on a life of their own if we don’t earn the consumer respect as real, honest brands that get the benefit of the doubt – as echoed here by Seth. 

Marketing is the mouthpiece of the brand.  And it is also the earpiece.

Tough economy meets elevated retailer expectations meets Holiday volume period. The annual game is on, and this year, online retailers are getting all woot.com, the Dallas-based company that created a cult following around the one-a-day deal. We have mentioned how we like what Woot does and how they do it, and now the big dogs are taking notes.  From The Dallas Morning News (full article here):

Countdown clocks are ticking all over the Internet with deeply discounted 24-hour deals this year.

J.C. Penney Co. has added a "daily deal" to jcp.com, and Target.com has one-day-only "daily deals." Penney created screenbusters, playing off the brick-and-mortar world’s doorbusters.

Walmart.com calls its urgent deal the "value of the day" and offers several online-only specials "while supplies last."

Plano-based Dealtaker.com, an online coupon site, recently launched Newatnoon.com to feature 24-hour specials from retailers looking for more of a multi-channel reach. It recently featured 24-hour deals from Gordon’s Jewelry, Overstock.com, Kohl’s, Penney, Aeropostale, buy.com and others that have Web sites but want a bigger reach online.

The 24-hour concept is similar to that popularized by Dallas-based Woot.com, a Web site that offers one-day deals. But Woot also has branched out to offer limited-time discounts from other retailers. On Friday, it featured a $15 men’s waterproof, quilted puffer vest from Macy’s.

Consumers aren’t parting with their dollars like they once did (way way back when, it seems). And the brands that will capture their attention are ones that go beyond a transaction and into a memorable experience.  Deal-a-day brings a little suprise and delight (and urgency) worth talking about to the shopping process. It worked for Woot, and now other retailers are hoping for a little Holiday magic of their own.

Lesson to all marketers: How can we get beyond the transaction and add a little value to the experience our brands can offer?

A printer we work with once asked me a question: what’s the difference between junk mail and direct mail?  The answer: the person reading it.  Very true – value is defined by your audience, and our job as marketers is to connect value between the target and the product/service. In fact, we’re not picking on direct mail here at all – the tactic really doesn’t matter if it doesn’t connect relative to the investment. It’s just junk.

So, this week I got a piece of direct mail’s virtual cousin, an e-blast.  I get them often, and the ding is usually followed by Delete.  But I played this one out, with added curiosity since it’s from an online usability resource – got to be good, right?  So I’ll ask you – e-junk or e-mail?

[NOTE: This is not an endorsement for Omniture - Ignite has not worked with them to date]

The email:

Click to play the game: (couldn’t see the whole screen when I played, so I missed out on some info)

Likes:

1. Well targeted, and qualifies the audience upfront in the subject line

2. Challenging (with no commitment) call to action to learn more

3. Clever, interactive way to prove expertise – a lot better than a boring series of case studies

4. Unique enough to tell a friend – heck, I’m talking about it here

Opportunities:

1. Dial up the creative – I know you’re going for Pac Man era, but still

2. Use a more graphic-friendly introduction in the email itself

3. Not formatted for small screens, and I imagine a lot of the audience is rolling laptop