Critical Thinking Cafe

What's the Problem with Social Media Advertising?

Will some well-targeted, highly-appealing ads on Facebook or MySpace minimize the value of social media web sites? The anticipated use of Web 2.0 to engage with consumers clearly needs some parameters regarding privacy and access. But let's be careful that we properly define the source of whatever problem may be lurking in the immediate future of social media.

While getting slammed with advertising on the web is an annoyance, an advertiser's knowledge of a person's interests, networks, and even buying habits doesn't preclude the individual's ability to say, "No" to an on-line ad. When I read about concerns that people will be bombarded with alluring ads they cannot resist, I am forced to wonder what we consider the source of this apparently ambiguous problem. Someone who is too young to have the ability to make a prudent buying decision should probably not have unmonitored access to the web to begin with. An adult who feels exploited by internet advertising has a problem, but the root cause is personal not virtual.

Have we forgotten the value and power of self-discipline? I understand the power of forces that seem beyond your control. A decades-long struggle with addiction gave me plenty of practice at making excuses and blaming what I did on something "out there." A victim mentality creates a sense of powerlessness to solve our own problems. A focus on what one can't control (advertising) rather than what you can control (your choices) perpetuates this self-victimization.

The heart of critical thinking is thinking logically and comprehensively about a situation and identifying an appropriate course of action. It involves correctly determining the cause of the problem, creating strategies for solving it, making decisions that are guided by objective criteria (not an advertiser's appeal), and anticipating and preventing potential problems before they occur.

In all the debate about the pros and cons of targeted advertising, we need to remember that the root cause of over-spending, over-indulging, over-gaming, or over-whatever isn't enticing marketing--it is giving up the power and freedom to say, "No."

Do you agree or disagree? Your comments are welcome.

When Customer Service Creates Problems

Is your customer service team connecting with your customers--or chasing them away? Are they solving problems--or creating them?

After months of moderate dissatisfaction with the media giant providing my telephone, cable, and internet service I changed telecommunications providers at home. The wait I endured while trying to reach the disconnect department told me I wasn't the only guy ending that bad relationship. My apathy turned to anger when I was told that a technician couldn't get to my home for over a week and that I would continue to be billed until the tech arrived. I thought that response over for a day and called back. The second rep I spoke with agreed that the Texas Attorney General's office wouldn't support that policy, that my service and billing would stop immediately, and that I would receive a refund rather than pay the additional $22 I was told I'd need to cough up the day before.

While setting everything up with my new provider, some of the reps gave me inaccurate information in the buying process. When I called to resolve the confusion I was treated professionally and policies were adapted to fit my unique situation. Overall, the customer service people at the new company listened, thought through a solution, got help or approval when necessary, and made a diligent effort to give me what I needed. Their obvious commitment to me as a consumer made me willing to accept the delays, work through the tech challenges, and remain positive about the problems that come with change.  Remember--all problems are the result of change, but not all changes create problems.

I don't like to pontificate but these two sharply contrasting experiences motivate me to create a list of steps you can take to create unhappy clients and problems for your business. The list is not exhaustive but well-proven.

1. Start the relationship by providing mediocre products and services.
2. Put people on the phone who are apathetic, bored, and in an environment that is loud and distracting.
3. Treat the customer like you really don't care whether he/she stays or goes.
4. Say that you value the customer and then treat your client like you don't care if he/she stays or goes.
5. Improperly train your technical people so they can't do what the customer needs them to do.
6. When your customer says he is leaving, treat him in a way that reinforces the wisdom of his decision.

Statistically, the average unhappy customer tells 12 or more people. Some unhappy customers try to tell the whole world.

A Commander a Count and a Root Cause

What problems are you painting with explanations, disguising with excuses, and trying to solve with Houdini-style quick-fixes when you know the problems require solutions that address issues far below the surface or beyond what is observed by you and others?

In his autobiography My American Journey, former U.S. Secretary of State General (Ret.) Colin Powell tells about assuming command of the 75,000 troops making up V Corp in West Germany. Shortly after his arrival, Powell warned the ten bases under his command that after his first tour of a community, his future visits would be with short notice adding that "The smell of fresh paint and the sight of white-washed sidewalks is a sure sign of an insecure commander" (My American Journey, page 321).

Covering up insecurity with whitewash is about as effective as trying to solve a complex problem with assumptions, guesses, and a lot of trying whatever seems like a plausible solution. When we allow the pressure for results to keep us from determining the root cause of a problem, we can expect to see the problem resurface, usually with mutations caused by little fixes that felt like progress but actually complicated the situation.

Chronic fire-fighting and recurring problems are almost always symptomatic of an inadequate process for determining the cause of problems.  Before you name something as the cause of a problem, take the time to ask yourself if the alleged cause can, by itself, explain both what your problem is and what it is not.

In his Creative Whack Pack Roger von Oech tells a story about jazz legend Count Basie's refusal to play in a club until the owner fixed a piano that was perpetually out of tune. A month later, Basie received a call that the piano was ready to play. When he returned to the club, Basie found that the piano was still out of tune.
"You said you fixed it!" said an exasperated Basie.
"I did," said the owner. "I had it painted."

If you're genuinely interested in solving a problem--slow down, put away your paint can, and take the time needed to clearly define your problem and determine its cause. You may not get awards for your speed--but you will likely be recognized for your solutions.

Sleeping Pilots - A Problem You'd Rather Not Anticipate

The summer I graduated from college I took a bus trip from Madison, Wisconsin to Tucson, Arizona. (Everyone should make a 20 hour trip somewhere by bus--it builds character. . .) One afternoon as we drove through the sagebrush, tumbleweeds and miles of flatness called west Texas I was seated near the driver. The sun was warm and the road was boring. I saw the sign that said not to talk to the driver, but I began wondering if I could ignore that little directive when I saw the driver's head begin to bob and his eyelids closing.

A sleepy bus driver is bad--but I could at least see the problem of a potential crash coming and try to stop it. What do you do if the pilot of your airline takes a snooze--just before landing?

A story on TheDenverChannel.com gives new meaning to the value of anticipating problems you can't predict. In 2004 a couple of pilots flying a red-eye from Baltimore to Denver apparently fell asleep and were five miles past where they should begin their descent into Denver International Airport before calls from Air Traffic Control woke them up. (That reminds me of the lady that said she wanted to die in her sleep--just like her grandfather, not screaming like the other people in the car he was driving.)

What caught my attention in this story was the statement by NASA that they had initially refused to release the survey reporting this incident because it might make the public "unnecessarily afraid to fly." A NASA administrator said he could release the survey at the end of the year but would need to remove certain data to prevent lawsuits. You bet!

This story underscores the fact that even with the best critical thinking processes in place, you can't predict and prevent every problem you will encounter. We teach people how to avoid problems by anticipating and planning for them. But life can throw you a curve that all the planning in the world might not anticipate. Living on this planet carries with it an element of risk and every possible problem can't be identified before it happens. That's why it is all the more important to try to identify and prevent the problems you can anticipate.

I fly a lot. I'm going to keep flying. And I'll keep my sanity about what I can't control by acting responsibly in the situations where I can plan for trouble.

Jump-start Your Creativity

This morning I came across an insightful article about ways to stimulate creativity written by a talented writer named Ryan Paugh, co-founder of Employee Evolution. Paugh and colleague Ryan Healy have built a website and more importantly, a network of people dedicated to helping the Millennial generation answer some of the questions they face as they move forward in life. These guys have some good stuff for any generation and their site and blogs are worth your time.

Anyone engaged in this mystery of communication knows the fear that overcomes you when your writing or your speeches begin to look, sound, and smell like that slice of last week's pizza growing strange life forms in the back of your frig. Ryan's ideas reminded me of a deck of cards on my bookshelf called the Creative Whack Pack developed by creative wizard Roger von Oech - a guy that has spent the last 30 years helping people develop their creative capabilities. (His Ph.D. from Stanford is in The History of Ideas.)

One of the cards in this amazing little deck of stimulants quotes Robert Wieder when he said, "Anyone can look for fashion in a boutique or history in a museum. The creative explorer looks for history in a hardware store and fashion in an airport."

If you're looking for a fresh solution or a new idea for a problem you're trying to solve perhaps you need to look for possibilities in new places. When I was a kid and I'd lose something, I remember being told to look for the lost item in a place where I'd least expect to find it--a bit of advice I've found very useful.

Maybe that's good advice for those who need a fresh wave of creative ideas. Look for possibilities in unexpected places and you might be surprised with the results.