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The fact that the beloved charity that owns the pink ribbon decided to pull its financial support of Planned Parenthood (a decision that was reversed three days later) in the end will help the Planned Parenthood brand even more than it damages the brand of Susan G. Komen for the Cure, a nonprofit to which some 200 organizations like Ford, Major League Baseball, and BofA connect. 

Here are the four key ways Planned Parenthood benefits: 

Positive PR.  The decision provided enormous publicity about Planned Parenthood and provided visibility of key statistics, like that it provides 165,000 breast cancer screens and 6,500 mammograms to low-income women who lack access to care, and the fact that only 3% of the budget is allocated to abortion services. This information got widespread exposure and, more important, an attentive, receptive, and enormous audience.

Improved image.  The decision puts Planned Parenthood in a feisty underdog position fighting back against powerful self-centered political interests. For a brand, it doesn't get any better than being perceived as an underdog taking on a bully--look at Virgin vs. British Airlines and many others. Whatever the decision process or motivation of Komen, the widespread interpretation of the decision was that it was caused by political pressure. There was, of course, the political tension around Planned Parenthood. But there was also the addition to the Komen staff of a former Georgia candidate for the Republican nomination for governor who ran with a strong anti-Planned Parenthood platform. And the ostensible reason the funding was pulled was because of an inquiry by a strong anti-Planned Parenthood Republican congressman. The lingering impression is that Planned Parenthood was a pawn that was being crushed by an ideological confrontation.    

More funding.  One role of the brand is to attract funding. Komen's decision drew many new donors to Planned Parenthood, who will provide major sources of ongoing funding. Within 24 hours of Komen's decision, donors had contributed nearly enough to cover the funding Komen pulled, and the number of online donors surged from the typical 100 or 200 a day to 6,000. This surge of financial goodwill was buttressed and legitimatized by credible sources like Mayor Mike Bloomberg of New York and the Lance Armstrong’s Livestrong Fund, who put substantial matching funds on the table. Also, the decision probably solidified the long-term support of Komen for the Cure to Planned Parenthood. The Komen brand will face problems in retrieving its image as an organization that puts care for those women that lack access to health care over political ideological pressure. Any effort that appears to withhold support for Planned Parenthood would affect the difficult journey to regain its credibility and position.

Higher energy.  The decision created involvement in the base. The social media activity, in particular, was enormous and the fundraising was also energizing. Increasing the size of the involved base, those who participate in the dialogue and donate money, will pay off for years. It is just so hard to generate this energy with normal day-to-day activity.   

There has been a lot of analysis about the brand impact of the Komen decision and how it was handled--but sometimes lost in the conversation has been how the Planned Parenthood brand was unintentionally boosted by the incident. 

Related: How Susan G. Komen For The Cure Torpedoed Its Brand 

[Image: Flickr user Timothy Krause]

How Susan G. Komen For The Cure Torpedoed Its Brand

What a difference a week makes.

On Tuesday, January 31, Susan G. Komen For The Cure announced that it would not renew its grants to Planned Parenthood for breast cancer exams, claiming that it doesn't permit funding to organizations under investigation by Congress. This is equal to more than half a million dollars for low-income women who otherwise would have no options for breast cancer screening and other services.

This announcement was not made publicly, but instead communicated to Komen’s 100-plus U.S. affiliates. Quietly. A done deal. Not up for discussion. Cecile Richards, president of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, got the news by phone in December, and was unsuccessful in setting up a meeting to clarify the issue with the Komen board.

Critics pointed out that the Planned Parenthood was the only organization affected by the new rule, and that the real reason was that Karen Handel, the new senior vice-president for public policy, is a self-described evangelical Christian who has stated that “I do not support the mission of Planned Parenthood.” It’s hard not to see women’s health getting politicized.

And at this point you might be saying: What? Did they think people wouldn’t find out about this? Does the board of Komen not know about social media? Did they learn nothing from SOPA?

What happened next was that social media exploded. On Twitter, on Facebook, in online petitions and letters and blogs and message boards. Public figures like Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) and Rep. Jackie Speier (D-Calif.) withdrew their support for Komen. Three top officials at Komen resigned their positions. Individual Komen affiliates said they would not abide by the new rule. And 26 U.S. senators signed a letter asking Komen to reconsider its position on Planned Parenthood.

The term “backlash” is an understatement. Yet Komen’s CEO Nancy Brinker (pictured, top) insisted that the public response had been “very, very favorable.”

Then the spin started. On Wednesday, Komen claimed the decision was made “in the best interests of women” (by denying poor women breast cancer screening?). And on Thursday, Brinker said that "You have to be sure you are granting to the right people."

The “right” people?” Hey, dig yourself a little deeper!

Finally, on Friday, Komen did the obvious and reversed their decision. Brinker apologized in a statement and said that the new rule would only apply to investigations that were “criminal and conclusive in nature." They didn’t promise to renew the grants, only to ensure that Planned Parenthood is eligible for them in the future. They said "sorry," but it was a not-pology.

It’s incredible that the folks who run Komen were so clueless about the effect their actions would have on a brand that’s been built over three decades. They completely ignored both the mainstream press coverage, as well as social media outcry; they chose not to communicate with their supporters, either through Facebook or Twitter, and made transparently disingenuous statements to the press, in light of information coming from former Komen employees and documentation. 

Will the Komen brand ever recover? Unfortunately for them, they were already getting some negative publicity for their tendency to sue anyone using the phrase “For The Cure” and the color pink for other charities. While they certainly have the right to protect their intellectual property, Komen comes off as a big bully when they start sending cease-and-desist letters to tiny charities run by individuals.

They are going to have to work long and hard to win back the masses of people who now view them as an organization driven more by politics and the personal beliefs of its executives than its concern for women’s health, in whatever form that may take. One wonders if Handel or Brinker will have to step down to effect the change. Or perhaps they’ll decide that they want to hitch their wagon to a particular ideology, and stop pretending that they aren’t pushing an agenda.

The good news out of this debacle is that Planned Parenthood has raised an enormous amount of money--nearly a million dollars, donated directly to them. You can, too, if you're so inclined.

And while you’re at it, write a letter to Nancy Brinker to let her know what you think. Perhaps someone can explain that “very, very favorable” does not mean what she thinks it means. 

Related: Planned Parenthood's Unplanned Branding Bonanza

Laurel Sutton is a partner and cofounder at Catchword, a full-service naming firm.

[Image: Flickr user Elaine]

Marketing Lessons From An Accidental Con Man

In a previous Fast Company article, I wrote about hitchhiking. Specifically, what I’ve learned about hitching a ride in semi-rural South Africa and how these strategies apply to marketing. I learned something by accident last month that took my thumbing skills to a whole new level.

I Buy a Bicycle

I live in an area with steep hills, dangerous switchbacks, potholes the size of dorm refrigerators, and occasionally incompetent and frequently insane motorists. So naturally I thought: “A mountain bike would be fun here.”

My friend Anthony was selling his old Merida Matts Sport 500. I took it for a spin around his yard, liked it, and told him I’d be back with the money after my next encounter with an ATM.

Given the risks and the fact that most of my income-producing power begins between my ears and ends up at my keyboard, I also picked up a helmet and a pair of bike gloves. And at 8:30 a.m. on a momentous Wednesday, I began walking up the road to Anthony’s house wearing, rather than carrying, the helmet and gloves.

I hadn’t walked 20 meters when a big, new, shiny Toyota SUV roared past, slammed on the brakes, and backed up toward me. A genial tourist leaned out his window and beckoned, “Need a lift?” 

Gratefully, I accepted. I had been feeling a bit dorky about wearing the helmet and gloves on the walk, so I was glad to speed up the trip and reduce my exposure. I wondered about my good fortune; in my experience a man traveling alone is more likely to have a pair of bluebirds alight on his head than get a ride if he actively solicits one. To get offered a ride, unasked, is unheard of.

When I plopped myself down, SUV Man inquired pleasantly, “Your bike broken?”

So that’s what was going on. My helmet and gloves had provided a Reason Why.

Not a Fluke

Later that day, after Anthony couldn’t find a pump with a Presta valve, I walked my flat-tired Merida several kilometers to the cycle shop at Mountain Splendour. Again, wearing helmet and gloves. This time, for added effect, I was pushing a big blue bike down a hill. And again, I received an unsolicited offer of a lift.

How to Hitch a Ride in South Africa

So now I know how to reliably get a ride around here. I just wear my Bell Slant helmet and start walking. Before, drivers had to wonder why a healthy-looking white guy didn’t have his own car. (In South Africa, that’s pretty much an anomaly.) Now they know why I need a ride: My bike must have broken down somewhere.

Once my situation makes sense to them, the ride offers come easily, often unrequested. The Reason Why alleviates their fears that I might be a Psycho Killer or Unpleasant Travel Companion. It also gives them a reason to pick me up: I’m in need, and they’re the kind of person who helps strangers in need.

The only thing that had changed about me was the Reason Why. The power of that insight applies to our businesses as well. 

The Power of Reason Why

Human beings are programmed to make sense of the world, to look for patterns and predict outcomes. It’s how our species survived, adapted, and thrived in so many different environments. And one of the strongest patterns is cause and effect--reasons why certain things happen.

Social psychologist Ellen Langer found that human beings exhibit an automatic response pattern of saying yes when given a reason. In a fascinating study reported in Robert Cialdini’s Influence, Langer and her colleagues asked to cut in line at a library photocopy machine with one of three statements:

"Excuse me. I have 5 pages. May I use the Xerox machine because I'm in a rush?""Excuse me. I have 5 pages. May I use the Xerox machine?""Excuse me. I have 5 pages. May I use the Xerox machine because I have to make some copies?"

The first request (“because I’m in a rush”) worked 94% of the time. The second request (no reason) received only 60% positive responses. The third request (“because I have to make some copies”) succeeded in 93% of cases. “Because I have to make some copies” is not, of course, an actual reason. It’s simply phrased in the form of a reason, and that was sufficient to trigger the automatic “that sounds reasonable” response.

Reason Why Marketing

I’m not suggesting that you pepper your marketing with meaningless reasons (“Buy our product because we say so”). Rather, acknowledge the natural skepticism of your market to any claim of superiority or dramatic difference and tell 'em why it’s so.

All business advantage is founded on some anomaly. You have a unique set of experiences that makes you better than anyone else at a particular skill. You engineered a new business model. You found a pool of talent that others had overlooked. You have a patent on a process or material that sets you apart.

It’s not enough to describe the difference or the advantage you hold in the marketplace. Reason Why Marketing explains the difference and makes it believable, credible, even obvious. 

People are naturally skeptical of competitive claims, but we want to believe. We cling to Reasons Why as life vests in a sea of mediocrity and sameness. We’re passionate about the companies that create, and demonstrate, and justify their Uniqueness.

Some Examples of Reason Why Marketing

Why are Apple products so good? Because Steve Jobs was a hyper-driven visionary perfectionist who imbued the company with an ethos of innovation and elegance.

Why is Zappo’s customer service so good? Because Zappo’s spends huge amounts of money on training, creates a fantastic workplace environment, and empowers employees to do almost anything to make customers happy. 

Why are Surefire flashlights so good? Because the company was founded by an engineer with a PhD in laser design who saw the potential of outfitting weapons with laser sights almost 30 years ago.

Why is your company so good? If the answer doesn’t immediately pour out of you, go into reminiscence mode. Why was the company founded? What’s the background of the founders? What was missing in the industry that they wanted to deliver? What was their particular passion? What unique set of perspectives influenced their decisions?

If you truly offer something dramatically better in your marketplace, Reason Why Marketing may be the missing core of your message. In a world where most businesses rely on meaningless platitudes (“Value, service, integrity”) or unfounded claims (“The leading purveyor”), a simple “This Is Why” explanation can cut through the clutter and position you as the obvious choice.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go to town. Wallet, keys, phone, helmet…

[Image: Flickr user Nemodus]

Is "Command and Collaborate" the New Leadership Model?

The theme at Davos this year was "The Great Transformation: Shaping New Models." One of the models up for discussion was leadership. Panels with titles like "Leading Under Pressure" and "New Leadership Models from China" abounded. While speaking at a private dinner hosted by PwC on the topic of leadership and values in a volatile world, the questions put to me were, "What leadership traits will be paramount in the future?" and "What are the new expectations the public has for business leaders?"

On reflection, it struck me that the conversation this year was very different than in years past. We were no longer talking about reinventing leadership but about adding new elements to the old model. An additive operation in the algebra of change, as my colleague Stuart Albert would put it, not a subtractive or transformative process.

On the opening morning at Davos, I attended a session entitled, "The New Context for Leadership." Up for discussion were purpose-driven leadership, collaborating across organizational boundaries, and inspiring the younger generation. Peter Grauer, the Chairman of Bloomberg, talked about the results of a study to identify what leadership competencies were most valued in his company. The top performers had contradictory attributes, what he called the "and" factor: They had future vision but were tactically strong; they provided strong guidance but were open to challenge; they relied on extensive networks but were also capable of moving fast (i.e., unilaterally); they were hands-on but also empowering.

A similar idea was advanced at the Women Leader's dinner on Friday night. Michelle Bachelet, the former Chilean president, said that in changing times the best leaders are those who can be generals one day and consensus-builders the next. Josette Sheeran, U.N. World Food Program Executive Director, agreed, stating that today's leadership still needs to be hierarchical but also needs to be flexible.

Since the 2008 economic crisis, two very different "rhetorics" about leadership have coexisted. One, the traditional rhetoric, says that our perpetually shifting environment calls for leadership that is more decisive and crisis-oriented than the slow and consensual style that we might prefer in more munificent times. The second, more "politically correct" rhetoric says that the old, command and control model is responsible for many of the problems of the recent years and that only with a more collaborative and inclusive leadership will we get the flexibility, innovation, and new thinking that we need to prosper in a fast-changing and hyper-connected world.

Now it seems that we have settled on a solution — not "either/or," but "yes/and." Like Janus, the Greek god depicted as a man with two heads, each facing in opposite directions, our new leader can and must have it both ways: command and collaborate.

There is obvious practical benefit to this kind ambidexterity. But does it exist, and does it inspire? Or is it just a theoretical model? The people who come to mind when I ask my students about a leader they admire fit the "command rhetoric" (e.g., Steve Jobs) or the "collaborate rhetoric" (e.g., Gandhi), but not both. Never in 23 years of teaching MBA and executive courses have I heard someone cited because of his or her capacity to "code-switch" their leadership style. In fact, when we see leaders who do this effectively, we question their authenticity.

But my questions are not rhetorical, for these are clearly complex and volatile times. Are we looking for leaders who can supplement the traditional tool kit, or do we want leaders who will transform it?

The Five Proofs of Facebook's IPO

The record-breaking Facebook IPO proves a number of things. But one thing it won't prove is that investors who buy now will get wealthy.

Facebook's success confirms these ideas:

The value of networks. Networks become more valuable as the number of users increases. As the largest undifferentiated network that anyone can join, Facebook's value comes from the fact that anyone can join. As numbers climbed into the millions and now close to a billion users, Facebook becomes mandatory, not optional, for those who wish to reach their friends or their potential customers.

The power of platforms. Launching "Platform" in 2007 enabled developers to build apps for the Facebook website. And of course Facebook itself is simply a way for others to create content and share it however they wish — with strangers or with intimates.

The importance of partners. Attracting Zynga and other social game developers who could sell virtual goods arguably helps Facebook with another way to make money besides advertising revenue.

The huge human hunger for connections. Facebook offers intimacy and a feeling of belonging in an increasingly impersonal world. It helps like-minded people sort through the crowd and communicate with peers, with sometimes revolutionary effects.

Now back to the IPO. The gargantuan valuation of $100 billion proves another truth:

The triumph of hope over experience. Facebook could indeed exceed expectations — anything is possible in this world of constant surprises — but history offers a different perspective. To be the next Apple on a sustainable basis will require another wave or two of major innovation. Simply mining the current platform and data won't be enough.

Before Facebook was born, in the distant past of a dozen-plus years ago, there was a dotcom bubble accompanied by proclamations that the Internet changed the laws of business, that business cycles were over, and that cyberspace knew no limits. Valuations soared, until the crash dashed hopes and lost billions. Now social networks are supposed to be different and change the rules. Facebook is certainly a force for enormous change in many social institutions, as Mark Zuckerberg says. He will be a mega-billionaire after the IPO. But that doesn't mean that ordinary investors can bet their financial futures on friending Facebook.

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The reality of web marketing is that almost all of it happens on platforms that are owned by others. Platform owners, such as Facebook or Google, have provided environments where some things are easy to do, some things are much harder to do, and some things simply can't be done. Even tougher for marketers is that these systems are constantly changing as the platforms evolve and grow. The best way to keep attention and stay up to date is to appeal to the philosophy of each platform's users.

In the last few years, Facebook has gone through major growth — from businesses using Groups and Profiles to Pages, which are still changing on their own. This evolution was met by a lot of complaining and foot-dragging by the marketers who were responsible for converting their Group to a Page, or similar issues on other sites. Google+ even launched without support for business features and a rule that any business on the website would be taken off until business features were actually launched.

While there is no escaping the changing systems for these platforms, there are ways that you can be better prepared. Marketers who ask themselves the following questions will rarely get caught off guard because their marketing actually speaks to their audience and doesn't hinge on a specific feature or method of outreach.

Why did the platform come about?
Each marketing platform, whether digital or not, came together with an original purpose or goal: sharing content, keeping in touch, spreading news, and so on. Facebook started so that people could share things they like and keep in touch. While Facebook changes its functionality from time to time, they have stayed true to their core philosophy and tried to make it easier and safer for their users to do more. Other platforms are the same way. Start your plans by looking at how and why the platform began to exist. For example, Google started the AdWords platform, in part, because they could serve ads similar to the keywords users searched.

Google often updates the Terms of Service for their AdWords product. Instead of getting bitten every time this happens, look at Google's goals for the AdWords product and make sure that your ads match where Google is trying to go by writing relevant, useful advertisements. Google even gives incentives to people who write strong, successful ads with lower prices and better placements since that benefits them on every angle. It's also critical to Google that people trust AdWords ads and find them useful, or Google risks losing their main profit center.

What is the killer feature for the platform's audience?
Instead of planting your ads on the edges of what's acceptable or re-using the same strategy on many sites, optimize your work for long-term success by working with customer interest. Create a buyer persona for the people who use each platform, and then use that to develop your strategy. When you've figured out exactly what the perfect item is for that audience, you can create something that has a chance at being really successful.

Zynga, a game company that makes social games primarily for Facebook, has appealed to their customers through the culture of sharing. Their games incorporate the sharing atmosphere very well by encouraging users to share their progress and favorite games with their friends as they play. By aligning their product's marketing with Facebook's culture of sharing, Zynga gets their top users to do their marketing for them, and is unlikely to be disrupted by any platform changes that Facebook makes.

Where else is your audience active online?
As you develop a strategy and methodology for each platform that you are on, continue to research and track what other sites or systems your customers are using. These are all additional opportunities to capture the attention of your audience. If you're not sure what those other platforms are, conduct a survey or ask a few of your current customers where else they're active online. This is valuable intelligence about where to spread your marketing content. Creating customer interaction on multiple platforms will allow you to build a deeper and stronger relationship with your audience. Just be sure that instead of just copying the same strategy and hoping it works somewhere else, you use what you've learned to create something new.

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Chevy is the latest to ditch Madison Avenue and ask fans to create its Super Bowl ad. Past examples show the move isn't just cost effective--it builds brands' buzz (we have stats!) and helps young careers.

Nick Simotas, cofounder of GoodLookingLiars.com Winning spot: "First Date" for Pepsi Max, 2011. (Internal monologues of a couple: She thinks family; he thinks sex. They both think Pepsi Max.) Self-taught: "At first we tried hit-in-the-crotch humor, but it was off-putting. We needed something broader. Everyone can relate to the awkwardness of a first date." Production value: Prior to his win, Simotas worked as an editor on a Nickelodeon show. Following that, he got a gig directing a project at Lucasfilm. "[The ad] gave me the edge to push things over the top," he says.

Pete Holmes, cofounder of Front Page Films Winning spot: "Doritos Beer" for Doritos, 2009. (Guy pitches beer-flavored chips to execs.)Self-taught: "Ad firms spend millions on research, but we just had ourselves. We first thought of Doritos Scotch but had to consider that consumers might not want a hard-liquor chip."Production value: Holmes, a comedian (and voice of the E*Trade baby), is a familiar face at Comedy Central and is currently a writer for the Fox sitcom I Hate My Teenage Daughter. "In the backs of producers' minds, winning the contest gave us some legitimacy."

Brand stats tracking postgame buzz by BrandIndex, Networked Insights Photo by Imeh Skpanudosen/Getty Images (Holmes)

A version of this article appears in the February 2012 issue of Fast Company.

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February 3, 2012 -- HTML 5 Promo Player 2
The End of Customer Service Heroes

An interview with Frances Frei and Anne Morriss, authors of Uncommon Service: How to Win by Putting Customers at the Core of Your Business.

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