Climbing Out of Our Way: Innovative Thinking + Bathroom Blogfest 2011

Three blog articles from Bathroom Blogfest 2011 had me thinking about innovative thinking and how to break through hard-held assumptions that prevent us from effecting positive change [see Switch, Climbing Out, Social Media and Change: Bathroom Blogfest 2011]. In other words, how do we climb out of our own way?

I really enjoyed Denise Lee Yohn's advice in note to ceo: take a crap. It's not too dissimilar from Walking in Her Shoes. But, more intense, gritty, real and effective. One of the wonders that the tools of social media offer is the opportunity to listen to what's being said. Not just about us, but about our category, how we fit into customers' bigger picture. Through tweets and blog posts and Facebook updates, we may humbly absorb what's being said and how we fit in. From there we can figure out how to do things better - assuming we care.

The same exists in the real world; we just forget about it or don't take the time or assume it doesn't matter. So, take note and take a crap!

Speaking of assumptions, Bruce Sanders' Climb Out of Mistaken Assumptions marvelously highlights how assumptions can be totally wrong. Have you encountered a similar situation? How did you discover that you were mistaken?

Isn't it interesting how important communications is? For exploring assumptions and forcing realizations? How do you communicate with your constituents? What methods do you use? Which media have you found effective?

Joseph Michelli's post about Zappos and You’ve been Faced at the Bathroom Blogfest 2011 reminded me of Bathrooms: The best place to communicate to employees [note: be sure to read the comments]. It worked for Joseph! Kudos to Zappos for being so innovative and practical in communicating message. After all, media for communication aren't always digital or even traditional. 
Finally, this FastCoDesign article titled Ideo: How to Turn Social Taboos Into Innovative Products is filled with fascinating insights on innovation based on mistaken assumptions. My favorite has to do with how to reach people who don't even realize there's a solution to their problem. 

In a world where providing value has to do with answering people's questions through remarkable content, how do you craft that content when the person you can help doesn't know which questions to ask?  This is true for the taboo as well as the mundane.

Answer: we listen intensely for those golden insights - with minds purged of mistaken assumptions and open to possibilities... We climb out of our own way.

Here are two favorite bathroom scenes to help you in climbing out.

Ruprecht in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels [click here for link to YouTube]:

And Dennis the Menace raiding Mr. Wilson's bathroom at about the 5 minute mark [click here for link to YouTube]:



Happy Bathroom Blogfest 2011!

Bathroom Blogfest 2011: Climbing Out!

It's official! Bathroom Blogfest 2011 takes place next week from October 24 through 28, 2011. It celebrates the theme of "Climbing Out". I hope you'll join us.

Some details...

UX Magazine published It's Time to "Climb Out" and Rethink the User Experience!

Tile Magazine's Arpi Nalbandian published We're Ready for Bathroom Blogfest 2011. Are you?

The official press release can be found by clicking on Bathoom Blogfest 2011 Urges 33 Bloggers to 'Climb Out', Reinvent Customer Experience

Furthermore, in honor of Bathroom Blogfest 2011, Whittemore and fellow participant Professor Toilet will co-host #KBTribeChat, a weekly Twitter discussion for kitchen and bath industry companies and professionals, on Wednesday, 10/26/11 from 2pm to 3pm EST. The Twitter chat will explore ‘Rethinking the bathroom’

If you'd like to learn more about Bathroom Blogfest 2011, visit http://www.BathroomBlogfest.com. Follow Bathroom Blogfest on Twitter @BathroomBlogfes, look for the tag “#BathroomEXP” on Twitter or ‘Like’ on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/BatrhoomBlogfest. You can also contact me by leaving a comment.

Here is the list of those participating in Bathroom Blogfest ’11:

Susan Abbott - @susanabbott - Customer Experience Crossroads - http://www.customercrossroads.com/customercrossroads/

Paul Anater - @Paul_Anater - Kitchen and Residential Design - http://www.KitchenAndResidentialDesign.com

Shannon Bilby - @shannonbilby – From The Floors Up - http://fromthefloorsup.com/

Toby Bloomberg - @TobyDiva - Diva Marketing - http://bloombergmarketing.blogs.com/bloomberg_marketing/

Laurence Borel - @blogtillyoudrop - Blog Till You Drop - http://www.laurenceborel.com/

Bill Buyok - @AventeTile - Avente Tile Talk Blog - http://tiletalk.blogspot.com/

Jeanne Byington - @ jmbyington - The Importance of Earnest Service - http://blog.jmbyington.com/

Becky Carroll - @ bcarroll7 - Customers Rock! - http://customersrock.net/

Katie Clark - @practicalkatie - Practical Katie - http://practicalkatie.blogspot.com/

Nora DePalma - @noradepalma - O’Reilly DePalma: The Blog - http://www.oreilly-depalma.com/blog/

Paul Friederichsen - @pfriederichsen - The BrandBiz Blog - http://brandbizblog.com/

Tish Grier - @TishGrier - The Constant Observer - http://spap-oop.blogspot.com

Elizabeth Hise - @EHise - Flooring The Consumer ­http://flooringtheconsumer.blogspot.com/

Emily Hooper - @FCNewsMag – Floor Covering News Blog http://www.fcnews.net/category/blog/

Diane Kazan – @dkazan - Urban Design Renovation - http://blog.urbandesignrenovation.com

Joseph Michelli - @josephmichelli - Dr. Joseph Michelli’s Blog - www.josephmichelli.com/blog

Veronika Miller - @Modenus - Modenus Blog - http://www.modenus.com/blog

Arpi Nalbandian - @TileEditor - TILE Magazine Editor Blog - http://www.tilemagonline.com/Articles/Blog_Nalbandian

David Polinchock - @Polinchock - Polinchock’s Ponderings - http://blog.polinchock.com/

Professor Toilet - @ProfessorToilet - American Standard’s Professor Toilet - http://www.professortoilet.com/

David Reich - @davidreich - My 2 Cents - http://reichcomm.typepad.com/my_weblog/

Victoria Redshaw & Shelley Pond - @scarletopus - Scarlet Opus Trends Blog - http://trendsblog.co.uk/

Sandy Renshaw - @purplewren - Purple Wren - http://www.purplewren.com/

Bethany Richmond - The Carpet and Rug Institute Blog - http://www.carpet-and-rug-institute-blog.com/

Bruce Sanders - RIMtailing - http://rimtailing.blogspot.com/

Paige Smith – Neuse Tile Service Blog - http://neusetile.wordpress.com/

Stephanie Weaver - @experienceology - Experienceology - http://experienceology.blogspot.com/

Christine B. Whittemore - @cbwhittemore – Content Talks Business Blog - http://simplemarketingnow.com/content-talks-business-blog/, Simple Marketing Blog http://www.simplemarketingblog.com/, The Carpetology Blog http://carpetology.blogspot.com/, Smoke Rise & Kinnelon Blog - http://smokerise-nj.blogspot.com/

Ted Whittemore - @TedWhittemore – Working Computers - http://www.kinneloncomputers.com/

Chris Woelfel - @tileexperts – Artcraft Granite, Marble & Tile Co. -www.artcraftgmt.com

Patty Woodland - @BrokenTeepee - Broken Teepee - http://www.brokenteepee.com/

Denise Lee Yohn - @deniseleeyohn – brand as business bites - http://deniseleeyohn.com/bites/

Stay tuned and please help us get the word out. I think this is going to be the best Bathroom Blogfest ever!

Best,

C.B.

Bathroom Blogfest Social Media Marketing Analysis: Why Participate?

Why would an 'eclectic' [hat tip to Bruce Sanders] band of bloggers get together once a year to discuss bathrooms in an event called Bathroom Blogfest?  Good question. Especially since we have been doing so for five years now, calling attention to improving the reader, customer, user, patron, patient and other experience using bathrooms as leitmotif.  Let me explain why via the following social media marketing analysis and historic overview! [Fellow BBC, please feel free to chime in!]

First, we share a passion for extraordinary user/customer experiences that we express through our participation in social media.  Bathroom Blogfest allows us to express that passion and then delight in how fellow Bathroom Blogfest participants relate her - and now his - blog focus to bathrooms...

Don't forget that there's a historic quality, too.The event just completed its 5th year!

I like participating in the Bathroom Blogfest because it inevitably brings intense social media marketing learning.

• I consider a blog critical for generating content. It's your marketing & communications hub. An important aspect of a successful blog, though, is connecting and engaging beyond your site to become part of a digital community - something that's easy to lose track of as you focus intensely on creating content consistently and meeting deadlines... The Bathroom Blogfest represents a friendly means for exploring other sites and connecting. I have formed lasting relationships as a result.

• Social media marketing involves experimentation to figure out how to make sense of new tools available. Twitter had no place in the first Bathroom Blogfest; it does now. The intensity of the Bathroom Blogfest experience makes for valuable pressure-testing! Blogposts, tweets, Facebook updates and comments need to be tracked and coordinated and some systems work better than others, particularly with increased complexity. Perhaps we'll add a Twitter Chat next!

• Bathroom Blogfest uncovers brilliance and cleverness; it's a bridge to perspectives otherwise foreign to you. It stretches your awareness and intellect and fires up your creativity.   

• Finally, Bathroom Blogfest has dimension! It takes place offline as well as online. Don't believe me? Try it. Bring it up in conversation with friends, family and business associates. I guarantee it will generate stories, anecdotes, and leads to followup on.

The Bathroom Blogfest has become a meme of sorts, evolving since the first event in 2006.

What started out in 2006 with 9 bloggers has grown into a much larger event and fascinating Bathroom Blogfest Community [aka BBC] with close to 40 bloggers participating in 2010.

We added BathroomBlogfest.com in 2007 to create a central focus point for the blogfest. It has evolved, too, over the years.

Since 2008, we've adopted a distinct theme for the yearly Bathroom Blogfest thereby adding an element of surprise.

We've also integrated additional social media tools as they have become more mainstream.  There was no Twitter to speak of in October 2006 when we first launched the Bathroom Blogfest. It is now an important communications and cooperation platform that drives traffic to sources of larger content [e.g., blogs].  Same goes for Facebook....

To give you a sense of the growth in the Bathroom Blogfest, I thought I would share with you a few charts.

Here you see the increase in traffic to BathroomBlogfest.com from 2009 to 2010. Yes, this is definitely a yearly event with little activity in between.

This next chart details referring sites. Notice that Facebook and Twitter represent important sources. Interestingly, the Twitter traffic spent more time on the Bathroom Blogfest site compared to the Facebook traffic.

I wonder how much stronger the Facebook traffic would be if we were to start re-connecting with Facebook fans a month or so ahead of the Bathroom Blogfest to build up event momentum.

This next chart captures the volume of conversations that Bathroom Blogfest 2010 generated between May 8 through November 8, 2010 [using eCairn Conversation]: close to 400 conversations consisting of Tweets, Facebook updates and approximately 70 blogposts.

The Bathroom Blogfest continues to evolve and I invite you to participate in next year's event, as an active participant or a supporter.


In the meantime, I hope you will look at the bathroom experiences around you with fresh eyes and consider how you might improve your patient, user, customer experience. Oh, and go visit the sites of my fellow Bathroom Blogfest participants. You may want to subscribe to several of them.

What other learnings would you add? 

------------------------

Here are the participants in the past five Bathroom Blogfests:

2006 Bathroom Blogfest

My summary post: Bathroom Blogfest 2006 Comes to a Close

• Susan Abbott in Toronto, Canada at Customer Experience Crossroads
• Reshma Anand in Bangalore, India at What I Do For A Living
• Sara Cantor in Chicago, Illinois at Curious Shopper
• Jackie Huba in Chicago, Illinois at Church of the Customer
• Maria Palma in San Diego, California at Customers Are Always
• Linda Tischler at Fast Company's blog FC Now
• Stephanie Weaver in San Diego, California at Experienceology
• C.B. Whittemore at Flooring The Consumer
• Sandy Renshaw at Purple Wren

2007 Bathroom Blogfest

Bathroom Blogfest 2007 posts: available via this link, this link (2), and this link (3), and finally this link (4).

Kate Rutter—Adaptive Path
Laurence Helene Borel—Blog Till You Drop
Iris Shreve Garrott—checking out and checking in
Susan Abbott—Customer Experience Crossroads
Maria Palma—Customers Are Always
Becky Carroll—Customers Rock!
Toby Bloomberg—Diva Marketing
Stephanie Weaver—Experienceology
Linda Tischler—Fast Company Now
C.B. Whittemore—Flooring the Consumer
Ed Pell—K+B DeltaVee
Helene Blowers—Library Bytes
Claudia Schiepers—Life and its little pleasures
Katie Clark—Practical Katie
Sandra Renshaw—Purple Wren
Reshma Anand—Qualitative Research
Marianna Hayes—Results Revolution
Carolyn Townes—Spirit Women
Sara Cantor—The Curious Shopper
Anna Farmery—The Engaging Brand
Dee McCrorey—The Ultimate Corporate Entrepreneur
Katia S. Adams—Transcultural

2008 Bathroom Blogfest

Theme: Cleaning Up Forgotten Spaces Around Us.

My summary post: Bathroom Blogfest '08- Recapping the Details

Susan Abbott at Customer Experience Crossroads
Katia Adams at Transcultural Marketing
Shannon Bilby at Floor Talk!
Laurence Borel at Blog Till You Drop
Jo Brown and the blogging team at Kohler Talk
Lisbeth Calandrino at Lisbeth Calandrino
Sara Cantor at The Curious Shopper
Becky Carroll at Customers Rock!
Katie Clark at Practical Katie
Iris Shreve Garrott at Circulating
Ann Handley at Annarchy
Marianna Hayes at Results Revolution
Elizabeth Hise and C.B. Whittemore at The Carpetology Blog
Maria Palma at Customers Are Always
Sandra Renshaw at Purple Wren
Kate Rutter at Adaptive Path
Claudia Schiepers at Life and its little pleasures
Carolyn Townes at Becoming a Woman of Purpose
Stephanie Weaver at Experienceology
C.B. Whittemore at Flooring The Consumer

2009 Bathroom Blogfest

Theme: Flush the Recession and Plunge Into Forgotten Spaces.

Summary Post: The Entire Bathroom Blogfest 2009 Lineup

Susan Abbott at Customer Experience Crossroads http://www.customercrossroads.com
Reshma Anand at Qualitative Research Blog http://onqualitativeresearch.blogspot.com/
Shannon Bilby at From the Floors Up http://fromthefloorsup.com/
Shannon Bilby and Brad Millner at My Big Bob’s Blog http://blog.mybigbobs.com/
Laurence Borel at Blog Till You Drop http://www.laurenceborel.com/
Jeanne Byington at The Importance of Earnest Service http://blog.jmbyington.com/
Becky Carroll at Customers Rock! http://www.customersrock.net;
Leslie Clagett at KB Culture www.kbculture.blogspot.com
Katie Clark at Practical Katie http://practicalkatie.blogspot.com/;
Iris Shreve Garrott at Checking In and Checking Out http://circulating.wordpress.com/;
Julie at Julie’s Cleaning Secrets Blog http://cleaningsecrets.greatcleaners.com/
Marianna Hayes at Results Revolution http://www.resultsrevolution.com
Maria Palma at People To People Service http://www.people2peopleservice.com/
Professor Toilet at Professor Toilet’s Blog http://www.professortoilet.com/
David Reich at My 2 Cents http://reichcomm.typepad.com/
Bethany Richmond at The Carpet and Rug Institute Blog http://www.carpet-and-rug-institute-blog.com
Carolyn Townes at Becoming a Woman of Purpose http://spiritwomen.blogpsot.com
Stephanie Weaver at Experienceology http://experienceology.blogspot.com;
C.B. Whittemore at Flooring The Consumer http://flooringtheconsumer.blogspot.com and Simple Marketing Blog http://www.SimpleMarketingBlog.com
Linda Wright at Lindaloo.com: Build Better Business with Better Bathrooms http://lindaloo.com/

2010 Bathroom Blogfest

Theme: Inspired by Mad Men - Stuck in the 60s?

Summary Post: Bathroom Blogfest 2010 Final Recap

Susan Abbott - @susanabbott - Customer Experience Crossroads - http://www.customercrossroads.com/customercrossroads/

Paul Anater - @Paul_Anater - Kitchen and Residential Design - http://www.KitchenAndResidentialDesign.com

Shannon Bilby - @shannonbilby

My Big Bob’s Blog - http://blog.mybigbobs.com/

From The Floors Up - http://fromthefloorsup.com/

Big Bob’s Outlet - http://blog.bigbobsoutlet.com/

Dolphin Carpet Blog - http://blog.dolphincarpet.com/

Carpets N More Blog - http://blog.carpetsnmore.com/

Toby Bloomberg - @TobyDiva - Diva Marketing - http://bloombergmarketing.blogs.com/bloomberg_marketing/

Laurence Borel - @ blogtillyoudrop - Blog Till You Drop - http://www.laurenceborel.com/

Bill Buyok - @AventeTile - Avente Tile Talk Blog - http://tiletalk.blogspot.com/

Jeanne Byington - @ jmbyington - The Importance of Earnest Service - http://blog.jmbyington.com/

Becky Carroll - @ bcarroll7 - Customers Rock! - http://customersrock.net/

Marianna Chapman - @ResultsRev - Results Revolution – http://www.resultsrevolution.com

Katie Clark - @practicalkatie - Practical Katie - http://practicalkatie.blogspot.com/

Valerie Fritz - @Awarepoint - The Awarepoint Blog - http://www.awarepointblog.com/

Nora DePalma - @noradepalma - American Standard’s Professor Toilet - http://www.professortoilet.com/ and O’Reilly/DePalma: The Blog - http://www.oreilly-depalma.com/blog/

Leigh Durst - @LivePath - LivePath Experience Architect Weblog - http://livepath.blogspot.com/

Iris Garrott - @circulating - Checking In and Checking Out - http://circulating.wordpress.com/

Tish Grier - @TishGrier - The Constant Observer - http://spap-oop.blogspot.com

Renee LeCroy - @ReneeLeCroy - Your Fifth Wall - http://yourfifthwall.com/

Joseph Michelli - Dr. Joseph Michelli’s Blog - www.josephmichelli.com/blog

Veronika Miller - @Modenus - Modenus Blog - http://www.modenus.com/blog
Chris Moline - Alexandria Carpet One - http://alexandriacarpetone.wordpress.com

Arpi Nalbandian - @TileEditor - TILE Magazine Editor Blog - http://www.tilemagonline.com/Articles/Blog_Nalbandian

Maria Palma - @mariapalma - People 2 People Service - http://www.people2peopleservice.com/

Reshma Bachwani Paritosh -The Qualitative Research Blog - http://www.onqualitativeresearch.blogspot.com/

David Polinchock - @Polinchock - Polinchock’s Ponderings - http://blog.polinchock.com/

David Reich - @davidreich - My 2 Cents - http://reichcomm.typepad.com/my_weblog/

Victoria Redshaw & Shelley Pond - @scarletopus - Scarlet Opus Trends Blog - http://trendsblog.co.uk/

Sandy Renshaw - @purplewren - Purple Wren - http://www.purplewren.com/ and Around Des Moines - http://www.arounddesmoines.com/

Bethany Richmond - The Carpet and Rug Institute Blog - http://www.carpet-and-rug-institute-blog.com/

Bruce Sanders - RIMtailing - http://rimtailing.blogspot.com/

Steve Tokar - Please Be Seated - http://stevetokar.wordpress.com/

Carolyn Townes - @SpiritWoman26 - Becoming a Woman of Purpose - http://spiritwomen.blogspot.com/

Stephanie Weaver - @experienceology - Experienceology - http://experienceology.blogspot.com/

Christine B. Whittemore - @cbwhittemore

Flooring The Consumer ­http://flooringtheconsumer.blogspot.com/

Simple Marketing Blog http://www.simplemarketingblog.com/

The Carpetology Blog http://carpetology.blogspot.com/

Ted & Christine B. Whittemore - Smoke Rise & Kinnelon Blog - http://smokerise-nj.blogspot.com/

Linda Wright - LindaLoo Build Business With Better Bathrooms - http://lindaloo.com/

Jennifer Young - Secrets in San Diego - http://secretsinsandiego.com

 

Finding the Right Keywords: Bathroom Blogfest 2010

Would you agree that success in business nowadays has a lot to do with choosing the right words?  Keywords and phrases help define us in our minds as well as the minds of our customers.  If our words don't match up with their words, we're doomed. Think 'commode' vs. 'toilet' as we discovered last year during Bathroom Blogfest.

Online Plumbing Evangelist Allan Dick in Talking with Vintage Tub & Bath CMO Allan Dick explains that selling online also benefits off-line stores. I suggest that the same is true for any business. If you can't be found online, you don't exist.

What, then, is the solution for being found?

Find the right keywords! Describe yourself and your expertise succinctly, using terms relevant to your audience. Be sure to include those terms on your website in your content and elsewhere online where you describe yourself and your company [e.g., your LinkedIn profile].

[See WSJOnline.com In Search of Traffic which quotes Dick.]

Dick recommends that retailers "go deep into a market. The big boys almost always go wide. You can then beat them on services and knowledge in your specific market."  I suggest that this is true for most small to medium businesses

Once you've identified the right keywords, be constantly on the lookout for information about how your visitors find you online. Validate and pressure-check your words. Be ready to mine your web analytics reports for additional ideas for relevant content. [See How to Find Content Ideas in Your Web Analytics Report from Content Marketing Institute.] This allows you to go even deeper!

By the way, Online Plumbing Evangelist's most memorable bathrooms are those at the Hearst Castle in California and in rural Italian train stations - obviously for different reasons!

You should also consider social media marketing where, not only will the right keywords help you to strengthen your presence and be found online, but you'll also be able to go deep and establish yourself undeniably as an expert in your category.

To quote Mitch Joel from Six Pixels of Separation in Is Social Media Right For Every Business?:

"What if you sell toilet paper? Are Social Media still right for your business? Charmin released an iPhone app called, Sit or Squat, which allows you to locate, rate, comment on and even add the whereabouts of a clean public toilet. The feature-rich application also allows you to narrow your search to bathrooms that have a baby-changing station (as one of many examples). This crowd-sourced initiative has been downloaded millions of times and - as someone who travels as frequently as I do - has a special place on the first home page of my iPhone. Charmin is enabling and empowering people like you and me to share with the intent of having a better bathroom experience (with the hope you'll consider buying Charmin toilet paper as you make your way through your grocer's aisle). If Charmin can make toilet paper social, what's got you all blocked up?"

By the way, Vintage Tub publishes the Daily Tubber Blog.

Ready to start finding the right keywords? Let me know what you come up with.


Happy Bathroom Blogfest 2010!

Engaging Content Marketing Examples: Bathroom Blogfest 2010

We've reached the end of the Content Marketing Institute series on content engagement.  The last post - 13 Examples of Content that Engages - describes examples of engaging content and highlights what makes them engaging.  I can't imagine better timing than Bathroom Blogfest 2010 for this post and my example!

Previous posts in the series on content engagement include: 

What Does Engaging Content Mean to You?
10 Ways to Make Content More Engaging
Which Tools Help You Measure Content Engagement
How To Measure Engagement.

The following prominent content marketers contributed 13 examples of engaging content marketing: 

Doug Kessler (@dougkessler)
Sarah Mitchell (@globalcopywrite)
Elizabeth Sosnow (@elizabethsosnow)
Stephanie Tilton (@stephanietilton)
CB Whittemore (@cbwhittemore)

Here is my contribution which celebrates Bathroom Blogfest 2010:

The example I’d like to share with you is taking place this very week, from October 25 through 29. It’s called the Bathroom Blogfest and it has been going on since 2006. I consider it an example of engaging content because it creates conversation both online and offline regardless of industry or area of expertise. This year’s event brings together 33 bloggers writing 41 blogs from the US, Canada, the UK and India to address the Mad Men-inspired theme ‘Stuck in the 60s?’ that calls attention to improving the experience of spaces like bathrooms that tend to be overlooked, ignored or otherwise not accorded the attention they should receive.

The fascinating aspect of the Bathroom Blogfest is that the bloggers participating come from a wide range of industries and interests. They are experts in marketing, customer experience and service, public relations, library sciences, museums, home and interior design, life, retail, flooring, user experience and healthcare IT/RTLS and each blogger addresses the same subject from a radically different perspective. They are all experts in creating content relevant to their audiences.

The learnings are real as they all focus on improving the user experience. The content engages because it addresses a universal reality: that we all need bathrooms. Furthermore, we have all experienced situations ‘stuck in the 60s’ that need re-evaluation.

I bet you’re intrigued and considering exploring situations you’ve encountered that are ‘stuck in the 60s’ during the yearly Bathroom Blogfest. It’s worth creating conversation to figure out ways to improve upon them.

Be part of Bathroom Blogfest 2010; use it as a means to connect with your audience to improve their experience. Read the press release; immerse yourself in UX, Bathrooms, and Mad Men. Follow the Bathroom Blogfest on Twitter @BathroomBlogfes where you can look for #BathroomEXP. Become a fan on Facebook and visit the Bathroom Blogfest Blog where you can read through the content from past Bathroom Blogfests.

Disclaimer: I am the Chief Organization & Inspiration Officer for the Bathroom Blogfest.

The range of examples is fascinating and inspiring so do be sure to read the original post.  Once you've done that, I'd love to hear about examples you've come across that you consider engaging content marketing.

Happy Bathroom Blogfest 2010!

Real-Time Marketing & Bathroom Blogfest 2010

Having listened to David Meerman Scott discuss Real-time Marketing, I can't help but appreciate that Bathroom Blogfest 2010's Mad Men inspired theme 'Stuck in the 60s?' represents real-time marketing.

Would you agree?

David's latest book titled Real-Time Marketing and PR: How to Instantly Engage Your Market, Connect with Customers, and Create Products that Grow Your Business Now is due out in November 2010 and he has started to build conversation on the subject.  [You can download the prologue and Chapter 1 of Real-Time Marketing here.]

After all, the best way to get attention for your brand is to connect with something happening in real-time as Wynn Las Vegas did in banning Paris Hilton after her arrest.  Or Surfline.com which offers information on real-time surfing conditions around the world for 1.5 million users...

[By the way, real-time marketing has me thinking about other real-time based services such as RTLS - real time location solutions - for hospitals where what is happening in the moment has significant implications.  Check out fellow Bathroom Blogfester Valerie Fritz' posts on Customer Experience in Hospitals: Why Bathrooms Matter! and Hospitals, RTLS and Bathrooms...]

According to David Meerman-Scott, "Real-time is a mindset." Companies that adopt a real-time mindset are poised to benefit. Take news organizations that have embraced real-time: TMZ, Politico, Huffington Post.

Few companies operate effectively in the present. They typically draw from the past and plan far into the future, leaving the now - i.e., real-time - completely ignored.

Real-time marketing offers significant value for:

Connecting with customers. E.g., hashtags provide access to the back channel on Twitter. Sit/Squat is not only a smartphone app, but it encourages crowd-sourcing.

Creating products. E.g., the Dead sell concert CDs available as you leave the show. They even have an iPhone app [for 2009 concert season].  In the book business, eBooks allow authors to create content in real-time.

Listening to the Market. E.g., Paul Dunay at Avaya does so.

Tapping the Crowd. E.g., Kodak asked customers to help name a new waterproof videocamera.

Engaging the Media.  E.g., working with the media when it is interested. Consider leaving comments on relevant WSJonline [or other] posts and pinging the reporter when you have relevant information to share so you are noticed.

Managing Crises.  E.g., Drudge Report article on a $1.4m airforce hangar door. By responding in real-time, an Air Force Captain was able to upload a picture of the door in question and demonstrate why it cost so much, addressed concerns in a blogpost and turned the story into a non-event in an hour [see Clark Lane: DM Scott says "Lose Control of Your Marketing".]

Other real-time examples that David Meerman Scott brought up:

• The US Navy's $600 toilet seat where Ronald Reagan addressed head on objections to the 'toilet seat'
• CRAP your logo which allows anyone to crate a GAP logo fiasco -inspired logo.

Here are two examples I came across that bring to life Real-Time Marketing:

From Social Times, True Blood, Mad Men and 30 Rock - 10 Hilarious Sesame Street Videos on YouTube
and from Tonic, Twitter Me Elmo: "Sesame Street" Schools Social Media.

Does it get much better than this? Let me know.

Happy Bathroom Blogfest 2010!

Mad Men as Conversation Generator: Bathroom Blogfest 2010

Susan Abbott from Customer Experience Crossroads - creator of the Bathroom Blogfest 2010 logo - is responsible for getting me thinking about Mad Men and realizing what a conversation generator the show has become.

Her July post MadMen shows us a stratified society: things HAVE changed had me thinking about society, culture, business, the work environment.  It inspired the theme for Bathroom Blogfest 2010. After reading Susan's post, I realized that I was missing out on a profound cultural phenomenon - somewhat like the Sopranos, but even more universal since mobsters from New Jersey have limited appeal. 

I have a confession: I haven't watched much of Mad Men. For that matter, I haven't watched much TV lately. The timing is bad; it conflicts with my daughter's bedtime; it distracts from my most productive writing time. I did manage to watch 20 minutes worth but realized I wouldn't be watching much more. To compensate, I read Mad Men Unbuttoned: A Romp Through 1960s America and have been paying closer attention to the Mad Men phenomenon, uncovering in the process a multitude of conversations that span many worlds - from PR, to leadership, fashion, social behaviors and even Sesame Street!

Here are a few examples:

• From Adam Vincenzini's The Don Draper Guide to Social Media Marketing.
• Career Tips from Don Draper [which recommends that you never consider any work 'beneath you' including cleaning the bathroom!]
• 3:17am's discussion Ras’s Web Gems: Is Don Draper Leadership Material?
• From Fashionista, Mad Men Style Recap, Episode 10 [where Don winds up in the bathroom]

I wondered about conversation patterns generated by Mad Men interest. Here's what I discovered.

The chart below captures conversations from my social media marketing database during the past 6 months that refer to Mad Men. Notice the spike when the season started and the sustained level of conversation generated since.

Contrast that with approximately the same number of conversations from my retail experience database for the same six month timeframe. Notice how the conversations ramps up more gently at season launch and get more intense by season ending.

Mad Men generate conversations!

Finally, to highlight what a cultural phenomenon Mad Men has become, check out the Sesame Street version:
 
[Subscribers, click on this YouTube link for Sesame Street's Mad Men.]


What's your take on Mad Men? Have you found signs of it wherever you go? Does it generate conversation? I'd love to hear.

Happy Bathroom Blogfest 2010!

Note: charts generated through eCairn Conversation.

Bathroom Blogfest 2010 Begins.

You've seen the press release about Bathroom Blogfest 2010.  I'm here to confirm that Bathroom Blogfest 2010 has begun!

I'm also here to share with you what I have planned for the week:

On Flooring The Consumer:  I'll be examining how Water Matters, exploring ads and activities related to Bathrooms from the bathroom brands, and addressing bathrooms and the retail experience.

On Simple Marketing Blog, I'll touch on Don Draper from Mad Men fame, share with you the last segment from Content Marketing Institute's engagement series, discuss real-time marketing and even touch on SEO. All with a BathroomEXP angle.

On Carpetology Blog, I'll share with you February 2010 bathroom experiences from Surfaces and Las Vegas.

On The Smoke Rise & Kinnelon Blog, you can count on local New Jersey Bathroom and plumbing experiences.

Definitely a full week.

Stay tuned here, but also visit BathroomBlogfest.com - I'll be issuing regular updates. 

Like Bathroom Blogfest on Facebook.  Follow us on Twitter.

Be part of the fun!

Press Release: Bathroom Blogfest 2010

For Immediate Release: October 18, 2010

Bathroom Blogfest 2010 Draws 33 Bloggers & 41 Blogs To Focus On Experiences 'Stuck In The 60s’

Perspectives Reflect Universality of Bathrooms with Mad Men Twist

Kinnelon, NJ – The 2010 Bathroom Blogfest, now in its fifth year, brings together 33 bloggers from the U.S., Canada, the UK and India to address the 2010 Mad Men inspired theme “Stuck in the 60s?” A blogfest brings together writers who direct their blog posts around a single subject while making the subject relevant to their readers during a specific timeframe. Between October 25 and 29, these experts in marketing, customer experience and service, public relations, library sciences, museums, home & interior design, life, retail, flooring and healthcare IT/RTLS will call attention to improving the overall bathroom experience for end users via their 40 blogs during Bathroom Blogfest 2010.

“This year’s theme “Stuck in the 60s?” is inspired by Mad Men, the show that has captured the imaginations of many for its portrayal of life in the 60s when social and cultural taboos meant that many critical aspects of life – like bathrooms – were ignored, glossed over and treated dreadfully,” said Christine B. Whittemore, who manages the Bathroom Blogfest. “The result is that end users suffered. By calling attention to modern day instances that are “Stuck in the 60s?”, we can reinforce the value associated with being more responsive to the end user experience be those users customers, clients, patients, patrons or consumers,” said the chief simplifier of Simple Marketing Now, Kinnelon, N.J.

The Bathroom Blogfest began in 2006 as the brainchild of Stephanie Weaver, Experienceology author and consultant, and Susan Abbott, a business consultant and consumer researcher in Toronto. “They wanted to generate awareness for bloggers passionate about the customer experience at a time when blogging was more experimental. The Bathroom Blogfest created a forum for focusing on spaces that are not a subject of conversation, even though they should be,” added Whittemore. “As an event it builds relationships and conversations about the user experience demonstrating how universal the relevance and appeal is regardless of the industry.” Participation in the 2010 Bathroom Blogfest has increased 65% compared to 2009.

For more information about the blogfest, visit http://www.BathroomBlogfest.com. Follow Bathroom Blogfest on Twitter @BathroomBlogfes, look for the tag “#BathroomEXP” on flickr, del.icio.us, Technorati, Twitter and Google or ‘Like’ on Facebook. Or, contact Whittemore at cbwhittemore@SimpleMarketingNow.com.

Participating bloggers for the Bathroom Blogfest ’10 include:

• Susan Abbott - @susanabbott - Customer Experience Crossroads - http://www.customercrossroads.com/customercrossroads/

• Paul Anater - @Paul_Anater - Kitchen and Residential Design - http://www.KitchenAndResidentialDesign.com

• Shannon Bilby - @shannonbilby - My Big Bob’s Blog - http://blog.mybigbobs.com/, From The Floors Up - http://fromthefloorsup.com/, Big Bob’s Outlet - http://blog.bigbobsoutlet.com/, Dolphin Carpet Blog - http://blog.dolphincarpet.com/, Carpets N More Blog - http://blog.carpetsnmore.com/

• Toby Bloomberg - @TobyDiva - Diva Marketing - http://bloombergmarketing.blogs.com

• Laurence Borel - @blogtillyoudrop - Blog Till You Drop - http://www.laurenceborel.com/

• Bill Buyok - @AventeTile - Avente Tile Talk Blog - http://tiletalk.blogspot.com/

• Jeanne Byington - @ jmbyington - The Importance of Earnest Service - http://blog.jmbyington.com/

• Becky Carroll - @ bcarroll7 - Customers Rock! - http://customersrock.net/

• Marianna Chapman - @ResultsRev - Results Revolution – http://www.resultsrevolution.com

• Katie Clark - @practicalkatie - Practical Katie - http://practicalkatie.blogspot.com/

• Valerie Fritz - @Awarepoint - The Awarepoint Blog - http://www.awarepointblog.com/

• Nora DePalma - @noradepalma - American Standard’s Professor Toilet - http://www.professortoilet.com/, O’Reilly DePalma: The Blog. http://www.oreilly-depalma.com/blog/

• Leigh Durst - @LivePath - LivePath Experience Architect Weblog - http://livepath.blogspot.com/

• Iris Garrott - @circulating - Checking In and Checking Out - http://circulating.wordpress.com/

• Tish Grier - @TishGrier - The Constant Observer - http://spap-oop.blogspot.com

• Renee LeCroy - @ReneeLeCroy - Your Fifth Wall - http://yourfifthwall.com/

• Joseph Michelli - Dr. Joseph Michelli’s Blog - www.josephmichelli.com/blog

• Veronika Miller - @Modenus - Modenus Blog - http://www.modenus.com/blog

• Arpi Nalbandian - @TileEditor - TILE Magazine Editor Blog - http://www.tilemagonline.com/Articles/Blog_Nalbandian

• Maria Palma - @mariapalma - People 2 People Service - http://www.people2peopleservice.com/

• Reshma Bachwani Paritosh - The Qualitative Research Blog - http://www.onqualitativeresearch.blogspot.com/

• David Polinchock - @Polinchock - Polinchock’s Ponderings - http://blog.polinchock.com/

• David Reich - @davidreich - My 2 Cents - http://reichcomm.typepad.com/my_weblog/

• Victoria Redshaw & Shelley Pond - @scarletopus - Scarlet Opus Trends Blog - http://trendsblog.co.uk/

• Sandy Renshaw - @purplewren - Purple Wren - http://www.purplewren.com/, Around Des Moines - http://www.arounddesmoines.com/

• Bethany Richmond - The Carpet and Rug Institute Blog - http://www.carpet-and-rug-institute-blog.com/

• Bruce Sanders - RIMtailing - http://rimtailing.blogspot.com/

• Steve Tokar - Please Be Seated - http://stevetokar.wordpress.com/

• Carolyn Townes - @SpiritWoman26 - Becoming a Woman of Purpose - http://spiritwomen.blogspot.com/

• Stephanie Weaver - @experienceology - Experienceology - http://experienceology.blogspot.com/

• Christine B. Whittemore - @cbwhittemore - Flooring The Consumer ¬http://flooringtheconsumer.blogspot.com/, Simple Marketing Blog http://www.simplemarketingblog.com/, The Carpetology Blog http://carpetology.blogspot.com/

• Ted & Christine B. Whittemore - Smoke Rise & Kinnelon Blog - http://smokerise-nj.blogspot.com/

• Linda Wright - LindaLoo Build Business With Better Bathrooms - http://lindaloo.com/

# # #


About Simple Marketing Now LLC
Simple Marketing Now, a marketing communications consultancy, helps organizations integrate social media and content marketing with traditional marketing to better connect with customers and improve business profitability. For more information, visit http://SimpleMarketingNow.com.

Whittemore On Bizzuka's User Friendly Thinking With Munsell & Chaney

I had a blast last Friday, November 6, 2009 on User Friendly Thinking BlogTalkRadio with Bizzuka CEO John Munsell and my friend Paul Chaney. The topic was 'flooring' the consumer!

Paul and John promoted the BlogTalkRadio program as follows:

On the Friday, November 6, episode of User Friendly Thinking radio, our guest is C. B. Whittemore, marketing consultant with Simple Marketing Now LLC. We're going to be discussing flooring the consumer. Of course, there is more to the term "flooring" than meets the eye. C.B. was formerly Director, In-Store Innovation for Solutia's Wear-Dated carpet fiber. We will be talking about ways to improve the customer retail experience and about businesses, both digital and brick/mortar, who are passionate about meeting the needs of their consumers and who successfully bridge traditional marketing with social marketing. C. B. is also the editor of Flooring the Consumer, a blog about improving customer experience. Join us Friday, November 6, at noon central for another edition of User Friendly Thinking radio.

After we got through the basics [i.e., my background and Simple Marketing Now] and discussed whether shag carpet was coming back, John asked me to discuss in more detail 'flooring' the consumer and how that notion led to starting Flooring The Consumer, my blog about the retail experience and marketing to women.

From there, we explored my philosophy of 'simple marketing,' bridging new and traditional forms of marketing, how social media aids in improving the customer experience and how offline customer service relates to the online equivalent.

We touched on websites and how to ensure that they look 'alive' - BTW, do check out Bizzuka's recently launched social site for their client Dr. Dale Archer, which we talked about - and the Bathroom Blogfest [lucky Paul and John visited both Flooring The Consumer and Simple Marketing Blog right smack in the middle of all of the Bathroom Blogfest excitement! Can you imagine?]. Finally, we exchanged perspectives on where advertising and marketing are headed.

Here's a link to the full one hour interview: Flooring The Consumer with C.B. Whittemore.

And, here's the lineup for the next few interviews on User Friendly Thinking on BlogTalkRadio:

11/13/09: Melissa Ward, will discuss using Facebook for business @ 1pm EST

11/20/09: Dan Kehrer - Business.com

12/4/09: Shannon Lane - travel blogger/writer @cajun_mama on Twitter

12/11/09: Gary Vaynerchuk

I also recommend that you check out past episodes of User Friendly Thinking, all of which include amazing insights from the most User Friendly Thinkers around.

Thank you, John and Paul, for a wonderful and lively opportunity to discuss a subject that I feel so passionately about! And, John, I look forward to meeting you in person soon so we can continue the conversation.


Technorati Tags: Bizzuka User Friendly Thinking BlogTalkRadio Paul Chaney John Munsell flooring the consumer customer experience social media digital marketing CB Whittemore Del.icio.us Tags: Bizzuka User Friendly Thinking BlogTalkRadio Paul Chaney John Munsell flooring the consumer customer experience social media digital marketing CB Whittemore

Whittemore On Customers Rock! Radio

Becky Carroll from Customers Rock! has launched Customers Rock! Radio. It's a weekly hour-long radio program focused on growing customer relationships and creating WOW customer experiences - something that Becky is passionate about and celebrates on her blog.

Becky invited me to take part in her Customers Rock! Radio program on Monday, October 19th, 2009 to discuss marketing to women, the customer experience, the retail experience and the 4th annual Bathroom Blogfest. We had a blast.

You can experience the program for yourselves via these links to the MP3 audio:

Part I: Meeting Women's Expectations on the Sales Floor - C.B Whittemore
Becky and C.B Whittemore, Chief Simplifer, Simple Marketing Now, discuss women's expectations of the retail shopping experience, why it is important to consider the customer experience, as well as experience considerations in retail and online.

Part II: Bathroom Blogfest: Overlook Aspects of the Customer Experience - C.B Whittemore
Becky and C.B Whittemore talk about how even “forgotten spaces” such as bathrooms impact a customer’s perception of our company. Brands mentioned include ABC Carpet (in New York).

Part III: Leveraging Social Media - C.B Whittemore
Becky and C.B Whittemore talk about social media and the customer experience, the importance of listening to chatter via social media, and how it relates to traditional marketing tools. Brands mentioned include Fiskars and Zappos.

Part IV: Tips for Being More Customer-Focused
Becky wraps up the program with the Tips segment of the show. This week, Becky discusses tips for incorporating customer service with social media, along with a few examples of companies doing it well. Brands mentioned include Comcast, Zappos, and BestBuy.

Becky has also invited Jeanne Bliss, Esteban Kolsky, and Michael Brito onto Customers Rock! Radio.

By the way, Becky Carroll participated in my Bridging New & Old social media series, sharing valuable insights.

Thank you, Becky, for a lively Customers Rock! conversation and for including me in your program!


Technorati Tags: Customers rock Becky Carroll Customers Rock Radio customer experience marketing to women retail experience bathroom blogfest social media Del.icio.us Tags: Customers rock Becky Carroll Customers Rock Radio customer experience marketing to women retail experience bathroom blogfest social media

Flush The Recession Simply & Ecologically

The Bathroom Blogfest 09 theme is "Flush The Recession & Plunge Into Forgotten Spaces." To me that captures creativity - flush out useless assumptions - and simplicity - flush out needless complexity - and paves the way for relentless focus on what matters to end users and customers. Doing so allows you to explore - or plunge into - forgotten spaces and unexpected approaches for solving insurmountable challenges including ecological ones.

Jim Gould shared how "making things simple is not simple." But, simple can be elegant and, as BJ Fogg explained, simplifying successfully can be persuasive.

For example, being inspired by a walnut shell to create an asymmetrical bathtub as described in MetropolisMag.com Comfort Zone. What a beautiful and simple solution! The end result is ergonomic and optimized for reclining on one end and reading from the other. The material insulates better; the tub is molded in a single less costly and time-consuming operation not subject to cracks along seams; the interior incline insures that no water remains in the tub.

Another example is identifying supply chain solutions for supporting sustainable tissue paper products as Kimberly-Clark has via WWF's Global Forest & Trade Network. Again, simple.

And, although done here to save money, what about shifting from four-ply to two-ply tissue as the California Riverside County government has [interesting perk, wouldn't you say?].

As I observe elegant and simple solutions around me, I can't help but be impressed. They solve problems and do so in an eye-catching and memorable way. They are also practical and efficient.

Take this toilet from the recently renovated ladiesroom at the NYC Princeton Club.

And, what about developing elegant and practical approaches to flushing with less water? Here, also from the NYC Princeton Club ladies room, an art-like chrome flush mechanism. Notice the two flushing options...

Although more utilitarian, the ladiesroom from the Herman Miller office in NYC, the first LEED Gold space in the city, also offers a two flush option.

I discovered it this past June 30th, 2009, when I attended a luncheon panel on The Green Consumer: Fact, Fiction and the Future of Marketing sponsored by The Women's Network for a Sustainable Future with Andrea Learned.

This was my first experience having a choice between high or low water volume to use. My reaction: simple, practical and ecologically responsible.

Don't you love these type solutions? I do.

Thanks to the Bathroom Blogfest, I've had the opportunity to pay attention and admire ones that truly seem to Flush The Recession, simply and ecologically.

Thank you for reading and participating in Bathroom Blogfest 09.

I hope this post inspires you to find inspiration everywhere you look and to consider new approaches to the tried and true.

Technorati Tags: Bathroom Blogfest Bathroom Blogfest 09 #ladiesrooms bathrooom experience sustainability Herrman Miller Princeton Club womens network for a sustainable future Andrea Learned Del.icio.us Tags: Bathroom Blogfest Bathroom Blogfest 09 #ladiesrooms bathrooom experience sustainability Herrman Miller Princeton Club womens network for a sustainable future Andrea Learned