Cineplex is currently experimenting with Toronto-based interactive mobile app TimePlay during its pre-show. Today was the first time that I had the chance to play with it. The app seems to be a great tool to make Cineplex’s pre-show more interesting to its audience and maybe get the movie-goers sitted earlier.

The hook is simple. During the pre-show the host invites the audience to connect to a wi-fi connection called TimePlay, open their browser and download the app. The good news is the app is available for iPhone, BlackBerry and Android devices, however, the host also provides a phone number that you can call if you can’t do the download. Once it gets close to the end of the pre-show, the host walks the audience through the app set-up and briefly explains how it works.

TimePlay is still in the testing phase here in the TGA and if it goes well, access will be extended to the rest of the country. Between the Ford Focus and the Canon Powershot ad, I’d pick the latter because a coupon seems more interesting than just picking a character. However, I’d be all over an ad that gives me both the interactive experience and a special deal

As an advertiser, I’d be interested in the backend data and how the audience is interacting with the ads. Moving forward, TimePlay could be a very interesting platform if it had the ability to connect to social platforms and be used to identify and reward brand ambassadors in the audience. I hope Cineplex is thinking about it as we speak

Learn more about TimePlay at Cineplex.com.

P.S.: Haywire is a great film. It’s awesome to see a female lead kicking some ass for a change!

(clique aqui para ler em português)

I consider myself a very optimistic person. I know I have my days of grumpiness, but even then I believe that it will get better. The only exception is when I am asking for something and a salesperson tries to push me to buy another thing that I don’t want or need. It doesn’t matter if I am buying a book, a new haircut or a pair of shoes. If I tell whoever I am talking to that I, the customer, want a specific thing, I do want that thing and I will only buy that thing. So, please don’t try to convince me to do the opposite.

In Canada, I’ve learned that the word patronizing defines this type of customer service attitude that I often struggle with. It means that the person that you’re speaking with assumes that THEY know what’s best for you and just try to talk you into doing what they want. Unfortunately, to me, it’s just straight up bad sales training and disrespectful. I know that we are all trying to get back on our feet in the middle of an economic crisis and we all need to make a living, but this is definitely not the best approach for someone like me.

So, instead pushing your clients, learn to bring them closer. Listen to their own suggestions and if they get repetitive, like I do, just give them what they want!

Am I the only one who hates this type of sales approach? Do you have a good story to share?

If you’re really lost and have no idea of how build a relationship with your customers, the old Dale Carnegie’s How to Win Friends and Influence People might be a good start

P.S.: By the way, Chipotle always serves what I ask for…

Eu me considero uma pessoa otimista. Eu reconheço os meus momentos de mal-humor, mas mesmo durante os meus momentos mais desafiantes, eu mantenho uma atitude otimista. A única exceção é quando um vendedor(a) tenta me convencer de que eu preciso comprar algo que eu não quero. Não importa se é um livro, um corte de cabelo ou uma par de sapatos. Se eu, a cliente, digo que quero comprar A, eu realmente quero e só vou comprar A. Então, por favor, não tente me vender B.

Aqui no Canadá eu aprendi que a palavra patronizing define esse tipo de atendimento que me incomoda. A palavra significa que se a pessoa com a qual você fala insiste na atitude de que ELE/A sabe o que é melhor para você. Infelizmente, para mim, essa atitude é entendida como incompetência e desrespeito. Eu entendo que todos nós temos contas pra pagar, mas essa não é a melhor forma de lidar com pessoas como eu.

Ao invés de tentar convencer os seus clientes a fazer algo que você quer, aprenda a criar um relacionamento de confiança durante a venda. Escute o que ele/a está dizendo e se eles continuam repetindo o que querem mesmo após ouvirem as suas sugestões, facilite a venda e dê o que ele/a pede!

Sou a única que não gosta desse tipo de abordagem? Você tem alguma situação parecida para dividir comigo?

Se você não tem idéia de como construir um relacionamento com os seus clientes, leia How to Win Friends and Influence People :)

Photo Credit: Reinaldo Marques/Terra

During his last week in South Africa, Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva attended numerous events promoting my home country. Lula is a great character and one of the most charismatic personalities that Brazil will ever have in the presidential seat at Palácio do Planalto. However, Lula is also known for not following scripts and speaking his mind during public announcements. Every time that I try to imagine my worst PR nightmare, an event where I need to manage Mr. Lula da Silva always comes to mind.

During the release of Tourism Brazil’s (Embratur) marketing campaign last week in Johannesburg, Lula went on and on in a  last minute speech that managed to contradict much of the soon to be unveiled program. After announcing that he would not follow any script prepared by his communications specialists, Lula proceeded with his own off-the-cuff version which included a number of unfavourable stereotypes in his narrative. In an attempt to convince his audience that Brazil is a multicultural country, he goes against the highlight of Embratur’s campaign, a promotional video entitled “Brazil is Calling You – Celebrate Life Here.”

Produced by Fernando Meirelles‘ O2 Filmes, “Brazil is Calling You – Celebrate Life Here” portrays a country that I barely know as a person born and raised in Brazil. Apparently, Brazil’s president was equally unaware of the video’s content as the majority of his speech was based on describing his people as multicultural; a mix between first nations, afro-Brazilians and Europeans. I don’t know about you, but I can count on one hand the scenes starring non-Caucasian people in the video.

For years, Brazil has been trying to avoid the image of an unprofessional country with small urban centres surrounded by jungle.  Embratur’s promotional video addresses this need, however, Lula said that the tourists who decide to visit Brazil in 2014 should also be careful while exploring the Amazon because if they take the wrong shortcut, they might get swallowed by a sucuri. It was an unsuccessful attempt to joke about Brazilian natural diversity.

So how did Embratur deal with the international backlash? Thankfully, the President’s speech was delivered entirely in Portuguese, so the majority of the reaction to Lula’s unscripted speech ended up coming from the Brazilian media and expats who saw a very pretentious president on stage.

How would I handle this situation? Well… once your representative is on stage, it’s virtually impossible to drag them away from the microphone (remember Kayne West?). However, as a communications professional, I would create an opportunity during the same event to address the international media and explain my spokesperson’s jokes. I would also recommend that Lula take a more serious approach while clarifying his message in his next press conference in Johannesburg.

What about you?

This article was written based on information provided by the following Brazilian articles:

Lula comete gafes futebolísticas em discurso sobre a Copa de 2014

Com gafes, Lula faz público gargalhar durante discurso

Discurso de Lula diverte a plateia na África do Sul

PROBLOGGER.NET

The month started with Darren Rowse’s April’s fool joke about Google acquiring Problogger. It would have been smart move if a good chunk of readers haven’t believed that it was only a joke. Darren himself said here that even two of his family members and a reporter had fallen for it.

On April first, I was 5 days into Darren’s 31 Days to Build a Better Blog Challenge and I must confess that I panicked a little before I realized that his “news release” was just a joke. Problogger.com is a real find for those who want to take blogging to the next level!

Thanks, Kiratiana Freelon for sharing this resource with me!

SOCIAL MEDIA SUCCESS SUMMIT 2010

Following my friend Rebecca Johnson‘s advice, I subscribed the Social Media Success Summit 2010 which starts on Monday, May 4th. It is an online conference facilitated by big social media names such as Guy Kawasaky and Chris Brogan.

I have been learning a lot about social media practices with the pre-summit materials and forums. Can’t wait to participate in the live discussions.

SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING INDUSTRY REPORT

This 33-page report is the result of the analysis of over 1,300 open-ended responses given by current social media marketers to Social Media Examiner staff. Even though it didn’t discover any unexpected behaviour, this report is a great formal profile of social media marketers, their employment expectations, and dedication.

Mashable: 4 Tips for Tapping Into Twitter Conversations

Sparkpr’s Managing Director Leyl Master Black shared a very insightful article on Mashable last month. Even though Black uses big brands to convey her ideas, her 4 tips can be easily adapted to any business.

ADVERTISING AGE: What Social Media Will Look Like in 2012

I was born in a time that people would publish predictions for the next 10 years and we would have time to watch them evolve and absorb the changes. Well, Freddy Laker’s predictions for 2012 won’t take long to become a reality since Facebook’s recent privacy changes and advertising integration happened only 20 days after Laker published his article. I am still not sure how Facebook will convice users to change their privacy expectations, but I can wait for social media to become common sense.  Definitely, a good read!