Results for articles with tag 'amex' (2 total)
07/25/2007 07:21:38 AM 
There are now just a couple of weeks left to vote for the winner from the selection of five finalists. However, the list is fairly predictable; in the lead there’s an educational initiative, followed by a plan to restore funding to the US National Park Service, an idea to provide wind and solar power for residential homes, safe drinking water for the developing world and an initiative to plant a million trees.
The corporation probably gives away millions of dollars a year in charitable donations and the $5 million or so it’s putting into this initiative is a fraction of the overall total. However, any cause and the initiative to reach out to gain input from the community is a good one, but couldn’t it have been a little different?
Two of the five initiatives are motions to give money to giant institutions; the US National Parks (theoretically a donation by American Express means the government has less to contribute) and the United Nations with the water aid program. Shouldn’t the program have been focused on initiatives at a local and grassroots level? Should the ideas come from more local and grassroots organizations that could have had impact in their communities?
American Express can make donations at corporate level to the giant institutions; the Members Project had the potential to work at a completely different level.
The problem lies with the “Wisdom of Crowds”, when you operate a popularity contest, it’s impossible for anything, but the giant ideas to make it through the voting process. The global ends up winning out over the local.
The Members Project has the potential to a fantastic initiative for Amex, but next year they should select a jury of luminaries and give them the task to pick a dozen or so local initiatives that the crowd gets the chance to vote on.
This change would allow the giant corporation to play an important grassroots role with the obvious positive benefit for the brand.
Posted by Ed Cotton
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06/25/2007 11:04:44 PM
Then in the scramble to get online, to do something different and to capture attention with branded content, something goes hopelessly wrong. Brands end up creating lifeless, meaningless and undifferentiated experiences.
The sophisticated young consumers that Chivas Regal and American Express both covet, have no need for access to more lifestyle tips, information of guides to the cities they live in or intend to visit.
This information is so readily available, in fact, it’s practically flowing like water. Sure, they value good insider tips and scoops, but most of the time this comes from their network or well-established niche publications and lists.
So why does MSN create “This is the Life” for Chivas Regal?
What’s American Express doing with Entertainment Access Spotlight?
The later is a beta test being run by American Express Labs. A radical new proving ground for new ideas from American Express, one can only hope the ideas get better and more radical.
In the battle for attention it’s easy to think that content is the answer and it may well be, but just like advertising, it has to be real good to break through.
Media companies and young web entrepreneurs might be able to persuade brands into this, through a category sell and for brand managers jaded by advertising, it could be just the ticket, but in reality, creating great content takes time, talent and serious investment.
Doing something half-baked or borrowed from left over content, just isn’t going to work.
Brands need to think more imaginatively and should need to challenge their media partners to do the same, even if the content is part of a so-called added-value package.
Posted by Ed Cotton
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Articles for tag amex (2 total).