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Top of Mind Thursday, February 11, 2021: Cat Got Your Face?
Yesterday, the hottest thing on the Internet was a video of a lawyer appearing in a Zoom-based court hearing…as a cat.
Evidently, someone in his family had added a cat filter to his Zoom profile and the poor man couldn’t figure out how to get rid of it in real time. Zoom filters are designed to move with the image of the person, so whenever he moved his head, the cat head moved with him.
It was very funny, and brought a whole new meaning to the idea of online cat videos. The judge in the case appeared amused as well. But I suspect there’d be a different reaction if this turned into a regular occurrence.
We only have one chance to make a first impression. In today’s virtual environment, the tools available to us are limited to start. Video sessions are 2D. We’re limited as to what we see on the screen, and in many meetings like this one, there are multiple parties participating–making it even harder to project the right image.
That’s why it’s even more important to control everything you can. Dress appropriately. Have an uncluttered space behind you (or use a background that looks professional). Keep meetings as concise as possible. Use visual aids and screen sharing to help communicate your key points.
And make sure no one’s turned on any cat filters, doggone it.
Contact me to find out how you can get heard above the noise–even in a crisis situation.
Check out our marketing thought leadership podcasts and the video trailer for my book, Marketing Above the Noise: Achieve Strategic Advantage with Marketing that Matters.
.
Let us help your business rise to the top.
linda@popky.com
(650) 281-4854
www.leverage2market.com
Top of Mind Thursday January 28, 2021: The Devil is in the Details
The good news is the vaccines to treat COVID-19 appear to be both safe and effective. The bad news is it can be nearly impossible to find a way to get one.
The federal government has purchased hundreds of millions of doses of both approved vaccines, but it’s not clear exactly where they all are. Distribution has been turned over to the states, which in some cases have pushed this to the county or city level.
The rules for who can be vaccinated when differ not just from state to state, but in some cases from county to county, or city to city. Some locales are prioritizing senior citizens. Others are focused on essential workers. In some cases, the required age is 75 and up. In others, it’s 65 and up. In some places, people on the fringe of the health care profession are vaccinated. In others, there are nurses or doctors who are still waiting for their shots.
Getting vaccinated requires navigating a complex system to find who has the vaccine, getting on their list, and sometimes traveling many miles to sit in line for hours before getting the first shot. (And this process will be repeated in a few weeks for dose #2). People are trying to cut to the front of the line by paying more money or lying about their eligibility.
Developing and producing a vaccine in such a short period of time was an incredible feat. But without an efficient process to get the vaccines into the arms of the population, much of that effort is wasted.
Getting 80% there may work in some instances. But in cases like this, good enough is not enough.
How many times have we seen major initiatives that were well planned and even fairly well executed…except for the fact no one counted on complications likely to occur before the product or service got to the final user? How many times have organizations counted on everything on the critical path going perfectly…until it didn’t?
The lesson for all of us is to not rely on others to take the handoff and deliver the winning play. With this much at stake, the devil is in the details.
Contact me to find out how you can get heard above the noise–even in a crisis situation.
Check out our marketing thought leadership podcasts and the video trailer for my book, Marketing Above the Noise: Achieve Strategic Advantage with Marketing that Matters.
.
Let us help your business rise to the top.
linda@popky.com
(650) 281-4854
www.leverage2market.com
Top of Mind Thursday, Jan 21, 2021: Much to Heal, Much to Build, Much to Gain
Yesterday, Joe Biden was inaugurated as the 46th president of the United States, with Kamala Harris as the 49th vice president.
This was no ordinary inauguration. The pandemic and recent violence at the Capitol limited attendees and forced the cancellation or reimagining of many of the traditional aspects of an American inauguration.
But in spite of the chill in both the air and the political climate, the overall feeling of the day was about possibilities–starting fresh, carrying forward, seeing each other not as adversaries, but as neighbors.
There was recognition for the Capitol police officer who likely saved the lives of Mike Pence and members of the Senate. Lady Gaga sang an amazing rendition of the national anthem. Members of both parties welcomed the new president and the new vice president, who is the first woman and first person of color to occupy the office.
Some of the most powerful words spoken yesterday came from 22 year old Amanda Gorman, who is the Youth Poet Laureate and the descendent of slaves:
We will rebuild, reconcile, and recover in every known nook of our nation; in every corner called our country, our people diverse and beautiful will emerge battered and beautiful. When day comes, we step out of the shade aflame and unafraid. The new day blooms as we free it. For there is always light. If only we’re brave enough to see it. If only we’re brave enough to be it.
President Biden said unity is the path forward. Now it’s up to us to follow his lead.
Contact me to find out how you can get heard above the noise–even in a crisis situation.
Check out our marketing thought leadership podcasts and the video trailer for my book, Marketing Above the Noise: Achieve Strategic Advantage with Marketing that Matters.
.
Let us help your business rise to the top.
linda@popky.com
(650) 281-4854
www.leverage2market.com
Top of Mind Thursday, Jan 14, 2021: Deja Vu All Over Again
Yesterday, the US House of Representatives voted to impeach President Donald Trump for inciting insurrection, in regard to the domestic attack on the US Capitol last week.
If it sounds like we’ve been here before, that’s because we have. Except this time, things are a bit different. The first impeachment charges in 2019 were based on actions Trump supposedly took with the president of Ukraine. The argument was full of he said-she said allegations, and the votes to impeach and to acquit were based totally on party lines.
Next Wednesday, Joe Biden will be inaugurated as president. So why the fuss to impeach someone who won’t even be in power in less than a week?
This time, for Congress, it was personal. The attack on the Capitol put their lives in danger. The angry mob was there at Trump’s bidding and his behavior during and after the attack showed his support for their actions, rather than an attempt to calm things down. The rioters threatened to hang the Vice President and harm other Congressional leaders.
What happened at the Capitol last week was so egregious that there’s a need to be clear these actions can’t be tolerated. The people who stormed the building have threatened to bring about more violence in Washington and at statehouses throughout the country. There should be justice for the people who died last week, including a Capitol Police officer who was beaten while in the line of duty.
Members of both parties voted for impeachment yesterday. It’s time for both sides to come together and address what the inflamed rhetoric has wrought.
Because if we don’t call out behavior that’s unacceptable, we set a dangerous precedent. As bad as last week was, allowing deja vu to happen all over again would be even worse.
Contact me to find out how you can get heard above the noise–even in a crisis situation.
Check out our marketing thought leadership podcasts and the video trailer for my book, Marketing Above the Noise: Achieve Strategic Advantage with Marketing that Matters.
.
Let us help your business rise to the top.
linda@popky.com
(650) 281-4854
www.leverage2market.com