Category: Best Practices

Best Practices — Cisco Learning Network

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Starting with this entry, I am adding a new feature called “Best Practices” to my blog. Entries in this category will discuss in a succinct way some of the best business and marketing strategies in the current market. These discussions are meant to help both practitioners learn from others and to offer business educators current examples to use in the classroom. Today, I would like to talk about the Cisco Learning Network.

What is it?

This is a social learning network by Cisco. It allows IT professionals to share professional knowledge, network with others, and learn new professional skills. Read the CCNA blog to get more background information about the network.

Why is it a good idea?

The Cisco Learning Network is a good idea because it creates values for both its customers and Cisco itself in a clever way.

Benefits for customers (i.e., IT professionals):

(1) More targeted social/professional networking than generic sites such as LinkedIn;

(2) An opportunity for self-promotion to peers and to the source (i.e., Cisco);

(3) An opportunity to learn from the source.

Benefits for Cisco:

(1) In a helpful kind of way, Cisco Learning Network builds brand awareness and loyalty among IT professionals, who are Cisco’s target market;

(2) The Network creates an IT talent pool and helps identify influential IT professionals. Cisco can then draw from this talent pool at time of need, which is essential in the relatively tight IT market.

Best Practice — American Express Members Project

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Last month, American Express launched a new marketing campaign called “The Members Project”. On the Members Project website, American Express card holders can register and create or vote on projects that intend to have a positive impact on the world. Project proposals cover a wide range of areas, from arts, education, to environmental and wildlife protection. These projects will go through a few rounds of voting and selection both by the project advisory committee and the members of the website, and the winning project will be announced on August 7. American Express will contribute $1 for each card holder that registers on the website, up to $5 million, which will be used to fun the winning project.

I think this is a great campaign for a few reasons:

  1. It draws on the collective power of consumers and utilizes the increasingly collaborative nature of the Internet. While American Express is not the first one to do this, most of the influential viral marketing campaigns on the Internet so far either used corky humor (e.g., CareerBuilder’s Monk-e-Mail) or had a distinctively underground feel (e.g., Burger King’s Subservient Chicken site). The goals have often been to capture the younger generation’s attention. In contrast, the Membership Project stands out as a more “mainstream” campaign that resonates with everyday Internet users.
  2. The campaign is a great integration between advertising and public relations. The positive causes promoted through the campaign are likely to receive media attention, and it conveys a very positive image for American Express. By involving consumers in this process, the campaign seems more natural and less commercial-like.
  3. By building the campaign as a members’ project, American Express builds affinity of its card holders as a group and makes them proud of being part of something positive. This fosters the feeling that being associated with American Express really means something.

Since Mastercard’s successful “Priceless” campaign, I have not been very impressed with major credit card issuers’ marketing campaigns. Visa’s “Life Takes Visa” came across as being too similar to the “Priceless” idea, both to me and to my students from the sentiment reflected in classroom discussions. The Members Project has the potential of being another great case study of effective marketing campaigns. Judging by the number of projects submitted on the Members Project website, 3634 when I last checked, the campaign is already well on its way to success.