Episode #65 – United Airlines Breaks Guitars, How to Create a Viral Marketing Campaign, Protect Your Computer from Viruses, and a BIG Marketing Lesson from Delta Airlines – ‘Help! My Business Sucks!’ with Andrew Lock
July 21, 2009Episode #65 – “Let Me Drop Everything and Work on YOUR Problem 
”
Websites and resources mentioned in the show:
Infusion (Download the free guide from Infusion)
AVG Anti-Virus Software (Get it – it’s free!)
Money From Social Media (Free guides about profiting from social media)
‘United Breaks Guitars’ (Full video on YouTube)
Top 20 Viral Videos (take a look at these for ideas and inspiration)
NiftyClicks (Discover the very latest web tools and resources)
Get a Private Telephone Consultation with me (to Help YOUR Business)
Buy This Week’s T-Shirt (from National Media Services)
Another packed show for you this week…
Have you heard about the ‘United Breaks Guitars’ video that’s gone viral online? I talk about that, and how United Airlines really dropped the ball. They now look like a bunch of fools in my opinion because they acted too late.
I’ll also announce the winner of the Magical Marketing Experience competition for 2009/10. I’m thrilled to give this tremendous prize to a very deserving winner. If you entered, it could be you…
The ‘ask andrew’ question is all about creating viral media. I’ll explain that although it’s impossible to design something that’s guaranteed to go viral, there are some principles you can learn and understand that will at least help you go in the right direction.
How about a nice new nifty click? When I buy a new computer there’s one important piece of software I install before I do anything else with it. Any idea what it is? Well, it’s free, and you can find out more in this episode.
The BIG marketing lesson is from Delta airlines. They’ve done something very different, and it’s a great idea that you can adapt to help your business.
Enjoy the show!
Regards,
July 21st, 2009 at 11:43 pm
A reminder:
Let me know what you think of the ‘United Breaks Guitars’ video….
Andrew
July 22nd, 2009 at 4:31 am
Andrew, fortunately I have an option of NOT flying American Carriers, You made a great point not only United Sucks but in my eyes most American Cariers Suck! Being an Ex Airline guy Myself I appreciate your Airline examples and hopefully they will create a difference!
July 22nd, 2009 at 5:14 am
Help what day is the webinar? July 21 is not a Wednesday until next year. Maybe you mean tonight, Wed July 22?
July 22nd, 2009 at 5:17 am
I’ve used AVG antivirus for years and not only is it free, it does a much better job than some of the antivirus software that you have to pay for.
July 22nd, 2009 at 5:34 am
Great song – and I agree, a little too late, United. It should never have come to this.
For advanced users, I would recommend COMODO Internet Security – It’s firewall, antivirus and defense in one:
http://antivirus.comodo.com/
It WILL give you lots of prompts if you do not know how to configure it. As said, for advanced users, it’s great.
Great idea with feeback cards & Delta!
July 22nd, 2009 at 6:29 am
Andrew-
No comment on the show- other than it was great:) I just wanted to say thanks for starting the advertising on the side of your site- I clicked on all of them & found several things I’m interested in.
I don’t usually thank people for advertising to me- but in this case, the ads were useful- so thanks!
July 22nd, 2009 at 6:50 am
Wednesday is July 22, not July 21 as you noted on today’s video (for the webinar).
That said, today’s show was another terrific help.
Thanks, Andrew.
July 22nd, 2009 at 7:50 am
Wednesday is July 22, not July 21 as you noted on today’s video (for the webinar).
That said, today’s show was another terrific help.
Thanks, Andrew.
BTW I love your blog!
July 22nd, 2009 at 8:10 am
Yep, you’re right. The webinar is tonight, July 22nd.
Andrew
July 22nd, 2009 at 8:43 am
The United Breaks Guitars video is a great story, but there is another great marketing lesson tied to this story. A WestJet Airlines (based out of Calgary, Alberta) employee posted a video response to the United Breaks Guitars video, singing on a tarmac about how WestJet cares for guitars. Although the video was pulled by You Tube, the response did generate a fair amount of free and very positive publicity for WestJet Airlines.
July 22nd, 2009 at 12:54 pm
I recently switched over to AVG antivirus after getting fed up with McAffee (which came installed on my computer). It’s been very helpful to me.
As for airlines, the best experiences I’ve had have been with JetBlue, which is I think primarily located on the West Coast.
July 22nd, 2009 at 1:15 pm
It’s really interesting to me how some companies will not help you, until you make a fuss and go public with your issue, demanding a result.
I like to think with my own business, that having great customer service is a big part of staying and growing what I have.
One thing we’ve all heard is to ‘treat others as we wish to be treated’ and this I think should be true for businesses and employees as well.
In my personal experience, I’m constantly receiving damaged packages of goods that I’ve ordered to run my business, from UPS and USPS.
Interesting to me that FedEx has more pride in their work, than UPS and USPS, and they also own their own trucks and routes as well. I’ve still never received a damaged package from FedEx, ever.
July 22nd, 2009 at 1:36 pm
Great video. Made some good points especially the showing of the video United breaks guitars. They do deserve what they got and people should think twice before using them.
I am also going to download the free guide to infusion and try and make it useful. Thanks
July 22nd, 2009 at 1:38 pm
Interested info about United, I’ll most likely avoid them next time I fly, though I wonder what the reaction would be from other airlines.
July 22nd, 2009 at 2:17 pm
Great show, as usual, Andrew. Always love to watch it.
Sening a big CONGRATS to Bruce Brodeen on winning the magical marketing mastermind group slot too. Wow, Bruce! I’ve seen your name in several great places lately in the IM world! Great Job! Now we’ll want to hear about your great success with Not Lame too!
From a fellow TNR member from “way back” at the Bootcamp in Atlanta in ‘07
July 22nd, 2009 at 4:40 pm
A wonderful example of how user generated content is empowering against the corporate giants. It’s very nice to know that our voice matters somewhat.
July 22nd, 2009 at 9:46 pm
Hi Andrew,
Yet another great show!! The women who wrote in this week’s question is correct, you’re a marketing genius!
I really appreciate your personal correspondence with me as I was deciding whether to participate in this year’s Mastermind Experience . . . you were so right when you said ‘There’s never a good time’ to fit in a new program when you’ve already got a hectic schedule and you really got me thinking about submitting my application to see if I’d be selected, especially when I saw your contest to win a membership. Your marketing genius really showed when I received a personal phone call that Friday afternoon and the follow-up emails answering my questions about this year’s program really showed me you practice what you preach when it comes to ‘Everything is marketing and Marketing is everything’.
I’m preparing my application to get on the waiting list for next year’s program and hope that by this time next year I’ll have some fantastic examples of how I’ve personally implemented ideas from your show into my business.
My business by the way, for anyone else reading this comment, provides photography, video and online marketing services for the real estate industry here in Colorado. Mediamax helps real estate (architectural) photographers and videographers find a steady stream of work while providing a valuable service for real estate agents. I truly hope I’m able to share how Andrew’s show & marketing genius has helped my business in the coming year leading up to next year’s Mastermind Experience!! If I’m accepted to next year’s program I think my participation will be much more valuable after I’ve implemented some of what I’ve learned from Andrew.
Mark
July 22nd, 2009 at 10:44 pm
That video is a great example of the power of one bad experience.
Imagine if every unsatisfied customer of any business went out and put their thoughts on youtube. No matter how big the company mud sticks.
When it’s a catchy tune like that flying guitars vid, it’ll stick even more.
With so many airlines available now to fly me to the states, you can guarantee that United won’t be one of them based on this.
July 23rd, 2009 at 12:02 am
Thank goodness someone tried to get that country guy to stop singing. I don’t see how that video turned viral. Anyways You need a cohost to speed up the show and to make it more interesting.
July 23rd, 2009 at 2:18 pm
Great show Andrew,
I did like the guitar video. United should have dealt with the problem when it happened. Not after they got mud on their face from the video. I do think that airlines are the worst at customer service.
Thanks for mentioning AVG. I have used this software for about 5 or 6 years. It is great. Finds things quick and the updates are there every day. If a virus is found, they respond fast – before the big name security folks do. And all I use is the free version. It’s great!
July 23rd, 2009 at 2:28 pm
Perhaps this was not the best one of these shows to start with. It seemed like a little entertainment thrown in between commercials for him or his friends. I will likely give the show another chance to see if they actually offer any good tips, but it did seem like a long 10 minutes.
July 23rd, 2009 at 3:58 pm
I like the viral marketing example.
Viral marketing depends on a high pass-along rate from person to person. If a large percentage of recipients forward something to a large number of friends, the overall growth snowballs very quickly. If the pass-along numbers get too low, the overall growth quickly fizzles.
July 23rd, 2009 at 11:42 pm
Hello Andrew,
Thank you for telling us about the webinar, (since I am writing this after it took place) Tried to see it but could never get it to work. To bad it was something that I wanted to know more about.
In the show this time, like the song. It had everything to do with how it plays out with the airline. To bad for them on the bad press that they are now getting. Bad word of mouth spreads faster than good word of mouth.
Really like the card idea about the good things that Delta is doing. It helps with the person that gets the good report to do an even better job than they were doing. That makes everything go more smoothly.
Thank you for all the other things that you talked about. That is why we keep coming back. The great information helps a lot.
Dan and Deanna “Marketing Unscrambled”
July 24th, 2009 at 2:27 pm
HI Andrew! Another fun show – i love that guitar song. What a clever guy! Did you see his statement? He feels a bit bad b/c one of the ladies he mentioned is getting a lot of slack. apparently he makes it up to her in video 2.
July 24th, 2009 at 8:22 pm
I really believe that this is the case with all airlines. They just don’t care. There’s a reason why they call the people who load the luggae onto the airplane “throwers”. This is why I try to carry on my luggage everytime I travel. this was an interresting video, very comprehensive and entertaining.
July 25th, 2009 at 3:01 am
great marketing ideas,i ve never flown with united neither with delta ..but the promotion was good..will go someday on any of these
July 25th, 2009 at 3:10 am
Great show Andrew….This will be a good lesson to other aviation industry…..
suberb ideas to share….
July 25th, 2009 at 3:52 am
Thanks Andrew for the great information on Delta Airlines flier Dave Carol, who gave a very nice video, attracted three million viewers, and changed how Delta Airlines thought about him. Your Viral Marketing Campaign answer, is great insight on the complexity / difficulty of making something go viral. Thanks for the info on AGV, I have McAfee and it has worked for me for five years. Although I’ve heard that some Vista users have software issues with McAfee. Looking forward to new issues of your weekly program.
July 25th, 2009 at 1:53 pm
this is a great show Andrew.it is really different from others.i was getting very emotional while watching.i like the way of presentaion.secondly,i just love the theme of this video
July 26th, 2009 at 8:13 am
Great effort Andrew…Good informative song. Your thoughts in marketing is really cool…Sure this will be helpful to many people…
July 26th, 2009 at 10:44 am
I do think that most airlines do not care about other peoples things anymore because it is kin of hard to prove who or what done the damage except for if you and other witness the damage.
July 26th, 2009 at 1:57 pm
Another way you might be able to get free anti virus protection is through your internet provider. Mine offers free McAfee.
I am glad the guy wrote the song about his guitar. Hopefully United’s profits will go down and all the airlines will take notice and improve bc of the incident.
July 26th, 2009 at 6:45 pm
Hi Andrew!! found on youtube this video and may be you going to use it for next episode i think it makes a lot of sense!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aaJu89iyEhw
July 26th, 2009 at 6:46 pm
Nice video, I think every body like it. I think this will be helpful to many people. This is a good lesson.
July 26th, 2009 at 11:07 pm
It is the useful video that provide the great information about the anti virus and also it provide the nice songs and more over information regarding the viral marketing.
July 26th, 2009 at 11:10 pm
This is a great show and it is really different from others and it shows a great solution for companies facing viral problem. I have seen and gained several interesting things. Thanks for playing this good show.
I have found several tips to protect computer from viruses by installing some anti-virus softwares.
July 26th, 2009 at 11:12 pm
Nice U tube every one must look this video. This is helpful to lot of people. This is a excellent lesson to every person.
July 27th, 2009 at 12:18 am
I think that this is an awesome marketing tip. I learned something in this conference I went to. You need to learn how to make a pitch and make something stick. I think this is excellent because a lot of people don’t think to make the name stick and have some kind of association with history so people are drawn to it. People being drawn to it is important, because without that aspect you really don’t have a market for your product.
This is such an excellent lesson in marketing. Thanks for posting it.
July 27th, 2009 at 12:23 am
These are very useful blogs. Thanks for making it on your blog.
July 27th, 2009 at 2:29 am
Great web tv show!!!!… the best i ve ever seen… din have much expectation when i entered the site… but… now…. i’ve become a great fan of Mr. Andrew Lock and lookin forward to the next show….
July 27th, 2009 at 8:53 am
this is very useful to see tv shows.
July 27th, 2009 at 9:22 am
This is the first webtv show i see. It was so nice. I like it so much. I enjoy the show very very much.
July 27th, 2009 at 10:13 am
Nice video once again Andrew, i particularly liked the story about United airlines. This just proves that companies really do not care about customers, and will not make any effort to help them unless the customer manages to create a ruckus. This is true for almost all companies not only Airlines. However it is nice to see that Delta is making an effort to improve itself, and trying to get feedback from passengers. This should also make the Airline staff behave better.
I have always liked Delta better, and this will make me choose it more.
July 27th, 2009 at 10:59 am
The beneficial side of the United Airlines guitar breakage is that Dave composed a great song. That viral explosion should take his career forward. When your eggs crack, make an omelette. When your guitar breaks, use that angst to rock the world!
July 27th, 2009 at 1:35 pm
You’re absolutely right about nothing guaranteeing a video will definitely go viral. I think it’s safer to just make sure the videos I’m putting out there are on multiple sites — not just YouTube but AdWido and Vimeo as well, for example. It doesn’t hurt to increase the potential exposure by a lot just by taking a few more minutes to upload a video to a couple more sites.
July 27th, 2009 at 2:18 pm
The era of posting a video is the consumers best option of calling businesses to task when they drop the bar for customer service. Since it’s become a thing of the past to offer anything ever resembling customer service, I wish everyone who’s been ignored, mistreated and abused by a company should make it their first point of business to create a viral video skewering the offending company. After watching the “United breaks guitars” I certainly wont entrust my guitars to baggage handlers in United Airlines, and probably any other carrier. I probably won’t fly United, period. It’s not jsut the guitar, it’s the attitude of indifference until you hold their feet to the fire. I appreciate a good consumer rep, and how they treat their clients will make or break my patronage.
July 27th, 2009 at 2:35 pm
Interesting viewpoint on marketing, and I enjoyed the bit about airlines especially – hadn’t seen the UNITED video before now. Some of it reminds me of Jaffe’s “Join the Conversation”. I like the graphics used in the video, they’re cute, but the glasses make you look a little nerdy while your demeanor is more personable than that.
July 27th, 2009 at 2:45 pm
This was a new discovery for me, I found it very informative. I took note of some of the other website information, I will be returning.
July 27th, 2009 at 4:23 pm
That is rediculous that airlines dont care about peoples luggage .. they would care if it was theirs. Most people only do their job half as well as they prolly should but for the airline to not take any notice to it and disregard it is stupid. It only gives them a bad name and hopefully peope will respond to the video and not travel through uniteds airline and hopefully it will teach them a lesson that they need to care about their customers and their customers belongings if they want their money!!!
July 28th, 2009 at 8:47 am
Very nice site and TV show. Useful ideas and something to think about!
Keep it up!
Denis
July 28th, 2009 at 1:58 pm
Great show, but I don’t really care for the name. Love the accent!!! Great info about United…I agree most american airlines suck nowadays.
July 28th, 2009 at 3:33 pm
I believe it would be ridiculous to base a decision over which airline to use on one disgruntled customer’s freakishly popular video. I’ve no doubt that United satisfies thousands of people every day, and if you truly believe that one person being vocal about their unpleasant experience will change that then I am not sure that your marketing advice is relevant.
July 28th, 2009 at 5:04 pm
Great show! I appreciated your take on how companies should “do the right thing”. I also like the info you provided on marketing ideas and the free AVG link. I had never seen your site until today but if you’ll check your Facebook, I have asked you to be ‘my friend’.
Look forward to seeing more of your ideas.
July 28th, 2009 at 5:44 pm
Hi there Andrew
I’m a great fan of yours and listen to every installment.
I’m in my 40’s and have been running my own business recently the recession in Japan has become unbearable and language schools are closing at an alarming rate.
I have had my credit card cancelled by the bank because I missed a lousy payment by 10 days.
I have no way of purchasing your microwave Marketing so that I may at least try to salvage something and hopefully get back on track.
I’ve tried everything and got suckered by a few companies that fell real short of their promises. To make a long story short I will have to pack up and go back to Britain and leave my family in Japan after 20 years.
Can you help in any way????
I look forward to hearing from you.
Thanks for your time
Antony
July 28th, 2009 at 11:17 pm
Very nice site and TV show. Useful ideas and something to think about, I’m a great fan of yours and listen to every installment.
July 29th, 2009 at 12:13 am
Andrew you are doing such a great job in order to knowing about the new thing telling about the e marketing software useful for the entrepreneurs but the explanation is very short try to give much more description how,what are the uses for this software .
July 29th, 2009 at 12:32 am
Elango:
The think this i very useful to develop the business i got lot of information and new idea about the buiness.This is such an excellent lesson in marketing. Thanks for posting it
I think that this is an excellent business tip.
I learned lot of thingd in this video I gone through all the videos. we need to learn how to make a pitch and make something stick. I think this is excellent because a lot of people don’t think to make the name stick and have some kind of association with history. People being drawn to it is important, because without that aspect you really don’t have a market for your product.
No comment for this video show- other than it was great. I just wanted to say thanks for giving such a great opportunity to see thi video
July 29th, 2009 at 12:34 am
The think this is very useful to develop the business i got lot of information and new ideas about the buiness.This is such an excellent lesson in marketing and business. Thanks for posting it. I think that this is an excellent business tip.
I learned lot of things in this video I gone through all the videos. we need to learn how to make a pitch and make something stick. I think this is excellent because a lot of people don’t think to make the name stick and have some kind of association with history. People being drawn to it is important, because without that aspect you really don’t have a market for your product.
No comment for this video show- other than it was great. I just wanted to say thanks for giving such a great opportunity to see this video