Author Archives: AVE Consulting

Netflix Price Increases: A Social Media Case Study

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In my last post, I examined how Netflix’s communication style contributed to the problems they’ve been struggling with since July. In this post, I’ll cover a few of the social media blunders Netflix committed throughout this communication spiral.

I firmly believe rules are meant to be broken. But there are some rules—even in the ever-changing social media world—that you’re better off following or being really sure you understand the repercussions if you don’t.

In Netflix’s case, they committed two ginormous no-nos after announcing their new pricing on July 12: saying nothing and deleting posts.

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Netflix’s Communication Style: A Study in What NOT to Do

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I must confess that I have a soft spot for Netflix. I worked there briefly eons ago when the company was in its infancy and I had briefly toyed with joining the dark side and leaving consulting. 😉 Back then, Marc Randolph was CEO. I liked Marc. I liked the product. And I just knew the company would do well, and it did—something my husband likes to remind me of from time to time, since I didn’t stay long enough to vest.

So, given this fondness, I was sad to see Netflix make such a muck of things these past few months. Some say its arrogance. Some say its greed. Some say Netflix is just moving too fast. The latter is not new.

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10th Annual Women in Consulting (WIC) Survey Reveals Strong Optimism as Best Practices Generate More Revenues for Consultants

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San Jose, CA – October 24, 2011—While the two-year worldwide recession has devastated many businesses, results from the 10th annual Best Practices and Compensation Survey by Women in Consulting (WIC), a collaborative community of professional consultants and small business owners, offers proof that optimism about opportunities for the next 12 months is strong and following multiple best practices helps consultants earn much more.

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Communication Strategy: “A” Is for Audience

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Whenever I hear “social media should be real, transparent, and audience focused,” I find myself nodding and wondering at the same time. I agree. It should. But why stop there? All communication should be that way. If it were, it would be way more successful.

Fresh from graduate school, where all I studied was communication—how we humans communicated, what worked, what didn’t—I approached every marcom project as a communication vehicle. My view: it didn’t matter how snappy the writing was or how cool the design looked, if it didn’t resonate with audience—if it didn’t communicate—the chances of success were slim.

Fast forward 15 years, and the mantra of “real, transparent, and audience focused” is heard everywhere—but only for social media. It’s a start, and I love it. But let’s make it the mantra for all communication.

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Social Media Campaigns: What Makes a Home Run?

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While preparing course materials for the new social media campaign class that I’m teaching at SFSU College of Extended Learning, I had the pleasure of revisiting several great campaigns from the past year or so: Old Spice Guy and Old Spice Guy Responses, Live Off Groupon, DEWmocracy, and MTV/Foursquare’s GYT to name a few.

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AVE Consulting Plays Integral Role in Innovative Social Media Marketing Program at San Francisco State

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

Avery Horzewski Named Program Advisor and Instructor for First College-Level Social Media Certificate in Bay Area

San Jose, CA – March 14, 2011 – AVE Consulting (AVE) today announced its participation in a new Social Media Marketing (SMM) Certificate Program at San Francisco State University’s College of Extended Learning. AVE President Avery Horzewski was named program advisor, along with Susan Barnes, and will teach the program’s course on social media campaigns.

“Social media is no longer a fad, but rather a bona fide communication tool,” said Horzewski. “Whether you like social media or not, if your audience does, you need to consider it —seriously. This program gives marketers the information and tools necessary to manage this communication channel effectively and integrate it into their overall marketing strategy.”

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Life Happens and Other Stuff I Learned this Past Year

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A little over a year ago, AVE launched a new website that included a blog. I had every intention of blogging regularly. In fact, you should see the list of blog topics I’ve compiled during the past year. But then life happened.

It started with one loved one almost dying at the beginning of the year and finished with another one being hospitalized at the end of the year, with a host of similar “stuff” in between. At the same time, I began my two-year tenure as president of Women in Consulting and was blessed to be busy with client work.

So, I violated every best practice known to man and let my blog sit virtually untouched. But while horribly embarrassing, it underscores another best practice I hold even higher:

Put your audience first

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Women in Consulting (WIC) Names 2011 Board of Directors

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New Board to Focus on Expansion of Member Benefits Nationwide

San Jose, CA – February 14, 2011—Women in Consulting (WIC), a collaborative community of professional consultants and small business owners, today announced its 2011 Board of Directors. The all-volunteer board is especially strong this year, with ten returning and two new members, all of whom are leaders in their field and bring years of professional experience to the organization.

For 2011, WIC is putting increased emphasis on delivering services that members throughout the country can access, such as its highly rated webinars and value-based partnerships with companies like Apple Computer, Office Depot, and Armstrong & Associates insurance brokers. In addition, the board will continue to add new programs, as well as further strengthen existing offerings in social media, mentoring, and events. Continue reading →

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Women in Consulting (WIC) Announces First Quarter 2011 Programs

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WIC Kicks Off the New Year with a Host of Thought Leadership Events and a New Partnership with Apple Computer

San Jose, CA – January 3, 2011—Women in Consulting (WIC), a collaborative community of professional consultants and small business owners, today announced its first quarter 2011 programs, including webinars, networking events, and two new partnerships with Apple Computer and TriNet to augment its already robust member benefits offerings.

Programs slated for the first quarter include: Continue reading →

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Women in Consulting (WIC) Announces Fourth Quarter 2010 Events

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Upcoming Fourth Quarter Includes Highly Anticipated Webinar on WIC’s 9th Annual Compensation Survey Findings and End-of-Year Charity Event

San Jose, CA – October 4, 2010—Women in Consulting (WIC), a collaborative community of professional consultants and small business owners, today announced its fourth quarter 2010 programs, including workshops, a holiday charity event, and notably, WIC’s 9th Annual Compensation Review presented in a webinar by WIC’s president Avery Horzewski and vice president of operations Jennifer Berkley.

Events slated for the fourth quarter include: Continue reading →

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