Tuesday, October 19, 2010

F*** You Direct Energy-Buyer Beware

Direct Energy is and energy services company that was founded in 1985. The main service that they provide is a fixed rate on your primary gas. They are no longer taking new customers in Manitoba but they operate in many other provinces and states in North America. A group of students from my advertising class had heard some negative reviews of the company from people we knew. So, we set out to investigate the company and give consumers some information to help them make an informed decision about whether or not to use Direct Energy's services.

We looked into their sales tactics and services, customer satisfaction and ratings. Here is what we found:

Although the Public Utilities Board approves the companies right to sell gas at a fixed rate, the customers we encountered found the company's sales tactics appalling.

One customer, Scott Douglas, 30, signed up five years ago, and when his contract was up this year, he decided not to renew. Direct Energy's door to door representative did not take no for an answer.

"They won't stop coming to my house to try and get me to renew. I have turned them down twice, but they won't take no for an anwer. When I'm at work in the evenings, they come and harass my wife, telling her our rates with Manitoba Hydro are going to 'skyrocket'" he says.

Direct Energy's door to door sales people work on commission. So, it is in their best interest more than yours to make the sale.

We spoke with a former Direct Energy worker, who told us "The training was simple and it took me a day to memorize the pitch and details.."

So, the people coming to your door may not know what they're selling any more than you do.

We found over 50 different complains about the company on the "Complaints Board" (www.complaintsboard.com) and there is even a  website called Fuck You Direct Energy (www.fuckyoudirectenergy.com) devoted to informing the public of why they don't like Direct Energy.

The company has received a total of 441 complaints from consumers in the last 36 months and have received a grade of "F" from the Better Business Bureau.

Customers complain that Direct Energy uses scare tactics, telling them that the price of gas is on the rise and they need to act now. They also say that they are misinformed and led to believe that Direct Energy is their only option for gas services. Check out the websites posted in this blog and see for yourself.

Our advertising group concludes that Direct Energy is a company that would be better to avoid. Luckily here in Manitoba we don't have to worry about it anymore.

The Social Network


I found the movie The Social Network very interesting. I had no idea that there was such a crazy story behind the making of the popular Facebook site.

I think that the film did paint Mark Zuckerberg in a negative light. The opening of the film, with his girlfriend calling him an asshole and him proceeding to start up a site to rate the girls at the college, set it up that he was not going to be a particularly likeable character. The actor portraying him didn't seem to be a very emotional person. He came across as driven and very smart, but also kind of pompous and immature. When he spoke with lawyers he was very condescending. He was good at the witty come backs, but came across as whining kid, as opposed to just being honest about what the facts were. It didn’t seem like terribly good PR for himself. I don’t know if Mark Zuckerberg is like this in real life. I wonder if actually gives off an air of cynical arrogance, like the character in the movie. When I googled pictures of the real Mark Zuckerberg, he's always smiling and looks kind of dorky and innocent. I don't think I saw his character smile once in the movie. So, I'm left wondering if this really was an accurate portrayal.

Zuckerberg’s lack of loyalty for his friend and co-founder made him appear to lack integrity. He seemed to be just out for himself and only concerned with power and money. He ignored his friend’s concerns about taking the advice of the smooth talking Napster guy, made big decisions without consulting his friend and in the end pretty much cut him completely out of the company. If these things are true then I suppose the film didn’t have to try very hard to paint Zuckerberg negatively. He already did a fine job of painting himself negatively by making so many bad decisions. But the film certainly didn’t show his character feeling much remorse for his actions. The film did, however, make him out to be very intelligent and quick witted. So, perhaps people will be more forgiving of his antics because they are impressed by his ability to be so business savvy.

I don’t think the film will have much impact on the popularity of the site. I know for me personally I was more than a little disgusted with the way that Mark Zuckerberg’s character acted. I was impressed that he was so sharp, but that paled in comparison to the choices he made in building the company. I left feeling like I didn’t have much respect for Facebook and it's creators. It's no longer a company I want to endorse. But I don't think most people put much thought into who invents the social networks they use, they just become part of our daily lives. No one knew Mark Zuckerberg’s name before the movie and I have a feeling that the negative feelings about him will do very little to effect the popularity of the site. I don't like Mark Zuckerberg now, but I didn't know who he was two days ago. 

After reading the Mark Zuckerberg’s “PR” response I really don’t feel know how to feel. He takes a very light hearted response to the way his character is portrayed. It makes me unsure if this is just a strategy to avoid dealing with the issue. I think it’s better then getting really upset. But I’m not sure I know how he really feels about the movie. He doesn’t outright say that it isn’t an accurate depiction of him or the events that took place. He says it’s a movie and that it’s fiction. What about it is fiction? He isn’t being very clear. The donations did seem like bad timing. He just kind of comes off as a schmuck,  but not necessarily a huge asshole. His response to the movie doesn't really do anything to change my feelings on his lack of integrity and maturity. I think he should have just said honestly where he felt the movie exaggerated things for dramatic purposes and owned up to the ways in which it didn’t. I think that if he just admitted to not doing things perfectly and highlighted that idea of “to make you make a 500 million friends you have to make a few enemies”, I would have more respect for him. 

Monday, October 18, 2010

Social Media Ad for Volkswagen



Check out this great use of social media by Volkswagen.
They created a short 2 minute video on YouTube to promote their product. The video went viral and has had over 13 million views. They used a very creative concept that makes it appealing to the YouTube audience, while advertising the company at the same time. I think it's really great!

Friday, October 8, 2010

Sam vs Judy-The Mayoral Debate



Sam and Judy put on quite a show in Red River's cafeteria on Wednesday morning. The cameras and newspeople transformed the cafeteria into a dramatic debate zone. I had no idea civic politics could be so exciting!

Who won the debate?

It's hard to say. Both candidates seemed to be making a lot of the same points and finding ways of making each other look bad. This made for an entertaining event, but didn't really leave me as informed as I would have liked to be on some of the details of the major issues. 

Sam came across as the more articulate and confident of the two, looking more relaxed and having shorter more concise answers. Although, he did seem a bit sarcastic and pompous at times. Especially when trying to undermine Judy because she didn't own a business. 

Judy, on the other hand, talked too much. She had lots of say, but a lot of it was just the same things over and over again. Apparently, almost any problem in Winnipeg can be solved by building a community centre. 

Both candidates did a lot of talking around the issues, instead of just telling us what their action plans were for meeting the needs and concerns of Winnipeggers. 

I was left with quite a few questions..... 

How is Sam Katz going to get the money for a Light Rail Transit system? 
Will the property tax increase really have a negative effect on the most vulnerable citizens? 
Is Sam hiding things from the public? 
Does Judy really have all her receipts in her garage?

In the end, I may not have all my questions answered, but it was really neat to actually see the candidates in person and get a better sense of what they're all about. Plus, it was fun.



Monday, October 4, 2010

"JUST DO IT"

The "Just Do it" campaign started in 1988. It was a reaction to excercise craze of the 80s. Reebok put out it's first athletic shoe in 1982 and was "sweeping the aerobics race." Nike needed to do something in response. With the "Just Do it" campaign Nike was able to increase its share in the sports shoe industry from 14% to 43% between 1988 and 1998. It showed that anyone could wear these shoes and be athletic by just doing it.

I find the inspiration behind the slogan particularly interesting. "Just do it" was inspired by words famously spoken by a man named Gary Gillmore. Gary Gillmore was a "notorious spree-killer" who was executed by a firing squad in 1977. His famous last words were, "Lets do it."