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New York Life Takes Brand Owners to Social Media School
Fri, 08/05/2011 - 09:57 — Josh Bourne — PermalinkKen Hittel, VP Corporate Internet, at New York Life Insurance Company (NYL), a client of FairWinds, did a great interview for Forbes.com this week about social networking. Hittel expertly argues that allowing consumers to speak freely, even negatively, on social networks has actually helped NYL build a positive brand presence.
He explains that the few negative comments that have appeared have been drowned out by a chorus of positive comments from loyal customers. Essentially, negative comments are an opportunity for the community to unite around the brand, and as a result, build up the brand’s image. The leap of faith involved in exposing a brand to the uncensored openness of social media may seem risky, but working for an insurance company, Hittel is used to managing risks. His approach has paid off, with NYL’s Facebook fan base closing in on 100,000 members.
Hittel also points out that brands, even if they feel they are not “ready” for social media, need to be on Facebook and Twitter. The best approach, he says, is not to try to control social media, but rather to manage it by being present and participating in it. At FairWinds, we know that it all starts with getting there, and being where your customers are looking for you, by owning the best usernames and handles.
Congratulations to Ken on all his success!
LIMRA Points Out New gTLD Risks
Thu, 11/05/2009 - 14:47 — Josh Bourne — PermalinkKen Hittel, Vice President of the Corporate Internet Department at New York Life Insurance Company (a member of CADNA), recently sent me an article written by Todd Silverhart, Corporate Vice President and Director at LIMRA (Life Insurance and Market Research Association, a worldwide association of insurance and financial services companies.) Silverhart writes a column on technology developments in the financial services industry for LIMRA’s MarketFacts, a quarterly publication. Recently, he shifted his focus slightly and addressed the topic of the expansion of global Top-Level Domains (gTLDs) and its effect on brands.
The shift in the subject of the column was prompted by a meeting of LIMRA’s E-Business Study Group where a participant mentioned ICANN’s plan to extend the TLD space. According to Silverhart, the majority of study group members had heard nothing about the plan prior to the meeting. He found this lack of awareness surprising, given the potentially dramatic impact the change will have on how companies manage their Web sites and overall Internet strategy. Silverhart goes on to outline the costs companies will incur in defensively registering key domain names in new gTLDs and brings up the controversial question of who will get to control the gTLD for entire industries like .LIFEINSURANCE or .ANNUITIES. He also mentions the consumer behavior aspect of new gTLDs, and whether Internet users will actually use extensions other than existing ones like .COM. It’s a solid analysis with some great points; I recommend that you check it out.
At the end of the column appears a note from the editor that mentions CADNA as a useful resource for those interested in taking action regarding new gTLDs. CADNA has done a great deal in addressing the issue of new gTLDs, including engaging repeatedly with ICANN, U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Congress, and foreign governments to educate them on the risks associated with the expansion, and it was great to see CADNA’s leadership recognized.
