Advocates, Enthusiasts and Advertising: Bloggers on the Brandwagon

by ciaran on February 15, 2010 · 9 comments

Not a week goes by without a blogger proudly proclaiming that she is the latest (Cheese Brand) mom, (Store Name) ista, (Clothing Line) ambassador or (Game Co.) evangelist. We’re all aware of the awesome power of bloggers to spread the buzz about brands. Bloggers, like celebrities, have the ability to reach a large audience. In some cases their audience is even more coveted than that of a celebrity because it is associated with a highly specific demographic, is trackable, and is vitally engaged.

It’s an exciting new trend in marketing, and one that many brands and bloggers are eager to participate in. The question is, how should brands and bloggers work together?  What can a brand expect (or ask for) from a blogger representative? What about remuneration?  Is it reasonable for bloggers to demand pay in return for advocating a brand? At what rate? At the end of the day, what’s the difference between advocacy and advertising?

History:

We can thank Walmart for kicking off the current trend of brands using bloggers as advocates and spokespeople. But we cannot thank them for establishing a market standard for such programs. In the groundbreaking Walmart blogger program, participants were not paid by the company for their participation. Instead they received perks and opportunities that could be attributed to their association with the brand, including traffic bumps, travel and education opportunities, product samples and the certain cache of being “chosen” and identified as an expert of sorts. The Walmart program was unique, and copycat programs have abounded. These programs have varied wildly in their implementation practices and their blogger compensation policies.

As brands continue to seek out and label bloggers as their own, and bloggers continue to vie for the privilege of being associated with a brand, things are bound to get confusing.  Savvy bloggers are starting to put a significant price on their advocacy while others seem all too willing to simply “give it away” to the first brand that asks. Certain brands are finding themselves caught in the midst of bidding wars for  the “best” bloggers, while others fail to see the need to compensate bloggers at all. It’s a jungle out there, for both bloggers and brands. More discussion and transparency is needed to clarify roles and rewards. We’re all desperately in need of some guidelines.

Ambassadors, Advocates, Enthusiasts, Brand name”istas” - Roses by any name?

Without getting too bogged down in semantics, it’s important for bloggers and brands to understand the not so subtle difference between an enthusiast and an advocate. Too often these roles are confused. Further obfuscation occurs when we layer on cute terms ending in “ista”, or “diva” and use attention diverting labels like “ambassador” and “evangelist”. Call your crew what you will, all of these important sounding titles boil down to either advocate or enthusiast. These two roles are not the same and are not to be confused.

What’s the difference?

Enthusiasts are identified. These are bloggers who are fans of a product or service and who already use the product or service in their daily lives. They have blogged or written about the product or service in the past, without any reward or motivation other than their own wish to share information about a favorite product or service. They likely recommend the product to their friends “in real life” too. Enthusiasts are assumed to be unpaid, but when recognized by a brand, may receive perks and benefits associated with their long standing loyalty. A good enthusiast is very influential to their readers but should not be expected to speak publicly on behalf of the brand, conduct contests for, or post materials supplied by the brand as these activities would only cast suspicion on them as true (uncompensated) enthusiasts. It can be tricky to identify enthusiasts, as not many bloggers readily identify themselves with products. But it’s not impossible to create programs that help brand enthusiasts self identify, and I have outlined an example of such a program at the end of this post.

Advocates are created. They may in fact begin as  enthusiasts but the very fact of their advocacy implies education, training and authority on behalf of the brand. An advocate can be likened to a spokesperson, but perhaps with slightly less training in public speaking. Nevertheless,  a good advocate should be able to answer questions about and speak knowledgeably about a brand. Advocates, are generally assumed to be paid for their spokesmanship, in a similar fashion to a salesperson or public speaker who performs a service on behalf of a brand. Advocates for a brand may perform specific functions such as tweeting, posting (this may be original or brand supplied content), attending events, guest posting on other sites, submitting video and hosting contests. A good advocate is already an enthusiast or other natural fit for the brand, has a loyal following that is influenced by their decisions and recommendations, including those that are of a (disclosed) paid nature. It should be obvious to all reading this, but advocating for multiple brands decreases a blogger’s credibility as an advocate, and thus decreases the desirability of the brand on that blogger’s following.  It is therefore in the best interest of bloggers to be picky about advocacy programs, and brands to be picky about bloggers.

What Brands Can Do When Creating Blogger Representative Programs:

  • Decide early on whether you want to start an advocacy or enthusiast program. Try not to confuse the two.
  • Decide how participants will be rewarded or remunerated. Be realistic about your expectations and consider the amount of time, education and commitment required for the blogger to perform their role for you successfully.
  • Clearly define the roles and responsibilities of all participants in the program and provide support materials, guidelines and necessary tools for all participants. Make it clear who participants should go to with questions or concerns.
  • Select your candidates carefully, looking for natural matches who are not overly affilliated with multiple brands and programs.
  • In cases where your needs are unclear, and/or you lack funds and resources to identify and train advocates or enthusiasts, consider purchasing an ad or running sponsored posts on relevant blogs and sites.

What Bloggers Can Do

  • Ascertain whether you have been asked to participate in a program as an enthusiast or an advocate.  Are you ready and willing to align yourself with this brand. How will this affect your own brand?
  • If  Enthusiast: Ask yourself if you are in fact an enthusiast of this product. Have you spoken, written about it in the past? Will your readers view your enthusiast content as a sign of “selling out” or will they see your recognition as a brand enthusiast as natural, given your long standing enthusiasm for the product?
  • If Advocate: Ask yourself how much time and effort you are willing to lend towards advocacy, and at what price. Be realistic. Do not devalue your time and efforts.
  • Consider the impact of your participation in this program on any other programs you currently participate in, or wish to participate in.
  • Evaluate the amount of time involved vs. rewards offered. Rewards may include non paid benefits such as additional opportunities, travel, product, conference sponsorship, traffic to your site and “bragging rights”.
  • Get a list of the specific actions required of you as an advocate/enthusiast: These should including all tweets, posts, contests, videos, speaking appearances, education requirements, pitching on behalf of the brand, and making contributions to other sites, if required.
  • Speak frankly with the brand about what is expected (and also what is not desired) from you as an advocate/enthusiast. Make sure you understand the boundaries of your role fully.

How a Blogger Enthusiast Program might work:

  1. Bloggers are invited to participate in a competition showing their enthusiasm for a brand
  2. “Winners” are recognized and rewarded with product and traffic linking back to their site, recognition in print and other media, being invited to contribute to a brand’s site.
  3. Brand might follow up with advertising on the Enthusiast’s site, other rewards or recognition.

How a Blogger Advocacy Program might work:

  1. Brand identifies advocates based on their influence, demographic, topical relevance, notoriety  and/or status as an enthusiast
  2. Advocate receives education and training about the brand and their role in promoting.
  3. Advocate recieves specific guidelines and information about the program they will be participating in.
  4. Brand creates a detailed contract for advocate’s services which may include any of the following:  brand advertising on advocates site, sponsored/dedicated posts, videos, contests posted on the advocate’s site, posts to twitter, facebook or other social media sites.  Additional advocate duties may include appearances at live events, trade shows and conferences on behalf of the brand, and the advocate’s general goodwill efforts to spread buzz about the brand by using their own network of connections both offline and on.
  5. Brand creates a start/end date for the program and clear payment guidelines for duties performed.

Are you a marketer or a blogger? Do you have thoughts and/or suggestions about how Brand/Blogger programs could be better administered? Please leave a comment!

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Bait and switch, the problem of mismanaged expectations

by ciaran on December 10, 2009 · 9 comments

Last week I wrote a post about my disappointment with Disneyland while visiting their “Holidays at Disney” display. In the post I detailed how crushed my children were to find that their holiday (Hanukkah) had little to no positive representation at Disneyland. I got a lot of feedback, ranging from sympathy and horror, to religious commentary about the secularization of Christmans, to anger about our “unrealistic expectations” of Disney and explanation from some about how holly and trees are for all holidays. Which was all somewhat beside the point I was trying to make.

I want to be clear here and move beyond Disney because I am not rewriting that post. But for the record, It wasn’t really about religion, culture or Christmas. It was about the expectations. The tragically, thoughtlessly mismanaged expectations.

When someone says “Holidays”, in the plural, I expect more than one holiday. A simple concept for most, but for Disney this year, a colossal fail. There is only one holiday represented in the park. Call it bait and switch, call it stupid, it really doesn’t matter. It all ends with a five year old in tears and a pissed off parent.

I hate to pick on Disney though, and they certainly don’t have the corner on stupid marketing moments. Messages that deceive are displayed on a regular basis in a theater near you. In the form of movie trailers.

A perfect example: the trailers for “Marley and Me”. Light hearted family comedy. Jennifer Aniston, Owen Wilson, silly dog. Romping on the beach. Fun!  Those of us who’d read the book raised our eyebrows wisely, knowing something was left out of the trailer. Something big. The rest of us went to see a comedy that holiday weekend and came out sobbing and longing for prozac.

Movie trailers misguide us all the time. Dramas are represented as comedies, plotless masturbation is sold as epic drama or a legendary tale. In the case of “Where the Wild Things Are” we were served up a film positioned to be a touching literary classic. We took the kids. They sat through two hours  gratuitous dysfunctional family flatulence. In short, we thought Where the Wild Things Are stank. But perhaps I would have felt differently, if I’d been properly prepared. I might not have hated it so much if I had not brought my five year along to plumb the depths of conflicting human emotions, and witnessed his tears when the bird’s arm was ripped off. At the very least I could have made an informed decision to see the film with other adults only.

My poor five year old is going to be a savvy consumer one day. He’s already been disillusioned by Disney and Sendak. Who will he trust?

If you haven’t been disappointed in the theater, it’s surely happened in a restaurant. Who hasn’t ordered something off the menu that sounded (or even looked marvelous in a photo) only to be handed a plate of slop that seems completely alien to what you thought you ordered.  The “generous portion” of “fresh imported gourmet” delicacies turned out to be a bowl of three greasy supermarket olives. Oops.

The end result of mismanaged expectations is almost always the same. Anger. We get angry because we parted with cash and invested our time, and got our own (or worse, our children’s) hopes up for an experience we/they did not get to have. This makes us feel duped.

Worst case scenario we view the deception as deliberate, a bait and switch scheme designed to take us as fools, parting us with our money. The brand is then a bully/shyster in our eyes. A malevolent beast. We tell our friends. They tell their friends…  Best case, we think that the marketing, pr, sales, management etc are all pretty lousy at what they do to have allowed such a gross oversight to occur. Do you want to shop at stupidmart? Exactly. Neither do I.

Mismanaged expectations are dangerous and destructive to brands. It’s something to keep in mind at all times when you are working on a campaign, no matter the size of your company. We all want to highlight the positive and make our appeal as broad as possible. But in doing so, are we creating false expectations about our product or service? Are our claims and suggestions going to pan out as promised for the majority of people? Are the details being glossed over truly minor enough to be dismissed?

I challenge you to consider if your brand’s message and positioning  is going to mislead consumers. If it is deliberately doing so, I recommend you rethink that strategy. Karma exists, even in marketing. Social media has made word of mouth a more powerful and immediate thing. It’s not worth pissing off the people you want as customers. Ever. People are watching, waiting to comment. They expect more of you, and so do I!

Rest assured that I will call you on your campaign if your mismanagement of expectations makes a five year old cry. Particularly if that five year old is mine.

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R.E.S.P.E.C.T. What Your PR Means to Me

by ciaran on December 5, 2009 · 11 comments

If you’re a woman, have kids, and blog, you probably get a fair amount of these:

Dear (obviously inserted name here) Respected Mommy Blogger,
I love your blog! We’d love to tell you about our exciting new (offer, promotion, “club”, sale, program, fundraiser, premiere, launch, etc ad infinitum).

We’re hoping that your readers will be as excited about this (see list above) as we are. Do you think that you could do a post about (see list above) for us? Make sure to use this (trackable bit.ly link, coupon code, other information gathering device) when you post and let us know when your post is live.

Please make sure to post this on (x date) prior to the (see list above) and follow up with a post on (y date). Please be sure to include the attached (banner, stock photo, widget, gizmo etc) and link to our site.

We’d also appreciate it super much if you would tweet the following message (something to the effect of “I’d drop my knickers for xyz”) and be sure to include the (link, coupon code etc).  We’re so appreciative of your help assisting us to get the word out!

Thanks so much,

XXX
(aka the intern who has no idea who you actually are, or what your blog is about)

It’s so easy to tell which girls went all the way in high school. They’re the ones who got this letter in their inbox, immediately said “sure!” and rehashed the email and six attachments on their blog. They also posted the tweet about how they’d drop their knickers. Everyone got the message. Or I should say, the ad.

When faced with this sort of email, I recommend what I’d like to call the “Gottlieb approach”. Send them a simple response along the lines of : “that looks like an advertisement, would you like to buy ad space?”

The difference between Jessica and most other mom bloggers (other than how controversial she is)? She gets paid.

There is a fine, and often treacherous line between a press release and and a request for unpaid advertising. And it can be hard for new bloggers to identify this. We all want to be admired and recognized. So when the star quarterback pats you on the bum and gives you a wink, it’s easy to get swept away. Next thing you know though, you could find yourself under the bleachers, doing unsavory things you know you don’t feel great about, and that you have to keep secret, just to stay on the guest list of the next great event.

Listen up and listen good: The star quarterback probably doesn’t know your name. He’s never read your blog. He’s not interested in how amazing you are. In fact he really doesn’t give a crap about you. He’s using you, for as long as you will “put out”. As will every PR agency and brand and parenting “network” if you give them the chance.

It’s easy to blame them for your victimization. But at the end of the day, it’s not just their fault. It’s your own as well. It’s important that you know your boundaries and stick to them. Just like you made a pact with your friends in Jr High that you wouldn’t go to 3rd base until xyz happened, make a pact with your fellow bloggers that you won’t post free ads. If you don’t respect yourself, why should anyone respect you back? If you settle for appreciation, you can never expect compensation.

If you are on the PR/Marketing side of this equation, and the above letter looks like something you regularly send out - shame on you! And good for you…I guess. I can’t blame you for finding the easy types who are willing to put out. That’s very economical of you. Also very sleazy. So while I congratulate you on your prowess I really can’t like  or respect you. You’ll be discovered in the end. Word gets around about sleazebags. Sure there will always be sluts to prey on, but you’re going to need a good girl eventually. Good girls know that a mensch buys his date dinner at least a few times before he tries to get in her pants.

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More on Mixed Messages: Car Memorial Stickers.

by ciaran on November 12, 2009 · 5 comments

I’ve got a bit of a pet peeve brewing. It has to do with those “In Loving Memory” Stickers that have been popping up on autos all over the Southland. The other day I saw a “In Loving Memory of Johnny” sticker on a beat up civic. Right below that decal, on the very same rear windshield,  was one that said “It’s all about ME!”

So which was it? Me? Or Johnny?

I don’t even get the memorial stickers in the first place. Why on the car? Why not on a tee shirt or a backpack or your front door? How about beer cosy? Cause Johnny… liked beer?

I’ve gone so far as to wonder:

1. Did Johnny die in the car?

2. Was Johnny hit by the car?

3. Is the car now a shrine to Johnny? Is there other Johnny memorabilia inside?

4. Perhaps the life insurance money that was collected upon Johnny’s death, paid for the car?*

*This would possibly explain the “All about ME!” sticker alongside the memorial one. Johnny’s kicked the bucket and paid for my car. Now it’s all about ME! So long Johnny and thanks for the car!

I suppose this is rather insensitive but there is a lesson in all of this. Make yourself clear. If your message is as muddled as a vinyl memorial sticker on the back of an old Honda, you’ve got problems. Johnny may be 6 ft under but make sure your message isn’t. Make sure that you are spreading that message in the right places, to the right people, and with clarity.

Because if you don’t? I just might make fun of you!

PS to the people I love: Please don’t ever put a vinyl sticker on a car for me. You can do better than that.

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Gross Me Out and Make Me Buy a Burger?

by ciaran on October 17, 2009 · 2 comments

I’m back with more commercial criticism. My latest “what were they thinking?” ad is from Jack in the Box and features a hungry young man surfing the corridors of a hotel, in the wee small hours, looking for room service leftovers to satiate his appetite.

One can only assume he is stoned. Jack in the Box is known for their commercials catering to the cannabis crowd. And they’ve gone into smoothie territory before.

This dude is so hungry, he resorts to the ultimate in gross out fare: The “Hallway Smoothie”. Instantly upon hearing and seeing this image, my stomach is churning.

Next shot, salvation, in the form of a 99 cent burger. I’m not sure about you, but my stomach is still churning when I see the burger. I am now forever associating Jack in the Box burgers with something that really resembles vomit. Right when I’d almost gotten over the notion of “e-coli in a box”.

My conclusion? You gotta be stoned to eat it AND to get this commercial. I’m not their Target market, but they have gotten me to talk about them. No such thing as bad press? The commercial is not up on the web anywhere that I have been able to locate, but as soon as it is, I will post it. In the meantime, you can pass judgement on more of their ads on the Jack in The Box website.

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Target Misses the Mark with Back to School Ads

by ciaran on September 1, 2009 · 5 comments

I’m a big fan of Target, in general. But their latest ad campaign, aimed at back to school shopping moms (that would be me) has me driving around the Target lot aimlessly, looking for someplace else to shop. I’m thinking maybe we could get pencils at the supermarket instead? It’s so depressing, I want to skip the Target run entirely and go directly to CVS. Screw the school supplies. I’ve got to pick up some anti-depressants!

In brief this commercial shows a dutiful and slightly Stepford-like long suffering mom “Julie” who loves Target and does what teacher says for her kids.  Julie is going through all the motions of sending her young son off to school. We see her lovingly making him a nice lunch, writing him a special note. The son meanwhile wipes his ass with the note  pawns off the note on his next unsuspecting victim, some girl who’s heart he will break as surely as his mom’s. Mom’s efforts to make her son a nice lunch (it gets traded), keep her house orderly (he cruises his bike through the house) etc are all met with complete and utter disrespect from the “Ha ha ha, kids today, aren’t they cute!?” scamp and she never kicks the brat’s ass stops smiling that beautific prozac smile, even as she mechanically makes another sandwich. 

Target you kind of creeped me out on this one. I’m ok with thinking my kids still like me. At least a little. Even if you’re so sure they don’t. Was that commercial aimed at the kids perhaps? Because last time I checked, they don’t drive. Or pay at checkout. And guess what? They hated the commercial too. Good thing. Or I’d have to kick their asses.

The motto is “Expect More, Pay Less” but I am not buying it. Far as I can tell this mom is expecting less, at least from her relationships.

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No Room for Competitors on the Social Media Brandwagon?

by ciaran on June 24, 2009 · 3 comments

Want to know a key difference between old school marketers and new social media marketers?  Consider their agendas and how they view the competition when planning events.

Old school marketers approach events in a territorial fashion. Virtual events are no exception. They want to own it. If you are hosting an online or live event with Old School Marketers, there will be a clause in the contract that there will be no discussion about brand x, brand y or brand z. It’s all about control in their case, maintaining control of the message, directing the message. You will likely be asked to exclude competitors from the event as sponsors.

Not so with the new school social media marketers. They are more likely to host an online “discussion” in which they welcome comparison to their competitors products and group information sharing. Occasionally they won’t even object to competitors being present at the same event, exclusivity being secondary to the general discussion.

I cannot proclaim one way or the other most effective. With age comes wisdom but rigidity can also be stifling. Careful attention must be paid to your goals and your audience to turn a successful marketing campaign into a successful social media campaign.

As a rule of thumb:

Traditional Marketing

  • controls the message
  • has a concrete goal of spreading a specific message to a specific audience
  • does not invite comparison or discussion, seeks to offer brand specific education
  • fuels brand recognition and familiarity

Social Media Marketing

  • welcomes feedback on the campaign message
  • has a specific audience in mind, but welcomes those who are not in the target group as well
  • invites comparison, discussion and a chance for consumers to gather information/research general topic
  • fuels consumer loyalty and word of mouth marketing efforts

It’s important to understand the difference in approach between traditional marketing and social media, and how this affects your own brand marketing efforts. Know your comfort level when it comes to comparison with your competitors and approach your social media efforts with your eyes open, and expectations realistic. Some things don’t translate well: Old School Marketing efforts conducted in a social media forum where participants are expecting discussion, comparison and information sharing, will come across as controlling, in authentic and info-mercial esque. This can backfire and leave a bad impression on your potential customers.

On the other hand, a lack of focus with your social media efforts can also backfire, and fail to make your product memorable to potential consumers. Worst case scenario; it can help to promote the competition. Bottom line: when approaching an online campaign, set clear goals about your messaging, and guidelines for interaction and comparison.  Choose your strategies wisely. An educated plan for making your brand (positively)memorable and making the most of the media chosen,  is essential for embarking on any marketing adventure.

Have you been caught in the chasm between new and traditional marketing? How has this affected your campaigns?

I’m Ciaran Blumenfeld. I’m a  writer, entrenpreneur and consultant. I specialize in creative, relevant strategies for successful social media campaigns. Need help with your brand’s messaging? Want to brainstorm a way to make a big impression on your consumers at your next event or come up with a campaign that will resonate? Drop me a line.

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Mixed Messages: Surprise Yourself, not Your Customers

by ciaran on June 9, 2009 · 2 comments

You think you know everything about yourself. You go along happily with your assumptions until one day something snaps. You realize that Chinese food is not your favorite after all. Or that your hand eye coordination is not so bad, actually. People change over time, but so do impressions, including  impressions of ourselves. Perhaps this is because many of our self impressions come from outside input. They are ingrained and we take them on as our own. We don’t question them. We walk around telling people our favorite color is blue because we once said that. When we were four. And it stuck. Messages are a powerful thing.

I’ve come to terms with a couple of surprising revelations about myself recently. I realized I am a homebody. I probably always have been. As a child I wanted every playdate to be at my house, on my turf. And I still prefer to do the entertaining. I get tense about travel. But I’ve always also been labeled a party girl and a wanderer. Surprise! Apparently I’m a homebody who likes to push her comfort zone. Equally surprising is the realization that I am an optimist. I’m easily upset by the world’s foibles, and always assumed this meant that I was a pessimist. I’ve even been accused of being a pessimist due to my many (usually short-lived!) rants. But I now believe the opposite is true. My disappointments stem from the fact that I continually expect the best of people and life, something I hope never changes. I get over it fast and go back to expecting the best. In other words - I’m an optimist! Great news!

Being a mystery wrapped up in a conundrum, inside of an enigma is part and parcel with the human condition. We constantly seek to define and redefine ourselves. This process should not, however, be a part of your product or service’s messaging. It’s difficult enough to embrace new messages about ourselves, even when the new message comes from within and we know ourselves well.  Self examination comes naturally. Product message examination does not come naturally. It takes time and multiple exposures to embrace a new idea about a product. Constant mixed messages are the death of any marketing message or ad campaign, and likely to lead to complete rejection of the product for lack of understanding what it is really about. Consumers are faced with enough confusion and choices. Don’t expect them to decide your message for you.

If there is one thing I would advise people to do with their branding and marketing messages, it’s get the story straight, right from the start. It’s fine to have a surprising message, but not when the surprise is that you send mixed signals. Revel in your own complexity. But keep your professional story as simple and clear as possible.

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Going to BlogHer? Join me at the SocialLuxe Lounge!

by ciaran on June 8, 2009 · 0 comments

socialluxe-invite

Are you going to BlogHer 09? If so I hope I’ll get a chance to meet you at the SocialLuxe Lounge. I’m thrilled to be hosting this party with five other fabulous women: check out their SocialLuxe Lounge hostess profiles!

We’ve put a lot of time and thought into this party. We love and respect the brilliant bloggers around us so much. To us they are the new celebrities. Which is why our party theme is: Pamper, Primp, Polish, Party! We’ve created our own award series and will be honoring bloggers chosen by you and our VIP panel, with a BlogLuxe award.

I hope that you will take a minute to vote for your favorite blogs. If you’re going to be in Chicago for BlogHer 09, I can’t wait to meet you! RSVP today!

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Keeping up with the Jessicas

by ciaran on May 28, 2009 · 9 comments

Forget about keeping up with the Joneses.  If you’re keeping score of who’s who and what’s what in Social Media, you may have no idea who the hell the Joneses even are/were. But there is a great chance you’ve heard of the Jessicas. If the Joneses are noted for their conspicuous consumption, the Jessicas are noted for their conspicuous presence. Here there and everywhere you look, you will find these women. Their wealth is most evident in their followings, their “reach”, their google ranks and the fact that Nielsen’s has ranked both Jessica Smith and Jessica Gottlieb as power moms. 

Why do Jessica Smith and Jessica Gottlieb fascinate and intrigue so many people? And what do they have in common? They are each like celebrities in twitter circles, entities unto themselves and oft attacked. Each of them has endured a barrage of criticism in the last year, from detractors, from fans and even from each other. And yet they emerge, with grace, and apparently, respect for one another. 

I can’t tell you exactly what it is about these two women that has me tuning in for more. I can only speak in character  abstractions. Courage, confidence, chutzpah, wisdom, acumen, connectedness, boundless energy. These are the qualities that everyone scrambles for.  It’s the essence of their Jonesian/Jessica-esque sheen.  It’s not easy keeping up with the Jessicas. Love them or hate them, you have to acknowledge them. And try and keep up, if you can.

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