P&G Boss (A.G. Lafley) recommends to "let go", to cede control to consumers, to be in touch!

No new news per say, BUT still a clear sign of time from one of the world biggest advertisers: P&G. The world is changing, Marketing is!

Reported in Ad Age by Matthew Creamer:

Procter & Gamble CEO A.G. Lafley urged marketers to "let go" of their brands and bow to consumer wants and needs in his kickoff to the Association of National Advertisers conference here today.

A.G. Lafley during his refreshing keynote address at the ANA conference today.

Photo Credit: Rohanna Mertens

The cry was somewhat unexpected, coming from the chief of the consumer-goods marketer and advertising titan well known for carefully controlling perceptions of its sprawling collection of brands.

Mr. Lafley, who last spoke at an ANA conference in 2000, hit on many of the same themes that he took up then, especially that of the consumer being boss, and he even reprised a handful of campaigns that had been shown at previous ANA meetings by his colleagues.

But his repeated refrain that we now live in a "let-go world" was refreshing. He said that thanks to 30 or so years of media fragmentation and the more recent rise of user-generated content, marketers were most likely to succeed and be "in touch" when they let consumers be in control.

"Consumers are more participative and selective and the trend from push to pull is accelerating," said Mr. Lafley, the keynote speaker to a conference that has pulled in around 1,000 attendees, including more than 400 marketers."

tags technorati : P&G social media Lafley Pull Marketing ANA co-creation

Comments

[Lychelle]

hello sir ,
I thought this is important as i wanted to contact you on an idea generation whch could be incubated in one of the respected P&G products. I have no direct means of communicating directly and thought if luck persuades this message would surely reach then.

Lychelle

[Aleksandar Genov]

Dear Mr. Lafley

My name is Aleksandar Genov from Bulgaria. I have a job-related request or it is more a claim, actually. Yesterday, I experienced something ridiculous which I have never expected by a P&G employee - particularly Emma Robson - HR.
I got a job during the Jobs in a Day Event on 2nd of December 2008. I am talking about the Shared Service Centre in Newcastle. Just one week before going there (23 of December) after canceling my house contract and booking a house in Newcastle I was informed that I could not start because my Home Office certificate was valid untill mid March. I explained that on the base of the offer I could change it without any problems with a permanent certificate from Home Office for Bulgarians. Initially, Emma Robson - HR said that they would make a temporary contract for me till obtaining the permanent right to work. Two hours later she changed her mind and decided not to give me a contract at all till I had the certificate from Home Office (just to make the point that during this period I could work without any problems). She sent me a letter that they would continue to offer me place in the company. The most ridiculous things happened after this, though. I obtained the certificate on 16th February and let Emma Robson know about this immediately. I expected a decision in the next week. She did not respond to my emails and my phone calls, though. So, I had to use my recruitment agent as a linkage and after several days waiting she said that the documents are in the legal department for checking. I want to say that at that time there was advertisement about a Jobs in a Day Event on 16th March on which it was written that there were positions in all subdepartments of the financial department. For me it was clear that if I din't get decision untill 16th of March, Emma Robson would have said there were no positions after this. I tried everything to speed up the things with a constant comunication through my recruiter because she did not respond to my emails. Just before the event on 16th of March I felt that something was intentionally slow and I contacted her again through the recruiter. She said that she was just waiting the confirmation from the Legal department (exactly one month after presenting my Home Office certificate) and there would not be a problem to join the company. Silence ensued after this and after several attempts to contact her I got yesterday the decision again through my recruiter that my documents are ok, but there are no positions at the moment and if something in the future comes up she will let me know (which means never). This behaviour on the part of Emma Robson really pissed me off - I did not even deserve to be informed directly by her. After so much time, money and nerves on my side I think I deserve fair treatment and this game with me - more than 3 months was absolutely ridiculous (take into account that in every single day of this period I could work without any problems). I am requesting a quick internal decision on this case if not I am ready to defend my rights against this discriminative behaviour with all legal means - I have the whole communication recorded and I can prove everything I am saying. I cannot just swallow this humiliation.

Regards,
Aleksandar Genov

[To Mr. Lafley]

Dear Mr. Lafley,
I just saw you on T.V. and I was most interested in your comment about how consumer complaints are gold for your company. That said a lot about you both as a representative of a corporation that touches the lives of millions of people in this world, and as a human being.

I have about 50 complaints that I'd like to tell you about. But I would prefer to tell you my complaints in person. If you ever get to the San Francisco Bay Area, please write to me. I would love to complain to you over coffee.

Patty
from San Francisco, CA

[Danita Brown]

I use to do Ivory soap commercials when I was a infant to seven years of age. My money built the Twin Towers at 1 P & G Plaza. After all that I have done for the company I have never received a cent for all of my accomplishments with the company! I was to run the company after I graduated from high school back in 1975 but that never occurred!

I want some compensation for all of my achievements with Procter and Gamble! No amount of money can ever repay all of my accomplishments with the company; but some type of compensation would be nice!

Please contact me at:

2644 Harrison Ave., #32
Cincinnati, OH 45211
(513) 661-2354

Thanking you in advance,
Mr. Lafley

[Brendan Keady]

Dear Mr. Lafley,
I am currently attending Fenwick High School. I am a sophomore. I have an idea that I would like to share with you. It's about a product that could be marketed in conjuction with all of P&G's laundry detergent. Please contact me at the following Email address. I would greatly appreciate any comments regarding this endeavor. Thank you for you time.
Sincerely Yours,
Brendan Keady
Class of 2010.

[Jack Flynn]

After distributing P&G coin vend products for over 50 years, why can't your coin laundry supply distributors obtain and sell large size P&G detergent products that are now being sold by both venders and over the counter in coin laundries all over the country. Are you trying to put them out of business?

Jack Flynn

[Affan Saeed]

Dear Sir!
My name is Affan Saeed. I was work in P&G Pakistan as a contract based IT developer
now my contract is off but the project which I was work on is not completed yet.

So I was requested to IT Manager, IT and HR Coordinators to renew my contract but
I’m sorry too say that HR and IT Coordinators are so lazy. My contract was end about 4 months ago and I’m still no reply or clear answer from them.

So please you notice the laziness of Coordinators. It better for the company.

Thanks
Affan Saeed
[email protected]

[syed khurshid Ahmed]

Date: 26.04.2007

To,

Mr. Richard-L-Antonie

Global Human Resource Officer

I-Procter and Gamble Plaza,

Cincinnati, OH, 45202,

United state of America

Dear sir ,

I am too much depressed since 6 years, I was requested approx 2 years to Procter & Gamble of Pakistan to solve my genuine case but they did not solve my problem.

Sir I was wrote a letter on 30. 03. 2005 to you, I was totally expected that you may take some action and do some thing for me and I was expected to justice from you.

I received an offer letter from Jean Delbar on behalf of Jamal Berradia (Associate Director –Human Resources, CEEMA) on 9th November , 2005.

I replied the above letter to Mr. Jean Delbar (Associate Director-Human Recources, CEEMA) on posted 22nd April, 2006.

Again I written a Registered letter to Mr. Jean Delbar as reminder, but still I am waiting for his response.

I would like to acknowledge you that till date I haven’t received any of the reply by you and others (Jean Delbar. A.G Lafley and Jamal Berradia). I am anxiously waiting for your response as my query is still unanswered.

I am corresponding with your company since year 2001 to till date. Sir please tell me that when I relief from this situation.

Procter & gamble is the biggest & world wide company but I was very surprised to think that they take how much time in this case. These kinds of cases as regular routine of any bigger & world wide companies and they take no much time to solve it.

I am again expecting to you & your company and also I requesting to you to settle my case at earliest. I will be very great full and thankful to you.

Your prompt action will be highly appreciated.

Thanks & Regards

Syed Khursheed Ahmed

Ex-Section Manager P&G Pakistan (Karachi)

.

CC: A.G Lafley president of P&G Cincinnati USA

[syed khurshid Ahmed]

Date: 26.04.2007

To,

Mr. Richard-L-Antonie

Global Human Resource Officer

I-Procter and Gamble Plaza,

Cincinnati, OH, 45202,

United state of America

Dear sir ,

I am too much depressed since 6 years, I was requested approx 2 years to Procter & Gamble of Pakistan to solve my genuine case but they did not solve my problem.

Sir I was wrote a letter on 30. 03. 2005 to you, I was totally expected that you may take some action and do some thing for me and I was expected to justice from you.

I received an offer letter from Jean Delbar on behalf of Jamal Berradia (Associate Director –Human Resources, CEEMA) on 9th November , 2005.

I replied the above letter to Mr. Jean Delbar (Associate Director-Human Recources, CEEMA) on posted 22nd April, 2006.

Again I written a Registered letter to Mr. Jean Delbar as reminder, but still I am waiting for his response.

I would like to acknowledge you that till date I haven’t received any of the reply by you and others (Jean Delbar. A.G Lafley and Jamal Berradia). I am anxiously waiting for your response as my query is still unanswered.

I am corresponding with your company since year 2001 to till date. Sir please tell me that when I relief from this situation.

Procter & gamble is the biggest & world wide company but I was very surprised to think that they take how much time in this case. These kinds of cases as regular routine of any bigger & world wide companies and they take no much time to solve it.

I am again expecting to you & your company and also I requesting to you to settle my case at earliest. I will be very great full and thankful to you.

Your prompt action will be highly appreciated.

Thanks & Regards

Syed Khursheed Ahmed

Ex-Section Manager P&G Pakistan (Karachi)

.

CC: A.G Lafley president of P&G Cincinnati USA

[joebas]

Why doesn't Lafley list his email then? (If he is so interested in what the customers think)