Everyone’s a critique. And I’m no exception. Lately Applebees has been running a TV commercial that seems…lacking or flat.

They’ve spent a lot of money on them. They hired great actors and paid for great camera work and great editing. It’s quality work except…

…the “concept” of the ad campaign is lacking. In their recent commercials they use a “real” apple with a voice-over. And to make it look like it’s actually talking, they jiggle it to match the voice over.

And it just does not work. It’s flat. Lifeless.

A real apple has no personality or attitude. And even though they try to create a personality by using a unique voice, they fail. The apple has no life. It’s inanimate.

And it’s distracting. Almost irritating.

Get rid of the apple. Keep the unique voice. Better yet…hire the actress behind the voice-over to be the spokesperson.

Today, I was shown a blog written by someone against a former employer of mine. The author had posted images and comments on Flicker and Digg as well. From the looks of it, I’m guessing there will be more posts to come in the future.

Let this be a warning to everyone, it doesn’t matter who you are or where you are…someone can mess with your brand identity. And it’s not going to be fun cleaning up after them.

Free speech is free speech, and the internet is all about free speech. Tick-off the wrong person and they can launch a smear party on the internet and your business is the main course. And if they’re web savvy, they can do some real damage.

What is a person to do?

First, I’d empathize. I’d place myself in the other persons shoes and try to experience their feelings and see the event through their eyes. I’d listen to their words and ask them questions for clarity. A sincere and thorough understanding of their experience is a first step.

Then, with a thorough understanding of my own feelings and thoughts about the event, I’d look real hard for a solution that would “do no harm” to either party.

DO NO HARM.

Sometimes winning is not worth the cost of a single person hitting the streets, and telling everyone they meet, bad things about you and your business. Compound that with the options available on the internet and things can get really dirty, really fast. And end up costing you a lot more than the price of settling the disagreement to begin with.

You might get lucky and the offending blog or web site has to be taken down but in the end it carries a costly price tag. And the damage has been done.

You have to take a long hard look at the value of your brand and how much it means to you. Then make your decision and act accordingly.

The other day on CNN there was a short segment on a singing McDonald’s drive-up window employee. He really sang his heart out and the smiles and expressions of the customers was priceless.

Why would I talk about this? Well, this employee was doing something very few employees do…he went above and beyond the requirements for the position. He’s taken the initiative to make people who come to his window, SMILE.

He’s turned a totally mundane event into an extraordinary, unforgettable experience! I’m sure word of mouth has already made him a local hit and people go there just hear him sing. Imagine how interesting it would be if more people created such experiences in everyday shopping, buying stamps at the post office, answering the phone, etc.

Jeffrey Gitomer, author of Little Red Book of Selling, includes this very topic (of making yourself memorable) in his book. As a matter of fact, one of his suggestions is to create a memorable announcement on your answering machine. He’s very big on humor and says people are more likely to remember you, if your encounter includes a laugh or two. Nothing pretentious…just a little honest, self-directed humor.

So the genius singing McDonald’s employee has created a “brand experience” for his employer and I wonder how McDonald’s is reacting. I hope they appreciate and encourage/reward him to continue enriching the drive-up experience. He’s unforgettable and he makes the McDonald’s drive-up…entertaining and memorable.