“What are we actually DOing?” I often puzzle fellow marketers and advertisers with this question.

The brief is written to focus on the most important message for a campaign, and many times we jump to the presentation of that message. How the slogan will appear in print; what stock photo will best represent our target persona (but don’t forget the element of diversity); which voiceover artist best conveys the gravitas of the campaign? In social media, many jump to the hope that our friends and followers will parrot the message. But this is a flawed, presumptuous distortion of word-of-mouth (WOM). Even the most repeatable slogans seem pretty ridiculous when tweeted. (I pick on Nike here because I used to work for, and still love the brand…)

Instead of starting with “how do we make them talk about us,” why not start with “how do we make them absolutely love us?” People love to talk about brands they love. Brands that actually DO something, instead of just talking about it.

Brands that take action.

This question strikes at the heart of humanized brands — after all, the judgement of our peers is based on their actions, not just their words.

How you and your brand can take action — Some examples:

Level 1: KLM

KLM recently “experimented” with social media by listening to public posts and giving gifts to people who checked-in at their terminals.

Level 2: Tide

Tide has extended the Loads of Hope campaign they began during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and is now cleaning clothes in Haiti.

Level 3: Pepsi Refresh Project

The no-super-bowl-for-us Pepsi movement continues to build a following.

Level 4: Open Forum by AMEX

AMEX has created a unique and thriving online community for small business owners and entrepreneurs.

To help you move your next project away from sloganeering, here are some calls-to-action:

Give

Help

Educate

Connect

Empower

So, what are you DOing?