Westerblog | A blog about IDEAS+ACTION from Westergaard Advertising

Marketing Nostalgia

2009-03-09T22:45:00.000-05:00

These throwback boxes from General Mills are a lot of fun. They are nostalgic and full of retro kitsch. Plus you get a shirt out of the deal. You walk away smiling and probably carrying a box of something you haven't had since you were a kid. That's what nostalgia does. As a marketer you can't go to this well too often but every now and then, after just enough time has passed, you can get out some artifact that will make your customers smile with childlike delight as you tug on their heartstrings and subtly remind them that your brand has been with them through it all.

Got some old signage or advertisements collecting dust in a closet or storage facility? Get them out and take them to your next meeting. Put them up in your business. Pretty soon your team will be smiling and together you'll come up with a great way to re-introduce these memories back into your brand's quilted tapestry.

Favorite Things: Direct Mail Done Right

2009-03-04T22:08:00.000-06:00

"You've got to see this," said my friend and colleague Don as he slid one of the most engaging pieces of direct mail that I've seen in a long time across the table ... Hear my quick take in the video above. Here is the PURL (Personalized URL) used in the campaign – www.AcceptTheInvitation.com/DonaldCarstensen. An interesting takeaway? With campaigns like this, direct snail mail is almost becoming a boutique media for very small personal campaigns.

The Back of the Box

2009-03-03T09:00:00.000-06:00

No, this isn't an excuse to show off pictures of my kids. When you have little children you eat fast food a whole lot more than you normally would. Last weekend on a trip to the golden arches I found my gaze wandering across the table to back of my son's Happy Meal box. There on the box before me was depicted what a Happy Meal should be. A Utopian offering composed of a grilled chicken wrap, sliced apples and a cool inviting glass of milk. Mmmm.

The problem? This is the first any of us saw of it. No commercials (we watch a lot of kids TV too) and no in-store signage or menu call-outs. So — as you can see above — our gang ordered up our usual vittles. This is something about the Mickey D's brand that we would actually like to know and it's no where in the barrage brand impressions constantly pelted at families like ours. The conspiracy theorist in me thinks that it was planned this way. The folks at McDonald's want to be able to say that they offer something healthy in response to the heightened awareness of the post-Super Size Me world we live in but at the end of the day they don't want anyone ordering it. Offer it and under-promote it and all of a sudden ... We have a healthy Happy Meal on the menu but no one orders it ... I digress ...

Why should this matter to you? Is there something important that your customers should know or want to know about your brand that you have relegated to the back of the box?

Good Day

2009-02-28T21:02:00.013-06:00

Paul Harvey died this weekend. There are any number of finely worded obituaries you can read about the man whose "rest of the stories" and "good days" punctuated the breakfast tables of my childhood. What I think should be noted is that this 90-year old, who was often cited as the oldest living radio personality and one of the most effective pitchmen ever, was really quite progressive. It occurred to me as I thought back on his show that Paul Harvey was blogging before there were blogs. His daily news and comments with segues to commercial content, all packaged by his folksy delivery — you could have transcribed it and probably have had a great blog but you'd have missed the author's voice and unmistakable inflection. Plus he respected advertising, famously quipping, "I am fiercely loyal to those willing to put their money where my mouth is." Good day, indeed.

Photo credit by Tanki via Flickr

Anatomy of an Ad: Reality + Gestalt

2009-02-27T17:11:00.000-06:00

Like the Reality Coalition needs any help from us — I think I saw this spot between every break last night. But here is our quick take on why it works. First, the ad is good. Every piece works — clever copy, art, and acting. The logo fits to a T, playing on the age-old metaphor of the canary in the coal mine. Simple yet striking in yellow and black. (The x-d out eyes are the cherry on the sundae.) But what really sets off this campaign is the Gestalt effect — the whole being more than the sum of its parts. That is the biggest takeaway. More than being a good spot, this has story appeal as the Coen Brothers directed it. Once that circulated, it gave added impact to the ad itself thus making the whole package — the story — more than the sum of its parts. People might have tuned in to a good commercial. But a good commercial with a memorable story (you have to see what the Coen Bros. would do with this) is clear winner.

8 Reasons Why Email Newsletters Work

2009-02-26T14:36:00.001-06:00

Today Business Week had a great article on the success of the tried and true email newsletter. While definitely not the sexiest form of new media (nor the newest), many of our clients see continued success with email newsletters. Here are our 8 reasons why email marketing is an effective way for getting your brand in front of your customers.

Email Marketing Is ...

Personal — Email newsletters are delivered directly to customers' inboxes. When they sign up for your email program, they demonstrate their willingness as a consumer to enter into a very personal relationship with you.
Permission-based — As the Business Week article points out, it is much more personal to grant a company permission to send regular email updates than it is to click through and passively read a blog or fan a business on Facebook.
Relevant — The best commercial emails touch on timely issues that are relevant to customers. There is no bigger predictor of email success than relevance to the reader.
Targeted — You can be even more relevant to your readers by segmenting your list and delivering targeted messages.
Regular — After you set a scheduled pattern and provided you pay close attention to items 3 and 4, your emails will become an anticipated part of your customers' routines. It's the first Wednesday of the month, so I get my e-newsletter from ...
Trust-Building — Because of its personal nature, email marketing provides you with an opportunity to build trust. If this trust is abused you risk damaging the relationship — both online and off. There are many ways of losing a customer's trust via email such as mailing too much, using too hard a sell, not delivering relevant, targeted messages and more. Be careful.
Cost Effective — A less touchy-feely reason but it's true. Email can be as effective as direct mail without the cost of printing and postage.
Measurable — Again, a dollars-and-cents reason but few other forms of media can compete with email marketing on its level of insight and accountability. As a business, you get real-time results on opens, clicks, bounces, and opt-outs.

Finally, I'd like to say a quick note on sending permission-based email rather than blasting. I dislike this dated phrase mostly because it flies in the face of email marketing's elder cousin, direct mail. You don't blast something at some general population and hope for a response. You send a targeted message directly to a relevant audience. Oh, and you can measure it. Heck, that's direct marketing in a nutshell. Blasting uses junk mailer tactics to attack users' inboxes. In the end, that's where you end up when you abuse this special relationship — in spam folders wondering why you have more customers opting out of your program than you have opting in.

In times of economic hardship, many companies' sole direct marketing expenditure is email. Email is modern direct marketing. When used wisely, email is an incredibly effective tool for keeping your brand in front of customers on a consistent basis. When cultivated and maintained, your email list will become an invaluable asset to your business as your customers will eagerly await seeing your brand in their inboxes.

Photo credit: husin.sani via Flickr

Social Media Strategy for Personal Brands

2009-02-25T15:56:00.002-06:00

A few weeks ago I changed my Twitter username from '@nickwestergaard' to '@westerad.' (If you would like step-by-step instructions on doing this check out Rick Butts' post here.) It all went very smoothly but I did have some ask me if the change meant that my Twitter voice would be changing. I was taken aback by this at first but in the end this prompts a larger discussion of what happens when a person becomes a brand and how this impacts the increasingly social and personal nature of online media.

Truthfully there was no greater thought to it other than this — I was going to a have a custom Twitter shirt made and I applied our old in-house style rule of trying not to require folks to spell out 'Westergaard' so I truncated my username to our URL de plume 'westerad.'

The question of where the person ends and the brand begins can often seem like a tricky one. How do I answer my business phone that is also my cell phone? "This is Nick." I thought that over waaaay too long. Questions like these are further exacerbated by social media where you have even more opportunities to expose your brand to the online community. However, most of these tools have either personal applications, professional applications, or some combination thereof. You need a strategy on how to tackle all of this and what voice to use. As a brand working through this as well, I will share our strategy with you on the off chance that it may help you define a strategy of your own:

Facebook — My profile is for me personally, not so much Business Nick. Same goes for our other team members that are on here. To have a calculated WA presence here, we have created a Facebook fan page.
MySpace — Nothing for WA here yet. I can't get a gauge on the on-going value of MySpace especially as it relates to business use and professional networking. For artists or bands, no contest. But business ...? Thoughts?
LinkedIn — Individual team members can create their own profiles with links from the bio pages of our website.
Twitter — Right now I straddle the line of tweeting both for our business and for me personally from the aforementioned @westerad account. I try to make it a mix of article forwards, insights, retweets, personal notes, etc.
YouTube — We have a WA channel showcasing our video, radio, and TV work.
Flickr — We have a WA photostream showcasing our branding, print, and online work.

I'm not saying this is cast in stone for us or even that this is a prescription for success for your personal brand. But rather, that defining your personal/professional brand's roles as they apply to social media is paramount to success in this new space.

P.S. Soon we're going to launch a redesigned WA website that better ties together all pieces of social media outlined above — including this blog. More later.

Photo credit Matt Hamm via Flickr

Ads That Move the Needle

2009-02-23T09:58:00.012-06:00

This morning Advertising Age reported that the Miller High Life one-second Super Bowl ad has created a year-on-year sales bump for the brand affectionately referred to as "the champagne of beers." The real kicker is that NBC didn't even air the one-second ad in some larger markets including New York, Chicago, and LA as they didn't want to discourage marketers who "followed the rules" and bought traditional :30s and :60s like they were supposed to. "We definitely sold more beer," said the High Life brand manager. And isn't that the point? Forget what NBC and anyone in the establishment says they are supposed to do. Their job is to sell more beer and that ad did it. Compare the one-second Miller bought for High Life to the four and a half minutes Anheuser-Busch bought. Talk about ROI ...

Contrast this with all of the red carpet-like reviews ads are given during high profile events like the Super Bowl and the Oscars (even on this blog every now and then). Sure, it's a fun conversation to have but it's like like having a sports discussion about which team's uniforms are the most aesthetically pleasing. It's secondary. The team with the most points at the end of the game wins, just as the ads that sell ultimately win.

We can talk endlessly about how the fan-created Doritos ad was voted as the most popular pick by USA Today and YouTube but I wonder if they sold more chips ... My own personal aside is that I think anyone can write a funny sketch with someone getting a ball to the crotch but I think it takes a professional to move the needle and sell some chips.

Moving the needle is what it's all about — not making clever, sexy ads. You need to sell more chips, beer, online job services, or whatever your particular widget may be. That's not to say that you can't be creative in the process but you can't simply be creative for the sake of being creative and hope by accident that some chips get sold. I also say moving the needle because results can come in lots of shapes and sizes — sales dollars, units sold, website traffic, etc.

Ultimately I think that's the difference between a professional sales and marketing strategy and writing a skit for the school talent show. Buying a one-second spot was a gutsy, creative move. It had people talking about it and anticipating it not to mention it was cost-effective, moved product and ultimately demonstrated ROI. It's not an easy thing to do but I think sometimes it can look easy. At a glance it's a funny guy shouting "High Life" that literally passes in the blink of an eye but in the boardroom post-mortem it is an objective achieved.

Photo credit: Rebecca.. via Flickr

Copywriter's Time Machine: Ted's Words

2009-02-19T11:33:00.003-06:00

Our first client was/is a Cadillac dealership. On the wall of one of their conference rooms is a framed document with advertising copy in it. Yep, ad copy. A copywriter's dream come true — that their words would live on, framed inside conference rooms across the nation. But this is not just any pedestrian copy (I can say that as a copywriter myself). "The Penalty of Leadership" was a legendary Cadillac print ad that ran once in 1915 in the Saturday Evening Post. The words were crafted by Theodore MacManus and they never specifically mention Cadillac.

In 1967 Cadillac revived the campaign by sending scrolls of the copy to customers nationwide, including Elvis Presley. The King so identified with these words, he framed them and hung them up on the walls of Graceland where they still reside today.

Maybe I'm just being sentimental as I'm in the midst of reading The King of Madison Avenue, hearkening back to the long, descriptive, and often poetic ads of David Ogilvy, but copy like this is wonderful. It not only sings but it sells. And not just a car but a lifestyle — an ethos. It paints a picture so clear and vivid in a day where there the only tools for doing so were carefully scribed words on the printed page — long before the colored lights of television and all of the new media that has followed.

Here is the ad, in its entirety.

THE PENALTY OF LEADERSHIP

In every field of human endeavor, he that is first must perpetually live in the white light of publicity. Whether the leadership be vested in a man or in a manufactured product, emulation and envy are ever at work. In art, in literature, in music, in industry, the reward and the punishment are always the same. The reward is widespread recognition; the punishment, fierce denial and detraction. When a man's work becomes a standard for the whole world, it also becomes a target for the shafts of the envious few. If his work be mediocre, he will be left severely alone - if he achieves a masterpiece, it will set a million tongues a-wagging. Jealousy does not protrude its forked tongue at the artist who produces a commonplace painting. Whatsoever you write, or paint, or play, or sing, or build, no one will strive to surpass or to slander you unless your work be stamped with the seal of genius. Long, long after a great work or a good work has been done, those who are disappointed or envious, continue to cry out that it cannot be done. Spiteful little voices in the domain of art were raised against our own Whistler as a mounteback, long after the big would had acclaimed him its greatest artistic genius. Multitudes flocked to Bayreuth to worship at the musical shrine of Wagner, while the little group of those whom he had dethroned and displaced argued angrily that he was no musician at all. The little world continued to protest that Fulton could never build a steamboat, while the big world flocked to the river banks to see his boat steam by. The leader is assailed because he is a leader, and the effort to equal him is merely added proof of that leadership. Failing to equal or to excel, the follower seeks to depreciate and to destroy - but only confirms once more the superiority of that which he strives to supplant. There is nothing new in this. It is as old as the world and as old as human passions - envy, fear, greed, ambition, and the desire to surpass. And it all avails nothing. If the leader truly leads, he remains - the leader. Master-poet, master-painter, master-workman, each in his turn is assailed, and each holds his laurels through the ages. That which is good or great makes itself known, no matter how loud the clamor of denial. That which deserves to live - lives.

Favorite Things: Helvetica & Viddler

2009-02-18T00:32:00.001-06:00

In the video above I offer up some of our favorite things. Favorite branding things — not so much like Oprah favorite things (though I would love to give you a car). Here are some of the sites referred to:

Cheers.

Tending Your Garden

2009-02-17T21:45:00.006-06:00

Today I made an analogy about social media that I think might hold some water. I was outlining a comprehensive social media strategy and the client rightfully asked what all it would entail as far as time commitment, money, etc. As I walked through each new media channel I said that managing social media is like tending a garden.

It's true. Maybe you start with a plan or maybe you just plant some seeds here and there and eventually it leads to a full fledged garden. Either way you usually end up doing some heavy lifting up front planting your seeds (building your profile page, uploading photos, connecting with friends/fans). Early on you keep a very watchful eye on your seeds to make sure they have what they need to start growing. After awhile, they start shooting up (your first 100 friends, subscribers, etc.). Eventually, they take off and you are left with general watering and pruning (status updates, posting new video). And like a garden, you end up enjoying the fruits (or vegetables) of your labor.

Don't make fun! I like metaphors. How is your garden doing?

Photo credit steveocee via Flickr

Bridging the Generational Gap

2009-02-16T11:53:00.005-06:00

Recently, I was having a conversation with a friend of mine who works for a local social services non-profit that I am on the board of. I also do some ad-hoc marketing consultation for them as well. I was struck at the profundity of a simple statement that she made about their organization as we discussed a website revision and social media opportunities that could be leveraged. She said, "Our organization is led by baby-boomers, staffed by Gen X-ers, and caters largely to millennials. And that's not always easy to navigate." At first, I merely thought it was a striking analysis of their organization. Then I took a step back and realized that this paradigm could be applied quite broadly — to clients, communities, the government, and maybe even your business.

And yet later when I shared this with my frequent sounding board, Mike, he replied with an even more sobering analysis. In short, he said that the technical gulf that is growing between these groups is becoming wider by the day. As new media gains more and more traction with the younger demographic the other end of the spectrum complains of "getting it" less. It's not enough for folks to just "know how to do email" anymore. The internet is becoming — scratch that — already is the hub for connecting with friends, shopping, getting from point A to point B, etc. for a growing majority of the public.

It's a different form of revolution when compared with other emergent media through the years. With the advent of radio and TV you, if you could afford one, you got one and turned it on. It was a socioeconomic divide. No special skills or training were required. And while you think the same may hold true for new media — just login and manage your account — talk to the other end of the spectrum. They increasingly feel that they don't have the skills to understand how to do all of this. And granted, they don't have to as it's not at the epicenter of life for their generation as it is for those younger. But what if they own a business who's target market is a younger demographic? If so, then bridging this divide is critical.

There are promising signs, though. Facebook's fastest growing user segment is the 30+ set. Over 50% of self-identified Twitter users are between the ages of 30 and 49. The challenge to marketers now is to look for ways to bridge this gap. Create a presence for yourself/your business on the most prevalent social media sites (YouTube, Facebook, MySpace, etc.) because (1) it's free and (2) it speaks to one end of your pool of constituents. As for the other end — the Boomer+ folks who don't know what to make of the "SpaceTubeBook"? Help them out. Have a social media 101 mixer at your business. Get some snacks and work through new media together. Or simply do write ups on each type of media in your email newsletter.

If you do this right, you'll not only do them the service of educating them about new media. You'll also position your brand at or near the hub of their online networking.

Photo credit: akahodag

Staying in Touch

2009-02-11T17:03:00.009-06:00

I don't always agree with my state senator Chuck Grassley. But for a couple of months I've been thinking that he does a very effective job of communicating with me via new media. As a constituent, this makes me feel — dare I say — close to my elected official. What is Senator Grassley doing that's so special? For starters he is an almost prolific user of Twitter. He updates just the perfect amount. Sometimes personal (We had 25 people at Christmas dinner at our New Hartford Farm) and sometimes professional (Came bk DC aftr holidays. Today meet w Gov Vilsack as new ag secy. His confirmation shld b easy) but never too much and the real kicker is I think it's really him Tweeting. Unlike others who farm out their Twitter stream I think the Senator is really writing these updates (either that or a very effective surrogate).

But it doesn't stop there. Yesterday he voted against the stimulus package then immediately Tweeted his vote and told his followers to check his YouTube channel for why he voted the way he did (see the image clip above). He also blogs, publishes an email newsletter, and has a MySpace page. So he gets several forms of online media and is effectively linking them together to communicate efficiently and effectively with his constituency.

Take this to another level and consider that Senator Grassley is 75 years old. Not necessary the high tech millennial that most people envision when they think of the the typical web 2.0 user. Consider this — we live in a world where the Pope has a YouTube channel and the White House blogs.

Online media is quickly overtaking other traditional forms of staying in touch with those who want to hear from you. One can't simply respond to email any longer and call that good enough for online communications. You need to harness all high-traffic online outposts (Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, etc.) and feed them relevant updates. Not only will your audience listen more but they will also share your messaging more with others. Whether you are a politician, church, or small business, this is where the conversation is moving.

Your audience is listening. How are you staying in touch?

Wrap Your Customers in Your Brand

2009-02-10T21:31:00.000-06:00

Do you have customers rabid enough to wear your brand? If so – even if it's only a small handful — let them. I'm a fan of Google and their various products — he says as he writes a post on his Blogger-powered blog that he tracks with Google Analytics all of this with Gmail up, about to create another Google AdWords campaign and so on. So the other day I Googled 'Google Apparel' and found the Google Store. Jackpot. As you can see, I ordered a shirt and coffee mug.

Why? They aren't a cool band or movie. It's not like it's designer gear. But wait – it's actually both. They have created a brand that has fans just as excited as a band or movie. And, in my opinion, it is impeccably designed. When a customer makes a choice to wear your brand and ultimately becomes a living, breathing, practically free billboard for you it creates a bond stronger than almost anything else. It sounds hokey but they have tactically bonded with you and are comfortable standing up for you.

Would your customers wear your brand? How can you make it easy for them to do that?

P.S. Fun fact – As I write this I am working on adding 'gear' to a client's website.
P.P.S. Don't forget your opportunity to score Twitter-branded gear from WA for yourself this Thursday at the Iowa City Twestival.

Taking Social Networking Offline

2009-02-09T15:48:00.008-06:00

Westergaard Advertising is proud to be a sponsor of the Iowa City Twestival (Twitter + festival). This is a local "tweet-up" that is part of a global initiative harnessing the power of the Twitter community to raise money for Charity:Water — an organization working to bring clean drinking water to the 1.1 billion people without it. The Iowa City Twestival will be held in the North Room of the Iowa Memorial Union at 7 PM this Thursday, February 12th. More event details can be found here.

In addition to seeing what happens when you take social networking offline, you can purchase raffle tickets with a chance to win several cool prizes including a chance at a custom "Follow Me on Twitter" T-shirt from WA. However, we must give the appropriate props for this idea and the template to self-described creative superfreak Ted Murphy.

Hope to see you at the Twestival! I'll be wearing my shirt.

Selling Frozen Peas 101

2009-02-08T16:25:00.001-06:00

Nick recently discovered an old favorite of ours was on YouTube (above). No, not a favorite TV show or movie, but a short recording of outtakes of Orson Welles recording commercials for a frozen food company. I’ve had a cassette recording of this for many years, and its good listening from time to time to help keep us agency types grounded.

It’s only four minutes, but it gives a great microcosm of an agency/talent relationship gone wrong. I don’t know the back story on this actual relationship, I doubt few people do. But there are some easy conclusions to be drawn, and lessons to be learned.

If you’re going to hire someone famous as your spokesperson, bring them into the circle. They may not want to be in the circle, but at least make that effort. Educate them about your product; even bring them into the creative process – again, if they wish. Then, when you step into the recording studio you’re all working toward the same goal.
Make sure they are at ease with the copy. This goes back to involving them in the process. Don’t put words or phrases in their mouth that they are not comfortable saying. My guess is that Mr. Welles saw this copy for the first time when he walked into the recording studio.
Don’t over-coach. Would you try to tell Mickey Mantle how to hit? If you’ve done your job on points 1 & 2 this is a no-brainer. You’ve hired Orson Welles. Put him in the little room, close the door, and turn on the microphone. And, if you offer any direction at all, you certainly don’t start telling Orson Welles how to inflect. This is where they truly showed the “depths of their ignorance.”
And, last but not least, remember it’s advertising – not Shakespeare. These guys looked upon their words as sacred poetry – which is why Mr. Welles so heartlessly reminds them that they’re talking about frozen food.

Follow that strategy and you might just get Orson to stay in the studio for the entire session. Was Orson Welles a bit temperamental and perhaps difficult to work with? Undoubtedly – but they knew that going in. This is great listening. Take four minutes and hear for yourself a creative director’s worst nightmare.

"There's a Fan!"

2009-02-06T09:54:00.009-06:00

Sorry to get you excited. I have no cool way to tie Harry Caray into an advertising blog post. Don't get me wrong. I really think it could be done. Harry was on the mind as I was creating a Facebook Fan Page for Westergaard Advertising (Fan Page = an FB page for a brand to encourage user engagement with said brand). I found myself at the computer slurring in my best Will Ferrell/Harry voice, "There's a fan!" And besides, what can I say about Facebook that you don't already know? Some quick takeaways:

Today there are more than 150 million active users.
Though the under 30 bracket makes up the largest percentage of current users, the fastest growing segment are those over 30.
The average user has 120 friends on the site.
More than 3 billion minutes are spent on Facebook each day (worldwide).
More than 15 million users update their statuses at least once each day.
More than 3.5 million users become fans of pages each day.
Facebook offers several levels of advanced targeting for marketers to utilize.
It's another Web 2.0 touchpoint for your brand that features people having fun, catching up, and sharing — a very casual time to offer up a relevant message. (Please note, I said relevant.)

So if you are already on "the Face" we'd love you to be a fan. Just login and search for 'Westergaard Advertisng' or simply follow this link. Do you have a Fan Page for your organization? We'd love to know about it? What kind of conversations are your fans having? If you aren't on Facebook yet — give it a try now. You owe it to yourself to see what the buzz is about. It's Friday! Catching up on social media is 'research' anyway, right? Not a waste of time. Cheers.

Data source: Facebook Press Room

In the Words of Others - Try Something

2009-02-05T13:30:00.001-06:00

Last week at the Iowa City Area Chamber of Commerce Annual Banquet, former UI president David Skorton was asked how his love of jazz has influenced him. "You don't know what's going to happen but you have to improvise to find your way through it – like in the current economy. We don't know how it's going to end but we have to try something."

As a trained theatrical improviser myself (long story for another post) I can tell you that I have always felt that improvisational skills strangely translate to the business world. Being on stage without a script or sheet music to follow brings terror but also a certain calm if handled correctly. The secret, as Dr Skorton described, is that you have to jump in and keep an open mind. On stage the golden rule is to say 'yes' to others' ideas as it always keeps the story moving forward.

Now more than ever it seems that folks are being called on to improvise. In our world of careful analysis and review, many are shell-shocked because the playbook has been chucked out the window. Even the experts are flummoxed (see current debate over stimulus plan). What we need is action. Management guru Tom Peters is fond of saying that we need a "bias toward action." His "Ready - Fire - Aim!" philosophy asks us to throw something up on the wall and see what sticks. If it doesn't work, we know that much and can try something else. FYI - Tom didn't say this in response to the current economy. He said it 16 years ago.

Someone else with words of wisdom in dealing with a struggling economy was Franklin Delano Rooselvelt, who famously said: "It is common sense to take a method and try it. If it fails, admit it frankly and try another. But above all, try something."

Finally, we should all heed the advice of Southwest Airlines founder Herb Kelleher: "We have a strategic plan. It's called doing things." Amen, Herb. We can and will get through this. But we cannot be paralyzed by it. Above all, we must remember to try something.

Photo credits - foreverdigital (Skorton), Flanders DC (Peters), Public Domain (FDR), JC Howes (Kelleher)

Don't Forget About TIM

2009-02-03T16:48:00.008-06:00

Recently at seminar on ROI (the one where I sat next to Dave Power), the speaker strongly advocated for holding true to the old Drucker axiom that's also one of my favs: you can't manage what you don't measure. At the same time he voiced concern over putting too much stock in "the myth of the last impression." This means that when customers are asked to identify what lead them into the store or to make their purchase, they often cite the last brand impression they experienced when, in reality, what moved them to action was actually several brand impressions working in concert.

As any good Lutheran would say, this is most certainly true. Branding is an experience that is a sum total of many parts; not a sequential and linear path where a sale only occurs after a set point. This is not to say that you should throw measurement out with the bathwater. Rather, you need to look for more holistic means of measurement. Instead of asking the ubiquitous how did you hear about us? with a list of media options where just one lucky winner is checked, perhaps the new customer should select which combination of media inspired them to act.

Years ago, Dean gave a speech that he called the "TIM Talk" at the National Office Machine Dealers Association convention. TIM is an acronym Dean developed that stands for Total Image Marketing. In his speech, he outlined a strategy for holistic branding that covers all touchpoints and can be applied to any media and any business. He's thinking of updating it and giving it again. I think that there's never been a better time for TIM.

Photo credit thegloaming

Touchpoints Revisited

2009-02-02T17:34:00.003-06:00

One of the first posts I wrote in 2005 was about maximizing your brand's touchpoints. This continues to be favorite topic of mine. The above image from Twitter is a great example of maximizing a touchpoint at a very critical time in a brand relationship – the error message. Every now and then you see a business that puts a bit of time into writing interesting error message copy but rarely do you see an equally witty image accompanying it. They have several more of these as well (the owl that comes up saying 'Who goes there?' when there is an identity issue). As I mentioned earlier, this diffuses a potential moment of brand angst with humor. It actually makes you laugh off an error message or warning. In fact, it makes all other Error 404/File Not Found messages seem like you're getting hit in the face with a sock full of online doorknobs.

Well done Twitter. Especially when several online brands are rounding out points of interest in favor of Web 2.0 sleekness.

Post-Game Wrap Up

2009-02-01T22:08:00.006-06:00

After careful consideration and watching, well, hours of ads — tweeting the whole time — we've come to some conclusions on the commercials featured in Super Bowl XLIII. There were some hits but largely this seemed like an off year. Whether this was due to the economy or not, the creative seemed off and some of the advertisers an odd fit. Overall, this blogger's choice for best of show was the above offering from Career Builder which will no doubt be earning heaps of adulation in the days and weeks ahead.

What was so special about it? Simply put, it was 1. funny (not an easy feat), 2. repetitious which also made it very 3. memorable and 4. it continued to communicate Career Builder as the premier job search site which, sadly, more folks are probably looking at these days, thus rendering their message incredibly relevant. Were I to narrow it down further, I would probably say that what made this spot effective was it's clever use of repetition. If you'll note, this is a 0:60-second spot. Dean always says that with a 0:60 you use the added time for what's often called a "teaching message" – or telling a longer story. Career Builder did something different. They started with a very basic story which they repeated probably half a dozen times, each time adding a more absurd manifestation of job frustration.

Some other standouts include:

Most Saavy Use of Media: Miller High Life – a one-second spot?!? Laugh it off but it cost less than all the others but it also generated buzz and had folks checking out the outtakes that didn't make the cut on YouTube.
Best Entertainment Ad: Hulu – a rare spot from my favorite free TV site. Plus Alec Baldwin as an alien who will scoop my brain out with a melon baller!
Best Automotive: Hyundai – with their Genesis and Assurance program ads they staked ownership not so much via their ad creative but rather with their stacked up placements early on in the show.

And by the way — who else is sick of the stale Go Daddy and E*Trade spots?

Happy Super Bowl XLIII!

Half-Time Report

2009-02-01T19:20:00.005-06:00

OK ... So I would say, at this point, that the ads from the first half of the Super Bowl have been lackluster at best. If pressed I would argue that the one from Avon (posted above) best captured and capitalized on the moment. Yep, Avon. I liked it because it spoke to real people right now as opposed to standard snow-globe-in-the-crotch (Dorito's) and obscurely risque (Go Daddy) spots. This ad emphasized a tried and true brand (who does not usual advertise at all much less in the Super Bowl) and strategically positioned it as an answer to these challenging times (I use it to pay my bills). Well done. More later. Don't forget to follow us on Twitter for the second half of the game for play-by-play ad analysis!

Tweeting the Big Event

2009-01-29T21:20:00.009-06:00

We're going social for the Super Bowl! Not so much to comment on the game itself – though I'm struggling with being regional and rooting for Kurt Warner while feeling some Steelers nostalgia after meeting Terry Bradshaw at NADA. Rather, we'll be using Twitter to tweet on the Super Bowl advertising highs and lows in real time. So if you're already a follower, be sure to have your laptop or mobile handy for WA play-by-play. If you're not a follower yet, you can do so now. We will definitely have a post-game analysis here on the blog and may even toss something up during halftime.

Chicken or Egg?

2009-01-29T15:13:00.005-06:00

I am by no means the first to point this out. Just Google new pepsi logo obama. After all of the recent chatter on the blogosphere, things got kicked up a notch today when Advertising Age reported that Pepsi actually got cornered on this yesterday at their pre-Super Bowl press-conference. Know what they said? Obama copied us! LOL. I really have no answers or insight here ... Hard to tell which came first. I mean Pepsi obviously came first but did the Obama campaign really base their mark on a soda logo? And just because Pepsi's new TV campaign is decidedly "up with people" are they really ripping off Barry O? Sometimes things in the public sphere tend to mirror each other organically. Dunno. What do you think?

How Not to Work a Trade Show Booth

2009-01-28T12:52:00.017-06:00

As you can see from our posts throughout the last four days we learned a lot at NADA. This gathering produces great ideas applicable to the dealership business and to any business working to stay ahead during these challenging times and we can't wait to continue sharing these thoughts with you.

But there's one post I haven't written yet that was on my mind for most of the show. I wanted to wait until I had a moment to compose my thoughts. NADA is a huge show — one of the nation's larger trade shows actually. As a former frequent exhibitor myself, I am fascinated by the trade show world. I've always said you can bleed a lot of money at a trade show but the marketer in me still feels that, if done correctly, they can make a brand come to life. Since I mostly wear the marketer's hat now, I am often focused on creating brand experiences at a booth through careful integration of design, messaging, marketing, and sales.

There's one aspect that often gets overlooked: how the booth is worked by the staff. Let me preface what I am about to say with my understanding that this is a tough time for both the auto industry and the many vendors that support it. Trade shows are expensive and must demonstrate ROI (usually through the leads they produce) if they want to remain a part of the media mix. However, this quest for accountability and leads cannot come at the expense of attacking trade show attendees. Yes, I said attacking.

What did I see? As Dean and I walked the expo hall floor we were mauled and accosted by anything we made eye contact with. We had booth babes (show workers hired less for their extensive product expertise and more for their physical attributes) and every other imaginable incarnation of an old-timey huckster/carnival barker aggressively pushing their wares — even when irrelevant — to anything that would hove into their fields of vision. While taking the risk of actually talking to someone at a relevant booth (more on relevancy later) I literally saw a booth worker leap from his booth in front of an unsuspecting victim. Here is another conversation I heard:

Trade Show Huckster – HUCK for brevity's sake – walks out of booth, intercepting uninterested ATTENDEE and begins following them down the aisle walking several booths away from their own booth.

HUCK: Have you heard of company XYZ?!?

ATTENDEE: Well ... no ...

HUCK: Do you want to learn more about what we do at company XYZ?!?

ATTENDEE: Not really ...

Huck thrusts a stack of brochures at ATTENDEE.

HUCK: Here 'ya go! Take these home and read 'em and then you'll know!!

Both continue on their separate paths, shaking heads in exasperation.

Let me say again, I am not being dramatic. What I saw can objectively be described as attacks, leaping, accosting, etc. As a trade show attendee and a fellow marketer I have two responses to this. As an attendee, due to this behavior, I started avoiding eye contact with the booth workers and their booths. As a marketer, this leaves a pang in my stomach. Because of an aggressive booth employee folks aren't looking at my both much less stopping at it.

Notice in the above vignette I observe both the attendee and the huckster walking away in exasperation. I fully recognize that at a booth you can't sit quietly back like a priest waiting to take a confession. You have to work it a bit but it needs to be relevant to the prospect in order to produce a real lead rather than junk leads to show (fake) ROI. There's truly something to be said for quantity vs. quality when it comes to trade show leads.

After voicing my frustration I started waiting to see if anyone was doing it right. That's when I had the following conversation ...

Nice Booth Guy – NBG for brevity – stands at his booth as NICK walks by ...

NBG: Are you interested in online marketing ?

NICK: Why, yes I am ...

NBG: Let me tell you a bit about about what we do ...

NBG gives a true elevator speech — approx. 2 minutes then closes with ...

NBG: ... now sir I know you're busy today. We have a demo here but if you'd like I can call you later and we can go through it over the phone. Can I swipe your card?
NICK: I'd love it if we could do it later. I am going to give you my business card because that has better information to reach me at and I want to make sure I hear from you.

And ... SCENE. That was a great introductory brand experience. You can break down this successful interaction from the point of view of the exhibitor and the attendee:

The attendee made a good connection and had an experience that was non-threatening and relevant.
The exhibitor got a lead — a real lead not just a swiped card – and presented his brand as approachable and understanding of customers' time.

You see, I chose the word interaction above because both sides got something out of it. That's what a trade show is supposed to be – an interaction. Communion between the brand and the consumer at its most basic level. That's why — when done correctly with careful planning on all fronts — a trade show can be an impressive and effective marketing tool.

All in the Family

2009-01-27T02:24:00.007-06:00

Okay so Dean and I may have been the last ones to notice this but when we were at a Toyota/Lexus/Scion event this weekend at the House of Blues in New Orleans we observed an impressive feat of branding. Or, rather, inter-brand branding. As we sat back and enjoyed the mixture of great music and food, we looked up on the closed-circuit TV screens and noticed that the loop they had running featured the Toyota, Lexus, and Scion logos flipping between each other. This loop offered a seamless horizontal flip from one logo to the next and that's when we both saw it — all three of these very different logos are all based on the same basic oval shape (look at the outlines above). The result? When they run together they seem like logical parts of a machine that contribute to a total brand picture and yet 99% of the time — when viewed on their own — all retain the unique characteristics of their brand (they also make up the letters of their brand name — T, L, & S). Way to keep it all in the family, Toyota.

Probably the best remark someone shared with me on this front was the casual yet insightful observation that this kind of total brand synergy is not all that common and couldn't be achieved if you set all of the GM logos up next to one another ...

A Young Mind

2009-01-26T07:20:00.007-06:00

Henry Ford once said, "Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young. The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young." Like Henry, the 25,000 car dealers here at NADA are here to keep their minds young – which is even more important as we face new media and an economy more challenging than ever.

It's not just the dealers, though. If you look at the habits of successful people, we all know that they are lifelong learners. On Saturday Ford CEO Alan Mulally addressed the group and talked about his career change a couple years ago when he joined Ford after a storied career at Boening. Airplanes he knew; cars not so much the CEO humbly said. So what did he do? It's pretty simple. He called up some of his dealers and went to work on the showroom floor selling cars. I say simple but I think that this is a pretty impressive and humbling act and shows that Alan is at least working at keeping his mind young.

I also had the privilege of sitting next to measurement genius J. David Power, founder of JD Power and Associates, at a session. Was he giving the seminar? No. At 77 Mr. Power was sitting down with open ears and mind to hear someone talk about measuring ROI in the age of new media.

Do you work to keep your mind young?

Radio Free No More

2009-01-25T16:49:00.010-06:00

Today at an NADA session on online media I caught some news from the presenter with insider info as it was breaking (or very shortly there after). Pandora – the online jukebox that grew out of the Music Genome project – will now be adding in-stream ads to their content. You can read the complete story at WIRED.

The folks at Pandora didn't come to this decision lightly. This is just their latest attempt to monetize their site, no doubt brought on with renewed urgency by the troubled economy (Pandora recently let staff go). Personally, I'd thought that they'd had some recent flashes of ad brilliance with well-executed portal takeovers by Dos Equis and Apple. However, it seems that this combined with their display ads have failed at moving the needle significantly thus the addition of the in-stream ads which takes away one of Pandora's unique selling points (for $36 you can subscribe to their premium service which remains ad-free).

What do you think of this? Does this reduce what used to be unique online radio to ... well, radio radio? Are their other ways to monetize a website other than just placing ads on it?

The Pie Looks Different Now

2009-01-24T16:52:00.006-06:00

At NADA today, Dean and I attended a session about media planning with special emphasis on new media and the current economic downturn. One of my favorite metaphors for how to look at this particular issue is to think of your total spend as a pie, with various media making up each piece.

There used to be just a few slices of pie – print ads, radio, TV, and maybe outdoor – but over the years the media has multiplied. We've added different pieces – direct marketing, online, social media – and further sliced our pie.

Given the current economic climate, businesses small and large can no longer slice their pie as many different ways. And the pieces that we have need to work for us. As we look at this, we need to pare down our pieces of media pie to only those few things that work for us. In order to do this, however, we need to remember the classic Peter Drucker quote: "You can't manage what you don't measure."

Does your media pie look different? Consider that each week the average adult spends about 4 hours reading the newspaper and/or magazines, watches TV for 16 hours, listens to 19 hours of radio and spends nearly 33 hours online.

Your pie should look different now.

Off to the Big Easy

2009-01-23T07:53:00.000-06:00

As I mentioned last week, today Dean and I are leaving for the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) Convention and Expo in New Orleans. Our very first client is an auto dealer and we serve several others in the industry as well (I say is because we have the very rare honor in the advertising business to say that we still have our first client). NADA has always provided exceptional workshops and an expo hall that is second to none.

Throughout the expo we will be reporting back on best practices and trade show goings on from this very big event. We do this not just for the benefit of our friends in the auto industry but for everyone. The news and lessons here are often ones we apply to clients across industries. Plus, as Dean said earlier, "If there was ever a year to go to NADA ..." With the economic downturn, industry struggles, Toyota overtaking GM, and keynotes from Ford's Alan Mulally and two former US presidents, this year should provide a great industry snapshot at a critical time as well as new media vendors looking to offer tools to a sector that needs new tools now more than ever.

Anyone Can Be Remarkable

2009-01-22T09:37:00.008-06:00

Every business has a story to tell.

Those are the words that first pop up on our agency's website because at our very core that's what we believe. Not only does every business have a story to tell but every business has the opportunity to be remarkable. But this isn't always easy. How many of us have read a Seth Godin book or an inspiring blog post about telling your businesses' remarkable story to the world only to be told by those we answer to "that's all good and well but the [INSERT PERCEIVED BORING INDUSTRY HERE] business isn't like that. We aren't Nike or Apple or Starbucks ..."?

Case in point – many falsely think that banking or the finance industry is sterile and unremarkable. More so now given the sobering news of the day. In fact, many are using the marketplace's need for stability as a reason for sanding out any pointed edges of creativity. (How many big bank CEO's have we seen on TV reassuring recently?) And yet there are those who persevere and tell their story. And sometimes it gets picked up.

Yesterday as I was listening to NPR's Morning Edition, one of their short 0:30-second point-of-interest stories struck me. It briefly told the story of First State Bank in rural Norton, Kansas — a bank with a seemingly unremarkable name that has a wealth of remarkability. You see, First State Bank has a one-of-a-kind portrait collection of all of the losers from every presidential election from Thomas Jefferson to Kansas' own Bob Dole. And how did the bank celebrate the inauguration of Barack Obama on Tuesday? By adding his opponent John McCain to their collection.

That's it. That's all I know about First State Bank in Norton. But if I were told that I had to be a resident of Norton, I might learn over time that there was an older or more prestigious bank in town but I wouldn't have bothered to look because I know the folks at First care about being fun and remarkable with their work. And in times like these especially, it's nice to be around people who care and enjoy their work.

Every business has a story to tell. Every business has the opportunity to be remarkable. But like all opportunities, it only comes to life when someone steps up and takes action on an idea. And that is a very brave thing to do.

Social Networking Via One Steak Burrito w/Pico

2009-01-21T11:52:00.007-06:00

Check out this photo that I snapped while in line at Panchero's a few minutes ago. Too often people create the obligatory Facebook fan page or start Twittering for their business and then totally forget to promote this new channel across their consumer touchpoints because they assume that friends and fans will automatically flock to connect with them. Of course, adding the little social buttons to your website is a start but your network will grow even faster – especially if your business is retail in nature – if you literally put this announcement between your customer and their burrito. Maximize places where your customers already are.

Change – Available Now!

2009-01-17T16:35:00.006-06:00

With inauguration day fast approaching it seems like everyone is trying to cash in on the act before Tuesday. Some are relevant, such as the endless droves of commemorative Obama plates, coins, magazines, while some struggle a bit trying to force a fit.

I snapped this photo from my local grocery store. Someone has obviously sold the chain on the limited edition MAKING HISTORY cardboard bookshelf (they somehow manage to reduce MAKING HISTORY to a SUNDAY! SUNDAY! SUNDAY!-like call to action). Just put this baby together and load 'em up with all the Obama books you can find and your store will be on top of all of this "Change fever." The problem? Look at the bottom shelf. They ran out of legit and pulpy Barack books and decided to face up the shelf with some Grishams from the trade paperbacks. Dreams from My Father, The Audacity of Hope, The Partner, The Summons ...

The point? Relevancy counts when you decide to go topical. If you have a relevant way to tie into the news of the day then go ahead. But if you end up stretching your brand's story in a way that doesn't make sense then you look like the rest of the masses trying to cash in on the story du jour.

The Copywriter's Time Machine

2009-01-16T19:23:00.005-06:00

Yesterday, while mourning Ricardo Montalban (KHAAANNNNN!) I happened upon the above spot for the 1975 Chrysler Cordoba. I have to admit, it kept me laughing for about a half hour solid. Not just the fine corinthian leather but the tastefulness of its appearance and Ricardo's winsome look as he reflects on how the Cordoba answers his demands.

But this is where it gets weird. After I stopped laughing, I started thinking. And thinking. The spot stayed with me. Once you get past the campiness (his stylish neckerchief, the buttons on the seats) you realize that the copy is really well written. What's more important is that it makes a statement about the brand that evokes very specific images and aspirations. No small coincidence that it helped Chrysler sell a whole lot of this small car in the mid to late '70s. RIP Ricardo. Now what about Chrysler ...?

On a slightly related note ... a week from today Dean and I arrive in New Orleans for the National Automobile Dealers Association Annual Convention & Expo. We're eager to hear what industry experts have to say. We'll blog from the convention and maybe even snap a few shots from the trade show floor.

Pew - Mom and Dad Are Social Networking!

2009-01-15T16:28:00.008-06:00

Sorry - I couldn't resist the headline. From the Pew Research Center ... The share of adult internet users who have a profile on a social networking site has more than quadrupled in the past four years -- from 8% in 2005 to 35% now. Beyond this impressive new figure are several other takeaways such as – personal use of social networking is currently more prevalent than professional use. This tracks pretty closely to the Forrester study from last week. You can read the complete findings of the Pew research here. How many profiles do you maintain and how do you use them?

Why Newspapers Are in Trouble

2009-01-14T16:51:00.005-06:00

From my snow drift. I am not a subscriber but get many freebies even though I read it all online and have for some time. I wonder how much longer this strategy will hold up? Overall the free sample marketing strategy is still alive and well but for newspapers the internet killed it for good. Because now it's all free online.
Seth really said it best earlier today.

In Reference to the Location of the Beef

2009-01-13T15:51:00.001-06:00

After a recent Arby's visit, my mind wandered as it's been known to do. I stared off at the packaging in front of me – the instructions to the toy that came with the Kid's Meal. On the backside were about four graphics that made up the fast food giant's core values and mission. Again, this was on the back of the instructions to the Kid's Meal toy. Because — you know as well as I do — kids care greatly about the mission and core values of the companies that provided them with their most recent toy.

Fast forward a couple of days to a luncheon at one of my favorite new local restaurants — Vesta. At the bottom of their lunch menu, was a short paragraph telling the story of how the restaurant is named for the Roman goddess of hearth and how this was relevant to the dining experience they work to create.

Some quick takeaways? First, compare the two "missions" — generic stuff like dream big and "make a difference" versus a quirky story involving the gods – and tell me which one you'll remember. Finally, you tell me who really cares more about living a mission by comparing where they chose to display it. On the back of some throw away instructions to a whirlygig that didn't really need instructions in the first place or the page-long, one-sided lunch menu that everyone easily reads all of ...?

Where Does Your Brand Exist?

2009-01-12T09:16:00.006-06:00

Google made some news last week when they updated the design of their favicon for the second time in a year. The old one, which replaced the former capital 'G' less than a year ago, is on the left while the new, technicolor favicon is on the right. (For those of you who don't know what a favicon is - it's the 16 x 16-pixel icon associated with your website or webpage that appears to the left of your URL in most browsers' windows and bookmark pages.)

This got me thinking - like my recent Pepsi post - not so much about the change itself but rather about what this means on a larger scale. (For the record ... while it may not be as readable as either of its predecessors, I'm OK with the new favicon mostly because the coloring adds a bit of the playfulness back into their at-times sparse brand as they look to scaling it across new media platforms.) The new favicon reminded me of an article I read about the Pepsi brand update – specifically about the hard costs tied to the update. The new Pepsi logo design alone cost millions with additional millions anticipated to execute the revision across all brand touchpoints. Think of it for just a sec and imagine the costs: point-of-purchase displays, distributor signage, huge ballpark ads ... Oof.

My point is that when you consider this compared to updating the Google favicon – which in the end costs next to nothing – it reminds you that we are moving into/have already arrived in a very different era of branding. You have to ask yourself, where does your brand exist? In the case of Google, they exist almost exclusively online (as an AdWords advertiser I actually got a flyer from Google last fall - I keep it locked in a vault). Their portal accented by their favicon is their brand so of course the ramifications of any seemingly minor update are under intense scrutiny. To summarize:

Brand Touchpoints

Old world -- store signage, yellow page ads, billboards, point-of-purchase, collateral, etc.

New world -- website w/favicon, online ads, search, iPhone app icons, Facebook fan pages, etc.

To be sure, this transition is not complete and the old world touchpoints won't go away entirely but the process has most certainly begun as we see an online-only Google take its place next to tried-and-true brands like Pepsi in consumers' hearts and minds.

Where does your brand exist? Are your new world touchpoints as strong as your old world touchpoints?

P.S. Props to Brand New for the side-by-side favicons above. They are a great blog by Under Consideration about corporate brand and identity work.

To Assume Makes ...

2009-01-10T12:10:00.006-06:00

... Well, you know the rest. Just a quick post via Tom Peters regarding a USA Today story citing a recent study by Forrester Research revealing that "Older folks like Wii, PCs, and cellphones too." Definitely worth your time to read. One highlight that jumps out is that those over 55 are more active in online finance, shopping, and entertainment than those under 55.

Now how many times have you thought recently that the older generation isn't consuming tech tools like their younger counterparts? And these assumptions definitely work both ways. I've heard many peers of a more ... er, more advanced age ... state that online "mostly targets younger people." Remember this study and try not to make as many assumptions on media consumption in the New Year.

Plotting a New Course

2009-01-09T09:18:00.000-06:00

Recently Advertising Age reported that the Boy Scouts of America are undertaking a relaunch and update of their venerable 100-year old brand to bring them into the 21st Century and help boost sagging numbers. As an Eagle Scout and devoted parent of a Cub Scout, I am committed to this organization and that is also why, as an advertising professional, I couldn't agree more with this move more. Now they haven't let leak what they are doing as far as execution goes but we we have some ideas of our own.

It all comes down to the technology that has come to define us. Are the Boy Scouts going to embrace technology and reposition their brand around it – essentially becoming the "Tech Scouts of America"? Or do they embody the other piece that you need to add to help shape a truly well-rounded child – running, hiking, exploring, civic responsibility. My Spidey sense tells me someone might try to pitch the former to produce quick results but I think the real opportunity for long-term brand traction is in the latter. All of the things that Scouting stands for are more relevant than ever now. In reality – as we so often find — the raw material for a great brand is already there. It just needs to be packaged more effectively.

The Boy Scouts are a great example of a brand that has let some weeds grow over it but more importantly they are addressing the issue. What are other examples of brands in need of a makeover? Is yours ...?

The Role of Positioning in an Economic Downturn

2009-01-07T11:47:00.005-06:00

If you were Harley Davidson in this economy you might think that you'd have a problem, right? You make high-end bikes that are expensive and could be seen by some as an expendable purchase given the current climate. Well, Harley has headed this off at the pass with their new TV/online campaign (above) that you've no doubt seen this past week.

In one fell swoop they re-galvanize their brand evangelists (click through to YouTube and you can see the user comments where someone posts that they'll have to "pry my current sportster keys from my cold dead hands") and fire up folks on the fence with their "Guarantee Made of Iron." They clearly acknowledge the current state of affairs but firmly position the Harley Davidson Sportster as one of the only sure things left in the economy and, moreover, a good investment. They even go so far as to position the brand and what it stands for as one of the building blocks of our freedom. Wow. Well done HD.

See how major brands like Harley and Walmart are talking about the economy without literally talking about the economy? More than overt crisis messaging, what's called for now is good, old-fashioned Ries & Trout positioning in a way that is relevant to the revised priorities of the day.

What are some other examples – good or bad - that you've seen of positioning for the current economy?

An Entrepreneur Looks at 60

2009-01-06T12:29:00.008-06:00

Today Dean Westergaard turns 60. Over 27 years ago and with just a handful of clients, Dean started Westergaard Advertising in the home I grew up in. Several years back, he wrote some copy describing one of our clients as a business that was quietly doing things very well. I think you could say the same thing about the writer. Here's to Deano — small business-owner, entrepreneur, ad man, copywriter, media buyer, Nile Kinnick historian, Brewer/Packer/Hawkeye fan, card-carrying Leinie Lodge member, "old building and loan pal," grandpa, and dad — happy 60th, old man.

Brand New Year

2009-01-01T10:54:00.003-06:00

It's a new year and now that the champagne bottles have been tossed out and the confetti has been cleaned up, we have a lot to do. The economy is in shambles, industries from Wall Street to Main Street are faltering — some with government assistance but most without. We need new strategies to right our course nationally and for our businesses because the old ones just won't work any more.

At Westergaard Advertising, we have one prediction for the New Year — brands will be bigger than ever. This may sound like a simple overstatement of the obvious but think about it. In a troubled economy you can only lead on price for so long — someone can always go lower and you cannot compete with that, especially when we don't know where the basement is. Where you can establish an edge is in the intangible ...

At the end of the day, it comes back to who your business is. Who your brand is and what kind of equity you've built up. In times of crisis there are two paths for your brand to save the day.

Your brand is impeccable, has always been impeccable, and most of your customers will stick with you through rough times.
You have neglected your brand. Your name doesn't mean much or as much as it used to.

If you are in the first group, you don't necessarily have it made. If you are in the second group, all is not lost but you must immediately perform a branding course correction. You must take as many resources as you can muster and put them behind your brand. And I'm not merely talking about a new logo or website but rather taking every decision you make as an opportunity to build brand equity. Do customers come into your business to pick something up? How could you go that extra mile and generate buzz and a positive brand experience? Is there something you could do that would leave your customer obligated to tell all of their friends about your business?

These are the kind of brand stories you need to cultivate. Even if you are in the first group with an impeccable brand, things are in flux now and you musn't loose site of your brand's state in the ever changing public sphere. Reach out to your customers and wrap them in your brand. Remind them why you are remarkable.

In short, build your brand in the new year. Keep it at the center of your mission. Put as many dollars toward it as you can spare — think of it as an investment your business' most crucial asset. But there's also a lot you can do that won't cost a dime. Talk to your team. Get their ideas on how to build bulletproof brand loyalty in 2009. And, most of all, Happy New Year.

Do You Twitter?

2008-12-31T09:46:00.002-06:00

Westergaard Advertising does. I think it's safe to say that everyone is still figuring out this intriguing mobile micro-blogging service that, as John Kenyon of the Corridor Business Journal says, "approximates a modern-day police scanner or back-fence conversation." As we all learn to leverage this tool in 2009, we invite you to follow WA on Twitter.

P.S. Need help getting started and/or creating a branded background and themes? Give us a holler ... or a tweet.

A New Voice for '09

2008-12-30T10:23:00.002-06:00

Today Pepsi revealed a new TV and online campaign that will kick off 2009 at the center of the action - Times Square. The campaign strikes a light and optimistic tone using bold colors, upbeat music, and positive sayings, all of which are accented by their new smiling logo.

At the risk of this becoming the Pepsi/Walmart blog (check out the last four posts), I think that optimism in messaging will be key to staying ahead in 2009. Recent research shows that 81% of Millennials are hopeful about what lies ahead in the new year. We all must remember to address the downturn without dwelling on it.

Like Walmart, this is a great example of finding a relevant way to talk to people about the challenges we face. In doing so in a positive way, they build a strong association with their brand that I wager will last longer than a campaign built on fear.

Growing from the Gut

2008-12-29T09:50:00.008-06:00

It's (about to be) the New Year and what do we all want to do after last week? Loose some weight, take care of that spare tire, etc. I myself was thinking of this as I got ready this morning. I had the news on in the background and heard a commercial about loosing weight AND saving money. Hey ... I think as my attention is captured amidst my struggle with my belt, who's promising this now ...?

None other than the subject of our previous post: Walmart (my friend McKinze reminded me after the last post that they dropped the hyphen as part of their recent brand overhaul). They even say at the end It's cheaper to loose weight at Walmart. And the scary thing? This is probably true. I really don't mean to dwell on Walmart as I am not a huge fan but the recent messaging has been spot on. First, sad as it is, the time has really come for their 'Save Money. Live Better' message (though it should be recognized that this is a more topical riff on their previous and somewhat threatening brand promise of 'Always Low Prices. Always.'). Second, they peel off topical campaigns such as this New Year weight-loss TV message which they tie together with a keyword campaign (Google 'cheap weight loss' and see who's near the top) which leads to a targeted microsite on healthy living.

Again - I am not a fan of the company but this strategy seems like it could encourage current customers to spend even more and motivate potential new customers to come on in in one fell swoop. Which strategically watches their vast backyard while also positioning for growth by capitalizing on our current need to save more money than ever and our post-holiday resolve to curb the growth of our respective waistlines.

For Your Holiday Village ...

2008-12-26T16:46:00.001-06:00

In the post-holiday malaise, I was confronted with a simple truth -- sometimes Wal-Mart is the only option. I have all of the standard gripes about Wallyworld (or Deathmart as my friend Mike has crudely dubbed them after the unfortunate death of an employee on Black Friday) so I won't bother to elaborate on them here.

My wife's family lives in rural Iowa, and for many essential items Wal-Mart is the only option. And so it passed that my wife, sister-in-law and I set out for food staples, grab bag gifts for an upcoming Yankee Swap, and miscellenous gift items. For part of the visit I was left to my own devices and wandered the aisles. Because I am insane and think of such things, I took in the modern facelift of the new Wal-Mart logo along with other in-store promotionals proclaiming the giant retailer's slogan -- Save money. Live better.

Say what you will about it -- it's basic, it's dirivitive on Target's "Expect More. Pay Less." -- but I think this slogan ultimately meets it's needs and is relevant now more than ever. I found myself reading it aisle after aisle, end-cap after end-cap and thinking -- "That IS what I want." And right now that's what we all want.

Don't get me wrong. I think the company and the way it operates are often times reprehensible and I don't think that a slogan that happens to be more topical now can somehow reverse or offset that. What I do think is that right now, Wal-Mart is doing an OK job of talking to a lot of people.

(Just to be sure to get one quick dig in -- the photo I took above slays me. Now you can add a small, quaint Wal-Mart to your picturesque holiday village. The irony of course is that once you put the Wal-Mart out you'd have to remvoe the small town drug store and toy shop from your quaint main street ...)

The Middle Circle

2008-12-22T14:22:00.008-06:00

I am a bit of an anomaly. I can give or take Pepsi or Coke. I'll drink either one or be perfectly content to have a root beer or raspberry ice tea. So I don't have affinity for either brand but sometimes I feel like drinking a soda and end up purchasing one or the other. Recently I was strolling down the aisle of my local grocer when I saw the much discussed new Pepsi logos. Neat, I thought and put a couple of two-liter bottles in my basket. I don't love Pepsi or hate Coke. It just struck me as new and interesting so I made the dive. And I'll bet I'm not alone.

The new logos have generated much discussion. Some love the new "smile" while others resent this very modern overhaul of a classic American brand. I won't get into my personal opinion because I'm not sure it's fully formed yet. I say that because even if I don't find them visually appealing, they may end up doing their job: moving the needle. By adding a little bit of sizzle, the new logo system may cause enough people like me to stop and say "Look! Something shiny and new."

I'm sure someone is reading this and thinking "if this guy doesn't care about soda then why should his opinion matter?" My opinion matters because in the soda wars I am a key demographic. It's the same reason pundits say that undecideds win elections. Products or personalities battling for share of mind in the public sphere each have a dedicated faction of brand loyalists. But there is almost always a third center circle in the ven diagram - and often it represents a larger group. The undecideds. The unloyal. In politics, these are the people who aren't as well read on the issues and vote a certain way because they didn't like someone's odd glance in a fleeting moment of a debate. In product marketing, these are the people who stop and buy the new thing because it's different and exciting.

I think it's important to point out (especially as a huge advocate on the power of branding) that I am not advocating focusing on little flashes in the pan to piece together a winning strategy. The logos (might) work for Pepsi because they have the core bucket of brand loyalists who they take care of. This is a strategy designed to grow and challenge market share but you cannot gravitate to the middle circle without first establishing a strong brand.

Lessons from the Doghouse

2008-12-20T10:59:00.002-06:00

By now almost everyone has seen "Beware of the Doghouse" - a great viral marketing video from the jewelry store inside JC Penny's first brought to my attention by Westerblog co-blogger Dean and colleague Larry.

This is indeed hilarious on many levels. The one aspect that I keep thinking about as a marketer though is what the pitch for this idea must have been like. We have an arguably funny premise on its own but within the specific context of driving holiday jewelry traffic to a fairly average mall anchor store, this sketch could seem like a bit of a stretch. Really an "outside of the box" idea. It only features the brand name once at the very end (if you blink you could miss it). Even the microsite the video drives traffic too is subtle (funny? yes; a traditional Penny's merchandising site? no). To the guy or gal at the end of the table whose job it is to give something a thumbs up or down, this was risky decision.

Now in the end it paid off. BIG. The video has been shared over and over and is a runaway success. Hindsight being what it is, one cannot think of a better way to make Penny's standout from the cluttered jewelry retail crowd. But months back, to the guy at the end of the table and the team pitching the idea, this probably had a lot of folks reaching for the Rolaids. Well played.

Can I Help You?

2008-12-18T11:02:00.001-06:00

You walk up and down the aisles of a store ... Can I help you?

You call up your trusted business advisor ... Can I help you?

Can I help you? This is the battle cry of the service trade from front line customer service to skilled professional service practitioners. Whether you work in a call center or a hospital, your exchange with those you serve usually begins with some variation on can I help you?

Given the current economic climate, this phrase takes on an even more complex and urgent meaning. Our customers' circumstances have changed, people are making decisions differently, and - most of all - our lives are more complicated. Now more than ever, people are looking for help beyond having their basic needs met. We all need to ask ourselves, is there something more we can be doing to serve our customers. Even something small ...

Earlier this week I got an email from Staples with the subject line 'Will Office Depot closings affect you?' which included a brief news re-cap about the closings and info on the stability of Staples. Initially I thought that this was a shrewd move – capitalizing on the weakened status of a competitor. But then I thought about it for a bit. Maybe there's not a lot of brand loyalty in the office supplies business. Staples vs. Office Depot vs. Office Max. Maybe people just duck into what is closest to them. And with one of the giants fallen, maybe someone's already-complicated life could be pushed even further if they didn't know where to get their paper clips. People are looking for security and reassurance. And in one little email Staples went a long way toward communicating that.

Staples took a step back and asked can I help you? When you consider this with the fact that Staples has built it's brand on ease of use (Staples - that was easy) it becomes more than obvious that this was a brand-savvy, customer-centric move in a critical time when we all need to need to be doing that. When we need to remember to ask - Can I help you?

The Westerblog Is Back

2008-12-15T13:30:00.003-06:00

Hello blogosphere! The WesterBlog is back. We are relaunching this blog that I first started in 2005 as a team blog for our agency - Westergaard Advertising. Dean and I will be sharing our thoughts on advertising, marketing, new media, traditional media, and everything in between. For more details feel free to watch the video above. We hope that you'll all join in the conversation.

A Domain Name Oops!

2008-12-13T14:10:00.000-06:00

Last week it was reported that the developers of the upcoming George W. Bush Presidential Library bought back the domain name GeorgeWBushLibrary.com that they had originally purchased for $3,000 for the princely sum of $35,000. Ouch. Big ouch. The real kicker? The company that sold it back for $35K bought it online for just $10 after it had expired.

Now I am often the one at our agency responsible for purchasing and managing domain names for our use and for the use of our clients. And once you factor in all of our clients and all of the primary and campaign/microsite domains that everyone has and the fact that they weren't all registered on the same date, this can keep a person fairly busy. However, I was bolstered on the importance of this job by reading the story above.

It pays to have someone to keep track of your domains. You can also flip the Bush library story the other way - if you buy and renew early at a price more in the ballpark of $10-$20 you might as well go ahead and buy any additional domains you can think of as well that a competitor/extortionist (like the one above) might buy out from under you later. We go through this often - should we really buy those other names as well? - and ultimately we come up with the logic that if its just $10 per additional domain, then it is money well spent.

So to keep with the political metaphor, you could say that domain registration and renewal is like voting ... do it early and often.

If you are interested, you can read the full story on the Bush library domain here.

Anatomy of an Ad: Fred’s New Job …

2007-09-25T10:03:00.001-05:00

If you’ve watched TV lately you’ve noticed that Fred Flintstone has a new job … pitching Geico. Yup, Fred and Wilma have joined the ranks for the gecko, Little Richard, and, of course, the ubiquitous cavemen (soon to be seen in primetime).  

Geico has always been a great case study of communicating a consistent message in creative ways to different market segments. In the end, they have a parity problem. Their message is the same as other insurance companies — they save you money. So they rely on clutter-cutting advertising broken out by market segment to get people’s attention. The cavemen focus on the much sought-after young male demographic, the gecko (for some reason) tested really well with women in their 40s, and boomers and up are the target of the Little Richard/Peter Graves-assisted customer testimonials.  

The new wave of spots trades the cavemen (they’re busy with their sitcom after all) for the Beverly Hillbillies, The Flintstones, and Cabbage Patch Kids. All are presented in faux E! True Hollywood Story fashion and position Geico as a money-saving solution that rescued them from their wayward lives of being a celebrity has-beens.  

Note the segmentation at work here. I would venture to say that between the shows/dolls listed above, one or more of them recalls a nostalgic feeling in you. Flintstones and Hillbillies for boomers and Cabbage Patch Kids for Gen X and Y. A fun character from your childhood being parodied in tabloid fashion? You’ve just gotta watch it.  

The point? Segment your communications. And as confusing as it sounds, be the same but different. By that I mean, at the heart of your strategy should be a very simple message (Geico saves you money — painfully simple, almost too simple if that wasn’t something that appealed to everyone!). Then, identify who you want to target and wrap this simple message in a creative vehicle that (a) gets their attention and (b) makes them stick around long enough to internalize your brand’s message. Easy, right …?  

P.S. You can view all of the Geico creative here.

How This Changes Things ...

2007-09-14T12:59:00.000-05:00

[This is a bit more than the ubiquitous iPhone blog posting. But, yes, I got one and I love it. And, yes, it was a brilliant move to drop the price — only way to grab some healthy market share plus I’m sure research indicated that there was a glacier sized chunk of people that would break free if the price was lower. And, yes, it would have been better if Jobs would have rolled out his $100 gift to the early adopters at the same time he announced the price cut. But enough of that …]

I was in an impromptu meeting the other day with a client talking about their website. It was a casual conversation and no one had laptops out. Someone asked about the website and the one of them got out a smart phone and we all passed it around and were using this manifestation of the internet to guide our discussion.

It suddenly occurred to me. More and more people carry the internet in their pockets in this crazy, fast-paced world of ours. That means more and more the internet is being downsized to someone’s small handheld screen.

How do smart phones change things?

- What does your site look like on a smart phone?
- Do all of the features work? Can you shop? Does the media work right?
- What about your HTML email? Chances are more and more people are viewing them on smart phones as well.
- Back it out a step, how can you more actively market to people with smart phones?

As we always say, it’s better to have some of the questions than all of the answers. And this is just another slice of new media that we’ll have to look at and think of some great questions for how to reach our customers on this new, pocket-sized digital frontier.

The Southwest Business Model

2007-09-04T14:01:00.001-05:00

If you don't already know the story of Southwest Airlines, you should. Take a quick minute at the beginning of a post-holiday week for a quick refresher courtesy of a segment from last weekend's CBS Sunday Morning - you can read the text or watch the video here. Basically, it all comes down to a seemingly simple business model projected by the airline's former CEO, Herb Kelleher. He asserts that if you focus on your employees then all of the rest will fall in to place. Because if you take care of your people, then they project their pleasure onto your customers, who in turn have favorable experiences and continue buying, which in turn pleases your stock holders or whoever your business serves. Herb's also responsible for one of my favorite quotes: "We have a strategic plan. It's called doing things!" No bull. Just a remarkable company.

Cutting Through the Clutter

2007-05-17T11:36:00.001-05:00

Because believe me, the clutter is coming. Especially if you live in an early battle ground state such as Iowa or New Hamshire (plus the clutters earlier than it has been in past year). I have no intentions of making this a poliical blog but I had to post Bill Richardson's recent "Job Interview" campaign ads because they're a perfect example of defying the convention in a particular market.

Political advertising, despite all of the money thrown at it, its influence, and its lack of regulation, is surprisingly uncreative. Every season Ad Age has a story after story on which agency is taking sides yet pays almost no attention to the fact that despite the involvement of industry's best creative minds, the same head and shoulders, baby-hugging, family-man, chore coat-wearing drivel is produced and takes up (too much) good air space.

Richardson has done one thing that none of the other candidates' advertising has yet - he got my attention.

Advertising 101 - you have to get people's attention so that they'll listen to you and (hopefully) have the desire to take action.

Again, this isn't a Richardson endorsement. It's an endorsement of creativity and telling stories. And it's not just a political message either. Think you're in a buttoned-down industry or space that can't do creative and engaging messaging? Do you or your peers say "we're not Apple or Nike, we're just in the [INSERT YOUR INDUSTRY HERE] business." Actually, you need to totally flip your perspective if that's the case. Be like Bill. If everything else in your industry is business as usual then they are just waiting for you to jump to the head of the pack with a clutter-cutting message.

No Means No

2007-04-22T22:02:00.000-05:00

I'll get to a more meaningful post very soon. Apologies for not keeping up. It's been a busy March/April. More on that later. I had to toss these two screen caps I found recently as examples of unintuitive web design and really ... just general online avoidance and trickery.

The first offender was when I was creating yet another online account. I get cranky about account creation. I have SO many. Right now I'll do anything that Google offers so that I can just use my Google account. Anyhow, I got to my email preferences and didn't want their newsletter and it came back at me with the red text below.

Yeah ... I read your offer the first time. Leave me be! No means 'no.' Don't question my choice because it tells me that you think I'm stupid and I can't read. I made a decision. Move on. Now I'll never subscribe.

Second offender - slightly worse in my opinion. I was on a site and confused this particular online merchant committed a two-tier no-no. First, they didn't have a phone number. Call me old-fashioned but I think every site needs a number where you can reach someone if everything goes wrong. Worse yet, I go to fill out the email contact form and after I click 'Submit,' it gives me this little message:

Grrrrr. I'm basically lost in your store and you won't let me ask for directions. This was extremely aggravating. In my personal opinion it never should have made it this far because they should have covered the phone number thing and at the very least had an easy-to-use contact form.

I guess both of these are pretty good reality checks for your next site design. They seem like no-brainers but go back and check your potholes. Can users easily sign up for an account without being guilted into you spamming them? Does this sound like a real sturdy opt-in to you? And, can a user ask for help easily at any point throughout your site and get some form of immediate response? A dedicated phone line or some sort of live chat would be ideal. A contact form that didn't try to get you lost further in the site would do also ...

Again, more on other things very soon.

The Injustice Ends!

2007-03-03T09:55:00.000-06:00

In case you haven't already heard, the caveman from the GEICO ads is getting his own pilot on ABC. Is this a surprising development? Not really.

In a time when marketing is content and content turns to marketing, this actually isn't that surprising. Hopefully the clever neanderthal will fare better than CBS's failed attempt to serialize Baby Bob. Poor kid ended up hocking sub sandwiches after that ...

Right Message, Right Audience

2007-02-26T14:31:00.001-06:00

Forgive the lack of posting. Just digging out from a winter storm.

Anyhow, if you're a movie lover and you hunkered down last night to watch the Oscars like I did, I'm sure you had a chance to catch Apple's new anticipation-building iPhone ad. This 30-second spot is a perfect example of the laws of context and relevancy of message. On its own it's a cute commercial but fairly unremarkable. If you look at it in the context of the Academy Awards - when everyone's huddled around fetting the legacy of cinema - it sparkles and adds another heart-warming montage to the evening (thankfully short and sweet -- hint, hint Academy).

It's the Big Things Too ...

2007-02-20T10:14:00.001-06:00

... that can save you from certain doom. We all know about the week JetBlue's been having so I'm not gonna bother to recap. How do you come back as a business from a nightmare like this? Today JetBlue announced their Customer Bill of Rights. Nothing real exciting on paper but remember the old adage of "it's not what you say, it's how you say it"? Well, what's gonna save JetBlue is how they've said their Customer Bill of Rights.

Go to their website and they've posted it clearly on the homepage (big duh after a bad PR week - you do NOT want to hide your response). BUT what they've posted isn't a document stating the rights. In fact at a cursory glance I can't find any webpage or pdf that lists them in writing. No, this link takes you to a YouTube video nested in the site of JetBlue founder and CEO David Neeleman telling you the Bill of Rights. Not a typical CEO standing at a podium addressing the troops. It's an intimate setting with Neeleman in a open-collared shirt talking about their FUBAR week and his promise (the company's too - but the implication is that he's personally vouching) on how their going to make it better. And the cherry on the sundae - he closes by asking for your business. Well played, JetBlue.

And it didn't stop on the website. Neeleman was all over TV this morning making the rounds. They responded quickly enough to get into the news cycle and may end up changing the story. My prediction? JetBlue is going to come back from this. They're a remarkable business that is working to handle a terrible misstep remarkably.

Speaking of which ... do you have a Customer Bill of Rights? If so, is it on your website? If it's on your website is it buried?

It's the Little Things ...

2007-02-19T18:40:00.000-06:00

... that transform good marketing into great marketing. This morning, The Lion in Winter was on and I had to go to the endlessly-useful Internet Movie Database. (BTW - Wasn't this one of the first viral sites that all of your friends told you to bookmark?) Anyhew ... I got into the individual movie page and noticed a dramatically tweaked page layout (the movie poster is on the left hand side now!). As always, it was a little jarring but pretty soon I got the lay of the land. Helping me in this endeavor was the small bar below the top nav shown above. If you can't read it, it simply says 'Questions about our new look? See our Redesign FAQ for answers.'

This link takes you to a comprehensive FAQ that if you take the time to read you can see that this wasn't just a cosmetic redesign. Everything was changed based on research and user feedback and testing. Wow. As if I needed another reason to like this online geek-cylcopedia - now they have to go and run the very model of a user friendly site. And the kicker? The FAQ makes it clear that nothing is permanent yet as they are still testing the redesign. A+ IMDB! (P.S. You'd be surprised how many times you have to remind people to test.)

Throwing the Brand Out with the Bathwater

2007-02-08T07:44:00.000-06:00

This week at the Chicago Auto Show, Ford announced that - just months after they retired the model - they would be resurrecting the Taurus/Sable nameplate. This summer when they release new models of the Ford Five Hundred sedan, the Freestyle crossover, and the Mercury Montego, they will be rechristened as the Taurus, Taurus X, and Mercury Sable respectively. I think this is an important step in helping the recovery of this particular Detroit giant. How big of a step it is I'll get into in a bit.

I also had occasion this past week to hear Jack Welch speak before the National Automobile Dealers Association. When first asked what he thought GM and Ford were doing wrong he sighed exhaustively and said "Jesus ..." More impactful, though, was when he took an informal poll of the audience. He started by asserting that he thought Detroit was getting better but they were still in the process of brand recovery so it's still an uphill battle. He then asked the crowd if they thought the current cars were better then peoples' perception of them. A majority of hands went up - mine included.

See these are the issues: perception, brands, story.

The product is on an upturn but they've squandered most of their equity so most of these early-recovery innovations will be spent getting their brands out of the black. So if admitting you have a problem is step #1 and making some immediate course corrections is step #2 the next questions have to be How did this happen and Is what they're doing now enough?

In the case of Ford, I think resurrecting the Taurus is a smart tactic. Who in their right mind thought it would be a great idea to kill the model for middle America - your average apple pie sedan? I think it's safe to say that most people have at least ridden in this classic at one time or another. How many models can you say that about? But I think Ford's using the wrong 'r.' I think they would have been better off reinventing the Taurus rather than slapping the nameplate on a slight redux of the model's less-than-popular successor. It seems everyone - especially Ford - has forgotten the legacy of the Taurus brand.

Before the Cadillac and Nissan design renaissance there was the Taurus. In a sea of boxy, post-seventies aircraft carriers, Ford birthed an automotive design revolution with the original jelly-bean inspired '85 Taurus. It looked like "the car of the future" (this was reinforced with great product placement as the police cars in Robocop - this helped Ford tell the "car-of-the-future" story). And everyone wanted to emulate the design of this innovative vehicle.

What followed was the most dangerous spoil of success - brand stagnation. It's so successful we shouldn't change it at all. And they didn't. Not significantly for the next decade. Even then it was, at best, a slight update with the jelly bean model making way for the late '90s "bubble" Taurus. This changed little also and only for the worst with all of the design funk being squared out and leaving a large, average-looking sedan. Ironically, the car had evolved into the very thing that the original had rebelled against.

So, again, I make the case that what they should be doing is reinventing the brand. It may sound crazy but if I was Ford I would make the new Taurus about reinventing the design of the American sedan again. That's the right way to be a good steward to a powerful brand like the Taurus.

As for Detroit recovery, I put more stock in broad strokes like GM's new electric car the Chevy Volt. This could be a crazy move and it could indeed fail. But as Tom Peters points out "crazy times call for crazy measures" and every now and then you have to blow up what you've worked forever to create and reinvent it in order to ensure your organization's staying power in the years to come.

Do you see the nuance? You have to risk blowing up what you've created but not at the cost of your most valuable asset - your brand. See, it's not enough to do something 'good.' You have to jump in the deep end and either triumph or fail fabulously. But being 'good enough' is clearly no longer good enough. And you need to be a steward to a brand and help it grow and develop. You can't just leave it alone for years thinking that times will keep supporting your product because they always have. A steward helps your brand change with and for the times.

Brand Rx for Professional Services

2007-01-30T13:56:00.000-06:00

Some things you don't want to see at the doctor's office:

An old, rusty exam table
A scary plastic apron hanging on the back of the door
A random cart left in the exam room with an old machine on it that looks like something they punished Randall McMurphy with in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
Your doctor using his Palm Pilot to assist in your diagnosis

To be fair, I encountered the items on the above list at two different doctors' offices recently. The kicker? Both are competent, smart physicians but they left around a bunch of warning signals that scared the bejezus out of me as a consumer. (Yikes! A PDA?!? I came to you because I couldn't diagnose myself on the internet.)

The good news? All of these are simple things to correct because they are the kind of branding issues that the business world deals with every day. You wouldn't want folding chairs in your waiting room, right? Make sure you check for potholes throughout your customer experience - especially if you provide a professional service and even more so if you're in a mainstay industry that you think doesn't require marketing (like medicine).

Case in point - I went and got my haircut at a new place a couple of weeks ago. After we were done, the stylist said, "We offer free touch-ups to all of our clients every two weeks so you should definitely stop back and take advantage of it. AND it's free." How crazy-fun is that? You bet I'm gonna come back in for a free touch up (I had to ask for a definition - it's sides and back - basically, everything below the top of your head - between 4-5 week haircuts). And the chances are pretty good too that I'll fall for setting a follow-up appointment (the non-free kind) after my touch-up.

Branding isn't just for soda and sports cars anymore. And there are other ways of building great brands beyond taking out Super Bowl Ads with a huge budget. Actually, the book I'm reading defined it best by saying a brand is "shorthand for a complex set of commercial attributes, emotions, and stories." And there are lots of ways to tell stories about you and your business. Try adding a bit of extra care or zaniness into the experience of doing business with you. It can come in the form of a garbage man who always walks the cans back up to the house or a doctor who paints his exam rooms an interesting color and has free Wi-Fi.

No Reason Not to Do It

2007-01-27T09:39:00.000-06:00

20 degrees out and I'm getting gas at 6:40 AM before a business trip. I'm freezing as I gas up my car. I go through the motions at the pump and - as always - I trip over the car wash question. You know what I'm talking about - the mid-purchase 'Car Wash Yes/No' prompt.

Now in warmer weather, I like the option. It's nice to be asked. Give the car a quick wash. It's a fun impulse buy that makes you feel good about yourself. But when it's butt cold and you're trying to gas and get back in the car ASAP this prompt becomes the source of much aggravation. I'm by no means any kind of technical genius but it seems that it wouldn't be hard to throw in a quick customer-centric feature of a thermometer in each pump. Not rocket science, right? Then the thing only asks you if you want a car wash if it's 45 degrees or warmer.

There's two schools of thought on this. If you go by the numbers, there's no reason to have this. There's no direct contribution that it's making to the bottom line. It's an added expense. Thus there's no reason to do it. Or there's the other way to look at it. This is a great little customer centric feature that adds to your customer's experience. It's a nice little comfort that comes with doing business with you and, over time, adds to customer retention and brand loyalty. There's no reason not to do it. Which person are you ...?

Move Over Oprah

2007-01-16T22:47:00.000-06:00

I loves me a good book list! Ben McConnell at Church of the Customer takes a stab at one for business leaders in '07. I can personally speak for several of them while others are on my hit list. (You hear that Team of Rivals? I'm comin' for you!) As you can see, I've also added my own list - The Marketer's Bookshelf - to the bottom of my righthand sidebar here on the WesterBlog.

Food for Thought

2007-01-15T10:26:00.000-06:00

An oldie but goodie with a slight addendum in light of the impact of social media.

A customer who is pleased after doing business with you tells one person
A customer apathetic to your experience tells no one
A customer who has a bad customer experience tells approximately nine people OR ...
... they blog about it and you experience the online firestorm that Kohls has had after someone's cell phone camera met up with a messy dressing room

Thinking of the Whole Picture

2007-01-13T14:41:00.000-06:00

The following message from Whole Foods CEO John Mackey was distributed to all team members on November 2, 2006. On the same day, the company warned that sales growth would be slow in the year ahead and that its stock had just plummeted. [To be fair, I lifted this from this month's issue of Fast Company. You can also read the full text here.]

To All Team Members,

I want to announce a couple of significant changes regarding compensation at Whole Foods Market.

First, as you know, we have a salary cap policy which limits the total cash compensation that can be paid to any Team Member. The Board of Directors has voted to raise the salary cap from 14 times the average pay to 19 times the average pay, effective immediately ... We are raising the salary cap for one reason only—to make the compensation to our executives more competitive in the marketplace ... Everyone on the Whole Foods Leadership Team (except for me) has been approached multiple times by "headhunters" with job offers to leave Whole Foods and go to work for our competitors. Raising the salary cap to 19 times the average pay has become necessary to help ensure the retention of our key leadership ... This increase to 19 times the average pay remains far, far below what the typical Fortune 500 company pays its executives ... The average CEO received 431 times as much as their average employee received in 2004, while the Whole Foods Market CEO (me) received only 14 times the average employee pay in cash compensation.

Most large companies also pay their executives large amounts of stock options in addition to large salaries and cash bonuses. However, this is not the case at Whole Foods Market. As the chart below indicates, the average large corporation in the United States distributes 75% of their total stock options to only 5 top executives ... At Whole Foods, the exact opposite is true: the top 16 executives have received 7% of all the options granted while the other 93% of the options have been distributed throughout the entire company with all Team Members eligible for a grant after 6,000 hours of service to the company.

The second part of today's announcement has to do with my own compensation ... The tremendous success of Whole Foods Market has provided me with far more money than I ever dreamed I'd have and far more than is necessary for either my financial security or personal happiness ... I am now 53 years old and I have reached a place in my life where I no longer want to work for money, but simply for the joy of the work itself and to better answer the call to service that I feel so clearly in my own heart. Beginning on January 1, 2007, my salary will be reduced to $1 per year and I will no longer take any other cash compensation ... The intention of the Board of Directors is for Whole Foods Market to donate all the future stock options I would be eligible to receive to our two company foundations.

One other important item to communicate to you is, in light of my decision to forego any future additional cash compensation, our Board of Directors has decided that Whole Foods Market will contribute $100,000 annually to a new Global Team Member Emergency Fund. This money will be distributed to Team Members throughout the company based on need ... The first $100,000 will be deposited on January 1, 2007.

With Much Love,
John Mackey

Hunker Down with the Internets

2007-01-12T16:37:00.000-06:00

I say 'hunker down' because the weather's supposed to get ugly here on the prairie this weekend. Anyway, today I found so many treats online that I just had to share.

A great podcast interview w/Seth Godin. I like that this program calls itself a commentary on 'social media marketing'. I hope that term sticks. I think it fits better than the comparably square moniker 'online media.' Thanks Brand Autopsy for the initial link that pointing me there.
AdCritic.com has a great site set up that features face2face interviews with contemporary ad creatives like Jeff Goodby, Lee Clow, and Alex Bogusky. Very cool.
Oh, yeah. And everybody is talking about this post re: the not-so-tidy state of affairs at Kohls. Yikes! Or rather ... Hee-haw! Clean up your act. 'Social media marketing' means if you piss a customer off the world has a pretty fair chance at finding out.

Enjoy!

Sprinkles the Wonder Dog

2007-01-11T13:46:00.000-06:00

Today I had lunch at Panera. After ringing me up the clerk said, "What can I call out when your order's ready?" What an opportunity! What can you say? How about "Hoochie mamma." Holler out hoochie mamma when my order is up! Or some other bit of nonsense. How fun would that be?

Now I know this was all the accidental result of this guy's phrasing but I've always wondered why they just ask for your name at a lunch counter. Why not ask for something fun like your pet's name? Or your wildest dream? When your soup and sandwich is up they shout out "I wanna be spaceman!" or "Sprinkles the Wonder Dog!" Insane? A little bit. Remarkable? Oh yeah. People wouldn't forget your company's service and the treat it is to do business with you.

A little over a year ago, I wrote about maximizing your touchpoints. In a roundabout way I guess this is just a little reminder to look for all of the pockets in your customer communications where you can sneak in a bit of remarkability. A lot of time it costs nothing and pays off in exceptional brand loyalty.

The Swing Marketing Advertised

2007-01-09T15:17:00.000-06:00

If you haven't seen this already, check out this hilarious take from Project Cartoon. Jaded or frighteningly realistic? You be the judge.

This site is also a fun example of letting users under the hood to play around. If you click on the 'Create' link you can modify the 'toon and save it to a unique url that you can give to your friends who in turn will send it to their friends and ... I guess it's also an example of viral marketing. The real kicker? The cartoon's content itself isn't original to the site. It's a pretty prevalent cartoon. What's original here (beyond the funky Simpsons-esque design) is that it's user based and can truly grow like an open source project. The cartoonist is even adding new cells from users to subsequent versions.

Presentation Anticipation

2007-01-08T21:46:00.000-06:00

Someone recently pointed out that business schools don't teach courses on how to give a presentation. Well, tomorrow you can get a masterclass. Take a sec and check out Steve Jobs' address to the troops tomorrow at Macworld. Apple will probably have it posted somewhere afterward. And for a bit of fun you can even play bingo along with Steve.

Mike points us to some behind-the-scenes shots of the Macworld expo hall from Wired. Pretty good article too. Arrogant, yes. But you can't beat the simple allure of putting up a curtain. You have to know what's under it.

P.S. Bill went today. Remember last year?

Bulb Addendum

2007-01-07T22:35:00.000-06:00

As Tevye would say "On the other hand ..."

Before we go canonizing Wal-Mart, my friend (and frequent supporting player in my blog posts) Larry reminded me that this CF bulb push is a very simple way for Wallyworld to appeal to a market segment that has historically - um, told them where to shove it. People like me, with a bit of a chip on their shoulders about the house that Sam built, are also people who are trying to spread the word about CF bulbs and know that environmentalism desperately needs Wal-Mart's distribution. So take your pick - shrewd business decision (touche, Sam) or concerned business stepping up its social conscience.

Whatever the motivation, the issue just keeps tipping as this bit of news out of Detroit shows us.

CF Bulbs Are Tipping

2007-01-06T22:49:00.000-06:00

[Note: This is part of a webwide series of blog posts about compact fluorescent light bulbs. January is the darkest month of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. To fight off the darkness, bloggers everywhere are invited to create a post with their own riff on why CF bulbs are cheaper, better politically, harder to market or just plain cute. I heard about this project from the remarkable Seth Godin.]

My riff on compact fluorescent bulbs? Yeah, I've replaced all of the standard bulbs in my house with energy-saving CF bulbs. Yeah, I did it after I saw An Inconvenient Truth. Yeah, I tried to spread the good word by giving CF bulbs as stocking-stuffers to friends and family this holiday season. I disclose this up front just to be clear: I am the demographic. I would be labeled as a "tree hugger."

But last week something interesting happened. Wal-Mart announced their commitment to selling more compact fluorescent bulbs. The full disclosure here: I am the last person that would pay Wal-Mart any kind of a compliment (I won't go into it - everyone knows why and most dislike them for the same reasons). But with their "Change a Light. Change the World." campaign they are helping to educate the masses (which they certainly have access to) on the big difference these little bulbs can make. Plus you can't argue with the marketing behind that campaign slogan. Sums it up pretty good.

A great part of the Wal-Mart story is that they are so committed to this that they are moving faster than CF bulb manufacturers like GE and Phillips, who aren't ready for a ramp up of this scale (think if your major distributor proposed that users switch from your cash cow to your niche product that lasts several times longer).

For those who don't know, here's the executive summary. Compact Fluorescent Bulbs ...

Use at least 2/3 less energy than standard incandescent bulbs to provide the same amount of light, and last up to 10 times longer.
Save $30 or more in energy costs over each bulb’s lifetime
Generate 70 percent less heat, so they’re safer to operate and can cut energy costs associated with home cooling.

For more info, check out the CF Bulb page on the government's Energy Star site.

My first observation is - damnit it just makes sense! In the unlikely event that everything else turns out to be wrong - what do you have to loose by switching?

Second, if the logic above defies you, then go with them because they're cheaper. If serving the greater good doesn't motivate you, how about your inner-miser? You could save $30 per year, per standard bulb replaced. And the things last up to five years! More on the full disclosure front - my inner miser is as vocal as a my inner environmentalist. So the $$$ did help sway me.

Finally, if none of that (PUN ALERT) flips your switch, it should majorly freak you out that Al Gore and Wal-Mart are on the same side of an issue. What are you waiting for? The four horseman of the apocalypse? All kidding aside, I think it's safe to say that this product - which has been around for nearly 30 years - is finally tipping.

The Point? I think it's pretty clear but ... replace a bulb. Just one. Give it a shot. If you like it, go through and replace the rest. If every American home replaced just one standard light bulb with a CF bulb, we would save enough energy to light more than 2.5 million homes for a year and prevent greenhouse gases equivalent to the emissions of nearly 800,000 cars.

Did you know ...

2007-01-01T19:27:00.000-06:00

... that marketing campaigns can sponsor events? I knew companies could but I got introduced to this concept just now on the Rose Bowl where viewers will be treated to the "Built Ford Tough Postgame Show."

I'm not sure how I feel about this one. I mean, I understand where they were coming from - "We need to embed our messaging into the sponsorship, etc" but it doesn't seem like a good fit. First, "Built Ford Tough Postgame Show" does not flow trippingly off the tongue. Second, a slogan/idea/positioning statement/sentence fragment (!?!) is a confusing descriptor for a postgame show. It's like Home Depot sponsoring it and calling it the "You Can Do It. We Can Help Postgame Show."

On the other hand. They're Ford. They've been dropping huge chunks of change on big sponsorships and advertising for years. I think it's safe to assume that most people know who they are. So why not use this opportunity to communicate something about the brand? Good so far but where the Motor City giant veers off track is in it's messaging.

"Built Ford Tough" is more business as usual and in case anyone has been living under a rock, the landscape in the automotive industry has been changing dramatically - especially for the Big 3. One idea would have been to take one of their new models that they are pinning their '07 hopes on and have that sponsor it. Like the "Ford Edge Postgame Show." Or the "Bold Moves: The Ford Postgame Show." That is their current slogan and actually sounds exciting and is relevant to the event.

Just my thoughts. You got any? Oh ... Happy 2007.

I Agree with Leo

2006-12-20T17:29:00.000-06:00

I regard a great ad as the most beautiful thing in the world.

- Leo Burnett

I went to the University of Iowa Museum of Art last weekend and saw this statue - Bob's Big Boy. I love it. I love that this is the part of the 'special exhibition' at an art museum that has a Picasso and a Pollock.

Being in the ad businesses I realize that I spend a lot of time looking at and evaluating ads. Then I looked at my walls at home and I realized that I spend even more time than I originally thought. I have an old Westinghouse ad over the stove and a Guinness poster in my office. To me, great advertising is great art. The converse is also true. Think Warhol's soup cans ...

Now let me be clear - I'm not saying that if you make it pretty 'n artistic it'll be good enough. Actually, I agree with another thing that Leo said:

Fun without sell gets nowhere but sell without fun tends to become obnoxious.

The Point? A simple equation for the narrow line(s) between art and science (and soft sell and hard sell) that great advertising must tread. And a couple great quotes from one of the great advertising men of the 20th Century. You can get more Leo quotes here and more info on the man from the company that still bears his name. Incidentally, the Leo Burnett site does a better job of infusing a brand with the soul of its founder than any other site I've seen. From quotes and stories to dynamic timelines and video, you leave with a clear picture of the man and the legacy he's left behind.

Redefining Breakfast

2006-12-19T08:48:00.000-06:00

Last night I caught the founders of Cereality, David Roth and Rick Bacher, on The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch. Now this truly is a remarkable concept - a bar/cafe that serves cereal. Not high-end, gourmet cereal. Just plain 'ol Apple Jacks, Lucky Charms, Frosted Flakes, etc. But you - the customer - gets complete control of the experience. You can lay down a bed of delicious Golden Grahams, top them off with a few Cocoa Puffs, and add toppings like bananas to boot.

And the innovation doesn't stop at the door. They've invented a user-friendly (and environmentally friendly) container with a clever spoon that has a flue in it for sucking the sweet, cereal-flavored milk (left). This is a perfect example of taking an activity that users love and building an experience around it. And you don't sit at a table either. You stand at kitchen-island like counters.

Roth and Bacher came up with a winning concept. All of the parts already existed. All they had to do was connect the dots. Oh, and the pisser? They peddled this idea around to all of the cereal companies to solicit partnership opportunities and all they got was "good luck." All except Quaker Oats, who was an early supporter and gave these innovators some start up cash. (There should be an award for companies that serve as "business angels" and support ideas like this but because there's not I'll lay off complaining about the oat smell in Cedar Rapids.)

The Point? It's real "in" right now to talk about how companies like YouTube are changing the landscape of business and culture but this kind of shift can happen offline as well. Companies like Cereality are taking what's successful about YouTube - an experience custom-sculpted around the user - and applying it successfully offline.

Black Friday on Sunday Morning

2006-12-04T07:39:00.000-06:00

There was a great segment yesterday on CBS Sunday Morning talking about retail strategies for the holiday season. CBS's Anthony Mason gets advice from two of my favorite marketing gurus - Seth Godin and Paco Underhill, retail anthropologist (love that title) and author of Why We Buy. And don't think the segment only applies if you're selling sweaters at the Gap or other holiday goodies. The retail tenets outlined apply to your online store as well. This story and Underhill's book can be instrumental in refining your both your physical and online retail experience.

Whole Foods Gets It

2006-11-29T09:35:00.000-06:00

There was a great story on All Things Considered last night about the in-store artists that Whole Foods employs to create their unique signage. They employ them full time and provide health benefits. Wow. Read or listen to the story and if you're not already familiar with them, learn more about this remarkable business.

The New WesterBlog - NOW WITH COMMENTS!

2006-11-29T08:51:00.000-06:00

Just a quick note to let you know that I've made a couple of modifications to the WesterBlog. The biggest is that I have enabled commenting (you have Larry Miller and his persistent lobbying to thank for that). Just remember to be nice and let's get some conversations started.

Not so new but worth a mention - I've also added category labels for my postings so now you can search for all of my rants by subject (located on the top right hand sidebar under the heading 'Labels' - just below my ugly mug). Enjoy! And if you are enjoying, feel free to comment.

I'm Nick Westergaard and I Approve This Blog Post

2006-11-27T14:50:00.000-06:00

A recent study pointed out some stunning stats on political advertising. During this month's election, a viewer watching a 30-minute block of television was, on average, exposed to 4 1/2 minutes of political advertising. The real kicker? In a 30-minute newscast viewers only got about 1 minute 43 seconds of political coverage and even then it focused primarily on political strategy rather than a look at how the candidates actually differ on the issues.

Speaking of stance on the issues ... I'm not real sure where I stand on this. I guess it would be easy to say "yeah advertising!" but I kind of feel more like "forget advertising (in politics: spin), where's the beef?" I guess, love it or hate it, our society is really getting most of our information, on anything from pharmaceuticals to MP3 players to the people we elect to higher office, through perceptions shaped by mass media.

The Point? With reluctance, I say go advertising ... but we need to be careful. As David Ogilvy once said, "In a period when television commercials are often the decisive factor in deciding who shall be the next President of the United States, dishonest political advertising is as evil as stuffing the ballot box." You're now more than twice as likely to hear controlled spin from a politician than an objective fact so just remember that an ad for a politician is as objective as one from McDonalds espousing the dietary benefits off the Big Mac. Luckily our food has Nutrition Facts ...

Chuck Gets It

2006-11-16T15:05:00.000-06:00

Larry points us to Slate where Seth Stevenson gives an Ad Report Card for the new "animated-reality" TV ads that Charles Schwab is using to announce their lower pricing structure. This article provides an in depth anatomy of an ad and is also a great example of targeting your message to an audience (men w/impotent anger who are upset at how their money is being managed). It even goes a level deeper and uses the media in a way that creates the right effect on this market segment (the ads leave you with a disrupted feeling -- it could really push the target audience into taking action). Kudos to Austin-based GSD&M for a kickin' strategy and execution. Well played. Quick things I love about these ads:

The "Talk to Chuck" slogan. For the exact same reasons Slate points out. Saw it on a big billboard in Chicago and fell in love with it.
The fact that for research Schwab created a "clutter reel" assembled of the bad advertising that is prevalent in financial services space (Adirondack chairs, sailboats, etc.).
The strategic match up of a targeted message and a targeted media

The only thing they missed? Putting these sticky ads on their website. Cadillac and Snickers have this figured out. If you've created a remarkable, clutter-cutting ad that's getting some press and people want to watch it, shouldn't they go to your site to do it ...?

P.S. If you find a link to the Schwab ads, send it to me and I'll post it.

Buzzwords

2006-11-07T10:11:00.000-06:00

Here is a great article on buzzwords from Yahoo! Finance. (Thanks to Mike for the referral.) It's a great read if you can find time in your day between working on your deliverables and your decentralization and unsiloing efforts and provided you don't have any drive bys from knowledge workers or managers who manage by walking around (MBWA).

The [Non-Business] Business Book

2006-10-30T12:43:00.000-06:00

Last week I was in the Denver airport waiting for my flight home and I was faced with an unsettling feeling: I am bookless. There are so many books that I feel I need to read: Freakonomics, The Long Tail, or the one that I thought was at the top of my stack, Small Is the New Big by Seth Godin.

But as I scanned the shelves at the Hudson Booksellers the words of my wife and so many of my colleagues echoed in my head: "If you read another business book next, I'll kill you." Sounds threatening but I really do have a problem with this. It's unintentional. And I'm not trying to brag but I just read these books faster than others. (I must have a problem with fiction in general. Even when not reading business books, I love non-fiction. Sports non-fiction, memoirs, essays, and biographies.)

I was especially antsy that night because it was Game 3 of the World Series and I had to get to the airport sports bar to watch as much as I could before going "silent" on the plane. (I'm a bit of a Cards fan by default -- they're my son's favorite team. I prefer the more tepid, lukewarm response that I like all Midwestern teams equally.) So it was probably a subliminal thing that led me to purchase 3 Nights in August, Buzz Bissinger's take on a 2003 three-game series between the Cubs and the Cards told through the transitioned lenses of manager Tony LaRussa.

Well, the Series came out just like I wanted it to and the book appears to be headed that way as well. I've also come to the conclusion that 3 Nights in August, is actually what I'm calling a non-business business book. By that I mean seeing the series through Tony's eyes, you get a feel for the elements of strategic planning and management that go into a game simplistically referred to as "America's past time." You see LaRussa pouring over video and statistics but not being totally driven by them. This is important: he straddles the line of intellect and intuition in a way that is applicable to several aspects of day-to-day life in modern baseball and business.

He also posses what Tom Peters calls a "bias for action." When in doubt, do something. We see LaRussa's now famous (back then, thought to be crazy) experimenting with the injured Albert Pujols' position to get him back into the line up as a perfect example of trying something to get results (which he did).

The Point? I'm not saying Transition Tony is Peter Drucker but you might find this read interesting and surprisingly applicable. Plus, if you're a baseball fan it is a hell of an easier read than Drucker. I think 'The Point' is also like Tony pacing around and tinkering with the line up. You have to expose yourself to all kinds of non-linear things to be open to a crazy idea that could be the equivalent of getting Pujols back into your line up.

P.S. You might also enjoy this post by Tom Peters, if for nothing else than his free PowerPoint on Think vs. Do. Enjoy!

I'm Taking Pictures of My Trash Again

2006-10-16T23:18:00.000-05:00

Again, you say? Yes. As some of you may remember I was similarly moved by some fast food packaging that I had to photograph and blog about pre-trash last year. Anyhow, I love this Pizza Hut box because they took advantage of their packaging to touch on a unique product need. "Dinner now. Breakfast tomorrow." Those four simple words sum up the added value of ordering pizza. Some clever copywriter took a personal moment of product interaction - not just the key customer need of satisfying immediate hunger - and found a way to market to it. Those sentences remind us why we have twice as much pizza delivered as we need.

The Point? Embrace and find a way to market to an atypical use for your product. I say embrace because I remember the story about the Preparation H marketing exec on the ski slope that begrudgingly admitted that a number of their customers (the skiing exec included) used the product as an exceptional cold weather lip balm. Now what if they found a way to embrace that need and market to it. And finally, remember that it's not just a box, or a sack, or an invoice. It's a piece of advertising that will be laying around your customer's home or office. Make the most of your packaging or I'll be forced to take more pictures of my trash!

Mousetraps and Marketing Metrics

2006-10-11T09:52:00.000-05:00

It's that time of year again. Last night I was walking through my basement and I turned on the furnace room light in time to see a mouse scurry away through a crack in the wall. Luckily, I had just reset all of my non-humane, old-school mousetraps with fresh peanut butter over the weekend.

As I was resetting the traps, my thoughts wandered to marketing metrics. (Yes. I am insane.) You see, for one of my clients the past month also marked the beginning of their fiscal year and they have been celebrating with a lot of strategizing and planning.

How does placing mousetraps throughout your home relate to planning your marketing? Easy. As I was dropping off the traps I thought of my "mousetrap results" from the past year. The two mice I caught were from the same trap location (downstairs bathroom next to the shower). In my mousetrap planning this is the equivalent of a marketing campaign that works. All six other traps that I've set are essentially unproven as they have yet to yield a result. Did I do anything different? No. I set all of the traps in the exact same location I've always set them.

Was this responsible, results-driven planning? If I wanted to make decisions based on actual results I should have set the proven trap next to the shower and tested some new trap locations. But I didn't and the only reason was because I didn't bother to consider the results.

Now you may think that these are just mousetraps and marketing planning is a much bigger deal that always gets more careful consideration. Really? Take a step back and look at your current plans? How many of your proven efforts from last year are you repeating? (Your answer should be all of them.) How many of your unproven efforts are scheduled to be repeated this year? (Your answer should be none of them.)

Or, worse yet, are you in the dark on your efforts because you don't track and measure them. To continue with my mousetrapping metaphor, that would be like setting several trays of poison out and a random dead mouse shows up. Which poison tray (marketing campaign) got the mouse (your results)? You'll never know. So you also need to take an even bigger step back and make sure you are measuring your efforts. Remember, you can't manage what you don't measure. For my money, you can't beat actionable ads and mousetraps that kill. Both are dependable, measurable, and provide results.

The Point? It's simple. Make sure you are tracking and measuring every ad, marketing campaign, and promotion you do. Then when it comes time to plan, repeat what really worked, try to fix what kind of worked, and test something new in place of the stuff that failed. Failure isn't bad. My direct marketing mentor always said you either want a clear success or a clear failure because they give you a result that you can read and take action on. In other words, you know something. So take some time and think through where you "trap your mice and your customers and remember you can improve both if you know where your results are coming from.

P.S. "Try something!" and "Test. Test. Test." are some of the rules of one of my favorite analytical minds, Dr. Gregory House of Fox's House M.D. This week one of my favorite business minds, Tom Peters, did a great post with a slide summing up "House-isms" that can be applied to direct marketing and really anything strategically focused. Enjoy.

Why TiVo Has Us Peeing on Our Advertising

2006-09-17T14:42:00.000-05:00

CBS Sunday Morning had a great cover story this morning that seemed to effectively encapsulate the state of the advertising business today. "Cutting Through Advertising Clutter" touches upon the "usual suspect" topics of the death of the TV industrial complex, the expansion of new media including experiential marketing, and the growth of digital product/ad placements in everything from baseball and video games to urinals. (Yup. There's a company called Wizmark that focuses on interactive urinal communicators.) All are presented as the cure to the TiVo ad-killing problem.

However, beyond being just the usual old-school slamming, TiVo-embracing diatribe on the current state of the ad game, this insightful segment makes an even more relevant point. Regardless of what media you utilize for your campaign, you have to try even harder to cut through the clutter in media today. The real challenge is finding new ways to reach the customer with your message that is memorable and entertaining and doesn't get caught in the spam filter with the rest of the things that look like "advertising."

I think the segment's quote from the president of the marketing firm Yankelovich, Jay Walker-Smith, sums it up best: "Consumers don't hate advertising. What they hate is bad advertising."

The Point? Great article. Worth your time. Read it and think of a new way you could be reaching your customers with a clutter-cutting message. In the end, the source of this story wasn't so surprising given that this is the network that boldly embraced promoting their fall season on eggs (we have yet to see if it's good-bold or bad-bold).

Talent

2006-09-10T16:17:00.000-05:00

Is this an awesome example of true business acumen or am I just falling for Ford's spin?

As everyone knows, last Tuesday Bill Ford Jr. stepped down as CEO of the troubled automaker. (Quick aside: I can't take credit for that descriptor. I read it in an article while talking with an associate. We both agreed that it's never a good sign to be in the car business and have the press refer to you as "the troubled automaker.")

Ford pulled in former-Boening exec Alan Mulally to lead the family business through what may be its darkest hour. Sounds like Mulally is a good find. Primarily because he's been through what Ford is currently going through with Boening in the post 9/11 days. During that period he managed to keep the company in the black through improvements in productivity and product development. Conveniently both are key areas where Ford's North American ops are hurting.

But 'so what' you say. You could have read that in any number of business articles that have offered their take on this changing of the guard over the past week. I point this out because on the same day that the announcement was made, Newsweek subscribers like myself were being delivered an ironic and newly out-of-date interview with Bill Ford Jr. himself.

In it he talks about talent. "I'll always be looking to bring talented people in who can help us." When asked if he would consider replacing himself he replied "I'm looking to make sure this company is stocked with talent ... right now I'm focused on getting the North American operations back on track."

My personal take -- if Ford is on the up and up, he is to be commended for stepping aside and ushering in someone more talented to fill the CEO's office. I think it also makes him an impressive steward to a great American company. What would you do in the same situation? Would you be brave enough to replace yourself with someone more qualified if it guaranteed the survival of your business. "In that regard, I'm not a traditional CEO," Ford said about his quest for talent.

Just to show you all that I'm not Pollyanna, I can recognize that this could all be a marvelously executed PR campaign to protect the very public heir of a very historic business and I could be falling for it hook, line, and sinker. As a marketer, I believe in the power of persuasion and recognize it could be at work here.

Once during The West Wing, someone said something like "I love speech writers. They have to have the capacity to doubt and dream at the same time." I've always thought that the same holds true for marketers. Doubt and dream. Right now, though, I'm in Ford's corner believing in the dream that a major business today is smart enough to replace any key player with someone with more talent who could be doing the job better and add greater value to the company as a whole.

How committed are you to your quest to bring new talent into your company?

Black on the Edge of Customer Service

2006-08-23T12:00:00.000-05:00

Those of you who know me personally, know I love rage-comic Lewis Black. Those of you who read this blog frequently know that I also love good customer service. So what a treat I got this week when I received the current issue of Fast Company in which they recognize good customer service with their Customer First awards. On the cover was Lewis Black, steam coming out of his ears, with the headline "Is This Your Customer." For me, this is right up there with their issue titled "The Boss from Hell" that featured Mr. Burns on the cover.

And to top it off, this wasn't just Lewis Black "modeling" and setting the tone for the issue with a cover photo. There's actually a great article where "Our customer-service curmudgeon suffers for all of us--but not in silence." It's an insightful read that offers a raw take on the state of service today.

Now take a step back and think about the impact of this cover design. (Actually, you could do this with any of Fast Company's cover designs.) Instead of doing the average BS about "The Customer Service Issue" with some sort of warm and fuzzy customer interaction photo they took it to the edge with the winning concept of the pissed-off customer. But the edge wasn't far enough so they scooted out a bit more and took it from being a generic pissed-off customer to one of America's most notorious pissed-off customers.

So, go to the edge and then move out a couple more inches just to make sure you're far enough!

Take this yet another step back and you can apply the concept of going to the edge to anything from business to backgammon. You can even apply it to the stage persona adopted by Lewis Black. Which would you rather hear? Another comic with a meandering story about airline service gone awry or a jolting rant from a man who appears to be on the verge of an aneurysm? Black even mentions as much in the interview. He recalls studying classical theatre and only discovering comedy because friends told him he was funny when he was pissed off. And the pissed-off thing seems to be working well for Black (regular Daily Show commentaries, three movies coming out, best-selling book, albums, etc.).

So, go to the edge if for no other reason than, to quote a Texas politician, there's nothing in the middle of the road except yellow lines and dead armadillos.

Do You Blog for Your Business?

2006-08-18T09:22:00.000-05:00

You should. I could list of all the reasons but instead I'll further propagate the blogosphere by sending you to a great post by Janine Popick, President/CEO and founder of Vertical Response (my email service provider of choice) where she sums up the 5 Reasons on Why You Should Blog for Your Business. Hers is also a great example of a business blog. Great tone. Valuable content. And it's relevant to her customers and her business. Plus she does something uber smart: she links her email newletters to her blog posts.

To elaborate a little further, there is also a nasty misconception that blogging is a tactic for B2C marketers only. Sadly this lie was born of B2B marketers who have been slow to adopt the new technologies that Web 2.0 has brought us. Now to be fair, some of these tools, such as RSS, aren't exactly ready for B2B primetime. But others, like blogging, are.

So check out Janine's post and start blogging for your business today.

The Little [BLANK] Book of [BLANK]

2006-08-07T15:03:00.000-05:00

Want a short cut to titling/writing a book? Come up with a color and a subject of interest and you're halfway there (provided it's a specialty you know something about). Let's play ...

Color - Green; Subject - Landscaping =
The Little Green Book of Landscaping

Color - Orange; Subject - Spreadsheets =
The Little Orange Book of Spreadsheets

Color - Puce; Subject - Pool Skimming =The Little Puce Book of Pool Skimming

Laugh but these formulaic titles are everywhere. If you want a digestible diatribe on a particular subject (especially aspects of business) you can easily run to your bookseller or Amazon and pick up The Little Red Book of Selling, The Little Black Book of Connections (same author), and The Little Blue Book of Advertising.

There's probably more. I know there are across topics. Wanna learn golf? Check out Harvey Pennick's Little Red Book. If you're feeling broad you can read the colorless but comprehensive Little Book of Food or The Little Book That Beats the Market.

Now these titles sound may sound dorky but the formula must be a successful one to merit the kind of play it's getting. Take it apart, though, and it's pretty simple to see why titles like this work:

'Little' implies that it's small and as few people read books anymore you may need to telegraph to the unidoctrinated that this book won't hurt you. Toss the color in and it sounds almost fun. Like a children's book (I think subconsciously this construction draws strength in it's motivational tie in with The Little Engine That Could). So we've communicated twice already that it's easy and we've added a dash of fun. 'Book of' is just the exposition leading up to your closer - the subject of interest. Not the most exciting part of all but if I need to step up my selling game, a title like this preceeding the subject helps the medicine go down.

When you look at it this way, it's kind of brilliant. This title formula is just a step above the lowballing and wildly popular Dummies and Idiots series (and I'm not turning my nose up - I just got the Idiot's Guide to Wine).

The Point? One of these books makes a respectable case for "thinking inside the box." Careful now. I'm not saying stifle creativity but rather there are tested formulas out there that are tried and true. You don't always have to reinvent the wheel. Save your wheelsmith-ery for when it's time to change the game entirely. And chances are that will be simply taking one of these tried and true methods and turning it on it's side.

Is That Crap Under My Windshield Wiper or Guerrilla Marketing?

2006-08-01T14:54:00.000-05:00

Or is it all in the eye of the beholder?

I had a philosophical discussion with a co-worker today about a Chinese restaurant menu that got shoved under everyone's windshield wipers in the parking lot. I cited it as a prime example of guerrilla marketing gone wrong. I made my case by saying that the effort was untargeted (I, for example, hate Chinese food; therefore this offer is irrelevant to me). I could understand flyering someplace close by but this restaurant was hardly that. Plus they flyered an office with a huge dining center that is widely known to have decent food at unbeatable prices. Flyering any other lot in town would have been a better use your excess flyers.

I cite targeting as being a key distinction because that is what makes a marketing tactic like flyering unique and gives it the scrappy, strategic guerrilla-like quality. I was at a conference and a vendor flyered all of the attendees a rooms one morning with a special announcement. That's great. Across the hall? No flyers because the vendor only targeted their audience with this relevant message. In my mind there was nothing targeted about this menu thing. It didn't have proximity going for it (as I mentioned this place is across town). It wasn't appealing based on who was parking in the lot (we have a cafeteria). All they had left were people who like Chinese food. I think you could target better.

But I believe it was Tevye that said, "On the other hand ..." (Actually, it was my colleague Larry Miller who wished to remain anonymous. I shall refer to him as Chuck moving forward.)

Chuck said: Untargeted? Come now. Chinese food is a pretty ubiquitous food category. Why not carpet bomb parking lots of big employers? Plus employees of large offices have been known to keep menus on file for days when they feel like changing it up. And as direct marketing tells us, when you scale a program like this, only a handful need to convert to break even on the promotion (unless you print your menus on heavy, embossed stock and hire a Ph.D. to do your flyering).

So am I right or is Chuck? Dunno. I'm just a marketer. I say that not as a cop out but in my almighty deference to trackable results. Could be this menu thing sends the restaurant through the roof. But to quote a book I just began, "you can't manage what you don't measure." So in the end, flyer or don't flyer. You don't know for sure until you try it but you've got to track it so the next time the promo gets put on the table you have some results to make a more educated guess. NOTE: I didn't suggest that you'd know for sure but that experience gives you some intelligence to make a more educated guess the next time. Happy marketing.

FREE MARKETING ADVICE:
Incidentally, if the Chinese restaurant was my client and was hell bent on flyering with their menus here's what I'd do ... Print off some mailing labels with a special offer/call to action: "Bring this menu in for a 10% discount on your meal." That would be a simple, low-cost way to track your efforts and give you some insight into what's working. But we want them to keep their menus! Great, hook them up with a new one when they redeem the offer. Or just let them take it back with them. (And so what if they reuse it? It's still business that resulted from the sale.) But we want to flyer several different targets! How do we know which is which? Get different colored labels and color-code your targets. At the end of the day, you can track almost anything. And you should.

I love that ... "You can't manage what you don't measure."

My Favorite Store That I Haven't Bought a Thing From (Yet)

2006-07-20T15:17:00.000-05:00

Story time at the WesterBlog. Gather 'round ...

I run. Not real well but I run nonetheless. On Wednesdays I run with a group of triathalonians and ironmen. It's something of a brutal self abuse regimen. I run because I can't work out in any other way. I'm uncoordinated and have been banned from most sports involving a ball and I would rather drink paint thinner than sit in a weight room.

I digress! I also like running because I can think about things like ... my blog posting. For reasons like this running has become more and more important to me. Recently my old running shoes started cutting my Achilles. So I brilliantly surmised that it was new shoe time.

My favorite shoe store now is Running Wild here in Coralville. I say 'now' because did I go there when my shoes first gave out? No. I'm a cheap SOB and I went to Kohl's for $35 Nikes. They looked cool. But they started squeaking and squishing when I ran. I returned them but the other pair did the same thing. Basically, these shoes suck and you would be hard pressed to call the staff at Kohl's helpful on resolving the matter. So my shoes suck and I decide to just wear them until I've gotten my $35 out of them (it's been a couple of weeks -- I think I'm almost there).

Around this same time my wife got me a running hat for Father's Day from Running Wild. In the bag was an invite to their Sunday morning runs. A group meets at the store and runs as much as 16 miles or so. They've got maps, water along the route, and bagels and juice at the end in the store. But that's where the magic happens. That's where I got to hear their expert staff sell shoes.

"Well, these are my old shoes ..."
"Ah ... I see. It looks like you're right handed ..."
"Yes"
"... and you run on the outside of your foot."

All of that by looking at the old shoe! Maybe this isn't reading tea leaves like I think it is but compared with my Kohl's experience ...

"These shoes make a weird sound."
"Did you try on another pair?"
"Yeah. They make the sound too."
"Uhhh ... I don't know what to tell you."
"Can you recommend another pair?"
"I don't usually work in this department. Sorry."

Compared to that it was like hearing a mystic tell the future. (Instead of reading palms he was reading feet!) I made a decision then and there that this would be my new favorite shoe store and my replacement 'new' shoes would come from here very soon. This experience showed me that expert advice is worth paying full price for. It is also a perfect case study for how to add value to the customer experience.

And how about that weekly run? I'm sure that's a decent-sized amount of money and labor for a small business. Water, bagels, juice, opening the store up at 7:00 a.m. But it got me to the store and let me see something that you can't put on a sign that you can see from the highway. Ironically they have a sign in the window that I have seen from the highway that says 'Expert Advice' but never paid attention to it but when I witnessed it in person ... Wow.

There's not copy to describe something like that. It's something you have to experience. Because, at the end of the day, that's what you're buying from a store like Running Wild. Not shoes or running gear but the experience of getting these commodities from a learned expert. Bravo.

The Real Front Lines of the Customer Experience

2006-07-14T15:44:00.000-05:00

Seth Godin makes a great point about receptionists. It pays to make every step of a customer's experience remarkable. Receptionists are your advance team who make impressions on your clients very early in the sales process. Sometimes this interaction is enough to make or break the whole relationship.

Another way to look at it: think about the other items on the front lines of your customer experience -- business cards, letterhead, packaging, and the like. Do you spend as much time and careful consideration making sure your receptionist is as unique and personal as your business card? And I'm not talking about someone with the basic social skills to work at Any Office USA. I'm talking about someone with personality and funk who embodies what it's like to be in business with you.

Virtual Ad Space

2006-07-13T12:53:00.000-05:00

Want to reach the gamer audience? Microsoft-owned Massive Incorporated has it figured out: sell ad space in the virtual universes of video games. The above screenshot from the game "Anarchy Online" illustrates the point beautifully. If you're promoting Batman Begins, why buy a generic billboard on the freeway where you speak to the questionably interested masses when you could buy a VG billboard with it's targeted (and lucrative) demographic? Impressive. With new media you can always drill deeper ...

Size Doesn't Matter

2006-07-10T10:06:00.000-05:00

The first stone thrown at my previous Monster Trade Show post is always, "Yeah, well they're Monster," the detractor says with emphasis on the company name that conjures a giant Philistine of a corporation. And I have a follow up to this implication that we should all remember from David & Goliath: Size doesn't matter. That's what I reminded myself as I was standing there staring at their both like some sort of brand stalker.

At the end of the day, the magical part of what was happening at that booth had nothing to do with how big a company Monster is. Sure the war chest helps launch an effort like that but they have something more important and more rare than money -- acceptance of BIG ideas. These big ideas yield remarkable results. And you don't have to be Monster-sized to yield remarkable results.

A company of one has the capability of producing a trade show presence like Monster's. Careful now, I don't mean literally a 20' x 40' island booth with t-shirts, parties, and limos. I mean a trade show strategy that, at its own scale, is remarkable and keeps the show buzzing in its own way. All you need is acceptance of some big (and perhaps even crazy) ideas to help your idea stick in the minds of the attendees.

Remarkability defies size.

Case in point, a recent favorite of mine was a small company that put a new spin on the ubiquitous iPod giveaway. They had about twenty of them stacked up at their booth inviting salacious glances from passersby. But the real magic came not from the Pyramid-o-Pod but rather from what you had to do to get one.

In your bag of conference goodies was a button. Nothing fancy just a plain ol' button with the company name on it and their new slogan. With the button came instructions to wear this throughout the conference because they would have their reps walking around and at certain times their boss back at the booth would call one of these reps on their cell phone. Upon receiving the call, the rep was instructed to give an iPod to the first person they saw with the button on.

The results: Everybody was wearing the button all of the time! Plus, you wanted to be near this company's reps on the off chance that if they got the call you'd get the iPod (you should win some type of a marketing award for inventing a scheme that makes a consumer want to be near a sales rep). Finally, it created an 'active' buzz around this company and their presence at the show. To put it another way: they had it "goin' on." Simple and remarkable. Who can't make a few hundred buttons and buy some iPods?

The Point? Size doesn't matter. Remarkability trumps all. You have the power to be like Monster et al. if you open yourself up to the permeation of BIG ideas that your marketers are probably trying to sell you on for something or other right now.

P.S. I often speak of remarkability and to not feel like a hack, I have to plug Seth Godin's book Purple Cow which defines the concept of building remarkability into your business plan. If you do one thing for me (besides reading this blog), read this book!

The Monster That Ate the Trade Show

2006-06-28T22:39:00.000-05:00

Recently I attended the national conference for SHRM, the Society of Human Resource Managers. A big player at this large conference was Monster.com. Given this audience's relevance to them, it was no surprise that they decided to own the show.

I had planned to summarize their strategy for you here but I found an article from Exhibitor Online that explains in great detail their Monster trade show strategy first established at SHRM a couple years ago. (Just change New Orleans to DC and you'd basically have this year's show.)

A top notch strategy by a top notch (and innovative) outfit.

I love trade shows for a couple of different reasons ...

They're like marketing amusement parks
They generate new leads and business but they also ...
Provide important opportunities for brand interaction

It's this last point that gets to be sticky for Ricky ROI. You know the guy I'm talking about. The one at the end of the conference room table that questions trade shows all the time because of the sticker shock. Then you have to get into metrics that sell him on lead acquisition cost, etc.

Really, I think that lead acquisition can only be part of your objective at a trade show. There's something else at play on the trade show floor. It's several brands fighting for position in the already crowded real-estate of a consumer's mind. But at the end of the day, I think you've got to be there. (The caveat of course is that this is a relevant show to your audience, etc. A relationship that Monster has found with SHRM -- it just fits.) At some big industry shows you have to attend simply for perception. It tells your customer that you're a player in this market too.

After you make your case to Ricky ROI and you are resolved to attend, he will next try to flank you at the size and scope of your booth. "Just do a 10' x 10,'" he says, waxing budget management. I have a different axiom at this point: If you are going to go -- then GO! Once you've made the investment in a trade show, upping your real-estate is really a nominal expense and can beef up the perception of your company.

Finally, be like Monster. By that I mean, don't treat a trade show on your calendar like a meeting that you'll be attending. Treat it like an event or complex marketing campaign that you need to plan every detail of. Pre-show, on-site, off-site, post-show -- everything. Their simple act of sending limos to the airport to take arriving attendees to the conference hotels was a stroke of genius. With that they became my personal concierge for this show and were quickly on their way to owning the hearts and minds of many attendees.

After the personal experience one has interacting with a brand at a trade show (fun at the booth with giveaways and product demos, at off-site parties and functions, or even riding in their limos), I have all sorts of positive associations with Monster that Yahoo HotJobs and Career Builder will have a tough time un-doing.

The Point? Trade shows rock. Are they expensive: Hell yes. You can bleed money at these things. But if carefully strategized, you can knock the ball out of the park and get real results (for Ricky ROI) and brand equity (immeasurable -- sorry Ricky) that aren't possible with any other media.

P.S. I'm on a trade show bent. Please email me any great books about trade show marketing. They have to exist but none come to mind. It seems like a sort of bastard channel. I know there are mags like Exhibitor but I'm wondering if there is some book that is the cornerstone of this complex media.

The Internet Can Do Anything!! (Even Save Screech's House)

2006-06-21T22:17:00.000-05:00

By even pointing this out, I realize that I'm being part of the problem but I like this story in a guilty pleasure kind of way.

You see the bank is foreclosing on Screech from "Saved by the Bell"'s house. What's Screech doing about it? Selling t-shirts on a website at $15 a pop to save his digs ($20 gets you one autographed by Screech himself). He is gonna have to move a lot of shirts to hit the $250,000 he needs but I don't want to underestimate the power of Screech's fame. Plus all of the recent press can't be hurting his cause. Actually that's what rockets this little fundraiser from gimmick to remarkable.

The Point? This little parable illustrates a simple point: If Screech can use the internet to move the needle for his cause, you can too. I feel dirty for even saying it but 'Think like Screech.' (By the way that little axiom doesn't apply to anything else in life!)

Words on Work

2006-06-02T08:37:00.000-05:00

Recently I got an info kit from the ad agency Energy BBDO. In the prospectus it contained a remarkable bit of copy that sums up the value of creating advertising for a client and I can't get it out of my head:

The Work. The Work. The Work. - In the tradition of all BBDO offices, we are dedicated to producing work that meets a high standard of creative excellence. After all, the work is where the brand meets the consumer. It touches their hearts and minds. And it is what leads to the sale.

Remarkable. I've been doing this for several years and I've never heard the urgency and importance of advertising summed up quite so eloquently as that second sentence. It's "where the brand meets the consumer."

The Point? Remember that your advertising campaigns are on the front lines with your customer. Pretty simple when you think about it.

Coffee Posting #2

2006-05-28T07:50:00.000-05:00

After my previous posting about Starbucks' magical copy, I must have been in a cup-reading type of mood ...

Truth be told, nowadays my wife and I actually more frequently get our daily java fix (she shuts down if she doesn't have her Vanilla Coffee Cooler, no whipped cream) from the newly opened Caribou Coffee. For those of you who don't know them (and you may not since they are only in a handful states), Caribou is number two in the gourmet coffeehouse biz. Think of them as Starbucks' quirky, socially conscious (cool positioning) cousin from the northwoods of Minnesota.

To be blunt they are second but it is a distant second to the clear market leader. But it's also a strong second. They have built a brand every bit as powerful as their erudite older cousin. Caribou's coffeehouses are like little lodges complete with faux fireplace, raw woodwork, and probably faux bearskin ottomans.

To do an apples to apples comparison with my previous post, how does their cup copy compare to the 'Bucks juggernaut?

You are holding our pride and joy

Hand-selected beans. Hand-crafted beverage.
It's in your hands now. Enjoy.

Not bad. And actually those simple phrases sum up their position in the market in an eloquent and concise fashion. They care about the coffee experience that Starbucks has sold us on. Pay a few bucks more and you enjoy a incomparable drinking experience. They acknowledge your involvement in this experience by referencing your enjoyment in tandem with their joy in creating it. The whole feel of their brand is targeted at coffee connoisseurs who may be after a more relaxed, lived in environment. Outdoorsy and soothing. Kick back by the fire and enjoy.

On a side note, their aforementioned social consciousness is easily felt with several signs proclaiming their support of social and agricultural responsibility in coffee production. Again, good differentiation but to be shrewd for a moment when they proclaim this so fervently it begs the question 'What does Starbucks do socially?' Probably a lot, perhaps even more given their size but they don't communicate it as prominently as Caribou and thus it escapes being a core component of their brand identity. To paraphrase James Carville, don't expect the public to know something unless you're willing to tell them.

The Point? There's something to be said for being a strong and respectable number two. In the end, you may even be number one in other measures that outweigh market leadership. Think Apple. Think Caribou. Think different. Happy Memorial Day!

P.S. I'll lay off the coffee posts for a while.