An Entrepreneur Looks at 60

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.

Top 5 Westerblog Posts: 2005-2009

Okay ... so most people do a "Top 10" but we had a pretty dry period there for a while so I feel that the best way to give a clear and accurate picture of our most popular posts (by traffic - thanks Google Analytics) is to start with a simple list of five. So in the spirit of looking forward to 2009 and looking back, here are our top five posts:

1. I'm Nick Westergaard and I Approve This Blog Post
2. Is That Crap Under My Windshield Wiper or Guerilla Marketing?
3. The Swing Marketing Advertised
4. The Monster That Ate the Trade Show
5. Sprinkles the Wonder Dog

Cheers to Chris Brogan for the idea. He observed when he put his list together – using "linked to" as a rating instrument for the posts – that numbered posts got a lot of attention. Hence I shrewdly chose to do a look back/best of list and number the blog title to test that out.

What do you think? What would you like to see more of in 2009? Cast your vote now using the quick poll in the sidebar to the right.

Brand New Year

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. 

1. Your brand is impeccable, has always been impeccable, and most of your customers will stick with you through rough times. 
2. 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?

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

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

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 ...

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 ...)

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